Newcastle United have confirmed the appointment of Paul Mitchell as the club's new sporting director.

Mitchell, who previously worked for Southampton and Tottenham, replaces Dan Ashworth who joined Manchester United earlier this week. 

Ashworth's leave was due to run until mid-2025, but it emerged on Monday that the two clubs had agreed a compensation package to 

The 42-year-old has been out of work since October 2023, having most recently been the sporting director at Ligue 1 side, AS Monaco. 

Speaking on his arrival to St. James' Park, Mitchell said: "It's with immense pride that I accept the responsibility of being Newcastle United's new sporting director. 

"I've seen the recent growth and ambition of the club. This, plus the amazing fan base, made the decision to join an easy one.

"I can't wait to get started and help continue the organisation's growth and long-term competitiveness in all areas of elite football performance."

Mitchell's time in the Premier League saw him start with Southampton, where he is credited for the signings of Toby Alderweireld and Sadio Mane, earned him a move to Tottenham.

As head of recruitment with Spurs, he would help mastermind the signings of Dele Alli, Heung-Min Son and Kieran Trippier before leaving for RB Leipzig in 2018. 

Newcastle chief executive Darren Eales added: “We are delighted to welcome Paul to Newcastle United. He brings a successful track record and wealth of experience to the club.

“His extensive and diverse experience in football leadership, cultural change and recruitment mean he is the ideal person to lead our sporting directorate.

“We look forward to working with Paul and supporting him in our pursuit of long-term, sustainable success.”

Manchester United have confirmed Erik ten Hag has signed a contract extension.

The new terms take manager Ten Hag through to the end of the 2025-26 season.

Ten Hag's job looked under threat after United finished eighth last term, their lowest-ever finish in the Premier League.

Yet a 2-1 victory over Manchester City in the FA Cup final, combined with an apparent lack of top-class managerial options, meant United instead decided to stand by the Dutchman.

"I am very pleased to have reached agreement with the club to continue working together," Ten Hag said in a statement on United's official website.

"Looking back at the past two years, we can reflect with pride on two trophies and many examples of progression from where we were when I joined.

"However, we must also be clear that there is still lots of hard work ahead to reach the levels expected of Manchester United, which means challenging for English and European titles.

"In my discussions with the club, we have found complete unity in our vision for reaching those goals, and we are all strongly committed to making that journey together."

United have won 54% of their top-flight games under Erik ten Hag (41/76), with only Alex Ferguson (65%) having a higher win percentage in charge of the Red Devils in the Premier League.

Dan Ashworth, United's freshly appointed sporting director, said: "With two trophies in the past two seasons, Erik has reinforced his record as one of the most consistently successful coaches in European football.

"While the club's review of last season highlighted areas for improvement, it also reached a clear conclusion that Erik was the best partner for us to work with in driving up standards and outcomes.

"This group of players and staff have already shown they are capable of competing and winning at the top level; now we need to do it more consistently.

"With our strengthened football leadership team now in place, we are looking forward to working hand-in-hand with Erik to achieve our shared ambitions for this football club."

Manchester United expressing their commitment to Erik ten Hag can only build togetherness, so says Wes Brown, who urged the Red Devils to improve next campaign.

Ten Hag was reportedly nearing the exit door at Old Trafford after guiding United to eighth in the top flight last season, their lowest finish in the Premier League era.

Yet the Dutchman saved his job with the FA Cup final victory over fierce rivals Manchester City, securing his second trophy in as many seasons and sneaking into the Europa League in the process.

Former United defender Brown believes the club's backing of the manager can only improve the mood in the squad, who must perform better for Ten Hag when the 2024-25 campaign begins.

"He's done well, we obviously won the cup last season against Man City," said Brown, speaking to Stats Perform at the Home of Adidas football in Berlin. 

"I think expectations are always going to be high for any manager at Manchester United. But since we were let down a little bit in the league last year, we want to be in the Champions League, we want to finish as high as we can.

"I think that is a priority. No one knows [the new] signings yet, that normally happens after a major tournament, so we're not sure what's going to happen there yet.

"But I really like the manager and at times the players have let themselves down. But you can see there's a togetherness coming together and he just has to keep that going now.

"He knows where he's going to be now for the next few years. With that all sorted out, he can now move on and do the job to the best of his ability."

Thomas Tuchel, Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Frank were all linked to the United job as speculation loomed over Ten Hag's future.

Brown, who played 232 times for United after coming through their academy, says ending those rumours should positively impact Ten Hag's players.

Asked if uncertainty around Ten Hag's future would impact the squad, Brown responded: "I think it does. I've probably been in the same situation at other clubs.

"It definitely helps going forward, if anything you don't think about it, it's all done now.

"It definitely helps in the sense of coming together as a team and we're all in it together, and we can now move forward for the next few years and make the club better again."

Ten Hag will be expecting additions to a squad that was ravaged by injury struggles last term, especially in defence.

Raphael Varane has left the club, while Lisandro Martinez and Harry Maguire struggled with injuries last campaign.

United are in the market for centre-back options, with Bayern Munich's Matthjis de Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite, of Everton, both linked as potential additions.

Brown insists that position must be the priority for United in the transfer window.

"Branthwaite had a good season," Brown added. "It's been difficult for Everton, but his personal performances have been very highly rated and De Ligt as we know is a great player.

"Depending on what happens at Munich, you never know, but I think a priority is a defender coming in alongside Martinez and if we could get one of them, I'd be very happy as a fan."

Iliman Ndiaye has completed a £16m (€18.5m) move from Marseille to Everton.

Ndiaye, a Senegalese international, has signed a five-year deal with the Toffees.

He is Everton's third signing of the transfer window, after the addition of Tim Iroegbunam from Aston Villa and the re-signing of Jack Harrison, who rejoined the club on loan from Leeds United.

The 24-year-old only joined Marseille, his boyhood club, last year, having previously starred in the Championship with Sheffield United. However, he netted just three times in Ligue 1 last season.

Everton, though, will be hoping Ndiaye replicates the form he displayed in the second tier when he propelled the Blades to promotion in 2022-23.

Ndiaye was fourth-best in the Championship for goal contributions (24 - 14 goals, 10 assists) that season, while his tally of 111 dribbles completed ranked behind only Patrick Roberts (112) and Joao Pedro (116). He converted 20% of his shots.

"I am so pleased to be an Everton player," Ndiaye told evertontv. "I'm so excited and can't wait to get going.

"As a player, I like to dribble, show skills and get the fans out their seats. I want to score goals and get assists, but I also like to work hard. I love running, chasing the ball, getting the team high up the pitch. As a striker, you're the first defender. I love doing that bit."

Sean Dyche's team certainly need an extra attacking threat. They were the league's second-lowest scorers, with just 40 goals, and the competition's biggest expected goals (xG) underperformers, scoring 15 fewer goals than would have been anticipated based on the quality of opportunities they created (40 goals from 54.9 xG).

Tom Heaton hopes to push the Manchester United squad towards further success next season after penning a one-year contract extension.

The 38-year-old is currently with the England squad in Germany for Euro 2024 as a training goalkeeper, but his renewal at Old Trafford was announced on Tuesday.

Heaton remains as a back-up option for Erik ten Hag, though featured twice in EFL Cup wins over Charlton Athletic and Nottingham Forest en route to lifting the trophy in 2023.

The former Burnley man wants to use that success as motivation for further joy n the 2024-25 campaign.

"I am delighted to continue my stay at my boyhood club," Heaton told United's in-house media channels.

"I still feel in great shape and I am ready to offer whatever the squad needs throughout the season ahead.

"In addition to on the pitch, I'm learning so much off it for my next steps, whatever that may be.

"But, first and foremost, I want to push the squad to build on our successes from last season."

The Red Devils begin their pre-season campaign against Danish team Rosenborg on July 15, the day after the European Championship ends.

Chelsea have announced the signing of Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Leicester City on a six-year contract.

The midfielder follows his former Leicester manager, Enzo Maresca, into the club for a fee of £30million.

Dewsbury-Hall joined the Foxes at eight years old in 2006, progressing through the youth system before making his first-team debut in 2020, going on to make 129 appearances.

Last season, he played an instrumental role in Leicester winning the Championship, returning to the Premier League at the first time of asking, playing 44 times in the league - he scored 12 goals and 14 assists.

In an emotional post on Instagram, the midfielder bade farewell to the Leicester fans, saying: "Well what can I say? What a journey it's been. Seventeen years of my life devoted to this club, and it's been a pleasure. I've loved every minute of my time at this football club and created some memories & friendships I'll never forget.

"I'm very proud of what we achieved together last season - creating memories of a lifetime for us all. But bigger than that, hopefully going some way to righting the wrongs of that relegation season.

"I'm glad I'm leaving the club with them in the Premier League, where they belong, and wish Leicester City all the best in the upcoming season and further on. I'm one of your own, Leicester. But it's time for me to go now…"

Dewsbury-Hall is the fourth signing by Chelsea already in this transfer window, following Tosin Adarabioyo, Omari Kellyman and Marc Guiu into the club.

Archie Gray has joined Tottenham from a "heartbroken" Leeds United in a deal reportedly worth up to £40million.

Gray, the great nephew of Leeds great Eddie Gray, enjoyed a breakthrough season at Elland Road last season.

The 18-year-old made 47 appearances in the Championship for Daniel Farke's team in 2023-24, as Leeds lost to Southampton in the play-off final.

And the Whites have confirmed that a clause in the youngster's contract, which became active when Leeds failed to return to the Premier League, opened the door for teams to swoop.

Gray seemed destined to move to Brentford over the weekend, undertaking a medical with the Bees, until Leeds rejected the payment structure of a £35m offer.

That enabled Spurs to come in and sign the midfielder.

Leeds posted on X that they were "heartbroken to see one of our own depart".

In a separate transaction, however, Joe Rodon has moved from Spurs to Leeds.

The Wales defender spent last season on loan at Elland Road.

Manchester United have finalised the appointment of Dan Ashworth as their new sporting director, having reached an agreement with his former club Newcastle United.

Ashworth told Newcastle he wished to move to Old Trafford in February and was placed on gardening leave as the two clubs sought to do a deal.

Ashworth – who has formerly held roles with the Football Association and Brighton and Hove Albion – was reportedly willing to take Newcastle to court to force a move, but a deal has now been struck for him to join United's revamped setup.

United are entering their first pre-season under the Jim Ratcliffe regime, after the INEOS founder was given full control of football operations upon purchasing a 25% stake from the deeply unpopular Glazer family last year.

A joint statement released by the two clubs read: "Newcastle United and Manchester United have reached an agreement for the immediate release of Dan Ashworth from his contractual obligations at Newcastle United. 

"The terms of this agreement remain confidential between the clubs. Newcastle United thank Dan for his services and wish him well for the future."

Ashworth will work alongside Erik ten Hag after United opted against replacing the Dutchman in the wake of their FA Cup final victory over Manchester City in May.

Ten Hag oversaw the Red Devils' worst-ever Premier League finish of eighth last term but is locked in negotiations over a new contract, after Mauricio Pochettino, Thomas Tuchel, Thomas Frank and Kieran McKenna were considered by INEOS. 

Ten Hag's coaching team is also set to be revamped before the start of 2024-25, with former striker Ruud van Nistelrooy and Rene Hake both set to join the club.

Chelsea have confirmed the signing of teenage striker Marc Guiu from Barcelona, having met his €6million (£5.1m) release clause.

Guiu had one year remaining on his contract with the Blaugrana but opted to reject the offer of an extension after breaking into their senior squad last season.

The 18-year-old appeared three times in LaLiga last term, netting on his senior debut against Athletic Bilbao at the age of 17 years and 291 days last October.

Guiu, who has been capped by Spain at under-17 and under-19 level, is expected to fight for a place in Chelsea's first team under new boss Enzo Maresca. 

He has signed a five-year contract with an option for the club to extend his stay for a further 12 months.

"It's an immense joy to sign for Chelsea and I struggled to sleep ahead of the journey here because I was so excited," Guiu said. "Ever since I was small, it was my dream to play in the Premier League.

"Now I have the opportunity to come here to Chelsea and I will work my hardest to be successful for the club."

Aston Villa have completed the double signing of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea from Juventus.

The duo were signed for a combined £18.6million (€22m) just one day on from Douglas Luiz's €50million move to the Italian club in a separate deal.

Iling-Junior, a product of Chelsea's academy, joined Juventus in 2020 before making his senior debut in 2022.

The 20-year-old made 27 appearances in all competitions for Juve last season, scoring once and assisting two goals and won the Coppa Italia in May.

Barrenechea was with Juventus for two years, but spent last season on loan at Frosinone, becoming a first-team regular, but could not help the side avoid relegation back to Serie B.

Villa have already had a busy transfer window, with already brought in Ian Maatsen from Chelsea and Lewis Dobbin from Everton.

Meanwhile, along with Luiz, youngsters Tim Ireogbunam and Omari Kellyman have been sold to the Toffees and the Blues respectively.

Kevin De Bruyne confirmed he was likely to stay at Manchester City for the upcoming season but said "it's hard to say what will happen" after that.

De Bruyne has one year left on his current contract but has been the subject of interest Saudi Pro League clubs in recent months.

The Belgian has enjoyed a glittering nine-year spell at City since joining from Wolfsburg in 2015, winning six Premier League titles, the Champions League, five EFL Cups, two FA Cups and the Club World Cup.

De Bruyne is currently away at Euro 2024 with Belgium preparing for their last-16 tie with France on Monday, and said he aims to get his future sorted once the tournament is over.

"I've read a lot of headlines, but I haven't spoken to anyone," De Bruyne told HLN, via The Athletic.

"I hope I can last a few more years. Everyone knows I'm under contract at City for another year. And that I haven't talked to anyone yet. I assume there will be talks with City in the next few months.

"If not, I will have to look for something else. But it's hard to say what will happen. My summer will be very quiet. I will enjoy my holidays. And then I will return to City."

De Bruyne had to make do with a more limited role as City won their fourth consecutive Premier League title, with a five-month injury lay-off restricting him to just 26 appearances in all competitions.

He still managed six goals and 18 assists in his reduced role as he remains a key part of Pep Guardiola's side, but the midfielder admitted a lucrative contract offer could sway his thinking further down the line.

"Look, I have more than enough money. I know that well enough," De Bruyne added. "If a silly amount is offered later, then that's not for me.

"That's for all my family, my friends, my children, my great-grandchildren, my children's neighbours."

Ipswich Town have signed Omari Hutchinson from Chelsea on a permanent transfer for a club-record fee, with Ben Johnson also joining from West Ham.

Hutchinson, who cost a reported £20million with add-ons, penned a four-year deal with the club, after spending last season with them on loan in the Championship.

The youngster made 50 appearances in all competitions for Ipswich, scoring 11 goals and assisting six as he helped them secure promotion to the Premier League.

Meanwhile, the Tractor Boys also confirmed the signing of Johnson on a five-year contract in a free transfer on Monday.

The defender reportedly turned down a new contract at West Ham, instead choosing to leave when his current deal expired at the end of June.

Johnson went through the Hammers' youth academy, making 109 appearances for the senior team after making his debut in 2019.

Newcastle United have confirmed the sales of youngsters Yankuba Minteh and Elliot Anderson to Brighton and Nottingham Forest respectively.

The Magpies needed sales by the end of their accounting year (June 30) in order to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR).

A breach of the PSR would likely have resulted in a points deduction in the 2024-25 campaign.

Numerous clubs were interested in Minteh, who thrived on loan at Feyenoord last season. A deal to Everton, which would have included Dominic Calvert-Lewin heading to St James' Park, was mooted, but Brighton have sealed the signing of the 19-year-old on a five-year contract.

Minteh, who has cost the Seagulls a reported £33million, scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 27 Eredivisie appearances for Feyenoord last season, while only five players in the Netherlands' top tier attempted more dribbles than his 123.

Anderson, meanwhile, has joined Forest, who along with Everton were hit with a points deduction last season for breaching the PSR. 

The 21-year-old came through Newcastle's academy and made 55 appearances for the Magpies in all competitions.

Anderson has penned a five-year deal at the City Ground, with Newcastle recouping a reported £35m for the midfielder, who is yet to score a Premier League goal.

Goalkeeper Odysseas Vlachodimos, meanwhile, has moved from Forest to Newcastle in a separate transaction.

Newcastle also reportedly offered star winger Anthony Gordon to Liverpool as they desperately scrambled to bring their losses back within the allowed, £105m limit over a three-year period.

On Monday, reports emerged that Manchester United had struck a deal for a compensation package with Newcastle for their former sporting director Dan Ashworth, who had been on gardening leave since expressing his desire to join the Red Devils earlier this year.

Juventus have completed the signing of Brazil international Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa.

Luiz was a pivotal feature in Unai Emery's midfield last season, as Villa qualified for the Champions League.

However, the club required sales in order to comply with the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR).

Villa have sold youngsters Tim Iroegbunam and Omari Kellyman to Everton and Chelsea respectively, with winger Lewis Dobbin signing from the Toffees and full-back Ian Maatsen joining from the Blues.

Luiz, though, was always likely to be the big sale Villa required to get over the line, and that deal, worth €50million (£42m) has now gone through.

The 26-year-old, who is on international duty with Brazil at the Copa America, has signed a five-year deal with Juve.

In return, Villa are expected to sign Juve youngsters Samuel Iling-Junior and midfielder Enzo Barrenechea in a separate deal worth up to £18.6m (€22m).

They have also been linked with a move for Luton Town's Ross Barkley, who played for the Villans in the 2020-21 season.

Over the past two league campaigns, Luiz has created the most chances (98), teed up the most shots from a set-piece (42), made the most interceptions (63) and tackles (130) of any player in Villa's squad.

Omari Kellyman has signed for Chelsea from Aston Villa in a deal reportedly worth up to £19million.

Kellyman, an England youth international, has played six times for Villa's senior side.

He joined the Villans from Derby County in 2022.

However, the lofty fee Chelsea are paying for the 18-year-old has raised questions.

Both Chelsea and Villa are reportedly in risk of breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Regulations (PSR), which could result in a points deduction.

But the sale of academy players represents pure profit for the selling club, and Kellyman's move comes a day on from Villa completing the acquisition of Ian Maatsen from Chelsea for a reported £37.5m.

Villa last week purchased Lewis Dobbin from Everton for £10m, after selling midfielder Tim Iroegbunam to the Toffees for £9m.

Chelsea, meanwhile, have also confirmed the departure of Hakim Ziyech, who has joined Galatasaray on a permanent basis after a successful spell on loan last season.

Ziyech has signed on a free transfer, with Gala able to activate that move if certain conditions were met.

The Moroccan international joined Chelsea from Ajax in 2020, penning a five-year contract, though was never able to nail down a consistent starting spot at Stamford Bridge.

He played 64 times in the Premier League, scoring six goals, setting up nine and creating 72 chances, registering an expected assists (xA) figure of 7.78.