Transfer rumours: Mateta linked to Aston Villa as Delap nears Nottingham Forest move
On 26 August 2026, transfer speculation linked Jean-Philippe Mateta with Aston Villa and suggested Liam Delap was set to join Nottingham Forest in a wave of late-summer activity.
Reports say Villa have submitted an offer to Crystal Palace for Mateta that is well short of what the London club seeks, while Delap is thought to be moving to Forest for an expected fee of £50m.
Delap is a 23-year-old England youth international who scored only one Premier League goal in the 2025-26 season; injury problems with his shoulder and hamstring were cited as contributors to that low return. Chelsea were said to be open to selling Delap after that season, and the club would make a £20m profit if the £50m fee is completed, having purchased him from Ipswich for £30m in 2025. Nottingham Forest are also reported to be interested in Corinthians and Brazil midfielder André as they pursue further business.
Aston Villa’s offer for Mateta is described as far from Crystal Palace’s valuation, and one anticipated route to financing a deal would be the sale of Ollie Watkins. Watkins has been heavily linked with Saudi club Al-Hilal, with his signature reportedly set to be worth about £59.8m. Villa are said to be close to agreeing the Watkins move, and the deal is understood to include an annual salary of £12m for the English international.
Other reported transfer targets circulating in the market include Manchester United’s interest in Stuttgart defender Finn Jeltsch and Newcastle United submitting a bid for Lille winger Matias Fernandez-Pardo. Brentford are reported to be close to a deal for West Ham defender El Hadji Malick Diouf, with suggestions he may play in the Premier League again.
Newly promoted Hull are reported to have agreed a move to sign Ilyas Ansah from Union Berlin in a deal worth £20m. Tottenham Hotspur are pushing to sign Omar Marmoush from Manchester City, a move that, if completed, would leave Spurs’ summer spending close to £400m. Supporters were noted to be stunned by Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford last weekend.
Enzo Fernández was met with a wall of boos when Chelsea played Fulham in their opening fixture, and reports say he may not play in London for much longer. Chelsea are said to want £120m for the 25-year-old Argentina midfielder, and Manchester City will submit a bid for him; the transfer is described as potentially the biggest of the summer so far. Fernández also scored and showboated in England's defeat to Argentina in the World Cup semi-final.
Manchester City’s intended bid for Enzo Fernández is expected to arrive before Monday’s deadline day, and, as the column put it, "With deadline day approaching, last-minute signings will come out of the woodwork at every turn."