Latest news with #Gent
Metro
a day ago
- Sport
- Metro
Arsenal 'very close' to signing Konstantinos Karetsas in £37.8m transfer
Arsenal are 'very close' to signing Genk attacking midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas in a €45 million (£37.8m) deal, according to reports in Greece. The 17-year-old has emerged as one of the brightest young talents in Europe after making his senior debut for Genk a year ago. This season, Karetsas has quickly established himself in Genk's first-team squad, scoring three goals and registering four assists in 39 appearances. The midfielder also won the Belgium Pro League Goal of the Season for his long-range strike against Gent. Karetsas was born in Belgium to Greek parents and after representing Belgium at youth level, the midfielder switched associations to Greece to make his senior debut for Greece in March. 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 we'll send you so we can get football news tailored to you. He then scored in a 3-0 win against Scotland in his second appearance for the national side to become the youngest scorer in Greece's history at the age of 17 years, four months and four days. Karetsas has been linked with several clubs across Europe including Bayern Munich, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Liverpool and Juventus. But according to Greece's news agency AMNA, Arsenal are now closing in on a deal to sign the midfielder. The report claims that Arsenal are now 'very close' to reaching an agreement with Genk over a deal worth €45m (£37.8m). The report adds that Arsenal's plan is to keep Karetsas on loan at Genk for another season for his development before bringing him into Mikel Arteta's squad next summer. Speaking earlier this season, Genk head coach, Thorsten Fink, was keen to keep Karetsas grounded after his superb strike against Gent. 'He scored a beautiful goal indeed,' Fink said. More Trending 'That is his quality, he only needs one situation to score. But there is still a lot to improve. I hope you see that too.' In November, Karetsas extended his contract with Genk which runs until 2027. 'Genk is my home. I feel a lot of trust from the club,' Karetsas said. 'This is the best environment for me to keep growing, close to my family. I want to win trophies with KRC Genk and compete in Europe.' For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Winger finally OPENS up about Liverpool transfer
That might have been the case with Momodou Lamin Sonko, when he emerged as a candidate to sign for Liverpool back in January 2024. As exclusively revealed by Anfield Watch, Liverpool have admired Sonko for a long time. They invited him on a trial back in 2017, when he was just 12-years-old. Advertisement Many years later in 2024, Liverpool then tried to sign him after his brilliant performances in Hacken but in the end the move never happpened. Sonko joined Gent, where the Reds have continued to monitor his progress and where the youngster is still honing his skills and ready to explode. Now though he's focused on representing Sweden at U21 level and ahead of his nation's games this month, he was quizzed about Liverpool's interest. This time Sonko finally opened up about his potential transfer to the club and even his trial at the Reds. "The way I look at it is that they were already interested there and I went there and tried it out a bit," the winger told Expressen. Advertisement "I felt I was a little too young to move but they have continued to keep an eye on me. The development in Sweden has been good before I moved so it feels quite natural." Sonko then also opened up about Liverpool's interest in him during the January transfer window in 2024. "I don't actually know. I was in Hacken and tried not to think too much about sales. Then it happened quite quickly and suddenly I was in Gent. I don't really have a good idea," he said. And then Sonko also went onto lavish praise on Arne Slot and the club's brilliant season. "Yes, absolutely incredible. They have been superior in the Premier League. They looked very strong in the Champions League too before they had a tough match at PSG. It has been an incredibly good season. A very good debut season for the coaches too," he said. Anfield Watch understands Liverpool will continue to monitor Sonko and the Reds might just return for him if he has a breakout season.
Daily Mirror
30-05-2025
- Sport
- Daily Mirror
Liverpool 'still interested' as Viktor Gyokeres' team-mate speaks after trial
Liverpool are already being linked with a host of players this summer, but one man has said he remains on the Reds' watchlist despite a failed trial in the past Gent gem Momodou Sonko has revealed Liverpool have retained an interest in his services after a failed trial with the club. And Anfield could be his next destination as he looks to emulate the success of countryman and Sporting CP sensation Viktor Gyokeres. Liverpool will be looking to spend this summer in an effort to build on their Premier League triumph, and one name that has purportedly caught their eye is Sonko. The player is hoping to make significant progress after a challenging first full season at Gent, and international team-mate Gyokeres is a natural role model. Former Coventry frontman Gyokeres' career trajectory has been meteoric, transitioning from a Championship regular to becoming one of Europe's hot prospects in record time. His staggering tally of 97 goals in 102 appearances for Sporting CP is evidence of how quickly fortunes can turn in football. Sonko holds lofty ambitions, and there aren't many destinations in the world right now that offer higher standards than Liverpool. The 20-year-old already got a taste of the Reds' setup back in 2017 when he had an unsuccessful trial at the club, but he has now said he remains on Liverpool's watchlist. "The way I look at it is that they were already interested there, and I went there and tried it out a bit," he told Expressen, from the Sweden under-21 training camp. "I felt I was a little too young to move, but they have continued to keep an eye on me." Sonko has recently been selected for Sweden's senior squad but is yet to make his first-team debut under Jon Dahl Tomasson. However, it's widely anticipated that it's only a matter of time before Gent's record signing gets his chance. Despite providing four goals and three assists in 21 starts (40 total appearances) for Gent this season, he has struggled to build on the promise he showed at his former employer, Hacken. Significant progress is required before he can be considered a talent worthy of Arne Slot's squad, but the gem has time on his side. When questioned about how close he came to joining Liverpool in the past, he responded: "I don't actually know. I was in Hacken and tried not to think too much about sales. Then it happened quite quickly and suddenly I was in Ghent. I don't really have a good idea." Although he isn't a Liverpool player, Sonko didn't hold back in praising the club for their successful season. The Reds narrowly missed out on a historic treble in Slot's inaugural season as manager, and it's safe to say Sonko admires the Dutchman's work. "Yes, absolutely incredible. They have been superior in the Premier League," he continued. "They also looked very strong in the Champions League before they had a tough match [against] PSG. It has been an incredibly good season. A very impressive debut season for the coaches too." Such comments indicate Sonko would be well up for the move should he continue to develop. Sweden has produced several exciting attackers in recent years, with Sonko hoping to follow in the footsteps of stars like Gyokeres, Alexander Isak and Anthony Elanga. Two of that trio are currently making a significant impact in the Premier League. And Gyokeres could make it a hat-trick if he swaps Lisbon for England this summer, with Arsenal and Manchester United believed to be very interested. It's been 33 years since Glenn Hysen, the only Swede to have represented Liverpool so far, last donned the team's colours. However, Sonko could be the player to break that drought if he continues to grow in Belgium's Pro League.
NZ Herald
26-05-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
Agricultural land use: Lincoln University report urges new strategies
'This requires practical, future-focused solutions - like integrating horticulture into traditional pastoral systems, developing on-farm processing to capture more value locally, or growing Māori agribusinesses around high-value niche products like mānuka honey or native botanicals.' He said there were examples of how this was being done already, but it needed to happen at scale for real returns to the economy. Every Hectare Matters ASB Bank backed the report and said it was offering a new programme to support the ideas and their implementation. General manager of rural banking Aiden Gent said the report offered insights and tools to help farmers make informed decisions. He said farmers were committed to their land but needed to show changes in mindset to do more within the same farming footprint, rather than stick to one farming system, such as dairying or sheep and beef. The Every Hectare Matters programme would bring together bank agri-specialists and outside experts, a land transition plan and a way to finance it. 'A key component of the programme is connecting farmers to farm-specific guidance on options and trade-offs for different land optimisation choices because we know no two farms are the same,' Gent said.
Business Recorder
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Business Recorder
Mac Allister brothers crowned champions on same day in different countries
Argentina's Mac Allister brothers Alexis and Kevin pulled off an unusual family feat on Sunday by lifting championship trophies on the same afternoon in different countries, though neither of them took part in their teams' final game of the season. Alexis got his hands on the Premier League trophy at Anfield after Liverpool secured the title last month, while his older brother Kevin endured a nervy afternoon in Belgium as his club Union Saint-Gilloise ended a 90-year wait for the championship. While Kevin was suspended for their last fixture of the season at home to Gent, where a 3-1 win was enough to see them win a first title since 1935, Alexis sat out Liverpool's final match at home to Crystal Palace to avoid injury. Mo Salah: Talks with Saudi League officials were serious 'I think he played throughout the last part of the season with the Argentinian mentality he has,' Liverpool manager Arne Slot said. 'Never gives up, no matter what he feels, but it is not smart to play a player that has, not a big injury but something to take a risk with.' The 26-year-old midfielder, who was in the Argentina side that won the World Cup in Qatar, moved to Liverpool from Brighton & Hove Albion two seasons ago and started 30 games in their title-winning campaign. Kevin, a year older, plays further back but exhibits the same resilient characteristics as his brother. Het Nieuwsblad described the defender on Monday as 'a soldier who never gives up'. 'He played in recent weeks with a mask, a bandaged shoulder, and a taped knee, but refused to give up due to injury.' Kevin said it had been tough not to be on the field helping his teammates. 'It was difficult to watch the game from the sidelines. I was calm, even though the first half wasn't our best,' he told reporters. 'I always try to keep the group calm. Sometimes emotions get too high and that's not good. I'm glad we stayed calm and finished it off.' A third brother, 29-year-old Francis, currently plays in Argentina's top flight with Insituto. All three brothers started at Argentinos Juniors, appearing together for the first time in 2017. Their father Carlos won three caps for Argentina and played at Boca Juniors, where he won a league championship in 1992.
