Transfer news LIVE: Merino heading to Arsenal, Villa want Sterling and Trippier could leave Newcastle

Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage and updates from the latest transfers and news in football today.

First, just a quick update you might have missed, Michael Obafemi has joined Plymouth on-loan from Burnley for the season.

Former Belgium international Kompany, who replaced Thomas Tuchel in the dugout, has been working to restore order in the Bayern ranks and instil confidence among his players.

The Athletic are saying that West Ham are keen on signing Carlos Soler from PSG but will need to sell off players to make funds available.

Talks are ongoing over a season-long loan with an obligation to buy, plus a long-term contract, as West Ham work on sales after a summer of spending.

Max Kilman, Jean-Clair Todibo, Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug have all joined, with Guido Rodriguez, another midfielder, also arriving.

Sunderland winger Jack Clarke has been linked with a move away from the club in this window but Southampton boss Russell Martin says his team are not in the race for his signature.

Martin said: “He is a player who has played very well in the Championship over the past few seasons.

“We are linked with a number of players and some are miles away, some I’ve never even heard of, others have been one chat or a few videos.

“That position is not one we are light on numbers in at the moment; Ben Brereton Diaz plays there, we have other guys who can operate there, so it is not high on the priority list right now.

“He is a very talented player, his agent is a good friend of mine, they would know if we are in that race right now and we are not.”

Marc Guehi was always going to be in demand after Euro 2024 and so it has proved with Newcastle boss Eddie Howe identifying the 24-year-old as his top summer signing.

Newcastle have reportedly had four offers rejected by Palace, with the latest said to be worth £60m plus £5m in add-ons.

Guehi showed his continued commitment to Palace by captaining the side at Brentford, but Eagles fans will remain nervous that they could lose him and fellow defender Joachim Andersen, a Fulham target, before the window closes.

Sky Sports and The Athletic are reporting that Kieran Trippier is prepared to leave Newcastle before the transfer window closes with Everton a potential destination.

Trippier was the first signing by the Newcastle’s new ownership in January 2022 and has been a central figure in the club’s rise to the top half of the Premier League.

The 33-year-old was an unused substitute in Saturday’s opening-weekend victory over Southampton after Eddie Howe selected Tino Livramento at right-back.

The captain’s armband, which Trippier has worn for most of his time at St James’ Park, has also been given to Bruno Guimaraes suggesting that the defender’s playing time this season will be limited.

Trippier has two years left on his contract but wants to play regular football even if that means at a different club.

Everton have held initial conversations with Newcastle to express interest in bringing him to Merseyside on loan. Everton manager Sean Dyche and Trippier worked together while at Burnley between 2012-2015.

Ivan Toney appears to have played his last game for Brentford after being left out of their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.

The England striker missed Sunday’s 2-1 win with Bees boss Thomas Frank revealing his absence was due to “transfer interest” and that Brentford opted to leave him out.

Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli are reportedly keen and £60m would secure the services of the 28-year-old who has one year left on his contract.

The Saudi side remain far away from that valuation however as do potential Premier League clubs Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United who have moved on to other targets.

After a summer of yet more arrivals at Stamford Bridge, it seems inevitable there will be departures in the final days of the window to reduce the numbers of Enzo Maresca’s squad.

Raheem Sterling’s future was placed into sharp focus when he was left out of the Blues squad for Sunday’s 2-0 defeat by Manchester City and his representatives released a statement questioning the decision.

While Sterling’s camp called for “further clarity” on the future of the England international, Conor Gallagher has already completed a move to Spain.

He’s joined Atletico Madrid in a joint deal that sent Joao Felix in the opposite direction. Expect more exits to come before the end of the window.

Serie A side Napoli have agreed a deal worth around €18m (£15.3m) for Billy Gilmour, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The transfer guru announced on X that the Brighton and Scotland midfielder will be heading to Italy for a medical assessment which should take place sometime next week.

Brighton’s record signing of £40m Georginio Rutter means they have plenty of firepower this season and he might be straight into the group this weekend for Fabian Hurzeler.

“We will have to wait to see how he has adapted but he has played some games in pre-season for Leeds. He has integrated fast into the group which is the main thing, but I am also convinced he will be able to help us on the pitch as he has something special,” he said.

Brighton have Rutter, Danny Welbeck, Joao Pedro and Evan Ferguson available as strikers now.