Exciting La Liga stars Lamine Yamal and Arda Guler clashed on the pitch during Sunday's World Cup qualifier between Spain and Turkey.
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Despite already reinforcing their midfield with arrivals such as Anton Stach and Sean Longstaff, reports are now claiming that Leeds United have submitted an opening offer to sign an ex-Barcelona star.
Farke "happy" to welcome Perri at Leeds
Several problem areas have already been addressed at Elland Road this summer as Leeds prepare for their Premier League return. But welcoming a new goalkeeper remained on the list until the 49ers completed yet another impressive move to sign Lucas Perri from Lyon. And Daniel Farke has instantly welcomed the shot-stopper’s arrival.
The Brazilian represents a replacement for Ilan Meslier, who was relieved of his duties at the end of last season following one mistake too many. Just where his future lies is now the big question, with Leeds seemingly moving on to bigger and better things.
When compared, it’s Perri who instantly stands out. The 27-year-old has Europa League experience to his name and already squared off against rivals Manchester United last season. Having lost out against the Red Devils last season, though, he will have his sights set on getting one over on those at Old Trafford.
With their goalkeeper problem now solved, however, the 49ers have now reportedly made their first move to sign yet another impressive midfield reinforcement.
Leeds submit opening offer to sign Kessie
According to Saudi Arabian newspaper Al Riyadhiah, relayed by there are claims the 49ers and Leeds have submitted an opening offer to sign Franck Kessie from Al-Ahli this summer. The 28-year-old midfielder captains the Saudi Pro League club and is entering his third season at the heart of their midfield, but could now be on his way out.
Having starred for both Barcelona and particularly AC Milan, Kessie’s arrival would be an incredibly impressive coup by all involved at Elland Road. But it’s unlikely to come without plenty of negotiating on the salary side of things.
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The Whites could yet get their man.
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As things stand, Kessie earns a staggering £12m-a-year in Saudi Arabia and unless he takes a significant pay-cut, he will be out of Leeds’ price range given that their current highest-earner is Patrick Bamford at around £4m-a-year.
That said, if the midfielder is willing to lower his salary then Leeds should go all out to secure his signature this summer. His experience would prove to be invaluable and at 28, he is more than capable of returning to the top level with a flourish.
A player who was previously dubbed a “complete player” by former AC Milan boss Stefano Pioli, Kessie could now be one to watch.
تحدث مدرب منتخب فرنسا، ديدييه ديشامب، في مؤتمر صحفي قبل مباراة آيسلندا، وعلّق على أزمة الفريق مع نادي باريس سان جيرمان بعد إصابات عثمان ديمبلي وديريزي دوي، اللذين أُصيبا يوم الجمعة ضد أوكرانيا،.
وسُئل كذلك على بيان باريس سان جيرمان الذي اشتكى فيه من إدارة الاتحاد الفرنسي لكرة القدم بسبب إصابات اللاعبين.
ونشرت صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية تصريحات ديشامب خلال المؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بمباراة فرنسا وآيسلندا والمقرر خوضها غدًا الثلاثاء، ضمن تصفيات أوروبا المؤهلة لكأس العالم 2026.
وحول ما إذا كان البروتوكول الطبي سيتغير بعد شكاوى باريس سان جيرمان، أفاد: “أنا مدرب منتخب وطني، ماذا تعني الشفافية؟ هذا ليس دوري، ما حدث قد حدث”.
وأضاف: “أنا حزين على ديمبلي وديزيري دوه، بالطبع، لأننا سنخسر لاعبين مهمين في مباراة الغد، هذا ما أقوله، نحن نتعامل باحترافية، كما نفعل مع جميع اللاعبين، مع مراعاة ظروف كل لاعب ومشاعره”.
وواصل: “للأسف، حدث هذا ويتعلق بلاعبين من باريس سان جيرمان، لتجنب المزيد من الأسئلة المشابهة، باريس سان جيرمان ليس منافسنا، خصمنا الوحيد هو أيسلندا، وهذا غدًا”.
اقرأ أيضًا | بـ3 دلائل.. ديشامب يرد على غضب باريس سان جيرمان بعد إصابة ديمبلي ودوي
وفيما يتعلق برد فعله على بيان باريس سان جيرمان، أشار: “لن أجيب على أسئلة كهذه بعد الآن، لن أخوض في تفاصيل محددة، أكرر ما أقوله، نحن نعمل بضمير حيّ ومنهجية، نجري محادثات بين الطرفين”.
وأكمل: “النادي لا يهم، البروتوكول هو كالتالي: جميع اللاعبين يتلقون العلاج في كليرفونتين، لم أقم باستدعاء ريان شرقي وويليام ساليبا عندما أجرينا صور الأشعة السينية لإصابتيهما”.
وحول ما إذا كان ضغط باريس سان جيرمان سيؤثر على تشكيلته غدًا، علّق: “ثم يتصل بي بايرن ميونخ وريال مدريد، أنا من يتخذ القرارات هذه مسؤولياتي، عندما يلعبون على مستوى الأندية… الجميع يرغب في اللعب، الإصابات عنصر أساسي بالنسبة لي عند اتخاذ القرارات”.
وعن العدد الكبير من المباريات، أوضح: “10% فقط من اللاعبين هم من يخوضون المباريات أكثر من غيرهم، وهم اللاعبون الدوليون، سلطة اتخاذ القرار تقع على الهيئات المختصة”.
وأتم: “كيليان مبابي قال لهم أن اللاعبين يفضلون خوض مباريات متتالية، فترة التعافي هي الأهم، فترات الاستراحة أصبحت أقصر فأقصر، سواء في الصيف أو في الشتاء”.
Manchester City have the chance to end the season with some silverware as they get ready to face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final this month.
It won’t make up for the fact Pep Guardiola’s men have endured an utterly dismal campaign, but it should give the club a boost heading into the summer.
The Spaniard will be keen on further bolstering his squad when the transfer window opens, building on the successful winter window.
Several players have already been linked with a move to the Etihad, especially as the club needs a replacement for the departing Kevin De Bruyne.
Recently, it appears as though Guardiola is looking to raid one of his former clubs for a midfielder…
Man City's search for a new midfielder
According to reports coming out of Spain, City have made Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong one of their ‘biggest summer targets’, ahead of next season.
Transfer Focus
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Liverpool and Arsenal are also showing plenty of interest in the Dutchman. Given Barcelona’s financial situation, they may be forced to listen to offers for the player when the transfer window opens.
With just a year left on his contract, Guardiola will be confident of striking a deal to secure his signature.
Could De Jong become Rodri 2.0 should he make the move to Manchester?
Why Pep could sign the next Rodri for Man City
It is safe to say that City’s campaign was derailed the moment Rodri suffered an ACL injury in September.
He was the fulcrum to the side that won the treble during the 2022/23 season, while playing an important role for Spain as they won Euro 2024 last summer, before subsequently claiming a richly-deserved Ballon d’Or.
With 260 appearances to his name, alongside a plethora of honours, since arriving from Atletico Madrid on a £62.8m deal in 2019, the 28-year-old has made the switch from LaLiga with breathtaking ease.
Lauded by former Barcelona manager Xavi as being “one of the best midfielders in the world” last season, De Jong could follow suit should he make his own switch from Spanish football. The likeness between the pair can also be seen with regard to their statistical similarity across a range of metrics in 2023/24, according to FBref.
Both registered over 90% in pass completion percentage (92.1% vs 92%), while they also won a high percentage of aerial duels (57.5% vs 71.1%) and impressed in the final third too. De Jong averaged 3.3 shot-creating actions per 90, while Rodri averaged 4.82 of the same metric for City.
Accurate passes
45.6
37.9
Key passes
0.4
0.9
Tackles
1.4
0.7
Ball recoveries
2.9
2
Possession lost
4.5
2.9
It is clear that De Jong could turn into another Rodri-like signing for City, especially with his performances this season for the La Liga side.
Barcelona are on the brink of reaching the Champions League final for the first time since 2015. In the competition, De Jong ranks in the top 3% for pass completion percentage (93.7%), along with ranking in the top 6% for carries into the final third (3.16) and in the top 5% for tackles in the middle third (1.71) per 90.
These statistics have helped La Blaugrana reach the semi-final stage. A 3-3 draw against Inter Milan in the first leg of the tie was a thriller, but De Jong will be aiming to help his side reach the final.
If City have a genuine chance of signing the Dutchman, they must make their move early.
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Everton are believed to be interested in signing a player who is a “massive favourite” of David Moyes in the summer transfer window, a new update has claimed.
Moyes plans summer signings at Everton
The Blues’ Premier League season is starting to peter out a little in terms of important matches, with survival all but secured for another season. Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Arsenal was another good result under Moyes, though, with the Scot continuing to do an excellent job during his second stint at Goodison Park.
There will now be lots of focus on possible new signings for Everton this summer, with contact reportedly made with the representatives of SC Freiburg midfielder Merlin Rohl over a move to Merseyside. The 22-year-old has been affected by injuries in 2024/25, but he is a versatile player who could be a long-term signing.
Feyenoord defender David Hancko has also been mentioned as an option for the Blues once the current season reaches its conclusion, following another impressive campaign for the Eredivisie giants.
Lorenzo Lucca has been linked with a move to Everton as well, with the Udinese striker a towering 6 foot 7 inches tall, which is the same height as Peter Crouch. The Italian has scored 10 goals in 25 starts in Serie A this season, also picking up nine yellow cards, highlighting a tenacious side to his game.
Everton fighting West Ham for "very clever" Sunderland star Neil
According to a fresh report from Football Insider, Everton are in the race to sign Sunderland midfielder Dan Neil at the end of the season.
West Ham are thought to be providing competition for the signature of the Black Cats skipper, but the 23-year-old is a “massive favourite” of Moyes.
Sunderland are “bracing themselves for ample bids” from Premier League clubs, assuming the Championship side fail to earn promotion.
Neil may not be a top-flight player currently, which could naturally put some Everton fans off, but he could be a shrewd addition to Moyes’ squad. At 23, the Englishman has already become one of Sunderland’s most important players, captaining them at a young age, and Black Cats manager Regis Le Bris lauded him back in January.
“I think he did well during the first part of the season, but it wasn’t so obvious for the observers maybe, because he was really important in adjusting all the behaviour of his teammates. He’s very clever, very important to adjust the formation and balance the team.”
This season, Neil has started 39 of Sunderland’s 40 Championship matches, outlining his availability, and his quality and energy in midfield could be a real asset for Everton.
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Everton made a good investment with the signing
ByJoe Nuttall Apr 7, 2025
He could be seen as a long-term replacement for Idrissa Gueye, who is now 35 years of age and whose contract expires at the end of this season.
They are the first opening pair from England with a 500-plus aggregate in a Test series since Strauss and Cook in the 2010-11 Ashes
Sampath Bandarupalli01-Aug-20251:58
Bangar on Crawley-Duckett: Haven’t seen batting of that quality
7224 – Runs scored by Joe Root in Tests in England. His tally is the second-highest for any batter in a single country, surpassing Sachin Tendulkar’s 7216 in India, and only behind Ricky Ponting’s 7578 in Australia.Root has scored 2006 runs against India at home so far. He is only the second batter to aggregate 2000-plus Test runs against a single opposition at home after Don Bradman, who had scored 2354 runs against England.8 – Number of 50-plus stands between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett in Tests against India, the joint-highest by an opening pair, alongside Gordon Greenidge and Desmond Haynes. Crawley and Duckett have 984 runs in 18 innings against India, only behind Greenidge-Haynes, who had 1325 runs in 30 partnerships.Related
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7.16 – The run rate during Crawley and Duckett’s 92-run partnership, which came in 12.5 overs. It is the second-highest run rate for a 50-plus opening stand against India in men’s Tests. .The highest is 7.18 by Shahid Afridi and Yasir Hameed, who added 91 in 12.4 overs in Bengaluru in 2005. Four of the top 15 fastest 50-plus opening stands against India have been by the Crawley and Duckett pair.539 – Partnership runs between Crawley and Duckett in this series so far. They are the first opening pair to aggregate 500-plus runs in a Test series since David Warner and Joe Burns’ 547 against New Zealand in 2015. They are also the first opening pair from England with a 500-plus aggregate in a Test series since Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook in the 2010-11 Ashes.48 – Runs scored in boundaries by Crawley at the time of reaching his half-century. It is the joint-second-highest runs scored in boundaries while completing a half-century in men’s Tests (Since 2002). Only Tim Southee scored more, with 50, on debut against England in 2008.Harry Brook falls over after nailing a jaw-dropping slog sweep•Getty ImagesCrawley’s 64-run knock featured 56 boundary runs, a percentage of 87.50. It is the third-highest boundary percentage in a 50-plus score for England in men’s Tests, behind only Andrew Flintoff’s 88.89% (48 out of 54) against New Zealand in 2004 and 88% by Chris Woakes (44 out of 50) against India in 2021.6 – Bowlers to take a four-plus wicket haul for India in this series, with Prasidh Krishna the latest. Only once have more bowlers had a higher tally in a Test series for India – seven against Pakistan at home in 1960-61, while six bowlers did so against West Indies in 1974-75 and also in the 2018 tour of England.1066 – Balls that KL Rahul faced in this series against England, the second-highest by an India opener in a Test series in England, behind Sunil Gavaskar’s 1199 on the 1979 tour. Only six visiting players have faced more balls than Rahul’s tally in this series while opening the batting in a series in England.Rahul’s 532 runs are the most for any opener in a Test series in England in nearly 22 years and the second-highest for India behind Gavaskar’s 542 in 1979.
The No. 3 batter tried to hit half of the 16 balls he faced against Afghanistan to the boundary
Deivarayan Muthu14-Jan-2024The ball pings off the middle of the bat. Poof. It’s a rasping slog-sweep from outside off. Both the outfielders are on the leg side – deep midwicket and wide long-on – in the powerplay, but neither has a chance to cut it off.The slog – and it’s variety – is among the most productive shots for big-hitters in T20 cricket. But Virat Kohli, even at his destructive best, isn’t much of a slogger and relies more on timing the ball. Playing his first T20I in more than a year though, he was prepared to slog at a spinner in the powerplay.It wasn’t just spinner. Mujeeb Ur Rahman can turn the ball both ways and can even get the new ball to swing. He is in demand in T20 – and T10 – leagues around the world.Kohli has had his share of troubles against spin in T20 cricket and has been averse to taking risks against this variety of bowling in the past. But on Sunday, he tore up the old template and bristled with high intent. He hit 29 off 16 balls, with five fours. He tried to hit half of those 16 balls to the boundary, according to ESPNcricinfo’s logs. He took Mujeeb alone for 18 off seven balls at a strike rate of 257.14.Related
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In a middling chase of 173 against an Afghanistan attack that was without its leader Rashid Khan, Kohli could have opted to ease his way in. But he didn’t. Instead, he batted with purpose and looked entirely in sync with the way modern-day T20 cricket is played. Of course, the flat Indore pitch and the fast outfield helped Kohli, but the change in batting approach was clear. A plan is taking shape with the T20 World Cup, in the USA and the West Indies, less than six months away.Kohli even slogged Naveen-ul-Haq wide of long-on. He also dashed out of the crease to Fazalhaq Farooqi. He kept throwing his hands, hips, and shoulder at the ball despite the odd play-and-miss. He admonished himself when he missed. He also admonished himself when he failed to perfectly recreate six off Haris Rauf from the 2022 T20 World Cup in Melbourne. Just for the record, this ball that caused Kohli such grievance had almost sailed over the rope for six.Shivam Dube scored his second successive half-century•BCCIOnce again, there was precious little reason to be going so hard. This was a choice made by a high-class batter willing to adapt to the world around him. When Kohli tried to pump another boundary down the ground off Naveen, he ended up slicing it to mid-off. He then sat back in the dug-out and watched Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dube operate with similar high intent. Jaiswal struck at two runs a ball and Dube just under it as India made a mockery of the chase.India captain Rohit Sharma has also veered away from a safety-first T20 batting approach. After being run-out for a duck in the first T20I in Mohali, he could have taken his time to settle down in the second, but he chose to go hard from the get-go. He backed away and swung for the hills first ball, but Farooqi bowled full enough to trim the off bail.Perhaps having capable hitters like Axar Patel and Washington Sundar at Nos. 7 and 8 is giving India’s the top-order batters more freedom to attack. In the 2022 T20 World Cup semi-final, India had R Ashwin and Axar at Nos. 7 and 8. Ashwin has improved as a T20 batter, but he is more of a four-hitter than a six-hitter. When Hardik Pandya returns, he will lend even better balance.India will play just one more T20I, in Bengaluru on Wednesday, before the World Cup in June, but Rohit has already seen enough. He was very pleased with how his batters are refusing to take a backward step.”We are very clear with what we wanted to do and what we wanted to achieve as well,” he told the host broadcaster at the post-match presentation. “[There is a] very clear message to everyone in the team as well and when you see performances like that you can feel proud of it as well. It’s one thing to talk about it and it’s another thing to go out there and actually do it.”So, I’m happy we’re doing what we are speaking in our changing room and that’s a good positive for us, moving forward. In the last two games that we played, we’ve ticked almost every box, trying certain things in the powerplay, back end, and middle overs as well.”T20 moves at such a rapid pace that it can leave anyone behind. India, and more specifically Kohli and Rohit, know that better than most. Their last two World Cup campaigns were less than successful because they kept doing the same thing over and over again. Now there is a real desperation to do something different.
All the stats and records from Bangladesh’s biggest win in T20Is
Sampath Bandarupalli21-Oct-202139 – Wickets for Shakib Al Hasan in T20 World Cups. These are the joint-most for a bowler in this competition. Shahid Afridi, who last played in 2016, also has 39 wickets.2 – Shakib is just the second player with the double of 40-plus runs and over four wickets in a T20 World Cup game. Dwayne Bravo became the first player when he backed up his four-wicket haul with an unbeaten 66 against India in 2009 at Lord’s.2 – Previous instances of Shakib scoring 40-plus runs and taking four or more wickets in the same T20I – against Zimbabwe in 2013 and West Indies in 2018. While Shakib now has three such all-round efforts, no other player has achieved it more than once in men’s T20Is.<!–#cricinfo_insert
type: sidebar
title: Watch highlights on ESPN+
nonbulleted_text: If you're in the USA, watch the Bangladesh vs PNG highlights in English here and in Hindi here6 Four-plus wicket hauls in T20Is for Shakib, the joint-most by any player in men’s T20Is alongside Umar Gul. Three of those by Shakib came in the T20 World Cup, joint-most for a bowler with Saeed Ajmal.4 for 9 – Shakib’s bowling figures in this match are the second-best for Bangladesh in T20 World Cups. Only Mustafizur Rahman recorded better figures when he took 5 for 22 against New Zealand in 2016.84 Bangladesh’s win margin against Papua New Guinea on Thursday is their biggest in terms of runs in T20Is. Their previous biggest win was by 71 runs against Ireland in 2012 while defending 191.29 – Runs scored by PNG at the fall of the seventh wicket against Bangladesh. Only one team lost their seventh wicket at a lower total in Men’s T20 World Cup – Afghanistan, at 25 against South Africa in 2010 and 26 runs against England in 2012. Afghanistan were 80 all-out on both occasions.46 – Kiplin Doriga’s unbeaten score is now the highest individual score by any player in the men’s T20 World Cup while batting at No. 8 or lower. The previous highest was 44 by Gulbadin Naib for Afghanistan in 2012 against England.
Aaron Judge is climbing up a special page of the Yankees' record books.
With a home run in the first inning of the Yankees' game against the Tigers on Tuesday, Judge has now compiled 359 home runs during his time in New York, surpassing legendary catcher Yogi Berra for fifth-most in franchise history.
Judge previously tied Berra with his 358th home run on Aug. 31, and now surpasses the Hall of Famer and three-time MVP with his first home run of the month. It's an incredible achievement, as Judge becomes the first player to crack the top-five of the Yankees' home run list since 1957.
Judge now trails only Hall of Famers Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Mickey Mantle and Babe Ruth for the most home runs in Yankees history.
|
Player |
Total Home Runs With Yankees |
Seasons Played With Yankees |
|---|---|---|
|
Babe Ruth |
659 |
1920 to ’34 |
|
Mickey Mantle |
536 |
1951 to ’68 |
|
Lou Gehrig |
493 |
1923 to ’39 |
|
Joe DiMaggio |
361 |
1936 to’ 42, 1946 to ’51 |
|
Aaron Judge |
359 |
2016 to present |
Judge is a long ways away from Gehrig, Mantle and Ruth on the Yankees' all-time home run list, but he should pass DiMaggio for fourth all-time in franchise history before the end of the season. Judge needs only three more home runs to do so, and there are 18 games remaining in the regular season following Tuesday's matchup.
At 33, Judge has time to potentially reach the top-three Yankees' home run leaders, but he will need to continue playing at a high level for several more seasons to approach Gehrig, Mantle and/or Ruth.
Judge has averaged 48 home runs per year over the last five seasons, meaning it would take a little less than three seasons at that pace to pass Gehrig, over three and a half to pass Mantle, and over six seasons to pass Ruth at his current pace.
Manchester United have now submitted a £24m opening bid for a “powerful” midfielder, who has been compared to Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton.
Man United could smash their transfer record to get a new midfielder through the door, having set out to bolster their options in the engine room in 2026, and Wharton has been identified as one of their top targets, even though the Eagles are set to hold out for over £100m.
The Red Devils are confident they’ll be able to sign the Englishman, and it is little wonder they are so keen, given the level of some of his performances so far this season.
However, given that the move would be on the expensive side, it remains to be seen whether a deal will be possible, and some cheaper alternative targets have now been identified.
According to a report from Sport Time (via Sport Witness), Man United have now submitted an opening offer of €28m (£24m) for Olympiacos’ Christos Mouzakitis, who has started to attract interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Real Madrid have also made a slightly higher bid, but the Greek club aren’t in a rush to sanction a departure, and they are hoping to receive €40m (£35m) for the midfielder’s services in the January transfer window.
Olympiacos aren’t even willing to listen to proposals of less than €30m (£26m), so if a January deal is going to transpire, Ruben Amorim’s side will have to increase their offer.
The advantage of signing Wharton is that he is already proven in the Premier League, but over £100m is a huge amount to pay for any player, and the Olympiacos star could be an interesting alternative option.
In fact, the 18-year-old has been directly compared to the Crystal Palace star by scout Ben Mattinson, who said: “Mouzakitis is a highly technical #8. As a profile if I was to compare him to someone, I’d say Adam Wharton and Granit Xhaka.”
“He’s that type of left footed #8 who’s tenacious off the ball, incredibly crisp passing through the lines, powerful ball striker, good weight of pass…”
Man Utd submit £26m offer for former Premier League striker
United have tabled a bid for a new centre-forward, who has been in impressive form this season.
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Dominic Lund
Dec 3, 2025
The starlet, who has made five Champions League appearances this season, also has a keen eye for creating chances, averaging 0.47 assists per 90 over the past year, which places him in the 99th percentile compared to other midfielders.
As such, the seven-time Greek international could be an exciting long-term addition to Amorim’s squad, but Man United should also bring in a midfielder who has more experience at the top level, with Mouzakitis yet to prove himself in one of Europe’s major leagues.