Liverpool’s long-winded pursuit of Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola has received its latest boost after more positive talks were held with the club over a transfer, with PSG insiders now expecting the winger to leave the club this summer. The Reds have also seen two bids for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh turned down as they remain intent to bolster their options out wide.Arsenal are hoping to secure the signing of Julian Alvarez to cap off a productive summer of incomings and boost their forward line as they look to defend their Premier League title. Alvarez is said to be open to the move having initially favoured a switch to Barcelona.Elsewhere, Manchester City have agreed a €100m deal with Lille to buy midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi and have sold Savinho to Tottenham in a deal worth £85m. They are also interested in Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo and could yet reignite a move for Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, making him potentially the biggest transfer of the summer. Across the city, Manchester United target Alejandro Balde reportedly wants to leave Barcelona with the Premier League club exploring a loan move for the left-back. Attention has now fully turned to bolstering that position after completing their £148m midfield rebuild with the signing of Carlos Baleba.Ollie Watkins and Emi Martinez were also absent from Aston Villa’s matchday squad amid rumours that both players could be preparing for imminent exits with Watkins’ in particular looking very close to a move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. Follow all of the latest news, rumours and done deals below Good morningHello and welcome to The Independent’s transfer news live blog!With just a week left before the summer window slams shut, there is still a lot of big business to be done, with sagas surrounding the likes of Bradley Barcola, Julian Alvarez and more yet to be resolved.Stay tuned for all the latest updates.Will Castle26 August 2026 08:09