Transfer news LIVE! Arsenal seal Rice deal; Chelsea on Kane alert, Gabri Veiga bid; Tottenham sign Maddison
Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham are among the biggest movers and shakers in the early summer transfer window so far. Arsenal have an agreement in principle with West Ham over a mammoth £105million deal for top target Declan Rice. Mikel Arteta has also now officially welcomed Kai Havertz into his squad and is increasingly confident of adding defender Jurrien Timber from Ajax.
Over at Chelsea, they are reportedly plotting a bid for Celta Vigo starlet Gabri Veiga amid a boost over their pursuit of Brighton’s Moises Caicedo. Their coffers could also be boosted with another big sale, with Manchester United understood to at last be closing in on a move for Mason Mount, while Chelsea are also said to have been alerted to an interesting new development regarding Harry Kane as Bayern Munich and potentially PSG plan new bids for the England captain.
Tottenham have announced the £40m signing of James Maddison from Leicester, while Liverpool have also entered talks with RB Leipzig over bringing Dominik Szoboszlai to Anfield. Follow all the latest transfer news, gossip and rumours live below!
Live updates
Chelsea on alert over Harry Kane development
An interesting story on Harry Kane and Chelsea tonight.
The Daily Telegraph report that Chelsea have been alerted to the fact that the England captain has commissioned the building of a new house for his family close to Wentworth Golf Club in Surrey, which also just happens to be only 15 minutes away from Chelsea’s Cobham training ground.
Matt Law reports that Tottenham run the risk of Chelsea making a “very serious play” for Kane on a free transfer next summer if he stays at Spurs and sees out the final 12 months of his current contract without agreeing an extension.
Tottenham officially unveil James Maddison
And there we have it, Tottenham have now officially announced the £40m signing of James Maddison.
The England playmaker has penned a five-year deal in north London that runs until the summer of 2028.
Maddison is the second signing in as many days at Spurs, following the £17m arrival of Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Empoli on Tuesday.
The Ange Postecoglou era well and truly has lift off in N17!
Tottenham set to announce Maddison deal
Tottenham are not about to let north London rivals Arsenal hog all the transfer limelight tonight.
It looks like confirmation of James Maddison’s £40m move from Spurs to Leicester is now imminent after he passed a medical earlier today…
Arsenal agree Rice deal in principle with West Ham
Arsenal have now agreed a deal in principle with West Ham over the signing of Declan Rice.
The Gunners submitted a huge third offer for their top summer transfer target late on Tuesday night worth an initial £100million plus a further £5m in add-ons.
Rivals Manchester City decided not to match that offer for Rice having seen an initial opening bid of their own worth £90m rebuffed, though Arsenal’s latest proposal was not immediately accepted as West Ham were unhappy with the payment structure involved.
As first reported by the Daily Mail, Standard Sport understands the Gunners have now agreed a fee and deal in principle with their London rivals, with discussions ongoing to solve the last remaining payment issues.
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Mikel Arteta and Edu hail Kai Havertz deal
Here are the words of Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu after finally announcing the Kai Havertz deal…
Arteta said: “Kai is a player of top quality. He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.
“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”
Edu added: “We’re excited to bring Kai to the club and great work by everyone to get this deal complete. Kai is an exciting addition to our squad, who will bring great attacking quality and versatility.
“As an experienced 24-year-old, his signing represents another important step in strengthening our young core of talented players we have at Arsenal. We look forward to working with Kai.”
Arsenal confirm £65m Kai Havertz signing
As expected, Kai Havertz has now finally completed his £65m switch from Chelsea to Arsenal on a long-term contract.
He will wear the same No29 shirt that he also donned at both Stamford Bridge and in the Bundesliga with Bayer Leverkusen.
“It’s super exciting for me to be joining this amazing club and to be part of the Arsenal family,” Havertz said. “This club has such a big history, and I hope we can achieve lots of things.
“The mentality in the Arsenal squad is very high and you can feel that. That was one of the reasons why it has been so hard to play against Arsenal recently.
“The aim is to win trophies and I’m going to give everything to do that for the supporters and everyone at the club. I’m now looking forward to meeting all the players and the staff when we come back for pre-season.”
Havertz sends Chelsea fans message before Arsenal move
Kai Havertz has just issued a heartfelt letter to Chelsea fans on social media.
Sounds like confirmation of his £65m move to Arsenal is finally imminent…
Chelsea plot imminent Gabri Veiga bid
Chelsea are going to bid for Gabri Veiga, it is claimed.
The Blues have the Celta Vigo starlet, whose current contract at Balaidos contains a £34m buyout clause, firmly in their sights as they overhaul their midfield unit this summer.
Liverpool are among the other clubs also tracking Veiga, who is heavily in demand after a breakout season in LaLiga.
According to The Guardian, Chelsea want the 21-year-old alongside Brighton’s Moises Caicedo and are expected to table an offer for his services soon.
Arsenal agree £105m Declan Rice fee
Arsenal have now agreed a fee with West Ham for Declan Rice, the latest reports claim.
The Athletic’s David Ornstein says that the Gunners’ mammoth third bid worth an initial £100m plus a further £5m in add-ons, made late last night, has now been accepted.
He adds that the two clubs are now just left to work out the exact payment terms, with Manchester City out of the race.
Rice will become the most expensive British footballer in history when the deal goes through. Arsenal have got their top summer target!
Juventus open to Paul Pogba exit
Juventus are willing to sell Paul Pogba already this summer, reports suggest.
It’s been a desperately unhappy return to Turin so far for the former Manchester United midfielder, who was restricted to just 172 minutes of football in total last season due to injury.
Gazzetta dello Sport in Italy now claim that Juventus would be willing to move on from Pogba in this window if a suitable offer is forthcoming.
