Euro 2020 and the Copa America are over and the summer transfer window is open, leaving Europe's biggest clubs clear to make a splash in the market. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.
TOP STORY: Pogba set to leave after rejecting £350,000-a-week offer
Paul Pogba's future has been cast into further doubt with reports that the France international has rejected the latest contract offer from Manchester United.
That's according to The Mirror, which says that the 28-year-old is ready to try a new challenge elsewhere after rejecting an offer of £350,000-a-week offer to stay at Old Trafford.
Pogba has just one year left on his deal, which would see him available on a free transfer next summer, but it is reported that Manchester United would not be prepared to allow that to happen.
Paris Saint-Germain are ready to commence negotiations for the signature of the France midfielder, with reports suggesting that Manchester United would be prepared to let him go for a transfer fee of £50m.
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21.55 BST: Signing 26-year-old left wing-back (and recently crowed European champion with Italy) Emerson is Napoli's priority in this summer's transfer window, Corriere dello Sport writes.
21.08 BST: Atletico Madrid are looking at alternative options to bringing Antoine Griezmann back to the club, according to AS, amid complicated negotiations with Barcelona. At the top of their list is 24-year-old Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Rafa Mir, after an impressive campaign on loan at Huesca last season, as well as 24-year-old Valencia front man Maxi Gomez.
20.21 BST: Gazzetta dello Sport writes that 23-year-old centre-back Merih Demiral has told Juventus that he'd like to leave the club this summer, sitting behind Matthijs de Ligt, Leonardo Bonucci and (should he sign a new contract) Giorgio Chiellini, and the Bianconeri are open to his exit. However, they're looking for a transfer fee of €35m to €45m to sanction his departure, and the only offers they've received are for loans.
19.34 BST: Canadian broadcaster TSN reports that 22-year-old Canada international and New England Revolution wide man Tajon Buchanan is drawing interest from Lens in Ligue 1, FC Augsburg in the Bundesliga and Club Brugge in Belgium, with more interested parties from Germany and Portugal reportedly preparing offers.
19.10 BST: Paris Saint-Germain have announced that manager Mauricio Pochettino has signed a new contract with the club, keeping the Argentine tactician in the French capital through the 2022-23 season.
🔴 #Pochettino2023 🔵 pic.twitter.com/590IvYOqDQ
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) July 23, 2021
18.47 BST: Juventus have met with the agent of Miralem Pjanic to discuss the framework of a potential return of the 31-year-old midfielder to Turin, according to Tuttosport, and while the Bianconeri are keen for a reunion, there are three rather large hurdles standing in the way of that happening. First, Aaron Ramsey would need to be moved on this summer to raise funds and clear room on the club's wage structure. Second, the Bosnia and Herzegovina midfielder would need to take a pay cut from his €8.5m annual salary.
Finally, and this is probably the biggest hurdle: Pjanic is said to want to be paid the remainder of his Barcelona contract, which owes him approximately €25m over the next three seasons. The Catalan club reportedly would allow the midfielder to leave on a free transfer to further help balance their books, but a buyout of his remaining contract could be a bridge too far for the cash-strapped outfit.
18.00 BST: Paul Pogba is a World Cup winner with France, a born-and-bred Parisian and a world-class midfielder, but Marca writes that there's another reason for Paris Saint-Germain's interest in bringing the 28-year-old back home to the French capital: Pogba is a close friend of Kylian Mbappe, and the PSG hierarchy are hopeful that recruiting the Manchester United talisman could convince Mbappe to sign a new contract at Parc des Princes.
17.13 BST: France centre-back Jules Kounde has been linked with Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain this summer, but AS reports that Sevilla will not sanction the departure of the 22-year-old unless a club were to approach his €80m release clause.
16.30 BST: This is how Jesse Lingard turned into Jesse 2.0 on loan at West Ham and how he revitalised his career at Man United.
Written on a whiteboard in the window of Jesse Lingard's Stratford flat overlooking the London Stadium were the words "European Championships."
It might have seemed an ambitious target when he joined West Ham from Manchester United on loan in January, but by the time England manager Gareth Southgate named his provisional squad for Euro 2020 in May, there was no surprise Lingard's name was on the list. The turnaround was made possible by his impressive form at West Ham, but also with the help of a tight inner circle including his brother, Louie Scott, and UEFA Pro Licence coach, Alexandros Alexiadis.
"It has been a massive team effort," Scott tells ESPN. "I introduced Alex [to Jesse], probably towards the back end of the [2019-20] season and he just started to analyse and assess Jess and look at some details in terms of what his attributes are, what his strengths are and how he can impose them a little bit more.
"It was just a little bit more attention to detail and putting a little bit more effort into what we could to make sure we achieved the best results. It was about consistency of habits and performance. Once you fall off, we know what can happen and how far down the ladder you can go and we've had to take that on the chin, work hard again and create a new foundation."
16.03 BST: Steven Gerrard has told ESPN it was "never a possibility" that he would leave his job as Rangers manager to take charge of Everton, but admits he was not surprised by Rafael Benitez's decision to move to Goodison Park following Carlo Ancelotti's departure for Real Madrid.
Former Liverpool captain Gerrard will go head-to-head with Ancelotti at Ibrox on Sunday as Real travel to Glasgow to face Rangers in a preseason friendly to mark the Scottish champions' 150th anniversary.
Ancelotti's surprise exit from Everton at the end of last season after just 18 months in charge initially prompted speculation linking Gerrard with a return to his home city as the Italian's successor after guiding Rangers to their first league title in 10 years.
But, while the 41-year-old said that managing Everton was, and will always be, a non-starter, he told ESPN in an exclusive interview that he understands Benitez's decision to manage the club, despite his six-year spell in charge of Liverpool between 2004-2010.
15.39 BST: Aston Villa have had a £30m bid for Bayer Leverkusen winger Leon Bailey rejected, says Football Insider.
Bailey, 23, wants a new challenge and Villa are keen to bring in more attacking firepower as they consider letting Jack Grealish move to Man City for £100m.
15.06 BST: Football Insider claims that Chelsea are set to make a €150m offer to sign Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Haaland.
Haaland, 21, is one of the best strikers in Europe and Dortmund value him at €180m despite the fact he has a €75m release clause which kicks in during the 2022 season.
Chelsea are reportedly ready to put down a straight cash offer, having been told Dortmund won't accept either Tammy Abraham or Timo Werner in exchange.
The Premier League club are also exploring backup moves for Tottenham's Harry Kane and Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku.
14.39 BST: Yes there are lots of players who could move this summer, but what if the big boys waited until 2022?
14.00 BST: Palmeiras are in advanced negotiations to complete the signing of Jorge from Monaco, sources have told ESPN Brasil.
The Brazilian side have earmarked the signing of a left-back as a priority with the impending departure of Matias Vina to Roma.
Jorge, 25, spent last season on loan at Basel from Monaco, but has not played a game since December due to a serious knee injury.
13.37 BST: Liga MX side Pumas have completed the signing of Cristiano Battocchio as a free agent.
The 29-year-old midfielder is expected to fill the void left by the departure of Juan Pablo Vigon to Tigres.
Battocchio has played for Newell's Old Boys, Udinese, Watford, Virtus Entella, Brest, Maccabi Tel Aviv and his last club was Tokushima Vortis from Japan.
13.23 BST: Brentford have signed midfielder Myles Peart-Harris from Chelsea on a long-term contract.
Peart-Harris, 18, has been involved with Chelsea at Under-18 and Development Squad level, while he is an England youth international.
Brentford coach said: "Myles is a very talented young player and an exciting signing for us. We see him playing as an 'eight' in our system and he fits the position profile perfectly for that. He is a dynamic midfield player, and he drives forward with the ball.
"Myles has great quality on the ball. He can score goals and deliver assists for us. He is great at arriving in the penalty area at the right time. There is also lots of development potential for our coaches to work with. We think there will be lots of areas where he will get better, particularly defensively, but he has some great attributes, and we believe we can maximise his potential."
13.05 BST: Chelsea have signed Manchester United's trailblazing striker Lauren James in a reportedly record-breaking deal for two Women's Super League clubs.
James has been a stalwart of United's squad since the club was formed ahead of the 2018-19 season. She scored their first goals in the Championship and the Women's Super League and was the first woman to score at Old Trafford.
The 19-year-old has been linked with a move away from Manchester for several months, with a return to London the top target.
The Guardian have reported that her transfer is record-breaking for involving the most money ever exchanged between two WSL clubs.
13.01 BST: Manchester United have completed the signing of Borussia Dortmund winger Jadon Sancho, the club confirmed on Friday.
Dortmund had previously confirmed the agreement, stating on July 1 that the transfer fee is "fixed" at €85m ($99.98m). United also confirmed that the deal had been initially agreed to, subject to a medical after England's participation at Euro 2020.
Sancho, 21, scored 50 goals and registered 64 assists in four seasons with Dortmund after joining the German club from Manchester City for €8.7m.
He said: "I'll always be grateful to Dortmund for giving me the opportunity to play first team football, although I always knew that I would return to England one day. The chance to join Manchester United is a dream come true and I just cannot wait to perform in the Premier League. This is a young and exciting squad and I know, together, we can develop into something special to bring the success that the fans deserve. I am looking forward to working with the Manager and his coaching team to further develop my game."
This is his home.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) July 23, 2021
This is where he belongs.
Jadon Sancho is 𝗨𝗡𝗜𝗧𝗘𝗗.#MUFC x @Sanchooo10 pic.twitter.com/LAIBn7ie7V
12.43 BST: Patrick Vieira's intention to breathe new life into Crystal Palace has led him to target rising Manchester City star Morgan Rogers, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
Former New York City FC boss Vieira replaced Roy Hodgson this summer and has set about driving down the age of the Palace squad he inherited. Data compiled by the CIES Football Observatory last season found that at an average age of 29.2, Palace had the oldest squad in the Premier League.
Vieira has reacted by making two eye-catching signings -- highly rated defender Marc Guehi (21) from Chelsea for around £18m and midfielder Michael Olise (18) from Championship side Reading.
Next up could be 18-year-old Manchester City forward Rogers, who impressed during a loan spell at League One Lincoln City last term. Rogers scored six goals at the third tier side and might find opportunities at City hard to come by in the coming years, with the club pursuing Aston Villa's Jack Grealish.
11.54 BST: Leeds United are really going after Chelsea youngsters as The Athletic reports they want to sign midfielder Conor Gallagher on loan.
Gallagher, 21, would join the senior squad, with 18-year-old Lewis Bate having been added to their under-23 side from Chelsea earlier this week for around £1.5m.
The report claims: "A central midfielder is the club's top priority after they secured the arrival of £13m left-back Junior Firpo from Barcelona this month."
11.20 BST: Manchester United have signed Hannah Blundell on a two-year-deal from Chelsea, with the option of a further year.
Blundell, 27, spent her youth and professional career with the West London club and made her senior England debut in 2018.
"I'm really excited to be joining this great club and I'm looking forward to being part of the journey with this team," she said. "I believe Manchester United can be successful and win trophies, and I will do everything I can to help bring success to the club. I'm just happy to finally be a United player and I can wait to meet all the staff, players, and especially the fans!"
11.11 BST: Sheffield United reportedly want £32m from clubs looking to sign England goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale.
Arsenal have been linked with the 23-year-old but won't go as high as £30m, though the Daily Telegraph reports that the club "may return with structured deal later in the window" as they seek a reliable backup for No. 1 Bernd Leno.
10.46 BST: Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane reported for pre-season training on Friday as Manchester United continue to push for his transfer.
Varane, Gareth Bale and Toni Kroos underwent medical tests at Madrid's training ground in Valdebebas and did not take part in the training session.
The France international, whose contract at the Bernabeu is due to expire in June 2022, is Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's top defensive target and United are understood to be closing in on his signing.
The Premier League giants have been negotiating personal terms with Varane but have yet to begin talks with Madrid to agree a transfer fee.
10.27 BST: Chelsea need a striker and they know all about Inter Milan's Romelu Lukaku.
10.02 BST: Tottenham have confirmed South Korea forward Son Heung-Min has signed a new four-year deal with the club until 2025.
Son, 29, has scored 107 goals and bagged 64 assists in 280 appearances since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in 2015.
He told the club website: "It was already a big honour to play here for six years, the Club have showed me massive, massive respect and obviously I'm very happy to be here. It's like home, especially with the fans, the players, the staff. There was no decision. It was easy. I'm so happy to be here and will be so glad to see the fans again soon."
09.52 BST: MLS and the New York Red Bulls filed a lawsuit in federal court on Thursday against Scott Pearson, the purported agent of midfielder Alejandro "Kaku" Romero Gamarra.
The suit accuses Pearson of "tortious interference" in his handling of Kaku's contract with the league, and the player's subsequent move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Taawoun. MLS and the Red Bulls are seeking over $6 million in damages.
Pearson's company, Argentine Futbol Tours LLC, is also named as a defendant in the suit.
The dispute centers around whether Kaku was still under contract to MLS and the Red Bulls when he moved to Al-Taawoun last January. MLS has long maintained that it exercised a unilateral contract option on Kaku prior to the deadline of Dec. 31, 2020, and informed both Kaku and Pearson of their intentions.
09.21 BST: Sergio Romero is attracting interest from Chelsea and Juventus following his departure from Manchester United, sources told ESPN's Rob Dawson.
The goalkeeper has been training in Argentina while he sorts out his next move after leaving Old Trafford this summer at the end of his contract. The 34-year-old made 61 appearances in six years at Old Trafford.
European heavyweights Chelsea and Juventus are among a number of clubs to have registered their interest in the Argentina international. Spanish side Granada are also monitoring his situation.
08.44 BST: Barcelona's drive to reduce their wage bill has hit a significant obstacle as they struggle to make room to register their new signings and Lionel Messi's new contract, various sources told ESPN's Moises Llorens and Sam Marsden.
The club must reduce their outgoings to ensure they comply with La Liga's spending limits next season. If they can't, they risk not being able to register Messi's new contract, or new signings Memphis Depay, Sergio Aguero, Eric Garcia and Emerson Royal.
Barca have until the end of the transfer window on Aug. 31 to submit Messi's deal and their new signings to La Liga but internally they want everything resolved before Aug. 15, when they kick off their league season at home to Real Sociedad. League president Javier Tebas has said he will not relax the rules for Barcelona and a failure to get their finances in order could see Messi, if he signs the five-year deal revealed by ESPN last week, unable to play until at least January, as happened with Getafe midfielder Pedro Leon in 2014.
Barca managed to move on several youngsters and fringe players earlier in the transfer window, including United States international Konrad de la Fuente's move to Marseille, but they are struggling to get rid of the big earners.
The club have also failed to agree terms on a pay cut with long-serving players Sergio Busquets, Jordi Alba and Sergi Roberto. Sources said director of football Mateu Alemany has spoken with the trio's agents but none have shown an appetite to cut their earnings to help the club yet. Busquets earns around €16m a year at the club, while Alba is on €13m and Roberto €10.5m.
08.30 BST: Barcelona president Joan Laporta said the club are open to proposals for their players this summer and refused to rule out letting Antoine Griezmann leave.
Sources have told ESPN that Barca have held talks with Atletico Madrid over a swap deal which would see Griezmann return to his former club and see Saul Niguez move to Camp Nou. However, negotiations have stalled because the two clubs have failed to reach an agreement over the valuations of the two players.
"Griezmann is a Barca player, he has a contract with the club until 2024 and unless circumstances change, we are counting on him," Laporta said at the presentation of Memphis Depay on Wednesday. "There have been some movements on the market and we can't deny that there's been interest in him. That's a sign of his quality.
"It's a special market and you have to use your imagination, perhaps thinking in swap deals, but we value Antoine a lot. The club made a big investment in him and we are happy with him. It's not easy for a club to come in with an offer for a player at his level. But the transfer window is just getting started and there's a market for Griezmann.
"If things start moving, we're open to all proposals because we're in a delicate moment financially and we have to balance the books for to comply with the league's financial fair play rules."
08.00 BST: Former Tottenham and Brazil midfielder Paulinho is staying in Asia after signing for Saudi Arabia's Al Ahli, following his departure from Chinese Super League giants Guangzhou.
The 32-year-old, who also featured for La Liga giants Barcelona from 2017 to 2019, was one of the most high-profile imports in Chinese football in two separate spells.
First joining Guangzhou in 2015, Paulinho went on to win three CSL titles in his time at the Tianhe Stadium, as well as the AFC Champions League in the year he signed for them.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic saw Paulinho unable to join up with the squad due to Chinese travel restrictions imposed on Brazil, and the mutual decision to part ways was made last month.
PAPER GOSSIP (by Adam Brown)
- The Daily Mail writes that Chelsea are considering a move for Sergio Romero. The Argentina goalkeeper has been linked with a move to Boca Juniors since his contract with Manchester United expired, but it now looks as though the 34-year-old could remain in the Premier League with Thomas Tuchel keen on adding an experienced backup goalkeeper for starter Edouard Mendy. Though after sitting on the bench for years at Old Trafford, it's hard to see Romero accepting another bit-part role.
- Fiorentina are close to completing the signing of Slovenian defender Vid Koderman, according to Calciomercato. A deal for the Maribor left-back is set to cost in the region of €1m, with the Serie A club looking at developing the 18-year-old within the first team. The young prospect has already featured in the Europa League this season.
- Paulo Dybala's agent will meet with Juventus next week as the club look to agree to terms on a new deal for the 27-year-old, says Fabrizio Romano. The attacker's future has been uncertain over the summer as the Italian side continue their project under Massimiliano Allegri's second stint, but it now looks as though the two parties are getting closer to a contract agreement.
- Another from Fabrizio Romano, who says that Real Madrid have no plans to let Vinicius Junior go this summer amid rumoured interest from Manchester United. The Italian journalist claims that no official approach was made over a deal for the Brazilian. The 21-year-old winger had a mixed season last campaign, scoring just three goals from 35 appearances in La Liga.
- Villarreal are letting former Premier League defender Ramiro Funes Mori leave for Al Nasr, writes Mundo Deportivo. The centre-back will join the Saudi Arabian club for a fee of €2.5m after a three-year spell in Spain. The 30-year-old featured 10 times for Villarreal last season as the club won the Europa League.
- Calciomercato reports that Internazionale are keen on a move for Denzel Dumfries. The 25-year-old has been attracting interest from around Europe -- Everton in particular -- after a run of impressive performances at Euro 2020 for Netherlands. His agent Mino Raiola is reported to be handling the negotiations with PSV Eindhoven, with the Dutch club not allowing to allow their star right-back to leave easily.