Djed Spence says joining Tottenham fulfils his dream of becoming a Premier League player and now he cannot wait to learn from some of his star Spurs team-mates.

The wing-back joined Tottenham from Middlesbrough for a fee in the region of £20million including add-ons on Tuesday, signing a five-year contract.

Spence, 21, became the sixth arrival of the transfer window for Spurs, joining Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet.

"It's a dream come true to play in the Premier League at a big club like Tottenham Hotspur," Spence said to the Spurs website after his move was completed.

"It's amazing, I'm thankful that I'm here and that I'm going to get the opportunity to play for this club.

"Of course, everyone wants to play in the Premier League. As a kid, you watch it from when you're young, so it was a target of mine and I've finally reached it, so I'm happy.

"Obviously this is a big club with Champions League football as well, and you've got some of the best players who play here, so it's a privilege to be here and I can't wait to get going.

"[This environment] seems very good and it will help me develop as a player a lot. I can obviously learn from other people and the experience that they have.

"From a young age, to go from watching some of the players on TV to now playing with them – it's going to be great, and I'm excited to learn from them and take in anything they can offer me.

"In the Premier League you have high-intensity, good technical players – it will be hard, but I'm ready for the challenge. I'm excited to hit the ground running, hopefully play and try to impress.

"We have a great manager too – from what I've seen of him, he's a top manager and I can't wait to work under him."

Spence fell out of favour at Middlesbrough and was subsequently sent on loan to Nottingham Forest, where he made 42 Championship appearances in the 2021-22 season.

The England Under-21 international impressed as Forest earned Premier League promotion to return to the highest level for the first time in 23 years, and also shone in the FA Cup against top-flight opposition.

Spence was a threat at both ends of the pitch, scoring two goals and assisting four, and will likely suit Antonio Conte's 3-5-2 system as a right wing-back, competing with the likes of Matt Doherty and Emerson Royal for a place in the side.

"It's been a long journey in my career so far; it's been hard at times, but it’s been good as well, and I've been working hard to get to where I am now," added Spence.

"I try to bring excitement, skill and speed when I play – I just want to excite the fans and to play well. That’s the most important thing – when you excite your team and your fans and play well, it breeds confidence, and confidence is one of the biggest things in football."

Forest were reportedly interested in signing Spence on a permanent deal, but the lure of Champions League football helped secure the defender for Conte's side.

Spence will hope to play with freedom down the right side for Conte, having attempted (187) and completed (76) the most dribbles among Championship defenders last season.

Asked what he thought when he hears the words Tottenham Hotspur, Spence replied: "Attacking football, exciting football and obviously with the new manager coming in, a winning mentality."

Oliver Kahn has revealed Matthijs de Ligt was quickly won over by the prospect of joining Bayern Munich from Juventus.

The defender has agreed to switch from Serie A to the Bundesliga and confirmation of his move on a five-year contract was widely expected to come on Tuesday.

Dutch centre-back De Ligt spent three seasons with Juventus, winning the Scudetto in the first of those campaigns before the Turin giants slipped to consecutive fourth-placed finishes.

He leaves to join a Bayern side who have won 10 consecutive domestic league titles, with Kahn confident the new acquisition will fortify coach Julian Nagelsmann's defence.

Former goalkeeper Kahn, who is now Bayern's CEO, said: "If you look at the last two or three years, we've been very successful, but we've conceded one or two too many goals."

The outlay on De Ligt, reported to be €70million plus €10m in potential add-ons, is targeted at ensuring Bayern are more secure at the back.

"De Ligt is big, strong in tackles, strong in the air, he has a good build-up game. He's someone who likes to lead and is loud," Kahn said, quoted widely by German media.

Kahn, speaking on Bayern's US tour, said talking De Ligt into joining was "very easy", just "like Sadio Mane".

Kahn revealed how Senegal forward Mane had "thought for two days" before deciding to leave Liverpool for Bayern in June.

"It was the same with Matthijs de Ligt," said Kahn.

Bayern have lost Niklas Sule on a free transfer to Borussia Dortmund, and Omar Richards left for Nottingham Forest.

It remains to be seen whether Nagelsmann and Bayern elect to move on other fringe defenders after landing their prime target in De Ligt, but no such outgoing move appears imminent.

"At the moment we're not thinking in those categories," Kahn said.

Tottenham have completed the signing of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough for a fee in the region of £20million, with add-ons included.

Spence fell out of favour at Middlesbrough under Neil Warnock, and was subsequently sent on loan to Nottingham Forest, where he made 42 Championship appearances in the 2021-22 season.

​The England Under-21 international impressed as Forest earned Premier League promotion to return to the highest level for the first time in 23 years, and also shone in the FA Cup against top-flight opposition.

Spence was a threat at both ends of the pitch, scoring two goals and assisting four, while competing for the most duels (508) among defenders in the Championship.

The 21-year-old will likely suit Antonio Conte's 3-5-2 system as a right wing-back after joining the Premier League side on a five-year deal on Tuesday.

Tottenham said: "We are delighted to announce the signing of Djed Spence from Middlesbrough. The right-back has signed a contract that will run until 2027."

Forest were reportedly interested in signing Spence on a permanent deal, but the lure of Champions League football helped secure the defender for Conte's side.

Spence became the sixth arrival of the transfer window for Spurs, joining Ivan Perisic, Fraser Forster, Yves Bissouma, Richarlison and Barcelona loanee Clement Lenglet.

The former Middlesbrough wing-back will hope to play with freedom down the right side for Conte, having attempted (187) and completed (76) the most dribbles among Championship defenders last season.

Spence will aim to get his first taste of Premier League action when Tottenham host Southampton on August 6.

Inter Miami hope to be able to sign Lionel Messi and establish themselves as "the benchmark of soccer in the United States", co-owner Jorge Mas has reiterated.

The MLS outfit are owned by a group including former Manchester United, Real Madrid and England great David Beckham, so they are no strangers to big names.

But the arrival of seven-time Ballon d'Or winner Messi in the United States would likely represent a landmark transfer in the sport's history.

For now, Messi, who had spent his entire club career with Barcelona until last year, is under contract at Paris Saint-Germain for another season, while there is the option for a further 12 months, too.

However, Inter are not giving up hope of recruiting the 35-year-old before he calls time on a legendary career.

The club's chief business officer Xavier Asensi hinted at interest in Messi earlier this week, and Mas doubled down on their transfer market ambition in an interview with Sport as Barca visit Miami in pre-season.

Mas, a co-owner alongside Beckham, said: "Well, look, both David Beckham and I aspire to bring the best players in the world here to Miami.

"[It is] not only because of the project we are creating, because we want to be the benchmark of soccer in the United States, but when you talk about the best players in the world, Leo is obviously the best player on the planet.

"Hopefully the conditions will be for him being there, playing in the shirt of Inter Miami of the United States. We aspire to that. Hopefully the circumstances will arise.

"We have nothing guaranteed, there is no agreement, but I am a very optimistic man, and hopefully in the future Leo Messi can be part of our project."

West Ham are reportedly confident they will be able to land 20-year-old Lille midfielder Amadou Onana after increasing their bid for the Belgium international.

Onana, who made his senior international debut on June 3 against the Netherlands in Nations League action, enjoyed a terrific first season in Ligue 1 after leaving Hamburg in Bundesliga 2 for a £6million fee.

The defensive midfielder totalled 41 club appearances in the season, including eight games in the Champions League, but the Hammers may face some competition for his signature from within the Premier League.

TOP STORY – WEST HAM SET SIGHTS ON LILLE'S BIG BELGIAN YOUNGSTER

According to The Athletic, West Ham had a £25million bid rejected by the French club, but the Evening Standard claims that the English side are confident an increased bid of £30m plus add-ons will get the job done.

However, The Athletic's report states that there is also interest in Onana coming from Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United, which could throw a wrench in West Ham's plans.

West Ham appear to still have plenty of business to take care of, with the Evening Standard also linking them with a £30m move for 20-year-old Chelsea striker Armando Broja, as well as trying to convince Jesse Lingard to return after a successful loan stint in the latter half of the 2020-2021 season.

ROUND-UP

– According to Sport, Barcelona are trying to attach Memphis Depay to their offer for Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde after not meeting the €65m asking price, while Marca claims Chelsea have already agreed to personal terms with him and have offered Sevilla €55m.

– AS is reporting that Atletico Madrid have enquired with Cristiano Ronaldo's representatives about the superstar's interest in joining the club.

– Leeds United and West Ham are said to be competing for £34m Rennes striker Martin Terrier, according to L'Equipe.

– Calciomercato claims Paris Saint-Germain have been offering Georginio Wijnaldum to Roma and Milan in an effort to move him on from the club, despite arriving on a free transfer 12 months ago.

– Fabrizio Romano claims Manchester City have a bid ready to go for 23-year-old Brighton fullback Marc Cucurella to replace the outgoing Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Erik ten Hag has reiterated that Cristiano Ronaldo "is not for sale" and has suggested the forward may stay at Manchester United beyond the end of the coming season.

The Portugal international has been strongly linked with a move away from Old Trafford this transfer window, less than 12 months after returning to the club from Juventus.

Ronaldo scored 18 Premier League goals last season – only Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min (both 23) scored more – but United still finished down in sixth.

He is said to be eager to join a team competing in the Champions League and has yet to return to pre-season training, which United have put down to compassionate leave.

Despite the ongoing speculation surrounding Ronaldo's future, Ten Hag has again made clear he is staying put for at least another year.

"It is clear – he is not for sale," Ten Hag told reporters on United's pre-season tour of Australia. "I planned with having him and I am looking forward to working with him.

"I am well-informed he also has an option [for a further season]."

Asked if that could mean Ronaldo remaining at United for the 2023-24 campaign, Ten Hag said: "Yes. I have signed here for three years, but in football it’s short-term as well. 

"We have to win from the start. So I don't look that far ahead."

As well as missing the first week of training at Carrington, Ronaldo has played no part in United's tour games in Thailand and Australia.

Ten Hag is not sure when Ronaldo will resume training, but he has not ruled out selecting him for United's Premier League opener against Brighton and Hove Albion on August 7.

"He is training," the Dutchman said. "I think we all know Ronaldo is a top professional and he will be fit [for the start of the season], so that is the last concern I have."

Ronaldo scored 24 goals in all competitions for United in his first season back at the club, which is 14 more than next-best Bruno Fernandes. No other United player reached double figures.

Concerns have been raised over Ronaldo's ability to adapt to Ten Hag's pressing style, however, which was evident under interim boss Ralf Rangnick last season.

"I think Cristiano is capable of doing that," Ten Hag said. "In his career he has shown everything.

"I have set my demand. We want to play in a certain way. A top player can contribute and Ronaldo is an absolute top player in our squad.

"The players dictate the way you play. Especially players who score goals because they are extremely important for a team. You construct your team around them."

Matthijs de Ligt is on the verge of completing a move from Juventus to Bayern Munich, the defender's agent Rafaela Pimenta has confirmed.

Reports of a fee being agreed between the two clubs, said to be in the region of €70million potentially rising to €80m, first emerged on Sunday.

De Ligt was pictured heading to an airport in Turin on Monday for a flight expected to take him to Bavaria to finalise personal terms with the Bundesliga champions.

The 22-year-old centre-back's agent was also present and stated to reporters that she does not anticipate any glitches to prevent the transfer from going through.

"Everything is perfect," Pimenta said. "He is going to Bayern and is happy. We have to thank Juventus, who have been very good with Matthijs."

The Netherlands international played 2,675 minutes for Juventus last season – the most of any outfield player – and provides a timely boost for Bayern after they lost Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona.

De Ligt, the first 17-year-old to represent Oranje since 1931 when making his debut five years ago, had spent three seasons at Juve.

He started his career with Ajax and was part of the 2018-19 team that reached the Champions League semi-finals, two years after finishing as runners-up in the Europa League.

De Ligt will become Bayern's fourth arrival of the transfer window, having already brought in Noussair Mazraoui, Ryan Gravenberch and Sadio Mane.

Roma lifted their first trophy since the 2007-08 campaign in their first full season under Jose Mourinho, but that came as no surprise to Giallorossi centre-back Chris Smalling.

Smalling left Manchester United in 2020 for Rome, where he linked up with former Red Devils manager Mourinho after the Portuguese coach was appointed last year.

Mourinho headed back to Italy following his sacking by Tottenham after just 17 months in charge of the Premier League side, and guided Roma to sixth in Serie A in 2021-22.

Though his team failed to keep pace with Italy's top four, Mourinho managed to deliver European success in the inaugural Europa Conference League, beating Feyenoord 1-0 in the final.

That made the 59-year-old just the second manager to win five major European titles after Giovanni Trapattoni, and the first coach to lift such trophies with four different teams.

Mourinho went as far as marking the achievement with a tattoo on his right arm picturing his European honours, and Smalling says success was bound to happen after his Roma appointment.

"The coach is always the same, he is a leader with such a strong character that he has forged over the years with successes," Smalling told Il Corriere dello Sport.

"A great coach like Mourinho who enjoys enormous esteem all over the world is the perfect profile for Roma, it is no coincidence that he won immediately, in the first season."

The lure of Mourinho has reportedly secured the services of free agent Paulo Dybala, whose contract expired at Juventus at the end of last season.

With Mile Svilar, Nemanja Matic and Zeki Celik already signed this transfer window, Smalling believes Roma will continue improving to compete with the likes of Inter, Juve, Napoli and Milan.

"I like this team, it is normal for expectations to rise and the bar to move upwards," added Smalling, who made 27 Serie A appearances last season. 

"We found good continuity at the end of last season, which we lacked before when we had left points on the road. The backbone of the team is good, the group is united, we know the coach, who has been working with us for a year.

"All the teams can improve, whoever arrives would be an important addition. I think this should be the minimum goal for Roma.

"This club has been out of major European competition for too long. We must be in the top four to participate in the Champions League and then try to win another trophy."

Smalling's contract is set to expire next June but the 32-year-old insists his focus remains solely on Roma.

"The priority for me is to play and help the team and then things will come," he continued. "I think I can still be useful. You can't escape your age, but you have the years you feel. 

"I have always tried not to have regrets, I play every game as if it were the last, I always go out on the pitch to give everything, to leave no stone unturned. 

"I have not changed today that I am 32, I have always faced one game at a time."

Sergio Aguero has provided a glowing endorsement for Argentina compatriot Julian Alvarez after his move to Manchester City.

That is the message from former City and England defender Joleon Lescott, who expects Alvarez to become a key figure for Pep Guardiola's side in the Premier League in the coming years.

Alvarez signed a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Premier League champions from River Plate in a deal worth a reported £14million ($18.8m) back in January, before being loaned back to his former side.

The 22-year-old initially caught City's eye after 20 goals and 12 assists in 35 games in the Argentine Primera Division last year, with those 32 direct goal involvements at least six more than any other player in 2021.

He added another 11 goals in 15 league appearances in 2022 and, while it remains unclear whether Alvarez will be loaned out again, Lescott revealed the forward has the backing of City great Aguero.

"He's definitely got the quality [to perform in the Premier League]," Lescott told City's official website.

"I've seen little bits, but I've also spoken to Sergio about him briefly and he said he was a top talent. He was excited for him, which was good, so that'll be a high expectation.

"Sergio said he will score goals. He can also excite fans, Sergio said possibly more than him, not in terms of scoring but in terms of the way he plays.

"He wants to dribble a little bit more than what Sergio did, who was more 'let me score', which was great for us but a different mindset.

"But with the likes of [Gabriel] Jesus leaving, you're not going to do that if you're not replacing him with an exceptional talent as well. I'm excited for him and hopefully he gets opportunities to score."

Alvarez will provide able competition to fellow arrival Erling Haaland should the Argentine stay at the Etihad Stadium for the season.

Haaland scored 86 goals in 89 appearances during his two-and-a-half-year spell at Borussia Dortmund, a tally bettered by only Robert Lewandowski (123 in 108 games) and Kylian Mbappe (93 in 111 games) of players from Europe's top five leagues during that period.

Yet with competition aplenty within Guardiola's squad, Lescott encouraged Alvarez to seize his pre-season opportunities as opposed to settling for a back-up role behind Haaland.

"I'm sure Julian has come in and wants to play and not just come to watch Erling Haaland score goals and perform," he added.

"There's an opportunity for him to play and I'm sure he's going to back himself to do that and do well. The age of the squad is good, it helps keep everyone competitive.

"The younger lads from the City academy as well will respect what it is. They'll understand that yes, they need to perform, yes they need to train well and get themselves ready for whatever season they have."

Lucas Moura insists he is committed to Tottenham amid uncertainty over his future, as he expressed his desire to end a trophyless spell in north London next season.

The Brazil international revealed last month that the 2022-23 campaign could be his last with Spurs, though the forward's agent was quick to suggest his client remains an important part of Antonio Conte's plans.

Moura may have to settle for a rotational role, or play at wing-back as Conte previously hinted, due to the arrival of Richarlison in the off-season, with the former Everton man joining Harry Kane, Dejan Kulusevski and Son Heung-min in Spurs' attack.

With just a year left on his contract, on which Tottenham hold an option for a further 12 months, Moura said his planned return to Brazil can wait until he has experienced success under Conte.

"I will turn 30 in August. I'm getting old already, but I feel very good mentally and physically," he told football.london. "I'm very, very happy at Tottenham. I love the club. I love the fans.

"I love everyone who works in the club, but of course I have a plan to go back to Brazil one day. I have at least one year in my contract, maybe two.

"I don't know if the club will want me to sign another contract but I'm happy here. I just want to have the best season this season. 

"I just want to win a trophy because this has been my objective here since the first day I arrived in the club, and I believe this season I can achieve this, and then we'll see next season what is the desire of the club."

The former Paris Saint-Germain attacker appeared 34 times across the 2021-22 Premier League campaign, scoring two goals and assisting six, while creating 34 chances.

That represented Moura's worst goal return when playing a full season in the English top flight, but he hopes to prove his worth in a bid to feature at the Qatar World Cup for Brazil in November.

"I have other targets, which are to go back to the national team," he added. "Why not play in the World Cup at the end of the year? It's very difficult but anything is possible.

"I have this hope and I will work for this. These are the two most important targets for now."

Moura's compatriot Richarlison is another who will aim to feature in Qatar for Brazil following his big-money move from Everton.

The 25-year-old scored (10) and assisted (five) more Premier League goals than any other Everton player last term, and Moura believes Conte's new signing could be a great asset.

"I met him two years ago on the national team. Quality player, very good guy, he will help us a lot because he has some experience in the Premier League," he continued.

"He is strong. His mentality is very good. He's a great addition for us. He's a very simple guy, very humble, very funny. It's always good to have a guy like this in the squad and I'm happy because he's Brazilian, so I have one more Brazilian with me now!

"He's always ready to play because we see he loves to play football. It's good to have a player like this. 

"This season we can see another Tottenham and I hope we achieve our targets because we have a quality squad and a great manager. We have the quality to win trophies and this is our objective.

"We know how difficult it is because we play in the Premier League and there are a lot of teams that can win. Also, the Champions League we know is not easy, but we have a great squad.

"We have stars like Harry and Sonny. We have a manager who is one of the best. We have a structure, an amazing training ground, an unbelievable stadium, great fans.

"We have everything we need to achieve. Now it depends on us. We need to work hard and show on the pitch we deserve to win."

Nani has implored Manchester United to do all they can to ensure Cristiano Ronaldo stays at the club amid speculation linking him with a move away.

Ronaldo has reportedly asked to leave Old Trafford in this transfer window, with Chelsea rumoured to be among the early frontrunners for his signature before the Blues signed fellow forward Raheem Sterling.

Chelsea's new owner Todd Boehly was said to have held talks with the Portugal captain before the American and coach Thomas Tuchel opted to resist the temptation to launch a bid.

Bayern Munich, who have lost talisman Robert Lewandowski to Barcelona, were another side linked with Ronaldo, but Julian Nagelsmann and chief executive Oliver Kahn were quick to rule out a move.

Erik ten Hag has repeatedly insisted Ronaldo is not available for transfer, though, with the new United coach making it clear he wishes to keep the 37-year-old at the club.

While United failed to secure Champions League qualification last season, reportedly a decisive factor in Ronaldo's dissatisfaction, former Red Devils winger Nani has urged his compatriot to stay with Ten Hag's side.

"I hope [he stays]," said Nani, who recently signed for Melbourne Victory and played a late cameo in their 4-1 friendly defeat to United on Friday.

"He's an important player and a player who always makes a difference. I hope he's in a good mood to help the club so hopefully [he'll stay]."

Nani also revealed he had tried to contact Ronaldo to discuss his future, but the five-time Ballon d'Or winner is busy on holiday.

"When he's on vacation he doesn't answer the phone to anybody," added Nani, who won four Premier League titles and one Champions League at United. "I tried to talk to him, but he said: 'I'm so busy now, we'll talk soon.'"

United will hope to have Ronaldo available to call upon when they begin their Premier League campaign at home to Brighton and Hove Albion on August 7.

Robert Lewandowski declared it was time for Barcelona to "get back on track" after securing his long-awaited move to Camp Nou, as the Poland international revealed he had always dreamed of playing in LaLiga.

Barcelona confirmed on Saturday they had reached an agreement in principle to sign Lewandowski from Bayern Munich, before completing a deal reportedly worth €50million for the 33-year-old on Sunday.

Lewandowski scored 50 goals across all competitions as Bayern won a 10th consecutive Bundesliga title last term, but made his desire to join the Catalan giants clear at the end of the season.

The 33-year-old leaves Bayern having scored 312 Bundesliga goals, a tally only bettered by legendary striker Gerd Muller (365), and will provide a new focal point for a Barcelona team which scored 12 goals fewer than LaLiga champions Real Madrid last season. 

Having joined his new Blaugrana team-mates in Florida ahead of a friendly against Inter Miami, Lewandowski has targeted restoring Barcelona to the top of the Spanish game, with the league title having evaded the club since 2018-19.

"Finally I'm here, I'm very happy," Lewandowski told the club's media channels. "The last few days were very long days but in the end, the deal is done, so I can focus on a new chapter in my life, a new challenge.

"I am always the guy who wants to win, not only the games but the titles, so I hope from the beginning of the season we're going to start by winning, and go to [win] titles at the end of the season.

"I always wanted to play in LaLiga, I wanted to play for the big clubs.

"Now it's my next step, this opportunity that I had. Also for my private life, it's a new challenge, a new life.

"It's time to get [Barcelona] back on track and that's why I'm here, to help Barcelona be on top and win as many titles as possible.

"For me, the goals are always high. We have so many good players with amazing quality, and we know that with this team we can achieve a lot this season, I'm sure it's going to be like that."

Lewandowski joins the likes of Franck Kessie, Andreas Christensen and Raphinha in signing for Barcelona in this transfer window as Xavi looks to reshape his squad after finishing a distant second to Madrid in LaLiga last season.

And the striker believes Xavi is the ideal man to revive Barca after a difficult few seasons, as he revealed he had been in contact with the former midfielder throughout his transfer saga.

"I was speaking with Xavi, from the beginning I knew that his idea was going in a good way, with this idea it was easy for me to decide to come to Barcelona," he added.

"I know I'm the guy who wants to play, to win, and I think with Xavi it's very possible. 

"He knows exactly how to coach Barcelona because he was amazing player, now he's also a very good coach with an amazing future and I want to be part of this as well."

Roma's project under Jose Mourinho may have approached a fork in the road, despite winning the Europa Conference League last season.

Confirming the departures of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Pau Lopez, while bringing in Zeki Celik and Nemanja Matic, the squad is slowly starting to look more like Mourinho's.

They still need a creative talent to tie it all together, though, and it appears they might land one of the biggest free agents on the market.

TOP STORY – ROMA MAKE MOVE FOR DYBALA

Paulo Dybala could make a shock move to Roma, reportedly accepting their offer for him to join the club on a free transfer, according to Gianluca di Marzio.

After Inter backed out of the race to secure his signature following the expiry of his contract at Juventus, Napoli and Roma emerged as potential destinations for the 28-year-old.

The Argentina international has reportedly accepted Roma's offer, a three-year deal worth a gross salary of €6million a season plus bonuses.

ROUND-UP

– Frenkie de Jong is opposed to joining Manchester United and has imposed on Barcelona his preference for Bayern Munich, Sport is reporting.

– The same publication is also reporting Tottenham are prepared to pay £14.4m (€17m) for Memphis Depay but the 28-year-old is also reluctant to leave Barcelona.

– Meanwhile, Barca have turned their attention to signing Sevilla defender Jules Kounde, per Marca.

– Chelsea striker Armando Broja will join West Ham on a season-long loan, according to the Daily Mail.

Barcelona made it official on Sunday night by confirming the arrival of last year's Ballon d'Or runner-up Robert Lewandowski from Bayern Munich.

Lewandowski, who turns 34 next month, netted 50 goals in all club competition this past season, making it seven consecutive seasons with at least 40 goals.

He has also scored a combined 33 goals across his past three Champions League campaigns – seven more than his closest challenger, Real Madrid's Karim Benzema with 26.

With Bayern facing the prospect of keeping an unhappy player and then losing the Poland captain on a free transfer next year, they instead elected to cash in and grant Lewandowski's wish to join Barca.

The Catalan club have been hampered by financial difficulties but managed to put together a bid reportedly worth €50million which has been enough to convince Bayern to part company with their superstar forward.

Barcelona announced on Saturday an agreement in principle had been reached for Lewandowski, with completion of the deal contingent on him passing a medical and contracts being signed.  

Matthijs de Ligt is poised to complete a move to Bayern Munich after Juventus reportedly accepted an offer worth around €80million for the Netherlands defender.

With Robert Lewandowski set to be officially presented as a Barcelona player on Monday, Bundesliga champions Bayern are poised to announce the significant arrival of De Ligt.

Widespread reports in Germany on Sunday evening said final details of the transfer had been fully agreed between the clubs, with Kicker saying the 22-year-old will sign a five-year contract.

Negotiations have been handled by Bayern sporting director Hasan Salihamidzic, who as a defender had playing spells with the Bavarian giants and Juventus.

Sport1 said Bayern would pay an initial €70million, with a further €10million in add-ons helping to sweeten the deal.

The news of progress follows Bayern CEO Oliver Kahn saying on Saturday that De Ligt "wants to join".

Kahn told Blickpunkt Sport: "We had talks and the player wants to come to FC Bayern. We'll have more discussions and then see how it goes."

De Ligt played 2,675 minutes as Juventus finished fourth in Serie A last season - more than any of his outfield team-mates.

Although Bayern are now resigned to losing Lewandowski, who scored 50 goals last season, they are rebuilding as Julian Nagelsmann freshens up his squad.

Sadio Mane arrived from Liverpool in an eye-catching deal, with Ryan Gravenberch and Noussair Mazraoui joining from Eredivisie champions Ajax, the club at which De Ligt began his career.

Centre-back De Ligt will strengthen an area where Bayern have required reinforcement to improve competition for places, arguably even before Niklas Sule left on a free transfer to Borussia Dortmund.