Transfer news LIVE! Arsenal in Bitello battle; Chelsea’s Caicedo boost; Amrabat to Man Utd; Lavia to Liverpool
The new Premier League season is just two weeks away and all of Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Manchester United remain heavily active in the summer transfer market. The Gunners have already spent north of £220million in this window and are not done yet, with Gremio midfielder Bitello and Ajax’s Mohammed Kudus reportedly of interest.
Chelsea, meanwhile, are also fans of Kudus and have been quoted a fee of around £40m, though the Blues are still chasing Brighton star Moises Caicedo after seeing a third bid worth £80m rejected. They have been tipped to reignite interest in Liverpool target Romeo Lavia as a cheaper alternative at £50m but may just have got a new boost over Caicedo with Brighton lining up his replacement.
Tottenham talks over Micky van de Ven and Edmond Tapsoba have stalled and they continue to hold interest in West Ham target Conor Gallagher and Elye Wahi, also wanted by Chelsea. Bayern Munich are flying in for further talks to sign birthday boy Harry Kane in an £86m deal. United were in the market for Kane but have turned their attentions to Atalanta youngster Rasmus Hojlund and Sofyan Amrabat. Follow all the latest transfer news, gossip and rumours live below!
Live updates
Liverpool confident over Romeo Lavia deal
Some reassurance from Liverpool on the Romeo Lavia front now.
The Reds have been bidding to make Southampton’s highly-rated Belgian international a key part of their summer midfield overhaul at Anfield.
However, they haven’t been able to settle on a fee with the relegated Saints yet, leading to fears that Liverpool could be hijacked by another very interested party in Chelsea.
But Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri says there is no need to worry for Liverpool regarding Lavia, with the Reds having been focused on wrapping up the £40m sale of Fabinho to Saudi Arabian club Al-Ittihad today.
He says there is confidence at Liverpool that a deal will be done for Lavia, 19, after a new verbal bid of £45m was made on Thursday.
Man United closing in on Rasmus Hojlund deal
Manchester United appear to be making good progress in attempts to sign Rasmus Hojlund.
The young Denmark striker is being targeted to bolster Erik ten Hag’s attack after a breakout season in Serie A with Atalanta that saw him earn favourable early comparisons to Erling Haaland.
Per Sky Sports, talks over Hojlund are progressing well, with an agreement thought to be now edging closer.
Atalanta are said to want a fee of €70m plus add-ons for the 20-year-old, with the Italians set to sign El Bilal Toure from Almeria as a replacement.
United face rival interest in Hojlund still, with PSG said to have submitted a €50m bid of their own this week.
Man United plot £30m Sofyan Amrabat bid
More now on Manchester United’s pursuit of Sofyan Amrabat.
The Moroccan international seems to have become firmly established as Erik ten Hag’s favourite midfield target after the earlier summer signing of Mason Mount.
According to the Daily Mirror, United are weighing up a £30m offer for Fiorentina star Amrabat, but need to offload players first.
They say that Eric Bailly, Dean Henderson, Fred and Donny van de Beek are all free to go, with Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay also potentially set to be sold in this window.
Man United’s Sofyan Amrabat transfer plan revealed
Manchester United are plotting an imminent rebuild of their midfield options.
The Red Devils have already splashed £60m to land Mason Mount from Chelsea this summer and they certainly aren’t stopping there.
Fabrizio Romano has confirmed reports that LaLiga outfit Real Sociedad are actively trying to sign Donny van de Beek, while Turkish giants Galatasaray are hoping to strike a deal for Fred amid ongoing negotiations.
It is said that United will then swoop for Fiorentina and Morocco’s Sofyan Amrabat once those sales are concluded.
Arsenal confident of signing Bitello
Arsenal are said to be confident of completing the signing of Bitello.
Along with Mohammed Kudus at Ajax, the Brazilian starlet has become the new focus of Arsenal’s summer transfer intentions after the arrivals of Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and Declan Rice.
The battle for Gremio’s highly-rated 23-year-old midfielder is said to be fierce, with plenty of rival interest, though 90min.com report that Arsenal are hopeful of winning the race amid ongoing negotiations over the Edu-picked target.
Gremio are said to want a fee of £8.5m for Bitello, also being tracked by Monaco, Porto and Zenit St Petersburg.
West Ham fail with new Harry Maguire bid
West Ham have failed with another offer to sign Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire.
David Moyes is keen on a deal for the 30-year-old, who is expected to leave Old Trafford in the summer transfer window after being stripped of the club captaincy following talks with manager Erik ten Hag.
West Ham saw an initial loan bid for Maguire rejected earlier in July, with United looking to sell the player on a permanent deal to boost their own transfer kitty.
As first reported by The Athletic on Friday, Standard Sport understands that the Hammers have now followed that up with a proposal to sign Maguire permanently for £20million, having banked £105m with the recent sale of ex-skipper Declan Rice to Arsenal.
Read the story in full here
Done deal! Fulham confirm £18m Calvin Bassey deal
A done deal over at Fulham tonight.
The Cottagers have now formally announced the signing of versatile Nigerian defender Calvin Bassey from Ajax in a deal worth £18.2m.
The former Rangers centre-back has signed an initial four-year contract at Craven Cottage that includes the option for Fulham to extend by a further 12 months.
Bassey said: “I know how big of a club Fulham is. They always have quality players, they’re playing in the Premier League, the best league in the world, so I didn’t have to think much about it.
“It’s a London club as well, so it’s always a plus to go home! I’m happy it’s all done now and I can just focus on the football and help the team build on last season, when they did amazing.”
Chelsea not giving up on Moises Caicedo chase
Chelsea’s move for Moises Caicedo remains very much on, according to the latest dispatches.
There were suggestions on Thursday that the Blues could imminently walk away from talks over their top summer target after a latest bid worth £80m was instantly dismissed by Brighton.
However, transfer specialist Fabrizio Romano now reports that Chelsea have not left negotiations, insisting there had been no changes to their plans as things stand.
Talks over Caicedo remain very much alive it seems.
Man United reject £20m West Ham bid for Harry Maguire
West Ham have failed with another offer for Harry Maguire, reports claim.
The Hammers were already believed to have seen a loan proposal for the England defender rejected by Manchester United earlier this month.
Now The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that West Ham have seen a permanent offer for Maguire worth £20m also turned down.
The report states that David Moyes is keen on the player, but West Ham are said to be unlikely to keep chasing this one due to his high wages and uncertainty over if he even wants the move.
Rasmus Hojlund: Man United edging closer to agreement
Manchester United have already signed Andre Onana and Mason Mount and now could now be closing in on a new striker.
At last, Sky Sports suggest an agreement with Atalanta over Rasmus Hojlund is near despite PSG’s interest in the player.
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