What the papers say
Paris St Germain have stepped up their bid to lure Lionel Messi to France by offering him a contract, the Daily Mail has reported.
Messi, who has helped Argentina reach the the Copa America semi-finals, is a free agent after his contract at Camp Nou recently expired and faces an uncertain future.
Cristiano Ronaldo is negotiating a new contract with Juventus amid continued interest from former club Manchester United, according to Gazzetta dello Sport as reported in the Daily Mirror and ESPN claim Liverpool are leading the race to sign France striker Kylian Mbappe, who has a year left on his deal at PSG.
United are also poised to table an offer for Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane. The Daily Mail, via Spanish outlet Marca, claim a £50million bid is in the offing.
Arsenal have stepped up their bid to sign midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga from Anderlecht, says the Mirror, while the Evening Standard report the Gunners are also set to complete the signing of Benfica defender Nuno Tavares.
Social media round-up
Emmanuel Petit urges Chelsea to sign Erling Haaland to solve their problems up front https://t.co/py5YN1j2Mn— MailOnline Sport (@MailSport) July 6, 2021
Seven Arsenal stars Patrick Vieira may try and poach for Crystal Palace this summerhttps://t.co/5fBcmLd1Uu#AFCpic.twitter.com/9VausFSlVj— Daily Star Sport (@DailyStar_Sport) July 6, 2021
Man Utd line up Jules Kounde as Varane alternative but Sevilla demand £60m fee https://t.co/RsGlTw9UGw— Sun Sport (@SunSport) July 5, 2021
Players to watch
Emile Smith Rowe: Aston Villa are poised to make an increased bid for the 20-year-old midfielder having had a £30m offer rejected, according to the Mirror.
Ryan Christie: The Scotland and Celtic midfielder is a target for new Crystal Palace boss Patrick Vieira, whose former club Nice have also shown interest in the 26-year-old, says the Daily Record.
