Football rumours from the media

What the papers say

The hunt for Jack Grealish is on again, with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola now very keen on signing the Aston Villa midfielder, according to ESPN. Guardiola is said to believe Grealish is just as important a target as Spurs striker Harry Kane. While Grealish has been eyed by a host of big clubs, City sources believe they have the front running in the race for the 25-year-old, who is rated at £100million by Villa.

Manchester United’s interest in Grealish may go unfulfilled if City have their way, but the Red Devils have edged closer to a deal to sign Jadon Sancho, The Times reports. United have been making overtures towards Borussia Dortmund for the 21-year-old England winger for more than a year. The signs have not been promising, but Dortmund are now said to be ready to open the door for United by lowering their asking price to £80m plus add-ons.

Cristiano Ronaldo is said to be exploring his options whilst continuing contract talks with Juventus. ESPN says the Portugal star’s agents have contacted Paris St Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester United to gauge their interest in signing the 36-year-old. Ronaldo has a year left on his Juve contract. His future will likely remain unclear until after the Euros.

Manchester City striker Gabriel Jesus is top of Juventus’ list of targets to replace Ronaldo should he leave, Gazzetta dello Sport reports. City are said to be ready to sell Jesus to free up funds as they pursue their big-money signings Kane and Grealish. Juve have Jesus in mind, but are also considering PSG striker Mauro Icardi and Fiorentina’s Dusan Vlahovic.

Leicester have reached an in-principle agreement with Celtic to sign French forward Odsonne Edouard, according to The Sun. The Foxes and the Hoops are reported to have agreed a £15m transfer fee, with Leicester apparently seeing off a rival move from Arsenal. The 23-year-old French striker cost Celtic a club-record £8m when signed by Leicester’s current boss Brendan Rodgers, and it is that player-manager relationship which has given the Foxes the edge over other pursuers.

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Players to watch

Hamza Choudhury: Leicester’s 23-year-old midfielder could be off to Southampton, though Newcastle are keen to lure him north, Football Insider reports.

Scott Parker: The Fulham manager would be willing to quit the newly-relegated club to take on Bournemouth, according to talkSPORT.

Pierre Ekwah: West Ham have reached an agreement to sign the 19-year-old French midfielder from Chelsea, SkySports reports.