Paul Mullin has been told that a reunion with Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney at Wrexham should not be written off, with there still a chance that he will be offered a shot at redemption. A cult hero from the Red Dragons’ historic run of three successive promotions is currently out on loan at Wigan Athletic, but he remains under contract in North Wales.

• Money well spent by Hollywood co-owners

  Mullin became one of the first marquee signings made by Hollywood stars Reynolds and McElhenney following the completion of their stunning takeover at SToK Racecourse. He would prove to be money well spent.

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• GOAL
  

  Wrexham record: How many goals Mullin scored

  The humble frontman hit 110 goals for the Red Dragons through 172 appearances, becoming a three-time Player of the Year. He helped Wrexham to clamber out of the National League and into the Championship, enjoying three all-expenses-paid trips to Las Vegas in the process.

• Loan ranger: Offloaded by Parkinson

  He did, however, slip down the pecking order under Phil Parkinson last season and was eventually allowed to leave for Wigan in the summer of 2025. There are still two years left to run on his contract at Wrexham, which means that a slate there may be wiped clean.

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  Mullin target: Wrexham return & international debut

  Former Wrexham boss Dean Saunders believes a second chance could be earned at club level, and a first with the Wales national team, telling : “One thing about Paul Mullin is that he is a goal scorer, and he always will be. He knows where the net is, and when he is in form on a scoring streak, I’m not sure there is any forward scarier in the EFL. Wrexham have signed players from higher up and have decided to send him out on loan, which I think is fair enough, as they have Premier League ambitions.

  “One thing Paul needs to do is keep at it. He needs a manager who backs him to score goals and lead the line, which he seems to have found at Wigan. He needs to stay fit and bang in goals to show Wrexham what they are missing. I actually think Wales could still use him in an international squad. It’s hard to find natural goal scorers, and that’s exactly what Paul is. Wales could use some of his firepower.

  “In the footballing world nowadays, if you score 15 goals a season, you become a £100 million player, and I know Paul doesn’t play in the highest leagues in the world, but I think his talents have been undervalued. I wouldn’t toss him on the scrapheap yet. If Wrexham struggle for goals this season, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them recall him and get him back in the mix.”

“It has definitely helped me to get better, be more instinctive, be on my toes, and think correctly at the right moment”

Deivarayan Muthu24-Jan-20252:51

Varun excited for first home game in Chennai: ‘Important day for me’

India spinner Varun Chakravarthy has given a ringing endorsement of the country’s domestic system, more specifically the 20-overs Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, saying it is “almost on par” with the IPL and international cricket.”The level of cricket in the domestic [circuit] is extremely high,” Varun said on the eve of the second T20I against England in Chennai. “I would say [it is] almost on par with IPL and the other international matches we play. I would really suggest everyone to go and play the Syed Mushtaq Ali because we play on small grounds. It is very challenging [for bowlers].”Related

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Varun himself has benefitted from regular game-time in domestic white-ball cricket over the past two seasons. In the 50-overs Vijay Hazare Trophy in 2023-24, his first List A tournament in five years, Varun came away as the joint-highest wicket-taker, with 19 strikes at an average of 13.05. In the most recent Vijay Hazare Trophy, he finished as the second-highest wicket-taker, with 18 strikes in six innings at 12.16. In this season’s 20-overs Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, he was put under pressure on the easy-paced, bash-through-the-line pitches on a small ground in Indore. For instance, in Tamil Nadu’s opening game of the tournament, he was taken for 49 runs by Tripura in four overs.”I find it very tough playing SMAT,” Varun said. “It has definitely helped me to get better, be more instinctive, be on my toes, and think correctly at the right moment.”Over the past two years, Varun has also been active in other T20 tournaments like the Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) and the DY Patil tournament in Mumbai.Varun Chakravarthy took a match-winning three-wicket haul in the first T20I in Kolkata•BCCIOn Friday, he returned to Chepauk, the scene of his emergence as an international player. His family and friends will turn up at the venue on Saturday to watch him in action in his first international at home. Even before he had featured in TNPL 2018, which first put him on the T20 map, Varun bowled at the Chepauk nets to the Chennai Super Kings batters. It was his first professional stint in top-flight cricket after he had transformed himself from a medium-pacer in tennis-ball cricket to a mystery spinner. Having worked as an architect and made a cameo appearance in a Tamil movie back in 2014, Varun is eager to reintroduce himself as an international cricketer at his home ground.”Definitely [special],” Varun said of his homecoming. “Back to Chennai and in the blues is very important for me. I see it as a very important day for me. I’m coming back to Chennai after a long time. Playing for the country in front of my parents and the home crowd. Yeah, it is very special for me.”At his press conference, Varun was also asked about stepping into the shoes of the recently retired R Ashwin, his former India team-mate and current captain at Dindigul Dragons, under whom he won TNPL 2024.”It’s a big deal for me that you’re making this comparison,” Varun said. “Ashwin has played all three formats. I’m only just coming back into the team, and I’ve not yet done enough to merit this comparison. But still, everyone wants to get into the Indian team, and I’ve been doing my processes, and I’ll go wherever that takes me. I can’t think about filling the shoes of someone like Ashwin – he’s played so many matches, taken 500 [Test] wickets, big shoes to fill, I’m not even close yet.”R Ashwin, Varun’s captain at Dindigul Dragons, has encouraged him to bat up the order•TNPL/TNCADuring TNPL 2024, Ashwin had encouraged Varun to bat up the order and, in one of the games, he even batted above at Ashwin at No.7. Varun said he has also been working on his batting with Abhishek Nayar, the former assistant coach at Kolkata Knight Riders who is now with the India team in a similar capacity.”I have been working on batting for the last six-seven months,” Varun said. “I started my preparation in KKR only with Abhishek Nayar. That kind of helped me. There is still a lot of work to do.”In the first T20I against England, Varun took 3 for 23, including the big wickets of Harry Brook and Liam Livingstone in the same over. With England’s Bazballers gearing up for a backlash, Varun might have to do more work with the ball on a fresh Chepauk pitch, where the ball is expected to slide onto the bat, and he’s prepared for it.”Even when you see Eden [Gardens], it’s a small ground,” Varun said. “Bowlers have the challenge of bowling [with smaller boundaries]. We do plan for that also. If they [England] are looking to have an aggressive approach, that is how T20 is. I cannot complain or be shocked by their approach. I am expecting that. I also have certain plans for that.”

India’s coach Gautam Gambhir has lauded his players for embracing a high-risk approach, which fetched them high reward in the form of a 4-1 T20I series win over England.The approach especially came to the fore during the last two T20Is. Despite losing three wickets to fast bowler Saqib Mahmood in the second over in Pune, India’s batters kept attacking and put up 181 for 9, which proved 16 too many for England. In the final T20I in Mumbai on Sunday, India went bigger, shattering records and the England attack on their way to 247 for 9, their fourth-highest T20I total.”That’s the kind of T20 cricket we want to play. We don’t want to fear losing a game of cricket,” Gambhir told the host broadcaster. “We want to play high-risk, high-reward cricket. And these guys have adopted that ideology, that policy really well. And I think the ideology of this T20 team is based on selflessness and fearlessness. And I think in the last six months, these guys have done it day in, day out.Related

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“We want to try and get to 250-260 regularly. And in trying to do that, there’ll be games where we’ll get bundled out for 120-130. And that is what T20 cricket is all about. And unless and until you don’t play that high-risk cricket, you won’t get those big rewards as well. Most importantly, I think we’re on the right track. Come those big tournaments, we want to still continue playing this way and we don’t want to fear losing anything.”India’s T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav echoed his coach’s comments, saying they will not veer away from their ultra-aggressive style of play.”I mean, this is what we’ve sat down and spoken about, what brand of cricket we want to play and we’re just sticking to it irrespective of what’s going to happen,” Suryakumar said at the post-match presentation. “And it is a high-risk, high-reward game. But at the end of the day, what’s working for us, we’ll be doing that.”Gambhir delivered a glowing appraisal of mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy, who ended the series with a chart-topping 14 wickets at an average of 9.85 and economy rate of 7.66.”I think his transformation from IPL to international T20 cricket has been phenomenal,” Gambhir said of Varun. “And this series was probably the benchmark as well because England is a high-quality side. They’ve got some really quality cricketers and the kind of surfaces we’ve played on – I think they were fantastic batting wickets and the way he’s bowled those tough overs has been phenomenal.”Varun Chakravarthy has become Suryakumar Yadav’s go-to bowler in T20Is•AFP/Getty Images

Suryakumar was also impressed with Varun’s fielding. In Mumbai, he took two catches, including a tumbling grab running in from deep square leg to send back Harry Brook for two off four balls.”I mean, he’s one guy who’s been relentlessly working hard with our fielding coach [T] Dilip sir,” Suryakumar said. “And anywhere he gets an opportunity, he uses that time on the field during practice sessions. And it was good to see him putting his hand up and telling that ‘I want to field in the outfield today’. And you saw the results. That’s amazing.”Another major talking point in this series was India leaning heavily on spin and picking just one frontline fast bowler in each of the five T20Is. Gambhir explained that the team management wanted to pair Varun up with Ravi Bishnoi, to give themselves a stronger chance of striking in the middle overs, without compromising on batting depth.”I think having Bishnoi and Varun bowling in tandem was very important, especially in the middle phase,” Gambhir said. “We always knew that the kind of batting line-up England has, they will always come hard at us in the first six overs. But it’s that phase between seven and 15. Can we have those two wicket-taking options in the middle?”More importantly, we always wanted to have that No. 8 batter, even if he doesn’t face too many balls, just because of the kind of cricket we are playing. We want to try and go as hard as possible. Sometimes that cushion of having that No. 8 [batter] allows the top seven to go out there and play even more freely.”

Tottenham face-off against Man City in the Premier League this afternoon, and off the field, both clubs have been chatting over winger Savinho.

Today’s clash at Eastlands has been tipped as an opportunity for Lilywhites chiefs to hold more face-to-face talks with City officials over a deal for the Brazil international, coming after Spurs’ already well-documented pursuit of him.

Thomas Frank’s side have seen a bid worth just over £40 million rejected, according to Savinho’s agent, Frederico Moraes, but the player’s camp are in London right now attempting to facilitate discussions as Savinho eyes a move to north London.

The former Girona star, who will play no part today due to injury, is believed to be very keen on joining Spurs as he looks to become a Premier League mainstay ahead of the 2026 World Cup.

Daniel Levy, technical director Johan Lange and CEO Vinai Vinkatesham are still dusting themselves off from the public humiliation of missing out on Eberechi Eze, with the 27-year-old coming as their second failed playmaker deal of the window after Morgan Gibbs-White.

In response, reports from Brazil suggest that Tottenham are really pushing the boat out to sign Savinho, with Levy even preparing a club-record £69 million bid.

However, City’s stance thus far is that he’s not for sale, with Pep Guardiola even publicly stating that he wants Savinho to remain in Manchester for many years.

If their move for the South American hits a brick wall, journalist Pete O’Rourke has told Football Insider that Tottenham have identified a “cheaper” alternative.

Tottenham identify Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche as "cheaper" Savinho alternative

O’Rourke claims that Spurs see Monaco star Maghnes Akliouche as that man, coming after the 23-year-old bagged seven goals and 12 assists in all competitions last season.

Other media sources believe that the Frenchman, who won silver with France at the 2024 Olympic Games, could be available for just under £50 million – so Levy will still need to pay a considerable fee.

Akliouche is no stranger to the big occasion, though, with the winger putting in some impressive Champions League performances last season, including the opening goal in Monaco’s 2-1 win over Barcelona.

Celtic could now sign a summer transfer target for a “relatively small fee” this summer, in a potential boost for Brendan Rodgers.

Celtic closing in on Balikwisha signing

Royal Antwerp forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha has been heavily linked with a move to Parkhead before the summer transfer window slams shut, with an agreement even reportedly in place.

The 24-year-old has met with the club over a move to Celtic this summer, and it looks increasingly like it is a matter of time until his move is made official, with a medical pencilled in for this week.

Balikwisha would be just what the doctor ordered for Celtic, in terms of providing Rodgers with extra firepower, aiding their Champions League push and ensuring that they are once again crowned Scottish Premiership champions in 2025/26.

It looks as though the Hoops may not be done there, though, with another attacking player now mentioned as a strong option for them over the next week.

Celtic could sign Calvin Stengs on the cheap

According to Football Insider, Celtic could sign Feyenoord winger Calvin Stengs for a “relatively small fee” and thus afford him as well as Balikwisha this week, with journalist Pete O’Rourke sharing the latest.

“We know that Celtic are looking to bring in a new wideman. Stengs is a player that has emerged on Celtic’s radar – he had a difficult season for Feyenoord, a few injury problems, so that may be a concern for Celtic.

“He’s into the final two years of his contract with Feyenoord, so could be available for a cut-price fee this summer. Celtic are looking at that, seeing there could be real potential to land a former Dutch international for a relatively small fee with a bid imminent.”

The £5m-rated Stengs would be such an eye-catching signing for Celtic and Rodgers, arriving at the peak of his powers and providing impressive levels of end product in the final third.

The 26-year-old has already scored three goals in just eight caps for the Netherlands, looking to be a key figure heading into the 2026 World Cup next summer, and 54 goal contributions in 119 Eredivisie appearances is an impressive return.

Most adept in an attacking midfield role, Stengs can also do a good job on the right wing, with such versatility a bonus for Rodgers, and there is no reason why he couldn’t hit the ground running from the off.

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The Dutchman has proven himself in a good league, also playing in the Champions League, and has the ability to help take Celtic up another level, should the move go through in the near future.

Hill Dickinson Stadium is now officially open for business.

On Saturday, Everton’s senior men’s team played at Bramley-Moore Dock for the very first time, although they’re still waiting for their first goal at their new home, beaten 1-0 in a pre-season friendly by Roma.

This brought to an end a rather miserable pre-season for David Moyes’ men, winning just one of seven fixtures, this against EFL League One side Port Vale, scoring just six goals in these matches.

Thus, it is no wonder Moyes is seeking attacking reinforcements ahead of his team’s Premier League opener against Leeds United at Elland Road next Monday night, so could the Toffees sign an exciting young striker?

Everton's need for firepower

With stalwarts Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Abdoulaye Doucouré having both been released following the expiration of their contracts, Everton were always going to need to add attacking threat to their squad, having scored a miserly 42 goals in the Premier League last season.

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Well, the Blues have so far signed striker Thierno Barry from Villarreal and attacking midfielder Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall from Chelsea, but more is required.

Thus, they have reached an agreement with Manchester City over the signing of Jack Grealish on a season-long loan, a move that Graham Ruthven of Total Soccer Show believes will be “exciting”.

Meantime, according to a report from Spain, Everton are “interested” in signing striker Franculino Djú, adding that he is valued at around £17m by FC Midtjylland, with Roma and RB Leipzig also considering a move.

Sport Witness add that the 21-year-old’s performances in the Danish Superligaen have ‘attracted interest’ from several of Europe’s top clubs, but could Everton steal a march and bring the youngster to Merseyside?

What Franculino Djú would bring to Everton

Born in Guinea-Bissau, Franculino joined Benfica’s academy at the age of 15, but never made a senior appearance for the Portuguese giants, instead moving to Midtjylland on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, with Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout stating that the Danish side hit the “absolute jackpot”.

That’s because, to date, he has scored 40 goals in 79 appearances for the Wolves, thereby averaging a goal every 118 across all competitions.

Ten of these goals have come in European competition, including a hat-trick against Omonia 12 months ago, scoring seven goals in six appearances so far this season, bagging a hat-trick when Sønderjyske visited Herning, also breaking the deadlock during last Thursday’s Europa League qualifying victory over Fredrikstad.

The aforementioned Jacek Kulig of Football Talent Scout labels him “unstoppable”, adding elsewhere that he has a “big future ahead”.

Farzam Abolhosseini of Tipsbladet asserts that he was the “highest-scoring teenager” across Europe last season, while Joost van der Leij documents how ‘finishing’ is the youngster’s primary asset.

Meantime, writer Tom Maston praises his “impressive strike-rate”, with Jake Entwistle of Scouted adding that he is a ‘well-rounded’ centre-forward, comparing him to the in-demand Alexander Isak, a man who could also be set for a move to Merseyside.

So, let’s analyse his statistics in the Superligaen this season so far.

Goals

6

1st

Goals per 90

2

1st

Goals inside the box

6

1st

Assists

2

2nd

Shots

10

5th

Shots on target

6

3rd

Shots on target %

60%

11th

Goals-per-shot

0.6

2nd

Big chances missed

2

3rd

Big chances created

1

14th

Average SofaScore rating

8.53

1st

As the table documents, Dju has absolutely been on fire at the start of this season, scoring seven times in all competitions already, adding to the 11 Superligaen goals he bagged last season, netting 16 times overall.

If any Evertonians are sceptical, worth noting that, according to Global Football Rankings, Denmark’s top division is the 13th strongest league in the world, just below the EFL Championship and the Eredivisie, so he is performing at a relatively high level.

So, why would he be a better signing than possible future teammate Grealish?

Well, the England international is set to join Everton on loan but an expensive one, with reports noting that this is set to cost the Toffees around £15m in a loan fee and wages, with Grealish currently earning around £300,000-per-week.

Franculino, on the other hand, could prove to be a bargain at just £17m in the long run.

If the Blues are going to get back to where their supporters believe they belong, challenging for European qualification, they’re going to have to work smarter in the transfer market, buying lesser-known players for low fees, before ultimately selling them on at a huge profit.

Franculino certainly fits that profile, with the striker seemingly ticking both boxes, boasting enough quality to improve Everton’s team right now.

Meanwhile, at 21 years old, his value will surely increase exponentially over time, while Grealish only does the former. The experienced England international has barely kicked a ball in recent years and he’s out of form.

Dju, on the other hand, is bang in form.

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It’s not really been the summer West Ham United fans would’ve been hoping for at the end of last season.

The club have made a few good additions to the squad, including Mads Hermansen, Kyle Walker-Peters, and El Hadji Malick Diouf, but it doesn’t feel like it.

Moreover, they’ve missed out on several targets over the last couple of months, such as Jacob Ramsey, which is always going to make morale worse.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom, as if reports are to be believed, the Irons could be closing in on someone who’d be their own version of the former Aston Villa star.

West Ham close in on their own Ramsey

Talk of West Ham being seriously interested in Ramsey started to pop up around the start of the month; some reports even went as far as claiming that the Englishman was the Hammers’ top target.

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Unfortunately, Newcastle United stole a march on the East Londoners and secured the services of the talented midfielder for around £40m late last week.

However, things could be about to get a lot better for the Irons’ faithful, as it now looks like the club are closing in on another exciting talent who has been compared to the new Toon star.

At least that is according to a recent report from Jacob Steinberg, who has claimed that West Ham are still very interested in Mateus Fernandes.

In fact, he goes further than that, revealing that the club have now made an “improved offer” for the Southampton star.

It’s unclear how much the bid was, but according to stories from earlier this window, around £50m should be enough to get the deal done, which might be fair value for a player of his quality, especially as he’s been compared to Ramsey.

How Fernandes compares to Ramsey

In this instance, the comparison stems primarily from FBref, which looked at players in similar positions in the Premier League last season before concluding that Ramsey was the ninth most similar attacking midfielder or winger to Fernandes.

The best way to gain a better understanding of how such a conclusion was reached is by taking a look under the hood, at the underlying numbers in which the pair ranked closest.

In this case, these include metrics such as expected and actual non-penalty goals plus assists, live passes, shot-creating actions, blocks, carries and more, all per 90.

Non-Penalty Expected G+As

0.22

0.22

Non-Penalty G+As

0.19

0.22

Expected Assists

0.11

0.12

Goals per Shot

0.05

0.05

Live Passes

36.7

32.3

Shot-Creating Actions

2.41

2.83

Blocks

1.33

1.28

Carries

27.8

27.6

Successful Take-Ons

1.52

1.39

In other words, like the Englishman, the Portuguese maestro is an all-action midfielder who can impact the game in an attacking sense, while also being happy to chip in with some of the defensive work here and there.

Another trait the “outstanding” 21-year-old, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, shares with the former Villa ace is his versatility.

While he’s primarily a central midfielder, he can still play in several other positions, which in turn would give Potter far more tactical flexibility before and during matches.

Ultimately, it won’t be a cheap or easy transfer to get over the line, but Fernandes looks to be a special player, and therefore, West Ham should do what they can to bring him to the London Stadium.

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Chelsea have now made an approach over a deal to sign a “special” Premier League player, according to a report.

Blues keen on new defenders after Colwill injury

After such a positive pre-season, during which the Blues emerged victorious in the new-look Club World Cup, the Blues suffered a major injury blow, with centre-back Levi Colwill set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines after sustaining an ACL injury.

Consequently, Enzo Maresca wants to sign a new centre-back, although the Italian has revealed that club chiefs are hoping that one of the current players will be able to step up to the plate in Colwill’s absence.

Maresca said: “I think we need a central defender. We are looking for an internal solution but as I said, the club know exactly what I think.”

In the west Londoners’ Premier League opener against Crystal Palace, Josh Acheampong and Trevoh Chalobah were given the nod at centre-back, and the Cobham academy graduates kept a clean sheet with the help of Reece James and Marc Cucurella on either side.

Maresca is very well-stocked at full-back, with the likes of James and Malo Gusto to choose from on the right, but the Blues have now stepped up their interest in a new signing, having lodged an enquiry over a deal for a Premier League right-back…

Indeed, according to a report from Caught Offside, Chelsea have now made an approach to Manchester City over Rico Lewis, who is currently in talks over extending his stay at the Etihad Stadium.

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Pep Guardiola is determined to keep hold of Lewis, amid widespread interest in the right-back’s signature, with Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa also being named as potential suitors.

Nottingham Forest have already tabled a €30m (£25.9m) proposal for the 20-year-old, which was immediately knocked back, indicating it could take a significantly higher bid to tempt City into a sale.

"Special" Lewis held in high regard by Pep

It could be difficult for the Blues to get a deal over the line, given that Guardiola clearly rates the starlet very highly, having once suggested he is a very well-rounded full-back.

The City boss said: “In the training sessions we always thought this guy has something special. Defensive he is aggressive enough. He has the margin to improve but with the ball inside he is so good and outside we saw today, one v one good crosses and good finishing.”

The England international is an ideal fit for Pep’s system, and perhaps Maresca’s, given that he is a superb passer of the ball, averaging a pass-completion rate of 91.9% per 90 over the past year, which places the City ace in the top 1% of all full-backs.

Lewis also got off to a flying start to the new campaign, picking up an assist in his side’s 4-0 victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers, and he clearly has a huge future ahead, but given that Chelsea already have James and Gusto, the deal should not be a priority.

Chelsea are believed to still be active in the summer transfer market, despite having just shored up their attacking line with two deals for Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho and Brighton’s Facundo Buonanotte.

23 transfers, 24 if you count Buonanotte, have been conducted by Chelsea – and that’s not even including their various outgoing loan deals for the likes of Marc Guiu and Aaron Anselmino.

BlueCo’s hustle in the market has yielded over £300 million in player sales with around £320 million spent on new signings, with Enzo Maresca’s side registering a net-spend of just £20 million as they navigate PSR excellently.

Joao Pedro

Noni Madueke

Jamie Gittens

João Félix

Jorrel Hato

Djordje Petrovic

Liam Delap

Lesley Ugochukwu

Dario Essugo

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall

Mamadou Sarr

Renato Veiga

Estevao

Armando Broja

Kendry Paez

Carney Chukwuemeka

Alejandro Garnacho

Mathis Amougou

Facundo Buonanotte

Basir Humphreys

Kepa Arrizabalaga

Marcus Bettinelli

Christopher Nkunku

Alfie Gilchrist

Exits for Christopher Nkunku, Noni Madueke, Mathis Amougou and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall have made room for the likes of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens and Jorrel Hato, but if Chelsea want to register Garnacho and Buonanotte for their Champions League squad next season, more sales could be required.

This is especially the case if Maresca wants to include Barcelona star Fermin Lopez, who is now a top target for Chelsea heading into deadline day after they missed out on Xavi Simons to Tottenham.

The Spaniard has become a key player for Hansi Flick, bagging eight goals and 10 assists in 46 total appearances last season, and Chelsea are believed to be trying their luck to sign him.

Reports suggest Maresca has been in contact with Lopez personally, and Chelsea are prepared to offer Barça a maximum of around £50 million for the player, not to mention a lucrative contract worth £250,000-per-week, but the player’s club want £60m (Sport).

According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea have even made a £40m bid for Lopez, but Barça are not keen on selling and must rely on the player’s decision to force through a transfer – unless they trigger his seismic £433 million release clause, of course.

Chelsea "working tirelessly" to sign Fermin Lopez after Facundo Buonanotte

As per TEAMtalk, Chelsea are “working tirelessly” to convince Lopez to join them, even after their deal for Buonanotte.

The Blues are ready to offer him a “lucrative” long-term contract, as previously reported, and personal terms aren’t expected to pose any issue in this potential deal.

While Barça are a roadblock, Chelsea appear to be doing all they can on the player front.

TT sources also claim that Lopez is warming to the idea of a Stamford Bridge move, but is yet to fully commit to the idea. The 22-year-old has emotional ties to Barça, having grown up as a lifelong fan, and he’s publicly denied notions he would leave this summer.

That being said, players can pull U-turns, and the prospect of a Premier League move is enticing for any athlete at any level.

Florian Wirtz made a surprise pick when asked to name a Liverpool team-mate who has impressed him most since his £117 million move from Bayer Leverkusen. The German playmaker, who lit up the Bundesliga with 57 goals and 62 assists in 197 outings, was the heartbeat of Xabi Alonso’s Leverkusen side that stormed to a historic unbeaten title in 2023-24.

Wirtz yet to find his feet at Anfield

Since swapping the BayArena for Merseyside, Wirtz has found it harder to impose himself. Beyond an assist on his Community Shield debut against Crystal Palace, the attacking midfielder has yet to register another goal contribution in Liverpool colours. Additionally, the massive price tag, a star-studded squad, and fierce competition for places in midfield have only complicated matters. 

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWirtz throws in a surprise

Wirtz shares a dressing room with the Egyptian king, Mohamed Salah, the Dutch colossus Virgil van Dijk and record £125 million arrival Alexander Isak. Yet, when pressed on who had caught his eye the most, Wirtz delivered a name few expected: Ryan Gravenberch.

In an interview with he said: "The one who's playing very, very well at the moment is Gravenberch. He's standing out at the moment."

Gravenberch firing on all cylinders

Gravenberch was the difference-maker in the Merseyside derby last week. Not only did he score the opener in the 2-1 win against Everton, but he also threaded the perfect pass for Hugo Ekitike’s decisive strike. To underline his all-action display, Gravenberch topped the match stats with five successful tackles; more than anyone else on the pitch.

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Getty Images SportBench blow fuels Wirtz's hunger

Wirtz himself had to endure the frustration of being dropped to the bench for that same derby clash. Liverpool edged out Everton, but watching from the sidelines only sharpened the German’s determination to reclaim his place. With a crucial Premier League trip to Crystal Palace looming this Saturday, the 22-year-old will be desperate to show Slot why he deserves to be restored to the XI.