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Transfer Talk: Arsenal's new regime to start with Jean-Michael Seri; Liverpool eye upgrade at goalkeeper

The transfer window is open, and Transfer Talk has the latest rumours making the rounds. Follow live with our daily blog throughout the summer.

TOP STORY: Seri set to be Emery's first Arsenal signing

Unai Emery is the new manager of Arsenal (as his own website announced a bit early), and the Mail reports that his first major target of the window has been lined up.

It says the Gunners will bid for Nice midfielder Jean-Michael Seri as they kick-start a revamp of the squad that finished sixth in the Premier League.

Emery is an admirer of Seri and tried to sign him for Paris Saint-Germain in the winter, with the Mail saying he will waste no time in moving for him again.

The player, reportedly interesting Chelsea and Borussia Dortmund, has a clause in his contract that means he can leave for £35 million.

LIVE BLOG

22.40 BST: That'll do it for us tonight with Transfer Talk LIVE, remember to check back in tomorrow for the latest links, rumours and signings from around the world of football. Goodnight!

22.32 BST: Arsenal's Danny Welbeck parlayed a strong second half of the season into a spot on Gareth Southgate's World Cup squad but with new manager Unai Emery taking over at the Emirates is Welbeck soon out the door? 

Turkish outlet Fotosport has linked giants Besiktas with the 27-year-old England international, who managed 10 goals in 43 appearances for the Gunners. 

With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette seemingly entrenched as starters next season at the Emirates, a move could be best for Welbz, if he is in search for regular playing time.

We have seen former Premier League strikers like Didier Drogba and Robin Van Persie find success in Turkey could Welbeck be next?

22.20 BST: Already boasting one of the top frontlines in Europe, Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp could be looking to add another talented attacker to their arsenal.

Highly-rated PSG youngster and Liverpool target Christopher Nkunku has told L'Equipe he is not satisfied with his playing time or role at the French capital club.

"We'll see what happens after the holidays, at the beginning of July. What's clear in my head, is that I'm not ready to face a season in which I don't play, or do so very little."

With Neymar, Kylian Mbappe, Edinson Cavani, Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler all ahead of Nkunku in the pecking order, the youngster is unlikely to get his wish for more playing time. Liverpool have a logjam of players upfront themselves but could a new challenge intrigue Nkunku? 

22.02 BST: West Brom defender Ahmed Hegazi was one of the best bargain buys in the Premier League this season but with the Baggies relegated could the Egyptian be on the move again?

Sources have told ESPN FC that Tottenham are now tracking the WBA defender as a potential replacement for Toby Alderweireld.

With Alderweireld's contract and future up in the air, adding a centre-back could become imperative for Spurs. Spurs are not the only Premier League team who will be closely monitoring Hegazi at the World Cup, as Leicester City and West Ham are also rumoured to have interest.

21.40 BST: According to the Nottingham Post, American defender Eric Lichaj is attracting a lot of interest from sides in the Championship and the United States. 

The 29-year-old has one year left on his contract at Nottingham Forest but is reportedly drawing attention from Championship sides Bolton, Hull, Bristol City and QPR as well as clubs in Major League Soccer.

21.12 BST: As we were reminded last night by Unai Emery, managers and players often prematurely let the cat of the bag when it comes to transfers.

Are Wolves the latest culprit? Let's examine the case. 

Wolves have recently been strongly linked with a move for Rio Ave's Judilson Mamadu Tuncara Gomes, otherwise known as Pele.

Yesterday, the midfielder posted a picture with the pen emoji on Instagram suggesting he is close to signing with a club.

Wolves stars Diogo Jota and Roderick Miranda have liked the picture suggesting they might have some inside information of the situation.

Are Jota and Miranda just speculatively liking the photo or have they let slip that "Pele" is bound for the Molineux Stadium? This might be one best left for Sherlock Holmes.

20.36 BST: In what would be a long-term move for the future, Barcelona are in Brazil scouting 17-year-old Santos phenom Rodrygo.

The youngster has been tabbed as a future star and according to SPORT, Barca manager of sport Pep Segura is in Brazil hoping to accelerate contract talks with the gifted youngster.

Rodrygo will likely stay in Brazil for a couple of seasons after signing a contract but Barcelona are trying to get in first before he is swooped up by one of their rivals.

20.04 BST: -- DONE DEAL -- That was fast. Napoli have wasted no time filling Maurizio Sarri's vacant seat, hiring Carlo Ancelotti just hours after releasing the Neapolitan. 

Ancelotti arrives in Naples with an impressive CV, having won the Champions League three times (2003, 2007 and 2014) and league titles in Italy (2004), England (2010), France (2013) and Germany (2017). Ancelotti was sacked in September by Bayern and had been linked with the international managerial vacancies of Italy and the United States, as well as the jobs at Arsenal and PSG.

19.41 BST: Over the past few season we have seen a plethora of United States internationals return stateside from Europe. Stoke's Geoff Cameron is the latest rumoured with a return to MLS.

With Stoke relegated, the 32-year-old defender could be in search of a new club and returning home would certainly have some appeal.

The LA Galaxy hold top spot in the current MLS allocation order and could slot the Boston native in alongside former European stars Ashley Cole, Gio and Jonathan dos Santos, Romain Alessandrini and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

19.17 BST: Champions League finalists Liverpool have been widely tabbed as a club looking to make an upgrade at goalkeeper.

Italian daily Corriere della Sera suggest that Liverpool are set to enter an opening bid for wantaway AC Milan shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma. The report indicates that Liverpool plan to start the bidding at €35 million but that Milan will want at least double that for the highly-rated 19-year-old.

Keep a close eye on this one as Liverpool could definitely due with an improvement on error-prone Loris Karius, with Roma's Allison, Atletico Madrid's Jan Oblak and Juventus' Gigi Buffon also all options.

18.53 BST: Potentially big news in Chelsea's search for a replacement for Antonio Conte.

Napoli have parted ways with boss Maurizio Sarri, fuelling rumblings that Sarri is set to become the new man at Stamford Bridge.

Sarri, who led Napoli to a second-place finish in Serie A, is now free to take a new job. Your move Roman.

18.27 BST: Coming off a third loan spell, 21-year-old Chelsea midfielder Jeremie Boga has indicated that he does not want to go out on loan again.

Speaking with Foot Mercato, Boga said the following: "I have a lot of experience [after] the end of the season and I feel ready for next year to either fight to try to establish myself at Chelsea or to leave the club", said Boga.

"I do not really want another loan."

The youngster who started the Premier League opener for the Blues, spent the season on loan at Championship side Birmingham and has had previous loan spells with Granada (Spain) and Rennes (France).

17.58 BST: From one departing Spanish star to another. Fox Sports Mexico is reporting that departing Atletico Madrid forward Fernando Torres is closing in on a move to the United States and the Chicago Fire.

Sources have told ESPN FC that this deal is far from a done deal or in anyways imminent but there have been initial conversations between the two parties.

El Nino managed 10 goals in 45 appearances over all competitions this season for Atletico Madrid and would join Bastian Schweinsteiger and Nemanja Nikolic as former European stars with the Fire.

17.24 BST: Last weekend we said goodbye to Andres Iniesta in a Barcelona shirt but the good news is the midfield maestro looks to have found a new destination.

Barcelona-based newspaper Mundo Deportivo have reported that the midfielder flew to Japan on Wednesday and is expected to hold a news conference Thursday to announce he is signing with Japanese club Vissel Kobe.

After 16 years at Barcelona, seeing Iniesta in a new kit will be a bit awkward at first but the Spanish playmaker is sure to bring some major attention to Japanese football.

16.55 BST: Mexican newspaper La Aficion has proposed a potential blockbuster deal between MLS and Liga MX. The rumoured swap would see Toronto FC star Sebastian Giovinco trade frigid Toronto for beautifiul Monterrey with Tigres and Ecuador forward Enner Valencia coming the other way.

Tigres disappointingly bowed out at the quarter-final stage of the recent Clausura while TFC have struggled in the league after a run to the CONCACAF Champions League final. The 31-year-old Italian is reportedly seeking a new deal with the Reds but it would come as a major shock to see TFC allow arguably the best player in the league go. 

This one will rattle some feathers but a one-for-one swap of two star players between Liga MX and MLS seems unlikely to say the least.

16.28 BST: New Rangers boss Steven Gerrard has a tough job on his hands trying to dethrone Celtic in Scotland but a few Liverpool youngsters could aid the cause. Links between Rangers and Fenerbahce have hit a snag over Gerrard's ex-teammate Martin Skrtel but a trio of Liverpool youngsters are also being linked with a move to Ibrox.

Nineteen-year-old Wales phenom Ben Woodburn, 21-year-old attacker Harry Wilson and highly-rated 21-year-old midfielder Ryan Kent have all been linked with the Glasgow club in recent weeks.

Securing Woodburn on loan would be the biggest coup of the trio for Stevie G but Kent (Bristol City) and Wilson (Hull City) are two players who impressed while on loan in the Championship and could have an even bigger role stepping down a rung to the Scottish Premiership.

15.59 BST: West Brom striker Salomon Rondon is of interest to Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan, Sky Sports News reports.

15.45 BST: DONE DEAL: Former Ajax player Mitchell Dijks has joined Bologna.

15.24 BST: Manchester United youngster Callum Whelan is set to sign new deal at the club, sources close to the club tell ESPN FC.

15.10 BST: More from David Gold on West Ham, Manuel Pellegrini and spending: "He's identified the positions he feels we need to strengthen. It's up to him now to tell us the players, and we'll do everything we can to bring them in."

14.50 BST: Liverpool midfielder Emre Can will have a medical at Juventus next week, says the Mail, which adds that "any part he plays against Real Madrid in the Champions League will almost certainly be his last appearance for Jurgen Klopp's side."

14.40 BST: French media reports have linked Leverkusen defender Wendell with a move to Ligue 1 champions PSG, but Leverkusen's Rudi Voller has told Bild that they have not received an offer and the 24-year-old told the paper he has "heard nothing from PSG."

14.30 BST: Wayne Rooney is set to travel to Washington this week to meet with representatives of D.C. United but he remains open-minded and may decide to stay at Everton, a source has told ESPN FC.

14.23 BST: Can we start this one off with a hearty HAHAHAHAHAHA?

Spanish outlet Diario Gol claims Manchester United have tabled an offer of Paul Pogba plus £61.5m for Cristiano Ronaldo. Not. Going. To. Happen.

14.00 BST: New West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini will be given more money to spend in the summer than any of the club's previous managers, co-owner David Gold has said.

13.45 BST: Manchester United are eyeing a deal for midfielder Fred if they can reach agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk.

Manager Jose Mourinho is looking to bolster his midfield after Michael Carrick's retirement, with 25-year-old Fred, who will be part of Brazil's World Cup squad, one of the names on his list.

13.30 BST -- DONE DEAL: Swansea City have signed midfielder Yan Dhanda, 19, on a free transfer from Liverpool. Danda has signed a two-year deal with Swansea, who were relegated from the Premier League last season.

13.05 BST: The season is almost over, but the transfer business is only just beginning for Europe's top clubs. ESPN FC's club correspondents discuss what might happen.

12.50 BST: Brighton, Stoke and Norwich are all in the running to sign Wolves defender Cameron John, according to the Birmingham Mail.

12.25 BST: Granted, there's been a bit of other news from Arsenal today, but here's some more -- forward Takuma Asano has agreed to join Bundesliga club Hannover on loan next season, the Gunners have announced.

11.55 BST: The Leicester Mercury reports that Leicester City will get close to their £80 million January asking price for Riyad Mahrez amid reports that a deal has been agreed with Manchester City, who wanted the Algeria playmaker in the winter.

11.45 BST: Alvaro Morata to AC Milan? Kalidou Koulibaly to Manchester United? Here are some of the latest hot rumours, courtesy of Football Whispers.

11.20 BST: The Estonian FA reports that 16-year-old goalkeeper Karl Jakob Hein has joined Arsenal after a trial spell in North London.

11.00 BST -- DONE DEAL: Back to Germany, Wednesday's land of the completed transfer. Here's another: former Bayern Munich left-back Diego Contento has returned to the Bundesliga from Bordeaux,  joining promoted Fortuna Dusseldorf on a free transfer.

10.30 BST: Hamburg teenager Fiete Arp has decided on a move to Bayern Munich following the club's first-ever Bundesliga relegation, according to Sport Bild.

The 18-year-old striker's agent has told Hamburg of Bayern's interest, but the Bundesliga champions have not yet made a bid.

10.15 BST -- DONE DEAL: Another deal from Germany, where goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky has joined Bayer Leverkusen on a free transfer from Eintracht Frankfurt, signing a five-year deal. The move could pave the way for Germany international Bernd Leno, linked with Arsenal and Atletico Madrid in the past, to leave.

09.45 BST: The Yaya Toure era at Manchester City has come to an end, and the Manchester Evening News reports that the former Ivory Coast international "has refused to rule out a move to Manchester United and said he wants to 'teach' Paul Pogba."

Toure has said he will stay in the Premier League and wants to continue playing at the top end of the top division.

09.30 BST: Fernando Torres, a free agent after not renewing his contract with Atletico Madrid, has an offer on the table from Japanese side Sagan Tosu, Cadena Ser radio reports.

09.15 BST -- DONE DEAL: The day's first trip to Germany, where attacker Julian Schieber has joined Augsburg from Hertha Berlin on a free transfer, signing a three-year deal.

09.00 BST: Championship sides Norwich and Sheffield United are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Kasey Palmer on loan, the Eastern Daily Press reports.

Palmer, 21, played for Huddersfield on loan under sporting director Stuart Webber, now at Norwich, helping them win promotion to the Premier League.

08.36 BST: Roma keeper Allisson is "capable of playing for Real Madrid and any team in the world," ex-Brazil goalkeeper Taffarel has told Marca.

08.16 BST: The season is over, but the transfer business is only just beginning for Europe's top clubs. ESPN FC's club correspondents discuss who will be in the firing line in the summer window.

08.05 BST: Valencia defender Jose Luis Gaya has signed a contract extension with the club until June 2023. Gaya, whose previous deal was set to expire on June 2020, has also seen his release clause increase to €100m.

08.00 BST: Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere says Mario Balotelli has a year left on his contract with the French club but also that "if a club is interested in him, we'll talk." Though there has been no approach from Marseille or a Serie A club. What about West Ham though now Manuel Pellegrini is there?

PAPER TALK (by Chris Borg)

Madrid to scupper Chelsea's Lewa hopes

Chelsea want Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski, but the Evening Standard says Real Madrid are more likely to persuade him to leave.

Reports on Monday said Chelsea were focusing on Lewandowski despite continued uncertainty over the future of coach Antonio Conte.

Signing the Poland international could convince Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois to stay at Stamford Bridge, but the Standard says Lewandowski would "prefer a club that is in the Champions League" and Madrid are favourites.

The Mirror reports that Courtois "has put talk about his Chelsea future on hold until after the World Cup" and adds that although the Blues are prepared to offer him a lucrative new contract, he has "left the door open to return to Spain -- and to Madrid in particular."

Meanwhile, the Mail says AC Milan have held initial discussions over a move for Alvaro Morata.

Chelsea's record signing had an inconsistent first season and Milan "have made tentative moves to check on his availability."

City spotlight shines on De Ligt

Manchester City could sign Ajax defender Matthijs de Ligt as a long-term replacement for Vincent Kompany, according to the Guardian.

It reports that Pep Guardiola is keeping tabs on the 18-year-old, who he believes would fit into his side's way of playing.

Netherlands international De Ligt has also emerged as a target for Tottenham, with the departure of Toby Alderweireld appearing increasingly likely.

The Guardian says that City are stepping up their interest, but Guardiola "will assess how much game time De Ligt may get, given that he already has Nicolas Otamendi, John Stones, Aymeric Laporte and Kompany as centre-backs."

Kompany, who has suffered a number of injury problems of late, is entering the last year of his contract and the report says "there are no guarantees" of an extension.

Tap-ins

-- Crystal Palace midfielder Yohan Cabaye, linked with Europa League finalists Marseille, now seems likely to stay at Selhurst Park, the Evening Standard reports.

It says Palace "are increasingly optimistic" that the 32-year-old will sign a new deal but "it is likely he will need to agree a cut to his £100,000-a-week wages."

-- Hull City's Sweden international Seb Larsson is closing in on a return to his home country, according to the Hull Daily Mail.

Reports in Sweden have previously linked him with IFK Goteborg and Djurgarden, but now AIK "have moved a step closer to signing him in the summer."

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