A deadline day round-up of the latest Premier League transfer rumours - with news from Arsenal, Chelsea, Spurs, Newcastle and more.
Deadline day has finally arrived – but with dozens of deals likely to get done over the coming hours, it’s hard to keep track of all the likely comings and goings. That’s where we come in, with our regular morning round-up of the biggest new Premier League transfer rumours you might have missed over the past 24 hours.
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We’ll start off today with a story involving Arsenal. According to French transfer journalist Fabrice Hawkins, the Gunners are “exploring” a late move for Lyon winger Malick Fofana, who is said to be keen to make the move to North London if he can.
Malick Fofana has 19 goals in 83 senior appearances for Lyonplaceholder image
Malick Fofana has 19 goals in 83 senior appearances for Lyon | Getty Images
Fabrizio Romano also weighed in on the story, suggesting that Lyon would be “open to discussions” if Arsenal were willing to offer around €40m (£34m) – but he has also hinted that the reigning champions might not be prepared to pay quite that much for the 21-year-old Belgium international.
Personal terms, it seems, won’t be a problem if a fee can be agreed. Apparently Crystal Palace made an offer as well and were willing to meet Lyon’s terms, but the player rejected the move. Sky Sports separately report that Fofana is also “an option” for Sunderland.
The 3AM Verdict: This is a logical move for Arsenal, who need depth on the left wing due to the departure of Gabriel Martinelli. Their willingness to spend the required sum may depend on whether they can make any headway with their attempts to sign Julián Alvarez, who would command a much larger portion of the remaining transfer budget – we’ll find out how deep their pockets are over the coming hours.
Spurs make shock Chelsea loan offer
Mykhaylo Mudryk's four-year doping ban was lifted earlier this summerplaceholder image
Mykhaylo Mudryk's four-year doping ban was lifted earlier this summer | Getty Images
It seems as though Tottenham Hotspur might be rounding off a busy summer of spending by raiding Chelsea for some of their leftovers – at least according to The Athletic, who claim that Spurs have “made an enquiry” over a loan move for Mykhaylo Mudryk.
Separate stories from Monday suggested that Spurs could make moves for both Tosin Adarabioyo and Robert Sánchez but a bid for Mudryk, who is available on loan after a doping ban ended, would be especially surprising. Chelsea have already rejected a loan bid from Leeds United for the Ukrainian.
Coventry City are another club who asked after Mudryk, but there’s no mention of any continued interest from the Sky Blues in the article, nor any word on the terms of a potential loan – such as whether it might include a purchase clause.
The 3AM Verdict: Spurs are clearly desperate to add some extra depth on the left wing, and this bid suggests that they’ve given up on getting a deal for Cody Gakpo over the line. Roberto De Zerbi worked with Mudryk at Shakhtar Donetsk, which may be why they’re keen to do this particular deal.
Newcastle, Brentford & Crystal Palace battle over rising striker star
Nick Woltemade could be leaving Newcastle - and that means that Matthias Jaissle may be in the market for a new strikerplaceholder image
Nick Woltemade could be leaving Newcastle - and that means that Matthias Jaissle may be in the market for a new striker | Getty Images
Let’s wrap up this morning’s quickfire update with a story from journalist Pete O’Rourke, which suggests that Newcastle United, Brentford and Crystal Palace are all “exploring moves” for 20-year-old Lausanne striker Omar Janneh, just eight months after he left Atlético Madrid.
Several Bundesliga sides are also said to be in the mix for the Spaniard’s signature after the Under-19 international scored eight goals in 18 games for a struggling Lausanne side last season, and seemingly impressed sufficiently to draw interest from far and wide.
Lausanne are said to want to hold onto Janneh if they can, but it’s suggested that they also have a £10m valuation on the forward - not a sum which is likely to scare Premier League sides away. All three of the teams mentioned are said to be looking to a deal before tonight’s deadline.
The 3AM Verdict: At the time of writing, we hadn’t seen anything linking Janneh with a move to the Premier League elsewhere, so we’ll remain gently sceptical due to a lack of wider sourcing - but Janneh has certainly impressed in Switzerland and we wouldn’t be at all surprised if he’d worked his way onto a few shortlists.