Birmingham & Preston - Barcelona's unlikely UK camp

Hansi Flick led Barcelona to the Spanish title by eight points last season

As Premier League clubs jet off to the Far East and the United States, Barcelona have made the Midlands their home.

Manager Hansi Flick has brought his La Liga champions to St George’s Park in Staffordshire for a training camp this week as their pre-season preparations continue.

Barca’s eight World Cup winners - including Lamine Yamal - remain on a break after their triumph with Spain this month, but new signing Karim Adeyemi is included after his summer move from Borussia Dortmund.

In addition to Lamine Yamal, his Spain team-mates Ferran Torres, Joan Garcia, Eric Garcia, Pau Cubarsi, Gavi, Dani Olmo, Pedri and Lamine Yamal are also on a post-World Cup break.

Two friendlies against Championship sides await - against Birmingham at St Andrew’s on Friday, and against Preston behind closed doors at St George’s Park on Monday - with the knock-on effects of the World Cup playing a part in the organising of those matches.

Lionel Messi trained at St George’s Park during Barcelona’s last visit 12 years ago

Barcelona ruled out a long-haul tour to the United States because of the World Cup schedule.

As well as missing their Spain stars, they are without another six senior internationals, including England’s Anthony Gordon following his £80m move from Newcastle.

Brazil’s Raphinha, France’s Jules Kounde and Uruguay’s Ronald Araujo are absent too.

Having opted out of a transatlantic tour, Barca had spent a large part of the year looking at their options, trying to work around the fact that their players return at different times because of the World Cup.

Birmingham had been speaking to the club for a number of months as they looked to boost their own profile.

The Blues, who missed out on the Championship play-offs last season, have promotion ambitions under chairman Tom Wagner and minority owner and seven-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady.

Barca decided to come to the UK as they wanted a good standard of opposition as part of their pre-season programme, having previously spent time at St George’s Park in 2014 - before they won the Treble of La Liga, Copa del Rey and the Champions League - and then in 2016.

Roma have trained there in the past, while Nantes, Fiorentina and Rangers used the facility last summer.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen spent the second half of last season on loan at Girona, though only played twice before suffering a hamstring injury

The 30-man squad flew to Birmingham on Monday before training early evening in the Midlands, with Fermín Lopez continuing his recovery from injury.

The midfielder missed out on Spain’s World Cup success after breaking his foot against Real Betis in May.

Flick’s squad is a mix of senior players, along with others from Barcelona B and the under-19s, including forward Orian Goren who only turned 17 in March.

Netherlands midfielder Frenkie de Jong has travelled despite a knee injury which was expected to keep him out for months.

The 29-year-old damaged the medial collateral ligament in his right knee at the World Cup.

Another surprise inclusion is Marc-Andre ter Stegen, who has been expected to move to Ajax on loan. No deal has been struck so the German goalkeeper has travelled to England and could face Birmingham in Friday’s game.

Barca had a double session on Tuesday and are training on the pitch reserved for the England senior team.

After their trip to St Andrew’s, Barca will take on Preston behind closed doors at St George’s Park next Monday.

Paul Heckingbottom’s side started their pre-season with a 4-1 win against Northern Premier League Premier Division side Bamber Bridge at the start of the month.

Barca also travel to Italy for two 45-minute matches against Nottingham Forest and Udinese in the Friuli Venezia Giulia tournament on 8 August.

Barcelona squad: Ter Stegen, Fort, Balde, Araujo, Cortes, Guille Fernandez, Toni Fernandez, Farinas, Abdelkarim, Tommy, Xavi Espart, Yaakobishvili, Adeyemi, Christensen, Fermin, M Casado, Gerard Martin, Roony, Tunkara, Torrents, Bernal, Gonzalez, Kluivert, Szczesny, Goren, Gistau, Diarra, Pesquer, Rodriguez, De Jong.

Burnley winger Koleosho joins Paris FC

Burnley winger Luca Koleosho has joined French club Paris FC for an undisclosed fee.

The 21-year-old American-born Italy international arrived at Turf Moor from La Liga side Espanyol for £2.6m in 2023 and went on to make 45 appearances, scoring three times.

Koleosho signed a five-year contract extension with Burnley in September 2024 that was due to run until June 2029.

His first season in the Premier League was cut short by a knee injury but he played 28 Championship games as Scott Parker’s team returned to the top flight at the first attempt before spending last season out on loan.

He had one unsuccessful spell before Christmas with previous club Espanyol, where he made just three appearances, before another from January with Ligue 1 Paris, where he appeared 16 times, scoring three goals, including the winner on his debut.

Koleosho made his full Italy debut in a 1-0 friendly win over Luxembourg in June and also started against Greece as the Azzurri won by the same scoreline later that month.

He follows Jaidon Anthony, Maxime Esteve, Lesley Ugochukwu, Loum Tchaouna and Quilindschy Hartman in leaving Turf Moor this summer following Burnley’s relegation from the Premier League.

Diomande's rapid and remarkable rise to Real Madrid

After an eventful couple of months, Yan Diomande, one of football’s top young prospects, is about to get his wish of joining a European powerhouse.

The 19-year-old is signing with Real Madrid in what can only be described as a record-setting transfer.

The Spanish giants will pay more than £100m for Diomande - making him a new record sale for RB Leipzig and he is expected to also become a new record signing for Real Madrid.

Simultaneously, Diomande becomes the most expensive African player in history.

His rise to stardom has also occurred seemingly in record time as less than 18 months ago he was almost completely unknown.

Only scouts and insiders were aware of a skinny winger who had previously played for Florida-based DME Academy, more renowned for its basketball programme.

Diomande had trials with Chelsea, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Rangers and Olympiacos but remained unsigned until he was picked up by La Liga side Leganes.

Within only a few months and 10 games in the Spanish top flight he increased his market value considerably, eventually signing with Leipzig for 20m euros.

The Red Bull-funded club believed they had acquired a diamond. And they were right. Almost from the get-go, Diomande looked like one of the most exciting players in the Bundesliga, scoring 13 goals and providing 10 assists across competitions in his first full season in Europe.

Initially, Leipzig intended to keep him for another year, hoping his market value would increase even further, but the demand was simply too high.

Liverpool, Paris St-Germain and finally Real Madrid showed so much interest in the winger, who also played for his home country of Ivory Coast at the World Cup, that the Bundesliga side had to give way and agree to a deal.

A lot can be said about the steadily increasing prices on an overheated transfer market where even prospects can demand fees in the nine digits, but Diomande is special. A hyper athletic and very creative winger, it is not far-fetched to consider him among the best dribblers in Europe already.

Obviously, there is still a degree of rawness to his game, but he made a leap forward in the past 12 months and there’s no reason he couldn’t develop further at the tender age of 19.

His passing skills are also somewhat underrated because he is the embodiment of a dribble-first winger. Diomande connected very well with right-back Ridle Baku at Leipzig and may look even stronger with the support of the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marc Cucurella.

Diomande is able to play on both wings. A right-footer, he was mostly employed on the left side by Leganes but found a home on the right at Leipzig. At the World Cup, he played in both positions for Ivory Coast.

Diomande is not just marketable as a living, breathing highlight reel, but also because he is a true rags-to-riches story.

Growing up in the metropolis of Abidjan in Ivory Coast, he decided early to become a professional footballer. Or at least he dreamed about it and was willing to make a lot of sacrifices.

When he was nine, Diomande played for Inter Foot Sud Comoe, a club near the border to Ghana - 70 miles away from home. He essentially lived on his own and had to get by with few resources.

He made an even more drastic move when he left Ivory Coast at the age of 15 to play football in the United States, attending a high school while unable to speak English at first.

His talent was undeniable, yet there was no shortage of stumbling blocks on his way to professional football.

Numerous trials in Europe went nowhere. “Even the B teams in the MLS didn’t want me,” he later said. “I didn’t even know why. They never gave me a reason. The adults handled everything. They just kept taking me all around Europe, and everybody kept saying no.”

Once his visa expired and he had to go back home, his fortunes turned around, as Leganes were ready to sign Diomande to a professional contract.

As things were finally on the up, he had to cope with an unexpected tragedy when his 15-year-old sister, who he had been very close with, died shortly after his La Liga debut against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu.

“Now, I don’t feel anything. It’s like I’m not even human. Since you died, I’m just blank,” he wrote in a letter to Roxanne, his late sister, published by Players’ Tribune in June.

Diomande said his dream of debuting against Madrid at the age of 18 was suddenly followed by a nightmare.

The circumstances of Roxanne’s death remain somewhat unclear – Diomande was told that it was a result of her drink being spiked at a party.

While tragedy struck in spring 2025, it didn’t derail Diomande from his professional path. He made the move to Leipzig a year ago and is already taking another huge step by joining Madrid.

The Spanish giants aren’t in need of another winger, but Diomande is such a fascinating prospect that chairman Florentino Perez and Madrid’s management did not want to lose out.

That Diomande ends up in Madrid rather than Paris is a surprise, though. PSG have been a club Diomande admired as a kid, with his dad being a supporter of the 14-time French champions.

Real Madrid can certainly be considered a dream destination for most footballers, but the way an anticipated move to PSG fell apart and how PSG voiced their displeasure over the behaviour of Diomande’s agents can raise questions.

While outstanding on the field, there has been considerable noise around Diomande off it and his decision to switch professional representation has led to a complaint being lodged with the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne.

He had previously been represented by Maxidel, an agency led by Max Gradel, a former winger with the third most international caps for Ivory Coast, but Diomande then made the move to Jay-Z’s entertainment agency Roc Nation in February.

Understandably, Roc Nation had great interest in signing Diomande and even sent out DJ Khaled to convince him of the move. Maxidel was not amused and insisted on the validity of previous agreements.

Under Fifa rules, agencies are allowed to sign players to contracts that make them the sole representatives in a country like England for a specific period of time.

It might not be a coincidence that Roc Nation represents two Real Madrid attackers in Vinicius Junior and Endrick already.

While it seemed as if PSG were in the pole position, the European champions officially declared they were out of the race a few days ago, citing issues with the agency during negotiations.

As for Diomande, his upward trajectory looks set to continue in the Spanish capital.

Leicester sign Man City defender McFarlane on loan

Leicester City have completed a season-long loan deal for Manchester City left-back Christian McFarlane.

The 19-year-old England youth international will join the Foxes for the 2026-27 campaign and becomes their third signing of the summer.

McFarlane joined the New York City FC youth academy in 2018 where he signed his first professional contract aged 14.

He was then sold by New York City to Manchester City in January 2025, where he is yet to make a senior appearance.

Notts County striker Jatta signs for Casa Pia

Notts County striker Alassana Jatta has completed a move to Portuguese top-flight club Casa Pia.

The 27-year-old leaves for an undisclosed fee, after two and a half years at Meadow Lane.

The Gambia forward scored 44 goals in 89 appearances since joining from Danish club Viborg in February 2024.

He netted the opener in the 2025-26 League Two play-off final when County beat Salford City to reach League One.

County said: “While we would have gladly retained Alassana’s services for the forthcoming campaign, it has become clear that he sees his future elsewhere.

“During his time with us, we have rejected several bids which did not meet our valuation - however we feel this latest offer represents fair value and he therefore moves on with our thanks and best wishes for the future.”