Monday's transfer news: Arsenal bid rejected, Man Utd eye Fernandes, Liverpool ready to rival offer for Firpo
Manchester United are set to be busy this summer and appear to be closing in on their second signing of the off-season. Crystal Palace's Aaron Wan-Bissaka appears close to a move after a breakthrough was finally reached between the two clubs that will see the England Under-21 international move to Old Trafford for upwards of £42m plus add ons. Sporting's Bruno Fernandes could well be close behind with the Red Devils now the favourites to sign him too.
It won't just be incomings, however, with Paul Pogba anxious to leave with Real Madrid, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain circling. Romelu Lukaku is all set to leave for Italy too while the club are desperate to get Alexis Sanchez's £500,000 per week off the books.
Welcome to The Independent's transfer live blog where we'll keep you in top of all the latest news, done deals and rumours across Europe and beyond throughout the summer window.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal all feature heavily in today's gossip columns, while Premier League champions Manchester City are ready to make an record-breaking move if reports are to be believed.
We begin this morning with Manchester United. The club have been occupied so far this summer with their attempts to sign Crystal Palace defender Aaron Wan-Bissaka, but with that move looking close to secured, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has turned his attentions elsewhere.
Portuguese outlet Record reports that the United manager has made a 'personal plea' to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to go all out in signing Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
The 24-year-old Portugal international is on the radar of Europe's biggest clubs this summer and could leave Sporting if the club is offered the right price, and Solskjaer has urged United's transfer guru to ensure the club are at the front of the queue if and when that happens.
Another player United are keeping an eye on is Real Betis defender Junior Firpo, but they will face familiar competition for the left-back.
Spanish newspaper Marca reports that Liverpool are ready to rival United in the battle for Firpo, who is just 22 years old and looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
The Spain Under-21 international made 16 league appearances for Betis last season and made his international youth debut towards the start of the season, having successfully applied for duel-nationality after being born in the Dominican Republic.
Liverpool are on the lookout for a replacement left-back after allowing Alberto Moreno to leave on a free transfer, while United are determined to strengthen what has become an unstable defensive back line.
Arsenal are understood to be open to the prospect of letting Lucas Torreira leave the club, just one year after signing the Uruguay international from Sampdoria.
Torreira's strong start at the Emirates last season faded as it wore on, and his admission that he preferred life in Italy compared to London triggered interested from Serie A side AC Milan.
Now, Italian outlet Sport Mediaset reports that Arsenal have received an offer from Milan and are yet to make a decision on whether the 23-year-old will be allowed to leave the club this summer.
Manchester United are keen on kicking on with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's planned revamp, but there is also a desire to tie down their brightest young talent that includes striker Marcus Rashford.
It may seem like Rashford has been around for donkey's years after seeing Louis van Gaal, then Jose Mourinho and now Solskjaer as his manager, but the England star remains just 21 years old and is out of contract next summer.
However, The Sun reports that United will trigger a one-year extension clause in his current contract that will extend that stay until 2021 at least.
One player who has been linked strongly with a Manchester United exit is striker Romelu Lukaku, but it appears his proposed move to Inter Milan may not be as simple as had been suggested.
The Belgian has been told that he is free to leave Old Trafford if an acceptable offer is received this summer, but Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Inter are still £22.3m shy of United's valuation, meaning an agreement is almost certainly going to be impossible unless the Serie A side drastically up their offer.
It looks like Lukaku mat be staying at United after all.
Manchester City are ready to make Harry Maguire the most expensive defender in the world.
The Mirror claims that City have beaten rivals Manchester United to the signing of the England defender, and will agree a deal THIS WEEK for £80m.
The fee is £5m more than what Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk two seasons' ago, and would make him the most expensive defender on the planet as he is tasked with replacing Vincent Kompany.
One reason why Inter Milan cannot afford Romelu Lukaku may be that they have lodged a whopping £80m offer for sought-after target Nicolas Pepe.
Liverpool are keen on signing the Lille winger, who is also attracting attention from Manchester United, but French newspaper L'Equipe reports that Inter have marched ahead of their rivals with a big-money offer.
The Ligue 1 club have already admitted that they expect to lose Pepe this summer, such is the interest in his services, and Liverpool may now be forced into a move or risk losing out on his signature.
United's first signing of the summer may not be who everyone expects it to be.
The deal for Wan-Bissaka is close to complete, but The Sun reports that United are on the verge of announcing a move for Mateo Mejia, a 16-year-old winger from Spanish club Real Zaragoza.
United are believed to be paying around £600,000 for the prospect, though that fee will increase dependent on how successful his time is at Old Trafford, and a deal could be announced in the coming days.
One factor in Lucas Torreira's Arsenal future could be where the club can re-invest the money.
The Daily Mail reports that the extra funds that would be made available by Torreira's potential departure has swayed manager Unai Emery into pleading for a move for Wilfried Zaha, Crystal Palace's other prized asset that is being linked with a move this summer.
Palace are reportedly holding out for in excess of £55m that is currently out of Arsenal's limited budget after their Champions League failure, and any possible move will depend on outgoings at the Emirates.
Celtic have rejected Arsenal's opening offer for Kieran Tierney, understood to be worth around £15m.
The Gunners have identified the Celtic left-back as a realistic target this summer, and Celtic would reluctantly accept a fee if Arsenal meet their valuation.
but that is well above the £15m opening bid that Arsenal made, and Sky Sports reports that it has been met with a firm rejection from the Scottish Premiership champions.
Barcelona have ended their interest in Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt.
The Dutch defender has captured the attention of Europe's biggest clubs over the course of the last 12 months, with a bidding war developing between Barca, Juventus and PSG.
But it appears that Barcelona have run out of patience in their pursuit. Spanish daily Marca reports that the Catalan side have pulled the plug on their offer due to De Ligt's demand of €12m per year, which would take a transfer that would cost more than €120m in a fee alone well above the €200m mark.
Ernesto Valverde is also satisfied that Gerard Pique, Clement Lenglet, Samuel Umtiti and Jean-Clair Todibo gives him enough cover at centre-back without De Ligt.
As a result, the move is off, leaving Juventus and PSG to battle over his signature.
Paul Pogba has apparently told Manchester United he wants to move back to Juventus over a move to Real Madrid.
The 26-year-old on Sunday finally made his desire to leave Old Trafford clear, stating that it’s time for a “new challenge”, but many sources say he’s for a long time been “desperate to leave”.
Zinedine Zidane wants Pogba at any price, but the Bernabeu hierarchy are not keen to spend more than £110m after a summer that has already seen them break £350m.
Sky Sports say the midfielder wants to return to Juve, with Paris Saint-Germain also keen.
More on the breaking news that Rafa Benitez is leaving Newcastle United.
A club statement from the Magpies reads: “It is with disappointment that we announce manager Rafael Benitez will leave Newcastle United upon the expiry of his contract on June 30, 2019.
“We have worked hard to extend Rafa's contract over a significant period of time, however it has not been - and will not be - possible to reach an agreement with Rafa and his representatives.
“Rafa's coaching staff, Paco de Miguel Moreno, Antonio Gomez Perez and Mikel Antia, will also leave the club on June 30.
“We would like to thank Rafa and his coaching team for their efforts over the last three years and their significant contribution to what has been collectively achieved.
“We would also like to thank our supporters, players and staff for their patience during a period of uncertainty.
“The process to appoint a successor will now begin.”
Manchester United have been offered Neymar in a swap deal by Paris Saint-Germain - and incredibly they have rejected it.
The Independent can reveal that United were given the chance this summer to sign Neymar in return for letting Paul Pogba leave in the opposite direction.
As Miguel Delaney writes, both players want out of their respective clubs, and PSG would rather allow the Brazilian to move to England than head back to Barcelona or Real Madrid.
However, United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward has reservations about what signing Neymar would mean for United, and as a result turned down the chance.
Meanhile, Arsenal are set to push on with their first signing of the summer with a deal for Celtic's Kieran Tierney close. Bournemouth's Ryan Fraser and Belgian international Yannick Carrasco are also options being considered but money could be tight for Unai Emery and Co.
Champions Manchester City don't have any such problems and look set to strengthen an already stacked squad. Leicester City's Harry Maguire could arrive in a club record deal while Atletico Madrid's Rodri and Juve's Joao Cancelo appear near certainties to join him in what looks to be another busy summer at the Etihad.
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