Transfer news LIVE: Man United contact Jadon Sancho, Georginio Wijnaldum close to Liverpool exit, Barcelona continue squad revamp
Follow the latest updates from the summer transfer window as United continue to pursue £108m Sancho while Liverpool are set to see on of their key Premier League winners depart in a £15m exit
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Follow the latest updates live from the summer transfer window as Premier League clubs look to strengthen ahead of the new 2020/21 campaign, which kicks off this weekend. Just six weeks on from the end of last season, the opening round of the Premier League kicks off on Saturday, with clubs attempting to rush through deals ahead of their first games back in the top flight.
Barcelona continue their regeneration plans after securing Lionel Messi for another season. New head coach Ronaldo Koeman is determined to land Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, though he will keep a former Anfield favourite in Philippe Coutinho at Anfield in order to give the Brazilian a chance to cement his future at the club. However, one player set to leave the Nou Camp is Luis Suarez, who is to undergo an Italian language test ahead of a move to Juventus. Follow the live news below.
THIAGO UPDATE
Bayern Munich midfielder Thiago Alcantara has issued a fresh update on his future, with the Spaniard being constantly linked with a move to the Premier League.
Both Liverpool and Manchester United have been tipped with a move for the 29-year-old, who has excelled in a trophy-laden career with Barcelona and Bayern as well as with Spain, and Bayern have not kept it a secret that Thiago is keen to leave the club to test himself in the Premier League.
The club will not stand in his way of an exit - so long as an acceptable offer arrives - but so fa that has not been the case and he remains a Bayern player with the new season imminent.
However, with the midfielder currently on international duty with Spain, he has moved to play down talk of a move this summer, telling reporters that he has not been the one who has been speaking publicly about his desire to leave.
“I have not said at any time that I am leaving. Every year you put me in a different team.
“I am on the sidelines, my future is tomorrow’s game right now. I neither care nor am I interested in what I know I talked.”
GRIEZMANN GOING?
Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are all being linked with a move for Antoine Griezmann, who could be on the move after Lionel Messi chose to remain at Barcelona for the remainder of the season.
Messi’s future has been up in the air since he expressed his desire to leave, but decided on Friday that he will see out the final year of his contract to avoid a legal dispute with the club that he’s spent 19 years with.
However, Barcelona still need money to complete their planned squad overhaul, and with Griezmann failing to set the Nou Camp alight last season, the France international is at risk of being jettisoned from the club after just one year.
According to the Daily Mail, the three Premier League clubs are all in the running for the 29-year-old World Cup winner, and having scored just nine goals following his £107m move from Atletico Madrid last season, Griezmann looks at risk of being culled from new head coach Ronald Koeman’s plans.
TARKOWSKI STUMBLING BLOCK
West Ham Untied are keen on signing Burnley defender James Tarkowski, who enjoyed his strongest campaign to date in 2019/20 to put himself back on the radar for England selection.
However, the Hammers have seen a £27m offer rejected by Burnley, and the response has brought the news that the east London club will not want to heave receieved.
According to The Sun, Burnley have said it will take an offer of at least double that figure to prise the 27-year-old away from Turf Moor this summer, which would probably price West Ham out of a move.
Furthermore, The Telegraph reports that Tarkowski himself is only keen on leaving Burnley if he can secure Champions League football, which would certainly limit the number of clubs who he’d be interested in moving to and certainly rule out West Ham.
COUTINHO SET TO STAY
Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with former Liverpool midfielder Philippe Coutinho this summer, with the Brazilian supposedly available on a loan at the very least - and a permanent move if someone wants to cough up the money it would cost to sign him.
However, that stance at Barcelona may have changed.
Coutinho spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich after failing to impress at the Nou Camp, and looked destined for an early exit from the Spanish club. But Spanish newspaper Marca reports that new Barcelona head coach Ronald Koeman is determined to give Coutinho a fair crack of the whip this season and has indicated that he will remain a part of his first-team plans.
NEWCASTLE SIGN WILSON
New arrival Callum Wilson has spoken of his reasons for swapping Bournemouth for Newcastle United, with the striker admitting that the prestige of the club along with the squad that is already in place at St James’s Park convinced him that the move was the right one to make.
“From the minute I knew that Newcastle were interested, it was definitely something that appealed to me,” Wilson told the club’s website.
"It's a massive club with great history. Along the years, they've had great strikers so if I can emulate half of what they've done, I'd like to attempt that.
"I believe in my ability as a player. As a striker I think it's important to set yourself goals long term and short term, and I'm hoping to achieve them.
"With the players around me, I believe we can get the goals we need as team and I want to help contribute to that."
BREAKING
Newcastle United have confirmed what is set to be the first of a flurry of signings, with Callum Wilson joining the club in a £20m move from Bournemouth.
ADIOS BARCELONA, CIAO JUVENTUS
Luis Suarez will undergo one of the more unusual aspects of a summer transfer today after the striker was pencilled in for a translation test ahead of proposed move to Juventus.
The Uruguay international has been told he is free to leave Barcelona, with talks heading towards a conclusion surrounding loyalty pay-offs and outstanding contract fees, with the Italian champions his most likely destination.
But Eurosport reports that Suarez will have to pass an Italian language test if he is to be granted citizenship that would ensure a move goes through smoothly, with Juventus hoping to announce the move in the coming days.
FRASER SET TO SIGN
Perhaps the most exciting signing at Newcastle this week is the one that emerged late last night though.
Free agent Ryan Fraser is set to join the north-east club after leaving Bournemouth in the summer following the end of his contract.
The Scotland international had been close to joining Arsenal last summer in a £25m move to the Emirates, but a move never materialised and Fraser instead chose to run down his contract and leave the club in the hunt for a Premier League move, with Bournemouth as good as relegated when he departed.
Newcastle set for triple boost in transfer market
Steve Bruce has moved quickly to secure three of his top summer targets
NEWCASTLE’S SIGNING SPREE
The much-frustrated Newcastle United fans could be given plenty to cheer about in the coming days.
The Independent’s senior football writer Melissa Reddy confirmed over the weekend that Norwich City have accepted a £13.5m offer for left-back Jamal Lewis, who previously attracted interest from Liverpool at the start of the summer.
Liverpool were not willing to increase their offer from their initial £10m offer, leaving Newcastle free to move for the Northern Ireland international in a deal that looks set to go through imminently.
Newcastle are also closing in on Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson after having a £20m offer accepted by the relegated club. Wilson has been linked with Aston Villa and Tottenham, but Newcastle look poised to sign the forward after he flew to the city on Sunday ahead of a medical.
But that’s not all for Newcastle fans to look forward to. The club are also still in the hunt for Arsenal defender Rob Holding, who looks set to join the Magpies on a season-long loan after the Gunners finally secured the signing of Gabriel Magalhaes.
THIAGO DILEMMA
There is something of a conundrum evolving around the future of Thiago Alcantara.
The Bayern Munich midfielder is in the final year of his contract and eyeing a move away from the club to test himself on a different stage.
Liverpool have been the club most regularly linked with the 29-year-old Spaniard, but the Premier League champions are yet to move for the midfielder and it has allowed Manchester United to creep into the equation following their summer recruitment drive.
However, reports in Germany suggest that Barcelona are keen on bringing Thiago back to the Nou Camp, seven years after leaving for Munich. Bild claim that although Ronald Koeman is keen on Georginio Wijnaldum from Liverpool, the club would prefer to sign homegrown Thiago, which could see Koeman somewhat undermined int he transfer window.
Any move for Thiago will also surely impact Barca’s plans to lure Wijnaldum to the club, meaning the two moves could either both happen, or both collapse completely.
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