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LIVE Transfer Talk: Chelsea to hijack Real Madrid's deal for Bayern's Alaba

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Is Bayern Munich's high line worth the risk? (1:17)

Jan Aage Fjortoft explains why Bayern Munich always play with such a high defensive line. (1:17)

The transfer window may have slammed shut, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.

TOP STORY: Chelsea aim to hijack Real's Alaba deal

It has looked fairly certain that David Alaba would be leaving Bayern Munich to join Real Madrid, but Chelsea have emerged as another potential destination.

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It is reported by The Guardian that the Blues are keen on the Austrian and will try to hijack Real's deal, despite other reports linking the London side with fellow Bayern defender Niklas Sule.

Thomas Tuchel is hoping to strengthen his defence, even though Chelsea haven't conceded in the three games he has presided over.

LIVE BLOG

22.05 GMT: Thanks for checking in to our live Transfer Talk blog today, we'll be back with tomorrow's paper round shortly and do the whole live thing again on Sunday!

21.24 GMT: Liverpool's upcoming summer search for more attacking options could see them raid Leeds United for winger Raphina, according to Football Insider. The 24-year-old has impressed so far this season at Elland Road, scoring four goals and adding four assists, since arriving from Rennes in the summer of 2020.

20.18 GMT: The Miami Herald has picked up on reports out of England that suggest David Beckham's Inter Miami are in talks with Stoke City captain Ryan Shawcross about a potential move to MLS. The 33-year-old centre-back played alongside new Miami coach Phil Neville during his time with Manchester United from 2002 to 2006.

19.12 GMT: One from the Express here, which is reporting that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to pursue Norwich City defender Max Aarons this summer in hopes of providing some competition for Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back for the Old Trafford club. Wan-Bissaka has been a solid performer for United since joining from Palace in 2019, but the report says Aarons has also caught Solskjaer's eye in his instrumental role helping Norwich try to return to the Premier League next season.

18.25 GMT: After a stellar two-goal debut for Jesse Lingard in West Ham's 3-1 midweek win against Aston Villa, Sky Sports is reporting that David Moyes is seriously considering trying to make the 28-year-old's loan move from Manchester United permanent.

17.15 GMT: Calciomercato is reporting that Florian Thauvin would be willing to agree a move to AC Milan when his Marseille contract expires that the end of the season. The 28-year-old could still opt to sign a new contract with the Ligue 1 club, but if Milan were to make an approach he would find it hard to turn them down.

16.06 GMT: Sergej Milinkovic-Savic might just have issued a come-and-get-me plea to Real Madrid! The Lazio and Serbia midfielder has told said that it's been his dream to play for Real since he was a kid, and he will do what he can to make it happen!

15.15 GMT: Kylian Mbappe is back in the headlines in Spain, with Marca claiming Real Madrid have "decided to wait for Paris Saint-Germain to put Mbappe on the market" before moving for the forward.

According to the newspaper, Madrid's chances of landing the France international depend on him not agreeing a new contract in Paris -- his deal expires in 2022 -- and PSG subsequently putting him up for sale.

Even then, Marca report that first Madrid "would have to sell one of their assets to be able to take on a substantial operation."

Rival paper Diario AS claims that a more likely next move is Mbappe renewing at PSG, with the inclusion of a release clause in his new contract.

"A pro-Madrid clause is the best solution" the newspaper says, while admitting that "isn't ideal" for the club, given the likely size of the fee involved and Madrid's COVID-impacted budget.

AS says that the "best solution" for Mbappe would be to "sign a big contract with PSG and wait a few years for Madrid to recover financially," seemingly an admission that there's no prospect of the star heading to the Bernabeu in 2021.

14.20 GMT: Could Manchester United be about to land Jadon Sancho this summer? The Daily Mail reports that Borussia Dortmund are now willing to accept £88m to sell the forward, with his value reduced by the coronavirus crisis. Dortmund demanded £108m last summer.

Chelsea will also be keeping tabs on the situation and could also make a move.

13.26 GMT: Bild reports that Chelsea could also look to sign Jerome Boateng from Bayern Munich. Boateng, who had a poor spell in the Premier League with Manchester City, could be on Thomas Tuchel's list of targets.

12.31 GMT: Raphinha is in hot form for Leeds United right now, and Football Insider reckons he is now on the radar of Liverpool. He cost Leeds £17m from Rennes and has come on leaps and bounds this season.

11.26 GMT: According to Eurosport, the future of Martin Odegaard will rest on Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid. If Zidane is still at the Bernabeu in the summer, then Odegaard will seek a permanent transfer. However, should Zidane vacate the manager's job then Odegaard might still have a future in the Spanish capital. Odegaard joined Arsenal on loan in the winter window, and the Gunners could look to sign him at the end of the season.

10.32 GMT: The Daily Mail reports that Leicester City are eager to tie midfielder Youri Tielemans to a new contract. The Belgian still has two years left on his existing deal, but the Foxes want to make sure he is engaged for longer. The report says that he will be offered a £100,000-a-week deal, matching the contract recently signed by James Maddison.

09.30 GMT: Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he has held showdown talks with Paul Pogba about the midfielder's future but has refused to be drawn on whether he will sign a new contract at Old Trafford.

Pogba has less than 18 months left on his current deal and agent Mino Raiola said publicly in December the Frenchman will not sign an extension.

But even after talks with the World Cup winner, Solskjaer is giving nothing away.

"Our conversations remain private," he said. "Speculation about Paul is always going to be there, we've got a good open dialogue with Paul so what we talk about and how we see that situation remains between us."

PAPER ROUND

Uncertainty rife at Gladbach

Bundesliga club Borussia Monchengladbach may see some of their top players leave, as reported by Sport 1.

Marcus Thuram has received interest from numerous clubs around Europe, and he has a €30 million release clause.

There are also concerns around Denis Zakaria's future, and he is on the radar of Bayern Munich.

Other than that, seven players have a contract that ends in the summer, while six more including Matthias Ginter, Nico Elvedi and Zakaria could leave the club for free a year later if new contracts are not agreed.

To top it off, manager Marco Rose is reported to have an have an exit clause in his contract, which also comes to an end in 2022.

Italian rivals want Celik

AS Roma and AC Milan are interested in signing Lille right-back Zeki Celik, according to Calciomercato.

Roma recently signed Bryan Reynolds from FC Dallas, but that has not stopped them from showing interest in Celik.

It is reported that the Turkey international has been a long-term target of both clubs.

The 23-year-old has played 18 games across all competitions for Lille this term.

Tap-ins

- West Ham United are expected to make another move for Sevilla FC striker Youssef En-Nesyri during the summer transfer window, as reported by the Daily Star. The Hammers had a £27m offer rejected in January, eventually failing to replace Sebastian Haller, who went Ajax. David Moyes is hoping that a striker will be brought into the club in the next window, and they have not given up on the Moroccan.

- Bojan Krkic is clearly feeling confident, as he has turned down various offers since his contract with the Montreal Impact came to an end. AS reports that he has had an offer to stay with the Canadian club, while there has been contact from other Major League Soccer clubs, as well as sides in France and Turkey. It is suggested that the Spaniard sees his future being back in Europe, but another good offer to stay in MLS may tempt him.