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Manchester United are now back in talks to sign highly-rated Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Carlos Baleba in 2026.

The Red Devils’ midfield needs to be a key area of focus next summer, due to Casemiro being out of contract at Old Trafford when the season ends.

The Brazilian has enjoyed a resurgence of late, scoring in United’s 2-2 draw away to Nottingham Forest in the Premier League last weekend, however, he still isn’t the player he was and will soon need to be replaced by a younger model.

Baleba emerged as one of the front-runners to join the Red Devils in the summer transfer window, but in the end, he stayed put for the time being, with no defensive midfielders added to Ruben Amorim’s squad.

The 21-year-old Seagulls ace is sure to have plenty of suitors moving forward, though, with a switch to United still very much on the cards, following a new update.

Man Utd willing to pay £90m for Baleba

According to reports relayed by Caught Offside, Manchester United are once again negotiating over the signing of Baleba from Brighton, and INEOS would be willing to pay as much as £90m for his signature.

An official bid is expected to be incoming for the Cameroonian, as the Red Devils look to complete a significant piece of business next year.

Baleba may not have hit top form yet this season, with his focus arguably affected by the level of interest in him from various clubs, but he has all the tools to enjoy a fantastic career.

He is a force both in and out of possession, averaging 2.3 tackles per game in the Premier League last term, as well as scoring three goals, and Alan Shearer has hailed him as “absolutely wonderful” on Match of the Day.

As mentioned, Casemiro is not the player he once was, no longer being to cover so much ground at pace, but Baleba could bring that to United’s team, suddenly making them far harder to run through.

Man Utd in pole position to beat Man City to Jeremy Monga signing

The Red Devils could land one of England’s finest youngsters in a cheap deal due to a key reason.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 3, 2025

He has so much time to improve further as a player, and while his age means that some inconsistency may be a part of his game to begin with, he feels like a leading option for Amorim, as the Red Devils look to bring in the perfect addition to a vital area of the pitch.

Casemiro isn't the only Man Utd star who has saved his career under Amorim

“We’ve come to win this World Cup and take it back from Australia”

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2020West Indies won the Women’s T20 World Cup title in 2016, beating Australia in the final, but ended on the wrong side of the result in 2018 as Australia beat them in the semi-final, that too on home soil. Anisa Mohammed hasn’t forgotten that, and wants to “spoil the party” and “return the favour” when the next chapter begins in Australia in less than a week.”We’ve come to win this World Cup and take it back from Australia,” Mohammed, whose 118 wickets make her the most successful bowler – man or woman – in T20Is, told ICC. “It would be nice to spoil the party. They spoiled ours, so it would be nice to return the favour.”Australia have been doing really well. They recently played in the tri-series [against England and India] and came out on top, but we’ve been working hard ourselves.”The final in 2016 was a really special day. That was probably the biggest highlight of my career – winning a World Cup is something I’d love to do again. As a team, we know what it’s like to win and what it’s like to lose. Winning is definitely better, so we want to win this time.”Australia are known as the top team in the world. All teams will be gunning to beat them.”Back in 2016, West Indies beat Australia, the favourites, at Eden Gardens in Kolkata in the final, with Hayley Matthews’ career-defining 45-ball 66 and Stafanie Taylor’s 57-ball 59 taking them to the target of 149 in the last over of the chase. In 2018, Australia’s bowlers were at the top of their game, finishing West Indies off for 71 for a 71-run win in North Sound. More recently, the two sides met in a bilateral series in the Caribbean in September 2019, where Australia blanked the home side 3-0 in the T20Is – they won the ODIs by the same margin.”We have some history with Australia,” quick bowler Shakera Selman said. “Since the last series, I’ve noticed a lot of the girls have built some sort of friendship and some sort of camaraderie.”They’ve beaten us a few times. They were hurting after we beat them in 2016 and they came back to beat us two years later. It would be a big game if we faced them in the semi-finals but we’ve got to take each one as it comes.”At the 2020 edition, four-time champions and favourites Australia are in Group A, while West Indies are in Group B, along with England, Pakistan, South Africa and Thailand. The tournament begins on February 21 with the opening clash between hosts Australia and India in Sydney, followed by West Indies v Thailand on February 22.

Tottenham defender Cristian Romero has insisted that he never said he wanted to leave the club in the summer ahead of signing a new contract at the club. The World Cup winner was heavily linked with a move to Atletico Madrid but instead committed his future, whilst also being appointed club captain.

Romero hits back at exit suggestions

Reports throughout the summer claimed that Atletico were eyeing a swoop to sign the World Cup winner, but he ultimately shocked and delighted fans in equal measure by signing a new long-term contract and being appointed club captain. Now, he has hit back at suggestions he wanted to leave. 

AdvertisementGetty ImagesA key player

Romero is perhaps the most important cornerstone of the club's project under Frank, with the Argentina international playing every minute of every game thus far this season. He scored in the UEFA Super Cup final against Paris Saint-Germain, and also has a Premier League assist to his name. 

Romero's fierce rebuke

Romero has hit back at any suggestion that he wanted an exit ahead of the club's Champions League clash with Villarreal. 

He told reporters: "I never said I wanted to leave the club. Nothing came from me in that effect. It is important what the manager and president say. I am very happy here, it is like a family. I like the manager. I like the way we work, the way we train. Always things can improve but I think everyone here at all levels are taking the right steps to improve. I am very happy here."

Getty Images SportAll eyes on more European glory

Spurs are, of course, playing in the Champions League this season after their Europa League triumph last season. Romero won Player of the Match in the final, and will be out to help guide Spurs to the Wanda Metropolitano for this season's showpiece; the club have unfinished business there, having lost the 2019 final to Liverpool in the same stadium. 

The opener was dropped four times on the way to his second BBL hundred

Peter Della Penna05-Jan-2020D’Arcy Short made the hosts Perth Scorchers pay for a sloppy fielding display, making the most of a string of reprieves to post the slowest century in the history of the Big Bash, but one that served to set up victory for the Hobart Hurricanes by eight runs in front of more than 30,000 on Sunday night. Short was spilled on 21, 38, 53, and 68 in an explosive but charmed knock, striking seven sixes by the end of his innings as he brought up three figures on the final ball that served to produce a total which wound up being just out of reach of a valiant effort led by Mitchell Marsh in pursuit.The Hurricanes victory was all the more impressive in light of injuries to James Faulkner before the night began and Riley Meredith during the match itself as an understrength bowling unit withstood a late charge from the hosts. The Hurricanes moved up into fifth place with the win while the Scorchers sit in seventh on the BBL points table.Short’s record long stayThe Hurricanes opener set a new mark for the most deliveries spent at the crease to reach three figures in the history of the Big Bash League, taking 70 balls to do it for his second career ton in the BBL and first since an unbeaten 122 two seasons earlier against the Brisbane Heat. He had some help along the way though, including a pair of key assists from Tim David.Getty ImagesThe Singapore international David took four excellent catches and produced a runout in a brilliant fielding display to help knock off Scotland in a thriller at the T20 World Cup Qualifier in Dubai this past October, but his fielding on Sunday night was unrecognizable from that occasion. The easiest of the four chances offered by Short was the first one of the night put down by David, who charged in from the sweeper-cover boundary in the fifth over for a skied drive off the bowling of Matt Kelly. But David nearly overran the ball while covering the ground and as he slid to cushion the catching attempt, the ball wound up clanging off his chest instead of his hands and wound up going to ground.It was Short’s 14th delivery at the time and he continued to struggle for rhythm by the time he was dropped again. Three balls after Liam Livingstone broke the opening stand having Caleb Jewell caught at long-on, Livingstone could not hold onto a sharp one-handed return chance, which pushed Short to 39 off 38 balls.Short used his feet to strike Ashton Agar over long-on in the 13th for six and a single later in the over took him to a 44-ball fifty. Another tough return chance was put down by Jhye Richardson in his follow-through in the next over before Fawad Ahmed was the last bowler to miss out on claiming Short in the 16th. David could not clasp onto a top-edged sweep at deep backward square for what would have been another double-wicket over after Fawad claimed David Miller with a missed sweep. Short then struck three sixes in his final two overs, including a scoop over fine leg on the final ball of the innings to bring up his ton.Perth’s Rocky PowerplayThe Scorchers chase was blunted by three wickets in the first 15 balls. Having just struck two boundaries, Livingstone was overambitious in attempting a third in a failed attempt to go across his stumps to scoop Meredith’s 145 kph pace and was bowled for 13 in the second over. Cameron Bancroft’s waft outside off stump in the third gave Scott Boland a wicket. Boland then dropped Marsh on the first delivery to the Scorchers captain but the fumble caromed onto the non-striker’s stumps with Josh Inglis comfortably out of his crease.However, the Hurricanes early inroads were neutralized somewhat by an injury to Meredith in the fourth over. The fast bowler began clutching at the left side of his ribcage mid over and had to come off the field by the end of it. He never returned, leaving Hurricanes captain Ben McDermott pondering his options to fill in two overs later on.Mitchell Marsh is quite strong down the ground•Getty ImagesMarshalling the FightbackScorchers captain Marsh kept his side in the hunt with a 75-run partnership alongside Cameron Green. He was content knocking singles while waiting for loose balls to hit for six that rarely came, however. The stand ended when Nathan Ellis pinned Green leg before missing a flick to midwicket for 33. Chris Jordan was promoted to No. 5 but fell three balls later swatting a half-tracker from legspinner Qais Ahmad to Short at long-on.After a few lusty blows from David, Boland struck in the 16th with a slower ball before Marsh’s stay finally came to an end for 48 with a skied flick to deep midwicket to make it 129 for 7. A late flurry from Richardson made the scorecard more flattering for the Scorchers, who entered the final over needing 29 to win with two wickets in hand and wound up eight runs short.

Jurgen Klopp is seemingly enjoying life after Liverpool as the German has been spotted watching the tennis at the Mallorca Championships.

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Klopp steps down as Liverpool managerGerman enjoying time away from gameSpotted at Mallorca tennis tournamentWHAT HAPPENED?

Klopp stepped away from his Liverpool managerial role in May, ending a momentous near nine-year spell at Anfield. The former Borussia Dortmund boss announced he was returning to his old club's ground to see Taylor Swift earlier this month and now he has been spotted at the ATP tour tennis event, the Mallorca Championships.

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Klopp has left quite a legacy at Liverpool. He won the Champions League, the Premier League, a host of domestic cups, and, arguably, made the Reds one of the greatest clubs in the world again. The big question is, what does he plan on doing after his spell with the Merseyside outfit?

Getty ImagesDID YOU KNOW?

The Stuttgart-born Klopp – who began his managerial career at Mainz before joining Dortmund – was in charge at Liverpool for 491 games and in that time they won 299 of them, drew 109, and lost 83. That gave him a winning percentage of 60.90.

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WHAT NEXT?

Following Klopp's departure, former Feyenoord boss Arne Slot will take over the reins at Liverpool from the 2024-25 season. It remains to see what his predecessor will do next after a lengthy spell at the Reds.

Tottenham are thought to have added a £26 million striker to their transfer target list as they scour the market for long-term Harry Kane replacements.

Spurs eyeing new centre-forward this summer

Despite Richarlison's transformation under Ange Postecoglou this season, it remains the case that Spurs are keen to sign a new number nine.

"Huge" – Sky pundit thrilled as Tottenham allegedly eye "next level" star

Spurs are apparently very keen on the £60 million man.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 28, 2024

The Lilywhites have been mentioned as potential suitors for Brentford star Ivan Toney, among others, in the past six months – but the centre-forward position was never a priority for January.

Crystal Palace (home)

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The plan to bring in a striker was thought to be one for later in the year, with journalist Dean Jones saying late last year that Tottenham will sign a replacement for Kane once we get to 2024.

“I don't know what they will look for in a Kane replacement, but they would be silly not to be looking at Ferguson right now," said Jones to GiveMeSport, commenting on previous links to Brighton star Evan Ferguson.

"I know Manchester United have had an eye on Ferguson. I'm sure Chelsea will, too, given their recruitment policy. But Tottenham have to as well. They're going to have to sign another striker eventually. Son is good for now. With Richarlison, everything’s up in the air. They will sign a new striker once we get to 2024, and Ferguson has to be on the radar.”

Other reports suggest this is still firmly the case, with reporter Pete O'Rourke telling Football Insider that Tottenham wish to sign a marquee striker this summer.

"Tottenham are expected to sign a new marquee number nine this summer to replace departed legend Harry Kane," he wrote this month.

"Kane, 30, left Spurs last year (2023) after scoring 32 goals across all competitions for the Londoners in the 2022-23 campaign. It is believed Tottenham are stepping up their plans to land a marquee new forward in this year’s summer window. That is despite the promising form of their current strike force under Ange Postecoglou’s stewardship this term."

Amid their reported pursuits to shore up other key areas of the squad, though, it is unclear exactly how much club chiefs would be willing to spend on a goalscoring centre-forward.

Tottenham identify £26m Kane replacement Omar Marmoush

According to Bild, Spurs may have a cheaper option in Eintracht Frankfurt striker Omar Marmoush.

Indeed, the German news outlet writes via Sport Witness that Tottenham have identified Marmoush as a striker target, and he could cost as little as €30m (£26m) to prise away from his club in the best-case scenario.

The Egyptian ace has bagged 10 goals and five assists in 18 Bundesliga appearances this season, with Eintracht boss Dino Toppmoller calling him "tireless".

"He brings a completely different energy to our attacking play through his penetrating runs and tireless work rate," said Toppmoller.

Phil Foden insists England "definitely need" coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink ahead of their Euro 2024 semi-final against Netherlands.

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England coached by ex-Netherlands starFoden quizzed on former striker's loyaltyMidfielder says Three Lions 'need him'WHAT HAPPENED?

Hasselbaink has been part of Gareth Southgate's coaching staff since March 2023, but the Three Lions will come up against the Dutchman's nation on Wednesday in a battle for a place in the final of the tournament.

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Hasselbaink is tasked with preparing the England squad for the match against the nation he represented on 23 occasions between 1998 and 2002. He has been credited with helping the likes of Jude Bellingham improve their penalty taking as the Three Lions look to avoid another upset this week.

WHAT FODEN SAID

Foden has no concerns about Hasselbaink having split loyalties ahead of the game. When a reporter jokingly asked him if the former striker would be frozen out by the players and staff ahead of the game, the England star replied: "No, I think we need him! I think we need him for the work that he’s been doing. Yeah, we definitely need him!"

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(C)Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR ENGLAND?

Foden and his Three Lions team-mates will go head-to-head with Hasselbaink's former national team with the aim of securing a place in the Euro 2024 final, where they will take on either France or Spain.

Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan put on their eighth century stand in T20Is to lay the platform for Pakistan’s victory

Sreshth Shah13-Oct-2022An unbeaten 20-ball 45 from Mohammad Nawaz helped Pakistan overcome their middle-overs jitters to defeat Bangladesh in the last league game in Christchurch. Pakistan now face New Zealand in the final on Friday, while Bangladesh head to Australia for the T20 World Cup having lost all their four games in the tri-series.Even though Pakistan won the match by seven wickets, the finish was closer than what the scorecard suggests. Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan set up the platform with their eighth century stand in T20Is, but Pakistan did not run away with the chase because of some disciplined bowling from Bangladesh.It was Nawaz’s innings at a strike-rate of 225 that finally swung the game decisively towards Pakistan. It also helped him redeem his bowling figures, having conceded 37 runs in three overs in the first innings. Nawaz was Pakistan’s most expensive bowler as Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan scored fifties to help Bangladesh score their highest total of the tri-series.Litton’s turnaround, Shakib’s consistency
Bangladesh tried another new opening pair with Soumya Sarkar partnering Najmul Hossain Shanto but they once again lost an early wicket. That brought in Litton at No. 3 but he suffered a muscle strain early in his innings, which suggested that he would not be able to bat much longer. Instead, his inability to run fluently freed him up and he relied on hand-eye coordination to dominate a young Pakistan pace attack comprising Naseem Shah, Mohammad Hasnain and Mohammad Wasim.Luckily for Bangladesh – especially with the T20 World Cup looming – Litton’s muscle strain seemed to go away, and he built an 88-run stand for the third wicket with Shakib Al Hasan. Their partnership allowed Bangladesh to build some momentum through the middle overs, a contrast to their previous three performances in the tri-series.Shakib and Litton batted together from the sixth over to the 15th, dominating Shadab Khan’s legspin and Nawaz’s left-arm orthodox spin. When the pacers went short, the batters countered with pulls and cuts, and Litton also enjoyed a bit of luck when Pakistan dropped a catch and missed a chance to run him out.Shakib batted until the penultimate over to score his second consecutive fifty in the tri-series. He used his feet to get to the pitch of the spinners and exploited the leg side in the slog overs. Bangladesh, however, could score only six runs off the last eight balls after Shakib was dismissed. They finished on 173 when they were looking for a total above 180, credit for which goes to Wasim who conceded only three runs in the 20th over.Nawaz ensures Pakistan finish the job
Bangladesh had a young seam-bowling unit too and it was their most inexperienced medium-pacer Hasan Mahmud who impressed the most. He took 2 for 27 in four overs and did not allow Pakistan’s openers Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan to dominate him.Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam also used changes of pace to force mis-hits from the batters, and though Babar and Rizwan raised their century stand in the 13th over, the game remained in the balance.In his last spell, Mahmud dismissed Babar and Haider Ali in the same over, which fuelled Bangladesh’s hopes of victory. What they needed was a couple of tidy overs, perhaps with another wicket before the death, but it wasn’t to be as Rizwan stayed steady while Nawaz found the boundary early in his innings.Mohammad Saifuddin was the weak link in the Bangladesh attack on the day, conceding 53 runs, and Nawaz and Rizwan entered the slog overs with momentum on their side.Though Rizwan fell in the 19th over, Nawaz played the field, hitting the ball into gaps and milking a hat-trick of twos to shut Bangladesh out in the final over. He ended the contest with a boundary off the penultimate ball of the match.

This Premier League season has been Ipswich Town’s first in 22 years, and to say it’s been tough so far would be an understatement.

Kieran McKenna’s side have already played Manchester City, Liverpool, Aston Villa, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in their first 14 games, and while they’re down in the relegation zone, they’ve looked better than people were expecting.

Much of their success has come thanks to the signings made over the summer, but not everyone bought in over the window has been a roaring success in Suffolk.

In fact, one addition, who the manager was particularly excited about, has been dreadfully underwhelming and should be axed from the team for some time.

Ipswich's summer success

So, starting with the positives, and while there have been several successes from the summer arrivals, the most obvious is Liam Delap.

The young striker joined the club from Manchester City for around £20m, and while he was a relative unknown then, he isn’t now, as several clubs from the ‘big six’ have supposedly taken interest following his impressive return of six goals and one assist in 15 games.

He’s not been the only new arrival to have found the back of the net, though, as Irish international Sammie Szmodics appears to have found his feet at Portman Road following his £11m move from Blackburn Rovers.

He hasn’t been quite as prolific as the former City man, but given that he’s played out on the left, his haul of three goals in 13 games isn’t too bad.

Finally, while he was signed on loan last year, Omari Hutchinson made his move to East Anglia permanent in the summer, and while he endured a slow start to the campaign, he once again looks like one of the best players in the team.

He was sensational in the win against Spurs and then scored a brilliant goal to secure a point at home against Manchester United. However, while all three of these signings have made the team better, the same cannot be said of another wide player signed from a Championship giant.

The Ipswich player who must be axed

So, with most of the significant summer signings already covered, it should be no surprise that Jack Clarke is the one we are talking about.

Ipswich spent £15m plus add-ons to sign him from Sunderland in the summer, and considering he produced 44 goal involvements in 92 games across the last two seasons, it was easy to understand the move.

In fact, the club were so pleased with the additions that when speaking to the press, McKenna said of the York-born ace that he’d prove to be a “terrific asset” for the Tractor Boys.

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Unfortunately, that has not proven to be the case so far this season, and after being given another chance to start in the game against Crystal Palace on Tuesday night and failing to reach the required level, the manager simply must axe him from the starting lineup.

It might sound harsh, but it’s fair, and it may well be the best thing for the 24-year-old, as his display against the Eagles did not impress the watching press, with the East Anglian Daily Times’ Alex Jones giving him just a 4/10 at full-time.

In all, the former Sunderland star has only been able to muster a single assist in his 13 appearances this season, which is a far cry from his form in the northeast and certainly not enough to warrant a start ahead of Szmodics tomorrow afternoon.

Ultimately, Clarke is not a bad player, but he’s in undeniably poor form at the moment, and with every game being a must-win for Ipswich, McKenna would be doing him and the team a favour by taking him out of the firing line for a while.

Al-Hamadi 2.0: Ipswich could sign £5m Clarke rival in promising EFL star

The exciting talent could be a brilliant addition to Ipswich’s squad.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Dec 5, 2024

Moreno reacted to Pulisic's comments about the "aggression" narrative, tells U.S. star "I'll spell it out for you"

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USMNT lost to both Panama and CanadaChristian Pulisic says "aggression" narrative is "easy"ESPN's Ale Moreno goes in on AC Milan starFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Following the USMNT's disappointing 2025 Nations League showing, a semifinal defeat to Panama and a third-place match loss to Canada, critics have come in fast and come in harsh on their performances.

Ex-players such as Landon Donovan and Kasey Keller and Tim Howard have asked for more from the players and staff. ESPN analyst and former Venezuela international Alejandro Moreno joined the chorus.

"I need to see an improvement – that is obvious to see," Moreno said on ESPN FC. "And while Christian Pulisic said, 'Well, you know, the easiest thing to point out is the aggression' … Yes! Because it's obvious! It's obvious that this team lacks aggression. And so if he wants me to spell it out for him, I will: Christian, I'll spell it out for you, I'll define it for you: 92nd minute, your team is losing 2-1, and you guys are keeping possession in the back line and in the midfield.

"Again, let me repeat that you're losing 2-1 in a game in which you were supposed to show a response. And you're keeping possession of the ball in the midfield and the back line without actually showing aggression to get the ball forward, to manufacture chaos, to push for a goal your team. The United States never looked likely to score a game-tying goal. In fact, I would argue that Canada looked more likely to score at their own goal themselves."

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Moreno's comments were in response to Pulisic, who said after the Canada match that critics asking for the USMNT to be aggressive were giving an "easy" analysis of their performances.

"It's an easy thing to say we lacked aggression, there's a lot of things that go with that – it's not just fighting and kicking," Pulisic said after the match. "You know the other team, you've got to play better football, you've got to have better ideas, you've got to be more aggressive in the way we attack… just creating more, getting more opportunities and just being more of a threat to the other team."

The AC Milan star was substituted 69 minutes into their loss against Canada, and played 90 minutes against Panama.

DID YOU KNOW?

The U.S. failed to win the Nations League for the first time in the competition's history in 2025. They had won all three previous editions.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT?

The U.S. return to the pitch in June for the FIFA international break, where they will play both Switzerland and Turkey in a pair of friendlies leading up to the CONCACAF Gold Cup.