According to transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano, Udinese has reached a verbal agreement with former Real Madrid defender David Alaba.
The Austrian star represents a dream signing for the Italian club, and both parties have agreed in principle.

However, Romano noted that formal procedures remain to be completed by both sides before the official “here we go!” announcement.

The 34-year-old Austrian defender finished last season with the Blancos and is now a free agent.

The Super Eagles of Nigeria are set to lose talented defender Michael Kayode to the Italian senior team, report has indicated.

​Kayode has been one of the best defenders in the Premier League since last season. He joined Brentford from Fiorentina in 2025, and he has been a consistent performer ever since.

​Last season, he featured in 37 games, contributing one goal and one assist. He was a solid rock at the back and became famous for his long throws, which consistently caused trouble for opponents and led to goals for his club.

​However, Nigeria had taken notice of Kayode since his days at Fiorentina, and there have long been calls to draft him into the national team setup.

​The obstacle, however, has been that the 22-year-old currently plays for the Italian youth setup. Although he has Nigerian roots, he is eligible for Italy because he was born there and obtained his citizenship when he turned 18.

​Consequently, he has represented them at the Under-18, Under-19, and Under-21 levels. Still, there was hope that as long as he did not feature for the senior team, he would remain eligible to play for the Super Eagles.

​Those hopes are now set to be dashed, as he has been called up to the Italian senior team for the upcoming international break.

​They take on Belgium, Turkey, and France in their opening fixtures of the new UEFA Nations League, and if Kayode features in those games, under FIFA rules, he will no longer be eligible to play for Nigeria even if he later decides to switch allegiances.

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According to Sport, Bernardo Silva is gradually losing his place at Real Madrid, having started only once in the last five La Liga matches.

In the last two La Liga rounds, Bernardo Silva featured for only 8 minutes: he did not play against Elche and came on as a late substitute against Atlético Madrid, providing an assist for Rüdiger’s goal. Meanwhile, Barcelona, who were close to signing him this summer, are leading La Liga and play a style that suits him better.

The 32-year-old Portuguese midfielder can negotiate with any club after his contract with Manchester City expires. Although he wanted to join Barcelona, his wage demands and insistence on being an undisputed starter failed to convince Flick, who could not guarantee him regular playing time given the fierce competition in Barcelona’s midfield.

A few days ago, Deco admitted that Bernardo was a candidate Barcelona considered this summer. The Barcelona sporting director said: “We have our own criteria, and he is not in the position we are looking for. Moreover, there are economic issues and playing time involved; he wants to play. If his opinion differs from ours, there’s nothing we can do.”

Bernardo Silva also attracted attention from Atlético Madrid, but ultimately chose to join Real Madrid. He started in the first two LaLiga matches against Espanyol and Real Sociedad, but his playing time significantly decreased before the international break, starting only one of the last five league matches—Real Madrid’s 4-1 victory over Rayo Vallecano. In the Champions League, he was unavailable due to suspension against Inter Milan.