SUNDERLAND
Sunderland are hoping to complete the signing of Scottish midfielder Dylan McGeouch later today – and that might not be the end of the club’s transfer business for the week.
McGeouch is a free agent after turning down the offer of a new deal at Hibernian, and is set to opt for a move to the Stadium of Light ahead of alternative offers from Rangers and Aberdeen.
A full Scotland international, who made his debut for Alex McLeish’s side earlier this summer, McGeouch is set to undergo and medical and finalise personal terms in the next 24 hours. He would have travelled to Wearside at the weekend, but was attending a family wedding.
Provided there are no unforeseen hitches with the completion of his transfer, the 25-year-old should link up with his new team-mates at their training camp in Portugal.
McGeouch will become Sunderland’s fifth summer arrival if he signs on the dotted line, and a sixth could be in the offing with the Black Cats targeting a left-back addition before the end of the week.
The club have made a number of inquiries about Manchester United full-back Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, who is understood to be available on loan, but have also been monitoring a couple of alternative targets.
Meanwhile, Jack Ross admits the Black Cats could struggle to keep Joel Asoro and Josh Maja if they continue to refuse to sign a new deal.
Both young strikers have entered the final year of their current deal, and while Ross would ideally like to keep them on Wearside, he accepts Sunderland cannot run the risk of them leaving for a minimal compensation fee next summer.
NEWCASTLE
Newcastle have set their sights on a double deal for Kenedy and Andros Townsend this summer – and are increasingly confident of being able to land the wing duo.
Talks with Chelsea over Kenedy have been ongoing all summer, and there is growing confidence within St James’ Park that the Blues will agree to a deal.
Whether that is a loan or a permanent transfer remains to be seen, although Newcastle’s recruitment team are understood to be pushing for a season-long loan with a locked-in buy-out clause for next summer.
Talks with Crystal Palace over Townsend have faltered over a fee, but there is increased hope of a compromise that will see the England international return to St James’ Park.
Newcastle value Townsend at around £18m – the Magpies banked £13m when he moved to Selhurst Park two years ago – whereas Palace began the summer valuing the 26-year-old at £30m.
However, there has been a degree of movement on both sides in the last seven days, and it is hoped an agreement can be reached.
Newcastle will partially fund their planned double deal through the sale of Matt Ritchie, with Stoke and Bournemouth leading the chase for the Scotland international.
Middlesbrough have also been linked with Ritchie, but have not held discussions with Newcastle officials.
Any interest from Teesside is likely to be dependent on what happens with Adama Traore, who is the subject of interest from a number of clubs in the Premier League and from overseas.
MIDDLESBROUGH
Antonio Barragan completed a permanent exit from Middlesbrough yesterday, with Real Betis triggering a clause that turned the defender’s loan deal into a full-time move.
Barragan spent last season on loan with Betis, and has now signed a permanent deal with the La Liga club.
The 31-year-old joined Boro from Valencia in the summer of 2016, and made 27 senior starts for the club.
Meanwhile, Boro are still to receive a bid from Nottingham Forest for either Patrick Bamford or Adam Clayton.
Weekend reports suggested that Forest were hopeful of signing both players, with Aitor Karanka keen to be reunited with the pair.
However, Boro have not held talks about either player, with their only summer discussions with Forest relating to Fabio da Silva. Boro rejected an offer for Fabio last month.
OTHER CLUBS
Liverpool have tied Mohamed Salah down to a new long-term contract after a record-breaking debut campaign for the club.
The Egyptian moved to Merseyside from Roma last June and went on to win the Premier League Golden Boot, scoring 32 times and in turn setting a new benchmark in a single 38-game season.
Salah also came to the fore during Liverpool's run to the Champions League final and Liverpool have ended any speculation about his future by tying him to a five-year deal that does not contain a release clause.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said on the club's official website: "I think this news can be seen for what it is; rewarding a person who performed and contributed greatly for the team and the club last season.
"It demonstrates two things very clearly also - his belief in Liverpool and our belief in him.
"We want world-class talent to see they have a home at Anfield where they can fulfil all their professional dreams and ambitions - we are working hard together to achieve this."
Liverpool's hopes of a sixth European Cup were dealt a blow by Salah suffering a shoulder injury in the first half of the final against Real Madrid, who triumphed 3-1 in Kiev.
The problem forced him to miss Egypt's World Cup opener against Uruguay and though he scored against Russia and Saudi Arabia, the African nation crashed out in the group stage.
The 26-year-old's efforts in 2017-18, where he scored 44 goals in 52 appearances in all competitions, saw him awarded both the PFA Players' Player of the Year and the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year.
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