Liverpool close in on Naby Keita with improved £70m offer readied while Juventus reject £88m bid for Gonzalo Higuain

Sport360 staff 08:31 16/07/2017
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  • With the transfer window now officially open from July 1, the frenetic nature of speculation is only going to increase.

    Rumours are starting to gather pace and we take a look at the latest stories doing the rounds in the media.

    Will any of the following deals happen?

    Get in touch with your thoughts on Twitter and via Facebook.

    NABY KEITA

    Liverpool will lodge a £70million offer to RB Leipzig to secure their No1 target Naby Keita.

    The Reds have been locked in negotiations with the Bundesliga side all summer and have already seen a £57million bid rejected.

    They face stiff competition from Inter Milan, though, who are willing to loan the 22-year-old back to Leipzig for a season.

    RATING: 8/10

    SPORT360 VERDICT

    Despite talking tough all summer it seems Leipzig could be willing to do business at £70million, according to the Mirror.

    The German club are cash rich and so haven’t been under pressure to sell their prized asset but the word behind closed doors is that they are prepared to sell at that price, given the exponential profit margin.

    Keita is seen as a crucial cog in Jurgen Klopp’s plans to tackle the Champions League as well as domestic trophies next season and momentum suggests he will get his man.

    GONZALO HIGUAIN

    Juventus have rejected a mammoth bid from Chelsea for their star striker Gonzalo Higuain, reports Tuttosport.

    The Premier League champions are desperately trying to fill the void which will be left by want-away striker Diego Costa’s expected departure and have had a €100million offer rejected by the Italians.

    It’s the second time this summer the Blues have failed in the initial attempts to sign a player from Juve after they had a €70million bid rejected for Alex Sandro.

    RATING: 5/10

    SPORT360 VERDICT

    Costa won’t be joining Chelsea’s pre-season tour and has been frozen out of training with the senior side so it seems there is no way back for the Spain international.

    That being the case, Antonio Conte better get his skates on because world-class frontmen are in short supply and having lost out on Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United, a rejected offer of this size for Higuain is another blow.

    However, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is on the market and it would seem the Borussia Dortmund man would be a viable option for the Blues.

    Juventus frontman Gonzalo Higuain

    LUKA MODRIC

    AC Milan are ready to test Real Madrid’s resolve by preparing an offer to sign their playmaker Luka Modric, claims Calciomercato.

    Modrid is reportedly a long-term admirer of Milan who have undergone a summer transformation with eight new major signings acquired.

    RATING: 3/10

    SPORT360 VERDICT

    A lack of Champions League football kills this rumour immediately and when you combine that with the fact Real are the biggest and best club on the planet right now, it’s difficult to see why Modric would want to leave.

    Persuading Real to sell in the first place would be hard enough but it would be even harder still to then convince the Croatia international to swap the Bernabeu for the San Siro.

    Luka Modric was the heart of Real’s domestic and European double last season

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