Live: Transfer Deadline Day, Tuesday 1 September 2015.

The summer transfer window will be coming to a close today at the earlier than usual time of 18:00. Keep tuned in here for all the latest information, negotiations and deals as they happen. Good luck to all players agents and clubs involved and of course to the fans eagerly awaiting their big name signing! 

Keep updated right up to the deadline at 6pm.

• It seems now like David De Gea will NOT be getting his dream move to Real Madrid as his paper work was reportedly 28 minutes late. This means the swap deal for Keylor Navas will also be canceled unless Real Madrid win their appeal to La Liga officials.
• West Ham have finally wrapped up a deal to sign Barcelona midfielder Alex Song on loan for a second successive season. The move was in doubt due to injury problems but West Ham have now got their man.
• Staying with West Ham and talks with Tottenham misfit Emmanuel Adebayor have resumed in the last few hours over a season long loan. Tottenham have been desperate to get rid of the striker and with the Togolese international keen on staying in London this deal could well go ahead.
• Aston Villa have finally agreed a fee with West Brom for English centre back Joleon Lescott. The fee is believed to be around £2 million.
• Crystal Palace have rejected a bid from Aston Villa for Dwight Gayle. Pardew does not want to sell to immediate rivals.
• A busy day for West Ham United who have now agreed to sign Hull City striker Nikica Jelavic; third signing in 2 hours for the hammers! 
• Brazil striker Alexandre Pato will NOT be signing for Tottenham Hotspur this window despite speculation. Tottenham are thought to have been offered the player but rejected him. The club still hope to sign Saido Berahino before the deadline.

Kevin De Bruyne to sign for Manchester City today.

One of the most protracted deals of the summer will finally be concluded today (Saturday 29) as Belgian International, Kevin De Bruyne, finally signs for Manchester City in a reported fee of £55 million.

 After a difficult second season for Manuel Pelegrini, Manchester City have spent heavily this window strengthening their squad with five new signings including: Aston Villa’s Fabian Delph, Liverpool’s Raheem Sterling and Argentinian defender Nicolas Otamendi of Valencia and the ex Chelsea player is set to be the next arrival. Despite starting the season strongly with an inform Sergio Agüero and a resurgent Yaya Toure, City will be keen to add more goals and attacking flair to their team and De Bruyne certainly brings that. De Bruyne managed 15 goals in all competitions last season while playing mainly in an attacking midfield position and added to that with 25 assists, it is easy to see why Pelegrini and the City board are willing to pay so much the young Belgian who will bring added quality into a City side that has relied heavily on Agüero and David Silva to score and create goals. 
Manchester City had to fight off late interest from cross city rivals Manchester United and Bayern Munich for De Bruyne, the former disappointed yet again in this transfer window will now move onto other targets with just 3 days of business remaining. United manager Louis Van Gaal is determined to land one more ‘star’ play before the Tuesday deadline and may also have to fight to keep wantaway goal keeper David De Gea, although he is reportedly considering selling De Gea if a deal can be found for Gareth Bale.

Remember, I’ll be covering deadline day and all the deals and negotiations live on Tuesday until (and beyond) the 6pm deadline so feel free to pop back! 

A presto.

Player Spotlight 1: Nathan Redmond

So, to add a bit more depth and interesting content to the blog I’m planning on posting profiles of some up and coming prospects in the game from around Europe. I’ll be clear that (obviously) at this stage I am not representing any of the players I profile, but if you guys fancy reading up about any young players who could have big futures (with big transfers!) then feel free to have a look!  

 With the 2015/16 season fast approaching what better way to start than with a young Englishman who is coming up to the Premier League with newly promoted Norwich City: Nathan Redmond.

Nathan Redmond, 21, first broke onto the scene at Birmingham City at 16 years of age and since then has gone on to make over 150 first team appearances for both Birmingham and Norwich and 22 caps for England U21. Typically Redmond plays as an out and out right winger, aided by his impressive pace and dribbling skills, however he can also be played on the left wing where he is fond of cutting in on his stronger right foot to get a shot away or take on the opposition defence. 
The aforementioned impressive pace of Redmond can be likened to that of Manchester City’s Raheem Sterling and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain of Arsenal and interestingly the Norwich player created more chances last term than both Sterling and Oxlade-Chamberlain albeit in the league below.

 The main criticism of Redmond would be his finishing. With a total of 7 goals in 77 games for Norwich it is clear that finding the back of the net is something that he has to improve on if he is to reach his potential, however his ability on the ball means that he is always capable of being a threat and bringing other players into the game. 

With talented English players being few and far between and the increasing necessity for English clubs to have homegrown players on their books, a transfer could be on the cards for Nathan Redmond in the next few years especially if he impresses in the 2015/16 season. With just less than 2 years remaining on his contract, and depending on his performance in the coming season, his price tag could reach up to £10m should any club be interested in pursuing this young English talent. 

So there’s the first player profile, a little short I know but I’m just getting the hang on it all! I hope it was interesting and informative for you but bare with me as the quality will only improve over time…