Transfer Talk Manchester United and Chelsea enquire about Bayern Munich’s Thiago Alcantara

July 24, 2018 admin Transfers 0

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

When does the transfer window close in the Premier League and the top European leagues?

TOP STORY: Thiago subject of Manchester United and Chelsea enquiries

Manchester United and Chelsea have made enquiries to Bayern Munich regarding Thiago Alcantara, a source has told ESPN FC.

Sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic previously said that Bayern plan on keeping the Spain international, but interest from the Premier League is proving strong.

With nine senior midfielders on their books, the German champions are keen to sell a couple of players in that position.

Barcelona reportedly made a move for their former player last month, but Sport Bild said that Bayern asked for €70 million.

LIVE BLOG

15.20 BST: New Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri is confident that Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Willian will remain at the club, despite strong interest from Real Madrid and Barcelona.

15.05 BST: There is a done deal by the Thames — Fulham have confirmed the signing of Fabri from Besiktas…

15.00 BST: One man that will not be go on tour with Paris Saint-Germain for preseason is Goncalo Guedes, who is still the subject of speculation regarding a possible move to Valencia…

14.50 BST: A video we mentioned earlier on Transfer Talk — Kingsley Coman denying that he will be joining Arsenal this window.

14.40 BST: The Times write that Jose Mourinho will grant Anthony Martial his wish to leave Manchester United, but only if he moves to a club abroad.

14.30 BST: A quirky story coming out of Estadio Deportivo. They say that Arsenal and Sevilla are still in negotiations regarding Steven Nzonzi, but the Spanish side will only lower their demands if the player’s father waives the sell-on fee he is due to receive.

14.20 BST: Riyad Mahrez has revealed that he rejected other teams in order to join Manchester City this summer.

The former Leicester winger became the club’s record transfer after his £60 million move.

14.10 BST: The agent of Besiktas and Croatia defender Domagoj Vida has told Ajansspor that Barcelona are interested in his client, along with Liverpool and Everton.

14.00 BST: Despite spending a season on loan at Crystal Palace last season, Manchester United defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah is more likely to join Valencia this term, Football.London report.

13.50 BST: Leicester have confirmed that Harvey Barnes has signed a new four-year deal at the club, and has joined West Brom on loan for the season.

13.40 BST: Despite insisting he is happy at Paris Saint-Germain, The Independent say that Neymar is still Real Madrid’s top target to replace Cristiano Ronaldo.

Eden Hazard is next on their shortlist, with Robert Lewandowski behind the Chelsea forward.

13.30 BST: A done deal in Staffordshire — Stoke have confirmed the signing of Tom Ince from Huddersfield…

13.20 BST: Football Italia lead with reports in Italy saying that Jordan Lukaku could leave Lazio for Everton, having previously been linked with Leicester in this window.

His brother, Romelu, of course also played for the Toffees.

13.10 BST: Christian Pulisic to Real Madrid and Ismaila Sarr to Man Utd are two of today’s hot rumours, according to Football Whispers.

13.00 BST: Various reports and sources say that Pedro Obiang is closing in on a return to Sampdoria from West Ham.

12.50 BST: Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain infamously left Napoli in 2016 for rivals Juventus. Sky Sport Italia report that he could be linking up again with his former boss at the Neapolitan side, Maurizio Sarri, at Chelsea, but face competition from AC Milan.

12.40 BST: With the price tag of Willian continuing to rise, Manchester United could turn their attentions to Ante Rebic, while Ed Woodward has not given up hope of trying to bring Gareth Bale to Old Trafford, The Independent write.

12.30 BST: Years of injury woes have hampered Daniel Sturridge’s career, but Jurgen Klopp says he will stay at Liverpool and fight for his place in the side, as reported by the Telegraph.

12.20 BST: Tottenham are looking to sell Vincent Janssen, but Josh Onomah remains part of their plans for the upcoming season, according to Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino.

12.10 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport write that Wolves no longer hold an interest in Joao Mario, which is scuppering Inter Milan’s plans to sign another midfielder, with Hector Herrera and Arturo Vidal among the players they are looking at.

12.00 BST: Got your daily dose of lunchtime transfer madness — today’s cover of Tuttosport leads with Inter potentially making an audacious move for Lionel Messi in an attempt to one-up Juventus signing Cristiano Ronaldo.

11.50 BST: As talks over the permanent transfer of Aleksandar Mitrovic continue to stall, the Mirror say Fulham are preparing a move for another striker in case the deal falls through — Mitrovic’s Newcastle teammate Dwight Gayle.

11.40 BST: Some rather sad news in the Malcom saga. While the Bordeaux winger was hooked off of a flight to Rome for personal talks and a medical, his mother arrived in the Italian capital completely unaware of the intervention from Barcelona, according to Sport.

11.30 BST: An impressive World Cup campaign has thrust Harry Maguire into the footballing spotlight, but Leicester manager Claude Puel has urged the defender to stay at the club.

Reports suggest that Manchester United are interested in Maguire.

11.20 BST: Morocco winger Sofiane Boufal did not always set the world alight at Southampton, and he was shipped out on loan to Celta Vigo yesterday.

In an interview with Mundo Deportivo, he revealed that Celta’s attractive brand of football and the less physical nature of La Liga convinced him to join.

11.10 BST: Napoli stalwart Marek Hamsik has revealed new manager Carlo Ancelotti convinced him to stay at the club after he received offers to play in China, Sky Sport Italia report.

11.00 BST: Jose Mourinho has told ESPN FC that he wishes to bring in two more players before the transfer window shuts.

Manchester United have signed Fred, Diogo Dalot and Lee Grant so far this window.

10.50 BST: Amidst the big name transfers in at Wolves this summer, Rafa Mir is set to leave for Las Palmas on loan…

10.40 BST: Bayern Munich winger Kinglsey Coman has denied reports saying that he will move to Arsenal.

“That’s not true,” he said about the rumours to Sport1, as reported by the Mirror. “I’ve had no contact with Arsenal. I’ve just extended my contract here at Bayern and I’m planning to stay for many more years.”

10.30 BST: Mundo Deportivo write that, in addition to Barcelona making a late move for Malcom as they could not reach an agreement with Chelsea for Willian, one club is willing to meet his £70 million price tag — Manchester United.

10.20 BST: With Fulham set to sign goalkeeper Fabri, Besiktas will turn their attentions to Arsenal’s David Ospina, NTVSpor in Turkey write.

10.10 BST: A summer of transfer frustration might be easing away for Rafa Benitez, as Calciomercato write that Newcastle are set to beat Lazio to the signing of Mexico centre-back Diego Reyes on a free transfer from Porto.

10.00 BST: Belgium forward Divock Origi has been valued at £27 million by Liverpool, as the club look to raise £100m in player sales, according to the Liverpool Echo. Danny Ings, Marko Grujic, Sheyi Ojo, Lazar Markovic, Simon Mignolet and Pedro Chirivella are also reportedly for sale.

09.50 BST: News is always more fun when Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is making the headlines. As reported by Sky Sport Italia, De Laurentiis has denied that deals are in place with Paris Saint-Germain over Edinson Cavani and Dries Mertens swapping clubs, while he says Napoli have first option on Fiorentina winger Federico Chiesa next summer.

09.40 BST: L’Equipe write that Monaco will allow Joao Moutinho to join Wolves, and will replace him with Chelsea target Aleksandr Golovin and Strasbourg’s Jean-Eudes Aholou.

09.30 BST: Manchester United have given up all hope of signing Gareth Bale this summer, according to AS, and will instead turn their attentions to signing Real Madrid teammate Toni Kroos. They write that Jose Mourinho is also interested in Raphael Varane, but he will not be leaving the club.

09.15 BST: After their move for Jorginho fell through, Manchester City have turned their attentions to Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic. Calciomercato say that the Bosnia international, who is also wanted by Barcelona and Chelsea, will be the subject of a bid from the Premier League champions very shortly.

09.05 BST: Could you ever have imagined a day where Bournemouth would be competing with Borussia Dortmund? Sources have told ESPN FC that the Cherries have held off competition from the Bundesliga side and are pushing ahead to sign Leganes left-back Diego Rico, who is set for a medical today.

08.40 BST: On-loan Bayern Munich star James Rodriguez says he is happy and feels loved at the Bundesliga side, After falling out of favour with previous Blancos coach Zinedine Zidane, James joined Bayern on a two season loan last summer, with the agreement including an option to make the move permanent in July 2019. Asked on Colombian YouTube programme “The Suso’s Show” whether he was staying at Bayern, the 27-year-old said his first year in Germany had been “spectacular” and he felt a close bond with the club and its fans: “At the moment, yes. I had a spectacular first season there. They love me a lot, the club, the fans.”

08.20 BST: Could Leonardo Bonucci be returning to Juventus after just one season at AC Milan? The 31-year-old is reported to be unsettled at the San Siro and even pondering a move back to Turin, with Gazzetta dello Sport reporting he could be part of a swap deal with Gonzalo Higuain heading in the opposite direction.

08.00 BST: Stoke City have already seen Xherdan Shaqiri leave for Liverpool since they were relegated from the Premier League, and now they may have a fight on their hands to keep hold of Jack Butland. According to Sky, the England goalkeeper is being lined up as a target by Chelsea should Thibaut Courtois leave the club this summer.

PAPER TALK: Real Madrid want Pulisic

Christian Pulisic could have some pretty big boots to fill after emerging as the latest name on Real Madrid’s list of targets to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, reports the Daily Mail.

With Neymar and Eden Hazard seemingly out of reach this summer, Madrid are thought to be plotting a £60m move for the 19-year-old.

The European champions have already loaned teenage full-back Achraf Hakimi to Dortmund, which could help sweeten a deal for Pulisic should they follow up their interest.

The U.S. international showcased his quality with a man-of-the-match display in a 3-1 friendly victory over Liverpool on Sunday, and has also been linked with Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Premier League quartet chase Sarr

Senegal star Ismaila Sarr is being tracked by a host of Premier League clubs after impressing with his performances at the World Cup.

According to the Sun, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal are all eyeing the 20-year-old, who is valued at around £50m by French outfit Rennes.

Barcelona and Juventus are also believed to be interested in the winger, with Sarr’s agent, Thierno Seydi, comparing his client to another Rennes graduate, Ousmane Dembele.

Sarr chipped in with five goals and three assists in 24 Ligue 1 appearances last season, which suggests he still has some way to go to fulfil his potential.

Tap-ins

– Thierry Henry is close to taking his first managerial job with Championship side Aston Villa, writes the Daily Star. The Arsenal legend recently announced his intention to focus on his coaching career after assisting Roberto Martinez in Belgium’s run to the World Cup semifinals.

– According to the Guardian, Jose Mourinho is open to selling Anthony Martial this summer, but would prefer the Frenchman to join a club outside the Premier League. Chelsea and Tottenham have both made enquiries for the winger, who will cost at least £50m.

– Spurs could fund a move for Martial by selling strike duo Vincent Janssen and Fernando Llorente, reports the Evening Standard. Both attackers have struggled to settle in North London, with Spurs hoping to recoup around £30m.

– Newcastle continue to root through the transfer market bargain bin as they line up a bid for Deportivo La Coruna defender Fabian Schar. The Daily Mail reports that the Switzerland international has a £3.5m release clause following Deportivo’s relegation from La Liga.

– Fulham have launched a £26m move for Real Sociedad forward Willian Jose as they search for an alternative to Aleksandar Mitrovic, according to the Sun. Mitrovic enjoyed a successful spell on loan with the Cottagers last season, but so far they have been unable to agree a permanent deal with Newcastle.

– Everton want £22m-rated Barcelona left-back Lucas Digne, claims the Liverpool Echo. The 25-year-old is apparently willing to quit Camp Nou to secure regular first-team football.

– Nemanja Gudelj looks set to leave Guangzhou Evergrande less than half a season after signing for the Chinese Super League champions from Tianjin Teda, according to Chinese media. The Serbia international midfielder has been deemed surplus to requirements by the two-time Asian champions following the return of Paulinho, who rejoined the club from Barcelona on loan following the World Cup. Reports in Turkey claim Gudelj has been offered to Fenerbahce.

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