LIVE Transfer Talk: Liverpool's Henderson nears move to Al Ettifaq

The summer transfer window is now open in Europe, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

TOP STORY: Henderson to join Gerrard’s Al Ettifaq?

Liverpool and Al Ettifaq have reached an agreement in principle regarding a reported £12 million fee to sign midfielder Jordan Henderson, reports Fabrizio Romano.

Romano adds that the 33-year-old Henderson has already agreed to a three-year deal with Saudi Arabian side, with the relevant documents set to be signed.

The England international has been heavily linked with a move away from Anfield this summer, as Liverpool look to add fresh faces to their midfield following the departures of Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner.

Henderson travelled to Germany with the Liverpool squad for their preseason tour but played no part in their 4-2 win over second-tier side Karlsruher, indicating that a move is close for the veteran.

Al Ettifaq recently announced the appointment of former Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard as manager.

Henderson made 43 appearances across all competitions for the Merseyside outfit last season, however, with Fabinho also reported to be close to parting ways with the club in a £40m move to Al Ittihad, manager Jurgen Klopp looks to be eager to boast a more youthful midfield.

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LIVE BLOG

16.28 BST: Manchester United are keeping their options open with Jonny Evans and are refusing to rule out the possibility of signing the veteran defender permanently, sources have told ESPN.

Evans, 35, has signed a short-term deal at Old Trafford to allow him to feature in the club’s preseason matches. He made his first United appearance for eight years in the 1-0 win over Lyon in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

However, he has not been picked to travel to New York with Erik ten Hag’s senior squad but will instead join a group of young players for the game against Wrexham in San Diego.

Ten Hag, according to sources, has been impressed with Evans after joining training sessions at Carrington and remains open-minded about whether there is a place for the centre-back in his squad for next season. Evans is looking for a new club after leaving Leicester City following their relegation from the Premier League last season.

There remain doubts about Harry Maguire‘s future after he was stripped of the captaincy. There is interest from West Ham and Tottenham and should Maguire leave, Evans would be a ready-made replacement in a summer during which transfer funds are tight.

16.07 BST: The Daily Mail says Tottenham want to sign Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher or Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz as a replacement Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

Hojbjerg, 27, is a target for Atletico Madrid, with Spurs ready to let him leave.

Chelsea are short of midfield options with Mason Mount, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante and Jorginho departing. But the club are trying to land Moises Caicedo from Brighton for upwards of £80m, with Gallagher possibly surplus to requirements.

Tottenham also like Celta Vigo midfielder Gabri Veiga, but the report claims that Premier League experience may play a factor in targeting Gallagher and Luiz.

15.40 BST: Another one to add to the list for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr: Bayern Munich forward Sadio Mane is reportedly in talks over a move, according to The Athletic.

Mane, 31, is likely to leave Bayern after a year, having failed to settle since he signed from Liverpool for £31m until 2025.

The club already have Cristiano Ronaldo, Marcelo Brozovic and Seko Fofana on their books, while they are looking to bring in Man United full-back Alex Telles as well.

15.13 BST: Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby seemingly has to decide if he wants to move to Aston Villa or Al Nassr.

CBS reports that Leverkusen have agreed a deal worth an initial €43m and further add-ons with Saudi Arabia’s Al Nassr.

While Sky Germany says that Villa have also made an agreement at around €50m.

Who will the France international pick? And will any other club pop up late with an offer?

14.55 BST: Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Real Madrid, Barcelona … or Bournemouth.

Some top clubs are interested, but Football Insider claims that Real Valladolid right-back Ivan Fresneda is ready to head to the south coast of England as Bournemouth ready a bid to sign him.

Fresneda, 18, has a release clause of €20m following Valladolid’s relegation from LaLiga and is keen to move on. Bournemouth boss Andoni Iraola is hoping to convince the defender by offering regular first-team football.

14.14 BST: Manchester City are ready to make a move to sign winger Raphinha from Barcelona once Riyad Mahrez departs for Al Ahli, says Footmercato.

Raphinha, 26, is surplus to requirements at Camp Nou, despite only joining from Leeds United for £52m last summer, and Mahrez is now heading to Saudi Arabia for £30m.

The Brazilian has struggle to impress in LaLiga and City could be willing to give him another chance to shine in the Premier League, while Barca need the funds to bring in new players.

13.27 BST: Arsenal are interested in signing Dinamo Zagreb sensation Martin Baturina, says The Daily Express.

Baturina, 20, impressed for Croatia at the UEFA U21 European Championships, with the midfielder likened to Luka Modric in terms of playing style. He scored six goals and registered 13 assists from 48 games in all competitions, and is rated at around €20m.

The Gunners were also tracking Dinamo’s 23-year-old central defender Josip Sutalo, but opted to bring in Ajax’s Jurrien Timber instead.

12.21 BST: Some interesting comments from Neymar to CazeTVOficial.

When asked about his future, he said: “I hope it’s at PSG [next season]. I have a contract, no one has informed me of anything. Even if there isn’t much love between the fans & the player, I will be there [at PSG], with love or without love.”

The 31-year-old Brazil international has struggled with injury in Paris and has been linked with a £60m move to Chelsea in recent weeks.

11.15 BST: Would Moises Caicedo be a good signing for Chelsea?

10.24 BST: Lionel Messi and Sergio Busquets might not start on Friday but they will likely get minutes in Inter Miami’s Leagues Cup match vs. Cruz Azul, coach Tata Martino told Argentina’s “ESPN Fútbol 12” on Wednesday.

“From what I have seen up to now they are going fit to play and it is likely that on Friday they can be there,” Martino said. “Whether that will be as starters or coming in at the half, we will have to make that decision yet, but as I see it, Leo as well as Busi can play [on Friday].”

Both Messi and Busquets completed their first training session with the MLS club on Tuesday, but Wednesday was the first time Martino officially spoke regarding their fitness for this match against Cruz Azul, a very competitive Liga MX club.

Despite the lack of assurances, fans turned out to buy tickets for the match at prices ranging from $275 to $19,000.

Three days ago, Messi, the World Cup winner and seven-time Ballon d’Or recipient, signed a 2½ year contract that will pay him between $50m-$60m a year.

Martino said that despite all of Messi’s accolades, he thinks the Argentina captain is not in Miami to take it easy, and that he will still be a fierce competitor.

“What has not changed is his desire to continue competing and winning,” Martino said. “I think it shows a very salient trait Leo has as a football player. His perpetual desire to compete and win. I think that winning the World Cup took a great weight off his back.

“But someone I admire a lot told me that he is coming to MLS carrying an empty suitcase but without all the pressure he had in Barcelona in 2010-2011 or the pressure of the national team. Now, I think I am going to find a very competitive version of him because he has the need to win wearing this shirt now, because he has not won here yet.”

09.47 BST: Alvaro Morata‘s representatives are in Milan for negotiations with Inter, Diario AS reports, after holding talks with Roma and Juventus about a move this summer.

While Roma are limited by UEFA financial fair play restrictions, and Juventus need to see players leave first, Inter are the club who have made the “most concrete offer” for the Spain international forward so far, according to AS.

However the Serie A club haven’t yet gotten close to the €21m Atletico Madrid are asking for, the newspaper says, instead offering a total of €15m including variables.

Morata is “a priority” for Inter, AS reports, and is a specific request of coach Simone Inzaghi to play alongside Lautaro Martinez.

09.00 BST: ICYMI – Inter Milan completed the signing of Juan Cuadrado from Serie A rivals Juventus on a free transfer on Wednesday, despite protests from their own fans.

The Colombia international, who signed a one-year deal at Inter, won 11 trophies in eight years at Juventus — the Nerazzurri’s bitter rivals.

The 35-year-old Cuadrado has been involved in a number of incidents in matches between the two clubs, notably in April when the winger was sent off as the Italian Cup semifinal game ended in a scuffle. He was later banned for three matches.

08.46 BST: Chelsea women are closing in on the signing of American forward Mia Fishel ahead of next season, according to ESPN sources.

Fishel will become the next part of Chelsea’s rebuild with the 22-year-old set to be their latest signing of the summer. Sources have told ESPN Chelsea will pay in the region of £200,000 for the forward, with London’s Evening Standard the first to report the news.

With Chelsea losing the likes of Pernille Harder and Magda Eriksson this summer, Emma Hayes is overhauling the playing squad with USWNT midfielder Catalina Macario, the versatile Canadian Ashley Lawrence, England goalkeeper Hannah Hampton and Germany midfielder Sjoeke Nusken all joining.

If the final details are all sorted, Fishel will join Chelsea from Mexico side Tigres on a deal which will be one of the most expensive in the club’s history and continues Chelsea’s off-season policy of recruiting younger players.

08.30 BST: Manchester City have agreed a £30m deal with Al Ahli for winger Riyad Mahrez, sources have told ESPN. The bid, which includes a guaranteed payment of £26m plus another £4m in add-ons, was accepted on Wednesday afternoon.

Mahrez was subsequently granted permission by City to miss a flight to Tokyo for the start of their preseason tour in order to wrap up the transfer.

It brings an end to Mahrez’s spell at the Etihad Stadium during which he made more than 200 appearances across five seasons and won the Premier League title four times.

PAPER GOSSIP (by Rajan Hothi)

– Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby is pushing for a move to Al Nassr, having reached an agreement with the Saudi club, per Rudy Galetti. The Frenchman has attracted interest from across Europe, following a stellar season in the Bundesliga, notching 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions, with Aston Villa earmarking the 24-year-old as a priority target for the summer. Despite the interest from Villa, Diaby has reportedly informed Leverkusen of his desire to make the switch to the Saudi Pro League.

– Barcelona could include Franck Kessie and Ferran Torres in a potential deal for Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix, according to Sport. The report reveals that whilst there has been no contact between the two clubs over Felix, Atleti are keen to part ways with the Portugal international, who fell out with manager Diego Simeone last season. Torres and Kessie have both attracted interest from Atleti, however, the wages of the pair are a possible stumbling block, with this previously proving to be an issue when the club showed interest in Kessie.

– Liverpool will reject any offers for winger Luis Diaz following reported Al Hilal interest, says the Athletic. The report indicates that Liverpool view the 26-year-old as integral to their plans for the upcoming season, despite missing significant portions of last year through injury. Al Hilal were reportedly ready to bid £50m to sign the Colombia international, but Diaz has not shown any indication that he wants to depart Anfield.

– Paris Saint-Germain are planning to make an opening bid of €75m for Benfica forward Goncalo Ramos, reveals Ekrem Konur. The 22-year-old excelled in Portugal last season, notching 27 goals across all competitions, as well as providing 12 assists. PSG are in the market for attacking reinforcements this summer, following the departure of Lionel Messi, alongside the uncertain situation of Kylian Mbappe, who could also depart the Ligue 1 champions.

– Saudi clubs are monitoring the situation of Chelsea forward Romelu Lukaku, who is still keen on a move to Juventus, suggests Fabrizio Romano. The 30-year-old looks certain to depart Stamford Bridge this summer, and while the Belgian would prefer a move in Europe, a deal has not yet materialised. Internazionale were previously reported to be keen on Lukaku following his loan spell at the club last summer, but have pulled out of the race following his discussions with rivals Juventus.