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Transfer Talk: Pep Guardiola to help Marcelo Bielsa by loaning Man City players to Leeds

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

TOP STORY: Guardiola to help Bielsa at Leeds

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has made his admiration and respect for Marcelo Bielsa well-known and, now that the Argentine has begun his first foray into English football by taking over at Leeds United, is keen to help him out.

According to the Sun, Guardiola will send a number of City's younger players including England under-21 goalkeeper Angus Gunn, defender Tosin Adarabioyo, midfielder Brahim Diaz and forward Lukas Nmecha, on loan to Elland Road.

That will allow City to keep a close eye on the players' development while also aiding Bielsa, a former Argentina and Chile manager, in his first year in the Championship.

LIVE BLOG

22.15 BST: That's going to bring Wednesday's live edition of Transfer Talk to a close. Thanks very much for joining us, and be sure to check back in a few short hours when we return with the latest gossip pulled from Thursday's back pages.

22.04 BST: Former U.S. international and New York City FC midfielder Mix Diskerud, who's technically a Manchester City player, is in discussions with South Korean club Ulsan Hyundai, according to City Watch. And on Wednesday, Diskerud posted to Twitter potentially hinting at the move.

21.40 BST: Tottenham have submitted a €26 million bid for Nice's France U21 striker Alessane Plea, talkSPORT cites French radio broadcaster RMC as reporting.

20.56 BST: Calciomercato reports that Roma centre-back Kostas Manolas is set to spurn the advances of Chelsea and Inter and sign a new contract with the Giallorossi that would see his buyout clause rise from its current €36 million.

20.12 BST: Marouane Fellaini is close to agreeing a new two-year contract with Manchester United, according to the BBC.

19.28 BST: TalkSPORT cites Italian outlet Tuttosport as reporting that Juventus are hoping to sign Anthony Martial on a free transfer next summer, after Manchester United set an asking price of €70 million -- €15 million more than the Bianconeri are willing to spend -- to conclude a deal for the 22-year-old this summer.

18.44 BST: It's a DONE DEAL! Juventus have agreed a €40 million deal with Valencia for 24-year-old right-back Joao Cancelo, who's signed a five-year contract with the Turin giants. Read the full story.

18.00 BST: The Telegraph reports that England U17 international Bobby Duncan, the cousin of Steven Gerrard, has left Manchester City to sign a professional contract with Liverpool.

17:15 BST -- DONE DEAL: Goalkeeper Tom King has joined League One club AFC Wimbledon on a season-long loan deal from Championship Millwall.

17:00 BST: More from Southampton, who seem to be gearing up for a busy spell -- reports suggest they are in negotiations over a £15 million move to sign goalkeeper Angus Gunn from Manchester City.

16:15 BST: Borussia Dortmund sporting director Michael Zorc has said Huddersfield are close to signing defender Erik Durm after what he said had been "far-reaching talks."

16:00 BST -- DONE DEAL: The done deals are arriving in a blizzard at the moment - Middlesbrough have signed defender Aden Flint from Championship rivals Bristol City for an undisclosed fee, and he has signed a four-year deal.

15:45 BST -- DONE DEAL: Preston defender Tommy Spurr will be playing under the management of Joey Barton next season after joining League One Fleetwood Town on loan.

15:25 BST -- DONE DEAL: Southampton winger Dusan Tadic has agreed to join Ajax for an undisclosed fee, with the transfer being formally completed on July 1. Basel winger Mohamed Elyounoussi has been lined up as his replacement, sources have told ESPN FC.

15:15 BST -- DONE DEAL: Teenage Chelsea defender Reece James has moved to Championship side Wigan on a season-long loan deal.

14:52 BST: Marca reported that defender Clement Lenglet will complete his long-rumoured move from Sevilla to Barcelona next week.

14:32 BST: Germany international Sebastian Rudy believes that he can win over new Bayern Munich coach Niko Kovac and secure playing time.

"It's a new start for me in Munich," Rudy told Sport Bild. "A new coach has his own thoughts, his own philosophy and demands different things."

14:21 BST: With a number of clubs already watching Russia international Aleksandr Golovin, it was only time for Barcelona to add their name to the list.

Mundo Deportivo reported that the club will have someone in Moscow on Sunday to watch Golovin in Russia's round-of-16 World Cup game against Spain.

Golovin, who has been already linked to Juventus and Chelsea, among others, is viewed as a cheaper alternative to Tottenham Hotspur's Christian Eriksen, as Juve have set the standard with a €25m offer to CSKA Moscow.

14:02 BST: Valencia are keen to take in Barcelona's Andre Gomes after a second disappointing season at the Camp Nou, Sport reported.

The arrangements of such a deal will be tricky, as Barcelona want to sell the player but Valencia are only interested in a loan -- but if Barca do loan him out, the club taking him must pay his wages in full.

Valencia are also reportedly watching PSG's Thomas Meunier and are close to finalising a €15m deal to sign Lyon defender and France under-21 international Mouctar Diakhaby.

13:35 BST: New Barcelona technical secretary Eric Abidal will trawl Ligue 1 for a new right-back amid plans to move Sergi Roberto back to midfield, according to Sport.

Nelson Semedo will be given every chance to replace Roberto on the back line but the club believe he needs competition to succeed.

13:28 BST: Athletic Bilbao's pursuit of PSG defender Yuri Berchiche will end with a signing by the end of the week, according to Marca.

Berchiche, 28, joined PSG from Real Sociedad a year ago for €13m but Athletic will pay €20m for a player who made just 25 starts last season.

13:15 BST: Former Schalke midfielder Leon Goretzka is eyeing a role in Bayern Munich's starting XI after a move to the Bundesliga champions this summer.

"I know the quality is massive but I haven't moved to Munich to sit on the bench," Goretzka told Sport Bild.

He will encounter significant competition at Bayern, with Goretzka fighting for minutes with a number of players representing their countries at the World Cup -- Germany teammates Thomas Muller and Sebastian Rudy, France's Corentin Tolisso, Spain's Thiago Alcantara and Colombia's James Rodriguez, as well as Arturo Vidal, Javi Martinez and Renato Sanches.

13:05 BST: Barcelona sporting director Ariedo Braida told CalcioMercato that the club will not pursue Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic this summer.

Panic, reportedly one of a small number of players that Massimiliano Allegri "would never want to lose," has been subject to approaches from Real Madrid and PSG -- and Juve, in turn, have been forced to prepare a new contract for the midfielder -- but Barca have withdrawn from that pursuit, Braida said.

12:49 BST: Although he has said he intends to impress Jurgen Klopp during the preseason and force his way into a regular role at Liverpool, Divock Origi has been eyed by Valencia as a potential summer signing.

According to SuperDeporte, Valencia believe Origi, who spent last season on loan at Wolfsburg and is out of contract next summer, could be paired with Atletico Madrid's Kevin Gameiro up front as part of a revamped attack.

12:38 BST: Napoli's Christian Maggio is set to join Hellas Verona as he is out of contract and will not be offered a new deal by Carlo Ancelotti, Sky Sport Italia reported.

12:18 BST: Liverpool have announced that Naby Keita's long-awaited transfer from RB Leipzig is complete -- and in a sign of how well they regard the 23-year-old, they have handed him Steven Gerrard's No. 8 shirt.

Among the players who could be heading to the Championship club this summer are

11:26 BST: Roma have already brought in eight players but don't plan to stop there as they are now close to a deal with Sassuolo for Domenico Berardi, La Gazzetta dello Sport reported.

The striker worked under coach Eusebio Di Francesco at Sassuolo and could be had for €20m.

11:13 BST: Swansea City have finalised the transfer of Roque Mesa to Sevilla, the club he joined on loan in January.

Mesa, signed from Las Palmas last summer, made 16 appearances in all competitions for Swansea, who have been relegated to the Championship.

10:57 BST: After being frozen out at PSG for more than a year, Hatem Ben Arfa has still generated plenty of interest, with Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Sevilla and Saint-Etienne among the teams waiting for his contract to expire this week, according to RMC Sport.

10:42 BST: Faced with the likelihood of losing Serbia international Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Lazio are considering Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey as a possible replacement, the Sun reported.

Milinkovic-Savic has been linked to a number of top clubs around Europe and Ramsey, a Wales international who is out of contact next summer, could be drawn to the Serie A club with a significant offer.

10:29 BST: Although Juventus may have been lining up a move for Diego Godin, Atletico Madrid are keen to keep the defender and will begin contract talks after the World Cup, according to AS.

Godin's release clause had dropped to €20m now that he has entered the final year of his contract, and despite being 32, Atletico value him enough to want to keep him well into the future.

That may likewise scuttle Jose Mourinho's plans to make a move for Godin, as Mundo Deportivo reported that the lower release clause could him a fit at Manchester United.

10:08 BST: Ajax are closing in on a deal to add Southampton midfielder Dusan Tadic, sources have told ESPN FC.

The Serbia international, who spent four years in the Eredivisie before moving to the Premier League in 2014, would move for £18m.

09:44 BST: Former Real Madrid manager Jorge Valdano told Sport Bild that he "cannot imagine" Bayern Munich's Robert Lewandowski moving to the club but said he could see them signing Tottenham Hotspur's Harry Kane.

"If I was responsible for Real, I would sign Harry Kane," Valdano said. "He is five years younger than Lewandowski but he could still deal well with the brutal pressure that exists at Real. That's my assessment. He already seems very mature and he's an unbelievable finisher as well. He would help Real."

09:28 BST: West Ham United have gone back to Lazio with an increased offer for Felipe Anderson, Sky Sports is reporting.

Lazio are holding out for €50m for Anderson, with West Ham offering €40m -- a significant increase upon the €20m they offered when talks opened earlier this month.

09:17 BST: Mazinho, the father of Barcelona defender Rafinha, said that his son would have liked to have stayed at Inter Milan once his loan expired on June 5.

"It's a shame because he would have liked to have played in Europe with Inter after having earned a place there on the field, but there has sadly not been any signal from the club," Rafinha told La Gazzetta dello Sport. " ... My son would return even now, but too much time has passed. Maybe if they had really wanted him, they would have moved immediately, with conviction. We've now got to look elsewhere."

08:54 BST: Juventus midfielder Claudio Marchisio said he wants to stay at his boyhood club amid reports that he's considering a move to the New York Red Bulls or Montreal Impact.

Marchisio, 32, told Mediaset that while he has not spoken to Juventus about a new contract, he hopes to do so when he reports for preseason next month.

08:37 BST: Roma sporting director Monchi defended the decision to sell Radja Nainggolan to Inter Milan when asked at a news conference to introduce Javier Pastore. 

"Some understand, others don't, but my job is to make decisions and I do so with my head held high," he told reporters. "I only want to think of the great times together with Radja."

And Monchi said he has not yet received an offer for goalkeeper Alisson despite several clubs, including Real Madrid and Liverpool, being linked to a move for the Brazil No. 1.

"Let's wait until the World Cup ends, but my feeling is he will stay," Monchi said. "Of course, there's no such thing as a player who cannot be sold. It would be the easiest thing for me to respond [that way], but that's not how it is. No club can say that about any player."

08:25 BST: The persistent rumour that Liverpool have offered €180m for Real Madrid's Marco Asensio has now been reported by Marca, who said that despite the offer, the two clubs -- and Asensio's representatives -- have not spoken.

Liverpool would be willing to "do something crazy," according to the report, because Asensio would be Jurgen Klopp's star signing and cement his legacy at the club.

But Jose Ramon de la Morena, the host of Onda Cero's "El Transistor" radio show, reported that not only have Madrid not received such an offer from Liverpool, but that they know nothing about it. Thus, they have had to reassure Asensio, via his agent, that there is no truth to the reports.

08:17 BST: After Javier Pastore completed his move from PSG to Roma on Tuesday, Walter Sabatini, now the technical director at Sampdoria, expressed his disappointment in being unable to sign him for Inter Milan in January.

"I did everything to take Javier Pastore to Inter Milan in January, but I was unsuccessful," Sabatini, who signed Pastore at Palermo in 2009, told Mediasport. "He is an extraordinary talent. I am very happy to see him at Roma, because I did not really enjoy his PSG spell. They did not handle him well."

08:07 BST: Valencia defender Joao Cancelo, who spent last season on loan at Inter Milan, is in Turin, Italy, today for a medical ahead of his pending move to Juventus.

Cancelo is expected to sign a five-year deal with Juventus, who will pay Valencia €40m -- just €2m more than the clause Inter declined to activate to keep him at the end of the season.

PAPER TALK (by Chris Borg)

Chelsea to make Juve defender Sarri's first signing

The managerial situation at Chelsea may still be up in the air, but the London Evening Standard says they know who the first signing of the Maurizio Sarri era will be.

It says Sarri will take over "as soon as the club reach a compensation agreement with Napoli and current coach Antonio Conte," and Juventus defender Daniele Rugani is set to follow in his footsteps.

Chelsea have made a £35 million bid for Rugani, who played for Sarri for two years at Empoli, and although the Standard warns that they "face a tough task" to persuade Juve to sell the 23-year-old, it says they are ready to offer him a five-year contract.

His arrival in London, meanwhile, "could see senior players like David Luiz leave."

Spurs favourites as Grealish prepares to quit Villa

Jack Grealish is set to leave Aston Villa, with Tottenham "leading the race" for the midfielder, says the Mirror.

Grealish starred as Villa reached the Championship playoff final, but their defeat to Fulham has sparked financial problems.

The Mirror says Spurs chairman Daniel Levy "is yet to actually open the bidding as he bides his time to exploit Villa's cash woes," but Grealish is confident the Londoners will make an offer for him.

Grealish, also interesting West Ham, "stands to land a bumper five-year deal" at Tottenham, whose manager Mauricio Pochettino wants to bring in competition for Dele Alli.

Palace hoping for Loftus-Cheek return

With reports suggesting Chelsea will let midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek leave on loan again, Crystal Palace -- for whom he played last season -- could be at the front of the queue, the London Evening Standard reports.

England international Loftus-Cheek excelled as Palace climbed away from relegation danger, and manager Roy Hodgson wants to bring him back to Selhurst Park.

The Standard says "he enjoyed his time at Palace, and they hope that will put them at the front of the queue" despite interest from Newcastle and Everton.

Everton keen to secure Lookman future

As Everton prepare to say goodbye to Wayne Rooney, on the verge of wrapping up a move to D.C. United, they remain hopeful of keeping attacker Ademola Lookman.

The Mirror reports that representatives "will sit down with the in-demand 20-year-old and outline their plans for him under new boss Marco Silva."

Lookman spent the second half of last season on loan at Bundesliga club RB Leipzig, who want to sign him after he scored five times in seven starts, but Spurs and Southampton also are interested in the ex-Charlton player.

Tap-ins

- Manchester City are considering re-signing midfielder Aaron Mooy from Huddersfield Town, sources have told ESPN FC.

City loaned Mooy to Huddersfield for the 2016-17 season, and he helped them win promotion to the Premier League. The loan was made permanent in a deal rising to £10m last summer, but City retain a £20m buy-back option.

- West Bromwich Albion winger James McClean could be on his way to Stoke after they increased their initial £4m bid, the Mail says.

Republic of Ireland international McClean may be followed by other attacking additions, with Stoke also interested in Bournemouth's Jordon Ibe.

- Saint-Etienne, Rennes and Besiktas all are keen on Sunderland forward Wahbi Khazri, the Chronicle reports.

Citing reports in France, it says Saint-Etienne are preparing to make an offer as they look to augment their attack, with Sunderland ready to sell the Tunisia international for the right price.

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