Arsenal to pip Man United to Atletico defender Kieran Trippier?

The summer transfer window is into its final month for the major European leagues, which means the biggest clubs are looking to make a splash in the market before the new season begins. Check out the latest gossip below, and see all official deals here.

TOP STORY: Arsenal to pip Man United to Trippier?

Arsenal are hoping to land full-back Kieran Trippier from Atletico Madrid ahead of rivals Manchester United, according to The Sun.

The Gunners have reportedly made contact with the Spanish champions about a deal for the 31-year-old as Arsenal right-back Hector Bellerin is set to leave the club this summer and manager Mikel Arteta sees Trippier as the perfect replacement.

Atletico are demanding €40 million for the England international, who has two years left to run on his contract, with boss Diego Simeone keen for the club to offer him a new deal despite their financial issues.

Manchester United have also expressed an interest in signing Trippier, but have so far been willing to offer only €25m for the former Tottenham Hotspur and Man City defender.

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22.00 BST: That will do it for the latest edition of our LIVE Transfer Talk blog. We hoped you enjoyed following along with us and remind you to check back shortly for the latest transfer rumours, reports and completed deals. Goodnight!

21.45 BST: Newcastle and Arsenal have agreed to a £25 million fee for midfielder Joe Willock, Sky Sports has learned.

The midfielder, who was scarcely used at Arsenal, was a sensation at St James’ Park last year, scoring eight goals in 14 appearances after arriving on loan in January. The 21-year-old was the club — and manager Steve Bruce’s — top transfer target with Newcastle persistently “badgering away”. to sign the youngster.

Personal terms have yet to be agreed upon but Newcastle expect to finalise the deal so that Willock is available for their opener next weekend against West Ham.

21.05 BST: Southampton are keen to sign former youth team graduate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, TALKsport claims.

The England international, who has struggled for health since joining Liverpool, joined the Saints as a seven-year-old before moving to Arsenal in 2011. The 27-year-old only played 13 times last season in the Premier League for the Reds, and Southampton believe the Anfield club are willing to listen to offers for the midfielder.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is under contract with Liverpool through 2023 but has also been linked with West Ham. Southampton are also progressing on a loan deal for highly-rated Chelsea striker Armando Broja to help replace the recently sold Danny Ings.

20.17 BST: Fulham prodigy Fabio Carvalho was a real bright spot in the club’s season-opening draw with Middlesbrough but could the Cottagers struggle to hold onto their prized youngster?

The 18-year-old is in the final year of his contract at Fulham and has rejected the initial contract extension offer from the London club. The Daily Mail suggests that Fulham could have a battle on their hands to keep the Portuguese, with Leeds, West Ham, Porto and Norwich among the clubs circling.

19.32 BST: Aston Villa are flush with cash having sold star Jack Grealish to Manchester City but now they need to replace their talisman.

Football Insider speculates that one potential Grealish “replacement” could be Norwich’s Todd Cantwell. The highly-rated midfielder, 23, has been linked with a move to Villa Park, with Norwich asking for £40 million for their homegrown star.

Villa have shown they are willing to spend this summer having already signed Emi Buendia, also from Norwich (£35 million), Leon Bailey from Bayer Leverkusen (£25 million), Danny Ings from Southampton (£25 million), Ashley Young on a free and Axel Tuanebe on loan.

18.56 BST: Wolves flop Rafa Mir is closing in on a move to Atletico Madrid, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.

The 24-year-old, who has only managed to make four senior appearances for the Wolverhampton club since arriving from Valencia in 2018, has reinvigorated his career the last two seasons on loan in Spain, and is now reportedly in the crosshair of the La Liga champions. Mir has bagged 25 goals in 57 appearances over the past two seasons at Huesca, including 13 La Liga goals in 2020-2021.

Mir, who recently scored a hat trick for Spain at the Olympics against the Ivory Coast, is viewed as a potential successor to the aging Luis Suarez (34).

18.02 BST: With Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata tipped to replace Romelu Lukaku at Inter, the Bergamo club could be in the market for a striker.

While Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham has been linked with the club, Calciomercato understands that Hertha Berlin’s Matheus Cunha is also a target for the Champions League qualifiers. Cunha, 23, recently starred for Brazil’s Gold Medal-winning side at the Tokyo Olympics and is Brazil’s all-time record scorer at the Under-23 level with 19 goals.

Hertha are reportedly holding out for €30 million for the striker, who has contributed to 23 goals in 39 games for the club since arriving from RB Leipzig in Jan. 2020.

17.10 BST: Andres Iniesta’s Vissel Kobe have beefed up their attack by signing Japan internationals Yuya Osako and Yoshinori Muto.

After Muto, 29, signed on Saturday following his release from Newcastle, Osako, most recently of Werder Bremen, put pen to paper with the Japanese club on Sunday.

Vissel Kobe are currently third in the J1 League, but will hope the duo with buckets of European experience will inject life into an attack that recently lost star Kyogo Furuhashi in the transfer market to Celtic.

16.30 BST: Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos says he would not be surprised if Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe joins his club in this transfer window.

A long-term target of Madrid, Mbappe has not signed a new contract in Paris, with his current deal ending next summer. But with Lionel Messi in line to strengthen PSG’s attack this summer, there is increase speculation that Mbappe could leave the French giants this month and sign for Madrid.

Asked about the French forward, Kroos said: “He is the most interesting player on the market, and he is not exactly cheap. I prefer to talk about transfers that have been completed but, as Real Madrid always want the best, it wouldn’t surprise me.”

Kroos, meanwhile, believes Madrid will need time to adapt to the departures of experienced centre-backs Sergio Ramos and Raphael Varane.

Ramos joined PSG as a free agent while Varane moved to Manchester United in a €41m transfer. Madrid strengthened their defensive line with Austria defender David Alaba after his contract with Bayern Munich expired last month.

“We Ramos and Varane leaving we have lost our starting centre-backs of the last eight years,” Kroos said. “Ramos played more than 600 games for Madrid and scored more than 100 goals and won 22 titles. If you want to replace those players of that level is expensive. Moreover, Real Madrid paid for [signing] Varane but has not paid for Alaba. We have to take that into account.”

15.47 BST: Getafe coach Michel is convinced defender Marc Cucurella will remain at the club despite strong interest from Premier League clubs, including Brighton.

Cucurella, 23, joined Getafe from Barcelona in a €10m transfer and scored three goals and set up two more in 37 league appearances last season.

He won the silver medal with Spain at the Olympics and his solid performances have not gone unnoticed, with the Spanish club confirming they have received offers for him.

“I honestly believe that Marc will continue with us,” Michel said. “We know the level he has and we are going to try to keep him with us. I think it’s good that Brighton have monitored him but I do think he will remain.”

15.12 BST: PSG never imagined they’d be able to land Lionel Messi for nothing.

14.33 BST: UPDATE – Tottenham are pushing to complete a move for Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez after indicating they are willing to meet the club’s €71m valuation, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.

Spurs believe they have agreed a fee in principle but sources close to Inter have dismissed suggestions they are ready to sanction a transfer.

The situation has been complicated by Chelsea’s pursuit of Romelu Lukaku. Inter have already seen Achraf Hakimi join Paris Saint-Germain for €70m and also agreed a fee of €115m with Chelsea for Lukaku.

The departure of Lukaku will spark fury among Inter fans and the club have a difficult decision whether to exacerbate tensions further by allowing his strike partner to leave.

It is unclear whether the departures of Hakimi and Lukaku will be enough to relieve the financial pressure from Inter’s Chinese owners Suning. They are also listening to offers for the club as a whole after China President Xi Jinping urged the country’s investors to focus their efforts on domestic pursuits.

14.24 BST: Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has been linked with Roma as the club seek to replace Edin Dzeko, who is set to join Inter Milan.

However, Gazzetta dello Sport reports that relations between the two clubs are at an all-time low, after a deal for midfielder Granit Xhaka fell through.

Roma want Lacazette but Jose Mourinho’s main choice is PSG striker Mauro Icardi and the Serie A club are also looking at other options including Sassuolo’s Gianluca Scamacca, Benfica’s Haris Seferovic and Zenit star Sardar Azmoun.

13.27 BST: SportItalia claims Inter Milan don’t want to let Lautaro Martinez leave, despite interest from Tottenham, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid.

As per The Times (12.13 BST), Tottenham had an agreement in principle to sign Martinez for around £60m, but that was before Chelsea made a £97.5m move for Romelu Lukaku.

Inter clearly don’t want to let both strikers go this summer, and will move on Lukaku while keeping Martinez if they can.

13.08 BST: Axel Tuanzebe has re-joined Aston Villa on loan from Manchester United until June 2022, the club have confirmed.

Aston Villa for a year seems like a good move for Axel Tuanzebe. Needs regular games and knows Villa well after playing there in the Championship. Chance to show he’s good enough for Man United. Solskjaer has high hopes. — Rob Dawson

12.59 BST: Will Romelu Lukaku succeed back at Chelsea?

12.13 BST: Wow. The Times reports that Tottenham Hotspur have agreed a fee for Inter Milan striker Lautaro Martinez worth over £60m.

Martinez, 23, scored a combined 31 goals in Serie A over the past two seasons playing alongside Romelu Lukaku and has attracted interest from Arsenal and Barcelona.

Lukaku is set to move to Chelsea for £97.5m in the coming days and Tottenham have moved quickly to secure a deal for Martinez as well, as Inter’s financial situation is dire.

The report claims that the Argentina international will play with Harry Kane, rather than replacing him, at Spurs despite interest from Manchester City in signing Kane for £150m this summer.

11.35 BST: Sources have confirmed to ESPN’s Julien Laurens that Lionel Messi will travel to France on Sunday to complete his move to PSG.

Messi, 34, is a free agent after leaving Barcelona and sources said his medical will take place Sunday night or on Monday morning.

The forward will sign a two-year contract with an option for another year and will be announced by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

11.06 BST: Lionel Messi is in tears as he says his goodbyes to Barcelona at Camp Nou news conference.

“I was convinced to stay here at Barcelona,” he said. “This is my home, our home. I wanted to stay at Barça and it was the plan… and today I’ve to say goodbye after my entire life here.

“I’ve been thinking for a few days, I think about what I could say, but I’m stuck. It’s very difficult for me, after so many years, my whole life here … I’m not ready.”

Asked about PSG’s interest, he said: “That is one possibility. There’s nothing closed at the moment but we’re talking about a lot of things. After Barca’s statement, a lot of clubs showed an interest. But nothing final, although there are talks, of course.”

10.46 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that Bayern Munich are planning to announce that midfielder Joshua Kimmich has extended his contract.

Kimmich, 26, is set to sign a three-year extension to his contract which keeps him at the Bundesliga champions until 2026. Bild claims he could now earn €20m-a-year to become one of Bayern’s top earners.

The club are now aiming to make midfielder Leon Goretzka the next to pen new terms as his deal expires in 2022.

10.24 BST: There had been some rumours which suggested Sergio Aguero was going to leave Barcelona, despite only just arriving on a free transfer this summer.

The reason? He was angry that Argentina teammate Lionel Messi wouldn’t be playing at Camp Nou next season.

But, after visiting Messi’s house to say his goodbyes this weekend, Aguero was asked by fans about his own future and replied: “You’ll have me all year long, don’t worry.”

10.10 BST: With Lionel Messi joining, alongside the signings of Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma and Georginio Wijnaldum for NOTHING, PSG are having arguably the best transfer window of all-time.

09.45 BST: ICYMI – Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to offer Lionel Messi a three-year contract to move to the French capital, sources have told ESPN, and feel a deal is close after positive initial talks with Messi’s representatives.

Sources have told ESPN that further negotiations with Messi’s father and agent, Jorge, are planned for Monday, or possibly sooner. Messi is a free agent after his Barcelona contract expired on June 30 and the club were unable to offer him an extension because of their financial situation.

PSG’s Ligue 1 season has already started and they came from behind to beat Troyes 2-1 with goals from new signing Achraf Hakimi and Mauro Icardi.

Of course, PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino was asked about Messi after the game and said that he was “an option that was being evaluated.”

“His name is associated with different clubs, there are plenty of rumours,” Pochettino was quoted as saying by L’Equipe. “We will see what happens in the coming days.

“The players have stayed focused. We did not start the game well and we gave away too many chances for my liking. But we have to give Troyes credit for making it difficult for us, they showed a lot of energy. We would have liked to win 5-0 but we’ll take what we achieved.”

09.26 BST: Lionel Messi will give a farewell news conference on Sunday at noon CET (6 a.m. ET) at Camp Nou, hours before Barcelona play the Joan Gamper trophy.

Sources had told ESPN the 34-year-old had reached an agreement to sign a new five-year deal at Camp Nou, which included a considerable wage reduction, extending his 21-year link with the club. However, Barca announced on Thursday that Messi will not continue at the club, with his contract having expired on June 30.

09.00 BST: Chelsea are close to signing Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku in a deal thought to be worth €115m, sources have told ESPN.

The move, which will see Lukaku join Chelsea for a second time, is unlikely to involve any players moving in the opposite direction. Marcos Alonso had been linked with a move to Inter as part of the deal.

Details are yet to be finalised in terms of a payment plan, but personal terms are not thought to be an issue. Sources have told ESPN that Lukaku’s salary is in the region of £250,000 a week.

Sources at Inter told ESPN they never had any intention of Lukaku leaving, even rejecting an offer of €100m plus Alonso. It was only when Lukaku informed them of his desire to leave that the club decided they would evaluate any “unrefusable” offers.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Nick Judd)

– Internazionale are about to be very busy in the transfer market as they look to replace Romelu Lukaku with not one but two strikers, according to Calciomercato. Sources have told ESPN that Lukaku is close to agreeing an eye-watering €115m move to previous club Chelsea, which leaves Inter boss Simeone Inzaghi with the unenviable task of filling the Belgian’s boots with an able replacement or two. Inter are looking at AS Roma’s Edin Dzeko and Atalanta’s Duvan Zapata as their top targets, with Real Madrid’s Luka Jovic and Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham also linked with a move to San Siro.

– Brighton & Hove Albion are looking to Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah to help them find the net on a more regular basis this season, reports the Sun. Seagulls boss Graham Potter has identified the 22-year-old as his main target as he looks to add more firepower to his squad. Brighton would need to part with around £20m to land a player who has found first-team opportunities hard to come by in North London. Nketiah scored two goals in 17 appearances for the Gunners last season.

– Arsenal are looking to strengthen in the goalkeeping department and the Express reports that the North London club have been offered Barcelona goalkeeper Neto. Despite the impending departure of Lionel Messi, Barcelona still appear to be in a financial hole, and so moving 32-year-old Neto on would help provide further assistance for the Catalan giants. Arsenal are currently heading into the new season with Bernd Leno and Runar Alex Runarsson, but the Londoners are keen to replace the Iceland international as the No. 2.

– Norway winger Jens Petter-Hauge is set to join Eintracht Frankfurt from AC Milan, according to Calciomercato. The 21-year-old is due to leave the Rossoneri on Sunday and will carry out his medical a day later. The deal is expected to be a loan move with an option for the Germans to make the move permanent for a fee of around €12m. Milan had rejected an earlier offer of around €7m-€8m, but now it would appear as though Petter-Hauge is set for pastures new, just one year after moving to Milan.