Thursday's transfer news: Jadon Sancho addresses Man United interest, Arsenal offered swap deal and Man City rival Liverpool for Thiago

Good morning and welcome back to The Independent's transfer news live blog!

With the longest ever Premier League season finally wrapped up and consigned to the history books, attentions once again turn to the summer transfer window, which opens nearly two months later than normal.

Clubs are set for a busy 10 weeks until the 5 October transfer deadline, with a number already confirmed to be in the market to reinforce their squads ahead of the 2020/21 season - which will begin on the weekend of 12 September in fewer than five weeks' time.

Without further ado, let's take a look at the headlines this morning.

We begin the day with Liverpool's interest in Thiago Alcantara, who is growing increasingly vocal along with Bayern Munich about a move to the Premier League.

Liverpool have been coy on their pursuit of the Spaniard so far, with conflicting reports suggesting they may or may not move for the 29-year-old this summer. The former Barcelona midfielder is out of contract next summer, and Bayern would rather sell now than allow him to leave for nothing next year.

However, their £30m valuation has not impressed Liverpool, and Jurgen Klopp reportedly has doubts over Thiago's suitability to slot into what he has built at Anfield.

According to German publication Bild, Liverpool's delay in making an offer has allowed Manchester City to strike up their own interest, with Pep Guardiola potentially reuniting with Thiago after managing him at both Barcelona and Bayern.

Jadon Sancho has addressed the intense transfer speculation surrounding his potential move to Manchester United.

The England youngster started in Borussia Dortmund's 6-0 victory over Altach yesterday in a pre-season friendly - which also saw another young English signing make his unofficial debut in Jude Bellingham - and although he failed to get on the scoresheet, he looked sharp in his first outing for more than a month.

And Sancho was asked about his current situation following the match, with United determined to sign him in a deal that could end up costing more than £100m.

“I love playing with this lot. It is a special bunch. We’ve got some special young players coming up,” Sancho said.

“I’m really happy to share the pitch with them and guide them. I was once in their shoes, playing with the seniors, I am happy for them.

“I joined when I was 17. Some of the lads are the same age. I’ve been there and done that. I can guide them in what’s good and what isn’t. I can hopefully motivate them as well.”

If United are hoping Sancho will try to force through a move to Old Trafford, it looks like they're going to be disappointed.

News in from the Championship, where Watford are close to appointing their fourth manager in the last year.

After Javi Gracia, Quique Sanchez Flores and Nigel Pearson were all given the boot in 2019/20, Watford were relegated to the Championship where they will look to rebuild in an effort to secure a return to the top flight.

The man they believe can lead them their is Vladimir Ivic, who recently stood down as Maccabi Tel Aviv manager after leading them to back-to-back titles. It's not the first time that Watford have turned to the Israeli club for their manager, having lured Slavisa Jokanovic to Vicarage Road five years ago.

Arsenal are on the verge of announcing the successful signing of Willian, after the Brazilian forward left Chelsea at the end of the season.

While the deal was expected to go through sooner than this, it's understood that Willian had his medical as early as Monday, with personal terms agreed bar a minor detail or two. 

However, an announcement could come from the Premier League club imminently.

More detail now on Jadon Sancho's future, with the 20-year-old outlining his happiness at Borussia Dortmund after featuring in their pre-season friendly in Switzerland on Wednesday.

It is not the news Manchester United wanted to hear, and it increasingly seems that if United want to sign him this summer, they're going to have to cough up the £108m asking price.

Alexandre Lacazette is attracting attention across Europe.

The Arsenal striker has at times had to play second fiddle to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at the Emirates, and as a result he could be on the lookout for a move elsewhere.

Atletico Madrid have already been linked with a move for a Frenchman, but reports in Italy link the striker with a move to Juventus. Calciomercato claim that Juventus have approached Arsenal with an enquiry over what it will take to sign Lacazette, and have even offered up one of Gonzalo Higuain, Douglas Costa or Christian Romero in a player-plus-cash swap deal.

Whether Arsenal want to lose him though remains another matter.

The difficulty in talking Dortmund down from their hefty asking price for Jadon Sancho has caused Manchester United to look at alternative options.

ESPN reports this morning that United have identified Ousmane Dembele of Barcelona as the perfect alternative for Sancho, given his struggles to settle in at the Nou Camp since arriving from Dortmund in 2017.

Barcelona are not convinced about selling Dembele now, but the report adds that they could be tempted into a loan deal with an obligation to buy based on appearances that could make the French international a United player.

There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding the future of Barcelona head coach Quique Setien, with speculation rife that he must win the Champions League in order to keep his job at the Nou Camp.

Reports have linked former Barca midfielder Xavi Hernandez with a return to the Spanish club, with the midfield great currently in charge of Qatari club Al Sadd and rejecting a return at the start of the year when Ernesto Valverde was sacked.

Speaking ahead of Barca's Champions League quarter-final against Barcelona tomorrow night, Xavi said: "There's a lot of external noise around the club, a lot of issues off the pitch and I don't think now is the right time.

"In January I told them it wasn't the right time and they haven't contacted me since.

"I'm delighted to continue to gain experience and challenge myself and of course it'll be a privilege for me to one day coach Barca."

Free agent Jan Vertonghen is nearing a new home.

The Dutch defender left Tottenham Hotspur after eight years with the club, following the expiration of his contract at the end of the Premier League season, and he was linked with a move to Italy with Inter Milan interested.

However, the BBC reports that Vertonghen is in Lisbon to undergo a medical with Benfica, ahead of signing a three-year deal with the Portguese runners-up.