^ ^ Bradley Barcola makes decision on Arsenal and Liverpool transfer interest

Bradley Barcola starred for France at the World Cup (Picture: Getty)

Liverpool and Arsenal have been put on red alert amid a breakdown in the relationship between Bradley Barcola and Paris Saint-Germain.

The France international has played a key role in establishing the Ligue 1 giants as back-to-back Champions League winners under Luis Enrique, but his future looks less than certain.

Barcola, who joined PSG from Lyon three years ago, had been angling for a new deal which expires in 2028, but talks stalled prior to the World Cup.

With Enrique looking to rejuvenate a forward line that already includes the likes of Ousmane Dembele, Khvitcha Kvaratskhelia and Desire Doue, Barcola faces the prospect of falling down the manager’s pecking order.

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PSG have already opened up one space in their squad following the sale of Lee Kang-in to Atletico Madrid with RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande a confirmed target.

Regardless of the Ivory Coast winger’s eventual destination, Barcola appears to have made a definitive decision on his PSG future.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the 23-year-old has informed his current employers that will not being signing a new contract.

Arsenal had been monitoring Bradley Barcola’s situation at Arsenal (Picture: Getty)

Premier League champions Arsenal have held long-term interest in the versatile forward and with Mikel Arteta prioritising a new left-winger, Barcola has been firmly on the Premier League champions’ radar.

Christos Tzolis arrived from Club Brugge earlier this week following the departure of Leandro Trossard, but the Gunners are keen to make a further statement signing, especially having missed out on Morgan Rogers to Chelsea.

Barcola is, however, understood to have another destination in mind and is giving priority to Liverpool who are looking to rebuild under new manager Andoni Iraola.

Liverpool are looking to fill the void left by Mohamed Salah’s departure (Picture: Getty)

Liverpool’s Hugo Ekitike is facing an extended period on the sidelines (Picture: Getty)

Mohamed Salah’s departure has left a huge void to fill and with Barcola’s international teammate, Hugo Ekitike, still facing a significant period on the sidelines recovering form an Achilles injury, Liverpool are in dire need of attacking reinforcements.

The player is said to be keen on a move to Anfied, while there are not truth in the reports that Barcelona are considering making an offer.

Liverpool, who have been working on a deal since April, are now waiting for an indication from PSG as to their valuation which, according to the BBC, stands at around £140million.

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^ ^ Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior makes decision on Arsenal transfer

Arsenal are reportedly exploring a transfer move for Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Junior (Picture: Getty)

Vinicius Junior intends to reach a resolution on his delicate contract situation at Real Madrid and is not currently entertaining interest from Arsenal, according to reports in Spain.

A report from The Athletic on Saturday claimed Arsenal had been actively exploring a sensational move for Vinicius, with the idea said to have been ‘approved on all levels’ within the club’s hierarchy.

Vinicius has entered into the final 12 months of his current deal and the Gunners have been alerted to the precarious situation as they scour the market for attacking reinforcements ahead of the new campaign.

The news that Madrid have agreed personal terms with RB Leipzig star Yan Diomande has only fuelled rumours that Vinicius’ days with Los Blancos could be numbered after a glittering eight-year spell at the Bernabeu.

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According to Spanish publication AS, Vinicius has ‘felt undervalued’ by incessant speculation linking Madrid with Barcelona’s Julian Alvarez, Bayern Munich’s Michael Olise and Diomande in recent months.

However, it’s claimed the 26-year-old Brazil international he wants to stay put and his ‘priority’ is to renew his contract at the Bernabeu.

Vinicius ‘make it easy’ for Madrid bosses to strike an agreement over a new deal, keen to avoid a repeat of last summer’s episode, when contract talks came to an abrupt halt in the wake of the Club World Cup.

The Brazil forward is out of contract in 2027 (Picture: Getty)

Arsenal have been exploring a possible move for the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up (Picture: Getty)

This viewpoint is shared by Madrid’s hierarchy, who intend do everything in their power to strike a deal with Vinicius’ camp and put any doubts over the forward’s future to bed.

The report adds that contract discussions between Vinicius and Madrid are expected to resume next week once the winger has returned from his hometown Sao Goncalo, where he has been enjoying a short break.

Before making any knee-jerk decisions, though, Vinicius wants assurances from Madrid’s management over his role in Jose Mourinho’s first-team – and also whether his salary will reflect how he views his status in the world game.

Madrid have reportedly agreed person terms with Diomande (Picture: Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto/Shutterstock)

Mourinho has reportedly made it clear that he wishes to keep hold of the 2024 Ballon d’Or runner-up, already planning for life with a superstar frontline of Diomande, Mbappe and Vinicius, supported by Jude Bellingham.

Vinicius is said to be demanding wages of around €20million (£17m) net per season, an increase of €5m (£4.3m) on what he was earning after his last contract renewal in 2022.

Liverpool have also been linked with Vinicius this summer but their interest remains just that for the time being.

Vinicius has racked up 128 goals and 100 assists for Madrid since joining the Spanish giants from Flamengo for £38m back in 2017, when the Brazilian was aged just 16.

In that time, Vinicius has helped Madrid win 14 pieces of silverware, including three La Liga titles and two Champions League crowns.

Premier League champions Arsenal have already moved to strengthen their attack with the summer addition of Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge for a reported fee of around £34m.

Mikel Arteta’s side also captured free agent Illan Meslier, while activating their £35m option to sign Piero Hincapie on a permanent basis from Bayer Leverkusen.

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^ ^ Donald Trump sends message to Ferran Torres after Spain hero wears MAGA-style hat at World Cup parade

Ferran Torres’ MAGA-style hat was a ‘nice tribute’, says US President Donald Trump (Picture: Getty)

Donald Trump has branded Ferran Torres a ‘great player’ and thanked the forward for his ‘nice tribute’ after the forward was pictured wearing a ‘Make Spain Great Again’ cap during his side’s World Cup celebrations.

Torres made himself an overnight national hero in this summer’s scrappy and bad-tempered World Cup final, coming off the bench to thunder home a dramatic extra-time winner for Spain against Argentina.

The 26-year-old Barcelona attacker, formerly of Manchester City, had been on the receiving end of heavy criticism from fans and pundits alike across La Roja’s campaign but made sure to silence his doubters with a goal that will go down in history.

The strike saw Spain win their second World Cup, 16 years after their previous global triumph in 2010 and two years on from their Euro 2024 victory over England.

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Violent post-match scuffles involving the two sets of players threatened to shadow Spain’s celebrations in New Jersey, with runners-up Argentina widely condemned for their gamesmanship and shoddy behaviour in the aftermath.

But these ugly scenes were quickly swept aside as Rodri made his way to the podium at MetLife Stadium to collect the coveted prize from United States President Trump, who tried his very best to gatecrash the trophy lift.

Just moments earlier, Mikel Merino appeared to mock Trump on the stage, while both Cristian Romero and Lisandro Martinez declined a handshake from the 80-year-old as the two Argentina defenders went up to receive their runners-up medals.

Torres was the hero as Spain overcame Argentina in last weekend’s World Cup final (Picture: Getty)

The Barcelona striker sported the cap during Spain’s celebrations in Madrid (Picture: Getty)

The following day, though, Torres gave a nod to Trump as Luis de la Fuente’s jubilant squad joined to celebrate the title with their adoring fans back home in Madrid.

Capturing the incredible scenes from Spain’s open-top bus, the striker filmed himself screaming, ‘Vamos!’, while donning a red MAGA-style hat emblazoned with the words, ‘Make Spain Great Again’.

‘Everyone wants in on the movement,’ a tweet from the official account of The White House read alongside a video of Torres’ antics in the Spanish capital.

Everyone wants in on the movement. https://t.co/FeCJrFZyEE

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) July 21, 2026

On Friday, Trump gave his reaction to Torres’ apparent hat-tip, which he described as a ‘very great compliment’ and a ‘nice tribute’.

‘He is a great player,’ Trump told reporters.

‘He was wearing essentially a “Make America Great Again” cap and I think he meant that very nicely and we appreciate it. He made America great.

‘I know that he meant it as a very great compliment so it was a nice tribute.’

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Trump proved a constant source of controversy at the World Cup, making sure to insert himself at the centre of the US’ story after Folarin Balogun was shown a red card in the side’s group-stage victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The sending off meant the Monaco striker, formerly of Arsenal, had been due to miss the co-hosts’ all-important round-of-16 tie with Belgium through suspension.

However, Balogun’s one-match ban was subsequently suspended for a year by FIFA, a decision which left the Belgian Football Association ‘astonished’ and ‘investigating potential options’.

It later emerged that United States President Trump had spoken privately with FIFA chief Gianni Infantino on the phone, encouraging the governing body to ‘review’ their initial call.

Infantino and Trump handed the trophy to Spain’s jubilant squad in New Jersey (Picture: Getty)

Featuring as a guest on The Daily Show in the week, women’s football legend Megan Rapinoe accused Trump of contributing to the US’ demise and throwing Mauricio Pochettino’s side ‘off their game’.

Asked how Trump’s intervention may have affected the national team, the former USA and Seattle Reign midfielder replied: ‘Certainly not well!

‘It didn’t give them the boost, maybe, that were thinking it would or that Trump was hoping that it would.

‘I don’t know, it seemed like it kind of threw them off their game.

‘Whether it was meant to be a red card or not, I don’t know, I’m not a ref, and I don’t even know the rules! I feel like people are always… so many people are asking me, “What about this?”, guys… I don’t know.

‘But it didn’t go well. They had such a good vibe. I feel like they had the underdog vibe going and then you-know-who [Trump] got involved and everyone was like, “Nope! No, we don’t like it!”

‘And obviously Belgium was like, “No, we absolutely can’t lose to this team now!”’

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