Transfer News: Liverpool gets Barcola, will the Alvarez saga come to an end soon?

Carabao Cup R32 draw plus transfer news: Barcola to Liverpool, Martinez to Chelsea, Watkins sold and Jackson to Villa.

Bradley Barcola is on his way to Liverpool. The Premier League side reached an agreement with PSG to sign the French winger for a total fee of £140m. (Photo credit: Sky Sports)

We're back at the transfer table today, but before we dive into the juicy stories, let's discuss the Carabao Cup draws that were held on Wednesday night.

Strange, but not entirely new to some big teams who fail to act as one, Chelsea will face Luton Town on Thursday as they fight for a round of 32 ticket in the competition. This is as a result of Chelsea's 10th-place finish last season.

The round of 32 draw pitched some exciting fixtures before us, with Liverpool and Tottenham facing each other at Anfield in October. Holders Manchester City will face Norwich at the Etihad, while the beaten finalists, Arsenal, will be away to Ipswich at Portman Road.

Manchester United fell to Grimsby at the first hurdle of the Carabao Cup last season; this time, the Red Devils will host Fabian Hürzeler's Brighton. Sunderland will host Hull City, while Coventry City will host Aston Villa in the other all-EPL side fixtures of the round.

Now, to the business of the day. We can confirm that Liverpool and PSG have reached an agreement on the transfer of French winger Bradley Barcola. The former Premier League champions will pay an initial £100m for the winger, with add-ons expected to take the deal up to £140m. Barcola will have his Liverpool medical this weekend ahead of a permanent transfer.

We won't dwell too much on the Julian Alvarez episode today. The situation is the same; the Argentine remains away from training, insisting he's unwell. Atletico Madrid will not sell to Barcelona; the forward doesn't want to go anywhere but to Barcelona. Stalemate!

One of the most obvious transfers of this season is Emiliano Martinez to Chelsea. After watching the Blues against Fulham on Monday, you could tell that the goalkeeping department is a major weakness for Xabi Alonso's side.

Aston Villa has brought in Zion Suzuki from Torino after PSG failed to tidy things up for the Japanese; this means Villa can deal. We're also hearing that Martinez has said yes to Chelsea, but only that the Blues didn't ask him any questions.

Portuguese winger Rafael Leao is on his way to Turkish outfit Galatasaray after AC Milan and the Turkish side agreed on a fee for the player. A total package of €45m will see Leao join the champions of Turkey on a 5-year deal.

Sunderland approached Jack Grealish on Wednesday, but nothing concrete is happening on that front. The England playmaker is set to make a decision on his future as Aston Villa and Everton throw hats in the ring to fight for his signature. Grealish is expected to leave City this summer.

We can confirm that Aston Villa has sold Ollie Watkins to Al Hilal for a total package of €60m. The England striker will join the Saudi club this weekend, subject to a successful medical. Al Hilal is also expected to wrap up a deal for Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli imminently.

Consequently, Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson is completing a move to Villa Park as Watkins heads out to Saudi Arabia. Aston Villa will pay Chelsea £65m for the Senegalese striker who spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich.