Transfer news live: Leny Yoro travels for Manchester United medical; Premier League latest, MLS updates and more

Yoro is a throwback defender in some respects, due to his tendency to operate as the last man in Lille’s defence.

While he stays deeper, Yoro is agile and reads danger well, akin to Liverpool’s centre-back and captain Virgil van Dijk.

Given his age and the areas he typically occupies on the pitch, it is not surprising that Yoro tends to err on the side of caution with both his passing and ball carrying.

The advantage he brings is that he has the qualities needed to step into the starting XI but can also be developed for a season before becoming a full-time first-choice.

Nottingham Forest defender Jonathan Panzo has completed a loan move to Portuguese side Rio Ave for the 2024-25 campaign.

The 23-year-old will spend the season with the Primeira Liga club as they gear up for another year in Portugal's top-flight.

Last season, Panzo had loan stints with Cardiff City and Standard Liege, where he made a combined total of 16 appearances. He is now seeking to gain more playing time elsewhere.

He joined Forest in the 2022 January transfer window from Dijon but has failed to make an impact at the City Ground, having made just one appearance. He also had a spell out on loan at Coventry City in the 2022-23 season.

Rio Ave finished 14th in the league in 2023-24.

Real Madrid and Luka Modric have agreed a new contract extension that will keep the midfielder at the club until June 2025.

The Croatia international’s current deal was due to expire this summer but he has agreed to extend his stay at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The 38-year-old — who joined the Spanish club from Tottenham Hotspur in 2012 — scored two goals and provided six assists in 46 appearances across all competitions last season, with many of those being off the bench.

Fenerbahce have completed the signing of Allan Saint-Maximin on loan from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.

The 27-year-old joined the Middle Eastern club from Newcastle United during the summer of 2023.

The Frenchman will spend the 2024-25 season in Turkey playing under new Fenerbahce manager Jose Mourinho.

Saint-Maximin scored 13 goals and provided 21 assists in 124 appearances for Newcastle.

Fenerbahce have already completed the signings of Cenk Tosun, Caglar Soyuncu, Oguz Aydin, Rade Krunic, and Leven Mercan this summer.

Arsenal have confirmed that Jack Henry-Francis has joined Sligo Rovers on loan until the end of the Irish season in November.

The midfielder, 20, is from London but has an Irish passport and is capped at under-21 level for the Republic of Ireland. He has spent three seasons with Arsenal’s Under-21s and has had interest previously, but untimely injuries stopped those moves from materialising.

“Jack’s a pleasure to work with and an outstanding pro,” Arsenal Under-21 head coach Mehmet Ali told The Athletic in May. “Every day he’s on it in terms of how he trains, his off-pitch behaviour and values. He’s been a little bit unlucky because whenever there have been loan opportunities, he’s picked up an injury and had to stay in.

“That’s unfortunate for him because what he’s doing is great but you don’t want to be captain of the u21s for too long - he needs that next step. If I’m being selfish, I want him in the team as much as possible but that’s not my job.

“I want him to push on and have a career because for me, he’s ready for men’s football and I hope people are watching tonight so we can pick up the phone and make that happen because he deserves it.”

Henry-Francis has not made an official first-team debut for Arsenal, but was part of the pre-season squad in 2021. That summer, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said: “He has a lot of courage, wants the ball in tight areas and is technically very gifted.

“You can see physically he’s not fully developed but his intelligence… his brain works quicker than his physique and he did really well when he came on.”

He has since developed physically and is ready for first-team exposure.

Barcelona have confirmed the temporary return of Thiago Alcantara as part of the club’s coaching staff.

The Catalan club said on Wednesday, July 17, that the former central midfielder would “gain experience” on Hansi Flick’s coaching staff over the pre-season.

The former Spain international, 33, announced his retirement from playing the game earlier this month following his exit from Liverpool.

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Ipswich Town have completed the signing of goalkeeper Arijanet Muric from Burnley.

The Athletic reported Ipswich and Burnley had agreed a deal worth an initial £8million that rises to more than £10million with add-ons.

The 25-year-old, who has signed a four-year deal with Ipswich, started last season as Burnley’s second-choice goalkeeper to James Trafford but came into the team for the final 10 Premier League matches of the season.

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West Ham have agreed a deal to sign Jean-Clair Todibo from French side Nice but fear the defender wants to move to Juventus instead.

West Ham’s deal with Nice would see them pay an initial €5million (£4.2m; $5.5m) loan fee for Todibo with an obligation to buy of €32m and an additional €3m due in potential add-ons. Nice will retain a sell-on clause if the 24-year-old moves to West Ham permanently.

The Premier League side, though, fear Todibo would prefer a move to Juventus as they can offer Champions League football next term, having finished third in Serie A last season.

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Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund says it remains possible that Alphonso Davies remains at the club and signs a new contract.

Davies, 23, has entered the final year of his Bayern deal and has been the subject of transfer interest from Real Madrid.

The Spanish side had agreed terms with Davies in February but the proposed deal went cold. Madrid then renewed their interest last month but Bayern and new head coach Vincent Kompany want the Canada captain to remain in Germany.

“Discussions have happened, but so far no agreement has been reached,” Freund said yesterday at the unveiling of Hiroki Ito as a Bayern player following his move from Stuttgart. “Phonzie is now on a well-earned holiday, and so we’ll see when he comes back. The door is certainly not closed.

“The most important thing is that he prepares really well, that he gets off to a really good start with us and that he finds his form really well. And then we’ll see what the next few months bring.

“Phonzie has developed into an absolute key player in recent years, he’s done really well. He’s now going into the last year of his contract, it looks like, but we’ll see how the talks go.”

Davies captained Canada to the semi-finals of the Copa America and finished fourth at the tournament after being defeated by Uruguay in the third-place play-off on Saturday.

Speaking last month on his future and a possible move to Madrid, Davies said: “My main focus is on the national team. As of now, that’s where my head is at. I’ll think about it when we’re past this tournament.”

Manchester United Women have completed the signing of striker Elisabeth Terland from Brighton & Hove Albion.

The 23-year-old scored 20 Women’s Super League (WSL) goals in 39 appearances during her two seasons at Brighton.

The Norway international has signed a two-year deal with the club with the option of a further year.

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Chelsea have signed England international Lucy Bronze on a free transfer.

The 32-year-old defender was a free agent after leaving Barcelona following the end of her contract. She has become the fourth signing under new Chelsea head coach Sonia Bompastor, who replaced Emma Hayes earlier this summer.

The club have also signed Julia Bartel from Barcelona alongside duo Sandy Baltimore and Oriane Jean-Francois from Paris Saint-Germain.

Leny Yoro is flying to the UK to undergo a medical and finalise personal terms as Manchester United push to secure a huge coup by signing the coveted centre-back from Lille.

An agreement between the clubs on an initial €62million (£52m; $67.9m) fee was reached last week — however Yoro still needed to accept the switch. His original preference was to join Real Madrid but they have so far shown no indication of paying the price that United and Lille settled on.

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Southampton have completed the signing of midfielder Flynn Downes from West Ham United on a permanent deal.

The Athletic reported on Monday that a deal worth up to £18million had been agreed for the midfielder, who spent last season on loan at the south coast club.

He has signed a four-year deal to keep him at the club until 2028.

The midfielder is highly regarded by Southampton manager Russell Martin, who was keen to make him part of his plans for the 2024-25 campaign. The pair previously worked together at Swansea City.

“We’re thrilled to bring Flynn back. It was a big priority for us this summer and to get it done early in pre-season is also really important for us.

“He was such an influential player for us last season, both on and off the pitch. He’s a brilliant character, he’s aggressive and physical in his play, technically excellent with the ball and a fantastic athlete too."

Manchester United are continuing their work on another key area of focus for this transfer market: central defence.

United have twice seen offers for Jarrad Branthwaite rejected and, while the interest remains, they are unlikely to meet Everton’s valuation. The expected departure of Amadou Onana makes it even more improbable that Branthwaite will leave Goodison Park for now.

In parallel, United have been pursuing moves for Matthijs De Ligt and Leny Yoro. Progress has been achieved on each front recently, though the current expectation is they would recruit one or the other as opposed to both.

Given a deal for De Ligt looks relatively straightforward if United choose to proceed, at present they seem to be prioritising Yoro and exploring whether the Frenchman can be convinced to join them rather than hold out for Real Madrid.

Yoro’s first choice is Madrid but they are yet to show any indication of paying the level of fee that Lille have accepted from United, which has led the Ligue 1 club to favour doing business with their Premier League counterparts.

If Yoro is to make a switch this summer — his Lille terms end in 2025 so they do not want to lose him for free — and Madrid cannot strike a deal, will he instead accept a switch to United?

That is the burning question and strong efforts continue at Old Trafford to swing the outcome in their direction. Suitors including Liverpool backed off after being told of Yoro’s chosen destination — but United have persisted and, so long as the door is ajar, they will keep trying.

Everything, therefore, rests on the 18-year-old talent and his final decision. That means this situation is definitely worth keeping a close eye on in the coming days and potentially weeks.