With the window slamming shut on Friday, there’s activity taking place all over the show. You never know what could happen on transfer deadline day, as they say, even though you can safely predict most things: yellow ties, yellow tickers, yellow dresses and footballers swapping clubs for sums of money. And it’s all going off this week; there can be no next week, unless of course, a player wants to go to Turkey or Saudi Arabia.
Talking of the latter, the Gulf is now the favourite destination for Victor Osimhen, the striker Chelsea want but not even their suits will stump up the money for. Not even shelling Romelu Lukaku to Naples will make that deal possible. Enter Al-Ahli and Saudi money the Nigerian possibly can’t turn down. Also supposedly now not joining Chelsea: Jadon Sancho, meaning the probable end of that swap deal that wasn’t a swap deal: Raheem Sterling joining Manchester United. Juventus are prepared to pay the loan fee while Chelsea won’t pay up for Sancho despite London being his preference. Juve see Sancho as a replacement for Liverpool-bound Federico Chiesa. Meanwhile, staying to fight for his place: Ben Chilwell, for whom there are currently no takers.
And very probably not joining Newcastle: Marc Guéhi, after the £70m price for the England star was not met. Liverpool is an option but that’s a deal more likely to be struck in January, or next summer, by which time Virgil van Dijk’s contract situation will be decided.
With Aaron Ramsdale’s move to Southampton agreed, Mikel Arteta has looked for a Spaniard to back up David Raya in Espanyol keeper Joan García. More keeper moves – Sam Johnstone from Crystal Palace to Wolves – with José Sa, so good for much of his time in the Midlands bur poor against Chelsea last week, linked with a move to Saudi Arabia. Yet more keeper moves: Burnley to sell another goalkeeper, James Trafford, to Newcastle, taking the same route that Nick Pope once did. Wolves also fancy Fluminense’s Brazil midfielder André, previously linked with Liverpool and Fulham.
Fulham, meanwhile, are working on a deal to sign Lyon winger Ernest Nuamah before the deadline. Liverpool’s Stefan Bajcetic has been linked to loan to RB Salzburg and Barcelona, too, as he seeks first-team football after last season’s injury.
Reunion news: Tammy Abraham to return to Aston Villa, for whom he shone in the Championship once upon a time, from Roma. That’s if Jhon Durán, a player linked with a move most of the summer, is finally allowed to leave. Chelsea could pop up there for a last-minute deal should other plans come undone.
Shock news: Everton to sign someone? And it’s Sofyan Amrabat, on loan from Fiorentina, to add to a midfield that may define Dyche-ball, if not Premier League survival. Amrabat was linked to another Manchester United loan should their move for Manuel Ugarte fail at the final hurdle.
And Gonçalo Guedes might have scored twice against Burnley for Wolves in the Carabao Cup but that doesn’t mean he won’t be sold. He and Daniel Podence could both depart.
