Review all Thursday's transfer news as Premier League clubs look to strengthen ahead of the new campaign, which begins in just over three weeks’ time. Lionel Messi’s future is no closer to being resolved despite the appointment of Ronald Koeman as Barcelona head coach, with the 33-year-old having become unhappy at the Nou Camp and Manchester City interested in swooping for him.
Jose Mourinho is reportedly keen on bringing Gareth Bale back to Tottenham, with the winger having been in a feud with Real Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane for some time now. Chelsea are also primed for a big-name signing, expecting to agree a deal to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz before the end of the week.
Manchester United continue their chase of Jadon Sancho, with personal terms proving the issue at the moment in securing the services of the Borussia Dortmund man. Follow live updates below.
Welcome to The Independent's live coverage of all of today's transfer window action!
Let's start with the transfer saga of the summer: Jadon Sancho. Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund remain significantly apart on price, but that's not all: contrary to previous reports, The Athletic says there is still plenty of difference between player and club over salary and other personal terms. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is said to be very frustrated.
The Daily Telegraph reports a new defender on Chelsea's hit list. PSG captain Thiago Silva is said to be on their wishlist, which also includes Brighton's Lewis Dunk.
Arsenal will sign Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes today after beating interest from Napoli and Manchester United, according to The Mirror.
The 22-year-old defender, who will sign a five-year contract at the Emirates, will cost around £21m.
Lionel Messi "has never been closer to leaving than he is at the moment", according to Guillem Balague in his BBC column this morning.
Balague reports that Messi is on holiday and virtually uncontactable after Barca's miserable Champions League exit, losing 8-2 at the hands of Bayern Munich, and that even his own mother can't get hold of him. He is yet to talk to the club's hierarchy about the arrival of new manager Ronald Koeman or his plans, and will need convincing to stay at the Nou Camp next season.
I think this is just quietly one of the key transfers of the window: Ben White. The defender had a brilliant season last year for Leeds at centre-back, on loan from Brighton, and Marcelo Bielsa has demanded the defender stay at the club.
Leeds have submitted a third and final offer of £25m, according to The Athletic, but Brighton are digging in their heels, knowing that if they are to sell Lewis Dunk to Chelsea then they need White to step in and fill the void. White has meanwhile rejected three contract offers from Brighton, suggesting he is keen to return to Yorkshire. Whoever starts the season with the 22-year-old in their defence will have won an important battle for a highly rated player.
The Times reports Chelsea are confident of completing a deal for Kai Havertz, despite being £20m short of Leverkusen's £90m asking price in their offer so far. The club have agreed personal terms with the player, but need to agree not only a fee with the German club but also a payment structure for the deal, which will likely be spread over his five-year contract.
Manchester United have turned their attention to Juventus pair Douglas Costa and Alex Sandro as doubts grow around the viability of a deal for Jadon Sancho.
That's according to the Daily Star, which reports that Juve's financial worries could force new manager Andrea Pirlo to sell several assets, with the Brazilian duo thought to be targets for United. Costa would provide an attacking option in place of Sancho, while Sandro would provide competition for Luke Shaw at left-back.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is on the verge of agreeing a new contract with AC Milan, keeping at the club for another year. The striker scored 42 goals last season for LA Galaxy and AC Milan combined – it's fair to say he's not done yet.
Not transfer news, but may I point you in the direction of this – the Premier League fixtures have landed!
A round-up of the big transfer stories this morning:
- Lionel Messi has 'never been closer' to leaving Barcelona. He is on holiday, barely contactable and will need convincing to stay at the Nou Camp under new manager Ronald Koeman
- Arsenal are set to announce the £21m signing of Lille defender Gabriel today, after beating Napoli to his signature. He will sign a five-year contract
- Manchester United are looking elsewhere are hitting an impasse with both Borussia Dortmund and Jadon Sancho over the forward's transfer
- Chelsea are confident of signing Kai Havertz, having agreed personal terms with the player, despite failing to reach Leverkusen's £90m asking price so far
- Brighton are desperate to hold on to highly rated defender Ben White, as Leeds table a final offer of £25m for the 22-year-old who shone on loan at Elland Road last season
DONE DEAL! it's the big one we've all been waiting for. Borussia Monchengladbach have signed 24-year-old winger Valentino Lazaro on a season-long loan from Inter Milan.
Is Harry Wilson set to leave Liverpool? The Independent has previously reported that the club are willing to accept offers for the midfielder, who spent last season on loan at Bournemouth, and there is interest from Aston Villa and Leeds United as he looks to seal a permanent move to a club offering more playing time.
What's the latest on Thiago Alcantara's future, I hear you ask. Is he heading to Anfield?
Melissa Reddy has all the latest on why Liverpool like him, and why they are yet to push formally for his fine-turned midfield services.
Several reputable and less reputable outlets are reporting an interesting swap deal in the works: Manchester United still want Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, despite a breakdown in negotiations last month, and are prepared to hand over goalkeeper Dean Henderson to smooth the deal.
Henderson starred last season on loan at Sheffield United and is worth a hefty sum in his own right, but United are not in need of another goalkeeper with David de Gea at No1 and a reliable back-up in Sergio Romero. Watch this space.
Gabriel could well be announced today as an Arsenal player. The Lille and Brazil Under-20 defender has impressed this season in Ligue 1 and was subject to a bid from Napoli and Everton too, but is set to move to the Emirates.
It will be interesting to see how Mikel Arteta sets up his defence next season in their opening game at Fulham. Pablo Mari is unlikely to be fit in time, but there is still a dearth of options with William Saliba, David Luis, Socratis and Rob Holding. Then there’s Shkodran Mustafi and Calum Chambers, who are also recovering from injuries. Throw in Gabriel and it is quite a selection.
Chelsea have resumed talks with Bayer Leverkusen over the transfer of Kai Havertz, according to the Guardian, and are closing in on a deal after "productive talks".
The Blues' initial bid of €65m (£58.6m) plus €15m in add-ons earlier this week was rejected, with Leverkusen holding out for more than €100m, but Chelsea are confident of reaching a compromise via a list of generous bonuses to Leverkusen, should the player live up to his enormous potential.
Gerard Deulofeu has said he expects to leave Watford this summer rather than stay and play in the Championship.
He suffered a major knee injury which ruled him out for much of 2020 so far, and still has three years left on his Watford contract, but that hasn't stopped him drawing the attention of clubs in Italy and Spain, with Valencia, Celta Vigo and AC Milan all thought to be interested.
Georginio Wijnaldum is a target of Barcelona, and various reports say Ronald Koeman is keen to link up with the midfielder after using him in his Dutch national side.
Wijnaldum only has a year left on his Liverpool contract and is thought to be keen on the idea of heading to the Nou Camp.
What next for Fikayo Tomori? The Chelsea defender made a brilliant start to the 2019-20 season and was a regular fixture in Frank Lampard's back three, but faded in the latter half of the season after suffering injuries and falling down the pecking order.
L'Equipe is reporting that Ligue 1 side Rennes would like to sign the 22-year-old defender, either on loan or on a permanent deal, but Chelsea's Marina Granovskaia is determined to get the best possible price and is holding out for other clubs to enter a bidding war.
United are also understood to be keeping an eye on Juventus winger Douglas Costa, while West Ham could see Lazio come in for their former player Felipe Anderson, who faces an uncertain future at the London Stadium as David Moyes contemplates a squad revamp.
