Evening Transfer Gossip: Blues Lead James Chase; Gunners Edge Close To Golovin Capture

Chelsea Lead Race To Sign Real Madrid Star James Rodriguez

Chelsea are front-runners to sign Real Madrid's Colombian attacking midfielder James Rodriguez.

According to Spanish publication AS, the Premier League champions have stolen a march on their rivals for Rodriguez who was on the periphery for Real last season.

It is thought that £70m would be sufficient to bring the 25-year-old to Stamford Bridge.

Real would want to conclude negotiations in a swift fashion in order to reinvest the transfer fee into a bid for Monaco starlet Kylian Mbappe.

Rodriguez has struggled to break into Zinedine Zidane's star-studded starting line-up and the Champions League winners have plenty of depth to accommodate his exit.

Antonio Conte is thought to have spoken to the Chelsea board of his desire to bring in Alvaro Morata and Rodriguez and is confident a deal will be concluded for the latter. 

Liverpool Look To Pry Chamberlain Away From Arsenal

While Arsene Wenger could add James, the Express believes he could lose Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, as Liverpool are prepared to pay £40 million for the England international.

The 23-year-old has just one year left on his contract and scored for England in the 2-2 draw against Scotland on Saturday.

The Gunners hope to keep him at the Emirates for the long term, though, with an offer of a £100,000-per-week deal.

Everton Close In On Ajax Captain

Everton are close to making their first signing of the summer, with the Mirror revealing that Ronald Koeman will capture Ajax captain Davy Klaassen for £20 million.

The 24-year-old's arrival could put further doubt on Ross Barkley's future after stalling on a new contract.

Koeman has recently heaped praise on Klaassen, hinting that he believes that he would be able to make the step up to the Premier League.

"It is difficult for a lot of technical and skillful players because the demands in England are so big," Koeman said. "But Davy Klaassen has made very big steps."

United Agree £31m Deal For Benfica Defender

Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Sweden defender Victor Lindelof from Benfica for £31m (35m euros).

United say the deal is now subject to international clearance, the agreement of personal terms and a medical, which will take place next week.

Lindelof, who has been capped 12 times by his country, is due to play in a friendly in Norway on Tuesday.

The 22-year-old centre-back, who has been with Benfica since 2012, will be United's first signing of the summer.

Lindelof made 47 appearances for the Portuguese side last season, helping them win a domestic league and cup double.

Arsenal Close In On Golovin

Arsenal are close to signing CSKA star Aleksandr Golovin, with the Russian outlet sport.ru (via the Mirror) quoting a price of £10 million.

Chelsea were also thought to be interested, and the Gunners could send the 21-year-old back to the Russian capital for a season-long loan as part of the deal, which would provide him Champions League football, unlike a season at the Emirates.

The centre-midfielder scored three goals and assisted four more as CSKA finished runners-up in the league to Spartak Moscow.

Not So Fast, Zlatan

Americans woke up to a report from Marca that Zlatan Ibrahimovic had a move to the LA Galaxy ready to go in 2018, but ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle reported that it is far from set in stone.

Sources told ESPN FC in March that the Galaxy had made an offer for the striker, who is now a free agent, but it seems their plans have changed.

But if Ibra has his heart set on Southern California, there's about to be another MLS team in the area, with Los Angeles FC set to start play next season. Time will tell if LAFC are more open to Zlatan's services after his recovery from knee surgery.

Juventus To Finalise Costa Deal

Juventus officials are set to meet with their Bayern Munich counterparts to finalise a bid for Tottenham target Douglas Costa.

The versatile Brazilian has attracted interest from the Bianconeri and the German champions are thought to be amenable to a deal.

According to Tuttosport, £26million will be enough to secure a deal for the 26-year-old.

Carlo Ancelotti does not see Costa as part of his plans for next season, and as such is likely to sanction a move.

Bayern will not be taking a huge loss on Costa who joined the club from Shakhtar Donetsk in the summer of 2015 for effectively the same price.

He still played his part in Bayern's campaign last season, making a total of 34 appearances in all competitions.

Others

Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez, 28, has finalised a summer move to Manchester City, according to Chilean journalist Fernando Solabarrieta. (Ferplei, via Sun)

Arsenal are closing in on completing their second signing of the summer with the £10m capture of 21-year-old midfielder Aleksandr Golovin from CSKA Moscow. (Daily Mirror)

Striker Alvaro Morata, 24, has urged Gareth Bale to join him in making the switch from Real Madrid to Manchester United this summer. (Don Balon, via Daily Star)

United's hopes of signing Morata could be complicated because of friction between them and Real Madrid over goalkeeper David de Gea, who has regularly been linked with the Spanish club. (Guardian)

Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, 35, is set to join MLS side LA Galaxy following his release by Manchester United. (Sun)

Paris St-Germain's new sporting director Antero Henrique has made contact with Monaco over a bid for their coveted 18-year-old striker Kylian Mbappe. (L'Equipe - in French)

Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez, 26, has an offer from Arsenal but is waiting for a rival bid from Barcelona, his preferred destination. (Sport)

Liverpool are interested in signing Southampton's 28-year-old Serbia forward Dusan Tadic, who has a release clause of £13m in his contract.(Times - subscription required)

Inter Milan want £44m for Croatia winger and Manchester United target Ivan Perisic, 28. (Sky in Italy, via Sky Sports)

Manchester United's deal for Benfica defender Victor Lindelof means United have called off their pursuit of Burnley centre-back Michael Keane, 24. (Metro)

Manchester United could face a battle to keep promising goalkeeper Joel Pereira at the club this summer, with Benfica, Porto and Sporting Lisbon all keen on the 20-year-old. (Daily Mirror)

Lazio midfielder Felipe Anderson, 24, has admitted that he dreams of playing for Manchester United. (Sport TV, via Daily Mail)

Chelsea have agreed a £35m deal with Monaco for 23-year-old midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko. (L'Equipe, via Sun)

The Blues could be forced into paying a portion of Diego Costa's wages for the 28-year-old striker to complete a loan deal to AC Milan. (Telegraph)

Beaten Champions League finalists Juventus have targeted three players, with Bayern Munich's 26-year-old winger Douglas Costa, Sevilla midfielder Steven N'Zonzi, 28, and 22-year-old Lazio forward Keita Balde on the summer wishlist. (Daily Mail)

Juventus want Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, 27, to be Gianluigi Buffon's eventual successor. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Arsenal are looking to seal a £5m double deal for Sunderland's Swedish pair Joel Asoro and Benjamin Mbunga-Kimpioka. The former is an 18-year-old forward and the latter a 17-year-old winger. (Sunderland Echo)

Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, 23, who has been linked with a move to Everton, is ready to put any transfer talks on hold to focus on England Under-21s' Euro 2017 bid. (Talksport)

Reading boss Jaap Stam is on the shortlist of candidates for the manager's job at Leeds United. (Yorkshire Evening Post)

Lazio are considering a £9m offer for Middlesbrough midfielder Marten de Roon, 26. (Daily Mail)