Euro 2020 and the Copa America are over and the summer transfer window is open, leaving Europe's biggest clubs clear to make a splash in the market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Liverpool offer Shaqiri, Origi for Saul
Liverpool are preparing to offer Atletico Madrid two players plus cash to tempt Atletico Madrid to transfer Saul Niguez to Anfield, according to the Daily Express.
The report states that Xherdan Shaqiri and Divock Origi will be made available to the Spanish capital club, with Jurgen Klopp keen to move on a number of players before adding another marquee signing to the squad. The reigning La Liga champions would be prepared to listen to offers in the region of £42 million.
On Wednesday, sources told ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens that Barcelona were interested in a swap deal that would see Antoine Griezmann return to Los Colchoneros in exchange for Saul, but Liverpool's interest could now see either club reveal their hand in the negotiations.
Saul graduated from Atletico's academy in 2010 and eventually became a regular feature in the first team, making 33 appearances last season as manager Diego Simeone led the club to the second league title of his tenure.
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21.24 BST: More news from AS Roma, where there are four players whose futures appear to lie outside the Italian capital, according to Gazzetta dello Sport.
Justin Kluivert spent last season on loan at RB Leipzig and has drawn interest from Nice, where he could join on another loan with an option to make the move permanent - which could become an obligation should certain conditions be met. Alessandro Florenzi was at Paris Saint-Germain for last season, and he could move to Internazionale if Jose Mourinho deems him surplus to requirements. Robin Olsen was at Everton on loan in 2020-21, and now is being lined up to join Ligue 1 champions Lille on another temporary move with an obligation to become permanent.
Finally, there's Javier Pastore. The 32-year-old playmaker has made just 30 appearances since joining the Giallorossi as a free agent in 2018, and could now move on to AS Monaco.
20.27 BST: Barcelona manager Ronaldo Koeman has no plans for midfielder Miralem Pjanic this summer, just 12 months after the convoluted transfer that saw him arrive from Juventus in exchange for Arthur, and the Catalan club are looking to find a new home for the Bosnia and Herzegovina international. One suggestion has been a return to AS Roma, where the 31-year-old spent five seasons, but Marca reports that new Giallorossi manager Jose Mourinho has shot down such an idea.
19.30 BST: Brighton & Hove Albion "will not stand in the way" of centre-back Ben White's proposed transfer to Arsenal, according to Sky Sports, yet the South Coast club have rejected bids of £40m and £47m for the rights to sign the 23-year-old twice-capped England international. White is said to prefer a move to the Emirates, he just needs the Gunners to meet his current club's valuation.
18.33 BST: Based on our previous post, Juventus seem to have long-term plans for the forward position, yet the Sun writes that their No. 1 transfer target this summer remains Manchester City's Gabriel Jesus. However, City would demand any transfer fee be paid up front, which could complicate Juve's pursuit of the 24-year-old Brazil striker.
18.04 BST: Tottenham Hotspur have entered the race to sign Lyon's Houssem Aouar by offering Tanguy Ndombele in a swap deal, sources have told ESPN's James Olley. Lyon are believed to be willing to transfer Aouar in a cut-price deal worth around €25m. Read the full story.
17.36 BST: Cristiano Ronaldo's contract at Juventus expires next summer, and the Bianconeri are preparing for life after the Portugal captain. La Repubblica reports that Juve are planning to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland next summer, when the 20-year-old Norway international's €75m release clause comes into effect.
16.39 BST: Forget Harry Kane! Could Robert Lewandowski be the one to come in and replace Sergio Aguero at Manchester Ciuty?
15.51 BST: Barcelona will not release Philippe Coutinho and won't even let him leave on loan if a club is not willing to chalk up a large part of his salary, sources told ESPN's Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.
Barca desperately need to move players on to balance the books this summer, with gross debt over €1 billion. A failure to do so could see them fall foul of La Liga's Financial Fair Play rules, which could then prevent them from registering Lionel Messi's new deal with the league for the upcoming season.
Coutinho, 29, is one of the biggest earners at the club, with a salary of around €20m gross, and was expected to be one of the players to leave Camp Nou in the transfer window. However, sources say the Brazilian could yet be handed another chance at Barca, with Antoine Griezmann, Miralem Pjanic and Samuel Umtiti the players most likely to leave in the short-term.
Barca paid €120m to Liverpool for Coutinho in 2018 with another €40m due in potential add-ons. The Catalan club are aware that recovering anything like that amount in a COVID-19 affected market is not going to happen.
The other option would be a loan, with sources confirming AC Milan are interested, but Barca see no sense in letting him leave if they still have to cover a big chunk of his salary. Therefore, with over a month to go in the window, Barca are prepared to keep Coutinho, with coach Ronald Koeman happy to count on him. Only a considerable transfer fee or a generous loan offer would change their stance.
15.09 BST: Harry Kane's future at Tottenham Hotspur will be decided when he returns to training with the Premier League side, Nuno Espirito Santo said in his presentation as the club's new manager on Friday.
Kane is taking a break following England's run to the Euro 2020 final where they missed out on their first major trophy in 55 years after losing to Italy in a penalty shootout.
Sources have told ESPN that Manchester City are prepared to make a £100m offer for the 27-year-old. Manchester United and Chelsea have also been reported to be monitoring the situation.
Sources told ESPN back in early July that Nuno wanted to talk to Kane to sort out the striker's future and, speaking at his first news conference as Spurs manager on Friday, the new boss confirmed: "When he returns is the time to talk. Harry is our player. No need to talk about anything else. Period. Now is the time for Harry to recover his energy and rest.
"I have no doubts in my mind. I have no doubts. What I wish is for Harry to recover well, to have a good rest and when he arrives he will feel that everyone of us has to commit ourselves to become better. We are very ambitious, we are ambitious people and we want to do it well and no doubts on Harry on that. Harry is one of the best players in the world. That is all I need to say."
Nuno Espirito Santo on @HKane
— Hayters TV (@HaytersTV) July 16, 2021
"Harry is our player. No need to talk about anything else. Period. Now is the time for Harry to recover his energy and rest. 💪 👊 pic.twitter.com/ri95pPs7lM
14.27 BST: Antoine Griezmann's wages is the biggest obstacle for the negotiations between Atletico Madrid and Barcelona to progress, according to Mundo Deportivo.
The two clubs opened talks over a swap deal involving Griezmann and Saul Niguez. Griezmann, 30, left Atletico for Barca in 2019 for a fee of €120m, but the Catalan club is considering letting him leave this summer.
The France forward is the biggest earner at Barca after Lionel Messi. Barca are looking to reduce their wage bill in order to register Messi's new contract.
Atletico are not prepared to pay the totality of Griezmann's wages at Barca but the Catalan outfit has already warned Atletico they have no intention of contributing towards Griezmann's salary should he join Atletico.
Barca and Atletico also have other issues to discuss as Griezmann's value is higher than that of Saul. Atletico midfielder Saul has been a long-term target of Barca and fell out of favour under Diego Simeone last season.
13.56 BST: Kylian Mbappe's entourage is hopeful Real Madrid will make a final push to convince Paris Saint-Germain to make the France international for transfer this summer, Diario AS reports.
Mbappe has not signed a new contract with PSG, with his current deal expiring next summer. PSG are reluctant to see Mbappe, a long-term target of Real Madrid, move in this transfer window and are hopeful the forward will continue at the club for years to come.
Real Madrid's passive approach has reportedly disappointed Mbappe's entourage who are hopeful the Spanish giants will take a radical turn and put more pressure on PSG to enter negotiations.
Madrid are happy to wait as they could begin to negotiate with Mbappe in January and avoid having to pay a €150m transfer fee, which is the estimated cost were a deal to be done this summer.
13.13 BST: West Ham attacking midfielder Felipe Anderson has returned to former club Lazio on a permanent deal, the Premier LEague club have announced.
The Brazilian joined the Hammers from Lazio in a £40m transfer in 2018, and went on to score 12 goals for the club over the next two seasons. However, he fell out of favour at the London Stadiuma nd spent last season loan at Porto, where he started just one league game.
The 28-year-old has now gone back to Rome for an undisclosed transfer fee.
We can confirm that we have agreed a deal for Felipe Anderson to join Lazio on an undisclosed permanent transfer.
— West Ham United (@WestHam) July 16, 2021
Thank you for all your efforts and good luck, Felipe!
12.43 BST: James Rodriguez is one of several Everton stars who the club will try to offload this summer as new manager Rafa Benitez seeks to rebuild the squad, according to the Daily Telegraph.
James was reunited with his former Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti at Goodison Park last summer. The Colombia international got his Premier League career off to a strong start but his fortunes mirrored Everton's as he finished the season with six goals and four assists as the team slipped to a 10th-placed finish.
With Benitez replacing Ancelotti, who has returned to the Bernabeu, James is the most high-profile player who Everton will try to move on before the deadline. The Telegraph reports that Andre Gomes, Bernard, Fabian Delph, Yerry Mina and Cenk Tosun are also set to leave.
11.59 BST: Manchester City are intent on signing both Harry Kane and Jack Grealish this summer if they can move enough players out of their squad, The Athletic reports.
Tottenham Hotspur striker Kane and Aston Villa attacking midfielder Grealish are the Premier League champions' top transfer targets this summer, after both starred in England's run to the final of Euro 2020.
Both players could command nine-figure transfer fees, with The Athletic reporting that City estimate the total cost for signing Kane and Grealish to be as high as £215m.
That means established first-team players such as Gabriel Jesus, Bernardo Silva and Aymeric Laporte could be allowed to leave the Etihad stadium as part of a major shake-up in Pep Guardiola's playing staff.
11.14 BST: Barcelona will hold talks with Ousmane Dembele's representatives next week in the hope the French forward signs a new contract, Mundo Deportivo reports.
Dembele, who becomes a free agent in June 2022, has missed 86 games through injury since he arrived at the Camp Nou in 2017. The 24-year-old has not managed to settle at Barcelona, but the club is willing to extend his deal as they do not want to risk losing him next summer for free.
Barca paid a transfer fee €105m plus variables to sign Dembele from Borussia Dortmund. Several European clubs have shown an interest in the player.
Dembele showed some consistency last season, scoring six goals and setting up three more in 30 league appearances. He missed Euro 2020 due to injury.
Barca could not sell Dembele this summer as he underwent surgery to repair a hamstring problem last month and will be out of action until October.
10.31 BST: Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud is undergoing a medical at AC Milan, according to Sky.
The 34-year-old France international is set to join the Italian giants for a transfer fee that could rise to €2m if he passes his examination.
Giroud has scored 39 goals in 119 appearances for Chelsea since joining them from Arsenal in January 2018.
He scored 11 goals in all competitions last season, including four in one match against Sevilla as part of their triumphant Champions League campaign.
09.43 BST: Manchester United, Liverpool and Tottenham have joined Arsenal in the race to sign Lyon playmaker Houssem Aouar this summer, sources have told ESPN's Julien Laurens.
Aouar has two years remaining on his Lyon contract but sources have told ESPN that the Ligue 1 club want to offload the player. Mikel Arteta's side will face competition for his signature from Premier League rivals United, Liverpool and Spurs.
Liverpool are looking to find a replacement for Georginio Wijnaldum who joined Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer this summer. Sources have told ESPN that Liverpool have been following Aouar's progress for a while and could be tempted to make an offer.
However, Liverpool's relationship with Lyon has not been the same since they tried to sign striker Nabil Fekir in 2018 but the deal failed to materialise.
United are also monitoring Aouar's situation due to the uncertainly surrounding Paul Pogba's future this summer. Sources have told ESPN that PSG are considering a move for the midfielder and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer views Aouar as a good replacement for Pogba.
However, sources have told ESPN that Arsenal and Spurs lead the race to sign Aouar despite interest from United and Liverpool.
09.06 BST: Paris Saint-Germain believed Lionel Messi was so open to the idea of leaving Barcelona this summer that sporting director Leonardo had mentioned him as part of his plans for the new season when meeting with agents this summer to discuss transfers, sources told ESPN's Julien Laurens.
Messi has agreed a new five-year deal at Barcelona, on a significantly reduced salary, but had been weighing up his options. He came close to leaving Camp Nou last summer before making a shock U-turn and this time around, he was also open to leaving.
PSG's optimism over a deal wavered significantly when Sergio Aguero completed his free transfer to Barcelona, with the former Manchester City striker close friends with Messi. At that point, sources said, PSG started to back away from pursuing a potential deal as they wanted to move on to more realistic targets.
08.30 BST: Celtic have reached an agreement with Vissel Kobe over the signing of Japan international winger Kyogo Furuhashi, both clubs have announced.
The 26-year-old will complete the move if and when he passes a medical and has received international clearance.
Furuhashi is set to become the fourth signing for new Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou, who spent three years managing Yokohama F. Marinos in Japan's J1 League before taking over at Parkhead.
Celtic have already signed Liel Abada, Liam Shaw and Osaze Urhoghide since Postecoglou came on board earlier in the summer.
古橋亨梧選手のスコティッシュ・プレミアシップに所属するセルティックFCへの完全移籍について、クラブ間での基本合意に達しましたので、お知らせします。https://t.co/9wlbgm0dHv#VisselKobe and @CelticFC have agreed to the transfer of @Kyogo_Furuhashi. #ヴィッセル神戸 pic.twitter.com/4xp3q6dIlY
— ヴィッセル神戸 (@visselkobe) July 16, 2021
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
- Kylian Mbappe's contract situation could be resolved with Marca writing that a big contract offer is on the horizon for the French star. The 22-year-old has just one year left on his deal and has been the subject of speculation, with previous reports stating there had been a fallout between the forward and sporting director Leonardo. The new deal is reported to take Mbappe's salary to a similar level of Neymar, who earns an estimated $36.5 million per season.
- Getafe's Marc Cucurella is in high demand with clubs from both Italy and England chasing the highly rated La Liga star. The Athletic writes that both AS Roma and Brighton & Hove Albion have registered their interest in acquiring the left-sided player, and that more clubs are waiting to see how the 22-year-old with a reported €18m release clause performs at the upcoming Tokyo Olympics with Spain.
- Borussia Dortmund are ready to step up their chase for Donyell Malen with a number of clubs impressed with the striker's performances at Euro 2020. Calciomercato writes that the Bundesliga club are at the front of the queue for the forward, who is also wanted by Juventus and AC Milan. The 22-year-old scored 25 goals and registered eight assists for PSV Eindhoven last season.
- AC Milan are continuing their business in the transfer market with Fode Ballo Toure agreeing terms to make the switch to the Serie A club. That's according to Gianluca Di Marzio, who says that a deal has already been done, and the AS Monaco star is expected to arrive at the San Siro on Saturday. The 24-year-old can play on the left side of midfield or defence, and registered three assists in six starts from left-back last season.
- Leeds United's Ezgjan Alioski is set to head to the Turkish Super Lig after becoming a free agent this summer. Fabrizio Romano writes that a deal has been agreed with Galatasaray for the 29-year-old who represented North Macedonia at Euro 2020.