This week is guaranteed to be busy both on and off the field for Aston Villa who are attempting to finalise things in the January transfer window after a dismal 3-1 defeat to Newcastle United.

Fortunately, Unai Emery has confirmed that outgoings and incomings are on the agenda.

Indeed, they do look as though they are finally set to conclude one deal with Morgan Rogers on his way to Villa Park, as per Fabrizio Romano. However, Villa's hunt for reinforcements won't stop at the Middlesbrough star in 2024.

A record-breaking move for Aston Villa

According to Portuguese newspaper O Jogo, via Sport Witness, Aston Villa are still interested in signing Pedro Goncalves.

The 25-year-old has a £68m release clause in his contract, which runs until 2027. That would make him a club-record buy following the purchase of £51.9m Moussa Diaby last summer.

As a result, unless significant outgoings occur before the deadline, any deal for Goncalves will have to be completed in the summer.

How Pedro Goncalves compares to Bruno Fernandes

Today, Bruno Fernandes is regarded as one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, as highlighted by the fact he created the most big chances in the entire division last campaign.

Since his move to Manchester United for an initial fee of £46.5m in January 2020, the Portugal international has become the United captain and registered 130 goal contributions in 214 games.

Another midfielder who is a creative master and could follow in the same footsteps as Fernandes by swapping Lisbon for England in January is Goncalves, and Emery will be hoping that the Portuguese dynamo could have a similar impact on his team.

Therefore, let's look at Goncalves' style of play and his statistics from the 2023/24 Liga Portugal season. His percentages below account for where he ranks among positionally similar players in the Portuguese top flight.

Goals

0.40

Top 15%

Assists

0.40

Top 7%

Shots total

3.20

Top 11%

Key passes

2.29

Top 11%

Progressive passes

6.12

Top 11%

Tackles

1.60

Top 19%

On the evidence of the above, it is easy to see why Football Talent Scout Jacek Kulig has dubbed Goncalves the "new Bruno Fernandes," with the 25-year-old boasting incredible goal-scoring and assist statistics.

Although he has been excellent this season with 11 goals and ten assists, what's most impressive is the fact that he's performed at this level for years, as highlighted by his astounding 113 goal contributions in 159 games for Sporting.

Furthermore, the former Wolves gem, who's been labelled "phenomenal" by football analyst Antonio Mango, is one of the most versatile players in Europe, as this season he has played on both wings, as an attacking midfielder, a box-to-box centre midfielder, and even a defensive midfielder.

Goncalves' intelligence, work rate, and ability to get stuck in allow him to do this, which would make him a perfect fit for Emery's side, who play with intensity and positional freedom in the midfield.

This versatility means he could feature as the second striker just behind Ollie Watkins, in the inverting left-midfield role that John McGinn operates in, or even next to Boubacar Kamara as a direct replacement for Douglas Luiz, who could be on the move this summer.

As you can see, Goncalves' skillset is very similar to the creative marvel that is Fernandes, and he could just become Villa's own version of United's number eight. Although the fee is rather steep, his quality and vast attributes make it seem like fair value.

The USMNT Under-23s turned in a poor showing in a 2-0 loss to Japan in a disappointing final warm-up game before the Paris Olympics.

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USMNT conceded in 6th, 69th minutes Hosts managed just two shotsOlympics kick off on July 24WHAT HAPPENED?

The US endured a discouraging final contest before Olympic play starts, and didn't put up much of a fight against their visitors. A group consisting largely of U-23 players didn't manage a shot on target in an underwhelming loss on American soil.

AdvertisementDenny MedleyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The USMNT have historically had difficulty qualifying for the Olympics, and will appear in their first summer tournament since 2008 when play kicks off at the end of July. The nation is yet to win an Olympic medal on the men's side.

WHAT MARKO MITROVIC SAID

US head coach Mark Mitrovic lamented his team's poor showing after the game, saying: "Since we started this process eight months ago, this was, I would say, the lowest performance by far that we had. I strongly believe that this group can do much better than they showed today."

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Denny MedleyWHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT?

The US is out of time to prepare for the tournament. Rosters are due to be finalized in early July, and they will have to find some sort of form ahead of their opener against favourites France on July 24.

After winning the Europa Conference League last season, West Ham United were expected to be challenging for Europa League spots by the end of the current campaign.

At the moment, the London-based club currently find themselves residing in seventh-place, just two points behind Manchester United.

This is a massive upheaval in form as, last season, despite winning a European trophy, The Hammers only survived relegation to the Championship by six points.

In order to try and cement their Premier League status during the 2023/24 season, David Moyes sanctioned a massive overhaul of his squad, which included selling academy graduate, Declan Rice to Arsenal for a fee worth around £105m.

This massive injection of money allowed West Ham to spend around £117m to bolster their team. The summer transfer window included the likes of Mohamed Kudus and James Ward-Prowse joining the club for fees worth over £30m.

However, after the season got started following the end of the summer transfer window, it felt as if something was missing from Moyes' squad.

That is despite Ward-Prowse proving that his transfer fee of £30m was an absolute steal. The former Southampton man has managed to contribute to a total of 15 goals across all competitions thus far.

Despite the midfielder exceeding what was expected of him following last season's 16 goal contributions for Southampton, the centre of West Ham's team seemed to lack stability and needed somebody to come in and help Edson Alvarez with the defensive-midfield duties.

So, in the January transfer window, Moyes struck a deal with Manchester City and gained the services of Kalvin Phillips on loan until the end of the season.

How Kalvin Phillips has performed at his new club

Despite Phillips' addition being a statement signing for the Hammers, his move to the London-based club has left a lot to be desired so far.

During his debut for the club, he was taken off in the 68th minute after making an error which allowed Bournemouth to capitalise and score their only goal of the game.

His second game for West Ham came against Manchester United, where he was only brought on in the 72nd minute. Despite coming on late into the second half, Phillips was once again at fault when he lost the ball in the centre of the park as Alejandro Garnacho eventually scored.

These errors that the defensive-midfielder has made could've potentially been avoided if Moyes had decided to entrust academy graduate, Lewis Orford.

The youngster signed his first professional deal with West Ham last February and has been in stellar form for the U21s this season but hasn't been seen in the first-team picture. Instead, a move for Phillips in January was preferred. He may well come good but those valuable minutes could have been handed to Orford.

Who is Lewis Orford?

Orford is a defensive midfielder who has been with West Ham since the age of five. The youngster's talents have been likened to that of Rice by The Guardian with his range of passing also being 'beyond his years.'

In a feature, writer John Brewin said: 'His height reminds of Rice and Carrick though he exhibits a greater turn of pace than either, with a range of passing beyond his years that has made him the Hammers’ U18 playmaker.'

The talented midfielder was also included in West Ham's first-team when they played against FCSB in the group stage of the Europa Conference League and has already been in the matchday squad on three occasions this term.

As the transfer of Phillips is yet to make a noticeable difference to West Ham's results, it could've been worthwhile for the club to have given the playing time to an academy player such as Orford instead.

As per Transfermarkt, Orford has played a total of 19 games this season for West Ham's youth setup and has contributed to eight goals. Perhaps not as defensive-minded as Phillips, it's clear he can play a pivotal part, notably in the final third.

Indeed, an extended run in the first team could've been highly beneficial for the youngsters' development and would've allowed Moyes to mould Orford into the player he desires.

Leeds United's immensely strong bench helped the West Yorkshire titans to overcome Plymouth Argyle in the end, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter showing their class late on to ensure Daniel Farke's men pulled off a 4-1 win in the FA Cup replay.

Leeds hotshot Mateo Joseph was chosen to lead the line in a rotated XI from the German boss, but failed to really make an impact in Devon before the usually reliable first-team suspects bailed the Whites out in extra time.

Patrick Bamford was also afforded a run-out at Home Park when Farke rolled the dice to make sure his side didn't crash out of the cup, but the 47-year-old boss could well have had this dangerous and exciting attacker at his disposal last night if the Whites pushed harder in the transfer window.

Over time, the skilful striker in question could have even been a natural successor to a waning Bamford and would have understandably unsettled Joseph traversing that difficult leap from youth football to the senior set-up.

When Leeds wanted to sign Ali Al-Hamadi

An in-demand striker from a whole host of EFL clubs in the window – with Ipswich Town beating all the competition to land his signature – Ali-Al Hamadi could have given Leeds something fresh and exciting up top.

The 21-year-old, who is a fully-fledged Iraq international, shone in League Two this season for AFC Wimbledon and represents a shrewd capture for Kieran McKenna's men who desperately needed new bodies in the striker spots at Portman Road.

The Whites would feel aggrieved that they weren't the party who won the former Dons man owing to the supposed transfer fee the Tractor Boys paid to land the 6 foot 2 attacker.

Ipswich only forked out an alleged £1m to land an attacker who can only get better transitioning to the demands of the second tier after setting the world alight in League Two.

Farke might well have looked at his current striker options and deemed Al-Hamadi a transfer not worth pursuing after all.

Yet, if the ex-Wimbledon attacker can fire Ipswich to promotion at the expense of the Whites – alongside another failed Leeds target in Kieffer Moore leading the line – the German manager could well be filled with regret.

Ali Al-Hamadi's numbers at Wimbledon

It was clear from his time with the Dons this campaign that Al-Hamadi was beginning to outgrow League Two, making goalscoring and creating chances for his fellow teammates at Plough Lane look effortless.

This season alone, the Iraqi striker had scored 17 goals from 30 games in all competitions alongside notching up an impressive eight assists to showcase his unselfish side away from just finishing chances.

Described as being a "sensational" signing by football analyst Tom Williams when his move to Ipswich was confirmed, only time will tell if Al-Hamadi can live up to the hype surrounding him.

Al-Hamadi theoretically could have come into the Leeds team and shaken things up as a result, pushing Bamford down the pecking order despite the one-time England senior international experiencing a mini purple patch recently.

Bagging four goals from five matches to kickstart his 2024 made Bamford a first-team presence again, but at 30 years of age, looking towards the future with Al-Hamadi walking in through the door would have been a smart purchase to make.

Known for having horrific luck with injuries too, everything points in the direction that signing the 21-year-old to come in and battle with Bamford made perfect sense in the window.

The new Ipswich number 16 even proved himself to be a handful on his Tractor Boys debut away at Deepdale, missing a big chance in the contest despite only being on the pitch for a slim total of eight minutes.

With Joseph also yet to score in senior football from 16 first-team opportunities to date, Leeds could well live to rue not going after Al-Hamadi with more purpose in the window, especially with the cut-price Ipswich managed to pay to win the services of the up-and-coming attacker.

Announcement comes following the BCB’s monitoring and assessment of the security situation in Sri Lanka

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2019Bangladesh’s planned tour of Sri Lanka at the end of July will go ahead, though marginally behind schedule, Sri Lanka Cricket announced via a statement on Monday.The confirmation had been on hold since May, when, in the wake of the terror attacks across Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday the previous month, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had said that it would need to monitor the security situation before taking a decision.”We are concerned about the scenario,” BCB chief executive Nizam Chowdhury had said on May 7. “We will take advice from our foreign ministry and the Bangladesh High Commission in Sri Lanka.”We are also likely to hold talks with the SLC during the Asian Cricket Council meeting later this month.”The decision to go ahead with the tour is likely to have been taken after a great deal of thought on the part of the BCB, given the terror attacks in Christchurch in March, where some Bangladesh players had come perilously close to being caught in the middle of a shooting incident. That tour of New Zealand had been immediately called off with two matches still to play. It is understood that the BCB has assessed security risks ahead of this tour and the close monitoring is what caused the delay in the confirmation.”We have done our security assessment and we wanted to play all the games in Colombo,” Jalal Yunus, the BCB’s media director, told ESPNcricinfo, adding, “we are ready to go ahead with the tour.”The series will comprise three ODIs, the first on July 26, instead of the original date of July 25. The following two ODIs will now be played on July 28 and July 31 respectively, before Bangladesh depart on August 1. All three ODIs are day-night fixtures and will take place in Colombo.

It is believed a manager's agents are "pushing hard" for him to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, with the Argentine under mounting pressure after back-to-back Premier League defeats.

Pochettino pleads for time amid Chelsea backlash

On Tuesday, Pochettino attempted to quell the negativity surrounding his club after real backlash, with supporters booing Chelsea off in both halves of their dismal 4-2 defeat to Wolves at Stamford Bridge last weekend.

Related Boehly and Eghbali hold internal talks as Chelsea weigh Pochettino decision

The club’s form simply hasn’t been good enough.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Feb 6, 2024

The former Spurs boss was adamant that Chelsea need leeway to continue building a project amid this difficult period for the two-time Champions League winners who've spent over £1 billion since Clearlake Capital's takeover in 2022.

“We need time and people need to understand why we need time,” said Pochettino on Chelsea's form.

Chelsea's worst-performing players per 90 in the league this season, with over 10 appearances

Match Rating (via WhoScored)

Lesley Ugochukwu

6.20

Noni Madueke

6.47

Malo Gusto

6.50

Mykhailo Mudryk

6.55

Axel Disasi

6.63

“It’s about creating a team. It’s like building a house. You need to be sure of all the steps you take. We are building from zero. Always it takes time. Look at the project of Manchester City or Liverpool. It’s always about time and a very clear leadership like Pep [Guardiola] or Jürgen [Klopp]. It’s so clear from there you build these projects.

“I think we are all together in this and that’s important. I received a very good text from [the owners]. Of course I am in contact with them and the sporting director every day.”

While Pochettino also moved to quash rumours of an imminent departure, that hasn't exactly stopped certain top coaches in the beautiful game from eyeing the Chelsea hot seat in case he's given his marching orders.

The west Londoners face an all-important next few games, including an EFL Cup final against Liverpool, and this run of highly-anticipated fixtures could well determine whether Pochettino is given license to continue building his long-term project.

Jose Mourinho's agents "lobbying hard" for Chelsea job

According to reliable Chelsea journalist Simon Phillips, writing via his Substack, a very familiar name in Jose Mourinho is apparently monitoring Pochettino's situation with great care.

It is believed Mourinho's agents are "lobbying hard" for Chelsea to consider him, with the former two-time Chelsea boss being a fan favourite after successful spells in past years.

Mourinho has been floated as a potential Chelsea managerial candidate this week, and there are reasons for the club to at least consider him.

The Portuguese's trophy cabinet is full to bursting after a decorated career at the top level. West Ham boss David Moyes is among his admirers, having called Mourinho a "serial winner" when commenting on the tactician's Conference League success with Roma.

"I want to try and take it a couple of steps further, and I would refer back to the serial winner Jose Mourinho – who found winning this trophy so special for him and his football club," said Moyes on Mourinho's Conference League success at Roma.

"If ever I needed someone to show how hard it is, it would be Jose. He treated it as if it was so important, there's no way we're treating it any less than that."

MatériaMais Notícias

O São Paulo anunciou na tarde desta terça-feira (30), a contratação do meia William, de 34 anos, que estava no Toluca-MEX. O jogadorassinou contrato até o final da temporada, com a possibilidade de renovação por mais um ano.

Dez anos do gol 100: Relembre 10 gols marcantes da carreira de Rogério Ceni

William já vinha treinando com o elenco nos últimos dias, mas esperava algumas burocracias para ser anunciado pelo clube do Morumbi. Ele já realizou os exames médicos na capital paulista e está integrado ao elenco de Hernán Crespo.

CONFIRA A TABELA ATUALIZADA DO CAMPEONATO PAULISTA DE 2021

RelacionadasSão PauloPaulinho Boia, do São Paulo, avança em recuperação de artroscopiaSão Paulo30/03/2021São PauloApós caso de doping e dois gols marcados, Carneiro deixa o São PauloSão Paulo30/03/2021São PauloBelmonte explica contratação de William no São Paulo e revela ‘ajuda’ de VolpiSão Paulo16/03/2021

William iniciou sua carreira nas categorias de base do Juventus, mas foi realmente nas categorias de base do Palmeiras que o atleta destacou-se. Após se recuperar do problema cardíaco, retornou ao futebol em 2006, e em 2007, começou bem o ano, após marcar dois gols na estreia do Palmeiras no Paulistão.

✍️ São Paulo define a contratação de William

Meio-campista assinou contrato até o fim da temporada

Saiba mais > https://t.co/zGoJuDzCJ9#VamosSãoPaulo 🇾🇪 pic.twitter.com/9BlX18pBXY

— São Paulo FC (@SaoPauloFC) March 30, 2021

Ele teve passagens por diversos clubes brasileiros, como Goiás, Náutico e Joiville. Logo depois, se transferiu ao Busan IPark, da Coréia do Sul. Passou ainda pelo futebol mexicano, jogando no Querétaro, América e Toluca, seu último clube.

Em 2021, o meia disputou dois dos seis jogos do Toluca, todos entrando na segunda etapa, diante do Querétaro e do Tijuana.

From landing a dream NWSL move to making her Australia debut in Sam Kerr's iconic jersey, it's been some year already for the 24-year-old

There are whirlwinds and there is Kaitlyn Torpey’s 2024. When the year kicked off, she was still playing in her native Australia, still waiting for the right offer to take her career overseas and still pushing for that first Matildas call-up. In the space of just nine days in February, that all changed. Now, she can call herself a team-mate of stars like Alex Morgan, Caitlin Foord, Jaedyn Shaw and, when she returns from injury, Sam Kerr.

“It still doesn't really feel real,” Torpey tells GOAL from San Diego, having signed for the Wave, the 2023 NWSL Shield winners, earlier this year. “It still hasn't really hit me where I am. It's been great. I don't know when it will actually feel like, 'Okay, this is real life and this is happening'. It's been a whirlwind and I'm just living my dream and that's all I can ask for.”

Things are set to get better yet, too. Having boxed off her first title with the Wave in March with the Challenge Cup, despite only having five caps to her name, Torpey has secured a spot on the plane to France for when Australia flies out for the Olympic women’s football tournament this summer. It’s just another sprinkle of surrealism on top of six sensational months.

• USA TODAY Sports
  

  Big move

  The catalyst for it all came just before Christmas when Torpey heard that a club in the U.S. was interested in her. “I had no idea what team or whether it was even in the top league or anything,” Torpey tells GOAL. At that point she was a seasoned A-League Women’s player, in her eighth campaign in Australia’s top-flight, but was still playing National Premier League football during the off-season, that the regional second-tier, still waiting for her big move abroad.

  “I think that I was ready for it,” she remembers. “I didn't want to leave just for a mediocre offer, a not-as-good overseas club or league to play in. But this opportunity, I felt like I couldn't say no. It was such a big league, it's one of the top two leagues that I wanted to go to in the world. Wave won it last year so they are an amazing team with amazing facilities and everything. For me, there was no hesitation to leave. It's obviously, personally, a massive move, it's my first move overseas, but I was ready to go the next step and push myself and push myself for the national team as well.”

Advertisement

• Getty Images
  

  Faultless first impression

  One of the biggest reasons this move was seen as a no-brainer was Wave head coach Casey Stoney. After speaking with the former England star for the first time, Torpey said to her agent: “I can't see anything that's wrong with this. I can't see a fault in this move.”

  “The one thing I really loved about her is that she said, straight away, 'Okay, I know where your strengths are, but I also know where your weaknesses are and what we want to work on'. And she named them,” the 24-year-old recalls. “And that's what's happening now. I felt straight away, 'Okay, I'm going to improve as a player under an amazing coach like Casey'.

  “I think the best thing about her is that you don't have to be playing for her to give you her full attention. Even when I don't play or don't get as many minutes, she will sit with me through game film each week if I want to, and then we'll do extras after training and we work on really specific things just for me. It's not like she's just handing me over to an assistant coach or anyone else. She's like, 'No, you and me are going to do this' and she always makes time for me. That's been one of the biggest things that I love about working with her.”

• USA Today Sports
  

  Learning from the best

  As a former defender, Stoney has been able to give Torpey, who can play full-back or winger on either side, a few pointers – and the players she comes up against every day in training also help, without even knowing it. Torpey remembers her first session with the Wave and going up against Shaw, the exciting young United States women’s national team star. “I was like, ‘Okay, this is where you know where the standards are’,” she says.

  “She's obviously an amazing player, but everyone [is]. If you make one mistake, it can lead to a goal in training and that's why it's so good because you learn so much. In the last two to three months, I've probably learned more than I ever have on the football side of the game. Casey's a big reason for it, but it's also because the players around me are world-class and everyone has a name and everyone's got a bit of fame here. It's great. I'm learning so much and that's exactly why I wanted to come here.”

  In Sofia Jakobsson and Kyra Carusa, Torpey has been coming up against two forwards who played at last year’s World Cup, and there is no introduction needed for Morgan, the captain of this team who was also at that tournament. The two-time world champion has a great reputation with nurturing young forwards and there are ways she has been able to aid a promising defender like Torpey, too.

  “She’s said a few things that have really helped, but it's also just having a quality player like that running at you,” the Australia international explains. “Yesterday in training we were going at it and I had to tackle her a few times and she was so class with everything. She's such a hard player to mark. She doesn't even need to say anything for me to learn from her, just defending her is enough.”

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• USA TODAY Sports
  

  Bringing plenty to the table

  There is plenty of star quality in San Diego on the defensive side as well, with a World Cup winner in Abby Dahlkemper and the exceptional Naomi Girma, and their direction has been useful for someone with Torpey’s skillset. The 24-year-old can be thrown into a number of positions, so having players like that around her as she settles into a match in a different role is a bonus.

  “It's been so helpful when I sub into games to have leaders at the back like Abby and Naomi, they've been massive. As soon as I step onto the field, I feel like, 'Okay, I'm covered either way', whether it's covered from the wing or covered from my center-backs,” Torpey says. “They talk to me so much and that's one of the biggest differences I've felt. In this team, everyone communicates and everyone's a leader so it makes it so easy to just slot right in and feel at home straightaway.”

  Constantly being able to switch positions is something Torpey admits can be a lot of work, requiring extra study, film and time with the coaches to go through how it changes her set-pieces roles, for example. However, she loves that, she’ll “do anything” to get on the pitch and she recognises that such versatility is “one of the best assets” she has.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe reportedly wants to bring a "future icon" to the club in the near future, personally picking him out as a target for the Magpies in 2024.

Newcastle transfer news

Newcastle will be desperate to get some incoming transfer business done during the January window, with so many players linked with moves to St James' Park of late, but FFP difficulties making business hard. In defence, Lazio ace Alessio Romagnoli has been backed to seal a move to Newcastle, while Sporting CP centre-back Goncalo Inacio has also been touted as a target in recent months, with the pair both highly-rated players with a lot of their careers ahead of them.

Further up the pitch, Atalanta defensive midfielder Ederson is seen as someone who could come in and add quality in the middle of the park, and Bayern Munich superstar Joshua Kimmich is considered an ambitious option.

Howe wants Benjamin Sesko at Newcastle

According to a fresh update from Football Transfers, Newcastle boss Howe wants to bring RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko to the club this summer.

"Newcastle have set their sights on RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko as a primary target for the upcoming summer transfer window, FootballTransfers has been told. The talented young forward caught the attention of Newcastle's scouting team when he was playing for RB Salzburg and now there is belief that a deal could be done with the forward playing second fiddle to Lois Openda in Germany.

"We are told Eddie Howe, who is keen on bolstering his squad for the upcoming season, has identified the 20-year-old as one of the club's major targets. Sesko has impressed during his time with RB Leipzig and it's thought that the Austrian could be competition for Alexander Isak in the upcoming seasons, with Callum Wilson’s future uncertain."

Slovenia

25

10

RB Leipzig

24

7

RB Salzburg

79

29

FC Liefering

44

22

Sesko is a player of immense promise, having already made such an impact in European football at the age of just 20, scoring 29 goals in 79 appearances for RB Salzburg, and now seven in 25 in a Leipzig shirt. There is also the small matter of netting 10 times in 24 caps for Slovenia, showing that he is making a big impression on the international stage, too.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig has described the young striker as a "future icon", which highlights just how highly he is regarded in some quarters, and he could be a perfect replacement for Callum Wilson.

Newcastle receive approach for "hugely important" star alongside Trippier

The Magpies hero in question could now be sold.

ByHenry Jackson Jan 21, 2024

Sesko is someone who Newcastle should go all in for at the end of the season, seeing him as a massive part of their future. If they miss out on him, it could be one that they regret further down the line.

ينافس نادي آرسنال الإنجليزي بجدية على صفقة مميزة من الدوري الألماني، وفقًا لتقارير صحفية.

ويسعى آرسنال لتعزيز صفوفه باستمرار تحت قيادة مدربه الإسباني ميكيل أرتيتا، لضمان استمرارية المنافسة أمام فرق الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز وعلى رأسهم مانشستر سيتي.

وبحسب صحيفة “بيلد” الألمانية، آرسنال الإنجليزي أبدى اهتمامه بالتعاقد مع لاعب وسط فريق باير ليفركوزن فلوريان فيرتز.

وكان فيرتز مرتبطًا بالعديد من الأندية الكبرى في بداية الصيف لكنه اختار البقاء مع باير ليفركوزن.

اقرأ أيضًا | لخلافة محمد صلاح.. ليفربول يفاضل بين 4 بدائل بينهم هدف برشلونة

ووفقًا لصحيفة “بيلد”، من المتوقع أن يترك فيرتز فريقه ليفركوزن في الصيف المقبل مع سعي ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي بقوة للتعاقد مع اللاعب.

وأفادت الصحيفة الألمانية بأن آرسنال منافس جاد على صفقة فيرتز بعد انسحاب باريس سان جيرمان من السباق.

ويذكر التقرير أن آرسنال ملتزم تمامًا بالمفاوضات ويسعى بجدية لحسم التعاقد لصالحه أمام أنظار ريال مدريد ومانشستر سيتي.

ويتمسك باير ليفركوزن بمبلغ قدره 150 مليون يورو لبيع فيرتز، ومع ذلك، تأمل الأندية في التوصل إلى اتفاق يقارب 100 مليون يورو.