Manchester United are now showing an interest in signing a “strong” £38 million defender who has been watched live in action by club scouts, according to a recent report.

Despite the delay in the signing of Bryan Mbeumo, it has been a productive transfer window for the Red Devils so far, as they have added creativity and goals to a team lacking in both. But with still over a month of the window left, United are still looking to be active in the market.

He'd be amazing with Cunha: Man Utd to discuss deal to sign £60m "monster"

Manchester United are reportedly considering a move to sign a star who would be amazing with Matheus Cunha.

ByDan Emery Jul 28, 2025

According to Caught Offside, Man United are now in a race with Tottenham Hotspur to sign Aleksander Mitrovic from Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. The Serbia international joined the Saudi side in August 2023, and to no surprise, he has continued his excellent goal-scoring exploits. The forward scored 28 goals in 28 league games in his first campaign and then followed that up with 19 goals in 23 league games last season.

Mitrovic is the latest striker to be linked with a move to Old Trafford, as they search for a new number nine after the disappointments of Rasmus Hojlund and Joshua Zirkzee, who both struggled to make a big impact in front of goal.

Interest in Mitrovic comes after it was confirmed that United maintains an interest in signing Jean-Philippe Mateta from Crystal Palace. The Red Devils are currently not interested in signing Nicolas Jackson and Ollie Watkins due to their price tags.

Man Utd eyeing Italian defender

Addressing United’s forward line looks to be a top priority for Ruben Amorim, but the Portuguese is also looking at how he can improve his defence. According to Tuttomercatoweb, relayed by Sport Witness, Man United are among the teams interested in signing Pietro Comuzzo from Fiorentina.

The 20-year-old, who played 33 times in Serie A last season, has now caught the eye of not just United, but Sunderland and Nottingham Forest as well. These three sides from England are showing “strong interest”, but as of yet no one has placed an offer for the centre-back.

Comuzzo, who joined Fiorentina at a young age, is under contract at the Italian side until 2029, and it’s been previously reported that Fiorentina value the young centre-back in the region of £38 million, which is no surprise given his Transfermarkt value skyrocketed from €700k (£600k) to €25m (£21.6m) last season.

The Red Devils may hold an advantage in the race to sign Comuzzo, as it’s already been reported that United sent scouts to watch him live in action earlier this season.

Apps

33

Starts

24

Clean sheets

6

Interceptions per game

0.9

Tackles per game

1.3

Dribbled past per game

0.2

Goals

1

Touches per game

47.4

Passes per game (accuracy)

32.5 (86%)

New Fiorentina manager Stefano Pioli spoke around two weeks ago about Comuzzo, and while he didn’t commit to his future, he did label the Italian a “strong” defender: “Comuzzo? He is a strong player; he is here to play for his place and be a starter.”

Former England Lions wicketkeeper-batter has impressed in Championship and Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jun-2022Tom Alsop has joined Sussex on a full-time basis after impressing in the first two months of a season-long loan from Hampshire.Alsop, the wicketkeeper-batter and former England Lions player, has averaged 31.30 in the early stages of the County Championship season, including a hundred against Middlesex, and hit 65 off 30 balls on his T20 debut for the club against Kent last week.Related

• Duffy signs short-term Kent contract to ease injury crisis

• Tattersall, Brook guide Yorkshire to victory as Notts wobble

• Alsop inflicts third straight defeat on defending champions Kent

• Alsop, Orr give Sussex the edge against Middlesex

• Alsop signs for Sussex on season-long loan

“To sign permanently for Sussex is great news,” Alsop said. “I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time with Sussex and I’m glad that I have made a decent start to the season in both formats of the game.”I’d like to thank Hampshire and I’d like to say a massive thank you to the coaching staff at Sussex for believing in me and to everybody else who has made me feel at home so quickly.”Alsop was a product of Hampshire’s pathway system and played 146 games for them across formats, with his innings of 72 in the 2018 Royal London Cup final – which Hampshire won – among his best moments for the club.His form as a young player earned him England Lions call-ups in 2016-17, and Giles White, Hampshire’s director of cricket, said he had made “a significant contribution across all formats”.Sussex said in a statement that Alsop had signed a two-year permanent deal which will become active upon the completion of his loan deal in November.

Arne Slot says he "would have loved" to have brought on Diogo Jota in a heartbreaking admission following Liverpool's dramatic 4-2 win over Bournemouth on Friday.

• Liverpool beat Bournemouth in season opener
• Slot wishes he could have subbed on Jota
• Fans pay emotional tribute to late striker

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Reds found themselves in search of a late winner after their two-goal lead was wiped out by a second-half double from Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo on the opening night of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  In Liverpool's moment of need, Slot turned to Federico Chiesa and the Italy international repaid the faith, putting his side 3-2 ahead before Mohamed Salah added a fourth to seal all three points for the Anfield club. However, Slot admitted after the match that he wished he could have brought on Jota, 28, who tragically died alongside his brother Andre Silva, 25, in a car crash in Spain in July.

• WHAT SLOT SAID

  In an emotional post-match interview, Slot said: "Normally at 2-2 everyone knows which player I look to at that moment in time. I would have loved to bring in Diogo Jota, but I could not for terrible reasons. But tonight the fans and the players did what he did for us many times in the past."

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• TELL ME MORE

  Powerful tributes were paid before, during and after the match to Jota, whose family were in attendance at Anfield. Liverpool supporters in both the Kop and the Sir Kenny Dalglish stands formed mosaics which read 'DJ20' and 'AS30', while talisman Salah was moved to tears as he joined in a rendition of Jota's chant.

Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Vinicius Junior have joined forces in an epic Nike advert that sees the superstar forwards “awaken madness”.

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French & Brazilian aces now at the BernabeuNorwegian striker still with Man City for nowMay one day form fearsome frontline in SpainWHAT HAPPENED?

World Cup winner Mbappe and Brazil international Vinicius – fresh from scoring in another Champions League final and putting himself in Ballon d'Or contention – are now team-mates at Real Madrid following a high-profile free agent move to Santiago Bernabeu from the aforementioned French frontman.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

There has been talk of Haaland joining them in Spain at some stage, as he has exit clauses that can be triggered in his contract at Premier League title holders Manchester City. For now, the trio are having to make do with being united away from the field.

DID YOU KNOW?

They have been joined by Brazil and Barcelona legend Ronaldinho in the latest production from boot manufacturers Nike, which sees them display the grit, determination and dedication required to reach the very top – which could be considered “madness” by some.

Alisha Lehmann admitted she misses Aston Villa's Maz Pacheco and former team-mate Chantelle Boye-Hlorkah in a heartfelt social media exchange.

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• Lehmann close pals with Pacheco & Boye-Hlorkah
• Trio exchange heartfelt Instagram messages
• Villa's Lehmann currently enjoying summer break

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Switzerland international Lehmann has been enjoying her summer break following the conclusion of the Women's Super League season and fixtures for her country. Away from her holidays, the 25-year-old responded to Pacheco's sweet Instagram message and replied with one of her own.

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• WHAT ALISHA LEHMANN SAID

  After Pacheco posted a photo of her, Lehmann, and Boye-Hlorkah in their Villa kits from years gone by, she wrote: "Missing my lil trio. My G's come home soon please."

  Lehmann responded by writing: "Miss you so much," with three love hearts in her Instagram story.

  Instagram

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  While Pacheco may want a reunion with the other two, Boye-Hlorkah has been at the London City Lionesses since 2023 and Lehmann has been linked with a move to Juventus. It remains to be seen if she will stay at Villa for next season.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT?

  Lehmann, who also had spells with West Ham and BSC YB Frauen, is likely to return to sporting action next month when Switzerland take on Turkey and Azerbaijan in their 2025 Euros qualifiers on July 12 and 16 respectively.

Birmingham City have reportedly hijacked a Champions League team’s summer move for a striker who “does everything” in attack.

Davies eyeing another striker for Birmingham

The Blues have enjoyed a productive summer transfer window to date, signings the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi and Demarai Gray, bringing the latter back to the club where he started his career.

Manager Chris Davies has refused to rule out the idea of another centre forward arriving at Birmingham before the 2025/26 Championship season gets underway, though, no doubt wanting as much firepower as possible in his squad.

“No, not necessarily. At the moment we have got four centre-backs which is what we want. If nothing changes then we are where we are but you just don’t know how things are going to develop in the next few weeks.”

Birmingham will go strutting into the Championship looking for back-to-back promotions, following last season’s relentless title-winning League One campaign, and they are now being linked with an attacker who could help take them to greater heights.

Birmingham could sign a bigger talent than Cashin in "dynamite" £10m star

Birmingham City could soon win themselves a bigger talent than Eiran Cashin by landing this dynamite attacker.

1 ByKelan Sarson Jul 25, 2025 Birmingham hijack Celtic's move for striker

According to a report from Gol [via Celts Are Here], Birmingham are looking to hijack Celtic’s move for Girona striker Bojan Miovski this summer, holding talks with him over a switch to England. This has been followed by claims in the Spanish press that Girona are eyeing Leeds striker Mateo Joseph as they expect Miovski to leave.

The 26-year-old is a wanted man ahead of the new season, despite struggling to set the world alight in Spain since moving from Aberdeen last year.

Miovski could be another statement signing on top of Kyogo for Birmingham this summer, with the North Macedonia international scoring eight goals in 33 caps for his country.

It was at Aberdeen that the striker really made a name for himself, which is why he has been linked with Scotland’s biggest club for some time in Celtic, with a tally of 44 strikes in 98 appearances outlining his class. Meanwhile, former Scotland striker Billy Dodds is a big admirer of the attacker.

Miovski has the ability and pedigree to be a big hit in a Birmingham shirt, given his status as a proven international attacker, so it would feel big if they got a deal over the line.

To pip Celtic to his signature would also feel significant, considering they are a Champions League team, showing the giant strides being made by the Midlands outfit.

Celtic legend Chris Sutton has raised concerns regarding the lack of transfer activity at Parkhead as the Hoops prepare to kick off their Scottish Premiership campaign on Sunday.

The Bhoys cruised to their 55th top flight title last season, leading rivals Rangers by a wide margin for practically the entire season, but it’s fair to say their summer hasn’t been quite such smooth sailing.

Star winger Nicolas Kuhn has left Glasgow to join Serie A side Como, along with experienced leadership figure Greg Taylor, who joined Greek side PAOK on a free transfer, although Kieran Tierney’s return should go some way to filling that void.

Benjamin Nygren

£1.7m

Nicolas Kuhn

£16.5m

Shin Yamada

£1.5m

Gustaf Lagerbielke

£2m

Kieran Tierney

Free

Kwon Hyeok-kyu

£200k

Ross Doohan

Free

Greg Taylor

Free

Callum Osmand

Free

Scott Bain

Free

Hayato Inamura

Undisclosed

Luis Palma

Loan

Maik Nawrocki

Loan

Adam Montgomery

Loan

Josh Clarke

Loan

Jeffrey Schlupp

End of loan

While the Hoops’ model has long been to develop and sell players like Kuhn before replacing them with cheaper, younger assets, the fact they are yet to make a marquee signing just days away from the beginning of the season is certainly a concern.

Sutton: Celtic need signings before Champions League qualifiers

Celtic will play the first leg of their Champions League qualifier on August 19-20, coming after league matches against St Mirren and Aberdeen and a cup clash with Falkirk, and Sutton believes Brendan Rodgers will be disappointed with the lack of business.

“If you look at the squad going into the season, it’s still a little bit light,” Sutton said in quotes shared by the Press Association.

“Brendan Rodgers, everything I’ve seen him hint and say, he feels the same. The fact that Brendan talked about ambition, he is always quite calculated in what he says and the words that he uses. I think that’s a little warning shot across the bows to say ‘we need to bring players in’.

Celtic's major signings so far: in pictures

“It’s fair to say the squad aren’t as strong right now as they were at the end of last season, and that’s not ideal. But there’s still plenty of time left in the transfer window.

“If you look back at last season, Celtic won the league in the first half of the campaign. They won 16 of their first 18 games, set off like a house on fire and there was real momentum going into the season from pre-season. It doesn’t quite feel like that at the moment.

“And they didn’t have the burden of the Champions League qualifiers last season and we know how enormous they are for the club.

“Celtic have been in this position before where they are signing players when the Champions League qualifiers have already begun. That’s not ideal.

“You want players in so you can work with them, so they get the idea of the way that the team works. You don’t want them learning on the job when the Champions League has started and then missing out. We know how massive these games are. If you’re slightly off it, then you can get beat.”

He continued: “I’m not saying it’s easy. It’s never easy for Celtic and Rangers in the market they are in. We know what Celtic’s model is in terms of bringing players in.

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“We will find out at the end of next month whether Celtic have done enough. It’s OK for pundits to say ‘the board need to do more’ but at the end of next month if Celtic bring another few players in of quality which is going to lift the squad, all well and good.

“If not, then clearly people are going ask questions about why they are weaker now than they were at the end of last season.”

Lamine Yamal has risked the wrath of Real Madrid supporters once again after the Barcelona forward sent out a defiant message ahead of the first Clasico of the season. Having already received scorn from the Blaugrana’s bitter rivals, the 18-year-old decided to prod them for a second time before Sunday’s mouth-watering fixture at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Getty Images SportIn-form Barcelona and Real lead the way at the top of La Liga

All eyes will be on Madrid this weekend when Barcelona and Real renew hostilities in La Liga. The Spanish giants have set the pace in 2025-26, occupying the top two spots in the table. Xabi Alonso’s Real sit at the summit after winning eight and losing one of their nine league games this term, while Hansi Flick’s Barcelona are second and just two points behind, having won seven from the same number of fixtures. The Catalan side drew 1-1 with Rayo Vallecano on 31 August, before losing 4-1 to Sevilla earlier this month.

AdvertisementYamal stokes fire with tongue-in-cheek remark about Real

While the fixture does not need any extra hype, extra spice has been added following pre-match comments from Yamal. Igniting controversy before a ball has been kicked, the wonderkid – speaking during a broadcast on Kings League – made tongue-in-cheek remarks about Real, which have not gone down well at the Bernabeu.

In comments which went viral on social media, when asked by Ibai Llanos – owner of Kings League side Porcinos FC – whether his team reminded him of Real, Yamal said: “Yes, of course, they steal, they complain…”

Prompting laughter from those on the stream, Llanos, a well-known Real supporter, immediately pushed back by asking: “Real Madrid steals?”

Laughing nervously, Yamal then said: “Well, let’s see, let’s see.”

AFPSpain star goes one step further with new social media post

Not content with his cheeky remarks, Yamal has lit the touch paper once again by taking to social media to send a bold message before El Clasico. In a post on his Instagram stories, the Spain international uploaded a picture which sees him blurred out and a sea of angry Real supporters brought into focus. Yamal was victorious in all four Clasico fixtures last season as Barcelona defeated Real twice in La Liga, while they also got the better of their old foes in the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup.

Wonderkid on song as Barcelona downed Olympiacos in midweek

Yamal and Barcelona head into Sunday’s Clasico in great spirits following their comprehensive 6-1 win over Greek side Olympiacos in the Champions League on Tuesday. The winger recorded one goal and one assist as Flick’s side got back on track in Europe’s elite club competition, having suffered a late 2-1 defeat against defending champions Paris Saint-Germain in their second fixture. Barcelona opened their Champions League campaign with a 2-1 victory over Newcastle on 18 September, with in-form forward Marcus Rashford scoring twice.

With Ibrahima Konate yet to sign a new contract, Liverpool are reportedly prioritising a move to sign the Frenchman’s replacement for Arne Slot in 2026.

Update on Konate's Liverpool contract

If there was ever a time for Liverpool to sort Konate’s contract it is now. The Reds have just lost three games on the bounce under Slot, who faces the toughest task of his Anfield career so far after the international break. And in that run, Konate’s form has been one of several problems.

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The Liverpool legend has delivered his verdict.

ByTom Cunningham Oct 7, 2025

His situation mirrors Trent Alexander-Arnold’s last season, before the right-back decided to join Real Madrid as a free agent. As the Spanish giants arrived, the defender’s form dropped and uncomfortable questions came to the fore. Whether or not the Madrid factor did play a part is hard to truly say, but that won’t stop those same questions from coming the way of Konate.

As things stand, no new contract has been signed, but negotiations are reportedly ongoing. As far as Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes are concerned, they’ll want things wrapped up before January, when Konate can start negotiating a pre-contract agreement with other clubs.

Whilst his deal continues to tick down, Liverpool will no doubt be on the hunt for Konate replacements ahead of 2026. The main name on that front seems to still be Marc Guehi, who came within hours of signing for the club in the summer.

Given that other clubs are now chasing the England international’s signature on a free deal next summer, however, the Reds have reportedly turned towards alternative options.

Liverpool prioritising Diomande deal

According to reports in Spain, Liverpool now see Ousmane Diomande as a key target ahead of 2026 and will target the Sporting Club defender to replace Konate. Represented by the same agency as Virgil van Dijk, the 21-year-old is one of the most promising defenders that European football has to offer. And now, a move to Merseyside could be on the horizon.

Described as a “hybrid” between Arsenal’s Gabriel and William Saliba by analyst Ben Mattinson, Diomande is certainly one to watch. Although he is yet to make his mark on the current Sporting campaign due to injury, his return should see him return to their strongest line-up as they attempt to secure a third-consecutive Liga Portugal title.

Aasif and Jora’s half-centuries set the stage for a decimation of the former T20I world champions

Abhijato Sensarma29-Sep-2025

Aasif Sheikh scored a responsible half-century•Associated Press

As fans clad in red and blue danced in the Sharjah aisles, the result was a foregone conclusion: Zishan Morata was the last man out, caught in the deep by Karan KC, and West Indies had been bundled out for 83. Three days ago, Nepal had never played a T20I series against a Full Member nation. Now, they had sealed it 2-0, with one match to spare.West Indies struggled to move beyond single-digits in the powerplay. Only thanks to a boundary in the sixth over did they reach 16 for 2. By then, Dipendra Singh Airee had scalped the first wicket when he bowled Jewel Andrew (2), while Kushal Bhurtel had taken a stunning catch at cover to send back Keacy Carty (1).Nepal’s vice grip over the scoring rate was the result of their slower balls and full deliveries in the blockhole, with their quicks often marrying the two to great effect. An inexperienced West Indies unit kept mistiming their shots on a pitch where none of their batters, barring Jason Holder’s 15-ball 21, played with any degree of comfort. Eight-three all out represents the former T20 World Champions’ sixth-lowest total. The 90-run defeat is their joint fourth-biggest by runs.Medium pacer Mohammad Aadil Alam – who ended with figures of 4 for 24 – was the next bowler to get on the scorecard, thanks to the biggest point of difference between the two sides: Nepal’s fielding. Nineteen-year-old Gulsan Jha’s diving catch at sweeper cover in the eighth over bettered their previous effort, and sent Kyle Mayers back after a sluggish 6 off 16 balls.The going never got better for West Indies, as they kept losing wickets in the middle overs and found gaps in the field plugged by a Nepal team who threw themselves at the ball. Alam sent back Ackeem Auguste (17) and Amir Jangoo (16) in back-to-back overs. By then, West Indies had slipped to 63 for 5 and the required rate had leaped to above 13.Kushal Bhurtel took three wickets to mop off the West Indies tail•ICC/Getty Images

Bhurtel added to his contributions in the field with a three-for that swept up the tail. Holder – the last nominal hope for West Indies – fell to Lalit Rajbanshi in the 17th over, when Jha took his second screamer of the day. Soon after, Bhurtel came back to toss up a legbreak and fount it caught on the outfield once again. This was a day when West Indies kept finding fielders at the rope instead of clearing them.Earlier in the day, Nepal’s own innings had been one of two distinct halves: in the first ten, they did not hit a single six, but opener Aasif Sheikh had established a burgeoning partnership with Sundeep Jora, and a productive powerplay had taken them to 74 for 3 at the midway point of the innings.In the next ten, the pair raced away and put on what would end up being a 100-run partnership. Jora’s 39-ball 63 eventually ended in the 18th over. He had hit five of the nine sixes Nepal hit in the second half of the innings.Sheikh remained unbeaten on 68 off 47 himself. At the other end, Alam’s 5-ball 11 took Nepal’s total to 173. Alam was playing his first match for Nepal after more than three years, having last appeared for them in August 2022. His cameo would become a footnote to his starring role in the second innings.It would also overshadow the efforts of West Indies’ best bowler on the day – their captain Akeal Hosein – who took 2 for 21 and had reduced Nepal to 14 for 2 in the fourth over. However, any hopes of a rally after their loss in the first T20I were soon left far behind, as his team slipped to 83 all out – the lowest total by a Full Member team against an Associate nation – as well as a 90-run loss – the biggest margin by which an Associate team has defeated a Full Member nation.What makes this result more significant is that Nepal have secured it ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup qualifiers next month, and in the absence of their lead spinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who has sat out both matches of the series. Nepal coach, Stuart Law, said Lamichhane excused himself citing personal reasons.Nepal now know they will be favourites to win the third and final match of the series, to be played on Tuesday, having sealed the most significant series win in their cricket history.