Liverpool
Slot: Isak Targeted for PSG Quarterfinal; Ekitike’s Knock Likely Minor
Slot says Isak should be available for PSG next month; Ekitike’s knock is a dead leg and recoverable
Arne Slot has given a clear timetable for Alexander Isak’s comeback, saying he expects the striker to be available for the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals against Paris Saint-Germain next month. Slot tempered immediate expectations, noting the scale of Isak’s layoff and the work required to reach peak condition.
“Alex will available [for PSG], yes,” Slot confirmed. “The question is what you mean around ‘being ready.’
“If you want to have the player who played exactly a year ago against us in the Carabao Cup final and was too good for us on that day, then I would tell you I have my doubts about that after seven or eight months out.
“But I expect that I can use him for minutes. Exactly what I get from that I cannot tell you because he hasn’t trained with the team even once.”
Before the PSG tie, Liverpool face an FA Cup quarterfinal against Manchester City. Slot made clear Isak will not be ready for that cup match, and the club had to manage another forward issue after Saturday’s 2–1 defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion when Hugo Ekitike limped off early.
“Hugo, I think he could play tomorrow if you needed [him] to,” Slot confessed. “It was a dead leg, as you call it here.
“Brighton did what we expected. If you face a team that has only had 62 hours of rest, and the first thing you do is make it an intense game, play the first duels, tough duels … nothing wrong with the duels, by the way.
“But unfortunately, it was a collision, and that led to Hugo going out.
“That’s not helpful if you have to, after two minutes, continue without one of the best strikers that the league has seen in the last three or four years, already not available throughout the whole season, Alexander Isak.”
Slot urged patience as Isak rebuilds match fitness but indicated the manager expects to have the forward available for minute-by-minute involvement in the upcoming Champions League tie.
Barcelona
Liverpool seal loan move for Ronald Araújo as Barcelona let defender go
Liverpool have agreed a loan move for Ronald Araújo, with a buy option included in the Barcelona deal.
Liverpool have reached an agreement with Barcelona to bring Ronald Araújo to Anfield on loan for the 2026-27 season, according to reports.
The deal also includes a buy option, but Liverpool are not tied to making it permanent. Any decision on that clause will be theirs to make next summer if they choose to move ahead.
Barcelona sporting director Deco is said to have played a role in the swift talks, with Araújo expected to travel to Liverpool in the coming hours to finalise the move before it is confirmed.
The transfer comes as Liverpool look to strengthen a defensive unit that has been stretched. Virgil van Dijk, Jérémy Jacquet, Joe Goméz and Giovanni Leoni were the senior centre-backs after Ibrahima Konaté’s departure. Leoni has not featured since tearing his ACL last September, while Jacquet has been out since February with a shoulder injury and has yet to play for Liverpool.
Goméz’s injury problems also returned during the first match of the Iraola era, when he had to be withdrawn after 10 minutes of Liverpool’s preseason opener against Sunderland. Van Dijk has not played since the 2026 World Cup for the Netherlands, and despite his status, he turned 35 in July, which raises further questions over availability.
Araújo offers Liverpool an immediate solution, even if only for the short term. His move away from Barcelona had felt increasingly likely after a difficult spell that contrasted sharply with his early rise as one of the game’s most promising young defenders.
His recent decline was shaped by costly moments and lost momentum. A sending-off against Paris Saint-Germain in the second leg of the 2023-24 Champions League quarterfinals proved decisive, with his challenge contributing to Barcelona’s collapse in the tie.
Since then, Araújo has struggled to recover his standing. He featured sparingly under Hansi Flick last season and, at times, was even used as an emergency striker. Across the last two La Liga campaigns, injuries and poor form have limited him to just 22 starts.
Liverpool
Liverpool among clubs tracking PSG winger Ibrahim Mbaye
Liverpool are among several clubs tracking PSG winger Ibrahim Mbaye, with game time likely key.
Liverpool are being linked with a move for Paris Saint-Germain winger Ibrahim Mbaye, although they are not alone in the chase. Reports say the Premier League side face competition from several clubs in England and Germany, with Borussia Dortmund also strongly placed.
Mbaye is still only 18, but his record already stands out. He became the youngest player ever to appear for the European champions and has made 42 appearances across the past two seasons. His progress has also taken him onto the international stage, with a 2026 World Cup call from Senegal following and a memorable goal against France in the group stage.
According to L’Équipe, Liverpool and Dortmund are currently viewed as the main contenders for his signature, but Manchester United, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Chelsea are also monitoring the situation. In Germany, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig and Bayer Leverkusen are said to admire him as well.
PSG are prepared to let Mbaye move on, helped by their recent signing of Maghnes Akliouche from Monaco and their push to secure 21-year-old Ajax winger Mika Godts. The French club are expected to ask for between $46.2 million and $57.8 million.
The report adds that Mbaye has made up his mind to leave after talks with manager Luis Enrique and sporting chief Luis Campos, but he is still weighing up where he wants to go next. The main reason for his exit is clear enough: he wants more regular first-team football and believes that is the best route to reaching his potential.
That point could matter for Liverpool. The club may be able to offer a clearer path to minutes in 2026-27, with options in the wide areas currently limited to Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Rio Ngumoha and new recruit Víctor Muñoz. Even if Barcola arrives, Mbaye could still see an opening on the right side, where he has already been used at PSG.
Liverpool
Salah Reportedly Set for Trabzonspor Move After Liverpool Chapter Ends
Salah is reportedly heading to Trabzonspor after nine Liverpool seasons and a confirmed Turkish move.
Mohamed Salah’s Liverpool spell appears to be drawing to a close, with reports in Türkiye claiming the forward is set for Trabzonspor.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Salah has signed a two-year contract with the Turkish side. If the move is completed, he would link up with former Premier League players André Onana and Stefan Savić under Fatih Tekke.
Trabzonspor have also issued a statement confirming that transfer talks are under way. The club said: “Professional footballer Mohamed Salah, with whom we have begun transfer negotiations, will be at Istanbul Atatürk Airport General Aviation Terminal at 12:00 on Wednesday, Aug. 5.
“The player is scheduled to arrive in Trabzon on the same day in the evening hours. The time and other details regarding the welcome program in Trabzon will be shared with the public through our club’s official communication channels during the day.”
The reported destination marks a significant change for one of the Premier League’s modern greats. Salah signed a contract extension in April 2025 that kept him at Anfield through the 2026-27 campaign, and he had initially expected to still be a Liverpool player next season before confirming in March that he would not see out the deal.
His numbers at Liverpool underline the scale of the move. Salah made 442 appearances and scored 257 goals in red, achievements that now appear set to be followed outside Europe’s top five leagues.
Trabzonspor also offer a very different stage from Liverpool. They finished third last season, which means Salah would not be competing in the Champions League, a tournament he won with Liverpool in 2018-19.
There is, however, still European football on the table. Trabzonspor have qualified for the Europa League, giving Salah the chance to compete for continental silverware rather than stepping away from Europe altogether.
