Liverpool are preparing to make their next big move in the summer transfer window, according to reports in France.

New manager Andoni Iraola will already be able to call upon one new signing made long before his arrival at the club, with a deal for central defender Jeremy Jacquet having been agreed last summer.

Victor Munoz became Iraola’s first signing, arriving at the club in June on a deal worth £34.5million. The forward will arrive at Anfield after a short holiday following his exploits at the World Cup, picking up a winner’s medal with Spain.

Liverpool have had to move on from Yan Diomande

REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

With Mohamed Salah having already left the club and question marks over the futures of Cody Gakpo and Federico Chiesa, Iraola will be looking to add further strength in depth to his foward line.

The Reds were heavily linked with a move for RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande until it became clear the Ivorian favoured a move to Paris Saint-Germain instead.

But that deal may given Liverpool the chance to complete a deal for one of their other top targets this summer.

Diomande’s expected arrival at the Parc des Princes may see Bradley Barcola drop down the pecking order under boss Luis Enrique and lead to him looking for a move elsewhere. And that elsewhere could be Anfield.

Liverpool are known to be huge admirers of the 23-year-old, with owners FSG deeming him to be “world-class”, who is coming off the back of an impressive World Cup with France.

Barcola scored three goals and laid on one assist in the tournament as Les Bleus made it to the semi-finals before losing to eventual winners Spain. That came after netting 13 goals and providing seven assists as PSG won the Ligue Un and Champions League double, despite not always being a first choice starter.

According to French football journalist Sebastien Vidal, Liverpool are now preparing to go to PSG for talks over an initial bid, which is likely to be in the region of £85million (€100million).

Vidal said on X: “Here we go. Liverpool is stepping up the attack on the Bradley Barcola file. The Reds are preparing an imminent offer, estimated at £85M to try to convince PSG to let go of the 23-year-old French winger, who has had another standout season.

“The English club is making him one of its top offensive priorities for the summer.”

There have been rumours that PSG could demand as much as £128million to sell the frontman this summer and it remains to be seen whether Liverpool’s opening offer will be enough to get the Parisiens to the negotiating table.

Liverpool may face competition from Arsenal for Barcola

A number of other top Premier League and European clubs have also shown an interest in Barcola and if Diomande does indeed complete a move to PSG, they will start to circle thinking a deal can be done. Arsenal look set to miss out on their top target with Morgan Rogers heading for Chelsea and the Gunners have been tipped to move for Barcola and could now rival Liverpool for the signing.

Speaking last month, GIVEMESPORT senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs said: “If things develop and PSG find an attacker, whether left or right, then PSG’s perspective with Barcola could change.

“I’m told the player is open to leaving PSG because he wants to play regularly, but PSG are more inclined at the moment to see if they can get him to sign improved terms and then if they add a player in his position and they don’t get a breakthrough in those contract talks you suddenly get a scenario where they put him on the market.”

Newcastle United are planning a £90m double deal to sign Tottenham Hotspur duo Lucas Bergvall and Djed Spence this summer, according to TEAMtalk.

The Magpies have had a busy summer window so far, bringing in Ewen Jaouen, Bazoumana Toure, and Seun Steur, while they have sold Anthony Gordon to Barcelona for £70m and Sandro Tonali to Spurs for £100m.

Eddie Howe is keen to bolster the squad further though, as they look to get back to the top end of the Premier League following a disappointing campaign, and the club are now pushing to seal a mega deal to solve issues in two problem positions.

Newcastle Eyeing £90m Double Deal

It was reported recently that Newcastle had tabled a bid worth £46m to sign midfield star Lucas Bergvall earlier in the window, but the north London club opted to reject the deal as they hold out for more money.

Newcastle are expected to return with a fresh offer, although they face stiff competition from Nottingham Forest for his signature, but they are also now targeting one of his teammates alongside him.

TEAMtalk report that after losing Kieran Trippier at the end of his contract this summer, Howe has identified Djed Spence as the ideal replacement to come in at full-back.

Spence has been relegated to understudy at Spurs, with Pedro Porro signing a new long-term deal at right-back, and both Destiny Udogie and Andy Robertson available at left-back for De Zerbi, which has led to speculation that he could be on the move.

Spurs have put a £40m asking price on his head, and Newcastle believe that £50m would be enough to secure a deal for Bergvall, giving them cause to believe they could seal a rare double deal.

De Zerbi is ready to sanction an exit for the England international this summer, while Bergvall is the one pushing for his exit.

Newcastle Could Seal Brilliant Double Deal

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters/Brett Davis

£90m may sound like a lot of money, and of course it is, but if you are able to sign two Premier League-proven stars who instantly improve your team and squad, then it’s probably a no-brainer.

Bergvall is a super talented midfield player who can play in all the midfield roles, and Howe is a manager who will thrive at helping him to develop while improving the team. As for Spence, he has established himself as an excellent defender during the World Cup, and would fill the gap left by Trippier’s exit perfectly.

In this crazy transfer market, a £90m output for two top international level stars who know the league well is probably a bargain, and Newcastle should move quickly to get it all done.

Shocking new details have emerged about Argentina’s misconduct in their World Cup final defeat to Spain on Sunday night, further tarnishing their reputation on the international stage. La Albiceleste produced one of the worst performances in the competition’s history, committing 26 fouls and failing to register a single shot on target during regular time.

Of course, La Roja still needed extra time to find a winner, with Ferran Torres arriving late into the box to crash home a well-taken finish at MetLife Stadium. By that stage, however, the tournament had already become better known for the lamentable sideshows that repeatedly stole the spotlight from the football itself. And while Enzo Fernandez became just the sixth player in World Cup final history to be sent off – and the third Argentine – the scenes after the final whistle were even uglier.

Leandro Paredes and Nahuel Molina were both caught throwing punches, prompting FIFA to finally launch an investigation, while the defeated finalists refused to acknowledge their vastly superior opponents during the title celebrations.

Yet, not every unsavoury moment was caught on camera. Some incidents were left unreported at the time, and more damning revelations have since emerged, painting Argentina in an even harsher light.

More than 10 Argentine Stars’ Family Members Arrested by US Police

According to Colombian TV channel Noticias Caracol, as cited by The Mirror, police were forced to intervene after incidents in the box occupied by relatives, and arrested ‘at least a dozen people’ linked to players.

The same report states that Argentina’s players delayed their arrival at the trophy presentation as they headed toward the area where the disturbances had taken place.

So far, American authorities have not issued an official statement on the number of arrests or the potential charges and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) has not commented on the alleged events.

But US authorities, bolstered ahead of the tournament by Donald Trump who made a pledge to involve ICE in security operations around stadiums, have already previously warned that any misconduct in the stands would be dealt with by the ‘full force of United States Law’.

Argentina Leave The USA With Heads Stooped Low

REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian

Despite reaching the final, La Albiceleste would surely wish to forget this summer as quickly as possible, with their reputation in the eyes of those around the world changing for the worse following a tournament marred by questionable refereeing decisions, a complete lack of care in many of the dangerous tackles they aimed at their opponents, and the inability to accept when they had been outclassed.

Some reports would suggest they were lucky not to be in an even darker light after the full extent of the FBI’s investigation into their shady dealings emerged, only for everyone to seemingly brush it to one side. But hopefully a crushing final defeat, and expected punishments, will allow them to take a long, hard look in the mirror over the next few weeks before club football resumes.

There’s no denying Argentina have the players to bounce back, their quality was shown in the 2022 World Cup triumph. But their star power was ignored in favour of anti-football this time around, and it proved not to be the winning formula – a saving grace, many would say.