The 32-year-old former Gunners captain arrived in Spain on Monday morning, sparking rumours of a loan move to the LaLiga side although confusion reigned as no agreement had been reached.

The Gabon international returned home early from the Africa Cup of Nations due to health reasons, but has not played for the Gunners since being disciplined by the club in December.

He had been linked with a loan move this January, with Barcelona among those clubs reportedly showing interest.

It is understood that talks progressed during Monday and Aubameyang is set to complete a free transfer to Barcelona, with the deal to be announced on Tuesday morning.

New Everton boss Frank Lampard made an immediate splash in the market having been appointed as Rafael Benitez’s replacement at Goodison Park earlier in the day.

Manchester United midfielder Donny van de Beek joined on loan for the rest of the season. The PA news agency understands no option to purchase Van de Beek permanently was included in the deal, which sees wages covered on top of a loan fee.

The Toffees also secured Tottenham midfielder Dele Alli (25) on a two-and-a-half-year contract, with both players hoping to rejuvenate their careers under Lampard.

Having announced the departure of their club-record signing Tanguy Ndombele, who rejoined former side Lyon on loan until the end of the season, Tottenham soon revealed two new arrivals from Juventus.

Rodrigo Bentancur signed a four-and-a-half-year deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the Uruguay midfielder moving for an initial fee of €19 million (£15.9m), with another €6m (£5m) in potential add-ons.

Sweden winger Dejan Kulusevski followed soon after, joining on an 18-month loan deal with an obligation to make the move permanent for €35m (£29.2m) if certain objectives are met, or the option to complete the deal if not.

Bryan Gil, who only arrived at Spurs last summer from Sevilla, made a swift return to LaLiga having signed on loan with Valencia for six months while Giovani Lo Celso joined Villarreal for the remainder of the campaign.

Former Spurs man Christian Eriksen returned to football with a move to Brentford just seven months after suffering a cardiac arrest.

The 29-year-old, who collapsed while playing for Denmark at Euro 2020 last summer, was a free agent after leaving Inter Milan by mutual consent as rules in Italy prevented him from playing with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) device fitted.

Premier League leaders Manchester City were active, too, signing Argentina striker Julian Alvarez, although the 22-year-old will remain with River Plate on loan until at least July – and potentially longer depending on their progress in the Copa Libertadores.

Alvarez, who has five caps for his country, has scored 36 goals and added 25 assists in 96 appearances for River Plate.

Bottom club Burnley completed the signing of Holland international Wout Weghorst from Wolfsburg for a reported £12m fee.

The 6ft 6in striker has signed a three-and-a-half-year contract.

Manager Sean Dyche said: “Wout is a player that our scouts have been strong on for some time and we feel that he can add to all that we do at Burnley Football Club.

“His signing is a continued show of the club’s and team’s development. We wish Wout well as he earns the right to push our group forwards.”

Weghorst, capped 12 times by Holland, has scored 59 goals in 118 Bundesliga appearances.

Newcastle also added to their ranks as they battle against the drop, bringing in two players on deadline day.

Matt Targett arrived on loan from Aston Villa for the remainder of the season while boyhood Newcastle fan Dan Burn signed from Brighton for an undisclosed fee, while midfielders Jeff Hendrick, Elliot Anderson and Matty Longstaff all left for loan deals with EFL clubs.

Elsewhere, Crystal Palace signed their on-loan forward Jean-Philippe Mateta on a permanent basis and also swooped for young Derby forward Luke Plange.

Plange has only made five Sky Bet Championship appearances for Derby and will remain on loan with Wayne Rooney’s side for the rest of the season.

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Conte has seen first-hand just how good Alli can be as he scored two goals when Spurs ended Chelsea’s 13-game winning run in the 2016/17 Premier League campaign, when the Italian’s side went on to take the title.

That performance from Alli reinforced his status as one of the best young players in Europe, but his career has slumped since then and both Jose Mourinho and Nuno Espirito Santo jettisoned him from their strongest side.

But Conte’s arrival this week could give the 25-year-old, and other fringe players like Harry Winks, the opportunity to state their case.

Conte said ahead of his first Premier League game in charge at Everton on Sunday: “I remember very well when we played against Tottenham in the past, specifically one game when we lost after 13 wins in a row and Dele scored twice.

“But this is the past. Now is there is a present and for sure Dele is a player that has great potential, physically he is strong and very good.

“For sure I give him the possibility to show he has talent, at the same time when I pick the starting XI I do it because I think they can bring the team to win, the same when I make changes during the game.

“I am open, I am open for every single player in Tottenham. The most important thing is they show me they deserve the chance to play.

“The door is open for every single player, my first thought is to try and give them the best situation to show their talent, but then they need to show me I must be sure to give them a chance and repay.

“For all players, every single player. For now we are starting from zero, there is a new coach. I tell every single player, not specifically Dele, show me you deserve to play from the start and I will give you the chance to start.”

Conte will come up against Rafael Benitez at Goodison Park, with the Spaniard coming under pressure after taking one point from the last four games.

But the Italian is still expecting a tough test, especially as he knows how much his side have to improve.

“I remember that I lost my last game in the Premier League against Benitez,” he said. “For sure, our expectation is to have a tough game because Everton is a really good team, Goodison Park is not an easy place to play.

“At the same time, we want to show, to try to improve the result, especially for our place in the table. It won’t be easy.

“We need to work a lot to try to improve this team. There are many, many aspects. Not only tactical but also physically. We need a bit of time to do this. Especially to find the time as it’s a bit difficult.”

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The England international, who was frozen out last season under previous Spurs boss Jose Mourinho, was unable to make a nine-man bench for the midweek League Cup win at Burnley.

Fellow midfielder Harry Winks has also barely featured under Nuno, who took charge of the London club ahead of this season.

Winks, 25, has been outspoken about his desire for regular action while Alli, also 25, is unlikely to allow another season to be wasted, meaning the January transfer window could be a potential way out for both players.

Nuno, who refused to say whether either player would be involved against Manchester United on Saturday, is not allowing himself to be distracted by talk of their future.

“They are our players, they are here with us,” he said.

“There’s nothing to be worried about. It’s a situation that we have to work, we have to improve all the players, build momentum on the performance of the players.”

The Portuguese boss added: “This is what is a squad. Making decisions, taking advantage of the moment, the talent, what we want for the game. All the players we count.

“We are talking about January, so far away, so far away. We have to focus on what we do now.”

Spurs are welcoming a United side who will be desperate to perform well after last week’s 5-0 thrashing by Liverpool.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is facing huge questions about his position, but Nuno is also feeling the pressure after an indifferent start to life at Spurs.

“There’s no manager in the world that’s not under pressure. It’s part of our job,” he said.

“My focus is on what I can control and what I can impact,” he added.

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Alli has endured a difficult season having been frozen out by former boss Jose Mourinho, but Ryan Mason handed him just a third league start of the season against the Blades in a front four with Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Gareth Bale.

It was an impressive attacking display by Spurs, with Alli – albeit a but rusty at times – playing a crucial link in the No 10 role.

Dier, who is big mates with Alli, revealed the 25-year-old has been working hard for his chance.

‘I thought he played really well. From the inside I can tell you he’s been working really hard and trained really well,’ he said. ‘And against Sheffield United he put that on the pitch.

‘Everyone knows his qualities, but I think he also has a lot of qualities which go unnoticed. The amount of second balls he wins, the amount he runs for the team and presses.

‘He’s always attached to the game, it’s like he’s on a string to the ball. He is always attached to the game in every moment and that’s a great quality to have.’

Dier had a pretty quiet evening against the Blades, meaning he had a great vantage point of a thrilling Tottenham display.

Bale stole the headlines with a sublime hat-trick, while Son scored the goal of the game with a brilliant curling effort.

And Dier enjoyed his front row seat.

‘Obviously, it’s a very nice feeling. It’s a luxury to play behind them and with all of their qualities I think they complement each other really well,’ he added.

‘They each have slightly different qualities and it’s a pleasure to play with them.

‘There is a lot of firepower there and a lot to back it up – their history, their goals and assists, and what they have done in the game.

‘I think we have a lot of quality up front, even off the bench. We have a lot of quality in attack that no opposition would like to come up against. That includes Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn, Erik Lamela and the others as well.

‘We have a lot of options and they are all options nobody would like to play against.’

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Alli scored a special opener in the 10th minute and then set up both Carlos Vinicius, who added a late second, and Gareth Bale as Spurs made it through to the last 16 with an 8-1 aggregate victory over the Austrian side.

It has been a difficult season for Alli, having been frozen out by Mourinho, but he enjoyed the best night of his reintegration into the squad following a failed January transfer-window exit.

There is some mitigation in the fact he was playing against the lowest-ranked opposition left in the Europa League, but it is a big step forward and Mourinho is excited by the impact he could yet have this season.

‘The goal I don’t need to speak of, because everyone watched it and I believe that all around the world on all these sports TV, people are going to watch it, no need to talk about it,’ Mourinho said. ‘But for me the globality of the performance is what matters.

‘He played very well in every aspect of the game, he played very well. Of course he’s not fresh, of course you can feel that his performance like in the first leg from minute 55-60 is going to go down, which is normal due to the circumstances – injured, not training for a long time.

‘But, in this moment when we are going to play every three days, 10 matches in March, to have Dele back at this level is amazing.

‘But I wouldn’t say Dele only. [Harry] Winks, [Moussa] Sissoko, just to give two more examples, to have them back to this level, we need more than ever.’

Mourinho is also excited by the prospect of teenage striker Dane Scarlett, who came off the bench and had a hand in Vinicius’ second goal.

In doing so, he became the first 16-year-old to produce a Europa League assist since Kylian Mbappe.

While there are no comparisons being made by anyone at Spurs to the France World Cup winner, Mourinho thinks his youngster has a bright future.

‘Dane has incredible talent. I don’t want to speak too much because tomorrow I arrive in the building and the kid’s boss is going to kill me,’ Mourinho said.

‘I don’t want that, so I don’t want to speak too well about him. I just want to say that he will be 17 next month and I want him to be part of the first-team squad next season.

‘So, this season he is there and here, goes to training sessions with us and matches with the kids of his age and trains there.

‘Next season he has to be a first-team player. Immense talent. Very good physical development.

‘He’s very good, he’s going to be very good. I hope that nothing is going to destroy that potential. He must have feet on the ground and head on his shoulders because he has a fantastic talent.

‘And to bring on the other two kids is always a pleasure because in the end it’s a motivation for everyone in the academy.’

Wolfsberger were never really in the tie from the point Spurs led 3-0 at half time of the first leg last week.

Head coach Ferdinand Feldhofer was proud of their Europa League journey.

He said: ‘We are at the end of the road, it was a great season in the Europa League and we will never forget this season.

‘We have had some great moments that we will never forget and that is something we can build on. It is something we can be proud of as Wolfsberger.’

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Alli has been linked with a loan move to the Parc des Princes throughout the January window, which shuts at 11pm on Monday.

The England international has been frozen out at Tottenham by Jose Mourinho this season.

Alli has not started a Premier League game since the opening weekend of the campaign.

Mauricio Pochettino, who was appointed as Thomas Tuchel’s successor as PSG boss last month, is keen to be reunited with Alli in the French capital.

The player himself is also said to be keen on a move as he seeks more regular first-team football ahead of this summer’s European Championship.

And Mourinho is also happy to let Alli leave, having only handed him 75 minutes of Premier League action this term.

However, Alli is still unsure whether he will be permitted to join PSG for the remainder of the season.

According to the Daily Mail, the saga could go right down to the wire as negotiations between the two clubs continue.

Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has yet to sanction the deal due to concerns over a lack of midfield cover.

Spurs do not want to let Alli leave unless they can secure a replacement, which looks increasingly unlikely with just hours of the window to go.

Christian Eriksen was a potential target but Inter now look set to keep hold of the former Spurs man.

And with Giovani Lo Celso currently out injured, Alli’s hopes of sealing a switch to PSG are hanging by a thread.

Mourinho’s side were beaten 1-0 by Brighton this  past Sunday, leaving Spurs six points adrift of the top four.

Chelsea visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday night, before West Brom’s trip to north London at the weekend.

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Dele Alli’s frustrations over playing time at Tottenham Hotspur could end this month as a big-money move to PSG grows increasingly likely. This is according to various media sources.

Former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino – who was unveiled as the new PSG manager on Saturday after replacing sacked German coach Thomas Tuchel – is keen to make Alli his first major signing in January. Pochettino has even been in contact with Alli over a potential move, according to French outlet Foot Mercato.

A transfer would reunite Pochettino with a player he signed as a teenager from MK Dons in 2015. Under the Argentinian, Alli grew into one of the most exciting young midfielders in Europe, winning back to back PFA Young Player of the Year Awards in 2016 and 2017 and becoming an England regular in the process.

Alli has seen his star fall at Tottenham Hotspur since Pochettino was replaced in north London by Jose Mourinho in September 2019. Mourinho has consistently complained about Alli’s dedication to training and his work rate and fitness levels during games. It is believed he would be willing to sell Alli in order to generate funds ahead of the summer.

PSG would appeal to Alli as a move, and not only because his former coach wants him there and increased playing time will be necessary if Alli stands any chance of making it to this summer’s Euros. The French club are serial league champions and a major contender in Europe, having reached the Champions League final last season. The opportunity to play with world stars such as Neymar and Kylian Mbappe would also feature heavily in his decision-making.

Pochettino was something of a surprise choice in Paris, having previously worked with underdog sides in need of improvement, as opposed to established giants. How he implements his hard-pressing style on his new squad promises to be one of the more fascinating story lines of the remaining season. In Alli, he would be guaranteed a player who has previously thrived in his tactical system.

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Here the PA news agency takes a look at five players who might be pushing for a move ahead of the opening of the transfer window on January 2.

Mesut Ozil

Ozil is the highest-paid player in Arsenal history, but was omitted from manager Mikel Arteta’s Premier League and Europa League squads this season. Ozil was a mainstay of the team when Arteta first took charge, but has not played a minute for the Gunners since March 7. Although his contract at the Emirates lasts until the end of the campaign, the former Germany international said earlier this season he was disappointed to have been left out of the squad and that his loyalty to the club had not been reciprocated, so could push for an earlier move to get some much-needed playing time.

Dele Alli

The 24-year-old has not started a Premier League game for Tottenham since the opening day of the season, but came off the bench in recent league games against Crystal Palace and Liverpool and could be involved in the Carabao Cup quarter-final against Stoke. The England international has been limited to just 10 appearances for Jose Mourinho’s side this season, compared to 38 last term, and has scored just two goals, both in the Europa League. With Euro 2020 coming up this summer, Alli could look to move to improve his bid for a place in Gareth Southgate’s squad.

Jesse Lingard

The 28-year-old is out of contract this summer, and has been linked with a loan move in January to Sheffield United. Lingard has been limited to just two appearances this season, both in the Carabao Cup in October. However, the midfielder was already being left out towards the end of last season where he made only two post-lockdown Premier League appearances.

Paul Pogba

Although Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola said the midfielder is unlikely to leave Old Trafford in January, he has also stated that the France international was unhappy at the club and was open to a change. Pogba posted a message on Instagram suggesting he had no intention of going anywhere soon, although his form under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been far from consistent and he made just 22 appearances last season.

Harry Winks

Jose Mourinho has said that Winks will not be departing in January but the England midfielder has fallen out of the manager’s first-choice side and has mainly been restricted to Europa League action this season. Winks has said he is desperate for game time to try and force his way into the England side for next summer’s tournament, but currently that appears unlikely. Mourinho confirmed the 24-year-old had been to see him over his lack of game time, and a loan move in January remains a possibility.

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(Image credit: PA)

GOALS!

Stating the obvious, perhaps. But the start to the 2020-21 Premier League campaign has seen a deluge of goals raining in from every angle and through every means possible.

There have already been 103 of them in just 28 games, averaging 3.67 per league fixture. That’s a long way above the usual standard.

Plus, let’s not forget that round two was the highest-scoring weekend in Premier League history with 44 goals in 10 matches.

Could this weekend surpass that? Probably not, but with penalties being handed out for fun, you just never know …

IN THE MAG: Inside the new Manchester United, Pirlo the manager, Rush, Drogba, Bury, Belarus, latest signings and more

More VAR handball drama

Speaking of which, we can only hope that we get through this weekend’s Premier League fixtures without an existential crisis sparked by more handball penalties.

The last-gasp spot kick awarded to Newcastle against Tottenham last weekend prompted more than a few ‘game is gone’ reactions, with Eric Dier apparently completely unaware of what was going on when he felt the ball strike his arm.

We also saw Manchester United clinch victory over Brighton after the full-time whistle because a handball had been spotted.

Although we normally have a ‘more the merrier’ philosophy when it comes to goals, it would be nice to get through a weekend without the new handball rule being the major talking point.

What next in the Dele Alli saga?

Spurs’ hammering of Maccabi Haifa in the Europa League playoffs on Thursday might have marked a turning point in the midfielder’s difficult start to the season.

Alli hasn’t featured in the Premier League since being hooked at half time in the opening-day defeat by Everton, but he came off the bench to win and score a stoppage-time penalty in the 7-2 victory over the Israelis.

After a week in which a loan bid from PSG was reportedly rejected, it will be interesting to see how many – if any – minutes Jose Mourinho hands to the 24-year-old when the Portuguese faces his former employers Manchester United on Sunday.

Can Calvert-Lewin be stopped?

Any Fantasy Premier League managers who still don’t have the Everton striker in their team are missing a trick.

The 23-year-old has started the season in sensational form and scored his second hat-trick of the campaign in the midweek League Cup victory over West Ham.

With five goals in his opening three games, and new signing James Rodriguez settling in nicely behind him, the England striker will surely provide a stern test for the Brighton backline on Saturday.

Debutants shore up Chelsea defence

You don’t need a degree in football analysis (is that a thing?) to work out where Chelsea’s biggest issue lies.

The chaotic defending of last season has continued into the new one, and Thiago Silva’s debut last weekend didn’t exactly help matters as he made a costly error leading to a goal in the bonkers 3-3 draw with West Brom, in which the Blues had to fight back from a 3-0 half-time deficit.

Chelsea have already made three errors directly leading to goals in the Premier League this season, but they are hoping some new faces can help stem the flow when they face Crystal Palace in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.

Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy and left back Ben Chilwell are both available to make their league debuts for Frank Lampard’s side after featuring midweek against Tottenham in the League Cup. Whether that will be enough to stop Wilfried Zaha and co is another question.

Dazzling debuts

The summer transfer window is now in its twilight, but there are several new arrivals to keep tabs on this weekend.

The big signing this week was Manchester City’s £62-million capture of Benfica defender Ruben Dias on a six-year deal, and Pep Guardiola will be hoping the Portugal international can tighten things up at Leeds after watching his side ship five goals in the defeat by Leicester last time out.

West Ham have brought in Czech Republic international right back Vladimir Coufal from Slavia Prague for £5.4m, while there have been a couple of intriguing loan moves.

Ross Barkley has joined Aston Villa from Chelsea for the season as he looks to re-energise his career, while Ademola Lookman has returned to England with Fulham, a year after leaving Everton for RB Leipzig in a £22.5m deal.

The battle of the brains

Leeds vs Man City should be a terrific watch. Two of modern football’s most influential coaches, Marcelo Bielsa and Pep Guardiola, go head to head for the first time in the Premier League when City travel to Elland Road on Saturday.

Goals are to be expected: Pep’s side conceded five in defeat by Leicester last time out, while Leeds’ first three matches have yielded 15 goals.

Whether you’re a fan of tactical battles or free-flowing football, this fixture promises to have something for everyone.

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Alli was taken off at half time of the opening day defeat by Everton and left out of the following two games and has been linked with a move to Paris St Germain in recent days.

But he will travel to North Macedonia for the Europa League third-round qualifying clash with Shkendija on Thursday.

When asked if he expected Alli to stay, Mourinho told Sky Sports: “I believe, I can even say I am convinced, that he will be.”

The Portuguese added in a media conference previewing the game: “I always told [you] that he will have his opportunities, that [there’s] no problem at all to have him and, like every other player, performances are very important.

“He’s coming, he has a chance to play and it will be important for him to perform. It will be important for him and every other player, when the squad becomes competitive in many positions, it’s important for every player on the pitch to have an answer and perform.”

Alli looked like he was going to be a key player when Mourinho arrived at the club as he scored four goals in the first four games of the Portuguese’s reign, but injuries and inconsistency has had him slip down the pecking order.

He lasted only 45 minutes against Everton in the first Premier League match of the season and then did not feature at all in games against Lokomotiv Plovdiv and Southampton, instead training at the club’s Enfield base.

Mourinho says the onus is on Alli to prove his worth.

“There is a tendency now when a player performs or doesn’t perform to give responsibilities on coaches and some because they give him the right love, some because they give him the right stick,” he said.

“I always feel that 99% of the responsibility is the player. I have 1%. Me and my staff and the people that work with the players everyday. We have 1% of that responsibility, 99% of that belongs to them.

“We all know that since Dele arrived from MK Dons he had ups and downs, he had fabulous periods and also other periods where he disappeared from the top level of performances.

“With me it was not different than before. He had moments where he was so good and he also had moments when he was not so good.

“It is normal when you are in great form you play because you deserve because your production is big for the team. When you are not in a good moment, you don’t play and it is as simple as that.

“Players have to prove on the pitch with their performance, prove how good they are in that specific moment. Tomorrow he is selected, no decision yet about starting or being on the bench, but when he is selected he has chances to play.

“If he is on the pitch one minute or 90 minutes he has to show us, it’s that simple.”

Mourinho will take a full-strength squad to Macedonia as they try and make it through to a playoff against either FC Rostov or Maccabi Haifa next week.

Spurs’ preparations for the game were thrown into chaos after their planned Carabao Cup clash with Leyton Orient was called off on Tuesday due to a spate of coronavirus infections at the League Two club.

It does at least mean that their players will have extra rest and will likely see Mourinho name as close to his first XI as possible.

“The team that was supposed to play last night is different to the team that plays tomorrow,” Mourinho added. “The main reason is that we played last Sunday at Southampton and one thing is Sunday,Tuesday and another is Sunday, Thursday.

“So this is a normal situation for a football player of this level to have three days’ rest and to play again on Thursday. Normal.

“It’s not normal to play Sunday and then play Tuesday, so obviously the teams are going to be different. The main reason is health and conditions to perform.

“Is the Europa League a competition that we want very much to get to the group stage. Yes, it is.”

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