Arsenal try to pry Quintero from Porto

Posted Friday, August 01, 2014 by ESPN

Transfer Talk pushes on as we near the window's halfway point. As always, here are all the news and rumours from around the globe, updated throughout the day ...

Quint while you're ahead?

Are Arsenal about to sign Colombian schemer Juan Quintero, the Porto star whose World Cup cameos -- including a nicely taken goal against Ivory Coast -- underlined the esteem in which he has been held for several years? Yes, said various media on Thursday afternoon. Not just now, says Quintero's agent, who, according to the Daily Express, has refuted claims that Porto are negotiating his client's departure.

"There are clubs interested, there is much interest in the player, the clubs in Spain and England," his agent said. "But to leave would be one willing to pay the termination clause of the club." Understandable, and it's apparently set at 32 million pounds, double what the Gunners are said to be offering -- but there's no indication in any of this that a deal is necessarily off.

Juan Quintero's agent has said that the Colombian won't leave Porto for less than his 32 million-pound release clause.

Spreading the love

Liverpool are keeping us all in business this summer, and they're about to spread the largesse further by giving the Spanish economy a bit of a helping hand. Their long-running pursuits of full-backs Alberto Moreno and Javier Manquillo, a left-back from Sevilla and a right-back from Atletico Madrid respectively, are at the endgame stage according to ESPN FC's Mike Whalley, who says Moreno, 21, will cost 16 million pounds while 20-year-old Manquillo will arrive on an initial yearlong loan. Next for Brendan Rodgers? Yet another forward.

Lav break?

And who will that be? Not necessarily Ezequiel Lavezzi, says the Daily Star, which says that the Argentine attacker -- who could be set to leave PSG as the Parisians prepare for Angel di Maria's potential arrival -- would prefer a move to Juventus despite Brendan Rodgers' sweet nothings.

Whether the Serie A champions can match Liverpool financially is a moot point; there's no doubt, too, that after the mysterious collapse of their bid for Loic Remy, the Anfield side are ready to pull out the stops in order to get another top-class front man on board.

Prolonging Pogba's stay

Talking of Juve: it's only a bubbling story, but Tuttosport points out that Paul Pogba is back at their training facility in Vinovo after taking his post-World Cup break, and has thrust the France midfielder's contract situation into the spotlight. His current deal runs until 2016, and the Old Lady want to nail him down for another three years, while agent Mino Raiola is unsurprisingly quiet on the matter. Chelsea, of course, are among those standing by.

Playing hard to get

When James Milner's tugging at your heartstrings, something's clearly gone askew -- but the back page of Friday's Daily Mirror says the Manchester City midfielder is playing with Manuel Pellegrini's mind by openly stalling over a new deal, something his club are pretty keen for him to sign, with homegrown player quotas proving an issue for them.

James Milner won't be happy at Manchester City unless he's receiving regular first-team minutes.

"I want to be here -- as long as I'm playing," said Milner, who played 31 times in last year's top flight but lacks the stardust of many of his teammates. He was linked with Arsenal earlier in the summer; with just a year left on his current deal, perhaps the Gunners won't be the only ones tempted to have a go now.

Saints swap?

A final Anglo-Italian morsel for you now. Corriere dello Sport says Inter Milan are close to sealing the deal for Southampton's Dani Osvaldo, who didn't exactly cover himself in glory during his Premier League spell. Saints, whom you'd expect to be keeping us nicely busy over the next couple of weeks, wouldn't mind taking Algerian World Cup midfielder Saphir Taider home with them in return; this transaction has been suggested for the past couple of days now, and it appears to be getting closer.