Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is “happy” to see Noni Madueke leave the club after agreeing a £52 million deal with Premier League rivals Arsenal. The 23-year-old is set to become the latest player to swap Stamford Bridge for the Emirates with the deal set to be announced shortly. Madueke has been given permission to leave Chelsea’s squad as they prepare for the Club World Cup final with PSG and undergo his Arsenal medical in London. Speaking ahead of the game against the European champions on Sunday, Maresca revealed it was the player’s decision to leave Chelsea. “Noni is in contact with the new club,” he told a press conference. “I guess he is going to be (announced) in the next hours.” “I said in the one of the last press conferences, if players want to leave then it is difficult for the club and the manager. Noni decided to leave, nobody told Noni he had to leave. If he is happy, we are happy.”

Veteran coach Louis van Gaal has confirmed he is no longer battling cancer and is considering a return to high-level football. The 73-year-old revealed in 2021 that he was being treated for prostate cancer. However, speaking on a Dutch television talk show, Van Gaal said: “I’m no longer bothered by cancer.” Van Gaal last worked as head coach of the Netherlands during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and has not managed since. “Two years ago, I had a few operations. It was all bad then. But it all worked out in the end. I have check-ups every few months, and that’s going well. I’m getting fitter and fitter,” he explained. The former manager of Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester United ruled out a return to club football but admitted the right international opportunity could tempt him back. He currently serves as a special advisor at Ajax.

Former West Ham defender Anton Ferdinand says Wrexham‘s rise under Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney has helped increase awareness and interest in English lower-league football in the United States. Ferdinand, 40, now a club ambassador for West Ham, told AFP that the club’s journey has “opened people’s eyes across the pond on such a great league.” Wrexham have enjoyed a dramatic rise since the 2021 takeover, when Reynolds and McElhenney purchased the Wales-based club for around £2 million ($2.7 million). They have since earned three consecutive promotions. Ferdinand praised the effect of the story: “It’s helped lift the bonnet on lower-league English football.” He’s followed football in the U.S. since West Ham played in the 2008 MLS All-Star Game against a team featuring David Beckham, and he sees the growing U.S. interest as a long-term development. He also pointed to CBS Sports’ four-year deal to show 250 EFL and League Cup matches each season until 2028 as proof of Wrexham’s influence.

Inter Milan said Saturday they have signed 21-year-old French striker Ange-Yoan Bonny from Serie A rivals Parma. Italian media reported that Bonny had joined on a four or five-year contract with Inter, who reportedly paid Parma 23 million euros (£20m), a figure that could rise to 26 million (£22.4m). Ange-Yoan, a 6-foot-2 French under-21 international, scored six goals and provided four assists last season for Parma. This summer, Inter, who finished second in Serie A and were thrashed in the Champions League final by Paris Saint-Germain, have also hired coach Cristian Chivu to succeed Simone Inzaghi and bought Brazilian winger Luis Henrique from Marseille for 23m euros. On Monday, Inter were eliminated in the Round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup by Fluminense of Brazil.

Besiktas have signed Tammy Abraham on a season-long loan from AS Roma, with an option to make the move permanent. The Turkish side confirmed the 27-year-old striker passed his medical on Tuesday. They will pay Roma a €2 million loan fee for the 2025/26 season, with the deal including a €13 million purchase option starting from 2026/27. That fee will be paid in instalments until 2030 if the option is activated. Abraham joined Roma in 2021 for €41 million from Chelsea and played a key role in their 2022 Europa Conference League triumph. He recently scored 10 goals during a loan spell at AC Milan  in the 2024/25 season.

Barcelona have confirmed that Wojciech Szczesny has signed a contract extension keeping him at the club until 2027, raising serious questions about Marc-André ter Stegen’s long-term future at Camp Nou. In a statement released Monday, Barça praised Szczesny’s “great season between the sticks,” noting the unusual circumstances surrounding his arrival. The 35-year-old was coaxed out of retirement in October 2024 following Ter Stegen’s long-term knee injury, and went on to become a key figure as Barcelona secured both La Liga and the Copa del Rey titles. Szczesny’s decision to stay and Barça signing goalkeeper Joan Garcia from Espanyol earlier in the summer casts doubt over Ter Stegen’s future at the club. The German international, 33, commands a high salary at Barcelona, and Spanish media reports the financially struggling club would like to make savings in that regard. Barça signed Garcia from Espanyol for €26.34 million (£22.6 million) on a six-year deal in June, and also still have another goalkeeper in Inaki Pena on the books.