Transfer News LIVE: Gossip, deals and rumours from Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and more.
Friday, August 25
23.30: Alexis Sanchez wants a mind-blowing £400,000 a week to extend his stay at Arsenal.
The Chile striker has snubbed a £300,000 a week offer from the Gunners.
And he is demanding to soar clear as the Premier League’s top earner if he is to commit to a new contract.
21:30: Chelsea will hold talks with Everton this weekend over Ross Barkley.
The England international has been linked with a move away from Goodison Park in recent months.
Chelsea and Tottenham are keen on the 23-year-old playmaker.
And the Daily Mirror say the Blues will try to hijack Spurs’ move for Barkley and hold talks with Everton this weekend.
They claim Chelsea will sound out Everton owner Farhad Moshiri and chairman Bill Kenwright when the two clubs meet on Sunday afternoon.
Tottenham have been favourites to land Barkley, who is sidelined with a hamstring injury.
However, a move to Spurs has been delayed with the north London club looking at other targets.
20:30pm: Real Madrid are willing to sell Karim Benzema to Liverpool, Spanish outlet Diario Gol claim.
The France international had a hit-and-miss season under Zinedine Zidane last time out.
Benzema, 29, netted just 11 La Liga goals as Zidane’s men lifted the title ahead of Barcelona.
And according to Diario Gol, Liverpool, Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund have all made offers for Benzema.
However, Real president Florentino Perez is only interested in selling the striker to Liverpool.
Diario Gol add that Real reckon they can get the Reds to pay £92m for Benzema this summer.
19:30pm: Arsenal will tell Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain within the next 24 hours if he can leave the Gunners.
That’s according to Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol.
Reports today claimed the England international has snubbed a new £180,000-a-week deal offer from Arsenal.
And Solhekol says Arsenal will tell Oxlade-Chamberlain within the next 24 hours if he can leave the Emirates, with Chelsea and Liverpool keen.
He tweeted: “Arsenal to tell Oxlade-Chamberlain in next 24 hours if he can leave. Wants to go.
“Turned down £180k-a-week deal. Chelsea, Liverpool want him.”
18:15pm: Manchester United have made Celtic star Kieran Tierney their No.1 summer target.
That’s according to John Hartson.
Jose Mourinho has splashed the cash this summer, brining Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Victor Lindelof to Old Trafford.
And with doubts hanging over Luke Shaw’s United future, pundit Hartson says Scotland international Tierney tops Mourinho’s wish list.
“I’m hearing he’s Manchester United’s number one target,” he told the BBC’s Scottish Football Podcast.
“But why on earth would Brendan Rodgers sell Tierney right now?”
17:00pm: Philippe Coutinho reckons Ousmane Dembele’s move to Barcelona could end the chances of him leaving Liverpool.
That’s according to Sky Sports journalist Kaveh Solhekol.
Barca today announced they have agreed a £97m (€105m) fee with Borussia Dortmund for the France international.
And Solhekol says the Brazil international is worried Dembele’s arrival will affect his chances of joining Barca.
“Where does that leave Philippe Coutinho? Our information is that nothing has changed as far as he’s concerned, he still wants to go to Barcelona,” Solhekol said on Sky Sports’ Transfer Centre.
“But he is worried the Dembele move could affect his own future. We are told that Coutinho’s mood at the moment is very, very low.”
15:45pm: David De Gea is Real Madrid’s No.1 transfer target, the bookies say.
The Manchester United ace has been heavily linked with a move to the La Liga giants in recent months.
De Gea, 26, nearly joined Real in 2015 but a late fax ended any hope of a move.
And BetStars reckon Zinedine Zidane has made De Gea his priority target this summer, with the Spain international priced at 6/4 to join Real.
BetStars spokesperson Ian Marmion said: “Real Madrid have made signing Manchester United goalkeeper David De Gea their number one priority and have been priced at 6/4 to acquire the Spanish shot stopper.
“The long-term target for the Galacticos is keen on a move back to his homeland and Los Blancos are keen to replace the inconsistent Keylor Navas.”
13:00pm: Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho will let Andreas Pereira join Valencia.
Super Deporte say Mourinho has agreed to let him leave following talks with Valencia supremo Peter Lim.
The Belgian-born 21-year-old - who has represented Brazil at youth level - has only made a handful of appearances for United since progressing from the academy.
He had a loan at La Liga side Granada last term and played an important role in their season having racked up 35 appearances.
11:55am: Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho could move to Barcelona in the next 48 hours.
That’s according to Spanish news outlet Don Balon who reckon a deal is edging closer.
The Brazilian playmaker will make a list-ditch plea to Anfield chiefs to let him leave.
If that’s unsuccessful, it’s suggested Coutinho could make a public statement explaining his desire to join Barca.
11:00am: Chelsea are looking to push through a late swoop for Swansea star Fernando Llorente.
The Telegraph claim Chelsea are set to offer £15m for the 32-year-old.
It is said Llorente is interested in working with Antonio Conte again and is well aware of the interest coming from west London.
Swansea are reportedly closing in on a deal to bring Manchester City striker Wilfried Bony back to the club.
10:15am: Jurgen Klopp won’t be at Liverpool for long according to Tony Cascarino.
He told The Times: “I totally get why some managers who demand great intensity from their players want to take a break from football for a while.
“Pep Guardiola did that when stepping down at Barcelona in 2012, and I can't see Klopp staying for a very long time at Anfield for the same reason. I just don't think it's possible.”
9:10am: Tottenham want to take their summer spending to over £100m before the transfer window closes.
Spurs recently signed defender Davinson Sanchez from Ajax for a club record £38m.
Starsport understands Mauricio Pochettino wants to complete three more deals before next Thursday’s transfer deadline.
The Tottenham chief is after Paris St-Germain’s £23m right back Serge Aurier, £28m-rated Lazio striker Keita Balde Diao and Estudiantes defender Juan Foyth, who is rated at £12m.
8:10am: Real Madrid are turning their attention to Chelsea target Andrea Belotti.
That’s according to Spanish news outlet Don Balon who reckon the La Liga champions are eyeing the Torino striker.
Real had been tracking Kylian Mbappe, Ousmane Dembele and Paulo Dybala.
However, they’ve been unable to snare any of their top targets and are ready to look elsewhere.
It’s suggested Belotti is now being considered - along with Ajax ace Kasper Dolberg and RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner.
7:20am: Lionel Messi could quit Barcelona for Manchester City.
The Sun say the Argentine superstar’s father, Jorge Messi, has held discussions with City bigwigs about a stunning move.
Txiki Begiristain - who is director of football at City - knows Messi well having worked at the Nou Camp until 2012.
Sources have told The Sun that the duo have discussed a move to the Premier League.
A switch this summer doesn’t look likely - but he could be Manchester bound in 12 months time.
5:30am: Zlatan Ibrahimovic hailed the arrival of Nemanja Matic as Manchester United’s most important summer signing following his own return.
"I think the signing of Matic [is crucial]," Ibrahimovic told ESPN FC. "He brings a stability to the team that it didn't have last year.
"And I think Lukaku was a quality signing, like physical signing of force, but the important one is Matic.
“He brings stability to the whole team and that is what the team needs, and to have a player who is consistent at the top level.
"I also think this season will be the season of [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan because he has opened fantastic.
5:00am: Chelsea star Eden Hazard is reportedly ready to push for a move to Real Madrid.
According to Spanish outlet Don Balon, the Belgium international is ‘crazy’ about playing at the Bernabeu.
With less than one week to go now until the transfer window shuts, a move would have to be agreed quickly.
And Hazard has apparently told Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane he will do his best to secure a move.
But that is only if the La Liga giants firm up their interest.
4:40am: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to reject Arsenal’s final contract offer worth £180,000 a week.
As a result, the Gunners face being forced to sell with Chelsea and Liverpool keen, according to the Mirror.
The Blues are said to be in pole position as they target a £35m swoop for the England international.
Liverpool, though, remain keen and could cause a bidding war with Antonio Conte’s side.
Arsenal cannot afford to let Oxlade-Chamberlain’s deal run down, with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil’s futures not secured either.
4:20am: Liverpool should bid for Southampton centre-half Virgil van Dijk in the next few days, Reds legend John Aldridge hopes.
“Liverpool appear to have made a bit of a mess of their initial approaches for Van Dijk, with their apology to Southampton for speaking to the player without permission appearing to have soured relations between the two clubs,” Aldridge wrote in his column for The Irish Independent.
“Yet there comes a point when a player who is causing too many problems at a club needs to be removed and with Van Dijk making it clear he wants to leave, there may be room to strike a deal if a buying club pays over the odds.
Van Dijk is at loggerheads with his employer and that is not a healthy situation. I can see something breaking there in the next few days and a transfer happening.
“Whether Southampton would sell Van Dijk to Liverpool after all that has gone on this summer is another matter, but they should certainly make an offer in the next few days just to test the water.”
