Thomas Partey, the former Arsenal and Atletico Madrid midfielder, has been charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, the Metropolitan Police confirmed on Monday. The alleged offences involve three women and reportedly occurred between 2021 and 2022. Two of the rape charges relate to one woman, three to a second woman, and the sexual assault charge concerns a third woman. An investigation was launched in February 2022 following an initial report. Partey, 32, is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday, August 5. Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy said: “Our priority remains providing support to the women who have come forward.” Anyone with information has been urged to contact detectives at CIT@met.police.uk. Jaswant Narwal of the Crown Prosecution Service reminded the public: “Criminal proceedings are active, and the defendant has the right to a fair trial. Please avoid any commentary or posts that could affect the case.” Partey, a Ghana international, is currently without a club after leaving Arsenal this summer following 167 appearances. He joined the Gunners from Atletico Madrid in 2020.

The 20-year-old England U21 international will return to the Blues. The team where he once played as a youth before joining Manchester City’s academy. Gittens moved to Dortmund in 2022 and has since made 107 appearances, scoring 17 goals. This move comes after Chelsea declined the chance to make Jadon Sancho’s loan permanent and amid the provisional suspension of Mykhailo Mudryk following a failed drugs test. Gittens becomes Chelsea’s fourth signing of the summer, joining Liam Delap, Dario Essugo, and Mamadou Sarr. He’ll also be joined later in the summer by Brazilian teenage star Estevao Willian. Estevao will arrive after his Club World Cup campaign with Palmeiras. Both Chelsea and Dortmund are currently competing in the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States.

Liverpool have stepped up their pursuit of Bayer Leverkusen’s highly-rated midfielder Florian Wirtz. They have put up a second, improved bid worth £109 million, according to reports on Friday. The Premier League champions’ new offer reportedly includes add-on clauses that could make Wirtz the most expensive signing in Liverpool’s history.  Despite interest from Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich and Premier League rivals Manchester City, Wirtz is believed to have communicated to Leverkusen his strong desire to join Liverpool ahead of next season. Leverkusen sporting director Simon Rolfes confirmed earlier this week that Liverpool had “concrete interest” in the 22-year-old midfielder.  However, Leverkusen CEO Fernando Carro previously insisted Wirtz would not be allowed to leave for less than £125 million. Florian Wirtz emerged as one of Europe’s most promising young playmakers after playing a pivotal role in Leverkusen’s first Bundesliga title win in the 2023-24 season.  He was also named Bundesliga Player of the Season for his performances. This campaign, Wirtz featured in 31 Bundesliga games, scoring 10 goals as Leverkusen finished runners-up to Bayern Munich.  Since his debut at 17 after moving from Cologne in 2020, Wirtz has scored 57 goals in 197 appearances for Leverkusen.