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Manchester United are working hard to get it right in the transfer market this summer, having approached a critical juncture in INEOS’ ownership.

Things didn’t go to plan last season, with Erik ten Hag dismissed by October and his successor, Ruben Amorim, struggling to get a tune out of the suffering Red Devils, who ultimately finished 15th in the Premier League.

But with Matheus Cunha already signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers, his £62.5m release clause activated, there are signs that Old Trafford will rise again.

Man Utd open talks for new striker

Cunha is a brilliant forward, but he’s not a centre-forward. The Red Devils need a partner to field as the number nine, and contacts have been made for such a striker.

Transfer Focus

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

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Manchester United are looking to replace Rasmus Hojlund this summer and have set their sights on Paris Saint-Germain forward Randal Kolo Muani, as per Tutto Juve, who has resurrected his career on loan at Juventus.

The 26-year-old Les Bleus star was on United’s radar – along with Tottenham Hotspur – in January after falling by the wayside in the French capital, though ultimately settled on a short-term stint in Turin.

Now, the above Italian report claims INEOS have made first contact with PSG for the versatile striker, although the same can be said for Newcastle United. Juventus, moreover, hope to purchase him permanently too.

What Kolo Muani would bring to Man Utd

Amorim is carefully piecing together a strikeforce capable of challenging for honours, capable of going punch for punch with the biggest hitters in the Premier League.

Kolo Muani on his A-game would certainly help in that regard. Leaving Eintracht Frankfurt to sign for PSG for around £76m in September 2023, the France international’s stock has since decreased, but he’s demonstrated with Juve his lingering quality, scoring ten goals and assisting three more across 21 matches in total.

With Cunha bringing his wide-ranging attacking skills to the table, Kolo Muani could find himself born again, thriving as the forward of a Premier League team chasing a return to European competition.

Sometimes, a change of scenery can help reignite the fire that has flickered out for a player. PSG proved to be the wrong career choice for the Frenchman, but a Man United project that he can lead that is showing signs of progress (on the transfer front, at least) is something he should consider pursuing.

Dusan Vlahovic’s Past Five League Seasons

Season

Club

Apps

Goals

Assists

24/25

Juventus

16

8

1

24/25

PSG

10

2

1

23/24

PSG

26

6

6

23/24

Frankfurt

2

1

0

22/23

Frankfurt

32

15

14

21/22

Nantes

36

12

5

Stats via Transfermarkt

United might find that Frankfurt’s €100m (£85m) valuation for Hugo Ekitike is a tad on the costly side, but they could snap up another of Die Adler’s star forwards in Kolo Muani, with that £76m price tag creeping down to a reported £50m if PSG sell this summer.

Once labelled a “superstar” by German legend Lothar Matthaus, Kolo Muani is a dynamic and incisive striker who has found his footing once again in Italy, ranked among the top 8% of forwards across Europe’s top five leagues last year for touches in the attacking penalty area and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90, as per FBref.

Furthermore, to have finished the campaign with a scoring rate of 0.50 is pretty impressive, given his woes across the first half of the year. In fact, as per Sofascore, his eight-goal haul in the Italian top flight also saw just four big chances missed, which makes an interesting comment on his prolific instincts.

Working with Cunha, Amorim could create a truly devastating strikeforce (and that’s without even discussing the potential addition of Bryan Mbeumo), with the Brazilian forward having averaged 1.8 key passes per Premier League match last season, creating 13 big chances. He was instrumental in staving off relegation for the Old Gold.

Of course, Kolo Muani is not just restricted to sharpshooting. His silky and furnished attacking style lends itself to creative support, and Cunha would delight in this, having demonstrated an incredible scoring ability for Wolves.

This is exactly the kind of electric signing United need to make to bring them back to a respectable position. That famous Theatre of Dreams pull will need to come into play once again.

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Posts 1 ByEthan Lamb Jun 22, 2025

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta has opened talks to sign a “commanding” defender, who’s now a top defensive target for the summer transfer window, according to a report.

Gunners set sights on new centre-back amid Saliba concerns

The Gunners’ centre-back partnership of Gabriel and William Saliba has received widespread acclaim over the past few seasons, with Jamie Carragher saying: “As a partnership, him and Gabriel is as good as anything in the Premier League.

“I think Saliba is the better player but Gabriel is the better leader, and Saliba needs to bring that to his game if he wants to get to the levels we talk about with Virgil van Dijk.

“Saliba needs Gabriel. Since Gabriel has come out of the team, that’s not the same Saliba I’m watching.”

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is desperate to sign a new striker this summer.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair May 31, 2025

It has recently been revealed the Brazilian defender is now in advanced talks over a new deal to remain at the Emirates Stadium, but with Real Madrid expressing an interest in Saliba, it could be a wise idea to bring in a new centre-back this summer.

According to a report from Football Transfers, that is exactly what the north Londoners are planning to do, having now moved ahead of Manchester United in the race for Parma defender Giovanni Leoni.

Such is Arsenal’s level of interest in Leoni, he has now been identified as one of their top defensive targets for the summer transfer window, with sporting director Berta leading talks over a deal to bring the 18-year-old to north London.

Juventus and Inter Milan are also in the race for the teenager, who joined Parma in a deal amounting to €8m (£7m) last summer, which has proven to be a savvy investment, given that he has emerged as a key player for the Italian side.

"Commanding" Leoni impressing for Parma

At the start of the 2024-25 Serie A campaign, the centre-back found game time difficult to come by, but he managed to establish himself as a key player during the second half of the season, which is an impressive feat at such a young age.

Football scout Ben Mattinson has also been left impressed by the Italian defender, describing his aerial dominance and duel prowess as “commanding”, while also stating the youngster is “destined” to play for a top club.

Leoni is yet to prove himself over a sustained period of time, but his emergence as a first-team player at such a young age can only be a good sign, and the Parma ace could be a solid addition to Mikel Arteta’s squad.

That said, there are a number of other interesting young defenders on the shortlist for Arsenal, and Arteta may even decide against bringing in a new centre-back, given that Gabriel and Saliba are arguably almost undroppable when fit.

Target

Current club

Potential cost

Jorrel Hato

Ajax

£40m

Nathan Collins

Brentford

£23m

Cristhian Mosquera

Valencia

£17m

After a middling season in which they ended up finishing fifth in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur decided to splash the cash on a new centre-forward.

Daniel Levy and Co went out and spent a club-record £65m on then-Bournemouth star Dominic Solanke, who had just racked up a haul of 25 goal involvements in all competition.

Now, while the Englishman has not been poor this year, his eight goals in 25 league games is a far cry from the often inhuman exploits of Harry Kane that fans were so used to seeing in campaigns prior.

So, with that in mind, it’s not surprising that we have seen reports in the last couple of months linking the North Londoners to another striker ahead of this summer, including one who’s won comparisons to the club’s all-time top scorer.

Spurs' striker search

Before getting to the free-scoring dynamo in question, it’s worth looking at some of the other marksmen linked with Spurs in recent weeks, like Liam Delap and Daizen Maeda.

Transfer Focus

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

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The former reportedly has a £30m release clause in his current deal, and considering he’s scored 12 goals and provided two assists in 34 Premier League games for a terrible Ipswich Town side, he could prove to be a very savvy signing.

Likewise, while the latter is playing north of the border, he’s been nothing short of spectacular this season, racking up a simply unreal tally of 45 goal involvements in 48 games, and once again, with a relatively modest price tag of £25m, he may be too good a deal to miss out on.

However, Daniel Levy and Co might be after more of a sure bet to lead the line next year, which would explain some of the links we have seen to Jonathan David in recent weeks.

If the North Londoners do act on this supposed interest, then the good news is that the Canadian international wouldn’t cost them a penny in transfer fees, as his contract with LOSC Lille is set to expire at the end of the season.

It could still be a complicated transfer to get done, but David is certainly someone Spurs should be doing all they can to sign, especially as he’s won comparisons to Kane.

How David compares to Kane

Before getting into some of the other reasons why David could be looked at as a young Kane, it’s worth examining where this comparison has come from.

Well, in this case, it stems from FBref, which looks at players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, then creates a list of the ten most comparable players for each one and, in this instance, has concluded that the Englishman is the seventh most similar forward to the Lille gem.

The best way to see where this comparison has come from is to look at the underlying metrics in which the pair rank closely, including, but not limited to, progressive carries, goals per shot and shot on target key and live passes, carries and more, all per 90.

David & Kane

Statistics per 90

David

Kane

Progressive Carries

1.28

1.12

Goals per Shot

0.17

0.15

Goals per Shot on Target

0.37

0.36

Key Passes

1.28

1.31

Live Passes

22.3

23.5

Carries

17.9

19.6

Ball Recoveries

2.26

2.27

All Stats via FBref for the 24/25 League Season

Furthermore, while we wouldn’t want to suggest that the Canadian international is as good as the Lilywhites legend – very few players in world football are – he has shown a level of consistency up top that mirrors the 31-year-old’s.

For example, since the start of 21/22, the New York-born monster, whom journalist Tony Marinaro dubbed “one of the best strikers in the world,” has scored 96 goals and provided 25 assists in just 182 club appearances.

What makes that continued level of output that much more impressive is that it’s come in a traditional top-five league, whereas some of the other aforementioned strikers linked with a move to Tottenham have thrived in comparatively weaker leagues.

Finally, as the England captain did in N17, the “mind-blowing” goalscorer, as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has shown a surprising level of loyalty to Les Dogues, as, thanks to his consistently brilliant numbers season on season, he probably could have left earlier than this year but did not.

Ultimately, everything from his underlying numbers and raw output to his commitment to the cause reminds us of a younger Kane, and should Spurs want to supercharge their attack next season, they’ll do what they can to sign David in the summer.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes May 7, 2025

Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany is now very eager for the Bundesliga giants to sign a top Chelsea transfer target, with Enzo Maresca’s side facing even more competition for one player they are seriously pursuing.

Chelsea target new centre-back with summer names identified

The Blues are reportedly planning to reinforce the centre-back area this summer, following Wesley Fofana’s long-term injury and an evident shortage in that position.

Chelsea now very keen on signing "superstar" striker; may submit £39m offer

The Blues could be willing to launch a move for a forward, who may now be allowed to leave his club this summer.

ByDominic Lund Apr 15, 2025

Chelsea activated the recall clause in Trevoh Chalobah’s loan deal at Crystal Palace to bring him back to Stamford Bridge in the January transfer window, rather than sign a completely new name mid-season, but the Cobham academy graduate isn’t expected to have a long-term future under Maresca.

Fulham (away)

April 20th

Everton (home)

April 26th

Liverpool (home)

May 4th

Newcastle (away)

May 10th

Man United (home)

May 18th

It is believed Chelsea are likely to let Chalobah go permanently in the summer (BBC), so the west Londoners will be in need of another centre-back to reinforce Maresca’s defensive options, ahead of his second season in charge, where they could be competing in the Champions League.

According to reliable journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea are expected to ‘go big’ on the signing of a new defender, with Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi and Bournemouth’s Dean Huijsen on their radar.

Stamford Bridge chiefs, according to The Mirror, are even contemplating the possibility of a £50 million part-exchange bid for the former, and could offer Chalobah as part of the deal to re-sign their ex-player.

Meanwhile, Huijsen’s excellent season at Bournemouth, combined with the fact he’ll be available for the value of his £50 million release clause this summer, has piqued interest from Chelsea and other elite Premier League sides.

According to the reliable David Ornstein, Chelsea have reached out to Huijsen’s camp for talks ahead of the summer window, so it appears the Spain international is a firm target for Maresca.

However, following these discussions with Chelsea, competition is growing for the “sensational” 20-year-old’s signature, and Maresca now faces a serious threat from Bayern in pursuit of Huijsen.

Vincent Kompany tells Bayern Munich to sign Dean Huijsen

According to Football Insider and journalist Pete O’Rourke, Kompany is “pushing” Bayern to sign Huijsen this summer, and the Bavarians have joined the hotly-contested race for his services as a result.

Kompany is said to be a “huge fan” of the former Juventus defender, and they’re believed to be really pressing for Huijsen alongside Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Newcastle – with Tottenham also believed to have made contact (David Ornstein).

However, all of them may even be left disappointed, as Huijsen reportedly favours a move to Real Madrid.

In any case, the Spaniard’s next destination is fast becoming one of this summer’s most intriguing transfer stories, and it isn’t hard to see why so many clubs are keen on him after his hugely impressive debut season in the Premier League.

“He is one of the highest quality prospects in European football at this age level,” said Fenerbache boss and former Blues manager José Mourinho.

“He will be a great footballer in the future.”

Hit-the-deck seamer impresses in Multan after long wait for Test debut

Matt Roller12-Oct-2024Mark Wood’s pace was instrumental to England’s win in Multan two years ago but they hardly missed him this week, such was Brydon Carse’s impact. Carse replicated Wood’s role on Test debut, bowling at high pace with the old ball to finish with match figures of 4 for 140 – which would have been even better but for two dropped catches off his bowling.Wood, who is stuck at home recovering from an elbow injury, sent Carse a WhatsApp message to wish him luck the night before the Test, and another after the second day to reassure him that conditions do not get much tougher for fast bowlers. Carse admitted it had been “a long slog” at times, but the early evidence is that he has the raw materials to make him a success.He has already impressed in white-ball cricket, taking eight wickets in last month’s ODIs against Australia in vastly different conditions. “Playing one-day cricket in England in seven or eight degrees is very different to coming out here, and it’s had its different challenges,” Carse said. “But I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the challenge and the role that I’ve played this week.”Related

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Carse took four wickets at 106 in his four Championship matches for Durham this season, but England’s management viewed those performances as utterly irrelevant. They pick on attributes, not averages, and believed that Carse’s bustling pace and endurance would enable him to withstand the rigours of playing Test cricket overseas.And Carse’s record alone did not tell the story of his summer: three of those four matches came shortly after he found out that he was the subject of an investigation by the Cricket Regulator into a series of bets he had placed as a young professional. It led to a three-month ban, ending his hopes of making his Test debut in the English summer.The prospect of days like Friday – completing and then celebrating his first Test win – helped him through some dark moments. “I had some time off to work on a few things that I wanted to and improve my fitness in certain areas,” he said. “I’ve come back refreshed and just wanting to do well and play as much as I can for England.”Carse was picked for the first Test ahead of Matt Potts, his Durham team-mate, because England want at least one genuine fast bowler in their attack every time they take the field. He regularly hit 90mph/145kph on the first day of the Test, and sustained his pace through the match enough to strike Aamer Jamal on the helmet with a short ball on the final morning.Brydon Carse had to put in the hard yards on Test debut•Getty ImagesHe batted at No. 9, and hit his second ball for six to take England past 800. “I was winding the lads up saying, ‘I don’t think many of you have got off the mark with a six,'” Carse joked. Down the line, he could be a viable No. 8 – as evidenced by a pair of first-class hundreds, most recently against Somerset in August.Carse has been on England’s radar for some time: born and raised in South Africa, he toured with the Lions in 2019-20, shortly after qualifying. He made his ODI debut in 2021, when England’s first-choice squad were decimated by Covid protocols, and impressed some senior players that winter when part of the Lions squad which shadowed England’s Ashes tour.”He got injured quite early on… But you got the impression he could have been added to the squad and actually done a job,” James Anderson recalled on the podcast. “I just really like him: he bowls quick, he can move the ball, and he’s got that sort of action where he almost pauses in his delivery stride and then really snaps at the crease, so it makes it feel even quicker for the batters.”On the fourth evening in Multan, Carse demonstrated that he has skills as well as stamina. He had been gifted a wicket with his first ball of Pakistan’s second innings – Saim Ayub wildly slogging to mid-off – and was bowling in tandem with Chris Woakes, who had started to get the ball reversing. Woakes passed on the message, and Carse pounced.”I joked with him and said, ‘Here we go, right, I’m going to target the stumps,'” Carse said. “And the next ball, it reversed back in.” The ball tailed back late, flicking the top of Mohammad Rizwan’s back pad before cannoning into the top of middle stump. “I felt like I was bowling quite nicely to him in the previous over, so to get him out was a nice feeling.”Along with Potts, Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue, Carse was one of the fast bowlers that England invested heavily in last winter, awarding them two-year central contracts as they look to build a stock of fast bowlers ahead of next year’s Ashes tour. They share a similar profile: they are all seamers rather than swing bowlers, whose stock balls nip back in.Carse, at 29, is the oldest of those four. After his ban this summer, which reinforced the temporary nature of an athlete’s career, he exudes the sense of a player determined to grasp his opportunity. “It’s been a special five days,” he said. “It’s been hard graft, and it was difficult at times today [Friday] but it’s very rewarding to come away with a win.”

Stats highlights from England’s ten-wicket win in the second semi-final against India

Sampath Bandarupalli10-Nov-2022170* The partnership between Jos Buttler and Alex Hales in the semi-final against India, the highest for any wicket in the history of the men’s T20 World Cup. The previous highest was by Rilee Rossouw and Quinton de Kock against Bangladesh in Sydney during the Super 12s of this tournament.ESPNcricinfo Ltd169 The target chased down by England in Adelaide is the joint second-highest without losing a wicket in men’s T20Is. Pakistan defeated England in pursuit of 200 without losing a wicket earlier this year in Karachi, while New Zealand also won by ten wickets chasing 169 against Pakistan in 2016.1 England became the first team to win a knockout at the men’s T20 World Cup by ten wickets. It is only the fifth instance of a team winning by ten wickets in the T20 World Cup, and the first for England. The last such result also had India on the receiving end when Pakistan chased down 152 in the 2021 edition.ESPNcricinfo Ltd1 Number of partnerships for England in men’s T20Is higher than the 170-run stand between Hales and Buttler. Dawid Malan and Eoin Morgan shared 182 runs for the third wicket against New Zealand in 2019.
It is also the second-highest partnership against India in men’s T20Is, behind the 174* by De Kock and David Miller in Guwahati earlier this year.1 England became the first side to win a men’s T20I at Adelaide Oval after winning the toss. Each of the previous 11 men’s T20Is at this venue was won by the team that lost the toss.ESPNcricinfo Ltd10 Consecutive wins for the chasing team in the knockouts at the men’s T20 World Cup. The last side to win a T20 World Cup knockout game while batting first was Sri Lanka in a rain-hit semi-final against West Indies in 2014.3.65 Difference in the economy rate of the spin bowlers for India and England. India’s spinners conceded 57 runs in the six overs they bowled, while England’s gave away only 41 runs in seven overs.