Everton's €43m Bid for Abde Ezzalzouli Rejected by Betis
Everton tried to muscle in late on Real Betis winger Abde Ezzalzouli this summer – and were sent away empty-handed. According to reports in Spain, Betis received a €43m proposal from the Premier League side, structured as €35m guaranteed with the rest in bonuses.
Betis didn’t blink. They pointed straight to the €60m release clause and refused to negotiate down, shutting the door on Everton’s move before it could gather real momentum.
For a club wrestling with financial realities, it was a statement that Abde is not a bargain to be picked off in the final days of a window. Any buyer will have to pay full price.
United’s 2028 Title Blueprint: Defence Next on the List
At Manchester United, the rebuild is being drawn with a ruler, not a crayon. The club’s new football leadership under Sir Jim Ratcliffe has mapped out a three-year plan aimed squarely at turning United back into Premier League champions by 2028.
The structure is clear:
- Attack strengthened in 2025.
- Midfield addressed this summer.
- Defence to be the priority in the next summer window.
According to the Daily Telegraph, United intend to concentrate heavily on their backline in 12 months’ time, the final major piece in a phased overhaul of the squad. It’s long-term thinking in a league that rarely waits – but United are betting that a methodical rebuild can carry them back to the top.
Martinelli Set for Arsenal Record Sale in €70m Al Hilal Switch
Gabriel Martinelli is on the brink of closing one chapter in north London and opening another in Riyadh. The Brazilian forward has completed his medical ahead of a €70m move from Arsenal to Al Hilal after arriving in Saudi Arabia earlier this week.
Once the deal is officially confirmed, Martinelli will become Arsenal’s most expensive outgoing transfer. The fee, understood to translate to around £60m, will smash the club’s previous record sale – the £35m Liverpool paid for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain back in 2017.
For Arsenal, it is a landmark deal. For Martinelli, it is a dramatic change of stage, from the Premier League spotlight to the rapidly expanding Saudi Pro League.
Enzo Fernandez Aims a Dig at Chelsea as He Lands at City
Enzo Fernandez did not just change clubs on deadline day. He changed tone. After sealing a British record-equalling £125m move from Chelsea to Manchester City, the Argentina midfielder made it clear where he believes he truly belongs.
“I’m really happy to be here. I always dreamed of being at a club as big as City,” he said, a line that will sting at Stamford Bridge.
He described the move as “a very emotional moment” for him and his family, a step he had long imagined taking at 25. Already, in his first hours at the club, he talked up City’s scale and his ambition to “enjoy ourselves and win lots of things together.”
Chelsea lose a marquee signing. City gain a midfielder who sounds utterly convinced he has arrived at his footballing home.
Chido Obi Heads to Willem II in Search of Minutes
For Chido Obi, the next phase of his Manchester United story will run through the Eredivisie. The young striker is set to join Willem II on loan, subject to registration, as he looks for consistent senior football.
The Denmark Under-21 international made eight first-team appearances for United under Ruben Amorim in the 2024-25 campaign but did not feature at all last season, making the bench just once.
Instead, he led the line for United’s Under-21s, driving them to the FA Youth Cup final. Across 37 games in all competitions at youth level, Obi scored 20 goals – numbers that demanded a platform higher than academy football.
Now he heads to the Netherlands with a simple brief: turn potential into production in a top-flight league.
