They may have left things late, but Nottingham Forest have finally rediscovered their mood to spend big in recent weeks and Evangelos Marinakis is now reportedly working to complete yet another deal.

Kalimuendo "ready" for Forest challenge

It’s been quite the week for Nottingham Forest. First, Nuno Espirito Santo’s side kicked off their Premier League campaign with a 3-1 victory over Brentford. Then, their attention turned towards incomings. Omari Hutchinson, James McAtee and Arnaud Kalimuendo all arrived as the Tricky Trees took their summer spending to the £149m-mark.

Delighted to put pen to paper, Kalimuendo told Forest’s official website after becoming the latest to arrive: “When I heard about the interest from Forest, I was honoured. This is a proud moment for me, joining a team who had a strong season last year and a Club with great history.

“I’m ready for the challenge, and I arrive here with good experience. I had a good season last year with goals and assists but I want more and want to reach a new level here.

“I can’t wait to play in the Premier League, and to play at the City Ground. I watched games from last season and it’s clear the fans create a beautiful atmosphere. I’m excited to see them and impatient to get started.”

Even after welcoming three new faces in the last week, however, those at the City Ground are still not done on the transfer front. Reports are now suggesting that Marinakis is personally working on one more arrival for Espirito Santo.

Marinakis calling to finalise Luiz deal

According to TuttoSport, as relayed by Sport Witness, Marinakis is now personally calling to finalise a move to sign Douglas Luiz for Nottingham Forest. The Greek owner has reportedly held direct talks with Juventus chief Damien Comolli in an attempt to reach an agreement and potentially bring any deal closer to the €30m (£26m) mark.

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Marinakis’ hands-on approach to the deal is reportedly proving key for Forest and Luiz is seemingly edging ever closer to returning to the Midlands for the first time since leaving Aston Villa last summer.

Whilst Luiz has struggled at Juventus, it wasn’t so long ago that he was thriving at Villa Park and earning the praise of Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, who said: “He’s a guy who plays all of the minutes.

“He’s an important player for Aston Villa. A guy who’s clever with the ball, so physically strong. He’s a lovely, lovely guy. Today, when he was involved in the game, defensively, offensively, he was good.”

Now, one year on from leaving Villa, he could be about to take the Premier League by storm once again and come back to haunt his former club at a Midlands rival.

Manchester City are now looking to sign a “mind-boggling” attacker, with Pep Guardiola known to be a keen admirer, according to a report.

Man City keen to strengthen in attack

Guardiola has repeatedly made it clear that he wants to reduce the size of his squad before the September 1st transfer deadline, recently saying: “We should [trim the squad], but it’s difficult because I love all of them; I like all of them and they like to be here. So the situation is not easy but they know it.”

As such, some of City’s current players will have to leave to make room for new arrivals, and with Savinho now emerging as a major target for Tottenham Hotspur, Guardiola’s side have set their sights on Real Madrid star Rodrygo.

The Blues boss is known to be a fan of the Brazil international, but Fabrizio Romano has revealed that a deal could be on the expensive side.

Not only is Pep an admirer of Rodrygo, but he is also a big fan of his Brazil teammate in West Ham United’s Lucas Paqueta, who is now set to be available for the cut-price fee of just £30m – £40m this summer.

That is according to a report from Caught Offside, which states the Hammers have drastically reduced their previous asking price for the Brazilian, and they are now open to a sale.

Man City have been named as potential suitors for Paqueta in the past, and they have now revived their pursuit, but there could be competition for the attacking midfielder’s signature, with the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Crystal Palace also keen.

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The West Ham star made a fantastic start to life at the London Stadium, particularly impressing former teammate Declan Rice in the 2022-23 campaign, who said: “I think now you’re seeing the real Lucas. Some of the stuff he does, even in training, it’s just mind-boggling how good he is.”

The 27-year-old was also one of the driving forces behind West Ham’s 2022-23 Europa Conference League triumph, chipping in with one goal and four assists in 11 appearances as the Irons went on to lift the trophy in Prague.

However, the 55-time Brazil international has struggled to make a similar impact in recent times, failing to register a single assist in all competitions last season, while finding the back of the net just five times.

As such, it would be a gamble for City to sign Paqueta, and a move seems unlikely, given that Guardiola believes his squad is already bloated.

After what has been a busy summer transfer window already, Leeds United have officially welcomed their next new addition. The Whites have already signed eight players this summer, including two new attackers in Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Lukas Nmecha, who scored on his debut against Everton.

Now, Daniel Farke’s side added their third forward. It was reported a few days ago that Leeds are close to agreeing a deal to sign Noah Okafor from AC Milan. The Switzerland international will now join the club from the Italian giants for a reported fee of £17m.

With just ten days or so left of the window, it may seem that Leeds’ business will finish at Okafor, but they may yet make another signing.

Leeds' next signing after Okafor

Leeds’ recruitment this summer has been smart, bringing in a couple of free transfers and not paying over £20m for a player.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Bilal El Khannouss, a player strongly linked with the club, would have exceeded that with his reported £32m fee, but the Leicester City star is also being lined up by Crystal Palace.

Instead, a report from Simon Jones at the Daily Mail suggests that Leeds are looking at pursuing a deal for another Foxes star, versatile full-back James Justin. The Whites are said to be ‘assessing a move’ for the 27-year-old who has just one year left on his contract at the King Power Stadium.

However, the Yorkshire side are not the only Premier League club in for Justin this summer, with Everton also considering a late move for the defender. As for how much the deal would cost, it was reported earlier in the window that Justin could be available for a cut-price fee of just £6m.

Why Justin would be a good signing for Leeds

Despite struggling with major injury issues at times during his career, England international Justin would bring a plethora of experience to a Leeds side looking to stay in the Premier League.

Last season was not easy for Leicester, with the Foxes suffering from yet another top-flight relegation. He played all but two games in the Premier League, chipping in with two goals, including a stunner against Arsenal, and two assists, showing his attacking output from full-back.

In the top flight, he has regularly chipped in with goal contributions, with last season’s four the best of his career.

The stats show just how strongly he has performed in the Premier League. His all-round contributions have always been consistent, and at his best, he averaged 1.2 key passes per game in 2019/20, and 4.2 tackles and interceptions in the same season.

2019/20

1.2

4.2

2020/21

0.9

4

2021/22

0.8

3.5

2022/23

0.5

2.5

2024/25

0.4

3.2

If Leeds acquire Justin this summer, he could well be the dream signing for Okafor. The Switzerland star has struggled for consistency, spending the second half of last season on loan at Napoli, but barely featuring, making just four appearances.

Yet, at his very best, the attacker can be lethal. In the 2021/22 campaign for former club RB Salzburg, he scored 14 goals and assisted 11 in 34 appearances. That season, he operated as a striker more often than not, but also featured off the left.

Well, Justin has proven he can be a consistent chance creator in the Premier League. If he can start getting those chances flowing for Okafor, then the forward could explode in the Premier League.

Each player’s versatility is also key. Leeds’ prospective new attacker can play on either flank, just as Justin can. This offers interesting tactical flexibility for Farke; he can perhaps switch his winger and full-back pairing at will to build their relationship on the pitch, whilst maximising the strengths of other players on the pitch.

A strong creative option and a “colossal” defender, according to Statman Dave, Justin could be an excellent addition for Leeds. With the versatility and creativity he offers in the final third, this could make him a dream signing for Okafor. At just £6m, this seems to be a steal for Leeds.

Better than Nmecha: Leeds now competing to sign "powerful" new striker

Leeds United are reportedly competing to sign a striker who could be even better than Lukas Nmecha.

1 ByDan Emery Aug 20, 2025

Manchester United will have to fork out a staggering fee in compensation if they plan to sack Ruben Amorim in the middle of the season. The Red Devils are off to a nightmare start in the 2025-26 campaign and it only got worse after their humiliating derby loss against Manchester City last Sunday. The Red Devils currently find themselves 14th in the Premier League after four games.

• Amorim given ultimatum after derby loss

  According to the , Amorim has only three matches to save his job, starting with the Chelsea clash on Saturday, after which United might consider parting ways with him. Following their Premier League encounter against the Blues, the Red Devils will travel to Brentford next before hosting Sunderland. These three fixtures will lead up to the international break next month and if the team's performance does not improve drastically then United might consider sacking the Portuguese coach.

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• AFP
  

  Man Utd will have to fork out a staggering sum as compensation

  reports that United will have to pay a whopping £12million ($16m) in compensation to Amorim if the club terminates his contract before the completion of at least one year of his contract. Amorim took charge of the team, replacing Erik ten Hag in November 2024. 

• Managers who could replace Amorim

  reports that INEOS have kept five managers in their shortlist who could replace Amorim, if the Portuguese departs. This list includes former England boss Gareth Southgate, Crystal Palace's Oliver Glasner, Fulham's Marco Silva, Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola and USMNT boss Mauricio Pochettino. 

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• Getty
  

  What next for Amorim?

  For now, Amorim remains focused on getting his team back to winning ways. With no European football during the midweek, the Red Devils got enough time to recover from the setback in the derby and will now aim to register full points against Enzo Maresca's side at home on Saturday. 

تحدث رضا شحاتة المدير الفني لفريق كهرباء الإسماعيلية، عن خسارة فريقه برباعية مقابل هدفين أمام الأهلي ضمن منافسات الدوري الممتاز. 

وحقق الأهلي الفوز على كهرباء الإسماعيلية برباعية مقابل هدفين، ضمن منافسات الجولة العاشرة من عمر مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

طالع.. الأهلي يعلن تشخيص إصابتي حسين الشحات وياسر إبراهيم

وقال رضا شحاتة في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون سبورت”: “أهنئ الأهلي، لعبنا بشكل جيد في البداية، ولكن الشوط الثاني كان أفضل، وكانت هناك رهبة من الجمهور لدى اللاعبين، ما جعل لاعبي فريقي مرتبكين في الشوط الأول، ولكن الشوط الثاني تحسنوا”.

وأضاف: “الفروق الفردية دائمًا تكون لصالح لاعبي الأهلي، خاصة أن دكة بدلاء الأحمر بها لاعبين أقوياء، وهذا يصعب علينا الأمور، رغم أن في أوقات كثيرة كانت هناك أفضلية عددية، لكن الحلول الفردية والهدف الرابع الذي استقبلناه أثر نفسيًا على اللاعبين”.

واختتم: “في النهاية الحمد لله، استطعنا تقديم مباراة جيدة، خاصة في الشوط الثاني، وإن شاء الله نبني على ذلك الفترة القادمة”.

Watson says the 19-year old’s adaptability to different conditions and India’s plans would be a “good test of his evolution”

Andrew McGlashan02-Jan-20252:11

Clarke: ‘Freakish’ debut for Konstas

Sam Konstas’ mentor Shane Watson has admitted the 19-year-old’s audacious start to Test cricket took even him by surprise, both in terms of the strokeplay and the way he carried himself in the field and with the crowd.Konstas scored 60 off 65 balls on the opening morning at the MCG, regularly scooping Jasprit Bumrah, and had a run-in with Virat Kohli who was fined for a shoulder barge. Later in the game he embraced the crowd when fielding on the boundary and was a vocal presence under the helmet, clearly getting under the skin of Yashasvi Jaiswal during the second innings.”I understood what his game plan was, what plan A was anyway,” Watson said as part of the ICC Champions Trophy tour at the SCG. “So when plan B sort of kicked in quite quickly, within a couple of overs, that was a little surprising. But the one thing that we’ve always talked about is trusting his gut.”Related

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While Watson was aware of the range of strokes Konstas had in his locker, even if showing them so early in Test was unexpected, he admitted the character shown in the field was not something he had seen before.”My experience of dealing and working with Sam has been a very quiet, reserved personality,” he said. “[He’s] a very deep thinker and certainly not an extrovert. But obviously what we saw in the Test match is that he absolutely is a showman. And he certainly rose to the occasion, as in he wasn’t overawed.”I know through my experience of debuting…you just put a lot of pressure on yourself because it’s your dream to be able to represent your country, wear the baggy green. But for Sam, it’s superhuman in a way that he sort of just didn’t have any of that at all. You can see it wasn’t put on. That’s just obviously who he is. And again, I hadn’t seen that side of him. It just shows that he’s built for this stage where most people it takes a bit of time to warm up to sort of get into that. Whereas Sam, he obviously just thrives on that.”Konstas has continued to enjoy the trappings of being a Test cricketer since arriving with the squad in Sydney, having photographs with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his fiancée Jodie Haydon during the annual New Year’s Day gathering at Kirribilli House. He also spent time chatting with Kohli, who his brothers took the opportunity to get a photograph with.Albanese joked about his role in Konstas’ rapid rise to the Test side after the century he scored against the Indians in Canberra. “Of course, he got his break in the Prime Minister’s XI [game],” Albanese said. “I’m claiming some of the credit, which is about my only contribution to national cricket.”Shane Watson on Konstas: ‘He’s certainly got all the gears and all the skills to be able to make adjustments’•Getty Images

On Friday, Konstas will become the youngest Australia men’s player to feature in a Test at his home ground of the SCG followed by the prospect of two Tests in vastly different conditions in Sri Lanka. India had already adjusted their tactics by the second innings in Melbourne where Konstas was kept quiet before being bowled by an inducker from Bumrah.”Look it’s going to be a different challenge for him now,” Watson said. “Because he’s shown what his plan B is. And we already saw in that second innings the field positions certainly changed. It’s going to be a good test of his evolution. To be able to continue to work through how he can take the game on against the best bowlers in the world. But he’s certainly got all the gears and all the skills to be able to make those adjustments quickly.”He is technically very correct and waits for loose balls. But he’s also got the other gears to be able to hit the ball down the ground. But when they do have third man fine and fine leg fine, the ramp shot is probably out. But you know what? I thought the ramp shot wasn’t going to come out in the first couple of overs, and it did. Sam will just trust what he feels and go with it. And that’s something very special that he taps into.”Australia captain Pat Cummins said there had been no instructions given to Konstas about how to go about his innings and believed he would be able to adjust to different scenarios.”Think he showed how adaptable he can be,” Cummins said. “That takes a lot of skill first of all, but we always encourage our players just to read the moment, play it how they see fit. For Sam he sensed the moment was to attack and put pressure back on the bowlers and he did that, it might be different this week; it might be ‘I’m going to play a slow game and kind of score runs that way’. Our message is always just to back yourself, have really clear plans and back your decision making.”

Clare Connor says ECB “won’t shy away from difficult conversations” around team’s leadership

Valkerie Baynes02-Feb-2025A failure to cope with pressure and physical preparation will form key lines of inquiry during a review of England’s 16-0 Ashes drubbing aimed at turning performances around in time for the 50-over World Cup in October.Clare Connor, managing director of England women’s cricket, confirmed the review would consider team leadership – including, but not restricted to, head coach Jon Lewis and captain Heather Knight, as well as all aspects of team fitness.”It’s been very evident that the Australia women’s cricket team are setting new standards of athleticism in our sport and that’s obviously one area where we have been out-shone,” Connor said.”One thing I think will be true is that our players will have to look at that level of athleticism and speed and power and the athleticism that is evident in their fielding and see that as a new benchmark.”Credit to Australia for taking the standards of international women’s cricket to another level over the last month. Their ruthlessness in doing that is admirable and I think will give us a huge amount to think about as we go home and reflect.”Clare Connor will lead England’s post-Ashes inquest•Getty ImagesEngland lost every match of the multi-format Ashes series which ended with an innings defeat inside three days in the MCG Test after failing to register any points from the three ODIs or three T20Is, losing two of the latter by more than 50 runs.They were dominated physically and mentally by the Australians, who suffered several injuries to key players yet were able to adapt and crush their opponents.”One of the main things that is evident is the ability to play under pressure,” Connor said. “We have shown glimpses of being able to do that, certain individuals have, but as a collective we have to be honest and say that we haven’t handled the pressure of this series in the way that we want to and we’ll need to compete in future Ashes and a World Cup every year. That’ll be a key area of focus, and how we fast-track that capability.”Related

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Performing under pressure isn’t a new focus for the team. During England’s home summer in 2024 when they hosted Pakistan and New Zealand, coaching staff put the team in various unexpected scenarios such as last-minute team changes, and Knight sitting a game out.But those attempts to accelerate learning against sides which otherwise posed little challenge fell flat against the mighty Australians, and at the T20 World Cup before that, where England exited in the group stages after a shocking fielding performance against West Indies.”One of the reflections, immediate reflections, and I’m sure it’ll evolve over the coming weeks, is the sort of scarcity of time when our players are under pressure,” Connor said.”The run-in to the T20 World Cup last October, we’d dominated all of the cricket we’d played in for almost 18 months. Within that were two white-ball series wins against Australia in the home Ashes in 2023 where we got onto a run of confidence and performance and skill that exposed Australia under pressure and showed some of their vulnerability when you can get into them.”

“Heather [Knight] and Jon [Lewis] are more disappointed and frustrated than anybody.”Connor recognised that England’s leadership is under pressure

While Connor spoke of trying to find more ways to put players under pressure, including through the domestic system and A-team tours, another theme emerged.England seem to struggle with tempering the confidence gained from successfully navigating those situations with the reality of facing a superior side. They need to move beyond the satisfaction of pushing Australia in 2023 and focus on ways to dominate them.Hosting India this summer before big crowds could prove a helpful test ahead of October’s 50-over World Cup in India, and Connor believes there is no alternative but to turn England’s form around by then.”We have to do that,” she said. “We have to use time wisely. We’ve now got the opportunity to really hold the mirror up to where we are and what has gone well and what hasn’t gone well and what needs to happen and when, by whom, to take the team forward.”England dropped catches with alarming regularity across the tour•AFP/Getty ImagesEngland’s World Cup and Ashes shortcomings have put Lewis and Knight under pressure. Immediately after the Melbourne Test, Lewis said he believed he was the right person to take the team forward, while Knight said she wouldn’t make any knee-jerk declarations on her future as captain.”I think there’s a lot of collective learning for us around leadership,” Connor told a media briefing by phone from Melbourne. “Heather and Jon are more disappointed and frustrated than anybody.”Everybody on this call knows what Heather Knight pumps into being England women’s captain. So that will form part of discussions over the coming weeks, all of the areas of accountability in our set-up, with the ultimate goal of, in the short term, being ready for this summer and then being ready to get on a plane to the World Cup in India.”With any team sport defeat or success, responsibility for that and accountability lies with lots of us. It’s not just the captain and the head coach, it’s people who are all in leadership positions making decisions. We won’t shy away from difficult and honest conversations about how to take the team forward because that’s our jobs, for several of us.”England were thrashed 16-0 in Australia•Getty ImagesThe absence of a clear-cut successor to Knight amid a four-pronged leadership group that also includes Nat Sciver-Brunt, Amy Jones and Sophie Ecclestone, or beyond, should also be considered when assessing the captaincy position.Connor said Ecclestone’s refusal to give a pitch-side TV interview to former team-mate, now broadcaster, Alex Hartley during the Ashes “was an unfortunate incident that won’t happen again”.That followed Hartley’s comments after England bowed out of the T20 World Cup, in which she said that a handful of players were “letting the team down” with their fitness levels.”Our players in general… embrace their media obligations,” Connor said. “It matters to them to be good role models for women’s cricket and the England women’s cricket team. As professional women’s cricket has developed at the rate that it has over recent years, that scrutiny is something that we will all have to embrace and accept.”

Chelsea are in advanced talks over a deal for RB Leipzig starlet Xavi Simons, as has been the case for some time, but they may not have it all their own way.

Negotiations are far down the line for his signature, as widely reported, but Fabrizio Romano says that Chelsea are still attempting to make sales before pressing forward with a deal for the Dutchman.

“Chelsea remain in talks with RB Leipzig and Xavi Simons wants to go there,” said Romano on his YouTube channel around two days ago.

“There are advanced talks, but at the moment, there’s been no breakthrough. Why?

“It’s not been done for two reasons. The first one is that RB Leipzig are completely focused on the Sesko deal. So they’ll resolve that and then clarify Xavi Simons. Secondly, Chelsea are working on the outgoings. I told you that the contract and salary are almost agreed, but we have to wait for official statements for Armando Broja, Lesley Ugochukwu, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and all the rest.

“Then there’s the conversation on the price between the two clubs, which is something absolutely important.”

Despite some reports in the last 48 hours claiming that Chelsea have reached a ‘total agreement’ for Simons, it appears there is still some work to do for the 22-year-old’s signature.

The former PSG playmaker is determined to join Chelsea, though, and has removed Leipzig from his Instagram bio in a clear hint that Simons has his eyes on a move to Stamford Bridge.

However, as per Chelsea journalist Simon Phillips, a mystery club is now threatening to derail their pursuit of the Bundesliga sensation.

Mystery club threaten Chelsea hijack for Xavi Simons

Writing via his Substack live blog [16:38, Thursday], an unnamed side have now come in for Simons, and this could ‘complicate things’, or at the very least force Chelsea to up the ante.

“SPTC Sources have heard that another ‘unnamed club’ has now come in for Xavi Simons,” wrote Phillips.

“Source states it could ‘complicate things’ or it could ‘speed Chelsea up’.

“Simons has agreed personal terms with Chelsea and is and has always been waiting for the move to us, but I’m not sure it’s been a Chelsea or nothing attitude so this would concern me.

“Let’s just hope it speeds us up to agree a fee.”

Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol states that the Blues want to agree a deal for Simons below the £50 million mark.

Given Tottenham’s glaring need for a number 10 after James Maddison’s serious knee injury, we speculate that Thomas Frank’s side may well be the mystery club here.

After all, they were ready to spend £60 million on Nottingham Forest star Morgan Gibbs-White just last month before Evangelos Marinakis blocked the move, so Daniel Levy is quite clearly prepared to splash the cash on a new attacking midfielder.

Liverpool’s record signing Alexander Isak finally pulled on the Reds shirt for the first time, featuring in Wednesday night’s thrilling 3-2 Champions League win over Atletico Madrid. The £125 million striker lasted just under an hour at Anfield, but his display left Arne Slot both encouraged and slightly taken aback by the Swede’s sharpness so soon after joining from Newcastle.

Isak's Anfield debut on an ecstatic night

Isak started up front in Liverpool’s Champions League opener and played 58 minutes before being replaced by Hugo Ekitike. The 25-year-old striker linked up well with fellow new boy Florian Wirtz, showing flashes of his quality despite his lack of preseason minutes. Liverpool eventually sealed the win late on through captain Virgil van Dijk, who scored a dramatic stoppage-time header.

AdvertisementAFPSlot surprised by Isak's fitness despite lack of pre-season

“I was positively surprised by how fit Alexander was during the 60 minutes,” Slot told TNT Sports. "That maybe tells you that it might be different to sign a 20-year-old from a different league than a 25-year-old used to playing in this league. Although he only trained for two weeks, he has so many games under his belt in this league. I wasn’t surprised about his quality as we all know that. It’s always nice to see if a player starts the way he started. Ekitike started the same way.

“It was a good start, only 60 minutes and now we have to build him up from here. He’s not going to play 90 against Everton. One of the things you need if you want to compete for the Premier League and the cups is mentality and fitness and quality and today we saw that."

Liverpool build their squad with Isak as headliner

Liverpool smashed the British transfer record to bring Isak in on deadline day, making him the focal point of their attack alongside Ekitike. Slot believes his Premier League experience will ease the transition, but he remains cautious about overloading him so soon. The Dutch coach stressed that rotation will be vital, with Liverpool juggling title ambitions and the demands of European football.

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AFPIsak could start against Everton but 90 minutes unlikely

Liverpool face Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield this weekend, where Slot has confirmed Isak will not play the full 90 minutes. The Swede will continue to build fitness as the Reds look to integrate him gradually into their frontline. With two elite strikers now at his disposal, Slot is keen to strike the right balance as Liverpool chase silverware on multiple fronts.

Newcastle United’s summer has been nothing short of turbulent so far.

£55m being splashed on ex-Manchester United youngster turned Nottingham Forest star Anthony Elanga definitely raised a few eyebrows early on in the hectic transfer window, with Aaron Ramsdale also joining the ranks, rubber-stamping the Magpies’ failed pursuit of James Trafford.

The agony of missing out on Trafford to Manchester City will be nothing compared to the expected sorrow of Alexander Isak deserting St James’ Park, as Liverpool continue to sniff around for the potent Premier League marksman.

The Toon surely has a standout replacement up their sleeve for Isak if the clinical Swede does up and leave, leading to even more cash being potentially splashed by Eddie Howe and Co.

Newcastle in talks with £70m striker

At this point, it’s not exactly the best-kept secret that Newcastle are looking at fresh striker options, resigned to the fact that Isak is likely to exit.

Newcastle have been linked to a whole host of attackers, with Chelsea outcast Nicolas Jackson even reportedly on their radar, away from recurring stories suggesting that Yoane Wissa will soon leave Brentford behind for a move to St James’ Park.

However, away from those named, Newcastle United are also in talks with RB Leipzig goal machine Benjamin Sesko to fill the Isak-shaped hole that will soon appear, with Sky Sports’ Keith Downie revealing that a £70m offer is on the table.

However, it is yet to be accepted by the Bundesliga side, and negotiations are now ongoing to reach an agreement as the Magpies to sign the Bundesliga star this summer.

Downie does further state that Sesko would be open to a move to the Toon, alongside also being up for a switch to Manchester United, who are also keeping a close eye on the Slovenian to enhance their personnel up top.

For Newcastle’s sake, they will hope one of these avenues pays off very soon, with Elanga champing at the bit at the prospect of lining up alongside the lethal Sesko, as the pair go about terrorising Premier League defences together.

How Sesko could shine even more alongside Elanga

Throughout his goal-laden Leipzig stay to date, Sesko has been supplied with chances galore from a whole host of exciting attacking teammates.

Last season, Xavi Simons and Lois Openda – who are attempting to leave Germany behind themselves this summer – chipped in with 12 assists between them to help boost Sesko’s goal numbers in Bundesliga action to a hefty 13 strikes from 33 outings.

Games played

64

74

Goals scored

27

11

Assists

7

20

Big chances missed

18

16

Big chances created

6

23

These promising numbers in Germany could be taken to that next level in England if Sesko soon lines up next to an assist-hungry Elanga, as seen in the 23-year-old mustering up a healthy 20 assists across his last two Premier League campaigns at the City Ground.

Often, Elanga will dart forward with pace to burn, before laying it off to a poacher – such as Chris Wood – waiting for him to unlock a defence, with his ex-Forest teammate in Ryan Yates even going as to far to label him as a “dream” to work alongside, owing to his “you give him the ball and he can do the rest” level of ability.

Having such a rapid, but creative teammate by his side will be music to the ears of the lethal Slovenian, with his split-second instinct to fire home a chance, seeing him be dubbed a “monster” by football analyst Ben Mattinson.

Staggeringly, there could be even more to Sesko’s game that has yet to be unearthed, as the £70m attacker tries to follow in the footsteps of Isak with ease.

The 22-year-old striker will be helped along the way, if he does join, by Elanga being next to him, as the 25/26 campaign edges ever closer for a Magpies side leaping into an unknown future.

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ByDan Emery Aug 3, 2025