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Jaydn Denly fifty caps strong day for hosts in second Youth Test at Cheltenham

ECB Reporters Network16-Jul-2024

England U19 73 for 1 (Denly 57*) trail Sri Lanka U19 153 (Weerasinghe 77, Sharma 5-44) by 80 runsNaavya Sharma put the skids under Sri Lanka as England gained the upper hand on the opening day of the second Youth Men’s Test at Cheltenham.On a day when 25 overs were lost to rain, the Middlesex pace bowler served up an incisive display to return career-best figures of 5 for 44 and help dismiss the tourists for 153 inside 46 overs in their first innings. Harry Moore impressed on debut, claiming 2 for 38, while spinner Charlie Barnard weighed in with 2 for 35 in a disciplined England bowling and fielding performance.Sri Lanka were indebted to Gayana Weerasinghe, who posted 77 from 111 balls in a defiant innings illuminated by eight fours and a six to ensure England did not have things entirely their own way.Jaydn Denly afforded the reply early impetus, staging an enterprising knock of 57 not out from 59 balls, with 10 fours, as England reached stumps on 73 for 1, trailing by 80 with nine first-innings wickets in hand. Keshana Fonseka is unbeaten on seven and the home side will look to forge a meaningful lead when they resume in the morning.With bowler-friendly conditions prevailing, England captain Hamza Shaikh won the toss and had no hesitation in asking the tourists to bat, a decision which was quickly vindicated once Sharma and Moore went to work with the new ball.Bowling with express pace from the Chapel end, Sharma conjured a devastating burst of three wickets in 12 balls to rip the heart out of Sri Lanka’s top-order. Making the most of low cloud cover, the Isleworth-born teenager squared up Pulindu Perera, the left-handed opener sending a leading edge looping high to Rocky Flintoff at short extra as the breakthrough came in the third over.He then removed Sharujan Shanmuganathan and Mahith Perera with successive deliveries in the seventh. Playing across the line to a straight one, Shanmuganathan perished lbw, while Mahith, playing back to a length ball, was bowled via an inside edge. With the Young Lions rampant, Dinura Kalupahana survived the hat-trick ball, rapped on the pads by a delivery that was deemed to be going down the leg side.Awarded his cap before start of play, tall Derbyshire seamer Moore lured Mahith Perera into front-foot indiscretion, the diminutive opener losing his off stump and departing for a 16-ball duck as Sri Lanka’s batting imploded. England’s charge was then held up by the elements, steady drizzle forcing the players off with the score on 27 for 4 in the eighth over.England made further in-roads following the resumption, Noah Thain removing Dinura Kalupahana with his fourth ball after replacing Moore. Having scored an outstanding hundred in the first unofficial Test at Wormsley earlier this month, Kalupahana made just 16 on this occasion, slapping a half volley to mid-wicket.Sri Lanka were simply unable to construct a meaningful partnership and, when Moore switched to the Chapel end, he drew Diniru Abeywickramasinghe into a loose shot and Jack Carney took a diving catch behind the stumps to further reduce the tourists to 70 for 6.Only Weerasinghe offered genuine resistance, the tall right hander surviving a searching examination from Sharma and Moore to lead a recovery. Displaying the application demanded by a difficult situation, he initially reined in his attacking instincts, frustrating the bowlers and waiting patiently for the bad ball. Having played himself in during a truncated middle session, Weerasinghe gradually adopted a more expansive approach, driving slow left armer Barnard for six before rain forced a second break in play.Sharma returned at the Chapel end in the final session and immediately made his presence felt, pinning Vihas Thewmika lbw for six and then bowling Praveen Maneesha next ball as Sri Lanka subsided to 106 for 8.But Weerasinghe continued to muster defiance aplenty, going to his 50 via 75 balls and dominating a stand of 42 for the ninth wicket with Manuja Chanthuka. He was eventually bowled by Barnard, who then accounted for Chanthuka to terminate the innings.The tourists’ efforts were afforded perspective when England openers Denly and Archie Vaughan staged a partnership of 54 in 8.2 overs. Vaughan succumbed to Chanthuka’s slow left arm, but there was no stopping Denly, who raised a quickfire 50 from 34 balls as the Young Lions seized the initiative.

أعلن حلمي طولان، المدير الفني لـ مننتخب مصر الثاني، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة تونس وديًا، بعد قليل، ضمن الاستعدادت للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب.

وكان اتحاد الكرة قرر تولي حلمي طولان مسؤولية تكوين منتخب مصر ثان، للمشاركة في كأس العرب، بعد رفض حسام حسن المدير الفني للمنتخب الأول، المشاركة، بسبب تعارض موعد البطولة مع كأس أمم إفريقيا.

وتقام مواجهة مصر وتونس على أرضية ملعب هيئة قناة السويس في الإسماعيلية، اليوم السبت، في مباراة ودية، ضمن الاستعدادت للمشاركة في بطولة كأس العرب.

طالع.. حسام حسن يوضح لمراسل “بطولات” لماذا لم يسدد محمد صلاح ركلة الجزاء الثانية أمام إثيوبيا

ويشارك منتخب مصر في بطولة كأس العرب المقامة في قطر، في نسختها الثانية، التي تبدأ في 1 ديسمبر المقبل، وتختتم بالنهائي يوم 18 من الشهر ذاته.

ومن المقرر أن يلعب منتخب مصر مباراتين وديتين أمام تونس، واحدة اليوم، وأخرى في التاسع من شهر سبتمبر الجاري. تشكيل منتخب مصر أمام تونس وديًا

حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: عمر جابر – محمود رزق – أحمد سامي – محمود حمدي “الونش” – كريم حافظ.

خط الوسط: محمد النني – عمرو السولية – محمد مجدي “أفشة” – أكرم توفيق.

خط الهجوم: مروان حمدي.

Aston Villa are among a host of clubs to be fined by UEFA this week for breaking financial rules, which was confirmed just a few days after NSWE agreed to sell the women’s team in a bid to comply with PSR.

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That sale of the women’s side to V Sports “effectively solved the issue” regarding this summer’s PSR trouble (The Athletic), with Villa agreeing a deal right before the footballing financial year deadline on June 30.

However, it didn’t do enough to stave off sanctions from UEFA, who punished Villa for breaking a different set of financial legislations, including the squad cost rule. Unai Emery’s side have reached a settlement with the governing body, accepting a fine of around £17 million over a three-year settlement.

“Breaking: Chelsea, Aston Villa, Barcelona and Lyon are among clubs fined by UEFA’s CFCB First Chamber,” wrote journalist Ben Jacobs on X this week in an extensive update.

“All four did not comply with the football earnings rule which was assessed for the first time in the 2024/25 season. The analysis covered the financial years ending in 2023 and 2024. Clubs have agreed settlements and fines. – Chelsea have agreed to a four-year settlement and a total fine of €80m, of which €20m is unconditional. Villa have agreed to a three-year settlement and a €20m fine, of which €5m is unconditional.

“Barcelona have agreed to a two-year settlement and a €60m fine, of which €15m is unconditional. Olympique Lyonnais have agreed to a four-year settlement and a €50m fine, or which €12.5m is unconditional. The CFCB First Chamber found that Chelsea and Aston Villa also breached the squad cost rule, having reported a squad cost ratio above 80% for 2024. This has resulted in a further €11m fine for Chelsea and a €6m one for Villa. Guaranteed fines are €31m (€20m+€11m) for Chelsea and €11m (€5m+€6m) for Villa.”

Villa consistently find themselves in a battle against spending outside their means, which is distracting them from their quest to become a successful club on the field.

Questions surely need to be asked about whether this creates a bigger gap between Europe’s established elite and the rest of the footballing pyramid, with Emery’s side potentially forced to sell more players over the coming summer, actively weakening themselves, just so they can comply with certain rules.

Aston Villa looking to sell right-back Matty Cash

£100,000-per-week Villa right-back Matty Cash is among those who the club wish to offload in an effort to bring in more funds.

Cash attracted criticism for some of his Villa performances last season, but he was a regular under Emery – playing 38 games in all competitions and starting nearly every match in their run to the Champions League quarter-finals.

As per former Villa scout Mick Brown, speaking to Football Insider, the club are actively looking to sell Cash and potentially bring in a quality replacement – as they believe their Poland international isn’t at the required level.

“Villa are looking to sell Matty Cash this summer,” he said.

“He’s an honest professional, and he’s done well over his time at Villa, but they don’t think he’s good enough for the level they want to play at. They’re still building the side, looking at each position and seeing if they can improve.

“The manager wants to improve at right-back, and they’ll use money from selling Cash to do it.

“It could be a busy summer at Villa because there are a few players being linked with moves away, but he’s one they’ve been looking to move on for a while.”

The 27-year-old has two years remaining on his contract, so it’ll be difficult to raise a significant fee for him at this point, but Villa have been linked with Celta Vigo defender Oscar Mingeuza as a potential replacement.

حقق فريق توتنهام فوزًا على خصمه وست هام، في مباراتهما مساء يوم السبت، في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز لكرة القدم، موسم 2025/26.

وحل توتنهام ضيفًا على وست هام في ملعب “لندن الأولمبي” في الجولة الرابعة من الدوري الإنجليزي، حيث حقق الضيوف فوزًا بثلاثة أهداف دون رد. أهداف مباراة توتنهام ووست هام في الدوري الإنجليزي

ولم تُسجل الأهداف إلا في الشوط الثاني، حيث بدأ اللاعب باب ماتار سار ثلاثية توتنهام بتسجيله هدفًا في الدقيقة 47 من عمر المباراة.

واضطر وست هام إلى اللعب بـ10 لاعبين فقط منذ الدقيقة 54، بعدما تحصل لاعب الفريق توماس سوتشيك على بطاقة حمراء.

وفي الدقيقة 57، تزايدت معاناة وست هام بعدما سجل اللاعب لوكاس بيرجفال الهدف الثاني لصالح توتنهام، قبل أن يحرز ميكي فان دي فن الهدف الثالث في الدقيقة 64.

بتلك النتيجة، ارتفع رصيد توتنهام إلى 9 نقاط في المركز الثاني، بينما تجمد رصيد وست هام عند 3 نقاط في المركز الثامن عشر.

Manchester City have been making waves so far during the summer transfer window as Pep Guardiola attempts to win back the Premier League title.

Indeed, no fewer than four players have moved to City, and there is scope for plenty more in the coming weeks.

Kyle Walker has left, as has Kevin De Bruyne, with Guardiola streamlining his squad.

With the Englishman departing, City have targeted a swoop for a Serie A player who could add something extra to the right side of their defence.

Man City ready to close in on Serie A star

Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki have all arrived at the Etihad ahead of the 2025/26 season. Despite City exiting the Club World Cup earlier than anticipated, the three players could be vital for the club next season.

Now, according to reports in Spain, City could be set to close in on a deal to sign Inter Milan star Denzel Dumfries, with the Etihad side ready to accelerate their move for the rampaging talent.

He has a release clause worth £21.5m, as per the report, but this expires on July 15 and it looks as though Guardiola is keen to activate it before the deadline.

The right side of the defence is a position which needs to be strengthened massively and Dumfries could be an excellent signing.

He could turn out to be Guardiola’s very own Bryan Mbeumo, who has been heavily linked with a move to rivals Manchester United this summer.

Why Manchester City must sign Denzel Dumfries

United’s attack could look very different should they secure a deal for Mbeumo in the coming weeks.

Off the right flank last season, he registered 28 goal contributions in the Premier League – 20 goals and eight assists – proving he would be an excellent signing for Ruben Amorim.

Dumfries could turn out to be Guardiola’s own version of the Brentford forward. Despite not playing in quite such an advanced position, the Dutchman did record similar statistics to Mbeumo throughout last season, with FBref noting the pair to be similar players among wingers across Europe’s top five leagues.

Indeed, according to FBref, the pair performed similarly when it came to shots per 90 (1.74 vs 2.08), shot-creating actions (2.53 vs 3.8) and goal-creating actions (0.18 vs 0.53) in their respective domestic leagues.

Denzel Dumfries’ stats in Serie A last season

Goals

7

Assists

2

Big chances created

6

Total duels won per game

3.9

Tackles per game

0.9

Balls recovered per game

2.2

Via Sofascore

Both players are superb at bursting forward down the right flank in order to either get a shot away or to create chances in the final third, with Dumfries notably registering 17 goals and assists in all competitions last term as an advanced wing-back.

Journalist Alan Rzepa described Dumfries as a “monster” all the way back in 2021, but fast-forward four years, nothing has changed.

In Serie A last term, he scored seven goals and grabbed two assists. Given that City’s full-backs scored just eight goals between them all season, adding someone like Dumfries would be an excellent move.

For a fee of £21.5m, Guardiola could well be signing his very own Mbeumo-esque figure on the cheap. Someone capable of shining in the Premier League with his attacking talents on the right flank.

If it all works out, Dumfries might just quietly be the signing of the summer for City.

Related Romano: "Agreement sealed" as Man City win race and sign 18 y/o ex-PSG gem

The paperwork has now been “signed” over a move to the Etihad.

Posts ByHenry Jackson Jul 11, 2025

“Me being in the T20 squad would’ve raised more eyebrows. It’s better that way that I’m not there”

Firdose Moonda14-Aug-2024

Temba Bavuma, South Africa’s former T20I and current Test and ODI captain, has acknowledged his focus is long-format cricket after he was left out of the team’s experimental T20 side to play West Indies later this month.After last playing a T20I in September 2023, missing out on the T20 World Cup squad and being released by Sunrisers Eastern Cape in the SA20, Bavuma was asked whether he had made a decision about his T20 future. He did not give a definitive answer but seemed to indicate he understood the ship had sailed.”It’s not a surprise that I’m not there, but me being in the T20 squad would’ve raised more eyebrows. It’s better that way that I’m not there. My focus now is on Test cricket and I’m going to try to play as best as I can in the format,” Bavuma said from Guyana, where he will lead South Africa in the second Test against West Indies from tomorrow.Related

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“There’s also 50-over cricket that’s coming in the next few months and the one thing that I can trust is that if I get going in Test and 50-over cricket, everything else will follow from there. It’s not a surprise that I’m not in the T20 squad.”Bavuma’s acceptance of his non-selection for the T20I squad comes after a protracted period of criticism over his strike-rate in the shortest format, particularly at the 2022 T20 World Cup. He captained South Africa at that tournament, where they were eliminated after defeat to Netherlands, and scored 70 runs in five innings at a strike-rate of 17.50.He was subsequently replaced by Aiden Markram as T20I leader and dropped from the side but took over the Test team. Bavuma made a brief comeback to T20I cricket last year when he played in three matches against Australia and scored 35 runs in three innings, including two ducks. He played one match for SEC at the SA20 earlier this year and made 33 not out and also played for the Lions in the CSA domestic T20 Challenge, where he scored 171 runs in 15 matches at a strike-rate of 117.93, considered too low for a frontline T20 batter. That may have been what he was referring to when he said that if he was picked it would “raise more eyebrows.”White-ball coach Rob Walter has opted for Reeza Hendricks – who did not play a game at the 2022 T20 World Cup despite scoring four successive fifties in the lead-up – as a regular opener and will pair him with Rassie van der Dussen or Ryan Rickelton at the top of the order against West Indies.In the long-term, if Quinton de Kock does not continue to play T20Is, South Africa could also look at Matthew Breetzke, who is not in the squad for West Indies, as an opening option. All that doesn’t mean Bavuma is not a white-ball player at all. He remains South Africa’s ODI captain, led them to the semi-finals of the last World Cup and is expected to captain them at the upcoming Champions Trophy.

انطلقت منافسات الجولة الخامسة من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، ظهر اليوم السبت، بمباراة بين فريقي ليفربول وإيفرتون على ملعب “الأنفيلد”، حيث فاز حامل اللقب بهدفين لهدف.

وتعادل توتنهام مع برايتون بهدفين لمثليهما، بينما حقق مانشستر يونايتد فوزًا على تشيلسي بهدفين لهدف على ملعب “الأولد ترافورد”، في مباراة شهدت طرد حارس البوز روبرت سانشيز ولاعب الخصم كاسيميرو.

في حين سقط مانشستر سيتي في فخ التعادل الإيجابي مع آرسنال بهدف لمثله في قمة منافسات تلك الجولة على ملعب “الإمارات”. جدول ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي

1 ليفربول، 15 نقطة.

2 آرسنال، 10 نقاط.

2 توتنهام، 10 نقاط.

4 كريستال بالاس، 9 نقاط.

5 بورنموث، 9 نقاط.

6 تشيلسي، 8 نقاط.

7 سندرلاند، 7 نقاط.

8 فولهام، 7 نقاط.

9 مانشستر سيتي، 9 نقاط.

10 إيفرتون، 7 نقاط.

11 مانشستر يونايتد، 7 نقاط.

12 ليدز يونايتد، 7 نقاط.

13 نيوكاسل يونايتد، 5 نقاط.

14 برايتون، 5 نقاط.

15 نوتينجهام، 5 نقاط.

16 بيرنلي، 4 نقاط.

17 برينتفورد، 4 نقاط.

18 أستون فيلا، 3 نقاط.

18 وست هام، 3 نقاط.

20 ولفرهامبتون، بدون نقاط.

ويمكن متابعة ترتيب الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، موسم 2025/26، محدث بشكل مستمر من هنا.

On a day when his fast-bowling colleagues weren’t at their best, Mahmud led the way with his command of length and movement in both directions

Mohammad Isam19-Sep-20240:59

Manjrekar: Mahmud sacrificed pace for line and length

Hasan Mahmud stuck to bowling fuller lengths for most of the first day of Bangladesh’s Test tour of India. When he wasn’t bowling gentle outswingers to tempt the Indian batters to go for the cover drive, he was trying to hit the stumps or the pads.Taskin Ahmed, who has played more Tests than Mahmud, and Nahid Rana, who bowls much quicker, did not stick to this simple approach. They bowled too short, too wide or too full, giving the batters plenty of freebies. Mahmud simply used the devices available to him – seam, swing, pace and the right lengths – and became the first overseas quick in nearly 15 years to take three wickets in the first session of a Test match against India in India.”It is obviously great to take Test wickets,” Mahmud said. “I took a five-for against Pakistan so it was about trying to be consistent in my effort to contribute to the team. Today’s plan was very simple. I tried to shape the ball with the seam up. I kept trying to do it and [it paid off]. After the morning session which we dominated, the wicket got settled. The ball was coming onto the bat nicely. Still, I was getting some movement later on. Maybe tomorrow we can create more chances.”Related

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Every wicket Mahmud took on the first day in Chennai was well thought out. He built up a case against each batter, whether over a short or long period. Mahmud got the ball to hoop in slightly overcast conditions and tested both of Rohit Sharma’s edges. A skewed edge got Rohit an early boundary before he survived an lbw shout in the fourth over, when the ball ducked in from a slightly shorter length. Then came a subtle outgoing delivery that took his outside edge, well taken by Najmul Hossain Shanto at second slip.India’s No. 3 Shubman Gill, who couldn’t get Mahmud away for seven balls, also survived an lbw shout. His dismissal was a lucky one perhaps, when he was caught down the leg side, but it looked like Gill was itching to get off the mark. A batter strangling one down the leg side is often the result of early dot-ball pressure.Mahmud then had Virat Kohli caught behind chasing an outside-off-stump delivery. The ball before, Kohli had played a confident forward push, but Mahmud stuck to his guns. He got the seam to wobble again and lured Kohli out for a drive.Shanto gave Mahmud a first spell of seven overs, mainly because of the overcast conditions and how well he was bowling at that time. As he had shown in Rawalpindi, though, Mahmud isn’t only about the new ball. He took a wicket shortly into his second spell, getting Rishabh Pant caught behind. This time too, he tested Pant outside the off stump. When he was cut for a boundary, Mahmud dragged the next ball across but moved the line slightly closer to Pant, who edged it to the wicketkeeper.Mahmud kept creating chances in his later spells too, having R Ashwin edge one between slip and gully, and having Ravindra Jadeja given out lbw before the decision was overturned on review. He got another to nip back into Ashwin but this appeal didn’t have a lot of merit.Hasan Mahmud picked up four wickets on day one of the Chennai Test•Associated Press

Mahmud built his foundations as a seamer on predominantly flat or dry pitches in Bangladesh’s domestic scene. They brought him rewards when there was a bit of help available in the two Tests in Rawalpindi. He took eight wickets, the most by a Bangladesh fast bowler on the tour, at an average of 24.12. He paired well with Shoriful Islam to give Bangladesh an opening burst in the first Test, removing both openers Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub on day one. On the crucial fifth day, Mahmud again gave the visitors a good start by removing opposition captain Shan Masood. He came into his own in the second Test, taking his maiden five-wicket haul. While Nahid Rana’s pace generated more headlines, it was Mahmud who kept giving Bangladesh vital breakthroughs to reinforce their dominant position.Bangladesh were certainly not in a dominant position at the end of day one in Chennai, but with the second new ball available, Mahmud felt they could still fight their way back into the contest.”If we can get early breakthroughs tomorrow, we will be back in the game,” he said. “We want to restrict them below 400 runs. It is however a good wicket now. The conditions here are almost the same [as Pakistan], but it is the bowlers’ duty to bowl aggressively, or cut down the boundaries, whatever is required.”We were in a dominating position in the morning but the wicket is very good now. We are all trying to minimise the boundaries. The momentum has shifted today, but we could bring it back with better bowling tomorrow.”Mahmud also has some experience in white-ball cricket, where he has usually bowled with both the new and old ball, but he has gone down the pecking order in recent times, with Tanzim Hasan Sakib playing ahead of him whiile Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman are mainstays.Mahmud’s transition into red-ball cricket now means Bangladesh’s pace attack is ever-expanding. They have Khaled Ahmed in the Test squad in India. Shoriful Islam, Tanzim and Mustafizur are go-tos in T20Is, while Ebadot Hossain is close to full fitness and could be available from the home Test series against South Africa next month.Despite their recent uptick, the pace attack remains a work in progress. It seemed like the Bangladesh bowlers took their foot off the gas as the day went on, letting Ashwin and Jadeja build a counterattacking stand. If the pace attack’s development is anything to go by, though, they can be expected to come up with better plans on the second morning.

Arsenal are currently working to tie up a few key summer deals for Mikel Arteta, as the Gunners also prepare to kick off their pre-season tour of Asia against AC Milan on Wednesday.

After announcing the signing of England international winger Noni Madueke from Chelsea for an initial £48.5 million, rising to £52 million with add-ons (Sky Sports), defender Cristhian Mosquera is poised to follow soon.

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Arsenal reached an agreement with Valencia to sign the 21-year-old some time ago, and reports suggest he’s undergone a successful medical in north London (Tribuna Deportiva Valencia).

However, sources from both sides are refusing to disclose the reason for Mosquera’s announcement delay (Tribuna Deportiva Valencia), and they’ll likely delay unveiling his capture until after their tour of the Far East.

Arsenal estimated transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)

Money on new signings

19/20 – winter

£0

20/21 – summer

£81.5m

20/21 – winter

£900k

21/22 – summer

£156.8m

21/22 – winter

£1.8m

22/23 – summer

£121.5m

22/23 – winter

£59m

23/24 – summer

£208m

23/24 – winter

£0

24/25 – summer

£101.5m

24/25 – winter

£0

25/26 – summer

£140m

Arteta’s side are in the market for a central attacking midfielder too, with both Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze and now RB Leipzig’s Xavi Simons among Arsenal’s chiefs targets for the role.

Bolstering that area of the squad and bringing in someone to complement captain Martin Odegaard will immediately be prioritised once they finally seal a deal for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.

Arsenal reached an agreement in principle with Sporting over the signing of Gyokeres midway through July, for a total fee of around £64 million including add-ons (The Athletic), but it is taking some time to fully finalise his transfer to N5.

The final round of negotiations has reportedly centered around the conditions of those add-ons and bonuses involved, which could take the fee up to £69 million (The Guardian), with Gyokeres’ agent even agreeing to waive his fee to make this move happen.

Viktor Gyokeres has "chosen to go to Arsenal" with Man Utd rejected

The hold-up has prompted reports that Man United could mount a late hijack for the 27-year-old, and Fabrizio Romano even confirmed this morning that intermediaries have invited the Red Devils to make a bid of their own.

Now, journalist Duncan Castles has told The Transfers Podcast that Sporting are unhappy with Gyokeres’ conduct, informing the striker last week that he’s in breach of contract for refusing to train.

His lawyers defended against this by accusing Sporting of going back on their gentlemen’s agreement that Gyokeres could leave Sporting for a certain fee. So, there is a legal dispute apparently going on in the background, and the sense is now that Rui Borges’ side are attempting to make his exit as difficult as possible.

In some good news for Arteta, though, Gyokeres has “chosen to go to Arsenal” and will continue forcing through a move to north London, with United facing a brutal knockback if they decide to enter the race.

“There was a story in Portugal over the weekend that Manchester United had come in and gone over the top of Arsenal’s offer and that Sporting were very close to agreeing a transfer fee with Manchester United for Gyokeres,” said Castles.

“I’m told by sources at Manchester United that that’s not true, and also by people close to Gyokeres that it’s absolutely not true, and even if it were true, Gyokeres would not go to Manchester United. He has chosen to go to Arsenal, and he will continue to force that move.”

Gyokeres bagged 54 goals in all competitions for Sporting last season, leading the line in their charge for a first domestic double in around 20 years, but his memorable spell in Portugal isn’t about to end smoothly.

يستضيف فريق برشلونة نظيره ريال سوسيداد في إطار منافسات بطولة الدوري الإسباني لكرة القدم، مساء اليوم الأحد، بعد يوم من سقوط ريال مدريد ضد أتلتيكو مدريد بشكل مدوي.

ويلتقي برشلونة مع ريال سوسيداد على ملعب “مونتجويك” في إطار لقاءات الجولة السابعة من الدوري الإسباني، موسم 2025/26.

ويمتلك برشلونة 16 نقطة في المركز الثاني في جدول الدوري الإسباني، بفارق نقطتين فقط عن المتصدر ريال مدريد، الذي سقط أمس على يد أتلتيكو مدريد بنتيجة 5/2.

ويفتقد برشلونة خدمات حارس المرمى خوان جارسيا الذي خضع لعملية جراحية أمس، وكذلك رافينها بسبب الإصابة.

(محدث) تشكيل برشلونة أمام ريال سوسيداد في الدوري الإسباني تشكيل برشلونة المتوقع أمام ريال سوسيداد اليوم في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: تشيزني.

خط الدفاع: جول كوندي، إريك جارسيا، أراوخو، جيرارد مارتين.

خط الوسط: فرينكي دي يونج، مارك كاسادو.

خط الوسط الهجومي: فيران توريس، داني أولمو، ماركوس راشفور.

خط الهجوم: روبرت ليفاندوفسكي. 

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