Al Hilal target England's Kane - Wednesday's gossip

What the report says

BBC Sport Football reported that Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal have held talks with representatives of England captain Harry Kane and are also discussing a possible move for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins. The update said Kane, 33, is open to the idea of joining Al-Hilal at some point in the future, while Watkins, 29, has agreed personal terms but Villa have not yet received a formal bid.

The same roundup said Newcastle United have opened exploratory talks with Manchester City over Spanish midfielder Nico Gonzalez, 24. Elsewhere, Sunderland’s proposed £25.7m move for Toulouse defender Dayann Methalie, 20, is reportedly at risk after concerns emerged during his medical.

The article also noted that Coventry had an £8.5m bid for AC Milan midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek rejected, while Real Sociedad have approached West Ham midfielder Edson Alvarez. Ipswich had another offer turned down for Bayer Leverkusen’s Exequiel Palacios, and Tottenham are weighing up a move for Paris St-Germain defender Illia Zabarnyi after selling Cristian Romero to Atletico Madrid.

Taken together, the gossip roundup points to a busy late-summer market involving Premier League clubs and overseas sides. As with all transfer talk of this kind, several of the reported discussions remain preliminary and could change quickly if clubs decide not to proceed.