The summer transfer window is into its final month for the major European leagues, which means the biggest clubs are looking to make a splash in the market before the new season begins. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Chelsea to make new bid for Inter's Lukaku
Chelsea look set to make another approach for Internazionale striker Romelu Lukaku, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the Premier League side are preparing a bid of around €130 million to get a deal over the line.
Thomas Tuchel's side have made their intentions for the Belgium star clear as sources told ESPN they offered €100m plus defender Marcos Alonso on Monday, but after the Serie A side quickly rebuffed Chelsea's offer, it looks as though the saga is far from over.
A deal doesn't look impossible. Despite Lukaku stating that he is happy in Italy, La Repubblica writes that Inter would listen to offers of around €150m.
The 28-year-old contributed to 37 goals in 39 games for the Serie A title winners last season, which has seen him propelled to the top of Chelsea's shortlist since talks over a €180m move for Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland have appeared to show no signs of progress.
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21.18 BST: After the summer signing of Gianluigi Donnarumma, Paris Saint-Germain have an excess of goalkeepers - 10 under professional contract. So it's not a huge surprise that Chelsea academy graduate Marcin Bulka is leaving Parc des Princes on loan, with the 21-year-old Poland youth international set for a temporary move to Nice, according to Le Parisien.
20.25 BST: Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana has reversed course on what seemed a certain move to Lyon this summer, L'Equipe reports. The Dutch outfit were keen to receive a transfer fee for the 25-year-old Cameroon international this summer, but with his contract expiring in June of next year, Onana is said to prefer to leave on a free when his contract expires in order to earn higher wages by eliminating the transfer fee his new club would have had to pay for any switch in this window.
19.32 BST: Chelsea's pursuit of Sevilla FC centre-back Jules Kounde has stalled, according to the Guardian, in part because of the stalemate they find themselves in regarding the future of Kurt Zouma.
The Blues had initially offered Zouma plus €35m in exchange for Kounde, but Sevilla declined, citing the lack of resale value of the France international who will turn 27 in October. Chelsea then hoped they could move Zouma across London to West Ham United, and take the money from that transfer and add it to their offer to the Andalusians, but Zouma turned down the chance to join the Hammers.
Sevilla are reportedly holding out for €60m, leaving Chelsea to figure out how to come up with another €30m in order to secure the defensive signing manager Thomas Tuchel has prioritised.
19.05 BST: Well, this seemingly came out of nowhere. Aston Villa have announced the signing of 29-year-old forward Danny Ings from Southampton on a three-year contract.
In recent days, Villa have emerged as a serious contender to sign 23-year-old Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, who spent the 2018-19 season at Villa Park. Is there enough room for two new forwards in Claret and Blue?
Welcome to Aston Villa, @IngsDanny! 🙌#WelcomeDanny
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) August 4, 2021
18.39 BST: Corriere dello Sport writes that Liverpool will allow Xherdan Shaqiri to leave the club this summer for virtually nothing, having served as a reliable squad member during the club's Champions League and Premier League triumphs in 2019 and 2020. And there are Italian clubs said to be interested in the 29-year-old Switzerland international, with Lazio most strongly linked, and AC Milan also mentioned as a potential destination.
17.46 BST: Leicester City playmaker James Maddison is "open to the idea" of joining Arsenal, according to Sky Sports, with the Gunners retaining interest in the 24-year-old. However, the north London outfit would struggle to meet the Foxes' £70m valuation, having just sent £50m in transfer fees to Brighton & Hove Albion for centre-back Ben White, and are exploring alternative means of structuring the deal - including a players-plus-cash offer, should Leicester have an interest in any of Arsenal's squad.
16.53 BST: With Juventus looking to balance the books, Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey could join AC Milan on loan. The 30-year-old's two-year spell in Turin has fallen somewhat short of expectations, and the Bianconeri could move half of his €12m gross wages off the books, with Milan potentially paying half the former Arsenal star's salary.
16.00 BST: Marca reports that Ferland Mendy is not one of the players who Real Madrid would consider selling this month to ease their financial worries. Mendy, 26, is on the sidelines with calf issue and is not expected back until September, but coach Carlo Ancelotti considers him one of his key defenders.
The France international is valued at €50m, but he has a contract at the Bernabeu through to 2025 and is happy in Spain.
15.09 BST: Tottenham might just have some money to spend soon, and the London Evening Standard reports that Mikkel Damsgaard and Noni Madueke are on a list of targets.
Damsgaard, 21, was one of Denmark's star players as they reached the semifinals of Euro 2020. The Sampdoria winger is valued at around £50m.
PSV Eindhoven attacking midfielder Madueke, who came through the youth ranks at Spurs before leaving for the Netherlands, is also being tracked. Bayern Munich, Crystal Palace, Leeds and Southampton are also watching the England under-21 international.
14.13 BST: Harry Kane might return to Tottenham training, but he'll end up signing for Man City.
13.30 BST: The transfer window has been open since the start of July and ends on Aug. 31, with Europe's top clubs already busy spending money to enhance their squads. Man United splashed over €120m on Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, Arsenal handed over £50m to sign Brighton defender Ben White, Liverpool picked up Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate for €41.5m, while Man City and Chelsea could break the bank for a statement signing.
In Europe, Real Madrid and Barcelona have been hit hard by financial issues, as have Inter Milan, but PSG have led the way both with the €70m signing of Inter full-back Achraf Hakimi and the free transfers of world-class stars Gianluigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos and Georginio Wijnaldum.
But what do our writers think of the window so far?
13.12 BST: Tottenham could make a move for Barcelona's Philippe Coutinho if Harry Kane leaves this summer, according to Mundo Deportivo.
City are the front-runners for the England striker's signature, with Manchester United and Chelsea also monitoring the situation. Kane missed a second day of Tottenham's preseason on Tuesday but is expected to report back to the club's training ground before the end of the week. Spurs do not want to part with their star player, who they value at around £150m.
If Kane does force an exit, though, Mundo Deportivo says Tottenham will invest the money on several attacking players, rather than looking to replace him directly. One of the players on their wish list in that scenario is Coutinho, with the report claiming talks have already taken place with the Brazilian's agent, Kia Joorabchian.
Barca are open to letting Coutinho leave but sources have told ESPN they're also happy for him to stay. Any club wanting to take the 29-year-old on loan would have to cover the entirety of his salary, while Barca will not let their €160m club-record signing go for cheap.
12.50 BST: Atletico Madrid have the advantage over Barcelona in the race to sign Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Jack Grealish's £100m move to City will open the door for Silva to leave the club and Mundo Deportivo say Barca have held talks about the Portugal international but they are currently focused on moving on players to reduce their wage bills.
That's handed the initiative to Spanish champions Atletico, with coach Diego Simeone said to be a big fan of the player.
City are likely to want a big fee for Silva as they look to recover some of the money they will spend on Grealish. Neither Atletico nor Barca are in a great position financially, although they did receive some good news on Wednesday as LaLiga announced a €3bn investment package which will be distributed among the clubs.
12.25 BST: Manchester City are attempting to seal the £100m signing of Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish ahead of Saturday's Community Shield clash against Leicester City at Wembley, sources have told ESPN's Mark Ogden.
As reported by ESPN on June 7, City manager Pep Guardiola had identified Grealish as a key summer target on a par with Tottenham forward Harry Kane, but while a move for Kane has yet to make significant progress, the Premier League champions are close to completing a deal with Villa for Grealish.
Sources said that City have been confident of Grealish's readiness to leave his boyhood club for some time and that finalising personal terms will not delay the move being completed this week.
But while a final agreement has yet to be signed off with Villa, sources said that negotiations are progressing at pace and that Grealish could undergo a medical and complete his move to City in time for him to be link up with Guardiola's squad for Saturday's clash with FA Cup winners Leicester.
12.11 BST: Barcelona's bid to register Lionel Messi's new contract with LaLiga has been handed a boost after the league announced a cash injection of €2.7 billion on Wednesday.
LaLiga has agreed in principle to sell 10% of a newly formed company housing most of its business to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners. The sale still requires approval from the league's executive committee and clubs.
Around 90% of the money will go directly to Spanish clubs, including women's football, semi-professional and non-professional football. It is a loan repayable over a significant number of years, but a source said the clubs are "delighted" as it helps them out of a financial black hole caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Another source suggested Barca and Real Madrid will receive over €250m each based on the protocol for access to the funds.
The clubs must spend at least 70% of the money on investments related to long-term growth, 15% on refinancing their debt and 15% can be used to increase their league-imposed spending limits.
11.43 BST: Plenty of reports floating around that Manchester City are set to sign Jack Grealish from Aston Villa for £100m on a five-year shortly.
According to sources close to the midfielder, Grealish has been torn over his decision to leave his boyhood club this summer but there is a growing belief at the Etihad Stadium that the 25-year-old will be their player before their opening game of the new season against Tottenham on Aug. 15.
City are set to pay £100m for Grealish to activate a release clause in his contract at Villa Park. Sources have told ESPN the idea of including highly rated 19-year-old winger Morgan Rogers in the deal has been floated, but Villa have indicated their preference is a straight cash bid.
11.30 BST: Miguel Borja has agreed a new deal with Palmeiras until 2023 but the Colombia striker is now expected to complete a loan move to Gremio, sources have told ESPN Brasil.
Palmeiras were keen on letting Borja go on loan somewhere else but made it clear that he had to renew his contract first.
Now that the new deal is done, Borja's move to Gremio should be official in the coming hours with the Brazilian side ready to pay around $1m to take him on loan until the end of 2022.
11.06 BST: Louis van Gaal been appointed as Netherlands manager for the third time, the KNVB have announced.
Van Gaal replaces Frank De Boer, who left the role of Netherlands boss in June following a disappointing Euro 2020 exit to Czech Republic in the round of 16, and has agreed a deal up to and including the 2022 World Cup.
"Dutch football has always been close to my heart and national coaching is in my view a key position for the further advancement of our football," Van Gaal said. "Moreover, I consider it an honour to coach the Dutch national team.
"There is little time for the next qualifying matches, which are immediately crucial for participation in the World Cup. The focus is therefore immediately 100% on the players and the approach. After all, I was appointed for that.
10.40 BST: Lionel Messi isn't back training with Barcelona yet. How come?
10.21 BST: Celta Vigo have reached an agreement with Cruz Azul for Mexico midfielder Orbelin Pineda to move to the LaLiga side in the January transfer window, according to Spanish news agency EFE.
Cruz Azul have made several attempts to renew Pineda's contracts in recent months but he has decided to try a new experience in Europe and will move to Celta as a free agent once his deal expires on Dec. 31.
10.00 BST: Monaco have signed forward Myron Boadu from AZ Alkmaar for around €17m on a five-year contract.
Boadu, 20, scored 15 goals last season to help AZ finish third in the Eredivisie. The Netherlands international managed 38 goals in 88 games for the club.
09.51 BST: Gremio star Ferreirinha is close to completing a move to Atlanta United, according to ESPN Brasil.
Ferreirinha, 23, had also attracted interest from Al Ain but the UAE team failed to reached an agreement with Gremio.
MLS side Atlanta United took advantage of the situation to join the race and sources have told ESPN that they are close to winning the race in a deal worth around €8m.
09.40 BST: Former Lazio, Inter Milan and Juventus midfielder Hernanes has completed a move to Sport Recife.
The 36-year-old midfielder was a free agent after terminating his contract with Sao Paulo and has agreed to return to the city where he was born.
09.33 BST: 90min reports that defender Aymeric Laporte "has made it clear to Manchester City that he wants to move to La Liga this summer."
Laporte, 27, has slipped behind Ruben Dias and John Stones in the pecking order and both Barcelona and Real Madrid are reportedly interested in signing him.
09.12 BST: Manchester City are willing to go as high as £130m to sign Tottenham striker Harry Kane, says The Athletic.
Kane missed a second day of Tottenham's preseason on Tuesday but is expected to report back to the club's training ground before the end of the week, sources have told ESPN.
The 28-year-old was due at Hotspur Way on Monday after being given an extended break following England's run to the final of Euro 2020 but failed to appear as he tries to force through a move away from the club.
City are the front-runners for his signature -- with Manchester United and Chelsea also monitoring the situation -- but Spurs do not want to part with their star, who they value at around £150m.
08.46 BST: Real Madrid winger Takefusa Kubo is set to spend another season on loan.
Real Sociedad and Real Mallorca are favourites to take Kubo for the 2021-22 campaign, according to Onda Cero, and are the only Spanish clubs that are prepared to pay the €3m fee that Real Madrid are demanding.
Kubo, 20, enjoyed a successful loan spell at Mallorca shortly after joining Madrid from FC Tokyo in the summer of 2019. He spent the first half of last season on loan at Villarreal but was unable to gain regular playing time and moved to Getafe where he played the last six months. The Japan international is currently competing at the Olympics where the country reached the semifinals.
08.30 BST: Aston Villa have announced the £30m signing of Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen on a deal until 2025.
Jamaica international Bailey, 23, arrives in the Premier League having scored 33 goals and set up a further 22 in three-and-a-half years at Leverkusen.
"Leon is a hugely exciting young striker with great pace and creativity," Villa head coach Dean Smith said. "He has enjoyed a successful career at Leverkusen and we are now looking forward to watching him show his skills and talents for Aston Villa in the Premier League."
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
- Martin Odegaard is once again linked with a move to Arsenal with reports that Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti would be willing to let the attacking midfielder go. The Daily Mirror writes that Real Madrid would demand a buyback clause in any potential deal for 22-year-old. Odegaard featured 14 times in the Premier League while on loan with the Gunners last season, scoring one goal, but has not had a chance to shine in Madrid over the past six years.
- AC Milan are interested in another Real Madrid star, according to Calciomercato. Dani Ceballos is on the radar of the Serie A club with Madrid reportedly prepared to be willing to deal, but the current valuation of €40m is proving to be a stumbling block for Milan. The 24-year-old midfielder spent last season at Premier League club Arsenal, registering three assists from 25 appearances.
- Inter have delved back into the transfer market with an agreement close for Virtus Entella midfielder Matheus Cecchini. A deal is expected to be announced soon with Calciomercato writing that the side look to develop the 18-year-old for the future, initially taking him on loan to garner more first-team experience.
- Highly rated Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee is set for a loan move to Anderlecht. Fabrizio Romano says that his medical has been completed and that the deal includes no obligation to sign him permanently. The Bayern Munich forward made a handful of loan appearances with Parma last season, but failed to score when coming off from the bench.
- Rangers and Celtic are set to battle it out for Bright Osayi-Samuel, with reports in Turkey suggesting the 23-year-old would be allowed to leave Fenerbahce. Fanatik claims that the former Queens Park Rangers winger did not live up to expectations since making the switch to the Turkish Super Lig and that a fee of around €3m would be the starting point to allow negotiations to take place.