By John Essien
Transfer deadline day remains the busiest and most hectic period in the summer window –where clubs scramble to tie up the last-gasp deals of the summer market.
While Lionel Messi’s shock departure from Barcelona and eventual move to Paris Saint-Germain will be the highlight of the 2021 transfer window, the deadline deals also came with further surprises.
In case you missed out, here is a recap of the deadline day deals as it happened…
Chelsea Sign Atlético’s Saúl On Loan But Failed To Land Koundé
Spanish midfielder, Saúl Ñíguez moved on loan from Atletico Madrid to Chelsea for a fee of £5m with an option to buy for £30m, after Thomas Tuchel’s hopes of buying Jules Koundé from Sevilla ended in disappointment.
West Ham seal Nikola Vlasic deal for £25m and sign Alex Kral on loan
West Ham have followed the signing of Nikola Vlasic from CSKA Moscow for €30m (£25.7m) by bringing in Spartak Moscow’s Alex Kral on a season’s loan with a €13m option to buy.
Ronaldo’s Makes Stunning Return To Old Trafford
Cristiano Ronaldo re-joined Manchester United on a two-year contract with the option for a further year, subject to international clearance. Juventus announced the fee was an initial €15m (£12.86m), plus €8m in potential add-ons.
Real Madrid Fail With €200m Kylian Mbappé Bid But Land Camavinga
Real Madrid failed with a €200m (£171.7m) deadline-day bid for Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé, but signed another exciting young France international in Eduardo Camavinga.
Antoine Griezmann Re-joins Atlético Madrid From Barcelona
French international, Antoine Griezmann rejoined Atlético Madrid in a shock move from Barcelona on a season’s loan with an obligation for the transfer to become permanent for €40m (£34.4m).
The France international left Atlético for Barcelona in a €120m deal in 2019, but has failed to live up to expectations. He has scored 22 goals in 74 La Liga games for the Catalan club.
Arsenal Sign £15.5m Takehiro Tomiyasu And Loan Héctor Bellerín To Betis
Arsenal have signed Japanese defender, Takehiro Tomiyasu from Bologna for €18m (£15.5m) and allowed their long-serving right-back Héctor Bellerín to join Real Betis on a season’s loan.
Salomón Rondón Links Up With Benítez For Third Time After Joining Everton
Everton have signed Salomón Rondón on a free transfer from the Chinese Super League side, Dalian Pro to reunite the centre forward with Rafael Benítez for the third time in his career.
Ademola Lookman Joins Leicester City On Loan From RB Liepzig
Leicester City have signed Nigerian prospect, Ademola Lookman from RB Leipzig on loan.
Lookman, who is eligible to feature for Nigeria at the international level, will link up with his compatriots, Kelechi Iheanacho and Wilfred Ndidi.
