Transfer news LIVE: Manchester United close on Jadon Sancho, Chelsea’s Willian in talks with Arsenal
Follow the latest updates and done deals from the summer transfer window as Premier League clubs look to strengthen ahead of the new season
Sign up to Miguel Delaney’s Reading the Game newsletter sent straight to your inbox for free
Sign up to Miguel’s Delaney’s free weekly newsletter
Follow the latest transfer news live from the second week of the summer window as Premier League clubs look to strengthen their squads, with European football also set to resume this week. Fresh from their FA Cup final victory on Sunday, Arsenal are set to dominate the headlines this week with talks ongoing to extend Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s contract beyond the end of the season, while Mikel Arteta is also targeting Sevilla centre-back Diego Carlos.
Tottenham Hotspur meanwhile have been offered the chance to sign Watford captain Troy Deeney in an effort to keep the striker in the Premier League, while Aston Villa are understood to be looking at a move for Liverpool forward Divock Origi.
Manchester United are set for a busy summer with interest in both Jadon Sancho and Jack Grealish, but one name who has cropped up on the radar is Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes after executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward reportedly held talks with his agent last week. United are also keeping an eye on Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar, though the defender may be priced out of a move to Old Trafford. Follow the live news below.
Liverpool are still being linked with a move for Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara, though French champions Paris Saint-Germain have entered the race for the Spain midfielder as he nears a move away from Bayern Munich.
Good morning and welcome back to The Independent's transfer news live blog!
With the longest ever Premier League season finally wrapped up and consigned to the history books, attentions once again turn to the summer transfer window, which opens nearly two months later than normal.
Clubs are set for a busy 10 weeks until the 5 October transfer deadline, with a number already confirmed to be in the market to reinforce their squads ahead of the 2020/21 season - which will begin on the weekend of 12 September in fewer than seven weeks' time.
Without further ado, let's take a look at the headlines this morning.
We begin this morning with the newly-crowned FA Cup champions Arsenal, who are set for a busy week after confirming their spot in the Europa League next season.
The guarantee of European footballer despite finishing eighth in the Premier League is a major boost for their hopes of attracting leading players to the club, but it could also help to convince captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to remain beyond the end of the season when his contract expires.
The Mirror reports that Arsenal are ready to persuade Aubameyang into staying at the club by offering him an enormous £250,000-a-week contract to stay until 2024, which could be signed and sealed by the end of the week.
Arsenal are also being linked with a move for Sevilla defender Diego Carlos, who is attracting interest from other Premier League clubs and could be in store for a move to England in the coming weeks.
The Telegraph reports that Mikel Arteta will begin a summer overhaul with the addition of the 27-year-old, who has attracted interest from Tottenham and Leicester already, and his arrival would likely spell the end for one or two of Arsenal's current defenders who have failed to impress this season.
The addition of Europa League football next season will help Arsenal move in the transfer window thanks to the extra funds that they will receive, meaning a move for Carlos should not be an issue for the club financially.
While The Mirror strikes a more positive update for Arsenal fans on the future of Pierre-Emerick Aubaeyang, reports in France are a bit more reserved.
Le10 Sport says that the Gabon international will continue to monitor the club's position over their summer transfer business, before deciding whether he wants to commit himself to a new contract.
Aubameyang is already into the final 12 months of his existing deal, and should he decide that a new deal is not for him, Arsenal would almost certainly have to sell him this summer otherwise risk losing him on a free transfer at the end of the season. Both Manchester United and Barcelona have been tentatively linked with Aubameyang, as have Inter Milan in recent months, but interest currently appears to be minimal.
Manchester United continue to pursue Jadon Sancho, with the Borussia Dortmund forward one of the most sought-after young players on the market this summer.
Sancho has been coy on his future, but United are determined to sign the England international this summer in order to continue the squad revamp under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. However, it appears that a former United player could actually hold the key to sealing his path to Old Trafford.
The Sun reports that Dortmund are keen on signing current Lyon winger Memphis Depay as a replacement for Sancho, and will only allow him to leave if the move for the Netherlands international is signed off.
Depay's time at United never took off as he struggled to make an impact between 2015 and 2017, when he eventually moved on to France where he is enjoying a new lease of life in Ligue 1.
Tottenham Hotspur could make one of the stranger signings of the summer transfer window after they were linked with Watford captain Troy Deeney.
According to The Daily Mail, Deeney has been offered to Spurs manager Jose Mourinho, with the club looking at strikers to support Harry Kane, who has been forced to carry the bulk of the attacking workload at the club for a number of years now.
Deeney faces an uncertain future after being relegated with Watford, with the striker unsure if he will remain at Vicarage Road or move on ahead of what would be his 10th season with the club.
More now on Manchester United's pursuit of Jadon Sancho.
According to German publication Bild, United are putting together a financial package that they believe will prose Sancho away from Borussia Dortmund.
It's believed that United will pay an initial £63m for the 20-year-old, but commit to paying out a considerable sum across the ensuing two years that would see instalments of £27m paid in 2021 and another £18m paid in 2022.
Overall, the financial deal would see United pay a club-record £108, for Sancho, should the deal go ahead.
Manchester United are not in the hunt for Raul Jimenez.
That's the claim made by the Daily Mail today, despite reports in Portugal suggesting last week that the club were on the verge of signing the Mexico striker.
The report suggests that United feel they are being used to inflate player asking prices, with it all too easy to link the club with players without basis that a transfer is imminent. However, whether Jimenez remains at Wolves remains to be seen, with the striker one of the best goalscorers in the Premier League over the last two seasons.
The moves for Jadon Sancho and Raul Jimenez, if completed, could well spell the end of Manchester United's interest in Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish.
United will have to outlay well over £100m to sign both Sancho and Jimenez this summer, and Villa's staunch valuation of Grealish has seen the Premier League side refuse to budge on their £80m asking price.
Sky Sports reports that Arsenal have tentatively shown interest in Grealish alongside United, but unless Villa agree to lower their demands, any move away from Villa Park may have to be forced by Grealish himself.
Chelsea remain keen on a new goalkeeper, and after being told in no uncertain circumstances that Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak is not for sale, they appear to have switched target.
Spanish daily Cadena Ser reports that the Chelsea have tabled their opening offer for Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has cemented his place as the No 1 at the Nou Camp since joining from Borussia Monchengladbach.
Any move for the Germany stopper will not be cheap, and Chelsea may well have to throw Kepa Arrizabalaga into the mix as Quique Setien will need a replacement should Ter Stegen depart.
Though Chelsea desperately want a new goalkeeper, the world class options on the market look limited and Ter Stegen will come at a premium.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies