After welcoming a wrath of new signings to Anfield already, Liverpool are not showing any signs of slowing down in the transfer market.

If you thought the arrival of Florian Wirtz for a Premier League record fee of £116m was a big splash, then think again. The Reds could be set to break the British record again before transfer deadline day.

With Darwin Nunez reportedly on his way out of Merseyside, Liverpool’s desire to sign a new striker has been no secret.

Their admiration for a certain Alexander Isak is no secret either, and that move looks as though it’s now gathering momentum.

The latest on Alexander Isak to Liverpool

What a move this would be, and despite the obstacles surrounding a deal, it does look more likely than it ever has done now.

Indeed, on Tuesday afternoon, The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed that Liverpool have made an approach to sign Isak from Newcastle.

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A formal offer has yet been made and the Toon’s stance remains that they do not want to sell him this summer. Alas, the Reds have signalled their intention to do a deal at £120m.

While the fee certainly complicates things, so does Hugo Ekitike. Newcastle submitted their first bid for the Eintracht Frankfurt attacker on Monday and the word on the street is that he wasn’t going to be an Isak replacement, but someone capable of playing alongside the Swede.

The trouble is, Liverpool are also interested in Ekitike and, according to Fabrizio Romano, Arne Slot’s men will likely look towards signing the Frenchman if they cannot get their hands on Isak.

Liverpool pursuing Isak alternative

With that situation a rather sticky one as far as Liverpool are concerned, perhaps they will look elsewhere in the Premier League.

Reports from French outlet Foot Mercato reported at the start of the week that Liverpool reps have flown to Paris to speak with the agents of Crystal Palace striker Jean-Philippe Mateta.

While the likes of Isak and Ekitike will cost a shedload, any deal for Mateta is likely to be considerably cheaper, with the report stating that he could be sold for something between £43m-£52m if he leaves Selhurst Park this summer.

So, if all else fails, he’d be a great signing right? Well, he certainly stacks up well to Mr Isak.

How Mateta compares to Alexander Isak

Of course, Isak is the dream signing this summer, the Toon’s main man always has been. You don’t score 23 Premier League goals in a single season without catching the eye of other clubs.

Yet, we must not turn our noses up at Mateta either. In the words of the Sportsman he is a “goal-scoring machine” and as Reds writer Ben Bocsak notes, he is one of the “best finishers in the Premier League.”

Indeed, during the 2024/25 campaign, only Isak (25%) and Bryan Mbeumo (24.3%), registered a better season in terms of goal conversions than Mateta’s 23.3%. Mo Salah, for context, delivered a goal conversion rate of 23%. The Eagles centre-forward is already in the conversation of being among the division’s elite attackers.

He ended that term with 14 league goals in 37 outings and has been one of the top-flight’s leading figures in the last two seasons, notably bagging 16 in 35 during 2023/24.

The French sensation is not just a goalscorer either. Like Isak, he’s a proven bagsman in England’s top-flight, but like Isak, he’s also capable of the extraordinary, something we saw when Mateta travelled to the Emirates Stadium and scored an audacious lob against Arsenal.

Isak might be more of a direct runner but they’re both powerful and some statistical similarities can be drawn upon.

Assessing the data, via FBRef, it becomes clear where the key similarities and differences lie.

Shots

2.31

3.10

Shots on target

0.99

1.34

Shot on target %

42.6%

43.2%

Shot distance

15.6 yards

14.5 yards

Key passes

0.99

1.34

Passes into final 3rd

1.16

1.14

Touches

25

33

Successful take on %

43.5%

46.2%

There are obvious differences in the way they beat a player. Isak is more fleet-footed, possessing that dangerous burst of pace to get beyond the defensive line. Mateta, on the other hand, is more likely to outmuscle a centre-back and hold the ball up.

He’s like an “old-fashioned” striker as Thierry Henry once said. Yet, they are actually involved in the play at a similar rate.

They touch the ball a similar number of times per 90 minutes, register a similar number of shots on target and shoot from a similar distance, just beyond the penalty spot. On that evidence, they’re not just out-and-out poachers; they offer goals from distance too.

Isak would be an unbelievable signing for the Reds but in Mateta they could sign a Premier League-proven forward with a similar conversion rate for a fraction of the price. Just imagine what he could do in a team where more chances are created. This move feels like a no-brainer if Ekitike and Newcastle’s number 9 are off the table.

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ByAngus Sinclair Jul 15, 2025

After landing an early blow on North London rivals Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur’s week could reportedly get even better after a breakthrough in talks to sign a new midfield enforcer.

Tottenham seal pre-season derby victory

It may have been a pre-season game that took place many miles away from North London and one that featured a number of changes on the pitch, but Tottenham would have still enjoyed their victory over Arsenal. Coming courtesy of Pape Matar Sarr’s lobbed effort after David Raya and the Gunners’ midfield combined for a rare mistake, Thomas Frank has taken a big step towards getting fans onside.

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Defeating direct rivals two weeks out from the start of the season is enough to hand any side a boost, but Frank will particularly appreciate it at the start of his tenure.

​​​​​​​Now, his focus will be on ensuring that his side are ready to take such a victory into when it matters. And to help on that front, Spurs could yet turn back towards the transfer market.

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2 ByEmilio Galantini Jul 31, 2025

On that front, the North London club have already signed Mohammed Kudus and Mathys Tel on a permanent deal, but still have around a month to get any other deals over the line.

Just who arrives is the big question, however. With Heung-min Son potentially on his way to LAFC, Spurs will need to find a replacement for their captain and the goals that he provides.

It looked as though Yoane Wissa could be an option earlier in the window, before Newcastle United emerged as frontrunners and then Brentford blocked his exit altogether. Whether Spurs or Newcastle return to question that stance remains to be seen.

Instead, the Lilywhites have seemingly turned their focus towards reinforcing their midfield with a player already familiar with the Premier League.

Tottenham agree £26m total package for Palhinha

According to Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg, Tottenham have now fully agreed the details on Joao Palhinha’s loan move from Bayern Munich, which will cost around £26m if they decide to make it permanent, with just over £4m of that guaranteed spend as the loan fee. The Portugal international will undergo a medical and sign “as soon as possible”.

Although things haven’t quite worked out in Germany, it wasn’t so long ago that Palhinha was starring for Fulham in England’s top flight and a swift return could result in a return to his best form.

Full of praise for his midfielder, Fulham boss Marco Silva described Palhinha as “great” in 2022, before he eventually earned a move to Bayern Munich. Now on the way to one of his London rivals, Silva will have to watch on as the defensive midfielder adds some much needed bite at Tottenham.

Florian Wirtz admitted that he's still adapting to the rigours of Premier League football and claimed he has "no idea" when his first Liverpool goal will come. The German playmaker, who has dazzled on international duty, is still finding his feet in England after joining one of Europe's most demanding divisions.

Wirtz adjusting to Premier League intensityGermany hero struggling to find Liverpool scoring touchUpcoming fixtures could offer breakthroughFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Wirtz recently lit up the international stage, scoring a stunning free-kick for Germany during their World Cup qualifying win over Northern Ireland. However, his moment of brilliance was contrasted by a lacklustre overall performance from Julian Nagelsmann’s squad, which drew half-time boos from the Cologne crowd. Nonetheless, the Germans went on to win the match 3-1 with Serge Gnabry and Nadiem Amiri also finding the net.

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Meanwhile on Merseyside, despite Liverpool winning all three of their opening fixtures against Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Arsenal, Wirtz has yet to get off the mark. Each game has thrown him into high-intensity scenarios, testing his adaptability against teams with distinct styles.

WHAT WIRTZ SAID

Speaking to after the Germany match on Monday, Wirtz reflected on the unique demands of English football. "It's another league, another type of football. I'm happy to be there," Wirtz said. "I have no idea when I'll score my first goal, hopefully in the next game, but it will come at some point."

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR WIRTZ?

Liverpool’s upcoming fixtures might provide more of the space and freedom Wirtz thrives on. Matches against Burnley at Turf Moor and Everton at Anfield are expected to be less congested, giving the No. 10 room to showcase his dribbling, vision, and creativity.

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is informed of the exact costs required to seal Mikel Arteta’s seventh deal of the summer.

£265k-per-week Arsenal star approves exit as club prepare bid after talks

The north Londoners may need to trim their squad.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 26, 2025

After weeks of advanced talks and a very lengthy transfer saga, the Gunners finally reached a full agreement to sign Viktor Gyokeres from Sporting CP recently – shaking hands on a deal worth up to £64 million including add-ons.

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

25/26 – summer

£208m

Gyokeres refused to train with Sporting in an attempt to force through a Premier League move, with his agent, Hasan Cetinkaya, even waiving due commission fees to help move the forward’s transfer to Arsenal along.

Gyokeres put pen to paper on a five-year contract and was finally confirmed as Berta’s sixth major signing for Arsenal last weekend, following the Italian’s moves for Kepa Arrizabalaga, Martin Zubimendi, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke and Cristhian Mosquera.

The Sweden international, who bagged 54 goals in all competitions last season on Sporting’s run to a first domestic double in around 20 years, is viewed as perhaps Arsenal’s most crucial new addition of the summer.

Their inability to break down teams in the low block was a reoccurring theme of their struggles last term, with Arteta’s side scoring just 69 Premier League goals and drawing more matches than any other side in the top 10.

Gyokeres’ arrival could be imperative to fixing this issue, and it is perhaps a key reason why Berta and co are targeting Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze after the 27-year-old.

Eze was, by some distance, Palace’s most devastating attacking player in the Premier League season, averaging more shots at goal, key passes and successful take-ons per 90 than any of his teammates (WhoScored).

The England international also scored 14 goals and registered a further 11 assists in all competitions, with Arsenal widely believed to be focusing on Eze as their next top transfer target.

Arsenal given £35 million demand after "initial" Crystal Palace talks

Arsenal are in active discussions with Eze’s representatives, according to reliable media sources like Fabrizio Romano, and The Guardian’s Ed Aarons has now shared another update.

According to his sources, Arsenal have also held “initial talks” with Palace over a deal for Eze, with the south Londoners making crystal clear what it would take to sell their star player.

Palace want £35 million of Eze’s £60 million release clause to be paid in advance and in full. They will allow the rest to be met through instalments, not including bonuses, which could take the clause to around £68 million.

The Eagles have to pay 15 per cent of Eze’s fee to QPR thanks to a previously agreed sell-on clause, perhaps explaining their reluctance to negotiate below Eze’s asking price.

Given Arsenal already have both club captain Martin Odegaard and Ethan Nwaneri for the number 10 role, so it remains to be seen whether they’re willing to pay his full clause after spending north of £200 million already this summer.

Interestingly, there are some suggestions that Arsenal could offer players as makeweights in a deal for Eze to tempt Palace into agreeing a lesser fee.

Pakistan are set to use the same pitch twice in a row in Multan as they look to respond to their innings defeat against England. Industrial-sized fans were set up at either end of the pitch as both teams held optional training sessions on Sunday after it was heavily watered by groundstaff in the aftermath of the first Test.Jason Gillespie and Shan Masood, Pakistan’s coach and captain, had a look at the pitch on Sunday morning, before Gillespie had a lengthy conversation with Tony Hemming, the PCB’s Australian head curator. The bowlers’ footmarks from the first Test looked dry and cracked, and were further dried by the fans and the harsh sun.Pakistan’s move is unusual, not least because it is rare for the same venue to stage consecutive Tests. But ICC’s pitch regulations only require the “best possible pitch and outfield conditions” with no stipulations that the surface must be fresh or unused, and after 11 consecutive home Tests without a win, Pakistan may feel the need to try something different.Related

• Pakistan drop Shaheen, Naseem alongside Babar for next two Tests

• James Anderson buoyed by breadth and depth of evolving fast bowling stocks

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• Pakistan, a graveyard for Test bowlers – in numbers

• Babar Azam set to be dropped for second Test against England

The decision to play the second Test on the same strip may empower England to pick Ben Stokes, with spin likely to play a bigger role. Stokes has ramped up his bowling workloads over the past week and bowled at full pace in the nets on Sunday morning, suggesting he should be fit to return and could play the role of a third seamer if required.James Anderson, who is overseeing England’s fast bowlers on this tour, told the BBC: “He looks great. He has worked really hard on his fitness and is looking as strong as I’ve ever seen him… Knowing Ben, once he gets into the game, there will be no stopping him. He’s just that sort of player. He’s good to go: we’ll just have to wait and see what he can do in the game.”England were braced for “result wickets” after taking a 1-0 lead with two Tests to play, and are anticipating a lower-scoring match when the second Test starts on Tuesday. The pitch offered nothing for bowlers in the first Test, with 1,599 runs scored for the loss of 26 wickets – an average of 61.5 runs per wicket.Ben Stokes goes full tilt at training•Getty Images

Anderson admitted he thought that Pakistan’s plans would have been blocked by ICC regulations, but said England were “not fussed” by the prospect of playing on the same strip again. “It’s their decision, their conditions, their home game,” he said. “They can do what they want. The fact that it’s the same pitch doesn’t determine the result.”He predicted that Pakistan’s plans will see spin play a greater role, which he suggested could suit England. “That’s a first for me in Test cricket,” Anderson said. “When we’re talking about Ben’s workloads and his bowling, it might play into our hands with that, with the spinners potentially playing more of a part… We don’t know what we’re going to get.”Going off the last game, we did see it go up and down – mainly down – towards the back end. The cracks started opening up. I’m no groundsman, but I don’t think you can make cracks go back together that easily, certainly in three days. You’d expect it to do something off the cracks and with it being dry and hot again, you’d expect the spinners to play more of a part.”There were some signs of variable bounce by the final day of the Test as England wrapped up their win, but Chris Woakes said it had offered “bugger all” for bowlers. Kevin Pietersen, the former England captain, described it as a “bowlers’ graveyard” on X/Twitter, and suggested that Pakistan should re-use it for the second Test.The second Test was initially scheduled for Karachi, but was moved to Multan at late notice due to ongoing renovations at the National Stadium. The PCB have pledged to give it a “major facelift” ahead of the Champions Trophy next year, and Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium was unavailable for the England series for the same reason.

States are having to delve into their reserves due to the Australia ODI and A series

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Oct-2024Josh Hazlewood will make his first appearance of the season for New South Wales as he builds up to the India Test series while Nathan Lyon has been rested.Hazlewood had been due to play last week’s One-Day Cup game against Victoria alongside Pat Cummins but withdrew on the morning of the match due to illness. It means the Sheffield Shield fixture against Queensland will be his first outing since the England tour finished in late September and will likely be his one competitive game before the first Test against India.It had been expected that Lyon would feature in three Shield matches before the Test series, but he has sent down 104 overs in the two matches he has played against South Australia and Victoria and it’s understood he is unlikely to have another run before facing India.A number of states have been significantly hit for round three of the Shield by Australia ODI and Australia A call-ups. From their previous XI, alongside Lyon, NSW are missing Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Sam Konstas and Josh Phillippe due to those concurrent series.Ollie Davies is also part of the Australia A squad but will only feature in the second four-day game next week at the MCG so is available to face Queensland. And in a boost for NSW, allrounder Jack Edwards is fit after a hamstring injury. Lyon’s absence means legspinner Tanveer Sangha will be able to return to the XI.Mitchell Swepson will captain Queensland with Marnus Labuschagne in ODI duty. They are also with Michael Neser (Australia A) and Mark Steketee (ankle), Gurinder Sandhu (calf), Callum Vidler (groin). Jimmy Peirson will be the wicketkeeper in the second Australia A match next week.Mahli Beardman is a chance to make his first-class debut for Western Australia after being named in a 13-man squad to play Tasmania in Hobart. Beardman was a shock selection on Australia’s recent limited-overs tour of the UK after playing just one List A game last summer. The Under-19 World Cup winner has played just one Second XI match for WA this summer returning figures of 1 for 30 and 1 for 25 from just 13.3 overs across the two innings. He’s also gone wicketless in his three WA premier cricket matches for his club side Melville.Uncontracted international spinner Ashton Agar has also been named in the squad with Corey Rocchiccioli rested ahead of his appearance for Australia A. Agar has not played a first-class match since his last Test appearance in January 2023. Joel Paris has been named for his first game of the Shield season. Cameron Bancroft (Australia A), Cooper Connolly (Australia A), Aaron Hardie (Australia ODI), Josh Inglis (Australia ODI) and Mitch Marsh (paternity leave) are all unavailable.Joel Curtis will keep wicket while Jhye Richardson has been named to play another Second XI game for WA as he continues to build his red-ball fitness. Lance Morris played a club T20 for Scarborough last Sunday but is still working back to full fitness from a quad injury.Tasmania have lost Beau Webster to Australia A duty but welcome back Gabe Bell and Lawrence Neil-Smith after the two seamers were rested from the last Shield clash with WA.South Australia are also missing key players with Nathan McSweeney captaining Australia A while pace bowlers Jordan Buckingham, Brendon Doggett and Nathan McAndrew are in the squad. Alex Carey, who has been in outstanding form, will captain against Victoria.Peter Siddle, who turns 40 later this month, has been recalled for his first Shield game of the season as Victoria are missing Scott Boland, Fergus O’Neill, Todd Murphy and Marcus Harris due to Australia A duty.New South Wales squad Jackson Bird, Ollie Davies, Jack Edwards, Matthew Gilkes, Chris Green, Ryan Hadley, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques (capt), Nic Maddinson, Blake Nikitaras, Kurtis Patterson, Tanveer SanghaQueensland squad 4. Mitchell Swepson (capt), Jack Clayton, Benji Floros, Liam Guthrie, Lachlan Hearne, Usman Khawaja, Angus Lovell, Ben McDermott, Jimmy Peirson, Matthew Renshaw, Jack Sinfield, Tom Straker, Jack WildermuthSouth Australia squad Alex Carey (capt), Harry Conway, Daniel Drew, Henry Hunt, Thomas Kelly, Jake Lehmann, Ben Manenti, Conor McInerney, Lloyd Pope, Jason Sangha, Liam Scott, Henry ThorntonVictoria squad Will Sutherland (capt), Dylan Brasher, Ash Chandrasinghe, Sam Elliott, Peter Handscomb, Sam Harper, Campbell Kellaway, Cam McClure, Jon Merlo, Mitch Perry, Tom Rogers, Peter Siddle, Doug WarrenTasmania squad Gabe Bell, Jake Doran, Kieran Elliott, Brad Hope, Caleb Jewell, Matt Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Lawrence Neil-Smith, Mitch Owen, Jordan Silk (capt), Charlie Wakim, Jake WeatheraldWestern Australia squad Sam Whiteman (capt), Ashton Agar, Mahli Beardman, Hilton Cartwright, Brody Couch, Joel Curtis, Sam Fanning, Cameron Gannon, Jayden Goodwin, Matt Kelly, Joel Paris, Ashton Turner, Teague Wyllie

The offspinner will play two more Sheffield Shield matches ahead of the India series

AAP and ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-20241:26

How much will Australia miss Cameron Green?

Nathan Lyon has revealed how he felt it became his duty to keep spin bowling “cool” following the sudden death of Shane Warne.Lyon can join Warne as one of Australia’s top-two wicket-takers in history this season, with five Tests against India and two following that in Sri Lanka.The 36-year-old insists there is no end in sight, eying off the possibility of playing on close to his 40th birthday and the 2027 Ashes series in England.Related

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Lyon said he had not thought about what legacy would be left for future spinners at the end of his career, or who could eventually replace him in the Test team. But he admitted he had felt an extra responsibility to promote the craft since Warne’s passing in 2022, after the legspinner had revived the art in the 1990s and inspired a generation of bowlers.”I do see the responsibility of flying the flag for the spinners around the country, there is no hiding behind that,” Lyon said.  “Especially with the passing of Warnie, I feel like there is a big role for me to ensure that spin stays cool.”I am not cool in any way, but if I can try and promote spin bowling and promote how great it is to be a spin bowler … it’s pretty cool.”Lyon is currently ranked third among all Australian bowlers with 530 career wickets, 33 shy of Glenn McGrath’s final tally of 563.Nathan Lyon will likely have plenty of overs to bowl this season•Getty Images

The spinner’s longevity has been key in Australia’s success in recent years, with Lyon playing 100 straight Tests before a calf injury in last year’s Ashes. But Lyon said it was his father that helped him realise the onus he had to promote spin following Warne’s death.”Just having that conversation and understanding we’re role models in so many different ways to so many different people around the world,” he said.  “And if we can do our little bit to hopefully make people better cricketers or people, we’re doing our job.”Lyon will go head to head with Victoria’s Todd Murphy in the Sheffield Shield this week, while Matthew Kuhnemann is another option to partner him in Sri Lanka.Lyon has also been impressed by legspinnerTanveer Sangha, after playing Shield with him for NSW last week and seeing him out-think Travis Head.”What he can offer for New South Wales and Australia going forward is going to be nothing but amazing,” Lyon said. “I am a big fan of the way he goes about it, he is a class legspinner, he is very confident on his skill set. He’s going to be a superstar of the game. I try and help him get better, and he helps me get better as well.”Lyon, who took eight wickets in the opening Shield game, confirmed he would play one more – against Queensland in Sydney – ahead of the India series which begins on November 22 in Perth.

Chelsea are poised to register yet another summer sale, which could take BlueCo’s total summer transfer income to the near £180 million mark.

Related Chelsea confirm signing of "sensation" from Crystal Palace after hijacking move

The Blues have officially secured an eye-catching prospect.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Aug 2, 2025

Most recently, young defender Ishe Samuels-Smith completed a reported £6.5 million move to sister club Strasbourg, where he will link up with Chelsea loanees Mamadou Sarr, Mike Penders and Kendry Paez in Ligue 1.

Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season

Average match rating

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

Chelsea also sold Mathis Amougou to Strasbourg for around £12.5 million, with Enzo Maresca’s side using BlueCo’s multi-club ownership model to their serious advantage.

Alongside both Amougou and Samuels-Smith, Chelsea agreed permanent exit deals for Kepa Arrizabalaga, Basir Humphreys, Noni Madueke, Marcus Bettinelli, Djordje Petrovic and João Félix, which have contributed to bringing in an estimated £158 million to the Stamford Bridge coffers.

This series of sales helps to balance out Chelsea’s £230 million spend on recruitment this summer, with their £87.5m windfall from winning the Club World Cup and £80 million earnings from Champions League qualification putting them in a solid financial position.

It could even help Chelsea make more new signings, with journalist Simon Phillips reporting that they remain in the market for a new goalkeeper, centre-back and potentially a striker to replace Nicolas Jackson.

In the meantime, departures remain a crucial theme of Chelsea’s current transfer activity.

Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, Renato Veiga, Tosin Adarabioyo, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Benoit Badiashile, Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, Lesley Ugochukwu, Tosin Adarabioyo, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Alfie Gilchrist and Jackson stand out as players who could still leave Chelsea before deadline day, with striker Armando Broja now closing in on a move to Turf Moor.

The Albanian has been one to watch for a while, and Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg reported all the way back in June that he was receiving several approaches from Bundesliga clubs.

However, it is now Burnley who appear poised to sign the out-of-favour striker, with BBC journalist Nizaar Kinsella sharing an update on the situation.

Chelsea poised for near-£180m boost as Armando Broja nears Burnley move

Fabrizio Romano has already given the ‘here we go’ to this transfer, but Kinsella reports it is not as advanced as that.

Chelsea and Burnley have reached a broad agreement over Broja, amounting to around £20 million, and they’re in advanced talks, but the player and Clarets are yet to find a compromise on personal terms with discussions ongoing.

As Burnley wait for the 23-year-old’s green-light to complete a deal, BlueCo will be praying for this move to go through.

If it does, barring a late disaster, Chelsea will take their transfer total through players sold to around £178 million – gifting Maresca’s side a near-£180 million boost with more players still expected to leave.

Chelsea’s expertise as a selling club is often underrated by critics, and for those who ask why they can consistently spend serious cash in the transfer market, their outgoing activity is a key component.

MatériaMais Notícias

Ferraresi falou sobre sua recuperação e projetou quais serão suas próximas metas no São Paulo. Após a vitória do Tricolor contra o Puerto Cabello, por 2 a 0, o zagueiro falou sobre o tratamento e destacou que está focado em retornar o mais rápido possível.

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O defensor se lesionou ainda na fase de grupos do Campeonato Paulista, quando rompeu o ligamento cruzado do joelho no clássico, sem gols, contra o Palmeiras. Por conta da gravidade da lesão, precisou passar por um procedimento cirúrgico. O tempo de recuperação pode chegar até um ano.

ATUAÇÕES: Em noite ruim, Marcos Paulo salva, e Calleri mostra que faz diferença em vitória do São Paulo

Veja tabela da Copa Sul-Americana

Sobre seu estado de saúde, presente no Morumbi para acompanhar a partida com seus companheiros, o zagueiro disse que ‘está melhorando’ e fazendo ‘muita coisa’, destacando a ansiedade para retornar aos gramados.

-Estou bem, melhorando pouco a pouco. Minha recuperação está sendo muito boa, estou fazendo muitas coisas, fico muito triste, mas ansioso para daqui a pouco estar de volta – explicou.

continua após a publicidade

Ainda de acordo com suas palavras, destacou sua identificação com o São Paulo e afirmou que quer seguir se preparando dentro do clube para poder ajudar seus companheiros assim quando for possível. Seu objetivo seria ‘retornar da melhor forma’.

– Quero chegar bem nas competições, me preparar dentro do clube para poder ajudar os companheiros quando der. Meu objetivo é esse e vamos chegar da melhor forma possível e vou me preparar – completou.

continua após a publicidade

Emprestado pelo grupo City, o venezuelano tem contrato com o Tricolor até a metade do ano. Porém, o LANCE! revelou com antecedência que o São Paulo tem conversas para estender este vínculo.

Manchester United have been told by a former rival that it 'wouldn't be a PR disaster' if Marcus Rashford shines on loan at Barcelona.

Rashford spending season at BarcelonaLeft Man Utd on initial loanRed Devils forced out 'bomb squad'Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Rashford first expressed a desire to leave Manchester United last December, which resulted in him being frozen out of Ruben Amorim's squad. He joined Aston Villa on loan for the second half of the 2024-25 season before returning to Old Trafford, and managed to seal a switch to Barcelona on loan with an option to buy this summer. Given Barca's financial struggles, it's uncertain that they will even trigger the €35m purchase clause in the deal.

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However, Rashford's future remained unresolved by the time he returned for pre-season at the start of July, and he joined Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia in a 'bomb squad' that was forced to train away from the rest of Amorim's first team. With the likes of Scott McTominay thriving away from United, there are question marks over whether the players forced out are the real problem, with the club's culture now being questioned.

WHAT MCMANAMAN SAID

Steve McManaman, who played for United's rivals in Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as Barca's in Real Madrid, has exclusively told GOAL that the Red Devils need Rashford to succeed and they shouldn't think of the situation as a 'PR disaster' if he indeed thrives abroad.

Asked if it would be seen as a problem if he did well or if United would be cheering him on, McManaman replied: "I think the latter. People will turn it into a PR disaster, of course they will, but I think the change needed to happen. You look now, if Jadon Sancho went somewhere to win the Champions League, that wouldn't be a PR disaster. It just wasn't working out at Manchester United with the manager. They needed a change. If [Rashford] has a great season with Barcelona and he's successful, maybe it will add value to him. I wouldn't necessarily say it's a PR disaster, I think change needs to happen with the manager if you're not particularly happy. But if he does well and adds value to his price tag, that's all well and good."

McManaman did also want to reaffirm where his allegiances lie, however. "But with all due respect, I don't want Barcelona to win the Champions League! We'll leave it at that!" he laughed. "I saw [Rashford] at the Mallorca game, he's going to have a lot of opportunities this year. Barcelona are a little bit light up top, Robert Lewandowski has only just come back, so they're going to have to utilise him a lot this year. It's a wonderful opportunity at a wonderful club in a wonderful city."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR RASHFORD?

After scoring in England's 5-0 thrashing of Serbia on Tuesday, Rashford will now rejoin his Barcelona team-mates ahead of Saturday's La Liga encounter with Valencia, which will be played at the 6,000-capacity Johan Cruyff Stadium as the newly renovated Camp Nou remains under construction. Next Thursday, Barca face Newcastle away from home in their first Champions League game of the campaign.