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Transfer Talk: Barcelona put Griezmann up for sale for €100m

The winter transfer window is closed, but now it's time to look ahead to the summer! Here are the new rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.

TOP STORY: Barca ready to sell Griezmann

Barcelona are ready to cut their loses on France striker Antoine Griezmann this summer, according to Dario Sport.

Griezmann joined Barca from Atletico Madrid last summer when the Camp Nou club paid his €120 million release fee. But he has disappointed in his first season with Barca, scoring only eight goals in 26 La Liga appearances plus two goals in the Champions League.

It is reported that Barca have set a starting price of €100m for Griezmann, who turned 29 on Saturday. 

Barca want to rebuild their squad this summer and need funds to bring Neymar back from Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez.

LIVE BLOG

21.35 GMT: That's all for today's Transfer Talk Live, but please come back in a few hours for Monday's edition. Thanks for reading and be well. 

21.32 GMT: Sources have informed ESPN that Barcelona have a bold plan to reunite Neymar with Lionel Messi at Camp Nou this summer.

Sam Marsden, Moises Llorens and Eduardo Fernandez-Abascal tell the story of how FIFA article 17 works, how it's been used in the past and how Barcelona hope to use it to their advantage for one of the most stunning transfer heists the sport would ever see. Read that story here.

20.22 GMT: Gab Marcotti outlines the reasons why he thinks Harry Kane will end up at Real Madrid over Barcelona.

19.34 GMT: Barcelona want Carles Alena to be part of the first-team squad next season, according to a report in Diario Sport.

On loan at Real Betis this season, the outlet says that new boss Quique Setien is aware of the La Masia product's potential ans sees him as a valuable link player between the lines.

18.43 GMT: AC Milan are set to have critical talks with super agent Mino Raiola over the futures of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Alessio Romagnoli at the San Siro, reports Tuttosport.

The deals for Donnarumma and Romagnoli run out in the summer of 2022 and the club are keen not to see the pair leave out the door for free. Ibrahimovic's contract is up this summer, however, and the outlet suggests he's not keen on staying.

18.01 GMT: Will Mohamed Salah still be at Anfield next season? ESPN's Ale Moreno admits the Egypt and Reds star has been great at Liverpool but hasn't reached the heights he once promised.

17.04 GMT: Ale Moreno breaks down how the Luka Modric could be on his way out at Real Madrid.

15.59 GMT: Could Paul Pogba really still be at Manchester United next season? The Daily Mirror reports that United executive vice chairman Ed Woodward has reopened talks with Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, in a bid to resolve his future. The paper says a peace-pact has been struck, but will that just smooth the way to the exit door?

15.11 GMT: Philippe Coutinho will surely be surplus to requirements at Barcelona at the end of the campaign, following his loan at Bayern Munich. The Daily Mirror is reporting that Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham are tracking his availability once the window opens. However, they only want him on loan and won't meet the £100m asking price.

14.29 GMT: Alejandro Moreno and Dan Thomas decide whether Tottenham Hotspur need to move on from captain Hugo Lloris.

14.00 GMT: Arsenal and Liverpool could fight it out for Eintracht Frankfurt defender Evan Ndicka, reports Sky Sports. The France under-21 international has been outstanding this season, with AC Milan, Inter Mlan,  Sevilla and Valencia also thought to be interested. The 20-year-old left-sided centre-back started his career with Auxerre before moving to the Bundesliga two years ago.

13.11 GMT: Sport Mediaset is reporting that Zlatan Ibrahimovic will leave AC Milan at the end of the season as he is unhappy with the sacking of director of football Zvonimir Boban. CEO Ivan Gazidi axed Boban after a disagreement over the pursuit of RB Leipzig coach Ralf Rangnick.

Here's a reminder of Zlatan's time at Manchester United. 

12.33 GMT: Dario Ser reports that Barcelona are in deep negotiations to sign Pau Torres from Villarreal. The 23-year-old defender, who made his Spain debut in November, reportedly has a €50m release clause and has also attracted interest from Arsenal and Manchester City.

11.49 GMT: Hellas Verona wing-back Marco Davide Faraoni is wanted by both Napoli and Roma, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport. The 28-year-old has also played for Udinese, Watford, Perugia, Novara and Crotone.

11.01 GMT: Al Hilal striker Sebastian Giovinco may return to Serie A to win his place back in the Italy squad. Giovinco left Juventus for Toronto FC five years ago, and moved to Al Hilal last year. The 33-year-old is now eyeing a move home to Italy. 

"The desire is there. I want to close the circle in Italy, but right now I'm happy here," he said. "I've already won something in Saudi Arabia and I'm happy.

"The only way I have to get back into the national side is to return to Italy, and doing something really great there would allow me to get back into contention for the national side."

10.17 GMT: The Sun reports that Manchester United have run out of patience with Jesse Lingard and Andreas Pereira. The duo have fallen out of favour with boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, and while they still have plenty of time left on their contracts they will be made available for sale for summer squad rebuilding.

09.30 GMT: Gazzetta dello Sport reckons that Inter Milan have made Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang one of their key transfer targets, along with Chelsea's Olivier Giroud.

PAPER ROUND

Liverpool join Barca, Real in Ruiz race

Liverpool are set to make Napoli's Fabian Ruiz their No. 1 target during the summer transfer window, the Daily Express reports.

Barcelona and Real Madrid have been leading the way in the battle to sign Ruiz, who is valued at around £74 million, for a good few months. 

Jurgen Klopp is eager to strengthen his midfield in the summer and Ruiz is at the top of his wanted list. 

PSG desperate to keep Mbappe

Paris Saint-Germain will use the extended pause in football to their benefit when it comes to the future of Kylian Mbappe, Marca reports.

The young Frenchman has been heavily linked with a move away from the club over the last few months, with Liverpool being one of the few clubs linked with a bid. Now, however, PSG are said to be using the coronavirus outbreak as the extra time they need to persuade Mbappe to stay in the French capital.

Mbappe initially wanted to wait until the end of Euro 2020 to make a decision regarding his future, though that tournament has now been postponed for a year.

Neymar wants Barcelona return

Brazilian sensation Neymar is planning on leaving Paris Saint-Germain in favour of a long-awaited return to Barcelona, Sport reports.

The writing has seemingly been on the wall for Neymar for quite some time now, and the belief is that he's putting pressure on PSG to try and force the move back to the Camp Nou. Given the uncertainty surrounding the future of domestic football in Europe, though, it's not yet known when this deal may get done.

Real Madrid seemed like the frontrunners at one stage, but now Barca are said to be getting closer and closer to making this move a reality.

Tap-ins

- According to a report from Sport, Barcelona are interested in making a move for Sassuolo star Jeremie Boga. The former Chelsea man has also grabbed the attention with his play this season, but while the Blues may be looking at bringing him back to Stamford Bridge, Barca are looking into improving their attacking options -- with Boga being one of their primary targets.

- Liverpool are interested in trying to sign Schalke youngster Malick Thiaw, the Daily Mirror reports. The teenager has only made one appearance in the Bundesliga thus far, but has been highly tipped as one of the next great European defenders. 

- The Daily Mirror is reporting that Arsenal will try and make a move for Celtic forward Odsonne Edouard. The 22-year-old, who has been at Celtic Park since back in 2017, is a source of interest from Gunners manager Mikel Arteta who wants to add to his attacking line-up regardless of whether or not Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains at the Emirates following the current campaign.

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