Kylian Mbappe received a Lionel Messi reality check from Leonardo Balerdi ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League opener against Marseille. Balerdi believes that Argentina team-mate Messi "will be the best player in the world until he retires", though he does admit Kylian Mbappe is among the top players in the game right now.

Getty ImagesMessi still ahead of Mbappe in Balerdi's eyes

Ahead of their trip to Santiago Bernabeu, Marseille captain Balerdi has expressed his belief that Messi will continue to remain the best player in the world until he announces his retirement. Balerdi does, however, also admire Mbappe's qualities and has been particularly impressed by his performances in Real Madrid colours this year.

AdvertisementGettyMbappe at a 'great level' with Real Madrid

Ahead of the game, Balerdi was asked if Mbappe is the best player in the world, to which he replied: "Until Messi retires, Messi will be the best player in the world. But I’m sure Kylian is one of the best in the world, too. He’s been proving it for years, and this year he’s also at a great level."

Balerdi reveals plan to stop Mbappe

The Marseille skipper also hinted that Roberto De Zerbi's side will have a plan to keep Mbappe and the rest of Madrid's star players under wraps, as he added: "If you look at the names on Real Madrid’s roster, it’s impressive. But we have to work the same way. The players are top quality, but we have to do what we do every weekend: stay focused. Any opportunity can change the course of the match. We’re ready to play against these great players. It’s a challenge, and we have to be smart."

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GettyCrucial week of action for Los Blancos

Following their Champions League opener against Marseille on Tuesday, Mbappe will be back in action for Madrid against Espanyol on September 20 in a La Liga clash. Xabi Alonso's side are currently top of the table with four wins from their opening four games of the new season, but cannot afford any slip-ups with arch-rivals and reigning champions Barcelona only two points behind them in second.

Harry Brook scored his second dazzling hundred in as many innings to once again rescue his side from trouble in Wellington. Buoyed by Brook’s 123 off 115 balls, England then knocked over half of the New Zealand batting as 15 wickets fell on the opening day of the second Test.Having been reduced to 43 for 4 on what Tom Latham had described at the toss as a “traditional” Basin Reserve pitch, England were indebted to Brook and Ollie Pope reprising their Christchurch heroics with a rip-roaring stand of 174 at more than a run a ball. But New Zealand held their nerve – and (almost) all of their catches – to claim the last four wickets for 21 after Brook had been run out by the alert Nathan Smith.Ben Stokes said he had wanted to bat, but either way it made for another uncomfortable examination of England’s approach in bowler-friendly conditions. Matt Henry set the tone for New Zealand by bowling four consecutive maidens, picking off both openers in the process, while Smith continued an eventful start to life in the Test team by taking 4 for 86 from 11.4 overs.England were duly skittled in just over two sessions – but the benefit of their aggression, which saw them scoring at 5.12 an over, meant not only had they posted a serviceable score, there was still plenty of life in the surface when it came to their turn with the ball. Pitches in New Zealand have a tendency to flatten out, but England’s seamers quickly got stuck into their work.As in Christchurch, much of the action revolved around Brydon Carse. His face was a mask of anguish moments after hitting the top of Kane Williamson’s off stump, as the officials confirmed that he had overstepped. Williamson, on 20 at the time, averages close to 70 at Basin Reserve, with five hundreds. But after taking a spectacular diving catch to help dismiss Rachin Ravindra, Carse returned for a second spell and found Williamson’s outside edge, the dismissal completed by a diving Pope, before bouncing out Daryl Mitchell as England surged late in the day.New Zealand’s opening stand had not got much further than England’s before Gus Atkinson coaxed an expansive drive from Devon Conway, which only resulted in a thick edge to second slip. Carse immediately caused issues for Williamson, who was perilously close to edging behind; England reviewed only for UltraEdge to suggest the noise had been from bat thumping into pad. After Carse’s no-ball, New Zealand had moved on to 53 for 1 when Stokes had Latham chopping on.Brydon Carse leaps in celebration•Getty Images

Brook’s hundred, the eighth of his career, came off just 91 balls and this time owed little to the generosity of New Zealand’s fielders. He was beaten often, with the pitch offering plenty of assistance, but continued to play with freedom, crashing 11 fours and five sixes before being dismissed from what became the last ball before tea. Having turned Smith into the leg side and set off looking for a run, Brook was then stranded well out of his ground as the bowler scampered across to his right and threw down the stumps.Pope was also in fluent form, adding his second half-century for the series batting at No. 6 after the top order had been blown away. He drove and cut with aplomb, and looked unrufflable until confronted by the extra bounce of Will O’Rourke midway through the afternoon session. After getting away with a miscue that cleared short leg, he was dismissed top-edging a pull in O’Rourke’s next over.O’Rourke had another shortly after when he pinned Stokes to the crease before taking the outside edge for a catch at second slip. Brook’s dismissal was followed by another collapse, as Atkinson, Woakes and Carse all fell in consecutive overs.England’s scorecard had told a sorry tale at the top of the first hour. Henry was immaculate with the new ball, at one stage possessing figures of 4-4-0-2, before Smith struck twice in as many overs. That brought together Brook and Pope, off the back of their match-changing stand of 151 in the first Test, and an almost immediate shift in momentum.Having dropped eight catches at Hagley Oval, New Zealand swallowed their chances this time around, barring a Carse edge that went too fast for Glenn Phillips. But the second half of the session saw 81 runs scored off 80 balls as Brook and Pope proved that attack is the best form of defence for this England side.Although Zak Crawley hit 10 off the first over of the day, which included lofting Tim Southee back over his head for an imperious six, it quickly became clear that England’s aggressive method was going to be tested to the fullest – albeit that the early cloud cover had already burned off by the start of play, and most of the morning session took place under clear blue skies.Kane Williamson was bowled off a no ball from Brydon Carse•Getty Images

Crawley eclipsed his Christchurch tally by taking two off Southee’s first ball, and by the end of the over he had surpassed his meagre average in Tests against New Zealand. But Henry was in no mood to allow liberties at the other end, bowling seven dots to Ben Duckett before finding the opener’s outside edge, Latham scooping a low chance in the first sign that New Zealand’s catching was back up to the mark.Crawley then found himself in Henry’s crosshairs. He was dismissed for the third time in as many innings by a peach of a delivery that nipped back through the gate to hit the top of middle and leg – Crawley’s tentative forward defensive emphatically breached.Henry conceded his first runs at the start of his fifth over, Root pushing three through the covers, but that was to be his only scoring shot as an injudicious waft at Smith produced a thick outside edge and a flying one-handed catch from Mitchell at first slip.At 26 for 3, England were in strife – albeit marginally better off than when Brook walked out in the first innings on his previous visit to Basin Reserve. On this occasion, England’s situation got worse before it got better, as Jacob Bethell was suckered into gloving Smith’s bumper down the leg side. Pope survived a direct hit when called through for a tight single by Brook, who then decided to concentrate on boundaries as the pair raced to a fifty stand from just 37 balls.Brook’s signature shot was his inside-out thrash over the extra cover boundary, which he unfurled on three occasions, while Henry was also dumped on to the grass banks when dropping short, before the introduction of Phillips’ offspin helped usher him through to his third century in four Tests against New Zealand.

سلط آرني سلوت، مدرب ليفربول في المؤتمر الصحفي لمباراة تشيلسي غداً على ملعب ستامفورد بريدج الضوء على ما يثار حول محمد صلاح ومستواه وأهدافه هذا الموسم.

وكان محمد صلاح قد شارك في هزيمتين متتاليتين لفريق ليفربول ضد كريستال بالاس في الدوري الإنجليزي وجالطة سراي في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وقال سلوت في تصريحات نشرتها “ليفربول إيكو” عن محمد صلاح: “محمد صلاح جزء من فريق يواجه منافسين مختلفين عن النصف الأول من الموسم الماضي”.

أقرأ أيضاً.. فيديو | بطلها محمد صلاح.. منافسة مصرية على جائزة هدف الشهر مع ليفربول 

وأضاف سلوت :””أرى نفس الأداء الذي قدمه في نهاية الموسم الماضي حيث سجل 12 هدف خمسة منها من ركلة جزاء وواحد من كرة ثابتة أي ستة أهداف من اللعب المفتوح”.

وواصل: “إذا قارنا فوزنا خارج أرضنا ضد مانشستر يونايتد، حيث حاولوا اللعب من الخلف وسرقنا منهم الكرة ثلاث مرات وبين فوزنا على أرضنا عندما اكتفى أونانا بالتمريرات الطويلة فهذا ما تغير”.

واختتم عن تسجيل الأهداف من اللعب المفتوح: “لا نسجل الكثير من الأهداف من اللعب المفتوح كما فعلنا في النصف الأول من الموسم الماضي، نجد صعوبة منذ نهاية الموسم الماضي وبداية هذا الموسم وهو أمر نعمل عليه بجد، كلما لعبنا أكثر بالتشكيل الجديد، كان ذلك أفضل، مازالنا نعاني قليلاً لتسجيل عدد كاف من الأهداف من اللعب المفتوح”.

Sri Lanka were set 516 to win after South Africa declared their second innings on 366 for 5

Andrew Fidel Fernando29-Nov-20243:30

Takeaways: Stubbs, Bavuma complemented each other very well

Temba Bavuma and Tristan Stubbs eased to Test centuries in the first two sessions, making South Africa’s lead gargantuan, before the quicks snapped up five Sri Lanka wickets. Having utterly dominated the match since lunch on day two, South Africa finished the third day only five wickets short of going 1-0 up in a vital World Test Championship series. Sri Lanka are 413 runs adrift, on a surface on which the bounce can no longer be fully trusted.The late Sri Lanka wickets produced some drama, but it was the 249-run partnership – which equalled a record for the fourth wicket at this ground – that was the centerpiece of Friday’s action. Stubbs and Bavuma had laid the groundwork for their centuries in the morning, negotiating some occasionally testing early overs.It was clear that by then, however, the Kingsmead pitch had lost much of the nip it had had in the first few sessions of this match. South Africa raised their tempo in the second session, going at 4.81 runs an over in the afternoon.The Sri Lanka quicks were down on pace on day three, as perhaps could be expected of an attack that was closing in on 150 overs for the match. They did, eventually manage to dismiss Stubbs and Bavuma late in the second session. But by that stage, South Africa’s lead had ballooned to more than 500. When they declared at tea, only five wickets down, they had set Sri Lanka 516 to win.It was the two South Africa batters’ hundreds, however, that most enthused the crowd at Kingsmead, and the more dramatic of the trips to triple figures was Bavuma’s. He had appeared tentative in the 90s, with Sri Lanka raising lbw appeals against him, and forcing plays and misses as well.Kagiso Rabada struck in his first spell•AFP/Getty Images

Bavuma getting to his third century provided the most dramatic moment of the day. Batting on 98, he had got low to lap sweep Prabath Jayasuriya, and was hit on the pad. The umpire turned down the lbw appeal as the batters ran three.But having removed his helmet to celebrate, he was made to wait a little longer, when Sri Lanka reviewed the decision. Thankfully for Bavuma, real-time snicko had caught the very slight deflection off his glove into pad, and as soon as this was shown on the big screen, Bavuma swung his bat in the air, and the crowd acknowledged him, even before the final “not out” decision came. This was only his third career ton, but his second as captain.Stubbs got to his second Test hundred in more straightforward fashion. He had spent only 14 balls in the 90s, before working Asitha Fernando through midwicket for a couple to complete the milestone. Stubbs was given lbw in the next over, off Lahiru Kumara, but he reviewed and the ball was found to have struck him outside the line of off. In the first session, he had also been dropped for 33 off Vishwa Fernando, by Angelo Mathews, who spilled a chance low to his left at slip.Although conditions had eased, Bavuma and Stubbs batting out the entire first session was nevertheless extraordinary, given 19 wickets had fallen the previous day. Both were cautious to start with, as Kumara went short at the batters, and Jayasuriya flighted the ball, searching for early dismissals.Stubbs, typically, was stronger down the ground, while Bavuma was more adept at hitting square, often using his feet to the spinner, and occasionally playing the hard, flat sweep in addition to the dinky one past the keeper. Aside from that one chance off Stubbs, both batters appeared largely in control, though there were occasional lbw shouts – none of which was especially close.Marco Jansen finished day three with nine wickets in the match•Associated Press

In the final session, South Africa’s quicks were rampant again, and Sri Lanka’s batters continued to be indisciplined, even as the light waned and the opposition was still running hot. Sri Lanka also managed to burn all three of their reviews, with Pathum Nissanka and Angelo Mathews reviewing lbw decisions that were more or less plumb, before Kamindu Mendis reviewed after providing a feather edge to the wicketkeeper.When confirmed out, it was Kamindu’s first twin failure in his nine Tests so far, having fallen for 13 in the first innings, and 10 in this one.South Africa’s taller quicks got more out of the surface than Sri Lanka’s seamers had earlier in the day, though Mathews’ lbw in particular was down to low bounce – the ball shooting through into his pads, although he had expected it to bounce up to perhaps waist height. That was off the bowling of Marco Jansen, who now has nine wickets in the match.But it was Kagiso Rabada who had made the first breakthrough, having Dimuth Karunaratne caught at third slip, as the opening batter drove on the up at a ball well outside off stump in the fifth over of the innings. Rabada also took the last wicket of the day – that of nightwatcher Jayasuriya, who fell to a spectacular reflex catch by short leg Tony de Zorzi.

There might be a lot of negative noise circling around Tyneside, but it’s important to remember that the transfer window is just over one week away from closing, and Newcastle United are quietly piecing together a squad capable of challenging at the forefront once again.

Eddie Howe will likely have cast his team’s minds back to last summer, which culminated in frustrations after bids for Premier League stars Marc Guehi and Anthony Elanga proved fruitless.

Nonetheless, the Magpies flew last year, finishing fifth and thus re-entering the Champions League, also winning the Carabao Cup after beating Liverpool at Wembley.

But there’s no question that it’s been difficult, and that welcoming a few more talented players to the fold is paramount if United are to thrive this season.

Who Newcastle could still sign

The Daily Mail’s Craig Hope has revealed that Newcastle have narrowed their centre-forward search down to a few select profiles, with Alexander Isak still AWOL and desperate to sign for Liverpool before the transfer deadline.

Yoane Wissa remains the primary target, but Brentford are hardly rolling over, fighting to keep their talisman on the books.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jorgen Strand Larsen is on the radar, as is Atletico Madrid’s wantaway striker Alexander Sorloth.

While there is confidence that this conundrum will be wrinkled out in short time, there’s no question that it has had a potentially detrimental effect on Howe’s seasonal preparations.

And at the end of the day, it is Howe and it is the squad and it is the fanbase that has been rocked by this unsavoury saga.

Newcastle, in spite of it all, have signed well this summer, and could complete a positive window if they get a forward over the line.

However, there might be room for a defensive signing too, with sights set on a Premier League star.

Newcastle exploring move for Premier League star

According to Caught Offside, Chelsea are set to sell centre-back Axel Disasi before the end of the transfer window, and a growing number of suitors – including Newcastle – are attentive.

Priced at £30m by the Blues, the France international is also on the radar of Napoli and several Ligue 1 clubs, with Wolverhampton Wanderers having held initial discussions over a possible transfer.

Though Newcastle eased their defensive worries with the signing of Malick Thiaw, there remains a desire to continue to strengthen with European football on the cards once again, and the versatile Disasi could be a shrewd addition.

Why Newcastle should sign Axel Disasi

In August 2023, the now 27-year-old Disasi joined Chelsea from AS Monaco in a £39m package, and he has since played 61 times for the Londoners, scoring five goals and winning a Conference League gold medal last season.

Naturally a central defender, Disasi was deployed as a right-back for much of last season, and his aptitude in the moonlit role showed, for he ranks among the top 6% of positional peers across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 17% for successful take-ons and the top 11% for aerial battles won per 90 (data via FBref).

Described as a “monster” of a defender by journalist Rahman Osman, Disasi was a part of the staggering influx of signings upon Todd Boehly’s takeover of the west London club.

However he’s struggled after a promising start, and spent the latter half of last season out on loan with Aston Villa.

If Newcastle were to succeed in signing Disasi before the end of the month, they might find that such astute business marks their own version of Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi being added to the ranks, with the England international one of the Toon’s top targets in recent years.

Newcastle failed with four bids for the 25-year-old last summer, the last of which totalled a whopping £65m. Now, Guehi looks like he’s headed for Liverpool, but Disasi could ease the blow somewhat, having also found himself cast out of Stamford Bridge, first on loan and then permanently.

This is what happened to Guehi, who left Chelsea in 2021 after graduating from their Cobham youth academy, signing for Crystal Palace in an £18m deal after a successful loan spell with Swansea City in the Championship.

Like Disasi, Guehi is confident on the ball and dynamic from an athletic standpoint. As you can see below, he was instrumental in the Eagles’ success last season, joining his French positional peer in winning a major trophy too.

Premier League 24/25 – Marc Guehi

Stats (* per game)

#

Matches (starts)

34 (34)

Goals

3

Assists

2

Touches*

64.9

Pass completion

84%

Big chances

5

Key passes*

0.5

Ball recoveries*

4.3

Dribbles*

0.4

Tackles + interceptions*

2.6

Clearances*

4.6

Duels (won)*

4.9 (59%)

Errors made

2

Data via Sofascore

Guehi is, of course, held in a higher regard, but Disasi might just need a change of scenery and a new home at St. James’ Park to rediscover the form out in his homeland that convinced Chelsea to pay the big bucks to bring him over the Channel.

Given that Jamal Lascelles missed the entirety of last season due to injury and Emil Krafth only clawed back from a lengthy stay in the infirmary in February, existing only on the fringe of Howe’s plans thereafter, it would seem that adding Disasi to the mix could help Newcastle toward their goals.

Disasi would be a welcome addition, potentially adding that extra bit of quality that Howe’s side will need if they are to make further progress after such success last year.

Related Higher ceiling than Wissa: Newcastle in talks to sign £80m CF this week

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When it was revealed that Leah Williamson would miss the start of the new Women's Super League season, most assumed Lotte Wubben-Moy or Laia Codina would take her place in the heart of Arsenal's defence. Wubben-Moy came into the campaign fresh off the back of a new contract and a role in England's Euro 2025 triumph, while Codina's status as a key starter in Spain's World Cup win in 2023 tells you the level she can reach. And yet, both have been usurped by 18-year-old Katie Reid.

The talented teen has been on the brink of a first-team breakthrough for a couple of years now, catching the eye in last summer's pre-season tour of the United States, just weeks after Williamson had waxed lyrical about her as a speaker at . "She's exceptional," the England captain said. "She will take my shirt one day."

In the first two weeks of the new season, that's exactly what Reid has done, replacing Williamson in the Arsenal XI for wins over London City Lionesses and West Ham in a perfect start to the WSL campaign for the Gunners.

She might not have the experience of Wubben-Moy and Codina but the Arsenal academy product is more than justifying her selection and showing just why head coach Renee Slegers has given her such a big opportunity.

• Getty Images
  

  Overcoming adversity

  It really didn't start well for Reid, either. With just 15 minutes on clock on the opening weekend, it was her rather naive challenge on Kosovare Asllani that brought the Swede down in the box and paved the way for the newly-promoted London City Lionesses to take a shock lead at the Emirates Stadium.

  This was only Reid's second start in the WSL and her first at this iconic venue, where more than 38,000 fans turned out to watch their team in action for the first time since their Champions League triumph over Barcelona back in May. It was always going to test her nerve; now, it was about to test her resilience.

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• Getty Images
  

  Resilience aplenty

  And Reid passed that test with flying colours, recovering from the early lapse to enjoy an extremely impressive performance. Before the foul on Asllani, she looked settled, unperturbed by the occasion. Once that incident occurred, she seemed to compartmentalise it and just continue doing what she was doing before.

  The teenager won nine of her 11 ground duels in what was the most eye-catching aspect of her performance, as she was dribbled past just once and didn't commit another foul after the penalty. She also won two of her four aerial duels, was successful in both of her attempted dribbles and had a pass accuracy of 84 per cent, completing 32 of 38.

  "Credit to Katie, and the rest of the team, after that penalty," Slegers said afterwards. "She just kept on playing and came back. She showed strength."

• Getty Images
  

  Building on a strong start

  Reid's reward was that she kept her place last week, when the Gunners travelled to West Ham. There, she was even more impressive, standing out as one of her team's best performers in a 5-1 win. This time, it was her ability on the ball that shone, helping Arsenal to break lines and put serious pressure on the Hammers as they recovered from 1-0 down to secure a comfortable victory.

  "Katie Reid has done really well tonight," Emma Byrne, the Gunners' former goalkeeper, said on . "She offers to receive all the time, no matter where she is and how much pressure she is under, which is the sign of a really confident player. She is up there for the most progressive passes in the game. That's what you want to see from your centre-backs, especially in such a ball-playing team like Arsenal."

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• Getty Images
  

  The Arsenal way

  That quality on the ball is one of the big reasons why Williamson was so glowing in her praise of Reid last summer, as she doubled down on her rave reviews of the teenager in an interview with . "Katie Reid is one of the best young kids I have seen come through," she said. "She is wonderful technically and she is Arsenal."

  It's an aspect Reid has developed plenty since joining the club, a switch which resulted in her playing girls' football for the first time, having spent her childhood playing in boys' teams. "It was interesting because I’d been used to a very quick, very physical game, but with the girls, their tactical understanding was better, their decision-making was better and their manipulation of the ball was better too, so I got to develop that side of my game," she explained last year, in one of Arsenal's matchday programmes. The impact Arsenal has had on her in that sense is certainly showing.

Sunderland is pushing ahead with more and more new signings this summer.

Some might have expected the Black Cats to slow down the intensity of their activity after Granit Xhaka’s statement arrival on the scene, but Regis Le Bris’ men are closing in on yet another exciting deal in the form of Chelsea hotshot Marc Guiu.

Some unwelcome delays have been thrown Sunderland’s way regarding Guiu joining the Stadium of Light ranks, but all looks to still be in place for the Spaniard to eventually call Wearside his home on loan ahead of the forthcoming Premier League season.

Le Bris isn’t done here when it comes to additions up top, however, as frantic rumours continue to be churned out about Sunderland enhancing their attacking personnel.

Sunderland offered chance to sign £50m attacker

The main rumour that will have caught the attention of the Stadium of Light masses is Sunderland’s alleged interest in RB Leipzig goal machine Lois Openda.

Sky Sports’ Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg revealed early on in August that the Premier League newcomers have the clinical Belgian on their shortlist of targets, but a deal could be hard to reach, as Leipzig weigh up losing other key first-teamers in Xavi Simons and Benjamin Sesko.

Instead, a more viable opportunity to land a deadly marksman could soon come in trying to secure a deal for Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Of course, the obvious elephant in the room here is Mitrovic’s ex-Newcastle United loyalties, but Sunderland would be foolish to turn down an opportunity to land such a potent attacker.

Journalist Graeme Bailey has revealed that the Serbian is being offered out to a whole host of Premier League clubs as he eyes up a move away from Al-Hilal, in the wake of Darwin Nunez potentially heading to the Middle East from Liverpool.

Leeds United have been offered the £50m striker’s services, alongside the Black Cats, with Sunderland able to secure themselves an even bigger talent than Openda in front of goal if they’re able to convince Mitrovic to forget his Magpies past and defect to Wearside.

Why Mitrovic is an even better signing than Openda

Openda might well possess more credit in the bank in the here and now, as the Belgian terrorises Bundesliga defences consistently, while his Serbian counterpart plays in the much-maligned Saudi Pro League.

However, as is seen with his razor-sharp instinct against Arsenal to retrieve the ball home and slot home a finish, the 30-year-old is far more proven in the tough terrain of the Premier League, when weighed up next to Openda, away from just being a general menace wherever he’s been across his globetrotting career to date.

Premier League

129

38

11

Championship

126

85

16

Saudi Pro League

51

47

8

Jupiler Pro League

50

27

8

Indeed, when looking at the table above, it’s clear to see why Mitrovic was once dubbed a “natural-born goalscorer” by former Fulham teammate Harrison Reed, with an astounding 123 goals next to his name on English shores.

That’s before you even take into account his blistering output for Al-Hilal, where he has managed to bag a ridiculous 47 strikes from just 51 games, leaving the likes of Openda in the dust in the process, who has a lesser 41 goals next to his name in Germany.

The worry will be that his weakest return to date has fallen in the Premier League, but he will be eager to become Sunderland’s main man as the Black Cats attempt to steer themselves to safety in style.

Of course, Openda also has a reputation for being a lethal presence up top, as seen in his colossal tally of 105 career goals.

Yet, Sunderland might never get the opportunity again to win such a proven goalscoring “monster” – as he has been labelled by Saudi-based journalist Matt Monaghan for his continued heroics at Al-Hilal – as Le Bris and Co. now seriously consider snapping up the 30-year-old to gift themselves an almighty advantage in their aim to beat the drop.

Following a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Arsenal, Leeds United are reportedly in talks to sanction the departure of a player who earns over £900,000 a year at Elland Road.

Farke: Arsenal thrashing not "season-defining"

Daniel Farke could have counted on one hand the amount of Premier League fans that expected Leeds to head to Arsenal and secure a shock victory, such is the difficulty for newly-promoted sides against the top six.

It was always likely to be the ruthless welcome back to the top flight that Everton were unable to hand the Whites, but Farke was quick to claim that their 5-0 defeat was far from “season-defining”.

Whilst their trip to the Emirates should be one that Leeds learn from, they should also move on quickly and prepare for both Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup and then Newcastle United’s visit to Elland Road next weekend.

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As they look to return to winning ways, however, they may have to do so without one attacking player who could be heading to La Liga before the end of the transfer window.

Valencia in talks to sign Ramazani

According to Sacha Tavolieri, Valencia are now in talks to sign Largie Ramazani on loan from Leeds this month. The winger was left out of Farke’s squad to face Arsenal after the German opted to pick other options.

Now, he could leave on loan to the La Liga club, managed by former Marcelo Bielsa assistant Carlos Corberan, who could reportedly cover his £910,000-a-year salary and have a buy option included in their deal.

Since then, reports from Spain have claimed the 24-year-old has ‘fully agreed terms’ with the La Liga side. After just one season at the club, Ramazani’s time at Leeds looks destined to come to a swift end this month.

The fact that the winger was left out of Farke’s squad to face Arsenal was never a good sign, even though the Leeds boss told reporters when questioned about that decision: “It was just due to the decision about Noah Okafor, not against Largie.”

Kuldeep Yadav has been named in Uttar Pradesh’s (UP) squad for their Ranji Trophy match against Madhya Pradesh (MP) at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore, starting on Thursday.Kuldeep is making a return after a hernia surgery and hasn’t played competitive cricket since October 2024. His last outing for India was the first Test against New Zealand in Bengaluru.While both UP and MP are out of the knockouts race, the match will give Kuldeep valuable game time and an opportunity to test his fitness ahead of the three-match ODI series against England, which begins on February 6. Kuldeep is in the India squad for that series, and the provisional 15 for the Champions Trophy that follows.On Monday, he had thanked the NCA staff on social media for their help in his recovery.