Football rumours: Has the Harry Kane transfer saga reached a stalemate?

What the papers say

Harry Kane‘s hopes of moving from Tottenham to Manchester City are diminishing by the day as the two clubs remain some distance apart in their valuation of the England striker, the Daily Star reports. As the most keenly watched transfer saga of the summer continues, City are reportedly still £40million short of Spurs’ asking price of £160m. With City said to be unwilling to go past £120m – and no other club apparently moved to weigh in at this dizzying level – the chances of the 28-year-old staying put at Tottenham are growing stronger by the day.

Chelsea have reportedly not abandoned their push to re-sign striker Romelu Lukaku from Italian champions Inter Milan despite having their initial bid rejected. The Sun says the Blues have been told by Inter to up the ante after offering £86m for the 28-year-old, their number one strike target for the summer after they missed out on Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland. Chelsea have apparently regrouped to plot their next course of action aimed at signing Lukaku, Athletic reports.

Manchester United will – over the next year – concentrate on convincing Haaland they are the right club for him, the Manchester Evening News reports. The 21-year-old is expected to stay in the Bundesliga for now but could make a switch next summer, when clubs can trigger a release clause of around £75m in his Dortmund contract. While Chelsea are also likely to make a bid at that time, United are hoping the Norwegian link between manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Haaland will help them seal the deal.

Joe Hart is set to leave Tottenham for Celtic for a mere £1million, the Daily Mail reports. The former England goalkeeper has been frustrated over his lack of first-team action at Spurs and has slid further down the pecking order following the arrival of Pierluigi Gollini from Atalanta on loan. The 34-year-old Hart is set to sign a three-year deal with Celtic.

Aston Villa have returned with a second bid for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse after their initial £25m offer was rejected, according to the Daily Mail. The 26-year-old has been identified as a key target by Villa as they seek to bolster their midfield in anticipation of the likely departure of Jack Grealish to Manchester City.

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Players to watch

Lionel Messi: The 34-year-old great’s future is expected to be sealed with the announcement of a new five-year deal with Barcelona in the coming days, Sport reports.

Marco Asensio: Real Madrid’s 25-year-old Spain winger is a target for Leicester, Leeds and Everton, according to Spanish outlet Fichajes.

Boubacar Kamara: Marseille’s 21-year-old French midfielder is a £10m target for Newcastle, the Daily Mail reports.

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