Leeds United will be in the market to improve Daniel Farke’s attacking options in the summer transfer window ahead of their return to the Premier League.

Football Insider reported in May that the Whites are not planning to build their attack around Joel Piroe, as they have doubts over his ability to make the step up.

Despite a haul of 19 goals in 46 Championship matches, there is no guarantee that the Dutch centre-forward will be good enough to be the starting number nine in the Premier League.

Leeds are now being linked with an interest in a Championship striker who could come in as an upgrade on the former Swansea City forward.

Leeds in the race to sign Championship star

According to Football League World, Leeds United are one of the teams in the race to sign Norwich City centre-forward before the end of the summer transfer window.

Transfer Focus

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

The report claims that the Whites and Burnley, who were both promoted to the Premier League in the automatic promotion spots, are eyeing up a move for the USA international.

It states that the former Werder Bremen marksman, who was signed by Farke for the Canaries back in 2021, is ‘increasingly likely’ to move on from Carrow Road this summer.

Foot Italia reporter Ben Horlock recently claimed that Fiorentina are also interested in the striker, who is valued at a minimum fee of £21m by Norwich.

Why Leeds should sign Josh Sargent

The Whites should push to sign the American number nine for several reasons, including the fact that he was signed by and worked with Farke at Norwich, which means that the striker already knows how the manager works and that the German boss likes the player’s attributes.

Leeds should also swoop for the £21m-rated dynamo because he could come in as an upgrade on Piroe for the newly-promoted side ahead of next term.

Sargent, who was hailed as “deceptively quick” by teammate Jack Stacey, scored 0.5 goals per game, with 15, in the Championship this season, compared to Piroe’s 0.4 per game for the Whites.

The Norwich striker also created 3.17 xA in 32 matches, compared to the Dutchman’s 3.32 xA in 46 games, which suggests that he could provide a greater threat as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the number nine position.

Appearances

46

32

Fouls won per 90

0.44

1.01

Duels won per 90

2.24

3.20

Duel success rate

27%

43%

Aerial duels won per 90

0.9

0.93

Aerial duel success rate

21%

36%

As you can see in the table above, Sargent would also be a huge upgrade on Piroe when it comes to his play out of possession as a physical force for his side.

These statistics show that the Canaries forward is much better than the Leeds number nine at holding off defenders on the ground, helping him to win fouls and duels, whilst also being more effective at winning aerial battles with centre-backs.

Sargent could, therefore, be more suited to a Leeds team that will be battling against relegation from the Premier League next season, because he is more likely to be an effective outball for the side, winning duels, headers, and fouls to alleviate pressure at times.

Add in that he scored more goals and provided more xA per game than Piroe in the 2024/25 Championship season and you have a target who appears to be a big upgrade on what Farke currently has at his disposal.

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The 49ers mean business this summer…

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Middlesex 433 and 302 (Robson 67, Higgins 67, du Plooy 59, Thomson 4-115) beat Derbyshire 339 (Reece 125, Donald 54, Roland-Jones 5-81) and 202 (Chappell 50, Thomson 41, Bamber 3-48) by 194 runsAn inspired burst from Ethan Bamber tore the heart out of Derbyshire’s rearguard as Middlesex secured a 194-run win on the final day of their Vitality County Championship division two clash at Lord’s.The Seaxes’ seamer took 3 for 6 in 10 balls on route to final figures of 3 for 48 as the visitors slid from 58 for 1 to 70 for 5 in pursuit of what would have been a record fourth-innings chase for the county.Brave resistance from Zak Chappell with 50 and Alex Thomson 41 prolonged the game deep into the final session, but Henry Brookes with 3-29 returned to clean up the tail and seal a third win of the season for the hosts which keeps them in second place behind leaders Sussex.For Mickey Arthur’s side, the morning’s carnage marked a second collapse in 24 hours, having lost six wickets for 22 runs in their first innings on the third morning. Defeat means it’s now 25 games without a red-ball win.Toby Roland-Jones, architect of the visitors’ first innings capitulation, bowled a probing opening spell, repeatedly passing the outside edge of Luis Reece and David Lloyd’s bats, but without reward.The hosts did though get an early breakthrough Ryan Higgins finding the leading edge of Reece’s bat, the ball flying to substitute Martin Andersson in the gully.New batter Brooke Guest edged his first ball just short of Sam Robson at second slip, but thereafter, for a while at least, progress was made without undue alarm.A debatable umpiring decision changed the course of the morning. Guest was struck on the pad by a ball sliding down leg-side, but Naeem Ashraf raised his finger, signalling the collapse which followed.Brookes struck in the next over, jagging one back from outside off to pin Lloyd lbw trapped on the crease before Bamber again took centre-stage, producing a beauty which swung into Wayne Madsen and straightened on pitching, beating the outside edge and crashing into off stump.Bamber wasn’t finished there, striking again in his next over when wicketkeeper Jack Davies, standing up to the stumps held on to an edge to send Aneurin Donald packing for just two.Lunch provided brief respite before Roland-Jones trapped Anuj Dal with one which kept low from back of a length eight balls after the resumption.Matt Lamb resisted for a while in a stand of 42 with Thomson before the introduction of leg-spinner Luke Hollman accounted for him caught at square leg on the sweep.Thomson in company with Chappell continued the defiance, the spinner adding to his excellent game with the ball, though he was dropped by Leus Du Plooy, a tough chance away to his left from the bowling of Nathan Fernandes in the last over before tea.Helped by that reprieve the pair raised a 50-partnership, chewing up 121 balls in the process.Chappell’s response to fielders crowding the bat was to drive Hollman straight for four, before pulling Roland-Jones for six on his way to 50 from 89 balls.Perhaps it was his growing confidence, which was his undoing, as no sooner had he reached the landmark he drove a full ball from Hollman into the hands of Fernandes at cover ending a stand of 71.Thomson’s two-hour vigil was ended by Brookes, who struck twice in as many overs as Middlesex clinched victory just before the start of the last hour.

While Arsenal have sat idly by for much of the early stages of the transfer window, watching Manchester City and Liverpool strengthen significantly, Andrea Berta is now closing in on his first deal since arriving at the Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners are frantically trying to agree a move for either Benjamin Sesko or Viktor Gyokeres, but they have now tied up a move to sign Martin Zubimendi from Real Sociedad.

It’s one of football’s worst-kept secrets since January that the Spaniard is set to head to London with reports in January suggesting a deal was already being worked on.

Well, this week it was reported that a fee has now been agreed between the two clubs, one that will see Arsenal pay a fraction more than the midfielder’s £51m release clause, so they can manage their payments in instalments.

David Ornstein further revealed on Friday morning that Zubimendi is now in the English capital to meet Arsenal officials and complete the formalities of his move to the Premier League.

So, who’s next? Well, it could be a creative midfielder.

Arsenal move closer to signing another midfielder

Arsenal supporters are simply crying out for a striker to sign this summer, so it may come as a concern that deals for Sesko or Gyokeres don’t look like they’re no closer to completion.

That can’t be said of a move for Zubimendi, nor, according to reports, can it be said for a player who was plying his trade in the Premier League throughout 2024/25.

Back in May, it was reported that the Gunners had lodged a bid worth £30m to sign Leicester City’s creative marvel, Bilal El Khannouss.

Transfer Focus

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

Since then, there has not been much of an update on their pursuit of the Morocco international until now.

Indeed, Africa Foot report ahead of the weekend that Arsenal are now ‘close to agreeing a deal’, having already agreed personal terms with El Khannouss’ agents.

A fee is yet to be agreed between the north Londoners and Leicester, with the report concluding that Berta and Co must now meet the Foxes’ financial demands.

El Khannouss could be available for a cut-price fee considering his side were relegated from the top-flight only last month.

Why El Khannouss would be a good signing for Arsenal

Now, we know what you’re thinking. Why sign someone from one of the worst teams we’ve seen in the Premier League across recent years?

Well, if anyone wearing Leicester blue last season could come out of the campaign with their head held high, then it was the Moroccan who caught the eye with his passing ability from midfield.

El Khannouss was certainly one of Leicester’s players of the season – that isn’t hard of course – but he did play well, registering three goals and six assists in all competitions. Those are far from mindblowing numbers, but at the age of 21, there is a lot of potential to work with here.

Indeed, across the season, the attacking midfielder ranked among the top 14% of positionally similar players in the English top-flight for progressive passes and in the best 10% for passes into the final third, underlining his ability to play through the lines and pick out his teammates in promising positions.

That is no doubt his strong point. As outlined by data analyst Ben Mattinson, El Khannouss has a “killer final ball”, while he boasts an “elite weight of pass” and, importantly, “releases runners early.”

This should be music to the ears of the forward players at Arsenal, but particularly for any future striker that Arsenal sign, namely Sesko.

Shots

1.24

1.86

Shot-creating actions

3.16

4.80

Pass completion %

75%

82%

Long pass completion

58%

55%

Key passes

1.72

2.44

Progressive passes

5.36

10

Successful take-ons

1.36

0.97

The Slovenian is a powerhouse striker and as the goal below showcases, he loves to get in behind.

Arsenal may well possess one of the best passers of a ball in the game in Martin Odegaard, but the addition of El Khannouss would no doubt help Sesko settle in even quicker should they both arrive at the Emirates.

At this stage of his career, you could well argue that the Leicester star is like a younger version of Odegaard, setting the tempo and feeding elite balls into the strikers.

Considering the lack of joy Leicester had in 2024/25, playing for a ball-dominant side like Arsenal would be a match made in heaven for the young creative star.

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New Zealand’s training session, meanwhile, was cut short because of what Stead said were “not really acceptable” practice pitches

Matt Roller12-Jun-20242:19

Powell on what a home World Cup means for West Indies

Rovman Powell believes that his West Indies side are facing an “undercooked” New Zealand at the perfect time after their heavy defeat to Afghanistan.Both teams were forced to cut their preparations short at the Brian Lara Stadium ahead of Wednesday night’s Group C fixture. New Zealand abandoned their afternoon training session an hour before schedule due to “unacceptable” practice strips, while heavy rain wiped West Indies’ floodlit session out altogether.It is the start of the rainy season in Trinidad and the national meteorological service issued a yellow-level adverse weather alert on Tuesday morning, signalling the likelihood of thunderstorms. There was a brief downpour during New Zealand’s session – when the pitch was uncovered – and longer, heavier ones followed after they left. Wednesday night’s forecast is much better.Related

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Underdone New Zealand already on the brink

“We had that downpour for about five minutes, and the practice wickets got wet out in the middle,” Gary Stead, New Zealand’s coach, said after returning to the team hotel in Port-of-Spain. “I know the priority was obviously for the match wicket to get covered, but when we went back and tried them they were pretty slippery to stand up on.”New Zealand briefly tried to use the practice strips but swiftly gave up. “The balls were going through the top of the surface, so we had a good fielding training instead,” Stead said. “It was deemed not really acceptable to get anything out of the nets… The guys worked out pretty quickly that there wasn’t going to be a lot of point in it”

“The balls were going through the top of the surface, so we had a good fielding training instead. It was deemed not really acceptable to get anything out of the nets.”Gary Stead on New Zealand’s practice session that was cut short

An 84-run defeat to Afghanistan in their opening match on Friday means that a loss against West Indies would effectively – if not quite mathematically – eliminate New Zealand from the World Cup. Powell, West Indies’ captain, believes that his side can exploit New Zealand’s slow start to the tournament.”Definitely, if there’s a good time to play New Zealand, I think it’s now,” Powell said. “As you said, they’re a little bit undercooked. The pressure is really on them, because this game decides whether they go on: yes or no. Having said that, we’re not focusing on New Zealand: we’re focusing on what we have to do.”With New Zealand’s limited preparation for the tournament already under scrutiny, their batters have barely been able to face fast bowling in the nets since arriving in Trinidad. They travelled from Guyana on Saturday and trained on Sunday, but faced similar issues.”Again, the pitches weren’t great,” Stead said. “Balls were rising up around throat height regularly, so it was more facing the slower bowlers and throws. It comes back to making sure that mentally we get in a good frame of mind and ready for this match tomorrow night.”England racked up 267 against West Indies at the Brian Lara Stadium in December but Stead believes that score was an outlier, and expects a much lower-scoring game on Wednesday.James Neesham is in contention to be back in the XI against West Indies•ICC/Getty Images”If you look at the history of the ground here… it’s certainly not a 200 wicket or anything like that. The pitch looked interesting. For us, it’s about making sure we’ve got our bases covered.”Powell also hinted towards a low-scoring game. “With the rain around, that can play a part in the scores,” he said. “If the groundsmen don’t have sufficient time to produce good wickets, that’s also a problem with the rain around. You don’t get enough time to sun. Hopefully tomorrow is a very good day in terms of the weather.”New Zealand’s management have made clear that they expect all 15 players in their squad to play a role in the World Cup and are set to bring Ish Sodhi into the side on Wednesday night. James Neesham could also come into contention, with Stead suggesting that selection will be heavily influenced by West Indies’ potential weaknesses.”Every game, we try to go in and work out what our best match-ups are,” Stead said. “That comes from the data analysis and videos that we do in our scouting. I would expect there will be some changes.” He also hinted heavily at Sodhi’s inclusion: “When we look at the West Indies team, [he is] a guy that matches up well against a number of their opposition players.”New Zealand’s net run rate took a significant dent against Afghanistan, to the extent that winning their remaining fixtures – against West Indies, Uganda and Papua New Guinea – might not be enough to qualify for the Super 8s, depending on other results in Group C.”We know what’s in front of us: we have to win three games and win them well,” Stead said. “It’s [about] still holding the belief and the confidence within the group that we can go out there and do this. We know things are stacked against us at the moment but that’s the challenge; that’s the cards we’ve been dealt. We now have to go out there and put in a performance that we’re proud of.”

With Rayan Cherki, Rayan Ait-Nouri and Tijjani Reijnders already through the door, Manchester City are now reportedly in talks to sign a young midfielder this summer.

Man City open Club World Cup with routine victory

Whilst many Premier League sides are currently catching their breath following a frantic season, Manchester City and Chelsea are in America to compete in the Club World Cup. Some players have even gone from Premier League football to international duty then to the competition in a concerning period without a lengthy break, but that didn’t stop the Citizens from easing to victory in their opening game.

Securing a 2-0 victory courtesy of goals from Phil Foden and Jeremie Doku against Wydad FC, the only negative for Manchester City was Rico Lewis’ controversial red card.

Pep Guardiola was seen confronting the officials about the incident after the full-time whistle and he told reporters when asked about the red card in his post-match press conference: “[Rico’s] leg was little bit high, but he was on the grass. Touches the ball with the speed that they go through, your leg has to be a little bit high and the other player down.

“It was not intentional and it was a red card versus Crystal Palace after the referee came and said it wasn’t a red card. Rico never had intention to hurt anyone. A little bit unnecessary, the red card. The referee is the boss and had other intentions, VAR checked it and we have to accept the decision.”

Meanwhile, as the action continues on the pitch, the Citizens are set to remain just as busy in the transfer window amid reports that they’re not in talks to sign a Premier League gem.

Man City "in talks" to sign Dexter Oliver

According to Fabrizio Romano, Manchester City are now “in talks” to sign Dexter Oliver from Tottenham Hotspur. Negotiations are reportedly advancing and all signs are pointing towards a move to The Etihad for the young midfielder who Romano described as “talented”.

At 16 years old, Oliver is undoubtedly one for the future whether that’s at Spurs or, indeed, Manchester City. And he wouldn’t be the first talent to break out of City’s youth system if he decided to swap the Lilywhites’ academy for the chance to join the Manchester club.

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Posts ByCharlie Smith Jun 13, 2025

From Cole Palmer to Jeremie Frimpong and Jamie Gittens, European football is littered with Manchester City’s talented graduates. Now, Dexter could commence his path towards similar stardom. Guardiola, meanwhile, will have the chance to make his mark on another young talent if the midfielder eventually breaks into the first-team.

Preparing to spend big once again this summer, INEOS are now preparing to offer £13m-a-year in contract negotiations with one of their summer targets in the hope of luring him to Manchester United.

INEOS spending big despite financial cuts

Across the last 12 months, a lot has been made about Manchester United’s financial situation. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reiterated that any job cuts or attempt to lower the Red Devils’ budget off the pitch have been necessary for the club to maintain itself. And after Manchester United missed out on Champions League qualification by losing against Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League final, more staff were informed about their redundancy.

Man Utd want Premier League target man to play up front with Mbeumo and Cunha

The Red Devils have already signed Cunha and submitted a bid for Mbeumo.

By
Tom Cunningham

Jun 6, 2025

It was always difficult to guess just how Manchester United would spend this summer. The redundancies and lack of Champions League football, or European football at all for that matter, suggested that they would need to sell big before they even consider spending.

Yet, in one of the earliest deals of the window, INEOS have already spent big to trigger Matheus Cunha’s £63m release clause and reports have since arrived which give a glimpse as to how the Manchester club have already spent such an impressive fee.

As The Athletic’s Laurie Whitwell revealed, Manchester United’s revenue is up and their wage bill is down from what it was, with Ratcliffe’s ruthless redundancies contributing to that.

It means that, even after Cunha, those at Old Trafford still have room to spend and have already set their sights on their next target to do exactly that in the coming weeks.

INEOS preparing stunning £13m-a-year Mbeumo offer

According to The Mirror, INEOS are now preparing to offer Bryan Mbeumo a contract worth £13m-a-year to join Manchester United this summer in what would be five times more than the £50,000-a-week he currently earns at Brentford.

What’s more, Ratcliffe and co. are also reportedly preparing to table a £60m offer to convince Brentford to sell their star man this summer – taking their spend to £123m in the space of just a few weeks.

Mbeumo only wants Manchester United, who are set to offer him a staggering £250,000-a-week to complete a summer switch. Whether the forward is worth such a price is the big question and one that many will disagree on.

Man Utd’s highest earners with Mbeumo	Salary P/W
Casemiro	£350,000
Bruno Fernandes	£300,000
Mason Mount	£250,000
Bryan Mbeumo	£250,000
Matthijs de Ligt	£195,000

Whilst some may disagree with Manchester United’s reported decision, the stats don’t lie. The Brentford forward hit the 20-goal mark last season and that alone should be enough to put him amongst the Red Devils’ highest earners.

Dubbed “incredible” by Brentford boss Thomas Frank last season, Mbeumo looks destined to become Manchester United’s second big-money signing of the summer.

The incident took place in the final over of Afghanistan’s innings in their Super Eight game against Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2024

Rashid Khan was crucial with bat and ball in Afghanistan’s historic victory against Bangladesh•ICC/Getty Images

Afghanistan captain Rashid Khan has been reprimanded by the ICC for a level 1 breach of the code of conduct during his team’s Super Eight match against Bangladesh in Kingstown on July 24.The incident for which Rashid was penalised took place in the 20th over of Afghanistan’s innings. Rashid had hit the ball into the offside and wanted the second run to retain strike but was sent back by his team-mate Karim Janat. An irate Rashid had to turnaround mid-pitch and he threw his bat in Janat’s direction before he did so.As a result, one demerit point has been added to Rashid’s disciplinary record; it was his first offence in a 24-month period. Level 1 breaches carry a minimum penalty of a reprimand and a maximum penalty of a 50% fine of a player’s match fee, and one or two demerit points.Rashid went on to score 19 off 10 balls and take 4 for 23 in the match, leading Afghanistan to an eight-run victory against Bangladesh on the DLS method to secure their first semi-final appearance at a T20 World Cup. They take on South Africa in Trinidad on June 26 for a place in the final.

Nottingham Forest are on the lookout for new additions this summer and could now step up their efforts to land an England international, according to a report.

Nottingham Forest set to lose Anthony Elanga to Newcastle United

Unfortunately, departures are part of football and big-money sales from any club essentially prove that their recruitment structure is in working order when it comes to profiling talent.

However, Fabrizio Romano’s confirmation that Anthony Elanga is set to join Newcastle United will come as a bitter blow to Nottingham Forest supporters, even if links have went on to grow arms and legs in recent weeks.

Taking to social media platform X, Romano stated: “Anthony Elanga to Newcastle, here we go! Deal in place club to club with Nottingham Forest for £55m. Agreement also in place with player’s camp on long term deal. Excellent addition for NUFC.”

With his move to Tyneside all but confirmed, Nottingham Forest have lined up Atalanta forward Ademola Lookman as an Elanga replacement.

Nevertheless, Aston Villa and Atletico Madrid are also in the hunt to sign the Nigeria international, who could cost as much as £52 million to prize away from the Serie A outfit.

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Lyon’s Malick Fofana could also arrive at the City Ground due to the French giants suffering relegation to Ligue 2 amid financial troubles, albeit Chelsea, Bayer Leverkusen and Napoli could offer the Belgium international Champions League football.

In a strange sequence of events, Nottingham Forest are still yet to find out whether they will be in the Europa Conference League or Europa League next term as Crystal Palace wait patiently for their verdict.

Either way, Evangelos Marinakis is now eyeing a statement arrival in the East Midlands that would make headlines nationwide.

Nottingham Forest look to pull off move for Jack Grealish

According to CaughtOffside, Nottingham Forest want to pull off a statement deal to sign Manchester City’s Jack Grealish, but they face competition from several clubs to land the Three Lions international.

Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotspur, Newcastle and Napoli are all keen on offering him an escape route from the Etihad Stadium. Meanwhile, Al-Ahli, Al Hilal and Neom SC have made contact with his entourage to discuss the possibility of finding an agreement.

Jack Grealish at Manchester City – has his spell been a success?

Appearances

157

Goals

17

Assists

23

Trophies won

3x Premier League

1x FA Cup

1x UEFA Champions League

1x UEFA Super Cup

1x FIFA Club World Cup

1x FA Community Shield

Labelled “unbelievable” by Pep Guardiola, Grealish is said to be available for £40 million and his main priority is becoming a first-team regular after seeing his minutes dwindle at the Citizens.

Nottingham Forest have a vacancy needing filled on the left-hand side and will feel they have every chance of tempting Grealish to the City Ground this summer.

Graham Thorpe, the former England and Surrey batter, has died aged 55, the ECB has announced.Thorpe, who played 100 Tests for England between 1993 and 2005 and went on to work as batting coach for the senior men’s team, was taken “seriously ill” in 2022, shortly after being named as Afghanistan’s head coach.During his playing career, Thorpe scored 6744 Test runs, with 16 hundreds, and was also capped 82 times in one-day internationals. He played for Surrey between 1988 and 2005, scoring almost 20,000 runs for the county.Related

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”It is with great sadness that we share the news that Graham Thorpe, MBE, has passed away,” the ECB said in a statement. ”There seem to be no appropriate words to describe the deep shock we feel at Graham’s death.”More than one of England’s finest-ever batters, he was a beloved member of the cricket family and revered by fans all over the world. His skill was unquestioned, and his abilities and achievements across a 13-year international career brought so much happiness to his teammates and England and Surrey CCC supporters alike. Later, as a coach, he guided the best England Men’s talent to some incredible victories across all formats of the game.