Rumour Has It: Real Madrid and Barca eyeing Man City's Laporte, Conte to Spurs off
Laporte hit the ground running in Manchester, but Pep Guardiola has since preferred John Stones and Ruben Dias.
Real Madrid and Barcelona are reportedly willing to pounce.
TOP STORY – LAPORTE HEADED FOR SPAIN RETURN?
LaLiga pair Real Madrid and Barcelona are tracking Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte , according to Caught Offside.
Laporte left Spanish outfit Athletic Bilbao for City in 2018 but the newly capped Spain international slipped down the pecking order during the 2020-21 campaign.
As City reportedly prepare a new long-term contract for John Stones , who has been preferred alongside Ruben Dias, Madrid and Barca are waiting in the wings.
ROUND-UP
- Tottenham have abandoned their plans to appoint former Inter boss Antonio Conte , reports Sky Italy. Spurs and Conte were in negotiations and while ex-Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici is poised to join the Premier League side, Conte will not reunite with his Italian compatriot. Tottenham were initially linked with former manager Mauricio Pochettino , who is currently in charge of Paris Saint-Germain. Amid ongoing speculation, Le10 Sport claims a sensational deal to bring Pochettino back to London could go ahead.
- PSG are trying to hijack Barcelona 's move for Georginio Wijnaldum , says ESPN. Wijnaldum is available on a free transfer following the expiration of his Liverpool contract and he has been tipped to make the switch to Camp Nou.
- Mundo Deportivo reports Valencia captain Jose Luis Gaya is the on the radar for Barca , who are eyeing a new left-back.
- Gazzetto dello Sport reports Juventus are interested in Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic . Fiorentina could be willing to sell the Serbia international, who is out of contract in 2022. Milenkovic has previously been linked with Tottenham , Manchester United and West Ham . Milan could also make a move if they fail to tie up a permanent deal for Chelsea's Fikayo Tomori .
- Dusan Vlahovic of Fiorentina, Marseille's Arkadiusz Milik and Sassuolo's Gianluca Scamacca are among the possible new forward signings for Milan , says Gazzetta dello Sport. Chelsea veteran Olivier Giroud has been strongly linked with Milan.
- Marca claims Gareth Bale is leaning towards retirement after Euro 2020. Bale is set to return to Real Madrid following his loan spell at Tottenham.
- New Inter boss Simone Inzaghi wants to keep Alexis Sanchez , per Calciomercato. As Inter look to cut costs, Sanchez has been linked with Roma . Romelu Lukaku , Lautaro Martinez and Alessandro Bastoni and their futures have also been questioned due to the club's financial issues.