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Transfer Talk: Navas nearing move from Real Madrid to PSG

The Premier League transfer window has closed, but the rest of Europe remains open for business. Plus, it's never too late to look forward to January! Click here to view the latest transfers and keep up to date with the latest gossip below.

TOP STORY: Real's Navas closer to PSG move

Keylor Navas is nearing a switch to Paris Saint-Germain, with Marca reporting that the Costa Rica goalkeeper moved one step closer to the French capital on Thursday after sources told ESPN that he made it clear to Madrid that he wants to leave.

With Alphonse Areola's future in doubt, the report says that the Ligue 1 champions reached an agreement for Navas at the conclusion of last season -- and that Madrid won't stand in the 32-year-old's way as he looks for first team opportunities beyond the Bernabeu.

Navas had apparently been part of a blockbuster package deal that would have seen him, James Rodriguez, and Gareth Bale (plus €100 million) go to PSG in exchange for Neymar. Sources told ESPN FC that PSG are yet to receive any concrete offer from Real Madrid for Neymar -- but Navas' pending departure to Paris could seemingly still happen.

One more spanner in the works is that PSG are also interested in AC Milan's Gianluigi Donnarumma. Le Parisien say a €55m deal is being discussed and wouldn't it be ironic if PSG signed Navas only to have him play backup to the young Italian?

LIVE BLOG

22.44 BST: We'll close Friday's live edition of Transfer Talk with a done deal. Lille have confirmed they've signed 22-year-old midfielder Renato Sanches on a permanent basis from Bayern Munich. Read the full story.

21.27 BST: Juventus haven't brought in the cash they'd have hoped to this summer, and now Calciomercato is reporting that the Bianconeri are entertaining offers on anyone not named Cristiano Ronaldo, suggesting that Miralem Pjanic, Paulo Dybala and Emre Can could all be ushered out of Turin before the close of the transfer window.

20.20 BST: Bayern Munich are set to activate the €40m release clause of Espanyol's 22-year-old midfielder Marc Roca, according to L'Equipe, who would replace Lille-bound Renato Sanches.

19.03 BST: Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp is the latest manager to call on the Premier League to re-align its summer transfer window with the rest of Europe. Read the full story.

17.46 BST: Sky Sport Italia reports that Mauro Icardi is preparing to remain at Inter this season following a summer of speculation linking him to Juventus and Napoli, with his wife and agent Wanda Nara posting a photo with fellow Nerazzurri wives and girlfriends containing a caption that reads: "A new year together."

16.29 BST: Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama looks like he's going to be departing, with Standard Liege keen to add to their capture of Simon Mignolet with a £9m addition.

Soccerlink reports that AS Monaco are keen, but if they don't land him the AC Milan might if Frank Kessie heads off to the Ligue 1 club instead.

15.32 BST: Reports in Italy have claimed that Real Madrid rejected the chance to sign Paulo Dybala from Juventus earlier this summer.

Real signed Luka Jovic for €60m, but were offered Dybala and turned down the chance to sign the Argentine because discussions over his image rights would have taken the cost of the deal over €80m.

14.45 BST: Manchester United's £50m man Aaron Wan-Bissaka will line up against his old side this weekend. This is what Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson had to say about the 21-year-old full-back.

14.17 BST: Arsenal have three left-backs in the squad after the arrival of Kieran Tierney and probably only need two. Sead Kolasinac is safe, but Nacho Monreal is reportedly closing on a move to Real Sociedad according to Noticias de Gipuzkoa.

The 33-year-old joined Arsenal from Malaga in January 2013 and has been a key player for them. The Gunners might not sell him, though, as Tierney has yet to recover from a groin injury since arriving.

14.05 BST: Chelsea boss Frank Lampard was asked about further departures from Stamford Bridge at his prematch news conference and said: "We'll see. Nothing is clear at the moment. I am happy with the squad. We need players, we can't bring anyone in."

On striker Michy Batshuayi playing in the U23s, he added: "It was a good performance and he got what he needed out of the game. He worked hard. We need Michy, we need the competition for up front. Hopefully if they can continue. If we had been more clinical we might have had three wins, that is the challenge for us. Not just the strikers, competition is good."

13.47 BST: Barcelona will return with a third offer for Neymar and are weighing up including Ousmane Dembele as a makeweight in an attempt to convince Paris Saint-Germain to sell, sources have told ESPN FC.

Barca have already seen two bids turned down for Neymar, who left the club for France in a world record €222m transfer in 2017.

PSG rejected a first offer which included Philippe Coutinho, Ivan Rakitic and €80m and then dismissed their request to take him on loan this season ahead of a permanent move next summer in a deal which would have been worth around €190m.

With less than two weeks to go before the transfer window closes on Sept. 2, Barca are against the clock to come up with an offer which suits PSG.

13.02 BST: L'Equipe reports that PSG are having problems offloading Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to Lecce as he is loathe to take a significant pay cut. 

12.38 BST: Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa has been speaking exclusively with ESPN.

The new Club America signing revealed that Standard Liege blocked his move to Napoli and that he had other options in Europe, but eventually decided to return to Liga MX.

11.45 BST: Speaking of Real Madrid, a report in Marca claims that the club are keen to sign veteran goalkeeper Willy Caballero from Chelsea.

That's presumably because they're about to lose Keylor Navas, but the Blues need a capable back for Kepa Arrizabalaga too, so might not sell.

11.05 BST: DEADLINE PASSED. Paris Saint-Germain had given Barcelona an ultimatum on the signing of Neymar until 12 p.m. local time (11 a.m. BST) to increase their bid to acquire the unsettled Brazilian. But there is nothing to report just yet...

Earlier this week, PSG turned down Barca's offer to sign Neymar on a two-season loan deal with the Spanish champions having an option to buy the player in the summer of 2021 for €160m.

According to RAC 1, if Barca's offer, which should include a player (Ousmane Dembele) plus cash deal, does not convince PSG then it would pave the way for Real Madrid to make a move.

10.55 BST: Bayern Munich are set to sell young midfielder Renato Sanches to Lille, according to L'Equipe.

The Portugal international, who was once tipped as one of the stars of the future, is on the brink of a €20m move.

10.03 BST: Mexico international Hirving Lozano has joined Napoli on a €42m permanent deal from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven.

The move has the seal of approval from a very important former Napoli player, Diego Maradona, but Lozano's former agent has revealed that the Italian club rejected to sign Lozano four years ago for only $4m.

09.50 BST: Arsenal have had a decent summer in the transfer window and are now looking to ship out some deadwood before the European window shuts.

Germany defender Shkodran Mustafi and Egypt midfielder Mohamed Elneny are on that list, according to the Express.

09.19 BST: Spanish defender Jesus Vallejo believes he made the right choice to leave Real Madrid and join Wolves on a season-long loan.

Vallejo, who was part of the Spain side which won the Under-21 European Championship earlier this summer, left Madrid in June for Wolves in search of regular playing time. The 22-year-old centre-back, who started in a 3-2 win at Torino in a Europa League qualifier on Thursday, told Onda Cero radio: "I'm very happy with the experience at Wolverhampton. There is a very good atmosphere and the staff has done a lot to make us feel right at home. The decision to come here has been the right one."

09.00 BST: Marca claims that Real Madrid have sent an emissary from the club to the French capital in order to lay the groundwork for Neymar's possible transfer.

The club official has reportedly met with PSG executives and with Neymar's entourage to discuss the transfer. According to Marca, Real Madrid are "optimistic" although no transfer figures have emerged from those talks.

RAC also report that Barcelona are still waiting for Neymar to make his choice clear and public, something the Brazilian has not done. Moreover, Neymar has not made a move to withdraw the lawsuit he filed in a court against Barca over the non-payment of a loyalty bonus.

The Brazilian was due a fee of around €26m on July 31, 2017, just four days before his world-record move to Paris Saint-Germain for €222m was made official. Barca refused to make the payment and subsequently sued Neymar for breach of contract and are demanding around €75m. The trial is due on Sept. 27.

PAPER TALK (by Richard Edwards)

Fernandinho bides his time at City

Who replaces at Fernandinho at Manchester City has been the source of much debate over the past couple of seasons, though the capture of Rodri over the summer has made it a lot easier.

The Sun report that the Brazilian is in no rush to put pen to paper at the Etihad, despite having a contract that expires at the end of the season.

His close relationship with the City hierarchy mean that neither side is close to panicking over his situation, with both parties comfortable that the two sides will come to the table before push comes to shove.

Fernandinho, who arrived at City from Shakhtar in June 2013 for a £30m fee, has had a huge impact at the club and is capable of playing in both midfield and in defence.

Any potential move would leave a hole, although the club and the player will hope that doesn't come to pass.

Palace open to Benteke stay

He may have been as sharp as a blunt knife since arriving at the club for a club-record fee in the summer of 2016, but Crystal Palace are still keen on ensuring that Christian Benteke remains at Selhurst Park beyond the end of this season.

The Guardian report that Palace are in talks with the misfiring Belgian over a new contract in order to ensure that their £27m investment doesn't go up in smoke when his deal expires. The player has attracted interested from clubs in China over the past 12 months but Roy Hodgson told the paper that talks are ongoing in a bid to ensure that Benteke stays exactly where he is.

"I believe negotiations are taking place," the Palace boss said, while revealing that similar talks are underway to convince James Tomkins that his future also belongs with the club. 

Tap-ins

- Atletico Madrid are negotiating with Roma to have Nikola Kalinic move, according to AS. Roma manager Paulo Fonseca is apparently a big fan of the Croatian forward but the sale is dependent on Patrik Schick leaving Rome for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig. Atleti are eyeing up to €7m for Kalinic, more than half the cost they paid for the ex-Fiorentina man in 2018. 

- Inter Milan look set to snare Fiorentina full-back Cristiano Biraghi, with a meeting due to take place on Friday between the two clubs to seal the deal. Calciomercato report that the transfer is most definitely on, with Brazilian full-back Dalbert likely to be heading to Florence to replace him.

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