☕️ The day's 5 stories: 43 deals to wrap up and a mythical Ancelotti | OneFootball

A Tuesday packed with transfer market action and talk of Zeus in the locker-room team talks.

Deco and Flick have made a blood pact over the striker: either Julián Álvarez arrives, or nobody does. That is just one of the five stories we have selected so you can start Tuesday in the best possible way. 

😑 Barça: either Julián or nothing

According to Sport, the club has drawn a red line: no stopgap signings to cover the hole up front. Deco and Flick agree that just any striker is not worth it unless he is a proven option.

📸 Alex Caparros - 2025 Getty Images

And if neither Julián nor anyone similar becomes available? It has leaked that Flick would make do with what he has, but the move raises doubts.

🧩 One week to fit 43 pieces together

There are seven days left until the transfer window closes, and in La Liga there are still 43 deals to be completed, according to AS. The most sought-after players are not goalscorers, but full-backs, centre-backs and defensive midfielders. In fact, only seven teams are after a number nine.

📸 Angel Martinez - 2026 Getty Images

With that demand concentrated in defence, the market promises an end to August with inflated prices. 

🇮🇹 Mastantuono, a debut to forget

Mastantuono’s debut in Italy did not go as expected. Bad game, bad feeling, bad way to start.

The question now is whether this is just a first-day stumble or the start of something longer and tougher. In Florence, you always have to battle.

⚡ Zeus trains at Lille too

Olivier Giroud has said that Davide Ancelotti tends to speak to them “through metaphors and Greek mythology,” with messages he describes as quite powerful. Zeus, Achilles and the occasional titan putting defenders through their paces.

It remains to be seen whether the dressing room understands the Greek gods better than the tactical concepts hidden behind them.

📺 Tuesday’s must-watch matches

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.

📸 Gabriele Maltinti - 2026 Getty Images