Paper Talk: Leverkusen star on Klopp’s radar; United want Silva

Julian Brandt: Leverkusen star is reportedly interesting Liverpool

Bayer Leverkusen’s Julian Brandt is on Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s radar and Manchester United open talks with Monaco over the signing of winger Bernardo Silva, all in today’s papers.

KLOPP EYES TWO WINGERS

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp wants two wingers in the summer and he has drawn up a target list which reportedly includes Leicester’s Demarai Gray.

Klopp “is determined to add two wingers to his squad” with the possibility of playing in Europe again and 20-year-old Gray fits the profile of player he would like to sign.

Gray, who only signed for Leicester last January from Birmingham for just over £4million, has started only five Premier League games this season. The speedy forward did though start Wednesday’s FA Cup fourth-round win over Derby and scored a brilliant goal to boot.

Klopp, according to the Daily Mail, is tracking the progress of the player who can play down the middles and on the left

Klopp though does have other options and “one of his standout targets is Bayer Leverkusen’s Julian Brandt”.

Liverpool tried to sign Brandt in January but Bayer were not willing to part with the Germany Under-21 international.

The 20-year-old, whose contract runs out in June 2019, is reported to be Klopp’s top target and the fact that his club are struggling to qualify for Europe might make the deal easier to strike.

UNITED ‘HOLD SILVA TALKS’

Manchester United have “opened talks” with Monaco over the signing of winger Bernardo Silva, according to reports.

Le10 Sport ran a story on Tuesday night reporting that Mundo Deportivo had claimed Barcelona had joined the race to sign the long-term Manchester United and Real Madrid target.

And now The Sun claim United are already talking to representatives of the 22-year-old.

Silva just happens to be represented by Jorge Mendes – the agent of Jose Mourinho.

It’s an obvious link to make, maybe just too obvious.

Monaco though will want top dollar for Silva, whose contract still has three and a half years to run. The paper claims £70million will be the asking price, for the player who cost Monaco £13.4million from Benfica in January 2015.

 

AND THE REST

Antoine Griezmann will not move to Manchester United if they miss out on the top four. (Sun)

Pep Guardiola is planning a £200m spending spree at Manchester City this summer with 11 first-team stars set to leave. (Sun)

Antonio Conte insists Diego Costa will stay at Chelsea next season. (Sun)

United boss Jose Mourinho is taking steps to ensure his stars don’t suffer from end-of-season burn-out by toning down his training sessions. They play five games in 15 days from Saturday. (Sun)

Juventus have sold midfielder Hernanes to the Chinese Super League – but the big surprise may be that it was only for £8.5m. (Sun)

Slaven Bilic has backed Andy Carroll for an England recall – saying he is so good he could even lift world champs Germany. (Sun)

Thirteen footballers have tested positive for social drugs since 2012 but their identities were kept secret by the Football Association. (Daily Mail)

Douglas Costa has been warned by the Bayern Munich president that his attempts to get a new deal with the club will not work – even if he tries “10 more times”. (Daily Mail)

Everton fancy 24-year-old Nice midfielder Valentin Eysseric, who is a free agent this summer. (Sun)

Arsenal have drawn up a shortlist of managers to replace Arsene Wenger in the summer because they fear he will walk away from the club – Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Tuchel is top of the list. (Daily Mirror)

Juventus manager Max Allegri and Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim are also contenders to take over the Gunners. (Daily Telegraph)

Frank Lampard is back at Chelsea – working towards his coaching badges. The Blues legend, who announced his retirement as a player last week, is lending a hand with the club’s academy at Cobham in pursuit of his UEFA B coaching licence. (Daily Mirror)

Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri has agreed to leave the club in the summer, according to reports in Italy, with Arsenal set to replace Arsene Wenger with the Italian. (Daily Express)

Simon Mignolet is set to be axed again by Liverpool. Manager Jurgen Klopp is ready to give summer-buy Loris Karius, dropped for Mignolet in December, another chance. (Daily Mirror)

Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea, 26, says he is “very happy” at the club but is unsure about his long-term future amid speculation of interest from Real Madrid. (AS)

Jose Mourinho’s side will not see the same “churn” of players in the summer compared with previous transfer windows, according to executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward. (Daily Mail)

Chelsea are set to offer Real Madrid target Thibaut Courtois a new contract, according to reports. (Daily Express)

But Mourinho will again attempt to sign Chelsea midfielder Willian, 28, in the summer. Brazil international Willian confirmed Mourinho tried to take him to Old Trafford at the start of the season. (Daily Star)

Juventus have made Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez’s representatives aware of their interest in signing the 28-year-old. (Daily Mirror)

Former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson believes Chile international Sanchez is the only Arsenal player who would get into Tottenham’s best XI. (Sky Sports)

Gunners boss Arsene Wenger says the club’s fans should follow the example of supporters of Spurs and other top Premier League clubs in staying behind their team. (Daily Telegraph)

Everton striker Romelu Lukaku, 23, will sign a new contract at Goodison Park with negotiations ongoing over a new deal, according to the Belgian’s agent Mino Raiola. (TalkSPORT)

Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk could be out for the rest of the season with an ankle injury and may have played his last game for the club with Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester City all considering summer moves. (Daily Mail)

Midfielder Jack Wilshere, 25, says he is “unsure” of his Arsenal future and is still concentrating on his loan spell at Bournemouth. (Independent)

Borussia Monchengladbach’s 23-year-old former Chelsea midfielder Thorgan Hazard – brother of the Blues’ Eden Hazard – insists he is happy in Germany but could be interested in a return to England in the future. (Goal)

Gladbach are interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 21, and Arsenal midfielder Gedion Zelalem, 20. (Bild)

League One strugglers Coventry City are interested in former Premier League veterans Carlton Cole, 33, and Yakubu, 34. (Daily Mail)