Arsenal

Arsenal are signing Benzema! Honestly, they’re going to sign Karim Benzema from Real Madrid! Seriously! Ok, so the rumour has been going on all summer and his plane has been circling Heathrow for so long it’s had to be refuelled too many times to mention. But now Jeinny Lizarazo, a reporter for ESPN Deportes, has told her Twitter followers that the deal is definitely going ahead and if it doesn’t she will “face punishment”. Arsene Wenger will be breathing a huge sigh of relief that he’s got the deal tied up beyond any doubt!

Meanwhile the Liverpool Echo are reporting that Liverpool’s attempts to sign Dennis Cheryshev have hit troubled waters after it emerged that Arsenal are hoping to beat the Merseysiders to his signature. The Russian winger spent last season on loan at Villarreal and is ready to leave in the search of first team football. He seems an odd player for the Gunners to be chasing given they’ve got a pretty stocked midfield as it is, but there you go.

Finally for Arsenal fans is the news that the club may or may not be chasing the, presumably extremely wiggly, signature of Grzegorz Krychowiak from Sevilla. The Telegraph are reporting that the London club’s move for the Polish holding midfielder is in doubt due to the fact that the player broke a rib during Sevilla’s game against Barcelona recently. Meanwhile The Mirror have quoted Arsene Wenger as saying he was never interested in the player anyway. So that’s cleared that up.

Aston Villa

The big news for Aston Villa fans this week is the signing of Adama Traore from Barcelona. The talented youngster was as good a Liverpool player this time last week, according to rumours and reports around Merseyside, and then he was heading to Stoke. So there’s a slight degree of surprise at the fact that he’s now rocked up at Villa Park. Tim Sherwood has said “he’s a little bit of Ronaldo and a little bit of Messi”, which puts him under no pressure whatsoever. Still, good news for Villa fans as Barcelona rate him enough to have demanded a buy back clause in the €10 million contract.

Meanwhile Ronald Koeman has insisted that Jose Fonte is not for sale at any price amid rumours that Sherwood is trying to take him to Villa Park. The Southampton manager is quoted in The Mirror as saying, “He is our captain, he’s a very strong defender. He’s a club man like Kelvin Davis and not for one second would I sell that player. He’s part of the team, he’s the captain. There is no way we will sell the player”. Good news for Saints fans, not so good for those of the Birmingham club who know their defence is still looking a bit shaky.

Bournemouth

Having missed out on the signing of Mason Holgate when the Barnsley youngster opted to sign for Everton, rumours have emerged that the Cherries are chasing former Swansea star Jonathan de Guzman, according to The Bournemouth Echo. The 27 year old is currently plying his trade for Napoli but would relish a return to the Premier League, with the newly promoted side being a good option for him.

Chelsea

It’s been a quiet week for Jose Mourinho and Chelsea, who have hardly appeared in the news at all. The manager has in no way publicly humiliated the club’s doctor for simply doing her job. Meanwhile, The Daily Mail have said that the Blues are free to sign Kennedy for £6.7 million after the young Brazilian forward’s work permit was given the green light. The Fluminense wideman impressed during Chelsea’s tour of the U.S. so they’ll be relieved to finally get it all sorted.

It’s remarkable that one of the richest clubs in the league has been so relatively quiet in the transfer window, and we’re surprised that the Blues haven’t been linked with more people this week after a disappointing start to their campaign at home to Swansea. Yet the only other player Jose Mourinho appears to be chasing is Everton’s John Stones. The Merseysiders are bracing themselves for another bid from Chelsea, rumoured to be in the region of £30 million, with Roberto Martinez adamant that he won’t be allowed to leave – despite the arrival of Mason Holgate from Barnsley.

Crystal Palace

Emmanuel Adebayor’s refusal to move to Aston Villa because he doesn’t want to leave London has reportedly left West Ham and Crystal Palace on high alert. The striker isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, least of all Pochettino who has informed him that he is surplus to requirements at Spurs, but Alan Pardew reckons he can tame the beast and get him performing at Selhurst Park.

Everton

In a week when Roberto Martinez has again had to deny that John Stones is for sale, the Everton manager hasn’t helped his case against the rumour mongers by signing 18 year old defender Mason Holgate from Barnsley. He’s denied that the youngster is coming in as a replacement for Stones, but Chelsea’s offers must be getting to the point that they’re considering selling a player they bought for just £3 million a couple of years ago.

Meanwhile The Liverpool Echo are continuing to link the Blues with a move for AC Milan’s midfielder Keisuke Honda. The Japanese international hasn’t impressed the Italian giants, but he has scored 29 times in 73 appearances for his country.

Everton are in dire need of some reinforcements. They’ve got a terrible fixture schedule ahead of them and haven’t brought in anywhere near enough players when you compare them to the likes of West Ham and Newcastle. So Toffees fans might be keen for Martinez to do some more business before he runs out of time. Time is ticking, though, and he doesn’t seem even close to bringing anyone in any time soon. Troubling times for the Blue half of Merseyside.

Leicester

The biggest rumour concerning Leicester fans this week is the possible arrival of Gokhan Inler from Napoli. Despite the fact that Schalke have increased their offer for the midfielder the Leicester hierarchy are still hopeful of bringing the talented 31 year old Swiss international to The King Power Stadium. The Leicester Mercury are reporting that the Foxes have had a €5 million fee accepted for his services and that talks between the player and the club are progressing well, only for Schalke to come in at the last minute and offer €7 million plus add-ons in the hope of luring him to Germany instead. Expect this one to be resolved by this time next week, though whether Foxes fans will be happy with the outcome remains to be seen.

The only other bit of news emerging from Leicester is the report that Jamie Vardy will NOT be sacked after apparently making a racist remark at a casino. It comes on the back of the club’s owners sacking Adam Smith, Tom Hooper and former manager Nigel Pearson’s son James after they were filmed also making racist remarks. Then again, they didn’t stick the ball in the back of the net as often as Vardy so who are we to judge?

Liverpool

It’s more about the outgoings than the incomings for Liverpool this week, with the club as good as done in the transfer market according to those in the know. That’s not stopped 90mins.com from suggesting that the Reds are keeping a close eye on Thiago Motta’s move from Paris St. Germain back to Atletico Madrid. Rumours are that the deal is on the verge of collapsing and that Liverpool could be prepared to ‘swoop in’, like some sort of transfer based golden eagle.

As far as the outgoings are concerned, though, The Daily Express reckon that Liverpool are so keen to get Balotelli off their books that they’ll subsidise his wages if he agrees to move to Sampdoria. The Serie A club can’t afford his £70,000 a week wage demands, with Liverpool willing to pay up to 60% of the amount if it means moving on the striker who only managed 4 goals in all competitions last season.

Finally The Mirror think that Lucas Leiva is on his way out of Anfield after falling out with Brendan Rodgers this summer; a fact they claim is backed up by the Brazilian’s exclusion from Liverpool’s squad in the first game of the season. Juventus seems to be the midfielder’s most likely destination, with Serie A thought to be more suited to his style of play.

Manchester City

The Daily Express reckon that City are preparing for some excellent needle against their Manchester neighbours by bidding for United target Nicolas Otamendi. The Valencia defender has been linked with a move to the Red Devils, only for City to come in at the last minute in order to spoil their plans. The defender is rumoured to have a £35 million release clause – a mere drop in the ocean for Sheikh Mansour, no doubt.

Meanwhile The Express are also reporting that a £47 million bid was lodged by City with Wolfsburg over the possible arrival of Kevin de Bruyne. We know, they’ve lodged more bids than the Dragon’s Den team, but apparently this team it’s definitely going to happen, like 100%.

Lastly for City comes a report in The Mirror that they’re looking at bringing in Real Madrid’s academy graduate Ruben Sobrino. The 23 year old forward could be a good addition for Manuel Pellegrini’s side, given that he’s shifted both Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic off the club’s books leaving him slightly short in the striker department.

Manchester United

The big news at Old Trafford continues to revolve around David De Gea, with Louis Van Gaal insisting the goalkeeper isn’t in the right frame of mind to play for the club. Dropped for United’s home game against Spurs, the stopper will remain sidelined for this evening’s match away to Aston Villa as Van Gaal plays hardball over the ‘keeper’s desire to move to Real Madrid.

Not content with failing to sign Sergio Ramos, Manchester United have apparently decided they’d also like to miss out on John Stones this summer, too. ESPN reckon that the Red Devils are prepared to go head to head with Chelsea over the Everton defender’s signature, despite the fact that Chelsea can clearly outbid them and that Everton insist the player’s not for sale.

The Telegraph think United’s ambitions lie higher than a junior Everton defender, though, with reports suggesting that they are planning to lodge a bid for Bayern Munich’s star striker Thomas Muller. And how much does The Telegraph think they’ll pay for his services? £50 million, that’s how much. Bayern’s chief executive is having none of it, saying, “Muller is not for sale. Our English colleagues seem to be unable to spend all of their money. It’s difficult. Everyone knows our old friend Louis van Gaal. He is very stubborn in those things. Maybe he thinks that there is a price where Bayern will start to ruminate but there is no price at all”. Don’t hold out much hope, United fans.

Newcastle

Rumours are that Newcastle face a battle to sign Charlie Austin from QPR, with the striker set to play for the club against Cardiff City this weekend. Wales Online, a random place to go for Newcastle news we’ll grant you, reckon that the Magpies are up against Everton and West Ham for the signature of last season’s 4^th top scorer in the Premier League.

An interesting story about West Ham coming close to signing Joey Barton emerged this week, with the club releasing a statement denying wanting to bring the combative midfielder into Slaven Bilic’s team. Yet The Newcastle Evening Chronicle did a pole that suggests that 72% of Geordies would welcome him back to St. James’s Park. This wouldn’t be relevant at a normal club as the powers that be so rarely pay any attention to public opinion. Yet Newcastle isn’t a normal club and Mike Ashley might be willing to do anything if it gets people off his back for a while. Don’t be surprised to see this happen before the window shuts.

Norwich City

RTE.ie are quoting Alex Neil as saying the Canaries are definitely interested in bringing Mattia Destro to the club. The 24 year old forward arrived at Roma in 2012 and scored 25 goals in 57 appearances. However he fell out favour with the Italian club and has spent the last 6 months on loan at AC Milan. Neil said, “Yes, he is a player who has been discussed”, but he also warned Norwich fans they could have a long wait on their hands before another face arrives at Carrow Road. He said, “I have said before I won’t just go and sign players, I will wait to the end [of the window] if I have to. I need to sign players I think are going to add to the group and make us stronger and better. That is probably why it is taking so long”.

Southampton

Saints have made another signing this week, bringing in Oriol Romeu from Chelsea for £5 million. The 23 year old Spanish international has only played 34 times for Chelsea since signing from Barcelona 4 years ago. He’s spent the last two seasons on loan at Stuttgart and Valencia and Southampton’s executive director, Les Reed, said he fits the profile of the type of player the club is after insomuch as he’s “young, hungry and developed at a top academy”.

Stoke

Well well well. Despite losing 1-0 in their opening match of the campaign against Liverpool Stoke impressed, with plenty of commentators discussing the new style of play Mark Hughes has developed at The Britannia. Players like Bojan and Afellay have given the Potters a new lease of life and they must have done enough to get Xherdan Shaqiri on board as the player’s signed a five year deal for a fee in the region of £12 million – a record signing for Stoke. Expect Liverpool to come and sign all 3 next summer if they impress as much as Southampton’s players did.

Sunderland

The Liverpool Echo, who are seemingly keen to weigh in on every transfer rumour doing the rounds this week, are reporting that Sunderland are close to agreeing a deal with Liverpool over the transfer of Fabio Borini on a year long loan. Borini turned down a £14 million move to the Black Cats last season but could be ready to swallow his pride given that he is persona non grata at Anfield.

Meanwhile Manchester United youngster Adnan Januzaj has taken to Twitter to dismiss rumours linking him with a move to The Stadium Of Light. The 20 year old only made 7 appearances for the Red Devils last season but apparently impressed Van Gaal during the club’s pre-season tour and is keen to take his chances at Old Trafford this season.

Swansea

Swansea boss Gary Monk said a few weeks ago that he was happy with the business the Welsh club had achieved in the transfer window and didn’t envisage any more signings coming in before the window shuts in September. That opinion was likely backed up by his team’s excellent performance against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge over the weekend.

The exception that appears to have been made by the Swans manager is in the case of Josh Vickers, the former Arsenal goalkeeper who has been training with Gary Monk’s side since July. The 19 year old came through the Gunner’s youth system and has, therefore, worked with both goalkeeping coach Tony Roberts and first choice stopper Lukasz Fabianski before.

He becomes the second ‘keeper to sign for the Welsh club this week after Gerhard Tremmel re-signed for them. Tremmel was released by the club in May but has re-signed, despite interest from “numerous clubs in Europe”.

Tottenham Hotspur

The biggest piece of news for Spurs fans this week will also strike them as the most worrying. According to The Independent Mauricio Pochettino has insisted that the club doesn’t need to sign a new striker this window. That’s in spite of the fact that he’s trying to get Emmanuel Adebayor off the books and the knowledge that Roberto Soldado is rubbish and possibly heading to Villarreal. That puts an awful lot of pressure on Harry Kane’s shoulders, especially considering the striker could yet be the subject of a massive bid from Manchester United.

That denial of an approach for a striker from the Spurs gaffer flies in the face of The Guardian’s report that the club are on the verge of signing Clinton N’jie from Lyon. The 21 year old Cameroonian international can play out wide and up front, meaning he would be a good foil for Kane moving forward.

Watford

We may have mentioned this before, but Watford have been the busiest of all Premier League clubs so far this summer, but they aren’t done yet according to The Express. The paper reckon that Alessandro Diamanti could be close to signing for Quique Flores’ team in the coming days. The former West Ham playmaker has been training with the Hornets and is on the verge of signing on loan from Guangzhou Evergrande. The 32 year old is, according to Flores “at a good level”, so expect him to sign on the dotted line by next weekend.

West Brom

The Birmingham Mail are reporting that Morgan Amalfitano could be on his way back to the club. The French midfielder is not part of Slaven Bilic’s plans at West Ham and Tony Pulis is hoping to add a bit more width to his squad. Amalfitano spent the 2013-2014 season on loan at The Hawthorns, scoring 4 goals in 32 games.

Following in the footsteps of Xherdan Shaqiri as being a talented player to sign for a randomly mediocre club, Salomon Rondon joined West Brom this week for £12 million. The Express and Star have a fun little video you can watch regarding the striker getting ready for his debut.

West Ham

With Mauricio Pochettino confirming that Emmaneul Adebayor has no future at White Hart Lane and his move to Aston Villa collapsing, it seems likely that the striker could be lining up for West Ham before too long, according to The Daily Mirror. The tall forward is in the final year of his contract with Spurs and has a desire to collect loyalty stamps by playing for every London club before he retires.

Former goalkeeper Rob Green is convinced he will be re-joining West Ham before the transfer window – wait for it – slams shut in September. The former Hammers stopper wants out of Queens Park Rangers and has told friends he reckons he’ll be back at Upton Park before long, according to The Evening Standard. The 35 year old has one year left on his contract at Loftus Road and Slaven Bilic is keen to bring in some competition for his first choice ‘keeper Adrian.