Dedic here we go, Torres deal, Rodri watch

The Dedic deal

Newcastle have been circling Amar Dedic since at least 14 August, according to CaughtOffside, which also reports that Fabrizio Romano has dropped his 'here we go' on the deal. The Austrian wide defender arrives from Benfica for €35m on a contract running to 2031, giving Newcastle's new head coach a right-sided option who can operate as a full-back or push higher in a back four or five.

The timing matters. Newcastle have lost defensive cover through the summer, and the Dedic signing is a direct response to that. At 23, he's young enough to grow into the role and old enough to contribute immediately. Benfica, for their part, are now in the market for English centre-backs, per CaughtOffside, which suggests the Dedic money is already being recycled.

Newcastle's new manager has already been doing things differently to Eddie Howe, CaughtOffside noted separately, and a proactive mid-August window is part of that shift.

Torres reunites with Luis Enrique at PSG

PSG have announced it: Ferran Torres is a Paris player, per CaughtOffside, at €55m from Barcelona. The reunion with Luis Enrique, who coached Torres at both Manchester City and Barcelona, was always the story behind the story here. Enrique clearly rates him, and PSG clearly rate Enrique's judgment.

For Barcelona, the Torres sale is both a financial release valve and a complication. They need the funds, but they're simultaneously trying to close a £70m deal for Rodri from Manchester City, per CaughtOffside. Selling one wide attacker to fund a world-class midfielder makes obvious financial sense. Whether the numbers actually balance is another matter.

The Rodri situation, and Chelsea lurking

Barcelona are inching closer to a £70m agreement for Rodri, according to CaughtOffside, but nothing is confirmed and Chelsea are reportedly monitoring the outcome. What Chelsea would do with that information is unclear. Whether they'd move to block, compete, or simply keep tabs isn't specified, and it would be wrong to read too much into it at this stage.

What is clear: if Rodri leaves the Etihad for Camp Nou, it's one of the transfers of the summer. A World Cup winner returning to Spain, to the club where he came through, at a fee that reflects exactly how far he's come. City's manager will not be thrilled, whoever is in the dugout when the deal lands.

Delap's awkward position

Liam Delap wants to stay in the Premier League. The problem, per CaughtOffside, is that his options are shrinking. Everton and Newcastle have both backed away, which leaves the Chelsea striker in the uncomfortable position of a player whose preference may not survive contact with the market. A European move is now a real possibility, even if it's not the one he wanted.

Joe Gelhardt, meanwhile, is closing in on a £6.5m move to Championship side Hull City on a five-year deal, per CaughtOffside, ending what has been a drawn-out summer for the forward. Hull get a player who has been waiting for this kind of clean start, and five years suggests both parties mean business.

Mid-August, and the window is doing what the window does: deals beget deals, and somewhere in the middle of it all, a striker is refreshing his phone hoping Everton change their mind.