🚨 Mo Salah contract update, Chelsea want Barcelona defender, Bukayo Saka is back for Arsenal & more

Plus all the latest updates from the world of football.

Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing! Thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy :-)

Today’s top stories:

• Mo Salah contract being held up by one condition.

• Bukayo Saka considering long term Arsenal deal.

• Ruben Amorim update on Amad Diallo.

Arsenal

• After his imminent return on the pitch, Bukayo Saka and his agents will also have new conversations with Arsenal over new long term deal. No rush as current contract expires in June 2027 but director Andrea Berta will take care of the process also for Saka’s contract.

• EXCLUSIVE: Arsenal face new rival for Wolverhampton Wanderers’ star Matheus Cunha. More details!

• Arteta: “Calafiori unfortunately picked up an injury with the national team”. Unfortunate but lucky it wasn’t much worse. Hopefully a matter of weeks”.

• Mikel Arteta: “Bukayo Saka is good to go! He can already start vs Fulham, yeah… we will see that tomorrow. All of the careful things he’s already done. It’s about putting him on the grass in the right moment. He’s pushing. He really wants it”.

• Arteta on Andrea Berta joining Arsenal as new director: “The first words were winning, improving, demanding. He’s gonna help us a lot. His drive and will to win is going to be very contagious”.

• Bukayo Saka is ready and back in training.

  

• Arteta: “It’s going to be a BIG transfer window for us, we are very excited about it. We need to increase the depth of the squad but, as well, you want to increase certain qualities and skills that we need to now go to the next step”.

• Arteta on new director Andrea Berta: “He’s exactly what we need, you know?. New blood with people that are so ambitious and so attached to the football club with what we already do but want to add value”.

• Arteta: “Nwaneri and Lewis-Skelly are doing something exceptional, like going from Karting to Formula 1 in one day. They didn’t have any loan, spells, any experience in Championship… from the Academy to Arsenal first team football. That’s very rare, exceptional”.

• Liam Delap to Arsenal? Gunners are reportedly in talks to bring the striker to Emirates Stadium.

Barcelona

• Robert Lewandowski: “I’ve a dream and it’s reaching 100 goals with Barcelona. It’d be fantastic”.

• Marc André ter Stegen, preparing his return on the pitch after injury as he did initial part of training session with Barcelona squad today. He’s not fully ready yet but getting closer.

• Pedri on winning the Ballon d'Or: “Usually players who get many numbers win it! I prefer that Raphinha or Lamine win it. They are the ones who make the difference. As long as the team wins titles, I'm happy!”

• Pedri: “Hansi Flick has full responsibility for what is happening. Flick has imposed a different way of playing than we had last year, especially in relation to the defensive line and the pressure we put up. He has imposed his way of competing on us”.

• Raphinha: “Pedri doesn't have many assists, he doesn't have a lot of goals… but for me, he's the most important player on our team. I think Pedri is the heart of the team”.

  

• Raphinha: “Hansi Flick has been very clear with me since day one: he told me that he was counting on me, that I would be a very important player. I think that changed my mindset a little bit about whether or not I was going to leave”.