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LIVE Transfer Talk: Barcelona could subsidise Coutinho's wages for loan deal

The summer transfer window is into its final month for the major European leagues, which means the biggest clubs are looking to make a splash in the market before the new season begins. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.

TOP STORY: Barcelona could subsidise Coutinho's wages for loan

It's fair to say Philippe Coutinho and Barcelona has been a match made in hell. He'd only been at the Camp Nou for a matter of months, after moving from Liverpool in a deal worth an initial £105 million in January 2018, when it became apparent Barca didn't feel he fitted in.

Coutinho was loaned to Bayern Munich for two seasons in 2018, but it was cut short after only 12 months. The midfielder was back at Barca for 2020-21 when he made just 14 appearances across all competitions.

Barca are desperate to get him off the wage bill, but with few takers for his massive €9m-a-season net salary, the Catalan club are now reportedly ready to cover 50% if that secures a loan exit -- as proposed by agent Kia Joorabchian.

Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Barca have offered the 29-year-old to Lazio. The Brazil international previously had a five-year spell in Serie A with Inter Milan, but even with a 50% discount it seems the deal is too rich for Lazio. Reports suggest the Rome club are struggling to meet financial requirements to register the players they already have.

The report also states that Coutinho only wants to move to a Champions League club.

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LIVE BLOG

21.35 BST: L'Equipe reports that Paris Saint-Germain could be closing in on one outgoing transfer, with Bayer Leverkusen making an offer for 24-year-old defender Thilo Kehrer. The former Schalke prodigy moved to the French capital in 2018 for €37m but has since fallen down the pecking order at Parc des Princes, and would now be open to a return to the Bundesliga in hopes of reviving his international career with Germany. Les Parisiens are said to be willing to entertain offers including a transfer fee of €20m, but details of Leverkusen's bid are not known.

20.58 BST: Arsenal are in the market for a second goalkeeper, and having been rebuffed by Sheffield United in their advances for Aaron Ramsdale, the Gunners have switched their focus on Barcelona No. 2 Neto, according to the Athletic. The North London club have strong relations with the 32-year-old Brazilian keeper's agent, Kia Joorabchian, and could take advantage of Barca's considerable financial difficulties in order to strike a deal.

20.40 BST: Leicester City completed the signing of Denmark international defender Jannik Vestergaard from Premier League rivals Southampton on Friday. The fee was not disclosed but reports suggested the Foxes paid £15m for the right to sign the 29-year-old who joined Saints from Borussia Monchengladbach three years ago.

20.21 BST: With their move for Internazionale forward Lautaro Martinez having collapsed in the wake of Romelu Lukaku's departure for Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur have intensified their efforts to sign Fiorentina forward Dusan Vlahovic, the Express reports. Spurs are said to have been in negotiations with the 21-year-old Serbia international for more than a week, but have yet to make contact with La Viola to discuss a transfer fee.

19.44 BST: Newcastle United have announced the signing of midfielder Joe Willock from Arsenal on "a long-term deal." The 21-year-old England youth international spent the second half of last season on loan at St. James' Park, scoring eight goals in 14 Premier League appearances.

19.07 BST: If AS Roma are unsuccessful in their attempts to lure Chelsea forward Tammy Abraham to Serie A, the Giallorossi will turn their attentions to Leicester City front man Kelechi Iheanacho, according to Sky Sports. Whether Jose Mourinho & Co. will have more luck doing business in the East Midlands remains to be seen, with the 24-year-old Nigeria international penning a new contract with the Foxes in April that runs until 2024.

18.30 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport writes that with injury keeping Sergio Ramos out of action for another month, Paris Saint-Germain could move to recruit Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly. The 30-year-old Senegal international has two years remaining on his contract, and while the Partenopei would want a transfer fee of €50m to sanction the departure of their star defender, the report suggests that an offer even below that amount could tempt Luciano Spalletti.

17.53 BST: Amid news that AS Roma have begun courting Tammy Abraham to move to the Italian capital rather than across London to join Arsenal, Le10 Sport reports that Chelsea are demanding €50m for the right to sign the 23-year-old forward. The story suggests that the Giallorossi have so far offered €45m, but that the Gunners have yet to respond with a bid of their own.

17.16 BST: Every player at Paris Saint-Germain not named Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Marquinhos, Marco Verratti, Angel Di Maria or Lionel Messi is available for transfer, according to L'Equipe. The French capital club were said to have needed to raise €180m through player departures this summer, but Mitchel Bakker is the only to have left the club for a transfer fee. With 19 days left in the window, time is running out for Les Parisiens to balance the books.

16.39 BST: ESPN Deportes is reporting that striker Santiago Munoz is on the verge of signing for Newcastle United. Yep, he sounds remarkably like another star striker, Santiago Munez, who played for Newcastle in the film franchise "Goal."

ESPN sources say that Munoz, who plays for Liga MX club Santos Laguna, is expected to reach full agreement in the next few hours, and could be unveiled on Saturday -- which also happens to be his 19th birthday. 

He was part of the Mexico team which finished runners-up to Brazil at the Under-17 World Cup, and was also being chased by Spanish club Huesca.  

Unfortunately goalkeeper Karl Darlow already has Munez's "famous" No. 26 shirt from the film, so Munoz will just have to pick another one. 

16.00 BST: Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has confirmed that the club are still waiting for Raphael Varane to complete his move from Real Madrid, two weeks after the agreement was announced. It means the 28-year-old will be unavailable for the Premier League opener against Leeds United on Saturday. 

"He has not trained with us," Solskjaer told a news conference on Friday. "Things happen and things take time and unfortunately the isolation has delayed these things. It's not 100% done and I can say he probably won't be [available against Leeds] because he has not trained with us.

"It always happens that there are little things. The big hold up was the isolation and quarantine. He has been in Manchester now and hopefully it'll be done soon."

15.14 BST: Tottenham Hotspur have already completed the signing of defender Cristian Romero from Atalanta on an initial loan with an option to make the deal permanently next summer, and now reports in Spain and England hint they will make a move for Pau Torres.

Pau Torres, 24, has had a non-stop summer after being part of the Spain squad which reached the semifinals of Euro 2020, before winning a silver medal at the Olympic soccer tournament. His performances placed him on the watch list of several top clubs, and Spanish journalist Veronica Brunati tweeted on Thursday that Spurs were one of those teams. 

Now The Times has confirmed that report, saying that the centre-back, who has a £55m release clause in his contract, is wanted by Spurs coach Nuno Espirito Santo. Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United have also tracked the Villarreal star, part of the team that beat Man United on penalties in the Europa League final. Spurs chairman Daniel Levy hopes to be able to do a deal at a price lower than £55m.

14.30 BST: Atletico Madrid would be keen to sign Lorenzo Insigne on a free transfer next year if the Italy international fails to renew his contract at Napoli, according to Diario AS.

The newspaper reports that the forward's relationship with the Serie A club's owner Aurelio de Laurentiis is "more tense all the time" and there is little chance of a new deal to keep him there beyond 2022. AS claims that Napoli have made it known that they would accept €25m for Insigne this summer.

A number of clubs have been linked with the 30-year-old in recent days, with Everton the latest to join Spurs, Inter Milan and Zenit Saint Petersburg in the race to sign him, according to reports in Italy.

13.48 BST: Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has had a little dig at Manchester United's transfer business on the eve of the new season. United have paid the £73m it took to seal the signing of Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund, while they have agreed a fee around £34m with Real Madrid for Raphael Varane.

Klopp has also only signed one player, triggering the £36m clause in Ibrahima Konate's contract at RB Leipzig.

"We all know the situation of Chelsea and City and PSG. What United are doing, I don't know how they did it," Klopp said. "We have our own way to do it. We are allowed to spend the money we earn, that we always did. This year we spent before we earned money with [Ibrahima] Konate because after last season, just to be clear, we cannot take any risk in this position at all.

"I'm never surprised about the financial power of Chelsea, City or United, I've been here long enough to know they always find a solution to these things."

13.03 BST: Arsenal could step up their interest in Martin Odegaard after Real Madrid indicated they are willing to sell the midfielder for a lower fee than first thought, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.

Odegaard spent the second half of last season on loan at Arsenal and would be open to a return to the Premier League. The 22-year-old has been left out of Madrid's squad for their opening LaLiga game against Alaves and have indicated they are prepared to do business for a fee in the region of €45 million. Madrid were originally quoting around €60m.

Coach Mikel Arteta is in search of a playmaker to bolster his midfield ranks, and Arsenal and The Sun reported earlier on Sunday they were ready to turn their attentions to Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar. But a lower asking price could see the Gunners get their No. 1 target. 

12.15 BST: Remember Diego Costa? The striker has been without a club since he left Atletico Madrid in December, but Goal reports that he could be about to sign for Atletico Mineiro in Brazil. The 32-year-old is expected to land in Belo Horizonte over the weekend to sign a one-year contract. 

Costa was born in Brazil and has played international football for both his home country and Spain, and also at club level for Braga, Real Valladolid and Chelsea, as well as others on loan. 

11.36 BST: Another new deal to announce! Leeds United No. 1 Illan Meslier has signed a new long-term contract, keeping him at the Premier League club until the summer of 2026.

11.00 BST: Real Madrid will make "a big effort" to sign Kylian Mbappe this summer, Cadena SER reports.

Mbappe's contract at Paris Saint-Germain expires in June 2022 and the forward has so far refused to discuss an extension. According to the radio station, Madrid are hoping to capitalise on that and are prepared to offer Paris Saint-Germain €120m now, in the hope that the French club accept or at least begin talks, rather than risk losing Mbappe for free in a year's time.

It's a tactic that Madrid have used effectively in the past, bringing in Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois and Toni Kroos when they were in the last years of their contracts at their previous clubs.

10.16 BST: Big news for Liverpool fans! Virgil van Dijk has signed a new long-term contract with the club!

Van Dijk, 30, missed almost the whole of last season after suffering a serious knee injury at Everton early in the campaign, but made his comeback in preseason and is now fully fit.

"Since day one when I joined the club, I felt so much appreciation from the fans and from my teammates and the staff, that I could be a very important member of this football club," Van Dijk told the club.

"All the hard work we've put in so far continues and I am looking forward to what the future brings together with Liverpool. I'm delighted, very happy and proud."

The Netherlands captain has played 130 games for Liverpool since signing from Southampton in 2018 and has won the Premier League, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup.

09.32 BST: Jose Mourinho really wants Tammy Abraham to join him at AS Roma, but Corriere dello Sport says the Chelsea striker is yet to be convinced over a move to Serie A. Roma general manager Tiago Pinto flew to London to hold talks with the 23-year-old, offering him the No. 9 shirt and a base salary of €4.5m-a-season, but it's still not clear if it will be enough. 

Abraham is not part of Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel's plans and is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this month. 

08.45 BST: Sevilla are closing in on the signing of FC Porto right-back Jesus Corona, according to O JOGO. The Mexico international becomes a free agent next summer so Porto need a transfer fee this month.

The two clubs are close to reaching an agreement, with the Spanish outfit expected to pay a transfer fee of around €12m. Corona, 28, joined Porto from FC Twente in 2015. He scored two goals and set up eight more in 30 league appearances last season.

PAPER GOSSIP

- Manchester United are set to offer wonderkid Amad Diallo on loan this summer, according to the Manchester Evening News. The 19-year-old joined the Old Trafford outfit in January for £37m from Atalanta, but needs to move elsewhere for regular first-team football. The youngster hasn't been involved in preseason because of international appearances at the Olympics, representing Ivory Coast.

- Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti is set to reject any offer made by Portuguese club Benfica for his services this summer. Mundo Deportivo reports that the France international is not interested in a move away from the Camp Nou after a reported €10m offer. Umtiti, 27, has been regularly linked with a move away from Barcelona this summer as the club look to settle their well-known financial issues, starting with moving players on to free up wages.

- AS Roma are eyeing a move for Fulham midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, according to Calciomercato. The 25-year-old was recently left out of the Cottagers' Championship draw against Middlesbrough because of his desire to move on from the club. It is believed that Jose Mourinho is interested in adding him to the squad after they conclude a move for a striker, but they could face competition from Everton and Aston Villa.

- Lyon have joined AC Milan and Napoli in the race for Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko this window. A Calciomercato report says the player is in favour of a move to France, where he previously played for Monaco. Napoli and Milan are still interested in the player, though, with the former having had the 26-year-old on loan last season.

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