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          Transfer Talk: Manchester United consider bid for Xherdan Shaqiri; Argentina want Guardiola

          • Matthew Stanger, ESPN.com writer
          Jul 4, 2018, 11:47 PM

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

          Mourinho lines up Shaqiri move

          Xherdan Shaqiri could be handed a Premier League lifeline by Manchester United following Stoke's relegation to the Championship.

          According to The Sun, Jose Mourinho is weighing up a move for the Swiss winger, whose country crashed out of the World Cup to Sweden on Tuesday.

          Shaqiri impressed in Switzerland's route to the round of 16, with potential suitors alerted to the 26-year-old's £12 million release clause.

          That includes Mourinho, who has also been linked with a move for Shaqiri's former Stoke teammate Marko Arnautovic.

          Meanwhile, the United boss apparently "feels that some players are pricing themselves out of transfers" as he looks to make room in his squad for new arrivals.

          Daley Blind and Matteo Darmian have both been told they are free to leave Old Trafford, but United face having to pay a portion of the duo's wages to expedite their departures.

          LIVE BLOG:

          22.12 BST: That's going to bring Thursday'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 Friday's back pages.

          21.24 BST: Legendary Juventus and Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon is expected in Paris on Friday to undergo his Paris Saint-Germain medical and put pen to paper on a two-year contract, a source close to the transfer has told ESPN FC.

          20.47 BST: Fulham captain Tom Cairney has signed a new five-year deal with the newly promoted Premier League club amid speculation over his future, with the likes of West Ham credited with interest in bringing the 27-year-old midfielder across London. Read the full story.

          20.10 BST: Tottenham lead the chase for Aston Villa's England U21 international Jack Grealish, the Mail reports, however the two clubs are some way apart in their valuation. Villa are said to want £30m for the 22-year-old, while Spurs' initial offer reportedly was just £15m. With the former facing "cash-flow" problems, the report states that they could be willing to accept an offer closer to £20m.

          19.33 BST: Another update on the news of Cristiano Ronaldo's potential move from Real Madrid to Juventus. As we noted an hour ago on Transfer Talk, Mediaset had claimed that Ronaldo had already agreed to a four-year contract and could be presented as early as this Saturday. However, a source close to the Portugal captain told ESPN FC that things are not progressing nearly that quickly.

          The source said Juventus have made an interesting proposal to Ronaldo's representatives, but that further talks with Madrid are expected before any final decision is made.

          18.56 BST: It's a DONE DEAL! Real Madrid have completed the signing of Spain right-back Alvaro Odriozola from Real Sociedad. Madrid announced an agreement on their website on Thursday, saying the defender was set to sign a six-year contract pending a medical, then confirmed his signing shortly thereafter. Read the full story.

          18.19 BST: Just how quickly is Cristiano Ronaldo's rumoured move from Real Madrid to Juventus moving? Calciomercato cites Mediaset as reporting that the Bianconeri hope to present the Portugal talisman as soon as Saturday.

          17.42 BST: Chelsea have moved to the head of the queue for Roma goalkeeper Alisson, according to Rome outlet Il Tempo. The report states that the West London club are prepared to bid €73 million, a figure the Giallorossi would find agreeable, and offer the Brazilian goalkeeper a contract worth €5.5 million a season -- €500,000 more annually than what's said to be on offer at Real Madrid.

          The 25-year-old is said to prefer a move to Madrid, though with the extra money on offer at Chelsea, he would agree to join the Premier League side. One problem for the Blues: With Alisson solely focused on the World Cup with Brazil, there's still plenty of time for Los Blancos to offer up improved terms to get their man.

          17.15 BST: There are six Premier League clubs -- Bournemouth, Everton, Fulham, Huddersfield, Leicester and Watford -- interested in Germany left-back Marvin Plattenhardt, BILD report.

          17.00 BST: Brazil and Chelsea winger Willian says he is not thinking about speculation linking him with a move to Barcelona right now.

          16.50 BST: FootMercato report that Brighton and Fulham are battling it out for Lille midfielder Yves Bissouma.

          16.30 BST: Another done deal in Serie A, as Sassuolo complete the signing of Kevin-Prince Boateng from Eintracht Frankfurt.

          16.25 BST: A done deal! Napoli have confirmed the signing of Alex Meret from Udinese.

          16.20 BST: Mundo Deportivo write that Barcelona will complete the signing of Arthur Melo from Gremio imminently.

          16.05 BST: Mikel Merino is closing in on a £10 million move from Newcastle to Real Sociedad, according to Sky Sports News.

          16.00 BST: Guillem Balague has an update on the Cristiano Ronaldo saga...

          15.50 BST: Brighton are closing in on the signing of RB Leipzig defender Bernardo, BILD report.

          15.35 BST: Reports in Italy are picking up on Fulham's strong interest in Milan defender Mateo Musacchio, with Calciomercato the latest outlet to write about it.

          15.15 BST: Paris United report that Tottenham made a substantial bid for Lyon midfielder Tanguy Ndombele recently, but it was rejected.

          15:07 BST: Adrien Rabiot was one of the players present at the start of preseason training yesterday and L'Equipe say that it is out of the question that chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi lets him go -- even if he is out of contract in less than 12 months now.

          14:42 BST: Getafe confirm the signing of Oswaldo Alanis from Guadalajara.

          14:24 BST: Sky Sports are reporting that Nottingham Forest have a £6 million offer for Lewis Grabban accepted by Bournemouth.

          14:09 BST: Ever Banega has assured Sevilla he has no plans to leave, according to Marca, despite being aguably the only Argentine footballer to leave the World Cup with any real credit.

          13:54 BST: Italy legend Christian Vieri insists Cristiano Ronaldo joining Juventus would "like winning the lottery" for Serie A. Vieri, who reached the Champions League final with the Bianconeri in 1997, was at one time the world's most-expensive football when he joined Inter Milan from Lazio for £32m in 1999.

          13:40 BST: Kevin Grosskreutz, 29, a 2014 World Cup winner, continues his free fall and joins newly promoted third-tier club KFC Uerdingen from Darmstadt on a three-year deal

          13:20 BST: Brighton are set to sign Fulham goalkeeper David Button, sources have told ESPN FC.

          13.05 BST: Watford have agreed a fee for West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Ben Foster, who is set to undergo a medical today, sources have told ESPN FC.

          12.55 BST: More on Cristiano Ronaldo and his possible move to Juventus now -- Portuguese outlet Record reports that agent Jorge Mendes has told Real Madrid president Florentino Perez that Ronaldo wants to leave, but stresses that no deal has been agreed yet.

          12.40 BST: Napoli have completed the signing of Fabian Ruiz from Spanish club Real Betis. The midfielder has signed a contract that runs until 2023.

          12.30 BST: Sheffield Wednesday defender Jack Hunt is on the verge of joining Championship rivals Bristol City for £1.6 million, the Sheffield Star reports.

          12.15 BST: The London Evening Standard says Jack Wilshere is moving closer to West Ham after his decision to leave Arsenal.

          It says the midfielder "is keen to join the Hammers -- the club he and his family supported before he joined Arsenal as a nine-year-old."

          12.00 BST: Burnley remain hopeful of striking a deal to keep defender Ben Mee at Turf Moor beyond the end of next season when his current contract expires, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph reports.

          11.45 BST: Spain now, where Marca reports that Atletico Madrid plan to bring in Sporting Lisbon winger Gelson Martins and Milan forward Nikola Kalinic, with latter dependent on Kevin Gameiro leaving for Valencia.

          11.30 BST: Wolverhampton Wanderers are reported to be interested in Lazio defender Bastos, and the Birmingham Mail says they would have to pay around £13 million in order to sign him.

          11.15 BST: Juventus general manager Giuseppe Marotta has refused to comment on speculation that the Serie A club have agreed personal terms with Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo.

          Reports in the Italian and Spanish media have claimed Ronaldo, 33, is close to joining Juve in a €100 million transfer. But asked by Sky Sports Italia whether Juventus fans "could dream of Ronaldo," Marotta said: I will not speak [about the speculation]."

          11.00 BST: And now it's time for something we haven't had much of so far this window -- a bit of Mario Balotelli news:

          10.45 BST: Back to Germany, where Bild reports that Hertha Berlin are willing to allow Germany left-back Marvin Plattenhardt to leave for the Premier League if a club pays more than €25 million. Everton, Huddersfield, Leicester, Watford, Bournemouth and Fulham have all been linked with him.

          10.30 BST: A glimpse of the future at Stamford Bridge, perhaps, where Chelsea's Scotland under-21 midfielder Billy Gilmour has signed his first pro contract with the club.

          10.15 BST: Rangers, Blackburn Rovers, Wigan and Sheffield Wednesday are all in the race to sign Bournemouth striker Jermaine Defoe, according to The Scotsman.

          10.00 BST: Liverpool are closing in on a move for 16-year-old Ajax defender Ki-Jana Hoever, who can play at either right-back or centre-back, after he impressed their Netherlands scouts, the Liverpool Echo reports.

          09.45 BST: Stoke City want to sign Newcastle winger Matt Ritchie but the two clubs have yet to agree a fee, the Chronicle reports. It adds that "an offer of £15 million has been deemed as unacceptable by the Magpies, and Rafa Benitez does not want to sell the Scotland international unless he is handed a quality replacement."

          09.15 BST: It seems as though there is no shortage of interest in Barcelona defender Yerry Mina after his fine World Cup displays for Colombia - Liverpool and Everton have both been linked and now the Mirror reports that Turkish club Fenerbahce have made a €30 million offer.

          09.00 BST: And staying in Germany, Borussia Dortmund are set to sign Morocco international defender Achraf Hakimi, 19, on a two-year loan deal from Real Madrid, Bild reports.

          08.45 BST: To Germany, where kicker reports that Denmark defender Jannik Vestergaard, 25, could join Southampton from Borussia Monchengladbach, with the fee likely to be more than €20 million.

          08.30 BST: Ex-Everton goalkeeper Joel Robles is expected to become the fourth signing of the summer for Real Betis, according to Marca. It says the 28-year-old arrived in Seville on Wednesday and will undergo a medical before signing as a free agent.

          08.15 BST: Chelsea have reached an agreement to sign Gonzalo Higuain from Juventus in a £53 million deal, the Mail, citing reports in Italy, says. With Chelsea set to appoint Maurizio Sarri, it adds, the Blues "have begun to press ahead with his transfer targets."

          08.00 BST: Former Chelsea forward Loic Remy, currently with Spanish club Las Palmas, is in Lille to discuss a move to the Ligue 1 side, L'Equipe reports.

          Argentina want Guardiola

          The Argentine Football Association have made Pep Guardiola their leading target as they look to replace Jorge Sampaoli, the Manchester Evening News claims.

          The Manchester City boss has apparently been offered a $12 million-per-year contract to take up the role immediately, with the position partly funded by domestic TV network Torneos.

          Reports in Spain suggest that Guardiola has already told Sergio Aguero that he would "love" to coach Argentina, having previously enjoyed a fruitful working relationship with Lionel Messi at Barcelona.

          Argentina are desperate to rebuild before next year's Copa America, but it seems unlikely that Guardiola would leave City after signing a new deal until 2021.

          Meanwhile, City are monitoring teenage Australian international Daniel Arzani. The 19-year-old impressed for the Socceroos at the World Cup and currently plays for the champions' sister club, Melbourne City.

          Emery eyes Gomes

          Unai Emery is prepared to sell a number of Arsenal fringe players to fund a move for Barcelona's Andre Gomes, the Independent reports.

          Gomes has endured a difficult spell at Camp Nou, admitting earlier this year that life in Catalonia has developed into "a kind of hell."

          The La Liga giants are prepared to listen to offers for the midfielder but still want around £30 million.

          At the moment, that would price Arsenal out of a move, with the Gunners already spending a modest budget on Bernd Leno, Stephan Lichtsteiner and Sokratis Papastathopoulos, with Sampdoria's Lucas Torreira set to follow.

          Emery is "hugely interested" in the Portugal international, though, and would be willing to part with other players to put a deal together.

          Tap-ins

          -- Everton are chasing Colombia World Cup star Yerry Mina, reports the Liverpool Echo. The towering centre-back scored three times in Russia -- including a last-gasp equaliser against England -- but has struggled to prove his worth at Barcelona since arriving in January.

          -- Jack Wilshere has held talks with Manuel Pellegrini as he considers joining West Ham. Fenerbahce are also interested in the former Arsenal midfielder, says the Daily Mail, as Wilshere ponders whether to uproot his family from London.

          -- Watford will wrap up the signing of Ben Foster this week, according to the Daily Mirror. The former Manchester United keeper spent two years on loan with the Hornets between 2005 and 2007 and will cost around £2.5 million.

          -- Newcastle and West Ham are set to duke it out for Nice striker Alassane Plea, claims the Northern Echo. The Magpies have entered the bidding at £15 million but could be forced to pay a lot more to beat the Hammers to the 25-year-old's signature.

          -- Liverpool are closing in on versatile Ajax defender Jana Hoever, reports the Liverpool Echo. The 16-year-old can play as a right-back or centre-back and featured regularly in the Dutch club's under-17 side last season.