<
        >

          Transfer Talk: Chelsea will take on Barcelona in race for Juventus' Miralem Pjanic

          • ESPN
          Jun 20, 2018, 11:54 PM

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

          Pjanic on the streets of London

          Chelsea are planning to go head-to-head with Barcelona in the race for Juventus playmaker Miralem Pjanic, reports the Daily Mail.

          Maurizio Sarri has been lined up to replace Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge, and it's thought that the former Napoli boss is keen to bring Pjanic with him from Serie A.

          The Blues could offer the Bosnian a significant increase on his current salary, with Juventus open to negotiations as they look to raise funds to sign Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

          The Italian giants are believed to want £70 million for Pjanic, as Barca also consider the 28-year-old as a potential successor to Andres Iniesta at the Camp Nou.

          LIVE BLOG

          SHARE by Taboola Sponsored Links Melissa Sue Anderson Confirms What We Knew All Along (IcePop)10 Years After The Famous Photo, Olympic Athlete Makes A Brave Confession (SportsRetriever) Get Chelsea FC updates directly to your inbox

          Enter your email + Subscribe Maurizio Sarri has handed Chelsea a massive summer shopping-list - but Napoli want to put a limit of how many of their players can follow him to London in his deal to leave the Serie A club.

          The Blues are negotiating to release Sarri from his contract with the Italians and also to conclude a divorce settlement with outgoing boss Antonio Conte.

          And are also having discussions with Sarri's agents over signings to rebuild a squad that won the FA Cup but missed out on the top four last season, a year on from being champions.

          Sarri wants Chelsea to have a familiar look - though Napoli hope to limit his signings from them (Image: Getty) The Italian wants to bring FOUR of his Napoli players from last season with him - striker Dries Mertens (£27million), full-back Elseid Hysaj (£23m), winger Jose Maria Callejon (£21m) and defender Raul Albiol (£5m).

          23.00 BST: That will do it for another busy day with our Transfer Talk Live blog. Follow all of our World Cup coverage here and remember to check back in a few hours for the latest rumours, links and completed deals from around the world of football. Have a good night!

          22.45 BST: We have discussed Barcelona full-back Jordi Alba's ongoing contract situation previously in this blog and with still no new extension offer from the club, the list of clubs swarming continues to grow.

          Spanish outlet AS have named Tottenham as a potential landing spot for the frustrated Spain international. Spurs are very happy with Kieran Trippier on the right side but with Danny Rose's future at the club very much in doubt, Alba could be an option to slide into that starting left-back spot.

          Barcelona's reluctance to offer Alba a new deal is puzzling as the 29-year-old is coming off one of his best ever seasons. Alba scored three goals and provided 12 assists this past season is thought to be valued at around £60 million.

          Man United are another club that are often linked to the Spaniard, who is currently in Russia playing at the World Cup for Spain.

          22.27 BST: After a breakout season at West Ham, could 19-year-old Ireland international Declan Rice be on the move?

          Rice was a regular under David Moyes but the arrival of new signing Issa Diop from Toulouse and a new manager in Manuel Pellegrini could mean Rice could be the odd man out.

          The Sun claim that Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are both mulling over offers for the young defender.

          22:05 BST: Portuguese giants Benfica could be set to add Brazilian midfielder Gustavo Scarpa from Brazilian side Palmeiras.

          According to the Portuguese newspaper A Bola , the Lisbon club is preparing an offer of €6 million for 60% of the economic rights to the 24-year-old.

          The one-time capped Brazilian has not played for Palmeiras since March due to court disputes over salaries and image rights.

          21. 28 BST: According to Spanish outlet AS, Real Sociedad could be eyeing a move for 21-year-old Newcastle midfielder Mikel Merino.

          The reports go on to say that the clubs are negotiation over the former Dortmund man -- who would reportedly cost in the neighborhood of about €12 million -- and that Merino plans to accept the deal when he returns from holiday.

          21.06 BST: Atlanta United coach Gerardo "Tata" Martino has responded to a recent report suggesting that Club America could make a $40 million offer for Atlanta United striker Josef Martinez.

          Speaking after Atlanta's U.S. Open Cup loss on Wednesday, the Argentine manager told local radio station 92.9 The Game: "I think it's great that clubs like America seek out our players, that means Josef and the team are doing well and is a testament to this club. This is what Atlanta United wants."

          Martino went on to say: "But I also think about the significance of Atlanta. Atlanta isn't a club that needs money. Atlanta doesn't need to sell."

          Martinez has 14 goals in 16 league games for the Five Stripes but judging from Martino's comments it is unlikely the Venezuelan goalscorer will be sold this season, no matter the price.

          20.38 BST: Newly-promoted Wolves have been busy and are expected to spend heavily this summer. The newest player they are being linked with is Porto star Yacine Brahimi.

          The 28-year-old winger registered 12 goals and 10 assists last season for Porto and is being valued at around £26 million.

          Wolves are keen to make their stay in the top flight a lengthy one and adding a dynamic player like Brahimi would be a good start.

          20.02 BST: -- DONE DEAL -- Villarreal have announced the signing of Argentina and Everton defender Ramiro Funes Mori.

          The 27-year-old arrived at Everton in 2015 but missed over a year of action and almost all of last season due to a severe knee injury.

          A fresh start could be just what the doctor ordered for Funes Mori who narrowly missed out on making Argentina's 23-man World Cup squad.

          19.37 BST: Southampton and Serbia ace Dusan Tadic appears close to a move to Holland.

          The Serbian midfielder has his sights on Ajax and according to the Telegraph, the two clubs are already in engaged in talks.

          Tadic was a big reason Southampton avoided the drop last season, contributing six goals and three assists, including some key goals down the stretch.

          The Telegraph claim the Serbian would cost Ajax somewhere between £15 and 18 million.

          19.14 BST: Matz Sels' proposed move to Anderlecht is off after the club failed to agree to a fee with Newcastle.

          Anderlecht director Luc Devroe told Voetbalkrant "The financial picture for the Sels transfer became too big. [Frank] Boeckx and [Thomas] Didillon will compete for the spot under the bar."

          This will be a blow to Rafa Benitez and Newcastle, who recently signed a goalkeeper in Martin Dubravka and were hoping to offload Sels and recoup some of the £4.5 million they paid for him in 2016.

          18.50 BST: -- DONE DEAL -- Sunderland have made centre-back Alim Ozturk their first signing of the summer.

          The 25-year-old Turk arrives at Sunderland from Turkish side Boluspor and has had previous spells at SC Cambuur (Holland), Trabzonspor (Turkey), Hearts (Scotland).

          18:15 BST -- DONE DEAL: Championship side Preston North End have signed left-back Andrew Hughes from Peterborough United for an undisclosed fee.

          18:00 BST: Mundo Deportivo reports that Gremio's Arthur Melo is "very close" to becoming Barcelona's first signing of the summer after they opted to bring the deal forward following Andres Iniesta's departure to Vissel Kobe. The report says he could arrive next month.

          17:15 BST: Stoke City have made a £5 million offer for Sunderland midfielder Paddy McNair, matching a bid from Middlesbrough that has been accepted by the Black Cats, according to the Mail.

          16:45 BST -- DONE DEAL: Sheffield United midfielder Samir Carruthers has joined League One side Oxford on a season-long loan.

          16:30 BST -- DONE DEAL: Brighton have signed goalkeeper Jason Steele from Sunderland on a three-year deal.

          15:24 BST: Brighton & Hove Albion have announced that goalkeeper Niki Maenpaa will leave this summer after three seasons.

          Maenpaa, the third-choice keeper, made 11 appearances over three years with the club.

          14:38 BST: It took months to come together but mere hours to complete: Emre Can has signed for Juventus on a four-year deal.

          14:35 BST: Rangers have signed full-back Jon Flanagan from Liverpool on a two-year deal, making him manager Steven Gerrard's seventh signing of the summer.

          Flanagan, 25, made 51 appearances for his boyhood club and was a teammate of Gerrard's in 2013-14.

          14:06 BST: Manchester United have announced the signing of Fred from Shakhtar Donetsk on a five-year contract with the option to extend for a further year.

          And, of course, cue the introductory social media announcement...

          13:36 BST: Real Madrid are considering Bayern Munich's Thiago Alcantara as a possibility if they lose Mateo Kovacic this summer, according to Marca.

          That may be welcome news to Bayern, as kicker reported the club are yet to receive any approaches regarding the midfielder.

          13:02 BST: Augsburg director of football Stefan Reuter told kicker it would take an "immoral" offer to prise Iceland international Alfred Finnbogason, who scored the 32nd-minute goal in the 1-1 draw against Argentina on Saturday, away from the club.

          Finnbogason, 29, is under contract with Augsburg through the 2019-20 season and has been linked to a number of clubs, including Manchester United and Manchester City.

          12:56 BST: With only one year remaining on his contract at Tottenham Hotspur, Belgium international Moussa Dembele told La Derniere Heure that he is "open to everything" regarding his future.

          Dembele, 31, said he does not see himself playing for any other club in England because of his loyalty to Tottenham but did not rule out any other league.

          "I have already spoken about [China] with Axel [Witsel]," Dembele said. "And I have already spoken about MLS with Laurent Ciman, and if there was a player in Bangladesh, I would also ask him for information."

          12:20 BST: Paris Saint-Germain's quest to raise funds could continue by selling Yuri Berchiche to Athletic Bilbao, television station ETB reported.

          Berchiche, a 28-year-old left-back from the Basque Country, only joined PSG last summer after five seasons at Real Sociedad.

          11:52 BST: It remains likely that Mario Balotelli will move from Nice to Marseille this summer, but agent Mino Raiola's demands have slowed the completion of an agreement, according to L'Equipe.

          Balotelli has spent the last two seasons at Nice, scoring 25 goals in 36 games in all competitions, and the club have accepted for some time that he is going to leave.

          11:26 BST: After spending last season on loan at Crystal Palace, Ruben Loftus-Cheek has become the latest Chelsea academy player to express displeasure with how hard it can be to break into the first team.

          Loftus-Cheek, with England at the World Cup, said he is eager to play regularly for Chelsea next season but knows it may not be an option.

          11:02 BST: Juventus have inquired with PSV Eindhoven about Mexico international Hirving Lozano, who scored the goal in the 1-0 victory over Germany on Sunday, according to Record.

          PSV have told Juventus they want at least €35 million for Lozano and that they would not be allowed to contact the player or his representatives until after the World Cup ends.

          10:38 BST: Real Madrid's third-choice goalkeeper, Luca Zidane, could follow his father out the door and be one of the first players to leave this summer, according to Marca.

          New coach Julen Lopetegui is planning a goalkeeping overhaul at the Bernabeu this summer, with Madrid linked to Alisson Becker, David De Gea and Thibaut Courtois and reportedly near a deal for Zorya Luhansk teenager Andriy Lunin.

          10:28 BST: Freiburg finance executive Oliver Leki has told kicker that they have not received a bid from Arsenal for Caglar Soyuncu.

          The defender, a 22-year-old Turkey international, has been a favourite of new transfer chief Sven Mislintat since his days at Borussia Dortmund.

          10:06 BST: Alaves have renewed their interest in both Marcos Llorente and Achraf Hakimi, but Real Madrid have thus far refused to respond to their requests, according to AS.

          Llorente spent the 2016-17 season on loan to Alaves and Hakimi was set to go there last season before the deal collapsed, but coach Julen Lopetegui wants to evaluate his squad before deciding who he wants to remain with the first team.

          09:50 BST: Gareth Bale wants to stay at Real Madrid in order to increase his chances of winning the Ballon d'Or, but he needs assurances from new coach Julen Lopetegui that he will remain a starter, his agent has said.

          Bale said immediately after the Champions League victory over Liverpool last month that he was pondering his future because he was frustrated losing his starting place under Zinedine Zidane.

          09:43 BST: Nottingham Forest defender Eric Lichaj will undergo at medical at Hull City today, sources have told ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke.

          Lichaj, who has won 15 caps for the United States, has been at Forest for the past five seasons.

          09:30 BST: Former Liverpool midfielder Emre Can has arrived in Turin, Italy, to undergo a medical with Juventus.

          Can, 24, is expected to sign a five-year deal and would be Juve's second signing of the summer after Mattia Perin arrived from Genoa.

          09:28 BST: Luciano Spalletti is ever closer to having his wishes granted as Radja Nainggolan's move from Roma to Inter Milan has been completed, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

          Nainggolan, who will sign a four-year contract, will go to Inter for €24 million, with former Newcastle United defender Davide Santon and 18-year-old midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo going to Roma as makeweights.

          09:22 BST: Denmark international Riza Durmisi is nearing a move to Lazio after just two seasons at Real Betis, Marca reported.

          The left-back, 24, will undergo a medical in Rome on Thursday and his signing could be announced shortly thereafter.

          09:07 BST: While Juventus have been considered the leader to sign Russia international Aleksandr Golovin, Chelsea shouldn't be ruled out just yet, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported.

          Golovin, 22, could be tempted by the influence of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, according to the newspaper, sparking a bidding war between the clubs. That should help CSKA, who have said they will not let him leave for less than €25 million -- and Juve have only offered €15 million.

          09:01 BST: What's holding up the announcement of Gianluigi Buffon's move to Paris Saint-Germain? The goalkeeper's worldwide promotional obligations, Le Parisien reported.

          08:56 BST: The move of Javier Pastore from Paris Saint-Germain to Roma should be confirmed by the end of the week, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, with PSG sporting director Antero Henrique in Roma to finalise a transfer fee of around €20-24 million.

          Pastore's sale, combined with that of Odsonne Edourard to Celtic last week, will get PSG closer to the €40-60 million target it had been given by UEFA to remain in compliance with financial fair play demands.

          08:41 BST: Although reports indicated Hertha Berlin winger Salomon Kalou would sign for Derby County to play for former Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard, club chief Michael Preetz laughed off that idea.

          "With all respect for Derby, he could very well one day be tempted to take on a new challenge, but it won't be the Championship," Preetz told kicker.

          08:31 BST: There is a "big chance" that West Ham United will complete a club-record deal for Lazio winger Felipe Anderson, a source told the Telegraph.

          That deal, which could be worth as much as £35 million, would surpass the £22 million they spent on Issa Diop last week.

          Anderson, 25, won one cap for Brazil in July 2015 and scored four goals in 21 Serie A appearances last season.

          08:26 BST: United States international Bobby Wood, who has been at Hamburg the last two seasons, may stay in the Bundesliga next season with Hannover and Borussia Monchengladbach keeping their eyes on him.

          Hamburg were relegated from the top flight for the first time since the league was founded in 1963 and Wood, 25, may be most tempted by Hannover.

          "We've received positive signals from the player," Hannover president Martin Kind told kicker.

          08:19 BST: Although John Terry is out of contract this summer, Aston Villa will owe him an additional £560,000 if he remains a free agent or retires this summer, according to the Times.

          That means Villa, who continue to have cash-flow problems, could be forced to spend £280,000 on the defender, who joined the club from Chelsea a year ago.

          Arsenal want Banega next

          With Arsenal on the verge of signing Lucas Torreira -- as confirmed by Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero -- Unai Emery has turned his attention to sealing a deal for Argentine midfielder Ever Banega.

          According to Spanish journalist Kike Marin, the Gunners' boss hopes to be reunited with the 29-year-old this summer, having previously coached him at Sevilla.

          Banega was part of the Spanish club's 2015 and 2016 Europa League triumphs, winning the man-of-the-match award in the 2015 final as Sevilla defeated Ukrainian side Dnipro.

          Arsenal might have to wait to get their man, however, with the former Boca Juniors star currently representing Argentina at the World Cup.

          Inter chase Arnautovic

          If Jose Mourinho is planning to bid for Marko Arnautovic, he'd better do it soon.

          The Manchester United boss was strongly linked with a £50 million move for the forward at the end of the season after watching him in Austria's friendly against Russia. No bid has been forthcoming, however, and Inter Milan is now looking to sneak in and tie up a transfer with West Ham.

          The Serie A side will offer Joao Mario in part-exchange, according to reports in Italy, after the Portugal midfielder spent the second half of the season on loan with the Hammers.

          Inter also want to bring in Bordeaux star Malcom on loan with a view to a permanent move next summer, says TalkSport.

          Tap-ins

          -- Spurs are plotting a move for Frankfurt striker Ante Rebic, claims Football London. The 24-year-old is part of Croatia's squad at the World Cup after scoring twice in Frankfurt's German Cup final win against Bayern Munich.

          -- Stoke's Saido Berahino could be handed a lifeline by Dutch champions PSV Eindhoven, reports the Daily Mail. Feyenoord are also interested in the 24-year-old, who has gone more than two years without scoring.

          -- Hull winger Jarrod Bowen could become Marco Silva's first signing for Everton, claims The Sun. The 21-year-old worked with the Portuguese coach during his brief spell at the KCOM Stadium and would cost in the region of £12 million after scoring 15 goals in the Championship last season.

          -- Jon Flanagan will link up with Steven Gerrard again after undergoing a medical at Rangers, reports Sky Sports. The 25-year-old won one cap for England in 2014 but has struggled for form and fitness the past few years.