TRANSFERAPALOOZA 2022: Deadline Day Live Blog

And with that, we come to the end of the summer transfer window of 2022. Thanks for joining me folks, and goodnight to all!

PS: Clubs can still complete moves if they have submitted a deal sheet before the deadline.

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Everyone take a guess

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Barkley update

The Daily Mail reports that Southampton are interested in pursuing a move for Ross Barkley, with Ralph Hasenhuttl keen to strengthen his midfield department. It’s worth noting that Barkley, who is now a free agent, can sign for a club even after the transfer window closes.

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LOL

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Memphis Depay rumors played down

As it stands, Chelsea have a slim chance of signing Depay with time running out. Moreover, Thomas Tuchel himself may not be convinced, even though the Dutchman wants to join us.

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HARVEY VALE NEW CONTRACT ALERT!

According to the Evening Standard, Harvey Vale has signed a new 4-year contract and is now set to join Xavier Simons on loan at Hull City.

Very good news!

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Batshuayi to stay in the PL

Nottingham Forest are set to sign Michy Batshuayi. I love it when Nottingham Forest’s transfer craziness of a buying a whole new squad coincides with us offloading our unwanted players!

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Bakayoko update

Tiemoue Bakayoko has refused a loan move to Monza, and is now expected to continue at AC Milan, despite the likelihood of receiving little-to-no playing time.

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WOAH WHAT IS THIS SPEED MR. BOEHLY?

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Chelsea move to Denis Zakaria

After failing to sign Edson Alvarez, Chelsea have moved on to Denis Zakaria. Talks have already started and Chelsea are offering to take him on a loan with a buying option inserted.

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Fiabema to head out on loan again

Bryan Fiabema is set to head out on a season-long loan to League One side, Forest Green Rovers, as per the Evening Standard.

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More midfield happenings

No Alvarez, no Sangare, and wee Billy gone? Well, that’s a damper.

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Memphis Depay coming too?

According to Gerard Romero and Diario AS, Chelsea have also enquired about Memphis Depay, and may have even made an offer. Barcelona will have to make a decision seemingly since they could be left without any cover for Robert Lewandowski. Depay has apparently asked to leave.

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Arsen Zakharyan could happen in January

While Dynamo Moscow have confirmed that Arsen Zakharyan will not be moving in this transfer window, there is a good possibility that the situation will be revisited in the future.

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Kenedy to join Real Valladolid

According to Ge Globo, Kenedy will sign a 5-year contract after sealing a permanent transfer to Real Valladolid. Only the final details remain to be formalized.

Kenedy is already in Spain with his agents to finalize his transfer to the Spanish club, which is owned by former striker Ronaldo Fenômeno.

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Todd Boehly gets his swap deal

Here we go!

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Lots of creativity involved in signing Zakharyan

According to Championat, Chelsea and Dynamo Moscow have reached an agreement for Arsen Zakharyan’s transfer. Zakharyan will remain on loan in Russia until January 2023.

Chelsea and Dynamo had to be really creative in getting this deal done apparently, with both the clubs working on getting into the Transfer Matching System before the end of the transfer window in England. Upon receiving the money in the following days (weeks?), Zakharyan’s transfer to Chelsea will be activated in this system and registered.

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Barkley to France?

Recently-turned free agent, Ross “the boss” Barkley is wanted by OGC Nice, as per RMC Sport. They are in no hurry since they can sign him even after the transfer window closes. Nice are also interested in Bakayoko.

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Agreement for Aubameyang

According to Fabrizio Romano, we have now reached an agreement in principle for Aubameyang. The fee is €14m, with Marcos Alonso going the other way.

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Michy Batshuayi update

Turkish club Fenerbahce are interested in bring Michy Batshuayi back to the country after his loan spell with Besiktas last season.

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Josko Gvardiol extends contract

As previously reported, Gvardiol has now extended his contract by a further year. While this is meant to drive up his already exorbitant price, it won’t have an impact on the negotiations itself.

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Chelsea make €100m bid for Rafael Leao?

According to Diario AS and Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sempre Milan), Chelsea made a €100m bid for Rafael Leao, but AC Milan have simply pointed at his €150m release clause. Milan don’t want to lose their talisman, and will look to extend his contract once the transfer window ends.

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Xavier Mbuyamba to join FC Volendam

As previously reported as well, Xavier Mbuyamba is set to depart Chelsea on a permanent basis. According to the Telegraaf, the former Netherlands U19 international. has signed a 3+1 year deal with FC Volendam in the Eredivisie.

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Zakharyan’s move to Chelsea is off

As expected, the current political climate has ensured that Arsen Zakharyan won’t be coming to Chelsea this summer. The FA have blocked the move, with Chelsea being unable to transfer the money to Dynamo Moscow.

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Loan departures

Dujon Sterling is currently having a medical at Stoke City, after deciding to head there on a season-long loan.

Meanwhile, Jayden Wareham is also set for a temporary stint away, and is in advanced talks to join Leyton Orient.

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The midfield domino

Chelsea caused quite the unrest in PSV’s offices last night after the bid for Sangare, but the Eredivisie club will not let him leave. A similar situation is happening at Aston Villa, who will not let Douglas Luiz leave, as per Sky Sports.

There is a much better possibility of signing Edson Alvarez, who has now refused to train, as per the Telegraaf.

Billy Gilmour’s situation could also be intertwined in all of this.

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Nice join Bakayoko race

L’Equipe report that OGC Nice have been in talks with Tiemoue Bakayoko’s representatives, and could move to sign him if his loan with AC Milan (and contract with Chelsea?) is terminated.

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Tuchel to have the final say in Gilmour’s future

Brighton will come up with a bid for Billy Gilmour’s permanent transfer, but the final decision lies with Thomas Tuchel. Tuchel will speak with Gilmour, before deciding whether to sanction a permanent departure. Brighton may be front runners, but there will definitely be other clubs happy to take him on a season-long loan.

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Zaha to stay

As the Daily Mail notes, Wilfried Zaha is expected to stay at Crystal Palace. Makes even more sense since we’re close to clinching Aubameyang.

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Aubameyang on the verge of signing for Chelsea

As multiple sources claim, we are now on the verge of signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Chelsea’s latest proposal is believed to be worth around €7.5million (£6.5m) plus Marcos Alonso moving in the opposite direction.

As Mundo Deportivo notes, Barcelona not only want, but need to offload Aubameyang if they want to be able to sign a pair of fullbacks. Barca are sympathetic to Aubameyang’s injury that could see him miss up to a month of action, but it has certainly not helped them in transfer negotiations.

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Chelsea looking at Douglas Luiz

We have already reported about Chelsea’s interest in Douglas Luiz, but Sky Sports being the Internet Explorer of the calciomercato world, seem to have finally caught on.

Luiz is expected to be on the move today, with Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool all tracking the Brazil international - and one club is set to make an official offer of £20m today. Luiz’s current contract runs through next summer.

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Twist in the Joško Gvardiol saga

According to Christian Falk, RB Leipzig are trying to extend Gvardiol’s contract till 2027. The Bundesliga side’s hierarchy have been pretty clear on their intention to hold on to Gvardiol even next season.

As per the Athletic and the Evening Standard, we could postpone our pursuit of the Croatian defender till the January transfer window since RB Leipzig have raised their asking fee from €70m (£60.5m), to €80m (£69.2m) and finally to €90m (£77.8m). Chelsea will also face competition from Manchester City.

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As we finally hit the deadline day of summer 2022, here’s a liveblog to quench your thirst for transfer news mania! All the updates pertaining to Chelsea in one place, updated as close to real time as possible.

With respect to expectations for the day, Chelsea are targeting two further signings (attacker and midfielder) for the first-team before the transfer window shuts close. The attacker is expected to be Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Marcos Alonso going the other way.

There is still not much clarity on the midfielder we will sign, but we have made late offers for Edson Álvarez of Ajax and Ibrahim Sangaré of PSV (Eredivisie clubs can still sell players even if their transfer window is closed now), but our efforts to sign either of them are likely to be futile.

There should also be more clarity arriving today on our pursuits of Arsen Zakharyan and Ronnie Edwards.

Regarding outgoings, Alonso as aforementioned is heading to Barcelona. Billy Gilmour is expected to join Brighton on a permanent deal. Ethan Ampadu will return to Serie A in the form of Spezia on a season-long loan. Salernitana and Real Valladolid are interested in loan deals for Michy Batshuayi and Kenedy respectively. Hakim Ziyech is expected to stay now that Ajax have signed Lucas Ocampos, although Tottenham Hotspur also maintain a mild interest in him.

Dujon Sterling should head out on a Championship loan, while young stalwarts Joe Haigh and Xavier Simons have been linked with loan stints to Derby County and Hull City respectively. Tiémoué Bakayoko is facing termination, both from his AC Milan loan deal, as well as his contract with Chelsea, with Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, and Monza interested in his services.

That’s it folks for your introductory notes, and stay tuned for all the updates as they come through the day.