The Caste System

The summer transfer window is open in England with more countries soon to follow suit, and there is plenty of gossip swirling around. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

Barcelona have asked for time to respond to Arsenal's undisclosed offer for Jules Koundé, according to Diario Sport.

The Blaugrana's delicate financial situation means that Marc-André ter Stegen, Hector Fort, Pau Cubarsí, Gavi, Fermín López and Lamine Yamal are the only players that they won't consider letting leave.

Koundé is among the Barca players who are in the highest demand, especially as the 25-year-old has proven that he can perform at both centre-back and right-back. There has been further evidence of that during the Euros, with Koundé playing an important role in France reaching the quarterfinals.

Barca are counting on Koundé but Arsenal have already contacted them about a possible transfer and the Catalan club need funds. With that in mind, they have asked the Gunners to give them time to respond, as the possibility of Koundé leaving is directly linked to Ronald Araujo's future.

Barca have already told Arsenal that Koundé will be staying put if the Uruguayan departs, but they will be willing to negotiate if he stays. Even if negotiations do take place, the Blaugrana will reportedly not let the Frenchman leave for less than €60 million. The defender has a contract that lasts until 2027 and includes a release clause worth €1,000m.

- Chelsea are pushing to sign Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, reports Diario Sport, which adds that the Blues are willing to trigger the 21-year-old's €60m release clause and offer him a fee between €15m and €20m. They also want to move quickly to capitalise on Barcelona's financial issues, but the Blaugrana remain confident that they will sign the Spain international as his priority is to play for them.

- Désiré Doué is on the list of players that Bayern Munich are looking at and Stade Rennais are aware of the Bavarian club's interest, according to Florian Plettenberg. The 19-year-old winger could become a serious option for this window if Bayern offload more players or they could wait until 2025 to make a move.

- Bayern Munich bosses have agreed basic contract details such as length and salary with the representatives of Paris Saint-Germain attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, reports Sky Sports Deutschland. They are also in concrete negotiations with PSG, but the 21-year-old hasn't decided where he wants to play next season. A return to RB Leipzig is still reportedly an option.

- Barcelona are leading the race to sign RB Leipzig attacking midfielder Dani Olmo, according to Nicolo Schira. This comes after the journalist had reported that Manchester United and Manchester City had also been trying to sign the 26-year-old with Leipzig wanting €60m for him.

- AC Milan hope to sign Chelsea trio Romelu Lukaku, Carney Chukwuemeka and Trevoh Chalobah, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, which adds that the Serie A club is also in pole position to sign AS Monaco midfielder Youssouf Fofana. None of the Blues players mentioned are part of new coach Enzo Maresca's plans.