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          Karim Benzema flying to Arsenal? Erik Lamela to move to Porto?

          • ESPN staffJul 28, 2015, 01:01 AM

          As always, Transfer Talk has its finger on the pulse when it comes to all the latest rumours and gossip. See all the latest deals here.

          TOP STORY: Karim Benzema on his way to Arsenal?

          Real Madrid striker Karim Benzema is travelling somewhere. The Frenchman posted a cryptic message on his Instagram account as the rest of his teammates flew out to China.

          Instead of going with them, the 27-year-old was flying solo on a private plane and wrote: "Let the past remain the past," with a hashtag roughly translated as #lookingtothefuture. Is he flying to London? And is Arsenal that future?

          Earlier, there was also a juicy rumour from Portuguese newspaper Record: with Porto close to signing Tottenham winger Erik Lamela on loan with an option to make the deal permanent for €7.5 million.

          LIVE BLOG:

          22.59 BST: That's it for today's live Transfer Talk. But worry not! A fresh edition is on its way shortly with the latest rumours. Perhaps we will discover where a certain Karim Benzema's plane was headed.

          22.45 BST: The back pages of tomorrow's newspapers are filtering through. Most, so far, seem to lead off the so-called Wenger-Mourinho spat, but if you look closely here the Daily Mirror are linking Tottenham with a move for Everton's James McCarthy.

          22.30 BST: Jovetic, after scoring eight Premier League goals for Manchester City, has bid farewell to the Premier League club ahead of his move to Inter.

          I would like to thank my teammates,stuff and people from the club for this 2 years...Was a great pleasure be a part of this team!I wish you to win all 4 trophies this year !!!

          A photo posted by Stevan Jovetic (@stevanj35) on

          22.11 BST: Vlad Chiriches is on the verge of leaving Tottenham for Napoli, according to reports. The Serie A club are said to be close to a €7 million deal.

          21.35 BST: Arsenal are unlikely to pursue a move for Schalke and Germany star Julian Draxler this summer, sources have told ESPN FC.

          Reports in Germany said Arsenal were in pole position to sign Draxler after Juventus saw their overtures for the attacker rejected by Schalke. Full story.

          20.59 BST: Crystal Palace are considering a move for Southampton defender Jose Fonte as they look to bring in a centre-back this summer, sources have told ESPN FC. Read more.

          20.25 BST: Jose Mourinho has told ESPN FC he was "a bit scared" when Radamel Falcao joined Manchester United in the summer of 2014, and the Chelsea coach backed his new striker to regain his scoring touch at Stamford Bridge this season. Read more.

          19.48 BST: With Stevan Jovetic set to leave Manchester City for Inter Milan, here's a snap of the striker getting suited ahead of his return to Serie A.

          19.27 BST: Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal is unlikely to pursue a centre-back should he fail to bring Real Madrid's Sergio Ramos to Old Trafford, reports the London Evening Standard.

          19.06 BST: Some more on the potential Adebayor transfer mentioned below: If all goes to plan, the striker will sign at Villa Park on a season-long loan.

          18.36 BST: Tottenham Hotspur striker Emmanuel Adebayor is poised to join Aston Villa after undergoing a medical at the club's training ground, sources have told ESPN FC.

          18.16 BST: Abou Diaby update! Marseille have announced they have reached an agreement in principle for the signing of the former Arsenal midfielder. Full story.

          18.08 BST: Angel Di Maria's exit from Manchester United looks closer with the Daily Mirror reporting the winger will fly to Paris this weekend ahead of completing his move to PSG.

          17.45 BST: It does not appear that former Arsenal midfielder Abou Diaby will remain in the Premier League, with reports suggesting he will not join West Brom and instead sign for Ligue 1 side Marseille.

          17.30 BST -- DONE DEAL: Another Stoke-related loan, but a shorter-term one this time, sees defender Mason Watkins-Clark move to Wrexham for a month.

          17.18 BST -- DONE DEAL: Last season's FA Cup heroes Bradford have added to their ranks as they keep their eyes on the main challenge -- promotion from League One:

          16.55 BST -- DONE DEAL: Stoke's Austrian goalkeeper Daniel Bachmann is off to pastures new for a while, joining Scottish outfit Ross County on a temporary basis:

          16.35 BST -- DONE DEAL: More loan news, this time from the Championship where MK Dons have signed Robert Hall from Bolton on a season-long loan. The 21-year-old forward also spent part of last season with the club. He could yet be joined by another new arrival, with Southampton striker Sam Gallagher reported to be a target.

          16.30 BST: A bit more on the news that Liverpool defender Andre Wisdom is set to join Premier League newcomers Norwich on loan for next season.

          Sources have told ESPN FC that England under-21 international Wisdom will move after a £1.25 million loan fee was agreed.

          The 22-year-old spent seasons on loan at Derby and West Brom, having made his Reds debut in a 5-3 Europa League victory over Swiss side Young Boys in September 2012.

          15.45 BST: Aston Villa have confirmed the details of Jose Angel Crespo's signing from Spanish club Cordoba -- it's for an undisclosed fee and on a three-year deal, and it has delighted boss Tim Sherwood.

          The Spaniard is Villa's seventh signing of a busy summer, following Scott Sinclair, Micah Richards, Mark Bunn, Jordan Amavi, Idrissa Gueye and Jordan Ayew through the Villa Park entrance doors. His old club confirmed his departure on Monday.

          "Jose is a player who has been on our radar for some time," Sherwood told the club's official website. "He is experienced and has played in La Liga and Serie A, two of the strongest leagues in Europe."

          15.25 BST: Arturo Vidal has bade farewell to the Juventus fans following the wrapping up of his move to Bayern Munich earlier on Tuesday. He took to Twitter to tell them: "It's a very special day and I want to send heartfelt greetings to all the Juventus fans in the world. Thanks for these four fantastic years together. I would like to wish you the best luck in the world and I promise you will always be in my heart. Always a Juventino at heart. Arturo.

          15.20 BST: Blackburn Rovers and Premier League newcomers Bournemouth have reached an agreement over compensation for ex-Rover Joshua King, who joined Bournemouth in May.

          Because he was under 24, compensation had to be paid. The clubs have now settled on that, avoiding the need for a tribunal, Blackburn announced.

          15.15 BST: Earlier on Tuesday, Steve Bruce confirmed that Hull had agreed a fee to sell defender James Chester to West Bromwich Albion -- but now the Yorkshire Post says the Baggies aren't the only interested party in town.

          The paper exclusively reports that Leicester City could yet be the club that signs the Wales international after tabling an offer of their own.

          15.05 BST: Chelsea remain confident of signing Everton defender John Stones despite strained relations between the two clubs over their pursuit of the England international, sources have told ESPN FC.

          Chelsea saw an opening bid of £20 million rejected by Everton last week, but the Premier League champions are set to come back with an improved offer of £26m for the 21-year-old.

          14.58 BST: He was linked with Stoke, which didn't happen, and now he has reportedly rejected Schalke. So where and what is next for Xherdan Shaqiri?

          Xherdan Shaqiri has reportedly rejected Schalke, but his agent insists 'it's not a problem on our side'.

          14.40 BST: Real Madrid forward Jese Rodriguez is eager to show that he can be an important player for the club under new coach Rafa Benitez, saying: "I'm here and I'm ready to fight."

          14.26 BST: Norwich have agreed a loan deal for Liverpool defender Andre Wisdom, Press Association Sport reports.

          14.14 BST: Here's that Benzema post in full...

          Laissons le passé au passé.. #rip #directionturfu

          A photo posted by Karim Benzema (@karimbenzema) on

          13.33 BST: There have been a few twists and turns along the way in this one, but Atletico Madrid have finally got their man, snapping up defender Filipe Luis from Chelsea and taking gleefully to Twitter to confirm it:

          13.30 BST: Fabio Borini said no to Sunderland last summer -- this time around, he could be returning to his native Italy. Sky Sport Italia reports that Carpi are interested in signing the striker.

          13.25 BST -- DONE DEAL: Anderlecht have themselves a new striker, landing Stefano Okaka from Lazio for an undisclosed fee:

          13.20 BST -- DONE DEALS: A couple of moves for League Two Crawley, who have brought in strikers Lee Barnard and Roarie Deacon after being released by Southend and Stevenage earlier on in the summer.

          13.15 BST: And there's a seventh signing of the summer for Championship Charlton, rebuilding heavily under coach Guy Luzon:

          13.00 BST -- DONE DEAL: There's a new goalkeeper at Crew Alexandra:

          12.45 BST: Southampton are interested in bringing in QPR defender Steven Caulker on loan with a view to a permanent deal that could cost up to £8 million, according to the Daily Mail.

          12.20 BST: Juventus defender Leonardo Bonucci has signed a new contract until 2020.

          Bonucci, 28, follows Gianluigi Buffon and Giorgio Chiellini, who extended their contracts in November, and Claudio Marchisio, who extended his deal earlier this month, in committing his future to the Italian champions.

          The new contract agreement was announced on Juventus.com and their official Twitter channel.

          11.53 BST: Stevan Jovetic is on his way to his Inter Milan medical. Move, surely, coming very, very soon:

          11.49 BST: Manchester United have taken teenage defender Mason Holgate on trial with his club, Barnsley, expecting him to leave.

          Holgate, who has also been linked with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Tottenham and Everton, has the chance to impress United's coaching staff this week.

          Barnsley boss Lee Johnson had earlier said the League One club were resigned to losing the 18-year-old, who can play at right-back or centre-back and is reported to be valued at around £1m.

          11.45 BST -- DONE DEAL: Not that long ago, Burnley were interested in signing Chris Long from Everton. And now they have. That Sean Dyche isn't wasting too much time, is he?

          11.30 BST: Stoke's hopes of adding Alassane Plea as another new signing in a constructive summer appear to have been dashed. The Nice midfielder told French newspaper L'Equipe: "I will spend the season here. There are English clubs interested, but it is a bit too soon to leave."

          11.04 BST: Hull City defender James Chester is on the move, the BBC reveals -- destination West Brom:

          10.55 BST: West Bromwich Albion have an unequivocal message about Saido Berahino, linked with (amongst others) Tottenham:

          10.30 BST: Villarreal coach Marcelino has confirmed his interest in signing Tottenham striker Roberto Soldado.

          Soldado, 30, has scored just seven times in 51 appearances since moving to north London from Valencia two years ago, and Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is thought to be willing to let him go.

          The Spain international cost Spurs £26m, and Marca has reported that they now want £12m for him.

          10.20 BST: Another day, another development in the Kevin De Bruyne saga. This time, it's his club Wolfsburg saying they're not worried about his commitment despite ongoing links with Manchester City.

          Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are also reported to be interested in the 24-year-old who, when asked where he would be playing next season, told kicker magazine: "I don't know."

          However, Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs told Wolfsburg Allgemeine Zeitung: "Those who know Kevin know that this is a confession. We don't want any declarations [of loyalty] that are of no value the next day."

          10.00 BST: Valencia striker Paco Alcacer has said he hopes Nicolas Otamendi, who reportedly wants to leave the club, will change his mind and stay. Superdeporte reported him as saying: "Of course we are all hoping he will stay. All the team-mates wants him to stay with us and continue in the team. However, it's his decision and we must respect it."

          09.43 BST: Nottingham Forest manager Dougie Freedman has told the BBC that he is under no pressure to sell midfielders Henri Lansbury and Michail Antonio, who have been linked with Burnley and West Brom respectively.

          An irritated-sounding Freedman said: "Burnley talk a very good game and try to throw their weight around. But Henri is my captain; he is a great guy to work with and has fantastic quality. That bid is not even worth a comment."

          09.43 BST: 10 Sport, in a report cited by mercato365.com claims that Monaco defender Aymen Abdennour is in advanced talks with Barcelona over a potential €25 million move. The 25-year-old is also wanted by Juventus and AC Milan.

          09.37 BST: Juventus general manager Beppe Marotta has not ruled out making an improved bid for Julian Draxler, despite Schalke having said they will not hold any further discussions over the player.

          Juve had been given permission to talk to Draxler before submitting a bid to his club, and the 21-year-old's agent had indicated that the player had agreed to move to Turin.

          However, Juve's opening bid for the Germany international -- reported in Bild to have been worth just €15m up front -- appears to have been considered derisory, and sporting director Horst Heldt told SchalkeTV: "I took a look at it and then decided we would reject it and we have informed Juventus that we are not open to any further talks."

          09.30 BST: Teenage Newcastle striker Adam Armstrong is set to become a Coventry City player -- but only for one season. The Coventry Evening Telegraph reports that the 18-year-old, who has played in the Premier League for the Magpies, is on the brink of completing a loan move to the L:eague One Sky Blues.

          09.20 BST: Spurs have been linked with a move for West Brom striker Saido Berahino throughout the summer -- but Berahino's former Hawthorns boss Alan Irvine has told the BBC he doesn't believe the forward is ready for that particular switch.

          Irvine said: "Is he ready to play a huge part at a club like Tottenham who want to be challenging for the top four? Probably not yet. I always said to Saido that as long as he kept focus and did the right thing, he would continue to develop."

          09.15 BST: Everton forward Chris Long, who impressed on loan to Championship Brentford last season, is on his way to Burnley, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph reports. The Clarets are thought to have agreed terms with Long, who had been offered a new Goodison Park contract but wanted first-team football.

          08.55 BST: Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc has told media he is "rather positive" Angel Di Maria will soon join the Ligue 1 champions from Manchester United. "The matter is close to being finished," the PSG boss said.

          08.24 BST: Sampdoria president Massimo Ferrero has said he is open to signing Mario Balotelli, but not for €10m.

          "They told me that Mario was yesterday in Genoa," he said on Monday. "He costs €10m, but with discount you look with open arms."

          08.16 BST: Valencia news outlet Superdeporte is confident that Nicolas Otamendi is not going to leave the club. The defender has been at training, and Valencia are not keen to sell unless a €50m bid comes in.

          08.00 BST: Atletico Madrid unveiled Stefan Savic as their new signing on Monday evening. The 24-year-old said: "To work under [Diego] Simeone has been a factor in my decision to arrive here. This is going to be an important year, full of success."

          07.44 BST: A juicy rumour from Portuguese newspaper Record: Porto are close to signing Tottenham winger Erik Lamela on loan with an option to make the deal permanent for €7.5m. Spurs paid £25.7m (yes, pounds) to sign Lamela from Roma less than two years ago.

          07.34 BST: Marca reports that Barcelona and Manchester United are already negotiating for the transfer of Pedro, but the European champions will not budge on the Spain international's €30m price tag -- the amount stipulated in his buyout clause. The Madrid paper says Pedro wants to leave, and a deal is likely to be done once Angel Di Maria seals his move to PSG.

          07.18 BST: Bayer Leverkusen are continuing to work on the Charles Aranguiz deal. The 26-year-old Chile international has yet to agree personal terms and they also need to negotiate with his current club Internacional.

          Express had earlier reported that the deal was all but done but, according to kicker, it is still a long way until the midfielder's arrival by the river Rhine. Reports in Brazil, though, suggest otherwise, and say only details need to be sorted out.

          07.11 BST: If you missed it, Schalke have rejected Juventus' bid for Julian Draxler and said they have ended talks. Story here.

          PAPER ROUND:

          Manchester United holding out for more money from PSG in Di Maria talks

          Another day and yet another development in the lengthy Angel Di Maria talks between Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain.

          Two days after L'Equipe reported that the two teams finalised an agreement to send the 27-year-old Argentine to Paris, the Guardian is now reporting that Manchester United received only a £28.5 million bid, less than half of his £59.7 million transfer fee from just a year ago. The outlet claims that United's executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is holding out for more before agreeing to a deal but it is still likely that Di Maria will not be a member of the team for the upcoming Premier League season.

          The report says that United's manager Louis Van Gaal wanted to keep Di Maria for this season but with the player wanting out, both parties are determined to move on.

          Soldado could move to Sevilla, Villarreal or Dortmund

          Tottenham's Roberto Soldado may finally be on his way out of White Hart Lane after two very disappointing seasons with the club. Sevilla, Villarreal and even Borussia Dortmund are reported to be inquiring about his status, with Spurs said to have a £11 million pricetag on the striker.

          That fee is a long way off from his fee of £26 million when he moved to England from his hometown club in Valencia in the 2013-14 season.

          Villarreal are said to be interested in bringing Soldado back to Spain as part of their efforts to rebuild their frontline after losing Giovani dos Santos, Luciano Vietto and Ikechukwu Uche in separate tranfers but have stated that Tottenham have been difficult to negotiate with.

          "It is very difficult [to sign Soldado]," Villarreal's manager Garcia Toral told Marca. "He is currently in a great team and just two seasons ago they paid a high fee to sign him. It is a difficult situation."

          Dortmund's interest stems from their desire to give star striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang some help on attack. As soon as they heard of Sevilla's interest, a bid was made in an attempt to hijack the deal.

          Still, with Soldado only managing seven league goals in 52 Premier League appearances for Tottenham after scoring 59 goals in 101 appearances for Valencia, £11 million may be generous for the Spaniard.

          Juventus interested in Cuadrado but Chelsea won't agree to loan deal

          Sticking with Premier League transfer flops, Juan Cuadrado has been largely disappointing since moving to Chelsea during the January transfer window in a £23 million move from Fiorentina. While manager Jose Mourinho has insisted that he'd like to give the Colombian international another chance, the Blues haven't denied being open to offloading the 27-year-old. Serie A champions Juventus have inquired about bringing him back to Italy on a loan deal but Chelsea aren't interested in that move, reports the Independent.

          According to another outlet in the Sun, Chelsea are willing to take a £5 million loss in selling Cuadrado but want a full transfer or will stick with the winger for at least another season.

          Have Chelsea found their replacement for Luis in Telles?

          Although Filipe Luis remains a member of Chelsea as they continue to wait for Atletico Madrid to up their offer for the left-back who only joined the London side from Los Colchoneros in a £15.8-million deal a year ago, it appears as if the Blues are close to recruiting his replacement. No, not Augsburg's Baba Rahman, who continues to be linked with the Premier League champions. Galatasaray's 22-year-old full-back Alex Telles is reportedly close to sealing his move to Stamford Bridge, according to David Amoyal from gianlucadimarzio.com.

          While no transfer fees were mentioned in the report, Amoyal states that Chelsea and Galatasaray are in the final stages of negotiations, beating Juventus and Inter for the promising young Brazilian.

          Tap ins

          - Remember Alberto Aquilani, one of Liverpool's many transfer flops under former manager Rafa Benitez? The midfielder, once heralded to be a better version of Xabi Alonso after the latter departed to Real Madrid in 2009, is without a club after being released by Fiorentina earlier this summer after three seasons with La Viola. Still, he may not be without a job for too long as Sky Italia is reporting that Ligue 1 runner-ups Lyon are interested in bringing the 31-year-old to France. Stay tuned.

          - Sampordia's Stefano Okaka, once a promising young prospect in Italian football, appears set to join Anderlecht after rejecting Bologna and Watford after comments he gave to Het Laaste Nieuws.

          "I have chosen Anderlecht because I am here to win," he told the Belgian outlet. "Tomorrow I will have the medical and I'll explain the rest after I've signed the contract." The deal is reportedly for €3 million.

          - On the incoming front in Serie A, former Brazil defensive midfield stalwart Felipe Melo appears to have a new home after reportedly being transferred on a €3 million deal to Inter from Galatasaray, reports Sport Mediaset. Melo had reportedly asked for a new challenge and is expected to complete his medical in the next 48 hours.