the Daily Briefing: Monday 29th August - Antony, Fofana, Bellingham and more
My exclusive transfer news round-up - when Antony and Fofana will be announced, which clubs asked about Bellingham, and more.
Good morning guys and welcome to my Daily Briefing :-) Enjoy this exclusive transfer round-up, ad-free and straight to your inbox!
Today’s top stories:
AC Milan
AC Milan are confident of signing Aster Vrancks on loan from Wolfsburg. Talks will continue today, with the clubs working to agree the potential purchase fee.
Ajax
Ajax manager Alfred Schreuder comments on Antony’s move to Manchester United being close to complete: “Everything is about money… I think this is sad. But this is our world, it's very sad and I don't approve that these things at all.”
Click here to find out about Edwin van der Sar’s role in helping get the best deal for Ajax for Antony.
Arsenal
Expect late business from Arsenal, with Edu and Mikel Arteta already busy - click here to find out more.
Atletico Madrid
Full agreement in place for Sergio Reguilon to join Atletico Madrid on loan. Reguilon will travel to Spain on Monday in order to undergo medical tests and sign the deal. It’s a simple loan deal, with no option to buy.
Barcelona
Barca to miss out on Bernardo, as confirmed by Pep Guardiola: “Bernardo Silva will stay at Manchester City - I’ve been clear. He’s irreplaceable with many things for us. He's so important Bernardo, can play in three, four or five positions.”
Borussia Dortmund
Borussia Dortmund director Sebastian Kehl tells Sky90: “I hope that Jude Bellingham will stay at BVB beyond 2023. I can see he feels super comfortable with us”.
BVB rejected multiple approaches for Bellingham this summer - click here to find out which Premier League clubs asked about him.
Chelsea
Wesley Fofana announcement is imminent, but have Chelsea spent too much on someone who wasn’t their first choice? Click here to find out more exclusive info on this deal.
Chelsea asked about a world class midfielder earlier this summer - click here to find out who it was.
Trevoh Chalobah is staying at Chelsea. AC Milan, Inter Milan and RB Leipzig were interested, but Chelsea have decided to block the move.
Spezia are set to complete contracts with Chelsea in order to sign Ethan Ampadu on loan, with buy option clause around €15m. Medical is scheduled for early next week.
📰 In other news, Chelsea are reviving their interest in Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha towards the end of the summer (Guardian)
Liverpool
Liverpool are looking for a late midfielder move, but is there truth to the Ruben Neves links? Click here to find out.
Jude Bellingham is attracting headlines again, but what’s the truth about approaches from Liverpool? Click here for all you need to know.
📰 In other news, Liverpool are considering signing Sander Berge from Sheffield United to solve their midfield problems (Yorkshire Post)
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola confirms Bernardo will not join Barcelona: “Bernardo Silva will stay at Manchester City - I’ve been clear. He’s irreplaceable with many things for us. He's so important Bernardo, can play in three, four or five positions.”
Manchester United
Antony can be considered a Manchester United player - click here to find out everything you need to know about the deal, including exclusive details on how the Brazilian pushed for Ajax to sell him.
Cody Gakpo speaks out on his future: “Antony to Man Utd? Nice for him… but for me and my future, I think that has no influence. It’s like a puzzle so in the next days I will see which puzzle fits best — for me, it’d be certainly not bad to stay at PSV. We’ll see”.
Another signing is already in the works for Man Utd after the Antony deal - click here for all you need to know about their plans before the end of the window.
Nottingham Forest
Renan Lodi is set to be unveiled by Nottingham Forest after joining from Atletico Madrid - here he is at the City Ground yesterday:
Roma
Andrea Belotti to Roma - here we go. The free agent turned down multiple bids from English clubs too.
Next for Roma - they are now focused on signing Mady Camara from Olympiacos.
Tottenham
Sergio Reguilon is leaving Spurs to join Atletico Madrid on loan. The left-back will travel to Spain on Monday in order to undergo medical tests and sign the deal. It’s a simple loan deal, with no option to buy.
Sampdoria director Carlo Osti confirms: “We have reached an agreement to sign Harry Winks from Tottenham, so we’re gonna sign contracts soon”.
Winks will join Sampdoria from Spurs on loan deal.
Valencia
Valencia will hold direct talks with Edinson Cavani's camp again on Monday in order to resolve final details and get deal done. The La Liga giants are now confident of signing the former Manchester United striker.
Arthur Melo is no longer an option for Valencia. The deal collapsed weeks ago, but he could still be available this summer as Juventus look for a buyer.
West Ham
Lucas Paqueta has completed his medical with West Ham in London - done in the morning and waiting for results while lawyers are checking the contracts on the player’s side. West Ham now hope this transfer can be 100% done today.
Wolves
Wolves manager Bruno Lage has publicly stated that he’s 99% sure of keeping Ruben Neves, but are Liverpool in the hunt for his signature? Click here for my exclusive update.
Pedro Neto could still be an option for Arsenal - click here to find out his asking price and the latest on this saga.