Manchester City Transfer News: Latest Leandro Paredes, Jason Denayer Rumours

Manchester City and Liverpool are reportedly eyeing a move for AS Roma starlet Leandro Paredes, who is also wanted by AC Milan, Zenit Saint Petersburg and Juventus, while Galatasaray want Jason Denayer to return to Turkey during the summer transfer window.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Daily Express' David Wright), City and Liverpool are both keeping an eye on Paredes, an Argentinian midfielder who emerged as one of Serie A's most intriguing young talents on loan at Empoli last season.

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The Roma man has also been linked with Zenit and Milan, while Gazzetta (h/t TalkSport) have mentioned Juventus, Schalke 04 and AS Monaco as potential destinations in the last week. According to the report, the Giallorossi value Paredes at £16 million.

The 22-year-old is widely seen as a top talent, but as shared by Gianluca Di Marzio, Roma are looking at Bologna's Amadou Diawara, who is even more highly rated, and that could lead to a sale:

Paredes moved to Italy in 2015 and is yet to show he can hold his own in a star-studded midfield, but based on his spell with Empoli, he has a big future. The former Boca Juniors man was one of the team's most consistent performers, playing a huge role in their 10th-placed finish.

The playmaker mainly stood out with his remarkable distribution and defensive effort, and while he didn't score a lot of goals or register a bunch of assists, that's not what Empoli expected of him. Here's a look at some of his highlights:

Paredes is somewhat reminiscent of new City signing Ilkay Gundogan, and while he isn't nearly as developed as the Germany international, he has the potential to become just as decisive.

Unfortunately, Roma already have two fantastic options who play in his position, and neither Daniele De Rossi or Radja Nainggolan will be benched for Paredes anytime soon.

City have shown a willingness to invest in young talent this summer, adding the likes of Leroy Sane, Marlos Moreno and Gabriel Jesus, and Paredes would fit in perfectly with that group. Whether he'd be willing to move to the Etihad Stadium, where he would have to battle for minutes, is a different matter.

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Milan are thought to be the favourites to sign him if he does move, and a move to Juventus would make a lot of sense as well―the Bianconeri have just lost Paul Pogba to Manchester United and will be without Claudio Marchisio to start the season, so he would find opportunities to make an early impression.

Meanwhile, Galatasaray sporting director Levent Nazifoglu has confirmed his club wants to add Denayer for the upcoming season, as reported by Turkish Football (h/t Manchester Evening News' Alice McKeegan): "Denayer settled in well last season and we want him back but it all now depends on what he says and what Manchester City decide. We want him and so does the manager and City know this.”

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According to the report, Denayer is weighing his options following the transfer of John Stones, which should limit his opportunities for playing time at the Etihad even more.

The youngster spent the 2015-16 season on loan with Galatasaray and did enough to earn a spot in Belgium's UEFA Euro 2016 squad, starting the Red Devils' final match of the tournament against Wales.

Here's a look at some of the highlights from his time in Turkey:

The 21-year-old has all of the physical tools to be a dominant centre-back, and he has flashed his tremendous potential on several occasions, particularly with the Belgian national team. But he doesn't seem ready to contribute at the Premier League level, and after back-to-back loan spells, one has to wonder whether the club still sees a future for Denayer in Manchester.

A permanent move with a buyback clause could be an option, allowing Denayer to continue his development elsewhere and giving City some control of his future in case he does live up to the lofty expectations.