Leeds have reportedly opened talks to sign a Barcelona star in the summer transfer window as they look to improve Daniel Farke’s squad.

Leeds have confirmed just one new addition in the summer window so far, bringing in Harry Wilson on a free transfer after he left Fulham.

Despite only one new deal being confirmed, Leeds are certainly active in the transfer market.

Fabrizio Romano has confirmed that Leeds are pushing to sign Bosnian defender Tarek Muharemovic from Italian side Sassuolo.

Leeds have also submitted an offer to sign Southampton midfielder Shea Charles early in the window, but a move does appear to have stalled in recent weeks.

The Yorkshire club do appear to have their irons in many fires at the moment, but their supporters will be hoping to see a few more deals getting over the line.

Leeds open transfer talks

According to reports in Spain, Leeds are one of the sides to have opened talks to sign Barcelona forward Roony Bardghji in the summer transfer window.

The Swedish attacker is believed to have more than 10 offers on the table, including from numerous Premier League clubs.

Barcelona have asked Bardghji to find a new club in the summer transfer window, and the La Liga club want a sale with a buy-back option.

Leeds have made their initial approach, but they face plenty of competition to try to secure his signature this summer.

Leeds could struggle in the race, given the competition, but that hasn’t stopped them trying.

Bardghji a highly rated talent

Bardghji, described as ‘one of the best talents in Europe’ by Fabrizio Romano, was incredibly highly rated before he made the move to Barcelona.

The former Copenhagen man has struggled to cement himself as a guaranteed starter with the La Liga club, but that’s no surprise when competing with the likes of Lamine Yamal.

Bardghji is always going to find it difficult to break into the eleven as long as Yamal is there. A move away from the club might be exactly what he needs in order to continue progressing.

Leeds would likely be able to offer him a lot more minutes than Barcelona would, which could make it a tempting destination for the youngster.

It’s now officially crunch time at the 2026 World Cup, with the tournament set to conclude at the end of this week. Four teams remain in the competition, with Spain and France meeting in one semi-final and England taking on Argentina in the other.

It will be historical for the Three Lions if they can make it to the final, having only ever gone that far once before – with Sir Alf Ramsey’s men winning the big prize in 1966. Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane have been key so far, scoring six goals each, but Lionel Messi’s side won’t be easy to overcome.

After all, the Argentines are the defending champions, having won the 2022 World Cup, and Messi is still delivering the goods – with eight goals to his name so far this summer – despite now being 39. If Thomas Tuchel’s men can win on Wednesday, however, they will face an unfortunate historical disadvantage in the final.

History Shows England Could Be Hurt By Consistent Final Losers Pattern

Kai Pfaffenbach via Reuters

As per The Athletic, there is a consistent pattern that should cause concern for both England and Argentina. If either team makes the final, they may be disadvantaged by a scheduling issue.

The report explains that in 13 of the past 14 finals across men’s and women’s World Cups and European Championships, the team that played their semi-final a day earlier won the final. In the only other game of the 14, both semis were held on the same day, meaning neither side had an extra day to recover.

It feels particularly relevant for the 2026 World Cup, with the hot weather conditions making games even more taxing than usual on players. With either Spain or France having an extra day to recover before the final, England or Argentina could feel the consequence of that at MetLife Stadium on 19 June.

The Pattern Impacted England Men’s Team in Both European Championship Final Defeats

The report shows that in the 2012 Men’s European Championship, Spain beat Italy having had an extra day to recover. The same helped Germany beat Norway in the 2013 Women’s European Championship and has continued through numerous major tournaments in the years since.

Even in the 2020 Euros final, England had the home advantage but still lost to Italy as they had four days to recover, while the Three Lions had just three. This issue impacted Gareth Southgate’s men again at Euro 2024, with Spain this time having four days off before the final, while England were limited again to three.

It has both helped and hurt the Lionesses as well, with the England women’s side winning Euro 2021 and Euro 2025 against Germany and Spain thanks to an extra day off. But they also lost to Spain in the 2023 World Cup final, when their opponents had one more day of rest.

It actually takes going back until the 2010 men’s World Cup final, 17 finals ago, before the pattern breaks. On that occasion, Spain beat the Netherlands despite having played their semi-final the day after their opponents.

All of that certainly doesn’t bode well for England if they do make the final, with recent history very much not on their side.

Lionel Messi doesn’t often give his opinion on football matters, but when he does, everyone sits up and listens. That was the case when the greatest player of all time tipped an English youngster for stardom.

The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has played with and against some of the biggest stars of the past two decades. His eye for talent is likely to be just as flawless as his vision on the pitch.

In the past, he has labelled Liverpool icon Steven Gerrard as ‘England’s greatest-ever player’, while also being full of praise for Manchester United great Wayne Rooney. But there’s one Three Lions player Messi might have been wrong about.

Lionel Messi Picked Out England’s Future

Credit: Jerome Miron (IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters)

The 39-year-old has been one of the best players at the 2026 World Cup, still producing for his country at the highest level. The same can’t be said for everyone, however.

While Messi is chasing Golden Boots and World Cup trophies, many high-profile players have had an entire summer off. One of those players is England international Mason Mount.

Despite earning 36 caps for the Three Lions, the Manchester United midfielder hasn’t been seen in the famous white shirt since the 2022 World Cup quarter-final against France. Each of the ex-Chelsea man’s appearances for England came under Gareth Southgate.

But his chances of forcing his way back in under Thomas Tuchel appear slim at best. His game time at Man Utd in recent years has been limited due to several injury issues. Before that, however, Messi was incredibly impressed by the attacking midfielder.

“Having watched him play, he has the potential to be one of the best,” said the greatest footballer of all time in 2020 (per The Sun).

Messi Praised 3 More England Outcasts

Six years after that bold prediction, and Mount is out in the cold for England. But he’s not the only English youngster Messi praised that day. In fact, the other three players he mentioned among his picks for youngsters to watch have also watched the World Cup from home.

Phil Foden was one of the surprise omissions from Tuchel’s 26-man squad, having won six Premier League titles and many other trophies at Manchester City. Messi lauded him as a ‘huge talent’ and claimed he’d ‘do amazing things in the game’.

At the time, Trent Alexander-Arnold was one of the most exciting footballers on the planet, which Messi saw first-hand in that Champions League semi-final. The full-back was described as ‘impressive going forward’.

One man who has fallen off the radar for many people is Jadon Sancho. The winger impressed Messi with his dribbling ability, but has never been a regular in an England shirt. Messi said: “[Sancho’s] ability to dribble past defenders is impressive.”

Statistics in this article are courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 14-07-26.