Leeds are poised to make their ninth signing of the summer after agreeing an £18m deal with Milan for the Switzerland striker Noah Okafor.
The 25-year-old is scheduled to undergo a medical in Yorkshire on Wednesday and, providing all goes well, will offer competition for fellow new signings Lukas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert‑Lewin as well as Joël Piroe in Daniel Farke’s frontline.
Okafor spent the second part of last season on loan at Napoli, making four appearances as Antonio Conte’s team won Serie A. At Milan, the player who began his career with Basel before moving to Red Bull Salzburg scored a modest seven goals in 39 league appearances. Those statistics do not reflect the versatility of a forward who can operate in assorted positions, including anywhere across the frontline. He has frequently been deployed as a winger for Switzerland, scoring twice in 24 senior international appearances.
Encouragingly for Farke, Okafor proved Milan’s top scorer in pre‑season, with two of his goals coming against Liverpool in a friendly in Hong Kong. The Leeds manager has been keen to sign an extra striker after telling the club’s former No 9 Patrick Bamford that he is surplus to requirements.
Wolves have signed the Cameroon defender Jackson Tchatchoua from Hellas Verona in a deal worth about £10m. The Belgium-born right wing‑back has spent the past two seasons in Serie A after starting his career at Charleroi.
Tchatchoua is in effect a replacement for the former club captain Nélson Semedo, who rejected a new contract at Wolves in favour of a move to Fenerbahce.
Tchatchoua, who produced the top speed in Serie A last season at 36.3km/h, has signed a five‑year deal.
Vítor Pereira, the Wolves manager, is hopeful of making at least two more signings this window, with a forward and a midfielder high on the list of priorities. “[I am] waiting for the help of the club to sign new players,” Pereira said after the home defeat against Manchester City on Saturday.
Wolves are wary of Jørgen Strand Larsen being high on Newcastle’s shortlist but consider the striker not for sale. The Norway forward is among Newcastle’s targets amid the protracted Alexander Isak saga after moves for Benjamin Sesko, among others, failed to materialise.
Strand Larsen joined Wolves on a permanent basis in July, after the club triggered a £23m deal to buy a player who scored 14 league goals last season while on loan from La Liga side Celta Vigo.
Newcastle have so far failed in their attempts to sign Yoane Wissa from Brentford, with the London club holding out for what they deem a fair price for the forward, while Eddie Howe’s side have been linked with a move for the out-of-favour Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson.
It is thought that only a bid significantly above market value would give Wolves a decision to make on Strand Larsen, who is under contract until 2029.
Wolves are open to offloading Hwang Hee-chan this summer, with Crystal Palace pursuing a loan deal for the South Korea forward. Matt Hobbs, the former Wolves sporting director who was influential in bringing Hwang to Molineux from RB Leipzig in 2022, is thought to be close to filling a similar role at Palace, after Dougie Freedman departed for the Saudi side Al-Diriyah.
Hwang, who scored only two league goals last season, has dropped down the pecking order under Pereira and was the subject of an inquiry from Birmingham earlier in this window.
Fenerbahce pursue Álvarez loan deal
Fenerbahce are pushing to complete a deal to sign West Ham’s Edson Álvarez on loan with an option to buy. The midfielder is surplus to requirements at the London Stadium and freeing up his wages, which are understood to be around £115,000 a week, will increase Graham Potter’s budget for new signings.
West Ham value Álvarez at £20m but the finances of the deal have made it hard to find clubs willing to buy the Mexico international. Fenerbahce have emerged as a temporary solution and talks with the Turkish club are progressing. Álvarez has not made a decision on his future, however, and also has loan interest from Porto and Borussia Dortmund.
Álvarez has fallen from favour under Potter, who is desperate for additions in midfield after seeing his side crash to a 3-0 defeat at Sunderland in their opening game. West Ham had a £30m bid rejected for Southampton’s Mateus Fernandes last week and were beaten by Newcastle to the signing of Jacob Ramsey from Aston Villa.
Other options are being explored but the chances of anyone joining before Potter’s side host Chelsea on Friday are receding. Álvarez or Guido Rodríguez need to leave before West Ham move for certain targets, but West Ham are desperately short of energy and creativity in midfield.
One of the midfielders signed to fill the void left by Declan Rice’s £105m sale to Arsenal two years ago, Álvarez has flattered to deceive since joining from Ajax for £35m. His lack of pace has been exposed at times and he was sent off twice last season. He was on the bench against Sunderland, with Potter preferring James Ward-Prowse and Rodríguez in midfield.
Rodríguez, who joined on a free transfer from Real Betis last summer, is also available. The Argentinian has interest from Spain and Turkey but his high wages have put off prospective buyers. Andy Irving, the 25-year-old Scottish midfielder, is also up for sale.
Potter and West Ham’s recruitment chief, Kyle Macaulay, are not working with a big budget this summer. They have signed four players since selling Mohammed Kudus to Tottenham for £54.5m.
