Transfer news LIVE! Rice to Arsenal confirmed; Chelsea want Vlahovic; Onana to Man United; Spurs latest
Arsenal have finally signed Declan Rice, with West Ham confirming their captain had left the club without a single mention of the Gunners in the statement. The £105million deal breaks the British transfer record and comes a day after Arsenal had confirmed the signing of Jurrien Timber from Ajax in an expensive few hours for the club.
Over at Chelsea, there are fresh fears that Liverpool could swoop in and disrupt their bid for Moises Caicedo. Talks continue with Brighton over a £100million deal while the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Rayan Cherki are key targets for Mauricio Pochettino, who is set to sanction Romelu Lukaku’s exit to Inter Milan or Juventus for around £34m.
Manchester United have agreed a £43m deal to sign Andre Onana while Tottenham appear to have held off interest in Harry Kane from Bayern Munich. They are keen on a new defender amid interest in Micky van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba and Levi Colwill. Follow all the latest news, gossip and rumours below!
Live updates
Brennan Johnson left out of Nottingham Forest squad
Brentford are keen on a move for Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson, though signing the Welshman will not be easy.
They are ready to demand as much as £50m for Johnson, with Aston Villa also keen.
Still, the forward has been left out of the club’s squad for a pre-season game.
Fabinho left out of Liverpool tour as Saudi Arabia looms
Liverpool midfielder Fabinho has been left out of the squad travelling to Germany for a pre-season training camp.
The Brazil international has been strongly linked with a move to Saudi Arabia with Al-Ittihad reportedly keen.
Reds teammate Jordan Henderson has also been touted for a move to th Saudi Pro League and reports claim Al-Ettifaq, now under the management of Anfield legend Steven Gerrard, are lining up a move that will see the England international paid a staggering £700k-per-week.
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Liverpool not chasing Moises Caicedo
Moises Caicedo continues to be linked with a move to Chelsea but nothing is advanced.
As a result, Liverpool have been linked.
Fabrizio Romano, however, has confirmed the Reds are not in the race.
Hugo Lloris set to leave Spurs
Tottenham have given a clear indication that captain Hugo Lloris will leave this summer.
The goalkeeper has been left out of their pre-season tour squad, with a club statement saying he will “explore prospective transfer opportunities”.
Tanguy Ndombele, Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are all on the plane despite being linked with moves away.
Lloris has previously confirmed his desire to leave after over a decade at the club.
Man United to sign Andre Onana today
Manchester United have made a breakthrough in talks to sign Andre Onana.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, a deal has been struck for the goalkeeper, with Inter Milan set to pocket an initial £43m, plus add-ons.
An announcement could come as early as today.
Chelsea set for Caicedo battle
Liverpool could rival Chelsea for Moises Caicedo.
Talks between the Blues and Brighton are still yet to see an agreement on the player’s transfer fee, with the Seagulls demanding £100m.
Chelsea could still miss out despite reports of progress as talkSPORT say Liverpool are preparing to gazump them with their own bid.
Should Fabinho and Jordan Henderson complete moves to Saudi Arabia, the Reds are tipped to pounce on Caicedo.
Chelsea weigh up Vlahovic bid
Juventus’s offer for Romelu Lukaku as conditional on the sale of Dusan Vlahovic by August 4, who is one of many forwards of interest to Chelsea.
Standard Sport understands that Chelsea have yet to decide whether to move for another striker and simply hoped to sell Lukaku before his return for pre-season training on Monday, in two days’ time.
The Mail, though, report that the Blues will launch a bid for Vlahovic, and a swap deal with Juve could happen though the 23-year-old would cost more than Lukaku.
Inter fears rise as Lukaku uncontactable
Inter Milan are considering walking away from talks to sign Romelu Lukaku after the Chelsea striker was uncontactable on Friday night.
The Italian giants had prepared a bid worth £30million, plus a further £4m in add-ons, but the Belgium international and his representative, Sebastian Ledure, were not able to be contacted on the phone.
Inter were ready to match a Juventus bid made on Wednesday, with an offer much closer to Chelsea’s £40m asking price.
Officials are now concerned that Lukaku is now pushing for a move to Juventus, having previously been told he only wanted to move to San Siro.
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Rice pens open letter
Declan Rice says his move to Arsenal “has only ever been about my ambition to play at the very highest level of the game” in his first words since his West Ham exit was confirmed.
Rice has penned an open letter to Hammers fans as the club confirmed their club captain was leaving – though there was no mention of ‘Arsenal’ in either statement.
The Gunners have agreed a £105million deal to sign Rice, breaking the British transfer record.
“The last few days and weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of emotion,” Rice wrote.
Read more here!
David Sullivan on Rice exit
“I am sorry to see Declan leave us, but I believe that everyone at West Ham United should be very proud of the part we have played in his journey from the Academy of Football at Chadwell Heath to becoming the most valuable young player in English football.
“I would like to make it clear to our supporters that we did not want to sell Declan. We wanted to build our team around him and made a series of improved, long-term contract offers to secure his future. However, once Declan made it clear that he wished to move on and seek a new challenge, the Club felt it would not be right to stand in his way, acting in the best interests of West Ham United.
“He leaves with the sincere thanks, respect and love of everyone here, having earned his place in history alongside the great Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds as the only players to have captained West Ham United to a major trophy. More than that, he has always given absolutely everything for the football club throughout his time with us.
“Declan will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Hammers fans and everyone here at the Club. We wish him well for the future and he will always be an inspiration and an example to any young player coming through our Academy.”
