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LIVE Transfer Talk: Sancho 'must push' for Man United transfer if he wants out of Dortmund

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: Sancho 'must push' for Man United switch

Just when we thought we might finally be edging closer to the end of Jadon Sancho's ongoing transfer saga, the pendulum looks to have swung back the other way again.

Despite recent reports suggesting that Sancho's suitors Manchester United and his current employers Borussia Dortmund were nearing an agreement over the 20-year-old's transfer, that's not the case according to the Mirror.

And with the two clubs still said to be "deadlocked" over the player's valuation, Sancho will likely have to push hard and make his intentions clear to help get a deal over the line.

However, there is some hope for the Manchester outfit. Despite not seeing eye-to-eye regarding Sancho's fee -- and Dortmund beating the Red Devils to the signature of Birmingham City teenager Jude Bellingham -- the Mirror claims that relations between the two clubs remain positive.

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LIVE BLOG

22.29 BST: There is a dispute between Leeds United and RB Leipzig over the purchase option included in the loan deal that took Jean-Kevin Augustin to Elland Road, Bild reports. After just three substitute appearances in the Championship, Leeds are uninterested in retaining the 23-year-old France youth international, and the Red Bull-backed outfit seem no more eager to have the player back.

The loan arrangement included a clause that stipulated that should Leeds be promoted to the Premier League, Augustin's move would be permanent for €21m. The newly crowned champions of England's second division say, however, that the clause expired on July 1 and thus have no obligation to keep the player.

21.42 BST: Manchester City are close to agreeing a £35m deal with Bournemouth that would see 25-year-old centre-back Nathan Ake move to the Etihad, according to the Guardian, while the Chelsea academy graduate has also been linked with a return to his former club as well as Manchester United.

20.55 BST: After missing out on European football next season, Valencia need to raise €100m in player sales this summer and trim €116m from their wage bill, according to the Athletic. As such, a glut of first-team players reportedly have been put up for sale: Dani Parejo, Rodrigo, Goncalo Guedes, Jasper Cillessen, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Denis Cheryshev and Kevin Gameiro all are said to be available. With less than 12 months remaining on his contract, 20-year-old prodigy Ferran Torres has been linked with a move to Manchester City for considerably less than his €100m release clause, and Los Che will consider offers for other gifted young players like Carlos Soler and Jose Gaya.

20.08 BST: Kicker reports that Atalanta will allow left-back Robin Gosens to leave the club, so long as their €30m valuation is met, and there's no shortage of suitors. The 26-year-old is said to be "at the top of the list" at Chelsea, while Inter, Juventus and Hertha Berlin are also keen to add the German-born defender.

19.21 BST: As rumours intensify of Inter's interest in Edin Dzeko and the potential of capitalising on AS Roma's financial struggles by taking Nicolo Zaniolo back to San Siro, CEO Beppe Marotta has downplayed the Milanese club's intentions with either player.

"Zaniolo is certainly an important player, one of the most interesting youngsters in the Italian championship, but we have not approached the Roma management and probably will not," Marotta told Sky Sport Italia, according to Corriere dello Sport. "For Dzeko, the same speech as before, even if talking about the market today is really difficult because we are still in the final phase of the season, we do not know which players offer this somewhat atypical and anomalous market, because there are still competitions that have to end."

18.34 BST: Sevilla have exercised their purchase option on playmaker Suso, after the former AC Milan creator spent the second half of the season on loan at the Sanchez Pizjuan, with the 26-year-old putting pen to paper on a five-year contract.

17.47 BST: Chelsea technical and performance advisor Petr Cech is drawing up a shortlist of goalkeepers for the club to pursue this summer, even if they're unable to move Kepa Arrizabalaga, according to the Telegraph. It's said that the Blues have considered using the world's most expensive goalkeeper as a makeweight in player-plus-cash deals for Jan Oblak or Marc-Andre ter Stegen, but that neither Atletico Madrid nor Barcelona, respectively, would be receptive to such an offer.

17.00 BST: Real Madrid have some real stars. Who can't they afford to lose?

16.34 BST: Remember Loic Remy?

The former QPR forward once saw a move to Liverpool fall through in 2014 due to a heart problem diagnosed during his medical but later signed for Chelsea. Now at Lille since 2018, he has reportedly failed a medical at Filippo Inzaghi's Serie B leaders Benvento, according to Ottopagine.

16.02 BST: Manchester United will announce a trio of academy signings soon, says the MEN.

The club have already tied up moves for Sunderland's Joe Hugill and Radek Vitek of Sigma Olomouc, and will add Marc Jurado, Alvaro Fernandez, and Isak Hansen-Aaroen once international clearance is given.

Hansen-Aaroen became Tromso's youngest-ever player at 15 years and 319 days earlier this month, while full-backs Jurado and Fernandez are joining from Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

15.52 BST: Real Madrid and Gareth Bale surely can't carry on like they are ...

Yet once again his agent Jonathan Barnett has said his client is willing to stay, despite clearly being unhappy about his lack of playing time in recent weeks.

"Gareth is fine. He has two years left on his contract," Barnett told BBC Sport. "He likes living in Madrid and he is going nowhere. He is still as good as anyone else in the team. It's up to [Real Madrid manager] Zinedine Zidane.

"Of course here's been interest but there's hardly a club in the world which can afford him. It's a great loss that he's not in the Real Madrid team at the moment but he will not leave."

14.50 BST: Do Chelsea even need to spend upwards of €80m on Kai Havertz?

14.21 BST: Portuguese paper A Bola says Arsenal are going to move for Sporting CP's Joelson this week.

Joelson, 17, has attracted interest from the likes of Barcelona and Juventus, but the Gunners are keen to snap up the forward before a bidding war erupts. The player has a €45m release clause in his contract but has only played three senior games for the side so far.

He is, of course, dubbed 'the next Cristiano Ronaldo.'

13.47 BST: Xavi Hernandez's Al Sadd side have completed the signing of Santi Cazorla as a free agent.

The 35-year-old midfielder has enjoyed an impressive campaign at Villarreal, scoring 15 goals and providing 11 assists to help the Yellow Submarine end the La Liga fifth in table and win qualification for the Europa League.

Villarreal were keen on extending his contract for at least one more season, while his former club Arsenal were also linked with a move to bring him in as a coach, but Cazorla has instead decided to move Qatar where he will link up with former Spain teammate Xavi, who is manager there.

13.13 BST: Valencia midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia is reportedly on the radar of Man United.

French publication FootMercato says the 27-year-old will leave Spain at the end of the season and United are keen on him, though he is also wanted by Tottenham.

12.44 BST: Manchester City are reportedly close to the signing of Valencia winger Ferran Torres.

11.56 BST: Juventus are looking to sell Douglas Costa to Manchester City or PSG and sign Raul Jimenez from Wolves or Arkadiusz Milik from Napoli, says Tuttosport.

Costa is rated at between €40-50m, while if Juve aren't able to land their top two targets then they will turn to Edin Dzeko (Rome) or Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal) instead.

11.28 BST: The Athletic reports that Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Kai Havertz is close to agreeing personal terms with Chelsea.

Havertz, 21, is one of the top rated players in Europe and wants to leave the club this summer, while Leverkusen want a reported €100m.

However, despite being tracked by the top clubs, the report states that "Frank Lampard's side have emerged as the only club ready to pay what it will take to secure him and are also thought to be nearing an agreement on the proposed personal terms."

10.47 BST: Inter Milan CEO Giuseppe Marotta says his team are pleased with Alexis Sanchez's performances but no decision has been made regarding his future at the club once his loan ends this summer.

Speaking after his team's 2-2 draw at Roma, Marotta told Sky Italia when asked about the Manchester United player: "We are happy with what he is doing. We appreciate his quality and we will make appropriate evaluations. We want to raise the bar, building a mix of experienced players with a winning mentality and young prospects."

Sanchez, 31, has scored three goals and set up eight more in 17 league appearances since joining Inter on loan from United.

10.24 BST: Javi Garcia has a preliminary agreement to coach Valencia next season, according to reports.

Cadena Cope says that the Spaniard, who has been out of a job since being sacked by Watford in September 2019, is on the verge of being appointed Valencia coach. Gracia, 50, reportedly met with Valencia president Anyl Murthy at the weekend and the deal is awaiting the green light from club owner Peter Lim.

Valencia sacked Albert Celades last month following a run of bad results; the club ended ninth in the standings and will miss out on European football next season.

Meanwhile, Villarreal have announced that experienced pair Bruno Soriano and Santi Cazorla will not continue at the club next season.

Cazorla, 35, enjoyed an impressive campaign by scoring 11 goals and setting up 10 more in 35 league appearances to help the Yellow Submarine finish fifth in the standings.

10.04 BST: Manchester United target Jude Bellingham has completed a €23m move to Borussia Dortmund from Birmingham City.

The 17-year-old had also been linked with Chelsea, Bayern Munich and United but agreed to join Dortmund, as ESPN reported in June. The Bundesliga side's reputation for developing young talent, such as Ousmane Dembele, Jadon Sancho and Erling Haaland, played a major role in the decision.

- Read all about Bellingham in Tor-Kristian Karlsen's scouting profile here

09.50 BST: Tottenham's Harry Kane was on fire this weekend, but could he leave the club?

09.09 BST: Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay expects Martin Odegaard to remain on loan at the club for another season.

Odegaard, 21, has scored four goals and set up six more in 32 league appearances since joining La Real on loan from Real Madrid last summer, helping the Basque club finish sixth in La Liga to qualify for the Europa League.

Asked if the Norway midfielder would continue at the club next season, Aperribay told Onda Cero: "Yes, I think so. It doesn't depend on us but on him and Real Madrid. But we are hopeful that he can stay with us for another season."

Real Madrid retain the option to recall Odegaard or extend the loan for an additional season after the first year.

Odegaard, 21, recently stated that he would like to remain with the Basque outfit beyond this summer.

08.32 BST: Lille striker Victor Osimhen has passed a medical at Napoli as his move to the Serie A club edges closer, according to RMC.

The Nigeria international, previously a target for Arsenal, is expected to move for around £50m, having cost just £11m when the French side signed him.

Osimhen scored 18 goals in 38 games this season before the French campaign was prematurely ended.

08.00 BST: Unai Emery is set to be appointed as coach of La Liga side Villarreal, sources have confirmed to ESPN. The former Arsenal, Paris Saint-Germain, Sevilla and Valencia boss has been in talks with the club for several months.

An announcement is imminent in the next few days and the Basque manager is expected to sign a three-year contract.

Emery, 48, has been out of work since he was sacked by Arsenal in November 2019 after 18 months in charge. He has considered a number of options since then, and held discussions about a return to the Premier League as well as a move to Italy's Serie A, before deciding on a return to Spain.

Villarreal finished fifth in La Liga, qualifying for the Europa League, and ended the season with a 4-0 win over Eibar on Sunday.

PAPER TALK (by Shaun Reynolds)

Man United to sign another Sporting star?

Man United are still keen on signing Sporting Lisbon star Nuno Mendes, but their attempts will not go unchallenged.

That's according to Italian publication Calciomercato, which says that competition for the 18-year-old defender's signature is intensifying. Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is said to have been left "bewitched" by the teenager's ability, while Juventus reportedly see Mendes as a long-term successor to Alex Sandro.

According to Calciomercato, Cristiano Ronaldo's "bond" with the Portugal under-19 star could help lure him to Turin, although United have connections of their own. Nani is believed to have given the club a glowing reference, while Mendes is represented by the same agent as Bruno Fernandes, who has lit up the Premier League since making the switch from Sporting.

Any deal for Mendes would net the Verde e brancos a tidy profit. The club paid just £680k to add the youngster to their academy ranks, while Mendes' release clause is believed to be £40.9m.

Liverpool's Lallana a wanted man by Premier League clubs

Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana will head through the Anfield exit door this summer, but it's still unclear where the 32-year-old will be plying his trade next term.

City rivals Everton have previously been linked with a potential move for the ex-Southampton man, but the Sun now reports that Lallana is likely to be at the centre of a four-club battle for his signature, with Brighton, Leicester and Burnley also hopeful of snapping up the Premier League winner.

Lallana has been forced to play a supporting role this campaign, making just 15 league appearances -- 12 of which have come from the bench. And he is now set to depart the club this week, much to the sadness of his manager.

"He is one of the most influential players on the training quality I have ever had in my life. He is an incredible professional," Klopp told reporters.

Lallana will leave the Reds with 128 league appearances and 18 goals and 17 assists to his name, as well as Premier League, Champions League and Club World Cup medals.

Tap-ins

-- Arsenal midfielder Mesut Ozil has offers from five different countries on the table and will strongly consider a move to Turkish side Fenerbahce if the Yellow Canaries continue to strengthen their ranks. That's according to Turkish news agency DHA, which says that Ozil also has offers from clubs in Japan, the USA, Qatar and Italy.

-- Turkish sports publication Fanatik reports that Galatasaray are making progress in their attempts to sign Aston Villa midfielder Trezeguet, with Fenerbahce also interested. The player's agent, William D'Avila, is set to travel to Istanbul next week to meet with club representatives, with Trezeguet having previously played in Turkey with Kasimpasa.

-- Reports in Italy suggest Alexis Sanchez will likely be an Inter Milan player next season. According to Corriere della Sera, Sanchez is happy to join the Nerazzurri for another campaign, with the Serie A side "close" to an agreement with Manchester United. Sanchez has revived his career this season while on loan with Inter, having scored three goals and added eight assists in 17 appearances.