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LIVE Transfer Talk: Conte still hopes Lukaku deal can happen

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TOP STORY: Conte holding out Lukaku hope

Antonio Conte hasn’t given up hope of bringing Romelu Lukaku to Inter Milan, the Evening Standard reports. The Nerazzurri were in London this evening playing a 1-1 draw with Spurs. 

Conte was quizzed on the potential move for the Manchester United striker following the game, and the Italian admitted that he hasn’t lost belief that he can bring him to the Serie A giants before the European transfer window closes.

“We continue to work on it in the best possible way,” Conte said. “I understand there are some gaps that need to be filled, but at the moment, I am very hopeful that this will happen.”

All of this, of course, might depend on where Paulo Dybala winds up by the end of this summer. Dybala did appear destined for a move to Manchester United, but that appears to have gone belly-up, with sources telling ESPN FC that United are ready to end talks over the player.

But as the clock ticks down, who knows? 

LIVE BLOG

09.50 BST: Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet has signed for Belgian side Club Bruges for €7m.

09.41 BST: Manchester City are set to make a late move in the transfer market to sign Juventus full-back Joao Cancelo for £27.5m plus Danilo.

The Sun claims that Cancelo has been on Pep Guardiola’s radar for some time, while it’s clear that Danilo wanted guarantees of more playing time which City were not able to give him.

09.18 BST: Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan is set to make a decision on his future within the next two weeks, with sources having told ESPN FC the Germany international is ready to sign a new contract at the Etihad Stadium.

Gundogan’s deal runs out in 12 months’ time and there has been speculation he could walk away for free next summer.

But speaking after City’s penalty shootout victory over Liverpool in the Community Shield on Sunday, the 28-year-old suggested he is ready to pen a new contract.

“If you stay patient for another couple of weeks you will know, we will see,” he said, when asked about his future.

Sources have told ESPN FC the club did not contemplate selling Gundogan this summer despite the risk of losing him on a free transfer, while recent talks over a new contract have been positive.

08.59 BST: Real Madrid have finally made a bid for Paul Pogba, which Manchester United have rejected, according to The Times.

The paper reports that Madrid made a “derisory” offer of £27.4m plus James Rodriguez for the France midfielder.

Pogba remains Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane’s first-choice target, and hopes that initial offer will begin to pile pressure on United to sell. The front page of Spanish sport daily AS this morning reads: “Countdown for Pogba.”

Pogba missed United’s final preseason match against AC Milan at the weekend, instead having a run-out against Blackburn’s U23s back in Manchester.

Speaking after the penalty shootout win over Milan in Cardiff, United’s Nemanja Matic said of his midfield colleague: “We will see what is going to happen. He’s a Manchester United player and of course we will be happy if he stays ‘He is a great player and very important for the team.

“I don’t see that he’s going to leave. But in football anything is possible.”

08.27 BST: Barcelona vice-president Jordia Cardoner has all but ruled out a move for Paris Saint-Germain striker Neymar this summer.

The Brazil international joined from Barca for a world-record €222m in 2017 but has not taken part in any preseason action with PSG hopeful Barca would make an acceptable offer.

“Seeing Neymar in Barcelona is complicated,” Cardoner told TV3. “We are passive actors. We know he is not comfortable in Paris — this situation must be taken care of. We have not spoken with Neymar. We respect PSG. There is no Neymar case. If there is, one day, then we can talk about it.”

Neymar did not play in PSG’s Trophee Des Champions win over Rennes on Saturday as he was suspended, but his involvement in the postmatch celebrations still managed to grab attention.

As PSG players jumped, danced and cheered, taking turns to lift the trophy, Neymar initially stood awkwardly beside the celebrations. Marco Verratti dragged his teammate into the fray, but moments later Kylian Mbappe shoved him out of the group, albeit with a wry smile.

08.00 BST: Liverpool goalkeeper Simon Mignolet is poised to join Club Brugge in a deal sources have told ESPN FC is worth up to £8m.

The 31-year-old, who was part of the squad for the Community Shield defeat to Manchester City on Sunday, said his goodbyes to his teammates at Wembley before boarding a private plane from London to Belgium.

He has agreed a long-term contract, with a medical and the formalities of the transfer set to be completed on Monday.

Mignolet’s fee is an initial £6.4m, rising to £8m with achievable add-ons.

— Premier League fixtures 2019-20 in full
— ESPN fantasy: Sign up now!
— When does the transfer window close?

PAPER TALK (by Richard Edwards)

Neymar to Barca? Not now …

Where Neymar ends up by the time the season begins has been discussed over croissants and cafe au lait for the majority of the summer. But for the moment at least, it appears that the Brazilian won’t be back at Barcelona anytime soon.

That’s according to Jordi Cardoner, Barcelona’s vice president, who told Spanish outlet TV3 that the club is not in a position to snap up the Brazilian … “today.”

“Today, Neymar’s signing is ruled out,” he told the TV station, with the quotes carried on the Vbetnews website.

That is vague enough to keep most people — and blogs — guessing as to whether he will leave PSG and head back to Spain by the time the month is out.

Three clubs lining up Holgate bid

Burnley, Bournemouth and Sheffield United are busting a gut to sign Everton defender Mason Holgate, The Sun reports.

The outlet says that those three, plus Championship promotion chasers West Brom, are all keen to land the England Under-21 star. The player has two years left on his current deal at Goodison Park, but Marco Silva could be tempted to cash in if the interest in the player continues to push his value in the next few days.

It’s possible that Harry Maguire’s expected departure to Manchester United could spark a merry-go-round of defenders before Thursday, with the England defender’s defection seeing the Foxes linked with Bournemouth’s Nathan Ake and Burnley’s James Tarkowski.

Who leaves and who stays could have a big say in where Holgate is playing by the time the serious business gets underway.

Tap-ins

— Manchester City look set to complete a £32 million deal for Juventus full-back Joao Cancelo on Monday — with Danilo moving in the opposite direction. That’s according to the Daily Mail, with the paper reporting that Juve sporting director Fabio Paratici is set to finalise the deal in Manchester in the next 24 hours.

— Spurs, meanwhile, are set to entice Ryan Sessegnon to North London by throwing in academy prospect Josh Onomah as part of the £30 million package for the precocious England youth international. That’s also according to the Daily Mail.

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