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LIVE Transfer Talk: Bayern join Chelsea and Man City in race for Hickey

The coronavirus pandemic has made the summer transfer window uncertain. Ligue 1 is open and here's when the rest of Europe's top leagues will follow but here are the rumours floating around the big leagues and beyond.

TOP STORY: Bayern join Chelsea and Man City in race for Hickey

Hearts defender Aaron Hickey only turns 18 on Wednesday but he already has Europe's top clubs after him.

Hickey, who has been relegated with Hearts as the Scottish Premiership cancelled their season early due to the coronavirus pandemic, has already been linked with Celtic, Chelsea, Manchester City, Crystal Palace, Lazio and AC Milan, but the Daily Mail reports that Bayern Munich are also to be added to the list.

The Scotland youth international left-back is highly rated and could be a cheaper option for clubs than Leicester's Ben Chilwell, who would command a fee in excess of £60m. Hickey, meanwhile, is rated at around £5m.

LIVE BLOG

22.13 BST: Leicester, whose left-back Ben Chilwell has been increasingly linked with a move to Chelsea in recent days, are preparing to challenge Paris Saint-Germain for Ajax left-back Nicolas Tagliafico, according to Le10 Sport.

21.26 BST: Valencia's bid to take Dani Ceballos from his disappointing loan at Arsenal in January was rebuffed by Real Madrid, and Super Deporte writes that Los Che can expect to pay the entirety of the 23-year-old midfielder's €6.5m annual wages and a €4m loan fee to bring him to the Mestalla for 2020-21.

20.39 BST: Roma have little intention of parting with 20-year-old midfield wunderkind Nicolo Zaniolo, according to Corriere dello Sport, amid offers and interest from Juventus, Inter, Manchester United and Tottenham.

19.52 BST: Borussia Monchengladbach sporting director Max Eberl has confirmed that U.S. international Fabian Johnson will leave the Bundesliga club when his contract expires at the end of this season, saying "it was a mutual decision not to extend his contract," in an interview on the club's website.

19.05 BST: Mundo Deportivo reports that Edinson Cavani have turned down Inter Milan's offer to be the replacement for seemingly Barcelona-bound Lautaro Martinez, and have now turned their attentions to Altetico Madrid forward Alvaro Morata -- who's said to be content in the Spanish capital and have little interest in a return to Italy.

17.48 BST: Real Madrid are putting together an incredibly young and incredibly expensive list of transfer targets this summer. In addition to Kai Havertz and Eduardo Camavinga, Los Blancos are now also keen to rival Manchester United in the race for Borussia Dortmund prodigy Jadon Sancho, according to Le10 Sport.

16.31 BST: Will Inter Milan be happy with the fact that more clubs are interested in Lautaro Martinez?

15.47 BST: Spanish publication Sport says that Barcelona winger Ansu Fati has been the subject of a €100m bid from Manchester United.

Fati, 17, is one of the world's best young players and Barcelona surely don't want to let him leave. However, they do need to raise money to bring in their transfer targets and €100m is a lot in today's economy.

14.55 BST: Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer says he will not risk the harmony of his Manchester United squad by signing "rotten apples."

Solskjaer will have money to spend during the next transfer window despite the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic, but the United boss says he won't bring in the wrong personalities who could impact the group negatively.

"I did feel that I was professional and did feel privileged to play for Manchester United," said Solskjaer. "I wouldn't be able to look at myself if I didn't know I'd given everything for my teammates and my manager.

"That's what I also now look for in players that we sign or we bring up from the youth team. You have to have a good personality and that you are professional because one rotten apple in the basket will make the others rotten. So for me it's about building a team that will reflect me and my coaching staff's personalities and views. Of course there are standards because we want to win. We are in the business to win."

14.30 BST: Liverpool winger Harry Wilson has signed a contract extension with Bournemouth to ensure his loan covers the remainder of the season.

14.22 BST: Manchester City captain David Silva is leaving the club when his contract expires this summer and he has been offered a lucrative payday in Qatar, says the Daily Mirror.

The report states that the 34-year-old is wanted by clubs in Spain and the United States but that "Doha-based Al-Duhail, who top the Qatar Stars League, have told his representatives they are willing to blow any rivals for his signature out of the water in terms of the financial package on offer."

14.02 BST: Juventus signed Adrien Rabiot on a free transfer and could now make a decent profit by moving him on to Everton or elsewhere.

13.14 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport reports that €70m is enough for Manchester United to sign Fiorentina winger Federico Chiesa.

Chiesa, 22, has been linked with a move to Juventus and United, but the report reckons that United are ones who are most active.

12.43 BST: Brandon Williams and Dean Henderson are among the Manchester United youngsters in line for new contracts, sources have told ESPN.

Williams and Henderson have both signed long-term deals at Old Trafford within the last 12 months, but the club are considering fresh terms to reflect their impressive development.

Williams, 19, was not part of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's preseason tour squad last summer but the full-back has broken into the senior squad this season and made 26 appearances in all competitions. He signed a new contract in October but negotiations would now bring his wages more in line with the likes of Mason Greenwood and Tahith Chong.

Henderson, meanwhile, has spent the campaign on loan at Sheffield United, where the goalkeeper's performances have caught the attention of Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. England boss Gareth Southgate also made sure he received his first call-up to the England senior squad in October 2019.

11.56 BST: Liverpool youngster Rhian Brewster isn't likely to get near the first XI any time soon, so a loan move seems the best bet, with (guess who) Rangers keen.

Brewster, 20, joined Swansea on loan in January and the Welsh club want him back again for next season, but Steven Gerrard's Rangers may have something to say about that, according to the Scottish Sun.

11.08 BST: Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic has reportedly turned down Chelsea and PSG in order to seal a move to Barcelona.

Marca claims that the 30-year-old only wants to head to Camp Nou and Juve will accept offers around €50m.

10.32 BST: Ajax midfielder Donny van de Beek has been linked with Man United and Real Madrid. 

09.45 BST: In rare 'player actually comments about another club's player' news, Ilkay Gundogan says that Manchester City should sign centre-back Caglar Soyuncu from Leicester City.

"I agree with the general opinion of football fans. Caglar Soyuncu had the best performance in the Premier League this season after Van Dijk," Gundogan told Fanatik. "He's a very good boy. I love him. His understanding of football and character are also very good. His performances for both Leicester and Turkey are good. I hope we see him in better places.

"The first one that comes to my mind about the Turkish player I want to see at Manchester City is Caglar."

09.08 BST: Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been linked with a big-money move for some time, but he could be set to complete it this summer.

According to Le10 Sport, PSG have agreed terms with the 25-year-old. However, Lazio want €80m and have already rejected a €60m offer.

Chelsea and Manchester United are reportedly keen and could pounce if PSG are unable to agree a deal.

08.39 BST: Chelsea are concerned that forward Pedro may not sign a short-term contract to keep him at the club until the end of the season, The Sun reports.

Pedro, 32, is out of contract on July 1 and is reportedly waiting for teammate Willian to also be offered a deal before committing to Stamford Bridge until the end of 2019-20.

The former Barcelona player is one of those whose future in west London looks increasingly short after Chelsea struck deals for Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner.

08.00 BST: Manchester United and Real Madrid are both monitoring Barcelona's pursuit for Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez as the Spanish side continue to stall over a deal, according to The Sun.

Martinez, 22, has been a Barcelona's top target but the move requires them to either sel several players to fund the move or use one or more of their squad as makeweights in a transfer.

However, with both of those options failing so far to lead to an agreement, cash-rich rivals United and Madrid are reportedly waiting in the wings to swoop if the Barca deal founders.

PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)

Man City to rival Chelsea for Chilwell

Premier League champions Manchester City have entered the race to try and sign Leicester City star Ben Chilwell, The Telegraph reports.

Sources have told ESPN that Chelsea are among the frontrunners to secure the signing of the left-back, but City are prepared to join the race as they require some defensive reinforcements too.

The England international has four years remaining on his contract at Leicester but, given the interest in his services, they'll be lucky to keep hold of him this summer.

Koulibaly blow for Man Utd

The Mirror is reporting that Manchester United's hopes of signing Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly have been dashed.

Koulibaly has been one of the Red Devils' top targets, but according to Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, they will not be lowering their £100m valuation in order to facilitate a sale.

While demand in the 28-year-old has been well documented, it will still serve as a blow to United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Roma to go after Lovren if Smalling deal stalls

Italian giants AS Roma are interested in going for Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren, Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

While Roma's focus is said to be on getting a deal for Chris Smalling over the finish line, they're also interested in making some moves elsewhere if they can't tie the Manchester United defender down to a deal.

While Lovren may have been an integral part of the operations at Anfield once upon a time, he is now surplus to requirements and Roma are looking to take advantage of that.

Tap-ins

- The Daily Star is reporting that Tottenham Hotspur will no longer be pursuing a deal for Roma star Nicola Zaniolo. Spurs had been after the 20-year-old for quite some time, but after Roma put a £62m price tag on him, the situation has changed. Jose Mourinho wants reinforcements but he also doesn't want to overspend and, as such, it appears as if Tottenham are going to focus their attention elsewhere.

- Celtic are doing everything in their power to keep hold of Odsonne Edouard, the Daily Mail reports. The 22-year-old striker has been attracting the attention of Arsenal, Leicester and Manchester United, but boss Neil Lennon is now willing to do everything he can to keep Edouard on the books in Glasgow.

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