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LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United close in on Porto's Alex Telles

The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer market uncertain -- and you can find out when the windows open and close here -- but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond. Plus, check out all the latest major completed transfers across Europe.

TOP STORY: Manchester United to beat PSG to Telles signing

Manchester United are hoping to complete a deal for Porto full-back Alex Telles, says the Independent, reporting that the player has agreed a five-year deal, though United are yet to agree a fee with the Primeira Liga club.

United are looking to reinforce the left-back area, with Luke Shaw in and out of form and youngster Brandon Williams a natural right-footer.

However, United are not alone in their admiration of the Brazilian 27-year-old, with Paris Saint-Germain also keen; the French champions are looking for reinforcements following the long-term injury to first-choice left-back Juan Bernat.

Telles has scored 24 goals and added 55 assists during his Porto career, and United are keen to solve their left-back conundrum after having lost out to Tottenham for the signature of Real Madrid's Sergio Reguilon.

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LIVE BLOG

22.30 BST: RMC Sport reports that Leeds United are in talks to sign Manu Kone from Toulouse of Ligue 2. Kone is a 19-year-old central midfielder who has represented France at youth level. RMC says he is also attracting interest from AC Milan and several other Premier League clubs.

22.03 BST: Hakan Calhanoglu's future at AC Milan had been in some doubt, with his contract due to expire next summer. However, Tuttosport says that terms have been agreed over a new deal which will keep the player at the San Siro until 2024. The 26-year-old joined Milan from Bayer Leverkusen three years ago and has made 102 Serie A appearances for the club. The report says that Calhanoglu's new contract will be worth €3m a season.

21.36 BST: Liverpool are looking to trim their first-team squad, and the Liverpool Echo writes that the Merseyside club have set a £20m asking price for 24-year-old midfielder Marko Grujic, with Borussia Monchengladbach and Hertha Berlin both said to be keen on the Serbia international who's spent the past two seasons in the Bundesliga with Hertha.

21.09 BST: There is a transfer game of musical chairs happening in Milan, where AC Milan are keen to generate an estimated €23m from the sale of 23-year-old attacker Lucas Paqueta in order to fund a move for 22-year-old Fiorentina centre-back Nikola Milenkovic, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Lyon and Valencia are said to be keen on Paqueta, but they themselves are looking to shift players of their own to make such a move possible: the French side hoping to collect €30m from Nice's desire to sign Jeff Reine-Adelaide and the Spanish club hoping Milan could be persuaded to take 27-year-old midfielder Geoffrey Kondogbia in exchange.

20.42 BST: Real Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay has admitted the club -- who face Real Madrid on Sunday -- were surprised to see Martin Odegaard head back to the Bernabeu this summer.

The playmaker had been expected to remain in San Sebastian for the second season of a two-year loan agreement, but Madrid changed their plans after their Champions League elimination by Manchester City saw coach Zinedine Zidane recognise the need to reinforce the squad.

"We all thought Odegaard was going to stay," Aperribay told Onda Cero. "He did too. But these are the circumstances and we have to accept it. He was really happy here, he had a spectacular season. We don't have much to complain about."

20.15 BST: Chelsea are on the brink of solving their goalkeeping conundrum, with L'Equipe reporting that agreement has finally been reached over a deal for Stade Rennes goalkeeper Edouard Mendy. The report says that Chelsea will pay a total of €25m for the Senegal international, who has been tracked by Frank Lampard for several weeks.

L'Equipe says Rennes had tried to structure a deal that included either Olivier Giroud or a loan for Fikayo Tomori, but it will now be a straight transfer.

19.48 BST: Paris Saint-Germain boss Thomas Tuchel has pulled no punches about the club's lack of activity in the transfer market. PSG, who lost to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final last month, were beaten in their first two Ligue 1 fixtures and were labouring to a 0-0 draw against Metz on Wednesday until Julian Draxler netted a 93rd-minute penalty.

"We need an attacker, a central defender and a midfielder," Tuchel told a news conference ahead of Sunday's match against Nice. "We need to replace the players that we have lost. A left-back, no that is not a priority."

Tuchel has also bemoaned the loss of Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who was released at the end of his contract: "He was an important guy for us. He fulfilled his role perfectly. Now, we must find solutions."

Choupo-Moting has not yet found a new club.

19.21 BST: Goal reports that two unnamed Premier League clubs have enquired about the possibility of taking Atletico Madrid winger Thomas Lemar on loan, on the back of his first two seasons in the Spanish capital falling well short of expectations following his €70m arrival from AS Monaco, but Los Rojiblancos would prefer an outright sale of the 24-year-old France international.

18.54: What a difference a goal can make. Tanguy Ndombele was the Tottenham Hotspur hero, scoring the crucial second goal in a 2-1 comeback win at Lokomotiv Plovdiv on Thursday night. After falling out with coach Jose Mourinho last season it seemed certain the club's record signing would be moved on this summer. But L'Equipe reports that the pair have patched up their differences and the player will be given another chance to prove himself under Mourinho.

18.27 BST: Tottenham Hotspur have beaten Manchester United to the signing of left-back Sergio Reguilon from Real Madrid on a five-year contract. Sources told ESPN Spurs paid €30 million for the defender after agreeing to Madrid's demand for a buyback clause to be included in the deal.

Reguilon, 23, is a Madrid youth product who excelled on loan at Sevilla FC last season, becoming an important part of a team that won the Europa League and finished fourth in La Liga. Read the full story.

18.00 BST: Gareth Bale has completed a sensational return to Tottenham Hotspur on a season-long loan, the club have confirmed. The 31-year-old underwent the final part of his medical in north London on Friday to re-join the team he left in 2013 for what was then a world-record fee of £89.5m.

Bale has two years left to run on his £600,000-a-week contract with Real Madrid and sources have told ESPN that Spurs will cover around £250,000-a-week as part of the deal. They have reportedly not paid a loan fee and sources told ESPN the deal does not include an option or obligation to buy Bale next summer. Read the full story.

17.06 BST. And it's a DONE DEAL! Liverpool have confirmed the signing of Diogo Jota from Wolverhampton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee, reported to be £41m with a further £4m in add-ons.

"It's just a really exciting moment for me and my family," he told the official Liverpool website. "All of my path since I was a kid and now, to join a club like Liverpool -- the world champions -- is just unbelievable. I just want to get started.

"It is one of the best teams in the world -- the best at the moment because they are world champions. When you look at the Premier League, you always see Liverpool as one of the biggest teams in the country, so it's impossible to say no."

Jota will wear the No. 20 shirt and has signed a "long-term deal."

In a separate deal, Dutch defender Ki-Jana Hoever has gone in the opposite direction top Molineux for a reported £9m, plus £4.5m in add-ons.

16.31 BST: Leeds United have been in pole position to sign Rodrigo De Paul from Udinese the past couple of weeks, but perhaps they won't get their man. Pierpaolo Marino, a director at Udinese, has told Il Gazzettino the €40m-rated attacking midfielder will only leave the club if the "chance of a lifetime" comes along. Would Leeds fit the bill?

15.52 BST: Jurgen Klinsmann thinks Weston McKennie's loan move to Juventus is a "super-exciting" opportunity for the young American.

15.18 BST: Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane has told Luka Jovic he should spend this season on loan to regain his form, Diario AS reports.

The striker, 22, had a troubled debut season in Madrid after his €60m move from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer -- scoring just twice in La Liga, allegedly breaking lockdown restrictions in Serbia, and injuring his foot before the return to action in June.

AS claim Zidane spoke to Jovic this week and "explained to the forward the reasons why he thought it would be best to find a place that meets a series of conditions for him to find himself again."

Jovic has been linked to Monaco, Napoli and Milan this summer but had looked likely to stay at the Bernabeu as a back up to Karim Benzema.

14.41 BST: Calciomercato reports that Everton striker Moise Kean has his heart set on a return to Juventus, despite interest from Borussia Dortmund.

Kean joined Everton from Juve last summer but has struggled to settle and now hopes to return to Serie A. Everton want to recoup the £25m fee they paid out, which may mean he is loaned back to Juve for two years with an obligation to buy at the end of next season.

14.05 BST: It looks like Luis Suarez's proposed move to Juventus is OFF! It was thought he would rush through an application for an Italian passport, and was even reportedly sitting an Italian exam last week, but now Juve boss Andrea Pirlo says the process will take too long and has pulled the plug.

"It takes a long time to obtain an Italian passport, so it's unlikely Suarez can be Juve's centre-forward," Pirlo told a news conference.

Juve do not have any space in their squad for a non-EU player, so could only sign Suarez if he obtained Italian citizenship.

Suarez has been deemed surplus to requirements at Barcelona and must find a new club.

13.27 BST: More Barcelona now, and full details on their interest in Norwich defender Max Aarons.

Barca have had two bids rejected for Aarons as they look to replace Nelson Semedo, sources have confirmed to ESPN. They first made contact with Aarons' agents over a transfer in May and have already agreed on personal terms with the right-back.

However, they have been unable to strike a deal with Norwich, with an initial offer to take Aarons on loan with an option to buy next summer for around €20 million knocked back by the Championship club.

12.50 BST: Riqui Puig has been told he can leave Barcelona this summer by new coach Ronald Koeman, according to a report on Catalan radio station RAC1.

Puig, 21, was a surprise omission from Saturday's 23-man squad for Barca's final friendly of preseason against Elche at Camp Nou. The young midfielder had featured in the last two friendlies under Koeman but has made way for Miralem Pjanic, who is in line for his first appearance for Barca after recovering from coronavirus.

RAC1 claim that Koeman told Puig on Friday he was not in his plans due to a formation switch from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-2 and the competition for the two midfield spots.

Sources had told ESPN's Moises Llorens earlier in the week that Koeman was not completely sold on Puig and that it was unlikely he would be registered for the first team this season. It remains to be seen if Barca will look to loan Puig out for the season or if they would be open to selling him on a permanent deal.

12.17 BST: Another deal that could go through today will see Diogo Jota join Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The 23-year-old winger is reported to cost £41m, with a further £45m in add-ons. As part of the deal, defender Ki-Jana Hoever is set to move to Molineux for £9m, plus £4.5m in add-ons while Liverpool will retain a 15% sell-on fee. It comes after Liverpool completed a move for Bayern Munich's Thiago Alcantara on Friday.

11.39 BST: Remember Davide Zappacosta? We're not even sure Chelsea fans do. Well, he's heading back to Italy for another season-long loan, this time with Genoa, having spent 2019-20 at AS Roma. He joined Chelsea in 2017 and has made a mere 26 Premier League appearances.

Genoa also announced the loan signing of Marko Pjaca from Juventus.

11.10 BST: We're expecting Gareth Bale to complete his loan move to Tottenham Hotspur later today. Jurgen Klinsmann told ESPN that success this time around with depend on how hungry he still is.

10.36 BST: Reports in England this morning that Barcelona have had two bids rejected for Norwich City full-back Max Aarons. He has already been linked with both Tottenham Hotspur and Bayern Munich throughout this summer and seems destined to leave the Championship club this window.

However, the latest offer of £20m plus add-ons has been turned down -- so despite club and player having agreed terms the deal may not go ahead.

ESPN FC has been told that Barca's transfer business rests on selling Nelson Semedo for around £40m, and signing a replacement for half that amount and on lesser wages. They have also been linked with Ajax Amsterdam's Sergino Dest, but Bayern Munich lead the way for his signature.

10.01 BST: The day has only just begun but we already have our first DONE DEAL! Aston Villa have completed the signing of former Chelsea forward Bertrand Traore from Lyon for an undisclosed fee. The Burkina Faso international is reported to have cost Villa £19m.

He came through the youth system at Auxerre before joining Chelsea and has also had loan spells with Vitesse Arnhem and Ajax.

Villa boss Dean Smith said: "We're delighted that Bertrand has chosen to come to Villa. He's a player with immense talent who will really enhance our attacking options."

09.30 BST: Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl has dismissed reports that Danny Ings could be sold to Tottenham Hotspur before the transfer window closes. Ings, who scored 25 goals last season, is reported to be on Jose Mourinho's radar as he looks for support for Harry Kane. But Hasenhuttl says the rumours are "absolute nonsense."

"I don't know how often I spoke last season about Danny Ings and how important he is for our club," Hasenhuttl said. "The only thing I want to say about these rumours is there is absolutely zero interest from Danny to go anywhere. He is 100% happy to be here.

"For us it is 100 per cent not discussable that we lose one of the best strikers and best players in Europe. Any rumours about that are absolute nonsense and I think hopefully this is the last time we speak about this."

PAPER ROUND

Firpo out and Solano in at Barcelona?

Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman continues to attempt to freshen up his Barcelona squad and was linked Friday with a move for talented Atletico Madrid youngster Andres Solano, according to Marca, with Junior Firpo attracting interest from Atalanta.

Right-back and academy graduate Solano could be the latest youngster to leave Atletico, after making just one league appearance for the club, against Leganes in 2018-19.

Solano's contract at the Wanda Metropolitano runs out in 2022, though Atletico are loathe to let him leave beforehand.

Meanwhile, Sport believes Italian side Atalanta are about to contact Barcelona for left-back Firpo. The Italian side are looking to add competition in the left-back area, and with Barca looking to streamline their squad, Atalanta could succeed with a loan move that could later be made permanent.

Barca would rather raise funds this summer with actual sales in an effort to boost their own transfer plans.

Milik medical ahead of potential move this weekend

Roma are edging closer to signing Napoli striker Arkadiusz Milik, with the Poland striker believed to have undergone a medical exam ahead of a move to the Italian capital, writes Corriere dello Sport.

Milik is believed to have landed in Rome on Friday morning before boarding a private jet to Switzerland to undergo his medical examination in Zurich.

After an extensive look at Milik's knees, both of which have been operated on, the forward is thought to have returned to Rome to await news of whether his move to the Giallorossi is complete.

The move is dependent on whether Roma striker Edin Dzeko seals his move to Juventus, but Milik hopes the formalities will be concluded over the weekend after Roma's match against Verona.

Tap-ins

- Atletico Madrid are believed to be in the final stages of finalising a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Javier Martinez, reports Marca. Martinez is believed to be close to accepting a two-year deal at his former club, with the option of a third. Bayern were hoping to get €10 million, but are now willing to accept a lower amount in an effort to avoid losing the player on a free next summer.

- Roma's hesitancy in signing Chris Smalling could allow Inter Milan to hijack the move, reports the Sun. The 30-year-old is not wanted by Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, but now Inter have joined Roma in the pursuit of the centre-back. Smalling is keen on a return to Italy and was widely expected to sign with the Giallorossi. However, the Nerazzurri are prepared to cover Smalling's £120k-a-week wage.

- Barcelona could be prepared to let youngster Konrad de la Fuente leave on loan in an effort to gain first-team experience. That's according to Sport, which says Girona are interested in a player who has starred in preseason. The youngster has featured in two friendlies so far and has impressed Koeman, and Girona could offer de la Fuente first-team football.