Saudi Arabian clubs interested in Marseille's Mason Greenwood
It would take a significant offer to convince Marseille to part ways with the former England international (this year, he swapped international allegiances and will now represent Jamaica). As L'Équipe explains, his age, his performances, and his former club Manchester United possessing a 50% sell-on fee, all would contribute to a hefty valuation.
Greenwood joined Marseille from his boyhood club last summer for around €30m, including bonuses. The forward had been frozen out of the Manchester United squad after he was charged in 2022 with attempted rape, controlling and coercive behaviour, and assault. All charges have since been dropped, and he has denied all allegations.
GFFN | Nick Hartland
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
How to watch Manchester United vs Bournemouth: TV channel and live stream for tonight
The Premier League Summer Series will continue in the small hours of Thursday morning as Manchester United meet Bournemouth at Soldier Field in Chicago. The Cherries currently sit atop the standings after downing Everton 3-0 in New York at the weekend. They could be usurped by United tonight, though, with Bournemouth leading only on goal difference. United got their Summer Series campaign off to a winning start last time out, with Bruno Fernandes' brace securing victory over West Ham. He scored from the spot after just five minutes, before curling a second home beyond the outstretched arm of Allphonse Areola in the second half. Bryan Mbeumo could be set to make his debut after his move from Brentford was confirmed earlier this week, though Ruben Amorim hinted after the West Ham win that he could be made to wait later in the summer. Luke Shaw said ahead of the match that Amorim is holding the squad to a particularly high standard ahead of the new campaign: 'He demands 100 per cent. That's it and he doesn't want anything less. If someone is doing 85-90 per cent, it's not enough for him.' It will be a double-header event again at Soldier Field, with West Ham and Everton kicking off at 11.30pm BST on Wednesday night. How to watch Manchester United vs Bournemouth TV channel: In the UK, viewers with a Sky Sports subscription can watch this game, with coverage taking place on Sky Sports Football. Coverage begins at 1.30am BST ahead of an 2.30am BST kick off. Live stream: You can also live stream the match on either Sky Go or Now TV.
New York Times
41 minutes ago
- New York Times
Are Manchester United right to pick Benjamin Sesko as their main striker target?
Manchester United's striker search appears to favour youth over experience after The Athletic reported that they are prioritising a move for RB Leipzig's Benjamin Sesko. Talks between United and the Bundesliga club are still in the preliminary phases, but 22-year-old Sesko has been deemed a more suitable fit for Ruben Amorim's 3-4-3 and his vision for the future. Advertisement Sesko's Leipzig deal runs until 2029. When he signed that new contract last year, it came with the understanding that if an elite club — by his definition — offered in the region of €80million-€90million (£69m to £78m; $92m to $103m), Leipzig would allow him to leave. There are many things to discuss as a possible deal progresses, but for now, let's discuss the tactical reasons Sesko might make sense for United. Age: 22 Appearances 2024-25: 45 in all competitions (playing 3,258 minutes), 33 in the Bundesliga (2,389 minutes) Goals in 2024-25: 21 in all competitions, 13 in the Bundesliga Quick description for your group chat: 'He's a big, burly lad with a cannon of a shot. Runs a bit like a motorboat with a funky rudder.' Sesko can do things most strikers can only pull off when playing computer games. He is also prone to doing things like this. The 22-year-old Slovenian striker may be the biggest, roughest and shiniest diamond operating towards the top of Europe's top five leagues. This summer marks the third time United have been interested, first assessing him in 2019 when he emerged at NK Domzale's senior team at 16, before monitoring him throughout the 2022-23 season, when he scored 16 goals in 30 games in the Austrian Bundesliga for Red Bull Salzburg. In 2025, he has developed into a sledgehammer of a striker. He combines straight-line speed, powerful finishing and sheer bloody-mindedness to become a forward that centre-backs hate playing against. A speedy, 195cm/6ft 5in striker who spent a brief period tearing up the Austrian league before moving to the Bundesliga, Sesko has earned some comparisons to Erling Haaland. Sesko is not quite at that level, but has plenty of the raw materials to suggest he could reach it. His shot map from 2023-24 illustrates a striker happy to go for goal wherever and whenever. Left foot, right foot, headers. Long-range cannons and plenty of pingers within the penalty box. Sesko is a confident striker, but is lacking the consistency needed to become a prolific one. He is prone to forcing the issue when in front of goal, hammering the ball with extra venom when trying to make it through a crowd of bodies. His right-footed finishes when shooting from the left half-space need work, as does his movement within the six-yard box, but he has the presence and quickness of mind to have defenders regularly second-guessing themselves. Fittingly for a striker at a Red Bull club, Sesko feasts in open space, leaving defenders in his dust when carrying the ball on a counter-attack. Bruno Fernandes tends to aim his through balls on the diagonal, but Sesko is so big and so quick, the United captain will make some adjustments. RB Leipzig take an early lead away at Atletico Madrid through Benjamin Sesko 🔥 That counter-attack though 👀 📺 @tntsports & @discoveryplusUK — Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) September 19, 2024 In addition, Sesko developed a knack for dropping deep and helping link play in recent seasons. Sesko is too good for us to say he has 'good feet for a big man', but not quite good enough with his link-up play or back-to-goal game to compare him to Alexander Isak or Harry Kane. Still, he's got time on his side, has the physique, and knows how to use the sharp corners of his body to bully defenders. He is good in the air and has a reasonable degree of skill to wriggle past an aggressive defender when dribbling. His shot is so hard that if you try to back off him to attempt a block, the ball is going to leave a stinging mark — or fly into the top corner (below in Leipzig's 4-2 win against Werder Bremen in January). If this were 2005, Sesko would be put up top alongside a nippy in-the-box striker in a 4-4-2, with both men scoring 15 or so goals apiece. In 2025, Sesko looks capable of getting 15 goals on his own as a lone striker — the question is whether he can get his goals at a steady enough clip and help team-mates maximise their attacking verve at the same time. Advertisement Sesko is scary. He's raw in places, but can be such a handful that his presence can unnerve defenders. That's rather handy if you have players as skilled as Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo looking to pounce. United have previously bought 'project' strikers that didn't work out and it can be easy to ignore the player Sesko is today and focus on the player he might become if given time and proper tutelage. To be clear, Sesko at 22 has played more senior football than his United counterpart, Rasmus Hojlund — but there is no guarantee he will avoid the same confidence-sapping malaise that has affected Hojlund and other strikers at Old Trafford. Perhaps because of his wide array of talents, Sesko's decision-making is best when he has less time to think about what complicated move he might try, and instead does the simple thing in front of him. Sesko can lack subtlety in his shooting, meaning defenders can find it easy to block his shots, while goalkeepers can move to stop his Thierry Henry-like attempts at the far post. He is prone to rushes of blood to the head, getting so excited that he has beaten one defender that he opts to put his head down and shoot, rather than pick his head up and look for an easy pass (below against Wolfsburg is a good example) All of this can be refined with proper coaching and a good team around him. There is a very good chance that when he is 29, Sesko will be a better striker than Ollie Watkins currently is, and might even rank among the world's best. The problem is whether you trust modern-day Manchester United to nurture such a player. The price for his services will be high. The tactical fit within Amorim's 3-4-3 is promising, but not seamless. In short: Sesko is a striker with sky-high potential, but there is a considerable risk when signing such a player for a club like United. He has the physical tools to adjust to life in the Premier League, but no one knows for sure whether he will have the 'above shoulders' temperament to deal with the scrutiny of life at Old Trafford. Age: 29 (turns 30 in December) Appearances 2024-25: 54 in all competitions (playing 3,578 minutes), 38 in the Premier League (2,610 minutes) Goals in 2024-25: 17 in all competitions, 16 in the Premier League Quick description for your group chat: 'He's a Ronseal striker. You know exactly what you're going to get.' Advertisement In June, The Athletic explained whether Watkins was suitable for United or not. Signing him would give Amorim three of the best attacking players from outside the Premier League's top five from last season. Five seasons of Premier League football have seen Watkins progress from a rough-and-ready channel runner into a striker of prowess. His appeal lies in his preference to play on the last line of the opposition's defence. Data from SkillCorner illustrates how often Watkins looks to run in behind defences. No Premier League striker made runs in behind a bigger portion of their attacking diet last season — Watkins has the pace and nous to pin centre-backs and have them turning towards their own goal. This creates additional space in front of the opposition penalty area where Cunha, Mbeumo, Fernandes and others could have — in theory — flourished. However, even if Watkins is a refined talent, there are question marks over how much he would cost and his long-term suitability for Amorim's 3-4-3. Villa also told United early in the window that Watkins is not for sale and are adamant he is staying. United's decision-makers were reluctant to pay what they thought it might take for Villa to consider doing business. The £60million price they quoted Arsenal in January suggests they would want a considerable sum. Given his age, United would have likely spent at least £50million on Watkins this summer, before having to spend a similar fee again in two seasons on another striker. A possible move for Sesko represents a 'one and done' signing for United. If Sesko joins and is a success at Old Trafford (you should knock on wood as you read this sentence), then their striker search should be finished for the foreseeable future. If United manage to land a centre-forward, it would be the third consecutive summer they have purchased a No 9. Factor in the January 2023 move for Wout Weghorst and you can see an issue in club recruitment. Centre-forward has been a problem position for the United for several seasons. Watkins and Sesko are different kinds of strikers, as is Liam Delap, who United executives met before he signed for Chelsea. There is merit in having variance on a shortlist, but they have experimented too much on attacking purchases and perfected too little. Advertisement The United No 9 shirt weighs heavy, but United appear to have trouble reducing the tactical burdens for the person wearing it. Long-standing issues in central midfield and wide areas have meant the club do not reliably progress the ball into the final third in a way a top-level striker would like. United also have trouble keeping the ball in the final third. Attacking moves often come undone by imprecise passing at crucial moments, or a weak collective press when looking to sustain pressure in the final third. Scoring goals for Manchester United is hard because a United striker often has one too many additional responsibilities on top of scoring. The majority of the top six clubs possess a striker who can finish their dinner and contribute to a team press. United strikers are asked to make meals from scratch before setting the table for confidence-starved team-mates around them. There's more than one way to improve a team's goalscoring. Sesko could help, but Amorim and United's recruitment team have much more work ahead of them.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Chelsea's Ishé Samuels-Smith joins Strasbourg
Strasbourg have signed England youth international left-back Ishé Samuels-Smith (19) from Chelsea, both clubs have announced. The 19-year-old has put pen to paper over a five-year deal with the Ligue 1 side. Samuel-Smith, who is also capable of playing at centre-back, has moved from Stamford Bridge to La Meinau for a fee of €7.5m, plus another €500,000 in bonuses. He was signed by Chelsea from Everton back in 2023 for a fee of €4.5m. Samuels-Smith has already linked up with his Strasbourg teammates for the Alsatians' preseason training camp in Austria. The England youth international is the third player to make the move from Chelsea to Strasbourg this summer, after Mathis Amougou (permanent) and Mike Penders (loan). Samuels-Smith is the tenth summer signing of Strasbourg this window. GFFN | Bastien Cheval
