Cristiano Ronaldo’s immediate future will be decided on the final day of the summer transfer window.
As Thursday dawned, the debate over whether he will remain at Manchester United after the 11pm deadline was ongoing despite boss Erik ten Hag having played down suggestions the 37-year-old could leave the club.
The impending arrival of Ajax frontman Antony in a deal costing over £80 million has sparked suggestions Ronaldo could be allowed to go, with the forward linked with Napoli and Sporting Lisbon.
However, asked about the Portugal captain’s future, Ten Hag said: “We are happy with him, he is happy to be here and we want to make the season a success together.”
United’s moves for Antony and Newcastle goalkeeper Martin Dubravka remained works in progress as deadline day started, although the club, who have also been linked with old boy Memphis Depay, were hopeful of getting both deals across the line.
Chelsea too seem to be in no mood to put the chequebook away after finally getting their hands on £70million Leicester defender Wesley Fofana on Wednesday.
The Blues have been credited with interest in Barcelona’s former Arsenal forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Crystal Palace attacker Wilfried Zaha, AC Milan’s Rafael Leao and Arsen Zakharyan of Dynamo Moscow amid claims they got nowhere with Paris St Germain’s Neymar.
However, Everton’s Anthony Gordon appears to remain out of their grasp.
Chelsea midfield Conor Gallagher, who spent last season on loan at Palace, has made four Premier League appearances for his parent club this season but has had suitors monitoring his situation in recent weeks should he become available again.
The Foxes are in the market to replace Fofana swiftly, with Reims defender Wout Faes reportedly in their sights, and they have also been linked with Atalanta winger Jeremie Boga.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has admitted he might need another midfielder and that was before Jordan Henderson suffered an injury during the win over Newcastle on Wednesday. Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz has been touted as a possible target for the Reds.
One midfielder who could be up for grabs during the final hours of the window is Youri Tielemans, with reports suggesting Leicester are open to offers of £25m for a player who is in the final year of his contract.
Arsenal are one of a series of clubs who have been credited with an interest in the Belgian, and the Gunners have also been linked with Zaha and Wolves duo Pedro Neto and Ruben Neves.
Champions Manchester City have invested heavily already, but may not be done yet with Borussia Dortmund’s Switzerland international defender Manuel Akanji another possible addition.
Southampton could have a busy day as they close in on Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Samuel Edozie and Juan Larios, but they will reportedly face competition from Leeds for PSV winger Cody Gakpo.
