Category Uncategorized

Manchester United have identified a lesser-known new target in their quest to find an upgrade on goalkeeper Andre Onana, according to a recent report.

Man Utd identify alternative options in the market

The transfer window is now officially back open and will remain open until the beginning of September, which means United can now look to add more arrivals after Matheus Cunha before the club returns for pre-season training.

Related Man Utd talks progressing to sign "one of the best strikers out there"

Manchester United are reportedly accelerating a deal to sign a new centre-forward.

Posts ByDan Emery Jun 15, 2025

The Red Devils are continuing to try and find an agreement with Brentford to sign Bryan Mbeumo this summer. United have already seen one bid turned down, and while a new offer has yet to go in, Sky Sports’ Florian Plettenberg has reported that United do now have a “verbal agreement” in place with Brentford over a deal for Mbeumo.

But his arrival will not stop the Red Devils from looking to sign a new striker; Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres is one player the club has looked at, but he is said to be prioritising a move to Arsenal.

Therefore, United have started to look at other options, and one striker they are taking a serious look at is Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Foot Mercato have reported that United are interested in a deal for the forward and are now accelerating their move, as talks are progressing well. Plettenberg also states that United are the only team to make contact with Frankfurt, as both Liverpool and Chelsea are also keeping an eye on the player’s situation, so it may be a summer of seeking multiple options for their priority positions.

Man Utd keen on signing new £34m ace as Onana replacement

As the Red Devils continue to look at ways of improving their forward line, club chiefs are also in the market for a new goalkeeper, and according to Italian outlet Corriere della Sera, relayed by Sport Witness, Man United are interested in signing Atalanta shot-stopper Marco Carnesecchi.

The report states that the 24-year-old is “coveted” by United, as they believe he would be a good replacement for Onana. It goes on to add that Atalanta value their goalkeeper at €40 million, which is roughly £34 million, but given he is under contract until 2028 negotiations could be difficult, with the report noting how much United were forced to pay for Rasmus Hojlund.

Carnesecchi joined Atalanta’s academy back in 2017 and was promoted to the first team two years later. However, he’s had to remain patient when it comes to game time, as he only got a regular shot in goal during the 2023/24 season, playing 27 games in Serie A. He kept his place in goal last term and played 34 times in the league, keeping 13 clean sheets in the process. The Italian also played nine times in the Champions League, during which he kept an impressive five clean sheets.

Marco Carnesecchi’s Atalanta stats

Apps

76

Goals conceded

79

Clean sheets

28

His arrival at Old Trafford depends heavily on what happens to Onana, who has been linked with a move away from the club. It was reported over a month ago that he was in talks about a move to Saudi Arabia, but as of yet a move has yet to materialise. The 29-year-old has been in Burkina Faso over the past week and was asked about his future under Ruben Amorim, to which Onana responded he doesn’t know.

Onana said of his United future: “Will I leave? I don’t know, we’ll see!”

Tottenham Hotspur and chairman Daniel Levy are making transfer plans ahead of the looming summer window, with a report now suggesting Spurs have their eyes on a West Ham United star.

Tottenham's rumoured transfer plans amid Postecoglou uncertainty

The Telegraph’s Matt Law has already reported that the Lilywhites are facing a potentially difficult ‘sell to buy’ style window, so the club are carefully planning their targets amid the very uncertain future of manager Ange Postecoglou.

24-year-old confirms decision to leave Tottenham after talks with Spurs

They’ve reached an agreement to mutually part ways.

2 ByEmilio Galantini Apr 29, 2025

While Postecoglou faces the looming threat of being sacked by Spurs, regardless of their Europa League campaign (The Telegraph), the Lilywhites are running out of time to prepare for the special limited-edition first summer window of 2025, which will open from June 1st to June 10th.

West Ham (away)

May 3rd

Crystal Palace (home)

May 10th

Aston Villa (away)

May 18th

Brighton (home)

May 25th

This gives clubs like Man City and Chelsea an opportunity to sign players before the Club World Cup, but it could also hand Spurs an early opportunity to strengthen the squad, even if it famously isn’t Levy’s style to get deals done early.

Tottenham reportedly want to strengthen their squad across the board, and are one of the many Premier League sides eyeing a move for Bournemouth starlet Dean Huijsen, who is set to be in high demand thanks to his £50 million release clause (Sky Sports).

Spurs are also targeting Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Hugo Larsson, who would apparently be open to joining them (GiveMeSport), but Postecoglou’s side are also keen to bolster their attacking options.

Richarlison could well depart Spurs this summer, and the same can be said of Bryan Gil and Manor Solomon, who don’t appear to have long-term futures at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after spending 2024/2025 out on loan elsewhere.

A permanent deal for Mathys Tel could still be on the cards, with there being confidence both Bayern and the north Londoners can come to an amicable agreement, but the Frenchman may not be their only forward signing.

Tottenham could now bid £51 million for West Ham forward Jarrod Bowen

According to a report from CaughtOffside, West Ham star Jarrod Bowen is of interest to Tottenham.

The England international has bagged nine goals and seven assists in the league this season, standing out for the Irons amid a disappointing campaign, and this has attracted admiring glances from across London.

It is now believed Tottenham could even bid £51 million to sign Bowen from West Ham, but according to other reports, this may not be anywhere near enough. Graham Potter’s side consider Bowen “untouchable”, as per Daily Express reporter Ryan Taylor, and West Ham valued their star man at around £100 million just last summer.

Signing him for half that price just one year later is a tall order for Levy, especially considering their fierce rivalry on the field. Called one of the Premier League’s most “underrated” stars of recent years, West Ham are fully aware of his value, and it would surely take a record-breaking bid from Spurs to even get them thinking.

Everton are enjoying a relatively stress-free Premier League run-in, but they do now have an injury issue to contend with heading into their final matches of the season.

Everton set for big changes as new era dawns

Goodison Park will soon be given an emotional farewell as David Moyes prepares to lead the club into a new era at Bramley Moore Dock, which he will hope coincides with some exciting incomings once the window opens.

Internally, the Scot has several decisions to make on loanees and out-of-contract stars. Loanees Jesper Lindstrom, Jack Harrison, Armando Broja and Orel Mangala don’t know where they will play their football next season, while Carlos Alcaraz is set to sign permanently from Flamengo.

Casting an eye towards the market, Everton have joined the pursuit of Benfica striker Vangelis Pavlidis alongside several other clubs such as Newcastle United and Nottingham Forest.

Furthermore, the Blues are also in pursuit of Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap. However, Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion will provide stiff competition for the England Under-21 international.

Strengthening across the front four appears to be a priority for Moyes, given he has had numerous injury problems in the forward areas alongside Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s contract status.

Their answer to Salah: Everton want to sign "generational" Liverpool talent

Everton are targeting a summer move for a player who could upset a few should he join the Toffees.

ByEthan Lamb Apr 10, 2025

Coping with absences while managing a squad you have had little time to alter is a difficult task, so it is only fair that Moyes takes major credit for Everton’s stable footing in the Premier League standings.

Nevertheless, he has another fire to fight heading into upcoming fixtures following confirmation that one of his stars will now be sidelined.

Everton star set for spell on the sidelines after surgery

Speaking ahead of Everton’s trip to take on Nottingham Forest, Moyes confirmed that loanee Lindstrom has undergone a hernia operation and he will now be out for ‘most of the season’ as a result.

He stated: “Jesper has had a hernia operation yesterday so that will rule Jesper out for most of the season now. That’s disappointing for him and for us because he started to show some decent form in the last month or so and he was an important player for us.”

Jesper Lindstrom’s loan spell at Everton – has he done enough to earn a permanent stay?

Goals

0

Assists

1

Chances created – (Premier League)

19

Successful dribbles – (Premier League)

17

Duels won – (Premier League)

69

Despite his lack of goal contributions, Lindstrom, a £50,000 per week earner, has emerged as a valuable asset. It is perhaps a little unfortunate that he has not seen better numbers for his work at both ends of the field.

However, it remains to be seen if Everton opt to go in a different direction as they seek quality reinforcements on the flank. His impact has been curtailed due to injury, which may represent a natural opportunity for a clean break between all parties.

On the fifth day of the Rawalpindi Test, Shakib changed his bowling approach, and changed the game altogether

Mohammad Isam27-Aug-2024Nine wickets left to play with on a fifth-day pitch. It had mostly been unresponsive to spin – not unexpectedly, since Pakistan, more aware of conditions in Rawalpindi, didn’t pick even one frontline spinner in their XI. But what Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz did in the three hours that followed put all predictions to waste. Mehidy topped his first-innings fifty with a four-wicket haul, but it was Shakib’s early blows that prised open Pakistan’s gate of misery. It was a show of left-arm spin mastery, what we have come to expect of Shakib but see so little of these days.It wasn’t just the mastery over his craft, but also over the circumstances.There was a murder charge in the air. Sure, not directly implicating him, but it was there. And there was talk that he would be withdrawn from the tour.It couldn’t have been easy, but Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto suggested that Shakib has the ability to compartmentalise his life and career so well that he can come out to the field with only cricket on his mind. Thus came the wickets of Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique and, later, Naseem Shah.

****

It hasn’t been a great few weeks for Shakib. During the student-led protests in Bangladesh, Shakib, a member of parliament of the now-overthrown Awami League government, argued with fans in Brampton when confronted over his silence on the developments. This was when Shakib was playing in the Global T20 Canada league while there were protests going on back home.Related

• Shakib, from darling of the masses to enemy of the people

• Bangladesh's chance to build on Rawalpindi miracle

• Shakib picks up fine and demerit point for throwing ball at Rizwan

• Bangladesh dig deep to find glory in a time of upheaval

Shakib hasn’t been to Bangladesh since. He went from Canada to Pakistan to join the Test team. On Sunday in Rawalpindi, when he sent back Naseem, he became the highest wicket-taker among left-arm spinners in international cricket.They might still be expecting Shakib the politician to speak on the upheaval back home, but Shakib the cricketer certainly reached another high, this time leading his side to a rare Test win overseas.He started the fifth day in Rawalpindi with a disciplined line of attack, at the stumps, before deceiving Shakeel with flight, sending the ball well outside off stump as the left-hand batter gave him the charge, Litton Das completing the stumping.Shafique was kept tied up with plenty of dot balls before he, too, jumped out of the crease, and top-edged a swing, to be caught at backward point.Both were wonderful deliveries – there was flight, dip and slight turn, and smart lines.

Perhaps it is now time for Shakib to speak, open up about the death of scores of students and innocents at home

Shakib hadn’t bowled like this in a while. T20s have – or had – reduced him to a dart bowler, one who just aims at bowling full, ideally under the bat, to get away with a decent economy rate. That’s what he did in the first innings in Rawalpindi – quick and full. Mohammad Rizwan attacked him, while Shakeel stepped into drives quite frequently.There used to be a body rotation at the moment of release that Shakib had mastered, but a more open-chested action – blame T20s – meant that the famous Shakib twist of the front toe was mostly missing.The second innings was a different affair altogether. He was visibly slower through the air, and his action was just that little bit slower too. At his release point, Shakib was quite clearly trying to work the ball with his fingers, rather than sliding them out or darting them into the batters’ pads. And in no time, he had broken the back of Pakistan’s batting, before Mehidy ran through the tail.It was a comeback of sorts from a cricketer who had become a peripheral figure in the Bangladesh Test side in the last seven years. Shakib has skipped many Test tours since September 2017. The ICC ban kept him out for three Tests, but the rest were voluntary. So, when Shakib informed the BCB a few weeks ago that he would be available for Bangladesh’s eight remaining Tests in the current WTC cycle, it was a bit of a surprise.1:44

Isam: Shakib stepped up during a tough phase in his life

Heading into the Test match, the team might have expected more from Shakib the batter than Shakib the bowler. He missed out with the bat the only time he batted. Instead, Shakib bowled 44 overs in the game, the most in an overseas Test (except against Zimbabwe) for six years. In Rawalpindi, it was a different Shakib, and a different Bangladesh, who didn’t give into pressure before and during the game as they often have in the past.

****

As he completes 17 years in international cricket, Shakib has ticked more boxes than he hasn’t as a cricketer. He is a bona fide legend of the game. The Rawalpindi performance also drove home the point that he has that rare ability to master adversity in a way few can.Perhaps it is now time for Shakib to speak about the death of scores of students and others at home. His silence during the July revolution can be explained away as duty as a politician. His disconnect with his country was also exposed when he asked the fan in Brampton, “What have you done for your country?” It was mean-spirited. Now, he has the opportunity to change that. Connect with his people. Change tact.

Who are the bidders? Which cities are in the fray? What is the auction purse? Here are all the answers

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jan-20230:28

Perry: ‘Everyone in world cricket is excited for the WIPL’

The build-up towards the inaugural Women’s IPL (WIPL) has reached fever pitch. After completing an astounding media rights deal that will fetch it approximately USD 116.7 million over a five-year period, the BCCI is set to unveil the five franchise owners – along with the cities they have bid for – on January 25. Here’s a ready reckoner from ESPNcricinfo with the lowdown on the auction process, the list of bidders, and the auction purse.
Who are the prospective bidders in the fray?
As many as 33 interested parties – including all ten men’s IPL franchises – had initially expressed interest by securing the tender document. But on Monday, only 17 entities submitted technical bids, including seven men’s IPL franchises: Mumbai Indians, Delhi Capitals, Kolkata Knight Riders, Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals, Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.The other bidders include Adani Group, Capri. Global, Haldiram’s Group, Torrent Pharma, Apollo Pipes, Amrit Leela Enterprises, Shriram Group and Slingshot 369 Ventures Private Limited.Related

WPL set to be played from March 4 to 24; IPL final likely on May 28

Women's IPL: Viacom 18 wins rights, to pay INR 7.09 crore per match

Healy: 'Women's IPL is going to change women's cricket for the better'

Inaugural Women's IPL likely to be played from March 3 to 26

Is there a set base price? And what is the auction process?
No base price has been set by the BCCI. Bidders will submit their bids in a sealed envelope. Bids will be accepted for a ten-year period, but the winners will own the team for perpetuity just like the owners of the men’s IPL franchises do. Bidders will vie for one of the ten cities the BCCI has shortlisted as home bases.The cities are (stadium capacity in brackets): Ahmedabad (112,560), Kolkata (65,000), Chennai (50,000), Bengaluru (42,000), Delhi (55,000), Dharamsala (20,900), Guwahati (38,650), Indore (26,900), Lucknow (48,800) and Mumbai, which has three grounds – the Wankhede, DY Patil and Brabourne Stadiums.Can a bid be made for more than one city?
Bidders have been given the option of contesting more than one franchise or city, but the BCCI will award them only the city they have bid a higher amount for. In case two of the highest bids for a single venue are equal, a re-bid will take place.And if the highest bids for two venues from two different bidders are the same, the BCCI will have the “discretion to decide the order”. In case a bidder raises the top bid for more than one city, the bidder can choose its preferred venue.The auction for Women’s IPL is expected to be held in the first week of February•BCCIWill the highest bid be the winning bid?
In the bid document, BCCI has said that it is not “obliged to accept highest monetary offer”, and has listed some objectives it will look into before finalising the winner. These include: “establishing a stable, successful, financially secure, long-term Franchise to participate in the League; ensuring the widest coverage and the widest possible audience for the League; assisting in the development of the game of women’s cricket in India at all levels; maximizing and enhancing exposure, wherever possible, for each of the official sponsors of the League; and, increasing and enhancing exposure for women’s cricket in India both within India and the rest of the world.”When is the player auction?
No firm date has been announced by the BCCI, but the auction is expected to be held in the first week of February. The BCCI has already concluded the player-registration process as a first step towards conducting the auction.Sunrisers Hyderabad are one of seven men’s IPL franchises to submit a bid for Women’s IPL•BCCIWhat is the auction purse?
INR 12 crore (USD 1.46 million approx.) will be the auction purse for the inaugural season. Each team can buy a minimum of 15 and a maximum of 18 players, including seven overseas players including at least one Associate player. Unlike in the men’s IPL, WIPL teams will have the option of fielding up to five overseas players in the XI, provided one is from an Associate country.What about the tournament dates?
Although not officially announced, ESPNcricinfo understands that a window between March 3 and 26 has been carved out.What will the tournament’s format be?
A total of 22 matches will be played in the inaugural season, with each team playing the other twice to make it a total of eight games per team. The top-ranked team will enter the final directly, while the second- and third-placed teams will face off in a Qualifier to determine the second finalist.

A solitary wicket in 44 overs in Sri Lanka was scant reward for some wholehearted efforts

Andrew Miller22-Jan-2021Mark Wood’s methods are a subtle as a sock of wet sand in a broad-daylight bank heist. He’s the bloke who walks straight up to the counter in defiance of the high-security arrangements, and slams repeatedly on the plate glass in the unfailing belief that it will break.By contrast, Stuart Broad in the first Test and James Anderson in the second have shown rather more in common with those cunning old lags who drilled through several feet of concrete to break into Hatton Garden’s vaults some years back. Years of game-craft and know-how, distilled into a faultlessly executed plan, and leaving barely a trace of their actions in the aftermath, as their current combined series figures of 45-24-58-6 amply attest.But sometimes, frankly, subtlety has to go hang. Sometimes the only option is to send in the heavies and kick in the front desk, as Wood demonstrated on the opening day of the second Test at Galle with a gut-bustingly heroic display.His figures, on the face of it, are an confirmation of his one-dimensional approach – so far in the series Wood has served up 44 overs for a solitary breakthrough at a cost of 117 runs, and it took him 234 deliveries to prise that one and only opening in his third innings in the field.But what a crucial opening it could prove to be – the dislodging of Sri Lanka’s captain, Dinesh Chandimal, to end a fourth-wicket stand of 117, in the midst of an unrelenting eight-over spell, Wood’s longest single stretch of bowling since his Test debut at Lord’s, six years ago.And the manner in which he did the business, howling a reverse-swinging pad-thumper back into the right-handed Chandimal, was an indication of why England must surely persevere with Wood – both at the back end of this winter’s Asia tour (when he returns from a spell of R&R during the first two Tests in India), and onwards into the Ashes at the end of the year.By then he will be 32 – and given how brutally hard he has been made to work for his wickets in the course of an injury-plagued career, it’s possible that the effort that another year of Covid-influenced combat may drain him of his Tigger-like optimism and bounce. But until that point comes, Wood seems committed to throwing himself bodily into every spell for which he’s picked, and reaping whatever rewards he can glean – whether they are at his end of the pitch, or his team-mates’.”We bowl in tandem, and we often talk about that as a bowling group,” Wood said. “Passing on your spell to the next bowler, and trying to help them at the other end. If I can get the batter’s beans going, they might play a rash shot against the spinners when they’re not enjoying it from my end.”That cunning plan didn’t always look like working out on an arduous opening day, with Angelo Mathews proving impressively resistant to Wood’s hustle. “He’s been a thorn in my side,” Wood acknowledged. “I’m sure he’s using a wider bat.”Mark Wood celebrates his first wicket of the series•SLCChandimal, on the other hand, found the going far less chilled, wearing deliveries on the helmet, fingers and ribs in the course of his hard-worked half-century, before finally succumbing to Wood’s best ball of the day, the sort of fast-bending reverse-swinger that Galle’s baked outfield was liable to make feasible after more than a week of action already.And afterwards, Wood admitted that his over-riding emotion was “relief”, as he got his Test wickets tally moving once again after claiming just two in as many appearances in the best part of 12 months.”I felt I bowled decent in the first game, and I bowled a good spell in this game, but I just thought it wasn’t meant to happen,” he said. “I joked with Jon Lewis, the bowling coach, we could be here in 2054 and still be bowling from that Fort End and not have a wicket, and have none for 3000. So it’s nice to actually have a one-for. It might be one for 3000 now.”True, there is very little point in getting carried away about Wood’s impact in this contest, or even in his career as a whole. A record of 51 Test wickets at 34.01 does not scream of the sort of impression that England would like to believe he’s capable of making – and in spite of the infrequency of his selection, it’s already approaching two years since his extraordinarily rapid onslaught in the St Lucia Test against West Indies – a spell that some observers reckon was the fastest ever served up by an England quick.But in mitigation, Wood has not been looked after quite as well as a player of his selfless merits perhaps deserves. His selection for a solitary Test last summer – and that on the first and slowest pitch of the season at the Ageas Bowl – clearly rankles more than he lets on, as does his omission from England’s list of ECB Test contracts, an oversight that feels ever more extraordinary the closer the 2021-22 Ashes draw.For it surely cannot help a player of Wood’s explosive attributes (and fragile ligaments) to feel he’s on trial every time he takes the ball. In the build-up to the Test, all the talk had been of Olly Stone – another 90mph/145kph prospect, albeit four years Wood’s junior, getting his first overseas call-up, while Wood’s absence from the India Test will enable Jofra Archer to reaffirm the spearhead role that he held for five Tests out of six in the summer.Related

• James Anderson delivers another performance to treasure on day of England toil

• Mathews edges day for SL after Anderson arm-wrestle

• Flower pleased with SL batsmen despite 'giving them three wickets'

• Bairstow, Wood, Sam Curran rested for first two India Tests

• Smith defends 'pragmatic' selection with Bairstow rested

“I think I was putting too much pressure on myself,” he said of his efforts building up to that cathartic wicket of Chandimal. “When you’re in and out of the side, you’re trying to cement your place, knowing there’s people behind you, and people in front of you who aren’t here.”I didn’t play much in the summer, so I wanted to try and make an impact,” he added. “When you have no wickets you feel a little bit under pressure, so it’s nice to get one on the board. I know it’s not match-winning or a five-for, but it’s a bit of relief and I can now relax into the game.”There wasn’t much relaxation in prospect in his final onslaught of the day, however – an above-and-beyond display with an ageing ball, and one that ran counter to the measured approach that Joe Root had taken to Wood’s spells in the first Test, in which two-, three- and four-over bursts had been the norm.This time, however, faced with a Sri Lanka line-up who were determined to heed the lessons of their first-day meltdown in the opening Test, and armed with a ball that he alone was getting to move off the straight and narrow, Wood and Root both recognised the moment was right to go to the well. The short-term results may have been mixed, but after being handed a free pass into last week’s first Test, the rewards for the toil were all the sweeter.”I’m knackered,” Wood declared at the close. “It was hard work. The conversation I had with Rooty was that I wasn’t going to come back with the new ball, so rather than bowl three overs in that spell, and try to come back later, with the ball reversing, I was probably going to be the most threatening then.”It didn’t spin much for us today so we’ll try to make inroads tomorrow. You need a bit of luck, but the thing we’ve got on our side is controlling the rate. It was great pressure from us as a group, so we’ll keep that pressure on, keep hammering away and try and force that opening.”

The Yankees have had quite the weekend on their trip to Miami for a series with the Marlins.

On Friday night, their new-look bullpen gave up nine runs in the final three innings which led to a tough 13-12 defeat after they were walked off on a dribbler from Marlins catcher Agustín Ramírez. On Saturday, they suffered a difficult inning-ending out due to a base running error by second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr.

He walked to lead off the second inning before catcher Ben Rice popped out for the first out of the frame. Then, the next batter Paul Goldschmidt sent a pop-up to second base which Chisholm watched fly in the air. Marlins second baseman Xavier Edwards must have seen Chisholm standing far from the bag out of the corner of his eye because he quickly snapped a throw to first after bringing it in to improbably end the inning as Chisholm couldn't get back in time.

Certainly a heads-up moves by Edwards but the replay does show Chisholm standing while the ball is in the air and even inching further away from the bag which put him in position to get called out:

Yankees manager Aaron Boone appeared to let out some frustrations after the lapse:

In the top of the first inning, the Yankees tried to take an early lead by sending Trent Grisham home but Marlins outfielder Kyle Stowers's throw beat him to the plate by a mile:

Ramírez homered in the first and fourth inning for the Marlins in what ended up a 2–0 victory.

Always remember the fundamentals and stay alert on the base paths.

Chelsea have held talks with one of Europe’s brightest young attacking talents and made their plan for him crystal clear, with the Blues getting a response to their serious interest.

Chelsea's plan to sign 'more Estevaos' as Blues target rising stars

BlueCo’s recruitment strategy remains firmly focused on acquiring world football’s brightest prospects before they reach superstar status, with several teenage sensations already lined up to follow in Estevao’s footsteps at Stamford Bridge.

The Brazilian wonderkid’s dazzling performances this season highlight the success of Chelsea’s approach to signing elite young talent with modest salaries.

Estevao chose Chelsea over rumoured interest from Real Madrid, PSG and Barcelona after the club spent three years of scouting, ultimately going for him ahead of Endrick, who’s since endured a torrid time at the Bernabeu by contrast.

The 18-year-old was convinced by Chelsea’s project and the playing opportunities available in London (Sky Sports), with more players like him due in West London very soon.

Chelsea favourites to sign £53m Liverpool target after 'generational' Man United claim

He’s admired up and down the Premier League.

ByEmilio Galantini Dec 2, 2025

Sporting Lisbon winger Geovany Quenda, who’s been called ‘the next Cristiano Ronaldo’ by Portuguese media sources, arrives next summer following a March agreement worth up to £40 million, with the young forward viewed as another potential game-changer.

Joining Quenda will be two 17-year-olds — Kairat Almaty forward Dastan Satpaev and Corinthians left back Denner — with Strasbourg striker Emanuel Emegha also coming to Cobham next year.

Looking even further ahead, 16-year-old Ecuadorian centre-back Deinner Ordonez is scheduled to arrive from Independiente del Valle in January 2028, so Chelsea are very much planning for the future.

As the Blues plot to secure ‘more Estevaos’, in the words of Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol that is, TEAMtalk now bring news of yet another rising star attracting Chelsea’s attention.

Chelsea hold talks with Austrian starlet Johannes Moser

That man is 17-year-old attacking midfielder Johannes Moser.

The teenager was one of the standout stars at the Under-17 World Cup in Qatar recently, taking home the Golden Boot after a remarkable tournament which saw him bag eight goals during Austria’s route to the final against Portugal.

Moser was also named Runner-Up in the Player of the Tournament Award, taking home the Silver Ball, and he’s already clocked 13 senior appearances for FC Liefering in the Austrian second division.

All signs point towards him being a real one to watch in the coming years, and TT state that he has ’emerged as one of the finest teenage attacking players in mainland Europe’.

According to their information, Chelsea have also held talks with Moser and his representatives in a bid to convince the versatile forward to join them, alongside Man City.

Enzo Maresca’s side went as far as presenting their plan for Moser to develop as a player under the BlueCo umbrella, but TT also report some bad news on that front.

Indeed, at least for now, the Austrian is apparently set to snub both Chelsea and City’s interest in favour of remaining at Liefering, specifically the Red Bull Group, to further his development.

Liefering, who are Red Bull Salzburg’s reserve team, have managed to hold on to Moser thanks to Red Bull making it clear that his pathway into the Salzburg first team is ‘already in place’.

While a move to the Premier League is off the cards for now, the wunderkind’s sky-high potential means we shouldn’t rule out another English swoop in future.

The collective heart of Philadelphia Phillies fans skipped a beat on Tuesday after superstar slugger Bryce Harper took a pitch to the elbow and was forced out of the game against the Atlanta Braves.

Braves starting pitcher Spencer Strider had delivered a 95-mph fastball to the plate, but missed his target pretty significantly, connecting with the elbow that Harper has injured in the past and leaving the two-time NL MVP in significant pain.

The pitch left some Phillies fans looking for retaliation—citing one of those oft-talked about unwritten rules of baseball—but manager Rob Thomson didn’t sound interested in settling the score with another fastball.

Thomson was asked directly why there was no retaliation against the Braves while speaking with reporters ahead of Thursday’s double-header, and his response was clear.

“Because it’s not on purpose. Simple as that,” Thomson said. “If I think somebody is throwing at one of our hitters, I don’t know what I’d do, but if it’s a pitch that gets away from a pitcher, which I believe it was, and I think that everybody in that clubhouse thinks it was, that’s baseball. It happens.”

To Thomson’s point, Strider seemed pretty distraught after hitting Harper, and expressed relief when it appeared as though he had escaped without serious injury. Baseball is a contact sport, sometimes things happen.

In a bit of good news for the Phillies, Thomson was also able to provide a positive health update on Harper, suggesting that his return to the field shouldn’t take too long, barring set backs.

The back-to-back wickets in the eighth over of Sri Lanka’s innings swung this Asia Cup Super Four match towards Pakistan – this was how Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka, who was the first of the two batters to be dismissed in that passage, saw it.Sri Lanka had been 58 for 3 after 7.1 overs, when Asalanka was caught at deep square-leg off the bowling of Hussain Talat. Next ball, Dasun Shanaka poked at a delivery in the channel and sent a thin edge to the wicketkeeper. Sri Lanka were suddenly five down with more than 60% of the overs remaining. The limped to 133 for 8 in the end.”Although we didn’t get a great start from the openers, at the end of the powerplay we still had 53 runs. We’d lost three wickets, but we were still in a good place, because it’s not easy to score that many in the powerplay,” Asalanka said. “But then myself and Dasun got out off successive deliveries, and that was when the biggest damage was done.Related

• Abrarcadabra – the four-over spell that left Sri Lanka stupefied

• Talat: Middle-order batting the hardest job in T20s

• Nawaz and Talat trump Sri Lanka in nervy chase

“Neither Dasun or I were going for big shots when we got out. I was trying to put the ball into a gap, but ended up top-edging it. Dasun also played a normal shot first up. But we have to take responsibility.”That Sri Lanka managed to have something to bowl at was down to Kamindu Mendis, who hit 50 off 44 balls, with support from Wanindu Hasaranga and Chamika Karunaratne.”We lost five wickets in the first half of our innings, and against these kinds of teams it’s really hard to come back from that,” Asalanka said. “Kamindu and the others fought hard, but Wanindu also got out at a bad time, when it had felt like we could get to 150. In the end it was not enough.”Sri Lanka are very nearly out of the tournament now, having suffered two big losses in the Super Four stage. They had strengthened their bowling for this match, dropping Kamil Mishara for Karunaratne. Asalanka identified balancing his team as perhaps the primary problem facing Sri Lanka ahead of next year’s T20 World Cup.”We’ve had lots of issues with our combinations, and that’s something we have to get right ahead of the World Cup,” he said. “We tried going with an extra bowler today, but we lost a specialist batsman because of that, and didn’t score the runs we needed. Other times we’ve played an extra batsman and couldn’t defend a score with the ball.”We need to figure out how to consistently score 180 to 200, and also how to use the part-time bowlers – myself, Dasun, Kamindu Mendis – better. Those are things we need to improve in the future.”