The winter transfer window is closed, but now it's time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Man United, Arsenal interested in Thomas Partey
Premier League sides Manchester United and Arsenal have joined Inter Milan in the chase for Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey, writes Mundo Deportivo.
Ghanaian Thomas was in excellent form for Atletico before the season was suspended, and he has been indispensable for Diego Simeone.
Atletico are looking to extend the midfielder's contract beyond 2023 and increase his buyout clause, which currently stands at €50 million.
However, the longer Atletico take to secure their man, the better chance other clubs might have to meet that clause and steal him this summer.
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22.49 BST: Manchester United and Arsenal have joined Inter in the race for Bayern Munich midfielder Corentin Tolisso, according to Calciomercato.
20.30 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport writes that Dries Mertens is likely to leave Napoli as a free agent after the season's conclusion, with the 30-year-old said to be requesting any player fines be donated to charity rejected by club president Aurelio De Laurentiis, leading to the relationship between the Belgian and the Partenopei cooling.
19.55 BST: Sticking with Roma, Chris Smalling would prefer to remain with the Giallorossi, but the coronavirus pandemic has complicated the club's financial picture, according to the Sun, and the 30-year-old centre-back reportedly will return to Manchester United at the end of the season.
18.28 BST: Roma have been negotiating with Pedro to join the club as a free agent when the transfer window opens, but Corriere dello Sport reports that the Giallorossi's primary target is another Chelsea attacker in Willian. The 32-year-old's wages are a stumbling block at present, but the Brazilian would prefer the capital city among his options in Italy, which is also said to include Juventus.
17.01 BST: In case you missed this one last night, Norwich City have agreed a deal to sign forward Danel Sinani from F91 Dudelange on a three-year contract. Last week the club furloughed staff members -- including part-time and casual staff -- as a cost-cutting measure.
Sinani, who has scored 14 goals in 16 matches in Luxembourg's top flight this season, will join Norwich ahead of the 2020-21 season.
📝 Norwich City are delighted to confirm the signing of Luxembourgish midfielder Danel Sinani!
— Norwich City FC (@NorwichCityFC) April 10, 2020
The 23-year-old will join the Club at the start of next season.
16.11 BST: The Daily Mirror is reporting that Pedro could sign for AS Roma when his contract expires at the end of the season. The 32-year-old has a deal worth £2.7m ready to be signed, though he could yet head to MLS.
15.36 BST: AC Milan are so desperate to draft in midfielder Sandro Tonali from Brescia for next season that they will cash in on four academy products to fund it, reports Calciomercato.com. Tonali is valued at €50m, so Milan could use Matteo Gabbia, Alessandro Plizzari and Tommaso Pobega as makeweights.
15.00 BST: A report from Mundo Deportivo says Juventus are the latest club to be linked with a move for Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos. The Spain international is on a season-long loan in the Premier League with Arsenal, but the Gunners are not willing to meet the €40m asking price for a permanent deal.
14.11 BST: Leicester City's Ayoze Perez says a move to MLS is an option for the future, but for now his future remains in Europe.
13.37 BST: Gianluigi Buffon is set to sign a new contract with Juventus, according to reports in Italy. Buffon will pen a new one-year deal which will take him to the age of 43 when it expires in 2021.
12.59 BST: Inter Milan vice-president Javier Zanetti has said Lautaro Martinez will remain at the club despite interest from Barcelona and Real Madrid. Lautaro, 22, has helped Inter become Serie A title contenders this season, scoring 16 goals in all competitions.
Sources have told ESPN that Barca consider Lautaro to be the perfect heir to Luis Suarez but Zanetti said the forward has a future at San Siro.
"At Inter I see him happy, he identifies with the club," Zanetti told ESPN Deportes. "We believed in him. I see his future at Inter."
12.13 BST: Liverpool tried to sign Real Madrid starlet Martin Odegaard last summer before he joined Real Sociedad on loan. That's according to Vitesse boss Leonid Slutsky, who managed the Norway international last season. "He became one of the best players in the Eredivisie and had many offers in his pocket. Not only from Real Sociedad, but also from Liverpool and Ajax," Slutsky told Spanish news agency EFE.
11.39 BST: The Daily Telegraph reports that Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo is wanted by Barcelona. The Catalan giants could opt to send Nelson Semedo the other way in a swap deal as clubs look to find ways of making transfer after the financial impact of the coronavirus.
10.59 BST: Pierre Alain Mounguengui, the president of Gabon's football association (FEGAFOOT), has questioned whether Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang will win the honours that his talent deserves if he remains at Arsenal, and has urged him to "secure a contract with a more ambitious club."
10.12 BST: Premier League players whose contracts expire in the summer fear being released and have asked whether clubs must compulsorily extend their deals, the Daily Telegraph reports. FIFA has recommended that all contracts are extended to the end of the season, whenever that may be, but this does not supersede local employment law.
09.30 BST: The sun is shining in the transfer world, but will there be any rays of light amid all the rumours? Stick with us.
PAPER ROUND
England's top clubs in chase for Chukwuemena
Manchester United and Liverpool are chasing Aston Villa's 16-year-old wonderkid Carney Chukwuemeka, reports The Sun, while The Athletic suggest that Manchester City are also interested.
The Villans are still trying to urge the youngster to stay by persuading him he has a better path to first-team football at Villa Park, but their task is getting harder as more clubs join the chase for his services.
The England U17 star has been described by Villa CEO Christian Purslow as "probably the best 16-year old in England right now," and it is hoped that Villa's proposed new academy could help keep the box-to-box midfielder in claret and blue. The Sun reports that Villa have held contract discussions with the youngster.
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Zidane joins chase for Upamecano
More on today's suggestion from AS that Real Madrid have joined clubs such as Arsenal in targeting RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano.
Arsenal tried to sign the in-demand 21-year-old defender earlier this season, but a whopping £72m release clause priced out the Gunners. Of note, that release clause is set to drop to £55m this summer.
Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane, like Mikel Arteta, is keen to reinforce his back line, and Upamecano's consistency in the Bundesliga, aligned with star performances in the Champions League, have persuaded him that Upamecano can cut it at the highest level and compete alongside Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane.
However, it is unlikely that Upamecano would break up Zidane's first-choice defence quickly, which could offer Arsenal the upper hand. The Frenchman would be a likely starter if he were to move to north London, and they may feel his buyout clause makes him more affordable.
Tap-ins
- Newcastle United are considering a move for Burnley winger Dwight McNeil this summer, reports the Newcastle Chronicle. The Clarets value the 20-year-old at £35m, and although they don't want to lose him, he could be allowed to leave the club this summer. McNeil has scored two goals in 29 appearances this season, and he is represented by the same agency as several other Newcastle players. McNeil is said to have interested both Manchester United and Chelsea too.
- The Mirror says Napoli are considering a bid of £42m for West Ham United winger Felipe Anderson to replace Jose Callejon, who is expected to leave the club this summer. Callejon is a man in demand, and Napoli are keen on Brazilian Anderson even though he has two years left on his existing contract. Hammers boss David Moyes is keen to shake up his squad this summer.