^ ^ Vinicius Jr responds to Arsenal transfer interest after Real Madrid ultimatum

Vinicius Junior is open to joining Arsenal this summer (Getty)

Vinicius Junior is attracted by the prospect of joining Arsenal if he fails to agree a new contract with Real Madrid, according to reports.

Mikel Arteta’s side are exploring the possibility of signing Vinicius Jr before the end of the summer transfer window but have yet to submit an offer to Madrid.

The Brazil international has less than a year remaining on his contract with Madrid and could leave the Spanish club on a free transfer next summer.

According to The Athletic, Arsenal are yet to make an official approach for Vinicius Jr but a potential switch to the Premier League champions ‘appeals’ to the 26-year-old.

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The report adds that if Vinicius Jr decides to make the move to the Premier League, Arsenal are expected to find an agreement on personal terms.

‘Arteta loves him,’ a source close to the Arsenal manager said. ‘If he doesn’t renew, we will be there.’

Real Madrid will not allow Vinicius Junior to leave on a free transfer next year (Getty)

Madrid, meanwhile, are understood to have issued an ultimatum to Vinicius Jr during their talks over a new deal.

Last year, Vinicius Jr has rejected an offer of a new deal worth €20 million (£17.1m) net per season, while Madrid are refusing to include a renewal bonus as part of the Brazilian’s package.

Madrid now want to end uncertainty over Vinicius Jr’s future and their offer of a new contract remains on the table.

However, the Spanish club have informed the winger that their latest proposal is final and that there will be no further increase.

During talks with Vinicius Jr, Madrid have told the winger that if he does not renew his contract, they will sell him before the end of the transfer window.

Madrid are understood to be unwilling to alter their salary structure, despite Vinicius Jr’s importance to the team, but do not want to see the winger leave as a free agent next year, which opens the door to a potential sale to Arsenal this summer.

Real Madrid are finalising their move for Yan Diomande (Getty)

In an interview with El Pais earlier this summer, Madrid president Florentino Perez insisted that he would not stand in Vinicius Jr’s way if he wants to leave but hoped that the winger would remain at the Santiago Bernabeu.

‘I’d love for him to stay forever,’ Perez said.

‘He’s won us the last two Champions Leagues and he’s very much identified with the club. Do you know who doesn’t want him? Those who aren’t Real Madrid fans,

‘Vinicius is a star and I’ll be delighted to have him always.

‘If he doesn’t want to be at Madrid and wants to sign with another club, he’ll be free to do so. I’m not going to force him into anything. Money won’t be the most important thing, it never has been.’

Madrid are also in advanced talks to sign Yan Diomande from RB Leipzig in a deal worth €135m (£115.5m) after add-ons.

On Saturday morning, the 19-year-old reported in sick and is not expected to travel with the squad for their training camp in Austria today.

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^ ^ Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur LIVE: Latest score and confirmed lineups

Chelsea meet Tottenham Hotspur in Sydney on Saturday (Corbis via Getty)

Chelsea face Premier League opposition Tottenham Hotspur in their latest pre-season friendly in Sydney.

In their first pre-season fixture under Xabi Alonso this week, Chelsea supporters were treated to a 10-goal thriller as Joao Pedro scored a second-half hat-trick in a 6-4 win against Western Sydney Wanderers.

Spurs, meanwhile, have been more active on the pitch as they already have three pre-season fixtures under their belt, including a win over A-League champions Auckland FC and a draw against Sydney FC.

Today’s friendly between Chelsea and Tottenham is being played at the 83,500-seater Stadium Australia.

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Metro’s LIVE matchday blog will bring you all the build-up, confirmed team news and starting XIs, goal updates and minute-by-minute coverage.

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^ ^ Gianni Infantino scraps FIFA plan to sell off World Cup

Gianni Infantino’s plan to sell stakes in the World Cup will not proceed (EPA)

Gianni Infantino has announced that FIFA will scrap plans to sell a stake in the World Cup to private investors.

FIFA wanted to set up a new company to oversee commercial operations for future World Cup tournaments but the decision to raise $4.2 billion (£3.1m) through private investors sparked huge backlash.

Following an emergency meeting this week, UEFA threatened a World Cup boycott and accused FIFA of selling the sport’s ‘soul’.

‘Having listened carefully to all the views, it has become clear that the project has created divisions of a nature that, regardless of the level of support, are no longer in the interest of the objective set out in the first place,’ Infantino said in a statement.

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‘Our purpose has always been – and will always be – to unite and improve. As a result, this proposal will not proceed.

‘Moving forward, my intent is to bring all interested parties back together in the coming days and weeks in the spirit of shared interest in our game, and with the objective to continue growing football everywhere, particularly in those countries that mostly need our support.’

The brother of Donald Trump’s son-in-law was a potential investor in FIFA’s new plan (Getty)

On Friday, FIFA accused the media of ‘disrupting’ the consultation process and insisted that ‘nobody is selling football’.

Infantino had told all 211 of FIFA’s member associations that they would each receive up to $40 million (£29.6m) if they agreed to FIFA’s proposal by September 19.

CONCACAF, the 41-member federation for North America, Central America and the Caribbean, also rejected the proposal during a meeting this week.

The Asian Football Confederation, which has 47 members, also issued a statement saying it ‘stands in solidarity’ with UEFA and CONCACAF.

Why is FIFA's World Cup sell-off plan being opposed?

FIFA’s aim is to increase revenue from future World Cup and Club World Cup tournaments.

The plan is for FIFA to set up a new company called FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) to deal with the commercial operations.

FIFA would retain the majority share in FFE, which means it would still oversee football governance, fixture calendars and decisions on the pitch.

However, the problem starts with FIFA trying to raise a further $4.2 billion (£3.6m) through private investment.

Although private investors would only have a minority stake in FFE, they would still expect to have a say in decisions related to the World Cup, which could then have an impact on players and supporters.

Private investors could also pressure FIFA into expanding the World Cup, or even hosting the tournament more frequently than every four years.

UEFA, CONCACAF and the AFC combined make up 143 of FIFA’s 211 member associations. A majority would have needed to vote in support of the plan for it to proceed.

On Friday, Carlos Cordeiro, one of the senior advisors to Infantino, quit in protest over the World Cup sell-off plans.

‘Let me be clear: I had no involvement in this proposal, and I oppose it unequivocally,’ Cordeiro said in a statement.

‘It is a bad deal for FIFA’s Member Associations, a bad deal for football, and a bad deal for the long-term future of the game.

‘Football has been central to my life, and after more than 35 years in banking, I understand both the value of this asset and the consequences of giving part of it away. That is why this proposal should be rejected.’

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^ ^ Arsenal reach transfer agreement with Newcastle United to sign Bruno Guimaraes

Arsenal have reached an initial agreement with Newcastle to sign Bruno Guimaraes (AMA/Getty)

Arsenal have reached an agreement with Newcastle United over a €90 million (£77m) transfer fee for Bruno Guimaraes, according to reports in France.

The Premier League champions have already seen bids of £55m and £70m rejected for the Brazil international rejected by Newcastle.

Guimaraes has informed Newcastle that he wants to join Arsenal this summer and has already agreed personal terms with Mikel Arteta’s side.

According to L’Equipe, Arsenal have now agreed an initial €90m (£77m) transfer fee with Newcastle and the two clubs are negotiating bonuses and agent fees.

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The report adds that a complete agreement between Newcastle and Arsenal is expected ‘in the coming days’.

Guimaraes’ former club Lyon are also set to receive a fee in excess of €8m (£6.8m) due to the 20 per cent sell-on clause they had in their agreement with Newcastle.

Bruno Guimaraes has told Newcastle United that he wants to join Arsenal (Getty)

Meanwhile, talkSPORT reported on Friday that Guimaraes has asked Newcastle to delay his travel to La Manga for a pre-season training camp, which suggests his move to Arsenal could be finalised over the weekend.

Guimaraes was expected to return to training with Newcastle on Monday following his appearances for Brazil at the World Cup this summer.

The 28-year-old is keen to leave Newcastle in order to continue playing in the Champions League.

Newcastle finished 12th in the Premier League last season and will not be playing in Europe for the upcoming campaign.

Guimaraes’ desire to move clubs is also likely to be strengthened following Eddie Howe’s departure on Thursday.

Howe is said to have become ‘exasperated’ by Newcastle’s decision to sell Sandro Tonali and Anthony Gordon this summer, while he also expects club captain Guimaraes to join Arsenal.

Eddie Howe described Bruno Guimaraes as an ‘outstanding player’ in his final interview as Newcastle manager (Getty)

In what turned out to be his final interview as Newcastle manager on Wednesday evening after his side were beaten 4-1 by Bristol City in their pre-season friendly, Howe admitted he could not guarantee that Guimaraes would stay at St James’ Park.

‘Assurances… I don’t think you can push too hard for those. I think I’ve said many times you want players that are committed,’ Howe said.

‘Bruno’s always been committed here. His training performances, his game performances, have been outstanding. Every time he’s worn the shirt, he’s played with the fans by his side. I’d love to see that continue.

‘I think we want to keep all of our best players. They’re so valuable, and as I said numerous times, there aren’t many of them, and to get them and develop them is so difficult.

‘So when you have them, you want to keep them. And Bruno’s very much in that category, he’s an outstanding player.’

Asked if Guimaraes’ transfer link is creating a negative mood at Newcastle, Howe said: ‘Any distraction, if it’s not healthy, is unhealthy. So, yeah.

‘But we’re not in control of that. And to some degree, I don’t think Bruno’s in control of that either.

‘What will be, will be. We can’t control the forces that are at play here, we’ve just got to make sure that when Bruno comes back, we look after him and he trains well, which I’m sure he will do. And he makes a difference as he always has done.’

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