The football world is awash with gossip! Transfer Talk is monitoring the whispers ahead of all the summer moves. Check out the latest deals and potential deals here.
TOP STORY: PSG close to paying £196 million for Neymar
Marco Verratti, Ousmane Dembele and Kylian Mbappe will be targeted by Barcelona if they lose Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, according to the Daily Mail.
A second report in the same outlet claims that Manchester United and Chelsea were interested in the Brazil international but withdrew due to the size of his reported £196 million asking price.
The Guardian claims that PSG are growing more confident about their chances of bringing Neymar to France, with the player’s father due to hold discussions with the club. However, having missed out on signing him last summer from a similar situation, they remain cautious about circumstances changing suddenly.
Alvaro Morata to Chelsea for £58 million
The Telegraph reports that Chelsea have landed Alvaro Morata for an initial fee of £58 million. That’s almost £20 million less than Romelu Lukaku eventually cost Manchester United and at least £10 million less than the Spain striker was reportedly set to cost for a move to Old Trafford.
That figure breaks Chelsea’s club record, which previously stood at £50 million for Fernando Torres. Marca adds that Morata trained away from the rest of the Real Madrid squad in the U.S. as the finer points of his move to the Premier League were ironed out. He is set to travel to London to complete the deal in the coming hours.
The Mirror claims that having landed Morata, a move that was pushed through by Antonio Conte, Chelsea will look to take their summer spending over the £150 million mark by pursuing further targets to reinforce their defence and midfield.
Ross Barkley wants to play for Mauricio Pochettino
Mauricio Pochettino is the man behind Ross Barkley‘s desire to join Tottenham, the London Evening Standard says. Having heard glowing reports about the Spurs coach from Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Eric Dier while on international duty with England, the Everton midfielder is keen to play under him.
But should a move to Tottenham not materialise, Manchester United could make a late play, according to the Mirror.
They report that Jose Mourinho currently has other issues to address in the transfer market, but he is known to admire the 23-year-old and would be happy to bring him to Old Trafford if he could land him for less than £20 million.
Tap-ins
— Having lost out on Dani Alves to Paris Saint-Germain last week, Manchester City look set to pull a similar move on Chelsea by gazumping them in the race for Danilo. The Guardian reports that the Real Madrid defender will arrive for a fee of £26.5 million, which would take their summer spend on right-backs alone to £76.5 million.
— Everton will step up their interest in Olivier Giroud now that the Arsenal striker’s hopes of joining Borussia Dortmund appear to be over. The Telegraph reckons that Giroud was keen to replace Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Dortmund next season, but now that he is staying put, Everton will make a move for the £20 million-rated France international.
— The Daily Mail says Leicester will sign Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho for £20 million upon their return from a preseason trip to Hong Kong early next week. It is reported that the transfer is already at an advanced stage, with a fee and personal terms agreed.
— Everton have had a bid that could be worth more than £6 million accepted for 17-year-old Newcastle defender Lewis Gibson, the Liverpool Echo reports, and hope to beat Tottenham and Southampton among others to his signing.
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