Wednesday 4 July 2018 11:35, UK
With the numbers of team eliminated from the World Cup increasing and pre-season training beginning around Europe, transfer activity is starting to step up as clubs try to get their summer business plans to swing into action.
Our friends at Football Whispers have scoured the European media market and found the best stories from across the continent.
Paris Saint-Germain remain committed to signing N'Golo Kante from Chelsea this summer and will try and include Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Adrien Rabiot to help convince the Blues to sell. New PSG coach Thomas Tuchel has identified Kante and Borussia Dortmund holding midfielder Julian Weigl as his major targets this summer. Kante, however, is refusing to discuss his future until after the World Cup. (L'Equipe)
Mario Balotelli is edging closer to a deal with Marseille after skipping a second day of pre-season training with Nice. The 27-year-old, will become OM's highest-paid player in history with an annual salary of around €7m over four years. Napoli were also interested in the Italy international but are unwilling to match his wage demands. (L'Equipe)
Juventus are ready to pay Cristiano Ronaldo's €100m release clause - which is not valid for Spanish or English clubs plus Paris Saint-Germain - and offer the Portuguese a four-year contract worth €120m. The Bianconeri believe the financials add up because of the considerable commercial value Ronaldo would bring to the club if he signed. Juve are, however, mindful that Jorge Mendes could be using them as a mechanism to ensure a new contract for Ronaldo at the Bernabeu. (Gazzetta dello Sport/Tuttosport)
Juventus are also still pursuing Chelsea forward Alvaro Morata but need to sell Gonzalo Higuain to seal the deal. The uncertainty of Maurizio Sarri's move to west London has delayed talks as the Premier League club will not make a decision until the new manager is in place. Juve believe they can raise €60m by selling Higuain but are also keen to include him in a part-exchange for Morata. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Fabian Ruiz is to be confirmed by Napoli in the next 24 hours after the midfielder flew to Italy to undergo a medical. Napoli will pay Real Betis €30m for the Spain U21 international who scored three goals in 34 La Liga appearances last season. The 22-year-old signed a new contract at Betis in January, raising his release clause from €12m as the Andalucian club expected a sale this summer. (Gazzetta dello Sport)
Cristiano Ronaldo is serious about leaving Real Madrid and his relationship with Florentino Perez is broken and potentially beyond repair. Ronaldo feels mistreated and undervalued by Madrid and talks have already begun with Juventus, with Real wanting a fee between €100m-€120m to help fund their pursuit of Neymar. Ronaldo has been looking for a house in Turin and already feels he has a relationship with the fans after they applauded him for his overhead kick in the Champions League last season. (Marca)
Chelsea have told Barcelona they must pay €80m to sign Manchester United-target Willian after the Catalan club had a €56m offer turned down earlier in the week. Willian has told his representatives he wants to play for Barca next season and, after holding meetings in Spain last week, Kia Joorabchian is in London to try to negotiate an exit with Chelsea. Barca CEO Oscar Grau was in Russia on Monday to watch the 29-year-old play for Brazil in their 2-0 World Cup win over Mexico. (Mundo Deportivo)
Kevin Gameiro wants to move to Valencia but the club are yet to meet Atletico Madrid's €18m valuation for the French striker. Gameiro has already agreed terms with Valencia to become their highest-paid player but the two clubs are still some way apart in agreeing on a fee. Valencia are keen to get the deal done this week as Gameiro returns for pre-season training. (Marca)
Bayern Munich are negotiating to sign Liverpool transfer target Benjamin Pavard, but the Stuttgart defender will not join the Bavarian giants until 2019. The 22-year-old has a release clause of €35m but it does not become active for another 12 months, with Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig also interested in the France international who can play all across the defence. Stuttgart's sporting director Michael Reschke, former technical director at Bayern, has told all potential suitors that Pavard is not for sale this summer. (Sport Bild)
France coach Didier Deschamps has criticised Les Bleus winger Ousmane Dembele for the way he negotiated his move away from Borussia Dortmund last summer. Dembele effectively went on strike to force a transfer to Barcelona and Deschamps claims he let Dortmund, his team-mates and the national team down. The France boss has also said his current squad in Russia are nothing like the 1998 team which won the World Cup as they lack experience and will be better in 2-3 years. (Sport Bild)
