ALEXANDRE LACAZETTE: ARSENAL CLOSE TO AGREEING DEAL FOR FRENCH STRIKER FROM LYON

Arsenal are close to agreeing a deal to sign Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette.

The Gunners had a bid rejected for the France international, 26, but talks have progressed and will continue over the coming days.

Lacazette's move is expected to be for a club-record fee, surpassing the £42.4m paid to Real Madrid for Mesut Ozil in 2013.

However, a deal for Monaco midfielder Thomas Lemar, 21, is less likely after a bid was turned down.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have not yet received any bids for 28-year-old Chile forward Alexis Sanchez, who told reporters on Friday that he has made a decision on his future.

Speaking before his country's Confederations Cup final against Germany on Sunday, Sanchez told reporters: "I'm clear, but I still can not tell you."

Sanchez only has a year left on his contract and Arsenal still hope he signs a new deal.

Lacazette becoming more prolific

On Thursday, Gunners chief executive Ivan Gazidis promised fans "top quality" summer signings during a question and answer session.

So far this summer, left-back Sead Kolasinac's is the only recruit, joining from Schalke.

Lacazette, who has 11 caps for France, has been linked with several top clubs and looked set to join Atletico Madrid prior to their transfer ban being upheld by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

He broke into Lyon's first team during the 2009-10 season after a successful time in the youth setup and has since scored 129 goals in 275 matches in all competitions.

Last season was his most prolific as he found the net 28 times in Ligue 1, a tally bettered by only Paris St-Germain's Edinson Cavani, with 35.

MASSIVE UPDATE IN LIVERPOOL’S PURSUIT OF NABY KEITA

Getting closer

Liverpool are getting closer to the signing of RB Leipzig’s Naby Keita as the player reportedly agrees personal terms with the English giants.

The midfielder has been the subject of intense speculation surrounding his future following Liverpool’s interest.

Jurgen Klopp looks determined to sign the player but it looks almost certain that Keita will not come cheap. 

Previous reports have claimed that the club are looking for around €70m for the Guinean footballer.

It has also been reported that Liverpool will test the waters with a club-record bid shortly to see if they can tempt Leipzig into selling.

Regardless, a deal is slowly creeping closer as the player reportedly agrees personal terms with Jurgen Klopp’s side.

Naby Keita has agreed personal terms for a move to #LFC, acc to German football expert @Lee_Price

— Billy Liddell (@Liddellpool) June 30, 2017

Liverpool target Championship defender

The Reds are looking at defensive options in the English leagues and they could have found one.

Jurgen Klopp’s side are weighing up a move for a former Premier League defender and could well love to replace Alberto Moreno.

Whether a deal will go ahead is yet to be seen but a move is seemingly under consideration.

Look who Liverpool are set to replace Moreno with here. 

CHELSEA NOT HAPPY WITH FIORENTINA BUT PLEASED TO BE CLEARED OF SALAH WRONGDOING

Chelsea have accused Fiorentina of seeking to "extort" money from them and former player Mohamed Salah.

The new Liverpool signing and the Blues have been cleared of wrongdoing after the Court of Arbitration for Sport dismissed a complaint brought by the Italian club.

Salah, who moved to Anfield from Roma, joined Fiorentina on loan from Chelsea in January 2015 for the remainder of the 2014-15 season.

But Fiorentina alleged breach of contract when the Egpyt winger instead moved to Roma on loan for the 2015-16 season in a deal which later became permanent.

FIFA threw out the complaint in May 2016 and, 13 months on, CAS has come to the same conclusion.

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A CAS statement read: "CAS has dismissed the appeal and confirmed the decision issued by the FIFA dispute resolution chamber on May 26, 2016 (FIFA DRC) in which Fiorentina's claim for compensation of Euros 32 million was rejected.

"The CAS panel found that the player did not breach the employment agreement by returning to Chelsea FC after June 30, 2015 and that Chelsea FC did not induce the player to terminate the employment agreement without just cause.

"Accordingly, it dismissed the appeal and confirmed the FIFA DRC decision."

Chelsea fiercely criticised Fiorentina for their conduct.

A spokesman for the Premier League champions said: "Chelsea's position throughout this case was that Fiorentina had acted in bad faith in bringing a claim which was totally unfounded.

"We are pleased that the CAS panel came to the same conclusion, with Fiorentina's case rejected in full and costs awarded to Chelsea and the player.

"We look forward to the full decision being published so that everyone can see the lengths that Fiorentina were prepared to go to in order to extort large sums of money from Chelsea and the player."

Salah, who joined Chelsea from Basle in January 2014, joined Liverpool for 39million euros (£34.3million) on June 22.

HERE'S THE THING ABOUT TRUMP'S MEETING WITH PUTIN NEXT WEEK

It's standard procedure in very non-standard times.

he President of the United States will meet with the President of Russia at the G20 Summit in Germany next week. This is not, on its face, unusual: President Obama met with Vladimir Putin many times, including when—as is the case now—the United States was levying sanctions against Moscow for its bad behavior, like its interference in Ukraine.

But President Trump's involvement does add a few extra wrinkles: Trump praised Putin frequently during the campaign, despite the Russian leader's autocratic tendencies; the U.S. intelligence community has since concluded Russia meddled in that campaign; and the president and his associates are now under investigation for their role in that effort.

So a largely routine bilateral powwow might have some extra spice, particularly because, by most accounts, Trump is normally quite eager to please the people he gets in a room with. (He's also had his issues when getting together with the Russians.) Possibly to that end, the National Security Council has been tasked with preparing "deliverables" for Trump to bring to the meeting, The Guardian reports, "including the return of two diplomatic compounds Russians were ordered to vacate by the Obama administration in response to Moscow's interference in the 2016 election."

The report adds cheekily, "It is not clear what Putin would be asked to give in return."

Apparently, Trump is pushing for a formal bilateral meeting, rather than an informal "pull-aside"—to the consternation of some on his national security team. It's unclear, at present, whether more of the sanctions the U.S. has placed on Russia—for Ukraine and for interference in the 2016 election—are on the table as part of Trump's "deliverables."

Let's just hope he doesn't black out and agree to give Alaska back.

FOOTBALL TRANSFER GOSSIP: COURTOIS, BORINI, BAKAYOKO, SANCHEZ, MAHREZ, LACAZETTE

For the latest gossip and debate, check out our Sportsday rolling news service every weekday, and for a list of all the completed deals, see our transfers page.

Transfer news - latest update (12:45 BST)

Real Madrid have enquired about signing 25-year-old Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, according to the Belgium international's agent. (Sport via Evening Standard)

Fabio Borini's transfer from Sunderland to AC Milan is set to be confirmed after the 26-year-old Italy forward was pictured having a medical with the Rossoneri. (Chronicle)

Monaco and France midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko, 22, has edged closer to completing his £35m switch to Chelsea after having a medical with the Premier League champions. (Daily Mirror)

Swansea City are in talks to sign Dutch goalkeeper Erwin Mulder. The 28-year-old Heerenveen player has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave on a free transfer. (Daily Mail)

Borussia Monchengladbach are putting together a formal offer of £12m for 23-year-old Tottenham and Netherlands forward Vincent Janssen. (Talksport)

Barcelona have set aside a budget to sign 27-year-old Spain midfielder Ander Herrera from Manchester United this summer. (Sport via Metro)

Transfer news - previous update (07:00 BST)

Manchester City are now front runners for Alexis Sanchez, 28, as Bayern Munich have backed out over the rising fee for the Arsenal forward. (Daily Mirror)

City are confident that they will sign Sanchez for a fee in the region of £50m, because of the forward's desire to play under Pep Guardiola. (Guardian)

Chelsea face competition from Paris St-Germain for Juventus full-back Alex Sandro, 26, with the Serie A club wanting £61m for the Brazil international. (Daily Mail)

Manchester United will lose out in the chase for Fabinho, 23, as Paris St-Germain are close to taking the Brazilian midfielder from Monaco.(Daily Record)

Arsenal have had a bid in excess of £30m turned down for Monaco's France winger Thomas Lemar, 21, and are now considering whether to formalise their interest in Leicester City's Algerian forward Riyad Mahrez, 26.(Telegraph)

Arsenal are interested in Nice midfielder Jean Michael Seri, 25, after Roma were put off by the £35m release clause for the Ivory Coast international. (The Sun)

Chelsea could hijack Zenit St Petersburg's £26m offer for Kostas Manolas, 26, as the Roma defender stalls on a move to Russia.(Daily Telegraph)

Michael Keane is not expected to return to pre-season training with Burnley on Wednesday because Everton will push through a record deal for the 24-year-old defender before the weekend.(Burnley Express)

Keane will cost Everton £25m and the signing will be completed before Everton return to pre-season training on Monday.(Times - subscription required)

Watford striker Stefano Okaka, 27, has been offered a big-money move to Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua.(The Sun)

Arsenal have been told they must pay £57m to land striker Alexandre Lacazette, 26, from Lyon. (London Evening Standard)

Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale, 27, is open to a move to Manchester United.(Daily Star)

West Brom are closing in on a £12m deal for Southampton striker Jay Rodriguez, 27.(Daily Express)

Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry, 36, has been told he could succeed Steve Bruce as manager of Aston Villa - if he joins the club.(Daily Express)

Liverpool target Naby Keita says he is aiming to play "for one of the very big clubs" like Barcelona, Real Madrid or Manchester City. The 22-year-old Red Bull Leipzig midfielder is wanted by the Anfield club.(Manchester Evening News)

Chelsea defender Nathan Ake, 22, is on the verge of joining Bournemouth in a club-record £20m transfer.(Guardian)

Liverpool target Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang looks set to complete a switch to the Chinese Super League. Tianjin Quanjian will bid £70m for the 28-year-old Borussia Dortmund striker. (Daily Star)

Real Madrid are thinking about Kylian Mbappe, according to Florentino Perez. The Spanish club's president says Mbappe's age at 18 means it will be difficult for him at the club but he concedes manager Zinedine Zidane is close to the Monaco striker and a bid could happen.(Independent)

Everton winger Gerard Deulofeu has rejected the chance of a return to Barcelona with AC Milan and Juventus both vying for the 23-year-old's services.(Daily Mail)

Swansea City are leading the chase to sign Coventry City's George Thomas this summer. Leicester City also want the 20-year-old midfielder. (Independent)

Newcastle United are in talks with Liverpool over a possible loan deal for winger Sheyi Ojo, 20.(Newcastle Chronicle)

Tottenham target Carles Alena has penned a new three-year deal at Barcelona, containing a buyout clause worth £66m. The midfielder, 19, captains Spain at under-19 level and has been on Spurs' radar for some time.(Daily Mirror)

Southampton executive director Les Reed has reiterated that defenders Virgil van Dijk and Cedric Soares, both 25, are not for sale. Liverpool and Tottenham are interested in the pair respectively.(Sky Sports - via Liverpool Echo)

West Bromwich Albion might not be out of the running to sign Jermain Defoe, 34, as the England striker's proposed move to Bournemouth has stalled in light of his personal demands. (Birmingham Mail)

Defender Jonny Evans is seriously considering his future at West Bromwich Albion after being left frustrated at seeing Darren Fletcher leave the club. Evans, 29, has been the subject of a £10m bid from Leicester City.(Daily Mirror)

Meanwhile...

Cristiano Ronaldo has confirmed he is the father to twin boys on Facebook, following Portugal's semi-final defeat in the Confederations Cup. (Facebook)

Zlatan Ibrahimovic has posted a video of a new statue created in his honour, with the post: "The symbol of Sweden is almost done". (Instagram)

Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford posted a photo of him chatting to "the king" - Ronaldinho. The former Brazil forward called Rashford "humble, young and good".

Porto have accused rivals Benfica of resorting to hiring a witch doctor to aid their push for the title last season. (The Sun)

Romelu Lukaku has hit back at critics who questioned him for playing football on holiday after a video emerged of him on a pitch surrounded by Chelsea club crests. (Liverpool Echo)

Former England defender Stuart Pearce is 'astounded' by reports Burnley centre-half Michael Keane, 24, will join Everton and not one of the Premier League's main contenders. (Talksport)

Mark Hughes will assure Bojan the slate has been wiped clean when the Spanish playmaker returns to the club for pre-season training next week. Bojan, 26, has been left wondering if he has a future with the Potters. (Stoke Sentinel)

Tottenham have held talks with Scott Parker over a position on the club's coaching staff. Parker, 36, retired from playing on Wednesday. (Daily Express)

Manchester City fear they could be stuck with Samir Nasri and his stay could cost up to £25m. (Daily Mail)

The best of Wednesday's transfer news

Arsenal are closing in on £30m-rated Monaco winger Thomas Lemar, 21. (Daily Mail)

Sunderland striker Fabio Borini, 26, will have a medical with AC Milan on Thursday. (Gazzetta dello Sport - in Italian)

Trabzonspor are willing to meet Liverpool's £5m asking price for midfielder Lucas Leiva, 30. (Fotomac, via Liverpool Echo)

Former Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, 32, will not join Stoke City because he is "settled" in Turkey with Fenerbahce. (Sozcu, via Stoke Sentinel)

Newcastle United goalkeeper Tim Krul, 29, is attracting interest from Ligue 1 side Montpellier. (Newcastle Chronicle)

Bottom of Form

GLOBAL CYBER ATTACK: PETYA RANSOMWARE SPARKS WORLD COMPUTER MELTDOWN SPREADING RAPIDLY

HACKERS have unleashed a mass cyber attack, causing widespread disruption to governments and companies across the globe.

The 'Petya' ransomware attack has affected companies in countries including the UK, Russia, India, Spain, France, Denmark and Norway.

The radiation monitoring system at Ukraine's Chernobyl nuclear power plant has been hit by the unprecedented security breach.

Britain-based advertising giant WPP is also among dozens of firms reporting issues.

Ransomware is the name given to programs that hold data hostage by scrambling it until a payment is made.

WPP, the world's biggest advertising business, said a number of its companies had been affected and it was currently "assessing the situation".

In a statement, the FTSE 100 firm said: "IT systems in several WPP companies have been affected by a suspected cyber attack.

"We are assessing the situation, taking appropriate measures and will update as soon as possible.

It came as company and government officials reported major disruption to the Ukrainian power grid, banks and government offices.

Ukrainian deputy prime minister Pavlo Rozenko said the computer system at the government's headquarters has been shut down.

He added: "It was an unprecedented attack, but our IT experts are doing their work and protecting strategic infrastructure.

"Important systems have not been affected."

Russia's Rosneft energy company also reported falling victim to hacking, as did shipping company AP Moller-Maersk.

A Maersk spokesman said: "We can confirm that Maersk IT systems are down across multiple sites and business units due to a cyber attack.

"We continue to assess the situation. The safety of our employees, our operations and customers' business is our top priority."

French construction materials company Saint Gobain also said it had been affected.

A spokesman for the firm said: "Along with other big companies, St Gobain has been the victim of a cyber attack.

"As a security measure and in order to protect our data, we have isolated our computer systems

The National Cyber Security Centre, which is part of intelligence agency GCHQ, said there was a "global ransomware incident".

A spokesman said: "We are aware of a global ransomware incident and are monitoring the situation closely.

"The NCSC website provides advice to the public and business on how to protect your digital systems."

Alan Woodward, a computer scientist at Surrey University, said: "It appears to be a variant of a piece of ransomware that emerged last year.

"It was updated earlier in 2017 by the criminals when certain aspects were defeated.

"The ransomware was called Petya and the updated version Petrwap."

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