Jean-Philippe Mateta could be heading to Aston Villa as the summer transfer window enters its final days. Aston Villa have made Crystal Palace an offer for the France striker, though it remains well short of what the London club would accept.
Watkins exit could fund Mateta move
A departure that could finance Mateta's arrival is that of Ollie Watkins, a move that has surprised Villa. The England international has been widely reported to attract interest from Saudi club Al-Hilal, with his transfer expected to be worth around £59.8m. Villa are close to agreeing the deal, and Watkins would earn an annual salary of £12m.
Forest set to break record for Delap
Nottingham Forest are also busy, with Liam Delap expected to break the club's transfer fee record. Oliver Glasner is bringing in the striker for an anticipated £50m, despite a difficult 2025-26 season in which the 23-year-old scored just one Premier League goal. Injury problems with his shoulder and hamstring did not help, but the lack of return meant Chelsea were open to selling, and Forest have taken the bait. If Delap goes for £50m, Chelsea will make a £20m profit after buying him from Ipswich for £30m in 2025.
Forest are also interested in Corinthians and Brazil midfielder André before Monday's deadline.
Last-minute deals across the league
Other late moves are taking shape. Manchester United are interested in Stuttgart defender Finn Jeltsch, Newcastle have submitted a bid for Lille winger Matias Fernandez-Pardo, and Brentford are close to a deal for West Ham defender El Hadji Malick Diouf. Newly promoted Hull have agreed to sign Ilyas Ansah from Union Berlin for £20m, and Tottenham are pushing to sign Omar Marmoush from Manchester City.
If Spurs complete the move for the Egypt forward, their summer spending would approach £400m. Fans were left lost for words at Tottenham's 3-0 loss to Brentford last weekend.
City set to bid for Fernández
Manchester City will submit a bid for Enzo Fernández before deadline day. The Argentina midfielder was met with boos when Chelsea played Fulham in their opening fixture, and a move could see him leave London. City's bid could become the biggest transfer of the summer, with Chelsea reportedly wanting £120m for the 25-year-old.
Fernández may travel up the M1 and M6, but the boos are likely to follow him after he scored and showboated in England's defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final.
