TRANSFER season has reached fever pitch with the summer window in full flow.
And Barcelona have reportedly been offered the mouthwatering chance to pair Cristiano Ronaldo up with Lionel Messi.
Follow ALL of the latest transfer gossip, news and updates below…
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“The Premier League can then express why they are ignoring a petition of more than 100,000 people.
“Why are they ignoring a call from the government?
“The situation at Newcastle highlights a much broader problem within football. And that is, who exactly is running football in this country?
“There's a lot of executives and a lot of appointees but we are sadly lacking a voice of reason for supporters associations at any level.
“These organisations operate in secrecy and the only thing they bear in mind is the finances for their own organisations when there is a lack of voice from communities up and down this country
“Showing them this lack of respect is outrageous.”
'WHY ARE THEY IGNORING THE GOVERNMENT'
AN MP has demanded the Premier League face a government grilling over the failed Newcastle takeover.
Ian Lavery wrote to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee to push for answers as the Prem maintains a wall of silence.
Magpies owner Mike Ashley and the Saudi Arabian-led consortium remain desperate to revive the £300m deal.
The bid was withdrawn on July 30, with the potential buyers blaming the Prem for scuppering the takeover.
More than 100,000 fans signed a petition, and were joined by over 50 MPs and Prime Minister Boris Johnson in calling for clarity.
Lavery, the Labour Wansbeck MP, said: “I have written to the chair of the DCMS committee asking if he would consider a session with the Premier League…
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It reads: “Those at the bottom of the merit table, and those who complete fewer than 10 matches, do not qualify.
“Payments to those who complete fewer than 20 matches are discounted (by 40 per cent up to 14 matches and 15 per cent up to 19).
“The distribution is otherwise based on a set number of “shares” which are split in the manner specified in the document, with the first ranked referee receiving the most shares.
“A further email is sent on behalf of Mr Riley after the end of the season referring to PGMOL's Board having confirmed the size of the pot.
“The maximum payment for 2014-15 was around £3,500 and the lowest was under £700.
“Mr Riley's evidence was that merit payments would be made as indicated unless the referee group had had a 'catastrophic' season, which he thought might happen if the EFL was dissatisfied with the overall level of service.”
RED ENVELOPE
Premier League referees will receive a performance-related bonus – despite a season of shoddy officiating.
Despite the unpopular introduction of VAR, officials will yet again pocket some extra cash as they have done in previous campaigns.
A meeting will be held on September 12 to decide on the bonus figure each referee will receive although the total amount remains unknown.
All referees in each four divisions who have taken charge of more than ten games are eligible.
That is unless they have endured a “catastrophic” season, according to Sky Sports.
According to court documents written by Premier League referee chief Mike Riley, it informs refs of the size of their bonus…
SNAP IT SHUT
Premier League stars have been warned to STOP sharing holiday snaps on social media over fears of their quarantine whereabouts on their return to the UK.
Top-flight clubs are set to kick off their pre-season plans as early as next week following a condensed summer break.
A hatful of players are currently enjoying a quick break in the sun – with the likes of Dele Alli, Jack Grealish, James Maddison and Frank Lampard all making the most of their few weeks off.
But now Sportsmail have claimed stars have been urged to ditch social media in a bid to avoid awkward questions surrounding their whereabouts during periods of self-isolation.
Spanish hot-spots such as Marbella and Ibiza are favourites amongst the world's best footballers.
NO DRAMEHS
Newly-promoted Leeds have signed full-back Cody Drameh from Fulham.
LATE TO THE PARTEY
Arsenal have been dealt a major blow in their pursuit of Thomas Partey with Juventus reportedly keen to bring him to Italy.
The Atletico Madrid midfielder is understood to be the Gunners’ No1 target this summer, but they are struggling to meet his £45million release clause.
It has been claimed that the North Londoners would have to give Partey wages in excess of £200,000-a-week to convince him to join.
Mikel Arteta is desperate to land the Ghanaian international, but knows Arsenal will have to sell players in order to fund a move for him.
And according to La Gazzetta dello Sport, this could lead the Old Lady to poach his signature from under Arsenal’s nose.
They claim that Andrea Pirlo is keen to sign a defensive midfielder after Blaise Matuidi joined Inter Miami.
IT WON’T BE LONG
Kia Joorabchian also confirmed the announcement of Willian’s transfer to Arsenal is imminent.
He told talkSPORT: “It won’t be long before we announce it. We know where he is going.”
COCK-UP FC
Kia Joorabchian has launched a scathing attack on Arsenal’s recruitment policy, despite the fact that one of his clients is about to sign for them.
Joorabchian laid into to former sporting director Sven Mislintat for the Gunners’ recent transfer flops.
He told talkSPORT: “People forget about the previous guy, Sven.
“He made a bunch of, I don't like to use the word, but, cock-ups with players he brought in at very, very large numbers.”
POSH MOVE
Man Utd youngster Ethan Hamilton has joined Peterborough United on a two-year deal.
Darragh MacAnthony announced the transfer on Instagram.
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Delighted to announce new signing of 21 year old Ethan Hamilton who joins our CM ranks [email protected] on a 2 year deal ??
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MOORE GOOD TIMES AHEAD
Kieffer Moore says he wants to take Cardiff back to the Premier League after joining from Wigan.
The powerful Wales striker has signed a three-year deal with the Bluebirds for a fee of just under £2million after the Latics went into administration and were relegated to League One.
Neil Harris’ Cardiff side suffered Championship play-off heartbreak last season, but Moore plans on taking his new team one step further in the upcoming campaign.
“I've spoken to the manager and his desire is to get promoted to the Premier League and that is something I share,” said Moore.
“The fans were a deciding factor for me. I know I'm going to play really good football here. The game really suits me. To have the backing from the fans straight away is amazing.”
HE'LL GET SILVA SERVICE
David Silva will be welcomed with “open arms” at Lazio.
The Manchester City legend will leave the Etihad once their quest for Champions League glory comes to a conclusion this month.
The midfield maestro is set to join the Italian giants in the “next weeks” – and his new team-mates cannot wait to have the 34-year-old on board.
That is according to Serie A’s top goalscorer and Lazio star Ciro Immobile.
He said: “Great player and great experience, we are waiting for him with open arms.
“I can’t wait for him to arrive, before Lazio players we are Lazio fans.”
'JETIN OFF
Celtic have signed Albian Ajeti from West Ham.
The Hoops have confirmed the news on Twitter.
ONE 'N DONE
Replays have been ditched from every round of the FA Cup next season to make sure the competition gets played, reports DUNCAN WRIGHT.
Ties will all be decided in one day from the extra preliminary round on September 1 right through to the final on May 15.
FA bosses have been forced to make the unprecedented change in order to cram their competition into what is fast becoming a crazily packed fixture programme.
The qualifying rounds will be resolved by the end of October, before the first round proper sees teams from Leagues One and Two enter the tournament on November 7.
Third round ties will be played on or around January 9 when Premier League and Championship sides enter the competition.
Teams throughout the leagues are facing major problems getting their games played, with the first four rounds of the Carabao Cup now confirmed to be crammed into September.
STEER CLEAR
Ghana boss Charles Akonnor told has urged Thomas Partey to avoid joining Arsenal.
He told Ghanaian radio: “I honestly wouldn't want Thomas Partey to join Arsenal.
“That is because with Atletico Madrid, he will always play in the Champions League.
“His position is guaranteed, and he will always play.
“It will be difficult for Arsenal to qualify for the Champions League, so I would urge him to stay in Madrid.
“Arsenal fans will kill me for saying this!”
LISB-ON HIS WAY
Jan Vertonghen will complete his move to Benfican imminently.
Fabrizio Romano confirmed the news on Twitter.
CHIL'S COLD WAR
Chelsea are braced for a bidding war for Ben Chilwell, after Leicester slapped an £80million price tag on his head.
According to the Mirror, Manchester United are also in the race for the defender, who is a Blues fan.
Chelsea have reportedly made an initial bid for Chilwell, which is considerably less than Leicester want.
And they are reluctant to up their cash offer any more, potentially opening the door for United to move in.
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FIXTURE PILE-UP
The first FOUR rounds of the Carabao Cup will be crammed into the first month of the season in order to get the competition played, writes DUNCAN WRIGHT.
EFL bosses have been forced to get creative with the fixture list in order for their cup tournament to be staged following the delayed start to the new season.
The first round, involving EFL sides, will be played on September 5 – one week before the league campaigns are due to kick-off.
Then rounds two, three and four will be staged each midweek from September 15/16 – which will include the Premier League sides.
Top flight teams enter the tournament in the second round, except for those involved in European competitions who come in a round later.
The condensed timescale mean Premier League clubs are expected to play a minimum of SIX matches in the first three weeks of the new season – every weekend and midweek from September 12.
KEYBOARD WARRIOR TRACKED DOWN
The Premier League has revealed it went after a fan in Singapore for threatening and abusive messages received by Brighton’s Neal Maupay.
They said in a statement:
Threatening and abusive messages received by the player were reported to the Premier League via its online abuse reporting system.
Premier League investigators believe that they have tracked the location of the person responsible to Singapore and have now filed an official police complaint.
The Premier League is liaising with local authorities and will support all subsequent legal action on behalf of Neal Maupay.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said: “The abuse Neal received is wholly unacceptable.
“We responded immediately to seek justice on his behalf, which in this case meant identifying the perpetrator, tracking them to where they live, and then pursuing legal action accordingly.“
ZECH'S IN THE POST
Arsenal youngster Zech Medley has joined Gillingham on a season-long loan.
The defender, 20, broke into the first team last season but was limited to one appearance on the bench this year in the Europa League.
Medley, who joined from Chelsea as a kid in 2016, was a regular in the Under-23 side that finished sixth in Premier League Two but is now moving on.
The 6ft 5in former England youth star will spend 12 months at the Priestfield Stadium after the Gills beat off interest from a number of clubs for his signature.
Announcing the move on their website, manager Steve Evans said: “The lad has taken his time, spoken to numerous clubs and he is a superb addition.
“I would like to acknowledge the support of Mikel Arteta and his staff at Arsenal for agreeing that Zech should continue his education here.”
ALLAN KEY
Newcastle youngster Tom Allan has joined Accrington Stanley on a season-long loan – after signing a new two-year deal with the Magpies, writes OSCAR PAUL.
The forward, 20, is yet to make a league appearance for Newcastle but made his debut in the FA Cup against Rochdale in January.
The Geordie set up a goal for Joelinton in that game and finished the season as Newcastle’s leading scorer at under-23 level.
Toon boss Steve Bruce wants him to get first-team experience at Accrington but told him he will get opportunities in the future at St. James’ Park.
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Buzzing to sign a new contract with Nufc and to also join @asfc.official on loan this season ?#nufc #ourstanley
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FAT CHANCE
Manchester United have made a renewed move for Barcelona star Ansu Fati as a potential alternative to Jadon Sancho.
The Red Devils and Borussia Dortmund are at a stalemate over a deal for the England winger’s valuation.
Now Sport claims that has led Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team to make a fresh enquiry for the 17-year-old Nou Camp wonderkid.
However, they state Barca have again informed them the forward is not for sale under any circumstances.
Fati scored seven goals in 24 La Liga appearances during his breakthrough campaign alongside Lionel Messi and the rest of their star-studded squad.
Super agent Jorge Mendes was reportedly involved in talks over a move to United earlier this summer.
HELPING HEND
Newcastle are confident of making free agent Jef Hendrick their first summer signing, writes OSCAR PAUL.
The midfielder, 28, left Burnley after four years and was reportedly a target of AC Milan.
Aston Villa have also been sniffing around, but Steve Bruce is hopeful of landing the Republic of Ireland international.
The Toon boss is working on a limited budget after the Saudi Arabian-led takeover collapsed.
And with loanee Nabil Bentaleb unlikely to return and youngster Matty Longstaff leaving the club at the end of his contract, Hendrick will provide much-needed competition in the middle of the park.
STAYING PUT
Versatile wide-man Marvin Johnson has penned a new deal at Middlesbrough, writes OSCAR PAUL.
Johnson was an ever-present under boss Neil Warnock, who kept the Teesiders in the Championship after replacing Jonathan Woodgate.
The 29-year-old signed an extension in July to finish the season and will remain at The Riverside until next summer at least.
Johnson joined Boro in 2017 and has made 60 appearances.
Warnock said: “Since I came here he has improved on a weekly basis and I’m delighted to keep him here.
“He was excellent for us during the end of last season, I’ve been really pleased with what I’ve seen, and I think I can improve him even more during my time here.”
WELCOME TO MIAMI
David Beckham has hailed Blaise Matuidi after the star joined Inter Miami from Juventus.
Miami chief Becks posted on his Instagram: “I was lucky to play with Blaise in Paris and I saw what an amazing player and person he is so I cannot wait for him to bring that talent to our club.
“Blaise you are a great person and you will find an amazing new home in Miami for you and your beautiful family.
“To have a World Cup winner in our team, the first to join @MLS is such an honour for us.
“You have lifted many trophies in your career my friend and I know you share my dream that you will win more with us.
“I couldn’t be happier that you have chosen @intermiamicf.”
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Welcome to #lafamilia @blaisematuidiofficiel ??. I was lucky to play with Blaise in Paris and I saw what an amazing player and person he is so I cannot wait for him to bring that talent to our club. Blaise you are a great person and you will find an amazing new home in Miami for you and your beautiful family. To have a World Cup winner in our team, the first to join @MLS is such an honour for us. You have lifted many trophies in your career my friend and I know you share my dream that you will win more with us. I couldn’t be happier that you have chosen @intermiamicf
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