The coronavirus pandemic has made the summer transfer window uncertain, but here are the rumours floating around Europe's big leagues and beyond.
TOP STORY: Man City to move for Bayern defender Alaba
Manchester City are in need of a new defender and Bayern Munich star David Alaba could be perfect, says the Daily Mirror.
Editor's Picks
- Transfer window: Grading every big signing from Europe's top clubsTransfer window Q&A: How will the summer market work?How soccer scouting, budgets during coronavirus could impact transfer market
2 Related
Alaba, 28, has one year left on his contract and has already expressed a possible desire to move on from the club. The Austrian left-back is regarded as one of the world's best, while the fact he can also fill at centre-back will make him a valuable asset to Pep Guardiola.
Benjamin Mendy and Oleksandr Zinchenko have failed to impress in the left-back slot, so City will move for Alaba this summer in the hopes of landing a cut-price deal in the region of £60m. The emergence of Alphonso Davies at Bayern means the German champions will listen to offers, as they won't want Alaba to leave on a free transfer in 2021.
City have also looked at Bournemouth defender Nathan Ake and Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly for their defensive reinforcements.
LIVE BLOG
08.00 BST: Borussia Dortmund outcast Leonardo Balerdi has been linked with a loan move to Olympique Marseille.
First reported by L'Equipe earlier this week, the Argentina defender could leave the Westfalenstadion with a view to a permanent transfer for a fee reported to be €12 million.
Balerdi joined Dortmund from Boca Juniors in January 2019 for €15 million, but failed to leave traces at the club, starting just one game and adding up a total of 135 competitive minutes for BVB.
play1:30Marcotti: Nobody will pay €60 million for Luka Jovic
Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens explain why they believe Luka Jovic will leave Real Madrid on loan this summer.
PAPER TALK (by Harry Kettle)Leicester set to pursue Madrid outcast Jovic
Leicester City have entered the race to sign Real Madrid forward Luka Jovic this summer, Daily Star reports.
TRANSFERS
• How the summer transfer market works
• Kuper: Coronavirus' impact on transfers
• Barnwell's best moves: 100-51 | 50-1
• Best statement signings ever
• Summer transfer grades
• Latest completed major transfers
The 22-year-old looked set to be world football's next big thing upon moving to the Bernabeu for €60m last year, but in the wake of a poor debut season in La Liga, Real are set to transfer list the Serbian sooner rather than later.
The Foxes scouted the former Eintracht Frankfurt man heavily last season, with the report indicating that they have already made contact with his agent prior to a potential bid -- and they're hoping that €35m could be enough for Real to say yes.
If they do submit an offer, they'll be going up against fellow Premier League side Chelsea who are also interested.
Roma make fresh Smalling offer
Football Italia is reporting that AS Roma have made a new offer to try and keep Manchester United defender Chris Smalling at the club.
The Englishman has been a rock at the heart of the Italian club's defence since making his loan switch over from Old Trafford, but after his deal was extended until Aug. 2, the general feeling was that he would return to Manchester in an attempt to reclaim his spot in the starting XI.
Now, though, they have offered to keep him on loan for another season, also attaching a €15m obligation to buy to the deal.
Everton face Gabriel fight from Napoli
Everton have a fight on their hands as they continue to push for the signing of Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes, Sky Sports reports.
In the wake of the Ligue 1 season coming to a premature end, the 22-year-old is finally expected to leave the French club after much speculation regarding where his future lies. Gabriel is set to decide between Everton and Napoli, who are the two frontrunners, but it appears as if a spanner has been thrown into the works.
An unknown Premier League club has entered the conversation, submitting a late bid in excess of £22m. Whether or not it'll be enough to steer him off course, though, remains to be seen.
Tap-ins
- Saint-Etienne are still confident that they can bring defender William Saliba back over from Arsenal in time for the Coupe de France final on July 24, Goal reports. The youngster's loan contract expired on June 30, but after some initial struggles between the two parties regarding an extensionl, the hope is that they can get something signed in time for the clash with Paris Saint-Germain.
- Manchester City are set to try and make a move for Valencia forward Ferran Torres, Cadena SER reports. The 20-year-old is being viewed as a potential long term replacement for the outgoing Leroy Sane, with the report indicating that the former Premier League champions are willing to make a substantial financial investment to secure his signature.
Source: espn.co.uk