Barcelona to beat Manchester United to sign LaLiga left-back, Zidane says 'no' to Neymar signing and more: Transfer Roundup, 26 July 2019

Barcelona are set to complete another top signing
Barcelona are set to complete another top signing

Hello and welcome to Sportskeeda's Daily Transfer Roundup. The transfer window is in full swing and you get the feel that the dominos are starting to fall.

Real Madrid are done with much of their transfer activity. However, their eternal rivals Barcelona are among several top European clubs who are still actively pursuing deals in this summer's transfer window.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the top transfer news, rumours and updates that made headlines on July 7, 2019.

Barcelona frontrunners to sign Real Betis defender Junior Firpo

Junior Firpo with the Euro u-21 tropgy
Junior Firpo with the Euro u-21 tropgy

Barcelona are still looking to do more business in the summer transfer window and are now reportedly frontrunners to sign 22-year-old left-back Junior Firpo from Real Betis. They have submitted a new and improved £24 million offer for the Spaniard.

Other European giants like Manchester United and Liverpool had also registered their interest in Firpo and this will be quite a blow to the Premier League sides as they look to find quality backups in the left-back position.

Barcelona's initial bid of £18 million was rejected as it fell well short of Betis' valuation of Firpo. Real Betis were convinced that Barcelona can spend as much as £27 million on the player who could be the potential long-term replacement for the ageing Jordi Alba.

Barcelona have been trying to identify the right successor to the Spanish international for a while now and had shortlisted the likes of David Alaba, Ricardo Rodriguez and Raphael Guerreiro.

Junior Firpo is one of the most versatile youngsters plying their trade in the Spanish first division right now. He can play on the left wing and can also play as a centre-back- the kind of versatility that Manchester United and Liverpool are desperately on the lookout for.

However, no deal has been formally agreed as yet and Real Betis could yet reject Barcelona's latest offer as it still falls short of the price tag that they had slapped on Firpo. If that's the case, you can't count Manchester United and Liverpool out of the race just yet.

Liverpool, Arsenal, Napoli and Inter Milan agree deal for Nicolas Pepe

Nicolas Pepe
Nicolas Pepe

Nicolas Pepe, the LOSC Lille forward, who was outscored only by Kylian Mbappe last season has been one of the most sought after players this summer. With several European giants circling, his exit looked merely like a matter of where Pepe wants to be beyond the season.

And now, if the latest reports are to be believed, that seems to be an accurate prediction. Arsenal, Liverpool, Napoli and Inter Milan have all agreed a deal in principle for Nicolas Pepe. They have all agreed to a fee with LOSC Lille and now it's upto the player to choose which club he wants to join.

Manchester United are also interested in the player and could yet reach an agreement over the fee with Lille.

Lille president George Lopez has confirmed that they have received 4 offers that matched their valuation of Pepe though he did not reveal the names of the clubs.

He said,

‘For Pepe, we have received four acceptable offers from four big clubs. Napoli have made a bid for Pepe which satisfies our €80m (£72m) demand."

Dean Henderson extends contract with United along with his return to Sheffield on loan

Dean Henderson Signs a New Contract at Manchester United
Dean Henderson Signs a New Contract at Manchester United

Manchester United have an abundance of quality goalkeepers in their camp and as such, have sent Dean Henderson back on loan with Sheffield United. Sheffield announced the return of Henderson today and the goalkeeper has also put pen to paper on a new contract at Manchester United which will run until 2022 with an option to extend for another year.

After signing the extension, Henderson said,

“The club has been amazing in designing an individual pathway to aid my development which will enable me to reach my potential and perform at the highest level possible. Signing this contract is such a proud moment for myself and my family; I’ve worked so hard to reach this point and I want to do everything I can to repay the faith the club has shown in me.
“I am looking forward to being back at Bramall Lane, the opportunity to be reunited with the coaches and play in front of the amazing fans again is one that I am relishing. I cannot wait to enjoy a full season of Premier League football which I know will be hugely beneficial for my career.”

Callum Hudson-Odoi wants the number 10 shirt at Chelsea but there's a problem

Callum Hudson-Odoi
Callum Hudson-Odoi

Callum Hudson-Odoi's camp has asked Frank Lampard and co. to hand the no. 10 kit over to the youngster for the upcoming season. The 18-year-old was actively pursued by Bayern Munich but Chelsea are desperate to keep him.

With Hazard's exit, the no. 10 shirt has no bearers right now though Willian claimed publicly that he had been offered it.

Willian said,

"I was offered the number 10 jersey ahead of next season and I will take it."

According to the report, the no. 10 kit is one of the demands that Callum Hudson-Odoi's representatives have put down during the talks for a new 5-year deal at Chelsea.

However, Frank Lampard said that no decision has been made over who will take over the no. 10 shirt.

"There’s no confirmation on that decision,"
"It will be taken in due course. Hopefully, his return to training date will be early August."

Zidane and Florentino Perez at loggerheads as the former vetoes Neymar signing

Zidane and Neymar
Zidane and Neymar

That the arrival of Neymar would be a great boost to almost any team in the world is obvious. However, having already signed Eden Hazard from Chelsea and with a talent like Vinicius Jr. waiting to break out, Real Madrid could do without him.

At least, that's what Zinedine Zidane thinks about Real Madrid going head to head with Barcelona in a transfer battle for Neymar. Florentino Perez wants the Brazilian at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Blancos' interest in the former Barcelona man goes way back.

However, when Perez pitched the idea to Zidane, he immediately vetoed the move. Zidane wants the club to sign Paul Pogba from Manchester United and does not believe there's any need to strengthen on the left side with Hazard and Vinicius already in the team.

Perez, meanwhile, is keen on bringing a galactico to the Santiago Bernabeu who can provide a great boost to the marketing side of things.

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Edited by Sripad