Football
ESPN staff 6y

Transfer Talk: Atletico Madrid plan shock Jamie Vardy move

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: Atletico plot shock move for Vardy

Atletico Madrid are plotting a stunning move for Jamie Vardy, claims the Mirror.

Diego Simeone is a big fan of the Leicester striker, who is seen as the ideal replacement for Antoine Griezmann -- who is almost certainly bound for Barcelona.

The England international would cost in excess of £20 million after a fine season with the Foxes, which included 23 goals in all competitions.

The 31-year-old previously snubbed a move to Arsenal and, with two years left on his contract, it could be his final chance at moving to a Champions League club.

LIVE BLOG

21.57 BST: That's going to do it for Sunday's live edition of Transfer Talk. Thanks very much for joining us, and be sure to check back in a few short hours when we return with all the latest gossip pulled from Monday's back pages.

21.14 BST: Having left Chinese Super League club Hebei Fortune, Manuel Pellegrini has traveled to London for negotiations over the managerial vacancy at West Ham, the Telegraph reports. Not only are the East London club confident of naming the 64-year-old their new boss, his appointment also improves their odds of signing his former charge at Manchester City Yaya Toure this summer.

20.31 BST: Nineteen-year-old New York Red Bulls midfielder Tyler Adams is closing in on a deal with RB Leipzig, according to Metro, with the Red Bull-backed Bundesliga giants potentially sending the U.S. international on loan, with Red Bull Salzburg a mooted destination.

19.48 BST: New York City FC manager Patrick Vieira has not signed a deal to become the next manager of Nice, Sky Sports reports, contrary to reports in the French media.

19.05 BST: TalkSPORT cites French outlet L'Equipe as reporting that the agent of Jack Wilshere has spoken to Paris Saint-Germain about bringing his client to Ligue 1 in 2018-19, with Premier League outfits Everton and Wolves also interested in the 26-year-old.

18.22 BST: Manchester United face competition from AC Milan in their bid to tie down Marouane Fellaini to a new contract, sources have told ESPN FC.

17.39 BST: The Express cites German outlet Bild as reporting that 22-year-old Mainz centre-back Abdou Diallo tops Borussia Dortmund's wish list to replace Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who the report states is bound for Arsenal in a deal to be worth around €20 million.

16.40 BST: AC Milan forward Suso has given an interview in The Guardian, in which he says he is very happy at Milan.

"I'm very happy at Milan," he said. So, that's all right then. But wait, there's more?

He adds: "Always when there are rumours about me leaving I reiterate that I am happy here and I think the club is with me. I have a release clause [€40m] and that was something both the club and my agent wanted. If the club wants to continue to be among the top sides and count on me then I am here for them."

So, now that we've established that the 24-year-old is available for €40m, though only hypothetically as he's very happy at Milan, is there any other club that could possibly tempt him away from the San Siro -- a former club, perhaps?

The Spaniard adds: "I did not play that much but I got to know Steven Gerrard and be a team-mate of players such as Luis Suarez, Philippe Coutinho and Jamie Carragher. I'll never forget my experience at Liverpool. Premier League football is different, I would call it special: I would like to play for Liverpool again some day. I grew up there and it is a big club."

16.03 BST: With all the other goings-on at Chelsea, it's easy to forget that not so long ago Eden Hazard was routinely being linked with moves to the likes of Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

Former Chelsea defender and assistant manager Steve Clarke hasn't forgotten, though, and he thinks that the Blues might have to sell their prize asset if they want to fund the sort of big-money investment being demanded by goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois (see below).

"You can always look to replace players," Clarke, now manager of Scottish side Kilmarnock, said to the BBC. "They come and go, they always move on. The club is the most important thing. They have to rebuild that squad a little bit. It wasn't good enough to be in the top four. They have got a lot of work to do over the summer. To help fund other transfers for the club this summer maybe they do have to sell Hazard."

15.29 BST: As the majority of the media begins to forma consensus around who will succeed Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager, a potential spanner in the works is reported by the Daily Mail. Despite the Gunners recently recruiting Sven Mislintat as their new scouting chief and Raul Sanllehi as head of football relations, Mikel Arteta is reportedly insisting that he must have full control over transfers if he is to fill the vacancy at the Emirates.

14.58 BST: World Cup winner, Bayern Munich defender and all-round cool dude Jerome Boateng has admitted that the time may be right for him to look at playing abroad once more, following his stint at Manchester City earlier in his career.

"Foreign countries are always interesting," Boateng told Sky in Germany. "You do not have many chances. Everyone has to decide for himself whether he wants to gain experience again. I'm a different age now than I was at Manchester City and now at the point of thinking about it again. Of course, it's very difficult to get away from Bayern. That would not be a decision against Bayern, I've been feeling very well in Munich for years."

14.13 BST: Even more intrigue at Chelsea here, as the Financial Times has published a report claiming that club owner Roman Abramovich has not had his UK visa renewed after it expired last month. Read more on that story here.

*It's not clear at this stage as to how such an eventuality would affect he new FA Cup holders, but Chelsea' fans may not want to consider what might happen if Abramovich -- Britain's 13th-richest man, with a net worth of £9.3 billion -- was forced to withdraw his interest in the club.

13.30 BST: Chelsea midfielder Willian appears to have used a celebratory post on his Instagram story to airbrush someone out of his team's FA Cup final triumph. Surely he and Conte can't both be at the club next season? With sources telling ESPN FC that Manchester United have rekindled their interest in Willian, who's to say it's not the Brazilian who'll be on the move?

13.07 BST: Any thoughts of Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata leaving Stamford Bridge for a return to Juventus after a disappointing first season in England have been dashed by the Italian club's transfer chief Giuseppe Marotta, who said: "Everyone shows a great affection for this club, I do not deny that Morata expressed his appreciation for Juventus, but there are very few possibilities because the price from Chelsea is very expensive."

12.29 BST: Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi has spoken about Arsene Wenger's future and appeared to address constant reports linking Neymar with a move away by using the old "no one is bigger than the club" line.

"He is a close friend, I have a lot of admiration and respect for him and for everything he has done in football," he told L'Equipe. "He is a great man. He is one of the first people I spoke to before buying the club. And he told me one thing that I have never forgotten: 'You are buying a diamond and you must prune it and make it shine.' Arsene, I don't know what he will do, but he will have a lot of offers. Today, the sporting director, is Antero Henrique and he will stay."

Regarding potential exits, he added: "Nothing and nobody is bigger than the club, not the coach nor the players. The club is and always will be first, it is bigger. If someone does not accept that and is not happy, then they leave. Each and every person must give their best and do their best for PSG... Since we have been here [Qatari ownership], we have won 19 trophies. That's enormous. But we are still criticised a lot. But those are things that happen to all these clubs. If today I was to tell you that we are going to leave, what would your opinion be?"

12.09 BST: Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois has been heavily linked with Real Madrid and its appears the new FA Cup holders need to win over their goalkeeper. With his contract soon running out, the 26-year-old believes the Blues have to dig deep to have any chance of a title challenge next term.

Asked if Chelsea need a big summer to add players in order to challenge for the title, Courtois said: "Yeah, I think so. I think especially if you see how City and United are spending and working. I think if we want to aim for the top, we should do the same - obviously within the limits of what's possible as well. I think that the transfer market has gone pretty crazy. Nowadays you pay £80million for a defender I think - that's crazy figures. We'll see what's going on and I am sure the board will do what needs to be done."

11.35 BST: Here's a heart-warming story in these dark times -- Santi Cazorla is set to partake in preseason training with former club Villarreal, raising the prospect that the midfielder could yet put his injury nightmare at Arsenal behind him and resume his career.

Canal+ journalist Monica Marchante said during half-time of Villarreal's 2-2 draw with Real Madrid on Saturday, while standing next to club ambassador Marcos Senna: "It is all-but-official that, although it has not all been completely confirmed by the club, Santi Cazorla will spend preseason next season -- well, this July as we are already there -- with Villarreal."

11.04 BST: It's a solid-gold transfer window staple -- the story of a player putting their house on the market or moving out altogether. Today it's the Sunday People that dips into that well, informing us that Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini has moved out of his Cheshire home ahead of a transfer out of Old Trafford after rejecting three contract offers.

10.39 BST: Brazilian midfielder Talisca has been linked with a host of Europe's top clubs, with reports in Turkey claiming an agreement with Manchester United is in place, and he could be on the move after Besiktas confirmed they will not be making his loan deal from Benfica permanent this summer.

"Talisca was already gone at the mid-season break," Gunes said. "I'm sorry that he won't be with us any longer. I wish he could stay for his sake and ours. He already had a deal in place."

Asked on where Talisca would be heading, Gunes said "He might be rivals with [Everton striker] Cenk Tosun."

10.09 BST: What do you mean you haven't heard of NK Lokomotiva midfielder Lovro Majer? Well, you may know all about him very soon because, according to The Sun, Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has identified the young Croatian as the new Yaya Toure. If he can beat Celtic to his signature and seal an £8m deal, that is. And, with City captain Vincent Kompany speaking about Pep's "intensity" in an exclusive interview with ESPN FC, who would bet against it?

09.37 BST: Barcelona's pursuit of Antoine Griezmann is nothing new (see below), but the Spanish champions have reportedly now played their trump card in their pursuit of the Atletico Madrid forward.

AS reports that Lionel Messi has contacted the France international personally to convince the Europa League final man-of-the-match to move to the Camp Nou. The same paper reports that Cristiano Ronaldo also wants wants Griezmann to move to the Bernabeu, and also hopes he brings goalkeeper Jan Oblak with him from the Wanda Metrapolitano.

If Griezmann has read Sam Borden's fascinating profile of "silent superstar" Messi for ESPN The Magazine, then he will realise just how rare it is to speak to the man personally.

09.09 BST: It was widely believed that Sam Allardyce's sacking as Everton manager this week could potentially see Wayne Rooney decide to stay at Goodison Park, but the Daily Mirror reports that Everton still want to offload the forward. 

According to the report, Everton still hope to ship out the former Manchester United and England captain to DC United and save themselves around £9m in wages in the process. Rooney turns 33 in October, and his departure for MLS would open up a place in the squad for a younger forward such as Wilfried Zaha (see below).

PAPER TALK

Fekir to Liverpool is '99 percent' done

Liverpool look destined to sign Lyon star Nabil Fekir after reports in France claimed the move is "99 percent complete."

The France international has shone for OL, scoring 27 goals and assisting eight more as Bruno Genesio's side qualified for the Champions League.

Metro claims Fekir's move to Anfield is all but done for around £62m, with the 24-year-old likely to fill the void left by Philippe Coutinho in January.

Man United target Atletico full-back

The Mirror says Manchester United will begin their next phase of their rebuild under Jose Mourinho this summer by targeting Atletico Madrid star Sime Vrsaljko.

United lost the FA Cup final 1-0 to Chelsea to end up the campaign without a trophy, with Mourinho fielding two unorthodox full-backs in Antonio Valencia and Ashley Young in Saturday's defeat.

A £35m bid for the Croatia international would be enough to bring him to Old Trafford, and his versatility to play both sides of a back four would give Mourinho much-needed depth in a problem area of his squad.

Everton make ambitious Zaha move

Everton will join the queue of clubs interested in signing Wilfried Zaha, reports the Sun.

The Crystal Palace forward has been sensational in recent years and is the subject of interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.

The Toffees will mount a £60m move to make the Ivorian the cornerstone to a new era at Goodison Park, which they want to be led by former Watford boss Marco Silva.

Tap-ins

- Antoine Griezmann will earn £13.1m net per year (or £252,000 per week) if his aforementioned move to Barcelona goes through, claims Sport.

The Blaugrana have reached a "complete agreement" with the Atletico Madrid striker ahead of a proposed move this summer.

- Tottenham are looking into signing Boca Juniors star Wilmar Barrios, according to the Sun.

Spurs are keen on the holding midfielder, 24, who has broken into the Colombian national team and could cost £25m.

The interest could lead to Victor Wanyama or Eric Dier departing as Mauricio Pochettino aims to reshape his squad.

- Rangers will make a second, improved £2m offer for Brighton's Connor Goldson, as Steven Gerrard begins life at Ibrox.

The 25-year-old is reportedly a big Liverpool fan, but the Mail says the Gers must up their offer after Brighton rejected an initial £1.5m bid for their defender.

^ Back to Top ^