Chelsea have completed the signing of defender Wesley Fofana from Leicester City for a fee in the region of £75million.

The France Under-21 international has put pen to paper on a massive seven-year deal at Stamford Bridge.

Fofana becomes the latest in a series of recruits for Thomas Tuchel during a busy transfer window, with Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella already key men.

The new centre-back had been training with Leicester's under-23 squad after making his intentions of joining Chelsea clear as Brendan Rodgers said he was not in the right frame of mind to play in a 2-1 Premier League defeat away to the London club on Saturday.

Leicester reportedly rejected three bids from Chelsea for Fofana, but the Blues finally got their man on Wednesday.

"The two last days have been really big days for me and I'm very happy," Fofana said.

"I trained this morning with the team and it's a dream for me. I'm very excited to start playing games for the fans and the club.

"I'm here to win trophies – the Champions League, Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup, everything. I came here to win and the club is built to win trophies, so I'm here to continue that."

The 21-year-old missed most of last season after suffering a broken leg and medial ligament damage during a pre-season friendly against Valencia.

Fofana made 28 appearances in the previous campaign as Leicester narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification.

Erik ten Hag has reiterated Cristiano Ronaldo remains part of his plans at Manchester United as the transfer window draws to a close.

Ronaldo has started just once under the former Ajax head coach this season and has failed to impress in his substitute appearances.

The Portugal great was United's top scorer on his return to Old Trafford last term, but they slumped to a disappointing sixth-placed finish and missed out on qualification for the Champions League.

Ronaldo – the competition's record marksman – has reportedly been keen to return to the Champions League in this window, with links to several clubs, including Bayern Munich, Chelsea, Napoli and Atletico Madrid.

A move is yet to materialise, though, and the deadline is looming on Thursday.

When asked whether Ronaldo would remain with United ahead of their trip to Leicester City earlier on Thursday, manager Ten Hag replied: "It is clear. We need quality players and you need more to cover all the games to keep the consistency going. That's what we strive for.

"We still need to strengthen the offensive department because we have many games to cover."

United are close to completing the signing of Ajax winger Antony in a deal that cause rise to £85.6million (€100m), having already announced an agreement, while Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is reportedly set to arrive on loan.

Although he will remain alert, Ten Hag believes Antony and Dubravka would mark the final incomings of the window, with the Dutchman also confirming Aaron Wan-Bissaka will remain at the club despite speculation linking Barcelona full-back Sergino Dest with a move to Old Trafford.

"I think so for this window, it will be the end [no more transfers after Dubravka]," Ten Hag added. "But when there is a great opportunity, you always have to be alert as a top club.

"Aaron will stay. This squad will go from September to a minimum January."

Wolves have bolstered their attack with the arrival of striker Sasa Kalajdzic from Stuttgart.

The Austria international has put pen to paper on a five-year contract at Molineux, with the option to extend for an additional 12 months.

Kalajdzic becomes Wolves' fifth signing of this transfer window after Hwang Hee-chan, Nathan Collins, Goncalo Guedes and Matheus Nunes.

The 6ft 7in forward, who netted 23 goals in 57 league games for Stuttgart, is looking to testing himself in the Premier League. 

"I'm really thankful and really happy to be here. It was the club that wanted me the most in the end," Kalajdzic told the club's official website.

"In my career, at my age, it's important to feel where the next step is and, in the end, I had the feeling Wolverhampton is the best step for my development.

"Everyone tells me the Premier League is the toughest league; it's the NBA of football. I'm just excited to prove myself against the best, because in this league, the best players are playing."

Wolves are seeking their first league win of the season when they travel to Bournemouth on Wednesday, while Kalajdzic could make his debut when Bruno Lage's side welcome Southampton this weekend.

Neither Anthony Gordon nor Wilfried Zaha will be on the move ahead of the transfer deadline, according to their respective managers.

Gordon and Zaha have each been linked with transfers to Chelsea, who are continuing to spend big before the window closes on Thursday.

However, both players played and netted in the Premier League on Tuesday – Gordon opening the scoring in Everton's 1-1 draw at Leeds United, as Zaha did likewise as Crystal Palace were held by Brentford.

And after their respective matches, Everton manager Frank Lampard and Palace boss Patrick Vieira spoke with certainty on the futures of their key men.

"Anthony is too important a player," Lampard said. "He has showed his worth in the last two games; it is too late [in the window].

"He is going to be special. In the bigger picture, he has an affiliation with the fans. It is a process – can we build around that?

"The interest in him is because he is a top player, and why we are so keen to keep him, you saw the reasons why in the last two games. He is our player."

Vieira added: "I didn't even put that [the possibility of Zaha leaving] in my head. I didn't even ask myself that question.

"I'm working with him every day and there is no doubt, there is nothing crossing my mind that something like that will happen."

Chelsea are looking to make another massive long-term investment, with reports they are aggressively moving for 20-year-old RB Leipzig defender Josko Gvardiol in a deal that would cost £77.4million (€90m).

Gvardiol, who has 10 senior international caps for Croatia to his name, has established himself as one of the most exciting young defenders in Germany.

He has been linked to a host of elite clubs, but Chelsea appear to be at the front of the queue and would allow the centre-back to stay at Leipzig until next year.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA PLAN ANOTHER CENTRE-BACK SPLURGE FOR GVARDIOL

The Stamford Bridge club have made a number of big defensive signings in this window, with Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella set to be followed by Wesley Fofana.

Koulibaly is 31, though, and has joined veteran Thiago Silva at the heart of the defence, explaining why Chelsea may already be looking at a succession plan.

Fabrizio Romano says the Blues are "in advanced talks" with Leipzig over a deal that would be completed now but only see Gvardiol make the move in 2023.

ROUND-UP

– PSV forward Cody Gakpo appears destined for the Premier League, with The Telegraph reporting Everton, Leeds United and Southampton are all interested in a player believed to be valued around £30m.

– The Telegraph has named a list of potential Fulham targets, including former Chelsea winger Willian, Paris Saint-Germain defender Layvin Kurzawa, Roma winger Justin Kluivert and Marseille forward Bamba Dieng. 

– The Daily Mail is reporting Brighton and Hove Albion are investigating a move for Billy Gilmour, although Chelsea's lack of depth in midfield could complicate matters.

– Aston Villa forward Douglas Luiz has some high-profile admirers, with Matheus Leal reporting Liverpool have submitted a £20m bid, and The Telegraph adds Atletico Madrid are also prepared to make the same offer.

– Leicester City are negotiating a deal for their potential Fofana replacement in 24-year-old Reims centre-back Wout Faes, believed to be worth £17.2m, according to the Daily Mail.

Paris Saint-Germain have signed midfielder Fabian Ruiz from Napoli.

Fabian has agreed a five-year deal with the Ligue 1 champions, becoming their fifth new recruit in the transfer window following the arrivals of Vitinha, Renato Sanches, Nordi Mukiele and Hugo Ekitike.

The Spain international has ended a four-season stay at Napoli, where he lifted the 2019-20 Coppa Italia, as he moves to the French capital for a reported initial €21.5million fee.

Fabian said: "I'm very happy to sign for Paris Saint-Germain. It's a joy for me to start this new stage of my career in this country.

"And I'm proud to come to one of the best clubs in Europe with the best players in the world. It's a truly exciting challenge."

The 26-year-old scored seven goals and provided four assists as Napoli finished third in Serie A last season, completing more passes (1,966) than any other Partenopei player in the competition.

Since he joined Napoli in 2018, only Dries Mertens and Ruslan Malinovskyi (both 15) have scored more goals from outside the penalty area in Serie A than Fabian (13).

His arrival to bolster the PSG midfield, along with Portugal duo Sanches and Vitinha, comes after Christophe Galtier allowed Georginio Wijnaldum to join Roma.

Fabian's exit represents another blow for Napoli after the departures of key trio Mertens, Lorenzo Insigne and Kalidou Koulibaly.

Liverpool have handed Sepp van den Berg a new long-term contract and allowed the defender to join Schalke on loan for the rest of the season.

The Dutchman, who arrived at Anfield in 2019, was expected to spend the campaign away from Merseyside to experience more first-time football and Blackburn Rovers were hopeful of signing him.

Liverpool on Tuesday confirmed the 20-year-old has signed a new deal and will continue his development in the Bundesliga.

"I was really happy when I heard Schalke were interested in me," the former Preston North End loanee stated. "I will [take this chance] with complete conviction."

Atletico Madrid have signed full-back Sergio Reguilon on loan from Tottenham until the end of the season.

The six-cap Spain international is a replacement for Renan Lodi, who departed the Civitas Metropolitano for Nottingham Forest on Monday.

Reguilon joined Spurs from Real Madrid in September 2020 but, after a positive start, he was unable to hold down a place in the side.

He featured 67 times in his first two seasons at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but he had yet to feature this season and Antonio Conte made it clear he was not part of his plans.

Both sides confirmed on Tuesday that Reguilon will spend the rest of the 2022-23 season in the Spanish capital.

Reguilon spent 15 years of his career on the books of Atletico's fierce rivals Real, whom he joined at the age of eight, emerging through the youth system before making 22 first-team appearances.

However, Atleti head coach Diego Simeone said earlier this week he has no issues signing a player with strong links to Los Blancos.

"Juanfran had previously played for Real Madrid, as had Filipe Luis – both are now part of the history of this club," Simeone said.

"Even today, Alvaro [Morata] is doing well; Mario [Hermoso] gave a lot to the title-winning squad two seasons ago. 

"[Marcos] Llorente was off the charts when we won the title. I look at all these as football players."

The deal for 25-year-old Reguilon, who spent the 2019-20 season on loan with Sevilla, is not believed to include a purchase option at the end of the campaign.

Another transfer window has seen another huge outlay on fees, but not all great signings have to come at such a cost.

Paulo Dybala, Paul Pogba, Angel Di Maria, Antonio Rudiger and Boubacar Kamara have already moved as free agents in this window.

With just a couple of days to go before the deadline, there remain some notable names looking for clubs.

Let's take a look...

Marcelo (34 years old – last club: Real Madrid)

It is not often the Champions League-winning captain of the previous campaign is without a club at the start of the new season, but that has been the case for Marcelo.

Admittedly, the left-back – a five-time European champion – was firmly behind Ferland Mendy in the pecking order last term, starting only seven games in all competitions.

However, Marcelo said upon leaving Madrid: "I won't retire, not now. I feel I can still play. Facing Real Madrid won't be a problem. I'm a big Madridista, but I'm also a big professional."

Juan Mata (34 – last club: Manchester United)

Mata is another hugely experienced and hugely talented player who has not yet clinched what may be the final move of a fine career.

The Spaniard spent eight and a half years at United but only once did he start over 30 league games for the club in a single season. He appeared in United's Premier League starting XI on only 16 occasions across the past three campaigns combined.

Still, a switch from United to bitter rivals Leeds United would have been a controversial one, and reports of the Elland Road outfit's interest in Mata were reportedly swiftly dismissed by sources, leaving him still without a club.

Djibril Sidibe (30 – last club: Monaco)

Sidibe's stock was really quite high after winning Ligue 1 with Monaco in 2017, and he added a World Cup medal with France 12 months later.

However, the right-back did not follow team-mates like Kylian Mbappe, Bernardo Silva and Fabinho in quitting Monaco, instead sticking around to see interest in his signature wane.

An uninspiring loan spell with Everton did little to boost Sidibe's profile, but he is still a good age as he looks for another club.

Ross Barkley (28 – last club: Chelsea)

Barkley still had a contract with Chelsea heading into the final week of the window, but the Blues agreed to cut short a hugely disappointing four-and-a-half-year stint at Stamford Bridge.

Having secured an exit from Everton, the midfielder never recreated his Goodison Park form on the big stage, with a loan move to Aston Villa starting brightly before quickly fading.

Barkley was a key man for England as recently as 2019, though, and there will surely be a club willing to take the risk, with Rangers heavily linked.

Florian Grillitsch (27 – last club: Hoffenheim)

Perhaps the pick of the remaining free agents, Grillitsch is on the market because he chose to be, for Hoffenheim would have been very keen to keep a player of his talents.

Yet the midfielder is still waiting on his next club, revealing to Kicker he had changed his agent amid suggestions of unrealistic financial demands.

"Certain things have been extremely unfortunate recently," Grillitsch said, with the failure to land a deal to this point perhaps meaning potential suitors could instead land a bargain.

Jurgen Klopp confirmed Liverpool are still working to make a signing in the transfer window ahead of Thursday's deadline, even if he will be relieved when it is all over.

Reds manager Klopp revealed last week he had changed his opinion on the need for a new midfielder at Anfield, having previously insisted his squad was strong enough.

When the Liverpool boss made those comments, ahead of facing Bournemouth at home, they were still winless.

Bournemouth were subsequently swatted aside 9-0, but Klopp is pressing ahead with the new plan to make a signing, although "the really important stuff" will follow after the window closes.

Asked if Liverpool were still active, Klopp replied: "'Ish'. Somehow, yeah, but the closer we get to the last minute, the more unlikely it gets. That's how it is. What can I say? We are not out.

"It's difficult, it's really difficult, because for sure there are a few players out there who would be the right ones, but they have different issues.

"Some of them are contracted to clubs who don't want to sell, all these kinds of things. We cannot force them.

"When it's over and we've signed or not signed [someone], then I'm really happy about that, because we've stopped thinking about it in that moment; we can just focus on the squad we have, the team we have, be ready to face all the problems we'll have in the season.

"Our supporters who are pretty active on social media every day can just stop doing that, because we have a good football team. We have injuries, but they'll come back.

"If somebody expects us to always do what others are doing or what some people want to do, that's not possible. It's never happened before, it will not happen in the future.

"This club arrived here in this situation with the way we deal with situations. I don't make the decisions about how much we spend, that's the truth, but I never did, and we're still here and we've won a couple of things.

"From that moment [when the window closes], we can focus on the really important stuff. Yes, bringing in the right players is important, but if we can't do that now, then we can't do it."

Next opponents Newcastle United could be counted among those clubs who have approached the market differently to Liverpool, spending more than £200million in this calendar year following a lucrative takeover last October.

And Klopp has no doubt Eddie Howe's side will soon be challenging the elite in the Premier League.

"They will be," he said. "If Eddie gets time and stuff like this... I'm not sure they need another transfer window, but if he gets time, they will definitely be.

"That's the football world we live in; it's completely fine.

"Newcastle is a great club and has a lot of success in the past and now for a few years not that much anymore. They have now everything you need to be 'top six' or whatever that means."

Liverpool have had Joel Matip and Curtis Jones back in training ahead of Wednesday's game, while Diogo Jota will join the group later in the week, with Thiago Alcantara set to follow "slightly later".

Christophe Galtier has not given up hope of signing Milan Skriniar before the transfer window closes and confirmed Fabian Ruiz is "very close" to joining Paris Saint-Germain.

Skriniar has been high on PSG's list of targets, but the Ligue 1 champions have been unable to agree a deal for the Inter centre-back.

PSG head coach Galtier knows it will be difficult to lure Skriniar away from San Siro, but says "anything is possible".

"I can't tell you it's completely over," Galtier said when asked about PSG's chances of signing the Slovakia international. 

"In a transfer window, there are always surprises. Milan has been a target for a long time. Negotiations with Inter are very difficult. 

"You have to respect his position. But with two days to go, anything is possible."

Galtier expects a deal to sign midfielder Ruiz from Napoli to go through before long in what is shaping up to be a busy end to the window.

"There are just over 48 hours left before the transfer window closes," he said ahead of Wednesday's Ligue 1 encounter at Toulouse. "Some information comes out. 

"Fabian Ruiz is very close to PSG, but there will also be departures from our side. 

"It would have been better to have the recruits as soon as possible. We have been targeting the sectors we wanted to strengthen for a long time. 

"Fabian Ruiz, we had targeted him for a long time. But for now, he is still a Napoli player."

Galtier confirmed Leandro Paredes is on his way to Juventus, but gave little away about Napoli target Keylor Navas' future.

He said: "Leandro will not be part of the group [to face Toulouse]. I spoke with him after the [training] session. We know that he has reached an agreement with Juventus.

"He is currently a PSG player, but his mind is elsewhere. I made the decision not to put him in the group so that he could prepare for his departure and that I don't have a player who, perhaps, will leave the club [within] 24 hours. 

"With Keylor, we talk very often. He is a PSG goalkeeper and he will be in the squad."

Antony is set to join Manchester United after the Premier League club agreed a £81.3million (€95m) fee with Ajax.

Ajax reportedly turned down a bid of £76.4m (€90m) for the winger last week, one of several offers United made to the Eredivisie champions.

A deal, which Ajax on Tuesday revealed could rise to £85.6m (€100m) with add-ons, has now been reached between the clubs for the 22-year-old, who was again left out of Ajax's squad to face Utrecht on Sunday. 

The transfer is set to go through ahead of Thursday's transfer deadline, subject to a medical, personal terms being finalised and international clearance.

Antony's omission from the Ajax squad last weekend came after he publicly pleaded with Ajax to sell him to United in an interview with journalist Fabrizio Romano.

In the interview, Antony explained he informed Ajax of his intention to leave the club as early as February.

Antony will become United's fifth signing under Erik ten Hag, whose side have won their past two Premier League games after losing their opening two matches.

Lisandro Martinez will present Antony with a familiar face in the squad, having also joined from Ajax – Ten Hag's former club – while Tyrell Malacia arrived from Feyenoord.

Former Ajax, Tottenham and Inter playmaker Christian Eriksen arrived on a free transfer after leaving Brentford, and United last week signed Casemiro from Real Madrid.

Antony scored 12 goals for Ajax in all competitions last season, and is capable of playing across the forward line.

With doubts remaining over Cristiano Ronaldo's future at Old Trafford, he will seemingly come in as competition for Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Jadon Sancho, while it has been suggested Anthony Elanga may be allowed to leave United on loan.

Chelsea forward Callum Hudson-Odoi has completed a season-long loan move to Bayer Leverkusen.

Hudson-Odoi has struggled for game time at Stamford Bridge since the arrival of Thomas Tuchel as head coach in January 2021, and is yet to feature at all this season.

The 21-year-old has played 126 times for Chelsea in all competitions since making his debut in 2018, with 37 goal involvements (16 goals, 21 assists).

The Premier League club confirmed they have the option to recall the player in January.

Several clubs in England and Germany were credited in the media with an interest in Hudson-Odoi, but the winger has opted to join Gerardo Seoane's team for the campaign.

Speaking to the club's website after the move was confirmed, Hudson-Odoi said: "The move to Germany is really exciting for me and I can play in the Champions League with Bayer 04 Leverkusen. 

"That combination is really attractive and I'm keen to get to know the club, the fans and the Bundesliga. [Chelsea team-mate] Kai Havertz only had good things to say about it to me."

Leverkusen secured their first victory of the Bundesliga season on Saturday as they won 3-0 at Mainz, having lost their first three games.

Three-cap England international Hudson-Odoi – who was close to joining Bayern Munich in 2019 – could make his debut on Saturday when Freiburg visit the BayArena.

Negotiations are taking place for Martin Dubravka to join Manchester United, Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has confirmed.

Dubravka joined Newcastle from Sparta Prague in January 2018 on an initial loan that was later made permanent, but the goalkeeper has fallen down the pecking order at St James' Park after the arrival of Nick Pope from Burnley before the new season.

Reports suggested the Slovakia international could be on his way to Old Trafford – also on an initial loan – to provide competition for David de Gea.

Howe provided some clarity on the matter at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of his team's trip to face Liverpool, telling reporters: "Discussions have taken place between the clubs. I don't think anything has concluded as I sit here now.

"From my perspective, I'm sad if Martin does leave, sad to see him go. It's not something we necessarily wanted but we understand there's always two sides to every story."

Dubravka has played 130 times for Newcastle in all competitions, keeping 37 clean sheets.

Howe hopes to have new signing Alexander Isak available for Wednesday's clash at Anfield, though remained unsure if his work permit would be granted in time, and also suggested the Sweden striker is likely to be the last arrival of the transfer window, which closes on Thursday.

Newcastle have signed Pope, Isak and Sven Botman since the end of last season, while also making Matt Targett's loan from Aston Villa permanent.

"I don't expect to be [active again in the window] to be honest," Howe said. "We're very pleased with the business we've done.

"The injuries we have we believe to be short-term so there might be a bit of short-term pain around the squad. Longer term, when those bodies are back, we're very strong.

"That's not to say we're totally closed off. We're obviously still looking but I don't expect any major business to be done."

Tottenham have announced the permanent signing of Cristian Romero from Atalanta on a five-year deal following the defender's successful spell on loan.

The 24-year-old joined Tottenham 12 months ago on an initial season-long loan with the option to make the move permanent.

Argentina international Romero featured 30 times in all competitions last season and started Spurs' opening two Premier League games this campaign prior to sustaining an injury.

Tottenham confirmed on their official website on Tuesday that Romero has now agreed a deal that will run through until the end of the 2026-27 campaign.

Romero, who is in contention to be part of Argentina's World Cup squad later this year, has also previously represented Genoa and Juventus in Serie A.