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Manchester United will be adding further signings to their attacking arsenal before the summer transfer window slams shut at the start of September, after they agreed a deal to sign Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers.

Man Utd in talks to sign Premier League attacker

Sky Sports journalist Florian Plettenberg recently claimed that the Red Devils are in talks with Brentford over a deal to sign Bryan Mbeumo to bolster their attack.

The reporter claimed that the club already have a “verbal agreement” in place with the 25-year-old wing wizard, but that they are also facing competition from Tottenham Hotspur.

Spurs recently confirmed the appointment of Thomas Frank, who managed Mbeumo with the Bees, and they are hoping that he can convince the forward to make the switch to North London.

The Cameroon international played in an inside right position for Brentford in the 2024/25 campaign and could compete for one of the two number ten positions in Ruben Amorim’s 3-4-2-1 system alongside Cunha.

Mbeumo delivered 20 goals and seven assists in the Premier League for the Bees, which shows that he has the quality to hit the ground running at Old Trafford, and could provide the team with a boost offensively.

United would not be done there, though, as the Red Devils are also looking to sign a new centre-forward on top of Cunha and possibly Mbeumo.

Man Utd remain keen on Amorim favourite

According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester United have been making calls in recent weeks in an attempt to sign Sporting number nine Viktor Gyokeres.

The reporter claims, however, that it is going to be a difficult deal for the Red Devils to get over the line because the Sweden international’s priority is to secure a transfer to Arsenal.

Romano states that the Gunners are currently assessing their options, as they look to sign a new striker, and adds that RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko is also on their radar.

This means that Gyokeres signing for Arsenal is far from guaranteed, as it remains to be seen what they are going to do in that position, which means that the door is still slightly ajar for United.

In fact, Romano claims that the Red Devils “remain keen” on the former Coventry City centre-forward, despite their belief that a move is unlikely at this stage, due to his preference to sign for the Gunners.

In April, football statistician Spencer Mossman described him as a “lethal” striker who is possibly “the best finisher in the world”, which highlights the kind of quality United could get if they land a deal for the Swedish star.

24/25 season	Gyokeres (Liga Portugal)	Premier League’s best
xG	30.95	25.37 (Mo Salah)
Goals	39	29 (Mo Salah)
xG differential	+8.05	+7.74 (Bryan Mbeumo)
Minutes per goal	72	89 (Jhon Duran)
Goals + assists	46	47 (Mo Salah)
Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Gyokeres certainly has the potential to be the best finisher in the Premier League next season, as he outperformed his xG by more than any player in the English top-flight did.

The Sweden international, who also scored ten more league goals than any other player in England’s top tier, was on fire for Sporting in the 2024/25 campaign and could, therefore, be a fantastic signing for United if they can turn the odds around and beat Arsenal to his signature.

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Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and BlueCo are expected to sell their “best player” of 2025, in what would be quite a surprising move given his form.

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A host of stars are widely tipped to leave the club this summer, so there is plenty of work to do in that regard, as many don’t appear to have a long-term future under Enzo Maresca.

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Kepa Arrizabalaga, Alfie Gilchrist, Renato Veiga, Armando Broja, Raheem Sterling, João Félix, David Datro Fofana, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ben Chilwell and Axel Disasi are all contenders to leave Chelsea, with the loanees seemingly out of Maresca’s plans.

Chelsea will need to find another new home for each of the aforementioned players this summer, with AC Milan already deciding they won’t pursue a permanent deal for Felix, while Arsenal are also set to allow Sterling to return to west London.

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Chelsea will be very keen to find buyers as soon as possible, as they seek to gauge control of their wage bill and stay in line with Financial Fair Play/PSR.

Another key decision awaiting BlueCo is the future of defender Trevoh Chalobah, who has seriously impressed since returning from a loan spell at Crystal Palace.

The Cobham academy graduate was frozen out of Maresca’s pre-season tour and allowed to make a temporary move to Selhurst Park, only for Chelsea to activate a re-call clause in the deal and bring him back amid their centre-back shortage.

Since then, Chalobah has enjoyed a fantastic run in the first-team, starting each of their last six Premier League games. Chelsea have won four out of their last six, drawing the other two, and they’ve conceded just five goals in that time.

It is no coincidence that this run of form has coincided with the 25-year-old’s presence in Maresca’s backline, but it is believed by some that Chalobah could be used in potential Chelsea swap deals for other centre-backs.

Chelsea expected to sell Trevoh Chalobah despite stellar form

Now, The Telegraph’s Matt Law has provided an update on his future, and it appears the Englishman could still part company despite his excellent form.

Speaking on the London is Blue podcast, relayed by The Chelsea Chronicle, Law stated that Chelsea are expected to sell Chalobah this summer, and it is a case of Groundhog Day for Maresca’s “best player” of 2025.

“I suspect that they will try and sell him because I think that’s what the whole bringing him back was about,” said Law.

“I know that they are obviously interested in bringing in one defender. I don’t think it will be two defenders, so I think it will be one defender rather than two unless there are a lot more sales than planned, but I do fear that Trev will be on the up for sale list again. No one can be surprised because it’s the same thing that happens every year.

“I mean, it’s literally, it’s like Groundhog Day with Trev. He becomes the best player of the second half of the season, then they try and sell him.”

Despite earning promotion to the Premier League, Leeds United could be set to lose one of Daniel Farke’s key men amid reports that a European club have now opened talks in pursuit of his signature.

Leeds United's summer plans after promotion

With the Championship season concluded, and the title secured, Leeds have instantly turned their attention towards the summer transfer window ahead of their Premier League return. Those at Elland Road will be desperate to avoid the same mistakes as those promoted before them in recent years, who instantly suffered relegation, and the ambition of the 49ers may well ensure that they do exactly that.

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Chairman Paraag Marathe reiterated the 49ers’ desire to turn Leeds into a top club once again rather than simply just survive in England’s top flight. He told reporters once promotion was sealed: “Two years of getting to this point, but all that hard work and all that difficulty makes this much more rewarding and makes this so special,” said Marathe on the bus.

“This is a journey and this is not the end. We have to keep going. This is what Leeds does. We are going to have some difficulties, but we are going to get where we want to go and we are going to be one of the best clubs in all of Europe.”

While talk is often cheap, reports suggest that the Leeds owners are ready to put their money where their mouths are this summer, with links to the likes of Kostas Tsimikas already emerging.

The Liverpool left-back has reportedly attracted the interest of those at Elland Road fresh from becoming a Premier League champion at Anfield and could be on the move.

As the Reds’ second-choice behind Andy Robertson, the Greek international may yet decide to call it quits in Merseyside in pursuit of a starting place. Following the latest update on Junior Firpo’s Elland Road future too, Leeds would be an ideal destination this summer.

Lazio in talks to sign Firpo from Leeds

According to Corriere dello Sport, as relayed by Sport Witness, Lazio are now in talks to sign Firpo at the end of his current Leeds deal next month. The left-back is in talks over putting pen to paper on a new contract in Yorkshire, but the prospect of his Elland Road exit is now a growing possibility.

AC Milan and Atlético Madrid have also been linked with Firpo, and his agent has offered the left-back to Lazio after meeting sporting director Angelo Mariano Fabiani.

An experienced defender, who earns more than £3m-a-year at the club, Leeds should feel frustrated by Firpo’s likely exit after securing promotion to the Premier League. It goes without saying, however, that it’s one they must get over quickly before finding an instant replacement.

In what looks like his final season at the club, Firpo received high praise from Farke. The Leeds boss told reporters in September: “If I’m honest I haven’t thought about this scenario so far because it was such a difficult summer for other things.

“You know how much I rate Junior [Firpo] and Sam [Byram] and how important they are for us. Junior played a really good game against Burnley, after long travel, improved defensive skill and turning into a leader. Great will to improve further.”

His old IPL franchise told him to “play his natural game”, and he has not looked back since. Mumbai will be hoping for more of the same come the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy final on Sunday

Himanshu Agrawal13-Dec-2024Until IPL 2023, Ajinkya Rahane’s strike rate in the powerplay in T20s was 115.31. In 23 such innings since then, it has jumped up to 156.83. Rahane believes it was the freedom to go out and express himself, allowed to him by his former IPL franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK), which helped unlock his potential in the shortest format.”The message from them was clear: go out there and play your natural game,” Rahane said after smashing 98 off 56 balls against Baroda to put Mumbai in the final of the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy (SMAT). “It was never about, ‘You play an anchor role and others will play around you’. [From] other teams, the message for me was, ‘Play till 15-16 overs and others will play around you’. That’s why I was playing with a strike rate of 120-130. But the last two years have really helped me a lot in the shorter format.”That simple message from CSK seems to have worked its magic beyond IPL 2023 too. Rahane had finished that tournament with a strike rate of 172.48, and at the SMAT this season, he has 432 runs – the most among all batters – at 169.41.Related

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Rahane has had that impact even while mostly playing conventional shots, like effortlessly lofting over the in-field on both sides of the ground, or powerfully pulling the short balls away.Before today’s 98, he had crashed 95 off 54 balls against Andhra in a SMAT record chase of 230 and followed that up with 84 from 45 deliveries against Vidarbha in the quarter-final in another massive chase of 222. He showed his range of shots in the latter innings, which also featured a six to remember, the ball flying over fine leg off medium-pacer Darshan Nalkande as Rahane stayed deep in the crease and played a pick-up shot in Suryakumar-Yadav fashion.After three Player-of-the-Match performances in a row, Rahane says he wants to “keep it simple”. “I’m not too strong, [and] it’s not about power hitting,” he said. “For me, it’s always about timing the ball. But at the same time, having that intent from ball number one. And it’s always about the extension of my defence – all the shots. So I’m just focusing on that.”[I’m] not trying to play too hard or, trying to play a big shot. It’s always about the timing of the ball, and maintaining my shape all the time.”

“[I’m] not trying to play too hard or, trying to play a big shot. It’s always about the timing of the ball, and maintaining my shape all the time”

Against Baroda, chasing 159, Rahane started the second over by dispatching the first three balls he faced for 4, 6, 4, the first of those a non-Rahane-like heave across the line to deep square leg. Perhaps an attempt to put the bowler under pressure straightaway?”I knew how Lukman Meriwala was going to bowl. So I wanted him to change his length,” Rahane said. “So that’s why the intent was to, first ball, go and attack him so that he could change his length. And the next two balls, he actually pitched short. So that’s what I wanted.”Meriwala went short, and Rahane hooked for six and punched for four. And so his “fearless attitude” helped set up Mumbai for another shot at the SMAT title, a title they had won under Rahane in 2022-23. If he can continue this same form, not only Mumbai but IPL’s defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders, who bagged Rahane at his base price of INR 1.5 crore at last month’s auction, will be that much harder to beat.

It is both ironic and galling that they have lagged behind in both the physical and mental aspects of playing T20 cricket

Sambit Bal17-Nov-2022This is the age of breathlessness. No time to pause, reflect, mope, savour, rejoice or repair. You move on. The T20 World Cup already feels distant in the rear-view mirror. No grand homecoming and parade for the champions: like the uber professionals they are, England have gathered their tools and are out to entertain again, and at the time of writing, Jos Buttler, the victorious captain, is out in the middle, trying to raise England from 66 for 4 in the first ODI against Australia. Across the Tasman, India and New Zealand, two other teams that could have been in the final, are about to play another bilateral series.You could say it’s just as well. When life around is a blur, why should sport be any different? You lose one, redemption lies around the bend.Related

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But does it really? Ask the players. Or ask the fans who care. Even in these times of hyper-transience, sporting memories are built around big events, and World Cups matter, though they are more frequent these days. If anything, that makes heartbreaks come around faster, and where is that sort of emotion felt more palpably than in India, where over a billion hearts beat in expectation when a World Cup comes around?It can be argued that the quality of a team should not be judged on World Cup performances alone, and more so when they are of the T20 variety, where luck and a number of imponderables play bigger roles than in the longer formats. But now that a week has passed since they exited the tournament, the truth about India’s campaign is apparent in cold light: they were a flawed team, putting in a series of flawed performances, and they needed a bit of luck to make it to the semi-final.6:14

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The match against Pakistan was sealed with a couple of outrageous strokes and a slice of fortune. And who knows how far Litton Das could have gone had the game against Bangladesh not been interrupted by rain? The top order failed against every bowling attack that had teeth, and all their scores of over 170 came against weaker bowling attacks.The absence of Jasprit Bumrah and Ravindra Jadeja forced a rejig of India’s game plan, and their choice of spinners came down to batting ability, which meant benching the attacking option. Their batting line-up became exclusively right-handers once they settled on Dinesh Karthik as the finisher. It now seems quite likely that a few members of that team might have played their last T20s for India, which points not to a team at its peak but one put together for the tournament and to work around compulsions. It was inevitable, irrespective of the outcome in the tournament, that starting afresh would be imperative.In that sense, this bilateral assignment in New Zealand is more than fulfilling an obligation. It’s an opportunity to break free. That India have been playing an outdated form of the T20 game is self-evident and this observation has been articulated on several occasions. Since their failure to make it to the semi-finals in 2021, the team under Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma has made a conscious effort towards making more attacking starts with their batting.The top order, led by Rohit, has come out swinging more vigorously. We have seen Virat Kohli charge and slog his first few balls and make noticeable attempts to hit spinners over the top. This approach resulted in a dramatic jump in India’s powerplay scoring rate in the period between the two World Cups, during which time they went from being laggards on that table to the top of it. This is the game they were expected to carry to the World Cup.