Sami Mokbel
BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

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It is well-documented that Arsenal are actively looking to sell players this summer.

The Gunners are looking to move Ethan Nwaneri but will only accept loan offers for the teenager attacker as they do not want to sell him permanently.

The academy graduate is attracting major interest from clubs across the Premier League and Europe, and was left out of the matchday squad for the Community Shield win over Manchester City on Sunday.

There is an acknowledgment at the club that Nwaneri is at a stage in his career when he would benefit from playing regular senior football.

But he is not the only player the Premier League champions are looking to offload before the transfer window closes.

Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli and Fabio Vieira are among the players they are open to selling.

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Centre-back Ezri Konsa has played for Aston Villa since 2019.

Previously he played at Charlton Athletic and Brentford. Over his seven seasons at Villa, Konsa has made 264 appearances and has scored 12 goals for the Villans.

Konsa has won 28 caps for England, scoring two goals.

Sami Mokbel
BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Having signed Bruno Guimaraes from Newcastle, the Premier League champions Arsenal have turned their attention to defence - and look favourably on Ezri Konsa's versatility.

Multiple sources had told BBC Sport the Gunners also held exploratory talks with Tottenham over a potential move for their club captain Cristian Romero before Spurs agreed a fee with Atletico Madrid.

Konsa featured 48 times across all competitions last term, scoring two goals and contributing one assist, as Unai Emery's side lifted the Europa League and finished fourth in the Premier League to secure Champions League football for 2026-27.

Sami Mokbel
BBC Sport Senior football correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Arsenal are accelerating their interest in Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa.

Various sources have now indicated that there is now some optimism an agreement for the England international to move to the Emirates Stadium is possible.

Konsa is Arsenal’s first choice defensive target but so far the Premier League champions have not met Villa’s £60million valuation.

BBC Sport revealed last week that Arsenal had reopened talks with Villa over a deal for Konsa but still fell short of reaching a deal.

The Gunners appeared to pivot to Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarrel Quansah last week amid doubt that a deal with Villa for Konsa was possible.

However, Arsenal have refocussed their efforts on negotiating a deal with Villa for Konsa with a sense now the deal will get completed.

Speaking of Aston Villa, it has been a busy couple of hours at Bodymoor Heath.

We're hearing that one of Unai Emery's key performers from last season could follow in the footsteps of Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne by leaving the Europa League winners this summer...

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Manchester United reporter

Adrian: Will Manchester United move for Ollie Watkins? Surely it makes sense?

Manchester United thought about trying to sign Ollie Watkins last summer but went for Benjamin Sesko instead.

The link has never truly gone away, although I think further attacking reinforcements depend on Marcus Rashford.

At the moment, it seems as though Rashford will remain at United beyond the transfer window. So, although Sesko would be the only orthodox striker in Michael Carrick’s squad, he would have three players – Rashford, Bryan Mbeumo, Joshua Zirkzee and Matheus Cunha – who could fit in, and has alternative attackers to cover them.

If Rashford left, it would make sense to bring in a forward, and the age profile might be attractive given Sesko’s relative inexperience. Whether the price would be is another matter.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Manchester United reporter

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This is an interesting move by Manchester United.

On one side, it makes perfect sense. They tried to sign Carlos Baleba 12 months ago, so are fully aware of his abilities.

He is the kind of box-to-box player United do not have in their midfield despite the arrivals of Santos and Tielemans.

Baleba wants to make the move and the fee, whatever it ends up as, will be much less than the £100m they were quoted previously.

However, the reason the fee has gone down is the underwhelming form he showed for Brighton last season.

Thirty-one starts and three substitute appearances in the Premier League in 2024-25 became 23 starts and eight substitute appearances in 2025-26, highlighting a dip in form and value to Fabian Hurzeler in a campaign when Brighton secured European football for only the second time in their history.

There was a belief Baleba's head had been turned by Manchester United's interest, but Brighton sources last season said they didn't think that was right.

With the transfer deadline approaching, Old Trafford chiefs have made their move.

Carrick must hope he gets the 2024-25 version.

If Manchester United were to strike a deal for Carlos Baleba, it would mark quite a turnaround from 12 months ago.

It was only a year ago that United called off their pursuit of the Cameroon international after Brighton stood firm in their insistence that the midfielder was not for sale.

While no formal bid was submitted for Baleba, United did make enquiries about the potential cost of a deal and whether Brighton would be willing to sanction his departure.

At the time, sources told BBC Sport that Brighton had no intention of selling, while head coach Fabian Hurzeler said he was "very, very, very confident" the midfielder would remain at the club for the 2025-26 season.

United eventually accepted that the cost of persuading Brighton to change their stance would be prohibitive and subsequently backed away from a move.

Twelve months later, it seems as though United are moving closer to signing the highly rated midfielder.

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

At just 22 years old, Carlos Baleba has established himself as one of the Premier League's most exciting young midfielders.

Before playing for Brighton, he previous played for two seasons at Lille, France.

In the 2025-26 season, Baleba made 35 appearances for the Seagulls across all competitions.

The midfielder made his international debut in June 2024, playing for Cameroon. Since, he has won 16 caps for his country.

Manchester United

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Incomings:

• Andrey Santos - Midfielder, Chelsea
• Youri Tielemans - Midfielder, Aston Villa
• Karl Darlow- Goalkeeper, Leeds United
• Tynan Thompson - Midfielder, Tottenham
• Cristian Orozco - Defender, Fortaleza

Outgoings:

• Rasmus Hojlund - Striker, Napoli
• Casemiro - midfielder, left as a free agent
• Jadon Sancho - Winger, released
• Tyrell Malacia - Defender, Lausanne-Sport
• Ethan Williams - Winger, Peterborough United
• Ethan Ennis - Winger, Stockport County

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Manchester United reporter

Manchester United have already signed midfielders Andrey Santos from Chelsea for £48m and Youri Tielemans, who joined from Aston Villa in July for £35m.

Mason Mount did excel alongside Santos in the first three games of pre-season, but he has been struggling to overcome a foot problem sustained against Paris St-Germain in Gothenburg on 8 August.

It is not clear yet when Carlos Baleba will be fit to play as he sustained an ankle ligament injury during pre-season that made him a doubt for Brighton's early season games.

Baleba is expected to be out for another two to three weeks, which will rule him out of United's Premier League opener against Hull on Saturday, but he could be involved for the league fixture against Everton on 6 September.

Fabian Hurzeler's squad fly to Norway today for Thursday's UEFA Conference League play-off first-leg encounter with Tromso.

Baleba made 35 appearances for Brighton last season, picking up seven yellow cards as a defensive midfielder.

Simon Stone
BBC Sport Manchester United reporter

Image source, Getty Images

Manchester United are closing in on a deal to sign Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba.

The Old Trafford outfit attempted to sign Baleba near deadline day last summer but were put off by Brighton's valuation in excess of £100m for the Cameroon international.

However, the price has reduced significantly and after failing in their pursuit of Matheus Fernandes earlier this summer, United have decided to revisit Baleba.

United's initial £60m offer is below Brighton's valuation, but talks are continuing.

Relax, Bayern Munich fans. It does not appear Harry Kane has his eye on a move to the Saudi Pro League anytime soon.

Earlier this week, Kane, 33, who scored 61 goals in 51 appearances for Bayern last season, said he was "relaxed" about his future with the Bundesliga champions and expected talks over a new deal to begin next week.

"Obviously, now is the time to start talking because there's only a year left," Kane said. "That's important. But both sides are relaxed, and I'm pretty sure there'll be some talks this week or next week."

Since joining Bayern from Tottenham Hotspur in 2023 in a deal worth £86.4 million, Kane has scored 98 goals in 94 Bundesliga appearances, helping Bayern win two league titles.

Kane scored six goals at the 2026 World Cup as England recorded their highest-place finish since 1966.

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