The full fee Sunderland will receive from Borussia Dortmund for Jobe Bellingham and the role he will play under Niko Kovac have been revealed.
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Jobe to follow elder brother's footsteps by signing for BVB
Fee Dortmund will pay Sunderland revealed
His role under Kovac also explained
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Earlier this week, Dortmund and Sunderland reached an agreement over the transfer of Bellingham, who is set to follow in the footsteps of his elder brother, Jude. Now, more details regarding the finances involved in the operation and Bellingham's supposed role under head coach Niko Kovac have been revealed.
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According to in Germany, Sunderland will receive a club-record €30.5 million (£26m/$35m) as a fixed fee, with an additional €5m in bonuses. Half of the add-ons are seen as realistic, while the other half are not expected to be achieved. As such, they expect to pay an estimated fee amounting to €33m. Sunderland rejected Dortmund's initial offer, which means the German outfit were extremely determined to get this deal over the line.
The report also touches down upon Bellingham's role in Kovac's system. They explain that the former Bayern Munich head coach will exploit the youngster's offensive capabilities from midfield by using him as an attacking midfielder, although he will also be used in a deeper, central midfield role.
DID YOU KNOW?
Bellingham has signed a five-year contract until 2030 with an annual package worth €3.5m, which will keep rising through the length of the contract. It's a structure similar to the one Jude had during this three-year stint at the Signal Iduna Park between 2020 and 2023.
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WHAT NEXT FOR JOBE BELLINGHAM?
The 19-year-old was originally intended to be a part of England U21's squad for this summer's European Championship, but his transfer to Dortmund will see him travel to the Club World Cup in the USA. Kovac's troops are slated to play their opening game of the tournament on June 17 against Brazilian side Fluminense.
The former USMNT striker delivered a scathing assessment of Pulisic's comments, defensiveness over criticism
Gomez characterizes US Soccer as "dumpster fire"
Defends Mauricio Pochettino's rejection of Pulisic's request
Confused by about Donovan-Pulisic back-and-forth
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WHAT HAPPENED
Former USMNT forward Herculez Gomez criticized Christian Pulisic's recent comments, in which the USMNT star said he offered to play in two pre-Gold Cup friendlies after opting to skip the tournament itself.
USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino declined the offer, saying Saturday that he wanted a consistent squad for the friendlies and tournament and that "I understand him, but I don’t need him to understand our decisions."
Gomez said that Pulisic appeared "selfish" in making the public comments, and described the current narrative around the USMNT as a "dumpster fire."
“There’s a narrative that Christian Pulisic is weak, that Pulisic is selfish, that he’s looking out for himself, that he doesn’t have pride, that he doesn’t care about the national team," Gomez said on ESPN FC's Futbol Americas. "And he sees, and he hears, and he sees how bad the USMNT is. And he decides, 'I have to speak' and in speaking, I think he comes out worse. He comes out worse himself, he makes US Soccer look bad. Is’s a dumpster fire right now.”
Gomez said the back-and-forth among critics, fans and those in the program is a reputational hit for U.S. Soccer.
"It seems he wanted to play the first two friendlies, and then he was denied that which is fair. Which is fair for Pochettino if he feels he has to be here. I have no issue," Gomez said. "My issue is the dumpster fire for the world to see, that U.S. Soccer is a laughing stock for the world… People are laughing at the USMNT and this is a reflection of what U.S. Soccer has been for the last two, three years. It is embarrassing.”
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WHAT HERCULEZ GOMEZ SAID
Pulisic has been criticized by a number of former USMNT players, including Landon Donovan and Tim Howard, for opting not to play in this summer's tournament. Pulisic said that it's "out of line" to question his commitment to the USMNT.
Gomez said he was surprised that Pulisic took offense.
“I’m very surprised at how much weight Christian Pulisic puts on this specifically, of the criticism of the USMNT," Gomez said. "Because I know for a fact that when you play for a club like Chelsea, Dortmund when you play on this Milan, you’re going to get criticized. So I’m very surprised that it’s here he’s speaking out because at Chelsea, every time he had a somewhat OK or bad performance, it would rain on him.
“He’s not going to walk the streets of the United States and people throw tomatoes at him. So I’m very surprised at why so much stock on this issue. Every team in the world is going to face criticism, every player – if you’re worthy of it – is going to face criticism. He plays in an environment right now where he should be used to the criticism. That worries me a bit.”
Gomez added that he’s confused as to why Donovan and Pulisic are at odds, saying they are similar players, with similar personalities.
“Christian Pulisic is a very talented player but this should not worry him. The irony here is one of the biggest critics is Landon Donovan," he said. "Donovan and Christian Pulisic are so similar, the parallels are uncanny. Even in the playing style and their decision making and how introverted they are, the way that they speak, their deameanor, they’re so similar.
"I don’t understand why two players that similar, on the same career trajectory – not the club level – on the international level are at odds with each other in this way. It’s just beyond me that this should not be something that he (Pulisic) focuses on.”
THE BIGGER PICTURE
Gomez’s characterization of the federation as a "dumpster fire" echoes growing frustration among former players, media, and fans with the organization's perceived lack of direction and accountability. The team is 5-5 under Pochettino and lost four straight entering the Gold Cup.
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WHAT’S NEXT?
The USMNT face Trinidad and Tobago in their first game of the 2025 Gold Cup Sunday night at the PayPal Park in San Jose, California.
Wolverhampton Wanderers would certainly be in the Premier League relegation places if it weren’t for the antics of Matheus Cunha.
The Brazilian has been in sensational form for the Old Gold this season, scoring 13 top-flight goals while chipping in with four assists.
Vitor Pereira will be hoping he can persuade the forward to remain in the Midlands this summer, although with clubs showing interest, might he look elsewhere to secure a bigger wage?
The latest on Cunha's future at Wolves
Cunha has been a revelation since joining the club during the winter transfer window in 2023, scoring 31 goals across 85 appearances in all competitions.
This number is made even more impressive by the fact he has often featured in an attacking midfield role, operating behind players such as Jorgen Strand Larsen this season and Hwang Hee-chan last year.
Cunha in the PL for Wolves this season
Goals
13
Assists
4
Key passes per game
1.7
Big chances created
12
Successful dribbles per game
1.9
Shots per game
3.3
Via Sofascore
Despite his excellent form and ability, Cunha earns £90k-per-week at the Molineux outfit, ranking him as the top earner alongside the likes of Goncalo Guedes and Pablo Sarabia.
That’s certainly justifiable, despite his recent ban, considering the performances we’ve seen in recent months.
However, he could be on his way out. The Brazilian penned a new contract over the winter but is still fielding interest from Arsenal. Reports emerged last week that their new sporting director Andrea Berta – who signed him at Atletico Madrid – is keen on a reunion.
Wolverhampton Wanderers' MatheusCunhareacts after the match
That said, he’s not the only forward potentially on his way out of Molineux. This one earns even more than Cunha too…
Wolves must sell high-earner this summer
With Wolves’ Premier League status looking pretty safe ahead of next summer, Pereira will be busy planning ahead and working out what the squad will look like.
One player who is unlikely to be in his plans is Fabio Silva whose time in the Midlands could finally come to an end this summer.
Fabio Silva
Indeed, according to journalist Graeme Bailey, Pereira could cash in on the Portuguese attacker.
“I don’t believe Silva will be back, just off his form in Spain he is going to secure a good move and Wolves will take the cash and use it elsewhere,” the reporter noted.
He has just a year left on his £80k-per-week contract with the Old Gold, which means the manager could still command a decent fee for the youngster.
He spent the second half of last season on loan at Glasgow Rangers, yet even in Scotland, Silva failed to showcase his true talents, scoring just six goals in 25 appearances for the Ibrox side.
Fabio Silva
Former Rangers midfielder Derek Ferguson claimed that “Silva offers you absolutely nothing” in a scathing rant towards the end of the 2023/24 season.
This is staggering, particularly as Silva looked like he could turn into one of the best centre-forwards on the continent when he sealed a staggering £35m move to Wolves aged just 18 in 2020.
Nearly five years later, he has managed to score just a paltry five goals for the club across 72 appearances. Hardly money well spent.
The 22-year-old has spent the current season out on loan at La Liga side Las Palmas, where he has netted eight times in just 20 games for the club.
He even scored against Real Madrid in January and appears to finally be finding his feet. Could this indicate that a move away from Wolves is on the cards this summer?
The supporters will certainly hope so. That’s a certainty.
Wolves struck gold on "sensational" ace who's now worth even more than Jota
Wolves are looking at bringing back a former player this summer.
Liverpool John Lennon Airport had fans in hysterics after slating Trent Alexander-Arnold over his choice of travel to Madrid.
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Trent savaged by X post over Madrid move
Airport poked fun at perceived lack of loyalty
Original post edited after including snake emoji
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WHAT HAPPENED?
The Merseyside airport pointed out that when Alexander-Arnold flew to Spain's capital for his unveiling last week, he didn't actually board a plane in Liverpool. He departed from rival city Manchester instead.
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THE BIGGER PICTURE
The post from the airport's official account, which quoted Alexander-Arnold's video upload of him leaving for Spain on a private jet, has been viewed over one million times. The post has also been edited, with the original version finishing with a snake emoji, leaning into the fan narrative that he has betrayed his hometown club. The edited version of the post replaced the snake emoji, with it clearly being seen in hindsight as going too far.
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DID YOU KNOW?
John Lennon Airport has the facility for private jet transport, but Manchester is the north west of England's biggest and busiest airport by far. In the UK, only London Heathrow and London Gatwick handle more passengers than Manchester annually, flying almost 31 million people in 2024, more than six times as many as John Lennon did.
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WHAT NEXT FOR ALEXANDER-ARNOLD?
Having been able to join Real Madrid three weeks sooner than planned due to the club's willingness to pay Liverpool a fee, and FIFA's mini early transfer window, Alexander-Arnold could make his debut for Los Blancos this week. The Spanish giants open their Club World Cup campaign against Al Hilal on Wednesday.
Premier League champions Liverpool have announced that Milos Kerkez has completed his move to the Reds from Bournemouth.
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Kerkez arrives on long-term contract from Bournemouth
Becomes club's third signing of the summer
Says he's thrilled to join the Reds
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Arne Slot's side have continued their summer spending spree by bringing in Kerkez after an impressive season with Bournemouth. The defender becomes the third major signing for the Reds, joining Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong in making the switch to Anfield.
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The Reds have wasted little time strengthening their squad after finishing top of the pile last season. Slot's side have now spent over £200m ($274m) this summer as they aim to land more silverware in the 2025-26 campaign. Kerkez arrives after a season where he was one of Bournemouth's standout players and will now battle Andy Robertson for the starting spot at left-back.
WHAT KERKEZ SAID
The defender told the club's official website: "I'm really happy.
It's a real honour for me, a privilege to come to play for one of the biggest clubs in the world, [the] biggest club in England. I'm just really, really happy and excited.
After this, I'll go home and in my hometown enjoy a few days, and then I can't really wait to come back and put the training kit on and start to train and prepare for the season. I just want to thank everyone for really showing me big love, even before it will be announced now. And keep supporting the team like you support always, because you're the biggest fan base in the world. I'm going to give everything – absolutely everything – to win trophies with the club and to hopefully score some goals at Anfield. I can't wait to hear the roar. And see you soon."
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DID YOU KNOW?
No Bournemouth defender has ever created more chances (36) or provided more assists (5) in a single Premier League season than Milos Kerkez managed in the 2024-25 campaign.
Juventus have informed Douglas Luiz he is up for sale as Morten Hjulmand from Sporting CP is being lined up to replace the Brazilian.
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Luiz informed Juve open to offer
Hjulmand shortlisted as ideal replacement
Premier League clubs monitor Doug situation
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WHAT HAPPENED?
According to transfer insider Matteo Moretto, Juve have informed Luiz that they are open to letting him go just a year after signing him from Aston Villa for £42 million (€49m/$53m), the club are already assessing potential replacements.
Top of the list is Hjulmand, the former Lecce midfielder who now shines at Sporting CP. Juve have initiated contact for a possible return to Serie A, but Sporting are demanding around €40m (£33m/$46m) to sanction a sale.
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Luiz’s short stint in Turin may soon be over as new coach Igor Tudor reshapes the squad with his own tactical vision. Juventus are focusing on intensity, physicality, and dynamism in midfield, qualities Tudor doesn’t seem to associate with the Brazilian international.
The 27-year-old midfielder could leave permanently or on loan, with several clubs interested in snapping him up. Reports even suggest Juventus may explore a swap deal, possibly involving Manchester United.
Luiz’s early exit reflects Juve’s aggressive approach in the market as they seek to restore control in midfield following an underwhelming 2024–25 campaign.
DID YOU KNOW?
Luiz started just three of the 19 Serie A matches in which he features, failing to register a goal or assist during. His Juve contract expires in June 2029. Meanwhile, Hjulmand has excelled at Sporting since joining in 2023, and is of the profile Tudor wants in his team.
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WHAT NEXT FOR JUVENTUS?
If concrete bids arrive for Luiz, expect Bianconeri to intensify negotiations for Hjulmand, who’s seen as a tailor-made fit for Tudor’s system. Sporting won’t let the Dane go cheaply, but Juve could act swiftly to avoid a bidding war.
Son Heung-min is open to moving to MLS next summer, but is set to stay at Tottenham this summer, per a new report.
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Son's contract expires next summer
Spurs captain is now 32
Ready to stay in north London for one more season
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Per Football-Asian, Spurs' captain is open to moving to the United States next summer, when the World Cup takes place, amid interest from Los Angeles FC. The South Korea international, who won the Europa League with the north London club last season, signed a contract extension in January, and is expected to see his deal out, with it expiring in 2026.
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The report claims Son has already communicated to new manager Thomas Frank that he intends to stay in north London this summer. He is hoping to retire in the US, but the 32-year-old is not quite ready to leave Europe yet. LAFC are eyeing a new Designated Player after Olivier Giroud's exit but may have to wait to secure his signature.
DID YOU KNOW?
Son may be nearing his twilight years but he remained a key contributor for Spurs last season, scoring 11 goals and registering 12 assists. The campaign culminated in the veteran winger finally lifting a trophy for the club he has been at since 2015.
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WHAT NEXT?
Spurs have a number of pre-season friendlies coming up, including a clash with Newcastle in Son's homeland of South Korea.
Viktor Gyokeres' proposed move to Arsenal could collapse amid an 'impasse' in negotiations with Sporting CP. Gunners officials have left Lisbon after failing to strike a final agreement with the Portuguese club. If the deal falls through, Jose Mourinho's Fenerbahce are ready to try and sign the striker on loan.
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Gyokeres move could collapse
Sporting CP sticking to stance on transfer fee
Fenerbahce ready to swoop
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Until last week, the Gunners were confident of signing the Swedish striker after agreeing personal terms with him. Former Coventry star Gyokeres is prepared to return to England and sign a five-year deal with the north London side, but as things stand, the move might not go through after all, as Portuguese outlet reports via the .
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reported earlier this week that Arsenal had submitted a verbal offer of €65 million (£56m/$76.5m) in a fixed fee plus a potential €15m (£13m/$18m) in bonus payments, which meets Sporting's original demand of €80m. However, the Portuguese giants are now demanding €70m (£60m/$82m) as the fixed amount and the remaining €10m (£9m/$12m) in add-ons. If Sporting stick to their stance, there is a good chance that Arsenal will ultimately end their pursuit of the 27-year-old forward.
DID YOU KNOW?
Gyokeres was originally scheduled to join the Sporting CP training camp for pre-season on July 1, which was postponed to July 7 due to his international commitments in June. It has now been further delayed to the 11th, although it is unlikely that the player will head back to Lisbon this summer as he pushes for a transfer.
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WHAT NEXT FOR GYOKERES?
If the deal with Arsenal does not materialise, claims that Sporting could consider sending Gyokeres on loan to Turkey, with Mourinho's Fenerbahce waiting in the wings.
The maximum fee Real Madrid would be willing to pay for Ibrahima Konate — into the last year of his contract — to Liverpool has been revealed.
Madrid not ruling out move for Konate this summer
Would ideally prefer to sign him for free next year
Fee Blancos would be willing to pay now revealed
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WHAT HAPPENED?
When it comes to Konate, Real Madrid want to follow the same recipe they implemented to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold this summer. Madrid prefer to sign Konate as a free agent after his contract at Liverpool expires next summer. However, under certain circumstances, the 15-time European champions could rather opt to buy the defender this summer instead of waiting to snap him up for free in 2026.
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According to , Madrid will not pay more than €25 million (£22m/$29m) for Konate's services. Los Blancos are aware that the odds are heavily stacked in their favour, with the centre-back keen on playing for the Spanish heavyweights. However, Liverpool will not make life easy for Madrid. While they would have no issues cashing in on the French centre-back this summer, they have slapped a non-negotiable price tag of €50m (£43m/$58m).
DID YOU KNOW?
Konate has already declined multiple renewal offers from Liverpool, having entered into the final year of his contract. The French international has made it clear that he would be open to a departure from Anfield this summer as long as it's Madrid who sign him. However, he reportedly doesn't have any issues in running down his contract and emulate his former team-mate Alexander-Arnold.
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WHAT NEXT?
While Madrid are more inclined towards signing Konate for free next summer, a policy they have mastered in recent years, they could make a late push to sign him this summer if they manage to offload some players. David Alaba, who was similarly signed for free from Bayern Munich in 2021, has entered the final year of his contract. The Merengues would be keen to offload him this summer, given that he's the team's second-highest earner behind Kylian Mbappe.
Jess Carter helped the Lionesses to make history at Euro 2025, but she will not form part of the trophy parade in London.
Defender experienced testing tournament
Walked away with winners' medal after shootout win
Heading back to America for NWSL action
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WHAT HAPPENED?
Carter enjoyed a memorable end to what had been a testing tournament for her in Switzerland. She revealed early in the competition that she would be stepping back from social media after being subjected to disgusting racist abuse.
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The 27-year-old also revealed ahead of a final appearance against Spain: “I'm more disappointed in myself over previous performances than anyone else. I was super scared to play today, which is the first time in my life. Then when I woke up this morning and saw my team and the support that I had from my team-mates, my family and my manager, I knew I had to come out today and give it my all. That's all you can do.”
DID YOU KNOW?
The Lionesses prevailed in an epic penalty shootout with Spain, allowing them to go back-to-back to the European Championship title front and become the first England team to capture a major international trophy on foreign soil.
Thousands are set to line the streets of London as tributes are paid to Sarina Wiegman’s triumphant squad. Carter will not form part of those celebrations, with it revealed that she is heading back to the United States ahead of Gotham FC’s latest NWSL fixture against the Chicago Stars on Friday.
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WHAT BULLINGHAM SAID
FA chief executive Mark Bullingham has said of the celebrations: "Our history-making Lionesses are Champions of Europe for the second successive time, and have become the first England Senior team in history to win a tournament overseas.
“We are so proud of all of the players, Sarina and the support team who have all been part of this incredible achievement. They have all worked unbelievably hard and we know the nation shares our pride.
“The victory celebration in London on Tuesday will give England fans an opportunity to celebrate with the players, and be part of history.
“We’ve had amazing support from our fans both in Switzerland and at home throughout the tournament, and we look forward to celebrating together and creating some lifelong memories.”