Hull City have reached a verbal agreement to sign English full-back Brooke Norton-Cuffy from Genoa, according to confirmation from Fabrizio Romano.
The deal is reportedly worth €14 million. Arsenal, who sold Norton-Cuffy in 2024, hold a sell-on clause and are set to receive a share of the transfer fee.
Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher shared his analysis on Sky Sports after Arsenal secured a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa in Matchday 2 of the Premier League season.
“Arsenal have fantastic structure behind the ball, which allows their full-backs to play very boldly.
Source: tribuna.com
Bukayo Saka’s second-half goal secured a victory for Premier League champions Arsenal at Aston Villa.
Source: www.bbc.co.uk
Barcelona are close to completing the signing of Arsenal forward Gabriel Jesus after holding negotiations with the Premier League club in recent hours.
The Catalan side had initially planned not to sign another forward if it could not finalize the arrival of Julián Alvarez. However, Barcelona have changed their approach after an unexpected opportunity emerged in the transfer market.
Barcelona will pay €10 million plus variables for Gabriel Jesus, with the two clubs having reached an agreement that is expected to be signed shortly.
The Brazilian forward is expected to arrive in Barcelona on Monday or Tuesday to undergo his medical examination. The club then intends to make the transfer official before Jesus begins training under Hansi Flick.
Source: www.marca.com
Gabriel Martinelli’s transfer from Arsenal to Al Hilal is in its final stages, according to Fabrizio Romano.
The Arsenal winger has already agreed personal terms with the Saudi Pro League club and has given Al Hilal permission to negotiate a transfer fee with Arsenal.
Real Madrid now know the eight clubs they will face in the league phase of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League. The draw, held in Monaco, handed the record 15-time winners a balanced schedule of four home fixtures at the Santiago Bernabéu and four away trips.
The 36 participating teams were split into four pots based on UEFA coefficients. As a Pot 1 side, Madrid were protected from drawing other Spanish clubs and could not face more than two teams from the same association. UEFA will confirm matchdates and kick-off times over the coming weekend.
The draw carries significant subtext for head coach José Mourinho. This Champions League campaign marks his first in a second spell at the club, and he arrives with a specific historical grievance: the “Big Eared” trophy eluded him during his first tenure (2010–2013), when Madrid reached three consecutive semi-finals but never advanced to the final. Having won the competition with Porto and Inter, the Portuguese manager is explicitly targeting a first European crown with Los Blancos to settle that debt.
The most high-profile fixture pits Madrid against Inter. The clubs have met 19 times previously, with Madrid holding a 10-win advantage. However, Inter inflicted one of the few final defeats in Madrid’s history, winning the 1964 European Cup final. The rivalry carries personal resonance for Mourinho, who secured his second Champions League title with Inter in 2010 — at the Bernabéu. Recent encounters have favored Madrid, who won both group-stage meetings in 2021/22.
The away trip to Arsenal carries a strong revenge narrative. The Gunners eliminated Madrid in the 2024/25 quarter-finals with a commanding 5-1 aggregate scoreline (3-0 at Emirates Stadium, featuring a Declan Rice brace; 2-1 at the Bernabéu). That defeat ranks among the most bitter European nights of the past two seasons, and Mourinho’s side will view the return fixture as a prime opportunity for recompense.
Roma represent another well-known adversary. The clubs have clashed repeatedly this century, exclusively in the Champions League, most recently in the 2015/16 round of 16, which Madrid won. PSV Eindhoven and Shakhtar Donetsk are also recurring group-stage opponents. Madrid generally hold the upper hand, though Shakhtar — who will play their designated home matches at Stamford Bridge — sprang a surprise with a 3-2 win at Valdebebas in 2020/21.
RB Leipzig return after a group-stage meeting in 2022/23. The fixture gains added intrigue because Leipzig developed Yan Diomande, who subsequently became the most expensive signing in Real Madrid’s history.
The schedule concludes with two infrequent opponents. AEK Athens represent a very rare matchup, while Austria’s LASK Linz will face Madrid for the first time in the club’s European history.
The league phase retains the structure introduced in recent editions. All 36 teams compete in a single table: the top eight advance directly to the round of 16; teams placed 9th–24th enter a two-legged knockout play-off round; the bottom 12 are eliminated with no Europa League fallback. From the round of 16 onward, the tournament reverts to a traditional knockout format culminating in the final on June 5, 2027, at the Metropolitano Stadium in Madrid.
With the opponents confirmed and the schedule imminent, Madrid — perennial favorites in their self-declared natural habitat — begin the pursuit of a sixteenth European crown.
Arsenal’s Olivia Smith has received the PFA Young Player of the Year award for the second consecutive year, saying she wants to “keep setting standards high”.
As the summer transfer window enters its final week, Premier League giants are making decisive moves that could reshape the title race. A live blog from The Independent on August 25, 2026, reveals a flurry of activity across Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Aston Villa, mixing confirmed deals with high-stakes negotiations. Read also: Why Wisconsin at 150-to-1 Might Be the Smartest Long-Shot Bet in the 2026 Big Ten Title Race. Read also: Charles Barkley Urges WNBA Leadership to Draw Firm Line on Transgender Athlete Participation.
Arsenal are pushing to sign Julian Alvarez from Manchester City, with the Argentine striker reportedly open to the move after initially favoring a switch to Barcelona. Securing Alvarez would cap a productive summer for the Gunners and provide crucial depth as they attempt to defend their Premier League crown, addressing a long-standing need for a versatile forward who can rotate with Kai Havertz.
Liverpool received a significant boost in their pursuit of PSG winger Bradley Barcola after the Frenchman was left out of the squad for the match against Rennes, with club insiders now expecting his departure this summer. However, the Reds' alternative target, Brighton's Yankuba Minteh, has seen two bids rejected. Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler downplayed the impact of Minteh's potential exit after his side thrashed Aston Villa 4-0, insisting the squad has the solutions to cope without the Gambian international.
Manchester City continued their squad overhaul by agreeing a €100 million deal with Lille for highly rated midfielder Ayyoub Bouaddi, while simultaneously offloading winger Savinho to Tottenham for £85 million. The champions are also monitoring Liverpool's Cody Gakpo, suggesting Pep Guardiola is still looking to refresh his attacking options despite the massive outlay on Bouaddi.
Manchester United completed the most concrete piece of business on the day, finalizing the signing of Carlos Baleba from Brighton for an initial £65 million rising to £70 million with add-ons. The Cameroon international signed a five-year deal, becoming the third midfield arrival of the summer and completing a £148 million overhaul of the engine room under Michael Carrick. United are also exploring a loan move for Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde, who is reportedly keen on a Premier League switch.
Aston Villa face a potential double exit after both Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martínez were omitted from the matchday squad. Watkins is heavily linked with a lucrative move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal, a departure that would severely weaken Unai Emery's attacking options just as the Champions League campaign looms.
The emerging picture shows a clear strategic divide: Arsenal and United are aggressively addressing specific weaknesses, Liverpool are hunting for wide reinforcement with contingency plans, City are balancing elite recruitment with high-value sales, while Villa risk losing their spine. With only the Baleba deal confirmed among the major headlines, the coming days will determine which clubs successfully navigate the deadline pressure.