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It was a mixed transfer window at West Ham United in the end, but things could have been so much different had they signed the attacking target that they set their sights on.

West Ham's transfer window in review

To say it was a slow start for the Hammers would be an understatement. It looked as though they were going to stand still entirely at one stage, opting to welcome just Callum Wilson and El Hadji Malick Diouf, until they finally returned to the transfer market late on and signed the likes of Mateus Fernandes.

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It could be that late flurry that sparks a much-needed turnaround under Graham Potter. Before their 3-0 victory against Nottingham Forest before the international break, the Hammers had lost all three of their first games, and had conceded 11 goals in the process. Pressure, as a result, was increasing on Potter.

The former Brighton manager would have breathed a greater sight of relief than anyone else involved at the City Ground, but West Ham must now kick on when they return to action.

Only time will tell whether late deals for Fernandes, Igor Julio and Soungoutou Magassa are enough to turn things around permanently at West Ham and save their transfer window, but Potter can no longer say that he wasn’t backed.

Up next for the Hammers after the international break is the visit of Tottenham Hotspur in a London derby. The Lilywhites have looked much-improved under Thomas Frank, although West Ham are no strangers to defeating their rivals and will be hoping to pick up where they left off against Forest.

It is, of course, the type of game that Aleksandar Mitrovic would have thrived in, but West Ham can thank one reason why he’s not lining up for Potter’s side after the summer transfer window.

West Ham made late Mitrovic offer

As reported by The Boot Room’s Graeme Bailey, West Ham made a late offer to sign Mitrovic after he was granted an exit from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal. Alongside Leeds United, the Hammers were pushing to welcome the forward back to the Premier League to solve their attacking problems.

Ultimately, however, he opted against returning to English football as he didn’t want to tarnish the relationship that he has with Fulham, having spent five years at the West London club.

Once dubbed “outstanding” by Fulham boss Marco Silva, there’s no doubt that Mitrovic would have been an instant upgrade on West Ham’s current options.

Tom Bischof is emerging as Bayern Munich’s breakout star this season, blending youthful energy with relentless ambition. The German midfielder, who calls himself a “mentality monster,” has quickly adapted to the rigors of Allianz Arena, thriving under Vincent Kompany and embracing Bayern’s winning mentality as he aims to make an immediate impact on both the domestic and European stage.

Bayern’s dominant season and Bischof’s bright start

Bayern continues to dominate the Bundesliga, securing their sixth consecutive victory defeating Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 and maintaining a perfect start to the campaign. The squad’s mix of seasoned stars and rising talent has created a formidable force on the pitch. Among the newcomers making waves is 20-year-old Bischof, who joined Bayern this summer from Hoffenheim. Bischof has adapted seamlessly to the team’s high standards, fitting into Kompany’s dynamic system and contributing meaningfully to the club’s ongoing success.

AdvertisementGetty Images Sport“I’m a mentality monster,” says Bischof

In an interview with Bayern’s Sabener51 magazine, Bischof shared insights into his decision to join the club and the mindset he brings to the squad. He carefully considered the move, listening to advice from Kompany, Max Eberl, and Christoph Freund, while also studying Bayern’s style of play.

"I spent a long time thinking about what the right step would be for me. I didn’t just decide because we’re Bayern fans in my family. I also listened carefully to Vincent Kompany, Max Eberl, and Christoph Freund about what they wanted and expected of me. I watched a lot of Bayern. All of that played a role," Bischof said.

He further added: "“I think the kind of football Bayern plays suits me perfectly. Playing around the box, the high pressing, all of that suits me very well. And besides, I’m a bit of a ‘mental monster. I’m super ambitious, I want to win titles, I want to win every game, absolutely. And that’s FC Bayern’s identity."

Bischof's journey from Hoffenheim to Bayern

Bischof’s rise has been swift. A product of Hoffenheim’s youth academy, he impressed in his breakthrough 2024-25 season, scoring six goals and providing three assists across 42 appearances. His Bundesliga debut for Bayern has already seen him feature in four matches and record one assist, quickly proving his ability to compete at the highest level. Internationally, he has represented Germany at various youth levels and earned his senior debut during the 2024-25 Nations League against France, signaling a promising future for both club and country.

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Getty Images SportBayern's form is the result of collective strength

Bayern's current form is a testament to a squad firing on all cylinders. Harry Kane leads the Bundesliga scoring charts with 11 goals, while Luis Diaz tops the assists table with four, highlighting the potency of Bayern’s attacking and creative play. After the international break, Bayern will test their strength against rivals Borussia Dortmund on October 18.

The India batter has confirmed his availability for Delhi’s next match starting on January 30

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Jan-2025

Virat Kohli will train with the Delhi team on Tuesday ahead of what will be his first Ranji Trophy appearance since 2012. Delhi coach Sarandeep Singh confirmed that Kohli will join the squad, having confirmed his availability last week for their final group fixture against Railways at the Arun Jaitley Stadium from January 30 to February 2.Kohli had opted out of Delhi’s previous match citing a neck injury. His participation in this round comes after the BCCI had issued guidelines to contracted players following India’s 3-1 defeat to Australia in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, one of which was to play domestic cricket.Over the last couple of days, photos and videos have emerged on social media of Kohli working with former India and RCB batting coach Sanjay Bangar.Related

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Kohli available for Delhi's Ranji Trophy game starting January 30

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The final round of Ranji Trophy group games will end four days before India’s first ODI against England in Nagpur on February 6. Kohli is part of the ODI squad for the three-match bilateral series in the lead up to the Champions Trophy from February 19.Rahul named in Karnataka squadKL Rahul has been named in Karnataka’s squad for their must-win Ranji Trophy fixture against table-toppers Haryana in Bengaluru later this week. He was included subject to fitness but ESPNcricinfo understands he has been cleared by the BCCI medical panel after an elbow niggle kept him out of the previous match against Punjab.Rahul’s return means Karnataka will be at full strength with Devdutt Padikkal and Prasidh Krishna, who were both part of the Test squad in Australia, also part of the squad.This will be Rahul’s first first-class appearance for Karnataka in nearly five years, since the the 2019-20 semi-final against Bengal at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.Jadeja to play for SaurashtraRavindra Jadeja will also play in Saurashtra’s final game against Assam in Rajkot. He had taken a ten-wicket haul in Saurashtra’s win against Delhi in the previous round.The fixture will also feature Riyan Parag, who was declared fit to play after recovering from a shoulder injury. He will lead Assam against Saurashtra.Mohammed Siraj will also turn out for Hyderabad in their group game against Vidarbha. Incidentally, the last time Siraj played a Ranji Trophy game was also against Vidarbha in February 2020. Vidarbha are the current Group B table-toppers while Hyderabad are in fourth place with two wins, two losses and two draws. Siraj recently played all five Tests against Australia in BGT 2024-25 where he bowled the second-most overs of all bowlers – 157.1 – only behind Pat Cummins.Rishabh Pant is not part of the squad for Delhi’s next group game against Railways. Pant played the previous match against Saurashtra where he managed just 1 and 17 as Delhi went down by ten wickets.

Chelsea have been charged with 74 alleged breaches of FA regulations dating back to Roman Abramovich’s ownership, raising questions about what punishment the club could face. However, despite the severity of the charges, reports suggest the Blues are bracing for a financial sanction rather than a sporting one, with an outcome likely to mirror their £8m fine from UEFA.

• Chelsea charged with 74 FA rule breaches dating back to 2009
• Club expects financial penalty, not points deduction or transfer ban
• Punishment likely similar to UEFA’s £8m fine issued in 2023

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Football Association confirmed this week that Chelsea had been charged with dozens of rule breaches relating to agents, intermediaries and third-party investment in players. The conduct in question ranges from 2009 to 2022, previous owner during Abramovich’s tenure. Chelsea stated that the breaches were “self-reported” during the due diligence process of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital’s takeover.

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• AFP
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite the scale of the charges, Chelsea are reportedly expecting only a financial penalty. According to The Telegraph’s Matt Law, the west London side are not anticipating any sporting sanctions, such as a points deductions or a transfer ban. The expectation is that the punishment will be similar to the £8 million fine handed down by UEFA in 2023.

• TELL ME MORE…

  The charges cover a long period of time and primarily relate to payments made to agents and intermediaries. FA rules prohibit third-party ownership of players, which was a particular focus of the investigation. By self-reporting, Chelsea hoped to mitigate the punishment and demonstrate transparency under their current ownership, which may have worked in their favour.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  The West London side will now work with the FA as the disciplinary process unfolds. While the club may escape sporting sanctions, the case serves as another reminder of the turbulent legacy left by the Abramovich era. The Boehly-Clearlake consortium will be keen to resolve the matter swiftly and focus on stabilising the club both on and off the pitch.

Sunderland are yet to pick up a win during their pre-season outing to the Algarve, but there have been promising signs aplenty anyway.

Indeed, the Black Cats have faced some formidable opponents out in Portugal in the form of Sevilla and Sporting, meaning a 1-1 draw and a 1-0 loss aren’t disastrous outcomes, when you also consider a large chunk of the first team personnel selected by Regis Le Bris are still getting used to one another as brand new recruits.

In particular, Habib Diarra and Noah Sadiki caught the eye of Sunderland spectators watching on, with the skilful midfield duo set to be joined by another impressive body in the middle if emerging reports are correct.

Sunderland agree terms with £17m battler

Of course, Sunderland fans will take any progressing deal with a pinch of salt until it’s officially over the line, having been burnt recently by Armand Lauriente’s deal falling through at the last minute.

Lauriente was even pictured jetting off to the Stadium of Light to complete a move, but the wheels unfortunately came off the deal in the end.

Hopefully, any last-minute mishaps are out of the Wearside outfit’s system, with The Athletic’s David Ornstein dramatically revealing via X that Sunderland have now agreed personal terms with long-term target Granit Xhaka.

The exclusive development by Ornstein reveals that Xhaka is only considering the newly promoted side as his next onward destination, with the hope on his end that the deal can be tied up rapidly for him to return to the Premier League.

In a window where Sunderland have already made a few statement deals a reality, this could well be the pick of the bunch, with the deal for the Swiss international – who is said to be valued at €20m (£17m) – a far more exciting signing to seal than Lauriente’s ever was.

Why signing Xhaka would be more exciting than Lauriente

Lauriente no doubt would have made his presence known donning Sunderland red and white, off the back of an explosive campaign in Serie B.

After all, the silky Frenchman wasn’t labelled “amazing” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig just by fluke, with a stunning haul of 18 strikes last season for Sassuolo clinching a glorious promotion up to the Italian top-flight.

Xhaka also has a sumptuous rocket up his sleeve, yet the seasoned 32-year-old would pick up his impressive tally of two strikes and seven assists in the far choppier and intense terrain of the Bundesliga last campaign, with the Bayer Leverkusen number 34 elevating his game to the next level in Germany.

From 174 games in the top division – with 66 of those coming about for Leverkusen – the midfield enforcer would collect 11 goals and ten assists, 12 of which were registered at the BayArena, as his side were even crowned champions of the usually Bayern Munich-dominated Bundesliga during his two-campaign stint.

On the contrary, Lauriente only has 133 games next to his name in total when plying his trade in Serie A and Ligue 1, with Xhaka’s expertise of the taxing Premier League also making him a far more worthwhile signing to pursue, away from festering in any lingering disappointment of the Frenchman’s deal collapsing.

Whilst he did experience many bumps along the way at Arsenal, Xhaka – in retrospect – is now viewed as a cog that allowed the Gunners to tick during testing times, as seen in his impressive 17 goals and 25 assists from a mammoth 225 top-flight appearances.

On top of that, he also battled away valiantly for the Gunners’ cause time after time, with 1001 duels being won in total, gaining him the label of a “monster” by Arsenal-based writer Connor Humm.

With the necessary grit required for a relegation battle, on top of possessing the quality to try and push Sunderland away from that mire, this really would be a standout addition to make for a £17m star also lauded as a “technician” by Chelsea great Joe Cole.

Lauriente might well have developed into a dazzling attacker under Le Bris’ wing, but if it’s readymade Premier League performers the ex-Lorient manager is after, he should ensure this move is sealed.

Adingra will love him: Sunderland in talks to sign "sensational" £22.5m ace

Sunderland is continuing to negotiate a deal to snap up a £22.5m star

By
Kelan Sarson

Jul 22, 2025

علق الإعلامي أحمد شوبير على أزمة التحكيم في الدوري المصري خلال الفترة الأخيرة، حيث تناول في تصريحاته عبر برنامجه الإذاعي عدداً من الحالات الجدلية في المباريات، مؤكدًا أن بعض الحكام يفتقدون الخبرة والذكاء المطلوب في اللقاءات الكبرى.

قال الإعلامي أحمد شوبير في تصريحات عبر برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الأحد: “تتذكرون ليلة مباراة الأهلي الأخيرة مع سيراميكا، عندما كنت على الهواء هنا في الإذاعة، قلت لكم: محمود وفا حكم هايل وحكم ممتاز، لكن المباريات الحساسة لها حسابات أخرى، الأفضل أن تستعين بحكم دولي مخضرم لديه خبرة وتضعه في هذه المباراة، وبذلك أنت تحمي حكامك”.

وتابع: “أود أن أوضح أنني لا أهاجم محمود وفا إطلاقًا، فهو حكم مميز جدًا، لكن هناك مباريات يا جماعة تحتاج إلى ذكاء وخبرة وفطنة، حتى لا يقال أصل وفصل، وحتى إذا حدثت أخطاء من الحكام الدوليين، فلا مشكلة، لكن الوقاية خير من العلاج”.

وأضاف: “في مباراة الأهلي وسيراميكا الأخيرة، كان هناك اعتراض من الأهلي على ثلاث كرات، واعتراض من سيراميكا على كرة واحدة. الأهلي يقول: لدي هدف لم يُحتسب، وضربتا جزاء لم يُعد فيهما الحكم إلى تقنية الفار، وسيراميكا يقول: لدي ضربة جزاء لم تُحتسب. فدخلنا في جدل كنا في غنى عنه”.

وتابع: “محمود البنا كان يدير وقتها مباراة مودرن وإنبي، مباريات قوية وممتازة. فلماذا لم يتم وضعه في مباراة الأهلي وسيراميكا، ويتم تكليف وفا بمباراة مودرن وبعدها يحصل على لقاء آخر أخف؟ الأمور كانت ستصبح أهدأ بكثير”.

وواصل: “لكن في النهاية هي وجهة نظر، ورئيس لجنة الحكام يرى أن وفا يقدم مباريات جيدة، وكذلك الغندور، لكن مثلًا، مباراة الزمالك والإسماعيلي أدارها أمين عمر، ورغم أن الزمالك دائمًا يتحفظ على وجوده، إلا أنه حكم دولي. وحتى عندما استدعاه الفار لضربة جزاء صحيحة للزمالك، احتسبها دون تردد، وكان القرار صحيحًا 100 في الـ100”.

طالع أيضًا | طه إسماعيل: الأهلي يمر بأزمة مانشستر سيتي.. ووفرة النجوم “مشكلة”

وأضاف: “الأهلي أرسل خطابًا رسميًا يؤكد أن لديه ضربتي جزاء لمحمد علي بن رمضان وطاهر محمد طاهر، وأن كرة تريزيجيه تجاوزت خط المرمى ولم تُحتسب، وكان لابد أن يستدعي الفار الحكم محمود وفا”.

وأشار: “لكن في النهاية، فاز الأهلي بالمباراة 1-0 ومرت بسلام، ولم تحدث مشاكل. صحيح أن الأخطاء لم تؤثر على النتيجة، لكن لو كانت أثرت كنا ما زلنا نتحدث عنها حتى الآن، وسيراميكا يرى أن الأخطاء أثرت على النتيجة من وجهة نظره، ويؤكد أن لديه ضربة جزاء صحيحة لم تُحتسب”.

وأكد: “فاركو اشتكى من الحكم حماده بعد مباراة الفريق أمام الاتحاد السكندري التي انتهت بالتعادل، وطالبوا بإبعاده عن المباريات، لجنة الحكام ردت عليهم بشكل ودي وقالت: أنتم محقون، لم يكن هناك تدخل من الفار في الحالة، كذلك غزل المحلة أصدر بيانًا بعد مباراة المصري التي خسرها 2-1، وهاجم الحكم محمود بسيوني، رغم أنه من أفضل الحكام الدوليين”.

وتابع شوبير: “كنت متفائلًا جدًا بالتحكيم هذا الموسم، لأن المجهود المبذول من اللجنة والحكام كبير جدًا، لكن أين تكمن المشكلة؟ المشكلة في عقلية بعض الحكام، أتحدث عن فاركو واتحاد، عن بيراميدز والإسماعيلي، عن المحلة والمصري… تقريبًا لا توجد مباراة خالية من المشاكل”.

واستمر: “المحلة قال: لن ألعب مباراة يديرها محمود بسيوني. نادٍ آخر قال: لن ألعب إذا كان الحكم أمين عمر، أندية أصبحت تختار الحكام! وهذا ليس من حقها إطلاقًا، من حقك أن تقدم شكوى، لكن ليس من حقك أن تقول: لن ألعب”.

واستطرد: “حتى نادي زد أصدر بيانًا واشتكى من التحكيم في مباراتين أمام الإسماعيلي وبيراميدز. وقالوا إن الحكم لم يطرد أحمد سامي رغم تدخله الخطير بالركبة على رأس مهاجم الإسماعيلي”.

وختم شوبير تصريحاته قائلًا: “التحكيم موهبة مثل اللاعب، مثل المغني، مثل الفنان. ليس مجرد لياقة بدنية أو سرعة جري، الأهم أن يكون لدى الحكم موهبة، وأنا أوجه كلامي للحكام الشباب: أحيانًا ألمح نبرة غرور أو ثقة زائدة في طريقة التعامل مع اللاعبين أو في صوت الصفارة، هذا غير صحيح، اقرأوا الفاتحة قبل المباراة واجعلوا نيتكم النجاح، وربنا سيكرمكم، لقد حذرت وسأظل أحذر: ما يتعلمه الحكام في التدريبات يجب أن يطبقوه داخل الملعب”.

The defending BBL champions have secured Munro on a two-year deal ahead of the overseas draft

AAP02-Jul-2024Brisbane Heat have taken a key step towards defending their BBL title by re-signing former New Zealand batter Colin Munro for a further two seasons.Munro, who announced his international retirement earlier this year after missing New Zealand’s T20 World Cup squad, has played 428 T20 matches in multiple competitions and scored 10,961 runs at a career strike-rate of 141.25, with five centuries and 67 half-centuries.Related

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The 37-year-old lines up for his third season with Heat and is the BBL’s fourth player to be signed under new rules which allow each club to sign one international on a multi-year deal ahead of the overseas player draft.Munro, who was a member of the Perth Scorchers’ 2021-22 BBL title win, has played the past two seasons with the Heat and scored 502 runs with blistering knocks of 98 and 99 not out.In both seasons he left early to join Desert Vipers in the UAE-based ILT20 competition but his new Heat deal will ensure Munro is available for all BBL matches, including finals.England international and former Heat star Sam Billings has joined Sydney Thunder next season while Heat cult hero and last season’s finals hero Josh Brown will link with Melbourne Renegades.Munro will lead a strong Heat line-up, alongside Australia’s Usman Khawaja and Matt Renshaw, and wants to be part of a championship side.”It was pretty poignant being away and watching the boys go one better to win the title, after going through the disappointment of the previous season when we got beaten at the death in the final,'” Munro said.”It’s a strong squad again and I’m looking forward to being part of what we can build together. There are always opportunities to get better and as a group, we should be excited about the new goals we will pursue this summer.”Heat have a new coach for next season with Johan Botha having replaced Wade Seccombe.

USA, playing in their first T20 World Cup, have qualified for the Super Eight stages

Sidharth Monga14-Jun-20243:17

O’Brien: USA deserve to be in the Super Eight

It didn’t come around with a final dot ball or a wicket or a final scoring shot. The fans didn’t get to celebrate in the stands. There was no drama. After about five hours of hard work from the ground staff, it was during a fresh shower that it was finally decided there wasn’t going to be a match in Lauderhill on Friday. And with that, amid almost no fanfare, USA qualified for the Super Eight.USA will take it whatever way they get it, but they came wanting to play cricket. “As a cricketer, me coming to the ground today, and the boys coming to the ground today, I think that you don’t want to leave home and not play cricket,” the USA vice-captain Aaron Jones said. “That’s for me personally, I want to play. But at the end of the day, the rain… it’s nothing that we can control. So we are grateful that we got to the Super Eights. But we left the hotel this morning thinking about playing cricket, we wanted to play cricket.”Jones is not one for doing cartwheels. “Yeah, definitely we are celebrating,” he said. “Everybody’s happy right now. Obviously qualifying for the Super Eights is a big thing, so everybody’s happy right now.”Related

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Of course, the qualification didn’t come around just because there was no play on Friday, leaving Pakistan no chance to draw level with USA let alone going past them. They qualified because they beat Pakistan and Canada, something Jones at least had warned the world about when he said USA were not there just to make up the numbers.”Yeah, I definitely believed that earlier this year when I spoke about it,” Jones said when reminded of his comments. “To be honest with you, a lot of people don’t really pay much attention to US cricket. So probably the whole world don’t already know how much talent we have here and how good the players that we have here are. I think that could be a little advantage to us, but definitely I think that on any given day, once we play proper cricket, we believe that we can beat any team in the world for sure.”USA will now get three big matches in the Super Eight, facing West Indies, South Africa and possibly England. Their prize money will jump by at least $150,000. The biggest boost will hopefully be more interest in cricket in the country after such an impressive showing in their first T20 World Cup. Especially given how this automatically qualifies them for the next T20 World Cup too.”It’s a big thing for us to be honest,” Jones said. “Over the last couple of years, we’ve been speaking about playing in the World Cup, playing more games against the Full Member nations and stuff like that. And here we are doing it right now. And obviously qualifying for the Super Eights is really good. Not only for us right now in the moment but I think we’ll qualify for the 2026 World Cup as well so I think it’s a big thing for us. Not only for us but the fans around America as well. We really appreciate them for sure and not only for the fans but for the younger generation in America as well.”Even their rivals Canada have been rooting for USA because this brings the spotlight on the whole of North America. “I saw them last month in April, those guys were working really hard and I’m happy for them, how they qualified,” Shreyas Movva, the Canada wicketkeeper said. “It’s a motivation for us going into the next tournaments that USA have done it so we can do too.”Jones himself will be going back to the land of his birth, Barbados, to play two of the three matches. “It’s really good for me to go back home,” Jones said. “I’m really happy right now. I think I’ll get a lot of support for sure, especially in Barbados. So definitely looking forward to it.”

Liverpool are enjoying life as Premier League champions, but could now be about to make their first serious summer move to land a prodigious target, according to reports.

Liverpool look ahead to the summer transfer window

While Arne Slot and company fulfil their remaining fixtures for the season, they are now nothing more than a formality as the countdown continues until they can lift the Premier League trophy.

Opening the celebratory champagne will be the immediate priority. Still, there is plenty of focus at Anfield on what comes next as Liverpool aim to stay one step ahead of their domestic rivals for years to come.

Looking to make a mark once the window opens, the Reds have Brighton & Hove Albion striker Joao Pedro on their radar after his top-flight performances have made a major impression behind the scenes on Merseyside.

Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen has been heavily linked with Liverpool amid stiff competition for his signature. The Spain international has a £50 million release clause that is active this summer, making him an attractive target.

However, any notion of a sensational move to Anfield for Kevin De Bruyne is false, with the Manchester City icon not considered to be a priority despite his availability on a free transfer.

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Either way, stories are starting to pick up as Liverpool probe for new additions in the market. Following a fantastic debut campaign for Slot, the Dutchman will be keen to establish a dynasty over a longer period at Anfield.

With that in mind, the Reds are now plotting a serious move for an exciting winger who could add another dimension to their forward line.

Liverpool expected to make 'serious move' for Lyon winger Malick Fofana

According to CaughtOffside, Liverpool are set to make a ‘serious move’ to sign Lyon’s Malick Fofana, who could be allowed to leave the Ligue 1 outfit this summer amid their financial problems.

Valued at €50m (£42.26m), the Belgium international has registered 11 goals and six assists in 39 appearances across all competitions this season.

Successful dribbles

23

Chances created

22

Successful crosses

17

Shots on target

14

Touches in opposition box

94

Pass accuracy

83%

Likened to Vinicius Junior by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Fofana is attracting interest from a multitude of clubs, with Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle United, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus all keeping an eye on his situation.

Intriguingly, Liverpool are expected to up the ante in their pursuit of the Aalst-born man due to doubt over the long-term futures of Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota.

Roma have targeted Federico Chiesa of late after the Italy international spent most of the campaign on the fringes at Anfield, so there could be plenty of scope for bodies to make way for Fofana to move to Liverpool if circumstances align for all parties.

Liverpool owe much to Mohamed Salah, who has devoted the prime years of his illustrious career to Anfield and cemented his status as one of the Premier League’s all-time greats.

Having clinched 28 goals and 18 assists in the top flight this term, Salah has been the driving force behind his side’s historic triumph, equalling Manchester United’s record of 20 English first division titles.

However, Salah is not the only star in Liverpool’s team. Virgil van Dijk has been an all-commanding titan in defence, while Alexis Mac Allister has pulled the strings in the centre.

It’s Ryan Gravenberch, though, who deserves recognition for being Liverpool’s secret weapon in this title triumph, refashioned by Arne Slot into one of Europe’s superlative number sixes.

Midfield isn’t the main priority for the Reds, heading into the summer transfer window, but FSG might have identified a shrewd way to make Gravenberch even better.

Liverpool chasing new midfielder

According to Spanish reports, Liverpool are looking to take advantage of Frenkie De Jong’s situation at Barcelona, out of contract in little over a year, and will test the La Liga giant’s resolve with a €40m (£34m) bid this summer.

The piece outlines that there is believed to be a ‘willingness’ at Camp Nou to potentially listen to offers for the former Ajax man, albeit with the Reds set to be joined by Arsenal and Manchester City in the race for his signature.

De Jong has avoided injuries for most of the campaign but hasn’t always found his name on the starting teamsheet under Hansi Flick, and given Liverpool’s pedigree and strong Dutch contingent, could be enticed by making the move to Merseyside.

Why Liverpool want Frenkie De Jong

De Jong, 27, has played 253 games for Barcelona since leaving Amsterdam as an illustrious prodigy in 2019 for a £65m fee.

Fitness problems have been the bane of his career in Spain, but there’s no question De Jong is an elite-standard player, with his former boss Xavi calling him “one of the best midfielders in the world.”

However, his La Blaugrana journey under Flick’s wing has been stunted despite improvements on the injury front, and a move to Liverpool could prove the fresh start he needs at this stage of his career, joining Gravenberch in Slot’s midfield.

Gravenberch’s rise from prospect to superstar has been an extraordinary thing this year, and while De Jong is older than his 22-year-old compatriot, he will feel that Slot’s fluid ball-playing football could have a similar effect on his game.

Matches (starts)

26 (12)

34 (34)

Goals

1

0

Assists

0

4

Touches*

28.8

67.3

Pass completion

83%

89%

Key passes*

0.6

0.7

Dribbles*

0.9

1.0

Ball recoveries*

2.8

5.3

Tackles + interceptions*

1.5

3.6

Duels (won)*

2.8 (47%)

5.0 (58%)

Looking at how Slot managed to get a melodic tune out of Gravenberch this season, you’d be confident that he could elevate a fully-fit De Jong back to his best at Liverpool too.

The Dutch international might be somewhat on the margins at Barcelona right now, but he’s still managed to showcase his quality to a good degree, especially important in the Champions League.

As per FBref, he ranks among the top 1% of centre-midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 4% for passes attempted and the top 7% for progressive passes per 90.

Such passing quality could play perfectly into Gravenberch’s strengths, striking an exciting connection in Liverpool’s engine room next term as Slot looks to go again, defend his Premier League title and challenge across other fronts.

Gravenberch likes to drive the ball forward and covers a lot of ground in the middle of the park, and having a more rooted deep-lying playmaker beside him could prove a confluence of styles to make this Liverpool side even better, easing the workload that Mac Allister has had to carry.

Liverpool already have enough depth in midfield that this could prove an astute piece of business, and Slot’s coaching success on his countrymen this term suggests it might be worthwhile.

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