West Ham United are now closing in on a deal to sign Celtic star Arne Engels, according to Italian journalist Matteo Moretto.

West Ham are looking to secure an immediate return to the Premier League after a disappointing relegation to the Championship, and it has been a positive summer overall.

Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed he is staying to lead the club back to the top flight, with captain Jarrod Bowen doing the same despite inevitable links for the England international to remain in the Premier League.

Incoming business has been quiet so far, but the club has recouped more than £140m through the double sale of Mateus Fernandes to Tottenham Hotspur, and Crysencio Summerville to Al-Hilal.

Now they have brought in some big money to help with the costs of suffering relegation, they can start to look towards adding new faces to boost a squad that is already one of the favourites to win the league next season.

It appears as though they could now be closing in on a huge transfer coup for a Championship club, in Celtic star Engels.

West Ham ‘Close’ to Signing Celtic Star Arne Engels

According to Moretto, posting on X on Friday morning, West Ham are now closing in on the signing of Celtic midfielder Arne Engels.

The exit of Fernandes for £85m shows what a good player he is, and was for West Ham last season, and the need for him to be replaced.

Engels certainly fits the bill as a strong replacement for the Portugal international, given he is a central midfielder who has an impressive goal contribution record from his time at Parkhead.

The Belgium international joined the Hoops for a then club-record fee in 2024, and has since gone on to score 17 goals and register a further 21 assists in 98 appearances for the Glasgow giants.

Engels is Huge Transfer Coup for West Ham

via Reuters

While no fee has been reported by Moretto yet, you would think that Celtic would want to make a profit on a player they signed for a club-record fee of £11m.

Indeed, it was less than six months ago that the Bhoys rejected an offer worth £25m from Nottingham Forest for the Belgian, showing just how highly they rate the 22-year-old star.

One report from Italy claimed that AS Roma had been quoted £26m if they wanted to bring Engels to Serie A.

Whether West Ham would be willing to go that high as a Championship club is unclear, but it is a real signal of intent that they are determined to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking, in what is likely to be a competitive Championship in the 2026-27 season.

Arsenal are showing their ambition in the transfer market by targeting a move for Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior, but they are also in talks to sign another world-class attacker, according to TEAMtalk.

Arsenal chiefs remain determined to strengthen Mikel Arteta’s squad ahead of the new season, ensuring they don’t stand still as they look to not only win the Premier League title again, but also achieve their dream of winning the Champions League having come so close last season.

Incoming business has been slow so far as we approach August 1, with the transfer window closing a month later on September 1.

Illan Meslier and Christos Tzolis are the only new confirmed summer additions so far, although the Gunners are seemingly working on multiple other deals for Arteta.

Reports suggest that the north Londoners are now closing in on an agreement to sign Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes in a £70m+ deal, with Eddie Howe’s shock exit from St James’ Park on Thursday being partly linked to the fact that key players were leaving the club this summer.

Arsenal have also made their interest clear in Vinicius Junior, with no breakthrough in talks over a new contract at the Bernabeu.

They also have their eye on another top player too.

Arsenal Holding Background Talks to Sign Julian Alvarez

Rodrigo Valle via Reuters

While reports about Vinicius Junior are hogging the headlines around Arsenal at the moment, according to TEAMtalk, they continue to hold background talks over a summer move for Atletico Madrid striker Julian Alvarez.

As well as strengthening on the left wing, it appears as though Arteta is looking for a new centre-forward option too, to compete with – or replace – Viktor Gyokeres.

The Argentina international has his heart set on joining Barcelona, but with Atletico refusing to sell to their La Liga rivals, it could open the door for Paris Saint-Germain or Arsenal later in the window.

The report says that the Gunners believe that an opening could emerge for them to sign a star labelled as the ‘best player in the world’ by Fernandes Torres last season, in the coming weeks.

Discussions between Arsenal and Atletico have been ongoing behind-closed-doors, with the Spanish side being open to selling the player to Arsenal.

Alvarez Likes Arteta Project as Arsenal Get Creative

via Reuters

The report also adds that despite his number one choice being to go to Barcelona, he also views the Arteta project at the Emirates very positively, which is no surprise after last season.

The 26-year-old is keen on the prospect of moving to London should a deal to join Barcelona be completely ruled out, with Arsenal ready to strike if the August 10 deadline given by the Catalan outfit passes with no deal.

Gunners chiefs are also ready to get creative to get what is likely to be a big-money deal for Alvarez over the line, as they are willing to offer Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli or Gabriel Jesus to Atletico as part of any move, which is said to appeal to the team from the Spanish capital.

Slavko Vincic, the referee who took charge of the 2026 World Cup final, has cast his verdict on Argentina captain Lionel Messi’s behaviour during the game against Spain.

While Messi wasn’t involved in the heated post-match altercations that marred the final and prompted a FIFA investigation, the 39-year-old has still received heavy criticism for an incident involving Spain full-back Marc Cucurella.

Messi wanted action taken against Cucurella after the defender, who recently completed a move from Chelsea to Real Madrid, briefly put his hand to his mouth during an interaction with the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner.

Cucurella didn’t appear to be speaking to Messi in an aggressive manner, but Argentina’s No. 10 signalled to referee Vincic that an offence had been committed.

Paraguay’s Miguel Almiron and Ecuador’s Piero Hincapie were both shown straight red cards during the World Cup after FIFA implemented a new rule ahead of the tournament to prevent players from insulting opponents while covering their mouths.

No action was taken against Cucurella, despite Messi’s accusations, and the legendary forward has subsequently been blasted for his ‘shameless’ behaviour.

Spain fans have even created petitions calling for Messi to be stripped of the prestigious Princess of Asturias Award for Sports, which he won shortly before the 2026 World Cup got underway.

Slavko Vincic Speaks Out About Messi’s Behaviour

REUTERS/Lee Smith

Vincic, who announced his retirement one week after the World Cup final, has now spoken out about Messi’s conduct during the final.

The former Slovenian match official disagrees with suggestions that Messi showed unsportsmanlike behaviour during the final.

“That conversation will stay on the pitch,” Vincic told reporters, per The Metro.

Per beIN Sports, Vincic emphasised that Messi showed exemplary conduct on the field at all times, respecting his decisions, helping the game flow and displaying self-control even in high-pressure situations.

He added that Messi behaved like a positive leader without excessive protests.

On the final itself, Vincic said: “The burden is great when your entire refereeing career is poured into one match, but I knew that most of the work would be in managing the match… to stop at the right moment or let the action continue.

“The biggest challenge was dealing with the emotions of the football players. This is the World Cup final, the mindsets and reactions are different, but given the importance of the match, we have to understand all of that. The biggest challenge, of course, is somehow managing everything during the match.

“We are trying to study the characteristics of the players, what they do during the break, who commits the most fouls. Of course, it is not possible to prepare completely.

“The match has its own course and within that you try to do your job as well as possible. Within that, you have to decide whether to start with warnings or cards. But it is a kind of automatism that comes from experience during your career. Sometimes you succeed better, sometimes not.

“After the final whistle, we were not too much of a problem, which indicates that we generally did an okay job, so I think the refereeing strategy was right.”