With the summer transfer window now open, join us for the latest updates from across Europe. Find all completed transfers here if you're looking to catch up with the latest deals.
TOP STORIES: Barcelona's Munir to join Arsenal over Chelsea?
If there's one thing Arsene Wenger likes, it's a bargain. After splashing out £11 million on 33-year-old goalkeeper Petr Cech already, the Frenchman is probably a little dizzy and needing to sit down.
However, he still wants to reinforce his attacking options ahead of the new season. Now that Lukas Podolski has joined Galatasaray and Wenger has reportedly turned his attention to Barcelona's 19-year-old winger Munir El Haddadi. Munir is the latest in a long line of fine young prospects to take their place on the Camp Nou bench behind the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez and is keen on a move to secure some more playing time according to The Daily Express.
LIVE BLOG:
22.57 BST: That does it for today's live edition of Transfer Talk. Be sure to check back in a few hours as we start all over with the juiciest gossip from the headlines of Monday morning's tabloids.
22.46 BST: Nani is in Istanbul. It's tough to glean much more information than that, though, considering Fenerbahce's website has now crashed. Call it the Nani effect.
Luis Nani İstanbul'da |
http://t.co/0bmzTI1BmF pic.twitter.com/QEVwe5FPRu
— Fenerbahçe SK (@Fenerbahce) July 5, 2015
22.36 BST: Speculation is intensifying that Manchester City will secure Raheem Sterling's signature in a £45 million deal. Now it emerges that Sterling could be highly incentivised to make the move to the Etihad. According to the Telegraph, should Liverpool receive their full £50 million valuation, the English international would receive a £4 million cut of the agent's fees.
22.11 BST: Nottingham Forest are considering former Newcastle defender Ryan Taylor another alternative in life after St James' Park. Taylor has reportedly received a two-year contract offer from Bolton Wanderers, but the Nottingham Post reports that Forest could offer a longer-term deal.
21.42 BST: Earlier today speculation swirled that West Brom had struck a £7 million deal with Queens Park Rangers for Matty Phillips. Not so fast, says Sky Sports, who report that QPR have rejected the bid but are continuing negotiations with the West Midlands club.
21.13 BST: Manchester United have begun creating a scouting dossier on the player many have begun calling "the English Lionel Messi." According to the Star, United will closely monitor Bolton's 20-year-old Zach Clough next season, as the forward's contract concludes after the 2016-17 season.
20.54 BST: At the conclusion of last week, Chelsea were the clear favourites for the signature of Augsburg left-back Baba Rahman. But Gianluca Di Marzio's camp is now reporting that Roma have agreed personal terms with Rahman, better than those offered by Chelsea, and have submitted an €18 million offer for Augsburg's consideration. The German club reportedly value the Ghanaian at €25 million.
Roma reaches agreement with Baba, while Chelsea... http://t.co/zSZwHi3WS5
— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) July 5, 2015
20.35 BST: As Newcastle United close in on the signature of PSV Eindhoven midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, it appears as though they could be about to lose their current midfield star. According to the Newcastle Chronicle, Liverpool have expressed interest in snatching up Moussa Sissoko. The Magpies have yet to receive a formal offer for Sissoko, but Manchester United and Arsenal are both reportedly interested in addition to the Anfield outfit.
20.16 BST: Amid rumours that Tottenham have agreed an £11.5 million fee with Atletico Madrid for the permanent transfer of Toby Alderweireld, contradictory noises have begun to emanate from Southampton.
Atletico Madrid held a £1.5 million option that would cancel the £6.8 million permanent sale of Alderweireld at the expiration of his year-long loan at St Mary's. Reports have indicated that Atletico paid this option in order to sell the Belgian to the highest bidder: Tottenham.
Sources at Southampton, though, say Atletico's cancellation payment didn't arrive on time. This would mean that Alderweireld is now a Southampton player, and those sources have stated the club will explore legal options should the Belgian land elsewhere.
19.57 BST: Now that Arsenal are reportedly the preferred destination of Morgan Schneiderlin -- more on that below -- Manchester United are reportedly turning their attention to another French central midfielder. According to the Metro, United are weighing up a £10 million offer for Yohan Cabaye, who Paris Saint-Germain are eager to offload.
19.38 BST: It seems that after two years of being underwhelmed, Tottenham are prepared to cut their losses on £30 million signing Erik Lamela. According to the Metro, Spurs will send Lamela to Juventus in exchange for striker Fernando Llorente, who's scored 23 goals in 65 appearances since his move to Turin from Athletic Bilbao in 2013.
19.19 BST: After rumours circulated on Saturday that Robin van Persie had found a new club in Fenerbahce, the Dutchman's agent has denied a move is in the offing.
"If Robin had found a new club, we would have announced it. And I'm in the Netherlands right now," Van Persie's agent Kees Vos is quoted as saying in the London Evening Standard. "All I can say that tomorrow Robin will simply report at Manchester United for the first training session."
19.00 BST: The race for Toby Alderweireld's signature appears to be nearing its conclusion. According to the Guardian, Tottenham have agreed an £11.5 million fee with Atletico Madrid, and are confident of reaching an agreement with the Belgian over personal terms. Alderweireld spent last season on loan at Southampton, who remain hopeful the defender will return to St Mary's on a permanent deal
18.41 BST: Manchester United are preparing for the departure of David De Gea. It's not often that Real Madrid fail to get their man, and as they continue to posture for an agreement with United's No. 1, the Old Trafford club have begun making arrangements for their future backstop.
According to the Star, United have submitted a £25 million offer to Turkish side Galatasaray for Uruguayan international Fernando Muslera.
18.22 BST: Raheem Sterling is scheduled to report to Liverpool's opening day of preseason training on Monday, but he isn't likely to stay long. The Star reports that Manchester City are on the verge of signing the English international in a £45 million deal, having failed previously with bids of £30 million and £35 million.
18.03 BST: Liverpool will trigger Christian Benteke's buyout clause this week, according to the Sunday Express. Brendan Rodgers' side has long been linked with a move for the Belgian, but Aston Villa have insisted all summer that they would sell for no less than Benteke's £32.5 million release clause.
17.44 BST: Arsenal are the preferred destination of Morgan Schneiderlin, reports the Independent. The Southampton midfielder has reportedly told friends that he would opt for a move to North London ahead of Manchester United, citing the Gunners' settled style of play and a desire to remain in the south of England.
17.25 BST: Newcastle are reportedly nearing their first signing of the summer, in the shape of Georginio Wijnaldum, reports the Daily Telegraph. The Dutch international was left out of the PSV Eindhoven squad for a preseason friendly vs. SV DOSKO ahead of a reported £11 million switch to Tyneside.
16.48 BST: Martin Odegaard to Celtic on loan? Reports in Spain have now made their way to the Scotland on Sunday. Maybe the teenage Real Madrid sensation could be heading to the Scottish Premiership.
16.09 BST: Former Brazil and Real Madrid defender Roberto Carlos will manage the Delhi Dynamos for the upcoming season of the Indian Super League. The 42-year-old's managerial experience includes stints with Turkish sides Sivasspor and Akhisar Belediyespor.
15.37 BST: Fenerbahce have just tweeted that they expect to unveil Nani as a signing from Manchester United at 10pm local time, that's 8pm BST. Here's a picture of him on the way to his medical.
14.55 BST: Here's the full story of Milos Jojic joining Cologne from Dortmund, while there is further news that Schalke defender Felipe Santana's move to Cologne has broken down after he failed a medical.
14.21 BST: Raymond Domenech has told Hugo Lloris to leave Tottenham for a bigger club -- but suggested a transfer to Manchester United would be a sideways move. Read the full story here.
13.55 BST: DONE DEAL Another signing in Germany today as Hamburg announce a deal for Emir Spahic after his contract at Bayer Leverkusen expired.
Wir verpflichten Emir #Spahic! Nach seinem Medizincheck unterschreibt er einen 1Jahresvertrag: http://t.co/ElE60A07v0 pic.twitter.com/2GMJ8bD158
- Hamburger SV (@HSV) July 5, 2015
13.36 BST: A reminder that Manchester United winger Nani is having his medical at Fenerbache today. He could be announced as a Fener player before the day is out.
13.11 BST: It looks like Matty Phillips, who was so impressive in the second half of last season for QPR, could be heading back to the Premier League. The Sunday Mirror believes that the Rs have agreed a deal with West Brom.
12.42 BST: Aleksandar Mitrovic, Anderlecht's coveted Serbia international, seems to fancy a move to AS Roma. He told Gazzetta dello Sport: "I received an offer from Roma. I've also been shown strong interest by Benfica. Soon I'll let my decision be known. Roma are a strong, excellent team. I know Rudi Garcia and he's a great Coach."
12.19 BST: AS in Spain is reporting that Atletico Madrid were unsuccessful in a bid to sign Pedro from Barcelona.
Barcelona's Pedro, Cholo Simeone's impossible dream http://t.co/weTM1CTMfx pic.twitter.com/YtwS9Am6H7
- AS English (@English_AS) July 5, 2015
11.46 BST: DONE DEAL Cologne have announced the signing of Milos Jojic from Borussia Dortmund for an undisclosed fee.
"He can play a variety of positions on the field" Schmadtke on Jojic http://t.co/CB0wyiwQlE #effzeh pic.twitter.com/Pcp0dNrQ5Q
- 1. FC Cologne (@fckoeln_en) July 5, 2015
11.11 BST: Fenerbahce are in for Malaga goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa. "We know he wants to leave, so we have our cards in hand. Let's wait for the time and price to be right," sporting director Giuliano Terraneo revealed.
10.42 BST: Roma sporting director Walter Sabatini says Alessio Romagnoli will not be allowed to join AC Milan. "Romagnoli won't be sold, he must not be sold," he said.
10.21 BST: Another rumour coming in from the Sun on Sunday, and it's a big one for Manchester United fans. They claim that the Red Devils have now made "direct contact" with Spurs to up their interest in Harry Kane. Surely they'd never sell?
TRANSFER EXCLUSIVE Manchester United have stepped up their bid to land £40m Harry Kane http://t.co/PqtkLCXyqH pic.twitter.com/CEXjaZnsWr
- The Sun - Football (@TheSunFootball) July 5, 2015
09.49 BST: New Galatasaray signing Lukas Podolski has thanked the fans after he was unveiled in Turkey on Saturday.
It was a wonderful welcome for me. Thank you all for your support... #cimbom #galatasaray #taraftar #muhteşem #çay pic.twitter.com/zo94FJMr8v
- Lukas-Podolski.com (@Podolski10) July 5, 2015
09.26 BST: So our paper round in the early hours suggested that QPR striker Charlie Austin was waiting for Chelsea to come in for him. Bit of a different rumour over at the Sun on Sunday, who claim Premier League newboys AFC Bournemouth are ready to bid a massive £14 million!
09.15 BST: Morning everyone. Ready for another big day of transfer gossip? Stay with us for all the latest developments.
PAPER ROUND:
Man Utd enter race to sign Stoke's Begovic
After selling Cech to Arsenal, Chelsea need a new goalkeeper -- albeit one that will spend a vast amount of time watching No. 1 Thibaut Courtois impress between the sticks. But they don't seem to be getting anywhere with Stoke's Asmir Begovic.
Already, sources have told ESPN FC that the Blues have had two bids rejected -- the last of which was £8m -- for the Bosnian. But now Manchester United have come to the table. The Daily Mail report that United are looking for options should David De Gea move to Real Madrid and have now approached Stoke about Begovic. Having the likes of Chelsea and United after you must be quite nice, but the keeper is surely wondering about how much playing time he will get should he leave the Potters. Over to you Asmir.
Bayern move for Man Utd flop Di Maria
You know that feeling when you shell out a load of cash for some new trousers, but they don't quite fit. They look fine, but there's just something which stops you wearing them on the big occasions.
Man Utd manager Louis van Gaal has experienced this feeling all too well with British record signing Angel Di Maria. The winger, who looked like a world beater for most of his time at Real Madrid, has not settled to life in Manchester and now looks extremely likely to move on if there is a big offer this summer. If he recovers well from the hamstring injury that saw him limp out of the Copa America final that is.
PSG have been pointing at him in the shop window, but are yet to turn their tantalising glances into actual advances -- even though UEFA have also given them freedom from FFP -- but the French champions may now face competition from Bayern Munich.
German paper Bild reports that Pep Guardiola is sniffing around and, although Bayern are one of the best financially run clubs in the world, they are not afraid to spend big when they want to. Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery are not getting any younger and, even with the arrival of Douglas Costa, a deal could be close.
Van Gaal is a known admirer of Bastian Schweinsteiger, so don't rule out some kind of swap plus cash either. Pep might have said he's not interested, but we've heard that one before.
Liverpool look to move Fabio Borini on for Keita Balde Diao
At this rate there will be an entirely new team arriving at Anfield by the end of the transfer window. Liverpool have already snapped up the likes of James Milner, Danny Ings, Joe Gomez and Roberto Firmino, among others, but are also in dire need of a central striker.
Villa's Christian Benteke has been linked, but likely won't move for less than his £35m buyout clause, so they are turning their attentions elsewhere. And, according to his agent, 20-year-old Lazio striker Keita Balde Diao is on their list.
However, Lazio also want current Liverpool flop Fabio Borini and, according to Il Tempo, have launched a €5m bid for him. The Reds had £14m in their hands from Sunderland for the forward last summer but he rejected the move, so they won't be too happy if he does the same again and costs them a chance to land another striker as part of the deal.
Austin waiting for Chelsea to make a bid
He did well last season, but is Charlie Austin getting too big for his boots? The QPR striker bagged 18 goals as the Rs were relegated and Leicester even had a £12m bid rejected for him earlier this week.
Newcastle and West Ham are also waiting in the wings, but the Sunday People reports that Austin is hanging around until Jose Mourinho comes in for him. That seems unlikely what with Diego Costa, Loic Remy and now Falcao in the squad already. Plus, would Austin really want to be fourth choice?
Embolo tug-of-war between three clubs
The best name in today's TT surely goes to 18-year-old FC Basel striker Breel Embolo. The Cameroon-born forward has played over 50 times for his club already and is a senior international with Switzerland too.
All this means that the Premier League are going mad over the youngster with West Ham, West Brom and Tottenham all keen to secure his signature.
Tap-Ins
- It's no secret than Man City are planning to spend big now that UEFA has lifted their financial fair play (FFP) restrictions. We did report in TT on Friday that Man City would be splashing out £100m on new players. Now the Daily Star reckons that Kevin De Bruyne -- who would cost £50m on his own -- plus Raheem Sterling, Paul Pogba and Fabian Delph, that total is actually £191m. And it just keeps on rising.
Daily Star Sunday back page: Pell Stir Lift #tomorrowspaperstoday #bbcpapers #lfc #mcfc pic.twitter.com/495H6zyomL
- Nick Sutton (@suttonnick) July 4, 2015
- It's no secret that Newcastle need goals. Since the heady days of Alan Shearer, the Toon Army have been crying out for a natural goalscorer and new boss Steve McClaren has made a striker his top priority this summer. Sadly, for Newcastle fans, that extends to spending £10m on a 22-year-old Uruguayan who plays for Bordeaux: Diego Rolan. Sud Ouest report that he is on his way.
- West Ham are in need of some added bodies at the back and Slaven Bilic is apparently looking at Peru and Hoffenheim full back Luis Advincula. For his part, the defender told El Comercio that it is "nice" to be linked to the club. Bless.
- Sunderland have signed £5m Zenit St Petersburg defender Nicolas Lombaerts, according to The Sun.
- Burnley want £8m for Danny Ings' move to Liverpool according to The Daily Mirror. The club will press Liverpool to pay up before it has to go to a tribunal.