The transfer market has geared up as teams prepare for beginning of their seasons. Here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Arsenal interested in Bayern's Thiago
Arsenal have made a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, the Daily Mail reports.
For the last few weeks it has seemed certain that Thiago would be making his way over to Anfield to join Liverpool, and with one year left on his deal, Bayern are eager to sell. The Spain international won't sign a new contract at Bayern and is keen on a move to the Premier League.
However, sources told ESPN in July that the Premier League champions would only likely to enter the transfer market if a significant member of Jurgen Klopp's squad leaves, with Georginio Wijnaldum's future in doubt.
So Arsenal have spied a gap, though if they want to get a transfer over the line the Gunners will need Bayern to lower their £23 million asking price for the 29-year-old -- and they could also be forced to sell Mohamed Elneny and Lucas Torreira as well.
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22.46 BST: Jordan Veretout is central to Paulo Fonseca's plans for fixing AS Roma following a disappointing 2019-20 campaign, but Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Napoli have harboured serious interest in the 27-year-old midfielder for several years now and may be able to tempt the Giallorossi into considering a sale with an offer of €25m.
22.09 BST: As AC Milan look for a central defender to pair with Alessio Romagnoli (in addition to Simon Kjaer), 22-year-old Nikola Milenkovic of Fiorentina could be the perfect fit, according to Corriere dello Sport. However, La Viola's €40m valuation could prove problematic as the Florence club are unwilling to accept any players in exchange for their prize defender.
21.32 BST: While RB Leipzig hope to extend the loan of Angelino for another season, parent club Manchester City would prefer to sell the 23-year-old left-back outright, valuing him at €30m, according to Catalan outlet Sport. The report also states that Barcelona are interested in the player, but City's asking price is too rich for the cash-strapped Blaugrana.
20.55 BST: Hertha Berlin paid €25m for Krzysztof Piatek in January but could already be persuaded to part with the 25-year-old forward, as Gazzetta dello Sport writes that Fiorentina have identified the former AC Milan and Genoa man as the ideal candidate to help fortify their attack.
20.18 BST: After his move to Benfica fell apart, and with Diego Costa potentially moving to Lisbon instead, free agent and former Paris Saint-Germain forward Edinson Cavani may yet join Atletico Madrid after all, Mundo Deportivo cites AS as reporting, after so nearly moving to the Wanda Metropolitano in January.
19.41 BST: New AS Monaco manager Niko Kovac wants free agent and former Borussia Dortmund creator Mario Gotze to join him in Ligue 1, Le10 Sport writes.
19.04 BST: Inter have a €35m agreement with Brescia to sign 20-year-old midfield prodigy Sandro Tonali, according to Gazzetto dello Sport, which adds that should Antonio Conte remain in charge of the Nerazzurri -- far from a given at this stage - he will insist on further revamping of his engine room by means of recruiting either Chelsea's N'Golo Kante or Tottenham's Tanguy Ndombele.
18.27 BST: The Telegraph reports that former head of football Raul Sanllehin had led Arsenal's talks with Real Madrid to keep Dani Ceballos on loan in North London for another season, but with his dismissal last week, AC Milan are looking to take advantage of the interruption in negotiations to persuade the 24-year-old midfielder to move to the San Siro instead.
17.50 BST: After their deal to sign free agent Edinson Cavani fell apart over the former Paris Saint-Germain striker's wage demands, Benfica are looking for a new striker. And AS, and countless other outlets, cite Portuguese outlet A Bola as reporting that Atletico Madrid front man Diego Costa is the Lisbon club's Plan B. The 31-year-old has a year remaining on his contract in the Spanish capital, making him potentially available, but just as was the case with Cavani, wages could prove a stumbling block.
17.13 BST: As Juventus look to find a way to offload Gonzalo Higuain and the final year of his contract that pays him €13m gross, the 32-year-old Argentina international has made the club aware that if he's to leave, his desire is to go to Major League Soccer, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. Older brother Federico Higuain has played in the North American league for eight years, now plying his trade for D.C. United.
16.36 BST: Former Man United defender Patrice Evra has revealed he and Cristiano Ronaldo played a part in the club signing Bruno Fernandes from Sporting Lisbon in January.
"When they wanted to sign Bruno Fernandes, Ole texted me," he told the Guardian. "I asked for advice from Cristiano Ronaldo. Cristiano says: 'Bruno's a good guy and very professional.' I say: 'Ole, I've spoken with Cristiano. Let's go for it.'
"And Fernandes had a massive impact. Without him I don't think we would have qualified for the Champions League."
16.02 BST: Sheffield United defender Phil Jagielka and midfielder Jack Rodwell have signed new one-year contracts at the club.
"Phil is a valuable and respected member of the squad," said manager Chris Wilder. "The same applies with Jack, who offered us versatility and gave us options within the group during the second half of last term."
15.40 BST: Wolves rate Morgan Gibbs-White highly and the young midfielder is set to join Swansea City on loan, says the Telegraph.
Gibbs-White, 20, was part of the successful England team at the U17 World Cup in 2017 and played 16 times for Wolves but needs more regular first-team action.
15.14 BST: Tuttosport reports that Barcelona will turn to Juventus forward Paulo Dybala as a replacement for Lionel Messi if he departs the club.
Messi's doubts about his future at Camp Nou have generated an internal debate among the Barcelona board. New manager Ronald Koeman has publicly said he wants to build the team around Messi, and sources have told ESPN that the board's stance is that they want to keep him, but some directors said that they would be prepared to listen to offers that would allow Koeman to reconstruct the team at the same time as reducing the wage bill.
For the moment, no one has dared put a price on Messi's head, and the club continue to point to his €700m release clause -- although he would be allowed to leave for free next summer if he doesn't sign new terms before then.
Dybala has been linked with Manchester United and Tottenham in recent years, as he has been unable to agree an extension to his contract (which ends in 2022), but the 26-year-old Argentine is seen as a perfect replacement for his fellow countryman.
14.30 BST: Arsenal defender Ainsley Maitland-Niles is of interest to Everton, Wolves and Newcastle, says the BBC.
Maitland-Niles, 22, has been with the Gunners since he was six and made 32 appearances for the first XI last season.
However, the versatile England Under-21 international is deemed surplus to requirements by Mikel Arteta and the club would reportedly accept around £20m to move him on.
13.36 BST: Aston Villa want to celebrate staying the Premier League by signing Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard for £30m, says the Sun.
Edouard, 22, scored 28 goals last season and has been linked with Arsenal, Crystal Palace and Leicester.
12.44 BST: ICYMI - Chelsea are closing in on a deal to sign Leicester City defender Ben Chilwell after the Midlands club finally dropped their £80m valuation, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.
12.15 BST: Two bits of Italian transfer gossip from Gianluca Di Marzio.
- Former Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina is set to join Lazio. The 37-year-old spent last season on loan at Aston Villa from AC Milan but is now heading back to Serie A.
- Napoli forward Jose Callejon is in talks to join Villarreal as a free agent after seven years with the club.
11.57 BST: Manchester United remain determined to sign Jadon Sancho from Borussia Dortmund this summer, but an inability to agree personal terms with the player and negotiate an agent fee with his representative is holding up any deal with the German club, sources have told ESPN's Mark Ogden.
And now the Daily Express reports that United could walk away from negotiations over the 20-year-old and wait a year.
11.15 BST: Wolves winger Adama Traore could be sold, says the Mirror, as the club have to raise funds if they want to sign new players.
Traore, 24, has attracted interest from Liverpool and Sevilla's Lucas Ocampos is being eyed up as his potential replacement, according to Sky Sports.
The 26-year-old Argentina international knocked Wolves out of the Europa League quarterfinals with a late goal last week. So they'll know all about him at least.
10.46 BST: Finding a good player on a free transfer is like goldust this summer and 21-year-old Malang Sarr is attracting a lot of attention after leaving Lille.
Sarr, a tough tackling defender, is on the radar of both Arsenal and Barcelona, according to the Daily Mail.
No surprise, given the limited finances at both clubs' disposal.
10.08 BST: Antonio Conte will discuss his future with Inter Milan owners on Tuesday, according to Sky Italia.
The report says that Inter have not yet contacted Massimiliano Allegri, who is the main candidate to replace Conte should the former Chelsea manager leave the Nerazzurri after just one season in charge.
Inter lost 3-2 to Sevilla in the Europa League final on Friday and, after the game, Conte admitted he will take some time to think about his future ahead of next season.
The club finished second in the Serie A standings, one point adrift of champions Juventus. Conte, who has a contract until June 2022, has reportedly fallen out with the Inter hierarchy and is expected to leave by mutual consent.
Allegri took over from Conte when the latter left Juventus in the summer of 2014 to take over Italy's national team. The 53-year-old has been out of a job since leaving Juve last summer after five seasons in charge.
09.50 BST: Sevilla coach Julen Lopetegui wants Real Madrid left-back Sergio Reguilon to continue at the club next season.
Reguilon capped off a great campaign while on loan at Sevilla by lifting the Europa League trophy on Friday.
"Reguilon has grown a lot and he is now better than he was when he first arrived here," Lopetegui told Onda Cero radio. "I hope he can continue with us."
The 23-year-old scored three goals and set up five more in 38 appearances for Sevilla, 35 as a starter, to attract interest of big European clubs.
Chelsea, Arsenal and Napoli are interested in signing Reguilon, who is tied to Real Madrid until June 2023. Real are reportedly considering selling the Spaniard for €25m this summer but will include a buy-back clause in the deal.
09.13 BST: Former Barcelona star Ronaldo Nazario says allowing Lionel Messi to leave the club is not the solution to Barcelona's problems.
Messi is tied to Barcelona until June 2021 and has not signed a contract extension, leading to speculation that the Argentina captain could leave following a difficult season.
"Messi is the team reference and if I were Barcelona, I wouldn't let him go in any case," Ronaldo said during an interview with Banco Santander: "He has a great relationship with the club and I don't think he is no longer in love with the team. It's very unlikely that Messi will leave Barcelona."
The Real Valladolid president then joked: "If were Messi, I would leave Barcelona and would play for one season voluntarily at Valladolid."
Ronaldo also spoke about Luis Suarez. The Uruguay striker recently spoke of his intention to remain at Barcelona amid reports the club wants to sell him this summer. "He continues to be one of the best No. 9s there is and he has the level to play like that for many years," Ronaldo said.
08.30 BST: Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has left the door open to continue at the club next season.
Silva, 35, becomes a free agent after Sunday's Champions League final against Bayern Munich and Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign the Brazilian defender, sources have told ESPN's James Olley, with Fiorentina also keen.
"I'm very calm and very happy with what's happened here," he said. "If this is my last game, it will be a joyful one for me. I'm going to give my all to this club. If I had the option to continue, people will sit down and see what the best thing is but the most important thing is that PSG is making history."
PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)
Barca face big bill for Everton's Richarlison
Barcelona will need to pay a huge fee to secure the signing of Everton star Richarlison, the Mirror reports.
The Brazilian forward was the subject of a £100m bid from Barca in the January transfer window, but it reportedly didn't meet the valuation that the Toffees had set. Now, Everton are happy to do business for Richarlison so long as Barcelona are ready to pay £143m.
Carlo Ancelotti is clearly trying to build something special at Goodison Park, but he'll have to decide just how important the 23-year-old is to his operation.
Palhinha close to Wolves?
Wolverhampton Wanderers could be close to agreeing on the loan signing of Sporting CP star Joao Palhinha, Birmingham Live reports.
Wolves are in need of a few more bodies ahead of the new Premier League season, and Sporting midfielder Palhinha could be exactly what they're looking for.
After coming back from a loan stint with Braga, Palhinha has been heavily linked with a switch to Molineux.
Tap-ins
- The Daily Mail reports that Rodrigo is interested in a switch to Premier League newcomers Leeds United. The level of interest between the two has been well documented, but with how things are going for me right now, it appears as if Leeds could offer upwards of around £30m between now and the end of the season.
- West Ham United have rejected a bid from Norwich City for forward Jordan Hugill, also from the Daily Mail. The interest in Hugill from the Canaries has been well known for a few weeks now yet, while a deal may have initially looked likely, the offer of £3m with an additional £2m in add-ons seemingly wasn't good enough for the Hammers to accept.