Nottingham Forest are now leading the race to sign a “world-class” £34 million star who already has an offer from West Ham, according to a new report.

Forest are still in the dark when it comes to the future of Morgan Gibbs-White, as Tottenham Hotspur remain interested in the England international after reportedly triggering his release clause, which the Reds believe was done illegally.

Nottingham Forest submit £6m bid for La Liga ace who's now pushing to join

The Tricky Trees have stepped up their pursuit of a defender.

By
Dominic Lund

Jul 22, 2025

In case Gibbs-White does leave the City Ground, Forest are looking at players who could replace their number 10 if needed. Manchester City’s James McAtee has been on Forest’s radar for a while now, and at the beginning of this week, it was reported by the Telegraph’s John Percy that the Reds are set to advance their pursuit of McAtee this week.

The England under-21 international looks free to leave the Etihad this summer, as his contract expires next year and he has fallen down the pecking order under Pep Guardiola.

The Blues are said to be looking for a fee of £25 million, but the Reds will need to fend off other teams from the Premier League as well as the Bundesliga for the young attacking midfielder.

Forest leading the race to sign “world-class” Douglas Luiz

As well as looking to wrap up a deal for McAtee, according to Gazzetta dello Sport, relayed by The Mirror, Nottingham Forest are now ahead in the race to sign Douglas Luiz from Juventus.

The report claims that Forest’s global head of football, Edu, is pushing the Reds to sign the former Villa man this summer. Despite only joining Juventus a year ago, the Italian giants are keen to offload the Brazilian, and Forest are one of the sides who are strongly interested.

However, they face stiff competition as Everton are also interested in a deal, while West Ham have already submitted an offer for Luiz, as Juventus look to get around £34 million for the midfielder.

Given the interest from England, this new update has revealed that Luiz’s agent, Kia Joorabchian, is flying into London to hold talks with the interested teams.

Luiz, who has been dubbed “world-class” by journalist Leonardo Bertozzi, was brought to Juventus by former manager Thiago Motta, but he struggled to make an impact for him, as he failed to nail down a starting spot before the Italian boss was sacked.

That is completely different from the situation he was in at Villa Park, as the Brazil international played 35 of 38 league games in his final season and scored nine goals and recorded five assists in the process.

Ruben Amorim has been warned he may not "make it to Christmas" at Manchester United, with his team still only "one bad performance away from crisis". The Red Devils have only picked up one win from their first three Premier League games of the new season and exited the Carabao Cup at the hands of League Two side Grimsby in the second round.

Amorim warned he might lose job before ChristmasBody language questioned by GallasMan Utd face Man City this SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

Former Chelsea and Arsenal defender William Gallas has questioned Amorim's "body language" during United games, claiming that the Portuguese looks "lost" most of the time. He has also suggested that the 40-year-old could be sacked before the festive period gets underway in December.

AdvertisementWHAT GALLAS SAID

Speaking to , the ex-France international said: "The problem for Ruben right now is that he looks like he’s struggling for the solution on the bench. He looks like he’s trying to figure things out for the first time, trying to make them play better somehow. He looks lost. I don’t think his body language and manner, his emotional response, gives a great impression to his players and the fans of Manchester United. Looking at him, I don’t know if he will make it to Christmas, to be honest, because it feels like United are one defeat or one bad performance away from a crisis."

Getty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Despite Gallas' doubts, Amorim is planning team-bonding trips to Portugal and Dubai for warm-weather training over the winter, which will help to fill the gaps in United’s schedule. The Red Devils are not competing in Europe this season and their exit from the Carabao Cup means that the team will play just one midweek fixture – a Premier League clash with West Ham on December 3 – before Christmas.

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

Amorim's United team, who registered their first win of the 2025-26 campaign against Burnley before the international break, will next face local rivals Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday.

Gennaro Gattuso says Italy's 5-4 World Cup qualifying win over Israel was the "craziest game" he's had as a coach.

• Italy beat Israel 5-4
• Manager Gattuso in disbelief
• Calls it his "craziest game"

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Italy held leads of 1-0, 2-1, and 4-2 but Israel clawed their way back to 4-4 in a thrilling World Cup qualifier on Monday night. The hosts thought they had secured an excellent point but Sandro Tonali's 91st-minute winner secured the Italians a remarkable victory – one that manager Gattuso was astounded by.

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  WHAT GATTUSO SAID

  He said, "It was murder today. It’s the craziest game I’ve been involved with as a coach, but it is my problem and not that of the players. If we want to play in a certain way, we need to get better at this. We were crazy to systematically go on the attack, that’s what Israel were waiting for, they hit us on the counter every time. We could’ve defended deeper when leading."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  This result gives Italy's World Cup qualification chances a huge boost as they have leapfrogged Israel into second in Group I. They are still three points off group leaders Norway, which puts them in pole position to advance to the play-offs. Not qualifying for two straight World Cups would be a disaster for Italy.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Gattuso's Italy side, who have three wins and one loss so far, are next in World Cup qualifying action on October 11 when they travel to Estonia. They then round off the next international break at home to Israel three days later.

Leeds United supporters had the chance to see all of the club’s new signings in action on Saturday as they featured against Manchester United in a pre-season friendly.

The scoreline was far from exciting, as the two teams held each other to a 0-0 draw, but Sean Longstaff, Sebastiaan Bornauw, Lukas Nmecha, Gabriel Gudmundsson, and Jaka Bijol all played minutes.

Daniel Farke’s squad is also set to be bolstered by the arrival of defensive midfielder Anton Stach, after the club reportedly agreed a deal worth around £17m to sign the German star from Bundesliga side Hoffenheim on a permanent transfer.

This means that Leeds will have signed two centre-backs, a left-back, two defensive midfielders, and an experienced centre-forward in the summer transfer window.

As Nmecha arrived on a free transfer, Leeds have yet to spend a transfer fee on a new attacker to come in and bolster their side ahead of the Premier League campaign.

The Championship champions have been linked with plenty of forwards, though, and one obvious link that predictably emerged earlier in the summer was one to Aston Villa attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia.

Why Leeds may want to sign Emiliano Buendia

The Argentina international worked under Farke during his time at Norwich City and it was reported in January that Leeds were eyeing up a loan move with an option to make it permanent in the summer, as they were pushing to secure promotion out of the Championship.

That move did not materialise at the start of the year, though, and Leeds have once again been linked with an interest in signing the attacking midfielder to improve their options in the number ten position.

Buendia is a target that makes sense for Leeds because of their need for a replacement, or at least competition, for Brenden Aaronson, as well as Farke’s pre-existing relationship with the player.

The 28-year-old star scored 24 goals and provided 41 assists in 121 appearances for the German head coach with the Canaries, winning the Championship title in the 2018/19 and 2020/21 campaigns.

This suggests that Farke knows how to get the best out of the right-footed magician, who thrived as both a scorer and a creator of goals for Norwich in his three seasons there, and that is why this could be a signing that makes a lot of sense this summer.

As you can see in the table above, though, it would be a risky signing because he has not been at his best at the top end of the pitch in the last three seasons, missing the entire of the 2023/24 campaign with an ACL injury.

Instead of taking a risk with Buendia, who may not be able to recapture the form he displayed at Norwich, Leeds may look elsewhere, amid reported interest in another former Canary.

Leeds pushing to sign Brazilian attacker

According to Turkish outlet Fotospor, Leeds United are one of the teams interested in a deal to sign Galatasaray central midfielder Gabriel Sara this summer.

The report claims that the Championship champions and fellow Premier League side Aston Villa are ‘constantly’ pushing to sign the Brazilian talent to bolster their respective midfields.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

It adds, though, that Galatasaray are not actively looking to cash in on the left-footed star, and that it will take an ‘incredible’ offer to tempt them into selling Sara, who they claim has won over the supporters with his performances on the pitch.

No price tag is mentioned in this latest report but Fotomac claimed earlier this summer that it would take a fee of around £26m to sign the former Norwich man, amid interest from Manchester United.

It is now down to Leeds to put the money on the table to convince Galatasaray to sell Sara and to beat Aston Villa and Manchester United to his signature, as the £26m-rated star has the potential to be Farke’s new Buendia.

Why Sara could be Farke's new Buendia

Poetically, Farke could find his next Buendia by signing the player Norwich eventually signed to replace the Argentine star as their chief creator.

The Canaries sold him to Aston Villa in 2021 and did not directly replace him until they signed the creative Brazilian from São Paulo the following summer.

As you can see in the graphic above, Sara racked up a staggering haul of 13 goals and 12 assists from midfield in the 2023/24 campaign for Norwich, which was the first time any player hit double figures for both goals and assists since Buendia produced 15 goals and 16 assists in the 2020/21 season.

Like the Argentine whiz, the Galatasaray star is an attacking midfielder who has the quality on the ball to make a big impact in the final third, as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

Sara, who analyst Ben Mattinson claimed has a “magical left foot”, joined the Turkish giants off the back of his incredible season in the Championship with Norwich, and enjoyed a strong debut year in the Super Lig.

As you can see in the table above, the £26m-rated star did not provide goals on a regular basis, but his creativity was on full display yet again, creating 12 ‘big chances’ for his teammates.

His form for both Norwich and Galatasaray suggest that Sara has the potential to be a huge creative threat for Leeds in the Premier League, with his ability to consistently unlock the opposition’s defence to create high-quality opportunities for the forwards ahead of him.

This is why he could be Farke’s new Buendia, who registered 41 assists for the German at Norwich, and why the club should continue to push for a deal for him this summer.

It is now down to the club to thrash out a deal to bring the left-footed creator to Elland Road this summer, as he could be an exciting addition to the squad.

Farke's own Joelinton: Leeds made contact over deal to sign £22m "monster"

Leeds United have made contact over a potential deal for a star who could be their own Joelinton.

By
Dan Emery

Jul 19, 2025

أعلن الكرواتي كرونسلاف يورتشيتش المدير الفني لفريق بيراميدز قائمة اللاعبين المختارين، لمواجهة طلائع الجيش، ضمن منافسات الدوري المصري.

ويلتقي بيراميدز مع طلائع الجيش، في الجولة التاسعة من الدوري المصري الممتاز، على ملعب الدفاع الجوي في تمام الثامنة مساءً.

طالع.. موعد وحكم مباراة بيراميدز والجيش الرواندي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا

ويدخل بيراميدز اللقاء بمعنويات مرتفعة بعد الفوز على الأهلي السعودي، ضمن منافسات كأس القارات “إنتركونتيننتال”.

ويفتقد بيراميدز 5 لاعبين أمام طلائع الجيش حيث يغيب أحمد سامي للإيقاف وأسامة جلال بسبب الإصابة ورمضان صبحي ووليد الكرتي ومحمود مرعي لاستمرار التأهيل. قائمة بيراميدز لمباراة طلائع الجيش

حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي – محمود جاد – شريف إكرامي.

خط الدفاع: علي جبر – كريم حافظ – محمد الشيبي – محمد حمدي – طارق علاء – عبد الرحمن جودة.

خط الوسط: أحمد توفيق – محمود دونجا – مهند لاشين – عبد الرحمن مجدي – أحمد عاطف قطة – مصطفى زيكو – إيفرتون داسيلفا – محمد رضا بوبو – محمود زلاكة – بلاتي توريه – مصطفى فتحي.

خط الهجوم: دودو الجباس – يوسف أوباما – فيستون ماييلي – مروان حمدي.

It would be fair to say that some of the shine has been taken off Arsenal’s summer over the last seven days.

The atmosphere around the club was excellent going into the game against Tottenham Hotspur last Thursday, only for the team to fall to a dull 1-0 defeat.

Then, instead of wiping the slate clean with an entertaining win over Villarreal on Wednesday, Mikel Arteta’s side fell to yet another defeat.

Fortunately, it’s not all doom and gloom, as the club have made several brilliant signings so far, with the likes of Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi the clear standouts.

Moreover, Andrea Berta looks ready to make yet more additions, with Eberechi Eze’s name refusing to go away, and reports suggesting he could pull off the signing of another international ace, someone who’d surely represent his best deal yet.

Berta targets a better signing than Eze

Despite already adding six players to the squad this summer, Arsenal are clearly on the hunt for more first-team additions, and Eze has been someone consistently touted for a move to the club this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The Crystal Palace star has a £67.5m release clause in his current deal that expires on August 15th, and based on stories from the last week or so, it does seem like the Gunners will be making a move for him once that clause is gone.

However, in exciting news, the Englishman isn’t the only attacker Berta and Co are supposedly after, as it now looks like they’ve got their eye on someone who’d undoubtedly be his best signing of the window.

At least that’s according to a recent report from journalist Graeme Bailey, who has reaffirmed the fact that Arsenal are very interested in Rodrygo.

Bailey has revealed that, alongside North London rivals Spurs, the Gunners are now just “waiting for a signal” from the Brazilian before they make their move.

Interestingly, stories from earlier this summer made it clear that if the winger were to leave, it’d likely require a fee of around £86m, but then more recent reports have stated that a season-long loan with an obligation to buy at the end could be his route out of Spain.

It remains to be seen how Arsenal could eventually sign Rodrygo, but if they have any chance of doing so, they should, as he’d instantly become the best deal under Berta’s watch.

Why Rodrygo would be Berta's best deal

So, when it comes to the deals Berta has already completed this summer, the only two players who would be in with a shout of being his best are Gyokeres and Zubimendi, but we still think Rodrygo would land above both.

The reason he’d do so in the case of the Spaniard is the simple fact that the club do already have several genuinely great options for that role in the shape of Declan Rice, who was initially signed as a six, Christian Norgaard, who has impressed in pre-season, and Mikel Merino.

Moreover, it’s simply the nature of the sport that those who operate in deeper areas of the pitch are viewed as less game-changing than someone who’s up top, banging in goals or creating chances for his teammates.

However, in that case, why wouldn’t the former Sporting CP star be the better deal, as he racked up 67 goal involvements in 52 games last season?

Well, in this instance, it comes down to the fact that, while still outstanding, those numbers were achieved primarily in the Portuguese league, which, according to Opta Analyst, is just the eighth toughest in the world, coming in behind the Championship and Belgian top-flight.

While there is every chance that the Swedish international is a lean, mean goalscoring machine for the Gunners as well, there is still an element of the unknown about how he’ll adapt, especially when strikers like Darwin Núñez have struggled to do so in the past.

In contrast, we’ve got plenty of evidence that the Real Madrid star can more than handle himself in a top-five league.

Appearances

51

54

Minutes

3707′

3452′

Goals

17

14

Assists

9

11

Goal Involvements per Match

0.50

0.46

Minutes per Goal Involvement

142.57′

138.08′

For example, across the last two seasons, the Brazilian “superstar,” as dubbed by Luka Modrić, has found the back of the net on 31 occasions and provided 20 assists in 105 appearances, totalling 7159 minutes.

That means the former Santos gem has been averaging a goal involvement every 2.05 games, or every 140.37 minutes across the last two years, which is only made all the more impressive when you take into account the fact he had to play out of his preferred position on the left for most of those games.

Finally, like all top-tier players, the Osasco-born ace has an incredible record in the Champions League.

In his 64 appearances in the competition, totalling 3883 minutes, the 24-year-old has scored 25 goals and provided 14 assists, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.64 games, or every 99.56 minutes.

Ultimately, when you take everything into account, from his record to the fact that there are plenty of other top sides looking to sign him, it’s easy to see why Rodrygo would represent Berta’s best deal since joining Arsenal.

He'd solve Arteta's Martinelli problem: £68m ace has "heart set on Arsenal"

The Premier League star would be an exceptional addition to Arsenal’s squad.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 7, 2025

Chakravarthy, Bishnoi claim three wickets apiece to secure 61-run win

Firdose Moonda08-Nov-20243:23

Samson and spinners see India dominate in Durban

Sanju Samson struck his second successive T20I century and shattered records and South African hopes at Kingsmead. His was the fastest T20I hundred by an Indian against South Africa and will be remembered as one of the most destructive.For India, runs came mostly in boundaries: 17 fours and 13 sixes, including seven fours and 10 sixes for Samson. Overall, 88 of his 107 runs were scored in boundaries and he was particularly brutal square of the wicket. He scored 69 runs from 19 balls in the region between point and cover and square leg and mid-wicket, and only 13 runs behind square. Samson took on the spinners with gusto and scored 58 runs off the 27 balls he faced from Aiden Markram, Keshav Maharaj and Nqaba Peter combined. He also shared in two explosive stands: 66 runs off 37 balls with his captain Suryakumar Yadav and 77 runs off 34 balls with Tilak Varma. That meant India’s innings had middle-order momentum that South Africa could not match.They may have thought they gave themselves a chance when they pulled India back at the end. South Africa were staring at conceding the highest total at Kingsmead and highest against India but after Samson’s dismissal in the 17th over, India scored 28 runs off 20 balls and lost four wickets. They still ended up with their fourth-highest total against South Africa, and it proved way too much.South Africa were never in the chase as only three batters scored more than 20 and there was only one partnership of more than 30. The two legspiners Varun Chakravarthy and Ravi Bishnoi took three wickets each and conceded 53 runs in their eight overs after Arshdeep Singh and Avesh Khan made the initial breakthroughs which all pointed to a more experienced Indian bowling line-up.Gerald Coetzee’s comeback It has been 166 days between internationals for Gerald Coetzee but it did not seem like he had been away a day. Given the ball in the fourth over, Coetzee immediately started with a full delivery outside off and found some extra bounce. Abhishek Sharma tried to get under it and clear mid-off but only got the ball over Markram in the ring. He ran backwards and took the catch over his shoulder to bring out an almighty roar from Coetzee, who has recovered from a hip injury and had come back from a 12-week conditioning block.The rest of the over did not go quite as well. India’s captain Suryakumar hit Coetzee over his head for four and then over fine leg for six to take 10 runs off his opening over. Coetzee closed out the Powerplay which India finished on 56 for 1. Coetzee also made an in-match comeback when he was called on to bowl at the death and had Hardik Pandya caught at deep point for just 2 and Rinku Singh caught behind with his penultimate ball.Varun Chakravarthy finished with 3 for 25•Gallo Images/Getty ImagesKruger’s timeless over which ended with a wicket Patrick Kruger started off with what seemed like a good plan to keep India quiet – a slower ball that Suryakumar had to dig out but Samson was in no mood to be stopped by that. The next ball was also slower and hit over long-off. Kruger put in extra effort in response and overstepped. Then sent down a full toss. Then a wide, a no-ball and another wide and he still had three balls left to bowl. He got it right with a full delivery outside off, then pulled his length back and could not resist going back to pace off to end the over. His 11th ball was a knuckle ball which Suryakumar dragged to deep square leg where debutant Andile Simelane was stationed. He put the nerves aside to make his first contribution to the game, and not a moment too soon. Simelane was brought on as South Africa’s seventh bowler, in the 10th over.Tilak too good to be left out Tilak hit the second ball he faced with the wind over deep backward square for six as he joined in on the boundary hitting action. He sent the first ball of Peter’s second over between deep mid-wicket and deep backward square for four and then tore Kruger’s tactic to avoid the shorter leg-side boundary to shreds. He hit over backward point and slog swept over fine leg. His innings was cut short when he hit Maharaj to the deep backward square boundary where Marco Jansen took a good catch but his cameo gave India’s innings middle-order momentum.Markram’s lean run continues, as does South Africa’sIt has been 25 innings and two years since Markram scored a T20I half-century and the run continued with a seventh single-figure score in this match. Markram looked especially out of sorts when he tried to play Arshdeep through mid-wicket but closed the face of the bat too early and got a faint edge to Samson to fall in the first over. That set the tone for an innings in which South Africa were never really able to get going. Tristan Stubbs and Ryan Rickelton were both dismissed in the Powerplay, which South Africa ended on 49 for 3. The combination of Heinrich Klaasen and David Miller put on 42 in 6,1 overs but when they were separated, South Africa crumbled. They were bowled out inside 18 overs and were bowled out for their fourth-lowest score against India to lose the series opener by 61 runs.Varun removes South Africa’s best Chakravarthy took out South Africa’s two middle-order players and he got them in the space of three balls. In his final over, Klaasen tried to pull a slightly shorter ball but sent it straight to Axar Patel at long-on. And two balls later, Miller hit Chakravarthy to Avesh at square leg and South Africa went from 79 for 3 to 87 for 5 and were looking straight at defeat.

Newcastle United is in desperate need of some fresh blood in the centre-forward department.

Not only are the Toon having to come to terms with Alexander Isak’s anticipated exit from St James’ Park, they are also light on their feet up top owing to Callum Wilson leaving the Premier League club behind this summer for a fresh chance at West Ham United.

With Isak also soon to be potentially out of the picture, that would leave the Magpies with just 21-year-old William Osula as an option to lead the line.

Therefore, it’s make-or-break territory for Eddie Howe’s side this month heading into September’s looming deadline, as they frantically look around now for striker recruits to boost the mood on Tyneside.

Newcastle confident about signing £50m star

Thankfully, the rumour mill has been going into overdrive linking the Premier League outfit with a whole host of exciting striker options.

Indeed, reports have even suggested that hot-and-cold Chelsea attacker Nicolas Jackson is on the Toon agenda, alongside the top-flight side eyeing up in-demand Porto forward Samu Aghehowa, with the likes of Aston Villa also keen.

However, away from this growing list of names, a report by the Daily Mail has stated that Newcastle remain confident about sealing a deal for long-term target Yoane Wissa.

The Toon will look to line up a move for the wantaway Brentford striker when Liverpool return with a new bid for Isak, having had an eye-watering £110m move turned away already. It’s stated that a mammoth £150m bid could get the pricey move up and running instead.

To add more fuel to the fire, it’s also stated that a move for Wissa to finally come to Tyneside would be back on the cards if Brentford can seal their own replacement, with £50m perhaps the magic amount here to see the Bees part ways with their star man.

This is a far more likely move than the waiting game surrounding Benjamin Sesko, with Wissa’s potential arrival on the scene also gifting Howe and Co. a dream Wilson upgrade after the declining 33-year-old veteran departed for East London.

How Wissa is a dream Wilson upgrade

Whilst Wilson’s playing days at the Toon had worryingly begun to fizzle out last season, Wissa was continuing to be a man possessed in front of goal for Brentford.

Last campaign, Wissa – who has been dubbed “incredible” in the past by ex-Bees boss Thomas Frank – would help himself to a devastating 20 goals in all competitions. On the contrary, his ageing counterpart would fail to muster up a single Premier League effort from 18 outings, as he sank more and more into the background as an unwanted member of Howe’s squad.

24/25

39

20

5

23/24

36

12

4

22/23

40

7

3

21/22

34

10

1

Wilson might well be experiencing a depressing decline in performances, but the same can not be said for his Congolese counterpart, with that aforementioned 20-goal haul last season the sturdiest amount of strikes the 28-year-old has powered home across his four-season stint at Brentford.

The more experienced Wilson does have the added stature of 88 Premier League goals next to his name, with Wissa lagging behind on 45 strikes, but it’s unlikely that amount will increase too much for the Hammers, with the 33-year-old a regular in the treatment room when still situated at St James’ Park.

Staggeringly, the ex-AFC Bournemouth forward was missing from 57 games across the last two seasons through injury, meaning his once-notorious impact substitute billing took a beating. On the contrary, Wissa missed just six across the same period.

However, unlike Wilson, who had to frequently rely on scraps on Tyneside, the “remarkable” £50m striker – as he was further lauded by football journalist Zach Lowy – will surely be Howe’s main man in a post-Isak reality.

With Anthony Elanga also by his side, it will be a thrilling new dawn ahead for Newcastle in attack, as Wilson is likely to be quickly forgotten about, too, if Wissa is heroically leading the line.

Isak clone: Newcastle are in talks to sign £60m Premier League "monster"

Newcastle United are reportedly in talks to sign a striker who could be an Alexander Isak clone.

1 ByDan Emery Aug 2, 2025

Aston Villa are stepping up their pursuit of fresh faces and could look to draw other suitors into a bidding war for a star who has already walked the walk in the Premier League.

Aston Villa look to bring in established arrivals

Most of the Villans’ signings so far have been with a developmental approach in mind, except Marco Bizot’s arrival from Brest, but that could now all be about to change as the window begins to heat up.

Reports have suggested Aston Villa are keen on bringing in Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson and they have made an enquiry to see whether they may be able to tempt him away from Stamford Bridge.

Speaking about his future, Alan Shearer believes the Senegal international could be on his way out of West London due to Joao Pedro and Liam Delap’s arriving at his current employers.

He explained: “As soon as Pedro came in and scored the two goals and [Liam] Delap’s already there, if there’s one person that’s going to be shifted out then my guess it would be Jackson.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if they’ve already offered him to other football clubs and they’ve enquired about it.”

Talks opened: Aston Villa now strong contenders for "phenomenal" £35m star

The Villans believe they can win the race for an attacking midfielder.

ByDominic Lund Jul 16, 2025

Toulouse defender Jaydee Canvot could join Aston Villa to strengthen their backline, and it is believed that Unai Emery and company are keen to force a deal through as soon as possible for the 18-year-old.

Contact has also been made to bring Conor Gallagher to the Villans, presenting an opportunity for the England international to make his Premier League return after a successful season at Atletico Madrid.

Now, Emery could be set to bolster his engine room further by sparking a bidding war for a star who could now be set to move from one of Europe’s top clubs.

Aston Villa to spark bidding war for Douglas Luiz

According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are making ‘concrete moves’ to sign Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, and they are said to be preparing a proposal to land the Brazil international, who could complete a sensational return to Villa Park.

Everton have submitted a loan offer with an option to buy the Rio De Janeiro-born man, while West Ham United are another interested party as the Serie A giants wait for the Villans and Co to launch a bidding war.

Douglas Luiz at Aston Villa – would he be a good signing?

Appearances

204

Goals

22

Assists

24

Labelled “underrated” by Paul Merson, Luiz has failed to set the heather alight at Juventus, and they are willing to sanction his exit, leaving the decision up to his camp based on the type of project he would be most tempted by at this stage in his career.

Taking away the emotional attachment for a second, Aston Villa could land a proven Premier League star who is capable of dictating tempo for a little over £30 million (loan fee and buyout option – £30.2 million), all-in, which would be a sound deal given their slim room to work with financially.

The series could provide match practice, or serve as an audition, for a couple of back-up players likely to be picked in the Test squad

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Oct-2024 • Updated on 25-Oct-20247:07

What India A squad for Australia tour indicates about Border-Gavaskar Trophy selection

Ruturaj Gaikwad will lead the India A squad on their tour of Australia later this month.Gaikwad, who has begun his Ranji Trophy season with scores of 86, 0 and 145 for Maharashtra, is one of the contenders for the role of reserve opener for India’s five-Test tour of Australia, which will closely follow India A’s tour. That role has gained extra significance with India captain and opener Rohit Sharma set to miss one of the first two Tests of the Border-Gavaskar series for personal reasons.Apart from Gaikwad, the 15-member India A squad also includes two other candidates for that role in Abhimanyu Easwaran, who has been named vice-captain, and Sai Sudharsan.The matches against Australia A could provide match practice, or serve as an audition, for a couple of other back-up players likely to be picked in the Test squad. Devdutt Padikkal, B Indrajith and Ricky Bhui are set to be the middle-order batters in the India A squad; Abishek Porel and Ishan Kishan the wicket-keepers; Nitish Kumar Reddy, Tanush Kotian and Manav Suthar the allrounders; and Mukesh Kumar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed and Prasidh Krishna, replacing the initially picked Yash Dayal, the fast bowlers.Abhimanyu, 29, has been part of India’s Test squad previously – in Bangladesh in 2022 – and he has been in superb form this domestic season, scoring two hundreds in the Duleep Trophy, another century in the Irani Trophy, and beginning the Ranji Trophy season with a ton for Bengal. Sudharsan, 23, made a first-class hundred for English county Surrey in August, before scoring a century in the Duleep Trophy and a double-hundred in Tamil Nadu’s Ranji Trophy match in Delhi.Having recovered from a hernia, 21-year-old allrounder Reddy made his T20I debut for India against Bangladesh earlier this month and is currently a reserve player in India’s Test squad for the home series against New Zealand. He is seen by India’s selectors as a promising allrounder who could improve with more experience and exposure.India opt for intra-squad warm-upIndia A are scheduled to play Australia A in two four-day matches in Mackay from October 31 to November 3 and in Melbourne from November 7 to 10. They will then play the India squad in a warm-up match in Perth from November 15 to 17 before the first Test against Australia begins on November 22.India have opted for this intra-squad game as their warm-up to the Test rather than a practice match against an Australian domestic side. This is a departure from their preference on their last two tours of Australia. They began the red-ball leg of their 2020-21 tour with a three-day game against Australia A, and played a four-day game against a Cricket Australia XI before their Test series in 2018.19.India A squad for tour of AustraliaRuturaj Gaikwad (capt), Abhimanyu Easwaran (vice-capt), Devdutt Padikkal, Sai Sudharsan, B Indrajith, Abishek Porel (wk), Ishan Kishan (wk), Mukesh Kumar, Ricky Bhui, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Manav Suthar, Navdeep Saini, Khaleel Ahmed, Tanush Kotian, Prasidh Krishna