Wednesday news (includes West ham)

[Alan]

BBC

Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 25, has told Newcastle he still wants to leave for Liverpool despite the intervention of club chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan and a meeting with co-owner Jamie Reuben. (Telegraph - subscription required, external)

Isak's future could determine whether Liverpool and Newcastle make a move for Juventus' 25-year-old Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic. (Teamtalk), external

Manchester United have reached an agreement in principle with Real Betis for 25-year-old Brazil winger Antony to return to the Spanish club in what could be an initial loan with an obligation to buy. (Telegraph - subscription required, external)

Manchester United are also hoping to agree personal terms with goalkeeper Senne Lammens in order to sign the 23-year-old Belgian from Royal Antwerp before the transfer window closes. (Telegraph - subscription required, external)

Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are keeping tabs on Manchester United's England midfielder Kobbie Mainoo as the 20-year-old looks for a move away after dropping down the pecking order at Old Trafford. (Mail, external)

Mainoo has also emerged as a target for Fulham, alongside Arsenal's 25-year-old English winger Reiss Nelson. (Teamtalk, external)

Porto are close to agreeing a loan deal, with an obligation to buy, for Arsenal's 25-year-old Poland defender Jakub Kiwior. (Sky Sports, external)

Crystal Palace are preparing for talks with Liverpool for English attacking midfielder Harvey Elliott, 22, as they accelerate plans to find a replacement for England international Eberechi Eze, 27, who joined Arsenal. (Football Insider, external)

Bayer Leverkusen and Galatasaray are set to rival Crystal Palace for the signature of 30-year-old Manchester City and Switzerland defender Manuel Akanji. (Independent), external

Brentford are considering a move for Borussia Dortmund's 22-year-old Germany forward Max Beier, with the Bundesliga club also closing in on a deal to sign Portugal striker Fabio Silva, 23, from Wolves. (Sky Sports, external)

Roma have held talks with Chelsea and the representatives of Tyrique George over signing the 19-year-old English winger. (Gianluca di Marzio - in Italian, external)

Alejandro Garnacho has rejected a new approach from a Saudi Pro League club in the last 48 hours as talks between Manchester United and Chelsea for the 21-year-old Argentina winger remain very advanced. (Fabrizio Romano, external)

West Ham are close to a £17.3m deal to sign AS Monaco's 21-year-old French midfielder Soungoutou Magassa. (Guardian, external)

West Ham have also moved to sign Botafogo's 29-year-old Brazilian goalkeeper John Victor on loan. (Talksport), external

Real Madrid could try to sign Crystal Palace's 21-year-old England midfielder Adam Wharton if Spain midfielder Dani Ceballos, 29, leaves the club. (AS - in Spanish), external

A loan deal for Nottingham Forest's Ivory Coast defensive midfielder Ibrahim Sangare, 27, is also being explored by West Ham, who are interested in Strasbourg's French midfielder Junior Mwanga, 22, and Middlesbrough's English midfielder Hayden Hackney, 23. (Sky Sports, external)

Nottingham Forest have had an initial offer of about £10m for Italian right-back Nicolo Savona, 22, rejected by Juventus. (Gianluca di Marzio - in Italian, external)

Crystal Palace have struck an agreement in principle with Villarreal for 22-year-old Spain midfielder Yeremy Pino in a deal that could be worth about £26m. (AS - in Spanish, external)

Liverpool midfielder James McConnell, 20, is set to join Ajax on loan for the 2025-26 season after the England Under-20 international signed a new five-year contract at the club. (Athletic - subscription required, external)




Sky Paper Talk

THE TELEGRAPH

Alexander Isak remains adamant he wants to leave Newcastle United despite the intervention of chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan who is keen to broker a deal to keep the striker at the club.

The Liverpool teenager Rio Ngumoha is at the centre of a bitter legal dispute between the Premier League champions and his former club Chelsea.

Brazil forward Antony has edged closer to his Manchester United departure as talks progress over a move to Real Betis.

Keegan Bradley is expected to pick himself as a Ryder Cup wildcard on Wednesday despite being warned it would be "the worst decision ever made by a captain".

DAILY MIRROR

Alexander Isak is determined to quit St James's Park - even after crisis talks with the Newcastle hierarchy.

Manchester City target Gianluigi Donnarumma can leave Paris St Germain for as little as £26m - after the European champions slashed their asking price.

Nicolas Jackson is set to join Bayern Munich after agreeing personal terms with the German giants.

THE SUN

Bayern Munich have reached a verbal agreement with Nicolas Jackson, as the striker's departure from Chelsea edges closer.

Dusan Vlahovic will not be replacing Alexander Isak at Newcastle this summer.

West Ham submitted an offer to sign Ibrahim Sangare on loan from Nottingham Forest on Tuesday.

DAILY MAIL

Both Madrid giants and a host of Premier League clubs are monitoring the situation with Manchester United midfielder Kobbie Mainoo.

THE TIMES

Manchester United are looking to end the transfer window with a fire sale of their unwanted players.

THE ATHLETIC

Kobbie Mainoo is open to leaving Manchester United.

Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of convincing Manchester City to contemplate selling them Savinho rest on City signing Rodrygo from Real Madrid.

Aston Villa have rejected an initial loan with an option to buy offer from Stuttgart for Emiliano Buendia.

Everton have been informed of West Ham United's desire to retain Tomas Soucek after lodging an enquiry for the Czech midfielder.

Leeds United expect to finalise the sale of Sam Greenwood to Polish club Pogon Szczecin.

The Premier League issued a reminder to clubs ahead of the season that material which could be considered 'politically motivated', which could include symbolism of countries in conflict, should not be permitted in stadiums.

THE GUARDIAN

Kai Havertz will miss Arsenal's showdown at Liverpool on Sunday and Germany's World Cup qualifiers next month, with a decision yet to be made on whether the forward needs surgery on a knee injury.

THE SCOTTISH SUN

Rangers are set to launch a bid for Bournemouth defender Chris Mepham.

DAILY RECORD

Panathinaikos are set to join Greek rivals AEK Athens in the chase for Rangers hitman Cyriel Dessers.




Guardian Rumour mill

Will Unwin

Liverpool are the club most-often linked with a move for the Crystal Palace captain Marc Guéhi but some of the continent’s other big hitters are now being chucked into the mix. The centre-back’s contract is up next summer and he could be allowed to enter discussions with Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus at the turn of the year, which would see the Eagles potentially miss out on a massive wad of cash.

Manchester United are still doing their best to offload Antony but the main interested party is Real Betis. The Brazilian impressed in Andalucia in the second half of last season but the Spanish side might struggle to make a dent in the £82m fee that brought Antony to Old Trafford. Naturally, the Premier League side will want as much of that back as they can get but it is going to be a struggle and beggars cannot be choosers. Another United player who might be on his way is youngster Ethan Williams who could go to Croatian side Rijeka on loan.

Many people have Yves Bissouma on their Turkish Super Lig bingo card. The good news is they could soon be winners because the Tottenham midfielder is in talks over a loan move to Galatasaray.

It is taking a very long time for Chelsea to sort out signing Alejandro Garnacho, who has told everyone and his barber that he is eager to leave Manchester United for Stamford Bridge. The Blues therefore need an alternative, which they have found in the form of Barcelona’s Fermin López. Chelsea are yet to make an offer but have sounded out the player’s representatives to see if he might be open to swapping Catalonia for London.

Appeasing Nuno Espírito Santo is very important at Nottingham Forest. The head coach wants some full-backs so the recruitment bods have identified Leicester left-back Victor Kristiansen and have opened dialogue with the Championship side over signing the defender. There could be more business to be done at the City Ground if West Ham get their way and sign Ibrahim Sangaré after enquiring about the central midfielder .

Fulham are at risk of losing midfielder Andreas Pereira who is wanted by Palmeiras and could be gone in a matter of days.

In transfers no one saw coming, Nathan Patterson is rumoured to be about to swap Everton for Sevilla. The Scottish right-back has not pulled up any trees since moving from Rangers and a sojourn to La Liga might be the tonic required. David Moyes wants to secure a replacement before his fellow Scot waves farewell. The three big options are Lyon’s Ainsley Maitland Niles, Barcelona’s Héctor Fort and Norwich’s Kellen Fisher.

As you may have noticed, Yoane Wissa is rather eager to leave Brentford for Newcastle. If he is eventually granted his wish, the Bees would desperately need a new striker. At the top of the hitlist is Max Beier of Borussia Dortmund. The 22-year-old was left on the bench on the opening weekend of the Bundesliga season, so is almost certainly available.

Sheffield United have been absolutely terrible so far this season. The Blades have zero points from three matches under Rubén Sellés and realised they need to acquire some experienced players. Danny Ings is close to heading to Bramall Lane and he could be joined by Ben Mee, which would be two very logical signings.






The Athletic

Jarrod Bowen clashing with a supporter is a sad reflection of West Ham’s plight

By Roshane Thomas

The West Ham United squad were applauding those who had lingered in the away enclosure at Molineux, still digesting their late elimination from the Carabao Cup, when captain Jarrod Bowen broke away from the group and, clearly incensed over something he had heard, sought to confront a supporter.

Seldom does Bowen lose his cool, but the England forward being subjected to abuse and reacting is a sad reflection of West Ham’s plight.

Wolverhampton Wanderers had just condemned Graham Potter’s side to a third loss in as many games this season, following on from defeats to newly promoted Sunderland and a 5-1 home thrashing by rivals Chelsea last Friday.

Bowen took issue with something that was said and was prevented from climbing over the advertising boards by stewards and team-mates Tomas Soucek, Alphonse Areola and Nayef Aguerd. Bruno Salter, West Ham’s assistant coach, also attempted to calm the forward down.

After the heated exchange, the 28-year-old rejoined the group before walking down the tunnel.

“I have no idea what was said,” said Potter in his post-match press conference. “I think our supporters have been fantastic and they are hurting because of the results we’ve had.

“Jarrod cares about the club, the team, and he gave everything tonight. It’s just an exchange of views from people that care. I think it is (just a one-off). Everyone is hurting and that’s normal. Jarrod has been a fantastic captain and servant for the club.”

Bowen has been at West Ham for over five years and is adored by the fanbase, which added greater weight to the uncharacteristic exchange. Indeed, the team bus was yet to depart from the ground when Bowen took to social media to express his regret over the situation.

“Apologies to the fans for tonight’s reaction,” he wrote on Instagram. “I’m someone who is passionate and will fight every time I step on the pitch. But I need to set a better example and you fans know how much I love you and this club! We ride through the bad times together and I’ll see you all Sunday!”

Potter, majority shareholder David Sullivan, and vice-chair Karren Brady have faced scrutiny over the team’s disappointing form in the second half of last season and their slack start to the new campaign, but if anyone should be exempt from such treatment, it is Bowen. It would be foolish to blame West Ham’s struggles on him given his importance to the team.

Events at Molineux had offered a reminder of his significance. When the visitors had required some inspiration, they had leaned on their stalwarts, Bowen and Soucek. The Czech midfielder had drawn them level after half-time, and it was Bowen who provided the assist for Lucas Paqueta’s header moments after the hour mark to put them 2-1 up.

That Wolves rallied late through Jorgen Strand Larsen to win 3-2 was a reflection of West Ham’s continued inability to see games out, rather than Bowen’s failure to inspire and lead his team-mates to victory.

The England international has nothing to apologise for. This is the player whose winner in the UEFA Conference League against Fiorentina in 2023 remains at the forefront of most supporters’ minds. He is the forward who equalled club legend Paolo Di Canio’s record of goals scored (16) in a Premier League campaign in the 2023-24 season. It is why actor and father-in-law Danny Dyer once joked he loved Bowen more than his wife.

Bowen signed a seven-year contract extension in October 2023. The long-term deal, which does not include a release clause, underlined his importance to the team and established him as one of West Ham’s highest earners. Bowen remains just as indebted to West Ham for taking a chance on him in 2020 when other Premier League teams appeared reluctant to do so. He has stated on numerous occasions that he wants to retire at the London Stadium.

“Jarrod is a player that feels the badge, understands the sacrifices that most fans need to take in order to follow the team and pay the tickets; and so he always plays and trains giving his all,” Edu Rubio, West Ham’s former assistant coach under Julen Lopetegui, told The Athletic earlier this summer. “He is very professional and as genuine as they get.”

Bowen’s goalscoring exploits and unselfish playing style are well known, but his generosity off the field has also left a lasting impression.

In February 2024, the captain surprised season-ticket holder Callum Oubridge with a visit to his work after he was commended by West Ham for his ongoing work as an Education Centre Supervisor at the Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals NHS Trust (BHRUT). Oubridge had set up a men’s health network, aimed at improving male physical and mental well-being.

“Jarrod came to my workplace to give me an award and it was a massive shock because I had no idea he was coming,” Oubridge told The Athletic last month. “We had a chat and he joked he was probably more nervous meeting me than I was.

“He was really humble and the fact he went out of his way to meet me is something I will never forget. I’ve met other West Ham players before and it’s mainly been supervised, but Jarrod was happy to answer all my questions. He was there for roughly 30 minutes and it’s easily one of the best days of my life.”

But if the majority of West Ham supporters will be willing to give Bowen some leeway given the impact he has made on and off the field at the club, Potter is finding life tougher. His standing among the fanbase continues to ebb, with elimination from the Carabao Cup the latest setback. The West Ham manager was left calling for unity ahead of the weekend trip to Nottingham Forest.

“The performance was more like us and closer to what we want to be,” added Potter post-match at Molineux. “We have to take that forward.

“The most important relationship at the football club is the one with the fans and the team. The fans are the most important people. We need them and for everyone to stick together. I can assure you no one is celebrating or happy about what we’re doing. We’re all in pain, that’s how it is.

“We need to push forward and on to the next match.”




C&H

West Ham Exclusive – The Circumstances Under Which Paqueta Could Leave

Sean Whetstone

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paquetá could still leave the club in this transfer window under specific circumstances.

Claret & Hugh asked a top source at the London Stadium if there was any truth in reports of interest in Paquetá and the likelihood of him departing. Speculation has been mounting over the future of the Brazilian, who has scored in his last two games for West Ham.

The Hammers insider told us: “It’s possible, but we’d have to sign a lot of players before we sold him.”

This follows a claim from a source close to the player over the weekend, who told C&H a transfer was “50/50 at this stage”. However, it’s fair to say much has happened since then.

Soungoutou Magassa is scheduled to fly to London for a medical today after agreeing a £17.5m move from Monaco. However, for West Ham to sanction the sale of Paquetá it would take more than just the signing of one player, and the 27-year-old is unlikely to force a move.



Sport Witness

‘Concrete interest’ – 2 sources state West Ham have initiated contact for deadline deal

By Naveen Ullal

West Ham United are in contention to make a late move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Aleix García this summer, according to multiple claims from Germany.

Last summer, the midfielder left Girona for the Bundesliga club, managing five goals and four assists from 42 games in his debut season.

Prior to his move Germany, West Ham tried to sign him. That’s according to Kicker, and they report the Hammers have now returned for García.

They say the Premier League club can make a new attempt, after renewing their interest in the 28-year-old.

Sky Deutschland back up West Ham’s desire to sign the Spaniard and then provide an update.

It’s claimed Graham Potter’s side have a ‘concrete interest’ in securing García’s services before Monday’s deadline. They have already approached the German club to find out the conditions needed to sign him.

The two clubs have verbally exchanged details and Bayer Leverkusen have set a €20m price. Sky add West Ham haven’t submitted an official bid yet and it’s unclear whether they will make one.

Both Kicker and Sky make no mention of whether García is open to moving to the London club.

[With Kind Regards]

Mex Martillo » 27 Aug 2025 09:55

[Texas Iron]

Cheers…

[Mex Martillo]

Thanks Alan