Welcome to the Times of Malta football transfer blog.

With the 2019-20 football campaign just weeks away, clubs around the European continent will be stepping up their efforts to try and strengthen their squad ahead of the upcoming season...

9.05pm That's all for today! Thank you for all of you who stayed with us. We remind you that the transfer window has not ended for the rest of the top leagues including Italy and Spain alongside the Maltese Premier League as well. 

9pm It has been a busy old Deadline Day, here are the top stories so far with a few deals yet to be confirmed.

Inter have confirmed the signing of Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United on a five-year contract for a fee of around £73m.

Kieran Tierney has signed for Arsenal from Celtic on Deadline Day for a fee of £25m.

Tottenham have completed deadline day deals to sign midfielder Giovani Lo Celso from Real Betis and defender Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham.

Andy Carroll has rejoined Newcastle on an initial 12-month contract, eight-and-a-half years after leaving St James' Park.

Wilfried Zaha is staying at Crystal Palace, but the winger has "beef with the chairman and owners because he wanted to leave", says Roy Hodgson.

Leicester have completed the signing of midfielder Dennis Praet from Sampdoria for £18m on a five-year contract.

8.45pm Sky Sports News understands David Luiz to Arsenal is done, but Alex Iwobi to Everton is still awaiting approval. 

8.20pm Leicester have completed the signing of Dennis Praet from Sampdoria for £18m. 

The midfielder has signed a five-year contract.

8pm Everton midfielder Muhamed Besic has joined Sheffield United on a season-long loan.

Besic spent last term on loan at Middlesbrough, playing 39 matches at the club.

7.30pm Meanwhile, some news from the BOV Premier League as newly-promoted side Gudja United have bolstered their defensive line with the acquisition of Allan Miranda.

Miranda, 32, is a highly-experienced player who can play as a central defender of as a fullback.

He had several spells across North America and has six appearances in the Concacaf Champions League under his belt.

In addition, he has also five caps with Costa Rica including one at the 2018 World Cup qualifications. 

7.25pm Inter have officially signed Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku from Manchester United for a reported €75m.

Lukaku has put pen to paper on a five-year contract with Inter, said to be worth €9m a season including bonuses, after completing his transfer on Thursday.

“Inter is not for everyone, that’s why I’m here,” he said in a video on the Nerazzurri’s Twitter account.

7.20pm Burnley have completed the signing of Danny Drinkwater on loan from Chelsea until January 6. 

The central midfielder, 29, has been capped three times by England. 

7.15pm Tottenham confirm the signing of Ryan Sessegnon from Fulham on a six-year deal.

7.10pm Southampton are hoping to secure a last minute Deadline Day deal for Augsburg centre-back Kevin Danso.

Sky Sports News understands the Saints have asked for an extension to get the deal done and have a deal sheet in with the Premier League.

7.05pm Leicester are expected to announce the signing of £18m midfielder Dennis Praet from Sampdoria in the next hour, according to Sky sources.

The club are confident the paperwork was all filed with the Premier League well before the 5pm deadline. 

7pm Joao Cancelo believes he has moved to ‘the best League in the world’ with the team who have ‘the best players’ in Manchester City.

Cancelo has spent the last two seasons in Serie A with Inter and Juventus, winning a Scudetto with the latter.

However, the right-back left Juve on Wednesday to join Premier League champions City in a deal worth €28m plus Danilo.

“As a player I like new challenges and obviously I was aware of the competition I was going to find here,” he said at his official unveiling.

6.45pm AS is reporting Juventus could hijack Napoli negotiations and replace Paulo Dybala with Real Madrid midfielder James Rodriguez.

Dybala’s Juve career looks like ending this month, with Paris Saint-Germain and Inter in for the forward if Tottenham Hotspur fail to secure a deal on Thursday.

With that in mind, AS claims Juve have suddenly shown an interest in James, whose proposed move to Napoli continues to stall.

The newspaper explains Cristiano Ronaldo has already approved of the Colombian’s arrival from their time together at Madrid.

6.40pm Tottenham confirm the signing of Giovani Lo Celso from Real Betis on a season-long loan with the option to make the deal permanent for £55m next summer.

6.35pm Marcos Rojo to remain at Manchester United after Everton fail to match the price needed to lure him away from Old Trafford, according to Sky sources.

6.30pm Everton are still hopeful of signing winger Alex Iwobi from Arsenal. 

6.25pm Manchester City confirm the signing of goalkeeper Scott Carson from Derby on a season-long loan deal.

6.20pm Newcastle confirm Andy Carroll's return to St. James' Park.

 

6.15pm Arsenal confirm the signing of full-back Kieran Tierney from Celtic.

6.10pm Former Arsenal forward Chris Willock has agreed a one-year loan deal to move from Benfica to West Brom. 

The 21-year-old came through the Arsenal academy before moving to Portugal two summers ago. 

6.05pm Watford have had a bid rejected for Tottenham left-back Danny Rose, according to Sky sources.

6pm Leeds sign striker Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal on a season-long loan.

5.45pm Brighton have completed the signing of midfielder Aaron Mooy from Huddersfield.

5.30pm Sky Sports News understands there is no chance of Paulo Dybala joining Tottenham from Juventus today.

Spurs were hoping for a change in circumstances throughout today but it was too difficult to do a deal. 

We understand Spurs have been working at a possible deal for a few weeks but it wasn’t to be. 

5.15pm Sheffield United and Fulham are trying to land Everton midfielder Muhamed Besic, according to Sky sources.

Sky Sports News understands the 26-year-old Bosnia international would prefer to remain in the Premier League if possible. 

5pm Sky Sports News have been told by Crystal Palace that their business is done and Wilfried Zaha is staying at the club.

He will not be signing for Everton in this window. 

4.45pm Manchester City have agreed a Deadline Day deal for Pedro Porro from their sister club Girona, according to Sky sources.

It’s understood the 19-year old defender will be loaned out immediately to Real Valladolid.

The fee is undisclosed, and we are told reports of an £11m transfer fee are wide of the mark.

4.30pm Manchester United will not be signing Mario Mandzukic from Juventus in this transfer window, Sky Sports News understands.

United held tentative discussions over the transfer of the 33-year-old Croatian forward but have decided not to pursue the deal any further.

4.15pm Sky sources: There is no loan fee involved in taking Scott Carson to Manchester City from Derby.

Man City are taking over the goalkeeper's wages. 

4pm Charlie Austin has passed his medical medical and agrees a deal to join West Brom from Southampton, according to Sky sources.

The fee is believed to be around £4m; a two-year deal with an optional additional year. 

3.45pm Roma have reportedly turned down the chance to sign Inter winger Ivan Perisic.

Perisic is not in Inter’s plans this season and Calciomercato.it claims he was offered to Roma sporting director Gianluca Petrachi.

The Giallorossi have a void to fill out wide after Stephan El Shaarawy’s switch to Chinese side Shanghai Shenhua, but the website notes they ‘kindly’ passed up the Croat.

3.30pm Crystal Palace are lining up a bid for Jean-Kevin Augustin to add to their attacking options if Wilfried Zaha leaves the club, Sky Sports News understands.

The 22-year-old is still in Germany but is on standby to fly to London in case a last-minute deal is agreed for Zaha. Augustin would cost around £15m.

3.15pm Reading forward Danny Loader and Bayern Munich midfielder Meritan Shabani are both having medicals at Wolves, Sky Sports News understands.

We understand fees have been agreed for both players with deals expected to be concluded before the deadline.

3pm Wolverhampton Wanderers could miss out on Franck Kessie as the midfielder reportedly wants to stay at Milan.

Wolves have agreed a €28m fee for Kessie, but it is understood personal terms are proving an issue.

Milan News has since followed up that the Ivorian trained normally with the Rossoneri on Thursday and hopes to remain at San Siro.

2.50pm Mario Mandzukic is expected to remain a Juventus player as a move to Manchester United is proving ‘difficult’.

United resumed talks with Juve for Mandzukic last night after it emerged they had personal terms with the 33-year-old.

However, Gianluca Di Marzio warns it is becoming increasingly tricky for a deal to be struck ahead of the today’s 17:00 BST transfer deadline for English clubs.

2.45pm Kieran Tierney is undergoing a medical at Arsenal.

Last night Sky Sport News broke the news that Arsenal and Celtic had finally agreed fee and payment schedules, with Celtic demanding close to £25m up front.

2.30pm Ismaila Sarr's protracted move to Watford is becoming 'increasingly unlikely', Sky Sports News understands, with the valuation of the Rennes winger proving a stumbling block.

Instead, the Hornets have an eye on PSV winger Steven Bergwijn - a highly rated wide man from the Eredivisie.

2.15pm Fiorentina have announced that goalkeeper Bartlomiej Dragowski has signed a new contract until 2023.

Dragowski had been linked with moves to the likes of Southampton and Bournemouth, but he has now committed his future to Fiorentina.

The 22-year-old impressed during a record-breaking six months on loan at Empoli last season, making 17 saves in one game against Atalanta.

1.50pm Edin Dzeko could be getting closer to Inter after the striker’s agent met Roma to push through a transfer.

Sky Sport Italia and Calciomercato.com both report Silvano Martina held a one-hour meeting with Roma sporting director Gianluca Petrachi at the club’s offices on Thursday morning.

It comes after Martina held a series of talks with Inter over the past week.

1.45pm Wolverhampton Wanderers have reportedly agreed a €28m deal to sign Milan midfielder Franck Kessie.

According to Sportitalia, Wolves will pay €25m up front for Kessie plus €3m in bonuses.

The onus would now be on the Premier League side to negotiate personal terms with the Ivorian.

1.40pm Wilfried Zaha has missed Crystal Palace training this morning, Sky Sports News understands.

The Ivory Coast forward put in a transfer request yesterday and has been a target for Everton and Arsenal this summer. Will he be on his way by 5pm? Make of it all what you will!

1.35pm Everton are discussing the possibility of a loan move for Manchester United defender Marcos Rojo, Sky Sports News is reporting, having fallen short in their attempts to bring Chris Smalling to Goodison Park.

The Toffees did try to sign the Argentine defender last summer, but the deal feel through at the last minute.

1.15pm Senglea Athletic continued to bring in more young talent with the signing of Jan Tanti.

1pm Tottenham’s proposed move for Paulo Dybala is off after Juventus ultimately decided not to sell the 25-year-old Argentina forward.

12.50pm Chelsea youngster Josh Grant has joined Plymouth on a half-season loan.

The 20-year-old defender spent the second half of last season on loan at relegated Yeovil Town.

12.45pm Newcastle have completed the signing of Emil Krafth from Ligue 1 side Amiens for an undisclosed fee.

We understand the fee to be £5m with the Swedish defender signing a four-year deal at St James' Park.

12.30pm Newcastle are considering a move for free agent Andy Carroll to allow him to return to his boyhood club, the Newcastle Chronicle is reporting.

The deal would not have to be completed by 5pm as Carroll would arrive on a free. The newspaper reports he is 'eager' to return, but the Magpies are conducting checks on his fitness before committing to any move.

12.15pm Gżira United completed a major transfer coup when they signed Jamaican striker Martin Davis.

The forward, who last season was on the books of St Andrews, attracted interest from several clubs but it was Gżira who secured his signature.

The young forwar put pen to paper on a five-year contract.

11.55am Sky sources understand the deal to take Ismaila Sarr to Watford is looking increasingly unlikely.

The clubs, as it stands, can’t agree on a price with Rennes, who are asking for more than £30m.

We understand Watford have a valuation and will not overpay. 

11.50am Crystal Palace are still waiting to find out if their £23m bid for CSKA Moscow’s Fedor Chalov will be successful, according to Sky sources.

The offer is understood to be over their valuation and time is running out to complete the deal for the Russia striker. 

11.45am Aston Villa have announced that John McGinn has signed a new five-year contract with the club.

Villa CEO Christian Purslow said: “We are delighted to secure John’s services for the long term at Aston Villa.

“He is the type of player Dean Smith and our ownership group want to build our Club around: young, determined, athletic, technically-gifted and passionate about winning.”

11.40am David Luiz's move from Chelsea to Arsenal is edging closer - the Brazilian is undergoing a medical with the Gunners, Sky Sports News is reporting, and the deal should be over the line 'soon'.

11.30am Nathan Redmond has signed a new four-year contract at Southampton.

Redmond said: “I’m really happy to have signed, and I'm just wanting to get the season up and going now.

“We've got a great group of players here, who I've been with for the last three years. I see them every single day and it's a pleasure to go out there and perform with them at the weekend and train hard with them every single week. I feel like we can hopefully build something special and to be a part of it for the next four years is good for me.”

11.15am Crystal Palace are still waiting to find out if their £23m bid for CSKA Moscow’s Fedor Chalov will be successful.

The offer is understood to be over their valuation and time is running out to complete the deal for the Russia striker. 

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11am Belgium international Dennis Praet has arrived at Leicester’s training complex. 

He will now have a medical and discuss personal terms with the club ahead of his proposed £18m move from Sampdoria.

Dodo has agreed a one-year deal with the Spartans.Dodo has agreed a one-year deal with the Spartans.

10.40am Ħamrun Spartans have confirmed the signing of Cape Verde forward Dodo.

As confirmed by the Times of Malta earlier this week, the forward has put pen to paper on a one-year contract.

Dodo is one of three signings set to be completed by Ħamrun this week as they are due to sign 22-year-old defender Alessio Capitelli and 21-year-old midfielder Gennaro Imbriani to provide more depth to coach Manuele Blasi.

10.30am Rangers are closing in on the signing of Brandon Barker.

The Manchester City winger is due in Glasgow today to finalise the deal.

Barker previously had a loan spell with Hibernian in 2017/18 under then head coach Neil Lennon.

10.20am West Ham have completed the £8m signing of 22-year-old Switzerland international striker Albian Ajeti from FC Basel.

Ajeti scored 15 goals in 35 games for the Swiss side last season and was part of the Switzerland squad that competed in the Nations League tournament at the end of last season.

10.15am Wolves are close to signing Bayern Munich midfielder Meritan Shabani.

The 20-year old, who has started one Bundesliga game for Bayern, is in the UK to finalise personal terms and have a medical after the two clubs agreed a fee.

The attacking midfielder has one year left on his current contract and is expected to go straight into Wolves' U23 squad. 

10.05am Italy international Mario Balotelli is edging closer to a sensational Flamengo transfer, earning €15m until December 2021.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport Italia, the former Inter, Milan, Liverpool, Manchester City, Nice and Marseille striker is negotiating the details.

He is currently a free agent, so can command an impressive signing-on fee as well as strong salary of €4.5m per year.

9.55am Tottenham are close to reaching an agreement to sign Juventus and Argentina forward Paulo Dybala. It is not done but Spurs and Juve are hopeful of completing a deal before the 6pmdeadline.

Spurs stepped up their interest in the 25 year old after a move for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes failed to materialise because of the Portuguese club’s asking price, and following Dybala’s proposed transfer to Manchester United being called off.
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9.45am Manchester United are back in talks to sign Mario Mandzukic from Juventus as a replacement for Romelu Lukaku, according to SkySport Italia.

United are also interested in signing forward Inaki Williams from Athletic Bilbao, while Lukaku is currently in Milan for a medical after Inter agreed a £73m fee on Wednesday

9.35am We start off the day with some news from Manchester City.

The English champions are set to sign goalkeeper Scott Carson on loan from Derby County.

The former Liverpool and England goalkeeper is heading to Manchester to under go a medical ahead of a season-long loan. He is expected to serve as understudy to Claudio Bravo.

9.30am It's an early start for us today as it's Deadline Day in England with all the clubs scrambling to complete final transfers before the window shuts at 6pm. So stay with us for continuous updates on our blog.

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