Oh, before I leave: here’s today’s Football Daily.
Right then, that’s enough of me describing people leaving their job for – shock – another job. But please don’t leave us as we’ll have live coverage of the Champions League group-phase draw starting very soon. If you don’t want that, come join me as a I report on proceedings at Lord’s. Just please don’t go. Please.
The Champions League draw gets underway soon. Still trying to get your head around the new format? Cause I am. Give this a try.
Manchester United now expect the €50m (£42m) plus €10m add-ons signing of Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain and Scott McTominay’s €30m (£25m) transfer to Napoli to become official during Friday’s transfer deadline day.
I really miss the days when all they had to mark a signing was a picture with the new shirt and scarf.
🌊 A storm of goals ready to attack
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) August 29, 2024
💙 #ProudToBeNapoli | #ForzaNapoliSempre | #WelcomeLukaku pic.twitter.com/T8i3jUcN4v
“I saw Anfield and as soon as I saw Anfield I said to my wife: ‘Put the song on [You’ll Never Walk Alone] because I want to imagine myself playing there and hearing the chant of the fans.’” Federico Chiesa is a really happy man.
Looks like Marc Guéhi’s going to stick around in south London.
Romelu Lukaku joins Napoli from Chelsea
Romelu Lukaku heads to Italy once again, reunited with his old Inter manager Antonio Conte. It just never worked out at Chelsea, across two stints.
Romelu is proud to be one of us!
— Official SSC Napoli (@sscnapoli) August 29, 2024
💙 #ProudToBeNapoli | #ForzaNapoliSempre | #WelcomeLukaku pic.twitter.com/Z4R4x4LVkz
Wout Weghorst has returned to his homeland, leaving Burnley for Ajax on a permanent deal. All of a sudden, Erik ten Hag wants him back.
Welcome Wout ⚪️🔴⚪️ https://t.co/s8xpz8oGQq pic.twitter.com/1xGQg9RueE
— AFC Ajax (@AFCAjax) August 29, 2024
Updated
With Kieran Trippier announcing his retirement from international football, this is going to get some serious airplay today.
A moment no England fan will ever forget.
— England (@England) August 29, 2024
❤️ @trippier2 pic.twitter.com/Eso6Cw4iMB
A look ahead to the weekend with the Football Weekly crew:
Federico Chiesa is a happy man. Here’s what he had to say to Liverpool’s website:
When Richard Hughes called me and he said, ‘Do you want to join Liverpool?’ – and the coach called me – I said yes immediately because I know the history of this club, I know what it represents to the fans. So, I’m so happy and I can’t wait to get started.”
“As a Liverpool fan, my theory is that Sterling going to United is just another step on his mission to annoy us,” writes Espen Bommen. “First Chelsea, then City, now United. I would expect him to finish his career at Everton just so he can complete his own little quadruple.”
I’d quite like it if he decided to go down the Nicolas Anelka route: forget United, try things out at Arsenal, Bolton and West Brom. Real Madrid, PSG, Juventus and Fenerbahce as the overseas options.
Jamie Jackson reported on Federico Chiesa’s move yesterday. It’s thrown me a bit that he’s still just 26.
The Sheffield United midfielder Anis Slimane is set for a medical at Championship rivals Norwich after agreeing a move to East Anglia.
The 23-year-old missed Sheffield United’s Carabao Cup tie against Barnsley in midweek after coming off the bench at Carrow Road in a 1-1 draw last weekend. Slimane was originally supposed to be in the team to play in the match but asked to be withdrawn. “I believe there’s a deal with Norwich that’s imminent, he didn’t think he was in the right frame of mind to play and so he didn’t,” manager Chris Wilder said.
The Tunisian international joined Sheffield United just over a year ago from Brondby but struggled to make an impact at Bramall Lane.
Lee Carsley announces England squad for Ireland and Finland matches
Away from the general transfer nonsense, here’s this: Lee Carsley has announced his first England squad as interim gaffer. Some headlines: call-ups for Angel Gomes, Tino Livramento, Morgan Gibbs-White and Noni Madueke. Jack Grealish is back after being left out of the squad for the Euros.
Updated
Liverpool sign Federico Chiesa from Juventus
Hello, hello, everyone. I have immediate news for all. Liverpool have added a bit of Italian flavour to their attack with the signing of Euro 2020 showman Federico Chiesa from Juventus.
Federico is a Red 😍 pic.twitter.com/WzhDN4VCPU
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) August 29, 2024
My stint on this liveblog is over. Handing over now to Taha Hashim. Enjoy!
Lee Carsley will announce his first England squad for the upcoming Nation League matches against Republic of Ireland and Finland in the next few minutes. Here’s some fresh news to keep you warm until then.
Maupay’s reaction to his imminent departure from Everton …
https://t.co/H4AaFp4Iu2 pic.twitter.com/aJywOsdXgB
— Neal Maupay (@nealmaupay_) August 29, 2024
Updated
Nabil Fekir is reportedly on his way to UAE to sign for Al Jazira, in a deal worth just €7m. What a player he was, although he’s still just 31 years old.
It’s mad that in today’s crazy market, Chiesa costs less than £13m with add-ons included. Yes, he has been injured, but these are the prime years of his career. At his best, he is a terrifying player.
🚨🔴 Liverpool and Juventus are signing all documents right now for Federico Chiesa deal.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 29, 2024
€15m package, four year contract… and exclusive story confirmed. ✨🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/tPFNhrax9i
Updated
Burnley sign Anthony on loan from Bournemouth
Burnley have confirmed the signing of winger Jaidon Anthony on a season-long loan from Bournemouth, with an option to buy.
Anthony, who previously worked under Burnley boss Scott Parker at the Vitality Stadium, spent last season on loan in the Championship at Leeds, scoring once in 31 league appearances for the Yorkshire club.
“My main feeling is excitement, I’m really proud to be here,” Anthony said. “It’s a great opportunity for myself and I can’t wait to get started. The manager had a massive influence on me coming here, I had a great year under him, and we have some great memories from our time together. We got promoted from this league and he put a lot of trust in me, it was good to give it back and hopefully we can create a lot more memories now at Burnley.”
An email from Greg, in response to my reader call-out earlier.
“Hi Michael, I think Osimhen would be the cocky, fast-of-foot goalscoring machine not seen at Arsenal since Henry and Anelka strutted their stuff. He’s seemingly very affordable for a title chasing club, I cannot understand why he’s not been snapped up by The Gunners”.
Few would argue he would not improve the squad. In an ideal world, I think most Gunners would support selling Gabriel Jesus for £30/40m, buying Osimhen for £60m. The latter seems to be the figure being banded about for the Nigerian.
I can’t see any of this happening though. Havertz is undeniably the No 1 striker at the moment. and I can’t see Osimhen being a financially viable option until either/both Nketiah or Jesus depart.
Guéhi to Newcastle unlikely as things stand
Newcastle are increasingly pessimistic about their chances of signing Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace. They have been in talks over a deal for the England centre back but are yet to meet Palace’s asking price of at least £70m. Sources are saying that the deal is very unlikely to happen as it stands. The danger for Palace is that Guéhi has two years left on his deal and will not sign an extension. They risk having to sell him for a lower fee in a year.
Is anyone else sort of shocked that Marseille want to buy Neal Maupay? I have to say that I have been slightly bemused by the French’s clubs transfer policy this summer for different reasons – Mason Greenwood, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Ismaël Koné (the latter is good, but £15m from Watford?), among others. I honestly expected a bit more from Roberto De Zerbi. Once again, they don’t look like Ligue 1 title challengers to me, backed up by a 2-2 home draw against Reims at the weekend.
Updated
Hello all, here for the next hour. Send me your missives to michael.butler@theguardian.com, possibly with the player you think would most transform your team (and why).
That concludes my stint. I have handed over the four phones to Michael Butler.
Chelsea youngster Harvey Vale has turned down a move to Al-Ettifaq. The academy graduate does not want to move to the Saudi Pro League side, who briefly had Jordan Henderson last season.
Dan Christmas gets in touch: “Can Jeremy Lee actually provide some examples of Raheem Sterling’s ‘severe attitude problem’? I can’t think of anything, other than the tabloids used to pick on him for reasons probably best left alone in a light-hearted transfer blog. He’s been pretty cool about Chelsea dropping him like it’s hot.”
Maupay set for Marseille
It looks like a busy day at Everton where Neal Maupay is set to leave to join Marseille on loan with an obligation to buy. The Frenchman scored once for the club after joining in 2022 from Brighton. He spent last season on loan at Brentford, scoring six goals in 28 Premier League matches but was not in Sean Dyche’s plans at Goodison Park.
Meanwhile, Orel Mangala is heading for a medical with the midfielder to sign on loan for a season from Lyon. The Belgium international only moved to Ligue 1 permanently in the summer, having spent six months on loan with Lyon from Nottingham Forest but is already back in the Premier League.
Kieran Trippier has meanwhile retired from international football. He’s staying at Newcastle, despite speculation to the contrary.
“I never thought as a young lad from Bury that I would play for my country let alone achieve 54 caps,” Trippier posted on social media. “It’s been one of the biggest honours of my life to represent my country at four major tournaments. I want to say a big thank you to Gareth and all the staff that have worked with the England squad for the trust they have placed in me throughout the years.”
A Leicester legend has retired from football. Such an important, dependable player during that that 2016-16 title win.
Congratulations on a monumental career 🏆
— Leicester City (@LCFC) August 29, 2024
Happy retirement, Marc 💙 pic.twitter.com/W2NBsXXkQQ
Talking of transfers, “the” MLS is always happy to find a home for ageing megastars.
If Manuel Ugarte is to be confirmed by Manchester United, then another signing may be in the offing, Sékou Koné, 18, is set to join Manchester United from Malian side Guidars FC according to L’Equipe. He’s seen as a long-term signing who will be given time.
Bundesliga transfer news.
🚨🔴 Yes, RB Leipzig exploring deal to sign António #Silva until Deadline Day ✔️
— Florian Plettenberg (@Plettigoal) August 29, 2024
One reason: Mohamed Simakan could leave the club in the next 48 hours.
⚠️ Understand there’s an offical proposal from Leipzig for the 20 y/o talented defender from SL Benfica!
First call about… pic.twitter.com/UtQ5RA3aMU
Billy Gilmour’s move to Napoli is now OFF, according to reports. He did play well against Manchester United last weekend and so won’t be joining Scott McTominay.
Sky Sports are suggesting another unwanted Chelsea player, Trevon Chalobah, may be headed to Stuttgart on loan. If that comes off, he’ll be playing Champions League football.
The Chelsea goalkeeper, Djordje Petrovic, is going to join Strasbourg on loan after losing his place to Robert Sánchez and Filip Jörgensen.
Updated
Wolves are interested in signing Nayef Aguerd on loan from West Ham. The Morocco centre-back is out of favour at the London Stadium and has emerged as a target for Gary O’Neil’s team.
That earlier Kepa news, as written up by Ben Fisher.
There’s cautious optimism at Chelsea about their move for Victor Osimhen, the feeling at Stamford Bridge being that they can convince the Napoli striker to join them on a salary that fits into their wage structure.
A new striker remains a priority for Enzo Maresca, as he is wary of pressing ahead with Nicolas Jackson as the only senior No9 in his squad. However doubt remains over whether Osimhen will end up a Chelsea player. He has a huge offer from Al Ahli and the Saudis are trying hard to get the Nigerian to take it. There’s talk, too, that there could be a late move from PSG.
More negotiations today. Chelsea have alternatives but it doesn’t sound like they are sure on going for for Ivan Toney.
Meanwhile Chelsea are still working on a deal to sign Jadon Sancho from Manchester United. A loan to Juventus is the other option for the United winger. Meanwhile another Chelsea goalkeeper is heading for the exit - Djordje Peteovic is set to join sister club Strasbourg on loan.
Jeremy Lee gets in touch: “Whilst the fact United have been surprisingly un United like in the effectiveness of this window’s transfers – ie we have actually got some decent players at reasonable prices to fill positions that really needed filling - can someone please explain to me why Sterling would even come on to the radar of the boys at Ineos?
“Swap one overpaid , underperforming player with a severe attitude problem for an even more overpaid, underperforming player with another severe – well, you get the point! I note with caution that on Wikipedia Sterling is compared to Alexis Sanchez – and we ll know how well that went for United. Keep your money in your pocket Sir Jim please Keep the Faith.”
The word from Bretntford is that Ivan Toney may stay at the club. Chelsea and Al-Ahli have shifted attentions to Victor Osimhen.
Manchester clubs set for quiet window closure
Despite the sale of Julian Alvarez to Atletico Madrid for €95m (£81.5m) earlier this month Manchester City are unlikely to replace the forward or do any other business before the summer window closes on Friday at 11pm, though the usual caveat of never say never remains, is the understanding of this correspondent.
Across town, Manchester United have no cash left once the expected €50m (£42.3m) plus €10m buy of Manuel Ugarte is completed (which may occur on Thursday) but if Jadon Sancho departs on a permanent deal - the player’s preference is Chelsea though Juventus are still keen - there may be finance to consider acquiring Raheem Sterling from the west London club.
News on a summer signing, bad news, actually. Brighton signed Matt O’Reilly only for his to get injured in the opening minutes of his debut against Crawley. Fabian Hurzeler speaks: “It’s a bad injury, he needs ankle surgery and I can’t say how long he’s out. We will support him and try to get him back fast on the pitch. He’s a good character, and is a really positive guy. It’s really important to stay mentality strong and I am certain he will come back stronger from this.”
Kepa loaned to Bournemouth
Done deal: Kepa Arrizabalaga has joined Bournemouth on loan, after signing a contract extension, thus reducing Chelsea to a mere 114 goalkeepers.
Chelsea goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga has signed a one-year contract extension and completed a season-long loan move to #PL side Bournemouth.
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 29, 2024
“We are delighted to bring a player of Kepa’s calibre to Bournemouth,” chief executive Neill Blake said. “We were aware of his availability and were keen to take the opportunity to bring him to the club on loan. We believe he will be an exciting addition to our talented goalkeeping department.”
Updated
Preamble
Good morning. Friday 11pm draws near, and desperation takes hold among some clubs, while others are looking for the deal to complete a decent summer. Some deals we expect to complete – or fall apart:
Federico Chiesa: Juventus to Liverpool
Manuel Ugarte: PSG to Manchester United
Romelu Lukaku: Chelsea to Napoli
Aaron Ramsdale: Arsenal to Southampton
Scott McTominay: Manchester United to Napoli
And many many, more. Let’s find out, shall we?
