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Chelsea are now believed to be at the front of the queue to sign a Liverpool transfer target in January, and one who Man United have also rated very highly in the past.

Chelsea prepare for Leeds United battle after 1-1 Arsenal draw

Chelsea travel to Elland Road on Wednesday evening seeking to build momentum after their hard-fought 1-1 draw against Premier League leaders Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, where Enzo Maresca’s side demonstrated remarkable resilience despite playing almost an hour with 10 men.

The Blues dominated proceedings during the opening half-hour before Moises Caicedo’s reckless studs-up challenge on Mikel Merino resulted in a straight red card following VAR intervention.

The Ecuadorian midfielder’s dismissal represented Chelsea’s fourth sending-off across just thirteen league fixtures this season – twice as many as any other Premier League side.

Chelsea responded defiantly, though.

Trevoh Chalobah glanced home Reece James’ near-post corner to open the scoring just after halftime, rewarding the hosts’ dogged display, but Arsenal eventually equalised through Merino’s header before the hour mark.

It was a promising display overall from Chelsea, who are still firmly in the title race and must now come away from Yorkshire with all three points to keep pressure on Mikel Arteta’s side.

Daniel Farke’s relegation-threatened side have endured difficult recent form, collecting just three points from their last five league games.

Chelsea, meanwhile, are having to watch their injury situation closely, with Dario Essugo suffering a setback and Maresca carefully easing Cole Palmer back into the team following his return from a groin problem.

Away from the pitch, Chelsea have been tipped to potentially sign a new centre-back in January, and RB Leipzig’s Castello Lukeba is emerging as a prime contender.

Chelsea favourites to sign Castello Lukeba in January

That is according to CaughtOffside, who report that Chelsea are leading the winter chase to sign him next month, ahead of Liverpool, who are also keen on a move for the Frenchman.

Lukeba, who’s started nearly every game as a mainstay for Leipzig this season, is currently their best-performing player in the Bundesliga behind David Raum, going by average match rating per 90 (WhoScored).

The 22-year-old’s deal includes a release clause which will drop to around £70 million in the summer, but CaughtOffside state that Leipzig could be willing to sell Lukeba to Chelsea for much less at £53 million.

Lukeba, interestingly, was highly recommended to Man United by an unnamed recruitment chief in 2023, according to Football Insider, who told the Red Devils that he’s a ‘generational’ talent.

Chelsea will be without Levi Colwill until midway through next year after the Cobham graduate’s ACL injury in pre-season, but Chalobah and Wesley Fofana seriously impressed against Arsenal.

Some believe the pair might be one of England’s best centre-back pairings right now, so the need for another defender is nowhere near as critical as it was back in October.

In any case, Maresca publicly demanded another centre-half in the summer, so it could still be one worth monitoring.

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James Rodríguez ficará no São Paulo em 2024. O jogador repensou seu desejo de rescindir com o clube e manifestou desejo de permanecer.

➡️ Tudo sobre o Tricolor agora no WhatsApp. Siga o nosso novo canal Lance! São Paulo

Depois de não avançar nas conversas pelo encerramento antecipado do vínculo, o colombiano solicitou uma conversa com a diretoria e, a princípio, ficará no Tricolor. A informação sobre a situação de James Rodríguez no São Paulo foi publicada inicialmente pelo jornalista Gabriel Sá e confirmada pelo Lance!.

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O meia possui contrato até junho do próximo ano e estava insatisfeito com sua minutagem em campo. Lesionado, o atleta não jogou ainda em 2024 e teve episódio polêmico com o São Paulo. Ele foi o único atleta que não viajou com a delegação a Belo Horizonte (MG), palco da decisão da Supercopa, em que o Tricolor bateu o Palmeiras e ficou com o título.

Agora, James poderá ser inscrito na próxima fase do Paulistão. Ainda sem se firmar no São Paulo, o meia chegou ao clube em julho do ano passado e soma 14 partidas, um gol e três assistências. Antes do Tricolor, ele passou por equipes como Bayern de Munique, Real Madrid, Porto, Monaco e Olympiacos.

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James RodríguezSão Paulo

As Sean Manaea walked off the field Tuesday night after the seventh inning in Game 3 of the NLDS, he blew a kiss to the sky as New York Mets fans showered him with a chorus of cheers and a standing ovation.

Manaea had just pitched the game of his life. Little did the sellout crowd of 44,093 fans at Citi Field know, it was all dedicated to a beloved family member.

"That was for my Aunt Mabel," Manaea said. "I just got a message that she passed away earlier this morning. That game was for her."

Manaea certainly made his late aunt proud, as he allowed just one run on three hits over seven innings of work in the Mets' 7–2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies. The lefthander also whiffed six batters and walked two as he secured the first playoff win in his career.

Entering Tuesday's game, Manaea had never pitched in a playoff win in four previous tries, including the Mets' 5–3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers in the wild-card round last week.

The Mets, now leading 2–1 in the series and one win away from the NLCS, will host the Phillies again on Wednesday.

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A presidente do Palmeiras, Leila Pereira, está neste momento viajando para Cali, na Colômbia, para acompanhar in loco a grande final da Libertadores Feminina 2023.

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Muito criticada por não ter viajado para Quito no ano passado, quando o Verdão ganhou a primeira Libertadores Feminina da sua história, neste ano a mandatária fez questão de viajar para apoiar as meninas ao vivo.

O Palmeiras enfrenta o Corinthians neste sábado (21), a partir das 20h30 (horário de Brasília), naquela que é a partida mais importante da história do projeto feminino do Verdão.

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Apesar das críticas da torcida alviverde por conta do planejamento da equipe masculina, Leila Pereira faz um bom trabalho com o feminino e inclusive se orgulha de ter aberto o espaço de patrocínio para que outras marcas como a CIMED, Betfair e a Allianz pudessem apoiar o projeto de futebol feminino do Verdão.

+ Quais são os maiores campeões da Libertadores Feminina?

Leila já deve retornar para o Brasil neste domingo, uma vez que na próxima segunda-feira (23), teremos uma importante reunião no Conselho Deliberativo do Palmeiras.

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حقق فريق الكرة الأول بالنادي الأهلي فوزًا صعبًا على سيراميكا كليوباترا، بهدفين لهدف، في المباراة التي جمعت بينهما ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس السوبر المصري.

والتقى الأهلي نظيره سيراميكا كليوباترا، في نصف نهائي كأس السوبر المصري، على ملعب هزاع بن زايد، في نصف نهائي بطولة السوبر المصري.

طالع.. فيديو | أسيست زيزو.. تريزيجيه يسجل هدف الأهلي الأول أمام سيراميكا كليوباترا

وجاء الهدف الأول في الدقيقة 18 عن طريق محمود حسن تريزيجيه بعد عرضية مميزة من أحمد سيد زيزو قابلها تريزيجيه برأسه في الشباك.

وسجل مروان عثمان، هدف تعادل سيراميكا كليوباترا في الدقيقة 41 بعد تمريرة من أحمد بلحاج ليسجلها من أعلى محمد الشناوي.

وتقدم الأهلي بالهدف الثاني، في مرمى سيراميكا كليوباترا، عن طريق اللاعب السلوفيني جراديشار، في الدقيقة 53 بعد تمريرة من أشرف بن شرقي.

وتأهل الأهلي إلى نهائي كأس السوبر المصري، في انتظار الفائز من نصف نهائي الآخر بين بيراميدز والزمالك، في حين سيلعب سيراميكا على المركزين الثالث والرابع مع الخاسر من نصف نهائي الآخر. أهداف مباراة الأهلي وسيراميكا كليوباترا اليوم في السوبر المصري

Many Liverpool players came in for criticism after the 2-1 defeat away to Chelsea, with one individual producing “another dire performance” for the Reds.

Neville slams "absolutely useless" Liverpool attack

The Premier League champions have been brought crashing back down to reality, losing three times in a week and being defeated in stoppage time away to both Crystal Palace and Chelsea.

Reflecting on Liverpool’s performance after Saturday’s game at Stamford Bridge, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville didn’t hold back in his criticism of the attack, with various individuals misfiring.

“I thought after they scored, I was really disappointed in their level of performance. A lot has been made of Liverpool’s defensive work and rightly so, but that’s not why they’ve lost this game. They’ve lost this game because in the last 15-20 minutes, their creative players, their players in the final half of the pitch, the midfield players and the forwards were absolutely useless.

“They were giving the ball away like you wouldn’t believe. Gakpo, Salah, the wastage. Wirtz, not knowing how to get into a game in the last 15 minutes when it was there for the taking and just sort of ended up almost marking Caicedo. I thought their front players were terrible. Salah is sublime.

“How can you criticise the consistency and reliability and brilliance of him, but some of the decisions of him today, when he comes inside and you think he should pass it or you think he should do something better with it, and his finishing was poor.”

It has been a concerning week for Liverpool, with too many players well below their best, and one Reds hero has been lambasted after his showing against the Blues.

Liverpool star slammed for "another dire performance"

Writing on X, Statman Dave slammed Mohamed Salah’s “dire” display for Liverpool against Chelsea, with the Reds legend having the fewest touches of any outfield player to feature for the whole game.

Salah’s form is a definite cause for concern, with the 33-year-old seemingly no longer possessing the blistering pace that he did, making it easier for full-backs in one-on-one situations.

That said, the more troubling aspect of his game is his general use of the ball, with too many passes going astray and his finishing away to Chelsea horribly erratic.

Salah has overcome slumps before, but the fact that he is now well into his 30s means that the voices are only going to be louder when it comes to writing him off.

Worse than Salah: Slot must drop 4/10 Liverpool ace who lost 50% duels

Liverpool lost 2-1 away to Chelsea on Saturday evening

1 ByJoe Nuttall Oct 5, 2025

He still has a huge amount to offer Liverpool, but if his performances don’t improve immeasurably after the international break, there may have to be genuine talk about him potentially being past his prime.

A significant update has now dropped regarding Sheffield United’s potential search for a new manager, with Ruben Selles feeling the heat.

Selles under huge pressure at Sheffield United

The Blades have made a disastrous start to the 2025/26 season, sitting bottom of the Championship and failing to pick up a single point in their opening four matches.

For that reason, the pressure is also mounting on manager Selles at United, following his arrival in place of Chris Wilder this summer, and pundit Jobi McAnuff has said there are “no excuses” for him not to improve moving forward.

“It’s been a mess of a summer – starting with the sacking of Chris Wilder. From what I’ve seen I’ve not been impressed with Ruben Selles in the way he’s set the team up – he’s not getting the best out of the group yet.

“He maybe wasn’t given the tools he needed to put a team together that can go and get results which gives him a little bit of an out but he should be doing better with the squad he has at his disposal.”But he certainly has no excuses with what he’s brought in now.”

Understandably, some names are already being mentioned as possible replacements for Selles, should he be relieved of his duties at Bramall Lane, and a key update has emerged regarding one rumoured target.

Danny Rohl to Sheffield United update

Writing on X on Sunday, BBC Sheffield’s Rob Staton claimed that Danny Rohl won’t be Sheffield United’s next manager, due to there being too much controversy surrounding it, given his past with rivals Sheffield Wednesday.

In truth, it is hard to see Rohl becoming Blades boss, given the reaction it would cause among Wednesday supporters, even though it is something that Blades fans would likely find amusing.

The 4-2-3-1-playing German is a highly-rated young manager – one who steered the Owls impressively away from safety in 2023/24, with Chris Waddle one of many left impressed by the job he did at Hillsborough.

Hopefully, a new manager isn’t needed at all for United, with Selles masterminding a revival after the international break, but it’s fair to say that the current feeling at the club isn’t too positive, with huge improvements needed, and fast.

Several IPL captains agreed that the saliva ban was hurting bowlers especially in not facilitating reverse swing

Nagraj Gollapudi20-Mar-20253:54

Southee on usage of saliva: ‘Think there needs to be something in the bowlers’ favour’

Bowlers will be allowed to apply saliva on the ball in IPL 2025. The decision was taken by IPL after majority of the franchise captains voiced for the change at a meeting with the decision-makers of the tournament at the BCCI headquarters in Mumbai on Thursday.ESPNcricinfo has learned that several captains agreed that the saliva ban, which was adopted by ICC and followed by the member boards across all levels of cricket, was hurting the bowlers especially in not facilitating reverse swing, which has become rare in white-ball cricket, including ODIs where two new balls are used.Gujarat Titans (GT) fast bowler Mohammed Siraj concurred with the captains.”It’s very good for bowlers. It’s excellent news for us bowlers because when the ball is not doing anything, applying saliva on the ball will increase the chances of finding some reverse swing,” Siraj told . “It sometimes aids reverse swing because scrubbing the ball against the shirt will not help (to get reverse swing). But using saliva on the ball will help in maintaining (the shine on one side), and it is important.”The ban on using saliva to polish the ball was first put in place in May 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, as a temporary measure. In September 2022, the ICC made the ban permanent. With bowlers allowed to use sweat to shine the ball, there had been calls from leading voices in the game to allow the use of an artificial substance in place of saliva back then. Jasprit Bumrah had said at the time that there should be “some alternative for the bowlers to maintain the ball”.Related

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Recently, India fast bowler Mohammed Shami urged the ICC to rescind the ban on using saliva to shine the ball. “We are trying [to get reverse swing], but the usage of saliva on the ball is not allowed,” Shami had told reporters after India’s win over Australia in the Champions Trophy semi-final. “We keep appealing that we should be allowed to use saliva so that we can bring reverse swing back into the game and it becomes interesting.”He had also got the backing of two former international bowlers in Vernon Philander and Tim Southee.”That was a rule brought around Covid with the virus going around the world, but I think as a bowler, you want to have a slight advantage,” Southee said on ESPNcricinfo’s Match Day. “We see the game going the way it’s going and seeing sides score 362 and more often than not over 300 in this format. I think there needs to be something in the bowlers’ favour, and whether that’s a little bit of saliva, then yeah, I don’t see why they couldn’t afford to get that back in.”

Liverpool have welcomed a range of new signings to Arne Slot’s title-winning squad, spanning Giorgi Mamardashvili between the sticks to Hugo Ekitike as Anfield’s new talismanic frontman (for now).

A bid for Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak remains in the pipeline, though the prospect of the all-powerful striker completing Liverpool’s attacking set remains reliant on the Magpies finding and signing adequate replacements. Don’t hold your breath.

A deal has been agreed for Parma teenager Giovanni Leoni, and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi remains a top target.

However, several Liverpool stars may yet be on the move before the September 1st deadline.

Who Liverpool could still sell

Liverpool have recently sold forwards Luis Diaz and Darwin Nunez, but Federico Chiesa may yet leave too, with a return to his Italian homeland on the cards after a frustrating year on Merseyside.

Harvey Elliott is also planning to leave, for the young playmaker has been reduced to a peripheral role in Slot’s system, and will likely find his match action further impeded after the £116m signing of Florian Wirtz.

Such players would be allowed to leave with little complaint, but that isn’t the case as far as Ibrahima Konate is concerned.

Instrumental in winning the Premier League last year, Liverpool’s Konate has entered the final year of his £70k-per-week contract, and while long efforts to renew terms have been made, sporting director Richard Hughes has yet to make a breakthrough.

And now, according to transfer insider Simon Phillips, Chelsea are willing to join Real Madrid in bidding for the centre-back this summer, prepared to offer a significant sum to bring him over to Stamford Bridge. A figure in the region of £43m has been mooted elsewhere.

Were the Les Bleus powerhouse to choose the latter option and sign for Chelsea, might Liverpool be looking at a dreadful repeat of that one-time loss of Fernando Torres to the London side?

Liverpool must not sell Ibrahima Konate

The thought of Konate linking up with Trent Alexander-Arnold at Real Madrid is bad enough, but to consider him wearing blue under the Stamford Bridge lights is to swallow a bitter pill indeed.

More still, the 26-year-old would be directly strengthening a Premier League title rival at their time of need, Chelsea having lost Colwill for the lion’s share of the season.

Having spent four seasons with Liverpool, it’s no coincidence that the France international’s injury-riddled stay smoothed out last year, the first term he has lifted the Premier League with the Redmen.

Liverpool must fight tooth and nail to keep such a player in their mix, especially as Virgil van Dijk edges toward the twilight of his illustrious career.

Under new management, Liverpool enjoyed collective improvements on the fitness front last season, with Slot and his team’s renown for maintaining high availability levels paying dividends. Longer sessions with reduced intensity did the trick, along with calculated substitutions across the campaign.

Konate indeed benefitted, enjoying more Premier League football than ever before across the span of a league season.

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Were the Reds to lose their “monster” of a defender, as he has been called by analyst Josh Williams, while reaching the peak of his powers, it could be reminiscent of that deal that allowed Torres to head to Chelsea for a record-breaking £50m fee.

The Spanish legend had torn English football to shreds after leaving his homeland and joining Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool side in 2006, scoring 81 goals and supplying 19 assists across just 142 matches in all competitions.

He never found the same degree of invincibility with Chelsea, although he did win a host of honours with club and country, including the World Cup and the Champions League, but El Nino, to be sure, harks back to his time on Merseyside as the finest football he has produced on an individual level.

Torres’ decision to leave Liverpool for Chelsea stung, but the candid truth is the Blues were higher up the food chain at that point in time. The bigger beast.

Stamford Bridge can no longer claim that narrative, and for Konate to depart and rehouse himself in west London would be a gut-punch of a move for those of a Liverpool persuasion.

With Hughes at the head of the table, let’s hope that that unthinkable eventuality does not become a reality.

Their new Trent: FSG’s key target flying to sign for Liverpool on Thursday

Liverpool are looking to seal a few exciting signings to close the transfer window.

ByAngus Sinclair Aug 14, 2025

Whilst their striker search develops following news that Alexander Isak wants to leave, Newcastle United and PIF have reportedly been offered the chance to sign a Premier League rival instead of Benjamin Sesko.

Newcastle "working" on Sesko deal

The Magpies have sprung into action following Isak’s bombshell and have instantly turned their focus towards Sesko. The RB Leipzig ace has attracted the interest of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool this summer, but now Newcastle have emerged in search of a blockbuster move of their own.

According to transfer reporter Ben Jacobs, those at St James’ Park are now “working” on personal terms with the talented striker and are set to submit an opening bid to Leipzig, who are open to a summer sale.

Although reports have suggested that Leipzig will demand as much as £67m to sell the 22-year-old ahead of next season, money will be no issue for Newcastle if Isak departs for a deal which could be a staggering worth £150m.

It certainly makes sense that Newcastle have turned straight towards Sesko too. The Serbian has been on the rise for a couple of seasons now and once again showed plenty of his potential in the Bundesliga last time out.

There will be concerns that Sesko managed just 13 Bundesliga goals last time out, but it’s key to point out that both he and Isak outperformed their expected total by three goals. Based on that figure, the Serbian certainly has the potential to improve his numbers if chance creation around him is improved.

PIF set sights on signing 13-goal star for Newcastle after Isak bombshell

The Magpies have instantly turned towards potential replacements.

By
Tom Cunningham

Jul 25, 2025

Alas, with how this summer has gone for the Magpies, having alternative options lined up certainly wouldn’t be a bad idea and one Premier League rival may find himself on that shortlist.

PIF offered chance to sign Jackson

According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, PIF have now been offered the chance to sign Nicolas Jackson for Newcastle this summer. The forward’s agent has offered his signature around the Premier League to the likes of Manchester United, Aston Villa and now Newcastle as he looks to ensure that his client receives his desired game time.

After Chelsea signed both Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, that game time is unlikely to arrive at Stamford Bridge – allowing Newcastle to come swooping in should they please this summer.

Dubbed “fantastic” by Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca, Newcastle’s backline paid witness to Jackson’s ability first-hand last season when he scored in a 2-1 victory over the Magpies.

It goes without saying that Jackson must work on his consistency after scoring 13 goals in all competitions last season, but he could yet find that by swapping Chelsea for Newcastle this summer.