Good morning and welcome to Sports Mole's live transfer blog on Tuesday, August 26.
With less than a week to go now until the transfer window closes, the countdown is now well and truly on.
We are expecting Manchester United to break the British transfer record today, while a whole host of other deals are also likely to go through.
Rest assured that we will have all the biggest moves and fresh speculation covered right here so stay tuned.
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Morning all. So, it's not every day that the British transfer record is broken, is it? All being well, Angel di Maria should smash that today when he signs for Manchester for £59.7m. Of course, we'll have all the other big news covered as well throughout the day so there is no need to go anywhere!
Let's get things underway, though, with a look at a handful of the stories that have been making the headlines over the last few hours:
Report: Arsenal to miss out on signing Olympiacos defender Kostas Manolas
Report: Manchester United ramp up pursuit of Arturo Vidal
Jordan Rhodes to submit transfer request?
Sevilla confirm Tottenham Hotspur 'willing to pay Federico Fazio clause'
Manchester United agree £57.9m Angel di Maria fee?
Where's Joel Campbell off to then? Well, nowhere if the Arsenal striker has his way. Speaking to the club's official website, the Costa Rica international has expressed his desire to make an impression in the Premier League. With Olivier Giroud reportedly injured, it's unlikely that he will be allowed to leave the Emirates Stadium now.
Staying with Arsenal and Lukas Podolski. The World Cup winner has been linked with a host of clubs, including Wolfsburg, Juventus and Napoli. However, the German international's agent has claimed that no offers have been made for his client.
© Getty Images
Moving slightly North of London, Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has insisted that he will not be paying inflated fees for players between now and the end of the transfer window. Find out what Pearson has had to say here.
Did anyone catch Xabi Alonso's good luck message to Angel di Maria on Twitter yesterday? The former Liverpool player said: "Thanks for everything 'Fideo'! I wish you the best - even if it is at Manchester United!"
¡ Gracias por todo Fideo ! Te deseo lo mejor, aunque sea en el Man. Utd :) Nunca olvidaremos el zigzag de la prórroga en Lisboa.
— Xabi Alonso (@XabiAlonso) August 24, 2014
And that is my stint on this blog done for today. Coming up now is Pascal Lemesre to guide you through the next three hours...
Thanks Liam. Let's go to Arsenal first this afternoon. The Gunners might be desperately hunting a striker if Olivier Giroud is indeed ruled out for three months as reported, but they've also been linked with a move for Sporting Lisbon's midfielder William Carvalho. The Portuguese club are said to be dangling the carrot of a cut-price deal if Arsenal would be willing to send him back to Lisbon on loan.
DONE DEAL! Sami Hyypia continues his rebuilding of Brighton & Hove Albion with the loan signing of Gary Gardner from Aston Villa until the New Year. Full story.
More from the Championship, where Wigan Athletic have turned down Leicester City's approach for James McArthur.
1PM HEADLINES! Missed anything this morning? Then our lunchtime transfer roundup is just what you need.
Sounds like Lukas Podolski is going nowhere this summer. Arsenal will need him as Olivier Giroud looks set to be on the sidelines for an extended period.
Wenger: "@Podolski10 is in the squad tomorrow and will stay with us" #AFCvBES http://t.co/Kg4sqi68NR — Arsenal FC (@Arsenal) August 26, 2014
Should Arsene Wenger be trying to sign a new striker to account for the loss of Giroud? Or will the club's current back-ups Yaya Sanogo, Lukas Podolski and Joel Campbell be good enough? Will Alexis Sanchez thrive in a more central role? Cast your vote by using the link below:
What should Arsene Wenger do this summer? Cast your vote here: http://t.co/ZAfxeSjLn0 #afc pic.twitter.com/SyUZnBw0Bx
— Sports Mole (@SportsMole) August 26, 2014
Barcelona's Javier Mascherano has committed to the Catalan club with a new four-year contract. Read more here.
DONE DEAL! Wolves have completed the signing of George Saville from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee. The 21-year-old signs a three-year contract at Molineux and you can read what Kenny Jackett has had to say about the capture here.
With Angel Di Maria on the verge of joining Man Utd from Real Madrid, is one player set to move in the other direction? Los Blancos are reportedly keen on young full-back Guillermo Varela, who is yet to appear for the Red Devils after joining them last summer.
Time for me to hand you back to Liam, but before I go, here's the latest on Daley Blind's possible move to Man Utd.
Excuse me, it is actually Matt Law now being subbed in. All yours, Matt...
Thanks Pascal! Right, to Spain, where Barcelona's star teenager Munir El-Haddadi reportedly has a release clause of just £9.5m in his current contract. The 18-year-old scored on his first-team debut against Elche on Sunday evening, but this news will worry the club's supporters!
DONE DEAL! Mexican international Andres Guardado has departed Valencia for PSV Eindhoven on a one-year loan.
Some news coming out of Italy - Roma defender Mehdi Benatia will reportedly travel to Germany tomorrow for a medical with Bayern Munich.
Ander Iturraspe has played down suggestions that he could leave Athletic Bilbao this summer. The Spanish midfielder, who was one of La Liga's most impressive players last season, has been strongly linked with a move to Bayern Munich over the last couple of weeks. However, the 25-year-old has said that his focus is firmly on Bilbao.
Liverpool forward Fabio Borini has reportedly emerged as a transfer target for AC Milan. The former Italian champions are currently in the market for a new striker after losing Mario Balotelli to Liverpool and have also been linked with a move for Chelsea's Fernando Torres. However, Borini, who has previously represented Roma, is believed to now be in the picture.
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According to Sky Sports News, Di Maria is "one or two hours away" from being confirmed as a Manchester United player. Exciting times!
Here's more on Di Maria, who has reportedly passed his medical at Manchester United. That deal is very close now.
Barcelona are reportedly close to announcing the signing of Sao Paulo defender Douglas. The 24-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to the Catalan outfit in recent months, with head coach Luis Enrique keen to use the defender in the right-back position.
DONE DEAL! Bayern Munich have signed Mehdi Benatia from Roma. More to follow...
More on the Benatia deal can be found here. Bayern are looking quite strong this season again it must be said!
Just a reminder that Di Maria has reportedly passed his medical with Manchester United and an announcement is imminent. It would be a big boost for United ahead of tonight's League Cup clash with MK Dons.
DONE DEAL! Hibernian have completed the signing of centre-back Liam Fontaine. The 28-year-old had been a free agent ever since he departed Bristol City at the end of last season.
Right, that is just about it from me this evening. However, be sure to remain with us as I pass the baton onto Pascal. Just a reminder that a statement from United regarding Di Maria is believed to be imminent.
Ta Matty. First this evening, let me bring you news of a done deal in the Championship. Watford have loaned Cristian Battocchio back to Italy and Serie B side Virtus Entella for this season. Slightly odd as the 22-year-old has made over 60 appearances for the club in the past two seasons.
DONE DEAL! Hull City have signed Michael Dawson from Tottenham Hotspur. Read more here.
NEW SIGNING: We are delighted to announce the signing of Michael Dawson from @SpursOfficial #UTT pic.twitter.com/PBxIGMq6WK — Hull City Official (@HullCity) August 26, 2014
7PM TRANSFER UPDATE! Here's the latest from transfer land. But wait, here comes the big news of the day...
DONE DEAL! Angel Di Maria is a Manchester United player, signing from Real Madrid for a British record £59.7m and committing to a five-year contract. Read more here.
BREAKING: Angel Di Maria has completed his move to #mufc for a British record fee of £59.7m. #WelcomeDiMaria pic.twitter.com/ySiDmJM0gD
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 26, 2014
Find out which two Premier League clubs Sochaux striker Cedric Bakambu has claimed are interested in signing him here.
According to our poll earlier, the striker that most Arsenal fans want to sign in the wake of Olivier Giroud's injury is Radamel Falcao. Capturing the Colombian superstar might be a bit too much to ask and the Gunners have been linked with a move for Torino's Alessio Cerci today.
DONE DEAL! Roma have moved quickly to replace Mehdi Benatia, who joined Bayern Munich earlier today. The Italian side have brought in Kostas Manolas from Olympiacos and you can read more here on that deal.
And with that, my evening on the blog is over. Guiding you through the next few hours will be my good friend Barney Corkhill. He's a hoot.
Cheers Pascal and hello all! We have some more big news to bring you on what is already a busy night of transfer activity. Samuel Eto'o who was released by Chelsea at the end of last season and has been linked with a host of clubs this summer, has completed his move to Everton on a two-year deal. You can find that developing story here.
More on that Eto'o transfer now, as Everton boss Roberto Martinez says that he is very "excited" about the veteran striker strutting his stuff at Goodison Park. He and Lukaku certainly look like a potent front two.
From the Premier League to Serie A now, where Chievo have completed the signings of two players on loan from Inter Milan. You can find out exactly who by clicking here.
Continuing our magical mystery tour around Europe, our next stop is Portugal, where Porto have signed a Mexican goalkeeper by the name of Raul Gudino. Incidentally Porto are currently in Champions League action and well con course for a place in the groups.
There have been two big transfers this evening, with Angel di Maria joining Manchester United and Samuel Eto'o signing for Everton. Bill Kenwright, chairman of the Toffees, believes that the latter is a "perfect" fit for his new club.
Earlier today we brought you the news that Michael Dawson had left Tottenham Hotspur to join up with Hull City, and it is fair to say that the former Spurs skipper has mixed emotions about the move. He has been speaking about how emotional it was for him to leave White Hart Lane.
Well, after such a humbling defeat in the League Cup this evening, the last thing Manchester United fans will want to hear is that they are unlikely to sign anyone else this summer. However, Louis van Gaal has hinted that he may be done in the window having wrapped up the Di Maria deal earlier today, although one suspects he may have been pre-occupied with what he had just seen from his side when he said that.
Right, that is me done for the evening, folks! I will pass you over to Joe Fish, who will take you through the night until 2am. Over to you Joe...
DONE DEAL! Italian side Palermo have confirmed the signing of Giancarlo Gonzalez from Columbus Crew. The Costa Rica defender impressed during his country's run to the quarter-finals of the World Cup this summer and had been linked with both Fulham and Sunderland.
SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED! News of another deal that has been completed, and former Reading striker Mathieu Manset has joined League One strugglers Walsall on a one-year contract.
One final line to bring you this morning concerns Danny Welbeck, who could be a central figure on the last week of the transfer window. Manchester United will reportedly refuse to sell the England forward to Arsenal after the Gunners refused to do business with them over Thomas Vermaelen.
© Getty Images
That's it from Sports Mole's transfer blog, on the day that the British transfer record was broken! Rejoin us at 9am for the latest done deals and speculation from around the world. Until then...
Written by
Liam Apicella
Liam Apicella
