Plus, Southampton are poised to beat West Ham in the race to sign a Barcelona defender
Here’s a round-up of all the top football headlines and transfer-related gossip from Monday’s newspapers and online…
Liverpool have not spoken with with Olympique Lyonnais since calling off the transfer of Nabil Fekir last month. A deal worth £53 million was cancelled at the 11th hour following the France midfielder’s medical. That was on June 8. Liverpool neither sought to renegotiate at the time, nor reopened lines of communication with Lyon in the weeks since. (Daily Telegraph)
Thibaut Courtois is ready to quit Chelsea — but only if he can get his dream move to Real Madrid. The Belgium No.1 has confirmed that he will make a decision on his future after the World Cup as he enters the last 12 months of his Stamford Bridge contract. (Daily Mirror)
Southampton will beat West Ham in the race to sign Barcelona defender Marlon after agreeing a £10million fee. The Brazilian is set to become Saints boss Mark Hughes’ third summer signing this week. (Daily Mirror)
Newcastle United are pondering a bid for Crystal Palace winger Andros Townsend – but only if they decide to sell Matt Ritchie to Stoke City. Townsend has been of interest to Newcastle ever since they sold him to Palace following relegation to the Championship two years ago and Stoke’s interest in Ritchie has led to a dilemma for manager Rafa Benitez. (Daily Telegraph)
Matej Vydra is edging towards a £11 million move to Leeds after being excluded from Derby’s training camp in Tenerife. Frank Lampard, the new Derby manager, is leaving Vydra at home while negotiations continue with their Championship rivals over a deal for the Czech Republic forward. (Daily Telegraph)
West Ham and Fulham are locked in a £25 million battle for Nice striker Alassane Plea. Hammers have been tracking goal machine Plea for months and have been trying to raise funds to buy him. Now Fulham have stepped into the race and want to offer the cash up front as owner Tony Khan makes a few bold moves for the Premier League new boys. (The Sun)
Ambitious Wolves are trying to pull off a major transfer coup with a move for Colombia star Juan Quintero. Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, who used to play and boss Porto, knows Quintero from his connections there Quintero, 25, is still owned by the Portuguese club but has been loaned out the last three years to Rennes, Independiente Medellín and most recently River Plate. The attacking midfielder has caught the eye at the World Cup and is in line to start against England in Tuesday’s last 16 tie. (Daily Mirror)
Adrien Rabiot could be on the verge of a move to one of Europe’s elite. It follows after the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder’s agent and mother Veronique had meetings with the likes of Juventus, Manchester United and Manchester City. (The Sun)
