'Show me they want me' - will World Cup hero Torres stay at Barcelona?

Ferran Torres has made 207 appearances for Barcelona since signing from Manchester City in 2022 but 94 (45%) have been as a substitute

Ferran Torres will return to Barcelona later this month having cemented his name in the country’s football folklore following his extra-time winner to seal Spain’s second World Cup triumph.

His profile and marketability has significantly grown and those around him will be keen to ensure he makes the most of a career-defining moment.

But a summer dominated by World Cup celebrations has given way to transfer speculation, fuelled by the forward’s own comments during a media tour in the United States.

The 26-year-old is under contract with Barcelona until June 2027 meaning, if he does not reach an agreement with the Catalan giants, Torres will be able to negotiate with another club as a free agent from January.

So, as Barcelona’s players gradually report back for pre-season, does Spain’s World Cup hero’s future remain at the Nou Camp?

The uncertainty surrounding Torres’ future has intensified following a series of high-profile television appearances in the United States for a promotional tour with his sportswear sponsor.

Asked where he expected to be playing next season, Torres replied: “I have a contract with Barcelona but, in football, you never know. We are waiting to make the right decision. Right now, all I know is that I have to be in training for Barcelona on 12 August. Let’s see what happens.”

Asked what Barcelona need to do to keep him, he said: “Show me they want me, come to negotiate.”

Reflecting on his winner against Argentina in the World Cup final, he added: “I’ve watched it thousands of times. When I finished the game, I didn’t remember the goal. It was unbelievable. I can’t describe it with words.”

The speculation only increased when he was asked directly about reported interest from Paris St-Germain.

“Every time these teams want you it’s a good thing,” Torres said. “You never know because in football everything can change in one minute, so I have to be ready for everything.”

Asked how he would approach such a career-defining decision, Torres replied: “Trying to think what is going to make me happiest.”

Torres’ comments have frustrated many Barcelona supporters, who believe he has been too open about the possibility of leaving the club and attempting to strengthen his negotiating position.

Fans have also taken issue with what they see as his carefully chosen wording when discussing interest from other teams, particularly given that he has never established himself as a regular starter or consistently lived up to expectations since joining Barcelona from Manchester City in 2022.

Torres’ tour of the US included throwing the ceremonial first pitch before the New York Yankees’ game against St Louis Cardinals

Barcelona remain relaxed about Torres’ situation despite the growing uncertainty surrounding his future. They say they will speak to him when he returns to training, as planned.

He was not a regular starter under Hansi Flick last season and ended the campaign with 21 goals and three assists in 49 appearances.

But he is one of the club’s most trusted and versatile attacking options, rotating primarily with Robert Lewandowski - who has since signed for Chicago Fire - as a central striker while also providing cover across the front three.

Barcelona are ultimately keen to extend his contract but any new agreement is expected to keep Torres within the existing wage structure rather than include a substantial salary increase.

Reports suggest the club would look to delay formal negotiations until September - after the transfer window has closed - so as not to affect Financial Fair Play calculations and their ability to do business during the current window.

Renewing Torres’ deal would also reportedly trigger a payment of almost £7m to former club Manchester City, because of a clause included in his contract when he signed in the 2022 January transfer window.

Barcelona have received no formal offers for the Spain international although, as with any member of the squad, they would consider an offer if one were made.

PSG, managed by former Barcelona coach Luis Enrique, remain interested in the forward and are monitoring developments closely as Barcelona prepare to present their proposal.

The forward may feel he heads into those negotiations from a position of strength.

They come with the club still seeking a long-term number nine solution, with a move for Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez remaining uncertain.

That means, following Lewandowski’s departure at the end of his contract in June, Torres is the only senior Barcelona forward with significant experience of playing as a central striker.

Van de Ven close to agreeing new Spurs contract

Micky van de Ven is close to agreeing a new five-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur.

The Netherlands international defender joined from Wolfsburg in 2023 on a six-year agreement that runs until 2029.

BBC Sport understands Van de Ven was considering his future in north London before the appointment of Roberto de Zerbi in March.

The arrival of the Italian manager, who helped keep Spurs in the Premier League, has been crucial in the 25-year-old’s decision to seek new terms.

“It’s really good that you can see the club has made some changes,” Van de Ven told BBC Sport in July.

“You can see the club has a new ambition. It’s something that’s really important for players who have been here for a long time.

“Last season was a stressful season, unacceptable from our side, so to leave all of that behind and go into the new season fresh means a lot.”

Tottenham have finished 17th in the Premier League in back-to-back seasons and their battle to stay in the top flight ran to the final day of the 2025-2026 campaign.

After a turbulent nine months featuring three managers, Van de Ven said he is looking forward to a brighter future under De Zerbi.

“It’s going to be different compared to the manager we had last season,” Van de Ven said.

“It’s also going to be more enjoyable for people to watch because we’ll be playing offensive football.

“It is something we needed because everybody was a little bit down.”

Arsenal set to sign Newcastle captain Guimaraes

Bruno Guimaraes has appeared 48 times for Brazil

Arsenal are set to complete their protracted move for Newcastle United captain Bruno Guimaraes.

BBC Sport reported on 30 July that Guimaraes was expected to move to the Premier League champions following a breakthrough in talks.

And a full agreement is now almost done, with Guimaraes waiting for permission to leave Newcastle’s training base in La Manga, in Spain, to finalise the formalities of his move to Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners are now making preparations for the Brazil midfielder’s medical this week. There is no confirmation of a fee but sources are indicating it could reach £80m.

Guimaraes, who joined Newcastle from Lyon in 2022, has made clear his intention to join Arsenal as the 28-year-old has emerged as Mikel Arteta’s first-choice central midfield target.

Newcastle and Arsenal have been discussing the finer terms of the deal this week with a final agreement now considered a formality.

Chelsea nearing £16.3m deal for Rayo defender Chavarria

Chelsea are closing in on an agreement with Rayo Vallecano for defender Pep Chavarria.

The Blues, who have already agreed personal terms with the 28-year-old, are finalising a move worth about £16.3m plus further add-ons, with all parties increasingly confident about striking a deal.

Left-back Chavarria is a key target for new manager Xabi Alonso having faced him while he was in charge of Real Madrid last season.

It has been almost a month since Chelsea had an initial £15m bid rejected by the La Liga club when talks began at the end of June.

Negotiations became protracted amid a belief at Chelsea that Rayo were raising their valuation during the process, asking as much as the full £42.8m release clause at one stage.

Chavarria made it clear to Rayo, who lost to Crystal Palace in the Conference League final in May, that he wanted to move to Stamford Bridge.

Alongside new right-back Marco Palestra, who joined Chelsea for £47m from Atalanta in July, Chavarria’s arrival would give Alonso the chance to replicate his wing-back system that helped Bayer Leverkusen win the Bundesliga title in 2024.

His signing also adds depth to the left-back position after Marc Cucurella joined Real Madrid in June for £51.8m.

It is also another player with experience added to the squad, along with the signings of striker Danny Welbeck, 35, from Brighton and Jordan Henderson, 36, after he cancelled his contract with Brentford.

Chelsea have also signed club-record £117m forward Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa and defender Maxence Lacroix from Crystal Palace for £52m, with midfielder Valentin Barco expected to join from partner club Strasbourg imminently.

They are expected to focus on player sales in the coming weeks having reached an agreement to sell Trevoh Chalobah to Italian club Como 1907 for about £31m.

Salah given hero's welcome before Trabzonspor move

Mohamed Salah scored just seven Premier League goals in his final season at Liverpool

Turkish club Trabzonspor are set to confirm the signing of Mohamed Salah as the Egypt captain was mobbed by fans on his arrival in Turkey.

Hundreds of fans gathered outside Ataturk Airport in Istanbul on Wednesday as Salah emerged wearing Trabzonspor colours before engaging with the excited crowd.

The 34-year-old forward left Liverpool at the end of last season after nine years on Merseyside, scoring 257 goals.

It is unclear what Salah will earn at Trabzonspor, but as he is a free agent, the Super Lig club will have been able to commit more of their budget towards Salah’s wages.

Salah, who has scored 50 Champions League goals, will play European football with Trabzonspor next season after they finished third, eight points behind champions Galatasaray.

If they fail to progress to the league phase of the Europa League via the play-offs, they will drop down to the Conference League.

Salah became Liverpool’s highest earner in their history when he signed a reported £400,000-a-week contract in April 2025.

Trabzonspor will hold a signing ceremony for Salah at Papara Park on Thursday at 17:30 BST.

The club has asked supporters to attend wearing the new season’s shirts and “witness history” with Salah being presented as Trabzonspor’s new number 10.

Nicknamed the Black Sea Storm, Trabzonspor have won seven league titles, six of which came between 1976 and 1984.

In 2022, they claimed their most recent league success, ending a 38-year wait.

Based in the north-eastern city of Trabzon, they are one of only six teams to have won the Turkish Super Lig.

Salah’s signing will go down as the club’s biggest as he joins former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge and former Arsenal winger Nicolas Pepe in donning the claret and sky blue shirt.

He helped Liverpool to win two Premier League titles, the Champions League, the Club World Cup, Uefa Super Cup, FA Cup and two EFL Cups.

During his time in England, the Egyptian won the Premier League Golden Boot on four occasions and was named the Professional Footballers’ Association player of the year three times - in 2018, 2022 and 2025.

But despite scoring 29 goals and making 18 assists in Liverpool’s 2024-25 title-winning season, Salah’s minutes diminished the following campaign after a falling out with former Reds head coach Arne Slot.

Since announcing he would be leaving Liverpool a year before his two-year contract extension ended, the football world has been wondering where he would next be playing.

After a successful World Cup campaign where Egypt reached the round of 16 for the first time before narrowly losing to Argentina, Salah was reported to be close to an agreement with a different Turkish club, Besiktas.

With a deal breaking down reportedly because of finances, Salah reached an agreement instead with Trabzonspor.

The Turkish side took to their social media on Tuesday night to tease the arrival of Salah with the Pyramids being shown on a video next to Papara Park.

But, following swiftly was another post stating “negotiations had begun” between Salah and Trabzonspor before showing how Salah’s Wednesday flight into Istanbul could be tracked.

“Trabzon, are you ready? See you very soon,” he said in a video onboard a private jet and posted on social media.

Trabzonspor’s flight tracking came in handy as a huge amount of fans gathered outside the airport to welcome Salah, who was greeted like a movie star.

There were yet more spectacular scenes when Salah arrived at Trabzon airport later on Wednesday as he led the fans in the club’s traditional three-count chant.

As one of sport’s biggest global stars, this transfer for Trabzonspor is huge.

Their current squad includes on-loan Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana, as well as a couple of Cape Verde’s World Cup stars in Wagner Pina and Sidny Lopes Cabral.

There can be little doubt that Trabzonspor have completed one of the biggest transfers in Turkish football history.

The country is no stranger to global stars: Roberto Carlos, Didier Drogba, Robin van Persie, Samuel Eto’o, Mesut Ozil and Wesley Sneijder have all played in the Super Lig.

This season, supporters will be able to watch N’Golo Kante and Ederson at Fenerbahce; Victor Osimhen, Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane at Galatasaray; and now Salah at Trabzonspor.

A transfer of this magnitude however represents a significant departure for Trabzonspor who, while competing for the title, have focused on developing young players and identifying talent with resale potential.

With the league increasingly dominated by Fenerbahce and Galatasaray, enthusiasm among Trabzonspor supporters had appeared to fade and Papara Park was often below capacity.

The signing of Salah is an attempt to change that.

His arrival should bring supporters back and significantly increase shirt sales. It could also broaden Trabzonspor’s commercial appeal across the Middle East, while generating particular interest among the Arab community in Trabzon and visitors to the city.

It is a bold change in strategy for Trabzonspor and Salah offers a renewed sense of excitement.