Whilst most clubs have now begun their pre-season campaigns, it still doesn’t quite do enough to fill the footballing void. But fear not, as we have rumours galore to get you through the tought times ahead.

There’s plenty to whet your appetite as the two north London clubs continue their transfer window rivalry, while Newcastle are set to make their first signing of the summer.

Check out all of today’s gossip below.

Otamendi Wants to Return to Valencia

​​Manchester City’s defensive warrior Nicolas Otamendi is keen for a return to his former club Valencia and is happy to reject potential moves elsewhere in order to facilitate the move.

As reported by ​​Super Deporte, the Argentine favours a return to Valencia – the club he left in 2015, and a family member of the defender has told the Spanish publication that he “wants his children to grow up” in the Spanish city.

The deal itself will be a difficult one for the ​La Liga side to pull off, but such is Otamendi’s desire to make it happen, they remain hopeful of luring him back.

Premier League Big Boys Chase CSKA Moscow Star

​Fedor Chalov has attracted interest from a host of ​Premier League and other European clubs following the 21-year-old’s fantastic season in the Russian Premier League in 2018/19.

​The Mirror report that ​Arsenal, ​Manchester United, ​Liverpool and ​Tottenham will compete with a host of major European clubs for the attacker’s signature this summer, after he scored 15 goals in 30 games last season.

Chalov was the league’s top scorer last year and is already being touted as the future of Russian football. In a stellar Europeancampaign, the forward grabbed widespread attention with goals against Arsenal and ​Real Madrid.

Daniel Sturridge Offered Serie A Opportunity

​Daniel Sturridge struggled for regular first-team football at Liverpool under Jurgen Klopp and the Reds’ refusal to offer him a new contract did not come as a huge surprise.

With his career currently in limbo, the ​Daily Express have reported that Sturridge has been offered a lifeline by ​Serie A side Bologna, who are looking to recruit the former ​Chelsea man on a free.

However, one sticking point with this deal would be the Englishman’s wage demands, as he was believed to be earning around £120,000-a-week with the Merseysiders. Given the injury problems suffered by the striker in recent seasons, he may struggle to get a similar deal anywhere else.

Burnley Prepare Moves for Genk Duo

Not the busiest club so far in this summer transfer window, but ​Burnley looks set to make a double-swoop for Genk right-back Joakim Maehle and midfielder Ruslan Malinovskyi.

As reported by ​The Sun, manager Sean Dyche is being pushed to sign Maehle by his scouts, who have returned from Belgium with glowing reviews of the young Dane.

His Ukranian teammate is also the subject of interest from the Clarets, with rumours suggesting they are lining up a £19m move for the pair. 

Newcastle Close in on Former Chelsea Youngster

​While the ​Magpies’ search for a manager continues, they are wasting no time in recruiting players, as they look set to complete a deal for out-of-contract Chelsea youngster Kyle Scott.

The English-born midfielder has represented the USA at international youth level, but failed to make the breakthrough at Stamford Bridge after just one first-team appearance.

However, Scott remains highly rated within the game and ​Football Insider report that he will sign a three-year deal with Newcastle within the next 48 hours.

West Ham Line Up Bid for Brentford’s Neal Maupay

​​West Ham are targeting a move for Brentford striker Neal Maupay, as their search for a striker to replace Marko Arnautovic continues.

Following failed attempts to bring Maxi Gomez, Salomon Rondon and Callum Wilson to the London Stadium, ​Football Insider report that the Hammers are now targeting Maupay, who scored 28 goals in all competitions last season.

The east London side have been told they will need to bid in excess of £15m, as they look to fight off competition from ​Aston Villa, ​Sheffield United and ​Brighton.

Palace and Brighton Show Interest in Leeds’ Roofe

 They have built up a rivalry on the pitch and now ​Crystal Palace and ​Brighton look set to compete off the pitch, as they both show an interest in Leeds United man Kemar Roofe.

The striker has just one year left on his deal at Elland Road, and ​Sky Sports report that the two Premier League sides head a queue of clubs interested in the ​Leeds man, who bagged 15 goals last season.

The 26-year-old has also been in talks to extend his deal at the Yorkshire club, but with the prospect of a move to the top-flight, Leeds may struggle to convince Roofe to stay.

Arsenal Looking to Hijack Spurs’ Pursuit of Nicolo Zaniolo

​​Following reports that Arsenal were set to complete a move for Saint-Etienne’s William Saliba, north London rivals Tottenham came in with a bid at the last minute and now look set to hijack the deal.

In response, Unai Emery is looking to give Spurs a taste of their own medicine, as the Gunners prepare to compete with their rivals for the signing of Nicolo Zaniolo, who has also been linked with a move to ​Juventus.

The ​Daily Express report that Arsenal are prepared to match any offer on the table for the Roma midfielder, as they look to boost their options in the centre of the park following the loss of Aaron Ramsey to Juve.

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​Former Arsenal head of recruitment Sven Mislintat was stunned by Gunners’ manager Unai Emery’s decision to bring Barcelona midfielder Denis Suarez to the Emirates stadium.

Emery was determined to sign the Spain international, despite Mislintat’s deep concerns over the player’s abilities.

Suarez endured a miserable spell in England, failing to adapt to the physicality of the English game and suffering a string of injuries, leaving the Spaniard with only four Premier League appearances to show for after spending six months in London. 

The loan deal was eventually cut short due to his injury problems, and Suarez returned to Spain, where he signed a permanent deal with La Liga side Celta Vigo at the end of the season. 

According to ​T​he Times, Mislintat was ‘dismayed’ by Emery’s insistence to complete the loan signing, despite the options the Spanish boss had at his disposal. 

The ex-​Dortmund chief was keen to see the development of young academy graduates Joe Willock and Bukayo Saka, both of whom occupied the same position as the ill-fated loanee.

However, Emery was very reluctant to put his faith in the young prospects, and they failed to break into the Arsenal side over the course of the season. 

Mislintat’s spell in charge of ​Arsenal’s transfer staff was relatively successful, bringing in the likes of Lucas Torreira, Bernd Leno, Matteo Guendouzi and the Premier League’s joint top-scorer, ​Pierre-​Emerick Aubameyang. 

He was also part of a three-man panel, which eventually caused his split from the London club, as he became frustrated by the club’s transfer decision-making process. Following his departure from the Emirates, he completed a move to Bundesliga outfit VfB Stuttgart, where he became the club’s sporting director. 

Arsenal supporters will be concerned by the lack of signings made during this summer’s transfer window so far, after a disappointing end to last season in which they missed out on Champions League football yet again. 

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Following his appointment as technical director ​of Arsenal earlier on 9 July, Edu has held talks with Brazilian winger Everton in the hopes of bringing him to the Emirates. 

Edu has a good relationship with the winger following his role as general coordinator for Brazil during their Copa America campaign, which should help in his efforts to convince the player to make the move to north London. 

According to ​The Metro, ​Arsenal began talks with the youngster during the tournament and Edu was able to relay information back to the club regarding the player. 

It is reported that Edu spoke to Everton’s agent Gilmar Veloz on Monday before he travelled to England to discuss his client’s potential move to Arsenal.

As a result, it is now believed that Unai Emery is formalising an official bid.

Everton impressed whilst on show at the Copa America and ended up as top scorer with three goals, taking home the golden boot. The winger produced a Man of the Match performance in the final, capturing the attention of clubs all over the world.

It is believed that Arsenal will face stiff competition for Everton’s signature from ​Atletico Madrid, who have shown that they are willing to spend £30.5m on the 23-year-old.

The youngster spoke on the speculation surrounding his future after a 2-1 win against Vasco stating: “I really do not know what can happen, the more time goes by, the more things are tapering down.”

The winger has recently broken onto the international stage but has been ever-present for his club, making 145 appearances for Gremio, scoring 38 goals in the process. 

Arsenal have been heavily ​linked with Crystal Palace winger ​Wilfried Zaha recently but Everton could prove to be a cheaper alternative, especially as it is rumoured that the Gunners only have a transfer budget of £45m this summer. 

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​Financial restrictions following the move to the Emirates Stadium thwarted Arsenal making moves for Eden Hazard and Thibaut Courtois, according to former negotiator and Arsene Wenger confidante Dick Law. 

The ‘transfer guru’ spent eight years at the club identifying and negotiating for transfer targets in north London.

Speaking to ​Goal.com, he revealed how Arsenal missed out on several big names during the Wenger years, including Real Madrid duo Courtois and Hazard.

Law is quoted as saying: “Did we miss out on talents? Certainly. I remember sitting in meetings with Steve, Ivan and Arsene and gnashing our teeth over Thibaut Courtois. We knew he was good.

“Eden Hazard as well, we wanted to do that deal. But there was a sense of responsibility and running the club prudently, all the time knowing that every £1 we spent we had to act as if it was our money. It was very, very difficult.”

Law was famously branded ​incompetent by Gunners legend Ian Wright upon announcing his departure from the club in 2017, with the Match of the Day Pundit blaming Law for the failure to land Luis Suarez during Arsenal’s unsuccessful pursuit of the Uruguayan in 2014, culminating in their much-ridiculed £40,000,001 bid.

The former CEO of Panamerican Sports Teams also spoke about the controversial departures from Arsenal in the years following the move from Highbury, with the club unable to compete in the transfer market. 

The high-profile exit of Robin van Persie in 2012, which arguably drew the biggest ire from the fans, led to Manchester United’s title victory the following year.

Law said: “We did everything we could to keep Robin. He was 29 when he moved, he had a year left and wanted to do his very best in arguably his next-to-last contract – or even his last contract.

“In every case where we attempted in good faith to negotiate with players, we just couldn’t control all the factors. We knew how it looked selling to rivals but getting £24m for a 29-year-old was an important piece of business, it set us both up.

“You would have to ask him if his calculation worked out. Financially, it worked out for sure, but he ended up moving to Turkey and then back to Feyenoord. If he stayed at Arsenal I’m reasonably sure he would have gone down in history as one of the greats.”

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​Arsenal are ‘monitoring the progress’ of young Stevenage full back Luther James-Wildin, as they look to address their long-standing issues in defence. 

Unai Emery has had a nightmare with his right back berth at Arsenal so far. First choice Hector Bellerin remains a long term fitness concern and is set to miss at least six weeks of the new season with a cruciate knee ligament injury. 

This leaves Emery with Carl Jenkinson and Calum Chambers as his senior options at right back. With Jenkinson’s ability at the top level something of a concern, Chambers’ versatility across the back four could be used to plug a hole in the position. Young Ainsley Maitland-Niles has also filled in at right back but is considered more of an attacking option for the Gunners. 

However according to ​football.london, James-Wildin has caught the attention of Arsenal’s scouts during his breakthrough season on loan at League Two Stevenage. 

A number of the club’s scouting team is reported to have made the trip to Broadhall Way last season to watch the £1m-rated 21-year-old in action. 

The highly rated right back featured 41 times for the League Two side, helping Dino Maamria’s side finish just one point shy of the playoffs in 2018/19.

His form was also good enough to earn him the Stevenage Young Player of the Year award last season. 

Although, Leicester-born James-Wildin is a two-cap Antigua and Barbuda international. Should he make the leap to the Premier League from the fourth tier this summer, He would emulate former Stevenage academy graduate Ben Wilmot who joined ​Watford in 2018 for £1.4m.

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