Football transfer news 7/20: Barca borrows Rashford for free, Liverpool is about to have Ekitike

VHO - The transfer market on July 20 continued to heat up with notable developments: Liverpool asked to buy Hugo Ekitike, Rashford joined Barca on loan, and Newcastle was determined to keep Isak due to the attraction from Saudi Arabia.

Barca only has to "bear" the salary and does not have to pay to borrow Rashford from Man United

Barca borrows Rashford for free

On the evening of July 19, expert Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Barcelona had reached an agreement to loan Marcus Rashford from Man United for one year, with an option to buy.

Rashford will fly to Spain for a medical after the two sides have completed the contract. Joining Barca is the 27-year-old striker's dream this summer, although he has received offers from Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Barca does not have to pay a loan fee to Man United but will bear the entire salary of 435,890 USD/week, equivalent to more than 22 million USD/season - helping the "Red Devils" significantly reduce the financial burden.

Previously, the Camp Nou team had pursued Luis Diaz (priced at 70 million USD) and Nico Williams but both failed. Rashford became the third option and was approved by Sports Director Deco. He is likely to be a backup for Raphinha and Lewandowski, but can also start if the lineup changes.

Rashford is among the group of players left out of coach Ruben Amorim's plans at Man United, along with Antony, Sancho, Garnacho and Malacia. Last season, when he played for Aston Villa on loan, he scored 6 goals in 28 games.

Roma is about to welcome Evan Ferguson

AS Roma are in talks with Brighton to sign Evan Ferguson on loan with an option to buy for £35 million ($45 million) at the end of the season. Brighton are said to have agreed and the deal could be completed early next week.

Ferguson was once dubbed the "new Harry Kane" after scoring 10 goals in 25 appearances in the 2022/23 season. However, his form has slowed down. In the second half of last season, the Irish striker played on loan at West Ham but failed to score in 8 appearances.

Newcastle determined to keep Isak

Manager Eddie Howe has insisted he believes Alexander Isak will remain at Newcastle. Although the Swedish star missed the friendly against Celtic, Howe said he wanted to avoid distracting the player from transfer speculation.

Liverpool once wanted to spend 120 million pounds (nearly 155 million USD) to buy Isak, but met with stubbornness from Newcastle and turned to Ekitike. In addition, Al Hilal - a Saudi Arabian giant - is also willing to spend a lot to bring Isak to Asia.

Ekitike is being bought by Liverpool for 100 million USD

Liverpool inquire about buying Ekitike

According to BBC, Liverpool have submitted an official offer worth £69 million ($89 million), excluding add-ons, to convince Eintracht Frankfurt to release Hugo Ekitike. The French striker has also expressed his desire to move to The Kop.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano said Liverpool are willing to pay £69 million immediately, plus £9 million in add-ons ($100 million) for the 23-year-old striker. Frankfurt have yet to respond, but the attractive price may be difficult for them to refuse.

In April 2024, Eintracht spent only 14.3 million pounds (nearly 18.5 million USD) to recruit Ekitike from PSG. The contract between the two sides is valid until the summer of 2029.

Wolves are about to have someone to replace Cunha

Wolves have agreed a deal to sign Jhon Arias from Fluminense for £19 million ($24.5 million), Globo Esporte reports. Arias's former club Patriotas will receive €6 million ($6.7 million) thanks to a 30% on-going clause.

Saudi Arabian football team offers shocking price for Vinicius

Talk Sport reports that a Saudi Pro League giant is ready to break the transfer record with a €350 million ($392 million) offer to sign Vinicius Jnr from Real Madrid.

In addition, the club also proposed a 5-year contract worth up to 1 billion euros (1.12 billion USD) for the Brazilian star if he agrees to move to West Asia to play.

Bamford has no future at Leeds

Manager Daniel Farke has confirmed that he will facilitate Patrick Bamford's search for a new home. A veteran at Elland Road, Bamford has scored 56 goals in 192 appearances since 2018. However, last season in the Championship, he failed to score in 17 appearances. The season before, he scored eight goals in 33 appearances.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/tin-chuyen-nhuong-bong-da-207-barca-muon-rashford-khong-mat-phi-liverpool-sap-co-ekitike-154053.html