Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has now demanded the signing of a “world-class” £50m star, and there is confidence that a deal could be done, according to a report.

Man City keen on midfielder with Gundogan's future uncertain

Given his age, Ilkay Gundogan is now likely to be in the twilight years of his career, and having already left Man City once, there are now suggestions the midfielder could be closing in on a move to Galatasaray.

Gundogan seems keen to continue his career with the Turkish champions, and Galatasaray are well-placed to secure his signature, regardless of whether they are able to get a deal for Victor Osimhen over the line.

The German has, of course, been a fantastic servant to City, with Guardiola previously making it clear just how highly he rates the midfielder, describing him as “exceptional”.

However, the City legend was subjected to some criticism at times last season, and given the central midfielder’s age, it could be the right decision to move him on this summer.

Now, Guardiola appears to have set his sights on a potential replacement for Gundogan, with a report from Spain stating the Man City boss has now demanded the signing of Real Madrid midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, having been a long-term admirer.

The City manager has instructed the board to sign Camavinga as soon as possible, having identified him as a priority target, and there is confidence that a deal could be possible, should they submit a significant offer.

Pep's own Mbeumo: Man City accelerating move for £21.5m "monster"

Man City are looking to sign their next new addition in the coming days

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Previous reports have revealed that it could take a bid of around £50m to tempt Madrid into a sale, although the report makes it clear that Xabi Alonso’s side have no plans to cash-in anytime soon.

"World-class" Camavinga could be statement signing for City

After falling way below their usual standards in the 2024-25 season, City are looking to re-establish themselves as the dominant force in the Premier League, and the 22-year-old could help them do exactly that.

Once lauded for his “world-class talent” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, the former Rennes man has since gone on to make 180 appearances for Real Madrid, where he has put in some impressive performances.

Of course, every player in a Guardiola system has to be adept with the ball at their feet, and the Frenchman fits the bill in that regard, placing in the 92nd percentile for his pass completion rate per 90 over the past year, while also impressive from a defensive standpoint.

Statistic

Average per 90

Tackles

3.83 (98th percentile)

Interceptions

1.52 (88th percentile)

Clearances

2.31 (85th percentile)

Camavinga could be a statement signing for Man City this summer, and £50m seems like a reasonable fee, given the central midfielder’s ability, making this one to watch.

كشف إيرلينج هالاند، نجم نادي مانشستر سيتي، أنه كان يتابع السيتيزن عن كثب منذ أن كان لاعبًا في صفوف ريد بول سالزبورج وكذلك مع بوروسيا دورتموند.

هالاند يمضي موسمه الرابع مع نادي مانشستر سيتي ، حيث انضم اللاعب إلى صفوف السيتيزن خلال صيف عام 2022 وذلك قادمًا من نادي بوروسيا دورتموند مقابل 75 مليون يورو.

وانفجر هالاند بالفعل مع مانشستر سيتي بشكل كبير وسجل الدولي النرويجي العديد من الأهداف مع النادي الإنجليزي على مدار السنوات الأربعة الماضية.

أقرأ أيضًا .. “الرغبة في الانتقام”.. هالاند يوجه رسالة قاسية للاعبي مانشستر سيتي قبل الديربي

وكشف هالاند عن سبب اختياره التوقيع مع مانشستر سيتي، وذلك في تصريحات إلى شبكة سكاي سبورتس.

وقال هالاند: ”أتابع مانشستر سيتي منذ زمن لا أعرفه بالظبط، على حد ما أتذكر خاصةً مع بيب جوارديولا الآن، وعندما كنت ألعب في ريد بول سالزبورج وبوروسيا دورتموند كنت أتابعهم”.

وعن سبب التوقيع مع مانشستر سيتي اختتم: ”أحيانًا، شعرت أنهم ربما يفتقدون وجود المهاجم في منطقة الجزاء، ثم فكرت أنه سيكون من الرائع أن أكون هناك، فقط لأُنهي جميع الفرص التي تتاح لهم”.

Aston Villa are now strong contenders in the race for a “phenomenal” player, having recently opened talks, and they are confident he would be keen on a move.

Villa eyeing midfielder with Barrenechea set for exit

With Villa looking to raise funds for their own summer transfer business, amid concerns over PSR, they have now decided to cash-in on midfielder Enzo Barrenechea, who is very close to sealing an exit.

There have also been widespread suggestions that John McGinn’s future is in doubt, amid interest from the likes of Everton, while Ross Barkley is arguably yet to set the world alight at Villa Park, given his patchy injury record ever since leaving Chelsea.

Ross Barkley

Injury

Games missed

2020-21

Hamstring

9

2023-24

Hamstring

5

2024-25

Unknown

3

2024-25

Calf

19

Consequently, it would make sense for Unai Emery to bring in another midfielder this summer, and the Villans are now stepping up their pursuit of a Premier League player…

According to a report from TEAMtalk, Aston Villa have now emerged as strong contenders for Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott, having now opened talks over a deal, and there is a belief he would be keen on sealing a move to Villa Park.

That is despite rival interest from West Ham United, with Graham Potter also pushing to sign Elliott, although Europa League football being on offer with the Villans next season could give them the edge in negotiations.

Aston Villa now set to make move for £17m ace, keen to finalise deal quickly

The Villans are “ready” to finalise a move for a defender…

ByDominic Lund Jul 15, 2025

Liverpool are not actively trying to find the attacking midfielder a new club, but they are open to bids, and there is a feeling that an offer of £35m could be enough to tempt them into a sale.

"Phenomenal" Elliott could excel at Villa Park

While the Englishman is still young at 22-years-old, he is still yet to receive a senior cap, which indicates he may need to leave Liverpool for the good of his career this summer, and Aston Villa could be a perfect fit.

The London-born midfielder has become accustomed to playing in Europe during his time with the Reds, scoring a stoppage-time winner in his side’s 1-0 smash-and-grab away against Paris Saint-Germain in last season’s Champions League.

As such, the former Fulham man is likely to want to play for a club set to take part in a European competition next season, and Villa fit the bill, despite being in the Europa League.

Lauded as “phenomenal” by journalist David Lynch, the England U21 star also caught the eye at the U21 Euros this summer, scoring five goals throughout the tournament, including one in the 3-2 victory over Germany in the final.

Elliott is ready to be a regular starter for one of England’s top clubs, and with Villa very much back in that bracket nowadays, a move could make perfect sense.

Manchester United have now submitted a £34 million bid to sign an “intelligent” midfielder who Ruben Amorim has worked with before, according to a new report.

Man Utd looking to sell first-team players in mini overhaul

Man United have spent big money on two proven Premier League stars this summer, and if they wish to do more business it looks as though they are going to need to sell multiple first-team players.

Related Scored at Old Trafford: Man Utd now battling to sign £22m-a-year striker

He knows the Premier League well…

Posts 2 ByTom Cunningham Jul 27, 2025

Marcus Rashford is so far the biggest departure out of Old Trafford, as the England international has joined Barcelona on loan with an option to buy. The Red Devils are still looking to sell Jadon Sancho, Alejandro Garnacho, Tyrell Malacia and Antony.

And they could be in line to see one of those leave fairly soon, as according to Foot Mercato, Al-Nassr have submitted a bid to sign Antony. It isn’t clear how much the offer is worth from the Saudi side, but United are holding out for a fee of £52 million.

Meanwhile, it’s been reported by The Sun that United are now open to the possibility of selling defender Luke Shaw. The 30-year-old is gathering strong interest from the Saudi Pro League, and with two years left on his contract at Old Trafford United could be tempted to sell, despite the fact he featured for Amorim last season and looks to be part of his plans for the upcoming campaign.

Man Utd submit £34m bid for Hjulmand

As departures become the main talking point at Old Trafford, the Red Devils are still assessing their options for reinforcements, as they look to bolster their midfield. According to Italian outlet Calciomercato, Man United have now offered €40 million (£34 million) to sign Morten Hjulmand from Sporting.

The 26-year-old is believed to have a release clause worth €80 million, but Sporting are willing to lower their demands to €50 million. Juventus are also interested in the midfielder, but they too must sell players before making a move for Hjulmand.

This has now opened the door for United, especially as Hjulmand’s entourage believes the right valuation is around the €30/40 million mark, which is roughly £26/34 million. His agents are unsurprisingly keen to land a big move, with the Sporting star worth almost double their next top client, Brentford’s Mikkel Damsgaard.

The Dane is well known to manager Amorim, as he worked with the player at Sporting, and this report states that the player himself would rush back to England to work with him again, but United have still got to find an agreement with the Portuguese club.

Morten Hjulmand’s Sporting stats

Apps

96

Goals

7

Assists

6

Hjulmand, who has been dubbed defensively “intelligent” by analyst Ben Mattinson, has been a key performer for Sporting in the last two seasons, as they have won Liga Portugal twice. The Denmark international is under contract until 2028, but United will hope the lure of working with Amorim will help them secure this transfer, as the likes of Arsenal, Barcelona, and Tottenham Hotspur also hold an interest.

Manchester United thought they had landed themselves a real talent back in the summer of 2023, after they secured a move for Danish striker Rasmus Hojlund.

The 22-year-old cost a fee in the region of £72m two years ago, but fast-forward to the present day, he’s struggled to demonstrate why the hierarchy forked out such a fee for his signature.

He only posted a tally of four league goals last season, taking his total tally of goals for the Red Devils to 26 in his 95 appearances since his big-money move.

Hojlund even went 21 games without a goal across all competitions at one stage last season, with new boss Ruben Amorim desperately needing a new talisman during the summer.

Numerous players have been on the board’s radar this window, but no new centre forward has been signed yet, despite progress appearing to be being made on a deal for one star.

The latest on United’s hunt for a new striker this summer

Ollie Watkins has been a player who’s been firmly in the club’s sights over the last couple of months, and, unsurprisingly so given his tally of 16 goals and eight assists in the Premier League last campaign.

However, any deal for the English international may prove to be an expensive one, with Aston Villa demanding a fee in the region of £60m for his signature this summer.

Moves have been made elsewhere for a new striker, with progress being made over a deal to land forward Moise Kean, according to La Gazzetta dello Sport.

They claim that the Red Devils have held talks with the side over a deal for the 25-year-old Italian international, who registered 25 goals across all competitions last campaign.

It also states that he has a €52m (£44m) release clause that remains active until the 15th of July, potentially facing competition from numerous sides in Saudi Arabia for his signature.

Why United’s £44m target could be a Hojlund & Osimhen hybrid

Victor Osimhen has been another player who’s been a constant target on United’s radar over the last couple of months, after he scored 37 times on loan at Galatasaray last campaign.

The Napoli forward looks certain to leave the Italian outfit this summer, with Antonio Conte not seeing the Nigerian forward as part of his plans going forward.

Despite the Red Devils’ interest, other sides in the Middle East and Europe remain in the race for the 26-year-old’s signature, potentially being a saga that could drag on throughout the summer.

Given his goalscoring record, there’s no denying he would be a superb signing, but there are concerns over his wage demands, which could prove to be out of United’s budget.

However, Kean could prove to be a viable option, with the Italian labelled as a similar player to both Osimhen and Hojlund back in the 2022/23 season in Serie A by FBref.

When comparing their respective stats to the aforementioned duo, the former Everton star managed to outperform them both, having the chance to take his career to the next level in Manchester.

Kean, who’s been labelled “world-class” by Statman Dave, managed to post a higher goal per shot on target rate, handing Amorim’s side that clinical edge they’ve been searching for.

How Kean compared to Osimhen & Hojlund in Serie A (2022/23)
Statistics (per 90)	Kean	Osimhen	Hojlund
Games played	28	32	32
Goals & assists	6	30	11
Goals per shot on target	0.5	0.4	0.3
Progressive carries	2.7	1.5	1.9
Take-ons completed	1.4	0.8	1.3
Carries into opposition box	1.8	0.9	1.5
Fouls won	1.6	1.3	1.5
Stats via FBref

He also completed more progressive carries per 90 and more carries into the opposition box per 90, having the ability to drive into the final third and create opportunities for other players alongside himself.

The Italian also completed more take-ons, whilst winning more fouls, having the all-round ability to cause problems for the opposition defenders on a consistent basis in the Premier League.

Given the time left on his release clause, the hierarchy will have to act quickly to secure a deal for his signature, potentially getting themselves a bargain transfer this window.

If they can complete a deal for the Italian, it would be one that would fill the needed position at the top end of the pitch, taking the club up a level in 2025/26 as a result.

Amorim's answer to Kane: Man Utd in talks to sign "world-class" striker

Manchester United could finally end their pursuit of a new talisman with a move for one European star.

By
Ethan Lamb

Jul 11, 2025

Hosts wrap up their seventh victory of the season with a day to spare

ECB Reporters Network11-Sep-2024

Ollie Robinson celebrates a wicket•Getty Images

Sussex are closing in on a return to Division One of the Vitality County Championship after wrapping up their seventh win of the season with a day to spare against Glamorgan.Having established a first-innings lead of 305 they bowled Glamorgan out for 218 to win by an innings and 87 runs at Hove.The second division’s leading run-scorer Colin Ingram and Kiran Carlson scored half-centuries but Sussex’s relentless attack kept chipping away. There were three wickets each for Ollie Robinson, Henry Crocombe and off-spinner Jack Carson, the second division’s leading wicket-taker who took his tally to 45.Glamorgan had batted again after finally dismissing Sussex for 491 and Jaydev Unadkat made the breakthrough in his first over, Asa Tribe collecting a pair when he under-edged the Indian left-armer.Carson bowled just three overs after lunch before going off for treatment to a bad back and in his absence Robinson stepped up to bowl an excellent nine-over spell during which he had Ingram dropped at slip by Tom Alsop on 36.But it was Crocombe who struck in his third over when Billy Root, promoted to opener, played on and lost middle and off stumps.Ingram took his aggregate for the season to 1170 runs at an average of 97.5 and had moved onto 71 when Carson produced a fine delivery which turned and Ingram, aiming to drive down the ground, got a leading to cover.Glamorgan skipper Sam Northeast, coming in at No. 6 after spending time off the field with an elbow problem, became Crocombe’s second victim when he took on a well-directed short ball and picked out James Coles who didn’t have to move to take the catch at deep backward square.Carlson and Kellaway added 57 but Sussex were revived after a brief stoppage for rain. In the second over after the resumption Kellaway missed a reverse sweep and Carson struck again in his next over when Carlson, who had lodged his eighth fifty of the season, was caught at short leg propping forward to a ball which turned sharply.Carson bowled 16 overs in tandem with slow left-armer James Coles to get Sussex’s over-rate back down and, having done so, Robinson was summoned to sweep away the rest of Glamorgan’s resistance, pinning Chris Cooke with his second ball back and bowling James Harris and Andy Gorvin in the space of 17 balls before Crocombe wrapped things up when he plucked out Dan Douthwaite’s middle stump.Earlier, Tom Clark completed his third first-class hundred and first since May 2022 before Sussex were bowled out 40 minutes before lunch for 491.Clark and skipper John Simpson extended their sixth-wicket stand to 213 when Simpson, who’d added five runs to his overnight 112, missed a sweep at off-spinner Kellaway looking to accelerate the scoring rate.A sweep off Kellaway for his 11th boundary took Clark to a 220-ball hundred made in four-and-a-half hours and he finished unbeaten on 112 while Kellaway completed a maiden five-for in only his fourth first-class match when Robinson missed a paddle sweep.

كشف الإعلامي أحمد شوبير، عن تفاصيل هامة بشأن عقد إمام عاشور لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، مؤكداً أن ما يُتداول حول طلب اللاعب لتعديل عقده غير صحيح.

قال الإعلامي أحمد شوبير عبر برنامجه الإذاعي صباح اليوم الإثنين: “إمام عاشور لم يطلب تعديل عقده كما يُشاع، بل النادي الأهلي هو من طلب ذلك، لأنه يرى أن اللاعب يستحق أفضل مما يحصل عليه حالياً، لكن عندما وجد الأهلي أن طلبات اللاعب كبيرة، قرر إيقاف الحديث عن تعديل العقد في الوقت الحالي”.

وتابع: “من الطبيعي أن يطلب النادي تعديل عقد أي لاعب يراه مؤثراً، ومن حق اللاعب أن يضع مطالبه، ومن حق الإدارة أن توافق أو ترفض، هذه هي الاحترافية. وإمام عاشور عاش حياة احترافية منذ بدايته، فقد لعب في السنبلاوين، ثم غزل المحلة، وبعدها حرس الحدود، ثم الزمالك، وانتقل بعدها إلى ميتلاند، وأخيراً إلى الأهلي، وهو يسعى دائماً لتأمين مستقبله”.

طالع أيضًا | محمد يوسف يوضح طبيعة علاقته بـ وليد صلاح الدين.. ومصير عبد القادر مع الأهلي

وأضاف: “يتبقى لـ إمام عاشور سنتان ونصف في عقده مع الأهلي، والنادي احترمه وقدّر تاريخه، وفتح باب تعديل العقد، لكنه رأى أن الطلبات مبالغ فيها، فأوقف الأمر”.

وأشار: “أعرف لاعباً في الأهلي يتقاضى أقل عقد داخل الفريق، ورغم ذلك يؤدي دورًا كبيرًا ومهماً، طُلب منه سابقًا تعديل عقده، جلس مع الإدارة، وتحدثوا في الأرقام، ثم توقفت المفاوضات دون مشاكل، اللاعب تقبّل الأمر بهدوء، لأنه يعلم أن عقده سيُجدد قريباً، وهناك فرصة طبيعية لطلب ما يراه مناسبًا”.

واختتم: “المسألة ببساطة.. من حق النادي أن يتفاوض وقتما يشاء، ومن حق اللاعب أن يطلب ما يراه مناسبًا، وفي النهاية الأمر لا يستحق كل هذا الجدل”.

Allrounder Aamer Jamal returns to a Pakistan Test line-up for the first time since his breakout tour of Australia. His all-round ability has allowed Pakistan to go with one fewer specialist bowler, with Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Abrar Ahmed making up the rest of the bowling attack.All four bowlers were unavailable to varying degrees during Pakistan’s recent series against Bangladesh, making this the first time in over a year that their full first-choice contingent is available. The batting remains unchanged; Abdullah Shafique keeps his place despite his recent struggles with the bat, after Shan Masood’s public backing on Thursday.”Multan is new territory for us,” Shan said at the captain’s press conference. “When we played Bangladesh in Rawalpindi, we had played a lot of cricket there so we knew how the pitch would play if you left grass on it. It was a bit tricky against Bangladesh for batsmen. Here we are leaving it to the groundsman. We would like one final look tomorrow, hence why we have tried to cover bases and have three seamers and two spinners like England. We have a bit of depth in batting as well.”Pakistan’s batting is a point of concern with several batters struggling, and the match-up between a home batting line-up short of runs and an away bowling unit short of experience in these conditions provides a point of intrigue. Though England’s decision to go with a bowling combination of Brydon Carse, Chris Woakes, Gus Atkinson, Jack Leach and Shoaib Bashir may appear risky, that has become an integral part of this England side’s brand.Related

• Masood has 'no complaints regarding unity' in the Pakistan side

• The good news for Pakistan? England have problems. The bad news? Pakistan have bigger ones

• Ben Stokes out of first Test as recovery from hamstring injury continues

• Shakeel: Pakistan planning to use England's aggressive game plan against them

“It [Bazball] has had an effect on the world,” Masood said. “Sometimes we get too caught up in set ways of doing things. So the best thing England has done is realise there are other perspectives and things that might suit you. The key is to find new ways of doing things. That is how the world has always progressed and cricket is no different. It is like life. You try and evolve and create new ways and England have been pioneers in that.”In the build-up to this Test, Pakistan have been careful to emphasise they will not get sucked into England’s style of playing, with head coach Jason Gillespie and vice-captain Saud Shakeel each making the point. Masood echoed that, saying there would be times Pakistan would need to “absorb pressure” instead of just “reacting to situations, and spoke of the drive to make amends after a difficult year.”There is a lot of hurt within the players. 2024 has not been a good year for Pakistan cricket all over and we like to see our fans happy. After religion cricket comes next, everyone is clued up on how the cricket team is doing so we are hurt. The answer is to be positive. We let the past go. We have tried to maintain consistency in selection. We haven’t had any chopping and changing because we have lost a few games. We believe in this set of players and with Jason Gillespie we wanted to create a squad mentality. The players are being backed to turn things around.”Pakistan squad for 1st Test: Saim Ayub, Abdullah Shafique, Shan Masood (capt), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Salman Ali Agha, Aamer Jamal, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Abrar Ahmed.

Sobhana Mostary hits 44 but England spinners shackle chase in low-scorer

Alan Gardner05-Oct-2024England’s four-spinner attack shackled Bangladesh in a low-scorer at Sharjah to get their T20 World Cup campaign off to a winning start. Danni Wyatt-Hodge made 41 off 40 before England fell away with the bat but, on a slow, gripping surface, Bangladesh were kept in check throughout despite Sobhana Mostary’s career-best 44.With dew having played a limited role in the tournament so far, Heather Knight had opted to get a score on the board. Linsey Smith, the slow left-armer who spent six years out of the side, was selected in preference to Lauren Bell, alongside the formidable trio of Sophie Ecclestone, Charlie Dean and Sarah Glenn. Smith bowled two in the powerplay, as England had hinted in the build-up, and finished with constricting figures of 2 for 11, as well as playing a part in the run-out of Nigar Sultana.Bangladesh had defended a similar score at this ground in their opening game against Scotland, but while Fahima Khatun and Ritu Moni were again impressive with the ball, they paid for allowing England to get away in the powerplay. Wyatt-Hodge and Maia Bouchier rode their luck at times – Bouchier was badly missed on 16 – but an opening stand of 48 in 6.4 overs opened up a chasm between the sides.The chase rarely got out of second gear, with only Mostary and Nigar reaching double-figures. Mostary should have been stumped on nought and would have been out lbw on 8 had England reviewed but she prevented the innings from flatlining even as Bangladesh struggled to build partnerships.Mostary anchors, Bangladesh groundedIn contrast to the start made by England, Bangladesh managed just one boundary during the powerplay, losing both openers to be off the pace on 20 for 2. Dilara Akter, into the XI in place of Murshida Khatun, missed a sweep at Dean to be lbw in the fourth over, before Shathi Rani took on Smith only to be taken by the leaping Ecclestone at mid-off.The rebuilding job fell to Mostary, who had top-scored in victory over Scotland, and the captain, Nigar. The latter signalled that Bangladesh weren’t out of it, despite the climbing run rate, as she twice danced out to hit Glenn for fours in the ninth over.Bangladesh reached 42 for 2 at halfway, with Mostary picking up her first boundary shortly after as the third-wicket pair looked to push on. But Nigar was run out taking on Smith’s arm for a second that wasn’t there and Glenn bowled Shorna Akter to pile the pressure on Mostary. She responded by thrashing Dean over deep midwicket for six, leaving the requirement 40 from the last four overs. In the end, it was too much of an ask – although keeping Ecclestone wicketless for only the second time in 36 T20Is was a small victory.Early runningThe opening exchanges were watchful, as England attempted to size up a pitch they had never previously played on. It wasn’t until the fourth over that Wyatt-Hodge hit the first boundary – by which point she and opening partner Bouchier had been involved in three near-mishaps with their running.Bouchier survived a direct hit in the first over, via a well-judged tip-and-run to mid-off. Wyatt-Hodge was then left sprawling face first for the line as she attempted an even tighter single, only saved by the time it took Nahida Akter to return the ball to the non-striker’s stumps. And Wyatt-Hodge should have gone in the next over, picking out Moni in the covers and then sent back by Bouchier – only for the fielder to make a complete hash of throwing the ball in.The pair soon decided that boundaries were preferable to risky singles. Wyatt-Hodge swiped Fahima over square leg and then drilled four more through cover; Bouchier climbed into Marufa Akter as the swing began to wear off, striking back-to-back fours – although she should have gone next ball when prodding to point, where Rabeya Khan put down a straightforward chance. Another brace of fours off Nahida in the sixth over and England were up and running, 47 without loss from the powerplay.England progress stalledFrom that point on, Sharjah’s slow-and-low surface began to exert its influence on proceedings. England scored 29 runs and lost four wickets over the course of the next 6.1 overs as Bangladesh’s plethora of pace-off options came to the fore. Bouchier was first to go, plinking Rabeya to mid-on, and Nat Sciver-Brunt did not last long, playing around Fahima’s legbreak to be plumb lbw.Wyatt-Hodge and Knight steadied things but Moni’s peach did for the England captain, nipping the ball through the gate to hit middle and leg. When Wyatt-Hodge walked past one from Nahida to be stumped miles from safety, England were 76 for 4 and wondering how to resuscitate the innings in suffocating conditions.Alice Capsey became the first batter outside of the top two to find the boundary with a sweep off Nahida in the same over, but she became Fahima’s second victim when reversing straight to point. Danielle Gibson huffed and puffed, striking one four before edging behind for 7 off 11, while Amy Jones tried to make the most of being dropped on 3. From the penultimate ball, Ecclestone finally managed a clean hit, lofting the only six of the innings straight back down the ground.

Having already reinforced their frontline with the addition of Thierno Barry, Everton have also reportedly joined the race to sign an impressive 27-goal striker.

The latest in Everton's incomings

The Toffees commenced the transfer window in statement fashion – welcoming Carlos Alcaraz in a permanent deal and talented forward Barry – and have since also welcomed new No.2 Mark Travers. But, if reports are anything to go by, they’re only just getting started. Recent rumours have suggested that The Friedkin Group could even spend as much as £150m on additions this summer.

Top of Everton’s wishlist on that front seems to be Manchester City’s James McAtee. The young midfielder is reportedly looking to leave the Etihad in pursuit of much-needed game time this summer, with a permanent switch to the Hill Dickinson Stadium now among his options.

Even as he struggled to hand McAtee a consistent place in his plans, Pep Guardiola took the time to praise the 22-year-old after he scored a hat-trick against Salford City.

The Spaniard told reporters: “I am so happy for him, he is a special player. A hat trick is not easy. He has an incredible sense in front of goal, he has the right tempo, he changed the rhythm to score and I am very happy for him.”

He's a dream for Barry: Everton open talks to sign £50m "superstar"

Everton initiate talks to sign LaLiga star in bold bid to strengthen attack

ByWill Miller Jul 23, 2025

McAtee’s not the only name on Everton’s shortlist, however. The Toffees have also reportedly set their sights on Douglas Luiz and former Real Madrid gem Takefusa Kubo.

Attacking targets seem to be the priority in Merseyside too, whether it’s Kubo who arrives or an impressive 27-goal striker this summer.

Everton now battling to sign Mika Biereth

As reported by Caught Offside, Everton are now battling to sign Mika Biereth from AS Monaco this summer. The Toffees are joined by Newcastle United, Aston Villa and Wolves in a very busy race, but the fact that the forward is represented as the same agent as Barry could yet hand those at the Hill Dickinson Stadium an advantage.

Minutes

2,495

2,559

Goals

24

16

Assists

6

4

Scoring a combined 40 goals between them last season, Biereth and Barry would form quite the partnership at Everton. In two moves, David Moyes would go from a fairly blunt attack to an underrated and dangerous frontline.

After watching on as Biereth missed a penalty then went on to score in a 2-1 victory against rivals OGC Nice last season, Monaco boss Adi Hutter told reporters: “This is his mentality, his character. He never gives up and he fights for the team. It is fantastic.”

Six months on from welcoming the Dane into his side, however, and Hutter could be forced to bid farewell if Everton or others get their way this summer. And just like when he swapped Sturm Graz for France in January, Biereth would be more than ready to hit the ground running elsewhere.