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Transfer Talk: Liverpool to trigger Betis youngster Firpo's £45m release clause

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TOP STORY: Firpo to bolster Liverpool's back line?

Liverpool could make Junior Firpo their first signing of the summer to replace Alberto Moreno, Spanish publication Sport reports.

Andrew Robertson's brilliant form last season meant chances for Moreno, who has been linked with a move away from the Champions League winners, were few and far between.

Should he depart, Jurgen Klopp's side will be lacking for cover at left-back -- and that could be where Firpo comes in.

The 22-year-old Real Betis defender has a £45 million release clause in his contract, and the report says Liverpool are ready to trigger it.

LIVE BLOG

22.27 BST: We'll close Friday's live edition of Transfer Talk with some news on Arsenal's search for a centre-back. Unai Emery is keen to be reunited with Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe, the Independent cites French outlet Le 10 Sport as reporting, with the 23-year-old potentially being pushed out of the Parc des Princes by the potential arrival of Matthijs de Ligt. The £35m asking price, however, could prove problematic for the North London club, who reportedly will operate with a shoestring transfer budget this summer.

21.40 BST: Paris Saint-Germain have tabled a €55m offer for Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, according to Calciomercato, which falls some way short of the Roman club's valuation. It also adds that Corriere dello Sport has reported that should Juventus be unsuccessful in their attempts to bring Paul Pogba back to Turin, they could turn their attention to the 24-year-old Serbia international.

20.53 BST: Atletico Madrid are targeting Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin and intend to tempt Unai Emery into selling the former Barcelona academy graduate by offering Emery's former charge at Sevilla Vitolo, writes the Telegraph.

20.06 BST: Tottenham are prepared to sell full-back Kieran Trippier for £25m and are bracing for an offer from Juventus, the Telegraph reports. The funds raised by the sale of Trippier -- as well as potentially Christian Eriksen, Danny Rose and Toby Alderwiereld -- would be used to finance Spurs' forays into the market, where they've targeted Tanguy Ndombele, Nicolo Zaniolo, Donny van de Beek and Ryan Sessegnon.

19.19 BST: Manchester City are "confident" they will complete a deal for Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodri "swiftly," according to the Evening Standard, as Pep Guardiola appears to finally have his long-term successor to Fernandinho in City's engine room.

18.32 BST: Told his transfer funds will total just £100m this summer, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has instructed the Manchester United board to sell Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, the Star writes, with the expected £200m-plus raised by their departures trebling the Red Devils' budget ahead of what's expected to be an intensive rebuild this summer at Old Trafford.

17.45 BST: Yesterday, Sport reported that Neymar had told Paris Saint-Germain that he had no intention of playing for the club again, and the Mail has followed that up today with the French champions' reply: "You're not going anywhere," the headline reads, and add that PSG will not sell the 27-year-old at any price.

16.58 BST: Sky Sports reports that Manchester United would consider offers of £75m for forward Romelu Lukaku. The report suggests that Inter are interested in the Belgium international, but with a financial fair play settlement hanging over their heads until the end of the month, they're unlikely to make their move before July. And with a FFP slap on the wrist still fresh in their mind, they'll need to raise some £30m to afford Lukaku, which could lead to the Italian club selling Mauro Icardi, who they've so far not received any offers for.

16.11 BST -- DONE DEAL: Stewart Downing has joined Blackburn Rovers on a free transfer after his release by fellow Championship club Middlesbrough. Former England international Downing has signed a contract until June 2020.

15.10 BST -- DONE DEAL: A completed transfer from Germany, where Stuttgart have signed goalkeeper Fabian Bredlow from Nurnberg on a deal that runs until the summer of 2022.

14.35 BST: Arsenal's Laurent Koscielny has got a two-year contract offer from Lyon, according to Footmercato.

The report claims Koscielny is keen on a return to France in the twilight of his career and, at 33, he might not get a better offer. However, the Gunners will need a replacement and are tracking Torino's Armando Izzo and William Saliba from Saint-Etienne. They'll also need a new club captain.

14.06 BST: Colombia striker Luis Muriel has completed an €18m move to Atalanta from Sevilla.

13.59 BST: Real Madrid's Colombia winger James Rodriguez has said his focus is only on the Copa America amid reports he could join Napoli. "Right now I'm only focusing on the national team," James told reporters. "Napoli is a club that has a lot of history, but right now I'm thinking about Colombia. Later on I will have time to think about my future."

13.23 BST: Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of midfielder Marcos Llorente from city rivals Real. The 24-year-old has signed a five-year deal.

12.43 BST: Inter Milan would need to sell Mauro Icardi in order to buy Manchester United striker Romelu Lukaku, according to the Guardian, which reports that Juventus are currently the only club interested in £60m-rated Icardi.

12.14 BST: Back on the managerial side of the fence, Chelsea expect to finalise the appointment of Frank Lampard as their new boss next week, sources have told ESPN FC.

Lampard has been identified by club owner Roman Abramovich as the preferred choice to take over from Maurizio Sarri, unveiled as the new Juventus coach on Thursday.

11.17 BST: A new contract at Aston Villa, where goalkeeper Jed Steer has signed a four-year deal that keeps him at Villa Park until 2023.

10.45 BST: Transfer market troubles for Arsenal? Maybe, says the London Evening Standard, which reports that the Gunners "are having to reassess their options in attempting to sign a winger as potential deals for Dalian Yifang's Yannick Carrasco and Bournemouth's Ryan Fraser have stalled."

10.17 BST: Reports say that Everton, having already agreed a permanent deal to sign Andre Gomes, one of their loan stars last season, from Barcelona, now want to do the same with Chelsea defender Kurt Zouma after his successful spell at Goodison Park.

09.56 BST: To Spain again, where Diario AS reports that Leganes want to sign full-back Marc Navarro on loan from Watford. It says the player is keen to return to La Liga.

09.24 BST: Chelsea have welcomed former goalkeeper Petr Cech back to Stamford Bridge in the role of technical and performance adviser.

Cech will assume some of the responsibilities once held by Michael Emenalo, who resigned as Chelsea technical director in November 2017 and was not replaced.

09.19 BST: Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Dutch defender Mike van Beijnen, the son of Frenkie de Jong's agent Ali Dursun.

Van Beijnen, 20, has signed a two-year deal and will link up with Barca B for preseason. His release clause has been fixed at €100m. He has previously represented NAC Breda, PSV Eindhoven and Willem II, where he played alongside De Jong at youth level.

Barca beat Paris Saint-Germain to the signing of Ajax's De Jong in January following negotiations with Van Beijnen's father, Dursun. The Netherlands midfielder will be officially presented at the start of July after Barca and Ajax agreed an initial fee of €75m.

08.54 BST: All signs have been pointing to Neymar leaving Paris Saint-Germain and rejoining Barcelona in the summer, but could agent Karim Benzema be working on a move to Real Madrid for the Brazil star?

Sources have told ESPN FC this week that Barcelona believe a deal is "doable," while PSG are open to selling the world's most expensive player after just two years in the French capital.

Now Madrid striker Benzema has fuelled talk of a change of course for the Bernabeu by posting a picture with Neymar on his Instagram, with the hashtag "#Cracks" ("#Superstars").

Or, alternatively, the France international merely found himself in the same spot as his Brazilian counterpart while in Paris and wanted to mark the occasion. Still, they look very happy together.

View this post on Instagram

Nueve / Neyney #Cracks

A post shared by Karim Benzema (@karimbenzema) on

08.27 BST: Manchester City are on the verge of signing veteran Spanish goalkeeper Asier Riesgo, according to Marca.

Riesgo's contract with La Liga side Eibar ends on June 30 and the 35-year-old will sign a one-year deal to become City's third-choice keeper. He was Eibar's No. 2 last season and, according to Marca, will double his wages at City.

As part of the deal, the Spaniard could become a goalkeeping coach at City's academy when he retires. Key to the move is Xabi Mancisidor, City's goalkeeping coach, who knows Riesgo after working with him at Real Sociedad.

08.00 BST: Aaron Wan-Bissaka is finding his prospective move to Manchester United "difficult to cope with," England under-21 coach Aidy Boothroyd believes.

Crystal Palace right-back Wan-Bissaka is with the England squad at the European U21 Championship, where he scored an own goal in Tuesday's defeat to France. Sources have told ESPN FC that Palace are becoming frustrated with the way United are handling the talks over a potential £50-60m deal.

Speaking ahead of England U21s' match against Romania on Friday, Boothroyd was quoted as saying in the Telegraph: "I could dodge it by saying 'You have to ask him that,' but I won't.

"I think when you are nearly going to move and all the things that would go through an older person's head, who is more experienced in life, it would be difficult for them to cope with.

"For a young player who all he knows is Crystal Palace academy, Crystal Palace first team. it would be daft not to say that in some way he must think about it. I would not be truthful if I told you anything other than that."

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PAPER TALK (by Steve Wright): Costa tells United he's not interested

Juventus forward Douglas Costa has said he is happy to stay at the Serie A side amid speculation that he would be moving to Manchester United, the Express reports.

Should Costa end up at Old Trafford, however, it is likely that he would be part of a player-plus-cash deal with Paul Pogba going the other way.

However, the 28-year-old left his immediate future up in the air when he responded to the subject of playing in the Premier League by saying: "Maybe one day. But I don't think I will leave now. I have three more years at Juventus.

"Right now, I do not have any option to get out of Juventus. We have a new coach and I look forward to working with him."

Destination Manchester (City) for Maguire?

Manchester City may be set to intercept rivals United with the acquisition of Harry Maguire from Leicester, according to according to the Mirror.

United's interest in the England international has been widely reported in recent weeks, but now their neighbours look ready to act fast with a £65m bid.

With Vincent Kompany leaving the Premier League champions to return to Anderlecht, Pep Guardiola is keen to fill the gap.

City's record signing is £60m Riyad Mahrez, formerly of Leicester, last summer, so should they meet the Foxes' valuation for Maguire, he will become their most expensive player.

Tap-ins

- Manchester United are expected to get a £60m deal for Crystal Palace full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka across the line, with the clubs scheduled to meet before the end of the week, the the Mail reports.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been targeting the 21-year-old for some time, and a move should finally be completed in the coming days.

- The Telegraph says Tottenham Hotspur have held talks with Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes. The 24-year-old Portugal international is also on Manchester United's radar, and is likely to leave for around £45m.