Friday's transfer news: Manchester United agree deal for Harry Maguire, Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool latest
The best of Friday’s transfer news, rumours and done deals
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Your support makes all the difference.The transfer window closes next week meaning that we are set for a busy few days of action as the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea scramble to bolster their squads ahead of the August 8 deadline.
Arsenal dominated the headlines yesterday as they finally completed the club-record move of Lille winger Nicolas Pepe, but they remain in the market for a defender. Celtic’s Kieran Tierney is their top target and could be announced very soon.
United meanwhile have entered talks with Juventus about a swap deal involving Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku, with the Argentine’s agent already in England to hold negotiations with the Premier League club. And Spurs have entered the race for Sporting’s Bruno Fernandes. Follow LIVE updates below:
The summer transfer window closes at 5pm on Wednesday 8 August for all Premier League and Championship clubs, with teams in League One, League Two and across Europe able to sign new players until 11pm on Monday 2 September.
Cristiano Ronaldo is urging his Juventus team-mate Paulo Dybala to join Manchester United, according to reports.
The Daily Mail this morning claim that Dybala asked for Ronaldo’s advice on a Juventus WhatsApp chat, and was told to move to Manchester to ‘become a champion’.
The report says that Ronaldo, along with club director Fabio Paratici and vice-president Pavel Nedved, is one of the strongest voices at the club and that Dybala is minded to take his advice.
Arsenal manager Unai Emery has said he is fighting to keep captain Laurent Koscielny at the Emirates beyond this summer.
The French defender fell out with the club after his request to leave for another side was rejected.
He later refused to travel with Arsenal on their pre-season tour of the United States.
Amid this breakdown in relations, the 33-year-old is expected to call time on his nine-year career in north London, with him focused on returning home to France.
But Emery admitted he is working to keep hold of the experienced centre-back as Arsenal look to sure up their backline.
Read more:
For all the furore about Paulo Dybala’s agent arriving in England on Monday, his people had already been in the country over the previous three weeks, asking pointed questions that made a lot of people in football take notice. One was which city was better to live in: London or Manchester.
Dybala already knew his main preference and it was neither. It was to stay at Juventus, but that opinion has significantly changed over the past week.
That is because he feels their entire stance on him has changed. The one-time “future of the club”, the next great star, now feels completely unwanted. He knows Juventus are actively trying to move him on.
Hence he’s now open to going to Old Trafford or Tottenham Hotspur.
Now, Manchester United may be able to get rid of a player they don’t want in Romelu Lukaku for a 25-year-old Dybala who – up until very recently – every single club in the world wanted. It has practically fallen into their lap and is still a little difficult to get your head around.
Miguel Delaney with the latest:
Aston Villa have continued their summer spending spree by clinching deals for Tom Heaton and Marvelous Nakamba.
Dean Smith now has 12 permanent signings this summer as the club look to avoid relegation upon their return to the Premier League.
Spending has now gone beyond £130 million as Villa look to do more than merely survive.
Heaton and Nakamba are the latest recruits, with the former Burnley star thought to have cost £8m, while the Zimbabwean midfielder reportedly cost £11m.
Read more:
One man who won't be moving this summer is Neymar.
Here's Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney on what comes next for the boy 'never allowed to grow up'.
Liverpool have agreed a deal to sell their historic Melwood training ground before relocating to a new, state-of-the-art facility in Kirkby.
Torus, an affordable housing provider, has acquired the rights to redevelop the club's existing base in West Derby for an estimated £10m.
The forthcoming season will be the Liverpool first-team squad's final year at Melwood before it is demolished and repurposed in the summer of 2020.
Jurgen Klopp, his staff and players will move over to the Kirkby site ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, with work having started on the redevelopment base last year.
The Kirkby campus is already home to Liverpool's academy. The decision was taken in 2018 to integrate all the club's training operations on one site.
Read more:
According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Donny van de Beek has emerged as a target for Real Madrid, who want to sign him instead of Paul Pogba.
Manchester United remain adamant that they do not want to sell the France international. Van de Beek is their Plan B, according to the Dutch publication.
Manchester United remain in talks with Juventus ... but not over the player you're thinking of.
According to Sky Sports in Italy, Manchester City have reopened discussions with the Serie A champions over a move for left-back Joao Cancelo.
Swansea have completed the signing of Kristoffer Peterson from Heracles.
The Swedish international winger has put pen to paper on a three-year deal.
Chelsea are on the verge of appointing club legend Claude Makelele as their new Young Player Technical Mentor.
He will join former players Frank Lampard, Jody Morris, Petr Cech, Joe Cole and Paulo Ferreira in taking up a new role with the club.
Makelele will be tasked with working to bridge the gap between academy and first team for the scores of talented players coming through the system.
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