Friday's transfer news: Liverpool reject loan deal, Arsenal face exits plus Manchester United, Tottenham latest rumours and gossip
All the day's transfer news, rumours, gossip and done deals
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Your support makes all the difference.Here is the best of Friday's transfer news, rumours, gossip and done deals as Arsenal and Manchester United prepare for busy days ahead.
The Gunners were rocked by club captain Laurent Koscielny going on strike yesterday, with the Frenchman refusing to join the pre-season tour to the US. Koscielny has been offered a three-year deal by Bordeaux, while Rennes are also interested, and he wants the club to allow him to leave on a free transfer in return for his nine years of service.
Manchester United meanwhile met with representatives of Inter Milan yesterday to discuss a potential loan deal with an obligation-to-buy for wantaway striker Romelu Lukaku. Talks are still at an early stage, however, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side have received a boost in their pursuit of Sporting's Bruno Fernandes after the Portuguese club signed Aleksandar Trajkovski who is seen as a direct replacement. Over in Europe, Barcelona are expected to finally trigger Antoine Griezmann's release clause today in one of the biggest transfers in football history. Follow all the latest news throughout the day here:
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Here's more on the latest chapter of the Atletico-Barcelona-Griezmann transfer story:
"Atletico de Madrid believes that the amount deposited is insufficient to meet [Griezmann's] buy-out clause, since it is obvious that the player committed to FC Barcelona before the aforementioned clause was reduced from €200 to €120m," a statement from Atletico read.
"Atletico de Madrid believes that the termination of the contract occurred before the end of last season due to events, acts and demonstrations carried out by the player, and that is why the club has already started the procedures it considers appropriate for the defence of its legitimate rights and interests."
Bayern Munich may face competition from PSG for Manchester City's Leroy Sane, according to Spanish newspaper Sport.
The Ligue 1 champions will find themselves in need of a winger if Neymar succeeds in forcing a return to Barcelona.
But can Barca afford Neymar after spending €120m on Antoine Griezmann, with Atletico Madrid claiming that the Catalan club should fork out an extra €80m?
Manchester United youngster Mipo Odubeko has turned down a new deal with the club, believing that he will develop more quickly elsewhere.
The 16-year-old scored 35 goals for United's academy last season, and is already the subject of interest from Newcastle United and Burnley, according to The Daily Mail.
Leeds striker Kemar Roofe is a target of both Brighton and Crystal Palace, Sky have reported.
The two Premier League clubs join a host of Championship sides in their interest in the 26-year-old, who has one year left on his contract.
Sheffield United have paid a club record fee to sign Callum Robinson from Preston.
The Blades have not yet disclosed the amount spent to acquire the Republic of Ireland forward, but the signing marks the second time that the newly promoted Premiership side have broken their transfer record this summer.
United recruited Luke Freeman from QPR earlier this month for a fee that was also undisclosed.
Celtic coach Neil Lennon believes that his squad can be 'trimmed' further, despite the Scottish champions having already seen eight players depart this summer.
Dedryck Boyata and Mikael Lustig are among those to have left the club in this window, but there could be more exits.
"I think there's some trimming to do, yes," Lennon admitted.
"We have to be mindful with the amount of games we play, so the squad has to be a decent size.
"We don't want to have players on the periphery of the squad on a decent wage being left out.
"The squad is too big for my liking and I think it's important that we [trim] it."
Barcelona's purchase of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid earlier today meant spending by La Liga clubs eclipsed €1bn in a single window for the first time ever.
Last year's expenditure by teams in Spain's premier division added up to €930m, a total which has been beaten within 42 days of this summer's transfer window.
Barca spent €120m today (though that figure could rise to €200m after grievances from Atleti), putting La Liga ahead of all the other European leagues in terms of spending this summer.
The Premier League is in second place with €675m in expenditure on players, narrowly ahead of Serie A (€674).
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