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Recent reports have suggested that Celtic are nearing a £6.5m move for loan star Jota, the Portuguese starlet having dazzled as the Hoops reclaimed the Scottish Premiership title from their Old Firm rivals.

In 29 league outings the 23-year-old – who joined the club on deadline day last summer – scored ten goals and recorded a further ten assists, with only James Tavernier having registered more assists in the Scottish top-flight (13).

Such form has seen him earn praise from fans and pundits alike, with Owen Hargreaves dubbing him a “terrific player” for his impactful displays this term under Ange Postecoglou.

There has unsurprisingly been a clamour to see him snapped up from parent club Benfica on a permanent deal in the coming months, with the £4.95m-rated gem likely to be integral to the Celtic Park outfit if they are to retain their title next season and enjoy a strong run in the Champions League.

His reported fee may well appear a bargain price anyway, particularly in the modern market, although the club’s supporters will likely be stunned by the fact that he could have been signed for a much-reduced price years earlier, only for the Glasgow outfit to snub the deal.

According to former scout David Moss, the Scottish champions could have struck a deal for the Lisbon-born playmaker years prior to his eventual move, with a fee of just £200k having been mooted – less than 30 times less than what his expected asking price is set to be in the upcoming window.

The then 16-year-old had been recommended by Benfica coach Helena Costa to Moss, although he revealed that the club failed to act upon the scout report.

Reflecting on that missed opportunity, the scout stated that: “I was scouting for the Celtic academy when she [Costa]said to me: ‘David, you need to try and sign this winger before he signs a contract with Benfica.’ I went over there a few times to watch him and met him and his parents.

“For whatever reason, I just don’t think Celtic were in a position back then to go and spend £200k or whatever the fee would have been to take on a teenage player with no first-team experience.”

Although it hasn’t proven a case of one that got away, with the player eventually ending up in Scotland, it will no doubt serve as a real headscratcher to both Postecoglou and supporters that the club overlooked such a promising talent the first time around.

There is no doubt sense in not forking out a fee for player yet to taste senior action, although the club are now set to pay the price for that inaction, with the only saving grace being that the potential deal this summer won’t come at too great a cost.

In other news, Celtic can unearth a new Giakoumakis after submitting bid for “very strong” £2.5m gem

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has aimed a brilliant dig at the Hoops’ arch-rivals after the end of the Scottish season, one in which the Bhoys reigned supreme domestically.

The Lowdown: Celtic reign supreme in Scotland

Ange Postecoglou’s side endured a tense Premiership title battle with their crosstown adversaries throughout the season, with the pair neck-and-neck going into May.

It was Celtic who prevailed in the end, picking up a vital 2-1 win at Ibrox last month and ultimately regaining their crown after seeing the Gers deny them in the quest for a 10th successive league title last year.

The Hoops also won the Scottish League Cup in what was a superb season under Postecoglou, his first in charge of the Parkhead club.

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The Latest: Sutton aims cheeky dig

Sutton is never one to shy away from confrontation, and taking to Twitter on Saturday, he dropped a nine-word dig in Rangers’ direction in the immediate aftermath of the Light Blues’ Scottish Cup triumph, their only trophy of the season.

The former Celtic striker cheekily stated: “They’ve finished the season in Celtic’s shadow once again…”

The Verdict: Celtic back where they belong

Losing out on the title last season was tough to take, robbing Celtic of 10 league titles in a row, but the Hoops’ response to that disappointment has been incredible.

They are back at the summit of Scottish football again, and it’s all the sweeter that it is at the expense of their bitter Glasgow rivals, to which Sutton alluded in his provocative tweet.

The main thing now is for Postecoglou and his players to kick on from here rather than standing still, hopefully winning many many trophies in the coming years as Rangers resume the role of hunters rather than being hunted.

In other news, Kieran Devlin has talked up one possible Celtic signing. Find out who it is here.

He was nearly unplayable on some surfaces, made a strong case for catch of the tournament, and made useful contributions as a batter

Matt Roller30-Jun-20243:54

DP World Going Beyond Boundaries – Axar Patel

A spell of 2 for 23 in three overs. Hardly an uncommon set of figures in a T20 match but in the context of an innings of 176, there is an obvious question to ask: why only three overs? Keshav Maharaj took two wickets in his first over of Saturday’s T20 World Cup 2024 final and went at 7.66 runs per over, compared to an innings run rate of 8.80. But after the ninth over, he was not seen again.Maharaj bowled his full four-over allocation in each of his first six appearances at the World Cup, and might well have done the same in the semi-final if his team-mates had not rolled Afghanistan over for 56. And yet, in a final of fine margins, his fourth over went unused.The reason behind it was straightforward: it was because of Axar Patel.Related

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Axar had been deployed as a floater by India, making a vital 20 from No. 4 in a low-scoring game against Pakistan in the group stage. But it came as a surprise even to him when he was sent in ahead of Shivam Dube in the final: “Suddenly, Rahul [Dravid] asked me to pad up. I didn’t get to think anything about my batting and that worked for me,” he explained afterwards.The idea was simple enough. Axar was carded to bat at No. 8 and therefore the value on his wicket was relatively low. He rarely gets the chance to face many balls, and if India lost another quick wicket, at least they would have Dube, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja to come. His promotion artificially lengthened their batting line-up.But it also ensured that Maharaj’s impact on the game would be limited, particularly when Axar played a shot that proved vital in the context of the final. Axar hit the first six of India’s innings when slog-sweeping Aiden Markram over midwicket, hitting with the wind, but in the following over, he played the same shot the breeze off Maharaj and cleared the boundary.In Markram’s eyes, it effectively rendered Maharaj unbowlable while India had a left-hander at the crease. This was not a case of blindly following match-ups, or the guiding principle that fingerspinners turning the ball into batters is high-risk: Markram took the gamble, and the on-field evidence suggested that even with the wind helping him, Maharaj was too vulnerable.Axar’s stand with Virat Kohli was the biggest of the final – and he dominated the partnership. They added 72 off 54 for the fourth wicket, of which Kohli’s contribution was 21 boundary-less runs off 23 balls; Axar hit 47 off 31, including a four and four sixes. Without Axar’s impetus, Kohli would have felt compelled to take more risks earlier: that would have made India more likely to reach 190, but would also have increased the chance of them folding for 140.

“This time, I felt that I had to do something good for India. Finally, I did it. I’m feeling so proud”Axar Patel

The slog-sweep was the defining shot of Axar’s innings, with another off Tabraiz Shamsi just about evading Kagiso Rabada’s sprawling dive at long-on. But this was not just a tailender promoted to have a swing: it was an innings of high skill, exemplified by his straight-bat, high-elbow on-drive for six off Rabada.Axar even timed his dismissal well, midway through the 14th over. Perhaps he was a little dozy when running through to the non-striker’s end, only for Quinton de Kock’s direct hit to find him short of his ground. But it meant Dube had the chance to impact the game from No. 6 and gave Kohli a free hand at attacking at the death without fear of failure, with Hardik and Jadeja still waiting.Few would have sincerely nominated Axar for Player of the Tournament, but he has been the sort of player that every champion team needs: a regular contributor with the versatility to be useful in all facets. He bowled dry on New York’s seaming pitches, took a stunning catch against Australia in St Lucia, and played this vital hand with the bat against South Africa in Barbados.Axar Patel gave the India innings some impetus in the final•Getty ImagesThat is not to forget his spell of 3 for 23 against England in the semi-final, a throwback to his performances against the same opposition in two Ahmedabad Tests in 2021. Axar is not the most talented player India have, but he is a master of working out how he can be effective in certain conditions: in Guyana, the turn and low bounce on offer made his straighter ball deadly.The final could have been very different for Axar. If South Africa had held their nerve with 30 needed off 30 balls or if Suryakumar Yadav’s foot had brushed the boundary cushion, his abiding memory of the final would have been his over to Heinrich Klaasen which cost 24 runs, including two huge sixes – one onto the roof, another into the pavilion. In a cricketing culture where idolisation turns into vilification overnight, Axar’s over would not have been forgotten in a hurry.And yet, for all the ignominy it involved, standing at the top of his mark and waiting for the ball to be fetched, perhaps that was when the final turned in India’s favour. The ball was retrieved from the stands, rather than replaced; barely two overs later, Jasprit Bumrah was getting it to reverse-swing. Maybe it would have done anyway, but it goes to show how fickle sport – and life – can be.”This time, I felt that I had to do something good for India,” Axar said in the moments after India’s victory. “Finally, I did it. I’m feeling so proud.” Kohli, Bumrah and Rohit Sharma rightly took the plaudits, but Axar was India’s unsung hero.

India’s besieged leader is discovering how much scrutiny there is of every move made by every captain who goes up against Bazball

Alagappan Muthu01-Feb-20241:27

Manjrekar on the lack of runs from Gill and Iyer

It cannot be a pleasant experience, going up against Bazball.Pat Cummins was essentially eviscerated when he deployed a deep point in the first over of the Ashes in 2023.”I must admit I’m not a huge fan,” Ricky Ponting said.”It feels a bit un-Australian,” Alastair Cook said.”They have been the first to blink,” Eoin Morgan said.At times, it feels like there is more judgment lashed out in the course of a Bazball Test than in a whole season of Real Housewives.India are the ones being picked apart right now, in a way that they really haven’t been for more than a decade of playing on their own turf. The weight of all that history is falling on Rohit Sharma’s shoulders. He has now lost as many Tests at home as his predecessor, except his ledger says seven matches in charge. Virat Kohli’s says 31.

****

Jasprit Bumrah is getting serious reverse-swing.When he takes out Ben Duckett, India are asked to huddle up by their captain. A few moments previously they’d seen the big screen show that they’d made a mistake not going for DRS. Now it has been rectified. The batter who had been reprieved is gone. But Rohit wants to make sure his team seizes the opportunity. He refocuses them. The front of his trousers is stained red. He’s been the one taking care of the ball, keeping one side rough and the other shiny.Rohit Sharma got a lot right in Hyderabad, but the result amplified everything he got wrong•Associated PressAfter looking rather docile for 18 overs, India pick up two wickets in 2.1. It is their most electrifying passage of play and Rohit is a big part of it.He puts a lot of thought into his decisions. He keeps the field up to start the Test match and only after a few boundaries start flying does he ask for more cover. He tries to curb the threat of the sweep and reverse-sweep with in-out fields, having a man catching for the top edge and a man sweeping to stop the boundaries. He tries to enhance the threat of his two left-arm spinners and their natural variation by deploying them at the press box end, because the ball is keeping low from there. But he misses some stuff too.

****

R Ashwin is in the middle of a lovely spell. He bowls a maiden to Ben Stokes, working him around the crease by varying his flight. The over – the 31st – ends with a generously tossed-up ball that is defended confidently. The next one begins in similar fashion, except this ball dips on the left-hander, rags past his outside edge and nearly has him out stumped. England are still trailing by 36 runs. Stokes falls in the course of this unrelenting examination.In this six-over spell, Ashwin bowls 27 dots, concedes 10 runs off the bat, and produces a false shot once every 3.14 deliveries. Rohit takes him out of the attack.Perhaps he reasons that with two right-handers now at the crease – Ollie Pope and Ben Foakes – his left-arm spinners might have a better chance of pressing the advantage. Except that isn’t how it turns out.The tea break comes and goes and Rohit still doesn’t turn to the bowlers who have, thus far, looked the most likely to take a wicket – Ashwin and Bumrah. It brings back memories of the Boxing Day Test in Centurion, where on the second day he had opted for Shardul Thakur and Prasidh Krishna to start proceedings after lunch and they gave away 42 runs in eight overs.

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There is a line between being bold and being rash and Stokes somehow keeps moving it for England. He keeps faith in Tom Hartley, sinking overs into him, even when he’s being hit around the park, because he is going to have to bowl again and he isn’t going to get better hidden away in the outfield.Zak Crawley got the same unflinching support and he repaid it with a phenomenal 189 in the Ashes. There’s pride in Stokes’ voice when he discusses his openers now. A smile tugs at his lips almost as if he’s picturing it all in his head. “Balls that Zak plays on the front foot, Duckett plays on the back foot. So it’s very tough, I think, for bowlers to settle into a rhythm and settle into a line or length against those two.”Nearly every punt Ben Stokes took in Hyderabad came off•Associated PressIts blue-sky thinking. And it keeps coming off. Ahead of this tour, Stokes looked at one of England’s most prolific run-getters and went, nah, you’re my allrounder. “When Rooty [Joe Root] walked off with four-for [in Hyderabad] I did say to him, “see, I told ya I’d make a bowler out of ya.”When success plays out in those terms, a captain doing the little things right, like helping take care of the cricket ball, starts to fade into the background.

****

A lot of Rohit’s tenure, including in the white-ball formats, has been hampered by key players missing out due to injury. It was a point of such consternation that he brought it up when asked about a lack of ICC silverware when India were in the West Indies last year. He was annoyed that he didn’t have always have access to a full squad.Here, in this series, he’s been better at rolling with the punches. He’s everywhere at India’s first training session in Visakhapatnam. First, he’s batting. Then he peels his pads off and goes to study how the rest of his men are doing. He has a lot of time for Sarfaraz Khan and some last-minute advice for Yashasvi Jaiswal. He claps the bowlers on when they create opportunities. He doesn’t look like a guy who’s even the slightest bit unhappy with his situation.”After the [first] game, the atmosphere is absolutely relaxed,” KS Bharat says. “They just told us not to panic, which we are not. The instruction is very clear. It’s a long Test series, and we have played a lot of series like this in the past and we as individuals have to focus on good things and which we want to do in the coming games and everything is chill and relaxed. We are definitely looking to play good cricket as a team, that’s the message from the captain and the coach and we are very confident about it.”Stokes proved last week that a captain’s belief can sometimes be enough to compensate for his players’ inexperience. It could be Rohit’s turn this week.

Virgil van Dijk believes his Liverpool team-mates are "letting the manager and ourselves down" following their humbling 3-0 loss to Nottingham Forest. The Reds went down to their sixth loss in their last seven games as Arne Slot's team slumped to 11th in the Premier League. Now, an "angry" Van Dijk has called on his side to get themselves out of this "mess".

• Liverpool woes continue

  Liverpool's weaknesses were ruthlessly exposed by Forest at Anfield on Saturday, leading some to question whether manager Arne Slot is the right man to take this club forward. But Van Dijk asserted that the Reds have a weak underbelly after conceding their 20th goal in 11 league games this season. 

  The Netherlands international told Premier League Productions: "We concede too many easy goals. They scored obviously from a set piece again. You can ask if he was in front of Alisson, but it counted, so we're 1-0 down. We were not good in terms of battles, challenges, the fight, too rushed. It's a very difficult situation at the moment. There was nervousness after we conceded, but not before. We tried to rush things and that's human when you're in a difficult moment. We cleared the ones before and in the end, we're in a very difficult moment. We don't get out of it by just speaking about it. It will take a lot of hard work."

  The captain, however, is positive that they can get back to winning ways but it will not be easy.

  "It's a problem. Everyone in the team has to take responsibility as well. Football is a team and everyone has to take responsibility. We have to digest this and take it on the chin. We need to work harder. We have to keep going," he added. "Everyone is disappointed, like they should be, because losing at home to Nottingham Forest is, in my eyes, very bad. That's the least I can say about it. Those goals we conceded are far too easy and we all have to look in the mirror. I've been at this club so long now and we've been through adversity. We will bounce back but it doesn't happen overnight. I'm not a quitter and we will keep going." 

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  Van Dijk wants accountability

  The 34-year-old said it is unacceptable for the Premier League defending champions to be in this situation. He also pointed the finger of blame at the players rather than Slot.

  "You should be angry and the main thing for me is that everyone has to take responsibility," he said. "It’s not easy during difficult times but we have to do it if we want to get out of this. We’re definitely letting the manager down, but we’ve let ourselves down as well. At the moment it is a mess – that’s just a fact. As the champions we can’t be in the situation we are in right now. What are we going to do about it? We’re going to try to turn it around and that’s the mentality everyone should have."

• 'I'm not a quitter'

  The former Southampton man believed that after a good start from Liverpool against Forest, they went into "panic" mode after Murillo's opener. Van Dijk also insisted he is ready for this fight they are in but a lot needs to change.

  "The first half an hour was good. We created opportunities. We had moments where two or three times there were crosses in front of (Matz) Sels for a tap-in. Macca (Alexis Mac Allister) had a shot which was well blocked. We were a threat. But then we conceded from a set-piece and panic kicks in," said the centre-back. "As a team, you have to try to stay calm and do the right things. But we didn’t do that and that’s hard to accept. We were nervous in the way we played. We were trying to force things. The way we started the second half was just unacceptable. You have to find the calmness to create chances and be clinical in front of goal. But we didn’t do that and Forest were also physically winning so many battles against us. We’re having a season with so much inconsistency. We are conceding far too many goals. We had a good couple of days in terms of the sessions preparing for this game. We had good meetings too. But at the end of the day it’s about what you show on the pitch. I’m not a quitter. I will never quit. I will keep going but it doesn’t mean it isn’t tough to take."

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  What comes next for Liverpool?

  While things look bleak for Liverpool, manager Slot is confident they can reignite their season, while a former Reds player believes that his job at Anfield is not under threat. And they have a chance to move on from this latest setback quickly when they entertain PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League in midweek.

West Ham manager Nuno Espirito Santo is planning to hand an exciting young player his first team debut at the London Stadium this season, according to a new report.

This comes in the aftermath of their 3-2 comeback win over Burnley at the London Stadium last Saturday – a clash which gifted Nuno two straight wins and the perfect sign-off before this November international break.

The Hammers have now won consecutive Premier League games despite conceding the first goal each time, having also beaten Newcastle 3-1 the weekend prior. It also marks West Ham’s first back-to-back home wins since October 2024, suggesting the dark clouds could be starting to lift after a torrid opening to the campaign.

With six goals in their last two games – having scored just seven in their previous nine – West Ham’s attack is finally clicking into gear. Crucially, Nuno has settled on a midfield he can trust, naming an unchanged lineup in his last two after criticism for questionable tinkering during his opening four matches.

Academy graduate Freddie Potts has become a fan favourite, if he wasn’t already, and could be working his way into becoming an undroppable after convincing performances alongside Lucas Paqueta in the engine room.

The partnership is providing much-needed stability, with striker Callum Wilson also repaying Nuno’s faith after two straight starts, despite credible reports the Englishman wasn’t fancied by Nuno at first (ExWHUemployee).

Nuno reserved special praise for Tomas Soucek as well, who scored West Ham’s third and ultimately decisive goal of the game on his 250th appearance for the east Londoners.

The 30-year-old won’t be around forever, though, and with his contract expiring in 2027, West Ham could already have an heir apparent in the form of youngster Mohamadou Kante.

Nuno plans senior debut for Mohamadou Kante at West Ham

West Ham agreed a deal to sign Kante from Paris FC last year and the 20-year-old gem spent the rest of 2024/2025 back out on loan in the French capital, with Kante since returning to Rush Green and plying his trade in the club’s academy for the Under-21s.

Kante is yet to make his first-team debut for West Ham, but according to journalist Pete O’Rourke, this is about to change.

The French ‘rising star’ is wanted by multiple sides in January, with numerous Championship clubs already enquiring about Kante and prepared to sign him either on loan or permanently.

Writing for Football Insider, O’Rourke states that Kante is “expected” to get minutes in the West Ham senior team soon and is “close to a first-team breakthrough” after impressing in the academy lately — so it remains to be seen whether the club will green-light a mid-season exit for him.

The midfielder, who’s notched three goals and two assists in 10 academy appearances this term, scored a cracker most recently against Liverpool’s Under-21s — rounding off a superb 3-0 win for West Ham as Kante looks to turn Nuno’s head.

West Ham could have yet another Potts situation on their hands with Kante, and he’s been given chances to impress in first-team training by Nuno lately.

Amad Diallo’s delightful volley continued Manchester United’s unbeaten run and extended Sean Dyche’s wait for his first Premier League win as Nottingham Forest manager.

United arrived on a run of three straight wins and Diallo’s late volley rescued a 2-2 draw, which was probably a fair result at the end of a helter-skelter encounter that the Red Devils went ahead in, albeit under controversial circumstances.

The City Ground faithful were left furioius at the decision to award the corner from which Casemiro headed home the opening goal, and Dyche also highlighted Bruno Fernandes’ placement of the ball outside the quadrant, speaking to Sky Sports.

“It’s not inconclusive, I’ve seen it back,” the 54 year-old said afer Nicolo Savona was adjudged to have taken the ball out of play.

He continued: “Funny enough I was talking to the powers at be, the referees, about the quadrant. We all watch it, you can see the ball is outside the quadrant from 80 yards away, but they allow it because it’s one millimetre with the ball hanging over the line, a bit like the goal line technology.

“So apparently today the assistant referee can see 70, 80 yards away, it’s got to change.”

Dyche’s men returned after half-time interval with the bit between their teeth and levelled three minutes after the restart. Substitute Yates clipped over a cross from the right and Gibbs-White held off Diallo to get away a header that crept inside the far post.

It looked like Savona would have the last laugh too, coolly scoring in the 50th minute. Another cross from the right took a deflection and looped up, with the ball bundled on as Jesus challenged with United players. The Italian was the beneficiary, taking a touch and finishing from six yards.

United tried to level and Fernandes came closest, seeing a hopeful long-range strike skip off the turf and hit the far post. Casemiro just failed to turn home the rebound.

Manchester United have found their next Amad

Jesus headed into the side-netting and Hudson-Odoi went close as Forest pushed to settle things, only for Diallo’s moment of magic to draw United level in the 81st minute.

Forest failed to effectively clear a corner and the Ivory Coast international unleashed a wonderful left-footed volley from the edge of the box that flew past Sels, sparking bedlam in the away end.

The goal was given after a VAR check and United pushed hardest for a winner, with Murillo stopping Diallo snatching victory in stoppage time.

Boston Red Sox legend Luis Tiant, one of MLB's best and most recognizable pitchers, died Tuesday, the league announced.

Another giant of the game, MLB Hall of Famer and longtime Cincinnati Reds catcher Johnny Bench, took to X (formerly Twitter) later Tuesday to pay his respects to Tiant with a heartfelt message.

"We may have taken the World Series in 1975 but Luis Tiant shut us out in Game 1 and threw another complete game victory in Game 4," Bench wrote. "He meant so much to the Red Sox organization, baseball certainly lost another icon. My condolences to his family and the Boston fans."

Bench, a two-time MVP and World Series champion, twice faced the then-34-year-old Tiant in the thrilling 1975 World Series that went a full seven games. And twice the Red Sox ace baffled Cincinnati's Great Eight, a lineup that featured three Hall of Famers in Bench, Joe. Morgan and Tony Perez, and another in the late Pete Rose, who surely would have been elected if not for his lifetime ban from baseball due to gambling.

Tiant started three games in the '75 World Series, winning a pair while allowing 10 earned runs in 25 innings pitched. And Bench, despite being the victor in the series, didn't want people to forget just how good "El Tiante" was on the game's biggest stage.

When you're watching a baseball game on TV, chances are you want to see what's happening in said baseball game. That sounds simple enough and should be a guarantee every time you flip on a game, but fans learned during a pivotal moment of Wednesday's Mets-Brewers playoff series that it stunningly isn't always a guarantee.

In case you missed it, the Mets came up in the ninth inning down by two runs. Jose Iglesias led off the inning while New York fans sat on the edge of their seats, hoping to see their team mount a dramatic comeback.

That's when ESPN decided to show an in-game interview with Milwaukee's Garrett Mitchell instead of sticking with the action on the field. They cut back in time to see Iglesias fly out to right field but the broadcast missed the pitch being thrown. In the ninth inning of a playoff game. With so much on the line.

This was just so bad:

Fans were rightfully furious:

The Brewers held on for the 5-3 win to force a Game 3. Hopefully ESPN learns from that mistake.

Real Madrid have opened talks with Bayern Munich defender Dayot Upamecano over a potential free transfer next summer. With uncertainty surrounding David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger’s futures, Los Blancos view the French international as a long-term successor and a marquee addition who could arrive without a transfer fee if no renewal is agreed in Munich.

• Madrid move early for defensive reinforcements

  Madrid have reportedly entered discussions with Dayot Upamecano over a free transfer in 2026, with the Bayern defender emerging as the club’s top defensive target. According to reports from and , the 27-year-old has held preliminary talks with Madrid officials, who are eager to take advantage of his ongoing contract uncertainty at Bayern. Though the German champions have offered him an extension, negotiations have stalled, opening the door for a potential move to the Santiago Bernabeu.

  Los Blancos have made defensive reinforcement a top priority for 2026, with Alaba and Rudiger both entering the final six months of their contracts. Injuries to Eder Militao and Alaba combined with Rudiger’s age and heavy workload have forced Madrid to identify a new long-term leader for the backline.

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  Upamecano fits Madrid’s next-generation blueprint

  Upamecano’s profile perfectly matches Florentino Perez’s recruitment model: a proven international with Champions League pedigree, available without a transfer fee, and familiar with many of Madrid’s French stars, including Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Ferland Mendy.

  The centre-back has undergone a resurgence under Vincent Kompany at Bayern, cutting down the high-profile mistakes that once clouded his reputation. His mix of physical power, progressive passing and composure under pressure has seen him become a mainstay in both the Bundesliga and Europe this season. Madrid scouts have reportedly tracked Upamecano for over a year, and recent Champions League performances, particularly his commanding display in Bayern’s 2-1 win over Paris Saint-Germain have convinced the hierarchy that he is ready for the next step.

  While Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi was also considered earlier in Madrid’s shortlist, the club have now abandoned the pursuit due to the defender’s high wage demands and signing-on fees, deeming the deal “virtually impossible.” With Guehi off the table, sources close to the club describe Upamecano as “the ideal successor to Alaba,” with his tactical discipline and athleticism complementing Madrid’s evolving defensive structure under Xabi Alonso.

• Bayern pushing for renewal amid interest from rivals

  The Bavarians are still hoping to tie Upamecano down to a new long-term deal beyond 2026, though progress has been slow. The club remain confident but face competition from several top sides including PSG, Barcelona and Chelsea, all of whom are monitoring the situation closely. PSG, in particular, maintain interest in both Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate, though sources in France suggest Los Blancos now lead the race. Liverpool’s Konate, once viewed as an alternative target, has slipped down Madrid’s priority list as they focus on a single marquee defensive signing. 

  Bayern are aware that if talks remain unresolved by the end of the season, the player could open pre-contract discussions with foreign clubs, increasing pressure on the board to accelerate negotiations or risk losing him for nothing.

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  What it means for Madrid’s defensive rebuild

  The Meringues' pursuit of the French defender underscores a strategic shift toward long-term stability in defence. With Militao suffering from consecutive ACL injuries and Alaba’s recurring fitness issues, the Spanish giants need a reliable, athletic presence capable of anchoring the backline for the next five years. Upamecano’s potential arrival would also allow them to gradually phase out older defenders while maintaining tactical balance and squad depth. He represents the blend of experience and peak-age talent that aligns with Perez’s sustainable squad model – a recruitment approach that has already paid off in midfield with Camavinga and Federico Valverde.

  For now, Die Roten remain in talks to keep their man, but Madrid are quietly confident that if no renewal materializes, they could land one of Europe’s elite defenders without paying a cent in transfer fees, a move that would mirror past coups like Alaba’s arrival from the Allianz Arena in 2021.