Tottenham are close to agreeing a deal in the region of £60m with RB Leipzig for Netherlands attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, 22, after racing to try to minimise the threat of Chelsea hijacking their move. (Telegraph - subscription required, external)
After agreeing a fee for Manchester United and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho, 21, Chelsea are also prepared to make a £60m bid for Simons. (Metro), external
Wolves are ready to reject Newcastle's third bid of £60m for Jorgen Strand Larsen and remain adamant that the 25-year-old Norway striker will not be sold during this transfer window. (Telegraph - subscription required, external)
Tottenham have made contact with Manchester City about a move for Netherlands defender Nathan Ake, 30. (Givemesport), external
Aston Villa are close to signing Marco Asensio on a permanent deal from Paris St-Germain after the 29-year-old Spain forward impressed while on loan at Villa Park last season. (L'Equipe - in French), external
After losing Romelu Lukaku to injury, Italian champions Napoli are ready to sign Manchester United's 22-year-old forward Rasmus Hojlund on loan, with a verbal aggrement already reached for the Denmark international. (Gianluca DiMarzio), external
Manchester United's 26-year-old Dutch left-back Tyrell Malacia is set to join Elche on a season-long loan after choosing the La Liga side over Lille. (Voetbal International - in Dutch, external)
Newly promoted Serie A side Cremonese are interested in 38-year-old Jamie Vardy, the former England striker who has been without a club since leaving Leicester City at the end of last season. (Times - subscription required, external)
Vardy's former Leicester team-mate and France international N'Golo Kante is set for a return to Europe after the 34-year-old former Chelsea midfielder was offered to AS Monaco and Paris FC by Saudi Pro League champions Al-Ittihad. (L'Equipe - in French), external
Crystal Palace are bracing themselves to lose captain Marc Guehi, 25, to Liverpool before Monday's deadline and want £45m for the England defender. (Express), external
Burnley are interested in signing Benfica's Florentino Luis, 26, but Marseille and Roma have also shown interest in the Portuguese defensive midfielder this summer. (Sky Sports, external)
Rangers have made contact with Everton over a loan deal for 21-year-old Portuguese striker Youssef Chermiti. (Sky Sports, external)
Paris FC's 19-year-old French defender Dimitri Colau will undergo a medical at West Ham on Saturday before signing a four-year contract with the Hammers. (Footmercato - in French, external)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MIRROR
Ruben Amorim will hold showdown talks with the Manchester United hierarchy following Saturday's must-win game against Burnley.
Crystal Palace are preparing for life without Marc Guehi by scouring the transfer market for replacements for their captain.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Ruben Amorim is expected to hold talks on his Manchester United future during the international break after publicly doubting his ability to stop the club falling into a full-blown crisis.
Tottenham Hotspur are close to agreeing a deal with RB Leipzig for Xavi Simons after racing to try to minimise the threat of Chelsea hijacking their move.
THE GUARDIAN
Ruben Amorim's tactics and man-management are being questioned by some in the Manchester United dressing room and there is a feeling at the club that the head coach may resign unless results pick up.
Chelsea have made a move for the Angel City winger Alyssa Thompson, with the Women's Super League club hoping to reach a deal before the transfer window closes next Thursday.
West Ham are in advanced talks over selling a stake in their women's team to an American private equity fund dedicated to investing in women's sport.
THE SUN
Oleksandr Zinchenko has been handed a £300,000 tax bill, just months after losing a court battle with HMRC which was chasing him for an unpaid sum.
THE TIMES
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim retains the backing of the club's board who are determined to stick by him.
Spurs have offered RB Leipzig £60m for Xavi Simons as a move to Chelsea has stalled.
Arsenal's move for Piero Hincapie is moving closer and the discussion with Bayer Leverkusen is over an initial loan deal.
DAILY RECORD
Hammarby winger Sebastian Tounekti admits he is delighted to see Celtic make a second bid for him this summer.
A Celtic swoop for free agent Jamie Vardy appears to be off the table.
SCOTTISH SUN
Shayden Morris flew home ahead of Aberdeen's crunch Europa League tie with FCSB after the Dons accepted a bid from Luton Town for the winger.
Hibernian could hand Lyndon Dykes a return to the Premiership ahead of Monday's transfer deadline.
Football talk
Man Utd & West Ham battling to sign Conor Gallagher
Manchester United and West Ham United are reportedly battling to sign Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher, as per Spanish outlet Fichajes.
After revamping the attacking department by signing Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo, and Benjamin Sesko, the Red Devils have focused on selling players before making moves to add new faces.
Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Rasmus Hojlund, Tyrell Malacia, and Antony are all expected to leave. Hojlund is reportedly close to joining Napoli, while Garnacho is on the verge of signing for Chelsea.
Moreover, following a successful loan stint at Real Betis last term, Antony is eager to return to the Spanish side, and they are reportedly advancing on a deal to sign him.
It has been suggested that Ruben Amorim wants a new goalkeeper and an athletic midfielder before the September 1st transfer deadline. Fichajes state that Man Utd were initially keen on purchasing Carlos Baleba from Brighton, but after failing to get the deal done, they are exploring cheaper alternative options to bolster the engine room.
They have identified Gallagher as a serious option and are pushing to seal the deal before the transfer deadline. Atletico Madrid are keen on purchasing Nico Gonzalez and are prepared to cash-in on the Englishman to make room for the Juventus star.
Battle
However, purchasing the former Chelsea star won’t be straightforward for United as West Ham United are also keen on securing his service. Moreover, Crystal Palace and Newcastle United are in this race.
The Hammers have endured a dire start to this season and are looking to reinforce the squad late in this window to help Graham Potter turn the situation around.
Gallagher, valued at around £35m by Transfermarkt, is a dynamic midfielder and previously showcased his qualities in the Premier League. He possesses the necessary attributes to play in Amorim’s high-intensity style of football.
Therefore, he might be a shrewd acquisition for Man Utd or West Ham should either club purchase him. However, it is going to be interesting to see whether Amorim’s side or Potter’s side eventually make a concrete approach to secure his service late in this transfer window.
Sunderland Echo
Sunderland submit transfer bid for £30m West Ham talent, Black Cats 'pushing' for deal - reports
Sunderland have been credited with an interest in West Ham defender Nayef Aguerd
Sunderland have submitted an official bid for West Ham centre-back Nayef Aguerd, according to reports.
The Black Cats are understood to be in the market for defensive reinforcements between now and Monday’s transfer deadline, with Bologna star Jhon Lucumí one talent to have been frequently linked in recent days.
But it would appear that the Premier League new boys are keeping other options open too, and as per a fresh update from Foot Mercato reporter Santi Aouna, they are currently pushing to get a deal for Aguerd over the line.
What has been said about Sunderland’s transfer interest in Nayef Aguerd?
According to Aouna, Sunderland are facing competition for the Moroccan international’s signature from Ligue 1 outfit Marseille, but are nevertheless continuing with plans to prise him away from West Ham.
Writing on X, Aouna said: “L'OM has accelerated in recent hours on Nayef Aguerd. Discussions ongoing with West Ham His possible arrival at L'OM is independent of that of Joël Ordoñez. In parallel, Sunderland is pushing and has officially submitted an offer to West Ham for the Moroccan.” For context, Ordoñez is a defender, currently on the books at Belgian side Club Brugge, who Marseille have also been heavily linked with in recent days.
For his part, Aguerd has featured prominently for West Ham so far this season, starting both of their Premier League fixtures to date, and playing 70 minutes of a midweek Carabao Cup clash with Wolves. In total, the 29-year-old has amassed 61 appearances for the Hammers since initially signing from Stade Rennais for around £30 million back in 2022.
More recently, he spent last season out on loan in La Liga with Real Sociedad, registering 36 outings during his time in Spain. At the time of writing, he also has 55 senior international caps to his name.
Sport Witness
Club expecting West Ham bid for star – Graham Potter a big fan of 24-year-old
By Sean Lunt
West Ham United are keen on VfL Wolfsburg winger Patrick Wimmer, with Graham Potter a particular fan of the 24-year-old.
That’s according to BILD, who report that West Ham could move for the Austrian before the end of the transfer window.
The newspaper reports that Wolfsburg are expecting activity at the club before the window comes to an end and the current focus is on Wimmer.
West Ham and Potter are big fans of the player and Wimmer is, in principle, not averse to making the move to the Premier League. He has long dreamed of playing in England.
The big problem is that he has a contract until 2027 and that doesn’t include a release clause. VfL’s management, including boss Peter Christiansen and sporting director Sebastian Schindzielorz aren’t interested in letting the winger join West Ham this summer.
Wimmer is one of their best players and has started this season in good form, with an assist in the opening day 3-1 win over Heidenheim. The Austrian, though, wants to join a club that has a ‘permanent international presence’. Whether West Ham fall into that bracket is up for debate.
But they and specifically Potter like the player and are seemingly ready to make an effort to get him before the window closes.
Fabrizio Romano
@FabrizioRomano
Soungoutou Magassa has just signed his four year contract as West Ham player. Deal 100% sealed.
