Football
ESPN staff 6y

Transfer Talk: Manchester United eye Marco Verratti to play with Fred in new-look midfield

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: United targeting £100m PSG star

We could be watching a new-look Manchester United midfield next season, according to the Mirror, which says Jose Mourinho "wants to make Paris Saint-Germain's Marco Verratti his marquee summer signing."

Mourinho has identified Italy international Verratti as his "top target," but United might have to pay around £100 million to persuade the French champions to sell.

Verratti could be playing alongside Shakhtar Donetsk's Brazil international Fred, for whom a deal might be done in the coming days. Brazil manager Tite said he understood the interest in the 25-year-old after his team's 2-0 friendly win against Croatia on Sunday and urged the player and club to get things wrapped up quickly. "If I was a manager I'd ask to sign him as well," he said.

Meanwhile, the Manchester Evening News says Mourinho might also move for West Ham forward Marko Arnautovic after watching him play for Austria last week.

West Ham "are said to value their player of the season, who has four years left on his contract, at £50m."

LIVE BLOG:

22.52 BST: That's it for our latest live edition of Transfer Talk, but fear not, we'll be back with the overnight paper rounds and start the whole live experience up once again on Monday morning.

22.48 BST: And we return to Merseyside for one last bit in today's live blog, with the Daily Star reporting that Liverpool have made an initial €90m offer to bring Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak to Anfield. The Reds' Loris Karius famously gifted Real Madrid a pair of goals in their Champions League loss on May 26 and even before that the team had been looking for an upgrade between the posts.

22.17 BST: ESPN FC's reporter Tom Marshall has the latest on Chivas forward Rodolfo Pizarro. The 24-year old has signed for fellow Liga MX side Monterrey, confirmed Chivas sporting director Francisco Gabriel de Anda on Sunday.

21.49 BST: Italian journalist Alessandro Sugoni has told Sky in Italy that Huddersfield Town are weighing a summer move for AC Milan's Andre Silva. The team will monitor the Portugal international's form during the World Cup, according to the report, with an eye to a move once he is done with his national team in Russia.

The latest on Silva could come as unwanted news for Wolves, with the Birmingham Mail reporting the newly promoted Premier League club thinking they had the inside track on the 22-year-old striker.

21.18 BST: More from the France national team as the agent for Nabil Fekir confirmed in the Mirror that Liverpool have shown interest in the Lyon attacking midfielder. Fekir, who poured in 18 Ligue 1 goals to help his team qualify for next season's Champions League, was an unused substitute in France's 3-1 friendly win against Italy on Friday. Despite the interest from Liverpool, though, Fekir's representative Jean-Pierre Bernes made it clear that any kind of deal was still a long way off.

20.53 BST: Monaco playmaker Thomas Lemar has been linked to Liverpool and Arsenal in recent windows, but according to AS, a new suitor has emerged in the form of Atletico Madrid. The report says that Los Rojiblancos are keen to bring the France international to the Wanda Metropolitano regardless of the future of fellow Frenchman Antoine Griezmann.

20.16 BST: We referenced Robert Lewandowski's potential departure from Bayern Munich earlier in the day and now thanks to Corriere dello Sport we have more information on where he might land. The Italian outlet reports that Juventus are interested in bringing the Poland international to Serie A if the Old Lady's plans to sell Gonzalo Higuain are successful.

19.32 BST: Liverpool's pursuit of Barcelona and France winger Ousmane Dembele has been dealt a blow, say talkSPORT, with Barca president Josep Bartomeu dismissing the idea that the former Borussia Dortmund man would leave the club.  

18.42 BST: Stirling Albion have signed former Falkirk, Bradford City, Dundee and Raith Rovers forward Mark Stewart to a two-year deal after his departure from Dumbarton. 

18.03 BST: Mark Robins has signed a contract extension with Coventry City after the club's promotion to League One. 

17.15 BST: Barcelona have announced that defender Samuel Umtiti has renewed his contract until 2023.

17.00 BST: Sunderland are eyeing big changes in the summer as they look to get promoted from League One at the first attempt, and one of them could be the appointment of Aston Villa's chief domestic scout Tony Coton, according to the Birmingham Mail.

16.30 BST: There have been a few Newcastle links today, and here's another one -- the Chronicle says they could move for Middlesbrough winger Adama Traore after Boro missed out on promotion in the Championship playoffs.

16.00 BST: Stoke attacker Xherdan Shaqiri has said he will leave the club following their relegation from the Premier League but wants to stay in England. "I think the league is perfect for me. I would love to stay in England, but I don't want to rule anything out," the Switzerland international said. "It's the best league with the best players."

15.30 BST: Getafe defender Djene Dakonam is another potential target for new Arsenal boss Unai Emery, according to AS.

14.45 BST: Fred could be a Manchester United player by Tuesday, the Manchester Evening News reports. The Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder's representatives have flown to the UK "to put the final touches on a £52 million deal," with a medical due to take place soon, it says.

14.30 BST: Hibs midfielder Dylan McGeouch, a free agent later in the summer, has been linked with Sunderland but has said he will take his time considering his next move, the Chronicle reports.

13.45 BST: Genoa goalkeeper Mattia Perin could soon be on his way to Juventus, according to reports in Italy.

13.15 BST: Could Lazio winger Felipe Anderson be on his way to Leicester City? He could, says the Leicester Mercury, which cites reports in Italy as saying the Foxes, Southampton and West Ham are all interested in the £35 million-rated player.

12.45 BST: Sochaux forward Moussa Sao is interesting Stoke, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday, according to reports in France.

11.15 BST: Valencia want to sign Thorgan Hazard, the younger brother of Chelsea's Eden, from German club Borussia Monchengladbach, according to reports.

11.30 BST: Birmingham City and Aston Villa could be competing for Hull's Abel Hernandez, who will leave the Tigers in the summer, the Birmingham Mail reports.

11.00 BST: Hull City's Poland international winger Kamil Grosicki is being linked with Serie A side Genoa, the Hull Daily Mail reports.

10.30 BST: The changing of the guard at Arsenal has, unsurprisingly, seen plenty of players linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, and here's another - reports in France suggest the Gunners could be ready to pay more than £40 million for Stuttgart defender Benjamin Pavard.

10.00 BST: Earlier this month, there was talk that Marseille would try to keep Mario Balotelli in Ligue 1 when he leaves Nice, and now reports in France say they will step up attempts to sign the Italy forward.

09.30 BST: To Germany now, where Bild reports that the potential departure of star striker Robert Lewandowski could see Bayern Munich make a move for RB Leipzig's sought-after Timo Werner.

09.00 BST: Good morning from the Transfer Talk live blog, where our first piece of news of the day sees Sky Sports reporting that Brighton have made an improved bid for Reading defender Liam Moore.

Seagulls boss Chris Hughton wants to strengthen his defence and has moved again for Moore after having an initial bid turned down.

PAPER TALK: City 'hit roadblock' in Jorginho pursuit

What next for Manchester City's attempts to sign Jorginho after Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis said he had "refused an offer worth €45 million plus €5m in bonuses" for the midfielder?

The Independent reports that a bidding war could develop, with City's pursuit having "hit something of a roadblock."

It says the latest developments could encourage Chelsea, with City's hopes of announcing the signing next week now appearing to have been dashed.

The Manchester Evening News reports that the Premier League champions "will have to dig a little deeper to get a deal over the line."

But it says they still hope to sign Jorginho, and potentially also Leicester's Riyad Mahrez, before the World Cup begins.

Hammers in talks over PSG's Pastore

Manuel Pellegrini wants to sign Javier Pastore, whom he once attempted to bring to Manchester City, for West Ham, the Guardian says.

It reports that the Hammers are in talks with PSG about a switch for the Argentina playmaker as Pellegrini begins work to reshape his squad.

Pastore, who "may have to accept a drop in wages to complete a move," struggled for regular playing time last season, starting 16 games.

The Guardian says Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho, linked with West Ham in previous windows, also remains a target, while Barcelona defender Marlon Santos and Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone are being considered.

Tap-ins

- Arsenal boss Unai Emery wants to be reunited with Sevilla midfielder Steven Nzonzi, according to the Mirror.

Emery, who signed Nzonzi for Sevilla from Stoke, is keen to work with him again -- but the Mirror says he "had to convince the club's hierarchy to push ahead with a deal for the 29-year-old."

- Southampton goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, reported to be interesting both Tottenham and Liverpool, "is demanding a bumper £60,000-a-week contract to stay," according to the Mirror.

It reports that McCarthy, a free agent next summer, "will only sign an extension if Saints match the £3m-a-year deal they gave former No. 1 Fraser Forster last year."

- Brighton have had two bids for Sunderland's Paddy McNair turned down, with the player eager to move to the Premier League side, the Chronicle reports.

It says the Black Cats "face a battle" to keep the 23-year-old, with Brighton "chasing hardest" and interest coming from Norwich, Derby and Stoke.

^ Back to Top ^