Crystal Palace's £50m Bid for Jarrod Bowen as Premier League Stars Attract Attention
The new week opens with Crystal Palace ready to test the market’s nerve. They are preparing a bold £50m move to bring Jarrod Bowen back to the Premier League, according to The Sun, in what would be one of the window’s most eye-catching bids.
Bowen, a proven top-flight attacker, has long been viewed as a guaranteed source of goals and energy. Palace’s hierarchy now appear ready to stake serious money on him becoming the centrepiece of their next phase.
Al Hilal target Martinelli and Watkins
While Palace push hard in England, the money from Saudi Arabia refuses to quieten.
Al Hilal are working on a double raid on the Premier League, with Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins in their sights, report the Daily Mail. Two frontline players, two clubs who can ill afford to lose them, and one of the few markets that can still outbid almost anyone.
Watkins’ situation already looks tense. Unai Emery did nothing to play down claims that the England forward refused to play in Villa’s bruising 4-0 defeat to Brighton at the Amex on Sunday, writes The Guardian. It was a sobering afternoon for Villa, and the cloud over their main striker only deepens the intrigue around his future.
Balde omission fuels Manchester United talk
In Spain, a selection call has not gone unnoticed in Manchester.
Alejandro Balde, on Manchester United’s radar, was left out of Barcelona’s squad for their LaLiga opener against Elche, according to the Daily Mirror. No appearance, no minutes, just more noise around a player heavily linked with Old Trafford.
Keegan honoured at Anfield
Amid the transfer churn, there was a moment of reflection in the stands.
Liverpool and Newcastle supporters came together to pay tribute to Kevin Keegan before their meeting on the opening Premier League weekend, report the Daily Star. A shared icon, applauded by both ends, on a day that briefly paused the modern frenzy to salute a figure from another era.
EFL: Osmajic set for Serie A switch
One of English football’s more controversial figures is heading for a fresh start abroad.
Preston North End forward Milutin Osmajic, who has picked up multiple bans during his time in England, is set to leave the country after agreeing a move to Genoa, say the Daily Mail. A combustible spell in the EFL appears to be closing with a jump to Serie A and a very different stage.
Europe: Pogba cuts price, Simeone explains Alvarez call, Kane honoured
Off the pitch, Paul Pogba is making a decisive move of his own.
The former Manchester United midfielder has slashed the price of his five-bedroom Cheshire mansion as he edges away from AS Monaco. The Daily Mail report he has knocked £450,000 off the original £3.95m asking price after struggling to find a buyer. A sharp discount, and another sign of a chapter being shut.
On the touchline, Diego Simeone has been forced to clarify a small but telling moment.
Arsenal target Julian Alvarez did not join his Atletico Madrid team-mates in applauding supporters after the final whistle on Sunday. Simeone insists that was planned, according to the Daily Mirror, a pre-agreed decision rather than a flashpoint. With Arsenal watching closely, every gesture is being scrutinised.
In Germany, Harry Kane’s dominance continues to be recognised.
The Bayern Munich striker has been voted the 2026 player of the year in Germany by an association of sports journalists, reports The Guardian, finishing ahead of team-mate Michael Olise. Another individual accolade, another marker of how thoroughly he has embedded himself at the heart of German football.
Scotland: Rangers’ missed man on the move, Celtic eye midfield reinforcements
North of the border, the aftershocks of the summer window are still being felt.
Couhaib Driouech now looks set to leave PSV after all, just nine days after his proposed move to Rangers collapsed, say the Scottish Sun. The deal that slipped through Ibrox’s fingers may yet take him elsewhere, and quickly.
Former Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn has been placed on the transfer list after being left out of Como’s squad entirely, also according to the Scottish Sun. A short spell in Italy is suddenly at a crossroads.
Celtic, meanwhile, are already planning their next move. They are expected to step up their interest in Gvidas Gineitis after Tuesday’s Champions League play-off, report the Scottish Sun. Domestic dominance is one thing; building a midfield to handle Europe is quite another.
The window still has time to run. The question now is who blinks first: the clubs clinging to their stars, or the ones ready to throw down the next huge offer.
