LIVE Transfer deadline day: Chelsea make late move for Depay

The summer transfer window has reached the Sept. 1 deadline, and there’s plenty of gossip swirling about who’s moving where. Transfer Talk brings you all the latest buzz on rumours, comings, goings and, of course, done deals!

TRANSFER DEADLINES
Ligue 1: 10 p.m. BST/5 p.m. ET
LaLiga: 11 p.m. BST/6 p.m. ET
Premier League: 11 p.m. BST/6 p.m. ET

TOP STORY: Chelsea make late moves for Zakaria, Depay

Chelsea are busy as the transfer deadline ticks down and have agreed a deal with Juventus over a loan move for Denis Zakaria, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Zakaria, 25, moved to Juve on a free transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach but the Switzerland international has struggled to make an impact.

Head coach Thomas Tuchel is thought to be concerned about the club’s midfield options in the wake of Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Southampton and nagging injury concerns for key midfielder N’Golo Kante, who is set to be sidelined for around a month with a hamstring problem.

Meanwhile, journalist Gerard Romero claims that they are also making a move to sign Barcelona forward Memphis Depay. Depay, 28, is out of contract next summer and Barca want to move him on to save money as they struggle with financial issues.

Chelsea are already set to sign Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after agreeing a player-plus-cash deal in which left-back Marcos Alonso will head in the other direction, sources have told ESPN. The Blues have also made a £45 million bid to sign Ajax and Mexico midfielder Edson Alvarez, sources have told ESPN, but that has been turned down.

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20.01 BST: Aston Villa have signed midfielder Leander Dendoncker from Wolves for around £13m.

“I’m very excited to have signed for Villa,” the 27-year-old said. “It’s a new challenge for me. I’m really excited to be here and I’ve already been shown around the training ground.

“I can feel that this a big club, you can just feel it. I obviously know the players from playing against them, and I know it’s a very good team with good players. I’m really happy to be here.”

19.58 BST: AC Milan have signed Wolfsburg midfielder Aster Vranckx on a season-long loan, with an option to sign permanently for around €11m.

Vranckx, 19, scored twice in his 29 appearances for Wolfsburg and has represented Belgium at U21 level.

19.47 BST: PSG have signed midfielder Carlos Soler from Valencia for around €18m.

Soler, 25, has signed a contract through to 2027. Having come through the Valencia youth academy in 2005, he scored 36 goals in 226 games for the club, winning the Copa del Rey in 2019.

“I’m very happy! It’s a new adventure in my career,” he told the PSG website. “I feel very proud and I’m looking forward to starting work with my teammates, to meeting them, and giving everything for this shirt. On Tuesday, we’re playing our first Champions League game at the Parc des Princes, and it’ll be an opportunity for me to get to know it. I’m certain that it’ll be a great party for everyone and for the fans.”

✍️🔴🔵 Welcome @Carlos10Soler! #WelcomeCarlos pic.twitter.com/by8XWvVjvp

— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) September 1, 2022

19.36 BST: After his move to Fulham broke down on Wednesday, Justin Kluivert now looks set to join Valencia, reveals Gianluca Di Marzio.

The 23-year-old caught the attention of sides in LaLiga after the possibility to sign him emerged, with Espanyol also competing for his services, but the latest report indicates that Los Che have won the race to sign the Roma winger, who spent last season on loan at Nice in Ligue 1.

19.20 BST: Fabrizio Romano reports that Nottingham Forest are set to sign Chelsea striker Michy Batshuayi.

Batshuayi, 28, scored 14 goals in 42 games on loan at Besiktas last season but has returned to Stamford Bridge and has struggled for game time.

The Belgium international would be Forest’s 21st signing of the window.

19.15 BST: After Newcastle United completed a €70m move for Alexander Isak, Real Sociedad have moved quickly to replace him with the signing of Umar Sadiq.

The 25-year-old Nigeria international striker arrives from Almeria for a fee in the region of €25m, and joins Erreala in positive form, having scored two goals from the opening three LaLiga matches.

19.09 BST: ESPN’s Sam Marsden has a Barcelona update.

Barcelona confirm Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Chelsea), Sergino Dest (Milan) and Abde (Osasuna) all finalising moves away from the club this evening. Memphis Depay, Miralem Pjanic still training with Barça

19.02 BST: Inter Milan turned down a proposal from Barcelona after they were offered the chance to sign left-back Jordi Alba, says Sport.

The Serie A side were keen on the 33-year-old last summer and considered making an approach for him, but it is reported that they were unable to meet the personal demands for Alba, who earns in the region of €260,000-per-week on his contract with the Blaugrana.

19.00 BST: ANOTHER WINDOW CLOSED… In Italy’s Serie A. Though they can still move players on, so Denis Zakaria’s move is safe.

18.51 BST: Francesco Acerbi has joined Inter Milan on loan from Lazio.

The 34-year-old defender has been at Lazio since 2018 but is now ready for a new challenge as he winds down his career.

18.42 BST: Everton and Lille have reached an agreement over a deal for Andre Gomes, according to Foot Mercato.

The Ligue 1 side have been looking to reinforce their midfield options after parting ways with Renato Sanches and Amadou Onana, and it looks as though they are getting closer to acquiring the 29-year-old, who is already in France ahead of his medical.

18.28 BST: Duje Caleta-Car is set to complete a move to Southampton, reports The Daily Telegraph.

A fee has reportedly been agreed with Marseille, with the Saints highlighting the 25-year-old centre-back as a replacement for Jan Bednarek, who is set to join Aston Villa on loan.

Caleta-Car made 26 appearances in Ligue 1 last season.

18.20 BST: Benfica have signed PSG winger Julian Draxler on loan for a €2.5m fee, without an option to sign permanently.

Draxler, 28, has struggled to make a mark in Paris and was linked with Newcastle before heading to Portugal.

18.04 BST: L’Equipe says that Paris Saint-Germain have failed in their efforts to sign Inter Milan defender Milan Skriniar.

PSG made a series of bids — the last of which was €50m, plus €10m add-ons — but they have all been rejected.

Skriniar has a contract which expires in 2023, so the Ligue 1 champions could try again January when the Slovakia international can sign a pre-contract with any club outside France.

17.30 BST: Manchester United have signed Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka on loan, the club announced on Thursday.

Sources told ESPN the deal for Dubravka includes an option to make the move permanent at the end of the season, but not an obligation. The Slovakia international will challenge senior keepers David de Gea and Tom Heaton after the former faced criticism for his part in United’s 4-0 defeat to Brentford last month.

“To be joining Manchester United is a special moment in my career and I can’t wait to get started, and help the group achieve its ambitions,” Dubravka told the club’s official website.

“I am joining an excellent group of goalkeepers with lots of experience in the Premier League, and I know that we will push and support each other to keep our standards at the highest levels. The chance to work with David De Gea, alongside Tom Heaton, is one that I am relishing.

“I’d like to sincerely thank everyone at Newcastle United, and especially the fans, for many great experiences over the past four and a half years. I enjoyed every minute of my time there and made amazing memories to look back on. My focus is now on helping Manchester United, and we’ll see what the future holds after I have given my all this season. I am excited to be here!”

17.21 BST: Dujon Sterling has joined Stoke City on a season-long loan from Chelsea.

Sterling, 22, spent last term on loan with Blackpool and Alex Neil has made the right-back his first signing as Stoke manager.

“The signing of Dujon is an exciting one for us and we had to fight off stiff competition to get him,” Neil said. “He’s a talented young player who plays as a right wing-back, which is an area of the field where we are short on numbers at present, but he’s also capable of playing as a centre-back so he brings versatility to our squad.”

17.11 BST: Valencia have signed Ilaix Moriba on a season-long loan from RB Leipzig.

And they win the award for weirdest unveiling video so far…

A wild valencianista appeared!⚡ pic.twitter.com/2Wh8aMIgJC

— Valencia CF (@valenciacf_en) September 1, 2022

17.02 BST: Former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Willian has completed a move back to the Premier League with Fulham.

The Brazil international had been a free agent after terminating his contract at Corinthians due to the abuse that he and his family received while back in his homeland.

The 34-year-old has been training with Fulham for the past two weeks, and signs for the Cottagers to aid their bid for top-flight survival.

17.00 BST: WINDOW CLOSED… In Germany. That’s it for the Bundesliga sides.

16.55 BST: Idrissa Gueye has rejoined Everton from Paris Saint-Germain for an undisclosed fee, signing a two-year contract until the end of June 2024.

The Senegal international left Goodison Park for Paris Saint-Germain in July 2019.

“There is no better feeling than coming back home. I am very happy to be here at Everton again, to help and to work hard. I’ll give my soul to this team, ” he told Evertontv.

“Coming back here was important to me because I feel like I’m in my home. I’ve followed the team every week and watched how they play. For me, there is no better place than Everton, so that’s why I chose to come back here.

“There is also a great atmosphere at the stadium and everyone here is like a family. I felt very, very good when I was here [the first time] and even when I went to Paris, I kept in touch with some of the players here and continued to support the team.

“For me, it’s special. I told PSG if I am going to leave it will be for one team — and that was Everton. It was not a difficult decision for me because I love this club. That’s why I had to come home. It’s a pleasure for me to be back and hopefully we will have a good season because we have to go and try to achieve our goals.”

16.42 BST: Fulham’s pursuit of Blackburn star Ben Brereton Diaz has hit a further stumbling block, with the club seeing a second bid for the striker rejected, reports The Athletic.

Brereton Diaz, who represents Chile at international level, has two goals in six games in the Championship so far this season as he builds upon his impressive 22 goals last term.

That goal-scoring touch has reportedly caught the eye of newly-promoted Premier League side Fulham, who have been met with resistance in their hopes of signing the striker. His contract at Ewood Park has less than a year to run.

16.31 BST: We’re getting to the point of more DONE DEALS … Here’s two:

RB Leipzig have signed Abdou Diallo from PSG on a season-long loan, with a €25m option to sign permanently.

Fulham have signed defender Layvin Kurzawa from PSG on a season-long loan.

16.15 BST: Ajax have announced the signing of midfielder Florian Grillitsch on a free transfer.

Grillitsch, 27, left Hoffenheim at the end of his contract and the Austria international had been scouted by Roma, Feyenoord and Arsenal.

He has now has signed an initial one-year deal, with an option included to extend it for two seasons.

15.53 BST: Chelsea made an offer to sign Russian midfielder Arsen Zakharyan from Dynamo Moscow, but the move was unable to happen.

Dynamo claim that “technical reasons beyond their control” — most likely linked to the fact that the British government is blocking payments to any Russian company over the country’s invasion of Ukraine — was the reason for the transfer failure.

The 19-year-old prospect will now stay at Dynamo.

15.39 BST: Arsenal are making a second bid to sign Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, says The Athletic.

Luiz, 24, reportedly wants to move but Villa aren’t keen on letting him go. The Gunners need cover as Mohamed Elneny has suffered an injury, while Thomas Partey is struggling with a short-term problem.

They had a £20m bid rejected for Luiz and though they may up it, Villa’s stance could make a deal difficult to complete before Thursday’s 11 p.m. BST deadline.

15.27 BST: West Ham have made an offer for Torino right-back Ola Aina, according to Italian reporter Gianluca Di Marzio.

The east London club have reportedly made a bid of a £4m initial fee with £4m in add-ons, but the Serie A side are asking for a further £2m up front.

Aina, who joined Torino from Chelsea in 2018, has previous experience in the Premier League — he played 31 games while on loan at Fulham during the 2020-21 season.

15.08 BST: Barcelona have terminated Martin Braithwaite‘s contract with the striker set to join local rivals Espanyol on a three-year deal.

Braithwaite, 31, had offers from other LaLiga sides but opted for Espanyol’s proposal as it allows him to stay in Barcelona.

Barca signed Braithwaite for €18m from Leganes in 2020 and he had a contract at Camp Nou until 2024. However, coach Xavi Hernandez told him he would not feature under him this season and advised him to find a new club.

The Denmark international’s intention was initially to stay and fight for his place at Camp Nou, but with the World Cup around the corner he has opted to move in search of regular football.

14.46 BST: An update from ESPN’s James Olley on Chelsea’s deal with Barcelona to sign Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang — a player-plus-cash deal has been agreed with Barcelona in which Marcos Alonso will join the LaLiga giants, sources have told ESPN.

The Blues will pay £12m and allow Alonso to move to Camp Nou after Aubameyang accepted terms on a two-year contract with an option for a third, dependent upon how many games he plays in his second year at Stamford Bridge.

Sources have told ESPN that the 33-year-old will fly to London on Thursday afternoon to undergo a medical, with all parties confident a deal will be completed before the 11 p.m. BST/6 p.m. ET deadline.

Alonso has been keen on joining Barcelona for months, but talks stalled amid Barcelona’s financial issues, with Chelsea holding out for a fee in the region of £8m. Barcelona wanted around £20m for Aubameyang, so a compromise has finally been reached to allow both players to make their desired moves.

14.19 BST: Barcelona are set to re-sign Hector Bellerin, after the defender agreed a contract termination with Arsenal, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.

The 27-year-old is in advanced talks with the LaLiga club to complete a deal before Thursday’s deadline, and sources close to negotiations are confident an agreement will be reached in time.

Bellerin was the Gunners’ longest-serving player, having joined the club as a 16-year-old in 2011 from Barcelona. He went on to make 308 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 15 goals, but spent last season on loan at Real Betis, as sources told ESPN he was intent on a fresh challenge after more than a decade in north London.

Betis were keen on signing Bellerin permanently but continue to have LaLiga registration issues, a problem Barcelona also encountered but are gradually resolving.

There will be no fee involved, as Bellerin is technically a free agent, having agreed his exit from Arsenal.

14.05 BST: Paris Saint-Germain have made a huge deadline-day bid to Inter Milan for defender Milan Skriniar, RMC reports.

Skriniar, 27, has been at Inter for five years and started 31 games of their Serie A title-winning campaign of 2020-21.

The Slovakia international is, according to RMC, the subject of an offer of €70m plus add-ons from PSG.

13.39 BST: AC Milan are set to beat Villarreal to the signing of United States international Sergino Dest on loan from Barcelona, sources have told ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens, and it’s a transfer that makes sense for all involved.

13.16 BST: Nottingham Forest have signed defender Willy Boly from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

The Ivory Coast international, 31, has signed a two-year deal to become the 19th summer arrival at the City Ground.

#BolyIsARed 🔴 pic.twitter.com/R8wCWWLDCC

— Nottingham Forest FC (@NFFC) September 1, 2022

13.03 BST: Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva has confirmed that he will be staying at the club this summer amid interest from Barcelona.

The Portugal international told ESPN’s Rob Dawson last month that his future at the Premier League champions was uncertain. But, after Wednesday’s 6-0 win over Nottingham Forest, he said he would remain at the Etihad.

“The truth is that we have not received offers from Spain,” Silva told RAC 1. “Nobody has come and I stay in Manchester. I’m happy and that’s it. The decision is made.”

12.31 BST: Fenerbahce have joined the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain striker Mauro Icardi, according to L’Equipe.

The 29-year-old is in talks with Galatasaray, but with an agreement still not reached, the Yellow Canaries have made a move to attempt to hijack the deal from their Super Lig rivals.

Icardi is yet to make an appearance for PSG in the league this season, with manager Christophe Galtier looking to part ways with him.

12.14 BST: Leicester City have announced the signing of central defender Wout Faes from Reims.

Just one day after Wesley Fofana left for Chelsea in a £75m transfer, the Foxes have replaced him with Belgium international Faes.

The 24-year-old, who was Reims’ player of the season last term, arrives after signing a five-year contract.

Our new man! 🦊#WelcomeWout pic.twitter.com/690wwZawjF

— Leicester City (@LCFC) September 1, 2022

12.03 BST: Colombia international Marlos Moreno has left Manchester City to join Troyes, the Ligue 1 club announced.

Moreno, 25, joined City from Atletico Nacional in 2016, but in six years on the club’s books, he never made a first-team appearance for them.

Instead, he spent time on loan at seven different clubs across five different countries before leaving this summer on a permanent deal.

🏠 Bienvenidos 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗼𝘀 ! 🇨🇴#TeamESTAC 🔵⚪️ pic.twitter.com/mROoDDexVP

— ESTAC Troyes (@estac_officiel) September 1, 2022

11.39 BST: James Garner looks set to leave Manchester United today, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.

The 21-year-old midfielder is wanted by Everton, Southampton and Leicester, with United looking for a fee of more than £15m.

Everton are leading the race, and it’s one that should be wrapped up well in advance of the deadline.

He’s highly regarded at Old Trafford but is keen to play regular first-team football after helping Nottingham Forest win promotion to the Premier League last season.

11.22 BST: Arsenal are exploring a late move for Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.

The Gunners are scouring the market for a central midfielder after losing Mohamed Elneny for several weeks to a hamstring injury, while Thomas Partey is also out with a thigh problem.

Arsenal are interested in Palmeiras’ Danilo, but the Brazilian club are reluctant to sell at this point in the season, prompting the Gunners to look at other targets.

Villa are strongly opposed to allowing Luiz to leave, despite the 24-year-old having less than 12 months remaining on his contract. Sources said Luiz is open to joining Arsenal, but Villa’s stance could make a deal difficult to complete before tonight’s deadline.

One source suggests Villa have not given up on persuading Luiz to sign a new deal at the club, so Arsenal are likely to find any negotiation with the Midlands club particularly tough.

11.10 BST: Real Madrid aren’t expecting any last-minute transfer business, having done their major deals — bringing in Aurelien Tchouameni and Antonio Rudiger — earlier in the window.

Even the departure of Casemiro to Manchester United didn’t tempt the club into the market, with Madrid feeling they have sufficient midfield cover with Tchouameni, Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Fede Valverde and Dani Ceballos.

Marco Asensio had been considering an exit in search of game time but is set to stay, according to reports in Spain on Wednesday night, while Madrid haven’t found a destination for fringe players they hoped to move on such as Mariano Diaz and Alvaro Odriozola.

10.47 BST: Manchester City are trying to shift two from Wednesday night’s matchday squad before the deadline, sources have told ESPN’s Rob Dawson.

Ben Knight and Claudio Gomes, who were both on the bench for the 6-0 win over Nottingham Forest, are available to move before the end of the window.

Knight, a 20-year-old forward, is available to move on loan, while Gomes, a 22-year-old midfielder, will be allowed to leave permanently if a suitable offer comes in before the deadline.

10.41 BST: Chelsea have moved a step closer to signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona after agreeing personal terms with the striker, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.

The 33-year-old has accepted in principle a two-year contract with the option of a third year based on the number of appearances made in his second season at Stamford Bridge.

Talks are continuing between the two clubs to settle on a fee, with Barcelona continuing to demand in the region of £20 million while Chelsea are trying to incorporate Marcos Alonso in a player-plus-cash transfer.

Although a fee is yet to be agreed, there is optimism on both sides that a deal can be reached before Thursday’s deadline.

10.36 BST: Liverpool are closing in on the signing of midfielder Arthur Melo from Juventus on a season-long loan deal, sources have told ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens.

The Brazil international is travelling to England from Turin with the deal due to be completed before Thursday’s transfer deadline.

Arthur’s move to the Premier League side accelerated late on Wednesday after Jordan Henderson was injured in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over Newcastle.

Jurgen Klopp’s side were already short in midfield for that game with Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara among those sidelined.

Klopp confirmed earlier in the week that Liverpool were open to signing another midfielder if the right opportunity came up.

Arthur, 26, joined Juventus from Barcelona for around €70m in 2020. He has spent just two seasons at Barcelona, where he made 72 appearances after signing from Gremio.

10.21 BST: Atletico Madrid are spending deadline day hoping to hang on to key players including Yannick Carrasco, who was linked with a move to Tottenham this week, sources have told ESPN’s Alex Kirkland.

The Rojiblancos are not willing to negotiate over Carrasco, and any interested party would have to pay the winger’s €70m release clause.

Atletico have been caught out on the last day of the window in the past, such as when Arsenal activated Thomas Partey’s release clause in October 2020.

Antoine Griezmann is expected to stay at the Metropolitano despite the club’s efforts to avoid having to pay €40 million to make the 31-year-old’s move from Barcelona permanent next summer.

Their loan agreement, agreed last year, specifies that Atletico must pay the fee if Griezmann plays over 45 minutes in 50% of their games, and while coach Diego Simeone is a fan of the player — who has scored twice off the bench so far this season — the club would like to negotiate a reduction.

10.00 BST: Manchester City have signed centre-back Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund on a five-year deal.

Akanji becomes City’s fifth new arrival this summer after they signed Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips, Sergio Gomez and Stefan Ortega during this window.

The Switzerland international will give City boss Pep Guardiola another option in defence, joining centre-backs Ruben Dias, John Stones, Nathan Ake and Aymeric Laporte.

Akanji will also come up against his old club when Guardiola’s side face Dortmund in Group G of the Champions League.

The 27-year-old made 158 appearances for Dortmund after joining the Bundesliga side from Basel in 2018 and helped them to the DFB Pokal title last year.

Akanji has been capped 41 times by Switzerland and was part of the team that reached the quarterfinals at last year’s European Championship.

We are delighted to announce we have completed the signing of Manuel Akanji from Borussia Dortmund! ✍️

Read more ⤵️

— Manchester City (@ManCity) September 1, 2022

09.48 BST: Sevilla have announced the signing of midfielder Kasper Dolberg on loan from Nice.

The Denmark international, 24, moves to LaLiga until the end of the season, at which point Sevilla have the option to make the deal permanent.

09.30 BST: First major done deal of the day, and it’s a big one — Manchester United have completed the signing of winger Antony from Ajax on a five-year deal, the club have confirmed.

United agreed a fee for the Brazil international on Monday, which sources told ESPN was worth an initial €95m with another €5m in add-ons — making it the club’s second-most expensive transfer behind the then-world-record €105m (£89.3m) deal to sign Paul Pogba from Juventus in 2016.

Antony’s move to Old Trafford means he will be reunited with his former Ajax boss Erik ten Hag, who has completed his fifth signing of the summer after deals for Tyrell Malacia, Christian Eriksen, Lisandro Martinez and Casemiro.

The 22-year-old winger gives Ten Hag more options in attack after Anthony Martial sustained an Achilles tendon injury in United’s 2-1 victory against Liverpool last week.

Antony scored 25 goals in 82 games for Ajax after joining the Eredivisie side from Sao Paulo in 2020, winning two league titles and a KNVB Cup during his time there. He has made nine appearances for Brazil, scoring twice, and helped his country to an Olympic gold medal in Tokyo last year.

Antony is ineligible for United’s match at Leicester City on Thursday but could make his debut at home to Arsenal this Sunday.

– Everything you need to know about Antony

📞 Calling: @Antony00 🇧🇷

Welcome to United ❤️ #MUFC

— Manchester United (@ManUtd) September 1, 2022

08.53 BST: Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he could sign another central midfielder on deadline day following injuries to Thomas Partey and Mohamed Elneny.

“We are looking at options,” Arteta said after Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Aston Villa. “We are just looking at options in the market. 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.”

He added: “We were pretty protected in [central midfield] and now we are more exposed, but we have to be prepared for uncertainties, injuries and suspensions. Things like that can happen, especially this season it’s going to be really strange with the World Cup. So, we try to prevent things but sometimes it is not easy.”

The Gunners have been linked with interest in Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, who is also a reported target for Liverpool. The Brazilian scored direct from a corner at the Emirates on Wednesday, and Villa boss Steven Gerrard could not rule out an exit for the midfielder.

“I’m not in control of that,” Gerrard said. “There are more than two people in control of that, but I’m certainly not one of them. That will be Douglas, that will be his agent’s decision as to what happens around that. I’d like to keep him because he’s a fantastic player. I’ve made that abundantly clear.

“We are not in a position where we need to lose our top players, but at the same time, Douglas has got a year to go, and it is one of those really touchy situations where the club have to do what is best for the club and not necessarily what’s best for me.”

08.28 BST: Chelsea are discussing a potential move for AC Milan forward Rafael Leao before the summer transfer window closes on Thursday, according to The Times.

It is reported that the Blues have turned their attention to the 23-year-old Serie A star, after they failed with an enquiry to land Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil international forward Neymar. Thomas Tuchel’s side are keen to land a forward and midfielder before the transfer deadline closes on Thursday, with Leao is one of the final names on their shortlist.

The Portugal international was a key player for the Rossoneri last season in a Scudetto-winning campaign where he contributed to 19 goals in 34 appearances. He had been linked with Real Madrid this summer, and it would reportedly take an offer of at least €115 million for the Serie A champions to consider parting ways with him.

Chelsea had been previously linked to Barcelona’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, among others. The London side are without a striker after Romelu Lukaku returned to Internazionale and Timo Werner made the switch back to RB Leipzig.

08.00 BST: Chelsea have made a €50m bid to sign Ajax and Mexico midfielder Edson Alvarez, sources have told ESPN’s James Olley.

Blues head coach Thomas Tuchel is thought to be concerned about the club’s midfield options in the wake of Tuesday’s 2-1 defeat at Southampton and nagging injury concerns over key midfielder N’Golo Kante, who is set to be sidelined for around a month with a hamstring problem.

Sources have told ESPN that Ajax are under no pressure to sell, having already allowed Antony, Lisandro Martinez, Sebastien Haller, Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui to leave the club in the summer transfer window.

Chelsea were keen on a move for Barcelona midfielder Frenkie De Jong, but the Dutchman has so far shown no interest in leaving Camp Nou.