LIONEL MESSI has been speaking to the media as a PSG player after taking the No30 shirt in Paris.
The Argentinian star has been pictured in his new kit as the Ligue 1 side confirm the signing of arguably the greatest player of all time.
Messi has signed a two-year deal, with an option for a further 12 months.
Meanwhile Romelu Lukaku’s move to Chelsea is a done deal, with the Belgian forward in London to complete the move.
And Jules Kounde could be back on the agenda for the Blues, with Sevilla confirming they will sell the defender for the right price.
PRICE BOOST – GET CHELSEA AT 8/1 OR VILLARREAL AT 33/1
FREE BETS BONUS: GET £180 IN FREE BETS FOR CHELSEA vs VILLARREAL
⚽️Dream Team 2021/22 – pick a team now for the chance to win £100⚽️
Follow ALL of the latest news and updates below…
NO WILL TO LEAVE
Joe Willock and Newcastle have not yet reached an agreement on personal terms after the Gunners agreed an initial £22million fee for the 21-year-old.
That’s according to Sky Sports, who claim Willock and the Magpies are “a distance apart on agreeing personal terms” with the midfielder unsure on a permanent move.
Willock scored eight goals in 14 games while on loan for the Magpies in the second half of last season, and also became the youngest player to score in seven consecutive games.
The Gunners are willing to move Willock on permanently to free up funds for further transfers, but the player himself is not convinced by a move away from his boyhood club.
OUT OF THE RACE
Arsenal will not sign Manuel Locatelli from Juventus, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
The Italian midfielder is instead likely to join Juventus, who he has been strongly linked with all summer.
The Gunners have now pulled out of the race for the 23-year-old after being linked with him in recent weeks, with Locatelli said to prefer a move to Turin.
HODDLE HAS HIGH HOPES
And former Chelsea manager Hoddle believes the ex-Everton frontman Lukaku will enable current boss Tuchel to mould the team his way.
One-time Spurs chief and England playmaker Hoddle said: “I think it’s just exactly what Tuchel wants and what the team want.
“I always felt they lacked a little bit of a focal point and that’s what Lukaku will do.
“He’s 28 now, he’s hitting his peak. He’s got a fabulous goal-scoring record anyway.”
RIO RATES ROM
Rio Ferdinand and Glenn Hoddle claim Romelu Lukaku will be Chelsea’s “mouthwatering focal point” – as the perfect striker for Thomas Tuchel’s tactics IAN TUCKEY reports.
Old Trafford legend Ferdinand said: “One thing for certain is that he will be the focal point now for this Chelsea attack.
“They have some fantastic talent up there, an array of talent, they have so many weapons now and I think he’ll be the mainstay.
“Everybody else will be moved about around him but he’ll be the person they look to.
“I am really interested to see how Werner and Havertz feed off him, Mount, giving him the ball, Pulisic and Ziyech.
“It’s going to be mouthwatering. I’d love to watch training.”
‘THERE’S NO LAW’
Lille defender Jose Fonte has slammed Paris Saint-Germain and the Financial Fair Play regulations after watching the Ligue 1 side’s summer transfer business, DYLAN TERRY reports.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “I just want to understand the Financial Fair Play in France.
“Every single club is restricting their spending. They can’t buy a lot, they can’t get players on big wages but then PSG comes and it looks like there’s no law.
“Everyone had to tighten the budget at Lille, some players had to reduce their wages.
“Then you come to PSG and you see Donnarumma, Ramos, Wijnaldum signing.
“All these players are coming for big, big wages and they already have lots of players that have incredible wages.”
ENEMIES BECOME FRIENDS
Sergio Ramos has taken to Instagram to welcome former rival Lionel Messi to PSG.
Ramos, who arrived at PSG from Real Madrid this summer, played against former Barca man Messi 45 TIMES in El Clasico clashes.
And he’s poked fun at his new teammate, as his post translates as: “Who was going to tell us, right?” before tagging Lionel Messi.
PERSONAL TERMS AGREED
Xherdan Shaqiri has agreed personal terms with Lyon, according to L’Equipe.
Liverpool and Lyon are yet to agree over a transfer fee, with the Reds holding out for around £7million.
The French club are said to have had an offer worth around £3.4million turned down, but a deal seems inevitable.
The 29-year-old is eager to move on in order to get more first team action, with minutes hard to come by for the Switzerland international at Anfield in the last couple of seasons.
LOOKING AT LORENZO
Inter are keen to reinvest the £97.5million they’re set to receive for Romelu Lukaku by making a move for Napoli captain and Euro 2020 winner Lorenzo Insigne.
That’s according to Sky Sport Italia, who are reporting that he could leave for as little as £25-30million, after failing to agree a new contract with his boyhood club.
The 30-year-old scored 19 times and provided 11 assists in 48 games for Napoli last season, and has played a whopping 397 times for the club.
Lazio are also said to be interested in his signature.
ROM THE RECORD HOLDEREx-Manchester United man Romelu Lukaku set to become the most expensive player in history in accumulated transfer fees once his move to Chelsea is confirmed.
The £97.5million paid to Inter Milan will see his total transfer fees rocket to almost £300million.
And it means he will have cost the most in joint transfers ever, surpassing Neymar’s prior record of £246.6m.
FREEING UP FUNDS
Ike Ugbo and Tammy Abraham can take Chelsea’s summer sales to £102million to fund the £97.5m return of fellow striker Romelu Lukaku, IAN TUCKEY reports.
Genk are closing on a £4m deal for 22-year-old Ugbo, despite interest from Fulham, Watford, Monaco and Anderlecht.
And Chelsea have accepted Roma’s £34m offer for England star Abraham, 23, although the Arsenal target has yet to agree personal terms.
The Blues have already made £64m from offloading TWENTY-FIVE PLAYERS since June.
Two centre-backs dominate the incoming fees – Fikayo Tomori’s £27m exit to AC Milan and Crystal Palace paying £21m for Marc Guehi.
But the biggest names to depart are £9m frontman Olivier Giroud, who also joined Milan, and Victor Moses, a £4.4m recruit for Spartak Moscow.
TRUMP CARD
Tottenham have the upper hand over Arsenal when it comes to the signing of Lautaro Martinez in the form of midfielder Giovanni Lo Celso.
That’s reported by football.london, who claim Martinez would rather a move to Spurs as it would see him link up with his Argentina teammate.
But with Romelu Lukaku set to be unveiled as a Chelsea player in a matter of hours, Inter are reluctant to lose both of their star man.
That’s despite reports last week suggesting Spurs had agreed a £60million deal for the 23-year-old striker.
However with Edin Dzeko on his way to Milan the Nerazzurri could yet part ways with both of their star strikers.
MBAPPE-XIT?
Kylian Mbappe wants to LEAVE PSG, according to journalist Thibaud Vezirian.
The 22-year-old is into the final twelve months of his contract at the Parc des Princes, and is not bothered about playing with Lionel Messi.
The French giants may now be forced to cash in on him this summer before he’s able to leave on a free in a year’s time.
And Vezirian reports Real Madrid are the frontrunners for Mbappe’s signature.
WOW!
MESSI SCENES
And in case you missed these pictures earlier, these were the scenes outside the Parc des Princes this morning as Lionel Messi was unveiled to the PSG faithful.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Romelu Lukaku LANDED at London Biggin Hill Airport earlier this evening ahead of his £97.5million transfer to Chelsea.
In a video shared and validated by Sky Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano, Lukaku can be seen arriving in London via a private jet.
The official announcement of his move to Chelsea is expected in the coming days.
EAGLES BACKING
American virtual reality bigwig John Textor has pumped nearly £90million into Crystal Palace to help fund new boss Patrick Vieira’s rebuilding job, CLIFF HAYES reports.
Textor bought a minority stake in the Premier League club this summer.
He joins chairman Steve Parish and fellow Americans Josh Harris and David Blitzer on the board.
Textor is the Florida-based founder of virtual entertainment company Facebank.
And he has already helped Vieira land midfielder Michael Olise plus defenders Marc Guehi and Joachim Andersen.
Their combined transfer fees total more than £40m.
EYES ON ISMAILA
Tottenham are reportedly keen on signing Watford winger Ismaila Sarr.
That’s according to Eurosport, who also state that Aston Villa and Liverpool are monitoring the 23-year-olds availability.
The Senegalese international has scored 19 goals and provided 16 assists in 70 games for Watford, and did not look out of place in the Premier League two seasons ago in the Hornets’ eventual relegation campaign.
Watford are back in the Premier League this season after bouncing straight back up from the Championship, but they may be without their star man when the transfer window closes on August 31.
GRAY’S IMPROVEMENTS
New Everton signing Demarai Gray has praised new boss Rafa Benitez, saying the Spanish manager is already helping him improve.
He told evertonfc.com “I don’t think there’s been a training session yet where Rafa hasn’t told me something I can improve.
“But I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“I don’t want to be told what I am good at – everyone knows what they are good at.
“I want to be told what I can work on.”
NEW SURROUNDINGS
The PSG Twitter account has been on overdrive in the last 24 hours since Lionel Messi’s arrival in France.
And here’s another post from them, as Lionel Messi gets used to his new surroundings in the Parc des Princes home dressing room.
FOXES FOFANA REPLACEMENT
Leicester have agreed a deal with Southampton for Danish centre-back Jannik Vestergaard, according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano.
The Foxes have dipped into the market for a new defender after Wesley Fofana’s horror leg break, and the 29-year-old is the man they’ve found.
The clubs have reportedly agreed a £15million fee, with the Saints being forced into cash in for a cut-price fee with the defender in the final twelve months of his contract at St.Mary’s
TANG-OUT OF THERE
Tanguy Ndombele is ‘weighing up his options’ as he considers his Tottenham future, JOSHUA JONES reports.
The midfielder, 24, did not feature for a single minute across the five pre-season matches.
To make matters worse for him, two of his closest friends at Tottenham, Moussa Sissoko and Serge Aurier, could both be on their way out of the club.
The problem for Ndombele and Tottenham, though, is that Spurs splashed out a massive record fee for him just two years ago.
And they tied him down to a six-year contract until 2025 worth £200,000 per week.
That is likely to price out most potential suitors.
POLE POSITION
AC Milan are leading the race for highly rated Bordeaux man Yacine Adli in a £10million deal, ahead of Arsenal and Spurs.
The 21-year-old midfielder is a product of the PSG academy, but made the move to Bordeaux from the French capital in 2019 for a £5million fee after making just one professional appearance at the Parc des Princes.
Since then he’s played 69 times for Bordeaux, scoring five goals and notching eight assists in his time so far in South West France.
Bordeaux President Lopez told RMC Sport :”It is true that there is interest from Milan.
“We are discussing it. It’s not wrong to say that Milan are interested and in a good position. We’re talking and will see if this transfer will go through or not over the next few days.”
CUTRONE OFF
Patrick Cutrone is set for a third loan spell away from Wolves.
That’s according to transfer guru Fabrizio Romano, who reports that Cutrone is set to join Italian side Empoli on loan.
The 23-year-old has failed to find his feet since moving to the West Midlands from AC Milan in 2019.
The Italian spent the first half of last season on loan at Fiorentina, and then the second part at Valencia.
And now he’s set to join Serie A newboys Empoli, with the striker not in the plans of new boss Bruno Lage.
DUSAN DEADLINE
Arsenal and Tottenham have been given an August 15 deadline by Fiorentina to sign Dusan Vlahovic, according to Corriere dello Sport.
The report states that if the Serbian striker is still in Italy on that day, he will remain a remain a Fiorentina player.
The 21-year-old is valued at around £50million by Calciomercato, with Spurs desperate to bring in a new striker should Harry Kane leave the club.
Arsenal meanwhile are on the search for a new frontman as Alexandre Lacazette enters the final year of his contract at the Emirates.
The Gunners are willing to listen to offers of around £15million for the Frenchman rather than letting him leave on a free next summer, but that would mean signing a replacement up front – with Vlahovic said to be one of Edu’s targets.
THIS REALLY HAPPENED
It still looks weird, doesn’t it?
VARA-NNOUNCEMENT
Manchester United will finally announce the arrival of Raphael Varane TOMORROW.
SunSport now understands that Varane has successfully completed those medical checks and signed on the dotted line to make the transfer official.
He has agreed a four-year contract with the option for a further 12-months.
Varane has already posed in United’s colours for the official announcement with his shirt number all set to be unveiled.
The number 12, 16, 22, 24 are the lowest ones currently available at Old Trafford but it will not be until the official confirmation that is revealed.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
