Following reports that Bryan Mbeumo favours a move to Manchester United this summer, Newcastle United have reportedly turned their attention towards a £51m alternative and PIF could soon open talks.

Mbeumo deals Newcastle frustrating blow

After qualifying for the Champions League and winning the Carabao Cup last season, it wouldn’t be absurd to assume that Newcastle entered this summer in a position of strength in the transfer window, especially compared to Manchester United. By contrast, the Red Devils suffered their worst-ever finish in the Premier League and compiled their misery by suffering defeat at the hands of Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final.

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Sean Markus Clifford

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Without Champions League football or European football at all, for that matter, it was easy to predict that the lure of Old Trafford simply wouldn’t be the same this summer. That assumption would have been wrong, however. The Theatre of Dreams seemingly remains exactly that. Already, Matheus Cunha has picked the Red Devils in a move worth £63m and now Mbeumo looks destined to follow suit.

It’s frustrating news for Newcastle, who will feel as though they did everything right to put themselves in a position to sign such talents. Nonetheless, they’ve been forced to look towards alternatives in hope of signing the winger that they’ve been searching for across the last 12 months.

To that end, Anthony Elanga has been the main alternative mentioned in recent weeks with Newcastle reportedly making the Nottingham Forest star their top target. But he’s not alone on their shortlist, with reports now indicating that Newcastle are also targeting a move to sign a £51m winger.

Newcastle and PIF could open Catamo talks

According to Caught Offside, Newcastle and PIF could now open talks to sign Geny Catamo from Sporting Club this summer. The Magpies are one of a number of clubs interested in the young winger in a race which includes Atletico Madrid as well as Arsenal, and may now make their move.

Sources told Caught Offside there is an expectation that some clubs test the waters with an opening offer worth as much as €30m (£25m) in the coming months. Given that Catamo reportedly has a release clause worth €60m (£51m), it seems unlikely that they will accept a sale worth less than half of that price this summer.

League stats 24/25 (via FBref)	Geny Catamo	Bryan Mbeumo
Minutes	1,911	3,414
Goals	5	20
Assists	2	7
Expected Goals	5.4	12.3

Whilst he did add another two goals to take his total to seven outside of league action, Catamo’s numbers should be seen as a concern for Newcastle. If they were forced to pay the winger’s full release clause, then they should keep their focus on Elanga rather than spending big on a talent who is yet to prove himself on the big stage.

It’s been a non-stop summer for those at the Stadium of Light as the reality of the Premier League begins to dawn on Sunderland.

By the time Sunderland’s opener comes around versus West Ham United, the complexion of Regis Le Bris’ starting lineup could look very different from the playoff final success against Sheffield United, with both Jobe Bellingham and Tommy Watson already nowhere to be seen.

Moreover, there will no doubt be a lot of new faces vying for game-time after joining the newly promoted club, with Marcin Bulka perhaps taking over first-team goalkeeper duties from Anthony Patterson if he does join from OGC Nice.

Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano reported on Wednesday that the Black Cats have opened talks regarding a potential move for the Polish stopper, as they seek to win the race ahead of a long list of other suitors.

He might not be the only defensive addition coming in this summer to bring extra competition, however, as Sunderland now find themselves locked in a race to sign a promising centre-back.

Sunderland in the race to sign £7m defender

As per a report by OnTheMinute, Sunderland remain in the race to land 21-year-old defender Saba Goglichidze.

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Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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The Empoli centre-back is attracting lots of interest despite his current employers’ recent relegation from the Serie A, with the report adding that the Black Cats’ fiercest rivals in Newcastle United are now keen on the Georgian as well, alongside fellow Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest.

It’s even been speculated that the Tricky Trees are now ready to place a £7m bid for the 6-foot-4 colossus, with OnTheMinute stating that a bid around this region could be enough for Empoli to part ways with their main asset.

Sunderland will hope they can gain an advantage in this race somehow, with Goglichidze’s potential arrival – on top of Bulka walking through the door – undoubtedly strengthening Le Bris and Co. at the back ahead of their uphill Premier League climb.

How Goglichidze could shine with Bulka

After all, when assessing Goglichidze’s stay at Empoli up to this point, it’s clear he isn’t fazed by the bright lights of a top division.

Indeed, the up-and-coming 21-year-old has even had suitors from AC Milan and Juventus look at him, with his sparkling form in Italy seeing him pick up a solitary assist from his 33 league encounters last season, on top of also bravely battling away for his basement side with 3.9 duels won on average.

With four clean sheets in league action next to his name, too, it’s clear that Goglichidze is destined for bigger and better things than slumping down to the Italian second division, and with Bulka behind in him the sticks, he could go on to look even more confident and assured knowing he has a top-drawer shot-stopper by his side.

Across his four seasons in between the sticks for Nice, the reliable Pole has managed to collect 30 clean sheets, with a hefty 18 of those coming just last campaign. To add context, Patterson would finish his own individual season with a lesser 14 next to his name, even from 45 games overall.

Sunderland’s league numbers when they were last relegated (16/17)

Stat

Sunderland

Games played

38

Goals scored

26

Goals conceded

69

Goal difference

-40

Sourced by Transfermarkt

That is still a respectable tally, but there will be a real worry in the air about the intense jump-up in quality, considering Southampton – who were the reigning playoff champions before Sunderland’s big moment at Wembley – are just fresh off leaking a dire 86 strikes stuck at the bottom of the division, which is 17 more than the Black Cats gave up during their last relegation horror-show in the top-flight.

The Saints looking so porous could be sounding the alarm bells for Le Bris and Co. as we speak, with the Black Cats giving up a high 44 strikes last season themselves. Amazingly, both Leeds United and Burnley only gave up 46 goals combined.

The arrival of fresh blood in the form of Saba Goglichidze and his potential new Polish teammate might be just what the newly promoted side needs, therefore, with football talent scout Jacek Kulig even going as far as to declare the 21-year-old a “wonderful” talent.

It will be a turbulent ride ahead for Sunderland, but if Le Bris can work his magic on this fresh defensive pairing, survival might be reached.

Related Romano: Sunderland in talks to sign "superb" player loved by Luis Enrique

The Black Cats are in the hunt for a new stopper.

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Jun 26, 2025

Leeds United have now identified a “world-class” goalkeeper as a prime target to replace Illan Meslier, with Daniel Farke now open to sanctioning the Frenchman’s departure, according to a report.

Leeds planning to replace error-prone Meslier

Speaking back in February, former Leeds man Paul Robinson praised Farke for the way in which he had dealt with Meslier, saying: “He’s a confidence goalkeeper and the manager has been excellent with him. That’s one thing you can ask for as a goalkeeper.”

However, the 48-year-old ultimately lost faith in his goalkeeper, with Karl Darlow being given the nod between the sticks during the promotion run-in, and the manager’s lack of trust in the shot-stopper may have damaged his confidence.

With Meslier’s blunders costing Farke’s side 10 points last season, it would be a huge risk for the manager to persist with the 25-year-old as his number one, and a report from TEAMtalk has revealed the German is now open to a sale this summer.

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2

By
Dominic Lund

Jun 11, 2025

It is also detailed that Leeds have now identified Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic as a prime target to replace Meslier, with the Blues making the decision to place the Serbian on their transfer list, and they are open to offers of around £25m.

The Whites have registered their interest in Petrovic, but there is widespread interest in the goalkeeper’s signature, with the likes of Aston Villa, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Brenford also keen, alongside some top clubs from across Europe.

The Championship title-winners are seemingly very keen to get a deal done, despite potentially having to do battle with Juventus and Bayer Leverkusen, with the report stating they are now ready to step up their pursuit of the goalkeeper.

"World-class" Petrovic could be ideal Meslier replacement

It is no surprise that Farke is willing to cash-in on Meslier this summer, and there are plenty of indications the Chelsea shot-stopper could be an ideal replacement, with his performances on loan at Strasbourg last season deemed to be at a very high level.

Indeed, manager Liam Rosenior was left enamoured by the Serbia international’s development, saying: “We have seen huge progress from Petro.

“He is a world-class goalkeeper. We see it every day and it is still paying off today.”

It is a bold claim to put the former New England Revolution man in the world-class category, but to a certain extent Rosenior’s assessment is backed up by the underlying data, as his save percentage over the past year has been very impressive.

Statistic	Average per 90
Save %	78.9% (98th percentile)
Clean sheet %	32.3% (76th percentile)
Crosses stopped %	8.4% (82nd percentile)

As such, it could perhaps be considered a little unusual that Chelsea are willing to part ways with Petrovic this summer, but their loss could be Leeds’ gain.

The South Africa opener knew conditions in St Lucia were not the same as previous matches at night

Matt Roller21-Jun-20241:21

Morkel: De Kock doesn’t overthink the game

Quinton de Kock attributed his match-winning 65 off 38 balls against England to his Caribbean Premier League experience, which informed his attacking intent in the powerplay.De Kock has only played seven CPL games, all of them for Barbados Royals in the 2022 season. But three of those came at the Daren Sammy Cricket Ground in St Lucia, including two day games and one under lights.Related

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It gave him enough evidence to believe that a par score would be significantly lower in South Africa’s game against England – which started at 10.30am local time – than in the previous four T20 World Cup fixtures at the venue, which were 8.30pm starts. He also quickly realised that the powerplay would be the best time to bat, and so it proved.De Kock scored 49 runs off 20 balls in the powerplay, including sixes off Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer (twice) and Sam Curran, and believed that his fast start had made a “massive” impact. “I’ve played a lot of day T20 cricket in the West Indies and generally that is the most important time to score runs,” he said.South Africa’s total of 163 for 6 looked under-par in the context of the four games in St Lucia across the previous six nights, where Australia and England both chased totals of 181 and Sri Lanka and West Indies successfully defended scores in excess of 200. But de Kock said that when he walked out to bat, he was clear that they would only need a slightly lower total.”I don’t know if the rest of the guys knew, but I had a fair sense: I’ve played here quite a bit in the Caribbean league and it’s the same thing: the wicket looks beautiful. At night, it plays most different but in the day, 160-170 are winning scores here in the day. Generally, it goes like that in the Caribbean: I think the lights and maybe a bit of dew at night help the ball skid on a bit better.”The easier time to score runs is in the powerplay. When the ball’s old and as the wicket deteriorates, it gets harder.” Asked if that phase proved match-winning – as Jos Buttler believed – de Kock said: “There were other moments, but obviously that’s probably one of our better powerplays in this whole World Cup – so it could be.”Quinton de Kock raced away in the powerplay•ICC/Getty ImagesHe also used the stiff cross-breeze to his advantage, with the wind helping to carry the ball over the boundary when he hit back-to-back sixes off Archer. “Wind’s definitely a big factor, especially opening the batting when you’ve only got two guys out,” de Kock said. “You’ve got to use that wind as much as you can: don’t fight it, just try and use it.”None of England’s XI on Friday have played a CPL game in St Lucia but they have significant experience in the Caribbean due to regular away series against West Indies. They also have significant local knowledge in their dressing room, with Kieron Pollard – the most capped T20 player in the format’s history – involved as an assistant coach at this World Cup.Yet Buttler suggested they were surprised by how the pitch played on Friday, compared to how it had under lights two days previously. “It looked a similar wicket,” he said. “This has been, so far in the tournament, the best batting pitch… I think the wicket was probably a little bit slower than everyone expected. 160 was about a par score. We bowled really well in the back 10-15 overs to restrict them.”South Africa adjusted more quickly to conditions with the ball, limiting England to 41 for 1 the powerplay compared to their own score of 63 for 0. Jonny Bairstow was caught at point off Keshav Maharaj for 17 off 20 in the seventh over, while Buttler himself fell in Maharaj’s next over for 16 off 20 while slog-sweeping to deep midwicket.”I felt like the powerplay was the difference in the game, and the way Quinny could bat at the rate that none of us could bat at… I think the way Quinny played at the top really put us under a lot of pressure,” Buttler said. “[He] played some great shots and we weren’t able to match that.”

Manchester United now have a “dark horse” candidate in their quest to sign a new striker, potentially turning to hijack a player who has spoken to Arsenal on multiple occasions this year.

Man Utd want Mbeumo through the door before new striker

It’s been a while since the Red Devils wrapped up the transfer of Matheus Cunha from Wolverhampton Wanderers, and the hope would have been that they had secured a deal for Brentford attacker Bryan Mbeumo by now as well. However, United have been unable to reach an agreement with their fellow Premier League side, seeing one bid already turned down.

Man Utd submit £13m bid to sign "great" Real Madrid player and get reply

The Red Devils are still looking to replace Onana.

1 ByTom Cunningham Jun 23, 2025

The Cameroon international is still seen as a likely arrival at Old Trafford, but the time it has taken to work on the transfer has probably gone on longer than many at United expected, with Thomas Frank’s arrival at Tottenham complicating matters.

But this week there could finally be some good news for the Premier League side. That is because, according to journalist Rudy Galetti, Man United have agreed personal terms with Mbeumo and are now willing to pay £63 million to get a deal done.

The 25-year-old netted 20 goals in the Premier League last season, and his impending arrival at Old Trafford is expected to see him join Cunha as United’s two new number 10s in Ruben Amorim’s system.

Attention will then turn to finding the right number nine to play in front of the pair, with neither of Rasmus Hojlund or Joshua Zirkzee expected to be the man to lead the line.

Man Utd keen on signing £40m star Ollie Watkins

According to a report from Spain, Man United are considering a move to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa this summer, and he has become the “dark horse” target in their race for a new centre forward.

The Red Devils see Watkins as a ‘reliable alternative’ who may not cost as much as other forwards who have been linked with a move to Old Trafford. He is under contract until 2028, but Villa’s PSR complications will force them to sell at least one key player this summer.

It isn’t a straightforward deal for United to complete however, as it’s already been reported that Arsenal have held talks with Watkins, who has been dubbed “the best striker in the world” by analyst Raj Chohan, both in January and again this summer.

Watkins emerging as a target for United also comes as the Red Devils are working on a deal to sign Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Watkins

Ekitike

Apps

38

33

Starts

31

31

Goals

16

15

Assists

8

8

xG

15.3

21.6

Goals per 90

0.55

0.53

Shots per 90

2.84

4.00

Goals per shot

0.17

0.12

It’s been claimed that United have held talks with the representatives of the Frenchman over a move to Old Trafford, and a formal bid is expected to arrive soon. However, it’s been well publicised that he could cost as much as £85 million, so Watkins is seen as a cheaper option, as he is valued at around £40 million by the Villans.

Andries Gous made an unbeaten 80 for the co-hosts but in the end it wasn’t enough

Firdose Moonda19-Jun-2024Another game, another close one for South Africa and they seem to be making a habit of sneaking over the line at the T20 World Cup 2024. This time, they were pushed by USA, who gave an excellent account of themselves in their first Super Eight match.On a batter-friendly pitch, USA kept South Africa to under 200 from 126 for 1 in the 13th over. Quinton de Kock’s first half-century of the tournament set South Africa up, before Saurabh Netravalkar and Harmeet Singh took 3 for 15 between them, but the rest of the attack could not provide enough support. Heinrich Klaasen and Tristan Stubbs shared a fifth-wicket partnership of 53 to give South Africa a competitive total to defend.USA were off to a bright start thanks to Steven Taylor but Kagiso Rabada’s double strike in the Powerplay kept things even. Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi squeezed USA through the middle but South African born Andries Gous very nearly had a decisive say on proceedings. His unbeaten 80 and his 91 run-stand with Harmeet – the second-highest for the sixth wicket or lower in all T20 World Cups – took USA to within 28 runs of victory, with two overs left. Ultimately, Rabada and Anrich Nortje kept USA at bay and South Africa earned their first Super Eight points.Only a matter of time for de KockIt had to be. After scores of 20, 0, 18 and 10, de Kock, in what could be his last international assignment, finally brought out the big guns. He didn’t hit South Africa’s first boundary – that was Reeza Hendricks’ six over cover – and waited until the fourth over before he properly got hold of one but when he did, he did not stop. De Kock pulled Jasdeep Singh through midwicket and then hit him for three successive sixes, all with the wind into the leg side. Jasdeep’s first over cost 28 runs, just 10 fewer than South Africa’s highest Powerplay of the tournament before this match, and set them up for a score of 64 for 1 at the end of the fielding restrictions. De Kock went on to bring up fifty with a six off Corey Anderson, off the 26th ball he faced and to his highest T20 World Cup score: 74.Catching on point. The bowling? Not always.USA’s fielding got them back into the game from Anderson’s excellent judgement to take a skier off Hendricks’ top-edge in the third over to Shayan Jahangir judging his distance from the boundary rope well at cow corner to end de Kock’s knock. But it was Ali Khan, who dived forward as he ran in from the deep backward point fence and held on to the grab that could have changed the innings. Aiden Markram was on 46 and hit the last ball of the 15th over in Ali’s direction. He took a stunner to deny South Africa’s captain the chance to push the score above 200. Despite all that, USA still gave away 53 runs in the last five overs and will not be entirely happy with some of their bowling. While Netravalkar and Harmeet’s eight overs cost just 45 runs with four wickets and only four fours, the other five bowlers delivered 12 overs for 148 runs, took no wickets and gave away nine fours and 10 sixes.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Rabada roars backRabada has operated somewhat in the shadows in the group stage of the T20 World Cup and took just four wickets for 84 runs in four matches. With South Africa looking at using two specialist spinners, the debate ahead of this match was which of the three seamers to leave out. On form, both Nortje and Ottneil Baartman made strong cases to stay in the XI ahead of Rabada but the decision was made to leave Baartman out in favour of Rabada’s experience. He repaid that call by removing an aggressive-looking Taylor with his third ball, in the fourth over, and seemed to be ramping up his pace as his spell developed. In his next over, Rabada had Nitish Kumar caught at deep square leg off a length ball on the pads and put South Africa in front with USA 53 for 2 after the Powerplay. He came back to bowl the penultimate over, with USA needing 28 runs off the last 12 balls and broke the partnership that threatened to take the game away. Gous and Harmeet shared a sixth-wicket stand of 91 before Harmeet hit a Rabada full toss to Stubbs at midwicket and departed, along with USA’s hopes.Gous gets a hold of some of home Welkom’s Andries Gous is from the same place as Dean Elgar and was part of the group of South Africans who took up offers to play in the Minor League just as the Covid-19 pandemic hit. He made his international debut three months ago and relished the chance to play against the country of his birth and let them have it. He gave himself some time to get his eye in and hit his first boundary off the sixth ball he faced, off Rabada. He sent Marco Jansen for six over long-on and then laid into Nortje, 18 runs off the last four balls of his third over. That included back-to-back sixes; the second was over midwicket and also brought up Gous’ half-century, off 33 balls. But he saved the best for the 18th over, when he hit Shamsi for successive sixes to keep USA in the game. They needed 50 from the last three overs and then just 28 off the last two. Gous finished unbeaten on a career-best 80.

It wasn’t exactly a well-kept secret this summer that Birmingham City were interested in landing Peterborough United superstar Kwame Poku.

Unfortunately, the Blues’ drawn-out pursuit of the entertaining Ghanaian has seemingly gone cold now, as the likes of Russell Martin’s Rangers accelerate to the front of the queue for his coveted services instead.

This would have been a knock to Chris Davies and Co.’s confidence as they navigate up to the Championship, but it hasn’t stopped them from pressing on with other attacking targets, as the ambitious Blues look to close in on another statement addition up top.

Birmingham close in on statement reunion

As per a recent report from journalist Alan Nixon, the newly promoted outfit look to be edging ever closer to bringing former star Demarai Gray back to their ranks this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Much like their chase for Poku, it had been well publicised that the Blues wanted to make such a stunning reunion happen.

Now, it might well become a reality, with both Sunderland and Fiorentina, who had also been looking at signing the experienced Jamaica international in an £8m deal, left in Birmingham’s dust to seal the sublime move.

Whilst the Rangers-bound attacker had been viewed as the flavour of the month in the EFL after a sensational season on the books of Posh, landing Gray might well be an even more exciting pick-up than the 23-year-old.

Why Gray would be a more exciting signing than Poku

If Birmingham are deadly serious about going after back-to-back promotions, Gray joining will undoubtedly help them to pull off such an arduous feat, with the former Blues prodigy going on to have a lengthy career at the very top after waving St. Andrew’s goodbye in 2016.

Indeed, Gray is likely more well-known in English football now for being a Premier League regular on the books of Leicester City and Everton, than a one-time academy product emerging up the Blues ranks.

In total, the Birmingham-born forward has amassed over 200 Premier League appearances for the likes of the Foxes and the Toffees, with an impressive 19 goals and 14 assists coming his way from those contests, on top of a Premier League title astoundingly being lifted when situated at the King Power Stadium.

Leicester

169

13

14

Birmingham

78

8

4

Everton

75

12

6

Al-Ettifaq

50

4

5

Bayer Leverkusen

12

1

2

Poku might well have a certain level of freshness on his side – considering he has just tallied up a blistering 12 goals and 11 assists for Darren Ferguson’s men last campaign – but the table above really does speak for itself when judging the 28-year-old’s pedigree alone, with a season even under his belt in the Bundesliga when lining up for Bayer Leverkusen.

Moreover, whilst Poku was a breakout success for Posh last season, he has never actually bagged a goal in the Championship, despite ripping up the third-tier, with just a meagre two goal contributions next to his name at the difficult level from 20 clashes.

An “electric” attacker on his day – in the words of journalist Scott Saunders – his first major steps in the senior game did actually come in the Championship with his hometown club, notably netting a memorable hat-trick above three of the eight strikes he has managed in the division when donning Birmingham blue.

It will now be up to Gray to roll back the years on his expected return, with more Premier League appearances perhaps coming his way down the line.

Whilst Poku is the talk of the town as an up-and-coming ace, Gray has already cemented himself as a Championship-capable talent and beyond across his vast playing days, with another chapter soon to be added to his packed story when hopefully starring for Davies and Co.

Birmingham want to sign "fantastic" £8m ace who scored in St Andrew's win

He could be an excellent summer addition.

1 ByHenry Jackson Jun 22, 2025

The BCB has requested its Afghanistan counterpart to postpone next month’s white-ball series in Greater Noida, and asked for the games to be played as soon as “the two boards find a window”, ESPNcricinfo has learnt.The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) had proposed three ODIs and three T20Is in late July, sending the BCB match dates – between July 25 and August 6 – too. It was a revised schedule after the tour initially also included two Tests.The BCB felt that the weather in that part of India at that time wouldn’t be ideal for an international series. June to September is usually considered off-season in the subcontinent because of the monsoons. The BCB had earlier postponed the series keeping in mind the workload management of its players.Bangladesh’s next assignment is a two-Test series in Pakistan from mid-August, the schedule for which hasn’t been announced yet. Many of the Test players will get busy playing red-ball matches ahead of this series as part of the preparations. They will play three internal matches in Chattogram and Sylhet, followed by four four-day matches against Pakistan Shaheens in Darwin and later in Pakistan.Later, Bangladesh will also go to India to play two Tests and three T20Is from September 19 to October 12. It will be followed by two Tests at home against South Africa, followed by a full tour of the West Indies that includes two Tests, three ODIs and three T20Is in November and December.That workload is the reason why the BCB was always reluctant for the two Tests against Afghanistan. They had also postponed one Test against Zimbabwe earlier this year, turning that tour into five T20Is in May. Bangladesh will complete their World Test Championship cycle by December 2024.

It’s pretty easy to point out where Arsenal need to strengthen this summer: attack.

However, while the primary focus of the fans might be on who Mikel Arteta and Co could bring in up top, and understandably so, it’s arguably just as crucial that the club improve their wing options.

The North Londoners need a proven leftwinger who can come in and help alleviate the attacking burden placed upon Bukayo Saka off the right.

Fortunately, that seems to be the case, as reports have now linked Arsenal to an international who has been compared to the incredible Rodrygo and Lamine Yamal.

Arsenal's winger search

With Arsenal’s left-wing issues being impossible to ignore this season, the club have unsurprisingly been linked with a host of brilliant wide talents in recent weeks, such as Antoine Semenyo and the afformentioned Rodrygo.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The former enjoyed a brilliant campaign with Bournemouth this year, racking up a tally of 13 goals and seven assists in 42 appearances, which helps to explain the hefty £70m price tag placed on his head.

Likewise, the Real Madrid star enjoyed a relatively good year in Spain, scoring 14 goals and providing ten assists in 51 games, although with a price tag of up to £85m, the club might want to look for cheaper alternatives, like Leroy Sane.

Yes, according to a recent report from Turkey, Arsenal have not only maintained their intense interest in the Bayern Munich star but are planning to “make a formal offer” for him today.

It could be a clever bit of business from the Gunners, as, thanks to his contract with FC Hollywood expiring this month, the German international would be available on a free.

It might not be the most exciting transfer of all time, but it’s one Arteta and Co should push to complete, as on top of his undeniable quality, the former Manchester City star has also won comparisons to Yamal and Rodrygo.

How Sane compares to Rodrygo & Yamal

Before we look at a couple of the reasons why Arsenal might want to, and should, sign Sane this summer, it’s essential to address these comparisons to Yamal and Rodrygo and where they have come from.

In both cases, they stem from FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues and came to the conclusion that the Spaniard – who has been utterly superb this year – has been the eighth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the German for the last 365 days.

Then, when looking at purely the Champions League from this season, FBref concluded that the Brazilian was the third most similar attacking midfielder or winger to the Bayern ace in this year’s competition.

Expected Assists

0.34

0.37

Key Passes

1.98

2.02

Live Passes

47.5

47.2

Switches

0.11

0.13

Tackles Won

0.82

0.88

Blocks

0.44

0.38

The best way to understand how these conclusions were reached is to take a closer look at the metrics in which the players are similar, and in the case of the Barcelona gem, that included things like expected assists, key and live passes and more, all per 90.

In Real Madrid star’s case, the metrics include things like non-penalty expected goals, aerial duels won, tackles, blocks, carries into the penalty area, and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected Goals

0.25

0.3

Expected Assists

0.14

0.16

Aerial Duels Won

0.56

0.52

Tackles

1.97

1.86

Blocks

1.27

1.24

Interceptions

0.42

0.41

Carries into the Penalty Area

2.25

2.27

Now, while being compared to two of the most exciting wingers on the planet should already be encouraging enough, there are a couple of other reasons the Gunners should be going out to sign the “incredible” Bayern ace, as dubbed by Pep Guardiola, as soon as possible.

The first is that even though his game time was somewhat restricted this season, he remained a potent threat, both in terms of scoring goals and creating them.

For example, in 45 appearances, totalling just 2376 minutes, the 29-year-old dynamo was able to score 13 goals and provide six assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.36 games, or more crucially, every 125.05 minutes.

Finally, on top of everything else, the Essen-born star is a proven winner, having picked up two Premier Leagues with City and then four in Germany, which is just the sort of player Arteta should be adding to his talented but sometimes a little naive squad.

Ultimately, given his ability, track record and the calibre of players he is still being compared to, signing Sane for nothing this summer feels like a total no-brainer for Arsenal.

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1 ByDominic Lund Jun 8, 2025

Newcastle United are finally making headway in the summer transfer window, with their long-game efforts to sign Nottingham Forest winger Anthony Elanga finally coming to fruition.

The Tricky Trees don’t want to sell the right-sided forward, whose pacy and creative style of play has proved so instrumental in qualifying for European football against the odds, but then Newcastle have tabled a series of offers and are getting close to sealing the deal.

Though Eddie Howe will have been delighted with his side’s Premier League campaign last term, winning the Carabao Cup besides, there’s no question that improvements are needed. Newcastle have been trying to add some depth, but have been foiled in recent weeks.

Newcastle pushing to complete deals

Newcastle have been buffeted by setbacks in recent weeks, failing to convince Chelsea-signed Joao Pedro to join them after missing out on Bryan Mbeumo and Matheus Cunha.

The latter has signed for Manchester United, while Brentford’s talisman has expressed his desire to move to Old Trafford this summer.

However, that could all change with Elanga. Although saying that, PIF won’t want more misery, and according to Sky Sports, are exploring a move for PSV Eindhoven’s Johan Bakayoko as a contingency.

Bakayoko, 22, was wanted by Liverpool in a £43m deal last summer, and bears the thrilling approach which could see Howe hit the jackpot with a right-sided signing.

Why Newcastle want Johan Bakayoko

Though Elanga has established himself as one of the most exciting young wingers in the Premier League, he’s only scored 11 times across 82 matches for Nottingham Forest, assisting 21 further goals.

In Bakayoko, Newcastle could sign themselves a player of greater sharpness in the final third, one who could yet reach a much higher level.

The Belgium international has made 131 appearances for PSV since graduating from the club’s youth academy, scoring 33 goals and supplying 22 assists for his teammates.

His recent Eredivisie campaign left something to be desired, but he has still demonstrated over the past couple of years an aptitude that puts him up there with the world’s most exciting prospects.

Johan Bakayoko’s Last Two Eredivisie Seasons

Stats (* per game)

23/24

24/25

Matches (starts)

33 (29)

30 (17)

Goals

12

9

Assists

9

1

Shots (on target)*

2.9 (1.0)

2.0 (0.9)

Big chances missed

7

6

Pass completion

87%

86%

Big chances created

12

4

Key passes*

2.1

1.2

Dribbles*

2.8

1.6

Ball recoveries*

3.4

2.0

Tackles + interceptions*

1.3

0.9

Duels won*

4.7

2.8

Stats via Sofascore

Bakayoko’s development might have been stunted somewhat over the past year, but there’s no doubt that he’s one of the most exciting young wingers around, with a prolific potential which could see him eclipse Elanga, who is a talented player in his own right.

One theme across both Bakayoko’s league terms has been his keen-edged striking skills, with journalist Antonio Mango singling out his “clinical” qualities.

Partner this with his athleticism and playmaking and you’ve got yourself a winger who could become one of the finest in the business, worldwide.

Praised for an “insane” amount of talent by analyst Ben Mattinson, Bakayoko might be an unpolished gem but he is still a diamond of a prospect, one who could prove to be an upgrade on Elanga in the long run.

After all, he ranked among the top 6% of positional peers in the Netherlands’ top flight last year for goals scored, the top 2% for progressive carries and the top 7% for shot-creating actions per 90, as per FBref.

With Jacob Murphy playing so industriously for Howe, this might be the perfect move to make, adding depth and competition with a player who could skyrocket over the coming years.

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