Barça NewsBarcelona reach verbal agreement with €100m-rated superstar over new contract until 2030 – Romano

Following the contract extensions of Ronald Araujo and Gerard Martin this week, FC Barcelona are all set to secure the long-term future of midfield superstar Pedri.

One of the most important players in the team for the 22-year-old has left his injury woes behind him this season and showcased why he is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the game currently.

Given that his contract expires in 2026, Barcelona have been intent on securing his future at the club and negotiations over an extension have been ongoing for a while, with both parties determined to continue the partnership.

Verbal agreement reached

Now, Fabrizio Romano has reported that Barcelona have a verbal agreement in place with Pedri and his camp over a new contract for him which will run until the summer of 2030.

As per the transfer expert, the Blaugrana need to work out some final details with the Spanish international’s agent to make everything formal and official.

As things stand, a date for his formal signature and official announcement has not been set yet, but Pedri has committed to the new contract from Barcelona.

This marks yet another positive step from sporting director Deco and his team, as they work towards securing the present and the future of the team.

Pedri has been integral to Hansi Flick’s team’s good form this season and his impact and influence were on full display against Benfica earlier this week, when he helped Barcelona come back from two goals behind to win 5-4.

FC Barcelona rising star Lamine Yamal earns high praise from Premier League standout

FC Barcelona appears to have regained their top form, going unbeaten in six consecutive matches across all competitions. This impressive run has secured them a place on the Round of 16 of UEFA Champions League. The young sensation Lamine Yamal has solidified himself as one of the team’s standout performers. Yamal’s exceptional talent has even drawn surprising praise from a Premier League star, further cementing his status as one of soccer’s brightest prospects.

Cole Palmer has emerged as a standout player in this Premier League season, delivering an impressive 14 goals and 6 assists in 24 appearances for Chelsea FC. As the team’s top star and offensive leader, Palmer has solidified his reputation as one of England’s brightest talents and a rising force in world soccer.

Recognized as an authoritative voice in the game, Palmer’s ability to identify and appreciate talent reflects his own exceptional understanding of the sport.

At just 17 years old, Yamal has also delivered tangible results, with 9 goals and 12 assists in 26 appearances across all competitions this season, further cementing his status as one of the brightest young talents in soccer.

Appeal made, Premier League fine, referee twist – Arsenal get Myles Lewis-Skelly red card verdict

Arsenal were handed a major blow just before half time of their Premier League clash against Wolves at Molineux. With the score locked at 0-0 Myles Lewis-Skelly was shown a surprise red card.

A tackle on Matt Doherty led to the defender being shown a straight red card by referee Michael Oliver for serious foul play. It was a decision that left Arsenal players angry and surrounding the referee.

The decision was also reviewed by VAR but it was concluded that a clear and obvious error hadn’t been made. In a statement, the Premier League Match Centre explained: “The referee’s call of a red card for Lewis-Skelly was checked and confirmed by VAR, who deemed his challenge to have been serious foul play.”

Amie Wilson

On first viewing, the decision to award a red card for the challenge seems very harsh. It feels like if that qualifies as a straight red, then they would be branded every other week. It’s one of those challenges that feels like a yellow card is the right punishment.

It does feel like it’s the sort of decision where VAR may have been able to intervene and at least send Oliver over to the screen to have a second look at the incident. The fact Myles-Skelly didn’t make an attempt for the ball is probably what has gone against the Arsenal man.

Wolves 0-1 Arsenal: Riccardo Calafiori earns crucial win after both sides shown red card

Riccardo Calafiori scored a brilliant winner for Arsenal to give them a 1-0 victory over Wolves, after both sides had been reduced to ten men.

The Gunners were shown their fourth Premier League red card of the season when Myles Lewis-Skelly was dismissed in controversial fashion before half-time.

The defender tripped Matt Doherty to stop a Wolves counter, but referee Michael Oliver deemed that to be serious foul play and VAR confirmed that decision.

It was levelled up with 20 minutes to go when Joao Gomes, already on a yellow card, lunged in and caught Jurrien Timber, leaving Wolves boss Vitor Pereira furious on the touchline as his midfielder was sent off.

Within five minutes, Arsenal were in front. Calafiori was brought on at half-time and he had the decisive impact, finishing superbly on the half-volley as the ball dropped to him in the box, and that proved to be enough for a crucial three points.

With Liverpool beating Ipswich at Anfield, Arsenal’s victory was needed just to keep them within six points of the league leaders, having played a game more.

Pereira’s side started brightly and could have taken the lead in the 10th minute when Nelson Semedo made a 70-yard run down the right and picked out the unmarked Pablo Sarabia perfectly, but the Spaniard hit his first-time volley over the crossbar.

The Gunners settled and had their first big chance shortly after. Leandro Trossard’s cross was perfect for Kai Havertz, but his glancing header went just wide of the post.

Arsenal next five Premier League fixtures compared to Liverpool after title race twist

Arsenal were made to battle against themselves and, they will feel, the referee in a hard-fought 1-0 win against Wolves on Saturday afternoon. Despite playing the entire second half with 10 men, Riccardo Calafiori’s brilliant second-half strike was enough to get a crucial three points.

With Liverpool cruising against Ipswich Town and Nottingham Forest being well beaten by Bournemouth at the same time, Arsenal’s toll threatened to see them drop yet more points. Given the advantage that Liverpool already have in the title race, it was make or break at Molineux.

Reacting to Myles Lewis-Skelly’s controversial red card for a foul on Matt Doherty, Arsenal ironically had the man who replaced him to thank for scoring the decisive goal. Calafiori popped up from the bench to slam home on the edge of the box with a vital finish.

Whilst the result doesn’t change the picture right at the top – Liverpool remain six points clear with a game in hand, Arsenal moved ahead of Forest and extended the gap to the chasing top-four pack.

With a challenge to be crowned champions still looking hard, Arsenal are caught in a tough situation where they won’t want to be looking over their shoulder to secure Champions League football. For now, they ensured that Liverpool do have pressure heading into a massive run of games.

Arsenal next five Premier League fixtures

Manchester City (H) – Sunday, February 2

Leicester City (A) – Saturday, February 15

West Ham (H) – Saturday, February 22

Nottingham Forest (A) – Tuesday, February 25

Manchester United (A) – Sunday, March 9

Arsenal player ratings vs Wolves as Calafiori and two more star as Lewis-Skelly sent off in win

Arsenal struck late on to record a crucial 1-0 win over Wolves at Molineux in the Premier League on Saturday afternoon. Mikel Arteta was handed a boost going into the game with William Saliba and Myles Lewis-Skelly fit enough to start.

However, the Gunners’ boss had to do without captain Martin Odegaard and Mikel Merino for the game in the West Midlands. After a Pablo Sarabia volley that flew over the crossbar early on, Arsenal were inches away from taking the lead as Kai Havertz just headed wide of the far post from Leandro Trossard’s delivery before moments later seeing another header saved by Jose Sa.

The Gunners were reduced to 10 men just prior to half-time after Lewis-Skelly was sent off for serious foul play after bringing down Matt Doherty just outside the Wolves box. In the second half, Havertz again went close with a header either side of Hwang Hee-chan and Matheus Cunha testing David Raya.

Wolves were to get a red card of their own heading into the final 20 minutes of the contest as Joao Gomes was awarded a second yellow card for a late foul on Jurrien Timber. Now down to 10 men apiece, Arsenal took the lead on 74 minutes as Riccardo Calafiori found the bottom corner with a low drive that secured three big points in the title race.

David Raya

Nothing at all to do in the first half but was on hand to save from Hwang and Cunha after the break. Then made another crucial save in the final 10 minutes when Rayan Ait-Nouri went charging into the box. Big saves that proved key to the outcome of the match. 8

Jurrien Timber

Operated at right-back and was fouled by Gomes that led to the Wolves man receiving his marching orders. Steady showing down the right flank. 6

William Saliba

Returned to the side after his recent absence through injury. Uncharacteristically failed to control the ball early on that led to a Wolves attack but was solid and so reliable after that with a big performance. 8

Gabriel Magalhaes

Skippered the side in Odegaard’s absence and remained strong at the back as Wolves looked to take full advantage. 7

Myles Lewis-Skelly

Fit enough to start after missing out in midweek with a knee injury and immediately went on a surging run through midfield as he held off a couple of Wolves players. Played a great ball through to Declan Rice but the midfielder’s touch unfortunately escaped him at the vital time. His impressive showing would come to an end just prior to half-time as he saw red just for bringing down Doherty just outside the Wolves area. Unfortunately loses a mark for his red card. 6

Thomas Partey

Given the nod in midfield and was certainly needed to produce a big shift with Wolves having a one-man advantage for a large chunk of the contest. 6

Declan Rice

A key figure in the middle of the park for the Gunners and got the team moving forward with his excellent passing range. Swung in an excellent delivery that Havertz should have done better with. 7

Ethan Nwaneri

Handed his first start since scoring at Brighton at the start of the year and was bright when in possession of the ball going forward. Hooked at the break following Lewis-Skelly’s red card. 6

Gabriel Martinelli

Had very little impact on proceedings in the first half and it was more of the same for the player after the restart. However, he put in the cross that ended with Calafiori finding the bottom corner in style. 6

Kai Havertz

Inches away from heading Arsenal into the lead just prior to the 20-minute mark, before seeing another header saved by Sa. Missed a header once again midway through the second half from Rice’s cross. Really should have had a goal to his name. 5

Leandro Trossard

Put in two outstanding deliveries from the left that Havertz was unlucky not to convert in the first half. Quieter in the second half but still put in a shift for the team. 6

Substitutes

Riccardo Calafiori

Barça NewsStruggling Barcelona midfielder pushing for a start vs Valencia amid improving form

Frenkie de Jong has been quite the curious case at Barcelona in the past few weeks.

Subjected to much criticism among fans for his lack of performance and a desire to remain at Barcelona against the club’s wishes, the midfielder has endured a difficult time this season.

But in recent weeks, the midfielder’s form has improved noticeably and it has been quite apparent that coach Hansi Flick trusts him more now, reports Diario SPORT.

De Jong closes gap with Casado

In light of de Jong’s recent exploits, de Jong has admittedly closed the gap with Marc Casado, who is currently Barcelona’s first-choice option in the number six position.

De Jong’s slight ascension within the Barcelona ranks has been backed by numbers as well. In 2025 so far, the midfielder has featured in 272 minutes of action, as opposed to the 359 minutes he featured in the entire season until December.

This has many implications and possibilities, one of which may even tempt Flick to consider the possibility to hand de Jong a start in Barcelona’s upcoming league game against Valencia.

De Jong’s last start for Barcelona came two and a half months ago and now could be an opportune time to hand the midfielder another chance, given his recent form.

While de Jong has flourished lately, the same cannot be said for Marc Casado. The youngster has been brilliant for the majority of the campaign, but his form has dipped noticeably in the last few weeks.

This may further tempt Flick to start with de Jong against Valencia, with Pedri completing the double-pivot.

Recently-renewed Barcelona captain’s new release clause revealed – Report

After a rather turbulent few weeks, FC Barcelona finally managed to renew one of their key players. Since quite some time, several reports had suggested that Uruguayan defender Ronald Araujo could be on his way out. However, just recently, Barcelona have managed to put away all of those rumors.

With Araujo now having signed a new contract, he will no longer be easily available as a free agent. Instead, he is now signed to the Catalan giants until 2031, and that marks a rather long contract extension considering that his previous deal was set to expire in 2026.

However, further details regarding his new release clause were yet to be revealed. Now, according to SPORT, it has been revealed what the new release clause of the player is, and it turns out that it is significantly lower than his previous release clause.

Ronald Araujo’s new release clause is set at €65 million up until the upcoming summer transfer window. This would mean that any interested clubs would simply have to pay that amount and directly negotiate with the player without Barcelona needing to put any demands in themselves.

Considering the fact that previous reports had already suggested that Barcelona would be flexible in this new renewal and give Araujo a window to leave if he feels unsatisfied, this is not exactly a major surprise. However, compared to his previous €1 billion release clause, this value does feel rather insignificant.

Barcelona captain could be available for just €65 million next summer despite contract extension – report

Ronald Araujo is fresh from penning a long-term contract at Barcelona, which will see him remain at the club until 2031.

The new deal will go a long way in helping Barcelona safeguard the future of the star defender, whose future has been the subject of much discussion in the past few months.

Barcelona are expecting Araujo to become a key leader in defence in the years to come. However, there were certain strings attached to the new contract that was signed.

In the official statement, Barcelona did not mention the value of the release clause, which was previously set at €1 billion.

Various reports suggest the release clause has been lowered in Araujo’s new contract so that the player will always have a lever he can utilise in order to force himself out of the club. Barcelona, to that end, wanted to keep the value of the release clause a secret.

Value of Araujo’s release clause

However, a recent report from Matteo Moretto has revealed the exact value of Araujo’s release clause.

As per the report, the value of Araujo’s release clause is not €1 billion anymore. In fact, it has been lowered to just €65 million.

There is a caveat, though. In order to activate the €65 million release clause, clubs must exercise the option in the summer of 2025.

If not, the value of Araujo’s release clause could increase up to €80 million, starting from January 2026.

This little arrangement makes sense for both parties involved. As mentioned earlier, this will allow Araujo to force himself out whenever he desires.

Arsenal transfer news LIVE – Benjamin Sesko latest as Sverre Nypan ‘in England’ amid Man City links

There are under 10 days remaining of the winter window, and the Gunners have yet to move significantly in the market. Despite the lack of business, the club reputedly are working on at least one deal.

Arsenal are very keen on Sverre Nypan and aiming to present the best pathway possible to the 18-year-old midfielder. They are not the only club interested, though, with Manchester City providing tough competition.

That is especially so considering their City Football Group club network presents the opportunity for more senior minutes. However, the influence of Gunners captain Martin Odegaard will be an important factor in talks with the Norway under-21 international.

The Gunners are also understood to be trying to sign a striker, with Benjamin Sesko remaining a target. Matheus Cunha is also being linked with a move this month, though Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach Vitor Pereira believes the player is not for sale.