The transfer market has geared up as teams prepare for beginning of their seasons. Here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Inter's Martinez emerges as City's top target
Inter Milan lost the Europa League final to Sevilla and now Inter's star striker Lautaro Martinez has emerged as Manchester City's top target this summer.
The Sun claims that City boss Pep Guardiola has failed in his efforts to prize Harry Kane away from Tottenham Hotspur and is growing increasingly desperate to sign a long-term replacement for Sergio Aguero.
Martinez's well reported release clause of €111 million expired last month, but City will be able to afford pretty much whatever the Italian club desires -- though that doesn't mean other City players aren't likely to leave as funding may be needed to secure the move.
Inter are reported to be keen on retaining Martinez's services next year, but that is unlikely to stop Guardiola's pursuit of the 22-year-old.
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22.05 BST: Two Liverpool players are been watched by Premier League returners Leeds United, according to the Mirror. Divock Origi and Rhian Brewster are in sights of the powers that be at Elland Road, but only if Leeds can't seal the deal for primary transfer target Odsonne Edouard from Celtic.
Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa is already facing the pressure to bolster his side and wants to bring in Origi and take Brewster on a loan, especially should he miss out on Edouard.
Origi has been a key contributer for Jurgen Klopp's men at Anfield, but has not been able to find a regular starting spot. Brewster spent the last campaign at Swansea and is likely to spend another season away from Liverpool.
21.00 BST: Amid the planned (or at least discussed) overhaul at Barcelona, one position the club wants to revamp is its backline. According to Goal, the club is now eyeing Manchester City fullback Angelino, who spent the last season at RB Leipzig. The Spaniard's price would be in the range of £25m if he were to depart the Etihad for Camp Nou.
Angelino isn't the only defender that Barca have kept tabs on from Pep Guardiola's side, as City youngster Eric Garcia is also eyed for a switch.
Angelino joined Man City in 2012 but has yet to really break through with the Premier League powerhouse. Prior his solid campaign with Champions League quarterfinalists Leipizg in 2019-20, Angelino has had several other loan stints including NYCFC, Girona, Mallorca, and PSV Eindhoven.
Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann said the club has an option to bring on Angelino permanently, and with City also facing their own defending issues, it seems that the player has several intruiging options.
20.08 BST: Is a former Arsenal star heading back to the Premier League? Portuguese outlet Record (via the Birmingham Mail) are reporting that Wolves and Aston Villa are interested in Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey, following a difficult move to Serie A in which he made just 11 starts for the nine-time defending champions.
Ramsey, 29, still has three years left on his contract with Juve and is reportedly making wages of around $400,000 a week, which could prove prohibitive.
19.11 BST: Looking next to Barcelona and their imminent rebuild, ESPN FC's Julien Laurens questions whether there are any teams that could realistically afford to sign Lionel Messi away from the Camp Nou.
18.35 BST: Up next, is there a Liverpool player set to be heading off for a new challenge this summer? Midfielder Marko Grujic has been told he can look for a new team, according to the Mirror, and there are reportedly seven clubs interested.
Grujic, 24, was Reds manager Jurgen Klopp's first signing at the club, back in 2016, but he's been limited to just 14 first-team appearances since, and recently completed a two-year loan at Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin. Goal reports that Hertha would love to keep the versatile midfielder, but other clubs interested are Eintracht Frankfurt, Borussia Monchengladbach, Werder Bremen, Atalanta, Crystal Palace and Aston Villa.
Not a bad selection, eh?
Liverpool's decision likely revolves around the need to generate some income from player sales in order to strengthen their squad in other departments. Greek defender Kostas Tsimikas has already joined Liverpool from Olympiakos this summer, but the Reds could use help in midfield and attack ahead of what should be a grueling campaign.
18.00 BST: Speaking of managerial moves... did MLS side Atlanta United make a mistake in hiring Frank de Boer?
17.26 BST: Inter Milan boss Antonio Conte could leave the club after just one season, having lost 3-2 to Sevilla in the Europa League final on Friday night.
"We're going to meet next week with the club and we'll decide about my future," Conte told reporters. "I'm not sure that I'll be the Inter manager next season, we'll decide together. Inter will plan the future with or without me.
"There is no rancour, from me nor the club. There are people I already worked with, so that's not the issue. It's about points of view, some situations that I faced this year and didn't like, with all due respect for everyone. We'll clarify the situation, without rancour, because I will always be grateful for having the chance to spend a great year at Inter. On the one hand it was also very tough, but if you think I will step back, I won't. We'll take a few days off and then meet [with the president] with cool heads."
16.51 BST: Manchester United's summer signing Marc Jurado will not be allowed to train with his new club for two weeks because of UK quarantine rules, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
United have received international clearance for the defender, who will join from Barcelona, but Jurado will have to isolate for 14 days before meeting his teammates with COVID-19 restrictions still in place for arrivals from Spain.
16.27 BST: Fulham have joined West Ham, Newcastle and Crystal Palace in hunt for QPR forward Eberechi Eze, according to Sky Sports.
Eze, 22, scored 14 goals in 46 appearances last season and is valued at around £20m. The England U21 international winger has already been the subject of a £12m bid from Palace but that was rejected.
16.01 BST: Juventus have some work to do this summer.
15.07 BST: Leicester City are in talks to sign Nicolas Tagliafico from Ajax, according to transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano.
The Foxes need a left-back to replace Ben Chilwell, who is set to join Chelsea for £50m.
14.35 BST: Barcelona are looking for cheap full-back options and the Daily Mail says they are interested in Manchester City left-back Angelino.
The 23-year-old is valued at around €30m but hasn't cemented his place in the City team and is keen to find regular football, having been bought back from PSV last year after undertaking four different loan spells.
Angelino impressed on loan at RB Leipzig this season but if he does move to Camp Nou then he'd likely still be sitting behind Jordi Alba in the pecking order.
13.49 BST: Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho hasn't spoken much this summer with talk of a €120m move to Man United on the cards, but he gave an interview to SoccerBible and was asked about the speculation.
"I try not to look at the media because I think once you start looking at all that it would be easy to get carried away with it. It can affect players," he said. "For me it's about not looking at those things and just focusing on trying to do the best I can on the pitch. Especially in training. For me it's about improving every single day. It's important for me to keep a smile on my face and keep happy. I don't really look at all the noise and all that stuff. I'd rather keep my head down, keep focus and improve every day."
Not much of a clue as to where his head is at over a transfer then...
13.21 BST: Arsenal are closing on the signing of Lille centre-back Gabriel Magalhaes, says the Independent.
Gabriel has been tracked by most of Europe's top clubs, though sources told ESPN that Arsenal were at the front of the queue, but reports on Friday suggested that Man United were ready to scupper the Gunners' hopes by hijacking their £22m deal.
However, the report states: "While United continue to ask Gabriel's camp to delay his decision, they are still yet to lodge an official bid with Lille and are now set to miss out on the 22-year-old."
13.00 BST: Plenty of players have left America's National Women's Soccer League for the European clubs recently. Here's why.
12.32 BST: Staying with Tottenham, the Daily Mail reports that the club are keen on signing Ivan Rakitic from Barcelona this summer.
Rakitic, 32, is one of those players who will be allowed to leave Camp Nou this summer and Spurs are following the Croatia midfielder. Man United and Sevilla have also been touted as possible options.
12.08 BST: Tottenham's Ryan Sessegnon has been linked with various club but looks set to stay put this season, The Athletic understands.
The report reads: "Barcelona enquired about a possible loan, which [Jose] Mourinho rejected, and there has been interest from a range of clubs -- including Ajax, AC Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Brighton & Hove Albion, Newcastle United and Celtic."
Sources have told ESPN's Tom Hamilton that Fulham are interested in bringing him back to the club on loan now they are in the Premier League again. Fulham let him join Tottenham for around £25m in August 2019.
11.55 BST: Tromso wonderkid Isak Hansen-Aaroen has joined Manchester United, according to the Norwegian club.
Hansen-Aaroen, 16, made his first-team debut for Tromso at just 15 years and 319 days and will now join United's academy after trials at both Liverpool and Everton.
"A wonderful person. A unique football talent. Who just loves to play football now," Tromso wrote on Instagram. "Thank you so much for the last ten years and good luck in Manchester United and on in your career. We hope you have a great time, see you soon."
11.21 BST: Barcelona striker Luis Suarez says he is desperate to remain at the club and would even be willing to accept a backup role.
Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu said this week that the squad would undergo a plethora of changes this summer which would mean saying goodbye to some "club legends." Bartomeu named several players that are not for sale on the back of the 8-2 Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich, including the frustrated Lionel Messi, but didn't mention Suarez, who has a contract until 2021.
Suarez, 33, called on the club to tell him directly if they want him out and said that until that's the case he will fight for his Camp Nou future.
"There's talk about the names mentioned by the president and about changes that could happen, but no one at the club has told me they want to get rid of me," the Uruguayan told El Pais.
"If that's what the club want, it would be nice if the decision-makers communicated that to me. It is better that way than leaking names. I want the best for the team and my intention is to stay. Throughout my career, I have accepted being on the bench. I still think I have a lot to give but I wouldn't have any problem if that were to be the case here next season. Competition for places is healthy and if the new coach [Ronald Koeman] feels I should be a substitute, then I would have no problem with that."
11.03 BST: Lionel Messi's future continues to be the main source of speculation in Catalonia.
Diario Sport reports that Inter Milan, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are all closely monitoring the forward's situation at Barcelona. Sport says PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi would love to pair Messi with Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, while Inter have been linked with him since Suning Holdings took over the club in 2016. Juve, under new coach Andrea Pirlo, are also credited with an interest, although fitting him into a wage structure that already includes Cristiano Ronaldo could be tricky.
However, Mundo Deportivo reports that Barca insist Messi is not for sale, citing sporting and commercial reasons for wanting to hold on to him.
Messi, 33, met with new coach Ronald Koeman this week to express his doubts about continuing at Camp Nou following the Champions League debacle against Bayern Munich. Sources have told ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens while Barca are against selling Messi, whose contract expires next summer, some members of the board would entertain offers in the right circumstances.
10.34 BST: Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona are waiting to hear back from Manchester City after tabling a €10m bid for Eric Garcia, who is out of contract next summer.
Garcia, 19, has told City that he doesn't plan on extending his deal, forcing them to listen to offers for the centre-back, who was called up to the senior Spain squad this week, this summer.
Barca's move for Garcia is part of a larger overhaul of the squad. The same report says that Gerard Pique and Clement Lenglet will be kept, with Ronald Araujo likely top be promoted from the B team, but new coach Ronald Koeman has decisions to make on the futures of Samuel Umtiti and Jean-Clair Todibo.
10.20 BST: Arsenal have signed Salah. OK, not Mohamed Salah from Liverpool, but Salah-Eddine from Eredivisie side Feyenoord as a free agent.
Salah, 17, will join up with the club's Professional Development Phase ahead of the new season and a statement read: "The Dutch midfielder is renowned for his agility and creativity in the middle of the park. Predominantly a central midfielder, Salah has spent his youth career in the Netherlands, developing through the youth ranks in Rotterdam with Feyenoord."
10.11 BST: Barcelona could do with raising some funds, but will they be able to sell their stars?
09.32 BST: ESPN's Insider Notebook is live and here's the latest transfer news:
- Manchester City approached Lyon about midfielder Houssem Aouar days after he shone as Pep Guardiola's men were stunned 3-1 in the Champions League quarterfinals, sources have told ESPN's Julien Laurens, but face competition from Arsenal, who have already held talks with Lyon's sporting director Juninho.
- Bayer Leverkusen have reportedly set a deadline of Aug. 28 to resolve Kai Havertz's future but Chelsea boss Frank Lampard wants the situation to be resolved sooner, so the 21-year-old can start preseason at the club, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.
- Atletico Madrid are desperate to keep their squad together this summer but Diego Simeone fears losing top stars Thomas Partey or Jan Oblak if their attractive buyout clauses are met, sources have told ESPN's Alex Kirkland and Rodrigo Faez.
- Manchester United's summer signing Marc Jurado will not be allowed to train with his new club for two weeks because of UK quarantine rules, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
08.44 BST: Barcelona hope to persuade Lionel Messi to stay at the club, but some members of the board have told ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens that they wouldn't be against selling him in the right circumstances.
New coach Ronald Koeman has publicly said he wants to build the team around Messi, and sources said that the board's stance is that they want to keep him.
However, Messi's doubts about his future have generated an internal debate among the board. Some directors have told ESPN that they would be prepared to listen to offers that would allow Koeman to reconstruct the team at the same time as reducing the wage bill.
08.30 BST: Chelsea are closing in on a deal to sign Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell after the Midlands club finally dropped their £80m valuation, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.
The Blues identified the 23-year-old as their top target late last year and although they have considered several other left-back options including Ajax's Nicolas Tagliafico and Real Madrid's Sergio Reguilon, they have remained hopeful throughout that an agreement for Chilwell could be reached.
Negotiations are ongoing but sources close to the transaction suggest a fee in the region of £50m is now being discussed with Leicester willing to do business.
Chelsea have also been offered the chance to sign Thiago Silva once his Paris Saint-Germain contract expires, sources have told ESPN.
The 35-year-old is set to play his final match for PSG in Sunday's Champions League Final against Bayern Munich before deciding his next move.
PAPER TALK (by Shaun Reynolds)
Atalanta bid to snap up Blues misfit Batshuayi
One of the teams to impress most in this season's Champions League, Atalanta, are set to rival Leeds United in the race to sign Chelsea's Michy Batshuayi.
The Daily Express report that the Serie A club has opened talks to sign the Belgium international on loan for the coming season, which would be his final season on contract at Chelsea. It is reported that Batshuayi is being lined up by Atalanta as a possible replacement for Colombia forward Duvan Zapata, who could be on his way to join Juventus.
Batshuayi made only one Premier League start last season, but that hasn't stopped other clubs displaying interest during the shortened off-season with Leeds boss Marcelo Bielsa also keen to capture the 26-year-old -- who has represented Borussia Dortmund, Valencia and Crystal Palace on loan during his Chelsea career to date.
Wolves join Newcastle in race for Gunners' Maitland-Niles
Wolves have joined Newcastle in displaying interest for Arsenal player Ainsley Maitland-Niles. That's according to Sky Sports, who say Nuno Espirito Santo is weighing up the possibility of submitting a bid in the region of £20m for the versatile 22-year-old midfielder.
On Thursday, the Daily Mail reported that Arsenal would listen to offers close to £20m for their academy product -- since then Newcastle and Wolves' interest has emerged, though rumours that Tottenham were interested have been quashed by the club.
Maitland-Niles has established himself as a regular first team player for Arsenal and made 32 appearances last season, his sixth with the club, and won the FA Cup.
Tap-Ins
- Premier League newcomers Leeds United plan to re-sign academy product Lewis Cook from Bournemouth, according to Football Insider. The 23-year-old left Elland Road four years ago to join Bournemouth a year after they were promoted to the Premier League. But the Cherries' drop to the Championship means Cook is now likely to head back north.
- West Ham United want Jack Wilshere off their wage bill and are in talks with the midfielder to either buy out the final year of his contact or subsidise a move to another club. That's according to The Times, who say the 28-year-old -- who hasn't played since October -- could be forced out of east London because of his £100,000-a-week wage bill.