Transfer news LIVE: Gakpo chooses City, Atletico give Alvarez deadline, Barcola set for Liverpool medical, Enzo latest

Unai Emery admitted he shed a tear as he received an apology from Ollie Watkins ahead of the Aston Villa striker’s move to Saudi Arabia.

Watkins is set to join Al Hilal in a £50m deal, with Emery’s side agreeing to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea as his replacement.

The England international missed Aston Villa’s 4-0 defeat to Brighton on the opening weekend of the Premier League season.

Emery was left seething by Watkins’ absence and said he could “only answer by silence”, but revealed an emotional farewell on Thursday.

“I can tell you now Watkins’ commitment and behaviour was fantastic always,” Emery said on Friday.

“Last week, we didn’t get a deal to finish playing the match against Brighton but he told us after the match that he was sorry and he told us he made a mistake and was wrong.

“We accepted it and the players did as well because he always had very good behaviour with me. For me, he’s a fantastic guy, even more so than as a player.

“I told him ‘bye’ with a huge hug and a small cry. But all the best with him in Saudi and with Nicolas Jackson replacing him.”

Burnley are looking to sign Hull City left-back Ryan Giles on loan, according to Football Insider.

A clause could be included in the deal to make his arrival permanent next summer.

Giles was key to Hull’s promotion last season and is a fan favourite at the MKM Stadium.

Arsenal have reportedly reignited their interest in Real Madrid forward Endrick.

The Brazilian striker is said to be concerned with having fallen doing the pecking order at the Bernabeu and talkSPORT say Arsenal have held talks over a potential signing.

Aston Villa’s busy summer looks set to continue: David Ornstein of The Athletic reports that Unai Emery’s side have reached an “agreement in principle” to sign 18-year-old winger Ibrahim Mbaye from Champions League holders Paris Saint-Germain.

Mbaye was linked to Liverpool earlier in the window and has been left out of PSG’s squad for the last three games, along with the outgoing Bradley Barcola. The Athletic report that Villa have reached a €55m (£47m) for the forward.

Meanwhile, Villa target Rafael Leao is set to join Galatasaray from AC Milan. Sky Sports report that Leao has accepted the move after Villa did not match Galatasaray’s offer on wages.

Villa have signed Nicolas Jackson after the departures of Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers, and have signed Johan Manzambi too.

Chelsea have completed the signing of Emiliano Martinez.

The Argentine goalkeeper is thought to be available for Sunday’s game against Brighton at Stamford Bridge.

A two-year contract, with the option of a further 12 months has been signed between the World Cup winner and the club.

It brings an end to Robert Sanchez’s error-prone time as the Blues’ No 1.

Xabi Alonso said he wants players that “feel a desire to play” for Chelsea after Enzo Fernandez was left out of the squad for Thursday’s win over Luton.

Chelsea are open to Fernandez leaving before the transfer deadline, but Manchester City would need to pay more than the £120m asking price the Blues set earlier in the window.

Alonso has dismissed reports in Argentina that Fernandez asked not to be involved in the game against Luton and speaking ahead of Sunday’s Premier League game at home to Brighton, Alonso said: “We need the players that are in the best situation to play.

“We need to take everything into consideration, players that are in good moments, players that are not feeling that energy to play. For me it’s very important that they feel that desire to play and to have good preparation.

“We talked, and we decided that (for Luton) it was better not to be part of the squad. He’s a top player, there’s no doubt about that.”

Liverpool will pay an initial £106m for the France winger, which could rise to £123m, including add-ons, and he is expected to sign a five-year deal at Anfield.

They had reached an outline agreement with Paris Saint-Germain earlier this week after a breakthrough in negotiations.

Atletico Madrid have given Arsenal target Julian Alvarez a deadline of Sunday to decide his future, with his options either to consider a move to the Premier League champions or stay at the club.

Atletico’s chief executive said the Argentina star will “never, ever” be sold to Barcelona, his preferred choice, with Alvarez now considering his options.

The 26-year-old will not feature in the squad to play Sevilla this weekend after missing three consecutive days of training, with boss Diego Simeone confirming his absence.

An extraordinary transfer about to happen, it seems: Cody Gakpo is heading to Manchester City in what is thought to be a deal worth around £85m!

Multiple reports tonight say Gapko has chosen City over Spurs (or indeed staying at Liverpool), despite the competition for places at the Etihad.

His mind was made up by the signing of Bradley Barcola at Anfield, and now Liverpool will try to bring in another player to replace Gakpo before the deadline.