Nemanja Matic has agreed to join Serie A side Sassuolo on a one-year deal. The Serbian veteran, who recently parted ways with Olympique Lyonnais, has accepted Sassuolo’s proposal, with the move aligning with his long-standing interest in playing in Serie A. Fabrizio Romano has given the transfer his trademark ‘here we go’, meaning the deal is all but done. The contract also includes an option to extend for a further season. Known for his composure and leadership in midfield, Matic adds experience to Sassuolo’s squad as he continues his career in Italy. Source: tribuna

Aston Villa are exploring the viability of a move to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea before the transfer window shuts. Jackson is available for transfer this month, but Chelsea’s £60m-plus valuation of the striker is believed to be out of Villa’s reach because of financial restrictions. That, however, has not stopped Villa examining whether they can structure a deal that would see Jackson reunite with manager Unai Emery, who is a big fan of the 24-year-old. Villa potentially face competition from Italy for Jackson if they pursue a move, while Newcastle United have been linked with a late move for the Senegal international. Despite selling Jacob Ramsey to Newcastle in a deal worth £43m and arranging a loan switch for Leon Bailey, Villa cannot spend big sums of money in the remaining weeks of the window. The club have been exploring the possibility of re-signing Marco Asensio from Paris St-Germain and are looking at other potential opportunities to strengthen their attack – including Jackson, whose Chelsea wages in the region of £100,000-a-week would not be out of Villa’s reach. Emery ideally wants to add another dimension to his attack with a player who can play alongside Ollie Watkins or in another position slightly behind him. Villa remain adamant that Watkins will not be sold to accommodate a new signing ahead of the transfer window closing. It would seem that the only option available to Villa would be to make an offer to Chelsea to take Jackson on loan with an obligation or option to sign him permanently. Chelsea have been adamant they do not want to send Jackson on loan, but the right structure might tempt them as time starts to run out in the transfer window. Newcastle signed left-back Lewis Hall on loan with an obligation to sign him permanently and a similar deal for Jackson may yet be considered in the absence of immediate permanent offers. Emery gave Jackson his big break at Villarreal and is understood to have remained a big admirer of the player, who has also spoken of his lasting affection for the Spaniard. Source: Yahoosports

Inter Milan have agreed a deal to pay €20 million plus add-ons to Lens for midfielder Andy Diouf. This according to French outlet L’Equipe, the total value of the deal will be around €25 million. Inter Milan have been working to sign a midfielder in the final couple weeks of the transfer window. L’Equipe confirm that the talks between Inter and Lens have already concluded. The two clubs did not take long to reach an agreement on fee. The Nerazzurri will pay the Ligue 1 club an initial €20 million. Meanwhile, there will also be a further €5 million in add-ons. Furthermore, L’Equipe also report that Inter have reached an agreement with Diouf on personal terms. The Frenchman is set to sign a five-year contract with the Nerazzurri. Source: L’Equipe

Bayer Leverkusen have strengthened their squad with the signing of French center-back Loic Bade from Sevilla for a total fee of €29 million, including add-ons. The transfer, finalised this week, sees the 25-year-old defender join the Bundesliga side as they aim to challenge Bayern Munich, who claimed the 2024/25 Bundesliga title. Bade, a product of the Le Havre academy, impressed during his time in Spain after joining from Rennes in 2023. His physicality, aerial ability, and composure on the ball made him a prime target for Leverkusen, who are looking to bolster their backline under new manager Erik ten Hag, appointed after Xabi Alonso’s departure to Real Madrid at the end of the 2024/25 season. The €29 million deal, which includes performance-related add-ons, underscores Leverkusen’s ambition to reclaim the Bundesliga title. Source: Tribuna

‘We felt he had an issue with the hamstring, the medical staff, and they were completely right.  ‘Good call to take him off, otherwise he would maybe have been out for longer. We expect him to be back after the international break.’  Frimpong will miss Liverpool’s trip to St James’ Park to face Newcastle United on Monday as well as a huge clash at home to Arsenal on August 31.  While the news will no doubt come as a disappointment to Reds fans, Conor Bradley has recovered from a hamstring injury ahead of the trip to the Magpies. Slot revealed that the Northern Ireland full-back, who missed Liverpool’s first two games of the season with a hamstring injury, returned to training on Thursday.  Whether Bradley will be fit enough to feature on Monday remains to be seen.  Source: dailymail

Tottenham are preparing an €80 million bid for Manchester City winger Savinho, according to Brazilian outlet Globo via Goal. However, City remain reluctant to sell the 21-year-old, having already rejected a previous approach. Despite this, Savinho’s representatives are currently in London, hoping to push talks forward as the player seeks more first-team football ahead of the World Cup. Spurs, who recently missed out on Eberechi Eze to rivals Arsenal, have signed Mathys Tel and Mohamed Kudus this summer but failed to land Morgan Gibbs-White. A deal for Savinho now appears increasingly unlikely due to City’s stance. Source: Tribuna.com

West Ham United midfielder Edson Alvarez has agreed a deal to leave the club on loan to Fenerbahce. According to reports by Fabirizioo Romano, it is confirmed that Alvarez to Fenerbahce is a done deal. The Mexican midfielder Alvarez will join the Turkish outfit on an initial loan with a buy option clause. Alvarez will fly today for medical tests, with Jose Mourinho keen on bringing him to the club. It might be a little disappointing for West Ham supporters that they haven’t received a fee to allow Alvarez to depart, and it could leave them short of options in the middle of the park. Adding a midfielder to their squad could now become a priority for the Hammers, especially after such a disappointing performance against Sunderland on the opening day. It could be a hectic end to the summer transfer window for West Ham, as there is still some holes that they need to fill before the market closes and positions they need to upgrade on if they want to compete. Source: givemesport

BlueCo — the group that owns Chelsea and Strasbourg — has reached an agreement to sign midfielder Julio Enciso from Brighton & Hove Albion. Enciso spent the second half of last season on loan at Ipswich Town and has chosen to join the BlueCo project for his next step. Personal terms for the 21-year-old Paraguay international are in place with the consortium. The sides have a healthy relationship after a conducting a significant amount of business since BlueCo completed its takeover of Chelsea in the summer of 2022 and then Strasbourg a year later. Enciso is expected to initially spend time at the French club but is viewed as a long-term Chelsea player. The Athletic previously reported that he was not part of head coach Fabian Hurzeler’s plans at Brighton for the coming season. He is currently sidelined with a knee injury that required surgery. Enciso went on loan to Ipswich in January for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. He went on to make 13 appearances, scoring two goals and adding three assists as Ipswich were relegated back to the Championship.

Arsenal have an agreement on principle with Crystal Palace to sign Eberechi Eze. The deal is worth in the region of the expired £68million release clause, matching the level of fee Tottenham Hotspur were prepared to pay. Personal terms are close to being finalised and the 27-year-old is expected to play for Palace against Fredrikstad in the Conference League play-off on Thursday before undergoing a medical with the north London club. The operation was executed by Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta and vice-chairman Tim Lewis. Eze is set to become Arsenal’s seventh signing of what has been a busy first summer under Berta since his arrival from Atletico Madrid. Goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, defender Cristhian Mosquera, midfielders Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard, winger Noni Madueke and striker Viktor Gyokeres have all moved to the Emirates Stadium. The move for Eze, who was a boyhood Arsenal fan and played for the club’s academy, follows the injury for Kai Havertz, who is being assessed and could be set for a spell on the sidelines. Source: nytimes

Arsenal have made their move for Eberechi Eze and the player wants to join them from Crystal Palace. Talks over the England international between Palace chairman Steve Parish and counterpart Daniel Levy have taken place over recent days but Arsenal’s interest has remained with negotiations now underway between the clubs following the knee injury suffered by Kai Havertz. Spurs had the conditions of a deal agreed with Palace today and the player but are ready to move on to alternative targets if Eze chooses Arsenal. Palace would not finalise a deal because they wanted the 27-year-old available for Thursday’s Conference League play-off match with Fredrikstad. Arsenal have indicated a willingness to meet the conditions and he wants to join them, leaving Spurs with little option but to look elsewhere. The Athletic reported earlier on Wednesday that Arsenal were actively exploring the transfer market to potentially reinforce their attack in the event Havertz is sidelined for a significant period of time. Eze, who was a boyhood Arsenal fan and played in the club’s academy, is keen to make the next step in his career and Palace accept he deserves a top move. Eze ended last season with nine goals in his final 13 matches for Palace, including the winner in the FA Cup final victory over Manchester City and a goal in the 2-2 draw at Arsenal. Despite speculation over his future, Eze started for Oliver Glasner’s side in the Community Shield win over Liverpool and Sunday’s Premier League opener against Chelsea. Speaking after the goalless draw at Chelsea, Glasner said: “You are just talking about rumours. Eberechi Eze, as much as I know, has a contract with Crystal Palace, he’s a Crystal Palace player. I know Ebs’ clause is gone, it’s the club’s decision and we will see what happens.” Arsenal have already added significantly in attacking areas this summer with Viktor Gyokeres arriving from Sporting CP in a €63.5m move and Noni Madueke joining from London rivals Chelsea for £48.5m. Ethan Nwaneri has also committed his future to the club with a new long-term contract. Eze joined Palace from Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2020 in a deal worth around £17m and has made 169 appearances for the south London club, scoring 40 times. He has been capped 12 times by England, scoring once. Along with Noni Madueke, Eze’s arrival provides that added strength from the left side of the pitch with a truly versatile profile — operating best as a No 10 but able to play on the left side of his team’s attack or drop into a left-sided midfield position if required. Whatever his role, he will look to find the space to impose maximum damage to the opposition with the sharpest efficiency. Source: nytimes