Manchester United Pursues Juventus's Francisco Conceição

Manchester United and Michael Carrick sought to sign the 23-year-old Portugal winger Francisco Conceição from Juventus, as reported on July 28, 2026. Conceição, a tricky former Porto player, recently returned from the World Cup and is valued at around £43m (€50m). United reportedly positioned themselves ahead of Chelsea in the race to acquire Alex Scott from Bournemouth.

In related transfer news, Real Madrid increased their offer to RB Leipzig for Yan Diomande—whom Leipzig had hoped to replace with Conceição—to approximately £98m. German sources indicated that further negotiations were in progress to finalize the transfer of the 19-year-old Côte d’Ivoire international.

Liverpool emerged as favorites to acquire France international Bradley Barcola from Paris Saint-Germain after reportedly having held preliminary talks regarding the 23-year-old's lucrative transfer. Meanwhile, Bruno Guimarães attracted strong interest from Arsenal, with Newcastle maintaining a firm stance that the Brazilian midfielder is not for sale. However, reports suggested that personal terms had been agreed between the Gunners and Guimarães’s representatives, hinting that a bid was imminent.

Arsenal was also linked with Vinícius Júnior, as Mikel Arteta evidently aimed to sign the Brazilian forward. Speculation intensified when it was reported that Vinícius Júnior would not train this week, raising questions about his future. José Mourinho expressed his desire to retain the winger.

Paris Saint-Germain distanced themselves from a move for Manchester City midfielder Rodri, but anticipations grew that Real Madrid would make an offer for the player. Sunderland appeared poised to reinforce their defense with the signing of full-back Dayann Methalie from Toulouse, having seemingly fended off Chelsea's pursuit of Granit Xhaka.

In Spain, Sevilla reportedly agreed to sell Ruben Vargas for around £17m, with Aston Villa, Newcastle, and Brighton expressing interest. Leeds planned to confirm a £40m deal for James Trafford, who rejoined Manchester City after a stint at Burnley. Meanwhile, Manchester United intended to send Joshua Zirkzee on a season-long loan to Juventus, which would include an option for the Bianconeri to purchase the 25-year-old.

Chelsea held discussions with Brighton forward Danny Welbeck, who scored 13 Premier League goals last season, and were also keen on signing veteran midfielder Jordan Henderson. In Germany, Borussia Dortmund agreed to sign Konstantinos Karetsas from Racing Genk for a fee that could rise to £32m. John Stones, a free agent after leaving Manchester City, appeared closer to completing his move to Inter, with a verbal agreement reportedly reached.