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Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk has ruled out returning to the Eredivisie when he rounds off his illustrious career.

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Van Dijk signs new Liverpool dealTouches on life after the RedsRules out Eredivisie returnFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Netherlands international Van Dijk began his career at Groningen in the Dutch top-flight but the 33-year-old, who has spent seven years at Liverpool, made it clear he will not be returning to that league before he hangs up his boots.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT VAN DIJK SAID

He told Voetbal International: "I am very clear about that: I will not return to the Netherlands. I started here, and that was very important to me. I am very clear that I do not want to return to the Eredivisie. I am quite proud of my career so far and I think that finishing in the Eredivisie is not an option."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Van Dijk signed a new two-year deal to extend his stay at Anfield until the summer of 2027, ending speculation about a possible Liverpool exit. After starring at Celtic, Southampton, and the Reds, it seems the big defender is focusing on playing at the highest level for as long as he can, rather than returning to the Eredivisie. It remains to be seen what he will do next when his contract with the Merseyside outfit expires, though.

Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Van Dijk, who played a vital role in Liverpool's Premier League title triumph this season, could represent his country against Malta in their next 2026 World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, before heading off on his summer break.

David Moyes has been nothing short of a revelation since returning to the Everton dugout in January after nearly 12 years away, with Saturday’s salvaged draw against West Ham United making it eight games unbeaten in the Premier League.

14th in the standings, relegation fears feel a long time ago, the Toffees now looking to create a base from which future successes can be achieved.

West Ham, with whom Moyes lifted the Conference League in 2022/23, changed their fortunes at the pit of the Premier League with the Scotsman in place, and The Friedkin Group will no doubt harbour early excitement that a similar rise can be achieved on Merseyside, at Bramley Moore.

Moyes has reportedly been informed he will hold the keys to the transfer chest this summer, and while there are certainly areas already in need of investment this summer, Everton already boast several stars threatening to make plenty of noise in higher spheres in the top-flight over the coming years.

Everton's most valuable players under David Moyes

Everton’s market business while controlled by Farhad Moshiri left plenty to be desired, with relegation concerns seemingly an every-year issue in recent times.

But while TFG, Moyes and incoming Director of Football Angus Kinnear herald a new era at Bramley Moore, there are of course some stars who stand out above the rest and could remain important parts of the second Moyes era.

Jarrad Branthwaite stands out chief among them.

Everton rejected a series of offers from Manchester United for their prized defender, staying firm on their £75m valuation. Top clubs will be sure to return in the future, a marker of the young Lion’s potential.

Further up the field, Iliman Ndiaye is the cream of last summer’s recruitment, joining from Marseille for £15m and scoring eight goals from 28 matches this season, including three in a row to help Moyes toward his brilliant start.

Were suitors to emerge this year, you’d bank on the Blues fielding enquiries with a far higher financial floor, if at all.

The goals may have dried up for Beto over the past few weeks, but his upswung form since January has reminded the Everton faithful of the thrill of having a powerful and prolific goalscorer.

That £26m fee paid to Udinese in August 2023 is beginning to become more understandable, with potential interest this summer likely to be turned away without some willingness to enter that ballpark.

Though he’s not properly on the books yet, Moyes might just have struck gold with another rising star, one who was picked to be a part of the fledgling project by the man himself and may become one of the most valuable members.

Moyes can strike gold with Everton's rising star

Remarkably, Moyes has transformed Everton since replacing the resigned Sean Dyche three months ago with nominal spending in the winter window, instead polishing and re-energising his existing options.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?Override

Alcaraz had had previous experience in the Premier League with Southampton in 2022/23, suffering relegation but demonstrating his budding ability after scoring four goals and laying on two assists across 13 starting appearances.

But since making his mark with a goal and assist apiece against Crystal Palace in early February, the 22-year-old has proved he is a more complete player, bringing a combative streak to match his natural danger in attacking situations.

As per Sofascore, he’s completed 60% of his dribbles, averaged 3.6 successful duels and 1.6 key passes per game while also completing 83% of his passes.

Described as a “special talent” by journalist Antonio Mango, Alcaraz’s tactical flexibility was one of the major selling points when he was welcomed in January, initially brought in on loan from Brazilian Serie A side Flamengo, with a mandatory £12m purchase clause active at the end of the campaign.

It’s early days yet, but tying him down with such a small price tag might prove to be a bona fide bargain down the line. While still at Southampton, Alcaraz moved on loan to Juventus for the second half of the 2023/24 term, with an option to sign him for £40m.

This didn’t come to fruition, but it still stands as a yardstick for the South American’s potential, something that may even be realised in the conditions created at Everton since Moyes’ arrival.

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His versatility is a massive plus. Alcaraz enjoyed success against the Irons on Saturday, creating three key passes, making three tackles and winning nine duels, as per Sofascore, compensating for continued injury absences as Jesper Lindstrom dropped to the bench.

Owing to his technical quality and invariably tenacious approach, the Argentina talent may still be a loanee but he’s proving the £12m investment may well be worth it, in fact proving to be a shrewd deal indeed in the future.

If he can put in the hard work, Alcaraz may even become more valuable than the lion’s share of Everton’s standout players, eclipsing the worth of those such as Beto.

Alvarez might have missed a gilt-edged chance in the closing stages against West Ham, but his performances since joining from Brazil have suggested he has what it takes to become a high-class midfielder in the Premier League.

The Liverpool Echo’s Chris Beesley still felt it was just to hand him a healthy 7/10 match score, praising the ‘glimpses of quality’ that bespeak a potential future in some high-level conversations.

Juventus have already been interested in snapping him up for a £40m figure, and if he continues to show his skills as he has been doing, getting him down as a permanent part of this fast-changing Everton squad seems like a no-brainer.

More clinical than DCL: Everton now in huge race for "fantastic" £17m gem

He’s a man in-demand…

ByTom Cunningham Mar 16, 2025

Amad Diallo believes that, after coming through some testing times at Manchester United, he can become "one of the best in the world".

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• Winger joined Red Devils in 2021
• Had to be patient waiting for breakthrough
• Boasts full support of fans & Amorim

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Time is still on the Ivory Coast international’s side when it comes to realising that dream, as he will turn 23 this summer. His character and ability have already faced plenty of challenges en route to reaching this stage of his career.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Amad, who joined United in 2021, initially found it difficult to make a breakthrough at Old Trafford – leading to loan spells at Rangers and Sunderland being taken in. Even after impressing there, injuries and a lack of trust from a succession of coaches continued to hold him back.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The tricky winger has, however, enjoyed a productive 2024-25 campaign after earning favour under Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim – with 41 appearances being taken in ahead of the Europa League final on Wednesday.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT AMAD DIALLO SAID

  Amad has told the of remaining patient as Ten Hag and Co overlooked him: “I need the game time to show I can play for this club. In that moment, I was a little bit frustrated because you can understand sometimes maybe you deserve to play and you don't play. You have a little bit of frustration. But I think now it's because the manager believes in me. He believes in my potential. I'm trying to repay his confidence every time I'm on the pitch.

  “Honestly, Erik helped me a lot. He was giving me a lot of advice, even when I wasn't playing. He was telling me to train very hard every time. That's the most important thing when a manager keeps telling you to train hard, even if you don't play. So I kept training very hard, very hard. I think this season, at the beginning, I was playing a lot with him. I want to thank him again for the opportunity he gave me and I want to wish him all the best.”

  He added on his hopes for the future, with there still plenty of potential to be unlocked in his game: “I believe in my potential. I believe I can be one of the best in the world. I just have to give my best every game. That's it. But I think I believe in my potential."

Former club captain retires from first-class and List A cricket to join coaching staff

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Dec-2023

Steven Croft will continue to play T20 for Lancashire•Getty Images

Former Lancashire captain Steven Croft has signed a T20-only playing deal for 2024 and will move on to the club’s coaching staff full time.Croft, 39, will embark on a 21st season as a player while continuing his transition into a coaching career, having been part of the staff for last season’s One-Day Cup.He has also officially retired first-class and List A cricket, bringing down the curtain on a red-ball career that included hitting the runs to secure Lancashire the County Championship title in 2011. In 212 first-class matches, Croft scored almost 10,000 runs, while adding another 4800 in one-day cricket.”This is something that has been an ambition of mine for a while, when I started to think about my post playing career, and I am delighted to have the opportunity to start my coaching career with Lancashire – a club which has given me and my family so much over the last 20 years,” Croft said.”The timing feels right to call time on playing first-class and List A cricket, especially with the number of talented players we have in contention for places, but I will also be ready and looking forward to helping the team in T20 cricket again next season.”I have some amazing memories from my playing career – topped by winning the County Championship in 2011 – and it was an honour to captain the Red Rose for a couple of seasons too.”Croft, club captain between 2016 and 2018, also led Lancashire to the T20 Blast title in 2015 and most recently helped the club to Finals Day in 2022. He has scored more than 5000 runs in the format, to go with 78 wickets.Lancashire director of cricket performance, Mark Chilton, said: “Steven has been a wonderful servant to Lancashire Cricket for over 20 years now and we are delighted that will continue, albeit in a different capacity, as he moves into a coaching role with the club.”This is something that Steven has been working towards for a while and he has coached with our Academy and age group players in recent years before joining the coaching staff during this summer’s Metro Bank One-Day Cup.”He will also continue to be available in T20 cricket next season and I know that he will be keen to continue contributing towards wins as a player.”

That meant his trip to Dhaka to train with his childhood mentor was cut down to two days from the three he had initially planned

Mohammad Isam26-Oct-2023

Shakib Al Hasan has not been in batting form so far this World Cup•AFP/Getty Images

Shakib Al Hasan returned to Bangladesh’s World Cup camp in Kolkata on Thursday evening, cutting short his three-day Dhaka trip to two days. Shakib had gone to Dhaka on October 25 to have a nets session with his childhood mentor Nazmul Abedeen Fahim.Bangladesh trained at Eden Gardens on Wednesday under lights, without Shakib of course, who had taken the evening flight from Dhaka. He reached the team hotel around 8.45pm where the team manager Rabeed Imam received him. Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, on his way out to dinner, also met Shakib at the reception.According to the team management, Shakib didn’t tell them that he was returning home for cricketing reasons. Team director Khaled Mahmud, who is the head of the Bangladesh delegation in India, said that Shakib had said it was for “personal reasons” that he was going to Dhaka from Mumbai the day after their 149-run defeat to South Africa.”We have no idea about this,” Mahmud had told the Dhaka-based on Wednesday. “He may have gone to Fahim since he is not batting well. But we didn’t know about this. [Wednesday] was travel and rest day. [Thursday] is optional training. That’s why coach gave him the two-day break. He said that he had some personal matters in Dhaka. We know that much only.”Shakib reached Dhaka on Wednesday morning, going straight to the Shere Bangla National Stadium nets where Fahim met him. Shakib batted under his watch for three hours.Shakib has struggled with the bat at this World Cup, having scored just 56 runs in four innings. He has taken six wickets so far.Bangladesh have an afternoon training session in Kolkata on October 27, with the match against Netherlands on the following day.

أعلن نادي بيراميدز عن التعاقد مع صفقة مميزة، تصارع عليها الأهلي والزمالك، لتدعيم صفوف الفريق الأول لكرة القدم، خلال فترة الانتقالات الصيفية الجارية.

ويضع بيراميدز برئاسة ممدوح عيد خطة لدعم الفريق بأفضل العناصر والصفقات استعدادًا للموسم الجديد.

طالع| بيراميدز يسدد القسط الأخير من صفقة عبد الرحمن مجدي لـ الإسماعيلي “مبكرًا”

ويشارك بيراميدز في عدد من البطولات المحلية والقارية بخلاف المشاركة في النسخة الجديدة من بطولة كأس الإنتركونتيننتال التي ينظمها الاتحاد الدولي لكرة القدم، فيفا، بوصفه بطل قارة أفريقيا.

ونجح نادي بيراميدز في التعاقد مع مصطفى عبد الرؤوف (زيكو) من صفوف زد في صفقة انتقال قوية لدعم صفوف الفريق والخط الهجومي.

مصطفى زيكو من مواليد 27 أبريل عام 1997، وبدأ مشواره مع كرة القدم في صفوف نادي جمهورية شبين، قبل أن ينتقل إلى حرس الحدود ومنه إلى زد.

وسبق وأن خاض مصطفى زيكو 82 مباراة في الدوري المصري الممتاز، سجل خلالها 23 هدفًا بالإضافة إلى صناعة 6 أهداف أخرى، مع الأندية التي لعب لها، ويمتاز بالمهارة والسرعة كلاعب جناح أو مساند لخط الهجوم.

يذكر أن مصطفى زيكو هو ثاني صفقات بيراميدز خلال انتقالات الصيف بعد التعاقد مع الجناح البرازيلي إيفرتون داسيلفا قادمًا من ناادي بانيك أوسترافا التشيكي.

Unbeaten 92 condemns Kent to one-wicket loss off penultimate ball at Canterbury

ECB Reporters Network17-Aug-2023

Matt Montgomery produced a magnificent matchwinning 92 not out•Getty Images

Matt Montgomery hit a sensational unbeaten 92 as the Notts Outlaws beat the Kent Spitfires by one wicket in a Metro Bank Cup thriller at Canterbury.The visitors overhauled Kent’s 259 for nine with one ball to spare to close on 263 for nine, after a gritty last-wicket stand by Montgomery and his final partner Dane Paterson, having still needed 35 when they came together with five overs remaining.Hamid Qadri took four for 47 but the hosts were left to rue their failure to build on a first-wicket stand of 138. Lyndon James took four for 45, as Kent fell away after openers Daniel Bell-Drummond and Ben Compton made over half their total, with 79 and 59 respectively.Montgomery, fittingly, scored the winning runs when he reverse-swept Grant Stewart for four to conclude a stomach-clenchingly tense run chase.It was a “four-pointer” at the Spitfire Ground, with Kent third in Group A and Notts needing to win both their remaining fixtures to stand any chance of qualifying, having lost their previous three.The Spitfires chose to bat in front of a crowd of over 3000 on the club’s Community Day and their openers were untroubled during a stand of 138, but for a second consecutive game they failed to really push on once that partnership was broken.Compton was the first man to go, victim of a sharp caught-and-bowled by Liam Patterson-White in the 27th over. Bell-Drummond soon followed, caught behind off Tom Loten.It wasn’t technically a collapse as the next pair of Jack Leaning and Alex Blake put on 33, but the flow of boundaries dried up and the latter was out for 11 when he cut James to Ben Martindale.James then bowled Leaning for 24 and Harry Finch was run out for nine by Haseeb Hameed chasing a non-existent single after being sent back by his partner Jaydn Denly. Denly at least broke a spell of exactly ten overs without a boundary, but he in turn was stumped for 11 after he came down the wicket to Calvin Harrison.The first six of the match didn’t arrive till the 46th over, when Grant Stewart creamed Loten over cow corner and as Kent tried a late charge James Bazley was caught and bowled by James for 15.By the time Stewart was lbw for 25 to Paterson any hopes of a 300 plus score had long since been abandoned. Qadri was caught by King for three after skying James and it was left to the last wicket pair to milk what they could off the last two overs.Scoring didn’t seem any easier when Notts were chasing. They were 66 without loss in the 16th when Ben Slater was bowled by Qadri, during a spell when they went 11.5 overs without finding the rope.In Qadri’s next over he bowled James for eight and Martindale was then run out for 38. He seemed to flinch while anticipating Compton’s throw and couldn’t ground his bat before Nathan Gilchrist broke his wicket.After a campaign dogged by injury, Gilchrist roared with joy when he bowled Hameed’s middle stump for 27 for only his second wicket of the season, in any format, and his first at Canterbury.Patterson-White was out for six after he thick-edged Qadri to Blake for six and Sam King was stumped off Parkinson for 12.When Denly bowled Dane Schadendorf for nine Notts were seven down with 79 needed butHarrison and Montgomery eroded the target with some clever running, only for the former to cut Qadri straight to Compton at backward point.Loten was then caught behind off Parkinson but Paterson played sensibly and with an over to go the target was down to seven off Stewart’s 50th over.Montgomery just blocked the first for a single and Paterson drove the second for four. A single off the third tied the scores. The fourth was a dot and Montgomery then executed a classy reverse-swept four to clinch the win.

Dhawan suggested that the England allrounder had pulled a muscle in his first training session

Matt Roller14-Apr-20234:13

Punjab set to face their old boys in Lucknow

Big picture: Lucknow’s KingsKL Rahul captaining. Andy Flower in the coaching staff. Deepak Hooda and Nicholas Pooran in the middle order. K Gowtham and Ravi Bishnoi bowling spin. There are several similarities between Punjab Kings’ class of 2020 and Lucknow Super Giants’ 2023 vintage, but one clear difference so far: results.While Kings finished that season in sixth, Super Giants are among the early pace-setters this year. They have already established themselves as a team who are hard to beat at home, winning both games at the Ekana Stadium, and their last-gasp win at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday night means they are joint-top of the nascent league table with three wins from four.Several of those former Kings players will be particularly keen to perform against their old franchise on Saturday night, but none more so than Pooran. The West Indies left-hander had a miserable final year for Kings in 2021, making 85 runs at 7.72 across the season, and was released ahead of the mega auction.Since then, Pooran has averaged 40.63 and struck at 161.95 in the IPL, bringing his Sunrisers Hyderabad form from 2022 into the early stages of this season. Super Giants invested heavily in him, spending INR 16 crore to buy him in December’s auction; the early signs are that he is worth the money.Form guide (most recent match first)Lucknow Super Giants: WWLWPunjab Kings: LLWWTeam news: Livingstone still a doubt?Kyle Mayers’ early success at the top of the order has seen Quinton de Kock carrying drinks since his arrival in India, but Super Giants may look to make a change after Mayers’ back-to-back failures against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Royal Challengers Bangalore.Liam Livingstone arrived in India late after knee and ankle injuries, and Shikhar Dhawan suggested on Thursday night that he had pulled a muscle in his first training session. “He’s just got off a flight,” Brad Haddin, Kings’ assistant coach, said.”We’re just monitoring him for the next couple of days to see where he’s at. He’s just come back from a long-term injury.” He appears unlikely to feature on Saturday, but could come into contention to play against RCB next week.There is also a chance Kings will consider rotating their seamers, playing their second game in 48 hours. If so, Kagiso Rabada – who was expensive against Gujarat Titans – might make way for Nathan Ellis again.Meanwhile, Super Giants have replaced medium-pace bowler Mayank Yadav with Arpit Guleria in a like-for-like change, with an injury ruling Mayank out of the tournament.*Super Giants’ musclemen Nicholas Pooran and Marcus Stoinis hit 127 runs in 49 balls between them in Bengaluru•BCCIToss and Impact Player strategyLucknow Super Giants
Super Giants have used Ayush Badoni as their Impact Player when bowling first this season, and could bring him in for Amit Mishra like they did in their one-wicket win over Royal Challengers. If they bat first, Mishra – or another bowler – could replace Badoni.Possible bat-first XI: 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Krunal Pandya, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 7 Ayush Badoni, 8 Jaydev Unadkat, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Avesh KhanPossible bowl-first XI: 1 Quinton de Kock, 2 KL Rahul (capt), 3 Deepak Hooda, 4 Krunal Pandya, 5 Marcus Stoinis, 6 Nicholas Pooran (wk), 7 Amit Mishra/Krishnappa Gowtham, 8 Jaydev Unadkat, 9 Mark Wood, 10 Ravi Bishnoi, 11 Avesh KhanPunjab Kings
Rahul Chahar came into Kings’ team halfway through their defeat to Titans on Thursday, and will likely replace either Prabhsimran Singh or Bhanuka Rajapaksa during the innings break if they bat first again. If they bowl, they will probably pick an extra bowler and then sub a batter in.Possible bat-first XI: 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 3 Matthew Short, 4 Bhanuka Rajapaksa, 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Sam Curran, 7 M Shahrukh Khan, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Rishi Dhawan, 10 Kagiso Rabada, 11 Arshdeep SinghPossible bowl-first XI: 1 Shikhar Dhawan (capt), 2 Matthew Short, 3 Bhanuka Rajapaksa/Prabhsimran Singh, 4 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 5 Sam Curran, 6 M Shahrukh Khan, 7 Harpreet Brar, 8 Rishi Dhawan, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Arshdeep SinghStats that matter Shikhar Dhawan has dominated Jaydev Unadkat when they have faced one another in the IPL, scoring 70 runs off 44 balls against him for once out. Super Giants’ innings of 193 for 6 in their first home game this season was the first time in 16 T20s held in Lucknow that a team had posted a score in excess of 190. This will only be the second meeting between these teams, following Super Giants’ 20-run victory last season.Pitch and conditionsKeep a close eye on the colour of the soil used at the Ekana Stadium. Lucknow played their first home game against Delhi Capitals on a red-soil pitch which played relatively true; in their second, against Sunrisers, they played on a black-soil pitch which offered sharp turn from the outset. The venue is quickly becoming a fortress for them, with two home wins from two so far.Quotes”Watching the game last [Thursday] night, it came down to the last two balls, even on the Mohali wicket which is a really good wicket. We must respect their bowling line-up: they have international experience and quality spinners.”
“Whenever a team plays 56 dot balls, they end up losing the game so we have to rectify that. And of course, losing early wickets puts the batting side on the back foot and we have to work on that.”
*The line was added after confirmation through an IPL media release

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is attempting to have his say on the club’s summer recruitment plans, and the Italian has his eyes on one player in particular to reinforce a key area of the squad.

Chelsea ready to offer six-year deal to £45m player, talks "now advancing"

The west Londoners could make their next signing soon.

1 ByEmilio Galantini Jun 27, 2025

Maresca’s side want to strengthen a number of areas before their manager’s second full season in charge at Stamford Bridge. Over the last week, Chelsea have been holding talks with Borussia Dortmund officials over Jamie Gittens, and it is believed by some that a deal could soon be done.

Cole Palmer

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Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

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Nicolas Jackson

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Noni Madueke

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via WhoScored

Alongside Gittens, Chelsea are reported to still be in the market for another centre-back, which perhaps indicates that at least one of Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi, Trevoh Chalobah, Renato Veiga or Tosin Adarabioyo could be sold.

Even after their £30 million deal for Liam Delap, there are many suggestions that Chelsea could look to sign a second new striker as well, following widely reported talks with Eintracht Frankfurt over a deal for Hugo Ekitiké.

As well as this, Chelsea could still bring in another goalkeeper. As per journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea are looking to sell both Djordje Petrovic and Robert Sanchez this summer, with a move for AC Milan keeper Mike Maignan not completely off the table despite failing to reach an agreement before the Club World Cup.

Barcelona keeper Marc-André ter Stegen has been linked in the past week too, so their hunt for a shot-stopper could still be one to keep an eye on.

Enzo Maresca asks Chelsea to sign Emiliano Martínez from Aston Villa

According to journalist Christian Martin, speaking to DSports, £150,000-per-week Aston Villa number one Emiliano Martínez is now said to have major admirers at Chelsea, including Maresca.

Maresca is “asking” Chelsea to make a move for Martinez, and goalkeeping coach Willy Caballero has also given his seal of approval to the potential transfer.

“They want him as their starting goalkeeper,” said Martin.

“Enzo Maresca is asking for him, Willy Caballero, who is part of the coaching staff and trains the goalkeepers, has already given his approval. For now, Chelsea is a very reliable and precise option.”

The Argentine World Cup winner boasts both top-level quality and proven experience on the biggest stages. After becoming a leader at Villa, there is every reason to believe the 32-year-old could be tempted by the prospect of Champions League football next season and becoming Chelsea’s new number one.

Unai Emery’s side are also under pressure from PSR to sell big-name players before the start of the next football financial year, which begins on July 1, so a deal could well be had here.

It feels like the transfer all Liverpool fans are waiting to hear about is the club’s reported move for Bayer Leverkusen attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz.

The Premier League champions are yet to officially confirm that they have agreed a deal to sign the Germany international, but they are reportedly close to doing so.

The latest on Florian Wirtz to Liverpool

According to Fabrizio Romano, Wirtz is set to travel to England for his medical tests after he returns from his summer holiday, although it remains unclear as to exactly when that will be.

The reporter claims that Leverkusen and Liverpool have ‘sealed’ all documents for the transfer of the German midfield maestro, and that it is now a case of waiting for him to complete his medical tests before they can announce the deal.

This comes after Romano reported earlier this month that Arne Slot’s side have agreed a mammoth deal worth up to £127m, including add-ons, for the 22-year-old star.

Wirtz, who delivered 16 goals and 14 assists in all competitions for Leverkusen during the 2024/25 campaign, is set to become the club’s most-expensive signing of all time, eclipsing the £85m that they paid Benfica for Darwin Nunez in 2022.

The German midfielder may not be the only Liverpool signing this summer who breaks that record set by the Uruguay international’s arrival at Anfield, though, as the club are eyeing up another expensive attacker after Wirtz.

Liverpool eyeing move for £100m Premier League star

According to reports, as relayed by GOAL, FSG are not stopping with the Leverkusen star as the Premier League champions are considering a swoop to sign Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon before the end of the summer transfer window.

The report claims that Liverpool are weighing up a move for the England international to bolster their options out wide, and that it could take a huge fee of £100m to snap him up from St. James’ Park.

Gordon, who spent time in Liverpool’s academy before eventually making his breakthrough at Everton, is being eyed up by the Reds because of uncertainty over the futures of Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz.

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The report adds that Nunez is ‘certain’ to move on from Anfield, amid interest from Saudi Arabia, whilst Diaz is willing to explore his options, as Barcelona are interested in signing him.

Liverpool held talks with Newcastle in the summer of 2024 to discuss a deal for Gordon, but failed to get a deal over the line, and it looks as though they could hope that it is second time lucky this summer.

The 24-year-old star, who former teammate Charlie Cresswell claimed has “electric” pace, is a proven Premier League performer, with 150 appearances in the division to date, and could hit the ground running at Anfield as a new signing this summer.

Gordon’s ‘electric’ pace combined with Wirtz’s impressive creativity and passing quality could result in an exciting new-look attack for Slot in the 2025/26 campaign and beyond, if the club can get both of these deals over the line this summer.

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2 ByAngus Sinclair Jun 14, 2025