With most of the major European seasons now complete, the rumour mill has been sent into overdrive as clubs ponder their moves ahead of what will be a busy transfer window. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Arsenal, Betis apart on Fekir move
Reports in Spain say Arsenal are far from meeting the valuation of French attacking midfielder Nabil Fekir. AS says that the North London club have turned their attention to Fekir in their search for an attacking midfielder, but negotiations over a fee are not close to the La Liga club’s demands.
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Despite a mixed campaign last season, the Spanish club consider the 27-year-old to be one of their best players after contributing to 10 goals in La Liga. And the stance is that Betis have no intention of selling their playmaker for a low price
Fekir was close to joining the Premier League in 2018 after a move to Liverpool broke down at the 11th hour. But if any deal is to take place this time, Arsenal must be prepared to raise their initial offer.
The news comes as Mikel Arteta’s side continue their search for an attacking midfielder after recently missing out on Emi Buendia, who was linked to the Emirates before agreeing a deal with Aston Villa.
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PAPER GOSSIP
– Leeds United have identified Borna Barisic as a transfer target, according to Football Insider. The left-back played a prominent role in Steven Gerrard’s title win with Rangers last season, starting 43 games while scoring four and assisting seven goals. The 28-year-old is currently at Euro 2020 where he is expected to start for Croatia in defence.
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– Philip Billing could return to the Premier League with Norwich City keen on a deal for the midfielder. The Mirror says that a fee in the region of £15 million will be required to land the Denmark midfielder, who started 36 times in Bournemouth’s league campaign last season that saw the Cherries fall short on their hopes for promotion.
– RB Salzburg’s Patson Daka is continuing to attract Premier League interest and Leicester City are the latest team to join the race. The Mirror reports that the Foxes see the striker as an ideal replacement for Jamie Vardy for a fee in the region of £17m, though interest from Liverpool and Chelsea could see the Austrian club start a bidding war for their star man.
– Barcelona president Joan Laporta is keen to add Joao Cancelo, claims Mercato. The report says that Barca are interested in a player-exchange deal, with Ousmane Dembele rumoured as one of the potential players who could go the other way. The 27-year-old joined Manchester City in 2019 and featured 28 times in Pep Guardiola’s title-winning campaign last season.
– Manchester City are set to cool their interest in Sporting’s Nuno Mendes until after Euro 2020. The Portuguese star has been linked with the Premier League champions since the transfer window opened, but the Daily Mail reports that a deal won’t happen until after the conclusion of the tournament. The 18-year-old is currently with the Portugal squad as they prepare for their opening game against Hungary.
