Transfer Talk: Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio eyed by Man Utd, Arsenal, Tottenham

Craig Burley and Steve Nicol break down Real Madrid’s huge 5-2 win over Liverpool. (2:22)

The January transfer window may be closed around Europe, but teams are looking ahead to the summer and there’s plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

Arsenal, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are all competing to sign Real Madrid winger Marco Asensio, as has been reported by Football Insider.

As long as Asensio doesn’t sign a renewal, the 27-year-old will leave Real Madrid as a free agent when his contract comes to an end in the summer, having joined Los Blancos from Mallorca in 2016.

Spurs and Man United have already shown an interest in signing the Spain international while Arsenal are now ready to compete, with all three clubs having made contact with intermediaries about a possible deal.

Asensio has predominantly been called upon from the bench by Carlo Ancelotti this season, with just nine of his 30 appearances across all competitions coming from the start — even so, the winger has recorded six goals and five assists.

Should he join the Gunners, Asensio is expected to be competing with Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson for game time on the right flank. After being beaten by Chelsea to the signing of Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk in January, Arsenal are hoping to avoid a similar scenario when the summer transfer window arrives.

Spurs have a whole host of attacking options, while the Red Devils signed Antony in the summer, so Asensio is likely to face competition for minutes at any of the three clubs.

– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga & more (U.S.)

Inter Miami CF manager Phil Neville has admitted that the MLS club is interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain forward Lionel Messi and Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets, as reported by The London Times. Both players have contracts that are currently set to expire at the end of the season, and Inter Miami have long been linked with them.

– Arsenal have made significant progress towards agreeing a new contract for talismanic winger Bukayo Saka, reports the Daily Mail, who add that the new deal will be worth in excess of £200,000 per week. Saka, 21, has made it clear that he wants to stay at the Emirates Stadium and the principles of an agreement are believed to already be in place, with work now being done to resolve smaller details of the contract. His current deal is going into its final year, although Arsenal have an option to extend it by another year.

– Tottenham Hotspur are in pole position to sign Leicester City midfielder James Maddison ahead of Newcastle United and Manchester City, according to Football Insider. The 26-year-old wants to be a key player for any club he joins, a status likely to be offered by Spurs, who could also be capable of competing financially. It is expected that £60m to £70m could be enough to sign Maddison because his contract ends in 2024.

– Chelsea are closing in on a verbal agreement to sign Independiente del Valle midfielder Kendry Paez, according to Fabrizio Romano. The deal is close to being completed despite Paez still being 15 years old, with the Ecuadorian player able to move to Stamford Bridge when he turns 18.

Real Valladolid are waiting for an offer of €25 million for right-back Ivan Fresneda, reports Ekrem Konur. Arsenal, Borussia Dortmund, Newcastle United and Juventus are all interested in signing the 18-year-old, who has made 12 appearances across LaLiga and the Copa del Rey this season.

http://www.espn.com/espn/rss/news