Not Cunha or Delap: Sky Sports confirm ‘concrete talks' have taken place between Utd and 64 G/A tornado
Not Cunha or Delap: Sky Sports confirm 'concrete talks' have taken place between Utd and 64 G/A tornado
While Matheus Cunha and Liam Delap remain firmly cemented atop Manchester United's shortlist this summer, that's not to say there aren't other targets being pursued behind the scenes.
Plenty of the Old Trafford faithful had grown resigned to missing out on Viktor Gyokeres due to his desire to play Champions League football next season, which, of course, the Red Devils can only offer if they reign victorious in the Europa League come May 21.
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Yet, with a two-legged semi-final on the way and a potential final awaiting against either Tottenham Hotspur or Bodø/Glimt, United are undoubtedly one of the major favourites to get their hands on the trophy for the second time in their history, simultaneously booking their spot among Europe's elite next term.
Why Gyokeres is one of the most sought-after stars of the summer
One look at the Sporting Lisbon talisman's numbers makes it no surprise he's such a major talking point heading into the transfer window.
An unfathomable 52 goals and 12 assists in 48 appearances have established Gyokeres as one of the most clinical centre-forwards in world football. With multiple clubs set to enter the market in search of a world-class No.9, he's likely to receive numerous approaches when he signs off in 2024/2025.
Who else is in the race?
In terms of the suitors, the 26-year-old could potentially choose from, all of Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have emerged as candidates to seal his signature – as well as the Red Devils.
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Premier League-proven Delap is thought to be INEOS' first-choice to rival Rasmus Hojlund for the starting spot up front, but United aren't down and out in their pursuit of Gyokeres just yet.
Sky Sports reporter Florian Plettenberg claims that while there's 'no agreement' in place between him and the Reds, 'concrete talks' have taken place and Ruben Amorim is 'very keen on him'.
The ex-Coventry City star played 68 matches under Amorim in Lisbon, scoring 66 goals and assisting a further 19.
More Stories / Latest News
Not Cunha or Delap: Sky Sports confirm 'concrete talks' have taken place between Utd and 64 G/A tornado
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Apr 30 2025, 7:18
Journo: Utd can have a 'realistic chance' at beating Arsenal and Chelsea to Gyokeres' signature – here's how
Apr 30 2025, 6:30
Amorim warned there's one 'erratic' United star whom Athletic Bilbao will 'look to exploit' on Thursday
Apr 29 2025, 14:00
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FAQs about the Spirit's coaching shuffle. Plus: USWNT meeting Hayes' deadline
Full Time Newsletter ⚽| This is 's weekly women's soccer newsletter. Sign up here to receive Full Time directly in your inbox. Meg is off today enjoying a rare sunny day in Vermont, so it's me, Emily Olsen, here with Tamerra Griffin — welcome to Full Time! Spirit's Shuffle Another coaching change in Washington Stop me if you've heard this one before: The Washington Spirit have changed coaches. Advertisement Two-time UEFA Champions League-winning coach Jonatan Giráldez is headed to OL Lyonnes, another club under owner Michele Kang's umbrella. Let's start with the news. After just 377 days in charge of the Spirit, Giráldez will join the eight-time champions of Europe starting this summer. The 33-year-old is leaving the NWSL club halfway through the season. Sources close to Kang told The Athletic this was not a preplanned move and that it came about when Lyonnes' former coach, Joe Montemurro, made it clear he was going to leave the club after just one season. The Australia women's national team announced it hired Montemurro earlier today. Assistant Spirit coach Adrián González, who led the team through a successful 15 matches last season while Giraldéz finished his Champions League run with Barcelona, will step into the managing role on July 18. Advertisement I've covered the Spirit in some capacity since 2015. If I had a nickel for every coaching change I've seen in that decade, I'd have nine. NINE! Sure, it's not enough to afford the new Inciardi art prints the team sells on game day, but that's still a lot of change for one team. Those changes include coaches dismissed for misconduct, interims, a single-game stint by Angela Salem in the ill-fated 2022 season and now the give-and-go situation happening with Giráldez and González. Spirit forward Trinity Rodman, one of the faces of NWSL, has yet to have a single coach for more than one season at her club. When I asked her at the end of last year how the team was able to get to two NWSL championships (winning one), she took an approach à la Bane's 'I was born in it' comment in 'The Dark Knight Rises': 'It's almost scarier when it's smooth sailing,' she said. What to expect from González González is no stranger to Washington. In fact, he might be one of the most consistent head coaches in the last few years, even if some of that time was spent as both an interim and assistant coach. Advertisement González led Washington through preseason last year and to a 10-1-4 record through the first fifteen games. He helped the team to some of its best expected goal stats since 2021. (He did so with a healthy roster, something the Spirit haven't had recently.) During the Olympic break last year, Giráldez took over. He built on González's strong start to lead the Spirit to the 2024 NWSL Championship, which they lost 1-0 to the Orlando Pride. Now, a year later, the reverse will happen. The Spirit have dealt with a spate of injuries this season, headlined by Rodman, but are currently fourth in the NWSL table with a record of 6-1-3, five points behind No. 1 Kansas City Current. González will have the international break, starting June 23, to reset with the team. However, the organization saw his familiarity with the players as a positive. Kang said González 'knows the team and has earned this organization's trust.' Advertisement Is this a bad thing? Multi-club models have long been seen as corporate cash grabs at best and sportswashing at worst (on the men's side). Kang has been well aware of that perception since she first looked to create Kynisca Sports International, a multi-team global women's soccer organization, by purchasing OL Lyonnes in 2023. She later purchased the only independently owned team in England's second tier of women's soccer, and her investment helped the team get promoted to the WSL. The businesswoman told Forbes last year that the multi-club model is a 'necessity' in the women's game, especially when it comes to resource sharing. However, Kang has made it clear that players don't fall into that category. Advertisement Despite the awkward optics here, González has a strong track record as Washington's coach, so Kang seems to be keeping up her promise not to sacrifice the good of one team for the other. And she isn't the only one expanding, as Kansas City Current owners Angie and Chris Long showed last week with their investment in Danish club HB Koge. Whether women's soccer is paving a new way forward or adopting the bad habits from the men's side will take time to become clear. MORE: Watch Matt Slater answer whether multi-club ownership is here to stay on 'The Athletic FC Podcast' in March: 'It's an unproven thesis. It feels like we are living through an experiment.' USWNT's Core Values Hayes' team 'on track' for June deadline Head coach Emma Hayes said last week that the USWNT is still 'on track' to meet her June deadline for establishing a core group of players that will lead the U.S. in World Cup qualifying next year. She's even found the space to start developing the under-23 group the way she hoped she could at the start of the year (more on that in a sec). Advertisement Despite not having Triple Espresso (Rodman, Sophia Wilson and Mallory Swanson), this team isn't totally without its caffeine. Sam Coffey scored her second U.S. goal with a wonder strike in the team's 3-0 win over China on Saturday. Coffey — who leads with devotion, as she recently told Tamerra — is part of a midfield that's finally jelling, alongside Lindsey Heaps and Lily Yohannes. The team also has its 'security blanket' back with the return of Naomi Girma. A fun aside: Coffey's game-worn jersey from the match, along with several other U.S. players' jerseys, were up for auction during the game (and there's still time to bid). Coffey's jersey is currently a great value pick for a goal scorer. Advertisement Keep an eye out for the youths Hayes has been as adamant about developing this younger national team as she has been about narrowing down her group for 2027 World Cup qualifying. She sees the two projects as interdependent. That's why players like Jaedyn Shaw (20 years old), Korbin Albert (21) and Mia Fishel (24), who have senior caps (and in Shaw and Albert's case, Olympic gold medals), were named to this camp. This is your reminder to start paying attention to the U-23s, made up almost entirely of professional players, during this camp. They played in two very fun (and refreshingly well-attended!) matches against Germany near Stuttgart on Friday and again today. The teams split results, each side claiming a dramatic 2-1 victory sealed in the final minutes. Ironically, in the May 30 match, it was Evelyn Shores — the only collegiate player on the roster — who netted the go-ahead in the dying seconds of stoppage time to give the U.S. the win. Advertisement Today, in the second fixture, Albert converted a penalty drawn by the Portland Thorns' Caiya Hanks to get the U.S. on the board. But this time, German midfielder Tuana Mahmoud was the national hero with a soaring strike that U.S. and Bay FC goalkeeper Jordan Silkowitz managed to only get a few fingers on. Props to the German Football Federation for streaming both matches on YouTube. What to Watch 📺 USWNT vs. Jamaica The U.S. closes this window with a friendly against Jamaica at Energizer Park in St. Louis, Mo. The game was originally scheduled to be a second against China but had to be changed due to a scheduling conflict for the Chinese. Advertisement 📺 Spain vs. England UEFA Nations League continues tomorrow with the final round of matches before this summer's European Championship in Switzerland. And after an emphatic 6-0 win over Portugal to silence the Mary Earps chatter from the public, England take on Spain for a final test before Sarina Wiegman unveils the squad she's taking to the Euros. Full Time First Looks Never too late: USWNT midfielder Lo'eau LaBonta became the oldest player to debut for the U.S. women when the 32-year-old took the field in place of the 17-year-old Yohannes on Saturday. Meg Linehan caught up with the KC captain last week to discuss her first call-up. Teaming up: The Mexican Football Federation will join the U.S. as co-host for the 2031 Women's World Cup, a federation spokesperson confirmed to on Friday. The two nations originally went in on a 2027 bid before backing out. Brazil will host that year's tournament. Advertisement Tears, anger, end of hope: Blackburn Rovers' senior Women's team have been demoted from the Women's Super League 2 after the club decided against meeting the required licensing criteria to retain their tier-two status, plunging the women's set-up into an uncertain future. Megan Feringa reported on the anger, sadness and loss of trust from those impacted by the decision. 📫 Love Full Time? These stories can also be found on Yahoo's women's sports hub, in partnership with Also, check out our other newsletters. This article originally appeared in The Athletic. US Women's national team, NWSL, Full Time Newsletter 2025 The Athletic Media Company
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Crystal Palace Transfer DealSheet: Summer window latest, key targets and likely exits
Crystal Palace will enter the summer looking to prepare and build a squad for the Europa League next season and seeking to atone for errors made this year. Manager Oliver Glasner repeatedly referenced the late arrival of players, both returning from international competitions but also transfers, as a factor behind the club's worst start to a Premier League season, before it was turned round into an FA Cup-winning campaign in which they achieved their highest Premier League points total. Advertisement He will look to have additions earlier than last year and Palace will have to improve their strength in depth to account for the extra fixtures. They have several key players who will likely be in demand and decisions will have to made on whether to sell and how much they can realistically expect to command for those talents. Those decisions will heavily influence what happens this summer. This is up in the air after the departure of former sporting director Dougie Freedman in March, with Palace having considered replacements and a possible restructuring of their recruitment department. Chairman Steve Parish will be at the head of decisions, setting the budget and having the final call on the strategy. Freedman's assistant, Ben Stevens, who has been with the club since 2015 — originally as head of performance analysis before stepping up alongside Freedman last July — has stepped in to partly fill the void. Iain Moody, who has worked as a consultant at the club for several years and who worked closely alongside Freedman, albeit more in the negotiation process for new and existing players rather than identifying new talent, will also provide some sense of consistency. Freedman built a team working behind him that remains in place and will continue. Freedman will inevitably be consulted to some extent as well, despite his new role in Saudi Arabia. This depends on outgoings. The initial plan is to sign a goalkeeper as back-up to Dean Henderson. There has been a desperate need to sign another left wing-back to provide cover and competition for Tyrick Mitchell. There is no obvious cover for the 25-year-old. Should Marc Guehi, who has only a year left on his contract, leave this summer, Palace will look to sign two centre-backs. Chadi Riad, originally seen as a possible successor, should return in the early part of the season from rupturing his ACL. Advertisement Regardless of whether Eberechi Eze is sold, they will look to bring in another No 10, with Matheus Franca having struggled to make an impact and Romain Esse inexperienced. They could add a second No 10 if a club meets Eze's release clause, but they will also target a centre-midfielder. Cheick Doucoure is expected to be available for pre-season after his meniscus injury, and adding another midfielder would provide Palace with cover and depth. There is hope Jean-Philippe Mateta will stay, given he has two years remaining on his contract, but if he does depart another striker would be a necessity, with only Eddie Nketiah available. Glasner's preference is for players who can come in and make an impact quickly, or adapt with relative ease over a short period of time. He pushed last summer for the signings of Maxence Lacroix and Daichi Kamada, both of whom he had worked with at Wolfsburg and Eintracht Frankfurt, respectively. Glasner wants a squad that is quick to acclimatise to each other and to the hefty physical demands of his system. That does not automatically discount young players, and he is not against promoting youth — Justin Devenny's progress this season is testament to that, even if he was a player bought from Scottish side Airdrieonians — but his priority is for more experienced players. Palace are primarily looking for younger players who have the potential to improve but already have some experience. Southampton midfielder Mateus Fernandes would fit that profile, having been linked with Palace. The Chelsea midfielder Andrey Santos has also been mentioned and, at 21 with almost 100 professional appearances, would suit Palace. But that would be a difficult deal to do with Chelsea keen to keep him having impressed on loan with Strasbourg. They are targeting centre-backs in Italy and Spain, while they have built excellent contacts in France. Odsonne Edouard has failed to make any impact on loan with Leicester City and is not seen as a player who can make a significant contribution. He will move on if they can find a suitor who is prepared to meet the striker's wage demands. He has only a year remaining so would not command a high fee. The 23-year-old midfielder Naouirou Ahamada is not in the club's long-term plans. A rare tick in the miss column for Freedman, Ahamada was loaned to Ligue 1 side Rennes and played only six times. Advertisement Forward Jesurun Rak-Sakyi, 22, scored seven times across 37 appearances on loan with Sheffield United this season, but is not viewed by Glasner as a player who could be a core part of his squad. They originally sought a fee around the £20million that Ipswich Town paid Chelsea for Omari Hutchinson, but that seems a stretch. They could sell Guehi if he continues to show no inclination to sign a new deal. Given the rigours of seven extra games next season, it seems unlikely anyone will be loaned out. Devenny might have been a possibility, but he has done well enough to be kept as part of the first-team squad. Palace might have looked to loan out Franca to ensure sufficient minutes, but he too may now be required in the first team given their extended campaign. Some of the Under-21 side will be loaned out. Hindolo Mustapha has interest, as does Asher Agbinone, who spent time with Gillingham this season. There have been conversations with clubs and the background work has been ongoing for months, but nothing is imminent. It is likely the bulk of their transfer activity will come in the middle to end part of the main transfer window. Parish, however, told reporters after the FA Cup semi-final win over Aston Villa that they would try to 'have a better pre-season (and) not make some of the mistakes we made again'. While he did not explicitly reference the four deadline day arrivals as a mistake, it is a reasonable deduction to make given how much it affected their preparations. Palace have no concerns over their PSR position and their budget will be sufficient to strengthen. If they can offload fringe players, it will be boosted further, while if any of their key players leave it will be for a hefty fee, allowing them to reinvest that money. (Top photos: Getty Images)
New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Jack Grealish is at a career crossroads. Which club could reignite his best?
Jack Grealish is at a crossroads. Just two years after being one of the main characters in an unforgettable treble-winning season for Manchester City, the 29-year-old started just seven Premier League games in 2024-25. While niggling injury setbacks have not been kind to him this season, it is clear that Grealish has fallen out of Pep Guardiola's plans. The writing was on the wall when he was an unused substitute when City required a goal in their FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace. Then for City's final game of the Premier League season away to Fulham, Grealish failed to make the matchday squad. Advertisement 'It's nothing personal with Jack,' Guardiola said after the Fulham match. 'I'm the person who fought for him to come here and the person who fought for him to stay here this season and the next season. I'm the one who said I want Jack Grealish. 'Now he didn't come (on) because he didn't come (on), but not something else. What happens in the future is a job for Txiki (Begiristain, City's director of football), Hugo (Viana, the club's sporting director) and the agents.' However you want to rationalise it, Grealish simply has not played enough football in recent seasons. He has played less than one-third of the available league minutes for two consecutive campaigns. It is worth noting that Grealish's drop-off in minutes has not come at the expense of his creative numbers when he does get on the pitch. A single assist in each of his last two Premier League seasons is a poor return whichever way you look at it, but a closer look at Grealish's expected assists (xA) — which denote the expected goals value of the shot that is assisted — suggest that his underlying output per 90 minutes has remained far more consistent (red dots below). Put simply, you cannot legislate for a team-mate missing an opportunity, whether you put the ball on a plate or not, and Grealish might feel hard done by, given the quality of chances he has created. There is the widely held view that Guardiola's disciplined positional play has been the antithesis of Grealish's off-the-cuff style, which is based on freedom and fluidity. There are countless other examples, but one of Grealish's typical behaviours within Guardiola's possession-dominant style is shown in City's game against Leicester City this season. Grealish receives the ball on the touchline with a stubborn 5-3-2 block facing him. After a few strides forward, he turns back and plays a simple ball backwards for Josko Gvardiol to circulate possession. City's general attacking structure has not helped at times this season, where a reluctance to make off-ball runs in behind has often left wingers isolated and forced to come back inside. Nevertheless, when zooming out, it is clear that Grealish's final season as a No 10 at Aston Villa was drastically different to his subsequent three seasons at City. His pass sonar below — which denotes the direction, frequency and distance of his passes — makes clear how much of Grealish's profile descended into playing a simple pass backwards within a positional Guardiola system. Grealish has had spells as a deeper-lying midfielder this season, most notably in their home victory over Nottingham Forest in December, when Guardiola praised Grealish's ability to control the tempo and accelerate the game. That 'pausa' is a trait highly regarded by Guardiola, but Grealish's free-spirit style sees him thrive in transitional moments — a rare occurrence in east Manchester. Give him space to run into, and he can punish opponents in the blink of an eye during transitional moments, as shown below when driving forward to assist Erling Haaland against West Ham United in 2023. So, if not City, then which club would best suit Grealish across Europe? Ironically, former club Villa would be an ideal location for Grealish to return to — both from a tactical standpoint and with Unai Emery's ability to reignite players' careers. Had things gone differently in the final game of the season, Villa would be boasting consecutive seasons in the Champions League under Emery and be in a far healthier financial situation when considering potential incomings. Advertisement A narrow No 10 role would suit Grealish perfectly if it were not for the fact that Emery's current squad is already stacked with midfielders capable of operating on the left or central attacking areas — with Morgan Rogers, Jacob Ramsey, John McGinn all able to fulfil the role. Elsewhere in the Premier League, it is not financially realistic, but the style profile of Crystal Palace, Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth would all be an exciting prospect for Grealish to thrive in transition with greater freedom, with two of those teams able to offer European football next season. As the graphic below highlights, that trio were among the highest teams for their share of first passes forward during attacking transitions — the polar opposite to City. Grealish need only look at England international team-mates Morgan Gibbs-White or Eberechi Eze to see how similar profiles of players have thrived in such a style. In a slightly more realistic world, Tottenham's return to the Champions League would provide a good bargaining tool to attract Grealish's attention. Spurs have primarily focused on signing players under the age of 23 under Ange Postecoglou and sporting director Johan Lange, so Grealish's age and wage demands would likely count against him — even if there is tactical value to be indulged. While not as transitional in attack, the declining form and fitness of Son Heung-min means that a spot on the left side of Postecoglou's attack is up for grabs. Spurs are still well-stocked at left wing but Grealish's versatility to operate as a winger or an inside No 8 could act as a mirrored version of Dejan Kulusevski on Spurs' right side. With Grealish's penchant for a dribble, there is a strong case to be made that the 29-year-old would thrive when attempting such take-ons in wide areas, with underlapping runs from full-backs to drag opposition markers away. For context, only Barcelona and Real Madrid have attempted more take-ons than Spurs across Europe's top five leagues this season. Advertisement In continental Europe, there is justification why Grealish has been linked with Serie A champions Napoli this summer. As shown in The Athletic's team playstyle wheel below, Napoli's route to the Scudetto was built on a solid defensive foundation (chance prevention, 97 out of 99) but would benefit from further creative dynamism going forward (chance creation, 62 out of 99). They also have an attacking style that does look to make the most of transitional moments (patient attack, 41 out of 99). While Giacomo Raspadori performed admirably as a left-sided attacker after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia's January move to Paris Saint-Germain, Napoli do remain a little light on their left flank. Grealish's dribbly style aligns with the Georgian's profile. British expatriates have enjoyed successful moves to Italy in recent seasons, most notably Scott McTominay and Billy Gilmour's hero status since arriving in Naples — but also Kyle Walker, Fikayo Tomori, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham (Milan), and, to a lesser extent, Dele (Como). The English contingent at Milan would be an attractive prospect to Grealish, but the best tactical option in Italy would surely be the newly crowned Serie A champions. If it were a transitional style that Grealish was looking for, then a glance over at the Bundesliga would certainly be worthwhile. Some might point to a potential Florian Wirtz-shaped hole that could need filling at Bayer Leverkusen, but Eintracht Frankfurt might actually be a more tactically interesting destination for Grealish's skillset. Dino Toppmoller's side finished third in Germany's top division — their highest for more than 30 years — to secure Champions League football next season, with one of the most transitional styles in Europe, as shown below by their volume of direct attacks. Frankfurt might vary their formation used, but the principles have largely remained the same. However, while Toppmoller's side have thrived in open spaces, they have had struggles against opponents who sit in a deep block — meaning Grealish's ability to unlock defences in either phase of the game would be warmly welcomed. Advertisement Grealish need only look at fellow Englishman Jadon Sancho as a player who found solace in Germany after difficulties on and off the pitch, returning to Borussia Dortmund following struggles at Manchester United. With an English contingent of Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Jamie Gittens and Carney Chukwuemeka all having success in Germany this season, Grealish should not turn his nose up at a move to the Bundesliga. Of course, if any club were to take a gamble on Grealish, they would do so knowing that a deal would come with its own caveats. Given his current contract — believed to be £300,000 per week — runs until 2027, a move would require any club to go deep into their pockets. Doing so would also be accepting that Grealish's resale value is rapidly diminishing, given that he turns 30 in September. With his public socialising remaining a bone of contention, many clubs do not have the time to wait for Grealish's fitness and form to return organically. 'Do I want the Jack that won the treble? Yeah, I want it, but I try to be honest with myself,' Guardiola said in January. 'I fought a lot for him, fought a lot to be here. I know that he can do it because I saw him. I saw his level and I want that, every single training session and every single game.' If a prospective manager can tease out that treble-winning version of Grealish, any deal would be well worth making.
