Tuesday's transfer news, rumours: Liverpool’s striker opportunity, Man Utd’s target list, Arsenal eye Carrasco
Follow Tuesday’s transfer news and rumours live, as Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Barcelona remain the talk of the rumour mill, with the international window opening today, on June 11.
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Last week Real Madrid finally announced the signing of Eden Hazard for a fee that could come to exceed £150m. Elsewhere, Daniel James has agreed to his £18m move from Swansea to United.
The future of Matthijs de Ligt meanwhile remains uncertain, with the 19-year-old defender currently linked to a host of clubs eager to land his signature. And Liverpool continue to press for the signature of Lille winger Nicolas Pepe.
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Arsenal are meanwhile set to push on with their first signing of the summer with a bid for Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser set to be lodged. A new centre-back is high on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s priority list at United with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Leicester’s Harry Maguire both options. Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka is another on the Norwegian’s radar.
It won’t just be incomings at Old Trafford, however, with Paul Pogba a high-profile target for Real Madrid and Alexis Sanchez on his way out with Inter Milan and Juventus fighting it out for his signature – if he drops his wage demands. And Liverpool could be active too as they look to go one better after failing to win the Premier League title by just a single point.
Good morning and welcome to our LIVE coverage of Tuesday's latest transfer news and rumours.
Hungary boss impressed with James
Hungary manager Marco Rossi has compared Manchester United-bound winger Daniel James to Usain Bolt and former Brazil striker Ronaldo ahead of his country's Euro 2020 qualifier with Wales.
Rossi admits he has been blown by the speed of James, saying he has not seen such extreme pace since he played against Ronaldo in his native Italy.
"James' speed reminds of Usain Bolt - to be so fast like him is really incredible," Rossi said at his pre-match press conference.
"In the last years I don't remember one player that gave me this sensation.
"His acceleration is so peculiar, which is why Manchester United have bought him."
James is expected to complete his transfer from Swansea, in a deal worth around £18million, after returning from international duty later this week.
United to hijack Arsenal deal
We begin with United, who are reportedly considering pulling out of a move for Crystal Palace full-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The Evening Standard report that United have seen a £40m bid turned down for the 21-year-old and have reservations about increasing their offer to £50m.
That could lead to them scuppering Arsenal’s attempts to sign Paris Saint-Germain’s full-back Thomas Meunier.
The Belgium international is one of Unai Emery’s top targets, but Tuttomercatoweb claim United will now turn their attentions to him, with the player himself favouring a move to Old Trafford.
Klopp’s plan B
Liverpool have been heavily linked with a number of attacking players this window, as Jurgen Klopp looks to bolster his front line ahead of another tilt at the Premier League title.
But the Liverpool Echo today claim that Klopp has a plan B up his sleeve.
They report that he is now preparing to give Harry Wilson a chance to win his place in Liverpool’s first-team, following the end of his loan spell at Derby County.
A number of clubs are interested in signing the 22-year-old, who scored 16 goals for Frank Lampard’s side last season, but Klopp believes Wilson should be given the chance to impress at Anfield.
Barca want to bring Neymar back
Reports in Spain suggest that Barcelona are desperate to bring Neymar back from Paris Saint-Germain, with the Brazilian eager to end his spell in France.
Neymar left Barca for PSG in 2017 and has scored 51 goals in 58 games for the Ligue 1 side.
However his form has suffered and he is reportedly desperate to leave the club.
That strengthens Barcelona’s negotiating position, with reports suggesting the Spanish side are increasingly confident of completing a deal this window.
Football's first billion pound summer
It is a mere hour after the end of the Nations League final - and thereby the end of the regular 2018-19 men’s football season - and one of the big-name managers present in Porto is cycling through the series of Whatsapp messages on his phone, writes Miguel Delaney. A series of them relate to signings.
“Different work now begins,” he smiles to a few media figures around him. “This might be one of the biggest summers we’ve seen.”
Arsene Wenger was recently saying similar at a corporate event, but for European football as a whole.
This is one of those rare windows that represents something of a release, where the relative inactivity of previous windows causes a backlog from so many different areas, that results in one big blow-out.
There have already been the explosions of Frenkie de Jong to Barcelona, as well as Luka Jovic and Eden Hazard to Real Madrid.
Read more:
Ajax duo keep coy over future
Highly-rated Ajax duo Matthijs De Ligt and Donny Van De Beek are keeping their options open amid transfer interest from some of Europe's biggest clubs.
A memorable season came to a disappointing end for the pair on Sunday evening as Holland lost 1-0 to hosts Portugal in the inaugural Nations League final.
De Ligt and Van De Beek had been hoping to cap a campaign to cherish with more silverware, having played a key role in Ajax's domestic double and their eye-catching run to the Champions League semi-finals.
The Amsterdam club's golden crop is now set to be disbanded, with a number of big names looking set to follow Barcelona-bound Frenkie De Jong in making an exit.
Teenage sensation De Ligt has been strongly linked to Barcelona, Manchester United, Juventus and Paris St Germain, but the in-demand defender is in no rush to make a decision.
Asked after the Nations League final what colour shirt he would be wearing next season, the 19-year-old said: "I don't know. I don't know.
"Now I am going on vacation and I just take a rest, relax and then I will see.
"When you rest you have enough time to think, so that's good."
Ajax team-mate Van De Beek echoed those sentiments after Holland just fell short at the Estadio do Dragao on Sunday night.
The 22-year-old is excited about the future of Dutch football and he too could be on the move this summer.
Reports suggest Van De Beek would be keen to move to Manchester United or Tottenham this summer, while Real Madrid are amongst the other clubs to be linked with a move.
"My situation is I have a contract with Ajax and I am really happy," he said.
"You never know what is going to happen in the future but I can say nothing about that."
PSG increasingly confident
De Ligt may be keeping his options open but Paris Saint-Germain are growing increasingly confident a deal can be done.
Here's Miguel Delaney with the latest:
Rose opens door to exit
Danny Rose has said it is “no secret” that he may leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer.
The 28-year-old was one of the star’s of Mauricio Pochettino’s squad this season, making 37 appearances in all competitions and starting every game from the quarter-finals onwards in Spurs’ Champions League run.
However, speaking after England defeated Switzerland on penalties in the Nations League third-place play-off, Rose stoked rumours about his future, citing the club’s policy of moving on older players as a factor.
“I don’t know what the future holds now. I’m looking forward to a break. If I’m back at Tottenham next season, great, if I’m not – great. I’ll just have to wait and see,” he told Sky Sports News.
“It’s not about regular first-team football. I know my age and I know how the club’s run in terms of if you get to a certain age they might look to ship you on.
“It has been no secret that my name has been mentioned quite a few times in terms of players moving on and I’ll be just sitting tight over the next few weeks and just seeing what happens. Either way I’m prepared for whatever happens.
“Last season I didn’t play as much as I wanted. This season I’ve played quite a bit, it’s been really good.”
Arsenal interested in Carrasco
Arsenal have reportedly made a bid for Belgium star Yannick Carrasco, according to Spanish publication SPORT.
The long-term Arsenal target revealed this week that Chinese Super League side Dalian Yifang had received an offer for his services.
To the delight of transfer news and rumour blogs the world over, Carrasco declined to mention the identity of the club wanting to sign him, but SPORT believe they know.
They have this morning claimed Arsenal are desperate to sign the 25-year-old, particularly after Denis Suarez’s loan move fell flat.
Speaking to Belgian website Nieuwsblad, Carrasco said: "There is now an offer on the table and the negotiations with my agent are progressing well.
"I am the most important player in the club, but I hope the chairman understands me."
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