Euro 2020 and the Copa America are over and the summer transfer window is open, leaving Europe's biggest clubs clear to make a splash in the market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Liverpool, Man United track Saul
Representatives of Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez are set to fly to England to discuss a move to the Premier League next week, reports the Sunday Mirror.
The 26-year-old has been linked with a move away from Atletico all summer, initially to Barcelona, however it now seems Liverpool and Manchester United could battle for his signature.
The Spain midfielder is said to be available for between £35-£40 million, despite a £125m buyout clause in his contract. Saul has fallen out of favour under coach Diego Simeone over the last year. Having been an ever-present in previous seasons, he started just 22 league games as Atletico won the La Liga title and completed 90 minutes on just 11 occasions.
He was expected to move to Barca as part of a deal which would take Antoine Griezmann back to Atletico, but the two clubs have been unable to reach an agreement, with the difference in player valuations the main obstacle.
Reports suggest that United are in pole position to sign Saul, as they look to bolster their squad further following the arrival of Jadon Sancho and the nearly completed deal for Raphael Varane.
As for Liverpool, they are looking to fill the void left by Georginio Wijnaldum, who left on a free at the end of his contract last month. The midfielder was a key part of the Champions League and Premier League-winning side but the two parties couldn't agree a new deal, resulting in the Netherlands international leaving for Paris Saint-Germain.
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LIVE BLOG
22.00 BST: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!
21.02 BST: Arsenal will not be selling Granit Xhaka after all, Mikel Arteta has confirmed.
The midfielder scored on Sunday in a friendly against Chelsea and the Gunners boss told the media afterwards that the Swiss international would be staying put. Xhaka, 28, had reportedly agreed to personal terms with Roma but it looks as if that deal has fallen through.
20.04 BST: Fenerbahce are reportedly considering a move for Arsenal right-back Cedric Soares, Turkish outlet Fotomac claims.
Fenerbahce Vítor Pereira knows the defender's game well, given he is Portuguese himself, and has commented would be a suitable fit. The he 29-year-old defender has made 29 appearances for the Gunners since arriving in January 2020, initially on loan from Southampton.
19.11 BST: New Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo reportedly wants to sign former Wolves charge Adama Traore, according to the Daily Mail.
The 25-year-old winger, who has two years remaining on his contract at Molineux, played for Nuno between 2018-2021. According to the report, Spurs have not reached out yet to express their interest as of yet, but would be keen to add another attacker to play alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. Finally the reports adds that Traore would fetch something in the neighborhood of the £45 million that Wolves landed from Liverpool for Diogo Jota last summer.
Spurs recently landed a winger in Bryan Gil, while Leeds, Chelsea and Liverpool are also all thought to be in play for Traore.
18.33 BST: Inter have yet to replace Achraf Hakimi, but Tuttosport claims their top choice is PSV's Denzel Dumfries.
The 25-year-old, who recently starred at Euro 2020 with the Netherlands, has also been linked with Everton. The Italian report suggests that Inter have targeted Dumfries and Arsenal's Hector Bellerin but that they would be keen acquire either initially on loan with an option to buy. PSV and Arsenal would rather sell their respective players outright, which could put a snag in Inter's summer plans.
Tuttopsort adds that Inter are also working with Cagliari on a deal for all-action midfielder Nahitan Nandez.
18.00 BST: The Sunday Mirror suggests that Manchester City are struggling to agree a new contract with Raheem Sterling after his stellar performances at Euro 2020.
With Jack Grealish set to move to City from Aston Villa in the coming weeks, Sterling could find his position marginalised -- though Bernardo Silva may also move on before the transfer window closes.
The report says that City are not panicking, as Sterling still has two years remaining on his deal.
John Stones, meanwhile, is close to agreeing a new contract worth £175,000-a-week to stay at the Etihad, with his current deal expiring in 11 months.
17.18 BST: Juventus look to have agreed a deal with Santos to sign Kaio Jorge this month. Jorge, a 19-year-old striker, had already agreed a pre-contract with Juve which kicks in as of Jan. 1.
GloboEsporte reports that Juve will pay €1.5m now to take him to Turin early, with another €1.5m next year if they qualify for the Champions League.
16.34 BST: Chelsea are being linked with Lucas Gourna-Douath of Saint Etienne, but RMC Sport reports that the Blues will have a lot of competition for his signature.
Gourna-Douath turns 18 on Thursday, when he will become eligible for a move to England in the post-Brexit transfer market. Atalanta, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Dortmund are also interested.
The report says that Atalanta are preparing an opening offer of €10m, but the player does not want to leave France in this transfer window.
The midfielder is set to extend his contract, committing him to the club until the summer of 2025, and Saint Etienne have decided to keep him until the transfer market improves next year.
15.50 BST: It looks like Aston Villa are preparing for Jack Grealish's impending £100m move to Manchester City by strengthening their creative options further. On Saturday, the Villans announced that they have reached a deal with Bayer Leverkusen to sign Leon Bailey, with a transfer fee of around £30m.
Now, the papers are speculating that they could use the Grealish money on a couple of other players.
First, the Mail on Sunday believes that Villa will make a second bid for Southampton's James Ward-Prowse. Villa had a £25m bid for the the 26-year-old rejected last week, and they are tipped to return with an improved offer.
Second, the Sunday Express says Norwich City's Todd Cantwell is wanted by Dean Smith and he's ready to make a first move.
15.07 BST: The future of Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez is set to be one of the stories of the last month of the transfer window. With two years left on his contract and Inter desperate to get a full transfer fee, he will almost certainly leave if an extension isn't signed before the end of the month.
Arsenal have already registered their interest, though the player is reported to prefer a move to Spain. The Athletic reports that the Gunners are ready to offer Hector Bellerin as a makeweight in any transfer. The Spain international is wanted by Inter, so it could tempt the Serie A champions into a deal. If Arsenal are given encouragement, they would first have to find a new club for Alexandre Lacazette to make the financials work.
But Tuttosport in Italy reports that Atletico Madrid have already tabled an offer of €35m, though that was never going to be enough for a player Inter value at €90m.
Where will Lautaro be playing his football when the transfer window closes? Right now, it's anyone's guess.
14.26 BST: Juventus coach Massimiliano Allegri says Aaron Ramsey can still have a big role to play for the Italian club, while appearing to play down a move for Barcelona's Miralem Pjanic.
Former Arsenal midfielder Ramsey has been linked with a return to the Premier League this summer. However, he was handed a deep-lying role in Juve's 2-1 friendly win over Monza on Saturday and impressed.
Pjanic, meanwhile, is surplus to requirements at Barca and speculation has suggested Juve are keen on re-signing him.
"I don't know about that, transfer issues are being managed by the club," Allegri told Sport Mediaset when asked about a move for the Bosnian midfielder. "We spent four years together with great memories [but] he is a Barcelona player now and we have talented players. I think if Ramsey can be convinced to play in front of the defence, he can do really well there.
"He was good there tonight. He can already see passing channels, has a good sense of the geometry of the field and I told him he can run less in that position!"
If Juve pull out of the race for Pjanic, they could see him end up at Serie A title rivals Inter. La Gazzetta dello Sport claim Inter CEO Beppe Marotta has opened talks over a potential move.
13.42 BST: Marca reports that Real Madrid's financial situation is so dire that they are willing to transfer almost any member of their squad to balance the books. Only Thibaut Courtois, Karim Benzema, Fede Valverde, David Alaba and Vinicius Jr. are not available, if the right transfer fee were offered.
It could give hope to Arsenal that a deal for midfielder Martin Odegaard could be struck following his successful loan spell in the second half of last season.
The report states that the effect of the coronavirus pandemic across Europe means many clubs are only proposing loan deals, which isn't helpful to president Florentino Perez as he looks to bring in funds.
13.04 BST: Wolves and Spain striker Rafa Mir has been offered to Barcelona, according to Catalan newspaper Diario Sport. The report claims Mir's agent, Jorge Mendes, first offered him to Barca a few months ago but they initially turned down the chance to sign him. However, if they're successful in moving on Martin Braithwaite and Rey Manaj this week, they could turn their attention to Mir.
Barca are well stocked in attack but coach Ronald Koeman is keen to add a more traditional No. 9 to his forward line, even if it's just a backup option.
Mir, 24, only has a contract with Wolves until 2022 so the Premier League club would not be able to demand a big fee. Sport even suggest they could be interested in a part-exchange, without naming any players.
Wolves signed Mir in 2017 but he's made just four appearances for the club and has spent most of his time on loan back in Spain. He boosted his reputation with 16 goals for Huesca last season, who were relegated from La Liga, and starred on Saturday with a hat trick for Spain as they beat Ivory Coast 5-2 to make the semifinals of the Olympic Games.
12.22 BST: Conflicting reports right now about Tottenham's pursuit of Atalanta defender Cristian Romero. Spurs have been trying to agree a £43m deal with the Serie A side, which would take the 23-year-old Argentina international to north London.
Noted transfer journalist Gianluca Di Marzio says that talks between the two clubs ended on Saturday without any agreement, and they could be so far apart that a deal isn't possible.
However, TYC Sports in Argentina says the exact opposite. Its report states Atalanta have sealed five add-on clauses to boost the fee, and the player has agreed personal terms on a five-year contract. It adds that the deal will not be officially announced until Atalanta complete the signing of Merih Demiral from Juvetus to replace Romero.
¡EL CUTI, A LA PREMIER LEAGUE!
— TyC Sports (@TyCSports) July 31, 2021
Atalanta aceptó los 50 millones de euros -más cinco en bonus- que puso sobre la mesa el Tottenham y Romero se convertirá en compañero de Gio Lo Celso. ¿Qué te parece? ⚽️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/8OPfRp2Iqa
11.42 BST: Reports in the Sunday Telegraph say that Harry Kane will insist on being allowed to join Manchester City when he holds showdown talks with Tottenham Hotspur bosses next week.
Kane, 28, has made it clear he wants a new challenge, and City are the frontrunners to sign the England captain. A player-plus-£100m deal has been reported, as City try to make the deal work financially.
The striker returns to Tottenham Hotspur on Monday after his post-Euro 2020 break.
11.00 BST: Sky Sport Italia reports that Sassuolo have given Juventus a deadline of mid-August to complete a deal for Euro 2020 star Manuel Locatelli, or he could stay at the club for the 2021-22 season.
Locatelli, 23, has already attracted firm interest from Arsenal, who offered around €40m, but the midfielder rejected the chance to move to the Premier League. Sassuolo are now adamant they have a clear market value for Locatelli, which Juve must match if they are to sign him.
The report says that Juve are trying to negotiate a two-year loan with an option to buy, as they struggle financially after the coronavirus pandemic
10.13 BST: AC Milan are on the verge of agreeing a deal which will take forward Jens Petter Hauge to Eintracht Frankfurt.
Hauge, 21, was not part of the Milan squad for Friday's friendly against Nice, and reports in his native Norway from vg.no say he is heading to the Bundesliga after less than 12 months at the San Siro.
The Norway international signed for Milan from Bodo/Glimt in October and played 24 games last season
09.30 BST: Santos president Andres Rueda has confirmed that Juventus are pushing hard to take Kaio Jorge to Turin for the start of the new season.
Jorge, a 19-year-old striker, has already agreed a pre-contract with Juve which kicks in as of Jan. 1. Rueda says no decision has been made to sell the Brazil under-17 international this summer, but it would enable Santos to get a fee for the player, rather than him leave for free in a few months' time.
"We are negotiating with Juventus for Kaio Jorge, but have not yet decided whether to sell now or if he'll leave in January after his contract expires," Santos President Rueda told Estadio97. "It's not true that this is a bad sale, because we didn't want to sell Kaio, but find ourselves forced to because of his contract."
PAPER GOSSIP
- Wolves are eyeing a move for Aaron Ramsey, according to Calciomercato, with Juventus looking to get the midfielder off their wage bill. The 30-year-old has been linked with a move back to the Premier League as Juventus ramp up their efforts to raise funds. Whilst Wolves have enquired about his services, the Wales international is said to be unconvinced it's the right offer.
- Inter MIlan have identified Joaquin Correa as a potential replacement for striker Lautaro Martinez if he is to leave this transfer window. Mundo Deportivo reports that the 26-year-old is of interest to Inter following 11 goals and 6 assists last season with fellow Serie A club Lazio. The link comes as Lautaro looks closer to an exit with no agreement over a new contract. Reports say Arsenal and Atletico are leading the chase for the forward.
- There could be a re-uniting of Swiss forces this summer as new Bordeaux boss Vladimir Petkovic is eyeing a move for Switzerland international Ricardo Rodriguez, according to Calciomercato. Petkovic guided Switzerland to the quarterfinals of Euro 2020. Since then, Petkovic has taken over at the Ligue 1 side. In one of his first moves at the club, he is hoping to lure left-back Rodriguez from Torino.
- West Ham United and Everton have been linked with a move for Flamengo forward Gabriel Barbosa, according to the Sunday Mirror. The 24-year-old Brazil star has impressed since moving to Flamengo from Inter Milan in January 2020. It is believed a fee of around £40m could be enough to secure Gabigol's services, who has 15 goals in 17 appearances so far this season.
- Crystal Palace are looking to add Arsenal youngster Reiss Nelson to their squad, according to the Sun on Sunday. Arsenal legend Patrick Viera has overseen a transition with his new Palace squad this summer, filling key positions and lowering the average squad age considerably. Next on his shortlist is 21-year-old Nelson, who already has top flight experience while on-loan at TSG Hoffenheim. The winger is reportedly not part of Mikel Arteta's immediate plans at the Emirates, whilst a loan move to Palace would leave some transfer budget for new boss Viera to add a striker to his squad.