Man City close in on Kovacic, Gvardiol deals
Manchester City are reportedly closing on signings of two Croatia internationals, midfielder Mateo Kovacic and defender Josko Gvardiol.
They’re believed still to be discussing personal terms with Gvardiol and their task of getting RB Leipzig to sell is expected to be a difficult one, but for Kovacic, the personal terms are already agreed and the talks with Chelsea are progressing.
Aston Villa appoint Monchi as head of football operations
Aston Villa have appointed former Sevilla sporting director Monchi as their new head of football operations.
The 54-year-old football executive is well known in the game for his notable work with AS Roma, where he worked from 2017 to 2019, between two spells with Sevilla.
“Aston Villa is delighted to announce the appointment of Ramón Rodriguez Verdejo ‘MONCHI’ as the Club’s new President of Football Operations,” the Premier League club said in their official statement.
“Monchi joins from Sevilla FC, where he was Director of Football. In his new role, Monchi will report to Nassef Sawiris and Wes Edens and have responsibility for all football matters at the Group, working closely with Unai Emery to lead the club.”
Brighton announce Dahoud signing
Brighton and Hove Albion have confirmed that they’ve completed the signing of Mahmoud Dahoud on a free transfer from Borussia Dortmund.
The 27-year-old midfielder arrives at the Amex Stadium most likely as a replacement for Alexis Mac Allister, whose transfer to Liverpool was confirmed several days ago.
Once considered a promising prospect and very much in demand, Dahoud’s career has taken a bad turn in recent years, mostly through injuries. In 2022/2023, he made a total of just 10 appearances in all competitions for Dortmund, starting only five times.
West Ham release Lanzini
West Ham have confirmed that Manuel Lanzini will be leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the month.
The Hammers had an option to extend the deal for another two years, but as manager David Moyes revealed, they feel the 30-year-old attacking midfielder deserves to play regularly. He wore the club shirt on 23 occasions in all competitions in 2022/23, but he started just twice in the Premier League.
Bakayoko leaves Chelsea
Tiemoue Bakayoko’s time as officially a Chelsea player has come to an end, the Blues have confirmed.
The midfielder arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2017 from AS Monaco, the team that had just won the Ligue 1 title and featured the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Bernardo Silva, to the team that had just won the Premier League title under Antonio Conte.
But Bakayoko only played for Chelsea in the season that followed his arrival and never again, spending the time since the summer of 2018 on loans with AC Milan, Napoli, and back with Monaco.
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