Transfer news live: Manchester United and Arsenal both left frustrated as prospective deals collapse
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Your support makes all the difference.The summer transfer window is just around the corner but clubs up and down the country are already getting their business done early.
Manchester United have money to spend - and have already signed Victor Lindelof - but may be forced to shell out as much as £70m for both Alvaro Morata and Andrea Belotti as they chase a new No.9 while Chelsea's main man, Diego Costa, looks to be on his way after being told he is surplus to requirements by manager Antonio Conte.
Manchester City already have two players with Monaco's Bernardo Silva and Benfica goalkeeper Ederson in through the door, while Arsenal have snapped up Schalke's Sead Kolasinac on a free.
Liverpool are closing in on a deal for Mohamed Salah as they continue to negotiate with Roma over a fee but won't be adding Virgil van Dijk after being forced to apologise to Southampton for an illegal approach.
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Aaron Ramsey has welcomed Arsene Wenger's new contract and says the entire Arsenal squad are happy that the Frenchman is staying at the club.
"It is hard when all that speculation is going on," Ramsey said of the intense debate surrounding Wenger's future over the last few months.
"As a player, you try to put it to the back of your mind but obviously you are not sure what is happening.
"We're glad now that it has finally been announced he's staying. We're all happy.
"Hopefully now we can start the season strongly and have a real good go, not just for ourselves but for him as well."
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Manchester United will have to meet Andrea Belotti’s €100m release clause in order to sign the Torino striker, according to the Italian club’s president.
As The Independent revealed on Friday, United are hopeful of signing Belotti and Real Madrid’s Alvaro Morata as Jose Mourinhoattempts to completely revamp his forward line.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney are both expected to depart from Old Trafford this summer and leave two vacancies up front, paving the way for the arrivals of Belotti and Morata.
However, Torino president Urbano Cairo is not willing to let the former leave without a fight and, for the moment, insists that he is “keeping hold of him”.
“I care about Belotti and I'm keeping hold of him,” Cairo told Radio 24. “He has a contract with Torino until 2021. I would only sell him for €100m, but even then he can refuse.
“The most important thing is what he wants, regardless of the release clause, and I believe he wants to stay. We are trying to build the best possible team at Torino.”
Arsenal hopes of a world-record deal for Monaco teenager Kylian Mbappe have been dealt a major blow after he revealed he is “obsessed” with winning the Champions League.
Arsene Wenger was pictured in Monaco last week with chief executive Ivan Gazidis which sparked rumours of a bid in excess of £100m for Mbappe, with Real Madrid also interested.
The Gunners finished outside the top four for the first time in 20 years this season, meaning they will be missing from the Champions League and have to make do with the Europa League.
While that didn’t have an impact on Manchester United’s transfer activity last summer as they signed Paul Pogba for a world-record fee, as well as Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Eric Bailly, it looks like it will impair Arsenal’s ability to lure Europe’s top talents to the Emirates.
Mbappe revealed previously that he would have to be guaranteed first-team football if he made a move away from Monaco this summer, but he has hinted that it must also be Champions League football – something Arsenal cannot offer.
“[The Champions League] is a dream, a competition that everyone wants to win and that only a minority can win - the most important are the titles,” Mbappe told Telefoot.
“That would be much more of an obsession for me than the Ballon d'Or, for example. I want to touch the stars and, when you dream, you do not dream of playing the middle of the table or maintaining it.”
Newcastle owner Mike Ashley could be ready to listen to genuine offers for the club amid interest from China.
Reports on Monday suggested there has been fresh interest in United, who won promotion back to the Premier League at the end of last season, from Asia.
The Magpies were not commenting on the matter, but there was no outright dismissal from sources on Tyneside either, which there has been in the past.
It is not the first time a potential buyer has expressed an interest in the club, bought by Ashley for £134.4million in April 2007.
However, no acceptable offer has ever been received and the Sports Direct tycoon has remained at the helm, much to the annoyance of his most vociferous critics.
Everton appear to be leading the chase for Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. The Liverpool Echo and Daily Telegraph both report the Toffees are close to agreeing a £30m fee for the 23-year-old.
Ronald Koeman is said to have had Pickford as his number one target for some time, but with only 31 Premier League appearances and no international caps under his belt, some will question whether the Dutchman is really getting value for money.
Cesc Fabregas' chances of first team football at Chelsea could be boosted by the departure of fellow midfieder Nemanja Matic who is reportedly wanted by former Blues manager Jose Mourinho.
The Spaniard spent most of last season on the bench and was rumoured to have been told he was surplus to requirements but Antonio Conte is now said to have had a change of heart, according to the Daily Express.
The paper claims Fabregas is keen on seeing out the rest of his two-year contract and that it would now take a huge offer for him to leave - despite him previously angling for a move away ahead of next summer's World Cup.
Matic, on the other hand, could be set for a reunion with the man who brought him back to Stamford Bridge in 2014. Failing a move to Manchester United, the Serb is also said to be on the radar of Juventus.
Whether the imminent arrival of Tiemoue Bakayoko in west London - as reported by the Daily Mirror - changes things for Fabregas, who knows.
Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is said to be eyeing up a deal for Napoli forward Lorenzo Insigne as a replacement for Eden Hazard.
Despite the Belgian's ankle injury - which is set to keep him out for up to three months - the Sun reckons Real Madrid are set to make a bid of more than £90m for the player in the coming weeks.
Insigne, who played under Conte for the Italian national team, would cost Chelsea half the amount they could claim for Hazard but would demand wages of around £200,000-a-week, the paper claims.
The 26-year-old forward scored 20 goals and provided 12 assists last season as Napoli finished third in Serie A and reached the Champions League round of 16.
John Terry has been urged to snub Aston Villa for Bournemouth.
That's if he decides to stay playing, of course. The former Chelsea and England skipper has repeatedly suggested he may still choose to retire.
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The Portuguese press are reporting that Liverpool are in talks with the Porto midfielder Rúben Neves.
The newspaper A Bola claim that Liverpool have abandoned their attempts to sign RB Leipzig midfielder Naby Keita and will instead turn their attentions towards Neves.
The midfielder is just 20-years-old but has already broken into the Portugal first-team and has been a regular for his club since the tender age of 17.
The Portuguese paper also claim that Chelsea are interested in the youngster, but that Liverpool are currently in pole position for his signature.
Neves has a release clause in his contract set at €40m.
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