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LIVE Transfer Talk: Man City agree terms with Valencia's Ferran Torres

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: City agree terms with Torres

Manchester City are set to make their first big move in the transfer market of the summer after agreeing a deal with Valencia winger Ferran Torres, according to Eurosport.

The 20-year-old is seen as the ideal replacement for Leroy Sane following the Germany international's departure for Bayern Munich two weeks ago.

Torres, who has scored six goals this season, has been monitored by European giants such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus.

Eurosport reports that representatives of the Spain under-21 international met with City on Wednesday and reached an agreement on all of the personal terms of a transfer.

Now, City must settle on a fee with Valencia, who have failed to qualify for European football next season and only have one year remaining on Torres' contract.

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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!

22.52 BST: Chelsea to make another splash in the transfer market?

Foot Mercato writes that the Blues are monitoring River Plate teenager Luciano Vera and could make the Argentine their third signing of the transfer window. The 18-year-old right-back has yet to make his senior debut with River but is an accomplished player with the Argentina Under-17s and is also on the radar of Lyon and Lazio.

Chelsea have already signed Hakim Ziyech from Ajax and Timo Werner from RB Leipzig and have been linked with Bayer Leverkusen starlet Kai Havertz and Leicester City's left-back Ben Chilwell. The report adds that Chelsea are also looking at fellow teenagers Gustavo Maia of Sao Paulo, Adam Hlozek of Sparta Prague and Monaco's Malamine Efekel.

22.10 BST: There are only a few weeks remaining in the Premier League season which means speculation about Crystal Palace star Wilfred Zaha's future is just around the corner.

The 27-year-old winger, who seemingly has been linked with a move away from Selhurst Park in each of the last five transfer windows, is again at the centre of transfer speculation. The latest rumours suggest the Ivory Coast international could be in the middle of a transfer tug-of-war between Newcastle United and Everton.

The Daily Mail writes that the pair of Premier League clubs, as well as Atletico Madrid and Bayer Munich, are plotting a move for Zaha, despite a sub-par season -- four goals, three assists -- from the winger. Zaha has made no secret of his desire to challenge himself and move up a level and would likely be available for much less than the £80 million Everton offered for him last season.

21.17 BST: Everton to rival Spurs for top target?

The Evening Standard understands that the Toffees have made a £25 million approach for versatile Southampton midfielder and reported Tottenham target Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg. The Danish international, 24, has been widely linked with a move away from St Mary's this summer, with Tottenham tipped as the likeliest destination. Saints have said they want £35m for the ex-Bayern Munich man and have yet to reply to Everton's offer.

Tottenham are hoping to work out a deal involving right-back Kyle Walker-Peters, who is currently on loan at Saints, while Ajax are also reportedly in the running for the midfielder.

20.25 BST: General Director of Lille Marc Ingla has confirmed that star striker Victor Osimhen is closing in on a move to Napoli.

"We are in the last stage [of discussions]. The player has made his choice. It is a regret to see him leave but we must be aware of the strength of the market," Ingla said.

"We do not hide our economic model. We must not only consider the amount of the transfer but also the salary that is offered to the player.

"We are not a final destination. With us, players thrive. We use their talent but we also build their careers. We are also in this process. It is the life of a club and the market. For him and his family, this can be an exceptional opportunity."

Osimhen, 21, has had a breakout first season with Lille scoring 18 goals and added six assists as Lille finished fourth in Ligue 1. The striker will become the most expensive Nigerian ever once his reported €81 million move to Naples is finalised. 

19.18 BST: Sky Sports are reporting that Birmingham City starlet Jude Bellingham has completed his medical ahead of a £26 million move to Borussia Dortmund.

The 17-year-old, who was also hotly pursued by Man United and Chelsea, will become the world's most expensive 17-year-old and join fellow English youngster Jadon Sancho at the club. The England Under-17 captain reportedly chose Dortmund due to their success in developing young players such as Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, Marco Reus, Christian Pulisic and Sancho.

Neither club has yet to confirm the move.

18.29 BST: Ajax have announced the signing of talented teenager Mohammed Kudus.

The 19-year-old midfielder joins the Dutch giants on a five-year contract after spending the past few seasons with Danish outfit Nordsjaelland. Kudus arrives for a reported €9 million, after bagging 12 goals in 28 games this past season for Nordsjaelland.

17.37 BST: Highly-rated American Chris Richards recently made his Bundesliga debut and the Bayern Munich youngster reportedly has plenty of suitors when it comes to a loan club for next season. Sources tell ESPN FC that Union Berlin are the latest club to express interest in the 20-year-old centre-back, who starred while playing for Bayern's reserves this past season.

Richards, though, is expected to push to stay at Bayern for preseason, as the FC Dallas product believes he can play his way into a spot with Bayern's first team.

16.48 BST: Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta fears the club's current board could force Lionel Messi out of the club when the forward's contract expires next summer.

A report in Spain recently suggested a number of issues, on and off the pitch at Camp Nou, have led Messi to consider his future at Barca beyond 2021. On Wednesday, teammate Luis Suarez said the Argentina international needs a "winning project" to convince him to stay (see 08.32 BST).

Laporta, who was Barca president until 2010, told Sport:  "It's cause for concern. Messi is a player with more to give, the best ever and we have to create the right conditions for him to continue, to feel happy and to give us several more years.

"I want Messi here beyond 2021, but I worry that some decisions from the board could lead to an irreversible decision. The way I see it, things are not on a good path with the way this current board is moving."

16.07 BST: Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng is willing to see out his contract at the Allianz Arena, kicker reports. 

The former Germany international has entered the final 12 months of his current contract and over the past few summers came close to leaving the German champions.

However, following a much-improved 2019-20 season with 33 appearances in all competitions so far, Boateng could stay at the Allianz until the end of the contract next summer if there is no "good offer" for him this transfer window.

15.35 BST: Manchester United have signed Real Madrid youngster Alvaro Fernandez on a four-year contract, sources have confirmed to ESPN.

The 17-year-old left-back -- whose deal at the Bernabeu expired on June 30 after a failure to reach an agreement on a renewal -- moves to Old Trafford as a free agent. Fernandez joined Real Madrid from Deportivo La Coruna in his native Galicia in 2017, beating competition from a number of top clubs for his signature.

The defender played for Madrid's under-15s, U16s and U17s in his three seasons at Valdebebas, being known as an attacking full-back with impressive physique and pace.He was part of a talented generation that features some of the most highly-rated players in Real Madrid's academy such as midfielder Bruno Iglesias and forward Israel Salazar.

Sources have told ESPN that Fernandez views United as a better option for his development in the short and medium-term. He is expected to feature for United's reserves next season, with the possibility of training with the first team when defensive reinforcements are required -- a faster career progression than would have been available in Madrid.

14.58 BST: Barcelona defender Junior Firpo has held encouraging talks with Inter Milan and is open to being included in any potential deal for Lautaro Martinez, sources have told ESPN's Sam Marsden.

Barca signed Firpo from Real Betis last summer for an initial €18m but the left-back's struggled for game time due to the presence of Jordi Alba. The Catalan club have opened the door for him to leave at the end of the season and he's one of the players they have offered to Inter as they attempt to structure a deal to sign Argentina striker Martinez.

Firpo, 23, would complete Inter coach Antonio Conte's revamp of the wing back positions. The Italian side have already signed Achraf Hakimi from Real Madrid to play on the right side.

However, any deal is dependent on Barca coming up with the cash to ensure Martinez can move in the other direction. That could hinge on finding a buyer for Philippe Coutinho. Barca need to sell to buy and the Brazilian is the one player the feel could bring in a significant amount of money.

In any case, Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed last week that talks with Inter to sign Martinez are currently on hold until the end of the season -- as is the case with all transfer activity at Camp Nou.

14.01 BST: Tottenham striker Harry Kane scored his 201st career goal in club football as Jose Mourinho's side secured at 3-1 victory at Newcastle United on Wednesday.

Despite his phenomenal record, ESPN's Mark Ogden believes that the England international has missed his chance to secure a move to one of Europe's top clubs.

13.22 BST: Barcelona hope to put a pause on all transfer activity until after the Champions League in August after the fractions caused by Arthur Melo's move to Juventus, sources have told ESPN's Sam Marsden.

Sources explain Arthur's transfer created a "distraction" at a time when Barca were still involved in the La Liga title race with Real Madrid. The club's hierarchy don't want to risk further damaging the harmony of an already small squad or isolating any more players.

Barca remain open to offers for a large chunk of their squad this summer, including Nelson Semedo, Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal, but will park any negotiations until their Champions League campaign comes to an end.

They will listen to bids for players not currently involved with the first team -- like Jean-Clair Todibo and Moussa Wague -- but want everyone else focused on helping the club win their sixth European Cup next month.

Arthur, 23, has not featured since the end of June when Barca confirmed he would Juve at the end of the season in a deal worth up to €82m

12.36 BST: AC Milan sporting director Frederic Massara has said his club is optimistic that goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma will remain at AC Milan beyond his contract which expires in June 2021.

The Italy international is a reported target of Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea. 

"We will have talks with his agent and we will try to keep him here," Massara said when asked about Donnarumma. "I hope we will soon have some news.

"Despite his age, he is a pillar at the club and it's with pillars like him, that we must build a radiant future. We will have a meeting soon to try and reach an agreement but we are confident that Gigio's wish is to continue with us. I think the conditions are there to hope for him to continue with us for a long time."

11.53 BST: Atletico Madrid coach Diego Simeone is not surprised that goalkeeper Jan Oblak is a target of top European clubs.

According to Diario AS, Chelsea are prepared to offer €100m for Oblak, who is tied to Atletico until June 2023. 

"Every year at the end of the season, all the big teams around the world want our important players," Simeone told reporters.

"It's normal because we have many players that are very good. Oblak is our captain, he is important year after year and I hope we can continue to count on his work, which is huge for Atletico.

"I'm not surprised they want him because he is very good, crucial, important in the locker room. Year after year he has evolved in every sense, as a goalkeeper while also managing the group."

Oblak, 27 is in his sixth season at the club and has conceded just 26 goals in 36 La Liga games this season.

11.00 BST: Wolves striker Raul Jimenez's stunning volley in Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Burnley was his 26th goal this season, matching fellow Mexican Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez's best season in Europe when he was at Bayern Leverkusen.

ESPN FC's Mark Ogden asks if Wolves will be able to stop Jimenez from being poached by one of Europe's major clubs.

10.27 BST: Germany international Kai Havertz has his heart set on a Chelsea transfer, German outlet kicker reports.

Citing "multiple sources", kicker says there are several indicators the Bayer Leverkusen midfielder wants to leave Germany and head to Stamford Bridge this summer.

With an agreement between club and player in place that Havertz, 21, will be allowed a move if the buying club agrees to Leverkusen's conditions, Chelsea must now find a way to negotiate a transfer fee which suits all parties.

The German club are holding out for a fee in the €100m which could include any potential add-ons and they have reiterated in the past there will be no cut-price deal for Havertz due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this month, sources told ESPN that Chelsea hope to drive down the asking price.

Leverkusen are still involved in this season's Europa League and have already said they will not sell any of their players before the tournament, which will be played in Germany in August.

09.56 BST: Championship side Middlesbrough are increasingly resigned to losing Djed Spence this summer as several Premier League clubs including Tottenham, West Ham and Brighton prepare to step up their interest, sources have told ESPN.

The 19-year-old has two years remaining on his contract, having only signed an extension in February. But after impressing in the Championship this season, senior figures at the club fear they are facing an uphill battle to keep the right-back in the north east.

Spurs are understood to be willing to allow back-up Kyle Walker-Peters to leave once he returns from his season-long loan at Southampton. The club are yet to make a final decision on Serge Aurier, although they tried to offload the full-back last summer only to fail to land Napoli's Elseid Hysaj as a replacement.

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is known to be an admirer of Spence having first heard positive reports from his son, Jose Mourinho Jr, who was at the Fulham academy with Spence prior to his departure in 2017.

Spurs have also been tracking Spence for some time, long before he made his league debut for Middlesbrough on Dec. 7 last year. He has gone on to make 20 appearances for the club to date.

Boro are likely to ask for as much as £10m, a price tag that won't put off his suitors with Burnley, Sheffield United and Southampton also keeping tabs on the situation.

09.29 BST: James Rodriguez's stepfather has said the midfielder will have "no shortage of offers" this summer and insisted the 29-year-old "has his reasons" for asking to be left out of the Real Madrid squad in recent weeks.

Rodriguez hasn't featured in Madrid's last four matchday squads at his own request as Zinedine Zidane's team close in on the La Liga title.

"James is a professional and he has behaved like a professional," Juan Carlos Restrepo told Super Combo radio in Colombia. "The truth is I don't know why (he has decided not to play)... but I'm absolutely convinced that James Rodriguez the sportsman, and James Rodriguez the person, doesn't take arbitrary decisions."

The Colombia international was close to leaving the Bernabeu last summer, rejecting moves to Italy and China, while Real Madrid denied him his preferred option of joining rivals Atletico.

"He'll have no shortage of offers because he's one of the world's top players," Restrepo said. "I like Spanish football, there's been a lot of talk about Atletico Madrid, I'd love it, they have great fans and a beautiful stadium. I don't know if the speculation in the media is a reality. There are good clubs in Italy and England too."

09.01 BST: AC Milan sporting director Frederic Massara says no decision has been made yet regarding Zlatan Ibrahimovic's future at the club.

Massara has hailed the impact that the veteran Sweden forward has had at the club since returning to the Rossoneri in December.

Ibrahimovic, 38, who has scored five goals and set up three more in 13 league appearances since joining from LA Galaxy, is tied to Milan until the remainder of the season, with an option to extend his stay until June 2021.

"We will have to make the assessment with him because it will also depend on his frame of mind and his desire," Massara told Sky Italia. "He is giving a lot to this team, he has helped the group to grow exponentially, he has given mentality, he has brought quality and the team has changed since his arrival.

"We will see what happens together, in the meantime, we will enjoy him until the end and celebrate his 100 games at Milan, that have been spiced with so much magic."

08.32 BST: Luis Suarez has said Barcelona must do better if they want to convince Lionel Messi to extend his contract at the club beyond the end of next season.

Messi, 33, has a deal at Camp Nou until 2021 but a report in Spain this month suggested he was considering not renewing his terms when they expire.

Sources subsequently confirmed to ESPN that he is angry with Barca's front office about leaked reports that appeared to make him responsible for certain events at the club, such as the January sacking of coach Ernesto Valverde.

Messi, sources added, is also frustrated about the squad's lack of quality and Suarez says Barca must strive to improve the team around him to ensure he doesn't walk away for free next summer.

"What he would like is a winning project, an exciting project," Suarez told Mundo Deportivo. "But it's a situation that he has to manage with his family and, in this case, with his dad, and be conscious of the decision he has to take."

08.00 BST: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has said that he is concerned about not having enough funds in the offseason to strengthen his squad.

The former Gunners captain, who took over as team manager earlier this season after the sacking of Unai Emery, said it will take investment if the club is to compete for titles.

"You need it to build a squad. It's not magic," Arteta told Sky Sports after Arsenal's 2-1 win over Liverpool. "You need to improve with quality, quality players in the squad and you need bigger squads to compete in this competition. There's the challenge."

Arteta does have Arsenal in contention for silverware this season as they will face Manchester City in the FA Cup semifinals on Saturday, but stressed that there is a chasm between the London side and the likes of City and Liverpool, despite Wednesday's win.

"The gap between the two teams [Arsenal and Liverpool] today is enormous," he added. "We can not improve it in two months, but the accountability, the fight is now equal and I am very proud of that. The rest will take some time."

PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd): Man City target Koulibaly and Varane

Manchester City are keen to find a new defense partner to play alongside Aymeric Laporte next season, and Pep Guardiola is being linked with Kalidou Koulibaly and Raphael Varane.

The Daily Star says that the City boss will have to spend £65m to take Koulibaly away from Napoli, where he has three years left on his contract in Naples.

Koulibaly, they say, is Guardiola's top target, and the Spaniard is said to be willing to pull out all the stops in an effort to strengthen his side ahead of their fresh assault on the Premier League title.

Meanwhile, it was discussed on the Transfer Window Podcast that with John Stones leaving the Etihad, Guardiola is keen to tempt Varane away from Real Madrid. They say that Varane is City's top target, not Koulibaly, but that it would be hard to lure him away from the Bernabeu.

What is most clear is that Guardiola is intent on finding a new defense partner for Laporte this summer.

Eriksen to leave Inter already?

Christian Eriksen could be on his way out of Internazionale just six months after joining the club from Tottenham Hotspur.

The Mail, citing reports in Italy, suggests that the Nerazzurri are willing to listen to offers for the Denmark international after he has failed to impress under Antonio Conte at the San Siro.

The 28-year-old has struggled for form since his move in January and was even dropped to the bench for the recent 3-1 victory over Torino, with Conte himself hinting that Eriksen's reputation isn't enough for him to guarantee a starting place.

Inter are said to be willing to listen to offers of around £55 million.

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Hertha look to end Jovic's Madrid woes

Real Madrid are desperate to offload Luka Jovic this summer and they might have found themselves a buyer, with German side Hertha Berlin keen to take a punt on the Serbia star, according to Marca.

The Spanish outlet reports that Hertha, thanks to the backing of new major investor Lars Windhorst, see Jovic as the perfect addition to help them mount a serious title challenge next season.

Jovic has struggled at the Bernabeu under Zinedine Zidane but Hertha believe his form in Germany, in which he scored 27 goals during the 2018-19 campaign for Eintracht Frankfurt, is evidence that he can return to form in the Bundesliga.

Hertha could splash the cash this summer and Jovic could be the first of several big-money signings as they look to close the gap on Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich.

Tap-ins

- The Illawarra Mercury says that Wollongong Wolves' Thomas James is a target for A-League side Perth Glory. The Australian top flight resumes this Friday after a four-month hiatus and the Glory are reportedly looking to bolster their forward options with the 2019 NSW NPL Golden Boot winner. 

- Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo is keen to sign Luca Pellegrini, who is currently on loan at Cagliari from Juventus. Leonardo is looking for reinforcements on the left side of defence and Le10sport are suggesting that Juventus could be willing to sell the Italy under-20 international. Pellegrini hasn't had a chance to impress in Turin since his move from AS Roma last summer, and he might need to leave the Italian league leaders to play more first-team football.

- Napoli and Inter Milan are looking to raid AC Milan for Ivory Coast midfielder Franck Kessie, according to Calciomercato. The Rossoneri are keen to keep the 23-year-old but might be tempted to sell given that his price has risen dramatically in recent weeks, the result of three goals in consecutive games, against Juventus, Napoli and Parma. Kessie could return as much as €40m, which is why his agent is set for showdown talks with the club's management at the end of the season.

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