Madueke

Arsenal expect Noni Madueke to miss six to eight weeks with the knee injury sustained in the 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday.

However, the 23-year-old England winger is not believed to have suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury.

The summer signing from Chelsea was substituted at half-time of the Premier League match with City and has been having tests to discover the severity of the problem.

“It looks like Noni is going to be out for a few weeks, but we don’t really know yet, we will have to scan him next week again,” said Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta on Tuesday.

“He felt something at the beginning of the match and tried to carry on but it was too sore, so let’s see.”

Asked to confirm whether Madueke will be out for weeks rather than months, Arteta replied: “We hope so. Like I said, we need to scan him again to see the extent of the injury but it doesn’t look too bad.”

Arsenal face Port Vale in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.

Earlier, sources indicated medics were waiting for the swelling to subside before making a definitive diagnosis on the injury, but it is understood that Madueke will be sidelined for a minimum of six weeks, though that timescale is thought to be the best-case scenario.

The news is a major blow to Arteta and England head coach Thomas Tuchel given Madueke’s promising start to the season.

If the initial prognosis is confirmed, Madueke will not return to action until November at the earliest, ruling him out of a clutch of key domestic and European games for the Gunners.

The attacker is set to miss England’s forthcoming games against Wales and Latvia, while also making him a doubt for World Cup qualifiers against Serbia and Albania in mid-November.

Arsenal face Sunderland on 8 November in the Premier League. If Madueke is unavailable for that game and the international break, he could return for the north London derby versus Tottenham on 23 November.

Tom McCoy, BBC Sport

Madueke has made the vast majority of his appearances for the Blues on the right, with 88% of his Premier League minutes coming on that flank since joining in January 2023.

His signing would, therefore, ease the burden Bukayo Saka, who has perhaps been overworked in recent seasons. Saka started 108 of 114 league matches from 2021-22 to 23-24 but missed three months of the most recent campaign with a hamstring injury. Like Saka, when Madueke features on the right wing he looks to cut inside and shoot with his favoured left foot.

Madueke actually ended last season playing on the left for Chelsea, with head coach Enzo Maresca altering his approach during the run-in.

The former PSV Eindhoven man started four of the Blues’ final five Premier League matches on that flank, plus the Conference League final. He also began on the left in England’s win against Andorra in June, when he was one of the Three Lions’ better performers, setting up Harry Kane’s winner.

So in addition to cover for Saka on the right, Madueke could provide competition for both Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard on the opposite wing, where he would offer a slightly more direct threat.

In the most recent Premier League season, Madueke attempted more shots and dribbles per 90 minutes than both Martinelli and Trossard and carried the ball significantly further.

Bayern Munich consider move for Marcus Rashford, Arsenal close in on deal for Viktor Gyokeres, Crystal Palace agree £47m price for Ousmane Diomande.

Bayern Munich are considering a shock move for Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford, 27, after being impressed by his form on loan at Aston Villa last season. (Sun), external

Arsenal are moving closer to a deal for Sporting forward Viktor Gyokeres. The 27-year-old Swede has told his club he wants to join the Gunners. (L’Equipe – in French), external

Crystal Palace have reached a £47m agreement to sign Ousmane Diomande, 21, from Sporting with the Ivory Coast defender seen as a potential replacement for 24-year-old England international Marc Guehi. (A Bola – in Portuguese), external

Manchester United have approached Inter Milan about a deal to sign Italy midfielder Davide Frattesi, 25. (Caught Offside), external

Arsenal have already submitted an offer to England winger Noni Madueke, 23, who might leave Chelsea in the summer. (Sky Germany), external

Juventus are closing in on a deal to sign Canada forward Jonathan David, 25, whose contract expired at Lille at the end of last season. (Fabrizio Romano), external

Colombia forward Jhon Duran, 22, is flying from his homeland to Turkey to complete a loan move from Al-Nassr to Fenerbahce. (Athletic – subscription required), external

Newcastle are exploring a move for Marseille and Argentina centre-back Leonardo Balerdi, 26, who is also interesting Juventus. (Mail – subscription required), external

Burnley are working on striker options for manager Scott Parker with Genk and Nigeria forward Tolu Arokodare, 24, under consideration. (Telegraph – subscription required), external

AC Milan are hoping to sign Switzerland midfielder Ardon Jashari, 22, from Club Brugge in a deal worth about £30m. (La Gazzetta dello Sport – in Italian), external

Manchester City will sign 15-year-old Caelan-Kole Cadamarteri from Sheffield Wednesday in a £1.5m deal. The forward is the son of former Everton striker Danny. (Mail, external)

West Ham face a battle to convince Slavia Prague to sell Senegal left-back El Hadji Malick Diouf, 20. (Guardian), external

Birmingham City have expressed an interest in signing £7.5m-rated ex-Celtic forward Kyogo Furuhashi, 30, from French Ligue 1 side Rennes. (Sponichi Annex – via Scottish Sun), external

Turkish club Trabzonspor have agreed a fee in the region of £6.8m (€8m) with Southampton for striker Paul Onuachu, 31, and negotiations over personal terms are ongoing. (Fabrizio Romano), external

The Saints have rejected a £10m (€12m) bid for winger Kamaldeen Sulemana, 23, from Italian Serie A side Atalanta, who are managed by former Southampton boss Ivan Juric. (Sky Sports), external

Southampton and Sheffield United face stiff competition from Leeds, Wolves and four German Bundesliga clubs to sign French striker Willem Geubbels, 23, from Swiss Super League side St Gallen after he netted 14 goals in 31 games last season. (L’Equipe – in French), external

Watford are set to sign Udinese defender James Abankwah, 21, and Chelsea left-back Caleb Wiley, 20, on loan again for the 2025-26 campaign after they both spent the second half of last season with the Hornets. (Sky Sports), external

Wrexham are targeting a move for former England duo Danny Ings, 32, and Aaron Cresswell, 35, from Premier League side West Ham United. (Mirror), external

Middlesbrough have shown interest in signing Chelsea defender Alfie Gilchrist, 21, who spent last season on loan at Championship rivals Sheffield United. (Yorkshire Post), external

Blackburn Rovers winger Tyrhys Dolan has drawn interest from Norwich City and Scottish giants Celtic and Rangers with the 23-year-old’s contract at Ewood Park set to expire this summer. (Football League World), external

Blackpool are interested in signing Millwall midfielder George Honeyman, 30, and Birmingham City midfielder Brandon Khela, 20, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Bradford City. (Blackpool Gazette), external