Barcola agrees £100m Liverpool move as Atletico set Friday deadline on Alvarez saga

Liverpool have agreed a £100m fee, with £20m in add-ons, with Paris Saint-Germain to sign winger Bradley Barcola after the French club lowered their asking price. The deal marks a significant outlay for the Reds, who are also pursuing Crystal Palace’s Ismaila Sarr as they look to add further width to their squad.

Manager Andoni Iraola, however, refused to guarantee that Cody Gakpo will remain at Anfield, with the Dutch forward attracting interest from Tottenham and Manchester City. Liverpool had previously explored a move for Brighton’s Yankuba Minteh before shifting their attention elsewhere.

At Atletico Madrid, chief executive Miguel Angel Gil Marin has pushed for the Julian Alvarez transfer saga to be settled by Friday, effectively giving the 26-year-old Argentina international a deadline to decide his future. Gil Marin stated that Alvarez will “never, ever” be sold to Barcelona, but did not rule out a move to another club before the window closes. Arsenal remain the frontrunners for his signature, with the Gunners continuing to monitor the situation ahead of a potential late move.

In London, Chelsea are prepared to sell Enzo Fernandez for the right price, with Manchester City in talks over a potential deal. No formal discussions between the two clubs have taken place yet, but Fernandez was notably absent from Chelsea’s Carabao Cup squad for their win over Luton on Thursday. Should the sale go through, Chelsea could turn to Bournemouth’s Alex Scott as a replacement.

Chelsea have also agreed a £7.5m deal to sign Aston Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez, a move prompted in part by Robert Sanchez’s costly errors during Monday’s 3-2 Premier League win at Fulham.