Tuesday's Transfer news: Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea rumours
All the biggest reports and done deals from Tuesday 23 July
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Take another look over the biggest transfer news, rumours and done deals from Tuesday 23 July.
There will be a rush to get deals done in the closing days of the window with Manchester United seemingly ready to continue their rebuild.
We’ll have the latest on Harry Maguire, Paul Pogba, Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku, while Gareth Bale‘s future remains uncertain.
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Pogba appears to have concentrated on pre-season, with Juan Mata revealing the French midfielder is not allowing speculation to distract him.
“He’s a fantastic midfielder and he’s a very good guy,” the 31-year-old added.
“I think he’s happy. Obviously as a team-mate, and as a friend also, I would like him to stay and to be happy because he is a very good player for us.
“We know we have to do better than last season. This club has won more trophies than any other club in England.”
The brutal reality, when you get right down to it, is that Zinedine Zidanehas just never really fancied Gareth Bale as a player, writes Miguel Delaney.
The French legend personally scouted Bale for Florentino Perez back when Real Madrid were first trying to sign the Welsh star back in 2013, precisely because the club president highly valued his opinion - but there was already some difference on this issue then.
Zidane watched Bale’s Europa League performance for Tottenham Hotspur against Lyon that February and, while he was complimentary, the current Madrid boss was nowhere near as effusive about it all as Perez. The president saw Bale as the medium-term successor to Cristiano Ronaldo, and pressed ahead with what became a personal project.
This is also part of the reason they’re all at the current impasse.
Bale has objectively been a success for Madrid, and certainly more so than Zidane the player in terms of pure numbers. He's won three times the major trophies (six to two), four times the Champions Leagues (four to one), and scored three times the Champions League final goals (three to one).
West Brom's plans to sign Sporting winger Matheus Pereira, 23, have been held up.
The Portuguese club want £9m after his loan expires next summer, claim the Express and Star.
Sporting Lisbon's Bruno Fernandes has outlined his desire to play in the Premier League, but admits his future rests in the hands of his current club.
Manchester United have registered their interest in the 24-year-old, with the Old Trafford club pressing hard to get a deal done.
Fernandes takes on Liverpool with Sporting in the US tomorrow, but he's unsure if that will be his last game for the Portuguese outfit or not.
“The president decides that, not me,” Fernandes told A Bola. “I don't care about the market, I've talked about this many times.
“The only thing I can do now is that I need to catch the plane so I don't miss it. Will this be the last match for Sporting? I don't know, it's the coach who decides.
“I said I'd like to play in England, but I don't care about it right now. If it could be this season? It could be when the club decides, I'm not in charge.”
Arsenal are working on a deal to sign Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos.
The Gunners are keen to bring the 22-year-old to the Emirates on a season-long loan deal and hope to tie up a move soon.
Ceballos, who has made 56 appearances for Madrid, has also been linked with Tottenham, who are understood to have cooled their interest at the lack of scope for the move to be made permanent.
The Spain Under-21 international will be the Gunners' second signing of the summer, following the earlier arrival of Gabriel Martinelli.
Unai Emery's side continue their pre-season tour of the United States with a friendly against Ceballos' parent club on Wednesday, though it is unclear whether the deal will be done in time or if he will feature.
Emery told the Mirror: "Ceballos is a very good player. I know him from (Real) Betis at the beginning and Real Madrid.
"He played very well in the Under-21s (European Championship), his national team won the competition."
Antoine Griezmann starts for Barcelona in their friendly vs Chelsea in Saitama, Japan.
It's a debut for the French forward, who cost £107m from Atletico Madrid this summer.
Frenkie De Jong is on the bench.
Barcelona XI: Ter Stegen, Sergi Roberto, Piqué, Umtiti, Alba, Busquets, O.Busquets, Riqui Puig, Collado, Griezmann, Dembelé
Zinedine Zidane has denied disrespecting Gareth Bale and says the Welshman did not play against Bayern Munich last weekend because he did not want to.
"I haven't shown a lack of respect towards anyone and particularly not towards a player," he said.
"I've always said the same thing: the players are the most important ones in all of this. Whenever there's a player involved, I'll always back them.''
Read the full story here,
Gareth Bale is not leaving Real Madrid on loan.
Zinedine Zidane recently revealed the club were working on a deal for Bale to leave, but the player's agent has just told Sky Sports News that the Welshman is not going out on loan.
"Gareth is one of the best players on the planet. I can guarantee you he will not be going on loan to any club,” he said.
The manager said the club are “working on his departure” and said he hopes a deal for Bale can be struck soon "for everyone's sake".
Jonathan Barnett, Bale's agent, responded by describing the manager's handling of the situation as a "disgrace".
"Zidane is a disgrace to speak like that about someone who has done so much for Real,” he said.
In the latest turn of events, Zidane denied disrespecting Bale and revealed he refused to play in Real Madrid's most recent friendly match.
Wolves are set to make another offer for Olympiakos defender Pape Abou Cisse.
The 23-year-old could join Nuno's side for a fee in the region of £18m.
With a Europa League campaign to come, Nuno is keen to bolster his squad and depth.
Man United have tabled a €80m (£72m) bid for Lille's Nicolas Pepe.
La Voix du Nord claim United are keen on the Ivorian and have jumped to the head of the queue.
Napoli, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid are also interested, with Lille already close to confirming Pepe's replacement Dodi Lukebakio.
Real Betis signed Nabil Fekir late last night for a bargain £17.5m.
The French playmaker was subject of a £60m failed move to Liverpool last summer.
Yet the Spanish side have taken advantage to grab the former Lyon star in a bargain.
There will be as much as £9m in incentives to top up the fee, plus a 20 percent sell-on clause.
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