Erik ten Hag’s statement on his rapid departure from Bayer Leverkusen. Dignified, defiant, defensive?
“The decision by Bayer Leverkusen’s management this morning to put me on a leave of absence came as a complete surprise. To part ways with a coach after just two league matches is unprecedented.
“This summer, many key players who were part of past successes left the squad. Building a new, cohesive team is a careful process that requires both time and trust. A new coach deserves the space to implement his vision, set the standards, shape the squad and leave his mark on the style of play.
“I started this job with full conviction and energy, but unfortunately the management was not willing to grant me the time and trust I needed, which I deeply regret. I feel this was never a relationship based on mutual trust.
“Throughout my career, every season I have been able to see through to the end as a coach has brought success. Clubs that placed their trust in me have been rewarded with success and silverware.
“Finally, I would like to thank the Bayer Leverkusen supporters for their warmth and passion, and I wish the squad and staff every success for the remainder of the season.”
5.58pm According to our reporter John Fallon, Alan Browne looks set to joing Middlesbrough on loan from Sunderland.
5.51pm Sky Sports News are reporting Manchester City have a deal in place for Gianluigi Donnarumma, and are waiting on assurances that Ederson will join Fenerbahce. Just over an hour to go. We are in the realm of the essence of deal sheets.
5.50pm
Sheffield United have completed the deadline day signing of Republic of Ireland international Chiedozie Ogbene.
The Cork native has joined on loan for the season from Ipswich Town. He was given permission to leave his international camp to complete a medical and sign for United ahead of returning to Republic of Ireland duty.
“I’m very happy and excited. It is an honour to be at a great club. I’ve lived here for four years, so I like to think I know what this club means to the people and the city. It is a huge honour to be here.
“I have a feeling about what Sheffield United means to the people, so to be part of it now and to be immersed into this club which has over 130 years of incredible history, and has a passionate fanbase, it is something I want to be part of.
“It is almost like my second home in England and given the stature it was one I had to take. It is an opportunity you don’t pass up on.”
5.41pm Alejandro Garnacho has said goodbye to Manchester, his home town for five years, as he joins Chelsea.
Via Instagram: “After an unforgettable five years, this special chapter in my life now comes to a close. We have created moments that will stay with me forever, and I’m very grateful for this. To the coaches, staff, and my teammates, thank you for believing in me. Every time I wore the badge, I gave everything I had.
“I leave proud of what we achieved together and excited for what’s to come. Wishing the club nothing but success for the future, while I look forward to giving my all in the next chapter of my career.” Guardian
5.15pm Michael Obafemi has joined German Bundesliga 2 club Vfl Bochum on loan from Burnley until the end of the season. He will become the first Irishman ever to represent Bochum.
4.55pm Marc Guéhi’s £35million (€40.5m) move to Liverpool has hit a snag. There’s a problem with Palace’s hunt for a replacement, though Guéhi is doing his medical. The snag appears to be related to the Brighton defender Igor’s move to Palace breaking down – the player is quite possibly heading to West Ham on a straight loan. Jacob Steinberg
4.42pm: Following in the footsteps of Dimitri Payet, albeit far less controversially, Emerson Palmieri has left West Ham for Marseille. The transfer will cost the Ligue 1 club a reported €1m (£900,000). Guardian
4.18pm: Bournemouth have been mined for young talent this summer, presenting a challenge to discover the next Dean Huijsen or Illia Zabarnyi. Bafodé Diakité signed from Lille with an impressive pedigree and now they have acquired the Serbian centre-back Veljko Milosavljevic from Red Star Belgrade for about £13million (€15m).
The 18-year-old made 14 league appearances for Red Star last season. As a reminder, Bournemouth have generated £215m(€248m) in sales this summer. Ben Fisher
4.00pm: Relegation always brings change and Bilal El Khannouss has left Leicester to join Stuttgart on loan with an obligation to buy.
Crystal Palace looked at the Morocco forward as an option after the departure of Eberechi Eze. El Khannouss was never going to stick around in the Championship and Leicester will likely get back their £21million (€24.2m) outlay from last summer.
Meanwhile, the Foxes have signed the Argentinian striker Julián Carranza on loan from Feyenoord. They are still hopeful of getting at least another loan over the line. Ben Fisher
3.36pm: Bayern Munich have agreed a deal to sign Nicolas Jackson on loan from Chelsea. The deal contains a €16.5m loan fee and a €65m obligation to buy the striker next summer. Quite the transfer saga. Jacob Steinberg
3.34pm: In more Brighton to BlueCo transfer news, Facundo Buonanotte, the 20-year-old attacker twice capped by Argentina, has joined Chelsea on a season-long loan. “I’m very happy,” he said at his unveiling. “It’s a great opportunity for me and I’m just looking to add as much to the squad as possible, help the team and help the staff.” Guardian
Could Nicolas Jackson be on the move to Bayern. Pic:Rafal Oleksiewicz/PA Wire.
3.29pm: Earlier Ali Barat, Nicolas Jackson’s agent, released the following statement on the Chelsea striker’s on-off move to Bayern Munich: “Nico was ready. Bayern was ready. We were all aligned on a world-class project. For the agreement to be withdrawn at the final moment is deeply frustrating.
But we won’t give up. I will fight with everything I have to make sure Nico’s next step reflects his talent, ambition, and the plan we built together.” Now, though, the deal for Jackson appears to be very close. It is expected to contain an obligation to buy. Dramatic. Jacob Steinberg
3.25pm: Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Marc Guéhi from Crystal Palace for £35million (€40.4m) plus £5m (€5.7m)in add-ons. The defender has been given permission to undergo a medical in London before joining the champions. Jacob Steinberg
3.18pm: Tyrell Malacia, the last of Manchester United’s bomb squad, seems to be heading for deadline-day disappointment as nothing is moving for the Dutch defender. A move to Saudi Arabia or Turkey, with their later transfer window closures, may prove his last hope.
As for Kalvin Phillip, at the moment England’s former player of the year and Pep Guardiola’s oddest transfer is also heading nowhere. Jamie Jackson
3.12pm: Fulham have agreed a deal to sign Tyrique George from Chelsea for £22million (€25.4m). The 19-year-old winger is an academy product so his sale represents pure profit for Chelsea. George will sign a five-year deal. Jacob Steinberg
3.11pm: Wolves have strengthened their attack with the £24million (€27.7m) signing of the Genk striker Tolu Arokodare. He has signed a four-year contract, with an option of a further 12 months. The 24-year-old was the joint-top scorer in the Belgian top flight last season and is a welcome addition for Vítor Pereira after a winless start to the Premier League.
Wolves will hope the Nigeria forward eases the load on Jørgen Strand Larsen, who will stay at Molineux fter the club rejected bids of up to £55m from Newcastle for the Norway striker. Arokodare began his career at the Latvian club Valmiera. Ben Fisher
2.52pm: Another piece of the transfer puzzle has fallen into place for Brighton as Julio Enciso, the Paraguay international signed from Libertad for £9.5million (€10.9m) in 2022, has joined Strasbourg for a reported £16m (€18.4m) fee, signing a four-year deal with the BlueCo-owned club. There are murmurs that the move could be a stepping stone to Chelsea, also owned by BlueCo, despite Enciso being hampered by injuries in recent years and spending the second half of last season on loan at Ipswich.
Commenting on the deal, Fabian Hürzeler, the Brighton head coach, said: “Julio is keen to play regularly, particularly in a World Cup year. We fully appreciate that, but we are not able to guarantee him regular games. This opportunity with Strasbourg gives him the chance to play both in Ligue 1 and in Europe. We’d like to thank him for his time with us and wish him well for the future.” Guardian
2.50pm Looks like three Cork natives could be on the move. Sheffield United seem set to sign Chiedozie Ogbene on loan from Ipswich Town. Franco Umeh is closing in on a permanent move from Crystal Palace to Portsmouth for a fee reported to be £600,000 (€693000), which Cork City would also benefit from while Adam Idah has completed his medical at Swansea City ahead of a £7million (€8m) move from Celtic. Andrew Horgan.
2.35pm: Talks over Chelsea’s potential move for the Angel City forward Alyssa Thompson are understood to be progressing, after the Guardian exclusively revealed in August that the WSL champions had made a formal approach to sign the 20-year-old.
There is no deal yet but Thompson will not be involved in Angel City’s game against Bay FC tonight – with the NWSL calling it an “excused absence” – while the USA winger awaits clearance to travel to London, as optimism grows that the clubs may be able to reach a deal in time for Thursday’s WSL transfer deadline. Tom Garry
2.08pm: As, expected, Senne Lammens will sign what is to become of the other members of Manchester United’s Gang of Four No 1s: Altay Bayindir, Tom Heaton and Andre Onana.
Well: barring a last minute deal one for the trio (never rule anything out/in on TDD) United seem comfortable with a quartet particularly as Onana will be away 1-2 months-ish with Cameroon starting mid-December at African Cup of Nations… Jamie Jackson
2.03pm: Tottenham have moved quickly to get an initial loan over the line for the Paris Saint-Germain forward, Randal Kolo Muani. The London club, who would have an option rather than an obligation to sign him next summer, were interested in January and they have capitalised on Juventus’s inability to agree a permanent deal for him. The 26-year-old went to Juventus on loan in January and they have spent what feels like the whole summer trying to sign him only to admit defeat over the weekend. They have moved instead for Lois Openda from RB Leipzig.
Thomas Frank has Richarlison and Dominic Solanke as his centre-forward options, although the latter is struggling to shake the ankle injury that ruined his pre-season. Kolo Muani, who cost €75m plus €15m in add-ons when he joined PSG in 2023 from Eintracht Frankfurt, can also play off the left.
Spurs are looking to offload Yves Bissouma, who has interest from Fenerbahce and Galatasaray; Manor Solomon and Bryan Gil. The Turkish transfer window remains open until 12 September. Crystal Palace made an enquiry for Solomon over the weekend. Frank has not wanted to allow Solomon to leave unless he could add a new player for the front line.
David Hytner
TRANSFER DAY: Senne Lammens is on his way to Manchester so it appears the 23-year-old will join Ruben Amorin’s squad. United deal for Lammens is €21m plus add ons – there is no sell on; 5-year contract.
1.07pm: A deal agreed for the French striker from PSG. Details to follow… Guardian
2.05pm: Aston Villa gave signed free agent, former Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof.
Club statement: “Aston Villa is delighted to announce the signing of Victor Lindelöf. The Sweden international captain, who has been capped 71 times by his country, joins the club following his departure from Manchester United at the end of last season.
“An experienced and versatile operator across the back line, Lindelöf spent eight years at Old Trafford, winning both the League Cup and the FA Cup. He had previously lifted silverware with Benfica in Portugal, after starting his career in his native Sweden.” Guardian
Aston Villa are pressing ahead with a move for Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, with a loan with an obligation to buy the plan. It is thought their move for the England U21 attacking midfielder could have implications for Emi Buendia, who has been linked with Leeds. Villa also need to find a solution for Emi Martinez, with Manchester United favouring a move for Senne Lammens. Ben Fisher
1.04pm There’s still hope that Liverpool will be able to complete a deal for Crystal Palace and England defender Marc Guehi. I’m told that Steve Parish, the Palace chairman, is in two minds about whether to sell Guehi, whose contract expires next year. Liverpool offered £35million (€40.4m) plus £5m (€5.7m) in add-ons. The message earlier this morning was that it wouldn’t happen; the word just now is that there’s still a chance. Liverpool have certainly looked like they need a new defender. Jacob Steinberg
12.50pm Senne Lammens is on his way to Manchester so it appears the 23-year-old will join Ruben Amorin’s squad. United deal for Lammens is €21m plus add ons – there is no sell on; 5-year contract.
The player, who is travelling to Manchester, is viewed as an exciting young goalkeeper with a bright future. Utd considered other GKs (Emiliano Martínez), but ended plumping for the Belgian. Jamie Jackson
TRANSFER DAY: Newcastle agree £55m deal to sign Yoane Wissa from Brentford
12.10pm Brentford have remained bullish throughout the summer in their stance that they wanted close to their £60million (€69m) asking price for Wissa, despite the striker entering the final 12 months of his contract, and on Monday morning accepted a deal. The agreement comes 24 hours after the 28-year-old issued a statement on social media accusing Brentford of “unduly standing in his way” of a move to St James’ Park. Brentford rejected previous offers from Newcastle worth about £40m (€46m).
Wissa’s exit would be the second major sale at Brentford this window, with Bryan Mbeumo joining Manchester United for an initial £65m (€75m). Last summer Brentford sold Ivan Toney to Al-Ahli in a £40m (€46m) deal. Brentford have seen several high-profile departures this summer, with Thomas Frank leaving to become Tottenham manager and former club captain Christian Nørgaard signing for Arsenal. Brentford broke their transfer record to land Dango Ouattara from Bournemouth in a £42.5m (€49m) deal.
Wissa has scored 49 goals in 149 appearances, including 19 in the Premier League last season, since joining Brentford in a £8.5m (€9.8m) deal from Lorient in 2021.
The DR Congo forward is the second striker to arrive at Newcastle in the space of a few days following Nick Woltemade’s arrival from Stuttgart for £7m (€8m). His signing also comes on the day Liverpool agreed a £125m (€144m) deal to sign Alexander Isak. Ben Fisher
RECORD: Liverpool have agreed a British record £125million deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle it is reported.
Liverpool have agreed a British record £125million (€144m) deal to sign Alexander Isak from Newcastle it is reported.
The Reds had a £110m (€126.9m) offer rejected in August and since then the 25-year-old has not trained with or played for Newcastle, but in the final hours of the transfer window a deal has been reached to end the impasse.
The striker is set to undergo a medical on Monday, with Newcastle relenting by accepting the player does not want to play for them any longer. United also announced the signing of striker Nick Woltemade on Saturday.
Isak was left out of Newcastle’s pre-season tour of Asia with what was said to be a thigh injury, but has been absent from the squad ever since and at one stage was training alone at former club Real Sociedad.
He has accused the club of breaking a commitment that he could leave if a suitable offer came from a big club – though that now looks to have changed, with a £5m (€5.7m) loyalty payment taking the deal up to as high as £130m (€150m).
He will become Liverpool’s eighth first-team signing of the summer, marking the second time they have broken their own transfer record following the £110m (€126.9m) capture of Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
In all their summer outlay now stands at around £416m (€480m). Jamie Gardner
Alan Browne, Adam Idah and Chiedozie Ogbene are all on the move.
Today’s final day of the transfer window will involve moves for some Irish players.
Adam Idah is in Wales to finalise his €9million transfer from Celtic to Swansea City, where he’ll reunite with Darren O’Dea, the assistant to compatriot Alan Sheehan.
Chiedozie Ogbene is also on the move, departing Ipswich Town on loan for gametime after recovering from a long-term Achilles injury. Sheffield United are understood to be keen on the Corkman.
Fellow Leesider Alan Browne isn’t in the squad but will likely be involved in a deal before the 7pm deadline. He’s yet feature since Sunderland earned promotion and will seek a fresh challenge back in the Championship. John Fallon
Jadon Sancho looks set for a deadline-day move to Aston Villa as talks with Manchester United progress over a season-long loan it is reported.
Jadon Sancho looks set for a deadline-day move to Aston Villa as talks with Manchester United progress over a season-long loan it is reported.
The 25-year-old has fallen well short of expectations since making a £73million (€84.2m) move to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund in 2021.
Sancho has made just 83 appearances and scored 12 goals for United, who have been looking to shift him all summer – just as they were this time last year.
The England international spent the second half of 2023/24 on loan at Borussia Dortmund and last season on loan at Chelsea, who paid £5m (€5.7m) to get out of their deal to sign him for £25m (€28.8m).
Roma were among the interested parties this summer but Sancho seems set to stay in the Premier League, with negotiations progressing well with Villa over a season-long loan.
The move for the winger – whose contract runs until next summer with an option for a further year – comes as United look at Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.
The Argentina international was conspicuous by his absence from the side that lost 3-0 Crystal Palace on Sunday and boss Unai Emery offered no guarantees over his future after the game.
United have been attempting to sign Antwerp goalkeeper Senne Lammens, but a deal has yet to be struck with the Belgian club. The 23-year-old has missed his side’s last two games.
Quite what a move for either goalkeeper would mean for unconvincing Andre Onana and Altay Bayindir remains to be seen.
United are expected to be busy on deadline day, with Real Betis finally close to re-signing Antony.
The LaLiga side agreed a deal worth up to €25m (£21.7m) with a 50% sell-on last week, with an impasse over the move seemingly now overcome.
Misfiring striker Rasmus Hojlund could complete his season-long move to Napoli, with a significant loan fee involved in a switch that would become permanent if they qualify for the Champions League.
Unwanted left-back Tyrell Malacia has been linked to Spain with Elche, while Kobbie Mainoo last week saw a request to leave on loan rebuffed by head coach Ruben Amorim. Simon Peach
Chelsea to recall Marc Guiu from Sunderland.
Chelsea are in talks to bring Marc Guiu back from his loan at Sunderland and have contacted Sporting Lisbon about their 20-year-old striker Conrad Harder it is reported.
The club are seeking a contingency after Liam Delap limped out of Saturday’s 2-0 win over Fulham at Stamford Bridge with a hamstring problem and could be out for up to two months.
The Blues responded by ordering Nicolas Jackson back from Germany, where he had just landed to complete a year-long loan agreed earlier on Saturday, and despite the 24-year-old initially refusing to return it is understood Bayern have now themselves backed out of the deal.
However, Jackson and his team remained hopeful on Monday that an understanding could still be reached between the clubs.
Sporting’s Harder, who has one cap for Denmark, is reportedly a target for Bundesliga side RB Leipzig, but PA understands Chelsea enquired on Sunday about a possible move as they seek a way out of their impasse, with Guiu also in talks to return to Stamford Bridge.
At present, summer-signing Joao Pedro is the only fit striker upon whom head coach Enzo Maresca will be able to call after the international break.
Guiu moved to Stamford Bridge from Barcelona in 2024 and scored six times in 16 appearances last season, all of them coming in the league phase of the Conference League.
He is yet to score in the Premier League and Chelsea had hoped for him to continue his development on Wearside, though his time with Regis Le Bris’ side could be coming to an end after only one league appearance. Robert O’Connor
Manchester United are intent on signing either Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp or Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa to strengthen Ruben Amorim’s goalkeeping options before the close of the transfer window.
United are thought to prefer Lammens due to his age (23) and price (£17m/€19.6m); Martínez turns 32 on Tuesday, could cost £35m (€40.3m) and is not viewed as a long-term option. But with Villa showing interest in Jadon Sancho, a deal could be done for the World Cup winner that sees Sancho used as a makeweight. Jamie Jackson
Arsenal are expected to announce the signing of Piero Hincapié in the coming hours after the Ecuador defender completed his medical yesterday. He will become Arsenal’s eighth signing of the summer after a deal was struck on Friday with Bayer Leverkusen to sign the 23-year-old on an initial loan, with an option to make the Ecuador defender’s move permanent next summer for €52million (£45m).
Mikel Arteta’s side have already spent more than £250m (€288.4m) on new players in this transfer window and had to be careful not to exceed Uefa’s FFP regulations, hence the reason for structuring the deal in that way. His arrival should clear the way for Jakub Kiwior to complete his loan move to Porto with an obligation to buy next summer for up to €27m (£23.4m), while Arsenal are hoping to offload other fringe players before tonight’s deadline.
Midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga is close to joining Hamburg, who have also been in talks over a move for Fábio Vieira. Marseille have enquired about signing Oleksandr Zinchenko – although the Ukrainian’s wages could be a stumbling block –and Reiss Nelson has interest from Crystal Palace and Fulham.
Bournemouth have signed the Milan full-back Álex Jiménez on loan with an obligation to make the move permanent. The 20-year-old, who is a product of Real Madrid’s academy, provides a versatile option for Andoni Iraola. Jiménez becomes Bournemouth’s sixth summer signing and the fourth defensive addition, following left-back Adrien Truffert, centre-back Bafode Diakité and goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.
The club has gone through a defensive rebuild after the exits of Dean Huijsen, Milos Kerkez and Illia Zabarnyi this summer plus the end of Kepa Arrizabalaga’s loan spell. The Cherries are still in the market before the 7pm (BST) deadline. Ben Fisher
Nicolas Jackson is a target for Newcastle as a replacement for Liverpool-bound Alexander Isak. Chelsea are open to selling the striker despite calling off a proposed loan move to Bayern Munich after Liam Delap suffered a hamstring injury against Fulham. Work is being done to see if a move to the north-east is possible for Jackson. Newcastle have also looked at Brentford’s Yoane Wissa and the Wolves forward Jørgen Strand Larsen.
If Jackson does go, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Chelsea pull another rabbit out of the hat in terms of a late arrival. There could be departures today too. Tyrique George could be heading to Roma, and Chelsea need to find moves for Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell and Axel Disasi. Jacob Steinberg
Manchester City have agreed the €14million transfer of Ederson to Fenerbahce but the deal is dependent on signing Gianluigi Donnarumma from Paris Saint-Germain for around €35m, or another elite goalkeeper as his replacement.
A deal is understood to be in place regarding Ederson’s move to the Turkish club but City are intent on securing Donnarumma’s arrival first. If the Italian cannot be secured the Brazilian will not be sold unless another top-class keeper can be signed. As the window closes at 7pm on Monday this may be unlikely.
Ederson, who is 32 and has a year left on his contract, has become unsettled at City while Donnarumma has been deemed surplus to requirements by Luis Enrique at PSG, the Spaniard signing Lille’s Lucas Chevalier last month to be his new No 1.
Ederson has been City’s first-choice keeper since signing in summer 2017 from Benfica. He has won six Premier Leagues, two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup. The Brazilian was a key member of City’s 2022-23 treble triumph. Jamie Jackson
The 23-year-old Netherlands striker is on a flight to Newcastle from Amsterdam and will have a medical later this morning.
On Sunday evening, Sunderland agreed to a request from Chelsea to recall their loanee striker Marc Guiu to Stamford Bridge in the wake of Liam Delap’s injury. Brobbey will become Sunderland’s 13th signing of a very busy summer. Louise Taylor