Transfer news LIVE: Mason Manchester United release Greenwood statement, Al Nassr want Alisson and Aymeric Laporte, Chelsea set to sign Romeo Lavia and Michael Olise, Harry Maguire to West Ham off

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• Chelsea have slapped a £30million price tag on academy star Lewis Hall.

  The Daily Telegraph reports that the Blues’ heavy spending has brought pressure to generate sales and academy players are primed for the exit door due to the fact that they represent pure profit on the books.

  The 18-year-old agreed a new contract at Stamford Bridge this summer until 2030 but has now been put up for sale amid interest from Newcastle.

  

• Chelsea have slapped a £30million price tag on academy star Lewis Hall.

  The Telegraph claim that the Blues’ heavy spending has brought pressure to generate sales and academy players are primed for the exit door due to the fact that represent pure profit on the books.

  Hall, 18, agreed a new contract at Stamford Bridge this summer until 2030 but has now been put up for sale amid interest from Newcastle.

  Get this and more Chelsea news and rumours on talkSPORT.com’s dedicated club blog

  

• Reading have been deducted a point with immediate effect, with a further three points suspended, for failing to pay their players last season.

  An independent disciplinary commission found the Royals had breached Football League regulations by not paying wages on time and in full on three occasions.

  Reading’s owner Dai Yongge has also been fined £10,000 and ordered to deposit an amount equal to 125 per cent of the club’s forecast monthly wage bill in a designated club account, in an attempt to avoid further breaches.

  If that deposit is not paid within 28 days, or there is any further failure to pay players’ salaries this season, then the suspended points sanction will be activated.

  The EFL could even decide on a tougher punishment for the League One club, who were docked six points last season and six in 2021 for separate rule breaches.

• Harry Maguire is harming his own England chances by staying and fighting for his place at Manchester United.

  Three Lions boss Gareth Southgate has already taken a chance on the centre-back by retaining his place in the starting XI.

  But Darren Bent believes that will be tested if he continues to play a bit-part role at Old Trafford, after his transfer to West Ham fell through.

  ❌ “I don’t like it.”

  😳 “It shows a lot of complacency and a lack of ambition from him.”

  😬 “If he sits on the bench all the season, Southgate will say enough is enough.”

  Darren Bent isn’t a fan of Harry Maguire turning down a move to West Ham pic.twitter.com/puXtInklKI

  — talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) August 16, 2023

• Chuba Akpom has completed a move from Middlesbrough to Dutch giants Ajax in a deal worth an initial £10.5million, rising to £12.2million.

  The 27-year-old former Arsenal academy striker has penned a contract with the Amsterdam club that runs until 2028.

  Akpom scored 28 goals in 38 games for Boro last season, having joined the Championship side in 2020 following a stint with Greek club PAOK.

  But now he’s made a big step to join the record 36-time Eredivisie champions Ajax, who are looking to win back the title this season following Feyenoord’s triumph last term.

• Manchester United staff have been told to prepare for the potential return of Mason Greenwood to the club, talkSPORT understands. 

  United have concluded the fact-finding phase of their internal investigation into Greenwood after he was arrested in January 2022, and are expected to make a final decision on his future imminently.

  Greenwood has not played for United since being charged with a number of offences including attempted rape, but all charges were dropped earlier this year.

  

• Manchester United insist they have not made a decision about Mason Greenwood’s future yet.

  But the Red Devils have confirmed the internal investigation into the young striker has been completed, and they will make a decision and make it public shortly.

  In a statement, the Premier League giants said: “Following the dropping of all charges against Mason Greenwood in February 2023, Manchester United has conducted a thorough investigation into the allegations made against him.

  “This has drawn on extensive evidence and context not in the public domain, and we have heard from numerous people with direct involvement or knowledge of the case.

  “Throughout this process, the welfare and perspective of the alleged victim has been central to the club’s inquiries, and we respect her right to lifelong anonymity.

  “We also have responsibilities to Mason as an employee, as a young person who has been with the club since the age of seven, and as a new father with a partner.

  “The fact-finding phase of our investigation is now complete, and we are in the final stages of making a decision on Mason’s future.

  “Contrary to media speculation, that decision has not yet been made and is currently the subject of intensive internal deliberation. Responsibility ultimately rests with the Chief Executive Officer.

  “Once made, the decision will be communicated and explained to the club’s internal and external stakeholders.

  “This has been a difficult case for everyone associated with Manchester United, and we understand the strong opinions it has provoked based on the partial evidence in the public domain. We ask for patience as we work through the final stages of this carefully considered process.”

  

• As well as Crystal Palace’s Cheick Doucoure [see below] Liverpool have also been linked with an interest in Bayern Munich’s Ryan Gravenberch as Jurgen Klopp seeks to bolster his midfield.

  The Reds have been linked with the 21-year-old before, but could now reignite a pursuit to sign the young Netherlands international after losing out on both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea.

  That’s according to Foot Mercato, with Gravenberch making clear he wasn’t happy with his bit-part role in his first season at Bayern following his 2022 arrival from Ajax.

  However, there is some bad news for Reds fans – according to the report Manchester United are also interested, and the young midfield talent would prefer a move to Old Trafford over Anfield.

  

• Jurrien Timber has taken to social media after Arsenal confirmed his major injury blow.

  The 22-year-old Dutchman only joined the Gunners from Ajax this summer, but he may not play again this season after suffering ACL damage in his Premier League debut against Brentford on Friday.

  He posted on Instagram: “Gutted to share my injury is more serious than expected, especially after the warm welcome I’ve received.

  “I wanted to repay you on the pitch, which will not be possible for the forthcoming period.

  “I’m blessed with a lot of great people around me. Together we will do anything to get back as soon and strong as possible.

  “For now I’ll be supporting our team from the stands of course.

  “Thanks for making me feel at home in such a short period of time, see you at The Carpet.”

  

• Arsenal have confirmed summer signing Jurrien Timber has suffered an ACL injury to his right knee.

  The defender, who arrived from Ajax earlier in the transfer window, is set for a lengthy spell in the sidelines and will undergo surgery.

  The Gunners have not put a timeframe on his absence, but players with ACL injuries which require surgery usually return after seven-to-nine months.

  An Arsenal statement reads: “Further to detailed assessments with consultant specialists since Saturday, we can confirm that Jurrien Timber has sustained an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

  “Jurrien will undergo surgery in the coming days and will be out of action for a period of time.

  “The support and expertise from our medical team and everyone at the club will now be focussed on Jurrien’s rehabilitation programme, to ensure he recovers well and is back playing as soon as possible.”

  

• Leeds boss Daniel Farke has declared that wantaway players Wilfried Gnonto, Luis Sinisterra and Helder Costa are training away from the first team squad.

  Speaking of the trio ahead of Friday’s clash against West Brom, he said: “They have individual training in order to stay fit. They’ve been moved out of the dressing room for different reasons.

  “We’ve spoken at length about the situation with Willy. With Helder Costa everything is more relaxed. It’s his and our wish that there will be a solution and it’s professional. 

  “With Luis Sinisterra it’s a different situation. There is no exit clause and we’ve made it clear that we won’t sell Willy.

  “With Luis it’s different, he has an exit clause and there were some open question marks. 

  “Until everything is sorted from a legal point of view, he won’t train with the group as he can’t focus on training.

  “It seems it’ll be sorted quickly. All these three players were training separately.”

  

• Arsenal have reportedly opened contract talks to extend skipper Martin Odegaard’s contract.

  That is according to Charles Watts, who has stated the Gunners are keen to hand the 24-year-old fresh terms.

  Odegaard’s current deal expires in 2025, and Arsenal are desperate to tie the Norway international down now to avoid a panic next summer.

  Since joining on a permanent deal in 2021, Odegaard has become one of the Premier League’s best midfielders.

  Should he agree to an extension, he would join Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba and Reiss Nelson in committing their long-term futures in 2023.

  

• Liverpool have reportedly identified Crystal Palace star Cheick Doucoure as their new midfield target.

  The Reds are in desperate need of a holding midfielder after losing out on Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia to Chelsea.

  According to the Independent, Doucoure has emerged as a possible alternative.

  The 23-year-old is thought to be keen on a move to Anfield, although Palace are reluctant to lose more key players this summer.

  

• Tottenham have opened direct talks with Lazio and have stepped up the departure of former captain Hugo Lloris.

  Lloris made clear earlier this summer his desire for a new challenge after 11 years at Spurs and was not involved in Sunday’s 2-2 draw at Brentford.

  The World Cup winner is now closing in on a switch to Lazio after talks between the clubs started, but it’s understood a final agreement on a fee is still to be reached.

  With Lloris still having a year left on his contract, Spurs hope to get a fee for their former captain but it is now expected the 36-year-old will begin the next chapter of his career in Italy.

  Lloris will leave Tottenham after 447 appearances and 151 clean sheets, having helped the club reach three finals during his 11 years, including the 2019 Champions League final.

  

• It appears there could be a bit of a midfielder merry-go-round between Man City, West Ham and Ajax before the transfer window closes.

  According to Fabrizio Romano, Ajax are eyeing a deal for 20-year-old City ace James McAtee.

  He would come in as a replacement for in-demand Mohammed Kudus, who is wanted by West Ham.

  The 23-year-old Ghanaian star could join the Hammers as a replacement for Lucas Paqueta, with the Brazilian linked with a move to City in a big-money move.

  The transfer window, eh? We love it!

  

• Sheffield United have announced the signing of former Everton midfielder Tom Davies.

  The 25-year-old was a free agent after his contract at Goodison Park expired at the end of last season, and he has now penned a three-year contract with the Blades.

  “I’m made up to be here and can’t wait to get started,” said Davies, on arriving at Bramall Lane.

  “It was time for me to go from the previous club to join Sheffield United and I’m really excited for it, I think it is a great project that the team have here and I’m full of enthusiasm and hunger to get going.

  “The Premier League is the best league in the world so when Sheffield United came knocking I thought this was the place to be, playing against the best teams and the best players.

  “I played here [Bramall Lane] twice during Covid, and I think that helped Everton, but I’m looking forward to getting on the pitch in front of the full crowd and showing the fans what I’m about.”

• Congratulations to England’s Lionesses, who are through to their first ever Women’s World Cup final.

  Sarina Wiegman’s girls have defeated joint-hosts Australia 3-1 to book an all-European showdown with Spain.

  Chelsea’s Aussie star Sam Kerr made things nervous for England when she equalised after Ella Toone’s beauty of an opener.

  But the Lionesses stepped things up in the second-half as goals from Lauren Hemp and Alessia Russo sealed a historic win.

  What a moment!

  FULL STORY

  

• Moises Caicedo’s shirt number at Chelsea appears to have been leaked, and it seems the £115million signing has been handed one of the London club’s iconic jerseys.

  Following a long and drawn out transfer saga, the Ecuadorian finally joined the Blues on Monday from Brighton.

  Caicedo has signed for a British record transfer fee after Mauricio Pochettino’s side were able to fight off interest from rivals Liverpool to secure one of their long-term targets.

  Fans had been eagerly anticipating his arrival and will now be looking forward to his first appearance on the pitch for Chelsea, where he is set to wear the No.25 shirt.

  Incredibly, the No.25 was last worn at Stamford Bridge by Blues legend Gianfranco Zola.

  No Chelsea player has worn that number since, but the club has brought it out of retirement for their big-money signing.

  FULL STORY

  

• Bernardo Silva is set to commit his future to Man City.

  The Portuguese star has been strongly linked with a move to Barcelona this summer.

  However, Fabrizio Romano claims Silva has now decided to stay put at the Etihad Stadium.

  It is said the City playmaker has verbally agreed to sign a new contract with the Premier League champions.

  City now expect Silva to put pen to paper on his new deal by the end of the week, with his new terms expected to run until 2026.

  

• Manchester United legend Dwight Yorke has urged Harry Maguire to leave Old Trafford after being ‘humiliated’ by Erik ten Hag.

  The centre-back’s transfer to West Ham has broken down following a delay from the player as he negotiated a severance fee with the Red Devils, with the Hammers opting to end their chase to pursue other targets.

  It is understood Ten Hag telling Maguire to fight for his place led to a change of heart from the England international, who is now set to stay put this summer.

  But Yorke insists it’s time for him to leave.

  “I don’t think Harry Maguire will be an option for squad depth now, not when he’s been humiliated by the manager who spoke publicly about fighting for his place,” Yorke told OLBG.

  “It’s about being the best in your position at the club, that’s what he needs to aim for, his confidence will be low after his captaincy was taken away.

  “Imagine seeing Luke Shaw playing in your position and you’re still on the bench, imagine what that would do to your confidence.

  “Maguire might see it differently and he’s entitled to, but I think him leaving Man United is a no-brainer. His respect in the changing room would have diminished, he would have been embarrassed by what’s happened in recent weeks.

  “If Jonny Evans signs a one-year contract says everything that what Erik ten Hag’s intentions are with Maguire.”

  

• Manchester United chiefs have commented about the future of Mason Greenwood for the first time.

  In an interview with The Athletic, Red Devils chief operating officer Collette Roche and head of fan engagement Rick McGagh have confirmed their internal investigation on the forward has been completed.

  They also say the club has spoken to ‘as many people as we can’ about the matter of Greenwood’s future at Old Trafford and whether he should return to the first-team.

  United had intended to make an announcement before the start of the new Premier League season, but no decision has been communicated yet amid claims they are waiting to consult their women’s team after the Women’s World Cup.

  However, Roche and McGagh now say it is ‘not a consultation’ and any decision over Greenwood will be theirs and theirs alone.

  “We’ve done a really detailed and thorough internal investigation and we’ve asked as many people as we can around what happened and try to understand it beyond the original investigation done by the police,” said Roche.

  “You’d expect us to engage with people who were relevant in terms of stakeholder groups. And now we just need to make the decision. That decision is firmly a decision that’s on us.”

  McGagh adds: “It’s not accurate to say we’ve had full consultation with the fan advisory board on what decision we’re making. This is not a consultation.”

  

• West Ham are trying to sign Stuttgart’s former Arsenal defender Konstantinos Mavropanos, talkSPORT understands.

  The Hammers are eyeing Mavropanos as an alternative to Harry Maguire after that move broke down.

  And it’s a move that would work in Arsenal’s favour, too, with the Gunners negotiating a 10 per cent sell on clause when they sold the Greece international last summer.

  The 25-year-old spent four years with Arsenal, signing him from Greek club PAS Giannina in 2018 for less than £2million.

  Mavropanos ultimately only made eight first-team appearances for the north Londoners.

  He was shipped out to Bundesliga 2 side FC Nurnberg and then to the German top flight with Stuttgart on loan, before making the latter move permanent in May 2022.

  

• Newcastle United have announced the Saudi Arabia national team will play two friendlies at St James’ Park in September.

  The Magpies are majority owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and their main kit sponsors are Saudi events company Sela.

  And now the Middle Eastern nation’s football are coming to town in games against Costa Rica in Friday September 8 [8pm kick off], and South Korea on Tuesday September 12 [5:30pm kick off].

  Saudi Arabia caught the world’s attention – before their summer transfer spree – at the World Cup in Qatar by beating eventual champions Argentina 2-1 in an enthralling group stage match.

  Local fans can get tickets on the cheap, too, with adults priced at just £5, while concessions are £3.

  

• David De Gea is ‘ready’ to join Bayern Munich after his dream transfer to Real Madrid collapsed… for the second time in his career.

  Real opted to land Kepa on loan from Chelsea instead, as they sought cover for injured Thibaut Courtois.

  De Gea is a free agent after his Manchester United contract expired at the end of last season, but now he could be set for a move to Bayern.

  Bayern were in talks to sign Kepa as cover for the injured Manuel Neuer and with No.2 Yann Sommer joining Inter Milan, while De Gea was in talks with Real.

  But now the players destinations could switch.

  Sky Germany report Bayern are now in talks with De Gea over a move, with their options drying up as the clock ticks down to deadline day.

  Bayern have also targetted Man City No.2 Stefan Ortega, but – as we reported yesterday – Pep Guardiola has insisted City do not want to lose their back-up keeper, who played in the FA Cup final last season.

  They also wanted Geronimo Rulli from Ajax, but he suffered an injury on Saturday and is now out for up to three months.

  The new Bundesliga season starts in only three days, and so Bayern have some work to do to get a deal in place before their opener on Friday evening, with No.3 keeper Sven Ulreich currently set to play.

  

• Nottingham Forest have tabled a bid to sign Arsenal defender Nuno Tavares, according to reports.

  Forest want the 23-year-old Portuguese in a permanent deal and have made an official offer to the Gunners, reports Fabrizio Romano.

  Manager Steve Cooper is said to be keen on bringing in a new full-back before the window closes.

  It is claimed negotiations are still ongoing on the player side, but Forest are hopeful of getting the deal done.

  Tavares has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Emirates Stadium by Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, with the left-back spending last season on loan at Marseille – where he made 39 appearances, scoring six goals.