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Isak completes blockbuster Liverpool move as English clubs spend a record $4B in transfer window

Isak completes blockbuster Liverpool move as English clubs spend a record $4B in transfer window
n this photo taken on May 4, 2025, Alexander Isak reacts during a match between Newcastle United and Brighton at The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain. (Reuters)
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Updated 02 September 2025

Isak completes blockbuster Liverpool move as English clubs spend a record $4B in transfer window

Isak completes blockbuster Liverpool move as English clubs spend a record $4B in transfer window
  • The Swedish forward is reportedly set to join the Reds in a deal worth about £130 million ($176 million)
  • The fee will set a new Premier League transfer record, exceeding the £106 million that Chelsea paid Benfica for Enzo Fernandez in 2023

Liverpool saved the biggest transfer until last in its remarkable $570 million summer spree, finally signing Alexander Isak from Newcastle for a British-record fee as the window closed on Monday with spending by Premier League clubs soaring beyond $4 billion.
The biggest saga of Europe’s summer transfer window ended with Isak completing his dream move to the English champion for £125 million ($170 million), with the deal announced in the final throes of a chaotic deadline day.
“I feel amazing. It’s been a long journey to get here,” said Isak, who effectively went on strike at Saudi-controlled Newcastle over the summer as he agitated for a move to Anfield.
On the back of winning the Premier League for a record-tying 20th time, Liverpool has aggressively overhauled its squad and blown its rivals out of the water, spending more than any other team in Europe. Germany playmaker Florian Wirtz and young French striker Hugo Ekitike have also joined in deals worth more than $100 million.
One transfer Liverpool failed to get over the line, however, was for England defender Marc Guehi, who will stay at Crystal Palace for the final year of his contract because the London team couldn’t secure a replacement.
England flexes financial muscles
English soccer has unrivalled spending power owing to its huge domestic and international broadcasting deals and its top-flight clubs have demonstrated their financial might this summer. They’ve smashed the previous single-window record spend of £2.36 billion (now $3.2 billion) in 2023 by splashing out around £3 billion ($4.15 billion) over the past few months.
The 20 Premier League teams spent more than those in the top leagues in Spain ($800 million), Italy ($1.4 billion), France ($750 million) and Germany ($1 billion) combined, according to expenditure figures on the Transfermarkt website.
Arsenal was second to Liverpool with its summer outlay of more than $300 million on players such as Eberechi Eze, Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi. The club’s eighth and likely final signing of the window was a loan deal for Ecuador defender Piero Hincapie from beleaguered Bayer Leverkusen on Monday.
Flush with cash from the Isak transfer, Newcastle signed Yoane Wissa from Brentford for a reported £55 million ($75 million) as a second striker addition along with Nick Woltemade, who joined for a club-record fee on Saturday.
Other highlights on Monday included Tottenham signing France striker Randal Kolo Muani on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, while Aston Villa was very active in signing midfielder Harvey Elliot on loan from Liverpool, winger Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United and former United center back Victor Lindelof on a free transfer.
United continued trimming its squad by offloading Antony to Real Betis on a permanent deal and Rasmus Hojlund to Napoli on loan, while signing Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens from Royal Antwerp in a bid to fix its issues in that department.
Yet to be resolved was Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma’s reported move to Manchester City from Paris Saint-Germain as a replacement for Ederson, who has been the No. 1 for Pep Guardiola’s team since 2017.
Most Premier League clubs were in the market for players on deadline day in what has been one of the most chaotic transfer windows in history.
Jackson to Bayern
In Germany, Bayern Munich succeeded in signing Senegal forward Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea after an on-off transfer saga.
Jackson arrived in what both clubs described as a season-long loan, giving Bayern backup for Harry Kane and a wider range of tactical options in attack.
Earlier in the window, Bayern signed winger Luis Díaz from Liverpool and defender Jonathan Tah arrived on a free transfer from Bayer Leverkusen, the 2023-24 Bundesliga champion where a summer of upheaval saw the exits of other star players including Wirtz and Granit Xhaka as well as — on Monday — the firing of coach Erik ten Hag.
Marseille signs Pavard
Marseille pulled off the biggest move of deadline day in France by signing 2018 World Cup winner Benjamin Pavard.
The defender joined on a loan from Inter Milan. According to L’Equipe newspaper, the deal includes a purchase option set at 15 million euros.
In its search for defensive reinforcements, Marseille also signed Italy left back Emerson Palmieri from West Ham.


PSG score seven and Barcelona hit six on a goal-filled night in the Champions League

PSG score seven and Barcelona hit six on a goal-filled night in the Champions League
Updated 22 October 2025

PSG score seven and Barcelona hit six on a goal-filled night in the Champions League

PSG score seven and Barcelona hit six on a goal-filled night in the Champions League
  • In all, there were 43 goals in nine games, with six teams scoring four or more
  • PSV Eindhoven routed Italian champion Napoli 6-2, while Arsenal and Inter Milan also had big wins to maintain their perfect starts in Europe
  • Haaland’s goal helped Manchester City to a 2-0 win at Villarreal

MANCHESTER, England: Paris Saint-Germain scored seven, Barcelona hit six and Erling Haaland struck his 24th goal of the season on an action-packed night in the Champions League on Tuesday.

In all, there were 43 goals in nine games, with six teams scoring four or more.

PSV Eindhoven routed Italian champion Napoli 6-2, while Arsenal and Inter Milan also had big wins to maintain their perfect starts in Europe.

But it is defending champion PSG that lead the way at the top of the standings after a wild 7-2 win against Bayer Leverkusen in a match that saw both teams reduced to 10 men in the first half.

Barcelona’s 6-1 win against Olympiakos saw them bounce back from a loss to PSG at the start of the month.

Premier League leader Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid 4-0, with Viktor Gyokeres scoring twice, and last season’s Champions League runner-up Inter beat Union Saint-Gilloise by the same score.

Haaland’s goal helped Manchester City to a 2-0 win at Villarreal.

PSG run wild in Leverkusen

By halftime at the BayArena PSG was 4-1 up — but that didn’t come close to telling the full story of a chaotic first period, which included a red card for each team and two penalties for Leverkusen.

Two goals for Desire Doue put the French champion well in control and the action continued after the break with Nuno Mendes extending the lead within five minutes of the restart. Ousmane Dembele also came off the bench to make a scoring return after injury.

“That’s three games, three wins, and crucially we’re at the top of the UEFA Champions League table,” Dembele said. “We’ve started this campaign really well, especially considering how difficult it was last season.”

Spare a thought for Aleix Garcia, though. As well as his first half penalty, he scored the goal of the game in the second half with a swerving long range effort that was nothing more than a footnote.

Lopez treble

Fermin Lopez scored a hat trick and Marcus Rashford hit two goals as Barcelona blew away 10-man Olympiakos.

Barca took full advantage when Santiago Hezze was shown a contentious red card in the second half — scoring four goals to complete the rout.

It was Lopez’s first hat trick of his career, with Lamine Yamal also on the scoresheet from the penalty spot.

Olympiakos had no answer when Hezze was shown a second yellow card in the 57th minute, despite replays appearing to show he did not make contact with Marc Casado, who was trying to pull him back.

Just three minutes earlier, the visitors had got back into the game at 2-1 after Ayoub El Kaabi’s penalty.

Then with the extra man Barcelona overwhelmed Olympiakos with four goals in 11 minutes.

Rashford, on loan from Manchester United, now has four goals in three games in the Champions League this season.

“Sometimes it’s difficult to break opponents down, but we have so many goalscoring players in different areas that getting goals is the least of our worries,” he said.

Arsenal power past Atletico

Top of the Premier League and perfect in Europe, Arsenal are flying high.

A powerful second half at the Emirates saw Mikel Arteta’s team brush aside Atletico with summer signing Gyokeres sealing the victory with two goals in three minutes. Those goals ended the striker’s seven-game scoring drought for Arsenal.

“I am delighted as he fully deserves it. The workrate he brings to the team is outstanding. We value a lot of things that he does for the team and it was the biggest smile on his face today,” Arteta said.

Goals from Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli had given Arsenal a 2-0 lead before Gyokeres struck.

Arsenal are third in the standings — behind PSG and Inter on goal difference.

Red-hot Haaland

Haaland just can’t stop scoring right now.

The Norway international’s opener at Villarreal was his 24th in 14 games this season and extended his current scoring streak to 12 games in a row. He now has 53 goals in the Champions League in just 51 appearances.

The only game he didn’t score in this term was City’s 2-0 defeat to Tottenham in August.

Bernardo Silva was also on target as City moved up to fifth.

Napoli stunned in Eindhoven

The biggest shock of the night was Napoli’s defeat at PSV.

That’s back-to-back losses for Antonio Conte’s team, following Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at Torino. And such a heavy loss in Europe will be particularly humbling for the Italian champion, with three goals conceded in the last 10 minutes after going down to 10 men when Lorenzo Lucca was sent off in the 76th.

Napoli have just one win from three games in Europe so far.

It’s going better for Inter, who have a 100 percent record after three games and comfortably overcame Union Saint-Gilloise, with Lautaro Martinez scoring for the third time in the Champions League this season.

Newcastle and Dortmund win

Harvey Barnes scored twice in Newcastle’s 3-0 win against Benfica and Borussia Dortmund won 4-2 in Copenhagen.

Kazakhstani team Kairat picked up their first point in European soccer’s elite club competition with a 0-0 draw against Pafos.


Fermin hat-trick inspires Barcelona to 6-1 rout of Olympiacos

Fermin hat-trick inspires Barcelona to 6-1 rout of Olympiacos
Updated 21 October 2025

Fermin hat-trick inspires Barcelona to 6-1 rout of Olympiacos

Fermin hat-trick inspires Barcelona to 6-1 rout of Olympiacos
  • The match got off to a flying start when Fermin opened the scoring from a rebound in the seventh minute
  • Barcelona made the most of their numerical advantage as Yamal fired home their third goal

BARCELONA: A Fermin Lopez hat-trick and two goals from Marcus Rashford powered Barcelona to a crushing 6-1 Champions League victory over Olympiacos on Tuesday, with the Greek side left fuming over a controversial red card early in the second half.
The match got off to a flying start when Fermin opened the scoring from a rebound in the seventh minute. The 22-year-old pounced on a loose ball after Lamine Yamal’s shot was parried by the Olympiacos goalkeeper.
Fermin smashed the ball into the back of the net and he doubled his tally in the 39th minute by finishing off a lightning-quick counter-attack.
Pedri fed the ball to 17-year-old Dro Fernandez, who threaded a pass to Fermin and he coolly slotted the ball home to put Barcelona firmly in control.
Olympiacos had a glimmer of hope early in the second half when Ayoub El Kaabi’s header found the net in the 50th minute, but VAR ruled the effort out for offside.
However, the same review spotted a handball by Eric Garcia in the build-up, leading to a penalty which El Kaabi converted in the 54th minute to cut the deficit.

HEZZE SENT OFF
The visiting side’s momentum was short-lived, however, as Santiago Hezze was sent off in the 57th minute for a second yellow card.
It was a decision that left the Olympiacos players and coach fuming at official Urs Schnyder, as the replay showed that the Argentine barely touched his opponent’s face, but as it was a second yellow card offense a VAR review was not allowed.
Barcelona made the most of their numerical advantage as Yamal fired home their third goal from the penalty spot after Rashford was fouled in the box in the 68th minute.
The England forward added his name to the scoresheet with a strike from inside the box before Fermin completed his hat-trick and Rashford completed the rout in the 79th minute following a counter-attack.
“We needed a win like this ahead of Saturday’s El Clasico against Real Madrid,” Fermin told Movistar Plus.
“My first hat-trick with Barca is just a dream come true.
We’re going into to El Clasico feeling very positive. It’s a very important game for the club, for us and for the Barça fans.”


La Liga plan to hold Villarreal v Barcelona match in Miami off

La Liga plan to hold Villarreal v Barcelona match in Miami off
Updated 21 October 2025

La Liga plan to hold Villarreal v Barcelona match in Miami off

La Liga plan to hold Villarreal v Barcelona match in Miami off
  • La Liga said their promoter for the match decided to cancel the organization of the event because of “uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks“
  • Tickets for the game at the Hard Rock Stadium were due to become available on Tuesday but organizers said the presale was “delayed“

BARCELONA: La Liga’s plan to hold a Barcelona match in Miami in December has been called off because of “uncertainty” about the game within Spain, the Spanish top flight said in a statement Tuesday.
Champions Barca were set to face Villarreal in the United States on December 20, which would have been the first European league fixture to be played abroad.
La Liga said their promoter for the match decided to cancel the organization of the event because of “uncertainty generated in Spain in recent weeks.”
The Spanish topflight said they “deeply regret that the project, which represented a historic and unparallelled opportunity to take Spanish football to the international stage, cannot go ahead.”
Tickets for the game at the Hard Rock Stadium were due to become available on Tuesday but organizers said the presale was “delayed” before the plan was scrapped.
The match will now be held at Villarreal’s Estadio de la Ceramica home as normal.
European football governing body UEFA said they opposed the idea of games being played overseas but would allow it on an exceptional basis, along with a Serie A match in Australia in February between AC Milan and Como.
The plan to hold the match in the United States was criticized by various parties.
The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) organized protests against it last weekend, with players from every team not moving for 15 seconds at the start of each league match.
Spanish giants Real Madrid also railed against it institutionally, while goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said Tuesday it would adulterate the competition.
Madrid captain Dani Carvajal told La Liga president Javier Tebas the game being held abroad would be “a stain” on the competition.
La Liga have been trying to hold a match abroad for several years.


Chelsea cautious on Fernandez return as Maresca dwells on injuries, red cards

Chelsea cautious on Fernandez return as Maresca dwells on injuries, red cards
Updated 21 October 2025

Chelsea cautious on Fernandez return as Maresca dwells on injuries, red cards

Chelsea cautious on Fernandez return as Maresca dwells on injuries, red cards
  • Midfielder Enzo Fernandez may return to action after missing a week with a knee issue
  • “It is not something we have to be worried about. It’s to try and protect Enzo,” Maresca told reporters

LONDON: A long list of injured players and a tendency to pick up red cards are among Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca’s main concerns before Wednesday’s Champions League clash with Ajax Amsterdam as they look to steady the ship after a tumultuous September.
Midfielder Enzo Fernandez may return to action after missing a week with a knee issue but Maresca said Chelsea would not rush the Argentina international back as they look for their fourth straight win in all competitions.
“Enzo took part in the session yesterday. We have one more session this afternoon and we will decide with him tomorrow. It is not something we have to be worried about. It’s to try and protect Enzo,” Maresca told reporters on Tuesday.
Center-back Benoit Badiashile was the latest Chelsea player to pick up a knock last week, the sixth on the injury list.
“It’s difficult, especially because most of the injuries we had were one or two days before the game,” Maresca said.
“We’re trying to adapt. It’s complicated because sometimes you plan for some players to play one week, but then you need that player because of another injury.”

NO ‘PUNISHMENT’ FOR PLAYERS OVER RED CARDS
Chelsea are also facing an issue with player discipline after picking up four red cards in the last six matches.
“For sure, it’s something we can do better. Some of the red cards, we can avoid that ... the other side, they do not want to concede and they want to continue to be aggressive,” Maresca added.
“Personally, I’m not that kind of manager to punish players ... I have four kids, when they do something wrong, I do not punish them. I try to teach them to do the right things. I try to do this with the players too. This is the way I like to do things.”
But Chelsea, who had a three-match Premier League winless streak and lost their first Champions League game to Bayern Munich last month, have bounced back with a scrappy victory over Benfica and back-to-back wins in the English top-flight.
“We were not happy with the result at Bayern, but the performance, we were happy with. We knew that was a difficult game,” Maresca said.
“Benfica, we tried to prepare the game to win the game in the best way, but when you face this kind of club there are always things you can learn after the game. It is going to be exactly the same tomorrow.
“It’ll be a difficult game. (Ajax) are a club that have won this competition in the past. They want to prove to everyone that they can come here and beat us. We are going to try and do exactly the same.”
Chelsea are 18th in the Champions League table with three points from their opening two games, while Ajax are second-bottom without a point after two defeats.


Barca Miami match ‘adulterates’ La Liga: Real Madrid’s Courtois

Barca Miami match ‘adulterates’ La Liga: Real Madrid’s Courtois
Updated 21 October 2025

Barca Miami match ‘adulterates’ La Liga: Real Madrid’s Courtois

Barca Miami match ‘adulterates’ La Liga: Real Madrid’s Courtois
  • “It’s totally adulterating the competition,” Courtois told a news conference
  • “It’s easy to talk about the NFL and the NBA (which move locations), they have 82 games and it doesn’t change anything for them”

MADRID: Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said Tuesday the plan to take Barcelona’s La Liga match against Villarreal to Miami is “adulterating” the competition.
La Liga announced they were moving the game to the United States in December, which will be the first European League fixture to be held abroad.
“It’s totally adulterating the competition,” Courtois told a news conference.
“It’s easy to talk about the NFL and the NBA (which move locations), they have 82 games and it doesn’t change anything for them, and in the NFL it’s voted for by the owners of the teams...
“Here it’s the opposite... they decided to do it and it adulterates the competition.”
Courtois said Barcelona would gain an advantage by facing Villarreal at a neutral stadium, rather than in a normal away game.
“Villarreal away is a difficult game... everyone should play at home and away, apart from for force majeure.”
The Spanish Footballers’ Association (AFE) organized protests against the game being moved last weekend, with players from every team not moving for 15 seconds at the start of each league match.
However the protests at the start of each match were not all shown on television broadcasts.
“Hiding it... is censorship and manipulation, and that’s not good at all,” added Courtois.
Madrid have expressed their disapproval of the match being moved and Spanish media have reported that the club have filed a complaint to the Spanish government.
Coach Xabi Alonso reiterated he is also against the Miami switch.
“My opinion is clear... the club is defending their interests and we will see what happens,” said the coach.
Belgian stopper Courtois is set to make his 300th appearance for the club on Wednesday when Real Madrid host Juventus in the Champions League.
“I’m very proud of reaching that number, when you’re a kid you dream of playing a game for Real Madrid and tomorrow it will be 300,” said the 33-year-old.”