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Transfer Talk: Tottenham plan moves for Ivan Perisic, Daniel Sturridge

The transfer window for Europe's biggest clubs is closed, but click here for all the deals and keep track of who has joined the big boys. And Transfer Talk will continue to scour the world's media and set correspondents loose to see what's on the agenda for the summer.

TOP STORY: Pochettino to swoop for Perisic and Sturridge?

Tottenham are reported to be leading the race for Inter Milan star Ivan Perisic, according to the Sun.

Perisic had been linked with Arsenal in January and even handed in a transfer request in an effort to push the deal through, but the Gunners' decision to try to sign him on loan, rather than on a permanent deal, scuppered the move.

Now, Spurs are said to be interested in the 30-year-old ex-Wolfsburg man, despite Mauricio Pochettino's propensity for signing younger players.

Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror reports that Daniel Sturridge could head to White Hart Lane to bolster Tottenham's forward line on a free transfer. Sturridge is down the pecking order at Liverpool, and Pochettino is keen to add options to his attack.

LIVE BLOG

22.43 GMT: That's going to bring Wednesday's live edition of Transfer Talk to a close. Thanks very much for joining us, and be sure to check back in a few short hours when we return with the latest gossip pulled from Thursday's back pages.

21.06 GMT: Italian transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Marek Hamisk will leave for China on Friday to complete his €20m move to Dalian.

19.29 GMT -- DONE DEAL: FC Cincinnati has announced the signing of former Vancouver Whitecaps and Columbus Crew attacker Kekuta Manneh.

17.52 GMT: Borussia Dortmund have had a bid rejected by Nice for winger Allan Saint-Maximin, according to Calciomercato. The report states that the Ligue 1 side declined a €25m offer, but that it comes close to their €30m valuation, and the presence of former Nice boss Lucien Favre in Dortmund makes Sant-Maximin more inclined to move to the Bundesliga amid interest from AC Milan.

16.15 GMT: Despite recent question marks around his Real Madrid future, Marcelo apparently promised coach Santiago Solari he would lose 3 kilograms and work harder before the next Classico. AS reports that the Brazilian left-back trained alone on the scheduled rest day before the match at the Camp Nou to prove to his manager that he was up for the fight. 

15.30 GMT: Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany looks set to sign a new one-year contract on reduced wages as he closes in on his 12th season at Manchester City. The Mail Online is reporting that the 32-year-old, now in his testimonial year, has decided to drop his financial demands in an effort to prolong his stay at the club. He has only made 14 appearances this season as he continues to struggle with injuries. 

14.50 GMT: Arsenal legend David Seaman has blasted Arsenal's transfer policy which will see Aaron Ramsey join Juventus at the end of the season. In an interview with talkSPORT, the former keeper labelled the move as "demoralising" and claimed that he was "still fuming" at the prospect of losing the midfielder on a free. 

14.10 GMT: Former Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini has revealed in his first interview since leaving the Red Devils that he had offers from Italy and France before deciding on a move to China. The big Belgian secured a transfer to Shandong Luneng Taishanin in the Chinese Super League in the January transfer window. Despite the move he has refused to rule out a return to the Belgian national team: "I will miss the Red Devils [Belgium]. They are friends, after all we have been playing together for ten years. But I'm not saying I'm going to stop. I first train and play in China, then we'll see."

13.38 GMT: Italian publication Corriere Dello Sport are claiming that a price  has been set for creative attacker Paulo Dybala. Despite only scoring two goals so far this season, the Argentine remains one of Europe's hottest properties with Real Madrid, Manchester City and Liverpool being linked last year. 

However Juventus club president, Fabio Paratici has moved to quash rumours of a move for the player. Speaking to Gazetta Dello Sport he said: "Dybala is staying...Only people who want to go will leave Juve."

"I repeat, it is difficult to find better players than those we already have."

12.45 GMT: Inter Milan have announced on their club's twitter feed that Samir Handanovic is the new club captain.

The spontaneous move will come as a blow to Mauro Icardi, whose own future has been under the microscope since last year. Moves to Chelsea and Juventus have been rumoured ever since details surrounding his £96 million buy-out clause broke last year. 

12.17 GMT: ESPN FC's German journalist Raphael Honigstein believes that Jurgen Klopp will likely extend his contract with the Reds beyond 2022. In an article for German publication Abenzeitung Muenchen he said "Klopp is very happy with Liverpool, and the club is very happy with him. I rather think that he will renew his contract beyond 2022. If he is to become champion or Champions League winner, he will 99.9 percent stay longer."

11.40 GMT: Welsh midfielder Aaron Ramsey rejected moves to a host of clubs including Real Madrid and Barcelona before agreeing to a Juventus move in the summer, according to BBC journalist David Ornstein. Speaking on the Football Daily podcast and quoted in the Daily Star, Ornstein confirmed that the Arsenal man always had his heart set on a move to Turin.

He claimed: "Real Madrid, Inter Milan, Paris-Saint Germain a very good offer from them as well, Bayern Munich and some preliminary talks with Barcelona as well, so Ramsey had the upper hand in these negotiations...It seems Juventus, who were always his preferred choice from a footballing perspective, seem to come up trumps on the money side as well."

11.02 GMT: Frenkie De Jong rejected a blank  PSG check just before his move to Barcelona, according to reports in Mundo Deportivo. The midfielder's agent apparently received seven calls from Paris while he was busy signing on the dotted line for the Catalan giants.

10.12 GMT: Liverpool stars Sadio Mane and Naby Keita have urged Germany striker Timo Werner to move to Anfield should he decide to leave RB Leipzig this summer.

The 22-year-old has been strongly linked with Bayern Munich but asked by the print edition of German outlet Sport Bild what they would advise Werner to do, Mane and Keita both said they hoped to persuade him to move to Anfield.

"We played really well together at Leipzig, and he was one of my best mates," Keita said. "It's clear: Should he move, then I ask Timo to join us here at Liverpool."

Echoing Keita's sentiment, Mane added: "I'd advise him to join Liverpool. I like his style of play. Very forceful, good finish, always giving it 100 percent. If he wants to join us, we'd welcome him to our team."

09.44 GMT: Serie A giants AC Milan are leading the chase for Porto midfielder Hector Herrera, according to ESPN Deportes. City rivals Inter made the first move for the Mexico international, while Napoli also showed interest -- but it's the Rossoneri who are making the biggest strides.

The report adds that Napoli's interest has waned recently and they have now turned their attentions to Herrera's international teammate, Hirving Lozano.

09.15 GMT: Barcelona chiefs may soon come to a head over the future of midfielder Ivan Rakitic, if reports in Sport are to be believed.

The Catalan daily suggests the midfielder rejected a mega offer from PSG and has asked Barcelona for a new contract, with his deal running until 2021. However, the club "shut the door" on any suggestion of a salary increase for the 30-year-old.

Rakitic has been one of the most used players under Ernesto Valverde, but Barca have made a huge €75m outlay on Frenkie de Jong, who will arrive in the summer.

08.50 GMT: The Portland Timbers' pursuit of a Designated Player forward has led them to Tigres' Eduardo Vargas, league sources have confirmed to ESPN FC.

Univision Deportes was the first to report Portland's interest in Vargas. Portland declined to comment on the story.

08.27 GMT: Alarm bells are ringing at Real Madrid, according to Marca, because of an injury suffered by one of their summer targets, River Plate star Exequiel Palacios. The midfielder fractured his right fibula while playing in a 2-0 league win over Racing on Sunday and is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

08.00 GMT: FC Porto goalkeeper Iker Casillas believes teammate Eder Militao has a "big future ahead of him." The Brazilian defender, who only joined Porto last summer, has attracted the attention of top European clubs, including Casillas' former side Real Madrid.

Reports in Spain have linked the 20-year-old to Real, with a possible move there this summer. Asked about Miltao, Casillas told Onda Cero radio: "He is a young player, who has a lot of quality. He is very eager to do things well. He only joined us this summer and has adapted really well to the team. He is a versatile player. He can play as a centre, he can play as a right-back, which is in the position he is playing now since Pepe joined the team in the winter transfer window. He is a good chap, he adapts well and he has lot of margin for improvement. I think we are talking about a player who has a big future."

PAPER ROUND (By Nick Judd)

Inter monitoring Sissoko

Italian giants Inter are reportedly keeping tabs on Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko as they prepare to make a move in the summer, says Calcio Mercato.

Sissoko has been a key man for Spurs this season and has formed an impressive partnership with Harry Winks in recent weeks, but with Pochettino linked with a string of midfielders this summer, Sissoko's future is unclear.

Tottenham have shown interest in Paris Saint-Germain outcast Adrien Rabiot and Valencia dynamo Carlos Soler, among others, and Inter see Sissoko as the perfect midfield partner for Nicolo Barella.

Hazard out, Higuain in?

Chelsea are still reeling after their 6-0 defeat at the hands of Manchester City at the weekend, and there's good and bad news as the Blues prepare to lock horns with Pep Guardiola's men again, this time at Wembley.

First the bad news, as rumours from Spain say that boss Maurizio Sarri is losing the confidence of some of his "heavyweight" players, according to the Mirror. The paper reports that senior players are feeling "overloaded by tactics" and increasingly disenfranchised.

Spanish giants Real Madrid believe that augurs well for their pursuit of Eden Hazard. The Belgian star only has one year left on his contract and has repeated his desire to one day join the current Champions League holders.

However, in better news for the Blues, loan star Gonzalo Higuain could make his move permanent in a cut-price deal, thanks to Juve's acquisition of Aaron Ramsey. The Serie A league leaders are said to be keen to trim their wage bill when Ramsey arrives in the summer, but any move would be reliant on Sarri remaining in the Chelsea hot seat.

Farke in for the long haul

Sometimes, signing your existing star man can be as important as landing a new name and, in boss Daniel Farke, Norwich City look set to tie down their biggest asset, says the Telegraph.

The Championship league leaders are said to be in talks over a new 2½-year deal with the coach whose contract runs out in June.

Farke has been in the job less than two years yet has taken the Canaries from 14th in his first season to the summit of the table in his second, with a recent win over rivals Leeds cementing their position in the automatic promotion places.

The extension would provide a huge boost for the club as they enter the business end of the season.

Tap-ins

- Marcelo has admitted he'll leave Real Madrid this summer if they no longer want his services. Marcelo has had a disappointing season by his standards and AS are suggesting he could be on the move, with Juventus a likely destination.

- The Express are reporting that "middle men" are already attempting to engineer Mesut Ozil's departure from Arsenal this summer, with China and Italy likely destinations. Then 30-year-old is on the periphery under Unai Emery and looks set to move on at the end of the current campaign.

- With numerous papers reporting a mass exodus from Chelsea this summer, the Daily Star has linked the Blues with AC Milan star Franck Kessie in a possible swap deal with Tiemoue Bakayoko. Bakayoko is at the San Siro on a two-year loan deal with a return to London unlikely, and a swap deal could suit all parties.

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