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: Chelsea still eye Sevilla's Kounde
Chelsea are still interested in Sevilla FC defender Jules Kounde, even though Trevor Chalobah has burst into the Blues' first team this season.
That is according to the Daily Telegraph, which reports that Thomas Tuchel is looking to add the 22-year-old Kounde as a long-term solution. Sevilla are still holding out for the £68 million release clause in his deal before letting the France international leave.
Chelsea are hoping to move on a defender before they commit, with Kurt Zouma reported as the most likely to leave. Tottenham Hotspur is one of a few clubs linked with the 26-year-old Zouma.
The move for Kounde would solve another issue Chelsea have with dwindling contracts with Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, Thiago Silva and Andreas Christensen all entering the last year of their deals.
The report also claims that Chelsea are interested in a move for a midfielder but aren't actively pursuing a target. It is believed that the Blues do have a keen eye on AS Monaco midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni but are one of many suitors for the 21-year-old.
The Stamford Bridge outfit are also one of many English clubs being offered Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez. The 26-year-old midfielder has been linked with a move away from the Wanda Metropolitano this summer after the arrival of Rodrigo de Paul from Udinese.
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21.43 BST: Valencia are in need of a striker, and if they're unable to agree a transfer fee with Real Valladolid to bring 24-year-old Brazilian Marcos Andre to the Mestalla, they've identified an alternative: Keita Balde, according to AS. However, if Los Che are haggling over a €10m transfer fee for Andre, negotiating with AS Monaco for a player they signed in a €30m deal four years ago sounds similarly challenging.
21.20 BST: Inter Milan have submitted an offer of €20m plus €5m in bonuses for Borussia Monchengladbach attacker Marcus Thuram, Gazzetta dello Sport writes, and states that the 24-year-old France international could join the Nerazzurri as soon as next week. The Bundesliga outfit is said to be demanding a transfer fee of €30m, but this story suggests that it's only a matter of time before the son of Lilian Thuram is plying his trade at San Siro.
20.57 BST: Corriere dello Sport reports that Arsenal's Lucas Torreira could move to AS Roma on loan, with Jose Mourinho so far unable to bolster his midfield this summer. The agent of the 25-year-old Uruguay international is working to find his client a new home in Serie A, where he has also made contact with Roman rivals Lazio.
20.34 BST: Reigning MLS Cup champions Columbus Crew are working to sign free agent and former league MVP with Toronto FC Sebastian Giovinco, according to transfer guru Nicolo Schira. The 34-year-old former Juventus starlet joined Al HIlal in 2019 and now looks set to be reunited with Tim Bezbatchenko, the executive who convinced him to move from Serie A to MLS in 2015.
20.11 BST: Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti is confident he can return striker Luka Jovic to the form he showed at Eintracht Frankfurt that led Los Blancos to pay €60m for his transfer, and will use the 23-year-old Serbia international to manage the workload of star forward Karim Benzema, AS writes. However, the Italian tactician has informed Mariano that opportunities at the Bernabeu will be few and far between, and that the 28-year-old might be best served by a move elsewhere this summer.
19.48 BST: It's looking "more and more likely" that Hertha Berlin striker Matheus Cunha will join Atletico Madrid, Sport Bild reports. The reigning LaLiga champions are said to have submitted a €25m bid for the 22-year-old Brazil international, an offer that was rejected, but it's emerged that Los Rojiblancos are willing to pay a transfer fee of €30, a figure that the German capital club would accept.
Cunha was not in Hertha's squad on Saturday as they fell 2-1 to VfL Wolfsburg. Will he join Atleti sooner than later?
19.25 BST: With Juventus seemingly unable to put together the finances to bring midfielder Miralem Pjanic back to the club, Fiorentina are keen to put together an offer to entice the 31-year-old back to Serie A, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. The stumbling block, as ever, is the Bosnia-Herzegovina international's wages, said to be €8m a season. However, the report suggests that Barcelona could pay half of that in an effort to help get Pjanic off their books.
19.02 BST: The Times reports that regardless of Manchester City's pursuit of Harry Kane, Gabriel Jesus will remain at the Etihad this season. The potential arrival of the England captain would see Jesus' opportunities diminish, and the Brazil international has already been considering his future in Manchester.
18.39 BST: A couple of updates for Tottenham Hotspur arrive from Sky Sports, which reports that Bayern Munich are interested in a swap deal for midfielder Tanguy Ndombele. The Bavarian outfit are said to have offered 27-year-old midfielder Corentin Tolisso and €20m in exchange for Ndombele, but Spurs refused to entertain the proposal.
The North London side are also in the market for another attacker, with Wolverhampton Wanderers' wide man Adama Traore on the club's radar, in addition to Kvicha Kvaratskhelia of Rubin Kazan.
18.16 BST: Declan Rice is unhappy with West Ham United 's £100m valuation and will not sign a new contract to remain at the London Stadium, according to the Telegraph. The story suggests that Chelsea and Manchester United both likely would have submitted bids for the England midfielder had the East London club set a transfer fee in the £60m to £70m range.
Now, though, the 22-year-old is determined to wind down his contract and push through a move as early as next summer. Rice will have two years remaining on his deal come the end of the 2021-22 season, making that the last opportunity the Hammers will have to receive fair value for a player who shone brightly at this summer's European Championship.
17.53 BST: It looks like Brandon Williams is going to struggle for game time at Manchester United this season, and Football Insider reports that a loan move to Norwich City is all but agreed.
The report states that Williams, 20, is due to have a medical on Saturday before putting pen to paper on a season-long stay with the Canaries.
The left-sided defender has made 50 first-team appearances for United but now finds himself firmly behind Luke Shaw and Alex Telles in the pecking order. Norwich have held off competition from Newcastle United to sign Williams.
17.09 BST: Another story here related to Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele. Tuttosport is reporting that Spurs have approached Juventus to suggest a potential swap deal with United States international Weston McKennie.
McKennie, 22, joined Juventus on loan from Schalke last summer, a move which automatically became permanent last month.
The report says that Tottenham director Fabio Paratici, who used to be in the same role at Juve, has begun discussions, and new coach Max Allegri is open to McKennie leaving the club as he reshapes the squad in his mould.
16.21 BST: Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano has insisted that striker Dusan Vlahovic wants to stay at the club, despite reports continuing to link him with a move to either Atletico Madrid, Manchester City or Tottenham Hotspur.
"He wants to stay and the club wants to keep him," Italiano told a news conference. "He is negotiating in a calm manner, I speak to Vlahovic often and at this moment he is 100% with Fiorentina. I'm convinced he will be in future.
"There are no problems, because he is fully committed."
Atletico are reported to have offered €60m, plus around €10m in add-ons, which will be difficult for president Rocco Commisso to turn down.
15.36 BST: Daniel James has been linked with a move away from Manchester United this summer, but The Athletic reports that he will be staying at Old Trafford.
James, 23, joined United from Swansea City two years ago, but it has regularly been suggested he could go out on loan. But Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has full faith in the Wales international, and named him in the starting lineup for the opening weekend win over Leeds United.
Brighton & Hove Albion are said to be interested, while Leicester City also made contact over the summer. But Solskjaer feels that James' versatility will be crucial in a busy season for United.
14.50 BST: Tottenham Hotspur manager Nuno Espirito Santo said it is "not his job to convince" players to play for the club, after media reported that record signing Tanguy Ndombele wants to leave. Ndombele, who joined Tottenham from Olympique Lyonnais for a club record £54m two years ago, has failed to impress, having scored eight goals in 75 games in all competitions.
Ndombele, 24, did not play any preseason friendlies under Nuno and was left out of last weekend's victory over Manchester City, as well as their 25-man squad for the Europa Conference League playoff tie.
"What happened in the past I can't even think about, I don't mention out of respect," Nuno said. "What I can tell you is that Tanguy is with us, he works but we have to speak honestly and to take the best out of Tanguy, [it] has to come from himself.
"I said it before: my job here is not to convince players to play for Tottenham Hotspur, it is to prepare players to play for Tottenham Hotspur."
14.04 BST: Manchester City have joined the list of clubs chasing Barcelona midfielder Ilaix Moriba, according to a report in Mundo Deportivo.
However, unlike RB Leipzig and Chelsea, who are said to want to sign Ilaix this summer, City want to bring him in for free in 2022 when his contract expires.
Sources told ESPN last week that Leipzig lead the chase for the Spain youth international's signature, with Barca open to offers upwards of €15 million.
Ilaix, 18, is in the final 12 months of his deal with Barca and negotiations to extend his stay at Camp Nou have failed to yield an agreement. Barca coach Ronald Koeman said on Friday he was "disappointed" that the player and his camp were putting money over development.
Koeman handed Ilaix his first-team debut at Barca in January and he went on to make 18 appearances last season, scoring one goal. Ilaix has not featured in preseason due to the standoff over his contract. He has been sent to train with the B team but has not played for any side since May.
Responding to the speculation surrounding his future, Ilaix shared a quote on Instagram on Friday that said "Thousands of rumours and nobody knows the truth."
13.19 BST: Cristiano Ronaldo has told Juventus he is staying at the club this season, manager Massimiliano Allegri told a news conference on Saturday.
Earlier this week, Ronaldo lashed out over the transfer rumours regarding his future, accusing people of being "disrespectful" yet stopping short of committing his future to the Serie A giants.
Ronaldo, who has a year remaining on his contract, joined Juventus for €100 million in July 2018, and Spanish late-night TV show El Chiringuito claimed on Monday night that a sensational return to Real Madrid was on the cards.
12.31 BST: AC Milan have confirmed the signing of Alessandro Florenzi from AS Roma on loan for the 2021-22 season, with an option to buy.
🗣️ Florenzi: "AC Milan wanted me more than anyone else"
— AC Milan (@acmilan) August 21, 2021
Alessandro talks about his move to the Rossoneri 🔴⚫
🗣️ Florenzi: "Il Milan mi ha voluto più di tutti"
Le motivazioni di @Florenzi 🔴⚫ #NewPlayerUnlocked #SempreMilan pic.twitter.com/hJr9SN64UD
11.44 BST: Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed the club have opened talks with forward Mohamed Salah over a new contract. Salah, who joined Liverpool from Serie A club AS Roma in 2017, has two years left on his deal.
Liverpool recently agreed fresh long-term deals with midfielder Fabinho and goalkeeper Alisson, along with defenders Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold, while Klopp last week said captain Jordan Henderson was likely to follow suit.
11.00 BST: Tottenham Hotspur are closing in on the transfer of Metz midfielder Pape Sarr, sources have told ESPN. Spurs have agreed to a €10 million transfer fee with €5m in add-ons with the French club for the talented prospect.
Manchester City were also keen on the 18-year-old but Spurs have been the quickest to negotiate a deal, with it now very likely that Sarr will join the north London club.
10.16 BST: The Daily Mail reports that Manchester City will be willing to accept a transfer bid of around £60m for Aymeric Laporte. After Ruben Dias and John Stones emerged as Pep Guardiola's first-choice central defensive pairing, the 27-year-old Laporte found himself on the bench for much of the season. Juventus and Real Madrid have previously been linked with the Spain international, but neither would be able to fund the transfer this window.
09.30 BST: Kylian Mbappe is on Manchester United's list of potential targets as they plot a move for a big-name forward next summer, sources told ESPN.
Mbappe has entered the final year of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain, and United are maintaining a watching brief on his situation. Real Madrid officials openly discussed the possibility of signing the 22-year-old, who has also been linked with Liverpool, this summer during the negotiations for the transfer of Raphael Varane from the Bernabeu to Old Trafford. A source said that Madrid required funds generated from Varane's departure for their "Project Mbappe" initiative, though the LaLiga side privately admit a transfer this summer is unlikely.
United are open to the possibility of adding another player to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's squad in this transfer window, with the club holding an interest in the central midfield and right-back position ahead of the Aug. 31 deadline.
PAPER GOSSIP
- Southampton are close to finalising a deal to sign Torino defender Lyanco, according to the Daily Mail. The 24-year-old is linked with the Saints following the departure of centre-back Jannik Vestergaard to Leicester City earlier in the window. The Brazilian made 23 appearances in Serie A for Torino last season and would be Ralph Hasenhuttl's sixth signing of the summer.
- AC Milan are looking to make another addition to their strike force this summer in the form of Pietro Pellegri. Tuttosport reports that the forward is out of favour at Monaco with the Rossoneri outfit hoping to add to their current strikers in Olivier Giroud and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Milan had hoped to sign the 20-year-old when he was at Genoa and look set to bring him back to Serie A in this transfer window.
- With speculation surrounding his future, Tottenham's record signing Tanguy Ndombele wants a move to Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich, according to AS. The Spanish outlet claims that the 24-year-old's wages could be a stumbling block, especially for the LaLiga clubs. It is believed he is on £200k-a-week, which wouldn't work for Barcelona and Real Madrid, who have both had to cut their wage bills. The £55m-signing from Lyon hasn't played a single minute in any game since Nuno Espirito Santo took over.
- AC Milan are close to closing a deal for Chelsea midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko and could confirm it as soon as Monday. That is according to Calciomercato, which reports that the 27-year-old would join on loan for the season, costing around €1.5m, with an option to sign permanently for between €7-8m next season. The France midfielder has spent the past three seasons on loan in Serie A and Ligue 1.