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Reliable journalist Graeme Bailey has dropped a Liverpool transfer twist regarding the future of Sadio Mane.  

The Lowdown: Mane wants Bayern move

The Senegalese star is one of the current squad’s longest-serving players since making the switch to Anfield from fellow Premier League side Southampton six years ago, becoming a fan favourite in the iconic front three alongside Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino.

However, as a result of only having just over 12 months remaining on his current contract on Merseyside, the 30-year-old’s future has been very much up in the air in recent weeks.

The forward reportedly wants to push for a move to Bayern Munich while the press in Germany believe a deal to join the Bundesliga champions is only a matter of time.

The Latest: Liverpool would be happy to keep him

In Bailey’s new column for 90min, it’s claimed that Liverpool have told both Mane and Bayern that they will ‘keep hold’ of the striker this transfer window ‘unless their valuation is met’.

The source states that the Bundesliga giants have already had two official bids ‘rejected’ for their target, the second being ‘worth up to £30m’, but the Reds want no less than £40m with extra add-ons.

The article reads that sources from both clubs are still ‘confident’ that the deal will happen, but that Jurgen Klopp’s men are ‘prepared’ to welcome the 89-cap international ‘back into their squad’ next season, regardless of Darwin Nunez’s arrival.

The Verdict: Time to let him go

If Mane were to end up staying at Liverpool, Klopp would have Nunez, Salah, Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Firmino and youngster Fabio Carvalho all available for selection alongside him as attacking options.

The £200k-per-week gem was unquestionably a standout performer last season, having scored 23 goals and provided five assists across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt, but as prolific as he is, the boss won’t want to have someone in his starting XI when he knows that’s not truly where he desires to be.

It’s hard to imagine Mane having a change of heart in the coming weeks so it’s probably the best option for the club to let him go and give the new players a chance to shine – after all, they are the ones who will become the future of Liverpool in years to come.

In other news… Fabrizio Romano has shared Takumi Minamino’s Liverpool exit ‘talks’.

Aston Villa may have completed four signings before the transfer window has even officially opened but it seems as if Steven Gerrard is still planning for a busy summer of incoming and outgoings, with Calvin Bassey reportedly still of interest to the Villa boss.

What’s the word?

According to Birmingham Live reporter Ashley Preece, Bassey remains “on the club’s radar” as Gerrard looks to improve the spine of his XI.

The Rangers man is well-known to Gerrard after his time at Ibrox and enjoyed a superb 2021/22 campaign which has attracted interest from plenty of sides across Europe.

Gerrard’s dream?

The former Leicester City man started his Rangers career as a left-back, so could provide cover for Lucas Digne, but some of his best showings for Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side last season came as a central defender.

Bassey was particularly impressive in the Europa League final defeat against Eintracht Frankfurt, with BBC awarding him their man-of-the-match award, while Owen Hargreaves also sang his praises on BT Sport, saying:

“Calvin Bassey, my word, what a performance.

“That was astonishing, the energy and effort. Everything about his game was fantastic.

“Anyone watching that will be thinking: ‘That’s the kind of player I want in my team’.”

Gerrard has already waxed lyrical about Bassey during his time as manager of Rangers and he is someone that he clearly wants to work with at Villa in the Premier League.

Last season saw the young defender make 50 appearances for Rangers in all competitions, in what was a breakthrough campaign for him, considering he had only made 15 appearances in the previous campaign.

Therefore, it seems fair to suggest that he will only get better with more experience and playing time, and it is easy to see why Gerrard wants to bring him to Villa Park this summer.

Considering Villa have already spent big on fellow defender Diego Carlos, it will be interesting to see if they are willing to meet Rangers’ reported £25m asking price for Bassey. However, from what Preece suggests, they will definitely try and convince him to make the move south, something that would be a dream for Gerrard.

And, in other news… Gerrard now given green light for “fantastic” £10m Aston Villa move, Lange must act

Alasdair Gold has dropped an update on reported Tottenham Hotspur transfer target Romelu Lukaku.

What’s the latest?

In a recent Q&A on football.london, the journalist revealed that, following a number of reports linking Spurs with a move for the Chelsea centre-forward this summer, the 29-year-old is a player who Antonio Conte is a great admirer of – before suggesting that anything could happen in the transfer market.

However, Gold went on to state that it would appear unlikely Thomas Tuchel’s side would be willing to do business with a direct rival, as well as suggesting that the Belgian may not feel he would be a guaranteed starter in north London with the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski already at the club.

When asked whether there was any truth to the Lukaku rumours, Gold replied: “Conte loves him but I’d have my doubts over whether Chelsea would deal with Spurs and also whether Lukaku would feel he’d get to play week in, week out with Harry Kane at the club. He wouldn’t be the main man.

“They may well be able to play together but what that would mean for Son and Kulusevski I don’t know. It’s a lot of money for a player who hasn’t had the happiest time back in the Premier League. I just can’t see Chelsea dealing with a London rival and their former manager, but who knows what could happen in this crazy summer.”

Conte will be gutted

Considering just how much success Conte enjoyed with Lukaku during his two-year stay at Inter Milan, Gold’s suggestion that Chelsea may not be open to doing business with Tottenham this summer, in addition to the journalist’s claim that Lukaku himself may not be keen on a switch to north London, is sure to have left the 52-year-old gutted.

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Indeed, over Lukaku’s 95 appearances for the Italian coach, the £76.5m-rated forward scored an incredibly impressive 64 goals, as well as providing his teammates with a further 17 assists – meaning the £350k-per-week striker averaged a direct goal involvement every 96 minutes of football played under the current Spurs boss.

Furthermore, with 24 of these goals and 11 of his assists for Inter coming over the Belgium international’s 36 Serie A appearances in 2020/21, it is clear to see just how important the 29-year-old was within Conte’s Scudetto-winning side last season – form which, if repeated at Tottenham, would undoubtedly help to take Spurs to another level in 2022/23.

However, following Gold’s latest update, it would now appear as if a Tottenham move for the former Manchester United and Everton centre-forward this summer does not look overly likely, an outcome that is sure to come as a gutting blow to the 52-year-old Spurs manager.

AND in other news: “There is an option…”: Gold drops exciting Spurs update, supporters will be buzzing

West Ham have been linked with a move for Watford attacker Emmanuel Dennis recently and the Nigerian could be a superb addition to David Moyes’ side this summer.

What’s the word?

According to journalist Dean Jones, the Hammers will look into bringing the striker to the London Stadium ahead of next season, following Watford’s relegation back to the Championship.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “It’ll be interesting. There are loads of names that West Ham are looking at at the moment. People like Emmanuel Dennis, I’m sure that they’ll be looking into situations like that because they always explore good opportunities, but we’ll have to wait.”

A no-brainer for the Hammers?

Although Watford succumbed to relegation last season, Dennis was one of their star performers in the top flight, particularly in the first half of the season and arguably showed that he is capable of forging a successful career in the Premier League.

The 24-year-old contributed an impressive ten goals and six assists in 33 appearances for the Hornets, averaging a solid 6.89 rating from WhoScored for his performances, which was enough to rank him as their top performer across the season.

The Sun have previously reported that he could be available for as little as £20m this summer, and with West Ham desperately in need of attacking reinforcements after once again failing to bring in a striker in January’s transfer window, this is a deal that would make a lot of sense for Moyes.

Claudio Ranieri was full of praise for Dennis during his short spell at Watford last season, saying:

“[Dennis] is a very talented player. He’s fast, has good skill, always runs straight to the goal – I love these kinds of players.”

If the Hammers are to progress next season then they certainly need more strength in depth and Dennis could be the ideal man to level up Moyes’ attack, as his versatility allows him to play anywhere across a front three.

He is proven in the Premier League, still young and will surely be keen to avoid a season in the Championship, so Moyes should definitely look to bring him in.

And, in other news…West Ham can sign their own Vardy in “fearless” 22 y/o

West Ham United are believed to be monitoring Lille midfielder Amadou Onana, according to reports coming out of France.

What’s the word?

As per Foot Mercato, the Hammers have been keeping an eye on the 2o-year-old in recent times ahead of a possible move, with Premier League rivals Arsenal also believed to be credited with an interest.

The report suggests that despite only signing for the Ligue 1 outfit last year, the Belgian ace ‘could leave’ in the upcoming transfer window, with the French side potentially needing to cash in on their star assets after missing out on European qualification.

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Although no ‘concrete offer’ has been made by any interested party as yet, previous reports have suggested that the Senegal-born ace could be available for a fee in the region of £20m.

The next Tchouameni?

The report also named Monaco as one side who are interested in the former Hamburg man, with Philippe Clement and co eyeing Onana as a possible replacement for midfield talisman Aurelien Tchouameni, with the young Frenchman seemingly heading off to Champions League winners, Real Madrid this summer.

The fact that the Lille man has been identified as a possible replacement for the £54m-rated colossus is a sure sign of his talent, with Tchouameni currently one of the most coveted defensive midfielders in Europe such has been his stunning form of late.

The 22-year-old is arguably one of the best performing players in his position at present across Europe’s top five leagues, ranking in the top 1% for interceptions made, the top 13% for aerial duels won and the top 18% for tackles made, showcasing his steely quality in the centre of the park, despite his youth.

Equally, in an attacking sense the £19k-per-week brute is also no slouch, ranking in the top 13% for progressive passes and the top 15% for passes attempted, while he also netted three goals and supplied two assists in 35 league outings in the most recent campaign.

Although not at that level yet, Onana seemingly possesses similar attributes as the Madrid-bound star, with David Moyes and co potentially set to have their own, highly-coveted talent on their hands if a deal can be struck this summer.

The Belgium U21 international ranks in the top 6% for tackles made compared to his peers, while in the 2021/22 season he averaged 0.9 interceptions and 1.5 tackles per game, as well as winning a solid 59% of his total duels.

He may not yet be the man to come straight into the first-team at the London Stadium – having only started 11 league games in the most recent campaign – although he is already showing plenty of promise to suggest he can blossom into a standout regular in the future, potentially in the mould of the aforementioned Tchouameni.

That is an exciting prospect indeed for those of a West Ham persuasion.

IN other news, “Another target…”: Ex drops big WHU summer transfer claim that supporters will love

Crystal Palace are interested in signing Watford winger Ismaila Sarr, according to a report from French outlet Jeunes Footeux. 

The lowdown: Wanted man

Following the Hertfordshire club’s relegation from the Premier League, it’s widely anticipated that the 24-year-old will be the subject of plentiful interest during the summer transfer window.

Having previously garnered the attention of Liverpool, the Senegal international is expected to attract offers, with mega-rich Newcastle United also being heavily linked with him in recent days.

It now appears as though Palace manager Patrick Vieira could be about to make his own intentions known in the transfer market…

The latest: Palace linked with Sarr

As per Jeunes Footeux, the Eagles are said to be ‘especially’ interested in Sarr, whilst also citing interest from Everton, an unnamed German club and indeed Newcastle.

It is claimed that Vieira ‘greatly appreciates’ the 39-cap forward, who could be available for less than €35m (£29.8m) this summer.

The report added that Watford won’t stand in the way of Sarr, who was praised by Hornets team-mate Ben Foster for his pace and his “off the cuff” style of play, if an ‘interesting’ offer is forthcoming.

The verdict: Exciting addition

While the Selhurst Park ranks are blessed with skilful wide players in the shape of Wilfried Zaha, Michael Olise and the versatile Jeffrey Schlupp, adding Sarr would be a superb piece of early summer business from Palace.

Despite Watford’s relegation and his own trouble with injuries, the Senegal star ended the 2021/22 campaign with a respectable return of five goals and two assists in 22 appearances.

Boasting impressive dribbling and finishing abilities (WhoScored), at 24 he certainly has the ability to move onto the next level, and Vieira should relish the opportunity to bring the best out of a player whose pace and penalty box prowess are evident.

In other news, this Palace stalwart may leave in the summer

Liverpool have been rather active in the transfer market recently. Having secured a January deal for Luis Diaz, the Reds will also be set to welcome Fabio Carvalho to their ranks this summer from Fulham.

While Jurgen Klopp’s side still have the chance to snatch the Premier League title away from Manchester City as well as potentially secure the Champions League, it seems as though the Merseyside club have once again been busy behind the scenes regarding another possible transfer deal.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Sunday Mirror (via TEAMtalk), Liverpool have agreed with Porto a first refusal option to sign midfielder Fabio Vieira.

It’s thought the young Portuguese has a release clause amounting to €15m (£12.7m) as the Reds close in on a potential swoop.

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The next Mesut Ozil

As a product of Porto’s academy, the 21-year-old has made a total of 117 appearances for the club’s senior and youth sides.

In those appearances, the youngster has scored 23 goals and delivered 24 assists along the way, highlighting how much of an attacking and creative threat he can be.

With 27 league games under his belt this season, the Portuguese talent has found the net six times and delivered 14 assists, which is more than any other Porto player has managed to provide.

To further highlight how much of a dangerous attacking figure he is, no other player at Porto has managed to equal the number of crosses that Vieira (95) has made throughout this campaign.

He’s also listed in the top 10 for shots per 90 minutes in the Portuguese league.

His overall performances have earned him a season rating of 7.17/10 from WhoScored, making him the sixth-highest player currently in Porto’s squad.

This all shows why the midfielder has been likened to Mesut Ozil by football talent scout Jacek Kulig on Twitter, who also said that the player has a “left foot made of gold.”

Taking into account how Liverpool have racked up more goal-creating actions (148) in the Premier League this season than any other side in the top flight, potentially adding a young player like Vieira to their ranks could make them an even more dangerous outfit for many years.

Having negotiated with Porto over the sale of Diaz back in January, the Reds should definitely get in contact with the Portuguese club once again this summer to try and get them to relinquish another one of their vibrant attacking talents.

In other news: “He’s gonna leave”: Romano drops Liverpool update that’ll have supporters gutted

Brathwaite stresses on “fight” and “discipline” for inexperienced West Indies to take the fight to the world champions in the two-Test series

Alex Malcolm16-Jan-2024Discipline is the key word skipper Kraigg Brathwaite is stressing on to his young players, with West Indies set to unveil an extremely inexperienced XI against Test world champions Australia in Adelaide – Shamar Joseph, Kavem Hodge and Justin Greaves all set to make their Test debuts.West Indies are expected to field an XI with only five members who played in the two-Test series against Australia in Australia last summer, with seven players, including the three debutants, Tagenarine Chanderpaul (eight), Gudakesh Motie (four), Alick Athanaze (two), and Kirk McKenzie (one) combining for just 15 Tests. Wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva is West Indies’ fourth-most experienced player and has played the same number of Tests, 24, as Australia’s least experienced player, Cameron Green.Brathwaite, who is only 13 Tests away from playing 100, says his side can compete with Australia if they maintain their discipline for long periods.Related

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“All I want to see from the team is fight,” Brathwaite said. “We’re obviously playing against the number one team but I believe we do have the potential. It all revolves around discipline – how long we can be disciplined for as a bowling unit, because we don’t want to go in fours and fives obviously. So once we can be disciplined and obviously put partnerships on the board, anything is possible. But we’ve got to work extremely hard and we have to believe in ourselves.”West Indies took great heart from the Pakistan’s performance against Australia in recent weeks, despite the 3-0 scoreline.Alzarri Joseph noted on Monday that West Indies’ bowlers needed to adjust their lengths from last summer, having bowled too short to an Australian top order that had a feast in Perth and Adelaide.Brathwaite said his bowlers had taken a close look at the success of Pakistan’s Aamer Jamal in his debut series as the blueprint of how to bowl in Australia.

“Early on, I think it’s very important for us to build that foundation and spend time. Make it easier for the guys to come. That’s always the role of an opener. We’ll go out there and fight hard and look to do that for the team”Kraigg Brathwaite

“We saw his lengths. He really attacked the stumps a lot and his length, it was quite a bit fuller than the other guys,” Brathwaite said. “I think, especially early on, you can always get carried away as fast bowlers. Obviously in the Caribbean, we are not accustomed [to bowling those lengths], we don’t see many pitches like this. So for young fast bowlers to come, they get a bit excited and bowl a little shorter.”But we were in discussions in terms of lengths. Watching guys bowl here over the years, we do agree a bit fuller [works], especially early on with the new ball. The new ball will be quite crucial. So we also got to utilise that and be disciplined. That’s a big word for us: discipline.”It will take doing it not just for a half-hour. You’ve got to do it for the entire day if it takes that long. Hopefully not. But if it does, it’s just having the strength mentally, despite your body maybe being tired as bowlers, to be able to do it for long periods. That’s what makes guys world-class bowlers. They do it not just in the first spell but they do it throughout the day. They keep coming at you. So we’ve got to do that. It’s simple and I believe that the guys have the potential to do it and they have my support.”As vital as it will be for the bowlers to have an impact, an even heavier burden will fall on West Indies’ openers in Brathwaite and Chanderpaul given the middle order of McKenzie, Athanaze, Hodge and Greaves have played three Tests between them.Kavem Hodge is one of the players expected to make his Test debut in Adelaide•CWI Media/Philip SpoonerBrathwaite and Chanderpaul shared stands of 78, 116, 35 and 15 last summer against Australia, with Brathwaite scoring 64 and 110 in Perth, while Chanderpaul made scores of 51, 45 and 47 in his first three Test innings, showing extraordinary grit against Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon and Green.Brathwaite was aware of how important good opening stands would be. “Very, very important,” he said. “We know it’s never easy. Obviously, they have a world-class attack. Early on, I think it’s very important for us to build that foundation and spend time. Make it easier for the guys to come. That’s always the role of an opener. We’ll go out there and fight hard and look to do that for the team.”He was hoping the presence of Brian Lara at training over the past few days, in a mentoring capacity, might help inspire a few of the newcomers to great heights in Adelaide.”It’s always amazing to have Brian around,” Brathwaite said. “He has a good set of runs here at Adelaide, so if he could give some of the guys [an idea of how to score] that would be great. But obviously, his wisdom is always good, his advice. He’s been through many situations, especially here in Australia and against Australia. My advice to the guys will always be to tap into him.”

This was the 12th instance of a batter retiring out in a men’s T20I, and the first in a match featuring two Full Member teams

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Aug-2025Roston Chase became the first batter to retire out during a men’s T20I featuring two Full Member teams when he went off during West Indies’ chase of 190 in the deciding game against Pakistan in Lauderhill on Sunday.West Indies had gotten off to a good start, with Alick Athanaze scoring a 40-ball 60 opening the innings, but they slowed down once he was dismissed to leave the scoreboard reading 110 for 3 at the end of the 13th over. The requirement then was 80 runs from 42 balls.While Sherfane Rutherford, the No. 4, got going immediately, Chase struggled to go big, hitting just two fours in a 12-ball 15 before he was called back to the dugout – 41 runs were needed off 18 balls after that, and West Indies only managed 27 to concede the series 2-1.There has been only one previous instance of a batter retiring out in a men’s T20I featuring a Full Member team: in the 2024 T20 World Cup, Namibia’s opening batter Nikolaas Davin retired out after scoring 18 from 16 balls in a chase of 126 in ten overs against England in North Sound. The other ten such dismissals have all been recorded in matches involving two Associate teams.Chase, incidentally, had been retired out once before in a T20, at the ILT20 earlier this year. His team Abu Dhabi Knight Riders batted first in that game against MI Emirates, and Chase, batting at No. 6, had failed to get a move on after walking out in the 12th over, scoring 20 from 13 at the end of the 18th over, when he was retired out.

Thomas Tuchel has warned his England players to avoid a Cristiano Ronaldo situation and receive their marching orders against Albania on Sunday. Ronaldo was sent off in Portugal's 2-0 loss to Ireland earlier this week and will miss their final World Cup qualifying meeting with Armenia. The Al-Nassr forward will also sit out Portugal's World Cup opener should they make the 2026 showpiece.

Getty Images SportTuchel warns plays not to do anything silly

Portugal still top Group F despite defeat to Ireland last week, but are now just two points clear of Hungary in second ahead of the final group games. The Selecao take on Armenia in Porto today and need to win to guarantee top spot, a match that Ronaldo won't be in attendance for having been sent home from the national team.

England don't face the same problem having already guaranteed first in Group K ahead of their game against Albania this evening. The Three Lions have won all seven matches in World Cup qualifying and will fancy their chances of rounding off their own campaign with a 100% record.

However, Tuchel has revealed that he will warn his players not to do anything silly when they travel to Albania, who are guaranteed a play-off spot, for their final group game.

Advertisement'No red cards please'

Ahead of the game against Albania, Tuchel said: "It is important, I'm aware of it and we will talk about it. No red cards please. If we have a doubt then, because we are through and we are in a position with last man then the player holds the shirt he gets the red card. If there's a doubt then it would be smarter not to do it.

"If he goes in the last man example and if we can avoid it no red card of course but I don't want to make it too big a subject because then you have a cloud above you. But if you have the choice: don't do it."

Tuchel will be forced into at least one change for the game against Albania, with Ezri Konsa absent after suffering a calf strain against Serbia. The Aston Villa man may have played the full 90, but has since returned to his club side.

"Ezri is not with us, he has a tight calf and got assessed in the afternoon and didn’t take the risk so we didn't take him," Tuchel added. "Everyone else is ready to go. He has had a lot of matches for Aston Villa so was a candidate to have a rest."

Getty Images SportTuchel 'didn't like' Frank snub by Spence

Tuchel also revealed that he has scolded defender Djed Spence for his Tottenham behaviour. The full-back snubbed Thomas Frank after Spurs' recent 1-0 loss to rivals Chelsea, storming down the tunnel alongside Micky van de Ven as the north London side put in a poor showing against the Blues.

And while Tuchel didn't consider leaving Spence out of the England squad as a result, the German has made it clear that he did not like that the 25-year-old ignored his manager.

"Yeah, I didn't like it," the Three Lions boss said of the incident. "Because the players know they are not only national players when they are the 10 days in camp, they are always national players and the standard of behaviour is always important."

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Bellingham, Foden & Eze all pushing to start

With qualification wrapped up and just a 100% record to play for, Tuchel may make some changes to the side that started against Serbia. Spence is among those who could start at full-back, while Dan Burn, Jarell Quansah and Trevoh Chalobah are competing to deputise for Konsa at the back.

Adam Wharton, Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze are also hoping to feature from the outset in Tirana, the latter trio all replacing Morgan Rogers, Harry Kane and Marcus Rashford, respectively, on the hour mark against Serbia on Thursday.

And it was Bellingham, Foden and Eze who linked up well for the latter's late strike to wrap up the three points after Bukayo Saka had put England ahead in the first half.