Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has called a Hoops transfer target “brilliant” ahead of their Champions League qualifier with Kairat Almaty.

Rodgers addresses Celtic transfers before Champions League qualifier

So far in the 2025 summer transfer window, those at Parkhead have signed seven new players and still have time for further incomings and outgoings ahead of the September 1 deadline.

It has been two weeks since their most recent arrival, 19-year-old Manchester City loan defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, and Rodgers is focused on getting past the Kazakh opposition with familiar players.

Benjamin Nygren

FC Nordsjaelland

£2m

Shin Yamada

Kawasaki Frontale

£1.5m

Hayato Inamura

Albirex Niigata

£250,000

Kieran Tierney

Arsenal

Free

Ross Doohan

Aberdeen

Free

Callum Osmand

Fulham

Undisclosed

Jahmai Simpson-Pusey

Man City

Loan

Rodgers was asked if he would get the signings he was looking for when the board discover whether they have Champions League income.

“I’m not going to get into a situation where I look frustrated or am frustrated because that transfers on to the players that I have, and those guys have been brilliant.

“If we get somebody in, great. If not, then we’ll go with what we’ve got. We’ll do everything we can to try and ensure all the details are right for the game and see if we can take Celtic back into the Champions League again.

“I’ve had no injuries and I believe that the quality of our game and the intensity that we want to work at can hopefully be enough to see us through. But these games will always be tough games.”

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1 ByDan Emery Aug 18, 2025 Rodgers responds to Vardy joining Celtic rumours

One player who has been linked with Celtic is free agent Jamie Vardy. The forward has his heart set on a move to Celtic Park after leaving Leicester City, and Rodgers called the forward “brilliant” when quizzed on a potential move.

Rodgers also wanted to ensure uncertainty over potential outgoing transfers also does not affect players.

“I mentioned this a few weeks ago to the players, I think it’s important to just set the narrative for them because there’s so much noise, especially as it ramps up towards the end.

“I’ve been in enough changing rooms to know how stability can be lost in this moment because some players will be thinking are they staying, are they going, but in the midst of that you’ve got really important games.

“So I’ve already mentioned this to players about respecting and acknowledging that it is a difficult part of the season, however, the money will be in your bank every month and it’ll be from Celtic and whilst it is, you need to perform. And in fairness to the players, they’ve been brilliant with that. You see it in their attitude in the game, the energy in the games.”

Arne Slot has held his press conference ahead of Liverpool’s second Premier League game of the season against Newcastle United, revealing he is happy with the current squad.

“As always, if we think we can improve in a certain position and there’s a player available who can really make us better – which you could see with Giovanni Leoni – then this club has always shown that they can bring these players in, but only if things are right,” said the Dutchman.

Slot also implied the return to form of Federico Chiesa will improve his attacking depth: “I see a totally different Federico now than I did for most of last season.”

When asked about his upcoming opposition, he highlighted the threat they pose going forward: “The main thing we have to be ready for is their midfielders, their last forwards, their three forwards. I assume Isak isn’t playing, but they still have Gordon as a nine, Elanga, Barnes, Jacob Murphy.”

Slot also revealed that Liverpool had been dealt a blow that will affect their ability to deal with Newcastle’s attack, as their new right-back, Jeremie Frimpong, has picked up an injury that will see him out of action until after the international break.

Liverpool’s eyes are on Newcastle in more ways than just the Premier League clash however, as they plot another bid for one of the Magpies’ star players.

Liverpool readying new Isak bid

Liverpool are preparing another bid for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak. The Reds had previously bid £110 million plus add-ons for the Swedish striker, but that deal was rejected. Now, as Newcastle edge closer to signing Yoane Wissa and also line up Wolves star Jorgen Strand Larsen, Liverpool are preparing a new bid for Isak.

Reports from Spain have indicated that the new bid will be worth somewhere in the region of £138 million. The club view this massive fee as worthwhile, however, as they think “his arrival would bridge the gap following the imminent end of the Salah era”.

The bid may come in after the two clubs face each other on Monday, as Newcastle are unlikely to sell their best player to a team right before they play them.

From the player’s perspective, it has now got to the point where he is publicly pushing for the move, as he put out a statement before the PFA awards, where he spoke of Newcastle’s broken promises and the benefits of “change” for both parties.

What happens to Ekitike if Liverpool sign Isak?

Whilst Hugo Ekitike had an impressive season last year in the Bundesliga, he arrived in the Premier League as something of an unknown quantity, and when it looked like Liverpool might sign him and Isak, the latter looked the safest option of the two.

Ekitike quickly put any doubts about him to rest with his first two performances for Liverpool. During the Community Shield and the opening Premier League game, he registered two goals and an assist, showing that he’s easily adapted to English football.

This means Slot may be faced with the best predicament a manager could find themselves in, as he has two impressive strikers both competing for game time. While Isak may want to come straight into the first team, he’s been away from team training at Newcastle for a while, meaning it may take a few weeks to get up to speed.

An answer to Slot’s issue may arrive before it becomes too much of a problem. This is because in less than a month’s time, the Champions League group stage will be starting, meaning Liverpool will often be playing two games a week, and there should be ample minutes for the forwards to share.

حقق لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد جائزة جديدة بعد تألقه في المباراة الماضية أمام فياريال ضمن منافسات الدوري الإسباني.

وخاض فريق ريال مدريد، بقيادة تشابي ألونسو، مباراته أمام فياريال في بطولة الدوري الإسباني مساء السبت الماضي.

واستضاف ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو” مباراة ريال مدريد وفياريال، في إطار منافسات الجولة الثامنة من بطولة الدوري الإسباني والتي انتهت بفوز رجال ألونسو بثلاثية مقابل هدف.

وتألق فينيسيوس جونيور في المباراة واستطاع أن يقود ريال مدريد نحو تحقيق انتصار مميز جعله في صدارة الدوري الإسباني “لا ليجا”.

اقرأ أيضًا | رودريجو: كنت سألعب في برشلونة.. ورونالدو سبب تشجيعي لريال مدريد

وسجل الدولي البرازيلي هدفين في المباراة الأول من مهارة فردية رائعة من الجانب الأيمن والثاني تحصل على ركلة جزاء ونجح في إحرازها، كما تسبب في طرد أحد لاعبي فياريال.

وتوج فينيسيوس جونيور بجائزة أفضل لاعب في الجولة الثامنة لبطولة الدوري الإسباني بعد الأداء المميز الذي قدمه.

يُذكر أن نادي برشلونة قد خسر برباعية مقابل هدف في اللقاء الذي جمعه أمام إشبيلية في نفس الجولة ولذلك توقف رصيده عند النقطة 19 في وصافة جدول ترتيب الدوري الإسباني.

“These issues are unacceptable, and they aren’t getting better”

Mohammad Isam27-Jan-2025Tom Moffat, the CEO of the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA), has blasted the BPL for being “a repeat offender” in failing to pay the players on time. The reaction comes a day after Durbar Rajshahi’s overseas players boycotted their BPL match on Sunday because of non-payment of dues.Even Rajshahi’s captain Taskin Ahmed had joked after the match that he hoped the cheques issued to the Bangladeshi players, hours before the match, wouldn’t bounce like the pitch. The BCB’s media chairman Iftekhar Rahman said that the board is planning to take legal action against the Rajshahi franchise.On Monday, Ryan Burl and Aftab Alam, two of Rajshahi’s overseas players, appeared for the team’s last league match against Sylhet Strikers. It is however not clear whether the franchise owner Shafique Rahman has paid them fully yet.Related

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Rajshahi's overseas players sit out Sunday's game over non-payment of dues

Moffat expressed his shock on the matter, and called the lack of payment unacceptable.”It’s disappointing to hear about more non-payment issues in the Bangladesh Premier League, which has been a repeat offender over a number of years, ” Moffat told ESPNcricinfo. “These issues are unacceptable, they aren’t getting better, and it’s the players who make the event that are impacted. In any league that is officially sanctioned, players should have confidence that their contracts have some basic protections and minimum standards in them, and that they can be enforced efficiently.”The game is not currently capable of solving transnational issues like this at the moment, and that needs to change if it wants to continue to claim to be a leading global sport in 2025.”The BPL’s first two editions – in 2012 and 2013 – were mired by non-payment issues, with many players remaining unpaid by the franchises. The BCB even stopped the tournament for a season after there were corruption scandals.The payment issue cropped up this year after Rajshahi’s local players boycotted a training session last week, after going totally unpaid for the first two weeks of the tournament. Rajshahi reportedly also initially failed to pay their team hotel in Chattogram, with their owner Rahman getting into trouble with hotel authorities. They also had booking issues in Dhaka where they had to change hotels suddenly.

Gio Reyna has been told what he must do in order to make the USMNT World Cup squad, with the highly-rated playmaker determined to grace a major tournament on home soil in the summer of 2026. Questions are still being asked of his involvement after suffering “injury after injury after injury”, but Brad Friedel is among those backing the 22-year-old to come good.

• Reyna on the move: Bid farewell to BVB

  Reyna has taken on a new challenge at club level, with ties finally being severed with Borussia Dortmund following several transfer windows of intense speculation regarding his future. He is now on the books at Borussia Monchengladbach.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Fresh start: Reyna has a point to prove

  The plan is to find more regular game time there, with unfortunate fitness struggles leading to a slow slide being taken down the pecking order at Signal Iduna Park. Reyna has aired his excitement at making a fresh start.

• World Cup calling: Serious target to aim at

  Having decided to remain in Germany, following links to clubs across Europe, Reyna is looking for his domestic performances to secure more international recognition. There is a serious reward to aim at, with the United States set to be one of the co-hosts for FIFA’s flagship event in a matter of months.

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• Getty
  

  Will Reyna be selected? Friedel offers opinion

  Quizzed on what Reyna needs to do after enduring a turbulent time of late, ex-USMNT goalkeeper Friedel – speaking in association with the comparison site – told GOAL: “With Gio, a lot of unfortunate stuff from the last World Cup, then injury after injury after injury. Talented, talented player.

  “For Gio, he needs minutes and he needs not to be injured. Then we can see before the World Cup if he is ready. If he is, if he has a run of four or five months with no injuries, playing lots of minutes, he’s in the squad.

  “He’s a really talented player, one of the better ones we have. But he really does need to play. When I took the job at Besiktas, I was over at the Copa America and was watching. You could just tell there was something a little bit off. It’s not his ability, that is there. That’s not it. His body has unfortunately not cooperated with this sport.

  “Hopefully for him it goes well. He’s a really good kid and I hope he just stays fit, gets a run of games and then it will be down to Mauricio [Pochettino] choosing him or not. I don’t like to see anybody get left out because of injury.”

Ange Postecoglou was left “frustrated” after seeing Nottingham Forest exit the Carabao Cup in dramatic fashion at Swansea, with complacent players being blamed for an embarrassing defeat in South Wales. The Reds led a second-round contest heading into stoppage-time, but suffered a stunning late collapse that ultimately left them on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline.

Back-to-back defeats for Postecoglou

Postecoglou is still waiting on his first victory as Forest boss, with losses being suffered in his opening two games at the helm. He was thrown in at the deep end ahead of a Premier League trip to Arsenal, but was expecting more from his squad at Swansea.

AdvertisementGettyForest felled in dramatic cup clash

Two first half goals from Igor Jesus had Forest in complete control of their latest fixture but, after squandering a number of other decent opportunities, they crumbled in the closing stages as a flurry of substitutions broke their momentum and caused confusion.

Dramatic finish: Two goals in stoppage-time

Zan Vioptnik levelled matters in the 93rd minute, before Cameron Burgess’ second goal of the game completed a remarkable turnaround for the Swans in the seventh minute of added time. Former Tottenham boss Postecoglou, who struggled to keep clean sheets and pick up positive results during his time in north London, was left fuming at the final whistle.

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GettyPostecoglou explains what went wrong

The Australian tactician, who pointed the finger of blame at those out on the field, told : “It was a game we really should have killed off, long before it got to the stage it did. I sensed we were getting a bit comfortable and thought the game would finish off easily, but that is not what happened, that’s cup football. I thought we scored a good third goal which was disallowed and I think the lads got comfortable in that moment.

“You know the warning signs, especially in cup football, if you let the opposition in there is always a chance they could do what they did to us. I am frustrated we did not realise the danger that could have developed by not being more clinical in our football and killing off the opponent when we should have.

“We don’t have time for philosophical views, there was an opportunity today to progress to the next round of the cup, we were in a great position. We should have seen it out and got through, that is the disappointing thing.”

With less than a week to go until the transfer window slams shut, it would be fair to say Chelsea have had another brilliant summer.

The board have more than backed Enzo Maresca with several quality additions all over the pitch.

In attack, the likes of Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Liam Delap should help solve the side’s finishing issues from last season, and in defence, Jorrel Hato looks like a future star.

The West Londoners aren’t done there, though, as they continue to close in on Alejandro Garnacho, although if reports are to be believed, they’re now looking to sign another youngster who’d be a big upgrade.

Chelsea target Garnacho upgrade

Chelsea have been involved with several transfer sagas this summer, from Gittens to Xavi Simons, but the one concerning Garnacho has felt like it has dragged on the longest.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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The Blues were first linked with the Manchester United ace back in the winter window, but things have really developed over the last few weeks or so.

While there remains a disagreement on the final price between the two clubs, the player has made it crystal clear that he only wants a move to Stamford Bridge, and it now feels like a matter of when, not if, he gets it.

Yet, even so, the West Londoners now appear intent on making another attacking addition to the team in someone who’d be an upgrade on Garnacho.

At least that is according to a recent report from Spanish publication Sport, which claims Chelsea are interested in Fermin Lopez.

In fact, the report goes further, revealing that the Blues have already submitted a bid worth around £50m for the player.

Moreover, another report from Mundo Deportivo has now claimed that the West Londoners have given the player 48 hours to decide if he wants to move to Stamford Bridge.

While that’s a lot of money to spend on a youngster, Lopez would be worth it for Chelsea, especially as he’d be an upgrade on Garnacho.

How Lopez compares to Garnacho

So, when comparing two positionally versatile attackers, it makes sense to start with their raw output, as, at the end of the day, they’ll be judged by the number of goals and assists they chalk up.

Unfortunately for Garnacho, when we do this, it’s Lopez who comes out looking far more impressive.

For example, in his 46 appearances for Barcelona last season, totalling just 2039 minutes, the young Spaniard scored eight goals and provided ten assists.

That means he managed to average a goal involvement every 2.55 games, or every 113.27 minutes, which is undeniably impressive for someone his age.

For his efforts, the United ace scored 11 goals and provided ten assists, but did so in 58 appearances, totalling 3568 minutes.

That translates to a far less impressive average of a goal involvement every 2.76 games, or more crucially, every 169.90 minutes.

The one-sided nature of this comparison only continues when we take a look under the hood, at their underlying numbers.

Lopez vs Garnacho

Statistics per 90

Lopez

Garnacho

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.69

0.48

Non-Penalty G+As

0.79

0.33

Progressive Carries

2.23

5.78

Progressive Passes

5.68

2.30

Shots on Target %

36.6%

34.5%

Passing Accuracy

81.8%

78.9%

Key Passes

2.09

1.52

Passes into the Final Third

4.68

0.90

Passes into the Penalty Area

1.44

1.02

Crosses into the Penalty Area

0.43

0.20

Shot-Creating Actions

4.10

3.40

Goal-Creating Actions

0.50

0.25

Tackles Won

1.08

0.74

Blocks

0.79

0.78

Successful Take-Ons

1.80

1.07

Ball Recoveries

4.75

4.43

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

When doing this, the “creative” Barça star, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, emerges as the top performer in most relevant metrics.

These include actual and expected non-penalty goals, progressive carries, key passes, shot- and goal-creating actions, tackles won, and more, all per 90.

In other words, these statistics paint a picture of a player who is a genuine goal threat, an accomplished creator, and more than willing to contribute to the defensive work.

Ultimately, while Garnacho could still be a massive success at Chelsea, it appears that Lopez is the superior player, and by some margin at that.

Related Better deal than Lopez: Ornstein expects £50m "diamond" will join Chelsea

As Chelsea make a move to sign Fermín López from Barcelona, will the Blues also snap up a “diamond” attacker for £50m who is an even bigger talent?

Posts ByBen Gray Aug 27, 2025

Pakistan captain says batters “have sacrificed individual milestones for team results”, while seamers could have chance to shine when subcontinent teams visit

Danyal Rasool19-Jan-2025

Shan Masood is happy with the conditions Pakistan have put out in their home season•AFP/Getty Images

Pakistan captain Shan Masood put up a strident defence of Pakistan’s decision to produce a pitch that was heavily spin-friendly. After Pakistan wrapped up a 127-run win in the shortest-ever Test to produce a result on Pakistani soil, much of Masood’s press conference was dominated by talking about why the soil in question was quite as dry and brittle as it was.”We will do what we need to take 20 wickets and win the match,” Masood said. “We don’t even play domestic cricket in these conditions. It’s a new thing for us as well. We changed it during the England series because we wanted our team to win. We should appreciate the hard work of our bowlers, who got us 20 wickets consistently.”On those counts, the decision has been an unmitigated success. Ever since losing the first Test to England in October on a flat deck, Pakistan volte-faced on the kind of surfaces they wanted to prepare. Particular attention has been focused on the measures they have taken to ensure spin remains the most potent – arguably only – threat.Related

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Stats – The shortest Test match to produce a result in Pakistan

Have Pakistan opted out of the pace race?

The second Test against England was played on the same used surface of the first Test, with large fans to dry it out. The third Test in Rawalpindi, which naturally does not take spin until late in games, was dried out by wedding-style heaters and fans enclosed by windbreakers; England even accused it of being raked, though concrete evidence of that has not emerged. Ahead of this Test in Multan in the middle of winter, Pakistan went one step further, encircling the surface in a greenhouse as it was warmed up by those giant heaters and fans.Every surface has produced the effect – and result, Pakistan were after. Their spinners – Sajid Khan and Noman Ali in particular – have had little trouble taking 20 wickets; none of the 60 opposition scalps have fallen to seam bowlers since. And each of those three games have produced convincing Pakistan wins.Masood pointed out the wins were not an inevitability, but a consequence of Pakistan playing the better cricket across all departments in each game. “If you’re looking individually at the batters, it doesn’t make for good reading. But our batters batted better than West Indies, and better than England’s batters in October. If you just look at hundreds and fifties and judge them by raw numbers, then it’ll be misleading. Just like we’ll have to be flexible with our playing style, viewers will also need to be flexible in their thinking. Look at India’s blueprint and their averages at home and you’ll get the point. If conditions are flat, getting 20 wickets is hard. We’ve sacrificed individual milestones for team results.”Masood’s comments indicate that Pakistan have no plans yet to change what has been a successful strategy for them. While this World Test Championship (WTC) cycle has proven an unhappy one – they will finish second from bottom in the standings – they have, on paper, a much softer draw in the next two-year cycle. It sees them play three two-Test series at home against South Africa, New Zealand and Sri Lanka, and three series away from home against West Indies, England and Bangladesh. Masood made it clear they had eyes on a final berth in 2027, and that, should it happen, the route lay through “winning all our games at home”.He also dismissed any concerns over dissatisfaction of his fellow batters regarding these playing conditions, and allayed fears over the redundancy of Pakistan’s Test fast bowling. “We can’t pit our bowlers and batters against each other,” he said. “The hardest thing to do here was batting and fast bowling. West Indies didn’t score 141 in either of their innings, and yet we had one partnership [Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan] do it. The mistake is we should maybe have tried to string a few partnerships around that big one. Performances aren’t just about scoring centuries; in some conditions, 10-20 extra runs can make all the difference.”If someone has to sacrifice there, like fast bowlers or batters, then so be it. There will be oppositions where we feel we can prepare seam-friendly pitches. Then fast bowlers will get the opportunity to get wickets like the spinners got here. We need to work on how we can progress as a team. A WTC is a two-year cycle, so fast bowlers will come into it. We have away series in England and the West Indies with the Dukes ball. When a subcontinent team comes here, we may prepare seam-friendly wickets. Over the bigger picture, no one’s role is being diminished.”Pakistan do not play another Test for nine months, and have just two scheduled over the next 14 months. For Masood, this was the biggest concern, and a situation he deemed unacceptable.”I’ve complained about this issue and raised it several times; a nation like Pakistan cannot just play 4-5 Tests a year. This is something we as a nation need to push for. A ten-month gap, and then if you come and play in these conditions, it can be completely different. Our first-class season will also likely only just have begun at that time. These ten months are important, and I hope we get international and domestic cricket, and the Test players we have, hopefully we can look after them in the next ten months so they’re ready for the series against South Africa in October.”Ten months is a long time in cricket and, as Masood knows only too well, especially in Pakistan cricket. But in a nation where captains can live or die by the results their team produces, it is little surprise Masood makes no apology for a strategy which, for now, has been giving his team those wins, regardless of the optics that accompany them.

Half-centuries from Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan wrestled momentum back for Pakistan after Jayden Seales’ triple-strike had put West Indies in the box seat in Multan. On a surface tailor-made for spin, it was the fast bowler who proved the pick of the bunch, exploiting pace and slight seam movement to send debutant Mohammad Hurraira, Kamran Ghulam and Babar Azam back for single figures. Pakistan had, at that point, been reduced to 46 for 4, with West Indies looming ominously over the tail. But a gritty unbeaten 97-run rearguard for the fifth wicket, from Rizwan and Shakeel, thwarted the visitors for the rest of the day, to ensure Pakistan would end the day with a semblance of control.After the start was delayed by four hours owing to heavy fog that enveloped the ground, Pakistan won the toss and batted first in hazy conditions with the floodlights on throughout the course of the day. Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie bowled the first ball, an indication of how both sides perceived the pitch upon which each played three specialist spinners. Motie got rid of Pakistan captain Shan Masood early on, squeezing him down to the debutant wicketkeeper Tevin Imlach on the on side, but for the rest of the hour, it was Seales’ show.He had been sniffing right from the outset, and got his reward when Hurraira hung his bat out and edged to the keeper. It was followed up by a beauty to remove Kamran Ghulam, who had just dispatched an outswinger to the boundary. The next ball, he attempted to shoulder arms but it seamed back into him wickedly, rapping the thigh, with Hawk-Eye showing it would have clipped the top of off.Kamran Ghulam was lbw shouldering arms to Jayden Seales•PCB

The big fish came soon after, another glorious use of the seam. Seales hit a hard length which Babar looked to parry into the off side, but it shaped away just enough to kiss the outside edge through to Imlach. Babar would review, but, like Ghulam, he would not be reprieved.The innings threatened to fall apart at that point, but Saud Shakeel, seasoned on surfaces like these, restored some order to proceedings for Pakistan. The sting was taken out of the quicks and the spinners negotiated deftly, while Mohammad Rizwan at the other end kept his concentration levels up as West Indies continued to prowl.There was a notable acceleration from the pair after tea, right from when Shakeel got to his knees and swept Kevin Sinclair for four. It was a shot that brought the pair bounty through the session, giving them a release shot as the ball began to rip. The next six overs produced seven boundaries with Rizwan the chief aggressor, brave enough to use his feet to spin and ensuring the strike kept ticking over.There remained plenty for the visitors to get excited about. A number of balls beat the outside edge by a whisker, and Shakeel popped one up dangerously close to short midwicket just shy of a half-century. But when he got there, and Rizwan followed up soon after, the milestones were both well-deserved. By now, the light had been deteriorating consistently, and midway through Kraigg Brathwaite’s first over, the light-metre came out, and the players went off. By then, Pakistan were arguably the happier side, having been dragged by Rizwan and Shakeel towards a rather less perilous position than they found themselves in after the first hour.

Very little is predictable in the final weeks of a transfer window, well apart from the fact Chelsea will be busy!

The Blues are currently finalising a deal to sign Xavi Simons, while reports suggest that they’re also in talks with Manchester United to bring Alejandro Garnacho to Stamford Bridge.

This would take the Blues’ summer spend above £300m, but could they leave their most important addition for last?

Chelsea target a transformational signing

Inarguably, the best signing of the Clearlake Capital-era is the £42.5m paid to Manchester City to sign Cole Palmer two summers ago, given that he has become one of the very best players in the Premier League.

Since, the Blues have signed a further 21 players, as the table below outlines.

Omari Kellyman

£19m

Zero

Tosin Adarabioyo

Free

41

Marc Guiu

£5m

16

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

£30m

36

Renato Veiga

£12m

18

Caleb Wiley

£8.5m

Zero

Filip Jörgensen

£21m

24

Aarón Anselmino

£15.6m

1

Pedro Neto

£52m

51

João Félix

£44.5m

20*

Jadon Sancho

£5m penalty fee

41

Mathis Amougou

£12.5m

2

Mike Penders

£17m

Zero

Dário Essugo

£18.5m

3

Liam Delap

£30m

6

Mamadou Sarr

£12.5m

1

Kendry Páez

£17.2m

Zero

João Pedro

£55m

3

Jamie Gittens

£48.5m

Zero

Jorrel Hato

£35.5m

Zero

Estêvão Willian

£29m

Zero

*appearances made during his second spell only

As the table documents, Chelsea have signed 21 senior players since Palmer’s arrival, some of whom have never and will never make a first team appearance for the club, but could that trend be about to change?

Well, according to a report by Julien Laurens of ESPN, Paris Saint-Germain are expecting to receive an offer from Chelsea for goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, with Manchester United and Internazionale Milano also noted as being interested.

Les Rouge-et-Bleu are actively attempting to sell the Italian national team captain, having just signed Lille goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier for £35m, with a report by La Repubblica claiming that Donnarumma is valued at a similar figure.

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So, could there soon be a new number one in West London?

How Gianluigi Donnarumma would transform Chelsea

Despite no longer being wanted in Paris, Donnarumma’s quality should not be questioned.

Walid Acherchour of RMC Sport labels his performances for PSG last season “phenomenal”, while Mark White of Four Four Two believes he is the very best goalkeeper in the world, praising his ‘shot-stopping ability’, asserting that his game has reached a new level in the last 12 months.

Still only 26 years old, Donnarumma is vastly experienced, accumulating 251 appearances for boyhood club AC Milan, debuting for the Rossoneri as a 16-year-old, featuring a further 161 times for PSG since making the move four years ago.

He is also now Italy’s captain, racking up 74 caps at international level, very much on course to break the all-time appearance record of 174, held by his idol and namesake Gianluigi Buffon.

Should he make the move to Chelsea, he would surely be a key figure in West London too.

That’s because, as outlined by Nizaar Kinsella of BBC Sport, many believe the Blues still require a top-class goalkeeper if they’re going to challenge for the biggest trophies once again, noting that neither Robert Sánchez nor Filip Jörgensen ‘have proven themselves at the highest level’.

Donnarumma, on the other hand, certainly has, as the table below emphasises.

Goals conceded per 90

0.91

5th

Saves

35

13th

Save %

7.08%

20th

Clean sheet %

40%

9th

Post-shot xG – goals conceded

+2.2

13th

Crosses stopped

14

3rd

Punches

13

1st

High claims

13

4th

Errors leading to a goal

1

13th

Average SofaScore rating

7.1

16th

As the table highlights, Donnarumma was one of the very best goalkeepers in last season’s Champions League, a key factor behind PSG’s triumph in Munich, making crucial saves against Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa en route to the final.

Thus, while many of Chelsea’s recent signings have been acquired for money-trading purposes, viewed as assets or market opportunities more than key contributors, the Italian would instantaneously improve the Blues’ starting lineup in a way that, it could be argued, no one has done since Palmer joined two years ago.

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ByEmilio Galantini Aug 9, 2025