Aston Villa are in talks over selling an “incredible” player as their deadline to raise money approaches, with NSWE having till Monday to balance the books in an effort to avoid potential PSR sanctions.

As per a recent estimation by The Athletic, Villa can only record a loss of around £15 million and stay in line with PSR for 2024/2025.

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1

By
Emilio Galantini

Jun 21, 2025

As things stand, Unai Emery’s side are above that mark, and face the possibility of Premier League sanctions if they don’t source cash by the start of the next football financial year – which begins on July 1.

Villa are attempting to sell their women’s team right now in an effort to generate much-needed income, but if that cannot restore their PSR balance, or if they fail to agree a deal in time, then player sales are the next-best option.

Emiliano Martínez, Youri Tielemans, Amadou Onana and Lucas Digne are among the Villa first-teamers linked with high-profile exits before the June 30 deadline, but they’re quickly running out of time.

The club’s president of footballing operations, Monchi, is reportedly working hard to secure a significant sale ahead of the cut-off date (Football Insider), but football finance expert Dan Plumley has reassured supporters there will be a limit in terms of who they’re willing to part company with.

“I still think even with a question mark over Villa and where they’re at with PSR, it’s unlikely that they will be desperate to sell a Watkins or a Rogers as an example,” said Plumley to Football Insider.

“I think if they are going to move players on, it’s probably going to be one or two of the fringe players on the squad. I think Villa would fight hard against that is what I’m saying.

“And I think if a club’s going to look to do that, I could understand it to a degree, but I don’t see Villa trying to sell a Watkins or a Rogers quickly in the next few days for a cut-price fee.

“I think those are two players in particular that they’ll want to keep, and if someone’s going to buy those players, the premium’s going to be high.”

Instead, a far more viable option comes in the form of young right-back Kosta Nedeljkovic.

Aston Villa in talks to sell Kosta Nedeljkovic

The 19-year-old, after being used sparingly by Emery over the first half of last season, was shipped out on loan to RB Leipzig for the second part of 2024/2025, and the Bundesliga side are keen to sign him permanently.

That is according to Sky Germany reporter Philipp Hinze, who also reports that Villa are in talks with Leipzig over selling Nedeljkovic. The club possess an option to buy the Serbian for around £13 million, including add-ons, but Leipzig want to lower this cost by negotiating a new price.

Given the teenager appears out of Emery’s long-term plans, despite being called “incredible”, he’s a very viable candidate to help with Villa’s PSR situation – but Monchi won’t be willing to authorise too much of a cut-price exit.

Newcastle United aren’t giving up on their chase to sign an attacking reinforcement and are now reportedly set to take their next key step towards their top target.

Eddie Howe admits Newcastle "frustration"

The Magpies have faced an endless brick wall in pursuit of their top targets so far this summer – whether it’s been Joao Pedro, Bryan Mbeumo or Hugo Ekitike. Reports are now even suggesting that Manchester City could hijack their move to sign Burnley shot-stopper James Trafford. But Eddie Howe and everyone else involved at St James’ Park are not giving up on welcoming much-needed reinforcements just yet.

The Newcastle boss shared his thoughts on a frustrating summer recently, admitting that Newcastle were hoping to get any business done early but have simply been unable to get deals over the line.

All involved in Tyneside will be desperate not to miss out on any more targets and reports are now suggesting that they’re working to ensure that their striker problem is finally solved.

Newcastle expected to take key Wissa step

As reported by GiveMeSport, Newcastle are now expected to submit an improved offer to sign Yoane Wissa after Brentford rejected their opening bid worth around £25m. Whether that second bid, which will reportedly be worth £30m, is successful remains to be seen, but the striker has told the Bees he wants to leave.

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Having already lost Mbeumo, Brentford are reportedly demanding as much as £50m to sell Wissa this summer. Given that he has just one year left on his current deal and has already left the Bees’ pre-season camp amid transfer speculation, however, there could yet be room to negotiate that valuation.

Starts

34

34

Goals

19

23

Assists

4

6

Expected Goals

18.5

20.3

A player who former Brentford manager and new Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank described as “incredible” alongside Mbeumo last season, it’s clear to see why Newcastle want Wissa.

The Brentford star would provide immediate backup for Isak, who has already suffered an injury concern in pre-season, and could even partner the all-important Swede.

Nottingham Forest have been told the price it would take to sign a versatile star, with the Premier League side also agreeing personal terms as they look to make their third signing of the summer after Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha.

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Forest are gearing up for their first season back in Europe since 1996, but this window has been fraught with challenges so far.

Nuno Espírito Santo recently lost star attacker Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United in a deal worth around £55 million, with the Englishman set to be a sore miss after he bagged six goals and 12 assists last season.

Nottingham Forest’s rumoured transfer targets this summer

Target

Current club

Position

Taty Castellanos

Lazio

Striker

James McAtee

Man City

Attacking midfield

Pablo Maffeo

RCD Mallorca

Defender

Douglas Luiz

Juventus

Midfielder

Nahuel Molina

Atlético Madrid

Right-back

Forest also continue to face the threat of Morgan Gibbs-White’s departure – an equally crucial player for Nuno in 2024/2025 – as Tottenham maintain their pursuit of the 25-year-old despite Evangelos Marinakis threatening legal action.

Gibbs-White has made it clear he still wants to join Tottenham despite taking part in Forest pre-season, according to reports, with the transfer expected to happen eventually despite resistance from Nuno’s side.

“It’s going to happen, it’s just going to drag on until the end of the window. When a player’s head gets turned like that, the deal is almost done,” said pundit Paul Robinson to Tottenham News this week.

“Forest had dug their heels in; they’re going to obviously try and get as much money as they can for him, but eventually it’ll go through.

“It’s one of those deals that Tottenham wants to happen. The player is obviously keen for it to happen. And it’s one of those where Forest are digging in to get as much as they can.

“The last thing that Forest are going to want to do is keep an unhappy player at the start of the season. So it’s a deal that should get done at some point, but it might cost Tottenham a little bit more than they want, and it might drag on a little bit longer than they want.“

If/when Gibbs-White leaves, supporters will be hoping that Marinakis and co reinvest that money in strengthening severely weakened areas of the squad.

Nottingham Forest given £39m demand after agreeing terms with Dan Ndoye

According to widespread reports, Bologna forward Dan Ndoye is a top target for the club, following his excellent season in Italy where he bagged nine goals and six assists in all competitions.

The 24-year-old operated on both flanks and even as a second striker over the course of those matches, with his ability to play in multiple areas potentially very useful to Nuno.

Newspaper Corriere dello Sport has an update on their chase for the Switzerland international this week, reporting that Forest have agreed personal terms with Ndoye, but there remains a significant gap in valuation.

Bologna want around £39 million to sell Ndoye, and Forest haven’t even gone over the £26 million barrier, so they’ll have to seriously improve their offer.

Serie A champions Napoli actually made a loan-to-buy bid worth around £35m for the ex-FC Basel star, including bonuses, but even this wasn’t enough with Antonio Conte moving on to alternatives.

علق الكسندر إيزاك، نجم نادي ليفربول، على مشاركته مع الريدز، حيث لعب الدولي السويدي يوم أمس الأربعاء لأول مرة مع النادي الإنجليزي.

ليفربول تعاقد مع إيزاك خلال فترة الميركاتو الصيفي الأخير، قادمًا من صفوف نيوكاسل يونايتد مقابل أكثر من 150 مليون يورو وفي عقد مدته خمس سنوات.

وحارب إيزاك كثيرًا من أجل الانتقال إلى ليفربول، وضغط كثيرًا على إدارة نيوكاسل حتى تمكن اللاعب البالغ من العمر 26 عامًا من تحقيق حلمه باللعب للفريق الأحمر.

وشارك إيزاك يوم أمس الأربعاء مع ليفربول أمام أتلتيكو مدريد، ضمن منافسات الجولة الأولى من دوري أبطال أوروبا مرحلة الدوري.

اقرأ أيضًا .. روبرتسون: إيزاك كان ممتازًا في مشاركته الأولى.. وازدهر أدائي مع ليفربول لهذا السبب

وأشاد إيزاك عبر حسابه الرسمي في إنستجرام بالأجواء التي قدمها جماهير ليفربول في لقاء الأمس بملعب آنفيلد.

وقال إيزاك: “ليلة رائعة لظهوري الأول، شكرًا لكم يا ليفربول على الترحيب الحار ولن تسير لوحدك أبدًا”.

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ليفربول استطاع أن يحقق فوزًا مثيرًا يوم أمس الأربعاء على أتلتيكو مدريد بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، حيث منحت رأسية فيرجيل فان دايك انتصارًا قاتلًا للريدز على العملاق الإسباني.

وعول مدرب ليفربول، آرني سلوت، على خدمات إيزاك كمهاجم صريح على حساب هوجو إيكتيكي الذي ظل كبديل ونزل في الشوط الثاني.

Essex make the running in final fixture but champions close out with pride before lifting trophy

ECB Reporters Network29-Sep-2024Dom Sibley batted for more than four hours for his third century of the season to ensure there was no last-day embarrassment before Surrey lifted aloft the Vitality County Championship trophy following an attritional draw at Chelmsford.Surrey savoured the traditional champagne-spraying celebrations for the third successive year after a season in which they won eight of their 14 matches. However, apart from Sibley’s 189-ball 125, they were comprehensively second best against Essex as underlined by the fact they only collected two bonus points from the game.Sibley’s innings was a mixture of forcefulness, chiefly through the covers, and watchfulness as he dominated half-century stands with Dan Lawrence and Josh Blake before he was sixth man out with Surrey still nominally 143 runs shy of making Essex bat again.The finale to the Championship season petered out in comedy as Essex bowlers changed bowling styles before handshakes were exchanged at 4.10pm with Surrey 267 for 7.Essex, bowling sensibly at the time, had taken three wickets in 10 overs in the morning to introduce a little frisson to proceedings, but the game meandered towards the draw that had been inevitable since rain washed out all but 111 minutes’ play on the first two days. The draw meant Essex finished fourth, two points behind one-time title contenders Somerset.Yousef Majid extended his nightwatchman duties by just over half-an-hour on a cold, grey morning before he tried to play Harmer to leg but popped up a catch in the opposite direction to short extra cover.Jamie Porter’s sequence of four successful maidens was broken when Sibley drove him straight back so fiercely it almost cut the bowler in half on its way to the boundary. He was equally aggressive against Harmer, coming down the wicket and swiping him past midwicket for another of his 17 fours.Ryan Patel had already been missed at slip by Ben Allison, fielding in place of the injured Dean Elgar, before he was unbalanced by Porter and departed lbw. Ben Geddes did not last long, beaten by one from Harmer that turned and jagged back his off-stump.Sibley dominated the first fifty of the fifth-wicket stand with Dan Lawrence amid a flurry of pushed and well-placed boundaries. Lawrence contributed just 14 of them, and 27 of the 75 runs they eventually put on before Shane Snater trapped him lbw.Runs dried up at that point: seven came off 43 balls and 10 overs passed without a boundary before Sibley stroked back Sam Cook for his 14th four to reach three figures from 168 balls. He celebrated by going down on one knee and launching Matt Critchley out of the ground over long leg for only the second six of the match.However, Critchley gained a measure of revenge when Sibley drove uppishly towards mid-off where Cook took the catch. Harmer was eventually rested and his replacement, Tom Westley, struck with his sixth ball as Ollie Sykes’s debut lasted two balls.With little enthusiasm from the participants, the first over after tea, bowled by Westley, took eight minutes to complete – and 16 minutes for three overs of spin – with questions about changing the ball and sundry other time-wasting manoeuvres.To enforce the sense of farce pace bowler Cook came in off three paces to send down six balls of spin and spinners Critchley and Harmer took the new-ball with a variety of medium-paced dibbly-dobblies to an equally unfamiliar slip cordon of Cook, Porter and Allison.

Glasgow Rangers could need to sign a new centre-forward to bolster their squad before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September.

Russell Martin currently has Danilo, Hamza Igamane, and Cyriel Dessers at his disposal at Ibrox, but it remains to be seen if all three of them will still be at the club when the window closes.

After the 2-2 draw at Ibrox on Sunday, the Rangers head coach officially confirmed that the club have rejected an offer that was way below their valuation for Dessers, which shows that there is concrete interest in the attacker.

Meanwhile, Lille have reportedly been in talks over a potential deal to bring Igamane, who scored 16 goals last season, to Ligue 1 this summer.

This means that Rangers may lose two of their three centre-forward options during the window, which may be why they have been linked with an interest in veteran forward Jamie Vardy.

Why a move for Jamie Vardy could make sense

It was recently reported that the Scottish giants are the ‘frontrunners’ to secure a deal for the free agent number nine after Genoa dropped out of the race for his signature.

Vardy ended his long-term association with Leicester City this year after a return of 200 goals in 500 matches for the Foxes, helping them to win a Premier League title and an FA Cup.

He turned 38 in January, which means that the forward is in the latter stages of his career, but the former England international still has the capability to make a big impact in front of goal at the top level.

Vardy ended the 2024/25 campaign with nine goals in 35 Premier League starts for Leicester, despite their relegation from the division, which came after the attacker had managed 20 goals in 37 games in all competitions when they were in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign.

Mo Salah

29

33

Chris Wood

20

33

Raul Jimenez

12

34

Danny Welbeck

10

34

Jamie Vardy

9

38

Tomas Soucek

9

30

Bruno Fernandes

9

30

Jacob Murphy

8

30

Leandro Trossard

8

30

Heung-min Son

7

33

As you can see in the table above, the English dynamo’s nine-goal haul in the Premier League last season was particularly impressive, when you see that he was the only player aged above 34 within the top ten scorers over the age of 30 in the division.

This shows that he is still at a very high level in front of goal, despite his age, which is why Vardy could make a lot of sense as a short-term addition for Rangers.

Striker considering move to Rangers this summer

However, the Scottish giants appear to have an opportunity to sign another experienced free agent centre-forward who could be an even better signing than the former Leicester man.

Transfer Focus

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

According to journalist Sebastien Vidal, veteran Dutch striker Luuk De Jong is “considering” a potential transfer to Rangers after his exit from PSV.

The 34-year-old attacker became a free agent at the start of the month and is currently weighing up his options, with a switch to Scotland seemingly a realistic option for him.

Meanwhile, PSV boss Peter Bosz, when asked about interest from Rangers in the striker, revealed that he has spoken to De Jong about the possibility of him signing for Martin’s team.

It now remains to be seen whether or not the Light Blues can tempt him enough to make the move to Ibrox, as he is still ‘considering’ his options at this moment in time.

Why Rangers should sign De Jong over Vardy

If presented with the choice, Rangers should decide to sign De Jong instead of Vardy because he could be an even better signing for the Scottish side this summer.

The former Netherlands international is four years younger than the ex-Leicester marksman, which means that he may have a few more years of service to offer on the pitch for the Gers, making him a potentially better medium-term addition to the side.

His goalscoring record in the past two seasons for PSV also suggests that the Dutch dynamo has the potential to deliver more than Vardy in front of goal for Rangers, if he can adapt to Scottish football and hit the ground running at Ibrox.

In the 2024/25 campaign, the 34-year-old striker plundered 18 goals and 12 assists in 47 matches in all competitions. That came after the veteran attacker produced a staggering haul of 38 goals and 18 assists in 48 appearances in the 2023/24 season for PSV.

This means that De Jong has scored 56 goals and assisted 30 for the Dutch giants in the past two seasons, whilst Vardy managed 30 goals and six assists in that time for Leicester.

These statistics suggest that the former Barcelona ace could offer way more to Rangers as both a scorer and a creator of goals than the Englishman, whilst also being four years younger, because, quite simply, he has scored and assisted significantly more goals.

Appearances

34

31

Goals

29

14

Minutes per goal

96

175

Big chances created

18

16

Key passes per game

2.0

1.8

Assists

15

8

As you can see in the table above, De Jong has consistently provided goals and assists over the past two years at league level, and has even been unfortunate not to have more assists to his name.

He is an experienced and lethal marksman who can find the back of the net on a regular basis whilst also creating high-quality chances for his teammates week-in-week-out, which could make him a fantastic all-round centre-forward option for Martin.

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Whilst, at 34, De Jong may not represent the future for the Ibrox giants, the Dutch striker could make a big short-term impact as the Gers look to wrestle back control of the Scottish Premiership next season.

Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin is still dealing with changes to his first-team squad as he prepares for a European qualifying clash later this month.

One player whose future at Ibrox remains uncertain is striker Cyriel Dessers, who was not involved in Rangers’ friendly draw last weekend.

After the game, Martin explained the striker’s absence: “Cyriel has had a bit of a niggly ankle so he was here today. We turned down a bid a while ago for him that was nowhere near our valuation at the football club.

“He’s been great, he’s been desperate to train but he’s had some treatment this week on his ankle. He’s coming back and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

The Ibrox boss confirmed that the club have turned down an offer for the 30-year-old attacker, who has been linked with a move to AEK Athens, and it remains to be seen whether or not the striker will still be at the club come September.

It could, however, make sense for Rangers to part ways with the experienced forward in the coming weeks, in order to improve Martin’s team for next season.

Why Rangers should sell Cyriel Dessers

It makes sense from a financial perspective because the striker is now in his 30s, in the latter stage of his career, and only has two years left to run on his contract at Ibrox.

This means that this summer could be the club’s last chance to get optimal value for the former Cremonese star, as he will only have 12 months left on his deal next summer at the age of 31.

It could also make sense from a footballing perspective because Dessers has not been clinical enough in front of goal to be a reliable number nine for Rangers in the big moments.

Wasteful finishing, like the attempt in the clip above, has been a recurring issue for the Rangers number nine, who has only scored two goals in ten matches against Celtic.

His performances on the European stage for the Light Blues were particularly telling of his quality in front of goal, as he struggled against top-tier opponents.

24/25 Europa League	Cyriel Dessers
Appearances	12
xG	5.49
Goals	3
Big chances missed	10
Big chances created	2
Assists	2
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Dessers missed a staggering ten ‘big chances’ in just 12 Europa League matches, and underperformed his xG by over two goals.

The wasteful striker has missed a whopping 59 ‘big chances’ in his two seasons at Ibrox in the Scottish Premiership and European competitions combined, which is why the Gers could benefit from selling him to fund the signing of a new striker who can provide more quality in front of goal.

Rangers in the race to sign LaLiga striker

According to Macedonian news outlet Gol Mk, Rangers are one of a number of clubs in the race to sign Girona centre-forward Bojan Miovski before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Light Blues want to sign the Macedonia international to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, one year on from his move to Spain from Aberdeen.

Transfer Focus

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

It adds that German sides Hamburg and Freiburg have both made contact with Girona to enquire about a possible deal for the forward, whilst Celtic are also interested in the left-footed marksman.

However, the outlet does not reveal how much the Spanish team would want in order to sanction a move for the striker, who was signed from Aberdeen for a reported fee of £6.8m.

If the Gers can win the race for the 26-year-old centre-forward in the coming weeks, though, then Martin would have a big upgrade on Dessers on his hands.

Why Miovski would be an upgrade on Dessers

The Light Blues would improve their team by selling the Nigerian forward in order to bring the Macedonian marksman back to Scotland this summer, because of his ability in front of goal and his record in the biggest games.

During his time with Aberdeen, Miovski scored four goals in nine matches against Rangers and three goals in seven games against Celtic, making it an impressive haul of seven goals in 16 games against the top two teams in the country.

Whereas, as aforementioned, Dessers has only found the back of the net two times in ten games against the Hoops, as he has let his side down too many times in the biggest matches.

This suggests that Miovski, who was once hailed as a “complete number 9” by journalist Josh Bunting, would be more likely to be a difference-maker for Rangers in the games against Celtic, both in the league and in the cup competitions, to increase the club’s chances of clinching silverware ahead of their closest rivals.

Premiership	Miovski (22/23 + 23/24)	Dessers (23/24 + 24/25)
Appearances	75	70
Shots	171	185
Goals	32	34
Big chances missed	31	47
Big chances created	10	10
Assists	4	6
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, they have a similar goal return across their two seasons in the Premiership, but Dessers has missed significantly more ‘big chances’.

This suggests that Miovski’s output could be even greater as a scorer if he were in a Rangers team that consistently creates the high-quality chances that the current Gers number nine gets on a weekly basis.

The left-footed striker endured a difficult season in LaLiga, with just two goals in 17 games, but he is a proven performer in Scottish football who would, in theory, be able to hit the ground running at Ibrox next season if the club can agree a deal to sign him this summer.

This is why Rangers must push to cash in on Dessers to fund a move for Miovski in the coming weeks, as they could improve their team by signing a proven Premiership star who has the potential to deliver even more quality in front of goal than the AEK Athens target.

Martin's own Defoe: Rangers "frontrunners" to sign "sensational" striker

Rangers are leading the race to sign a forward who could be their next Jermaine Defoe.

2

By
Dan Emery

Jul 8, 2025

Head coach Gary Stead says the players were “very disappointed” to have been denied a chance to play Afghanistan

Ekanth13-Sep-20245:26

Stead: This Test would have been useful for SL series

New Zealand head coach Gary Stead has said that being denied the opportunity to get some game-time after a six-month gap in Test cricket is the “most disappointing part” after their one-off Test against Afghanistan was called off without a ball bowled.New Zealand had this match to familiarise themselves with the subcontinent conditions, with the series against Sri Lanka and India coming up. But persistent rain and outfield issues in Greater Noida reduced the first-ever Test between the two teams to a no-show.”The most disappointing part for us is that we lost the opportunity to be match-hardened and match-ready when we go into our Test match [against Sri Lanka] next week,” Stead said at the post-match press conference. “The guys are really disappointed. It was an opportunity to play Afghanistan. It doesn’t come around that often.Related

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“They have some unique bowlers – it’s always good to get your head around how you face them. The way they play is a little bit different to other countries. It’s always learning what you can do when you get in those match situations.”The one-off Test was not part of the World Test Championship. However, Stead said the team was left “frustrated”, as the format is “very, very dear to the team’s hearts”.”Even though it was fine for those two days, there were thunderstorms the nights before and the ground was just too soft and the umpires deemed that unfit to play on,” he said. “So that is sort of out of the players’ hands in a way as well.”But we were frustrated. We have come here to play cricket and play a Test match and as Jonathan [Trott, Afghanistan head coach] said, Test cricket, certainly to our group of players that is here, that’s very, very dear to their hearts and every Test you get to play in is a big one.”So regardless of whether it has World Test Championship points or not, that opportunity to get out there for five days, it looked a great surface. The whole block looked fantastic, so it would have been a great match of Test cricket.”New Zealand are not slated to play another Test against Afghanistan in the current Future Tours Programme cycle. Stead welcomed the prospect of playing more Tests against Afghanistan, heaping praise on their recent achievements in white-ball cricket, including a win against New Zealand in the group stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup.Persistent rain and outfield issues in Greater Noida led to the one-off Test being called off•AFP/Getty Images

“I don’t make the decisions around the Future Tours Programme and big tours,” Stead said. “But I said it right from the start of coming here, Afghanistan have knocked just about every top team in the world over now. So they’re certainly a force and becoming more and more of a force in world cricket. That’s something for the Afghanistan and New Zealand boards to get their heads around.”It was our first Test match against Afghanistan and we were really excited about that. They’ve been great competitors of ours over the last few World Cups. We’ve had some great games of cricket.”Stead said New Zealand were “desperate” to make the World Test Championship final. Five of their remaining eight Tests in the cycle will be in Asia, but he is confident of the side adapting to the conditions.”The World Test Championship is alive and well, and we’re currently in third place, and we want to make the finals again,” he said. “We’ve been there once in the past, and we are desperate to get there again. So every test match we play will be an important one.”The conditions that we face in Galle will be, I’m sure, different to Bangalore, Pune and Mumbai when we come back here again. So it’s still about adapting to the different surfaces where I’m learning from those. But also banking the knowledge you have created in the past even though it’s been a couple of [sessions of] trainings out there, we’d still bank on what we’ve learnt on those sort of pitches.”

Manchester City have enacted a sea change involving their squad this summer and Pep Guardiola could now be about to make a bold move for a Real Madrid ace.

Man City see plates spin in transfer market

The Citizens are known for their swift approach to negotiations and their speedy nature has led to the capture of Sverre Nypan from Rosenborg on a five-year deal.

Speaking after becoming Manchester City’s latest signing, the versatile 18-year-old stated: “I am incredibly happy and proud to have joined Manchester City. It’s a dream for any young footballer to become part of this club and to join such a group of world class talent.

“I am still very young with a lot to learn but the chance to be coached by Pep Guardiola, the best manager in the world, will only help me to become a better player.”

Nevertheless, legendary Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson could soon be set for Galatasaray after enduring a drop-off in performances last season and may potentially be joined by Ilkay Gundogan in the Turkish capital.

Acting to secure his replacement, contact has been made between the Citizens and Burnley over James Trafford, who could complete an unexpected return to the Eithad Stadium courtesy of a £40 million buyback clause included in his deal at Turf Moor.

Arsenal beat Man City and Liverpool to sign "highly-rated" forward after bid

Mikel Arteta is poised to win the race.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 17, 2025

Newcastle United had long been thought of as the natural next destination for the England Under-21 international, though Manchester City mean business this window, and it doesn’t appear that they are likely to care about feathers ruffled along the way.

Having said that, recent noises do back up the notion that Guardiola is keen on a first-choice goalkeeper, but it may not be Trafford between the sticks after all come the start of competitive action.

Man City set to offer £50m+ package to land Andriy Lunin

According to reports in Spain, Manchester City would be willing to offer £52 million inclusive of add-ons for Andriy Lunin as the Ukraine international continues to be behind Thibaut Courtois in the pecking order at Real Madrid.

The 26-year-old would be open to a move given his situation and desire to play a ‘leading’ role elsewhere, but his current employers see him as an important asset for the future and wouldn’t let him depart without a fight.

Andriy Lunin for Real Madrid in 2024/25 – La Liga (Fotmob)

Save percentage rate

65%

Goals conceded

7

Clean sheets

4

High claims

2

Pass accuracy

84.8%

Labelled a “complete goalkeeper” by RB Leipzig star Peter Gulacsi, Lunin made 14 appearances across all competitions last term for Real Madrid, keeping six clean sheets in the process.

Nevertheless, with Ederson now possibly on his way our, it may be time for a change of guard between the sticks at the Etihad Stadium and the Kharkiv-born man is emerging as a strong contender to become the Brazil international’s successor alongside links to Trafford.

Bangladesh vs West Indies

Dubai, 6pm local timeBangladesh squad: Nigar Sultana (capt, wk), Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sobhana Mostary, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Jahanara Alam, Dilara Akter, Taj Nehar, Shathi Rani, Disha BiswasWest Indies squad: Hayley Matthews (capt), Aaliyah Alleyne, Shamilia Connell, Deandra Dottin, Shemaine Campbelle (vice-capt, wk), Ashmini Munisar, Afy Fletcher, Stafanie Taylor, Chinelle Henry, Chedean Nation, Qiana Joseph, Zaida James, Karishma Ramharack, Mandy Mangru, Nerissa CraftonTournament guide: After a win in their first match against Scotland, Bangladesh crumbled to a loss against England on a surface that aided spin. West Indies, meanwhile, lost their first match to South Africa but bounced back with a dominating win against Scotland thanks to an all-round show from Chinelle Henry.Related

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News brief: Left-arm spinner Zaida James suffered a blow to the jaw while fielding off her own bowling in the match against South Africa and subsequently missed the Scotland game. A West Indies statement said she “fortunately does not have breaks and fractures” and continues to be monitored by the medical team.West Indies earned a massive net run rate boost after their win against Scotland, and winning this match will strengthen their semi-final chances. If Bangladesh lose this match, their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals will take a big hit given their negative NRR. This will be West Indies’ first game of the tournament in Sharjah.Despite being used to spinning tracks back home, Bangladesh – after a fine outing with the ball – were undone by England’s quality spin attack in the previous game in Sharjah. This match, too, will come down to how well the teams counter spin. The average first-innings total at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium this tournament is 119, and only twice have teams won chasing.Player to watch: Bangladesh’s batting unit has not been up to mark in both games, but one player who’s stood out is Sobhana Mostary. She helped Bangladesh put up a competitive total scoring 36 against Scotland, and once again top-scored with 44 against England. Coming in after an early wicket against England, she dropped anchor as regular wickets at the other end piled the pressure on her. She hit a four and a six in her 48-ball stay on a slow surface against tight bowling and kept at it till the 19th over, but the target of 119 was too much of an ask in the end.