Live Coverage: Transfer Talk - August 28

Good morning all! So, Manchester United have already smashed the British record transfer fee, but will they go back in the market for some new additions? Arsenal look to be without striker Olivier Giroud until the New Year, but will Arsene Wenger dip into his pockets for a replacement? Is Fernando Torres close to leaving Chelsea for AC Milan? Stay tuned to find out...

Right, let's get started by rounding up the stories that have made the headlines over the last few hours:

Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino 'watches Danny Welbeck'
AC Milan 'open talks over Fernando Torres transfer'
Manchester United line up William Carvalho bid?
Sunderland 'in talks to loan Ricky Alvarez'

So, there is one man in Italy who I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more of in the next four days... Arturo Vidal has been heavily linked with a move to Manchester United. While some publications in Italy have claimed that a deal has been agreed between Juventus and the Red Devils, other outlets state that the Serie A side has rejected a £34m bid from United. Don't be surprised if this one goes down to the wire!

Did you see this one coming? Bayern Munich have reportedly confirmed that they are on the verge of signing Xabi Alonso from Real Madrid. The Bundesliga champions have stated that personal terms have been agreed with the Spanish midfielder, but a deal is yet to be finalised with Madrid. Alonso, who spent five years at the Bernabeu, is booked in to undergo a medical today.

© Getty Images

Crystal Palace announced the return of manager Neil Warnock yesterday, but it seems that Wilfried Zaha may also be coming back to Selhurst Park. Warnock told talkSPORT this morning that he is "optimistic" about bringing the Manchester United winger back to the club on a season-long loan. Zaha has struggled to seal a regular first-team spot at Old Trafford since moving to the club from Palace last year.

Staying in London, and West Ham United manager Sam Allardyce has told the press this morning that he hopes to sign one more "quality player" before the transfer window closes on September 1.

So, is Fernando Torres finally on his way out of Chelsea? The Spain international is reportedly open to joining AC Milan on a season-long loan after struggling to cement a regular spot in Chelsea's first team over the last three years. Reports in Italy have claimed that wages a proving to be a stumbling block, with Milan unable to cover Torres's £175,000-a-week salary.

That's all from me for the time being, so I shall hand you over to Dan Lewis, who will update you with the latest transfer news over the next few hours.

Manchester United have dominated the headlines over the past few days with the capture of British-record signing Angel di Maria, and they could be set to pull off an equally as impressive coup. Arturo Vidal looks to be closing in on a move to Old Trafford, while Wilfried Zaha could be on his way out of the club - all of which can be found in Sports Mole's afternoon Transfer Talk Update.

CONTRACT EXTENSION! Swansea City midfielder Ki Sung-yeung has ended speculation linking him with a move away from the Liberty Stadium by signing a new four-year deal. Click here to read more.

More from Manchester United now, and seemingly out of favour striker Javier Hernandez has reportedly been made the subject of bids from Valencia and Juventus. It is the latter that will excite United supporters, with the Italian giants previously said to have been offered the Mexico international plus cash for midfielder Arturo Vidal.

News emerged earlier today that Sunderland are reportedly close to landing Inter Milan's Ricky Alvarez on loan. Well Black Cats manager Gus Poyet has fallen short of confirming any deal, but he says that he is "confident" of completing more business before the window closes in four days time. Read Poyet's comments in full by clicking here.

Well that's all from me this afternoon. Danielle Joynson will now take you through the next four hours or so as the transfer clock continues to tick down towards its closing point.

Thanks Dan! So, Manchester United's new British record signing Angel di Maria has been officially unveiled by the club this afternoon. The former Real Madrid star will wear the club's famous number seven shirt. Previous owners of that shirt include George Best, Eric Cantona, David Beckham and Cristiano Ronaldo. No pressure then...

Our new no.7, Angel Di Maria. #WelcomeDiMaria pic.twitter.com/MURQDI5zkb — Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 28, 2014

So, who is next to come through the Old Trafford door? Louis van Gaal remained tight-lipped on Manchester United's targets this afternoon, but the Dutchman has hinted that there will be incomings and outgoings at the club before the transfer window closes on Monday. Read what Van Gaal had to say here.

Manchester United winger Wilfried Zaha confirms on Twitter that he is returning to Crystal Palace!

Back !! #CPFC pic.twitter.com/oWNvrK8vvU — Wilfried Zaha (@wilfriedzaha) August 28, 2014

Much of the news regarding Manchester United in recent days has been about who will arrive at Old Trafford, but after spending nearly £60m on Angel di Maria, United are going to have to recoup some of that outlay with a couple of sales before the end of the transfer window. One potential departure could involve Tom Cleverley, who has been linked with an £8m move to Aston Villa.

Right, that's me done for the day! I'll hand you over to Shane Callaghan, who will bring you the latest transfer news as it emerges over the next few hours.

Cheers Danielle. Good evening folks. You can catch up on all of our latest transfer gossip here.

On to Swansea as Garry Monk is not yet sure that Wilfried Bony will be at the club in September. More on this can be found here.

Could Danny Welbeck be heading to Tottenham? Apparently so! Click here for more.

Big news from Leicester City now as the Foxes confirm the Bosman signing of Esteban Cambiasso! You can find more on this here.

Fernando Torres's proposed switch to AC Milan seems to be gathering pace. Here, his agent claims that there is a "real possibility" that the move will materialise.

Good news for Tottenham fans as Southampton manager Ronald Koeman seems very downbeat over his chances of luring Andros Townsend away from White Hart Lane. More on this here.

Right, that's all from me folks. Mark Langshaw will feed your transfer fix for the next three hours or so. Goodnight.

Cheers, Shane. I'll be here until the bitter end for all the latest transfer gossip until 2am. First up, some interesting comments from Everton manager Roberto Martinez about Romelu Lukaku's transfer fee.

Everton manager Roberto Martinez has insisted that he would have paid £100m for Romelu Lukaku, who he believes was an absolute bargain at £28m. Lukaku is expected to face his former club this weekend when the Blues take on Chelsea.

Liverpool defender Glen Johnson has said that he is not worried about his future at the club, despite formal talks over a new contract yet to take place. The England international's current deal is up in June, and he has been told that he may have to accept a pay cut to stay.

Chelsea striker Fernando Torres's future has been the subject of intense speculation of late, and his former teammate Demba Ba believes that he may have to leave Stamford Bridge to find happiness. Torres is thought to be close to joining AC Milan.

Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has warned fans that new signing Angel di Maria will not single-handedly reverse the club's fortunes, stressing that further rebuilding is needed.

Another Manchester United-centric update for you as Shinji Kagawa is reported to have entered talks with his former club Borussia Dortmund. The Germans are said to be interested in taking the Japan international out on loan, with a view to making the move permanent at the end of the year.

We're hearing talk of a possible new contract for Southampton's Jack Cork. Full story on the way...

Saints boss Ronald Koeman has challenged Crystal Palace target Cork to remain with the Saints and earn the right to a new contract. Cork's existing deal expires next summer, meaning that he could leave on a free transfer.

To recap on a story from earlier, Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly keen on taking Manchester United striker Danny Welbeck on loan. Since that story broke, there have been rumblings that Welbeck is interested in the move.

And that's it from us this evening. Be sure to join Sports Mole from 9am tomorrow for live transfer talk throughout the day. Many thanks for following our transfer blog.