Key events
AC Milan are trying to sign Joe Gomez, but Liverpool will only allow that if they succeed in snatching Marc Guéhi from Palace. On which point, what a shame it is to see Oliver Glasner’s FA Cup winners plundered in this manner – there’d have been a very serious side there if they’d only been able to buy rather than sell.
Vill are, it seems, also interested in Harvey Elliott, a move that makes a lot more sense – and is a goodun for the player, too. He’s got his league-winners medal having contributed, and now he has to play regularly. Forcing his way into Emery’s midfield won’t be easy, though.
Jamie Jackson
Sancho loan to Villa nearly done: 80% wages to be paid by Villa along with bonuses that should happen, Utd believe, to have 100% covered.
Imagine how James Trafford must be feeling. Leave City to play, prove yourself, reject other offers to re-sign, have the club pursue a Champions League-winner to go ahead of you.
I can’t lie, it freaks my nut that any top-half Premier League manager, never mind Unai Emery, wants Sancho. He’s got such a lovely touch and imagination, but sadly lacks the physicality to succeed in England, while there are also questions about his mentality. It’s hard to see this one working.
Today’s Rumour Mill:
Aston Villa agree a deal to take Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United
How much of his wages they cover will depend on how many games he plays and so on.
“Bemused at Manchester United apparently believing a 32-year-old keeper isn’t a ‘long term option’,” writes Paul McGrory. “Isn’t there anyone there who remembers signing Edwin van der Sar when he was turning 35 in October? I believe he was decent for a few months at least.”
In fairness, he did have the advantage of being decent previously, but yes, I agree 32 is fine for a keeper. Martínez has, though, been poor in recent times, even if that still makes him several orders of magnitude better than Altay Bayindir and André Onana, but might just have the self-regard to succeed under the Old Trafford spotlight.
Erik ten Hag sacked by Leverkusen
Goodness me, that’ll be a sore one. Leverkusen have drawn one and lost one of their two Bundesliga games so far.
Ben Fisher
Villa are also poised to sign Victor Lindelöf but, as he is a free agent after leaving United, they are not under pressure to get that deal done.
Ben Fisher
Aston Villa are gearing up for an extremely busy day. As well as a move for Jadon Sancho, they are keen on a deal for Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott. Unai Emery wants attacking reinforcements after another flat performance in defeat on Sunday. Villa sold Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle this month and saw a recent inquiry for Lucas Paquetà dismissed by West Ham. Marco Asensio, who joined Villa on loan last season and someone greatly admired by Emery, has signed for Fenerbahce. As the Villa manager conceded after defeat to Crystal Palace, they also need to ‘fix’ the Emi Martínez-shaped problem. Martínez wants to leave for Manchester United.
For what it’s worth, a Brentford-supporting mate of mine doesn’t rate Wissa, and £55m does seem steep. But the Bees must now act quickly to replace him because having lost him, Bryan Mbeumo, Christian Norgaard, Mark Flekken – and Thomas Frank – they find themselves 15th in the league, perhaps in danger of a relegation struggle.
Newcastle agree £55m deal with Brentford for Yoane Wissa
Newcastle have their other new forward.
Thanks Niall and hi everyone. There’s a man in a Sky Sports coat stood outside the Newcastle training ground, talking about things entirely unaffected by his location. Let’s get on with it!
Time for me to hand over to my esteemed colleague, Daniel Harris. Don’t forget you can track all the latest deals with our interactive guide.
Man Utd weigh up Lammens and Martínez bids
Jamie Jackson
Manchester United are intent on signing either Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp or Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa to strengthen Ruben Amorim’s goalkeeping options before the close of the transfer window.
United are thought to prefer Lammens due to his age (23) and price (£17m); Martínez turns 32 on Tuesday, could cost £35m and is not viewed as a long-term option. But with Villa showing interest in Jadon Sancho, a deal could be done for the World Cup winner that sees Sancho used as a makeweight.
Arsenal to sign Hincapié on initial loan deal
Ed Aarons
Arsenal are expected to announce the signing of Piero Hincapié in the coming hours after the Ecuador defender completed his medical yesterday. He will become Arsenal’s eighth signing of the summer after a deal was struck on Friday with Bayer Leverkusen to sign the 23-year-old on an initial loan, with an option to make the Ecuador defender’s move permanent next summer for €52m (£45m).
Mikel Arteta’s side have already spent more than £250m on new players in this transfer window and had to be careful not to exceed Uefa’s FFP regulations, hence the reason for structuring the deal in that way. His arrival should clear the way for Jakub Kiwior to complete his loan move to Porto with an obligation to buy next summer for up to €27m (£23.4m), while Arsenal are hoping to offload other fringe players before tonight’s deadline.
Midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga is close to joining Hamburg, who have also been in talks over a move for Fábio Vieira. Marseille have enquired about signing Oleksandr Zinchenko – although the Ukrainian’s wages could be a stumbling block –and Reiss Nelson has interest from Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Ben Fisher
Not so long ago, Tariq Lamptey was deemed indispensable at Brighton but the full-back has just departed for Fiorentina. Lamptey, who spent five-and-a-half years at Brighton, joins the Serie A club on a permanent deal after falling down the pecking order under Fabian Hürzeler. The 24-year-old joined from Chelsea in January 2020 and made 122 appearances for Brighton, scoring five goals and contributing 12 assists. In other full-backs-to-Italy news, last night Roma sealed a loan move for Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas.
“Fascinating as it is watching Premier League teams chucking the GDP of a small central American country on a new forward, what the hell is happening with Josh Sargent, the Norwich City optimism barometer?” asks Phil Withall.
If reports are to believed, Sunderland could make a late swoop for Sargent, who is currently the Championship’s top scorer this season with five goals.
Bournemouth sign Milan full-back Jiménez
Ben Fisher
Bournemouth have signed the Milan full-back Álex Jiménez on loan with an obligation to make the move permanent. The 20-year-old, who is a product of Real Madrid’s academy, provides a versatile option for Andoni Iraola. Jiménez becomes Bournemouth’s sixth summer signing and the fourth defensive addition, following left-back Adrien Truffert, centre-back Bafode Diakité and goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
The club has gone through a defensive rebuild after the exits of Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Illia Zabarnyi this summer plus the end of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s loan spell. The Cherries are still in the market before the 7pm (BST) deadline.
Jacob Steinberg
West Ham’s hunt for a defender on loan has seen them ask Chelsea about a deal for Axel Disasi. The Frenchman, who can play at centre-back and right-back and spent last season with Aston Villa, has also been targeted by Bournemouth and Crystal Palace in recent weeks.
Ed Aarons
Crystal Palace are in talks with Brighton over a loan deal for defender Igor Julio and look set to sign Nigeria midfielder Christantus Uche for €20m (£17.3m) from Getafe on what is set to be a frantic deadline day for the FA Cup winners. The arrival of France Under-20 defender Jaydee Canvot is also expected to be confirmed on Monday after he completed his medical over the weekend, with Palace to pay Toulouse £23m for the 19-year-old.
Any prospect of Palce allowing Marc Guéhi to depart for Liverpool rests on them finding a more experienced replacement. Attempts to sign Manuel Akanji from Manchester City and Monaco’s Mohammed Salisu have come to nothing, so Palace have now sounded out their arch-rivals over a potential deal for Igor. The 27-year-old only started 10 Premier League games under Fabian Hürzeler last season and has yet to feature this season. He is also believed to have interest from West Ham.
The expected arrival of Uche, who had been lined up for a move to Wolves but failed to agree personal terms, will be a welcome boost for Oliver Glasner. Capable of playing in central midfield or in a more advanced role, the 22-year-old who joined Getafe in January 2024 and received his first senior call-up for Nigeria in May should help to bolster Palace’s squad after the departure of Eberechi Eze.
Andy Hunter
Everton are attempting to sign Freiburg central midfielder Merlin Rohl in a deal that could cost €20m (£17.3m). The 23-year-old is a Germany Under-21 international and is expected on Merseyside today to discuss terms. David Moyes is also keen to strengthen in defence today – a new right-back has been needed for quite some time now – and could offload striker Youssef Chermiti to Rangers for around £8m.
Aston Villa in talks over Sancho loan deal
Ben Fisher
Aston Villa are in discussions with Manchester United over a deal for Jadon Sancho. The winger is out of favour at Old Trafford but has admirers at Villa Park. The structure of the proposal is unclear, with Villa thought to be pursuing a loan move. Sancho spent last season on loan at Chelsea and has not played for United in more than 12 months.
Interestingly, the 25-year-old rejected a move to Roma, which triggered the Serie A club signing Leon Bailey on loan from Villa earlier this window. And then there is Emi Martínez, who was omitted from Villa’s squad on Sunday amid interest from United. Martínez is keen on the move but Villa will only sanction a sale if they get a replacement and the right price.
We have an early done deal from the EFL: Leyton Orient have signed 20-year-old Southampton striker Dom Ballard on a three-year deal. Is he any relation to Sunderland centre-back Dan Ballard? No, he isn’t.
As for news of Premier League deadline-day surprises, the hits just keep on coming …
Andy Hunter
Away from the Isak business, Liverpool could raise more funds on deadline day by selling Harvey Elliott and Joe Gomez. Aston Villa have emerged as a potential destination for Elliott, whose first-team chances are likely to be squeezed further by Isak’s arrival, but they might need to sell Emi Buendía first.
Milan made a €15m offer for Gomez on Sunday night but, with complications arising in Liverpool’s pursuit of Marc Guéhi, the Premier League champions would be reluctant to sell the versatile defender at this stage.
Nicolas Jackson emerges as Newcastle target
Jacob Steinberg
Nicolas Jackson is a target for Newcastle as a replacement for Liverpool-bound Alexander Isak. Chelsea are open to selling the striker despite calling off a proposed loan move to Bayern Munich after Liam Delap suffered a hamstring injury against Fulham. Work is being done to see if a move to the north-east is possible for Jackson. Newcastle have also looked at Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and the Wolves forward Jørgen Strand Larsen.
If Jackson does go, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chelsea pull another rabbit out of the hat in terms of a late arrival. There could be departures today too. Tyrique George could be heading to Roma, and Chelsea need to find moves for Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Axel Disasi.
Here’s a roundup of all the deadline-day transfer chat:
“Was Vinny Samways ‘tough-tackling’? I always remembered him as more a cultured midfielder,” writes Andrew Champney. One deadline day not dominated by Vinny Samways, all I ask. Will never happen. But did you know he spent six years at Las Palmas? Nice work if you can get it.
Man City pursue Donnarumma with Ederson sale agreed
Jamie Jackson
Manchester City have agreed the €14m transfer of Ederson to Fenerbahce but the deal is dependent on signing Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain for around €35m, or another elite goalkeeper as his replacement.
A deal is understood to be in place regarding Ederson’s move to the Turkish club but City are intent on securing Donnarumma’s arrival first. If the Italian cannot be secured the Brazilian will not be sold unless another top-class keeper can be signed. As the window closes at 7pm on Monday this may be unlikely.
Ederson, who is 32 and has a year left on his contract, has become unsettled at City while Donnarumma has been deemed surplus to requirements by Luis Enrique at PSG, the Spaniard signing Lille’s Lucas Chevalier last month to be his new No 1.
Ederson has been City’s first-choice keeper since signing in summer 2017 from Benfica. He has won six Premier Leagues, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup. The Brazilian was a key member of City’s 2022-23 treble triumph.
Louise Taylor
Sunderland have agreed a fee of around £20m with Ajax for Brian Brobbey. The 23-year-old Netherlands striker is on a flight to Newcastle from Amsterdam and will have a medical later this morning.
On Sunday evening, Sunderland agreed to a request from Chelsea to recall their loanee striker Marc Guiu to Stamford Bridge in the wake of Liam Delap’s injury. Brobbey will become Sunderland’s 13th signing of a very busy summer.
Will Unwin
Burnley are set to complete the signing of midfielder Florentino Luís from Benfica on an initial loan deal. The Clarets will pay €2m (£1.7m) upfront with a €24m (£20.8m) obligation to buy next summer.
Luís has attracted interest from Premier League clubs in the past but will finally get the chance to play in England with Burnley. He will undergo a medical later today before finalising his move to Turf Moor.
“I might be late to the party on this one but I’ve just spotted David Moyes and the tough-tackling Vinny Samways having a sandwich together in a trendy Lytham cafe,” reports Darrien Bold. “Rumours of a cool £2m swoop from Everton doing the rounds in these parts.”
Some early news involving a couple of big Premier League clubs: Chelsea are poised to recall Marc Guiu from his Sunderland loan, as cover for Liam Delap’s injury. That could reopen the door for Nicolas Jackson to join Bayern Munich; the Bundesliga giants have been pondering other options, including Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman – who is also on Tottenham’s radar.
Meanwhile, Antony looks to be leaving Manchester United for good, with the striker set to get his wish and rejoin Real Betis on a permanent deal worth £21.7m – around a quarter of the fee United paid Ajax to sign him in 2022.
Before the madness begins today, you can catch up with all the big summer deals – more than 1,500 of them – with our interactive guide.
Liverpool agree £125m Isak deal with Newcastle
More on this morning’s big news, here:
Preamble
Hello. Around £6bn (SIX BILLION POUNDS) has been spent this summer across Europe’s “big five” leagues – with close to 50% of that figure spent in the Premier League alone. It has been – even by modern football standards – a transfer window of extraordinary excess, and it’s not over yet.
The biggest saga of the summer is yet to fully play out, but it looks like Liverpool will finally get their man after agreeing a £125m fee for Alexander Isak late last night. Do the Premier League leaders even need him? And will Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi follow Isak through the Anfield entrance later today?
Other loose ends to be tied up: will Yoane Wissa get his Newcastle move, and/or will the Magpies swoop for Wolves’ Jorgen Strand Larsen or Roma’s Artem Dovbyk? Could Manchester City hit the panic button and draft in Gianluigi Donnarumma and Rodrygo? And will United make their move for Emiliano Martínez, Senne Lammens or A.N. Other to cover their goalposts?
All will be revealed before the 7pm (BST) deadline, apart from those deals which are inexplicably allowed to rumble on for another two hours afterwards. Here we go!
