Arsenal will reportedly look to steal a march on Liverpool and seal a deal for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia this summer.
The Gunners, who finished as runners-up to Manchester City in the Premier League last season, have been the early pace-setters in the transfer window this summer having already finalised a deal for Kai Havertz. West Ham captain Declan Rice and Ajax defender Jurrien Timber are expected to follow in the coming days.
According to The Times, however, Mikel Arteta's side are also keen on recruiting Lavia, who was part of the Southampton side relegated from the Premier League at the end of the season. The 19-year-old midfielder joined the Saints in a £12m deal from Manchester City 12 months ago and was one of the few positives from a disastrous season at St Mary's.
The report claims the Saints will hold out for a fee of £50m, with Manchester City due 20% of any transfer should he leave the South Coast this summer.
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Sticking with Arsenal, the Gunners are hopeful of completing a move for Rice this week after agreeing on a £105m deal with Europa Conference League winners West Ham United last week.
As it stands, the two sides are currently negotiating the terms of the payment structure despite the Hammers' captain having already agreed on personal terms with the North Londoners after, according to the Mirror, cutting short his holiday in order to complete his move across the capital.
If Liverpool were to miss out on the Belgian as Arsenal construct a midfield overhaul, Khephren Thuram is another name that has been linked with a move to Anfield this summer. The OGC Nice midfielder was part of France's under-21s side that was shockingly dumped out of the European Championships at the hands of Ukraine on Sunday night. It is expected that he will now undertake a period of recovery before returning to pre-season training with the Ligue 1 outfit.
On Monday, however, reports from France (Foot Mercato) claimed that Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich have initiated contact with the player's representatives over a move to the Allianz Arena this summer. There were conflicting accounts emerging, however, with Sky Germany shooting down the speculation.
Speaking about his future last month, Thuram said: “I want to progress, go on the field, have fun. For now, I'm in Nice, it's going very well, I really like the club, so I still see myself in Nice. I am very well in Nice. There are noises, I hear, but I'm happy in Nice, I hope to grow with this club ”
Meanwhile, not far from Anfield, treble winners Manchester City are gearing up their defence of both the Champions League and Premier League by stepping up their interest in RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, with The Times reporting that Pep Guardiola's side are "in talks" with the Bundesliga outfit.
RB Leipzig, who recently lost Dominik Szoboszlai to Liverpool, are said to be holding out for a world record fee of £86m for the 21-year-old Croatian defender.
Elsewhere, Manchester United are said to have reached an "economic agreement" with Fiorentina and Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, who was linked with a move to Liverpool during the 2022 World Cup.
According to Sport Witness, the Red Devils must now agree on a fee with the Serie A outfit to conclude the transfer of the 26-year-old to Old Trafford.
And over at Tottenham Hotspur, there is growing talk of an agreement for Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven - who has been tentatively linked with Liverpool. Mike Verweij of De Telegraaf tweeted tonight that the young Dutchman had reached "personal agreement with Spurs on a contract until 2028".
