Newcastle United have reportedly been handed the chance to sign Juventus midfielder Manuel Locatelli although Eddie Howe’s Magpies face competition from other Premier League clubs.
Mark Brus reports on his Daily Briefing that Newcastle are one of five clubs in the race for the Italian, who could be available in January for €40m (£35m). He is regarded as a “key player” by the Old Lady, and there is a reluctance to sell next year, but offers in the region of that price are deemed “unrejectable”.
Eddie Howe has plenty of options in midfield with the trio of Bruno Guimaraes, Sandro Tonali and Joelinton among the Premier League’s most highly-regarded. But strengthening the squad with depth in the winter and adding talent brimming with experience could be the club’s desire.
Newcastle Among Clubs Circling For Locatelli
The Italian is in demand with Chelsea, Aston Villa, and West Ham United, who are also keen on bringing him to the Premier League. German giants Bayer Leverkusen are also keeping tabs after losing Granit Xhaka to Sunderland in the summer.
Locatelli has under three years left on his contract with Juve who he captains in Serie A and has become an important member of Igor Tudor’s midfield. He’s a defensive midfielder by trade but can operate centrally with a profile that has been likened to Guimaraes.
Newcastle have already found success targeting talent from the Italian top-flight after signing Tonali from AC Milan back in the summer of 2023. There were suggestions at the end of last season that the 25-year-old was contemplating his future on Tyneside but he stayed put and has continued to star in Howe’s midfield.
While a signing of Locatelli’s stature would be a significant acquistion it may mean Howe is pondering tinkering with his starting midfield. The Magpies are perhaps the club of those interested that least requires a new midfielder especially as the versatile Jacob Ramsey also arrived in the summer.
Cristiano Ronaldo once revealed an English footballer is one of his son Mateo’s three favourite players to watch.
The legendary forward was a childhood idol for many of the current generation who are making names for themselves in the sport. Vinicius Junior idolised the former Real Madrid star during his childhood before eventually following in the five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s footsteps and lighting up the Estadio Bernabeu.
As Ronaldo, 41, heads towards the end of his illustrious playing career, he is now seeing today’s European megastars earn similar admiration. Three of them have been mainstays in his son Mateo’s YouTube history.
Ronaldo Reveals Mateo Watches Trio
REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo
Ronaldo is one of the most successful players in history, having become the greatest goalscorer the sport has ever seen. His peak came at Real Madrid, where he won four UEFA Champions League trophies, adding to the first he won at Manchester United.
The Portuguese star scored 450 goals in 438 games for Los Blancos, writing his name in the club’s history books. While he didn’t enjoy the most ceremonious of departures, he is recognised as one of, if not the best, players to grace the Bernabeu.
Ronaldo is training his son Mateo, who at the age of nine plays at Al-Nassr’s academy. Despite seeing his father play for the Saudi Pro League giants, there are three players whom he is particularly fond of.
“My son Mateo watches YouTube comps of Mbappe, Bellingham and Camavinga. and he’ll tell me, ‘Mbappe is better than you.’ I tell him, ‘But I’ve scored more goals.’ Then I’ll remind him Mbappe missed a penalty… and he’ll reply, ‘You missed one too.’”
While the biggest takeaway is Mateo’s view on Kylian Mbappe being better than Ronaldo, his interest in Jude Bellingham will have England fans taking notice. The Birmingham-born midfielder has enjoyed a meteoric rise and grown into one of football’s biggest superstars.
It speaks volumes of Bellingham’s status in world football and the influence he has on the younger generation. Still only 23, he has won the UEFA Champions League and La Liga title since joining Madrid from Borussia Dortmund in July 2023.
Bellingham headed to this summer’s World Cup with some urging Thomas Tuchel to start Morgan Rogers over him. He did his talking on the pitch, scoring seven goals to break Harry Kane and Gary Lineker’s record for the most goals scored by an Englishman at any major tournament.
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Ronaldo Compared Bellingham to Real Madrid Great
Reuters/Maria Lysaker
Mateo isn’t the only member of the Ronaldo family who is a Bellingham fan, as the Madrid icon made his feelings clear back in February 2025. He waxed lyrical about the Englishman during an interview with El Chiringuito:
“I really like Jude Bellingham. He reminds me of Zidane. He is still very young and has his whole future ahead of him. He will bring a lot to Real Madrid.”
REUTERS/Kacper Pempel
Bellingham made a red-hot start to life at Madrid, living up to the hype with 23 goals and 13 assists in 42 games during his debut season. Just months into his Bernabeu career, he broke Ronaldo’s joint record of most goals scored by a Los Blancos player in their first 15 games when he found the net for the 14th time.
Comparisons with Zinedine Zidane are understandable given Bellingham took the number five shirt the iconic Frenchman made famous. He now finds himself winning the hearts of young fans as Ronaldo and Zidane did throughout their careers.
Right now, FIFA president Gianni Infantino is facing a great deal of scrutiny. He has sparked outrage after his plans to privatise the World Cup were revealed. And by sheer association, some will also be critical of Arsene Wenger.
The former Arsenal manager has been serving as FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development since 2019, three years after Infantino took charge of the organisation. The pair have often been spotted together at games, and this was the case once again during the 2026 World Cup.
Since the tournament ended on 19 July, Infantino has attempted to form a new commercial subsidiary called FIFA Forward Enterprises (FFE), which aimed to sell shares in the World Cup to private investors. His actions have not gone down well, with UEFA, CONCACAF and the Asian Football Confederation all rejecting the scheme.
Wenger is yet to speak out on his boss at FIFA since the scandal broke, but he has been very vocal about his support of Infantino in the recent past. In February 2026, just months before the World Cup, the Arsenal legend paid glowing tribute.
“Overall we have gone through a lot. When you’re at FIFA you’re always under pressure and under scrutiny, but I believe that the highlights are that we’ve tried to develop the game by improving the roots of the game as well the competition.
“And if you look at the last ten years and how football has moved on the popular front, I would say there is a huge improvement on that side and that Gianni is always ready to move forward and to create new ideas. He’s open to new ideas.”
Wenger continued, speaking on how FIFA have looked to expand in many different areas. He noted: “We have for the first time now a World Cup with 48 teams. Our target is to have 100 academies in 100 different countries, so that shows you how big the impact will be worldwide. It will change the world. And I’m convinced as well that the U-15 and U-17 World Cup every year will change football in the world – and it will change the world, believe me. So that I think is a very positive step.
“A lot has been done in the last 10 years to help countries who were behind Europe to develop their potential.
“So, that’s certainly the proudest moment, but you can look at these 10 years – a huge improvement has been made in the countries who were far behind and slowly the level is more unified and is much higher everywhere in the world. “I would say with hindsight, we realise that for the first time, in the last 10 years, FIFA has gone for a very strong educational programme.
“Before, FIFA had done a lot of work, of course, and a lot of good work, but it was mainly about organising competitions, about keeping the rules of the game, being a guarantor of the rules of the game, where we participate as well and we want to move the game forward as well.
“But for the first time in the last 10 years, FIFA has gone into an educational role and responsibility and that in my opinion will change the world.”
Wenger Explained Why He Joined FIFA
Wenger retired from football management in 2018, but was picked up by FIFA the following year after his Arsenal exit. In the same interview, the Frenchman detailed what it’s like to work with Infantino and why he wanted to become part of the organisation:
“Gianni is somebody who wants to move forward. He’s always open to new ideas and I’m grateful – he was a huge supporter of my suggestions to educate the players in the academies, in the countries and to develop all the countries.
“He is conscious that every country deserves a chance and he has helped me to get the funds and to get the funds voted by all the federations to support this programme. And I must say, he has been a huge supporter of the Development Programme so overall he’s always keen to move things forward.”
Wenger concluded: “I thought the best way to have an influence in the world of football is at global level and I decided to join FIFA, to say yes to their question: ‘Would you like to join us and help us to improve the quality of the game in the world?’ And, it was obvious for me.
“You see the world has changed. When we go to the tournaments, everybody is excited about developing their potential and overall this is a huge success.”
Aitana Bonmati has spent her career proving what greatness looks like in women’s football, picking up the Ballon d’Or Feminin three years running from 2023-2025, and establishing herself as one of the sharpest football minds in the game today.
Few players understand the demands of winning individual honours quite like she does, which is exactly why her opinion on the men’s race carries weight. So when she’s asked to weigh in on who should take home the men’s award, it’s worth paying attention.
With the World Cup now in the rearview mirror and the race for the Ballon d’Or heating up, Bonmati offered her take on which players truly earned the right to be crowned the best in the world this year, landing on three names that reflect just how open this year’s race has become.
Aitana Bonmati’s Three Ballon d’Or Picks Explained
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo via Barca Blaugranes, the 28-year-old immediately floated Rodri and Lionel Messi as two players who caught her eye during the tournament, with her admiration for Messi stemming from his ability to still perform at such a high level heading into his 40s.
“I would give it to Rodri for example, to Messi, why not, partly because of what he has shown at 39 years old in the World Cup.”
She then turned to a more unexpected choice: Barcelona’s young defender, Pau Cubarsi. It’s a bold pick, given how rarely defenders are recognised with football’s most prestigious individual honour.
Bonmati justified the selection by referencing history, noting that Fabio Cannavaro once claimed the Ballon d’Or as a centre-back off the back of a World Cup win:
“If I have to choose someone, Rodri or Cubarsi, because Cannavaro also won a World Cup playing as a centre-back and Cubarsi has had a great World Cup to deserve it.”
In her eyes, Cubarsi’s standout performances throughout the tournament put him in similar territory, making him a legitimate dark horse for the award.
Where the Bookmakers Stand on the Ballon d’Or
England’s Harry Kane looks worried via REUTERS/Peter Cziborra
Bonmati’s shortlist doesn’t quite line up with the current betting markets. Harry Kane holds a narrow edge as favourite heading into the announcement, largely on the back of a prolific season in front of goal for Bayern Munich, with Lamine Yamal, World Cup Golden Ball winner Rodri, Kylian Mbappe and Messi rounding out the group closely behind him.
Interestingly, Rodri and Messi appear on both lists, suggesting Bonmati’s instincts aren’t too far removed from the wider consensus, even if Cubarsi remains something of an outlier.
Fans won’t have to wait too much longer to find out who takes home the prize, with the winner set to be revealed on the 26th of October.
