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          Evra to Juventus, Spurs chase Bony

          • ESPN staff
          • Mike Wise
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            Mike Wise
            ESPN Associate Editor
              Mike Wise is the associate editor for ESPN FC Australia and New Zealand.
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          Jul 12, 2014, 11:43 PM

          Transfer Talk is back for another day of wheeling and dealing! Clubs across the globe are scrambling to get their squads finalised as the new season shifts ever closer to kickoff...

          22.52 BST: That's your lot for today I'm afraid, but make sure you join us again tomorrow for more transfer news, rumours and gossip. See you then.

          22.30 BST: Sunderland striker Ignacio Scocco could be set for a return to the club where he started his career, Newell's Old Boys. According to the Evening Chronicle, the Argentine side have made a second offer for a player who only joined the Black Cats from Internacional in January.

          21.39 BST: Leeds United have been linked with a number of Serie A players of late, but here is one that won't be joining the Championship club...

          20.45 BST: It looked like Liverpool had given up on attempting to lure Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno to Anfield, but not so anymore. The Daily Mirror reports that Reds managing director Ian Ayre has flown to Spain to try and seal an 18 million pound transfer.

          19.49 BST: Southampton manager Ronald Koeman has not yet made a decision on the futures of Jack Cork and Jose Fonte, who have been linked with moves to Crystal Palace and Cardiff respectively. "It's a little bit too fast to have that kind of opinion. I need more time," he told the Daily Echo. "But they are important players and, as always, if they will come in the last season of a contract, you have to do something at the club, and we will talk about that and we will make decisions about that."

          18.55 BST: More news just coming in now concerning that man Remy Cabella... Press Association Sport understands the France international arrived on Tyneside on Sunday as Newcastle attempt to push home their long-standing interest in the player. Cabella is believed to have cut short his holiday to travel to England, so he must be pretty keen on a move to the Magpies...

          18.40 BST: Sticking with Newcastle, the Magpies are close to agreeing a deal for Remy Cabella, according to Montpellier coach Rolland Courbis. "Discussions with Newcastle exist, and we are not far from an agreement -- the two clubs will announce the deal as soon as possible," Courbis is quoted as saying by Sky Sports. "It is not completed, but I know it is on track and the negotiations continue."

          18.02 BST: New Newcastle United signing Siem De Jong has been appointed vice-captain at the club by Magpies boss Alan Pardew, who said so in the Independent. De Jong, who joined from Ajax, will take up the role alongside Cheick Tiote, while Fabricio Coloccini remains as captain.

          17.43 BST: Here's that story for you in full now of how Barcelona will not be allowed to publicly unveil Luis Suarez while he remains banned for biting... There had been talk that Barca could unveil their next signing in a non-football venue, but FIFA is having none of it!

          17.32 BST: Roma's Mehdi Benatia has been touted for a move away all summer. First we had the £38 million deal agreed with Manchester City. But that fell through when City signed Elaquim Mangala instead. Recently we've heard the Moroccan has been in negotiations with Bayern Munich about a move. But again, nothing has come of it. Now, reports claim Benatia is keen on a move to Chelsea who are in the market for a defender following the sale of David Luiz. However, the move won't come about cheaply with Roma valuing their star defender at over £30 million.

          17.24 BST: Manchester United are going to try and muscle in on a deal for Swansea City's full back Ben Davies. The highly-coveted defender is wanted by Liverpool and Tottenham and it is thought a £10 million bid will be enough to secure his services. The Daily Star say the left back has emerged as a target in the wake of Patrice Evra's move to Juventus being pushed through over the last few days.

          17.15 BST: Benfica are lining up a move for Celtic goalkeeper Frazier Forster despite reports in Portugal last week claiming neither club wanted to do a deal. Well today the Daily Record has said Benfica have actually had him top of their transfer list for a while and are preparing to test Celtic's resolve with a £10 million bid.

          17.05 BST: Pesky agents always stirring up trouble! Jan Vertonghen's one, Mustapha Nakhli was talking last week about how his man has had contact from other clubs and the Evening Standard have today reported Spurs are bracing themselves for a £17.5 million bid from Barcelona.

          16.52 BST: Arsene Wenger appears to be blocking Thomas Vermaelen's move to Manchester United from going through according to the Independent. Although no reason is given as to why, it is clear Wenger isn't too worried about losing his club captain on a free transfer next summer should he block the move altogether.

          16.45 BST: So this is quite funny...

          16.32 BST: Former Real Madrid man Ever Banega looks like he is leaving Valencia.

          16.20 BST: Roma are closing in on Monaco winger Yannick Ferreira Carrasco. According to Corriere dello Sport, Roma a close to securing a £5.5 million deal for the wide man. He is not the only player they want to sign as Bayern Munich's Xherdan Shaqiri is also a target. Apparently the two clubs are already negotiating with Mehdi Benatia a target for Bayern to go in the other direction if any deal is agreed.

          16.07 BST: Not 100% official yet but young Ghanaian full back Daniel Opare has almost signed for Porto on a free transfer. He is training with the squad though.

          15.55 BST: Newcastle do not want to meet Sporting Lisbon's £5million valuation of England Under-21 defender Eric Dier according to the Sunday Mirror. It has also been reported in The Metro that the Magpies' centre-back Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa is in talks with Lyon and St Etienne about a possible return to French football.

          15.42 BST: Atletico Madrid have used the negotiations with Benfica for goalkeeper Jan Oblak as an opportunity to speak to the Portuguese champions about striker Rodrigo Moreno according to Marca. The Spanish champions want to bring in another attacker after losing David Villa and Diego. They would be willing to sanction deals for Josuha Guilavogui and Silvio to be sold to Benfica as well.

          15.30 BST: Egg on his face or what. Dejan Lovren has been forced to meet up with his teammates at Southampton for pre-season. Read the full story and see all the pics here!

          15.25 BST: Looks like Enner Valencia's move to West Ham is inching closer and closer by the day.

          15.16 BST: And a bit more from the Spanish press as AS say Angel di Maria's move to PSG was accelerated when a £60 million fee was agreed yesterday. It also suggests once that deal goes through, Real Madrid will be able to push through with their attempts to sign James Rodriguez.

          15.10 BST: Looks like Bojan's move from Barca is going to be accelerated. Poor bloke.

          15.04 BST: Apparently Cesare Prandelli isn't going to stop at Mario Gomez. Rumours are abound in Turkey that the former Italy boss also wants to bring in Juventus forward Sebastian Giovinco too. With Didier Drogba released from his contract Tuttosport claim the Juve striker is the man Gala want to replace him.

          14.50 BST: Turkish giants Galatasaray are interested in signing Fiorentina striker Mario Gomez. The 29-year-old spent a frustrating season in Italy mostly injured but is back to full fitness and interesting new Gala boss Cesare Prandelli according to Fotomac.

          14.37 BST: A report in Tuttosport claims PSG are looking to bring in Juventus' Stephan Lichtsteiner. But given the post below, and their interest in Serge Aurier, it would probably make sense that that is just a rumour. Also suggests Adrien Rabiot could be used as bait to sweeten the deal. Probably not.

          14.30 BST: The transfer that seems like it has been rolling on and on and on for months.

          14.21 BST: Everton are set to hijack Swansea's deal for Ferencvaros midfielder Muhamed Besic according to the Daily Mail. Swansea have offered £4 million for the Bosnian but Everton are trying to prise him away from the south Wales side's clutches with a £2.5 million bid plus add-ons.

          14.12 BST: QPR's top scorer last season Charlie Austin is the subject of interest from Sunderland according to the Daily Mail. However the report suggests any approach for the Englishman will be rejected by Harry Redknapp who is keen to hold on to his 20-goal striker.

          14.00 BST: A report in the Daily Mail claims Luis Suarez's bite on Georgio Chiellini cost Liverpool £25 million pounds. They say Real Madrid immediately withdrew their interest after the incident which meant Barca were the only team bidding for him and the price couldn't be driven up. The same report says Lionel Messi's buy out clause was going to be met by Manchester City until the Argentine penned a new deal at Barca. Erm, ok then.

          13.49 BST: Sunderland could move for out-of-contract teenager Max Clayton from Crewe Alexandra. The 19-year-old could have to pay over £1 million in add-ons after a tribunal will probably order the Black Cats to pay Crewe despite the player being a free agent. Crewe boss Steve Davis said: "They [ Sunderland ] have spoken to us and as he is out of contract, he can go where he likes. He is within his rights to do that. We are due compensation and hopefully something can be decided between the clubs if it comes to that."

          13.40 BST: An update from respected Spanish journalist Guillem Balague on the Luis Suarez deal.

          13.27 BST: Poor old Freddy Adu just can't catch a break. The football prodigy who has never fulfilled even close to his potential has just been rejected a contract offer after a week long trial with AZ Alkmaar as announced on their website moments ago.

          13.16 BST: Fiorentina are close to the signing of Newcastle Jets star Josh Brillante. The 21-year-old Australian will join the Italian club for £1 million should he pass his medical.

          13.09 BST: Wilfred Zaha's Manchester United hell looks set to end this summer as he has apparently issued a come-and-get-me-plea to former club Crystal Palace according to the Express. United are likely to fetch less than half the £20 million they paid for him last year. Newcastle are also interested.

          12.55 BST: Rumours are starting to surface around social media that Crystal Palace have had an £8 million offer for Gylfi Sigurdsson accepted by Tottenham. Just trying to find an initial report or tweet to verify. As soon as we know, you'll know...

          12.40 BST: Brutal...

          12.36 BST: DONE DEAL! Cagliari have confirmed the signing of young Brescia goalkeeper Alessio Cragno on a permanent deal.

          12.23 BST: West Brom could be about to loan Liverpool youngster Andre Wisdom for a year. The Mirror reports new West Brom boss Alan Irvine was impressed by the youngsters loan at Derby County last year and now wants to bring him into the Premier League.

          12.15 BST: Arsenal are absolutely on the ball this transfer window and are not going to be denied their newest target Javi Manquillo according to reports. However, their pursuit of QPR's Loic Remy has been halted as it has been suggested the striker wants £80,000 per week. Arsene Wenger is supposedly concerned the wages will be too high especially given their pursuit of Sami Khedira who wants £150,000 per week.

          12.00 BST: West Ham have joined the race to sign £8 million rated VfB Stuttgart defender Antonio Rudiger according to the Evening Standard. Portuguese giants Porto were thought to be favourites for the 21-year-old's signature but are now facing competition from the Hammers. Rudiger's agent, Uli Ferber, said: "We know about the interest of these two clubs [Porto and West Ham]. But we leave things to VfB, to who Toni is under contract."

          11.50 BST: Iran of all nations could have two players strutting their stuff in the Premier League next season. According to an exclusive in the Daily Star, Southampton, Hull and Swansea all want to bring in World Cup heroes Mehrdad Pooladi and Ehsan Hajsafi. Both are available on free transfers after their contracts with their respective Iranian teams ran out this summer.

          11.35 BST: Fiorentina boss Vincenzo Montella has admitted the club's chances of keeping Juan Cuadrado depend on his aspirations and clubs who can pay his hefty price tag. La Viola are said to want some £30 million for their Colombian superstar and the likes of Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Juventus and PSG are all interested. Montella told Sky Sport Italia: "We need to evaluate the player's aspirations and, above all, if there is a club out there that can pay what he is truly worth."

          11.30 BST: After the sale of Luis Suarez, it looks like Liverpool's Fabio Borini fancies his chances in the Reds' first team.

          11.16 BST: Monaco could demand a fee of up to £115 million for Colombian superstar James Rodriguez according to a report in Marca. However with super agent Jorge Mendes working on the deal, Real Madrid are confident a deal can be agreed on at closer to £75 million and the report claims Florentino Perez has met with advisers to thrash out a deal.

          11.04 BST: Sampdoria are the latest club looking to sign former Celtic striker Georgios Samaras after his contract ran out this summer and he decided not to renew according to the Daily Record. The Greek legend has been interesting many clubs across Europe with Sevilla, Everton, Besiktas and Hamburg all looking to sign him.

          10.51 BST: Some details about Adrian Lopez's transfer to Porto from Atletico Madrid. And below some news about Atletico getting ever closer to the signing of Jan Oblak.

          10.48 BST: Hellas Verona are close to sealing a deal for the other half of Romulo's rights from Fiorentina before selling him on. The Corriere Fiorentino claims that an agreement is close for around £3.5 million and that Verona will sell the player for £6-7 million to one of Roma or Juventus who have shown an interest.

          10.40 BST: Update on the Arturo Vidal quotes that emerged this morning. SO MUCH ambiguity. Who knows how this one will end up.

          10.31 BST: Fiorentina and West Ham are going to battle it out for Catania's Argentine striker Gonzalo Bergessio. The 29-year-old is being offered a two-year deal by the English side according to Tuttomercatoweb and is open to a move following Catania's relegation to Serie B.

          10.20 BST: Young Milan midfielder Zan Benedicic looks like he has a future under new boss Pippo Inzaghi.

          10.17 BST: In more Roma news, Inter Milan's Hugo Campagnaro has been targeted by the Serie A runners up. The capital club are said to have made initial contact with the 34-year-old in an attempt to bolster their squad prior to their Champions League campaign according to Sky Sport Italia.

          10.08 BST: Roma's impressive transfer window looks set to continue as they chase highly rated Ukrainian winger Andriy Yarmolenko. According to Sky Sport Italia, the Dynamo Kiev star has been the subject of a £18 million bid but the Italian giants will have to up their bid to £25 million should they want to lure their man despite his contract running out in a years time.

          10.00 BST: Barcelona have just forked out an awful lot of money for a player the won't see in action for at least four months in Luis Suarez. Well, they now think they might be able to see him a little sooner by reducing his ban for biting Georgio Chiellini. Read the full story here,

          09.46 BST: With the news breaking minute by minute that Arturo Vidal's move to Manchester United is edging closer, rumours are beginning to circulate about who will replace him in midfield at Juventus. The Telegraph seem to think the Italian champions are hoping to secure a £20 million deal for Tottenham's Paulinho though it is thought Daniel Levy will only come to the negotiating table at £25 million.

          09.34 BST: Naughty naughty Louis Van Gaal. Apparently the new Manchester United boss told Arjen Robben during the World Cup to come and join him at Old Trafford. Read the full story here.

          09.21 BST: Mmmmm an interesting one from The Sun who claim Manchester United's Wilfred Zaha has emerged as a £7 million target for Russian club Dynamo Moscow. Apparently he has no future at Old Trafford and the Premier League giants want rid of him. Harsh indeed.

          09.13 BST: One of the most prolific transfer sagas of recent times looks like it might be coming to an end sooner than we expect.

          08.48 BST: Arturo Vidal has told La Tercera he is "relaxed" about his future as talk of a move to Manchester United gathers pace. Full story here.

          08.16 BST: It's nothing you haven't heard before, but the BBC is reporting that Manchester City are in advanced talks over Porto defender Eliaquim Mangala and expects the 23-year-old to cost the English champions around 32 million pounds.

          07.48 BST: DONE DEAL Northern Ireland international Jonny Steele, released by New York Red Bulls last week, has signed a two-year deal to play for A-League side Newcastle Jets.

          07.22 BST: Manchester United are still apparently very keen on Juventus star Arturo Vidal, although there are concerns over his fitness.

          Patrice Evra joining Juventus

          It seems almost certain that Patrice Evra's move to Juventus will be confirmed today.

          Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that the deal has been done (via email no less!) and Evra, who joined Manchester United from Monaco in 2006, is currently putting the finishing touches on his goodbye letter to the Old Trafford fans.

          A letter that will no doubt be full of sadness, even though Patrice will be able to cry himself to sleep with a reported extra one and a half millions pounds -- a "golden goodbye" -- in his own personal bank account.

          Without Evra's age and experience around, the most expensive teenager in world football -- Luke Shaw -- has just had even more responsibility lumped on his young shoulders.

          Spurs to take on Liverpool in Bony chase

          Game on.

          Swansea star Wilfried Bony will be leaving the Liberty Stadium, that seems certain. But whether it is to the red half of Merseyside or to Tottenham Hotspur remains unclear.

          According to The Daily Mail (and The Independent have jumped on this story too), the Ivory Coast international is at the centre of a tug-of-war between the two clubs -- with the transfer fee climbing higher and higher each day. 18 million pounds from Spurs is the latest figure being bandied about by those two papers.

          But the Sunday Express also weighs in on the debate, insisting that Liverpool have clinched the deal with a whopping 20 million pounds.

          The real winners in all of this is of course Swansea. Not only have the club already recruited a ready-made replacement for Bony in the shape of Bafetimbi Gomis (who agreed to join Swansea back in June), but the 12 million pounds that they paid Vitesse for Bony last summer is now looking like the shrewdest piece of transfer business conducted in years.

          Arsenal mean business

          Metro is reporting that the Sami Khedira transfer from Real Madrid to Arsenal has moved into "advanced "stages.

          Apparently it is all going to depend on how much Arsene Wenger is willing to bend his strict player wages policy. Stay tuned Gunners fans!

          Tap-ins

          - Jose Mourinho has given up in his chase for Paul Pogba, turning his attention to Javier Pastore instead. That's according to the Sunday Express.

          - Marca are now weighing in on the James Rodriguez transfer to Real Madrid, quoting the Colombian as saying "I'd jump at the chance to go to Real".

          - Yet again, a newspaper has published a Louis van Gaal shopping list -- chock full of players that he needs to help him in his revolution at Manchester United. Arturo Vidal, Angel Di Maria and Mats Hummels all get a mention. You can check the story out here.