Aston Villa and Newcastle United are being linked with a move for Club Brugge star Joaquin Seys, who is attracting plenty of interest this summer. Villa are currently working on finding attacking recruits having lost Morgan Rogers this summer, and a replacement for Lucas Digne at the back, while Newcastle have plenty of work to do having been decimated by exits, including head coach Eddie Howe.

Matthias Jaissle has since been appointed, and while the Magpies have done plenty of business this summer, the quality of the players they have lost, like Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthony Gordon, mean more signings likely need to be sourced.

Newcastle will also be looking ahead, and they likely already know they are going to need a replacement for Lewis Hall somewhere down the line, even if they are keeping interest from the likes of Manchester United at bay for now.

Villa and Newcastle in the race for Seys

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Newcastle and Villa are said to be among a number of clubs to have expressed an interest in Club Brugge star Seys this summer. According to SunSport, both clubs, along with Man Utd and Arsenal, are said to be interested in a deal to sign the left-back, who is still only 21 years of age.

Seys made 25 league appearances and nine more in the Champions League last season, and his performances saw him win a spot in the Belgium World Cup squad.

Club Brugge have Seys under a long-term contract, until 2029, and not wanting to sell, they are asking for £30million from any prospective buyers this summer. That is unlikely to deter Villa, as they look to replace Lucas Digne, while the Belgian would come much cheaper than Hall in Man Utd’s search for a new left-back.

Newcastle are said to be behind the other clubs in the race, which will come as no surprise, given the likes of Villa and United have a greater need at left-back. Meanwhile, it’s claimed Mikel Arteta has been given a detailed scouting report on Seys.

Seys stats from 2025/26 league campaign (WhoScored)

• Appearances: 25
• Tackles: 2.5 per game
• Interceptions: 1 per game
• Clearances: 1.9 per game
• Dribbles: 0.6 per game
• Blocks: 0.2 per game

Jaissle on new Newcastle signings

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New Newcastle boss Jaissle says he already has plans on how to build his squad, though plenty of shopping has already been done this summer. He said upon his arrival: “I’ve been here one day. I have the squad mapped out, and I have clear ideas, but I also want to know the players. I want to give them a chance. It’s always a new challenge for the players too.

“We can wait. We for sure have the capacity to do something in the market; our sporting director is aware of that. Then, for sure, when the season starts, we’ll see new faces.”

Barcelona are preparing another bid to get closer to Manchester City’s £75million valuation of Spanish midfielder Rodri, GIVEMESPORT understands.

The Spanish giants had already bid £50million for Rodri, which was rejected by Manchester City, who will not stand in the player’s way should the two clubs reach a suitable fee in negotiations.

Barcelona are confident of agreeing a deal, as they have already agreed personal terms with Rodri, who wants to make the move, and he has declared Barcelona his favoured destination despite interest from Real Madrid.

Barcelona have already agreed terms with the Man City star

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Despite their initial bid being knocked back, the Cataluyna side are optimistic in club-to-club negotiations, and they are prepared to bid higher than their opening offer to secure the Ballon d’Or winner’s signature and bring him to the Nou Camp.

Barcelona feel that the deal is progressing well, and with the side potentially having more money coming in, partly due to Ronald Araujo’s loan departure to Liverpool, a second offer to Manchester City could be the one that gets the deal done.

Barcelona to get closer to Man City valuation of Rodri

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Speaking in his GMS newsletter, senior football correspondent Ben Jacobs said: “Manchester City would like about €75million for Rodri, but Barcelona are prepared to go higher than €50million and narrow that gulf in valuation, and they are looking to close this deal for Rodri in the coming days.

“From Barca’s perspective, they are really optimistic, not just on the player side, which is already done verbally, but club-to-club as well, so Rodri to Barcelona is progressing.”

Rodri has made 298 appearances for Manchester City since joining the side from Atlético Madrid in 2019. His time in Manchester has been a complete success, winning four Premier League titles, two FA Cups, three Carabao Cups, as well as winning the Club World Cup and Champions League.

His time at the club also saw him win the Ballon d’Or in 2024 and become one of the greatest defensive midfielders of his generation. He most recently won the World Cup this summer with Spain, and he looks set to be on his way back to his home country; his time in Manchester is up, leaving at the same time as manager Pep Guardiola has, as Enzo Maresca has taken the reins at the Etihad Stadium.

The early stages of the 2026/27 Premier League season will be very interesting for Liverpool as the club embarks on a new era. Andoni Iraola has been appointed manager and he will look to quickly enforce his footballing philosophy at Anfield.

The Spaniard arrives from Bournemouth, taking over Arne Slot, who left after winning the league in his debut campaign, before following it up with a poor second season. The Reds finished 5th in 2025/26, managing 24 points fewer than they had when lifting the title 12 months prior.

After Slot’s exit, it looks as though Iraola has a big job on his hands. The 44-year-old has made no secret of that, and his recent comments on the matter have caused a bit of a stir.

Iraola Claims Liverpool Stars ‘Can Only Run for 30 Minutes’

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Pre-season has shown some worrying signs in the past two games. Against both Leeds United and then Monaco, Liverpool threw away a two-goal lead and went on to lose the game. Speaking to the press after the game, Iraola made a rather alarming comment as he suggested his players ‘can only run for 30 minutes’, explaining:

Of course, pre-season is a time where most squads may look a little unfit, as players look to rebuild fitness after spending time away from football over the summer. Even so, with the Premier League season kicking off in less than two weeks, it’s not ideal to suggest that the Liverpool stars only have about 30 minutes in them.

Liverpool Fans Blame Arne Slot Over Fitness Concerns

After Iraola’s claims, some Liverpool fans have seen it as a damning comment on the training regime under former boss Slot. Under the Dutchman, some players seemed unhappy with the direction of things, with Mohamed Salah most notably speaking out against his former boss.

Calling back to the energy-filled days under Jurgen Klopp, Salah said: “I want to see Liverpool go back to being the heavy metal attacking team that opponents fear and back to being a team that wins trophies.” While it’s unclear if he was specifically unhappy with training methods, he certainly wasn’t happy with Slot’s overall coaching.

Now, after Iraola’s suggestions that the team isn’t fit, many Liverpool supporters have blamed the current issues as a lasting legacy of their former coach. One wrote:

“Slot’s training methods were a disgrace.” Another agreed, adding: “Slot really ruined the team’s fitness last season. More holidays than training.”

In response to the comments, someone else said: “We’ve known that since Slot lost the plot in his title-winning season.” While another wrote: “All thanks to Slot. He has destroyed the elite fitness these players had.”

A final fan summed up the sentiment, remarking: “Arne Slot’s Liverpool legacy right here.”