The winter transfer window is closed, but now it's time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Liverpool ask for more time for top target Werner
Liverpool had recently suggested they wouldn't be making any signings this summer as a result of the coronavirus and its effects on their finances, but, on Monday, The Guardian reported that the Reds have asked Timo Werner's representatives for more time to help them secure him.
Liverpool want Werner and have been favourites to sign him for some time, while Werner wants Liverpool, but the Premier League champions elect are worried about finances by the time the transfer window opens. And it's for that reason that they've asked Werner's team to sit tight and wait for a few weeks until things become clearer.
Werner, 24, is keen to leave RB Leipzig and has suggested he won't be leaving to join another club in the Bundesliga. The striker's release clause is reportedly £52.7 million and though Liverpool want to sign him, they're unwilling to commit to spending that much on one player until they know more about their finances going forward.
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LIVE BLOG
23.00 BST: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!
22.33 BST: Amidst links to Man United, Calciomercato understands that Juventus could indeed elect to sell Aaron Ramsey just one year after making him one of the highest-paid players in the world.
While the report says that Maurizo Sarri and Co. want to give the Welshman another year to prove his worth, it does leave the door open for Ramsey to leave Turin. The Italian outlet suggests that Juve will listen to offers that would bring another high-profile player the other way in a swap deal or monetary offers over €30 million for the 29-year-old.
The former Arsenal playmaker, who is on £400,000-a-week, has only started nine games in Serie A and two in the Champions League for the Old Lady.
21.45 BST: Championship promotion rivals Fulham and West Brom could go head-to-head in the transfer market this summer as well.
Telefoot is reporting that the two sides are wrestling over the right to sign breakout FC Lorient midfielder Yoane Wissa this summer. The 23-year-old Wissa has turned heads in Ligue 2 this season with 15 goals and four assists in 28 games, and previously had a brief spell in Ligue 1 with Angers.
Wissa, who led Lorient to promotion this season, is reportedly being watched by English clubs Fulham, West Brom, Watford and Southampton and Bundesliga sides Augsburg and Mainz.
21.04 BST: Sticking with Man United for a moment... could the Red Devils make a surprise move for Napoli and Mexico winger Hirving Lozano?
Corriere dello Sport, via ESPN Mexico, listed 'Chucky' as a potential target for the Manchester giants, citing the club's past success with fellow El Tri star Javier 'Chicharito' Hernandez. Lozano, 24, has failed to fire since signing for a Napoli-record €42 million in August and had seen his playing time decrease since Gennaro Gattuso took over as manager.
With potential appeal on the field and from a marketing sense, Lozano might not be as big of a long-shot signing for Man United as one might think.
20.10 BST: Manchester United and rivals Manchester City are reportedly set to battle over one of France's top youngsters.
According to Le10sport, the two rivals are leading the race for Marseille phenomenon Boubacar Kamara. OM are in real financial difficulty and the outlet suggests that even Kamara, could be sacrificed to balance the club's books. The 20-year-old, who recently converted from centre-back to midfield, has featured at various youth levels for France and has been a regular starter in Ligue 1 the past two seasons.
The report says that City could be willing to spend as much as €32 million for Kamara, but that United -- and Arsenal -- are also keeping tabs on the highly-regarded youngster.
19.16 BST: Claude Puel to deny former club Leicester from signing one of their top top target?
Le10sport understands that the Saint-Etienne boss is unwilling to let talented youngster Wesley Fofana go, even as his former club Leicester circles. The 19-year-old defender, who Les Verts want €20 million for, and winger Denis Bouanga, are two players the coach desperately wants to keep in France even amidst major European interest.
Puel was reportedly sold the Saint-Etienne job on the promise that he would be allow to hold on to his best players. Will Puel bend or will Leicester be forced to look elsewhere? One thing is for sure, someone will have to bend.
18.29 BST: Rangers loan star Ianis Hagi, son of Gheorghe, wants to stay at Ibrox but other clubs are lurking.
The Scottish Sun writes that Lazio are ready to pounce if 'Gers don't trigger their option to buy the Romanian starlet from parent club Genk. The 21-year-old's clause is thought to be around £4 million and while Rangers have been thrilled with Hagi's play since his arrival in January, the coronavirus could mean tough financial decisions for the Glasgow-based club.
If Hagi does become available, it is understood that that Lazio sporting director Igli Tare is keen, with the youngster having already wet his feet in Italy with Fiorentina from 2016-18.
17.41 BST: Everton are said to be in the market for a winger and a new name has emerged: Roma's Cengiz Under.
Corriere dello Sport, via Sport Witness, claims that Everton could enter the fray for the Turkish international, who is also being pursued by Tottenham and Arsenal. Roma reportedly want to cash in on Under, and the 22-year-old is thought to be available for around €25 million, not bad for a player who two seasons ago was linked with a £50m move to Manchester City.
Under, who joined Roma from Istanbul Basaksehir in 2017, has tallied 17 goals and 12 assists in 85 games for the capital club.
16.50 BST: Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey is open to a €50m move to Arsenal, says the Daily Telegraph.
Partey, 26, has been in negotiations over a new contract but has reportedly "told those close to him he has ambitions of proving himself in the Premier League with a move to the Emirates Stadium."
16.02 BST: Sao Paulo midfielder Igor Gomez is a target for Real Madrid, says Mundo Deportivo.
However, Sao Paulo have not yet received an official approach for the 21-year-old, who is also wanted by Ajax and Sevilla.
15.41 BST: French sports paper L'Equipe reckons PSG's Kylian Mbappe is considering a new contract offer that would extend his deal beyond 2022 and put him on the same salary as Neymar: around €700,000-a-week.
14.30 BST: Having looked over 28 years of transfer data for Bill Barnwell's list of the 100 best Premier League transfers -- 100-51 here and 50-1 here -- it is time to go in the opposite direction. Say goodbye to Thierry Henry and hello to Bebe. It's time for the 50 worst transfers in Premier League history.
13.59 BST: Tottenham are expected to resume talks with their first-team squad over a possible wage cut later this month once more detailed implications of the coronavirus pandemic are known, sources have told ESPN.
Spurs chairman Daniel Levy held initial discussions with the players in early April but failed to reach an agreement. Sources have told ESPN the club suggested a 30% reduction in line with the Premier League's proposal for all clubs but that idea was subsequently rejected.
13.20 BST: LA Galaxy are not looking to sell Jonathan dos Santos to America, Galaxy general manager Dennis Te Kloese has told ESPN.
Dos Santos, 30, is reportedly keen to link up with brother Giovani in Liga MX but Te Kloese insists that he will not go.
12.27 BST: Barcelona fear the costs involved in signing Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez could be driven up as Europe's biggest clubs circle around the Argentine striker, sources have told ESPN.
ESPN reported in February that both Manchester United and Real Madrid want to sign Martinez, although the Premier League side acknowledged at the time their pursuit is likely to end in disappointment due to the competition in the striker, who has a €111m release clause in his contract.
Barca are worried their hand could be weakened due to the interest and don't want to become embroiled in a bidding war, with other clubs likely to be able to offer Inter a better package and the player a bigger salary.
12.15 BST: Is it time for Harry Kane to starting thinking of a career outside of Tottenham?
11.32 BST: West Ham manager David Moyes says he's a big fan of Chelsea's 18-year-old midfielder Billy Gilmour.
"The one [Scottish player] who if I could sign tomorrow I would is Billy Gilmour after his opening performances for Chelsea," he revealed in quotes reported by the BBC. "He's looked like a seasoned pro, he's looked like somebody who's hungry, who's in love with the game.
"I was laughing because I keep getting told that Chelsea want [West Ham midfielder] Declan Rice, so I thought well I might just decide I want Billy Gilmour and see how it goes."
10.54 BST: Barcelona have had an €80m offer to acquire Inter Milan forward Lautaro Martinez rejected by the Serie A club, according to reports.
Gazzetta dello Sport says Barca are ready to put cash on the table to acquire the Argentina international, with the payment being made over the course of several years. However, Inter have turned it down as they want Martinez's release clause of €111m to be met and will not consider offers below €90m.
According to the Italian sports paper, there is 10-day deadline for Barca to negotiate with Inter. Martinez, 22, joined Inter from Racing Club in July 2018 for a reported €22.7m fee and is tied to the Italian giants until June 2023.
10.13 BST: Edinson Cavani has one less suitor this summer after Sao Paulo general manager and PSG legend Rai ruled out a move for the Uruguay international.
Cavani, 33, has been heavily linked with a move away from Parc des Princes for months and his contract is due to expire at the end of June.
However, the premature end of the Ligue 1 season due to the coronavirus crisis could mean that PSG try to extend El Matador's deal until they are in a stronger financial position.
Speaking with Globo Esporte, Rai admitted that Sao Paulo are not in a strong enough position themselves to take a run at the former Napoli striker.
"Diego [Lugano] is close with Edinson as they are both Uruguayan and friends," Rai said. "Inevitably, if there is a chance that he returns to South America, even if it is difficult, there is a good chance that he has spoken with Diego. However, right now, Sao Paulo are not considering a move -- we cannot afford him."
Sources have told ESPN that a Saudi-backed consortium in the process of acquiring Newcastle United are interested in bringing Cavani to the Premier League.
Meanwhile, Rai admitted that "the doors are open" to Miranda returning once his contract in China expires.
09.50 BST: Could Inter Milan get involved in the race for Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba? Unlikely.
09.08 BST: According to La Voix du Nord, Lille attacker Victor Osimhen remains in high demand -- notably with Premier League clubs -- but will not be moving to Italy this summer.
Newcastle United's proposed new Saudi-backed owners have been linked with Osimhen, as well as Liverpool and Manchester United. The Nigeria international is valued at around £75m after an impressive 13 goals in 27 games in Ligue 1 this season.
With the current financial crisis, offers for Lille's biggest stars -- including the 21-year-old and Gabriel Magalhaes -- are being studied by the club. Osimhen and his advisors, say La Voix du Nord, will meet in the next few weeks to make a decision on his future but he will reject lucrative offers from Italy.
08.39 BST: Fiorentina president Rocco Commisso says Juventus will face stern competition from other clubs to sign Federico Chiesa.
Italy international Chiesa has attracted the attention of several clubs after scoring six goals and setting up five more in 23 Serie A appearances.
Juventus and Inter Milan want to acquire the Fiorentina winger, who is tied to the Viola until June 2022, while Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea have also been linked with 22-year-old.
"I want to do the right thing for Fiorentina and if he wants to leave, we will make him happy if the right offer comes along," Commisso said, as reported in Sky Italia.
"Even if it's to go to Juventus, but there are other European clubs. We need to find what is good for all parties. There is also the possibility that Chiesa can remain."
08.00 BST: Bayer Leverkusen have yet to open contract talks with Kevin Volland, his agent Dirk Pietroschinsky has told kicker.
The former Germany international has drawn interest from Premier League clubs such as Arsenal.
The 27-year-old attacker has one year left on his current deal and is in a strong position following 11 goals and 9 assists in 31 competitive in the 2019-2020 season.
Julien Laurens believes Harry Kane should leave Tottenham if he has the opportunity to join a bigger club.
PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd)
Barca linked with PSG's Juan Bernat
Barcelona have been linked with strikers all summer, but defenders now appear to be the order of the day. As well as expressing an interest in Paris Saint Germain's left-back Layvin Kurzawa, who's out of contract in the summer, they're also eyeing his teammate Juan Bernat.
That's according to Sport in Spain, which reports that Barca believe Bernat fits their style of play. He has one year left on his contract and talks about an extension appear to have stalled. That means the French champions would be prepared to recoup some money for the former Bayern Munich man this summer to avoid risking losing him on a free in 12 months.
Bernat left Spain in 2014 after breaking through at Valencia and since then he has gone quietly about his business, impressing in the Bundesliga and, more recently, Ligue 1.
Barca may have to sell Junior Firpo first to buy Bernat and though this shouldn't be a problem it could allow Juventus to snatch him from under their nose, with the Italians also interested in the player they tried to sign in 2018.
PSG considering swoop for Umtiti
With Barcelona looking to raid PSG for the aforementioned Kurzawa and Bernat, the French side are looking at Barcelona's unwanted list to see if there is a deal to be done, and Tuttosport believes they're monitoring Samuel Umtiti's situation.
The Frenchman left his homeland in 2016 to join Barca, but PSG believe they can bring him back to his native country by promising him more first-team football than he has been getting at Camp Nou.
And with Thiago Silva still stalling over a one-year extension to his contract -- the Brazilian wants two years -- PSG believe Umtiti could be a ready-made replacement should they need reinforcements.
Barca have made no secret of the fact that they're looking to force out up to nine of their players to refresh the squad this summer, Umtiti among them, and PSG may look to do a swap deal if the Blaugrana are serious about one or both of Kurzawa and Bernat.
Tap-ins
- Barcelona winger Emerson Royal is a wanted man, and kicker reveals that Bayer Leverkusen have joined Spurs and Inter Milan in the race for a player currently on loan at Royal Betis. On loan until next summer, such has been the winger's form in La Liga that he has been attracting interest from some of Europe's top clubs. Just 21, he's now got another club to choose from, with Leverkusen offering between €20-30m and offering Barcelona a buy-back option.
- River Plate are resigned to losing Colombian international Rafael Santos Borre back to Atletico Madrid, who own 50% of the forward's rights. The Argentine club believe Atletico will buy him back for just €7m this summer before reselling him, with Celta Vigo among the clubs interested, reports Marca. Spanish side Celta attempted to sign him last summer.