Xabi Alonso sees new Chelsea signing Morgan Rogers linking up well with Cole Palmer, insisting the pair can play together.

“In that position we needed an important player and I’m sure there were not many better options than Morgan Rogers,” Alonso said.

“You need players who can have that almost instant impact and I’m sure Morgan won’t need much time to adapt to the club, the system and his team-mates.

“That was the idea, to get a top player, and Morgan is one of them.”

He added: “I have a plan. I have an idea. I can see them linking really well.

“We need to have a good mix. If we get that balance right and those special players in the right positions, with good control, then we will be more competitive with and without the ball.”

Juventus have expressed an interest in signing John Stones on a free transfer.

The defender left Manchester City after 10 years at the end of last season and Sky Sports are reporting that Juve are keen on rivalling Arsenal and Chelsea for his signature.

The 32-year-old just represented England at the World Cup but has spent the last year plagued by injuries.

Real Madrid are on the verge of signing Yan Diomande after Paris Saint-Germain pulled out of the deal, according to widespread reports.

The RB Leipzig winger was a previous target of Liverpool, who had a £69m bid rejected for him in June, but now looks set to move to the Bernabeu after agreeing personal terms.

A proposal in excess of £100m has been sent by Real Madrid and while it has not yet received a response from Leipzig, the expectation is that he will move to the Spanish giants.

With PSG out of the picture, the French side look set to reignite their pursuit of Moncaco’s Maghnes Akliouche.

Federico Chiesa has followed up his pre-season friendly goal against Sunderland by saying he wants to stay at Liverpool and fight for his place under Andoni Iraola.

“Right now, at the moment, I am happy here at Liverpool. I love the club, I love the fans, I love everything,” he said.

“I am doing the best I can to have a chance here – and then we will see.

“At the minute, the only thing I am thinking about is Liverpool.”

Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris has told Chelsea that they can forget about trying to sign Granit Xhaka this summer.

“No, this topic is closed,” he said when asked about Xhaka.

“He has been really clear about his future. He loves Sunderland, he wants to stay in Sunderland.

“He wants to make the future of Sunderland. He is a good captain. A great leader.”

Woking’s director of football Jody Brown claims Jermain Defoe didn’t turn up for work as the row over his departure rages on.

“Jermain’s feedback was always positive, and he regularly expressed his enthusiasm and excitement for the season, both publicly and privately. I can therefore appreciate the surprise and subsequent speculation surrounding his sudden departure,” Brown said in a statement.

“However, in recent weeks there had been feedback from across the club, including players, staff and other departments, regarding growing concerns. To better understand the situation, I asked Jermain and Paul (Bracewell, assistant) for a brief report outlining the squad’s current depth, recruitment targets and any operational challenges, so we could provide the support required and accelerate preparations for the season. That report was requested on more than one occasion but was never received.

“A meeting was subsequently scheduled involving the directors, manager, assistant manager and head of operations to review preparations for the season. Neither Jermain nor his assistant attended that meeting or that day’s training session. Throughout his tenure, Jermain had never communicated any serious concerns directly to me, so I am not going to speculate on his reasons.

“Every football club faces challenges. Players want more game time, improved contracts or transfers. The media team might want better equipment, the medical department more interns, the strength and conditioning staff larger gym space. and the car park attendants may want more coffee. But people do not just fail to turn up.”

Arsenal are preparing to offer Vinicius Jr the biggest contract in the club’s history to try and sign the Brazilian, according to The Telegraph.

The Brazilian currently commands a wage of £400,000 per week but Arsenal would look to improve those terms to maximise their chances of signing him.

They face a tough task to convince Real to sell, however, with manager Jose Mourinho not wanting to sell Vinicius and wants the superstar winger to line up in attack with Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham next season.

Inter Milan have entered talks with Tottenham over the potential signing of captain Cristian Romero, according to the Press Association.

Romero helped Argentina reach a second straight World Cup final earlier this month, but can leave Spurs this summer for a significant fee after an eventful five-year spell.

Centre-back Romero has made 156 appearances since he joined Tottenham in 2021 and guided the club to Europa League success last year, but served four separate suspensions during a difficult 2025-26 campaign.

With Jan Paul van Hecke signed for £52million from Brighton and Marcos Senesi also joining as a free agent in June to boost the defensive options of Roberto De Zerbi’s side, Spurs will let Romero depart and his representatives have been in Milan for talks with Inter this weekend.

Celtic are working on a deal to sign Haissem Hassan from Real Oviedo after his impressive performances at the World Cup, according to Sky Sports.

No agreement has been reached between the two clubs over the 24-year-old who has one year left on his current contract.

Juventus are considering Manchester United’s Joshua Zirkzee as a potential forward option, Sky in Italy reports.

Randal Kolo Muani, who spent last season on loan at Tottenham Hotspur, remains Juve’s priority for the attack, but a valuation gap persists with Paris Saint-Germain.

Should an agreement with PSG not be reached, Zirkzee is among the alternative options.