The top stories and transfer rumours from Thursday’s newspapers…

PREMIER LEAGUE

Liverpool are yet to receive any official approaches for attacking duo Harvey Elliott or Federico Chiesa but the club are willing to listen to offers for the duo this week – Daily Mail

Newcastle have not given up hope of signing Matias Fernandez-Pardo before Tuesday’s transfer deadline – Daily Mail

Aston Villa have asked about West Ham defender Jean-Clair Todibo as they search for a centre back to replace Ezri Konsa – Daily Mail

Chelsea are progressing in talks with Atalanta over their 18-year-old defender Honest Ahanor – Daily Mail

Arsenal could offer Viktor Gyokeres and Gabriel Jesus in part-exchange for Julian Alvarez – The Independent

Crystal Palace have rebuffed an initial approach from Liverpool for Ismaila Sarr – The Athletic

Chelsea are ready to make a last-ditch mega offer to sign Alex Scott as a replacement for Enzo Fernandez – The Athletic

CRICKET

Joe Root’s dad has revealed that his son did not initially want to accept the England captaincy for a second time – The Times

SCOTTISH FOOTBALL

Rangers have reportedly been offered £6m for Djeidi Gassama by competing Serie A duo Monza and Parma – Scottish Sun

St Mirren have struck a deal to sign Manchester United defender Louis Jackson – Scottish Sun

Liverpool have an agreement in principle with Paris Saint-Germain to sign Bradley Barcola for a package worth £120m. 

The deal has not been finalised, with last details still being discussed, but there has been a breakthrough in negotiations.

There had been a gap in valuation between the two clubs throughout the summer, with PSG previously asking for around £145m for the France international.

The final detail of the proposed deal is still to be agreed but the £120m fee is understood to now be fixed in place as the value Liverpool will be paying for the 23-year-old.

Should Liverpool get this deal over the line before the deadline, it would allow Cody Gakpo to leave Anfield, with Tottenham and Manchester City both interested in the Dutchman.

Liverpool are also trying to sign a second new winger, with their target currently Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr following difficult negotiations with Brighton for Yankuba Minteh.

Liverpool’s search for a second winger

Liverpool have approached Palace over a potential deal for Sarr.

Andoni Iraola’s side are considering their options after talks stalled with Brighton over Minteh. Brighton are holding out for £80m after rejecting two bids from Liverpool, the latest worth £60m.

Meanwhile, Palace have no intention of letting Sarr go at this stage and consider the 28-year-old to be not for sale. He has three years left on his contract.

Sarr missed Palace’s opening weekend defeat at Everton. Reports claimed he was refusing to train but it is understood that the winger is currently injured.

More to follow…

World-record holder Sabastian Sawe has pulled out of next month’s Berlin Marathon with an injury, event organisers have confirmed.

The Kenyan ran 1:59:30s in London this April to set a historic marker in the distance and had been set to take to the roads again in Germany to defend his title.

Neither the type of injury, nor the status of Sawe’s fitness, have been made public. “We would have very much liked to see back in Berlin,” race director Mark Milde said in a press release on Thursday. “All the more, we regret that he will not be able to compete this year. We wish him all the best for his recovery and hope to welcome him back to Berlin soon.”

Sawe’s world record in London was the first sub-two hour performance in legal conditions, seven years after his compatriot Eliud Kipchoge became the first to break that barrier at a curated event between INEOS and Nike.

“Anything is possible, it’s a matter of time,” he told The Athletic in an interview the day after his success in the British capital, when asked about the potential of improving on that time this autumn.

“My plan is to keep training. I kept to my (training) programme well.” the Kenyan said of the key factor behind running 1:59, noting that his training group contains many “strong guys”: major marathon winner Benson Kipruto, plus Amos Kipruto, who ran 2:01:39s for fourth in London.

The withdrawal means that Sawe will not repeat his 2025 season, when he recorded victories in London and Berlin, and he holds a perfect record of four wins from as many major marathons.

The 31-year-old’s win here last year was a sign of his world-record potential, as he clocked 2:02:16 in hot conditions to finish four minutes clear of the rest of the field. Berlin is considered a faster course of London because of a flatter profile and, typically, more reliable conditions.

His withdrawal, exactly a month out from the 2026 edition, means he will not defend his title. Sawe was vying to become the third Kenyan man since 2006 to win in consecutive years in the German capital, following Patrick Musyoki (2010 and 2011) and former world-record holder Kipchoge (four wins between 2017 and 2023).

Tigst Assefa, who took nine seconds off her own women’s-only world record in London, headlines the women’s field.

The Ethiopian ran 2:11:53 in Berlin with male pacemakers to set a world record in 2023 — a performance which now is third all-time — and is a three-time major marathon winner.