Overview
- Manchester United confirmed the signing of Carlos Baleba from Brighton in a deal reported at up to £70m after the club announced the transfer on Tuesday.
- Baleba has signed a five-year contract but carries an ankle ligament injury that is expected to delay his first-team availability into September.
- Manchester City completed the signing of 18-year-old Ayyoub Bouaddi from Lille on Wednesday on a five-year deal for a fee widely reported between about €95m and €100m, a figure described as a record for a teenager.
- Clubs are using structured and conditional deals to finish business quickly, shown by Tottenham’s loan-to-buy agreement for Omar Marmoush and Liverpool’s continued scouting of Matías Orozco as they chase remaining positional needs.
- The post-World Cup window has raised valuations and compressed timelines, forcing teams to weigh large up-front fees and add-ons against short-term availability and broader squad rebuilds before the September 1 deadline.