Deadline day countdown: Kylian Mbappe signs for PSG in a deal rising upto €180 million

French teen sensation Kylian Mbappe joined Paris Saint-Germain from Monaco on a season-long loan Thursday, just hours before the transfer deadline in a deal that makes him the second most expensive footballer in history.

“Paris Saint-Germain is delighted to announce the immediate arrival of Kylian Mbappe,” the club wrote on its website.

“The loan agreement also includes an option to buy which, when exercised, will bind the player to Paris Saint-Germain until June 30, 2022.”

According to media reports, the overall transfer fee could rise to €180 million ($215 million, Rs 1370 crore) including add-ons, which would make Mbappe, 18, the second most valuable player ever behind his new team-mate Neymar.

“It is with great joy and pride that I join Paris Saint-Germain,” said Mbappe.

“For any young person from the Paris region, it is often a dream to wear the red and blue jersey and experience the unique atmosphere of the Parc des Princes.

Mbappe burst onto the scene in the second half of last season and scored 15 goals in 29 appearances in Monaco’s run to the French title. He netted 26 times in 44 matches in all competitions.

Brought up in the northern suburbs of Paris, Mbappe was compared to a young Thierry Henry as he first broke into the Monaco side in December 2015, just before his 17th birthday. He has won four caps for France.

Also targeted by Real Madrid this summer, Mbappe’s move to PSG will leave many wondering how the Qatar-owned club can avoid sanctions from European football’s governing body considering the investment already made on Neymar.

The French club shattered the previous global transfer record earlier in August when they splashed out a staggering 222 million euros to prise the Brazilian superstar away from Barcelona.

FFP rules currently stipulate that clubs cannot post losses of more than 30 million euros over the three-year period to 2018.

Among the sanctions risked by PSG if they are found to have broken those rules is a ban from the Champions League.

France play a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands at the Stade de France later on Thursday, although Mbappe was only named among the substitutes by Didier Deschamps.

After being left out of the Monaco squad last week, Mbappe was an unused substitute for last Sunday’s game against Marseille as the reigning French champions won 6-1.

City increase bid for Sanchez

Manchester City were reported to have upped their bid for Arsenal forward Alexis Sanchez on Thursday as a record-breaking transfer window sped towards a dramatic conclusion.

British media reported that having seen a £50 million offer for Sanchez rebuffed, City had returned with a second bid of £55 million plus add-ons.

Wolfsburg sign Liverpool striker Origi on loan

German league side Wolfsburg has signed Belgium international striker Divock Origi from Liverpool on a year-long loan transfer.

The Premier League club confirmed the clubs have reached a deal after the 22-year-old made just one appearance for the Reds this season under Jurgen Klopp.

Origi, who signed for the Reds from Lille in 2014 before spending a further year on loan with the French club, has scored 21 goals in 77 appearances for Liverpool.

Tottenham sign Serge Aurier from PSG

Ivorian right-back Serge Aurier has joined Tottenham Hotspur from Paris Saint-Germain on a five-year contract, the two clubs announced on Thursday.

Spurs are reported to have paid PSG around £23 million to sign the 24-year-old, who won two Ligue 1 titles during his three years in Paris.

The deal was held up as Spurs’ request for a work permit was complicated by the suspended two-month prison sentence Aurier was given after an assault on a police officer outside a Paris nightclub in May 2016.

Renato Sanches joins Swansea City on one year loan

Euro 2016 winner Renato Sanches has joined Swansea City on a season-long loan move from Bayern Munich, the English Premier League club announced Thursday.

The 20-year-old Portugal midfielder will join his new team-mates in south Wales upon his return from international duty, Swansea said.

Swansea manager Paul Clement worked with Sanches while he had a six-month spell as an assistant at Bayern last year before moving to the Liberty Stadium.

The Ox moves to Liverpool

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has finalised his move to Liverpool. Manager Jurgen Klopp revealed that he had been watching The Ox’s games since 2014, since he caught the eye of the Liverpool gaffer after coming on as a substitute for Arsenal in a European tie against Borussia Dortmund back in September 2014.

Klopp said, “I remember the first time I saw him play live - it was at Dortmund in 2014 and he came on as a sub that day and made a big impact. He stood out immediately because of his pace and skills and his attitude in such a big game for a young player; I remember him chasing back to make a brilliant challenge on Mkhitaryan in the box to save a certain goal.

Alexis Sanchez and Philippe Coutinho were among the superstar players linked with deadline-day moves on Thursday at the close of a record-breaking transfer window dramatically shaped by big-spending Paris Saint-Germain.

Arsenal forward Sanchez is the subject of interest from Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, while Liverpool have repeatedly rebuffed Barcelona’s attempts to lure Brazil playmaker Coutinho to Camp Nou.

Barca turned to Coutinho after sensationally ceding Neymar to PSG in a world-record €222 million (Rs 1682 crore) deal that has sent transfer fees skyrocketing across the continent.

“It’s mind-boggling, the figures that are out there – especially for the average players,” former Manchester United captain Roy Keane commented this week.

“That’s the market place at the moment. There aren’t many top players out there. The really big players are going for big money and it’s filtering down.”

In addition to Brazilian icon Neymar, PSG are also poised to wrap up a deal for 18-year-old Monaco wonderkid Kylian Mbappe.

The French teenager is expected to join on a season-long loan before signing for €180 million (Rs 1382 crore) next year in a move designed to prevent PSG falling foul of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations.

Barcelona have already paid Borussia Dortmund an initial fee of €105 million (Rs 795 crore), rising to €145 million (Rs 1098 crore), for Mbappe’s France team-mate Ousmane Dembele.

But Liverpool remain insistent that Coutinho will not follow in Dembele’s footsteps, having rejected three bids from Barca, and are instead determined to bolster their squad.

England international midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain completed a £35 million (Rs 288 crore) switch to Anfield from Arsenal early on Thursday.

Liverpool have already agreed a club-record £48 million (Rs 395 crore) deal for Naby Keita, who will arrive from RB Leipzig next year, and are also interested in Southampton centre-back Virgil van Dijk and Monaco winger Thomas Lemar.

Mahrez on the move

But in a situation replicated across the world, efforts to recruit the latter are complicated by the fact he is on international duty with France and due to line up in a World Cup qualifier against the Netherlands.

Sanchez could follow Oxlade-Chamberlain through the exit door at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium amid reports Manchester City were preparing a second bid for the Chile international.

City are reported to have been unsuccessful with an opening £50 million offer for Sanchez, whose Arsenal contract expires at the end of the season.

Arsenal’s north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur are expected to make PSG’s Ivorian right-back Serge Aurier their second big-money recruit after a club-record £42 million swoop for Davinson Sanchez.

Spurs have also been linked with a deadline-day move for Swansea City’s Spain international striker Fernando Llorente.

Chelsea, meanwhile, were still looking to ship out striker Diego Costa after he fell out with manager Antonio Conte in the aftermath of last season’s title triumph.

The Algerian Football Federation announced on Twitter late on Wednesday that Leicester City winger Riyad Mahrez had been given permission to leave the Algeria camp to complete a transfer.

The 26-year-old, one of the stars of Leicester’s fairytale Premier League title win in 2016, has been linked with Roma and was photographed at an airport in Paris early on Thursday.

In one of the more intriguing mooted deals, out-of-favour Bayern Munich midfielder Renato Sanches was believed to be on the verge of joining Swansea on loan.

While the transfer window closes on Thursday in England, France, Germany and Italy, Spanish clubs have an extra day to complete any deals.