Modric on the brink of Real deal
And so, with great sadness, it appears to be time to say farewell to one of this summer’s old friends: the Luka Modric transfer saga. After weeks of “is he going to Real Madrid or isn’t he” speculation, it appears that, finally, he is.
The Croatia international playmaker’s move to the Bernabeu is set to be completed in the next 48 hours after Spurs chairman Daniel Levy ratified the deal.
Modric is preparing to fly to the Spanish capital to complete his medical and finalise a move that was mistakenly flagged up on the official Real Madrid website in an embarassing error earlier this week. Bernabeu officials quickly removed the post, which suggested Modric was already part of their first-team squad - but they should be able to re-publish the article in the next couple of days.
- Catch up on all the latest DONE DEALS in our Transfer Archive here.
Luka Modric: So this is goodbye © PA Photos |
21.40 BST - DONE DEAL: Aston Villa midfielder Jean Makoun has signed a season-long loan contract with Ligue 1 side Rennes.
21.16 BST: According to Portuguese newspaper Record, Malaga left-back Eliseu is close to completing a long-discussed switch to Primeira Liga giants Benfica.
20.40 BST - DONE DEAL: Incredible! There is another completed deal this evening as Chelsea confirm the signing of Wigan forward Victor Moses.
20.27 BST - DONE DEAL: Sunderland have completed the signing of Man City winger Adam Johnson on a four-year deal.
20.13 BST: There is a lot of talk now that England winger Adam Johnson has completed a move from Manchester City to Sunderland. More to follow on that as we get it.
19.49 BST - DONE DEAL: Ishmael Miller has joined Middlesbrough on a season long loan from Nottingham Forest.
Speaking to the club's official website Miller said: "I'm very happy and excited to be reunited with Tony Mowbray and Mark Venus."
19.48 BST: Tony Pulis has not ruled out completing Tom Huddlestone’s season-long loan to Stoke City – despite reports the proposed deal has collapsed. Read the full story.
19.30 BST: Victor Moses has now passed his medical with Chelsea and is expected to complete his switch to Stamford Bridge within the next 24 hours.
19.05 BST - DONE DEAL: Norwich have signed Norway international midfielder Alexander Tettey from French club Rennes on a two-year deal. More on ESPN.
18.40 BST: Once more a Stoke story is emerging from Sky Sports, as they report that Stoke have agreed a fee for Rangers' US international midfielder Maurice Edu.
18.17 BST: Sky Sports report that Tottenham and Stoke have failed to come to an agreement over the loan move of Tom Huddlestone to Britannia Stadium
18.02 BST: Bologna president Albano Guaraldi claims Gaston Ramirez's prospective move to Southampton is at a standstill.
17.42 BST - DONE DEAL: Swansea City have announced the signing of South Korea international midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung from Celtic for an undisclosed fee. Read more.
17.10 BST: Brendan Rodgers has backed Nuri Sahin to get his career back on track and add a touch of class to Liverpool’s midfield.
16.55 BST: Despite reports earlier this week that Fulham had agreed a fee with FC Twente for defender Douglas, this now appears not to be the case. Speaking to RTV Oost, Twente board member Aldo Van Der Laan confirmed the Brazilian was in discussions with both Fulham and Newcastle, but that a fee had not been agreed with the club as of yet.
16.42 BST: Atalanta have completed the signing of midfielder Davide Biondini on season-long loan from Genoa.
16.08 BST: A Gunners exit? AC Milan, who are looking to add to their midfield options, are thought to be interested in a move for Denilson, who is on loan at Sao Paulo after finding first-team chances hard to come by.
16.00 BST: More O’Neill: he has spoken of his delight at completing the deal to sign Steven Fletcher from Wolves, saying: "It has been no secret that we needed to strengthen our attacking options and Steven has a proven track record of scoring goals.
"He is young and constantly improving, and he will be a very welcome addition to the squad. I'm delighted that we've been able to bring him to Sunderland."
15.44 BST: Martin O’Neill is remaining non-committal about the possibility of Sunderland bringing in any more new faces before the end of the transfer window. Reports suggest the Black Cats are in talks with Manchester City’s Adam Johnson, but O’Neill said: "At this minute, I cannot furnish you with many more details.
"I was hoping that we might be able to do so, so if you allow me to be pretty hesitant on that one, I'll refrain because I really can't tell you anything on a serious note. I'm still trying to improve the team, obviously.”
15.24 BST - DONE DEAL: Huddersfield Town defender Liam Ridehalgh has signed a one-month loan deal with Chesterfield.
15.23 BST - DONE DEAL: Another done deal, with League One Leyton Orient confirming the signing of ex-QPR wideman Lee Cook on a free transfer. He has signed a five-month deal a the Matchroom Stadium.
15.19 BST - DONE DEAL: Norwich’s James Vaughan, who was restricted to only five Canaries appearances last season because of injuries, has completed his season-long loan to Huddersfield. Town manager Simon Grayson told the club’s official website: "He is a different type of striker to the ones we currently have and, crucially, he has plenty of pace."
14.50 BST: After what has been a frustrating summer in the transfer market, Martin O’Neill, having completed a deal to bring Steven Fletcher to Sunderland, is now reported to be in talks with Manchester City’s Adam Johnson.
14.42 BST - DONE DEALS: Senegal international midfielder Guirane N'Daw has joined Ipswich Town from St Etienne on a season-long loan.
14.39 BST - DONE DEALS: A veritable blizzard of signings for Crystal Palace, with three new faces pitching up at Selhurst Park. Cardiff defender Darcy Blake and Bristol City winger Yannick Bolasie have joined on three-year contracts for undisclosed fees, while unattached midfielder Andre Moritz has signed a one-year deal and arrives on a free.
13.41 BST - DONE DEAL: Wolves have signed Austria under-21 defender Georg Margreitter from Austria Vienna for an undisclosed fee, with the 23-year-old agreeing a four-year deal with the Midlands club.
13.01 BST: Zvjezdan Misimovic of Dynamo Moscow is being linked with a move to Hamburg, Bild reports, while the Hamburger Morgenpost says Rafael Van der Vaart could still join the Bundesliga outfit from Tottenham.
12.50 BST: Celtic are keen to bring Japan international Yuki Otsu to Parkhead on a one-year loan deal from Borussia Monchedgladbach, reports in the Far East suggest.
12.30 BST: Leyton Orient are interested in signing Lee Cook, with the winger – who spent a spell on loan at the Matchroom Stadium last season – available on a free transfer after leaving Loftus Road.
11.58 BST - DONE DEAL: Former Swansea defender Joe Walsh has moved to Crawley Town on a free transfer, signing a one-year deal.
11.53 BST - DONE DEAL: QPR forward Tommy Smith has joined Championship promotion favourites Cardiff on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee. A statement on the official Rangers website said: "The club would like to thank Tommy for his services and wish him every success for the future."
11.42 BST: Middlesbrough are reported to be close to agreeing a loan deal for Nottingham Forest striker Ishmael Miller.
11.38 BST - DONE DEAL: Chelsea have ended their search for a right-back with the signing of Cesar Azpilicueta from Marseille. Azpilicueta, 22, fills the gap in Chelsea's squad created by the decision to release Jose Bosingwa earlier this summer.
Marseille have confirmed the transfer on their official website, but there are no details as to the fee involved or the length of contract he has signed. Reports this week suggested the Blues were going to pay in the region of £7 million.
11.09 BST: Norwich striker James Vaughan is reported to be undergoing a medical at Championship newcomers Huddersfield prior to making a loan move.
11.06 BST - DONE DEALS: Sunderland manager Martin O’Neill says the club’s move for Wolves striker Steven Fletcher has been completed, and in other Wolves news, West Ham have completed the signing of Matt Jarvis.
10.21 BST: Inter Milan right-back Maicon is attracting interest from Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea, his agent claims.
10.20 BST: Norwich manager Chris Hughton has made a few additions to the Carrow Road squad, and this could be another one: reports indicate that the Canaries are close to a deal to sign Argentine midfielder Lucas Biglia on a season-long loan from Anderlecht.
10.18 BST: But that’s not the case at Old Trafford: Sir Alex Ferguson has said there will be no more ins or outs before the window shuts, explaining: "We definitely won't be buying anyone else. There is no movement about anyone going the other way."
10.15 BST: Aston Villa could be ready to bring in more new faces before the transfer window closes. Manager Paul Lambert, who saw his new charges lose 1-0 at promoted West Ham in his first game in charge, told the Telegraph: "I've spoken to Randy [Lerner, the Villa owner] and we've just bounced things off one another. If something can be done, then great. We've still got a week to go, so we'll see."
10.05 BST: Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam says he wants to stay at Anfield despite being linked with a move away. The former Blackpool man said: "I still have three years left on my contract, I am happy here and I am looking forward to the rest of the season. This is a great club to be part of. A new era has started under a new manager, and I want to be part of it.”
09.19 BST: Rafael Van Der Vaart’s hopes of making a return to Hamburg have been dashed because the German club’s owner decided against bankrolling the deal, the paper says.
It claims talks about a ¬9 million transfer had been well advanced, only for Klaus-Michael Kuehne, the seventh-richest man in Germany, to decide against doing the deal.
09.16 BST: There could be a few more deals, both in and out, at Arsenal before the end of the transfer window, says the Mail. Here's Arsene Wenger enigmatically explaining: “Some things can still happen. I don't want make a promise that I cannot keep. It does not only depend on me. But there still could be some action on the transfer market - ins and outs. We'll see what we can do.”
09.11 BST: Big Sam Allardyce is delighted with his latest acquisition, saying winger Matt Jarvis, arriving at Upton Park from Wolves in a deal worth around £11 million, is the business. Big Sam said: “From my point of view, it is a big piece of business. He has got a lot of qualities that will add to the team we have already got.
“Certainly from an attacking sense this is one of the best final-third crossers in the Premier League. His stats are extremely good and he delivers in the business end of the field.
“When you are trying to create in the Premier League and score goals he is one of those players who can certainly give defences a really hard time, and that is what we are hoping he can do for us.
“We’ve paid really good money for Matt, but it’s thanks to David Gold and David Sullivan for doing it - and he gives us something that we haven’t got already and you have to pay for that.”
09.08 BST: Anyone would think Manchester City were keen to spend some money. They are, says the Mirror, hopeful that they can swipe Javi Martinez from under Bayern Munich’s noses.
Bayern were hopeful that the Athletic Bilbao man would move to Bavaria in a £30 million deal, but their growing frustration with a series of setbacks and hitches has alerted City.
09.00 BST: On to the Mirror, which says David Luiz is a “shock £30 million target for Barcelona”. The paper explains: “The Spanish giants are long-term admirers and have enquired whether Chelsea will sell the Brazilian before the transfer window shuts.”
Luiz has also been linked with a move to Manchester City – with some reports, which appeared to come from nowhere, saying he would cost £30 million – but he’s not the only transfer story around the Bridge, apparently.
That’s because: “Long-term target Victor Moses is in London for talks after the Blues reached agreement with Wigan on a £9 million deal” and: “Chelsea are also close to securing Marseille’s Spanish right-back Cesar Azpilicueta for £7 million”.
08.45 BST: Also in the Sun (and here’s another long-running saga) Victor Moses is on his way to Chelsea after Wigan and the Blues agreed a £9 million fee, hours after Latics boss Roberto Martinez called Chelsea “cheap” for not meeting their valuation of the winger. The new Chelsea bid is their fifth attempt to sign the former Crystal Palace man.
And when Modric leaves Spurs, Willian will be coming in – because “Shakhtar Donetsk’s £20 million-rated Willian, 24, is the No 1 choice to replace Modric.”
08.30 BST: From the morning’s papers, beginning with the Sun: Nani has reportedly offered to drop his wage demands in an effort to safeguard his Old Trafford future. The winger has two years left on his contract, and his future at the club is thought to be uncertain.
The paper says: “The Portuguese winger and his advisors are willing to accept his basic wage stays the same while the rest is made up by bonuses.
“Nani has two years left on his £90,000-a-week deal but wanted that boosted by nearly 50 per cent to more than £130,000. United told the player’s representatives to forget it and have not gone back with an offer."
08.15 BST: Brendan Rodgers is hopeful that Liverpool can tie up the loan signing of Real Madrid midfielder Nuri Sahin before the end of the week.
Speaking after the group at the football club had achieved the positivity of a 1-0 Europa League win at Hearts going forward, Brendan said the Reds were hoping that the deal could be concluded within the next 24 hours.
Sahin has also been a target for North London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham, and Rodgers said: “Hopefully in the next 24 hours we'll get some confirmation on that. It's quite far [along the line]. He's a very good footballer."
To comment, you must be a registered user. Please Sign In or Register