Former USMNT star Alexi Lalas has tempered expectations after the United States’ impressive 3-0 victory over Italy in the Round of 16 at the 2025 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Lalas acknowledged the achievement but emphasized that American youth teams have reached similar stages before. The U.S. secured their fifth straight trip the quarterfinals.
Crystal Palace have now made an approach to sign an “incredible” defender, who is being targeted as a replacement for Marc Guehi.
Palace working on replacement for Eze and Guehi
It has been a difficult summer for Palace on the transfer front, with talisman Eberechi Eze leaving to join Arsenal, but it appears as though they have already secured a replacement, with Fabrizio Romano dropping some exciting news on Tuesday evening.
That said, Palace may still have some work to do before the deadline, given that Marc Guehi’s future remains up in the air, with the captain still expected to join Liverpool, although Manchester City were also recently named as potential suitors.
There has been talk about Man City’s Manuel Akanji heading to Selhurst Park, but the Eagles have also now made an approach for more of a left-field target.
That is according to a report from Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), which states Crystal Palace have made an approach to sign Juventus defender Lloyd Kelly, who is being targeted as a replacement for Guehi.
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Oliver Glasner’s side have lodged an enquiry over Kelly, alongside Premier League rivals Sunderland, and there is a feeling that a deal could be possible, with the Italian club currently working on a deal to sign Paris Saint-Germain’s Lucas Beraldo as a replacement.
Having failed to adapt to life in Italy since making a £20m move from Newcastle United, the 26-year-old could well be on the move this summer, considering Beraldo joining Juventus is deemed ‘very possible’.
"Incredible" Kelly needs to leave Juventus this summer
It would be fair to say the Bristol-born defender failed to adapt to life in Italy last season, making just 12 Serie A appearances throughout the campaign, but he has proven himself in the Premier League in the past.
Indeed, the former AFC Bournemouth man was particularly impressive during his time with the Cherries, with ex-Bournemouth manager Gary O’Neil once praising him for a solid display in a 1-0 win against Liverpool.
O’Neil said: “I thought Lloyd was incredible. I think he had a 12-week ankle injury followed by a six-week calf injury. Didn’t have much time in between, and then came back today having not trained much, to play left back against one of the best wingers in the world.
“I thought he showed everything, the potential he has to be a top defender.”
If Kelly is to fulfill that potential, however, he needs to receive consistent game time, so a move to Palace could suit all parties, although the Juventus defender clearly isn’t currently on Guehi’s level, given that he is yet to be capped by England.
Bayern Munich extended their winning streak to nine with a 5-1 Champions League win over Pafos on Tuesday. While many have been surprised by the German giants’ form under Vincent Kompany, midfielder and team captain Joshua Kimmich insists it is no accident.
Remember when it felt like very little was happening with Newcastle United in the summer transfer market?
That’s changed. For better or worse, chaos has erupted on Tyneside over the past few weeks, with the £55m signing of Nottingham Forest’s Anthony Elanga the precursor to a flurry of transfer-related activity that has yet to reach an outcome.
Alexander Isak wants to leave the club and sign for Premier League champions Liverpool, who last weekend saw a £110m bid rejected for the Sweden international. However, he has since returned to United’s training facilities, his future uncertain.
Such an offer would have been insulting were it not so blatantly an unsettling tactic, and the gravity of the situation weighs heavily on Eddie Howe, who at least is buddied with Sudarshan Gopaladesikan, United’s new technical director and successor to the contentious Paul Mitchell.
Dealing with the unwanted sale of Isak, arguably the Magpies’ best player, marks a testing start for Gopaladesikan, but he certainly seems to be making the most of a bad situation, pushing full throttle for a fitting replacement.
Newcastle pushing to sign striker
There’s a bleak sense that Isak, 25, will play Premier League football in red for the upcoming season, though his sale to Liverpool, of course, hinges on Newcastle signing a suitable successor at number nine.
And the first-choice target is RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, with a formal offer already lodged. What comes next is unknown; the Slovenian is assessing his options with Manchester United ready to table a bid of their own.
Should Sesko wind up at Old Trafford, it will feel like yet another blow for the Tynesiders, who have faced their share of rejection across the past few months. That said, there’s an alternative forward who might end up being the better pick.
According to Portuguese journalist Eduardo Burgos, Newcastle have revived their interest in Porto striker Samu Aghehowa, and while they have yet to make an offer, Howe’s transfer coterie have been monitoring him across 2025.
The Liga Portugal giants will hold out for €80m (equating to £68m), putting him in the same ballpark as Sesko.
So then, which one to go for?
Why Newcastle should sign Samu Aghehowa
Aghehowa is a 21-year-old centre-forward who left La Liga and joined Porto from Atletico Madrid in a bargain deal worth €15m (about £13m). The Madrid-based side retained a whopping 50% sell-on clause.
Curiously, Chelsea had agreed a £34m deal for the powerful goalscorer, only for the move to collapse and for him to join Porto for a cheaper fee.
He’ll be grateful for that turn of events, no doubt, for the past year has been one of fundamental development for Aghehowa, whose maiden campaign with the Portuguese giants yielded 27 goals and three assists across 45 matches in all competitions.
As per FBref, the 6 foot 3 powerhouse ranked among the top 14% of strikers across Europe last year for goals scored per 90 (0.71), which certainly bodes well for his future success as a goalscorer at the forefront of the global game.
Newcastle might want to consider raising their interest higher still, as Aghehowa could even turn out to be a better signing than Leipzig’s Sesko.
Sesko is unquestionably a talented forward with prowess lying in his athleticism and power. That said, he’s raw, and there’s no telling as to whether his potential will be reached.
A detractor could argue that Samu plies his trade in Portugal, regarded a division of inferior quality to the Bundesliga. Although it’s clear that the Porto talent has an aptitude for scoring goals on any field of green, for he previously did well in La Liga, netting nine times across 35 games in his breakout term, and bagged six times across last year’s Europa League campaign too.
Samu Aghehowa
Porto / Liga Portugal
30
19
Bradley Barcola
PSG / Ligue 1
34
14
Luca Stassin
St. Etienne / Ligue 1
33
14
Aleksey Batrakov
Loko Moscow / Russian PL
29
14
Emanuel Emegha
Strasbourg / Ligue 1
27
14
Benjamin Sesko
RB Leipzig / Bundesliga
33
13
Aghehowa’s league goals alone placed him above all within or beneath his age bracket across Europe’s major leagues, and that includes Sesko, who has since turned 22.
And it’s not as if the former Chelsea target hasn’t made his mark against those competing on English shores. After all, he bagged a brace against Man United on the continental stage last year, winning five aerial duels and covering much ground besides.
Given that Newcastle need a striker who will promise goals with consistency, it might be worth switching focus to Aghehowa, who is shaping into quite the formidable focal frontman, sinewy and tall and clinical in the danger area.
Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has remarked in the past that the Spaniard is a “monster in the making”, and with similar strengths in physicality and ball-striking, who could truly argue that Sesko has the higher potential, given that he’s yet to truly announce himself as a prolific marksman?
With 27 goals and seven assists across 64 Bundesliga outings, Sesko has a lot to prove, but he’s a big talent, for sure, and Howe has the tactical nous and interpersonal skills to will him toward elite status.
Just imagine what the acclaimed manager could do with Aghehowa leading his Magpies line.
Another Elanga: Newcastle to reignite interest in "exceptional" £50m titan
The experienced international could boost morale at Newcastle.
ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 5, 2025
da apostaganha： Newcastle United supporters are waiting to see who could replace Alexander Isak at St James’ Park. Still, Eddie Howe is also interested in filling the void left by Callum Wilson’s departure and may now be making progress on that front.
Newcastle United consult several striking options amid Isak uncertainty
da bet esporte： Alexander Isak continues to push for a move to Liverpool, leaving Howe searching for a replacement figure to replicate his excellent goalscoring exploits should the Sweden international depart the North East this summer.
Joining the striker merry-go-round, Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson is wanted by Newcastle after news that the Magpies have missed out on RB Leipzig star Benjamin Sesko to Manchester United despite their best efforts.
His peculiar red card offence at St James’ Park would signal a suspension period upon joining. Still, AC Milan could offer the Senegal international another high-profile alternative destination to Stamford Bridge.
Per David Ornstein, the Magpies could move for Porto’s Samu Aghehowa and he is high up on the list of potential candidates to take on their striking vacancy.
Brentford’s Yoann Wissa is another prolific forward being targeted by Newcastle, and reports suggest £35 million could be enough to seal a deal, albeit the Bees may opt to play hardball before offloading their star man to a Premier League rival.
Surprisingly, the DR Congo international could be paired with Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, who may be less at the forefront in the West Midlands following Evann Guessand’s transfer to Unai Emery’s men.
Newcastle open talks to sign "fantastic" midfielder who's keen on SJP move
Eddie Howe has already approved…
3 ByTom Cunningham Aug 7, 2025
There are plenty of spinning plates in the window and stories constantly breaking as the days draw closer to the end of market activity, offering encouragement to the Magpies that plenty of time is still there to recruit key targets.
While Isak’s future is at the forefront of everyone’s mind, Howe may be about to take a step closer in the hunt for a Wilson replacement.
Newcastle eyeing surprise move for Michail Antonio
According to Dave OCKOP, Newcastle are plotting a move to sign striker Michail Antonio after he left West Ham United upon the expiration of his contract, making it a one-in-one-out on the free agent transfers.
The Jamaica international was involved in a car crash late last year and has since fully recovered from the incident. However, the Hammers weren’t able to tie him down despite the offer of a new deal at the London Stadium, creating a scenario where he could head to the North East.
Labelled “brilliant” by Jake Humphrey, Antonio registered 83 goals and 42 assists in 323 appearances for West Ham across all competitions, with 68 of his strikes coming in the Premier League.
Now set for a new challenge, the 35-year-old could be a financially advantageous short-term option to bolster Newcastle’s forward line, though it may be counterproductive to bring in someone at the twilight stage of their career at the expense of William Osula.
da cassino online： After a prolonged negotiation with Brentford to sign Bryan Mbeumo, Manchester United now seem to be upping the speed at which they are completing transfers as the close of the window looms near.
da betsul： United’s last pre-season game of the year against Fiorentina was used to show off new striker Benjamin Sesko, who has signed from RB Leipzig for £74 million. United and Newcastle both were pursuing the Slovenian striker, but Ruben Amorim’s side came out on top despite offering lower wages.
United’s next transfer target appears to be a defensive midfielder, and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba is the club’s preferred choice. Most of United’s business this summer, with the exception of Sesko, has focused on Premier League-proven players as they are seen as less of a risk, and Baleba meets that requirement with 61 Premier League appearances under his belt.
Romano delivers weekend Baleba Update
On his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano revealed that United had been holding talks with Baleba’s party over the weekend. It would appear that United are being persistent in their pursuit of this deal and have been speaking “again and again”, as recently as Saturday, with the star’s camp.
At this stage, the talks mainly surround the player’s conditions for joining the club, including the contract and the salary. At the start of last season, Baleba was earning £12,500 a week at Brighton, so he could be receiving a major bump in pay should this move go through.
It currently looks like a major sticking point in the deal would be the club negotiations. Romano added that United are aware of Brighton’s stance and they know “It’s still not something advanced or concrete or easy, they know that the Brighton wall remains very high”.
Despite Brighton’s resistance, United still have hope, and Romano summarised the current situation by saying “as the player is not closing the door… Manchester United feel that they want to try”.
Brighton have become known as a club that identifies talent, develops them and sells them on for a profit. Some of their best work with this strategy can be seen in their defensive midfield department.
Brighton’s Recent DM Business
Bissouma
Caicedo
Baleba
Signed From
LOSC Lille
Independiente
LOSC Lille
Sold To
Tottenham
Chelsea
Manchester United?
Age Signed
21
19
19
Age Sold
25
21
21?
Price Signed
£15 Million
£4.5 Million
£23 Million
Price Sold
£25 Million
£100 Million
£115 Million?
(* For Reported Future Deals) (All Fees Are Base Excl. Add-Ons/Sell-Ons)
Data From The Athletic and TransferMarkt
The above table shows Brighton’s success in this market since 2018, when they signed Yves Bissouma. If Brighton receives the fee they want for Baleba, they’ll have made approximately £197 million in profit in seven years from defensive midfielders alone (excluding sell-on clauses and add-ons).
Although Brighton always command a high fee, both Bissouma and Moises Caicedo have been good transfers for their new clubs. Bissomua played the entirety of last season’s Europa League final, which saw Tottenham win their first major trophy since 2008, and Caicedo has won both the Europa Conference League and Club World Cup with Chelsea.
While United may struggle to sign Baleba this window without some major player sales or a shrewdly constructed deal, he may be worth going all out for next summer. The midfield seems like one of the last pieces of the team Amorim needs to fill, and with Brighton’s track record of development in this position, Baleba may be the missing piece.
The former New Zealand captain sees the current WTC structure as “not ideal”
Matt Roller31-Mar-20253:42
Williamson: Current WTC structure ‘not ideal’
Kane Williamson has backed calls to introduce designated windows for international cricket, which he believes could help to turn the World Test Championship (WTC) into a “more level competition”.The ICC’s cricket committee will consider proposals to tweak the WTC’s format when it meets in Zimbabwe later this month ahead of the start of the 2025-27 cycle. ECB chair Richard Thompson is among those calling for “a fairer, better competition” after criticism around uneven schedules and a points system that Ben Stokes has described as “utterly confusing”.Williamson, who captained New Zealand to the inaugural WTC title in 2021, described the current structure – which sees Australia, England and India play far more fixtures in a cycle than anyone else – as “not ideal”. He also backed the concept of four protected 21-day international windows per year, an idea proposed by the World Cricketers’ Association (WCA) last week.Related
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“It comes back to scheduling,” Williamson told ESPNcricinfo. “I love Test cricket and I’d love to see it stay and I’d love to see it be a pathway for young cricketers still, alongside the T20 format… If you can prioritise windows where teams are playing each other consistently and somewhat evenly, then I think it just makes it [the WTC] a slightly more level competition.”The context now in Test cricket has certainly increased the effort and results. We don’t see draws any more, basically, in Test cricket, so every team’s pushing for a result when there’s something on it. For us as a country, winning the inaugural Test Championship final, it was really special and a great moment in our history.6:00
Williamson on how T20 leagues have changed cricket
“You put a tournament in front of somebody or a team, and they’re always quite keen to win it… Context is something that’s been spoken about for a while now, and it is great to see that there’s an effort to do that. It’s just how you keep tinkering it because there’s so many different opinions with teams, who they play and how you sort of continue to make it level.”South Africa reached June’s WTC final against Australia at Lord’s after playing only 12 Tests in the 2023-25 cycle, the joint-fewest of any team, and their route to the final has prompted some criticism over the WTC’s unequal schedule.”[Teams] get the cards that they are dealt and they try to make use of what’s in front of them, and take those opportunities,” Williamson said.”Naturally, the fact that it’s different for each team is not ideal. Any time you get the opportunity to review after a two-year Test Championship window, to try and tweak it a little bit, that’s fine. It’s still in its infancy, really, as a competition, so you’re always going to look at those things… It’s tricky though: there’s 12 months in a year, right? That’s difficult.”Williamson believes that 50-over cricket has already “given way” as a format. “I still think the ODI World Cup is at the top of the list in terms of an international event to win. When I first started, you’d have a tour for six weeks… Now, you tend to go from one thing to the next, and so it [50-over cricket] may well be the thing that gives way.”He also believes that the rapid and continued growth of franchise cricket poses significant challenges for national boards outside of the ‘big three’ of Australia, England and India, with financial incentives often drawing young players away from Test cricket.”We’re a small country and a smallish economy, certainly relative to some of the big, big nations,” Williamson said.”You mentioned the big three, and the focus on the five Test-match series that they have, and I’m a fan of watching those too. But [the question is] where that leaves everybody else, not just in terms of how they fit in their international cricket, but how we end up playing each other, or how you can still get that even competition across the board. And not just that, but [how you] still create that pathway for young players to see their heroes perhaps playing for their country.Despite giving up a central contract, Kane Williamson is eager to play for New Zealand•Getty Images
“There’s so much cricket happening in the world, and so many different opportunities for players… The interesting part is what messages that sends to your young players, and what they aspire to be now. You can only say that’s gone from […] a pure Test focus, where that was the start of my career as a youngster, to maybe looking at playing in the IPL, or playing in some of these other big leagues, and country vs franchises and all that sort of discussion.”Williamson has played more than 350 times for New Zealand across a 15-year international career but his priorities are slowly shifting aged 34. He is still active across international formats but turned down a central contract for the 2024/25 season in order to play in the SA20, and is due to feature in the PSL, the T20 Blast and the Hundred later this year.”At the moment, there’s no clear windows that meet everybody’s needs, and that’s the tough part,” Williamson said of the global calendar. “If you do have clear windows, and you do allow that full focus… then you can just take your attention there. What we’re seeing a lot is players having to make decisions [themselves] and that takes away a little bit from one part, whether it’s the international or the franchise space.”Things are moving quickly… It’s quite interesting, but I still absolutely love playing for New Zealand and I’m looking forward to doing that again in the future. But it is nice: there are some other options you can have, and with a young family as well, it’s nice that they can have me around a little bit.”
Fenerbahce are interested in Edson Alvarez and have reportedly negotiated purchase terms with West Ham after Ajax pulled out of the deal.
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استطاع فريق الهلال السعودي، تسجيل الهدف الخامس بشباك نظيره العين الإماراتي، التي تجمع بينهما الآن ببطولة دوري أبطال آسيا.
ويلتقي الهلال مع العين، في إطار مواجهات الجولة الثالثة من عمر مباريات مرحلة الدوري لبطولة دوري أبطال آسيا.
وأحرز سالم الدوسري الهدف الخامس لفريقه الهلال في الدقيقة 75، من تصويبة صاروخية من خارج منطقة الجزاء سكنت الشباك.
طالع أيضاً.. فيديو | 3 أهداف خلال 4 دقائق في مباراة الهلال والعين بـ دوري أبطال آسيا
تقدم رينان لودي للهلال بالهدف الأول في الدقيقة 26، ثم أدرك العين التعادل في الدقيقة 39، ثم سجل سيرجي سافيتش هدف الهلال الثاني في الدقيقة 45+2.
وأحرز سالم الدوسري الهدف الثالث للهلال في الدقيقة 45+5، وعاد فريق العين ليسجل من جديد وقلص الفارق وأحرز الهدف الثاني في الدقيقة 63 عن طريق ماتيو سانابريا.
وفي الدقيقة 65 سجل سالم الدوسري الهدف الرابع للهلال، وأحرز سفيان رحيمي هدف العين الثالث، وبعد مرور 10 دقائق أضاف سالم الدوسري الهدف الخامس. هدف الهلال الخامس أمام العين في دوري أبطال آسيا
Will Young has been handed his Test debut against West Indies in Hamilton after BJ Watling was ruled out with a hamstring injury.Tom Blundell will take the wicketkeeping gloves and move down the order with Young partnering Tom Latham at the top.
New Zealand vs West Indies is available in the USA on ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the series
Young, 28, has been close to a Test debut before and was set to play against Bangladesh in 2019 before the final Test in Christchurch was cancelled following the terror attack in the city.He averages 43.76 in his first-class career with ten centuries, the most recent of which came against West Indies for New Zealand A last week”It’s an exciting opportunity for him at the top of the order and I know he’s just looking forward to getting involved after some near opportunities that didn’t eventuate,” captain Kane Williamson said. “He’s been around the environment for some time without getting his first opportunity so I think that’s also a real positive. Often you come into teams and it’s new, you are trying to get a feel for the group but he’s got that feel, he’s an experienced player, has played a lot of first-class cricket and to a very high standard and he deserves that opportunity.”He’s pretty calm and relaxed and knows that he just wants to go out and contribute as much as he can to the team so that attitude is a great thing to have.”Watling picked up the injury during his last outing in the Ford Trophy and following assessment in Hamilton it was decided there was too much risking including him for a Test.”He has seen it all before,” Williamson said. “He knows his body better than anybody. Obviously, he has got a sore hamstring at the moment, but he’s very confident that he can get back to full fitness quite soon. He himself is aware of the challenges you put your body through over a five-day period, and so it’s very difficult to go into a match at a sort of half-fitness.”He cares about the team more than anybody, so he sees it from that perspective. Through discussion with the management, they found that was the best option. He’s a leader in the group, and he showed that through the conversations we had yesterday.”A decision over the rest of the final XI is yet to be made with one of the key debates whether New Zealand go in with a frontline spin option in Mitchell Santner, who was called up in place of the injured Ajaz Patel, or opt for an all-pace attack.”It’s a little bit tricky,” Williamson said of the make-up of the likely XI. “Naturally that is always a bit of a challenge playing in New Zealand, and looking at the roles that you might believe have larger factors. It’s unique to here more than in other places in the world.”