TOP STORY: Liverpool still chasing Keita

Liverpool have no intention of giving up in their pursuit of Naby Keita, and are willing to break their transfer record to complete the signing despite RB Leipzig contacting them to say the 22-year-old midfielder is not for sale.

The Mirror says that Bundesliga runners-up Leipzig rejected a £57 million bid from Liverpool and have repeatedly stuck to the line that Keita is not available, meaning the Guinea international may have to hand in a formal transfer request to try to push through a move.

Such is manager Jurgen Klopp's desire to complete the deal, he is said to have no alternative targets, with Bild describing the Liverpool manager as "desperate" to come to an agreement.

Bonucci set for Milan switch?

Long-term Chelsea and Manchester City target Leonardo Bonucci will leave Juventus for AC Milan, according to the Guardian, with a deal set to be struck before the weekend.

Milan, who have spent freely this summer, will pay as much as €40m for the 30-year-old Italy defender, but that could prove to be a bargain to gain the experience of a player who has won the Serie A title six years in a row.

Bonucci had a well-documented falling out with Juve manager Max Allegri last season that saw him briefly relegated to the bench, and whatever Bonucci's future holds, it seems unlikely that he will be in Turin for the upcoming campaign.

Man City confident over Mendy

Both full-back positions look like presenting problems for Manchester City this summer. Manager Pep Guardiola was quick to release Pablo Zabaleta, Gael Clichy and Bacary Sagna at the end of last season, but getting replacements has not been as straightforward as Guardiola hoped.

Still, after the Dani Alves debacle -- the Brazilian picked Paris Saint-Germain over the Etihad -- City seem to be making some progress. The Mirror reckons Benjamin Mendy will arrive for a fee of almost £50m to reinforce their options at left-back, with the club hoping the 22-year-old Monaco defender will be signed in time to fly out on Monday for City's U.S. tour.

Meanwhile, it is also reported that Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker will have a medical with City on Friday before signing a five-year contract worth £150,000-per-week plus bonuses.

Tap-ins

-- The London Evening Standard claims Borussia Dortmund have yet to receive any offers for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and do not want to sell their star striker amid reported interest from Chelsea. However, if the Premier League champions are planning a move for the Bundesliga's top scorer, they must do so quickly, with Dortmund telling Aubameyang to have his future resolved by July 24.

-- Roma are interested in signing Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez, according to the Daily Mail, but have offered only £29m for the former Premier League Player of the Year, while Leicester holds out for closer to £50m. The Italian side see Mahrez as a potential replacement for Mohamed Salah and have Manchester City's Samir Nasri as an alternative target.

-- If, as expected, Chelsea sign Real Madrid right-back Danilo, then Madrid will seek to replace him with Paris Saint-Germain's Belgium international Thomas Meunier. Marca says that Meunier is surplus to requirements after Dani Alves' arrival in France and will move to European champions Madrid as backup for Dani Carvajal

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by MICHAEL WADE

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