Top 5 Transfer Rumours of the Day: June 17

We take alook at some of the hot transfer speculation from various European newspapers.

#1 Arsenal close in on Mario Balotelli

FA Cup champions Arsenal are inching a step closer to signing ace Italian striker Mario Balotelli after agreeing to pay £25m to AC Milan.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is a long time admirer of Balotelli and has been pursuing the striker for the past two weeks in spite of his reputation of creating controversies on and off the field.

Reports say that Balotelli’s representatives have come to Brazil to have talks with Wenger regarding the move.

With £100m in hand, Wenger looks set to seal the deal as AC Milan will also be looking to resolve their financial troubles by off loading the controversial striker.

#2 Real Madrid place a 33m bid for Adnan Januzaj

Belgian sensation Adnan Januzaj has come on the radar of Real Madrid and they have apparently placed a huge £33m bid for the 19-year-old.

Los Blancos are of the opinion that the Manchester United winger will be a perfect fit for their squad and they are ready to splash huge money to complete the deal.

In an otherwise dismal season, Januzaj was one of the best performers for Manchester United. As the new coach Louis van Gaal intends to make big signings in the summer, he could look to cash in by selling the Belgian winger.

#3 Vermaelen to be swapped for Tom Cleverly

Manchester United are keen to sign Arsenal defender Thomas Vermaelen as a replacement for their out-going captain Nemanja Vidic.

The Old Trafford giants are offering £10m for the Belgian centre back but Wenger is expected to go for an exchange deal with them.

Vermaelen has just one year left in his contract and is considered to be a surplus defender in the presence of Mertesacker and Koscielny.

But, Arsene Wenger has been keeping an eye on Tom Cleverly for some time and is expected to make use of this opportunity to go for him. Along with Cleverley, Wenger is also likely to ask for Chris Smalling in a player plus cash deal.

#4 Liverpool turn their attention to Daley Blind

Liverpool are desperate to add a new left-back to their squad in this summer.

Since their negotiations to sign Alberto Moreno broke down after Sevilla demanded £20m, the Reds are looking to sign Dutch star Daley Blind.

According to sources, Brendan Rodgers has already opened talks with Ajax officials over Blind’s availability.

As a back-up option, the Reds are expected to make a move for Swiss star Riccardo Rodriguez. They were keen on him in January and his impressive performance in the World Cup could have rekindled their interest now.

#5 Atletico Madrid target Manchester City\'s Alvaro Negredo

Atletico Madrid are in the market to sign a proven goalscorer after the departure of their star strikers Diego Costa and David Villa.

Since Costa’s move to Chelsea is almost certain and Villa has also announced his move to the MLS, the La Liga champions are looking to sign Manchester City frontman Alvaro Negredo.

With his dominating physical presence and clinical finishing, Negredo is expected be the man who Atletico boss Diego Simeone is looking for.

Negredo had a successful season at the Etihad scoring 23 times helping City win the Capital One Cup and the Premier League. But, he was benched for majority of the second half of the season as Pelligrini preferred to play Dzeko up front.