The coronavirus pandemic has made the transfer market uncertain -- and you can find out when the windows open here -- but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Chelsea eye loan move for Stones
It has already been reported that Chelsea are after Brighton & Hove Albion defender Lewis Dunk, but the Mirror has also suggested that they are looking into bringing unwanted Manchester City centre-back John Stones in on loan.
The report claims that the Blues' successful pursuit of Dunk, or vice versa, will not have an impact on their decision-making regarding Stones whatsoever.
This news comes with Frank Lampard looking to improve his team's defence, after they conceded 54 league goals this term -- the highest in the Premier League's top 10.
They are not seemingly put off by the fact the 26-year-old Stones made just 15 starts across all competitions for City during the entire 2019-20 campaign. The defender has also been linked to Arsenal this summer.
LIVE BLOG
23.00 BST: That 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!
22.28 BST: WOW! Real Sociedad have hijacked Lazio's move for David Silva and have signed the Spanish playmaker.
The 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 is back. 😍
RT 🔁 if you can't wait to see @21LVA in a @RealSociedadEN shirt! 💙#LaLigaSantander pic.twitter.com/jOlwVczwy0
The 34-year-old made his 436th and final appearance with Manchester City over the weekend and was widely expected to join Serie A's Lazio. It turns out Silva has changed his mind and signed for La Real, bringing El Mago back home to his native Spain after 10 years in England. Silva will replace Martin Odegaard in midfield for Real Sociedad, as Odegaard recently was recalled by parent club Real Madrid.
Silva , who won four Premier League titles and two FA Cups with City, finishes his Manchester City career with 77 goals and 140 assists.
21.52 BST: West Ham are willing to listen to offers for prized centre-back Issa Diop, according to Sky Sports News.
The towering Frenchman, 23, was linked with Man United last summer and is reportedly on the radar of at least two Premier League club this window. West Ham though will not budge on their £45 million evaluation of Dop, who has played 63 times for the Hammers since arriving from Toulouse for £22 million in 2018.
21.04 BST: Bayern Munich are reportedly the favourites to sign Scottish youngster Aaron Hickey.
The Scotsman writes that German champions are 'clear favourites' to sign the 18-year-old left-back, who has also been linked with Celtic, Lyon and Bologna. The youngster has less than a year remaining on his contract at Hearts and is expected to leave Edinburgh this summer.
20.17 BST: The Houston Dynamo have a new striker, the club announcing the signing of Costa Rica international Ariel Lassiter on loan with an option.
The son of former MLS Golden Boot winner Roy Lassiter, Ariel, 25, signs after a 21-goal season with Costa Rica outfit Alajuelense. Lassiter, who was a United States Under-23 , previously played three seasons for the Los Angeles Galaxy (2015-18).
19.34 BST: Newly-promoted West Brom have finalised the permanent signing of loan star Matheus Pereira from Sporting Lisbon.
The 24-year-old winger, who scored eight goals and added 16 assists last campaign, joins the Baggies full-time for a reported £9 million.
18.52 BST: Liverpool youngster Neco Williams has just penned a new five-year contract at the club.
The 19-year-old defender made 11 first-team appearances this season with the Reds and is knocking on the door for a Wales call-up.
"There is no better place to learn and to become a better player than being here," Williams told the club's website.
"We've got some of the best players in the world and we're one of the best teams in the world."
18.11 BST: Brighton and Sheffield United are two clubs chasing £14 million-rated striker Darwin Nunez, talkSport understands.
The Almeria and Uruguay forward, 21, had a breakout first season in Europe with 16 goals for the Segunda Division side. Nunez, who scored in his lone Uruguay cap to date, was bought for £7m from Penarol last summer.
17.37 BST: Arsenal have made another signing, The Athletic reporting that the London club has signed 19-year-old midfielder Tim Akinola.
Akinola signs on a free transfer, having been released last month by Huddersfield Town. The youngster ie expected to join Arsenal's U23s and is the latest low-risk, potentially high-reward signing by the club.
17.00 BST: Chelsea defender Ethan Ampadu spent last season out on loan in Germany with RB Leipzig, but is ready to fight for his place this year.
Ampadu, 19, is highly rated but hasn't forced his way into Chelsea's first-team plans as yet. He has had a number of loan offers for the 2020-21 season, reports Goal, but is keen to stay and try to break into the XI.
16.16 BST: Manchester City have announced that they will erect a statue of David Silva outside the Etihad stadium as a tribute to the player as he leaves after 10 years at the club.
City's Champions League exit to Lyon on Sunday marked his final game after he announced in June that he would leave Manchester at the end of the 2019-20 season. He won 11 trophies with the club including four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, five League Cups and three Community Shield trophies.
16.04 BST: Nigeria international midfielder John Obi Mikel has signed for Stoke.
Mikel, 33, won two Premier League titles, as well as three FA Cups, the Champions League and Europa League, during an 11-year stay at Chelsea. He left Turkish Super Lig side Trabzonspor this summer and arrives back in England on a free transfer.
Manager Michael O'Neill said: "We're delighted to bring John to the Club. His playing career speaks for itself and underlines his calibre as a player. We spent four hours talking and he made it clear he wants to get back into the Premier League and finish his career there and hopefully he can do that with Stoke City."
16.00 BST: Barcelona could have a new manager very soon. But is Ronald Koeman cut out for the job?
15.34 BST: Bayern Munich have reportedly signed Hearts full-back Aaron Hickey to a five-year deal, according to journalist Nico Schira.
Lyon had entered the race, according to the Scottish Sun, and the 18-year-old was also wanted by Aston Villa, Lazio, Manchester City and Celtic.
The youngster may have endured the pain of relegation with Hearts, but has a new future to look forward to, having already visited the training centres of Bayern and Bologna.
15.23 BST: QPR have signed Tottenham midfielder Luke Amos on a three-year contract, for an undisclosed fee.
15.09 BST: Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha wants to leave the club this summer and Paris Saint-Germain, Borussia Dortmund and Monaco want to sign him, according to Sky Sports.
14.46 BST: Barcelona's Arthur Melo has been charged with drink driving after crashing his Ferrari in Palafrugell, a coastal town in Catalonia, sources have confirmed to ESPN's Sam Marsden and Jordi Blanco.
Arthur was spotted by police at 4 a.m. on Monday morning after steering his car onto the pavement on one of the main roads into Palafrugell, which is about 130km north of the city of Barcelona.
The midfielder is due to join Juventus next season after the two clubs agreed on a deal worth up to €82m -- with Miralem Pjanic heading the other way for €65m -- but he remains a Barca player for now.
14.33 BST: Borussia Dortmund chief Hans-Joachim Watzke has reiterated the Bundesliga club do not have to sell players this summer, despite filing a €43.9m deficit for the 2019-2020 season.
"We have not been under any pressure to make any transfers and clubs had to become aware of it," the Dortmund CEO said at a news conference where the financial figures for the past season were announced.
Manchester United had been hoping to sign England winger Jadon Sancho for a fee lower than BVB's set price of €120m. But Dortmund have said they ended all talks with the Premier League club after they failed to meet an Aug. 10 deadline to come up with requested fee.
13.47 BST: Fulham are set to sign Wigan's Antonee Robinson, says the Daily Mail.
Robinson, 23, almost joined AC Milan in January before the move fell through on deadline day. The U.S. international defender has been linked with Newcastle United, Sheffield United and West Brom but is set to head to Fulham for £1.9m on a contract worth around £45,000-a-week.
13.30 BST: Would Barcelona choose its president? Or its greatest ever player?
13.07 BST: ICYMI ... some big transfer news involving a few USWNT players:
- OL Reign have acquired the rights to USWNT midfielder and 2019 World Cup winner Rose Lavelle from Washington Spirit, the club announced on Sunday.
Reign paid $100,000 in allocation money and gave up a first-round draft pick in 2022 to secure the deal. However, the agreement was made on the understanding that the 25-year-old is close to signing an agreement to play outside the NWSL for the coming season.
"Rose is an incredible talent that we believe has all the attributes to be the best player in the world. While we would have loved to have Rose join our club today, she fits perfectly into our long-term vision for the squad," OL Reign CEO Bill Predmore said. "We are willing to make the necessary short-term sacrifices, exercise the needed patience, and do whatever work is required to realise our goal of bringing Rose to OL Reign in the future."
The Athletic have reported that the 25-year-old is close to joining USWNT teammate Sam Mewis at Manchester City. Lavelle, who played in college for the University of Wisconsin and was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NWSL draft, has scored 12 goals and added seven assists in 45 appearances for the national team.
- North Carolina Courage have committed forward Lynn Williams to a new three-year deal.
Williams, who helped the national team win the 2018 and 2020 SheBelieves Cups, joined has been with the Courage since before it was rebranded from Western New York Flash. She's won the NWSL title three times and in 2016 was voted the NWSL's Most Valuable Player after becoming top scorer in the league.
- Utah Royal's Kelley O'Hara will be joining the Washington Spirit. The USWNT defender has had a tough two season with injuries: she played just 64 minutes in the 2020 Challenge Cup and managed only four games in 2019.
The 32-year-old spent five seasons with Sky Blue before joining the Royals in 2018. She has won two World Cups with the national side and gold at the London 2012 Olympics. Following the trades of O'Hara and Becky Saurebrunn to Portland Thorns, Christen Press remains the only U.S. national player left in the Royals side.
13.00 BST: Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse has signed a new five-year contract at St Mary's.
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhüttl said: "I have said before that Prowsey is a player who shows everything that Southampton Football Club is about. It is not only his story of being developed as a player here, but also the commitment and attitude he shows in his work. He was not playing so much when I arrived, but he has listened and worked on every aspect of his game, and that is why he has reached the level he is now at.
"He has a passion for the club that everybody knows about, and he is respected by everyone here. I know he is a role model for our younger players especially, and these are all reasons why he was the right choice to be a long-term captain of this team and this club. He deserves congratulations for this contract and this is very good news for our team and our club."
12.45 BST: Quique Setien's tenure as Barcelona coach is set to come to an end following Friday's humiliating 8-2 Champions League exit at the hands of Bayern Munich, according to ESPN sources.
Barca were chasing their first Champions League triumph since 2015 but, having already missed out on the La Liga title, were ruthlessly exposed by Bayern as they suffered their biggest ever European defeat. The Champions League was Barca's last chance of silverware this season after they missed out on La Liga to Real Madrid last month, but defeat means a first trophy-less season at Camp Nou since since 2007-08.
The loss was the final nail in Setien's coffin, but sources said that the decision to replace the coach had already been taken prior to the Bayern game.
ESPN reported on Friday that the overriding feeling among the Barca hierarchy is that Setien, hired in January, has failed to win the dressing room because of his relatively limited achievements as both a player and a coach.
Barca want their next appointment to be a name that garners immediate respect among the players, with Mauricio Pochettino, Ronald Koeman and Xavi Hernandez among the early front runners for the role.
12.22 BST: Barcelona could offload Luis Suarez this summer, with his former club Ajax keen on signing him says Uruguayan TV outlet Teledoce.
Suarez played for the Dutch club before moving to Liverpool in 2011 and, with the 33-year-old's current contract expiring in 2021, he has attracted attention from MLS clubds and Qatar side Al-Arabi.
The Uruguay striker scored 111 goals in 159 matches for Ajax, so it's no wonder they're keen to get him back.
11.37 BST: Man United's defeat to Sevilla showed they have some work to do this summer.
11.04 BST: Bayer Leverkusen are sticking to their £90m price for midfielder Kai Havertz, reports the Evening Standard.
Sources have told ESPN's James Olley that Chelsea are reluctant to meet that asking price and the Blues have been confident for some time they can agree a fee in the region of £70-£75m.
Technical and performance advisor Petr Cech is playing an active role in discussions, with Havertz keen on a move to Stamford Bridge and Leverkusen increasingly resigned to losing the 21-year-old after they were knocked out of the Europa League.
10.31 BST: Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany has retired from football to take over full-time as Anderlecht manager.
Vincent devient l'entraîneur principal du RSC Anderlecht. En dat voor de volgende 4 seizoenen. Il arrête sa carrière de joueur et prend le relais de Franky. 🟣⚪ pic.twitter.com/n0ALn0udJl
— RSC Anderlecht (@rscanderlecht) August 17, 2020
10.26 BST: USMNT and Colorado Rapids winger Jonathan Lewis is attracting plenty of interest from teams in the Championship, sources have told ESPN's Tom Hamilton.
Barnsley opened with a bid in the region of £400,000, sources said, but the MLS side have turned this down.
Lewis, who scored twice in the MLS is Back tournament, has a British passport which eliminates any potential work permit problems. He has won six caps for the USMNT and started his career at Bradford City before making the switch to New York City FC in 2017. He then moved to Colorado in 2019.
10.05 BST: Is Lionel Messi really going to leave Barcelona?
09.27 BST: Real Madrid don't have money to spend on signings this summer, but longer-term they're keen to bring in a defender, with Diario AS reporting that RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano is their No. 1 target.
Coach Zidane is a fan of the 21-year-old centre-back, who impressed against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last week. Upamecano recently signed a contract extension until 2023 with a release clause of just €45m.
ESPN has previously reported Madrid's interest in another centre back, Sevilla's Jules Kounde, but speaking after the club's Europa League semi final win over Manchester United, he said he has no plans for a move in the short term.
"I'm staying next year, I'm really happy here," he said. "We're going to enjoy the Champions League, I'm not looking elsewhere. I want to stay here."
There could be a defensive vacancy in the Real Madrid squad if veteran defender Nacho Fernandez is allowed to leave, with Portuguese newspaper A Bola claiming he's a target for Benfica. Nacho, 30, played a reduced role for Madrid this season making just four starts in La Liga.
Another likely Bernabeu departure this summer is forward Brahim Diaz, with both Real Betis and Getafe interested in a loan move, according to Mundo Deportivo. The former Manchester City youngster has struggled for game time since joining Madrid in January 2019.
09.12 BST: James Rodriguez has admitted he doesn't know where his future lies as Real Madrid look for a buyer for the out-of-favour midfielder.
"I'd like to know where I'm going too," the 29-year-old told the Daniel Habif podcast. "It could be days or weeks until I know where I'm going. I really don't know. I want to go where I can play, where I'm happy."
Rodriguez, left out of Zinedine Zidane's squad in recent weeks at his own request, has a year left on his contract at the Bernabeu.
"[Zidane] has his preferences for certain players and that's respectable. I don't get involved in that," he said. "When you see you don't get the same opportunities as your teammates it's difficult ... (this season) is one of the biggest disappointments of my career."
08.52 BST: Tottenham are set to sign former England goalkeeper Joe Hart on a free transfer, sources have told ESPN's James Olley.
Hart, 33, is available on a free transfer after leaving Burnley and is willing to join Spurs as a backup to Hugo Lloris. Sources said that talks are at an advanced stage over a two-year contract and Hart could undergo a medical within the next 48 hours.
- Tottenham have some work to do in the transfer market if they are to compete next season. Gab Marcotti and Mark Ogden assess their squad here.
08.23 BST: Lazio face competition from Valencia to sign Real Madrid striker Borja Mayoral, according to Sky Italia.
Valencia have reportedly joined the race to sign the 23-year-old by making a €15m offer to Madrid. Lazio had reached personal terms with the Spaniard but had yet to find an agreement with the La Liga champions and, with negotiations between the two clubs having slowed down, Valencia have entered the race to acquire Mayoral.
Mayoral, whose contract with Madrid expires in June 2021, has spent the last two seasons on loan at Levante.
08.00 BST: Inter Milan full-back Valentino Lazaro is set to return to the Bundesliga and join Borussia Monchengladbach on a one-year loan with a view to permanent transfer, kicker reports
Lazaro, 24, left Germany in 2019 when he made the move from Hertha Berlin to Inter Milan. However, in January he joined Premier League club Newcastle United on loan. He is now set to end the Italian chapter of his career and reunite with his former FC Salzburg coach Marco Rose at Gladbach.
Gladbach will have the option to make the transfer permanent and sign the Austria international for a fee in the region of €20m.
PAPER TALK (by Danny Lewis)
Concern for Juventus in Aouar pursuit
Juventus are keen on the idea of signing Lyon midfielder Houssem Aouar, reports Calciomercato.
It is stated that Juve have been monitoring him for a couple of seasons, though they now fear they could be beaten to his signature after a string of impressive recent performances, as was the case with Corentin Tolisso, who signed for Bayern Munich from Lyon in 2017.
The Old Lady still want to sign the Frenchman, but with Lyon's asking price of €70m being out of their reach, as well as competition being offered by Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur, this move might not come off.
If they are able to complete a transfer, their trend of signing a player from the club that knocked them out of the Champions League will continue, after they brought in Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid and Matthijs de Ligt from Ajax in the past two years.
Cavani finally closing in on a move
Edinson Cavani's future has been up in the air for some time now, but Le Parisien are reporting that he could soon complete a move to Benfica.
The Uruguayan left Paris Saint-Germain, who are preparing for a Champions League semifinal against RB Leipzig, upon the end of his contract and has been linked with various clubs, including Atletico Madrid and Leeds United, since.
It is now being suggested that the 33-year-old will be joining Benfica for a spell lasting either two or three seasons.
The two parties are said to be close in their stance over the coming days, so the Portuguese giants might be set to add Cavani to their ranks, having already signed former Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen.
Tap-ins
- Leeds United are monitoring Molde midfielder Fredrik Aursnes, according to the Sun. It is claimed that it would take £5m to prise the 24-year-old away from the club that helped to develop Erling Haaland. The Lilywhites will face competition from French side Toulouse in their pursuit of his signature.
- Portuguese outlet A Bola is suggesting that Nacho Fernandez is set to leave Real Madrid this transfer window. It claims that Benfica and Valencia are the two clubs showing the most interest, with the former being the Spain international's likely destination. The 30-year-old managed just six starts in all competitions this term, and a move for him is not predicted to require any more than €10m.
- Queens Park Rangers have agreed a £2m fee with Livingston for striker Lyndon Dykes, according to the Mail. The club reportedly expect to lose Eberechi Eze to a Premier League club this summer and have targeted the Australian 24-year-old, who is yet to be capped by the Socceroos, as a replacement.