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Manchester United in for Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri

The transfer window is heating up! Transfer Talk brings you live updates on all the latest rumours and done deals. Check out all the confirmed January moves so far on our transfers page.

TOP STORY: Manchester United in for Seri

Jose Mourinho and Manchester United may not be finished in the transfer window yet, as they are after Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri.

After a stunning swoop for Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez, Mourinho is reportedly ready to turn his attention to sorting United's midfield issue, with Michael Carrick due to retire at the end of the season and Marouane Fellaini's contract set to expire.

Seri, 26, has a release clause of around £33 million which expires at the end of next season and he has been tracked by a number of top clubs, including Barcelona.

But Sky Sports reckon Mourinho is ready to steal a march on his rivals to land the Ivory Coast midfielder, who has registered one goal and six assists in 26 matches for Nice this season.

LIVE

22.46 GMT: That's going to do it for Wednesday's live edition of Transfer Talk. Thanks very much for joining us, and be sure to check back in a few short hours when we return with the latest gossip pulled from Thursday's back pages.

22.13 GMT: DONE DEAL -- LAFC have confirmed the signing of free agent Steven Beitashour after the 30-year-old full-back lifted MLS Cup with Toronto FC in December.

21.30 GMT: Transfer offers Roma have received for striker Edin Dzeko are not "acceptable," sporting director Monchi said on Wednesday. Read the full story.

20.57 GMT: Lokomotiv Moscow have approached Liverpool over the availability of Lazar Markovic, who last played for the Reds in May of 2015, the Mirror writes. The report states that Jurgen Klopp's men would prefer to sell the Serbian outright, but would agree to a loan should Lokomotiv pay a fee and pick up the entirety of his £35,000-a-week wages.

20.24 GMT: The Montreal Impact have been in touch with Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio, CalcioMercato reports, with the Bianconeri willing to let the 32-year-old midfielder leave the club in the summer.

19.46 GMT: Atletico Madrid have sounded out Sergio Aguero over a possible return, according to the Sun, and while Manchester City would prefer not to lose their record goalscorer, they could entertain a player-plus-cash deal this summer that would see them send the Argentine and £25 million to the Spanish capital in exchange for Antoine Griezmann.

<19.23 GMT: Borussia Dortmund have rejected a second Arsenal bid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the BBC reports. The Gunners are said to have lodged a £43 million bid for the 28-year-old forward, with the German giants holding out for £50 million.

19.00 GMT: According to the Independent, West Ham have reached an agreement with Inter Milan for Portugal international Joao Mario, and have already agreed personal terms with the 25-year-old midfielder, who could move to East London by the end of the week.

18.37 GMT: With Aymeric Laporte inching closer to a switch to Manchester City, Athletic Bilbao will be in need of a left-sided centre-back. Mundo Deportivo reports that the Basque club have identified two potential targets to replace the France U21 international: Inigo Martinez of Real Sociedad and Arsenal's Nacho Monreal.

18.14 GMT: Daniel Sturridge is stalling over his loan to Inter Milan after the Nerazzurri submitted a bid Liverpool found successful, according to the Liverpool Echo, with the 28-year-old preferring to move to Sevilla, who are said to be interested but have yet to lodge a serious offer.

17.51 GMT: Sky Sports is citing its arm in Italy as reporting that Roma and Chelsea have reached an agreement over the transfer of Edin Dzeko, but personal terms between the striker and the West London club have yet to be agreed.

17.28 GMT: Barcelona have announced that Philippe Coutinho will wear the No. 14 shirt, which has sparked speculation that the Catalans' No. 7 -- recently vacated by the now-departed Arda Turan -- is being reserved for Antoine Griezmann.

16.57 GMT: Arsenal are interested in Corinthians midfielder Maycon, the Sun reports. The Brazilian outfit value the player at £9 million, and would insist on the 20-year-old remaining in Sao Paulo on loam.

16:17 GMT: Jan Aage Fjortoft has been tracking developments in Germany regarding Arsenal's pursuit of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang but the Borussia Dortmund striker is keeping tight-lipped over his future. He's even dropped in some Ronan Keating, there. Top work, Jan.

16:16 GMT: Preston set the record straight regarding their pursuit of Hamilton's Michael Devlin...

15:28 GMT: The gossip keeps on coming! The agent of Barcelona's Aleix Vidal has said the defender is considering a move to Serie A club Roma.

15: 24 GMT: Transfer news specialist Pete O'Rourke has reached us with this line: Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion are exploring moves to sign Borussia Dortmund forward Andre Schurrle on loan, sources have told ESPN FC.

15:06 GMT: Our Barcelona correspondent Sam Marsden was at Javier Mascherano's farewell party today. Have a look at his tribute to their leader, on and off the pitch.

14:50 GMT: Bosnian journalist Haris Mrkonja has this update on rumours Edin Dzeko is heading to Chelsea:

14:45 GMT: Here's more from our Spurs man Dan from earlier: Tottenham want Lucas Moura ... but there's a hitch.

14:40 GMT: Some more reports on our top story on Manchester United's interest in Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri -- the Mirror reckon it's a straight fight between Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola for the midfielder. And he could even leave this month. The Alexis Sanchez transfer saga ended in victory for Mourinho ... can he follow that up with another win over his big rival?

14:27 GMT: Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic features in today's Football Whispers and now Toon expert Mark Douglas says Brighton have offered £8 million:

14:09 GMT: Yeah, so ... about that Leeds badge.

13:17 GMT: Remember when Luke Shaw appeared certain to leave Manchester United? He's turned his career right around and has reportedly convinced Jose Mourinho to shelve plans to sign a left-back. That's some going for a player who was once told to "change his brain" by his boss.

13:16 GMT: Andre Schurrle to West Brom and Aleksandar Mitrovic to Brighton are two of the day's transfer rumours, according to Football Whispers.

13:05 GMT: Here's an intriguing line for you: Benevento are on the verge of signing former Arsenal and Manchester City full-back Bacary Sagna, according to Sky Sport Italia. Just days after completing the signing of former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro, Serie A's bottom-placed club are close to clinching another big-name capture in their battle for survival.

12:33 GMT: Southampton have been after Guido Carrillo for some time now and it appears they've made a breakthrough in their attempts to land the Monaco man.

12:11 GMT: We're not all about transfers here, everyone. If there's something new, we'll bring it to you. So... DRUM ROLL PLEASE ... Introducing Leeds United's new club crest ...

Thoughts? Look at that ratio of comments-to-retweets ... eek.

11:47 GMT: They couldn't do it again, could they? After seeing off Manchester City's bid for Alexis Sanchez and landing the Chilean, Manchester United legend Gary Neville now wants them to beat Pep Guardiola's men to Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte. Here's the latest on that one.

11:19 GMT: Ooh, juicy update from our man Dan Kilpatrick; who is on the Spurs beat today: Tottenham are interested in Paris Saint-Germain winger Lucas Moura, who has been told by his manager to find a new club, but they do not currently expect to sign the 25-year-old this month, a source has told ESPN FC.

11:15 GMT: Here's the full story on Alexis Sanchez hitting back at claims Thierry Henry told him to leave Arsenal for Manchester United.

10:37 GMT: Some news from India now and Indian Super League champions ATK have parted ways with coach Teddy Sheringham, a day ahead of a home match against Chennaiyin FC on Thursday.

10:34 GMT: Listen up, everyone, because Alexis Sanchez wants to set the record straight. After Thierry Henry was forced to deny he told the Chilean to leave Arsenal, the man himself has this to say ...

10:32 GMT: With one week to go in the transfer window, David Amoyal sorts through the speculation and rates how likely the rumoured moves are to take place. Will Arsenal land Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang? Is Edin Dzeko heading to Chelsea? Step this way to find out ...

10:20 GMT: As we told you yesterday, Javier Mascherano is leaving Barcelona this month and seal a move to Hebei Fortune. And our man Sam Marsden is at the farewell party ...

09:16 GMT: Interesting from Arsene Wenger, here. He says he tried to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan before. Perhaps a show of faith is exactly what the Armenian needs?

08.43 GMT: Lukas Klostermann has been attracting the interest of Roma. The 21-year-old RB Leipzig defender's agent, however, says he is focused on his current club: "There are enquiries every now and then. But right now, that's not important for Lukas. He's fully focused on his task at Leipzig."

08.26 GMT: Look away, Schalke fans. Max Meyer could be the next player to leave on a free transfer. Bild reports that the midfielder can pick between signing up with the Royal Blues and eight other clubs. He is also quoted as saying: "There's nothing new to report. If -- like it's the case with Leon Goretzka - a good player leaves the club, It's always bad for the club. I won't make a decision before late March."

08.12 GMT: Could Melbourne City's clash with Newcastle be Ross McCormack's A-League swan song? Read more here

08.03 GMT: Cadena Cope report that Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte is travelling to Manchester to complete his transfer to Manchester City. According to AS, City will pay the Frenchman's €65m release clause and an additional €5m for being an Athletic youth product. The 23-year-old has reportedly agreed to a five-year contract with the Premier League side and could push City's defence to the next level.

07.53 GMT: Oh Neymar, you're so changable. The PSG star is not a fan of Ligue 1, says L'Equipe, and could consider a move next summer. Apparently, the Brazilian is not happy with the treatment he gets in the physical French top flight. But which club has €223m to break the world record AND cotton wool to wrap him in?

07.45 GMT: Morning everyone and is the Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang-to-Arsenal situation any clearer? Short answer, no. "I can only say that we'd like to have this solved at some point. No matter how that solution might look. Clarity would help the team," said Dortmund boss Peter Stoger. Bild, meanwhile, reported that Arsenal have increased their bid by a whopping €3m -- from €55m to €58m -- and this has upped the pressure on BVB, who are desperate to offload him.

07.30 GMT: Edin Dzeko is top of the agenda today but, fear not, TWW are reporting that everything will be fine and the deal to Chelsea will go through tomorrow. At least that will stop the Blues from chasing yet more ridiculous striking targets.

Chelsea's move for Dzeko suffers hitch

Edin Dzeko's expected move to Chelsea has suffered a hit, according to Sky Sport Italia's Gianluca Di Marzio, with the champions yet to agree on bonuses with Roma.

The Bosnian striker is widely expected to return to the Premier League in a deal that will also include Emerson Palmieri, who will strengthen the Blues' left side.

Dzeko will provide tough competition for the faltering Alvaro Morata should he join, though Di Marzio insists talks are still ongoing. The presence of Michy Batshuayi as part of the deal is unclear, while the report also claims a deal will either be concluded or scrapped following meetings after Roma's Serie A fixture vs. Sampdoria on Wednesday.

Barcelona to beat Chelsea for Canadian wonder kid

Barcelona are following the progress of Montreal Impact starlet Ballou Jean-Yves Tabla.

The La Liga giants initiated talks last month and they are now at an "advanced stage", according to Sport.

Steven Goff from the Washington Post also confirmed the links on Twitter, while Montreal's technical director Adam Braz confirmed that they were in "discussions with a club about a permanent transfer."

The 18-year-old has already scored two goals in Major League Soccer for the Canadian franchise and is able to play on both flanks as a winger.

Chelsea are also in the running after being alerted to Tabla's talent by Didier Drogba during his time with the Impact.

Newcastle to break transfer record for Slimani

Newcastle are intent on breaking their transfer record at long last to sign Leicester striker Islam Slimani, according to the Mirror.

The Magpies' record buy remains the £16 million paid to Real Madrid back in 2005 for Michael Owen, but Mike Ashley, despite ongoing talks over the future of the club, is prepared to release funds to aid Rafa Benitez's bid to avoid the drop.

Slimani has fallen out of Claude Puel's preferred starting lineup for the Foxes and the club may be prepared to cut their losses on the £29m invested in 2016 for the former Sporting star.

Newcastle will have to pay £20m for the striker, though an alternative or additional striking option could be Nicolai Jorgensen.

The Chronicle reports Newcastle are in talks with the Feyenoord striker, valued at £20m, while others could be heading for the exit with Aleksandar Mitrovic and Jonjo Shelvey wanted by West Ham.

Baggies offer Schurrle Premier League return

Andre Schurrle could be set to return to the Premier League with a surprise move to struggling West Brom mooted by the Mail.

The Baggies would take the Germany international on loan with Borussia Dortmund able to supplement a portion of his £140,000-a-week wages.

Fulham's Tom Cairney is another target as Alan Pardew desperately searches for inspiration in the market to make up the three points that separate themselves from safety.

Tap-ins

- Wolves, Aston Villa and Cardiff City are all in the hunt to sign Angers striker Enzo Crivelli, according to L'Equipe.

Rennes are also keen on the 22-year-old, who has just one goal in Ligue 1 this season, though he managed 10 last year.

- Inter Milan are pushing ahead with plans to sign Javier Pastore, claims Tuttosport, with the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder set to leave the French capital seven years after joining from Palermo.

The Nerazzurri require a creative edge to their attack to link the midfield with Ivan Perisic, Antonio Candreva and Mauro Icardi, and a rejuvenated Pastore could be just the man.

- Napoli want to strengthen their Scudetto challenge by acquiring Marco Politano with Di Marzio reporting that the Sassuolo forward is the priority.

The 24-year-old winger has three goals and as many assists for the Neroverdi this season. Talks are also ongoing to sign Ajax star Amin Younes in January, after already agreeing a deal with the German for him to join this summer once his contract expires.