Coleraine prodigy on cusp of dream move to newly-promoted Premier League side
Sunderland are closing in on Coleraine's 16-year-old midfielder Matty Burns, Sunday Life Sport can reveal.
In March, Burns was called up to the Northern Ireland Under-17 squad for their Euro 2025 Elite round qualifiers against England, Israel and Slovenia.
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Daily Mirror
10 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Ajax make brutal Jordan Henderson call despite lifeline from England boss Tuchel
England international Jordan Henderson is set to be on the move this summer and hometown club Sunderland are among the candidates for his signature if he leaves Ajax Jordan Henderson has been told he can leave Ajax for free. The England midfielder, who celebrates his 35th birthday this month, is not in new coach Johnny Heitinga's plans - and the Dutch club are hoping that talk of newly-promoted Sunderland offering Henderson a return to the Stadium of Light gains more traction now that their stance is clear. Ajax are desperate to get Henderson's £100,000-a-week salary off the wage bill after being forced to pay a raft of big-money bonuses following their qualification for the Champions League. Henderson began his career with hometown club Sunderland and was at Wembley to see the Black Cats beat Sheffield United in the Championship play-off final to secure a £200million return to the top-flight last month. He has been told by Three Lions boss Thomas Tuchel that there is a place for him in England's World Cup squad next summer if he can maintain his form and fitness - and he started against Andorra on Saturday. Henderson's experience would be invaluable for Sunderland manager Regis Le Bris to call on - although whether the Wearside club would match the money he earns in Holland remains to be seen. Ajax moved on Liverpool to make Heitinga their new coach after sacking Francesco Farioli for a dramatic late-season collapse that cost them the Eredivisie title. Heitinga, who joined Arne Slot 's backroom staff at Anfield last year, has already arranged the return of former Southampton winger Dusan Tadic to the Johan Cruyff Arena - and the belief is that the Serb will replace Henderson as club captain. Henderson moved to Amsterdam in January 2024 in a bid to secure a place in England's squad for the Euros after an unhappy six months with Saudi Pro League club Al-Ettifaq. But Gareth Southgate still didn't take him to Germany and the player was involved in a row with Ajax during the winter transfer window when they refused to let him take up an offer to join Monaco. Henderson's improved form saw him recalled to international duty when Tuchel named his first England squad in March for the World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Latvia. Tuchel explained that the former Liverpool skipper is a vital influence for him both on and off the pitch. Henderson has won 83 caps for his country. When he spoke to the Dutch media following the end-of-season collapse that saw Ajax throw away a nine-point lead in the final five games to allow PSV Eindhoven to snatch the title, he admitted: 'I am really proud of what we have achieved this season with Ajax. But next season here? We will have to wait and see. 'The club will have to make decisions. Not just about me, but about other players too. We will also have to sit down at some point with the club and find out what they want to do with the financial situation. 'We have to look at who they want to stay and who they don't. I just want to have a bit of rest, clear my mind. First the national team and then a real holiday.'
ITV News
11 hours ago
- ITV News
Sunderland boxer Josh Kelly wins by TKO in first-round victory against Flavius Biea
Josh Kelly is hoping to bring a world-title fight to the North East after a dramatic win in front of a home crowd. The Sunderland boxer put a quick stop to the show at Newcastle's Utilita Arena, after a first-round knock out of opponent Flavius Biea. The dramatic TKO was called with less than a minute left on the clock, meaning the Romanian champion's 12-win streak was ended. Following the fight, Kelly told ITV Tyne Tees: "I've been hitting different in the gym, nothing much has changed but my mindset. "I don't ever think I'm going in there to knock this guy out, I just go in there to box. The speed and the power and when you don't see the shot coming, it lands and that's it. Good night, God bless." Kelly needed to win to keep himself in contention for a world title fight in the future - one he says should be fought at the Stadium of Light. He told ITV Tyne Tees: "I believe in the next couple of years I will headline there. But it needs a big domestic to get it there, we need someone interesting, like a [Conor] Benn or someone like that. It would be unbelievable, a dream come true for me." The undercard also featured five fighters from the North East, including huge wins for Newcastle's Cyrus Pattinson, who was declared victorious after an "all out war" with Joe Garside - his team threw in the towel in round five. Plus, TKO wins for Darlington's Ben Marksby and Birtley's Dan Toward and Lee Rogers defeated Charles Tondo by decision. Morpeth's Matt McCallum who went the distance, but lost on points to Niall Brown.
Scotsman
13 hours ago
- Scotsman
Rangers and Celtic handed transfer truth bomb as EPL clubs 'most likely' destination for 12-goal target
Both Celtic and Rangers have been linked with the 12-goal attacker ahead of the summer transfer window. Sign up to our Football newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Celtic and Rangers have been told they face an uphill battle to convince one of their reported targets to move to the Scottish Premiership after interest from the English Premier League (EPL) emerged over the weekend. The Glasgow giants have both been linked with an interest in Peterborough United's out of contract attacker Kwame Poku, with Rangers said to have been keen on the star as far back as November, after club scouts watched the 23-year-old score a hat-trick in a 6-1 win over Cambridge United. Celtic are also said to be one of several clubs to have made contact with the player's representatives last month. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The Ghanaian international scored 12 goals and assisted a further eight as the Posh survived relegation from EFL League One, but the club have confirmed he will depart this summer with his contract expiring at the end of the month, alongside highly-rated teammates Hector Kyprianou and Ricky-Jade Jones. Kwame Poku (right). Photo Joe Dent/ | Photo Joe Dent/ Peterborough are due a tribunal-set compensation fee because he joined them Colchester United before the age of 21. However, both Celtic and Rangers could take advantage of cross-border transfer rules, with the player likely to be able to sign for a 'minimal' compensation fee, as opposed to the much higher development fee English clubs would be forced to pay. Newly promoted EFL Championship sides Birmingham City and Wrexham have also been credited with an interest in the talented attacker, while Sheffield United are also said to be monitoring developments. However, it now appears that EPL outfit Sunderland may have moved to the head of the queue, after interest from the Black Cats emerged over the weekend. Speaking to Football League World, former Aston Villa and England midfielder Lee Hendrie believes Sunderland could win the race for his signature, with interested parties likely to be "up against it" in order to sign the youngster if Regis Le Bris' side table an official offer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad "I think Poku is a really, really good player," said Hendrie. 'He's a young player who has got bags of ability, but obviously there are a lot of clubs that are sniffing around him, like Sunderland and Sheffield United. Birmingham are a team like Wrexham, who are newly promoted. I think they've got to bring in the right personnel who know the league and have potential to go again. Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris | Chris Fryatt 'If Sunderland come in with an offer, you would think that being in the Premier League is the ultimate aim for these guys. As a player, you want to play at the top level and test yourself, and I'm sure Poku is the same because he's got the ability to go and play at the top of the Championship, maybe even the Premier League.'
