All the top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday’s national newspapers…
THE TIMES
Paris Saint-Germain are working on a £59.1m deal to sign Bernardo Silva from Manchester City as the Qatar-owned club seek to strengthen a squad they hope can win a first Champions League title.
Manchester United suffered another setback in their hunt for a defensive midfielder after they were forced to end their pursuit of Adrien Rabiot due to his wage demands of over £200,000 per week.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe wants to buy a stake in Manchester United, with a view to taking full control if the Glazers welcome new investment.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Manchester United will try to sign five players before the transfer window closes including moves for Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Meunier and Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Besiktas are eager to close a deal with Everton for Dele Alli and have offered either to take the attacking midfielder on a loan initially or alternatively for him to join the Turkish Super Lig club with an immediate permanent sale of around €8-10m.
Anthony Gordon wants to join Chelsea as he waits in hope to see if the London club make a new offer to sign him after a formal £45m bid was turned down by Everton.
Southampton are ready to compete with Wolves for Benfica striker Gonçalo Ramos as they attempt to bolster Ralph Hasenhuttl’s attack with a high-profile forward ahead of the summer transfer deadline.
Manchester United are hoping to sell or loan Aaron Wan-Bissaka with Crystal Palace, the defender’s former club, willing to pay £10m for the 24-year-old they sold to United for £50m in 2019.
THE SUN
Manchester United will take a 30 per cent hit – equating to around £22.5m – on their sponsorship deal with Adidas if they fail to qualify for the Champions League for a second year in a row.
DAILY MAIL
Chelsea may be willing to allow Christian Pulisic to join Manchester United on loan if he agrees to extend his contract first.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang would snub Manchester United in favour of a move to Chelsea if he were to leave Barcelona this summer.
Manchester United have been linked with yet another top European star in their miserable quest for reinforcements this summer, with Atletico’s Joao Felix the latest to be touted as an Old Trafford target.
THE GUARDIAN
LeBron James has agreed to a two-year, $97.1m contract extension with a third-year player option that will most likely keep the Lakers star in Los Angeles for as long as he chooses.
Former rugby sevens international Ellia Green has come out as a trans man, saying he hopes the announcement would help others to feel comfortable enough to make decisions about who they want to be.
SCOTTISH SUN
Rangers captain James Tavernier has signed a new long-term contract extension with the club said to be taking him “well into his thirties”.
DAILY RECORD
The SPFL have pushed back the deadline for Scottish clubs to complete their last-minute deals after pushing back the end of the window to September 1.