#Football transfer rumours: #Chelsea and #Barcelona battle for Samuel Umtiti?

The Mill just cannot work in these conditions. First we hear that West Ham United have told Chelsea that Dimitri Payet is not for sale at any price and then we hear that Lyon have told West Ham United that Alexandre Lacazette is not for sale at any any price after the east London club made a renewed bid of £32m. And all that after Romelu Lukaku effectively pledged his allegiance to Everton by turning in a performance against Italy that ensures no one will be buying him this summer.

Much more of this and the Mill be reduced to making up deals. Oh, by the way, Paris Saint-Germain are looking for a top manager to take them to the next level, so are hoping to open talks with Roy Hodgson or Marc Wilmots after the Euros. Gah, saw through that one, didn’t you? In fact, PSG have reportedly already begun nattering to Unai Emery.


Meanwhile, Chelsea’s new boss, Antonio Conte, has got his people into chat overdrive: they’re sweet-talking Lyon in an effort to persuade the club to sell Samuel Umtiti to Chelsea, although that plot is being complicated by sweet counter-chat from Barcelona. Conte is also thinking of getting his people to have a word with Manchester United about Matteo Darmian because the current Italy manager would never dream of approaching the Italy defender directly while they spend this month together. Rule are rules and Chelsea are sticklers for them.

Borussia Dortmund are threatening to block Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s mooted move to Manchester City if the English club bid for the FC Ufa midfielder Oleksandr Zinchenko, who is also a Dortmund target. And if Dortmund do land Zinchenko they could be willing to listen to offers for Henrikh Mkhitaryan: Arsenal are preparing to pipe up. Arsenal could have an extra £25m to spend if stories are true about Liverpool being willing to spend that much on Theo Walcott.

In a further blow to City, Aymeric Laporte is about to snub them and sign a new deal with Athletic Bilbao.

Leicester City have offered Riyad Mahrez a bumper new contract in the hope that he will snub everyone, too. Similarly, Napoli are offering to jack up Gonzalo Higuaín’s wages to convince him to resist all suitors. That could spell blues for Liverpool. But it is not expected to have any ramification for João Carlos Teixeira’s proposed switch to Porto.

Finally, West Ham are close to landing Sofiane Feghouli, whose contract at Valencia has expired.