With the September 1 transfer deadline fast approaching, Premier League clubs are scrambling to complete a flurry of deals, with Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham all involved in significant business.
Arsenal appear to be making the most decisive moves. Ezri Konsa is set to complete a switch from Aston Villa worth at least £51million, undergoing a medical in north London on Thursday before signing a long-term contract. The versatile England defender would become Mikel Arteta's fifth signing of the summer, following Piero Hincapie, Illan Meslier, Christos Tzolis and Bruno Guimaraes.
The Gunners are also reportedly closing in on a shock double raid on rivals Manchester United, targeting 19-year-old Gibraltar international midfielder James Scanlon and 20-year-old right-back Habeeb Ogunneye. Both young talents are said to be close to finalising moves to the Emirates Stadium.
Arsenal have also received a boost in their pursuit of Julian Alvarez. The Argentine striker, who was left out of Atletico Madrid's squad for their LaLiga opener against Malaga while working on his fitness following the World Cup break, was subjected to insulting chants from a section of home supporters despite not playing. More significantly for Arsenal, Barcelona are reported to have abandoned their pursuit of Alvarez and are now exploring alternative striker options following the departures of Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres. Barcelona had previously seen a €100million bid rejected by Atletico for the player, who was said to be keen on a move to Camp Nou. Arsenal remain interested in other attacking options too, including Kenan Yildiz and Victor Osimhen, alongside defensive targets Jarell Quansah and Jack Hinshelwood.
At Manchester United, Carlos Baleba is set to undergo a medical as the Red Devils close in on a deal worth more than £60million with Brighton. The Cameroon midfielder, long a target for United, is expected to sign a five-year contract but will likely miss the opening weeks of the season due to an ankle ligament injury. Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford appears set to remain at Old Trafford after returning from loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, having recently engaged with social media discussion about his future. United's move for Ederson from Atalanta collapsed after the Brazilian midfielder reportedly failed a medical, with the club's doctors said to have concerns over his fitness. Ederson has since signed a new contract at Atalanta.
Chelsea have completed the signing of Alfie Osborne and are bracing for interest from Manchester City in Enzo Fernandez. The Blues have also been offered the chance to sign AC Milan winger Rafael Leao as a potential alternative to Pedro Neto, who is drawing strong interest from Al Hilal.
Liverpool continue to pursue Bradley Barcola and Ibrahim Mbaye from PSG, while Curtis Jones is expected to join Inter Milan and Ifeanyi Ndukwe is set for a loan move away from Anfield.
Tottenham, meanwhile, are working on an ambitious double deal for Manchester City pair Savinho and Omar Marmoush. Spurs have been chasing Savinho throughout the summer, with the Brazilian winger keen to leave the Etihad Stadium for more regular football. Tottenham are also targeting Cody Gakpo, though they are reportedly waiting to see whether Liverpool complete a deal for Barcola or Mbaye first. Should the Gakpo move fall through, Spurs could turn their attention to Chelsea's Pedro Neto instead. Manchester City, for their part, are said to want Manu Kone as they finalize a deal for Ayyoub Bouaddi.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport (standard-football).