Manchester City have completed the signing of Enzo Fernandez from Chelsea on a five-year contract, while Gabriel Jesus has joined FC Barcelona until June 2029 in the headline moves from the 2026/27 summer transfer window.
The Fernandez transfer makes him Manchester City’s new record signing and the joint-highest transfer in British football history. However, when previous fees are adjusted for inflation, the Argentina midfielder would not rank among the top 25 Premier League signings.
Chelsea could have stopped the move from going through but decided to honour the agreement, according to Matt Law. Fernandez later paid tribute to his former club on social media, writing: “You will always be in my heart, Blues”.
Jesus has moved from Arsenal to FC Barcelona after the two clubs reached an agreement. The Brazilian striker has signed for three seasons, with the deal running until June 2029.
The forward was willing to accept a reduction in wages to complete the transfer. Speaking at his presentation press conference, Jesus discussed his move to the blaugranes, his injury record over the past two years and his ability to play in several attacking positions.
He also said the Champions League remained a major ambition, adding: “Champions League is my dream, and I hope to go far with Barca to win the title”.
The summer transfer window for the 2026/27 season has now closed, bringing deadline-day activity to an end. Clubs have completed their final business, with a number of other deals also confirmed or being explored.
Manchester City announced the signing of Iliman Ndiaye on a five-year contract. The new arrival said: “I want to get fans off their seat and help City win games”, underlining his desire to entertain supporters while contributing to victories.
There was also late interest in another City player, with Ben Jacobs reporting that Manchester United made a surprise deadline-day enquiry for left-back Rayan Ait-Nouri.
Chelsea agreed a deal to sign Italian international Honest Ahanor from Serie A side Atalanta. The defender will officially join the London club in 2027.
Chelsea were also close to reaching an agreement with Roma for France midfielder Manu Kone, according to Sky in Italy. A move in the opposite direction was being explored for Gittens on loan.
Aston Villa announced the signing of Ibrahim Mbaye from PSG. The club have also brought in goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, who revealed why he previously turned down an opportunity to develop at Manchester United. Suzuki has big boots to fill after replacing Emiliano Martinez.
One proposed deal has collapsed, with AS Monaco cancelling the agreement for Lamine Camara to join Chelsea despite a written arrangement between the clubs. Monaco are instead prioritising the sale of Balogun to Everton.
Fabrizio Romano reported that Crystal Palace attempted to hijack Fofana’s move to Sunderland, even after the player had completed his medical. Palace offered better terms than Sunderland’s proposed €30m fee plus €5m in add-ons.
Romano also reported that Manchester City have agreed to send Claudio Echeverri to Benfica on loan, with the Portuguese club covering 100% of his salary and holding a buy-option clause.
Marc Casado’s move to Depor on loan, including a €30m buy option, was also described by Romano as a completed deal.
Elsewhere, Antonio Rudiger announced his retirement from the Germany national team.
Arsenal failed to sign Julian Alvarez, who joins Morgan Rogers and Vinicius Junior among the high-profile attackers not moving to the Premier League this summer. Mikel Arteta’s side have therefore missed out on the star forward they wanted, raising questions over whether the Premier League champions have enough elite attacking options.
David Beckham sent a message to Lionel Messi after the Argentina great’s international retirement, telling him: “Your legacy will live forever”.
The fixture of the day is in the DFB Pokal, with VfL Osnabruck hosting Bayern Munich on 2 September 2026 at 18:45 UTC.
