Thursday's transfer news and rumours ahead of the summer window
All the day’s news, rumours, gossip and done deals
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Your support makes all the difference.Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and more are set to be busy in the summer transfer window.
Arsenal are set to push on with their first signing of the summer with a bid for Bournemouth’s Ryan Fraser set to be lodged following this week’s Europa League final. A new centre-back is high on Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s priority list at United with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly and Leicester’s Harry Maguire both options. Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka is another on the Norwegian’s radar.
It won’t just be incomings at Old Trafford, however, with Paul Pogba a high-profile target for Real Madrid and Alexis Sanchez on his way out with Inter Milan and Juventus fighting it out for his signature – if he drops his wage demands. And Liverpool could be active too as they look to go one better after failing to win the Premier League title by just a single point. Finally, Chelsea face an uncertain summer due to their current transfer ban, but one thing they know is that Eden Hazard will be heading for the exit after expressing his desire to join Real Madrid.
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Matthijs de Ligt remains Manchester United's No 1 target this summer.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is set for a major revamp of his squad this summer with the 19-year-old a key part of it.
Barcelona remain seriously interested but United are said to have made a big money offer to try and turn his head.
De Ligt, for his part, says all the talk over his future should be taken with a "pinch of salt".
Paulo Dybala knows what he wants next year - and it's a stay at Juventus.
Manchester United have been linked with a move for the Argentine with the departure of Max Allegri as manager seen as potentially the trigger for an exit this summer.
But Dybala is keen to stick around.
“[Juventus director of sport Fabio] Paratici knows what I want to do next year – to keep playing here,” he said.
“Paratici knows that next year I want to continue here. Then it doesn’t depend on me.
“Juventus must make its choices with the coach that will come. But society knows it – next year I want to stay here.
“I have a lot of respect for this shirt and for these fans, and because of this I will only talk about Juventus, not about other teams, because that seems to me a lack of respect.”
With Petr Cech now retired, Arsenal are in the market for a new goalkeeper.
Could that goalkeeper be Gianluigi Donnarumma?
Well they've made initial contact at least, according to reports in Italy.
Still a long way to go before a deal is done, however, with the 20-year-old one of Milan's most-prized assets.
Both Manchester United and Manchester City are interested in England defender Harry Maguire.
The centre-back is viewed as the ideal replacement for Vincent Kompany at the Etighad Stadium, but United have a long-running interest in the Leicester City defender and hope that he would be the answer to their issues at the back.
With the 26-year-old currently on international duty with Gareth Southgate's side ahead of the Nations League finals, any development in his future is likely to be put on hold until the back-end of next month, and he has spoken this week of his happiness with wherehis career currently is that helps him to ignore the speculation over a move to the north-west.
There's plenty going on at Newcastle United
The club are currently subject of a takeover attempt, and as a result they could be unusually active in the transfer window this summer should a fresh injection of cash arrive.
One player who has emerged on their radar is the Benfica goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, with Portuguese outlet O Jogo reporting that a £13.2m asking price has been set for the 25-year-old.
Could Sergio Ramos be on his way out of Real Madrid?
He has told the club that he wants out this summer and wants a free transfer to the Chinese Super League.
Florentino Perez, however, has told his captain that he's not leaving - or at least not leaving for free - under any circumstances.
This one could run and run.
Arsenal plan to firm up their interest in Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser after the Europa League final against Chelsea, with the 25-year-old one of Unai Emery’s transfer targets this summer.
Fraser has enjoyed a fine campaign under Eddie Howe at Bournemouth, contributing 14 assists in the Premier League this season – behind only Chelsea forward Eden Hazard – and establishing himself in Scotland’s national team.
He is entering the final year of his contract after seven seasons at the Vitality Stadium, with Bournemouth eager for the player to put pen to paper on a new deal with the club.
But negotiations between the two parties have stalled and there is an acceptance at the south coast club that it would be better to sell Fraser than risk losing him on a free transfer next summer.
To the future of James Rodriguez, who could be on his way to the Premier League.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester United are all interested in the Colombian international this summer, according to the Mirror.
James spent the last two seasons at Bayern Munich but opted not to stay with Real Madrid keen to now move him on.
Arsene Wenger is considering a return to management with Japanese side Vissel Kobe.
The wealthy J1 League club are desperate to recruit Wenger and club officials flew to Europe to meet him last week.
Wenger was offered a lucrative salary to take over at the club. He is now mulling over the decision, for what might be his last chance to manage again before he retires.
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