Man City plan to submit record £130m offer to sign Ballon d'Or nominee

Manchester City are looking to cement themselves as the team to beat in the Premier League and they could go some way to doing that if they are able to tempt their latest transfer target to the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City react to Champions League league phase draw

In an eventful week, the Champions League league phase draw is now complete and Manchester City now know who they will face for a place in the knockout rounds of the competition.

From the eight sides they will take on, ties against Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are the standouts, though the Citizens have landed a favourable run off games on paper and will feel confident they can progress.

Man City’s Champions League opponents

Real Madrid (A)

Borussia Dortmund (H)

Bayer Leverkusen (H)

Villarreal (A)

Napoli (H)

Bodo/Glimt (A)

Galatasaray (H)

AS Monaco (A)

Fixture dates TBC

Speaking after the draw, Pep Guardiola expressed his delight at being able to welcome former Manchester City heroes Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane back to the Etihad Stadium.

He stated: “I’m really pleased he (Kevin De Bruyne) will come back here and of course, we have to beat the teams Napoli and Galatasaray (with Leroy Sane), nice to welcome him back. I’m sure the people will give a great welcome to them, they deserve it.”

Nevertheless, attention turns to their clash against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend alongside transfer activity, and the Citizens are plotting move to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold from Real Madrid.

Admittedly, that may come down the line in January, though it shows that Guardiola’s ambition is through the roof as his side look to get back to dominating English football. Fermin Lopez could also move to the Etihad from Barcelona, and they are lining up another significant play for one of the world’s finest stars amid growing uncertainty over his future at a global superpower.

Man City lining up record Vinicius Junior bid

According to reports in Spain, Manchester City are lining up a £130 million bid to sign Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, given he has two years on his contract left in the Spanish capital.

The Brazil international is at loggerheads with Los Blancos over an extension and Guardiola is ready to swoop in, given his pace and ability to burn past defenders in one-on-one situations.

Man City could bid for £276k-p/w star who called the Etihad "incredible"

The Blues are lining up a shock move for a player Pep Guardiola has praised in the past…

ByDominic Lund Aug 28, 2025

Similar to their pursuit of Alexander-Arnold, the Citizens may wait until 2026 to move for the winger, who has been nominated for the 2025 Balon D’Or and has previously been labelled “quality” by scout Jacek Kulig.

Starting the campaign with a bang, Vinicius registered a goal and an assist in Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Real Oviedo last weekend, but his situation is growing slightly more uncertain as the weeks go by.

Manchester City are no stranger to a statement signing, and manging to push a deal over the line for someone of such a high pedigree would be guaranteed to make global headlines.

تشكيل الأهلي أمام بيراميدز في الدوري المصري.. أول ظهور للصفقة الجديدة

أعلن الجهاز الفني للنادي الأهلي، بقيادة السويسري مارسيل كولر، تشكيل الفريق الرسمي، لمواجهة بيراميدز، في اللقاء الذي يقام بينهما اليوم الأحد، ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

ويلتقي الأهلي مع بيراميدز، في إطار الجولة العاشرة من عمر مواجهات بطولة الدوري المصري، ذلك على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

ومن المقرر أن تنطلق مباراة الأهلي وبيراميدز، في تمام الساعة 7 مساءً بتوقيت القاهرة.

ويشهد تشكيل الأهلي، تواجد الصفقة الجديدة، مصطفي العش أساسيًا من بداية اللقاء، بعد انضمامه بشكل رسمي في انتقالات يناير الجاري من زد، ويقود هجوم المارد الأحمر، إمام عاشور.

بدلاء الأهلي أمام بيراميدز في الدوري المصري.. جراديشار يجاور أفشة تشكيل الأهلي اليوم أمام بيراميدز في الدوري المصري

حراسة المرمى: محمد الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: محمد هاني، رامي ربيعة، ياسر إبراهيم، كريم الدبيس ومصطفى العش.

خط الوسط: مروان عطية، أكرم توفيق، حسين الشحات، كريم وليد.

خط الهجوم: إمام عاشور.

ويحتل النادي الأهلي، المركز الثاني في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري، برصيد 19 نقطة، بينما بيراميدز يتصدر الترتيب برصيد 20 نقطة.

Sources think £200,000-per-week Chelsea star could follow Pochettino out

A journalist's sources think one £200,000-per-week star now faces an uncertain future at Chelsea, with his spot not "100 per cent safe" as we approach the summer window.

Pochettino exit confirmed as many Chelsea players could follow him

Mauricio Pochettino and Chelsea parted company by mutual consent on Tuesday evening, as reads the official statement, coming after months of speculation regarding the Argentine's future at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea ready to sell mainstay who Mauricio Pochettino loves for under £30m

He was excellent over the latter stages of 23/24.

By
Emilio Galantini

May 21, 2024

It was a whirlwind first season for Pochettino, who endured the wrath of supporters for a long period following a turbulent first half of 2023/2024. However, towards the latter stages, things took a much more positive turn.

Barring their 5-0 defeat at Arsenal, Chelsea hit an excellent run of form midway through February – winning 12 out of their final 20 games in all competitions and losing just three of them. They also tasted victory in five out of their final five Premier League games, a run which saw them qualify for the Europa Conference League and end the campaign on a real high.

Chelsea's most impressive results under Pochettino

Chelsea 5-0 West Ham (Premier League)

Chelsea 6-0 Everton (Premier League)

Chelsea 6-1 Middlesbrough (EFL Cup)

Tottenham 1-4 Chelsea (Premier League)

Chelsea 4-0 Preston North End (FA Cup)

They were only five points off a place in the top four, which few would've predicted for them when they were languishing far behind in midtable over the winter period. However, Chelsea chiefs have now seen fit to part company with Pochettino, and the search begins for a new manager.

Chelsea are believed to have held loose talks with Thomas Tuchel as one option (Florian Plettenberg), while the likes of Thomas Frank and Vincent Kompany are thought to be admired at Stamford Bridge as well (BBC).

Conor Gallagher

Whoever comes in to replace Pochettino will have to contend with potentially losing a few big name players as well, with Conor Gallagher thought to be up for sale at Chelsea despite his starring role over 23/24.

The Englishman is entering the final 12 months of his contract and there has been little progress in the way of an extension. As well as the usual suspects like Gallagher, there is now also a belief that £200,000-per-week defender Ben Chilwell isn't safe from the axe either.

Journalist thinks Chilwell could leave Chelsea

Speaking to GiveMeSport, journalist Dean Jones says people he's spoken to think Chilwell could be sold by Chelsea and faces an uncertain future, coming after his omission from Gareth Southgate's England squad for Euro 2024.

“It’s a big blow for him not to be in the England squad and he will be looked at as a big casualty for not even making the provisional side, especially as Luke Shaw made it," said Jones.

"This will now lead into a longer conversation about his club future because his spot at Chelsea is not 100 per cent safe.

“Personally I think he will stay, I think we will see him bounce back from a frustrating season and the injuries that have held him back. But there are people I speak to who are a little more doubtful about that.”

Celtic now plotting move to sign "strong" £65,000-a-week ace Rodgers loves

Looking to retain their Scottish Premiership crown next season, Celtic are reportedly plotting a move to sign a free agent who Brendan Rodgers loves this summer.

Celtic transfer news

The Bhoys' main focus at the start of the summer may well be keeping hold of their best players, including Matt O'Riley. The impressive midfielder has attracted a lot of interest over the last few months, and rightly so, but Celtic must do everything to either keep hold of the Dane or at least cash in for the right price and reinvest that money wisely.

Celtic'sMattO'Riley

Meanwhile, when it comes to incomings, the likes of Kieran Tierney have been linked with a move in what would be a sensational return. The Scotland international left the Hoops back in 2019, before injuries brought any progress at Arsenal to a crashing halt, and he was sent on loan to Real Sociedad last season. At a career crossroads, Tierney could now reunite with Celtic and Rodgers this summer.

He may not be the only player to reunite with his former club, either. According to Pete O'Rourke of Football Insider, Celtic are now plotting to re-sign Stuart Armstrong this summer following the end of his Southampton contract. A free agent, the midfielder could get the chance to make a sensational return six years after swapping Celtic Park for St Mary's.

Celtic lining up move for £8m ace who could be Carter-Vickers 2.0

The Hoops are reportedly interested in the central defender ahead of the summer transfer window.

ByDan Emery Jun 8, 2024

Earning a reported £65,000 a week, Armstrong may hope that teams like Celtic are in a position to pay his hefty salary next season, given that they'll be avoiding a transfer fee altogether.

What's more, it's certainly one that Rodgers could get behind, having lavished Armstrong with praise during his time at Celtic, saying (via the Daily Mail): "He’s technically very strong and tactically he understands now how to keep the ball. When I first came in, he gave it away too cheaply.

"He wants to progress to be a player, so we reinforced the possession element of his game. He’s also got a good range of pass, can shoot and is good on set-pieces. So he’s really developing very well and, to put on top of that, he’s a really bright boy."

"Strong" Armstrong can pick up where he left off

Celtic could be primed to win a fourth consecutive Scottish Premiership title next season under Rodgers – and with Armstrong and Tierney picking up medals, it would be quite the twist. Simply put, six years on from Armstrong's exit, not much seems to have changed at the top of Scottish football. And now he can pick up where he left off if he completes a return this summer.

Appearances

144

Goals

28

Assists

25

Titles

4

Now 32 years old, it would be fitting for the former Southampton midfielder to end his career at the club he's enjoyed most success, especially if he caps it off with even more titles in the Scottish Premiership. A free agent on the move, a Celtic return makes perfect sense for Armstrong this summer.

الزمالك يوافق على طلب النصر الليبي

وافق مجلس إدارة نادي الزمالك برئاسة حسين لبيب، بشكل رسمي، على طلب نظيره النصر الليبي.

وكان النصر الليبي قد طلب من الزمالك خوض مباراة ودية في مباراة اعتزال خالد حسين نجم منتخب ليبيا وفريق النصر الليبي.

ومن المقرر أن تقام المباراة يوم 15 نوفمبر الجاري بين الزمالك والنصر الليبي.

وتولى أحمد سليمان عضو مجلس إدارة القلعة البيضاء والمشرف على الكرة الاتفاق على كافة تفاصيل المباراة. 

طالع أيضاً.. الزمالك يفوز على اتحاد الشرطة في الدوري المصري لكرة الطائرة

وتسافر بعثة الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي إلى ليبيا يوم الأربعاء المقبل على متن طائرة خاصة تم توفيرها من الجانب الليبي، لخوض المباراة الودية.

Crystal Palace were rinsed by Pardew flop who earned more than Mateta

Crystal Palace are enjoying a spectacular end to the Premier League season under new coach Oliver Glasner.

The Austrian has seen his side beat Newcastle United, West Ham United and, most impressively, Liverpool in the last four games, and since he was appointed in February, the Eagles have lost just three league games, one of which was against Manchester City.

In all, things look to be on the up and up at Selhurst Park, and one of the players benefiting most from the club's change of fortune is French striker Jean-Philippe Mateta, who is more than repaying his manager's faith in him and making the wages paid out to previous strikers at the club look absurd.

Jean-Philippe Mateta's Palace career in numbers

The Eagles first signed Mateta on an initial 18-month loan from Bundesliga outfit Mainz in January 2021 but made the deal permanent for around £9m in February the following year.

While the 6 foot 4 forward hasn't ever been particularly bad for the South Londoners, it would probably be fair to describe much of his time at Selhurst Park as underwhelming. Before this season, he had scored just ten goals and provided a single assist in 67 appearances.

However, this year, the 26-year-old has finally shown the kind of form that piqued Palace's interest in the first place, scoring 14 goals and providing five assists in 36 games, meaning that he's averaging a goal involvement every other game.

Mateta's record for Palace this season

Competition

Premier League

FA Cup

League Cup

Appearances

34

2

2

Goals

11

0

3

Assists

4

0

0

Goal Involvements per Match

0.44

0.00

1.5

All Stats via Transfermarkt

This reliable output has seen him become Glasner's first choice in attack, and he's started every game following the former Eintracht Frankfurt boss' arrival, more than justifying his £50k-per-week wages in the process, which isn't something that can be said about a former Palace striker and flop.

How much Connor Wickham cost Crystal Palace

The former striker in question is 31-year-old Connor Wickham, who joined Alan Pardew's Palace for around £9m in August 2015 following a mixed – if not underwhelming – season for Sunderland in which he scored six goals and provided one assist in 40 appearances.

Despite his mediocre return for the Black Cats, the Englishman was handed a relatively hefty wage packet worth around £60k-per-week, making him the joint third-highest earner at the club for the 2015/16 season, behind only Emmanuel Adebayor and Yohan Cabaye.

The Hereford-born forward's first season in red and blue was a mixed one. His return of six goals and three assists in 24 appearances wasn't too bad, but he would miss 17 games through injury, and unfortunately for all involved, he would continue to be plagued by injury for the rest of his time south of the river.

In all, the former Ipswich Town gem would miss a whopping 143 games across the six years he spent as a Palace player – including the season he spent on loan with Sheffield Wednesday – while scoring 11 goals and providing five assists in 50 appearances.

Therefore, when adding his £9m transfer fee to the £16.8m he earned in wages during the five seasons he spent at Selhurst Park, he cost Crystal Palace £25.8m, or £516k-per-appearance, £2.3m-per-goal, or £5.1m-per-assist.

The finances of Connor Wickham's Crystal Palace Deal

Transfer Fee

£9m

Wages (Total)

£60k (£16.8m)

Total Cost

£25.8m

Appearances

50

Cost per Appearance

£516k

Goals

11

Cost per Goal

£2.3m

Assists

5

Cost per Assist

£5.1m

Goal Involvements

16

Cost per Goal Involvement

£1.6m

All Stats via Transfermarkt & All Wages via Capology

Ultimately, while Wickham was undeniably unlucky when it came to injuries, it would be impossible to describe his time at Palace as anything other than a failure, and by extension, his transfer was a flop.

Why Nottingham Forest will regret missing out on Oliver Glasner

The club made a huge mistake not hiring him…

By
Ethan Lamb

May 1, 2024

Mumbai ride on Dias, Rahane, Shardul efforts to seal Ranji semi-final spot

Strong third-innings batting performances from Rahane and Suryakumar eventually set a stiff target for Haryana on a deteriorating pitch

Shashank Kishore11-Feb-2025

Shardul Thakur and Suryakumar Yadav celebrate the fall of a wicket•PTI

A maiden five-wicket haul from left-arm seamer Royston Dias studded Mumbai’s 153-run win over Haryana at Eden Gardens. Up next in the semi-final will be Vidarbha, in a repeat of last year’s final.Dias fittingly picked up the final wicket when he had Jayant Yadav top-edge a pull to Suryakumar Yadav at mid-on to complete his five-wicket haul. Shardul Thakur, who picked up 6 for 58 in the first innings, was the other contributor. He ended with a match haul of 9 for 84 as Mumbai completed a sensational turnaround from 94 for 6 on the first morning.Related

'I thought I played well in WTC final 2023' – Rahane on getting dropped from Test team

'Genuine allrounder' Tanush Kotian continues to be Mumbai's crisis man

Urvil Patel, bowlers lead Saurashtra's demolition in Sheldon Jackson's farewell game

Mumbai’s turnaround was orchestrated by Tanush Kotian and Shams Mulani, who put together 165 for the eighth wicket as they posted 315 in the first innings. Haryana responded solidly with Ankit Kumar, the captain, hitting 136, but from 218 for 3, Haryana collapsed to be bowled out for 301, thereby conceding a 14-run lead.Mumbai converted a slender lead into a match-winning one courtesy Ajinkya Rahane’s 108. The Mumbai captain put together a 129-run stand with Suryakumar, who ended a lean run of form with a typically robust 70 to set up the innings. Shivam Dube then made 48 to swell the lead further. Haryana were a bowler short for the entire second innings with seamer Ajit Chahal injured.Mumbai were poised for a lead of over 400, but collapsed on the fourth morning, losing 6 for 25 to set Haryana a 354-run target. They weren’t in the chase at any stage, stumbling to 60 for 5 very quickly. Opener Lakshay Dalal top scored with 64 while Sumit Kumar hit 62 as the pair briefly frustrated Mumbai with a 90-run sixth-wicket stand before the floodgates opened.

Kane Richardson on missing IPL: couldn't risk missing birth of my first child

The difficulty of travelling at the moment was a key reason behind the pace bowler’s decision

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Sep-20200:38

Matthew Hayden – RCB too reliant on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers

Kane Richardson hopes he gets another chance to appear in the IPL in the future but said he could not risk missing the birth of his first child following his withdrawal from the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for this year’s tournament.The limitations around global travel amid the Covid-19 pandemic was one of the key factors in Richardson’s decision, knowing that it would be difficult to jump on a plane from the UAE to get home to Australia at short notice. He has been replaced at RCB by Australia team-mate Adam Zampa.He will return home after the limited-overs tour of England and undertake the mandatory two-week quarantine before heading back to South Australia.ALSO READ: Key to Australia’s T20I success: Spin twins, and return of David Warner, Steven Smith“It’s always difficult to withdraw from a competition like the IPL, it’s the pinnacle domestic competition in the world but when I really sat down and thought about it’s definitely the right one with all that’s going on in the world at the moment,” he said.”Just the challenge around getting home on time for something as unpredictable as the birth of a child, I couldn’t risk missing that. It’s disappointing to miss the IPL but hopefully there are opportunities ahead for that and don’t think I’d ever be able to live with missing the birth of my first kid.”We’ve had five months of but hopefully cricket will always be there. The main thing for me is to support my wife, as cricketers we are away for a lot of things but there comes a time when you prioritise your family over anything else and at the moment in the world a lot of people are doing that.”Over the next couple of weeks Richardson’s focus is a return to international cricket for the first time in five months. He has been an integral part of Australia’s T20I side, forming the pace attack alongside Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, as they have climbed to No. 1 in the world and hopes to retain that role.Kane Richardson is his delivery stride•Getty Images

“Coming off five months of doing nothing you don’t really know until you start, but if look back over the last 12 months I’ve feel I’ve done the job so it’s been a really nice period for the T20 team,” he said. “You never feel 100% comfortable behind those guys but hopefully my name is called on Friday night.”Given the enlarged nature of the squad for this tour inside a biosecure bubble, Richardson is one of a host of pace-bowling options available including the uncapped Riley Meredith and Daniel Sams.”Everyone brings a little bit of variety and their individual strengths, think that’s what you want in a bowling attack. I feel like we have all bases covered,” Richardson said.Most of Australia’s batsmen have enjoyed time in the middle over the four intersquad warm-up matches played at the Ageas Bowl and Richardson picked out Marnus Labuschagne’s 50-ball century as the standout performance although he will find it tough to break into the T20 side.”T20 probably hasn’t been his format so to get the opportunity in that last game he showed a few people what he could do and probably some surprise in the field with the shots he was playing, was almost batting like a mini AB de Villiers someone said. That’s a fair endorsement.”

7/10 Celtic star has made himself undroppable before Old Firm clash

da spicy bet: Celtic took another step in the right direction as they attempt to win the Scottish Premiership title for the third season running with a 3-0 win over Hearts on Saturday.

da stake casino: The Hoops hosted the Jam Tarts at Parkhead and secured a comfortable victory in Glasgow, thanks to two first-half goals from Kyogo Furuhashi and a late penalty from Matt O'Riley.

Brendan Rodgers' side are bidding to ensure that they do not end the campaign without a trophy to show for their efforts, having been knocked out of Europe and the League Cup earlier this term, and have a huge match upcoming in the title race against Rangers next weekend.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers watches on.

One player who has played themselves into being undroppable for the Old Firm clash with his performances in recent weeks is forward James Forrest, who put in a fantastic display against Hearts.

James Forrest's performance against Hearts in numbers

The experienced winger was selected to line up on the left side of the attack on Saturday, with Daizen Maeda returning to the bench, and justified his selection with a fine showing.

Forrest, who was handed a match rating of 7/10 by the Daily Record, did not register a goal or an assist for his efforts throughout the afternoon against Steven Naismith's side but did offer quality in and out of possession.

The Scottish whiz had more touches (50) of the ball than Kyogo (20), who scored the first two goals for the Hoops, and this speaks to how frequently he got on the ball in an attempt to make things happen.

James Forrest

Vs Hearts (04/05/24)

Minutes played

84

Sofascore rating

7.6

Key passes

2

Dribbles completed

3/4

Duels won

7/11

Tackles won

3

Pass accuracy

86%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, the right-footed speedster created two chances, was efficient in his dribble attempts, and worked hard for the team defensively to make tackles in order to break up Hearts attacks.

Why James Forrest is now undroppable

The 32-year-old Celtic star has stepped up in recent weeks with a string of superb performances on the flank, which is why he should now be undroppable for Rodgers heading into the clash with Rangers at Parkhead next Saturday.

In his last seven appearances for the Bhoys in all competitions, Forrest has racked up an eye-catching four goals and one assist for the Scottish giants.

Celtic winger James Forrest.

Maeda – the manager's alternative option for the role on the left of the front three – has scored four goals and provided two assists in 23 Premiership starts this season.

This suggests that the Scotsman could, given his recent output in front of goal, offer more than the Japan international in the final third, which is why he deserves to keep his place in the team.

Forrest, who has won 52% of his ground duels in the league, also works hard for the team, as shown by his three tackles won on Saturday, to go along with his attacking actions.

The veteran forward should, therefore, be undroppable after his latest impressive showing on the left wing, given his superior attacking statistics in comparison to Maeda and red-hot form in the final third.

Sri Lanka Cricket vice-president K Mathivanan quits following allegations of impropriety

After resigning, he alleged that ‘the current administration carries out their duties without transparency’

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Jul-2020Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) vice-president K Mathivanan has quit his position with the board, as he and the remainder of the SLC executive committee made accusations of impropriety against each other. Jayantha Dharmadasa, a longtime administrator who failed in his bid to be elected SLC president in February 2019, has been appointed to Mathivanan’s vacated post.An SLC release stated that Mathivanan’s resignation had come “in the wake of the recent unanimous decision of the executive committee to hold an inquiry against Mr. Mathivanan for indulging in unethical practices in his capacity as an office bearer”.Mathivanan, the only office bearer elected from outside the Thilanga Sumathipala-backed faction at the most-recent SLC polls, was understood to have had a deteriorating relationship with several others at the board, over the past year. The ethics inquiry is believed to have been about leaks to media – allegations Mathivanan denies.Following his resignation, Mathivanan himself issued a release alleging that “the current administration carries out their duties without transparency and integrity in such a manner which makes it impossible for me to remain in such a set up”. Mathivanan said that the board had made “unsavoury decisions” despite his objections, and had also failed to provide him with “notice of meetings, with the agenda and board papers”.SLC is set to hold another election next year, at which Mathivanan is again expected to contest. As vice-president, he had been in charge of domestic cricket, which presently stands suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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