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          LIVE Transfer Talk: Dortmund's Guerreiro emerges as Manchester City's new left-back target

          • ESPN
          Aug 1, 2022, 08:50 PM

          The summer transfer window is here, and there's plenty of gossip swirling about who's moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings and goings and, of course, done deals!

          TOP STORY: Man City turn to Guerreiro

          Manchester City are set to switch focus in their search for a left-back after failing to agree a transfer fee with Brighton & Hove Albion for Marc Cucurella.

          Sources have told ESPN that Man City will not pay the Seagulls' £50 million asking price for the Barcelona youth product and that they are now actively looking at alternatives

          The Athletic reports that Borussia Dortmund star Raphael Guerreiro, a target that they have previously been linked with due to his ability to contribute high up the pitch, has been escalated up Man City's shortlist. The 28-year-old contributed to eight goals in 23 starts across the Bundesliga and Champions League for BVB last season, and he has also impressed while representing Portugal at international level.

          Having moved Oleksandr Zinchenko to Arsenal, City are expected to ramp up their transfer efforts next week, with hopes of landing a replacement before their Premier League campaign begins on Sunday against West Ham United.

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          LIVE BLOG

          21.50 BST: Manchester United centre-back Eric Bailly is set to snub a reunion with Jose Mourinho at AS Roma, reports the Sun. Mourinho brought the now-28-year-old Ivory Coast international to Old Trafford in 2016, But Bailly is said to prefer a switch to Sevilla is the preferred option for the centre-back, who has slipped down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

          21.33 BST: Lazio have signed Uruguay midfielder Matias Vecino on a free transfer, the Serie A club said on Monday. The 30-year-old, who left Italian side Inter Milan following the conclusion of the 2021-22 campaign, has signed a three-season contract with the Rome-based club.

          21.17 BST: Arsenal are looking to move on as many as 11 players in the remaining weeks of the transfer window, according to the Sun. Club-record signing Nicolas Pepe and goalkeeper Bernd Leno are two of the players free to leave the team.

          21.00 BST: Wales defender Joe Rodon has joined Ligue 1 club Stade Rennais on a one-season loan from Tottenham Hotspur with an option to make the deal permanent, the clubs announced on Monday. The 24-year-old, who has 27 caps, has made a total of 24 appearances in all competitions for Spurs since joining the London club from Swansea City in 2020.

          20.44 BST: Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Idrissa Gueye is on Merseyside to complete a return to Everton with a medical scheduled, writes Fabrizio Romano. The 32-year-old spent three years with the Toffees, making 107 appearances, before he joined Les Parisiens in 2019.

          20.11 BST: Chelsea are preparing a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, writes Sport. The Netherlands international has been heavily linked with a switch away from the Blaugrana as they look to free up wages to register new signings. Manchester United are said to have made an offer for the 25-year-old, but are yet to convince the midfielder to make the move to Old Trafford.

          19.38 BST: Leicester City goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is set for a medical with Ligue 1 club Nice in the next 48 hours, according to the Mail. The deal would see an end to an 11-year spell with the Foxes for the Denmark international, with the 35-year-old having already received the blessing of Leicester manager Brendan Rodgers to move to the Cote d'Azur.

          19.05 BST: Chelsea have held fresh talks with RB Leipzig over a potential swap deal involving Timo Werner on loan, according to Fabrizio Romano. The Germany international is said to be free to leave the club this summer after struggles in front of goal since joining the Blues in 2020, and while centre-back Josko Gvardiol is someone the Londoners have discussed in negotiations, the Bundesliga club are adamant that the 20-year-old Croatia international won't leave this summer.

          18.32 BST: Former Arsenal and Juventus midfielder Aaron Ramsey is set to join Nice on a free transfer, reports Calciomercato, after the Wales international mutually agreed with Juve to terminate his contract a year before it was set to expire.

          17.59 BST: Juventus are set to join Manchester United and Arsenal in the race to land Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, writes Corriere dello Sport. The Serbia international has two years remaining on his deal with the Italian capital club, but his addition is eyed by the Bianconeri as part of a midfield shakeup, with Paul Pogba already joining the club but suffering a long-term injury in preseason.

          17.26 BST: Newcastle United are looking to continue talks with Leicester City over a deal for playmaker James Maddison this summer after an opening bid was rejected by the Foxes, according to the Mail. The offer tabled by the Magpies is said to include a £35m transfer fee, with Leicester seeking closer to £60m. Eddie Howe's side are unlikely to match that, making a move for the 25-year-old difficult.

          16.53 BST: Twenty-two-year-old Barcelona midfielder Riqui Puig is "close" to leaving the Camp Nou and signing for the LA Galaxy in MLS, according to Catalan outlet Sport. The graduate of the famed La Masia academy is not part of manager Xavi Hernandez's plans and has just one year remaining on his contract, and while the former Spain youth international has offers from elsewhere in Spain and around Europe, it appears as though the proposal from Los Angeles holds the most appeal.

          16.20 BST: Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga will finalise his loan deal with Napoli this week, according to Corriere dello Sport.

          Thomas Tuchel is also set to strengthen his goalkeeping ranks with the signing of Gabriel Slonina from Chicago Fire. The 18-year-old, who figures for United States at youth level, will remain with the Fire on loan until the end of the MLS campaign.

          Kepa, 27, largely struggled for form after joining Chelsea in a deal worth £72m. He has made 123 appearances for the club and played 67 minutes in Tuchel's side's 2-0 victory against Udinese on Saturday.

          15.39 BST: L'Equipe reports that Arsenal forward Folarin Balogun will undertake his medical with Ligue 1 side Reims on Monday before signing a loan deal.

          Balogun, 21, has made 10 first-team appearances for Arsenal but, after Mikel Arteta bolstered his attacking options by signing Gabriel Jesus earlier in the summer, would find his chances limited.

          Jesus has impressed in preseason, scoring seven goals in five games. Eddie Nketiah is also thought to be ahead of Balogun in the pecking order -- he scored 10 times in 28 appearances for the Gunners last season. The striker spent part of last season on loan at Middlesbrough, and scored three goals in 18 matches for the Championship side.

          14.55 BST: Big news! Chelsea are hoping to beat Manchester City to the signing of Marc Cucurella, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.

          City have so far proved unwilling to match Brighton's £50 million valuation for the 24-year-old, who handed in a transfer request last week amid concerns his transfer fee is too high.

          However, Brighton have stood firm and the lack of progress in talks with City has given Chelsea optimism a deal could be reached.

          Chelsea are scouring Europe for defensive reinforcements having missed out on several targets as they seek to replace Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, who left on free transfers for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.

          14.11 BST: Barcelona president Joan Laporta has said the club have sold 25% of Barca Studios to socios.com for €100 million to help register new signings.

          Barca have spent over €150m on Raphinha, Robert Lewandowski and Jules Kounde this summer, while Andreas Christensen and Franck Kessie have both arrived on free transfers However, due to strict spending caps in LaLiga, the Blaugrana have so far been unable to register the new arrivals with the Spanish league.

          "We're doing our homework to be able to register players," Laporta said after announcing the agreement with socios.com on Monday at the presentation of Kounde, a €55m signing from Sevilla.

          Kounde, 23, was also the subject of interest from Premier League side Chelsea, but he said a move to Camp Nou was always his first choice.

          "I had another opportunity [Chelsea] but I made an effort in the sense of waiting for Barca to reach an agreement with Sevilla, which was possible in the end," Kounde said.

          "From there, I chose Barca. I was very clear about what I wanted. They are an ambitious club, I like the Spanish league a lot... so that was the effort I made, although it was not that much of an effort because I wanted to be here."

          13.29 BST: Striker Borja Mayoral has joined Getafe from Real Madrid, the LaLiga clubs have announced.

          Mayoral, 25, came through the ranks at Madrid, but spent four separate spells away on loan from the Bernabeu at Wolfsburg, Levante, Roma and most recently Getafe. Now he has left for the club where he spent the second half of last season on loan, scoring six goals in 18 appearances.

          The striker made 33 appearances for Madrid during his seven years with the senior team, scoring seven goals. He was part of the team who won the Champions League in 2018.

          12.43 BST: Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers says he has no intention of allowing James Maddison to leave the club this summer.

          Maddison, 25, is wanted by Newcastle United who are reported to have made a £40m transfer offer for the midfielder.

          "He's still very much a player here," Rodgers told BBC Radio Leicester. "You see his performance, you see how happy he is and he's not a player we want to sell.

          "It's not for me to put valuations on the players, it's not my side, but that might just cover three-quarters of his left leg, that price. He's a top player."

          12.00 BST: Christian Eriksen says his move to Manchester United has been years in the making after revealing he almost joined the club on three separate occasions while he was at Tottenham Hotspur.

          Eriksen signed a three-year contract at Old Trafford this summer and made his first start for Erik ten Hag's side in a 1-1 draw with Rayo Vallecano in a preseason friendly on Sunday.

          "I've spoken to every manager who's been here at Man United to see what the situation was," Eriksen, 30, said. "But I was at Spurs at the time and I really couldn't see myself playing in another English team at that time. I went abroad and went to Inter.

          11.23 BST: Espanyol forward Raul de Tomas is "waiting for Real Madrid" to make a move for him this summer, Diario AS reports, despite interest from various other clubs including in the Premier League.

          De Tomas, 27, enjoyed his best ever top-flight scoring form last season, finding the net 17 times in LaLiga, and was linked to Arsenal earlier this year.

          The Spain international, who is a Madrid academy product, hasn't featured for Espanyol so far in preseason with a departure widely expected to be imminent.

          According to AS, Madrid would be De Tomas' "favourite destination" and he would be "well positioned" to make a move for around €25 to £30m, significantly less than his €75 million release clause, if the club decide to bring in a back-up for Karim Benzema.

          10.41 BST: Liverpool striker Roberto Firmino has insisted he wants to stay at the the club.

          Firmino, 30, has one year left on his contract and has been linked with a move to Juventus.

          "I love this team, this city and the fans," he told TNT Sports in Brazil. "I'm here. I want to stay of course."

          10.00 BST: Cesc Fabregas will be unveiled by Serie B club Como this afternoon. The veteran midfielder spent the last three seasons at Ligue 1 side Monaco and is a free agent. Fabregas, 35, turned down a move to Spanish second division club Las Palmas and has reportedly agreed a two-year contract with Como. The Italian club reportedly convinced the former Arsenal and Chelsea star to join them by including in the offer the possibility to coach the club once his playing career is over.

          09.20 BST: Lionel Messi has wished his good friend Luis Suarez the best of luck in his new chapter of his career.

          Suarez was unveiled on Sunday at Nacional, the club where the veteran striker had made his debut as a professional footballer 17 years earlier. Thousands of fans turned out at Nacional's Gran Parque Central Stadium in Montevideo to welcome home the former Liverpool and Barcelona star.

          Messi, who played with Suarez at Barcelona, said in a video posted by Nacional: "You are there. I want to send you a big hug and wish you all the best in this stage. I know how important it is to be there, to return to your home, to return to live in your country after so long, to prepare for the World Cup. I wish you the best."

          Suarez, 35, who has joined Nacional until the end of the year as a free agent after two seasons at Atletico Madrid, said during his official presentation: "To all the Uruguay people, first of all, thank you because I am here because of you. II know there is no place that I would be happier than here. I've come here to win and to fight for all the titles. This is a big club and I'm convinced that if we do thing in the right way, we can win all the titles remaining."

          08.44 BST: Sport reports that RB Leipzig's Angelino could become a transfer target for Barcelona.

          The 25-year-old has been at Leipzig since 2020, having joined the German club from Manchester City, but appears surplus to requirements with David Raum having been signed from Hoffenheim.

          Angelino is said to have been offered both on a permanent deal or on loan, with a return to Spain his preferred destination. The left-back / midfielder was born in Spain and came through the youth system at Deportivo La Coruna, and has also had loan spells at Girona and Mallorca.

          08.00 GMT: Everton are pushing to bring Idrissa Gueye back from Paris Saint-Germain on a permanent basis.

          Gueye, 32, left Goodison Park for Ligue 1 three years ago in a £30m deal, and has made 111 appearances for PSG.

          The Times reports that Gueye has one year left on his contract and is no longer needed by the French champions.

          PAPER GOSSIP

          - Several clubs in Serie A are considering making a move for Miralem Pjanic, writes Sport. Juventus, Napoli, and Lazio are all reported to be interested in the 32-year-old midfielder, but while Barcelona are keen to let him go, it is understood that Pjanic's preference is to remain at the Camp Nou this season. The former Bianconeri star spent last season on loan at Besiktas, but is still contracted with Barca until next summer.

          - Aston Villa are facing a race for the signature of Alfons Sampsted, reveals Ekrem Konur. The 24-year-old Bodo/Glimt right-back is reported to be on the radar of clubs across Europe, with Bayer Leverkusen, Lyon, and Lazio all keen on securing his services. The Iceland international has been in strong form this season, and scored in his club's recent Champions League qualifying win over Linfield.

          - Brendan Rodgers has no plans to allow Wesley Fofana to leave this summer, according to BBC Leicester journalist Owynn Palmer-Atkin. The Leicester City boss sees the 21-year-old centre-back as a key part of the Foxes squad next season, and will look to keep him at the King Power Stadium despite reported interest from Chelsea.

          - Chelsea are exploring the option of making a move for Internazionale defender Milan Skriniar, understands Sport Italia journalist Rudy Galetti. The Blues are continuing their search for a centre-back after they missed out on Jules Kounde, but they could have to challenge Paris Saint-Germain for the 27-year-old Slovakia international, with the Ligue 1 champions also keen on his services. The Nerazzurri are looking for a fee in excess of £60m to part ways with the defender.

          - Manchester United are considering a move for Stuttgart striker Sasa Kalajdzic, reports the Daily Mail. With the Red Devils facing difficulty with trying to persuade Cristiano Ronaldo to remain at Old Trafford after he left early during the club's preseason friendly against Rayo Vallecano, the search for a striker is expected to intensify next week. Kalajdzic, 25, contributed to 21 goals in 33 appearances in the Bundesliga last season, and has also been on the radar of Bayern Munich.