Transfer News: Manchester City Closes in on $58m Midfielder, Liverpool Priced out of Signing New Goalkeeper
Manchester City is closing in on the first signing of the summer, as Pep Guardiola's quest to sign Jorginho appears to be reaching a positive conclusion.
The Premier League champions have been linked with a move for the Napoli midfielder for weeks and according to the Daily Mirror, they could agree a fee of $58 million for the Brazil-born Italy international in the next 24 hours.
The Times, meanwhile, is less optimistic and suggests City will pull the plug on the deal if Napoli insists on demanding a fee of around $80 million.
Should the bid for Jorginho fail, ESPN reports that City has lined up Real Madrid's Mateo Kovacic and Southampton's Mario Lemina as possible alternatives.
Liverpool is also looking for a midfielder and The Times believes Xherdan Shaqiri fits the bill. The Swiss international said earlier this week he is certain to leave relegated Stoke City and is believed to have a release clause of approximately $16.1 million.
The Reds, however, will face competition for the midfielder, as the Daily Telegraph believes Everton and Leicester City are also keen to sign the former Bayern Munich and Inter Milan man.
Liverpool is also making small steps forward in its bid to sign Olympique Lyon captain Nabil Fekir, with the Daily Mirror reporting the French club has indicated it will allow the midfielder to leave but only for the right place.
The same paper adds Jurgen Klopp's hopes of making Jan Oblak his number one goalkeeper have been dealt a blow after Atletico Madrid stated it would not entertain offers for the Slovenian.
The Guardian adds Liverpool has reportedly been told Oblak will only be sold for $107.6 million, while the Daily Mirror believes the Reds have also been priced out of a deal for Roma goalkeeper Alisson.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mail reports Chelsea players are growing concerned about the delays in sorting out Antonio Conte's future. The Italian is expected to leave Stamford Bridge this summer but remains in a limbo, with the club yet to make a decision on his future.
The Mail also suggests Conte has emerged as the number one candidate to replace Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid, after the 13-time European Cup winners have realized luring Klopp and Mauricio Pochettino away from Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur could prove incredibly difficult.
Danny Drinkwater, one of Conte's signings, could follow his manager out of the door as the Daily Mirror reports Chelsea would be prepared to part ways with the midfielder, just a year after signing him for $40.4 million.
Elsewhere, The Sun claims Spurs will have to pay a club-record $64.6 million to sign Ajax's highly-rated youngster Matthijs de Ligt, while the Guardian and the Daily Express believes Arsenal is looking to sign 17-year-old midfield prospect Yacine Adli from Paris Saint‑Germain and RB Leipzig defender Lukas Klostermann respectively.
