Bayern Munich chief Herbert Hainer has admitted that Florian Wirtz is likely to join Liverpool this summer.

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Article continues below

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• Bayern president admitted Wirtz will join Liverpool
• Conceded defeat in transfer race
• Leverkusen looking to complete the transfer soon

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Bayern were actively pursuing a move for Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz and were ready to compete in a three-way transfer race along with Manchester City and Liverpool. However, the club have now conceded that they are no longer a contender as club president Hainer admitted that the midfielder is likely to join Liverpool.

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• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Speaking to , the Bayern chief said: "Max Eberl has informed me that Florian Wirtz is probably leaning towards Liverpool. I can't say how things will continue with Leverkusen."

• Getty Images
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Earlier on Saturday, Sky Sports' Florian Plettenberg reported that Leverkusen are now working to complete the player's transfer swiftly and are waiting for the Reds' first offer. The former German champions reportedly want a transfer fee and a player from the English club, as they are looking to add a new goalkeeper, a defender, a striker and a potential replacement for Wirtz.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR LIVERPOOL?

  Arne Slot's side will play their final game of the 2024-25 campaign on Sunday as they host FA Cup champions Crystal Palace at Anfield.

The role of a central defender has changed over time, with those at the very top now not just world-class in the air and in a tackle, but also brilliant in possession with the ball at their feet.

The new generation of centre-backs are crucial to their team’s build-up play and, in some cases, pass more than most midfielders, but who is the best in the world at the back at this moment in time?

Ranking factors

To help rank the centre-backs in order, we have considered the following criteria:

• Current form – how well a player has been performing
• Importance to their teams – how influential they are to their team
• Role – how unique their skillset is
• Reputation – what others are saying about them

15

Willian Pacho

PSG and Ecuador

Willian Pacho has gone from strength to strength after joining PSG from Frankfurt in 2024 and now appears to be a regular at the Parc des Princes.

The Ecuador international is still only 23 years of age and has been described as the ‘wall nobody saw coming’ next to Marquinhos.

The €40m fee PSG paid for Pacho is now looking like a smart piece of business, with the player’s market value already increasing to €65m.

14

Antonio Rudiger

Real Madrid and Germany

Antonio Rudiger has gone from strength to strength after joining Real Madrid from Chelsea back in 2022, so much so that he was linked with a return to Stamford Bridge.

Over the last 18 months, Rudiger has been praised by Carlo Ancelotti and Mesut Ozil, who have said the German “is playing at his best” and in his “prime”.

However, he has missed the majority of the 2025/26 season so far with a hamstring injury which has dropped him down the rankings.

13

Eder Militao

Real Madrid and Brazil

Dropping down the list due to serious injuries in recent years is Real Madrid’s Eder Militao. The Brazilian was dubbed the “best in the world” at the back by Carlo Ancelotti in 2023 and has won multiple honours at the Bernabeu since 2019.

At the age of 27, Militao should still have plenty of high-level years ahead of him and will be looking to remain fit over the coming seasons.

12

Dayot Upamecano

Bayern Munich and France

Transformed into Bayern Munich’s Mr. Reliable under Vincent Kompany has been Dayot Upamecano, who has partnered Kim Min-jae at the Allianz Arena.

Bayern sporting director Christoph Freund has said in 2025 that the Frenchman “has become a leader” who “plays strongly and consistently at a high level.” At the age of 26, Upamecano appears to be entering his prime.

11

Josko Gvardiol

Man City and Croatia

Josko Gvardiol stars as a centre-back and sometimes as a left-back for Man City and Croatia.

Used as a centre-back in the Nations League for his country, Gvardiol turned out centrally under Pep Guardiola in the latter stages of the 2024/25 season, with City winning five out of six Premier League games with the 23-year-old at the heart of the defence.

10

Alessandro Buongiorno

Napoli and Italy

At the top of his game with a career-high €45m Transfermarkt valuation is Napoli and Italy’s Alessandro Buongiorno.

The 25-year-old is “extraordinary in one-on-one situations” and has been key for Napoli under Antonio Conte, winning the Serie A title in 24/25. Should his rapid rise continue, Buongiorno could climb up this list in years to come.

9

Dean Huijsen

Real Madrid and Spain

One of the most in-demand defenders of the 2025 summer transfer window was Dean Huijsen, with Real Madrid winning the race to sign the Spaniard from AFC Bournemouth.

Wanted all across Europe, Huijsen starred in the Premier League after leaving Juventus and Tiago Pinto even said he “will be the best central defender in the world in two years”.

8

Marquinhos

PSG and Brazil

Paris Saint-Germain icon Marquinhos has been leading a new generation of stars at the Parc des Princes under Luis Enrique and has still remained at an extremely high level himself.

Now 31, Marquinhos continues to be a regular in a young PSG side and even became the first player in the club’s history to start 100 matches for PSG in the Champions League.

7

Ruben Dias

Man City and Portugal

Ruben Dias is coming up to five years as a Man City player and continues to be a regular under Pep Guardiola, with Transfermarkt having the Portugal starvalued at €65m.

Rated as good as Virgil van Dijk by Jamie Carragher 12 months ago, Dias’ displays have dipped slightly at the Etihad in 2024/25, however, there is no denying his quality.

6

Marc Guehi

Crystal Palace and England

Marc Guehi is becoming one of the most in-demand centre-backs in world football after his move to Liverpool from Crystal Palace collapsed in the summer of 2025.

Now a regular for England and starring at Selhurst Park, Guehi is on course to become a free agent in 2026 and is being linked with the biggest clubs in Europe.

It shows just how good Guehi has been under Oliver Glasner, lifting the FA Cup and Community Shield with Palace in 2025.

The captain has ran himself into the ground trying to keep the dysfunctional club going but the money from his sale could be a game changer

When the subject of Bruno Fernandes leaving Manchester United was first broached two months ago, Ruben Amorim was unequivocal. "It’s not going to happen. This is the kind of player we want and he’s not going anywhere because I’ve already told him," was the coach's response to questionable rumours of an offer for United's captain from Real Madrid.

There were laughs in the Jimmy Murphy press room at United's Carrington training ground and Amorim seemed completely relaxed. The fact that Fernandes was a completely different profile to the type Madrid tend to sign these days (either established players about to become free agents or young players on the rise) helped him dismiss the story. He added: "We are in control of the situation. I feel that he is really happy here especially because he understands what we want to do, and then I think he is one more supporter of Man United. He really feels it."

But now Fernandes' future at United is no laughing matter and Amorim is no longer in control of the situation. The United captain is seriously considering a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia giants Al-Hilal which could see him triple the salary he earns at Old Trafford and give him the chance to play at the FIFA Club World Cup next month. United could also be in for a huge pay day, with Al-Hilal ready to throw them as much as £100m ($134m) for the Portuguese Magnifico.

Amorim, just as in March, has made it very clear that he wants Fernandes to stay, stating that his captain is "really important for us and what we want to build for the team." But the inconvenient truth is that the time is right for Fernandes to leave United…

Getty Images SportCarrying too much weight

United knew they were in for a summer of great change, with Amorim already telling Alejandro Garnacho that he has to find a new club. Kobbie Mainoo's future is uncertain and the club will be looking for buyers for Marcus Rashford, Antony and Jadon Sancho. Matheus Cunha is going to join and more signings are needed to make sure United make up for their worst campaign in 51 years and get into a position to qualify for the Champions League.

Fernandes was expected to be the unifying force behind the new-look team, the experienced and reliable leader who would uphold the club's standards for the newcomers. But as the player who had carried the club ever since he joined from Sporting CP in January 2020, you could see how weak his arms got. He had shouldered the weight until his back broke. He had run until his lungs gave up. And after the Europa League final defeat to Tottenham, a game in which for once he was one of the worst performers, he hinted that he didn't want to do it any longer.

"If the club thinks it’s time to part ways because they want to do some cash in or whatever, it’s what it is, and football sometimes is like this," Fernandes said. His words came after reports had already emerged of Al-Hilal's interest in him and while he had also said "I’m eager to do more, to be able to bring the club to great days", it felt like he was laying the ground for his imminent departure.

AdvertisementGetty He owes the club nothing

No United fan will blame Fernandes for having had enough and wanting a new challenge. In five and a half years at Old Trafford he has won just one FA Cup and one Carabao Cup. He has only reached the Champions League knockout stage once, with United meekly going out to Atletico Madrid in the last 16.

Sure, some will question Saudi Arabia as his destination, but they know that he does not owe the club anything. He has won the club's player of the year a record-equalling four times. He has scored 98 goals and set up another 97 in his 270 appearances. In his first campaign he took a dysfunctional team under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and made sure they finished second. From the date of his transfer from Sporting, no team picked up more points than United in the 2019-20 season.

In a diabolical last campaign all round, Fernandes finished with 19 goals and 19 assists. His hat-trick fired United past Real Sociedad in the last 16 of the Europa League, his double at San Mames put them on their way to their emphatic 7-1 aggregate win over Athletic Club in the semi-finals. But it was all for nothing as United could not lift the Europa League and have no European football to look forward to for the first time in 11 years. This is a good time as ever for Fernandes to leave.

Getty'Snap their hand off'

But it is also a good time for United to, in Fernandes' words, cash in. And it is a chance that is unlikely to come around again. If United can get the maximum price of £100m out of Al-Hilal then he will become their most expensive sale of all time, easily eclipsing the £80m they received for Cristiano Ronaldo in 2009.

But Ronaldo was 24 when he left for Real Madrid and Romelu Lukaku, their second most expensive outgoing, was 26. Fernandes will be 31 one month into next season. No club outside of the Saudi Pro League is going to consider paying anything like that amount of money for him. The £100m fee would instantly plug the financial hole of losing to Spurs and failing to qualify for the Champions League.

It would also double the club's transfer budget in one fell swoop. And if United can sell the likes of Rashford, Antony and Garnacho wisely, they will have a significant war chest to undertake the squad overhaul that is clearly needed. No wonder then that legendary United midfielder Paul Scholes sees Fernandes' potential sale as a no-brainer. "They are talking about £100m for him. Man United cannot say no to that," he told "I mean he has been brilliant don’t get me wrong. But when you’re getting £100m for him you snap their hand off and take it."

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Getty Not a natural fit in Amorim's system

Scholes also mentioned another little mentioned fact: Fernandes does not naturally fit into Amorim's 3-4-2-1 formation. Amorim's Sporting side played with two speedy narrow No. 10s and two athletic central midfielders. The coach has deployed Fernandes in both roles, and he has tended to perform much better when playing in the advanced role.

His propensity to lose the ball when trying to break the opposition's line makes him vulnerable to playing deeper and it should not be forgotten that Tottenham scored the only goal of the final from a move in which he had surrendered the ball in the middle of the pitch. Indeed, when Amorim has praised Fernandes he has tended to highlight his leadership, his appetite for winning, his willingness to play every game and to play through the pain when he is feeling a niggle or not completely fit.

Scholes added: "You know when you talk about this system as well, I know he has been brilliant and carried the team on his back but where does he play? What is his position? Do you see him as a number 10? Do you see him as a holding midfielder? He almost confuses the whole system because he doesn’t have that one position for him."

Pooran and Stoinis hit Abhishek Sharma for five sixes in the 16th over to turn it around for Super Giants in their 183 chase

ESPNcricinfo staff13-May-20231:34

Bishop on Pooran’s ‘perfect’ role at LSG

Nicholas Pooran said that he, and the Lucknow Super Giants team management, were waiting for that one over in the last five that would be bowled by a Sunrisers Hyderabad spinner, and that’s the one they were waiting for. It came in the form of Abhishek Sharma’s part-time left-arm spin, and between them, Marcus Stoinis and Pooran took 31 from it.It was the 16th over of LSG’s chase of 183. They needed 69 from 30 balls. Aiden Markram threw the ball to Abhishek, and Stoinis hit him for two sixes before holing out trying to hit a third. That’s when Pooran walked out and hit his first three balls for six, becoming only the second player to do so in IPL history. For Pooran, it was the perfect match-up, the left-armer bowling into him.”We spoke at the break [the second strategic time out] and we felt like we needed sixes to win the game,” Pooran told the broadcaster after the game. “At that stage, we knew that they had one spinner to bowl and obviously we felt that once that spinner comes on we need to target him.Related

Mankad 64, Pooran 13-ball 44 take LSG back to No. 4

“Stoiny [Stoinis] targeted him the first two balls but unfortunately got out in the third ball and left-arm orthodox is my match-up, so I was happy to walk in and bat three balls off a left-arm orthodox. That got my innings going, so thank you to Sunrisers for that, but I really enjoyed that as well.”The 31-run over proved to be game-changing as it allowed LSG a way back into the match and they went on to register a seven-wicket win. Pooran ended on 44 not out from 13 balls.”T20 cricket is a batsman’s game. And I believe that part-timers, there’s a reason for part-timers. Either they are on for wickets or you can target them,” Pooran said. “This game is all about taking risks. No risks no rewards. I think it was really important in this game and once it’s your match-up, you need to make it count.”1:31

Should Markram have given Abhishek the 16th over?

Super Giants captain Krunal Pandya said that with batters like Stoinis, who scored 40 off 25 despite a slow start, and Pooran, the team always had belief that they could chase down the target.”The biggest thing what we need as a team and individuals is belief. We had that belief. Plus, players like Pooran, Stoin, they can do something [special],” Krunal said. “Pooran can do special things, he’s a special player. Whenever I see him batting, the self-belief and confidence that he has, it’s tremendous. We had that belief that we can chase it down.”He said that there was no “special message” sent out during the strategic time out and that it was a simple conversation that they needed to go boom or bust.”We knew that we had to go. Almost 80-90 [80] runs we needed in the last six and we had to go after that over,” Krunal said. “Luckily it paid [off] to us that Abhishek bowled that over and he went for five sixes and that changed the momentum.”

It is understood that the material which caught fire consisted mainly of the thatched roofing at Castle Corner

Firdose Moonda21-Jun-2023

On Tuesday night, a fire broke out at Harare Sports Club, which is currently hosting several ODI World Cup Qualifier matches, but swift response from the authorities ensured there was no damage done to the ground despite the close proximity of the blaze. An inspection by the ICC’s security team and Zimbabwe Cricket as well has cleared the venue for continued use in the tournament.Around six hours after Zimbabwe completed a six-wicket win over Netherlands, there were flames seen at the southern end of the ground. ESPNcricinfo understands that the material which caught fire consisted mainly of the thatched roofing at Castle Corner, the area usually occupied by the Zimbabwe Cricket Supporters Union. It is not known what caused the initial spark but on an open field with highly combustible material, the blaze grew quickly. One video showed flames reaching about as high as the trees outside the ground and coming very close to the stands.