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As the transfer window slowly closes in England, we have been told La Liga's Espanyol has the best shot at signing in-need-of-a-loan defender Matt Miazga.
But...
.@Diego_Reyes13, novena incorporació #RCDE.
— RCD ESPANYOL OFICIAL (@RCDEspanyol) August 31, 2016
¡Bienvenido, #DiegoReyesPerico! https://t.co/dvNPH1nqak pic.twitter.com/6oU0bq1MS3
Oh. That is not the CONCACAF center back we were hoping to see land at Espanyol.
Of course, just because a club has loaned one relatively young center back (Reyes turns 24 in a few weeks) doesn't mean it cannot loan another. But it is equally true that teams will seek to navigate the free-for-all that is Deadline Day by lining up multiple potential deals, in the hope that at least one comes through - as illustrated by Goal.com's story that Chelsea has abandoned a plan to loan Valencia's Aymen Abdennour because it has landed David Luiz.
The Blues still have a little time to get Miazga out the door - and Espanyol may still be the intended destination for the center back. But the news of Reyes' arrival in Barcelona is discouraging for those hoping to see Miazga land a loan at a club where he can get regular minutes. At the very least, it means he'll have a little more competition for a place in the lineup than was first thought.