Chelsea and City to fight it out for Walker

Chelsea have emerged as the main competition for Manchester City to sign Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker, according to the Mirror.

The Premier League winners have offered to double the England international's wages to around £140,000-per-week.

Spurs will demand £40 million for the 26-year-old, who has fallen out with manager Mauricio Pochettino in recent weeks and was dropped for the FA Cup semifinal loss to Chelsea.

The Blues want competition for Victor Moses, while Pep Guardiola has made upgrades at full-back an essential part of his summer revamp.

Conte makes Van Dijk and Morata priorities

Chelsea have plans to strengthen their squad over the summer with a £200m spending spree, with the Independent reporting that Virgil Van Dijk is a priority this summer.

The Saints centre-back would help upgrade Antonio Conte's defence and the Italian also wants Alvaro Morata to come in to add quality up front.

The arrival of the Real Madrid star, who is Conte's preferred addition in attack, is not dependent on Diego Costa's exit either. The club are also still monitoring the status of Everton's Romelu Lukaku.

Interest in Swansea's Fernando Llorente could be reignited if Costa does go, while midfield reinforcements could lead them to intensify interest in Monaco powerhouse Tiemoue Bakayoko.

United set to seal Keane return

Manchester United will bring back youth team graduate Michael Keane from Burnley this summer in a £25m deal, reports the Mail.

The Clarets signed Keane for £2m only two years ago but such is his meteoric rise that the Red Devils are keen on his return to bolster Jose Mourinho's defence.

Now an England international, the 24-year-old will have his weekly wages quadrupled to around £100,000-per-week if the deal gets done.

Juve line up Rafinha move

Barcelona are bracing themselves for a £21.5m (€25m) bid from Juventus for Brazil star Rafinha, reports Spanish newspaper Marca.

The brother of Thiago Alcantara, who left the Blaugrana for Bayern for a similar fee, is seeking a greater role.

The 24-year-old has three years left on his deal with the Catalan club, but with just 18 appearances in La Liga, the Old Lady are eager to test Barca's resolve.

Tap-ins

- Chelsea have expressed an interest in Dries Mertens, claims the Independent, with the Napoli striker attracting interest after his 25-goal season.

The Blues are not confident they can acquire the 30-year-old though, with the Partenopei resistant to losing their talisman despite just one year remaining on his deal.

- Everton will demand £50m for star man Ross Barkley this summer, according to the Telegraph.

The 23-year-old only has one year remaining on his contract and has been given an ultimatum to extend it or be sold by manager Ronald Koeman.

- Arsene Wenger has ruled out buying a goalkeeper this summer, despite being impressed by Sunderland's Jordan Pickford during Arsenal's 2-0 win on Tuesday.

With Sunderland already relegated, Pickford has been linked to a number of Premier League clubs for next season, but Wenger said Arsenal are not among his suitors.

Source:
courtesy of ESPNFC

by JACK RATHBORN

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