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Chivas lost to Santos Laguna, leaving them with just three points from three matches.

Sitting 14th in the standingsFace FC Juárez on SaturdayChicharito remains sidelined with injuryFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Chivas suffered their second loss in the Apertura 2025 after falling 1-0 away to Santos Laguna, prompting Gabriel Milito to urge his players to stop making costly mistakes that are costing them matches and points.

“We have to keep working and try to change this streak, this pattern where every penalty or foul is hurting us,” Milito said. “A foul in the last minute of the Leagues Cup, a foul in the 92nd minute that led to a goal, a penalty in the first match against León, and today a foul and penalty here against Santos Laguna."

 The Rebaño also exited the group stage of the Leagues Cup, increasing media pressure on the Argentine coach.

 "It’s too much punishment, but we have to recognize that many fouls are avoidable and cost us points and games. It’s not always easy to score goals," he insisted. "The team tried, we created chances.”

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Milito hasn’t had the start he hoped for with Chivas. Despite a strong preseason with the team, the reality of the official matches he’s coached so far in Guadalajara has been different. The Argentine’s record stands at two wins, one draw, and three losses. While the numbers aren’t ideal, there have been some positive signs on the field.

Still, in Chivas, that’s not enough. 

AFPWHAT GABRIEL MILITO SAID

Javier 'Chicharito' Hernández has yet to see playing time in the Apertura 2025, nor did he appear in the Leagues Cup. Milito insists the striker isn't available due to injury and doesn't believe the team's current form is down to his absence. 

“Javier isn’t available because he’s injured. He has an injury that will keep him out for about five to six weeks. I don’t believe the team’s struggles are linked to the absence of any single player,” said the Argentine coach.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CHIVAS?

Milito’s side will host FC Juárez on Saturday in Matchday 5.

Jadon Sancho is yet to agree on personal terms with AS Roma, although Manchester United are prepared to let the winger leave for a £20 million ($27m) transfer fee. Sancho is yet to accept the salary that Roma are offering as it represents a massive pay cut from €15m (£13m/$17.5m) per season, that he is currently earning at Old Trafford.

Sancho yet to agree on personal terms with RomaMan Utd prepared to sell SanchoSancho has offers from Juventus, Besiktas and DortmundFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

United have told Sancho that he has no future at the club and if he does indicate a willingness to move to Roma, they will press ahead with a deal. The English winger spent the last season on loan at Chelsea but the Blues paid a penalty fee to send him back to Old Trafford.

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Roma are pushing for a loan deal with an option to buy next season for £20m. The Red Devils too are pushing to get the player out of their books, whose current deal expires at the end of the 2025-26 campaign. While the clubs have reached an agreement over a probable move, Sancho has yet to give his green light. Sancho currently earns €15m per season in gross salary, but the Serie A side want the 25-year-old to sign a five-year deal to spread his wages. Sancho will earn €4.5m per season plus bonuses initially and the figure will keep rising as each season progresses, according to .

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The ex-Three Lions star is keeping Roma waiting as he also has offers from Juventus and Besikstas, while his former club Borussia Dortmund are also keen on a reunion.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

Right now, the Red Devils are focused on starting the 2025-26 Premier League campaign on a high. They face Arsenal in their season opener at home on Sunday.

Xabi Alonso's side weren't particularly impressive on Sunday but still secured their second La Liga win in a row to open the season

Kylian Mbappe scored twice before Vinicius Jr added a third to secure a 3-0 victory for an otherwise underwheliming Real Madrid over newly-promoted Real Oviedo. Xabi Alonso's side produced an unconvincing performance for the second straight game, but leaned on their star attackers to provide enough moments of quality to win. 

Madrid almost conceded within seconds as an Oviedo foray forward drew a mistake out of Thibaut Courtois, but the excellent Dean Huijsen recovered well. Los Blancos were otherwise on the front foot throughout, even if they created few opportunities, and they scored from their one real chance of the first half when Mbappe swivelled around his man on the edge of the box and finished wonderfully into the bottom corner.

Federico Valverde could have made it two in the second half when he found himself on the receiving end of a finely-worked counter, but goalkeeper Aaron Escandell saved at full stretch. Oviedo, meanwhile, had their chances as the half wore on and hit the post shortly before Mbappe ruthlessly stroked the ball into the bottom corner after a pass from Vinicius with seven minutes remaining.

Vinicius then added some gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time as he found the bottom corner after Oviedo committed too many men forward as Alonso's side made it two wins from two to start their La Liga season.

GOAL rates Madrid's players from Estadio Carlos Tartiere…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Thibaut Courtois (6/10):

Almost made to look very silly by an early Oviedo attack, but bailed out by his defence. Dealt with a couple of easy saves before producing one full-stretch stop late on. 

Dani Carvajal (6/10):

Made his first La Liga start since sustaining a serious knee injury nearly a year ago. Solid as he gets more minutes in. 

Antonio Rudiger (5/10):

Given real trouble by Rondon, and was far more comfortable when the veteran striker was replaced. 

Dean Huijsen (8/10):

An excellent performance. Impervious at the back, up for the fight, and good with the ball.

Alvaro Carreras (6/10):

Helped move the ball, got into some good areas, and kept his side of the pitch relatively steady. 

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Aurelien Tchouameni (7/10):

Kept in the XI while a few others changed. Controlled space effectively, moved the ball well and won a key challenge in the run up to Madrid's opener. 

Federico Valverde (7/10):

Showed a bit more positional discipline. Almost grabbed himself a goal, only to be well denied.  

Arda Guler (8/10):

Played some clever passes and almost set up a lovely goal in the first half before producing the assist for Mbappe. 

GettyAttack

Franco Mastantuono (6/10):

Had some nice touches off the right, created a couple of chances, but didn't offer the kind of width Madrid needed.

Kylian Mbappe (8/10):

Scored a wonderful goal after an otherwise ineffective first half. Did the same again after the break. Didn't really have any other chances, but hard to knock him for being the match-winner. 

Rodrygo (5/10):

Started on the left (finally), but was largely ineffective. If Madrid were hoping to add a few million to his price tag, they failed.

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GettySubs & Manager

Brahim Diaz (6/10):

Lively in a midfield role. Forced a couple of key turnovers. 

Vinicius Jr (7/10):

Booked for diving but provided a delightful assist for Mbappe before scoring one of his own.

Gonzalo Garcia (N/A):

Ran tirelessly, but had relatively few chances to make an impact otherwise.

Dani Ceballos (N/A):

No time to make an impact. 

Trent Alexander-Arnold (N/A):

No time to make an impact. 

Xabi Alonso (7/10):

Made some changes, including leaving Alexander-Arnold and Vinicius on the bench. They worked for the most part, with Madrid scoring three good goals and looking mostly in control. Two games, two wins. 

Liverpool have signed Alexander Isak from Newcastle United for a British transfer record fee of £125 million (€144.5m/$169.3m).

Liverpool sign IsakReds pay British record £125mMonths-long saga finally endsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Isak has put pen to paper on a six-year contract at Anfield, ending a months-long saga surrounding the striker’s future. The 25-year-old was Liverpool’s primary target all summer but an initial £110m offer was rejected by Newcastle, who insisted their star man was not for sale. However Isak made it clear he did not want to play for Newcastle again, training alone at his former club Real Sociedad before missing the St. James’ Park club’s opening three Premier League fixtures against Aston Villa, Liverpool and Leeds United. Isak also took to Instagram to accuse Newcastle of “broken” promises but the Magpies responded by issuing a statement which insisted “no commitment has ever been made" for the Sweden international to depart.

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But following the £69m capture of Nick Woltemade from Stuttgart, Newcastle’s stance on Isak changed with both them and Liverpool returning to the table to thrash out a deal which has made Isak the most expensive transfer in British football history, surpassing Chelsea’s £107m capture of Enzo Fernandez from Benfica in January 2023, according to the BBC.

WHAT ISAK SAID

Speaking to Liverpool’s official club website after finally sealing his move to Merseyside, Isak – who will wear the No.9 shirt – said: “I feel amazing.

“It’s been a long journey to get here. But I’m super-happy to be a part of this team, this club and everything it stands for. It’s something I’m proud of and I’m really looking forward to it.

“I’m just happy it’s done and that I can get back to work. I’m looking forward to seeing my teammates and the fans, and getting back out there.”

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DID YOU KNOW?

After starting his career with Swedish side AIK, Isak moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2016 but struggled for game time, spending the 2018-19 season on loan at Eredivisie side Willem II before joining Sociedad in 2019. Isak spent four successful seasons in La Liga, scoring 44 goals in 132 appearances and lifting the Copa del Rey title during the 2019-20 campaign. He then moved to Newcastle in a £63m deal in 2022 and netted 62 times in 109 appearances, including the winner in their famous 2-1 Carabao Cup final victory over Liverpool in March, securing the club’s first trophy since 1955.

Rasmus Hojlund vowed to give everything for Napoli after sealing his return to Serie A, aiming to prove himself following his Manchester United exit.

Conte tasks Dane with leading Napoli attackDane welcomed back to Serie AChampions League clash vs Man City awaitsFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The Danish international completed a loan move from United to Napoli at the end of the summer transfer window to replace the injured Romelu Lukaku. The 22-year-old struggled in his second season at Old Trafford, scoring just four league goals in 32 appearances, and was ultimately pushed out by the club. Serie A champions Napoli have taken him on an initial €6m loan with an obligation to buy for €44m (£38m/$52m) if they qualify for the Champions League.

The Dane returns to Italy after his 2022-23 campaign with Atalanta, where he scored nine Serie A goals and first made his name. Greeted by cheering fans upon arrival, Hojlund will be expected to shoulder major responsibility in Antonio Conte’s side as they aim to defend their Scudetto crown.

AdvertisementWHAT HOJLUND SAID

Returning to the Italian top-flight two years after he departed Atalanta for United, Hojlund told club media that they can expect even better from him this time around as he looks to prove the Old Trafford side wrong after accepting he would not be given much playing time there. 

“It’s different now, obviously, as I come with more experience and I’m a better football player," he said of his return to Italy. "I come with a lot of international experience, I played in the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, and in multiple countries… I come with a lot to prove, I want to show myself in the best team in Italy, and Napoli is going to be very, very good.

"I always work hard, I like to say I want to die on the pitch, to give everything for the team, to score goals, create, and fight for everything.”

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Hojlund’s transfer is more than just a squad reshuffle, it also represents a second chance for a striker once billed as United’s long-term No.9, but who struggled under the weight of expectation and price tag. At Napoli, he arrives with experience in both the Premier League and Champions League, hoping to rediscover the form that made him one of Europe’s most exciting young forwards.

The move also underlines Napoli’s determination to remain competitive despite Lukaku’s long-term injury. With Kevin De Bruyne already making an impact in midfield, Conte has secured another marquee attacking option. 

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR NAPOLI?

The Dane will need to adapt quickly, with the Champions League looming large on the horizon. The coming weeks will immediately test the new forward's readiness. First, Napoli face Fiorentina in a crucial Serie A clash, but the real examination arrives on September 18, when Conte’s side welcome Manchester City, for a heavyweight Champions League showdown.

The visitors needed less than six overs on the final day to secure a big victory

AAP24-Feb-2023Western Australia captain Sam Whiteman believes Cameron Bancroft is deserving of an international recall after the former Test opener turned in a player-of-the-match showing in a thumping win over Tasmania.The Sheffield Shield holders cruised to a 383-run victory at Bellerive Oval, with the hosts dismissed for just 120 early on the final day.With five wins from eight outings, the win leaves Western Australia closing in on hosting the season decider for the second year in a row.Bancroft made batting look easy in the second innings scoring 176 not out – more than Tasmania’s entire team managed in either innings.Bancroft’s fourth century of the summer took his tally well past Test squad member Peter Handscomb at the top of this season’s Shield run-scorer list.”Cameron Bancroft is having an amazing season, he is so confident and his game is in such a good place and I’m sure an Australian call-up wouldn’t be far away,” said Whiteman.Western Australia suffered a first defeat of the season last week in Adelaide, but their quality was on display over three-and-a-bit days in Hobart.After being sent in to bat, Western Australia overcame a challenging start to post 300 with wicketkeeper Josh Inglis scoring 116.”It is really pleasing after a disappointing week in Adelaide last week to bounce back like this,” Whiteman said.”After losing the toss and being asked to bat, it was a huge effort on day one and the bowlers were outstanding to take 20 wickets.”The in-form WA line-up will be bolstered by the early return of spinner Ashton Agar from India for their remaining matches – both at home – against Tasmania and Victoria.”The incentive is a home final and a big goal for us,” said Whiteman, with WA already guaranteed to host the upcoming One-Day Cup final.Tasmania lasted just 5.2 overs on day four with top-scorer Beau Webster (30) the last wicket to fall.Despite two defeats in their past three outings, Tasmania remain just one win behind second-placed Victoria.

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick has admitted the club need to manage Lamine Yamal carefully after the wonderkid's rise to stardom.

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Flick hails young star YamalTeenager fired Barcelona to La Liga titleRecently signed new contractFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona manager Flick has challenged wonderkid Yamal to stay grounded and continue working hard after another stunning season in Catalonia. The teenager helped the Blaugrana reclaim the La Liga title just under a year after his stunning performances powered Spain to glory at Euro 2024.

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Yamal contributed nine goals and 13 assists in 35 La Liga matches during the 2024-25 season, while he also struck five times during his side's run to the Champions League semi-finals. His reputation has grown at an incredible rate and Flick is conscious of making sure Yamal is looked after while he is still a youngster.

WHAT FLICK SAID

Speaking to Barca One, Flick said: "Lamine is a genius, there's no other way to describe him, and he's only 17 years old. I think we have to help him. I hope he wants that too, that we can take care of him, because he's young and right now it seems like everything is easy. And it might seem easy, but it's not.

"If you want to play at the highest level for the next 15 years, you have to train very well and also be mentally at the highest level – that's what matters. Lamine is smart, he's intelligent, and it's not just about enjoying everything. You also have to work and work, because players with this kind of talent have to do that too."

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR YAMAL AND BARCELONA?

Barcelona aren't among the teams playing at the Club World Cup next month but Yamal has been included in Spain's squad for the upcoming Nations League finals. The European champions face France for a place in the final against Germany or Portugal.

Ireland captain reveals James McCollum wanted to bat in protective boot to aid Andy McBrine century effort

Andrew Miller03-Jun-20230:50

McCollum would have batted if McBrine was ‘one hit away’

Andy Balbirnie, Ireland’s captain, praised the character that his team had shown in digging deep on the third and final day of the Lord’s Test, and forcing England to bat again when an innings defeat had seemed to be on the cards overnight.But, he added, Ireland’s eventual ten-wicket loss had “not been preparation” for the challenge that awaits next week at the World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.The smart money had been on a swift denouement on Saturday morning, after Ireland had resumed their second innings on 97 for 3 – effectively four-down, following James McCollum’s match-ending ankle injury – and still 255 runs from asking England to bat again, following their formidable total of 524 for 4 in just 82.4 overs.Related

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Lord's splendour can't hide the great Test divide

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But, after Harry Tector had recovered from his first-day duck to set the tone with an attractive 51, the seventh-wicket pairing of Mark Adair and Andy McBrine combined for a 163-run stand – Ireland’s highest in seven men’s Tests – that took both batters to the brink of a deserved place on the Lord’s honours boards.In the end, neither quite made it. Adair feathered an attempted ramp shot through to Jonny Bairstow for 88, while McBrine, who had insisted that McCollum didn’t risk exacerbating his injury by attempting to help him to three figures, was eventually left high and dry on 86 not out when the No. 11 Graham Hume was bowled by Stuart Broad shortly after tea.”He had the pads on, he had the boot on, it was all a bit chaotic in there,” Balbirnie said of McCollum’s potential late involvement in the innings, when it seemed he might emulate the likes of Graeme Smith and Colin Cowdrey of yesteryear, and come out to bat at nine-down in spite of his serious injury.”Andy actually came in at tea and said he doesn’t want him to bat. They’re good mates and he [McCollum] is really sore. He really didn’t want him to hobble out on the boot, but it was eventually agreed that if it was one hit away, that he would go out, and just hold up an end.”And so it was chaos. He came out on the balcony with the crutches at tea-time and a couple of members looked over and couldn’t really believe what they were seeing. It was quite entertaining.”If the shoe was on the other foot, if you’ll pardon the pun, I think Andy would have gone out for Prince [McCollum],” he continued. “But it wasn’t to be. In the end it didn’t really matter, but it was fairly chaotic at tea-time.”Nevertheless, Ireland’s doughty displays gave another healthy Lord’s crowd an entertaining day in the sun, and continued a trend of tail-end resistance from their Test team, with three of their highest partnerships in Test cricket all coming for the seventh wicket.”[The dressing-room] was a tough place to be yesterday, in the evening particularly, but we showed character today,” Balbirnie said. “We’ve showed in our Test career that we have that character – and that bouncebackability – but unfortunately for us, it’s when our backs are against the wall, that’s almost when we seem to produce our best cricket.Andy McBrine made a determined half-century•Gareth Copley/Getty Images”We need to find a way to not get so far behind the eight-ball that you need to really scrap it out. But get to 12 ahead, it’s a small win to get them batting again. And certainly, after three days like that, you have to take those small wins.”Much of the build-up to the Test had centred on Ireland’s lack of first-class experience – most of the squad hadn’t played a single first-class game in four years until their three Tests in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in April. And while Balbirnie reiterated his call for more red-ball opportunities, particularly on pitches such as Lord’s that don’t offer much sideways movement, he made it clear that a return to a white-ball focus was now the team’s over-riding priority.”I love being here and I’ve loved playing here, don’t get me wrong, but yesterday was really tough,” Balbirnie said. “You’re looking around in the change-room, wondering what we can do here to get wickets to stop the run-rate. You want to go into a game knowing that, if you play your best cricket, you can be really close to beating them. But I’m not stupid. Everyone saw there was a gap and we have to close that as quick as possible. That’s probably going to come from us playing more red-ball cricket. It’s obvious and hopefully it happens.”For now, though, Ireland have a four-day turnaround back home, before flying out to Bulawayo on Friday to begin the campaign that truly matters. Balbirnie’s men play two warm-up games against USA and Netherlands on June 13 and 15, before their World Cup qualification campaign gets underway against Oman on June 19.They then play further fixtures against Scotland, Sri Lanka and the UAE in the space of the following eight days, with the top three teams progressing to the Super Six stage, and from there a shot at securing one of the two remaining berths at the main event in India this winter.And with that fixture pile-up already on his mind, Balbirnie was blunt on the subject of his Lord’s experience. “I wouldn’t say it’s been preparation,” he said. “I’ve played in these tournaments before. It’s really cut-throat. If you don’t turn up for a couple of games, your qualifying tournament is over. So the guys need to be switched on, and I think they will be by the time we get out there.”It’s 9am starts, very early-morning stuff, the games are thick and fast, in a sporadic sort of a schedule. I’ve struggled over the years to differentiate between our [Test and white-ball] groups because it’s many of the same names, but for the one-day team, next week is huge. I said at the start of my tenure that qualifying for that World Cup will be my greatest achievement as captain, and we’ve got three weeks to try to do that.”For the time being, Balbirnie added, he’d be switching off from cricket in a particularly homely fashion. “My wife has told me I’ve got a crib to paint,” he said. “We have a baby coming in August so that’ll take up most of my week. But it’ll be just enough time to switch the pads and head out.”

Despite the absence of Ashwin on the third day in Rajkot, India proceeded to seal their biggest Test win

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Feb-2024The message from Rohit Sharma and India’s team management to the bowling attack was to “stay calm” even as Ben Duckett countered them with a blistering century on the second day in Rajkot. Duckett’s wicket then hastened England’s collapse as they fell from 260 for 4 to 319 all out, in response to India’s first-innings 445. India’s bowlers triggered another England collapse in their second innings to seal a whopping 434-run victory and a 2-1 series lead.”When you’re playing Test cricket, it’s not played over two days or three days. We do understand the importance of extending the game for five days,” Rohit said at the post-match presentation. “They played well, to be honest, and played some really good shots. They put us under pressure a little bit there, but look we’ve got class in our squad, when it comes to bowling. Obviously, the message was to stay calm because when things like that happen, it’s actually easy to drift away from what you want to do as a team. But I’m really proud of how we came back the next day, stuck to what we discussed, and when those things happen, it’s a delight to watch.”Related

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After the second day’s play, India’s most experienced bowler R Ashwin was forced to leave Rajkot after a family emergency. Despite Ashwin’s absence on the third day – he rejoined the squad on the fourth – India proceeded to secure their biggest Test win, in terms of runs.”Lot of turning points. Once we won the toss…that was actually a good toss to win because we know in India, how important it is to win the toss and put runs on the board,” Rohit said. “And the lead that we got was very, very crucial for us. And the way we came out and bowled after that onslaught from the English batters was important for us to stay calm. The bowlers actually showed a lot of character and not to forget we didn’t have our most experienced bowler as well. But for this group to come out and get the job done in that fashion was really, really proud to watch.”Rohit said that promoting Ravindra Jadeja to No.5, ahead of debutant Sarfaraz Khan, was partly down to having a left-right combination in the middle. Rohit and Jadeja added a 204-run fourth-wicket partnership – the highest in the match – to lift India from 33 for 3. Both Rohit and Jadeja hit hundreds while Sarfaraz made a sparkling 62 off 66 balls.”Especially for this game, we thought he’s got so much experience playing this format,” Rohit said of Jadeja’s promotion. “He’s scored a lot of runs as well of late in the last couple of years. We always wanted that left-right batting as well. Sarfaraz being Sarfaraz we know the quality that he brings and we wanted him to just have some time before he gets into bat.”By no means it’s a long-term plan with the batting order; we just go by the flow – what we feel on that particular day or what is right for us in that particular Test match depending on the composition of the opposition as well. We try to calculate everything and then go with the flow.”Jadeja followed up his 112 with a match haul of seven wickets, including a five-for in the final innings, at his home ground. “I know about this wicket,” Jadeja said after collecting his Player-of-the-match award. “If we bat first, it’s always good to bat as the ball comes nicely onto the bat and in the second half it starts spinning. When Rohit won the toss, I was like ‘okay, this is what we wanted’.”On this wicket, you won’t get easy wickets because you have to work hard for it because this surface looks good to bat on and you need to work hard to get wickets. You can’t just bowl and get wickets easily. You have to earn the wicket.”

Liverpool may have found a way of funding a move for Alexander Isak, with Darwin Nunez reportedly attracting more interest from the Saudi Pro League.

Reds plotting record raid for Newcastle strikerCan free up funds & squad space through salesUruguayan forward wanted in the Middle EastFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

The enigmatic Uruguayan frontman saw a move to the Middle East speculated on during the winter transfer window. At that point, Al-Nassr – who have Portuguese GOAT Cristiano Ronaldo on their books – are said to have seen a bid knocked back.

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The terms on offer then were €70 million (£61m/$82m), with Liverpool still demanding a figure in that region if they are to part with Nunez. Their situation has, however, changed somewhat since January.

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The Premier League champions are now more willing to do business. That is because they have prised Hugo Ekitike away from Eintracht Frankfurt and have a British record deal for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak in their sights.

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Liverpool could raise funds for a raid on St James’ Park by parting with Nunez. According to , Al-Hilal have expressed interest in the South American, with "internal talks" taking place regarding how much should be spent on the mercurial 26-year-old.