Football
ESPN staff 10y

Manchester United agree fee with Ajax for Daley Blind

Can you believe it? We've barely 72 hours remaining in the summer transfer window in 2014. With the clock running down, there's no chance of fatigue among Europe's elite as valuable last-minute deals start to emerge. As always, we've got the day's big news covered in another edition of Transfer Talk.

Top pick: Manchester United have agreed a fee with Ajax for Daley Blind and the Netherlands international is set to become their fifth major summer signing.

- Chelsea have agreed to loan Fernando Torres to AC Milan, with Jose Mourinho set to replace him with France international Loic Remy after activating the player's release clause. 

- Manchester City have joined the race to sign Monaco striker Radamel Falcao, paving the way for Alvaro Negredo to leave the club.

- Former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra is poised to join Queens Park Rangers on a free transfer.

22.54 BST: Finally, some news for the U.S. audience as emerging star Julian Green is reportedly heading out on loan to Hamburg for the 2014-15 season.

The move might be a smart one for the young attacker, who looked to be facing a frustrating year in reserve at Bayern Munich.

While we wait for official confirmation of the move, we have Julian's dad, Jerry Green, on Twitter seemingly giving us just that:

Get stuck in, Julian!

22.25 BST: More on Remy. Mourinho, speaking to Sky Sports after his side's win at Everton, said: "I know that we're trying since yesterday to get Loic Remy, since we knew Fernando [Torres] was leaving. Now it's time to make some calls and have news. We have a fantastic doctor and I trust him completely. They will identify any problem.

"He has lots of people working with him in different areas, and for sure we'll try to identify clearly what the situation is. The information we have from specialists in different areas is that he does not have a problem to play football."

22.00 BST: Well this is rather interesting. It is being claimed that Arsenal may have joined Chelsea in the race to sign Loic Remy from QPR.

21.32 BST: Redknapp has also reflected on Remy being set to join Chelsea. He said: "Obviously we had a spanner thrown in the works when I got a call at 12 o'clock today to say Loic was leaving." Full story.

21.02 BST: Harry Redknapp has confirmed Lassana Diarra has completed a medical at Loftus Road ahead of his move from Lokomotiv Moscow.

20.31 BST West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has had some words to say about new signing Alex Song... He told a news conference after his side's loss to Southampton: "Having spoken to him [Song] he looks a leader to me and will kick a few backsides on the field. If they [West Ham] are not playing as well as they should do he will get them motivated.''

19.45 BST An update now for you on Hatem Ben Arfa... According to the Newcastle Evening Chronicle, the Newcastle midfielder has turned down a move to Besiktas. Despite not being included in the Magpies' squad for the 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace on Saturday, Ben Arfa is keen to stay at St James' Park and fight for his place.

19.08 BST Done Deal Leicester City have completed the signing of Danny Simpson from Queens Park Rangers... The former Newcastle man has signed a three-year deal with the Foxes.

18.24 BST Done Deal It's been a good day for Leeds United... Having beaten Bolton earlier this afternoon, they have now confirmed the signing of Ardyan on a season-long loan from Flamengo. The deal for the Brazil under-20 international also includes the option to make the move permanent.

17.30 BST Arsenal head coach Arsene Wenger has warned Athletic Bilbao that they will not succeed in signing Nacho Monreal this summer.

The Basque side had hoped to lure the left-back to San Mames following their qualification for the Champions League group stages -- but Wenger is unwilling to allow the Spaniard to leave due to the constant injury concerns over Kieran Gibbs.

Bilbao had been willing to offer Arsenal five million euros for the 28-year-old but MARCA says that Wenger is not prepared to listen to offers as there is not sufficient time to find a replacement. 

17.25 BST Burnley manager Sean Dyche has expressed his desire to bolster his attack in the final few days of the transfer window.

And it seems that the Clarets boss has highlighted Hull City forward George Boyd as a potential target... 

17.20 BST  Done Deal Sheffield Wednesday have completed the signing of French defender Claude Dielna on a free transfer.

17.15 BST ESPN FC blogger Paul Sarahs says the transfer of Salih Uçan from Turkish champions Fenerbahçe to Roma this summer went somewhat under the radar.

Read his article here on why his move to the Giallorossi could propel him into the top echelon of midfielders in world football. 

17.05 BST Southampton are eyeing up out-of-favour Stoke winger Brek Shea following the return of Saphir Taider to Italy.

Algeria international Taider failed to make a single appearance for the Saints during his three weeks at the club and Ronald Koeman is now desperately searching the market for midfield reinforcements.

Goal USA says that Southampton, along with a number of German and Dutch clubs, are interested in taking Shea, 24, on a season-long loan -- with Stoke happy to let him leave the club. 

16.53 BST  Done Deal Reims have completed the signing of French left-back Chris Mavinga on a season-long loan from Rubin Kazan.

16.46 BST Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp is hopeful of poaching his former club Tottenham for Brazilian midfielder Sandro.

The tough-tackling defensive midfielder fell out of favour at White Hart Lane towards the end of last season and is keen for a move away from the club after failing to establish himself in Mauricio Pochettino's first-team plans.

The imminent arrival of Montpellier's Benjamin Stambouli looks set to push Sandro further down the Spurs pecking order and The Mirror says that Redknapp hopes to take advantage of the player's unhappiness -- while he is also confident of completing a deal for West Ham midfielder Mohamed Diame

16.35 BST Hellas Verona have completed the signings of Udinese duo Nico Lopez and Francesco Benussi.

Uruguay under-20 international forward Lopez joins the Gialloblu on a season-long loan with an option to buy, while 32-year-old goalkeeper Benussia has joined for an undisclosed fee.

Andrea Mandorlini's side are also hopeful of bringing in Atalanta midfielder Davide Brivio who has already undergone a medical at the club.

16.25 BST  Done Deal Palermo have completed the signing of striker Simon Makienok from Brondby.

The Denmark international has signed a four-year contract with the newly-promoted Serie A outfit and will be a replacement for the Hull City-bound Abel Hernandez.

16.10 BST Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson says he is delighted by the club's capture of decorated Argentine midfielder Esteban Cambiasso...

15.55 BST West Ham have announced the signing of Barcelona midfielder Alex Song on a season-long loan.

Clubs throughout Europe were put on alert when it emerged Song would be allowed to leave Barcelona -- with West Ham having won the race to take him to Upton Park on a temporary basis despite reported interest from the likes of Napoli and Galatasaray. Read the full story here.

15.45 BST Hull City manager Steve Bruce says that he is interested in signing Manchester United midfielder Tom Cleverley.

The England international, 25, was left out of Louis van Gaal's squad for the 0-0 draw with Burnley earlier today and he is believed to be in talks with Aston Villa over an estimated seven million pound switch. 

Cleverley has also attracted interest from Everton and Valencia and it seems almost certain that he will playing his football away from Old Trafford this season.

"There has been conversations between the two clubs and we did have some sort of offer, but where we are up to between the two clubs I am not too sure because I have been away in London," Bruce told Sky Sports.

"If there's a deal to be done to try and sign someone like Tom, then of course we'll be interested."

Meanwhile, Hull are confident that Uruguay striker Abel Hernandez will successfully obtain a work permit ahead of his club record move from Palermo while Bruce is also targeting a loan move for Chelsea midfielder Marco van Ginkel

15.28 BST Arsenal have made an improved offer for Borussia Dortmund centre-back Sokratis Papastathopoulos after having an initial 10.9 million pound bid turned down earlier this week.

Arsene Wenger is in the market for a versatile defender following the sale of Thomas Vermaelen to Barcelona and has set his sights on landing the Greece international.

The Express says that the Gunners have raised their offer to 15.8 million pounds though Jurgen Klopp's side are reluctant to sell him for less than 20 million. The negotiations continue. 

15.18 BST There is no Loic Remy in the Queens Park Rangers squad to face Sunderland today. And Harry Redknapp has confirmed to the media before the match that the player is set to leave the club to join Chelsea after his eight million pound release clause was activated.

15.10 BST Arsenal, Manchester City and Real Madrid target Radamel Falcao has been left out of the Monaco squad to face Lille today, further increasing speculation that he is set to leave the club before the transfer window closes. Watch this space! 

15.00 BST West Ham United have snapped up Cameroon midfielder Alex Song from Barcelona on a season-long loan deal.

Song becomes West Ham's eighth summer capture, following the arrivals of Mauro Zarate, Cheikhou Kouyate, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho, Carl Jenkinson, Aaron Cresswell and Diego Poyet.

The former Arsenal man told the club's official website: "I think the club has very good ambition and I hope we can maybe catch the European positions.

"I think it's great for the fans that the Club wants to be one of the biggest in England. That's why I chose to come here."

14.40 BST Done Deal West Bromwich Albion have now confirmed that Argentine winger Sebastian Blanco has joined the club from Metalist Kharkiv for an undisclosed fee.

Baggies technical director Tony Burton told the club's website: "Sebastian plays in the wide areas but can also operate as a No.10. He's a technically-gifted player who has scored goals from distance with both feet.

"To have a player who is comfortable on either side is a big asset. We hope Sebastian will be able to help the team unlock defences when games are tight."

14.30 BST Monaco have agreed a deal with Atletico Madrid to take Uruguay international Cristian Rodriguez on loan.

The left-winger was a peripheral figure during Atletico's title-winning campaign last season and he has started on the bench for each of their three matches this season.

Rodriguez has been strongly linked with a move to Sunderland in recent weeks and MARCA says that the player is yet to make up his mind on whether to join Leonardo Jardim's side.

Atletico are also hopeful of offloading defenders Toby Alderweireld and Emiliano Insua in the remaining days of the transfer window. 

14.18 BST West Bromwich Albion are closing in on the signing of Argentine winger Sebastian Blanco.

Alan Irvine has expressed his desire for more quality out wide -- despite the capture of Silvestre Varela from Porto -- and the Express & Star says that the Metalist Kharkiv man has already passed his medical at The Hawthorns.

Blanco has admitted his concerns at staying in Ukraine due to the volatile political situation in the country and it is speculated that he will become the Baggies' 11th summer signing after the clubs agreed a fee in the region of two million pounds. 

14.07 BST Newly-appointed Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock hopes to make Queens Park Rangers' Armand Traore the first of four new signings.

Manchester United winger Wilfried Zaha completed a loan return to Selhurst Park earlier this week but Warnock is determined to bolster his defence as the Eagles look to recover from a disappointing start to the season.

Warnock signed Traore when he was QPR manager in 2011 and current R's boss Harry Redknapp admits that the French left-back could move across London in the next few days. 

"Palace have made a good offer for Armand and it's up to him now if he wants to go, so we'll see what happens with that," Redknapp said, as reported by The Daily Mail.

13.55 BST Will Fernando Torres be a success at AC Milan? 

13.47 BST Torino head coach Giampiero Ventura has left Alessio Cerci out of his squad to face Inter in their Serie A opener on Sunday.

The Italy international winger has been strongly linked with a move to Arsenal, Atletico Madrid and Milan this summer, and he was recently omitted from the Granata's Europa League tie against RNK Split after Ventura admitted that the player was distracted by the ongoing speculation surrounding his future. 

Torino have set a 20 million euro asking price for the 27-year-old who is believed to be keen to leave the club and play Champions League football this season. 

13.37 BST West Ham United joint-chairman David Gold says that the club will announce a "big signing" before their match against Southampton today.

It is expected that the player in question is Cameroon international midfielder Alex Song, who has been linked with a loan move from Barcelona after being told that he does not feature in Luis Enrique's plans for the season.

13.26 BST Queens Park Rangers have accepted a bid from Leicester City for right-back Danny Simpson.

The 27-year-old played a key role in helping Harry Redknapp's side achieve promotion from the Championship last season but the arrival of Mauricio Isla from Juventus has pushed him down the pecking order.

"I think it's going to happen," Redknapp said, as reported by The Daily Mail. "Danny's a good lad, a good player. He did a great job for us last year."

13.15 BST Manchester United are currently drawing 0-0 with Burnley in the early Premier League kick-off and it is interesting to note that both Tom Cleverley and Shinji Kagawa have been left out of the squad altogether.

Cleverley, 25, is currently in talks with Aston Villa regarding an estimated seven million pound move, while Kagawa, 25, is on the verge of rejoining Borussia Dortmund.

Juventus and Valencia target Javier Hernandez is on the bench.

13.06 BST Read the full story here as Daniel Agger completes his move from Liverpool to boyhood club Brondby.

13.00 BST Done Deal Galatasaray have confirmed on their official website that Dany Nounkeu has joined La Liga side Granada on loan.

The Cameroon international centre-back has passed his medical with the Andalusian side who will pay Galatasaray 390,000 euros for his services. 

12.51 BST Fernando Torres says that he is excited about playing for AC Milan following his loan from Chelsea.

"It's an honour and a privilege to wear the Milan shirt," the Spaniard said, on arriving at the club's Casa Milan complex.

"I want to bring Milan back into the Champions League and hopefully we will stay there for many years.

"I can't wait to start the new season, and I have already spoken with coach Inzaghi. I want to make Milan fans happy."

12.45 BST Sporting Lisbon's William Carvalho is hoping for a last-minute move to Arsenal, sources have told ESPN FC.

The highly-rated 22-year-old midfielder has been the subject of plenty of interest this summer, most notably from Manchester United and the London club.

While tempted by a move to Old Trafford, Carvalho himself is said to favour a side currently in the Champions League, and there is anticipation that Arsenal may move for him before the transfer window closes on Monday.

Any move must make financial sense for Arsene Wenger, and the deal could now be done for around 24 million pounds. Carvalho would certainly solve a long-term issue in the Arsenal midfield given the paucity of options in defensive midfield, particularly with the injury to Mikel Arteta. 

12.35 BST Fernando Torres has landed in Milan to finalise his loan move from Chelsea...

12.30 BST Birmingham City are prepared to offer Hatem Ben Arfa an escape route from Newcastle United.

Alan Pardew is not convinced by the Frenchman's fitness and has avoided taking questions about the playmaker in press calls in a bid to focus on bedding in the new players at the club.

Birmingham City head coach Lee Clarke has a good rapport with Newcastle's backroom staff and the Chronicle Live says he could take advantage of his ties with the Magpies to land Ben Arfa on loan.

12.17 BST Liverpool have announced that Daniel Agger has rejoined his boyhood club Brondy for an undisclosed fee.

The 29-year-old made 232 appearances for the Reds during his eight-year spell at Anfield but the arrival of Dejan Lovren from Southampton saw him pushed further down the pecking order.

"Liverpool have been such a big part of my life, that leaving is extremely difficult," he said. "I have turned down many offers to move to other Premier League and European clubs.

"I thank the Liverpool fans for the incredible backing they've given me in my time here. I remain a fan for life. Every game I played at Anfield was a privilege."

12.05 BST Ajax have renewed the contract of Iceland international striker Kolbeinn Sigthorsson until 2016.

The 24-year-old was linked with a number of European sides this summer, notably Queens Park Rangers, but he has expressed his desire to stay in the Eredivisie and play in the Champions League for one more season.

"I feel the confidence of the coaching staff and have a good vibe here," he said, as reported by voetbalzone.nl. "I want a good season at Ajax and then we will see what happens in the summer next year."

11.55 BST Meanwhile, AC Milan are also eyeing up Liverpool playmaker Suso, with a possible loan move on the cards.

The 20-year-old is determined to play regular first-team football this season and is open to the opportunity of a second loan spell after impressing at Almeria last term. 

11.51 BST AC Milan are ready for the arrival of Fernando Torres...

11.45 BST Marseille are planning to hijack Inter's deal for Porto defender Rolando.

The Portuguese centre-back spent last season on loan at the Nerazzurri, making over 30 appearances, and is hopeful of securing a permanent switch to the San Siro.

However, the arrival of Nemanja Vidic from Manchester United could prevent Rolando's return and reports in France claim that Marseille president Vincent Labrune is keen on bringing the commanding 28-year-old to the Stade Velodrome and will present the possible deal to coach Marcelo Bielsa. 

11.38 BST Done Deal Charlton have completed the signing of Gabon international winger Frederic Bulot on a season-long loan from Belgian parent club Standard Liege.

11.30 BST Fiorentina are eyeing up a surprise move for Manchester City defender Micah Richards.

The right-back has fallen further down the Etihad pecking order following the arrival of Bacary Sagna from Arsenal and Citizens manager Manuel Pellegrini has admitted that the player is free to leave the club should they receive a suitable offer.

Reports in Italy claim that the Viola are eager for a new player after losing target Benjamin Stambouli to Tottenham and they could be prepared to meet Manchester City's seven million pound asking price.

11.20 BST BREAKING: Reliable Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio says that Manchester City have entered the race to sign Monaco striker Radamel Falcao.

The Ligue 1 club have set a fee of 20 million euros to take the Colombia international on loan for a season as they are keen to get his high wages off the payroll due to a restructuring of the first team.

Di Marzio says that Manuel Pellegrini's side are prepared to stave off competition from Arsenal and Juventus to land the 28-year-old, thereby allowing Alvaro Negredo to complete a move to Valencia. 

11.10 BST Olympiakos defender Jose Holebas is in the Italian capital to complete his estimated three million euro transfer to Roma.

The 30-year-old impressed for Greece at the World Cup and looks poised to become the second Greek to join Rudi Garcia's side this week following the capture of Kostas Manolas. 

Corriere dello Sport says that Holebas will undergo his medical at the club today and could be announced as a Giallorossi player before their Serie A opener against Fiorentina.

11.00 BST And it doesn't stop there for Hertha Berlin as they have also agreed a deal for Hamburg's Norwegian international midfielder Per Ciljan Skjelbred

10.55 BST Hertha Berlin finally look to have found a replacement for Colombian striker Adrian Ramos.

The 28-year-old earned a move to Borussia Dortmund earlier this summer after his 16 goals helped the German capital outfit to consolidate their place in the Bundesliga.

BILD says that Jos Luhukay's side have agreed a three million euro deal with Lille for Ivory Coast international Salomon Kalou who has already passed his medical at the club and is on the verge of penning a three-year contract.

10.45 BST Arsenal and Roma are leading the race to sign wantaway Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Adrien Rabiot.

The France under-21 international has made it clear that he has no intention of renewing his contract -- which expires next summer -- and he refused to report to training earlier in the week.

PSG coach Laurent Blanc has conceded defeat in his attempts to retain hold of the 19-year-old and he is expected to leave the French champions for around 15 million euros -- 10 million less than PSG's valuation.

Le Parisien says that Rabiot is seduced by Rudi Garcia's long-term project at Roma though he is also keen to hear Arsenal's proposal as he longs to work under Arsene Wenger.

10.35 BST BREAKING: Manchester United have confirmed via Twitter that they have reached an agreement with Ajax for Netherlands international Daley Blind.

The versatile left-footer has been left out of the Ajax squad to face Groningen this weekend and he will travel to Manchester to undergo a medical and agree personal terms ahead of an estimated 14 million pound switch.

10.30 BST Shinji Kagawa looks set to end his Manchester United nightmare by making an emotional return to Borussia Dortmund.

The Japanese playmaker has struggled to find a natural role in the Red Devil's system since joining from the Bundesliga side in 2012 and has failed to force his way into Louis van Gaal's thinking for the new season.

Kagawa was named in the Bundesliga Team of the Season in his two years at the Westfalenstadion as Jurgen Klopp's side won back-to-back league titles and BILD says that a fee of eight million euros has been agreed between the two clubs, with a four-year contract on the table. 

10.20 BST Leicester City pulled off one of the greatest coups of the summer by signing decorated Argentine veteran midfielder Esteban Cambiasso on a free transfer -- but the next player linked with a move to the King Power Stadium could raise a few eyebrows.

Nigel Pearson is still on the hunt for another striker as he looks to consolidate the club's status in the Premier League and the Foxes have reportedly made an estimated seven million pound bid for Ipswich Town striker David McGoldrick.

10.10 BST Benfica are in negotiations with Arsenal regarding the signature of Costa Rica starlet Joel Campbell after missing out on Abel Hernandez.

The 22-year-old forward impressed for Los Ticos at the World Cup and O Jogo says that the Portuguese champions are willing to stump up 10 million euros to seal the deal. 

Arsene Wenger is currently short of attacking options following the broken tibia sustained by Olivier Giroud and he is said to be reviewing the situation as he eyes up potential replacements in the transfer market. 

10.00 BST Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse is in talks with Auxerre regarding a dramatic return to his first professional club.

Reports in France claim that Bastia are prepared to release the 33-year-old from his contract in order to make the move happen. 

Cisse scored 90 goals in 166 games for Auxerre before his 14 million pound move to Anfield in 2004. 

09.54 BST West Ham and Liverpool target Alex Song has been given consent by Barcelona to miss training this morning as he desperately attempts to find a new club before the transfer window closes. 

09.48 BST Bayern Munich wonderkid Julian Green is poised to join fellow Bundesliga outfit Hamburg on loan.

The 19-year-old forward controversially displaced USA legend Landon Donovan at the World Cup and scored with his first touch of the ball in the round of 16 defeat to Belgium.

Hamburg have been active in the transfer market this summer and Mirko Slomka's side also have plans to bring in Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby as they strive to avoid the calamities of last season in which they survived relegation courtesy of a play-off. 

09.40 BST Sources have told ESPN FC that Manchester United have agreed a fee with Ajax for Netherlands international Daley Blind. More on this as it unfolds...

09.35 BST Queens Park Rangers manager Harry Redknapp loves a bargain. And the 67-year-old looks set to soften the blow of losing Loic Remy by signing former Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra.

The 29-year-old is available on a free transfer after Lokomotiv Moscow agreed to terminate his contract following his refusal to train for the Russian club.

The newly-promoted Premier League outfit completed the signing of goalkeeper Alex McCarthy from Reading on Friday and they are hopeful of convincing Diarra to lower his 80,000 pound weekly wage demands.

09.25 BST Montpellier have confirmed that they have accepted an offer from Tottenham Hotspur for defensive midfielder Benjamin Stambouli.

The versatile Frenchman is expected to arrive in London today to undergo a medical ahead of signing a five-year contract with Mauricio Pochettino's side. Read the full story here.

Chelsea's striker search comes to an end?

The Fernando Torres era at Chelsea is over ... is the Loic Remy era about to begin? With various outlets reporting the Blues' interest in the QPR striker on Friday, it appears that in the past hour, the deal has been completed as they meet his release clause of 8 million pounds.

The appeal of Remy is obvious: he's reliable, proven at the Premier League level -- 14 goals in 26 league games last season, on loan at Newcastle -- and is a thrifty alternative to the expensive failure that was El Nino. Yet there will be the same concerns about his fitness; Remy infamously failed his medical at Liverpool earlier in the summer after the Reds also triggered his activation from QPR. If he passes, Chelsea can feel good about moving forward in the season with a reasonable backup to the injury-prone Diego Costa.

That's not all on the CFC front, either: The Mirror reckons that Roman Abramovich's wealth is about to lure Roma forward Mattia Destro to Stamford Bridge. Destro, 23, was part of Internazionale's youth system when Jose Mourinho was manager there, which explains much of the interest. That said, Destro, who has had a difficult time with injuries since breaking through in Serie A, might be a more expensive addition during a time of apparent financial fair play.

Your Daley dose of Blind

Our regularly scheduled Daley Blind-to-Man United bit may be over. Sounds like this thing may happen, and soon.

A bizarre homecoming for Daniel Agger?

Look away, Liverpool fans: longtime Reds defender Daniel Agger is on the cusp of a move back home to Denmark. Agger, 29, has struggled to maintain his spot under manager Brendan Rodgers, but the news of his return to Brondby -- for the cut-price fee of 3 million pounds -- will come as a shock to the Anfield faithful.

The left-footed center-back still has plenty of value despite his age and track record of lingering injuries. On reasonable wages of 120,000 pounds per week, the Danish national team captain could have expected around 10 million pounds from bigger clubs. Man City famously bid 20 million in 2012 and Barcelona tried to snag him for 15 million pounds the following season.

And yet, here we are. A hero's return to Copenhagen, albeit to a club that can barely afford to buy him. Transfer Talk suspects there is more to this than meets the eye -- Agger reportedly told Liverpool he wouldn't go anywhere but back home to Denmark, regardless of rumored interest from Atletico Madrid and Napoli -- but Reds fans should prepare themselves for the loss.

Dejan Lovren, Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel will be the club's leading central defenders this term, with Kolo Toure (who turned down a move to Trabzonspor this summer) and Sebastian Coates in reserve. Will that be enough?

Neil Warnock might need to change his number

It's not easy being popular. Transfer Talk knows this all too well, what with our endless diary of social events, party invitations and -- who are we kidding? But one man who appears at ease with his fame is new Crystal Palace manager Neil Warnock.

You see, the forces known as "new manager at a club with a modest amount of money" and "a handful of days left in what could be a make-or-break transfer window" have combined to hammer his phone to the tune of -- wait for it -- 320 text messages from agents offering their players to the frantic London club.

Opportunism in its rawest form. Palace need some help -- former Eagles fave Wilfried Zaha has rejoined the club on loan but interest in Southampton midfielder Jack Cork, Spurs defender Ezekiel Fryers and Norwich forward Gary Hooper is apparently there -- but it remains to be seen if any deadline day deals come about as a result of all that frantic messaging.

Our take: Enjoy it while it lasts, Neil. They eventually stop calling.

Odds and Ends

- Tom Cleverley wants 70,000 pounds a week from Aston Villa but they're not prepared to give it to him. This impasse might well ruin his 7 million-pound move to Aston Villa. Shame, that.

- Shane Duffy has a new home: the 22-year-old Irish defender has left Everton for Blackburn. The price: 1.5 million pounds.

- Fringe player alert: 29-year-old Inter defender Matias Silvestre has joined Sampdoria on a season-long loan, per the club. It's his second consecutive season away from his parent club since joining the Nerazzurri for 6 million euros back in 2012. Silvestre spent last season at Milan, making just four appearances.

- Hipster alert: Macedonian forward Adis Jahovic has moved from Croatian club HNK Rijeka, runners-up in the Prva HNL last season, to Russian second division side Krylia Sovetov Samara.

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