City swoop for Nunes, Liverpool reject £150mn Saudi bid for Salah

Manchester City signed Wolves midfielder Matheus Nunes in a £53mn ($63mn) deal after selling Cole Palmer to Chelsea, while Liverpool reportedly turned down a £150mn offer from Saudi Arabia for Mohamed Salah in the hectic final hours before last night’s transfer deadline.
The deadline was expected to bring a last flurry of signings as Premier League teams fine-tune their squads for the season ahead. English top-flight clubs have already set a new record for spending on new players during this window, with the total set to surpass £2bn according to financial experts.
Treble winners City led the way with a swoop for Portugal international Nunes to bolster their squad after the departure of Ilkay Gundogan and a long-term hamstring injury suffered by Kevin De Bruyne.
The 25-year-old agreed a five-year contract with City and admitted he can’t wait to work with boss Pep Guardiola. “I’m so happy to be joining Manchester City, the champions of Europe and a club I’ve admired for a long time,” he said. “The opportunity to work under Pep Guardiola, one of the greatest managers ever, and alongside some of the best players in the world was something I simply couldn’t turn down.”
Moving in the opposite direction was City midfielder Tommy Doyle, who joined Wolves on a season-long loan. City also cashed in on Palmer for an initial £40mn that takes Chelsea’s spending on new players in just over a year under the club’s American ownership beyond £1bn. Palmer agreed a seven-year contract with Chelsea, who could pay City an extra £2.5mn in add-on clauses.
The 21-year-old scored in both the Community Shield and UEFA Super Cup last month as Riyad Mahrez’s exit looked to have opened the door to more first-team opportunities at City. But Palmer, who helped England win the Under-21 European Championship this year, said he had been convinced by Chelsea’s plan to invest heavily in young players.
“I’m excited to get started and it feels great to sign,” Palmer said. “I’ve joined Chelsea because the project here sounds good and because of the platform I will have to try to showcase my talents. It is a young and hungry squad and, hopefully, we can do something special here.”
Liverpool maintain Salah will not be sold despite Al Ittihad’s attempt to lure the Egyptian to the Gulf. “The position remains the same. Absolutely no doubt about that,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said of the Reds’ desire to keep the 31-year-old, who has two years left to run on his contract. The Saudi transfer window does not close until September 7.
Liverpool have already felt the effects of the lavish sums on offer to players in Saudi as captain Jordan Henderson and Fabinho left earlier in the window. Ryan Gravenberch looks set to join Liverpool from Bayern Munich in a £35 million deal later on deadline day to complete a midfield overhaul. Brighton’s Alexis Mac Allister and Leipzig’s Dominik Szoboszlai were signed earlier in the window to replace Henderson and Fabinho, as well as the departed James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
“We pretty much had to reinvent the team. The midfield is all ready and will be completely new,” Klopp said. “We are less experienced but that is normal. We are full of desire and I love this team.”
Brighton landed a major coup by signing Spanish international winger Ansu Fati on a season-long loan deal from Barcelona. Fati was regarded as one of the most promising talents in Europe when he burst onto the scene four years ago before injuries have halted his progress. “This is a great deal for all of us. I am sure Ansu will help us to reach a new target and we can help him get back to the level he deserves to be,” said Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi said.
Manchester United signed goalkeeper Altay Bayindir from Fenerbahce in a deal worth a reported £4.3mn.
Bayindir, who becomes the first Turk to play for the Red Devils, will serve as cover for Andre Onana following Dean Henderson’s move to Crystal Palace this week. United are also set to make a loan move for Tottenham left-back Sergio Reguilon.
Spurs are closing in on Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson for a fee rising to £45mn.