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TOP STORY: Napoli, Arsenal battling for Zaha
With Nicolas Pepe seemingly snubbing Napoli for Arsenal, the two clubs are set to lock horns in the transfer window again, with the Italian club entering the race for Wilfried Zaha‘s signature, the Daily Mail understands.
Zaha had long been a target of the Gunners, who were only prepared to offer £40 million for him. Carlo Ancelotti’s side look to make a bigger splash and are keen on submitting a £60m bid to Crystal Palace for the forward.
Napoli finished second in Serie A last season, meaning they can give Zaha his dream of playing Champions League football, something Arsenal cannot provide for at least one more season.
However, sources told ESPN FC last month that the 26-year-old would favour a summer move to Arsenal, his boyhood club, because he wants to remain in London for family reasons.
Zaha endured a difficult spell at Manchester United during the 2013-14 campaign before returning to Crystal Palace, where he signed a new five-year contract last year.
LIVE BLOG
09.44 BST: After Lloyd Kelly, Jack Stacey and Philip Billing, Bournemouth have landed their fourth signing of the summer: Netherlands international winger Arnaut Danjuma.
Danjuma, 22, joins from Belgian outfit Club Brugge for an undisclosed fee, reported to be around £14m.
“Coming to AFC Bournemouth is a really good step up for me,” Danjuma told afcbTV. “The Premier League is a great place to play your football, especially at a club like this. I think the way the team plays suits my style, I like to attack and I cannot wait to get started.”
09.39 BST: Expect an outgoing from Barcelona shortly.
Malcom not training this morning. Barca confirm he’s finalising his move away from the club.
— Samuel Marsden (@samuelmarsden) August 1, 2019
09.25 BST: Newcastle goalkeeper Freddie Woodman has agreed to join Championship side Swansea on a season-long loan, says Sky Sports.
The 22-year-old has one year left on his contract and reportedly wants first-team football.
09.12 BST: French authorities have approved the sale of Nice to Britain’s richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe on Wednesday for just over €100m, sources have told ESPN FC — making the Riviera’s club the most expensive ever in French football history.
Ratcliffe, the founder and CEO of chemical giant Ineos, was waiting for the green light from the DNCG, the organisation responsible for monitoring and overseeing the accounts of professional clubs in France, which has a say in every takeover in Ligue 1 or Ligue 2.
The English businessman, worth around €21 billion, was confident that his takeover offer would be ratified but he still had to wait for the official announcement. The sale should be officially announced in the next two weeks, according to a source.
09.10 BST: Aston Villa have signed goalkeeper Tom Heaton from Burnley.
08.49 BST: Romelu Lukaku looks set to move on from Manchester United, but is he being hard done by?
1:18
With a move to Serie A looking imminent, Paolo Bandini and the ESPN FC panel wonder if Romelu Lukaku is deserving of the criticism he has received at Manchester United.
08.27 BST: Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane appeared irritated after repeated questions on reports that out-of-favour star Gareth Bale was golfing back in Spain during the team’s 1-0 loss on Tuesday to Tottenham Hotspur in Munich.
Wales international Bale remained in Spain for Real’s two-match swing to Germany following the collapse of his proposed move to China. Zidane had said Bale “wasn’t fit” and that it “was a joint decision” to not make the trip for the Audi Cup.
Reports in Spain claimed Bale had been playing golf at a course near Madrid on Wednesday morning. Agent Jonathan Barnett refused to comment when asked by ESPN FC about the report’s accuracy.
“I don’t know,” Zidane told a news conference after Madrid’s 5-3 win over Fenerbahce. “I am here with my players. I cannot comment on that. I hope he has trained there [in Madrid]. We are here thinking of the team.”
Asked again if he would take action if it was proven Bale was playing golf instead of training, Zidane said: “We will see when we get back.
“I’m not going to stop anybody doing anything, we all have our responsibilities. I don’t get into his personal life. He stayed there to train, he did that.”
08.00 BST: Jurgen Klopp has said Liverpool will assess all the options available to Harry Wilson in order to make the best decision for the player’s career.
Wales international Wilson had a successful loan spell with Derby County last season, helping them reach the Championship playoff final with 15 goals and three assists in 40 league appearances.
The has been of interest to Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Bournemouth, but with time still left in the transfer window before the August 8 deadline, Liverpool will not rush into a decision on a player valued upwards of £20 million.
“We are in constant conversations, that’s clear,” Klopp said after Wednesday’s 3-1 win over Lyon in which Wilson scored a stunning long-range strike. “We have to do the right thing for us and for the boy. There is nothing to talk about in public about it, so we will see what happens in the next eight or nine days until the window closes.
“He is obviously a really good player and I was really happy with him in the whole pre-season; he came back from Derby in a completely different [shape]. That’s a good example of how a loan can really work out — it was for Derby really good and for Harry as well. For us as well, which is good.
2:01
Stewart Robson and Steve Nicol assess what Harry Maguire would bring to Manchester United while Gab Marcotti isn’t convinced the deal will get done.
PAPER TALK (by Steve Wright)
Rodgers not bothered by United’s interest in Maguire
Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has said that he isn’t worried about Harry Maguire‘s future at the club, amid long-standing interest from…
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