🚨 English star wants Liverpool move, Man United's new midfield target, Arsenal boost in attacker chase, Mo Salah replacement decided & more.

Plus all the latest updates from the world of football.

(Photo by Alexander Hassenstein, Ryan Pierse, Matt McNulty/Getty Images)

Good morning folks and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing! Thanks as always for reading, and hope you enjoy!

Today’s top stories:

• Antoine Semenyo to Liverpool in January?

• Update on Arsenal & Chelsea target Yildiz.

• Man City monitoring Liverpool target.

International round up

Troy Parrott makes history for Republic of Ireland

The Republic of Ireland secured their spot in the 2026 World Cup play-offs in the most dramatic way possible, delivering a comeback that will be remembered for years.

Trailing on the road in Budapest,they showed remarkable resilience to overturn the deficit and claim a thrilling 3-2 victory over Hungary. The night belonged to former Tottenham forward Troy Parrott, who produced a sensational hat-trick to single-handedly drag his nation into the play-offs.

Parrott’s clinical finishing and sheer determination turned the match on its head, capping off one of Ireland’s most memorable performances in recent qualifying history.

FT Hungary 2-3 Republic of Ireland [Pictures from RTE Sport]

Harry Kane double seals 100% record for England

Harry Kane struck twice after the break as England wrapped up their World Cup qualifying campaign in perfect fashion, securing eight wins from eight with a comfortable victory over Albania.

The captain, extending his remarkable international tally to 78 goals, opened the scoring in the 74th minute, reacting quickest to bundle home from close range after a well-delivered corner by substitute Bukayo Saka.

Kane doubled his tally just eight minutes later, rising to meet Marcus Rashford’s superb cross with a powerful header that put the result beyond doubt.

FT Albania 0-2 England [Pictures from ITV Football]

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Arsenal

• Riccardo Calafiori will be available for North London Derby after fears of injury on international duty. (Fabrizio Romano)

• Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson is the latest name to be linked with a move to Arsenal. (Fichajes)

• Arsenal target Kenan Yildiz is struggling to agree a new contract with Juventus. (Caught Offside)

AS Roma

• Manchester United are open to discussing a loan deal with an option to buy for Roma target Joshua Zirkzee, but the Giallorossi have set their sights on other strikers as well, including Tottenham’s Mathys Tel. (Gazzetta dello Sport)

Aston Villa

• Aston Villa are eyeing a move for Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford as Emi Martinez’s long term replacement. (Football Insider)

• Aston Villa are interested in a move for Everton midfielder James Garner. (Football Insider)

Barcelona

• Chris Waddle tips Barcelona move for Harry Kane: “Perhaps Harry thinks he has already fulfilled his mission in England, and perhaps he will soon feel the same about Germany. Now Spain, Italy or France could be attractive to him. Bayern is huge, but Real Madrid is even bigger. What a story that would be! If I were Real Madrid, Barcelona or Milan, I would ask myself: Why not Kane? He scores goals, is technically strong and can play as a centre forward or as a midfielder. If I were Harry, I’d rather try my luck in Spain than go back to England. A good goalscoring record would be nice, but his record in England speaks for itself.”

Liverpool

• With Mohamed Salah due to play for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in December and January, Liverpool continue to be linked with a January move for Bournemouth’s 25-year-old forward Antoine Semenyo, whose country Ghana failed to qualify. (Liverpool Echo)

• Liverpool are planning a serious bid for AZ Alkmaar’s 19-year-old Netherlands midfielder Kees Smit. (Soccer News)

• Liverpool holding ‘initial talks’ to sign Premier League star with ‘the world at his feet’. More details!

• Ibrahima Konate on Liverpool future: “I’ve seen a lot of things in the press recently. I don’t know where that’s coming from. My agents are continuing discussions with Liverpool. I hope my decision will be made very soon so I can announce it.”

  

  (Photo by Carl Recine/Getty Images)

• “He’d like to go to Liverpool” – Insider tells-all on defender ahead of 2026 transfer saga. Full Story here!

Manchester City

• Manchester City are monitoring Eintracht Frankfurt left-back Nathaniel Brown, 22, who made his senior debut for the German national team in October. (Bild)

• Manchester City have begun keeping tabs on Bournemouth attacker Antoine Semenyo. (Sky Sports)

Manchester United

• Manchester United are in discussions with Roma over a January loan deal for Joshua Zirkzee, 24, that includes an option to buy the Netherlands forward in the summer for 35m euros (£31m). (Gazzetta dello Sport)

• Man United urged to sign 25-year-old midfielder in January – “He’s the one”. Full Story here!

• In Ruben Amorim’s hunt for midfield reinforcements, Manchester United are looking to sign Cameroon international Carlos Baleba, 21, from Brighton. (Mirror)

• Sir Alex Ferguson calls Man United summer signing “outstanding”. More details!

• Manchester United have made Elliot Anderson and Carlos Baleba their two midfield targets. (Daily Star)

• Casemiro would have to reduce his wages if he wants to stay at Manchester United. (Caught Offside)

• Manchester United have been linked with a move for the Porto midfielder Victor Froholdt. (Fichajes)

• Manchester United have added Wolves midfielder Joao Gomes in their list of transfer targets. (Football Insider)

Newcastle United

• Newcastle United exit increasing likely for defender in January window. More details!

Real Madrid

• Real Madrid are considering offers in the region of 20m euros (£17.69m) - from Sunderland, Aston Villa and Wolves for 21-year-old Spanish forward Gonzalo Garcia. (Fichajes)

Tottenham

• Tottenham have made their move for the Barcelona attacker Ferran Torres. Tottenham have offered £57.5 million to sign the player. (Fichajes)

  

  (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

• Tottenham are reportedly interested in signing the Anderlecht midfielder Nathan De Cat. The 17-year-old is highly rated across Europe, and several clubs are monitoring his development. He could cost around €35 million. (TEAMtalk)