Thursday’s transfer rumour roundup.
Manchester United have moved ahead of Chelsea as they attempt to sign Barcelona midfielder Cesc Fabregas, 27, because they will not be in next season’s Champions League and are not viewed as direct rivals by the La Liga club – Daily Express
However, Chelsea are ready to offer Fabregas £200,000 per week to tempt him to move to Stamford Bridge – Metro
Liverpool are ready to drop their bid to sign Southampton’s Adam Lallana, 26, and set their sights on 20-year-old Benfica forward Lazar Markovic – and there are hints from Lisbon a deal could be done for £25m – Daily Mirror
And the Reds are confident of 27-year-old striker Luis Suarez’s continued commitment, despite the strongest indication yet that Real Madrid are ready to make a concerted effort to sign him – Guardian
Tottenham have made a bid for 21-year-old Sevilla left-back Alberto Moreno, who is also a target for Liverpool. Spurs have offered £14m including midfielder Etienne Capoue, 25, plus striker Roberto Soldado, 29, on loan – Daily Mail
Diego Costa’s £32m move to Chelsea from Atletico Madrid will be the Premier League club’s biggest deal of the summer and will also spark the exits of strikers Fernando Torres, 30, and Demba Ba, 29 – Daily Star
Chelsea’s Belgium international striker Romelu Lukaku, 21, is wanted on loan by Atletico Madrid to replace 25-year-old Costa, but Valencia are willing to pay £18m for him – Daily Mirror
Mali midfielder Seydou Keita travelled to Italy on Thursday amid speculation he is about to sign for Roma and reject Liverpool for a second time – Sky Sports
Bastian Schweinsteiger could be the new big name on Manchester United’s shortlist after reports indicated Bayern Munich are preparing to cash in – Metro
Arsenal are chasing Serbian defender Nemanja Pejcinovic, 26, who is a free agent after being released by Ligue 1 side Nice – Daily Express
Brendan Rodgers is close to completing his second signing of the summer after Liverpool announced they have agreed a deal in principle to sign Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Emre Can – Sky Sports
Scotland forward Ross McCormack, 27, is ready to leave Leeds and make an £8m switch to Newcastle – Daily Mirror
Arsenal have made a £1million offer for Kingsley Coman after he rejected a new contract at PSG – Metro
Southampton want Fulham boss Felix Magath to replace Mauricio Pochettino – who took over at Tottenham last month – but the relegated Cottagers have blocked their request for talks – Daily Mirror
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis says it remains unclear whether 31-year-old goalkeeper Pepe Reina, who spent last season at the Serie A side on loan from Liverpool, will sign permanently this summer – Sky Sports
Athletic Bilbao defender Aymeric Laporte, 20, has dismissed speculation of a summer move to Barcelona, saying he has no desire to leave – L’Equipe
Roma and Fiorentina want Udinese’s 23-year-old Colombia striker Luis Muriel, who has already said he wants to leave – Tuttosport
Chelsea are working on a surprise £12million bid for Tottenham’s Brazilian midfielder Sandro Raniere – Metro
David Villa will join A-League club Melbourne City on loan from New York City FC for a short spell later this year – Sky Sports
Stoke City are reported to be weighing up a summer move for highly-rated Lyon striker Mohamed Yattara – Football Direct News
Liverpool could be pipped to the signing of Real Madrid defender Marcelo by Juventus – talkSPORT
Aston Villa have confirmed they have signed Phillipe Senderos on a two-year deal, with the defender set to join the club on July 1 – Goal.com
Tottenham Hotspur are closing on the signing of Croatian starlet Andrija Balic, with a deal which could cost the English side €2.4m on the table – Inside Futbol
Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has pledged his future to the Premier League newboys by signing a four-year deal – talkSPORT