Chelsea have reportedly held an emergency call with new signing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to reassure him of his future with the club after Thomas Tuchel's surprise sacking.

Tuchel was removed from his position after Chelsea's 1-0 loss to Dinamo Zagreb in their Champions League opener, in a move that will carry a heavy financial cost, according to reports from the Daily Mail and The Mirror.

Tuchel and his backroom staff are said to be receiving £15million in pay-outs, and Brighton are set to claim £20m in compensation after Graham Potter took over.

One of the main selling points for Aubameyang to come to Stamford Bridge was his relationship with Tuchel, who had coached him at Borussia Dortmund, and the Telegraph claims Chelsea's ownership group went out of their way to reassure the 33-year-old striker about his decision after cutting ties with Tuchel.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA OWNERS REASSURE AUBAMEYANG OF HIS ROLE AFTER TUCHEL FIRING

According to the Telegraph's report, controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Egbali addressed the Chelsea squad on Wednesday after Tuchel's sacking took place that morning, but there was also a separate individual chat with Aubameyang.

They reportedly told the signing from Barcelona that they "believe he can flourish under new head coach Graham Potter", and the Gabon international is said to have no second thoughts about his decision.

While he was clearly a player Tuchel pushed for, Aubameyang was assured he was "a club signing", and the report claims he "is thought to have been appreciative of the explanation".

In his one game for Chelsea under Tuchel, Aubameyang was substituted in the 59th minute.

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– BILD has confirmed once again that Liverpool have their sights set on a massive move for Borussia Dortmund's 19-year-old English midfielder Jude Bellingham in 2023. 

– A report from Sport claims the rise of 18-year-old Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde has complicated the arrival of Marcos Alonso, who was brought in to be the main competition to Jordi Alba, but he is now behind Balde as well.

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger Mykhaylo Mudryk wants a move to Arsenal alongside his Ukrainian compatriot Oleksandr Zinchenko, and that it could be possible in January.

– JuveLive claim Juventus are prepared to offer 22-year-old striker Moise Kean to Aston Villa in a straight swap for 24-year-old midfielder Douglas Luiz.

West Ham forward Michail Antonio has declared VAR should be "binned" following a weekend of controversy in the Premier League.

The Hammers saw an equaliser against Chelsea ruled out after Jarrod Bowen was perceived to have fouled goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, which stood among several contentious VAR decisions in England's top-flight.

Newcastle also saw a Tyrick Mitchell own goal against Crystal Palace chalked off for a foul on Vicente Guaita, with the PGMOL admitting on Sunday that both decisions were incorrect.

Those incidents have sparked a debate around the application of VAR in England and Antonio has made his feelings clear by suggesting the technology should no longer be used.

 "It was a madness, that's what I am going to call it. An actual madness. I have said this many times. It needs to be binned," he told the BBC's Footballer's Football Podcast.

"As a player we all knew it [the incident] was nothing. It is all about opinions - about the referee's opinion, about the fourth official's opinion and about the opinion of whoever is watching.

"If the referee makes a decision, then there is another person who goes 'that might not be the right decision'. He goes to the referee 'you might have to have another look at that'.

Liverpool coach John Achterberg and Newcastle United counterpart Daniel Hodges have been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association (FA) following an altercation at the end of last week's Premier League meeting.

Newcastle came agonisingly close to taking a point from last Wednesday's trip to Anfield, only for substitute Fabio Carvalho to strike in the 98th minute, handing Liverpool a 2-1 win.

At the end of a highly charged affair, a member of Newcastle's coaching staff appeared to throw a bottle into the Liverpool technical area, prompting an FA investigation.

English football's governing body have now opted to charge one man from either backroom team, with Achterberg also accused of using abusive or insulting gestures.

"Coaches from Liverpool FC and Newcastle United FC have been charged with breaching FA Rule E3 during their Premier League fixture on Wednesday 31 August 2022," began an FA statement.

"It is alleged that the behaviour of John Achterberg and Daniel Hodges in the 98th minute of that game was improper, and that the Liverpool coach also used abusive and/or insulting gestures."

The two coaches have been given until Thursday to respond to the charges.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said last week he had "no idea" why eight minutes of additional time were played at the end of the contest, while Jurgen Klopp suggested Liverpool's winner was the "perfect response" to time-wasting from the Magpies. 

Both Howe and Klopp claimed not to have witnessed the bust-up sparked by the bottle-throwing incident after the match.

Premier League officials are seeking an explanation from refereeing body PGMOL after controversial VAR decisions to disallow goals by West Ham and Newcastle United.

The operating of the video assistant referee system faced stiff criticism on Saturday, with West Ham boss David Moyes saying the ruling that denied Maxwel Cornet a 90th-minute equaliser at Chelsea was "scandalous" and "absolutely rotten".

West Ham lost 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, while Newcastle were held 0-0 by Crystal Palace at St James' Park but were convinced an own goal from Tyrick Mitchell should have been allowed to stand.

Andy Madley was the referee in West Ham's game, while Michael Salisbury was the man in the middle at Newcastle, and both were told by the VAR official to review their decisions to award the goals, leading to both being disallowed.

West Ham's Jarrod Bowen was ruled to have impeded Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy, while Newcastle's Joe Willock was adjudged to have fouled Palace keeper Vicente Guaita after the VAR intervention, although Willock himself appeared to have been pushed by Mitchell.

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe said he considered it a "perfectly good goal", and former Magpies striker Alan Shearer told the BBC that to overturn the initial decision was "shocking, abysmal, disgraceful".

It is understood the Premier League will ask PGMOL – Professional Game Match Officials Limited – to detail its rationale for directing the on-field referee to overturn those goals.

The issue is being treated as a priority matter by the Premier League, although it is not known at this stage whether details of what emerges from its discussions with PGMOL will be made public.

PGMOL is independent of the Premier League and was set up in 2001 when referees became professional, allowing it to become a full-time occupation.

The VAR system was introduced to the Premier League in the 2019-20 season, with the aim of cutting down on mistakes and controversial decisions.

Eddie Howe has claimed rival Premier League clubs have raised their asking prices as they "didn't want to be seen to be helping" Newcastle United.

Newcastle were bought last October in a controversial takeover funded in large part by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

The team, who were facing relegation, have improved drastically since then, helped by Howe's appointment as head coach and the investment of more than £200million in the transfer market.

However, Newcastle's attempts to do further business were hampered by the "narrative" around their wealth, Howe suggested on Friday, the day after a window in which they spent big money on Sven Botman and Alexander Isak closed.

"That was definitely something we felt in the market," he said ahead of Saturday's game against Crystal Palace.

"Domestic clubs didn't want to be seen to be helping us. We'll have to take that – that is part of where we are at the moment.

"We have certainly found there is no one there ready to do us a favour. It's the narrative regarding us that has changed.

"If there is anything domestically, teams will put their price up if it is Newcastle. That is the same around the world; that is something we are having to deal with.

"That is why we have walked away from a few deals, because I think it is important we are not seen as that club that will pay what is asked. I think it has to be fair."

Howe was asked if these difficulties had made the club more united, and while he hesitated in agreeing transfer business could have such an impact, he acknowledged: "There is a real feeling of us internally knowing we are against everybody else.

"That is healthy and I would embrace that. I would say we couldn't be more together at the moment."

Beyond their controversial owners, Howe's team were also unpopular in their approach to Wednesday's 2-1 defeat at Liverpool.

Having led in that game, Newcastle were accused of time-wasting by the Anfield crowd, who jeered them from the field after Fabio Carvalho's 98th-minute Reds winner.

It was put to Howe that this response and the market complications were due to Newcastle now being considered "contenders"; he disagreed they had yet achieved that status but had no issue with such a reaction.

"I will take that if we are contenders," he said. "But we have that all to prove. We are so early into the season.

"We need to elevate ourselves in points and league status to make sure we are seen as that. If that makes us unpopular, I will take it."

Deadline day has seen major transfers aplenty, with clubs across Europe pushing to complete final pieces of business before the window slams shut until 2023.

Barcelona have terminated Martin Braithwaite's contract, the forward widely expected to join Espanyol, while in France, Abdou Diallo completed a switch to RB Leipzig to begin an exodus from Paris Saint-Germain.

Further deals for both clubs are also on the cards, with a frantic end to the window expected in the final hours.

Premier League's power push

PSG's exodus was of benefit to English sides, Fulham signing Layvin Kurzawa on loan and Everton bringing Idrissa Gueye back to Merseyside three years after he left for the French capital. Gueye said: "There is no better feeling than coming back home. I've followed the team every week and watched how they play. For me, there is no better place than Everton so that's why I chose to come back here."

Fulham have also signed former Chelsea and Arsenal playmaker Willian on a free transfer.

Nottingham Forest hit number 19 for the window, drafting in Willy Boly from Wolves, while Southampton saw Jack Stephens move across the south coast to join Bournemouth on loan.

Arsenal's quest for a new midfielder has seen attention turn to Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz, though the Gunners face a stern test with bids reportedly rebuffed from the side they defeated 2-1 on Wednesday.

Chelsea look set to bring one of the long-running sagas of the window to a close, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang poised to join from Barcelona. Marcos Alonso is expected to move to Camp Nou as part of that deal and the Blues may sell Billy Gilmour to Brighton and Hove Albion.

One player not on the move, however, was Joao Pedro as he confirmed he would remain at Watford amid reported interest from Newcastle United and Everton.

Europe's eye for business

On the continent, Julian Weigl moved to Borussia Monchengladbach on loan from Benfica. 

Free agent Florian Grillitsch has joined Ajax, who are said to have turned down approaches from Chelsea and Everton for Edson Alvarez and Mohammed Kudus respectively.

Krzysztof Piatek also departed Germany, leaving Hertha Berlin for Serie A side Salertina, and was followed to Italy by Aster Vranckx, joining Milan on loan from Wolfsburg.

The Serie A champions are not yet finished, with an announcement confirming the capture of Sergino Dest from Barcelona expected imminently.

In Spain, Luca Zidane, son of Zinedine Zidane, joined second-tier outfit Eibar on a free transfer following his exit from Rayo Vallecano and Ilaix Moriba joined Valencia on loan from Leipzig, with Gennaro Gattuso's side also closing in on signing Justin Kluivert from Roma following the collapse of a proposed move to the Premier League.

Real Sociedad were also in on the late action, landing forward Umar Sadiq from Tenerife, the Nigerian likely to be a replacement for Alexander Isak.

Manchester United have confirmed the signing of goalkeeper Martin Dubravka from Newcastle United.

The 33-year-old joins on an initial one-year loan which United have the option to make permanent, an option they will be obligated to take if he makes a certain number of appearances.

Reports suggest the Red Devils will pay a loan fee of around £2million, with the potential obligation to buy set at £6m.

United had earlier in the day confirmed the capture of Brazil international Antony from Ajax, with the Premier League club expected to pay an £81.3million (€95m) fee for the winger.

Dubravka joined Newcastle in 2018 from Czech side Sparta Prague and has since made 127 Premier League appearances for the Magpies, keeping 37 clean sheets, and was named Newcastle's player of the year in the 2019-20 campaign.

However, the signing of Nick Pope from Burnley this transfer window pushed the Slovakia international down the pecking order and he has now made the switch to Old Trafford.

Dubravka will be back-up to David de Gea, after United loaned out Dean Henderson to Nottingham Forest.

Upon signing, Dubravka told the club's website: "To be joining Manchester United is a special moment in my career and I can't wait to get started, and help the group achieve its ambitions.

"I am joining an excellent group of goalkeepers with lots of experience in the Premier League, and I know that we will push and support each other to keep our standards at the highest levels. The chance to work with David de Gea, alongside Tom Heaton, is one that I am relishing.

"I'd like to sincerely thank everyone at Newcastle United, and especially the fans, for many great experiences over the past four and a half years. I enjoyed every minute of my time there and made amazing memories to look back on.

"My focus is now on helping Manchester United, and we'll see what the future holds after I have given my all this season. I am excited to be here."

Chelsea are expected to be one of the major players on deadline day, having completed a deal for Wesley Fofana on Wednesday.

The Blues have been one of the big spenders during the transfer window and owner Todd Boehly is eager to bolster his squad after a slow start to the season.

Barcelona forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been linked with the Blues, along with Anthony Gordon, although Everton boss Frank Lampard insists he is not for sale.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA OFFERED CHANCE TO SIGN PSG'S NEYMAR

The Daily Mail claims Chelsea have been offered the chance to sign Neymar, but the Times reports that Paris Saint-Germain are now refusing to sell him in an apparent U-turn.

The 30-year-old Brazil international had been linked with a move away from Paris during the off-season, although nothing substantial materialised.

Chelsea were approached about Neymar, with PSG potentially open to letting him go as they seek to avoid any issues with UEFA's Financial Fair Play guidelines.

ROUND-UP

– Chelsea have made a €50 million (£43m) bid for Ajax centre-back Edson Alvarez, according to the Telegraaf. The Blues have already added Fofana but want more reinforcements, with the Mexican able to also play in midfield.

– Chelsea are also interested in Aubameyang, with Fabrizio Romano claiming negotiations are progressing with Marcos Alonso involved in a deal with Barcelona. The Blues have also been linked with Milan's Rafael Leao, according to The Times.

– Mundo Deportivo reports that Barcelona and Inter have agreed to a deal for full-back Jordi Alba to join the Nerazzurri on loan. The deal is on the basis that Robin Gosens leaves Inter for Bayer Leverkusen.

– Milan are set to win the race to sign Barcelona's Sergino Dest, beating out interest from Manchester United, claims Gianluca Di Marzio. Dest will join the Rossoneri on a season-long loan with the option of a permanent deal.

– Newcastle United are in the race to sign Leicester City midfielder Youri Tielemans, claims the Mail. Arsenal are also interested in the Belgium international.

– Fulham have submitted a bid for Blackburn's Chile international Ben Brereton Diaz according to The Athletic. Rovers boss Jon Dahl Tomasson has said he would cost a lot of money, with Fulham's offer not disclosed.

– PSV have opted against selling 23-year-old Netherlands international Cody Gakpo amid interest from Leeds United and Southampton, reports The Athletic.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp could not hide his delight with Fabio Carvalho's last-gasp winner against Newcastle United on Wednesday.

The 20-year-old came off the bench to fire in a 98th-minute goal to give the Reds a 2-1 win at Anfield, as they came from behind having conceded to Newcastle debutant Alexander Isak in the first half.

Roberto Firmino equalised after the break before Carvalho's late winner as he slammed in a loose ball off the crossbar following a corner.

Speaking at his post-match press conference, Klopp conceded his team had not been at their best as the visitors tried to stifle them, with Liverpool having just five shots in the first half.

"During the game we should have played more football," he said. "We told the boys in the first half, always when we played football it looked really good, we were dangerous, that was fine.

"Newcastle did really well how they put us under pressure; they had to invest a lot and I think we could see it was really a lot in the last 20, 25 minutes when they started struggling a little bit with the intensity. But we should have done better.

"So we scored the equaliser and then it was just a difficult game to play because we didn't play a lot. All of your colleagues asked me now about it, that's why I mention it, everybody asked me about it – it was just interrupted constantly for some reason and that doesn't give you the momentum. There was no chance to gain any kind of momentum.

"In the end, I was really happy in the moment when we got this last corner in the 98th minute. What Mo [Salah] and Fabio made then of it was obviously absolutely outstanding, a wonderful goal. A perfect moment; that we scored it after 98 minutes, I thought, is the perfect response to everything that happened during the game."

Carvalho joined Liverpool at the end of last season from Fulham and the goal came just four days after his first strike for the club in the 9-0 hammering of Bournemouth, and a day after his 20th birthday.

"He scored now twice in the last two games," Klopp added. "Yesterday, birthday. So it's probably a better week.

"He is an outstanding player, wonderful talent, very mature in a lot of departments already. So I'm really happy for him. Harvey [Elliott] was the best player on the pitch and Fabio decides the game. That says a lot about the talent of the boys."

The German coach did not have everything to smile about though as he revealed his captain, Jordan Henderson, went off with a hamstring injury.

Liverpool are already without Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita from their options in midfield, while Curtis Jones was named on the bench for the first time this season, though was not brought on after only just coming back from injury himself.

Klopp had previously indicated he wanted to sign a midfielder before the end of the transfer window, which closes on Thursday, but seemed pessimistic about doing so in spite of losing Henderson to injury.

"I don't think so," he said when asked about making a signing on Thursday. "But as long as there is time we should not close the door completely.

"Obviously Hendo is injured, he got a hamstring [injury], which is absolutely not helpful.

"[It was] that serious that he couldn't carry on, so it was no tactical change [when he was substituted for Carvalho]."

Erling Haaland continued his incredible start to life in the Premier League with a record-setting treble in Manchester City's 6-0 thrashing of Nottingham Forest.

The Norway international made it two hat-tricks in the space of five days – and a perfect one at that, with his right foot, left foot and head – in City's latest statement victory.

Meanwhile, Liverpool left it late to see off Newcastle United 2-1 at Anfield.

There were goals and drama elsewhere on Wednesday, too, and Stats Perform unpacks the pick of the data.

Manchester City 6-0 Nottingham Forest: Haaland makes history

Haaland now has nine goals in five Premier League games since joining City from Borussia Dortmund – the best start of any player in the competition's history at this stage.

He surpassed the record of eight goals previously held by Micky Quinn and City great Sergio Aguero, the man he is effectively replacing at the Etihad Stadium.

The prolific striker is just the seventh player to score a hat-trick in back-to-back games in the competition and the first since Harry Kane did so for Tottenham in December 2017.

Fellow newbie Julian Alvarez also scored twice, while Joao Cancelo netted the other as City bagged five or more goals in a league game for the 32nd time under Pep Guardiola.

That accounts for 14 per cent of City's games under the Catalan coach in the competition, with that tally more than twice as many as any other side over that period (Liverpool, 15).

The only side to have exceeded the 18 goals City have scored after five games of a Premier League season were Manchester United, who had 21 to their name at this stage 11 years ago.

Liverpool 2-1 Newcastle United: Carvalho the late hero

Newcastle led with an hour played at Anfield, only for Roberto Firmino to level and Fabio Carvalho to fire home in the 98th minute to snatch all three points for Liverpool.

That was the 40th winning Premier League goal scored by Liverpool in the 90th minute or later – the most of any side – with three of those coming in this fixture.

Timed at 97 minutes and nine seconds, it was Liverpool's latest goal in the top flight since Dirk Kuyt's penalty against Arsenal in April 2011 (101:48).

Alexander Isak had earlier given Newcastle the lead with a debut goal, making him the sixth Swedish player to net on his Premier League bow.

Arsenal 2-1 Aston Villa: Martinelli keeps Gunners perfect

Arsenal dug deep to overcome Villa and make it five wins in a row to begin a league campaign for the first time since the 2004-05 season, when they went on to finish second.

Gabriel Jesus steered Arsenal ahead for his sixth goal involvement in his first five Premier League outings for the club, breaking Mesut Ozil's previous record of five.

Douglas Luiz equalised directly from a corner, but Arsenal hit back just 151 seconds later through Gabriel Martinelli, who converted Bukayo Saka's cross.

That was Saka's 17th Premier League assist – only Cesc Fabregas (38), Wayne Rooney (22) and Michael Owen (18) had more before turning 21.

West Ham 1-1 Tottenham: Soucek denies Spurs

Tottenham could not see out a lead at London Stadium as they were denied the chance to make their best start to a Premier League season after five games.

Thilo Kehrer turned a Harry Kane delivery into his own net, with that a league-high seventh own goal scored by West Ham since the start of the 2020-21 season.

Tomas Soucek levelled for West Ham with his 19th Premier League goal, each of those coming from inside the 18-yard box.

That strike was assisted by Michail Antonio on his 200th league appearance for West Ham, whose tally of two goals after five games is their fewest since 1994-95 (one).

While Spurs could not hold on for the win, they are unbeaten after five games in the competition for only the third time, having previously done so in 2004-05 and 2016-17.

A goal in the 98th minute from substitute Fabio Carvalho gave Liverpool a dramatic 2-1 win against Newcastle United at Anfield on Wednesday.

Newcastle debutant Alexander Isak, playing just hours after receiving his work permit, had given his new team a first-half lead with a fine finish, only for Roberto Firmino to equalise in the second half.

It looked like more dropped points for Jurgen Klopp's side as the game ticked into stoppage time, but a late corner caused a goalmouth scramble, which ended in Carvalho scoring for the second time in a week.

Eddie Howe will be disappointed with the result but would have been pleased with the efforts of his team, who were missing key players Bruno Guimaraes and Allan Saint-Maximin.

Isak had the first shot for the visitors as he cut inside Trent Alexander-Arnold and Fabinho before lifting his effort high and wide of Alisson's far post, with Ryan Fraser also having a shot from the edge of the box that flew in the same direction.

Liverpool saw most of the ball in the first half but had to wait until the 34th minute for their first real chance after Firmino found Luis Diaz down the middle, only for the winger to miss the target from an angle after rounding Nick Pope.

Newcastle took the lead seven minutes before half-time when a Jordan Henderson clearance could only find Sean Longstaff, whose through ball picked out Isak to finish emphatically as he buried his shot into the top-left corner.

Isak had the ball in the net again early in the second half after good work on the counter attack but was marginally offside, and Liverpool were level shortly after as Firmino ran onto a Mohamed Salah pass from the right to sweep a shot into the bottom-left corner of the net.

It looked like a resolute Newcastle defence had held firm in the closing stages to secure a point, yet Salah nodded down to Carvalho from a corner, and the 20-year-old smashed the ball in off the crossbar from close range to send the home fans wild.

Jurgen Klopp confirmed Liverpool are still working to make a signing in the transfer window ahead of Thursday's deadline, even if he will be relieved when it is all over.

Reds manager Klopp revealed last week he had changed his opinion on the need for a new midfielder at Anfield, having previously insisted his squad was strong enough.

When the Liverpool boss made those comments, ahead of facing Bournemouth at home, they were still winless.

Bournemouth were subsequently swatted aside 9-0, but Klopp is pressing ahead with the new plan to make a signing, although "the really important stuff" will follow after the window closes.

Asked if Liverpool were still active, Klopp replied: "'Ish'. Somehow, yeah, but the closer we get to the last minute, the more unlikely it gets. That's how it is. What can I say? We are not out.

"It's difficult, it's really difficult, because for sure there are a few players out there who would be the right ones, but they have different issues.

"Some of them are contracted to clubs who don't want to sell, all these kinds of things. We cannot force them.

"When it's over and we've signed or not signed [someone], then I'm really happy about that, because we've stopped thinking about it in that moment; we can just focus on the squad we have, the team we have, be ready to face all the problems we'll have in the season.

"Our supporters who are pretty active on social media every day can just stop doing that, because we have a good football team. We have injuries, but they'll come back.

"If somebody expects us to always do what others are doing or what some people want to do, that's not possible. It's never happened before, it will not happen in the future.

"This club arrived here in this situation with the way we deal with situations. I don't make the decisions about how much we spend, that's the truth, but I never did, and we're still here and we've won a couple of things.

"From that moment [when the window closes], we can focus on the really important stuff. Yes, bringing in the right players is important, but if we can't do that now, then we can't do it."

Next opponents Newcastle United could be counted among those clubs who have approached the market differently to Liverpool, spending more than £200million in this calendar year following a lucrative takeover last October.

And Klopp has no doubt Eddie Howe's side will soon be challenging the elite in the Premier League.

"They will be," he said. "If Eddie gets time and stuff like this... I'm not sure they need another transfer window, but if he gets time, they will definitely be.

"That's the football world we live in; it's completely fine.

"Newcastle is a great club and has a lot of success in the past and now for a few years not that much anymore. They have now everything you need to be 'top six' or whatever that means."

Liverpool have had Joel Matip and Curtis Jones back in training ahead of Wednesday's game, while Diogo Jota will join the group later in the week, with Thiago Alcantara set to follow "slightly later".

Negotiations are taking place for Martin Dubravka to join Manchester United, Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe has confirmed.

Dubravka joined Newcastle from Sparta Prague in January 2018 on an initial loan that was later made permanent, but the goalkeeper has fallen down the pecking order at St James' Park after the arrival of Nick Pope from Burnley before the new season.

Reports suggested the Slovakia international could be on his way to Old Trafford – also on an initial loan – to provide competition for David de Gea.

Howe provided some clarity on the matter at a press conference on Tuesday ahead of his team's trip to face Liverpool, telling reporters: "Discussions have taken place between the clubs. I don't think anything has concluded as I sit here now.

"From my perspective, I'm sad if Martin does leave, sad to see him go. It's not something we necessarily wanted but we understand there's always two sides to every story."

Dubravka has played 130 times for Newcastle in all competitions, keeping 37 clean sheets.

Howe hopes to have new signing Alexander Isak available for Wednesday's clash at Anfield, though remained unsure if his work permit would be granted in time, and also suggested the Sweden striker is likely to be the last arrival of the transfer window, which closes on Thursday.

Newcastle have signed Pope, Isak and Sven Botman since the end of last season, while also making Matt Targett's loan from Aston Villa permanent.

"I don't expect to be [active again in the window] to be honest," Howe said. "We're very pleased with the business we've done.

"The injuries we have we believe to be short-term so there might be a bit of short-term pain around the squad. Longer term, when those bodies are back, we're very strong.

"That's not to say we're totally closed off. We're obviously still looking but I don't expect any major business to be done."

Liverpool-linked midfielder Ruben Neves is "99 per cent" likely to stay at Wolves beyond the end of the transfer window, according to head coach Bruno Lage.

Neves, who has emerged as a key figure since arriving at Wolves in 2017, had reportedly been targeted by the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United earlier in the transfer window after entering the final two years of his contract.

More recently, Liverpool have been touted as suitors for the Portugal international after Jurgen Klopp acknowledged the Reds may have to recruit a midfielder to ease their injury crisis.

Neves assumed the captain's armband at Wolves after Conor Coady was loaned to Everton, and scored a stunning long-range goal in their 1-1 draw with Newcastle United on Sunday.

The 25-year-old has scored 19 non-penalty goals for Wolves in all competitions, 16 of which have come from outside the penalty area. Since joining the Molineux club, he has scored four times as many goals from outside the box than any of his team-mates.

With Neves performing well despite Wolves' failure to win any of their first four Premier League games of the season, Lage is confident of retaining his services.

"Ruben is playing very well, that's why he was so important last season," Lage said. "He's started in a good moment. He has been amazing since the first day here. Now it's time to continue to work.

"I am 99 per cent he will stay with us for one more year. I can say 100, but you never know with the market.

"He is happy here, he is our captain and I am sure that he will be here to play for us. You can see that he is focused on his team and his game."

Although Neves looks set to stay at Molineux, defender Willy Boly could depart after failing to turn up for the Newcastle fixture despite being named in the matchday squad.

Boly has been linked with big-spending Premier League new boys Nottingham Forest, and Lage accused him of trying to "force something" after seeing his side pegged back late on in Sunday's draw.

Newcastle United were without club-record signing Alexander Isak and key man Bruno Guimaraes for Sunday's clash with Wolves.

Isak joined Newcastle in a £59million (€70m) deal from LaLiga side Real Sociedad on Friday.

However, the striker is not eligible to play for Eddie Howe's side against Wolves as he has not yet received a work permit, meaning he will have to wait for his Premier League debut.

Howe instead selected Chris Wood, who scored twice for Newcastle last season after signing from Burnley in January, to lead the line in the absence of Callum Wilson, who is out with a hamstring injury.

Newcastle are also without influential midfielder Guimaraes after the Brazil international sustained an injury in Wednesday's EFL Cup tie with Tranmere Rovers.

Guimaraes only came on as an 85th-minute substitute in that 2-1 comeback win.