We may be several months away from the transfer window reopening in the summer, but many of the Premier League's top dogs are already plotting moves to improve their respective squads.
There are big-money defensive targets and creative attacking midfielders on the agenda for the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City today, so here are your biggest headlines:
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Arsenal rival Barcelona over Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni
According to reports, Arsenal will rival LaLiga giants Barcelona for the signature of Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni next summer.
Given that the Italy international is under contract until 2028, he will not come cheap with the Serie A leaders thought to be demanding a fee in the region of £84 million.
It remains to be seen whether the Gunners will actually follow up with their interest in Bastoni, especially as it's hard to envision exactly where he fits into the squad, as Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba are nailed starters, and the likes of Piero Hincapie and Cristhian Mosquera are more than adequate back-ups.
Therefore, it would be an almighty risk for Mikel Arteta to part ways with those sort of finances, with other areas of the pitch arguably in need of reinforcements.
Chelsea join Liverpool in race to sign Murillo
Meanwhile, across the capital, Chelsea have entered the race to sign rival defender Murillo from Nottingham Forest, who has also been courted by Liverpool, per TEAMtalk.
The Brazilian is believed to be gearing up for a summer exit from the City Ground, with the two aforementioned Premier League giants keeping close tabs on him over the past year.
In terms of an asking price, Forest are expected to demand in excess of £50 million at the bare minimum, as Murillo only signed a long-term extension last January.
The Blues aren't afraid to get creative when splashing the cash, and at 23 years of age, the Forest colossus fits the transfer policy at Stamford Bridge – and arguably, he'd be an upgrade on what Liam Rosenior currently has at his disposal.
Man City told Morgan Gibbs-White asking price
Man City have been told to pay in the region of £60-70 million if they want to sign Morgan Gibbs-White from the Tricky Trees this summer.
That's according to emerging reports, which also claim that Pep Guardiola is keen to reignite interest in the England international after initial interest in the summer of 2025.
Gibbs-White was said to be flattered by City, but opted to sign an extension to 2028 instead.
It seems likely that Forest will sell their vice-captain, whether they are relegated or not, because of the sizeable fee he could generate and at the Etihad Stadium, he could emerge as a suitable long-term successor to someone like Bernardo Silva.
