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Manchester United are now determined to sign a “tremendous” midfielder, with it being revealed they are willing to make a £61m offer.

Man Utd want to sign new midfielder with Mainoo heading for exit

It has now emerged that Kobbie Mainoo could now be heading for the exit door, having failed to start a single Premier League game this season, with Napoli close to getting a deal over the line after a recent round of talks.

Ruben Amorim clearly isn’t fully convinced by Mainoo, having opted to give Bruno Fernandes and Casemiro the nod in the middle of the park for the most part, and doubts remain over Manuel Ugarte, who received heavy criticism after the EFL Cup defeat against Grimsby Town.

With that in mind, the Red Devils have set out to bring in a new midfielder, and Crystal Palace star Adam Wharton recently moved ahead of Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba on the list of targets.

According to a report from Spain, however, a different midfielder has now emerged as Man United’s top target, with it being revealed they are willing to make a €70m (£61m) offer for Athletic Club star Oihan Sancet.

United are determined to get a deal for Sancet done, as they believe he fits their desired profile perfectly, and scouts have been sent to watch the Spaniard in action on a number of occasions.

Man Utd preparing bid for £43m Gabriel & Saliba "hybrid" demanded by Amorim

The Red Devils are now readying a big offer for a January signing, with Ruben Amorim personally very keen.

1 ByDominic Lund Oct 22, 2025

The attacking midfielder hasn’t ruled out an exit, but his current employers are working on a new contract, in an effort to stave off interest from elsewhere.

Sancet enjoyed "tremendous" 2024-25 campaign

Many of the Red Devils’ other midfield targets, such as Baleba, Wharton and Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson, play in slightly deeper midfield roles, but the Athletic Club star has an attacking mindset, enjoying a fantastic 2024-25 campaign.

Indeed, the 25-year-old was a constant threat on the front foot in La Liga, amassing 20 goals and assists in all competitions, which impressed Athletic Club sporting director Rafa Alkorta, who described him as “tremendous”.

Sancet clearly has the ability to succeed at Old Trafford, but given his attacking mindset, the Pamplona-born star wouldn’t be a like-for-like replacement for Mainoo, who appears to be heading for the exit door.

Anderson, on the other hand, is accustomed to playing in a deeper midfield role, and the Nottingham Forest star recently displayed his ability to control matches, in what was a remarkable performance for England against Latvia.

Statistic

Number completed

Accurate passes

121/130 (93%)

Key passes

2

Tackles

4

Duels won

7

Chelsea are now preparing an offer worth over £87m to sign an “elite” new striker in a blockbuster move, it has been revealed.

Blues preparing bid for yet another new striker

The Blues made it three wins on the spin in all competitions on Saturday afternoon, with Pedro Neto particularly catching the eye, being awarded a 9.5 SofaScore match rating after chipping in with a goal and an assist.

Enzo Maresca’s side relied on their defenders to provide the other goals, with Josh Acheampong and Reece James also getting in on the act, and it was a late strike from the captain that wrapped up a 3-0 victory on the road.

Joao Pedro, on the other hand, was unable to have much of an impact on proceedings, and the Brazilian has now gone four Premier League games without a goal, after making an impressive start to the campaign.

Of course, it is still way too early to lose faith in Pedro, but the west Londoners are never shy about spending big in the transfer window, and they have now set their sights on a new striker.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states Chelsea are now preparing an offer of more than €100m (£87m) for FC Porto star Samu Omorodion, who has established himself as one of the most promising young strikers in Europe.

There is a feeling that Omorodion would be a perfect fit in the Premier League, and the Blues are now willing to spend big to get a deal done, with the striker potentially in line to become one of their most expensive signings of all-time.

The blockbuster move is being considered for next summer, rather than January, which gives the 21-year-old the remainder of the season to prove he is the right man to lead the line for Maresca’s side.

Chelsea open talks to sign "powerful" £35m forward with 15 goals in 2025

The Blues have entered discussions with the agents of a new forward, who is enjoying an impressive campaign.

ByDominic Lund Oct 19, 2025 "Elite" Omorodion has ability to be the main man for Chelsea

The Spaniard enjoyed a very impressive debut campaign in Portugal last season, and the early signs this season show that he could be capable of eclipsing his previous league goal tally, having made a fantastic start.

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Liga Portugal appearances

Goals

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30

19

2025-26

7

5

Scout Ben Mattinson also lauded the Porto star last season, while also suggesting he has the ability to make the step-up to one of Europe’s top leagues.

Chelsea have implemented a policy of signing and developing exciting young players since BlueCo’s arrival, and Omorodion fits the bill in that regard, with the youngster clearly talented enough to lead the line at Stamford Bridge.

Dominic Solanke was again absent from training ahead of Tottenham’s trip to Norway to face Bodo/Glimt.

Solanke last played for Spurs on August 23 against Manchester City and, even though he recently returned to training after a troublesome ankle injury disrupted his pre-season, he was conspicuous by his absence on Monday morning in Enfield.

Tottenham boss Thomas Frank played down concerns over Solanke’s fitness on Friday ahead of the visit of Wolves, but with the England forward not able to feature in open training before the club fly to Bodo for Tuesday’s Champions League clash, the squad are short of attacking options.

Paris St Germain loanee Randal Kolo Muani was also absence as he deals with a dead leg, but Ben Davies did take part in the session after a minor knee issue.

Summer recruit Kota Takai also featured after a plantar fascia problem in recent months and Yves Bissouma was back.

Related Tottenham willing to make £50m+ offer to sign Euro 2024 Golden Boot winner

Spurs are prepared to make a big bid for a new forward.

Posts ByDominic Lund Sep 29, 2025

Bissouma has not played for Tottenham this season after he was dropped from the Super Cup squad for being late on multiple occasions. He then suffered a knee injury in training days later.

Orange Cap leaderboard

After the first game of IPL 2025, Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) had the No. 1 spot for his 59 not out against KKR. In the second, Ishan Kishan slammed 106 not out for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) against Rajasthan Royals (RR) and took the top spot. Then, in the fourth match, Nicholas Pooran of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) hit 75 vs Delhi Capitals (DC) and, while that didn’t dislodge Kishan, Pooran’s 70 against SRH in the seventh game did, putting him at the top of the pile.And there he stayed. Till Match No. 39. When GT’s B Sai Sudharsan, who had been second on the table almost this entire while, hit 52 in 36 balls to not only take the top spot, but also become the first batter in the competition to go past the 400-run mark.Pooran is now in the unfamiliar position of No. 2, and while Sai Sudharsan’s prolific form – he has 74, 63, 49, 5, 82, 56 and 36 now – has a lot to do with it, Pooran’s own lack of runs in his last two outings – 8 and 11 – is a contributing factor. He still has 368 runs, mind you, and plays the next game in the tournament, against DC at home in Lucknow on Tuesday. He will want to take that cap right back.Not to forget the new No. 3. It’s Jos Buttler. His 41 not out in 23 balls against KKR has taken his tally for the IPL to 345 runs. His captain, Shubman Gill, meanwhile, hit 90 in 55 balls against KKR, and that has made him zoom past a whole selection of batters to 305 runs, and the seventh spot on the table.Mumbai Indians’ (MI) Suryakumar Yadav, Sunday night’s No. 3, Kohli of RCB and RR’s Yashasvi Jaiswal are the others in the 300-plus club at the moment.Purple Cap leaderboardLess drama on the other table, but Prasidh Krishna, courtesy his 2 for 25, strengthened his position at the top of the table with 16 wickets against his name, that’s four clear of the next best.Not just him, two other GT bowlers, R Sai Kishore and Mohammed Siraj picked up a wicket apiece to take their respective tallies to 12 wickets, which put them level with Kuldeep Yadav (DC), Noor Ahmad of Chennai Super Kings (CSK), RCB’s Josh Hazlewood and Shardul Thakur of LSG.You can check other IPL 2025 stats here:

• Highest batting strike rates
• Best bowling economy rates
• Most sixes
• Best bowling figures in a match

Manchester United pushed the boat out during the summer transfer window and now seem to be planning on their next capture ahead of the market opening for business again in January.

Manchester United set to offload Andre Onana on loan

The English transfer window is now closed and Ruben Amorim will need to work with the players at his disposal for the time being, though he is in the process of sanctioning a departure that could be announced imminently.

Fabrizio Romano has reported on X that Andre Onana is set to leave on loan to join Trabzonspor, in a deal that will contain no loan fee or option to buy the player once his agreement comes to an end.

Concern over Onana’s performances at Manchester United have existed for a long time and his exit will be seen as a timely one by many supporters.

High-profile errors and the weight of the number one jersey at Old Trafford have left the Cameroon international seeking a new challenge, especially after Senne Lammens’ £18.2 million arrival from Royal Antwerp.

Speaking about the realities of Onana’s situation, Roy Carroll has given his own account of the difficulties he faced when between the sticks at the Red Devils, claiming that mental toughness is key for Amorim’s chosen stopper moving forward.

He stated: “It’s not easy playing for Manchester United at the moment, but it was hard back then because everyone was expecting the new Peter Schmeichel.

“Even then, if you made a mistake, it was big news. You had to be mentally strong and that is still the case. But we are not robots; we are all human beings. It is not so much what you do on the pitch as what you do off it.”

With a change of the guard within Manchester United’s backline apparent, the next domino could be about to fall once the January window opens.

Manchester United plan to trigger Dani Vivian's release clause

Onana’s exit will leave Lammens between the sticks, and reports in Spain claim Manchester United could look to trigger Athletic Club defender Dani Vivian’s release clause in January, which stands at the £34.7 million mark.

Deemed similar to Dayot Upamecano by FBRef, Newcastle United and Aston Villa are also keen on the Spain international, who has made 152 appearances for Athletic Club, registering seven goals and two assists.

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Posts 2 ByDan Emery Sep 8, 2025

Seen as a market opportunity due to his favourable value, Vivian has already won five tackles and made 16 recoveries in La Liga this term, per Fotmob, illustrating his capacity to sniff out dangerous opportunities.

Harry Maguire is into the final year of his Manchester United contract, prompting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs in a money-spinning move for the England international.

With the Red Devils’ veteran at risk of departing, Vivian could be a natural replacement if circumstances align at Old Trafford over the coming months.

Bayern Munich sporting director Max Eberl has reiterated the club's commitment to Harry Kane, stating that they have no intention of parting ways and are focused on helping him succeed. The comments were prompted by Tottenham manager Thomas Frank, who had publicly expressed his openness to Kane rejoining the Premier League club. Coach Vincent Kompany subsequently declined to comment on the matter.

• Thomas Frank says Harry Kane is more than welcome at Tottenham

  Ever since Kane left for Bayern, there has been a constant feeling among the club's supporters that he will eventually return and retire in the league where he found his stride. When Frank was recently asked his opinion on a Kane reunion, the Danish manager said he believes that the striker is doing well at Bayern and will not be thinking of moving to England as of now. However, should he want to rejoin the club, Frank insisted he would be "more than welcome."

  This revelation was significant as Kane is not only the club's record goalscorer with 280 goals but is in the form of his life at Bayern. In addition, the England international reportedly has a €64 million (£56m/$76m) release clause in his contract which can be triggered next year, fuelling more expectations and speculation among the supporters.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Bayern's response to Harry Kane's transfer speculation

  In a pre-match press conference, Bayern sporting director Eberl was asked to comment on Kane and whether his release clause could lead to complications.

  "He's old enough to make his own decisions, whether clause or no clause, whatever – if he says: 'I want to make a decision,' then he'll make it, as he showed at Tottenham," he said. "But our wish is, of course, to be very, very successful with Harry this season and in the future! 

  When the same question was run through Kompany, the coach said: "Harry is in an excellent phase. The last thing I want is to open the door to other discussions."

  He further shared how Kane has developed over time and what he sees now is different from the Kane that he faced during his playing days at Manchester City.

  "They are two different players, the way I saw him then and the way I see him now. I think Harry has made a decision to open up his game more. This allows him to sometimes escape the attention of defenders and still score. I like having him in a position where he can score goals, but at the moment, it's working very well."

• Harry Kane's time at Bayern Munich

  Kane joined Bayern in 2023 as the Bundesliga’s most expensive signing and quickly proved his worth as a goal-scoring machine. In his debut season, he netted 36 league goals, earning the European Golden Shoe, and shattered records, including the fastest to 50 Bundesliga goals. He finished as top scorer in his first two seasons, helped Bayern secure the 2024-25 Bundesliga title-his first major trophy-and became the highest-scoring Englishman in Champions League history. Renowned for both finishing and playmaking, Kane had over 90 goals in just 100 appearances by 2025, cementing his status as a cornerstone of Bayern’s success.

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  Bayern will hope to maintain their win streak

  Bayern have maintained a seven-game win streak this campaign across all competitions, having not lost a single match yet. Kompany's men are set to face Werder Bremen in their next league match on September 26 before they fly to Cyprus to face Pafos in the Champions League on September 30.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sam Billings and Tom Curran were picked up in Monday’s draft

Matt Roller13-Jan-2025

English players are seeking clarity from the ECB over whether they will be granted No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) after they were signed to play in the PSL at Monday’s draft in Lahore.Tom Kohler-Cadmore (Peshawar Zalmi), Sam Billings and Tom Curran (both Lahore Qalandars) were signed in Monday’s draft, while James Vince (Karachi Kings), Chris Jordan and David Willey (both Multan Sultans) were all previously retained. The PSL has moved into an April-May window for 2025, meaning it will clash with the start of the English season for the first time.Players reacted furiously in late November when the ECB announced a new policy on NOCs, which chief executive Richard Gould said was designed to “defend our game”. The Professional Cricketers’ Association (PCA) were blindsided by the policy and said that their sense of “genuine collaboration” with the ECB had vanished.Related

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'Anger and resentment': PCA holds crisis talks over NOC policy

Players threaten legal action over new ECB stance on NOCs

The new policy will see players denied NOCs for all overseas leagues that take place during the English summer, including the PSL, the CPL and MLC – with the notable exception of the IPL. Players on white-ball contracts with their counties will be granted NOCs for competitions that do not clash with the T20 Blast or the Hundred.The ECB initially planned to block players with any provision for red-ball appearances from missing County Championship fixtures to play overseas, but have since softened their stance after pressure from players, their agents and the PCA. At this stage, Billings, Curran, Jordan and Willey are all expected to be granted NOCs for the PSL.The board’s stance is that its NOC “consultation group” will consider all requests against the criteria set out in November. ESPNcricinfo understands that in the case of the PSL, this will mean players will be eligible for NOCs if they are on white-ball contracts, or if they choose to renegotiate existing multi-format deals after the draft.James Vince was retained by Karachi Kings ahead of the PSL draft•PCB

Kohler-Cadmore and Vince are on all-format contracts with their respective counties – Somerset and Hampshire – and both are understood to be considering their available options. The PSL is due to run from April 8 until May 19, and both players will miss at least the first six Championship games of the season if they fulfil their PSL deals.ESPNcricinfo understands that six players with England central contracts registered themselves for the draft, but were marked as “unavailable” on a longlist sent to franchises on Sunday after the ECB clarified it would not grant them NOCs. These included Jonny Bairstow – who has not played for England since June – and Adil Rashid, who is a white-ball specialist.A PCA spokesperson said: “Following the announcement of the NOC policy and its proposed implementation, the PCA has been engaging with its members, legal team and the ECB, collectively representing current players to find solutions on restrictions. Progress has been made across a number of implementation areas, however, each NOC request is on a case-by-case basis and there remains ongoing consultation.”

Former Barcelona and France defender Eric Abidal has been forced to release a statement confirming he is "alive and well" after a cruel rumour of his death circulated on social media. The 46-year-old took to Instagram to slam the false reports, which exploited his real-life battle with liver cancer from 2011.

Abidal issues statement after false death rumour spreads online

Abidal has been forced to publicly deny false reports of his death after a cruel and baseless rumour circulated on social media on Monday. According to French outlet , several accounts on the platform X began spreading the claim that the 46-year-old had passed away due to complications from a second liver transplant, prompting the Champions League winner to release an official statement.

AdvertisementGetty'Respect is essential': What Abidal said in his statement

In response to the distressing online speculation, Abidal took to his Instagram story to reassure fans and condemn the rumour. 

"Some rumours should never exist," he wrote. "I'm here with my family, and everything is fine. Respect is essential. There is a family and my children behind this. To be clear, I'm fine, I'm alive and well. Thank you for your support and messages of concern. Let's focus on what really matters."

Rumour exploited former defender's real-life cancer battle

The false story preyed on Abidal's well-documented and inspirational battle with liver cancer. The defender was famously diagnosed with a tumour in his liver in 2011 while at the peak of his career with Barcelona. After initial surgery, he required a transplant a year later before making a remarkable and emotional return to the pitch in April 2013. He continued his playing career with Monaco and Olympiakos before finally retiring in 2014.

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AFPWhat next after Abidal quashes false report?

Having swiftly and publicly corrected the false information, Abidal has urged the public to move on and "focus on what really matters." The former defender, who also served as Barcelona's director of football after his retirement, will now look to put the upsetting incident behind him. His decisive statement has ended the speculation, allowing him and his family to move past the distressing online event.

Mahidul Islam Ankon has received a maiden national call-up as the wicketkeeper-batter’s replacement

Mohammad Isam28-Oct-2024Jaker Ali has been ruled out of Bangladesh’s second Test against South Africa with a concussion.Mahidul Islam Ankon has been named his replacement. Jaker suffered a concussion during training at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chattogram on Sunday.”Jaker Ali suffered a concussion while batting in practice yesterday [Sunday],” Bangladesh’s physio Bayjedul Islam Khan said. “He has a history of concussions and is still showing symptoms. Given his previous concussion record, recovery may take some time. Based on the clinical findings, he has been ruled out of the second Test.”Wicketkeeper-batter Jaker made a fifty on Test debut in Bangladesh’s second innings in the first Test against South Africa.Related

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He has also played 19 T20Is, having made his debut in the format earlier this year.This is wicketkeeper-batter Mahidul’s maiden call-up to the Bangladesh side. He has played most of his first-class matches for Dhaka Division, hitting all three centuries for the NCL team. He has also played one game for Bangladesh A against Pakistan A in August this year.Mahidul comes into the squad on the back of good form, having struck 118 against Sylhet Division last week.Earlier the selectors also called up pace bowler Khaled Ahmed to replace Taskin Ahmed.

Sri Lanka 302 for 7 (Kamindu 114, Kusal 50, O’Rourke 3-54, Phillips 2-52) vs New ZealandKamindu Mendis continued his phenomenal start to Test cricket notching up a fourth Test ton, but a couple of late wickets at the end of play ensured that New Zealand were not completely out of it after an engrossing opening day’s play in Galle.That one of those wickets was that of Kamindu will have brought the visitors particular joy, though the nature of the wicket – with it spitting out of the rough outside the left-handers off stump, to catch his glove – might give New Zealand’s left-hand heavy batting line-up some pause.Kamindu’s 114 off 173 was part of two key partnerships, the first worth 72 with Angelo Mathews and the second for 103 with Kusal Mendis. Around those New Zealand did what they do best. They put their best foot forward, set up solid plans, and threw themselves at everything.It meant Sri Lanka were unable to take complete control of the game having won the toss and elected to bat first on an unusually grass-strewn surface.Will O’Rourke was the pick of the bowlers, grabbing three wickets, including that of both Sri Lanka openers within the first hour of the morning session, while Glenn Phillips was the pick of the spinners with figures of 2 for 52. Mitchell Santner was wicketless, though that was less a reflection of his efforts and more a case of bad luck.Ramesh Mendis was unbeaten on 14 off 42 at stumps, alongside him was the Prabath Jayasuriya, but this was a day that belonged to Kamindu.His best work was done alongside the other Mendis in the lineup, Kusal, whose 50 off 68 provided the ideal foil to Kamindu’s steady hand. While missteps were rare for New Zealand, one in particular – a missed chance off a Kamindu miscue when he was still on 21 – might linger a little longer in the memory. That was also a rare Kamindu misstep, as for the most part, he dealt with whatever the visitors threw at him with consummate ease.William O’Rourke got his third wicket on the stroke of tea•Associated Press

The most striking feature of his innings was the ease with which he used his feat against the spinners, a concerted ploy geared towards not allowing them to settle on their lines and lengths. It meant the use of sweeps was more targeted than prolific, hounding out gaps in the field for a consistent flow of runs.His partnership with Mathews offered a much-needed period of consolidation after Sri Lanka had slumped to 106 for 4. Mathews had looked far from his best during a laboured 36 off 116, and it meant the scoreboard also wasn’t moving as swiftly as the hosts might have hoped.However once Mathews fell, edging behind off the excellent O’Rourke, it also brought up Sri Lanka’s best period of the day.With the ball softening and Kamindu already settled, Kusal’s natural aggression ran a tiring attack ragged. It took a freak dismissal to break the stand, as a hard pull off a Phillip’s long-hop saw the ball loop up off an evasive short leg and balloon to midwicket. Kusal looked on in disbelief, though by then Sri Lanka had already played themselves into a considerable position of strength.New Zealand though had started the day the better of the two sides with O’Rourke lighting up a gloomy morning session with a menacing opening burst full of pace, bounce and lateral movement. Through it he accounted for the wickets of Dimuth Karunaratne and Pathum Nissanka, while he also wrought some pain on Mathews, after one seamed back in sharply to strike his right forefinger. That knock forced Mathews to retire hurt, but he was able to return later on to complete his innings.New Zealand’s persistence continued to pay off after lunch, as they grabbed a further three wickets to bookend the session. Dinesh Chandimal fell right at the start, chipping to midwicket for a sharp catch, while Mathews fell on the stroke of tea. In between, Dhananjaya de Silva had a ripper from Phillips turn right through bat and pad to clip the top of off.On another day, all that might have signalled a successful day for the visitors, but Kamindu ensured that it was the hosts that would take home honours on a hard-fought opening day.