Champions League
TRANSFERS: Man Utd close in on Varane as Chelsea target Declan Rice,
Jordan Henderson’s future at Liverpool is uncertain, with contract talks with the England midfielder, 31, failing to progress over the close season. (The Athletic – subscription required)
Chelsea know West Ham United and England midfielder Declan Rice, 22, is keen to join them and they will approach the Hammers to find out what it would take for a deal to be done. (Express)
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, 20, is staying to fight for his place – ending hopes of him moving to Bayern Munich as part of a swap deal for France winger Kingsley Coman, 25. (Sun)
Manchester City are interested in Sporting Lisbon and Portugal left-back Nuno Mendes, 19, but are unwilling to meet the £50m asking price. (Fabrizio Romano)
Atletico Madrid are adamant England full-back Kieran Trippier, 30, is not for sale amid interest from Manchester United – but the Spanish club would replace him with Wolves and Portugal right-back Nelson Semedo, 27, or Napoli and Italy right-back Giovanni di Lorenzo, 27, if he does leave. (AS)
Tottenham Hotspur are in advanced talks over a deal for Atalanta’s Argentina centre-back Cristian Romero, 23. (Football.London)
Wolves have been handed a chance to sign Barcelona and Denmark striker Martin Braithwaite, 30. (Mail)
Arsenal remain outsiders in their pursuit of Italy midfielder Manuel Locatelli, despite their willingness to match Sassuolo’s £34m demands – with the 23-year-old set to choose Juventus due to their Champions League status. (Mirror)
Real Madrid and France centre-back Raphael Varane, 28, is open to a move to the Premier League and Manchester United are confident personal terms will not be a problem. (Guardian)
United are “inching closer” towards finalising a deal for Varane. (Manchester Evening News)
Alternatively, Napoli owner Aurelio de Laurentiis has rejected a £30m bid from Manchester United for Senegal defender Kalidou Koulibaly, 30. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian)
United are willing to be patient in their pursuit of Rennes’ French midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 18, as they look to drive down the fee. (The Athletic – subscription required)
United’s France midfielder Paul Pogba, 28, Juventus and Portugal forward Cristiano Ronaldo, 36, and Paris St-Germain’s France forward Kylian Mbappe, 22, are among the players who could move on free transfers next summer as a result of the financial impact on clubs caused by the coronavirus pandemic. (ESPN)
Bournemouth’s Netherlands forward Arnaut Danjuma, 24, is wanted by Spanish club Villarreal. Danjuma scored 15 times in 33 Championship games in 2020-21. (Sun)
Southampton and England striker Danny Ings, 28, has his mind set on a move to Manchester City or Manchester United, but the south coast club are yet to receive an enquiry for him. (Talksport)
Everton are interested in Burnley winger Dwight McNeil, 21, in a deal worth £25m, but face competition from Aston Villa. (Liverpool Echo)
Burnley have shown interest in Lyon’s Ivory Coast left-back Maxwel Cornet, 24. (L’Equipe – in French)
Brighton & Hove Albion are lining up a £15m move for Liverpool centre-back Nathaniel Phillips, 24, to replace Arsenal-bound Ben White. (Talksport)
Newcastle United and Brentford are looking at Midtjylland’s Jens Cajuste, 21, after Rennes’ pursuit of the Sweden midfielder came to a standstill. (RMC Sport – in French)
Southampton, Leeds United and West Ham have all shown interest in signing Manchester City’s £20m-rated Venezuela midfielder Yangel Herrera, 23. (Sun)
Liverpool’s Nigeria Under-23 forward Taiwo Awoniyi, 23, is having a medical at Union Berlin after the two clubs agreed a £6.5m fee. Serbia midfielder Marko Grujic, 25, is finalising a £10.5m move to Porto.(Goal)
Barcelona have been offered the opportunity to sign Manchester United and Netherlands midfielder Donny van de Beek, 24, with the Spanish club offering France defender Samuel Umtiti, 27, as part of a swap deal. (Sport via Express)
Leeds are considering a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Spain winger Adama Traore, 25. (90 min)
Chelsea youngster Lewis Bates is attracting interest from Liverpool, West Ham, Leeds and Southampton, with the England Under-19 midfielder having just one year left on his contract. (Mail)
Fulham are the most likely to sign Liverpool and Wales winger Harry Wilson, with the 24-year-old accepting he needs to move on a permanent basis for his career. (Goal)
Bournemouth are favourites to sign Scott Dann, 34, on a free transfer after the defender left Crystal Palace. (Football Insider)
Sheffield Wednesday are in talks to sign English free agent Jack Hunt, 30, but face competition from Cardiff and Blackpool. (Football Insider)
