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:
Everton still trying to make a signing
Everton have not given up hope on making a signing tonight, despite being turned down by Michy Batshuayi.
According to The Independent’s Richard Jolly, the Goodison Park club are still working on adding to Sean Dyche’s squad.
Everton are yet to make a signing this window, despite selling Anthony Gordon to Newcastle for £45m.
Done deal! Fulham sign Sasa Lukic
Fulham have announced the signing of Saka Lukic on a four-and-a-half-year deal, in what is the first signing of the window for Marco Silva’s side.
The Serbian international midfielder has been signed from Torino, where Fulham completed his medical.
Fulham are also hopeful of signing right back Cedric Soares on loan from Arsenal before tonight’s deadline.
“I can’t wait to get started and meet with the head coach, the players, and the staff, and I’m looking forward to training with them when I arrive in England,” Lukic said.
“I’ve seen Fulham play this season and they’ve been playing very well. They have a good squad, with a great history.
“A lot of great players have played for the club in its history, and they have a lot of great players currently, like my compatriot Aleksandar Mitrović.”
Everton yet to make a signing
As it stands, Everton will be the only team in the bottom half of the Premier League table to not make a signing this month.
With Crystal Palace set to sign Albert Sambi Lokonga on loan, Sean Dyche will be the only manager without fresh reinforcements.
The Athletic have reported tonight that Everton enquired about signing Michy Batshuayi from Fenerbahce on deadline day, but the 28-year-old turned down the move.
Perez departs Leicester on loan
Leicester City have confirmed that Ayoze Perez has joined Real Betis on loan until the end of the season.
Perez joined Leicester from Newcastle for around £30m in 2019 but has struggled to make an impact over the past two years.
Leicester are meanwhile hopeful of signing centre back Harry Souttar from Stoke City before the deadline.
Lokonga set for Palace loan move
Crystal Palace are set to sign Albert Sambi Lokonga on loan until the end of the season.
The 23-year-old has made just six appearances for Arsenal in the Premier League this season.
The Gunners are set to sign Jorginho from Chelsea, as the leaders strengthen their midfield options.
Leeds defender Llorente joins Roma on loan
Leeds centre-back Diego Llorente has joined Roma on loan until the end of the season, with a view to a permanent deal.
The 29-year-old, who was signed from Real Sociedad in 2020, has found himself behind Liam Cooper, Robin Koch and Max Wober in the pecking order at Elland Road.
Roma will have the option to sign Llorente on a permanent deal in the summer.
Deadline day: FOUR hours to go
Time is ticking! Here are the big deals we are waiting on as the 11pm deadline fast approaches:
- Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea
- Jorginho to Arsenal
- Marcel Sabitzer to Manchester United
- Pedro Porro to Tottenham
- Matt Doherty to Atletico Madrid
Joao Cancelo explains reasons behind Bayern Munich move
Joao Cancelo has played down suggestions a rift with Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola prompted his surprise deadline-day loan move to Bayern Munich.
The versatile Portugal full-back joined the German giants for the remainder of the season on Tuesday with a view to a permanent switch in the summer.
There have been reports the 28-year-old had become a disruptive influence in the dressing room in recent weeks after falling out of favour with Guardiola.
Yet Cancelo insists he wanted to pursue Bayern’s interest in order simply to get more match action. The former Juventus defender had made just three starts since returning to club duty following the World Cup in December.
Joao Cancelo explains reasons behind Bayern Munich move
Cancelo gave his thoughts on Pep Guardiola after leaving Manchester City for the German champions on loan
Spurs remain confident over Porro deal
Tottenham remain confident of signing right-back Pedro Porro before tonight’s deadline, with Djed Spence and Matt Doherty on their way out of the club.
The final touches are being put onto a £39.7m transfer, which will be a boost to Antonio Conte’s side and improves a vital position in the team.
Joao Cancelo joins Bayern Munich on loan from Man City
Manchester City have confirmed the departure of Joao Cancelo to Bayern Munich, on loan for the remainder of the 2022/23 season.
The surprise move sees the Portugal international switch to the Bundesliga on deadline day, having previously been one of the top performers in Pep Guardiola’s title-winning team last year.
However, he has featured intermittently since the World Cup, with Rico Lewis making his way into the senior set-up on the right side of City’s back line and Kyle Walker another option there. On the left, Nathan Ake has been the go-to starter more often than not.
Joao Cancelo joins Bayern Munich on loan from Man City
Nathan Ake has been preferred by Pep Guardiola on the left, while Rico Lewis has broken through on the right side of defence
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