Key events
Merino to sign for Arsenal
Fabrizio Romano is reporting Mikel Merino’s move to Arsenal is all agreed and he will join the Gunners on a four-year deal.
The club are yet to officially confirm.
🔴⚪️🔐 Mikel Merino has just signed his four year deal as Arsenal player. All sealed.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 27, 2024
Robin has been in touch to follow up on Michael Butler’s comment on Szczesny’s son’s name. Robin says:
His kids are named Liam and Noelia – the man’s clearly a die-hard Oasis fan!
He retirement couldn’t have come on a better day then! I bet he’ll be waiting by his laptop on ticket sale day for the Oasis reunion tour.
Thank you Michael, so much has happened in the last hour. Another story to drop is Maya Le Tissier’s appointment as Manchester United captain following the exit of Katie Zelem earlier this summer. Le Tissier said:
“It’s an honour to be named captain of this great football club and I will wear the armband with real pride, to help drive this team to success on and off the field.”
Ella Toone has been named vice-captain of the club.
Sarah is back from her break, she’s missed all the fun! Have a good Tuesday, everyone.
I just found out that Szczesny has a son named Liam, born in 2018. I really hope that he’s named after Liam Brady, who also played with distinction for Arsenal and Juventus. Szczesny signed for Juve in 2017, remember.
Wojciech Szczesny retires from football
Something of a shock, with the goalkeeper being just 34 years old, relatively young! Szczesny and Juventus mutually terminated his contract this summer and it looked like he would find a new club, but he has admitted that “though my body still feels ready for challenges, my heart is not there anymore”. And he wants to spend more time with his family. Fair enough! Go well, Wojciech.
Szczesny announced his retirement on Instagram with this message.
I left Warsaw, my hometown in June of 2006 to join Arsenal with one dream – to make a living out of football. Little did I know it would be a start of a journey of a lifetime.
Little did I know that I would get to play for the biggest clubs in the world and represent my country 84 times. Little did I know that not only would I make a living out of the game but the game would become my whole life. I didn’t just realise my dreams, I’ve arrived where my imagination wouldn’t even dare to take me.
I played the game at the highest level with the best players in history without ever feeling inferior. I’ve made friends for life, created unforgettable memories and met people who have made an incredible impact on my life. Everything that I have and everything that I am I owe to the beautiful game of football…
But I also gave the game all I had. I gave the game 18 years of my life, everyday, without excuses. Today, though my body still feels ready for challenges, my heart is not there anymore. I feel that right now it is time to give all of my attention to my family – my amazing wife Marina and our two beautiful children Liam and Noelia.
Therefore I have decided to retire from professional football.
A penny for the thoughts of Marc Guiu, the teenage striker signed by Chelsea from Barcelona this summer. What a terrible move that has turned out to be for the 18-year-old.
Chelsea reportedly make a move for Ivan Toney
Chelsea have made a move to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford. They want a proven goalscorer to be their new No. 9. He will fit into their wage structure and transfer fee will be reasonable. Toney has incredible offer from Saudi but Chelsea can offer Premier League football
— Kaveh Solhekol (@SkyKaveh) August 27, 2024
It’s insane Chelsea they still have the money to do this. But *sighs*, Toney is a good signing for around £30-40m, and a different profile of player to the ones they currently have (assuming that Lukaku leaves for Napoli). The Brentford striker is more of a target man than Jackson (although I rate the Senegalese highly) and would lead the line for Nkunku and Felix to float about as a second striker. There are still wayyyyyy too many attacking players, but Chelsea are stronger with Toney, no doubt.
Arsenal’s Fábio Vieira loaned to Porto
The midfielder returns to the club where he started his career. It’s a straight loan, no buy option, with Porto covering his wages.
Stefan Bajcetic is a lovely little player, and just 19 years old. After his injury troubles last season, though, he can’t seem to get a game at Liverpool, and has not featured in either of Arne Slot’s squads this season. To be fair, Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott are only picking up a few minutes, while Curtis Jones is also in contention for a midfield spot (although currently injured). A loan deal seems sensible for all parties: RB Salzburg look like they might pounce again for a Liverpool youngster (after signing Bobby Clark permanently last week), while a loan deal to Celta Vigo has also been spoken about. Bajcetic was born in Vigo and left the Spanish club for Anfield in 2020.
Chelsea continue to baffle. Another goalkeeper, Mike Penders, has been signed from Genk, while arguably their best stopper, Kepa, is on the verge of a loan deal to Bournemouth. A reminder that Kepa played 20 times for Real Madrid last season, including in the Champions League.
I am fairly unimpressed with Robert Sánchez, haven’t seen enough of either Filip Jorgensen or Lucas Bergstrom to truly comment on, and thought Djordje Petrovic did a decent job in net last season. But it seems that the No 1 jersey is up for grabs at Stamford Bridge. Against that backdrop, Kepa must surely have thought he would get another chance to impress the new manager this season.
That said, you can easily imagine Kepa having a good season at Bournemouth, raising his value for a permanent sale next summer. Not the worst strategy, if Chelsea are determined not to have him in their squad.
Not a new signing of course, but Tonali’s return from his betting ban must feel like a new signing, etc. Some fresh quotes here from Eddie Howe …
… and here’s Louise Taylor on the wider context for both player and club.
Hello everyone! Here is more on that potential Nketiah move to Palace, courtesy of Ed Aarons.
Well I am going to grab a bite to eat and potentially make my second coffee of the day. Michael Butler will take you through the next hour of transfer magic.
Scott McTominay is close to his Manchester United departure as the terms in his Napoli move are being finalised.
The fee is £25.4m, according to Sky Sports, and the personal terms are being agreed. It is thought United do not want to lose McTominay but the Scotland international wants regular first team football.
Ivan Toney has agreed personal terms with Al-Ahli, according to Give Me Sport. The deal would be three years long but the Saudi club have not yet agreed terms with Brentford.
Brentford have so far turned down a bid of £35m with add-ons with the English club wanting £50m for the English forward.
Let’s recap some of the day’s top stories for those just joining us:
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Kepa is undergoing a Bournemouth medical ahead of a loan move
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Cristiano Ronaldo says he will “probably” retire in Saudi Arabia
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Manchester United agree a deal with Manuel Ugarte
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Crystal Palace are confident about Nketiah deal
Fancy taking a look at a football cartoon?
Suzanne Wrack
The international players’ union Fifpro has launched a Return to Play guide to help players, club staff and other football stakeholders better understand and manage pregnancy and the return to playing amid a “fairly barren” research landscape.
The guide takes players from the first steps involved in planning for pregnancy as a professional to a return to high-performance play, with details on regulations, methods of delivery and the impact those can have, the support needed at each stage, and more.
The 48-page document was put together by professional female players and medical experts. Kirsty Elliott-Sale, a professor of female endocrinology and exercise physiology at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Institute of Sport, said: “The research landscape is fairly barren but it’s sort of beginning to pick up some momentum. We’re really grateful for those female athletes who allow us to sort of study them and research them in situ.
Read the full story:
Kepa undergoing Bournemouth medical
Ben Fisher
Kepa Arrizabalaga is undergoing at medical at Bournemouth before of a season-long loan from Chelsea. In 2018, Kepa became the world’s most-expensive goalkeeper after Chelsea paid Athletic Bilbao £71.6m for him, signing him on a seven-year contract. The arrival of Kepa is a major boost to Andoni Iraola, who could allow captain and current No 1, Neto, the 35-year-old Brazilian, to depart before Friday’s transfer deadline. It would see the Kepa and Iraola reunite nine years on from when they were both at Athletic Bilbao.
The deal for the Spaniard is a straight loan, with Kepa poised to extend his contract at Stamford Bridge so Chelsea retain value of the player.
Aston Villa have announced Samuel Iling Jr is going out on loan to Bologna. The forward arrived at Villa this summer from Juventus and he played a part in pre-season but has now been loaned out.
He was a product of Chelsea’s academy and has represented England at youth level.
Back to our reunion discussion now, with Oasis back together I am intrigued to see who else you think should reunited, and Martin has emailed:
I would like to see Eddie Niedzwiecki and Dave Beasant reunite as Chelsea goalkeepers, thereby giving us a full 11 for an entire shot-stopper team for Sunday’s home game against Palace.
What a sight that would be! I’m wondering if the formation would be 0-0-0-11 or if the goalkeepers would have to play in different positions?
Ed Aarons
Crystal Palace are confident of completing a deal worth up to £30m for Eddie Nketiah after holding more talks with Arsenal over the England striker. Nketiah had looked set to join Nottingham Forest last week after they agreed a fee but that move collapsed over personal terms. Palace are long-term suitors of the 25-year-old and acted after a second defeat of the season, against West Ham, on Saturday.
It is understood they have agreed terms with Nketiah that would make him one of their highest earners, with Arsenal expected to accept their offer of £25m with a further £5m in bonuses.
Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna has confirmed the club are interested in signing Chelsea star Armando Broja. It has widely been reported a loan move may be on the table but the boss has confirmed talks are happening.
“Armando is a player we have spoken to, I think that is pretty well known,” McKenna said. There are discussions going on with Chelsea at the moment. the discussions are ongoing so we will see if that is right for the club and player before Friday.”
In case you missed it this morning, Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain. Jeremy Lee has emailed me and said:
I really hope Ugarte proves to be the player everyone seems to think he is – he certainly looks like the sort of player we have needed for a while. As various new players have come in, got injured, not been started even if fit, you do start to wonder what ETH is thinking?
Mind you, we buy a striker then don’t start him, buy a new centre back and don’t start him so I hope Ugarte is ready for a spell on the bench before he becomes the saviour of our season
Yes Erik ten Hag hasn’t started new players who he has signed this summer but they have still had impacts, Joshua Zirkzee scored against Fulham. It may be a bedding in issue, making sure the new signings are fitting into the system and the team? That’s just my guess, I wish I knew what Ten Hag was planning.
Cristiano Ronaldo has said he will “probably” retire in Saudi Arabia. He did not put a time frame on when he would hang up his boots but he said he was happy at Al Nassr. The 39-year-old Portugal international joined the Saudi club in 2022 from Manchester United.
“I don’t know if I will retire soon, in two or three years, but probably I will retire here at Al Nassr,” Ronaldo told Portuguese channel NOW. “I’m very happy at this club, I feel good in this country too. I’m happy to play in Saudi Arabia and I want to continue.”
Manchester City have agreed to sell Joao Cancelo to Saudi club Al-Hilal in a deal that is thought to be worth £21.2m.
The 30-year-old has spent time on loan to Bayern Munich and Barcelona in recent seasons. If the star agrees to go to Saudi the deal is understood to be three years long.
Bristol City women’s manager Lauren Smith has stepped down her role to pursue an exciting career opportunity. The west country side are said to be sad she is leaving but that she leaves on good terms. The new opportunity for Smith has not been revealed.
Loren Dykes is the interim boss for the Championship team who were relegated from the Women’s Super League last season.
I can’t quite wrap my head around Chelsea signing another goalkeeper and so while that news settles in let’s have a look at who you want to reunite. Jaivir has emailed and said:
Harry Kane back to Spurs. Happening in 2 years anyway.
That is a deal I could see happening but I think it could be hinged on if he wins a trophy with Bayern Munich.
Chelsea sign goalkeeper Penders
Chelsea have signed Mike Penders from Genk with the goalkeeper remaining at his former club on loan for the 2024/25 season. When he joins the Blues next summer he will have a deal until 2032.
Penders becomes the ninth goalkeeper on Chelsea’s books.
I would love to hear from you. The news is all abuzz about comebacks with Oasis reuniting and so who else would you like to see get back together? It could be a player and a club, a music artist or any other pairing. Get in touch via email or X (@rendellx)
Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed the women’s team will play three WSL games at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium this season. Those will be against Arsenal on 17th November, Manchester United on 2nd February and Chelsea on 4th May.
This follows announcements by other clubs including Arsenal and Man Utd already announcing women’s matches at their main stadiums.
Brighton’s Evan Ferguson has won the hearts of fans with his performances and he also seems to have attracted the interest of Arsenal.
Football Insider are reporting the Gunners may make a late move for the forward. It’s thought the initial move would be a loan.
Would you like a succinct article with many of the overnight rumours in one place? Of course you would. Here’s today’s rumour mill:
Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso wants to sign Liverpool midfieder Tyler Morton on loan for this season.
Liverpool are thought to be open to allowing the 21-year-old out temporarily, according to the Times.
Man Utd agree Ugarte deal
Manchester United have agreed a deal to sign midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain.
The deal is worth €50m (£42.3m) plus €10m in add-ons. If Ugarte comes as expected the 23-year-old will be Erik ten Hag’s fifth major signing of the market, after Leny Yoro, 18, a second centre-back, Matthijs de Ligt, 25, the striker Joshua Zirkzee, 23, and Noussair Mazraoui, a 26-year-old full-back. The club believe all have their peak years ahead.
Jacob Steinberg
Raheem Sterling plans to resolve his contractual situation at Chelsea before switching his focus to finding a new club this week. Sterling’s £325,000-a-week deal, which expires in three years, has been described as an obstacle to him moving after his exclusion from the first-team squad.
The winger would be open to joining Manchester United – there have been suggestions that he could be included in a swap deal with Jadon Sancho – but nothing is advanced.
Read more:
Hello and welcome to today’s live blog tracking all of the transfer moves as the deadline day comes ever closer. There are still a myriad of deals to be struck and the rumour mill is in overdrive for who could swap clubs.
One of the biggest rumours this morning is Raheem Sterling potentially moving to Manchester United. The Chelsea man has been told he is not a part of the first team plans at the London club and so may sign elsewhere. The latest report has detailed that Sterling is open to a move to United but wants further Chelsea discussions first.
Elsewhere, Crystal Palace are closing in on a move to sign Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah. It is thought the deal is worth £25m plus £5m in add ons.
Another rumour swirling this morning sees Newcastle confident about bringing in Marc Guehi before the window closes. Palace’s Guehi has been a target for Eddie Howe all summer.
We will look at more rumours throughout the day and bring you any moves that are confirmed. Let’s get stuck in.