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          Barcelona turn to Eriksen after being warned off Coutinho

          • ESPN staffAug 10, 2017, 10:24 PM

          The football world is awash with gossip. Transfer Talk is monitoring the whispers ahead of all the summer moves. Check out the latest deals and potential deals here.

          TOP STORY: Barca turn to Eriksen as Coutinho alternative

          Barcelona's search for Andres Iniesta's replacement could lead them to Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen now that their pursuit of Philippe Coutinho looks set to end in failure.

          Liverpool released a firm hands-off statement on Friday, warning Barca that Coutinho "will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes."

          Armed with an excess of money from the world-record €222 million sale of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain, Barca have now turned their attention to Eriksen, according to the Independent.

          Insiders at the Catalan club reportedly feel the Denmark international is a good suit for their style of football, but he may cost more than £100m.

          LIVE BLOG:

          22.26 BST That's going to do it for Friday's live edition of Transfer Talk. Thanks very much for joining us, and be sure to check back in a few short hours when we return with the best gossip pulled from Saturday's back pages.

          21.35 BST: After being increasingly linked over the past few days, one journalist has claimed that Davinson Sanchez's move to Tottenham is not complete for £35 million. RAC1 journalist Gerard Romero claims the deal is done in a tweet. We will keep an eye on this one but to this point neither club has confirmed the move.

          21.08 BST: When asked about the prospects of Middlesbrough's Stewart Downing moving to Birmingham City, manager Harry Redknapp had the following to say to the Birmingham Mail: "I like Stewart Downing. He's a quality player. He's one we are interested in and we are talking to them about him.

          "I am hopeful we can get a deal done, we are trying and hopefully we will get a deal done. He is a top player, a top professional.

          "If we can do a deal that would be good."

          20.55 BST: In a "slightly" bigger deal than the one reported below, the Sun are claiming that Jose Mourinho and Manchester United remain confident of signing Gareth Bale. The Sun go on to say Mourinho has asked Ed Woodward to get together the funds to make a deal happen.

          The Real Madrid winger may be out of a starting spot with the emergence of Isco but it remains to be seen whether the Welsh superstar will leave the Bernabeu this transfer window.

          20.45 BST: Manchester United are "90 percent" done completing the signing of Portuguese youngster Bruno Amorim, according to U.D. Oliveirense communications director Antonio Jose Leite. Amorim is likely one for down the road but would be United's fourth signing of the summer.

          20.10 BST: In search of a replacement for departed striker Andre Gray, Burnley have had a £12 million bid for Leeds hitman Chris Wood rejected, according to reports out of Yorkshire. The New Zealand international led the Championship with 27 goals a year ago and is being pursued by a host of Premier League clubs.

          19.55 BST: AC Milan could consider a swap deal with Fiorentina to get the striker they finally covet, suggests calciomercato.com. Sources have told the Italian site that Milan could opt for a package deal that would land them Croatian duo Nikola Kalinic and Milan Badelj. AC Milan would likely part with Gabriel Paletta and another player in such a deal.

          19.45 BST: According to reports out of England, Chelsea are willing to double the wages of Danny Rose if Tottenham sell the malcontent left-back. Rose's evaluations stands around £50 million and the new wages would be about £120,000 per week.

          19.17 BST: DONE DEAL The Chicago Fire have acquired goalkeeper Richard Sanchez through Major League Soccer's allocation process by trading the club's natural third-round pick in the 2018 MLS SuperDraft and the No. 19 spot in the allocation order to the Portland Timbers in exchange for the No. 6 spot.

          19.01 BST: Should Riyad Mahrez leave Leicester City this summer, the Foxes will look to line up former England international Andros Townsend as his replacement, writes the Mirror.

          18.30 BST: Tottenham are hoping to make Celta Vigo midfielder Pape Chiekh Diop their first signing of the summer, a source close to the player has told ESPN FC.

          18.14 BST: Inter Milan have been in discussions for weeks over a deal that would see 20-year-old Turkish international Emre Mor leave Borussia Dortmund for the San Siro on a one-year loan with an obligation to buy, but Gazzetta dello Sport reports that those negotiations have hit a second major snag, and the Nerazzurri are prepared to walk away from the table.

          17.57 BST: Chelsea have emerged as favourites to sign Valencia right-back Joao Cancelo, according to the Mirror, after Tottenham balked at the Spanish club's £25m valuation of the 23-year-old Portugal international.

          17.41 BST: DONE DEAL Juventus have confirmed that midfielder Tomas Rincon has joined city rivals Torino. Full story.

          17.25 BST: Antonio Conte says he is "not looking for sympathy" from other coaches over the size of Chelsea's squad and defended the club's decision to loan out so many players on the fringes of the first team this summer. Full story.

          17.07 BST: U.S. international midfielder Mix Diskerud is in talks to have his loan to Swedish side IFK Goteborg extended through the end of 2017, a source with knowledge of the situation has confirmed to ESPN FC. Full story.

          16.53 BST: DONE DEAL Middlesbrough have completed the loan signing of Lewis Baker from Chelsea, with the midfielder also having just signed a new five-year deal with the Premier League champions.

          16.21 BST: Paris Saint-Germain have finally confirmed that Neymar will be eligible to make his debut for the club against Guingamp this weekend after the French Football Federation received the international transfer certificate from its Spanish counterparts...

          16.04 BST: Jose Mourinho insists he "will not cry or moan" if Manchester United cannot secure him the fourth summer signing he craves before the transfer window closes. Full story.

          15.49 BST: Geoffrey Kondogbia has been left out of Inter Milan's squad for their friendly against Real Betis on Saturday, amid talk that the midfielder is pushing for a transfer to Valencia.

          15.35 BST: Another DONE DEAL, this time in the Championship, where Queens Park Rangers have signed Kazenga LuaLua on loan from Brighton until January... The attacker knows QPR well, having spent time on loan at the club last season too.

          15.17 BST: DONE DEAL Remember Titus Bramble? Well, the former Newcastle and Sunderland defender has joined Eastern Counties League club Stowmarket Town...

          14.52 BST: DONE DEAL Marc Muniesa has joined Girona from Stoke on a season-long loan deal...

          14.37 BST: Philippe Coutinho has indeed submitted a transfer request as he looks to move to Barcelona, a source has told ESPN FC, with the Premier League club receiving it directly from the player via email on Friday afternoon. Full story.

          14.32 BST: Mauricio Pochettino has said that Danny Rose still has a future at Tottenham despite his criticism of the club earlier this week... "Nothing has changed with my vision or my perception of him," he said. "In the moment he apologised, to everyone I think, it's time to move on." Full story.

          14.03 BST: Big news from Manchester United, just for a change.

          Speaking at a news conference ahead of United's Premier League opener against West Ham, Jose Mourinho has said the club are in dialogue with Zlatan Ibrahimovic about a new deal. Full story.

          13.44 BST: DONE DEAL Schalke have sent United States youth international Haji Wright on loan to German second-tier club Sandhausen. Full story.

          13.25 BST: DONE DEAL Stoke have completed the permanent signing of Bruno Martins Indi from Porto after he spent last season on loan with the Potters. The defender has signed a five-year contract after Stoke agreed to pay €7.7 million to Porto. Full story.

          13.08 BST: And here is that Sky Sports statement from an unidentified member of Philippe Coutinho's family...

          It reads: "Philippe has tried very hard to find an amicable solution but to no avail. He has tremendous love for the club and fans but, like Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez have pointed out in the past, Liverpool does not let its players leave on amicable terms."

          12.57 BST: Just to confuse matters on Philippe Coutinho even further, Sky Sports is now claiming that it has received a statement from a close family member saying that the midfielder has indeed handed in a transfer request to Liverpool...

          12.50 BST: Press Association Sport is now reporting that Liverpool have denied that Philippe Coutinho has handed in a transfer request. Liverpool have apparently insisted that reports claiming he has asked to leave the club are "not true.''

          12.32 BST: An embarrassing moment for Danny Rose, who has apologised for his "ill-judged" comments after he said yesterday that he would consider offers to leave Tottenham and called on the club to make some signings. Full story.

          12.22 BST: Sky Sports claims Philippe Coutinho has handed in a transfer request at Liverpool, following their statement that he would not be sold to Barcelona.

          12.20 BST: DONE DEAL at Besiktas, who have added to their hard-man quota with the signing of Gary Medel from Inter Milan.

          The Chile international joins former Real Madrid tough guy Pepe in the Turkish Super Lig.

          12.15 BST: Shanghai Shenhua forward Carlos Tevez loves a transfer.

          Even though he is currently settled in the Chinese Super League the former West Ham, Manchester United, Manchester City and Juventus striker has taken the opportunity to discuss a potential third spell with boyhood club Boca Juniors. Full story.

          11.59 BST: Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe is keen on a move to Paris Saint-Germain to form a pretty awesome sounding attack with Neymar but no agreement has been reached yet and may not be this summer, a source close to PSG has told ESPN FC. Full story.

          11.35 BST: Speaking ahead of their opening Premier League game of the season, Stoke boss Mark Hughes also said they had rejected an offer from Swansea for Joe Allen.

          "They made an enquiry," Hughes said. "It wasn't a bid or a request to buy him or anything like that. They just asked would we be willing to allow him to leave and we said no.

          "I think we have to respect that they came and they did that and because of the answer they got you'd like to think they will respect our position."

          11.30 BST: Stoke could complete the signing of Bruno Martins Indi on Friday but it will not be done in time for him to play in the opening game of the season at Everton.

          Negotiations with Porto have proved frustrating but Press Association Sport reports a deal just in excess of £7m has now been agreed.

          11.04 BST: Philippe Coutinho will be missing for Liverpool this weekend. He joins Alexis Sanchez, Danny Drinkwater and Ross Barkley and Virgil van Dijk on the sidelines but what do they all have in common?

          Klopp added: "If FSG is saying something like this then that's the statement."

          10.57 BST: Borussia Dortmund have postponed their friendly at FSV Zwickau on Sunday as they do not feel they can "name a strong team" with Ousmane Dembele suspended after failing to report for training on Thursday. Full story.

          10.40 BST: The Daily Echo claims Southampton are yet to receive any offers for Van Dijk despite the player submitting a transfer request.

          10.25 BST: Mauricio Pellegrino says Southampton will keep trying to persuade Virgil van Dijk to stay at the club and not leave for Liverpool or Chelsea.

          "My reaction is the same that I said three weeks ago: we are expecting him to come back, to train with us because we need the players, we need all of them," he said. "Hopefully he can change his point of view. Virgil is an important player and we need him focused on our club." Full story.

          10.02 BST: Liverpool have issued a statement regarding reported interest from Barcelona in Philippe Coutinho and their stance is clear, but will Barca take the hint?

          "We wish to offer clarity as regards our position on a possible transfer of Philippe Coutinho," the statement read.

          "The club's definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes." Full story.

          09.42 BST: Spanish newspaper AS leads with news that Thomas Meunier has been offered to Real Madrid for €15-25m after losing his place at PSG to Dani Alves.

          The 25-year-old Belgium international only joined PSG last summer but could be on the move with Madrid looking to replace Danilo.

          09.25 BST: Isco has signed a contract extension with Real Madrid that includes a €700m release clause, according to AS. The Spain international, whose contract had a year to run, has signed a new four-year deal with the option of a fifth.

          And, in case Madridistas are worried about someone meeting the release clause of one of their star players, the report adds that no one at the club has a buy-out less than €500m.

          09.08 BST: According to the Sun, Mesut Ozil is set to agree a new deal with Arsenal despite his management trying to find him a new club.

          08.50 BST: In Italy, Tuttosport says that Juventus have turned their attention to Kevin Strootman after Liverpool told them Emre Can was not available.

          Roma are standing firm and want Strootman's full €45m or nothing.

          08.25 BST: The Guardian says anyone hoping to sign Ross Barkley from Everton, such as Tottenham, will have to pay £30m despite the player being in the final year of his contract.

          08.03 BST: Friday's Transfer Talk live blog begins with news that Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is facing player unrest on the day the Premier League kicks off.

          The Daily Mirror claims a number of Danny Rose's teammates agree with the interview he gave questioning the club's pay structure. Could an exodus be about to take place?

          PSG closing on Mbappe

          Paris Saint-Germain have already rocked La Liga this summer by signing Neymar from Barcelona. Now, according to reports in Spain, they are looking to repeat the trick by beating Real Madrid to Monaco striker Kylian Mbappe.

          Sport claims PSG have agreed a €180 million deal with their Ligue 1 rivals for the 18-year-old France international, who was also said to be a target for Barcelona and Manchester City. That breaks down as €150m up front and €30m to follow in bonuses and additional payments and would take PSG's total spend to over €400m this summer.

          Marca agrees, although they report a slight variation of the transfer fee, and reports documentation is already being filed to ratify the move that will see Mbappe return to his hometown. They also say that next up for ambitious PSG is a move for Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak.

          In France, though, Le Parisien has an altogether different take, with the outlet reporting that Monaco and PSG have both denied an offer has been made or that the transfer is happening at all.

          Sanchez set for pay raise, Emirates stay

          Another player in demand across Europe this summer is Alexis Sanchez, but according to the Daily Mail at least, he could be tempted to stay at Arsenal and earn a cool £300,000-a-week.

          To say Sanchez was influential last season would be an understatement. In all competitions the Chile international scored 30 goals and set up a further 15 for the Gunners, leading to speculation that Manchester City, PSG and Bayern Munich were interested.

          Arsene Wenger might not be able to offer the Champions League football that Sanchez wants, but he has gone from stubbornly refusing to sell to increasingly confident of keeping his star man, the report claims, and with that kind of offer on the table it is easy to see why.

          Dortmund digging in on Dembele

          Borussia Dortmund are playing hardball, but it seems like only a matter of time until Barcelona reach an agreement to sign Ousmane Dembele.

          In Spain, Sport reports that the player has already reached an agreement with Barca on a five-year contract worth €10m a year. That's the easy part though, convincing Dortmund to sell given that they know how much Barca have to spend following the sale of Neymar is a different proposition altogether.

          Earlier on Thursday, Dortmund rejected an initial bid from the Catalans for Dembele, reportedly in the region of €100m.

          Tap-ins

          - Tottenham's Danny Rose is wanted by Manchester United, the Mirror claims, as Jose Mourinho has decided signing a new left-back is now an issue that needs resolving. Last season the role was shared between Daley Blind, Matteo Darmian, Marcos Rojo, Luke Shaw and Ashley Young but Mourinho would like a player capable of starting regularly in the position.

          - The Mirror reckons West Ham fear Liverpool will try to sign Manuel Lanzini if they lose Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona and are planning to offer the Argentine a new five-year contract to keep him in East London. But, should they lose Lanzini, the Hammers will turn to Brentford playmaker Jota, who is also wanted by newly promoted Newcastle.

          - William Carvalho is being targeted by West Ham if they can raise the funds to finance his £25m transfer through the sales of Sofiane Feghouli and Robert Snodgrass. The London Evening Standard reports West Ham are optimistic about their chances of landing the Portugal and Sporting Lisbon midfielder.