Leicester City is maintaining their stance that Wesley Fofana is not for sale for under £80m and they have rejected a new bid from Chelsea. The Blues have reached an agreement over personal terms with the Frenchman and they are now looking to strike an agreement with the Foxes to sign him. They have had numerous bids for his signature rejected and Brendan Rodgers dropped him for Leicester’s match at the weekend. The defender has asked them to sell him and he even missed training just to force through the move. Chelsea knows he wants to join them and they are pushing to make the move happen. Matchplug understands that their latest bid is worth around £70m. ideally, it should be enough for them to sell him. However, Leicester does not want to sell unless Chelsea meets their asking price. Rodgers has now banished the former Saint Etienne man to the under23s as he missed training to force the transfer.

Aston Villa has struck an agreement with Watford for the transfer of Ismaila Sarr, according to reports. The Senegalese star has been with the Hornets since 2019 and they have managed to keep hold of him till now despite reported interest in his signature from the top clubs. He was unable to stop them from getting relegated from the Premier League again last season, but he is now set to finally leave them. Matchplug understands Villa has agreed on a deal to add him to their squad and he will return to the English top flight. Steven Gerrard’s side has started this season poorly with one win and two losses. They were beaten 3-1 by Crystal Palace yesterday and the former Liverpool midfielder would be keen to ensure his side gets back to form. Sarr has been a star in the EPL and he will hope to help them get back among the hardest teams to beat in the league.

Dele Alli has had one of the most spectacular falls in football as he closes in on leaving the Premier League for good. The former Tottenham midfielder joined Everton in the January transfer window after struggling to recapture his early career form at Tottenham. Frank Lampard backed him and offered him a lot of chances to prove his worth, but the Englishman could not return to form. He is down the pecking order at Goodison Park now, and this transfer window offers him a good chance to change the air. Matchplug understands that Besiktas is keen to add him to their squad, and they have asked Everton for his signature. The Toffees want to offload him, but it is now left for the midfielder to decide his future. Besiktas hopes he agrees to leave the Premier League, where all the spotlight has been on him because of his stuttering career.

West Ham United has pulled the plug on their move for Chelsea left-back Emerson Palmieri. The Brazilian-Italian was a subject of interest from the Hammers, and they agreed to a £15 million fee with Chelsea. The Blues permitted them to hold talks over personal terms with the full-back. However, the talks have not progressed because his demands are proving an issue. Matchplug understands that the Irons are being asked to pay him a huge salary, but they believe it is unrealistic and will now abandon their pursuit of his signature. Chelsea has added Marc Cucurella to their squad and they now have four left-backs in the group. The Blues will gladly offload Emerson, who spent the last season on loan at Lyon and did well. The Euro 2020 winner has admirers back home in Italy, but it remains unclear if any of them can meet the amount West Ham has paid to Chelsea. If he remains at Stamford Bridge in this campaign, he is likely to spend all or most of it on the bench because the competition for a place in Thomas Tuchel’s team is much. Although West Ham could revive the move, for now, they are considering alternative targets.

Nice wants to add Nicolas Pepe to their squad in this transfer window as he struggles at Arsenal. The winger joined the Gunners from Lille in 2019 as their record buy, but he has failed to justify the huge money they spent to sign him. The Ivorian has been handed several chances to prove himself, but he failed and Mikel Arteta has moved on. The Spanish manager has brought out the best from the likes of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, and this means Pepe will struggle to play. He is now looking to leave the Emirates and Arsenal is more than happy to help him find a new home. Matchplug understands that the ambitious Nice wants to add him to their squad in this transfer window and they have been in talks with Arsenal. The idea is to take him on loan for the rest of this season and it remains to be seen if they will add an option to make the transfer permanent.

Everton has rejected Chelsea’s £45 million bid for Anthony Gordon as they hold out for £50 million. The midfielder is now a shining light in the Everton team and he was one of the players that helped them to survive relegation from the Premier League last season. As they rebuild their squad and seek to have a better season, Chelsea is eyeing a move for the impressive youngster. Matchplug understands that the Blues have offered £45million for his signature, but Everton is standing firm on their valuation. This could force the Londoners to abandon their pursuit, but it remains unclear if the player wants the transfer. Chelsea has focused on signing young players for their squad in this transfer window and he is one of the most promising men in the EPL right now. However, Everton has lost Richarlison who joined Tottenham and they cannot afford to let another important first-team player go if they want to remain competitive. It is interesting to see if Chelsea will return to try to sign him again with an improved offer.

Manchester United has insisted that Cristiano Ronaldo is not for sale as the Portuguese star maintains he wants to leave. Ronaldo informed the club earlier in the summer that he wants out, however, they have maintained that the striker will not leave. He was their top scorer last season with 24 goals and  missed their preseason after asking for more time off. His agent, Jorge Mendes, has been searching for a new home and some reports claim United has softened its stance on his future. However, Matchplug understands that the club remains adamant he would not leave. Erik Ten Hag is struggling to make his squad competitive in this campaign and the team is currently at the bottom of the Premier League table. Some people at the club believe it is better to offload Ronaldo, but the club has refused to bow to the pressure and they insist he would be on their books when this transfer window closes.