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Scotsman
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Scotsman
Rangers target €15m-rated striker amid 'serious' Sunderland link as ex-Ibrox favourite agrees surprise deal
Rangers have been linked with an interest in the 14-goal striker. 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... Rangers are considering a transfer move for highly-rated Croatian forward Matija Frigan this summer, according to reports in his homeland. After confirming the appointment of Russell Martin as their new head coach last week, the Ibrox hierarchy will now turn their attention to the transfer market as they look to bolster their squad ahead of the new Scottish Premiership season, which is scheduled to start in just 53 days. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Linked to Leicester City's Conor Coady, Southampton's Flynn Downes and Maccabi Tel Aviv striker Dor Turgeman over the weekend, the name of Frigan has now reportedly been added to their transfer wish list, as sporting director Kevin Thelwell and new club chairman Andrew Cavenagh look to make their first moves in the transfer market. The 22-year-old is said to have caught interest from the likes of Hamburg and clubs in La Liga after he bagged 14 goals in all competitions for Belgian Pro League side KVC Westerlo last season. Strongly linked with a potential loan-to-buy move to Sunderland during the January transfer window, Frigan admitted the Black Cats held a 'serious' interest in him, with the Stadium of Light side believed to have eyed up a potential €15million deal. Addressing links to Sunderland, who won promotion back to the English Premier League last month via the EFL Championship playoffs, Frigan told Croatian outlet Germanijak: "Yes, it is true that Sunderland is interested, and they are quite serious. I don't want to go into details, but it's nice to know that such a club is following me. The most important thing is that I play as well as possible at Westerlo, and then we'll see what happens next." Moving to Het Kuipje in the summer of 2023 following a prolific stint for HNK Rijeka in the top tier of Croatian football, he signed a five-year deal upon his arrival at the club. However, his form in front of goal has resulted in rising interest in his services, with a departure away from Belgium mooted this summer. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'The summer is coming, maybe a opportunity will arrive,' he told Germanijak, adding: 'the most important thing is that I play as well as possible at Westerlo, and then we'll see what happens next.' Elsewhere, former Rangers loan hero Abdallah Sima has agreed a surprise new deal with English Premier League side Brighton, despite having yet to play for the Seagulls since his arrival at the club four years ago. The 23-year-old forward moved to the south coast from Slavia Prague for an undisclosed fee back in the summer of 2021, but has spent each of the last seasons on loan to various clubs, including a impressive spell at Ibrox in the 2023/24 season where he scored 16 goals in 39 appearances. Abdallah Sima had a successful spell on loan at Rangers during the 2023/24 season, scoring 16 goals. | Getty Images
Belfast Telegraph
2 days ago
- Sport
- Belfast Telegraph
Rangers and Northern Ireland winger linked with move to MLS
The Rangers star made just 13 starts in the league this term, sparking speculation that he may move away from Ibrox despite having two years left on his contract. It's understood that new manager Russell Martin is keen to reshape the squad of the Glasgow giants. Swiss champions Basel are keen to sign the 22 year-old, as are Oud-Heverlee Leuven who finished tenth in the Belgian Pro League this season. Leuven are managed by former Wales boss Chris Coleman. MLS side FC Cincinnati are another club keen on the man who has made 66 senior appearances for Rangers. The Ohio club joined America's top flight in 2019 and currently sit second in the MLS's Eastern Conference. It's understood the three clubs would prefer a permanent deal for the Northern Ireland international. The former Linfield man, who has earned five caps for his country, missed this month's friendly doubleheader with Denmark and Iceland due to injury.
Metro
4 days ago
- Sport
- Metro
'I love that club so much' - Lille star wants Man Utd transfer
Lille defender Thomas Meunier has declared his love for Manchester United, saying he'd cycle all the way to England to complete the transfer. The Belgium international right-back has played for some of the biggest clubs in Europe, including Paris Saint-Germain and Borussia Dortmund. Meunier, who joined French club Lille in July 2024, has never tested himself in the Premier League – but if he could – he'd move straight to Old Trafford. At the age of 33, it seems unlikely that the defender's dream of playing for United will come true but that hasn't stopped him from being a huge fan. Wake up to find news on your club in your inbox every morning with Metro's Football Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your team in the link so we can send you football news tailored to you. Meunier, capped 69 times by his country, told Belgian newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen: 'If they (Man Utd) ever ask me, I'll cycle there! 'But maybe it's better this way. Suppose I play there and have a bad time. I wouldn't want to hate Manchester United, because I love that club so much. 'I went to watch them a few weeks ago, against Bilbao. In with the fans, singing, à fond (fully). 'Je suis un vrai. (I am a real one). I go to watch them at least once every season. 'But of all the home games I've seen in all those years, they've only won two. You have to have a self cruelty side to be a United supporter, right?' It's not the first time Meunier has spoken of his admiration for United, also doing so when linked with a transfer back in 2019 when he was at PSG. During that interview, Meunier described United as a 'beautiful' and 'exceptional' club. Three years ago, Meunier once again had his heart set on a move to United but it never materialised and he ended up staying at Dortmund instead. Meunier has enjoyed success with a number of other clubs despite never playing for his beloved United. He won the Belgian Cup and Belgian Pro League with Club Brugge in 2015 and 2016 respectively. More Trending During his four-year stint at PSG from 2016 to 2020, Meunier clinched three Ligue 1 titles and two Coupe de France trophies. After a Champions League runner-up finish with PSG in 2020, he moved to Dortmund, helping the Bundesliga side land the German Cup in 2021. Following his four-year spell with Dortmund, Meunier had a brief stint at Turkish club Trabzonspor before joining Lille just over 12 months ago. He was named in the Marca/Forbes World Cup All-Star team in 2018, having helped Belgium to a third-placed finish at the tournament. MORE: Ange Postecoglou warned by former Tottenham star over Daniel Levy silence MORE: Ray Parlour tells 'great' Chelsea star to snub shock Arsenal transfer MORE: Man Utd make new Bryan Mbeumo offer with final warning to Brentford
Daily Record
27-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Record
Stephen Welsh wanted for permanent Celtic transfer exit as club make signing top priority
Brendan Rodgers already has Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales and Maik Nawrocki at centre-back K.V. Mechelen want to sign Celtic's Stephen Welsh on a permanent basis. The central defender has just ended a successful loan with the Belgian Pro League outfit. Welsh is due to return to the Scottish champions for pre-season. Mechelen sporting director Dennis Henderickx has indicated that getting Welsh back to the club is a major priority. He helped the Belgian's into the European play-offs after he made the move in January. His success with Mechelen hasn't gone unnoticed with other Belgian and European clubs also keen a close eye on the situation. The 25-year-old, who scored his first goal for Mechelen in his final appearance against FCV Dender at the weekend, has got a regular taste of first-team football he craved. Welsh made 19 appearances for Mechelen and was keen to put a run of games together after spending large spells of the first half of the season on the bench or in the stands at Celtic. Welsh, in a previous interview with the Daily Record, said: Welsh stated: 'I have loved every minute of it. 'I think it is the best thing I have done, it is almost like a refresh for six months to go and play football at a top level.' The centre half still has two years left on his Celtic contract. A lot will depend on where Brendan Rodgers' sees Welsh in his plans. Rodgers has Cameron Carter-Vickers, Auston Trusty, Liam Scales and Maik Nawrocki for the centre half positions just now. You can get all the news you need on our dedicated Rangers and Celtic pages, and sign up to our newsletters to make sure you never miss a beat throughout the season. We're also WhatsApp where we bring all the latest breaking news and transfer gossip directly to you phone. Join our Rangers community here and our Celtic community here.
Toronto Sun
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Canadian Promise David leads Union to first Belgian league title in 90 years
Published May 26, 2025 • 1 minute read Union's Canadian forward #12 Promise David holds the trophy as he celebrates with teammates and supporters their Belgian championship title after winning the Belgian Pro League champions' play-off football match (day 10 of 10) between Royale Union Saint-Gilloise and KAA Gent, at the Joseph Marien Stadium in Brussels, on May 25, 2025. Photo by SIMON WOLFHART/STR / AFP Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. BRUSSELS — Union Saint-Gilloise sealed its first Belgian league title in 90 years with a 3-1 win over Genk on Sunday. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Promise David, of Brampton, Ont., scored twice and Franjo Ivanovic added another goal to help the small Brussels club secure its first league title since 1935. Union entered the final round of the championship playoffs with a one-point lead and after near misses in the past three seasons. In 2022 and in 2024 Union led the regular season standings then faded in the playoffs to let Club Brugge take the title. The epic 2023 title race had a dramatic ending when a helicopter carrying league officials and the trophy had to turn away from Union's tiny Joseph Marien Stadium. Only Union and Brugge were in title contention on Sunday. Brugge drew 1-1 with Antwerp to finish in second place, three points behind. Union had a slow start to the season under new coach Pocognoli, after more sales of star players for eight-figure fees. Led by goals from David, Union moved up to third in the regular season standings. This time, Genk was the leader that collapsed in the playoffs. Union surged with a run of five clean sheets, including a 1-0 win at Brugge on April 24, to go top for the first time. Ontario Football Music Money News Toronto & GTA
