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Los Blancos have already begun making moves in the market, but could still do with re-jigging their attack and clearing out some big names

Real Madrid mean business this summer. There were three glaring items on the Blancos' to-do list heading into the off-season, and they have moved through them mightily quickly. The first was a new manager; hello, Xabi Alonso. The second was a new centre-back who could be a long-term face of the backline; welcome to Madrid, Dean Huijsen. The third was a new Galactico, a statement signing who could do many things very well, and embody the Madrid aura that this club craves; get ready to learn Spanish, Trent Alexander-Arnold.

But Madrid aren't done there. They may have checked off their post-season priorities, but there are still some moves to be made if they are to hunt down both Barcelona in La Liga and Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League. The obvious issue is the crowded attack, which features Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo, among others. There are too many forwards with similar skillsets in the Madrid squad, and at least one has to go. Elsewhere, there are needs for reinforcement at left-back while another midfielder – if only for the legs – would also be mightily handy.

It's a good thing, then, that this is Madrid, where money doesn't seem to matter and the pull is relentless. Los Blancos proved with the luring of Alexander-Arnold away from Liverpool that they can get who they want, when they want, and they will need to showcase that again before the summer is out.

GOAL looks at some of the moves Madrid need to make in the transfer market as they aim to become European football's top dogs once again…

Getty Images SportCut Rodrygo loose

It was a case of too many cooks in the kitchen for Madrid's attack last season, and while Rodrygo is a fine talent, he simply didn't fit in a team that already has too may left wingers. For all of the talk about how unselfish the Brazilian is, there remains the reality that Madrid need more width on the right. Rodrygo, who looks as if he's constantly trying to avoid drifting inside, can't provide that.

Things will only get more complicated if Alonso opts to go for the 3-4-2-1 system that served him so well at Bayer Leverkusen, as Rodrygo isn't a natural inside right forward, either, and seems an even poorer fit at that position.

An amicable exit seems the best solution for all parties here. The good news is that Rodrygo can fetch a handsome return, and there will certainly be some interested buyers. Arsenal have been linked, and the fit is obvious as they need to upgrade on the inconsistent Gabriel Martinelli. Madrid would demand heavy compensation, but this seems a pretty clear solution.

AdvertisementGetty ImagesListen to Vinicius offers

Let's make something absolutely, categorically, irrefutably clear: Real Madrid do not to sell Vinicius, and it would be pretty foolish of them to shop him around. Vinicius is an elite footballer, a consistent Ballon d'Or contender, and arguably the best left winger in the world. Mbappe, though, is the most famous left winger in the world, and that trumps everything at Madrid.

Alonso will want to implement a clear style, and Mbappe isn't reliable enough through the middle, while Vinicius isn't versatile enough positionally. That leaves Madrid with two potential solutions: either find a system that consistently gets the best out of both players, or let Vinicius go while accepting that this is now Mbappe's team. They only have to look at PSG's Champions League win to see that modern football is about selflessness. You can make up for one reluctant presser; two is tricky.

But who can afford him? Madrid won't shop Vinicius around, but if rumoured Saudi Pro League interest crops up again, Los Blancos will have to think long and hard about it given they could demand an astronomical fee and reinvest it in the rest of the squad.

Getty ImagesLoan out Endrick

What is Endrick good at? Well, he runs a lot, is fast, powerful, and skilful with the ball at his feet. But he is also an immensely strange fit for high-level European football.

Right now, Endrick's best position is as a left inside forward without possessing the height to be a central striker. He has fine finishing instincts, and it is not hard to imagine him being a deadly presence for a team that likes to play on the break.

More than anything, though, Endrick needs minutes. The kid is 19. He needs to hone his craft, learn how to operate positionally, and figure out where he can best make an impact in a modern football team. That simply isn't possible at Madrid, who don't do charity projects or sympathy minutes. If you're good enough you play; if you're not, get ready to sit on the bench.

Endrick needs to be loaned out, plain and simple. With the right financial structure, he could be an excellent asset for a team who still play European football, but operate outside of the spotlight (are you listening, Real Betis?).

If things go well, and he develops, Madrid have a serious player on their hands. It's certainly a risk, but one worth taking on a youngster who needs to get reps.

AFPBring in left-back help

The left-back situation at Real Madrid always felt a bit overblown. Between Eduardo Camavinga, Ferland Mendy and Fran Garcia, Los Blancos have three good options to rotate. Sure, none of them are world-class at the position, but with Vinicius in front of them, it was more about caution than virtuosic skill. Still, that doesn't appear to be enough for Florentino Perez and co.

Madrid are keen on Benfica's Alvaro Carreras, who would be an intriguing long-term solution. The 22-year-old impressed immensely at Benfica after being let go by Manchester United, and has the kind of physicality needed to play in an Alonso team. Whether he would slip right into the line up remains to be seen, but if Madrid want to think years down the line, he's certainly a fine option.

With the dust having settled on Thursday night’s Europa League clash away at Real Sociedad, it’s hard to know what to make of Manchester United’s display, with a largely positive performance having been somewhat overshadowed by a familiar sense of Deja vu late on.

It must be said that a far more competent United side could have already had the tie wrapped up, with the Red Devils once again coming up short in the final third, prior to Joshua Zirkzee’s opener just before the hour mark.

Even that sweeping, stroked effort from the Dutchman epitomised the at times casual nature of the away side’s forward play, with Ruben Amorim’s men lacking that real ruthless cutting edge even when firmly in control, as Alejandro Garnacho notably lashed two efforts into the side netting from the angle.

Predictably in this dismal season of woe, the Old Trafford outfit were made to pay for that profligacy as Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the penalty spot to level proceedings. The hosts almost inflicted even more misery in the closing stages, only for Orri Oskarsson to inexplicably poke his attempt wide.

Thankfully, the scoreline remains level ahead of Thursday’s reverse fixture, albeit with Amorim left with key selection decisions to ponder…

Man Utd's worst performers vs Sociedad

While Bruno Fernandes can feel aggrieved to have been penalised for a somewhat harsh handball call that led to Oyarzabal’s equaliser, it must be said that the Portuguese playmaker was far from at his brilliant best on the night.

Not only did the 30-year-old fail to offer his usual attacking verve, after registering just a solitary key pass, but he was also caught out at times defensively, after being dribbled past on three occasions in the centre of the park.

Elsewhere, it also proved to be a frustrating outing for Fernandes’ compatriot, Diogo Dalot, with the 25-year-old full-back coming under fire for failing to pick out Rasmus Hojlund in the first half, a decision that even his manager described as “not the best”.

As for Hojlund himself, it was hard to doubt the Dane’s endeavour on this occasion as he tirelessly worked the channels, although the 22-year-old particularly faded from view as the game progressed, with the lack of a suitable alternative on the bench seemingly not helping matters.

Having failed to register 17-year-old, Chido Obi, for the competition, Hojlund will have to remain the go-to striker moving forward, albeit with Amorim certainly needing more from a player who hasn’t scored since mid-December, as he also lost the ball eight times from just 19 touches on the night.

In the case of the former Atalanta man, Amorim’s hands were tied in a sense due to the club’s depleted bench, yet the same cannot be said for Hojlund’s international teammate, Patrick Dorgu, with the 20-year-old perhaps fortunate not to have been withdrawn at some stage.

Patrick Dorgu's game in numbers vs Sociedad

Mixed would be the word to describe Dorgu’s start to life in Manchester.

Performance in Numbers

Subbed at half-time against Leicester City in the FA Cup, the former Lecce man then put in a lively display away at Goodison Park, with Amorim subsequently stating that the wing-back is “going to be a very good player for us now and in the future”.

Unfortunately for Dorgu, that was followed by a chaotic showing against Ipswich Town as he teed up the visitors’ opener before being dismissed just before the break, with that early red forcing him to sit out Sunday’s FA Cup tie at home to Fulham.

Having been reinstated for the trip to San Sebastian, there were signs of life from the £30m man again down the left flank as he regularly looked to get forward, albeit while having been found desperately lacking with regard to his end product.

Much like his compatriot, Hojlund, it is hard to criticise the defender’s work rate as he frequently bombed up and down the wing, although he failed to pick out a teammate with any of his three crosses, having lost the ball on 19 occasions.

That corroborates the verdict of the Daily Express’ Alex Turk, who handed the defender a 5/10 match rating, while also writing that Dorgu was ‘so often an attacking outlet for United down the left flank but wasn’t hitting the sweet spot with his crossing.’

90 minutes

52 touches

66% pass accuracy

1 key pass

0/3 crosses completed

0/1 long balls completed

0/2 successful dribbles

1 big chance created

3/8 ground duels won

1/2 aerial duels won

19x possession lost

While his tally of 52 touches was even more than influential goalscorer, Zirkzee (45), Dorgu did only record a 66% pass accuracy rate, while also struggling in a defensive sense after winning just four of his ten total duels.

There certainly remains reason to be optimistic surrounding United’s January arrival, yet perhaps Dorgu might have benefitted from being replaced when he started to tire, with teenage sensation, Harry Amass, waiting in the wings to make his ‘long overdue’ first-team debut, as per journalist George Smith.

While throwing on a 17-year-old for his first taste of senior football may have been a real gamble, it did look as if United were in need of fresher legs as Sociedad wrestled back control, having been left hanging on in the final throes of the game.

Senior options are, frankly, desperately limited at present, yet with games coming thick and fast, Amorim may need to start trusting his academy talents – like Amass – sooner rather than later.

Lost the ball 21x: Man Utd's 4/10 star showed why INEOS need to sell him

Man Utd held on for a draw away in San Sebastian on Thursday evening

ByRobbie Walls Mar 6, 2025

Luis Reece continued to wage his personal battle against the Glamorgan bowlers as he equaled the Derbyshire record of six successive fifties in first-class cricket on the way to plundering his third century of the summer against the Welsh county at Sophia Gardens.Glamorgan’s decision to put Derbyshire into bat on a green wicket in Cardiff came back to haunt them as the visitors settled in and made hay, ending the first day on 308 for 2.It was also a significant day for Sue Redfern, who became the first female umpire to stand in a first-class match in England or Wales – although Glamorgan asked few questions of either the batters or the officials.Reece, 33, was at the heart of the action all day long as he put his side in control with an unbeaten 139 in 96 overs. He put on 80 for the first wicket with Harry Came and then 180 for the second with Brooke Guest.Leus du Plooy joined him for the final 75 minutes of the day and ended on 22 not out as his contribution to an unbroken third wicket stand of 48.The home side are due to say goodbye to their chief executive, Hugh Morris, captain, David Lloyd, and head coach, Matt Maynard, and were hoping to push for a final to potentially take them up to third in the table. But the bowlers were once again made to toil in the field by the left-handed Reece as he took his tally of first-class runs against Glamorgan this summer to 471.He scored 139 and an unbeaten 201, his highest score in first-class cricket, in the drawn game at the County Ground, in Derby in July. He also made 69 against them in the One-Day Cup clash in Derby last month.Reece’s hot streak began in the home clash with Durham in July when he scored 54 in the second innings. From there he notched his twin centuries against Glamorgan before taking 77 off the Gloucestershire attack and 86 against Sussex.In his latest success, he reached 50 off 74 balls, his century off 175 balls and currently has 16 fours and a six to his credit. Fellow opener Came looked comfortable until he was caught at the wicket by Chris Cooke off the bowling of Zain-ul-Hassan in the 27th over. The next departure was 50 overs later when James Harris had Guest trapped lbw four runs short of his century.Glamorgan tried seven bowlers throughout the day and four of them went for more than 50 runs.

Australia face selection squeeze after impressive return of Mitchell Marsh

Andrew McGlashan09-Jul-2023David Warner’s position could come under scrutiny for the Old Trafford Test with Australia facing a selection squeeze after the impressive return to the side of Mitchell Marsh.Cameron Green, who sat out the Headingley match opening the door for Marsh’s comeback, is on track to be fit for the fourth Test after a minor hamstring strain. He bowled and did sprints ahead of the final day’s play in Leeds as well as briefly acting as a substitute fielder.But Marsh’s stunning century on the opening day, in his first Test for four years, has made him very tough to leave out which means someone else will have to make way unless they opt not to bring Green straight back in.The spotlight has again returned to Warner after his twin failures at Headingley where he twice edged Stuart Broad to slip from around the wicket, making it 17 times he has now fallen to Broad.Related

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However, that followed some useful contributions earlier in the series, led by the 66 on the opening day at Lord’s in tricky batting conditions, although he was dropped in the slips on 20. His overall Test average since 2021 remains 28.17 and that includes the double century against South Africa at the SCG.Captain Pat Cummins, who is not a selector, said that Australia would use the break before Old Trafford to take stock of their options as they look to avoid the Ashes going to a decider at The Oval.”You keep all options open,” Cummins said. “We’ve got nine or 10 days now, so we’ll take a deep breath. We’ll go away for a few days.”But everyone comes back into it. Greeny should be fit for Manchester. Josh [Hazlewood] will be back in there as well. So we should have a full roster and we’ll have a look at the wicket and have a chat and work out the best XI.”Marsh’s third Test century, all of which have been against England, came from 102 balls while he also chipped in with a couple of wickets.Cummins conceded he would be difficult to omit. “Yeah, it’s possible but, I mean, it was a pretty impressive week, wasn’t it?” he said.David Warner smiles after being dismissed by Stuart Broad for the 17th time•Getty Images

Warner has mapped out his retirement plan, announcing earlier in the tour that he hoped to finish against Pakistan on his home ground of the SCG in January. Prior to that, the original Ashes squad was only selected up to the end of the Lord’s Test which raised further questions over Warner, but he did enough in the early matches to dampen talk somewhat.The situation Australia now find themselves in is not dissimilar to what happened on the 2019 tour when Marnus Labuschagne performed so well as Steven Smith’s temporary replacement that someone else had to make way for Smith’s return. On that occasion the fall guy was Usman Khawaja.Meanwhile, Cummins indicated that he remained on track to play all six Tests on the tour which he had stated as his aim before the World Test Championship final against India. He is the only Australian quick to play all four matches to date. England have had Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson in all three of their attacks, but the latter is now under an injury cloud after suffering back spasms at Headingley.”I feel great, actually, probably better than I would have hoped,” Cummins said. “I don’t have any niggles or injuries. So fingers crossed, should be sweet.”Elsewhere in the squad, Michael Neser has been released to play the next round of County Championship matches for Glamorgan while Josh Inglis, who flew home after Edgbaston for the birth of his child, will return on Friday. Jimmy Peirson filled in for him as reserve wicketkeeper.Australia’s players will break up for a few days and make use of the longer gap between these two Tests before beginning preparations for Old Trafford – the venue where they were able to retain the Ashes in 2019.Cummins gave a succinct response when asked if he felt England’s win would shift the momentum in the series. “No, not really. It’s 2-1.”

Queensland have been left to rue a number of bizarre final-day dismissals, after falling to a 90-run defeat to Victoria.Resuming on day four at 58 for 3 chasing 329 for victory at the Gabba, Queensland were all out for 238 just before tea at the Gabba.Sam Elliott starred for Victoria, taking 4 for 43, while Todd Murphy also claimed 3 for 48  as he continues to push his case to be Australia’s second spinner in Sri Lanka.But the biggest challenge for Queensland came from within. The hosts looked in a position to hold on for a draw or push for a win midway through the first session, after Jack Clayton and Ben McDermott put on 59 for the fourth wicket.But their 18.3-over stand was ended when McDermott dropped a ball at his feet and took off for a quick single. Clayton gave up on the single and was run out while not pushing hard to make his crease on 43.The run out was superbly executed by bowler Xavier Crone with a back-handed flick, but still the wicket was gifted to the visitors.Crone’s run out was also his second such dismissal of the match after removing Mark Steketee in similar fashion in the first innings.Even after Clayton’s dismissal, McDermott and Jimmy Pierson put on 63 for the fifth wicket only for Pierson to be bowled for 31 trying to scoop Murphy.And from there the innings fell apart. Murphy also had McDermott caught at slip for 68, before Xavier Bartlett and Jack Wildermuth were both caught hooking Elliott at deep fine leg.Mitchell Swepson was then the last to fall, bowled by Murphy to become the offspinner’s third victim.The win leaves Victoria top of the table at the halfway mark, four points clear of Western Australia. Queensland remain last and are the only winless team after five games.

da 888： Everton are now in a race with David Moyes’ former side to sign a “very good” international midfielder who will be allowed to leave this summer for £25 million, according to a recent report.

Everton weighing up several transfer options

da luck： It’s been a rather quiet transfer window for the Toffees so far, but that could soon be about to change, as the return of pre-season gets ever closer. Everton have brought in Carlos Alcaraz on a permanent basis this summer, and they could be close to adding to that, as BBC Sport reports that Everton are close to signing defender Kenny Tete on a free transfer.

A deal is said to be close to being secured, as signing a new right-back has become a priority given Ashley Young was allowed to leave upon the expiry of his contract.

Related Everton now want to buy "brilliant" 65-cap star who could sign for only £9m

The Toffees could land a bargain…

Posts BySean Markus Clifford Jun 25, 2025

The Merseysiders remain in talks with Villarreal over a deal to sign striker Thierno Barry, but he is not the only forward David Moyes is considering signing. Goodison News reported that the Toffees are interested in Millwall striker Mihailo Ivanovic after he scored 13 goals in the Championship last season.

Everton don’t want to stop there, and a report has now revealed that they have registered their interest in signing James McAtee from Manchester City. The young Englishman looks set to leave the Etihad this summer.

Everton in race with West Ham for Onyedika

McAtee may not be the last midfielder to arrive at Goodison Park this summer, as according to Sacha Tavolieri, Everton are in pole position to sign Raphael Onyedika from Club Brugge, albeit together with the Hammers.

Tavolieri states that both the Toffees and West Ham are leading the race to sign the midfielder this summer, with the Hammers the most concrete with their interest so far. He goes on to add that while he is under contract until 2027, the Belgian side would be happy to get around €30 million, which is roughly £25 million, this summer.

The 24-year-old has been with his current club since August 2022, where he’s won the Belgian league once and the Belgium Cup, which came in 2025. Onyedika, who has won 16 caps for Nigeria, was a key player for Club Brugge last season, as he played 25 times in the Jupiler Pro League and started all 11 of their Champions League matches.

Raphael Onyedika’s Club Brugge stats

Apps

141

Goals

6

Assists

4

Onyedika is very unknown to English football, as he’s spent his football career playing for FC Midtjylland and FC Fredericia before moving to Belgium. But reporter Graeme Bailey has labelled the midfielder a “very good player” and someone who is a “threat”, while he’s also been linked with a move to Leeds United.

Head coach Phil Simmons lauded Bangladesh’s mental shift from trying to survive to trying to win, after they beat West Indies by 101 runs on the fourth evening of the second Test in Kingston. Simmons said their decision to bat first – after they had lost the first Test by 201 runs – paid off in multiple ways and that the batters will now have confidence that they can bounce back in tough conditions.Bangladesh were bowled out for 164 in the first innings, but they came strongly with the ball and skittled the home side for 146. They had an improved batting performance in the second innings and made 268, weathering a barrage of bouncers and verbals on the third afternoon to get into a winning position.”I loved the way the batters came out with a positive attitude,” Simmons said on the official broadcast after the game. “They had a survival attitude in the first few games [since I took charge]. On the third day, you saw that they were saying, ‘I have come to play the game’. I loved and enjoyed it. I made sure that they know that it is the way we have to play from now on. The Test win is something that these young players were looking forward to. It is nice to see them come back in their way after losing the first Test match. It’s total joy for me.Related

• Bangladesh's Jamaica win: No Big Five, but unlikely heroes do the job

• Still no Shakib, Mehidy to lead Bangladesh in WI ODIs

• Jaker, Taijul and Rana script Bangladesh's first win in West Indies since 2009

“I think when we had the delay [due to wet outfield on the first day] and the sun was out, as hot as I felt in Jamaica for a long time, there was no question that we had to bat first. The wicket had dried out. We had to make the running in the Test match, as were down 1-0. The decision to bat wasn’t a difficult one. I think breaking it to the batters… It is a team that likes to bowl first to see what’s there. Giving them the confidence that I believe in you, that you can bat first here, I think that led to how we batted in the second innings. We just needed to do better than the first innings.”Bangladesh had several performers in the Jamaica Test win. Nahid Rana led the fight with a five-wicket haul in the first innings, before Jaker Ali held the second innings together with his 91 in the second innings. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam then took a five-for on the fourth and final day, with Taskin Ahmed and Hasan Mahmud picking up two wickets each in the final push for victory.Simmons praised Jaker’s ability to switch gears after a slow start. He was also impressed with Mehidy Hassan Miraz, who captained the side in Najmul Hossain Shanto’s absence after the regular captain ruled out of the Test series because of a groin strain.”Jaker scored three fifties in successive Tests, so he knows his game. We saw that he can also take on every bowler. He needs to take what he gets from here, and try to improve on it. This is not always going to be the way it is,” Simmons said. “I have been impressed with [Mehidy]. He took over from Shanto in short notice. He has taken the job and run with it. Mehidy and Taijul complement each other. Mehidy is a little bit faster and straighter, whereas Taijul uses his variations a lot.”Taijul loves hitting the stumps, so he bowls more arm balls than [conventional] spinners. He seems to be getting better every game. You could see that there was more thought in his bowling here in every session.”Having missed the first Test to manage his workload, Rana hit West Indies with rapid pace in Kingston for a match haul of 6 for 93. He now has 20 wickets in six Tests after making his debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year.”I was even more impressed [with Rana in Jamaica] than I was in Sharjah where he made his ODI debut, ” Simmons said. “For him to be so consistent on this wicket and hitting his lengths. At the end of the day yesterday, he was bowling in his mid-140s. We under-rated the young fast bowler’s ability to assess the situation.”The things he tells me before going on to the field, I wonder whether he is playing his fourth or fifth Test match. He is impressive with pace, but also with his hunger to learn. He keeps growing, and I am sure we will see a lot more of him.”

انتهت مباراة الزمالك، أمام نظيره البنك الأهلي، ضمن منافسات مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز منذ قليل على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

وتعادل الزمالك مع البنك الأهلي، بهدف لكل فريق في الجولة الثانية عشر من مسابقة الدوري المصري الممتاز في لقاء اليوم.

طالع.. ترتيب هدافي الدوري المصري بعد هدف شيكو بانزا في مباراة الزمالك والبنك الأهلي

ورفع الزمالك رصيده إلى 19 نقطة في المركز الرابع من جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري بعد تعادله اليوم بينما البنك الأهلي في المركز التاسع برصيد 15 نقطة.

وشهدت نفس الجولة تعثر الأهلي أمام بتروجيت بالتعادل بهدف لكل منهما في اللقاء الذي أقيم أمس الأربعاء على ملعب استاد الكلية الحربية.

ويتصدر سيراميكا كليوباترا، جدول ترتيب مسابقة الدوري المصري برصيد 23 نقطة بفارق نقطة عن الأهلي صاحب الوصافة. ترتيب الدوري المصري

1- سيراميكا كليوباترا: 23 نقطة

2- الأهلي: 22 نقطة

3- المصري: 19 نقطة

4- الزمالك: 19 نقطة

5- وادي دجلة: 19 نقطة

6- إنبي: 18 نقطة

7- بيراميدز: 17 نقطة

8- زد: 16 نقطة

9- البنك الأهلي: 15 نقطة

10- غزل المحلة: 15 نقطة

11- سموحة: 15 نقطة

12- مودرن سبورت: 15 نقطة

13- بتروجيت: 15 نقطة

14- الجونة: 15 نقطة

15- حرس الحدود: 12 نقطة

16- طلائع الجيش: 10 نقاط

17- المقاولون العرب: 9 نقاط

18- فاركو: 9 نقاط

19- الاتحاد السكندري: 8 نقاط

20- كهرباء الإسماعيلية: 8 نقاط

21- الإسماعيلي: 7 نقاط

Former WI star talks to Valkerie Baynes and Firdose Moonda on the international vs franchise battle and says she has more to give

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Aug-2023A year after her shock international retirement, Deandra Dottin opens up to Valkerie Baynes and Firdose Moonda about the reasons behind her decision, plying her trade on the global franchise circuit and calls for a re-think on fitness benchmarks in cricket.