Transfer news and football gossip: Tottenham to sign £60m Ndombele, Liverpool rubbish Pepe links, French wonderkid to Man United?
talkSPORT.com rounds up all the latest transfer news and football gossip from Wednesday’s papers and online.
Tottenham are reportedly closing in on the club-record signing of Lyon’s midfielder Tanguy Ndombele for £60m. The 22-year-old played 34 games last season as Lyon qualified for the Champions League by finishing third in Ligue 1, and has also been linked with Real Madrid. (The Sun)
Liverpool have no interest a €80m deal for Nicolas Pepe, with reports linking the Reds with the Lyon winger described as ‘pure lies’. (Liverpool Echo)
Manchester United want Sevilla forward Wissam Ben Yedder and will trigger the 28-year-old’s £35.8m release clause. The Frenchman scored 30 goals for the LaLiga club last season. (ABC de Sevilla)
United are also interested in 15-year-old Lyon forward Mathis Rayan Cherki. The French teen is regarded as one of Europe’s top prospects and is attracting the attention of Real Madrid, Juventus, Barcelona and Bayern Munich. (Daily Telegraph)
Former Chelsea and Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho appears to have distanced himself from the vacant manager’s job at Newcastle United. (Daily Mail)
Magpies striker Ayoze Perez is one of a number of Toon players considering their future at the club, following the departure of manager Rafael Benitez. (The Sun)
Arsenal are facing competition in the race to sign Saint-Etienne defender William Saliba – from rivals Tottenham, The Gunners have had an opening offer of £27m for the 18-year-old turned down, and Spurs are ready to hijack the deal by offering him Champions League football. (Daily Mirror)
Spurs are also close to signing Leeds United winger Jack Clarke for about £8.5m. The 18-year-old Englishman made 22 Championship appearances in 2018-19. (Sky Sports)
Real Betis are preparing a £10m bid for Liverpool striker Divock Origi. (Bein Sports)
Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is wanted by Crystal Palace for around £8m, but the Reds will only sell if the player wants to move, as they are keen to keep him as No.2 to Alisson. (Evening Standard)
Manchester City have held talks with Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici about a £44m deal to sign Portugal defender Joao Cancelo. (TuttoMercatoWeb)
Barcelona are due to complete the signing of Antoine Griezmann for £107m from Atletico Madrid, with a release clause in the 28-year-old forward’s contract coming into force on 1 July. (Daily Telegraph)
Gianluigi Buffon is in advanced negotiations for a return to Juventus from Paris Saint-Germain on a one-year contract, with a future as a director. (Sky Italia)
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PSG want Neymar to stay if the Brazil international can improve his performances. The French champions could be prepared to sell the 27-year-old but would want more than the €222m (£200m) they signed him for from Barcelona.(Daily Telegraph)
Javier Hernandez, 31, is looking to leave West Ham and move to Spain this summer, with the Hammers keen on signing 22-year-old Celta Vigo forward Maxi Gomez as his replacement. (Evening Standard)
Leicester have won the £8m race to sign English defender James Justin from Luton, beating Premier League newcomers Aston Villa and Scottish champions Celtic to the 21-year-old. (Daily Mirror)