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LIVE Transfer Talk: Man United enter race to sign Pepe

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TOP STORY: Man United enter race to sign Pepe

With Romelu Lukaku on the verge of a move to Inter Milan (if the two clubs can ever agree a fee), Manchester United are on the lookout for a new forward.

The Times reports that Lille's Nicolas Pepe is now on their list, with the French club valuing the 24-year-old at £70m.

Arsenal, Everton and Liverpool have been credited with an interest in the Ivory Coast international, while PSG and Bayern are among several clubs in Europe also reportedly keen.

United are actively targeting younger players with potential, having snapped up Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James for a combined £65m already, and are also looking to bring in a centre-back.

LIVE BLOG

23.45 BST:T hat 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!

23.10 BST: Steve Bruce has his eyes on making his first signing at Newcastle and it is a surprising one.

The Mirror writes that the Magpies are ready to go toe-to-toe with some of Europe's elite in the hopes of signing Tottenham left-back Danny Rose. The 29-year-old was left out of Spurs' preseason tour roster as he looks to seal a move away and is also being linked with PSG and Juventus.

It seems unlikely Rose would choose Newcastle ahead of glitzy clubs like Juve and PSG but then again maybe a move closer to his home (Leeds) is what Rose desires most.

22.29 BST: An update on Kieran Tierney's potential move to Arsenal.

Arsenal's bids for the Celtic left-back have proved unsuccessful so far with Celtic looking for more money up front than the £25 million Arsenal last bid for the Scot. Tierney, 22, has been a regular starter with the Hoops for the past four seasons and has been at Celtic since he was seven years old.

Will cash-strapped Arsenal up their bid for the Scot or will Celtic let Tierney go with some lucrative add-ons inserted in the contract? One thing is for sure, someone will need to blink soon if this deal is to be completed.

21.50 BST: Arsenal and Liverpool target Nabil Fekir is set to leave Lyon.

RMC Sport claims that the classy midfielder has told Lyon to accelerate his transfer (projected at £27million) to Real Betis and end his now two-year old transfer saga.

The World Cup winner was reportedly close to a £52m move to Liverpool last summer but that eventually fell through and Fekir stayed on for another season in France. Fekir. 26, took a bit of a dip production-wise season last campaign (12 goals, 9 assists) but tallied 23 goals and 8 assists in 2017-18.

21.23 BST: Multiple outlets are reporting that Man United feel they have had a breakthrough in their pursuit of Harry Maguire.

United have reportedly agreed to £80 million fee that Leicester are looking for and reports claim the signing is "imminent." The 26-year-old told Leicester he wanted to leave the club last week and the club agreed they will not prevent him from leaving if the club's financial demands are met.

Maguire would become United's third signing of the summer, joining Daniel James (initial £15m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£50m).

20.58 BST: Newly-promoted Aston Villa are reportedly close to making their ninth signing of the summer in Egyptian winger "Trezeguet."

Egyptian outlet KingFut claims that Villa have agreed to personal teams with Trezeguet (real name Mahmoud Hassan) ahead of his move from Kasimpasa to Villa Park.

The 24-year-old winger will cost Villa around £8.75 million and arrives after an impressive showing at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt.

20.27 BST: Laurent Koscielny's nine-year career at Arsenal might be nearing an end with RMC Sport claiming that the Frenchman has agreed to personal terms with Rennes.

The 33-year-old centre-back has expressed his desire to leave Arsenal and return to France but so far the club have yet to release him from the final year of his contract. If released Koscielny could be signed on a free transfer but Arsenal are keen to recoup £10 million for the veteran.

19.42 BST:The Daily Mail is reporting that RB Leipzig have agreed to a £22.5 million deal with Everton to bring Ademola Lookman back to Germany.

The 21-year-old winger is reportedly expected to have a medical in the next 48 hours, with the fee being broken down as an initial £18m plus a potential £4.5m in add-ons. Lookman has only started 14 games for the Toffees since arriving from Charlton in January 2017 but enjoyed a standout loan spell at Leipzig during the second half of the 2017-18 season, scoring five goals in 11 games.

19.09 BST: What is next for Real Madrid's Gareth Bale?

With Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane saying "we hope he [Bale] leaves soon" after Real Madrid's ICC game against Bayern Munich, the speculation that the Welshman is out at the Bernabeu has increased.

The Telegraph is reporting that one club that could provide Bale a route out is Beijing Guoan. The wealthy Chinese club have expressed interest in the 30-year-old attacker and are willing to make him the most expensive player in Chinese Super League history.

Bayern Munich, PSG and Manchester United are all supposedly interested in Bale but his £600,000-a-week wages could prove an obstacle. The other question is would Bale be open to moving to China? Rumours are he could be offered up to £1m-a-week by Beijing Guoan which would be one tough offer to turn down...

18.30 BST: Done Deal. Relegated Fulham have made their second signing of the summer, signing tricky winger Anthony Knockaert on a season-long loan from Brighton.

The 27-year-old Frenchman produced two goals and six assists in the Premier League last season for Brighton but has a proven track record in the English Championship, having won the league's Player of the Season award in 2016-17 when he scored 15 goals and added nine assists in helping Brighton win promotion.

The gifted attacker is the second winger to arrive at Craven Cottage this summer, joining Ivan Cavaleiro, as Fulham seek to bolster an attack which struggled mightily last season in the top flight.

17.45 BSTNewly promoted Turkish Super Lig club Genclerbirlig have signed Senegal international Zargo Toure from Trabzonspor.

The 29-year-old defender made 29 appearances for Trabzonspor last season as they finished fourth in the Turkish Super Lig.

17.11 BST: With it looking more and more unlikely that Man City will cave to Leicester's demands for Harry Maguire, City could turn their attention elsewhere in their search for a new centre-back.

Leicester are asking for a world-record fee for the defender (over £75m) but City look as if they will not meet Leicester's evaluation for the 26-year-old England man. Enter Le10sport who are suggesting Pep Guardiola and Co. could turn to the camp now and Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti as Plan B.

The France World Cup winner lost his starting spot during the second half of last season and reportedly could leave Barca if someone is willing to pay €60 million. The 25-year-old has been linked with Arsenal over the past six months and also has been proposed as a player that could be added by Barca to sweeten a potential deal with PSG for Neymar.

16.30 BST: Barcelona's director of football Pep Segura could be leaving the club in the next few days as part of a new revolution to the sporting structure of the club, sources have told ESPN FC.

Sporting director Eric Abidal will take on a role with even more responsibility in the new organisation alongside his assistant Ramon Planes, while former player Patrick Kluivert will return to the club having spent the past months working as Clarence Seedorf's assistant with the Cameroon national team.

15.56 BST: Chelsea right-back Reece James has impressed on loan at Wigan, with Crystal Palace keen to sign him. However, the Blues have rejected a £20m bid, according to the Daily Star.

Palace are after a replacement for Aaron Wan-Bissaka, who joined Man United for £50m, but have also been linked to Carl Jenkinson, Nathaniel Clyne and Timothy Castagne.

15.14 BST: The Independent reports that Neymar and Gareth Bale could be set to swap clubs, with the Brazilian heading to Real Madrid and Bale (plus cash) moving to PSG.

The report reads: "Sources close to the Brazilian say it has been repeatedly brought up over the last two weeks, with some momentum behind it, as he is 'desperate' to leave Paris Saint-Germain for Spain."

15.03 BST: Manchester City's Douglas Luiz won't be getting much of a chance to play next season, having been on loan at Girona for two seasons, so a £15m move to Aston Villa might suit both parties.

The Brazilian has never played a senior game for City and the Championship playoff winners are embarking on a spending spree to keep them in the Premier League. Sky Sports reports they are close to a deal.

14.23 BST: Atletico Madrid's Filipe Luis has confirmed he will join Flamengo this summer after his contract expired on July 1.

"I have been a Flamenguista since I was young," the 33-year-old said. "Leaving Atletico is not an easy decision to make, but I want to end my career in Brazil."

14.02 BST: ICYMI -- Neymar and his entourage are confident Barcelona will soon put together a strong cash-plus-players offer to entice Paris Saint-Germain into a sale, sources have told ESPN FC.

Sporting director Leonardo confirmed on Saturday that PSG haven't yet received any formal offers from Barca for their €222 million man. However, that could only be a matter of time, with super-agent Pini Zahavi -- heavily involved in discussions -- confident that the Spanish giants will soon find the money to make the deal happen.

Sources added that Barca are remaining hopeful that Neymar's relationship with the Ligue 1 giants remains frosty and that PSG will ultimately lower their demands and make an agreement more feasible.

13.37 BST: Andre Silva hasn't had much success recently and Gianluca Di Marzio reports that he's set to swap Milan for Monaco in a €30m deal.

Silva scored seven goals for Sevilla on-loan last season but only Southampton and Wolves had been showing any interest in him. The Portugal international now looks set to head to Ligue 1 to try and rebuild his career.

12.50 BST: The Daily Mirror claims that Arsenal are edging closer to loan transfer of Spain midfielder Dani Ceballos from Real Madrid.

12.09 BST: Senegal forward Ismaila Sarr had been attracting the interest of Arsenal, but it seems his future lies elsewhere.

Sky Sports reports that the 21-year-old Rennes man is in talks with Watford over a £25m transfer.

Nice winger Allan Saint-Maximin is also of interest to the Hornets for the same price, but it's unlikely they will sign both.

11.39 BST: Lys Mousset has completed a transfer from Bournemouth to Sheffield United.

11.17 BST: Bayern Munich want to sign either Leroy Sane or Ousmane Dembele and have offered defender David Alaba to Man City and Barcelona respectively as a makeweight in the deal, says Mundo Deportivo.

10.45 BST: Velez Sarsfield midfielder Thiago Almada, 18, looks set to become the latest Manchester City signing.

Of course because he's Argentine and an attacking midfielder he's the "new Lionel Messi" and worth £16m, say the Sun. They reckon he'll be signed and loaned to Sporting Lisbon for a year.

10.12 BST: Zinedine Zidane is a "disgrace" for his comments about Gareth Bale's Real Madrid situation, the player's agent has told ESPN FC.

Bale was left out of Saturday's 3-1 International Champions Cup defeat to Bayern Munich and afterwards, coach Zidane said: "We hope he leaves soon. It would be best for everyone."

The Wales international is under contract until 2022 and his agent Jonathan Barnett told ESPN FC: "Zidane is a disgrace to speak like that about someone who has done so much for Real. If and when Gareth goes it will be because it is in the best interest of Gareth and nothing to do with Zidane pushing."

09.47 BST: Winger Alex Iwobi says he could quit Arsenal if the club sign Wilfried Zaha from Crystal Palace this summer.

"I am not one to chicken out. I have had it all over the years, being told I'm not good enough," Iwobi told the Sun. "So whenever the chance comes I always try and prove I should be starting. But it's going to be difficult if Zaha comes. He will add more stress.

"I am up for the fight but the only time I would consider leaving is if I am not playing as much as I would like to. Obviously, my joy is to play football and not just sit out. If it comes to that I would have no choice but to leave. But I would always put up a fight to play -- that is what I have done all my life.

"We have big stars already, so by adding another one I'll just have to prove I can do better than them."

09.19 BST: David De Gea's new Manchester United contract is set to keep him at Old Trafford for the next six years, sources have told ESPN FC.

The Spaniard is expected to pen his new deal, worth more than £110m, before the start of the season to bring an end to 18 months of talks.

Sources said the goalkeeper, rated as one of the best in the world, has been given assurances that United remain committed to challenging for the Premier League and Champions League after a sixth-place finish last season saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side forced to settle for a place in the Europe League.

09.00 BST: Gareth Bale's time at Real Madrid is almost certainly over after head coach Zinedine Zidane revealed the club is working on transferring the 30-year-old this summer.

The Wales international was left out of Saturday's 3-1 International Champions Cup defeat to Bayern Munich in Houston and, when questioned on the reason after the game, Zidane confirmed that he felt that Bale was surplus to requirements at the club.

"Bale did not play because he is very close to leaving," Zidane said. "We hope he leaves soon. It would be best for everyone. We are working on his transfer to a new team.

"I have nothing personal against him, but there comes a time where things are done because they must be done, I have to make decisions. We have to change.

"The exit is the coach's decision, and also of the player, who knows the situation. The situation will change, I do not know if in 24 or 48 hours, but it will, and it's a good thing for everyone."

PAPER TALK (by Richard Edwards)

Spurs closing in on Sessegnon

Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon is set to snub offers from both Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund and head to Spurs, according to the 

The paper claims that Mauricio Pochettino has seen off competition from the European giants to bring the left-back/left-winger to the club's sparkling new home in London. It's the latest piece of business for a club that has already spent £65 million on Tanguy Ndombele and Jack Clarke this summer.

Now, with Fulham preparing for a season in the Championship and Spurs looking to build on a first appearance in a Champions League final, it appears the 19-year-old isn't just stalling on a new deal but is intent on earning another one at a different club.

The only stumbling block could be the fee that Spurs have to pay, with Fulham reported to be holding out for £45m for a player who has been at Craven Cottage since the age of eight.

United to face off with PSG for Bruno Fernandes

The chase for Sporting Lisbon prodigy Bruno Fernandes is well and truly on, but Manchester United are unlikely to have things their own way as they attempt to bring him to Old Trafford.

So says the Daily Mail, which reports that Paris Saint-Germain have joined the race for the 24-year-old who scored 23 goals last season. The only thing stalling this particular race so far is the monster £55m price tag that has so far put off any potential suitors.

PSG are set to offload some of their fringe players in a bid to free up space for targets such as Everton's Idrissa Gueye, but with the transfer window set to slam shut in the next few weeks, Sporting Lisbon might well be tempted to drop their asking price -- which could spark a fight for his services.

Pogba to Real back on?

Just when you thought Real Madrid's interest in Paul Pogba was waning, up pops Los Blancos boss Zinedine Zidane with a quote to send fresh hares racing.

The French midfielder is likely to command a handsome fee -- with some suggesting that United are holding out for as much as £180m for the player -- but fear not, Madridistas, Zizou has it in hand, according to The Sun.

"We have a plan with the club and we'll see what happens," said the Madrid boss.

Tap-ins

- Friday night we reported that Carl Jenkinson was being lined up to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka at Crystal Palace. Now it's a man already very familiar to Selhurst Park who appears to be primed to return to the club. The Daily Mail claims that Palace have held further talks with Nathaniel Clyne, the Liverpool full-back, who began his professional career at Palace.

Andy Carroll could be heading back to Newcastle after being released by West Ham. The Sun claims that new Newcastle boss Steve Bruce wants the 30-year-old striker.

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