Morning all,
Welcome to our live blog of the final day of this summer's transfer window, as Premier League clubs do the equivalent of a Red-Bull powered all-nighter on the eve of dissertation deadline.
In years gone by it would be customary to start a blog like this by poking fun at Sky Sports' overblown coverage of TDD, but that somehow feels a bit passe now. Even they seem to be in on the joke and as satire goes, sending it up now feels about as fresh as a Little Britain impression.
That said at least this year the whole thing has some novelty value with the window closing before the start of the season rather than the usual August 31 (that deadline remains in place in the other major European leagues - more on that here).
So, what can we expect today? Manchester United will surely be busy, as they try desperately to sign a centre-back. Leicester's Harry Maguire remains their main target despite failing with a bid to sign him yesterday, while they could also step up their attempts to sign Jerome Boateng from Bayern Munich and Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld.
Kepa Arrizabalaga became the world's most expensive goalkeeper in joining Chelsea for £71m on Wednesday
Premier League clubs are getting ready for their earliest deadline day yet - with all English signings having to be done by Thursday at 17:00 BST.
The Premier League and Football League voted to shut the window before the start of the top-flight season, which kicks off on Friday.
Premier League spending during this window has already hit £1bn but is unlikely to match last year's £1.4bn.
Football League clubs can sign loanees and free agents until 31 August.
The change does not affect European clubs, who can still sign players - including Premier League ones - until their respective deadlines later in the month.
BBC Sport will guide you through all of the moves on the big day. Our live transfers page will be up and running from 07:00 BST, while BBC Radio 5 live will bring you all of the latest deals, rumours and news.
And every confirmed transfer will be on our list.
What moves are we expecting on deadline day?
Jerome Boateng played against Manchester United in a friendly - but could he end up joining them?
Chelsea are set to confirm the loan signing of Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic from Real Madrid, with goalkeeper Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois set to join the Spanish club.
On Wednesday, the Blues signed Courtois' replacement by paying £71m deal - a record for a goalkeeper - to sign 23-year-old Spaniard Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao.
There are no other transfers that seem inevitable on deadline day - but plenty of top clubs are still looking to sign players.
Tottenham are the only Premier League club not to sign a single player this summer despite manager Mauricio Pochettino saying at the end of last season they would need to "take risks" to improve.
The Argentine wants to add to his squad but will he be able to get any deal done in time? He wanted Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish, who is understood to be furious at being priced out of a move to White Hart Lane.
Real Madrid also reportedly want Chelsea winger Eden Hazard - while Willian says he wants to stay at the club after being linked with a move away. The Blues are unlikely to let any of them go unless they sign a replacement on Thursday. They have only signed one first-team player since Maurizio Sarri's appointment as manager.
"Like Willian, Hazard is world class now and, if Chelsea are to have a successful season, then Sarri cannot afford to lose either of them," BBC pundit Matt Upson said after the Community Shield.
Arsenal and Liverpool did their business early and are not expected to make any more big signings - but both sides' managers say players could yet leave to trim their squads.
Newcastle boss Rafael Benitez has had another frustrating transfer window, while Burnley's three signings have all come in the final few days.
The early deadline means any signings will be able to feature in the opening games of the Premier League season - which begins with Manchester United v Leicester on Friday (20:00 BST).
In Italy, Inter Milan are being strongly linked to Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric - but no Premier League clubs would be likely to let the European champions sign a midfielder to replace the Croat if that move happened after the English deadline.
What's going on at Manchester United?
BBC Sport's Simon Stone
Jose Mourinho has made it clear on more than one occasion he expects at least one addition to his Manchester United squad before the deadline shuts.
Yet there is the very real possibility he may end up with no-one.
Given a choice, England's Harry Maguire is the player United would really like.
For that deal to go through, Leicester would have to lower their asking price and there was no sign of that happening as the transfer window entered the final 24 hours.
United have been heavily linked with Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld but as of Wednesday evening, my understanding was there had still been no bid.
Barcelona's Yerry Mina looks set for Everton, which leaves Jerome Boateng.
It is understood Boateng is willing to move to Old Trafford, that Mourinho would like him, and that Bayern would be willing to sell.
However, the negotiations that have taken place centred around a loan, something neither Bayern or Boateng were keen on.
Why is it deadline day already?
The move comes after all 72 EFL clubs moved in line with the Premier League, which voted in September 2017 in favour of closing the window before their season starts.
Managers have complained that signing players once the season is under way causes disruption to their squads and preparations.
However, the vote was not unanimous, and clubs will still be able to sell players until the end of August. While the Football Association has moved the goalposts for English clubs, Fifa's official deadline remains Friday, 31 August - meaning English clubs can still sell players abroad, but cannot replace them.
Pochettino has said his side are at a "complete disadvantage" with the rest of Europe.
Italy also has a new deadline - Friday, 17 August - the day before Serie A begins.
The top leagues in Spain, Germany and France - as well as Scotland - all keep a transfer deadline of 31 August.
Has this window been busier as a result of the changes?
In a word. No.
The number of transfers in the summer window has been dropping each year since 2014 - but this year has seen a dramatic fall.
There were slightly more transfers, 27, in June this year than past years [one more than 2015] - but July saw just 37 compared to 52, 57, 46 and 55 in the past four years.
Clubs do not appear to be squeezing lots of transfers into this short window - there have only been 14 in August at the time of writing [Wednesday at 22:30 BST].
What are the big moves of the summer?
The biggest signing of the summer came on Wednesday night when Chelsea announced the arrival of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga from Athletic Bilbao for £71m.
It was a club record and a world record fee for a goalkeeper - surpassing the £66.8m Liverpool paid to sign Alisson from Roma on 19 July.
Manchester City were another of nine clubs to break or equal their club record signing with the £60m purchase of Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez - the biggest initial fee this summer.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh to Brighton, Jean Michael Seri to Fulham, Terence Kongolo to Huddersfield, Felipe Anderson to West Ham, Adama Traore to Wolves and Jefferson Lerma to Bournemouth were all club records - and Burnley equalled theirs when they signed Ben Gibson. In fact the Hammers broke their record twice this summer.
So which clubs have spent the most? The answer - beyond runaway leaders Liverpool - might surprise you...
And a few you might have missed
With plenty of focus on the World Cup this summer, there will be plenty of transfers that have gone under the radar. Expect to hear a few shouts of "who is this guy?" on the opening weekend.
How closely have you been paying attention to the transfer window? Take our quiz below to test yourself.
ES Football Newsletter Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid Email cannot be used. Try another or register with your social account
Brace yourselves... the Premier League is back in just a few days! But before the action, goals and drama can begin, there is a small matter of transfer deadline day.
This year the summer transfer window will close before the start of the new Premier League season for the first time, and so time is running out for clubs across England.
While there will now be fewer distractions once the new season is underway, the chances of a frantic final day on August 9 are high. All deals must be completed by 5pm.
Clubs overseas, meanwhile, still have until August 31 to bring in new faces, including those from the Premier League.
Standard Sport runs you through the key dates across Europe’s big leagues…
Summer transfer window
League(s) Opened Closes Premier League/EFL May 17 August 9 France June 1 August 31 Germany June 1 August 31 Italy June 1 August 31 Spain June 1 August 31
Possible deals?
There could still be a number of big deals to be completed before the 5pm deadline, with Chelsea leading the way.
Maurizio Sarri is looking to bring in Athletic Bilbao's goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga for a world-record £71.6m fee for a goalkeeper, while Mateo Kovacic should arrive from Real Madrid on loan.
Manchester United remain in the hunt for a goalkeeper, with Tottenham's Toby Alderweireld, Leicester City's Harry Maguire and Bayern Munich's Jerome Boateng all names being considered, while Paul Pogba's future has been thrown into doubt.
Talking of Tottenham, Mauricio Pochettino is yet to make a signing heading into deadline day but retains an interest in Aston Villa star Jack Grealish.
Arsenal must sell first if they plan on adding to their five first-team additions and retain in interest in Besiktas' defender Domagoj Vida.
Elsewhere, West Ham and Fulham should have a busy final day but there is not expected to be any incomings at Liverpool and champions Manchester City.
Transfer Deadline Day: Can Barcelona still make signings?
The Premier League transfer window shuts on Thursday, August 9 at 5pm. But should top-flight clubs submit a deal sheet by 5pm, they will have until 7pm to complete the deal. Tottenham are the only Premier League club not to have made a signing ahead of Thursday's deadline. But there were reports on Tuesday evening the North London side had made a £25million move for Aston Villa's Jack Grealish.
Villa boss Steve Bruce admitted earlier in the week the club were likely to have a battle on their hands to keep the 22-year-old playmaker. Manchester United's search for a new centre-back may have to continue after reports in the German media suggested Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng had turned down the chance to move to Old Trafford. United, who continue to be linked with Leicester's England defender Harry Maguire, had reportedly opened talks with Bayern for the former Manchester City player at the weekend.
Transfer Deadline Day: Could Real Madrid still splash the cash?
When does La Liga transfer window close? The transfer window in Spain does not close until August 31. The same date applies for the teams in Germany, France, Italy and Scotland. This means the top European sides can still sign Premier League players before the end of the month. However, after the Premier League window closes tomorrow, English sides will not be able to buy players - only sell to these European clubs.
Transfer Deadline Day: Paul Pogba is reportedly wanted by Barcelona
