<
>

LIVE Transfer Talk: PSG join Man City in Lukaku pursuit

The transfer window may have slammed shut, but that doesn't mean the rumour mill has shut down! Speculation over summer moves is heating up so check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.

Lukaku heading to Paris?

Romelu Lukaku could be on the move this summer, and Calciomercato reports that Paris Saint-Germain are front runners for the Inter Milan star's signature.

The report states that Inter's uncertain future, with the club's owners reportedly in talks over a private equity sale, which could see the former Manchester United man leave for a new challenge.

Prospective new owners at the San Siro may attempt to balance the books as a priority and, with Lukaku the highest-paid player, they could look to save on his €7.5 million-a-season salary.

Of course, there would be no shortage of takers. PSG have earmarked him as their new No. 9, while Manchester City need to replace Sergio Aguero.

The Daily Telegraph reported last month that the Premier League leaders are interested in signing Lukaku, while on Monday The Athletic reported that the Belgium international's time at cross-city rivals United is unlikely to be an issue in any potential move.

- Stream ESPN FC Daily on ESPN+ (U.S. only)
- ESPN+ viewer's guide: Bundesliga, Serie A, MLS, FA Cup and more

LIVE BLOG

22.00 GMT: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!

21.42 GMT: Alexandre Pato, remember him?

The former Golden Boy winner with AC Milan is without a club but could be close to finding a new home. TyC Sports reports that Pato is in discussions with Argentinos Juniors about joining the Argentine outfit. Pato, now 31, last played for Sao Paulo last season in his native Brazil and is reportedly also considering offers from Spain, Italy and France.

After bursting onto the scene with Milan and scoring 51 goals in 117 Serie A games for the Rossoneri, Pato has bounced around with varying levels of success, playing for Corinthians and Sao Paulo in Brazil, Chelsea in England, Villarreal in Spain, Tianjin Quanjian in China and the last two seasons back at Sao Paulo.

20.58 GMT: D.C. United are considering taking a look at former academy graduate and Honduras international Andy Najar, according to the Washington Post.

Still just 27, Najar played for D.C. United between 2010-13, winning MLS Rookie of the Year in 2010. Najar then spent seven seasons at Belgian giants Anderlecht before joining LAFC late last season after a tryout.

United General Manager Dave Kasper and Najar's agent, Chris Megaloudis, confirmed the club's interest Friday, although it will largely come down to how fit Najar looks following a series of injuries. One thing to note is that United's new assistant coach Nicolas Frutos is a fan of Najar, having previously worked with him at Anderlecht.

20.07 GMT: Isaac Drogba, the son of Chelsea legend Didier Drogba, has signed for fourth-tier Italian side Folgore Caratese.

The 20-year-old forward previously spent time in the youth set-ups at Chelsea and Guingamp and will join a Folgore Caratese side that is fighting for promotion to Serie C.

His father Didier began his career in the French second tier at Le Mans and went on to win four Premier League titles, four FA Cups and the Champions League at Chelsea, a Turkish title with Galatasaray, and become the Ivory Coast's all-time top scorer before retiring in 2018.

19.22 GMT: Real Sociedad are already negotiating a contract extension with Nacho Monreal, Marca has learned.

The soon-to-be-35-year-old has been a stalwart since arriving from Arsenal in Aug. 2019. It is expected the deal will be a one-year contract with an option for a further season. Nacho has been a regular starter for La Real and has the club firmly in contention for a top-four place in La Liga.

18.49 GMT: Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Juventus?

Calciomercatoweb claims that the renewed form of the Armenian has made him a target for the nine-time defending Scudetto winners. Mkhitaryan, who has 20 goals and 16 assists since joining the Giallorossi, initially on loan last season, is hoping to sign an extension with Roma but finances could prove an obstacle.

Roma have already exercised their €3 million renewal clause but Mhkitaryan's agent, the infamous Mino Raiola, is working on amending this clause.

"Henrikh is fine in Rome, we will have no problem finding an agreement" assured Tiago Pinto, the club's sporting director said recently. If anything should change, Juve are lurking.

18.01 GMT: Man United are still looking to find a partner for Harry Maguire in central defence and a highly-rated RB Leipzig defender could be the answer.

No, we aren't talking about Dayot Upamecano but rather Ibrahima Konate. The Independent suggests that United have made Konate their top centre-back target for the summer, but that they will face competition for the player from Liverpool and Chelsea. The 21-year-old, who is a France Under-21 international, has made 86 appearances for RB Leipzig since arriving in 2017 and is expected to generate significant interest from some of Europe's top clubs this summer.

17.16 GMT: West Ham are short on strikers after selling Sebastian Haller to Ajax and then seeing Michail Antonio suffer recently from fatigue.

Manager David Moyes has revealed that he had the option of adding a striker during the January window but elected not to.

"We're well aware of that and we chose to do it. I didn't want to waste £15-20million on something I wasn't sure about so that was the option I chose to take." West Ham was heavily linked with Sevilla's Youssef En-Nesyri but fell far short of the Spanish club's £40 million asking price.

16.38 GMT: Inter Miami failed in their recent pursuit to land former Arsenal and current West Brom left-back Kieran Gibbs but don't rule out a deal in the future.

The Athletic writes that Inter Miami remain interested in the 31-year-old, with several other MLS clubs and Turkish sides also monitoring the player. Gibbs' contract expires at the end of the season so the ex-England man will be available in the summer on a free transfer.

15.51 GMT: Arsenal plan to recruit a young left-back in the summer as cover for first-choice Kieran Tierney, The Athletic reports.

Tierney, 23, has developed rapidly since arriving at Arsenal from Celtic in 2019 and has been one of the team's star performers this season.

Following Sead Kolasinac's loan move to Schalke, where he will see out the remainder of his Arsenal contract, there is a space in coach Mikel Arteta's squad for another left-back.

The Athletic reports that Arsenal are seeking a young player with plenty of potential who can deputise for Tierney but also learn from the club's undisputed first choice at left-back.

15.08 GMT: Liverpool will discover on Tuesday the compensation they must pay Fulham for signing midfielder Harvey Elliott.

Elliott joined Liverpool in 2019 as a 16-year-old but the two clubs involved in the deal could not agree on a compensation fee, which is required when a player under the age of 24 moves on from the club where they developed at the end of their contract, and the case has been referred to a tribunal.

Sky Sports reports that Premier League champions Liverpool have offered a fee of £750,000 to Fulham, who are seeking £8m.

Elliott made nine first-team appearances for Liverpool before joining Championship club Blackburn Rovers on a season-long loan, during which he has scored four goals and registered eight assists in his 22 league appearances so far.

14.19 GMT: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has said Dean Henderson is putting pressure on first-choice goalkeeper David de Gea after improving since returning to Manchester United from Sheffield United.

Henderson has made 10 appearances this season after spending two years on loan at Bramall Lane but has not been able to dislodge De Gea as No.1.

De Gea was at fault for Everton's first goal during the 3-3 draw at Old Trafford on Saturday and ahead of the FA Cup fifth round tie with West Ham on Tuesday, Solskjaer said the gap between his two goalkeepers is getting smaller.

"For me, [Henderson] has developed his game," Solskjaer said. "I know he's not played as many games as he would've done last season -- you see every game when he plays and in training you see his improvement, working hard on a couple of aspects that we've spoken about. And I've been impressed with his attitude and work rate.

"Every player has to earn the right to earn his place of course -- we're a squad with competition and that applies to absolutely every single one in the team -- and that is the same for every single one of us."

13.24 GMT: Manchester City have not given up on signing Lionel Messi on a free transfer this summer but will wait until March or April before sounding out the situation regarding the Barcelona forward, various sources have told ESPN's Moises Llorens and Rodrigo Faez.

Messi, 33, is out of contract in June and has been free to negotiate with other clubs since Jan. 1. City led the chase for the Argentina international last August when he asked Barca to let him leave but the Premier League leaders have kept a low profile in recent months.

In contrast, Paris Saint-Germain have been making a lot of noise about their desire to sign Messi at the end of the season.

City will bide their time and see how the situation develops, even if PSG have taken a different approach, an approach which sources at Barca have told ESPN is completely the wrong way to try and seduce Messi.

12.56 GMT: Atletico Minerio's director of football Rodrigo Cateano has revealed that Brazil midfielder Fernandinho has an offer to continue at Manchester City as part of Pep Guardiola's coaching staff.

Caetano denied reports that his club is negotiating the possible signing of Fernandinho and said: "There's a lot of talk about Fernandinho because he is at the end of his contract. He is a very good player on the pitch and even better off it. There is even conversations for him to be part of Pep Guardiola's coaching staff.

"But should he decide to return to Brazil, he would give preference to [former club] Atletico Paranaense. He is an interesting player because he is very good on and off the pitch. But we have no negotiations underway with Fernandinho or his entourage at this time."

Fernandinho, 35, becomes a free agent this summer.

12.14 GMT: Sergio Ramos' injury will not affect the terms of his contract talks, according to reports Mundo Deportivo.

The Real Madrid captain underwent surgery on Saturday to repair damage to his left meniscus that had seen him sidelined in recent weeks.

Ramos has yet to sign a contract extension with Madrid with his current deal expiring in June. The setback, which will keep the 34-year-old out of action until April, will not, however, change Ramos or Real Madrid's stance on contract negotiations.

Real Madrid have offered Ramos a two-year contract extension but a reduction of his wages of 10% because of the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The Spain international has reportedly no intention to lose €1.2m of the €12m net he currently gets per season.

11.29 GMT: While Manchester City have their sights set on Romelu Lukaku, The Athletic reports that they are also considering a move for Southampton's Danny Ings to boost their striking options.

Ings, 28, has less than 18 months left on his contract at St Mary's and so far there has been no breakthrough in talks over a new deal.

The England striker has 29 goals in 55 Premier League appearances since making his permanent move from Liverpool in 2019, and appears to be over the injury problems that hampered his time at Anfield, making him an attractive prospect for the top clubs.

10.36 GMT: Ajax sporting director Marc Overmars is set to leave the Dutch giants at the end of the season, with former clubs Barcelona and Arsenal both potential destinations, Mundo Deportivo reports.

Overmars has been in his current role in Amsterdam since 2012, but his contract expires this summer.

Mundo Deportivo reports that the 47-year-old could be recruited by Barca to replace Ramon Planes, depending on who wins next month's presidential election. One candidate, Victor Font, has already pledged to hire Jordi Cruyff for the role if he wins the ballot on March 7.

- Eredivisie on ESPN+: Stream LIVE games and replays (U.S. only)

09.53 GMT: AC Milan coach Stefano Pioli says he thinks "it's right" that striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is given a new contract by the club. Ibrahimovic scored his 500th club goal in Milan's 4-0 win over Crotone in Serie A on Sunday (stream the replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.).

"Seeing how Ibra trains, we can't be surprised, because he's a champion. It's difficult to maintain his current form, as when he's been in shape and started, he almost always scored two goals, but this is what he's like," Pioli told Sky Sport Italia.

The 39-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, is one of only three active players -- after Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi -- to have scored 500 goals at club level.

"Zlatan is happy with us and I think the best thing about this team is that the players are happy," Pioli said when asked about a new deal for the Swede. "We are with a huge club, everyone wants to do well and I think it's right that he continues playing, and that he does it with us.

"He is an athlete who is highly motivated, is scrupulous in the way he looks after his body with everything from diet to recovery. He's tired, but you don't stay at this level for this long without looking after yourself.

"It's almost a race nowadays between the players to get to training early and leave later than anyone else. We're enjoying ourselves and want to give our best."

09.00 GMT: Juventus would like to keep striker Alvaro Morata at the club next season, but on another loan rather than a permanent deal, AS reports.

Morata, is currently in his second spell at Juve, on loan from Atletico Madrid. The Spain international has scored four Serie A goals so far in 2020-21.

AS reports that, while Juve have an option on the loan deal to re-sign the player they first brought to the club in 2014, financial restrictions make another year on loan the preferred option.

PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd)

Son extension talks ongoing

Tottenham Hotspur are looking to extend striker Son-Heung Min's contract and talks are said to be ongoing and without issue, according to Sky Sports.

Son is already contracted to the north London club for another two years, but such is his importance to the club that they want to keep him in the long term.

Son was on the scoresheet in Tottenham's 2-0 win against West Bromwich Albion and he combined well with the returning Harry Kane. Spurs believe keeping Son is key to keeping Kane, and they hope the partnership can lead the front line for years to come.

Jose Mourinho, when asked about Son's contract discussions after his side's victory, said talks are "not a problem."

Mourinho also admitted that the club would wait for the "right moment" to pursue an outcome to the ongoing discussions.

Tap-ins

- Chelsea are keen to keep Thiago Silva at the club for another year and talks are ongoing, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano. The Chelsea board have been delighted by Silva's impact since joining the club and see him as a strong leader in the group. Silva will discuss the option of another year with his agents, and a final decision will be made soon.

- The Athletic believes six Liverpool players could be sold in an effort to raise funds amid a shaky financial situation that forced them to bring in reinforcements in defence on loan. Reserve keeper Adrian and Marko Grujic, currently on loan at Porto, are said to be among those exiting Anfield.