Arsenal have finally signed Declan Rice, with West Ham confirming their captain had left the club without a single mention of the Gunners in the statement. The £105million deal breaks the British transfer record and comes a day after Arsenal had confirmed the signing of Jurrien Timber from Ajax in an expensive few hours for the club.
Over at Chelsea, there are fresh fears that Liverpool could swoop in and disrupt their bid for Moises Caicedo. Talks continue with Brighton over a £100million deal while the likes of Dusan Vlahovic and Rayan Cherki are key targets for Mauricio Pochettino, who is set to sanction Romelu Lukaku’s exit to Inter Milan or Juventus for around £34m.
Manchester United have agreed a £43m deal to sign Andre Onana while Tottenham appear to have held off interest in Harry Kane from Bayern Munich. They are keen on a new defender amid interest in Micky van de Ven, Edmond Tapsoba and Levi Colwill. Follow all the latest news, gossip and rumours below!
Live updates
Hugo Lloris set to leave Spurs
Tottenham have given a clear indication that captain Hugo Lloris will leave this summer.
The goalkeeper has been left out of their pre-season tour squad, with a club statement saying he will “explore prospective transfer opportunities”.
Tanguy Ndombele, Eric Dier, Davinson Sanchez and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg are all on the plane despite being linked with moves away.
Lloris has previously confirmed his desire to leave after over a decade at the club.
Man United to sign Andre Onana today
Manchester United have made a breakthrough in talks to sign Andre Onana.
According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, a deal has been struck for the goalkeeper, with Inter Milan set to pocket an initial £43m, plus add-ons.
An announcement could come as early as today.
Chelsea set for Caicedo battle
Liverpool could rival Chelsea for Moises Caicedo.
Talks between the Blues and Brighton are still yet to see an agreement on the player’s transfer fee, with the Seagulls demanding £100m.
Chelsea could still miss out despite reports of progress as talkSPORT say Liverpool are preparing to gazump them with their own bid.
Should Fabinho and Jordan Henderson complete moves to Saudi Arabia, the Reds are tipped to pounce on Caicedo.
Chelsea weigh up Vlahovic bid
Juventus’s offer for Romelu Lukaku as conditional on the sale of Dusan Vlahovic by August 4, who is one of many forwards of interest to Chelsea.
Standard Sport understands that Chelsea have yet to decide whether to move for another striker and simply hoped to sell Lukaku before his return for pre-season training on Monday, in two days’ time.
The Mail, though, report that the Blues will launch a bid for Vlahovic, and a swap deal with Juve could happen though the 23-year-old would cost more than Lukaku.
Inter fears rise as Lukaku uncontactable
Inter Milan are considering walking away from talks to sign Romelu Lukaku after the Chelsea striker was uncontactable on Friday night.
The Italian giants had prepared a bid worth £30million, plus a further £4m in add-ons, but the Belgium international and his representative, Sebastian Ledure, were not able to be contacted on the phone.
Inter were ready to match a Juventus bid made on Wednesday, with an offer much closer to Chelsea’s £40m asking price.
Officials are now concerned that Lukaku is now pushing for a move to Juventus, having previously been told he only wanted to move to San Siro.
Read more here!
Rice pens open letter
Declan Rice says his move to Arsenal “has only ever been about my ambition to play at the very highest level of the game” in his first words since his West Ham exit was confirmed.
Rice has penned an open letter to Hammers fans as the club confirmed their club captain was leaving – though there was no mention of ‘Arsenal’ in either statement.
The Gunners have agreed a £105million deal to sign Rice, breaking the British transfer record.
“The last few days and weeks have been an absolute whirlwind of emotion,” Rice wrote.
Read more here!
David Sullivan on Rice exit
“I am sorry to see Declan leave us, but I believe that everyone at West Ham United should be very proud of the part we have played in his journey from the Academy of Football at Chadwell Heath to becoming the most valuable young player in English football.
“I would like to make it clear to our supporters that we did not want to sell Declan. We wanted to build our team around him and made a series of improved, long-term contract offers to secure his future. However, once Declan made it clear that he wished to move on and seek a new challenge, the Club felt it would not be right to stand in his way, acting in the best interests of West Ham United.
“He leaves with the sincere thanks, respect and love of everyone here, having earned his place in history alongside the great Bobby Moore and Billy Bonds as the only players to have captained West Ham United to a major trophy. More than that, he has always given absolutely everything for the football club throughout his time with us.
“Declan will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Hammers fans and everyone here at the Club. We wish him well for the future and he will always be an inspiration and an example to any young player coming through our Academy.”
West Ham confirm Declan Rice sale
And that official confirmation is here!
West Ham appear to have stolen Arsenal’s thunder by announcing the deal, though without a single mention of ‘Arsenal’ in their statement.
There is still nothing on Arsenal’s website, so this time to announce cannot have been agreed by the clubs.
Even so, it’s done and you can read all about it here!
Declan Rice DONE DEAL!
West Ham have signed the deal to sell Declan Rice to Arsenal.
A late piece of breaking news from Sky Sports that the paperwork is completed for the British record transfer!
Expect the official announcement tomorrow.
Kylian Mbappe situation complicates Chelsea pursuit
Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea are fishing in the same waters for a new striker.
Dusan Vlahovic has emerged on Les Parisiens’ radar – if Kylian Mbappe leaves.
Victor Osimhen is another named by Corriere dello Sport as a target for PSG in this scenario, the Napoli star having also caught Chelsea’s eye.
Reports in Spain claim Mbappe and Real Madrid already have an agreement for him to sign on a six-year contract when he becomes a free agent next season, which could boost Chelsea if PSG have to wait to sign a replacement.
