Transfer news live: Spurs’ Gibbs-White saga takes explosive twist, Gyokeres on strike, Arsenal agree Madueke

Transfer news, rumours and latest deals

• Forest take legal action after Tottenham trigger Morgan Gibbs-White release clause
• Viktor Gyokeres skips Sporting training amid interest from Arsenal
• Arsenal agree world record £1m fee with Liverpool for Smith
• Bayern submit £45m offer for Luis Diaz
• Jordan Henderson set to join Brentford as free agent

Bournemouth bid for Chelsea goalkeeper Petrovic

The 25-year-old, valued at £25m, is pursuing a move away from Stamford Bridge to play regular first team football after shining for Strasbourg last term.

The Cherries could sign Petrovic as a replacement for Kepa Arrizabalaga, who opted to join Arsenal permanently this month for £5m.

Reports suggest both sides are confident that the move will be completed.

Forest complete defensive signing

Nottingham Forest have completed the signing of Brazilian defender Jair Cunha from Botafogo.

The 20-year-old has signed a five-year deal, and moves to the City Ground in a deal worth a reported £10m.

Barcelona make Rashford 'number one target'

Sky Sports are reporting that Barcelona have made Manchester United winger Marcus Rashford their main wing target this summer.

The Catalan club missed out on Nico Williams and have seen their advances for Luis Diaz rejected.

And Barca are now expected to try and agree a deal, according to Sky in Germany.

United are said to value Rashford at around £40m, with the England international keen on the move to the Camp Nou.

(Nigel French/PA Wire)

Athletic Club’s Yeray blames alopecia medicine for failed drugs test

Athletic Bilbao defender Yeray Lopez says he has been provisionally suspended from football after he “unintentionally took a hair loss prevention medicine containing a banned substance”.

The 30-year-old failed a doping test after Bilbao’s 3-0 loss to Manchester United at the San Mames in the Europa League semi-finals on 1 May.

He said he had been taking medicine as part of treatment against hair loss in the years since overcoming testicular cancer, which he had been diagnosed with in 2016.

Brighton’s shrewd recruitment has set up Chelsea’s success — but they risk making the same mistake

One of the more famous headlines after Patrick Vieira and Emmanuel Petit combined for the third goal in Brazil’s defeat at the Stade de France in 1998 was “Arsenal win the World Cup”. Perhaps some in Sussex will be tempted to script a sequel on Sunday. “Brighton win the Club World Cup”? It would have sounded especially unlikely in the 1990s, when they were battling relegation from the Football League or exiled to play their home games in Gillingham.

It wouldn’t be strictly true now but Chelsea’s two goals in the semi-final came from Joao Pedro, who started July as a Brighton and Hove Albion player. He has made an increasingly familiar journey. The joke, if not a particularly new one, is that it would have been cheaper for Chelsea simply to buy Brighton than to carry on paying them for personnel. At £115m, Moises Caicedo cost a British record fee. At £62.5m, Marc Cucurella is another of Albion’s three biggest ever sales: all were to Chelsea.

Napoli return for £45m-rated Garnacho as Man United begin clearout

Napoli have renewed their interest in Manchester United and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho.

The Mirror claims that the Italian side would hope to sign the player for £45m, which would appear a respectable fee for a player than is keen to leave Old Trafford.

And with Bryan Mbeumo poised to join the Red Devils, Garnacho’s exit could facilitate that move and more to strengthen Ruben Amorim’s squad.

Mohammed Kudus’s Tottenham transfer is the end result of West Ham’s spending disasters

There are times when West Ham fans may catch the sight of one of their finest former players in action for capital rivals and hear a chant about getting him half price. It involves an element of exaggeration: Declan Rice commanded a British record fee of £105m and even a brace of superlative free kicks against Real Madrid do not make him worth £210m.

And yet there could be a sequel of sorts, Hammers supporters casting more envious glances at another favourite found elsewhere in London. And if, as seems likely, Mohammed Kudus joins Tottenham for £55m, there may be greater reasons to think West Ham have sold him on the cheap. Certainly in the context of the Ghanaian’s talent and his outstanding, 14-goal debut campaign in England, if not the underwhelming, five-goal sophomore season.

But the fee is £30m below Kudus’ release clause and there have been moments, with an ability to spin or glide away from defenders, to finish clinically or spectacularly, when that £85m has looked a realistic valuation.

Palace sign full-back

Crystsl Palace have confirmed a deal to sign full-back Borna Sosa from Ajax.

He joins on a three-year contract until 2028, in a deal worth around £3m.

'Arsenal willing to let Trossard leave'

Arsenal are open to selling Leandro Trossard, according to The Times.

They suggest the Belgian has provisionally agreed personal terms on a three-year deal with Fenerbahce, adding that Arsenal will demand around £20m for the 30-year-old.

Trossard's potential exit comes as Arsenal close in on a deal to sign Noni Madueke from Chelsea, so the Belgian could be worried about playing time at the Emirates next season.

(Getty Images)

Forest seek legal advice over Spurs' Gibbs-White approach

An extraordinary story coming out of Nottingham Forest – who’d have thought? – amid reports that the club are looking to sue Tottenham over their approach for Morgan Gibbs-White.

Gibbs-White was due to have a medical at Spurs today after the club triggered his £60m release clause. But Forest have reacted furiously to events and are seeking urgent legal advice to scupper the deal, reports the Telegraph.

Wow.

Former Villa man to move to Fenerbahce?

Fabrizio Romano reports that Marco Asensio is closing in on a move to Fenerbahce, with the “agreement at final stages with all parties involved” according to the Italian.

He adds that Asensio has said yes to the Turkish club’s proposal.

‘Extraordinary’ Luka Modric to join AC Milan after leaving Real Madrid

Real Madrid's Luka Modric will join AC Milan after the Club World Cup, the Serie A club's newly-appointed manager Massimiliano Allegri has confirmed confirmed.

The move means the 39-year-old midfielder, who announced in May that he would be leaving Madrid after the Club World Cup, will bring his 13-year spell at the Spanish giants to a close.

"Modric will arrive in August. He is an extraordinary player," Allegri said in his first press conference as Milan manager.

Madrid close in on former Man Utd youth player

Real Madrid are edging closer to the signing of Benfica full-back Alvaro Fernandez in a deal worth €50m.

Fabrizio Romano reports that there is a verbal agreement in place between the two clubs for the defender, who left Man Utd for around €9m in 2024.

Sheffield Wednesday and Morecambe woes show the problem with modern football

In what is now a “normal” day for Sheffield Wednesday, one employee was asked how they were doing by a fan, only to burst into tears. They don’t know if they’re going to be paid, or what the future is, leading Clive Betts MP to lambast controversial owner Dejphon Chansiri in Parliament on Tuesday.

Many Morecambe fans similarly felt like crying when the news came through on Monday that the sale of the club from Jason Whittingham’s Bond Group Investments to Panjab Warriors wouldn’t yet be completed. This was despite sources insisting that everything was in place for the sale to proceed, and finding its delay “inexplicable”. Local MP Lizzi Collinge publicly said to Whittingham, also in Parliament, "Come on, sign the damn paperwork!" That’s after three years where Morecambe have gone from League One to the National League and, potentially, oblivion.

Bukayo Saka’s back-up or Gabriel Martinelli’s replacement? How Noni Madueke will fit in at Arsenal

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has given the green light to the deal for the 23-year-old, who has impressed in spells at Stamford Bridge.

Madueke regularly featured on the right wing for the Blues but, along with many other members of the squad, found continuity hard to come by, and he will leave with many fans thinking he never got the time to really show what he could do in west London.

And Gunners fans will have questions of their own, with the club currently employing one of the world’s best right wingers in Bukayo Saka and some fans feeling the money could have been used better elsewhere.

Gyokeres skips Sporting training

Reports emerging that Viktor Gyokeres will miss Sporting CP’s upcoming training sessions as “he only wants Arsenal”.

Fabrizio Romano and David Ornstein are reporting that the Sweden striker report for preseason, with a five-year deal ready for him subject to a fee being agreed between the clubs.

Gyokeres has told Sporting’s president that he will not play for the club again.

(AFP/Getty)

Jackson to leave Chelsea this summer?

Fabrizio Romano reports that Nicolas Jackson could leave Chelsea this summer, with Premier League clubs among those interested.

AC Milan have reportedly enquired, but Chelsea’s asking price was too high for the Italian club.

It is unknown exactly what fee Chelsea would demand for the Senegal international.

(AP)

Forest back in for Wissa?

Another Brentford-related development as the Bees could be set to lose Yoane Wissa too.

Nottingham Forest have re-ignited their interest in the player, who is said to be valued at around £50m. Forest reportedly made a bid in January, though they valued Wissa at around £22m.

Forest have made another bid for the Congo international, though it is not known the value of this current offer.

Arsenal confirm move for Norgaard from Brentford

Arsenal have confirmed a move for Christian Norgaard, who will join Martin Zubimendi to complete the replacements for Thomas Partey and Jorginho in the Gunners’ midfield.

How Kyle Walker and Burnley can make unlikely marriage a success

It was, Kyle Walker said, “an opportunity I jumped at”. Two years ago, the scramble for his services was between Manchester City and Bayern Munich, a contest that meant a 33-year-old got a three-year deal. And so, had everything gone to either of his plans, he would now be planning for a final season at either the Etihad Stadium or the Allianz Arena.

Instead, the opportunity he grasped was to go to Burnley. One interpretation is to say that it is a sign of how far and how fast the mighty have fallen: a year ago, Walker played in the final of Euro 2024 and was (somehow) named in the team of the tournament. This season, he may have thought, would have ended with him captaining City to the Premier League or Champions League titles; perhaps even the Club World Cup.

Rather than the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, however, Walker is at the homelier confines of Turf Moor. He was not even named in the City squad that Pep Guardiola took to the United States.

Tottenham trigger Morgan Gibbs-White release clause

This is a deal that has accelerated at a great pace, with a deal now close after Tottenham triggered Nottingham Forest midfielder Morgan Gibbs-White’s £60m release clause.

Various sources report the England international is due to link up with Thomas Frank at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, which should boost his hopes of playing at next summer’s World Cup with England, given the chance to thrive in the Champions League next term.

Gibbs-White will join Mohammed Kudus as high-profile reinforcements for Spurs.

Arsenal setback in Viktor Gyokeres bid despite offering €10m above Sporting’s asking price

Chief Football Writer Miguel Delaney reported yesterday that Arsenal have reached an impasse with Sporting Lisbon over Viktor Gyokeres, offering €65m, with potential performance-related add-ons, while Sporting want €70m guaranteed.

“The situation mirrors Arsenal's earlier pursuit of Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko in how neither club are budging,” Miguel writes. “Those talks have temporarily paused over a difference of €10m.

“There is a significant difference with the pursuit of Sesko, however. The desire of the Gyokeres camp to leave has created tension and made it much more difficult for Sporting to keep him.

“Club president Frederico Varandas has been irritated by how the situation has been conducted - if not necessarily by the player himself - especially since Sporting have let it be known they won't stand in his way.”

(Getty)

Stoke sign former West Ham left-back Cresswell

Former West Ham defender Aaron Cresswell has joined Stoke as a free agent.

Cresswell, 35, has signed a one-year deal after ending an 11-year spell with the Hammers.

Sunderland sign Brighton winger Adingra

Sunderland have completed a deal for Simon Adingra from Brighton.

The Ivory Coast international will cost in excess of 21m, should bonuses be triggered.

And the 23-year-old has penned a five-year deal at the Stadium of Light after scoring twice and making two assists in 29 Premier League appearances last term.

"It's a pleasure to be here, and I cannot wait to get started," Adingra told the club's website.

"The club and the project are really exciting. I spoke with everyone and their interest in me made the decision easy - I wanted to be part of Sunderland's future.

"Playing in the Premier League has been a dream of mine since I was a kid, so to continue doing that is incredible. It's a big challenge ahead – we'll be facing top players and strong opponents - but I'm ready for it."

Brighton dominated against Everton at Goodison Park (Getty Images)