Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City have all joined Arsenal in keeping tabs on Boca Juniors youngster Tomás Aranda.

The 20-year-old has attracted plenty of attention during his breakthrough year in Argentina. Arsenal were among the first Premier League clubs linked, and that English list is now getting considerably longer.

Argentine outlets El Intransigente and El Crack Deportivo both report Chelsea are following Aranda closely. The former also names Liverpool and the City Group among the midfielder’s admirers.

That means Manchester City can be added to the picture, although the report specifically refers to the City Group rather than Enzo Maresca’s side individually.

Boca, unsurprisingly, would prefer all of them to stay away. At least for now.

Premier League queue getting longer

Aranda’s development during 2026 explains why so many clubs are taking notice. Earlier reports linking Arsenal with the youngster came when he had played only 21 senior matches. He had one goal and two assists at that stage.

Those numbers have moved on. Aranda has now made 30 appearances this year, playing 1,931 minutes and registering one goal and three assists.

More importantly for Boca, he has become a regular part of manager Rodolfo Arruabarrena’s plans and one of the top performers in Argentina.

Club president Juan Román Riquelme sees the midfielder as one of Boca’s most valuable young assets. El Intransigente says both he and Arruabarrena want Aranda to stay and continue his development in Argentina.

His contract certainly helps them. Aranda is tied to Boca until December 2029, meaning there is no need for the club to entertain ordinary offers. There is, though, a fairly obvious catch.

€17m (£15m) gives interested clubs a way in

Aranda’s contract contains a $20m release clause, currently worth around €17m (£15m).

El Crack Deportivo says Boca don’t want to lose the midfielder. El Intransigente also makes it clear Riquelme wants to keep one of the club’s biggest young prospects.

However, an interested side willing to trigger that clause would leave Boca with little contractual power to stop the transfer.

For any Premier League side, €17m (£15m) isn’t an enormous gamble on a 20-year-old already playing regularly for one of South America’s biggest clubs.

But English sides aren’t the only ones looking, either. Inter Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Parma and Como are all named in the latest reports. Brazil’s Corinthians and São Paulo are also mentioned.

Then there are the previous links from England. Aston Villa and Brighton have both been credited with interest in Aranda in recent weeks, although neither has moved forward with a formal offer.

Nobody has made a concrete move yet, and Boca clearly want to keep Aranda. With Chelsea, Liverpool and the City Group now added to an already sizeable list, that €17m (£15m) clause could become increasingly uncomfortable for Riquelme.

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Chelsea are working to find Deivid Washington a way out of Stamford Bridge, and Strasbourg could now provide the solution the Brazilian has been looking for.

Portuguese journalist Sebastião Sousa-Pinto reports Strasbourg are working on a deal for the 21-year-old. A loan from Chelsea is currently on the table.

That would be an interesting change of direction from the Blues. Recent reports in Brazil have made it clear Chelsea would prefer to sell Deivid Washington permanently.

It would also send him to a very familiar destination in Chelsea’s current setup.

Strasbourg route opens again

Strasbourg and Chelsea are both controlled by the BlueCo group, and the French side have effectively operated as a satellite club for the Blues in recent years.

Several young Chelsea players have headed to Strasbourg for development and regular football. Andrey Santos is perhaps the most obvious example, having enjoyed a productive spell there before returning to England.

Deivid Washington himself almost followed that route two years ago.

Sousa-Pinto points out the striker saw a move to Strasbourg cancelled at the last minute back then. Now, two years later, the French club are working to finally bring him in.

A loan is being discussed, although there is no suggestion yet that an agreement has been completed.

A solution to Chelsea’s problem?

We already covered reports that Deivid Washington’s main concern is simply getting senior minutes. He has no particular preference between staying in Europe and returning to Brazil. He’s also open to either a loan or permanent transfer.

Chelsea have been the more difficult part of that equation. They would prefer to sell him, partly because of restrictions on how many players they can send out on loan.

That’s already caused problems with Atlético Mineiro. The Brazilian club have discussed Deivid Washington with Chelsea for weeks. Atlético wanted a temporary deal, while the Blues have been pushing for a sale.

In the end, Strasbourg could now offer another route. And the Blues would still keep him within reach.

Chelsea paid €15m (£13m) to sign Deivid Washington from Santos in 2023, but he has played fewer than 30 senior minutes for the Blues. He has instead spent much of his time with their U21s, registering 19 goal contributions in 35 matches.

His loan return to Santos last year didn’t provide the breakthrough either. He played 20 times and scored once before Chelsea called him back.

The striker remains tied to the Blues until 2030, so there’s no immediate contractual pressure to sell.

There is, however, an obvious need to get him playing senior football. With Strasbourg now trying to revive a move that collapsed two years ago, BlueCo’s familiar Chelsea-to-France route may finally provide it.

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Newcastle United have entered the picture for Galatasaray’s Wilfried Singo, approaching the Turkish side about a potential deal.

Fanatik report information from Sabah today. They state that developments are unfolding around Singo.

Newcastle offer €40m

Wilfried Singo, who was signed from Monaco for €30m last season, could be set for an immediate exit, and a move to the Premier League.

Newcastle have officially entered the race for the 25-year-old. The Magpies have approached the Yellow Reds’ management with a ‘record breaking’ offer of €40m.

Galatasaray are in no rush to sell, though. Singo is signed to a deal until 2030, so they’re in a strong position on that front. A sale, though, would help their plans to fill the void at right-back. They have former star Sacha Boey, who Bayern Munich would like to sell this summer, on their agenda.

Their desire on that front could, therefore, tempt Galatasaray into a sale at the right price. Whether that is €40m, remains to be seen. Given the likes of Transfermarkt currently rate the defender at €23m, the offer is already a fair one.

Newcastle in for centre-back

Newcastle United find themselves on the hunt for a new centre-back despite having Malick Thiaw, Sven Botman, Dan Burn and Fabian Schär at their disposal.

With a bid now on the table, he’s a name to potentially keep an eye on moving forwards into the last two weeks of the window.

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Ipswich Town’s second offer for Exequiel Palacios still falls short of Bayer Leverkusen’s demands, despite growing optimism around the deal.

The Tractor Boys have stepped up their efforts for the Argentina international after seeing an opening bid rejected earlier this month.

Reports on Tuesday revealed Ipswich had returned with a new official proposal and believe they can get the transfer over the line quickly. There is, however, still a gap to bridge.

Second Ipswich offer below Leverkusen demands

South American journalist César Luis Merlo now provides more detail on the negotiations and identifies the latest proposal as Ipswich’s second formal offer for Palacios.

According to his information on Tribuna, the improved bid remains below the figure Bayer Leverkusen are demanding for the midfielder.

That would explain why an agreement hasn’t been reached yet, despite the confidence coming from the Ipswich side.

The German club haven’t closed the door. Talks remain open and Ipswich are working to move closer to their demands before the transfer window closes.

Earlier reports from Argentina had placed Bayer Leverkusen’s asking price at around €35m (£30.3m).

We covered last week that Ipswich’s first proposal was considered insufficient. Also, Argentine reports previously stated Palacios would prefer a move to a bigger club.

There is no mention of that preference in Tuesday’s latest update, and Ipswich’s continued push suggests they believe a deal remains achievable.

Ipswich still have work to do

Merlo also says Palacios remains highly regarded by Bayer Leverkusen’s coaching staff. That puts the Bundesliga side in a strong position during negotiations. The 27-year-old has been at the club since January 2020 and remains under contract.

Ipswich have at least made significant progress since their interest first surfaced.

Initial contacts took place with the player’s representatives, before the Premier League club moved on to a first formal offer. They have now returned with an improved second attempt.

The message coming from the latest reports is therefore fairly clear. Ipswich are pushing hard and believe the transfer can happen, while Bayer Leverkusen are yet to receive an offer which fully satisfies them.

Finding that middle ground is now the remaining task.

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A back issue is currently holding up Dayann Methalie’s move from French side Toulouse to Sunderland.

Journalist Fabrice Hawkins reports that a back issue was discovered during a recent medical, putting the 20-year-old’s move to Sunderland ‘in danger’.

Sunderland pause

Sport Witness covered a report this evening explaining that Sunderland’s doctors had raised concerns over the defender during his medical this week.

That had caused Sunderland to pull away from the deal, sending Dayann Methalie back to Toulouse in the process. According to journalist Sacha Tavolieri, tensions were rising between the two clubs over the development.

Fabrice Hawkins now adds his own information to the matter. He confirms that Methalie is returning to Toulouse. His move to Sunderland is in danger.

According to his information, Sunderland’s doctors discovered a back issue during his medical for the Black Cats. They will now undertake further tests in Toulouse on the issue.

He adds that there is now a growing disagreement between the two clubs. Toulouse have been left frustrated, believing that the issue is not serious enough to jeopardise the agreement they had in place with Sunderland. That deal was worth €30m including add-ons.

Sunderland concerns

Sunderland, though, clearly feel differently. Whatever their doctors have discovered has, for the time being, caused them to hit the pause button on the transfer. They are now perhaps waiting to see what comes from the further tests in Toulouse.

But it would not be surprising if they now try to re-negotiate the deal they had in place. A reduction of a few million would, perhaps, convince them to take the risk on Dayann Methalie after all.

For now, it appears that they are not ready to take the risk. But their hesitancy is leading to growing tensions with the French side, which could also cause the whole affair to collapse.

Dayann Methalie is returning to Toulouse. The move to Sunderland is in danger.

A back issue was detected during his medical. The 20-year-old full-back will undergo further tests in Toulouse.
There is a disagreement between the two clubs because at this stage, TFC believe the… pic.twitter.com/X1q79klcZo

— Fabrice Hawkins (@FabriceHawkins) August 18, 2026

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Dayann Methalie’s move to Sunderland appears to be off after their medial team found issues ahead of his move.

Journalist Sacha Tavolieri reports that Sunderland’s doctors raised concerns regarding the Frenchman after putting him through his paces.

Medical concerns

He explains that the 20-year-old had completed all the medical procedures ahead of his potential move to Sunderland.

It was then that Sunderland’s doctors raising concerns. They had issues with ‘certain physical aspects’ regarding the defender. Tavolieri does not provide further details on what they are.

What he does say is that his transfer to Sunderland is now in jeopardy. For the time being, the defender is returning home to Toulouse.

The situation between the two clubs is now tense. Sunderland had an agreement in place with the French side. But that had only been reached ‘at the very last minute’. Now the Black Cats have pulled away due to medical concerns.

Tavolieri does not report that they have cancelled the deal for Methalie entirely, though. Instead, it seems they are just concerned about his fitness and paying what they had previously agreed.

Sunderland transfer halted

Sunderland have been chasing his signature for more than a month. Sport Witness have covered those efforts.

They submitted a new bid eight days ago, while it was explained that they needed to up their offer by €7m a day later. That appears to have happened – or at least they had found an agreement with Toulouse – but now the medical has scuppered that progress.

As Tavolieri provides no further details, it is unclear what Sunderland’s doctors have found. That’s caused such concern. Methalie did suffer a knee injury last year, which saw him spent 38 days out and miss six games. He also suffered a calf injury in 2025, but that saw him miss just two games and 15 days.

We’re sure more details will be on the way soon. For now, though, Sunderland appear to be holding back the transfer.

After Dayann Methalie completed his medical examinations—prior to the actual signing—Sunderland's doctors raised concerns regarding certain physical aspects; consequently, the Frenchman's transfer to Sunderland AFC is now in jeopardy, and he is returning home. The situation… pic.twitter.com/JDDnwjRSAg

— Sacha Tavolieri (@sachatavolieri) August 18, 2026

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Until now, though, there had been little indication Palace were actually prepared to let him go. But that has changed.

Colombian journalist Pipe Sierra reports the Eagles are open to selling Muñoz this summer. They have also put a price on the 30-year-old, at around €29m (£25m).

Tottenham, Everton and Nottingham Forest have all been linked with Muñoz in the English press. Sierra now backs up that interest and takes things a little further, claiming all three have made enquiries about the conditions of a deal.

Palace open the door and set their price

Previous reports had presented Muñoz as a player attracting attention elsewhere, even citing Barcelona, Chelsea and clubs from Saudi Arabia. But there were no developments from that. And there was no clear indication Palace would entertain a sale of such a key player.

They now appear ready to do exactly that for the right money, and it comes from a very reliable source. The €29m (£25m) figure also gives interested clubs something concrete to work with. They know Palace’s position and have already asked what a transfer would involve.

For Tottenham, the enquiry makes plenty of sense after Djed Spence’s departure. Spurs now have Pedro Porro as their only senior natural right-back. They therefore need someone who can provide immediate cover and genuine competition.

Muñoz would bring plenty of Premier League experience and could slot straight into the squad.

Everton and Forest also ask

Everton have also checked the conditions of a potential transfer. David Moyes currently has Jake O’Brien and Nathan Patterson as options on the right. Muñoz would offer a more experienced alternative and give Everton another option for rotation.

Nottingham Forest complete the Premier League trio. They have Ola Aina and Nicolò Savona available, so Muñoz would add another established option on the right.

For now, Sierra only reports enquiries from the three clubs. There is no suggestion yet of offers or advanced negotiations. Even so, the situation has moved on.

Muñoz was already being talked about as a potential transfer target. Palace have now provided the missing piece by opening the door to his departure and setting their price.

Tottenham, Everton and Forest have already asked the question. They now know roughly what it will cost to take the next step.

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That’s according to Ecuadorian outlet El Futbolero, who believe the Seagulls could be following the young attacker after his recent performances.

Fragozo is already making an impression at senior level despite his age. His latest display only added to the excitement around him.

Brighton could be keeping watch

Fragozo was one of Emelec’s standout performers in their weekend victory over Técnico Universitario. The teenager provided an assist and repeatedly caused problems with the ball. His willingness to run at defenders was one of the highlights of his performance.

El Futbolero now brings Brighton into the picture. They say Fragozo’s performances are starting to create expectations around his future. His pace, ability to beat opponents and confidence in the final third have caught attention.

Of course Brighton have looked towards emerging markets for young players they can develop, so this could be another early catch.

Born in Colombia and naturalised as Ecuadorian, the forward has become one of Emelec’s more exciting young talents.

He enjoys one-on-one situations and plays with little fear. His movement, changes of pace and diagonal runs can also open up space in opposition defences.

Perhaps most impressive is his personality. Fragozo wants the ball and looks to make things happen, even at only 16.

Still very early for Brighton

There is no suggestion yet that Brighton have submitted an offer or formally approached Emelec.

Transfermarkt currently values the youngster at €500k (£430k). That’s a valuation and not an asking price from Emelec, with his value likely to rise if he establishes himself further in the first team.

Fragozo remains right at the beginning of his senior career. Brighton may now be one to watch if the youngster continues making this kind of impact in Ecuador.

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Botafogo midfielder Danilo Santos, who were linked to a Premier League move during most of the summer, remains under consideration at St James’ Park. However, ESPN Brazil say he has now “lost ground” following the managerial change.

Jaissle wants more than just another midfielder. He is looking for someone who can take over some of Bruno Guimarães’ wider responsibilities.

Jaissle wants experience and leadership

ESPN Brazil says Newcastle United currently have as many as three names on their list. The new manager wants an experienced player who can become a leader both on and off the pitch. Newcastle also want someone capable of “commanding” the dressing room.

That has created a problem for Danilo. Newcastle have been looking at the 25-year-old for some time. His name came up as a potential Bruno replacement before the Brazilian’s move to Arsenal was completed.

The interest hasn’t disappeared entirely of course. ESPN explain Danilo is still being evaluated by the Magpies.

Jaissle, though, doesn’t believe the Botafogo player has similar enough characteristics to Bruno. That has weakened his chances considerably.

It’s an interesting change following Eddie Howe’s departure. Danilo was clearly a serious option before Jaissle arrived, but the German has his own idea of what Newcastle need.

Replacing Bruno’s footballing qualities was always going to be difficult. Replacing his personality and influence in the dressing room makes the job even harder.

Newcastle finding money isn’t everything

There is another issue Newcastle are running into. ESPN say the Magpies have plenty of money available and can offer high salaries. Yet they are struggling to convince targets because there’s no European football at St James’ Park this season.

Even the prospect of lucrative wages hasn’t been enough in some cases. João Palhinha provides a very recent example of Newcastle’s difficulties in the market.

For Jaissle, that leaves a difficult job over the remaining weeks of the window. Newcastle want someone experienced, influential and capable of filling the considerable hole Bruno has left behind.

They have the financial muscle to do it. Finding the right player who also wants the move is proving considerably harder.

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ABC report, in their Tuesday print edition, Betis have rejected a €50m approach for the Brazilian, thus denying Manchester United a potential sell-on fee in the process.

How Manchester United have lost €18m

The transfer market is heating up around Betis, who are focused on incoming moves and potential departures. Offers have been received for players, but nothing formal as yet.

That was the case with Antony. A wealthy non-Premier League club expressed interest in signing the winger. They proposed a deal worth around €50m.

Betis, though, flatly rejected the move. Factors such as the winger’s importance, influence within the squad, status as a fan favourite and the profit-sharing agreement with Manchester United drove their refusal.

The deal would have been the biggest in the Spanish club’s history. But it never progressed beyond that initial approach.

Sell-on clause agreement

Betis signed Antony from Manchester United last summer, for a fee of €21-22m. The agreement includes several clauses, such as Champions League participation bonuses, and a 50-50 split of any potential profit from a future sale.

That would have made the deal less financially beneficial for Betis in net terms. That is why they rejected it. The belief was that they would have been left with insufficient funds to find a direct replacement for the Brazilian in a market that they consider to be inflated.

The forward will be a key player for the Spanish side this season, particularly in the Champions League. Losing him, in a deal that would not leave major profits on the books, would be a blow to say the least.

So, they rejected the proposal outright. Indeed, it did not get beyond that stage. And, as a result, denied Manchester United their share of the potential profits.

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