Transfer news and rumours: Chelsea 'to bid £68m' for Romelu Lukaku, Paul Pogba's Manchester United move close

The biggest transfer news and speculation on Monday 1 August

Paul Pogba will return from holiday this week to seal a move to Manchester United (Getty)

Chelsea could be willing to stretch their offer to bring Romelu Lukaku back to Stamford Bridge to as much as £68m after Everton stood firm with their intention not to sell the striker.

The Blues are being heavily linked with the Belgium international, just two years after allowing him to leave in a £28m deal for Goodison Park. After reports emerged on Saturday night that Chelsea were growing increasingly confident that a £60m bid would persuade Everton to sell, it now appears that the London outfit will need to up their offer once again, having already seen a £57m bid rejected.

The Mirror reports that Chelsea are willing to make an offer of £68m in an attempt to sign Lukaku, with Everton looking to hold out for £75m if they are to allow the 23-year-old to leave. With Lukaku making his intention to play in the Champions League clear last season, the forward is expected to leave Everton this summer even though the club would like to hold onto him.

Of course, Chelsea cannot offer him European football either this season after finishing a disappointing 10th last term, but the club hope to right their status in English football after appointing former Juventus and Italy manager Antonio Conte and signing Belgium striker Michy Batshuayi and France midfielder N’Golo Kante for a combined £63m.

Speaking of players who are poised for a return to former clubs, Manchester United are expected to wrap up the world record £112m transfer of Paul Pogba this week, four years after he left the club for £800,000 to join Juventus.

United mistakenly allowed Pogba to leave after his contract expired following a dispute between former manager Sir Alex Ferguson and Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola. Both Pogba and Raiola have been vocal of United’s pursuit in the France midfielder this summer, with the pair mocking reports of a completed deal over the weekend on social media.

However, it’s believed that everything is in place for Pogba to be unveiled as the most expensive player in world football when he returns from his post-Euro 2016 holiday on Monday, having enjoyed an extended break in the United States.

Chelsea midfielder Willian has revealed that he was never interested in following Jose Mourinho to United despite being linked with a Stamford Bridge exit earlier in the summer. The Brazilian was believed to be on Mourinho’s radar before he completed the signing of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, with Willian instead choosing to sign a new four-year contract with Chelsea.

As quoted by the Evening Standard on Chelsea’s tour of the United States over the weekend, Willian said: "I have a great relationship with Jose, but I am Chelsea. Of course, when someone like him [Mourinho] is interested in you then you are happy. But I signed the contract because I like being a Chelsea player and I see good things here."

Reports in Italy suggest that Inter Milan are willing to sell striker Mauro Icardi if they succeed in bringing young Brazil striker Gabriel ‘Gabigol’ Barbosa, alerting Arsenal to the possibility of signing the 23-year-old Argentine.

The Sun adds that Juventus have already seen a £16.8m offer rejected by Santos, with Inter now showing interest in the 19-year-old who has been tipped to be a star of the upcoming Olympic Games in Rio. It’s claimed that Barbosa has his heart set on a move to Barcelona, but Inter are looking to gain a march on their European rivals after making contact with the player’s agent, Wagner Ribeiro.

“We spoke to Inter in recent hours,” Ribeiro said. “But as of today we have yet to receive an offer from them.”

Any move from Inter could well trigger a big money offer from Arsenal for Icardi, although they remain interested in Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette and look certain to press on with their hunt for a new forward as well as a defender once they return this week from their tour of the United States.