🚨 World Cup draw in FULL, shock January bid for Salah, Chelsea star eyed by Barcelona, deal agreed for Arsenal target, Man Utd star "desperate" to leave, & more
Today's round-up, featuring yesterday's 2026 World Cup draw and the latest transfer headlines from the Premier League and beyond.
Good morning everyone and welcome to another Daily Briefing! Thanks as always for reading, and hope you enjoy :-)
Today’s top stories:
The World Cup draw has been made in a star-studded ceremony in the US
There’s growing talk of Mohamed Salah leaving Liverpool
Plus Pedro Neto to Barcelona and more transfer news
World Cup draw
The draw for the 2026 World Cup was made yesterday as England learned their fate for next summer’s tournament in North America. See below for the full list of all the groups!
Group A: Mexico, South Africa, South Korea, Winner of Uefa play-off D*
Group B: Canada, Winner of Uefa play-off A*, Qatar, Switzerland
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Haiti, Scotland
Group D: USA, Paraguay, Australia, Winner of Uefa play-off C*
Group E: Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Winner of Uefa play-off B*, Tunisia
Group G: Belgium, Egypt, Iran, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Cape Verde, Saudi Arabia, Uruguay
Group I: France, Senegal, Winner of Fifa play-off 2*, Norway
Group J: Argentina, Algeria, Austria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Winner of Fifa play-off 1*, Uzbekistan, Colombia
Group L: England, Croatia, Ghana, Panama
Arsenal
Arsenal have had contacts and are making a strong push for the transfer of Ayyoub Bouaddi, though he’s just signed a new contract with Lille until 2029. (RMC Sport)
Arsenal are leading Real Madrid in the race to sign Juventus attacking midfielder Kenan Yildiz next summer. (Fichajes)
Rodrigo Mendoza to Arsenal is another deal to watch as the Gunners look to improve on their recent record of signing elite young players who will likely see a rise in market value. (Fichajes)
Mikel Arteta on the January transfer window: “We always have to be prepared. We need to be open for it. So we don’t know, but we’re certainly going to be alert and we know where the risk can come in terms of the squad and be ready just in case we have to do something.”
“I turned down Manchester City to join Arsenal” - find out more here!
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Barcelona
Pedro Neto to Barcelona? The Catalan giants are reportedly eyeing an ambitious move for the in-form Chelsea winger. (Fichajes)
Tottenham want Marcus Rashford next summer in case he doesn’t end up completing a permanent move from Manchester United to Barcelona. (CaughtOffside)
Barcelona are said to have cooled their interest in Julian Alvarez despite strong speculation about the Atletico Madrid striker being their top target to replace Robert Lewandowski next summer. (Sport)
Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s agents are working on getting the goalkeeper a move away from Barcelona this January. (Radio Marca)
Bayern Munich
Nico Schlotterbeck would prefer a transfer to Bayern Munich over Barcelona if he ends up leaving current club Borussia Dortmund in the near future. (Sky Sports Germany)
Chelsea
Pedro Neto to Barcelona? The Catalan giants are reportedly eyeing an ambitious move for the in-form Chelsea winger. (Fichajes)
Chelsea could send Mykhailo Mudryk out on loan to Strasbourg to help him get his career back on track, with key figures inside Stamford Bridge still having faith in the Ukraine international. (Fichajes)
Enzo Maresca has harshly singled out one Chelsea player for strong criticism after that defeat to Leeds - full story here!
Liverpool
Oliver Glasner to Liverpool? The Crystal Palace manager is emerging as the preferred candidate to replace Arne Slot as Reds chiefs view him as the next Jurgen Klopp. (Indy Kaila, CaughtOffside)
Saudi clubs believe they can sign Mohamed Salah for a reduced fee this January due to his current unhappy situation at Liverpool. (iNews)
Former Liverpool star Emile Heskey has defended Alexander Isak and attempted to explain his struggles at Anfield so far - full story here!
Manchester City
Manchester City and other interested clubs may face paying more than £100m for Elliot Anderson next summer as Nottingham Forest prepare to raise his asking price if he starts for England at the World Cup. (Football Insider)
Manchester United
The Adam Wharton transfer now looks like being Manchester United’s top priority to strengthen their midfield next summer. (CaughtOffside)
Tottenham want Marcus Rashford next summer in case he doesn’t end up completing a permanent move from Manchester United to Barcelona. (CaughtOffside)
Kobbie Mainoo is desperate to leave Manchester United and could have as many as 12 clubs chasing him this January, including Napoli. (Daily Mail)
Manchester United are interested in signing highly-rated young Olympiacos midfielder Christos Mouzakitis. (Football Insider)
This 4/10 Man United star has been the subject of heavy criticism after his performance in the draw with West Ham - full story here!
Newcastle United
Newcastle remain keen on Davide Frattesi after first taking a serious look at the Inter Milan midfielder during the summer. (Calciomercato)
Another Newcastle target in midfield is Bilal El Khannouss of Leicester City, who is currently out on loan at Stuttgart and facing an uncertain future. (TEAMtalk)
Real Madrid
Kylian Mbappe is closing in on a stunning Real Madrid record held by the legendary Cristiano Ronaldo - find out more here!
Tottenham
Tottenham want Marcus Rashford next summer in case he doesn’t end up completing a permanent move from Manchester United to Barcelona. (CaughtOffside)
Tottenham are also emerging as frontrunners in the race to sign Rodrygo Goes, with other top Premier League clubs also on alert as he looks increasingly likely to leave Real Madrid. (Fichajes)
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