𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

“The agent can say anything. But this club has already lost three important players,” Ten Hag told German media on Tuesday.

“We won’t let any more players go, that’s not possible. That would neglect the structure and also the culture of the squad.

“It’s clear Granit is a leader, he has signed here for five years and has three years left on his contract. He’s too important for us to let him go.”

Granit Xhaka is a key figure for Bayer Leverkusen and the Bundesliga side cannot afford to let the Swiss midfielder leave, said manager Erik ten Hag according to Reuters.

Leverkusen have already lost playmaker Florian Wirtz and defender Jeremie Frimpong to Premier League champions Liverpool, while centre back Jonathan Tah has moved to Bayern Munich.

Former Arsenal man Xhaka has been linked with a move to Sunderland, with his agent telling German media the 32-year-old Switzerland skipper has an agreement in principle with the newly-promoted Premier League club.

Xhaka helped Leverkusen secure the double in the 2023-24 season as they lifted their first Bundesliga title without losing a game, won the German Cup and reached the Europa League final.

He has made 99 appearances for Leverkusen, scoring six goals and registering nine assists.

Xavi Simons has made his thoughts clear that he wants to leave RB Leipzig this summer.

Sky Sports say that there is some interest in the midfielder from Premier League clubs and that the player would be open to the move.

Arsenal and Chelsea were the two clubs named but both have been busy scouting out other targets this summer.

Bayern Munich are also said to be interested in Simons but won’t make any moves until later in the transfer window.

Simons’ fee could cost anywhere between €50-65m.

Marcus Rashford is seemingly on the move to La Liga both figuratively and literally.

Rashford posted a photo of himself on a private plane with the caption: ‘Downtime’ as rumours abound over an exit from Manchester United.

The forward has interest from Barcelona and looks set to complete a year-long loan move with the Spanish giants who will have an option to buy included in the contract.

Barcelona have allegedly agreed to cover all of Rashford’s £375,000 per week wages and, though United prefer a permanent move, they have agreed to this deal.

Manchester United have completed the long-awaited signing of Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo for a fee rising to £71million.

Nearly seven weeks after seeing their first offer rebuffed, the Red Devils finally have their man and the 25-year-old has signed a deal until 2030 with the option of a further year.

Mbeumo leaves Brentford for an initial £65m fee that could rise by a further £6m should certain add-on clauses related to team and player be achieved.

The fee could rise to £79m if add-ons are triggered and the French forward is set to become their fourth summer signing.

Ekitike will travel to Merseyside for a medical and will sign a six-year deal, with personal terms not expected to be a problem.

Liverpool hope the 23-year-old will be able to fly to Asia to link up with his new teammates on their pre-season tour. Sporting director Richard Hughes has remained behind in England to complete the deal, along with some of Liverpool’s medical staff.

Fabrizio Romano has pointed to a key reason why Manchester United could be in pole position to sign Benjamin Sekso, and it is down to their head of scouting, Christopher Vivell.

Vivell is a former part of the Red Bull Group and knows Sesko, who plays for RB Leipzig.

United have made no official contact with Leipzig yet, but there is interest.

Newcastle United may be insistent that Alexander Isak is not for sale, and Eddie Howe may be cautiously asserting his confidence that the Swede will “be here at the start of the season”, but there is a lot more uncertainty within the club. Many are worried. A feeling is growing that Isak’s head has been turned, with that accentuated by the club’s frustrations in the transfer market. The 25-year-old is coming into his prime, and just qualifying for the Champions League is no longer enough.

No matter what else Howe says, it is hardly encouraging that the manager admits he has “to send him home” from a pre-season friendly “due to the speculation around him”. That is a strange and conspicuous decision in such circumstances. Some teammates won’t even be drawn on his future. There were still other alarm-bell lines from Howe, even as he maintained Isak is “happy at Newcastle”. Among them were “I respect a player’s career and how short it is”.

We start with some of yesterday’s biggest news…

Arsenal have made a major breakthrough in their negotiations for Viktor Gyokeres, finally agreeing a fee with Sporting CP, who fought hard for what they considered a fair price.

Arsenal have agreed to a package worth up to £63m for the Swedish forward. Their long search for a No9 is nearly over.

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live transfer news blog.

We’ll bring you all the latest updates, rumours and breaking transfer news, with several clubs including Liverpool and Arsenal on the verge of sealing huge deals and the rumour mill in full flow for several Premier League and European teams.