Fabrizio Romano shares what he's heard on Man Utd signing Conor Gallagher in January

Manchester United are interested in completing the signing of Atletico Madrid midfielder Conor Gallagher in the January transfer window.

The Red Devils may have found some real form for the first time under Ruben Amorim, but it is also clear that midfield reinforcements are needed, whether that be in January or next summer.

Casemiro feels almost certain to leave United at the end of the season despite finding his goalscoring boots recently, departing when his contract expires, so bringing in a younger alternative to marshal the troops in front of the defence is key.

There is also a general lack of midfield depth for Amorim to call upon, with the club’s 20th most expensive signing Manuel Ugarte struggling to be a convincing signing since arriving, and Mason Mount continuing to be an injury-prone figure.

Gallagher has been linked with a move to United in the past, with the England international considering a potential addition, and now a new update has emerged on a move to Old Trafford.

Man Utd want to seal Conor Gallagher signing

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano claimed that Manchester United remain interested in signing Gallagher on loan from Atletico, with a January move possible.

“I told you several times that Man United want to add a midfielder, but in this moment to go for a very expensive midfielder in the January transfer window might be difficult. Players like (Carlos) Baleba maybe are not even available.

“Same for Angelo Stiller and then there could be opportunities – a name that Manchester United considered in the summer transfer window final days was Connor Gallagher from Atletico Madrid. Conor Gallagher remains an option in case Atletico Madrid decide to open doors to a loan move. At the moment Gallagher is only focused on Atletico Madrid.

“Manchester United’s interest is genuine since August. But Gallagher is one of the options they have in case it could be an opportunity on loan, in case it can be a typical general deal. So we will be following the situation. But Gallagher is a name we have to keep there.”

There is plenty to admire about Gallagher for United, not least the fact that he already has so much Premier League experience from his Chelsea and Crystal Palace days, during which Frank Lampard called his work rate “amazing”.

The 25-year-old has made 136 appearances in the competition, while Atletico’s legendary manager Diego Simeone has lauded his intense style of play.

‘It’s never easy for players coming from England to adapt to the Spanish championship, to the language. He has competed very well in different places and in positions where he doesn’t feel more comfortable. He will evolve, he has room for growth. He is very intense in offensive and defensive play, he brings a lot to us.”

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Gallagher would bring much-needed legs to United’s midfield, potentially proving to be an upgrade on Ugarte, and he has the team ethic to be a popular figure at Old Trafford from the off. The fact that he has only managed two La Liga starts this season also means he could be open for a new challenge.

Man Utd's future "£100m+ footballer" is another Casemiro in the making

Manic Monday awaits with both teams on edge

England assistant coach Trescothick feels KL Rahul and Rishabh Pant will be the two batters who could determine the third Test’s fate

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Jul-20251:20

Manjrekar: Lord’s Test 70-30 in England’s favour

Can England get early wickets and push their way past India in their quest to take a 2-1 lead in the series? Can India stay positive and get the 135 runs required to win consecutive Tests after losing the series opener?According to Marcus Trescothick, England’s assistant coach, both teams are “desperate” to win, which will only add to the excitement to this gripping Lord’s Test, which has been drama-filled over the weekend.”Well, if I knew that, I could probably relax a little bit easier coming into tomorrow,” Trescothick said at the post-match media briefing when asked which team had the edge going into day five. “But of course, both teams are desperate to win.Related

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The day India's bowlers rose in unison

“It’s going to be amazing, isn’t it? Already we’ve seen four good days of cricket and two games, which have been well supported, but that last sort of hour or half-an-hour, the support and the energy around the ground made it amazing really, didn’t it? Everybody was invested into it.”From an England point of view, obviously brilliant – we love those sorts of situations when the crowd is really up behind the team. Hopefully we can get a bit more of that tomorrow and we can sort of push forward to winning the game. So it will revolve around the first hour of the day tomorrow, how positive India can be, how dominant we can be with the ball, and how many earlier wickets we can get.”Lord’s has been a sellout over the weekend and the crowd had been on the edge of their seats for most of Sunday. which was bookended by a lot of drama. If the morning session started with Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Siraj delivering probing spells to strangle England, Brydon Carse and Ben Stokes took back control from India by picking three late wickets to leave them at 58 for 4.Still England will be wary of the remaining India batters. KL Rahul, who is unbeaten on 33, still has Rishabh Pant, Ravindra Jadeja, Nitish Kumar Reddy and Washington Sundar left to come in. Trescothick agreed that Rahul and Pant were the two “dangerous” batters who could hurt England on Monday if they found their footing.Rahul, who scored his second century of this series on Saturday, has found success with his old-school approach to Test batting, which relies on defence, and Trescothick said dismissing him early would be key to prising open the India batting.”KL’s been classical old-school style of Test cricket and he’s left the ball really well. His judgment of the length is good, looked to bat for a long period of time and he’s done it well,” he said. “Obviously [Rahul got] a hundred in the first innings. Hopefully we can get him out early and we can start getting into the rest of the tail as they come along. But he’s been pretty dominant in a few of the games that he’s played and he’s pretty much got a score in most innings that he’s played.”2:02

Manjrekar: ‘Lion-hearted’ effort from Siraj

India remain confident of claiming another Lord’s win after their thrilling victory in 2021, which ended on the final hour of the fifth day. Washington, who enjoyed one of his “best” days in Test cricket after picking 4 for 22, said India were positive and it would be “amazing” to win a Test at Lord’s. The allrounder said there was no particular “approach” India would take in scaling the target, barring playing to the situation. “We know it’s going to go really well for us,” he said.All through, fans of both teams were completely immersed in the run of play, especially the India supporters who – based on the noise levels – seemed to have outnumbered those backing Stokes’ side. That the fans could be a catalyst was evident when Joe Root, standing in slips, started to bring his hands together asking the home fans to get behind England.Trescothick agreed the electric atmosphere was an important element and would once again play a role on Monday.”It might take a wicket [early on day five] to sort of get it going,” he said. “We might need Joe to wind them [the fans] up again. But the support has been brilliant throughout because obviously we know both teams are really well supported and it’s great that we have that. And of course, tomorrow will be no different, because everyone loves their cricket and we’ll get another full house where both sets of supporters will get to see a finale of amazing Test.”

Aston Villa looking to hijack Todd Boehly club for one of the "most promising young full-backs"

Going head-to-head with Chelsea in the transfer market, Aston Villa have now reportedly set their sights on signing one of the “most promising” defenders that Ligue 1 has to offer.

Emery not "surprised" by Go Ahead Eagles defeat

Whilst the rest of the Premier League may have watched on in shock as Go Ahead Eagles defeated Aston Villa in the Europa League on Thursday, Unai Emery admitted that the 2-1 loss did not “surprise” him.

The Spaniard initially saw his side race into the lead courtesy of one of their most expensive signings, Evann Guessand, before goals from Mathis Suray and Mats Deijl turned the game on its head in dramatic fashion. Emiliano Buendia did have the chance to level things up from the spot, but only compiled Villa’s misery by missing his penalty.

Having his say on the result, Emery said: “It was not a surprise to lose for me and the players because we are having here our experiences playing in Europe and playing away. Every year we had one defeat like that. Two years ago, Legia Warsaw, last year, Brugge, and this year, yesterday.

“Of course, still matches to play, and I want to learn. For me, yesterday, everything happened, for us, is learning. Learning, and as well reminding ourselves the experiences we had in some similar circumstances.

“Why? Because of course we were favourites and of course we dominated and of course we had more chances, but even like that, you can lose. In Europa League we are being consistent, even yesterday, losing, we are being consistent.”

Aston Villa eyeing £150,000-a-week Man City star who Pep is set to sell

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Performing well on the European stage will be the key for Aston Villa if they want to avoid further PSR problems and then attract some of the most promising talents around. Advancing in the Europa League would, for example, do them no harm in the race to beat Chelsea to an impressive Ligue 1 defender.

Aston Villa set sights on Guela Doue

According to Pete O’Rourke, Aston Villa are now eyeing a move to sign Guela Doue from Strasbourg, but face competition from Chelsea, who are looking to put Todd Boehly’s links to good use once again, with Strasbourg under BlueCo ownership.

If there were any doubts about Doue’s potential, then they should have been put to bed against PSG last weekend. The right-back got an assist as Strasbourg shocked the European champions by racing into a 3-1 lead before eventually drawing 3-3 at the Parc des Princes.

At just 23 years old, there’s still plenty to come from Doue and that plenty could come at Villa Park in the near future.

'Grown man playing with kids' – Erling Haaland described as 'superhuman' now that he's back to his very best with Man City

Praise continues to flood in for Manchester City phenomenon Erling Haaland, who surpassed 10 Premier League goals in the first eight games of a season for the third time in his career with both goals in Saturday's 2-0 victory over Everton at Etihad Stadium. The 25-year-old has already scored an astonishing 23 goals in 13 matches for club and country this season.

  • Haaland continues to smash records

    No player other than Haaland has achieved the feat of reaching double figures in Premier League goals by match number eight, but the Norwegian powerhouse has achieved it in three of his four years for City. If he continues scoring at his current rate, he will score an unprecedented 52 goals this season. Logic dictates that is nigh-on impossible, but logic clearly has not met Haaland.

    The 25-year-old could conceivably reach 100 Premier League goals by early November, his total of 96 leaving four goals to go ahead of matchups with Aston Villa, Bournemouth and Liverpool and a Champions League clash with former club Borussia Dortmund sandwiched in between. The fastest player to the landmark is currently the division’s all-time top scorer Alan Shearer, who managed the feat in 124 games – Haaland has played just 105 so far. He is a truly generational goalscorer, and then some – the greatest that English football has ever seen, according to Jamie Carragher.

    Though Haaland himself still feels he has a challenge on his hands to win the European Golden Boot ahead of Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

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    Nevin and BBC Sport pundits heap praise on Haaland

    "The man is an absolute phenomenon," former Chelsea winger Pat Nevin said on BBC Radio 5 Live. "He was walking about and looking fairly disinterested in the game. We had hardly mentioned his name. The ball has landed to him twice and never for a millisecond do you think it's going to end up anywhere but the goal.

    "The thing with Haaland when you see him at his very best is that he just looks like a grown man playing with kids. He has got that back again hasn't he? People just bounce off him, his pace is extraordinary and he looks superhuman. He is alive again."

    Former Premier League striker Glenn Murray said on Final Score: "The scary thing is, he has become more complete this season. He is a better footballer than when he arrived at Manchester City and scored all those goals. He was just a goalscorer then, I think his all-round game is improving."

    The aforementioned Shearer added on BBC Match of the Day: "If you are building from scratch what you want as the ideal centre-forward. Look at Haaland. He has goals, pace, strength, is good in the air. Doesn't mind being roughed up, it doesn't bother him if he doesn't have many touches. He is almost perfect."

  • 'I'm disappointed he did not score five!' – Guardiola

    City boss Pep Guardiola said of Haaland following Saturday's victory: "Sergio [Aguero] scored a lot of goals with his head but the presence from Erling, his stature is huge. I am really pleased, not just for the incredible threat to the opponent but [that] we found him much more than the first half. That is really important, when you have these players you have to use them. Erling lives for it. Our delivery of passes has been better and Erling is our key man right now.

    "[I'm] disappointed he did not score four or five," Guardiola added. "All jokes aside, really pleased but we cannot rely on just him, we need other players [to score]. Wingers, attacking midfielders. They have to make a step up and score goals. We play to provide Erling with quality and passing but other players have to step up. The chances were clear, and they have to score. At this level they have to demand themselves. Chances from Savinho and Jeremy [Doku] and Tijjani [Reijnders] – they have to score. They have to do it otherwise we can't do what we want to do."

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    Haaland continues to haunt opposition managers

    Toffees manager David Moyes explained a conversation he had with Haaland at full-time: "I wish he had been somewhere else! Most managers will be thinking the same."

    He added: "I thought in the main we did a really good job. But then how can you say that? He scored two goals. The second one was a bit scruffy and we had not given him too many opportunities.

    "Later on in the game, I give great credit to our goalkeeper, the way he defended Haaland one-v-one because we had opened up trying to get a goal."

Emery must bench Rogers & unleash Aston Villa star who's "like a Bernardo"

Will Aston Villa woes in front of goal continue?

On Sunday, at the fifth attempt, the Villans did manage to score a Premier League goal for the very first time this season, thanks to this Matty Cash rocket at the Stadium of Light.

However, it did not help the Claret and Blue Army claim a maiden win of the season, with Sunderland equalising soon after, despite the fact the Black Cats played for around an hour with only ten men.

Next up, Unai Emery’s team will commence their Europa League campaign, welcoming Coppa Italia winners Bologna to Villa Park, hoping for a repeat of the 2-0 victory they enjoyed against the Rossoblù in the Champions League 11 months ago.

To do this, Villa will have to unearth a way to score goals, having managed only two in six fixtures across all competitions so far, which is why Emery should unleash his summer signing who is Bernardo Silva-esque.

Morgan Rogers' ongoing struggles

Last season was very much Morgan Rogers’ breakout campaign, scoring a whopping 14 goals and registering 16 assists across all competitions.

As recognition, he was named PFA Young Player of the Year, only the fifth Villa player to win the award, after Andy Gray (1977), Gray Shaw (1981), Ashley Young (2009) and James Milner (2010).

However, this time round, Rogers is yet to register either a goal or an assist in six appearances, seemingly struggling for confidence.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Rogers himself admitted “I might have been a surprise package last year, but now people know about me and they know about my game” adding, “they try to stop me…it’s been difficult”.

Given Villa’s ongoing struggles in front of goal, it is surely worth Emery trying something different when Bologna visit Birmingham on Thursday, so should he make a bold change instead?.

Who Unai Emery should start instead of Morgan Rogers

After a summer of frustrations due to PSR restrains, Aston Villa’s deadline day trolley dash saw them pick up Victor Lindelöf, Jadon Sancho and, most notably, Harvey Elliott.

The latter arrived from Liverpool initially on loan, but with a £35m option to buy, having starred at the under-21 European Championships, scoring five goals as England retained their title in Slovakia, named player of the tournament.

At the time of his Fulham debut against Wolves in May 2019, Elliott became the youngest player in Premier League history, subsequently spending six years at Liverpool without ever being a first-team regular, underlined by the fact that 78 of his 149 appearances for the Reds came as a substitute.

​​​​​​​

Still only 22 years old, he has moved to Villa aiming to become a first team regular, yet to start a league match in claret and blue, but that fact will surely soon change.

Well, Elliott did have an immediate impact at his new club, becoming the first Villan to score a goal this season, breaking the deadlock against Brentford in the EFL Cup last Tuesday, as they were ousted on penalties in West London.

His statistics from this summer’s aforementioned under-21 Euros underline Elliott’s potential.

Elliott – U21 Euros

Stat

Elliott

U21 Euros rank

Goals

5

2nd

Shots

20

1st

Shots on target

7

2nd

Big chances missed

3

2nd

Key passes

10

7th

Total passes

230

5th**

Average SofaScore rating

7.53

1st*

*minimum 5 appearances; **among midfielders only.

All stats via SofaScore

As the table notes, Elliott was key to England as an attacking force during the summer, with only Newcastle’s new signing Nick Woltemade​​​​​​​ scoring more goals, while only Mathys Tel of Tottenham registered more shots on target, both of whom are strikers.

Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville said that the Englishman is “like a Bernardo [Silva]”, given his ability to “control the game from a wide area”, praising his “technical ability”, while former Liverpool striker Neil Mellor labelled him a “special young talent”.

Given Aston Villa’s lack of goal threat so far, they simply need to make room for Elliott in their lineup, ideally as a central figure, which could force Rogers onto the bench.

Their visitors on Thursday Bologna have lost both away matches so far this season, beaten 1-0 by both Roma and AC Milan in Serie A, while the Rossoblù have not won on English soil since beating West Bromwich Albion in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 58 years ago.

Thus, this is a match Europa League king Emery should be looking to win, but, stating the obvious, his team will need to score a goal to achieve this, and adding Elliott to his starting lineup may be his best hope of achieving this.

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KKR vs RCB kick off IPL spectacle for the first time since 2008

Big picture

For the first time since they played the first game of the IPL Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will start the season. Something special was born that night, 17 years ago. A thirst trap.A thousand games have come and gone and the fans just can’t get enough. Grounds fill up quicker than an international match (Eden’s been sold out). The trophy’s been taken on tour. Players’ arrivals are being clipped out like movie trailers. Virat Kohli charms 29.1 million souls just by bouncing a ball on his bat. The only thing that has grown as rapidly as the IPL is the people’s appetite for its singular brand of superstars and mayhem.KKR and RCB have had some thrilling encounters. There was a one-run victory just last year. And they’ve propelled this league, and by extension T20 cricket, forward in various ways. Sunil Narine taught the value of opening batters not valuing their wicket. AB de Villiers pointed out that runs can be scored behind the wicket with the same consistency as those in front of it. Andre Russell has been conducting experiments to see if he can hit a ball into outer space for some time now.Related

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  • Will 300 be scored for the first time in IPL 2025?

All we have to do is just sit back and watch. (And hope the rain stays away.)

Next three fixtures

KKR go on a trip to Guwahati and Mumbai to face Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians before returning home to host Sunrisers Hyderabad.RCB have a five-day gap before their second game against Chennai Super Kings. Then they go up against Gujarat Titans. That’s a lot of high-quality spin for their batters to deal with to begin the season. But once they’re through, they’ll find themselves at the Wankhede and there’s always runs to be had there.

New loyalties

Phil Salt was KKR’s second-highest run-scorer in 2024 and he made those 435 runs at a strike rate of 182. His proclivity to hit the boundary first and ask questions later was an important point of difference for a side that scored its runs quicker than anybody else. Salt’s gifts are with RCB now.1:12

Cricinformed: Patidar, a menace for spinners

Team news & likely XIIs

KKR might not mind losing one half of the opening combination that worked so well last time around considering they were able to bring in a former IPL winner in Quinton de Kock to take over. They will want him to improve on his record at Eden Gardens though (65 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 112). Spencer Johnson or Anrich Nortje will step in for Mitchell Starc, whom the franchise has let go.Kolkata Knight Riders (probable): 1 Sunil Narine, 2 Quinton de Kock (wk), 3 Ajinkya Rahane (capt) 4 Angkrish Raghuvanshi, 5 Venkatesh Iyer, 6 Rinku Singh, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Ramandeep Singh, 9 Harshit Rana, 10 Varun Chakaravarthy, 11 Spencer Johnson/Anrich Nortje, 12 Vaibhav AroraRCB have armed themselves with a long batting line-up, which should give them the tools they need to take all the risks they want even against a good bowling attack like KKR. However, their new spinner Suyash Sharma could be a doubt to face his former franchise as he is returning from a long rehab following a groin injury.Royal Challengers Bengaluru (probable): 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Liam Livingstone, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Swapnil Singh/Mohit Rathee/Rasikh Salam

Big question

Have RCB made the right choice in elevating Rajat Patidar to the captaincy? They are yet to win an IPL title and the pressure of that now falls squarely on the shoulders of a man who is a fringe player for India and who only came into the franchise in 2021. The people who know him best, though, suggest he will be more than up for the challenge.

In the spotlight: Rinku Singh and Virat Kohli

India have reached new levels of T20 batting since winning the world title. They almost made 300 once, an innings that ended with Rinku Singh sending the last ball for six. He was overlooked for the World Cup but has played 18 of 20 matches since. The IPL was the tournament that put Rinku on the map. What has he got cooking this season?Until IPL 2024, Virat Kohli tended to play out Varun Chakravarthy and Narine and look for his runs elsewhere. But last year, he decided to take them down. His strike rate against the two KKR mystery spinners went up from 98.56 to 166.66. Although it was only a small sample size (18 balls in one match), it signalled a change in Kohli’s outlook. He was willing to take more risks. Will that continue this time around too?1:59

Cricinformed: What makes Narine a six-hitting machine?

Key stats

  • Varun and Narine’s eight overs will likely define the outcome of this game. Their strengths – Varun is a wicket-taker, he had a strike rate of 14.2 last season, and Narine is the banker, he gave away only 6.7 runs an over – line up against an RCB weakness. Five of their top seven, barring Patidar and Jitesh Sharma, have a strike rate below 140 against spin in T20 cricket since 2024. In Liam Livingstone (107) and Tim David’s (106) cases, it’s barely a run a ball.
  • Since top-scoring for KKR in IPL 2024, Narine is averaging 9.05 as a batter across 20 innings with a highest score of 38. Will that prompt a change in the batting order? It’s unlikely, but they do have options. Ajinkya Rahane, their new captain, for example, enjoys batting in the powerplay.
  • Patidar’s elevation to RCB captaincy is based on the value he brought to the team as a middle-overs (7-16) hitter. He scored over 300 runs in this phase last year, at a strike rate of 180.68. His strike rate against spin was even higher (197.24).
  • Although RCB have lost Mohammed Siraj, they’ve brought in the IPL’s highest wicket-taker in the powerplay – Bhuvneshwar Kumar with 71. They also have Josh Hazlewood, who has done well in every phase of play in this tournament (14 wickets at an economy rate of 7.4 in the powerplay, eight at 7.7 in the middle and 13 at 10 in the death).

Pitch & conditions

IPL 2024 set a new benchmark for run-scoring and Eden Gardens played a part in that. The conditions there were so conducive to batting that there were six totals of 200 or more, including a successful chase of 262. But putting a dampener on all that fun is a poor weather forecast for the game on Saturday. A steady drizzle on Friday evening brought about an early end to the team’s practice session. The practice began as scheduled at 5pm, but rain set in around 6pm, cutting short the prep.

ترتيب مجموعة السعودية في تصفيات كأس العالم بعد التعادل مع العراق

تأهل منتخب السعودية إلى نهائيات كأس العالم 2026، المقرر إقامته في أمريكا وكندا والمكسيك، بعد التعادل مع العراق، مساء الثلاثاء.

والتقى منتخب السعودية مع العراق، في الجولة الأخيرة من مباريات المجموعة الثانية للمرحلة الرابعة والنهائية من تصفيات آسيا المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم.

وانتهت المباراة بين السعودية والعراق، التي أقيمت في السعودية، بالتعادل السلبي بدون أهداف، لينهي المرحلة الرابعة والنهائية من تصفيات كأس العالم في صدارة المجموعة الثانية برصيد 4 نقاط، متفوقًا على العراق بفارق الأهداف المسجلة.

وكان منتخب السعودية فاز على إندونيسيا في لقاء الجولة الأولي 3-2، وأيضًا منتخب العراق انتصر على إندونيسيا 1-0.

طالع | المنتخبات المتأهلة إلى كأس العالم 2026 (محدث باستمرار)

ويأتي تأهل منتخب السعودية إلي نهائيات كأس العالم، للمرة السابعة في تاريخها ذلك بعد أعوام، 1994، 1998، 2002، 2006، 2018 و2022.

بينما منتخب العراق سيخوض ملحق قاري آسيوي ضد منتخب الإمارت صاحب المركز الثاني في المجموعة الأولي، الفائز منهما، يلعب ملحق عالمي مع القارات الأخرى.

وكانت 6 منتخبات حسمت التأهل بشكل مباشر من المرحلة الثالثة إلى نهائيات كأس العالم، وهي إيران وأوزبكستان وكوريا الجنوبية والأردن واليابان وأستراليا.

ومن ثم حسم منتخبا قطر والسعودية، التأهل إلى كأس العالم من المرحلة الرابعة والنهائية للتصفيات الآسيوية. ترتيب مجموعة السعودية في تصفيات كأس العالم

1- السعودية، 4 نقاط ( له 3 أهداف وعليه 2).

2- العراق، 4 نقاط ( له هدف ولم يسكن مرماه أي أهداف).

3- إندونيسيا، بدون نقاط.

Nottingham Forest open talks to bring "unbelievable" 66-cap star to City Ground

Nottingham Forest are keen to strengthen the ranks before the window shuts and have now opened talks with an experienced international over a move to the City Ground, according to a report.

Nottingham Forest draw at Selhurst Park amid managerial uncertainty

Creating a backdrop of intrigue, the furore over Crystal Palace’s expulsion from the Europa League that led to Nottingham Forest taking their place fanned the flames of an entertaining 1-1 draw between both sides at Selhurst Park last weekend.

Furthermore, Nuno Espirito Santo’s uncertain future and links with Ange Postecoglou replacing him at the City Ground haven’t quietened things down, albeit the Portuguese boss appeared to cool talk that he is set for an imminent exit.

Nottingham Forest managerNunoEspirito Santo is seen before the match

He told Match of the Day: “I am a person that thinks a lot before saying anything. I say because I believe that things can improve but now is a moment to ignore the noise and focus on what I have to do. My job is clear.

“Of course, there will be resolution. Everything is going to be OK, for sure. It is the moment to sit down and talk. More important is how we play football and I think we are improving, trying to adjust some things and that is where my focus is.”

Speculation is rife over potential additions and AS Monaco midfielder Soungoutou Magassa is on Nottingham Forest’s radar to strengthen their midfield amid competition from West Ham United for his signature.

Matty Cash could also pitch up at the City Ground to provide competition for Ola Aina at full-back, and many suspect there will be more signings to come as Espirito Santo looks to build a squad capable of challenging for continental qualification once again.

Nottingham Forest open talks to sign Dominik Livakovic

According to The Guardian, Nottingham Forest have opened talks to sign Fenerbahce goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic and he is open to a Premier League move before the window draws to a close.

The Croatia international, who has been capped 66 times by his country, is wanted to provide competition for Matz Sels between the sticks and his current employers would be willing to let him leave Istanbul should the correct fee be put on the table.

Nottingham Forest "exploring" deal to sign "versatile" Premier League rival

Forest fans are more than familiar with his ability.

ByTom Cunningham Aug 21, 2025

Praised by Luka Modric for his role in Croatia’s penalty shoot-out victory over Japan at the 2022 World Cup, the 30-year-old kept nine clean sheets in 32 appearances last season, maintaining a save percentage of 66.2%.

Ante Budimir also lauded Livakovic’s “absolutely unbeliavable” contribution on that famous night in Qatar, though he has now fell out of favour under Jose Mourinho and could be set for an exciting new challenge.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur have made their interest known over the last few years. However, Livakovic would provide genuine competition for Sels and Angus Gunn as the Tricky Trees juggle domestic and European endeavours.

A dream for Calvert-Lewin: Leeds offer contract terms to sign £24.5m star

Leeds United manager Daniel Farke has made no secret of the fact that he would like to see the club bring in more attackers before the end of the summer transfer window.

At the time of writing, Lukas Nmecha is the only attacker signed by the Whites so far, having joined on a free transfer from Wolfsburg early on in the window.

The Championship champions have still yet to replace Manor Solomon, who returned to Spurs at the end of his loan spell last season, with a new winger to bolster the squad.

However, Farke is reportedly on course to land a new option to pick from in the centre-forward position, in the form of free agent Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

The Athletic’s David Ornstein reports that the former England international is set to undergo a medical before completing a switch to Elland Road.

It currently remains to be seen whether or not he will be signed in time to make his debut against his former club at Elland Road in the Premier League on Monday.

What Dominic Calvert-Lewin could bring to Leeds

Above all else, Calvert-Lewin is a proven Premier League striker who has been there and done it in the division over a number of years at Everton.

The 28-year-old star scored 71 goals in 273 matches in all competitions during his time with the Toffees, as per Transfermarkt, and will bring experience that Farke does not currently have in that position with Nmecha and Joel Piroe.

Even when he is not at his best from a technical perspective, the 6 foot 2 marksman will also provide a physical presence in the number nine position for Leeds. As per Sofascore, the forward won 3.3 aerial duels per game at a success rate of 51% in the top-flight last term, which shows that he can hold his own against towering defenders.

However, there may be some understandable concerns about his goalscoring record over the last four seasons or so, as he has been far from prolific of late.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s Premier League career

Season

Appearances

Goals

24/25

26

3

23/24

32

7

22/23

17

2

21/22

17

5

20/21

33

16

19/20

36

13

18/19

35

6

17/18

32

4

16/17

11

1

Stats via Transfermarkt

As you can see in the table above, Calvert-Lewin has not hit double figures for goals in the Premier League since the 2020/21 campaign, when fans were not allowed in grounds, and only scored three times last season.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin in action for Everton.

This suggests that Leeds will need plenty of creativity in their side to ensure that enough chances are created to boost the English striker’s output, and a fresh report suggests that they could be on course to add a big creative threat.

Leeds have held talks to sign Championship star

According to CaughtOffside, Leeds United have already held talks with the representatives of Leicester City attacking midfielder Bilal El Khannouss.

The report claims that the Whites have already offered contract terms to the Morocco international, with a £50k-per-week deal waiting for him at Elland Road if he opts to make the move.

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It adds that the number ten has a £24.5m release clause in his contract with the Championship side, and that the West Yorkshire outfit are willing to pay it to snap him up this summer.

CaughtOffside reveals, though, that Newcastle United, RB Leipzig, and Borussia Dortmund are also interested in the 21-year-old playmaker, which means that it will not be an easy deal for Leeds to get over the line.

It is now down to the Championship champions to convince El Khannouss that a move to Elland Road is the best next step for him, and this report suggests that is exactly what they are trying to do at this moment in time.

Why Calvert-Lewin would love El Khannouss

Signing the Leicester playmaker shortly after agreeing a deal to sign Calvert-Lewin on a free transfer could make a lot of sense, because they have the potential to strike up a partnership for the Whites in the upcoming season.

El Khannouss is an attacking midfielder who plays behind the striker, as a number ten in Farke’s 4-2-3-1 system, and this means that he would be directly behind the former Everton man and tasked with supplying him with chances to score.

Leicester City's BilalElKhannoussin action

As aforementioned, Calvert-Lewin has not been in the best of form in front of goal in recent seasons, which means that it is imperative that the Whites supply him with plenty of opportunities to get him back on the goal trail and back to his best.

El Khannouss may have been relegated from the Premier League with the Foxes in the 2024/25 campaign, but he was still able to showcase his quality at the top end of the pitch.

The 21-year-old talent delivered three goals and five assists in all competitions for Leicester, per Sofascore, but his underlying numbers in the Premier League were even more eye-catching.

24/25 Premier League

Bilal El Khannous per 90

Percentile rank vs AMs & wingers

xAG

0.19

Top 46%

Assists

0.12

Bottom 35%

Passes attempted

43.85

Top 15%

Progressive passes

5.28

Top 14%

Passes into the final third

3.67

Top 10%

Key passes

1.73

Top 37%

Through balls

0.45

Top 16%

Stats via FBref

As you can see in the table above, El Khannouss ranked highly among his positional peers in a host of creative metrics in the top-flight, but was not rewarded with the assists that his excellent play deserved.

These statistics show that the Moroccan youngster is an attacking midfielder who likes to find his teammates in dangerous positions in the final third, with progressive passes, key passes, and through balls to cut open opposition defences on a regular basis.

Leicester City's BilalElKhannoussin action with Crystal Palace's Chris Richards

His creative prowess was on display for Leicester in their opening game of the Championship season against Sheffield Wednesday, as he recorded two assists and created three ‘big chances’ in a 2-1 win for his side, per Sofascore.

The £24.5m-rated talent would be a dream for Calvert-Lewin, therefore, because he has the creativity, the passing quality, and the Premier League experience to be a dream number ten for the striker to play ahead of.

Mark Viduka 2.0: Leeds have growing interest in "relentless" £21m star

Leeds United have a growing interest in a star who could be Mark Viduka 2.0 at Elland Road.

ByDan Emery Aug 13, 2025

Whilst it will then be down to the forward to make the most of those chances, the former Everton man will be delighted to have a player who can consistently tee him up for shots at goal.

BPL draft: Taskin goes to Rajshahi, Barishal pick Mahmudullah

Taskin Ahmed was the first player called in this year’s BPL draft when the new franchise Durbar Rajshahi picked the 29-year old fast bowler. Defending champions Fortune Barishal took Mahmudullah, who recently retired from T20Is, with the seventh overall pick as they retained several of their last season’s squad members for the 2024-25 team.Like Taskin, fast bowlers Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana were also first round picks, for Khulna Tigers and Rangpur Riders respectively. Litton Das (Dhaka Capitals), Shamim Hossain (Chittagong Kings) and Rony Talukdar (Sylhet Strikers) rounded off the first round. There was however no takers for Category A players legspinner Rishad Hossain and Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh’s current T20I captain and the top scorer from 2023 season.Barishal would later pick both Shanto and Rishad with the 15th and 43rd overall picks for local cricketers. Shanto hasn’t been in great form off late, while many believed that Rishad’s availability is slightly unclear as the Hobart Hurricane picked him for this season’s BBL.Sylhet took Mashrafe Mortaza, who appeared for the same franchise for the past two seasons. Sylhet had retained Zakir Hasan, Tanzim Hasan, Paul Stirling and George Munsey, while directly signing Jaker Ali. Among those they picked in the draft were Reece Topley, Rahkeem Cornwall and Samiullah Shenwari.Defending champions Barishal retained Tamim Iqbal, the player-of-the-tournament last season, and Mushfiqur Rahim. They directly signed Towhid Hridoy, Dawid Malan, Kyle Mayers, Mohammad Nabi, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Ali and Jahandad Khan. They also took Pathum Nissanka from the draft although the Sri Lankan batter is available partially during the BPL.Pakistani cricketers Saim Ayub (Dhaka Capitals), Akif Javed (Rangpur Riders) and Mohammad Hasnain (Khulna Tigers) were the first three overseas picks, followed by James Fuller (Barishal) and Graham Clark (Chittagong).Among the uncapped Bangladeshi players, Nahid Rana (Rangpur), Habibur Rahman Sohan (Dhaka) and Jishan Alam (Rajshahi) were the early picks.The BPL teams can continue to sign players directly till the scheduled tournament start date of December 27. Barishal, Khulna, Sylhet and Rangpur are the existing franchises while Dhaka, Chittagong and Rajshahi are new in this season.

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