Arsenal have confirmed that Dani Ceballos has rejoined the club for a second time on a season-long loan from Real Madrid.
The 24-year-old midfielder made 37 appearances for the Gunners in 2019/20 as he established himself as a integral part of Mikel Arteta’s first-team squad.
Technical director Edu said on the deal: “We’re thrilled to have Dani back with us for the new season. We all know his qualities after an impressive 2019/2020 campaign, which ended with him playing a key role in our FA Cup success.
“We’re excited to add Dani to the list of quality players we are bringing in.”
Gunners head coach Arteta added: “Dani was and integral part of our team last season and finished the season in excellent form.
“I love Dani’s passion and commitment and he’s a highly skilful player. We’re all delighted to welcome him back and we look forward to seeing him pick up where he left off.”
West Ham skipper Mark Noble is not a happy bunny following confirmation of Grady Diangana’s move to West Brom!
West Brom have completed the permanent signing of England Under-21 international Grady Diangana from West Ham.
The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at the Hawthorns as Slaven Bilic’s side sealed promotion to the Premier League and has returned on a five-year deal.
Diangana scored eight goals in 30 appearances for the Baggies and the England Under-21 international is excited to make his mark in the top flight.
“I know I can bring more to the game and to the team,” he said.
“I’m still young and last year was like my first season in senior football. I feel I am only going to get better.
“And I believe in the style of football we play under Slaven. I think we will be suited for the challenge ahead because if you can’t keep the ball in the Premier League it will be tough.
“We have the quality to do that and compete and if we go with the ambition of doing well and not just surviving we can exceed some people’s expectations.”
Norwich have signed defender Ben Gibson on a season-long loan from Burnley.
Gibson, 27, who made just one appearance for Burnley last season, will join Norwich on a permanent basis if the club win promotion straight back to the Premier League.
“I’m absolutely delighted,” Gibson told Norwich’s official website. “It’s been a long time coming, I’ve been desperate to play football for a couple of years now and it hasn’t materialised, so a fresh start is exactly what I need.
“An opportunity to come to an aspiring football club that has a clear ambition to get back to the Premier League at the first time of asking – that’s what I’m here to be part of, to play football and get back enjoying it and get this club back to where it belongs.”
Gibson started out at hometown club Middlesbrough, for whom he made 185 appearances in all competitions, and joined Burnley in 2018 for a reported joint-club record fee.
Gibson struggled to force his way into the first-team line-up under Burnley boss Sean Dyche and his only appearance last season came in the Carabao Cup in August 2019.
Norwich were relegated to the Sky Bet Championship in July after just one season back in the Premier League.
Chelsea have signed Bayer Leverkusen starlet Kai Havertz in a deal worth up to £70million, the Premier League club have confirmed.
The Blues have already opened the cheque book to complete big-money deals for Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Ben Chilwell, while also adding Malang Sarr and Thiago Silva to their ranks on free transfers.
talkSPORT revealed last week that a breakthrough in negotiations for Havertz had been made, with the midfielder putting pen-to-paper on a five-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
The 21-year-old will cost Chelsea roughly £62m up front, with add-ons possibly taking the total fee to around the £70m mark.
It was initially believed Havertz would become Chelsea’s record signing, though successful negotiations resulted in the Blues lowering the total fee by almost £22m.
On becoming a Chelsea player, Havertz said: “I am very happy and proud to be here, For me it is a dream come true to play in a big club like Chelsea and I can’t wait to meet all the players and the trainers. Yeah, I am very happy to be here!”
Arsenal starlet Eddie Nketiah grabbed a 10 minute hat-trick – his second in as many international games – for England Under-21s as they thumped Kosovo 6-0 in Friday night’s European qualifier.
Fellow Gunner Reiss Nelson was also on target for the young Three Lions in a rampant second-half display as Aidy Bothroyd’s men cruised to victory.
Ryan Sessegnon (Tottenham) and Jude Bellingham (Borussia Dortmund) also got on the scoresheet late on.
Everton must secure a top-six spot this season as they get set to splash the cash once more, talkSPORT has been told.
Arsenal legend Perry Groves believes the imminent arrivals of Abdoulaye Doucoure, Allan and James Rodriguez display the ambition the Toffees have shown in the transfer market – something they must now match on the field.
“Realistically they should be looking to get into the top six. That is how far they’ve fallen down.
“They’ve wasted a lot of money in the past – their recruitment has been horrendous through managers, through transfer committees.
“The reason they brought in Carlo Ancelotti is because he’s a manager of huge stature.
“He wouldn’t have gone there if he wouldn’t have been given assurance that he had money to spend.
“If you look at [Abdoulaye] Doucoure, he’s an excellent signing because he plays in the 4-2-3-1 in the middle of the three where he can get himself forward and into the box. He’s intelligent with his runs and has physicality too.
“If you look at Allan – a midfield player as well – he’s very, very good on the ball. He stops, he plays a little bit deeper.
“And then [James] Rodriguez and [Carlo] Ancelotti obviously know each other.
“I think they are a very big threat to get themselves in the top six and if they do that the next step will be getting into the top four.
“For the money you’re going to spend and the money they have then that [top six spot] is a prerequisite.”
Lionel Messi has reversed his decision to leave Barcelona this summer, saying he could never go to court against the club to secure a move.
The Argentinian forward had informed the club on August 25 that he wanted to leave this summer and intended to utilise a clause in his contract which he and his representatives claimed allowed him to walk away on a free transfer.
Barcelona insisted the time had passed for the clause to be activated and that Messi would need to pay the 700million euro release clause in his contract if another club wanted to sign him this summer.
Messi, who has been with the Catalan club since the age of 13, told goal.com: “I am going to continue in the club because the president (Josep Bartomeu) told me that the only way to leave was to pay the 700million clause, that that is impossible, and then the only other way was to go to court.
“I would never go to court against Barca because it is the club that I love, that gave me everything since I arrived, it is the club of my life, I have made my life here.”
Messi said he had been telling Bartomeu “all year” that he wanted to leave.
“Everything became very difficult for me and there came a time when I considered looking for new goals,” he said.
“I told the president and well, the president always said that at the end of the season I could decide if I wanted to go or if I wanted to stay and in the end he did not keep his word.”
Asked about the reaction to his announcement in some quarters, the 33-year-old added: “It hurt me when my love for this club was questioned. No matter where I go or if I stay, my love for Barca will never change.”
TyC Sports claim the 33-year-old superstar will confirm later today that he is set to abandon plans to leave the Nou Camp this summer after recently handing in a transfer request.
The decision comes after Barcelona refused to sell him for anything less than €700m.
Earlier on Friday, Messi’s father Jorge issued a statement reiterating his claim that he does not have a €700m release clause.
Despite all reports indicating the Germany midfielder would sign from Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth around £90m, it appears Chelsea will actually pay £20m LESS to buy Havertz!
This is according to the Telegraph, who claim the initial fee is actually closer to £62m with a further £8m in add-ons – rather than the previously believed £72m initial fee and £20m in add-ons.
This means Havertz will avoid becoming Chelsea’s most expensive player ever – with that title still bestowed upon struggling and under-fire goalkeeper Kepa.
He joined from Athletic Club for £72m two years ago, and has most certainly NOT lived up to his price tag.
This is despite Jorge Messi writing to LaLiga earlier in the day to insist his son can leave Barcelona for free in the current transfer window due to a clause believed to exist in his contract which allows him to terminate his deal.
Last Sunday LaLiga stood with Barcelona in the ongoing saga, and the league remains adamant the Catalan club are in the right.
Messi Sr’s letter to LaLiga read: “As the representative of professional football player Lionel Andres Messi and in response to the statement relating to the player’s contractual situation published by the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional on August 30, 2020, Jorge Horacio Messi states that, quite apart from your obvious interest given the role that said institution [La Liga] has in the defence of its associates (the football clubs):
“First, we do not know what contract you have analysed and one what grounds you conclude that there is a recission clause applicable in the case of him deciding to unilaterally end his contract from the end of the 2019-20 season.
“Second, that doing so [reaching that conclusion] is founded upon a clear error on your part. As clause 8.2.3.6 of the contract signed between the club and the player explicitly says: “This indemnity will not apply when the player’s decision to unilaterally rescind the contract is effective from the end of the 2019-2020 season.”
“[Signed] Jorge H. Messi.”
The league had stated last weekend that it believed a buyout clause of 700million euros still applied, but Jorge Messi – who also acts as the player’s agent – insists the player’s contract allowed him to exercise an option to leave at the end of the 2019-20 season.
In the letter sent on Friday, which has been seen by the PA news agency, Messi senior argues that his son’s contract does not specify a date when the option to leave must be exercised, simply that it must be done at the end of the campaign.
Barca’s season ended on August 14 when they were hammered by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.
Messi’s representatives sent a fax to the club on August 25 expressing his desire to leave.
The Reds full-back appears alongside Anfield team-mates Virgil Van Dijk – last year’s recipient – Jordan Henderson and Sadio Mane in the six-strong list of nominees for the main men’s prize.
They are accompanied on the shortlist by Manchester City duo Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling.
Alexander-Arnold is joined on the Young Player of the Year list – nominees had to be 21 or under on July 1, 2019 – by Manchester United pair Marcus Rashford and Mason Greenwood, Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham and club-mate Mason Mount and Arsenal teenager Bukayo Saka.
Chelsea players dominate the candidates for the Women’s Player of the Year category with Beth England, Sophie Ingle, Guro Reiten and Ji So-yun all included. Holder Vivianne Miedema and her Arsenal team-mate Kim Little complete the list.
Aston Villa have had an offer worth £20million for Bournemouth striker Callum Wilson rejected, talkSPORT understands.
Villa are willing to pay £15m up front plus £5m in add-ons for the England international forward.
Newcastle are also attempting to sign Wilson, having offered a player-plus-cash deal including Matt Ritchie to the Cherries earlier this week.
Furthermore, the Magpies appear set to sign Wilson’s former Bournemouth teammate Ryan Fraser on a free transfer over the coming days.
Kai Havertz has left Germany’s international camp to complete his move to Chelsea, talkSPORT understands.
The Blues on Thursday agreed an £89m deal with Bayer Leverkusen for Havertz, who is said to have accepted a five-year contract to join Chelsea.
And the midfielder has today left the Germany set-up to undergo a medical and formalise his transfer to Stamford Bridge.
Leverkusen have reportedly been offered the chance to sign Malang Sarr, who joined Chelsea on a free transfer last week, on loan for the 2020/21 season to sweeten the deal.
West Brom have strengthened their defensive ranks with the signing of Cedric Kipre from struggling Wigan for an undisclosed fee.
The 23-year-old has signed a four-year contract with the Baggies, who are back in the Premier League after winning promotion last season.
Kipre caught the eye in the Championship during the 2019/20 campaign, helping the Latics keep 12 clean sheets in the 36 league matches in which he appeared, before Wigan entered administration and were relegated.
Kipre, who came through the ranks at Paris St Germain before spells with Leicester and Motherwell, told the club’s official website: “I am happy. It’s a big club and the chance to play in the Premier League was what attracted me.
“I’m expecting to learn a lot from (manager) Slaven (Bilic) because he played in the same position and he can teach me areas to progress.”
Sporting and technical director Luke Dowling is looking forward to seeing Kipre develop as a top-flight player.
“I believe we’ve signed someone in Cedric who has got the potential to really establish himself as a Premier League defender,” Dowling said.
“He was part of a Wigan team that, from the turn of the year, produced results which would have placed them in the Championship’s top three and Cedric was a very impressive figure in that run of form.
“He has been on our target list for some time. We are delighted to get the deal done and look forward to watching him progress.”
Arsenal icon Ray Parlour has laid into Alexis Sanchez for wanting to quit Manchester United and return to the Gunners after only a SINGLE training session.
The Romford Pele could not believe what he was hearing as Sanchez shared a video on Instagram revealing how he knew his January 2018 transfer to Old Trafford was a mistake almost immediately.
A post shared by Alexis Sanchez (@alexis_officia1) on Sep 3, 2020 at 3:13pm PDT
“I can’t believe you want to leave a club after ONE training session,” ranted Ray on Friday’s talkSPORT Breakfast. “How does that work?!
“You’ve got to give yourself a chance; it’s new surroundings and a different way of training than at Arsenal. And it shouldn’t come down to wages, but he was on £560,000-a-week and he wants to leave straight away?! You’ve got to work hard.”
Manchester City initially wanted Sanchez along with United, but they had to pull out the transfer race due to the financial aspects of the signing – including the forward’s wage demands.
When quizzed on if Sanchez would have fared better joining City rather than United, Ray interjected: “Why is he so greedy then?
“If he really wanted to join Man City, why didn’t he cut his wages down and say, ‘I’ll sign for £250,000-a-week’? Surely he can live on £250,000-a-week?
“He got £560,000-a-week when he went to Manchester United. That’s scary.
“How can you say, as a player, when you turn up to a club you want to leave the next day? That’s not right. That mentality should not be in a footballer.”
Roman Abramovich and the Chelsea board have been driving the Blues’ pursuit of Kai Havertz instead of manager Frank Lampard, according to reports.
The Bayer Leverkusen star is set to rubber-stamp his move to west London this week and will become their sixth signing of the transfer window in the process.
Chelsea have agreed a £72million fee with Leverkusen for Havertz and personal terms have long been sorted, with the Germany international set to sign on the dotted line imminently.
And Bleacher Report say it’s been the Blues’ hierarchy and owner Abramovich who have been pushing for the signing of the 21-year-old, rather than Lampard himself.
It’s claimed signing him wasn’t considered likely when Chelsea drew up their transfer plans at the beginning of the year.
But now the deal is said to be ‘too good not to do’ given there is currently no competition for the midfielder’s signature.
Lionel Messi’s father continues to talk with Barcelona amid reports the Argentina ace could sign a contract extension and admit defeat in his plan to leave Camp Nou this summer.
Jorge Messi, who acts as his son’s agent, first met Barca chiefs on Wednesday and held further talks on Thursday, and it appears a U-turn may be on the cards.
According to TyC Sports in Argentina, the 33-year-old Messi could now sign a Barcelona contract extension with a stay in Catalonia ‘90 per cent likely’.
This is amid interest from Man City, who want to sign Messi to reunite him with former Barca head coach Pep Guardiola.
Such reports are further supported by Spanish outlet Marca, who claim Messi has been offered a new contract to 2022 – his current deal expires in 2021 – with the deal including a clause which means he can leave next summer if he so wishes.
Messi’s change of heart – having so clearly announced his desire to leave by sending a burofax to Barcelona last week – comes after his father’s talks with club chiefs.
Marca claim Barca are adamant they will not sell Messi, which means he would have to terminate his contract at a court of law, but he does not want to leave Camp Nou on such poor terms after a legal battle.
Alexis Sanchez wanted to quit Man United and return to Arsenal after just one training session.
The forward moved to Manchester in 2018 – managed by Jose Mourinho – but did not settle and joined Inter on loan for the 2019/20 season, a move which he made permanent last summer.
In an Instagram video, Sanchez said: “I got the opportunity to go to United and it seemed tempting to me. It was something nice for me, because when I was a kid I liked that club a lot.
“I ended up signing without much information about what was happening in the move. The first days that I was with my colleagues, sometimes there are things that you do not realise until you arrive.
“The first training I had I realised many things. I got home and I told my representative: ‘Can’t the contract be terminated to return to Arsenal?’
“They start laughing and I told them that something did not sit right with me. It had already been signed.”
The 31-year-old also recalled a game against West Ham in which he was left out of the squad altogether by Mourinho.
“In a game with West Ham I wasn’t picked. That had never happened to me as a player. It bothered me and I said it couldn’t be possible.
“To go from being one of the best in the Premier League to not playing in five months. I came to my house and I was very sad. The next day I trained in a double shift, because I love what I do.”
A post shared by Alexis Sanchez (@alexis_officia1) on Sep 3, 2020 at 3:13pm PDT
Manchester United are hoping to agree a salary with Jadon Sancho before launching an official bid for him.
Borussia Dortmund have so far stood firm on their £108m asking price, with the Red Devils failing to agree a deal to date.
But the Mail claim United remain on the hunt for Sancho and will work to sort out his possible contract and also agent fees before approaching Dortmund with a new offer.
There are still doubts over a transfer going through this summer as Dortmund had set a move deadline of August 10 which passed nearly an entire month ago.
Arsenal are being linked with a shock move to sign West Ham‘s Felipe Anderson.
The 27-year-old Brazilian attacker cost the Hammers £30million in 2018 but has failed to set the world alight at the London Stadium.
Now the Mirror reports that Anderson has been offered to Arsenal on loan for the season for a £5m fee.
With funds tight at the Emirates, it is claimed that could a temporary deal for the former Lazio ace could tempt the Gunners.
Chelsea will have to pay over £30m to sign top goalkeeper target Edouard Mendy.
According to the Telegraph, Frank Lampard has identified Mendy to replace the under-fire Kepa, and one failed bid has already been submitted.
And now it is claimed Rennes want around £36m for Mendy, who is considered to be in his prime but with plenty of years ahead of him.
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