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LIVE Transfer Talk: Aubameyang wants Dembele to join Arsenal project

The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer market uncertain -- and you can find out when the windows open here -- but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.

TOP STORY: Aubameyang wants Dembele signing

Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wants to see the club sign Barcelona forward Ousmane Dembele, Le10 Sport reports.

Although the Gabon international just played a huge role in winning the FA Cup for the Gunners on Saturday, there are plenty of questions surrounding his future in North London as his contract expires in 2021. Though the aforementioned report indicates that Aubameyang "dreams" of Dembele's signing becoming a reality.

If Arsenal want to keep him on the books, they'll likely do everything in their power to accommodate his desires, despite the injury-prone Dembele not being convinced about leaving Camp Nou.

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LIVE BLOG

22.30 BST: With an eye toward finding an heir for Marcelo at left-back, Real Madrid have enquired about the availability of Sporting's Nuno Mendes, Portuguese outlet Record reports. The Lisbon side reportedly told Los Blancos that the 18-year-old Portugal youth international won't be sold for anything less than his €45m release clause.

21.43 BST: Lazio have joined Tottenham Hotspur, RB Leipzig, Everton and PSV Eindhoven in the race to sign 23-year-old South Korea centre-back Kim Min-Jae, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, which adds that Beijing Guoan value the player at €15m.

20.56 BST: With Valencia putting half their squad up for sale after they missed out on qualifying for European competition in 2020-21, it's little surprise that Rodrigo has once again been made available. However, Super Deporte writes that the club is acutely aware they will not get the €60m they expected when the 29-year-old was on the verge of joining Atletico Madrid last summer in light of the economic ramifications of COVID-19, but they will not sell for anything less than €30m.

20.09 BST: Ivan Rakitic wants to return to Sevilla, according to Mundo Deportivo, and the Andalusian side would welcome him back to the Sanchez Pizjuan -- where he spent three years before joining Barcelona in 2014 - so long as he can be acquired for a reasonable fee and he takes a pay cut on the sizable wages he earns at Camp Nou. While Barca value the 32-year-old midfielder at €20m, they're said to be willing to facilitate a €10m sale in order to get the Croatia international off their books and back to his former club.

19.22 BST: Real Madrid will only make a move in the summer transfer market if they can sell Gareth Bale, sources have told ESPN's Rodrigo Faez and Alex Kirkland.

18.35 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport details the list of potential signings at Inter this summer, with Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri high on the list, AS Roma captain Edin Dzeko sought to bring depth to the forward line, Barcelona midfielder Arturo Vidal wanted to bring energy to the midfield - or, should finances allow it, N'Golo Kante of Chelsea would be preferred - and the Nerazzurri are prepared to listen to offers for centre-back Milan Skriniar and his partner in defence in 2019-20 Diego Godin is not part of Antonio Conte's plans moving forward, while Jan Vertonghen is said to be the preferred candidate to bolster the back line.

17.48 BST: Leicester City have informed Chelsea that they value Ben Chilwell higher than they did Harry Maguire, who they sold to Manchester United last summer for a world-record-fee-for-a-defender £80m, the Mirror reports. So if the West London club are to land their No. 1 choice at left-back, they'll need to break the bank to secure the 23-year-old England international's signature.

17.01 BST: Real Betis are confident that Dani Ceballos will return to the Seville club where he spent six years before joining Real Madrid, according to Mundo Deportivo, but the 23-year-old would be receptive to another year at Arsenal, where he's spent this season on loan. While Los Blancos would like to receive €35m for the Spain international, neither interested club is capable of paying such a fee, and the Spanish champions are prepared for their midfielder to go out on loan again in 2020-21.

16.24 BST: Juventus might be wondering what they got when they swapped Miralem Pjanic for Arthur.

15.28 BST: Former Chivas and Philadelphia Union attacking midfielder Marco Fabian is on the lookout for a new club, having left Qatari outfit Al Sadd at the end of June, and Liga MX's FC Juarez are the favourites to land him, according to MedioTiempo.

The Mexican outlet reports that a deal to bring Fabian to the border club is close, with the 31-year-old a free agent.

14.53 BST: Tottenham have needed some more full-back options for a while now and the Times reports they are keen on Lille defender Zeki Celik.

Celik, 23, is a Turkey international and valued at around €20m by the French club. Tottenham are looking to offload Serge Aurier and Celik is evidently on their list of replacements, though they will face competition from Everton for his signature.

14.21 BST: Manchester City are retaining their interest in two other centre-backs, Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly and Villarreal's Pau Torres, despite agreeing a fee for Bournemouth's Nathan Ake, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.

City are set to sign Ake after reaching agreement over a £40m deal following Bournemouth's relegation to the Championship.

But the impending arrival of the 25-year-old Dutchman has not put a stop to interest in Koulibaly and Torres, raising further question marks over the long-term plans for Nicolas Otamendi and John Stones.

14.00 BST: But despite the extended period for sales and signings, some players are in danger of being bracketed as "The Unbuyables" this summer.

Gareth Bale, David De Gea and Mesut Ozil are just some of them... Read Mark Ogden's column here.

13.49 BST: Brighton are looking at Bournemouth forward Josh King, says the Telegraph.

King, 28, almost joined Man United in January before the club opted to bring in Odion Ighalo on loan instead. Now Bournemouth have been relegated, Brighton are set to offer the Norway international a chance to stay on the south coast.

13.20 BST: Chelsea are running out of time to avoid Willian leaving on a free transfer as the winger continues to hold out for a three-year contract, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.

Willian, 31, had been expected to announce whether he is leaving the club this week, but sources said he will now wait until after Saturday's Champions League round-of-16 second leg at Bayern Munich before deciding his future.

The player's agent, Kia Joorabchian, claimed last week Willian has five clubs interested in signing him including two in the Premier League. One is reported to be Arsenal, while David Beckham's Inter Miami are also interested in luring the winger to the United States.

12.56 BST: Could former Tottenham (and Espanyol) manager Mauricio Pochettino move to Barcelona?

12.15 BST: Chelsea are ready to step up their pursuit of Leicester left-back Ben Chilwell amid a summer clear-out, says the Times.

The report states "[Frank] Lampard has made five defenders available for sale and will accelerate plans" over £60m-rated Chilwell. Evidently "he also wants a new goalkeeper and at least one centre-back."

11.51 BST: Sergi Roberto's agent says the Spain international has no intention of leaving Barcelona after reports linking him with a move to Manchester City.

Diario Sport claimed last week that City had asked about Roberto's availability during talks between the two club relating to a number of possible deals. However, Roberto's agent, Josep Maria Orobitg, says his client "has no plans" to leave Camp Nou, where he has been a regular, either at right-back or in midfield, under both Ernesto Valverde and Quique Setien.

Roberto, 28, has a contract with Barca until 2022 and a €500m release clause.

11.22 BST: Francisco Trincao hasn't even started his Barcelona career yet but Diario Sport claims the Catalan club are already knocking back bids from Premier League clubs.

Barca struck a deal to sign Trincao, 20, from Braga for €30m in January, with the Portuguese forward due to join up with his new club in the coming weeks. However, prior to Trincao's arrival in Catalonia, Barca's desire to keep hold of the youngster has reportedly been tested in the form of a €60m offer from an unnamed Premier League club.

Despite a need to bring in money before making signings this summer, Barca turned down the bid as they believe Trincao has a big role to play in the club's future. President Josep Maria Bartomeu has talked up the signings of Trincao and Pedri, who arrives from Las Palmas, this week, saying the duo are part of plans to rejuvenate an ageing squad.

Meanwhile, Barcelona left-back Sergio Akieme is drawing interest from Italian champions Juventus, according to Mundo Deportivo.

Akieme, 22, joined the Catalan club from Rayo Vallecano in 2019 and impressed this season as part of the B team's run to the third division playoff final, where they just missed out on promotion after losing to Sabadell. However, he's unlikely to remain in the third tier of Spanish football next season with a number of top flight clubs monitoring his situation at Camp Nou.

La Liga sides Real Valladolid, Eibar and Granada have all been linked with him over the last week, with the latest reports claiming Juve could also offer him a route out of Camp Nou if Barca aren't prepared to promote him to the first team.

10.59 BST: Inter Milan and manager Antonio Conte are stuck together.

10.37 BST: Veteran Spanish midfielder Santi Cazorla has arrived in Doha to sign his contract with Al Sadd.

The former Arsenal player had an impressive campaign at Villarreal, scoring 11 goals and setting up 10 more in 35 league appearances to help the Spanish outfit finish fifth in La Liga.

Cazorla, 35, had a remarkable career revival as he returned to La Liga following an ankle injury that affected his last two seasons at Arsenal. At Al-Sadd, Cazorla will work under former Spain teammate Xavi Hernandez.

10.25 BST: Chris Smalling's loan spell at Roma has come to an end with the Italian outfit unable to reach an agreement with Manchester United to keep the defender for the remainder of the campaign, according to Corriere dello Sport.

Roma had reached an agreement with United to keep Smalling until the end of the Serie A season but negotiations to have Smalling compete in the Europa League this month have been unsuccessful after United reportedly requested €200,000 fee to allow him to play against Sevilla.

Smalling, who joined Roma last summer, made his 30th and last appearance for the Giallorossi in Saturday's 3-1 win at Juventus. He is tied to the Red Devils until June 2022.

09.56 BST: Seeing as Arsenal have won a trophy, the transfer news is all about them today.

The club want the trio of Willian, Philippe Coutinho and Thomas Partey, according to the Times.

Willian, 31, would be a free transfer once his contract with Chelsea expires; Coutinho, 28, will be allowed to depart Barcelona but could be a loan move as no-one is willing to pay Barca's €80m asking price; while defensive midfielder Partey has a €50m release clause in his Atletico Madrid contract.

09.25 BST: Barcelona target Lautaro Martinez appears set to continue at Inter Milan next season.

"The Serie A has ended," Martinez wrote on Instagram. "I want to thank my teammates for giving their all in every match and our fans for being close to us. We will continue to do our best for this team,"

Barca president Josep Maria Bartomeu admitted on Sunday that his club had been in talks with Inter about the possibility of signing the Argentina striker this summer but that the two clubs mutually decided to halt negotiations as the Catalan outfit cannot make a big investment right now.

Martinez scored 14 goals and set up five more in 35 league appearances to help Inter finish runners-up in Serie A.

08.58 BST: Manchester United have come closer to matching Borussia Dortmund's asking price for England winger Jadon Sancho, according to Bild.

The German outlet, citing sources in England, says that United have offered to pay Dortmund's €120m asking price in three instalments -- an initial €70m with the remainder split over a €30m and €20 instalment in 2021 and 2022, respectively.

Dortmund set a deadline of Aug. 10 for either a deal to be struck with United for Sancho or for the 20-year-old to report for preseason training as part of the Bundesliga club's squad for the 2020-21 campaign.

Meanwhile, The Sun reports that Dortmund have targeted Memphis Depay as a potential replacement for Sancho, and that if they can strike a deal with Lyon for the former Manchester United winger then that would speed up the process for Sancho's sale to Old Trafford.

08.27 BST: Germany defender Matthias Ginter has committed his future to Borussia Monchengladbach after being targeted by top European clubs Chelsea, AC Milan and Atletico Madrid, telling kicker: "Yes, I will definitely stay at Gladbach."

Since joining from Borussia Dortmund in 2017, Ginter has taken on a leadership role at the Borussia Park, and last term the 26-year-old was a key player as Gladbach finished fourth and qualified for the 2020-21 Champions League.

"I took note of those enquiries and was delighted about that certain appreciation, but I have said more than once how good I feel at Gladbach," Ginter said.

08.00 BST: Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu has said midfielder Arthur Melo is facing disciplinary action after showing a "lack of respect" towards the club after refusing to return to training.

The Catalan club agreed to sell Arthur to Juventus in July with Miralem Pjanic arriving from the Turin club once the season is completed. However, Arthur failed to report to Barcelona for training on June 27 after a week off and remains in Brazil.

"He has decided not to return because he believes his chapter at Barca has ended," Bartomeu told Diario Sport when asked about Arthur.

"It is his decision. No one has given him permission. I assume what has happened is that he has gone to Brazil and wants to extend his holidays. That has forced us to open disciplinary proceedings against him because he has to play with Barca until the season is completed. In this case in the Champions League, just like Pjanic.

"It was an agreement between the clubs. What he has done is a lack of respect to his teammates because the team wants to do well in the Champions League and also to the club. It is unjustifiable and totally incomprehensible."

PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)

Arsenal interested in Sevilla's Carlos

More from north London here, as the Daily Telegraph is reporting that Sevilla defender Diego Carlos is at the top of Arsenal's wishlist this summer.

It's no secret that the Gunners' defensive issues in recent years have held them back both domestically and in Europe. Now, with a short turnaround before the new season begins, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta knows that he has to act quickly if they want to compete in the Premier League.

Technical director Edu views Carlos as a priority signing, given their planned squad overhaul, but with a handful of other clubs including Liverpool being interested, they might have a fight on their hands.

AC Milan & Napoli want Godfrey

Italian giants AC Milan and Napoli are both interested in Norwich City defender Ben Godfrey, Calciomercato reports.

The 22-year-old made 30 appearances during the Canaries' Premier League campaign, but even after they were relegated from the top flight, plenty of European clubs have made their interest in the youngster known.

Godfrey's agent reportedly met with Milan representatives at a hotel earlier in the week, but with his current deal taking him through 2023, the club want at least €30m to agree to the move.

Tap-ins

-- The Sun is reporting that Aston Villa are contemplating a move for Liverpool striker Divock Origi. The Belgian, who became a cult hero during their 2018-19 Champions League campaign, is still considered a fringe player at Anfield. Villa, on the other hand, are in desperate need of more options up top after a close call with relegation.

-- Nottingham Forest look set to reject a £10m bid from Sheffield United for defender Matt Cash, Sky Sports reports. Forest, who dramatically missed out on a place in the Championship playoffs this season, want a fee closer to £15m if they're going to sell Cash. If the Blades are particularly eager to get a deal done, though, they might include a player of their own as part of the transfer.

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