Chelsea complete Enzo Fernandez signing on deadline day, Man Utd confirm Marcel Sabitzer loan
Chelsea’s pursuit of Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez went down to the wire on deadline day, after Arsenal completed the signing of Blues midfielder Jorginho
Chelsea have completed the signing of Enzo Fernandez for £106m, in what is a British transfer record. The Blues met Benfica’s release clause for the Argentina midfielder shortly before Tuesday’s 11pm transfer deadline.
A statement from the Portuguese side confirmed the deal past midnight after Chelsea rushed to complete the transfer.
It came after Manchester United signed Marcel Sabitzer on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season. The Austria international adds to United’s midfield options after Christian Eriksen was ruled out for three months with an ankle injury.
Brighton held on to midfielder Moises Caicedo, but Arsenal turned their attention to another target and signed Jorginho from Premier League rivals Chelsea in a £13m deal.
Elsewhere, Tottenham confirmed the signing of right back Pedro Porro, with Matt Doherty joining Atletico Madrid on a free transfer after his contract with Spurs was terminated by mutual agreement.
Follow all the latest transfer news and rumours, below:
Fulham in talks to sign Brenet
Fulham are in talks to sign FC Twente right-back Joshua Brenet, as their move for Arsenal’s Cedric Soares continues to stall.
Brenet is a 28-year-old Dutch defender and has scored five goals from 22 appearances this season.
Fulham boss, Marco Silva is eager to sign a right-back before the deadline to provide competition for Kenny Tete.
Mosquera to leave Wolves?
Wolves centre-back Yerson Mosquera is close to joining MLS side FC Cincinnati on loan until December which is the end of the MLS season.
The defender signed for Wolves in 2021 but hasn’t played a minute this season and the arrival of Craig Dawson has opened up the chance for Mosquera to leave.
Leeds target deadline day move for Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo
Leeds United are in talks with Roma about a move for attacking midfielder Nicolo Zaniolo.
The primary difference between the Whites and the Serie A club is currently over whether it should be a temporary or permanent deal.
While the Premier League club want the 23-year-old on loan, Roma would prefer to sell and have been looking to offload Zaniolo all window.
They have previously spoken to both Milan and Tottenham Hotspur about a deal, only for both to collapse.
There remains some doubt over whether the deal will go through as there are many moving parts, not least Jack Harrison’s prospective move from Leeds United to Leicester City.
Leeds target deadline day move for Roma star Nicolo Zaniolo
The Whites could move for the Italian, who has been out of favour under Jose Mourinho at Roma
Sarr and Skipp staying put
Tottenham have no plans to loan out young midfielders Pape Matar Sarr or Oliver Skipp.
Antonio Conte prefers the midfield pairing of Rodrigo Bentancur and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg meaning the youngster’s minutes this season have been limited.
But Conte he rates Sarr highly and gave him his full Premier League debut in the recent north London derby defeat to Arsenal.
While Skipp appears to have slipped behind Sarr in the midfield pecking order, Spurs also want to keep the 22-year-old academy graduate at the club to maintain their quota of homegrown players.
Fulham targeting double signings
Fulham hope to add a couple of players to their squad before the end of the day.
Serbian midfielder, Sasa Lukic, is set to be on his way to Craven Cottage from Torino and should become a new Fulham player without too much trouble.
More ticky is the loan move they’ve proposed for Arsenal right-back Cedric Soares. Fulham have been chasing the right-back for the majority of the window but this potential deal could go down to the wire.
Atletico Madrid consider loan move for Matt Doherty
In a surprising late move Matt Doherty is being targetted for a loan move to Atletico Madrid. The Independent’s Miguel Delaney reports:
“Atletico Madrid are considering a loan move for Tottenham Hotspur’s Matt Doherty, with Diego Simeone having instructed the hierarchy to bring in a right-back this window.
“The Spanish club have already failed in two bids for Olympique Marseille’s Jonathan Clauss, but there is a good relationship with Spurs after recent moves and the Irish international has been broached as an option.
“The 31-year-old has been in and out of Antonio Conte’s side this season but is valued by the Italian, and there is a feeling his strengths could fit what Simeone wants. Talks have started between the clubs.”
Doherty’s potential exit also points to Spurs’ deal for Pedro Porro getting closer to completion as well.
Navas to Forest unlikely
Nottingham Forest will struggle to push through a move for Keylor Navas before Tuesday’s deadline.
Following goalkeeper Dean Henderson’s recent injury, Forest are keen to bring in another goalkeeper but there are issues between Navas and Paris Saint-Germain, his current club, that are holding up any deal.
The deal could potentially happen but it appears unlikely given the short time frame left in the transfer window.
Arsenal agree £13m fee with Chelsea for Jorginho transfer
Arsenal and Chelsea have agreed a £13 million deal for Jorginho, with the 31-year-old midfielder now set to complete a medical.
Formal negotiations on a fee began on Monday afternoon and were concluded swiftly due to the suitability to all parties. Chelsea want to clear space in an increasingly bloated squad, Jorginho wants football, and Arsenal want a midfielder to bolster their title challenge.
The thinness in that area combined with Thomas Partey’s risk of injury in Friday night’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester City only convinced Mikel Arteta and the Arsenal hierarchy that they had to bring another player of quality in, which initially hastened a move for Moises Caicedo.
Arsenal agree £13m fee with Chelsea for Jorginho transfer
The Italian midfielder has been at Chelsea since 2018
Newcastle sign Harrison Ashby
Defender Harrison Ashby has joined Newcastle United from West Ham United for a £3m plus add ons deal.
The 21-year-old made seven senior competitive appearances for the Hammers across the Premier League and domestic and European cup competitions.
Head coach Eddie Howe said: “Harrison is a very talented young player with a lot of potential so we are delighted to sign him. He has very good attributes so we are looking forward to working with him in this exciting new chapter of his career.”
Maguire set to stay at United
Manchester United captain, Harry Maguire, is set to remain at the club despite a few interested parties hoping to bring in the centre-back.
United boss, Erik ten Hag, refuted the notion that Maguire is now the fifth choice centre-back at Old Trafford and says that the defender can force himself into the side.
“No, he’s not fifth choice,” stressed the United boss. “But it’s up to him. I have to say he’s training very well, bringing quality and that is what I expect from all the players in the squad.
“He has to fight for his position and things can change, sometimes also really quickly. I think he is making progress and it’s up to him. After the World Cup, he should have played but then he got ill. I can’t do anything about that and he knows that.
“Then you come in a run and he has to wait for his chance - I think those are the laws of football, from top football, from selection. Then you have to wait for a change and in the meanwhile make sure you are ready if the chance is there.”
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