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    After Bayern Munich defeated Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, now the attention turns to the transfer market, with developments set to ramp up, including Lionel Messi, with Paris Saint-Germain openly revealing that he would “welcome” the player, even though he expects the Argentine to stay at the Nou Camp.

    The surprise news on Sunday was that Arsenal have joined Liverpool in the race to sign Thiago Alcantara, who was sublime in the Lisbon final, with Hansi Flick admitting he does not know where his future lies. Jadon Sancho remains at Borussia Dortmund too, with Manchester United close to walking away from talks.

    Elsewhere, Chelsea’s move for Ben Chilwell may have hit the rocks after appearing to be close to completion, while Thiago Silva looks close to agreeing a one-year deal – all that and more in Monday’s transfer live blog:

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    2020-08-24T06:33:28.460Z

    Ronald Koeman wants Lionel Messi to be part of his plans at Barcelona, but the Argentine remains undecided over his future.

    One potential landing spot could be PSG, with Thomas Tuchel joking about the prospect of landing the player after the Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich.

    “He’s very welcome," Tuchel joked. “Which coach says no to Messi?

    "We decided not to talk about transfers, we’ll sit together in the next days. We have many things to do.

    "I think Messi finishes his career in Barcelona, it’s good like that.”

    2020-08-24T06:35:18.956Z

    Chelsea look close to finalising a one-year deal to sign free agent Thiago Silva, who confirmed he will leave PSG after his contract expired following the Champions League final against Bayern Munich.

    The Blues look close to beating off Fiorentina in the race to sign the 35-year-old Brazilian and remain in pole position, according to Fabrizio Romano.

    The experience could help sure up Frank Lampard's back line, which proved a real weakness last term.

    2020-08-24T06:36:48.093Z

    Another player involved in last night's final who has an uncertain future is Thiago Alcantara.

    Liverpool are keen, while Arsenal have emerged as a rival for the Spanish midfielder.

    And Hansi Flick admits he does not know whether he will stay with the European champions.

    “He told me he’s staying," Flick said, before bursting into laughter. 

    "No, I don't know and I think he doesn't know either. We'll have to wait and see what will happen”.

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    2020-08-24T06:42:23.376Z

    Ronald Koeman has outlined his initial targets for Barcelona after taking over at the Nou Camp.

    Sport claim the Dutchman wants Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez, whose future could be in doubt if Antonio Conte departs, with the club set for talks on Tuesday following the Europa League final defeat to Sevilla.

    Eric Garcia and Jose Gayà are also targets for the Catalans as they look to bounce back from the disastrous loss to Bayern.

    2020-08-24T06:56:41.840Z

    Bayern Munich had too much for Paris Saint-Germain in Sunday’s final and are now six-time European champions thanks to Kingsley Coman’s header separating the sides in a 1-0 victory for Hansi Flick’s side.

    The one-legged ties provided a thrilling conclusion to the Champions League finals in Lisbon.

    We’ll be selecting a best XI of the tournament with a particular focus on the ‘finals’. Greater weighting has been given for the games that decided the most unique ending in the tournament’s history.

    That means the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, who once more enjoyed a fine tournament, just misses out here after failing to emerge from the last 16.

    Here is our best XI from the knock-out rounds. 

    2020-08-24T07:05:41.906Z

    Barcelona want Ajax left-back Nico Tagliafico, according to Marca

    Ronald Koeman wants the Argentine to upgrade his back line, meaning Jordi Alba and Junio Firpo could be heading for the exit.

    Alba, especially, is seen as a possible sale to trim the wage bill.

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    2020-08-24T07:11:07.536Z

    Manchester United appear close to ending their interest in Borussia Dortmund's Jadon Sancho.

    That's according to the Express, who claim Ed Woodward consider the England international to be too expensive. 

    Negotiations have rumbled on all summer, with the Bundesliga giants adamant Sancho will stay.

    2020-08-24T07:17:27.936Z

    Andrea Pirlo has his first big target as Juventus boss: Manuel Locatelli, according to Tuttosport.

    The Sassuolo star has thrived since leaving AC Milan and now, at 22, looks primed to make a big impact with both the Azzurri and maybe in the Champions League next season.

    Pirlo has targeted the midfield as an area of concern, with Locatelli bound to add more energy to the Old Lady.

    2020-08-24T07:25:25.953Z

    Massimiliano Allegri wants to bring Mario Mandzukic with him to Inter Milan, should he succeed Antonio Conte in charge.

    The former Juventus and AC Milan boss worked in Turin with the Croatian, who is now a free agent.

    The 34-year-old terminated his contract with Qatari side Al-Duhail in July and now La Repubblica believe Allegri will bring him to the San Siro as the understudy to Romelu Lukaku.

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    2020-08-24T07:29:40.850Z

    Mino Raiola insists there is no agreement for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to rejoin AC Milan yet. 

    A free agent, the Swede looked primed to continue his career in Serie A with the Rossoneri after scoring 10 goals in 18 games after arriving at the turn of the year. 

    “He won’t be there tomorrow, for the moment,” Raiola told Sky Sport Italia.

    “We are still talking, but there is no agreement yet. It’s not about money, but of conviction and style. It takes two to make a marriage work and if Ibrahimovic didn’t want to remain with the Rossoneri, then there wouldn’t be a negotiation.

    “Elliott have to make choices, different ones. They know how to make decisions in the financial world, but need to learn how to make them in the sporting world too.

    “We are in a very sensitive phase of the negotiations and I don’t wish to say more. I am always optimistic. I don’t work to create problems, but to find solutions.”

    2020-08-24T07:35:30.790Z

    Mino Raiola has been busy talking about his clients it seems, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba on the agenda. 

    But one more pressing matter appears to be Gigio Donnarumma, 21, with the AC Milan goalkeeper's contract now just one year from expiring. 

    “I have not talked about Gigio and I don’t intend to," Raiola said. 

    "It’s a sensitive issue with the fans. The club has other priorities right now and it’s not the right moment to talk about it.”

    2020-08-24T07:46:15.926Z

    Benfica's hopes of signing Edinson Cavani appear to be over, but Diego Costa is now their priority as an alternative.

    Costa has 12 months left on his deal, though Diego Simeone will not sanction the move without a replacement. 

    Cavani was previously a target for Atletico, though that interest has now cooled on the free agent. 

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    2020-08-24T07:49:34.623Z

    Kylian Mbappe has taken PSG's defeat to Bayern in the Champions League with great maturity and it seems the French superstar is set to fight for the title again next season with Thomas Tuchel's side. 

    He wrote: "Disappointed not to conclude this year with the most beautiful of awards but life is made as well.

    "We fought with all our might. Congratulations to Bayern. And a big thank you for your support."

    2020-08-24T07:54:02.383Z

    Chelsea are reported to be "exploring" the possibility of signing Lionel Messi.

    The Argentine has been non-committal since Ronald Koeman replaced Quique Setien as manager at the Camp Nou.

    And Sport report the Blues are keen to be kept up to date with developments.

    Should Barcelona refuse to budge on the £631 million release clause, any exit would all but certainly be dead in the water though. 

    2020-08-24T07:58:46.226Z

    Leicester are looking to keep busy in the transfer market and appear to have beaten off interest from Chelsea and Inter Milan for Jonathan Ikone. 

    The Foxes are ‘most likely to weigh in with a firm offer’ for the Lille star, who has just one year remaining on his contract with the Ligue 1 club. 

    And Le 10 Sport believe Brendan Rodgers is moving closer to signing the 22-year-old attacking midfielder, who hit four goals and seven assists last term.

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    2020-08-24T08:09:55.673Z

    Philippe Coutinho has discussed his future after his loan with Bayern Munich ended with Champions League glory. 

    The former Liverpool star seemingly had no future at the Nou Camp either with the Bavarians all but ending their own interest in making the loan deal permanent. 

    Though Ronald Koeman's arrival may change matters. 

    He said: "Of course, I have to go back to Barcelona and then we'll see what happens.

    "I haven't really thought about it much, I've only been focused on the final.

    "What I can say is that I really want to work hard to have a great year, but let's see what happens.”

    2020-08-24T08:22:01.926Z

    Wayne Rooney has revealed how Man United almost signed Thiago Alcantara in 2013, and now hopes Liverpool don't sign the Bayern Munich star. 

    "He almost came to United in 2013 and now Liverpool are linked with him," Rooney wrote in The Sunday Times.

    "He's one of the best midfielders around – I just hope he doesn't go there! He can take the ball, be composed on it, keep things ticking over – and he'll put his foot in. He's an all-round midfielder, really, with a bit of everything.

    "He backs up that Bayern press and he drops in between the centre halves to take the ball yet can also join in when they're playing around the other box too. He's a great player. It would be great to see him in the Premier League, actually."

    2020-08-24T08:31:31.386Z

    Ronaldo has advised former club Real Madrid to sign Kylian Mbappe. 

    The Brazilian said: "Right now, it is not that one is better than another, but if Real Madrid had to make a big investment, they should do so thinking about the future.

    "Neymar is 28 years old and Mbappe is 22. As an investment, it would be more logical to bring the younger [of the two]."

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    2020-08-24T08:38:22.690Z

    After Bayern clinched their sixth European crown thanks to Kingsley Coman's header against Paris Saint-Germain, his former club, we look at the best XI from the tournament. 

    With a particular emphasis on the 'finals' in Portugal, it's Bayern dominated. 

    But there have been some breakout stars too, including Dayot Upamecano - here's our team of the tournament:

    2020-08-24T08:46:46.373Z

    It is the image that has gone around the world, and has led to a lot of schadenfreude, but maybe more interesting was what immediately followed. Neymar had just walked past the European Cup, unable to stop himself from touching it, his wait for his moment going on.

    Just in front of the trophy, Thomas Tuchel was waiting. The Paris Saint-Germain manager had made sure to console and pay credit for every single one of his players, but it was natural that everyone was dwelling on this.

    It was quite a snapshot of the modern PSG. The manager was massaging the ego of their most expensive star, the Champions League just out of reach.

    Here Miguel Delaney writes on how PSG's dreams were shattered and the concerning issue with their project overall:

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    Arsenal appear to be one of the most busy sides in Europe with Gabriel Magalhaes close to finalising a deal to link up with Mikel Arteta.

    Leicester are targeting Ajax’s Nico Tagliafico as Ben Chilwell’s replacement. While the Blues could battle it out with the Gunners and Barcelona for Malang Sarr, who is available on a free transfer.

    Speaking of the Catalan club, Lionel Messi‘s future remains in doubt and the Blaugrana are now preparing a response should the Argentine hand in a transfer request.

    The best league in the world is back. Join The Independent for an online event, as our panel discusses the most uncertain start to a season in Premier League history. Click here to find out more and book your free ticket today.

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