Premier League's Silly Season Turns Serious: Guimaraes, Barcola and Chavarria All in Motion
Arsenal close on Newcastle's captain, Liverpool eye a third £100m man, and Chelsea and Spurs aren't sitting still either
By Gus "Walk-Off" Fields
The transfer window doesn't care about your blood pressure, and this week it's testing everybody's.
Arsenal are set to complete their long-chased move for Bruno Guimaraes, according to BBC Sport, ending a saga that's dragged on so long some fans forgot it started. The Brazilian midfielder captains Newcastle United, which tells you what kind of fight the Gunners had on their hands to pry him loose.
Down the road, Liverpool are reportedly ready to make Bradley Barcola their third signing north of £100 million, per BBC Sport. The France winger would give Anfield another marquee name in a summer that's already been expensive, joining a growing list of nine-figure arrivals at the club.
Chelsea, never ones to watch from the sidelines, are closing in on a £16.3 million deal for Rayo Vallecano defender Pep Chavarria, BBC Sport reports — a smaller fee by this summer's standards, but the kind of depth signing that wins you November points, not August headlines.
Across London, Tottenham Hotspur have had USMNT and Monaco striker Folarin Balogun offered to them, ESPN's Transfer Talk reports, with Victor Osimhen and Nicolas Jackson also mentioned as Spurs hunt for firepower up front.
And at Manchester United, the story isn't a transfer at all. Marcus Rashford is expected back in training in the coming days, BBC Sport reports, with the club and its supporters still split on whether that reunion is good news or a headache waiting to happen.
Of the moves above, only the Guimaraes deal is described as close to complete; the rest — Barcola, Chavarria, and Balogun — remain reported interest rather than done business. Expect plenty more noise, and a few surprises, before the window shuts.
— Compiled from reporting by BBC Sport and ESPN.
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