Transfer news LIVE: Barcelona ANNOUNCE Kounde, Paqueta to choose Spurs over Arsenal, Everton in Gueye return talks,

Chelsea lining up Fofana transfer

Chelsea are reportedly plotting a swoop for Leicester City defender Wesley Fofana after missing out on Jules Kounde.

The Blues have suffered a major transfer blow with the news that Barcelona look set to snatch the Sevilla star from under their noses.

Now he is looking to bring in Leicester’s French U21 international Fofana, according to the Daily Mail.

The 21-year-old recently signed a bumper new contract with the Foxes until 2027.

He moved to the King Power from Saint-Etienne and has shone at the back for Brendan Rodgers’ side – helping them to FA Cup success in 2021 .

More on Ron loan

According to , Mendes has told Ronaldo and United to agree on a new contract.

In exchange, the Real Madrid legend would be loaned out for the 2022-23 season.

This would allow Ronaldo to link up with a Champions League side with the player reluctant to compete in the Europa League.

SunSport understands that United remain unwilling to part ways with the superstar marksman on a permanent deal.

United sources indicated last night there has been no change in the club’s view to cash in on Ronaldo.

Loan ranger

Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United have reportedly been urged to agree on a new contract – and then a LOAN deal for the season ahead.

The 37-year-old, who has just a year left on his deal at the Theatre of Dreams, informed the club earlier this month of his intentions to leave.

After training alone during the summer, Ronaldo was back at Carrinton on Tuesday where he arrived alongside agent Jorge Mendes.

SunSport understands the five-time Ballon d’Or winner jetted back into England to once again express his desire to depart.

And it has been said that Ronaldo could get his wish, but only if he pens a new deal at United.

ICYMI – Chelsea keen on Kane

Chelsea are interested in signing Harry Kane from Tottenham, according to reports.

Yes, you read that right.

The Blues would love to bring their rivals’ talisman to Stamford Bridge.

Although according to Bild, Chelsea recognise that Spurs would rather sell to Bayern Munich, if Kane was to make to it clear that he won’t pen a new deal.

But Football London report that Kane is settled at Tottenham and that it is just a “matter of time” until the North Londoners open contract talks.

Barcelona eye American goalie

Barcelona are one of a "number of European clubs" interested in signing MLS side Real Salt Lake's goalkeeper David Ochoa, say .

Ochoa is said to be worth at around £400k and is out of contract at the end of 2022.

Blues wont let both Alonso and Azpilicueta leave

Chelsea will prevent both Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta joining Barcelona, it’s claimed.

Alonso has one year left on his contract while fellow Spanish wing-back Azpilicueta has triggered an option to extend his stay until next summer.

Stamford Bridge chief Thomas Tuchel has lost centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen.

And although Kalidou Koulibaly has arrived from Napoli, Tuchel still wants at least one more defender.

Transfer insider Dean Jones claims the Blues are confident of keeping Alonso, 31, or 32-year-old Azpilicueta.

Schmeichel will head to Nice is Foxes find replacement

Leicester goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel has agreed a deal to join French side Nice, according to reports.

The veteran stopper is set to leave the Foxes after 11 years at the club.

But his move is dependent on Leicester finding a replacement, according to French newspaper .

Schmeichel is in the final year of his contract and is said to want to leave on good terms after his lengthy service to the club.

Gunners keen to keep Gabriel

Arsenal would fight to keep Gabriel Magalhaes if Juventus step up their reported interest, it’s claimed tonight.

The Brazilian has formed a stable partnership with Ben White in central defence.

And it’s understood Gabriel, as well as Emirates chief Mikel Arteta, are happy with the progress shown.

De Jong offered ultimatum by Barca

Barcelona have reportedly offered Frenkie de Jong an ultimatum – accept a wage reduction or leave the club.

Manchester United have been pursuing the midfielder all summer and had a £71.5million bid accepted by the Spanish giants.

But it is proving difficult for the Red Devils to persuade De Jong to join since he is happy at Barcelona and wishes to play Champions League football.

So Barca are trying to force him out by telling the Dutchman he only has a future at the Nou Camp if he reduces his salary, report .

Barcelona already owe De Jong £17m in unpaid wages after the midfielder agreed to defer the payment of his salary during the pandemic.

Yet the club is asking him to accept a pay cut – in a summer when they have spent big sums on the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Raphinha.

Chelsea could let Werner leave on loan

Chelsea are reportedly considering allowing Timo Werner to leave on loan with Juventus allegedly ahead of Newcastle in the transfer chase.

Newcastle have been linked with the forward for months and SunSport reported yesterday how they are keen to get a deal done this summer.

However, reports now also claim that Juventus have approached the Blues over signing him on loan.

Werner has divided opinion since arriving at Chelsea from RB Leipzig in 2020.

The 26-year-old, who earns a salary of £272,000 per week, has netted 23 times and provided 21 assists in 89 appearances for the Blues – and played 37 games last season.

But his prowess in front of goal remains somewhat questionable and the arrival of Raheem Sterling has pushed him down the pecking order.

Paqueta sale considered by Lyon

Lyon chief Bruno Cheyrou has refused to rule out selling Lucas Paqueta to Arsenal.

The Brazilian, 24, is a player who has been repeatedly linked with the Gunners in recent months.

 are also thought to be interested after he scored ten goals and provided seven assists in all competitions for Lyon last season.

But it is Arsenal who appear to be frontrunners to bring the attacking midfielder to the Premier League amid rumours the .

New Deal for Football will see security for EFL clubs

Football's finances are set to be transformed after Prem clubs gave the green light to a new formula aimed at securing the lower leagues.

The 20 top flight club chiefs spent more than six hours debating the planned “New Deal for Football” at a central London hotel.

But the final agreement on overhauling the support system for lower tier clubs is likely to bring the most fundamental reform for decades.

While parachute payments - worth a minimum £100m to relegated clubs over the next two season - will remain despite EFL demands for them to be scrapped, they will be substantially changed.

That will see EFL clubs committing to spending more of their windfall from the Prem on infrastructure than on wages.

ICYMI - West Ham complete Scamacca move

West Ham have completed their £30.5million swoop for Gianluca Scamacca.

The 6ft 5in Italy international, 23, has signed a five-year deal at the London Stadium.

Scamacca enjoyed a superb season at Sassuolo, scoring 16 times in Serie A, with West Ham striking a deal with the Italian side last week before agreeing to personal terms with the forward on Monday.

His arrival will come as a huge relief to fans, with the club relying solely on Michail Antonio ever since the club sold Sebastien Haller 18 months ago.

West Ham confirmed the transfer on Twitter with a brilliant video done in the style of iconic Channel4 show Football Italia.

They captioned the clip: "All the way from Rome, Italy... welcome to West Ham United, Gianluca Scamacca!"

Latest on Ronaldo

Ronaldo sat in on the tour debrief yesterday with new boss Erik ten Hag as the squad looked back on the 17-day trip to Thailand and Australia.

The 37-year-old played no part in that tour — but plans to be as professional as ever despite his wish to quit.

His former manager Sir Alex Ferguson was also at the training ground, along with former chief executive David Gill and current Old Trafford supremo Richard Arnold.

United claimed this was to attend a lunch which had been scheduled for some time and the timing had nothing to do with Ronaldo.

However, it is believed the superstar had a chat with Fergie, and also former United and England skipper Bryan Robson in the Carrington canteen.

Chelsea should have ‘bitten City’s arm off’ for Jesus, says Johnson

Former Chelsea defender Glen Johnson reckons his old club should have signed striker Gabriel Jesus when they had the chance.

The 37-year-old told  that he finds it “bizarre” the Brazilian joined Arsenal.

He said: “With Gabriel Jesus, I think Chelsea should have bit Manchester City’s arm off to try and get him to be honest.

“Actually I’m surprised that City even let him go. And I’m certainly surprised that he’s ended up at Arsenal.

“No offence to Arsenal, but I’m pretty certain that, if Chelsea had wanted him, he would have gone to Chelsea.

“It’s bizarre how he left and it’s bizarre where he’s landed. For me, Jesus is a top player and, though he’s still young, he’s already done it for a top team in a top league, so why wouldn’t you want him?”

I’m surprised that City even let Jesus go.

Glen JohnsonGGRecon

Fifa’s new rule halts Chelsea loan system

Chelsea are reportedly set to sell some of their rising stars due to Fifa’s new loan limits rule.

Reports suggest highly-rated youngster Xavier Mbuyamba has become the latest to leave the club with the Blues no longer able to use the loan market how they used to.

A new Fifa rule that came into effect at the beginning of July means clubs are no longer able to have more than eight players over the age of 21 out on loan at once.

Clubs will also be unable to loan in more than eight players at any one time.

The rule could have major implications for teams across Europe and how they develop young talent.

It is expected to be a particular problem for Chelsea, who have become reliant on the loan market to develop players before selling them on for big money.

Suarez re-joins Nacional

Luis Suarez has confirmed that he is making a sensational return to first club Nacional in Uruguay.

The 35-year-old is a free agent after his contract at Atletico Madrid expired last month.

Suarez revealed the news in a video on Instagram, saying: “I’ve now reached a pre-agreement in order to join Nacional, it was impossible for me to say no to this opportunity."

Ron to Atletico ‘impossible’

Atletico Madrid tonight claimed signing Manchester United rebel Cristiano Ronaldo would be “impossible”.

The Spanish giants – fierce rivals of Ron’s old club Real – insist talk of such a move is “definitely not true”.

Portugal striker Ronaldo, 37, is understood to have met United chiefs today for critical negotiations.

Morning footy fans

United insist wantaway Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale... just as Neymar was included on a list of four possible replacements.

The wantaway legend, 37, is still odds-Ron with bookies to stay at Manchester United as they insisted he's not for sale despite crunch talks yesterday.

But it's claimed Neymar is on a four-man shortlist to replace Ronaldo if the Red Devils fail to keep him for the second year of his contract.

Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, Brentford star Ivan Toney and Stuttgart frontman Sasa Kalajdzic are the more realistic names mentioned.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are reportedly interested in bidding for Tottenham's England striker Kane.

Spurs resisted overtures from the Blues and Manchester City last summer.

And Tottenham have the bonus this season of being in the Champions League.

West Ham signed Sassuolo’s Italy striker Gianluca Scamacca for £30.5million.

Leicester chairman Aiyawatt SrivaddhanaprabhaIt insists “no offers yet” have come in for alleged Red Devils and Arsenal target Youri Tielemans.

And lastly, Victor Osimhen says he'll stay at Napoli - after suggestions the Nigeria striker was "offered" to Chelsea and Spurs.

West Scam joy

DONE DEAL: WEST HAM have completed their £30.5million swoop for Gianluca Scamacca.

The 6ft 5in Italy international, 23, has signed a five-year deal at the London Stadium.

Scamacca enjoyed a superb season at Sassuolo, scoring 16 times in Serie A with West Ham striking a deal with the Italian side last week before agreeing to personal terms with the forward on Monday.

His arrival will come as a huge relief to fans, with the club relying solely on Michail Antonio ever since the club sold Sebastien Haller 18 months ago.

West Ham confirmed the transfer on Twitter with a brilliant video done in the style of iconic Channel 4 show Football Italia.

And Scamacca quickly told the  he was fulfilling a lifelong dream in joining the Premier League side.

Blues and Man Utd trail Monaco defender Benoit

Chelsea and Manchester United are both interested in Monaco centre-back Benoit Badiashile, according to reports.

However the Ligue 1 side are demanding a fee of at least £42.5million for the highly rated 21-year-old.

Chelsea are reportedly interested in Badiashile after Barcelona hijacked their £55million deal with Sevilla for Jules Kounde.

Rumours suggest Thomas Tuchel has already started to target alternatives as the Blues want to bring in three centre-backs, they have only signed one so far in Kalidou Koulibaly.

Man Utd are also keen on Badiashile to bolster their defensive options claim .

Erik ten Hag has already purchased Lisandro Martinez from his former club Ajax but amid claims United are looking to offload the likes of Eric Bailly and Phil Jones another addition may be needed.

'Wissam, Toney, Neymar, Kalajdzic' on Utd list

Manchester United have reportedly put Neymar on a four-man list of options to replace wantaway striker Cristiano Ronaldo.

Monaco’s Wissam Ben Yedder, Brentford hero Ivan Toney and Stuttgart frontman Sasa Kalajdzic are other contenders, according to the .

Red Devils chiefs held talks with Portugal legend Ronaldo today as he finally reported to Carrington after missing the start of pre-season.

Ron, 37, rocked Old Trafford when he made clear his desire to leave earlier this summer.

He missed their tour of Thailand and Australia for personal reasons, and has been training on his own in Portugal.

The veteran forward arrived at Carrington at around 10:45am today flanked by agent Jorge Mendes, before leaving the facility just shy of 5pm.

United maintain Ronaldo is NOT for sale this summer. But should they fail to get CR7 back onboard, with Atletico Madrid being linked with the five-time Ballon d’Or winner, they are reportedly looking at other options.