Aston Villa have agreed a deal worth in excess of £20m to sign Atletico Madrid star Matteo Ruggeri, according to Marca.

The Villans have had a very busy summer so far after bringing in Johan Manzambi, Joao Gomes, and Alejandro Garnacho, while they have lost Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, and Morgan Rogers.

Unai Emery is keen to bolster the squad after they won the Europa League and qualified for the Champions League, and a new left-back to compete with Ian Maatsen is among the priorities, which has seen them move for the Italian.

Aston Villa Agree Deal for Ruggeri

Ruggeri, who has been described as ‘extraordinary’, has been deemed surplus to requirements at the Wanda Metropolitano by Diego Simeone heading into the new season, and Villa have moved to strike a deal for the 24-year-old.

According to a report in Spain, Villa have now agreed a deal worth an initial €18m (£15.4m) plus a further €6m (£5.1m) in add-ons to sign the left-back after making him a top target.

The only thing left is to get the green light from Ruggeri himself before a move to Villa Park is finalised, although it is understood that he is leaning towards accepting the move despite interest from Juventus, Roma, and a late enquiry by Liverpool.

Ruggeri was scheduled to fly to Korea with Atletico Madrid as part of their pre-season training camp, but the deal is now so advanced that he is not expected to be on the flight with his teammates.

It is now expected that he will join up with Emery’s squad this summer and compete for a starting spot for the Villans, with the Premier League outfit delighted to get a deal over the line before the new season begins.

Chelsea are now close to completing the signing of Rayo Vallecano defender Pep Chavarria, according to GIVEMESPORT sources, as details emerge about the agreement.

Chelsea‘s squad strength in depth is well known but it hasn’t stopped them backing new manager Xabi Alonso in the transfer market this summer.

Eight new players have already arrived through the door at Stamford Bridge, including four players with big Premier League experience in Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson, Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix.

Valentin Barco, Marco Palestra, Emmanuel Emegha and Geovany Quenda are the other new players coming in, but the Blues aren’t finished there as they look to give Alonso the strongest squad possible to push up the Premier League table again next season.

The west London outfit have a big opportunity to do that without the distraction of European football, just as Manchester United did when they ended up in third place last term.

Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Australia has been a mixed bag of results so far, with a 6-4 win against the Western Sydney Wanderers being followed up by a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur, who have also been one of the busiest Premier League clubs in terms of incoming signings.

Chelsea Finalising £16.3m Pep Chavarria Deal

According to GMS sources on Wednesday morning, Chelsea are now finalising a deal worth €19m (£16.3m) plus add-ons for Rayo Vallecano left-back Pep Chavarria, as they look to secure another summer signing for Xabi Alonso.

The 28-year-old has made 125 appearances for the Spanish club, scoring twice and registering eight assists, and provides extra competition in the position following the exit of Marc Cucurella to Real Madrid.

Chelsea’s current left-back options include Jorrel Hato, while Reece James and Malo Gusto have shown they can also play there if needed, but the addition of Chavarria was much-needed.

Chelsea Players Linked With Exits

via Reuters

As new players continue to arrive at Stamford Bridge, it is natural that others could be on their way out of the club before the September 1 deadline.

Nicolas Jackson is a target for Aston Villa and an enquiry has been made by Unai Emery’s men for the Senegal international, according to GMS sources, but talk of interest from Tottenham Hotspur has been played down elsewhere.

Fabrizio Romano claims that Blues winger Pedro Neto is also a back-up option for Spurs if they fail to land preferred winger targets Savinho and Cody Gakpo from Manchester City and Liverpool respectively, with City themselves keen on Neto too.

Newcastle United have made contact with Benfica over a deal to sign midfielder Richard Rios to replace Bruno Guimaraes, according to Football Insider.

The Magpies have undergone a major summer of change so far in this window with Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali already sold, Eddie Howe resigning from his position as manager, and captain Guimaraes on the brink of a mega-money move to Arsenal.

The club have already brought in Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure, Seun Steur, Aladji Bamba, and Lukas Hornicek to try and replace those stars, and now new manager Matthias Jaissle could be set to welcome another star to the squad.

Rios, who has been described as ‘world-class’ by Jurgen Klopp, made the move to join Benfica from Palmeiras in the summer of 2025 after an impressive run of performances at the Club World Cup.

The Colombian made 45 appearances for the Portuguese side, scoring eight goals, in his first season, and those performances have attracted the attention of the Magpies as they look to rebuild their team.

The 26-year-old is someone who has been identified as a target by the Toon, and they have now made a preliminary move to accelerate their interest in signing a new central midfielder.

It’s understood that Rios would be considered as a direct replacement for the Brazil international, with his powerful style and ability to win possession back a huge benefit to what Newcastle need.

It’s unclear how much a deal would cost, or whether either of Rios or Benfica are open to a deal, but Newcastle are looking to make their move in the final weeks of the window to ensure they are able to be competitive in the 2026/27 season.

Newcastle Need a Statement Signing

REUTERS/Ibraheem Al Omari via Action Images

Newcastle’s business up to this point in the transfer window has clearly had one eye on the future, rather than winning immediately. But with the captain and leader of the group on the move, alongside stars who have already left, they need instant quality.

Rios has got plenty of experience at the top level, having been capped 37 times for Colombia since 2023, and his performances at the World Cup this summer showed he is capable of being a quiet leader too.

Newcastle need a statement signing to be made in the final weeks to get the fans back onside, but also to show the players still there that they have every intention of continuing to compete and challenge, rather than slipping away.