Where will Cristiano Ronaldo go, if anywhere? How much more cash will Chelsea splash? Is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang set for a Premier League return? Will Liverpool succeed in adding a midfielder?
Those are just some of the questions that we expect to be answered over the next 24 hours as transfer dealings heat up across the top leagues in Europe with Deadline Day looming on Thursday, September 1.
The Sporting News will be keeping tabs on all the activity and player movement up until the window closes, tracking the reports and rumours as they happen.
Here are the biggest stories we’re monitoring right now:
- Cristiano Ronaldo watch: Erik ten Hag has made it sound like there will be no move for Ronaldo, and Napoli have formally pulled out of the running.
- What of Barcelona cast-offs? There’s plenty of noise about departures for Sergino Dest (AC Milan?), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Chelsea?), Jordi Alba (Inter?), and Frenkie de Jong. Offloading them would help Barca balance the books.
- New PSG recruits: A day after unveiling Fabian Ruiz, the Ligue 1 powerhouse is expected to announce a new midfielder from Valencia and say farewell to a handful of players.
- Chelsea targets: After landing Wesley Fofana, the Blues are now being linked to Edson Alvarez, Anthony Gordon… and Neymar. Who else will they get?
- Liverpool’s midfield search: Jurgen Klopp has been straightforward about the desire to land a central midfielder, and there have been suggestions that Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz was a target.
- Chase is on for centre-backs: There are a host of top central defenders in the mix for a move. Manuel Akanji is joining Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund, while Stade Reims’ Wout Faes could be on the move.
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Man City sign Akanji from Dortmund (Thurs 10:00 BST / Thurs 05:00ET)
Manuel Akanji has joined Premier League champions Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund. The centre-back moves to England on a five-year deal for a reported fee of €17.5m (£15.2m/$17.6m).
— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 1, 2022
United finalise £82.2m Antony signing (Thurs 09:36 BST / Thurs 04:36 ET)
Manchester United have completed the signing of Brazil forward Antony from Ajax. The 22-year-old has signed a five-year contract, with the option of a further year. United will pay an initial €95m (£82.2m/$95.3m) with a possible further €5m (£4.3/$5m) in add-ons.
? Calling: @Antony00 ??
Welcome to United ❤️ #MUFC
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 1, 2022
Liverpool close to Arthur loan deal (Thurs 09:31 BST / Thurs 04:31 ET)
Gianluca Di Marzio reported early on Thursday that Juventus midfielder Arthur is set to undergo a medical with Liverpool. The clubs have agreed to a loan deal. Earlier, The Athletic’s Gregg Evans said that Aston Villa will not be transferring Douglas Luiz, no matter Liverpool’s strong desire to ease their midfield personnel crisis. Earlier in the day, the Daily Express reported Jurgen Klopp was considering a £20m bid.
Ronaldo to stay despite Saudi Arabia offer (Thurs 09:30 BST / Thurs 04:30 ET)
It looks likely that Cristiano Ronaldo will be staying at Manchester United for at least a few more months. Erik ten Hag said on Wednesday that the player would not be leaving and it seems agent Jorge Mendes has run out of options to move Ronaldo on. There have been suggestions of a massive offer from a club in Saudi Arabia, who were also prepared to pay United a transfer fee, but such a deal seems highly unlikely now.
Chelsea closing in on Aubameyang (Thurs 09:20 BST / Thurs 04:20 ET)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is edging towards a deadline day move to Chelsea, reports Fabrizio Romano. Barcelona have been offered £10 million ($11.6 million) plus Marcos Alonso and it seems the deal is close to going ahead.
Negotiations for Pierre Aubameyang are progressing, working to reach full agreement. Last Chelsea bid being discussed: £10m fee plus Marcos Alonso to Barça. ?? #CFC
All parties confident to complete the deal before Deadline. #FCB pic.twitter.com/SPLP64n1AJ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 1, 2022
The Athletic is also reporting the deal is close, although it puts the fee closer to £6.5m/$7.6m.
Premier League target Gakpo staying put (Thurs 07:50 BST / 02:50 ET)
PSV have opted against selling in-demand attacker Cody Gakpo, according to The Athletic. The rising Dutch star, previously linked with Manchester United, was most recently attracting interest from Southampton and Leeds but won’t be allowed to leave PSV this window.
Arsenal open to making deadline day signing (Thurs 07:00 BST / 02:00 ET)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta admits the club could add another player on deadline day if a suitable deal presents itself. “We are just looking at options in the market,” Arteta said on Tuesday night. “As I said, the club has been super supportive to try to keep improving the squad and the team as we can, and if the right player is available and we can do it, we will try.”
Tottenham have James in their sights (Thurs 06:15 BST / 01:15 ET)
Leeds attacker Daniel James is a deadline day target for Tottenham, reports Telegraph Sport. His move to Spurs is, however, reliant on Leeds landing Hwang Hee-chan from Wolves. Should both transfers be completed, Tottenham may then allow Lucas Moura join Aston Villa, who are showing interestin in the Brazilian.
PSG still chasing a new defender (Thurs 05:40 BST / 00:40 ET)
After a 3-0 win over Toulouse on Wednesday night, PSG manager Christophe Galtier stressed his hope that the club could still bring in a new defender. “It would be better to have one. It would be preferable. We always wanted it. We will see what will happen during the deadline day,” he said.” According to GOAL, Inter Milan’s Milan Skriniar is their main target.
Neymar going nowhere despite Premier League links (Thurs 05:00 BST / 00:00 ET)
The Times claim PSG won’t be selling Neymar this summer after Chelsea were led to believe the Brazilian may have been available. While the Blues won’t be getting Neymar, they are in talks to sign both Rafael Leao and Edson Alvarez.
Fulham adding Benfica forward (Wed 23:23 BST / 18:23 ET)
Reports from Portugal say that Benfica are dealing Brazilian forward Carlos Vinicius to Premier League side Fulham with an agreement reached between the two clubs. The deal is said to be worth €5m with Benfica keeping 50 percent of his pass. He’s bounced around on loan since joining Benfica in 2019, including most recently at PSV Eindhoven.
Fulham are going to be busy around the deadline: Reports say Brazilian veteran Willian will be undergoing a medical before completion of a free transfer from Corinthians. PSG’s Layvin Kurzawa is also being sought on loan. However, their move for Justin Kluivert from Roma reportedly collapsed due to work permit issues.
Sergino Dest heading to AC Milan (Wed 21:04 BST / 16:04 ET)
Dest was linked to Villarreal earlier in the day, but AC Milan have reportedly reached a deal with Barcelona for a loan and buy option, 24 hours after Rossoneri right back Alessandro Florenzi was injured in a Serie A match. For a while it seemed like Man United was the likely destination for Dest, but Erik ten Hag confirmed right back Aaron Wan-Bissaka will be staying at Old Trafford, ending their interest in Dest.
Sergiño Dest to AC Milan, here we go and confirmed! Full agreement, loan with buy option around €20m not mandatory. Dest will sign until June 2027, one year loan plus potential four year deal. ??⚫️ #ACMilan
Dest will fly to Milano on Wednesday morning to sign contracts. pic.twitter.com/WA8woDWEg2
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 31, 2022
Jordi Alba leaving Barcelona? (Wed 21:03 BST / 16:03 ET)
According to Barcelona reporter Gerard Romero in Spain, Barcelona and Inter Milan have an initial agreement for a loan deal for left back Jordi Alba, but the approval of the player is necessary. And Alba is apparently not happy.
MORE: What time does the transfer window close?
| Day/Time (BST/ET) | Player | Position | From | To | Reported details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thurs (10:05/05:05) | Oriol Romeu | Midfielder | Southampton | Girona | 3-yr deal, undisclosed fee |
| Thurs (10:00/05:00) | Manuel Akanji | Centre-back | B. Dortmund | Man City | 5-yr deal, €17.5m |
| Wed (22:59/17:59) |
Lucas Ocampos | Winger | Sevilla | Ajax | Loan with €20m option |
| Wed (22:34/15:34) |
Amad Diallo | Forward | Man United | Sunderland | 1-year loan, no option |
| Wed (22:31/15:31) |
Munir El-Haddadi | Forward | Sevilla | Getafe | Undisclosed fee |
| Wed (19:34/14:34) |
Mario Balotelli | Forward | Adana Demirspor | FC Sion | $2.8m fee, 2-year deal |
| Wed (19:15/14:15) |
Adnan Januzaj | Midfielder | Free Agent | Sevilla | Free Transfer |
| Wed (18:30/13:30) |
Joe Bryan | Left-back | Fulham (ENG) | OGC Nice (FRA) | Season-long loan |
| Wed (17:30/12:30) |
Leandro Paredes | Midfielder | PSG (FRA) | Juventus (ITA) | Season-long loan |
| Wed (17:00/12:00) |
Anwar El Ghazi | Midfielder | Aston Villa (ENG) | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | Undisclosed |
| Wed (14:50/09:50) |
Mady Camara | Midfielder | Olympiakos (GRE) | AS Roma (ITA) | Season long loan |
| Wed (13:35/ 08:35) |
Wesley Fofana | Defender | Leicester City (ENG) | Chelsea (ENG) | 7-yr deal, £70m |
| Wed (11:10 / 06:10) |
Sasa Kalajdzic | Forward | Stuttgart (GER) | Wolves (ENG) | 5-yr deal, €18m |
| Tue (22:04 / 17:04) |
Fabian Ruiz | Midfielder | Napoli (ITA) | PSG (FRA) | 5-yr deal, €21.5m |
| Tue (21:11 / 16:11) |
Harry Winks | Midfielder | Tottenham (ENG) | Sampdoria (ITA) | 1-yr loan + purchase option |
| Tue (17:25 / 12:25) |
Joshua Zirkzee | Forward | Bayern Munich (GER) | Bologna (ITA) | 4-yr deal, €8.5m |
| Tue (15:59 / 10:59) |
Sergio Reguilon | Left-back | Tottenham (ENG) | Atl. Madrid (SPA) | 1-yr loan (no option) |
| Tue (13:07/08:07) |
Callum Hudson-Odoi | Forward | Chelsea (ENG) | B. Leverkusen (GER) | 1-yr loan (no option) |
| Tue (13:00/08:00) |
Antony | Forward | Ajax (NED) | Man United (ENG) | 5-yr deal, €95m |
| Mon (20:20/15:20) |
Edinson Cavani | Forward | Free agent | Valencia (SPA) | 2-yr deal, free transfer |
| Player | Position | Club | Linked To |
|---|---|---|---|
| Max Aarons | RB | Norwich City (ENG) | Borussia Monchengladbach (GER) |
| Francesco Acerbi | CB | Lazio (ITA) | Inter Milan (ITA) |
| Manuel Akanji | CB | B. Dortmund (GER) | Man City (ENG) |
| Jordi Alba | LB | Barcelona (SPA) | Inter Milan (ITA) |
| Edson Alvarez | FW | Ajax (NED) | Chelsea (ENG) |
| Ethan Ampadu | CB | Chelsea (ENG) | Spezia (ITA) |
| Julian Araujo | RB | LA Galaxy (USA) | Barcelona (SPA) |
| P.E. Aubameyang | FW | Barcelona (SPA) | Chelsea (ENG) |
| Loic Bade | CB | Rennes (FRA) | Southampton, Leicester City, Brentford (ENG) |
| Jan Bednarek | CB | Southampton (ENG) | Aston Villa (ENG) |
| Hector Bellerin | RB | Arsenal (ENG) | Barcelona, Real Betis (SPA) |
| Jeremie Boga | LW | Atalanta (ITA) | Leicester (ENG) |
| Willy Boly | CB | Wolves (ENG) | Nott’m Forest (ENG) |
| Samuel Chukwueze | FW | Villarreal (SPA) | Everton (ENG) |
| Craig Dawson | CB | West Ham (ENG) | Wolves, Aston Villa (ENG) |
| Frenkie de Jong | CM | Barcelona (ESP) | Man United, Chelsea (ENG) |
| Raul de Tomas | FW | Espanyol (SPA) | Sevilla (SPA) |
| Leander Dendoncker | CM | Wolves (ENG) | West Ham (ENG) |
| Sergino Dest | RB | Barcelona (SPA) | AC Milan (ITA) |
| Abdou Diallo | CB | PSG (FRA) | RB Leipzig (GER) |
| Kasper Dolberg | FW | OGC Nice (FRA) | Sevilla (SPA) |
| Julian Draxler | MF | PSG (FRA) | Benfica (POR), Valencia (SPA), Besiktas (TUR) |
| Martin Dubravka | GK | Newcastle (ENG) | Man United (ENG) |
| Wout Faes | CB | Stade Reims (FRA) | Leicester City (ENG) |
| Cody Gakpo | FW | PSV Eindhoven (NED) | Everton, Arsenal, Leeds, Southampton (ENG) |
| Conor Gallagher | CM | Chelsea (ENG) | Crystal Palace, Aston Villa (ENG) |
| James Garner | CM | Man United (ENG) | Everton, Leicester City (ENG) |
| Billy Gilmour | CM | Chelsea (ENG) | Brighton (ENG) |
| Anthony Gordon | FW | Everton (ENG) | Chelsea (ENG) |
| Robin Gosens | LW | Inter Milan (ITA) | Bayer Leverkusen (GER) |
| Idrissa Gueye | CM | PSG (FRA) | Everton (ENG) |
| Josko Gvardiol | CB | RB Leipzig (GER) | Chelsea (ENG) |
| Hwang Hee-chan | FW | Wolves (ENG) | Leeds (ENG) |
| Mauro Icardi | FW | PSG (FRA) | Galatasaray (TUR) |
| Daniel James | FW | Leeds (ENG) | Tottenham (ENG) |
| Kenedy | LW | Chelsea (ENG) | Real Valladolid (SPA) |
| Layvin Kurzawa | LB | PSG (FRA) | Fulham (ENG) |
| Douglas Luiz | CM | Aston Villa (ENG) | Liverpool (ENG), Atl. Madrid (SPA) |
| Ainsley Maitland-Niles | MF | Arsenal (ENG) | Southampton (ENG) |
| Xavier Mbuyamba | CB | Chelsea (ENG) | Volendam (NED) |
| Thomas Meunier | RB | B. Dortmund (GER) | Barcelona (SPA) |
| Lucas Moura | FW | Tottenham (ENG) | Aston Villa (ENG) |
| Mykhaylo Mudryk | LW | Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR) | Arsenal, Brentford (ENG) |
| Keylor Navas | GK | PSG (FRA) | Napoli (ITA) |
| Ruben Neves | CM | Wolves (ENG) | Liverpool (ENG) |
| Neymar | FW | PSG (FRA) | Chelsea (ENG) |
| Alvaro Odriozola | RB | Real Madrid (SPA) | Real Sociedad (SPA) |
| Danilo Oliveira | CDM | Palmeiras (BRA) | Arsenal (ENG) |
| Adam Ounas | RW | Napoli (ITA) | LOSC Lille (FRA) |
| Leandro Paredes | CM | PSG (FRA) | Juventus (ITA) |
| Joao Pedro | FW | Watford (ENG) | Arsenal (ENG) |
| Ricardo Pepi | FW | Augsburg (GER) | Groningen (NED) |
| Krzysztof Piatek | FW | Hertha Berlin (GER) | Salernitana (ITA) |
| Oriol Romeu | CM | Southampton (ENG) | Girona (SPA) |
| Cristiano Ronaldo | FW | Man United (ENG) | Napoli (ITA), Atl. Madrid (SPA) |
| Umar Sadiq | FW | Almeria (SPA) | Real Sociedad (SPA) |
| Bernardo Silva | CM | Man City (ENG) | Barcelona (SPA) |
| Milan Skriniar | CB | Inter Milan (ITA) | PSG (FRA) |
| Carlos Soler | CM | Valencia (SPA) | PSG (FRA) |
| Borna Sosa | LB | VfB Stuttgart (GER) | Inter Milan (ITA) |
| Jack Stephens | DF | Southampton (ENG) | Bournemouth (ENG) |
| Youri Tielemans | CM | Leicester City (ENG) | Arsenal (ENG) |
| Jean-Clair Todibo | CB | OGC Nice (FRA) | Leicester City (ENG) |
| Jan Vertonghen | CB | Benfica (POR) | Anderlecht (BEL) |
| Carlos Vinicius | FW | Benfica (POR) | Fulham (ENG) |
| Aster Vranckx | MF | VfL Wolfsburg (GER) | AC Milan (ITA) |
| Julian Weigl | DM | Benfica (POR) | B. Monchengladbach (GER) |
| Willian | FW | Free agent | Fulham (ENG) |
MORE: When does January 2023 transfer window open and close?
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