Transfer news live: Rashford nears Barcelona switch, Liverpool’s Ekitike offer, Arsenal latest

Also perhaps on the move of the Manchester United exiles is Jadon Sancho – reports in Italy suggest that a deal is near between the Old Trafford club and Juventus, with a figure of just north of £20m mentioned.

Marcus Rashford is close to another loan move away from Manchester United.

Barcelona look set to pay the whole of the England international’s considerable salary to take him to La Liga for the entire campaign.

Will this be another productive fresh start for Rashford?

Roma and Brighton have come to an agreement over a move for striker Evan Ferguson.

The two clubs have agreed the basic terms of a loan move for Ferguson who will land in Italy tonight to sign for the Serie A side.

Wrexham have signed New Zealand international defender Liberato Cacace from Empoli, understood to be for a club-record £2.1million.

The 24-year-old has signed a three-year deal with the Sky Bet Championship side as they prepare for their first season in the second tier since 1982.

He made 76 Serie A appearances after moving from Belgian side Sint-Truiden in 2022, though he was unable to prevent the team from being relegated last season.

A 33-cap international, he captained the All Whites to victory in the 2024 OCF Nations Cup.

He told the club’s official website: “I’m absolutely delighted to sign for this historic club, and I just can’t wait to get started.

“Looking from the outside, what they are creating here is something I want to be part of. The family they have here. It’s a tight-knit club and that enticed me. I had a great phone call with the manager, and after that I really wanted to sign.”

Liverpool have announced the signing of goalkeeper Rafaela Borggrafe on a free transfer from Freiburg.

Borggrafe told the Women’s Super League club’s official website: “This means a lot.

“This is a big club with a big history and I want to be part of that – we never walk alone. I want to have fun playing football and [I] am so happy to now be a part of the Liverpool family.

“I spent 12 years with Freiburg but I think this is the best step for me, to come to Liverpool.”

They later added the permanent signing of Scotland midfielder Sam Kerr, who spent the second half of last season on loan from Bayern Munich.

Nottingham Forest midfielder Danilo has signed for Botafogo.

Danilo, who joined Forest in January 2023, leaves the City Ground after making 62 appearances to return to his native Brazil.

The energetic midfielder missed most of last season with an ankle fracture suffered on the opening day of the campaign.

Manchester City have sold midfielder Maximo Perrone to Como in a deal that could make them up to €15m (£13m) as Pep Guardiola continues to trim his squad.

City also have a buyback clause for the 22-year-old midfielder and a 30 percent sell-on clause for when he leaves the Italian club.

The Argentinian, who was bought from Velez Sarsfield in January 2023, only made two senior appearances for City, both as a substitute, amounting to 25 minutes on the pitch.

Manchester United face a crucial summer as Ruben Amorim finally gets the chance to shape his squad and transform his failing team into contenders at the top end of the table.

Now Amorim has a full preseason to prepare his side and a summer transfer window to mould his squad before a season without European football, and he must take full advantage.

The release of the Premier League fixtures shows a difficult start for United, with an opening game agasint Arsenal and fixtures against Manchester City and Chelsea within their first five matches of 2025/26, and the manager’s future could be called into question early should his side struggle.

Newcastle manager Eddie Howe excused Alexander Isak from travelling to their friendly with Celtic to shield him from transfer speculation but is confident the striker will remain at St James’s Park.

Isak went home as the rest of the squad returned from an Austrian training camp on Friday but he was never earmarked to play in Glasgow.

Howe is desperate to keep the forward, who netted 27 goals last season.

Asked to explain the absence of Isak and Joelinton after the 4-0 defeat, Howe said: “Both players are fit but we just felt they weren’t ready to play.

West Ham have signed Kyle Walker-Peters on a three-year deal after his departure from Southampton.

The 28-year-old, a Tottenham Hotspur academy graduate, made more than 200 appearances for the Saints.

“I’m really excited,” he said. “It feels like it has been a long-time coming – I’ve been linked with a move to the Club in the past – and I’m just happy to be here now.

“I spoke to Graham Potter and he was a big, big part of me making the decision. I’ve always liked his style as a coach, and I think it will suit me well.

“He spoke about the family feel at the Club, and that’s what I’m all about. I’d like to think I’m going to be a good fit for West Ham United.”