Cristiano Ronaldo remains the subject of frenzied speculation as the summer transfer window enters its final day.
Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has played down suggestions the 37-year-old Portuguese skipper could leave the club for a second time after being linked with Napoli and former club Sporting Lisbon in the summer.
The imminent arrival of Ajax leader Antony in a deal costing £80.6m with an additional £4.2m added has prompted suggestions. Ronaldo, who has started just one game so far this season, could be allowed to leave.
However, when asked about his future, Ten Hag said, “We need numbers there, we don’t just need quantity, we need quality.”
United’s moves for Antony and Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, whose number one spot at St James’ Park was taken by summer signing Nick Pope, continued as the transfer window headed towards its final 24 hours, although the club, who have also been linked with old boy Memphis Depay, hope to complete the two deals.
While there is still work to be done at Old Trafford, Chelsea also don’t seem to be in the mood to put the checkbook away after finally securing £70m Leicester defender Wesley Fofana on Wednesday after a lengthy chase.
The Blues have been credited with interest in former Arsenal leader Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and, curiously, Paris St Germain’s Brazilian striker Neymar, as well as Crystal Palace striker Wilfried Zaha, although Everton’s Anthony Gordon seems to stay out of their reach.
Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher, who spent last season on loan at Palace, has already made four Premier League appearances for his parent club this season and he’s had suitors monitoring his situation in recent weeks if he ever returns available.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp’s admission that he may have miscalculated when he decided he didn’t need to add to his midfield resources has since seen Douglas Luiz d ‘Aston Villa presented as a possible target with injuries having bitten their team hard.
One midfielder who could be up for grabs during the final hours of the window is Youri Tielemans with reports suggesting Leicester are open to offers of £25m for a player who is now in the final year of his existing contract .
Arsenal are among a string of clubs that have been credited with an interest in the Belgian, and the Gunners have also been linked with Wolves duo Pedro Neto and Ruben Neves.
Champions Manchester City have invested heavily in Julian Alvarez, Erling Haaland, Kalvin Phillips and Sergio Gomez, but that may not be done yet with Borussia Dortmund’s Swiss international defender Manuel Akanji in their sights.
Promoted Nottingham Forest’s frenetic recruitment campaign could yet see Wolves defender Willy Boly arrive at the City Ground, while Everton and Leeds are both on the hunt for playmakers.
Big-spending Newcastle, who broke their transfer record with a £58m move for Real Sociedad striker Alexander Isak, have spent much of the summer chasing attacking midfielders with little success, and head coach Eddie Howe admitted that any last-minute venture is likely to be in loan form.
