Newcastle United are moving to finalise a deal for Manchester City midfielder Nico Gonzalez worth £47million plus £3million in add-ons, as the Premier League transfer window heads towards its September 1 deadline.
Gonzalez, 24, was an unused substitute in City's win over Bournemouth on Sunday, with Marc Guehi instead playing in midfield, a sign that a move away from the Etihad Stadium may now suit the Argentine.
Matthias Jaissle wants to add a midfielder with Premier League experience before the window closes. City agreed an £86million deal with Lille for midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi the day before and are looking to bring in another midfielder before deadline day. Newcastle also admire Tottenham Hotspur's Archie Gray, though he has captained the side in pre-season and at the weekend in their 3-0 defeat to Brentford.
Newcastle have also rekindled talks with Lille over forward Matias-Fernandez Pardo, with the clubs discussing an offer worth around £40million for the Belgium international, who can play across the front line. The 21-year-old, who played for Belgium at the World Cup, was previously on Liverpool's watchlist, while RB Leipzig and Atletico Madrid have also made recent proposals.
Villa chase Leao as Watkins nears Al Hilal exit
Aston Villa have contacted AC Milan over a potential move for Portugal international Rafael Leao. Villa are exploring the financial details of a deal for the 27-year-old, who has been talking to Turkish clubs in recent weeks and has been on the radar of several Champions League sides this summer.
Unai Emery wants to strengthen his attacking options after losing Morgan Rogers to Chelsea. Ollie Watkins returned to training on Monday and apologised for missing Villa's weekend defeat to Brighton, but he is still expected to join Al Hilal.
Villa have long held an interest in Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson and were rebuffed in a call for Crystal Palace's Jean-Philippe Mateta. The club have also held further talks with Club Brugge over defender Joel Ordonez.
Arsenal's Martinelli closing on Al Hilal deal
Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli is closing in on a £55million move to Al Hilal. The Saudi club are working to sign the Brazilian alongside Watkins, though Martinelli has still to finalise personal terms with talks understood to be progressing.
Elsewhere, Real Sociedad are pushing to sign 20-year-old Mamadou Sarr on loan from Chelsea, while Crystal Palace have checked on Roma midfielder Neil El Aynaoui, the 25-year-old who was part of Morocco's World Cup squad.
Forest weigh Delap move as City eye Gakpo
Nottingham Forest are planning to hold talks with Chelsea about a deal for forward Liam Delap after their game at Fulham. Delap, who joined Chelsea from Ipswich Town last summer, was left out of the squad for the Premier League clash at Craven Cottage, and Forest are willing to listen to offers for the 23-year-old, who scored just one Premier League goal in his debut season at Stamford Bridge.
Liverpool are yet to receive a formal approach for Cody Gakpo despite Manchester City joining Tottenham Hotspur in sounding out his representatives over a move. Liverpool are not actively looking to sell and their priority is to add attacking threat rather than lose it.
The Anfield club are working on deals for Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain and Yankuba Minteh from Brighton, though there is no guarantee either would hit the ground running immediately.
City confirm Allan Elias signing from Palmeiras
Manchester City have reached an agreement with Palmeiras over the signing of winger Allan Elias in a deal worth up to £34million, made up of £32million plus £2million in add-ons. The left-footed winger predominantly plays off the right, similar to Savinho, who is heading to Tottenham for £75million plus £10million in add-ons.
Championship clubs seal deals
Coventry City have agreed a £6million deal to sign Ethan Pinnock from Brentford. The Jamaica international has been on the periphery of Keith Andrews' first team but has attracted interest from several clubs, including West Ham United.
Coventry manager Frank Lampard has recognised that the 33-year-old's Premier League experience could benefit his side during what is expected to be a testing season, and Pinnock could sign within the next 24 hours.
Hull City are in talks for Union Berlin forward Ilyas Ansah, offering £19million including add-ons. The 21-year-old, who stands 6ft 6in tall, is a Germany Under-21 international who was considered for selection by Ghana ahead of the World Cup, and was a target for Besiktas earlier this year. He scored five goals and registered two assists in 26 games for Union Berlin last season. Hull had a £7million offer for Stoke City winger Sorba Thomas rejected last week and are continuing to work on other options.
Manchester United striker Ethan Wheatley has joined Championship side Lincoln City on loan for the rest of the season. The 20-year-old, who had a spell at Bradford last season, agreed the move on Friday after Everton pulled out of a deal to sign him permanently.
