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          Transfer Talk: Alex Sandro set for Man United, Lewandowski ready to quit Bayern?

          • ESPN staffMay 17, 2018, 01:21 AM

          The transfer window is now open, and Transfer Talk has the latest rumours making the rounds. Follow live with our daily blog throughout the summer.

          TOP STORY: Man United close to Alex Sandro deal

          Manchester United have dealt a blow to Chelsea by winning the battle to sign Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, according to La Stampa, via Football Italia. He will move to Old Trafford for a fee of €50m, with Matteo Darmian heading the other way "in a separate transfer."

          The Brazilian has won three league and cup doubles during his time with Juve, but he has been strongly linked with an exit for some time as he searches for a new challenge. Chelsea were keen on him last summer, but they moved for Emerson Palmieri in January before United muscled in on their former full-back target.

          Meanwhile, the Manchester Evening News says United have held "informal talks" with Willian's representatives over a potential summer transfer. Jose Mourinho remains a huge fan of the player he brought to Chelsea in 2013 and could try to reunite him with Nemanja Matic at Old Trafford.

          Follow live with our daily blog throughout the summer, and click here see all the latest completed moves.

          LIVE BLOG

          22.46 BST: That's going to do it for the first live edition of Transfer Talk for this summer window. Thanks very much for joining us, and be sure to check back in a few short hours when we return with the latest gossip pulled from the back pages of Friday's papers.

          22.13 BST: Manchester City are increasingly expecting Mikel Arteta to replace Arsene Wenger as Arsenal manager, the Telegraph writes, although he has not agreed terms with the Gunners or formally handed in notice at the Etihad.

          21.40 BST: Barcelona are close to securing the services of Sevilla's 22-year-old centre-back Clement Lenglet, who also had been interesting Manchester United and Liverpool, Calciomercato cites Catalan publication Mundo Deportivo as reporting.

          21.07 BST: Paris Saint-Germain have emerged as the favourites for outgoing Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who will leave the Turin club this summer after 17 years, Italian-based transfer guru Gianluca Di Marzio reports.

          20.34 BST: Barcelona are apparently offering attacker Ousmane Dembele on loan or outright to clubs around Europe, the Liverpool Echo cites Catalan radio station RAC1 as reporting, with Antoine Griezmann looking all but certain to arrive at the Camp Nou this summer. The Echo states that Jurgen Klopp was interested in bringing the 21-year-old to Anfield last summer, before he left Borussia Dortmund for Barca, and that speculation exists he could be interested in the player again this window.

          20.01 BST: While the day's headlines have centred around Manchester United's pursuit of Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, the Red Devils will open negotiations with Monaco "in the coming hours" over 25-year-old right-back Djibril Sidibe, the Metro cites French outlet Le10 Sport as reporting.

          19.34 BST: Rafa Benitez would prefer to remain manager at Newcastle United, the Telegraph reports, as West Ham move closer to making an offer for the former Real Madrid, Chelsea and Liverpool boss. However, Benitez is said to want assurances over the Magpies' transfer kitty -- an agreement he's yet to receive.

          19.07 BST: Barcelona are all but assured of signing Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid this summer, according to Catalan outlet Sport. The French forward's €200 million release clause drops to €100 million on July 1, and the Blaugrana are working on negotiating a deal that will see the 27-year-old join them on that date. Should Atleti prove challenging in their discussions, Barca are prepared to pay Griezmann's buyout in full on the first of July.

          18.40 BST: TalkSPORT cites German publication Bild as reporting that Borussia Dortmund have joined Juventus in their interest to Alvaro Morata out of West London after a single disappointing season with Chelsea.

          18.13 BST: Amid the pursuits of Manchester United, Atletico Madrid and Tottenham, Celtic have set a £30 million asking price for 20-year-old left-back Kieran Tierney, the Mail writes.

          17.46 BST: TalkSPORT cites Corriere dello Sport as reporting that Roma have informed all interested parties, which is said to include Liverpool, that they will not part with 25-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper Alisson for less than £87 million.

          17.19 BST: While Arsenal are "90 percent likely" to appoint Mikel Arteta as their next manager, the Mail reports that the Gunners will meet with Thierry Henry about the vacancy next week.

          16.52 BST: Juventus want to bring Alvaro Morata back to Turin, where the 25-year-old spent two seasons from 2014 and 2016, according to the Independent. Chelsea, facing the prospect of rebuilding their squad, may be interested in offloading the man they paid £58 million for last summer, but are unlikely to be interested in the loan-to-buy arrangement Juventus would prefer.

          16.25 BST: Andres Iniesta has warned Barcelona to sort out Sergio Busquets' future. Busquets, 29, signed a new deal two years ago but reports in the Spanish press this week have claimed he wants improved terms.

          16.22 BST: Arsenal's Takuma Asano -- remember him? -- is set to join Hannover 96 on loan after two seasons at VfB Stuttgart.

          15.43 BST: Some news out of Bayern Munich -- Arjen Robben has signed a new deal!

          15.14 BST: Willian is on Manchester United's radar and ESPN FC's Chelsea blogger Phil Lythell has his say on the discord that could lead the Brazilian to Old Trafford.

          14.21 BST: Arsenal are reportedly keen on Bayer Leverkusen keeper Bernd Leno but *suspense music plays* ... so are Napoli. Arsenal better get a move on because Fabio Parisi, an intermediary for Leno, told Radio Kiss Kiss: "It's not something which will be resolved in 24 hours, but it shouldn't take long. The desire is to sort everything before the World Cup, since he's in Germany's preliminary squad."

          13.40 BST: According to Record in Portugal, Wolves want to sign Renato Sanches from Bayern Munich on loan. Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo and Sanches share the same agent, Jorge Mendes, who also acts as an adviser to the newly promoted side.

          13.25 BST: Nantes president Waldermar Kita says they have a clear plan in mind to replace Claudio Ranieri, with Patrick Vieira among the early favourites for the role.

          "We're thinking about everyone," Kita said when asked about Vieira, and also confirmed he had already spoken to Barcelona's former reserve team coach Gerard Lopez and Jocelyn Gourvennec, who lost his job with Bordeaux last season.

          "I don't have a preference," he added. "I want good guys."

          13.10 BST: Tottenham are on a roll. Here's another new deal for one of their stars, with Harry Winks committing to the club.

          12.54 BST: Ooh, a big one. Jorginho's agent says Manchester City look set to sign the Napoli man this summer. "If Napoli finds an agreement with City, the player will go to Manchester. Finding an agreement with the English club will not be a problem," Joao Santos told CalcioNapoli24.it.

          12.51 BST: Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure enjoyed a strong season in the Premier League and Everton are said to be keen, but he's not so sure.

          12.46 BST: He's a man in demand but Wolves star Ruben Neves is happy to stay put. Liverpool have been linked with the Portuguese midfielder, who starred in their promotion push to the Premier League following a £15m move last summer, but he told O Jogo: "It's not good for me to risk a way out. I feel very good at Wolverhampton, I have no reason to leave because I'm going to play in the best league in the world."

          12.42 BST: Crystal Palace midfielder Yohan Cabaye's contract expires this summer and The Evening Standard say the Frenchman is due for talks over his future.

          12.33 BST: One to keep an eye on. Our top story has Manchester United closing in on Alex Sandro but the M.E.N. believe that could, in a roundabout way, lead to Anthony Martial moving to Turin.

          12.13 BST: It begins!

          12.04 BST: This is quite something. He may have left Arsenal (feels weird writing that) but Arsene Wenger still commands attention. Here he is explaining how close Cristiano Ronaldo was to signing for the Gunners. Clue: tantalisingly.

          11.12 BST: Atletico Madrid won the Europa League, but will it be enough to persuade Antoine Griezmann and Jan Oblak to stay at the club? Our man in Spain discusses the pair's future.

          11.09 BST: Busy day today and some more interesting news: Claudio Ranieri is leaving Nantes. It's a mutual agreement, apparently.

          11.01 BST: OK it's not Toby Alderweireld but some contract extension news at Tottenham here ...

          10.46 BST: Here's our story on the big developments at Juventus this morning.

          10.45 BST: BIG NEWS! Buffon is not retiring! He's leaving Juventus at the end of the season but some "interesting proposals on and off the pitch" has convinced him to carry on...

          10.40 BST: This looks like it's the end of Buffon at Juventus ... but is he retiring?

          10.26 BST: The stage is set and Juventus have an announcement to make ... Gianluigi Buffon related.

          10.10 BST: A departure at Liverpool, with relegated Swansea starting their rebuild ...

          09.41 BST: He appears to be a favourite of Jose Mourinho but Scott McTominay could leave Manchester United on loan next season if certain conditions are met.

          09.12 BST: Our rumour rater takes a look at the gossip and whether the big moves will happen. Wayne Rooney to D.C. United? Neymar to Real Madrid? It's all here.

          09.05 BST: A BIG, IMPORTANT REMINDER: the transfer window will close at 5pm BST on Aug. 9. Clubs have voted for this to avoid disruption to squads at the start of the season. A good move?

          09.03 BST: Leicester City are close to agreeing a deal to sign right-back Ricardo Pereira from Porto for a fee of around £25 million, so says the Daily Telegraph.

          09.02 BST: He was one of the stories of last summer with his on-off move to Manchester United and he's a hot rumour again. Antoine Griezmann appears set for Barcelona now, and the man himself has been talking about his future.

          08.22 BST: Abel Hernandez may be moving from east to west Yorkshire over the summer, with the Yorkshire Evening Post reporting the Hull striker could join Leeds.

          08.17 BST: Manchester United will have money to spend in the hope of overhauling City. As above, they want a new left-back, but a new centre-back could also be of interest. According to Tuttosport, Mourinho has already been in contact with AC Milan over Italy's Leonardo Bonucci. He only signed from Juventus last summer, but could be persuaded to move apparently.

          08.00 BST: Arsenal are on the lookout for some defenders and 30-year-old Jonny Evans is back on the agenda according to the Daily Mirror. A £3m deal could happen following West Brom's relegation

          PAPER TALK (By Matt Stanger)

          Is it going to be Robert Lewand-offski?

          Robert Lewandowski picked a bad time to go for dinner with his agent, Pini Zahavi, because The Sun claims the "secret" meeting confirms the striker's plans to quit Bayern Munich this summer.

          The 29-year-old is apparently hoping to seal a lucrative move to see out his career, with Chelsea and Real Madrid leading the race for his signature.

          The La Liga giants are thought to be in pole position, having been discouraged from trying to pinch Harry Kane from Spurs. But they might have to pay top whack for Lewandowski, who has three years remaining on his contract with Bayern after finishing the season as the Bundesliga's top scorer.

          Arsenal step up pursuit of defender

          Arsenal have been doing some thinking lately, and it's clear the club's hierarchy believe the priority this summer (after finding a new manager, of course) is to strengthen the defence.

          With Freiburg sticking a £35m price tag on Caglar Soyuncu, the Daily Mirror says the Gunners have switched their attention to Borussia Dortmund centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who is on the market for around £15m.

          The Mirror adds that Arsenal also want a new goalkeeper, with head of recruitment Sven Mislintat eyeing Bayer Leverkusen's Bernd Leno in what looks set to be a busy window at the Emirates Stadium.

          Tap-ins

          - Man United are plotting a £30m bid for Atletico Madrid star Sime Vrsaljko, according to the Daily Mail. The 26-year-old is set to go to the World Cup with Croatia, and he could complete a move to England upon his return.

          - Kevin Wimmer could be the first to jump ship at Stoke amid speculation linking him with a move to Hannover 96, reports the Daily Mail. The former Spurs centre-back joined the Potters in an £18m switch last summer, but he will leave for a fraction of that price.

          - Atletico Madrid are rivaling Man United's interest in Celtic left-back Kieran Tierney, claims The Herald. The 20-year-old has admitted he is flattered by the interest but says that he could stay at Parkhead for the rest of his career.

          - Monaco and Wolves are chasing AC Milan striker Andre Silva, according to Sky Sport Italia. The Portugal international moved to the San Siro last summer, but he has struggled to settle in Italy.