Transfer Rumors: Lopetegui Counts on Bale; Pulisic to Stay at Dortmund?
The summer transfer window continues to inch closer to shutting by the day, with urgency starting to ramp up in England, where the Premier League has adopted an earlier deadline, to coincide with the start of the new season. Nine days remain for Premier League teams to splash their cash on reinforcements or new superstars, while other clubs across Europe's top leagues look to do the same, albeit with a bit more time.
Despite some big names either already going elsewhere (Cristiano Ronaldo among them) or others confirming that they're staying put (PSG's Neymar and Kylian Mbappe among those), plenty others could still be on the move in the coming days and weeks.
Here are the latest rumblings from around Europe:
Lopetegui expecting big things from Bale: Gareth Bale figured to follow Cristiano Ronaldo out the door at Real Madrid, but new manager Julen Lopetegui poured cold water on that theory, saying that he's expecting a big season from the Welshman, who could fill the void left behind by the Portuguese superstar. (Marca)
Pulisic to stay at Dortmund: Christian Pulisic has been the apple of many Premier League teams' eyes, but he will reportedly stay put for the 2018-19 season. Dortmund claims it has yet to receive a formal offer for the American teenager. (ESPNFC)
Higuain to Milan nears completion: Juventus and AC Milan reportedly have a deal in place to send Gonzalo Higuain on loan to the San Siro with an option to buy for a fee that could reach €55 million. With Ronaldo arriving at Juventus, there was always going to be someone needed to make room for CR7, and that one appears to be Higuain. (Gianluca Di Marzio)
Bonucci set for Juventus return in Caldara swap: Leonardo Bonucci could be heading back to Juventus in another deal involving the Old Lady and AC Milan. Juventus would send Mattia Caldara the other way to reunite Bonucci with his former teammates. (La Gazzetta Dello Sport)
Rabiot has future at PSG after all: Adrien Rabiot figured to leave PSG, with moves to Barcelona and Chelsea speculated, but after reported talks with new manager Thomas Tuchel, Rabiot is reportedly set to sign a new deal at the Parc des Princes. (ESPNFC)
Milinkovic-Savic commits to Lazio: Manchester United is among the teams that has coveted Serbian midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, but the standout has apparently committed his future to Lazio, where he appears set to remain for the season ahead. (Goal)
Puel thinks Maguire will stay at Leicester: One of England's World Cup breakout players was center back Harry Maguire, and the Leicester City standout has drawn the interest of Manchester United, but his current manager, Claude Puel, doesn't think a move is in the offing. (Guardian)
Tottenham may stand pat through deadline: Tottenham has done a good job of taking care of locking up its own talent, but may not be bringing in anyone else, according to manager Mauricio Pochettino. The manager signed a new deal and was followed by Harry Kane, Erik Lamela and Son Heung-min. Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli are reportedly in line for new deals as well. (BBC)
Crystal Palace eyes Bundesliga standout Meyer: Max Meyer is a free agent after his contract with Schalke ended, and the German international is reportedly in talks with Crystal Palace about a move to the Premier League side. (Sky Sports)
Inter Milan to land Vidal on loan?: Inter Milan's busy summer of acquisitions appears to be continuing with a loan deal reportedly in place to land Arturo Vidal from Bayern Munich. The club is loading up for its return to the Champions League, already adding Radja Nainggolan, Lautaro Martinez, Stefan De Vrij and Kwadwo Asamoah. (Sport Mediaset)
Willian expected to return to Chelsea training amid outside interest: Willian's absence from Chelsea's preseason has been signed off on by the club and has nothing to do with the reports of interest from Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid. He'll rejoin the squad on Wednesday. (Sky Sports)
