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BBC
Brighton have agreed a deal in principle for Ajax's Ghana midfielder Mohammed Kudus, 23, for a fee in the region of £34.5m. (Athletic - subscription required)
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has identified Japan winger Kaoru Mitoma as his next transfer target, with the 26-year-old holding off from signing a five-year contract extension offer at Brighton. (Sun on Sunday)
Manchester City are looking to cash in on Spain defender Aymeric Laporte, 29, after signing 21-year-old Croatia centre-back Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig. (Sunday Mirror)
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has ignored Bayern Munich's deadline to make a decision on their £86m bid for England striker Harry Kane, 30. (Bild - in German)
Aston Villa's English winger Jaden Philogene, 21, has emerged as a target for Liverpool. (Anfield Watch, via Liverpool Echo)
Newcastle have been in contact with the agent of Galatasaray forward Nicolo Zaniolo, 24, but AC Milan and Juventus are also interested in the Italy international. (Hurriyet, via Newcastle Chronicle)
An unnamed Qatari club has approached Aston Villa about the availability of Brazil midfielder Philippe Coutinho, 31. (Fabrizio Romano)
Bayer Leverkusen's Burkina Faso defender Edmond Tapsoba, 24, is no longer a target for Tottenham as they put their full focus on signing Wolfsburg's 22-year-old Dutch centre-back Micky van de Ven. (Dan Kilpatrick, via Yahoo)
Chelsea have agreed personal terms with French winger Michael Olise, 21, after offering Crystal Palace £26m. (RMC Sport, via Metro)
England Under-21 international defender Lewis Hall, 18, could be allowed to leave Chelsea on loan, with Crystal Palace keen. (90 min)
Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson wants to sign Southampton and Scotland striker Che Adams, 27, as Palace's French forward Jean-Philippe Mateta heads for the exit, with RB Leipzig and Genoa keen on the 26-year-old. (Sun on Sunday)
Nottingham Forest have opened talks with Nice over a move for 36-year-old Denmark goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel. (Eurosport Denmark, via Nottingham Post)
Inter Milan are keen on Arsenal's USA striker Folarin Balogun, 22, after missing out on West Ham's 24-year-old Italy forward Gianluca Scamacca, who looks set to join Atalanta. (Sunday Express)
Everton, West Ham and Crystal Palace are monitoring English defender Trevoh Chalobah, 24, with Chelsea open to letting him depart this summer. (Teamtalk)
Sheffield United have been told they will need to pay £10m to sign English midfielder Lewis O'Brien, 24, from Nottingham Forest. (Irish Sun)
Burnley have reached an agreement with Ajax on a loan deal, with an obligation to buy, their 21-year-old Denmark forward Mohamed Daramy. (Athletic - subscription required)
England Under-20 midfielder Aaron Ramsey, 20, is the subject of interest from Burnley as Aston Villa are open to letting him leave for £12m. (Express & Star)
West Ham will need to part with £40m to sign Scotland midfielder Scott McTominay, 26, from Manchester United. (Football Insider)
Celtic are set to battle with Wolves for Manchester City's England Under-21 midfielder Tommy Doyle, 21. (Scottish Sun)
Sky Paper Talk
SUNDAY MIRROR
Bayern Munich are confident they will agree a deal for Harry Kane, so much so that they have already arranged a luxury Bavarian villa for the England striker to live in.
Real Madrid have identified Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic as an alternative option if they fail to land Kylian Mbappe's signature this summer.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has fired a parting shot at Chelsea after ending his nightmare spell at Stamford Bridge.
Arsene Wenger believes the Gunners will have to overcome a mental block if they are to beat Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Fiorentina are still waiting for Manchester United to firm up their interest in Sofyan Amrabat with an official bid.
Clubs in the Saudi Pro League will target more big names next year, including Mohammed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne.
SUNDAY EXPRESS
Brighton are set to beat Chelsea and Arsenal to the signing of Ajax attacker Mohammed Kudus.
THE SUNDAY TIMES
Pep Guardiola has not ruled out the prospect of staying at Manchester City beyond his current deal, which is due to end in 2025.
MAIL ON SUNDAY
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has bullishly ignored Bayern Munich's transfer deadline over a move for Harry Kane, according to reports.
Chelsea are ready to activate a £20m relegation release clause for Leeds midfielder Tyler Adams.
Burnley have raised their offer to £12m for Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey.
Tottenham will sign Rosario Central striker Alejo Veliz.
Tony Mowbray says he must accept that Sunderland's ownership prefer to buy players for the future rather than now.
Arsene Wenger praised the fitness levels of some of his former Arsenal players as they participated in Game4Ukraine, joking that some look in better shape now than they did in their prime.
THE SUN ON SUNDAY
After completing the signing of Josko Gvardiol, Manchester City have set their sights on Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers is moving to beat Wolves to the loan signing of Manchester City midfielder Tommy Doyle.
Sheffield United must cough up £10m to buy Lewis O'Brien after Nottingham Forest snubbed a loan.
Hull and Red Star Belgrade are interested in signing young Manchester United goalkeeper Matej Kovar.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles is closing in on a return to football with Lyon after leaving Arsenal.
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
Arsenal are preparing to sell United States goalkeeper Matt Turner to Nottingham Forest as they enter advanced talks with Brentford over the signing of David Raya.
SCOTTISH SUN
Celta Vigo are leading the chase to sign Celtic defender Carl Starfelt.
SUNDAY RECORD
Brendan Rodgers has told David Turnbull it is up to him to win a new deal at Celtic.
Mail
Bayer Leverkusen 4-0 West Ham: David Moyes' side suffer first half capitulation to end pre-season campaign on sour note
West Ham were beaten 4-0 by Bayer Leverkusen in their final pre-season match
David Moyes' side conceded three goals in a very disappointing first-half display
By Ed Carruthers For Mailonline
David Moyes is under growing pressure to land some major transfers after West Ham signed off a dismal pre-season with a 4-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen yesterday.
The Hammers were blown away by ex-Liverpool star Xabi Alonso’s side, leaking three goals inside the first 38 minutes, with Jonas Hoffmann and Victor Boniface scoring either side of a Thilo Kehrer own goal.
The Hammers improved after half-time — Leverkusen’s fourth goal was a Robert Andrich penalty — but a second successive friendly loss piles the pressure on Moyes.
‘We didn’t play well enough,’ said coach Billy McKinlay. ‘It was a tough day against a top German team.’
Thomas Soucek and Said Benrahma came closest for the London club with Michail Antonio getting a 45-minute run-out. But it was a poor display and comes as concerns heighten over the club’s non-existent transfer policy.
West Ham are yet to make a big summer signing despite netting over £100m for Declan Rice.
They have had three bids for Southampton’s James Ward-Prowse turned down with tensions revealed between Moyes and new technical director Tim Steidten, who is reportedly less convinced by the Saints’ captain.
Moyes has also been knocked back in moves for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher and Joao Palhinha of Fulham, though Ajax’s Edson Alvarez could sign this week.
MATCH FACTS
BAYER LEVERKUSEN: (4-2-3-1) Hradecky; Arthur, Tapsoba, Tah, Frimpong; Xhaka (Puerta Molano 88'), Palacios (Andrich 62'); Adli (Mbamba 88'), Wirtz (Amiri 84'), Hofman (Kossounou 62'); Boniface (Hlozek 77').
Subs not used: Lomb (G), Pentz (G), Aourir, Fosu-Mensah, Monamay Nsosemo, Munz.
Goals: Hofmann 9', Kehrer (OG) 24', Boniface 24', Andrich 70' (pen)
Bookings: Boniface
Coach: Xabi Alonso
WEST HAM: (4-2-1-3) Fabianski (Areola 46'); Emerson (Fornals 71'), Ogbonna, Zouma (Coufal 46'), Kehrer; Downes (Coventry 78'), Soucek; Paqueta (Antonio 46'); Benrahma (Johnson 76'), Mubama (Aguerd 53'), Bowen (Corne 71').
Subs not used: Anang (G), Ings.
Goals: None
Bookings: Zouma, Paqueta, Coventry
Coach: David Moyes
Referee: Sascha Stegemann
Player of the Match: Victor Boniface
Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen, Germany.
Attendance: 25,325
HITC
After Ryan Sessegnon blow, Nottingham Forest could bid for West Ham player
Nottingham Forest are reportedly interested in West Ham United left-back Aaron Cresswell after not being able to sign Ryan Sessegnon from Tottenham Hotspur.
According to The Sun on Sunday (print edition, page 59, August 6, 2023), Nottingham Forest want to sign Aaron Cresswell from Premier League rivals West Ham United in the summer transfer window.
The report in the British tabloid has claimed that Forest could make an offer for Cresswell.
Wolverhampton Wanderers are also interested in signing the 33-year-old left-back.
Wolves are struggling to agree on a fee with Premier League rivals West Ham.
The Wanderers are ready to pay £2.5 million for Cresswell, but the Hammers “want a guaranteed sum rather than a collection of add-ons”.
The Sun on Sunday (print edition, page 59, August 6, 2023) has claimed that Forest had initially wanted to sign Ryan Sessegnon from Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2023.
However, a potential deal for Sessegnon collapsed when the Tottenham left-back got injured.
So, Forest are now chasing Cresswell and are ready to make an offer, according to the report.
West Ham United left-back Aaron Cresswell would be a smart signing for Nottingham Forest
In our opinion, West Ham United left-back Aaron Cresswell would be a very good signing for Nottingham Forest in the summer transfer window.
Cresswell knows the Premier League inside out and is still playing well despite being 33 years of age.
And he would not cost a lot.
The left-back made 24 starts and four substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Hammers last season.
The West Ham defender gave one assist in those games.
Harry Toffolo and Omar Richards are the two recognised left-backs on the books of Forest at the moment.
The Athletic
Moyes v Steidten: A West Ham culture clash that is threatening their season
By Sebastian Stafford-Bloor
West Ham United suffered a heavy defeat to Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday afternoon, but with six days to go until the Premier League begins, that felt like the least of their problems.
It was undeniably a poor performance, Leverkusen winning 4-0 and dominating physically and technically, despite not being as far along in their preparation for a Bundesliga season that doesn’t start until August 18.
Yet it is the bigger picture that is more concerning for West Ham who, just two months ago, were celebrating the end of a 43-year trophy drought after winning the Europa Conference League in Prague.
This is a club which apparently lacks a common cause, a point crystallised in the relationship between head coach David Moyes and recently appointed technical director Tim Steidten, who are widely thought to disagree on how the squad should be rebuilt. Moyes favours players with Premier League experience; Steitden has historically favoured a different profile and has little experience of shopping in the English market.
West Ham are the only Premier League club to have not signed a player this summer, despite the obvious need to replace Declan Rice (who has joined Arsenal) and Gianluca Scamacca (who is set to join Atalanta), and recently had to advertise on an online transfer marketplace for new players. Understandably, those dynamics are now under intense scrutiny.
West Ham deny that Moyes and Steidten’s relationship has deteriorated beyond repair. Club insiders, who – like everyone contacted by The Athletic for this piece – spoke on condition of anonymity to protect their relationships with those involved, acknowledge that there are differences of opinion but insist that Moyes is not about to resign before the start of the season, or that his job is under immediate threat.
Yet Moyes and Steidten were always unlikely to click immediately. Saturday was a homecoming of sorts for the German, who was in attendance at the BayArena to watch the Leverkusen side he helped to build. Until March 2023, he worked under Simon Rolfes, the Bundesliga club’s managing director of sport, first as sport co-ordinator, then as the club’s head of scouting. He played a significant role in the signings of, among others, Piero Hincapie, Edmond Tapsoba and Jeremie Frimpong, and is one of the architects of a young squad full of developing players appreciating sharply in value.
Steidten was appointed by Leverkusen in 2019 having previously been Werder Bremen’s director of football and, over the three-and-a-half years that followed, the club’s greatest success came from identifying players from beyond the major European leagues. Hincapie, for example, joined from CA Talleres in 2021 for just €6.3million. Tapsoba cost €20m but was signed from Vitor Guimaraes in Portugal. Both are now among the most valuable defenders in European football.
Premier League-based players were rarely part of that process. While Leverkusen signed Callum Hudson-Odoi on loan for the 2022-23 season, Timothy Fosu-Mensah was the only player from England’s top flight to have been signed permanently during Steidten’s time at the club. For him and Leverkusen, it wasn’t a league where they could find much value and, like every club in Germany apart from Bayern Munich, they are a selling team.
Steidten’s experience has often been reflected in the players linked with West Ham this summer. A deal for midfielder Edson Alvarez is getting closer, but a fee is yet to be agreed with Ajax. Denis Zakaria, the Juventus midfielder who spent last season on loan at Chelsea, is on the club’s shortlist but is not seen as a priority at this stage and reports of an agreed transfer are premature.
Moyes was involved in the process of appointing Steidten and he also met with other prospective technical directors before his appointment. But the Scot has a very different history in the transfer market and in the aftermath of Rice’s sale to Arsenal, his preference was to reinforce the squad with players who are already established in England.
A loan offer for Harry Maguire was rejected by Manchester United, although The Athletic understands the centre-back remains an active target. There has also been interest in Scott McTominay, Conor Gallagher and James Ward-Prowse – all established Premier League talents who would not require any bedding in.
Any issues around these players are less about their quality than their cost and West Ham’s refusal to pay what they consider to be over the odds.
This stance has been complicated by the sale of Rice. According to an agent with knowledge of the situation, failing to sign his replacement before his move to Arsenal has caused significant frustration within the club. Having earned £105million from selling their captain, West Ham have since struggled for leverage in negotiations, with every club now aware of exactly how deep their pockets are.
Reasonable point though it may be, it is hardly an unusual situation. Rice’s departure was also a long time coming, with Arsenal’s pursuit of the player dating back to January. In addition, Premier League clubs as a collective have had long enough to get used to the tax that their wealth attracts and plenty of opportunity to refine their strategies.
The negotiations for Ward-Prowse, which remain at an impasse, sum up their problems. The midfielder’s experience and quality from set pieces are valued by West Ham (both by Moyes and Steidten), but there remains a difference in valuation between the two clubs. West Ham’s most recent offer – believed to be £27m up front and £3m in additional fees – has been rejected by the Championship club. West Ham believe they’ve met the player’s asking price. Southampton disagree.
A thumping in Leverkusen was not what anybody at West Ham needed. There was nothing in the performance at the BayArena to generate any enthusiasm for the season ahead or to cast doubt on supporters’ fear that failing to strengthen this team might have very serious consequences. After all, for all their European success, it was only in early May that all thoughts of relegation were finally banished.
As ever in pre-season, the mood can change quickly. West Ham are confident of completing their first signings of the summer before they travel to Bournemouth in a week’s time and, in so doing, quietening the conjecture around their head coach and their new technical director.
On Saturday’s evidence and with rumours continuing to rumble, that seems like a necessity. West Ham need to get on the same page. And quickly.
Jacob Steinberg
@JacobSteinberg
West Ham remain in negotiations with Ajax over Edson Alvarez. Likely to take £35-40m to get the deal done #whufc
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