🚨 Liverpool swoop for Chiesa, Lukaku unveiled by Napoli, Kepa to Bournemouth, UCL draw, England squad revealed & more
Plus all of the other stories making the news in the world of football...
Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing, delivered ad-free and straight to your inbox as always. Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy!
Rotten luck for Brighton’s Matt O’Riley as surgery confirmed
Plus more from Inter Milan, Manchester United and West Ham United
AC Milan
Silvano Vos has signed in at AC Milan from Ajax, as planned.
Tammy Abraham to AC Milan, Alexis Saelemaekers to AS Roma… here we go! Both players will join the clubs on loan and then formally back to their parent clubs next season.
AFC Bournemouth
Official, confirmed. Kepa signs a new deal at Chelsea until June 2026 and joins Bournemouth on loan. The Cherries will contribute to his salary but there will be NO buy option in the contract.
Ajax
Wout Weghorst signs for Ajax from Burnley, deal wanted since June now done and sealed.
Arsenal
Arsenal submit a €20m bid for Joan García as new GK to replace Ramsdale. Espanyol asking for €30m, but García has agreed terms with and wants Arsenal.
Neto's move to Arsenal has been verbally agreed on loan until June 2025 with no option to buy clause, no obligation. Straight loan, salary paid by Arsenal and club ready to proceed with medical/signatures if Joan Garcia deal collapses today.
Arsenal on alert for winger transfer as serial winger seems to be available [Daily Mail]
AS Roma
Rick Karsdorp’s contract at AS Roma will be mutually terminated with immediate effect.
Tiago Djaló to AS Roma from Juve, here we go! Deal in place on loan with buy option. Roma sign Djaló after Kevin Danso deal off and he returns to RC Lens. Juventus accept a loan move, €9m buy option clause and €1m in add-ons.
Serie A benefits from Dybala’s Roma stay [Football Italia]
Aston Villa
Enzo Barrenechea to Valencia on loan from Aston Villa, done and confirmed. Here we go. NO buy option clause as he is a key part of Villa’s future plans. Medical on Friday morning to complete the deal.
Aston Villa could launch late move for attacker on West Ham radar [Football Insider]
Atlético Madrid
Atlético Madrid keep looking for a new midfielder and Sofyan Amrabat is one of the fav options. Diego Simeone, pushing for Amrabat. Not an easy deal as Fenerbahçe are offering a loan with buy obligation as Fiorentina want, while Atléti are only offering a loan move.
Atlético Madrid discover Champions League group stage opponents [Football Espana]
Augsburg
Surprise signing for Augsburg as they agree a deal to sign Christian Matsima from AS Monaco, here we go! Loan with obligation to buy under certain conditions. Total package worth €5.5m plus €1m add-ons and sell-on clause. Matsima, already in Germany for his medical.
Bayer Leverkusen
Jonathan Tah's agent Pini Zahavi: “There have been several offers in recent weeks, all of which have been rejected despite his desire to leave. We want to avoid a player as deserving as Jona leaving the club for free next summer. That's why we hope that we can find a solution in the short term that all parties can be happy with in the end.”
Bayern remains the only club currently in negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen about Jonathan Tah.
Bayern Munich
Kingsley Coman still considering his options between Al Hilal, top European clubs and staying at Bayern.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Matt O’Riley needs surgery on his ankle as the injury is serious, Fabian Hürzeler confirms. “I can't say how long he will be out but it’s serious injury as we expected,” he says. All the best to Matt, get well soon!
Champions League Draw
Thursday saw the brand new format of the Champions League draw with the ties decided by computer! Fixture dates will be released on Saturday. Full draw below:
Chelsea
Si Phillips breaks down the latest rumours on Trevoh Chalobah and looks into why he could spend a lengthy period on the sidelines.
Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic is set to leave and join Strasbourg, here we go! Understand Petrovic has agreed on new terms with Chelsea ahead of leaving to join Strasbourg. It will be a one year loan until June 2025 then back to the Blues. Paperwork being prepared.
No move to Stuttgart expected for Trevoh Chalobah, currently exploring different options.
Chelsea are currently talking to Man United for Jadon Sancho in a separate deal from Victor Osimhen. Both deals are still being negotiated.
Chelsea approached Napoli on Thursday night to submit an official bid for Victor Osimhen. Loan with OBLIGATION to buy. Meanwhile, Chelsea are discussing salary terms with Victor. Al Ahli offer €25/30m salary net per year until 2028 and are at final stages of talks with Napoli! But the deal ONLY happens if Chelsea talks collapse.
Armando Broja’s move to Ipswich Town is 100% off and collapsed. He’s back at Chelsea now.
Chelsea lose 2-1 to Servette, 3-2 to the Blues on aggregate as they qualify to the Conference League group stage despite a big scare.
Could Ivan Toney be a Chelsea player by Saturday morning? Fabrizio Romano breaks down the latest news.
Crystal Palace
Maxence Lacroix has signed his five year deal as a new Crystal Palace player from Wolfsburg on a fee worth €21m. Deal completed.
Crystal Palace plot late transfer bid for £30m-rated Chelsea outcast [Daily Mail]
Empoli
Empoli have completed a deal to sign Tino Anjorin from Chelsea on a contract until June 2027. Chelsea to keep 50% of the future sale.
England
Kieran Trippier has retired from international football, decision made.
Lee Carsley has named his 26-man England squad which will be lining up to face the Republic of Ireland and Finland next month:
Everton
Orel Mangala has arrived on Merseyside to complete medical tests as a new Everton player. Deal never in doubt, now set to be sealed.
Updates, final details of Maupay deal between OM and Everton. Loan with obligation higher than initial €4m. €500k loan fee plus €5.5m fixed fee as obligation to buy. Extra add-ons worth €3m. 20% sell-on clause for Everton.
FC Barcelona
Adrien Rabiot has been linked with a deadline day move to Barcelona. Fabrizio Romano picks apart the detail.
Fenerbahçe
Sofyan Amrabat to Fenerbahçe, here we go! Deal in place between the two clubs. Fiorentina to receive €2m loan fee, €13m obligation to buy and €3m add-ons. Four year contract for Amrabat, travel and private flight booked. Diego Simeone called him for Atléti but they’ve only offered a straight loan, rejected by Fiorentina.
Galatasaray
Ismael Jakobs to Galatasaray, here we go! Deal done for €10m package on loan with obligation to buy. Documents to be reviewed on Friday.
Inter Milan
Tomás Palacios to Inter, deal completed between the clubs and it’s all sorted. Done.
Marotta: ‘Inter ambition in the Champions League is not arrogance’ [Sky Sport Italia]
Lazio
Samuel Gigot set to join Lazio on a €3.5m deal from Olympique Marseille, agreement done.
Leicester City
Leicester sign Bilal El Khannouss from Genk on a four-year contract for a £21m fee. “It’s always a dream for a young guy like me to play in the Premier League,” he said.
Liverpool
Official, exclusive story confirmed. Federico Chiesa joins Liverpool from Juventus. “I'm so happy to be a Liverpool player. When Richard Hughes called me and he said ‘do you want to join Liverpool?’ I said yes immediately because I know the history of this club. I can’t wait.”
Federico Chiesa: “I would like to clarify the renewal issue with Juventus. I have NEVER received any renewal offer from Juventus. I was informed that I would not be part of the project even before the start of training with the team.”
Chiesa: “I told my father Enrico about the Liverpool bid… as soon as I told him he said ‘go, it's the best choice for your career.’”
Federico Chiesa: “I just want to say something that stuck to my mind when I was about to land on the aeroplane. I saw Anfield and as soon as I saw Anfield I said to my wife: put the song on, YNWA! I wanted to imagine myself there hearing the chant of the fans.”
Stefan Bajcetić to RB Salzburg, here we go! No chance for Barcelona even with attempts overnight. Barça issues with Financial Fair Play block the move and they can’t proceed with La Liga limits.
Stefan Bajcetić has completed his medical at RB Salzburg. Loan move from Liverpool to be completed on Friday.
Has there been any Liverpool contact for Alan Varela? Fabrizio Romano has all the details.
Liverpool reject bid from Premier League club for League Cup hero [Paul Joyce]
Manchester United
Manuel Ugarte has successfully completed the main part of his medical tests at Manchester United. All documents set to be signed for a €50m deal plus €10m add-ons.
Manchester United will formally complete the deal for Sékou Kone as the 2006 born midfielder is undergoing medical tests. Deal already done and signed between clubs. Exclusive story, confirmed.
Mason Mount will be out due to a new injury. “During the last game I picked up a minor muscle issue. I’ll be out for few games. I worked hard to get my fitness back to where it needs to be, I felt sharp and ready. I wanted you to hear it from me how frustrated I am,” he said.
Negotiations between Juventus and Manchester United on Jadon Sancho are currently in total stand-by. Juventus consider the request made by Man United too high and won’t proceed at current conditions. It could only change with more sales in the final 24h or the price to drop.
There’s a lot of noise around Victor Lindelöf heading into the final day of the window. Fabrizio Romano takes a look at what might happen next.
Man United struggling to sell player for frustrating reason [Alfred Pedulla]
Napoli
Official, confirmed. Romelu Lukaku signs in as a new Napoli player on a permanent move from Chelsea. €30m plus add-ons, 3 year contract. He only wanted to work under Conte again and the deal is completed.
Scott McTominay was mobbed by Napoli fans as he arrived at Naples airport on Thursday [pictures from Sky Sports News]:
Napoli have sent an official bid for Arthur Melo as the Billy Gilmour deal is not advancing due to Brighton plans after O’Riley injury. Napoli and Juventus are negotiating on a straight loan for Arthur with salary shared.
Conte confirms Lukaku availability for Napoli ahead of Parma test [Football Italia]
Newcastle United
What’s the latest on Marc Guehi’s situation as we approach the transfer deadline? Fabrizio Romano tells us more.
Olympique Lyon
Olympique Lyon are closing in on a deal to sign Wilfried Zaha. Deal in place with Galatasaray and the player, working on final details. Agreement almost done.
Olympique Marseille
Neal Maupay to Olympique Marseille, here we go! Deal done on loan with mandatory buy option from Everton. €4m fee as Everton were only accepting a permanent move. Maupay agreed terms days ago. All set for his medical.
Understand Everton have included a 20% sell-on clause into the Neal Maupay deal.
Parma
Parma have reached agreement with Royal Antwerp for Mandela Keita for a package in excess of €15m! Exclusive story, confirmed. Big signing for Parma.
RB Leipzig
Lutsharel Geertruida to RB Leipzig, here we go! Flight booked and medical on Friday for the defender. Package in excess of €25m. Geertruida was always the #1 option, there was never any chance for Antonio Silva who’s not for sale.
Medical and travel on Friday for Geertruida at RB Leipzig.
RC Lens
RC Lens confirm Kevin Danso to return to the club after AS Roma decision: “We doubt this interpretation as he played over 30 games last season.”
Real Betis
Real Betis are still in talks for Gio Lo Celso, negotiations are taking place… but Tottenham are not accepting the current conditions of the deal.
Rayan Cherki and Real Betis, story denied by all parties involved. No chances also for Fulham as mentioned in recent weeks. Cherki could sign a new contract at OL.
Real Betis dealt major blow in efforts to sign Alvaro Valles [ED]
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti on Real Madrid and a last minute signing: “Our market is CLOSED, I can confirm this once again.
Rennes
Jota will be in France today to complete his move to Rennes, wanted by director Massara. Fee will be around €8m for the Al Ittihad player.
Saudi Pro League
Mohamed Simakan to Al Nassr, here we go! Deal agreed on a five year contract for CB to join from RB Leipzig with Geertruida as replacement. Despite links with PL clubs, only Al Nassr in concrete talks with Leipzig as exclusively revealed two days ago. Medical in 24/48h.
Southampton
Southampton are close to agreeing a season long loan for Maxwell Cornet, deal almost done.
UAE Pro League
The agreement between Al Jazira and Real Betis for Nabil Fekir is worth €7m package add-ons included. Deal imminent.
Villarreal
Juan Bernat from PSG to Villarreal on loan, deal done and sealed. Medical on Friday.
West Ham United
West Ham are not working on a deal for Lucas Ocampos despite reports.
Vinnie Jones claims Chelsea star could join West Ham and not Arsenal [talkSPORT]
Wolverhampton Wanderers
Sam Johnstone signs in as a new Wolves player on a £10m deal from Crystal Palace. Medical completed on Wednesday.
André to Wolves, here we go! Deal sealed and contracts also ready for the Brazilian midfielder. Talks were advanced for €22m fixed fee plus €3m in add-ons; now approved. André set to travel to England, record sale for Fluminense.
André will complete his medical at Wolves on Friday.
Wolves are moving on from their main winger target Luca Koleosho. Burnley want a £40m fee and that is considered too expensive.