Premier League transfer news: Modric to Arsenal, world-class French duo to Man United and more – March 4, 2018

Hello and welcome to the Premier League transfer round-up for the day. Today has been dominated by the London clubs, while some very strange claims have been made by some news outlets too.

So without further ado, let's begin!

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#5 Tottenham

The Harry Kane to Madrid saga gives the impression of being a long and exhausting saga as Tottenham are reportedly asking for two Madrid players in exchange for Harry Kane: their former star players, Gareth Bale and Luka Modric.

Don Balon state that adding the duo in the equation might end up with Madrid paying absolutely nothing in cash for the Englishman. They also state that Florentino Perez isn't willing to pay £200m and will instead offer £150m plus player(s), with names like Karim Benzema, Mateo Kovacic and Bale linked as potential departures.

Meanwhile, according to Mirror via HITC, Tottenham are eyeing Bayer Leverkusen's Jonathan Tah as a possible replacement for Toby Alderweireld should he leave in the summer.

#4 Liverpool

Jorginho is a very coveted player

If Liverpool really manage to pull this off, then Southampton would perhaps dislike the Merseyside outfit more than Manchester United loathe them as their talented midfielder Mario Lemina is now on Jurgen Klopp’s radar, say L’Equipe. Southampton only just signed him last summer from Juventus, amid real interest from Arsenal.

Meanwhile, if rumours from UOL Esporte are to be believed then Liverpool have made contact with Serie A leaders Napoli over the potential acquisition of their midfielder Jorginho. The midfielder is being targeted as a replacement for the departing Emre Can - who is expected to leave once his contract expires this summer.

Finally, The Sun believe that the Reds are also leading the race to sign Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri. He impressed and naturally drew plenty of attention across Europe following his displays last term helped fire Les Aiglons to a third-placed finish in Ligue 1.

#3 Manchester City madness

Iniesta could potentially leave

So, The Mirror state that Pep Guardiola is planning to make an audacious swoop to bring in one of his former Barcelona players to Manchester City: Andres Iniesta. After the arrival of Philippe Coutinho, Iniesta's minutes at Barcelona going forward will only decrease and Guardiola is said to be monitoring the playmaker's situation.

Meanwhile, one of the most coveted youngsters in English football right now is Ryan Sessegnon. The teenage full-back has set the Championship on fire with both Manchester United and Tottenham heavily interested in him. Manchester City, however, have also joined the race, report Mirror.

#2 London

Off to Arsenal?

In what would be a shocking transfer if it really does happen, Luka Modric has received an offer from Arsene Wenger to play for the Gunners next season. Reportedly, he'd been initially planning ahead of a possible move to Serie A, but Wenger's proposition has apparently changed everything, say Don Balon.

Moving from North to East London now - in a very vague and somewhat reluctant report from CalcioMercato, West Ham United are being linked with a move for Lokomotiv Moscow’s Aleksey Miranchuk. Miranchuk is a 22-year-old Russian midfielder and given his improvements, it's unsurprising that clubs in the top-flight are monitoring his progress. AFC Bournemouth are also interested, they reportedly see him as a long-term replacement for Harry Arter.

#1 Manchester United madness ft. Everton

Umtiti in action against Espanyol in a Copa del Rey fixture this season

Diario Gol report that Samuel Umtiti has an agreement in place with Manchester United and a new house in Manchester, as he could be tempted to leave Barcelona if not offered a significant wage increase in their ongoing contract talks. Unsurprisingly, Jose Mourinho is said to be willing to pay the Frenchman's current €60m release clause.

They also, however, state that Real Madrid will agree to sell fellow French centre-back Raphael Varane should Manchester United come with a €60m offer for his services.

It seems as though the striker conundrum has not yet been solved by the Toffees, despite signing Turkish star striker Cenk Tosun. As a result, they are now targeting Leicester City’s star man Jamie Vardy in a bid to finally get over the forward quagmire, say Mirror.