كشف مصدر بـ منتخب مصر الأول، تفاصيل الجلسة التي عقدها حسام حسن المدير الفني للفراعنة مع اللاعبين قبل ساعات من مباراة اليوم أمام بوركينا فاسو، والتي تجمع بينهما ضمن منافسات تصفيات كأس العالم 2026.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر أمام بوركينا فاسو، اليوم على أرضية استاد 4 أغسطس، في إطار لقاءات الجولة الثامنة من تصفيات كأس العالم.

وكان منتخب مصر قد نجح في تحقيق فوز مستحق على إثيوبيا بهدفين دون رد في الجولة السابقة، ليقترب خطوة كبيرة نحو حجز مقعده في نهائيات كأس العالم.

طالع | سيد معوض ينتقد اتحاد الكرة بسبب منتخبي مصر الأول والثاني: ما يحدث من الموقع الرسمي لا يصح

ويخوض منتخب مصر لقاء اليوم ولديه أمل في الفوز بالثلاث نقاط من أجل حسم التأهل بشكل رسمي إلى نهائيات كأس العالم للمرة الرابعة في تاريخه، دون الانتظار لمواجهتي الجولتين التاسعة والعاشرة.

وعلم بطولات، أن حسام حسن عقد جلسة مع لاعبي المنتخب اليوم وركز في حديثه على أهمية حسم التأهل للمونديال لإسعاد الجمهور المصري حيث يعتبر هذا إنجازا للوطن بأكمله وليس له وللاعبين فقط.

ولكن حسام حسن أكد بأن الأهم بالنسبة له ألا يخسر منتخب مصر أمام بوركينا فاسو، وإنه إذا لم يستطع تحقيق الفوز فيجب ألا يخسر.

وأشاد حسام حسن في الوقت نفسه بتركيز اللاعبين وروحهم العالية التي ظهرت في كل مباريات التصفيات، مطالبًا أن تستمر هذه الدوافع في مواجهة بوركينا فاسو.

Southampton have “agreed a fee” with a club over the sale of an “incredible” Saints player, according to a fresh claim from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Will Still outlines plans as Southampton manager

Will Still has begun life as Southampton’s new manager, with the Englishman looking to back up his reputation as an exciting young coach with a big future in the game.

The 32-year-old has already spoken well since taking charge at St Mary’s Stadium, outlining what he wants to see from his team in a tactical sense.

“I don’t like to sit in and wait and be passive in what we do. I’d like our teams to dominate, to go and press, to be as aggressive as we can be. I don’t do that just for the fact of running and to say, oh, we’re going to be really aggressive. We want to be high up the pitch and in the opposition’s third as much as possible.

“It’s been entertaining. I want the players to enjoy it. I want the fans, obviously, to get on board and support it. But it’s (about) creating that environment where we’re here to win and we want to win a lot. We want to win consistently.”

The pressure will be on Still to guide Southampton straight back into the Premier League from the Championship, and he will know that new signings are vital. There are also players who will leave after Saints’ relegation, however, and a key update has emerged regarding one such figure.

"Incredible" Southampton attacker set to leave

Writing on X, Romano reported that Southampton have “agreed a fee” with Trabzonspor over the £6.8m sale of striker Paul Onuachu from St Mary’s.

Seeing Onuachu depart is a shame, given his popularity among Southampton supporters, with his giant stature and unique style making him something of a cult hero.

The Nigerian is a good footballer in his own right, however, scoring four Premier League goals last season and being lauded by Ivan Juric: “He’s an incredible guy, always training hard. He has some good things and some bad things he can do better, but he’s one of those guys that is always working hard.”

The fact that Onuachu only has one year remaining on his current Southampton deal means that selling him now is the sensible decision, though, allowing the club to receive a healthy amount of money that can be used on new signings this summer.

Southampton and Still want to sign new £4m+ forward with 11 goals in 24/25

The Saints are looking for a swift return to the Premier League.

By
Sean Markus Clifford

May 30, 2025

A new striker will be needed in his place, though, and Still has to nail his replacement, in order to give his side the best possible chance of a quickfire return to the top flight.

Leicester City may be on the hunt for a new manager, but that doesn’t mean they have put a pause on recruiting players with pre-season now underway.

Leicester City's hunt for a new manager

Ruud van Nistelrooy was relieved of his duties at Leicester City nine weeks after their relegation from the Premier League, which has put the cat among the pigeons regarding who his successor will be at the King Power Stadium.

Chris Wilder and Sean Dyche have been mentioned in connection with the role, though the chaotic nature of events at the Foxes hasn’t impressed former player Matt Piper.

He stated: “Flip-flopping around from different managers, different journeymen, just reeks of what we’ve all been pointing fingers at the club for. It all seems a little bit unprofessional, not well planned out and scraping the barrel. No candidates really on that list that you’re really excited about or I’m certainly not anyway.”

Certainly, there is an understandable level of dissatisfaction from supporters heading into this season and questions are there to be asked about the process that led to Van Nistelrooy’s future being decided so late on in the grand scheme of things.

Nevertheless, recruitment must go on in the East Midlands, and Leicester could pounce for free agent Jack Kingdon if enough of their budget is put aside to thrash out a deal.

Leicester City’s 2025/26 start

Sheffield Wednesday (H)

Championship

Huddersfield Town (A)

EFL Cup

Preston North End (A)

Championship

Charlton Athletic (A)

Championship

Birmingham City (H)

Championship

Retaining key stars or assets for the future will also be important. However, 16-year-old Louis Page has rejected a professional contract at the Foxes, which will need to be looked at.

Either way, there may finally be some positivity for Leicester fans to get their teeth into amid reports involving their pursuit of a high-profile England international.

Leicester City keen to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

According to Haber Turk, Leicester City are keen on bringing Besiktas midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to the King Power and his current employers are happy to offload him this summer.

The Turkish giants could move to terminate his contract, leaving the former Liverpool man free to leave for nothing, though Premier League newcomers Burnley are also in hot pursuit of the 31-year-old.

Leicester City may now approach 4-4-1-1 boss who has coached 322 PL matches

Ruud van Nistelrooy could find himself ousted at the King Power Stadium.

BySean Markus Clifford Jun 5, 2025

Earning 35 caps for England in his pomp, Oxlade-Chamberlain scored once in 20 appearances for Besiktas last term, struggling to break into their side regularly due to a string of injury issues.

It remains to be seen whether he would be willing to drop to the Championship, but his affordability will definitely appeal to those in the corridors of power at the Foxes.

Once labelled “brilliant” by Paul Merson, Oxlade-Chamberlain still has more to give at a high level. Nevertheless, his wage demands will need to be factored in should Leicester press ahead in negotiations, as he currently earns £69,000-a-week with Besiktas.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has now personally requested the signing of an “incredible” goalkeeper as a replacement for Ederson, according to a report.

Guardiola left dissatisfied by shock Club World Cup exit

Few would have predicted the Blues’ shock Club World Cup exit at the hands of Al-Hilal, especially considering Guardiola’s side looked like the City of old in the 5-2 victory over Juventus in their final group game.

However, Al-Hilal ultimately progressed to the quarter-final courtesy of a 4-3 victory, with Ederson making just two saves throughout the match, following on from a 2024-25 campaign which fell below the Brazilian’s lofty standards.

Roy Keane was particularly critical of the goalkeeper last season, claiming he had been “getting away with murder”, before going on to suggest that Guardiola should consider dropping the six-time Premier League winner.

Related Man Utd make approach to sign "sensational" striker; prepared to pay £60m+

The Red Devils are now in contact to sign a forward, and they are willing to match his current club’s asking price.

Posts 3 ByDominic Lund Jul 2, 2025

Crucially, the City boss is also now growing tired of Ederson’s performances, according to a report from Spain, which states Guardiola has been left deeply dissatisfied by his side’s Club World Cup exit and wants to sign a new goalkeeper this summer.

As such, Pep has now personally requested the signing of FC Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa, who is protected by a €75m (£65m) release clause in his contract, which is not out of Man City’s budget.

Costa is open to leaving the Portuguese club this summer, despite his contract running until 2027, with the goalkeeper eager to test himself at an elite level prior to the 2026 World Cup.

Guardiola views the Portugal international as a complete player, who would be suited to his style of play, with the Blues now making moves to secure his signature, and the deal could accelerate in the coming weeks.

"Incredible" Costa impressing for club and country

International teammate Diogo Dalot has been left very impressed by the shot-stopper in the past, saying: “I think Portugal’s secret is Diogo Costa. Diogo Costa is the most hidden secret in European football and today he showed up.

“Today I think he reached a completely different level. The one-on-one situation was incredible. Then he had the focus to make three consecutive saves. We have to be very proud of him.”

Not only has the 25-year-old caught the eye for his country, but he has also performed at a high level for Porto over the past year, maintaining a very impressive clean sheet percentage, when compared to other goalkeepers.

Key goalkeeping metric

Average per 90

Clean sheet percentage

50% (95th percentile)

Goals against

0.84 (90th percentile)

Although Ederson’s performances have concerned Pep, it will be a difficult task to replace the Brazil international, given that he has played a major role in City’s recent success, but Costa has proven that he could be a worthy heir between the sticks.

Leeds United were given a very timely reminder of how easy it can be to get recruitment wrong at Premier League level when they sanctioned a loan exit for Max Wober this month.

The central defender has been sent out on loan to Werder Bremen for next season, having been deemed not to be good enough to play a key role for Daniel Farke next term.

Wober was initially signed by Victor Orta for £11m from Salzburg in January 2023 whilst Leeds were in the Premier League, but he was unable to prevent the team from being relegated.

The Whites have already added Lukas Nmecha, Sebastiaan Bornauw, and Jaka Bijol to the squad that is hoping to avoid the drop next term, but there is still plenty more work to be done before the window slams shut.

Here’s what Leeds United’s dream squad could look like if everything goes according to plan this summer.

The goalkeepers A new number one

Leeds know that they need to recruit a new first-choice goalkeeper to line up between the sticks for them next season, because Illan Meslier is not going to cut it.

The French goalkeeper made three errors that directly led to goals and conceded 2.73 more goals than expected, based on the xG against him, in the Championship last term.

This does not suggest that Meslier is likely to be good enough to make the step up to the top tier again, which is why Leeds should cash in on him amid interest from Fenerbahce.

Leeds have reportedly made contact over a deal to sign goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who has a £19m release clause, from Torino this month, and he would arrive as the new number one in an ideal world.

Appearances

39

37

Save percentage

71%

76%

Penalties committed

1/4

4/7

Goals prevented

-2.73

+10.56

Pass accuracy in own half

93%

93%

Error led to goal

3

1

As you can see in the table above, the Serbia international could come in as a gigantic upgrade on Meslier, as both a reliable goalkeeper who does not make many errors, and as a shot-stopper.

Full list of goalkeepers: Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Karl Darlow, Alex Cairns

The defence A whole new left side for Leeds

The last six teams that have been promoted from the Premier League have been relegated at the first attempt, which suggests that it is likely that the Whites will have a busy defence next season as they bid to avoid joining that statistic.

Leeds did only concede 30 goals in 46 matches in the Championship, despite Meslier’s dire form, which may be why Jayden Bogle could stay as the first-choice right-back, and Sam Byram has penned a new deal to provide depth at right-back and left-back when needed.

Farke has already bolstered his ranks at centre-back, though, with the arrivals of Jaka Bijol from Udinese for £15m and Sebastiaan Bornauw from Wolfsburg for around £5m. They will now look to compete with Joe Rodon and Pascal Struijk for the two starting roles at the heart of the defence.

It is on the left side of the defence where it will be all change for Leeds, though, as they do not have any senior left-backs in the building following Junior Firpo’s exit.

Gabriel Gudmundsson has joined for a reported fee of £10m to replace Firpo, but the Whites have also been touted with interest in Slavia Prague’s £22m-rated Malick Diouf.

The Senegal international, who is only 20, could be a back-up to Gudmundsson initially, with the potential to explode as an exciting left-back option in the future, after he scored seven goals in 27 league games in Czechia last season.

Full list of centre-backs: Joe Rodon, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Jaka Bijol, Pascal Struijk

Full list of right-backs: Jayden Bogle, Sam Byram

Full list of left-backs: Gabriel Gudmundsson, Malick Diouf

The midfielders Farke reunites with former star

The midfield section of the squad is split into two profiles, with one group of midfielders to play in the double pivot of the 4-2-3-1 formation, and the other group as options for the number ten position.

In the first section, Farke currently has Ao Tanaka, Ethan Ampadu, and Ilia Gruev to pick from, but they are reportedly looking to add to their options in that area of the pitch.

They are said to be interested in Hoffenheim giant Anton Stach, who is valued at £17m, after he started 29 matches in the Bundesliga for his club last season.

Possible signing Anton Stach

6 ft 4

Ilia Gruev

6 ft 1

Ethan Ampadu

6 ft

Ao Tanaka

5 ft 11

Brenden Aaronson

5 ft 10

As you can see in the table above, the 26-year-old German titan would bring some much-needed height and physicality to Farke’s options in the middle of the park.

In the number ten role, Leeds have been linked with an interest in Aston Villa’s Emiliano Buendia, who is valued at £20m, as a player who has worked with the manager before.

The Argentina international produced 24 goals and 41 assists in 121 appearances for the boss at Norwich, which suggests that he may offer more to Leeds at the top end of the pitch than Brenden Aaronson, who only managed nine goals and two assists in 46 league games last season.

Full list of central midfielders: Anton Stach, Ethan Ampadu, Ao Tanaka, Ilia Gruev

Full list of attacking midfielders: Emiliano Buendia, Brenden Aaronson

The forwards Surprise move for huge Premier League flop

Lukas Nmecha, as a back-up striker, is the only attacking signing that Leeds have made to bolster Farke’s options at the top end of the pitch, but they are expected to be active in the forward areas.

They may already be content with what they have on the right flank, though, as Dan James has put pen to paper on a new contract at Elland Road, and they have Wilfried Gnonto in reserve, whilst Buendia is also capable of playing on the right flank.

There does look set to be a change through the middle for the Championship champions, though, as they are in the market to sign another striker on top of Nmecha.

Leeds are reportedly keen on a deal to bring Nikola Krstovic, who is valued at £21m, to Elland Road from Italian side Lecce, and he may be the best available option for the club to pursue.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin

16 (20/21 Premier League)

Nikola Krstovic

11 (24/25 Serie A)

Rodrigo Muniz

9 (23/24 Premier League)

Evan Ferguson

6 (23/24 Premier League)

Josh Sargent

5 (20/21 Bundesliga)

As you can see in the table above, Krstovic has the most recent history of hitting double figures for goals among the club’s top centre-forward targets, as Calvert-Lewin’s best season came five years ago.

The Montenegro international has proven that he can score goals in a major European league and could come in to start in the number nine position, leaving Joel Piroe and Nmecha behind him as depth options for Farke, which could also see Mateo Joseph and Patrick Bamford seek game time elsewhere.

For the left flank, talks to bring Manor Solomon back on a permanent basis from Tottenham Hotspur have reportedly stalled, which means that they may have to explore other options.

As an alternative to the Israel international, Leeds should make a surprise move for Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Fabio Silva, who was linked with a move to Yorkshire back in June.

Silva was a huge flop in the Premier League with Wolves, scoring four goals in 62 games after a £35.6m move from Porto, but his form on loan in LaLiga with Las Palmas last season suggests that he has developed since then.

The Portugal international, who was once described as a “generational” talent by scout Jacek Kulig, delivered ten goals and three assists in La Liga, playing off the left and through the middle as a versatile forward, which suggests that he could be a solid addition on the flank for Leeds at a reported fee of £21m.

That would leave Largie Ramazani, who managed six goals and two assists in seven league starts last term, as the back-up option on the left wing next season, and possibly force Jack Harrison out of the squad.

Full list of right wingers: Dan James, Wilfried Gnonto

Full list of centre-forwards: Nikola Krstovic, Joel Piroe, Lukas Nmecha

Full list of left wingers: Fabio Silva, Largie Ramazani

كشف أحمد جاب الله، طبيب النادي الأهلي، عن آخر المستجدات الخاصة بالحالة الصحية للاعب الفريق إمام عاشور، بعد تعرضه لوعكة مفاجئة خلال الساعات الماضية.

وقال جاب الله في تصريحات عبر الموقع الرسمي للنادي: “إمام عاشور اشتكى من آلام حادة في البطن خلال الساعات الماضية، مع وجود اشتباه في إصابته بنزلة معوية”.

وأضاف: “اللاعب يخضع لفحوصات شاملة وتحاليل دقيقة، للتعرف على أسباب الآلام التي يعاني منها، ويتواجد بالمستشفى لمدة ثلاثة أيام تحت الملاحظة الطبية، على أن يخضع لفحوصات جديدة بعد ذلك لمزيد من الاطمئنان على حالته”.

طالع أيضًا | خاص | تحرك عاجل من الأهلي بعد التعادل مع إنبي في الدوري

وكان عاشور قد شارك بديلًا أمام إنبي للمرة الأولى بعد عودته من إصابة سابقة في الكتف، في اللقاء الذي انتهى بالتعادل الإيجابي بهدف لمثله، ضمن الجولة السادسة من الدوري الممتاز، وهو التعثر الذي أبقى الأهلي في المركز الخامس عشر برصيد 6 نقاط فقط.

ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة سيراميكا كليوباترا يوم الجمعة 19 سبتمبر، ضمن منافسات الجولة السابعة من البطولة المحلية، في لقاء يسعى خلاله المارد الأحمر لتصحيح مساره المحلي بعد بدايته المخيبة.

The new state-of-the-art NCA campus likely to be operational in early 2025

Shashank Kishore15-Aug-2024VVS Laxman, the former India batter, will extend his term as head of the National Cricket Academy in Bengaluru by at least a year. His initial three-year contract was until this September.Laxman was being pursued by an IPL franchise for a head coach position, a role that is now not possible because of his NCA duties. He is likely to be assisted by his team of coaches, including Shitanshu Kotak, Sairaj Bahutule and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, all stalwarts of Indian domestic cricket.The extension of Laxman’s contract comes ahead of the inauguration of a new state-of-the-art NCA campus in the outskirts of Bengaluru, the foundation for which was laid in January 2022, 14 years after the land was sanctioned by the Karnataka government on a 99-year lease.Believed to be equipped with at least 100 pitches, indoor facilities with 45 pitches, three international-sized grounds, a modern rehab centre, lodging facilities and Olympic-sized pools, apart from a host of other amenities, the NCA is in its final stages of construction. It is likely to be operational from early next year.One of Laxman’s challenges will be to build on an already comprehensive India A tour program that he has carried forward from Rahul Dravid’s tenure. It has, however, been hampered lately by a busy international calendar.During his first three-year term at the NCA, Laxman has built on the robust processes set for injury management, player rehabilitation, coaching programmes and preparing roadmaps for the senior teams, age-group and women’s cricket.

Gus Atkinson produced his fifth performance worthy of the Lord’s honours boards in his debut summer as an England Test cricketer, adding a second-innings five-for to his maiden hundred as Sri Lanka’s resistance in the second Test was finally broken.The touring side, set an unlikely target of 483 to keep the series alive, put on a gutsy fourth-innings display in a bid to avoid a first Test defeat at Lord’s since 1991. There were valiant half-centuries for Dimuth Karunaratne, Dinesh Chandimal and Dhananjaya de Silva, as well as more dogged lower-order resistance from Milan Rathnayake, in only his second Test. But in the end, they were well beaten, going down by 190 runs inside four days.There was only a sparse crowd in at Lord’s to appreciate the contest, but there were ripples of applause for Sri Lanka’s endeavour – followed by the latest ovation of Atkinson’s fledgling Test career, as he raised the ball aloft after removing Rathnayake to leave Sri Lanka nine down. It took his tally to 19 Test wickets at 10.94 in two Test appearances at Lord’s (three entries on the board for five wickets in an innings, one for ten in the match), to go alongside the first century of his professional career.Atkinson’s exploits also put him in select company as an allrounder, becoming only the third England Men’s player to score a hundred and take a five-wicket haul in the same Test.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England returned on Sunday morning needing eight wickets to seal a 2-0 lead in the series – and their fifth consecutive Test win this summer. They were made to work hard for it, with Chris Woakes, Olly Stone and Shoaib Bashir contributing alongside Atkinson as Sri Lanka’s batters applied themselves to their task.If chasing 483 to win seemed unlikely, they certainly had a chance of taking the game into a fifth day. “Bat simple and bat long,” was the message, according to Dhananjaya, and Karunaratne’s first fifty of the series set the tone during the morning session as Sri Lanka lost just two wickets, one of them the “lightwatcher”, Prabath Jayasuriya.Karunaratne dug in for 129 balls for his 55, before being bounced out by Stone, then Chandimal changed gears to blitz a 43-ball fifty either side of lunch. Dhananjaya was typically cool in putting up the highest partnership of the innings alongside Rathnayake, notching his own fifty after tea; but when he played on against Atkinson with the second new ball, the end for Sri Lanka was nigh.Ollie Pope shuffled his hand regularly, trying out different combinations and tactics – although his success with the DRS did not improve, with three burned reviews taking his record as England’s stand-in captain to eight without managing to overturn a single on-field call.The review system also led to England’s one moment of palpable frustration, when Chandimal had an lbw decision reversed on the strength of the minutest of flickers on UltraEdge – “He’s not hit that,” Woakes could be seen to say on replay. But Chandimal’s skittish innings featuring 11 boundaries eventually came to an end via a bat-pad catch at short leg off Atkinson, who struck again in his next over as Kamindu Mendis flashed a drive to third slip.Dhananjaya and Rathnayake threw up another roadblock, as they had done in the first innings at Old Trafford, to extend the day into a third session. Rathnayake showed his bravery in taking on Stone’s short-ball attack and after being dropped by Joe Root at slip off Atkinson looked set to add a second fifty in as many Tests only to nick a pull behind, before Woakes’ slower ball finished the innings off, Lahiru Kumara chipping to mid-on.Dinesh Chandimal hits on the up in his energetic innings•Getty Images

It was a long way from an eventful start, which saw Karunaratne survive a review for lbw off the second ball of the morning – replays showing Woakes’ delivery had pitched fractionally outside leg stump. The Sri Lanka opener had another life when a slash at Atkinson evaded the diving Root, a tough, one-handed chance at slip; England then lost a second review when thought they had him caught behind off the same bowler.Woakes removed Jayasuriya after an obdurate innings of 4 from 41 balls, a thick-edged drive well held low at second slip by Harry Brook. But the fourth-wicket stand between Karunaratne and Angelo Mathews kept England at bay, with a run-out seemingly their likeliest method of a breakthrough.With just one fifty from 13 previous innings in England, Karunaratne was largely watchful in his approach, although he did take three boundaries off an over from Atkinson: a cover drive followed up with a controlled pull, before a low edge flew between slip and gully. Another steer down to deep third off Matt Potts took him to 49 before a tap to point allowed him to raise his bat for the first time on tour.Mathews looked to take on Bashir, who found some turn but was perhaps not as threatening as England would have hoped, and Pope asked Stone to go short again with lunch approaching. The move worked, Karunaratne dislodged when gloving a lifter through to Smith down the leg side.Chandimal seemed intent on counterattacking and took Woakes for back-to-back fours at the start of his spell after lunch, then hit Bashir for three boundaries in an over. A wild swipe at Woakes that flew over the slips took him to fifty, and he did the bulk of the scoring during a stand of 59 with Mathews.They were separated when Bashir tempted Mathews to try and go over the top, only to drill his shot into the hands of Woakes, going to his left at mid-off. Woakes then thought he had removed Chandimal on 55, hitting the knee roll with one coming back down the slope – only for the third umpire, Chris Gaffaney, to conclude there was bat involved, much to Woakes’ chagrin. The delay was temporary, as England closed in on a clean sweep ahead of the final Test of the summer at The Oval next week.

Having already advanced towards Hugo Ekitike, Liverpool have reportedly been handed another boost towards signing a top target, who is now open to completing a summer switch.

Liverpool advancing in Ekitike deal

It’s been the summer of Michael Edwards and Richard Hughes in the transfer market and Liverpool’s double act are now advancing towards their latest blockbuster deal. Not only have they emerged into the race to sign Ekitike this week, but they’ve shoved Newcastle out of the picture entirely.

Reports are now indicating that Liverpool have already received the green light from the forward and are now actively negotiating with Eintracht Frankfurt. Newcastle, meanwhile, have walked away from any potential deal.

Likely to follow Florian Wirtz, Milos Kerkez and Jeremie Frimpong on Liverpool’s list of incomings, Ekitike will be solving the biggest problem that Arne Slot had within his title-winning squad last season.

The Dutchman often chose to deploy Luis Diaz as a No.9 over Darwin Nunez as the latter struggled more than ever at Anfield. Now, amid rumours that both South American stars could yet leave this summer, Liverpool are advancing towards an instant upgrade.

League stats 24/25 (via FBref)

Ekitike

Diaz

Nunez

Minutes

2,563

2,399

1,133

Goals

15

13

5

Assists

8

5

2

Expected Goals

21.6

12

5.8

Even after Ekitike, however, the Edwards and Hughes show may not be over. Reports are now suggesting that Liverpool have also set their sights on signing a South American megastar in a deal that would arguably be even bigger than Ekitike.

Rodrygo now "open" to Liverpool move

According to Eduardo Burgos, a reporter from Spanish outlet AS, Rodrygo is now “open” to joining Liverpool this summer and the Reds have sent super agent Pini Zahavi to help broker a deal with Real Madrid.

Burgos told The RedmenTV: “It’s genuine. Liverpool already held talks with his camp. They sent an emissary to Madrid to talk to his family, and Rodrygo is happy with the interest.

“He’s open to a move. He always liked the Premier League. Two summers ago, even [Manchester] City tried to sign him. Guardiola called him a few times. He appreciated the gesture but in the end his preference was to stay in Madrid.

“His preference has now changed and now he’s hoping to leave…I think he will leave because he wants to be the star of the team, and [at Real Madrid] it will be very, very difficult, almost impossible. I think it’s not 50-50; it’s maybe 70-30. He’s open to a move and I think Liverpool may make a move.”

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The winger’s arrival would send yet more shockwaves around the transfer market, but it’s one that Liverpool have seemingly set their sights on despite the Brazilian’s hefty £11m-a-year salary.

Sheffield United are under new management in Ruben Selles, and he could now look to bring one of his former players to Bramall Lane in an intriguing deal, according to a report.

Ruben Selles aiming for success at Sheffield United

Many onlookers were surprised when Sheffield United parted company with Chris Wilder during the off-season, but sometimes there is a need for change to keep things moving in the right direction.

Selles is now in the door at Bramall Lane and promised a traditional recruitment style despite the rise of AI in the context of talent identification, indicating that he may look to strike a balance in his hunt for new arrivals.

He explained: “We need to understand there are tools to be more efficient and that’s how we need to look at it. They are not tools to tell us what to do, they can give advice and point us in directions.

“We understand, we interpret and make decisions from that together with some other tools. The main thing will always be the football eye, the way that we see the game, the way we identify the players. Obviously, we want those marginal gains to be on our side and we need to work with different technology that will give us that.”

Making a valid point, it now remains to be seen where he will look to strengthen. Sheffield United are targeting Tottenham duo Ashley Phillips and Alfie Devine, which would be a good starting point with both having significant EFL experience.

Ruben Selles’ managerial record in English football

Wins

22

Draws

10

Losses

19

Emil Riis Jakobsen could also join the Blades on a free transfer, and they are now said to be eyeing a player who enjoys a fruitful pre-existing relationship with Selles to shore up their backline.

Ruben Selles eyeing Tyler Bindon reunion at Sheffield United

As relayed by The Guardian’s rumour mill, Sheffield United could look to sign Tyler Bindon from Nottingham Forest.

Selles coached Bindon at Reading from 2023 to 2024, and it is believed the Blades’ new manager personally wants to reunite with his ex-defender at Bramall Lane. Enjoying an injury-free campaign last term, the New Zealand defender scored three times in 47 appearances across all competitions for the Royals.

Forest actually signed the 20-year-old on a permanent deal in the January window, before sending Bindon back out on loan to Reading to finish the season, and he’s since reported back to the City Ground.

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Labelled “unbelievable” by Noel Hunt, Bindon has three years left on his contract in the East Midlands, and it is unclear at this point whether Forest would be willing to sanction another exit for the 20-year-old during the window – where that be on loan or permanently.

One thing is clear – Selles simply has to sign central defenders, so they may be willing to push the boat out to land his services. Anel Ahmedhodzic and Jack Robinson are in need of support, and there may be scope for several arrivals to max out squad depth.

Selles arrives with a tough act to follow in Wilder, so bringing some familiar faces to South Yorkshire could help the Spanish boss to put his own stamp on the team.