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BBC
Cristiano Ronaldo has told Manchester United he wants to be freed of his contract in order to play for a Champions League side but United have reiterated that they don't want to sell the 37-year-old Portugal forward. (Mail)
Barcelona are close to beating Chelsea to the signing of Jules Kounde, 23, after agreeing a 50m euro fee with Sevilla for the France defender. (Guardian)
Ajax have raised their asking price for 22-year-old Brazil winger Antony, who has been linked with Manchester United, from £68m to £84m. (Mail)
A deal for Liverpool's 30-year-old Brazil forward Roberto Firmino to move to Juventus is reportedly "very close". (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian)
The move could put a stop to Juventus' pursuit of Chelsea's Germany striker Timo Werner, 26, and Manchester United's France forward Anthony Martial, 26. (Corriere dello Sport - in Italian)
Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has blocked Werner from leaving the club because he wants the forward as part of his squad for this season. (Kicker, via Metro)
Barcelona are in talks with Chelsea for a double deal to sign Spain defenders Cesar Azpilicueta, 32, and Marcos Alonso, 31, from the Stamford Bridge side and are confident a deal will soon be agreed. (90 Min)
France international Paul Pogba, 29, could miss the 2022 World Cup depending on which course of action is taken to treat the Juventus midfielder's knee injury. (Gazzetta dello Sport, via Football Italia)
Spain left-back Alex Grimaldo, 26, has become an option for Manchester City, with Benfica setting a price of 20m euros for his transfer. (Marca - in Spanish)
Bournemouth have agreed a £15m deal to sign Middlesbrough's 23-year-old English midfielder Marcus Tavernier. (90min)
Nottingham Forest are interested in 30-year-old Real Betis and Portugal midfielder William Carvalho. (Mail)
Nuno Tavares' loan move from Arsenal to Atalanta is in doubt after the Italian side refused the Gunners' request for a straight loan with an option to buy the 22-year-old Portuguese left-back. (Michele Criscitiello, via football.london)
Manchester United are still hopeful of signing 25-year-old Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona. (Give Me Sport)
De Jong has told his Barca team-mates that he has no intention of leaving the Nou Camp this summer, despite United's pursuit. (Cadena Ser, via Mirror)
Paris St-Germain made a late move for Italy striker Gianluca Scamacca, 23, before he completed his move to West Ham from Sassuolo. (Sky Sports)
Leeds United are in talks to extend 20-year-old Dutch winger Crysencio Summerville's contract with the club. (Football Insider)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Will Unwin
Nottingham Forest’s prize for being promoted is to become the 14th Premier League club linked with a move for William Carvalho. The Real Betis midfielder seems to have been associated with a move to be England every summer for the last decade. A quick search suggests previous interest has come from Liverpool, Tottenham, Manchester City and Fulham, to name a few. Could this be his year?
The brain drain at Burnley continues with Dwight McNeil the latest name about to leave Turf Moor. The winger is in advanced discussions with Everton over a deal worth around £19m.
Following the departure of Sadio Mané, Liverpool could lose another of their forward line. Roberto Firmino is catching the eye of Juventus, who are keen to add the Brazilian to their stable in exchange for £20m.
Arsenal’s Lucas Torreira is wanted by Valencia but the La Liga side are only willing to sign him gratis. The midfielder, from Fray Bentos, has spent the last two seasons out on loan at Atlético Madrid and Fiorentina. The Gunners spent £26m on him in 2018 so to let him go for nothing would leave them with pie on their face.
If a deal for Brighton’s Marc Cucurella proves a touch tricky and expensive then Manchester City have a contingency plan in the form of Benfica left-back Álex Grimaldo who at the very least will be a lot cheaper at €20m, if not as good.
Cristiano Ronaldo popped along to Carrington this week in order to indulge in some karaoke. He belted out the Engelbert Humperdinck classic Please Release Me in the hope Manchester United would let him walk out the door for free. To where? Nobody knows. Atlético were the latest club to be linked with the Portuguese forward but from fans to boardroom they have really come out against the idea. Jorge Mendes has a tough month on his hands.
United will be keen to keep hold of Ronaldo after Ajax upped their asking price for Brazilian winger Antony. Instead of costing a relatively acceptable £68m, he is now valued at £84m. Oh, and Frenkie de Jong still is not a Manchester United player but those plucky Red Devils still think there is a deal to be done with Barcelona.
It was looking like being a quiet summer at newly-promoted Bournemouth but they have finally located a chequebook and pen. Supposedly they have agreed a £15m deal to sign Middlesbrough’s Marcus Tavernier – I hope he is not commuting from there. Boro will actually be replacing one Marcus with another, because Brentford’s Forss is set to sign.
Sky Paper Talk
THE TIMES
Cristiano Ronaldo remains intent on leaving Manchester United in the transfer window so that he can play in this season's Champions League.
George Ford will not play for his new club Sale Sharks this year after undergoing surgery on a ruptured Achilles tendon suffered in the Gallagher Premiership final last season.
DAILY MIRROR
New Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen wasted very little time getting off the mark for the club by scoring in his first pre-season friendly - in full view of Cristiano Ronaldo.
Frenkie de Jong is reported to have told his Barcelona team-mates he has no plans to leave Catalonia this summer despite Manchester United's relentless efforts.
Nottingham Forest's incredible £100m spending spree looks set to continue as they target Morgan Gibbs-White.
Arsenal could now explore the idea of using Bernd Leno as a makeweight in their bid to pry midfielder Youri Tielemans away from Leicester before the window closes later this summer.
THE GUARDIAN
Barcelona are close to beating Chelsea to the signing of Jules Koundé after agreeing a €50m fee with Sevilla for the France defender.
Select Manchester City fans will be offered a "smart scarf" next season, the latest in wearable technology that sees a biometric sensor integrated into the fabric to monitor emotional, physiological and movement data.
The country should get an extra bank holiday if the England women's football team win in the Euro final, Keir Starmer has said.
Chelsea, who shortlisted the RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, Atletico Madrid's José María Giménez, Internazionale's Milan Skriniar and Villarreal's Pau Torres at the start of the summer, are frustrated with Barcelona's behaviour. They could respond by blocking Xavi's attempts to sign Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso.
DAILY MAIL
Cristiano Ronaldo returned to Manchester United on Tuesday with his agent Jorge Mendes and has informed the club that he wishes to be relinquished from his contract to free him to join a Champions League side.
English Football League referees will be told to increase their threshold of fouls, cut down on time wasting and ensure player behaviour does not overstep the mark ahead of the new season.
Nottingham Forest are still on the hunt for another midfielder to bolster their squad ahead of life back in the Premier League, with Real Betis star William Carvalho at the top of a four-man list.
Former Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux have been reinstated in France's second division, three days before the start of the new season, after being relegated down to the third tier over financial irregularities.
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag wants to keep midfielder Zidane Iqbal to help his progress while goalkeeper Nathan Bishop is poised to join Wycombe.
Paul Pogba will visit a specialist consultation to determine what treatment is needed for his knee injury, as the Juventus midfielder could be forced to miss the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
Concerns have been raised to the FA over the conditions for migrant workers at England's luxury hotel in Qatar, where the team will stay during the World Cup finals. The five-star Souq Al Wakra hotel will be the England bolthole for the tournament, which begins on November 21.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Fans complained of a ticketing "farce" for England's Euro 2022 final after some were frozen out of Wembley by touts charging 900 per cent markups.
Bubba Watson is set to be unveiled during this week's LIV Golf Series event as the Saudi rebel circuit's latest big-name capture.
Bournemouth are set to sign Middlesbrough midfielder Marcus Tavernier in a £12m deal.
DAILY EXPRESS
Manchester United target Benjamin Sesko justified links to Europe's top sides in a pre-season friendly against Liverpool on Wednesday evening.
Tottenham have reportedly received a major boost in their pursuit of Nicolo Zaniolo, despite Jose Mourinho asking him to stay at Roma.
Chelsea can reportedly sign Inter Milan wing-back Denzel Dumfries for close to £33.6m.
Liverpool star Roberto Firmino is reportedly closing in on a move to Juventus, which could have consequences for both Manchester United and Chelsea.
Chelsea's transfer window has been handed yet another blow as it has been reported that Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe has decided not to leave the club.
THE SUN
Burglars targeted the family of Lionesses star Georgia Stanway while they were watching her help England net a place in the Euros final.
Atletico Madrid fans have revealed an anti-Cristiano Ronaldo banner at a pre-season game.
Newcastle have taken out a £140m loan to fund Eddie Howe's transfer spending.
Jack Grealish has admitted he found his early days at Manchester City last summer "so difficult".
Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey are alarmed that Robert Page's Wales contract beyond the World Cup has not been sorted yet.
Arsenal centre-back Pablo Mari could be on the move to Fenerbahce with the defender keen to be reunited with boss Jorge Jesus.
Manchester United will give 16-year-old Bosnian goalkeeper Tarik Karic a trial with the academy.
Arsenal have included sell-on fees after flogging Omari Hutchinson and Matteo Guendouzi, reports suggest.
Arsenal have reportedly been joined by Manchester City in the race to sign Benfica's Alex Grimaldo.
THE ATHLETIC
Giovani Lo Celso, Tanguy Ndombele, Harry Winks and Sergio Reguilon are all up for sale at Tottenham but the lack of funds available to clubs in most leagues outside of England in a post-COVID world makes selling to countries like Spain and Italy a lot harder than it used to be.
Spurs are also open to selling defender Joe Rodon. Fulham are among the interested clubs, with a loan a possibility given the player's contract doesn't expire until 2025.
DAILY STAR
Chelsea look set to block any attempt from Barcelona to sign Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso this summer despite interest in both players.
DAILY RECORD
Union Saint-Gilloise are trying to block Rangers fans snapping up tickets for the home end for the first leg of their crucial Champions League qualifier in Belgium next week after cottoning on to crafty Ibrox punters taking out membership schemes for the Jupiler Pro League side.
SCOTTISH SUN
Hibs owner Ron Gordon has hailed Rangers for advancing Scottish football 'more than any other club'.
Giovanni van Bronckhorst is set to appoint Ceri Bowley to his Rangers backroom staff after the Welshman confirmed his departure from City Football Group.
St Johnstone have released defender Dan Cleary after he asked to be freed from his contract to return home to Ireland.
Calcio
Zielinski: the new offer from West Ham makes Napoli waver
West Ham's new offer for Zielinski makes Napoli waver. As stated in the Gazzetta dello Sport, the English club puts 35 million euros on the plate for the Polish midfielder's card, to whom they would guarantee over 5 million.
Sport Witness
West Ham pressure ‘getting strong’ on club – Player ‘starting to think seriously’ about Hammers move
Wednesday saw multiple reports coming out of Italy discussing West Ham United’s interest in signing Napoli’s Piotr Zieliński.
It was also stated the attacking midfielder is not convinced about joining the Hammers, but could change his mind if his high salary demands are met.
Today’s Gazzetta dello Sport states West Ham are aware a ‘really important engagement’ is needed to take Zielinski away from Napoli.
It’s claimed the Hammers are ready to raise their proposal to the player. They are willing to offer him a deal in excess of €5m net per year. The English club must also resolve differences [fee wise] with Napoli, who are asking for slightly over €35m for their star.
According to Il Mattino, West Ham are ‘serious’ about the 28-year-old and their pressure is ‘getting stronger’ on the Serie A side.
The Poland international was initially an idea for David Moyes and his side, and has now changed to a ‘priority’ target for the Premier League club. Napoli look around and wait, as the report adds an offer of around €35m could make them ‘tremble’.
Zieliński is ‘starting to think’ about West Ham move ‘seriously’. This is not down to technical reasons, but for the opportunity to earn a better salary, given the Hammers put a ‘very rich contract’ on the table.
In the event the Pole is sold to the English club, the money raised from his transfer will allow Napoli to invest on reshaping their squad.
HITC
Report: Napoli could sell Tottenham-linked player to West Ham
Subhankar Mondal
Napoli could sell Tottenham Hotspur target Piotr Zielinski to West Ham United, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.
West Ham’s offer for Tottenham-linked Piotr Zielinski
The Italian publication has reported this morning that West Ham are ready to make the maximum offer possible for Zielinski.
The Hammers have offered €35 million (£29.30 million) to Napoli and more than €5 million (£4.19 million) per year as salary to the 26-year-old Poland international midfielder.
Napoli would like more money from West Ham, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, who have added that the Italian club are now “wavering” and are considering selling him to the Hammers this summer.
Blow for Spurs?
If West Ham are able to sign Zielinski for €35 million (£29.30 million), then it could come as a blow for Tottenham Hotspur.
Tottenham have also been linked with the former Udinese star.
Earlier this summer, well-known and well-respected journalist AlfredoPedulla reported on his website that Tottenham are interested in Zielinski, who is rated very highly by Manchester United midfielder Bruno Fernandes.
Area Napoli subsequently claimed that Tottenham had made an enquiry about the Polish star.
Now, we know that Tottenham have signed Yves Bissouma this summer, but Zielinski is more attack-minded.
It seems that Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte and the club’s Managing Director of Football, Fabio Paratici, rate the Napoli star highly.
And it bodes well for the Hammers.
Zielinski made 26 starts and nine substitute appearances in Serie A for Napoli last season, scoring six goals and providing five assists in the process.
Sun
GONNA KOST YA West Ham have £12.5m Filip Kostic rejected with Eintracht Frankfurt wanting £16m for Croatian wing-back
Jack Rosser
WEST HAM remain in negotiations with Eintracht Frankfurt over a deal to sign Filip Kostic after having their first bid rejected.
The Hammers tabled an offer of around £10million with a further £2.5million in add-ons, but the Bundesliga club want up to £16million for the wing-back.
Kostic, 29, has just one year remaining on his contract in Germany but a number of clubs are interested, giving Frankfurt licence to drive up the price.
West Ham, however, are confident of being able to agree a fee somewhere in between their two valuations.
Should they agree an amount, West Ham will then have to convince Kostic to give up Champions League football to move to the London Stadium.
That means they may have to offer wages over £100,000 a week.
Kostic is represented by the same agent as Gianluca Scamacca, who joined the Hammers from Italian club Sassuolo on Tuesday.
David Moyes is keen to add more signings before the window is out, but may have to consider his options at the back again.
West Ham forked out £30million to sign Nayef Aguerd from Rennes but the defender is facing up to 12 weeks on the sideline after surgery on a pre-season ankle injury.
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