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BBC
Everton midfielder Ross Barkley will have to lower his wage demands to join Tottenham, who are not willing to pay the £120,000-a-week wages the 23-year-old England international turned down at Goodison Park. (Mirror)
The Toffees are also prepared to hold out for a fee of £35m for Barkley, despite him having less than 12 months on his contract. (Mail)
Barcelona will make a £53m move for Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil, 28, if they are unable to sign Philippe Coutinho, 25, from Liverpool. (Don Balon, via Express)
La Liga will report Paris St-Germain for a breach of Uefa's financial fair play rules over the signing of Neymar from Barcelona, even if the French side do not pay the 25-year-old Brazil forward's 220m euros (£197m) buyout clause. (El Larguero, via AS)
PSG are so confident of signing Neymar they are already planning how to unveil him. (ESPN)
Chelsea are willing to meet Bayern Munich's demands to sign midfielder Renato Sanches, 19, on loan for the season.(Corriere dello Sport, via Star)
Everton are considering a move for West Ham and New Zealand centre-back Winston Reid, 29. (Mail)
West Brom are interested in former Arsenal centre-back Thomas Vermaelen, 31, who has spent three injury-blighted years at Barcelona. (Sky Sports)
However, new Barca boss Ernesto Valverde is keen to give Vermaelen more playing time this season, after being impressed by the Belgian in pre-season. (AS)
Leicester and Algeria winger Riyad Mahrez, 26, is hoping Italian side Roma return with a third bid after offers of £20m and £32m were rejected by the Foxes. (Mirror)
Manchester City players have openly discussed the arrival of forward Alexis Sanchez, 28, from Arsenal in a £50m deal. (Manchester Evening News)
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger says players such as Sanchez and Ozil staying, despite entering the final 12 months of their contracts, is an "ideal" situation because everyone "has to perform". (Sun)
Watford are keen to sign Arsenal left-back Kieran Gibbs, but the 27-year-old would have to take a significant pay cut to join the Hornets. (Sky Sports)
French left-back Massadio Haidara, 24, is the latest Newcastle player to be told to find a new club, and is in talks to join Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne.(Chronicle)
Barcelona are considering selling 24-year-old Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes, who only joined them last summer. (Marca)
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola expects striker Kelechi Iheanacho, 20, to join Leicester soon, despite a delay in finalising a deal for the Nigeria international. (Manchester Evening News)
Guardiola also says midfielder Samir Nasri has no future at the club, even though he has praised the 30-year-old's pre-season displays. (Star)
Elsewhere, Guardiola is on course for a row with City's board over plans for a pre-season tour in China next summer, with the Spaniard preferring to return to the United States. (Express)
Hearts are looking to sign Newcastle keeper Freddie Woodman, 20, on a season-long loan deal. (Chronicle)
Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho no longer intends to loan out 21-year-old midfielder Andreas Pereira, after being impressed by the Brazilian during pre-season. (Sun)
Liverpool midfielder Adam Lallana, 29, says it "would be like having two new signings" if Reds striker Daniel Sturridge, 27, can stay fit and "firing on all cylinders". (Telegraph)
Meanwhile...
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has joked he is returning with a 300m euros (£260m) offer for Naby Keita after the 22-year-old midfielder's club RB Leipzig rejected a third bid from the Reds. (Sky Deutschland, via Independent)
Bournemouth centre-back Nathan Ake, 22, says he was forced to leave Chelsea in order to play more games, in response to Blues boss Antonio Conte accusing young players of losing patience too quickly. (Mail)
Lionel Messi wanted to join Manchester City last summer because the Argentina striker, 30, felt trapped at Barcelona, according to a new documentary. (Sun)
Sunderland midfielder Darron Gibson, 29, was filmed criticising his team-mates in a foul-mouthed exchange with fans. (Mirror)
Best of Sunday's transfer news
Neymar's father asked Paris St-Germain to delay formal negotiations with Barcelona over a £450m deal for his son until after 31 July - the day he earns a £23.3m commission for his part in persuading the 25-year-old forward to sign a new contract last October. (Sunday Times - subscription required)
If Brazil international Neymar does leave to join PSG, Barcelona could target Atletico Madrid and France striker Antoine Griezmann, 26, as his replacement. (Marca)
Once a deal is done for Neymar, PSG will then lodge a £35m bid to sign 28-year-old striker Alexis Sanchez from Arsenal. (Sunday Express)
But Chile forward Sanchez is also ready to submit a transfer request to force through a move to Manchester City. (Sunday Mirror)
Philippe Coutinho will plead with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp to let him join Barcelona. If the 25-year-old Brazil attacking midfielder does leave, Klopp will target 18-year-old Borussia Dortmund and United States winger Christian Pulisic. (Sunday Mirror)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Barry Glendenning
Well, this is awkward. After yesterday’s act of gross insubordination, in which the Rumour Mill poured scorn on the futility and utter pointlessness of its own existence, here we are at the start of another week, surveying the football landscape to see what’s being reported in the wide and crazy world of feverish football transfer speculation.
The Mirror reports that Ross Barkley will have to take a pay cut if he is to leave Everton for Tottenham as his suitors aren’t prepared to give him the £120,000 per week stipend he’s asking for to move to north London. Were Spurs to acquiesce to Barkley’s demands, he would become the highest paid player at a club where even Harry Kane is forced to try to make ends meet on weekly pay of £100,000, a sum that barely amounts to the London living wage.
After winning their first trophy of the season with a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Sevilla and their 100% record, things got increasingly weird at Arsenal when Arsène Wenger spoke of how “ideal” it is that Mesut Özil has only a year left on his contract and is in a stand-off with the club. Reports from Spain suggest Barcelona could make a move for the German if they are unsuccessful in their attempts to prise Philippe Coutinho from Anfield for £85m.
Alexis Sánchez, meanwhile, is still recuperating from his man-flu in Chile but expected to return on Monday night with speculation rife on the Manchester City training ground that he’ll soon be pitching up there for rondos. The Manchester Evening News reports that there is “anticipation within the City squad that the Chile international will head to the Etihad”. Sky Sports say Sánchez may pass the time on his flight back to Blighty inking a transfer request to present to the Arsenal hierarchy upon his return. In other Arsenal news, Kieran Gibbs may also leave the Emirates, having caught the eye of Watford manager Marco Silva.
Reports from France suggest Paris Saint-Germain right-back Serge Aurier is off to Manchester United, having been deemed surplus to requirements by Unai Emery. Sky’s fabled “sources” also say Manchester United have agreed a £40m fee with Chelsea for Serbian midfielder Nemanja Matic and are confident of sounding the “done deal” klaxon in the coming days.
Having rejected Roma bids of £20m and £32m for Riyad Mahrez, Leicester City bean-counters are staging an office sweep to see what random number the Italians will come up with next. That old adage about God never closing a door without opening a window is likely to be proved true when Manchester City striker Kelechi Iheanacho finally rocks up at the King Power Stadium. Meanwhile at West Brom, Tony Pulis wants Thomas Vermaelen to swap like for like and move from Camp Nou to the Hawthorns.
Despite the wealth of talent in their own youth set-up, Chelsea are hell bent on taking 19-year-old Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches to Stamford Bridge on a season-long loan and will pay whatever it takes to get him there. The Star reports that Sanches may choose to go to Milan instead, because he’s worried the presence of Tiemoué Bakayoko at Chelsea would mean he’ll spend too much time kicking his heels on the bench. Back in London following their money-spinning tour of Asia, Chelsea’s players will be given a few days off prior to next weekend’s Community Shield match against Arsenal.
Midfielder Darron Gibson is almost certainly bracing himself for an awkward conversation with Sunderland manager Simon Grayson, having been filmed by fans disparaging his club and several of his team-mates after a few sherries on Saturday night. The Republic of Ireland international almost certainly didn’t say anything that wasn’t true but is likely to face disciplinary action for bringing himself and the club into very public disrepute.
In nearby Newcastle, the Chronicle reports that Hearts are interested in bringing reserve goalkeeper Freddie Woodman to Tynecastle. Defender Massadio Haïdara may also be heading for the St James’s Park exit door, with 90s synth pop and dance outfit Saint Etienne rumoured to be interested in giving him a fresh start. Tim Krul, Achraf Lazaar and Henri Saivet have also been told they’re surplus to Rafael Benítez’s requirements as the Spaniard focusses on bringing in a new striker for the imminent Premier League campaign. The names of Loïc Rémy and Lucas Pérez have been mentioned in passing.
There, that wasn’t so bad.
OS
Declan Rice admits rise to Hammers prominence has been a ‘bit mad’
Declan Rice admits his rise from teenage unknown to Premier League footballer has been ‘a bit mad’ but is determined to keep his focus on his next target – regular top-flight football.
Still just 18, Rice has had quite a year. He captained the U23s to promotion and made his Premier League debut in May, before being called-up to the Republic of Ireland senior squad for the first time.
Slaven Bilic then included him in the first-team squad for the pre-season training camps in Austria and Germany, where he has appeared in all four matches and even filled a deep-lying midfield role in two Betway Cup ties with Werder Bremen.
“I think I have done very well,” said Rice, whose confidence should not be mistaken for arrogance, but rather a belief in his own ability. “I have been very happy with myself in training and I think I have made an impression in games.
“Having players around like Mark Noble and James Collins, they just keep egging me on to do better and better and keep getting better, giving me confidence to perform.
“Now I have played in midfield in two games I have started to feel a lot more comfortable there. Obviously, centre-back is my favourite position but it is good that I can play in both roles.
“I have to keep level-headed, keep focused, keep working hard in training every single day and hopefully the manager gives me my chance.
“My next target is to start in the Premier League, that's what I am aiming for. I'll play wherever the manager puts me, centre back or centre midfield, I don't care.”
While Rice has fitted seamlessly into Bilic’s squad this summer, the teenager himself admits it has been a challenge to get used to the speed of first-team training after spending the majority of the past two years with the U23s.
“It is a massive step-up from the U23s to this – with better players, international footballers, everything is a bit more sharper and at a high intensity,” he observed.
“I think I am raising my game to go along with them, definitely. With the help of the others and the manager I'm getting better each time.”
As Rice continues to improve and impress, so his stature will continue to rise, not only among the coaching staff but also among the Claret and Blue Army.
“About a year ago, no-one knew who I was and now, I'm signing autographs for fans here in Germany, it's a bit mad. It's weird people knowing who I am!”
If he continues to play as he has been in pre-season, it will not be weird for much longer.
West Ham United linked with La Liga star: The ideal player to have in their attack?
Munir El Haddadi is the newest man on West Ham United’s transfer list. The youngster spent last season on loan at Valencia after an impressive breakthrough season for Barcelona a few years ago.
New Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde has moved quickly in bringing back Gerard Deulofeu from Everton. This move doesn’t favour the uber-talented Munir who burst on to the scene back in 2014. He is the third youngest goalscorer in Barcelona’s history, after Lionel Messi and Bojan Krkic. The silky attacker though, has found game-time hard to come by with the South American trio of Messi, Suarez and Neymar understandably occupying the front three positions. In order to gain more first team experience, Munir was sent out on loan to Valencia last season.
Munir would represent somewhat of a coup for Slaven Bilic’s team. West Ham recently completed the signing of Mexican Goal-machine Javier Hernandez from Bayer Leverkusen. Now, the West Ham fans are swooning over the prospect of seeing ‘Chicharito’ line-up with Munir and Andre Ayew in attack.
According to recent reports Barcelona have rejected an offer from Italian giants Roma for the attacker. The offer, though, was similar to the one Everton got for Deulofeu, a one-year loan deal with an option to buy. Spanish clubs Real Sociedad and Alaves are also rumoured to be interested in a swoop for the 21-year old.
Stats
Munir played 33 games for Valencia in La Liga for the 2016-17 season. He managed six goals and three assists. He also won two man-of-the-match awards for brilliant performances.
The Spaniard scored in the Spanish Super Cup against Sevilla for his parent club Barcelona and also found the net against Barcelona for Valencia in an ill-tempered match at the Nou Camp. The game finished 4-2 to the Blaugrana giants.
What will Munir offer?
West Ham can pull this transfer off, and it will be one of the shrewdest pieces of business the London club have managed all summer, despite signing Hernandez. Expect them to match the asking price for Munir and go ahead with the deal.
Munir can play across the front three. His versatility becomes a key-factor as Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho do not look like they can last the whole season without succumbing to injury. At 21 years of age, he represents a long-term solution to cement a starting berth in a front three. There is also the possibility of him linking up with Manuel Lanzini, who likes having quick players that can beat the defensive line or get into good positions.
Football London
West Ham striker Javier Hernandez ranked as best Premier League summer signing so far
The Mexican striker is being backed to be a big hit at the London Stadium
By Sam Inkersole
We knew already that Chicharito would be one of the bargains of the summer but it appears others are taking notice as well.
Sky Sports have assembled their Premier League signing rankings as the summer transfer window reaches it's halfway stage with a number of huge money deals already completed.
Manchester City seem to have bought every wing back possible - including splashing £50m on Kyle Walker - while Manchester United shelled out a whopping £75m to sign Romelu Lukaku from Everton.
The Toffees have re-invested that cash by signing Jordan Pickford for £30m and the same on defender Michael Keane, while it's only Spurs who have yet to make a summer signing.
West Ham have been very busy in the transfer market, signing Marko Arnautovic for a club-record £23m and bringing in Pablo Zabaleta on a free and Joe Hart on loan from Manchester City.
But it's the £16m capture of Chicharito from Bayer Leverkusen which has raised eyebrows throughout the Premier League and that has reflected in the rankings from Sky, who have put Hernandez's move to east London as the number one signing of the summer.
They said: "The former Manchester United striker could prove to be one of the bargains of the season at £16m and finished last season with 14 goals in all competitions for Bayer Leverkusen."
Chicharito told football.london last week from the Hammers training camp in Rotenburg: "I am not scared, I am very glad with this challenge, it is a challenge in a positive way.
"Hopefully I can be a good signing, the people will be happy with me and please my manager too, that I am ready to help my team and him."
Hart's move to E20 has also been ranked highly, with the loan deal coming in at number seven in the charts.
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