logo
Ferguson latest as Roma interest in Ireland striker is revived two years on

Ferguson latest as Roma interest in Ireland striker is revived two years on

Irish Daily Mirror21 hours ago
Roma have been once again linked with a move for Ireland striker Evan Ferguson - two years after their interest in the Brighton youngster emerged.
The Serie A giants are eager to bolster their striking options and are free to dip into the transfer market now that UEFA has closed the case on their breaching of Financial Fair Play.
Roma have been fined €3m by Europe's governing body, a drop in the ocean compared to the €80m punishment handed out to Chelsea - although €59m of that has been suspended.
That means they can head into the summer window with certainty, and one of the first decisions facing them could relate to Ferguson.
Their interest in the Meathman first emerged in Mirror Sport in May 2023, while Jose Mourinho was still in charge of I Giallorossi.
At that time, however, Brighton had no desire to part company with Ferguson, and just weeks earlier they had handed him his second new contract in six months.
There are still three years to run on that deal, which expires in the summer of 2028, however the Seagulls are now open to losing the 20-year-old, even on a permanent basis.
Some reports state that they are willing to sell Ferguson for between €25m - €30m, well shy of previous valuations.
The Ireland ace endured a difficult campaign last year. An ankle injury meant he lost ground on his rivals for a starting spot at Brighton under new boss Fabian Hurzeler.
He made just two starts before another ankle injury in late December ruled him out for a month and almost scuppered his prospects of moving away from Brighton on loan.
Despite his fitness woes, West Ham's former Brighton boss Graham Potter made a move late in the window, but he started Ferguson just once and played him for a total of just over 150 minutes.
While another loan move this summer has been suggested - with clubs such as Celtic and Everton linked with the youngster - it appears that Brighton could opt to cash in on him.
And having brushed off Roma's interest two years ago, reports in Italy suggest that the Premier League men have initiated contact this time around.
Serie A side Atalanta have also been mentioned as potential suitors, should they lose Argentinean-born Italy international Mateo Retegui this summer.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

'It is a bit of a pinch-me moment' - Mack Hansen delight at Lions selection to face hometown club Brumbies
'It is a bit of a pinch-me moment' - Mack Hansen delight at Lions selection to face hometown club Brumbies

Irish Examiner

time31 minutes ago

  • Irish Examiner

'It is a bit of a pinch-me moment' - Mack Hansen delight at Lions selection to face hometown club Brumbies

Mack Hansen described his selection to face hometown club the Brumbies on Wednesday as a 'pinch-me moment', yet British & Irish Lions boss Andy Farrell believes he and the rest of the squad could still be involved to face Australia 10 days later and insisted Test places were still up for grabs. Head coach Farrell named his strongest team yet to face ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday, confirming the expectation he would field a side close to the Test team which will face the Wallabies in Brisbane in the first Test on July 19. There are just two tour games remaining for the Lions before Farrell names his 23 for the opening rubber of a three-game Test series and his selection for the Brumbies was the clearest indication yet of his thinking on the matter. With the Lions set to field a back three of full-back Blair Kinghorn, James Lowe and Hansen's rival for the right-wing berth Tommy Freeman, Hansen will have to settle for the number 23 jersey as an outside back replacement. That gives the Connacht hero the chance to play against the Super Rugby side he represented for three seasons before moving to Galway in 2021, making his Test debut the following year having qualified for Ireland through his Cork-born mother. He still has many friends in the Brumbies camp and as 15-year-old stood on the terraces to watch his side defeat the 2013 Brumbies. Now the wing gets to pull on the famous red jersey against his hometown heroes. 'It is incredible, it is a bit of a pinch-me moment, not in my wildest dreams could I imagine I would be back here playing for the Lions, it is very special,' Hansen said following Monday's team announcement. Yet sitting beside him at the team hotel in downtown Canberra, Farrell insisted non-selection for Wednesday's starting line-up did not mean the closing of the book on the make up of his team to face Australia. 'I understand the speculation but the truth of the matter is we have got a good side that is going to take the field on Wednesday. I will tell you what I said to the team, there is always going to be speculation but it is up to people to put their best foot forward for a Test spot from now on in with regards to the chance they have got on Wednesday and on Saturday. 'Players can play themselves in and players can play themselves out but we are looking for a cohesive team performance and that is what we are trying to achieve. 'The nature of the format of these two games allows for us to be open minded and again we play on Saturday (against an Australia/New Zealand Invitational XV) after this and have four weeks' worth of training and that everyone is used to anyway so you have to stay open minded. A closed book is not good for anyone.' Of the other notable combinations being sent out by the Lions on Wednesday, Maro Itoje captain at lock in a second-row partnership alongside Ireland's Joe McCarthy, while England loosehead prop Ellis Genge forms a front row with Irish duo Dan Sheehan at hooker and Tadhg Furlong at tighthead and scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park partners fly-half Finn Russell at half-back. Farrell will not back himself into a corner by calling this his first Test team and an all-Irish centre partnership of Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose appears to be the latest midfield combination up for audition, while the back row sees Tom Curry start at openside flanker for the first time on this tour with hybrid lock/flanker Ollie Chessum on the blindside with Jack Conan at No.8. The rest of the squad will be assured Test places remain up for grabs across the next two games and Wednesday night's bench, with Hansen on a replacements bench alongside half-backs Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith. Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Will Stuart is the back-up front-rower while Josh van der Flier and a fit-again Henry Pollock will provide the heft. The Brumbies, coached by Stephen Larkham, will be missing eight of their Wallabies for their big night at GIO Stadium but back row Tom Hooper has been released by Joe Schmidt to face the Lions and could play alongside 21-year-old younger brother Lachie Hooper for the first time as professionals if the latter is sprung from the bench. BRUMBIES: A Muirhead; B O'Donnell, O Sapsford, D Feliuai, C Toole; D Meredith, R Lonergan – captain; L Ieli, L Lonergan, R van Nek; L Shaw, C Neville; T Hooper, R Scott, T Taii Tualima. Replacements: L Bowron, C Orr, F Fotuaika, L Hooper, L Reimer, H Goddard, J Debreczini, H Creighton. BRITISH & IRISH LIONS: B Kinghorn; T Freeman, G Ringrose, B Aki, J Lowe; F Russell, J Gibson-Park; E Genge, D Sheehan, T Furlong; M Itoje – captain, J McCarthy; O Chessum, T Curry, J Conan. Replacements: R Kelleher, A Porter, W Stuart, J van der Flier, H Pollock, A Mitchell, M Smith, M Hansen.

Kevin Palmer: Evolution of a football transfer has come full circle
Kevin Palmer: Evolution of a football transfer has come full circle

Sunday World

timean hour ago

  • Sunday World

Kevin Palmer: Evolution of a football transfer has come full circle

'It has turned into bandit country when you are trying to conclude a transfer. A deal is agreed and at the last moment, the agent will want it turned from Euros to sterling. The demands are getting more wild with each passing year.' – former Newcastle and Crystal Palace manager Alan Pardew The comment from experienced manager Pardew provides a snapshot of what will be taking place over the next few weeks, as tens of millions of Euros are set to change hands as Premier League clubs flex their financial muscle in what is set to be an extravagant summer of spending. Last year's summer transfer window was something of an anti-climax for those curious souls who spend too much time scrolling social media trying to get the first news on where the next big transfer will land. Social media users who label themselves as 'transfer experts' and claim to have the inside story on the big deals make bold predictions on an hourly basis on what used to be called Twitter in a bid to attract new followers. Most of these chancers are merely reporting stories that are already in the public domain, but that does not dilute their desire to build their social media accounts and if one of their transfer guesses hits the jackpot, they become the hero of the hour. Yet only a tiny number of genuinely well-connected 'transfer experts' have a source leaking them information at leading clubs these days, with the Premier League big hitters going out of their way to ensure transfer talks are kept under wraps until a deal is close to being completed. This story was very different before the Premier League era with reporters often given inside tips on transfers by managers who were friends as well as the occasional subjects of their poisoned pens. Players would also socialise with reporters and give them the inside track on what was happening inside the dressing room, but any employee of a top club that dared to leak information now may find themselves heading for the exit door very quickly. The best source for a transfer leak these days tends to be a player's agent, but that may not always be reliable. An agent negotiating a new contract with a club may believe it is in his client's interest to be linked with a big-money move elsewhere, so he will look to plant a story in a newspaper or website to try and help his own cause. The fallen giant that is Manchester United have been used time and again as a club 'reported' to be interested in a player in recent years before he signs a new deal with his current club or moves elsewhere. The reporter at the heart of that leak is then left to explain where it all went wrong, with the extra followers he added to social media platforms in the days when he claimed to be a transfer expert quickly deserting him as his credibility is lost for good. If the old format of breaking a transfer story has changed for the media, that is nothing compared to the tales that emerge from deals negotiated by agents from all over the world. Agents were viewed with suspicion by managers and club owners when they became more prevalent in football in the 1990s, but they are now a key part of every deal and the fees they command have become as extravagant as some of the transfer fees that are exchanged between clubs. Premier League clubs paid £263,368,860 in agent fees on transfers for the 12 months from February 2020, with that figure rising to £272.6m a year later. England's top-tier clubs spent a combined £409.1m on agent fees between the winter transfer window in 2024 and the close of the January 2025 window, with the fees paid out this summer likely to be huge as a record-breaking spending spree is expected. Liverpool have already spent £200m on new signings that include Florian Wirtz, while Manchester City have been splashing the cash in the last two transfer windows as they look to rebuild their squad. Chelsea are continuing to spend big as they find creative ways to navigate the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability rules, with Manchester United and Tottenham also expected to invest heavily this summer after their woeful form in the Premier League last season. The comment from Pardew at the top of this story highlights the kind of negotiations that will currently be taking place over big-money transfers, which the dark-arts agents use effectively when those clubs are desperate to do a deal. Back in 2016, Pardew's Crystal Palace were keen to seal a deal to sign Liverpool forward Christian Benteke, but that was conditional on another transfer being agreed. It was no coincidence that the lesser talented Jonathan Benteke also signed for Palace that summer, as that appeared to be the only way the Eagles could get the player they really wanted. Jonathan made just one brief appearance for Palace, but he and his agent would have got a hefty signing-on fee and everyone in the deal was a winner… apart from the club who were left with a player they didn't want or need, or even originally want. Stories of parents demanding houses, cars and even signing-on fees for themselves are not unusual, while family-run businesses are also common place when big-money deals are being negotiated. Charlie Kane is the proud owner of CK66 Player Management, but his roster of players is limited to just one name. It will come as no surprise that the name on his list of clients is his brother Harry, so Charlie will have reaped the rewards of the £100m move from Tottenham to Bayern Munich in the summer of 2023. Kylian Mbappe is represented by his mother, Fayza Lamari, while Lionel Messi's father Jorge is his son's long-term agent and Trent Alexander-Arnold's brother Tyler negotiated his mega-money transfer to Real Madrid while taking a huge slice for his role in the negotiations. Having family members representing your interests ensures that trust and loyalty are assured, while also keeping profits from transfers and sponsorship deals within a tight family unit. It also highlights how modern footballers are not just athletes but one-man businesses that are looking to extract every last ounce from their brief reign at the top of a sport that has long since had more money than sense. AGENT FEES PAID DURING THE 12 MONTHS FROM FEBRUARY 2024 1. Chelsea – £60.3m 2. Manchester City – £52.1m 3. Manchester United -£33m 4. Aston Villa – £25.1m 5. Newcastle – £24.4m 6. Arsenal – £22.8m 7. Liverpool – £20.8m 8. West Ham United – £19m 9. Tottenham Hotspur – £18.4m 10. Brighton – £16.6m 11. Bournemouth – £16.4m 12. Brentford – £14.8m 13. Wolves – £13.5m 14. Nottingham Forest – £13m 15. Fulham – £12.8m 16. Crystal Palace – £12m 17. Leicester – £9.8m 18. Everton – £9.2m 19. Southampton – £8.9m 20. Ipswich Town – £6.3m

Man City ‘set surprising asking price for Jack Grealish' with club set to make eye-watering loss on unwanted star
Man City ‘set surprising asking price for Jack Grealish' with club set to make eye-watering loss on unwanted star

The Irish Sun

timean hour ago

  • The Irish Sun

Man City ‘set surprising asking price for Jack Grealish' with club set to make eye-watering loss on unwanted star

MANCHESTER CITY are ready to take huge loss on England international Jack Grealish. The former Premier League champions have slapped a shock £40million price tag on the England winger, just three years after they shelled out a British record £100m to bring him in from Aston Villa. 1 Man City are ready to let Jack Grealish leave the club. Credit: AFP With Grealish being firmly out of Pep Guardiola's plans, City chiefs are preparing to cut their losses - a staggering £60m loss on a player who arrived with high expectations. After having such an impressive season in Injuries have played a part in hindering his game. READ MORE FOOTBALL The 29-year-old was left out of City's squad for the Club World Cup — but Guardiola was quick to insist it wasn't because of any off-field antics. Back in June Guardiola said: "The only reason he (Grealish) didn't play minutes was me, not because he was incorrect or whatever, "I want the best for Jack, his partner, his kids, his family. "I don't know what's going to happen right now. have any doubts about the qualities of Jack. The quality has always been there, the year of the treble would have been impossible." Most read in Football JOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUS Despite his lack of game time last season, there is understood to be strong interest in signing Grealish - especially at such a low asking price. A return to his beloved Aston Villa could also be on the cards for Grealish. SunSport reported that With a contract at Man City until 2027, the 39-cap ace is ready to play the waiting game for as long as possible.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store