يرى جناح إنجلترا السابق، أندروس تاونسند، أن النجم المصري محمد صلاح لن يتعامل مع مسألة تهميشه من المباريات وإبعاده عن التشكيل الأساسي لفريق ليفربول بشكل سهل على الإطلاق.
ويستعد ليفربول لخوض مباراة في إطار منافسات الجولة الرابعة عشر من بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، مساء يوم الأربعاء، ضد فريق سندرلاند على ملعب “الأنفيلد”.
وخاض ليفربول مباراة في الجولة الثالثة عشر من الدوري الإنجليزي، يوم الأحد الماضي، ضد وست هام على ملعب “لندن الأولمبي” حيث حقق حامل اللقب فوزًا بهدفين دون رد بعد فترة كارثية مؤخرًا.
ولم يشارك محمد صلاح في مباراة ليفربول ووست هام حيث كان متواجدًا على دكة بدلاء الريدز، ولم يدفع به المدرب آرني سلوت في أي من دقائقها.
وقال تاونسند، في تصريحات مقتضبة نشرتها شبكة “بي بي سي” العالمية: “أعتقد أن محمد صلاح سيأخذ الأمر على محمل شخصي، أفضل لاعبي العالم يرغبون في المشاركة في كل دقيقة من كل مباراة”.
كان آرني سلوت قد ظهر في مؤتمر صحفي اليوم للحديث عن مباراة ليفربول وسندرلاند، حيث أكد في تصريحاته أنه من الطبيعي أن يشعر محمد صلاح بعدم الرضا تجاه تواجده على دكة البدلاء كونه محترفًا من الطراز العالمي (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا).
Leeds United are in some strife this season. After a strong start, the Whites find themselves in another relegation fight, with just 11 points to their name. That puts them one point clear of the drop zone, and with West Ham United and Nottingham Forest now two unbeaten, they could get caught.
Perhaps this was to be expected by Leeds fans at the start of the season. ESPN journalist Bill Connelly was someone who thought they’d go straight back down to the Championship, explaining that they “probably will have to figure out how to get by with defensive organisation and random bursts of quality attacking.”
Well, it’s not worked out like that so far, with manager Daniel Farke’s future now under question again.
Why Farke’s Leeds future is in doubt
Connelly identified a strong defence and clinical attacking bursts as the keys to how the Whites could keep themselves in the Premier League. Those two things have both been lacking so far this term.
Defensively, the West Yorkshire outfit have left a lot to be desired. They’ve been leaky at the back and have conceded 20 goals.
Despite signing three attackers in the summer, Farke’s side have managed to score just ten goals, better only than bottom-place Wolves.
This has, once again, brought the German’s job into question. He was reportedly close to getting sacked last season, but Leeds chairman Paraag Marathe said Farke is “my man” going into the Premier League adventure.
Circumstances can change quickly, though. Now, reports are suggesting Farke has five games to save himself. After losing the first one against Nottingham Forest before the international break, games against Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool await.
It does seem inevitable that Leeds will have to sack their manager sooner or later. They seem to have a new boss lined up who could get them thriving in front of goal again.
Leeds’ perfect Farke replacement
If Farke is removed from his post as Leeds head coach, journalist Graeme Bailey recently put forward a name for who could replace him.
He says that the pressure is piling on, especially ‘when you have a manager like Brendan Rodgers available,’ a man Leeds could well move for if they sack the German.
Rodgers was once described as a “world-class” manager by Gabby Agbonlahor on talkSPORT, after his impressive performances at Leicester City.
The Foxes were punching above their weight for years, partly thanks to the Northern Irishman’s contributions.
At the King Power Stadium, he looked to capitalise on quick transitional situations, with some dangerous attacking players at his disposal. Those included the likes of James Maddison and star striker Jamie Vardy.
In fact, getting the best out of his strikers has always been a key feature of Rodgers’ management, no matter what club he was at.
He has coached some big-name centre-forwards, including Vardy and Luis Suarez, all of whom have enjoyed success under the Northern Irishman.
Jamie Vardy (Leicester)
157
70
Luis Suarez (Liverpool)
81
61
Moussa Dembele (Celtic)
94
51
Kelechi Iheanacho (Leicester, Celtic)
151
46
Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool)
70
43
That could be music to Leeds fans’ ears, given their difficulties in front of goal. Perhaps Rodgers – and his attack-minded 4-3-3 setup – can be the guy to finally get them thriving in front of goal.
He may have a new striker to work with, too. Troy Parrott is a target for the club, according to recent reports, and could be on the move this January.
He has been on fire with club side AZ Alkmaar since moving there last summer, and has 33 goals and seven assists in 61 games.
Of course, he was the hero for the Republic of Ireland last week, helping them reach the World Cup playoffs.
That is exactly the sort of goalscoring prowess that Leeds are lacking at the moment. Despite having three strikers on the books, they are missing that clinical edge in front of goal.
Parrott, however, has just that, and could be the difference maker – much like Vardy was in the past under Rodgers.
With Rodgers’ impressive track record working with strikers, Parrott could be the next number nine the potential Leeds boss gets the best out of.
Together, they might be the perfect pair to get Leeds scoring goals and get them out of this relegation battle.
£45k-per-week Leeds flop looks like their biggest disaster since Koch
Leeds United now have their biggest disaster signing since Robin Koch in this £45k-per-week dud.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s team was an over short of the rate during the defeat to Australia
ESPNcricinfo staff15-Oct-2025India have been fined for maintaining a slow over rate during their Women’s World Cup match against Australia on October 12.Harmanpreet Kaur’s team was found to be one over short of the target after allowances had been made during their unsuccessful defence of 330 in Visakhapatnam. Australia won by three wickets and with six balls to spare.There was no need for a formal hearing with the match referee after Harmanpreet pled guilty to the charges levied by the match officials and the proposed sanction. India were fined 5% of their match fees.According to the ICC Code of Conduct, players are fined 5% for every over they fail to bowl within the allotted time to complete the innings.India are presently fourth in the points table, having won their first two games in the league stage of the World Cup before losing to South Africa and Australia. Their next fixture is against England in Indore on Sunday.
Nottinghamshire wicketkeeper strikes his highest professional score in rain-affected match
ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay05-Aug-2025Tom Moores smashed a career-best 148 from 93 balls as Notts Outlaws launched their Metro Bank One-Day Cup campaign with a comfortable victory over Essex.It is the 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batter’s highest score in senior cricket, eclipsing his first-class best of 106. He hit five sixes and 18 fours, sharing a 137-run sixth-wicket partnership with Daniel Sams (45 off 42) as the Outlaws recovered to 283 for 9, having been 41 for four inside the first hour thanks to Essex seamer Jamie Porter taking a List A career-best 4 for 29.Robin Das (46) and skipper Tom Westley (43) gave the Essex a solid start as they chased a revised target of 286 after squally showers had limited the home side to 46 overs in their innings, but from 101 for one they collapsed to 156 for 6, former Lincolnshire left-arm spinner Joe Pocklington taking 3 for 53 on his Outlaws debut, and despite an excellent unbeaten 46 from 41 balls (two sixes) from wicketkeeper Simon Fernandes, still fell for 234, seamer Rob Lord finishing with 3 for 30.After Westley won the toss and asked the home side to bat first in typical outground conditions at the John Fretwell Sports Complex, just outside Mansfield, Porter bowled his 10-over allocation in one spell to have Notts struggling.Having picked up a gift wicket when Outlaws skipper Haseeb Hameed chipped to mid-off, he found movement with the new ball to bowl Ben Slater and the 18-year-old debutant Sam Seecharan before Jack Haynes was caught behind off a thin edge.The hosts stumbled further to 74 for 5 as Lyndon James cut straight to cover, but with Porter bowled out, an Essex attack lacking Simon Harmer (on paternity leave) looked much less menacing.Moores was dropped at deep backward square on 21 off Noah Thain but responded by launching the same bowler over the same boundary for the first of his sixes in an innings that showcased his strengths square of the wicket. His first fifty came off 35 balls, his hundred from 69. His previous List A best had been 76 against Leicestershire in 2018, although this was only his 30th match in the format.Sams – available for Notts until he begins a Caribbean Premier League stint later this month – cleared the rope three times before top-edging to midwicket. Essex’s 19-year-old seamer Charlie Bennett, on his List A debut, recovered from a wobbly start to pick up the wickets of both Sams and Moores, who was eventually held at long-on.After losing Matt Critchley early, Essex looked well placed at 101 for 1 in the 16th over but after Das, who made a match-winning century for his county at Trent Bridge last summer, had miscued Lord to mid-on, Essex were never able to regain full momentum.Westley was well taken at short midwicket as Lord struck again, before 24-year-old Pocklington – handed a contract only this week after call-ups to The Hundred and Matt Montgomery’s move to Derbyshire left Notts with effectively no spinners – marked a memorable debut by bowling Luc Benkenstein, snaring Charlie Allison with a return catch and having Nick Browne caught behind off a botched reverse sweep.Lyndon James had Noah Thain and Bennett both caught at midwicket and Shane Snater caught behind as Essex – who have won just seven of 25 One-Day Cup fixtures since they reached the semi-finals in 2021 – were bowled out for 234.
Lunch Jasprit Bumrah was saved, or saved himself, for Lord’s. The temptation of the most famous honour’s board in the world might have had something to do with it and he very nearly wrote himself on it as India started the second day in full flow. India took three wickets in the first five overs – all three the work of their talismanic fast bowler – but a familiar face stalled their progress. Jamie Smith went past 400 runs in the series and walked off at the lunch break with England no longer feeling that queasiness in the stomach that comes with giving up a strong position. They went from 260 for 4 to 271 for 7 but will sit down and dig into the ground’s celebrated catering at 353 for 7.Lord’s stood up as one to salute Joe Root when he got the chance the vent the nerves of spending the night on 99, the first ball offering him width that he took on happily. An outside edge squirted away to the deep third boundary to signal the Englishman’s 37th Test century – which puts him in the top five in all of Test cricket. He went past Rahul Dravid and Steven Smith.Bumrah decided he wasn’t willing to share the stage anymore. So he sent back both the England captain Ben Stokes and their century maker as well, Root falling to the Indian fast bowler for the 11th time. There was another small victory for the visitors in this period of play when Shubman Gill secured his first successful review on tour to get rid of Chris Woakes.India continued to challenge the umpires, their irritation sparked by a decision to change the second new ball – a mere 10.3 overs into its use – which was working quite well for them. Gill spent the entire morning drinks break with umpires Paul Reiffel and Sharfuddoula seemingly dissatisfied with the replacement ball. They didn’t have to deal with it for long though. Eight overs in, the replacement ball was being replaced.
Away in the background, Smith, who was dropped by KL Rahul on 5, just kept his head down and did his thing. Once more, he led an England lower-order recovery mission, his skillset perfectly suited to the task. A 52-ball half-century was the result of a man concentrating on the job at hand while the opposition was too busy fretting about what could have been. India tried to forget about Smith and blow away the other end, but that didn’t work either. Brydon Carse was batting well enough to hit Akash Deep on the up through the covers and getting down on bent knee to slash Bumrah past point.England’s eighth wicket pair had come together in the middle of a crisis. With all the focus on Bumrah and India and the quality of the Dukes balls, they’ve quietly shifted the balance of the Test match.
كشف الدولي البرازيلي روبرتو فيرمينو، لاعب ليفربول السابق والسد القطري الحالي، حقيقة مفاوضات ريال مدريد من أجل التعاقد معه عقب رحيله عن الريدز.
سجل البرازيلي 111 هدفًا وقدم 72 تمريرة حاسمة في 362 مباراة خلال فترة وجوده مع ليفربول والتي كانت تعتبر فترة ذهبية رفقة الثنائي محمد صلاح وساديو ماني تحت قيادة الألماني يورجن كلوب.
كان حوار فيرمينو على خلفية لقاء ريال مدريد وليفربول في دوري أبطال أوروبا والذي انتهى بفوز الريدز بهدف نظيف في المباراة التي جمعتهما على ملعب “آنفيلد”، الثلاثاء الماضي.
وقال فيرمينو، في تصريحات نقلتها صحيفة “ليفربول إيكو” عن حقيقة وجود اهتمام ريال مدريد بالتعاقد معه بعد رحيله عن ليفربول: “كان هناك اهتمام بالطبع بكل صراحة”.
وأكمل: “أخبرتني وكالتي بوجود اهتمام من ريال مدريد من أجل التعاقد معي، كان ذلك مؤخرًا لكن ليس كما كان سابقًا، كما تعلمون عندما تلقيتُ عرضًا للذهاب إلى السعودية”.
اقرأ أيضًا | آس: ثقة ريال مدريد في كورتوا منعته من التعاقد مع صفقة برشلونة
وتابع: “في ذلك الوقت، كان هناك اهتمام حقيقي من مدريد ولكن كانت هناك عوامل كثيرة أخرى”.
وأضاف: “لم أكن الخيار الأول ولا حتى الثاني بالنسبة لهم، لذلك كان عليّ الانتظار طويلًا ليس أنني قليل الصبر، ولكن كان عليّ الانتظار”.
واستطرد: “ثم جاء العرض من الأهلي وكان علي أن أصلي وأفكر إذا كان هذا هو الشيء الصحيح حقًا”.
وأتم: “هكذا حدث الأمر، ذهبتُ إلى الجزيرة العربية وأعتقد أن هدفي هناك قد تحقق، أعتقد أن هذا ما كان مقدرًا أن يحدث”.
There’s something indescribable about the connection a football club forges with a youngster who successfully works their way from the academy scene to superstardom.
Here goes anyway. Tottenham Hotspur are among the chief purveyors of youth prospects finding a route up to the top level. The Spurs academy is a cornerstone of the club’s philosophy, and Harry Kane stands as a testament to that.
Plying their trade away from N17 are Noni Madueke and Troy Parrott, both rising stars who once earned their stripes under the senior stage in north London.
But the emphasis in recent years has been clear, and Tottenham have a number of rising talents cutting their teeth elsewhere on loan deals.
Luka Vuskovic is evidence of that, the 18-year-old having signed for the Premier League side in 2023 for a reported £13m fee, spending the last two years continuing his development in his Croatian homeland before arriving and heading straight back out to Hamburg in Germany for the current campaign.
Vuskovic may well be the most exciting prospect the Lilywhites have, but he’s not the only one playing elsewhere. Tottenham’s loan strategy is clear.
Spurs loan round-up
In September, Vuskovic earned his maiden cap for Croatia’s men’s team. Four games into his Bundesliga career with Hamburger SV, the teenager has shattered expectations, winning nine duels and recovering five balls on average per game (Sofascore).
A menace in the air and showing age-belying strength, Vuskovic is Tottenham’s future in defence, and the strong partnership of Micky van de Ven and Cristian Romero will help him to no end down the line, easing his integration into the Premier League arena.
At the other end of the field, Mikey Moore is a talent of a similar standing, hailed by Fabrizio Romano as being a “superstar” in the making. However, he has struggled out with Rangers in the Scottish Premiership since the summer, but the sinking ship at Ibrox makes for hostile conditions indeed.
These two are considered Tottenham’s brightest youth prospects.
It’s not just the youngsters. 26-year-old winger Manor Solomon has a goal and assist across three La Liga appearances with Villarreal, on loan in Spain until the end of the term.
But it’s the younger generation who primarily fill the out-on-loan spots in Spurs’ squad, with midfielder Alfie Devine having made a promising start in England’s second tier with Preston North End, two goals and an assist under the belt.
His versatility and technical ability suggest he could yet work his way into Tottenham’s plans, having, of course, scored aged 16 in the FA Cup when entering against non-league Marine as a substitute.
Not all are enjoying the same fortunes. Jamie Donley, 20, is considered a fine playmaking talent, but he has been on the fringes at Stoke City this season, yet to start in the Championship. Last year, he notched 19 goal contributions on loan with Leyton Orient.
Also at Stoke is Ashley Phillips, a young and talented centre-half who might be something of a forgotten man at Tottenham, but has the potential, just like Vuskovic, to seal a place before Frank’s vision in the coming years.
The Spurs star who could rival Vuskovic
In 2023, Tottenham signed Phillips from Blackburn Rovers for about £3m. A large payment for an 18-year-old, but he was a long-time target and had featured 15 times for the seniors before his big move.
Former Blackburn Rovers centre-back Ashley Phillips.
Phillips, still only 20, started 35 matches in the Championship for Stoke last season, winning 60% of his ground duels and making 5.9 clearances per game, data courtesy of Sofascore. He has only started twice so far this season, albeit with both outings coming in Stoke’s recent league matches, two draws.
Vuskovic might be the talk of the town, but Phillips has what it takes to succeed under Frank’s wing, having garnered a wealth of experience in the Championship and playing for a Potters side whose seasonal objective is to achieve promotion, fifth after nine matches.
His is a profile which practically begs to be placed at the highest level, and his skillset is, in theory, perfect for Frank’s tactical system. Tony Mowbray, who managed Phillips at Blackburn, recognised the defender’s potential from the start.
Mowbray said: “He’s an amazing footballer and he is going to be a mega footballer I’m pretty sure, but he’s a very young boy. He’s a 6’3, 6’4 magnificent cut of a guy, fast as lightning, composed with the ball, aggressive.”
These are all the attributes required in a modern defender looking to succeed at the highest level. If Phillips can continue to make headway over the coming months, he may well be linking back up in Tottenham at the same time as Vuskovic, rivalling his junior for a starting berth.
For all his strengths, Vuskovic is hardly in fallible, having won only 47% of his ground battles in Germany so far this season. A strength of Phillips’, this is something which could sway the odds when both jockey for a starring role.
Stoke
46
3,828′
Plymouth
20
1,592′
Blackburn U21
17
1,364′
Blackburn
14
722′
Blackburn U18
12
948′
Tottenham U21
5
450′
It was three years ago that Spurs insider Jon Wenham hailed Phillips as a “monster” of a young player, drawing attention to his physique and mental fortitude, clear from the get-go.
The road to superstardom in the Premier League is long and winding. Phillips and those close to him clearly have their wits about them and recognise the advantage in playing the long game.
Kane played out a series of short-term stints away before finding his footing in north London, after his teenage years. Vuskovic is sharpening his own defensive skills.
Phillips walks the same path. Keep an eye on this ‘monstrous’ centre-back; he might just play a significant role in the Frank project down the line.
Spurs star who "gives absolutely zero" is now on borrowed time under Frank
Tottenham’s attacking play has found wanting across the opening months of the season.
Gary Neville loves making a fool of himself when it comes to Liverpool predictions, and one that he made back in 2023 remains one of his worst.
Neville consistently wrong about Liverpool
Over the past decade or so, Neville has become one of the most prominent pundits in the game, often speaking plenty of sense, as long as it’s not about Liverpool or Manchester United.
Too often, the former right-back allows his heart to rule his head, predicting United to finish in the top four or claiming his club will finish above the Reds in a season, despite arguably providing little substance to back it up.
For example, back in the summer of 2019, Neville said that Mohamed Salah would definitely leave Liverpool the following year – he is still a Reds player in 2025 – and that United would win a Premier League title before their rivals.
“Salah will leave, he will, I can absolutely guarantee it. I can see it, you can feel it, you can smell it, you know it.
“Liverpool, City, Tottenham – all these clubs have had poor recruitment policies over the last 25-30 years at times, so United are going through one at the moment. Eventually they’ll stumble across the right recruitment system, the right recruitment people. We’ll get a great manager – hopefully that’s Ole – and they’ll start to win again.
“That’s going to happen, I can guarantee you as clear as day Manchester United will win again, they’ll win again no problem. They’ll win a league – probably win the league before Liverpool in my opinion, I’m not being disrespectful.”
Neville's shocking Liverpool prediction back in 2023
In 2023, Man Utd visited Liverpool in the better form of the two sides, with Jurgen Klopp’s team struggling for various reasons, not least because the likes of Fabinho and Jordan Henderson were shadows of their former selves.
Speaking on Sky Sports before the game, Neville was in cocksure mood, saying he had complete faith in the Red Devils winning at Anfield, barely even entertaining the thought of defeat.
Instead, Liverpool went on to obliterate United 7-0 at Anfield, with Erik ten Hag’s side capitulating in the second half, as the Reds inflicted one of the worst defeats ever on their rivals.
It is a classic Neville moment, and he has produced plenty more in the two years since, featuring alongside Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, with the pair regulars on Sky Sports as pundits. As can be seen, the former Reds defender shared a brilliant image of Neville in the commentary box during the 7-0 win.
Their own Bellingham: Liverpool have "one of the best youngsters in Europe"
Liverpool may have found their own Jude Bellingham in 17-year-old star
1 ByWill Miller Sep 19, 2025
Keep up the incorrect Liverpool predictions, Gary!
Manchester City are enjoying their return after the international break, but could be set to allow a Pep Guardiola signing to leave the club despite the player in question only joining mere months ago.
Manchester City summer signings make instant impact
The transfer window has been and gone, leaving Manchester City hopeful they can start to build momentum as they look to reclaim the Premier League title from Liverpool.
Last weekend’s resounding victory over Manchester United will have restored belief after back-to-back top-flight defeats, and the introduction of Gianluigi Donnarumma to the fold has certainly provided an elevated level of assurance within the Citizens’ backline.
Impressing with his gigantic figure between the sticks, Peter Schmeichel admitted to Premier League Productions that he even tried to convince the Manchester City stopper to move to Old Trafford before his transfer to the blue side of the city materialised.
He said, detailing a previous encounter when he was at Paris Saint-Germain: “I asked my first question and he started to answer in Italian, and I had no clue! Over the last season I kept saying to him, ‘We want you at Man United.
“I did. So I went to him, ‘What are you doing here? You should be in the other goal (for United),’ but he said, ‘I’m very, very happy here.’ He showed it, he gave it to the team today, didn’t he.”
Man City plan offer to sign £87m star who Pep thinks can be key with Foden
The Citizens are looking to make a statement in the January window.
BySean Markus Clifford Sep 12, 2025
Little did Schmeichel know that Donnarumma would immediately be installed as Guardiola’s number one, but there are always ramifications that come with new signings being made.
Now, the Citizens could be willing to offload one of their summer additions in a surprise move that will shock many supporters.
James Trafford could make Man City loan exit
According to TBR, Man City could allow James Trafford to leave on loan in January to help keep his hopes of making Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad alive, given Donnarumma has become Guardiola’s preferred stopper.
The £50,000 per week earner has fallen down the pecking order, something that is further complicated by Stefan Ortega remaining at the club, and he could be permitted a temporary exit after joining for £27 million from Burnley.
Trafford, who himself is open to a loan move away, has started three of Manchester City’s opening four Premier League matches, keeping a clean sheet against Wolverhampton Wanderers, followed by less convincing performances against Tottenham Hotspur and Brighton & Hove Albion.
Nevertheless, he is a fine talent who also courted attention from Newcastle United during the summer before settling on a move back to the club where it all started.
Now, he needs minutes to keep his hopes of being under contention with England alive, and he is unlikely to be short of suitors once the January window opens.
Chelsea chiefs have done extremely well when it comes to selling players this summer, with BlueCo’s mass car boot sale raising north of £300 million.
Enzo Maresca’s side have a unique pact with UEFA after they were slapped with a conditional fine for breaching FFP last month.
A condition of the settlement is that Chelsea must sell certain players from their ‘A-List’ Conference League squad last season if they want to register new signings for the Champions League this term, meaning the Blues have been under pressure to offload squad members.
Kepa Arrizabalaga, Basir Humphreys, Noni Madueke, Marcus Bettinelli, Mathis Amougou, Djordje Petrovic, João Félix, Ishe Samuels-Smith, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Armando Broja, Lesley Ugochukwu, Renato Veiga and Carney Chukwuemeka have all left Stamford Bridge on permanent deals this window, raising a mountain of cash and allowing the club to produce a positive net spend.
Madueke, Amougou and Dewsbury-Hall’s departures also contribute towards Chelsea’s goal of a ‘positive transfer balance’ by September, so they can insert new players into their Champions League ranks ahead of what will be a testing 25/26.
Antony in action for Real Betis in Europa Conference League final against Chelsea's Noni Madueke.
Lately, their potential deals for one of Xavi Simons or Fermin Lopez, with Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho, have stalled due to their need to sell both Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson – which is a result of their UEFA agreement.
Garnacho has agreed personal terms with Chelsea, while it is believed that Barcelona’s Lopez is coming round to the idea of a potential west London move if Maresca’s side opt for the Spaniard instead of Simons.
Chelsea now face stiff competition from Tottenham for the latter, so if they do really want the Dutchman, BlueCo will need to hurry as Spurs are desperate to sign a playmaker.
According to reports, Simons is jetting to London for transfer talks amid Chelsea and Spurs’ interest, so this race is definitely worth keeping an eye on.
Luckily for Chelsea, they have just freed up space in their squad for one of Simons or Lopez by agreeing to sell Nkunku to AC Milan.
Chelsea agree Christopher Nkunku exit with AC Milan deal done
According to Fabrizio Romano, who broke the news first, Chelsea have verbally shaken hands on a deal with Milan over Nkunku, with the £195,000-per-week Frenchman set to pen a five-year deal at the San Siro.
The BBC’s Nizaar Kinsella estimates that, following this transfer, Chelsea have raised around £310 million from outgoings to balance out £277 million spent on transfers – so Maresca’s side certainly won’t have to worry about PSR.
Chelsea's ChristopherNkunkucelebrates scoring their first goal
A move to Serie A also comes as the fresh start Nkunku needs to become a mainstay star, having contributed well under Maresca when called upon.
The Frenchman bagged 15 goals in all competitions despite coming mainly off the bench and starting in the Conference League, with João Félix calling him a “top player”.