Transfer Gossip Corner: City Win Race For £60m Defender; Reds Eye £26m Barca Midfielder

Manchester City will win the race for a £60million Southampton defender, while Everton have lined up an England star to replace wantaway forward Romelu Lukaku, according to Sunday’s newspapers.

Man City To Beat Prem Rivals To Saints Star

Southampton defender Virgil van Dijk is reportedly ready to snub Liverpool and Chelsea and join Manchester City this summer.

The Dutch centre-half has been strongly tipped to team up with Jurgen Klopp’s men, while Chelsea chief Antonio Conte was keen to slot van Dijk into the back three of the Premier League champions for next season.

City, however, have stolen a march on their rivals and look set to seal a £60million deal for the 25-year-old, who will reportedly earn £200,000-a-week and will pen a five-year contract, according to the report in the Sunday Mirror.

Van Dijk missed the majority of the second half of last season with an ankle injury but that should have fully healed by the time pre-season training starts and Pep Guardiola is ready to pair the Holland international alongside £50m-man John Stones in a new-look City defensive pairing.

Toffees Turn To Leicester Star As Lukaku Replacement

Everton are reportedly weighing up making a shock move for Leicester hitman Jamie Vardy as they line up a replacement for Romelu Lukaku.

Belgian hitman Lukaku looks certain to move on this summer and Toffees boss Ronald Koeman is already looking at potential replacements, with Vardy said to be at the top of the list, according to the Sunday Express.

Manchester United are said to been keen on offering former Goodison Park star Wayne Rooney as part of a deal to sign Lukaku, but he would not be a like-for-like swap as Everton seek a proper number nine.

Vardy scored 13 times as Leicester really struggled in the defence of their Premier League crown, only staying up after the exit of title-winning coach Claudio Ranieri.

The 30-year-old signed a new four-year deal after missing out on a move to Arsenal last summer but it now looks as if the Foxes are ready to cash in on their prized assets, with Riyad Mahrez also set to move on this summer.

Barcelona Name Their Price For Liverpool Linked Midfielder

Barcelona have put a £26million asking price on the head of Brazil midfielder Rafinha, according to reports in Spain.

The midfielder has been tipped up as a target for Liverpool, Roma and Juventus in recent weeks amid claims he wants to quit the Nou Camp due to a lack of playing time under former boss Luis Enrique.

And with new boss Erneste Valverde making the signing of a new central midfielder one his main priorities, Rafinha is expected to move on in a bid to keep his 2018 World Cup hopes alive.

And Marca claim Barcelona are willing to sanction his departure if any club meets their €30million (£26million) asking price.

While a link to Liverpool has been mooted in recent weeks, the player is thought to be only one of the midfield options Jurgen Klopp is considering.

The Reds are reportedly set to spend anywhere between £100m-£150million this summer reshaping their squad ahead of a return to the Champions League, though it is widely reported that RB Leipzig star Naby Keita is their No 1 midfield target.

Liverpool Suffer Blow As Strike Target Opts For Juventus

Liverpool’s hopes of signing Lazio striker Keita Balde Diao have taken a nosedive amid claims the player has agreed terms over a move to Juventus.

The Reds were reportedly planning a bid for the Senegalese forward – and hoped his friendship with Sadio Mane could help them beat several rivals to his signature.

Balde has just a year left on his Lazio deal and is expected to be sold after he refused to sign a new contract.

The Senegalese striker has also been linked with moves to Tottenham, Manchester United and AC Milan – but it seems Champions League finalists Juventus may trump them all to the player’s signature.

Italian outlet Calciomercato claim the forward has reportedly already agreed personal terms with the Serie A champions ahead of a summer move to Turin.

The Reds are pushing hard to sign Roma forward Mohamed Salah and it may take a deal of at least £35m to sign the Egyptian after their initial £28m bid was rejected.

Others

Manchester United are lining up a world record £100m bid for Gareth Bale after turning their backs on Atletico star Antoine Griezmann (Sun on Sunday)

Anderlecht are standing firm against Everton as they are determined to keep hold of Leander Dendoncker (Sun on Sunday)

New Zenit St Petersburg boss Roberto Mancini wants to reunite with controversial striker Mario Balotelli (Sun on Sunday)

Barcelona have once again turned their attention to Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin (Sun on Sunday)

Middlesbrough have lined up a management team of Garry Monk and James Beattie to guide the Teesiders back to the Premier League (Sun on Sunday)

Reece Oxford is set to join Borussia Monchengladbach on a season-long loan to gain more first-team experience (Sun on Sunday)

Everton are keen on West Ham midfielder Pedro Obiang but would have to pay at least £15m for the player (Sunday Mirror)

Florian Lejeune will become the second player to join Rafa Benitez’s Toon revolution, with the Eibar centre-half joining Newcastle in a £8.7m deal next month (Sunday Mirror)

Arsenal are to offer central defender Rob Holding a new contract after he was signed from Bolton last summer for £2.1m (Sunday Mirror)

Everton have joined Sevilla and Liverpool in the race to sign £10m-rated Anderlecht striker Lukasz Teodorczyk (Sunday Mirror)

Nottingham Forest are putting together a deal for 17-year-old Scottish starlet Matthew Knox (Sunday Mirror)

Swansea and Burnley are locked in £1.5m summer scrap for Barnsley defender Andy Yiadom (Sunday Mirror)

Real Madrid have been waiting to launch their bid for Manchester United’s David De Gea until after Saturday’s Champions League final (Mail on Sunday)

Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane has admitted he came close to joining Manchester United last year (Mail on Sunday)

Liverpool remain hopeful of reaching a contract solution with Emre Can despite an approach from Juventus for the Germany midfielder (Mail on Sunday)

Arsenal could have signed £100m-rated Kylian Mbappe for just £230,000 after talks last year (Mail on Sunday)

Leicester City have made an enquiry for £30m-rated Swansea midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson (Mail on Sunday)

Watford and West Brom are both keen on a £13m move for Montpellier’s Steve Mounie, a 22-year-old Benin international striker (Mail on Sunday)

Nice have made a £6.8m move to rival Arsenal for Nigeria forward Henry Onyekuru (Mail on Sunday)

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny is close to agreeing a £14m switch to Italian champions Juventus (Mail on Sunday)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has played his last game for Manchester United with the club electing not to take up the option of a second year for the striker (Star on Sunday)

Arsenal have handed Arsene Wenger £150m to turn the Gunners into a title-challenging side next season (Star on Sunday)

Arsenal are ready to make a real statement of intent and increase their offer for Monaco sensation Kylian Mbappe to a world record £95m (Sunday Express)

Malaga striker Sandro, a reported target for Arsenal and Everton, has undergone a medical at Atletico Madrid (Sunday Express)

Liverpool are ready to steal a march on Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester United by snatching £50m-rated Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette from under their noses (Sunday Express)

Tottenham want to re-sign Adam Smith from Bournemouth as Kyle Walker’s replacement (Sunday Express)

West Ham are keen on a deal to sign Lincoln City FA Cup hero Sean Raggett for a bargain £350,000 (Sunday Express)

Manchester City have had an initial undisclosed offer for Benjamin Mendy rejected as Monaco value the full-back at £40m (Sunday Telegraph)

Celtic continue to be linked with a move for Sunderland man Fabio Borini, who worked with Hoops boss Brendan Rodgers at Swansea Liverpool and Chelsea (Scottish Sunday Mail)

Rangers are facing a battle for Graham Dorrans as Sheffield Wednesday consider a bid for the Norwich midfielder (Scottish Sunday Mail)