Amid all the action at Euro 2020 and the Copa America, the summer transfer window has opened, with Europe's biggest clubs looking to make a splash in the transfer market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Sterling would consider Man City exit
Manchester City forward Raheem Sterling is "open to a move" this summer if he does not get a new contract, according to The Athletic.
Sterling has been one of England's key players at Euro 2020, scoring three goals and setting up another in their run to Wednesday's semifinal against Denmark at Wembley (LIVE on ESPN and ESPN+ at 3 p.m. ET in the U.S.).
This form has come at the end of a season which was not one of the 26-year-old's best over the course of his six-year spell at the club. Sterling scored 10 goals in 31 appearances as City won the Premier League title, his lowest return since the 2016-17 season.
However, he remains a key member of Pep Guardiola's squad, and with two years remaining on his current contract the club and the player have a decision to make over his future.
The Athletic reports that Guardiola wants Sterling to stay, and the club want him to sign a new contract soon rather than let him enter the final year of his deal next summer and see him leave for a greatly reduced transfer fee or, even worse, as a free agent in 2023.
For Sterling's part, the report says that he could be open to a new challenge if the right one comes along. Given his showing at Euro 2020, there would likely be several opportunities for him to assess in the near future.
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LIVE BLOG
22.30 BST: 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!
22.08 BST: AC Milan continue to monitor the situation around Real Madrid midfielder Isco, Sportmediaset claims.
The 29-year-old, who is reportedly not part of Carlo Ancelotti's plans at the Bernabeu, is valued at €20 million by the Spanish club. Once rated as one of the top midfielders in Europe, Milan are keen to try and throw the talented Spain international a lifeline.
Milan have had success doing deals with Madrid in recent years as Theo Hernandez and Brahim Diaz are two players who were cast off by Los Blancos only to find success with the Rossoneri in Italy.
21.30 BST: Aston Villa and U.S. youth international Indiana Vassilev will join LAFC on a season-long loan.
The 20-year-old attacker, who has made eight senior appearances for Villa, spent last season on loan split between League One's Burton Albion and League Two's Cheltenham Town.
"Indiana is an exciting young talent who has a lot of potential," Miami sporting director Chris Henderson said in a club statement. "He's comfortable and confident on the ball and fluid with his movement. We feel this is the right place for Indiana to further his development and reach his potential."
Vassilev played for the U.S. at the 2017 Under-17 World Cup.
20.45 BST: Monaco have joined AC Milan in the race for AZ Alkmaar and Netherlands striker Myron Boadu.
The 20-year-old, who has been linked with Milan, is now being tipped to replace Stefan Jovetic at Monaco. Boadu, who scored on his lone cap to date for the Netherlands back in 2020, bagged 15 goals in 31 Eredivisie games last season.
20.04 BST: Sergio Ramos may be 35 years old but PSG have been "blown away" by his physical condition, sources tell RMC Sport.
The long-time Real Madrid captain has completed his medical with the Parisian club, ahead of signing on a free transfer. Ramos, who won the Champions League four times with Real Madrid, in addition to the European Championships and World Cup with Spain, is expected to sign a two-year deal with the French club.
PSG, who signed wing-back Achraf Hakimi from Inter on Tuesday, are also expected to sign goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma in the coming weeks.
19.19 BST: Nashville SC have acquired forward Ake Loba from Monterrey for a club-record $6.8 million, sources tell MLSsoccer.com.
The 23-year-old forward, who Nashville pursued prior to their inaugural season in 2020, scored seven goals in 27 appearances during his short time with Monterrey. A former Ivory Coast Under-20 international, Loba previously starred in Mexico with Queretaro and in Peru with USMP.
Loba will fill Nashville's third Designated Player spot alongside Jhonder Cadiz and Hany Mukhtar.
18.42 BST: Man City have reached a pre-agreement with Mexican wonder kid Alex Alcala, ESPN can confirm.
The 15-year-old, who is currently a member of Los Angeles Galaxy II, has previously trained with City, as well as with the likes of Barcelona and Pachuca.
"Alex is a young talent who we are pleased will develop in a professional environment," said LA Galaxy General Manager Dennis te Kloese. "We believe that the structure and resources that we will provide him will allow him to continue to grow as both a player and a person. We look forward to Alex representing our club."
Born in California to Mexican parents, the highly-rated attacking midfielder has represented Mexico at various youth levels.
18.00 BST: With Barcelona needing to remove about €200 million from their wage bill in order to register their new signings and Lionel Messi's new contract, Antoine Griezmann is the likeliest candidate to be sacrificed. But who could afford the Frenchman?
The Daily Star writes that Chelsea, PSG and Man City are all being kept in the loop regarding Griezmann, who currently makes €880,000-a-week at the Camp Nou. Griezmann, 30, was bought by Barca for £107 million in 2019, and last season scored 20 goals and provided 13 assists in 51 games.
Griezmann's representatives are expected in London over the next few days to gauge interest from English clubs.
17.11 BST: Arsenal are considering reviving their pursuit of Lyon's Houssem Aouar but will need to offload at least one more midfielder before making a formal offer, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.
The 23-year-old is on the Gunners' shortlist but, contrary to reports in France, they are yet to make a firm bid this summer. That is at least in part because Arsenal are looking to overhaul their midfield options and need to move existing players on before pursuing other targets.
Sources have told ESPN that Lyon would be willing to accept a fee in the region of €25m. It is also claimed that the Gunners are likely to face competition from several clubs including Paris Saint-Germain and an unnamed Spanish team.
However, Aouar, who has two years remaining on his contract, is thought to be open to a move to the Premier League and would not rule out a move to Arsenal on the basis they cannot offer European football.
16.36 BST: Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti is keen on a reunion with Everton forward Richarlison at the Bernabeu, sources have told ESPN Brasil.
The pair spent 18 months together at Goodison Park in which the 24-year-old scored 20 goals across all competitions as Everton finished 12th and 10th respectively.
Sources have told ESPN Brasil that Ancelotti has told the Madrid hierarchy he would like to bring Richarlison to the club and Los Blancos will look if a deal with Everton will be possible.
Richarlison, who is competing in the Copa America with Brazil, joined Everton from Watford for £50m in 2018.
16.03 BST: Mario Balotelli has completed a move to newly-promoted Turkish Super Lig side Adana Demirspor.
The Italian striker spent the second half of last season at Serie B side Monza, owned by former AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi. He joined them in ninth place and almost helped them seal promotion on the final day of the season, before they eventually lost out in a playoff.
Adana are the eighth different side Balotelli, 31, h as played for across four countries. He is won league titles in Italy with Inter Milan and England with Manchester City. At Inter, he was also part of the side which won the Champions League and Coppa Italia as part of a Treble in 2009-10 under the management of Jose Mourinho.
🔥 Ailemize Hoş Geldin! S U P E R M A R I O B A L O T E L L I #İkiDeli #Balotelli pic.twitter.com/UtQTJPKuH0
— Adana Demirspor (@AdsKulubu) July 7, 2021
15.24 BST: Southampton are confident of signing Manchester United full-back Brandon Williams on loan for the coming Premier League season, according to the Daily Mail.
Williams made 36 appearances for United in his breakthrough 2019-20 season, but made fewer than half that number last term and started just five matches.
The 20-year-old, who can play on either side of the defence, had been the subject of interest from Southampton last summer, but United were keen to keep him at Old Trafford to continue his development. Now, however, talks between the two clubs over a loan for 2021-22 are continuing.
14.42 BST: Liverpool are set to rival Manchester City for the signature of Napoli midfielder Piotr Zielinski, Calciomercato reports.
Zielinski, 27, scored 10 goals last season as Napoli narrowly missed out on a place in the 2021-22 Champions League.
The Poland international, who featured in all three of his national team's matches at Euro 2020, has attracted plenty of interest from big clubs during his five years at Napoli, and now the last two winners of the Premier League have both registered their interest in him.
13.45 BST: Rafael Marquez's return to Barcelona as coach of the club's under-19 team has been called off for personal reasons, sources have confirmed to ESPN's Sam Marsden.
Marquez, 42, was in Barcelona in May and reached a loose agreement to return to the club where he played between 2003 and 2009.
However, after Barca confirmed current U19 coach Sergi Mila will not continue in the role, negotiations with Marquez have drawn to a halt.
The former Mexico defender could still return to Camp Nou in the future, but the timing has not been deemed right on this occasion.
Marquez had all the necessary qualifications to work with Barca's youngsters but he's keen to take his UEFA Pro badges as soon as possible to be able to work with senior teams eventually.
12.57 BST: Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale could retire from club football when his contract at the Bernabeu expires at the end of next season, according to the Daily Mirror.
However, the report adds that the Wales captain could still represent his country at the 2022 World Cup even if he is without a club by then.
Bale scored 19 goals during his loan spell at Tottenham last season, but it is unclear where he features in the plans of Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti, who is returning for his second spell in charge at the club.
The 31-year-old commented on his future following Spurs' final-day victory over Leicester City, stating: "I know what I am doing but it will just cause chaos if I say anything."
12.09 BST: Now that Paris Saint-Germain have completed the signing of Achraf Hakimi (see 09.00 BST), how soon before we see the next new arrival at the Parc des Princes unveilled?
11.38 BST: David de Gea will return to preseason with Manchester United determined to fight for his place at Old Trafford, sources have told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
De Gea competed with Dean Henderson for the No. 1 spot last season and with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer yet to make a decision on who will be his first-choice goalkeeper, the Spain international is keen to stake his claim for the gloves rather than immediately look for a move away.
Sources have told ESPN United have yet to receive any concrete interest in the 30-year-old, who still has two years and a 12-month option on his £375,000-a-week contract.
De Gea is set to return late to preseason. He will be granted a holiday after being part of Spain's squad at Euro 2020. United kick off their Premier League campaign against Leeds United at Old Trafford on Aug. 14.
10.54 BST: England midfielder Kalvin Phillips "has no desire" to leave Leeds United despite impressing with his performances at Euro 2020.
Phillips, 25, helped his boyhood club gain promotion the Premier League last year, and he quickly established himself in Gareth Southgate's England team to the point where he has started all five of his national team's games at the tournament so far. However, agent Kevin Sharp insists his client wants to stay at Elland Road for next season.
"Before Kalvin signed his last contract, we had good interest so we sat down and explored all the pros and cons," Phillips told i news. "His desire was never to leave, it was to be rewarded and stay and play for the team he supported as a kid.
"Within the contract he signed in September 2019, we included provisions within it for if Leeds reached the Premier League, so it's all set up for the top flight. We knew it was a bit of a gamble, but we knew Leeds would get there under Bielsa and obviously they did.
"There may be clubs who are actually looking at Kalvin now because the more successful you are -- playing for England in big tournaments -- naturally breeds interest. "But Kalvin is happy at Leeds and has no desire to move whatsoever. It's more a case of 'carry on what you're doing for club and country.'"
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10.26 BST: South Africa striker Thembi Kgatlana has signed a two-year deal with Atletico Madrid Femenino, leaving fellow Spanish top flight side Eibar after a successful spell.
Kgatlana was a frustrated star player for Eibar in the 2020-21 season, scoring 10 goals in 21 league fixtures as the team finished 14th out of 18 with only nine wins.
Her new side, however, finished fourth, a good distance behind league winners Barcelona, who also won the women's Champions League.
09.57 BST: Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has said his club cannot afford to sign a top striker this summer.
Premier League champions City have been linked with interest in Tottenham's Harry Kane and Borussia Dortmund's Erling Haaland, both of whom would likely cost more than £100m in transfer fees.
"At the prices [quoted] we are not going to buy any strikers," Guardiola said. "It is impossible, we cannot afford it.
"All clubs are struggling financially; we are not an exception. We have Gabriel [Jesus] and Ferran [Torres] who have been incredible in this position. We have young players in the academy and we play many times with a false No. 9. There is more of a chance we aren't going to buy a striker for next season."
City are yet to replace Sergio Aguero, who left to join Barcelona on a free transfer after a decade in England, following the expiring of him contract.
09.00 BST: ICMYI -- Paris Saint-Germain completed the signing on Tuesday of Achraf Hakimi from Inter Milan on a five-year contract.
ESPN reported last month that the Serie A champions would receive up to €70m, bonuses included, for the Morocco international.
Sources told ESPN that personal terms were agreed between PSG and Hakimi more than a month ago and that the full-back pushed for the move to happen.
Champions League winners Chelsea were also interested in signing Hakimi this summer but sources told ESPN that they never made a concrete offer.
The defender played a key role in helping Inter claim their first league title in 11 years last season, contributing seven goals and 11 assists in Serie A.
PAPER GOSSIP
- Juventus have not yet begun any negotiations to sign Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic, reports Fabrizio Romano. This comes with the suggestion that Sassuolo's Manuel Locatelli remains their priority when it comes to adding someone to the heart of their midfield.
- AS Roma are looking at Borussia Monchengladbach's Ramy Bensebaini as a possible replacement for Leonardo Spinazzola, reports La Gazzetta dello Sport. The Italy international faces months out after undergoing an operation on his Achilles, which has led Jose Mourinho and his team to look elsewhere. The Bundesliga side are looking for €20m, but the deal could be a loan with an obligation to make it permanent.
- Internazionale and Lyon are both looking to sign Ajax goalkeeper Andre Onana, reports Calciomercato. The Scudetto winners are hoping to wait until next year when the Cameroonian's contract will have come to an end, while Lyon are looking to move immediately. The decision is now down to Onana, as he has to say whether he'd like to leave now or next summer.
- Arsenal are set to complete a deal with Anderlecht for Albert Sambi Lokonga, reports Fabrizio Romano. It is suggested that personal terms have been agreed for a deal that will last until 2026 and negotiations are in their final stages, with the fee set to be €17.5m plus add-ons.
- Calciomercato have set out a list of AC Milan's list of midfield targets for the summer transfer window. It is suggested that they're looking at Chelsea's Tiemoue Bakayoko, Marseille's Boubacar Kamara, Bologna's Jerdy Schouten and Real Madrid's Dani Ceballos.
- Crystal Palace are hoping to sign Manchester City youngster Morgan Rogers as newly appointed manager Patrick Vieira aims to lower the average age of his squad, reports the Daily Mail. It is suggested they will need to spend around £7m to bring in the 18-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Lincoln City.