Man City switch attention to Gvardiol as West Ham hold out for £100m for Rice

Al Nassr and Barcelona are keen to sign Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic while Lazio's Felipe Anderson and PSG's Georginio Wijnaldum latest stars linked with Saudi clubs

Josko Gvardiol, front, has enjoyed a superb season at the heart of the RB Leipzig defence. Getty Images

The rumour mill is in full swing with daily stories of players coming and going.

Saudi Arabian clubs are being linked with a high volume of players, with N'Golo Kante the most recent high-profile recruit.

Each weekday we'll bring you the best transfer gossip and the likelihood of those transfer stories bearing fruit.

Manchester City are planning to switch their attention to RB Leipzig’s Josko Gvardiol, reports respected Italian football journalist Fabrizio Romano. City manager Pep Guardiola is said to be a huge admirer of the Croatian centre-back's qualities who has established himself as one of the Bundesliga's best defenders. Leipzig value Gvardiol highly and it is understood are holding out for a fee of more than €80 million for the 21 year old.

West Ham won’t sell captain Declan Rice unless they receive an offer in excess of £100 million, according to The Guardian. Arsenal are the frontrunners to secure the 24-year-old midfielder's signature, and after seeing their second bid of £75 million plus add-ons turned down on Tuesday, it looks as though they will need to come back with a much-improved offer to tempt the Hammers to part with their star player, who is also reportedly a target for German champions Bayern Munich. Rice enjoyed a superb season for West Ham, cpataining the club to the Europa Conference League title – their first trophy in 43 years.

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  Captain Declan Rice after West Ham United's 2-1 win over Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final at Eden Arena in Prague on June 7, 2023. Getty

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  West Ham captain Declan Rice with his winner's medal. EPA

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  West Ham skipper Declan Rice lifts the Europa Conference League trophy as he celebrates with teammates. Getty

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  West Ham's Jarrod Bowen celebrates with the trophy. EPA /

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  Jarrod Bowen scores West Ham's winner. Getty

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  West Ham's Jarrod Bowen, left, celebrates after scoring the winning goal. AP

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  West Ham's Jarrod Bowen celebrates his winner with teammates. Reuters

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  Fiorentina's Giacomo Bonaventura scores his side's equaliser against West Ham. AP

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  Fiorentina's Giacomo Bonaventura, left, celebrates after scoring their first goal. PA

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  Fiorentina's Nicolas Gonzalez and Sofyan Amrabat celebrate their equalising goal scored by Giacomo Bonaventura. Reuters

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  Fiorentina's Giacomo Bonaventura celebrates with teammates and fans after scoring his side's first goal. AP

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  West Ham's Said Benrahma scores the opening goal from the penalty spot. PA

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  West Ham's Said Benrahma scores the first goal. AP

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  West Ham's Said Benrahma celebrates scoring the opening goal. PA

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  West Ham's Said Benrahma celebrates with teammates and fans after scoring his side's opener from the penalty spot. AP

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  Fiorentina's Luka Jovic heads the ball into the West Ham net but it was ruled out for offside by VAR. PA

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  Fiorentina's Luka Jovic heads the ball into the West Ham net before it was disallowed for offside. AP

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  Fiorentina's Luka Jovic scores a goal that was later disallowed as West Ham United's Alphonse Areola attempts to save. Reuters

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  Fiorentina's Cristiano Biraghi receives treatment for a cut caused by an object thrown from the crowd as West Ham's Declan Rice checks he is OK. PA

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  Fiorentina's Cristiano Biraghi speaks to referee Carlos Del Cerro with his head bandaged after he was hit by an object thrown by a West Ham fan. Reuters

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  Luka Jovic of Fiorentina receives medical treatment after he was injured. EPA

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  West Ham's Nayef Aguerd, left, and Fiorentina's Nicolas Gonzalez battle. Reuters

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  Fiorentina coach Vincenzo Italiano speaks to Sofyan Amrabat. AP

Iran and Bayer Leverkusen striker Sardar Azmoun is on the radar of clubs in Saudi Arabia, reports Sky Sports Deutschland journalist Florian Plettenberg. The Bundesliga side are understood to be willing to sell the 28-year-old Azmoun if any interested club meets their €12 million valuation. Azmoun scored four goals in 23 league appearances last season.

Al Nassr and Barcelona are keen to sign Inter Milan midfielder Marcelo Brozovic, understands Italian football journalist Gianluca Di Marzio. After an offer of €18 million was proposed by Cristiano Ronaldo's Saudi Pro League club, Di Marzio tweeted that Spanish champions Barca are prepared to match the offer. The 30-year-old has three years remaining on his contract at the San Siro.

Two Saudi Pro League sides are interested in Lazio winger Felipe Anderson, according to football journalist Ekrem Konur. Al Shabab and Al Nassr are both said to be considering a move for the 30-year-old Brazilian, who made 50 appearances across all competitions for the Italian club last season. He has just one year remaining on his contract.

Barcelona will make a final approach to sign Martin Zubimendi, reports Sport. The Real Sociedad midfielder, who was previously linked with Arsenal, has been highlighted by the Catalan giants as a key reinforcement this summer, but coming up with the funds to activate Zubimendi's €60 million release clause could scupper the deal unless Barca can generate funds through player sales.

Clubs in the Saudi Pro League currently aren’t willing to meet the demands of Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, reports Foot Mercato. The former Liverpool player has returned to PSG after a loan spell with Roma, and it is understood that while the Ligue 1 club are looking to move him on, his €10 million-per-season salary is proving to be an obstacle.