Transfer news LIVE: Barcelona ANNOUNCE Kounde, Paqueta to choose Spurs over Arsenal, Everton in Gueye return talks,
BARCELONA have officially announced the signing of Jules Kounde at the expense of Chelsea.
Elsewhere, Lucas Paqueta is claimed to favour a move to Tottenham over Arsenal, according to reports.
This comes despite Gunners sporting director Edu admitting his admiration of his fellow Brazilian last week.
Meanwhile, Everton are in preliminary talks with Paris Saint-Germain over bringing former midfielder Idrissa Gana Gueye back to the club.
Follow ALL of the latest transfer news and gossip below...
Marseille 'optimistic' of Saliba signing
Marseille are reportedly 'surprisingly optimistic' at signing William Saliba despite Arsenal having no intention of parting ways with the defender.
The 21-year-old starred on loan at the French side last season where he helped them finish second in the table, as well as being named the Ligue 1 Young Player of the Year.
His fine form saw him called up to France's senior squad, where he has now established himself as a key player under Didier Deschamps.
Saliba is expected to be a key member of Mikel Arteta's squad for the upcoming campaign having featured heavily in pre-season.
The Gunners gaffer was effusive in his praise for the youngster following the 4-0 win against Chelsea where he branded him a "top player".
And there has even been talk that he is set to sign a new contract at the Emirates, with his current deal due to expire in 2024.
But Marseille appear to be refusing to accept defeat in their pursuit of the player, with club president Pablo Longoria jetting into London earlier this week to hold talks with Saliba's agent. And now French media have stated that the Stade Velodrome outfit are backing themselves at being able to prise the defender away from Arsenal.
Barcelona 'still confident of Azpilicueta signing'
Barca will reportedly tell Chelsea wing-back Cesar Azpilicueta they still want him.
That's despite Sevilla central defender Jules Kounde being tipped to seal his Nou Camp move this evening.
Barca 'confirming Kounde arrival'
Barcelona are thought to be on the brink of confirming Jules Kounde's arrival from Sevilla in another blow for Chelsea.
We'll have that officially if and when it comes.
Juve eye Saul as Pogba replacement
Juventus are reportedly looking for a replacement for the injured Paul Pogba just two months after he signed - and have a Chelsea flop lined up.
The French midfield's faces months out after limping out of a training session with a knee issue.
It's a nightmare start to his time in Turin after seven years away from the club.
There are even fears Pogba may miss the World Cup due to the severity of the injury, which could reportedly require surgery.
Juventus look to be moving quickly to replace the ex- man ahead of the Serie A season.
report that the Old Lady are interested in former Blues loanee Saul Niguez. The 27-year-old failed to make an impact during his time at Stamford Bridge and his difficult spell did not go unnoticed. He only made 10 Premier League appearances and struggled often after coming off the bench.
Toon 'join £50m Giovani race'
Newcastle have reportedly joined the battle for wonderkid Giovani - but would have to shell out £50 million to land him.
Palmeiras have that release clause in his contract as they look to fend off European sides looking to claim their talented teen.
The attacker made his first team debut in 2021 and his natural ability has seen big clubs linked to him.
Ajax and Bayer Leverkusen are among those who could be interested but Newcastle would be able to financially outmuscle those sides after their Saudi takeover.
report that the battle for Giovani's signature has hotted up since he recovered from an ankle injury that had been keeping him out.
They say that Ajax were the first European side to monitor him and have already had a £10m bid rejected. They add that Giovani is seen within Palmeiras as "one of the biggest jewels", which explains why they moved to stick a £50m release clause in his contract.
The Brazilian side have recently had to let another talent, Gabriel Veron, move to Porto in a £9.5m deal so have even more incentive to hold onto their asset.
Rayo light for Costa
Ex-Chelsea striker Diego Costa has reportedly been offered a contract to re-join Rayo Vallecano this summer.
The Spaniard, 33, is available on a free transfer after winning the double with Brazilian giants Atletico Mineiro.
And the former Atletico Madrid hero is closing in on a move back to his former loan side - who play Manchester United this weekend.
claims talks with Vallecano are progressing well, with the LaLiga side now formally offering a contract.
Both sides are keen to make a deal happen in the coming days.
And representatives are confident of striking a full agreement shortly.
Costa had been linked with several big names after leaving Mineiro at the start of the year.
Arsenal were reportedly interested in a January swoop after losing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to Barcelona. Meanwhile, Costa was also offered to Barca before they swooped for Arsenal’s exiled captain. But the ace is now primed for a return to Spain’s top table with Vallecano.
Red Devils line up £42m Sergej bid
Manchester United are set to bid £42million for Lazio star Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, according to reports.
The Red Devils have been chasing Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong as their No1 midfield target this summer.
But with a deal proving to be difficult, United chiefs are assessing their options.
According to Italian paper Messagero, Erik ten Hag's side are preparing a £42m offer for Lazio's star man.
The Italian side are set to dig their heels in, however, and demand a fee closer to £59m.
Lazio chief Claudio Lotito will drive a hard bargain, wary of potentially enraging supporters by selling their long-serving star midfielder.
Milinkovic-Savic, 27, has long been on United's radar. The Serbian would relish the opportunity to test himself out of Serie A, having played for Lazio since 2015. He has netted 58 goals in 294 appearances for the Rome side, also laying on 51 assists.
Delay, big spender
West Ham boss David Moyes has warned the Premier League’s "sexy" spenders not to get too excited yet.
Manchester City signed Erling Haaland and Liverpool recruited Darwin Nunez as top-flight clubs bring in more overseas talent.
In contrast, the Hammers have made low-key additions in French keeper Alphonse Areola arriving permanently after his loan, defender Nayef Aguerd, midfielder Flynn Downes and forward Gianluca Scamacca.
The Hammers welcome Haaland and City to the London Stadium on the opening weekend of the Prem campaign.
Yet Moyes said: “There are loads of good players coming into the Premier League, and it would be wrong to name people now because you think they sound quite sexy.
“We have had so many sexy players come into the Premier League over the years. Some have been great, and there have been a lot who have been pretty disappointing.
“So, there is no point me saying something now because it might be wrong. There is just no certainty in football. But, we have certainly got a lot of really, really good teams and good players at the moment.”
Tuchel 'blocked Cristiano deal'
Cristiano Ronaldo was set for a move to Chelsea this summer – only for Thomas Tuchel to block the transfer.
According to Spanish journalist , the Portuguese legend had agreed in principle to join the Londoners.
The proposal came after new Blues owner Todd Boehly was spotted meeting with agent Jorge Mendes last month.
However, Tuchel soon expressed his concerns with the prospective deal – and the club instead turned to Raheem Sterling.
Ronaldo is desperate to leave Manchester United in order to continue playing in the Champions League, but is yet to receive any concrete offers.
Barca 'prepare to seal Kounde deal within hours'
Barcelona could complete a deal for Chelsea target Jules Kounde within "hours".
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano claims Barca have "contracts ready" with Sevilla to sign the France centre-back for about 50million Euros (£43m).
Romano added: "No doubts or issues, just matter of time - here we go confirmed."
Fulham tipped to complete Leno deal despite Foxes link
Bernd Leno's move to Fulham seems back on.
Kasper Schmeichel's expected switch to Nice sparked talk Leicester would move for Arsenal's back-up keeper Leno.
But now the newly-promoted Cottagers are tipped to complete an £8million deal - £7m below the Gunners' initial valuation.
Offside law changed
Harry Kane's 50th England goal would NOT be awarded under new offside laws being introduced for the new season, writes MARTIN LIPTON.
The International FA Board has now “clarified” the guidelines to referees over what constitutes “deliberate” playing of the ball by defenders that resets play and puts the attacker in an onside position.
Ifab’s rethink was a result of Kylian Mbappe’s winner for France in last season’s Nations League win against Spain.
Defender Eric Garcia stretched out to block a through-ball, inadvertently setting up Mbappe - who was in an offside position when the ball was initially played - to score.
Under the revised guidelines, that would now be called offside.
But a series of examples to show the difference between what is deemed deliberate and non-deliberate included England’s equalising penalty against Germany last month, converted by skipper Kane.
When Jack Grealish initially played the ball towards the Germany box, Kane was in advance of the last defender. He was played onside, however, when the ball diverted off Lukas Klosterman in behind Nico Schlotterbeck, who hauled down the Spurs striker.
Under the new interpretation, to come into instant effect, Kane’s original position, and the fact that Klosterman was attempting to intercept rather than pass the ball, means he was offside, negating the foul.
In a joint statement, The Ifab and Fifa said the changes reflected the view that “a player who is clearly in an offside position should not become ‘onside’ on all occasions when an opponent moves and touches the ball.”
Marseille 'in advanced talks over Sanchez'
Marseille have entered advanced talks to complete a shock transfer for ex-Arsenal and Manchester United striker Alexis Sanchez, according to reports.
Chile superstar Sanchez is currently contracted to Inter Milan, but finds himself down the pecking order for minutes.
The 33-year-old is approaching the twilight of his career, but wants to carry on playing football for a Champions League team.
Ligue 1 side Marseille have entered the fold in this regard, able to offer significant minutes to a player of Sanchez's quality and provide Champions League football courtesy of a top four finish in Ligue 1.
Talks between the two parties are said to be at an 'advanced' stage but a deal will ultimately only be possible if Sanchez RIPS UP his contract with Inter Milan, according to .
He played 1,273 minutes at Inter last season, contributing with 14 goals with a high proportion of his games starting from the bench.
Juve linked to Timo loan
Chelsea's frustrated frontman Timo Werner could land a loan move.
That's the speculation this afternoon - with Juventus rated the favourites.
Newcastle have also been linked with the Germany star.
Chelsea might be happy to offload Werner - not least due to his weekly pay of around £272,000 a week.
Bayern could join Frenkie hunt
The standoff between Barcelona and Frenkie de Jong is expected to be resolved in the coming days, .
The Spanish publication believe that an agreement regarding the £17m that is owed to the player in deferred wages is near.
A positive outcome is likely to trigger De Jong’s transfer away from the Nou Camp.
Manchester United are in pole position to take advantage, but Chelsea are also in the mix if Barca consider lowering their valuation.
And the media outlet reckons that Bayern Munich should not be ruled out of the running with the suggestion being that the Bundesliga champions could make a late bid for the 25-year-old.
Crewe cut a deal for Okonkwo
Another Arsenal youngster on his way out is Arthur Okonkwo.
The keeper will join League Two Crewe Alexandra for the season, according to .
The 20-year-old is considered to have a bright future with the Gunners, who are keen to track his progress with the experience of first team football.
Okonkwo is currently Mikel Arteta’s third-choice behind Aaron Ramsdale and Matt Turner.
Ebou's pecs-rated horror injury
New Cardiff signing Ebou Adams has been ruled out for months after reportedly "ripping his pec off the bone" in a bizarre horror injury.
The midfielder could be set for months on the sidelines after the latest unusual injury to afflict football players.
Adams only signed for the club in May was only days away from potentially making his league debut against Norwich on Saturday.
But the horrific-sounding injury will leave him watching on for from the sidelines for months.
Wales Online report he has had surgery done to repair the damage.
Reporter : "Ebou Adams out for months after a bizarre injury where he 'ripped his pec off the bone'. [He] has had surgery on it."
Nuno on brink of Marseille loan
Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares is set to join Marseille on a season-long loan without an option to buy.
That is according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who claims the two clubs have reach a "full agreement" and Tavares, 22, will undergo a medical on Friday.
The left-back will join Marseille on loan until June but there will be no buy-out clause.
L'OM approached the Gunners after their recent negotiations with Atalanta "collapsed".
L'Equipe reported last week that the Ligue 1 giants pulled out of the bidding war because the full-back had doubts about moving to France.
However, Marseille have ultimately beaten competition from other teams, such as Brighton, for the Portugal Under-21 international.
Romano : "Nuno Tavares set to join Olympique Marseille, medical tests on Friday. Arsenal and OM have full agreement on loan deal, no buy option included.
"Final check to the contracts in the afternoon then it will be signed. Here we go."
Paqueta would prefer Man City of Spurs to Arsenal
Arsenal have been dealt a transfer blow as Lyon ace Lucas Paqueta is not keen on moving to the Emirates, reports suggest, writes KOSTAS LIANOS.
The Gunners have been keeping tabs on Paqueta, 24, during the summer transfer window with manager Mikel Arteta wanting to boost his midfield.
According to , however, the midfielder, who wants to leave Lyon, is not keen on joining Arsenal, or Newcastle who have also been linked.
Instead, the Brazil international would prefer a move to Manchester City or Tottenham, who have also shown interest. City and Spurs pose as the likeliest candidates to sign the 24-year-old with the former leading the way.
The reigning Premier League champions are most advanced in discussions but a move will depend on Bernardo Silva's situation.
Silva is keen to move out of the Etihad and his agent Jorge Mendes is looking for a deal with either Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Tottenham had a €40million (£33.4m) bid rejected in January and will also have to make room in midfield if they want to sign Paqueta.
The Brazilian turned down Lyon's efforts to extend his contract, which runs out in 2025, after a disappointing campaign that saw the club missing on European qualification.
Not even Arthur chance of signing him
Arsenal's interest in Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo has reportedly ended.
That's sent speculation soaring over Leicester superstar Youri Tielemans.
But the Foxes say no offer has come in this summer for the Belgium hero, who has also been linked to Manchester United.
We've got your number, Eriksen and Lisandro
Manchester United have confirmed the squad numbers for new signings Christian Eriksen and Lisandro Martinez.
The pair had their after linking up with the squad following their return from touring in Asia.
Eriksen, who joined on a free transfer from Brentford on a three-year deal, will wear number 14 at United.
The Dane got off to an electric start for United in a behind-closed door friendly against Wrexham, bagging a free-kick in a 4-1 win over the National League side - where Cristiano Ronaldo watched from the sideline.
United's other new signing, Martinez, will wear the number six shirt. The 5' 9" defender previously wore the number with Argentine side Defensa y Justica.
Martinez was announced as a Red Devil last week in a deal which could reach £55million.
The contract the Argentine has signed will run for five years and has an option for an additional year. Like Eriksen, Martinez - whose nickname is 'Butcher' - played against Wrexham, starting at centre back alongside Frenchman Raphael Varane.
United's pre-season preparations will come to an end this weekend with a double header against Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano.
Chelsea joint favourites to sign Ron... IF he leaves Utd
Cristiano Ronaldo is almost certain to continue at Manchester United.
That's according to Sky Bet, who've slashed odds on the Portuguese superstar staying at Old Trafford from 4/6 to 1/5 overnight.
Atletico Madrid and Chelsea are both available at 10/1 to clinch his signature, while Bayern Munich and Sporting Lisbon follow at 12s.
A sensational return to the Bernabeu with Real Madrid is offered at 22/1, ahead of Napoli (28/1), Jose Mourinho's Roma (28/1) and PSG (33/1).
A move Stateside is the most unlikely scenario at 40/1.
Ronaldo played no part in United's 2022-23 preparations having missed the pre-season tour to Thailand and Australia, citing family reasons for his absence.
The five-time Ballon d'Or winner informed club officials of his wish to leave if a suitable offer arrived.
Sky Bet odds
To Stay at Manchester United - 1/5
Atletico Madrid - 10/1
Chelsea - 10/1
Bayern Munich - 12/1
Sporting Lisbon - 12/1
Real Madrid - 22/1
Napoli - 28/1
Roma - 28/1
PSG - 33/1
Any MLS Club - 40/1Man Utd third favourites to sign the Ox
West Ham and Aston Villa are the frontrunners to sign Liverpool outcast Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
That's according to bookmakers Paddy Power who make the pair 3/1 favourites to sign the former Arsenal man.
Oxlade-Chamberlain graduated from the Southampton academy and they are priced at 7/1 to re-sign their former youngster according to Paddy Power.
The 28-year-old endured a tough season last year at Anfield, starting only nine league games all season - only one since January - and hasn't completed 90 minutes on any occasion.
The midfielder has spent five years in Merseyside since signing for £35million from Arsenal in 2017, winning the Premier League and Champions League during his spell.
With only a year left on his contract, Liverpool will likely try and sell him this summer for a fee rather than lose him next year for free.
Hector contract could be terminated
Arsenal are reportedly ready to terminate Hector Bellerin's contract this summer, with Real Betis hoping to snap him up for free.
The Gunners right-back has expressed his desire to return to his boyhood club and may follow the example of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The Gabon international left Arsenal on a free transfer to Barcelona last winter, but had to take a significant pay-cut.
Aubameyang's exit is suggested to have saved Arsenal around £25million as they split the striker's wages with Barca.
According to Spanish news outlet , Bellerin, who is said to have no intention of staying at Arsenal, may choose a similar path to his ex-teammate.
The Spaniard would also be following in the footsteps of Mesut Ozil, who Arsenal ushered out of the door before his contract was up.
Toffees win Dwight race
Everton have signed Burnley wide man Dwight McNeil in a move that could be worth £20million.
The 22-year-old was at the Toffees’ Finch Farm training ground for a medical on Wednesday.
Earlier, Frank Lampard swooped for former Wolves defender Ruben Vinagre, who has joined on loan from Sporting Lisbon.
Now McNeil has become the latest player to leave Turf Moor following their relegation to the Championship in May.
He came through the ranks at Manchester United – and signed professional terms with Burnley in 2018 - going on to make 137 starts for the Clarets.
Asked about McNeil on Wednesday, Burnley boss Vincent Kompany said: “A lot of conversations are going on behind the scenes at club level.
