Clubs in Europe have been quite silent in the transfer market this summer, as players are busy with their national sides at the European Championship or Copa America. Despite that newspapers don’t miss the opportunity to publish rumours and we take a look at the transfer news and rumours from June 19th.
Chelsea are looking to bolster their attack, whilst Liverpool have been linked to a long-term target. Jose Mourinho is also looking to strengthen his midfield and could target a player from Chelsea. Catalan giants Barcelona are keeping tabs on a certain Everton star and their fierce rivals Real Madrid are looking to sign a Premier League star.
Serie A
- Serie A giants Juventus are looking for a replacement for Alvaro Morata, who is expected to move back to Real Madrid this summer. Liverpool star Christian Benteke has been made available by Jurgen Klopp and is available for just £19m, La Gazzetta Dello Sport reports. Juventus are keen on signing Benteke and it seems the Belgian international could get another chance to prove himself at a top European club.
- Former Manchester City star Stevan Jovetic could leave Inter this summer and is attracting interest from Russian side Spartak Moscow. Jovetic, however, is hoping to return to the Premier League, and Sportmediaset reckon Arsenal are interested in signing him. Inter reportedly want €15m for the Montenegrin international.
- Sunderland star Emmanuel Giaccherini has been in impressive form this season and is also making headlines during the Euro 2016. The 31-year-old has just one year left on his contract at Sunderland and has been linked with a move to several Serie A clubs. Torino and Fiorentina are reportedly interested in signing him, and his agent, Furio Valcareggi, has confirmed to Radio Crc that they’re evaluating several offers.
Premier League
- Chelsea star Nemanja Matic was recently linked with a move to Manchester United by Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio, and according to claims from a British newspaper Sunday People, Jose Mourinho is prepared to offer Matteo Darmian in a deal for the Serbian international. Darmian is one of the first names in the Italian starting XI, and Antonio Conte might be tempted to sign him.
- Liverpool were strongly linked to Croatian midfielder Mateo Kovacic last summer, before he made a move to Real Madrid. The 22-year-old has failed to make an impact at the Santiago Bernabeu and is expected to leave in the hope of more regular playing time next season. According to Italian journalist Gianluca di Marzio, Liverpool are prepared to try their luck once again. Real Madrid, however, want to offload Kovacic permanently and don’t want to send him on loan.
- Lille star Sofiane Boufal has also been linked to Liverpool in the last few days, and according to latest reports Arsenal and Chelsea have also entered the race for the Moroccan winger. Le10Sport in France report Arsenal, Chelsea and Southampton are interested in signing Boufal. His agent, Yvan Le Mee, has confirmed he has started negotiations with Barcelona and the Premier League clubs will have some convincing to do.
La Liga
- According to Catalan newspaper Sport, Barcelona are keeping close tabs on Everton’s Ramiro Funes Mori, but chance of him moving this summer are slim. It is reported Funes Mori could be a good bet for the future, and Barcelona’s sporting director, Robert Fernandez, was present at the Gillette Stadium in the match between Argentina and Venezuela to take a closer look at Funes Mori.
- Leicester City star N’Golo Kante has been offered to Real Madrid, reports Spanish daily AS. Kante has been in impressive form during the Euros, and has even managed to displace Paul Pogba from the starting XI, and could provide competition to Casemiro at Real Madrid. The La Liga giants are also interested in signing Kante, who want to sign another defensive midfielder this summer.
- Diego Simeone is keen on signing a prolific goalscorer this summer, and could splash the cash on Napoli star Gonzalo Higuain. According to Italian newspaper Corriere dello Sport, Atletico Madrid are prepared to offer €60 million + Matias Kranevitter for Higuain, although Napoli’s president Aurelio De Laurentiis has made it clear that any club who wants to sign the Argentine star must pay his release clause of €94m.
Rest of Europe
- Turkish side Trabzonspor are interested in signing Watford defender Juan Carlos Paredes, reports Fotomac. A swap deal could be worked out as Watford are also interested in former Sunderland striker Dame N’Doye, and both players are valued at around €2m.
- Liverpool have accepted a bid of £5.5m from Turkish side Fenerbahce for Slovakian skipper Martin Skrtel, but the player doesn’t seem to be in a rush to make a decision. Liverpool Echo reckons Galatasaray and Besiktas are also interested in his services, but any deicison is likely only after the Euros.
