Barcelona midfielder Pedri has agreed a contract extension until 2026, with the deal including a one-billion-euro ($1.16 billion) release clause, the club announced yesterday. Barca added the 18-year-old’s signing ceremony will happen today.
The deal comes as a huge boost to Barcelona, whose enormous debts have prompted the departures of high-profile players like Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Antoine Griezmann. Pedri has emerged in recent months as one of the world’s most exciting young talents.
He joined Barca from Las Palmas in 2020 and was an immediate success, going on to play 53 games under Ronald Koeman in his first season.
Pedri scored against Real Betis to become the fourth youngest Barcelona goalscorer in La Liga, behind Ansu Fati, Bojan Krkic and Messi.
He was also pivotal in Spain reaching the semi-finals at Euro 2020 and then the team winning a silver medal at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Pedri is among a group of youngsters hoping to lead a new era for Barcelona, which also includes the likes of Fati, Gavi, Sergino Dest, Eric Garcia, Ronald Araujo and Nico Gonzalez.
Salah focused on Liverpool success amid contract talk
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah says he is solely focused on the club’s bid for silverware amid talk of a potential contract impasse. Salah is yet to sign an extension to his current Liverpool deal, which expires at the end of the 2022-23 season.
Reports suggest the stumbling block is the 29-year-old Egypt star’s wage demands. There have been claims Salah wants to have parity with some of the Premier League’s top earners.
Liverpool’s habit of avoiding giving big contracts to players aged over 30 has fuelled fears Salah will leave Anfield. His value to Liverpool is clear after he started this season with nine goals in nine games. For now, Salah is concentrating on ensuring Jurgen Klopp’s side keep pace with Premier League leaders Chelsea after an unbeaten start to the season. “I’m happy as long as the team keep winning,” Salah told Liverpool’s website yesterday. “I’m trying to help always, to score goals and make the team win games, that’s the most important thing. We have to give our best always to win something and I think we have the quality for that. We have a top team, so we have to push ourselves to the limit and try to win something. I’m sure everybody thinks the same. That’s what we need, just to keep in our head that we finish the season winning something.”

Man City’s Torres suffers fractured foot
Manchester City will be without Ferran Torres for several weeks after the Spain forward suffered a fractured foot on international duty. Torres is believed to have sustained the injury during Spain’s UEFA Nations League semi-final win against Italy.
The 21-year-old was declared fit for the Nations League final defeat against France, but was forced off in the second half in Milan on Sunday.
Subsequent tests have now revealed the extent of Torres’ injury and it is likely to force him out of a period of vital tests for both club and country. In the coming weeks, Premier League champions City face a Manchester derby at Old Trafford, as well as Champions League fixtures against Brugge and Paris Saint Germain. Spain play World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Sweden next month.

Bruce set to take charge of Newcastle for Spurs match after takeover
Steve Bruce appears set to take charge of Newcastle’s first game under their new Saudi owners despite reports that he would be sacked before Sunday’s Premier League clash with Tottenham. The £305 million ($418 million) takeover, completed last week, brought to an end the 14-year reign of the deeply unpopular sportswear tycoon Mike Ashley.
Bruce said he wanted to continue in the Newcastle hot-seat but accepted he could be replaced, with former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard and ex-Borussia Dortmund manager Lucien Favre among the bookmakers’ favourites for the job.