Liverpool have targeted a Germany international defender, while Jurgen Klopp has verabally agreed to sign a replacement for Philippe Coutinho, all in the papers.
Barcelona Plan Fourth Coutinho Bid
Barcelona will return with a sensational fourth bid worth £138million for Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho.
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The Spanish giants will table the Offer, worth £101m up front to Liverpool with an extra £37m in bonuses for the 25-year-old, on Wednesday.
The add-ons are understood to be linked to Champions League appearances and are easily achievable if he were to move to the Nou Camp.
BREAKING: @FCBarcelona preparing fourth bid of £138m for @LFC's Philippe Coutinho - Sky sources #SSN pic.twitter.com/bbmBqV83Uw— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) August 22, 2017
Coutinho has submitted a transfer request but Liverpool have so far refused to budge, rejecting a third bid of £114m five days ago.
The Blaugrana's desperation could finally outweigh the Reds' stubbornness, and it would be a considerable show of strength after what has been a horrendous fortnight for Ernesto Valverde's side.
The third bid from the La Liga giants was criticised for the lack of money up front and while Liverpool maintain no offer will be accepted, should a guarantee reach close to £100m, it's understood that their stance may begin to shift.
Klopp Targets Howedes
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has targeted Schalke defender Benedikt Howedes, according to a report in Germany.
Klopp is eager add some depth to his defensive ranks after failing in his pursuit of Virgil van Dijk earlier in the window.
And now German outlet DW Sports claim Klopp wants centre-back Howedes and is prepared to spend £18million on the 29-year-old.
The Germany international is a former team-mate of Joel Matip having played together at Schalke and he has revealed he has offers on the table.
Howedes, who is contracted until 2020, admits he has no desire to join another Bundesliga club.
“I’ve said I won’t move within [Germany] and can picture a move abroad,” Howedes told Funke Sport. “As of today, that point in time hasn’t come.
“I received offers from other clubs after the surprising demotion from captain… that my agent checked and answered.”
Kovacic The Man For Liverpool
Liverpool have made plans to replace Philippe Coutinho and have verbally agreed to sign Real Madrid’s Mateo Kovacic, according to a report in Spain.
Liverpool are desperate to keep Coutinho, who is now ill, and they are bracing themselves for another offer for the Brazilian from Barcelona.
But the Reds have drawn up plans to sign Kovacic, who is their top target, according to Dario Gol.
Kovacic apparently wants to play further forward in the Madrid midfield but with the likes of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos, Isco and Casemiro, in the ranks, his efforts have been blocked.
He would be afforded more of an attacking role and game time at Anfield.
Chelsea Eye Shock Move For Vardy
Antonio Conte is likely to have secured a late flurry of spending in the market by masterminding Chelsea's Wembley win over Tottenham and the Mirror believes Jamie Vardy is set to be one of his targets in the final days of the window.
The England striker has started the season strongly for Leicester and while speculations surrounding departures has centred around Riyad Mahrez or Danny Drinkwater, who is also wanted by the Blues, Vardy could be on his way if a suitable offer arrives.
Linked with Arsenal last summer before snubbing a move to the Emirates to sign a new deal, Vardy may be running out of opportunities to play in the Champions League again.
While Alvaro Morata should replace Diego Costa, Conte wants depth and appears unsure on Michy Batshuayi's ability to meet his requirements.
Mustafi Emerges As Juventus Target
Shkodran Mustafi is now a target for Juventus, claims Turin-based Tuttosport, as they finally prepare to replace Leonardo Bonucci after his shock move to AC Milan.
The Old Lady could move for the Arsenal star to strengthen their back line, which appears to be lacking a top centre-back in their prime.
Arsene Wenger would surely be unwilling to sanction a move for the German international this late in the window, unless the Gunners received another piece in return.
A talented young defender such as Daniele Rugani would fall into this category but the Bianconeri rate the 23-year-old highly and Massimiliano Allegri started him in the Serie A opener against Cagliari last weekend.
Tottenham Front Runners For Keita
Keita Balde is seemingly heading for London and Tottenham as a €30 million bid is being prepared, according to Corriere Dello Sport.
The Lazio forward has been frozen out after refusing to sign a new deal with the Biancocelesti, while moves to Inter and Juventus have failed to materialise.
Strained relations have hurt the Senegalese international's hopes of moving to Turin, which now puts Spurs in a strong position to take advantage and add much-needed pace in the wide areas and a potential back-up for Harry Kane.
Others
Manchester United and Tottenham are two possible destinations for in-demand Valencia defender Ezequiel Garay. (The Sun)
Jose Mourinho has told his Manchester United players to do the double this season. (The Sun)
West Brom boss Tony Pulis is ready to pull off a £30m double swoop for Tottenham pair Kevin Wimmer and Vincent Janssen. (The Sun)
Arsene Wenger has the full backing of Arsenal’s board in his stance on ensuring Alexis Sanchez stays at the club this season. (Daily Express)
Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are tracking Aston Villa’s teenage winger Andre Green. (Daily Mirror)
Manchester City teenager Jadon Sancho could be on the way to north London, with Tottenham planning a £3m bid for the exciting 17-year-old. (Daily Mirror)
Liverpool are still weighing up the future of Ryan Kent after the winger hinted he was on his way to Germany’s Bundesliga on loan. (Daily Mirror)
Birmingham City are keen to make Chelsea midfielder Jeremie Boga their fourth loan signing of the week. (Daily Mirror)
Borussia Dortmund forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is regularly in contact with Zinedine Zidane about a move to Real Madrid. (Daily Express)
Middlesbrough have rejected a £9m offer from Lille for winger Adama Traore. (Daily Mail)
Huddersfield Town are set to sign highly-rated Nurnberg playmaker Abdelhamid Sabiri in David Wagner’s 10th summer transfer.
Burnley are closing in on a £9m deal for Lorient forward Abdul Majeed Waris. (Daily Mail)
Diego Costa’s firebrand personality could earn him a move to Marseille. (The Sun)
Arsenal will make a move for Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema if Alexis Sanchez leaves the club. (Daily Star)
Slaven Bilic ripped into record-buy Marko Arnautovic over his red card shame at Southampton. (The Sun)
Everton have made a £27.5m move for Benfica striker Raul Jimenez, but the Portuguese side are holding out for £46m. (The Sun)
Inter are ready to sell Antonio Candreva and are looking to replace him with former Liverpool playmaker Suso, who impressed for city rivals Milan last season. (The Sun)
Huddersfield are set to make a move for £3m-rated Sochaux defender Mickael Alphonse. (The Sun)
Barcelona will submit a final £136m bid for Liverpool playmaker Philippe Coutinho, 25, to finally break Liverpool’s resolve after three rejected offers. (Sun)
Chelsea are closing in on a £30m deal for England and Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater, 27. The Premier League champions are also targeting Inter Milan’s Italy midfielder Antonio Candreva, 30, who has been told he can leave for £25m. (Daily Mirror)
The Blues are also considering a shock bid for 30-year-old Leicester and England striker Jamie Vardy. (Daily Mirror)
England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remains unlikely to sign a new contract at Arsenal ahead of further talks this week about his future, with Chelsea and Liverpool interested in the 24-year-old. (Telegraph)
Paris St-Germain will pay Monaco forward Kylian Mbappe 15m euros (£13.8m) a year in wages to join them – more than double the salary Real Madrid were offering the 18-year-old. (Marca)
A Monaco supporters group have released a statement criticising Mbappe and his advisors for their conduct during the transfer window. (Guardian)
England left-back Danny Rose, 27, will hold talks with Tottenham this week, amid ongoing interest from Chelsea and Manchester United. (Independent)
Spurs are still hoping to sign right-back Serge Aurier, 24, from Paris St-Germain and are also keen on 19-year-old Estudiantes defender Juan Foyth. (Sky Sports)
Barcelona have made a second offer of 130m euros (£119m) for France forward Ousmane Dembele, 20, but Borussia Dortmund are holding out for at least 150m euros (£138m). (Sky Deutschland)
Manchester City are preparing a second bid for West Brom centre-back Jonny Evans, 29, after a £18m offer was rejected last week. (ESPN)
Crystal Palace will make a £15m bid for RB Leipzig and Scotland winger Oliver Burke, 20, who played under new sporting director Dougie Freedman at Nottingham Forest. (Guardian)
Palace boss Frank de Boer is also keen on signing Roma goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski and Barcelona forward Munir El Haddadi. (Guardian)
Marseille have confirmed they are interested in signing exiled Chelsea striker Diego Costa, 28, if the Spain international’s move back to Atletico Madrid falls through. (Telegraph)
Bournemouth are ready to offer £25m for Leicester winger Demarai Gray, after the Foxes rejected £20m for the 21-year-old from the Cherries last month. (Sun)
Manchester City are poised to make a bid of about £24m for West Brom captain Jonny Evans. (Daily Telegraph)
Ryan Shawcross is in the dark over his future after Stoke’s failure to open talks over a new contract. (Daily Telegraph)
Former Norwich defender Sebastien Bassong, 31, is training with Birmingham with a view to securing a permanent deal. (Daily Mail)
Las Palmas are on the verge of announcing the signing of Barcelona midfielder Sergi Samper on a season-long loan. According to La Provincia, the two clubs have reached an agreement for the 22-year-old's transfer and the player is expected to arrive in the Canary Islands on Wednesday.
Chelsea remain confident of signing Leicester midfielder Danny Drinkwater, the Daily Mirror reports. While the Foxes were holding out for £40 million, Chelsea are hopeful of signing Drinkwater for £30m given his desire to make the move to Stamford Bridge.
With Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain only having a year remaining on his Arsenal contract, and with Chelsea and Liverpool said to be circling, the Gunners are starting to get a little worried. Sky Sports states they are set to hold talks with the midfielder in the hope of securing his future this week, though the Daily Telegraph claims he is unlikely to sign a new deal.
Bournemouth and Crystal Palace are competing for Aston Villa starlet Andre Green and the Mirror reports that the clubs watched him in action against Reading last week.
Villa could sell the 19-year-old, who has also been watched recently by Liverpool, Manchester City, Arsenal and Tottenham, due to there being just two years left on his contract.
Marseille and Monaco have emerged as surprise contenders to land Diego Costa if Chelsea and Atletico Madrid can secure a deal first, reports the Telegraph.
The Ligue 1 giants may be willing to take the Spain international on loan, due to Atletico's transfer ban, with the 28-year-old's future still up in the air entering the final week of the window.
Roma continue to search for attacking reinforcements and Gianluca Di Marzio reports the Giallorossi have picked up talks with Barcelona for Munir.
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