It’s been an unsettling summer for Aston Villa supporters far and wide as they feared their successful Premier League side was in danger of being completely dismantled.

To comply with PSR rules, a whole load of sales might have had to be signed off on, as Emiliano Martinez continues to be linked with a switch to Premier League rivals Manchester United or Chelsea to give Villa a healthy £45m injection of cash.

However, a new breaking development seems to indicate that Villa will be able to get around these stringent PSR rules after all by selling their women’s team, with such a loophole allowing for any PSR anxiety to be forgotten about.

With this dire situation now presumably fixed at the final hour, Unai Emery’s men could push on in the transfer market to land a couple of statement deals, as a few faces here and there begin to be steadily linked with a switch to Villa Park.

Aston Villa's transfer situation

Understandably, most of the conversation involving Villa this off-season has involved the likes of Ollie Watkins being lined up for major moves away, with all the worry surrounding PSR getting to the Villans.

Now, however, the mood will be more relaxed, with Villa ready to explore several new targets. Already, they have been unsuccessful in landing Jesus Rodriguez from Real Betis though, as a deal heartbreakingly collapsed.

Still, that won’t have completely knocked them, with Lucas Chevalier one name reportedly on their shopping list if Martinez does still exit the West Midlands outfit.

On top of that, a fresh name in the form of Gabriel Sara has now begun to be linked with a move to England, with a report from Turkish outlet Hurriyet, via Sport Witness, indicating that a £17m bid has been put forward to Galatasaray by Villa for their creative Brazilian.

This has since been knocked back with Galatasaray wanting at least £34m for their midfield star, who is also a wanted man by Manchester City, Manchester United, and Leeds United.

Villa will hope they come out on top to land his coveted signature, with the ex-Norwich City ace already a hit in England when on the books of the Canaries, meaning he might well be Villa’s next Youri Tielemans if he were to join the building soon.

How Sara could be Villa's next Tielemans

After all, Tielemans used to be on the books of Leicester City before advancing his game even more when donning Villa claret and blue.

By the end of the entertaining 2024/25 campaign for Villa, Tielemans was arguably the club’s player of the season having tallied up 15 goals and assists in all competitions, with five of those goal contributions coming about on the grandest stage of them all in the Champions League.

The 77-time Belgium international would also amass a hefty 54 goal contributions during his entire Foxes stay, with Villa now feeling smug with themselves that they won Tieleman’s services on a free transfer basis in the summer of 2023.

Whilst Sara would cost a lavish £34m to obtain, he might well come in and become as instrumental to Villa’s midfield as Tielemans now is, having picked up ten assists and two goals last season for his current Turkish employers, away from already being well-versed in the high demands of the English game when situated in Norfolk.

Sara’s overall numbers for Norwich

Stat

Sara

Games played

96

Goals scored

21

Assists

17

Norwich POTS

1x

Championship POTM

1x

Championship TOTY

1x

Sourced by Transfermarkt

Whilst the Brazilian would never guide Norwich up to the Premier League during his celebrated stay, he certainly still left an impression on the Carrow Road masses with classy display after classy display, as seen in his bumper total of 54 combined goals and assists from 96 contests, which is eerily the exact same amount Tielemans tallied up at the King Power Stadium.

He has since tasted success in a top division in Turkey too, with U23 scout Antonio Mango even going out of his way to herald the midfield ace as “incredible.”

With nine Europa League games under his belt last season too, he could be a worthwhile buy for Villa for this alone as they enter into the competition next campaign, with a hope in the air also that he’s their next favourite from the middle of the park like Tielemans.

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Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jun 28, 2025

Fast bowler Jeremiah Louis has been ruled out of the final Test between West Indies and England due to a hamstring injury, Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced in a statement. The visitors have opted for a like-for-like replacement, bringing Akeem Jordan into the squad.Louis, who did not feature in the first two Tests, picked up the injury during the second Test at Trent Bridge. He will remain with the squad for further treatment. Jordan, who was playing cricket in the UK at the time of his call-up, has already joined the squad and will take part in Wednesday’s training session at Edgbaston.Jordan is yet to make his Test debut but has featured in 19 first-class games, taking 67 wickets since 2022 at an average of 24.10. His performances include two five-wicket hauls with a best innings haul of 5 for 44.Apart from Jordan, West Indies already have Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales and allrounder Jason Holder as their seam-bowling options in the squad. The visitors are 2-0 down in the series, having conceded the Richards-Botham Trophy with one game still to go, after losing at Lord’s by an innings and 114 runs and then at Trent Bridge by 241 runs last week. The third Test gets underway on Friday, July 26.

Chelsea are now through to the Club World Cup final after brushing aside Fluminense with ease 2-0 in New Jersey.

After just about getting the better of Brazilian outfit Palmeiras 2-1 in the last round, Enzo Maresca’s Blues managed to progress through to the final stage by beating yet another South American side, as either Real Madrid or Paris St. Germain now await the West Londoners for a chance at pre-season glory.

João Pedro would steal most of the headlines from the straightforward win by popping up with both of Chelsea’s goals on the day, as the brand-new attacker looks to instantly settle into his new environment after leaving Brighton and Hove Albion behind.

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ByCharlie Smith Jun 13, 2025 Joao Pedro's performance in numbers

After clearly impressing Maresca with a lively 26-minute run-out against Palmeiras, the Italian would hand the exciting 23-year-old attacker the first-team reins as Chelsea’s main man up top against Fluminense.

It was an inspired decision from the former Leicester City boss to axe Liam Delap in favour of starting the fresh number 20, with Pedro only needing an hour to score a brace to hand his new employers an uncomplicated passage through to the Club World Cup final.

It was a confident and assured performance from a star who will want to make that sole striker spot his own ahead of the new Premier League season getting underway, with Pedro firing home a clinical 30 goals across his last two seasons at the Seagulls, before Chelsea came calling.

Based on Nicolas Jackson’s selfish miss in the second half, which sent Cole Palmer into a frenzy, he could well make that up-for-grabs position on the pitch his own very soon.

But, he wasn’t the only standout performer as Chelsea’s Brazilian opponents were dealt with comfortably, with this fellow attacker for the Blues sticking out once more, as some now even herald him as Chelsea’s finest player of the entire Club World Cup tournament.

The 8/10 star turning into Maresca's "best player"

Of course, those with connections to Stamford Bridge will be rightly enthused by Pedro’s flashes of excellence.

But, there have been other key individuals for Chelsea across the whole span of the tournament who have stood out even more than the much-talked-about South American, with Pedro Neto definitely fitting into this bracket.

Across his five games in the United States heat, the former Wolverhampton Wanderers winger has tallied up a crucial three goals, with his goal against LAFC in the middle of last month getting Maresca’s men up and running in the competition.

Whilst he didn’t collect another memorable strike against Fluminense, it wasn’t through lack of trying, with the tireless attacker seeing his only effort of the game be blocked, away from just shining as a vibrant and slick option down the Blues’ left flank when running forward with pace to burn.

Minutes played

68

Goals scored

0

Assists

0

Shots

1

Touches

34

Accurate passes

18/18 (100%)

Successful dribbles

4/6

Total duels won

5/8

Amazingly, Neto would complete four successful dribbles across his standout 68-minute spell, with his surges up the field constantly allowing for openings to happen, with Neto also accurately completing every single pass that came his way when feeding the likes of Pedro to shine.

Whilst the former Brighton striker did snatch most of the plaudits come the full-time whistle, Neto wasn’t short of admirers himself either, with journalist Zach Lowy taking to X to declare the Portuguese entertainer as Chelsea’s “best attacker” this tournament and “arguably their best player” full stop.

That is quite the call to make, but it was backed up by The Standard’s Sam Tabuteau post-match, who also declared him ‘Chelsea’s best performer’ in America, amidst a high 8/10 rating for his efforts against Fluminense.

It will be intriguing to see if Neto can kick on after all this pre-season praise when Premier League football returns to West London, with the Club World Cup trophy also perhaps making the trip back to England very soon if all goes to plan.

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West Bromwich Albion supporters won’t have to wait too much longer to see who their beloved Baggies will play in the opening matches of the new Championship season.

Indeed, the always hotly anticipated fixture list will be released next week, with Ryan Mason hopeful that whatever selection of fixtures is thrust his side’s way, they can start the fresh second-tier campaign with a bang, instead of a whimper.

One figure that definitely won’t feature under Mason’s early tenure is Grady Diangana, with the Congolese forward reportedly edging ever closer to a Hawthorns departure, after failing to seal an extended contract this summer.

Diangana's current situation

Mason’s arrival on the scene might well have contributed to the former West Ham United man wanting to leave, knowing that the 33-year-old boss would want to stamp his mark onto proceedings from the get-go.

It is a sad severing of the ties, however, with Diangana once viewed as an electric menace donning Baggies blue and white in both the Premier League and in the EFL.

In total, the 27-year-old would collect an impressive combined tally of 48 goals and assists from 202 appearances in the West Midlands, with Diangana often having the Hawthorns masses in the palm of his hand when pulling off unbelievable finishes like the one above.

But, the output on Diangana’s end had begun to dry up – as seen in just four goals and three assists coming his way last season – with a reported reunion now on the cards for him to uproot to Valencia to link up with ex-Baggies boss Carlos Corberan to try and recapture his best.

Whilst Diangana looks forward to his possible moment in the sun in Spain, West Brom will no doubt be on the hunt for a replacement to bolster their options in attack.

West Brom's "fabulous" Diangana replacement

After all, the long-standing servant’s exit will be felt in terms of the personnel Mason can select from.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Jed Wallace is the only other recognisable right winger in the depleted Baggies camp currently in the wake of Diangana moving on, whilst the rookie manager has even fewer faces to call upon in the number ten spot – another position that the 27-year-old was comfortable playing in – with John Swift also heading out of the building on a free transfer.

Therefore, in hunting down an immediate fix to Diangana’s exit, West Brom will need to win themselves a versatile and flexible presence who can play all over the attacking positions.

Who could that be? Well, former Derby County captain Tom Lawrence is perhaps their man. It has been reported by TEAMtalk this week that West Brom are interested in landing the now free agent forward.

Away from his ability to be adaptable making him a worthwhile candidate to replace Diangana, the 31-year-old also boasts a vast collection of goals and assists in the Championship himself, with a mighty 50 goals and 40 assists tallied up from 264 career appearances in the second-tier.

Staggeringly, that’s 42 more goal contributions than the Valencia-linked star managed during his entire Hawthorns spell, albeit from 62 fewer clashes.

LW

157

30

21

SS

57

9

9

CF

21

5

2

RW

16

2

7

AM

6

2

0

LM

3

2

1

The similarities don’t just stop here either, with Lawrence also prone to scoring an audacious strike or two during his celebrated Derby stay, much like Diangana at his Baggies peak.

His expertise in this regard even saw ex-Rams boss Gary Rowett label the entertaining Welshman as “fabulous” when the pair were together at Pride Park, as West Brom now pray he can arrive on the scene this summer and roll back the years to fire Mason and Co. to promotion.

Pulling off such a feat would make the managerial newcomer an instant icon at the Hawthorns, with Lawrence also entering into the club’s hall-of-fame no doubt by securing a promotion success Diangana could never get over the line.

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ByKelan Sarson Jun 18, 2025

كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، عن قرار جديد اتخذه وليد صلاح الدين مدير الكرة بالنادي الأهلي يتعلق بالجهاز الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم.

ويستعد النادي الأهلي لمواجهة سيراميكا كليوباترا، مساء الجمعة المقبل 19 سبتمبر، في إطار الجولة السابعة من عمر منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طالع| الأهلي يعلن حجم إصابة زيزو

وقال شوبير: “وليد صلاح الدين قرر عودة أحمد أبو الوفا الطبيب النفسي للعمل مع الفريق بداية من اليوم، لأنه اكتشف أن اللاعبين في حاجة لتواجده”.

وتابع: “وليد صلاح الدين اتفق مع الكابتن الخطيب على عودة الطبيب النفسي ليتواجد مع اللاعبين بشكل كامل بعد ابتعاده الفترة الماضية”

وأضاف: “فجأة سمعنا إن مروان عطية متمرد ويُطالب بزيادة تعاقده، اللاعب قال للمسؤولين في النادي هذه حملة ممنهجة والبعض يريد التأثير على حالتنا المعنوية، لكن لا أحد من اللاعبين طلب تعديل عقده”.

وكشف: “أفضل قرار اتخذه وليد صلاح الدين في الأهلي، إن أي لاعب يتبقى في عقده سنتين سينتظر لآخر سنة ويتحدث معه عن التجديد غير ذلك لا”.

واختتم: “أحمد عبد القادر بعد الفترة التي كان ممنوعا فيها من التدريب مع الفريق الأول، عندما رحل ريبيرو شارك في التدريبات بشكل قوي، لكنه عانى من إجهاد وليس إصابة، ويخوض برنامج تأهيلي وغدًا سيدخل في المران الجماعي، وفرصته في المشاركة أمام سيراميكا ليست قوية، لكن بعد ذلك سيكون جاهزا”.

Leeds United are reportedly closing in on their fifth signing of the summer transfer window, as they have agreed a deal to bring Sean Longstaff to Elland Road.

The Whites have agreed a fee with Premier League rivals Newcastle United for the central midfielder, who came up through their academy, and he is now set to join Daniel Farke’s squad.

Gabriel Gudmundsson, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Lukas Nmecha, and Jaka Bijol have also been added to the squad during the summer transfer window, as the Championship champions look to bolster their options across the pitch.

The last six teams to have been promoted from the second tier have all been relegated from the Premier League at the first time of asking, which illustrates just how difficult it is going to be for Leeds.

Despite that fact, it can still be easy to underestimate the gap in quality between the two divisions, because the supporters have just watched the current players winning week-in-week-out to get promoted, which can make it difficult to accept that some of them are not good enough for the step up.

Farke has to make a lot of tough decisions on his title-winners and one player who may not be able to make the step is Dutch centre-forward Joel Piroe.

Why Joel Piroe may not be good enough for the Premier League

The left-footed striker was a regular starter in the number nine position for the Whites last term, starting 36 times, and won the Championship Golden Boot.

Piroe ended the campaign with a return of 19 goals in 46 appearances in the second tier for the West Yorkshire outfit, which is why there may be a feeling among some supporters that he could be a success in the Premier League.

Behind the scenes, though, Leeds reportedly have doubts over his ability to make the step up and are not planning for him to be their first-choice number nine.

That may be because of the increased physicality in the Premier League and because the team will be fighting against relegation, defending against the ball, rather than dominating possession and winning every week.

Dribble success rate

31.8%

Bottom 27%

Successful dribbles

0.41

Bottom 35%

Fouls won

0.44

Bottom 9%

Duels won

2.24

Bottom 3%

Duel success rate

26.9%

Bottom 10%

Aerial duels won

0.90

Bottom 12%

Aerial duel success rate

21.4%

Bottom 17%

As you can see in the table above, Piroe struggles badly when it comes to competing physically with opposition players, in and out of possession, which suggests that he is not suited to a relegation battle.

The Whites need a forward who offers more physicality, whether that is raw strength or speed and dynamism, which may be why they are reportedly targeting a new attacker from Turkey.

Leeds set to bid for Super Lig star

According to Aksam, Leeds United are interested in a deal to sign Besiktas centre-forward Semih Kilicsoy before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Whites are set for a meeting with the Turkish giants as they prepare to make an offer of £17m to sign the attacker to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It states that Besiktas are open to cashing in on the 19-year-old starlet for that kind of fee, which suggests that there is a realistic chance of a deal being done for the youngster.

Aksam adds that Utrecht are also keen on a swoop for the Turkish dynamo, but both Besiktas and Kilicsoy would prefer to go through with a move to Elland Road.

It is now down to Leeds to thrash out a full agreement with the Super Lig side when they meet with them in the coming days in order to add the striker to their squad for next season.

What Semih Kilicsoy would bring to Leeds

The teenage centre-forward would come in as a potential upgrade on Piroe for Farke because he is a dynamic number nine who can offer more to the team in and out of possession as a team that may not dominate possession often.

Brad Friedal, who previously worked at Besiktas, once claimed that the 19-year-old attacker has a “structure like Sergio Aguero”, which is a comparison that makes a lot of sense when you see him play.

He is not the tallest striker, at 5 foot 11, but has great upper-body strength and uses his low centre of gravity and ability on the ball to beat opposition defenders with quick movements.

In the 2024/25 Super Lig campaign, Kilicsoy won 6.56 duels, including 1.38 aerial duels, per 90 and won two fouls per 90, which shows that he competed well physically by battling with defenders, despite not being a physically imposing number nine.

The 19-year-old ace also completed 2.49 dribbles per 90 and enjoyed a dribble success rate of 57%, which suggests that he would also offer more to Leeds than Piroe in transition, by dribbling past defenders to get the team up the pitch after defending in a low block.

Appearances

23

32

Starts

20

11

xG

5.59

4.31

Goals

11

3

Big chances created

4

7

Assists

4

2

As you can see in the table above, Kilicsoy’s goal return diminished last season as a result of his game time being reduced by the arrival of experienced Italian striker Ciro Immobile.

His output in front of goal as a regular starter in the 2023/24 campaign, though, suggests that the potential is there for the Turkey international to be an effective forward for Farke as a starter at Elland Road.

The Championship champions could offer Kilicsoy the chance to play week-in-week-out in the Premier League next season, aiding his development whilst providing the team with a huge talent who could be the number nine they need.

He has the physical attributes, both as a duel-winner and as a dynamic forward who can dribble past players and move quickly in and out of possession, to offer far more than Piroe as an all-round centre-forward, whilst his form in the 2023/24 campaign suggests that he can add goals as well.

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Therefore, Leeds should be pushing hard to get a deal over the line for the right-footed marksman in the coming days, as he would be a very exciting addition to the squad.

Southampton are now in advanced talks to sign an international striker who is represented by the same agency as midfielder Flynn Downes.

Southampton are expected to lose one or two key players over the coming months and therefore will have to enter the market to find replacements as they bid to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking under Will Still.

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Defender Taylor Harwood-Bellis could be considered their most important player, as he managed to stand out last season in what was a diabolical campaign for the club. His performances for the Saints earned him a call-up to the England national team, and that has now earned him the attention of Portuguese giants FC Porto.

According to Sky Sports’ Lyall Thomas, Southampton have turned down a bid worth £19 million for Harwood-Bellis from Porto. Despite being under contract until 2028, the Saints are open to selling the defender in this transfer window, but they believe he is worth much more.

Southampton paid £15 million to sign the player from Manchester City last summer, so the likelihood is they’re going to want closer to double that price.

Southampton in advanced talks to sign £7m striker

But while Harwood-Bellis may eventually be on his way out of St Mary’s Stadium, Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg reports some good news – Southampton are closing in on the signing of Damion Downs from FC Köln.

The 20-year-old is considered to be a top target for Saints this summer, and they have submitted a bid worth €8 million, which is roughly £6.85 million, to the German side. Downs is currently away with the USA for the Gold Cup, so a deal for the forward is likely to be completed once that competition is finished.

Downs, who has earned two caps for the USA national team, has been at FC Köln since 2020, when he joined their under-17 team. The young forward worked his way through the age groups and was finally promoted to the first team during the 2023/24 season, where he played 10 Bundesliga games. Downs became even more of a regular last season, as he played 29 games, this time in Bundesliga 2, and scored an impressive ten goals in the process.

Apps

42

Goals

13

Assists

6

Downs has just one year remaining on his contract, and Saints will be hoping that can work to their advantage, as the German side are likely to want to sell the player before he leaves the club for nothing in 12 months.

They may hold another advantage in the race to sign Downs too, as the striker is represented by agency Wasserman, who also represent current Southampton midfielder Downes, perhaps smoothing negotiations when it comes to agreeing personal terms.

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Bethell and Mousley’s plan to push each other to Test cricket

England have handed first white-ball call-ups to Jacob Bethell, Josh Hull and Dan Mousley for next month’s home series against Australia. Brydon Carse returns after serving a three-month suspension for betting breaches, while the uncapped John Turner is also included in both squads.There was no place for veterans Jonny Bairstow, Moeen Ali or Chris Jordan, all of whom were involved at the T20 World Cup in June, while neither Tom Hartley, who was with the squad in the Caribbean but has yet to be capped in T20Is, nor Rehan Ahmed are included. Mark Wood also misses out through injury.England will be led by Jos Buttler, alongside interim head coach Marcus Trescothick, for three T20Is and five ODIs. Buttler has not played since the T20 World Cup, having strained a calf while preparing for the Hundred, but is hoping to be involved in Lancashire’s T20 Blast quarter-final at Hove next week, ahead of the first T20I against Australia on September 11.England white-ball squads to play Australia•ESPNcricinfo LtdBethell and Mousley, the Warwickshire spin-bowling allrounders, had been tipped for inclusion on the back of their T20 Blast and Hundred form, while Leicestershire’s 6ft 7in fast bowler Hull has now been called up by England for all three formats in the space of two days. Bethell and Hull have been named in both squads, while Mousley is only included for the T20Is.Jordan Cox is another player who could make his T20I debut, almost two years after he was first called up for England’s tour of Pakistan. Cox was a member of the Oval Invincibles side that sealed back-to-back Hundred titles a fortnight ago and is currently the spare batter with the Test side. Saqib Mahmood, Player of the Match in the Hundred final, is also back in contention in T20Is after two years interrupted by back stress fractures.Carse, who was banned after an anti-corruption investigation by the Cricket Regulator, has not played any cricket since May – his suspension is due to lift later this week. He will add to England’s pace-bowling options alongside Turner, who toured the Caribbean last winter and has continued to impress for Hampshire and Trent Rockets.Related

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The ODI series with Australia will see England begin to focus on next year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan. Five members of the Test squad, who could not be involved in the T20I series due to the short turnaround after the series with Sri Lanka, are included – Gus Atkinson, Harry Brook, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith and Matthew Potts – but Joe Root has been rested.Jofra Archer was also named in both squads, and is set to play his first ODI since the 2022-23 tour of Bangladesh, after which he suffered a recurrence of his elbow injury.England T20I squad: Jos Buttler (capt), Jofra Archer, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jordan Cox, Sam Curran, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Liam Livingstone, Saqib Mahmood, Dan Mousley, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Reece Topley, John TurnerEngland ODI squad: Jos Buttler (capt), Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, Jacob Bethell, Harry Brook, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Josh Hull, Will Jacks, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Reece Topley, John Turner

Back in the summer of 2021, Manchester United thought they had landed themselves one of the deals of the transfer window, re-signing Cristiano Ronaldo 12 years after he left for Real Madrid.

The Portuguese international looked set for a move to join Manchester City, before the Red Devils hijacked that deal and secured a fairytale return to Old Trafford.

He would feature 54 times in his second stint, scoring 27 times, before a major bust-up with Erik ten Hag would see him depart for his current side, Al Nassr, in November 2022.

However, despite his off-the-field issues, it was a huge move that boosted the club’s finances and brought added excitement around the ground – especially after finishing second in the Premier League the season prior to his arrival.

Fast-forward to the present day, a similar move could well be completed, with Ruben Amorim’s side looking to pounce and take advantage of a potential transfer this summer.

The latest on United’s hunt for new additions this summer

Dušan Vlahović is a player who could be a cheap option for United and director of football Jason Wilcox this summer, with current side, Juventus, potentially offloading him for just £15m during the off-season.

The Red Devils have been in constant talks with the Italian outfit over a move for the Serbian international, potentially seeing Jadon Sancho moving in the opposite direction.

However, attention may have been turned to another target, with Sporting CP talisman Viktor Gyokeres appearing on their radar once again, according to A Bola’s latest update.

Whilst the Swede has looked certain to move to Arsenal this window, the report claims a deal has stalled in recent days with the Gunners reluctant to meet Sporting’s valuation of the player.

As a result, the Red Devils are on red alert and are looking to pounce on the situation, potentially handing the forward a lifeline as he seeks an escape route out of Lisbon.

It also states that the Portuguese outfit are holding out for a fee in the region of £70m, including add-ons, to sell the 27-year-old during the current transfer window.

Why United’s latest target would be the biggest deal since Ronaldo

Since Ronaldo’s second spell at United, the hierarchy have splashed the cash to try and land players who could thrive at the club within the final third.

Rasmus Hojlund is just one player who’s tried to fill the void in recent seasons, but the Dane has fallen way below the expectations of a signing who cost £72m.

The 22-year-old has only registered 26 goals in his first two full seasons at Old Trafford, leading to rumours around his own long-term future at the club under Amorim.

Joshua Zirkzee is another striker who’s failed to impress, notching just seven goals last season, after joining from Italian side Bologna nearly 12 months ago.

However, when comparing the pair’s respective stats to those of Gyokeres from the 2024/25 campaign, the Swede has massively blown them out the water – highlighting why he’d be the best signing since Ronaldo in such a department.

Gyokeres, who’s been labelled “phenomenal” by commentator Ian Darke, massively outscored the pair and posted a better goal per shot on target rate – showcasing the clinical edge he possesses in the final third.

He also managed to complete more take-ons that he attempted, along with more carries into the opposition’s box per 90, having the ability to create an opportunity for himself out of nothing.

How Gyokeres compared to Hojlund & Zirkzee in 2024/25

Statistics (per 90)

Gyokeres

Hojlund

Zirkzee

Games played

33

32

32

Goals & assists

46

4

4

Shot on target accuracy

52%

40%

39%

Goals per shot on target

0.4

0.3

0.2

Progressive carries

4.3

1.2

0.9

Key passes made

1.9

0.7

0.7

Take-on succeess

46%

27%

31%

Carries into opposition box

3.1

0.7

0.2

Aerials won

50%

24%

28%

Stats via FBref

The Swede’s creativity is also demonstrated by his tally of 1.9 key passes per 90, along with 50% aerials won – handing Amorim’s side that focal point to play off, something they’ve massively been lacking in recent months.

It’s unclear as to how much of an opportunity they have to hijack the move for the forward, but it’s hugely evident that he would be the best option at the manager’s disposal.

If he could replicate the levels produced by Ronaldo at Old Trafford, it would be a phenomenal piece of business and one that could catapult them up the table next campaign.

Having beaten off Man City to secure the huge coup of sealing Ronaldo’s homecoming, managing to get ahead of the Gunners in the race for Gyokeres would be a similar seismic, statement deal for Wilcox and the new regime.

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Posts 2 ByEthan Lamb Jul 10, 2025

Karunaratne says they have drawn up several plans to Root but have been forced to go back to square one

Andrew Fidel Fernando04-Sep-2024

Dimuth Karunaratne has managed only one half-century in four innings on this tour of England•Getty Images

Joe Root has scores of 42, 62 not out, 143, and 103 so far in this series. In general, he averages 67.55 against Sri Lanka, having hit 186 and a 228 in his last series against this opposition as well, those mammoth scores coming in Galle.He sweeps and reverse-sweeps well, tends to be proactive against the seamers, and on the occasions in which he chooses to defend, has one of the best techniques in the game.It is no surprise, that in the approach to the third Test, much of Sri Lanka’s team discussion has centred around this question: “How do we get Root out?”Related

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According to senior batter and former captain Dimuth Karunaratne, Sri Lanka have rifled through several plans to Root already, but have been forced to go back to square one by Root’s consistent excellence in this series. They are brainstorming again.”We’ve tried a few things against Joe but they were always unsuccessful,” Karunaratne said. “I think the turning points in the matches have been those Joe Root innings. Even when we’ve played at Galle, he’s hit big runs, but the batters around him haven’t scored as heavily. We really need to minimise the runs he’s scoring.”Homework for Sri Lanka’s bowlers is likely to have been dominated by watching replays of Root bat, with analysis of the likeliest strategies that will bring about his dismissal.”We need to look at his past performances more closely, see where he’s got out, and what kinds of things we can do on these pitches. We need to make a new plan based on that.”Counterintuitively, Karunaratne thinks perhaps this can come about by attacking him less.”Maybe sometimes we attack him too much and he takes advantage of that. Some players don’t like it when we ask them to be less aggressive. Sometimes boring batters out can also be a tactic.”Sri Lanka’s other major problem, however, has been the failure of their senior batters, who between them have produced six fifties in 16 combined innings. Karunaratne, Angelo Mathews, Dinesh Chandimal, and Dhananjaya de Silva – have all had a fifty-plus score, and yet have not made significant impressions.”The seniors have talked a lot about how to perform and ease the pressure on the juniors. The juniors have been doing well, especially Kamindu Mendis. Some people adapt very fast to conditions and some struggle. That’s the way the game is. Every game is quite tough.”For Karunaratne, the fact that Root has scored 153 more runs than the next-best England batter, is proof that batting has been difficult.”In England the conditions are tough for batters, and we saw that even their openers struggled, as well as their No. 3. Apart from Joe Root the others also struggled despite this being home conditions for them. We’re playing after a very long time here.”