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The Catalans' electrifying wide men put Los Blancos to the sword on Sunday as they came out on top in a seven-goal thriller

A Raphinha and Lamine Yamal masterclass put Barcelona on the brink of another La Liga triumph after a remarkable 4-3 comeback win over Real Madrid on Sunday.

The fourth and final Clasico of the season started with a bang when Kylian Mbappe was brought down in the box by goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, and the French forward dispatched the subsequent spot-kick in the fifth minute. Things then went from bad to worse for Barca when Mbappe was on hand to finish off a rapid-fire counter-attack to make it 2-0 just nine minutes later.

Madrid were indebted to their own 'keeper Thibaut Courtois after he made excellent stops to deny Eric Garcia and Yamal, but there was nothing he could do to stop the former's header in the 19th minute. The galvanised hosts kept pushing for an equaliser and got it in spectacular fashion when Yamal curled a stunning finish past a helpless Courtois just after the half-hour mark from the edge of the area.

A shell-shocked Madrid, who were still finding joy on the transition and with long balls over the top, could not handle Barca's high press and coughed up a third goal two minutes later through Raphinha. Then, mere moments after Los Blancos had a penalty overturned for offside in the build-up, Raphinha pinched the ball off a dawdling Lucas Vazquez, and then Ferran Torres set him up to tuck the ball home on the stroke of half-time.

Yamal looked to have grabbed his second after the break when he tapped in Raphinha's pass across the six-yard box, but the Barca captain was offside in the build-up. And just when it looked like the league leaders would cruise to victory, the lethal Mbappe grabbed his hat-trick after Vinicius Jr neatly set up the 26-year-old.

Raphinha then missed a sitter to put the contest to bed, and despite a nervy finale, which included both Mbapp and Fermin Lopez having goals chalked off, Hansi Flick's team moved seven points clear at the top of La Liga with just three matches remaining having beaten Madrid all four times in all competitions this season.

GOAL rates Barcelona's players from Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys…

Getty Images SportGoalkeeper & Defence

Wojciech Szczesny (4/10):

The veteran was made to look very slow when he brought Mbappe down in the box, and then was helpless for Madrid's second and third. Going forward, they need a better keeper.

Eric Garcia (7/10):

While he had a couple of problems early on with Vinicius, the right-back largely held his own against the Brazilian and kickstarted Barca's comeback by continuing his good recent form with a well-taken header to reduce the early arrears.

Pau Cubarsi (4/10):

The young defender made two poor touches that led to Barcelona conceding an early penalty, and was too easily bypassed for Mbappe's second. Came off injured before the hour mark.

Inigo Martinez (5/10):

Was caught out on a number of occasions as Mbappe tore Barca's backline to shreds.

Gerard Martin (7/10):

Another solid showing from the left-back as he kept Guler relatively quiet down the Madrid right.

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Frenkie de Jong (7/10):

The Dutchman helped shut down Madrid's midfield and performances like these highlight why he is a starter in Flick's team now.

Pedri (7/10):

Was part of a midfield that was initially overrun but they eventually gained the upper hand and outnumbered Madrid in the centre of the park.

Dani Olmo (8/10):

Played a big part in re-energising his team's fightback, thanks to his creativity and vision.

Getty Images SportAttack

Lamine Yamal (9/10):

The wonderkid was a bit sluggish early on but took his goal in delicious fashion and showed all of his tricks from there on in. He and Raphinha ripped Madrid's defence to shreds.

Ferran Torres (8/10):

Led the line well and stretched Madrid's backline with his directness. Was heavily involved in two of Barca's goals.

Raphinha (9/10):

Showed off his ruthless edge with two well-taken goals, the second of which came from his relentless pressing. The ex-Leeds United star had so much joy down the left and toyed with the opposition. Could, and should, have had more, though.

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Andreas Christensen (7/10):

Blocked a critical cross with virtually his first touch and was a real rock at the back off the bench.

Alejandro Balde (5/10):

Looked a bit sluggish on his return from a hamstring injury.

Fermin Lopez (7/10):

Scored a brilliant solo goal to put some extra gloss on the scoreline, only for it to be ruled out for handball.

Hector Fort (6/10):

Was in the right place at the right time to keep his defence secure.

Gavi (N/A):

The midfielder did not have enough time to make an impact.

Hansi Flick (7/10):

Barca were chasing shadows early on as Madrid's tactics worked wonders, but his side dramatically turned the tables on their great rivals with a remarkable 25-minute goal fest. Flick got the better of Carlo Ancelotti in a Clasico for the ages.

It has been a really poor season for Manchester United, who are battling to get a top-half finish this season.

However, things were not made easier with the news a couple of weeks ago that Amad is out injured. The Ivorian attacker has been sensational under Ruben Amorim – contributing with nine goals and seven assists – but will miss the remainder of the season.

It’s safe to say that the 22-year-old has had a real impact on the Red Devils this season and will be a big miss.

With Kobbie Mainoo and Mason Mount also out with injury, it leaves Amorim thin on the ground in terms of options in that number 10 role.

Man United's current attacking midfield options

Amorim has four realistic options to play as a number 10. One of those is Bruno Fernandes. United’s captain has been playing deeper at times under Amorim, but his goal threat is obvious. He has ten goals and 12 assists this term.

The United boss has also tended to start Joshua Zirkzee behind the striker in recent weeks. His excellent ability to link play up and find runners beyond him, plus the physical presence he offers, means he could work well as an attacking midfielder in the dual 10 system Amorim employs. He has already shown great signs when playing there in recent weeks.

Alejandro Garnacho offers something unique at attacking midfield. He is unlike any other United player, someone who will relentlessly dribble at the opposition defence and try and take them on one-vs-one. The youngster has 14 goal involvements this season but has been in a drought.

Christian Eriksen is the fourth realistic option Amorim has to play in the role. Now into the final few months of his deal at United, the Denmark international has not featured much this season but possesses the timeless ability to unlock a defence with one pass.

However, amid this injury crisis, perhaps Amorim wishes United still had a former academy graduate on the books who has impressed after leaving the club.

Former Man United academy graduate would now be perfect

In the last few seasons, so many academy graduates have departed Old Trafford permanently. That includes established first-team players like Scott McTominay, who moved to Napoli, and less experienced yet high-potential players like Teden Mengi, who is now at Luton Town.

Another recent academy departure was attacking midfielder Andreas Pereira. The Brazilian, who went on several loan spells during his time at Old Trafford, made 75 appearances for the club, scoring and assisting nine times.

In 2022, he made the move to West Londoners Fulham for a fee in the region of £10m. Since joining the Cottagers, Pereira has thrived. In 108 games for the club, he has scored on ten occasions and grabbed 19 assists. His valuation of as much as £17.5m by Football Transfers shows just how much he has improved.

In his first two Premier League campaigns at the club, he managed to hit ten goal involvements. He also managed to get on the scoresheet in a 2-2 draw at Anfield against Liverpool this term, which surely brought a smile to the faces of United fans.

Pereira’s performances have been impressive over the past few seasons so much so that you can now draw a statistical comparison with Martin Odegaard and remarkably Phil Foden who are adjudged to be similar players via FBref.

The Arsenal captain, who is valued as highly as £90m by Transfermarkt, has three goals and six assists for the Gunners this season.

The statistical evidence suggests that both midfielders have been creatively excellent players over the season. On average, Pereira plays 2.67 key passes per game, compared to 2.33 for Odegaard. The Fulham star also averages 5.27 shot-creating actions per game, with the Arsenal skipper slightly less at 4.68 per game.

Key passes

2.67

2.33

Goals and assists

0.27

0.31

Shot-creating actions

5.27

4.68

Tackles and interceptions

1.37

1.1

Ball recoveries

4.66

3.62

Perhaps Amorim wishes he had the former United star to call upon this season. As Statman Dave said, he is an “underrated playmaker”, and could have made a real difference for the Red Devils this season.

Amorim has repeated Man Utd's Pogba blunder by axing "unplayable" star

Manchester United may look back on this decision with regret in the future.

ByDan Emery Feb 24, 2025

Pakistan looking to add experience to fast-bowling options for Multan Test

Danyal Rasool06-Dec-2022Pakistan are likely to call up fast bowler Hasan Ali to the Test squad to replace Haris Rauf, who has been ruled out of the rest of the England series with a quad injury. Rauf was injured while fielding during England’s first innings in Rawalpindi, leading to a grade two strain in his right quad.ESPNcricinfo understands Pakistan will call upon a fast bowler from outside the original 18-person squad for the second Test, starting in Multan on Friday. The only specialist fast bowler who didn’t play the first Test for Pakistan was Mohammad Wasim Jnr. But Wasim Jnr is yet to play a Test match, while three of the four bowlers who played the first Test in Rawalpindi were also making their debut, and adding some experience to the attack is seen as desirable.Hasan was one of the first names on the Pakistan team sheet until recently, having been named Pakistan’s Test Cricketer of the Year for 2021. However, his tendency to hit form in streaks makes him a somewhat less reliable bowler for the Test side, and his red-ball numbers over the past year have dipped sharply. He played against Sri Lanka in July but was dropped for the England series, and his 14 wickets in the recently completed Quaid-e-Azam trophy for Southern Punjab came at 40 runs apiece.However, his experience with the national side – he made his Test debut in 2017 and has played 21 Tests – will bolster a bowling line-up that is particularly wet behind the ears. In addition, his high ceiling potentially provides an X-factor that a Pakistan bowling line-up without Shaheen Shah Afridi arguably lacks.Mohammad Abbas is another option, even if his line-and-length medium pace makes him an unsuitable like-for-like replacement for the injured Rauf. ESPNcricinfo understands Abbas has not yet been contacted, though an impressive Quaid-e-Azam trophy season – he took 18 wickets at 24.16 for Sindh – could make him an attractive option. In the first Test, Pakistan opted to play Mohammad Ali, a similar bowler to Abbas, though he had a debut to forget.

Manchester United winger Alejandro Garnacho has given an update about his future at Old Trafford and said he's "different" to idol Cristiano Ronaldo.

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Garnacho claims he's 'different' to CR7Discusses United futureFocused on Europa League triumphFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱Getty Images SportWHAT HAPPENED?

The Argentine's adoration for Ronaldo has been well-documented, and they played together for a brief period at United in the 2022-23 season. However, in a press conference this week, the young winger has claimed that he is "different" to the Portugal captain, noting the contrasts between Old Trafford during CR7's heyday and the club today.

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Garnacho has typically been one of United's better performers in recent seasons, although this campaign has been a difficult one for him. Nevertheless, the 20-year-old has bags of potential and a recent strike against Brentford took him to 24 United goal involvements in all competitions, one away from matching the tally Ronaldo set before he reached the age of 21.

WHAT GARNACHO SAID

Asked about being compared with his hero, Garnacho said: “I’m not focused on the numbers. I think when Cristiano played here, he was a different footballer, [they were] a different type of games."

Garnacho has been linked with a summer transfer, but when quizzed on his future, the attacker added: "Yeah, obviously as a footballer, you always going to hear some rumours about the future. But I have a contract here until 2028, so I’m happy here."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR GARNACHO?

The United youngster has a golden opportunity to win a first European trophy as the Red Devils eye up a potential Europa League final against fellow Premier League underperformers Tottenham Hotspur. First, though, Amorim's team must do the job against Athletic Club in the semi-final second leg and secure their entry into the final, having won the first leg in Spain 3-0.

South Africa’s lead spinner is looking at a minimum of six months out of the game

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Mar-2023Keshav Maharaj is in danger of missing the 2023 ODI World Cup after rupturing his left Achilles tendon while celebrating a wicket. South Africa’s lead spinner is looking at a minimum of six months out of the game and may not be able to make it to India in October when the iCC tournament is due to begin.Maharaj suffered the injury on Saturday when he took off on a run to celebrate the dismissal of West Indies’ Kyle Mayers in the second Test match in Johannesburg. He pulled up almost immediately and needed to be stretchered off the field and to a hospital. Scans taken there revealed significant damage and he is now on crutches, with a moon boot on his left leg.Maharaj has only played 27 ODIs since his debut in 2017. He has a much bigger role within the Test side as their hold-up bowler. His exploits include a taking a nine-for in Sri Lanka and given the upcoming World Cup is taking place in similar conditions, he might have had a reasonable chance of participating.In the short-term, Maharaj will not be able to join Middlesex, having signed on to play for them in the English County Championship and the T20 Blast later this year. He will turn his attention to rehab instead, much like Keegan Petersen, another long-term absentee as a result of a freakish on-field injury.South Africa waited until Maharaj was back at the Wanderers to celebrate their 284-run victory over West Indies, their final game of this World Test Championship cycle. Their next red-ball assignment is not until December 2023 against India.

As Celtic chase a sixth treble in nine seasons, what is the primary factor behind their continued domination of Scottish football?

Well, of course, the Hoops have more money than everybody else, which certainly helps, but it’s only due to their excellent recruitment, both in terms of buying and selling players, they are able to maximise this financial advantage.

According to the Fair Game Index, the Celts are the best-run club in Britain, and the Premiership champions often get decisions in the transfer market right, certainly striking gold by selling a flop for £2.5m, who’s done very little since departing.

He was signed under Ange Postecoglou who got a lot right while in Glasgow.

The best and worst of Ange Postecoglou's Celtic signings

During two seasons at Celtic, Postecoglou won five major honours, signing a total of 29 players, with Alison Conroy of Sky Sports noting that he ‘tapped into his knowledge…of markets…rarely explored before’, most notably the J League.

Graham Falk of the Scotsman believes that the majority of these signings were major successes, so let’s assess some of the best.

Kyōgo

165

£4.5m

£10m

Starfelt

87

£4m

£4.3m

Abada

112

£3.5m

£8m

Juranović

53

£2.5m

£7.5m

Giakoumakis

57

£2.5m

£8m

Jota

92

£6.4m

£25m*

Carter-Vickers

150

£6m

Current player

Hatate

133

£1.4m

Current player

Maeda

148

£1.6m

Current player

O’Riley

124

£1.5m

£25m

Johnston

102

£3m

Current player

Oh

47

£2.5m

£4m

As the table outlines, Celtic have made an enormous profit by selling players.

Chief among there are Kyōgo Furuhashi, Giorgos Giakoumakis, Liel Abada and, Matt O’Riley, while Reo Hatate, Jota, Daizen Maeda, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston are key figures in Brendan Rodgers’ current side.

However, this table does not include all of Postecoglou’s signings, more than half have been left off, with one in particular, who did very little during his time at Parkhead, not impressing since departing either, showing that Celtic did extremely well to sell him for £2.5m.

What happened to Ange's forgotten Celtic forward

In the summer of 2022, Celtic signed wide-forward Sead Hakšabanović from Russian Premier League club Rubin Kazan for a reported fee of £1.75m.

Despite having only just celebrated his 23rd birthday at the time, Hakšabanović was already a bit of a journeyman, having been on the books of Halmstads BK, West Ham United, Málaga, Norrköping, the aforementioned Rubin Kazan and then Djurgården on loan before landing in Glasgow.

At his unveiling, Hakšabanović stated he wanted to achieve “something similar” to Henrik Larsson, widely considered the club’s best player of the modern era, and suffice to say he did not live up to those expectations, despite being labelled a ‘great talent’ by Euan Robertson of Football Scotland.

In 42 appearances for Celtic, the Swedish-born Montenegro international scored just five goals, three of which came in November 2022, earning him the Premiership’s Player of the Month award, albeit he did very little after that.

Finding himself not in Rodgers’ plans, Hakšabanović spent last season on loan at Stoke City in the EFL Championship, but scored only once in 21 appearances for the Potters, never able to establish himself as a regular starter under either Alex Neil nor Steven Schumacher.

Despite this, Allsvenskan champions Malmö decided to pay a reported £2.5m for his services, and this move certainly has not paid off for the Sky Blues so far.

To date, the forward has made just five appearances for the Nordic giants, yet to register either a goal or an assist, sidelined since August due to a groin injury. To put his torrid numbers into context, he’s scored three fewer than the much-maligned Greg Taylor. Grim reading indeed for the attacker.

Johan Flinck of Swedish outlet Sportbladet labels Hakšabanović a ‘flop’, adding he is yet to ‘show his skills on the pitch’, underlining that Celtic did extremely well to sell the misfiring winger for a profit last summer.

Wow: Rodgers has already found Celtic's next Maeda in stunning £2m star

The young Celtic forward is a star in the making for Brendan Rodgers.

1 ByDan Emery Mar 10, 2025

Robert Lewadowski showed off his playacting skills in Barcelona training as took a 'punch' from Wojciech Szczesny.

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Lewandowski showed off playacting skills in trainingGut 'punched' by SzczesnyBarca face Athletic Club on SundayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barcelona players are in a light-hearted mood as they are on the verge of completing a very successful season under Hansi Flick's tutelage. The Catalans completed the domestic treble, winning the Spanish Super Cup, La Liga and Copa del Rey titles. They also enjoyed a 100 percent record in four Clasicos against arch-rivals Real Madrid.

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Ahead of their final game of the season against Athletic Club on Sunday, Lewandowski and Szczesny were spotted in a playful mood during a training session. The Polish goalkeeper jokingly gave a knockout 'punch' to his compatriot, and the striker hilariously fell straight to the ground. Szczesny clearly did not touch his team-mate as Lewandowski showed off his playacting skills.

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AFPWHAT NEXT?

Lewandowski is virtually out of the La Liga Golden Boot race, as he trails Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe by four goals going into the final matchday.

He has been called up on the back of his impressive performances in the T20I series, where he made 290 runs in five matches

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2023Mark Chapman has been added to the New Zealand ODI squad for their upcoming five-match series against Pakistan that begins in Rawalpindi on Thursday.Chapman has been called up on the back of his impressive performances in the T20I series, where he finished as the highest run-scorer with 290 runs in five games. His runs tally is the most by any player in a five-match T20I series. The series ended 2-2, with Chapman scoring an unbeaten 57-ball 104 in the fifth T20I to stun the hosts after New Zealand were 26 for 3 in a chase of 194.Chapman has played seven ODIs so far, of which two have been for Hong Kong. He played his first ODI for New Zealand in 2018 and last played in the format in July 2022, when he scored a match-winning 101* against Scotland.”The way Mark’s played against one of the best T20 bowling attacks in the world has been nothing short of outstanding,” New Zealand head coach Gary Stead said. “His match-winning knock in the fifth and deciding match was particularly special and we’re happy to have someone in such strong form added to our ODI squad.”Tom Blundell and Henry Nicholls will join the squad in Rawalpindi for the ODIs, while Dane Cleaver, who was part of the T20Is, will return home.The ODIs begin in Rawalpindi on April 26, with the last three matches set to take place in Karachi. The final game takes place on May 7.New Zealand ODI squad (updated): Tom Latham (capt),Tom Blundell, Chad Bowes, Mark Chapman, Matt Henry, Ben Lister, Cole McConchie, Adam Milne, Daryl Mitchell, Jimmy Neesham, Henry Nicholls, Rachin Ravindra, Henry Shipley, Ish Sodhi, Blair Tickner, Will Young

There remains much unnecessary talk surrounding Jack Grealish’s life away from football, yet focusing in on his performances on the pitch, it’s fair to say the Manchester City man is leaving a lot to be desired.

Plucked from Aston Villa on a then British-record £100m deal back in the summer of 2021, the 29-year-old has scored just 16 goals and provided only 23 assists in 151 games in all competitions.

Of course, judging a player of his ilk purely on goal contributions would be a mistake, with the England star having been central to the club’s treble success, despite only registering five goals and 11 assists that season, with teammate Kyle Walker lauding him as a “nightmare” to play against.

That said, it would be fair to say that the £300k-per-week man has regressed since then, albeit with injuries playing their part, having failed to score a single Premier League goal since December 2023.

With just two goals and five assists to his name in 2024/25 in total, the experienced playmaker has been usurped by the lively Jeremy Doku down the left flank, with the January signing of Omar Marmoush also putting his Etihad future further into doubt.

Jack Grealish's future at Man City

As Caught Offside noted last month, there is set to be something of a ‘squad evolution’ at the Etihad this summer, with Kevin De Bruyne among those looking set to depart amid his expiring contract.

According to the latest reports, Grealish could follow the Belgian in moving on elsewhere at the end of the season, despite the Englishman still having over two years left to run on his existing deal.

The suggestion is that City are willing to accept an offer for their struggling star if their asking price is met, with the wideman said to be ‘unhappy’ at the club at present.

This comes amid reports back in January that Tottenham Hotspur were among those keen on signing Grealish, with it looking as if Guardiola and co are happy to sanction an exit for a player who is now deemed to be worth around £38m, according to Transfermarkt.

Having fallen behind the likes of Marmoush, Doku and Savinho of late – with further competition on the flanks also provided by Phil Foden and the returning Oscar Bobb – Grealish’s exit would seemingly not provide too much of a blow for the Citizens, despite his contribution in recent seasons.

Stat

Record (per 90)

Ranking

Non-penalty goals

0.00

Bottom 4%

Assists

0.15

Bottom 40%

Pass completion

87%

Top 2%

Progressive passes

6.35

Top 7%

Progressive carries

9.75

Top 1%

Successful take-ons

1.92

Top 24%

Tackles

1.33

Bottom 41%

Interceptions

0.30

Bottom 29%

Equally, it looks as if the Manchester side are already brewing a perfect, ready-made replacement in the academy ranks too, in the form of 19-year-old, Emilio Lawrence.

Man City's academy Grealish replacement

Following the success of parachuting Foden and Rico Lewis into the first-team squad in recent years, Guardiola has again turned to the youth ranks this season, with Nico O’Reilly – who scored a brace in the FA Cup triumph over Plymouth Argyle – the standout graduate in 2024/25 to date.

O’Reilly had been a central figure in a blossoming U21 side, prior to his promotion, with the aforementioned Lawrence showing signs that he could well follow suit, amid his dazzling form at Premier League 2 level.

In that competition so far this season, the teenage winger has already chalked up seven goals and a further seven assists in just 17 appearances, with City’s U21s currently five points clear at the top of the table.

The Manchester-born, Scotland youth international has been in the City ranks since signing from Premier League rivals Everton in 2022, with transfer guru Fabrizio Romano describing that capture as another “big statement” for the Etihad side.

Also lauded as a “top talent” by Romano, young Lawrence would be a perfect replacement for Grealish on the left flank, having contributed 17 goals and assists in just 31 games in total for the U21 side, as per Transfermarkt.

An ‘incredibly dangerous forward player’ – as per the club’s official website – Lawrence boasts a mouthwatering combination of fleet-footed skill and electric pace, as well as an obvious end product.

In The Pipeline

Football FanCast’s In the Pipeline series aims to uncover the very best youth players in world football.

There may well be a desire to dip into the market once again this summer, should Grealish lead what could be a raft of exits, yet with the academy – who have seen the U18s reach the FA Youth Cup semi-finals – currently blossoming, Guardiola should consider handing a chance to those already at the club.

Lawrence may not be the only standout attacker in a frightening youth side, although he’s certainly doing enough to warrant an opportunity at senior level.

Pep can forget De Bruyne by unleashing Man City's 17-year-old assist king

With Kevin De Bruyne seemingly on his way out of Manchester City, do the Sky Blues have a ready-made replacement in a 17-year-old wonder-kid?

ByBen Gray Mar 12, 2025

Manchester United have lined up another Sporting CP star as they plan for life without Al-Hilal target Bruno Fernandes.

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Man Utd identify next Bruno FernandesSporting star lined up to replace captainFernandes could join Al-Hilal for £100mFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

report that manager Ruben Amorim is keen to reunite with Pedro Goncalves, who has starred for the Portuguese outfit since signing in 2020. A fee of £70 million ($94m) could be enough to tempt Sporting to sell.

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Amorim turned Goncalves into a prolific goal-scoring midfielder during their time together at Sporting. He struck 18 times in the 2022-23 season and bagged another 14 in 2023-24, while his familiarity with Amorim's 3-4-3 system would be a huge tick for the Red Devils.

DID YOU KNOW?

Al-Hilal have made a £100m ($135m) play for Fernandes, who has seven days to decide whether to accept the hugely lucrative move. While United are loath to lose their captain, that fee could allow them to reinvest in several areas of the squad.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

United are also set to wrap up a move for Matheus Cunha from Wolves as they aim to bounce back from a terrible 2024-25 campaign. They look set to miss out on striker Liam Delap, who is joining Chelsea.