Several Premier League clubs are circling like vultures over central Portugal, ready to feast upon the carcass of Sporting. The Iberian giants have been thrown into chaos as half their team attempt to terminate their contracts having being attacked at their training ground by what the Mirror refers to as “masked thugs”, enraged by their team’s failure to qualify for the Champions League, and if the players get their way a lot of totally free talent will suddenly become available. The goalkeeper Rui Patricio, who had previously been close to a £15.8m transfer to Wolves, might now conclude a free transfer to Wolves, while Arsenal are said to be interested in Gelson Martins, Bruno Fernandes has been watched by Liverpool, William Carvalho has been linked with West Ham and Everton in the past and Bas Dost is entertainingly tall. Also on his way from Portugal is Raúl Jiménez, Benfica’s Mexican striker, who is about to join Wolves on a season-long loan.

Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United, plus Napoli and Internazionale, are all ready to battle for the 20-year-old Fiorentina ace Federico “son of Enrico” Chiesa, who has been priced at £62m by his club after a season of superlative wingplay that would probably have earned him a place in his country’s World Cup squad if only they had one. Inter are unwilling to meet that price but are hoping to tempt La Viola with a crafty player swap arrangement, with the Brazilian left-back Dalbert, the teenage forward Yann Karamoh and the 19-year-old Italian defender Federico Valietti all on the table, making this very much the moment for a cash-rich English team to swoop.

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Arsenal aren’t as cash-rich as most, which is why they are currently locked in talks over Sampdoria’s midfielder Lucas Torreira rather than already back home with the Uruguayan’s signature. “Lucas has a release clause, everybody knows it,” said the Italian club’s president, Massimo Ferrero. “Whoever wants to take him will have to work with that release clause, €25m.” Arsenal have worked quite hard with that release clause, have chopped it into several chunks and are now offering to pay it in instalments, so as to leave themselves with a bit more cash to go bargain-hunting in the summer sales.

Liverpool’s young midfielder Marko Grujic could meanwhile be heading to one of Enrico Chiesa’s old clubs (there are quite a few) in the shape of Lazio, who would like to play him alongside his hotly-tipped occasional Serbia team-mate Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, while Liverpool’s young striker Harry Wilson is wanted by Fulham and Huddersfield, both of whom would pay up to £7m for his services.

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In further Liverpool-related news, the club has “received initial encouragement” from Xherdan Shaqiri’s representatives and will press ahead with a £12m transfer once Switzerland are eliminated from the World Cup, according to the Mirror. Meanwhile the Roma goalkeeper Alisson says his future “will be resolved before the start of the World Cup, or at least that is what I hope”. At least one of Roma’s big players is leaving – Tuesday’s Gazzetta dello Sport leads with Radja Nainggolan, shown with mocked-up blue-and-black Mohican, agreeing to join Internazionale. Tuttosport meanwhile lead with news of Aleksandr Golovin, who is wanted by Juventus for £17.5m, and declare that Carlos Bacca has delivered the 23-year-old Villarreal winger Samu Castillejo to Milan, who he will join in a player exchange deal, with Bacca heading to Spain.

Marco Silva has told Wayne Rooney that the former England ace is no longer needed at Everton and intends to replace him with the much-coveted £25m-rated Norwich midfielder James Maddison, who is also wanted by Leicester and Fulham. West Ham meanwhile have been told they can have Swansea’s Lukasz Fabianski, but only if they nearly double their opening bid to £7m.

Finally an Aston Villa armageddon update, and it looks like Steve Bruce is on his way: the Star exclusively reveal that “the club’s Chinese owner, Dr Tony Xia, may decide to sack Steve Bruce. But if he doesn’t, the 57-year-old could walk out anyway”. The Express goes a stage further, saying that not only will Bruce depart, he “could end up at Leeds”.