Paper Talk: Liverpool set £52m transfer ultimatum to Inter star

Liverpool have been handed an ultimatum in their bid to sign an Inter Milan midfielder, while Arsenal and Leicester are battling for a Celtic defender, according to Tuesday’s paper gossip.

 

LIVERPOOL TOLD TO PAY UP FOR MIDFIELD TARGET

Liverpool will have to pay Marcelo Brozovic’s £52million release clause if they want to bring him to Anfield this summer.

Recent reports claimed that Jurgen Klopp’s side had made ‘initial contact’ with midfielder Brozovic’s agent Miroslav Bicanic regarding a possible transfer.

However, Italian website Calciomercato, via the Daily Express, claims that no club, including Liverpool, have yet made a proposal.

The Croatia international, whose contract will expire in June 2022, has a £52m exit clause and Inter are currently trying to extend his deal at the San Siro.

However, Calciomercato add that Liverpool are ‘waiting in the background’ and ‘observing the situation with interest,’ as Klopp believes Brozovic is the missing piece to his central midfield conundrum.

 

 

The 27-year-old is considered to be one of the best passers of a ball in Italian football, and Klopp is keen to add that type of midfielder to his engine room – with every other base in his side covered.

Inter, however, are in the process of trying to strengthen their squad and not weaken it, so the Reds will have at the very least met that clause to get their man.

 

AND MORE GOSSIP

Manchester United have reportedly “held talks” with Jorge Mendes over a possible £110m deal for Atletico Madrid’s Joao Felix (Daily Star)

Chelsea have reignited their interest in Napoli forward Dries Mertens (Daily Star)

Arsenal are facing the prospect of missing out on top target Thomas Partey after Atletico Madrid’s latest contract offer promises to double his wages (Daily Star)

Chelsea are set to ramp up their interest in Leicester star Ben Chilwell after their primary target Alex Telles of Porto nears a move to PSG (Daily Star)

Neymar remains torn on the possibility of staying at Paris Saint-Germain or returning to Barcelona in the upcoming summer transfer window (Daily Express)

Gareth Bale and six others could leave Real Madrid this summer as they look to raise £105m for a mass overhaul of the squad (Daily Star)

Arsenal and Leicester are locked in a transfer battle for Celtic star Kristoffer Ajer (Daily Star)

Mesut Ozil is one of the Arsenal players to reject the club’s plea to take a 12.5 per cent wage cut from his £350,000 weekly salary (Daily Mirror)

Sylvain Distin has been put off going into management because of the lack of chances for black ex-professionals (Daily Mirror)

Mauro Icardi could become the central figure in a three-way transfer deal involving Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan (The Sun)

Darren Fletcher is returning to Manchester United to become one of the club’s ambassadors (The Sun)

Manchester United have ended their interest in 28-year-old Real Madrid and Colombia midfielder James Rodriguez, but Arsenal and Everton are both interested (The Sun)

James.Rodriguez.Eden_.Hazard.Real_.Madrid.TEAMtalk

Real Madrid might not play any behind closed doors games at the Bernabeu and have asked permission to use their reserve team’s Alfredo di Stefano Stadium instead (The Sun)

Arsenal are keen on 16-year-old Rennes midfielder Noah Francoise, but face competition for his signature from PSG and Sevilla (The Sun)

Leaked documents have shown Barcelona’s doomsday scenario of £882m losses and the Nou Camp being closed for 10 months because of the coronavirus pandemic (The Sun)

Newcastle’s Saudi Arabian buyers told Mike Ashley not to announce the sale of the club until it is fully completed (Daily Mail)

Manchester City have been tipped to join the race for Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Barcelona, Inter Milan and Real Madrid also interested in the 30-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer of 2021 (Daily Express)

Arsenal have been given a boost after reports emerged claiming summer target Dayot Upamecano wants to play in the Premier League (Daily Express)

Hibernian chief Leeann Dempster has warned a meteor is about to hit Scottish football, calling for a ceasefire within the game and urging clubs to focus on a way to cope with the coronavirus crisis (Scottish Sun)