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Transfer Talk: Arsenal face challenge to make Dani Ceballos deal permanent

The coronavirus pandemic has made the summer transfer window uncertain, but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.

TOP STORY: Arsenal face competition for Ceballos

Dani Ceballos' future at Arsenal remains in doubt with AC Milan, Valencia and Real Betis chasing permanent deals for the 23-year-old.

On Friday, The Express reported that Gunners chief Mikel Arteta is in talks with Real Madrid to turn Ceballos' loan stay at the Emirates into a permanent deal after Ceballos impressed during his 20 Premier League appearances this season.

Due to the financial implications of COVID-19, though, Arsenal could be forced into welcoming back Ceballos on loan again next season. But that is the option also being explored by AC Milan, Valencia and Real Betis.

The report adds that the three clubs will have a much greater chance of signing the attacking midfielder next term should Arsenal fail to qualify for the Champions League, with the Gunners currently in eighth place in the Premier League.

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- Insider Notebook: Twist in Thiago to Liverpool

LIVE BLOG

22:30 BST: That's all for today's edition of Transfer Talk Live. Please stop back in a few hours as we continue to give you all the latest and best transfer lines. Thanks and stay safe.

22.00 BST: Manchester United want Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar and have made an offer to the Italian giants for his services, according to reports.

United, who reportedly were interseted in Skriniar last summer, are looking for help at the back for next season. And this time, reports TuttoSport (via Sportwitness), Inter may now consider selling the big Slovakian.

20.57 BST: USMNT midfielder Weston McKennie wants a move to the Premier League this summer, according to the Telegraph.

The report claims that Bundesliga club Schalke are looking to sell the 21-year-old in order to help balance the books as a result of the financial impact caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

McKennie is set to leave Germany for £25 million with Everton and Hertha Berlin showing interest in the midfeidler. 

20.06 BST: ESPN's Steve Nicol does not believe that Manchester City will be able to attract David Alaba from Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich this summer.

18.35 BST: Mexico legend Jared Borgetti thinks El Tri winger Hirving Lozano should stay put at Napoli and prove his worth after a difficult first season in Serie A.

Lozano was signed from PSV Eindhoven last summer for a club record fee, reportedly for $40 million, but has struggled at Napoli, losing his place in the starting XI and seeing his number of minutes plummet since Gennaro Gattuso replaced Carlo Ancelotti last December.

"It's a personal question about the character he has," Borgetti said in an interview with ESPN. "The easiest thing is to be comfortable and for Napoli to sell him after the season. He'd have another opportunity in another club in which the coach has asked for him and he'd have more chances to play, but that's falling into comfort.

"The other [option] is to stay, show yourself, the coach and the fans that you are a player they can trust in, that you are worth what they paid and can overcome adversity. You'll come out of it better in all aspects, in terms of character, decision-making and in terms of football, but it'll depend on him.

"From my point of view if I was him, I'd stay, but it depends on the player."

17.23 BST: ESPN's Julien Laurens breaks down why he believes Bayern Munich's Thiago will not join Premier League champions Liverpool this summer.

15.31 BST: Don't forget to take a look at ESPN's Insider Notebook which has a number of great transfer lines this week.

- Liverpool will not pursue a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, sources have told ESPN's Mark Ogden.

- Chelsea are trying to take Malamine Efekele from Monaco, 15-year-old forward who is already being likened to Kylian Mbappe, reports ESPN's Julien Laurens.

Kurt Zouma is still likely to leave Chelsea this summer, sources have told ESPN's Julien Laurens.

14.57 BST: Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has suggested that he could remain at the club for the rest of his career.

The Senegal international has been linked with a move to the Premier League over the last couple of seasons but he said he would be happy to stay Napoli.

"In football, you never know what happens," he told Gazzetta dello Sport. "I never spoke to Napoli about leaving. If we have to find a solution, we will find it, but I have never talked about the transfer market.

"I also read in the newspapers about my future. But I only want to think about playing, I am 100% [committed to] Napoli and it bothers me to be linked, every day, to this or that European club.

"We will see what the president will decide and if he proposes to extend my contract, that would allow me to end my career here.

"At the moment, I still have a three-year contract and I am not thinking of anything else but Napoli."

13.44 BST: Barcelona have agreed a deal with Rayo Vallecano to sign teen prospect Fabian Luzzi, Marca reports.

The 15-year-old has attracted interest from Barca's La Liga rivals Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. He has already trainined with the Rayo first team this season.

The Spain U16 international is expected to be announced as a Barca player in the near future, according to Marca.

12.59 BST: Real Madrid may want to ship out Luka Jovic, but will they find any takers for the striker?

12.20 BST: Chelsea have activated a one-year extension clause in Tammy Abraham's contract, according to The Guardian.

Abraham, 22, is now committed to Stamford Bridge until 2023 after hitting the requisite number of goals and appearances this season to activate the clause.

The England striker also gets a pay rise up from his £50,000-a-week wage, The Guardian reports adds.

Abraham has been in talks over a new contract with Chelsea since last year but the two parties had not agreed terms before the extension came into effect.

11.39 BST: Kevin De Bruyne will remain at Manchester City next season no matter the outcome of the club's appeal against their Champions League ban, The Times reports.

In February, UEFA announced that City will be excluded from the Champions League for the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns and have also been fined €30m ($33m) for "overstating its sponsorship revenue in its accounts" and failing "to cooperate in the investigation," according to findings by the UEFA Adjudicatory Chamber. The club has appealed the decision and is expected to find out the verdict of that next week.

De Bruyne said in May that it will be difficult to stay at the Etihad Stadium without competing in the competition for so long, telling Het Laatste Nieuws: "We'll wait and see what happens. Once there's a final decision I will look at it. "Two years [without Champions League football] would be long. One year is something I might be able to cope with."

However The Times reports that the Belgium international, who is chasing down Thierry Henry's Premier League record of 20 assists in one season, is willing to stay at the Etihad.

11.04 BST: Barcelona have agreed personal terms with Lautaro Martinez for the Inter Milan striker to join the club next season but the signing could depend on selling Philippe Coutinho, sources have told ESPN.

While Martinez, 22, has reached a verbal agreement to move to Camp Nou, any move remains dependent on Inter agreeing to sell the Argentina international.

Negotiations over a transfer are ongoing but have been hampered in recent months by the coronavirus pandemic, which has seen Barca strike €200m from their budget for next season.

There are also doubts about when a clause in Martinez's contract, which would allow him to leave for €111m, expires, although Barca have never had any intention of paying that much.

The Catalan club had been hopeful of including players in any potential deal to bring the cost down, but sources have told ESPN that Inter would prefer cash.

Therefore, Barca's hopes of landing Martinez this summer hinge on sales, with club-record signing Coutinho pinpointed as the player that could bring in the most money.

10.27 BST: Zinedine Zidane has admitted he "doesn't know" if James Rodriguez will play for Real Madrid again after the midfielder was left out of the squad for the second game in a row.

James, who has been linked with moves to the Premier League and Serie A, didn't feature as Madrid beat Alaves 2-0 on Friday night to go four points clear of rivals Barcelona at the top of La Liga.

The playmaker didn't travel for Madrid's previous game, a 1-0 win at Athletic Bilbao on July 5, either, with Zidane saying he "wanted to be left out for his own reasons."

James, 28, signed for Real Madrid from Monaco for €75m in 2014 and was an initial success, but his contribution since returning in 2019 from a two-year loan at Bayern Munich has been limited.

09.45 BST: Chelsea manager Frank Lampard insists he is "very happy" with Jorginho despite the midifelder's lack of playing time.

Jorginho was a key player under former boss Maurizio Sarri but has struggled for games under Lampard since the Premier League resumes. The Italy international has been linked with a move to re-join Sarri at Juventus.

"I have selection issues in midfield. Good issues because I have N'Golo Kante, Billy Gilmour, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic," Lampard told Sky. "And then in slightly more advanced areas I have Mason Mount, Ross Barkley and I have Ruben Loftus-Cheek now.

"There are always players who are maybe unhappy or have moments out of the team and that's Jorginho at the moment. If a player is missing for one game or a few games, it doesn't mean in any way that they are out of my thoughts going forward.

"There have been times when he has been pivotal for me this year certainly on and off the pitch. That doesn't change and I am very happy with him."

09.00 BST: Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi is still training alone and is yet to be reinstated in the first-team squad by manager Mikel Arteta, sources have told ESPN.

The 21-year old has been dropped from the matchday squad for the last five games in all competitions and also omitted from training with the first team.

Arteta has asked him to apologise for his incident with Brighton striker Neal Maupay when he grabbed him by the throat in Arsenal's 2-1 defeat at the Amex Stadium on June 20.

Guendouzi has yet to do that. It is very unlikely that he will be involved against Tottenham on Sunday although Arteta has not announced his squad yet.

After Arsenal's 4-0 win over Norwich last week, Arteta said that until something changes in the player's attitude, he won't be back in the squad.

Guendouzi's agent, Philippe Nabe, is due to have a meeting with Arteta and Raul Sanllehi, Arsenal's head of football next week.

PAPER TALK (by Shaun Reynolds): United join City and Chelsea in race for Chilwell

Manchester United will join Chelsea and Manchester City in the race to sign Leicester City left-back Ben Chilwell for £60 million.

That's according to The Sun, which claims Chilwell has become a major transfer target for Red Devils chief Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

The report adds that should Chilwell join United, it would put Luke Shaw's future at Old Trafford in doubt. Chilwell, who developed through Leicester City's academy, penned a long-term contract at the King Power Stadium two years ago that expires in 2024.

City not keen on Koulibaly's price tag

Nicolas Otamendi and Oleksandr Zinchenko could be set to depart the Etihad Stadium this summer as Manchester City eye a sensational swap deal with Napoli for Kalidou Koulibaly, reports The Sun.

The report says that City are prepared to part with the defensive pair in return for Koulibaly, though Bayern Munich's David Alaba and Bournemouth's Nathan Ake remain firm targets, too.

Napoli have demanded £80m for Koulibaly, with The Sun adding that Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool have all made contact with the Italian club concerning his availability.

The Sun has reported that City believe the price tag is too expensive, meaning club officials will instead offer players in an attempt to bring the cost down.

Tap-ins

-- Chelsea are in pole position to prise Stoke City sensation Mohamed Sankoh away from Staffordshire this summer, according to Football Insider. The 16-year-old has been offered a fresh contract by the Championship club, but a lucrative deal from Chelsea means Sankoh is unlikely to accept. Tottenham, Everton and Celtic are also said to be interested in the teenager.

-- Barcelona have agreed personal terms with Lautaro Martinez for the Inter Milan striker to join the club next season, but the signing could depend on selling Philippe Coutinho, sources have told ESPN.

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