Wednesday's transfer news: Jadon Sancho to Man Utd latest, plus Chelsea's Willian in Arsenal talks and Liverpool eye defenders
Manchester United say they are prepared to walk away from Jadon Sancho if he costs too much (Picture: Getty)
Follow the latest updates live from the summer transfer window as Manchester United’s pursuit of Jadon Sancho dominates the headlines, with the Premier League club threatening that they will walk away from the deal if Borussia Dortmund do not lower their valuation.
However, news emerged overnight that United have ‘offered’ an official bid of €100m (£90.3m) for the England forward, with talks set to continue throughout Wednesday. Nother player who United have been strongly linked with is Jack Grealish, but the Aston Villa captain has been offered a new contract worth £100,000 a week to convince him to stay at Villa Park.
Manchester City remain active in the transfer market despite completing the signing of Ferran Torres on Tuesday, with Nathan Ake still set to move to the Etihad Stadium in the coming days. However, City have not made an approach for Barcelona utility man Sergi Roberto despite suggestions in Spain that they are targeting the right-back. Liverpool meanwhile are looking at Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis and are also being linked with Real Betis defender Aissa Mandi, while Arsenal continue to target Philippe Coutinho and Thomas Partey as they press on with their recruitment plans. Follow the live news below.
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 news that emerged late last night, with Manchester United warning that they will not be afraid from pulling out of their pursuit of Jadon Sancho if Borussia Dortmund do not lower their valuation.
Dortmund currently price the England international at £108m, but United believe that in the post-coronavirus world that fee represents far too much for a sport that has haemorrhaged money in recent months.
United are hoping to talk the Bundesliga club down from that fee, but have stressed that they will not hesitate in abandoning talks to pursue other targets - which they have already outlined with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Northern Football Correspondent Mark Critchley has the latest:
Not long after United warned of pulling out of talks, it was reported that an official bid had been lodged from the Premier League club - for a whopping €100m (£90.3m).
The fee would surpass not only Gareth Bale's record as the most expensive British player in history (£86m) but also the club's record buy, beating the £89m that United paid Juventus to re-sign Paul Pogba four years ago.
According to Italian outlet Tutto Mercato Web, United made the offer yesterday and are currently waiting to hear back from Borussia Dortmund, though it's expected that the German club will want to discuss bonuses that will take the fee up towards their current valuation.
Liverpool are looking at Norwich City left-back Jamal Lewis with a view to a £10m offer in order to provide competition for Andy Robertson.
Senior Football Correspondent Melissa Reddy reports that Liverpool are looking at ways of keeping their Premier League-winning squad on their toes by bringing in young and ambitious talents, with Lewis eyeing the next step up at 22 years old.
Furthermore, Lewis is represented by the same agency who look after Trent Alexander-Arnold and Robertson himself, which could help smooth over talks after Norwich were relegated at the end of the season.
Chelsea are growing increasingly resigned to losing Willian after the Brazilian let his contract run down, and it now appears that the winger could be the latest to make the short move from Stamford Bridge to north London.
Arsenal are understood to have opened talks with Willian's team, with The Mirror reporting that he has already told friends that he will be playing for the Gunners next season.
It means that he will become the latest player in a fairly long line to move from Chelsea to Arsenal or vice-versa, following in the footsteps of Petr Cech, David Luiz, Lassana Diarra, William Gallas and Yossi Benayoun, while Olivier Giroud recently moved in the opposite direction.
Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a deal in principle with Southampton to sign Denmark midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg with full back Kyle Walker-Peters going the other way, it was reported on Tuesday.
Hojbjerg is set to move for a fee in the region of £15m while right back Walker-Peters, who joined Southampton on loan in January, will make a permanent switch for £12m, according to Sky Sports.
Hojbjerg, who moved to the Premier League from Bayern Munich in 2016, was stripped of the Saints captaincy in June when the 23-year-old made his intention to leave the south-coast club clear to manager Ralph Hasenhuettl.
Walker-Peters, who is also 23 and moved to Saints for more first team action, has played 10 times in the Premier League under Hasenhuettl since his loan move earlier this year.
Spurs boss Jose Mourinho had said last month there was a place at the north London club for Walker-Peters to return but would not stand in the defender's way if he wanted to leave in search of more playing time elsewhere.
Manchester United have said that they will not be bullied into buying Jadon Sancho at an inflated transfer fee or wage packet, which is a warning in itself to the player and his management team ahead of personal negotiations.
It is a sign of how the club have learnt from the error of their ways in a similar pursuit - the one for Alexis Sanchez.
More than two years ago now, Sanchez became United's must-have signing - one that not only featured a player at the top of his game but who would represent a coup over rivals Manchester City, who had come close to signing him the previous transfer window.
However, his wage packet has completely disrupted the United's salary scale, and even though he is in talks to join Inter Milan, the effects of that signing will remain at Old Trafford for years to come.
United are determined not to make the same mistake with Sancho, as Northern Football Correspondent Mark Critchley writes.
Relegated Watford are expecting a player exodus this month as a number of star names look to return to the Premier League, and one name who keeps cropping up is Ismaila Sarr.
Sarr enjoyed a good maiden season at Vicarage Road but was unable to help keep the Hornets up in the top flight, which has alerted a number of clubs to his availability including Premier League champions Liverpool.
The Watford Observer reports that as well as Liverpool, Crystal Palace and Wolves have already expressed an interest in the Senegal forward, with a transfer battle now set to unfold over his signature.
Danny Rose has said he is very much eager to make a Tottenham return.
The defender spent the second half of last season on loan at Newcastle and does not appear to be in Jose Mourinho’s plans in north London, but Rose hasn't given up hope just yet.
Manchester United are also being linked with Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish, whose future remains uncertain after helping to keep the club in the Premier League.
Villa are determined to keep Grealish at Villa Park for at least another season, but know that sooner or later he is going to look for a move to bigger and better things.
However, they will not allow him to leave to United or any other side without a fight, and The Sun reports that Villa will offer Grealish a new contract in the coming days worth £100,000 a week, representing a large pay rise for the 24-year-old.
Manchester City are closing in on their second signing of the summer.
Fresh from yesterday's announcement that they had snapped up Ferran Torres from Valencia, City have agreed terms with Nathan Ake, according to Talksport.
It's claimed that the Bournemouth defender is set to join City in the coming days once he has had a medical and the chance to head to the Etihad campus for his unveiling, with the report adding that Chelsea decided against matching the £41m offer that City submitted last week.
Arsenal are also targeting Philippe Coutinho and Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey as they look to improve their options in midfield.
It is not clear whether the Gunners can afford or even desire to bring both players as well as Willian to the Emirates, but they are keeping tabs on all three.
As our own Miguel Delaney reported this week: Coutinho has been offered to Arsenal by Barcelona, with Matteo Guendouzi plus just £9m likely to be the trade-off, so the Gunners have a decision to make...
While Jadon Sancho is nearing his arrival at Manchester United, a winger leaves the club...
Alexis Sanchez, on loan at Inter Milan, is set to become a permanent part of the Serie A side this week.
Fabrizio Romano of Sky Italy is reporting that Inter will acquire the Chile international on a free, but they will be paying a wage of €7 million per season.
Following his side's promotion to the Premier League after last night's play-off final win against Brentford, Fulham coach Scott Parker has said that he will not overhaul his squad.
The London club were relegated from England’s top flight at the end of the 2018/19 campaign despite spending £100m on players, and Parker has said they will learn from those mistakes...
Brentford meanwhile will feel the cost of failing to win the Play-Off Final, having missed out on an apparent £160m pay day that Deloitte estimated would be the impact of promotion to the Premier League.
But their success this season has also alerted clubs to a number of their players, with The Telegraph reporting that Aston Villa are one of a number of clubs taking a close look at striker Ollie Watkins.
The forward is valued at £18m and has spearheaded Brentford's phenomenal season in front of goal in 2019/20, and while the Bees are not heading for the Premier League, Watkins could well find himself in the top flight.
Manchester City new signing Ferran Torres will arrive at the Etihad Stadium with something of a reputation for being one of the more confident youngsters out on the market.
Having completed a £25m move to City from Valencia, Torres has issued something of a parting shot at certain individuals at the Spanish club that he believes wanted to force him out - including captain Dani Parejo - in a revealing farewell interview with Spanish daily Marca.
Torres did stress he retains his love of Valencia and could see himself back there one day, but also revealed that in order to sign a new contract, he demanded a huge pay rise, the captaincy and the offer to be presented by club owner Peter Lim himself. Unsurprisingly, none of them happened.
Manchester United's decision over who will make up their goalkeeper unit next season could be forced by Dean Henderson.
The Sun reports that Henderson is ready to demand the No 1 spot at Old Trafford after a season with Sheffield United in which he out-performed David De Gea quite considerably.
Henderson is due to return to United in the coming days, but could yet depart on another loan if Ole Gunnar Solskjaer remains happy with De Gea - despite a season filled with clangers and below-par performances.
Developments at Manchester City and their pursuit of Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake, who is edging closer towards a move to Pep Guardiola's side.
Sky Sports are reporting that Ake will undergo a medical within the next 24 hours after returning from a post-season holiday, and with personal terms as good as signed off, an announcement should come this week.
Chelsea boss Frank Lampard has reportedly put five of his defenders up for sale as he looks to free up money for a move for Ben Chilwell.
The Times are reporting that Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen, Emerson Palmieri and Marcos Alonso are among those to be considered expendable as the Blues' pursuit of Leicester full-back Chilwell continues.
Chelsea are expected to have to make Chilwell the most expensive defender in the world – at around £80 million – in order to secure his services.
Norwich are ready to offload Josip Drmic, Tom Trybull and Moritz Leitner after relegation.
The trio have been told they are unlikely to be involved in the squad when they return ahead of the new Sky Bet Championship season, the PA news agency has reported.
They are due to be part of the rebuilding job at Carrow Road with the Canaries having already made six signings since dropping out of the Premier League, including Kieran Dowell from Everton.
Drmic has been an expensive failure after arriving on a free transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach last summer.
The striker scored just three goals across 25 appearances and was one of the club's top earners, marking a wretched transfer window.
Expensive loan moves for Schalke goalkeeper Ralf Fahrmann, Sevilla midfielder Ibrahim Amadou and Patrick Roberts from Manchester City were cut short mid-season as Norwich finished bottom of the table.
Drmic was sent off in his last game, a 2-0 defeat against Burnley, and all five of his starts came after the restart following the coronavirus lockdown.
Finally, Tottenham Hotspur are close to signing Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojberg in a deal that will involve a £15m payment plus Kyle Walker-Peters, who spent the second half of last season on loan at St Mary’s.
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