22/07/2025

SPORTS TUESDAY | JULY 22, 2025

30

Devils stun Gunners with Gyokeres hijack

MANCHESTER UNITED have launched a stunning hijack of Arsenal’s move for Viktor Gyokeres and are close to reaching an agreement with Sporting, according to explosive new reports from Portugal. The Gunners have looked primed to sign Gyokeres this year after verbally agreeing a deal in principle worth an initial £55 million (RM319m) plus £8.6 million (RM49m) in add-ons. However, the transfer has stalled after some resistance from Sporting over the structure of the add-ons, with the Portuguese champions said to be demanding easily achieved terms. Gyokeres had already rebuffed interest from United in favour of an Emirates Stadium switch,

Arsenal are still expected to be the club that sign the striker. Gyokeres has refused to train with the Lisbon giants during pre-season in an attempt to force his exit, leaving all parties desperate to find a resolution. United likely do not have the money to seal a deal for the Swedish superstar yet, as Amorim requires player sales to boost his budget. The Red Devils have splashed around £140 million (RM812m) this year to recruit Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon. While they will pay for Cunha and Mbeumo in instalments, finances remain limited due to a lack of European football. – Express Newspapers

is an increasingly likely scenario. The 27-year-old striker is said to have distanced himself from the prospect of joining Mikel Arteta’s ranks in the coming weeks. Record have also run the story, but insist that Gyokeres’intention is still to land at Arsenal as the next chapter in his career. It is thought, however, that Sporting are playing the game that is the transfer

but his former boss Ruben Amorim might not have given up hope. Reports that the Red Devils have hijacked Arsenal’s swoop are rapidly spreading across Portugal’s biggest outlets on Sunday. SIC Noticias claimed that United were very close to reaching an agreement with Sporting over a transfer fee worth similar to their Premier League rivals’ offering.

A Bola state that the bid slightly exceeds that of Arsenal, and a reunion with Amorim at Old Trafford

window by giving local newspapers a line in order to prompt some urgency from the buying club.

Ederson ‘strikes agreement’ to leave City

Perfect response

Darwin Nunez. – REUTERSPIC

MANCHESTER CITY are making progress in negotiations to bring James Trafford back from Burnley with Ederson seemingly ready to leave the Etihad following discussions about a transfer to Galatasaray. The eight-time Premier League winners have already been busy in the summer transfer window, securing five new signings. However, a new first-choice goalkeeper could be on the horizon due to Galatasaray’s interest in Ederson. The 31-year-old has engaged in talks with the Turkish giants and could be about to depart City. Last year, Ederson was strongly linked with a surprise move to the Saudi Pro League, but ultimately stayed. However, a transfer could now happen ahead of the 2025-26 season, with reports from Turkey suggesting that the Brazilian international has agreed personal terms with Galatasaray. The Turkish heavyweights are set to commence negotiations with City over a transfer fee to finalise a deal that would end Ederson’s eight-year stint in Manchester ahead of his contract expiring in 12 months’ time. Losing Ederson would be a significant setback for Pep Guardiola and City, who aim to rebound in the upcoming season after losing their title of champions to Liverpool last term. Importantly, they have already begun talks with Burnley about a deal that would see Trafford, 22, return to the Etihad two years after his permanent departure. Sky Sports have confirmed that City are attempting to negotiate the £40 million (RM232m) buy-back fee that was agreed between the two clubs in 2023 when Trafford made the move to Turf Moor. Since moving to Burnley, Trafford has emerged as one of England’s top young goalkeepers and has drawn transfer interest from Newcastle following an outstanding 2024-25 season in the Championship. Newcastle had been leading the race for Trafford despite having a £27 million (RM130m) offer for the goalkeeper rejected last month. However, City now appear to be the front-runners to sign their former academy player, who left the club without making a single senior appearance. Interestingly, Stefan Ortega, currently City’s No. 2, could be a potential option for Burnley if they lose Trafford this year. The Clarets are preparing for a return to the Premier League after finishing second in the Championship last season. – Express Newspapers

D ARWIN NUNEZ showed Liverpool manager Arne Slot that he still has plenty left to offer by scoring a hattrick in a secret pre-season friendly against Stoke City yesterday. Liverpool welcomed the Championship side to the AXA Training Centre as they continued the preparations for their Premier League title defence. Multiple reports shared that the Reds were leading Stoke 4-0 at halftime, courtesy of a goal from 16-year-old attacker Rio Ngumoha and Nunez’s hattrick. Florian Wirtz also featured before the break as he settles into life on Merseyside after joining in a £116 million (RM673m) deal from Bayer Leverkusen. The starting line-up also included captain Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah, Andy Robertson and Dominik Szoboszlai. Federico Chiesa scored in the second half as the match finished 5-0. Slot has splashed around £170 million (RM986m) on reinforcements this year, also recruiting goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili, who started, and right-back Jeremie Frimpong and left back Milos Kerkez, both substitutes. The Dutchman is on the brink of sealing his latest high-profile addition, which will see the expenditure after his successful maiden season surpass the £250 million (RM1.45b) mark. According to Fabrizio Romano, Liverpool have reached an agreement with Eintracht Frankfurt for the signing of France U-21 striker Hugo Ekitike. The 23-year-old is set to land at Anfield in a deal REAL MADRID have reportedly accelerated their interest in signing Ibrahima Konate by opening talks with Liverpool. The defender is said to have emerged as a target for the Spanish giants, who are looking to add to their existing options at the back. Konate is only tied down at Liverpool until the end of the upcoming season and is yet to sign a new deal. A move to the Bernabeu appears to be a real possibility, given that Real Madrid usually get their own way in the transfer market. They were initially expected to wait until next year, when Konate will become a free agent if he decides against extending his Liverpool stay. They reached out to the Reds early last week to discuss their interest in bringing Konate to the

Nunez issues timely reminder to Liverpool boss Slot

The Athletic are reporting that Chiesa hasn’t been included in the Premier League champions’ 29-player strong squad for their pre-season tour of Japan and Hong Kong. It’s claimed by the outlet that the official reason is that Chiesa is suffering with a fitness problem and is being assessed in Merseyside instead. Chiesa struggled for minutes during his first season in England, making just 14 appearances across all competitions. In the Premier League, the ex-Juventus ace featured six times, managing a combined total of 104 minutes and being named in the starting XI only once. It led to Chiesa being left out of the Italy squad, with rumours a return to Italy could be about to follow this yearr, just 12 months after he put pen to paper on a Premier League switch. Now, with less than a month until the new Premier League season kicks off, even more doubts surrounding Chiesa’s future have surfaced. Chiesa’s future could be influenced by the upcoming World Cup, given he was dropped from the squad during the stewardship of former Italy boss Luciano Spalletti. Commenting on his decision to leave Chiesa out of the March squad, he said: “Unfortunately, he has failed in England. “He has only played 25 minutes (at that point in the Premier League). He must be more consistent.” – Express Newspapers looking for a “new challenge” following a breakdown in talks over a new contract. He played a key role for the Merseyside giants last season as they wrapped up the Premier League title with four games to spare. The defender issued an update on his future earlier this year, saying: “You know, I just want to say one thing. “Everything you saw on social media is completely fake. I didn’t even ask for something from the club. “They made me an offer, and I replied to them… that is it. The rest (speculation) as all completely fake. “I knew people would think I didn’t want to sign the contract but I was never close to signing it. We will see what will happen.” – Express Newspapers

worth up to £82 million (RM464m) and will sign a six-year contract. Ekitike’s transfer fee is narrowly short of the club-record £85 million (RM493m) package that Liverpool agreed with Benfica for Nunez in 2022. However, the 26-year-old has not come close to justifying that price tag, earning a reputation for blunders in front of goal and other erratic decisions. Since arriving on Merseyside, Nunez has scored 40 goals in 143 appearances and did often provide Jurgen Klopp with value from the bench in his first two seasons. But the Uruguay international failed to convince Slot last term, scoring just seven goals in 47 appearances and losing the faith of many Liverpool supporters. He has enjoyed a fruitful start to pre-season, finding the net in Liverpool’s opening 3-1 victory against Preston North End on July 13. His hattrick against Stoke is another indicator that he is on a mission to prove himself, but a permanent exit still seems the likely outcome. Nunez has been linked with clubs in Saudi Arabia, Spain and Italy, and Ekitike’s arrival should accelerate any plans to cash in. For now, the Liverpool No. 9 will remain focused on making an impact as the pre-season schedule continues against AC Milan on Saturday. Chiesa, who also found the net against Stoke, has been left out of the travelling squad for this summer’s pre-season tour of the Far East. Spanish capital, according to L’Equipe . The report states that Real Madrid asked about the kind of money that would be required to secure a deal. Liverpool chiefs are said to be open to the idea of selling Konate, rather than losing him for nothing in a year’s time. It has been claimed that around £43.5 million (RM252m) would be enough to tempt the Premier League champions into doing business. They are not in the strongest position to negotiate, though. Real Madrid can simply wait until Konate’s contract expires before snapping him up on a free transfer, meaning it could be in Liverpool’s interest to take whatever they can get. It was reported last month that Konate was

Madrid show interest in defender Konate