Transfer news live: Arsenal given huge Eze boost, medical planned, Guehi to Liverpool update
Arsenal chiefs reportedly want Hugo Ekitike after talks over a move for striker Benjamin Sesko and Viktor Gyokeres have stalled. Mikel Arteta wants to bring a striker to the club in this window but, in the meantime, the Gunners have planned a medical for incoming Brentford midfielder Christian Norgaard and have also agreed to pay above the release fee for Martin Zubimendi. Eberechi Eze, a target for rivals Tottenham, is also on their radar.
Manchester United, meanwhile, have secured Matheus Cunha from Wolves for £62.5m and are negotiating with Brentford about Bryan Mbeumo, having submitted an improved offer. Sporting's Viktor Gyokeres is also on their list of potential additions.
Florian Wirtz is now officially a Liverpool player after agreeing a record £116.5m deal for the German superstar and completed the medical last Friday, while Reds defender Jarell Quansah is set to go the other way in a £35m deal to join Bayern Leverkusen. Marc Guehi is a top target to join from Crystal Palace.
Chelsea are set to sign Jamie Gittens after Borussia Dortmund accepted an offer of £55m for the former England Under-21s winger, who will have a medical, while the Blues have agreed to sign Brighton's Brazil forward Joao Pedro.
Savage to become Forest Green manager
Robbie Savage will reportedly become the next manager of Forest Green.
It is understood he is currently at the club finalising his appointment with an announcement expected on Tuesday.
Savage resigned as a director at Macclesfield over the weekend where he was also the manager.
Mike Jones30 June 2025 17:15
Arsenal given Eberechi Eze boost in battle with Tottenham
Fabrizio Romano has an update on the race for Eberechi Eze.
Arsenal are said to be right in the mix to sign the Crystal Palace and England star, and still keen on a deal which could cost £85m.
Eze is reportedly interested in accepting a move to Arsenal.
That would be a huge blow to Tottenham, who also tout his services. Transfer journalist Romano and the Telegraph today claim Spurs are eyeing up a £68m swoop for West Ham's Mohammed Kudus - paving the way for Arsenal's Eze deal.
Marc Mayo30 June 2025 17:13
Besiktas want Abraham
Besiktas are reportedly in talks to sign Tammy Abraham.
The former Chelsea forward could be on the way to Turkey as discussions are advancing on a deal that could be worth around £17m (€20m).
This would generate £7.7m (€9m) in capital gains useful for Roma to comply with Uefa Financial Fair Play rules which could be one of the reasons behind a deal.
If that is so Abraham would need to be signed today at the latest. One to keep an eye on.
Mike Jones30 June 2025 17:00
The key attribute that explains why Liverpool signed Florian Wirtz – and why he'll succeed
There was a time when Liverpool looked to a German prodigy at Bayer Leverkusen as they sought to add another dimension to their attack but didn't get him.
That time was 2017, the Bundesliga wunderkind was Julian Brandt and the reason was that Jurgen Klopp, initially an advocate of his compatriot, was persuaded to switch his attentions to Mohamed Salah by Michael Edwards and the recruitment team assembled by Fenway Sports Group.
The key attribute that explains why Liverpool signed Wirtz – and why he'll succeed
Liverpool broke their own transfer record to bring in the German playmaker but it's actually a low-risk investment for Arne Slot's side
Richard Jolly30 June 2025 16:48
Brentford director talks Norgaard exit
Brentford sporting director Phil Giles spoke about Christian Norgaard's expected exit to Arsenal.
Giles told Sky Sports News: 'Arsenal approached us in the last two weeks about Christian – we've spoken regularly with Andrea Berta.
'As it stands, I think it's more likely to happen than not, but we have to go through the full process, tick all the boxes, and we'll see at the end of it.
'He's been a fantastic player for us, unbelievable. I'm actually happy for him that he has earned the opportunity, at this stage of his career, age 31, to go and have the opportunity to win some trophies.
'It isn't done yet but we are aware that, if and when he does depart, we also have a leadership void to fill. We'll look to cover it.'
Mike Jones30 June 2025 16:35
Inamura on his way to Celtic
Japanese club Albirex Niigata have confirmed Hayato Inamura has left the club.
Sky Sports News reports that Celtic are closing in on a deal to sign the 23-year-old centre-back.
It is understood that Inamura is set to undergo a medical and finalise the paperwork this week.
Mike Jones30 June 2025 16:23
Gyokeres gives Sporting ultimatum
Viktor Gyokeres has reportedly told Sporting that he has no desire to play for the club again and will not be returning for pre-season training.
Gyokeres has had interest from Manchester United and Arsenal but the Portuguese club are holding out for the right price.
The forward is now trying to force a move having also informed president Frederico Varandas that he wants a new challenge, Lisbon outlet A Bola believe.
Mike Jones30 June 2025 16:16
Arsenal switch sights to Hugo Ekitike
Mikel Arteta has made bringing a striker to the Emirates Stadium his main priority for this summer transfer window but Arsenal have faced issues over the fee of Benjamin Sesko.
Arteta is found of the RB Leipzig forward but the club does not sees his value the same way as the German side and talks have stalled.
German outlet BILD are now reporting that Eintracht Frankfurt striker Hugo Ekitike is firmly back on Arsenal's radar.
Arsenal had previously held talks with the 23-year-old but Frankfurts's €100m (£85m) asking price is higher than that of Sesko's.
Mike Jones30 June 2025 16:12
Arsenal plan Norgaard medical
Christian Norgaard will become an Arsenal player and a medical is being booked in for the Brentford captain next week.
The Gunners will pay up to £15m for the midfielder including a £10m fee and a further £5m in potential add ons.
Mike Jones30 June 2025 16:11
Chelsea agree deal for Brighton's Joao Pedro
Chelsea have agreed a deal with Brighton to sign Joao Pedro.
It is reportedly worth up to £60m and there are agreements all round for the Brazilian to move to Stamford Bridge.
The Brazil international is set to sign a seven-year contract and Brighton have a sell on clause included in the deal.
The 23-year-old is flying to the USA to have a medical and join Chelsea's Club World Cup squad.
Meanwhile, Watford will be due 20 per cent of the profit from the deal after they sold him to Brighton for £35m.
Mike Jones30 June 2025 16:00
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It is almost the cruellest of ironies that in the grand career of George Ford, the pomp and circumstance surrounding his 100th cap for England should be overshadowed by the Lions call-up of his old mate, occasional midfield partner, and intermittent rival, Owen Farrell. This is a duo who have been lumped together as best of friends and best of enemies for over a decade. Farrell has described how they played against each other as 12-year-olds, then together at school, then Ford forced the England age-group selectors to push his rival to 12 to accommodate another playmaker at fly-half. With England Under-20s, it was Ford, and not Farrell, who won World Rugby's junior player of the year award. The pair have competed against each other at club level and also competed for the England fly-half berth, while also often reprising the 10-12 axis which gained such plaudits in their youth. But it was Farrell who, in terms of gongs and plaudits at senior level, was always just a notch above Ford. It is Farrell who is the four-time Lions tourist – with one victorious tour – who made his England debut first (2012 instead of 2014), who reached 100 caps first, who captained his country more often, and who has won more domestic trophies. No one can take Ford's achievements away from him – and he made his record-breaking Premiership debut aged 16 – but it is incontrovertible, too, that Farrell, in that respect, is winning. The latter is Oasis; the former is Blur. But there are many people who believe – even, know – that Blur were always better than Oasis. Farrell is bigger and brasher but as a fly-half no better; as an all-round player and motivator the Saracen prevails but as a playmaker and passer Ford is and has always been Farrell's equal – if not superior. On Saturday, in La Plata in the first Test against Argentina, Ford will win his 100th cap in international rugby; all have come for England, not one has come for the Lions. Farrell's call-up on Thursday was the nail in Ford's Lions coffin. Andy Farrell now has four fly-halves in his squad – plus another makeshift one in Blair Kinghorn if it reaches dire straits – and it would take an injury crisis of gargantuan proportions to result in another No 10 booking a flight to Australia. Earlier this year, my colleague Charlie Morgan compiled a 23-player squad of the most hard-done-by players in the history of Home Nations rugby: those to never have toured with the Lions despite having had an overwhelming claim for doing so. Brian O'Driscoll said regarding Ford's Lions snub that 'there's no sentiment in sport but if ever a player deserved to play at the highest level…' O'Driscoll, following his controversial dropping in 2013, knows all about the lack of sentiment in sport but the Ireland great is correct. Ford, dubbed a tactical genius by England head coach Steve Borthwick, currently stands at No 1 in Charlie Morgan's list. The 32-year-old, unless he receives the most unlikely of call-ups as a 36-year-old for the 2029 tour to New Zealand, will surely retire as the greatest player to have never pulled on the famous red jersey. The lazy assumption with Ford was always that he was either a phenomenal club player who could not cut it at Test level or, not entirely tangentially, was a a fly-half who was happy performing the frills but who often struggled with the fight. That was always apocryphal, but then came September 9, 2023 and the narrative was put totally to bed. England, against the opposition who Ford will face this Saturday for his 100th cap, Argentina, put Los Pumas to bed in their World Cup pool-stage opener after a third-minute red card to flanker Tom Curry. With Farrell suspended, Ford kicked 27 points in the handsome victory, kicking three majestic drop-goals in the process, and the England fans chanted his name long into the sweltering (beer-less) Marseillaise night. Now, the Sale Shark is gearing up to lead England out into 'one of the most hostile atmospheres' in rugby, he says. With Farrell arriving on Australian soil across the Pacific Ocean, Ford co-captains England alongside Jamie George in a two-Test series against Argentina, on the occasion of his 100th cap. 'Doing it for the first time was almost a surreal moment,' Ford said from England's hotel on Thursday. 'You grow up dreaming of playing for England and then to be within touching distance of it and actually doing it is incredibly special. 'I remember doing it for 60 seconds. My family were in the crowd and there were 80,000 people at Twickenham. But even that was a surreal moment. 'I suppose now, when I've been fortunate enough to play a few times for England, I haven't lost the desire or how honoured or privileged I am to do it. But what experience tells you is that, even though it's a milestone, it's just the next England game in terms of trying to perform well. Now I'm 32 and doing it hopefully for the 100th time, it's another day at the office. 'It's an unbelievably proud moment for me, but more importantly my family. But the most important thing at the weekend is the team and having a really good performance and getting a good result. 'Even though there is a milestone there, the whole bigger picture doesn't change. It's England-Argentina and we want to win and make sure we perform really well. In terms of my individual preparation for the game, I've not felt much different, it's just trying to do the right thing for the team, even though there is a bit more noise about it.' A bit more noise there might be, but Ford, even as a Test centurion, continues to put the collective above the self. Ever the team player, ever the self-deprecator; perhaps, with all the noise around Farrell in Australia, Ford will play the understudy with aplomb once more.
