Transfer news LIVE! Man Utd agree Ugarte fee; Merino to Arsenal (2024)

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez has signed a new long-term contract with the club.

The contract extension will see Martinez, 31, extend his stay with Unai Emery's side until 2029.

Following a string of loan deals, Martinez joined Villa on a permanent contract from Arsenal in September 2020, eight years after he made his debut for the Gunners.

Martinez has gone on to play more than 150 times for Villa and won the World Cup for Argentina in 2022, as well as the Copa America on two occasions.

Martinez played in his side's 2-1 win at West Ham in their Premier League opener last weekend.

Villa, who will feature in the Champions League this season for the first time in their history, host Martinez's former club Arsenal on Saturday.

Manchester United are on the verge of signing Manuel Ugarte from Paris Saint-Germain, according to Le Parisien.

A deal worth arounnd £51million has almost been agreed, with PSG holding out to recoup the fee they paid last summer.

Ugarte lost his place during the season, with his reported weaknesses in possession becoming a concern to Luis Enrique.

There is a confidence, the report claims, that a deal will be finalised in the coming days.

New Chelsea signing Joao Felix will wear the No.14 shirt number, which had previously belonged to Trevoh Chalobah.

It is the same shirt number Felix wore while on loan at Barcelona last season. He wore the No11 shirt number during his loan spell with the Blues in 2023.

Fellow summer signing Pedro Neto has been given the No7 shirt, which was worn by Raheem Sterling last summer.

Manchester United have confirmed that young star Facundo Pellistri has joined Panathinaikos on a permanent transfer.

The deal is reportedly worth £6.8million, with United having a buy-back price and will get a percentage of any future sale.

Joao Felix has been unveiled as a new squad member, but is not part of the group in first-team training today.

He is not expected to be involved against Servette in the Conference League tomorrow.

Enzo Maresca says Chelsea could still be active in the transfer market.

The Blues had another busy day of activity on Wednesday, selling Conor Gallagher to Atletico Madrid for around £33m, while signing Joao Felix from the Spanish giants for £42m.

Bashir Humphreys joined Burnley on loan too and Armando Broja is closing in on a loan switch to Ipswich.

It has been another frantic summer of transfer business at Stamford Bridge, to the extent where pundits such as Jamie Carragher has urged players to stop signing for the club.

Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell are among a group of more than 15 Chelsea players currently training on their own.

Sterling was left out of Chelsea’s squad for their Premier League opener against Manchester City on Sunday and will play no part in Thursday’s Europa Conference League play-off with Servette, too.

The winger is waiting for offers away from Stamford Bridge before the transfer window closes next week, but until then he is among a group of Chelsea players currently training separately from the main squad.

Joao Felix has vowed to make Chelsea his “home” after returning to the club on a permanent transfer.

The 24-year-old has joined the Blues on a seven-year contract, starting his second spell at Stamford Bridge following a £42m move from Atletico Madrid.

Felix scored four goals in 20 appearances during a loan stint at the club in the second half of the 2022/23 campaign following a relatively unhappy time of things in the Spanish capital despite arriving for a club-record fee of around £113m in the summer of 2019.

The Portugal international’s relationship with Atletico boss Diego Simeone is said to have been strained and Felix then joined Barcelona on loan last season, though the Catalan side opted out of signing him on a permanent basis.

When it comes to catching Manchester City,Mikel Artetabelieves that size matters.

Arsenalhave built their most physically-imposing team since the ‘Invincibles’ in a deliberate move that Arteta hopes will lead them to the title this season.

Arteta has transformed the physical profile of his squad in recent years. Declan Rice and Kai Havertz were brought in for a combined £170million to add height and strength last summer, while new £42m signing Riccardo Calafiori will add even more aerial power at the back.

Chelseahave confirmed the return ofJoao Felixfrom Atletico Madrid as their busy summer of transfer activity continues.

The Blues have handed the forward a six-year contract with the option of an added 12 months beyond that, bringing Felix back to Stamford Bridge following a loan spell during the 2022-23 campaign.