Liverpool confident of signing Barcola - Thursday's gossip

What the report says

BBC Sport Football’s latest transfer gossip roundup says Liverpool believe they are well placed to sign Bradley Barcola from Paris St-Germain, with Arsenal and Bayern Munich also linked to the 23-year-old forward. The item, attributed by the BBC to the Sun, says Barcola’s stock rose after he produced four goal involvements for France at this summer’s World Cup.

The roundup also highlights competing claims around Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott. BBC Sport cites the Mirror as reporting that Arsenal are ahead of Manchester United in the chase for the 22-year-old England Under-21 international, although Scott is said to be weighing whether he would receive enough minutes at Arsenal. A separate Standard report included by the BBC says Scott is interested in Chelsea after Bournemouth turned down a £64m offer from the London club.

On Manchester United, the BBC cites the Express as saying Bruno Fernandes, 31, is ready to stay, with discussions over a new contract continuing. Other reported midfield developments include Besiktas pursuing Newcastle’s Joe Willock, who is entering the final year of his deal, and Manchester United looking at Real Madrid’s Eduardo Camavinga, according to Nicolo Schira.

The digest further notes claims that Arsenal would consider offers for captain Martin Odegaard, Roma have checked on Chelsea defender Axel Disasi with a reported asking price of about £17m, and Fulham have begun talks with Real Madrid about striker Gonzalo Garcia. As a gossip column, the BBC item is a compilation of reports from other outlets rather than confirmed transfer announcements.