The huge deals that could happen before the transfer deadline
We’re all set for a genuinely thrilling final two days of the window – and these are the whoppers that could still happen
Done deal(s):
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal to Liverpool)
Oxlade-Chamberlain has officially signed for Liverpool, the Reds have confirmed. The switch has reprtedly cost the Anfield side £40m, achieved despite major interest from Chelsea.
Antonio Conte viewed the England international as a right-wing-back option, however, while Jurgen Klopp is more willing to use him in central midfield – although if the performances of Emre Can, Jordan Henderson and Georginio Wijnaldum against Arsenal at the weekend are anything to go by, he'll have to fight hard for his place.
Serge Aurier (PSG to Tottenham/Man United)
Tottenham have announced the arrival of Aurier from PSG on a five-year contract, in a deal thought to be worth around £23m.
The Ivorian right-back was granted a work permit on Wednesday, having been unable to enter the UK when PSG faced Arsenal in the Champions League last year due to his conviction for assaulting a police officer in France.
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Aurier spent three years at PSG after joining from Toulouse in 2014, initially on loan. During his time in the French capital he helped the club win Ligue 1 twice, plus three Coupes de France and as many Coupes de la Ligue.
Juan Foyth (Estudiantes to Tottenham)
The recent addition of Davinson Sanchez didn't kill Foyth’s prospects of a switch to Tottenham, who unveiled Estudiantes's 19-year-old centre-back on Wednesday. Foyth will reportedly cost around £10m, and arrives at Spurs with 12 caps to his name for Argentina's U20s. The 6ft 3in stopper has penned a five-year contract with the north Londoners.
Still to come... ?
Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal to Manchester City) and Thomas Lemar (Monaco to Arsenal/Liverpool)
Grouped together because they are – or should that be were? – intrinsically linked.
The story of the day was that a £60m deal had been agreed for Manchester City to sign Alexis Sanchez, providing Arsenal could land a replacement.
The Gunners in turn made a bonkers £92m offer for Lemar, having supposedly given up on the wideman earlier in the window. But time could have stopped everything: The Guardian say neither player will be moving, since Arsenal don't have enough time to negotiate with Lemar – currently on international duty with France – and make it happen. Maybe the north Londoners just got scared when their offer was accepted.
Riyad Mahrez (Leicester to Arsenal/Man United/Chelsea/Barcelona)
Is the Algerian in Barcelona? Well, apparently not according to ITKs. Seems like that was just some Twitter mischief after all.
It doesn't help poor Mahrez, who's waited patiently after declaring his intentions to leave all summer, and has been released from his duties with Algeria to "formalise his transfer to his new club". Leicester have spurned the advances of Roma this summer, but the Italian side had been the only club to make a serious offer for the Algerian.
Fernando Llorente (Swansea to Tottenham/Chelsea)
Spurs left it late to get involved this window, but they're certainly making their presence known now. Swansea accepted a late Tottenham bid for Spanish striker Llorente, despite Chelsea being "close for weeks". The Blues are expected to act fast – and it looks like it could eventually be a straight decision for the hitman between the two London clubs. He's been at Spurs all day having a medical, but would reportedly prefer Chelsea.
Virgil van Dijk (Southampton to Liverpool/Chelsea/Arsenal)
Southampton have had a torrid summer where Van Dijk is concerned – but now The Guardian are reporting that the Dutchman will definitely be going nowhere before the window closes. They suggest that Liverpool haven't managed to get close having been forced to apologise for tapping up the stopper earlier this summer, and as such there's been "zero contact" between the two clubs.
Van Dijk signed a new six-year deal with Saints as recently as May – and he'll be continuing to honour it for the foreseeable future. Bad news for Reds fans who were hoping to bolster their backline today.
Ross Barkley (Everton to Chelsea/Tottenham)
The whispers linking Barkley with Tottenham began before the end of last season, but the north Londoners haven’t exactly gone all out for the attacking midfielder. Chairman Daniel Levy tends to prefer to leave his business until late in the window, though – and according to reports, want Barkley for £30m today.
But they’ll face competition from Chelsea, who also want to sign the midfielder – currently sidelined by a hamstring injury which could rule him out for months. The Blues had a £25m bid turned down earlier this week, so a deadline-day tussle between the two capital clubs isn’t out of the question.
Diego Costa (Chelsea to Atletico Madrid)
Having been exiled from the squad before accusing Chelsea of treating him like a “criminal”, Costa’s future clearly doesn’t lie at Stamford Bridge. With the Chinese Super League no longer an option, former club Atletico Madrid appear to be the only suitors in town – but that proposed deal is complicated by the fact that Diego Simeone isn’t able to field any new faces until January due to a transfer ban.
Atleti still seem keen to push through a £41m move for the striker, but a loan spell elsewhere could be on the cards until the start of 2018.
Jonny Evans (West Brom to Man City/Arsenal/Leicester)
West Brom appear willing to sell Evans in the next 36 hours or so – but only for the right price. Manchester City have already had a £23m offer rejected and are likely to increase their bid before the market closes, while Arsenal have since thrown their hat into the ring as the ex-Manchester United centre-back weighs up his options.
Leicester have had two bids rejected this summer, meanwhile, but Craig Shakespeare will realise his side are clear outsiders at this stage.
Shkodran Mustafi (Arsenal to Inter)
A year after signing Mustafi from Valencia, Arsene Wenger is willing to sanction his departure. The German hasn’t exactly thrived at the Emirates Stadium, but this still feels like a puzzling move by Arsenal – unless, that is, a replacement has already been lined up.
A season-long loan to Inter beckons for Mustafi, after which he’s unlikely to return to north London for any significant period of time.
Philippe Coutinho (Liverpool to Barcelona)
Liverpool have been adamant all summer that Coutinho is going nowhere, but Barcelona haven’t called off their pursuit just yet. The Catalan club’s recent acquisition of Ousmane Dembele doesn’t really affect their interest in the Brazilian, who’s been touted as a potential long-term replacement for Andres Iniesta.
Liverpool’s excellent start to the season has led some to doubt whether Coutinho would even get into Jurgen Klopp’s XI right now. With the former Inter man seemingly keen to swap Anfield for the Camp Nou, a spectacular £148m transfer may come to pass on deadline day.
Gareth Bale (Real Madrid to Man United)
A summer hasn’t gone by without Bale being linked with United ever since he first moved to Spain in 2013 – but there’s reason to believe a sensational deal might be possible on deadline day.
For a start, the Welshman’s spot in the Madrid side is no longer guaranteed, with Isco and Marco Asensio arguably now ahead of him in the pecking order. Bale was even booed by the Bernabeu faithful at the weekend (although even Cristiano Ronaldo has been subjected to such treatment), and Jose Mourinho didn’t exactly rule United out of a move when questioned on the issue earlier this month.
It would still be a surprise to see Bale return to the Premier League on Thursday, but this is one worth keeping an eye on nonetheless.
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Greg Lea is a freelance football journalist who's filled in wherever FourFourTwo needs him since 2014. He became a Crystal Palace fan after watching a 1-0 loss to Port Vale in 1998, and once got on the scoresheet in a primary school game against Wilfried Zaha's Whitehorse Manor (an own goal in an 8-0 defeat).