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          Transfer Talk: Man City prepare alternatives if Jorginho deal falls through

          • ESPN staffJun 7, 2018, 12:00 AM

          The transfer window is open, and Transfer Talk has the latest rumours making the rounds. Follow live with our daily blog throughout the summer.

          TOP STORY: Man City plan Jorginho alternatives

          Manchester City have lined up two alternatives to Jorginho should they fail to strike an agreement with Napoli, sources told ESPN FC.

          The English champions have already seen one bid for the midfielder rejected by Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, who is thought to be holding out for closer to £60 million amid interest from rival clubs.

          That could force City to look elsewhere rather than enter into a bidding war, with Pep Guardiola also keen on Real Madrid's Mateo Kovacic and Southampton's Mario Lemina. Both are seen as capable options in holding midfield, but City still would prefer to complete a move for Jorginho, who is desperate to move to Manchester.

          Striking a more optimistic note, the Mirror says City and Napoli could agree to a £43m transfer in the next 24 hours after Jorginho's agent and Napoli's chief negotiator flew to England to close the deal.

          LIVE BLOG

          20:10 BST: That's going to do it for Transfer Talk tonight as we refocus on England's friendly with Costa Rica. Come join us in our live chat!

          19:45 BST - DONE DEAL: Tigres have brought Argentina international Guido Pizarro back to Mexico after one season with Sevilla in a deal reported at €8.4m.

          19:30 BST - DONE DEAL: Sporting Lisbon have secured the services of Bruno Gaspar from Fiorentina for a reported €5m;, with the right-back signing until 2023 with a €60m release clause after just one year in Italy.

          19:10 BST: The Seattle Sounders are the MLS team that are closing in on a deal for Peru striker Raul Ruidiaz from Morelia, Goal reports.

          18.40 BST: A DONE DEAL as Douglas Costa has completed a permanent move to Juventus from Bayern Munich after a successful first season on loan in Turin.

          18.25 BST: Real Madrid now have an agreement with Brazilian club Santos for 17-year-old forward Rodrygo for €45m, according to Marca.

          18.10 BST: SFR Sport's Loic Tanzi (via RMC) is reporting that French club Nice have reached an agreement to steal manager Patrick Vieira away from New York City FC of MLS, with only small details to be settled. Vieira is still expected to manage NYCFC on Saturday.

          17.45 BST: Sunderland and Monaco are often mentioned in the same breath, and now it's happening again -- the Chronicle reports that the Ligue 1 side " are the latest club to throw their hat into the ring to sign Sunderland winger Wahbi Khazri.

          17.30 BST: Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that they have triggered an option to extend backup goalkeeper Michel Vorm's contract by another year.

          17.00 BST: Swansea City are ready to listen to offers for striker Wilfried Bony following their relegation, with the BBC reporting that he is "among Swansea's top earners and has been linked to possible moves abroad."

          16.30 BST: Borussia Dortmund have confirmed the signing of 26-year-old Denmark midfielder Thomas Delaney from Werder Bremen, with the fee involved reported to be around €20 million.

          16.00 BST: For a while now, it has seemed likely that either Liverpool or Arsenal would be the likely destination for Monaco winger Thomas Lemar. But now the Mirror reports that Barcelona have joined the race - "and have already asked the Ligue 1 side about a deal for the France international."

          15.45 BST: An interesting line from the London Evening Standard, which says Serie A club Napoli are keen on Spurs full-back Kieran Trippier, but Tottenham are not interesting in selling and the player is expected to put pen to paper on an extended contract.

          15.30 BST: Carlos Pena has joined Necaxa after fellow Mexican club Cruz Azul ended his year-long move from Rangers six months early.

          Pena, 28, will play for Necaxa for the remainder of his loan time after Pedro Caixinha, his former manager at Rangers, cut his spell at Cruz Azul short.

          15.00 BST: A time-honoured transfer window staple here, from Tottenham's Dele Alli in an interview with ES magazine: "I'd never say never to anything. You never know what is going to happen in football. I have still got a few years left on my contract. We have got a young team, a young manager, a new stadium, so it is a great place to be at the minute. All the players can see the way the club is heading. But you can't look into the future too much as it takes the pleasure out of now."

          Transfer talk surrounding the Spurs midfielder has been quieter of late after previous speculation linking him with Manchester United and Real Madrid. But it'll only take an impressive World Cup showing with England to bring that all back before the deadline.

          14.30 BST: Unai Emery may have already brought in Stephan Lichsteiner and is close to signing Sokratis Papastathopoulos, but the new Arsenal manager's biggest transfer move of the summer may be to keep hold of Jack Wilshere.

          The London Evening Standard reports that England midfielder Jack Wilshere will seek talks with his new boss over the coming days to get assurances that he figures in the SPaniard's plans before signing a new three-year contract worth around £100,000 a week.

          14.00 BST: Steven Gerrard has signed Ovie Ejaria on a season-long loan, the first Liverpool player he has signed for Rangers since taking over at Ibrox last month.

          Ejaria, 20, spent the second half of last season on loan at Sunderland in the Championship and will continue to gain more first-team experience this term in the Scottish Premiership.

          The midfielder, who has made eight appearances for Liverpool's senior side, has also extended his contract at the Merseyside club.

          13.30 BST: Tottenham midfielder Mousa Dembele has been regularly linked with a move out of the club this summer. The Belgium international has reportedly been targeted by clubs as far afield as China, but the London Evening Standard reports that Italy may no longer be an option. The newspaper reports that Juventus, Napoli, AC Milan and Inter Milan have all registered interest in the 30-year-old, but have been put off by Spurs demanding £30m for a player entering the final year of his contract.

          13.00 BST: Liverpool's hopes of signing goalkeeper Jan Oblak to become their new No. 1 at Anfield have been hit, according to the Daily Mirror. According to a report, Atletico Madrid quoted the Reds a fee in excess of £80m for the Slovenia international.

          12:30 BST: Peru international forward Raul Ruidiaz is near a deal that would send him from Monarcas Morelia to a Major League Soccer club, Monarcas president Alvaro Davila has told ESPN.

          "There has been great progress in MLS talks," Davila said. "They are interested in him and have given us a concrete offer. The rest of the talk [about Ruidiaz's future] is just speculation. All that is left is for the player to give his consent and it will be all arranged. A lot of clubs have asked about him, but with regard to what else is in the market, this is not an offer that will be equalled."

          Ruidiaz, the Liga MX top scorer in the Apertura of 2016 and the Clausura of 2017, is part of the Peru squad that will face Denmark, France and Australia in World Cup Group C later this month.

          12.00 BST: Denmark international Thomas Delaney has arrived in Dortmund ahead of his move to Borussia, Ruhr Nachrichten reports. The holding midfielder, 26, had also been linked with Brighton & Hove Albion, but opted to remain in the Bundesliga, where he featured for Werder Bremen since January 2017. BVB will reportedly pay €20m as their squad rebuild continues.

          11.30 BST: Globo Esporte reports that Real Madrid have made a better offer than Barcelona to sign Santos starlet Rodrygo. The Brazilian would join the Champions League winners in January 2019 once he turns 18. Real Madrid are prepared to pay €45m, €15m more than Barcelona's offer, to acquire the 17-year-old forward. Globo report that Barcelona are unwilling to enter a bidding war with Real Madrid for Rodrygo.

          11.10 BST: Iago Aspas has had quite a season. He was the top-scoring Spaniard in La Liga last season, with 22 goals, and he's part of Spain's World Cup squad this summer. Celta Vigo's president has said this morning that the former Liverpool striker will only be sold if a club meets his €40m release clause.

          10.50 BST: DONE DEAL! Sunderland have confirmed that forward Fabio Borini will make a permanent move to AC Milan on July 1. The 27-year-old scored four goals in 41 appearances for the Rossoneri during his loan speall there last season

          10.30 BST: With speculation linking Toby Alderweireld with a move to Manchester United hardly dissipating, Tottenham may soon be looking for a new centre-back. Spurs are reportedly interested in Ajax defender Matthaijs de Ligt but, according to The Sun, the Londoners would have to pay a club-record £48m for the 18-year-old.

          Their current club record? The £42m they paid for defender Davinson Sanchez last summer. The club they signed him from? Ajax.

          10.00 BST: Two years ago, when Portugal won Euro 2016, Renato Sanches was one of the hottest young prospects in world football. This summer, he's not even in the squad for the World Cup. But the midfielder may yet get his chance for redemption at Bayern Munich, with kicker reporting that the 20-year-old is set to be at the German champions next season after a loan move to former club Benfica fell through.

          09.40 BST: DONE DEAL! Freiburg sign midfielder Jerome Gondorf, 29, from Werder Bremen. He only spent one year at Bremen for whom he appeared in 21 Bundesliga matches after his transfer from Darmstadt.

          09.20 BST: Boca Juniors forward Cristian Pavon has been heavily linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain and his fellow Argentine, Angel Di Maria, has been singing his praises: "He is a player with impressive potential. He is in form and after a great season with Boca Juniors, it will be difficult for them to keep hold of him. All European clubs will want him -- especially after the World Cup."

          09.00 BST: Barcelona star Lionel Messi has said he would like Atletico Madrid forward Antoine Griezmann to join him at the Camp Nou to help form "the best team in the world," but added a deal is not yet 100 percent done. Griezmann, 27, is still to decide whether to join Barca in a €100m move or remain at Atletico, with the France international saying he expects to make a final decision ahead of this summer's World Cup.

          "With the good players it is easy to understand each other," Messi said. "And Griezmann is one of the great players, going through an exceptional moment in his career. Then we would see how the coach fits everything together, but obviously he is a great player and we would understand each other. It is still not 100 percent, but obviously the more quality we have the better. We want to be the best team in the world, and to do that we want the best players. Then it is the boss' problem [to fit everyone in]."

          08.45 BST: Cristiano Ronaldo has decided to leave Real Madrid this summer and his decision is irreversible, according to Portuguese newspaper Record.

          However, Spanish daily AS reports that, while Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes was told by Madrid on Tuesday that the club would not be making an offer to improve the reigning Ballon d'Or's contract, another meeting is scheduled for today. Watch this space.

          08.30 BST: It looks like Sevilla defender Clement Lenglet might be on his way to the Premier League. The France under-21 international's agent is reportedly flying to London this morning. Manchester United and Barcelona are two of the major clubs who have been linked with the centre-back.

          08.15 BST: Bayern Munich defender David Alaba has pledged allegiance to the German champions amid reported interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.

          "I am staying at Bayern," the Austria international told Bild. "I have a contract until 2021 and feel very much at home in Munich. There's nothing more to stay. "Bayern have reached the final twice and the semifinals four times since 2012 - therefore I am not worried at all. Our squad definitely has the potential to continue to progress deep in the competition."

          08.00 BST: There have been reports linking Gonzalo Higuain with a move to the Premier League this summer, particularly Chelsea if Maurizio Sarri were to take over as manager. Here's the Argentina striker's take, according to Gazzetta dello Sport:

          "[The Premier League] is the most beautiful league in the world and all the games are spectacular.

          "I've got a contract with Juventus and they've not told me anything different so I'm relaxed and my daughter's going to grow up in Turin."

          PAPER TALK: Liverpool want Shaqiri

          Liverpool could be set to bolster their attacking options with a cut-price deal for Xherdan Shaqiri, a source told ESPN FC and the Guardian reports.

          With a relegation release clause of around £13m, the Stoke winger has emerged as an affordable target this summer, with Tottenham and Southampton also monitoring his situation.

          Shaqiri is set to represent Switzerland at the World Cup, but the 26-year-old has said he would "love to stay in England" once his focus turns to resolving his future.

          He was close to joining Liverpool from Bayern Munich in 2014, but eventually moved to Inter Milan before landing at Stoke.

          Bayern set Lewandowski price

          Robert Lewandowski's many suitors have been told they'll need to stump up the big bucks to sign the want-away Bayern Munich striker this summer, says Bild.

          The 29-year-old is a target for Chelsea, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, but he'll cost in the region of €200m -- with Bayern refusing to pick up the phone for any less.

          That could price Lewandowski out of a transfer as he jets off to lead Poland's hopes at the World Cup.

          The forward hired super-agent Pini Zahavi earlier this year to broker the last big move of his career, but so far Bayern have refused to entertain his request to leave.

          Alisson asks about Liverpool

          Roberto Firmino has revealed that his Brazil teammate Alisson has been asking about Liverpool during the team's World Cup preparations.

          The Liverpool Echo quotes Firmino as telling a news conference: "Yes, he [Alisson] asked me about Liverpool and I hope he can come here, but I know he has other proposals."

          The keeper is valued at around €80m by Roma, which could thwart Jurgen Klopp's attempts to bring him to Anfield.

          The Reds have already balked at Atletico Madrid's £80m demand for Jan Oblak, according to the Daily Mirror, as the hunt for Loris Karius' replacement drags on.

          Tap-ins

          -- Mohamed Salah's agent has dismissed speculation the forward has been offered to Barcelona. Ramy Abbas Issa took to Twitter to deny the story that appeared in Spanish outlet AS on Wednesday.

          -- Arsenal have had a €30m bid rejected for Sporting Lisbon winger Gelson Martins, reports A Bola. The Gunners will have to stump up closer to €45m if they are to finalise a move for the winger.

          -- Peter Crouch could be set for an unlikely move to newly promoted Serie A side Parma. Talksport says the Italian club are weighing up a bid for the 37-year-old, who has one year left to run on his Stoke contract.

          -- Over in Germany, David Alaba has told Bild, "I am staying at Bayern," after reported interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona. Meanwhile, Kicker reports that Renato Sanches is set to stay at Bayern after a one-year loan to Benfica ended, and Juan Bernat wants to leave the club.

          -- Crystal Palace want Marseille right-back Hiroki Sakai after missing out on West Ham recent signing Ryan Fredericks, reports the Evening Standard. The 28-year-old has been called up to the Japan squad for the World Cup after impressing in Ligue 1 this season.

          -- Southampton are aiming to capitalise on the crisis at Aston Villa by poaching two of the Championship club's rising stars. Saints have lined up bids for Keinan Davis and Andre Green, reports the Daily Mail, as Villa try to cut costs following their failed promotion bid.

          -- Jack Grealish is another Villa player in demand, with Newcastle the latest club to express an interest in the 22-year-old, according to the Chronicle. Villa have put a £40m price tag on Grealish but could be forced to accept significantly less to wrap up a quick sale.

          -- Spurs and Chelsea will duke it out for Newcastle centre-back Jamaal Lascelles, says the Evening Standard. The 24-year-old narrowly missed out on a call up to England's World Cup squad, and is valued at £45m by the Magpies.