Manchester City youngster Romeo Lavia has joined Southampton, with the teenager signing a five-year deal at St Mary's Stadium.

The Belgium youth international, who joined the academy set-up at the Etihad Stadium from Anderlecht in 2020, made two senior appearances during his stay with Pep Guardiola's side.

It is not necessarily the end of Lavia's association with the club, however, after City reportedly installed a buy-back clause – thought to be around £40million – into the deal.

"My Manchester City journey has come to an end," Lavia, 18, wrote in a post on Instagram. "I’d like to thank everyone associated with this great club for all you’ve done for me during these two years at the club.

"I’ve developed into an even better player, person and it was also an honour to make my debut for this massive club. I wish the club nothing but the best for the future."

Lavia becomes the second City player to join Ralph Hasenhuttl's side this window, following Ireland goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu in making the switch between the two clubs.

"Romeo is an extremely talented young player at the start of his career who is open-minded and wants to learn and develop his game with us," Hasenhuttl told the club's website.

"We are very excited to sign him ahead of many other interested clubs. It proves that we have a positive reputation for improving young players, which we have worked hard to build up over the years.

"Romeo is coming from one of the best teams in the world, learning from the best manager and the best players. Now it is up to him to show us why he deserves to play in the Premier League, as we hope to help take his game to the next level."

Borussia Dortmund have completed the signing of Ajax striker Sebastien Haller on a four-year deal worth a reported €36million.

The 28-year-old joins the Bundesliga side following the sale of Erling Haaland to Manchester City, with Dortmund also landing exciting forward Karim Adeyemi from RB Salzburg earlier in the transfer window.

After a disappointing stint in the Premier League with West Ham, Haller excelled in Holland with Ajax during a prolific 18-month spell that included 11 goals in just eight Champions League appearances in the 2021-22 season.

That included a four-goal haul in Ajax's first group-stage match against Sporting, as well as goals in both of their fixtures against Dortmund. All in all, he scored in all but one of Ajax's Champions League matches – the exception being a 1-0 defeat to Besiktas in the second leg of the Round of 16.

 

Haller also finished top of the Eredivisie scoring charts with 21 goals last term and has history in Germany, where he scored 33 goals and registered 19 assists during a two-season stint with Eintracht Frankfurt.

Dortmund confirmed Haller's arrival on their official website on Wednesday, with the Ivory Coast international to take Haaland's number nine shirt from this coming season.

"We are very pleased that we were able to sign Sebastien Haller, a seasoned center-forward who recently caused a sensation in the Champions League, but who also knows the Bundesliga in particular and has already proven his class and high finishing quality there," Dortmund's new sports director Sebastian Kehl said. 

"The overall package is very promising. Sebastien has a high level of physical presence and is also very resilient physically. With his experience, he can give our young players support and stability on the offensive. In the talks with us, he made it clear that he would like to achieve something with BVB."

Dortmund begin the new season with a DFB-Pokal clash against 1860 Munich on July 26, with their Bundesliga campaign starting at home against Bayer Leverkusen on August 6.

Lukasz Fabianski says he feels "honoured and proud" to continue representing West Ham after signing a one-year contract extension with the Premier League side.

The Poland international has been a regular during his four seasons at the London Stadium, making 139 appearances in all competitions.

His previous contract expired on July 1, but West Ham confirmed on Wednesday that a new deal – which contains an option for a further 12 months – has been agreed.

"I'm obviously pleased and very happy that I can stay for one more year," said Fabianski, who has also played for Swansea City and Arsenal in the Premier League.

"The way the club has developed and started to reach its potential, it's been really nice to be part of it.

"I can see how much attention this club draws when it comes to interacting with the fans or the way it's being presented in the media.

"I think there's a lot of interest into the club, so it feels like this is one of the bigger ones in the country, so I'm just honoured and proud to be part of this club for a few years now."

Fabianski will again face competition from Alphonse Areola for a starting spot next season, with the latter turning his loan move from Paris Saint-Germain into a permanent deal last month. 

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Alexander Letellier has signed a new two-year contract with the Ligue 1 champions.

Letellier has spent the past two seasons on PSG's books, having emerged through the club's academy, but first-team opportunities have been hard to come by.

He played third choice to Gianluigi Donnarumma and Keylor Navas last season and made just one appearance, coming as a late substitute in PSG's final game of the campaign.

The 31-year-old's previous deal expired at the end of the 2021-22 season, but PSG confirmed on their official website on Wednesday that fresh terms have been agreed.

PSG, who appointed Christophe Galtier has their new boss on Tuesday, also have Sergio Rico among their back-up options in goal following his return from a loan spell with Mallorca.

Inter have confirmed the signing of right-back Raoul Bellanova from Cagliari.

The terms of the deal were not revealed on Wednesday, but reports last month suggested the defender was set to join on an initial loan with an obligation to buy.

Serie A officially listed the transfer as a loan on its website on Tuesday.

Bellanova had joined Cagliari permanently in May following a similar agreement with Bordeaux, his prior parent club.

The 22-year-old Italy youth international stood out in Serie A last season, scoring one goal and assisting two more in 31 games. He created 32 chances – the 13th-most among all defenders.

 

However, Bellanova could not rescue Cagliari from relegation, as they finished a point behind Salernitana in 18th place.

He becomes the fifth new recruit for the 2022-23 season, joining Andre Onana, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the returning Romelu Lukaku and Kristjan Asllani at Inter.

The Nerazzurri have also made loan moves for Robin Gosens and Joaquin Correa permanent.

With his departure from Manchester United on the horizon, Paul Pogba had been free to discuss his future with other clubs since January.

Failing to ever really match his then world-record price tag with performances on the pitch, the World Cup winner's next destination always seemed limited to a few options.

Reports suggest a return to Serie A and Juventus is imminent.

 

TOP STORY – POGBA SET FOR FOUR-YEAR DEAL AT JUVENTUS

Paul Pogba is expected to complete medical in Turin this weekend to open the path for a free transfer to Juventus, according to Sky Sports.

Leaving Manchester United at the end of June upon the expiry of his contract, the move to Juve would see him return to the club where he spent four years and established his reputation.

Upon completion of his medical, the 29-year-old is reportedly set to sign a four-year deal with the club.

This comes after Pogba turned down what was reported to be a 3.5 per cent increase on his wages at Manchester United.

 

ROUND-UP

- Bayern Munich have reached a verbal agreement with Juve's Matthijs de Ligt amid interest from Chelsea, according to Sport1.

- Tottenham are keen on signing Villarreal's Pau Torres despite the impending arrival of Clement Lenglet, the Mirror is reporting.

- Newcastle United are willing to meet Bayer Leverkusen's asking price for Moussa Diaby, per the Telegraph.

- New Paris Saint-Germain boss Christophe Galtier hopes Neymar can stay at the club amid speculation over his future, The Sun is reporting.

Lothar Matthaus believes Matthijs de Ligt could be a critical long-term signing for Bayern Munich, and a defensive base they could build their squad around.

The 22-year-old's departure after an indifferent spell at Juventus, after signing in 2019 from Ajax, has prompted him to seek a move away with no apparent harm to his market value.

Though De Ligt had been linked with a transfer to Chelsea earlier in the off-season, reports in Germany have suggested the Netherlands international is more keen on a move to the Bundesliga.

Matthaus, the Ballon d'Or and World Cup winner in 1990, insisted De Ligt would be a transformative signing for his former club.

"He's a van Dijk type," Matthaus told Bild. "He can take on the role of defence chief at Bayern, which is missing there.

"He's one of the best central defenders in Europe, and at 22 he's such a young player that Bayern could have done with that position for the next few years. A super transfer if it works – a huge gain."

Former Schalke boss and De Ligt's compatriot Huub Stevens echoed Matthaus' sentiments, believing the centre-back has progressed despite an inconsistent time in Turin.

The 68-year-old also noted De Ligt would be a compatible signing within Julian Nagelsmann's aggressive system, making the reported €70million price tag reasonable.

"Just as I saw De Ligt play at Ajax Amsterdam back then, he learned a lot defensively at Juventus," Stevens said.

"He fits the style of Bayern, he has to defend up the pitch. He was already great at Ajax, he's a playing defender. The fee is, of course, crazy, but you can see in England that such sums are normal for defenders there."

Wout Weghorst has joined Turkish giants Besiktas on a season-long loan just six months after joining Burnley, in the aftermath of the club's relegation from the Premier League.

The striker, who has scored three goals in 14 international appearances for the Netherlands, joined Burnley from Wolfsburg in a reported £12million (€14.4m) move in January, as the Clarets battled relegation from the top flight.

That fight ultimately ended in failure, with Weghorst scoring just twice in 20 appearances for the club.

While Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany is hoping to lead Burnley to an immediate Premier League return, he will have to do so without the services of Weghorst, who joins a side which finished a disappointing sixth in the Turkish Super Lig last term.

Burnley confirmed his departure via their social media accounts on Tuesday, wishing the 29-year-old luck at his new club.

Weghorst will be hoping his move to Istanbul allows him to rediscover his Wolfsburg form: In the 2020-21 season, he scored 20 Bundesliga goals, a tally only bettered by Erling Haaland (27), Andre Silva (28) and Robert Lewandowski (41).

Robin van Persie has congratulated Manchester United new boy Tyrell Malacia on his move to Old Trafford, predicting the left-back will build a "great connection" with his new club.

Malacia became the first signing of the Erik ten Hag era on Tuesday, signing a four-year contract after United agreed a deal reportedly worth an initial £13m (€15.1m).

The 22-year-old starred during Feyenoord's run to the Europa Conference League final last season, also showcasing his attacking quality by creating 1.1 open-play chances per 90 minutes in his last Eredivisie campaign.

Van Persie, who scored 26 times during United's most recent Premier League title triumph in 2012-13, believes the Netherlands international, who he played alongside after returning to Feyenoord in 2018, will thrive at Old Trafford. 

In a video posted to his Twitter account, Van Persie said: "Tyrell, I would like to congratulate you on your fantastic move to Manchester United, and this big moment in your career.

"You've shown that with self-belief, talent, and hard work, day in, day out, that dreams come true.

"To all Red Devils fans, you're not only getting a very talented full-back, but as well, a fantastic person.

"Be nice to him, support him in good times and bad, and he will give absolutely everything for you guys. I'm sure it will be a great connection together.

"On behalf of Feyenoord fans and Feyenoord people, thanks Tyrell for what you've done, for all these years from a young kid up until now, this fantastic moment. You are a true example for the next generation."

Upon his unveiling as a United player, Malacia revealed Van Persie's tales of his own time in Manchester had influenced his move, telling the club's website: "I spoke in the past with Robin and I played with him, and spoke with him about his experience in Manchester.

"Everything was good. He says they're the biggest club and the feeling was good, and he loved it here."

Malacia is expected to compete with Luke Shaw for game-time under Ten Hag, and could make his Premier League debut when United host Brighton and Hove Albion on August 7.

Denmark star Pernille Harder is "so happy" that Christian Eriksen is back playing football, and is hoping the playmaker will join Manchester United.

Eriksen collapsed on the pitch while playing for Denmark in Euro 2020 last June, suffering cardiac arrest.

The former Tottenham midfielder recovered and was fitted with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, but that prevented him from playing in Italy for his club Inter.

Eriksen was subsequently released and did not find a new club until January, when Brentford offered him the chance to show his quality and prove his fitness.

He managed to do just that, making a huge impact by scoring once and assisting four more goals in 11 league appearances to help Brentford, who had been out of form prior to his arrival, stay up with ease.

To highlight Eriksen's importance, he created 30 chances following his Bees bow in March, with only Martin Odegaard (38) and Kevin De Bruyne (42) topping that in the division.

However, the 30-year-old only signed a short-term contract and is now expected to join United, to the delight of Harder, who is preparing for the Women's Euro 2022 with Denmark.

She told Stats Perform: "It's amazing, I'm so happy that he’s back and that he's playing really good football as well.

"It seems like he's enjoying playing, if he's going to Manchester United I will be happy as a United fan but also for him.

"I don't know if it's just rumours or if it's actually happening."

Harder's sentiments were echoed by her Denmark team-mates Sanne Troelsgaard Nielsen and Signe Bruun.

Nielsen said: "So happy, we just enjoy following Christian Eriksen, of course Manchester United is a big club and it's huge in Denmark as well."

Bruun added: "It was so sad last year, him going down at home in our national stadium but to see him coming back like that and performing like that for the national team and Brentford as well is great.

"We all supported him, we were all behind him and for him now to make a big move like that, I think he deserves it, he's a hard worker, so I'm very, very happy to see that."

Divock Origi has joined Milan after his contract expired at Liverpool.

Origi signed for Liverpool from Lille after impressing for Belgium at the 2014 World Cup, but immediately rejoined the Ligue 1 side on loan.

He was used sparingly throughout his eight-year stint with the Reds, leaving on loan to Wolfsburg in 2017-18, yet still scored some crucial goals for Jurgen Klopp's team.

His most memorable was a strike in the 2018-19 Champions League final against Tottenham.

Origi will hope to be offered more chances at Milan, who lifted the Scudetto in the 2021-22 campaign, after signing a four-year contract at San Siro.

The 27-year-old developed a reputation as somewhat of a super-sub during his time at Anfield, scoring 22 goals in 107 Premier League appearances for Liverpool, while only starting 34 of those matches.

As well as his goal against Spurs in Madrid, Origi also produced the winner in the iconic semi-final comeback against Barcelona in the same competition.

Stefano Pioli has added both quality and depth to his attacking ranks, which already included Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Rafael Leao, as Milan look to defend their Serie A title in the 2022-23 campaign.

Milan reportedly remain in talks with Chelsea over a move for playmaker Hakim Ziyech, though midfielder Franck Kessie has left on a free transfer, joining Barca.

Manchester United certainly can't be accused of not supporting their new manager, Erik ten Hag, given the players they're going for in the transfer market.

Granted, that's more about how United are primarily being linked with players Ten Hag knows or has previously coached rather than them targeting a host of renowned superstars.

Whether that suggests a certain trust in Ten Hag or if it comes down to a lack of belief in the club's own scouting department is a discussion for another time, but clearly Ten Hag is being allowed to build a team in his image, and that's what many fans will have hoped for.

The first one in through the door is Tyrell Malacia, who joins from Eredivisie side Feyenoord on a four-year   contract with an option for a further season.

Netherlands international Malacia had apparently been close to joining Lyon until United came in at the last minute, but once the Red Devils' interest became apparent, there was only likely to be one destination: Old Trafford.

But what sort of player are United getting? Stats Perform takes a look…

Exit looming for Telles?

When considering the areas United needed to strengthen ahead of the new season, left-back might not have been highlighted as a major cause for concern, therefore some are likely to feel Malacia's signing isn't necessary.

But most would agree Luke Shaw endured a generally poor season, and his deputy – Alex Telles – seemingly wasn't good enough to fully dislodge the England international. Then you have Brandon Williams, who has returned from a loan spell at Norwich City but will in all likelihood be sold.

One would assume Malacia's arrival will lead to another sale at left-back as well, and that'll presumably be Telles rather than Shaw, who will be expected to get back to the level he showed in the 2020-21 season.

Shaw has responded well to competition before. In fact, his excellent 2020-21 campaign coincided with United's signing of Telles, but perhaps he took his foot off the pedal once he realised the Brazilian wasn't likely to be a long-term threat to his place.

Malacia could be.

 

At 22, Malacia is youthful and boasts a skillset that may make him a greater understudy – and challenger – to Shaw than Telles.

Already a Netherlands international, Malacia is quick, comfortable on the ball and had an impressive output in attack last season. Telles, on the other hand, isn't especially fast and his final-third threat relies on crosses from deep.

Full-backs performed an important function for Ten Hag's Ajax. Their underlapping runs make them potential threats in the box, while those at his disposal in Amsterdam possessed excellent technical abilities, helping the team to maintain control of possession even out wide, a little like at Manchester City.

Such a role certainly shouldn't faze Malacia considering his pace and technique.
 

A considered threat

Malacia's technical ability and speed are probably his two most obvious attributes, though neither are especially easy to prove with numbers.

Of course, it's difficult to accurately – and fairly – compare players across two hugely different competitions just using stats, but you can at least get an idea of what a player offers.

Malacia's 1.1 open-play chances created every 90 minutes in the Eredivisie last season was the 10th highest among defenders (minimum of 1,000 minutes played). That was the same as Shaw's, though the latter was obviously playing in a league generally regarded to be a higher level.

 

Despite that frequency not being especially remarkable, Malacia did lay on four assists, and his 6.0 expected assists (xA) was bettered by only four Eredivisie defenders.

So although he wasn't necessarily creating a huge amount of opportunities, those he did craft had an average xA value of 0.16 – of the defenders with at least 18 key passes, only Daley Blind (0.27), Noussair Mazraoui (0.19) and Yukinari Sugawara (0.17) created better chances on average.

Similarly, Malacia's xA output on a per-90-minute basis of 0.19 was higher than that of Shaw (0.14) and Telles (0.11).

Both of the xA averages mentioned for Malacia highlight – and can be partly explained by – how he attacks. He recorded 2.7 touches in the opposition's box every 90 minutes last term (fifth among Eredivisie defenders), whereas Shaw (1.1) and Telles (1.0) were far less willing to get into that area.

As such, of his 5.0 passes into the box each game, only 3.0 were crosses. Those respective figures for Shaw (5.9/5.7) and Telles (7.6/7.3) show a far greater reliance on hopeful crosses.

 

Again, specific coaching instructions may explain the figures of Shaw and Telles, so the data isn't suggesting any one is better than the others, but it's still easy to see why Ten Hag might feel Malacia is a good fit as one of his underlapping full-backs.

Malacia also tallied more tackle attempts (2.7), tackles won (1.8) and duels (11.0) compared to Shaw (1.1, 0.7 and 8.2) and Telles (2.4, 1.3 and 9.8).

As before, these don't necessarily mean he's a better defender because the context of the two leagues and the respective teams' playing styles make it difficult to draw such conclusions, but Malacia's figures do at least point to a certain level of tenacity off the ball.

Regardless of the numbers, it seems clear United are taking a bit of a gamble with Malacia. Although obviously talented, he is young, inexperienced and joining a team that cannot claim to have much stability.

Nothing about United over the past decade has suggested it's a club that successfully nurtures young players anymore. Even when you look at the success stories such as Marcus Rashford, he's not appeared happy for a while.

The fact Malacia has seemingly been signed upon the request of his manager – rather than a glorified accountant on the board – is undoubtedly a tick in the pros column, but only time will tell if that trust in Ten Hag is well-placed.

Tyrell Malacia has signed for Manchester United from Feyenoord in a deal that is reportedly worth up to £15million.

The Netherlands international becomes the long-awaited first signing of the Erik ten Hag era at Old Trafford, following a slew of exits under the Dutchman.

Malacia will now join up with his countryman at United and is expected to offer competition to England defender Luke Shaw and Brazil's Alex Telles in the left-back role going forward, having signed a four-year contract with an option for a further season.

The 22-year-old was reported to be moving for a £13m (€15.1m) fee, with just shy of £2m in add-ons. Reports in the Netherlands claim Feyenoord will receive a percentage of any future sale, too.

"It's an incredible feeling to have joined Manchester United," Malacia said. "This is a new chapter for me, a new league with new team-mates and a tremendous manager leading us.

"I know from playing against his teams in the Eredivisie, the qualities that he has and what he demands of his players.

"Whilst I know that I am still young and will continue to develop, I can promise the United fans that I will leave everything on the pitch every time I pull on the red shirt.

"I'll always be thankful to Feyenoord for all they have given to me and my family.

"None of this would be possible if it wasn't for them. Now I'm ready to focus on the future with United and help my new club achieve success."

Malacia came through the Feyenoord academy, having joined the club as a nine-year-old, and broke into their senior set-up as an 18-year-old in 2017.

He was an unused substitute in their KNVB Beker and Johan Cruyff Shield wins in 2018 and featured in their Europa Conference League final loss to Roma earlier this year.

Zeki Celik has become Jose Mourinho's third signing of the transfer window at Roma, joining from Lille for a reported €7million fee.

Celik, who has signed a four-year contract with the Serie A club, was said to be of interest to Mourinho when he was Tottenham coach.

He follows midfielder Nemanja Matic and goalkeeper Mile Svilar – both of whom were free transfers – to Rome.

"For me, it is an honour to play for such an important club," Celik said. "I have great ambitions and I want to contribute to the success of the team.

"I feel ready and focused. I never give up, and you will always see me fighting on the pitch."

Celik spent four seasons at Lille, winning the Ligue 1 title in 2020-21.

However, that successful team has been broken up over the past 12 months, with Mike Maignan, Boubakary Soumare, Jonathan Ikone, Sven Botman and now Celik all moved on.

Renato Sanches is thought to be a transfer target for both Paris Saint-Germain and Milan.

Five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo wants to leave Manchester United and is willing to make some allowances to secure the move.

Reports of Ronaldo's transfer request emerged over the weekend, although United are said to be holding firm in their desire to keep the superstar.

That has not stopped the rumours around a potential destination for the Portugal great, though, and he is doing all he can to get the move he wants.

TOP STORY – RONALDO WILLING TO TAKE PAY CUT

The Independent reports Ronaldo is willing to take a "considerable" pay cut in order to move to a Champions League contender.

The forward's desire to win another European crown was widely cited as key to his decision to push for a departure from United, and the report suggests the player is hopeful a reduced salary could entice leading clubs.

Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, who employ great rival Lionel Messi, are listed as potential suitors.

The Athletic also again reports Chelsea's interest following talk of a meeting between Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes and new Stamford Bridge owner Todd Boehly earlier in the close-season.

The Sun says Chelsea coach Thomas Tuchel is reluctant to agree to such a transfer, though, while AS claims Mendes has also met with Barcelona president Joan Laporta.

ROUND-UP

– Corriere dello Sport claims Bayern Munich are looking to bring in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen for a fee in the vicinity of €100million if Robert Lewandowski is to leave.

– According to Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham have agreed to sign 27-year-old Barcelona centre-back Clement Lenglet for a fee of £17.2m.

– The Sun is reporting Arsenal have made a £47m bid for 27-year-old Lazio midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.

– After loaning Romelu Lukaku to Inter, Chelsea are also weighing up a potential loan move for Hakim Ziyech to Milan, according to The Athletic.

– The Mirror claims United representatives have met with Ajax to discuss a £39.6m offer for defender Lisandro Martinez.

© 2023 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.