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West Ham United have reportedly stepped into the mix to secure the services of Manchester City’s Jack Grealish. The midfielder's future with City appears to be over and his exclusion from the Club World Cup squad served as a reminder that his services are no longer required at the Etihad.

• Grealish heading towards Man City exit
• West Ham & Everton are vying for his services
• High wages present a major stumbling block

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  While West Ham are intrigued by the prospect of adding Grealish to their ranks, any potential move hinges on a significant wage reduction. Grealish is currently on a £300,000-a-week contract at City, a figure the east London club is unable to match under their financial structure, as revealed by

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  Tottenham Hotspur had previously shown interest in the former Aston Villa captain, but their pursuit has reportedly cooled. This shift has opened the door for West Ham to move in as a serious contender. Additionally, Everton are believed to be observing the situation, but they are only keen on a loan deal.

• TELL ME MORE

  Grealish endured a frustrating 2024-25 campaign at City. Despite being fit for most of the season, he managed only 32 appearances across all competitions. Even more concerning was his limited presence in the Premier League, making just seven starts in the domestic top flight, with only one of those coming in 2025.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  While West Ham’s interest is firm, Grealish has also been linked with moves abroad. Bayern Munich and Napoli have both been touted as possible destinations, offering the chance to reunite with former team-mates Harry Kane and Kevin De Bruyne, respectively.

Liverpool hardly need a rebuild, and could likely go again next season, qualifying for the Champions League and competing for major trophies, with just minimal investment.

But FSG are prepared to reward Arne Slot for winning the Premier League in his first year in charge by making a ferocious statement of intent in the market.

Already, the Reds have signed Jeremie Frimpong to replace Trent Alexander-Arnold; Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz are in talks to follow.

But it’s not just incomings on sporting director Richard Hughes’ mind. Liverpool have a few potential high-profile exits to contend with.

Liverpool transfer exit news

Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez is expected to leave this summer, having been persistently linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League. La Liga giants Atletico Madrid have also shown an interest.

Having scored only seven times across all competitions for Slot’s side, the 25-year-old would probably be best off wiping the slate clean and trying his hand elsewhere, especially since plans have been drawn up for a new number nine.

Though Nunez is tenacious and likeable, there’s no doubt he’s regressed in a Liverpool shirt over the past year, incongruous and ineffective as the frontman of Slot’s set-up.

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On the note of players in need of a switch, Harvey Elliott has admitted on England U21 duty that he may need to leave Anfield this summer.

Elliott, 21, is a boyhood Liverpool supporter and a special creative talent, but his opportunities have been limited since Klopp departed, and a move away might be for the benefit of his career.

However, Liverpool may not just be selling those they wish to part with. Indeed, Luis Diaz is being mooted for a move to Saudi Arabia, and it might prove a bigger mistake than many are anticipating.

Why selling Luis Diaz would be a mistake

Liverpool acted swiftly to replace Sadio Mane with Diaz before their Senegalese legend had even left the club. In January 2022, FSG purchased Diaz from Porto in a deal, rising to £49m, and his predecessor stayed on until the end of the campaign.

When Liverpool sold Mane to Bayern Munich, however, they perhaps didn’t grasp how out of kilter it would knock Klopp’s side. The 2022/23 season sits as an infamous outlier across the illustrious span of Klopp’s tenure, a dark and permanent blot on his copybook.

Though Mane objectively reached a higher level of quality than Diaz, the Colombian is still one of the most important parts of Slot’s system, and he’s just come off his most productive campaign too, having posted 17 goals and eight assists across 50 appearances.

Regarded as a “world-class player” in the view of his former German boss, at least, Diaz’s unique value for Slot has been further underscored by his regular deployment as a false nine, combating an absence of reliable central striking options.

Diaz might be happy at Liverpool, but the riches of the Saudi Pro League could tempt him to pack up and leave off the back of winning the Premier League.

According to Foot Mercato, talks appear to have already begun, with Al-Hilal having established contacts with the 28-year-old as they sound out a bid.

Liverpool were warned that losing the “irreplaceable” Mane would “knock them sideways” by former star Dean Saunders in 2022, and this proved to be the case – in the short term, at least.

Diaz has done a rather good job in the years since, now a Carabao Cup and Premier League champion in the seasons since Mane’s departure.

Given the need to make numerous signings this summer, maybe Liverpool would be better off warding away interest in their dynamic left winger.

Move over Wirtz: Liverpool can sign Salah's next Firmino in £84m "magician"

Mohamed Salah is going to have some exciting new attacking talent alongside him next season.

ByAngus Sinclair Jun 8, 2025

Issy Wong, the England fast bowler, has joined Western Storm on loan for the Charlotte Edwards Cup after she was left out of the Central Sparks team for their first two matches of their T20 campaign.Wong, who turned 22 last week, played for England as recently as September and featured for Mumbai Indians in the Women’s Premier League in March. But after a quiet start to the season in the 50-over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, she was not selected by the Sparks for their opening T20 fixtures and has pursued a move away.The ECB – who are Wong’s primary employer, as a centrally-contracted player – have approved her loan move to ensure she will be playing competitive cricket. Storm said in a statement: “The ECB have sanctioned the move to ensure fast bowler Wong is able to maximise her playing time over the coming weeks.”Wong played all three formats for England in the 2022 summer at the age of 20 and was one of the stars of the inaugural season of the WPL, taking 15 wickets to help Mumbai Indians to the title – including a hat-trick in the eliminator. But she has struggled for consistency since and has lost her place in England’s squads.This season, she has taken three wickets at 56.33 in five Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy fixtures and has also featured for an ECB Development XI against the touring Pakistan squad. She was a surprise omission from the Sparks’ T20 side, though they have won their opening two fixtures.Wong is likely to play a more prominent role for a Storm side who have lost their opening two matches and are currently without Lauren Filer, who is on England duty. She will also target more opportunities with the bat, having spent most of this season batting at No. 8 in 50-over cricket.

The players will want to play their part in making it an experience of a lifetime

Shashank Kishore in Jammu19-Feb-2020The Gandhi Science College ground in the heart of Jammu is nestled inside the 120-year-old campus of the institution formerly known as Prince of Wales College. Here, students casually stroll across the huge lawn, play cricket or football in vast open areas, eat (scrambled eggs) and drink in one of many small shacks that have set shop inside the campus. Some sit and study.In general, there’s a casual vibe. It’s a throwback to olden times. Since mobile internet is non-existent, after all, despite restrictions having been lifted, people are actually seen talking to each other.Suddenly, though, things go quiet. Somewhere close by, there are police vehicles, one can hear the sirens. Nothing to worry about – a security drill is being conducted in the campus and police vehicles, armed security officers and around 100 policemen are present, entrusted with looking after the two teams – Jammu & Kashmir and Karnataka, the Ranji Trophy quarter-final contestants. But if you wanted to see the players – Manish Pandey is the big star – you weren’t going to be denied.Irfan Pathan, the former India allrounder, continues to draw his fair share of attention and adulation. To many of the locals, he’s one of their own. Irfan is a “man of the masses”, as a J&K Cricket Association official puts it. Soon after the team finishes training, he calls the group for a mid-pitch meeting and gives them a pep talk. After they disperse, he begins his own fitness session by first doing a few stretches and then having a bat in the nets. The fans who had earlier made a beeline for Pandey are now cheering for Irfan. The security presence notwithstanding, everyone gets a slice of the players. Some even get to click selfies with their stars.ALSO READ: Mission Jammu-Kashmir – when ‘champions’ play, anything can happenJKCA is anticipating a good crowd for the historic Ranji Trophy quarter-final•Shashank Kishore/ESPNcricinfo LtdOutside the ground, different corners of the campus are being spruced up. The huge open area is dotted with pots of plants along the driveway. The fence surrounding the ground receives a fresh coat of paint. (tents) are erected in one corner to seat VIPs and former J&K players, all special invitees. The JKCA is going out of its way to ensure it’s all systems go for what their captain Parvez Rasool calls the “biggest match we are hosting”.This is still a small venue but the excitement is palpable. The main pavilion block smells of fresh paint and the players’ and match officials’ area “has never been so clean”, a local officer says. The dressing rooms, which were earlier under a tent, have been redone. Fresh massage tables have been put in place and orders have gone out for several kilogrammes of blocked ice to facilitate ice baths.Until today, the main players’ block had just two operational toilets that were in such a state that people had to hold their noses when they went in, according to a player. That’s changed. Or, as someone jokingly put it, they have been “inaugurated”.The biggest issue, however, was in installing a big enough sightscreen. Rasool says that as players, they have never been finicky of the white patch of cloth behind the bowlers’ arms. Sometimes, play has carried on even after the screens have blown away. Here, efforts are on to weld two solid frames, much bigger than usual, to accommodate for any extra covering players may need.There’s a special medical tent set up, not just for players, but for the spectators too, because they expect students and fans, in general, to turn up in large numbers. “As many as 1000 spectators can sit under tents with chairs, if we get more, we will increase it,” a venue official said.The JKCA has made every effort to spread the message it’s not often such a big game comes to Jammu and that entry is free. News that the local team is in the quarter-final only for the second time in Ranji Trophy history has found its way into living rooms as special shows have been lined up on local television.In short, you get the feeling of a big North Indian wedding, where you’re never truly set and ready until the bride and groom walk in. Many J&K players have never seen this much attention to detail previously for a home game. The grandeur, the effort to make this a spectacle, has blown them away. Now, they will want to play their part in making the spectacle an experience of a lifetime for the locals.

“If you look at this tournament, there have been many ups and downs. So, more than us as a team, the pressure is on the Test-playing nation”

Vishal Dikshit11-Jun-2024The number of upsets – Associate teams beating Full Members – and close finishes in the T20 World Cup 2024 have made Nepal captain Rohit Paudel confident that they can beat an under-pressure Sri Lanka in Lauderhill, Florida, on June 11. It will be the second game for Nepal but a more crucial fixture for Sri Lanka, who are on the brink of elimination after losing their first two matches.”Yeah, absolutely,” Paudel replied when asked about his hopes of beating Sri Lanka. “If you see in this World Cup, you’ll see that the Associate team is beating Test-playing countries. So, it is a motivation for all of us, especially moving forward to tomorrow’s game. So as a team, we believe that we are going to win tomorrow and the way we have been preparing for the last couple of months and the way we have been playing cricket for the last one and a half years, I think the belief is always there in the team and we are looking forward to tomorrow’s game.”We want to go tomorrow and showcase our talent in front of the world.”Related

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The two results that will boost Nepal’s confidence will be USA beating Pakistan and Canada prevailing over Ireland, both results from Group A. Even apart from those, Papua New Guinea gave West Indies a scare early in the tournament and Netherlands nearly pulled off another victory against South Africa in a World Cup. Afghanistan beating New Zealand may not count as an “upset” anymore, but the margin of 84 runs against a much higher-ranked team would have defied many expectations.Paudel said his team would also draw confidence from the fact that it hasn’t been a high-scoring tournament so far and barring the opening game between USA and Canada, venues in the USA have been fairly low scoring. While New York has seen the lowest scores among the three USA grounds, Dallas has also produced scores of 106, 159 and 124 for the teams batting first, after Canada scored 194 in the tournament opener.Rohit Paudel hopes Nepal continue the trend of upsets against Sri Lanka, who have lost two out of two in this T20 World Cup•Getty Images

“Scoring runs is becoming harder due to drop-in pitches and conditions,” he said. “The conditions in New York and Dallas are different from that in Florida. Florida has hosted the India-West Indies game previously. So, I think the conditions then and now are different and in the two-three days we practiced, the wickets looked good. If we respect the conditions and present our skills, we can beat any team. The team believes that. We are very confident for tomorrow.”If you look at this tournament, there have been many ups and downs. So, the team believes, and more than us, as a team, the pressure is on the Test-playing nation. We will utilise the pressure, create the pressure and we want to win the game tomorrow. So, if we do the basic things right, I think we are ahead.”Sri Lanka might have had a tough start to the World Cup with their first two clashes against Full Member sides – South Africa and Bangladesh – and even winning their last two league games may not be enough to make the Super Eight.”I think team Sri Lanka is under more pressure than us,” Paudel said. “And if you look at the conditions in the USA, there are lots of dot balls being played. Yesterday, India scored only 119 [against Pakistan]. I think overall, if you look at the conditions, whoever scores 140 is successful, and I think that’s the winning score if you look at the games. So, there are dot balls in these conditions. Whoever gets a start, they have to utilise it. Plus, like yesterday’s game, batsmen were scoring 30-40, but they were still not able to utilise the start. So, it’s a little difficult for new batsmen to play. I think as a batsman, whoever starts, we have to capitalise and get the team to win. And as a team, I think we still have that belief. The first game didn’t go as we thought, but still, as a team, we believe that we will win the next game. We are looking forward to it. We are very excited.”Lauderhill has played host to 15 completed T20Is in the past, the last of which was in August 2023, when the teams batting first – India and West Indies – had scored 178 and 165 but the teams chasing had won on both occasions. Sri Lanka had played two T20Is on this ground back in 2010 but also featured in the two warm-up games there before this World Cup, in which they first lost to Netherlands and then defended 163 against Ireland.When asked what could be a big threat from Sri Lanka, Paudel said they will have to “tackle” their spinners carefully, who have the exposure of playing “all over the world”.Nepal will get a spin boost themselves with the addition of their star legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who has arrived in the West Indies and is set to play their last two league games against South Africa and Bangladesh in St Vincent. He will miss the game against Sri Lanka, for which Nepal will have 14 players available, because he was denied a US visa twice last month and was a late addition to the Nepal squad for only two games, unless they make it to the Super Eight.

PNG’s bowlers gave some hope after they folded for their lowest T20I score ever, but Uganda held their nerve in the end

Mohammad Isam05-Jun-2024A hard-fought three-wicket win on a challenging pitch gave Uganda their maiden win at the T20 World Cup. They beat Papua New Guinea (PNG) in a low-scoring game in Guyana where both teams vied for their first win in the competition. PNG’s batting crumbled to 77 all out after being put to bat, before Uganda, themselves in trouble at 26 for 5, reached home in the 19th over.Riazat Ali Shah, one of Uganda’s rising stars, used a low backlift in his careful 33 off 56 to shepherd them through the tricky chase, falling just three runs shy of Uganda’s target. PNG were left to rue their poor batting, but they also conceded 15 wides, the second-biggest contribution on the scorecard.But the story of the evening was Uganda’s bowling in the first innings, set up by the pair of 43-year old Frank Nsubuga and 21-year old Juma Miyagi.Both vindicated their inclusion in this game with superb spells. Nsubuga bowled the most economical spell (minimum four overs) in T20 World Cup history, with figures of 4-2-4-2. He also became only the second bowler to bowl 20 dot balls in a T20 World Cup game, after Ajantha Mendis in 2012.

Ugandan pace rocks PNG

Alpesh Ramjani gave Uganda a wicket on the second ball when left-hand batter Assad Vala played back to the left-arm spinner, who angled the ball from around the wicket and on to the stumps. Miyagi and Cosmas Kyewuta then kept PNG on the back foot with their pace.Left-hand batter Sese Bau couldn’t clear Miyagi over mid-off where Roger Mukasa took a tumbling catch going backwards. Kyewuta then got the big one when Tony Ura, PNG’s highest run-scorer in T20Is, also holed out to Mukasa. Lega Siaka was run out for 12 in the seventh over, trying to take a second run as he felt under pressure playing out dots against the two fast bowlers.

Nsubuga on target

When Nsubuga slid one through Charles Amini’s leg stump in the 11th over, he became the second-oldest bowler to take a wicket in the T20 World Cup. Nsubuga then had Hiri Hiri lbw although on first view it looked like the batter had come too far down the wicket. The review, though, went in Uganda’s favour.Ramjani’s second wicket came when he also trapped Kiplin Doriga lbw for 12. Captain Brian Masaba then got into the act with a topspinner that went through Chad Soper’s defences. Miyagi and Kyewuta took the last two wickets, as PNG were bowled out with five balls to spare.Frank Nsubuga, 43, bowled back-to-back wicket maidens•ICC via Getty Images

Nao hits back

Alei Nao gave PNG an identical start to PNG when he removed Mukasa in the first over for a second straight duck. Norman Vanua then removed Robinson Obuya who holed out to mid-on where Vala didn’t have to move to complete the catch.Nao then had Simon Ssesazi lbw in the third over as PNG slipped to a perilous 6 for 3. Ramjani then struck a nice boundary through the off side as he and Riazat tried to get Uganda out of trouble. Soper, though, got the seam-up delivery to scissor through Ramjani in the sixth over. When PNG captain Vala had Dinesh Nakrani caught and bowled, PNG were on the ascendancy.

Riazat’s calmness prevails

When Uganda were 35 for 5, Amini dropped Riazat when he was on 8. It was a simple chance at point after Riazat had played a false shot, but it turned out to be the turning point in Uganda’s chase. Riazat registered his only boundary in the 11th over when he struck a nice cover drive against Vala.He added 35 runs for the sixth wicket with Miyagi, but the latter was run out after a mix-up in the 14th over. Riazat kept calm despite the dismissal, though PNG also kept helping Uganda. Bau dropped Kenneth Waiswa on 4, although Riazat finally fell in the 18th over. John Kariko took a good catch at deep third, though it was a little too late for PNG.

That is the the third-highest tally ever recorded in a calendar year, behind only Kumar Sangakkara and Ricky Ponting

Bharath Seervi05-Dec-2017610- Runs scored by Virat Kohli in this Test series, the most by an Indian in a three-match Test series and the fourth-highest overall. The record for this is held by Graham Gooch, who made 752 runs against India in 1990. Against Sri Lanka, only Brian Lara, with 688 runs in 2001-02, has done better than Kohli.3- Players who have scored more than 600 runs in a series batting five or fewer innings. They are Kohli, Don Bradman (806 against South Africa in 1931-32) and Mohammad Yousuf (665 against West Indies in 2006-07) The previous highest tally for an India batsman in a series playing five or fewer innings is 526 by Vinoo Mankad against New Zealand in 1955-56.293- Runs for Kohli in this Test – 243 in first innings and 50 in the second. This is the most made by an India captain in a Test match. He eclipsed Gavaskar’s 289 (107 & 182*) against West Indies at Eden Gardens in 1978-79. Kohli is the seventh captain to score a double-century and a fifty in the same Test and the first since Ricky Ponting, against Pakistan in Hobart in 2009-10.

3- Times that Kohli has aggregated 600-plus runs a Test series, which is a new record for India as he went past Sunil Gavaskar and Rahul Dravid, who have done it twice each. Kohli scored 692 runs in Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2014-15 (four Tests) and 655 against England last season (five Tests) before doing it again in this three-match series against Sri Lanka. Bradman, having scored 600-plus in six series, is the only player ahead of Kohli in this regard, whereas Neil Harvey, Garry Sobers and Lara have also had three such series.2- Batsmen to aggregate more than Kohli’s 610 runs in a series after starting off with a duck. They are Jacques Kallis 625 runs against England in 2004-05 and Michael Vaughan 615 runs against India in 2002. Kohli bagged a duck in the first innings of this series and followed it up with scores of 104*, 213, 243 and 50.ESPNcricinfo Ltd2818- Runs for Kohli across all formats in international cricket in 2017 – the third-highest tally ever recorded in a calendar year. The list is topped by Kumar Sangakkara with 2868 in 2014 and Ponting’s 2833 in 2005. With Kohli being rested from ODIs and T20Is against Sri Lanka, this is his final match of 2017.

Sri Lanka stole to their target for the second time this tour, scoring the winning runs off the last ball to deny a tenacious Zimbabwe defence of a modest target. A top-edged four off the bat of No. 9 Dushmantha Chameera and a chip into the legside outfield were the final acts of a chase in which Sri Lanka had struggled to stay afloat.Angelo Mathews, playing his first T20I in almost three years, had produced the most substantial Sri Lankan innings, making 46 off 38 to take the game deep. Dasun Shanaka was not out on 26 off 18, having also struck important boundaries.Their work overtook Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza’s outstanding all-round efforts. Raza had first made 62 off 42 with the bat, then claimed 3 for 13 with the ball – both the most runs, and best figures in the game. But just as they had been pipped at the finish in the second ODI, earlier on tour, Zimbabwe were left visibly dejected again.The final overThe experienced pair of Mathews and Shanaka had come together at the end of the 14th over, with 61 to get off 36 balls, and no recognised batters to come. As such they had batted sagely, picking off boundaries and keeping the requirement manageable, with well-calculated boundaries.When it came to the final over, bowled by Blessing Muzarabani who had been economical thus far, Sri Lanka needed 12. Mathews went deep in his crease and clattered Muzarabani down the ground for a one-bounce four first ball – the bowler punished for missing his yorker. Then, expecting Muzarabani to go short, Mathews stayed on his back foot and played a delectable late cut that bisected the keeper and short third for another four.Sri Lanka only required six off four now, but Muzarabani would bowl a dot ball, and then have Mathews hole out to deep midwicket, trying to hit the game-winning six.Some of what happened next was pure luck. Muzarabani went at Chameera’s body, and the ball took a top edge and sailed over the wicketkeeper as the batter swiped at it. Last ball, a fullish one, Chameera chipped towards deep midwicket, and the batters scampered the last two.Sikandar Raza had a great game with bat and ball•SLC

Raza rocks it with the bat…Raza arrived at the crease just after the powerplay, took a few balls to get settled, then began to open his shoulders. Three fours – all square of the wicket – off Chameera in the ninth over, was his first serious statement. He was then methodical during a 45-run third-wicket stand with Sean Williams while the spinners operated (he was just 31 off 27 balls at one stage), before adopting a more aggressive mode again once Williams departed. He slog-swept Wanindu Hasaranga over the deep midwicket boundary, smoked Nuwan Thushara down the ground to get past 50, and reaped 31 runs off the last 15 balls he faced.…and with the ballWith Richard Ngarava, Wellington Masakadza, and Blessing Muzarabani all having claimed a wicket in the powerplay, Sri Lanka were already reeling when Raza came on to bowl. He then delivered an excellent spell that decked the rest of the top order. He clipped the top of Sadeera Samarawickrama’s off stump with a sharp offbreak first ball, before in his final over, having Charith Asalanka caught off a leading edge, then sending a skidding offbreak into the stumps of Wanindu Hasaranga. He’d conceded only a single boundary in his four overs.Sri Lanka’s spinners keep a lid on Zimbabwe’s scoringThough Zimbabwe lost two powerplay wickets, the Raza-Williams partnership had delivered them to a decent position in the middle overs. Maheesh Theekshana – who had taken those powerplay wickets – conceded only 11 in his last two overs. New captain Wanindu Hasaranga took 2 for 19 himself, and finished with excellent figures of 2 for 19, bowling entirely through the middle.Sri Lanka’s excellent ground fielding also helped rein the scoring in.

Setting their sights on summer reinforcement, Manchester United have now reportedly opened talks to sign a talented young forward who’s valued as high as £55m.

Man Utd set sights on future star

The Red Devils were beginning to enjoy a slight turnaround on the pitch just before the international break, earning a point against Arsenal, before battling past Real Sociedad in the Europa League and thrashing Leicester City. The argument could even be made that it was their best week under Ruben Amorim, only for the international break to arrive at a frustrating time.

However, what the break has given those at Old Trafford a chance to do is turn their attention towards the summer transfer window. It simply must be a busy one for INEOS as they look to rebuild Amorim’s side in his vision and that has already seen several rumours come thick and fast.

The likes of Xavi Simons have particularly threatened to steal the headlines this week and whilst there’s little doubt that the Dutchman would be a perfect candidate to play in one of the two No.10 roles, the Red Devils may find it difficult to attract his signature without European football.

Man Utd thought they had their new Beckham, but Ten Hag sold him for £9m

Manchester United certainly made a mistake selling a player who could’ve been their next David Beckham.

ByEthan Lamb Mar 21, 2025

Instead, they’ve reportedly turned towards a rising star. According to GiveMeSport, Manchester United have now opened talks to sign Tyler Dibling from Southampton this summer, making their first approach for the 19-year-old star.

In a season to forget for the Saints, Dibling provided a rare bright spark before injury disrupted his break-out campaign. Now, even amid a frustrating spell on the sidelines, it looks as though he’ll get the chance to stay put in the Premier League courtesy of United.

Dibling’s signature won’t come cheap, however, given that Southampton were demanding as much as £55m for his signature in January. And even if relegation sees that valuation dip, potential suitors could still be left paying a hefty fee.

"Creative" Dibling destroyed Diogo Dalot

Of course, Manchester United are already well aware of Dibling’s talent – as is Diogo Dalot. The full-back found himself on the receiving end of the winger’s sharp dribbling to concede a penalty against Southampton earlier this season. Ultimately, it was a game that the Red Devils won after Cameron Archer missed the resulting penalty, but Dibling certainly left a lasting impression.

Described as the “definition of a creative winger” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, Dibling is a talent who needs to be playing Premier League football and he’d get exactly that by swapping Southampton for Manchester United.

Joining one of England’s biggest clubs in doing so, the teenager could yet play a large part in awakening a sleeping giant.

Given the volume of spending over the last couple of years, cuts have been made behind the scenes and to the playing squad of Manchester United over recent months.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe has wasted no time in trimming costs to avoid any financial issues at Old Trafford, with numerous players leaving the North West throughout the campaign to generate funds and clear the wage bill.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka departed in a £15m deal to join West Ham United in the summer, ending his five-year stint with the Red Devils after joining from Crystal Palace in the summer of 2019.

However, his move has enabled the 27-year-old to recapture his best form away from the North West, notching two goals and two assists in the Premier League throughout 2024/25.

He’s not the only former United player to depart this season and impress away from the club, with huge regrets undoubtedly over a decision to allow him to depart given his rise to stardom elsewhere.

Scott McTominay’s stats for Napoli in 2024/25

Back in August last year, United decided to sell midfielder Scott McTominay to Italian side Napoli, leaving the side after seven years in the first-team and recruiting a £25m fee in the process.

The Scottish international made over 250 appearances for the Red Devils, scoring on 29 occasions, catching the eye with his box-crashing ability, often producing numerous key goals.

However, his move to Naples has allowed the 28-year-old to take his game to the next level, registering seven goals and two assists in his first 28 appearances for the Italian giants.

Antonio Conte’s side currently sit in second place, just three points off leaders Inter Milan, with McTominay playing a key role in their chances of claiming the Scudetto at the end of the season.

Given his goalscoring run in Serie A, Ruben Amorim must wish the previous management team had kept hold of the Scottish international, but he could unleash his own version of the star in the near future.

The player who could be Amorim’s own McTominay

Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi have been just two of the United youngsters who have been the beneficiaries of the ongoing injury issues at Old Trafford, making the jump into the first-team.

Their positive performances have certainly opened the doors for other youngsters to follow suit in the near future, looking to cement their place in Amorim’s squad.

One player who’s more than deserving of the opportunity is midfielder Zach Baumann, who could follow in the footsteps of McTominay with the 18-year-old possessing a very similar skillset to the Scottish international.

The Ukrainian youngster has developed rapidly over the last couple of years, earning himself a professional contract at Old Trafford, highlighting his impressive displays at various youth levels.

This season alone, the “superb” Baumann, as dubbed by one analyst, the teenager has registered 11 appearances in all competitions, including one in the UEFA Youth League.

U18 Premier League

7

1

1

Premier League 2

2

0

0

UEFA Youth League

1

0

0

FA Youth Cup

1

0

0

Total:

11

1

1

He’s capable of operating in either an attacking or defensive midfield role, similar to that of McTominay, but he’s also showcased his ability to be in key positions in the final third, allowing him to find the back of the net.

Baumann has been a regular in the U18 side, notching two goal contributions in his seven appearances, helping the Red Devils youngsters sit second, just a couple of points off rivals Manchester City.

Given the sale of McTominay in the summer, the first team have been desperate for a player of a similar profile to replace him, offering that added threat in the final third despite mainly being a box-to-box option.

Baumann may only be 18, but should he continue on his current trajectory, he could easily force himself into Amorim’s plans, potentially saving the club millions in the years ahead.

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3 ByEthan Lamb Mar 20, 2025