London, Aug 9: A busy conclusion to the Premier League transfer window continued as Chelsea signed Real Madrid midfielder Mateo Kovacic on a season-long loan deal, but Jose Mourinho does not expect Manchester United to make any further additions.
Croatia international Kovacic will bolster the options available to new Blues boss Maurizio Sarri in central areas, moving in the opposite direction to Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois, who completed a £35million move to the Santiago Bernabeu on Thursday.
Everton have agreed a deal to sign Yerry Mina, the defender leaving Barcelona after an unhappy six-month spell in La Liga. Brazil winger Bernard has joined Everton on a four-year contract, the Premier League club have confirmed.
🗣 | New man @b_10duarte explains why joining #EFC was an easy decision…
— Everton (@Everton) August 9, 2018
🎥 Full interview: https://t.co/5jD6dYU1Ek pic.twitter.com/8CdG3MGDmZ
Andre Gomes' Barcelona nightmare is set to be put on hold for a year after the Catalan club confirmed they have reached an agreement for him to go on loan to Everton for the 2018-19 season.
❗ [LATEST NEWS] Agreement with @Everton for the loan of @aftgomes https://t.co/mMgvCLX6Ig
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) August 9, 2018
Meanwhile, West Ham completed the capture of Carlos Sanchez from Fiorentina as Manuel Pellegrini's overhaul ends with a ninth close-season signing.
The 32-year-old midfielder has inked a two-year deal for an undisclosed fee.
Sanchez, capped 88 times by Colombia, spent the second half of last season on loan at Espanyol, making 14 LaLiga appearances.
He previously had an ill-fated two-season stint with Aston Villa that ended in relegation, but the former Elche and Valenciennes man had no qualms over returning to England.
Sevilla goalkeeper Sergio Rico joined Fulham on a season-long loan. The deal continues a busy transfer window for the Premier League newcomers, who are reportedly set to conclude deadline day by making Marseille midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa their record signing after adding Bristol City left-back Joe Bryan.
Courtois' replacement at Stamford Bridge is Kepa Arrizabalaga, who became the most expensive goalkeeper in history when Chelsea paid his €80m release clause at Athletic Bilbao, but reports United are ready to make Leicester City's Harry Maguire the world's costliest defender now seem unlikely to come to fruition.
Speaking at a news conference to preview Friday's Premier League opener against Leicester, Mourinho told reporters he does not expect any deadline-day activity at Old Trafford, despite also being linked to centre-backs Toby Alderweireld, Yerry Mina and Jerome Boateng.
"I'm not confident," he said. "The market closes today, so it is time, at least for me to stop thinking about the market because the market will be closed."
➡️ #Kepa
— Sure UK & Ireland (@Sure) August 9, 2018
➡️ #Kovacic
➡️ #Jorginho
➡️ #Green
Sarriball is shaping up nicely ahead of the new season!
Trust it under pressure. #NeverMoreSure #DeadlineDay pic.twitter.com/FRJLO83Il9
Boateng trained with Bayern Munich on Thursday, with Paris Saint-Germain now touted as the front-runners for his signature – a deal that can, of course, be done later in the month after the Premier League bows out of the market as a buying power.
Across town from Old Trafford, Manchester City have signed Daniel Arzani from Melbourne City, with the Australian youngster expected to go out on loan. Celtic are the favourites to acquire his services, while no immediate reinforcements appear to be on the agenda for Pep Guardiola's champions.
Lucas Perez is one of the latest arrivals of a productive transfer window at West Ham, the striker joining from Arsenal on a three-year deal for a reported initial fee of £4m.
Just in time... 😉 #LaRoca15 pic.twitter.com/MDmuVIXVjo
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) August 9, 2018
😃 #WelcomeLucas pic.twitter.com/hxI4OojATJ
— West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) August 9, 2018
Kovacic is not the only Croatian on the move, with Leicester securing 21-year-old defender Filip Benkovic from Dinamo Zagreb for an undisclosed fee understood to be worth in the region of £13m. Benkovic has signed a five-year contract at the King Power Stadium.
Leicester City have further reinforced their defensive options with the signing of Caglar Soyuncu from Freiburg pending an application for a work permit.
The 22-year-old has agreed a five-year deal for a reported £19million.
Elsewhere, 35-year-old former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna has joined MLS side Montreal Impact until the end of the 2018 season, with the option of a further year.
News coming in from the La Liga that Atletico Madrid have signed Croatia striker Nikola Kalinic from AC Milan for a fee reported to be in the region of €15million.
Atleti confirmed the arrival of the Croatia striker on their official website, with Kalinic signing a three-year deal with the Liga side.
🏧📸 #AtléticosAroundTheWorld, Kalinic already greets you as an Atlético player! 🔴⚪🔴#AúpaAtleti #WelcomeKalinic pic.twitter.com/TvFQOCc45f
— Atlético de Madrid (@atletienglish) August 9, 2018
Kalinic moved to Milan from Fiorentina on a season-long loan with an obligation to buy but his time at San Siro failed to catch fire.
The 30-year-old managed six goals in all appearances for the Rossoneri before leaving Croatia's World Cup campaign under a cloud.
Wolves have signed Belgium international Leander Dendoncker from Anderlecht in a loan move that will be made permanent next year.
Dendoncker, 23, has regularly been linked with some of Europe's biggest clubs, including Atletico Madrid and Manchester United, but he becomes the latest eye-catching signing secured by Wolves.
Despite only being promoted last term, Wolves had already signed the likes of Adama Traore, Willy Boly, Joao Moutinho, Raul Jimenez and Rui Patricio before Thursday's transfer deadline.
And now Dendoncker, who has been capped six times by Belgium, joins the list, arriving on an initial one-year loan deal.
#WelkomLeander
— Wolves (@Wolves) August 9, 2018
🌄🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/HX8ckUKHLu
Also, England Under-21s striker Lukas Nmecha has joined Preston North End on loan after scoring 15 goals for Manchester City Under-23s in 2017-18.
The 19-year-old made two Premier League appearances for the champions last season and is highly rated at the club but he said North End manager Alex Neil played a key role in convincing him to spend a season at Deepdale.