Football transfer rumours: Modric to PSG, Matuidi to Monaco?

Another day, another PSG-powered Mill. With Paris Saint-Germain increasingly resigned to Neymar’s failure to fit into their world domination enterprise, the French champions are casting their net ever wider for possible new superstars. Which is where Luka Modric comes in. According to Marca, the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner is one of the players they want in if Neymar goes out.

Modric’s prodigious Real Madrid teammate Vinícius Júnior is another, though the Spanish club are digging their heels in on that one and saying the young forward is not remotely available. So PSG may move their attentions on to Casemiro. And Madrid have reportedly still not had any actual contact with PSG over Neymar. So who knows?

Sticking with Ligue 1, 2017’s Monaco are looking to revive themselves with entreaties to Juventus to sell them Blaise Matuidi and Daniele Rugani, exceeding Roma’s €5m bid for the latter. Gazzetta dello Sport reports that the Italian champions are tempted to sell.

Alexis Sánchez is still refusing to come out of his bedroom and leave Manchester United, according to The Sun, which reports that as a result Roma have decided to browse elsewhere. The Mail, however, says the almost-forgotten Chilean forward is eager to leave Old Trafford and that Juventus, Milan and Napoli are his leading suitors.

Aston Villa’s Jonathan Kodjia could be headed for Besiktas, with Turkey’s Ortacizki outlet reporting that the 15-time Super Lig champions want to sign the striker, who scored 13 times in Villa’s promotion campaign last season. Trabzonspor are keen to take a punt on Daniel Sturridge, released by Liverpool last season and wondering what might have been. The striker was, like his former Reds teammates, in Turkey on Wednesday but while they were staying up beyond midnight to play football and win medals, Sturridge was, according to Goal, chewing the fat with Trabzonspor suits over a £2.8m-a-year deal.

In Scotland, Steven Gerrard wants to tie down Jermain Defoe to a new permanent deal with Rangers, says The Scottish Sun, while Hearts want the young Manchester City attacking midfielder Ryotaro Meshino on some sort of deal or other. And Sheffield United defender Ben Heneghan, deemed surplus to requirements by Chris Wilder, could be heading back to Blackpool, which is a happier place these days now that the Oystons have been ousted.