Liverpool handed massive Mohamed Salah boost ahead of Sparta Prague clash

Liverpool
Liverpool handed massive Mohamed Salah boost ahead of Sparta Prague clash
Mohamed Salah back in training and could face Sparta Prague
Liverpool forward has missed last four games with hamstring problem
Injury first sustained while at AFCON with Egypt

By Sean Walsh
2:45 PM GMT
Salah is nearing a return
Salah is nearing a return / Ryan Pierse/GettyImages
Mohamed Salah is back in Liverpool training and has been named in their travelling squad to face Sparta Prague on Thursday.

The forward sustained the muscle problem while away with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations in January and was ruled out for around a month.

Salah made his initial return from the bench away at Brentford on February 17, scoring and providing an assist in Liverpool's 4-1 victory. However, he aggravated the injury and has missed the Reds' four matches since.

But the 31-year-old has resumed first-team training and is in contention to face Sparta Prague in the first leg of Liverpool's Europa League last 16 tie on Thursday, with Salah named in the 23-man travelling party.

Harvey Elliott, Mohamed Salah - Winger - Born 1992
Salah sat out the Carabao Cup final / Visionhaus/GettyImages
Following this trip to the Czech Republic, Liverpool welcome title rivals Manchester City to Anfield on Sunday. The Reds sit a point ahead of the reigning champions in the Premier League standings heading into this weekend's mammoth clash.

Jurgen Klopp's side then host Sparta Prague in the second leg and round off action before the March international break with a trip to rivals Manchester United in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup.

In order to aid Salah's recovery and afford him a longer period of rest, Liverpool have asked the Egyptian FA not to select him for the upcoming March internationals. This request is expected to be denied if Salah plays at club level before then.

Salah has scored 19 goals and laid on 10 assists in 28 matches across all competitions for Liverpool so far this season. The Reds could end the campaign with four trophies having already won the Carabao Cup - Salah sat out the final against Chelsea due to his injury.

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Jorginho 'delighted' with Barcelona transfer interest
Barcelona interested in signing Jorginho this summer
Midfielder's Arsenal contract expires at end of season but talks underway over new deal
Jorginho said to be 'delighted' with prospect of joining Barca
By Sean Walsh
12:30 PM GMT
Jorginho has been linked with an exit from Arsenal
Jorginho has been linked with an exit from Arsenal / Marc Atkins/GettyImages
Arsenal midfielder Jorginho would be open to joining Barcelona this summer, according to reports from Spain.

Jorginho's contract expires at the end of the season, though the Gunners retain the option to extend this by a year and talks are said to be underway over a fresh deal following a stellar 2023/24 campaign.

If the midfielder does not agree to new terms, he could prove to be a transfer target for Barcelona. SPORT report La Blaugrana are preparing themselves for another summer window with reduced spending and signings will be 'circumstantial', which makes a free or cut-price deal for Jorginho more appealing.

Jorginho Filho
Jorginho has impressed for Arsenal this season / Eurasia Sport Images/GettyImages
Barcelona looked at Jorginho as a potential replacement for the injured Gavi during the January window but ultimately decided against a deal. The Italy international 'would be delighted' to join Barca having nearly signed for them in 2018 before he moved to Chelsea, the report adds.

Any signing of Jorginho would go against sporting director Deco's aim to not bring in any players over the age of 30, but this is seen as a special case as the need for a new midfielder is a pressing one and he would bring much-needed quality to the squad.

With another restricted window on the horizon, Barcelona have shelved plans to move for Everton's Amadou Onana. The club are still hoping to bring in a left-footed winger and sign Joao Cancelo on a permanent basis following his loan from Manchester City.

Barcelona do not expect to make any major big-money transfers unless key players, such as Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo, are sold.

Though work on squad planning is underway, Barcelona are also looking for a new head coach ahead of Xavi's departure at the end of the season.

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Barcelona open to selling injured midfielder Pedri - report
Pedri suffered yet another injury setback at the weekend
The midfielder has been consistently hampered by hamstring injuries
He's missed 69 games with muscle injures throughout his short career to date

By Jack Gallagher
2:35 PM GMT
Pedri suffered another injury setback on Sunday
Pedri suffered another injury setback on Sunday / Alex Caparros/GettyImages
Barcelona are reportedly considering selling Pedri after the midfielder suffered yet another injury setback at the weekend.

Pedri pulled up with a muscle problem just before half-time in Barca's bore draw with Athletic Club, appearing to suffer the ailment when curling a pass into the path of Raphinha on the right flank.

The midfielder has since been diagnosed with a "quadriceps injury", with manager Xavi Hernandez admitting that Pedri could be out of action "for a long time".

Despite being just 21 years old, Pedri has missed 69 games in his short career due to various hamstring injuries - notably missing three months of action this season already after limping off during a training session in late August.

Pedri
Injured again / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/GettyImages
Due to Pedri's consistent injury troubles, AS are reporting that La Blaugrana are desperate to find a solution to his struggles. While ideally the club would like to keep hold of the young midfielder, the report states that one solution which isn't ruled out is cutting loses and selling Pedri in the future.

Although injury prone, if Pedri were to be put on the market he'd undoubtedly garner plenty of interest from Europe's top clubs. Reports stemming from Spain have previously suggested that Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have previously considered bids for the dynamic midfielder, with AS stating back in June 2023 that the latter had an ambitious €100m offer rejected by Barca.

Barcelona have also been heavily linked with a number of potential midfield signings ahead of the summer transfer window. Arsenal star Jorginho is said to be "delighted" with the interest shown in him by the Catalan club.

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