Transfer news LIVE: Hojlund to Manchester United close, Chelsea agree Ugochukwu deal, Saint-Maximin bids farewell to Newcastle, Mane left out of Bayern Munich squad

Transfer news LIVE: Hojlund to Manchester United close, Chelsea agree Ugochukwu deal, Saint-Maximin bids farewell to Newcastle, Mane left out of Bayern Munich squad

Live Blog

FootballPremier LeagueUpdated: 20:25, 29 Jul 2023

talkSPORT.com brings you all the latest football news, insight and transfer gossip.

Check out the headline stories and follow our live blog below for regular updates throughout the day.

Headlines:

EVERY PREMIER LEAGUE DONE DEAL
Manchester United reject £20million opening bid for Harry Maguire from West Ham
Harry Kane talks postponed: Tottenham chief Daniel Levy to meet Bayern Munich executives on Monday
Riyad Mahrez quits Man City for Saudi Arabia as £30m move confirmed
Brighton reject new bid from Chelsea for Moises Caicedo
Jordan Henderson joins Al Ettifaq from Liverpool to reunite with Steven Gerrard and become highest paid English footballer ever
PSG submit offer for Rasmus Hojlund but Atalanta star prefers Manchester United switch
Red Devils in advanced talks with Atalanta over Hojlund transfer
Kylan Mbappe ‘refuses’ to talk to Al Hilal after £260m world record offer from Saudi Arabia
Win a Lamborghini Urus + £5k or £150k cash alternative for just 89p

The new talkSPORT match centre

Keep up-to-date with all the latest football fixtures, results and standings in our new match centre.

That’s all from the talkSPORT.com football blog today.

Make sure to follow the blog on Sunday in what promises to be a busy day.

More on Rasmus Hojlund!

talkSPORT understands that Manchester United have agreed a deal rising to £72million for Atalanta striker Hojlund.

The Red Devils will pay an initial £64m to bring the Denmark international to Old Trafford.

And United will then pay Atalanta a further £8m if add-ons are met.

United have been heavily active in the transfer window so far having signed Mason Mount and Andre Onana already.

Former Arsenal skipper Granit Xhaka has commented on Xabi Alonso’s role in his transfer to Bayer Leverkusen, while also comparing him to Mikel Arteta.

The Swiss midfielder departed north London after seven years earlier this summer to return to the Bundesliga.

And he has revealed that Liverpool legend Alonso helped convince him to swap the Emirates for the BayArena.

He told Marca: “I couldn’t say if I would be here if Xabi wasn’t there , but I can say that he played a very important role in getting him to come.”

Likening Alonso to Arteta, Xhada remarked: “They have a very similar philosophy.

“Mikel is incredible, not only as a coach, and I think Xabi is on the same line. They both see football very differently to other coaches I’ve had.”

Manchester United are on the brink of agreeing a fee to sign Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, talkSPORT understands.

The total package for the transfer is expected to be around £60million including add-ons.

Erik ten Hag has made landing the Denmark international a top priority.

The 20-year-old failed to get any game time in his side’s friendly against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Paris Saint-Germain were also keen to snap up the youngster.

But Hojlund has only ever had eyes for United.

Luton have agreed a fee in the region of £2.5m with West Brom for goalkeeper Alex Palmer, talkSPORT understands.

Palmer is now deciding if he wants to join the Premier League newcomers.

The 26-year-old played twice for the Hatters on loan during the 2021/22 season.

He featured just nine times in the Championship last term for the Baggies.

Chelsea have reportedly rejected a loan bid from Juventus for striker Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgium international looks set to leave Stamford Bridge this summer after spending last season out on loan at Inter Milan.

But the player will not be returning to the San Siro on a permanent basis after the Serie A side pulled out of the running to land him.

Their rivals Juventus are keen to snap him up, with Tuttosport claiming the Old Lady lodged a loan offer with an option to buy.

But that was knocked back by the Blues, who are keen to offload the player on a permanent deal.

It has been said that Chelsea are holding out for £34million.

Roma have reportedly agreed a deal with West Ham to sign striker Gianluca Scamacca on an initial loan deal.

The Italian only joined last season from Sassuolo, but failed to cement himself as a regular starter under David Moyes.

He scored just three times in the Premier League, which has seen him linked with a return to Serie A.

And according to Calciomercato, Roma are desperate to secure his services.

It has been claimed that Roma will pay West Ham a £4million loan fee, before turning his temporary stay into a permanent switch for £19m.

A permanent transfer would be obligatory should the 24-year-old feature a certain amount of games and Roma qualify for the Champions League.

Manager Pep Guardiola has hinted at a busy end to the transfer window for Manchester City ahead of the 2023/24 season.

Riyad Mahrez and Ilkay Gundogan have both left the Premier League champions, with Mateo Kovacic the only marquee signing of the summer so far.

It is understood City are interested in defender Josko Gvardiol although a deal with RB Leipzig is far from done.

“The market is open until the end of August,” Guardiola said in a press conference ahead of Man City taking on Atletico Madrid in South Korea.

“I think a few things or many things are going to happen. We will see if we need wingers or inside players, we will see what happens with loan players, which players stay here or not.”

Jurgen Klopp has revealed he was left surprised after Jordan Henderson requested to leave Liverpool.

The 33-year-old was reunited with ex-Reds teammate Steven Gerrard earlier in the week after linking up with Saudi Pro League side Al Ettifaq.

It is believed that the 77-cap England international will pocket £700,000-a-week in the Middle East to make him one of the top earners in world football – and the highest paid English footballer in history.

Speaking about the transfer for the first time, Liverpool boss Klopp said: ‘Was I surprised when Henderson said he wanted to move on? Of course. We had a relationship for eight years.

“He knew the situation that we wanted to keep him but if he wanted to leave we weren’t going to throw rocks and stones in the way. It was about reacting to it.

“Jordan will miss us and we will miss him. We have to go on and we will. That is clear.”

Manchester United target Rasmus Hojlund has been left out of the Atalanta squad to face Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Denmark striker has already agreed personal terms with the Red Devils and is keen on making the switch.

talkSPORT understands United are close to agreeing a fee with the Italian side after indicating they will pay £50million.

Chelsea have reportedly reached a £23.5million deal to sign midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu from Rennes.

The 19-year-old is expected to undergo a medical in the next 24 hours after agreeing personal terms with the Blues.

According to The Athletic, there is a possibility Ugochukwu will be loaned out to Strasbourg for the 2023/24 season.

The Frenchman made 47 appearances for Rennes in Ligue 1 after breaking into the side in 2021.

Mason Greenwood’s future at Manchester United is heading towards a resolution ‘in weeks’, it’s been reported.

According to The Sun, ‘secret talks’ between the club and his sponsors adidas are ‘positive’.

The forward has returned to training on his own as the club continue an internal investigation into accusations of attempted rape and assault.

He was arrested and charged in January 2022 when images and videos were posted on social media.

Greenwood was also questioned on suspicion of making threats to kill but all charges were dropped by police at the beginning of February 2023.

The Crown Prosecution Service cited the withdrawal of key witnesses and new material coming to light.

Sadio Mane has been left out of the Bayern Munich squad for a pre-season friendly ahead of a move to Saudi Arabia.

The former Liverpool star is expected to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr this summer.

A Bayern statement revealed he was not included in the squad to face Japanese side Kawasaki on Saturday due to transfer negotiations.

It read: “Mane is in contract talks for a change of club and is therefore not in the squad today.”

Manchester City defender Nathan Ake has extended his contract with the club to 2027, the European and Premier League champions have announced.

The Netherlands international has prolonged his previous deal by two years, committing himself to the Etihad Stadium outfit for a further four seasons.

Ake was an integral member of Pep Guardiola’s squad during City’s memorable treble-winning 2022-23 campaign, making 41 appearances in all competitions.

The 28-year-old said: “This is the best club in the world, I have no doubts about that. Being a Manchester City player makes me incredibly proud every single day.

“It’s a football club that expects excellence in every area, which makes for the perfect environment to improve. It drives me on and makes me better. I am at the stage of my career where I want to keep developing and I can definitely do that here.

“Pep is the best manager in football – a genius who has made me see the game differently – so to be able to work with him for longer is a real privilege. I am so grateful to him for everything he has done for me, both personally and professionally.”

Allan Saint-Maximin has said farewell to Newcastle in an emotional video message to fans.

The Frenchman is leaving the Magpies following their signing of Harvey Barnes from Leicester.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli have paid £30million to make Saint-Maximin their latest big-name addition after signing Roberto Firmino and Riyad Mahrez.

The 26-year-old became a fan favourite at St James’ Park after arriving in 2019 and he wrote a long goodbye message to the Toon army on Saturday morning…

4 years ago, I wore the Newcastle jersey for the first time. At that moment, I hadn’t realized that not only was I about to become a Newcastle player, but I was also about to become a Geordie.

You might think « nice Goodbye message » but the sentiment runs deeper than any words… pic.twitter.com/wA0RsQfEZF

— Allan Saint-Maximin (@asaintmaximin) July 29, 2023

Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi admits there is a possibility Moises Caicedo leaves this summer.

The Seagulls have rejected a number of big-money bids from Chelsea, including a recent offer worth £80million.

It remains to be seen whether the Blues will meet Brighton’s £100million asking price – but De Zerbi insists he is not overly concerned about the midfielder’s future.

“If Caicedo leaves, we will bring another big player. If Caicedo stays with us, I will be very happy,” De Zerbi said after the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle in the United States.

“But it’s not my job to decide who leaves and who comes [to the club].”

“It’s not my problem, the transfer market,’ De Zerbi added earlier in the press conference. 

“I hope we can bring another couple of players because I need it. But if we sell anyone we will bring other big players, other good players.”

That’s all from us on the talkSPORT.com football blog today!

It’s been a busy Friday which has seen West Ham have a bid rejected for Harru Maguire and Bayern Munich postponing their talks to sign Harry Kane.

Make sure to follow the blog on Saturday in what promises to be another hectic day.

Chelsea have been hit with an £8.6million fine by UEFA for breaching Financial Fair Play rules stretching back to Roman Abramovich’s ownership.

The club’s new owners – including Todd Boehly – alerted UEFA to the breaches after they assumed control of the Blues last year.

And on Friday, UEFA released a statement where they have revealed they have imposed punishment on the west Londoners.

It read: “With respect to Chelsea FC (ENG), the CFCB First Chamber concluded that the club breached the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play regulations as a result of submitting incomplete financial information.

“Following the club’s sale in May 2022, the new ownership identified, and proactively reported to UEFA, instances of potentially incomplete financial reporting under the club’s previous ownership.

“The reported matters related to historical transactions which took place between 2012 and 2019.

“Following its assessment, including the applicable statute of limitations, the CFCB First Chamber entered into a settlement agreement with the club which has agreed to pay a financial contribution of €10million [£8.6m] to fully resolve the reported matters.”

Former Arsenal striker Stephy Mavididi is reportedly set to join Leicester from Montpellier.

The 25-year-old was in the Gunners’ academy, before he joined Juventus in 2018.

After just one senior appearance for the Old Lady, he linked up with French side Montpellier in 2020, where he has scored 21 goals in 96 games in all competitions.

And according to Italian reporter Fabrizio Romano, he is now on the verge of joining Championship outfit Leicester for £6.4million plus add-ons.

It has been said that Mavididi will undergo his medical on Saturday.

Fulham have announced the signing of defender Calvin Bassey from Ajax.

The ex-Rangers centre-back only joined the Dutch side last summer, but has made the decision to return to the United Kingdom.

It is believed that the Cottagers have spent around £19million on the 23-year-old, who has penned a deal until 2027.

Speaking to Fulham’s website, the Nigerian international said: “I know how big of a club Fulham is.

“They always have quality players, they’re playing in the Premier League, the best league in the world, so I didn’t have to think much about it.

“It’s a London club as well, so it’s always a plus to go home! I’m happy it’s all done now and I can just focus on the football and help the team build on last season, when they did amazing.”

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly closing in on the signing of Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele.

That is according to ESPN, who have stated the 26-year-old has agreed a five-year deal with Les Parisiens.

It has been said that PSG are poised to activate his £43million release clause.

That will expire on July 31, with Dembele’s buy-out clause to then be £86m.

Barcelona have offered Dembele a new deal to remain at the Nou Camp, but it is alleged that PSG are confident at securing his services.

Mauricio Pochettino insists young Dutch ace Ian Maatsen is in his plans for the new season.

Maatsen enjoyed a successful loan in the Championship with Burnley last term and has again impressed during pre-season.

Pochettino said: “I am so happy with him.

“He is a player that can play in different positions. He has quality, he understands the game, and he is such a clever player.

“So far, he is in my plan, yes. I am so pleased with him, as I’ve said, because of his attitude, commitment and his understanding of the game.

“He is a player that you can use in different positions and that is a good thing for the team and the coaching staff. It is always good to have this type of player.”

West Ham have had a £20million bid rejected for Manchester United defender Harry Maguire.

The Hammers made their move just one week after he lost the captaincy to Bruno Fernandes at Old Trafford.

A 57-cap England international, Maguire’s future is increasingly uncertain under Red Devils boss Erik ten Hag.

Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez arrived in recent campaigns and even Luke Shaw has played minutes for Man United at centre-back ahead of him.

But it’s unclear if West Ham will make a second bid for Maguire who is currently contracted until 2025.

Chelsea appear to be very happy with their goalkeeping situation.

New manager Mauricio Pochettino has praised Kepa Arrizabalaga as the Spaniard looks to nail down the no.1 spot this season.

He said: “We are so happy with him.

“He is showing great commitment in adapting to new demands from Toni [Jimenez], from the coaching staff, and the goalkeeping coach, him and Hilario are working.

“We are so happy with him and he is a fantastic keeper.”

Tom Heaton is set to stay at Manchester United for another season.

Luton Town had been interested in the goalkeeper but manager Erik ten Hag was keen to keep him at the club.

The 37-year-old could start the season as Andre Onana’s back-up with David de Gea leaving on a free transfer and Dean Henderson also likely to leave.

The Hatters currently have James Shea and Matt Macey as their shot-stoppers ahead of their return to the top-flight.

>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : TalkSport – https://talksport.com/football/1486182/football-news-live-harry-kane-tottenham-chelsea-caicedo/

Exit mobile version