The Premier League summer transfer window closes at 23:00 BST on Tuesday 1 September. Clubs have until that moment to lodge completed deals with the league. After months of spending that reshaped the top half of the table, the final hours belong to paperwork, deal sheets, and the handful of moves that could still rewrite September squads.
Chelsea reached agreement with AS Monaco to sign Lamine Camara for about £38m on 30 August, per Metro, Goal, and transfer reporter Sacha Tavolieri. Emiliano Martinez joined from Aston Villa for £7.5m on 27 August. Ollie Watkins left Villa for Al-Hilal for £51m on 30 August, per BBC Sport's confirmed transfers list. Those deals are done in football terms. Registration is the last gate before a player can appear in a league match.
What follows is not gossip for its own sake. These are the live files BBC Sport's reporters flagged on 31 August as the market enters its final day.
Enzo Fernandez and the City chase
Enzo Fernandez missed Chelsea's 4-3 win over Brighton on Sunday for the second consecutive match. Manchester City have pursued the Argentina midfielder all summer after missing Chelsea's unofficial £120m deadline earlier in August. BBC Sport's City reporter says any completed move would likely surpass the £116m City paid for Elliot Anderson from Nottingham Forest, making it a club-record fee.
Chelsea's agreement for Camara is designed as Fernandez's replacement. Alonso worked with Fernandez at Stamford Bridge and needs midfield depth after Rodri left for Barcelona, Bernardo Silva departed, and Nico Gonzalez joined Newcastle for up to £52m. Camara is 22, has 49 Senegal caps, and registered six goals and 11 assists in 75 Monaco appearances.
The sequence matters. Chelsea want Camara registered before sanctioning Fernandez's exit. City want Fernandez before the window dies. Three clubs, one clock, and a fee that could define the record books.
Julian Alvarez: Arsenal's £128m test
Julian Alvarez is the other headline. The Atletico Madrid striker wants to leave. Atleti will not sell him to Barcelona but would do business with Arsenal, per BBC Sport's Spanish and Arsenal reporters. Atletico want €150m (£128m).
Alvarez missed multiple training sessions and did not travel for Saturday's Sevilla fixture. Diego Simeone told reporters he would "do everything" to make Alvarez feel important when he returns. That is manager speak for a sale that has not landed yet.
Arsenal start the season with six points from two games after Bukayo Saka scored in a 1-0 win at Aston Villa on Monday. They spent £75m on Bruno Guimaraes and £55m on Ezri Konsa earlier in the window. Alvarez would be a different category of outlay: a World Cup finalist who solves the centre-forward question before Real Madrid visit the Emirates in the Champions League league phase on 8 September.
Liverpool's winger chain reaction
Manchester City opened talks with Liverpool about Cody Gakpo, per BBC Sport. The Netherlands international is open to a move and City reportedly offered around £80m. Tottenham are also interested.
But BBC Sport's Liverpool reporter says the Gakpo move is close to collapsing. Liverpool expect to keep the 27-year-old unless they revive a deal for another winger before tonight's deadline. That fallback is Ismaila Sarr at Crystal Palace. Liverpool had two bids for Yankuba Minteh rejected by Brighton, who want more than the £60m offered.
Bradley Barcola already joined Liverpool this summer. The club need attacking depth if Gakpo leaves. Sarr scored 23 goals in 81 Senegal appearances and fits the right-sided profile Liverpool initially wanted from Minteh. Palace rebuffed an enquiry last week. Deadline day is when rebuffs sometimes crack.
The swap deals and late midfield targets
Tottenham are in advanced talks to sign Iliman Ndiaye from Everton, with Richarlison moving the other way, per BBC Sport's chief football writer. A deal between the clubs is largely agreed. Whether Ndiaye chooses north London is less certain with City among the clubs who have expressed interest.
Jack Grealish could return to Everton on loan from City. Grealish prioritised Goodison Park over a reunion with Aston Villa, who also expressed interest. Terms remain complicated with 12 months left on his Etihad contract.
Chelsea have also initiated contact with AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone as a possible alternative if the Fernandez sale stalls, per Foot Mercato and Fabrizio Romano. Roma have not received a formal offer yet. Newcastle remain interested in Lille forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo, who was left out of Lille's squad for the PSG fixture at the weekend.
What tonight actually decides
The window opened 15 June. The season started 21 August. Clubs have collected points for 11 days while still shopping. That overlap is why Martinez can debut for Chelsea on Sunday while Fernandez's future remains unresolved hours before the market shuts.
Premier League rules allow a two-hour grace period after 23:00 if clubs submit a deal sheet before the deadline. Announcements can land after midnight and still count. Fans will watch television countdowns. Directors will watch fax machines and FIFA's Transfer Matching System.
For Chelsea, the question is whether Fernandez leaves and Camara starts beside Moises Caicedo. For Arsenal, it is whether £128m for Alvarez is the final piece or one bid too far. For Liverpool, it is whether Gakpo stays or Sarr arrives. For everyone else, it is whether the squad that kicks off next weekend is the squad that exists at 23:00 tonight.
Sources
- Premier League: Summer 2026 Transfer Deadline Day guide (1 September 2026).
- BBC Sport: What deals could still happen on deadline day (31 August 2026).
- BBC Sport: August 2026 confirmed transfers (30 August 2026).
- Sky Sports: Aston Villa 0-1 Arsenal match report (31 August 2026).