Transfer news live: Liverpool eye Guehi after Wirtz, Gyokeres’ Arsenal claim, Mbeumo makes Man Utd U-turn – UK Times

The German has signed a five-year contract after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.

Wirtz’s fee could rise to a British record of £116m if Liverpool enjoy sustained success during his first five years at Anfield.

It was once again a case of close but not close enough for Mikel Arteta’s side in 2024/25. Finishing second fiddle to the Premier Leaguechampions for a third successive season, the Gunners endured another trophyless campaign after their Champions League push fell at the hands of eventual winners PSG.

A key reason for their failure to achieve was an attacking injury crisis that forced Mikel Merino, a defensive midfielder, to take up a role of makeshift number nine for the final months of the season.

What these fitness problems demonstrated is that despite their undeniable quality in the starting XI, Arsenal’s depth is far from good enough for a team hopeful of major titles, both domestically and on the continent.

With the transfer window having re-opened on 16 June, a striker remains top of the club’s shopping list, though the club have been linked with midfield and winger signings in recent weeks.

Here’s everything you need to know about Arsenal’s summer transfer plans.

Arsenal have reportedly “agreed personal terms” with their prime No 9 target Benjamin Sesko, according to Sport Bild via sportwitness, but there remains a major stumbling block in the shape of his huge price tag.

Sky Sports Germany reports that Leipzig are holding out for €80-100m (£68-86m), and Arsenal are reluctant to go that high. Even so, several reports have said the Gunners are preparing a first solid bid for the striker.

It is clearly a delicate operation, with Viktor Gyokeres waiting on hold to see how the situation progresses.

According to reports, Gyokeres has told friends and family he will join Arsenal this summer.

And Talksport claim that Gyokeres expects to make the move to the Gunners, even though a fee has not yet been agreed, with Arsenal hoping to pay around £60m, while Sporting want closer to £80m for the 27-year-old.

Chelsea and England winger Noni Madueke is being linked with Arsenal as the Gunners look to improve their forward options this summer.

Madueke is seen as the ideal wing complement to Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka but Blues boss Enzo Maresca has poured cold water on the speculation, insisting Chelsea have no plans on selling him.

Speaking at the Club World Cup, Maresca told reporters: “Noni is our player, you can read a lot of speculation at the moment but we consider Noni our player for the coming season.”

The 22-year-old, who has become one of the most coveted players in world football during his time at Bayer Leverkusen, was a target for Real Madrid, Manchester City and Bayern Munich, though Arne Slot’s side quickly moved to the front of the race for his signature.

But why has the German picked Liverpool as his next club?

When Florian Wirtz was 18, he was interviewed by Bayer Leverkusen’s club magazine. The headline was a quote from the teenager: “I have big dreams”. As he leaves, it will be after making Leverkusen’s biggest come true and yet while showing he didn’t share the dream of many a star at Germany’s other clubs. From Lothar Matthaus to Leon Goretzka and Leroy Sane, they gravitated to Bayern Munich, given their dominance and guarantee of trophies.

Myles Lewis-Skelly has agreed a new contract at Arsenal, reports the BBC.

The left-back, whose current deal expires in 2026, has been in talks with the club in recent months and is believed to have “agreed the outline of an extended agreement”.

It is not known how long the 18-year-old’s new deal will run for.

A big story from yesterday, as it was revealed that Crystal Palace have held initial talks with Sporting CP over centre-back Ousmane Diomande.

The 21-year-old Ivory Coast international has been identified as a target for the position amid Liverpool’s interest in Marc Guehi.

And it would represent a real coup for Palace, with Diomande highly regarded throughout the continent.

Reports continue to link Andre Onana with a move away from Man Utd, with AS Monaco the latest team to be linked today.

Other reports claim that United want to replace Onana with Villa ‘keeper Emi Martinez (in a deal worth £40m), though Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio says that Utd are targeting Atalanta goalkeeper Marco Carnesecchi.

We mentioned the Liverpool-Marc Guehi link earlier and that makes even more sense given Jarell Quansah is on the brink of sealing his move to Bayer Leverkusen.

According to Fabrizio Romano, it will be agreed in the next 48 hours or so with the clubs at the final stages of negotiation with a fee set to be around £30m plus £5m add-ons. Quansah himself is happy to move.