da fezbet： Manchester United are in need of reinforcements and are now believed to be targeting a former Premier League player, with a report dropping an update on the defender's availability.

Manchester United eye January deals

da dobrowin： Following a stop-start campaign under Erik ten Hag, Manchester United fans will feel that additions are necessary this month to bolster a squad that has been hampered by injury and inconsistency over the last few months.

RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner was linked with a move to Old Trafford earlier in the window; however, he is now closing in on a move that will see him join Tottenham Hotspur on loan for the remainder of the season.

Related All confirmed Premier League done deals: January transfer window 2024

With the January transfer window coming towards its conclusion, FFC has all the info for tracking your club’s winter transfer activity.

Posts ByLuke Randall Feb 1, 2024

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has confirmed the Red Devils missed out on the Germany international as they "decided not to proceed also because it’s not clear yet what kind of player they want" in the forward areas.

Former Manchester United man Louis Saha has now offered up a solution to his old side's striking problem and indicated that they should make a move for Al-Ittihad forward Karim Benzema, as he told Diario AS via the same outlet: "Benzema would change United’s attack, and that’s exactly what they need. He would score goals and ensure better team play. For now, it’s just a dream, but Karim is still very professional."

Nonetheless, new reports have now emerged claiming that Dutchman Ten Hag is actually keen to strengthen his backline instead with the arrival of an experienced defender.

Andreas Christensen transfer update

According to reports in Spain, Barcelona defender Andreas Christensen could now be made available for transfer this year due to falling down the pecking order at the Catalan giants under Xavi. This follows earlier reports this weekend that the Red Devils are interested in Christensen to replace Raphael Varane.

The new update claims the return of La Blaugrana youngster Chadi Riad in the summer will pave the way for the Denmark international to move on.

Five similar players to Andreas Christensen (FBRef)

Player

Club

Dayot Upamecano

Bayern Munich

Nacho

Real Madrid

Amir Rrahmani

Napoli

Eric Garcia

Girona

Kim Min-jae

Bayern Munich

Given that he arrived at Barcelona on a free transfer, former Chelsea star Christensen is viewed as a player the La Liga outfit can make a healthy profit on. Newcastle United are also believed to be keen on the 27-year-old; however, it has been made clear that he won't leave his current employers in January.

Labelled "very reliable" by former boss Thomas Tuchel, Christensen has still managed to rack up 20 appearances in all competitions for Barcelona this campaign, contributing with a single assist in the process (Christensen statistics – Transfermarkt).

Proven at Premier League level, the £198k-a-week Christensen could be an ideal signing for Manchester United that would provide stability moving forward at Old Trafford.

Kyle Abbott has signed a new three-year deal with Hampshire, a week after recording the best first-class figures since 1956, and effectively ended any chance of an international comeback.Abbott, 32, signed a Kolpak deal with the club in 2017, and has repeatedly maintained that he has no regrets about the decision to put a premature end to his international career.He has taken 182 County Championship wickets in the past three seasons, and has the most wickets of any seamer in the country this year. He took 39 wickets at 22.71 in his 11 Tests for South Africa, but said that he had “never felt far away from being dropped” throughout his international career.”I’m delighted to have signed a new three-year contract with Hampshire,” said Abbott. “We have a great bunch of players and coaching staff all striving to achieve success for the club and I look forward to contributing to winning trophies in the coming years.”Asked by ESPNcricinfo last week if he had any regrets about giving up international cricket, Abbott said: “No, absolutely not. I haven’t from the day I walked away.”All I want to do is play cricket and enjoy it. Hampshire have brilliant in giving me a home since that day in early 2017. I love playing here, I love the club, my team-mates, and I couldn’t be happier.”There remains uncertainty over whether Kolpak deals will be honoured after the UK leaves the European Union.The ECB sent an email to counties earlier in the year explaining that in the event the UK leaves without a deal before the end of 2019, new applications for Kolpak/EU registrations would become void, although those with existing contracts would be permitted to continue under existing terms until the end of the 2020 season.That said, the Daily Mail has reported that the ECB is considering an increase in the number of overseas players permitted in the County Championship from one to two, and that several contracts contain clauses that would trigger a switch to overseas status after Brexit.Hampshire’s press release made no mention of Abbott’s Kolpak status, nor the possibility that the final two years of his new contract could theoretically be rendered void if no such clause exists.Rilee Rossouw, who signed for Hampshire at the same time as Abbott, will not play red-ball cricket for the club next year. He returned to South Africa after the culmination of the Vitality Blast group stages, and is expected to return to play in the Blast in 2020, though it remains unconfirmed whether he will do so as an overseas or a local player.It is unclear whether Rossouw intends to resurrect his international career – which may prove tricky after the circumstances of his departure – or instead to continue plying his trade on the global T20 circuit.The club’s director of cricket, Giles White, said he couldn’t “speak highly enough” of Abbott.”He has once again shown what a valuable asset he is to the team,” White said. “He continually puts in match winning contributions, he is a great role model for the younger players and he shows a great passion for playing for the club.”For all these reasons we are delighted he will be with us for the long-term.”

MatériaMais Notícias

da mrbet： Na manhã desta quarta-feira, em uma postagem no Instagram, o atacante Ronaldo divulgou a sua seleção da Libertadores. O jogador pentacampeão do mundo e uma lenda do futebol selecionou os onze melhores atletas que disputaram a competição continental que terá sua final disputada no próximo sábado, no Rio de Janeiro. Cinco jogadores de times brasileiros apareceram nesse seleto grupo e um deles é o lateral do Internacional, Uendel.

+ INTER PERTO DO TÍTULO BRASILEIRO; VEJA A CLASSIFICAÇÃO

A escalação do fenômeno, publicada em seu perfil oficial, está escalada da seguinte maneira: Arias (Racing), Montiel (River), Gomez (Palmeiras), Izquierdoz (Boca) e Uendel (Inter); Salvio (Boca), Ramirez (Libertad), Fernandez (River) e Soteldo (Santos); Na frente Luiz Adriano (Palmeiras) e Kaio Jorge (Santos) foram a dupla de ataque.

Com boas atuações na Libertadores, o lateral-esquerdo foi o atleta da posição mais utilizado na campanha colorada. Foram sete partidas disputadas, com três vitórias, dois empates, duas derrotas e uma assistência.

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Liverpool are keen on signing “highly unpredictable” centre-forward Victor Osimhen from Serie A side Napoli this summer in a deal that could be worth £80m.

What’s the word?

According to the Daily Express, Liverpool are among several clubs to be interested in signing the player who is open to a move away from Naples.

Fellow Premier League side Arsenal are also interested in signing him so they may have a fight on their hands for his signature. Osimhen has been in top form this season and Napoli think now is the right time to cash in on that.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-liverpool-news-transfer-rumours-gossip-salah-gnabry-isak-romano” title= “Read the latest Liverpool news!”]

It’s thought a mammoth fee of £80m could be enough to prise him away from Italy.

Their own Haaland?

He’s a player that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will be excited about, and if he can get him ahead of one of his Premier League rivals then it will be an even bigger coup.

The report states that representatives of the player have been allowed to speak to interested clubs and get the ball rolling over a possible deal. While the player is open to moving to England, he wants to be playing Champions League football, and with Liverpool now guaranteed to be playing in Europe’s premier competition next season they have an advantage over the Gunners when it comes to negotiating.

With striker Divock Origi set to leave Merseyside this summer, and with Mohamed Salah still not having signed a new deal, there will be space in Liverpool’s forward line for a new arrival.

Osimhen could be the perfect fit. The Nigerian is currently top scorer for the Italian side this season with 17 goals in 29 appearances, these have been crucial for the clubs fight to secure a Champions League place. They currently sit third in the league table.

When you compare him to other players in his position, in Europe’s top five leagues over the last year, the results are impressive. The 23-year old ranks in the top 5% for non-penalty goals and in the top 3% for goals per shots on target.

With that in mind, it’s hardly a surprise that FB Ref’s similar players model puts him alongside a certain Erling Haaland and it’s clear to see why with just 0.9 separating them when it comes to their shot-creating actions per 90 minutes. There is just one carry in possession of the ball separating the duo too, demonstrating that they were both rather comparable when it comes to their forward play.

This proves that he is deadly with every chance he gets and rarely misses a goal scoring opportunity. He can be a huge asset to Liverpool and they need to secure his services before one of their rivals do.

IN other news: Liverpool must now plot exciting record-breaking bid to sign 19y/o “incredible talent”…

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has admitted that the club are hoping to sign Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsay this summer.

The Lowdown: Aberdeen green-light sale

The Whites are on the verge of relegation with just two games remaining but appear to be making a head start when it comes to potential summer signings.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-43/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/cropped-2022-03-10T184055Z_1834933207_UP1EI3A1FW561_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-LEE-AVA-REPORT-1-scaled-1.jpg” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

One of those could be Ramsay, with reports at the end of April claiming Leeds have been granted permission to talk with the Scot as they plot a ‘multi-million pound’ move.

Aberdeen are ready to cash in on the 18-year-old and have green-lighted a possible move to Elland Road to bring in some much-needed funds.

Liverpool have also been name-checked with an interest in the ‘unbelievable’ (Ryan Taylor, Daily Express journalist) full-back, who has made 33 appearances for The Dons this season.

The Latest: Hay’s post

Hay took to Twitter on Friday morning to share a story on The Athletic regarding Ramsay. He said:

“This got a bit lost yesterday but Calvin Ramsay at Aberdeen is one of the players Leeds United hope to sign in the next window.

“Liverpool want the 18-year-old too and he’s getting close to make-your-mind-up time.”

The Verdict: End of Ayling?

Should Leeds end up back in the Championship next season, you’d expect that they would have to offer Ramsay regular first-team football for him to choose Elland Road over Anfield.

Therefore, Luke Ayling’s future could be in serious doubt ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first full season in charge. He’ll turn 31 in August and will be into the final 12 months of his Leeds deal.

Cody Drameh would also be an option for Marsch following his impressive loan spell at Cardiff City, and it looks unlikely he’ll leave if the Whites find themselves in the second-tier next season, meaning Ayling may have to make way for the next generation in Ramsay and Drameh.

In other news: Leeds and Orta now planning for the Championship as contact made to sign £5k-p/w flop – opinion. 

Luis Enrique has shut the door on any exit for Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in amid interest from across Europe.

Luis Enrique wants Kang-In Lee to stayArsenal, Man Utd & Napoli linked with the KoreanMidfielder admits he’s unsure about his futureFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Lee’s future was under speculation with Arsenal, Manchester United, Napoli and Fenerbahce all showing interest. The South Korean international made 45 appearances for PSG last season, including 26 starts, but was reportedly seeking more game time. Despite this, Enrique has blocked any move, insisting Lee remains part of his plans for the upcoming campaign.

AdvertisementAFPTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The 24-year-old, signed from Mallorca in 2023 for €30 million (£26m/$33m), has become a versatile option for Les Parisiens, operating across midfield and attacking roles. While negotiations for a new deal have stalled, Lee remains a key squad member under Enrique, who values his technical ability and work rate. PSG are focusing on departures but have made it clear that he is not on that list.

WHAT KANG-IN LEE SAID?

“I don’t know what will happen this summer,” Lee admitted when asked about his future. "But as I just said, whether I'm at PSG, another club, or with the national team, I will always try to give the best of myself."

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

With Enrique determined to keep him, Lee looks set to stay in Paris for another season unless a dramatic twist occurs late in the transfer window. Arsenal, United, and Napoli will likely turn their attention elsewhere if PSG hold firm.

Joe Gomez has been a key member of the Liverpool squad ever since signing for the Premier League club in the summer of 2015 from Charlton.

Following his arrival, the 24-year-old has gone on to represent England, as well as winning multiple titles for Liverpool, including a Champions League crown and Premier League title – and he still arguably hasn’t reached his peak years yet.

Gomez has made 139 appearances for the Reds in all competitions, and this is despite suffering major injuries which have ruled him out for significant periods of time – missing practically the whole of the 2015/16 season and undergoing ankle surgery twice.

In his 85 appearances in the Premier League, he has kept 32 clean sheets and has a 73% tackle success rate. Add to this the fact that he hasn’t made an error leading to a goal in these 85 matches and the stats show Liverpool have an extremely solid defender at their disposal.

This even led manager Jurgen Klopp to label him a “sensational footballer” during the side’s title-winning campaign in 2020.

His market value has soared in his seven years as a Liverpool player. The £3.5m signing now has a Transfermarkt value of a whopping £19.8m, showing just how impressive he has been for the team.

In March 2020, as Liverpool stood on the cusp of glory, his value sat at a staggering £37.8m while he was just 22. And, although it has slipped since then – largely due to injuries and Klopp rotating his squad – Gomez is still to enter his peak as a defender.

While Klopp is constantly trying to evolve his side, with his recent recruitment being excellent with attackers such as Luis Diaz and Diego Jota settling in extremely well, he won’t need to sign a centre-back for some time.

The £75k-per-week Gomez is at the perfect team in order to continue developing and you wouldn’t bet on him adding to his 11 England appearances in the near future too.

AND in other news: Klopp could unearth next Konate by unleashing “incredible” £450k-rated gem

The fast bowler has been sidelined since December with a stress fracture of his back

Andrew McGlashan02-Mar-2021

New Zealand are hopeful that fast bowler Lockie Ferguson will be able to make his return from a back injury in the T20I series against Bangladesh at the end of March.Ferguson has been sidelined since the middle of December, when he was diagnosed with a stress fracture shortly after the T20I series against West Indies, in which he claimed a career-best 5 for 21 in Auckland. The plan put in place for Ferguson’s comeback involves a couple of club cricket outings this month before he links up with the New Zealand squad around the ODIs against Bangladesh to further assess his recovery.”At this stage, he will meet up with the team around the time of the one-day series to put finishes touches on things and make sure the intensity is where we want it to be then if all goes well he’ll be available for the Bangladesh T20 series,” New Zealand coach Gary Stead told reporters in Wellington.”You never know how people react to it [the injury], but in Lockie’s advantage he’s strong, he’s fit and he works very hard at that S&C [strength and conditioning] area. Hopefully all those things will have helped him in a quick recovery.”Ferguson is one of six current New Zealand players to have IPL deals – there are seven in all including Adam Milne – while Ish Sodhi will also work with the Rajasthan Royals in an administrative role. The starting date for the tournament is yet to be confirmed, but Stead is preparing to not have all his first-choice names available for the latter matches of the season against Bangladesh.Kane Williamson, Jimmy Neesham, Trent Boult, Mitchell Santner and Kyle Jamieson are the other players heading to India in April. Mark Chapman and Hamish Bennett are part of the 13-man squad against Australia but it appears likely there will be opportunity for others – potentially including the hugely talented Finn Allen – against Bangladesh.Related

ESPNcricinfo Awards 2020 T20I bowling winner: when speed is what you need, get Lockie

Ferguson: 'You play sport to burn calories so you can eat fast food'

Confident New Zealand aim to close out rejigged T20I series

“We are working through the final stages of that,” Stead said. “Don’t think we’ll scrap everyone from it… but think there will be cases where we say to some of those guys going away, don’t bother playing this series.”The IPL could also clash with New Zealand’s resumption of action overseas in England, when they are set to play two Tests ahead of the World Test Championship final.NZC have long taken a pragmatic view of their contracted players appearing in the IPL. Barring the absence of Ferguson, New Zealand have fielded a full-strength side in the T20I series against Australia, which sees them 2-0 up with two play. Earlier in the season, they had to mix and match their squad because of the proximity of the Tests against West Indies and Pakistan to the T20I matches on those tours.Overall this season, New Zealand have won six of their eight T20Is and in the first two matches of this series most of the side have made a telling contribution aside from Jamieson, who has struggled with his lengths, and wicketkeeper Tim Seifert.”It’s comforting that we’ve had some pretty good performances from just about all our players and that’s a little bit unusual,” Stead said. “Often people get on hot streaks, but it’s the quality of your side as well if someone misses out then the next person can step up. We are in a good position as a team.”

Randal Kolo Muani revealed he could not see anything after trying on Kylian Mbappe's face mask as he defended the captain's poor form.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Kolo Muani claimed Mbappe cannot see properly with mask on
• Defended captain's poor form
• Real Madrid star has scored once in Euro 2024

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mbappe has been wearing a protective face mask since suffering a broken nose in France's Euro 2024 opener against Austria. The France superstar has since been struggling to impress throughout the European Championship as he has managed to score just one goal – from a penalty – in four appearances.

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Amid criticism over the former Paris Saint-Germain star's performances at the Euros, French forward Randal Kolo Muani came to his captain's defence. The player claimed that after trying on Mbappe's mask, he understood the difficulty that the attacker was experiencing as he said he could not see anything when wearing the gear.

• WHAT RANDAL KOLO MUANI SAID

  When reporters asked Kolo Muani about his experience of wearing the mask, the striker said, "You really see nothing. Nothing."

  He went on to suggest that despite Mbappe's poor run of form, the team expects the 25-year-old to deliver at the grandest stage as he added, "It’s natural for him. He has this gift of carrying the team, the group. He gives ideas and advice to the players. He was born for this. He was born to pull the group upward.

  "To see him not score, it’s up to us to help him, to push him. The competition is not over. Apart from his little broken nose, he’s OK physically."

• Getty
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR FRANCE?

  The 2018 World Cup winners, who are yet to score a goal from open play in the ongoing competition, will be next seen in action on Tuesday as they take on Spain in the first semi-final of Euro 2024.

Door not closed, says Ashley Giles after announcement, with Alex Hales given similar message after missing out

Andrew Miller20-Sep-2019Liam Plunkett has said that “disappointment is an understatement” after he was surprisingly overlooked in England’s list of centrally contracted white-ball players for 2019-20.Plunkett played a key role in England’s maiden World Cup triumph this summer, including three wickets in their victory in the final against New Zealand at Lord’s, and has claimed a total of 96 ODI wickets at 28.01 in the four years since the last World Cup in 2015, more than any other England white-ball seamer.However, at the age of 34, Plunkett has been considered by the ECB management to be past his prime as they begin to gear their white-ball squads towards next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia and ultimately the defence of their 50-over title in India in 2023, by which stage he will be 38.Explaining the decision at Lord’s on Friday, Ashley Giles, England’s director of men’s cricket, praised Plunkett’s contribution as a “fantastic servant” to the white-ball team, but pointed out that his pace had dipped in recent seasons and that a team with an eye to the future had a duty to prioritise a new generation of bowlers – not least Tom Curran, who was a non-playing member of England’s World Cup squad, and the Lancashire paceman, Saqib Mahmood, who is expected to be named in England’s T20 squad next week, for their five-match tour of New Zealand.”Plunkett has been … one of Eoin [Morgan]’s go-to men,” Giles said. “But moving into a new cycle of four years, before the 50-over World Cup and two T20 World Cups, he probably didn’t fit those future needs for the next 12-24 months, which is tough.”He’s one of the most physical men we have in our line-ups. He’s incredibly fit and strong, but in terms of the numbers, I guess his paces have been down a little bit for some time.”His best came in that role in the World Cup, and the World Cup final. He should be really proud of that achievement, and what they did as a team, but everything moves on for all of us.”Writing in his column after the World Cup win, Plunkett conceded he had “definitely” played in his last 50-over World Cup, but had vowed to “stick around in the game for a little longer”.He took to Twitter on Friday afternoon to express his disappointment at the decision, although he later clarified: “I am really happy for all the boys who got contracted. I am not having a pop at anyone just disappointed I didn’t get one.”Giles added: “We’re not saying that the door’s closed, but just in terms of the core of that team, which is where those contracts are offered, he probably just misses out. It’s difficult to be the person who puts that pen through the name, but that’s cricket.”Liam Plunkett acknowledges the applause of the crowd after finishing with figures of 3/42•Getty ImagesAnother player on whom the door is not closed is Alex Hales, despite being stripped of his white-ball contract in the wake of the positive tests for recreational drug use that led to his sacking from the World Cup squad.Hales has a prominent opportunity to make his case for an England recall on T20 Finals Day at Edgbaston on Saturday, where Nottinghamshire take on the defending champions Worcestershire in the first semi-final.Joe Clarke and Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who were stood down from England Lions duty following inappropriate off-field behaviour, were also given a clean slate as Giles cited the recent example of Ben Stokes to show that players who make career-threatening errors of judgement can earn themselves second chances.”The door isn’t closed on Alex, or certainly those other guys,” he said. “They’ve served whatever time they had to serve. It will come down to performance, and there is always an element of culture and team cohesion.”In the short term at least, Hales might find his path back to the England squad blocked by the captain, Eoin Morgan, who was scathing in his assessment of Hales’ character when explaining the reasoning behind his World Cup axing.”Eoin talked about that element of trust, and has there been enough time to make up for that?” said Giles. “Maybe, maybe not … that’ll come down to Eoin and the selectors, but the door is still open. He’s a fantastic T20 player and, you know, a mistake shouldn’t haunt you for life. As we’ve seen very good other example this year.”After a period of reflection in the wake of the World Cup win, Morgan recently confirmed that he was ready to carry on as England captain, a development that delighted Giles, especially given that the concurrent departure of the coach Trevor Bayliss would have left the white-ball squad rudderless in the interim.”We met about a month after the World Cup final, and he wanted some time to consider his future, which is just the way Morgs operates,” Giles said. “He’s very sensible, very logical. And thankfully, he rang me a couple of weeks after that, and said, I’m absolutely fully committed to going forward. And I’m looking forward to it, refreshed.”That first month was probably a bit of a haze for him anyway,” he added. “But he’s probably dried out a bit and come around, and I’m delighted. He is a fantastic leader of men in that dressing room. And with us losing Trev, it’s important we maintain some consistency and that leadership going forward.”Morgan’s role in moulding the England team post-2015 has been well documented. But Giles believes that, even if he is unable to take the side all the way to the 2023 World Cup (by which stage he will be 36), the groundwork already laid is such that Jos Buttler (or AN Other candidate) would be well placed to take over at shorter notice.”To give Jos that responsibility now, I think, is a lot for him, given he’s playing across all three formats. But is he a future leader? Quite possibly. And given where the white-ball team is, perhaps we can manage that transition better.”But just because we’re world champions, we can’t just keep doing the same stuff. When the new coach comes in, his relationship with the captains is going to be important. And we will need different things in both environments, because the white-ball environment is probably more mature in how they play their cricket than the Test environment. But both are really exciting opportunities.”