Chelsea ‘reject’ Barcelona star on deadline day, Arsenal man takes pay cut to secure exit

It was a busy summer transfer window for all three of London’s biggest clubs.

We saw significant business at Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham, who all strengthened over the course of the window.

Arsenal and Tottenham acted quickly to improve their squads, while Chelsea had to scramble after losing key players over the course of the summer.

Deadline day was a busy one for the Blues, in particular, as they snapped up Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang late in the day.

Here we round up all the latest transfer news and rumours concerning the London trio and their rivals.

Hector Bellerin took a pay cut to return to Barcelona on deadline day. The full-back agreed a deal to terminate his Arsenal contract after months of trying to seal an exit. In the end, he joined Barcelona on a free transfer, taking a pay cut to secure the deal. (First Post)

Memphis Depay was reportedly a target of Tottenham’s on deadline day, but no deal was done in the end. That was, in part, because Memphis was pushing for a move to Chelsea, but the Blues were not interested in a deal. In the end, Tottenham also withdrew interest, leaving Memphis at Barcelona. (Rudy Galetti)

Leeds are said to have made significant savings on new signing Gnonto. FC Zurich were said to be asking for around £7million, but it’s claimed the Whites managed to seal a deal for as little as £3million just before the deadline. (Football Insider)

Bamba Dieng wound up enduring a rather disastrous deadline day. The forward appear to agree a move to Elland Road, with Whites owner Andrea Raddrizani confirming the incoming deal on Twitter. Dieng was said to be at the airport awaiting a flight to Leeds when an offer came in from Nice, one he preferred. But late in the day, he failed his Nice medical and missed out on a move altogether. Radrizzani later tweeted that Leeds had been ‘screwed up’. (BBC)

Graham Potter has already issued his verdict on new signing Billy Gilmour, who joined Brighton on a £9million deal from Chelsea. He said: “Billy arrives with a fantastic pedigree, having played in the Premier League and Champions League as well as for Scotland at last year’s Euros. He will complement our existing midfield options. That experience at quite a young age shows the strength of character he has and we’re really excited by his potential. Now it’s about allowing him the time to get used to a new environment and settling in to our club. We can’t wait to work with him.” (Brighton’s official website)

Everton are said to have made a late attempt to hijack Newcastle’s efforts to sign Watford star Joao Pedro. The Magpies appeared to be some way along in the deal before things broke down, and Everton tried to step in to strike a £30million agreement. But Watford rejected the deal, refusing to sell Joao Pedro. (Fabrizio Romano)