Transfer window: Arsenal close in on Kepa but what about a striker?

Monday marks the start of the transfer window re-opening, so teams can now do business until 1900 BST on 1 September.Arsenal have been one of the most talked-about clubs in the transfer market without actually completing a deal.The Gunners' search for a striker is down Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko. They are closing on a deal for goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Chelsea who will compete with Spanish compatriot David Raya.

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BBC News

29 minutes ago

• BBC News

Juve target Man Utd's Sancho - Saturday's gossip

Juventus are interested in Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho, Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi makes Liverpool stance clear, PSG told fee for Illia Zabarnyi by A club Juventus are interested in signing Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho this summer, with Italian champions Napoli also among the suitors for the 25-year-old England international who spent last season on loan at Chelsea. (Sky Sports, external)Liverpool's frenzy of transfer activity does not extend to a move for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak, 25, with a deal for the Sweden not said to be imminent. (Telegraph - subscription required), externalBut Liverpool boss Arne Slot is interested in a move for Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi, 24. (Talksport), externalGuehi will only move to Anfield if he is guaranteed to be starter. (Sky Sports), externalManchester United and Cameroon goalkeeper Andre Onana is attracting interest from Ligue 1 side Monaco, who are exploring the conditions of a deal for the 29-year-old. (Sky Sports, external)If Onana leaves Old Trafford, Manchester United will turn to Atalanta's Italian goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi, 24, to replace him. (Gianlucadimarzio - in Italian, external)Manchester City are open to letting Ilkay Gundogan leave the club this summer as Turkish side Galatasaray consider a move for the 34-year-old German midfielder. (Guardian, external)Champions League winners Paris St-Germain have submitted a second offer for Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi that totals £55m, but the Cherries value the Ukraine international, 22, in excess of £70m. (Sky Sports) , externalTottenham have enquired with Bournemouth about the availability of 25-year-old Ghana forward Antoine Semenyo but are not proceeding with a deal at the moment. (The Athletic - subscription required), externalFulham are exploring the option of bringing back Joao Palhinha, 29, only a year after selling the Portugal midfielder to Bayern Munich in a £48m deal. (Mail, external)Premier League newcomers Sunderland are the most advanced of any club pursuing Dynamo Kyiv's Vladyslav Vanat, with the Ukrainian club reportedly demanding £21m for the 23-year-old striker. (Express, external)

Times

36 minutes ago

• Times

Florian Wirtz: Liverpool sign Bayer Leverkusen star on five-year deal

Florian Wirtz has revealed how Arne Slot's vision for Liverpool persuaded him to join the club for what could become a British-record transfer fee of £116million. The Germany playmaker admitted there was a time when he 'didn't expect Liverpool to be his next club', only for the power of the club's sales pitch to convince him to leave Bayer Leverkusen and reject interest from Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Wirtz also spoke of the profound effect that losing 4-0 at Anfield with Leverkusen in the Champions League last November had upon him as he described Liverpool as 'machines'. Liverpool have paid £100million for the attacking midfielder, with a further £16million dependent on bonuses, and their summer outlay will continue as they have agreed to sign the Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez in a £40million deal. That will take the spending beyond £200million, of which Wirtz is the undoubted centrepiece, with the 22-year-old confident he will continue to develop under the tutelage of Slot. 'I just thought that it was the right point in my career to make the next step and, of course, I wanted to get to a club that is from the top three in the world, and Liverpool was one of them,' he said. 'The people say I'm a creative player and I hope I can bring this creativity to the team and also the joy on the pitch. I try to make assists, goals and run for the team and defend. I hope I can just make the team one step better. 'I just saw myself in the best hands in Liverpool. I was really convinced by the people here, by the idea, and everything the club offers me was really good. It was not that easy for me, for sure, because I am a German player. I play for the Germany national team. 'So it was not easy for me to decide, but the talks with the coach [Arne Slot] and Richard [Hughes, sporting director] and everybody were, from the very first time, so good and it just kept going like this. 'Every time I spoke to one of the [people from] the club I felt like, 'This is the place I want to be,' and so in the end I was really 100 per cent convinced I want to join Liverpool and it was the best choice. 'I can remember the first time, he [Slot] already showed me some scenes of how we want to play and how I could fit in the team. He was just telling me that I'm a player he really wants to have in his team and can bring the team a step forward. I just could imagine it [being] good to be in the team and to make it better because I have to make my performances every week — but I'm here for this. 'I was the first one in my family who was really into this club when they spoke to us or told us that they are interested in signing me. For sure, I didn't expect that Liverpool will be my next club but my family was supporting me and I didn't have to convince them about the club or something. 'I'm not coming [to] have fun here. I want to achieve something and give the fans what they deserve. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is, for sure, to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious.' Wirtz referenced the defeat Leverkusen endured last season and said he had watched both the title celebrations against Crystal Palace and the end-of-season parade and had been wowed by the joyous scenes. He had flown into Manchester airport on Thursday before beginning a medical that he completed on Friday. Wirtz will return for pre-season training on July 8. 'It was really tough to play here,' Wirtz continued, during an interview with Liverpool's website. 'I was still thinking about the game when I spoke to the coach or the other guys. It was an example [of] how it can be here. We lost 4-0 and we had to run so much and lost almost every duel. I just wanted to be part of this team. 'Inside me, I was feeling this quality of the team and also the size of the club. Inside me, I was always thinking about this game. I could remember how it was playing here.' Should the bonuses be triggered, the Wirtz transfer would outstrip the present British record of £115million, paid by Chelsea to Brighton & Hove Albion for Moisés Caicedo in 2023. Liverpool will look to finalise Kerkez's transfer next week and have already spent £29.5million on signing Jeremie Frimpong, who was Wirtz's team-mate at Leverkusen and taught him to speak English. A similar fee has been paid for the Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and £1.5million has been spent on another goalkeeper, Armin Pecsi of Puskas Akademia. With Jarell Quansah set to join Leverkusen in a deal worth about £35million when his participation with England in the European Under-21 Championship is over, there is also interest in Palace's Marc Guéhi. Bournemouth want at least £65m for PSG target Zabarnyi Bournemouth have valued Illia Zabarnyi at more than £65million in talks to sell the centre back to Paris Saint-Germain (Gary Jacob writes). The French club made an increased offer worth up to £55million for Zabarnyi, who signed a five-year contract last summer that does not have the type of release clause that allowed his defensive partner Dean Huijsen to join Real Madrid for £50million last month. PSG made a first offer of £40million plus £5million in add-ons for the 22-year-old. Zabarnyi cost £24million from Dynamo Kyiv in January 2023. West Ham United want about £25million for Nayef Aguerd after interest in the centre back from Juventus. Aguerd, 29, has two years left on his contract and was on loan at Real Sociedad last season. He joined from the French club Rennes for about £30million, including add-ons, in 2022. Southampton have rejected Atalanta's increased £12million offer for Kamaldeen Sulemana, the winger. The Atalanta head coach, Ivan Juric, stood down as Southampton manager in April after the club were relegated from the Premier League.

The Herald Scotland

37 minutes ago

• The Herald Scotland

Nicolas Jackson sent off as Chelsea implode against Flamengo

The Blues conceded twice and saw Jackson dismissed for a horror tackle in the space of just six minutes after the break. This Mengão comeback. 😮‍💨#FIFACWC — FIFA Club World Cup (@FIFACWC) June 20, 2025 Their woes were compounded when Wallace Yan wrapped up the scoring late on, adding to earlier goals from fellow substitute Bruno Henrique and veteran Danilo. The result – played out in front of a crowd of 54,019 at Lincoln Financial Field – left Chelsea with a win and a loss from their two outings in Group D having earlier looked set to take a giant stride towards the last 16. It made for a disappointing full debut for new striker Liam Delap, who had been brought into the side for Jackson, but a notable scalp for Flamengo manager Filipe Luis, formerly of the London club. The game got off to lively and feisty start yet while the Brazilians looked more at ease in the heat – 27C at kick-off – they struggled to carve out clear-cut openings. Former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho did fire over in the early stages but Robert Sanchez was not troubled in goal. Despite a lack of possession and a subdued performance from Cole Palmer out wide, Chelsea offered a threat on the counter-attack. Delap went close to opening the scoring when he burst clear and forced Agustin Rossi to palm over. Chelsea grabbed the lead when Neto benefited from a fortunate ricochet after being struck by an attempted clearance from Wesley. The Portuguese broke clear from halfway and calmly tucked away his second goal of the tournament from the edge of the box. Neto almost created another for Delap but his pull-back was cut out by Wesley and Chelsea had a penalty appeal rejected after Enzo Fernandez went down in the area. Levi Colwill headed clear off the line after a Flamengo free-kick was slung into the area but it was not until the second period the Brazilians began to cause serious problems. Where did the Chelsea fans go? 🐜 — Flamengo (@Flamengo_en) June 20, 2025 Gerson should have equalised when he cut back inside Colwill to create an opportunity but his mishit shot was intercepted by Trevoh Chalobah. It rebounded to Gonzalo Plata but he somehow poked wide. Chelsea were inches away from a second when Leo Pereira, under pressure from Delap, clipped the ball narrowly past his own post but the Blues had little control. They had another escape when Sanchez tipped over from Plata. The equaliser came just after the hour when Plata headed back across goal and Henrique raced in to pounce at the back post. Chelsea were reeling and were stung again just moments later as Henrique turned provider to head back a corner for Danilo to volley in. Nicolas Jackson's foul on Ayrton Lucas earned him a red card (Chris Szagola/AP) Chelsea's capitulation continued as Jackson, just minutes after coming off the bench, was given his marching orders for a reckless challenge in which he caught Ayrton Lucas on the shin with force. Yan rubbed salt in the wounds seven minutes from time when he readjusted and tucked home after getting in the way of a shot from team-mate Plata.