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Sunderland are continuing to break the bank as they go about assembling a Premier League-ready squad.

At the time of writing, an estimated £104m has already been spent on improving the quality of players Regis Le Bris has at his disposal, with £30m on its own being splashed on new club-record purchase Habib Diarra.

Staggeringly, although Diarra’s addition already significantly bolsters the Black Cats in the middle of the park, Granit Xhaka also appears to be on the ambitious shopping list, with his Premier League experience on the books of Arsenal one major factor as to why he’s potentially being pursued.

Sunderland's ongoing hunt for Xhaka

Xhaka would enter the building with a mammoth 225 Premier League games next to his name, with a further 17 goals and 24 assists coming his way as a fiery, but attack-minded midfielder at the Emirates.

Therefore, it does feel like a no-brainer on Sunderland’s end to try and win the Switzerland international’s signature, considering reports seem to suggest that Bayer Leverkusen are open to selling Xhaka this summer.

That comes amid further claims earlier in the week that Black Cats officials had been in talks with Leverkusen concerning a deal for the midfielder.

Despite Xhaka’s emergence as a box-crashing midfielder during his final year with the club, it wasn’t always rosy for the 32-year-old in North London, with a poor disciplinary record of four red cards and 57 yellow cards sticking out when assessing his previous Premier League numbers in more detail.

Moreover, whilst he has shone out in Germany with Leverkusen over his past two seasons – as a Bundesliga title even came his way – it’s not a given that he will be able to dust off the Arsenal cobwebs effectively back in an environment he has found previously challenging, particularly if he now finds himself even more up against it in a relegation dog-fight.

Whilst on the surface, this looks as if it would be a sublime capture, Sunderland could shift their focus away from the 32-year-old by exploring another move.

Sunderland's big-money Xhaka alternative

This alternate target is able to boast Premier League experience too, albeit just from far fewer games than Xhaka managed for the red half of North London.

Indeed, according to Fabrizio Romano via X, Sunderland made direct contact earlier in the week over a deal for ex-Fulham midfielder Frank Zambo-Anguissa, off the back of the 29-year-old continuing to stand out at Napoli with his consistent midfield displays.

Once upon a time, Anguissa called Craven Cottage home, with a mere three assists from 58 top-flight matches coming the Cameroonian’s way before Italy came calling.

Now, he has become a first-team regular in Naples, with his numbers from last season putting him on the same pedestal as Xhaka as a fierce, yet goal-hungry midfielder.

Games played

35

33

Goals scored

6

2

Assists

4

7

Touches*

55.0

94.5

Accurate passes*

36.0 (85%)

75.8 (91%)

Key passes*

0.7

1.5

Ball recoveries*

4.3

5.4

Total duels won*

3.9

3.9

Amazingly, despite never finding the back of the net for Fulham, Anguissa actually bettered Xhaka in this department last season for Antonio Conte’s title-winners, alongside matching up to the 32-year-old’s attritional side with the same amount of duels won on average.

This bite in Anguissa’s game in Serie A was evident during his Premier League stay too, winning a high 7.3 duels per game across his final top-flight campaign for the Cottagers, which should stand him in good stead for a potential basement battle back on English shores.

Whilst the “monster” Anguissa – as he’s been glowingly labelled by analyst Raj Chohan – might cost a bumper £38m to get through the door, owing to his release clause, it feels as if this could be another golden signing from Europe that sends out a statement to the rest of the Premier League.

On the other hand, Xhaka feels like a far safer signing, as the Black Cats attempt to flex their muscles even more with sprinkles of immense quality.

The next Bellingham: Sunderland eyeing £30m "top talent" alongside Xhaka

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1 ByKelan Sarson Jul 16, 2025

The Saudi Pro League has attracted some star players in recent years, none bigger than Cristiano Ronaldo, who has been with Al-Nassr since 2023.

The Portugal icon signed a new two-year Al-Nassr deal in 2025 which sees him earn a staggering £488,000-per-day in Saudi Arabia.

Per season

£178m

Per week

£3.42m

Per day

£488,000

Per hour

£20,357

Per minute

£339.28

Per second

£5.65

The finances on offer have seen plenty of world-class footballers swap Europe for Saudi Arabia. However, others have also said no to heading to the Middle East.

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ByRobbie Walls Jul 11, 2025 Players who have turned down Saudi Arabia moves 1 Lionel Messi

Back in 2023, Lionel Messi decided to leave Paris Saint-Germain and was wanted by Al-Hilal.

The Argentine, fresh off the back of a World Cup triumph in Qatar, was offered a three-year contract worth £1.3bn, where he would earn €500 million per season to make him the richest footballer in history.

However, Messi, considered the greatest of all time by many, snubbed the advances of the Saudi Pro League and instead made the move to the MLS with Inter Miami.

2 Bruno Fernandes

In 2025, Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes was also wanted by Al-Hilal, two years after they moved for Messi.

The attacking midfielder was offered £700,000-a-week plus bonuses, treble his Old Trafford wage, whereas the Red Devils were also in line to bring in £100m in a transfer fee.

However, Fernandes wanted to play at the ‘top level in Europe’, so snubbed the Saudi interest.

3 Romelu Lukaku

A running theme with Al-Hilal missing out on European targets saw Romelu Lukaku snub them ahead of the 2023/2024 campaign.

At the time, the Belgium striker was still under contract at Chelsea after a loan spell with Inter Milan and was the subject of a £50m per season proposal.

He turned the Saudi Pro League down, though, counting his career in Italy with AS Roma and Napoli.

4 Kylian Mbappe

In what would have been the most expensive signing in football history, Kylian Mbappe was the subject of interest from Al-Hilal in 2023, and they even reportedly agreed a €300m transfer fee with Paris Saint-Germain.

Per season

€700m

Per month

€58.33m

Per week

€13.3m

Per day

€1.9m

Per hour

€79,900

Per minute

€1,332

Per second

€22

Mbappe was even offered a one-year deal worth €700m where he could of then sealed his dream move to Real Madrid. The French superstar did get his move to the Bernabeu, however, he stayed in Paris instead of heading to the Saudi Pro League for 12 months.

5 Son Heung-Min

Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-Min has become a Spurs legend since moving to north London back in 2015, and he turned down the chance to join Al-Ittihad in 2023.

The South Korean said that ‘money doesn’t matter’ when linked with a move to Al-Ittihad, who were willing to pay Tottenham more than £50m at the time. In the end, they brought in former Real Madrid star Karim Benzema.

6 Ousmane Dembele

Ronaldo and Ousmane Dembele is a partnership that could have been for Al-Nassr, with the Saudi side targeting the France star when he was still on the books of Barcelona.

Al-Nassr were even willing to pay Dembele £35m per season for five years, however, he ended up turning them down to move to Paris Saint-Germain.

7 Jamie Vardy

Jamie Vardy has 13 hugely successful years at the King Power Stadium. The Foxes legend won the Premier League and FA Cup with Leicester, but back in 2023, turned down an approach from Al-Khaleej.

It is unknown just how much Al-Khaleej were willing to offer the striker, who ended up staying with the Foxes for two more years before leaving in 2025.

Games

500

Goals

200

Assists

71

Trophies

5

8 Luka Modric

Iconic Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric was wanted by Al-Hilal in 2023 and was even offered a mammoth €200m deal over three years to head to the Middle East.

The Croatian decided against leaving Europe, though, instead spending two more years at the Bernabeu before heading to Italy with AC Milan.

9 Sergio Busquets

Barcelona legend Sergio Busquets came up against Ronaldo plenty of times in Spain, and the pair could have been teammates for Al-Nassr in 2023.

The holding midfielder was the subject of a €20m per season offer from the Saudi side, however, Busquets ended up snubbing the prospect of playing alongside Ronaldo to reunite with Messi at Inter Miami.

10 Bernardo Silva

Manchester City star Bernardo Silva has been a Saudi Pro League target for a number of years, and in 2023, was offered a deal three times more than his Etihad contract to head to the Middle East.

Al-Hilal were willing to pay the Portuguese midfielder £500,000-a-week, however, he remained in England under Pep Guardiola.

He said all he wanted to do was contribute to a win. James Anderson got his wish, though the Lord’s crowd were denied the fairytale five-for that seemed there for the taking at the start of day three. He finished with three in the innings, four in the match, and 704 for a Test career that has spanned more than two decades, as England completed the formalities of a crushing victory over West Indies.As Anderson took his final bow, the centre stage was claimed by his latest successor. Gus Atkinson ripped out three more wickets to finish a brilliant first outing with match figures of 12 for 106 – the best by an Englishman on Test debut since 1890. Atkinson’s sheepish grin was perhaps partly in recognition that he had denied Anderson the chance to bookend his extraordinary Test career with twin appearances on the Lord’s honours board, but his ruthlessness was to be applauded as he blew through the West Indies tail.Anderson even missed the opportunity to finish the match with a catch off his own bowling, dropping a chance dollied back to him by the No. 9, Gudakesh Motie. The moment drew gasps and groans, though Anderson could smile as he sank to his knees mid-pitch, the ball having rebounded out of his grasp as he went for it one-handed. Unlike his longtime new-ball partner, Stuart Broad, the Hollywood ending was not to be.James Anderson was given a guard of honour on day three•Gareth Copley/Getty Images

Anderson was phlegmatic when interviewed on Sky Sports at the close, cradling a pint of Guinness in the changing room: “I’m gutted I dropped that catch, to be honest. It’s been an amazing week, I’ve been quite overwhelmed with the reaction, proud of what I’ve achieved.”Motie finished as West Indies’ top-scorer across either innings, throwing the bat around for 31 not out. The fact that neither batting effort from the visitors lasted more than 47 overs underlined that gulf between the sides, West Indies unable to live in particular with Atkinson’s pace and accuracy. The Surrey man completed his second five-for of the match with the final wicket to fall, as Jayden Seales holed out to deep midwicket.As he took the field for the final time as a Test cricketer, 7722 days on from his debut against Zimbabwe, Anderson had to endure further ceremony – this time a guard of honour formed by players on both sides. The skies above were grey but there was a hint of a smile as he doffed his cap in appreciation of the crowd’s applause.Gus Atkinson is the seventh England bowler to take a 10-for on their men’s Test debut•Getty Images

He claimed the first wicket of the morning with his seventh ball, a classic Anderson delivery nipping away on fourth stump to kiss Joshua Da Silva’s outside edge. With three West Indies wickets still standing, Anderson was two away from concluding his storied career with a 33rd five-wicket haul – only for Atkinson to seize the moment, much as he had on day one when he swept up seven in his first Test bowl.Alzarri Joseph was next to go, having twice changed his bat in an attempt to out-bomb Atkinson in their short-ball contest – whatever size the stick, he could not clear deep backward square leg, giving Atkinson his ten-wicket haul.Motie resolved not to die poking and prodding at Anderson, clumping him for a boundary down the ground, before Atkinson shelved any notion of sentimentality by detonating Shamar Joseph’s off stump with a searing yorker. Anderson had his chance to bring down the curtain himself – but then, as he has hinted this week, perhaps he just wasn’t ready to go? Atkinson then bounced out Seales, leaving Anderson looking as pleased as he ever has during his 188 Tests for England.

Northamptonshire came close to pulling off a remarkable comeback win over Glamorgan in the Vitality County Championship match against Glamorgan thanks to a career best 168 from Lewis McManus and wickets for Alex Russell and Liam Patterson-White.Northamptonshire declared on 472 for eight to leave Glamorgan a target of 262 in 39 overs. The home side made a good go of chasing down the stiff target with Marnus Labuschagne scoring his second fifty of the match but late wickets left Northamptonshire a chance of pulling off victory.Having been 211 runs behind on first innings, Northamptonshire had nine catchers around the bat in the closing overs as they pushed for the win.Glamorgan finished on 207 for eight with Northamptonshire two wickets short of victory.Northamptonshire resumed their second innings just 25 runs in front of Glamorgan but their biggest partnership of the match extended that lead significantly. Luke Procter and McManus shared a stand of 161 that lasted past lunch on the last day. As with the third day there seemed to be little threat from the quicker bowlers but Glamorgan were hampered in their pursuit for wickets by the absence of James Harris who was off the field with a quad injury.In the absence of Harris, Labuschagne came on to bowl seam and he generated some decent pace, albeit without managing a breakthrough. He also sent down a few overs of leg spin once the shine was off the new ball.The first wicket of the day came in the second session when Timm van der Gugten trapped Procter for 98, the second Northamptonshire batter to get out in the nineties in this innings after Ricardo Vasconcelos fell for 99 late on day three.Lewis McManus had past his hundred from 150 balls just before the fall of Procter’s wicket and he looked to be more attacking once he had reached his milestone, scoring at better than a run a ball as he looked to set a target for Glamorgan to chase.McManus passed 150 for the first time in first class cricket and took four consecutive sixes off Crane in the last over before Northamptonshire declared to leave Glamorgan needing to score at seven an over to win.Glamorgan were 30 for one at the tea break and after the interval they made a real push to keep the required rate under control, but that desire for quick runs brought about the demise of Billy Root when Labuschagne called him through for a very sharp single and both batters ended up at the same end.Carlson and Labuschagne kept up the intensity in their stand of 62 from 57 balls. Carlson was bowled by Alex Russell when he attempted a big shot to the shorter boundary on the Grandstand side of the ground.Labuschagne looked very keen to secure a win in his last home game in the Championship this season but he chipped a catch to point off the bowling of Liam Patterson-White for 64.Chris Cooke continued to attack but he fell for 27 looking to hit Russell over long off. Mason Crane was dismissed for a duck and Harry Podmore was bowled for 1 as Northamptonshire continued the late push to complete the comeback but Timm van der Gugten saw out the last over to secure the draw.

Manchester United have been in contact to sign a “standout” £10m midfielder this summer ahead of Tottenham Hotspur.

Fernandes hints he could leave Man Utd after Europa League final

The nail in the Red Devils’ coffin for the season was hammered in by Spurs on Wednesday night, with Ange Postecoglou getting the better of Ruben Amorim in the Europa League final in Bilbao.

A 1-0 win for Tottenham ensured they’d win their first trophy in 17 years and qualify for the Champions League, whereas United will now have to make do with no European football and one of their worst seasons for more than 50 years.

Bruno Fernandes captained Man Utd in Bilbao but failed to take his side to glory, and with a summer of uncertainty at Old Trafford incoming, spoke about his future in Manchester.

“I will be here until the club tells me it is time to leave. I am available to make the club have great days again.

“The day the club thinks I am too much, or it is time to leave, football is like that and you never know. If the club thinks it is time to leave, because they want to make some money, that is what it is and football is like that sometimes.”

The Portuguese star is wanted in Saudi Arabia by Al-Hilal, and with the likes of Casemiro and Christian Eriksen also ageing and on big money, a new midfield gem could be on the to-do list for the Red Devils and Sir Jim Ratcliffe ahead of his first summer transfer window as co-owner.

Man Utd in contact to sign £10m midfielder ahead of Spurs

According to TBR Football, Man Utd are one of numerous clubs who have been in contact with Motherwell over a deal to sign midfielder Lennon Miller.

The 18-year-old is emerging as one of Scotland’s most exciting talents and has had approaches from the Red Devils, Spurs, Arsenal, Brighton, Brentford, Crystal Palace, Liverpool, Leeds, Newcastle and West Ham.

Games

39

Goals

4

Assists

8

Minutes played

3,398

Atalanta, Bologna and Como in Italy are all keen on Miller, as are French side Strasbourg and Scottish champions Celtic, with reports earlier this year claiming Motherwell would want £10m for the teenage gem.

Set to turn 19 in August, Miller has already made more than 75 senior appearances for Motherwell, even captaining them between November and December last year.

Talking during that time, Barry Ferguson called Miller a “standout” performer for Motherwell and said “he has the potential to play at the highest level”.

The Red Devils have already shown they are looking at the future with recent deals for Patrick Dorgu, Leny Yoro, Ayden Heaven and Chido Obi-Martin, and by the looks of things, Miller could be the next if they manage to win the huge race for his services.

With the clock ticking down towards the final ten minutes at Craven Cottage, it looked as if Chelsea were hurtling towards a grim 1-0 defeat to near neighbours Fulham.

However, the Champions League chasing outfit managed to conjure up a dramatic fightback instead to win the tight Premier League clash 2-1, which has now sent Enzo Maresca’s Blues up to fifth in the ever-changing league standings.

With the likes of Nicolas Jackson suffering from an off-day, Maresca and Co had to rely on the heroics of faces such as Pedro Neto over the misfiring striker to secure the golden win, with the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers winger scoring the game-clinching strike right at the death.

Neto's performance in numbers

Indeed, Neto stepped up to the mark valiantly when other Chelsea forwards decided to duck away from the spotlight, with Jackson only managing one meagre effort on goal before he was hooked off on the 73rd-minute mark.

Away from the Chelsea number 15’s uninspired showing, however, the Portuguese attacker would send the away masses packed into Craven Cottage into delirium when his fierce effort was smashed home past a startled Bernd Leno.

Away from this last-gasp moment of quality, the Blues number seven was constantly involved in play in a positive manner, with the 25-year-old firing two other efforts at the German’s net away from his 93rd-minute winner, alongside winning four ground duels when attempting to launch attack after attack.

Having also looked likely in the Ipswich Town draw in the league before this win on the road – with five key passes tallied up against Kieran McKenna’s challengers – Neto will pray he can nail down a starting spot down Chelsea’s left flank off the back of his further standout display against Marco Silva’s hosts.

He isn’t the only figure who could now be deemed as undroppable in the eyes of Maresca, considering one of Neto’s attacking teammates was equally as energetic and impactful in steering the Blues to their 16th league win of the entertaining campaign.

8/10 Chelsea star now as undroppable as Neto

Maresca will still feel irked that it took his team until the 83rd minute to turn the tie around with a number of his key first team personnel letting him down.

But, a major plus for the ex-Leicester City boss to cling onto will be the energy and drive shown by Tyrique George when he entered into the contest, with the homegrown Chelsea product only needing to amass four touches before he left a lasting impact on proceedings.

Fresh off scoring his first ever senior goal for his boyhood employers in the Europa Conference League, George would get his fading team back on level terms versus the Cottagers with a confident and assured finish trickling in after the ball was flicked it into the teenager’s path.

With Jackson’s wastefulness in front of goal well documented, alongside the ongoing struggles of Christopher Nkunku in West London, the answer for Maresca up top between now and the close of the season could be persisting with the Camden-born starlet.

Minutes played

75

12

Goals scored

1

1

Assists

0

0

Touches

46

4

Accurate passes

31/35

2/2

Shots

1

1

Showing off his ability to be a livewire from the start when bagging one of Chelsea’s three goals in Poland in mid-April, George does look ready for more first-team opportunites moving forward, with his cameo against Fulham – which saw him complete 100% of his passes – resulting in a high 8/10 post-match rating being awarded to him by The Express’ Fraser Watson.

Bold calls such as these might see Chelsea sprint ahead to secure Champions League football, with Maresca needing everyone in his camp to be playing at their optimum to get over the line.

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ByAngus Sinclair Apr 19, 2025

This CSK was unlike the usual CSK, but they did enough things right, and smart, to spark hope among their fans

Shashank Kishore15-Apr-20252:04

‘What Dhoni is doing is extraordinary’

By the time Shivam Dube got Chennai Super Kings (CSK) over the line at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Monday, it was hard to tell which the home side was. Flags – because of the sticks – had not been allowed in, but the stands still glowed with the yellow of the CSK jerseys, celebrating despite the un-CSK-ness of the win.It began with a bold call to bench two veterans. R Ashwin, he of the INR 9.5 crore tag, was left out to bring in a seam-bowling allrounder in Jamie Overton. Ashwin hadn’t completed his quota of overs in three of the six games he had played and was expensive at 9.90.Then there was Devon Conway, CSK’s top scorer in their 2023 title run, dropped after just three games – likely for his slow starts. CSK had been the season’s slowest in the powerplay. It paved the way for 20-year-old Shaik Rasheed’s debut. Rahul Tripathi and Deepak Hooda had also been struggling along with Conway.Related

• Fleming says poor results have forced CSK to 'bring all squad members into play'

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• Dhoni, Noor and Jadeja snap CSK's losing streak

• The Bishnoi over that Pant left out 'a major point' in LSG's loss to CSK

• Dhoni: Tweaked attack gives 'more manoeuvrability for the captain'

Rasheed had spent two full seasons with the squad before being re-signed at the mega auction last year. CSK have shown the propensity to pick players based on gut calls over the years. But, while there have been a few, like Ruturaj Gaikwad, who have moved up the ranks at CSK, those are the outliers. Many prolific domestic performers like B Aparajith, R Sai Kishore and N Jagadeesan have waited in the wings for multiple seasons, only to be released.On Monday, Rasheed was opening in a T20 for the first time, and he showed he belonged, by trusting his technique and focusing on timing the ball rather than trying to smash the cover off it. He played some shots high on aesthetics – like a flick to a length ball from outside off that had more than a shade of M Vijay.The Rasheed experiment also seemed to free up Rachin Ravindra to play the aggressor – the pair helped CSK get their best powerplay in the last five games. Rasheed hit six fours in his 19-ball 27, putting together 52 in just 4.5 overs with Ravindra. They ended the powerplay on 59 for 1. MS Dhoni later revealed Rasheed’s move was out of necessity.”He batted really well,” Dhoni said at the post-match presentation. “He has been with us for quite a few years. Even last year, we’ve seen improvement, but this year, he has been batting really well in the nets, both against the fast bowlers and spinners. I felt we needed to make a few changes, because we were doing the same things and getting the same results.With Shaik Rasheed and Rachin Ravindra, CSK finally got a good start•BCCI”It’s just the start. He has the capability to dominate, but with authentic shots. What’s important is for him to keep playing the shots he has in his armoury and not try to hit like some of the other openers that are floating around.”Rasheed’s knock gave CSK a strong start, but a familiar middle-overs dip – made worse by Dube’s lack of rhythm – kept the pressure on. They only hit three boundaries between overs seven and 15, and the asking rate went from 7.69 to 11.20.In past seasons, the Dube threat had often forced teams to avoid bowling spin in that phase. This ability to dominate spin, which also earned him a T20 World Cup ticket, reshaped CSK’s batting. But in IPL 2025, Dube’s lack of form against spin – a strike rate of 118.30 compared to 176.47 and 155.35 in 2023 and 2024 – has been amplified by the top order’s inconsistency.Yet, it was perhaps Dube’s reputation that made Rishabh Pant hold back Ravi Bishnoi and turn to Shardul Thakur. But Dube’s determination to finish the game in a season where his overall numbers have been poor spoke of a player ready to fight his own battles.4:32

Why did Pant not give Bishnoi another over?

Even before Dube and Dhoni finished the game, CSK prowled – highlighted by Tripathi’s anticipation and athleticism in running back from extra cover to catch Aiden Markram in the very first over to set the tone. After coach Stephen Fleming had criticised the “poor” fielding against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Monday’s effort was a marked turnaround.Ravindra Jadeja and Noor Ahmad then gave Dhoni crucial control in the middle overs, especially with Pant looking to break free. Noor’s miserly 4-0-13-0 spell may have deserved the Player-of-the-Match award – something Dhoni agreed with while sheepishly accepting the award for his unbeaten 26 off 11.On a surface that was familiar to CSK, Dhoni was at his best, expertly marshalling his spinners – the lone CSK trait in a win that pieced together just enough to spark hope in their fans.

How’s the buzz compared to the previous editions? Who will be the semi-finalists? All that and more on our latest podcast episode

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-2023Is this the last time ODI cricket will be relevant to all of us? How do the buzz and build-up of this World Cup compare to the previous editions, especially 2015 ad 2019? How do some of the top teams stand right now? Who will be the four semi-finalists? And will we see a run-out at the non-striker’s end?Senior sub-editor Kaustubh Kumar is joined by UK editor Andrew Miller, assistant editor Vishal Dikshit and Sri Lanka correspondent Andrew Fidel Fernando to preview all things leading into one of the biggest calendar events of the year: the men’s 2023 ODI World Cup.