Mohamed Salah is tempted by Saudi Arabia; Aston Villa are working on a new left-back; Hakim Ziyech, his experience with Chelsea is (finally) over. Here are some of the main stories over the last few days of the transfer market from TribalFootball's transfer expert Rudy Galetti.
CORREA OUT, ALEXIS IN: INTER PLAN TO SHAKE-UP ATTACK
Joaquin Correa is no longer part of Inter's plans, and this is absolutely clear. The Nerazzurri are working hard to part ways with the Argentine player now considered a liability.
A few weeks ago, a Saudi Arabian club tried to take him away from Inter, but in the end nothing happened. Now Torino are in talks with the Nerazzurri to understand the margins of negotiation for Joaquin, which are very wide. Not for nothing, Inter - to facilitate his transfer - are open to letting him go also on loan, paying part of the salary. However, this may not be enough to make space in the squad and open the doors to the possible return of Alexis Sanchez.
The former Olympique de Marseille player is waiting for the exit of Correa to return to Milan, 12 months after his farewell. The Chilean player is followed by Real Betis - Manuel Pellegrini appreciates him a lot - and also in Saudi Arabia there are admirers, but he only wants to join again Inter and has put on standby every other opportunity waiting for Correa to leave.
To ensure that this happens, now it's up to Torino: the negotiation will continue till Deadline Day to find a definitive solution for Joaquin.
ASTON VILLA SEEKING NEW LEFT-BACK
Aston Villa are working hard to sign a new left-back in this transfer market session. The English club is on the verge of selling Lucas Digne - OGC Nice having surpassed Al Hilal in the race for the French player - and now is looking for a suitable replacement.
A few days ago, it seemed that the negotiation with Sevilla for Marcos Acuna was going very well, but in reality, it was not so. The Spanish club changed its mind about the possibility of letting the Argentine player go to the point of being included in the starting lineup of the match - lost 4-3 - against Alaves.
On their side, the English club - desperately looking for a left-back - are exploring other options including Nino Tavares, from Arsenal. The priority of Aston Villa is to find and sign a new left-back: they are completely focused on this target.
AMRABAT, BETWEEN SAUDI AND EUROPE
The future of Sofyan Amrabat is still to be decided. At this stage, there are many options on his table, opportunities that the Moroccan midfielder is seriously considering.
Starting with a Saudi offer: Al Ahli are looking for at least one new midfielder - probably two - and Amrabat is one of the top targets on their list. The contacts with the Fiorentina player are already on, trying to convince Sofyan who, at the beginning of negotiation, wasn't so sure or open to the idea of Saudi Arabia. Al Ahli settled a deadline last week to receive the final response, but at the moment nothing has arrived from the midfielder.
However, the unclear situation of Piotr Zielinski - with the deal collapsed with the Saudi club after agreeing all terms verbally - convinced Al Ahli to wait a few more days, giving him more time to think about the proposal. Anyway, the Saudi destination - as it stands - remains a difficult option: with Liverpool getting back in touch with him, Man United remain interested and Atletico Madrid are on his tracks as well, it's easy to understand that the competition for Sofyan is fierce.
The race for Amrabat is fully open: as told, his future is still to be decided and anything can really happen.
HAKIM ZIYECH FINDS A NEW HOME
The transfer ordeal of Hakim Ziyech is finally over. The former Chelsea player in fact joined Galatasaray, definitively closing a transfer saga that seemed destined to last forever.
Everything began in January, when Ziyech was on the verge of moving to PSG in a loan transfer, then collapsing on deadline day. While Hakim was already in Paris waiting the finalisation of his documents for the move, Chelsea kept sending the wrong papers, killing the deal.
Then, in June another incredible story with Al Nassr: the Saudi club reached a full agreement with Hakim and also with Chelsea for his transfer, but during the medical tests a knee injury emerged. This voided any obligation for the Saudi club, with the player forced to return to Chelsea - and on the sidelines of the new project.
But now Galatasaray's chance has finally gone well for Hakim: the Turkish club decided to focus on him, despite the alleged injury of some weeks ago. No issues during the medical tests with Galatasaray that a few days later signed Ziyech, finalising his transfer from Chelsea. The welcome from the fans was fantastic: if Hakim is able to return to World Cup levels, given the very low transfer fee - just a few bonuses - he might be considered one of the best signings, in terms of value for money, of this transfer market session.
SALAH LEAVES LIVERPOOL TO DECIDE FUTURE
Arab sirens for Mo Salah. The Liverpool player was approached days ago by Al Ittihad. He doesn't mind the idea of playing in Saudi, but considering the utmost respect for his club, he will let Liverpool to decide freely about his future.
On the contrary, for sure, he would like to start a new experience in Saudi in the '24/25 season, and talks in this direction are already in progress. Anyway, the positions of Liverpool and especially of Jurgen Klopp are clear: in these last two weeks of transfer market there is no valid alternatives to be signed as a replacement for Mo: so, unless sensational twists, Salah will remain in the Premier League this season.
However, the situation for next season is different: as mentioned, talks about landing in Saudi Arabia have already started with the entourage of the Egyptian player who, together with Luka Modric and Kevin De Bruyne, has been included by the Saudi Investment Fund in the list of main targets to be targeted.
Will it therefore be Mo Salah's last season in the Reds shirt? Very likely, although Liverpool fans will almost certainly be lucky enough to see him play at Anfield again this year.
