Transfer Gossip: Hugely exciting Liverpool move under threat as Barcelona confirm Deco working hard to make star his first signing; Mason Mount contract at Man Utd leaked

Liverpool could miss out on an electric attacker after Barcelona president Joan Laporta revealed the Spanish giants are trying to get him, the money Mason Mount will receive after joining Manchester United has emerged, while Friday’s Transfer Gossip includes one of the Premier League’s most deadly wingers becoming a free agent.

LIVERPOOL FACE BARCELONA COMPETITION FOR SIGNING

Liverpool will need to act fast to sign Fenerbahce wonderkid Arda Guler after Barcelona publicly began courting him.

Guler, 18, is a huge talent who can play either as a central attacking midfielder or at right wing. Despite his tender age, Guler has impressed for Fenerbahce this season, registering six goals and seven assists in 35 appearances.

The playmaker is rated so highly that he has affectionately been labelled ‘the Turkish Messi’.

Newcastle United have been interested in Guler for several months, though Liverpool recently became involved in the hunt too.

Both Premier League sides were put on alert on June 14 when Fabrizio Romano revealed Guler can be signed for a cut-price fee of €17.5million (£15m) due to a clause in his contract.

TEAMtalk then exclusively revealed that Fenerbahce are attempting to tie their starlet down to a new contract, in order to keep him for another year and increase his release clause. Sources also confirmed to TEAMtalk that Liverpool and Newcastle are keeping tabs on Guler’s situation, having already sent scouts to watch him.

There has now been a big double update on Guler, though it makes for worrying reading for Liverpool. Barca chief Joan Laporta has stated that new sporting director, Deco, is trying to make the Liverpool and Newcastle target his first capture.

In an interview with Tv3 (via Fabrizio Romano), Laporta said: “Deco is now working on Arda Guler. La Liga allow us to carry out the operations that do not count for this year.

Barca ‘trying to complete deal’ for Liverpool target

“Our scouting department was following Arda. We also have Deco’s opinion. We are trying to complete the deal for next year.”

As per Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, Deco has flown to Turkey to hold face-to-face talks with the teenager. During these discussions he will attempt to convince Guler to join Barca.

Liverpool and Newcastle must now decide whether to press ahead with their respective pursuits of Guler or to admit defeat and let him head to Barca.

It might be a huge mistake if the two English sides give up as Guler has massive potential. He could become one of the best attacking midfielders in Europe if he continues on his excellent trajectory.

It will be tough to convince Guler to snub Barca as they have huge pull power for players. Although, the La Liga champions are not in the strongest financial position right now, so Liverpool and Newcastle could offer Guler a far higher wage.

MASON MOUNT TO EARN BIG MONEY AT MAN UTD

Following Man Utd and Chelsea reaching an agreement over the transfer of Mason Mount, a report has detailed how much the Englishman will earn at Old Trafford.

Man Utd initially had bids worth £40m and £50m rejected for Mount. They then decided to return with an improved offer of £55m, though this was also pushed back by Chelsea.

The Blues had originally put Mount’s price tag at £70-75m, even though he has entered the final 12 months of his contract with them. However, their asking price was then lowered to £65m.

After Man Utd’s third proposal was rejected, the two clubs appeared to be at an impasse. Man Utd did not want to go any higher than £60m, while Chelsea did not want to accept less than £65m.

But on Thursday, the Daily Mail revealed how there was new optimism for the transfer as both clubs had decided to re-open negotiations.

A few hours later, David Ornstein of The Athletic stated that the two clubs had reached an agreement. Chelsea had accepted a new offer from Man Utd worth an initial £55m, plus £5m in add-ons. Fabrizio Romano also gave the move his signature ‘here we go’ treatment.

Matt Law of The Telegraph has now provided an insight into what kind of money the 24-year-old will pick up at his new club.

He states that Mount has agreed a five-year contract with Man Utd, which also includes the option of an extra 12 months. He will take home £250,000 a week, with bonuses potentially boosting that figure up to £300,000 per week.

If Mount stays at Old Trafford for his full contract, then he will pocket at least £78m in that time.

It must be noted that Chelsea sent several contract offers to Mount to try and extend his terms beyond 2024. The highest of those came in at £200k a week, which did not meet the midfielder’s demands.

Going off base salary, Mount will become the joint-fifth highest earner at Man Utd, as per Spotrac. Marcus Rashford is soon expected to replace David de Gea as the top earner after being offered a £375,000-a-week deal, while the goalkeeper is likely to move on.

Jadon Sancho, Raphael Varane and Casemiro will all earn more than Mount, while the Chelsea academy graduate will be tied with Anthony Martial in fifth place.

CRYSTAL PALACE FORWARD BECOMES FREE AGENT

Arguably Crystal Palace’s best player, Wilfried Zaha, will soon be available for free as he is not expected to renew his contract before Friday night, as per a report.

Zaha’s future has been the topic of debate for some time now. Palace have offered him the chance to become the best-paid player in their history, by offering him £200,000 a week to extend his contract.

While Palace have made that historic offer, Zaha has been linked with a lucrative move to Saudi Arabia. He has also emerged as a surprise target for Paris Saint-Germain as they aim to improve their attack amid uncertainty surrounding Kylian Mbappe’s situation.

According to the Daily Mail, Zaha will not be agreeing to that new Palace deal before the deadline, which is late on Friday.

This means he will become a free agent as he weighs up his options.

In some good news for Palace supporters, the club will keep their offer on the table until the attacker communicates a final decision to them.

Due to the good relationship between the two parties, they will remain in regular contact while Zaha decides on his next step.

The report names two new potential destinations for Zaha. One is Lazio, who can offer the 30-year-old Champions League football after finishing second in Serie A last term. The Champions League is the competition Zaha ideally wants to start competing in.

The trouble for Lazio is that they do not have the finances to match Palace’s salary offer.

Turkish club Fenerbahce have also ‘registered their interest’ in him. They can offer Zaha Europa Conference League football for the next campaign, though that is not quite the level of European competition he is after.