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LIVE Transfer Talk: Real Madrid eye France's Jules Kounde to replace Sergio Ramos

Amid all the action at the Euros and Copa America, the summer transfer window has opened for some leagues with Europe's biggest clubs looking to make a splash in the transfer market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see see all official deals here.

TOP STORY: Madrid consider Kounde as Ramos replacement

Real Madrid are looking at options to replace Sergio Ramos and they consider French defender Jules Kounde to be the perfect candidate, according to Marca.

Kounde has been linked with a number of clubs this summer, including Manchester United, and Madrid are the latest to consider a move for his defensive talents.

However, the 22-year-old central defender has a buyout clause of €80 million, which could be too much for Madrid president Florentino Perez.

Madrid aren't currently in a position to pay the premium fee required and as such they're having to replace Ramos with a limited budget.

The other concern is whether or not Kounde has the same leadership qualities as Ramos to help bring out the best in Raphael Varane and Eder Militao.

Talking of Varane, his contract expires next year, and the Spanish outlet says Madrid could allow him to leave this summer and free up funds to sign Kounde.

Kounde's employers Sevilla have shown little willingness to accept anything less than his buyout clause.

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LIVE BLOG

21.40 BST: It was an impressive display from Xherdan Shaqiri on Sunday, with the Liverpool midfielder scoring two goals in Switzerland's 3-1 win over Turkey at Euro 2020. With his status at Anfield uncertain going into the summer, it could bode well for his club future.

21.00 BST: The drawn-out saga to get Jadon Sancho to Manchester United ... continues to be drawn out.

According to Sky Sports, the club will have to increase their offer to bring the Borussia Dortmund attacker back to England. United's initial initial proposal was believed to be £67m up front plus around £8m in add-ons. But the German side want the up front amount to be more.

Sancho's deal at Dortmund runs through the summer of 2023. 

20.15 BST: A report from Portuguese outlet A Bola states that FC Porto are looking to add another Cafetero to their ranks, with Os Dragões eyeing Alfredo Morelos from Scottish side Rangers. Morelos has been a key cog for Rangers, scoring 94 goals in four seasons, and helping the team win the league title under the tutelage of Steven Gerrard.

Porto, who were ousted by Chelsea in the Champions League quarterfinals, see Morelos as a boost in the attack following the exit of Moussa Marega to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal 

If Morales does move to the Porto, he'd link up with countrymen Luis Diaz and Matheus Uribe in an effort to challenge rivals Sporting and Benfica for the Portuguese title.

19.35 BST: Raphael Varane is ready to begin talks with Manchester United after rejecting Real Madrid's latest offer, according to the Mirror.

The France defender is reportedly unhappy that Madrid have prioritized new deals for other veterans such as Luka Modric and Lucas Vasquez. Varane has one year left on his deal but United are hoping to begin talks as soon as this week.

The transfer price to bring the World Cup winner to Old Trafford could be upwards of £50 million. 

18.45 BST: Take or leave it? That's what the Daily Star is claiming in their latest update on Harry Kane's possible move to Manchester City.

The Premier League champions are setting to offer £100m to Tottenham for the England captain, but London side believe that to be about £50m too low.

With Kane's history of ankle injuries, City are said to be cautious at increasing their offer for the 27-year-old. The Etihad club are also hoping to seal the deal sooner instead of letting it drag all summer. 

Should Kane move to City, he'd be paired up with his Three Lions teammates Raheem Sterling and Phil Foden, although that potent trio has yet to find their footing through the first two group stage games at Euro 2020.

17.37 BST: Real Sociedad and Borussia Dortmund are negotiating a deal that would see the German club waive the option they hold to re-sign forward Alexander Isak, SPORT1 reports.

Isak signed for Real Sociedad from Dortmund in 2019 while he was still a teenager, and the 21-year-old has gone on to score 33 goals for the Basque-country club and help them win the 2019-20 Copa del Rey.

The Sweden international has a contract until 2024 in San Sebastian and his release clause is €70m, although Dortmund inserted a buy-back option worth €30m into the transfer two years ago.

However, SPORT1 reports that the two clubs are in talks over eliminating that clause. The German outlet claims that a nine-figure settlement is being discussed and quotes Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc as saying: "Both clubs are working on a common solution. We are in good spirits that it will work."

16.58 BST: Tottenham Hotspur have turned to Nuno Espirito Santo in their rollercoaster search for a new manager, according to talkSPORT.

Spurs have already made approaches for a number of candidates since Jose Mourinho was fired in April. They initially made contact with former boss Mauricio Pochettino, who is now in charge at Paris Saint-Germain, and held talks with Antonio Conte and Paulo Fonseca before their interest in Gennaro Gattuso was quickly ended due to a backlash from the club's fans.

Nuno left Wolves at the end of last season after taking them from the Championship into the Premier League and leading them into the Europa League.

The Portuguese coach had been linked with the vacancies at Everton and Crystal Palace, but is now in the sights of Spurs' new sporting director Fabio Paratici.

16.14 BST: France and Barcelona striker Antoine Griezmann has reiterated that he would like to see out his playing days in Major League Soccer to realise a long-held desire to live in the United States.

Griezmann, who made his 50th consecutive start for France in Saturday's Euro 2020 game against Hungary and scored to mark the occasion, has long been fascinated with life stateside and is a keen basketball fan, often travelling to NBA games when he has time off.

The striker has had a mostly underwhelming time at Barcelona since joining the Catalans from Atletico Madrid for €120 million ($142m) but said he would like to stay at the club until his contract ends.

"My contract with Barcelona runs until June 2024 and after that I think it will be the right time to go to the United States," Griezmann told French newspaper Le Figaro on Saturday.

"I love that country, that culture, the NBA, and have a desire to discover it more, although I will also have to think about my family."

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15.23 BST: Barcelona will open the door for Francisco Trincao to leave the club this summer, according to Diario Sport.

Trincao, 21, only joined Barca from Braga last year in a deal worth €30m but the signings of Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay have pushed him further down the pecking order at Camp Nou. In his debut season at Barca, Trincao scored three goals in 42 appearances, coming off the bench 32 times and starting just 10 matches.

Barca rate the Portugal U21 international highly, but the club's finances mean they need to make decisions that ordinarily they may not make. Trincao needs to play to progress and with that looking unlikely at Barca, the forward, represented by Jorge Mendes, would also be open to offers.

Sport reports that there is interest but that Barca will only listen to "big bids," with the money most likely to come from the Premier League. Leicester City were linked with a €60m move for Trincao last summer.

14.28 BST: Arsenal defender Kieran Tierney has agreed a new five-year contract with the club, the Guardian reports.

Tierney returned from injury to play for Scotland in Friday's 0-0 draw with England at Wembley in Euro 2020, keeping their hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase alive. The 24-year-old, who joined Arsenal in a £25m transfer from Celtic in 2019, is expected to sign the deal in the next few weeks.

The Guardian adds that Arsenal will now turn their attention to securing a new deal with young midfielder Emile Smith Rowe. The 20-year-old youth product enjoyed a breakout year at the club last summer, and Arsenal are eager to get him to commit his long-term future to them.

13.35 BST: Chelsea are hoping they can beat Paris Saint-Germain to the signing of Inter Milan full-back Achraf Hakimi by including midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek in the transfer, according to Gazzetta Dello Sport.

Loftus-Cheek, who made 30 Premier League appearances last season on loan at Fulham, has also been linked with Lazio, who are now managed by former Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri.

However, Chelsea's interest in Hakimi means they will try to convince Loftus-Cheek that a move to Serie A champions Inter as part of a deal would be a better move for his career.

12.49 BST: Barcelona president Joan Laporta remains optimistic the club can convince Lionel Messi to sign an extension to his terms at Camp Nou.

Messi's deal expires on June 30 and Laporta urged him to make a decision on his future to help Barca plan for the future.

"I'd like Messi to say 'yes' as soon as possible, it would help us in every sense," Laporta told La Vanguardia. "We're in communication. He's excited and I am grateful for the effort he's putting in to stay. [New signing Sergio] Aguero's helping. He's telling him to stay every day while with Argentina!"

In addition to the financial side of the deal, Laporta has always maintained the most important thing for Messi is to have a team around him capable of competing for the Champions League.

Barca have already signed Aguero, Eric Garcia and Memphis Depay on free transfers to strengthen coach Ronald Koeman's side, with right-back Emerson Royal also recalled from Real Betis.

"There will be three or four more signings," Laporta said, speaking before Depay was officially announced by the club. "We're building a really competitive team."

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11.46 BST: The transfer rumour mill is still turning but it is unlikely that any of Europe's top clubs will spend €100m on one player this summer, as they have done in the past. Transfer values have shrunk, and clubs are cutting costs, but swap deals could be the salvation.

How about Real Madrid's Raphael Varane and Rodrygo switching places with Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe? Or even Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo and Aaron Ramsey moving to Manchester United, with Paul Pogba going in the other direction?

With the caveat that they are all hypothetical, here's a list of swap deals that big clubs could try to pull off in the transfer market to get what they want.

- Molyneux-Carter: Transfer swap deals we'd like to see

10.49 BST: This could be the most unlikely transfer story of the summer -- Famed actor and singer Phakin Khamwilaisak has signed a six-month contract with Thailand's Ratchaburi Mitr Phol, the club confirmed on Saturday, three days before the start of their AFC Champions League campaign.

"Welcome 'Tono' to the family. The club is surprising the fans by officially introducing 'Tono' on a six-month contract," the club announced in a statement. "He is ready to play in the AFC Champions League. Tono will wear the No. 96 jersey with the name 'PHAKIN.'"

Ahead of their debut in Asia's premier club competition, Ratchaburi were always expected to bring in reinforcements, but few would have expected one of those to come in the form of a 34-year-old local celebrity who gained prominence in Thailand while appearing on a reality television competition.

Phakin -- or "Tono," as he is known to his fans -- first raised eyebrows when he trained with the Ratchaburi first team as they prepared for their upcoming ACL campaign, although reports at the time said his participation was purely as a means for him to keep fit.

Yet, in a remarkable turn of events, reports said he impressed the club such that the Thai League 1 outfit were convinced to offer him a contract, despite him having no previous experience at this level and despite his advanced age for a professional footballer.

09.52 BST: England captain Harry Kane insists that the uncertainty over his future at Tottenham Hotspur is not affecting his form for his country at Euro 2020.

Kane, who was the top scorer at the last World Cup with six goals, is yet to score in two games at this summer's European Championship, and has generally struggled to be influential in his team's attack.

Asked if a desire to leave Spurs this summer had affected his performances for the national team, he replied: "Absolutely not. All my focus is on how I can help this team and how we can be successful in this tournament.

"I understand from a media point of view there is speculation but I am fully focused on the job here."

09.00 BST: ICMYI -- Barcelona completed the signing of forward Memphis Depay on a free transfer from Lyon, on Saturday.

Depay, 27, will join Barca when his contract with Lyon expires at the end of June. A statement from the Catalans said he will sign a deal with the club until the end of the 2022-23 campaign.

Barca first tried to sign Depay -- who played in the Netherlands' 3-2 Euro 2020 win over Ukraine on Sunday -- last summer at the request of coach Ronald Koeman.

Personal terms were agreed with the player and a fee of around €25m was set with Lyon, but the club were unable to accommodate him within their La Liga-imposed wage cap.

Koeman, who worked with Depay previously when he was the Dutch national team coach, wanted the forward again in January. However, Barca had no president in place to sanction a transfer.

Depay finally arrives at Barca almost a year later, becoming their fourth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Emerson Royal.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Nick Judd)

- Manchester United are growing increasingly concerned that Paul Pogba will leave the club for nothing next summer, reports the Mirror. They believe the France international is ready to run his contract down and walk away from Old Trafford as a free agent. United were forced to trigger a 12-month contract extension to his existing deal, but they're now desperately trying to persuade the £89m-rated midfielder to sign a new contract.

- New Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti could look to his former club Everton in an effort to bring striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin to the Bernabeu, reports the Sun. Ancelotti has described the 24-year-old striker as "the complete player," and the Italian believes he can persuade the Toffees to let him go for £50m. Everton are under growing financial pressure and owner Farhad Moshiri could be tempted to let the England international leave Goodison Park.

- Liverpool look set to beat Bayer Leverkusen to the signing of Ghana wonderkid Abdul Fatawu Issahaku, according to an interview with the player's current club chairman in Football Ghana. In the interview, Steadfast FC chairman Haruna Iddisu states that a deal has been completed between the two sides, despite the fact that Leverkusen looked odds on to win the race for the 17-year-old's signature. Issahaku has scored eight goals in 13 games for his club, and he starred for Ghana's under-20s at the U20 Africa Cup of Nations earlier this year.

- Real Madrid are hoping to persuade Eintracht Frankfurt to sign Luka Jovic in order to free up some much-needed funds to land top target Kylian Mbappe, reports AS. Jovic has failed to settle in Madrid but Los Blancos remain confident that they will receive acceptable offers for the Serbia international. Jovic joined Madrid for €60m when he moved to the Spanish capital in 2019, but the club would be happy to recoup €40m for the 23-year-old. Frankfurt have expressed an interest in Jovic, but in order to place a bid they first need to find a new home for Andre Silva.

- On the subject of Andre Silva, Barcelona are looking to land a top-level centre-forward to join the club alongside Sergio Aguero and Memphis Depay, and Sport believes the 25-year-old Portugal striker is the latest name on their list. Silva was believed to have been on Barca's radar a few seasons ago when he was at Sevilla, but his 28 goals in 32 games last season has persuaded the Catalan club that now is the time to make a move. Frankfurt could be tempted to accept an offer of €35m, and agent Jorge Mendes is believed to be working on the deal. Manchester City and Atletico Madrid are also interested.

- Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic appears to be on his way back to Italy, with Juve his likely destination, according to Corriere dello Sport. Juventus have been in touch about re-signing the Bosnian on a two-year loan deal, and the two clubs are now said to be discussing his salary. Pjanic is out of the picture under Koeman at Camp Nou, while Juve coach Max Allegri considers him as a potential replacement for Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot.

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