Transfer news live: Manchester United latest, Leny Yoro updates ...

Al Ittihad are interested in signing Moussa Diaby from Aston Villa.

Interest from Saudi Arabian clubs in the France international is long-standing, with Al Ittihad prepared to offer Villa a substantial profit on the forward they signed last summer in a deal worth £34.6million, plus add-ons.

The 25-year-old made 38 Premier League appearances last season, providing six goals and eight assists as Villa qualified for the Champions League.

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The Transfer DealSheet: Latest on Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona and more

Southampton have completed the signing of midfielder Flynn Downes from West Ham United on a permanent deal.

The Athletic reported on Monday that a deal worth up to £18million had been agreed for the midfielder, who spent last season on loan at the south coast club.

He has signed a four-year deal to keep him at the club until 2028.

The midfielder is highly regarded by Southampton manager Russell Martin, who was keen to make him part of his plans for the 2024-25 campaign. The pair previously worked together at Swansea City.

“We’re thrilled to bring Flynn back. It was a big priority for us this summer and to get it done early in pre-season is also really important for us.

“He was such an influential player for us last season, both on and off the pitch. He’s a brilliant character, he’s aggressive and physical in his play, technically excellent with the ball and a fantastic athlete too."

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Southampton complete Flynn Downes transfer from West Ham

Manchester United are continuing their work on another key area of focus for this transfer market: central defence.

United have twice seen offers for Jarrad Branthwaite rejected and, while the interest remains, they are unlikely to meet Everton’s valuation. The expected departure of Amadou Onana makes it even more improbable that Branthwaite will leave Goodison Park for now.

In parallel, United have been pursuing moves for Matthijs De Ligt and Leny Yoro. Progress has been achieved on each front recently, though the current expectation is they would recruit one or the other as opposed to both.

Given a deal for De Ligt looks relatively straightforward if United choose to proceed, at present they seem to be prioritising Yoro and exploring whether the Frenchman can be convinced to join them rather than hold out for Real Madrid.

Yoro’s first choice is Madrid but they are yet to show any indication of paying the level of fee that Lille have accepted from United, which has led the Ligue 1 club to favour doing business with their Premier League counterparts.

If Yoro is to make a switch this summer — his Lille terms end in 2025 so they do not want to lose him for free — and Madrid cannot strike a deal, will he instead accept a switch to United?

That is the burning question and strong efforts continue at Old Trafford to swing the outcome in their direction. Suitors including Liverpool backed off after being told of Yoro’s chosen destination — but United have persisted and, so long as the door is ajar, they will keep trying.

Everything, therefore, rests on the 18-year-old talent and his final decision. That means this situation is definitely worth keeping a close eye on in the coming days and potentially weeks.

Erik ten Hag says he has “drawn a line” under his differences with Jadon Sancho after the Manchester United winger returned to first-team training.

Sancho, 24, returned to the club’s first-team facilities in July for the first time since being exiled from the first team by Ten Hag following a defeat at Arsenal in September 2023.

"As we said, we’ve drawn the line,” Ten Hag said.

“Manchester United need good players and Jadon is a good player. We have drawn that line and we move on.”

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Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag on Jadon Sancho future: ‘We’ve drawn a line. We move on’

Marseille have reached an agreement in principle with Mason Greenwood to sign the forward from Manchester United.

The Ligue 1 side already had a deal in place with their Premier League counterparts, which was subject to Greenwood’s approval. That has now arrived in verbal form and work continues in an effort to finalise the move.

Greenwood must still travel to France, undergo a medical and put pen to paper before the proposed transfer can be considered complete.

But the 22-year-old accepting the switch is a significant development in the process to resolve his future, which United decided should be away from Old Trafford.

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Marseille reach agreement in principle with Mason Greenwood to sign Man Utd forward

Hello and welcome to today's transfer blog.

We'll bring you all the ins, outs and transfer chatter from this summer's window.

Leeds United have confirmed the exit of Glen Kamara as the midfielder joins Stade Rennais on a permanent deal.

The Finland international signed for Leeds last summer from Rangers for a fee in the region of £5million.

Kamara played a big role for Daniel Farke’s side as they reached the play-off final, making 42 appearances in all competitions during his single season with the club.

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Glen Kamara departs Leeds for Rennes

Southampton have completed the signing of midfielder Flynn Downes from West Ham United on a permanent deal.

The Athletic reported on Monday that a deal worth up to £18million had been agreed for the midfielder, who spent last season on loan at the south coast club.

He has signed a four-year deal to keep him at the club until 2028.

Downes spent last season on loan at Southampton and made 36 Championship appearances as the club secured promotion back to the Premier League via the play-offs.

“It feels so good, honestly," Downes said. "Walking in this morning, seeing a few familiar faces, it was a real pleasure.

“Being a part of it last year, it was so good. The whole club, the people, I think everything about it is so special.

“I feel like when you connect with people like that, such genuine people, and I'm talking about the whole club here, it's so hard not to want to be a part of that.

“Now I just feel like I can fully settle down here, try and get better, try and play my best football here and help the team be a success.”

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Southampton complete Flynn Downes transfer from West Ham

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez welcomed Kylian Mbappe to the club after being unveiled at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

He said: “Congratulations on achieving your dream. I know how excited your family is. You were in this stadium when you were 13 years old and we saw how your eyes sparkled when you saw your idols.

"Dear Kylian, I thank you for your unconditional love and passion for Real Madrid. Today you are accompanied by hundreds of children from your charitable foundation that welcomes them with affection and helps them to transmit their values.

"We share this vocation of solidarity. You, the great players, are the great references and these children will never forget this day. Kylian, welcome to your club, Welcome to Real Madrid.”

Full story below

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Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid unveiling: ‘Today, my dream comes true’

Real Madrid's Kylian Mbappe spoke about connecting with teammates Vinicius Junior and Rodrygo after being unveiled at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old said: “We will talk tomorrow with the medical side of the club and I am waiting for the results. We will do things together. For sure I will play the European Super Cup (against Atalanta on August 14). It’s a title and for me, it’s the first game. I’m looking forward to it.

“Vinicius is a unique player, Real Madrid are unique players. Great players have to be together. I don’t think there will be any problems playing with Vinicius. I’m thinking about adapting as quickly as possible to help Vinicius and Rodrygo.”

Full story below

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Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid unveiling: ‘Today, my dream comes true’

Burnley are closing in on completing the signing of forward Andreas Hountondji from Ligue 2 side Caen.

The versatile Benin international will boost new manager Scott Parker's forward ranks which already contains Lyle Foster, Michael Obafemi, and Jay Rodriguez.

Wout Weghorst is expected to depart this summer.

Hountondji spent last season on loan at fellow Ligue 2 side Rodez AF, where he scored 16 goals in 39 appearances.

Newcastle United “love” Eddie Howe and will fight to keep hold of their head coach should the FA look to appoint him as the next England manager, insists Darren Eales, the club’s CEO.

Gareth Southgate resigned as England manager following the Euro 2024 final defeat to Spain, bringing an end to his eight-year tenure.

Howe has long been admired by the FA and he is expected to feature prominently on any shortlist for the next national-team manager.

But Newcastle view Howe as part of the club’s “long-term future” and believe they are protected by the absence of a set release clause in the “multi-year” contract extension the head coach secretly signed last summer, having guided the club to a fourth-placed finish and Champions League qualification.

Full story below

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Newcastle will fight to keep Eddie Howe amid England vacancy, insists club CEO

Burnley have completed the signing of Brazilian left-back Lucas Pires from Santos.

The 23-year-old has penned a four-year deal and becomes Burnley's second senior signing of the summer after the arrival of Shurandy Sambo.

The defender arrives for an undisclosed fee believed to be around €2million (£1.68m).

Pires spent last season on loan at La Liga side Cadiz and made 30 appearances, although he was unable to help them survive relegation.

Chelsea have signed midfielder Oriane Jean-Francois from Paris Saint-Germain.

The 22-year-old has agreed a three-year deal at the Women’s Super League club, with the option of an additional 12 months.

Jean-Francois joined PSG from Paris FC in 2022 and played 41 times for them.

The France international joins compatriot Sandy Baltimore, who also moved from PSG and Julia Bartel as Chelsea’s summer signings so far.

Marseille have reached an agreement in principle with Mason Greenwood to sign the forward from Manchester United.

The Ligue 1 side already had a deal in place with their Premier League counterparts, which was subject to Greenwood’s approval. That has now arrived in verbal form and work continues in an effort to finalise the move.

Greenwood must still travel to France, undergo a medical and put pen to paper before the proposed transfer can be considered complete.

More details below

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Marseille reach agreement in principle with Mason Greenwood to sign Man Utd forward

Borussia Dortmund are close to completing the signing of Stuttgart forward Serhou Guirassy.

Guirassy, 28, was the second-highest goalscorer in last season’s Bundesliga, scoring 28 goals from 25 league starts, behind only Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, and has been the subject of intense interest.

Among other suitors, Dortmund indicated their willingness to match the release clause in Guirassy’s contract — worth €17.5m — some weeks ago, but a proposed deal had stalled following a first medical, during which concerns were raised about a knee injury he had suffered on international duty with Guinea in June.

However, further medical examinations have revealed that Guirassy does not need surgery and he is now expected to become a Dortmund player later this week.

More on the Guinea international below

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Guirassy’s goalscoring and creativity is making a mockery of €17.5m release clause

Kylian Mbappe says he dreamed of playing for Real Madrid after being unveiled at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday.

The 25-year-old’s move to Madrid was confirmed in June after he left former club Paris Saint-Germain.

At his unveiling, Mbappe, who will wear the No. 9 shirt for his new side, said that joining the Spanish club was a dream come true and kissed the Real Madrid crest.

Full story below

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Kylian Mbappe at Real Madrid unveiling: ‘Today, my dream comes true’

Josh Laurent has rejected a move to Sivasspor after Stoke City agreed a deal worth £500,000 ($650,000) with the Turkish club.

The 29-year-old club captain has one year left on his contract and Stoke — as reported by The Athletic in last week's Transfer DealSheet — are prepared to negotiate on an exit. The deal was agreed between the clubs but Laurent didn't engage in negotiations regarding personal terms.

Laurent has made 78 appearances at Stoke since arriving in 2022, scoring eight times with six assists. He is currently training with the Stoke squad and featured in the 3-0 pre-season victory over Chester City on Thursday.

Birmingham City are also interested in signing Laurent, but at this stage there has been no agreement between the clubs or on personal terms with Laurent who is unlikely to want to drop into League One.

Other clubs in the Championship are known to be monitoring the situation regarding engaging in negotiations.