Manchester City pay Wolves £53 million for Matheus Nunes, rivals Manchester United have busy deadline day
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Moroccan midfielder Sofyan Amrabat (centre) has joined Manchester United on loan from Fiorentina.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – It was a busy transfer deadline day as usual for English Premier League clubs last Friday, as Manchester United bolstered their squad with a flurry of signings,
Champions City, as expected, were not as busy as their city rivals but the signing of Portugal midfielder Matheus Nunes
British media reported they paid Wolverhampton Wanderers around £53 million (S$90.4 million) for the 25-year-old, who will help fill the void left by a long-term injury to Kevin de Bruyne.
It was a case of one in and one out for City, with 21-year-old winger Cole Palmer moving to Chelsea
United, who have started the season somewhat underwhelmingly, had already paid big money to sign striker Rasmus Hojlund,
Turkish goalkeeper Altay Bayindir joined for £4.3 million and the club's former player Jonny Evans and Sergio Reguilon, signed from Tottenham Hotspur on loan, will fill some gaps in United's defence.
Evans was without a club after leaving Leicester City but trained with United during pre-season.
Late on Friday, the Red Devils announced that Morocco midfielder Sofyan Amrabat had joined on loan from Fiorentina, with an option to buy next summer.
“It is a huge honour to become a Man United player. I’ve had to be patient for this moment but I’m someone who always listens to my heart and now I am representing the club of my dreams,” said Amrabat, who had been training alone as he awaited his move.
Meanwhile, forward Mason Greenwood, who has had charges of attempted rape dropped,
Liverpool reportedly turned down a £150 million offer from Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad for their Egypt forward and talisman Mohamed Salah.
Manager Jurgen Klopp has repeatedly said Salah is not for sale but Saudi clubs have until Thursday to sign new players, which means a deal could still happen.
The Liverpool boss was handed another midfield reinforcement with Netherlands midfielder Ryan Gravenberch – who was also linked to United – signing on a long-term contract from Bayern Munich.
“If you see it from the outside, it’s one of the biggest clubs in the world. Also, the fans, the stadium, I think everything from the outside is top,” the 21-year-old said.
He joins Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo in a new-look Liverpool midfield.
Two Barcelona players headed to the Premier League on loan, with Brighton signing talented forward Fati. Aston Villa replaced the injured Tyrone Mings with Barcelona's French defender Clement Lenglet.
The Catalan side signed two loanees themselves in Atletico Madrid forward Joao Felix and City defender Joao Cancelo.
Tottenham signed Nottingham Forest's versatile 22-year-old Wales forward Brennan Johnson for £47.5 million on a contract until 2029.
Forest, no strangers to transfer deadline-day activity, were the busiest Premier League side on Friday, signing seven players.
They include goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos from Benfica, winger Callum Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea, midfielder Nicolas Dominguez from Bologna, defender Andrew Omobamidele from Norwich City and left-back Nuno Tavares on loan from Arsenal.
In total, Premier League clubs spent a record £2.45 billion on new players in this transfer window, according to analysis from Deloitte.
It exceeded last summer’s record of £2.14 billion. REUTERS, AFP
