Liverpool intensifies Barcola pursuit amid transfer market shake-up

The final week of the window has turned into a maze of interlocking deals – and Liverpool are right at the centre of it.

Liverpool push on Barcola as Gakpo looms as makeweight

Liverpool’s long pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain winger Bradley Barcola has moved forward again after what have been described as positive talks with the French champions. Inside PSG, the expectation is now that the France international will leave this summer.

The price is brutal. PSG want well over £110m, a figure that already scared Arsenal away. Liverpool, though, remain intent on strengthening their wide options after seeing two bids rejected for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh.

To make the Barcola numbers work, Liverpool could yet sacrifice Cody Gakpo. Manchester City retain a strong interest in the Dutch forward and Tottenham have also been linked, creating the kind of transfer chain that defines this market. One major sale might be the only way Liverpool can unlock their marquee signing out wide.

Behind the scenes, the urgency is clear. With a week left, the club’s football hierarchy, led by Richard Hughes, know the squad is too thin and oddly constructed. Multiple areas need attention. The money does not stretch that far. One source likens it to “a boat with six different leaks” – every plug in one position risks another gap opening somewhere else.

If Andoni Iraola’s high-intensity football is to stick at Anfield, those gaps cannot be ignored much longer.

Arsenal circle Alvarez to finish title-defence rebuild

Across north London, Arsenal are trying to put the final piece in place. Julian Alvarez is their chosen man.

The Atletico Madrid forward is seen as the signing to cap a productive summer and add another layer to a frontline tasked with defending the Premier League title. Alvarez is understood to be open to the move, even though he initially favoured Barcelona.

Arsenal’s push comes in a crowded market for attackers. Atletico’s own planning for life after Alvarez has led them to Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, with talks over a loan that could include an obligation to buy. If Atletico secure Jackson, it would smooth Alvarez’s exit – and bring Arsenal’s chase to a head.

Manchester City rip up and rebuild their midfield

Manchester City are reshaping their squad with the kind of financial muscle that shifts an entire window.

They have agreed a €100m deal with Lille for 18-year-old midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi. City will pay an initial €95m, with a further €5m in add-ons, making the Morocco international the third most expensive signing in the club’s history. Only Jack Grealish and £116m man Elliot Anderson have cost more.

Bouaddi becomes City’s second major midfield arrival of the summer as they attempt a rapid overhaul following the departures of captain Bernardo Silva, Rodri and Tijjani Reijnders. It is a bold reset in Enzo Maresca’s first summer in charge.

At the same time, City have sanctioned a record sale. Savinho has joined Tottenham in a deal worth £85m, replacing Julian Alvarez as City’s biggest outgoing. Spurs will pay £75m up front, with £5m in guaranteed add-ons and another £5m potentially to follow. The fee pushes Tottenham’s summer spend past £300m, with Savinho joining Sandro Tonali and Mateus Fernandes among the headline arrivals.

City are not done. They are monitoring Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo and could yet revive interest in Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, a move that would instantly become one of the stories of the summer if it happens.

United complete midfield overhaul and turn to Balde

On the other side of Manchester, United have finished one rebuild and immediately started another.

Carlos Baleba has arrived from Brighton for an initial £65m, with a further £5m in potential add-ons, completing a £148m overhaul of the midfield under Michael Carrick. The Cameroon international has signed a five-year deal and believes he can reach a new level under his former-midfielder manager.

With the middle of the pitch addressed, attention has swung to left-back. United have been handed encouragement by reports in Spain that Alejandro Balde now wants to leave Barcelona. The emergence of Joao Cancelo and Balde’s omission from the squad to face Elche are said to have changed his stance.

United are viewed as frontrunners for the 20-year-old but, crucially, are pushing for a loan rather than the permanent deal previously discussed. For a club wrestling with multiple needs and a finite budget, that distinction matters.

Chelsea cash in as Delap and Jackson draw bidders

Chelsea’s clear-out continues, and it is bringing in serious money.

Nottingham Forest have agreed a club-record £50m fee for striker Liam Delap. Signed from Ipswich for £30m, Delap struggled badly in his first season at Stamford Bridge, scoring just two goals in 41 appearances and losing the No 9 role to Joao Pedro. Chelsea will bank a £20m profit if the move is completed, with the 23-year-old due for a medical on Wednesday.

Nicolas Jackson is another forward on the exit ramp. Atletico Madrid have opened talks over a loan with a possible obligation to buy, while Aston Villa are considering a permanent deal worth around £65m. Chelsea would prefer a straight sale as they look to trim the squad and create room – and funds – for a versatile attacker. Marcus Rashford is among the names that have been discussed internally.

Any agreement for Jackson could unlock Atletico’s plans and, by extension, Alvarez’s future. In a window built on dominoes, Chelsea’s outgoings could decide the fate of a Premier League title race.

Newcastle move for Gonzalez after Guimaraes exit

Newcastle have made their biggest move of the summer, agreeing a £52m deal with Manchester City for midfielder Nico Gonzalez.

The 2025 Carabao Cup winners will pay £48m up front with £4m in add-ons. City stand to make a small profit, having signed Gonzalez from Porto in January 2025 for £49m.

At just 24, Gonzalez will still be the oldest player Newcastle have brought in this window, a deliberate shift after losing captain Bruno Guimaraes and Sandro Tonali from the heart of their midfield. He is undergoing a medical today and is expected to step straight into a leadership role in Eddie Howe’s engine room.

Watkins and Martinez absent as Villa fear exodus

At Aston Villa, the worry is not who might arrive, but who could be walking out.

Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez were both missing from the matchday squad, fuelling talk of imminent departures. Watkins, in particular, is thought to be close to a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, a transfer that would reshape the perception of his time at Villa Park.

For a club and a player who have been so good for one another, it would be a brutal way to break up.

The market is moving on all fronts now – from Liverpool’s gamble on Barcola to City’s midfield revolution and Arsenal’s pursuit of Alvarez. With days left and so many deals chained together, one decision in one boardroom could still redraw the entire landscape of the Premier League season.