Liverpool are interested in signing Australian centre-back Lucas Herrington, but are expected to face competition from the likes of Barcelona and Manchester United for the World Cup star’s signature, according to TEAMtalk.

Herrington impressed for the Socceroos at the international tournament, catching the eye despite missing a decisive penalty in his nation’s last-16 shootout against Egypt. The defender currently plies his trade in the MLS with the Colorado Rapids, but could be set for a significant step-up, with his World Cup form sparking interest from several top clubs.

Liverpool are in the market for a new central defender after losing Ibrahima Konate to Real Madrid on a free transfer earlier this summer.

Jeremy Jacquet has arrived from Rennes for £60 million, but another option in this area of the pitch is needed in Andoni Iraola’s squad, and Herrington has been identified as a candidate to fill this role.

Liverpool to Battle Top Clubs for Lucas Herrington

Despite only turning 18 last September, Herrington was entrusted to start for Australia at the World Cup, and this decision may have changed the trajectory of his career.

The ‘top, top level’ teenager has made just 17 senior appearances for the Colorado Rapids, but is now the subject of interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.

TEAMtalk report that Liverpool, Barcelona and Manchester United are considering making a move for the youngster. On top of this, the outlet suggests as many as seven Premier League sides are monitoring Herrington’s situation, as well as a number of clubs on the continent.

The volume of potential suitors means Colorado find themselves in a strong position, and the MLS outfit are reportedly keen to make their own demands in any prospective deal.

The American club would welcome an arrangement that allows Herrington to remain on loan in Denver for another year before moving to Europe permanently.

Several of the interested parties are said to be on board with this idea, although it’s not specified whether Liverpool are among these clubs willing to accept this temporary deal.

The Reds are in dire need of immediate defensive reinforcements, and thus, may need to keep Herrington from the outset if they are to sign him.

Liverpool Should Focus Attention Elsewhere

At the moment, Iraola is set to rely on an ageing Virgil van Dijk, 20-year-old Jeremy Jacquet and injury-prone Joe Gomez at the heart of his defence. 19-year-old Giovani Leoni is still fighting his way back from an ACL injury.

It’s clear that the Merseysiders are short on reliable centre-backs heading into next season, and Herrington wouldn’t fix this immediate issue.

While acquiring the Australian might be a sensible piece of long-term squad planning, it’s evident that the prodigy defender won’t be capable of making an instant impact at Anfield and may even have to spend a year developing elsewhere.

Thus, Iraola and the Liverpool hierarchy should turn their attention elsewhere. Sporting CP’s Goncalo Inacio has been linked with a switch to the north-west, and the Reds should certainly focus their energy on securing a player of the Portuguese’s calibre.

Arsenal have already reached an agreement in principle with Newcastle United midfielder Bruno Guimaraes over personal terms, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Gunners are eager to sign Guimaraes, who is said to be valued by the Magpies at around £90 million. Mikel Arteta and Andrea Berta are intent on landing the Brazilian for a reduced fee, with initial rejected approaches understood to be worth £55 million and £65 million.

Guimaraes enjoyed an exceptional 2025/26 campaign despite Newcastle’s struggles, scoring nine goals and providing seven assists across all competitions, and he now feels ready to make the step up to a side regularly competing for major honours.

While there is plenty of work to do on the club-to-club side, Romano has revealed that there are no concerns on the player’s side.

Arsenal Have Agreed Personal Terms with Bruno Guimaraes

via Reuters

Reports emerged on Wednesday evening suggesting that Guimaraes has informed Newcastle of his desire to join Arsenal, although the playmaker is supposedly unwilling to agitate for a move, as he looks to keep his relationship with the north-east club civil.

Further reports then surfaced on Thursday indicating that the two parties have reached a consensus on a five-year deal.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, transfer guru Romano verified these reports, claiming that personal terms were never likely to be an issue, and that it’s now up to the two clubs to reach an agreement on the fee.

“We have to follow the situation of Bruno Guimaraes,” Romano said.

“Many of you are asking me [about Guimaraes]. It’s true that there is an agreement already in principle, on personal terms, between Bruno Guimaraes and Arsenal.

“I told you already in two, three videos, personal terms are never going to be a problem. Bruno Guimaraes doesn’t go to Newcastle and say, ‘Let me go to Arsenal’, without having an agreement with Arsenal.

“So, I don’t think that’s part of the story. It’s absolutely obvious that Bruno Guimaraes would agree personal terms with Arsenal. The contract is not the problem. The salary is not the problem. The desire of the player is to live in London. The desire of the player is to work with Mikel Arteta. The desire of the player is to play Champions League football.

“The player wants to go to Arsenal because of the ambitions and the opportunity to win trophies.”

Arsenal Need to Accelerate Bruno Guimaraes Deal

With Brazil out of the World Cup, there is no reason why a deal cannot materialise quickly. While Arsenal will look to negotiate and will hold their nerve, there should be a sense of urgency with how Berta operates on this specific deal.

The Gunners’ pre-season commences at the start of August, and thus far they’ve only added Leeds goalkeeper Ilan Meslier to their squad. They need to start assembling the pieces they plan to put together for the new campaign; otherwise, Arteta’s side will start the new term dysfunctionally.

Reports suggest that Declan Rice could be given an extended rest after the World Cup, allowing the England international to properly recover from his ongoing niggles.

If that is indeed the case, then the Gunners need Guimaraes ready to hit the ground running, to cover for the short-term loss of their midfield talisman.

Norway submitted an official complaint to FIFA ahead of their 2026 World Cup quarter-final clash against England this weekend.

The Norwegians secured a spot in their first ever World Cup quarter-final thanks to an impressive 2-0 win over Brazil in the last 16. Manchester City’s Erling Haaland scored two sensational goals to dump Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil out of the tournament.

Norway go head-to-head with England at the Miami Stadium on Saturday (10pm BST), but their preparations for the biggest match in their history haven’t been plain sailing.

Earlier this week, Norway’s team doctor Ola Sand played down widespread reports that the squad have been impacted by a sickness bug.

“So great that they believe this,” Sand said. “We are in control.”

He added: “All players are healthy now. Very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks.”

Norway Issue Complaint to FIFA

REUTERS/Dylan Martinez

Meanwhile, Norway have been forced to swap hotels after spending just one night at their FIFA-arranged accommodation.

Stale Solbakken’s side stayed one evening at The Dalmar Hotel in Fort Lauderdale before lodging an official complaint to FIFA, according to The Sun.

It’s claimed the luxury suites were located next to a building site, with a two-and-a-half mile walk past construction sites required in order to reach the nearest beach. A busy six-lane highway next to the hotel also resulted in noise and disruption.

FIFA acted swiftly following the complaint, with Norway’s entire entourage moved three miles away to the Four Seasons Fort Lauderdale within two-and-a-half hours.

Norwegian broadcaster NRK, per The Metro, also claim several of the rooms assigned to players were smoky, mouldy or poorly cleaned. However, head coach Solbakken insisted the rooms were ‘cleared up quickly’.

Asked if FIFA were wrong to allocate The Dalmar Hotel to Norway, TV2’s World Cup analyst, Jesper Mathisen, is quoted as telling Nettavisen: “Yes, it is.

“And as Stale Solbakken says, it is certainly possible to survive in that hotel but now they are going to play the most important match in Norwegian football history and then it is completely understandable that they want to stay in the best possible hotel, and that they want to get margins where they can.

“Then there is a risk of both little sleep and certainly also a risk of infection.

“It was good that they were able to do it so early. After all, there are quite a few days until the game. If this had been one day before the game, it could have caused a bit of chaos, but now they don’t seem tired or in a bad mood out on the field, so things seem to be on track.”

FIFA Praised For Quick Response

REUTERS/Henry Romero

Meanwhile, Truls Daehli, head of Norway’s World Cup delegation, praised FIFA for their quick response.

“There were things where we stayed first that we would have liked to have thought were different,” Daehli conceded.

“We eventually decided to take action, because now we are in week six and will be staying here for a whole week. And the match we are going to play now is the biggest match we have ever played.

“Now we have managed to avoid bed sores, and we did not want to risk getting any of that during this period. That is why we made a change.

“They [FIFA] pay for 50 rooms, that they pay for our security and transportation. We have to make a small adjustment, because this hotel costs more. But we are incredibly satisfied with the way things have been responded to here.”

Norway captain Martin Odegaard added: “That there were some things that could have been better, then we fixed it really just to optimise and prepare ourselves as best as possible for a big match.”

Norway or England will meet either Argentina or Switzerland in next Wednesday’s semi-final at the Atlanta Stadium.