Chelsea make £50m bid for Man City target Marc Cucurella and Frenkie de Jong latest

Chelsea have been extremely busy already this week, announcing the surprise signing of midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka – while they are also still negotiating for Brighton defender Marc Cucurella and Chicago Fire goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina. In addition, the Blues are trying to land barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong, who has been linked all summer with Manchester United. Should the Catalan outfit manage to finally offload the Dutchman, the latest reports suggest they will be ready to pounce for Bernardo Silva, with the Man City playmaker keen to join.

Outside of the Champions League sides, Leicester City have informed Newcastle United that it’ll take at least £60m to sign James Maddison – double the Magpies’ original bid and still well above their second offer for the attacking midfielder. Brendan Rodgers has not yet been able to sign anyone for the Foxes this summer but it appears the Englishman is not one he’s willing to part with easily to raise funds for incoming deals.

Elsewhere, Liverpool’s transfer business might be done but they have announced a new contract for forward Diogo Jota, while Fulham have landed goalkeeper Bernd Leno from Arsenal as they look to boost the numbers available to manager Marco Silva, who is unhappy at the lack of transfers this summer. Everton are hoping to conclude a deal to bring back Idrissa Gueye from PSG, meanwhile.

Follow all the latest transfer news, rumours and updates below.

Transfer news LIVE

• Chelsea have agreed a deal for Aston Villa midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka

• Fulham sign goalkeeper Bernd Leno from Arsenal

• Chelsea willing to match barcelona’s €80m asking price for Frenkie de Jong

• West Ham agree £33.5m fee for Lille midfielder Onana

• barcelona want Bernardo Silva to replace De Jong

• Chelsea bid £50m for Brighton’s Marc Cucurella

England tickets for United States friendly at Wembley sell out in just over 24 hours

15:04 , Karl Matchett

England have sold out Wembley in just over 24 hours as fans rushed to snap up tickets for the Lionesses’ friendly match against the United States following their historic Euro 2022 triumph.

Story continues

The Football Association announced at 2pm on Tuesday that the Lionesses would return to the scene of Sunday’s Euro 2022 triumph to take on reigning world champions the USA on October 7, subject to having secured World Cup qualification in September.

And one day later, they confirmed that all general admission tickets had been sold out following a huge demand that saw the ticketing website briefly crash on Tuesday.

It comes after a crowd of 87,192 – the biggest-ever attendance for a Euros match, men’s or women’s – saw the Lionesses beat Germany 2-1 after extra time at the stadium at the weekend as they secured the first major trophy in their history.

England tickets for United States friendly at Wembley sell out in just over 24 hours

Chelsea submit £50m offer for Brighton’s Marc Cucurella

14:47 , Karl Matchett

The Times are reporting that Chelsea have now submitted a £50m offer to Brighton for Marc Cucurella.

There’s “optimism” over the deal being struck and the Blues want it worked out quickly, but the Seagulls have yet to respond to the offer.

Bringing more detail, Tom Roddy says that Brighton are hoping for a fee above that £50m mark and that Chelsea youngster Levi Colwill could be included as part of the deal,

Man City and Chelsea to fight it out again for Josko Gvardiol

14:30 , Karl Matchett

German media outlet Bild say Manchester City are going in with a bid for RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol, the talented and apparently in-demand Croatian.

He is a known Chelsea target this summer too and football.london claim that the Blues are in talks over the possibility of using Timo Werner – himself a former Leipzig forward – as a makeweight in the deal.

Another battle between the two English giants then, after they also both targeted Marc Cucurella this summer – and Raheem Sterling transferred from one to the other.

Man United keen to sign barcelona right-back Serginio Dest

14:15 , Karl Matchett

Sport claim that Manchester United are set to open talks with barcelona – not for Frenkie de Jong this time, but for compatriot Serginio Dest.

The right-back no longer figures in the plans of Xavi, the report claims, with Cesar Azpilicueta another target for this summer who will compete for a spot in that role – leaving Dest free to seek a new side.

£20m is the minimum asking price the Catalan side will be looking for, with Erik ten Hag his manager in the 2019/20 campaign at Ajax.

Arsenal set to offload Pablo Mari back to Italy

14:00 , Karl Matchett

Centre-back Pablo Mari has not been a good fit for Arsenal and his spell in England is coming to an end.

Having joined the Gunners as a squad option on loan before a permanent deal, he spent last year with Udinese on another temporary spell.

Now it’s back to Serie A for him, says Di Marzio, with the report saying an agreement is close to see Mari move to Monza.

Malang Sarr prefers Ligue 1 return over Fulham transfer

13:45 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea defender Malang Sarr is set to be out of favour after Thomas Tuchel’s summer of restructuring and he has options both in and outside of the premier league.

Fulham are one of the sides who are keen to buy him – Marco Silva has pleaded for more additions in defence particularly – but the Evening Standard report that Sarr prefers to return to Ligue 1.

There, Monaco are looking at him as an option, with their own Benoit Badiashile reportedly a target for several clubs this season. It’s likely to be a loan with an option to buy, after Sarr signed for Chelsea on a free transfer two years ago.

Latest transfer news around Europe’s top clubs

13:30 , Karl Matchett

Here’s a quick wrap of the latest deals going down in La Liga, Serie A and beyond, via outlets in Spain, Germany, Italy and France:

• barcelona’s academy graduate Riqui Puig is giving up on his Camp Nou dream and will move to mls and LA Galaxy

• Renato Sanches has agreed terms with PSG and now the French champions have agreed a €15m fee with Lille

• Meanwhile PSG’s current midfielder Gini Wijnaldum is still trying to close a loan deal to Roma

• Lazio midfielder Luis Alberto is refusing to train as he tries to force a move back to Sevilla

• Juventus have entered the race for Filip Kostic, a blow to West Ham who were hopeful of a deal

Chelsea tell barcelona pricetag to sign Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso

13:15 , Karl Matchett

barcelona and Chelsea could be set for quite a bit more business between them this summer, having already battled it out to land Jules Kounde and Raphinha – both opted for the Camp Nou.

Frenkie de Jong may well switch that stadium for Stamford Bridge, as we’ve already covered below, but two defenders could be heading in the opposite direction.

The Catalan side want Spanish duo Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso as options on both sides of defence, with Sport reporting that Chelsea have quoted Barca €25m for the pair – or £20.9m.

There’s no prospect of barcelona paying that fee, says the report, given both want exits and only have a year left on their contracts.

premier league players to no longer take the knee before every match

13:00 , Karl Matchett

Top flight players in England will no longer take the knee before every fixture in the competition, the premier league have confirmed.

However, the anti-racism gesture will still be on show across the opening weekend of the 2022/23 season, which begins on Friday night, and ahead of specific other fixtures.

A statement from the league read:

“premier league club captains have reaffirmed their commitment to fighting racism and all forms of discrimination.

“The players have decided to use specific moments during the upcoming campaign to take the knee, to amplify the message that racism has no place in football or society. The premier league supports the players’ decision and, alongside the clubs, will use these opportunities to elevate anti-racism messaging as part of the League’s No Room for Racism Action Plan.”

More here:

premier league players to no longer take the knee before every match

Everton still in Gueye talks but Calvert-Lewin suffers injury

12:45 , Karl Matchett

Everton are facing up to starting the new premier league season without key centre-forward Dominic Calvert-Lewin, with the striker suffering an injury in training this week.

The Toffees face Chelsea at the weekend and the 25-year-old is being assessed ahead of the opener, after suffering a campaign of setbacks and missing vital matches in 21/22.

Backup striker Salomon Rondon is also missing as he’s suspended from a red card at the end of last year.

On the transfer front, the i report talks are “progressing” for a deal with PSG to bring Idrissa Gana Gueye back to Merseyside, with a short-term deal the likely outcome.

Tottenham’s Joe Rodon joins Rennes on season-long loan

12:30 , Karl Matchett

Joe Rodon has left Tottenham for Rennes on loan for the 2022-23 season, with an option to join the Ligue 1 side on a permanent basis.

The 24-year-old defender made nine appearances in all competitions for Spurs last campaign, and will look to earn more playing time with the French outfit ahead of Wales’ historic World Cup appearance – their first since 1958.

The Swansea native was a critical cog in Wales’ qualifying campaign and has earned 27 caps for his national side, who sealed their tickets to Qatar with a play-off victory over Ukraine in June.

Rodon has appeared 24 times for Spurs since joining from Swansea in October 2020 and will be familiar with his new club having played against them in the Europa Conference League last September.

Cristiano Ronaldo: Erik ten Hag says it is ‘unacceptable’ for Manchester United players to leave early

12:15 , Karl Matchett

Erik ten Hag has said it is “unacceptable” for Manchester United players to leave a game early after Cristiano Ronaldo’s exit from last weekend’s friendly with Rayo Vallecano.

Ronaldo and Diogo Dalot were among those to leave Old Trafford early before the end of the 1-1 draw in United’s final outing of pre-season.

Ronaldo was substituted at half time, while Dalot did not play against Rayo after starting the 1-0 defeat to Atletico Madrid a day earlier.

In an interview with Dutch broadcaster Viaplay, Ten Hag has insisted that United players should stay until the end of games.

“I certainly don’t condone this,” he said, when asked about players leaving early. “This is unacceptable, for everyone. We are a team and you have to stay until the end.”

Mark Critchley has the latest on the wantaway United forward:

Erik ten Hag says it was ‘unacceptable’ for Cristiano Ronaldo to leave early

Sevilla in advanced talks to loan Man United left-back Alex Telles

12:00 , Karl Matchett

Sevilla are in discussions with Man United over a loan deal for the season for left-back Alex Telles.

Sky Sports say they are in “advanced” talks with the Red Devils, with Telles now third choice in the position behind both Luke Shaw and new signing Tyrell Malacia.

It’s expected that the deal will be arranged without a purchase option at the end of the season and it could be wrapped up later today.

Nikita Parris set for transfer from Arsenal to Manchester United

11:45 , Karl Matchett

WSL transfer news now and Nikita Parris is set to move from Arsenal to Manchester United.

The England attacker – part of the Euro 2022 winning squad – had already largely agreed the switch before this summer’s tournament, with personal terms already arranged.

Meanwhile on the subject of the Lionesses, their upcoming friendly against world champions USA is already proving to be a massive hit with the fans:

West Ham agree £33.5m fee for Lille midfielder Onana

11:30 , Karl Matchett

West Ham are hoping to make a big splash this week in the transfer market after agreeing terms with Lille over the transfer of central midfielder Amadou Onana.

Sky report that the deal will be worth €40m in total (£33.5m) including add-ons, but there is not yet any agreement between the Hammers and the Belgian international, who has won one cap.

The 20-year-old featured in the Champions League last season and has only been at Lille for a season, mainly in a holding midfield role.

Aaron Ramsey joins Nice on free transfer after leaving Juventus

11:15 , Karl Matchett

Wales midfielder Aaron Ramsey has joined Ligue 1 club Nice on a free transfer.

The 31-year-old had played for Juventus since 2019, making 69 appearances for the Serie A side before being loaned to Rangers for the first six months of 2022.

Ramsey, who won three FA Cups in an eight-year spell with Arsenal, has earned 74 caps for Wales and remains the youngest man to have worn the captain’s armband for his country, who are set to play in November’s World Cup for the first time since 1958.

More here:

Aaron Ramsey joins Nice on free transfer after leaving Juventus

Borussia Dortmund to seek new striker transfer after Sebastien Haller surgery

11:00 , Reuters

Borussia Dortmund may bring in a new striker to plug the gap left by forward Sebastien Haller following his surgery and treatment for a malignant tumour, club CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke said on Wednesday.

With the Bundesliga season kicking off on Friday and Dortmund facing Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday, Watzke said the club would need to shop around for another forward soon as all the pressure would be on teenager Youssoufa Moukoko.

“Obviously it is clear that his (Haller’s) absence will be relatively long and to put everything on Youssoufa Moukoko’s shoulders now — he is 17 — would be a bit too much,” Watzke told ARD’s Sportschau programme.

“So I think that we will be doing something on the personnel level. Although a right solution is also difficult because the market offers are not ample,” he said.

Haller was signed last month to replace Erling Haaland, who joined Manchester City. But less than two weeks later and during Dortmund’s training camp a malignant testicular tumour was discovered.

The Ivory Coast international underwent surgery in late July and will now need chemotherapy and will be sidelined indefinitely.

Dortmund, who finished runners-up to Bayern last season, are also competing in the Champions League group stage.

“Ideally something should happen in the next eight to 10 days,” Watzke said on the timing of a possible transfer.

barcelona want Bernardo Silva to replace Frenkie de Jong

10:45 , Karl Matchett

barcelona president Joan Laporta set out with the objective to give Xavi Hernandez the best possible squad this summer, report Sport, and one of the final pieces of the jigsaw will be to sign Manchester City playmaker Bernardo Silva.

The Portuguese attacking midfielder will cost “no more than €70m”, the report says, meaning they’ll be able to finance the deal – if they can offload Frenkie de Jong as planned.

Right now, the De Jong transfer is set to bring in €80m, though barcelona have not yet agreed with their player any terms over his exit regarding unpaid wages. Chelsea are in the running for him according to the latest reports in Spain, but Man United have also been linked all summer.

Today’s football rumours: Foden agrees new deal as Chelsea chase Walker-Peters

10:30 , Karl Matchett

Around the media there is a fair amount of chatter regarding potential Man City deals, starting with a new deal for Phil Foden – which the Mail says is now agreed on terms of £225,000 a week – and continuing with a bid for Sergio Gomez.

The Times claim that he is the alternative Pep Guardiola wants if City fail to sign Brighton’s Marc Cucurella, who is now heavily linked with Chelsea.

More here including Brighton’s potential Cucurella replacement:

Football rumours: Foden agrees new City deal as Chelsea chase Walker-Peters

Chelsea prepared to offer €80m for Manchester United transfer target Frenkie de Jong

10:15 , Karl Matchett

Spanish reports have Chelsea’s interest in Frenkie de Jong cranked up a notch today, with Sport reporting that the Blues are willing to pay barcelona’s asking price of €80m.

The Dutch midfielder has been heavily linked with Man United all summer, with many claiming a deal was agreed on the switch, but De Jong’s future still hinges on an agreement with his current club over unpaid wages.

There’s still no imminent way out of that tangle, but Sport say Chelsea have “entered hard onto the scene” for him and will pay the full amount Barca want.

In separate Camp Nou news, centre-back Samuel Umtiti and forward Martin Braithwaite have been told they will not get squad numbers for the new season, in an effort to reinforce the fact they are not wanted and need to find new clubs.

Former Lionesses manager Riise takes charge of Norway

10:12 , Karl Matchett

A quick follow-up note on the Lionesses after their Euro 2022 triumph: Former England interim and Great Britain boss Hege Riise has been appointed as Norway’s new manager.

The 53-year-old – a World Cup, Euros and Olympic champion during her record 188-cap playing career with Norway – succeeds Martin Sjogren, who resigned last month after the team failed to get out of a Euro 2022 group in which they were thrashed 8-0 by hosts England.

Riise oversaw the Lionesses for three matches in 2021 before Sarina Wiegman took charge in September, and also managed GB at the Tokyo Olympics, where they reached the quarter-finals.

Dean Henderson hits out at ‘criminal’ broken promises at Manchester United

10:00 , Karl Matchett

On-loan Nottingham Forest goalkeeper Dean Henderson believes Manchester United’s treatment of him last season was “criminal”.

The 25-year-old, who has joined the newly-promoted side for their first top-flight campaign since 1999, claims 12 months ago he was told by the Old Trafford hierarchy he would be first-choice for last season.

However, when injury curtailed his Euro 2020 involvement with England and long Covid delayed his availability for the new campaign David De Gea retained his place as United’s number one.

As a result Henderson played just three times in three different competitions and that left him frustrated.

“To be honest, it has probably been the toughest 12 months of my career,” he told talkSPORT.

“The conversation I had coming out of the Euros squad was ‘You’re coming back here to be the number one’.

“I got Covid-19, came back, so I should have still been the number one but then nobody followed through with what they had told me.

“It was frustrating, because I turned down so many good loans last summer for that reason, and they would not let me go.

“To sit there for 12 months, it is criminal really, at my age, I was fuming.

“I told the hierarchy that I need to be playing football and to let me go, and I was almost gone before the manager (Erik ten Hag) came through the door. I have not spoken to him since.”

Meanwhile, a report has revealed fellow United players Cristiano Ronaldo and Harry Maguire received the most abuse on one social media platform in 2021/22. Research by the Alan Turing Institute revealed an alarming extent of online hate prevalent last season, with almost 70 percent of premier league players subjected to abuse on Twitter in the first half of last season.

Fulham sign Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno on three-year deal

09:45 , Karl Matchett

German international keeper Bernd Leno has completed his move to promoted Fulham from Arsenal after signing a three-year contract.

The Cottagers, who have the option of a further 12 months, have agreed a deal reportedly worth up to £8million for the 30-year-old, for whom the Gunners paid around £20million when they signed him from Bayer Leverkusen in June 2018.

Leno, who lost his place to Aaron Ramsdale last season, told FFCtv: “It feels amazing to finally be here. I can’t wait to join the team, to train and play with the team.

“I’m relieved that everything is done. I’m just happy to be here. It took a little bit of time, but in the end we made it and that’s the most important thing.”

Full report on the completed transfer:

Fulham sign Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno on three-year deal

Carney Chukwuemeka: Chelsea agree deal with Aston Villa to sign 18-year-old midfielder

09:35 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea have agreed a deal for Aston Villa teenager Carney Chukwuemeka.

The 18-year-old midfielder had been frozen out by manager Steven Gerrard after refusing to sign an extension to his contract which expires next summer.

Gerrard left the midfielder out of the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and he has been training with the under-23s. Gerard was understood to have put a £20million price tag on the player.

He turns 19 in October and has made two premier league starts. Full details on the move:

Chelsea agree deal with Aston Villa to sign midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka

Frenkie de Jong’s deferred wages explained: Why barcelona stand-off is part of growing trend

09:20 , Karl Matchett

If the long and protracted Frenkie de Jong transfer saga has not already been messy enough, there is one way of making it a whole lot messier. “De Jong should consider legal action v barcelona and all players should be behind him,” Gary Neville tweeted last week. “A club spending fortunes on new players whilst not paying the ones they have under contract their full money is immoral and a breach. @FIFPRO should be all over bullying like this and stop it.”

Predictably, Neville’s tweet did not go down well among barcelona’s support – with some even going as far as to pretend his infamous spell in charge of Valencia went even worse than it actually did – but you do not have to be a former Manchester United right-back to sympathise with the sentiment behind it. For a financially-challenged club like Barça to push a player out so that they can fund a summer of extravagant spending is one thing. To do so while refusing to pay him wages that he is owed is another entirely.

Mark Critchley delves into the financial matters of Frenkie de Jong’s potential transfer:

Frenkie de Jong’s deferred wages explained