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In a move which would see them get one over on their London rivals, Chelsea have now reportedly been offered the chance to sign a Champions League-winning midfielder this summer.

Chelsea transfer news

After flying out the blocks and even putting their name in contention for the Premier League title race, Chelsea have gradually struggled to maintain their form more and more throughout the current campaign and now sit outside of the top four. With just 11 games remaining, the Blues must rediscover their best form if they are to return to the Champions League for the first time since the 2022/23 season.

Failure to qualify for the Champions League is unlikely to stand in the way of Chelsea’s spending, as has often been the case during Todd Boehly’s time at the club. But this time, the American may not even need to splash the cash to land an instant upgrade.

According to The Boot Room, Chelsea have now been offered the chance to sign Joshua Kimmich ahead of Arsenal, who have reportedly already held talks over securing the German’s signature.

BlueCo ready to finalise Chelsea deal to sign new £12m South American gem

He’s one for the future…

1

By
Tom Cunningham

Mar 1, 2025

In what would be quite the hijack, the Blues could land the bargain of the summer with Kimmich’s current Bayern Munich deal set to expire at the end of the season, making him a free agent.

A versatile Champions League and World Cup winner, Kimmich will certainly have his pick of suitors this summer and Chelsea could yet be among those. In a squad full of youthful exuberance, the London giants could add vital experience at the heart of their midfield.

"Clever" Kimmich could partner Caicedo

When Romeo Lavia was fit and firing next to Moises Caicedo at the start of the season, it came as little surprise that Chelsea’s midfield was thriving more than it has done in previous years. They had finally found their partnership. The issue, however, is that Lavia has once again struggled on the injury front to undo all of the good work that the Blues were doing at the heart of Enzo Maresca’s side.

His struggles beg the question as to whether Maresca should aim for reinforcements in that role and Kimmich’s availability should hand those at Stamford Bridge a clear answer.

Eight Premier League starts all season tells the story of Lavia’s season once again at Chelsea, whilst Kimmich has remained as reliable as ever at Bayern Munich.

Dubbed “clever” by Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann, attracting Kimmich could prove to be a tough task without Champions League football to offer, adding to the importance of Chelsea’s pursuit of a top four finish in the Premier League this season.

After helping Spain edge past France in a 5-4 thriller, Gavi shared an emotional moment with his former Barcelona team-mate Ousmane Dembele.

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Gavi wears Dembele's jersey after Spain beat FranceSwaps shirts with former Barca team-matePosted 'I love you brother' message on InstagramFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

After Spain's exhilarating 5-4 victory over France in the Nations League semi-final, Barcelona midfielder Gavi was seen wearing the jersey of his former team-mate, Ousmane Dembele. The two shared an emotional embrace, exchanged shirts, and Gavi later posted a heartfelt message: "I love you brother."

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The 20-year-old and Dembele built a strong friendship during their time at Barcelona. Gavi was still in the youth system when Dembele arrived from Borussia Dortmund but the pair spent two seasons together after the youngster was brought up to the senior squad before the Frenchman left for Paris Saint-Germain in 2023.

WHAT GAVI SAID?

In a recent interview with , Gavi spoke warmly about Dembele: “For me, Ous has to be in the top three for the Ballon d’Or. He’s like a brother to me and an amazing player. I’ve always believed in him. And if one of us wins it, either him or Lamine [Yamal], it will be a dream.”

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR GAVI AND DEMBELE?

Spain now prepare to face Portugal in the Nations League final. Gavi, just back from an ACL injury, could see more minutes on the pitch. As for Dembele, his France side will meet Germany in a third place play-off.

da leao： In what would see them get one over on their rivals, Nottingham Forest now reportedly want to sign a young Brazilian gem worth just £5m this summer in a deal that could see Edu Gaspar become key.

Nottingham Forest could use Edu advantage

da apostaganha： In his first summer standing alongside Evangelos Marinakis and working for the clubs across his portfolio, Edu could prove to be a key part in Nottingham Forest’s transfer window – especially if they qualify for the Champions League this season.

The former Arsenal sporting director helped rebuild the Gunners into consistent title challengers but could not resist the chance to secure a more important role across more clubs under Marinakis. Now, it’s those at the City Ground who could benefit.

Already enjoying the fruits of previous successful recruitment, it should now be about sustaining their place among the Premier League’s best for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side.

Given how he plucked Gabriel Martinelli from Ituano in 2018 too, it should come as no surprise to see that Edu’s focus has instantly shifted towards signing a Brazilian sensation in the Midlands.

According to Nosso Palestra, Nottingham Forest now want to hijack Wolves’ move to sign Riquelme Filippi this summer. Reports are indicating that their Midlands rivals are already preparing a £5m bid to sign the Palmeiras winger, but that doesn’t look set to stop Forest’s own pursuit of signing the 18-year-old.

Related Nottingham Forest eyeing signing of "the best player in the Belgian league"

The Tricky Trees have joined the race for a midfielder who has impressed in the Champions League this season.

Posts ByDominic Lund Mar 13, 2025

In a race against their rivals, Edu could quickly become key. The South American market is one that the club chief knows well from his time at Arsenal and during his time as a player for Corinthians at both the start and end of his career.

So, as the summer approaches, it may not be long before Marinakis’ decision proves worthwhile as Fillipi continues to impress in Brazil.

"Entertaining" Filippi is a rising star

Whilst Fillipi is not a player who’d make an instant impact on Espirito Santo’s strongest side, the young forward is undoubtedly one for the future. At youth level this season, the teenager has been a goalscoring machine – finding the back of the net 11 times in just nine games for Palmeiras.

As a result of his excellent form, Fillipi has earned impressive praise from the likes of U23 scout Antonio Mango, who described the forward as “one of many entertaining players at Palmeiras”.

If Nottingham Forest are looking for a permanent place in the Premier League’s top four, then welcoming young stars who could play a part for years to come would certainly be a good start.

Up against Wolves in pursuit of Filippi, the Midlands outfit could even receive the added boost of getting one over on their rivals by securing the winger’s signature this summer.

The allrounder will miss the match against Perth Scorchers on Wednesday

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2023Melbourne Stars have suffered a huge blow to their hopes of bouncing back from a horror start to the BBL with Glenn Maxwell ruled out of their next match against Perth Scorchers due to injury.Maxwell picked up an injury to his forearm when batting against Brisbane Heat on the opening night of the competition where he made 23 off 14 balls as Stars were heavily beaten by 103 runs.Related

• BBL previews: Maxwell could light up Stars as Scorchers aim for hat-trick

• Maxwell: 'Will play the IPL until I can't walk anymore'

• Colin Munro 99* leads Brisbane Heat to massive opening-day win over Melbourne Stars

He had medical attention twice in middle and had his forearm taped, then was seen icing it in the dugout after his dismissal at the Gabba. Maxwell’s absence will put more onus on Marcus Stoinis to lead the batting line-up while it also means Stars miss an important spin-bowling option.Stars face Scorchers on Wednesday at the MCG then have a 10-day gap until their next outing, against Sydney Thunder in Albury on December 23, which the club will hope gives Maxwell time to recover and only miss the one game.”Biggest forearms in the world and he’s pulled a muscle,” team-mate Hilton Cartwright joked after the game and before confirmation that Maxwell would be ruled out.”He’s had a nice break, came back super positive and he’s still super positive [after the loss]. On a night like tonight you’ve got to keep reminding yourself you’re not a bad team.”Stars also appear likely to be without Nathan Coulter-Nile after he picked up a calf strain against Heat. He came out to bat at No. 11 with a runner.”Nathan Coulter-Nile will undergo scans this weekend to determine damage to a calf injury suffered whilst bowling against the Brisbane Heat,” a club statement said.Stars will hope to be able to call on Pakistan quick Haris Rauf after he was not selected against Heat having only just arrived in the country. England fast bowler Olly Stone was one of their three overseas players along with Liam Dawson and Usama Mir.

Not quite. Teams’ performance outside World Cup years doesn’t really align with performance closer to the world events

Sampath Bandarupalli21-Oct-2021Top teams and their record in T20 World Cup cycles
India and Pakistan will start their campaign in the men’s T20 World Cup 2021 as the teams with the most wins since the previous tournament, in 2016. In terms of win-loss ratios, Afghanistan, who turned into a Full-Member nation in mid-2017, are the best while West Indies, the defending champions, are the worst among the eight teams to have directly qualified for the Super-12s, with a ratio of 0.66.Different approaches for different teams in non-World-Cup years
Looking at stats from the last decade for how teams have fared in T20Is immediately preceding, and during, a World Cup, compared to periods when the World Cup is not around the corner, is interesting. Some teams have tended to experiment with their line-ups and rest their top players in T20Is unless a World Cup is imminent, while others have had a more consistent approach. To an extent, that has also depended on how many all-format players a team has in their T20I first XI.West Indies have consistently proved that their record in non-World-Cup years is no indication of how good their team really is. Seldom do they field a full-strength team, with all the T20 heavyweights in the XI. Since crashing out from the 2010 World T20 at home, West Indies have played 118 T20I games, of which only 26 have had all of Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard in the XI; 11 of those 26 games were in 2021, as preparation for what could be those players’ last appearance in a T20 World Cup.Since the end of 2010 World T20, West Indies have had a win-loss ratio of 1.555 in T20Is around T20 World Cups (we have considered matches since January 1 in years in which World Cups were hosted, till the final of the tournament), which drops to 0.589 in the periods not around World Cups. Pakistan and England go the opposite way: their records are much better in non-World-Cup years. Pakistan’s 93 matches in non-World-Cup years is also easily the highest among all teams; no other team has played more than 72 (India).ESPNcricinfo LtdEngland’s strong record between World Cups can be explained by the fact that they field their T20 specialists consistently. Since the 2016 World Cup, England have played 50 T20Is, of which Eoin Morgan, their captain, has featured in 45. Their death-overs specialist Chris Jordan had missed only two games in this period.However, their relatively poor record in World Cup years is also down to the fact that the last three tournaments – in 2012, 2014 and 2016 – have all been held in Asia, in conditions that aren’t the most conducive for England’s players. They have tried to fix that recently by having their T20 stars play in the IPL as much as possible. More than half of the current squad have played in the UAE, which hosted the 2020 IPL and the second half of the 2021 one.Australia, much like West Indies, do without the services of their star players in this format regularly due to players’ preference for other formats and the Australian policy of workload management. However, unlike West Indies, who have several players involved in top leagues around the world, the Australians have much less exposure to top-level T20 cricket in different conditions. Some Australian players do not play even their own league, the BBL.Australia have usually tried a large pool of players, and struggled to find the right combination for the big tournament. That happened before the 2014 and 2016 World Cups, and might in 2021 too: in the last five years, they have played 58 T20I matches, but only five players featured in more than half of them – Aaron Finch (48), Adam Zampa (44), Alex Carey (38), Glenn Maxwell (38) and Ashton Agar (37). Carey failed to make the World Cup squad ahead of Josh Inglis, who hasn’t yet played a T20 international.

The first day of the fourth England vs India Test was a good one for quick bowlers, as 13 wickets went down

Sampath Bandarupalli02-Sep-202131 – Shardul Thakur completed his half-century in only 31 balls, the second-fastest recorded half-century in Test cricket for India. The fastest is by Kapil Dev off 30 deliveries against Pakistan in Karachi in 1982. In terms of strike rate, Thakur’s 36-ball 57 is the second-quickest fifty-plus score in Tests for India, behind Kapil’s 55-ball 89, also against England at Lord’s in 1982.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 – Thakur’s is also the fastest-recorded half-century in Test matches in England. The previous fastest was by Ian Botham, in 32 balls against New Zealand in 1986, also at The Oval. It is also the third-fastest recorded fifty in Tests against England, behind Foffie Williams’ 28-ball fifty in 1948 and Tim Southee’s 29-ball effort in 2008.23.33 – Ajinkya Rahane’s batting average in Test cricket against England. It is the second-poorest average among players to bat in the top six for 20 or more Tests against a single opponent. Alec Bannerman had scored 1108 runs at an average of only 23.08 against England in 50 innings spread across 28 Tests between 1879 and 1893.11 – James Anderson has now sent back Cheteshwar Pujara on 11 occasions in Test cricket – his best against a batter in Tests, joint with Peter Siddle. Nine of those 11 dismissals have come in England, the joint-highest for any bowler at home against a batter in the last 20 years – Stuart Broad had the better of Michael Clarke on nine instances in home Tests, while Ben Stokes has fallen nine times off R Ashwin in India.7 – Ducks for Jasprit Bumrah is Test cricket in 2021, the joint-highest by an Indian in Tests in a calendar year. Bishan Singh Bedi also had seven ducks in 1974, all across ten innings. The only player to bag more ducks in a calendar year is Mervyn Dillion, ten in 2002.13 – Wickets to fall on the first day of the fourth Test, the most on the opening day of a Test match held at The Oval since 1983.

Endrick has pointed to Vinicius Junior's success as a reason to stay at Real Madrid despite pressure from the club and his Brazil coach to go on loan.

• Endrick wants to stay at Madrid and not move on loan
• Cites Vini Jr and Rodrygo as inspiration to stay
• Injured striker pressured to accept a temporary move

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , Endrick has insisted to Madrid that he wants to stay, inspired by the success of Vinicius, Rodrygo, and Arda Guler, who broke through at the club without leaving on loan. His entourage, also pointed to the struggles of Reinier and Luka Jovic during their loan spells and chose to go against the advice of former Madrid and current Brazil coach Carlo Ancelotti, who urged him to seek regular playing time.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Endrick saw limited action last season, clocking just 847 minutes, mostly in the Copa del Rey, as he fell behind Kylian Mbappe in the pecking order. With Gonzalo Garcia impressing at the Club World Cup, Real Madrid have opted to retain the Spanish striker. Playing time will again be scarce for Endrick under new coach Xabi Alonso and while Madrid would prefer to send him out for a season, he is willing to wait it out.

• ENDIRCK'S INJURY SITUATION

  Endrick relapsed on his recovery from the hamstring injury he sustained last season. This latest setback has ensured the 19-year-old will be out of action until the end of September.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR ENDRICK ?

  Endrick will hope for a smooth recovery from his injury so that he can get back into the team as soon as possible.

Alex Carey posted his second Shield century in two games while Nathan McSweeney continues to push his Test credentials with 72 as South Australia build a big lead

AAP22-Oct-2024Test wicketkeeper Alex Carey has fired another warning shot to India with an unbeaten century for South Australia in the Sheffield Shield clash with Queensland.Already in blistering form to start the red-ball summer, Carey was again chief agitator on day three scoring 123 not out from 163 deliveries as SA stormed to a 358-run lead at Allan Border Field. Skipper Nathan McSweeney continued his excellent form making 72 to push his case for a Test call-up.A declaration appears likely overnight, with paceman Jordan Buckingham unbeaten at the crease alongside Carey.As at the close of play, Carey is averaging 122 across four knocks this summer in positive signs for an Australian middle order missing Cameron Green for the five-Test series against India that begins next month.Unfazed by the second new ball, Carey notched his second century of the summer by blasting paceman Mark Steketee for three consecutive boundaries in the final hour of play on Tuesday.The 33-year-old bookended a huge six over deep mid-wicket with a pair of fours past extra cover to race through the nervous nineties and into triple figures. He capped a brilliant day at the crease by slogging his favourite victim Steketee for six over deep mid-wicket in the final over.Earlier, Carey brought up his half-century pulling Tom Whitney’s short ball to the boundary in a rare tough over for the impressive debutant paceman.Carey raised his bat from only 67 deliveries, signalling his intentions to pick up where McSweeney had left off before Usman Khawaja caught the South Australian captain at first slip off Mitchell Swepson.Whitney backed up his five-wicket haul from the first innings with three key scalps early on day three before a minor heel injury prevented him from bowling as Carey kicked on in the afternoon.Whitney trapped opener Conor McInerney lbw early on day three, before cleaning up Nathan McAndrew’s middle stump with his first ball following lunch after the nightwatcher stubbornly stuck around through the first session.Whitney’s figures of 8 for 119 across the two innings were the third-best for a Queensland debutant in Sheffield Shield history.In the spotlight since his omission from the Australia A squad, Test hopeful Matt Renshaw grabbed a headline moment late on day three – but not with the bat.The towering Renshaw dived at midwicket for a brilliant catch to dismiss Jake Lehmann from Marnus Labuschagne’s part-time medium pace.Labuschagne joined would-be Test opener Renshaw on the highlight reel with a catch above his head to send Liam Scott packing and help Queensland tear into the bowlers.

Adi Birrell to take over in 2025 as Hampshire strengthen ties with local Hundred team

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jan-2025

Stephen Fleming has stepped down as Southern Brave’s head coach in the men’s Hundred, citing family reasons. Fleming replaced Mahela Jayawardene in the role ahead of the 2023 season and twice led the Brave to the knockout stages, losing the eliminator in his first year in charge and the final last season.He will be replaced by Adi Birrell, the Hampshire head coach, for the 2025 season, with Hundred franchises growing stronger ties with their host clubs as part of the ongoing privatisation process. Birrell has enjoyed recent success in franchise cricket, leading Sunrisers Eastern Cape to back-to-back SA20 titles.Birrell will become the first county head coach also taking charge of a men’s Hundred team, though several have served as assistant coaches. He will be replaced as Hampshire coach during the Metro Bank Cup, the 50-over competition which runs parallel to the Hundred, but remains in charge for the County Championship and the T20 Blast.Fleming’s resignation avoids a situation in which he would coach a team part-owned by a rival IPL franchise, given his long-running association with Chennai Super Kings. Hampshire were sold to the GMR Group – co-owners of Delhi Capitals – last year and are set to become majority shareholders in the Brave this year.Related

Richard Gould: ECB 'unapologetic' about attracting top talent to Men's Hundred

GMR Group 'keen' on Southern Brave investment after securing Hampshire deal

He has coached Chennai since 2009, and has also taken charge of their affiliated franchises in Major League Cricket (Texas Super Kings) and the SA20 (Joburg Super Kings), where he is currently. Fleming said in a statement that stepping down from his role with the Brave would allow him to spend more time at home.”I absolutely loved my time at Southern Brave, working in the Hundred and working with a great group of people at Utilita Bowl,” Fleming said. “We got close to winning a couple of times so it’s difficult to step down but for family reasons I need to be able to dedicate more time to being at home this season. I wish everyone at Southern Brave the best for 2025.”Giles White, who is director of cricket at the Brave and Hampshire, said: “Stephen created an excellent environment for the players and it has been an enjoyable and successful stint with us… In his place we are delighted to welcome Adi Birrell and look forward to seeing him build on the team’s success in 2025.”White and Birrell have until February 24 to work out the core of their squad for 2025, with each team permitted to retain up to 11 players (including one designated central contract player). These can include one direct overseas signing for 2025, with the ECB hopeful that a new top men’s salary of £200,000 will attract some of the world’s best players to the Hundred.The Brave are the fifth Hundred team to recruit a new coach this winter. Justin Langer has replaced Trevor Bayliss at London Spirit’s men, while Ali Maiden (Birmingham Phoenix), Michael Klinger (Manchester Originals) and Lisa Keightley (Northern Superchargers) have taken over from Ben Sawyer, Stephen Parry and Dani Hazell respectively in the women’s competition.

Manchester United finished 15th in the Premier League last season, with emphasis on the word ‘last’.

Ruben Amorim didn’t mince his words when talking about the need to turn things around and use the 2024/25, and all the baggage that came with it, as a springboard for the future, finally ending these endless years of frustration for one of the game’s biggest superpowers.

Fixing the frontline was always going to be among the chief priorities for the Old Trafford side, and INEOS started on a strong footing there, signing Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers for a £62.5m fee, the Brazil forward rejecting interest from a host of Premier League suitors to join the Red Devils.

Efforts for Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo are ongoing, but the pointers suggest that the right-sided forward will join up with Amorim’s squad in the coming weeks, having expressed a burning desire to make the switch.

This is all well and good, but Man United still need to sign a central striker.

Why Man Utd need a new striker

By all accounts, Amorim wanted to commence pre-season with Marcus Rashford, Antony, Jadon Sancho and Alejandro Garnacho all sold. That hasn’t happened, and they have all informed the hierarchy of their wish to depart.

More concerning, perhaps, is Rasmus Hojlund’s continued presence in the Man United senior squad.

The Danish striker, 22, was well out of sorts last term, and has been heavily linked with a summer exit, Inter Milan showing the most interest in his signature.

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Hojlund is clearly a talented forward, but after such an abject run across the recent campaign, it might be a good idea for him to leave, not least because Sir Jim Ratcliffe openly admitted that the young talent was inherited from the past regime, and that he would “have to sort that out”.

Well, whether Hojlund goes or not, United’s movements in the market thus far suggest that a central frontman is on the agenda.

And they’ve been locked in talks for one of the best that Europe has to offer.

Man Utd open talks for new striker

According to talkSPORT, Manchester United have made a fresh enquiry for Eintracht Frankfurt centre-forward Hugo Ekitike, who is one of the hottest commodities in the market this summer.

Ekitike has been coveted by a host of Premier League sides this summer, with United joined in their interest by Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool.

However, with the Gunners closing in on Gyokeres, Jason Wilcox might feel he has a good shot at securing the talented Frenchman’s signature.

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Frankfurt value their man at €100m (£85m), a figure they are unwilling to budge on and suitors are as yet unwilling to meet.

What Hugo Ekitike would bring to Man United

Ekitike is only 22 years old, but he’s already established himself as “one of the best strikers out there”, as said by analyst Ben Mattinson.

After leaving Paris Saint-Germain for Frankfurt in January 2024, initially on loan, he’s only gone from strength to strength, scoring 22 goals and supplying 12 assists across 48 matches in all competitions last season.

Ekitike’s natural finishing ability is neat and all, but his high-speed movements and all-round presence in the final third have led journalist Graeme Bailey to dub him “the next Mbappe”, with such a skill set surely perfect for the frontline Amorim is trying to build, namely with Mbeumo circling in on the Theatre of Dreams.

Runners – and confident ones at that – were in short supply at Old Trafford last season. Adding Mbeumo and Ekitike would do wonders, building back up a will to win and work which would pour over to the rest of the squad.

He’s certainly performing at a superior level to Hojlund, and could in that sense prove the perfect centre-forward for Mbeumo to combine with and rekindle the United attack.

Goals scored

0.53

0.18

Assists

0.28

0.00

Shots taken

4.00

1.44

Shot-creating actions

3.55

1.53

Touches (att pen)

6.88

3.32

Progressive passes

1.86

0.82

Progressive carries

3.27

1.26

Successful take-ons

1.83

0.40

Ball recoveries

3.06

1.57

Tackles + interceptions

0.81

0.22

Quite comprehensively, Hojlund was outstripped by his French counterpart, like bark from a sun-weathered tree.

Ekitike’s dynamic movements and innate creative flair suggest he could be perfect for a pair of goal-focused wide forwards such as Cunha and Mbeumo.

Of course, Mbeumo isn’t only about goalscoring. The Cameroonian racked up seven assists in the Premier League last season, creating 17 big chances across the campaign and averaging 1.8 key passes per game, as per Sofascore.

He also finished the campaign ranked among the top 9% of Premier League attacking midfielders and wingers for crosses completed per 90 (FBref), so he would be well equipped to turn provider for the rangy striker when required.

The fact that the Red Devils have tweaked their strategy and appear to be intent on signing Prem-proven quality alongside the rising phenoms from overseas like Ekitike bespeaks the new era, incipient but inspired by the struggles of recent years, of ensuring that a corner will be turned.

United were at their nadir last season, and no mistake. However, Amorim is a tactician worth his salt, and he might just piece together a squad capable of competing at the top once more, with the likes of Mbeumo playing with the perfect frontman in Ekitike.

Let’s see how this one pans out over the coming weeks.

Cunha 2.0 for Amorim: Man Utd in talks to sign "unstoppable" £35m star

Manchester United are still planning to make some attacking signings this summer.

2 ByAngus Sinclair Jul 8, 2025