Paper Talk: Arsenal’s £17.6m bid snubbed; Liverpool set sale prices
Arsenal are back in the hunt for an AC Milan striker, while Liverpool are hoping to raise £60million in player sales this summer, all in the papers.
ARSENAL BACK IN NIANG CHASE
Arsenal have joined the race to sign AC Milan striker M’Baye Niang, according to a report in Italy.
Everton are chasing the 22-year-old, who moved on loan to Watford in January and who scored two goals in 11 games.
Niang returned to his parent club at the end of the season and they are keen to offload him and now Transfer Market Web, claim the Gunners have reignited their interest in Niang.
Watford are believed to have had a buying option in the loan deal, but have not taken up that option after the departure of Walter Mazzarri.
Arsenal are believed to have been tracking the 22-year-old France Under-21 player in January, but were told he was not for sale, now though he could be available for around €16million.
LIVERPOOL LOOKING FOR £60M
Liverpool are hoping to raise £60million this summer by offloading Alberto Moreno, Mamadou Sakho and Lazar Markovic.
New Watford boss Marco Silva is believed to be keen on winger Markovic after being impressed by him on loan at Hull last season.
Markovic, 23, was a £20millin recruit from Benfica three years ago but he does not fit into Jurgen Klopp’s plans and The Times reports Silva is hoping to sign Markovic for the Hornets.
The Reds are hoping to recoup the £20million that Brendan Rodgers played for the wideman.
Alberto Moreno will also be sold with Liverpool rating the left-back in the £12million bracket, while the Reds are hoping to cash in on Mamadou Sakho, whose £30million price tag has put off Crystal Palace so far.
AND THE REST
There is “mutual tension” between Chelsea and their manager Antonio Conte after the Italian’s decision to tell striker Diego Costa by text message that he is not part of the plans for next season. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Also at Chelsea, contract negotiations with goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, 25, have stalled over his wage demands. The Belgian is currently on a £100,000-a-week deal, which comes to an end in two years’ time. (Times)
Jose Mourinho has valued David de Gea at £100m following talks with Real Madrid. (Sun)
Chelsea have made a £52.5m bid for Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly, according to reports. (Sun)
Southampton want Middlesbrough’s Ben Gibson as a replacement for Virgil van Dijk. (Mirror)
Former Blackburn and Stoke midfielder Steven N’Zonzi is reportedly set for a stunning £35m switch to Juventus from Sevilla. (Mirror)
Arsenal are ready to use Olivier Giroud in any deal to help sign Kylian Mbappe or Alexandre Lacazette. (Express)
Lionel Messi is unlikely to leave Barcelona in the near future despite his ongoing contract situation, according to the CEO of Manchester City. (Mail)
Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, 27, remains a target for Everton despite the Merseyside club signing Dutchman Davy Klaassen. (Wales Online)
Arsenal have had a £17.6m bid rejected for Juventus winger Juan Cuadrado, 29, but the Serie A champions are looking for around £30m for the former Chelsea player. (Sun)
The Gunners have also made a £10.5m bid for Fenerbahce centre-back Simon Kjaer, 28, who is also wanted by city rivals AC and Inter Milan. (Turksvoetbal)
Inter Milan winger Ivan Perisic, 28, is already planning for life as a Manchester United player. The two clubs are yet to agree a fee for the £44m-rated Croatian. (Manchester Evening News)
Real Madrid insist they want £78m for striker Alvaro Morata, 24, despite the vast majority of the details of a “hugely attractive package” being agreed with Manchester United. (Independent)
After completing a deal for defender Victor Lindelof, Manchester United could go back to Benfica to sign £15m-rated midfielder Anderson Talisca, 23, who spent last season on loan at Besiktas. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester City striker Patrick Roberts, 20, who scored 11 goals on loan at Celtic last season, has held talks with French side Nice over another loan move. (Sun)
Tottenham are a number of clubs interested in signing Lazio forward Keita Balde, 22, who is valued at £30m by the Serie A club. (Daily Mirror)
Southampton intend to interview former Ajax boss Frank de Boer and ex-Valencia manager Mauricio Pellegrino to replace the sacked Claude Puel and hope to make an appointment by the end of next week. (Daily Telegraph)
However former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel has ruled himself out of the Southampton vacancy. (Sky Sports)
Stoke would want more than the British record £30m Everton paid to sign Jordan Pickford, if they were to sell goalkeeper Jack Butland, 24 – though insist the England international is not for sale. (Stoke Sentinel)
Several Premier League clubs, most notably Newcastle, have enquired about Valencia’s £13.1m-rated centre-back Aymen , 27. (Foot Mercato)
French Ligue 1 side Paris St-Germain have ended their pursuit of Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, 27, as the club’s new sporting director Antero Henrique deems the £61m-rated player to be too expensive. (Goal.com)
Marseille are trying to sign full-back Bacary Sagna, 34, who is a free agent after being released by Manchester City. (Daily Mirror)
AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, 18, has rejected the club’s offer of a new £80,000-a-week contract. His current deal expires in 2018. (Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian)