The latest transfer news and rumors focus on a couple of potential big moves for Manchester United and Chelsea, with Emiliano Martinez and Conrad Harder the focus.
MORE — 10 players who could move before the deadline
With just over 24 hours to go in the transfer window, clubs are scrambling to find the final pieces they need.
MORE — Full list of ins and outs in the Premier League
Below we take a look at the latest transfer news focusing on Emiliano Martinez and Conrad Harder.
Manchester United back in for Emiliano Martinez
UPDATE: Emiliano Martinez is not in Aston Villa’s 18 for Sunday afternoon’s 2pm ET kickoff versus Crystal Palace. Martinez did start in Week 2 versus Brentford.
A report from Fabrizio Romano says that Manchester United have agreed personal terms with Emiliano Martinez and are reaching out to Aston Villa about a move for the two-time Yashin Trophy winner. Per the report, United were in talks with Martinez’s agent as the Argentine international has clearly favored the move for a while. Martinez, 32, is exactly the experienced, confident goalkeeper that United desperately need with Altay Bayindir too raw and Andre Onana struggling and out of favor. Martinez would bring more solidity to their defense and is not only capable of making top saves but also commands his box superbly. Aside from winning a trophy, it feels like Martinez has pretty much completed all he wants to at Villa and it seemed like he would move on at the end of last season. If it is possible to get this deal over the line, United need to make it happen. It has been reported that a move for Belgian goalkeeper Senne Lammens is still lined up, but has obviously stalling.
Chelsea line up Conrad Harder
With Liam Delap suffering a hamstring injury on Saturday against Fulham, it appears Chelsea are now scrambling to sign an extra center forward before the deadline. According to a report from David Ornstein, Chelsea are in talks about signing Conrad Harder from Sporting Lisbon. That report also states that due to the injury to Delap, Nicolas Jackson won’t be allowed to leave on loan (he was due to complete a loan to Bayern Munich this weekend) but will be allowed to move on a permanent deal, which would obviously bring in the funds to sign a replacement forward. Conrad Harder, 20, fits the mold of a Chelsea signing as he’s young, has great potential and is probably fine with rotating into the lineup with Delap and Joao Pedro in the central role. The Danish international has scored 12 goals in 51 appearances for Sporting, so he hasn’t been prolific so far in his career, but he fits the profile Chelsea need and Enzo Maresca will develop him.
