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BBC
Brazil international Alisson Becker has no plans to leave Liverpool and is happy being manager Jurgen Klopp's number one goalkeeper. (Anfield Watch)
Saudi Arabian side Al-Nassr were said to be keen on signing the 30-year-old and that Alisson was tempted. (Footmercato - in French)
Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, 31, has reportedly "given the green light" for a Saudi Pro League side to negotiate with Liverpool over a possible transfer this summer. (Alkass, via Football365)
Fulham have received an offer of almost £47m from Al-Hilal for Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic with the 28-year-old keen to make the move to the Saudi Arabian club. (Talksport)
Liverpool are considering as many as six defensive midfield targets, including Fulham and Portugal international Joao Palhinha, 28, and Crystal Palace and Mali midfielder Cheick Doucoure, 23. (Mail)
West Ham's deal to sign Manchester United and England defender Harry Maguire has collapsed because they are tired of waiting for the 30-year-old to agree his exit from Old Trafford. (Guardian)
The collapse of the deal has reduced the chances of Manchester United being able to follow through on a deal with Bayern Munich for 27-year-old France defender Benjamin Pavard. (Sky Sports)
Bayern are interested in signing Manchester City's German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, 30. (Bild - in German)
Manchester United could be on the brink of making an official offer for Fiorentina and Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat, 26. (La Nazione - in Italian)
Everton have not received an offer from Manchester United for Belgium midfielder Amadou Onana, 21, and only a large transfer fee will prise him from Goodison Park. (Liverpool Echo)
Manchester City are set to submit a fresh bid for West Ham and Brazil midfielder Lucas Paqueta, 25, in the next 24 hours. (Football Insider)
Manchester City failed in a bid to sign Spanish forward Lamine Yamal from Barcelona, with the intention of then placing the 16-year-old with sister club Girona. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish)
Al-Nassr are pushing hard to sign Barcelona's France defender Clement Lenglet, 28, who spent last season on loan with Tottenham. (Sport)
Barca need to get Lenglet and USA full-back Sergino Dest, 22, off their wage bill in order to register their priority target Joao Cancelo, if they can agree a deal with Manchester City for the Portugal full-back, 29. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish)
Crystal Palace believe Chelsea have crossed the line in their conduct during their attempts to sign France Under-21 winger Michael Olise, 21. (Mail)
Lazio have opened discussions with 36-year-old Tottenham and France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris about a possible move to Italy's Serie A. (Gianluca di Marzio - in Italian)
Brighton are interested in Boca Juniors left-back Valentin Barco with the 19-year-old Argentine said to have a release clause of about £8m. (Brighton Argus)
Dutch goalkeeper Tim Krul, 35, is set to have a medical with Luton after an agreement was struck with Norwich City. (Norwich Evening News)
Manchester City are scheduled to receive 20% of the profit Southampton make on the sale of Belgium midfielder Romeo Lavia, 19, to Chelsea. (Athletic)
*Sevilla have made Leicester's French midfielder Boubakary Soumare, 24, their latest transfer target. (El Desmarque - in Spanish)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr are reportedly 'very interested' in Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson.
Liverpool face a race against time to land much-needed reinforcements in midfield with Fulham's Joao Palhinha and Crystal Palace youngster Cheick Doucoure among the favoured options.
Wilfried Gnonto is training alone at Leeds United's Thorp Arch as he pushes for a move to Everton.
Crystal Palace attacker Michael Olise's proposed move to Chelsea is unfolding amid a backdrop of 'tapping-up' concerns.
Wrexham's star striker Paul Mullin has revealed he was left fearing for his life after suffering from a punctured lung and four fractured ribs during a pre-season friendly against Manchester United in July.
The Premier League have introduced a new rule following Everton's Financial Fair Play charges last season which compels clubs with a recent history of overspending to submit their accounts three months before the rest of the top flight.
Kepa Arrizabalaga was officially unveiled at Real Madrid as their latest star after completing a loan move from Chelsea, but the Spanish international wasted little time in calling for a permanent deal at the end of the season.
Canelo Alvarez has dismissed a possible catchweight fight with Terence Crawford and instead teased a climb beyond light heavyweight as he prepares to face Jermell Charlo in Las Vegas.
Nottingham Forest have made an approach for Chelsea centre-back Trevoh Chalobah.
THE SUN
Lukasz Fabianski feels he "should have been treated better" after being dropped as West Ham's No 1.
DAILY MIRROR
Brighton chief executive Paul Barber suggested Manchester United will need to wait five years before thinking about signing Evan Ferguson.
THE ATHLETIC
Brentford owner Matthew Benham has sold his majority stake in FC Midtjylland to Danish businessman Anders Holch Povlsen.
LA Galaxy have confirmed the signing of former Sheffield United forward Billy Sharp on a free transfer.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
England's World Cup semi-final showdown with Australia has been soured by a spying controversy after a helicopter was used to film the Lionesses' final training session before the match in Sydney.
Aston Villa are closing in on Galatasaray's attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo and are working on a deal to sign Sevilla left-back Marcos Acuna.
Ex-Liverpool midfielder Fabinho was so shocked by a Saudi fan's gift of a luxury watch after his Al-Ittihad debut that he dropped it.
DAILY STAR
Manchester United have completed the double transfer swoop of club legend Darren Fletcher's sons.
Kepa Arrizabalaga wants a permanent switch to Real Madrid from Chelsea after joining the Spanish giants on loan.
Luton are eyeing a double swoop for Aston Villa pair Cameron Archer and Keinan Davis.
EVENING STANDARD
Southampton director of football Jason Wilcox is confident a deal to sell Romeo Lavia to Chelsea will soon be completed.
Arsenal will decide whether to dip back into the transfer market when they know the full extent of Jurrien Timber's knee injury.
THE TIMES
Manchester City are set to accelerate their move for attacking reinforcements in the transfer market after their star playmaker Kevin De Bruyne was ruled out for up to four months with a hamstring injury.
Kevin Sinfield believes Owen Farrell is being subjected to the same scrutiny that David Beckham once was, even though the England captain avoided a ban after being sent off for a high tackle against Wales on Saturday.
DAILY RECORD
Newcastle United are in talks with Arsenal over a deal for Kieran Tierney as they hatch their loan workaround.
SCOTTISH SUN
Celtic are set to cut their losses on Ismaila Soro as he nears his move to French side Valenciennes.
Jason Cummings has been slammed for being 'unfit' after a nightmare debut in India for his new club Mohun Bagan.
Guardian Rumour Mill
Luke McLaughlin
Have you seen the price of defensive midfielders these days? Liverpool’s failed pursuit of Moisés Caicedo and Roméo Lavia has been well documented, but it seems all is not lost for this transfer window’s official crisis club. Jürgen Klopp has turned his sights on Fulham’s João Palhinha – and/or Cheick Doucouré of Crystal Palace – to shore up the new Fabinho-shaped hole in front of his centre-backs.The Mail reports that Sofyan Amrabat of Fiorentina, André of Fluminense, and Nice’s Khephren Thuram are also potential options. Jacob Steinberg has written that Lavia plumped for Chelsea having felt he was Liverpool’s second choice, so you might wonder what any of those players feel about being fourth, fifth or even sixth choice.
Alisson Becker, meanwhile, is the latest Liverpool player to be linked with a Saudi Pro League outfit: Al-Nassr are said to be keen on the Brazilian goalkeeper. A report in Qatar suggests that Mohamed Salah has ‘given the green light’ to an unnamed Saudi club to negotiate with the Reds over what would doubtless be an unfeasibly large transfer fee. Salah’s agent recently emphasised his player’s commitment to Liverpool but as Jonathan Liew wrote of the Mason Greenwood saga, perhaps it’s the market that will decide.
The current transfer window closes at 11pm on Friday, 1 September. (Some might say it will slam shut, but we operate a strict no-cliches policy at the Rumour Mill.) That leaves various Saudi clubs with a little over two weeks to continue raining petro-dollars down on the Premier League, not to mention across Europe. Even liquified natural gas-rich Manchester City are not immune, with Aymeric Laporte reportedly edging closer to a move to free-spending Al-Nassr. With Josko Gvardiol adding to Pep Guardiola’s central defensive options it seems natural for the Spain international to set his sights on a tilt at the Saudi title.
One player who seems destined to join City’s ambitious treble defence is Lucas Paquetá of West Ham. The champions of everything are due to increase their offer for the Brazilian to at least £80m, especially now that Belgian playmaker Kevin de Bruyne has been ruled out for several months with a hamstring injury. The Rennes winger Jeremy Doku is also nearing a move to the Etihad for a fee of around £45m – although the Hammers themselves are reportedly intent on hijacking the deal as they see Doku as a suitable replacement for Paquetá.
Speaking of clubs splashing the cash, Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea have tied up a deal to sign the striker Deivid from Santos in Brazil. The 18-year-old’s Wikipedia page has already been updated, so we can consider the deal agreed. The Blues are also pressing ahead with their plan to sign Michael Olise (who, of course, they released as a teenager) from Crystal Palace, as their frankly terrifying and distinctly scattergun player recruitment policy continues. Transfer-window deity Romano also reports that Aston Villa are close to sealing a move for the Argentina international left-back and World Cup winner Marcos Acuña from Sevilla.
As revealed by Jacob Steinberg in these pages, West Ham lost patience waiting for Harry Maguire to agree his Old Trafford exit. The knock-on effects are that David Moyes will be casting a beady eye elsewhere for cover in central defence for the Hammers, while the mooted move for Bayern Munich’s Benjamin Pavard to play under Erik ten Hag at Manchester United will not go ahead, unless they get Gareth Southgate’s favourite centre-back off the books.
A touch of Italian football news to finish: Torino’s Stephane Singo, the 22-year-old Ivorian defender, is being pursued by both Milan and Roma. Now, it’s over to Wednesday’s main event.
The Athletic
James Ward-Prowse will bring more than just free kicks to West Ham’s midfield
By Roshane Thomas
When West Ham United’s recruitment team discussed potential replacements for Declan Rice, Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse was an overwhelming choice.
They felt he would add value to the team with his goals and assists and that he would not find it hard to settle given his vast Premier League experience. Although Ward-Prowse is not the same type of midfield player as Rice, the recruitment team were confident he would be able to contribute to David Moyes’ side.
The 28-year-old joined West Ham from Southampton on a four-year deal on Monday, with the clubs having agreed a £30million ($38m) fee last week and the player completing a medical on Friday. The midfielder attended Southampton’s 4-4 draw with Norwich City in the Championship on Saturday afternoon and was emotional when he said goodbye to his team-mates and staff after the match.
Following Ward-Prowse’s arrival, Flynn Downes will join Southampton on a season-long loan. The switch was delayed due to Downes feeling ill, but the midfielder is set to have his medical on Wednesday. Downes, who had limited game time with the Hammers last season, could make his Saints debut against Plymouth Argyle this Saturday. The midfielder will be reunited with Russell Martin, who managed the 24-year-old at Swansea City.
Ward-Prowse, who will wear the No 7 shirt, becomes West Ham’s second summer signing following Edson Alvarez’s arrival from Ajax last week. More additions are expected before the end of the summer window and there has been interest in Ajax attacking midfielder Mohammed Kudus and PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko. Ward-Prowse is expected to make his debut against Chelsea this Sunday at the London Stadium.
“I’m buzzing to be here at West Ham,” he said. “It’s great to be here and I’m looking forward to getting going. From the outside looking in, this is a club that has been on the rise for a number of years now and coming off the success in the UEFA Europa Conference League last year, you can feel there is real momentum around this club. It’s great to be a part of it and I can’t wait to play my role in the games to come.”
Following Southampton’s relegation to the Championship at the end of last season, the midfielder felt he needed to move to keep his England chances alive. West Ham had been pursuing a move for Ward-Prowse since Rice joined Arsenal for £105m in July, but the move took several weeks to complete. Despite negotiations dragging on through the summer, Ward-Prowse remained professional and refused to let it affect his standards in pre-season training. He won the first-team squad’s speed and endurance test and made himself available for Southampton’s pre-season games. He also then started the club’s opening game of the season, a 2-1 win at Sheffield Wednesday on August 4.
The last of Ward-Prowse’s 11 England caps was against Italy in a UEFA Nations League fixture in June 2022 and he is well-liked and respected in the England camp. Having been on the fringes of the England squad, Ward-Prowse hopes to be in contention for next summer’s European Championship. He was not selected in Gareth Southgate’s 26-man squad for the Qatar World Cup in November.
Moyes challenged Bowen to earn an England call-up ahead of his debut against Hungary in June 2022. The Scotsman may follow suit and challenge Ward-Prowse to earn similar international recognition once more.
In 410 senior appearances for Southampton, Ward-Prowse scored 55 goals. Of those, 33 have either come from penalties or direct free kicks. Set pieces are his trademark and the midfielder grew up idolising David Beckham. Having scored 17 direct free kicks in the Premier League, Ward-Prowse is just one away from equalling the record set by the former Manchester United star more than 20 years ago.
The midfielder’s leadership will also be of huge importance to Moyes’ side and the manager will name his captain after the transfer window closes on September 1. Rice vacated the captaincy when he joined Arsenal, but in Ward-Prowse, Moyes has a credible successor. He was 25 when he was appointed Southampton captain full-time, having previously captained England Under-21s at the 2016 Toulon Tournament and the 2017 European Championships.
“It’s something I enjoy, I love the responsibility and to try to lead in different ways,” Ward-Prowse told West Ham’s in-house media upon his arrival at the club. “With people, I like to be more vocal, but I like to lead by example and bring others with me in the way that I work. I think that’s the most effective form of leadership and, hopefully, I can have an impact with that here.”
In 2022-23, Ward-Prowse outperformed his new West Ham midfield team-mates in several metrics. He scored nine goals and registered four assists in 38 league appearances. He attempted more shots (44) than Tomas Soucek (34) and Pablo Fornals (27) mustered for West Ham and he also shone on chances created, having amassed 74 in contrast to 20 from Fornals and 15 from Soucek.
Defensively, Ward-Prowse (55) performed better than Soucek (53) and Fornals (14) when it came to interceptions. The former Southampton midfielder also managed more recoveries (222) than the duo.
West Ham have added much-needed depth to their midfield with the signing of Ward-Prowse. Given his attributes on and off the field, there is great hope the midfielder will become a success at the London Stadium.
Sport Witness
Player desired by Chelsea ‘wants to go to’ West Ham – Hammers offer better than Blues
Earlier this month, Montpellier president Laurent Nicollin revealed he’d turned down a Chelsea offer for Elye Wahi. The Blues have been keen on signing the striker and are joined by West Ham and others in the transfer race.
The 20-year-old isn’t keen on making a switch to Stamford Bridge and is considering other options, according to RMC Sport.
Wahi, who is closely followed by West Ham and Eintracht Frankfurt, is not convinced with the project offered by Chelsea and the role he would have in it.
The German club are waiting to sell Randal Kolo Muani to make an offer worth €32m including bonuses to the Ligue 1 side. The report says the Hammers offer €35m for the France U21 international, while Chelsea have seen their €30m bid rejected by Montpellier.
Foot Mercato have a report titled: ‘Elye Wahi wants to go to West Ham’.
Within the report, it’s said David Moyes’ side have become the ‘priority objective’ for the Chelsea target.
Foot Mercato say it’s down ro the Europa Conference League winners to make an offer to carry out the deal. They are confident this case will ‘accelerate in the coming days’.
RMC Sport state West Ham have offered €35m [€5m more than what Chelsea proposed] and whether that’s enough to convince the French club remains to be seen.
C&H
Hammers turn to Tah from Maguire
West Ham have confirmed they are pulling the plug on the Harry Maguire deal.
But they add with great confidence that they will have a younger central defender in place – thought to be Bayern Leverkusen’s Jonaton Tah – within the next 71 hours and should that be the case it is set to go down as Tim Stiedten’s .
We reported earlier today that a pay off dispute had developed between Maguire and Manchester United given that he would have been forced to agree to a massive wage cut.
Maguire has never seemed particularly keen to join the Hammers and the pay off would have involved the Hammers paying part of it which they have now pulled away from.
Our key source at the London Stadium was entirely straightforward about things declaring: “Yes, we have seen a dispute with Manchester United over a pay off, but we’ll have a younger alternative signed in 71 hours.”
Peterborough's Edwards attracting Premier League attention
Alex Howell - BBC Sport
West Ham, Bournemouth and Rangers are all interested in Peterborough centre-back Ronnie Edwards.
The 20-year-old played for England at the Under-20 World Cup in Argentina and was part of the England Under-19 squad that won the European Championship in 2022.
Edwards, who has been the subject of Premier League interest before, made 44 appearances last season for Peterborough in League One.
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