The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer market uncertain -- and you can find out when the windows open here -- but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Liverpool weighing move for Norwich's Lewis
The Independent reports that Liverpool are interested in signing Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis as Jurgen Klopp seeks more cover for Andy Robertson.
The Reds are said to be prepared to part with £10 million to make the deal happen, but they will likely face competition for the 22-year-old Northern Ireland international.
Klopp is said to be impressed by Lewis' "elite" attitude and believes the player will thrive if offered the chance to develop alongside Trent Alexander-Arnold.
Perhaps not coincidentally, Alexander-Arnold and Lewis are both represented by sports agency PLG, as is Robertson, and that connection has put the Premier League champions on the front foot in the race to secure the 22-year-old's signature.
Lewis can also operate on the left of midfield, so he will bring even more versatility to the Reds' already attacking-minded backline if an agreement can be reached.
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LIVE BLOG
22.40 BST: That's it for another day of our live Transfer Talk blog, but check back shortly as we'll have a whole new round of gossip from tomorrow's papers before doing the whole live thing again on Thursday!
22.16 BST: Does a move for Willian from Chelsea to Arsenal make sense? In a word, no, according to ESPN's Gab Marcotti.
21.30 BST: Did Inter Milan CEO Beppe Marotta jump the gun and announce Alexis Sanchez's official move to Serie A? Speaking ahead of Inter's Europa League match vs. Getafe, Marotta said: "He is not official yet, but unofficially he is ours for three seasons. We believe in him a lot and we are happy."
Sanchez, on loan at San Siro, is expected to make his move official from Manchester United on Thursday. Sanchez's three-year contract with Inter is reportedly worth £6.3m a year.
21.00 BST: Newly promoted side Leeds United are actively shoring up their reinforcements with Marcelo Bielsa having identified a couple players following their Championship-winning run. Portuguese outlet A Bola cites that Spurs defender Juan Foyth and Benfica midfielder Florentino Luis are among those on Leeds' wishlist. Florentino has been linked to a move to AC Milan as well.
20.32 BST: The Liverpool Echo is reporting that Everton are closing in on the signing of, wait for it, Everton. The Merseyside club leads the chase for Gremio winger Everton Cebolinha, who is widely expected to take his talents from Brazil to Europe before the end of the summer window. Based on the name of the club and player alone, this is a deal we can very easily get behind. Everton to Everton!
19.51 BST: Another done deal for Manchester City, who just announced they've signed defender Nathan Ake from relegated Bournemouth. This is City's second signing in as many days after they secured the services of Ferran Torres from Valencia on Tuesday. Ake joins Pep Guardiola's side on a five-year deal.
19.36 BST: England international Danny Rose looks like he could be on his way out of north London, but he recently told the Second Captains podcast he's keen on another year with Tottenham. Rose, a reported target of newly promoted Leeds United, spent the second half of the Premier League season on loan with Newcastle after falling down the pecking order with Jose Mourinho at Spurs.
"I am very happy to stay at Tottenham and see my last 10 or 11 months out, I would love to," Rose said. "There is nothing I want more than to play one more time in front of the fans."
18.58 BST: Bad news next for fans of any clubs hoping to sign Neeskens Kebano, as Fulham have announced a two-year contract extension today for their all-action winger.
Kebano, 28, was instrumental in the Cottagers' promotion push this season despite some injuries, and the new deal ensures he'll play a part in their return to the English top flight in 2020-21.
Said Kebano on fulhamfc.com, ""First of all, I'd like to thank the Club for giving me this opportunity to extend my contract. It has been a long journey since we started the season, we have been playing for over a year. We've been working very hard which has paid off with promotion to the Premier League.
"I'm delighted for the team, the staff and the supporters, we've remained together which has brought us to where we are now. I have a lot of affection for this Club, for the fans, so it's natural this decision to sign a contract when this opportunity was offered to me, and I'm very happy to be here for a couple of more seasons."
Congrats to all!
18.22 BST: Back to the rumour mill we go, and some reporting by the Guardian on what Crystal Palace are trying to get accomplished at the moment. Per their story, they're locked in battle with Aston Villa for the services of Brentford striker Ollie Watkins, following the Bees' failure to secure promotion to the Premier League.
Watkins, 24, scored 26 times for Brentford last season in all competitions and could be leaving the club if Palace can meet the $20m valuation.
Elsewhere, Palace have also offered a contract to free agent and former Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser in a bid to add to their creativity on the flanks. Fraser left Bournemouth in June having declined a short-term extension in order to finish the 2019-20 Premier League season with the Cherries, whose relegation was confirmed on the final day of the campaign.
Fraser, 26, is said to be mulling over a deal in the region of $50,000 per week from Palace.
17.50 BST: A done deal in Turkey next, as Galatasaray have signed former player Arda Turan. And in doing so, they've produced a rather touching video to the attacking midfielder, who rejoins the club that signed him as a teenager in 2000 and where he played for seven years before moving to Atletico Madrid in 2011.
#WelcomeHomeArda @ArdaTuran pic.twitter.com/611cOTnpqP
— Galatasaray EN (@Galatasaray) August 5, 2020
Nice, right? Turan, 33, endured some difficult seasons at Barcelona before returning to Turkey in 2018 and playing two years for Istanbul Basaksehir on loan, only for his stint to be terminated in January. Turan was the Galatasaray captain in 2009-10 and should feel right at home again.
17.11 BST: It's been a tough day for Brentford FC following their ninth straight playoff final defeat since 1992, as the Bees missed out on promotion to the Premier League with Tuesday's 2-0 defeat to Fulham at Wembley. (Stream the replay here, in the U.S., on ESPN+ here.) Already the rebuilding and refocusing for 2020-21 is underway, with a bit of housekeeping around one of their young players heading to the United States...
📝 We can confirm that @DruYearwood has left Brentford and joined @NewYorkRedBulls
— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) August 5, 2020
Dru leaves with the best wishes of everyone at the Football Club. #BrentfordFC https://t.co/TOEYTT3Wt5
Dru Yearwood, a 20-year-old midfielder, joins the New York Red Bulls after just one season at Griffin Park in which he struggled to find a place, making just five appearances in all competitions after joining from Southend United in 2019.
16.45 BST: Takefusa Kubo is close to joining Villarreal on a season-long loan from Real Madrid with an announcement expected soon, sources have confirmed to ESPN's Rodrigo Faez and Alex Kirkland.
The Japanese winger, 19, has already reached an agreement with Villarreal on personal terms and the clubs are now finalising the details of the loan deal for a fee of between €2m-€3m. The signing is a direct request of new Villarreal coach Unai Emery, who has been following the youngster's development closely.
16.29 BST: James Rodriguez has been linked with a €15m move from Real Madrid to Atletico Madrid this summer. However, Atletico president Enrique Cerezo has given little away.
"We have an excellent and young squad," Cerezo told Radio Marca. "However, if the coach considers it necessary, we will do everything in our reach to bring a player in."
Asked specifically about the Colombian midfielder, Cerezo added: "I have no idea whether he will end up coming. I don't think he is in Atletico Madrid's plans."
15.55 BST: Man United will have a extra option in defence.
15.30 BST: As the longest and strangest Premier League season is at last put to bed, the big clubs are already dreaming of what the next one might hold. The new campaign is set to start on Sept. 12. In other words, the break is only six weeks and even shorter for clubs still engaged in European club competitions.
But here's what Ian Darke thinks the top clubs should do in the transfer market.
15.08 BST: Arsenal will axe 55 jobs after admitting the impact of the coronavirus pandemic is worse than initially feared, the club announced on Wednesday.
It is unclear at this stage which departments will be affected but Arsenal informed staff of the redundancies on Wednesday morning shortly before head of football Raul Sanllehi and manager director Vinai Venkatesham released a joint statement on the club website.
14.58 BST: Correio da Manha claims that Manchester United are keen to sign FC Porto defender Alex Telles.
Telles, 27, reportedly has a €40m release clause in his contract, which has a year left to run, and that could make his signing easier. The Brazilian has also been linked with Chelsea and Porto would reportedly accept offers of between €25-30m.
14.23 BST: Werder Bremen have confirmed their interest in signing Manchester United youngster Tahith Chong. The club have reportedly already met with the 20-year-old's representatives with a view to a loan move, Bild reports.
Bremen sporting executive Frank Baumann told Weser Kurier: "He's got pace, is a winger and fits the profile. Because of our situation he is a player who could become interesting."
Bremen will be forced into the transfer market once they have successfully sold 24-year-old winger Milot Rashica. The Kosovo international has been linked with a switch to RB Leipzig, while there have been a host of other clubs keeping tabs on him, including Liverpool and AC Milan.
13.52 BST: Manchester United winger Alexis Sanchez has been linked with a €15m permanent move to Inter Milan, but can the Serie A side afford that and his wages?
13.14 BST: Sky Sports have a flurry of transfer updates for us:
- Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake will undergo a medical at Manchester City in the next 24 hours, ahead of his £41m move.
- Southampton have signed centre-back Mohammed Salisu from Real Valladolid for £10.9m, but he has to undergo a 14-day quarantine from Spain before the deal can be announced.
- Arsenal have made a formal three-year contract offer to Chelsea's 31-year-old winger Willian, who is a free agent this summer.
12.50 BST: Neymar has been reflecting on his three years at PSG and believes he is going through "the best time in Paris" since his world-record €222m transfer from Barcelona.
Neymar, whose side take on Atalanta in next week's Champions League clash, wrote on his own website: "I believe that today I live my best moment in Paris. We form a family on behalf of the greater objective we have ahead of us. We want to mark this season with the Champions. We will fight for this, because we were never so close.
"These three years came with a lot of knowledge. I've lived times of joy and some complicated ones, especially when I was unable to play due to injuries. With my teammates' help, I was able to overcome and focus on what really matters for everyone, which is our performance in the field translated into titles. Our supporters, the club and every fan can see our team's delivery in any game."
12.22 BST: AS says Real Madrid's talks with Villarreal over a loan for Japan forward Takefusa Kubo are ongoing, though there's still some work to do.
However, negotiations over midfielder Oscar Rodriguez have stopped as Villarreal don't have the cash for both deals.
12.03 BST: Brentford missed out on promotion to the Premier League after losing to Fulham last night. But they might also lose one of their top forwards.
The BBC reports that Ollie Watkins can leave for £18m as a buyout clause is now active based on the result.
Watkins, 24, has 25 goals in 46 Championship games for Brentford this season and Crystal Palace are reported to be leading the chase for him.
11.29 BST: Fulham are keen to bring Ryan Sessegnon back to Craven Cottage on a loan deal next season, sources have told ESPN's Tom Hamilton.
Sessegnon left Fulham for Tottenham Hotspur in August 2019 for £25m. But the young left-back has found match time limited under Jose Mourinho and he is understood to be open to a return to Scott Parker's newly promoted side, albeit on a season-long loan.
Sessegnon was part of Fulham's academy and can play anywhere down the left. He would be an astute bit of business for Parker as he looks to mould a team for top flight football.
11.11 BST: Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe on the same team would have been interesting...
10.40 BST: Benfica face Premier League opposition to sign Gremio forward Everton Cebolinha, according to Globoesporte.
Benfica have been in talks with Gremio to sign the Brazil international in recent weeks but Premier League side Everton are reportedly willing to match the Portuguese club's €22m offer for the 24-year-old.
New Benfica coach Jorge Jesus, who left Flamengo last month, requested the signing of Everton, who has made 137 appearances for Gremio since joining the Brazilian club in 2014. Gremio are keen to start a bidding war to see Everton's value increase. However, the player, who is tied to Gremio until December 2023, would prefer to play in Portugal than move to England.
Everton at Everton would be too confusing anyway...
10.02 BST: Barcelona will not buy Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez this summer unless Luis Suarez leaves the club, according to Mundo Deportivo.
Suarez, who is tied to Barca until June 2021, is reportedly a target of MLS side Inter Miami CF. And Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu recently said that his club and Inter Milan had mutually agreed to halt talks regarding the €111m-rated Martinez, who is considered a potential successor to Suarez.
Barca will wait until next summer to acquire Martinez unless Suarez decides to leave Camp Nou. Suarez, 33, has scored 196 goals for Barca across all competitions since arriving from Liverpool in 2014 and is the club's third all-time goalscorer.
However, the Uruguay international's contract with Barca will be automatically renewed until June 2022 if he plays 60% of Barca's games in the 2020-21 campaign.
09.35 BST: Bayern Munich goalkeeper Christian Fruchtl is set to join Nurnberg on loan, say Bild, Kicker, and Sky.
Fruchtl, 20, is highly rated and was considered the long-term replacement for Manuel Neuer before Bayern signed Alexander Nubel from Schalke on a free transfer this summer.
As his route to the first team is now blocked at the Allianz Arena, Fruchtl will get a chance to prove himself in 2.Bundesliga.
Meanwhile, Schalke's efforts to replace Nubel have taken a blow as Hertha Berlin hijacked their move for Alexander Schwolow. The Freiburg keeper was set to join Schalke, but the Royal Blues struggled to come up with the money in time and instead Schwolow now had a change of heart and joined the capital club.
09.21 BST: Manchester City landed Ferran Torres from Valencia for €23m, plus add-ons, last night. Here's why City deserve an A grade for the signing.
08.55 BST: ICYMI - Manchester United's move for Jadon Sancho is in danger of stalling with Borussia Dortmund refusing to lower their €120m asking price, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
Talks over a deal for Sancho remain at an early stage with the two clubs said to be apart in their valuation of the England winger, particularly in the first transfer window following the coronavirus pandemic.
Sancho remains United's principal target this summer but they are prepared to walk away from negotiations and pursue other targets if a compromise cannot be found over the fee.
08.26 BST: Sky Italia reports that Tottenham right-back Serge Aurier has agreed to join AC Milan but the two clubs have yet to reach an agreement on his transfer.
The Ivory Coast defender is tied to Spurs until June 2022 but, according to reports, Milan are optimistic that a deal can be reached despite the Italian club being only willing to offer €15m, while Tottenham want €20m.
The 27-year-old had been keen to leave Spurs last summer but remained and made 42 appearances in all competitions this season.
08.00 BST: Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen will sign a five-year contract extension with the club, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The Germany international is tied to Barca until June 2022 and club president Josep Maria Bartomeu stressed that the player's contract renewal is a priority this summer.
Barca left Ter Stegen's contract talks to one side due to the coronavirus pandemic but the negotiations have now restarted. According to Mundo Deportivo, Barca and Ter Stegen are in agreement regarding the length of contract. However, the two sides are still discussing financial terms.
The 28-year-old will see an improvement in his wages but not a substantial increase due to the financial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ter Stegen, who signed for Barca in the summer of 2014 from Borussia Monchengladbach, has kept 15 clean sheets in 44 appearances for Barca this season.
PAPER TALK (by Liam Wheeler)
Chelsea's Willian set to decide his future
It looks like Willian will be staying in London next season, but not with Chelsea, as the Brazilian is reported to be holding out for a three-year deal with bitter rivals Arsenal, says The Mirror.
The Blues are willing to offer him only a two-year contract and Willian, who turns 32 next week, has lucrative offers to move abroad, notably from David Beckham's Inter Miami, but he has made no secret of his desire to stay in London and the Premier League.
According to both the Mirror and the Star, that has put the Gunners, who secured their first trophy under Mikel Arteta by beating Chelsea 2-1 in Sunday's FA Cup final, in the driver's seat to secure the winger's services.
The Athletic's David Ornstein adds that the club will now make a formal offer at Arteta's request, with Willian ready to snub the chance to earn more elsewhere in favour of a longer contract.
However, sources have told ESPN's James Olley he will wait until after Saturday's Champions League round-of-16 second leg at Bayern Munich before deciding his future.
Saints to sign Spurs defender Walker-Peters
Southampton have negotiated a deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur defender Kyle Walker-Peters on a permanent basis, Sky Sports reports.
The two clubs are said to have negotiated a fee in the region of £12m for the transfer of Walker-Peters, who will make his switch to St. Mary's Stadium permanent following a successful loan spell on the south coast.
Earlier reports suggested that Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is set to head the opposite direction in a separate £15m deal, and while both transfers are still subject to the two clubs agreeing to personal terms, both players are said to be keen to complete their respective moves.
The 23-year-old Walker-Peters made 10 appearances for Saints this season after joining the club in a temporary deal for the second half of the campaign.
Tap-ins
- Leicester City are keen to sign Burnley defender James Tarkowski, but the Clarets are adamant that the England defender will not leave Turf Moor unless his £50m release clause is met. That would mean a big profit for Sean Dyche's side, who paid just £3.5m to lure Tarkowski from Brentford in 2016.
- Elsewhere, the Mail also says winger Ryan Fraser is considering an offer to join Crystal Palace in a deal that would double his Bournemouth salary. Fraser, 26, is a free agent after opting to run down his contract with the Cherries and has been offered £50,000-a-week in a bid to tempt him to Selhurst Park.