All posts by h79snht.top

Birmingham City have already stunned League One with the quality of transfer they can get through the door, meaning the Championship could see the Blues go after even more exciting and bold talents.

Indeed, Chris Davies’ men sent shockwaves through the third tier when obtaining the services of Jay Stansfield for around £15m, with that high fee going on to be justified when he bagged 19 league strikes on the way to Birmingham being crowned champions.

Therefore, the ambitious Blues could now try and bring in even more dazzling faces up a division to replicate this success story, with the likes of Che Adams being linked with a stunning return to St. Andrew’s.

The last time Birmingham competed at this level culminated in them falling through the relegation trapdoor, but one deal involving ex-Manchester United ace Tahith Chong still sticks out from memory, considering his star quality was on show throughout his short-lived Blues stay.

Chong's memorable Birmingham spell

Chong would initially only join Birmingham on loan, but the ex-Manchester United academy product went on to permanently call St. Andrew’s his home after impressing in the Championship.

His output across the 2022/23 season stuck out in particular, with Chong ending his sterling individual campaign by collecting a hefty tally of four goals and five assists from 40 clashes, even as his new employers finished in a flat 17th position in the overall league standings.

Losing Chong to Luton Town that off-season would prove to be a costly sale as Birmingham finally fell to League One after years of teetering on the edge, whilst the 25-year-old began to make a name for himself in the Premier League with the Hatters.

Of course, Chong will now be plying his trade in League One next season with Matt Bloomfield’s side after back-to-back relegations, but Birmingham will hope they can win an equally exciting attacker from another top-flight outfit soon by sealing this standout loan capture.

Birmingham could sign their new Chong

Whilst the Blues did fork out an excessive amount to land Stansfield, they also utilised the loan market effectively the summer before lifting the League One title, as seen in Ben Davies collecting 20 clean sheets on loan from Rangers.

Birmingham could strike gold again in this department by landing Aston Villa forward Louie Barry – as per reports by GIVEMESPORT – with the young forward, regardless of his Villa connections, chomping at the bit to succeed in the Championship if snapped up by Davies’ men after setting League One alight whilst on the books of playoff-chasing Stockport County.

Barry’s L1 numbers for Stockport (24/25)

Stat

Barry

Games played

23

Goals scored

15

Assists

2

Big chances missed

6

Big chances created

5

Stats by Sofascore

Much like Chong – who must have felt restless about his lack of senior chances at Old Trafford when arriving to Birmingham – Barry would instantly show those back at Villa what he was about by ripping up the third tier for Dave Challinor’s promotion chasers this season, resulting in the 21-year-old picking up an eye-catching 15 goals from just 23 clashes.

It will all just rest on whether the “incredible” attacker, as Declan Rice once openly praised him, can take to the league above swimmingly in a Blues shirt, having failed to register a single goal or assist when leaving Stockport behind last campaign when joining Hull City temporarily.

Yet, everything just clicked into gear for the Dutch-born 25-year-old when he was pushed into the deep end in the West Midlands, even though he had only collected a weak two goals in total for former loan employers Werder Bremen and Club Brugge.

Therefore, Birmingham might well just be the ideal next environment for Barry as he attempts to advance his game, regardless of whether a cross-city switch would be controversial or not.

The only difference between Chong and Barry here will be the fact that the explosive 21-year-old will be expected to come in and help the Blues rise in the EFL, away from the former loan menace being a bright spark during some gloomy recent times for the blue half of Birmingham.

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Posts ByDan Emery Jun 4, 2025

Leeds United know that they will need to make key additions across the pitch to improve their squad after they were promoted to the Premier League at the end of the 2024/25 campaign.

Leeds United's goalkeeper priority this summer

A new goalkeeper is high up on the list of transfer priorities for the Championship champions during the summer transfer window, after veteran shot-stopper Karl Darlow had to end the season between the sticks.

Illan Meslier’s high-profile errors were hard for Daniel Farke to ignore, and the Frenchman had to sit on the bench for the final seven matches of the campaign.

The Whites are now reportedly eyeing up a deal to sign Chelsea goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, who was omitted from their squad for the Club World Cup in America this summer.

He spent the 2024/25 campaign and caught the eye with his impressive performances in Ligue 1, preventing 7.91 goals and avoiding any errors that directly led to a goal in 31 matches in the French top-flight.

Petrovic, who is a Serbia international, could come in to solve Farke’s problem in the number one position at Elland Road, if they can convince the Chelsea stopper to make the switch to West Yorkshire.

Leeds will also need strong defenders in front of their goalkeeper to prevent them from being overworked, though, and the club are reportedly closing in on a new centre-back.

Leeds United agree terms with new centre-back signing

According to LeedsLive reporter Isaac Johnson, Udinese defender Jaka Bijol has ‘agreed’ terms over a move to Elland Road in the summer transfer window, which is also backed up by reports in Italy, relayed by Sport Witness.

The journalist claims that the Whites are ‘growing in confidence’ that they can reach an agreement with the Serie A side over a deal to sign the Slovenia international, who has already given the transfer a green light.

Johnson adds that a fee of around £17m should be enough to get the move over the line, and that talks are ongoing between the two clubs over the fee.

Meanwhile, Italian outlet TuttoUdinese reports that negotiations are ongoing and that the Premier League side have already had a bid of £14m turned down, with an improved offer of £15m said to be inching the two clubs closer towards an agreement.

TuttoUdinese backs up Johnson’s claim that the player wants to sign for Leeds, as they reveal that Bijol has opened the door to a move to Elland Road, and that is now down to the teams to agree a fee.

24/25 league stats (per 90)

Jaka Bijol (Serie A)

Japhet Tanganga (Championship)

Pass accuracy

84%

77%

Progressive passes

2.98

2.10

Tackles + interceptions

2.46

2.33

Blocks

1.15

0.99

Clearances

5.53

5.57

Aerial duels won

3.31

3.07

Stats via FBref

Leeds have also been linked with an interest in Millwall centre-back Japhet Tanganga, but the statistics in the table above suggest that the Serie A star, dubbed “aerially dominant” by writer Kyle Newbould, would be the better option out of the two.

Bijol has proven that he can deliver quality performances in one of Europe’s major leagues, in Italy, and he could arrive in West Yorkshire as a strong signing for Farke’s team, as a centre-back who could protect the goalkeeper who is eventually signed to replace Meslier.

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Posts ByKelan Sarson Jun 14, 2025

One of the most interesting transfer sagas that will develop this summer regards Aston Villa’s former loanee Marcus Rashford. His future is up in the air at Old Trafford, and it does seem likely that he will depart Manchester United after a decade at the highest level for his boyhood club.

He went on loan to Villa Park in January, but it remains to be seen if he will stay at the club. The Villans have a £40m buy option for the winger, but BBC Sport reported that ‘there have been no negotiations over a permanent transfer’, and Rashford thinks United ‘would be prepared to sell him for £40m to anyone this summer’.

So, if they do not keep hold of the England superstar, it means Villa will need to sign a new winger. Perhaps that player could be Rashford’s international teammate.

Aston Villa’s potential Rashford replacement

It will be fascinating to see if Rashford stays at Villa Park beyond this season. However, if that is not to be the case, then it seems as though Unai Emery’s side have done due diligence on alternative options.

Transfer Focus

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

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According to a report from TEAMTalk, the Villans are a ‘team to watch in the race’ to sign their former attacker Jack Grealish. The Manchester City star seems destined to leave this summer, and could now launch a move for their ex-captain, who was a superstar at Villa Park.

Emery is said to be ‘a big admirer’ of the forward, and could push for a deal to be done. However, they will face competition from Everton and Newcastle United, as well as Scudetto winners Napoli.

Grealish is valued at £40m by Football Transfers, and could cost upwards of that price.

Why Grealish would be a good signing

If Villa are to bring Grealish back to his boyhood club this summer, it would be a sensational return for a true maverick of the Premier League. Despite a tough season for City, the England international is still a player capable of magical moments.

He has only played 20 games in the Premier League under Pep Guardiola this season. In that time, the 29-year-old scored and assisted one apiece. Despite four goal involvements in five games in City’s run to the FA Cup final, he was snubbed of an appearance at Wembley, with Guardiola choosing to bring Claudio Echeverri on for his debut, instead.

Should Grealish get to call Villa Park home again next season, he would surely love to reignite the exceptional form that earned him the £100m move to City in the first place. In 213 games for the Villans, he scored 32 times and created 43 goals.

So, how does that stack up to Rashford’s form at Villa Park? Well, the Wythenshawe-born superstar was sensational during his 17-game stint in Claret and Blue, leaving a huge impression in such a short time.

During his brief career as a Villa player, Rashford found the back of the net four times and grabbed six assists. He played 940 minutes, the equivalent of 10.4 games, leaving him with a goals per game ratio of almost one.

With that being said, Grealish could be the perfect Rashford replacement. The numbers from the 2020/21 campaign, his final season at Villa, compared to the United star’s stats from the same season, show exactly what he can do in a Villa shirt.

According to FBref, the former Villa skipper averaged 3.33 key passes and 7.08 progressive carries per 90 minutes. In comparison, the Red Devils’ number 10 averaged 1.33 key passes and 4.14 progressive carries each game.

Grealish and Rashford key stats in 2020/21 PL season compared

Stat (per 90)

Grealish

Rashford

Goals and assists

0.66

0.62

Key passes

3.33

1.33

Goal-creating actions

0.82

0.62

Take-ons completed

2.67

2.53

Progressive carries

7.08

4.14

Stats from FBref

If Villa get that version of Grealish, or even a player half as good, they have an excellent replacement for Rashford. Both players were sensational that season, with 16 goals and assists for Grealish and 20 for Rashford.

To bring back a player to his boyhood club who can be one of the best attackers in the country, as the stats show, might be a genius move for Villa.

As Statman Dave once called him, he is a “menace”. If Emery can bring the best out of Grealish, it will be a fantastic deal for the club and player.

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Posts 1 ByRoss Kilvington Jun 7, 2025

South Africa have played two games on the tricky New York pitches and know the conditions better than Bangladesh do

Mohammad Isam09-Jun-20241:18

Morkel: Bangladesh won’t get soft overs from South Africa

Match detailsBangladesh vs South Africa
June 10, New York, 10:30am localBig picture – both teams have shaky top ordersSouth Africa have a great opportunity to consolidate their position at the top of Group D when they take on Bangladesh in New York in the T20 World Cup 2024. Many factors favour South Africa. They have never lost to Bangladesh in T20Is. They are familiar with the New York venue, having played both their games here.Bangladesh did play their warm-up game against India in New York, but that was over a week ago. They can trust their bowling attack, but their top-order batting remains suspect – it was the department that failed in their win over Sri Lanka.Related

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South Africa, too, haven’t looked a complete side despite back-to-back wins. Their problems are similar.They bowled out Sri Lanka for 77 and restricted Netherlands to 103 for 9 but South Africa’s top order is also searching for runs. Reeza Hendricks, Quinton de Kock and Aiden Markram have a combined average of 13 (39 runs from six innings) so far. In both their wins, they got to the target fairly comfortably in the end because they were chasing small targets.South Africa’s bowlers, though, have been in great form. Anrich Nortje and Ottneil Baartman, in particular, have been among the wickets, while Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen have complemented them well. Keshav Maharaj has done his bit, too, but spin hasn’t been a big threat in New York so far.Bangladesh’s quicks also came to the party against Sri Lanka. Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur Rahman were impressive each time they bowled in that game, while Tanzim Hasan had his moments, and legspinner Rishad Hossain’s 3 for 22 won him the Player-of-the-Match award. He varied his pace subtly but imparted a lot of spin on the ball. Shakib Al Hasan, though, hasn’t performed particularly well with the ball since coming to the USA in mid-May.As for their batting, Soumya Sarkar and Najmul Hossain Shanto continue to fall to soft dismissals, but Litton Das’ 36 against Sri Lanka could give him a bit of confidence, while Tanzid Hasan must find runs on the big stage.2:00

Tamim: Bangladesh must make new ball count against SA

Form guideBangladesh WWLLL
South Africa WWLLLIn the spotlight – Towhid Hridoy and Anrich NortjeTowhid Hridoy is quickly enhancing his reputation as a big hitter – his four sixes against Sri Lanka in Dallas proved the difference in a low-scoring game. Hridoy has now struck 42 sixes in his 15 months of international cricket, comfortably the most among Bangladesh’s batters in this period.Anrich Nortje is working his way back into rhythm after a long injury layoff. He was off the boil in IPL 2024 and then went wicketless in two T20Is in the Caribbean. So far in the T20 World Cup, though, he has been on target, rushing batters with high pace and bounce. Nortje has good memories against Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup too, having taken 4 for 10 against them in Sydney in the 2022 edition.Towhid Hridoy adds muscle to the Bangladesh middle order•ICC/Getty Images

Team news – teams likely to field unchanged XIsBangladesh are waiting on news of Shoriful Islam’s fitness. If he is fit, he comes into contention. Otherwise they are likely to stick to the XI that beat Sri Lanka.Bangladesh (probable XI): 1 Tanzid Hasan, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Litton Das (wk), 4 Najmul Hossain Shanto (capt), 5 Towhid Hridoy, 6 Shakib Al Hasan, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Rishad Hossain, 9 Tanzim Hasan, 10 Taskin Ahmed 11 Mustafizur RahmanSouth Africa are unlikely to change the combination that has worked so far in New York. They, however, have Gerald Coetzee, Bjorn Fortuin, Ryan Rickelton and Tabraiz Shamsi on the bench, and might be tempted to look in that direction, especially at Rickelton, considering the failures of the top order.South Africa (probable XI): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Reeza Hendricks, 3 Aiden Markram (capt), 4 Tristan Stubbs, 5 Heinrich Klaasen, 6 David Miller, 7 Marco Jansen, 8 Keshav Maharaj, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Ottneil Baartman, 11 Anrich NortjePitch and conditionsFast bowlers are likely to dominate in New York again and we should get low to middling totals. A sunny day has been forecast.Stats that matter South Africa’s 3 for 3 against Netherlands was their lowest score for the loss of three wickets in a T20I Bangladesh’s win over Sri Lanka was their first win against a higher-ranked side at the T20 World Cup since they beat West Indies in 2007, the inaugural T20 World Cup”You look at conditions, you look at a really strong Bangladesh team and it’s going to be a proper challenge for us. We have luckily had the privilege of playing two games now at this venue so hopefully, it can give us even clearer plans. We can develop plans from a batting point of view on how to get to a score of maybe about 140 if we do bat first and hopefully, then our bowlers can do the rest.”
“The wicket hasn’t been easy for batters. It brings both teams equally into the game. South Africa has a decent bowling attack. We are confident of giving a good fight on this surface.”
Bangladesh head coach Chandika Hathurusinghe on whether South Africa hold the advantage having played in New York

Excitement is starting to build amongst Celtic supporters ahead of the new season.

Kieran Tierney’s return to Glasgow was confirmed last week, and fans cannot wait to see their beloved homegrown hero bedecked in green and white hoops again.

It’s safe to say the transfer window is really starting to take shape for Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side.

Indeed, despite the arrival of Tierney, the Bhoys have an interest in signing Liverpool’s Andy Robertson while another defender, this time of Japanese origin, could also join.

Talks are reportedly underway to sign Hayato Inamura from J League club Albirex Niigata but he’s not the only player Celtic appear to be in conversations to sign.

Celtic targeting a new winger

According to a report by Anthony Joseph of Sky Sports News, Celtic have now ‘agreed’ a fee of £1.7m with Nordsjælland as they attempt to sign attacker Benjamin Nygren, adding that the Hoops ‘will now look to finalise’ the deal.

Transfer Focus

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

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Joseph states that an agreement was reached on the player side last week and that talks have progressed well with the club since.

Given that the 23-year-old is out of contract with the Danish Superligaen side in December, Nygren is available for significantly lower than his estimated current market value of around £5m, making the agreed fee appear an absolute bargain.

The winger began his senior career with hometown club IFK Göteborg and, after unspectacular spells with Genk in Belgium and then Heerenveen in the Netherlands, he arrived at Nordsjælland in January 2022, with whom his career has really taken off.

Now, he’s set to become the 11th Swedish player to appear for Celtic, hoping to follow in the footsteps of club legends Mikael Lustig, Johan Mjällby and, of course, Henrik Larsson.

Benjamin Nygren​​​​​​​: the new Nicolas Kühn?

Similar to Nygren, Nicolas Kühn​​​​​​​ had bounced around numerous clubs at a young age, representing RB Leipzig, Jong Ajax, Bayern Munich Amateure, Erzgebirge Aue​​​​​​​ and Rapid Wien before joining Celtic for a reported fee of £3m in January 2024.

Well, the German has certainly found a home in Glasgow, exploding onto the scene this season, as the table below illustrates.

Nicolas Kühn’s season 2024/25 statistics

Statistics

Kühn

Celtic rank

Minutes

3,285

8th

Goals

21

2nd

Assists

15

1st

UCL goals

3

2nd

Average SofaScore rating

7.29

2nd

Statistics courtesy of Transfermarkt and SofaScore

This end product led to Rodgers labelling Kühn’s performances as “outstanding”, while Michael Shearer of Breaking the Lines asserted that he is ‘poised to become’ the Celts’ ‘next great attacking player’.

This has seen a £25m price-tag placed on his head, with countless Premier League and Bundesliga clubs purportedly interested.

So, could Nygren have a similar impact upon his imminent arrival?

Well, let’s assess how the two wide-attackers compare to one-another.

Nygren at Nordsjælland vs Kühn at Rapid Wien

Statistics

Nygren

Kühn

Appearances

107

51

Minutes

6,206

3,416

Goals

35

7

Minutes per goal

177

488

Assists

8

10

Shots per 90

2.8

2.11

Shots on target %

41.7%

46.4%

Take-on success %

60.6%

57.8%

Stats via Transfermarkt, FBref.

As the table shows, Nygren was significantly more impressive at his previous club than Kühn was upon his own arrival, with Global Football Rankings actually rating the Superligaen (13th) nine places higher than the Austrian Bundesliga (22nd).

The 23-year-old’s form for Nordsjælland​​​​​​​ has seen him earn his Sweden debut earlier this year, featuring in all four of the Blågult’s friendlies so far in 2024, scoring against both Northern Ireland in Stockholm and Hungary at the Puskás Aréna earlier this month.

Analyst Will Glavin labels Nygren a “versatile​​​​​​​” attacker who possesses a “killer instinct in front of goal”, given his ability to appear in “dangerous areas” at the right time.

Meantime, Sakhu Mpofu of Total Football Analysis documents how, at his best, he “inverts into the centre’ from the right-flank, which could also be used to describe Kühn.

Thus, in short, Celtic supporters should be extremely excited about the arrival of the Swedish youngster.

​​​​​​​

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Posts 1 ByBen Gray Jun 18, 2025

Birmingham City’s summer spending has now officially kicked into gear.

A spree of new signings at St. Andrew’s has finally gone through after plenty of heated transfer conversation, with Demarai Gray and Bright Osayi-Samuel both joining on free transfers, alongside James Beadle and Tommy Doyle entering the building on loan.

The pick of the bunch, however, was reportedly splashing out £10m to land former Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi from Rennes.

Still, there will be plenty of intrigue from Birmingham fans about the number of other signings made in quick succession away from just their new Japanese ace, with lots expected from Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee Doyle in particular, who has excelled near the top of the Championship previously.

Why Doyle is an exciting signing for Birmingham

Indeed, Doyle – whilst he has found the Premier League to be his more recent permanent home with Wolves – has lit up the second tier regularly when competing there.

Playing for both Cardiff City and Sheffield United on loan, Doyle would let loose with an impressive tally of five goals and seven assists coming his way from 57 Championship outings, which included a fine free-kick being floated home to help the Blades in their pursuit of promotion during the 2022/23 campaign.

His standout Bluebirds loan stint would even see scout Jacek Kulig brand the 23-year-old as “superb” as the ex-Manchester City youth product now looks to dust himself down after an up-and-down patch of his Old Gold career to try and get back to his second-tier peak with Davies and Co.

He might well be joined by some additional competition very soon if rumours are to be believed, as Birmingham’s busy summer activity shows no signs of relenting.

Birmingham could sign another "special" star

All competition for places will be seen as healthy next season, with Davies wanting the best possible squad he can to ruffle some Championship feathers.

Landing the services of Lewis O’Brien would be viewed as a statement in the middle of the park for sure, with journalist Darren Witcoop revealing, whilst writing for TEAMTalk last week, that the ambitious Blues still are keen on adding the wantaway Nottingham Forest man to their ranks, even with Doyle now at their disposal.

A deal would have to be won right from under Wrexham’s nose, with reports suggesting that the Red Dragons had agreed a £5m fee for the ex-Huddersfield Town man’s signature, only for wages to be an unfortunate stumbling block.

This unforeseen hurdle for Phil Parkinson’s men could see Birmingham come out on top for the seasoned Championship professional instead, with O’Brien even more of a well-versed presence than Doyle as to what it takes to become a top battler in such a difficult and taxing division.

O’Brien Championship numbers by season

Stat (* = per 90 mins)

19/20

20/21

21/22

23/24

24/25

Games

38

42

43

23

16

Goals

2

3

3

0

1

Assists

4

3

3

1

0

Touches*

50.6

58.0

56.7

54.8

56.6

Accurate passes*

24.4 (77%)

30.8 (77%)

29.5 (78%)

36.8 (87%)

30.1 (76%)

Big chances created

5

6

4

2

2

Tackles*

3.2

2.0

2.2

1.7

1.9

Total duels won*

6.1

5.8

7.5

4.0

6.1

Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, it’s clear that the Forest outcast excels when plying his trade in the Championship as a well-rounded presence in the middle, with O’Brien desperate to get back to his Terriers best if he dons Birmingham blue shortly, as seen in him winning an imperious 7.5 duels on per Championship clash during Huddersfield’s promotion near-miss during the 2021/22 season.

Like Doyle, he has the goals and assists to back up his tenaciousness, with 20 goal contributions and counting next to his name at the daunting level. His midfield counterpart can only boast 12, on the contrary.

Once even hailed as a “special” player by his former Huddersfield boss in Carlos Corberan, this might well be the signing that makes those tipping Birmingham for greatness more secure in the fact they can challenge for those promotion spots, as Davies aims to deliver back-to-back promotions to please the St. Andrew’s masses even more.

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Posts 2 ByDan Emery Jul 5, 2025

كشفت تقارير صحفية عن مستجدات تتعلق بصفقة انتقال إبراهيما كوناتي مدافع ليفربول الإنجليزي، إلى صفوف ريال مدريد الإسباني.

نافذة الانتقالات الصيفية أغلقت بالفعل، وارتبط ريال مدريد بمفاوضات للتعاقد مع كوناتي من أجل تعزيز دفاع الفريق، لكن لم تحسم بنجاح.

كان ريال مدريد قد أبرم عدة تعاقدات في السوق الصيفي، بضم دين هويسن، ألفارو كاريراس، ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، وفرانكو ماستنانتونو.

وبحسب ما أفاد الصحفي خوسيه فيليكس دياز من صحيفة “ماركا” الإسبانية، لم ينته سعي ريال مدريد في صفقة إبراهيما كوناتي مدافع ليفربول.

ويوضح التقرير أن الصفقة الآن في مراحل متقدمة جدًا، وتسير بوتيرة أسرع بكثير مما كان متوقعًا في البداية. 

اقرأ أيضًا | فيجو يختار لاعبًا من برشلونة يرغب في انتقاله إلى ريال مدريد

وبالتالي يبدو أن ريال مدريد أقنع كوناتي بعدم الدخول في مفاوضات لتجديد عقده مع ليفربول، على أن ينضم اللاعب في السوق الصيفي القادم للنادي الإسباني بصفقة انتقال حر.

وإذا حدث ذلك، فإن كوناتي سيكون حرًا في التفاوض بداية من شهر يناير المقبل، حيث يدخل الأشهر الستة الأخيرة في عقده مع ليفربول.

ومن المرجح أن يعتمد ريال مدريد على إيدير ميليتاو هذا الموسم إلى جانب دين هويسن في خط الدفاع، مع توقع وجود ديفيد ألابا وأنطونيو روديجر وراؤول أسينسيو كلاعبين احتياطيين.

ومن المتوقع رحيل الثنائي ديفيد ألابا وأنطونيو روديجر عن ريال مدريد بنهاية الموسم الجاري عند انتهاء عقديهما.

Youngster’s yorkers stun Trent Rockets as he snares three wickets at the death

ECB Media31-Jul-2024

Dan Mousley took 3 for 9•ECB via Getty Images

Birmingham Phoenix 138 for 6 (Bethell 46*) beat Trent Rockets 132 for 8 (Hales 38, Mousley 3-9) by six runsDan Mousley snatched victory from the jaws of defeat for Birmingham Phoenix against Trent Rockets in The Hundred with a stunning final ten deliveries.The young all-rounder took three wickets for just three runs to see Phoenix over the line from an almost impossible situation.With the Rockets chasing 138, only ten runs were needed from the last ten balls with five wickets remaining, until Mousley took matters into his own hands by sending down spearing yorkers to bowl Lewis Gregory and Rashid Khan, before dismissing Jordan Thompson for a golden duck.The Rockets had earlier been cruising to victory – going at a run a ball for the first 20, which only included two boundaries.The new top-ranked men’s Test batter in the world Joe Root came into the side and accelerated the scoring during the powerplay, with 17 from his first six balls, including a trademark reverse scoop to clear the rope.When he was dismissed for 33 from 19 balls, Rockets pushed singles and twos on their way to the target but approaching the finishing line the hosts lost Rovman Powell and Sam Hain to consecutive balls, which allowed pressure to build and the Rockets ultimately came up short.Jacob Bethell’s unbeaten 46 had earlier dragged Phoenix to what was thought to be a sub-par 138 from the first 100 balls of the match.The English youngster showed all of his talent at the back-end of the innings with an array of shots from his 29 balls at the crease.Many of his Phoenix team-mates had struggled to score quickly thanks to world-class bowling from the Rockets attack, but their total proved to be enough – thanks in the main to Mousley.Meerkat Match Hero Mousley said: “I was just trying to get as many yorkers in as I possibly could, and keep it under the bat and try to get them to make a mistake.”In relation to the pace of his bowling, he added: “It’s one thing I’ve got on my side. I’m pretty lucky to have it and just try and use it to my advantage.”We just wanted to stay in the game as long as we could. We know what cricket is like, the closer you get to the finish, the more nervous everyone gets and it is about who can keep their cool the longest.”