Football transfer rumours: Inter prepare latest Premier League raid?

Talk of Georginio Wijnaldum moving to Barcelona is hotting up, with the Spanish newspaper Sport reporting that “negotiations are well advanced” and the player is happy to sign a three-year contract with the Spanish giants, who could do with bolstering their midfield after the departure of Ivan Rakitic and with Arturo Vidal also packing his bags. The Dutchman has one year remaining on his contract at Liverpool, has refused to sign an extension and will therefore cost no more than €20m, they declare. Barça also hope to sign Lautaro Martínez from Internazionale, and will happily send Vidal the other way in a bid to drive the transfer fee below their €65m ceiling.

“Ndomselle!” screams the Sun, as they report that Tottenham have decided to give up on Tanguy Ndombele, with Internazionale apparently best placed to snaffle the midfielder who set Spurs back £65m just last summer (though Vidal’s arrival might scupper that, and the Mirror link the Italians to a Chelsea-focused spree on N’Golo Kanté, Emerson Palmieri and Olivier Giroud. Elsewhere they’re also reportedly on the verge of signing Roma’s 34-year-old formerly Manchester-based left-back Aleksandar Kolarov to provide competition for their own 35-year-old former Manchester-based left-back Ashley Young). José Mourinho would like to sign another striker, and the Sun also say he is ready to battle Brighton for Almería’s 21-year-old Uruguayan ace Darwin Núñez (the Mail says Spurs have “decided not to pursue” him), or failing that settle for Bournemouth’s Josh King, or Sporting’s Jovane Cabral, with whom they – along with West Ham and Fulham – are linked on the front page of today’s A Bola.

Newcastle, thrashed 5-1 by Middlesbrough in a friendly on Tuesday, want to add a bit more firepower in the shape of Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson, and will offer Matt Ritchie – who joined them from the Cherries four years ago – in part-exchange in the hope of driving down the £30m asking price. The Mail reports however that Bournemouth “will stand firm in their valuation”, and also that Newcastle could increase their Cherry-related activity still further by replacing Ritchie with Ryan Fraser, who is available for nothing after his contract at the Vitality Stadium ended in July. In totally non-related striker news, Gonzalo Higuaín’s brother tells TuttoSport that “Gonzalo will not play in Italy any more”, with Inter Miami apparently his likely destination.

Manchester United will continue to “put all their efforts into landing Jadon Sancho”, says the Sun, though “they are also close to signing a centre-back and are looking at a left-back”, so not quite all their efforts. Meanwhile, with the rest of Italy focused on Luis Suárez and the possibility of him joining Juventus, the front page of Il Romanista is dominated by a picture of Chris Smalling and the headline “Il Paziente Inglese” (“the patient Englishman”, but also the Italian title of Michael Ondaatje’s 1992 novel The English Patient, and its subsequent film adaptation).

They call discussions over the permanent transfer of the defender from United to Roma “the infinite negotiation” but have spotted “positive signals”. Apparently Guido Fienga, Roma’s CEO, has been back in touch with officials at Old Trafford and found them unexpectedly receptive, but there are still issues to iron out. United want €20m and they want it all now, Roma want to pay a €5m loan fee with an obligation to buy next summer, and negotiations are ongoing, though hopefully not infinitely.

Finally, Leicester are about to sign Timothy Castagne, a deal which seems but a few dotted I’s and crossed T’s from completion, and Atalanta will replace the full-back with Rick Karsdorp, on loan from Roma with an obligation to buy.