<
>

Liverpool prepare for Coutinho exit by lining up Napoli's Insigne

The football world is awash with gossip. Transfer Talk is monitoring the whispers ahead of all the summer moves. Check out the latest deals and potential deals here.

TOP STORY: Liverpool target Insigne to replace Coutinho

Despite a robust stance on Philippe Coutinho's future, Liverpool have quietly prepared for an event in which they do sell the Brazilian to Barcelona, reports the Mirror.

Napoli star Lorenzo Insigne is a prime candidate to replace him, and the ambitious move reportedly would cost around £60 million, though the Reds would likely face extreme resistance, similar to their own effort to keep Coutinho.

The Partenopei are notorious in resisting approaches for their star players, having succeeded in knocking back offers in recent years for Kalidou Koulibaly and Marek Hamsik, while Gonzalo Higuain and Edinson Cavani only departed for exceptionally high fees.

Further complicating such a move will be the Champions League qualifiers. The Reds face Hoffenheim and Napoli take on Nice, with any deal likely to be on hold until those matches have been played.

LIVE BLOG:

22.35 BST: That will do it for today's live Transfer Talk blog folks, but we'll be back to do it all again with the latest paper rounds to kick off another day of the latest rumours, news and notes from the summer window.

22.03 BST: Chelsea are the latest club to be linked with Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk. The Star reports that the Blues are readying a £50m bid and are confident of landing the Netherlands international this week.

21.31. BST: Juventus director Beppe Marotta told Gazzetta dello Sport that the club will be making an important addition to their midfield before the close of the summer transfer window. Speaking ahead of the Old Lady's Supercoppa Italia match against Lazio, Marotta said Keita Balde, who was left out of his team's squad for the match, was a player who interested Juventus, but that it had nothing to do with the Senagalese's absence from the match on Sunday.

21.07 BST: If you missed any of the the debut of PSG's new arrival (he looks good in yellow, but we knew that already)...

20.44 BST: Here's a name that hasn't been in the gossip pages of late: Antoine Griezmann. The France international seemed as good as gone from Atletico Madrid at the start of the summer -- with reports heavily linking him with a move to Manchester United. The dust settled on those rumours when the Red Devils brought Romelu Lukaku over from Everton. But now the Daily Star is reporting that Griezmann has become troubled with Atleti's failure to secure a deal for Diego Costa and is also not happy to hear goalkeeper Jan Oblak is a reported target of free-spending Paris Saint-Germain.

20.15 BST: Wilfried Bony could be set for a return to Swansea, according to the Daily Mirror. Bony left Swansea for Manchester City for £30 million two-and-a-half years ago, but the Swans are now seeking a cut-price deal to bring him back following his struggles at the Etihad Stadium.

20.07 BST: DONE DEAL Reading have completed the signing of Leandro Bacuna from Aston Villa on a four-year deal...

19.57 BST: Marco Asensio is seeking talks with Real Madrid over his future, according to the Daily Mirror, amid reported interest from Arsenal. Asensio has no interest in leaving Madrid for the Gunners but is hoping for improved terms on his contract.

19.21 BST: Jeff Reine-Adelaide has been offered by Arsenal to join Nantes on loan, The Sun reports. Arsene Wenger wants the 19-year-old to gain some first-team experience elsewhere and Nantes boss Claudio Ranieri is said to be interested in taking him for the season.

18.52 BST: Derby are closing in on the signing of Leicester's Tom Lawrence, according to Sky Sports, with the Championship club set to pay around £7 million for the striker.

18.21 BST: Barcelona may have been linked with a move for Paulo Dybala this summer, but according to Mundo Deportivo, the Catalan club have opted against signing the Juventus forward as they believe he is incompatible with Lionel Messi.

18.01 BST: Luiz Felipe Scolari has confirmed Paulinho's departure from Guangzhou Evergrande for Barcelona. "We wish him all the best and that he can embrace a bright future," Scolari said. Full story.

17.38 BST: Another club planning on making a double signing is AC Milan, with Tuttosport stating that the Serie A side are looking to bring in both Kasper Dolberg from Ajax and Nikola Kalinic from Fiorentina as they aim to bolster their attacking options.

17.21 BST: It's like waiting for a bus with Tottenham... They've yet to sign a single player this summer and now two are headed for White Hart Lane at the same time. The Sun claims Spurs are to spend £50 million to bring in Celta Vigo's Pape Cheikh Diop as well as Davinson Sanchez from Ajax.

16.58 BST: Galatasaray have announced that they have started negotiations with West Ham over the transfer of Sofiane Feghouli...

16.39 BST: Kylian Mbappe has been left on the bench for Monaco's Ligue 1 clash with Dijon this afternoon amid speculation surrounding his future. Reports in France had predicted that boss Leonardo Jardim was set to drop the youngster as he believes he has become increasingly distracted by the transfer talk.

16.24 BST: Has Alexis Sanchez just given the game away about his future? The Arsenal man earlier deleted a tweet he sent to singer Richard Marx as his location was turned on, meaning his followers could see that he had sent the tweet from Paris... The same city which he is reportedly visiting this weekend to conclude a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

16.06 BST: Barcelona are not giving up on signing Philippe Coutinho, despite Liverpool insisting the player is not for sale, The Times reports. Barca have already had bids of £72 million and £90m rejected for the midfielder, but are prepared to go as high as £137m if Liverpool can be enticed to enter negotiations.

15.42 BST: Manchester City are on the verge of securing the signing of Austria Vienna striker Olarenwaju Kayode, BBC Sport says. The Nigeria international, who is due to sign a four-year deal, will then be sent on loan to Girona for the season by City.

15.20 BST: Fiorentina's Federico Chiesa is hot property, according to reports in Italy. The 19-year-old is apparently wanted by Napoli, Chelsea, Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund, who have all made enquiries about him.

15.03 BST: Everton are lining up a move for Arsenal forward Danny Welbeck, The Sun claims. The report adds that Welbeck could be tempted by the offer should he find his playing time at Arsenal limited by the arrival of Alexandre Lacazette.

14.45 BST: Liverpool goalkeeper Danny Ward is set to hold talks with Jurgen Klopp this week to seek clarification on his role at the club, the Daily Mail reports. Ward was left out of Klopp's squad to face Watford on Saturday, with fellow keepers Simon Mignolet and Loris Karius picked ahead of him.

14.26 BST: Stoke are set to beat Fiorentina in the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Jese Rodriguez, according to La Nazione, with the 24-year-old preferring a move to the Premier League rather than joining the Viola.

14.07 BST: Keita Balde Diao could be looking for a new club, having said that he has been "profoundly hurt" after Lazio left him out of their squad for the Italian Super Cup... The striker has been heavily linked to Juventus all summer, with a bid for Keita rejected by Lazio last month. Full story.

13.46 BST: Luke Shaw's agent has rejected speculation Manchester United could look to sell the defender. "Manchester United love him and Luke Shaw loves Manchester United," Jonathan Barnett said. Full story.

13.30 BST: In his Mail on Sunday column, former Tottenham manager Glenn Hoddle gave his views on Danny Rose's claims about Spurs this week...

"Danny Rose will not have walked into an angry dressing room on Thursday morning," Hoddle wrote. "In fact, deep down his teammates will be thinking, 'Well done, Danny. You've put your head above the parapet but you're only saying what we're all thinking.'"

13.04 BST: Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel has confirmed they are in talks with Chelsea about a loan move for Baba Rahman.

"We are in talks with the player, his agent and Chelsea," Heidel told Schalke's official website. "Ultimately, it is about when Baba will be able to play again. No decision has been made yet."

12.47 BST: DONE DEAL Nantes have signed 25-year-old midfielder Andrei Girotto from Chapecoense on a four-year contract.

"I am pleased to be here. Nantes are a big club. I also contacted several players in the French league who told me I was making the right decision," Girotto said.

"My first impressions are very good, looking at the infrastructure. It is a great honour to work with the coach."

Girotto was present as Nantes were beaten 1-0 by Marseille on Saturday.

12.30 BST: The Mirror says Liverpool would rather lose Emre Can for nothing next summer when his contract ends than sell him to Juventus now.

12.12 BST: Olivier Giroud says he remains "100 percent focused" despite reports linking him with a move away from Arsenal.

"To be honest, there was something in my soul and in my heart which told me to stay," he said.

11.50 BST: Arsenal fans will be pleased to hear the club have given up on Thomas Lemar and are focusing on cutting their wage bill instead of making any more new signings.

That is according to the Daily Mail, who reckon getting rid of Mathieu Debuchy, Kieran Gibbs, Carl Jenkinson, Lucas Perez and Joel Campbell is the new priority.

The chase for Lemar is not over though. Arsenal could go back in for the Monaco man next summer.

11.27 BST: Liverpool showed in their 3-3 draw with Watford that they are in need of a defender like Virgil van Dijk, but Southampton manager Mauricio Pellegrino still hopes he will stay at St. Mary's.

"Hopefully he can change his point of view to be with us in the next few weeks," he said. "I've talked with him [Van Dijk] twice, and the club was clear with him. I think all of us at the club, the technical director, me as a manager, we know that Virgil is an important part of the club. But we need him in another way, not like the way he is right now." Full story.

11.00 BST: Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back in the headlines after saying he would welcome a return to AC Milan.

During a live Q&A session the striker held on Instagram he was asked by a Milan fan about coming back to the club.

You can watch his answer in the video below, in which he is reported to have said in Italian: "I'd love to come back, but if they are sleeping, what can I do?"

10.38 BST: PSG have signed Kylian Mbappe from Monaco, the Sunday Times claims, although why they are yet to announce the transfer remains a mystery.

The striker is set to join for a world-record transfer fee that will break Neymar's €222m move.

10.20 BST: Jose Mourinho declined to comment on Manchester United's reported interest in Tottenham left-back Danny Rose.

"I should not comment because Mauricio would not be happy if I comment, Mr Levy would not be happy if I comment and because I had nothing to do with that interview," he said. Full story.

10.05 BST: Sunday's Gazzetta dello Sport leads off the Italian Super Cup showdown between Juventus and Lazio, but also reports on AC Milan's interest in Fiorentina striker Nikola Kalinic.

09.51 BST: Manchester United could yet land Ivan Perisic, the Mirror reckons.

They claim that United will meet Inter Milan's £48m asking price to give Jose Mourinho the fourth summer signing he wants.

09.30 BST: Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on a club-record £35 million deal to sign Ajax centre-back Davinson Sanchez, sources have told ESPN FC.

However, De Telegraaf reported on Saturday morning that Ajax remain determined to retain the player, with director of football Marc Overmars telling the newspaper that the club have made Sanchez a "top offer" to sign a new contract. Full story.

09.09 BST: Sunday's Transfer Talk live blog kicks off with news that Borussia Dortmund have said Barcelona target Ousmane Dembele remains suspended until further notice.

As things stand, the 20-year-old is not under consideration for selection as coach Peter Bosz prepares for the Bundesliga opener away to Wolfsburg on Saturday. Full story.

Conte demands reinforcements after opening-day implosion

Antonio Conte is to demand a flurry of signings in the closing stages of the transfer window after his Chelsea side capitulated in a 3-2 defeat to Burnley on the opening day of their Premier League title defence, reports the Telegraph.

The Blues are to immediately return to Leicester with an improved £25m offer for midfielder Danny Drinkwater, with the bonus that the England international would boost Chelsea's homegrown quota.

Further targets include Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ross Barkley, Virgil van Dijk and right-wing-back options Joao Cancelo and Serge Aurier.

After a mass exodus of young players on loan and Cesc Fabregas' red card in the shocking defeat to the Clarets, Conte is faced with playing one of Andreas Christensen and David Luiz out of position, or 19-year-old Kyle Scott, who is yet to play a senior game in his career, against Tottenham.

Roma make Mahrez ultimatum

After weeks of negotiations, Roma have given an ultimatum to Leicester for Algeria winger Riyad Mahrez, with Gianluca Di Marzio reporting that the Foxes have not responded to the third offer of £32m.

Leicester want £40m to sell to a club abroad, but director of football Monchi wants to draw a line under the situation.

A deal could still be done with a Premier League rival, where £50m is the asking price, but the Giallorossi remain the most likely destination for the 26-year-old.

Tap-ins

- Gylfi Sigurdsson will finally seal his £50m move to Everton this week, which will trigger a series of moves, according to the Mirror. Swansea want West Brom's Nacer Chadli to replace the Icelandic midfielder and will offer the Baggies £20m, a £7m profit 12 months after becoming the club's record-signing.

- Arsenal have given up on their chase for Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar, according to the Mail, accepting that the Ligue 1 champions have no interest in selling the 21-year-old this summer.