Manchester City are now keen on hijacking Manchester United’s move for an “incredible” player, who is set to be available for £35m this summer, according to a report.

Man City's summer rebuild continues

Pep Guardiola has made major changes to his squad this summer, with the Man City boss looking to reclaim the Premier League crown from Liverpool, and Phil Foden believes the rebuild was necessary after a disappointing 2024-25 campaign.

Foden said: “It is needed after last season, bringing in fresh legs and the new additions have done well. They have settled very quickly.

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“We can all see their quality from the Club World Cup and what they bring to the team. We have got a big squad at the moment but I think it is definitely needed. I’m looking forward to the season and linking up with players that I like to play with and enjoying it really.”

Bad news for Doku: Man City preparing £87m bid for "world class" forward

As Manchester City seek to reclaim the Premier League title, they are preparing an £87m bid to sign a “world class” attacker who’s better than Doku.

ByBen Gray Aug 6, 2025

It is certainly true that Guardiola is blessed with a large squad, and having added Nico Gonzalez in the winter, before bringing in Tijjani Reijnders this summer, there are plenty of options in the middle of the park.

However, according to a report from Takvim, Man City are now keen on signing Galatasaray midfielder Gabriel Sara, who is also being targeted by Man United, with the Red Devils even set to make a formal offer for his services in the coming days.

The Turkish club are reluctant to sanction Sara’s departure this summer, but they could be tempted if they receive an offer of €40m (£35m), amid widespread interest from the Premier League.

Leeds United, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest, Everton and Aston Villa are also credited with an interest in the Brazilian, although United’s interest appears to be the most advanced, with an offer in the works.

"Incredible" Sara could flourish in the Premier League

The 26-year-old has experience in England, performing remarkably well for Norwich City in the 2023-24 campaign, picking up 13 goals and 12 assists in 46 Championship outings.

That season alone proved the maestro is more than ready to make the step-up to the Premier League, but he has since gone on to prove himself in Turkey too, amassing 11 league goal contributions last season as Galatasaray went on to win the title.

As such, Sara could flourish at the Etihad Stadium, although there are some doubts over whether he would be a necessary signing for Man City, given that Guardiola is already well-stocked in central midfield.

Big picture: Who cares wins

Australia have been lambasted in some quarters for supposedly “not caring” about the ODI format following their shock 2-1 loss to Pakistan. They are fielding an equally diminished T20I side with three first-choice T20I bowlers, the permanent T20 captain Mitchell Marsh and their best T20 opener Travis Head unavailable. It gives Pakistan the chance to complete a rare white-ball series double in Australia, with the same set of fast bowlers minus Mohammad Hasnain set to be unleashed on the same fragile batting unit in the three-match series starting Thursday.But the immediacy of results in T20I cricket are of even less importance to Australia than the ODI series was. This series is part of the early build-up towards the 2026 T20 World Cup and the 2028 Olympics after their experienced group was bounced out of the 2024 T20 World Cup in the Super Eight phase.Related

• Pakistan quicks set up famous series win in Australia

• Connolly ruled out of Pakistan T20I series with fractured hand

• CA CEO defends selectors' decision to rest players from ODI decider

The winds of change have already swept through during the five T20Is they played in the UK against Scotland and England. Josh Inglis is now the permanent wicketkeeper and will be stand-in captain for this series, as he was for the final ODI in Perth. He is also key pillar in the top four and looks set to bat at No. 3 after making a stunning century in Scotland in that position.Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk get to open together in T20Is for the first time having alternated as Head’s partner in the UK. Fraser-McGurk batted at No. 3 in his last T20I in England and made a half-century. He will be far more comfortable in the shorter form than he was in the ODIs but his method against the moving and bouncing new ball will be tested again by Pakistan’s quicks as he vies with Short to be Head’s permanent partner in T20I cricket.Nathan Ellis and Xavier Bartlett will make long-awaited returns from injury and get a chance alongside Spencer Johnson to bed down a place in Australia’s next generation T20 attack. Cooper Connolly won’t get the opportunity to play his first T20I at home after breaking his hand in the Perth ODI. Josh Philippe comes into the squad.For Pakistan, it will be their first T20I since failing to make the Super Eight at the T20 World Cup in June. The RizBar style of cricket received intense criticism in the wake of that World Cup with Babar Azam losing the white-ball captaincy to Mohammad Rizwan. Any changes to their style of cricket and long-term planning for 2026 and 2028 have been shelved after Gary Kirsten’s resignation with Jason Gillespie in temporary charge. Pakistan did not need to show any upped aggression with the bat in the ODI series given it was won off the back of a superb fast bowling performance. They will undoubtedly look to replicate that bowling success in the T20I series against a similar Australia top-order.How they structure the batting remains to be seen with Saim Ayub not named in the squad after opening in their last T20I alongside Rizwan and making 82 and 42 in the two ODI wins in Adelaide and Perth. Pakistan also hardly used a fifth bowler in the ODI series but will likely need a fifth and sixth options in the T20Is.

Form guide

Australia: LWWWW (Last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan: WWLLLStrike-rate watch: what tempo will Babar Azam play with in this series?•AFP/Getty Images

In the spotlight: Tim David and Babar Azam

Tim David is in an interesting phase of his career. At 28, the T20 gun for hire has come off the boil as a finisher in recent times in what is a brutally difficult role to be consistent. He remains a key part of Australia’s middle-order in the shortest form but the team hierarchy identified that he was underused in the World Cup and would like to let him face more balls to give him more time to get set before the final overs launch. He batted at No. 5 once in the five games on the recent UK tour. He may get an opportunity in that slot during this series.Babar Azam is still the No. 4-ranked T20I batter in the world but his strike-rate was a focus of attention in the wake of the World Cup failure. Where he bats in this series remains to be seen but he will be freed up. He looked in good touch in the ODI series but was not under any scoring rate pressure in those games. It will be interesting to see whether he can go up the gears in the T20Is or whether he sticks to his methods.

Team news: Injured quicks return for Australia

Australia will have at least three forced changes from their last T20I in September with Head, Connolly and Cameron Green all unavailable. Glenn Maxwell returns after resting from the T20I portion of the UK tour. Ellis, Bartlett and Johnson are back from injury to join Sean Abbott in the squad. Three of those four will form the pace attack alongside Adam Zampa with some rotation likely to occur across the three games.Australia (probable): 1 Matt Short, 2 Jake Fraser-McGurk, 3 Josh Inglis (capt/wk), 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 Tim David, 6 Marcus Stoinis, 7 Aaron Hardie, 8 Nathan Ellis/Sean Abbott, 9 Xavier Bartlett, 10 Spencer Johnson, 11 Adam ZampaPakistan are set to make at least five changes from the side that last played in the T20 World Cup in June. Only Rizwan, Babar, Usman Khan, Abbas Afridi, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf remain in the squad from that XI.Pakistan squad: Mohammad Rizwan (capt/wk), Abbas Afridi, Agha Salman, Arafat Minhas, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Haseebullah Khan (wk), Irfan Khan, Jahandad Khan, Naseem Shah, Omair Yousuf, Sahibzada Farhan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Usman Khan.

Pitch and conditions

There has only been one professional game at the Gabba so far this season and it was a WBBL fixture. It was one of the highest scoring games of the season and both sides expect a good white-ball pitch with more pace and bounce for the fast bowlers. It will be warm and humid though so the ball will likely swing. There is also the small threat of rain and a thunderstorm in the forecast.

Stats and trivia

• Since the famous 2021 semi-final in Dubai, the two sides have only met once in T20I cricket and it was a one-off game in Lahore in 2022 that was tacked onto the tour schedule so late that Marnus Labuschagne was selected to play his only T20I to-date after playing the ODIs.
• Pakistan have never beaten Australia in Australia in T20Is. They have played four and lost three with one no result.
• Inglis will be Australia’s third T20I captain in as many games after Head and Marsh captained the previous two. It is the fourth time Australia have had three different leaders in consecutive T20Is after instances in 2022-23, 2016 and 2007. It is also the second time Australia have had four different T20I captains in a calendar year after Matthew Wade captained a game in New Zealand in February.

Quotes

“T20 cricket is obviously a totally different format, so I guess we’ll take our learnings from the ODI series and the information we gathered on the bowlers and their batters. But it’s a clean slate, new format. We’re really looking forward to it.”

Sri Lanka captain Asalanka had earlier this year called for better batting tracks but now defended the pitches, saying turning tracks suited their strengths

Madushka Balasuriya18-Oct-20243:17

Sammy: West Indies sent a strong message

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has declared a “moral victory” for his side in the aftermath of the 2-1 T20I series defeat to Sri Lanka, and questioned the wisdom of the home side pivoting to turning tracks for the final two games, both must-wins for Sri Lanka.In a fairly scathing assessment, Sammy argued that while the next T20 World Cup – in 2026 – was going to be co-hosted by Sri Lanka, such turning tracks would not be the norm with the ICC having primary input over the curation of the wickets.”For us, to see the last two games, and the nature of the wicket from what it was at the start, I thought we actually won the contest,” Sammy said following the third T20I which Sri Lanka won by nine wickets. “Because we were the away team and in conditions set before us, we challenged them with a squad that was not our full squad, and they had to react to that.Related

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Asalanka pitches for batting-friendly tracks in Sri Lanka

“So I told the guys, ‘yes, when the World Cup comes we won’t get these conditions – the ICC will make sure the pitches are good’. So it was a moral victory for us from the first game to the second game.”While Sri Lanka may no doubt contest Sammy’s views, it wasn’t long ago that many within Sri Lanka’s camp were themselves clamouring for more batter-friendly pitches. The calls had followed Sri Lanka’s dismal display in the 2023 World Cup in India, where their batters struggled to match the attacking approach of the top sides. This plan seemed to have taken root, to a fair amount of success, in the early part of the year where high scores were seen more frequently – particularly during the series against Afghanistan, where Sri Lanka narrowly failed to chase down a target of 210.Fast forward to the present, and Sri Lanka have just enjoyed their first-ever T20I bilateral series win against West Indies, which itself followed an ODI series win against India. Both triumphs have, however, taken place on turning tracks, which has brought up the uncomfortable question: are short-term results being prioritised in place of long-term gains?Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka – who had been one of those calling for better batting tracks – doesn’t think so, as he instead opted to focus on Sri Lanka’s strengths, in this case their spin bowling.”Sri Lanka’s strength has always been spin, and we still believe that it’s with spin that we will be able to win the most,” he said following Sri Lanka’s win in the third T20I. “So we made pitches to support that strength. When that’s working for us, I think it’s a lot easier for us to win.”Asalanka’s point is a valid one in many ways. In Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga and Dunith Wellalage, Sri Lanka boast a spin attack that would be the envy of most sides in the world, and so playing to those strengths makes sense. Sammy, though, believes this could be to the detriment of their fast-bowling contingent.”When you have pacers, like the two slingers (Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana) not getting an opportunity to bowl on good wickets, when the true test comes that’s where you really test your team.”I mean, there’s home advantage, but what good does that make for the development of your squad, especially your fast bowlers, in being able to bowl and have an impact on the game?”Charith Asalanka: “As a team, our goal is that if we get a good wicket abroad, we should be able to score 200-250″•AP Photo/Viraj Kothalawala

Sammy’s point holds some merit. In the final T20I, both Pathirana and Thushara bowled just two overs each, with the former being introduced as a seventh bowling option – after both part-time spinners Asalanka and Kamindu Mendis. In contrast, in Sri Lanka’s series win earlier in the year against Afghanistan, only two spinners had been used in each game.And this might be where Asalanka and Sammy perhaps can find some common ground. While Asalanka has championed Sri Lanka’s spinners, he too acknowledges that they need to bolster their fast-bowling ranks.”We have a lot of fast bowlers on our bench. Today you saw Nuwan Thushara and Matheesha Pathirana, and they bowled well when called upon. As a team, however, we need our fast bowlers to improve a little more. Aside from those currently in the side, we need more coming in. That’s how we will be able to play well in any conditions.”Bowling and pitches aside, one immutable fact is that Sri Lanka’s batters turned up more often than did those of West Indies. Sammy, who had stated ahead of the series that he was looking to test their squad depth, is keenly aware of the improvements that need to be made on that front.”We came here with the T20 World Cup I think less than 20 months away. Having seen the way we played on a typical Dambulla wicket – what we expected from what all the stats said – I thought we dominated.”We started the series with a squad looking to see the depth, and the home side had to change the whole set-up to make sure that their spinners got the advantage. Ideally, yes, our men did not respond well to the spin. However, with the mindset that we have in our team being a championship winning team, we must be able to play in different conditions. You know, by letting [our] bowlers be challenged and also our batters be challenged.”Asalanka, for his part, had no such qualms about his batters. Indeed, the scores over the course of the West Indies T20Is indicate that Sri Lanka’s batting has been performing well – they scored at least 160 in each game – despite the nature of the tracks.”We were expecting a spinning wicket in the first game as well, but it didn’t play as we expected,” Asalanka said. “Then in the second game it turned a lot more, but we still managed to score 162, and in this game we chased down 163 in 18 overs. I think, if you look at the scores you can’t really say it’s a bad wicket.”But what about on better tracks? While that is a question that can only be answered definitively once Sri Lanka have to deal with such conditions, Asalanka is confident that their batting line-up is primed to deal with whatever challenges are put before them.”As a team, our goal is that if we get a good wicket abroad, we should be able to score 200-250, but if it’s a harder wicket then we should be able to score 160-170 or in that range.”Against India, we were chasing 200 or so, but after a good start we were unable to finish it off. Even in the last game, we were on the verge of winning but then our set batters were unable to finish the game. On pitches like this it’s important that the batter that is set, as much as possible, takes the game long or finishes it off.”

Real Betis are preparing a new deal for Isco that will put him alongside Antony as the club’s joint-highest earner following the Brazilian’s arrival.

Betis begin Isco renewal talksSalary to match Antony’s new dealMidfielder has contract until 2027Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Betis have opened talks with Isco over a contract renewal that will see his salary rise to the same level as Antony, who became the highest-paid player at the club following his deadline-day transfer from Manchester United for €25 million (£21m/$27m). Isco, who last extended his deal in December 2023 after a stunning first half-season, is now in talks over a salary adjustment. Negotiations began earlier in the summer but are now set to accelerate in the coming weeks despite the midfielder currently being sidelined with injury.

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The move highlights Los Verdiblancos’ determination to reward key figures in Manuel Pellegrini’s squad. Antony’s arrival has reshaped the wage structure at the club, and Isco, who has been instrumental since arriving in Seville is seen as equally vital to their long-term ambitions. Talks with Pellegrini over his future are also pending, as Betis look to secure stability both on the pitch and on the bench.

TELL ME MORE…

According to , Betis and Isco spoke at the start of September to prepare for a definitive round of talks, with both parties keen to finalise the renewal this month. Currently tied to the club until 2027, he had interest from elsewhere during the transfer window but made it clear that he sees his future at Betis, where he has become a leader and fan favourite.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ISCO?

The former Real Madrid star is recovering from an injury that will keep him out for around three months, but Betis are confident of tying him down before his return to action. The agreement will place him alongside Antony as the joint-highest paid star in the dressing room, a reflection of his influence in the club’s ambitious push for trophies.

South Africa were struggling at 66 for 6 in a small chase before Stubbs and Coetzee turned the game around

Firdose Moonda10-Nov-20243:33

Takeaways – Varun, Stubbs, Coetzee show how good they can be

Tristan Stubbs’ coming-of-age season continued as he batted South Africa to a series-levelling win over India at St George’s Park. Stubbs rescued South Africa from 66 for 6 and shared in a 42-run stand off 20 balls with Gerald Coetzee to end India’s winning streak in T20Is, which extended back 11 matches. In the last month, Stubbs has scored his first Test and ODI centuries and though his 47* in Gqeberha will not go down as a milestone, it was an innings of maturity that turned things around for a struggling South African side.Since reaching the T20 World Cup final in June, South Africa had played six matches before today and won only one. They appeared to lack a certain structure to their game, which showed glimpses of returning when they put together a complete performance in the field and kept India to 124. The fast bowlers set the tone upfront before the spinners put on a squeeze and all but Keshav Maharaj were among the wickets. Importantly, they removed India’s top three early, and for a combined total of eight runs, and their middle-order had to play catch up. A 37-run stand between Hardik Pandya and Arshdeep Singh for the seventh wicket was the only time India’s scoring rate went above six an over.Given the target, South Africa may have thought the win would come easily but they were made to work for it. Varun Chakravarthy’s first international five-for left them reeling while captain Aiden Markam’s poor form remains a concern. It has been 26 innings since he last scored a T20I half-century. South Africa were kept quiet by India’s spinners and as wickets fell, the required run-rate climbed to the point where they needed 40 off the last five overs. Stubbs held his nerve, Coetzee showed his batting prowess and South Africa got home with an over to spare.Gerald Coetzee – the batter Coetzee was put on a 12-week conditioning break to work on his bowling, but it seems as though he’s paid as much attention to his batting. After an 11-ball 23 at Kingsmead, with the game all but lost, Coetzee came in with everything at stake at St George’s Park. South Africa were 86 for 7 and needed 39 runs in 26 balls. He was off the mark with a single and that was all the sighting he needed. He dispatched the next ball he faced, a full delivery from Arshdeep Singh, over long-off to relieve the pressure. Stubbs ended the 17th over with a stunning drive through the covers which left South Africa needing 25 runs from 18 balls. Coetzee got that down to 17 off 16 balls with back-to-back boundaries off Avesh Khan, who erred in length. South Africa scored 12 runs off the 18th over and needed 13 off the last 12 balls to level the series.Varun confounds South Africa South Africa insist they have made progress in their batting against spin but then someone like Varun comes along and it doesn’t seem that way. He followed up a career-best in Durban with another in Gqeberha and made India’s modest total appear much bigger than it was. His second ball was a slow googly that Markram, struggling for form, did not pick. Markram slogged, missed and was bowled. The same delivery did Reeza Hendricks in in the next over. Hendricks had just hit Varun for four and was foxed by the wrong ‘un as he played for turn away and was bowled. Then, he changed ends and was equally dangerous from the other side. In his third over, Marco Jansen had no idea what to do against the googly but it was the final over where Varun all but ended South Africa’s hopes. Heinrich Klaasen tried to take him on and could only find long-off and with his next ball, Varun bowled David Miller to claim his five-for.Varun Chakravarthy removed Marco Jansen for 7 on his way to a five-for•AFP/Getty ImagesSouth Africa’s sensational bowling start Cricket has its way of humbling humans and it did to Sanju Samson, who was bowled off the third ball of the innings for a duck, after back-to-back hundreds in his last two matches. The delivery was impressive as Jansen got the ball to seam and then swing but Samson moved too early to give himself room and may have been in a better place to keep it out if he had remained in line. Jansen’s first over was scoreless and South Africa had set the tone. Four balls later, Coetzee and umpire Lubabalo Gcume thought Abhishek Sharma gloved him down the leg side but an immediate review proved otherwise. Coetzee had the last laugh when Abhishek top-edged him to Jansen at short fine. But the moment of the powerplay came when Andile Simelane, who was wicketless on debut in Durban, seared in a yorker to Indian captain Suryakumar Yadav to get his first international wicket. Suryakumar tried to flick it away but was beaten for pace and hit on the pad and did not even bother to review. India were 15 for 3 after four overs and recovered to 34 for 3 after the powerplay. David Miller’s wonder catch Tilak Varma smashed Markram towards cover. The ball rocketed towards Miller who moved to his right, reached overhead and plucked it out of the Gqeberha. Tilak stood open-mouthed and stared at Miller in disbelief. At the stands, the spectators’ eyes were the size of saucers. The commentators struggled to get the words out.’Oh, my, word’, was the overall sentiment as India slumped to 45 for 4. South Africa stayed sharp in the field and legspinner Nqaba Peter reacted quickly when Hardik drove the ball to him at the end of his second over. Peter got a touch as the ball deflected onto the non-striker’s stumps and Axar Patel was run out. Hardik hits out Hardik scored 19 runs off the first 29 balls he faced and only found the boundary off the 28th as South Africa dried up India’s run-scoring opportunities. The middle overs were heavy going as India scored 24 runs in five overs and went 35 deliveries without scoring a boundary. Finally, in the 18th over, Hardik found his touch. Jansen was brought back on after his first two overs cost only five runs and Hardik immediately punched them through the covers for four. Two balls later, he got under a wider delivery and hit it over extra cover for six and then closed out the over with a ramp shot off a short ball for India’s most profitable over.

Tottenham are expected to be one of the busier Premier League sides during the final few weeks of this summer transfer window, and technical director Johan Lange will have multiple plates spinning behind-the-scenes.

Lange is known to operate in secrecy when it comes to his transfer planning, with Spurs showing a tendency to agree out-of-nowhere deals since the Dane took over from ex-managing director Fabio Paratici.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

The Lilywhites’ move for Wilson Odobert last summer took everyone by surprise, while their botched deal for Morgan Gibbs-White accelerated in similar fashion with very few leaks to the press – until the transfer was very close to being done.

Unfortunately for Lange, he ended up missing out on Gibbs-White in what was a very bizarre transfer saga.

After losing club legend Son Heung-min to the MLS, and now James Maddison for the majority of the season, it is absolutely imperative that Tottenham’s technical director brings in a fresh, proven attacking alternative before the deadline on September 1.

Maddison will undergo surgery on an ACL rupture, Spurs confirmed today, with the 28-year-old set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Tottenham called Man City over Jack Grealish in the last few days, according to Fabrizio Romano, but face stiff competition from Everton, who have now opened formal talks over a loan deal for the 29-year-old.

Elsewhere, Liverpool sensation Harvey Elliott has been mooted as a potential target for Spurs after his exceptional Euro Under-21 Championships with England.

However, Bundesliga sides like RB Leipzig are offering Elliott the chance to further his development abroad, with sides across Europe now clamoring to reinforce their squad as we reach the final phase of this window.

Daniel Levy is dealing with a major headache when it comes to their pursuit of an attacker, and that botched deal for Gibbs-White is now looking all the more significant after Maddison’s injury.

According to Alasdair Gold, the most reliable Spurs source you could ask for, Levy and Lange have other items on their transfer agenda too – namely signing another new centre-back.

The club triggered Kevin Danso’s obligation to buy clause from RC Lens earlier this summer, and already boast the likes of Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven and Radu Dragusin among their crop of central defensive options.

Dragusin was recently handed Sergio Reguilon’s number 3 jersey, whilst Romero’s links to Atlético Madrid have practically died after Diego Simeone sealed a deal for David Hancko – so none of the quartet appear likely to be going anywhere this summer.

Tottenham ready to meet asking price for Bournemouth defender Illia Zabarnyi

Regardless, Spurs are apparently in the market for another central defender, and they’re still contenders for Bournemouth star Illia Zabarnyi.

According to French newspaper L’Équipe, as translated by Sport Witness, the Ukranian’s switch to PSG is advanced, but Luis Enrique’s side are currently haggling over a few million.

PSG made a recent written offer to the Cherries for Zabarnyi – £52m whilst covering FIFA’s solidarity payment.

Bournemouth are prepared to accept this bid, if PSG include a further £3m in bonuses, which the Ligue 1 giants are currently refusing to do.

This has handed Levy an opportunity to hijack the deal, with L’Équipe reporting that Tottenham are ready to meet Bournemouth’s demands for Zabarnyi ‘immediately’ and are ‘pushing’ to sign the 22-year-old.

Spurs were actually in the mix for his former Bournemouth teammate, Dean Huijsen, before he chose a move to Real Madrid (Fabrizio Romano).

Now, Frank could win the race for another Bournemouth defender instead, but they’ll first have to convince Zabarnyi himself, who’s been chasing a move to Paris for quite some time.

When Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool at the end of the 2023/24 season, it was widely felt that the German’s successor in the Anfield dugout would be set up to fall by the wayside.

Certainly, when Arne Slot, this little-known coach at Feyenoord, was chosen as Liverpool’s new boss after ostensible efforts for Xabi Alonso and Ruben Amorim failed to come to fruition, many Premier League rivals felt the Reds were set for a period of decline.

Even without Slot’s incredible league triumph last term, he has endeared himself to the fanbase and been accepted as one of this proud city’s own. He embodies the spirit of what it means to represent Liverpool, through the good times and through hardship.

Slot, moreover, has proved himself to be an elite tactician, working with sporting director Richard Hughes to identify players fit for purpose in this title-winning team. He has been aided by the brilliance of Mohamed Salah, who will be looking to go again next term, but the 33-year-old needs some help at the front of the ship after carrying an unbelievable weight of responsibility over the past year.

Liverpool have completed a wide sweep of signings already this summer, but there’s more still to come.

Liverpool's latest transfer plans

With Trent Alexander-Arnold having chosen to leave Liverpool and join Real Madrid, Hughes and co acted swiftly to sign Jeremie Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen for £29.5m before turning to Bournemouth’s Milos Kerkez, both now part of Slot’s squad.

But the cream of the crop is, of course, Florian Wirtz, who arrives in England a £100m player, with the £16m in potential add-ons perhaps even coming to make him the most expensive player in British history.

Wirtz’s creative ingenuity makes him a dream for any centre-forward, and while he has the capacity to elevate Darwin Nunez’s game, the Uruguayan has gone three seasons at Liverpool leaving plenty to be desired, and improvements are needed.

Nunez, after all, has spent several years working with Salah, who must be craving a superior frontman to channel his qualities toward. Deadly striker he may be, Salah has also racked up 40 assists across the past three Premier League seasons alone.

Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike is among the most coveted names on Liverpool’s list, and curiosity in his services will increase to something more substantial if Luis Diaz leaves, with the versatile forward being pursued by a host of suitors, including Bayern Munich and Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

However, Diaz’s sale wouldn’t only affect the front of the ship. Indeed, it might also advance Liverpool’s interest in another elite talent on the global stage – and he’s looking to play on the left.

Liverpool enter race for superstar winger

According to Spanish outlet AS, Liverpool have registered their interest in Real Madrid’s Rodrygo as they prepare for the eventuality of Diaz’s departure.

FSG haven’t tabled an official approach yet, but then neither have Arsenal, who are considered the Reds’ main rivals in the race for the Brazilian’s signature, with Bayern Munich also keen.

Valued in the region of £78m, Rodrygo would clearly represent a significant outlay for the Anfield side, but if Diaz is sold, this could be the perfect move for them to make, perhaps even starting the beginning of something special with Salah over on the right flank.

Why Rodrygo could be a dream for Salah

Rodrygo is fed up. Despite being considered a “world-class superstar” by former teammate Luka Modric and “probably the most gifted player in the squad” by his current colleague Jude Bellingham, the 24-year-old has slipped into the background at Los Blancos.

One of the biggest issues Rodrygo has at Real Madrid is the rarity of his deployment on the left wing, in spite of this being his best position, his most productive and where his prolific potency is best served.

Even so, to have recorded 25 goal involvements across the season while being recognised to have been distinctly out of sorts bears testament to Rodrygo’s lofty level.

And though Rodrygo will be thoroughly disappointed with his 2024/25 campaign, he has previously demonstrated an aptitude that soars beyond the capabilities of most other forwards across the globe.

While Liverpool already have a world-class winger in Salah, he’s approaching the autumn years of his historic career in English football and will want a player of such a calibre winging Slot’s system to a resounding effect.

Rodrygo could do this. Take, for example, his efforts in La Liga last season. He scored six times, but also missed only one big chance, as per Sofascore. This highlights his natural goalscoring instinct.

Furthermore, the South American sensation registered 12 goal contributions across the season as a left winger, and that’s despite his only playing 12 of his 54 matches in the role, limited due to Vinicius Junior and Kylian Mbappe perching higher up the pecking order.

24/25

54 (39)

14

11

23/24

57 (43)

17

9

22/23

57 (41)

19

11

21/22

49 (25)

9

9

20/21

33 (13)

2

8

19/20

26 (16)

7

3

This emphasises the jackpot Liverpool could hit by bringing him over to Merseyside, establishing a winger with the depth and dynamism of Salah and with similarities in ball-striking too.

Liverpool’s talisman, after all, finished the recent season with 34 goals and 23 assists across all competitions, so crucial in setting his new boss off on trophy-winning footing.

Given that Rodrygo ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, as per FBref, he’s also proven himself to have the ball retention levels and the technical confidence to thrive in Slot’s precise system.

Liverpool need to make their move, securing a wonderful new wide forward who can emulate Salah and thus preserve the brilliance of the Egyptian’s skill set across the coming year, widening the dimensions of Slot’s offensive system too.

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Kieran Tierney made his long-awaited second debut for Celtic when he lined up against St Mirren from the start on Sunday in the first game of the Scottish Premiership season.

The Scotland international moved on from Parkhead to sign for Premier League giants Arsenal six years ago, after making 170 first-team appearances in his first spell in Glasgow.

Tierney will now be looking to add to the five Premiership titles that he already has under his belt by winning the league with the Hoops this term.

Brendan Rodgers will have to be careful with his fitness, though, as the defender had to be subbed off in the 65th minute against St Mirren, after he appeared to run out of steam.

Celtic made approach to sign a new left-back

The Hoops are in the market to bring in another left-sided defender to provide support for Tierney, and a new target to bolster their squad in that position has emerged.

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According to Italian outlet L’Unione Sarda, Celtic are one of the teams interested in a potential deal to sign Cagliari left-back Adam Obert this summer.

The report claims that the Premiership champions made an approach to sign the 22-year-old talent, but there was a difference between what the Hoops were wanting to pay and what the Serie A side want for his services.

It adds that Celtic will need to come back in with a higher offer if they want to sign the Slovakia U21 international before the end of the window, and it remains to be seen if they will or not.

Why Celtic should sign Adam Obert

The Hoops should go back in with another approach for the versatile star, who can play left-back or centre-back, because he would be perfect for Tierney this season.

As aforementioned, Rodgers has to be mindful of the experienced full-back’s injury record, which is incredibly concerning on paper, to say the least.

Kieran Tierney’s injury history

Season

Injuries

Days missed

Games missed

24/25

1

160

18

23/24

3

103

21

22/23

0

0

0

21/22

2

116

17

20/21

4

87

19

19/20

1

97

19

18/19

5

140

27

17/18

1

23

5

16/17

1

86

16

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Tierney has missed a lot of football through injury throughout his career, which is why signing a player like Obert is crucial.

The Cagliari defender has only missed eight games through injury in his career to date, including just five in the last three seasons combined, which suggests that he has the durability to provide cover for the Scottish star.

Obert only started 13 of his 21 appearances in the Serie A during the 2024/25 campaign, which shows that he is used to not being the first-choice, and averaged 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game in that time.

The 22-year-old ace also starred for Slovakia at the U21 European Championship earlier this summer, starting all three of their matches in the tournament.

He scored one goal and completed 94% of his attempted passes across those three games, whilst he also made an eye-catching 7.3 clearances per match and won 59% of his duels.

These statistics suggest that Obert has the potential to be a composed player on the ball who is also well-positioned defensively to win duels and make clearances, which is why he could come in at Celtic to be a solid and reliable operator as a deputy to Tierney.

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Overall, the Cagliari defender would be perfect for Tierney because he is used to being a back-up, has a very impressive fitness record, and appears to have the defensive quality to step in when needed.

This means that Rodgers can start the Scottish left-back week-in-week-out and still be able to take him off after 60 minutes, or whenever he feels he has hit his limit, because Obert is good enough to step in and play when needed.

يرى أحد المدربين أن ليفربول يمتلك لاعبًا قادرًا على التتويج بجائزة الكرة الذهبية يومًا ما، بعدما فشل المصري محمد صلاح في الحصول عليها خلال حفل “فرانس فوتبول” أمس الإثنين.

وحقق عثمان ديمبلي، نجم باريس سان جيرمان، جائزة الكرة الذهبية كأفضل لاعب في العالم لعام 2025، في حين أن محمد صلاح اكتفى بالمركز الرابع في سباق المنافسة.

وتحدثت شبكة “rousingthekop” الإنجليزية أن ليلة الاثنين لم تكن هادئة على الإطلاق، إذ كان الحديث مقتصرًا على حول من سيفوز بجائزة الكرة الذهبية، تلك الجائزة التي تُنهي الجدل حول من هو الأفضل في العالم، ورغم موسمهم الاستثنائي، غادر ليفربول الحفل خالي الوفاض، حيث كان محمد صلاح الأقرب للفوز بها.

وأوضحت أنه ربما كان محمد صلاح يعلم أنه لن يفوز بالجائزة لذلك قرر عدم حضور الحفل، ويبدو الآن أنه لن يحصل على الجائزة أبدًا.

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وأفادت بأنه رغم ذلك، فإن آمال ليفربول في وجود لاعب آخر في صفوف الفريق للفوز بها لم تنتهِ بعد، فمع وجود العديد من المواهب في الفريق لتحقيق ذلك، هناك نجم واحد يعتقد أحد المدربين أنه يمتلك كل الإمكانيات للحصول عليها يومًا ما.

ذلك اللاعب هو ريو نجوموها صاحب الـ17 عامًا، الذي أثبت نفسه بشكل سريع مع ليفربول في فترة ما قبل الموسم، وسجل هدف الفوز القاتل كذلك ضد نيوكاسل يونايتد في الجولة الثانية من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وقال المدرب السابق لـ نجوموها في أكاديمية تشيلسي، إيساكسون هيرست: “إنه موهبة استثنائية، برز في سن مبكرة جدًا، مع الأخذ في الاعتبار أننا في واحدة من أفضل الأكاديميات في كرة القدم العالمية، فقد كان استثنائيًا”.

وأضاف: “كنت تعلم، حتى في الثامنة من عمره، أن مستقبله باهر مشرق، لا توجد ضمانات لوصول اللاعب إلى القمة، لكن في الأندية الكبرى، ترى لاعبين استثنائيين حتى في سن مبكرة”.

وواصل:”كنت أمزح مع أخيه حيث قلت له هذا اللاعب رائع، سيفوز بالكرة الذهبية، لا أستهين بالأمر، لقد دربت أحد أفضل المواهب في كرة القدم، لديه القدرة على بلوغ أقصى مدى، ريو موهبة رائعة، بعقلية مميزة وقدرة مذهلة”.

England are sweating on Marc Guehi's fitness ahead of their crucial World Cup qualifying game against Serbia. The Three Lions have maintained a 100 per cent win record in qualifying so far, including the victory over Andorra on Saturday, where Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice was on target, but they could be without Crystal Palace star Guehi on Tuesday night.

• Guehi struggling with a groin injury
• Attended Monday's training 
• England take on Serbia on Tuesday

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to the , Guehi, who played for 76 minutes in the win over Andorra, is nursing a groin issue, which has raised doubts over his participation in the upcoming qualifier against Serbia in Belgrade. The report, however, added that the entire 24-man squad, including Guehi, trained at St George's Park on Monday morning under Thomas Tuchel's watchful eyes, and Palace defender's injury seems to be a minor one.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Guehi paired up with Newcastle's Dan Burn in the centre of the defence in the Andorra clash as the Three Lions predictably kept a clean sheet. However, the attack was a concern for Tuchel as his side found it hard to break down the resilient Andorran defence despite being utterly dominant.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  In a recent interaction with the media, Tuchel admitted that he wants the Three Lions to go back to basics in their bid to win the World Cup next year. The England boss has spoken of the tactics he plans to deploy and is not afraid of instructing his team to be far more direct and to make the most of set-pieces.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

  Tuchel will take a final call on Guehi after monitoring his condition on the day of the game. England lock horns against Serbia on Tuesday night.