Euro Paper Talk: Man City eye ex-Liverpool man; Spurs want Real ace

Tottenham may swoop to bring in an experienced Portuguese defender on a free transfer, while Chelsea could lose €260m worth of talent to a LaLiga duo, according to Friday’s European papers.

 

SPURS LINE UP DEAL FOR REAL MADRID DEFENDER

Tottenham have been linked with a swoop for Real Madrid’s unwanted defender Fabio Coentrao.

Reports in the Spanish media claim the 30-year-old – who returned to the club this summer following a season-long loan spell with Sporting Lisbon – will be released on a free transfer, despite having a year left on his contract at the Bernabeu.

Diario AS claim Real are desperate to get Coentrao off their wage bill, and Spurs – who could see Danny Rose leave before the European transfer window shuts on August 31 – view him as a potential short-term replacement.

The Portuguese defender has been forced to train alone in Madrid and his departure is expected to be confirmed in the coming days.

Spurs made history by becoming the first Premier League club to keep their powder dry during a summer transfer window – but Mauricio Pochettino could be set to belatedly break his duck with the addition of Coentrao, with the experienced defender capable of playing both at left-back and centre-half.

 

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AND THE REST

Manchester City are considering signing former Liverpool and Crystal Palace goalkeeper Diego Cavalieri on a free transfer (Globo Esporte)

Zenit St Petersburg have reportedly moved a step closer to signing Claudio Marchisio after holding talks with the former Juventus midfielder (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Claudio Marchisio: Linked with move to Liverpool

Girona are hopeful of a deal for Sporting Lisbon’s Ivorian striker Seydou Doumbia (El Desmarque)

Valencia and Villarreal target Diego Perotti has revealed that he will remain at Roma this summer (Crack Deportivo)

Sevilla have made a move for Girona forward Cristian Portugues – but have been told he won’t leave for any less than his €20m exit fee (Sport)

Chelsea will sanction €260m worth of departures in the next week – with €200m Eden Hazard set to join Real Madrid and Marcos Alonso moving to Atletico Madrid as a €60m replacement for PSG-bound Felipe Luis (AS)

Ivan Rakitic will make a decision on his future by next week after Barcelona agreed a €90m offer from PSG (Sport)

AC Milan will launch a €50m bid to sign Adrien Rabiot from PSG before the transfer window shuts after missing out on Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Le10 Sport)

Mario Mandzukic rejected the chance to sign for Manchester United this summer after being getting reassurances over his playing time at Juventus (Calciomercato)

Marseille are ready to offer €30million to sign Roma midfielder Kevin Strootman before the transfer window shuts (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Kevin Strootman: Wanted by Man United and Inter Milan

Spurs rejected the chance to sign Luka Modric this summer after being given first refusal to sign him by Real Madrid (beIn Sports)

Real Madrid defender Nacho Fernandez has expressed his desire to spend his entire his career at the European champions (El Desmarque)

Sevilla are interested in signing Anthony Martial from Manchester United before the transfer window shuts on August 31 (Marca)

Man Utd, PSG and Real Madrid target Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is expected to sign a new deal next week, tying him to the club until 2023 (Corriere dello Sport)

Lyon star Nabil Fekir is still getting over the crushing disappointment of missing out on his dream move to Liverpool

Atletico Madrid’s Filipe Luis is Paris Saint-Germain’s top left-back target – with Tottenham’s Danny Rose their Plan B (L’Equipe)

Schalke are interested in signing Inter Milan’s Portuguese midfielder Joao Mario (Spox)

Leeds star Pontus Jansson has been the subject of a failed bid from FC Krasnador (Expressen)

Schalke have confirmed their interest in Bayern Munich midfielder Sebastian Rudy (Bild)

Sevilla have confirmed they have agreed to cancel Nico Pareja’s contract, with the player now expected to join Mexican side Atlas

Zinedine Zidane has expressed his interest in taking over at Manchester United should Jose Mourinho decide to quit

Nice striker Mario Balotelli says he was persuaded to stay at the club by new coach Patrick Vieira despite having offers from five other teams, including one in China (Nice TV)