Transfer news LIVE: Cesar Azpilicueta signs new Chelsea contract and Man United in talks for Benjamin Sesko

On the eve of the new Premier League season, several clubs are still hoping to get another deal or two over the line in time for their opening weekend squad, though several sagas look set to drag on into the final weeks of the transfer window. One of those is Frenkie de Jong, with the Barcelona midfielder seemingly preferring a move to Chelsea over Manchester United, but not keen to give up the salary owed to him by his current club. The Catalan and west London club could be doing further business too, with Marcos Alonso linked with a switch to the Camp Nou. But Cesar Azpilicueta is staying put, with the Chelsea captain signing a new two-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are trying to land at least two more players for their defensive ranks too - but Brighton released a stern statement rejecting reports that Marc Cucurella was all but sold to the Blues, despite claims that personal terms were agreed for the left-sided player. Wesley Fofana remains an option if Leicester are open to sell, while new reports claim Thomas Tuchel wants Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Stamford Bridge.

Elsewhere, Newcastle United are still hoping to sign James Maddison, Manchester United are keen on Serginio Dest, fellow Barca backup Neto could be heading to Bournemouth and Nicolo Zaniolo is still high on Tottenham’s list of priorities, if they can offload fringe players.

Follow all the latest transfer news, rumours and updates below.

Transfer news LIVE

• Full 2022/23 Premier League season preview

• Brighton deny Marc Cucurella sale agreed as Chelsea close in

• Everton want both Conor Coady and West Ham target Amadou Onana

• Bournemouth set to sign Barcelona goalkeeper Neto

• Chelsea confirm signing of Carney Chukwuemeka...

• ...but also see bid rejected for Leicester defender Wesley Fofana

• Man United plan more talks over signing Benjamin Sesko

• Alex Telles joins Sevilla on loan from United

• Cesar Azpilicueta signs new Chelsea contract

Azpilicueta signs new Chelsea contract

19:42 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly: “We are so happy that Cesar is staying at Chelsea for a minimum of two more years. We are thrilled with our captain showing his exemplary commitment and leadership yet again. There is still so much to do together.”

Azpilicueta signs new Chelsea contract

19:41 , Jamie Braidwood

Cesar Azpilicueta: “I am really happy to extend my stay at Chelsea, my home. It is almost 10 years since I first arrived and joined the club so I really feel the love and I am really excited for the new project we have in our hands.“I would like to say thank you to Mr Todd [Boehly] and Mr Behdad [Eghbali] for giving me the opportunity to keep my journey at this amazing club and I am really looking forward to continuing our adventure. I am a really proud captain and I hope we can share many good memories together.”

Azpilicueta signs new Chelsea contract

19:35 , Jamie Braidwood

There it is! As reported earlier, Cesar Azpilicueta has signed a new two-year deal with Cheslea.

Done deal! PSG sign Renato Sanches

18:39 , Jamie Braidwood

Paris Saint-Germain have confirmed the signing of Renato Sanches from Lille on a five-year deal. He joins Vitinha, Nordi Mukiele, Hugo Ekitiké in arriving at the club this summer - definitely a change of profile under sporting director Luis Campos.

Scott Parker urging promoted Bournemouth to embrace Premier League challenge

18:30 , Jamie Braidwood

Scott Parker says Bournemouth must embrace the challenge of the Premier League ahead of Saturday’s opener against Aston Villa.

Parker last week warned the south-coast club are “way short of where we need to be” following a quiet summer in the transfer market and a host of departures.

“My head and the team’s head is solely on Saturday,” he told a press conference.

“We’re going into the biggest league in the world and we worked tirelessly last year to be in this position.

“We need to bring a fighting spirit and a real determination on the weekend if we want to get something out of the game.

“As I said, us as a group of players, along with the fans, the staff, the owner and everyone else, it’s something we all wanted last year and we need to embrace that.”

Scott Parker urging promoted Bournemouth to embrace Premier League challenge

Manchester United loan Alex Telles to Sevilla

18:15 , Jamie Braidwood

Manchester United left-back Alex Telles has completed a season-long loan switch to Sevilla.

The 29-year-old joined the Old Trafford giants from Porto in October 2020 and made 50 appearances in all competitions for the Red Devils.

Telles has mostly played back-up to Luke Shaw and was pushed further down the pecking order by the summer arrival of Feyenoord’s Tyrell Malacia.

Brandon Williams has also returned to the club after spending last season at Norwich and Telles has joined Sevilla on loan for the 2022-23 campaign.

Alex Telles leaves Manchester United for Sevilla on season-long loan

Fulham move for Justin Kluivert

18:00 , Karl Matchett

Rumours in Italy are linking promoted side Fulham with a £7m deal for Justin Kluivert.

The former Ajax teenage prodigy has struggled for consistency since leaving the Eredivisie, having spells with Roma, Leipzig and Nice, while Torino have also been interested this summer.

Fulham want to add more pace and firepower in the attack, with Marco Silva saying far greater numbers are needed in the squad overall.

Arsenal set to miss out on midfielder Arthur Melo

17:45 , Karl Matchett

Arsenal have been linked with Arthur Melo for some time but it appears they will miss out on the Brazilian.

Valencia are now favourites to land the Juventus man, who is set for a switch after falling out of favour in Italy.

Juventus might then look to land Chelsea midfielder Jorginho as a replacement, though Leandro Paredes is also a target.

Mikel Arteta backs Gabriel Jesus to be a hit at Arsenal amid pre-season excitement

17:30 , Karl Matchett

Mikel Arteta has backed the contagious mentality of Gabriel Jesus to help Arsenal have a successful season.

“When you bring top players from top clubs and they’ve been extremely successful over the years, there is expectation,” said Arteta. “The role that Gabi has here is going to be very different to the role that Gabi had in his previous club.

“That needs some adaptation and time and we are all surprised with how quickly he’s done it, but we have to share that responsibility. He’s a tremendous talent with a mentality that is so contagious and he’s going to give us a lot, but it’s a team at the end of the day.

“We are all enthusiastic. We had the pre-season we wanted, it was well organised, we had good results, good preparation and good performances. But now the ball starts to roll tomorrow evening in a completely different context and against a Premier League team and we know what to expect there.

“It’s true we have a high level of energy and ambition to have a successful season and we have to show that on the pitch tomorrow night.”

Mikel Arteta backs Gabriel Jesus to be a hit at Arsenal amid pre-season excitement

Azpilicueta signs new Chelsea contract - reports

17:14 , Jamie Braidwood

Chelsea captain Cesar Azpilicueta has agreed a new two-year deal with the club, according to several reports tonight, putting to bed any speculation that he would leave Stamford Bridge and join Barcelona this summer.

The defender, 32, will remain part of Thomas Tuchel’s side this season and potentially beyond, if reports tonight are to be believed. Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has emerged as a key figure in the talks after refusing to let the Spaniard leave the club.

Spurs in talks for Udogie

17:00 , Jamie Braidwood

Tottenham have opened talks with Udinese over Italian left-back Destiny Udogie.

Reports in Italy say the expectation is for a loan initially, with an option to buy for Spurs, as Antonio Conte continues to rebuild his squad.

Udogie comes personally recommended by the boss, who is also open to immediately signing the defender and then loaning him back to Serie A for another campaign with Udinese.

Tottenham still long way off competing for Premier League title, Antonio Conte claims

16:45 , Jamie Braidwood

Antonio Conte believes Tottenham Hotspur are moving in the right direction after a busy summer transfer window but warned they cannot yet focus on closing the gap to Manchester City and Liverpool.

“I think we’re going in the right direction but you know very well you need to have a bit of patience,” Conte said. “We know that in England it is difficult to fight to win but we want to try to be competitive, to try to improve on last season and this is our target. If you ask me about City or Liverpool, my answer is we are talking about two of the best clubs in the world that are working with the same coaches for seven years.

“Now they are in my opinion in a position that is very difficult for the others to close the gap but we have to do this. Also because (to catch) a City and Liverpool, you have to spend £100million for six players, they go and spend that for one player or two player £100million and this is the difference.

“You have to run behind and they stay in front of you but you know very well they deserve to stay there because they work very well to have the same coach and to back the coach, Klopp, Guardiola and (Thomas) Tuchel and they deserve this.

“To become a strong team you need to have stability and a vision. The idea has to be very clear and then you will see you go step by step and try to reduce this gap.”

Tottenham still long way off competing for Premier League title, Antonio Conte claims

Chelsea do not want to sell Azpilicueta to Barcelona

16:30 , Karl Matchett

The Times are reporting that Barcelona might not get one of their many transfer targets this summer - not because they cannot finance the deals, but simply because Chelsea don’t want to sell.

Cesar Azpilicueta has a year left on his deal and was expected to depart back to Spain, but Todd Boehly has seemingly told the club captain that with so much change at Stamford Bridge, he can’t afford to offload one of his most experienced leaders.

That could have a knock-on effect with Man United having been keen to sign Serginio Dest according to reports recently.

Alex Telles joins Sevilla on loan from Man United

16:15 , Karl Matchett

Done deal! Sevilla have confirmed the arrival of Alex Telles, with the left-back signing on loan from Manchester United.

The Brazilian was unable to really establish himself as a starter for the Red Devils and was third in line for the position this term.

He’s now at the Sanchez Pizjuan for the 22/23 season and there’s not expected to be any buy option included in the switch.

Wolves in talks over striker Hwang Ui-Jo

16:00 , Karl Matchett

Bordeaux and Wolves are in talks over South Korean striker Hwang Ui-Jo, with the Premier League club hoping to land him in the next week.

The 29-year-old is seen as a good option to fill the void left by Raul Jimenez’s injury, after the French club were relegated to Ligue 2 for this year.

Hwang has 47 caps for the national team, the same as Wolves’ own South Korean forward, Hwang Hee-chan.

Leeds target was wanted by four other Premier League clubs

15:45 , Karl Matchett

It wasn’t just Leeds who were in the running for Belgian attacker Charles De Ketalaere.

HLN report that four other top flight clubs in England were keen, but despite Leeds moving first it was Serie A which was the chosen destination.

“West Ham, Newcastle, Arsenal and Leicester were among the Premier League clubs that were following Charles De Ketelaere, but only Leeds and AC Milan made a bid,” Kristof Terreur notes.

“His agents [said] ‘Leeds was financially the best option for all parties, but Charles wanted to go to AC Milan.’”

Arteta says Arsenal have more transfer business ahead

15:30 , Karl Matchett

Arsenal have been busy already but have more to do, says manager Mikel Arteta.

“We are really active as you can see with ins and outs. Everything is still open it’s a long window. It’s incredible how much business the club has already done. It’s not gonna stop,” he says.

No real confirmation of whether that’s new signings or just more players leaving, but still work to do for himself and Edu, clearly.

Barcelona facing struggle to sell players who want paying in full

15:15 , Karl Matchett

Shocking news: Players want to be paid the amount owed them. It’s not just with Frenkie de Jong that Barcelona are going to struggle to offload, but now Martin Braithwaite too, reports Sport.

The issue, of course, is that De Jong and his Danish teammate want paying in full per the terms of their contracts, with Barcelona trying to convince them to give up sections of their salaries and depart for pastures new.

Joan Laporta needs to save that money from the salaries, as well as bring in the fees from the actual sales, and Barca may be unable to register all their new signings if the unwanted players don’t depart - minus the money owed to them.

Corinthians ‘keeping an eye’ on Cristiano Ronaldo situation

15:00 , Karl Matchett

An unexpected and unlikely looking move, but Corinthians president Duilio Alves is hoping Cristiano Ronaldo fancies a huge change of scenery.

“It’s true, I’m dreaming big. This is Corinthians! Aren’t Willian and Renato Augusto here?” Alves told Ulissescast, as reported by Eurosport.

“In football everything is possible, and I have the obligation to do my best for Corinthians.

“Is it possible? I don’t know. We haven’t tried yet, we haven’t looked into it, but we are keeping an eye on it. Imagine if he suddenly wants to play in Brazil.”

Sadly, Corinthians have roughly the same chances of winning the Uefa Champions League as Man United this year, which appears to be what Ronaldo is most in search of.

Nottingham Forest to make renewed approach for Morgan Gibbs-White

14:45 , Karl Matchett

Wolves midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White seems to be much in demand, other than at his own club, who have loaned him out for the past couple of years and don’t seem to be able to find a role for him.

It’s Nottingham Forest who are still most keen, having had a bid turned down earlier this summer, but they’re set to go back with another improved offer, say Sky Sports.

Their last bid was around £25m and it’s set to be increased, but Wolves are unwilling sellers with two years left on his deal.

European transfers: Wijnaldum, Torreira, Moukoko and more

14:30 , Karl Matchett

Here’s a round up of European-based transfers going on today, according to media from Spain, Germany, Italy and beyond:

• Gini Wijnaldum is close to finalising his loan move from PSG to Roma, with an option to buy included

• Lucas Torreira will decide which club to join from Arsenal “in a short time”, with Galatasaray presenting the “best offer” according to his agent

• Jordan Veretout is heading from Roma to Marseille despite fans campaigning against his signing

• AC Milan have been offered Tanguy Ndombele from Spurs but may prefer to sign their youngster Pape Sarr

• Alex Meret is set for a move on loan to Spezia, with Napoli set to sign Kepa from Chelsea in goal instead

• Youssoufa Moukoko is undecided over signing a new contract with Borussia Dortmund, with his current deal over in a year

• Nice, Mallorca and Salernitana are all keen to sign out of favour Villarreal attacker Boulaye Dia

West Ham agree to meet Maxwel Cornet release clause

14:15 , Karl Matchett

Burnley winger Maxwel Cornet could be on his way to the London Stadium.

TalkSport say West Ham United have “seen off interest from Newcastle, Everton and Forest” to land the attacker, though that appears to be more because they are willing to activate his release clause rather than any sporting, financial or sweet-talking reasons.

The Hammers have agreed to pay the £17.5m clause up front, which none of the others were willing to do, making them the “most likely” landing spot for Cornet.

Nottingham Forest want three more signings including Jizz Hornkamp

14:00 , Karl Matchett

More deals in the pipeline for Nottingham Forest. Steve Cooper is hoping to land Dutch forward Jizz Hornkamp as another striker to call upon this season, after he impressed last year at Willem II.

The Athletic say he is among “several targets identified” to provide cover and competition to club record signing Taiwo Awoniyi.

24-year-old Hornkamp scored four times in the Eredivisie last season after only joining in January.

Two more signings in addition to a new forward are still in Forest’s plans, the report claims.

Steve Cooper faces twin challenge after Nottingham Forest’s summer of excess

13:45 , Karl Matchett

After a 23-year absence from the top table of English football, Nottingham Forest won’t be able to point to the excuses of a Norwich City or a West Brom if their stay only lasts a single season. Where the Canaries opted for financial prudence, Forest have been outlandish in their spending. Where the Baggies kept faith with many who saw them promoted, the Reds have made wholesale changes to the squad.

It’s a bold (and partly necessary) move from those both in the ownership and management groups, with the official tally currently standing at 21 departures (including youngsters, loans and out of contract players released) and a current net expenditure of around £80m, with more to come.

Karl Matchett looks ahead to the Reds’ return to the top flight after a busy summer in the transfer market.

Steve Cooper faces twin challenge after Nottingham Forest’s summer of excess

Chelsea sign Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa in £20m deal

13:30 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.

The 18-year-old midfielder, who was part of the England side that won the Under-19 European Championship this summer, moves to Stamford Bridge having decided against signing an extension to his Villa contract, which was due to expire next summer.

Villa boss Steven Gerrard left the midfielder out of the club’s pre-season tour of Australia and he had been training with the under-23s. Gerrard was understood to have put a £20million price tag on the player.

Chukwuemeka, who turns 19 in October, made his first-team debut in May 2021 and last season made 14 appearances but just two of them were Premier League starts.

He said of his switch to Stamford Bridge: “It’s been quite hectic but I couldn’t get Chelsea out of my head the last few days so I’m just happy and relieved that it’s all done.”

More on the Chukwuemeka signing:

Chelsea sign Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa in £20m deal

Man United have two Frenkie de Jong alternatives - but neither are available

13:15 , Karl Matchett

Manchester United face at least three barriers in signing Erik ten Hag’s first-choice transfer this summer, midfielder Frenkie de Jong.

First, is his finance-based stand-off with current club Barcelona. Second is the suggestion from some areas that he is not too keen on a move to Old Trafford anyway, a point of view United are not in agreement with. And third is that Chelsea are also in the running and keen to land him too, and have Champions League football to offer.

So, alternatives are a sensible solution - but neither of the two names at the top of the list are available this summer, report the Athletic. They name Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham and West Ham’s Declan Rice as the preferred other options for United, but moves for either one would have to wait until next year.

Wolves and Everton to fight over Batshuayi

13:00 , Karl Matchett

Michy Batshuayi still plays for Chelsea. That’s the first piece of insight. He hasn’t actually played there since 19/20 though.

Loan spells in Germany, Spain, south London and Turkey have ranged between good and dreadful, but another temporary stint beckons for the 28-year-old Belgian, with Wolves and Everton both reportedly keen.

He has one year left on his contract and is not in Thomas Tuchel’s plans, say Sky. Wolves are also considering Bordeaux striker Ui-jo Hwang.

Barcelona agree terms with Bernardo Silva for transfer

12:45 , Karl Matchett

We know by now that Bernardo Silva is Barcelona’s widely reported target to replace Frenkie de Jong, if the Dutch schemer departs the Camp Nou.

The Mail now update that story by reporting “personal terms between club and player are already all-but agreed”, though there’s no evidence that City and Barca have undergone talks to set a price tag.

Barcelona are hoping that offloading De Jong, and signing Silva, would present similar transfer fees, with the dramatic saving coming in salary earnings - with De Jong in line for up to €45m across the next two years, compared with around €20m for Silva.

Man United plan more talks for Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko

12:30 , Karl Matchett

Manchester United are still struggling to get the numbers through the door Erik ten Hag wants.

More talks are planned over RB Salzburg striker Benjamin Sesko, reports the Athletic, but even so his pricetag is viewed as prohibitive and the Austrian club do not want to sell as they apparently feel he can reach similar heights to Erling Haaland.

It has also emerged United turned down the chance to sign Sesko for £2.5m three years ago, with his pricetag now standing around at least the £50m mark.

Stuttgart’s Sasa Kalajdzic has also been linked.

The Premier League’s title rivals are chasing a new magic number

12:15 , Karl Matchett

Liverpool had just got proof their brilliant pursuit of Manchester City was doomed. “We were close but in the end not close enough,” Jurgen Klopp reflected on the final day of the season. Again. The 2018-19 campaign had already given them the bittersweet distinction of being England’s greatest runners-up. Then “97 points” almost became a catchphrase at Anfield. Three years on. Klopp said: “92 points is obviously crazy.”

It is, and yet it is also the norm. It is the joint eighth biggest total in Premier League history and the other side to finish with 92, Manchester United in 1993-94, did so from 42 matches, not 38. Go on points per game and seven of the eight highest tallies have been posted in the last six seasons, all by teams managed by Pep Guardiola, Antonio Conte or Klopp.

The one exception was Jose Mourinho’s 95 in his debut season with Chelsea. Yet since 2016, 95 – or 94.83, to be precise – is the average recorded by Premier League champions.

Rich Jolly looks ahead at another season of relentlessness for those chasing the title.

94.83: The Premier League’s new magic number

Chelsea bid for Wes Fofana rejected by Leicester

12:00 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea are having a lot of offers sent back and forth today, it seems.

Aubameyang, Cucurella, now Fofana too - and Chukwuemeka is already done.

Leicester aren’t playing ball though and L’Equipe say the Foxes have turned down a bid of £60m for Wesley Fofana, but the centre-back is keen on the switch so the Blues will push on with another enquiry soon. A deal of more than £200k a week is expected for the rapid and talented youngster, if they can convince Brendan Rodgers’ team to sell.

Everton target Coady and look to beat West Ham to Onana

11:45 , Karl Matchett

A couple of unexpected turns from Everton, as they look to suddenly splash out: first up, the Mail report that they have matched West Ham’s bid for Lille midfielder Amadou Onana. The young Belgian was reportedly in talks with the Hammers yesterday but they have been unwilling to match his wage demands so far - and now the Toffees are looking to make use of that.

He’s a one-cap Belgium senior international and the report claims Everton are offering better personal terms.

In addition, Everton are being again linked with Wolves centre-back Conor Coady, with manager Frank Lampard personally keen on the 29-year-old, who was early in his career a Liverpool academy prospect.

Bournemouth close in on signing Barcelona goalkeeper Neto

11:30 , Karl Matchett

Brazilian goalkeeper Neto could be set to swap Barcelona for Bournemouth after positive talks between the two clubs.

The experienced stopper is on huge wages for a second-choice option at the Camp Nou so would presumably be taking a big pay cut to head to the Cherries, but talks were held on Wednesday night according to the Mail and he’s expected to sign over the weekend.

Separately, Bournemouth are also enquiring over Feyenoord defender Marcos Senesi as they look to add to Scott Parker’s options and fight against relegation in their first campaign back in the top flight.

Erik ten Hag’s encouraging start undermined by Manchester United’s familiar problems

11:15 , Karl Matchett

From all of the noise that Manchester United’s summer has produced, there is something that is coming through with encouraging clarity - and it is really the most important element of all.

That is the general admiration of Erik ten Hag’s coaching.

Players are enjoying the work, and the sense of an idea coming together. There is imagination and improvement. There is clarity and - above all - authority.

It says a lot in itself there have been no negative leaks.

A cynical view of that might be this is the sort of thing that always happens with a new manager, of course, but the more salient point is that the level of coaching is not something this United squad have experienced. Ten Hag marks an undeniable break with recent history. He is the first managerial appointment since Sir Alex Ferguson retired that is both on an upward curve in his career and at the forefront of the game’s methods.

Miguel Delaney on the task facing Ten Hag:

Erik ten Hag’s encouraging start undermined by Manchester United’s familiar problems

Kasper Schmeichel’s picturesque goodbye to Leicester

11:11 , Karl Matchett

Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel is leaving Leicester for Ligue 1, having spent over a decade at the KP Stadium, winning the league and FA Cup along the way.

He has waved goodbye to the fans with a thread of memories and photos on Twitter, completing his switch to Nice yesterday evening.

Leeds chase Ismaila Sarr to fill Raphinha void

11:00 , Karl Matchett

Leeds are keen to sign at least one and as many as three attackers before the transfer window shuts, according to reports in the Express.

Ismaila Sarr is a £25m target with relegated Watford willing sellers, while the attacker is also keen on a top-flight return.

Elsewhere though, Jesse Marsch’s side are looking at Rennes attacker Martin Terrier, briefly linked with Liverpool recently, and PSV wide man Cody Gakpo.

The latter has been mentioned in conjunction with Arsenal as well as Liverpool, but is intent on winning a spot in the Netherlands’ World Cup squad, so may opt against a transfer this summer.

Chelsea confirm signing of Carney Chukwuemeka

10:56 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea have confirmed the capture of Carney Chukwuemeka from Aston Villa.

A deal for the midfielder was agreed a couple of days ago, with the youngster only having one year left on his contract at Villa Park and having been left out of Steven Gerrard’s pre-season plans as he opted against signing a new one.

Chelsea open talks for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang transfer

10:45 , Karl Matchett

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang only left Arsenal for Barcelona in January, but Chelsea want to quickly bring him back to the Premier League.

Several outlets have reported that the Blues are anywhere from “considering” a move to having already “opened talks” with his camp, as Thomas Tuchel looks to boost his attacking options and replace Romelu Lukaku, who went back to Inter Milan earlier this summer.

Aubameyang and Tuchel worked together at Dortmund but fell out of favour at Arsenal before his switch to LaLiga, where he scored 13 times across the second half of last term to help Barca into the Champions League. The Camp Nou side signed Robert Lewandowski as a new No9 for this season.

Chelsea to challenge Manchester United for Frenkie de Jong after opening talks with Barcelona

10:30 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea are in discussion with Barcelona over the transfer of Frenkie de Jong, with the London club now looking the likeliest club to sign the midfielder. Manchester United are currently weighing up whether to continue their interest in the signing.

The Old Trafford hierarchy had agreed a deal in principle with Barcelona a month ago, but the Catalan club have become frustrated with its progress, especially as the player himself has proved obstinate over both the issue of €17m in deferred wages and the very fact he is being forced out.

While there have been repeated claims from Spain that is most bluntly down to the fact he does not want to go to United, there has been a strong belief within Old Trafford that he is willing to come.

De Jong has naturally been speaking to his former Ajax manager Erik ten Hag, and is close to him, but that may be trumped by the fact Chelsea are a London-based club in the Champions League. United have effectively been caught in a dispute between club and player, but one that has now seen Barcelona get increasingly alert to the fact time is running out to get players off the books in order to register new signings.

Chelsea look to beat Man United to Frenkie de Jong after opening talks with Barcelona

Man City starlet heads on loan to Sheffield United

10:19 , Karl Matchett

Sheffield United have won the race to land Man City’s James McAtee on loan this season.

Leeds and Nottingham Forest had been widely linked with him, with City only keen to send him out to a side who could show a real plan for gametime for the youngster.

‘The biggest show in town’: All eyes return to the Premier League ahead of season like no other

10:03 , Karl Matchett

The Premier League is back tomorrow, don’t you know! Chief football writer Miguel Delaney has the big season preview ahead of 2022/23:

When Erling Haaland and his camp were assessing where to move next, he watched a lot of Manchester City and Real Madrid to see how he might fit in. The discussion, however, kept coming back to one main debate. LaLiga’s comparative lack of intensity was appealing because a few years in Spain at this age would be hugely beneficial to Haaland’s ambitions of a 20-year top-level career. On the other hand, that lessened intensity is a part consequence of the recent decline of the league, which led to Madrid’s offer being lower than City’s. It articulated an obvious truth.

The Premier League is the place to be, especially for a burgeoning megastar. It brings the most eyes.

All eyes return to the Premier League ahead of season like no other

Rumour roundup: Frenkie de Jong ‘prefers’ Chelsea transfer over Manchester United

09:55 , Karl Matchett

To get started, let’s look around the online and print media to see which stories are focused on today:

Metro reports Frenkie de Jong, who has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, would prefer to relocate to West London and join Chelsea rather than sign for Manchester United. Barcelona recently agreed a fee with United for the Dutch midfielder, 25, but the Red Devils have so far been unable to convince him to move to the north west.

The Blues are understood to be willing to offer Leicester defender Wesley Fofana a hefty pay rise. The Mail reports Chelsea want to pay the 21-year-old £200,000 per week to play for them, but the Foxes are not keen to let him go after he signed a new five-year deal in March.

More here on Leeds, Nottingham Forest and Cristiano Ronaldo:

Frenkie de Jong ‘prefers’ Chelsea transfer over Manchester United

Marc Cucurella: Chelsea closing in on £52.5m transfer for Brighton defender

09:47 , Karl Matchett

Chelsea are close to completing a £52.5million deal for Brighton wing-back Marc Cucurella.

The Blues are thought to have signalled their intent to pay the big-money fee Brighton had held out for, inching the west Londoners close to completing the 24-year-old’s signing.

Brighton are understood to be pushing hard towards a separate deal for Chelsea’s highly-rated centre-back Levi Colwill.

Talks between the two clubs are understood to be ongoing over whether the deal for the 19-year-old would be a loan a permanent transfer.

The Cucurella and Colwill deals are completely separate, but it is thought both may have to be signed off for either move to be completed.

Chelsea closing in on £52.5m Marc Cucurella signing from Brighton