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Transfer Talk: Liverpool to move for Havertz?

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TOP STORY: Liverpool to move for Havertz?

Liverpool are yet to make a major signing this summer, with only young Sepp van der Berg arriving, but the Daily Express claims that they are weighing up a move for Bayer Leverkusen sensation Kai Havertz.

Havertz, 20, has been linked with Barcelona and Bayern Munich and recently told Bild that he will be thinking of making a step up in the near future. "I am honest, at some point the next step must come for me," he said. "But I'm not going to worry about when exactly that will happen ...

"I really don't know yet whether FC Bayern is the next and right step for me. I also don't know whether foreign countries would not be more suitable for me. I really don't think too much about it at the moment. I have that self-confidence, yes [that I could play for Bayern]. But the same applies to other clubs as well."

Liverpool have been looking for a new attacking midfielder, with Nabil Fekir and Philippe Coutinho on the radar, but Havertz (No. 5 on our top 30 players under 21) would be a coup if they can persuade him to move now.

LIVE BLOG

22.45 BST: ESPN FC sources reported several days ago that the New York Red Bulls had rejected an offer from a Premier League club for U.S. international defender Aaron Long. And while the club in question wasn't known, Sky Sports may have shed some light on the situation, with news that West Ham remain undeterred and are ready to pay his £4m release clause to bring him to the London Stadium. The report also says there is interest from Fiorentina and Lyon.

22.10 BST: Tottenham are desperate to keep Christian Eriksen from leaving north London, and according to the Mail, they are ready to put their money where their mouth is to make sure the Denmark playmaker doesn't take flight. The outlet reports that Spurs are ready to hand Eriksen a £200,000 per week contract to prevent a bigger club -- most notably Real Madrid -- from stealing their man.

21.30 BST: Speaking of players who could return to former teams, how about Andy Carroll? The Chronicle reports that incoming manager Steve Bruce is interested in bringing the former Newcastle striker, who left his boyhood club for Liverpool in 2011, back to Tyneside. However, Bruce would only make good on a deal if Carroll -- training on his own after parting ways with West Ham -- can prove his fitness. Over to you Andy...

20.44 BST: The Neymar saga is in full, frustrating swing for Barcelona and PSG fans alike. Well, for all of us, we suppose, BUT there's a good update here from ESPN and ESPN Brazil sources.

Read the latest here about Neymar's hope of Barcelona making a competitive players-plus-cash offer to help him get his move back to Spain.

20.07 BST: Is this the summer that Rangers finally lose their grip on star striker Alfredo Morelos? The 23-year-old has managed a goal every other game for the Scottish giants, attracting attention from around Europe, and Eintracht Frankfurt are eyeing up the Colombian now that they've sold Sebastian Haller to West Ham and Luka Jovic to Real Madrid, according to the Express.

Rangers paid just 1.5m for Morelos in 2017 but would expect nothing less than 20m for him this summer. Given how much Eintracht have raised (108m) from their attacking pair, the SPL side's valuation seems easy enough to meet...

19.40 BST: West From might be in the English Championship but their ambitions in the transfer market are truly global, with the Birmingham Mail reporting their interest in Sporting CP winger Matheus Pereira.

The Brazilian wide man was impressive on loan in the Bundesliga last season for Nurnberg and his club in Portugal are happy to work out a transfer. West Brom will face some competition, namely from Schalke, but are hopeful that their loan-to-buy option (€9m was the quoted sale price next summer) with add-ons will succeed.

19.11 BST: Napoli are in the hunt for a new playmaker and, according to Tuttomercato in Italy, they have a shortlist of players should a swoop for James Rodriguez fall through and the Colombian joins Atletico Madrid instead.

On Carlo Ancelotti's list: Mexico and PSV star Hirving Lozano, Inter's divisive forward Mauro Icardi or up-and-comer Nicolas Pepe from Lille. Watch this space!

18.31 BST: Some outgoings next and news out of Norwich City...

Nelson Oliveira, 27, managed 19 goals in 67 appearances for the Canaries since joining in 2016 and was an increasingly fringe figure at the team, even spending last season on loan at Reading where he notched three times in 10 games. Now he's off to Greece for the next chapter of his career.

18.03 BST: Watford are still searching for attacking reinforcement and Sky Sports believes they're inching closer to a move for Rennes and Senegal winger Ismaila Sarr.

Sky reckons that Watford value Sarr, 21, is worth around £20m but the Ligue 1 side are holding out for something closer to £30m if he's to move to the Premier League this summer.

17.22 BST: Some TT reporting from ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle up next. PSV Eindhoven has submitted an improved offer for U.S. youth international and Hannover 96 defender Chris Gloster, a source with knowledge of the situation told ESPN FC. The source stated that the improved bid was made on Friday, and follows a previous offer that was made at the end of June.

Hannover has told Gloster he will be part of the first team this season if he remains, and he was included in the club's first team photo that was posted earlier this week. But the prospect of playing in the UEFA Champions League or Europa League -- if not this season, then in subsequent campaigns -- holds considerable appeal for Gloster. His current contract expires after the upcoming season.

PSV's left-back position was manned by Spanish defender Angelino last season, but he was reacquired by Manchester City earlier this month via a buy-back clause. PSV has since brought in 21-year-old defender Toni Lato on loan from Valencia.

In what could be his final appearance with Hannover, Gloster played the final 14 minutes of Saturday's 1-0 friendly defeat to Dutch side Groningen. Gloster, 18, spent most of last season with Hannover's reserve team, one that plays in the fourth-tier Regionalliga Nord, after starting the campaign with the U-19s. He made 16 appearances with the reserves and four with the U-19s but then enjoyed an impressive series of games at the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Poland, helping the U.S. reach the quarterfinals. Those performances saw him catch the eye of PSV.

Hannover will spend the 2019-20 season in the 2. Bundesliga following a campaign that saw them finish next-to-last in the top flight with just 21 points, seven points adrift of the relegation playoff spot. PSV will face Swiss side FC Basel in the second qualifying round of the UCL, hosting the first leg on July 23 and then traveling to Basel for the second leg a week later.

16.45 BST: Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye is set to sign for PSG, reports L'Equipe.

Gueye, 29, almost joined the French club in January but now the African Cup of Nations is over, he's set to try and offset the pain of losing the final with Senegal by sealing a €30m 'dream' move.

16.04 BST: Tottenham are keen to strengthen their midfield and have reportedly submitted an offer for Real Betis midfielder Giovani Lo Celso, according to El Transistor.

Lo Celso, 23, has also caught the eye of Bayern Munich and Manchester United, so Spurs are ready to break their transfer record again (after £56.5m was spent on Tanguy Ndombele) with a £61m bid.

These clubs should really be kicking themselves after Betis snapped up the Argentine from PSG last summer for just £20m.

15.31 BST: Roma have signed Jordan Veretout from Fiorentina on loan, before a €19m move next summer is made official.

14.37 BST: Tottenham midfielder Victor Wanyama isn't thinking about his future at the club, despite the arrival of Tanguy Ndombele this summer.

"I will be back in training with Spurs next week. I do not want to dwell much on speculations because it's normal for a player to be linked with other clubs when the transfer window is open but I'm not going anywhere," said the Kenyan skipper. "I have not spoken to any other team because my aim is to remain at Spurs and to help my team next season. I have a running contract with Tottenham which I intend to honour.

"But in football anything can happen. Things can change really quick. For now, I am on holiday, I am enjoying time with my family after a long season with the club and national team during the Africa Cup of Nations. It's time to relax a little ahead of the new season.

"The target is to have an injury free season. I believe in my abilities and I will always work hard to give my best in matches."

14.01 BST: Not often you get Premier League players choosing to drop into the Championship but Brighton's Anthony Knockaert looks set to join Fulham.

The 27-year-old winger is to have a medical once a fee has been agreed and should move imminently. Fulham have been looking to strengthen on the flanks since the exits of Ryan Babel and Andre Schurrle.

13.40 BST: Trabzonspor winger Abdulkadir Omur was one dubbed the 'Turkish Messi' so of course clubs are going to be sniffing around him.

Omur, 20, has been linked with Liverpool and now Fanatik claims that the club are ready to make an offer and then loan him straight back in order to improve his chances of getting a work permit.

13.06 BST: Aston Villa have agreed a fee of £8.75m with Kasimpasa for winger Trezeguet, say the Daily Mail.

Trezeguet, 24, is an Egypt international and also attracted attention from Sampdoria this summer. However, Villa have reportedly beaten their rivals to the punch to the land the player.

12.24 BST: Crystal Palace have reportedly made an £8m offer for Ireland midfielder James McCarthy, says Sky Sports, but Everton want £10m.

12.02 BST: Maurizio Sarri has left the door open for a Juventus return for Paul Pogba by admitting his admiration of the Manchester United midfielder and refusing to rule out a bid for the 26-year-old.

"I am not the technical director, so I do not know [if Pogba will come to Juventus]," Sarri said. "I like him very much, but I don't know the situation. Paul Pogba is a Manchester United player, so I don't want to talk about that."

11.56 BST: Juventus' Moise Kean has been linked with a €30m move away to Everton, but Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Barcelona and Arsenal are also interested in the youngster.

Kean, 19, made the breakthrough to Juve's first XI last season but has yet to agree terms on a new contract with his current deal expiring in 2020.

11.25 BST: With Vincent Kompany gone, Man City might need to get themselves a new centre-back. Even more so if John Stones departs.

11.01 BST: An update on Inter Milan's chase for Man United striker Romelu Lukaku.

United value Lukaku, who has four years left on his contract, between £80m and £90m after paying Everton £75m for the striker two years ago.

10.42 BST: Renato Sanches needs to get his career back on track but it looks like he'll still be trying to do so at Bayern Munich next season.

After a poor loan spell at Swansea in 2017-18 and just 17 appearances for Bayern last season, the 21-year-old was ready to move on before a chat with coach Niko Kovac. And now he's set to stay.

"I just want what's best for me," Sanches told the press during a public appearance for one Bayern's sponsors on the club's US Tour. "If the best for me is to stay here, I'll stay -- I want to play football."

10.13 BST: Arsenal have a new technical director and Edu is hoping to bring back the old 'Invincibles' mentality at the club, but says it will take time.

"We have to understand the fans," he told the Daily Telegraph. "We have to understand that. But they have to understand us as well. Because we have a philosophy.

"The club is changing a lot. Before I signed up to be technical director, I saw many changes now Arsene [Wenger] left. The structure of the club changes a lot. So that's a process, sometimes we need time. I understand that time is going against us but we have to be aware of that. But in the end, we are going to give them some good things, I am sure."

09.32 BST: Real Sociedad defender Diego Llorente is attracting interest from both Tottenham and West Ham, says Mundo Deportivo.

Llorente, 25, is a Spain international and only joined the La Liga side from Real Madrid two years ago. He reportedly has a €50m release clause, but it's unlikely that either of the Premier League duo would spend that much on him.

09.00 BST: The Sun, citing reports in Spain, claim that Liverpool are ready to offer Mo Salah a massive payrise to make him the highest paid player in the Premier League.

Salah signed an extension to 2023 last summer, but the Reds are ready to hand him a new £430,000-a-week contract to keep Real Madrid and Barcelona at bay.

PAPER TALK (by Nick Judd)

Icardi to make Serie A switch to Juve

Mauro Icardi is the latest big name linked to a move with Juventus, according to reports in Italy.

Calciomercato are claiming that wantaway Inter striker Icardi has chosen Turin as his next destination, while Corriere Dello Sport agree, suggesting that Juventus are keeping the No. 9 shirt open for the current Inter striker until he makes the switch.

Icardi has filled these transfer pages for most of the summer, with a '"will he or won't he" narrative fuelling much of the transfer rumours since the end of the 2018-19 campaign. He was frozen out of the club before then going on strike after being stripped of the captaincy.

Now though, with the season fast approaching, he looks set to be edging closer to a move to the Serie A champions.

That deal could hinge on Inter's ability to prise Romelu Lukaku away from Manchester United, with boss Antonio Conte reinforcing his desire that he is keen to land the Belgian attacker.

As always, a domino effect could be looming, but we await the first move.

PSG tempted to bring Matuidi 'home'

Paris Saint-Germain are keen on taking France international Blaise Matuidi back to the Parc Des Princes, according to Le Parisien.

Matuidi was a popular figure in the French capital during his six-year spell at the club between 2011 and 2016, and PSG have been told that £20 million could be enough to seal the deal.

Juventus have an embarrassment of riches in the midfield area after having signed both Aaron Ramsey from Arsenal and Adrien Rabiot from PSG, both on free transfers. The duo joins Rodrigo Bentancur, Sami Khedira, Emre Can and Miralem Pjanic competing for places in the centre.

Manchester United are also keen on Matuidi as they look to revamp their squad ahead of the new season, but Matuidi is said to favour a return to France.

He started his career at Troyes before moving to St Etienne and PSG. Now 32, he is still known for his box-to-box capabilities and endless running.

Chelsea youngster prepping for Bundesliga move

Chelsea rising star and Wales international Ethan Ampadu looks to be joining Bundesliga giants RB Leipzig on loan this season, and the Guardian reports that Chelsea currently negotiating a deal that would see him head to Germany for the duration of the 2019-20 campaign.

Ampadu was left out of the Blues' squad that flew to Japan for their two-game tour and instead the 18-year-old has been having a medical with a view to getting first-team football this season.

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard tried to secure Ampadu when he was in charge of Derby County, but it seems now the youngster could be loaned out again from Stamford Bridge.

Tap ins

- Crystal Palace are looking to replace Aaron Wan-Bissaka with Arsenal full-back Carl Jenkinson, and they could land him for a tenth of the fee they made from the sale of Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United. Eagles boss Roy Hodgson still needs defensive reinforcements and he could turn to the player he awarded an international debut while England manager. Jenkinson played just eight times in 2018-19 and could cost as little as £5m.

- Manchester United goalkeeper Dean Henderson is close to penning a new deal that would see him return to Sheffield United on loan for the duration of the 2019-20 season. Henderson has just one year left on his current contract and talks between club and player appear to have been positive, reports the Daily Mail. Blades boss Chris Wilder is keen to use Henderson again, while United view the youngster as a future No. 1.