Welcome to this new initiative by Times of Malta's sports desk. We are looking to keep our readers and social media followers updated with all the latest news and gossip regarding the summer transfer window.

8.00pm That's it for tonight. Thank you for spending Sunday afternoon with us and we will be back tomorrow morning. Good night.

7.30pm Swansea are interested in signing West Brom's Nacer Chadli, according to SkySports.

Still, West Bromwich Albion are reluctant to part with the player while on the other hand Swansea are unlikely to sanction any deal until a Gylfi Sigurdsson’s future is sorted.

6.40pm Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele says Barcelona are an amazing club and “every player would like to play there.”

He’s spoken amid claims he's agreed personal terms with the Catalan giants.

However, the Dortmund Chief Executive says no amount of money would persuade them to sell.

5.50pm Wesley Sneijder looks set to join Nice after leaving Galatasaray.

5.30pm Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Marco Verratti has admitted that there was “something” to the reports linking him with a move to Barcelona, but he has decided to stay in Ligue 1.

The Spanish giants have held a long-standing interest in the Italy international, but the 24-year-old insists that he is happy playing in the French capital.

“Barcelona? There was something, but that was as far as it went,” Verratti said. “We didn’t have any other negotiations.

“I decided to stay on this path and I’m happy for it.”

5.15pm It's Arsenal who win the first piece of silverware of the season in England after defeating Chelsea in a penalty shoot-out.

4.55pm The Community Shield is heading for a penalty shoot-out as the match ends in a 1-1 draw.

4.40pm Drama at Wembley as Pedro is sent off for a rash challenge on Alex Iwobi and Alexander Kolasinac immediately heads in the winner.

4.15pm Torino have reportedly turned down an offer for Andrea Belotti from Milan that included two players.

La Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Milan bid €70m plus M’Baye Niang and Gabriel Paletta, but Torino are determined not to sell the striker.

4.10pm A breakthrough arrived at Wembley as Victor Moses has put Chelsea ahead against Arsenal after only a minute of play in the second half.

4.05pm No goals at half-time in the Community Shield match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Wembley Stadium.

3.55pm Mauricio Pochettino says Tottenham are trying to sign "a few players" this summer, having not yet made any additions to their squad.

 "We are working, trying to add some players to the squad," the Argentine managers said.

"Our idea was, the same as before, to try to provide the team with more strength and try to sign a few players before the end of the transfer window."

3.30pm Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has confirmed he has had offers to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer, but will now be staying with the club.

The striker was linked with a move to China as well as Milan, Chelsea and Manchester City.

"It is true that I spoke to Borussia Dortmund before I went on vacation,” he told German newspaper Welt am Sonntag.

“I told them my thoughts, that I was maybe ready to try something different. It was open and fair talks with Michael Zorc (Dortmund director of football) and Hans-Joachin Watzke (Dortmund CEO).

"But none of the clubs that wanted me could make it happen. So I'll stay here at Borussia Dortmund. I like staying here very much, as I feel at home in Dortmund."

3.00pm Napoli are reportedly close to completing a loan deal for Manchester City prospect Oleksandr Zinchenko. 

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder spent last season at PSV Eindhoven and, according to calciomercato.com, looks set for another spell away from the Etihad.

2.50pm Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has warned Barcelona off making a bid for Ousmane Dembele.

Barcelona are said to be interested in signing the 20-year-old France international as a replacement for Neymar, who completed his world-record €222 million move to Paris Saint-Germain.

Watzke, however, said that no amount of money would persuade Dortmund to do business – not even a mooted €100m transfer.

“In every case, (the transfer fee is) not enough,” Watzke told Eurosport during its coverage of the German Super Cup.

2.25pm Guillem Balague has the latest news on Barcelona's pursuit of Philippe Coutinho.

1.55pm Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva says he would love former Monaco team-mate Kylian Mbappe to join him at the Etihad Stadium.

Mbappe has attracted interest from a host of major clubs across Europe, with City among those reportedly admiring the 18-year-old striker.

"I haven't spoken to Mbappe - but he is a great player as well," Silva said, according to ESPN.

"I would love to have him here, and you never know, but that is for City to decide."

1.35pm Turkish side Besiktas have signed Dutch midfielder Jeremain Lens from Sunderland.

The midfielder made 24 appearances after joining in 2015.

1.25pm Good afternoon everyone and welcome to another day of transfer activity. Stay with us to follow all the latest transfer gossip and news from around the globe.

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8.57pm That's all for today! Thank you for spending your Saturday with us and join us tomorrow for much more news from across Europe.

8.56pm Malta international Jean Paul Farrugia made his debut for FC Chiasso in Switzerland's Division Two.

Unfortunately, Chiasso were beaten 2-0 by hosts FC Schaffhausten with the former Sliema forward playing the entire second half. 

8.30pm Gazzetta dello Sport is reporting that Lionel Messi wants Barcelona to sign two players; Angel Di Maria and Paulo Dybala.

The former looks unlikely to happen but the La Liga side believe they could tempt Juventus into selling Dybala and are prepared to offer players in exchange.

Andre Gomes and Rafinha are being linked with a move to Turin as part of the deal to take Dybala to Barcelona.

7.30pm Leicester have shown interest in signing midfielder Anicet Abel from Bulgarian champions Ludogorets, according to the Leicester Mercury.

Abel was reportedly close to joining Nantes – managed by former Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri – until a £7million deal broke down last week.

6.42pm Malta forward Jean Paul Farrugia is set to start on the bench for his new team FC Chiasso in their league match against FC Schaffhausen.

Farrugia joined the Swiss team on a two-year contract from Maltese outfit Sliema Wanderers. 

6.03pm According to Sky Sports, Mario Lemina of Juventus is close to join Southampton for 20 million euros.

The French midfielder will start on the bench for Juventus in today's friendly match against Tottenham Hotspur.

6.02pm Ebbsfleet United for whom Sam Magri features, have played out a 2-2 draw against Guiseley A.F.C on their National League opener.

6.00pm Gylfi Sigurdsson has been left out of the Swansea team to face Sampdoria amid speculation of a move away.

Everton have had two bids of £40m-plus rejected by Swansea for the Iceland international, Sky Sports understand – however, Paul Clement has confirmed talks are ongoing with another club over the possible transfer.

5.14pm Stoke City are in talks to sign free agent Jean-Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, according to the Daily Mail.

The Cameroon international left Schalke in the summer after scoring three goals last season.

5.05pm Newcastle are targeting a deal to sign goalkeeper Adrian from West Ham.

The Magpies are keen to bolster their goalkeeping options ahead of the new Premier League season and have identified the 30-year-old as a key target.

4.42pm Neymar has received a raucuous reception by the PSG fans at the Parc de Princes.

4.23pm Sam Magri's Ebbsfleet United are trailing 1-0 to Guiseley A.F.C, courtesy of a goal scored by John Rooney... brother of the more famous Rooney, Wayne.

4.01pm Guillermo Varela is set to leave Manchester United and re-join Penarol, according to the Manchester Evening News.

The 24-year-old spent last season on loan at Eintracht Frankfurt and did not report back for United first-team training in July.

Apparently Penarol have reached an agreement over a transfer fee which includes a sell-on clause and Varela will sign a three-year deal.

3.34pm Malta international Sam Magri is set make his debut for Ebbsfleet United in their National League opener against Guiseley A.F.C.

Magri joined the club earlier this summer after featuring for Dover Athletic last season in the National League, proving to be a key player in the lower tiers of English football. 

3.25pm After signing Martin Caceres, Verona are keen to bring back their former golden boy, Juan Iturbe.

The Paraguay international is currently at Roma but he is willing to leave the Italian capital, having never really settled at the club. 

3.05pm Inter's hopes of signing Henrique Dalbert look remote after Nice issued a hands off on their wing back.

The French Ligue 1 side’s general manager, Julien Fournier said: "Dalbert’s our player, he’s not going to join Inter like the Italian press have been saying."

2.30pm Riyad Mahrez has promised to do his best for Leicester despite admitting he is still keen to discuss a potential move to Serie A side Roma.

The 26-year-old winger, who won the Premier League with the Foxes in 2015-16, first expressed a desire to leave in May and boss Craig Shakespeare has said a July bid from Roma was rejected.

"I know Roma came in, but nothing was accepted so there is little I can do," he told Sky Sports News HQ. "They are a great club who I would like to talk to but I can't until Leicester accept a deal.

"Leicester know my thoughts, but I will continue to give my best for the club as I always have."

2.00pm Galatasaray have signed Brazilian midfielder Fernando from Manchester City on a three-year contract for a fee of €5.25 million ($6.18 million), both clubs announced.

Fernando, who joined City from Porto in 2014 and made more than 100 appearances for the Manchester club, heads to Turkey after being used sparingly by manager Pep Guardiola last season.

“The club has looked after me incredibly well throughout my time here and I have enjoyed the challenge of playing for a top team in probably the world’s toughest league,” the 30-year-old told City’s website. 

1.45pm Meanwhile, world record signing Neymar will not be able to make his debut for Paris St Germain in Saturday's Ligue 1 opener after the French club failed to register the Brazilian's transfer in time.

PSG missed a midnight deadline for a transfer certificate to be submitted to France's professional football league (LFP) from Spain's football authorities, sports daily L'Equipe and other local media reported.

1.30pm Neymar has forfeited a bumper loyalty bonus from Barcelona after departing for Paris St Germain in a record-breaking 222 million euro move ahead of schedule.

The 25-year-old Brazil forward has signed a five-year contract with ambitious Ligue 1 club PSG, becoming the most expensive footballer in history after weeks of speculation.

Neymar, for whom PSG had to pay Barca 222m euros (£200.6million), will reportedly earn 30m euros (£27m) net per year, or around 575,000 euros (£520,000) each week after tax.

However, his father Neymar Santos Sr, who has managed his son's career since his emergence at Santos, will not collect a 26m euro (£23.4m) loyalty bonus from Barca as its conditions were not met.

12.55pm We start the day with rather big news coming out from the Spanish media as Cristiano Ronaldo has hinted that he wants to return to the English Premier League.

The Portuguese made the comments after revealing his frustration over an investigation into his tax returns.

In quotes carried by Spanish newspaper Cadena Ser, Ronaldo said: "I never had this problem in England, that's why I'd like to go back.

"I remember when I arrived in England and they told me that that's how things worked. I went to Manchester as an 18-year-old and they advised me this was the best system I could use, just like the other players did. In Spain they told me I'd have to pay more but that there'd be no problems.

"I've always paid what I've had to pay."

12.45pm Good afternoon everyone and welcome to timesofmalta.com Live Transfer News and Rumours. Stay with us to follow all the latest transfer news from around the continent.

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10.53pm That's it for today! Thank you for joining us as we return tomorrow for further transfer news. 

10.43pm Our Sky colleagues in Italy are telling us Middlesbrough playmaker Gaston Ramirez has passed his medical ahead of £8.2m move to Sampdoria.

We're told the deal is close, but not yet done.
Boro manager Garry Monk confirmed on Thursday that permission had been granted for the player to speak to the Serie A club.

10.25pm We understand there is interest from Swansea in Nacer Chadli.

A bid for the West Brom midfielder is dependent on Gylfi Sigurdsson leaving the Liberty.

Chadli arrived at the Hawthorns from Spurs this time last year.

9.04pm Stoke have rejected an offer from Newcastle for striker Joselu, according to Sky sources.

The 27-year-old has played just 22 games for the Potters since arriving from Hannover two summers ago.

The Spaniard spent last season on loan at Deportivo.

8.47pm L'Equipe is saying that Barcelona and Real Madrid in talks to sign Dortmund forward Ousmane Dembele.

He prefers Barcelona.

He was valued €15m last summer.

Now, he is valued at €100m and it will be interesting to see both teams go head to head. 

8.23pm Monaco to open their Ligue 1 campaign as title holders tonight against Toulouse...here are some key notes from the match.

7.51pm Crotone and Juventus are in advanced talks between them as youth Rolando Mandragora is close to join Crotone on loan, according to Sky Sport. 

Earlier this year, Mandragora was the captain of Italy's Under-20 during the FIFA U-20 World Cup, in which Italy finished third. 

7.48pm Former Leeds and Cagliari owner Massimo Cellino is preparing to move back into club management as he nears the takeover of Serie B side Brescia.

The 61-year-old, who swapped Sardinian outfit for Leeds in June 2014, only lasted three years at Elland Road with his controversial reign ending when he sold the Sky Bet Championship club to Andrea Radrizzani in May.

Financially-troubled Brescia - famously the former workplace of Roberto Baggio, Andrea Pirlo and Pep Guardiola - have not played in Serie A since 2011 and have spent time in the third tier in the last five years.

The club are owned by Marco Bonometti, who is willing to sell the Lombardy outfit for around 6.5 million euros (£5.8million), according to board member Aldo Ghirardi.

7.45pm Brighton & Hove Albion have completed the signing of right-back Ales Mateju from Viktoria Plzen.

The 21-year-old Czech under-21 international joins on an undisclosed terms on a three-year contract.

6.44pm According to Sky Sport, Roma have offered 35 million for Riyad Mahrez of Leicester.

This is Roma's third offer for the Algerian winger, as the club from Italy's capital city is seeking to bring in an alternate option for their offensive plans. 

6.06pm Liverpool have suffered a significant injury blow after it was confirmed Adam Lallana has been ruled out injured for the next few months.

Coach Jugen Klopp said Lallana would miss "a couple of months, not weeks," and a source close to the club confirmed the midfielder would be sidelined for a maximum of three months.

Lallana suffered a thigh injury during Liverpool's Audi Cup defeat to Atletico Madrid in Munich today and will now miss the opening few months to the 2017-18 campaign.

5.54pm Holland manager Dick Advocaat has given his backing to Virgil van Dijk as he looks to secure a move from Southampton before the summer transfer window closes.

The Netherlands international centre back has been training away from the first team, has played no part in pre-season matches and has told manager Mauricio Pellegrino he wants to leave.

Speaking to Voetbalzone magazine about Van Dijk’s attempts to secure a move, Advocaat said: ”You can condemn it, but come on, if you can earn five times as much at a top English club, then I understand you're going to take action."

5.36pm Further confirmation about the saga of Ivan Perisic..

Man Utd's hopes of signing Ivan Perisic appear to be looking increasingly difficult.

The Inter Milan winger has been linked with a move to Old Trafford throughout the summer, but Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio says the winger will not be sold.

"Perisic is an important player and we are currently discussing a new contract with him," he told an Italian TV channel.

5.21pm Stoke are set to hold talks over a proposed €15m deal for Juventus midfielder Mario Lemina, according to Sky sources.

Officials from both clubs are meeting in London on Friday to discuss a possible transfer of the 23-year-old.

Lemina, a Gabon international, joined Juve from Marseille in 2015 and has since helped the club win two Serie A titles.

The player has three years remaining on his current deal with Juventus, although Stoke have declined to comment at this stage during the negotiations.

5.16pm Juan Mata has emerged as a target for Roma, according to reports in the Italian media.

Calcio Mercato claims the Italian club are still pursuing Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez as their top transfer target - but could turn to the Manchester United playmaker if they can't seal that deal.

4.30pm Diego Costa's continued exile and Eden Hazard's broken ankle mean Chelsea will have a new-look strike-force for Sunday's Community Shield with Arsenal at Wembley.

Strikers Alvaro Morata and Michy Batshuayi could be deployed together, while Pedro could play with a protective mask following the facial injury sustained in the Beijing friendly against the Gunners.

4.10pm Riyad Mahrez is no closer to a move from Leicester to Roma, according to the Serie A club’s sporting director Monchi.

The Foxes have rejected two bids from Roma for Mahrez.

And Monchi told a press conference: "The situation with Mahrez has not changed.

"I don’t know if Mahrez or somebody else will come but, whoever arrives, he will be a big player who is able to add quality to an already magnificent squad."

3.40pm Indian Super League champions ATK have signed former Tottenham Hotspur striker Robbie Keane ahead of the 2017-18 season, the Kolkata-based franchise said on Friday.

Keane, a former Republic of Ireland captain, was a free agent after his contract with Major League Soccer club LA Galaxy expired in December.

"I feel extremely fortunate to have played for some of the best clubs in England and the USA, as well as representing my country at several major tournaments," Keane said in a statement.

"At this stage of my career, the offer to experience a new league and culture in Asia appealed to me.

3.00pm Will Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers delve into the market for defensive cover as centre-back Erik Sviatchenko has been ruled out of the Champions League play-offs.

The Dane suffered a knee ligament injury during Celtic's qualifying win over Rosenborg on Wednesday and faces about six weeks out, meaning he will miss both play-off legs against Astana of Kazakhstan later this month.

2.30pm Levski Sofia have appointed former Lazio boss Delio Rossi as their head coach, the Bulgarian club said on Friday, without giving any details about the length or terms of the contract.

Rossi replaces Nikolay Mitov, who ended his spell in charge by mutual consent two weeks after Levski were knocked out by Croatia's Hajduk Split in the Europa League's second qualifying round.

1.55pm Gaston Ramirez has completed his move from Middlesbrough to Sampdoria.

The 26-year-old made 44 appearances for Boro after initially joining on loan from Southampton in January 2016.

1.50pm Tottenham Hotspur's highly-regarded England Under-21 midfielder Josh Onomah has joined Aston Villa on a season-long loan, the Championship (second tier) club announced on Friday.

Onomah has played for every England age group from Under-16 upwards and was a member of the squad that won the Under-20 World Cup recently.

He played 12 times for Spurs last season, including a Champions League appearance as a substitute against Bayer Leverkusen.

1.45pm Neymar is being presented as a new PSG player. You can watch it here.

11.30am Neymar's new shirts are out at PSG this morning and Javier Pastore is ready to offer his no.10 shirt to his new team-mate.

11.20pm Diego Costa's lawyer has confirmed his client is set to hand in a transfer request today.

11.05pm West Brom are reportedly set to step up their interest in Ahmed Musa.

The Birmingham Mail say Musa is likely to be fifth choice at Leicester after the arrival of Kelechi Iheanacho.

West Brom are reported to be keen to take Musa on loan, but only if there is an option to buy.

10.50am Reading have signed winger Modou Barrow from Swansea City on a four-year contract for an undisclosed fee, the Championship club have announced.

The Gambia international made his Premier League debut with Swansea in 2014 and has made more than 50 league appearances in the past three seasons.

10.40am Manchester United's hopes of signing Ivan Perisic from Inter look increasingly unlikely as according to Inter sporting director Piero Ausilio, the winger will not be sold and will instead be offered a new contract.

"I don’t understand where some of these stories come from,” he told Mediaset Premium. “Antonio Candreva has never been on the market and we have absolutely no intention of selling him. The same goes for Perisic, who is an important player and we are currently discussing a new contract with him."

10.30am Lucas Perez has handed in a transfer request at Arsenal, according to Goal.

The 28-year-old found his opportunities limited after joining last summer and now has an eye on next year's World Cup.

Perez's agent Rodrigo Fernandez Lovelle told Goal that Arsenal are asking for £13.4m for the forward.

10.10am As usual we kick off the day by having a look at all transfer gossip from the UK backpages. Read all here.

10.05am Good morning everyone and welcome to the timesofmalta.com Live Transfer News and Rumours. Stay with us for another exciting day of transfer activity.

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10.30pm That's it for tonight. Thanks for staying with us and we will be back tomorrow morning.

9.55pm Brazilian striker Neymar signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), the club said in a statement on Thursday.

The 25-year-old is committed to PSG until June 30, 2022, the club said. He is transferring from FC Barcelona.

"Today, with the arrival of Neymar Jr, I am convinced that we will come even closer, with the support of our faithful fans, to realising our greatest dreams,” PSG President Nasser Al-Khelaifi said. 

9.45pm Neymar is officially a Paris St Germain player. He signed a five-year contract the Ligue 1 side have announced.

9.10pm It's over Andre Schembri's Apollon Limassol are through after they beat Aberdeen 2-0.

8.50pm Andre Schembri's Apollon Limassol are six minutes of injury time away from qualification after Emilio Zelaya put them 2-0 ahead.

Schembri had put Apollon ahead in the first half. You can watch the goal here.

8.35pm Leicester have completed the signing of Kelechi Iheanacho from Manchester City for an undisclosed fee.

The 20-year-old striker put pen to paper on a five-year contract on Thursday, having undergone a medical at the club's training ground earlier in the week.

8.25pm Andre Schembri's participation in Apollon Limassol's match against Aberdeen was ended by a knock on 65 minutes as the Malta striker was replaced by Sardinero Corpa.

But remember Schembri's goal at the moment will enable the Cypriot side to reach the play-off round of the competition as the hosts lead 1-0.

8.08pm Brazilian striker Neymar signed a five-year contract with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) soccer club, a journalist for French radio station RMC said on Twitter.

"Neymar is Parisian! He signed a 5-year contract with PSG's leaders in Barcelona!," Mohamed Bouhafsi, RMC's editor in charge of soccer coverage, said on Twitter.

Neymar's last club FC Barcelona said on Thursday that the player's representatives had paid the 222 million euros ($263 million) release clause in his contract.

8.02pm While yesterday we reported that Naxxar Lions had signed Ameth Lo on loan from Lazio, today he joined the Lions permanently, 24 hours after signing with Lazio.

The departure of Lo means that Lazio have now an extra non-EU slot which will be filled by forward Felipe Caicedo, who joined Simone Inzaghi's team in the past days. 

7.20pm GOAL for Andre Schembri as he finds the net for the third time in four matches for Apollon Limassol in the Europa League.

Apollon are currently winning 1-0 against Aberdeen and as it stands, they would qualify on away goals, courtesy of Schembri's goal. 

Click here to watch his goal. 

7.06pm BREAKING NEWS: Barcelona confirm they have received the £198m payment for Neymar.

7.01pm Diego Costa's lawyer has told Spanish news agency EFE that he and his client are going to "formally request a transfer" away from Stamford Bridge.

"We are going to use all legal mechanisms to hold Chelsea accountable for this behaviour, making it possible for Diego Costa to leave," said Ricardo Cardoso.

Sources close to the player told SSN today that Atletico Madrid is the most likely destination for Costa, although nothing is yet agreed.

Asked if Costa could yet stay at Chelsea, our sources suggested that although nothing is impossible, it is likely the Spain international will leave.

6.50pm Arsenal have made an offer for Borussia Dortmund wide manOusmane Dembele, according to reports on Mundo Deportivo.

However, the Bundesliga club have turned down the Gunners' bid for the player, who is also reportedly interesting the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid.

6.30pm Andre Schembri was included in Apollon Limassol starting formation for their Europa League tie against Aberdeen in Cyprus. Stay with us to see whether Apollon will manage to oust the Scottish side. They trail 2-1 after the first leg in Scotland.

6.16pm According to Sky Sports News, Neymar and Paris SG's lawyers have just landed in Barcelona.

Stay tuned for further developments on this story. 

5.23pm Sergio Barila, agent of Carlos Bacca, spoke to Estadio Deportivo: ''It is not a secret that Bacca wants to return to Seville. Milan have other plans for their offensive department.''

5.03pm Barcelona's newly-appointed coach Ernesto Valverde is looking to sign Inigo Martinez from Real Sociedad.

The defender is valued around 32 million and Barcelona will also have to fight off Inter's challenge. 

4.33pm The latest from Chief Reporter of Sky Sports News Bryan Swanson is that talks between PSG and Barcelona are set to take place this afternoon.

A PSG source has revealed that there is a sense of 'irritation rather than panic' over La Liga refusal to accept Neymar's buyout clause.

4.12pm Incredible twist to the Neymar transfer story.... obviously a prank

4.07pm After signing Alvaro Negredo, Besiktas are trying to lure Chilean midfielder Gary Medel to Turkey.

Medel is currently with Inter but the Italian club is willing to sell the player. 

3.20pm Arsene Wenger is determined not to let Alexis Sanchez leave Arsenal.

3.05pm SkySports is reporting that Bournemouth have made an offer in the region of £20m for Demarai Gray.

The offer has been rejected by Leicester who say Gray is not for sale.

2.45pm Former Juventus and Middlesbrough striker Fabrizio Ravanelli has applied for the Hearts vacancy.

The 48-year-old has been out of management since leaving AC Ajaccio in 2013. 

Ian Cathro was sacked on Tuesday, four days before the first game of the season. First Team Coach Jon Daly is in temporary charge for Saturday's match against Celtic. 

2.30pm Further update on Neymar story. The player's legal representatives are flying to Barcelona to resolve the situation with the league association.

2.00pm French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday congratulated the president of Paris St Germain on the soccer club's hotly anticipated world-record signing of Brazilian star Neymar.

"Congratulations! I understand there's good news," Macron said to Nasser al-Khelaifi during a joint visit to a children's holiday camp outside Paris.

Khelaifi responded with a smile.

1.50pm Just to remind you of this earlier news... France striker Kylian Mbappe has asked to leave Ligue 1 champions Monaco, with Barcelona named among several big European clubs interested in signing him, French sports daily L'Equipe reported on its website.

The 18-year-old shone for Monaco as they claimed the French title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League last season but the forward wants to leave the club "very soon," L'Equipe said in the report.

Monaco recently said it was hopeful that the teenager valued at 180 million euros ($213 million) would agree to a new contract.

1.00pm More on the La Liga's refusal to accept PSG's attempt to pay Neymar's release clause...

Spain’s La Liga on Thursday rejected payment of a record-breaking release clause that would allow Neymar to leave Barcelona for Paris St Germain, a source from the national soccer league said.

A group of lawyers representing Neymar visited La Liga in Madrid on Thursday to try to settle the transfer and pay the 222 million-euro ($263 million) break fee.

It was not immediately clear whether La Liga’s refusal to accept payment would put the brakes on the transfer.

12.45pm Besiktas have announced the signing of former Manchester City and Middlesbrough striker Alvaro Negredo from Valencia on a three-year deal.

12.30pm Major transfer news coming out of Spain on Neymar's transfer to Paris St Germain.

11.00am Milan have reportedly made a second approach to Chelsea to sign Spanish striker Diego Costa.

The Serie A side are looking to sign the Spanish forward on loan from the English champions but it remains to be seen whether Costa would agree to the move as he prefers to return to his old club Atletico Madrid.

10.30am Birkirkara have just confirmed the news we broke up yesterday that they signed Alex Nilsson from Tarxien Rainbows.

The Swedish striker moves to the Stripes on a season-long loan deal.

Young Birkirkara midfielder James Brincat will move to Tarxien also on a one-year long loan agreement.

10.12am According to SkySports Spanish football expert Guillem Balague Barcelona are looking to replace Neymar by signing Kylian Mbappe from Monaco.

09.45am On the other hand, Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp criticised the deal and questioned the effectiveness of UEFA's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules, which stipulate that a club's wage bill must not exceed 70 percent of its revenue.

"There are clubs that can pay fees like that - Manchester City and PSG. Everyone knows that,"Klopp told reporters.

09.30am It's no surprise that Neymar's world record move to Paris St Germain is dominating the headlines and yesterday Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho gave some interesting insight on the move.

Mourinho insists the £200 million fee Paris St Germain are poised to pay for Neymar is "not expensive".

"When we paid that amount for Paul Pogba I said that it was not expensive," Mourinho said after United's 2-1 friendly victory over Sampdoria in Dublin.

"Expensive are the ones who get into a certain level without a certain quality.

"I think that Neymar is the same (as Pogba). I don't think he is expensive. For £200m I don't think he is expensive."

09.15am We kick off the day with a look at the UK newspapers back pages with Kylian Mbappe reportedly set to leave Monaco. Read all here.

09.10am Good morning everyone and welcome to the timesofmalta.com Live Transfer News and Rumours. Stay with us to follow all the latest news from the European transfer market.

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10.53pm That's it for today! Thank you for staying with us all day. We will be back tomorrow for another day full of transfer news and developments about Neymar's historic deal which will see him leave Barcelona for Paris St Germain. 

10.51pm Valletta are awaiting the arrival of Serbian striker Nikola Asceric.

The towering forward, who started his career with FK Vojvodina, is set to fill the void left by Argentine striker Maximiliano Velasco who was not offered a new contract by the Citizens last month.

10.43pm Floriana are in talks with Brazilian attacking midfielder Leozinho.

The much-travelled 31-year-old has already agreed personal terms with the Greens and is expected to arrive in Malta this week to finalise his transfer with last season’s FA Trophy winners.

10.24pm Sliema have also signed defender Goran Adamovic.

The Serbian centre-back, who last season was on the books of Mqabba FC, have agreed to sign a two-year contract.

10.18pm Birkirkara continued to strengthen their squad ahead of the new season when they reached an agreement to sign striker Alex Nilsson on a season-long loan deal from Tarxien Rainbows with young James Brincat heading into the other direction.

The capture of Nilsson is a significant coup for the Stripes who are looking to build a competitive squad that will see them among the protagonists to challenge for the major domestic honours in 2017-18.

10.10pm Senglea Athletic have added another couple of foreigners to their squad following the signatures of Ivan Paz and Matias Garcia.

The newly-promoted side have brought in Argentine player Agu Caceres, who used to form part of Belgrano's youth teams.

In addition, they also acquired the services Gregori de Sousa Braga of Brazil, who plays as a striker and was recently playing with Uniclic, in Brazil. 

9.56pm Back to Maltese football, as Naxxar Lions have announced the signing of Ameth Lo.

The Senegalese defender, 21, has joined the Lions on loan from Lazio ahead of the 2017/2018 campaign. 

Lo came up from the ranks of Milan and was also part of Reggina's squad during last season's Lega Pro campaign. 

9.42pm More information for you on the HUGE Neymar deal... La Liga were expecting PSG / Neymar lawyers to come to their office in Madrid this afternoon to try to pay the €222m Neymar release clause.

But nobody showed up.

La Liga are now expecting the lawyers to come tomorrow morning.

9.40pm According to Sky in Italy, Barcelona have a list of four replacements: Borussia Dortmund's Ousmane Dembele, Juventus forward Paulo Dybala, Monaco's Kylian Mbappe and of course Liverpool's Philippe Coutinho.

9.37pm A source has told Sky Sports News that this deal is NOT motivated by money

The source said: “People will say this has been driven by money, but he wants to become the leader at the club. He wants to be independent, and wants to win the Ballon d’Or. He believes he can do that in Paris.”

9.35pm La Liga president Javier Tebas has threatened to block the transfer but it’s understood PSG officials remain “very confident” there will be no issues with the buyout clause.

PSG has yet to confirm whether an agreement has been reached.

9.33pm A source in Spain close to Neymar has told Sky Sports News: “Since he decided to leave, Neymar has had to deal with huge pressure to stay at Barcelona. His teammates wanted him to stay but his decision was made.”

The source added that Neymar had been “close” to joining Manchester United in last summer’s transfer market but chose PSG after a further season at Barcelona.

9.31pm Sky Sports News understands that Neymar decided to leave Barcelona following talks on holiday near Rio de Janeiro in early July, before he joined the club’s pre-season tour of the United States.

The meeting involved Neymar, his father and super-agent Pini Zahavi, who has brokered the deal. Zahavi has known Neymar since the age of 17 and has become one of his closest advisors.

9.21pm Neymar has been offered a basic salary of £26.8m-a-year (€30m) after tax, around £515,000-a-week.

Barcelona confirmed the buyout clause will have to be “deposited in its entirety.”

9.19pm Neymar has agreed a five-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain and is due in Paris within the next two days to finalise the most expensive transfer in world football, according to Sky sources.

It is understood the total value of the deal is worth nearly £450m (€500m), which includes wages, bonuses and a buyout clause of £198m (€222m).

8.21pm From one Arsenal goalkeeper to another, as David Ospina has said he wants to remain at the club this season, despite reported links with a transfer away.

"I have a contract here, I'm happy and I'm going to fight to the end. I want to continue and win a job," Ospina told AS.

"That's what I'm working for, I've been working for three years and now I'm waiting for the opportunity."

8.00pm Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has joined La Liga outfit Getafe on a season-long loan.

The 24-year-old has been at the club since 2012 and spent previous spells out on loan with Oxford United, Sheffield Wednesday, Rotherham United and Wolves.

Martinez has made a total of 13 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions, 10 of which came last season, with two in the Premier League.

7.31pm Everton skipper Phil Jagielka has signed a one-year contract extension with the club until the end of June 2019.

The 34-year-old defender has penned the new deal after a decade at Goodison Park.

He said: “It has been a fantastic time here but, hopefully, we will create some more special memories in the next two years and I can look back on my time at Everton with a smile on my face.”

7.01pm Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim has insisted key trio Fabinho, Thomas Lemar and Kylian Mbappe are focused and not distracted by frequent links with moves away.

"It's not only about him [Mbappe], all the young players who were here last year and had a great season, Fabinho, Lemar, Kylian, we're talking about them joining other clubs, but they stay focused," Jardim said.

"Of course, Fabinho and Lemar are older, they may be a bit more mature, but Kylian, even these last two days, he's been working well. They know that the most important thing is the pitch."

6.36pm Leeds United have announced the signing of Ouasim Bouy on a free transfer following the Dutchman’s release from Italian side Juventus.

The 24-year-old can operate as a central defender or a defensive midfielder and has been at the Turin club since leaving the famous Ajax academy in 2012.

6.26pm Danish defender Simon Kjaer has signed a four-year contract with Sevilla.
The 28-year-old former Wolfsburg and Lille centre-back underwent a medical with the LaLiga club today and has now left Fenerbahce to move to Spain.

A statement published on Sevilla's official website said Kjaer - a Denmark international - would take part in training with his new team-mates tomorrow.

Sevilla have been busy in the transfer market this summer, with new head coach Eduardo Berizzo signing the likes of Nolito and Jesus Navas from Manchester City.

Colombian striker Luis Muriel, French defender Sebastien Corchia and the former Inter Milan midfielder Ever Banega have also joined the club in the transfer window.

6.22pm Man City striker Kelechi Iheanacho has completed his medical and is on the verge of joining Leicester.

SSN understand personal terms have been agreed and the £25m transfer, which gives City the option to buy him back for £50m, is nearing completion.

City believe the 20-year old Nigerian has the potential to become a world-class goal scorer, but presently they are struggling to guarantee him regular first-team football.

Iheanacho, who joined the City Academy as a 17-year old, has played 46 games for City in the past two seasons.

6.08pm Chelsea midfielder Mario Pasalic has signed a new four-year contract with the Premier League champions, while also joining Spartak Moscow on loan for this season.

 

5.42pm Neymar's £198m move to PSG would be the 15th world-record fee since 1992.

4.15pm Another Neymar update from SkySports journalist Kavey Solkehol. 

3.45pm Manchester United are not interested in signing Serge Aurier from Paris St Germain. 

Reports in Spain said that the English side had agreed a fee with the Ligue 1 side for the Ivory Coast wingback.

3.30pm Lionel Messi has just hit the social media to bid farewell to Neymar.

2.20pm Barcelona have issued a statement to confirm that Neymar has asked to leave the LaLiga giants.

2.00pm Sports journalist Richard Conway provides UEFA's stance on PSG's world record transfer of Neymar and the repercussions on Financial Fair Play Rules.

1.45pm Antoine Griezmann has emerged as a top transfer target for Barcelona as the Catalans could well be in the market for a striker if Neymar joins Paris Saint-Germain for a world-record fee, writes AS.

Armed with the money they would receive for the Brazil international, they could tempt Atletico into parting with their prized asset the very same summer the 26-year-old pledged his future to the capital club.

1.30pm Barcelona released a statement saying Neymar and his dad came to the club this morning to inform them that the Brazilian was determined to leave the club. 

1.15pm Birmingham City have had an initial loan bid for Ravel Morrison rejected by Lazio.The two clubs remain in talks over a potential deal.

Morrison has been training with Harry Redknapp’s side for the last three weeks. 

12.45pm According to SportMediaset Philippe Coutinho, of Liverpool will be the man to replace Neymar at Barcelona. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has made it clear that the Brazilian was not leaving Merseyside this summer.

12.15pm Inter have announced that they have signed Uruguayan midfielder Matias Vecino on a four-year contract from Fiorentina.

Italian media report that Inter paid a buyout clause of 24 million euros ($28.4 million) in full to sign the Uruguay international, who has been capped 13 times.

10.50am In further develovepments, the president of the national football league in Spain, Javier Tebas said the league would not accept payment by PSG to trigger the release clause.

It would potentially in breach of Uefa Financial Fair Play rules, he told Spanish sports newspaper AS.

But Sky Sports News reported a Uefa source as saying that La Liga did not have the power to block the transfer, which was a matter for the clubs.

10.40am Barcelona football club, in a tweet restricted to press, confirmed that one of its star players Neymar Jr was leaving the club, but gave no further details on Wednesday.

The contents of the tweet were confirmed to Reuters by one of the club's spokeswomen.

10.30am Major news coming out of Spain as Barcelona player Neymar Jr arrived at the team's training ground on Wednesday to tell his team mates there that he is moving to French team Paris Saint Germain, Catalan radio RAC1 has reported.

The Brazilian striker left the training area minutes later, the radio station said.

10.15am News from the Maltese transfer market. Floriana are set to open talks to sign a Brazilian striker.

The Greens are in the market as they are looking to find a replacement for the departing Mario Fontanella.

The Italian forward has attracted interest from four clubs from Malta, Italy and Qatar and he is expected to make a decision on his future in the next 24 hours.

10.00am Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is hoping Daniel Sturridge's thigh injury does not turn out to be serious.

The striker, a second half substitute in Tuesday's Audi Cup match against Bayern Munich at the Allianz Arena, picked up the injury as he scored the final goal in the 3-0 victory. Watch highlights here.

Asked how bad the injury was, Klopp told a post-match press conference: "I can't say yet. He hurt his thigh.

"He has prepared well, really well, so I hope this is just a small injury and that he can play again soon.

"It's a shame and I hope it's nothing serious."

9.40am As usual we kick off the day with all the latest rumours from the UK newspapers back pages. Read all here.

9.30am Goodmorning everyone and welcome to another hectic day of transfer activity. Will the world record transfer of Neymar to Paris St Germain happen today. Stay with us to remain updated on the latest transfer news.