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Transfer Talk: Napoli to challenge Arsenal, offer £60m for Zaha

Written by 
Published in Soccer
Wednesday, 31 July 2019 16:26

The European transfer window is open. Click here to review all the latest transfers and keep up to date with the latest gossip below.

Top free agents in 2020 | What do Europe's elite need?

TOP STORY: Man United make final £80m bid for Maguire?

It's been one of the transfer sagas of the summer, but Man United finally appear to be putting the right kind of money in front of Leicester for Harry Maguire.

TalkSPORT claims that an £80 million offer has been placed, but will be withdrawn on Monday if it's not accepted by then.

Leicester reportedly want £80m, with United's bids to date not reaching that amount, so now the ball is seemingly in their court. The fact that Maguire was left off the club's Twitter post about their shirt numbers for 2019-20 just adds fuel to the fire.

If the deal goes through, Maguire would become the most expensive defender of all-time -- beating the £75m that Liverpool paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk.

LIVE BLOG

18.19 BST: Could Tottenham swoop in and steal Bruno Fernandes from Man United?

RTP reports that Spurs have an emissary in Lisbon working to sign the 24-year-old and that the London club are set to make a proposal. Sporting have told United they will not accept anything less than €65 million for the Portuguese attacking midfielder who amassed 32 goals and 18 assists over all competitions last season.

Sky Sports News has also just tweeted that Spurs are looking to hijack a deal for Fernandes.

Tottenham have also been linked with a big-money move for Real Betis and Argentina midfielder Giovani Lo Celso.

17.43 BST: Aston Villa have already made 12 signings this summer which makes for a full roster!

Recent reports indicate they could free up one space by loaning out 21-year-old winger Andre Green. Football Insider claims that Championship side Preston North End and manager Alex Neil see Green as a viable replacement for departed attacker and leading scorer Callum Robinson and that a deal could be imminent.

In 24 league games between Villa and League One's Portsmouth, Green managed just 2 goals and one assist last season.

17.15 BST: And there it is...

Arsenal have made one of the biggest transfer splashes of the summer signing winger Nicolas Pepe from Lille for a club-record fee, which is thought to be around £72 million.

Pepe, 24, exploded onto the scene last season in Ligue 1 with 22 goals and 11 assists, leading Lille to a surprise second-place finish. For more on Pepe check out Julien Laurens' scouting report.

Head coach Unai Emery had this to say say to Arsenal's website about the signing: "Nicolas is a highly-rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe.

"Signing a top-class winger has been one of our key objectives in this transfer window and I'm delighted he's joining.

"He will add pace, power and creativity, with the aim of bringing more goals to our team."

Pepe will wear the No.19 shirt with Arsenal and his transfer fee surpasses the £55 million the Gunners paid for his new attacking teammate Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in Jan. 2018.

16.47 BST: Bayern Munich head coach Niko Kovac has said rumours linking Jamaica international Leon Bailey with the Bundesliga champions are "not true."

Amid Bayern's struggling efforts to sign Leroy Sane from Man City, transfermarkt.de claimed on Wednesday that the 21-year-old would swap Leverkusen or Bayern this summer.

However, a source close to the winger told ESPN FC that a report claiming personal terms between Bayern and Bailey had been agreed was false.

16.14 BST: Real Madrid forward James Rodriguez plans to hold talks with manager Zinedine Zidane before making a decision on his future at the club, sources have told ESPN FC.

Last Monday, Madrid informed James they want him to stay at the club despite interest from Atletico Madrid and Napoli.

However, sources have told ESPN FC that the final decision remains up in the air because James wants to feel like an "important player" in order to "succeed" at Madrid.

James believes he can still "be a success" at the Santiago Bernabeu but he's waiting to speak to Zidane in the next few days to determine whether the Frenchman is prepared to give him opportunities and if that is not the case, he will consider leaving the club.

15.33 BST: Spanish newspaper El Transistor claims Spurs have agreed a fee of €60m (£54.6m) with Real Betis for Giovani Lo Celso.

Lo Celso, 23, only joined Betis last summer from PSG after a loan spell but is now on his way to White Hart Lane. Maybe that will ensure Mauricio Pochettino is happy...

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1:45

Hislop: Pochettino's comments 'strange' yet 'understandable'

ESPN FC's Shaka Hislop reacts to Mauricio Pochettino saying that he's "not in charge of transfers" at Tottenham.

14.57 BST: Today's daily Neymar: PSG want to resolve the Brazilian's future before Aug. 10, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The price is €300m, with Barcelona showing some interest, but PSG want the saga completed before the Ligue 1 season starts.

14.31 BST: AC Milan have completed the signing of Lille forward Rafael Leao.

The 20-year old is a Portugal U21 international and he joins the Rossoneri on a five-year deal.

14.10 BST: Sporting Lisbon are lining up Velez Sarsfield midfielder Lucas Robertone to replace Bruno Fernandes if he departs for Man United.

Record reports that the 22-year-old is waiting for Fernandes' move to be completed before he can seal a transfer. But he'll only have to wait seven days of course...

13.42 BST: RMC reports that Newcastle have sent a delegation to France to conclude the signing of Nice winger Allan Saint-Maximin.

Saint-Maximin would reportedly cost €18m and Watford are also reportedly interested.

13.28 BST: Barcelona starlet Miranda has offers from Juventus and Marseille, says SPORT.

The left-back impressed for Spain at the under-19 European Championships and could move on as Barcelona look to raise some funds.

13.07 BST: ICYMI - Manchester United are set to sign French prodigy Hannibal Mejbri, one of the country's biggest talents, sources have told ESPN FC.

The 16-year-old attacking midfielder is at Monaco but a disagreement between him and the club has seen Mejbri not play for their youth team for months.

The Principality club initially didn't want their prized youth to leave, but have decided to accept United's offer of €10m, according to sources. The Old Trafford outfit beat Manchester City, Arsenal and Juventus to the France U16 international, who left his grassroots club Boulogne Billancourt in the west suburbs of Paris for Monaco a year ago.

12.44 BST: Barcelona are struggling to get rid of Philippe Coutinho, here's what FC TV think.

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0:52

Hislop: Signing Coutinho's a 'big gamble'

Shaka Hislop feels Barcelona's high asking price for Philippe Coutinho is scaring off potential buyers, given the Brazilian's erratic from at the Nou Camp.

12.05 BST: The latest on the future of Edinson Cavani from our man in Paris.

11.26 BST: Foot Mercato reports that Arsenal were interested in signing West Ham defender Issa Diop, until they found out the price.

Man United were also keen, but West Ham are looking for £65m for a player they signed for around £22m last summer.

11.08 BST: Marvellous news for Aston Villa as they have signed Marvelous Nakamba from Club Brugge.

The Zimbabwe international midfielder, 24, has Champions League pedigree and will join a host of new faces at the promoted club this season.

Head coach Dean Smith said: "Marvelous fits the criteria of the type of player we were looking for. He's very mobile, he's very good in possession and he will fit in with our style of play."

11.01 BST: Arsenal had high hopes for Japanese forward Takuma Asano when they signed him from Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2016, but he's left without playing a single game for the club.

Asano has moved to Partizan Belgrade for £1m, says the Sun, with the 24-year-old failing to impress on various loan spells with the Gunners.

10.54 BST: Freddie Woodman's move from Newcastle to Swansea on a season-long loan has been completed.

10.33 BST: Burnley have moved quickly to replace Tom Heaton and have agreed a £3.5m deal with Leeds to sign Northern Ireland international goalkeeper Bailey Peacock-Farrell, says the BBC.

10.19 BST: After being released by PSG this summer, former Barcelona right-back Dani Alves wants to remain in Europe as he plans to play in 2022 World Cup with Brazil.

It's amazing that a player of his quality hasn't yet found a club. He's got time on his side at least... although he will be 39 by the time the World Cup rolls around.

10.00 BST: Sampdoria has announced it has sold Erasmo Mule to Juventus. The 20-year-old centre-back has been on loan at Serie C side Trapani, helping them to promotion in 2018-19.

09.44 BST: After Lloyd Kelly, Jack Stacey and Philip Billing, Bournemouth have landed their fourth signing of the summer: Netherlands international winger Arnaut Danjuma.

Danjuma, 22, joins from Belgian outfit Club Brugge for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £14m.

"Coming to AFC Bournemouth is a really good step up for me," Danjuma told afcbTV. "The Premier League is a great place to play your football, especially at a club like this. I think the way the team plays suits my style, I like to attack and I cannot wait to get started."

09.39 BST: Expect an outgoing from Barcelona shortly.

09.25 BST: Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman has agreed to join Championship side Swansea on a season-long loan, says Sky Sports.

The 22-year-old has one year left on his contract and reportedly wants first-team football.

09.12 BST: French authorities have approved the sale of Nice to Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Wednesday for just over €100m, sources have told ESPN FC -- making the Riviera's club the most expensive ever in French football history.

Ratcliffe, the founder and CEO of chemical giant Ineos, was waiting for the green light from the DNCG, the organisation responsible for monitoring and overseeing the accounts of professional clubs in France, which has a say in every takeover in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2.

The English businessman, worth around €21 billion, was confident that his takeover offer would be ratified but he still had to wait for the official announcement. The sale should be officially announced in the next two weeks, according to a source.

09.10 BST: Aston Villa have signed goalkeeper Tom Heaton from Burnley.

08.49 BST: Romelu Lukaku looks set to move on from Manchester United, but is he being hard done by?

play
1:18

Is Lukaku better than the critics make him out to be?

With a move to Serie A looking imminent, Paolo Bandini and the ESPN FC panel wonder if Romelu Lukaku is deserving of the criticism he has received at Manchester United.

08.27 BST: Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane appeared irritated after repeated questions on reports that out-of-favour star Gareth Bale was golfing back in Spain during the team's 1-0 loss on Tuesday to Tottenham Hotspur in Munich.

Wales international Bale remained in Spain for Real's two-match swing to Germany following the collapse of his proposed move to China. Zidane had said Bale "wasn't fit" and that it "was a joint decision" to not make the trip for the Audi Cup.

Reports in Spain claimed Bale had been playing golf at a course near Madrid on Wednesday morning. Agent Jonathan Barnett refused to comment when asked by ESPN FC about the report's accuracy.

"I don't know," Zidane told a news conference after Madrid's 5-3 win over Fenerbahce. "I am here with my players. I cannot comment on that. I hope he has trained there [in Madrid]. We are here thinking of the team."

Asked again if he would take action if it was proven Bale was playing golf instead of training, Zidane said: "We will see when we get back.

"I'm not going to stop anybody doing anything, we all have our responsibilities. I don't get into his personal life. He stayed there to train, he did that."

08.00 BST: Jurgen Klopp has said Liverpool will assess all the options available to Harry Wilson in order to make the best decision for the player's career.

Wales international Wilson had a successful loan spell with Derby County last season, helping them reach the Championship playoff final with 15 goals and three assists in 40 league appearances.

The has been of interest to Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Bournemouth, but with time still left in the transfer window before the August 8 deadline, Liverpool will not rush into a decision on a player valued upwards of £20 million.

"We are in constant conversations, that's clear," Klopp said after Wednesday's 3-1 win over Lyon in which Wilson scored a stunning long-range strike. "We have to do the right thing for us and for the boy. There is nothing to talk about in public about it, so we will see what happens in the next eight or nine days until the window closes.

"He is obviously a really good player and I was really happy with him in the whole pre-season; he came back from Derby in a completely different [shape]. That's a good example of how a loan can really work out -- it was for Derby really good and for Harry as well. For us as well, which is good.

play
1:17

Are Everton getting a potential superstar in Moise Kean?

Italian football expert Paolo Bandini talks Moise Kean's potential and why he is joining Everton.

PAPER TALK (by Steve Wright)

Napoli, Arsenal battling for Zaha

With Nicolas Pepe seemingly snubbing Napoli for Arsenal, the two clubs are set to lock horns in the transfer window again, with the Italian club entering the race for Wilfried Zaha's signature, the Daily Mail understands.

Zaha had long been a target of the Gunners, who were only prepared to offer £40 million for him. Carlo Ancelotti's side look to make a bigger splash and are keen on submitting a £60m bid to Crystal Palace for the forward.

Napoli finished second in Serie A last season, meaning they can give Zaha his dream of playing Champions League football, something Arsenal cannot provide for at least one more season.

However, sources told ESPN FC last month that the 26-year-old would favour a summer move to Arsenal, his boyhood club, because he wants to remain in London for family reasons.

Zaha endured a difficult spell at Manchester United during the 2013-14 campaign before returning to Crystal Palace, where he signed a new five-year contract last year.

Tap-ins

- A swap deal which would see Romelu Lukaku sign for Juventus and Paulo Dybala for Manchester United was thought to be completed imminently, but the latter's wage demands have created difficulties, The Sun understands. The deal was reportedly "as good as done," but Dybala is demanding a weekly salary of £350,000 -- £50,000 more than what Paul Pogba earns.

- Manchester United target Samuel Umtiti has not been the subject of any official bids yet, according to Sport. Barcelona, who are asking for no less than €60 million for the centre-back, said that they haven't received any offers from United.

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