Wednesday transfer news: Real Madrid eye Pogba-Bale swap, Maguire £90m fee, Palace fume over Arsenal Zaha bid
Follow the latest transfer news live as we bring you all the done deals, rumours and gossip from the summer window. Manchester United remain active in the market after seeing a £70m bid for Harry Maguire rejected this week, with Leicester City informing them that it will take £90m to sign the England defender.
United have also been offered Gareth Bale in a swap deal for Paul Pogba, with the Spaniard’s eager to offload the former Tottenham star. Arsenal meanwhile have infuriated Crystal Palace with their pursuit of Wilfried Zaha, but the Gunners could be about to lose Alexandre Lacazette to Atletico Madrid as a replacement for Barcelona-bound Antoine Griezmann.
Liverpool meanwhile have suffered a blow in their interest in Barcelona’s Ousmane Dembele, while United are also showing interest in Dinamo Zagreb youngster Dani Olmo.
We start the morning with an update on the futures of Gareth Bale and Paul Pogba, which may have a massive impact on each other in the next few weeks.
The Daily Mail reports that Real Madrid remain keen to offload Bale this summer and hope to use him in any deal to lure Pogba to the Bernabeu.
United are determined not to sell Pogba even though he wants to leave, but the prospect of signing Bale as well as collecting a bit of cash on the side could tempt them into cutting their losses on the France international.
United have also been told that their £70m offer for Harry Maguire - rejected by Leicester City on Tuesday - will need to be significantly increased if they are to land the England international this summer.
United's proposed move would already have made Maguire the most expensive English player in history, but Leicester want up to £90m to sell the former Hull City centre-back, according to The Telegraph.
Maguire is understood to have told the Foxes that he's keen to explore new opportunities, but United may now start to put pressure on the player himself to try and force a King Power Stadium exit.
In what came as a major surprise, Tottenham signed not only one player but two on Tuesday - and smashed their club transfer record in the process.
Spurs followed the signing of Jack Clarke from Leeds United with the £60m addition of Tanguy Ndombele from Lyon, smashing the previous £42m signing of Davinson Sanchez two years ago.
As Jack Pitt-Brooke writes, the move has the potential to be the most important transfer for not just Spurs but the entire Premier League for a number of years, as it may just set the tone for a new era in north London.
In fact, they are furious. The Palace board have seen Arsenal's £40m offer for Wilfried Zaha as has a blatant attempt to unsettle the forward and force him into pushing against the club, ultimately resulting in a summer transfer for a lower a fee.
According to The Mirror, Palace may cut all communication with Arsenal as a result of the offer unless the Gunners significantly increase their bid.
Atletico Madrid are ready to lose Antoine Griezmann today to Barcelona, with the Catalans set to announce their latest £107m move.
But the Liga club are already scouting out potential replacements, and The Mirror claims that they have expressed an interest in Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette.
The 28-year-old moved to Arsenal two years ago for a fee of around £50m and the Gunners would want more than that to let him go this summer, given it could help them sign Wilfried Zaha plus other potential targets.
But Arsenal are understandably reluctant at breaking up the Lacazette-Aubameyang partnership that emerged last season.
Aston Villa have confirmed the signing of Brazilian striker Wesley Moraes for a club-record fee, believed to be worth around £22million.
A deal for the 22-year-old was agreed last month with Club Brugge and formalities of the transfer are now complete after he was granted a work permit.
Moraes is set to join up with Dean Smith's squad as they prepare for life back in the Premier League following promotion via the play-offs.
Villa have already brought in the likes of Jota, Anwar El Ghazi, Kortney Hause and Matt Targett as the midlands club reshape the squad.
Moraes, who scored 14 goals for the Belgian side last season, is confident he can make an impact in the English top flight.
"I was very happy when I heard that Aston Villa were interested in me - and for a record fee," the Brazilian told Villa club media. "I'm just hoping that now I'll be able to show why out on the pitch. I'm hoping to settle in quickly so I can help the team win trophies and rise up the table.
"For me the Premier League is a real stage - a great division. I'm hoping I can adapt quickly and show what I've got to offer."
Moraes added: "You're going to see a lot of power and a lot of quality. I'm really happy to have the chance to play in the Premier League and I'm hoping to play well and score lots of goals, to help Aston Villa as best as I can."
Ayoze Perez is set to leave Newcastle United this summer, but surprisingly it will not be the return to Spain as many expected.
Perez has made it clear that he sees his future away from St James' Park, with a move to Spain thought to be at the forefront of his plans. But the BBC reports that Leicester have not only lodged a £30m fee for the 25-year-old, they have seen it accepted.
The move is not thought to be dependent on Harry Maguire leaving the club, but it does represent a sizable fee for a player who has not exactly set the Premier League alight.
Bournemouth's Nathan Ake is being linked with a £40m move to Manchester City this summer as Pep Guardiola looks to fill the Vincent Kompany-shaped void in his defence.
French newspaper L'Equipe has reported that a move to the Etihad for the Dutchman is 'likely', whilst reports in Italy from CalcioMercato are linking Juventus centre-half Leonardo Bonucci with a move to City.
With Leicester slapping a £90m price tag on Harry Maguire, Manchester United could turn their attentions to Barcelona's Samuel Umtiti according to Sport.
The French centre-half is reported to be surplus to requirements and the Catalan club also need to raise funds to bring back Brazilian forward Neymar in what would be a sensational move.
United have been linked with Umtiti in the past and a bid of around £45m, half of what would be required to sign Maguire, could be enough to bring the 25-year-old to Old Trafford.
Breaking: Former Barcelona and Manchester City star Yaya Toure has joined Chinese League One side Qingdao Huanghai on a free transfer.
The 36-year-old left Greek side Olympiacos after just four months in December 2018 after joining on a free transfer from City where he spent eight years of his career.
Toure said: "I have decided to take this new challenge and make history once again with Qingdao Huanghai. It will be my great honor to grow and succeed with this club."
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is set to sign a new long-term contract at Chelsea reported to be worth £150,000-a-week, according to the Telegraph
The 23-year-old has two years left on his current deal but Chelsea are hopeful of securing the midfielder for another five years, handing a boost to incoming manager Frank Lampard.
Loftus-Cheek may not play again in 2019 having ruptured his Achilles tendon in a friendly game in the US back in May.
Liverpool target Ousmane Dembélé has decided that he wants to stay at Barcelona and fight for his place, according to L'Equipe.
The 22-year-old was subject to a €70m from German giants Bayern Munich earlier in the window with Barcelona unwilling to sell for anything less than €95m.
Breaking: Manchester City have paid the €70m release clause for Atlético Madrid midfielder Rodri, according to Marca.
The 23-year-old Spaniard is now set to link-up with Pep Guardiola's side as personal terms shouldn't pose any issues and he could join them on their pre-season tour of China.
The Times are reporting that Manchester United have offered David De Gea a new five-year contract worth £350,000-a-week.
The 28-year-old's current deal runs out next summer and with fears growing that United could lose one of their star players on a free transfer, they have accelerated talks with the shot stopper.
De Gea's current deal is worth around £200,000-a-week and if he signs this new deal it would make him one of the highest earners at the club alongside Paul Pogba and Alexis Sanchez.
Transfer confirmed: Bundesliga side Eintracht Frankfurt have signed German international Erik Durm on a free transfer from Huddersfield Town.
The World Cup winner has signed a four-year deal with the Europa League semi-finalists after spending two years in the Premier League under now Schalke head coach, David Wagner.
Tottenham have made the biggest splash of the window so far with club record signing Tanguy Ndombele following Leeds' Jack Clarke through the door in north London as Mauricio Pochettino looks to rebuild his Champions League finalists. Champions Manchester City are set to splash plenty of cash too with Atletico Madrid's Rodri set to arrive imminently with a move for Juventus right back Joao Cancelo also a strong possibility.
The summer transfer window closes in the Premier League on Thursday 8 August.
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