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          Transfer Talk: Alex Sandro could join PSG as Juventus eye Marcelo

          • ESPN
          Aug 3, 2018, 12:10 AM

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

          When does the transfer window close in the Premier League and the top European leagues?

          TOP STORY: PSG leading race for Juventus' Sandro

          Paris Saint-Germain are leading the race to sign highly coveted Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, who may finally leave the club this summer after months of transfer speculation.

          L'Equipe reported on Friday that Sandro, who has been linked to Manchester United and Chelsea over the past year, could move to Paris as part of a series of moves that would have a knock-on effect.

          According to the report, Cristiano Ronaldo has been keen to have Marcelo follow in his footsteps from Real Madrid to Juve, making Sandro expendable. Sandro, in turn, would join PSG along with Jerome Boateng, who has been linked to a move away from Bayern Munich even though formal talks have not yet taken place.

          And, with Sandro moving to PSG, L'Equipe believes that would be enough to let the club finally sanction the sale of Adrien Rabiot to Barcelona, who thereby would have to scuttle an agreement they have with Bayern over the €25 million move of Arturo Vidal.

          LIVE BLOG

          22.22 BST: That's going to bring Friday'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 rumours pulled from Saturday's back pages.

          21.56 BST: Some breaking news out of Barcelona, who have announced they've reached an agreement for the transfer of Bayern Munich midfielder Arturo Vidal, who's set to sign a three-year contract at the Camp Nou subject to passing a medical in the coming days.

          21.19 BST: After failing with bids of £12m and £13m, Burnley have had a £15m bid accepted for Middlesbrough defender Ben Gibson, Sky Sports reports.

          20.42 BST: It's a DONE DEAL! MLS side LAFC have signed defender Danilo Silva on a five-month loan from Brazilian club Internacional after trading a fourth-round selection in the 2019 SuperDraft to the New York Red Bulls in exchange for his rights from the New York Red Bulls. Read the full story.

          20.05 BST: ESPN Deportes cites Turkish outlet AMK Spor as reporting that Galatasaray are interested in Real Sociedad's Mexico international centre-back Hector Moreno.

          19.28 BST: It's a DONE DEAL! The New England Revolution have signed former Nottingham Forest defender Michael Mancienne on a free transfer using Targeted Allocation Money.

          19.01 BST: Leicester City are on the verge of signing Monaco winger Rachid Ghezzal, sources close to the club have told ESPN FC.

          18.34 BST: Parma have held discussions with Mino Raiola about Mario Balotelli joining the Serie A side, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, but they've yet to come to an agreement, with Balotelli asking for a €5m-a-season salary and Parma offering €2.5m.

          18.07 BST: Burnley made a £9m bid for Watford striker Troy Deeney, sources told ESPN FC earlier today, but the Watford observer reports that that bid has been rejected.

          17.40 BST: It's a DONE DEAL! Barely six months after Orlando City parted with $750,000 in Targeted Allocation Money and $300,000 in General Allocation Money plus an international roster slot for Columbus Crew SC attacker Justin Meram, the Iraq international is returning to the Crew for $750,000 in TAM and an international roster slot. Read the full story.

          17.13 BST: Despite Florentino Perez saying the only way Luka Modric will be leaving Real Madrid is if his €750m release clause is met, Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Croatian is set to meet with the club president next week to inform him of his desire to join Inter this summer.

          16.46 BST: According to Lee Clayton, the Mail's head of sport, West Ham are "growing increasingly confident" of signing Brazil international attacker Bernard, who's a free agent after running down his contract at Shakhtar Donetsk.

          16:19 BST: Burnley are in talks to sign former Manchester City and England No. 1 Joe Hart, sources have told ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke.

          Hart, who was loaned last season to West Ham United, was included as part of City's tour of the United States and wants to go "somewhere permanent."

          Burnley will be without goalkeeper Nick Pope for at least three months because of a shoulder injury.

          16:02 BST: Konyaspor have decided to terminate the contract of Samuel Eto'o, according to beIN SPORTS Turkey.

          The former Barcelona, Inter Milan and Chelesa striker only joined the club in January after being released from his contract with Antalyaspor.

          15:36 BST: Cristiano Ronaldo's arrival at Juventus did not influence new AC Milan forward Gonzalo Higuain to leave the club, he said at a news conference on Friday.

          Juve spent €100m to sign Ronaldo from Real Madrid, and not only did his presence mean Higuain would have fewer opportunities, it meant a sale would help recoup some of that transfer fee.

          "I've played with [Ronaldo] before, but I have no regrets [about not playing with him this season]," Higuain said. "I'm excited about this new challenge, to be honest, and this is all that matters. I want to help get Milan as high as possible."

          15:06 BST: DONE DEAL -- Fulham have sent England under-19 international Tayo Edun on a season-long loan to Ipswich Town.

          It will be the first loan for Adun, who has made seven first-team appearances over the past two seasons.

          14:47 BST: Arsenal have signed Alex Iwobi to a new contract but did not disclose its length.

          The midfielder joined Arsenal's academy as a 9-year-old and has made 98 appearances since breaking into the first team in 2015.

          "I'm very pleased Alex has signed a new contract with us," coach Unai Emery said in a statement. "He is a great example of a player who can succeed from the Academy through hard work and I look forward to working with him and our other talented young players in the squad."

          14:22 BST: DONE DEAL -- Togo international Mathieu Dossevi has joined Toulouse from Metz on a two-year deal.

          14:16 BST: DONE DEAL -- Parma have signed forward Cristian Galano, formerly of Bari, to a three-year contract.

          14:06 BST: DONE DEAL -- West Bromwich Albion have secured the season-long loan of Tosin Adebayo from Manchester City.

          13:45 BST: DONE DEAL -- Everton have signed Antonee Robinson to a new three-year contract and send him on a season-long loan to Wigan.

          The defender, who went on loan to Bolton Wanderers last season, earned his first cap for the United States in May in a victory over Bolivia.

          13:32 BST: Amid rumours that he will soon join Barcelona, Arturo Vidal has left Bayern Munich's preseason training camp at a resort in southern Bavaria.

          Sport1 reported that Vidal completed individual training before leaving the grounds.

          13:18 BST: DONE DEAL -- Sporting Lisbon announced they have taken 28-year-old goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro on a season-long loan from Estoril.

          12:59 BST: Paris Saint-Germain now lead the race to sign Juventus defender Alex Sandro, whose departure could come as part of a flurry of transfer activity as the deadline approaches, L'Equipe reported.

          PSG, who are also in talks with Bayern Munich over a move for Jerome Boateng, could add Sandro because Cristiano Ronaldo is keen to bring Marcelo with him from Real Madrid.

          12:37 BST: Borussia Dortmund have trumped Valencia's bid for Atletico Madrid's Kevin Gameiro, according to Marca, by offering €23m for the forward.

          Gameiro had agreed to join Valencia earlier this summer, but they have only offered Atletico €14m for his services. Atletico have delayed the transfer until they can secure another backup for Diego Costa.

          12:19 BST: Aston Villa manager Steve Bruce said at a news conference this morning that Tottenham Hotspur have not made an offer for Jack Grealish.

          "There have been discussions," Bruce said. "I don't think we've had a formal bid. There have been discussions -- and that's been going on practically all summer. The one thing that the owners have made pretty clear is that no one is for sale, so we don't want to lose our best players. They're aware, of course, though, that every player has got his price.

          "The good thing [that] the owners have been able to do is not let anybody go on the cheap. So, if somebody wants to come and buy one of our players, then they're going to have to find a premium and make sure that the owners are comfortable with it. ... But at the moment, Spurs haven't got anywhere near what the owners want to even consider, so there's not a discussion to be had at the moment because they've got nowhere near the figure -- what they demand."

          12:04 BST: Belgium international Axel Witsel has asked his lawyer to travel to China to help negotiate his move from Tianjin Quanjian to Borussia Dortmund, La Derniere Heure reported.

          Dortmund believe they can trigger a €20m release clause in Witsel's contract to allow him to leave, but Tianjin have argued that they will not let the midfielder leave because the transfer window is closed in China.

          11:52 BST: Guingamp have signed midfielder Felix Eboa Eboa to a new deal, tying him to the club through 2022-23.

          11:37 BST: Burnley are set to seal the signing of Swansea City midfielder Sam Clucas in an £8m deal, sources have told ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke.

          Clucas was signed from Hull City last summer for £16m and will have the chance to remain in the Premier League.

          11:29 BST: Manchester United goalkeeper Joel Pereira has joined Vitoria Setubal on a season-long loan -- his third spell away since joining United in 2012.

          Pereira is viewed by Jose Mourinho as a potential future No. 1 but the manager said during the tour of the United States that he needs to benefit from first-team opportunities.

          11:18 BST: Rennes are showing an interest in Dijon midfielder Naim Sliti, L'Equipe reported, with the Tunisia international also being followed by Wolfsburg and Anderlecht.

          11:04 BST: Although Real Socieded remain in the mix to take Theo Hernandez on loan from Real Madrid, Fulham have emerged as potential suitors for the left-back, according to Marca.

          Madrid would have let Hernandez leave already, but the teams have not yet negotiated the issue of who will pay the player's wages this season -- and the defender, who makes around €5m a season, could be slightly too costly for La Real.

          10:50 BST: Bologna have signed defender Filip Helander, who has won four caps for Sweden, to a contract extension that will keep him with the club through 2021-22.

          10:38 BST: Toulouse have reached a deal with Metz to sign Matthieu Dossevi, according to RMC Sport.

          The Togo international had 11 assists in Ligue 1 last season and is expected to cost €2.5 million.

          10:24 BST: Real Madrid president Florentino Perez said that he will only allow Luka Modric to leave the club if his €750m release clause is paid in full.

          Modric has reportedly been speaking to Inter Milan about a move but Madrid are understandably loathe to let the midfielder, who won the Golden Ball at the World Cup, out of the last two years of his contract.

          10:00 BST: Roma sporting director Monchi said the signing of Alessandro Florenzi to a new five-year deal on Thursday was "one of the happiest days in my 15 months at Roma so far." Florenzi, 22, has long been tipped to become Roma's future captain.

          09:50 BST: AC Milan's newest signings, Gonzalo Higuain and Mattia Caldara, are greeting their teammates ahead of their first training session:

          09:37 BST: DONE DEAL -- Werder Bremen have sent midfielder Idrissa Toure on a season-long loan to Juventus, who have the option to make the deal permanent next summer.

          Toure, 20, signed his first professional contract with Werder in May.

          09:30 BST: DONE DEAL -- PAOK have signed Chuba Akpom from Arsenal on a three-year contract.

          Akpom, 22, joined Arsenal's academy at 6 and made 12 appearances for the first-team. The forward had been loaned out to several clubs, finishing last season with Sint Truiden.

          09:14 BST: Manchester City have signed Gabriel Jesus to a two-year contract extension, tying him to the club through the 2022-23 season.

          Jesus, 21, has scored 24 goals since arriving from Palmeiras in January 2017.

          "I can say that it was the best decision I've made in my life to come to Manchester City, because whilst I'm here I'm improving as a professional and as a person," Jesus said in a statement.

          08:56 BST: DONE DEAL -- Nigeria international Ahmed Musa has moved from Leicester City to Al-Nassr on a four-year contract.

          Musa, 25, scored twice at the World Cup, with both goals in the 2-0 victory against Iceland. He moved to Leicester City from CSKA Moscow in July 2016 but struggled to secure regular playing time before returning to CSKA on loan in January.

          08:38 BST: Chelsea have signed Pedro to a new contract that will keep him with the club for one additional season.

          The 31-year-old, who moved from Barcelona in 2015, is now tied to the team through 2019-20. He scored seven goals for Chelsea in all competitions and has scored 28 goals since his arrival.

          08:31 BST: West Bromwich Albion are in talks to sign Chelsea's Ola Aina on loan, a source told ESPN FC's Peter O'Rourke. The defender, 21, was sent on loan to Hull City last season.

          08:04 BST: Multiple reports indicated overnight that Arturo Vidal has a verbal agreement in place to leave Bayern Munich for Barcelona.

          According to Sport, Barca have been in contact with Vidal for more than a week and will pay Bayern around €30m for the midfielder, who had been heavily linked to a move to Inter Milan in recent months. The Guardian reported that Vidal, 31, passed a medical at Barca within the past week and has been given permission to leave by new coach Niko Kovac.

          The only way the agreement falls through, Sport reported, is if Barca are able to somehow finalise a deal with Paris Saint-Germain for Adrien Rabiot, who would be the club's first choice.

          PAPER TALK (by Chris Wright)

          Man United prepared to wait for Alderweireld

          Manchester United are still pushing hard to sign long-term target Toby Alderweireld from Tottenham Hotspur, but may be forced into playing the long game for another season before making their move, says the Mirror.

          Spurs have valued the Belgium international at £75 million, with United steadfastly unwilling to pay that kind of money for a 29-year-old defender.

          However, it has since come to light that United might be afforded the chance to purchase Alderweireld for a fraction of that price if they are simply willing to wait.

          The centre-back's contract runs until 2019, and Spurs retain an option to extend it by a year. Even then, thanks to a release clause inserted into his existing Spurs deal during the last round of negotiations, a two-week window would be triggered in which Alderweireld would be allowed to leave White Hart Lane for just £25m.

          United might feel even more comfortable sitting back and seeing what transpires as, according to Mundo Deportivo, a deal to bring centre-back Yerry Mina to Old Trafford is "practically agreed." The Spanish paper says Mina has agreed terms with United and is just waiting for them to agree a fee with Barcelona.

          Zaha wants Chelsea switch

          After struggling to make the grade at Manchester United a few years back, Wilfried Zaha is once again intent on testing his mettle at one of the Premier League's top sides. According to the Mirror, the Crystal Palace winger has told teammates he's determined to leave Selhurst Park for a "big six" club this summer after rejecting a new £125,000-a-week contract offer.

          Specifically, Zaha is keen to move across London to Chelsea, and would even be willing to submit a transfer request to push the deal through before the window closes.

          Tottenham were known to be interested the 25-year-old, but it looks like they've now run out of patience with Palace and instead refocused their aim on signing Jack Grealish from Aston Villa.

          Everton eye up Lascelles

          Everton are willing to spend £30m to tempt Newcastle United into selling their club captain Jamaal Lascelles, says The Sun.

          With Ashley Williams having joined Stoke on a season-long loan, the Toffees need to bolster their back line and are hoping that a significant offer for Lascelles would tempt Newcastle owner Mike Ashley into cashing in.

          However, Rafa Benitez's reluctance to part with his skipper and the fact that Lascelles is under contract until 2023 are likely to prove unassailable stumbling blocks in any approach for the 24-year-old centre-back.

          Tap-ins

          - Southampton have logged a "serious" interest in signing Lille full-back Kevin Malcuit, according to Gianluca Di Marzio.

          - Liverpool plan to loan out winger Sheyi Ojo again this season, with Middlesbrough likely to head up a queue of eager Championship suitors should Wolves successfully pilfer Adama Traore from their midst between now and next week, reports the Mirror.

          - Borussia Dortmund hope to hijack Valencia's attempts to sign striker Kevin Gameiro from Sevilla after outbidding their Spanish rivals to the tune of €23m, says Marca.

          - Napoli have agreed a deal with Andrea Belotti and are prepared to offer €50m to Torino for the striker, according to reports in Italy.