Euro Paper Talk: Liverpool to destroy Arsenal striker signing hopes with £60m raid; forward hints at surprise Tottenham return

Liverpool are ready to deliver a stunning blow to Arsenal’s hopes of landing a top striker this summer as they prepare a £60million offer of their own, while a former Tottenham forward has hinted at a return to north London.

LIVERPOOL LEAP TO THE FRONT IN LETHAL STRIKER CHASE

Liverpool are reportedly ready to meet Sporting Lisbon’s asking price for Viktor Gyokeres in what would be a huge blow to Premier League rivals Arsenal.

The Sweden international enjoyed a remarkable debut season at Sporting following his £17million switch from Championship outfit Coventry, contributing an outstanding 43 goals and 15 assists in his 50 appearances across all competitions.

Those stats and his all-round displays have certainly caught the eye of the European elite, with the Gunners said to have made him their top attacking target in a report from earlier this week.

Gyokeres currently has a a €100m (£86m) release clause in his contract, although the Gunners have been hoping to snap him up for a smaller fee.

The report claimed Mikel Arteta’s men are ‘prepared to bid’ for Gyokeres, but there is said to still be a ‘gap in valuation’.

Arsenal are ‘willing to pay roughly €60million (£52m) for Gyokeres’, while Sporting Lisbon ‘want at least’ €70m (£60m) to convince them in a summer sale.

Liverpool ready to gazump Gunners in Gyokeres chase

And while Sporting’s willingness to negotiate is good news for Arsenal, reports coming in from Portugal now claim that Liverpool are ready to gazump the Gunners with an offer of their own for the lethal attacker.

It’s stated that Arne Slot’s men are ready to meet Sporting’s €70m valuation for their prized asset are are confident of securing a deal that would be a hammer blow for their Premier League rivals.

The Anfield outfit are in the market for a new No.9 despite an improved season from Darwin Nunez last time around

The Uruguay international scored 18 goals and provided 13 assists in 54 games in all competitions, but there remains a feeling on Merseyside that he misses too many chances – hence the genuine interest in Gyokeres.

DON’T MISS – How a dazzling new-look Liverpool side will look in 2024/25 if Arne Slot lands all his transfer targets

CHELSEA TARGET ANOTHER BRAZILIAN STARLET

Chelsea are keen on Gremio attacking midfielder Gabriel Mec. The Londoners are reported to have been in Brazil this week to negotiate a move for the 16-year-old, with talks ongoing over a deal worth an initial €7m that could rise to €14m if certain objectives are met. (UOL)

RB Leipzig are standing firm with their demands of €60m for attacking midfielder Dani Olmo. The 26-year-old is believed to be keen on a switch to the Blaugrana, who are said to have had their second approach for his signature turned down on Thursday. He also remains a target for Premier League clubs. (Sky Germany)

Juventus are targeting a move for Chelsea striker Armando Broja. The Blues hitman earns less than Premier League target Arkadiusz Milik and that would prove to be another favourable possibility for the Bianconeri. (La Gazzetta dello Sport)

Agent Tulio Tinzi has revealed that Real Madrid have enquired about signing his client Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan, only to be told that the player is not for sale. (Sky Sport Italia, via Mundo Deportivo).

Marseille have ‘accelerated’ their efforts to sign Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah this summer but are still waiting to hear back from the Gunners. TT understands that a new and improved offer is incoming for the player though. (L’Equipe)

Aston Villa are in ‘no rush’ to sign Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix and they believe time is on their side in the race for his signature, despite Barcelona and Benfica interest. (Various)

Atalanta director Luca Percassi insists ‘nothing has changed’ for Liverpool midfield target Teun Koopmeiners, as Juventus are nowhere near matching his valuation. (Football Italia)

DIVE DEEPER – The 10 most expensive transfers in the summer 2024 window, with Man Utd striking twice

SURPRISE TOTTENHAM STRIKER RETURN MOOTED

Troy Parrott has dropped some hints about possibly coming back to Tottenham someday, even though he’s currently all in with his new team, AZ Alkmaar, saying: “You never know how things are going to go in football.” (De Telegraaf)

Juventus are interested in a move for Nico Gonzalez and have planned out a possible swap deal to try and beat Atalanta to the Fiorentina star. (Tuttosport)

Lazio are looking to strengthen their attack this summer but have no intention of signing free agent playmaker James Rodríguez, who is now 33. (ESPN)

West Ham United need to move quickly if they want to sign Oumar Solet from Red Bull Salzburg, as VfB Stuttgart are edging closer to a deal for him. (Stuttgarter Nachrichten)

Napoli’s next offer for Brighton midfielder Billy Gilmour will be €2m more than the €10m that was offered in the first bid. There will also be bonuses added to that. (Calciomercato)

One player looking certain to leave Real Madrid this summer is goalkeeper Lucas Canizares, who has been told he has no future at the club. (Football Espana)

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Manchester City defender Yan Couto has arrived in Switzerland to link up with Borussia Dortmund and join them in pre-season. Dortmund will initially loan the defender from City but will be obligated to buy him in the summer of 2025 for a base fee of €25m. The deal includes bonus payments in the ‘single-digit million range’. (Marlon Irlbacher)

Atalanta defender Sead Kolasinac is open to a return to the Bundesliga. Multiple clubs in Germany are believed to be interested in landing the 31-year-old, with La Dea willing to offload him if they receive an offer worth between €5m and €10m. (Florian Plettenberg)