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A West Ham player who has been hailed as "phenomenal" in the past is now set to seal a return to one of his former clubs, according to a fresh transfer claim.

West Ham transfer news

The Hammers are being linked with plenty of exciting new signings as Julen Lopetegui looks to nail his summer transfer business having replaced David Moyes as manager.

One recent report has suggested that West Ham have enquired about Villarreal striker Alexander Sorloth, seeing him as a fantastic option alongside Mohammed Kudus, making Lopetegui's attack even more potent in the process. The 28-year-old scored an impressive 23 times in La Liga this season, highlighting the level of end product he could bring, acting as an upgrade on the ageing Michail Antonio.

Meanwhile, Celtic star Matt O'Riley has also emerged as a rumoured target for the east Londoners ahead of the 2024/25 season, as the Hammers look to find a tailor-made replacement for Lucas Paqueta should the Brazilian depart this summer. Like Sorloth, the attacking midfielder's numbers last season were mightily impressive, with 31 goal contributions (18 goals and 13 assists) coming his way in the Scottish Premiership.

Max Kilman has already been signed from Wolves, which looks like an eye-catching piece of business, but away from incomings, a current West Ham player is being linked with a move away.

"Phenomenal" West Ham player set to leave

According to The Sunday People's print edition [via West Ham Zone], Danny Ings is set to leave West Ham and re-join Southampton in the near future, following 18 months at the London Stadium.

The Hammers are willing to allow the £125,000-a-week striker to move on for a fresh challenge, but they are yet to come to an agreement with the Saints, with a £6m fee mooted.

This feels like the right time for Ings to move on considering his age and the fact that he has largely been a bit-part player since joining West Ham in January 2023. Only three starts in the Premier League were handed to him last term, which outlines his squad status, although former Premier League striker Noel Whelan did laud him during his time at Aston Villa, saying:

"He is a phenomenal finisher as well, and we’re really seeing that partnership work with [Ollie] Watkins. They’re building that telepathy, which is key to any good side. It’s what we’ve been asking for. They’ve had questions asked of them, criticism about the lack of goals – but they’ve shown exactly why Aston Villa paid the money to get them both in."

Burnley

130

43

Southampton

100

46

West Ham

52

4

Aston Villa

52

14

Bournemouth

30

8

Liverpool

25

4

England

3

1

31-year-old Ings only has one year remaining on his current West Ham deal, which means that selling him now makes perfect sense rather than losing him on a free transfer next year, and a reunion with Southampton represents a decent challenge for him at this point in his career.

Arsenal could launch an opening bid to kickstart negotiations over signing a £50 million England star this summer, as Mikel Arteta looks to strengthen one key area of his side.

Edu and Arteta planning defensive overhaul at Arsenal

Assisted by the club's sporting director, Edu, Arsenal's manager could oversee a defensive overhaul in the coming weeks – despite the Gunners boasting a better defensive record than any other Premier League team last season.

Arsenal contact club over signing £52m Euro 2024 star who Barcelona want

Hansi Flick’s side are one of many elite sides interested.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jun 19, 2024

No other top flight side conceded fewer goals than Arteta's men over 2023/2024, with Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba shining at the heart of Arteta's defence yet again, but a cause for concern is their lack of central defensive depth behind the pair.

Indeed, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Jakub Kiwior and Ben White are all capable of playing centre-back, but Arteta seems more inclined to use them as makeshift full-back options at this moment in time.

Premier League top five	Goals conceded
1. Man City	34
2. Arsenal	29
3. Liverpool	41
4. Aston Villa	61
5. Tottenham	61

Arsenal are reportedly interested in Euro 2024 star Ferdi Kadioglu, after his impressive season at Fenerbahce, so perhaps the Turkey international full-back's signing would allow Arteta to deploy one of Tomiyasu, Kiwior or White at centre-half more often.

However, reports suggest that Arsenal are in fact keen on bringing in another central defender, who can provide solid back up to Saliba and Gabriel. Reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano claims Arsenal are big fans of Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, and Gunners chiefs believe they're in fact frontrunners to seal a potential deal.

"Arsenal are also working on their future, we know they have many wonderkids in the academy, but there is a player they love. He is playing at Ajax, a centre-back and it is Jorrel Hato,” Romano said on the Here We Go podcast last month.

“Hato signed a new deal at Ajax two months ago, but Arsenal are still following him. They believe Hato is a top centre-back in terms of potential. Keep an eye on Arsenal, they are still pushing for Hato, they believe they are frontrunners in the race to sign him. Let’s see if they can make it happen this summer or if it has to be in the future.”

Another defensive acquisition to watch out for, and one who would greatly bolster Arteta's ranks, is Crystal Palace stalwart Marc Guehi.

Arsenal could launch opening Guehi bid to kickstart talks

The Eagles ace, who was rewarded for his excellent form last season with a call-up to Gareth Southgate's Euro 2024 England squad, started for the Three Lions against Serbia and earned plaudits for his performance.

Arteta and co are now ready to test Palace's resolve when it comes to selling the 23-year-old. According to CaughtOffside, Arsenal could kickstart talks by making an opening bid for Guehi, but they face competition from Newcastle United in this regard.

He's valued at around £50 million by Selhurst Park chiefs, which Arsenal consider too steep for the time being, but it isn't ruled out that they could try and whittle the price down in negotiations.

It'll also be interesting to see whether Guehi would consider a move to north London, as the presence of Saliba and Gabriel means he'd have to battle much more for regular game time.

The South African’s third child is due to be born soon but he is open to a return to the Heat in the future

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2020AB de Villiers will not return to the BBL with the Brisbane Heat this season due to the imminent birth of his third child and the complexities created by Covid-19, although the club have re-signed Afghanistan spinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman.De Villiers’ signing was announced to much fanfare last season as he played six matches for the Heat although his returns were middling with 146 runs at 24.33. He is currently enjoying an impressive IPL with Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Heat hope he can return in the future.”While things initially looked fine for him to come back, there have been a few factors emerge which have changed everyone’s plans,” coach Darren Lehmann said. “The main one, aside from the challenges represented by Covid-19 and international travel, is that AB and his wife Danielle are expecting their third child very soon.ALSO READ: New Zealand-New South Wales air bubble could help bring top West Indies players to BBL”Naturally we’re very pleased for them and know that the next few months will be a very special time for all. We’ll stay in contact and see what develops. He has been in excellent touch in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore, so he obviously remains a player we’d like to keep working with when the circumstances allow.”Had de Villiers joined the BBL he would have been required to undergo 14 days quarantine in a hotel room before being able to link up with the Heat squad.”It’s exciting for Danielle and me with the arrival of our new baby very soon,” he said. “So with a young, growing family, and the uncertainty around travel and conditions due to Covid-19, we reluctantly decided it wasn’t going to be this season.”The Heat were great to us last summer and I am very open to returning to the club in the future. The team didn’t get the results we were hoping for and I consider there is some unfinished business to deal with.”Mujeeb, meanwhile, will play his third season for the Heat. He is part of the Kings XI Punjab squad at the IPL although has only made two wicketless outings at the tournament. However, his form at the CPL, where he claimed 16 wickets at 13.56 and an economy of 5.29 on surfaces heavily in favour of spin, has encouraged Lehmann.”He’s doing a lot of the little things as well as anyone, and his control and maturity have gone to a new level, I believe,” Lehmann said. “He was outstanding in the Caribbean Premier League recently when he was the second leading wicket-taker in the competition, and he’s shown in the IPL that he can handle the very best.”We’re very pleased to have him back with us and with the BBL schedule potentially looking quite different to the usual format, his versatility and ability to create chances in a range of conditions will be very important for us.”The Heat also have England’s Tom Banton in their squad and teams will be allowed to field three overseas players in their XIs for the next two seasons. The schedule for the BBL has yet to be confirmed but is expected to be announced shortly after the Australia-India dates are rubberstamped.

Vivianne Miedema has urged the powers that be to take care of players amid increasingly 'dangerous' schedules in both men's and women's football.

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• Miedema describes football calendar as 'dangerous'
• Comments come after Rodri suggested possible strike
• Both players recently struck down with ACL injuries

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  More and more players are speaking out about how demanding football is becoming for the athletes, with Manchester City midfielder Rodri last month even going as far as saying that men's players were getting 'close' to going on strike due to the relentless schedule. Those comments came just days before the Spain star suffered a season-ending ACL injury.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Fellow Man City star Miedema had a very similar situation herself in the 2022-23 season while at Arsenal. In a column for Dutch newspaper , she wrote about the "worrying pattern" that had made the schedule "simply too full" for the men and the women. A month later, she ruptured her ACL and would have to endure a complex recovery, requiring two surgeries.

• WHAT MIEDEMA SAID

  Speaking to the this week, Miedema emphasised the point again. "[Change] is way too slow," she said. "It’s something, especially in women’s football, we’ve been shouting about for years. It’s not about not wanting to play the games. People can easily turn around and be like, 'Why do you not want to be a professional footballer? Why do you not want to play more games?' But if you put everything together and look at the physical and the mental health that we are put in, it’s dangerous.

  "It’s going to lead to not just physical injuries but also mental health issues. If we don’t start taking care of our players right now, I don’t know when it will be the right time. We see players, left, right and centre falling out with big injuries. They’re probably burned out, they’re not fresh to play football. As football fans, you always want your best players on the pitch. The way football is going right now, that’s not going to happen."

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Leah Williamson, Miedema's former Arsenal team-mate, has previous expressed her belief that the demanding schedule is "one of the main reasons" why there is an ACL crisis in women's football. In recent times, several organisations have started to conduct research into why this epidemic is occurring, but Miedema is frustrated that "so many different entities are doing similar or the same instead of putting everyone together and a bigger plan in place".

  As someone who has endured the long road to recovery that an ACL injury requires, she knows how difficult it can be and clearly would not wish it on anybody else. "There’s times and games where I feel really good and I definitely feel like I’m up to my level," she explained. "It’s a process of trying to trust your body again. It’s very easy to say 'you’re signed off, you’re fit' – but that’s just on paper. I’ve had set-backs along the way. At times, I do feel like me. Then at other times I know it’s different. Even now, there’s still slight adjustments we need to make."

Eoin Morgan says that the extra months of preparation ahead of next year’s postponed T20 World Cup could be crucial in getting the younger players in the England squad up to speed at international level.However, he also warned that it would be difficult for England to be considered among the favourites in Australia next year if they continue to take the field with a “half-strength” team.England’s white-ball squad was already lacking four key members of that World Cup squad in Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Joe Root and Jofra Archer, before the experience in their ranks was further eroded by the loss of Jason Roy to a side strain.And speaking on the eve of the first T20I at Emirates Old Trafford – England’s first outing since it was confirmed that the World Cup, originally scheduled for October and November, would be pushed back to 2021 – Morgan challenged the team’s fringe players to seize their chance in the absence of those more established names.”Given the circumstances surrounding Covid at the moment and the restrictions selection-wise, and having a priority on players’ wellbeing, this is another opportunity for guys who potentially would sit outside that 15, to try and present their best case, moving forward, for winter tours and the World Cup next year,” Morgan said.”I also think that opportunities like this don’t come around very often when we have our squad at full strength.”ALSO READ: Jason Roy out of series with side strainEngland’s triumph in last summer’s 50-over World Cup was made possible by a settled squad with clearly defined roles. However, Morgan recognised that this year’s unique circumstances – with England running concurrent Test and white-ball squads in a bid to fulfil their broadcast commitments after four months of lockdown – had left the development of their new-look team in a state of flux.”One of the challenges between now and the World Cup next year is going to be getting our strongest team on the park as often as we can to define those roles,” he said. “We will only know our strongest positions after we have guys achieving in those roles.”In the wake of a draining 2019 summer, England took an experimental T20 squad to New Zealand in November last year, where three of the current squad members, Tom Banton, Lewis Gregory and Saqib Mahmood, all made their debuts in a 3-2 series win, while a more experienced line-up came from behind in South Africa in February to win their three-match series 2-1.”It was a good exercise in the winter at different stages, particularly in South Africa, when we had the majority of people available – all bar Jofra, who was injured,” Morgan said. “But I don’t think we can have a scenario where we can play the majority of our games with a half-strength team and then expect to go into a World Cup as contenders.”Nevertheless, Morgan was torn as to whether the postponement of the T20 World Cup was actually an advantage to England, given that they would have been one of the only teams in the world to have had any meaningful match practice in the wake of the global sporting shutdown.”If the tournament went ahead, we would have been at an advantage over a lot of other nations given that we were already playing together,” he said. “But I think a lot of sides might have been up against it and it might have added a level of unpredictability to the World Cup.”Everybody’s favoured [by the postponement], simply because they haven’t been playing cricket. In a perfect-case scenario you lead into the World Cup playing good competitive cricket against sides in the conditions that you’re going to play, and the side has been together for a lot of the time.”Eoin Morgan and Jonny Bairstow head to the nets•Getty Images

Instead, England may need their younger players to find their feet at the highest level as quickly as possible, particularly a player such as Banton, who has found himself playing out of his comfort zone in the middle order in ODI cricket, due to the wealth of top-order talent at England’s disposal.”The messaging from myself or the coach is to feel as comfortable in an England shirt as you do in a county shirt,” Morgan said, “and to actually feel free enough to play the expansive game that you would at your county within international cricket.”Our job is to get the best out of the guys who are in our squad. So, in order to achieve that, guys need to feel comfortable and free enough to take the risks that international T20 cricket demands.”Instead of the T20 World Cup, the main focus for many of England’s white-ball players will be the IPL, which will be held in Dubai during the same window after being postponed from the spring, and Morgan hoped that the lessons available in that tournament, as well as Australia’s Big Bash, will help to fast-track the development of players such as Banton, whom he will be playing alongside at Kolkata Knight Riders.”A lot of the guys we have in the squad at the moment are young guys coming through, and when you’re at that stage of development in your career, six to eight to 12 months is actually quite a considerable amount of time,” Morgan said.”I think the challenge for those guys is actually getting the opportunity to go away and play,” he added. “The IPL is going ahead, and we have a long tour to India which actually frees up guys to play a full Big Bash and then potentially put their case forward to be selected in an IPL in the new year.”So, trying to expose them to a lot more white-ball cricket can accelerate their development as opposed to just sitting at home, not playing anything and wondering about what next summer will look like for us.”

أعلن نادي المصري، عن غياب 4 لاعبين في مباراته القادمة أمام بلاك بولز الموزمبيقي، التي تقام بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية.

ويلعب المصري ضد بلاك بولز، في إطار الجولة الثانية من عمر دور المجموعات لبطولة الكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

وتقام مباراة المصري مع بلاك بولز، على ستاد دو زيمبيتو الوطني بالعاصمة الموزمبيقية مابوتو في التاسعة مساء الأحد المقبل الموافق الثامن من ديسمبر الجاري.

طالع | حكم مباراة المصري وبلاك بولز في كأس الكونفدرالية

ووفقًا للصفحة الرسمية لنادي المصري على موقع التواصل الاجتماعي “فيس بوك”: “تأكد غياب الرباعي حسن علي وكريم بامبو وحسين فيصل ومحمد دبش لاعبي الفريق عن مباراة الفريق المقبلة أمام مضيفه فريق بلاك بولز”.

وصرح بذلك الدكتور محمود الشحات طبيب الفريق، مؤكدًا أن اللاعب حسن علي يعاني من تمزق في العضلة الخلفية، فيما أصيب الثنائي كريم بامبو ومحمد دبش بإلتواء في الكاحل ، بينما يعاني حسين فيصل من شد بالعضلة الضامة.

وكان المصري فاز على إنيمبا النيجيري في مواجهة الجولة الأولى من مباريات دور المجموعات بهدفين دون رد، وذلك يوم الأربعاء الماضي.

ويتواجد المصري في المجموعة الرابعة من بطولة كأس الكونفدرالية، مع أندية الزمالك وإنيمبا النيجيري وبلاك بولز الموزمبيقي.

ويتصدر فريق المصري ترتيب المجموعة، برصيد 3 نقاط، ويتساوى معه الزمالك صاحب المركز الثاني بنفس عدد النقاط، وفي المركزين الثالث والرابع فريقي بلاك بولز وإنيمبا بدون نقاط.

Celtic are one step away from winning the Scottish Premiership title as they prepare to travel away to face Kilmarnock in the top-flight on Wednesday night.

The Hoops need just one point from the game to officially confirm themselves as the champions of the division for the third year running, after winning the league in both of Ange Postecoglou's seasons in charge.

A huge 2-1 victory over Rangers in the Old Firm clash on Saturday has put them in prime position to celebrate this week, whether that comes against Kilmarnock on Wednesday or at home to St Mirren at the weekend.

The Scottish giants will then need to turn their attention to the SFA Cup final against their local rivals at Hampden Park towards the end of this month, as they look to complete a domestic double under Brendan Rodgers.

They will then be able to fully focus on the upcoming summer transfer window and how they could improve the playing squad ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

One player who could be replaced, in terms of his position as a regular starter, is left-back Greg Taylor, and the Hoops have been linked with a move for a Premier League full-back already this year.

Celtic's interest in Wolves whiz

TEAMtalk reported in March that the Bhoys were very keen on a deal to sign Wolverhampton Wanderers defender Hugo Bueno in the January transfer window.

They claimed that the club were 'extremely' interested in a swoop for the Spanish dynamo and went as far as making an offer to the Premier League club.

Celtic attempted to land the 21-year-old star on loan until the end of the season but Gary O'Neil's side rejected their approach, and opted to keep hold of him for the remainder of the campaign.

Rodgers wanted 'fresh legs' in the full-back positions and had identified Bueno as a key target in January to bolster his side ahead of the season half of the term.

They could not convince Wolves to part ways with the young gem midway through the campaign but TEAMtalk's report in March claimed that the Scottish side are set to return for the left-back in the summer.

The outlet stated that a move to Parkhead is still possible for him in the upcoming transfer window and that Rodgers is now set to battle it out with clubs from Spain and France to land his signature.

Bueno wants to play regular first-team football and the report claimed that a move to Paradise this summer could be his chance to go out and play week-in-week-out.

The left-footed ace could come in to replace Greg Taylor, who struggled in the Old Firm clash on Saturday, in the left-back spot in the starting XI next season.

Greg Taylor's form this season

Celtic ran out 2-1 winners against Rangers at the weekend and the full-back struggled at times with Dujon Sterling and James Tavernier pushing on down his side.

The Scotland international was awarded a match rating of 4/10 by Football Insider reporter Sean Fisher, who described his performance as 'uncomfortable' from a defensive perspective.

He lost 100% (3/3) of his ground duels on the day, as Rangers' players found it too easy to get the better of him on the deck, but did win eight of his 12 aerial battles.

Taylor, who failed in his only attempted dribble, also lost possession 19 times in total down the left flank, as he struggled to remain efficient in his use of the ball.

The Scottish dynamo has, however, offered an attacking threat on the left in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, whilst his defensive work has left a bit to be desired.

Appearances

33

Goals

3

Assists

4

Tackles per game

1.7

Interceptions per game

0.4

Duel success rate

51%

Aerial duel success rate

45%

As you can see in the table above, he has chipped in with seven direct goal contributions but has lost the majority of his aerial duels and only just won over half of his battles in total.

Rodgers wanting to sign another left-back, both in January and now in the summer, suggests that he is looking at players who could possibly come in as an upgrade on him, which is why the manager could ditch him by signing Bueno at the end of the season.

Why Celtic should sign Hugo Bueno

The Hoops should swoop to sign the 21-year-old star on a permanent deal if possible as, at his age, he has many years left ahead of him to develop and improve, which means that the talented gem would arrive as a long-term addition to the squad.

Bueno, whose development has been hailed as "incredible" by Wolves sporting director Matt Hobbs, has only started seven of his 21 appearances in the Premier League this season but has showcased signs of quality in the top-flight over the last year.

Expected Assisted Goals

0.03

0.10

Progressive passes

8.33

1.01

Progressive carries

1.17

2.69

Successful take-ons

0.50

0.90

Tackles made

1.83

2.36

Interceptions

0.67

0.67

Blocks

1.00

2.02

Clearances

2.00

2.69

As you can see in the table above, the Spanish youngster has provided far more to his team from a defensive perspective than Taylor has for Celtic, with significantly more tackles, blocks, and clearances per 90 combined.

He has also created 0.07 more xAG per 90 in big competitions – against high-quality opponents – and this speaks to his ability to make things happen in high-pressure matches.

Bueno, who won 88% of his duels in the EFL Cup this season, has the potential to come in as an upgrade on Taylor if he can translate that form over to the Premiership, whilst possibly improving upon it with the dominance Celtic have in matches.

The 21-year-old star could come in as a fantastic prospect with room to grow and develop over the years to come, whilst also having the ability to instantly replace the Scotland international, which is why Rodgers could brutally ditch his current left-back by signing the Wolves ace.

Tottenham have moved into pole position to land an exciting new option at the heart of defence this summer, as they look to bounce back from a tough end to the season.

Spurs' Champions League hopes hanging by a thread

Defeat in the north London derby in front of their home fans has left Tottenham's season threatening to fizzle out without the prize of Champions League football at the end of it.

They battled back from 3-0 down to 3-2, but could not find an equaliser in the dying minutes as Arsenal rode their luck to come away with all three points and boost their own hopes of winning their first Premier League title since 2004.

Spurs and Arsenal target's agent spotted in North London – report

His client has been strongly linked with both sides in recent weeks.

ByBen Browning Apr 28, 2024

After England's poor performance in Europe, only the top four sides qualify for the Champions League next season, instead of the widely anticipated five teams. Currently fifth, Ange Postecoglou's side are seven points behind Aston Villa, but have two games in hand on the Villans.

However, even were they to be perfect between now and the end of the campaign, their fate would be out of their hands, and they face a tricky run of fixtures that includes another London derby against Chelsea as well as games against two sides above them, though they also face an already relegated Sheffield United side and a potentially soon to be relegated Burnley.

Tottenham's final run in

Game 33

Chelsea (A)

Game 34

Liverpool (H)

Game 35

Burnley (H)

Game 36

Manchester City (H)

Game 37

Sheffield United (A)

Game 38

Newcastle United (A)

But attention is turning firmly to the summer, with the squad rebuild begun 12 months ago after the departure of Harry Kane set to continue ahead of the new season.

Tottenham in pole position for defender

Now, reports in Italy could have handed Spurs a boost, claiming that the Lilywhites are 'first in line' to land impressive Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori, Calafiori has been a revelalation for Thiago Motta and Bologna this season, making 27 appearances to help the Italian side into 4th, a spot currently enough to guarantee Champions League football next season.

Dubbed an "extraordinary" talent in the Italian press, he is an outside bet for Luciano Spalletti's EURO 2024 squad and his star is firmly on an upwards trajectory.

Riccardo Calafiori Bologna

His form has not gone unnoticed though, with Tottenham and Juventus both having been alerted to his situation. Though Juventus usually have the advantage when it comes to landing Serie A talent, it is claimed that this time round Tottenham are the frontrunners due to the fact that they have more cash available than the Old Lady, who would likely try and engineer a loan deal or part exchange for his services.

Though no price tag is mentioned, he has previously been reported to be available for around 25m euros (£21m) this summer, which could prove to be a bargain should he continue to deliver on his immense promise.

West Ham United want to land Manchester United right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka in a deal that will allow the Red Devils to sign Noussair Mazraoui.

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Wan-Bissaka wanted by Premier League sideMan Utd could fund right-back pursuitDeals tipped to happen 'in the next days'WHAT HAPPENED?

With a deal for OGC Nice centre-back Jean-Clair Todibo nearing completion, has reported that West Ham's attention is turning to Wan-Bissaka. The club could even secure a transfer for the Manchester United right-back "in the next days" if things go to plan. The flipside of that is it frees up the Old Trafford to side to secure Mazraoui from Bayern Munich.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

United fans might consider Mazraoui, who previously worked with Erik ten Hag at Ajax, to be an upgrade on Wan-Bissaka following inconsistent performances, limited attacking output and frustrating injury trouble in recent seasons. As for West Ham, right-back recruitment is a must after releasing Ben Johnson and selling Thilo Kehrer so far this summer. The Hammers had been linked with England veteran Kieran Trippier earlier this week as Vladimir Coufal is suddenly the only specialist in the position.

DID YOU KNOW?

By offloading Mason Greenwood, Donny van de Beek, Willy Kambwala and Alvaro Fernandez so far this summer, United have raised just over £50 million ($64m) in transfer fees – including add-ons. Incoming deals for Joshua Zirkzee and Leny Yoro have totalled around £95m ($121m) – also including add-ons.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

If things do move as quickly as reported, Wan-Bissaka could feasibly be part of West Ham's squad for their Premier League opener against Aston Villa on August 17. Similarly, Mazraoui could end up being involved when United host Fulham next Friday.

Football fans have reacted with shock and amazement at reports Manchester City's Julian Alvarez could join Atletico Madrid for at least £70 million.

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Alvarez linked with Man City exitAtletico close to possible £70m+ dealFootball fans shocked by moveWHAT HAPPENED?

According to The Athletic, Atletico are close to striking a deal for City forward Alvarez. The report adds the final price and payment structure are being discussed and the fee is expected to be at least five times the £14m ($17.8m) they paid River Plate for the Argentina international in January 2022. After news broke about the possible £70m exit ($89.4m) for the 24-year-old, football fans took to social media to express a vast array of different opinions on the topic.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesWHAT THE FANS ARE SAYING

@TheSecretScout_ tweeted: "Didn’t he look at Aguero, he’s going the wrong way," while @TolzyBets wrote on X: "Wow. Atletico are cooking."

@DJ___129 commented: "£70m for Alvarez is one of the worst deals I’ve seen in a long time. I actually think he’ll do well at Atleti but that fee is stupid – [Eddie] Nketiah is literally there for £30m smh (shake my head)."

@garnacho_fc posted: "He has to leave for the good cause as he won't start ahead of [Erling] Haaland anyway. Good that he realized it!"

Finally, @granville_cw put: "PSG and City will be pushing hard for CFs (centre forwards) now. Things just got even more interesting," and @CallMeHabeeb added: "Atletico Madrid will turn him into a monster striker💯."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

An Alvarez exit may have been on the cards ever since the striker said it hurt he wasn't playing in City's biggest matches last season, with prolific attacker Erling Haaland often preferred up front. This prompted a blunt response from manager Pep Guardiola, leading Alvarez to defend his remarks. While Guardiola said he "counts" on the Argentine, making a huge profit on the forward may cushion the blow of a potential exit.

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According to the report, Alvarez is keen on an Atletico move and personal terms are said to not be a problem. Since signing for Guardiola's City, he has helped them win two Premier League titles, one Champions League, and the FA Cup – but he has largely been behind Haaland in the pecking order.