The coronavirus pandemic has made the summer transfer window uncertain, but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Man United will need £151m to sign Barca's Fati
Manchester United are keen to add winger Ansu Fati to their squad this summer, and the Daily Star believes they've had a bid of £135 million rejected, suggesting Barcelona are demanding the full £151m in his release clause.
The Star's claim is at odds with United's financial situation, but the paper says bids of £90m and £135m have already been rejected by the Catalan club.
Fati, who scored earlier this week against Leganes to net his fifth goal of the season, has been told by Barca boss Quique Setien that he needs to be more consistent. This despite the 17-year-old impressing and helping the club to a five-point lead at the top of the table.
United are said to be big admirers of the youngster, but his release clause would probably be enough to throw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer off the scent.
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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!
22.38 BST: David Alaba and Bayern Munich have been together since 2008 but are they headed for a breakup?
The Daily Telegraph writes that Bayern Munich are open to selling the versatile Austrian this window, in order to avoid losing him for free at the end of next summer. The 27-year-old, who has won 15 major trophies with Bayern and been named Austrian Footballer of the Year a record six times, can play anywhere in defence or midfield and has been valued at around €50 million.
The report adds that Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and PSG are all on alert if the three-time UEFA Team of the Year member becomes available.
21.41 BST: Arsenal to offer €40 million for Roma winger Justin Kluivert?
Calciomercato understands that the London outfit have held talks of a €40m plus Henrikh Mkhitaryan swap for the Dutch international, whose father Patrick scored 40 goals in 79 games for the Oranje. Arsenal are reportedly willing to over €3.5m per season for the 21-year-old, who has factored into 19 goals in 62 games with the Giallorossi.
Roma, who are in massive debt might be forced to sell some of their top young players, with Kluivert and 20-year-old Nicolo Zaniolo viewed as the club's most attractive assets.
21.04 BST: Chelsea are winning the transfer market so far, having already inked midfielder Hakim Ziyech and striker Timo Werner for next season.
The Blues though could lose out on another target, Brentford winger Said Benrahma, according to a report in the Daily Express. The Algerian winger has been one of the stars of the English Championship season, racking up 10 goals and eight assists for the upstart Bees.
The Daily Express claims that Leicester are leading the race for the £25 million-rated winger's signature, with Chelsea and Arsenal also interested.
20.11 BST: Man United to rival Man City for winger Leon Bailey?
Man United have been oft-linked with Borussia Dortmund starlet Jadon Sancho, but due to Sancho's high cost (£100 million) and the financial impact of the coronavirus, the Daily Mail suggests that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Co. could opt for the cheaper option in Bayer Leverkusen winger Bailey. The Jamaica international, 22, was rated as one of the top young players in Europe just a few seasons ago, is back in the shop window and reportedly could be available for around £40m.
Bailey, who has tallied 24 goals and 15 assists in 111 games with Leverkusen, has also been linked with Man City as a Leroy Sane replacement.
19.26 BST: Portland Timbers defender Jorge Moreira will return to parent club River Plate, after the two sides failed to agree to extend his loan.
Jorge Moreira has been a fantastic, dynamic player for the Timbers and was a tremendous addition to the club," said Gavin Wilkinson, general manager and president of soccer for the Timbers. "The intention was to work with River Plate to extend his loan during these uncertain times and while River Plate is not open to this at the moment, it remains our sincere hope to see Jorge back with the Timbers in the future."
The 30-year-old Paraguay international played 31 times for the Timbers, contributing three goals and four assists for the club.
18.48 BST: Liverpool are just a couple games away from winning and celebrating their first Premier League title in 30 years but after the season there will be tough roster decisions to maker.
One player who has fallen down the pecking order and could leave Anfield this summer is Naby Keita. MilanLive speculates that AC Milan could be in for the Guinea international, especially with Keita's former discover Ralf Rangnick set to take over as both sporting director and manager of the.
Keita, who has struggled for consistent form and fitness since arriving at Anfield for an initial €65 million, knows Rangnick well from his time at Salzburg and Leipzig.
18.02 BST: Timo Werner's move to Chelsea could reportedly hurt rival Man United's chances of landing a long-term striker target.
Le10Sport suggests that RB Leipzig are considering the AS Monaco hitman to replace Werner in Germany. Ben Yedder, Ligue 1's joint-top scorer this past season with 18 goals, arrived in the principality last season for €40 million after a prolific three-year run (70 goals in 138 games) in Spain with Sevilla. The France international, 29, reportedly is keen on playing Champions League football next season, with provides hope to clubs like Leipzig and United -- a club he famously terrorized in the Champions League back in 2018.
Quietly one of the more consistent goalscorers in Europe, Ben Yedder has scored double digit goals in seven of the last eight seasons.
17.19 BST: West Ham will ask for £20 million for West Brom loan star Grady Diangana, according to Football Insider.
The report adds that the 22-year-old could have his loan extended at West Brom, though -- if West Ham remain in the Premier League that is. The winger, who has five goals and six assists this season, is hoping to help the second-place Baggies to Premier League promotion.
16.30 BST: It's been a while since we had some Newcastle gossip in here.
The Daily Mail reports that the club are keen on Roma striker Patrik Schick -- even if their proposed £300m Saudi-backed takeover falls through.
Schick, 24, has scored 10 goals during his loan to RB Leipzig from Roma this season and the Czech Republic international reportedly had a clause in his contract which saw him available for £21m up until June 15.
Still, Roma are evidently ready to listen to offers of around £24m, so Newcastle have a chance if they can persuade him to move.
15.46 BST: Sporting CP youngster Nuno Mendes has been attracting attention from Manchester United but he is set to sign a new contract, says A Bola.
The new deal has a release clause of €45m, despite only playing once for the senior team. United will know their price then, and it might help to know that he shares agent Miguel Pinho with United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
15.15 BST: RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner is set to join Chelsea for €53m in July and this is why he will do OK in the Premier League.
14.51 BST: UEFA wants the summer transfer window to end for all European leagues on Oct. 5.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the transfer window will have to close later than its usual August deadline date. And UEFA has set Oct. 6 as its registration deadline for next season's Champions League and Europe League group stage matches.
A statement read: "The deadline for player registration for the group stage of the 2020-21 UEFA club competitions has been set to October 6, 2020. As a result, the UEFA executive committee has called on all member associations to adopt a harmonised end date to the upcoming summer transfer window, with this date set as October 5, 2020."
14.10 BST: Bayer Leverkusen forward Kai Havertz "wants to wait for Real Madrid," according to Marca, despite the likelihood that the Spanish club won't make any big signings this summer and interest from Bayern Munich.
The 21-year-old is one of the most sought-after players in the Bundesliga and has been tracked by Real Madrid for some time.
Marca reports that the club have informed Havertz that the COVID-19 pandemic has put their transfer plans on hold -- but the player may be willing to wait another season to secure a move to the Bernabeu.
Another factor, claims the newspaper, could be discussions between Madrid and Leverkusen over a loan move for Brazilian playmaker Reinier. The teenager joined Real Madrid in January and has featured for their B-team Castilla so far, with the first team's non-European player slots all currently occupied.
13.29 BST: In 'these players have signed extensions to cover them until the end of the season' news...
- Bayern Munich have kept Philippe Coutinho's loan from Barcelona going.
- Leicester have handed short-terms deals to club captain Wes Morgan, Christian Fuchs and Eldin Jakupovic.
13.18 BST: La Liga president Javier Tebas has said Lionel Messi would be a bigger loss to the Spanish league than Cristiano Ronaldo and has issued a plea to the Barcelona captain to stay.
Ronaldo spent nine years playing for Real Madrid before joining Juventus for €100m in 2018. The transfer was viewed as a setback for the Spanish league's international image, with predictions at the time suggesting it could even bring financial consequences, but Tebas said the Portugal international's exit had "almost no impact."
"Cristiano's departure, even though it annoyed Madrid, had almost no impact because La Liga has spent years ensuring that the brand transcends the players," Tebas told RAC1 on Thursday. "But Messi's case is different. Messi is the best player in the history of the game. We have been lucky to have him in La Liga for his whole career. I think you would notice Messi's departure -- especially if he went to another league.
"It would not be a catastrophe [if he did leave] because we have television deals signed with or without Messi, but the important thing is the value adds. Messi always delights us."
12.43 BST: David Luiz's future will be resolved this week with all parties working towards extending his stay at Arsenal, according to the player's agent Kia Joorabchian.
The 33-year-old's existing agreement expires on June 30 having only signed a one-year contract when joining the club from Chelsea in an £8m deal last summer.
"The situation from Arsenal's point of view will be resolved this week," Joorabchian said. "I think it's just not Luiz's situation. There are several issues within the whole structure that will get resolved. June 23 is the deadline for most of the clubs to renew their contracts so that they can finish the season off and beyond. So irrespective of any situation, by June 23 everyone's situation should be resolved."
12.12 BST: Celta Vigo have completed the signing of Nolito from Sevilla.
The former Barcelona and Manchester City forward has agreed a deal to return to his former club until the end of next season and will be available to play as soon as he passes a medical.
Celta used the same process as Barcelona did to sign Martin Braithwaite from Leganes in February, as Spanish clubs are allowed to buy from another La Liga club outside the transfer window if they lose a player to injury for a long period.
Last month Celta goalkeeper Sergio Alvarez suffered a serious knee injury which required surgery and the 17th-placed club have decided to sign Nolito rather than another keeper as they seek to avoid relegation.
12.01 BST: Last month we posed the question of Man City's 2008-09 squad: where are they now? Well, now one of them is somewhere else.
Brazilian striker Jo has returned to Corinthians after three years at Nagoya Grampus in Japan.
11.38 BST: Surely Arsenal are going to be looking for some new players this summer.
11.13 BST: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said he is hopeful Angel Gomes is "not far away" from signing a new contract to stay at Manchester United.
Gomes has returned to training at Carrington since the coronavirus lockdown restrictions were lifted but, at things stand, will leave the club on June 30 when his deal expires. The 19-year-old forward, who has made 10 senior appearances including six this season, has been linked with a move to Chelsea but Solskjaer believes he is set to stay.
"Angel is a top, top kid who we've had in the club for so many years," Solskjaer told a news conference on Thursday. "We've offered him a deal. Hopefully he'll take that but if not I'll wish him all the best. From what I understand, it's not too far away. If not, we'll wish him all the best."
10.49 BST: Belgium forward Dries Mertens has put pen to paper on a two-year contract extension at Napoli. The 33-year-old, whose previous deal was set to expire this summer, has signed until June 2022 with an option to extend his stay for a further season.
"I decided everything during lockdown," Mertens said: "I was already convinced about it and delighted to sign for Napoli."
The former PSV Eindhoven star is in his seventh year at Napoli and has scored six goals and set up five more in 21 league appearances this season.
He helped Napoli beat Juventus on penalties in Wednesday's Coppa Italia final , and said after the match: "We wanted to win something important and we wanted to make it a special night for our fans and us."
10.27 BST: Real Madrid defender Sergio Reguilon -- who's on a season-long loan at Sevilla -- has said beating Barcelona is "extra motivation" ahead of their clash on Friday night but doesn't know if he has a future at the Bernabeu.
The match at the Sanchez Pizjuan stadium is one of the toughest tests Barca will face in their remaining games this season as they battle with Madrid for the La Liga title.
"I'd be happy for Sevilla first, and if I can help Real Madrid, all the better," Reguilon told Diario AS. "I'm playing for Sevilla right now and I owe it to them. If we can't win the league, I want Madrid to win it, of course."
The 23-year-old has become one of La Liga's most consistent left-backs since joining Sevilla last summer -- when Madrid chose to sign Ferland Mendy to compete with Marcelo in the same position.
"I don't know what will happen next year," Reguilon said. "I want to keep that out of my head. I'll focus on this season, what's left, and not think about the future. I'm really happy here, this is an important club."
10.00 BST: Chelsea have announced that they have reached an agreement with RB Leipzig over the transfer of striker Timo Werner. Sources had told ESPN on Monday that the Germany international did not want to play in Leipzig's Champions League quarterfinal tie, provisionally scheduled for August, so he can push through a move to Stamford Bridge.
Werner has agreed to join Chelsea on a five-year deal worth up to £200,000-a-week. Werner had a release clause which set his valuation dependent upon Leipzig's finishing position in the Bundesliga but with three matches still to play, the two clubs negotiated a figure believed to be in the region of €53m (£47.7m/$59m).
The Blues said in a club statement: "The 24-year-old has agreed personal terms with the Blues, and will remain at the German club for the rest of the Bundesliga season. He will link up with his new team-mates in July, subject to passing a medical examination."
Werner added: Werner said: "I am delighted to be signing for Chelsea, it is a very proud moment for me to be joining this great club. I of course want to thank RB Leipzig, the club and the fans, for four fantastic years. You will forever be in my heart. I look forward to next season with my new team-mates, my new manager and of course the Chelsea fans. Together we have a very successful future ahead of us."
We have some @TimoWerner news for you! 👀
— Chelsea FC (at 🏡) (@ChelseaFC) June 18, 2020
09.33 BST: Arsenal centre-back David Luiz is a target of Fenerbahce the Turkish giants are keen to sign the veteran defender this summer, Esporte Interativo reports..
Luiz joined Arsenal from Chelsea last summer on a one-year deal with an option to extend it for a further season. The Brazilian, who has scored two goals in 32 appearances for the Gunners, is in talks with Arsenal to extend his stay beyond this summer.
The 33-year-old was only named among the substitutes for Wednesday's Premier League trip to Manchester City, but after coming on to replace the injured Pablo Mari he was at fault for two goals in the 3-0 loss and was sent off.
After that match, Luiz suggested he should have resolved his contractual situation by now but said his status was not a factor in his performance.
"I should have taken a different decision in the last two months but I didn't," he told Sky Sports. "All about my contract, if I stay here or not. I have 14 days to be here and that's it. I should have tried to decide my future as early as possible, but I didn't.
"I don't want to use that as an alibi or excuse, it's my fault -- that's it. I love to be here. That's why I continue to train hard."
- Arsenal ratings: Luiz 1/10 for nightmare outing
09.00 BST: French left-back Theo Hernandez says he is happy at AC Milan amid reports that Paris Saint-Germain are interested in signing him this summer.
"I'm happy in Milan and I want to stay here," Hernandez told Onda Cero.
Hernandez has scored five goals and set up three more in 22 league appearances since joining the Rossoneri from Real Madrid last summer.
Asked about the possibility of returning to Real Madrid one day, he said: "I have to continue like this and we shall see what happens.
"This has been my best season after my spell at Alaves [2016-17]. Neither at Real Madrid nor [while on loan] at Real Sociedad was I able to give my best. I didn't have the opportunity to show what I am at Real Madrid. I arrived in Madrid too young. Now I've matured a lot and that is why I am where I am."
PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd): Inter and Barca locked in Martinez stalemate
Inter Milan are standing firm in their negotiations with Barcelona for the sale of striker Lautaro Martinez, and the relationship between the two camps is said to be tense, reports Calciomercato.
The Italian outlet suggests that Inter are unwilling to move on a price of €85m plus Junior Firpo and, despite their hard-line stance, Barca are simply unwilling to budge.
Barca have offered Junior plus €65m, and while they refuse to pay more, they might be prepared to throw in another player.
Inter value Martinez at his release clause of €111m, and Junior at €26m, while Barca believe Inter's valuation of Junior is too low. The two clubs seem some way off and the Martinez camp appear to be growing tired of the ongoing discussions.
PSG close in on Bayern's Hernandez
Lucas Hernandez is being hotly tipped to join Paris Saint-Germain from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich by Footmercato.
The French site reports that negotiations have started between representatives of the two clubs, with the player's entourage making contact with PSG sporting director Leonardo.
The news follows Tanguy Kouassi's move to the Bavarian club from the French capital earlier this week, with the 18-year-old Frenchman swapping PSG for Bayern in an attempt to get more game time.
Hernandez has struggled to settle in Munich and is keen to leave the newly crowned champions. It is not yet clear, however, whether PSG have suggested a straight transfer or a loan deal with a compulsory purchase option similar to what eventually took Mauro Icardi to the club from Inter on a permanent deal.
Tap-ins
- Sport Witness believes Manchester United are trying to persuade Inter Milan to keep Alexis Sanchez for another year. The Chilean is on loan and the two clubs are in the process of agreeing his stay until the end of the campaign. However, as part of those discussions, the Reds are hoping to offload him for another year. Inter are said to be judging their decision over Sanchez's future on his performances between now and the end of the season, while his £5000-a-week wages could be a potential deal-breaker.
- Borussia Dortmund are still desperate to land Birmingham City youngster Jude Bellingham, but they're trying to force the price down, according to Bild. Dortmund are believed to have offered €20m, which is way below the Blues' €35m asking price. Bellingham and Dortmund are alleged to have agreed to personal terms, but the fee remains a contentious issue and Man United remain interested.