Barcelona have reached an agreement to sign Vitor Roque from Club Athletico Paranaense with the Brazilian forward set to join the Spanish champions from the 2024-25 season on a contract until 2031, the LaLiga club said on Wednesday.

Financial details were not disclosed but media reports said Barca agreed a 40 million euros ($44.07 million) fee with 21 million in add-ons for the player seen as the successor to Robert Lewandowski who turns 35 next month.

The 18-year-old has scored 22 goals for Paranaense in 66 appearances, helping them reach the Copa Libertadores final last season.

He earned his first cap for Brazil in March, becoming the youngest ever debutant for the five-time world champions.

“In footballing terms, a centre forward still in development but his adaptability means he can also play on the wing should the situation require,” Barcelona said in a statement.

“An excellent reader of the game he also stands out for his pace and his finishing skills in front of goal.”

Barcelona said they have inserted a buyout clause of 500 million euros into his contract.

Manchester United midfielder Mason Mount promised to make the fans proud after playing his first match for the club, a 2-0 win against Championship side Leeds United on Wednesday in a friendly in Oslo.

The 24-year-old England international joined United earlier this month from Chelsea for £55 million, according to British media reports.

“When we turned up last night and when we turned up at the stadium today, the support has been amazing. They came out and showed up for us today and it’s amazing to see,” he told MUTV after playing the first 45 minutes of the match.

“This is what we want to play for and we want to make them proud.”

Manager Erik ten Hag praised the club’s first close-season signing, with the Dutch manager looking to strengthen his squad ahead of United’s return to the Champions League.

“Oh (he was) great, but we could expect this. He has so many skills and I’m sure we will take so much joy from him. He will contribute to our performance, absolutely,” he said, adding that there was more to come from Mount on the pitch.

United kick off their Premier League campaign on 14 August at home against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Aston Villa have signed Spain international centre back Pau Torres from Villarreal for an undisclosed fee, the Premier League club said on Wednesday.

British media reported Torres had a release clause of €70 million but with a year left on his contract with Villarreal, the English side have agreed a fee in the region of £31.5 million.

“The 26-year-old defender, who has been capped on 23 occasions for his country, arrives at Villa for an undisclosed fee,” Villa said in a statement.

“A native of Villarreal, Torres came through the ranks of his hometown club and went on to become a key player for the LaLiga side.”

Torres won the Europa League with Villarreal under current Villa boss Unai Emery when they beat Manchester United in the 2021 final.

He joins Youri Tielemans among Villa’s close season recruits after the midfielder joined from Leicester City as they add experience ahead of their Europa Conference League campaign.

Argentina World Cup-winning captain Lionel Messi says he has no idea when he will finally call time on his international career.

“Even I don’t know when. It’ll happen when it happens,” the 36-year-old said in an interview broadcast on Argentine television on Wednesday.

“After winning everything I want to enjoy the moment and wait for time to tell me when it’s the moment,” said the seven-time Ballon d’Or winner.

“Logically, given my age, one would expect it to be soon, but I don’t know for sure.

“Now that we are American champions (Argentina won the 2021 Copa America) and world champions we have to enjoy that.”

He reiterated earlier comments that he was unlikely to be in Argentina’s squad when they defend their World Cup title in 2026.

The interview was conducted in China last month when Messi scored the quickest goal of his career after just 79 seconds in a 2-0 friendly win against Australia in Beijing.

On Tuesday, Messi arrived in Florida to put the final touches on his move to US Major League Soccer club Inter Miami from Paris Saint-Germain.

He is expected to put pen to paper on a two-and-a-half-year deal, reported to be worth $60 million a year, before being presented to fans at a stadium event on Sunday.

Slovenian goalkeeper Samir Handanovic has left Inter Milan following 11 seasons at the club, the Serie A side said on Wednesday.

Handanovic, who in 2019 was named Inter’s captain, is now available as a free agent after his contract expired at the end of June.

“A point of reference, a leader in the changing room, a courageous captain. Samir Handanovic has been all of these things in the eleven seasons he’s defended the Nerazzurri goal,” Inter wrote in a statement.

Handanovic, who suffered a muscle injury in January, started 14 games in Serie A in the previous campaign but did not feature in any of their Champions League matches where Andre Onana was coach Simone Inzaghi’s first choice.

Handanovic, 38, joined Inter in July 2012 and helped them to the 2020-21 Serie A title, as well as two Italian Cups and two Supercups.

During his time as club captain, Inter finished as runners-up in the 2022-23 Champions League and the 2019-2020 Europa League.

Handanovic won more than 80 caps with Slovenia from 2004-2015, becoming the Slovenian Footballer of the Year on three occasions. He also holds the record for the number of penalty saves in the Italian top flight with 32.

Following the departure of Handanovic and amid rumours of Onana’s potential move to Premier League side Manchester United, Inter are working on bringing in goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin from Shakhtar Donetsk, according to Italian media reports.

Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal announced on Wednesday they had signed Serbia midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic from Lazio on a three-year deal.

Milinkovic-Savic becomes the third big-name arrival at Al Hilal over the past month after the four-time Asian champions brought in Ruben Neves and Kalidou Koulibaly from Wolves and Chelsea respectively in June.

The 28-year-old will join up with his new team at their pre-season training camp in Austria after completing medical tests, Al Hilal said on Twitter.

Born in Spain, Milinkovic-Savic began his career at Vojvodina before spending a season at Belgian outfit Genk. He joined Lazio in 2015 and scored 69 goals in 341 appearances for the Rome-based club.

Lazio owner Claudio Lotito on Monday revealed the player had asked for “a change of scenery” after eight years in Italy.

Milinkovic-Savic won the Italian Cup in 2019 and appeared for Serbia at the past two World Cups.