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          Barca close to €50m Di Maria move, Mbappe's mega PSG deal

          • ESPN staffAug 24, 2017, 12:03 AM

          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 close in on Di Maria

          We know what you are thinking, but this is not a hoax.

          Catalan newspaper Sport reports that Barcelona are close to agreeing on a €50 million deal to bring former Real Madrid star Angel Di Maria to the Camp Nou.

          The Blaugrana have endured a dismal summer and have so far failed to respond to the embarrassing exit of Neymar to Paris Saint-Germain.

          Lionel Messi has just one year remaining on his contract, though signing friend and Argentina colleague Di Maria could help convince him to finally put pen to paper on an extension.

          PSG are in need of funds from sales to balance the books for Financial Fair Play after parting with almost £200 million to bring Neymar to the French capital, and Di Maria appears set to be the biggest casualty.

          The front page also reveals that Barca will make a final push for Philippe Coutinho and that Ousmane Dembele's signing is "almost impossible."

          LIVE BLOG:

          23.15 BST: That just about does it for our live Transfer Talk for today. Check back in a few hours for the latest on Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona and all the other rumours and links from Friday's papers. Take care.

          23.10 BST: Arsenal are reportedly open to offers for out of favour/oft-injured midfielder Jack Wilshere.

          Wilshere, who spent last season on loan at Bournemouth, has been linked with clubs such as Aston Villa, Sampdoria and even Juventus and appears set to finally leave the Emirates after nearly a decade.

          22.55 BST: West Ham manager Slaven Bilic says he is "quite confident" that West Ham will ultimately complete the signing of Sporting Lisbon midfielder William Carvalho. The 25-year-old Portugal international will reportedly cost around £35 million, with West Ham having failed with an earlier bid of £32.5m.

          22.45 BST: Chelsea may have more of a chance at Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain than once thought.

          Sportsmail understands the Gunners have now made a final contract offer to the England international worth £180,000-per-week.

          The 24-year-old is likely to reject the offer, however, meaning Arsenal may look to recoup something for the English utility man rather than lose him for nothing next summer. Chelsea and Liverpool have been the two clubs most linked with the Ox.

          22.35 BST: Lionel Messi reunion with Pep Guardiola update. ...At the Champions League draw, City director of football Txiki Begiristain seemed to dismiss the prospect of Lionel Messi moving from Barcelona. He said: "I heard a rumour he had signed a new contract. He's going to stay there."

          Messi moving to City always seemed like the longest of long shots but Begiristain's comments seem to confirm that Messi will not be leaving Spain this summer. Stay tuned.

          22.25 BST: Sources close to ESPN FC have confirmed that U.S. Under-23 international Cameron Carter-Vickers will join Sheffield United on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur. The 19-year-old made four appearances last season in the cups for Spurs but has yet to appear in a Premier League game.

          22.10 BST: Wolves have reportedly turned down a £3 million offer for striker Nouha Dicko from Championship rival Hull City, according to the Express & Star. Dicko scored three goals in 29 appearances last season for Wolves.

          21.55 BST: DONE DEAL Jose Semedo has left Sheffield Wednesday in favour of a dream move to hometown club Vitoria Setubal. Semedo who is best known for being one of Cristiano Ronaldo's best buds had been with Wednesday since 2011.

          21.35 BST: DONE DEAL Watford have made their eighth summer addition with the loan signing of Benfica winger Andre Carrillo.

          The Peru international scored just twice last season for Benfica but when playing under Watford manager Marco Silva in 2014-15 produced seven goals and 18 assists.

          21.10 BST: DONE DEAL A minor deal to mention in MLS. Real Salt Lake have purchased the contract of Nick Besler from Real Monarchs. Besler, the brother of veteran USMNT defender Matt Besler, is a 24-year-old midfielder and had chipped in three goals and an assists fo far this season for the USL-leading Monarchs. Full Story.

          20.58 BST: Crystal Palace manager Frank de Boer is an admirer of Tottenham goalkeeper Michel Vorm, according to the Evening Standard. De Boer is in the market for a 'keeper to challenge Wayne Hennessey and reportedly likes the fact his fellow countryman Vorm is "good with his feet."

          20.50 BST: Swansea are close to giving up on bringing in West Brom's Nacer Chadli, according to a report from the Birmingham Mail. Swansea were keen on the Belgian international as a replacement for Gylfi Sigurdsson but have to this point refused to meet West Brom's £25 million asking price.

          20.30 BST: It's not Kylian Mbappe or Fabinho but PSG have made another offer for a Champions League star. Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla reports that the Paris side have made an official offer for Napoli goalkeeper Pepe Reina.

          PSG had all sorts of problems in goal last season with both Kevin Trapp and Alphonse Areola while Reina had a bit of a falling out at Napoli after the club president Aurelio De Laurentiis took a verbal pop at his wife life season at an awards dinner.

          19:55 BST: One transfer-related storyline from the Champions League draw -- Chelsea will face Atletico Madrid with Diego Costa caught in the middle.

          The Spain striker has repeatedly said he wants to move to Atletico, and Chelsea club ambassador Paulo Ferreira told BT Sport it was "difficult" to say which club Costa would play for this year.

          19:30 BST: After being drawn against Liverpool in the Champions League, Sevilla president Jose Castro is looking to bolster his defence.

          "Right now we are looking to strengthen our left-back position and we hope to find a player before the end of the transfer window," he said.

          18:50 BST: Juventus GM Beppe Marotta has confirmed that talks with Schalke to sign Benedikt Howedes are advancing.

          "We've had contact and he has a very interesting profile," he revealed. "We still need to discuss his contract with him and then with Schalke, but maybe it's a little bit more than just a hypothesis."

          18.32 BST: Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has again said that no move has been made for Ousmane Dembele, but suggested the reports of a done deal are coming from Barcelona, who have not been the most accountable on their transfer dealings this summer.

          "A decision is nearing. But none has been made yet," he said. "It would be good if we had clarity at the weekend. We are not the club making those things public. There is no fixed agreement. We'll see about the rest."

          17.57 BST: Sunderland manager Simon Grayson has said Robert Snodgrass is not the only option as he looks to strike a loan deal for the West Ham man. He told a news conference: "If Snodgrass became available we would like to talk to him -- but we have others in mind who we would like to talk to."

          17.50 BST: More on Oliver Burke's potential move from RB Leipzig to West Brom, and it seems this one could be moving pretty fast -- Sky Sports reports that the winger is on his way to The Hawthorns for a medical.

          17.35 BST: Charlton Athletic manager Karl Robinson has said he wants to make sure the club get value for money in their search for a striker, explaining: "We've been rejected with two bids [for an unnamed player] and the player's club's valuation goes way above what we feel is right for that player."

          17.15 BST: So, to recap the Ousmane Dembele situation this afternoon: Barcelona have reached agreement with Borussia Dortmund for his transfer, according to multiple reports, although the German club's chief executive has declined to confirm them.

          BeIN Sports first reported on Thursday that a deal had been agreed for a base fee of €120 million, and French newspaper L'Equipe and Spanish reporter Guillem Balague both said the deal was likely to reach €150m, with €30m of that in bonus payments.

          However, Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said the club would not be commenting on the Dembele situation before the Champions League draw, set to begin in Monaco on Thursday, and cast doubt on the foreign reports.

          17.00 BST: Crystal Palace could be thwarted in their attempts to sign RB Leipzig's former Nottingham Forest winger Oliver Burke, the Mail reports, with West Bromwich Albion having made a £15m bid and set to hold talks with the Scotland international.

          16.55 BST: DONE DEAL Wolves have signed Danish full-back Oskar Buur, who left Aarhus earlier this summer, on a free transfer. The 19-year-old is a Denmark youth international.

          16.50 BST: Dortmund's Aki Watzke has said he "cannot confirm" L'Equipe's report that a deal has been agreed to sell Ousmane Dembele to Barcelona. Sky Germany quoted him as saying: "We will not make any comment. A lot of nonsense has been written by L'Equipe in recent weeks. We would also not comment on this [whether there has already been a meeting between BVB and Barcelona]. We'll see them at the Champions League draw."

          16.35 BST: Over to France, where L'Equipe reports that a move to Barcelona for Ousmane Dembele is drawing ever closer. The paper says BVB and Barca "have found a definitive agreement with the Borussia Dortmund for a transfer" and the eventual fee could reach €150m, making the France international the second most expensive player in the world after Neymar.

          16.10 BST: He was strongly linked with a move away from Leicester in the winter transfer window -- but now striker Leonardo Ulloa has signed a new contract until 2019, the club have announced.

          16.00 BST: Norwich City could make a move for Leeds United winger Stuart Dallas, the Yorkshire Evening Post reports.

          It says that Dallas's contract expires next summer, and with no new offer having been received the Canaries "believe they can take advantage of that situation."

          15.50 BST: Sunderland maintain hope that they can sign striker Ross McCormack on loan from Aston Villa, but could have to wait until Villa secure their own loan move for West Ham's Robert Snodgrass before a deal goes through, according to reports.

          15.25 BST: Not that long after Borussia Dortmund said Barcelona had to "meet their demands" if they were to sign Ousmane Dembele, beIN SPORTS reports that a fee of €120m and €30min add-ons has been agreed... so watch this space.

          15.22 BST: Southampton's Japan international defender Maya Yoshida has signed a new three-year contract at St Mary's.

          15.15 BST: DONE DEAL Another one for you -- Norwich City midfielder Ben Godfrey has joined League One Shrewsbury Town on loan until January.

          15.07 BST: DONE DEAL Las Palmas have announced the signing of Barcelona midfielder Sergi Samper on loan until the end of the season.

          15.05 BST: Leicester City manager Craig Shakespeare is keeping calm even as transfer talk continues to surround star men Riyad Mahrez and Danny Drinkwater. Shakespeare told a news conference: "The speculation will be there on all our players. The speculation is always there, and I am sure we will deal with that until the window closes."

          15.00 BST: Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola said there could well be some outgoings before the close of the transfer window, and reports suggest defender Eliaquim Mangala could be one of them, with Inter Milan keen to sign him on loan.

          14.50 BST: Earlier this week, Brentford turned down a Middlesbrough bid for playmaker Jota -- and now boss Dean Smith said that another offer, from an unnamed squad, has been received and rejected.

          Jota has also been linked with both Newcastle United and West Ham.

          14.40 BST: Swansea boss Paul Clement has said he is unlikely to try to sign a new defender following an injury setback for Kyle Bartley.

          14.31 BST: Just in case you needed a reminder of the form from last season that convinced Manchester United to re-sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic, here it is...

          14.25 BST: After handing his No. 9 shirt over to Romelu Lukaku, Zlatan Ibrahimovic will now be wearing the No. 10 jersey for Manchester United.

          14.20 BST: Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who has been recovering from a knee injury, has had his say on his return to Manchester United: "I am back to finish what I started. It was always mine and the club's intention for me to stay.

          "I cannot wait to get back out on that Old Trafford pitch, but I also know that I have to take my time to make sure that I am ready. I have been working hard and will continue to do so to make sure I am in the best possible condition for my return to the pitch."

          14.15 BST: DONE DEAL Big news as Manchester United have confirmed that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has rejoined the club after signing a one-year contract. Full story.

          And here's Ibrahimovic's own take on his return to Old Trafford...

          14.05 BST: DONE DEAL Leeds United striker Mallik Wilks has joined League Two Accrington Stanley on loan until January after extending his contract at Elland Road.

          13.50 BST: Middlesbrough boss Garry Monk has said there could be more transfer action to come at the Riverside, telling a news conference: "We still have one or two things we want to do and we're hopeful we'll do them."

          13.40 BST: Crystal Palace could make a move for Tottenham's former Swansea goalkeeper Michel Vorm, the London Evening Standard reports.

          13.16 BST: Paris Saint-Germain are in advanced talks to sign Fluminense midfielder Wendel, a Brazilian source has told ESPN FC. According to the source, Wendel's PSG move is now just a matter of details after a verbal agreement was reached. Full story.

          13.05 BST: DONE DEAL Hull have completed the signing of Arsenal midfielder Jon Toral for an undisclosed fee... The former Barcelona man arrives on a three-year deal, which includes the option to add a further year.

          12.54 BST: Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce has admitted his interest in Jack Wilshere, but says he doubts the Championship club can sign the Arsenal midfielder. "Who wouldn't want Jack Wilshere? But I don't know whether we're capable of landing him," he said. Full story.

          12.41 BST: Valencia remain hopeful of completing a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Goncalo Guedes on loan, Marca claims, while they are also still interested in temporarily signing Manchester United's Andreas Pereira.

          12.20 BST: DONE DEAL Huddersfield have made their 12th signing of the summer after bringing in right-back Florent Hadergjonaj from Ingolstadt on a season-long loan... Full story.

          12.00 BST: Boca Juniors president Daniel Angelici says his club are still waiting to receive Carlos Tevez's transfer fee from Shanghai Shenhua. The Chinese Super League club signed Tevez on a two-year contract from Boca in December. Full story.

          11.42 BST: Everton are set to fight it out with Newcastle for Sampdoria midfielder Dennis Praet, says The Times. Newcastle have sent scouts to watch Praet in action, but Everton are hoping to beat them to sealing an £18.5 million move.

          11.25 BST: Jean Michael Seri's agent has accused Paris Saint-Germain of driving up Barcelona's price for his client, despite having no real interest in the Nice man. "It was possible to reach an agreement as Barcelona and Nice were negotiating," Franklin Mala told RAC1. "Now PSG is putting pressure on the club to take the player. They just want to do it to f--- Barca." Full story.

          11.08 BST: We have a DONE DEAL in the Championship, where Leeds have signed striker Jay-Roy Grot from Dutch Jupiler League side NEC Nijmegen...

          10.52 BST: Shkodran Mustafi has been linked with a move to Inter Milan in recent weeks -- and Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger remained coy over the defender's future this morning. "It's difficult for me to speak about any individual cases because we are now in the final seven days of the transfer market," he told a news conference. "It's always very difficult to predict what will happen there."

          10.30 BST: Brighton's record signing Jose Izquierdo is now free to play for his new club after they received international clearance from the Football Association and registered the transfer with the Premier League.

          10.20 BST: Borussia Dortmund have told Barcelona to meet their demands or forget about signing Ousmane Dembele. "We have made our ideas quite clear to them. Either Barcelona meets them or they do not," Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc said. Full story.

          10.03 BST: Lionel Messi in a Manchester City shirt. That could be a reality this time next summer, according to The Sun, which claims that the Barcelona star's father has spoken to the Premier League side about the possibility of a move to England for his son next year.

          09.46 BST: L'Equipe is reporting that Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco have an agreement in principle for Kylian Mbappe, which would see the Ligue 1 champions receive a fee of around €140 million plus a PSG player. Lucas Moura is PSG's preferred option but Javier Pastore and Julian Draxler are also said to be possibilities.

          09.32 BST: M'Baye Niang has told AC Milan that he wants to decide where he plays this season, with the club having received offers from Torino and Spartak Moscow for him. "I would just like to choose where I go and play and not have other people decide for me," he said. Full story.

          09.14 BST: Arsene Wenger has also revealed at his news conference that Arsenal have given up on their pursuit of Thomas Lemar... Full story.

          09.10 BST: Plenty of talk this morning about Chelsea closing in on a £35 million deal for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain... Well, Arsene Wenger has said at a news conference this morning that the Arsenal side needs to be built around him going forward.

          08.50 BST: Could Cristiano Ronaldo make a shock exit from Real Madrid before the transfer window closes? That's what reports in Spain are suggesting by claiming he is unhappy in the country given his tax evasion case and now his five-match ban for pushing a referee. Manchester United may want to be on alert...

          08.33 BST: And while we're still on the subject of Barcelona, Mundo Deportivo is claiming that the La Liga side have been offered Leon Goretzka by Schalke. The Bundesliga club would rather sell Goretzka to a non-rival this summer than risk losing him for free when his contract expires next year.

          08.19 BST: But if Barcelona don't succeed in signing Philippe Coutinho, they could turn their attention to Willian, The Times reports, with Chelsea bracing themselves for an offer from the Catalan club for the Brazilian.

          08.05 BST: Morning all and welcome back to another day of Transfer Talk. First up we start with a certain Philippe Coutinho, who, according to Yahoo Sport, is considering making a public statement about his frustration at being at Liverpool in order to force through a move to Barcelona. This saga looks like carrying on right up until the end of the transfer window...

          Mbappe faces Real dilemma

          Monaco wonder kid Kylian Mbappe faces the tough decision of joining his dream club Real Madrid or making twice as much to move to PSG.

          Currently earning just £16,000-per-week with Les Rouges et Blancs, Sky Sports' Kaveh Solhekol reports that Real will offer him £120,000-per-week to join his idol, Cristiano Ronaldo, at the Bernabeu.

          But Monaco's Ligue 1 rivals are offering a staggering £320,000-per-week for the 18-year-old to move back to his home town in the French capital.

          Any eventual move before the deadline would likely make Mbappe the second-most expensive player in the world after Neymar and place huge pressure on the forward to maintain his incredible rise ahead of next summer's World Cup.

          Chelsea up offer for Drinkwater

          Chelsea are ready to raise their offer to £32 million for Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater, according to the Sun.

          In a shock move, the Blues could occasionally pair the England international with N'Golo Kante after their Premier League-winning partnership.

          The champions are continuing to pursue Drinkwater, despite Antonio Conte's successful experiment with David Luiz in midfield against Tottenham at Wembley last weekend.

          The Foxes are determined to negotiate hard, though, as they appear to have done so successfully with Roma over Riyad Mahrez, with the asking price set at £40 million for Drinkwater.

          But that's not all ...

          Chelsea appear to be the busiest club as the transfer window approaches its final week, with the Telegraph reporting that the Blues want to finalise a £35 million move for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

          The Gunners star could be joined by Ross Barkley, likely to be worth £25 million, with Spurs also in the hunt.

          Together with Drinkwater, Chelsea would be spending roughly £100 million on homegrown talent, while Alex Sandro remains a key target despite Juventus' insisting that the Brazilian is not for sale.

          Tap-ins

          -- Juventus have dropped the idea of prematurely recalling Leonardo Spinazzola from Atalanta and are now focusing on Ricardo Pereira from Porto, according to Corriere dello Sport.

          The 23-year-old is now back with the Dragoes after two seasons on loan with Nice, and Massimiliano Allegri appears keen due to the Portugal international's ability to play both as a full-back and as a winger.

          -- The Corriere dello Sport report adds that Inter Milan might also be doing some of their shopping in Portugal this summer, as Luciano Spalletti is keen on Porto's Felipe and Benfica's Lisandro Lopez.

          The Nerazzurri have made a new centre-back a priority for the closing days of the window and have also been linked with a loan move for Manchester City's Eliaquim Mangala.