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Real Madrid are now in advanced contract talks with a star player to try and fend off Manchester United’s recent approach, according to a new report.

Balancing incomings and outgoings the order of the day at Old Trafford

As of now, it has been a rather quiet start to the transfer window for the Red Devils, as they have just completed one bit of transfer business, and that was the signing of Matheus Cunha. More arrivals are expected however, with Bryan Mbeumo heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford, and now United are said to be confident in beating Tottenham to his signature.

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United are also being linked with players who can improve them in other aspects of the team. They are seriously interested in signing Hugo Ekitike from Eintracht Frankfurt and have now added Marco Carnesecchi to their list of options to replace Andre Onana in goal. However, these purchases may have to be put on hold until the club moves some players out the door.

Alejandro Garnacho is one whose time at the club appears to be up, as United are now prepared to sell the Argentine. The Red Devils are looking to get at least £50 million for the attacker this summer. Chelsea were linked with a move for Garnacho back in January, and they are believed to be still interested in a deal now. Meanwhile, Aston Villa have also joined the race to sign Garnacho, as he may be seen as a replacement for Marcus Rashford, who has now returned to Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag’s Bayer Leverkusen have also been linked with a move for the United man, and while their interest is genuine, it is a deal that is unlikely given finances and the fact that Garnacho’s preference is to remain in the Premier League.

Man Utd make approach for Brahim Diaz

Given the Red Devils are willing to sell Garnacho, they have been on the lookout for replacements, and according to a report from Spain, Man United have made an approach to sign Brahim Diaz from Real Madrid.

However, Fabrizio Romano has since revealed Real Madrid are now in advanced contract talks with the forward to fend off the interest from United and others. Indeed, Arsenal also joined the Red Devils in making an enquiry, but it seems the playmaker has made his mind up and will stay put for the forseeable future.

Diaz, who has been dubbed an “astonishing” talent by journalist Mina Rzouki, has been at Real Madrid since January 2019, when he joined the club from United’s arch-rivals Manchester City. The Morocco international has had two separate spells on loan at AC Milan since moving to Spain, but in the last two seasons he has become an important member of the Real Madrid squad.

Apps

117

Goals

20

Assists

19

Last season, Diaz played 31 times in La Liga, as well as 11 times in the Champions League. The Red Devils would have seen Diaz as a perfect player who could play in the wide number 10 role, a position Amorim is trying to improve in before pre-season gets underway.

Ahead of a summer full of potential sales, Aston Villa could now lose one of Unai Emery’s most important players to Barcelona amid reports that he’s now ready to leave the club.

Why Aston Villa may need to sell

After the Premier League received a glimpse of their potential troubles when they sold Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in the January transfer window, Aston Villa could be in for a long summer. Failure to qualify for the Champions League would particularly exacerbate their PSR problems to the stage that they may be left with no choice but to sell once again.

Many have had their say on the potential problems that Aston Villa face this summer and former Villans chief Keith Wyness, who now runs a football consultancy which advises top clubs, has been among those.

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Wyness recently told Football Insider: “The issue with PSR is not surprising. They’ve been sailing close to the wind. It’s only been the cleverness of Monchi and the recruitment team which have got them out of trouble so far.

“They’re going to have to do it again. It may be a player sold that the Villa fans are not happy about. That’s where the value will be. When you look at what Emery has done with squad strengthening, the fans will forgive him and allow him to get the resources to go ahead in the market – and meet PSR.”

Just who heads for the exit door with that said is now the big question. Emery’s squad is one filled with talent, there’s no doubt about that, but whether the Spaniard will help open the door for the likes of Ollie Watkins or Morgan Rogers to leave remains to be seen this summer. Instead, it could be another Aston Villa who heads for a summer exit.

Barcelona plotting move to sign Aston Villa star Emiliano Martinez

According to reports in Spain, Barcelona are now targeting a move to sign Emiliano Martinez, who is ready to leave Aston Villa for a ‘bigger club’ when the summer transfer window arrives.

The Argentine shot-stopper has rebuilt his career at Villa Park over the years and become one of the best in the world in his position – winning the Yashin Trophy twice. Now, however, with Barcelona calling, the 32-year-old could be set to depart.

What certainly shouldn’t be seen as a positive sign over his future for those at Villa Park is just how emotional Martinez looked following his final home game of the season. The former Arsenal man even looked to be waving a tearful goodbye to the fans.

A player who was praised for an “incredible” save by legend Alessandro del Piero in Aston Villa’s 0-0 draw against Juventus earlier this season, Martinez would be an undeniable loss for those in the Midlands.

Whisper it quietly near Elland Road, but Leeds United’s narrow 2-1 victory over Preston North End on Saturday could be the pivotal result that spurs the Whites to finally break out of the Championship.

After all, with Sheffield United losing in dramatic fashion to Plymouth Argyle at the same time Leeds secured this golden win, Daniel Farke’s men are now five points clear of the Blades who occupy third spot, with Leeds and Burnley potentially pushing away in high-stakes contests to come.

Of course, nothing is set in stone in such an unpredictable and fast-paced division, but Jayden Bogle’s winner against Paul Heckingbottom’s visitors might well become a memorable moment to savour down the line, as the ex-Blades defender continues to rub salt into the Bramall Lane wound.

Bogle's performance in numbers vs Preston

Bogle really has been a standout performer in West Yorkshire ever since he darted across from Sheffield to join Farke’s ranks, with the attack-minded full-back in amongst the goals once more versus Preston.

Manor Solomon had initially gifted the hosts a breakneck lead after just four minutes with a sumptuous curled effort, but the bold away side would unfortunately fight back to instantly level the hectic affair.

Amazingly, this wouldn’t prove to be a long-lasting setback for Farke and Co, however, with the aforementioned Bogle powerfully heading home this effort after Solomon’s cross.

It was certainly a full-throttle showing from Bogle during the lunchtime kick-off, with the 24-year-old finishing the 2-1 win by amassing two key passes and winning five duels, away from being the crucial difference-maker for the table-toppers.

Farke would have been thanking his lucky stars at the end that his £5m man had his shooting boots on, largely due to one below-par attacker in particular.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

5/10 Leeds star must now be dropped

On another afternoon, Leeds would have cruised to a far more comprehensive win, considering the automatic promotion hopefuls tallied up a hefty 20 shots in total.

But, the three points were clinched in a far more cautious fashion instead, with Joel Piroe constantly fluffing his lines as the home side’s main marksman.

Piroe’s performance in numbers
Minutes played	90
Goals scored	0
Assists	0
Expected goals (xG)	1.50 xG
Shots	7
Big chances missed	2
Touches	50
Accurate passes	27/34 (79%)
Possession lost	11x
Successful dribbles	0/2
Total duels won	4/12
Stats by Sofascore

Looking at the table above, it’s clear that Piroe had a notable off-day in front of the goal to the detriment of his usually free-flowing side, with the Dutchman disappointingly missing two big chances from his seven shots on the busy Preston net.

Moreover, there is a further argument to drop Piroe for crunch games moving forward based on his lackadaiscal approach on the ball, seen in the dire fact the Whites number ten lost the ball a worrying every 4 and a half touches during the 2-1 victory.

Piroe has shown off his deadly edge this season away from this shoddy display – with the 6 foot 1 attacker actually Leeds’ top scorer in the Championship with a bumper 15 goals – but he is now without a strike in league action since the tail-end of February, meaning a change in personnel up top might now be necessary.

Given a low 5/10 rating post-match by Yorkshire Evening Post journalist Graham Smyth, who stated that his ineffective performance in the attacking areas could have ‘easily’ cost his side a win on another day, Farke might now be willing to chuck Mateo Joseph into his XI in games to come ahead of the ex-Swansea City underperformer.

After all, the German has already seen last-minute calls such as these can work with Karl Darlow now in between the sticks ahead of an error-prone Illan Meslier, meaning Piroe might be the next dismal figure on the chopping block.

Leeds set to join race for "fantastic" star likened to Jobe Bellingham

He’s a man in demand…

By
Tom Cunningham

Apr 11, 2025

Three things hurt India considerably in the three-match spin-fest at the Premadasa: their luck at the toss, their execution of the sweep, and their resource deployment

Sidharth Monga09-Aug-2024India have just lost an ODI series in what can objectively be termed pretty extreme conditions. In no bilateral ODI series of three matches or fewer have so many wickets fallen to spin: 43 out of 54, which also includes three run-outs, leaving just eight for the quicks. Only once has more spin been employed in a three-match ODI series, back in 1997-98 when Zimbabwe toured Sri Lanka.ESPNcricinfo LtdHaving not won an ODI series against India since 1997, having lost the T20Is 3-0, Sri Lanka took a calculated risk. They were missing a handful of their first-choice quicks because of injuries, and did what they needed to do to make the ODIs competitive. They prepared pitches that would offer appreciable turn and natural variation to spin bowlers, and enjoyed a bit of luck in winning all three tosses and getting the best of batting conditions.At any other venue, batting first in a day-night game is fraught with danger because dew can handicap spinners in the evening, but this is where the R Premedasa Stadium’s history is worth knowing. There was a time not long ago when it used to be impossible to chase in day-night matches at this venue, dew or no dew. The stadium was built in low-lying marshy land, and the underlying moisture would come up to the surface of the pitch in the evening, giving fast bowlers a significant advantage.Related

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In the decade before the 2011 World Cup, 32 of the 45 day-night matches at the Premadasa were won by sides winning the toss. Before that World Cup, though, the playing surface was raised by three-and-a-half feet, and it did the trick. Sri Lanka chased successfully in their quarter-final and semi-final. The relevance of this history lesson now is that if you make a dry track, you need not worry about it getting better to bat on with the evening moisture or dew playing a significant role.Sri Lanka got their strategy right, had the rub of the green, and bowled superbly despite India getting off to three quick starts, thanks almost exclusively to Rohit Sharma, and defeated a side that had gone unbeaten through last year’s World Cup before the final, and one that had been dominating Sri Lanka in recent years.ESPNcricinfo LtdWe don’t have the HawkEye data to back it up, but the commentators suggested that it turned more and more as the matches progressed, and it does bear out in the batters’ output against spin. However, there seems to have been a clear difference between the sides in terms of approach. Sri Lanka seemed to be more conservative against spin while India looked to attack them more. It gave India a slightly better scoring rate but hurt them significantly with the wickets lost.In his analysis of his team’s batting, Rohit made an interesting point. He said India didn’t play the sweep shot as often or as well as Sri Lanka did. His observation was spot-on on both counts. Not only did Sri Lanka employ the various varieties of sweep more often, they also fared much better when they did. There is a good reason why India didn’t try it as often: they a lost a wicket on every fifth attempt.ESPNcricinfo LtdIf played well, the sweep brings more than just the immediate runs scored. It makes the fielding captain defend more areas of the field, opening up spaces elsewhere. That is particularly true if you play the reverse-sweep well. The threat of the reverse-sweep can force captains to deploy a deep point and open up the extra-cover region. It also messes with the spinners’ length.Historically, India haven’t been the greatest of sweepers. Improving on all kinds of sweep was the endeavour when Rahul Dravid and Rohit led the side. As with all things, there is a delicate balance: you improve on this new shot but don’t disregard your traditional strength, which is to get to the pitch of the ball or go right back. That India weren’t excellent on that front in this series is something that will concern them, especially Virat Kohli, who was twice caught on the front foot without getting anywhere close to the ball, giving him little chance to recover against the ball that didn’t turn.ESPNcricinfo LtdThese numbers don’t automatically make India a poor team against spin. Over the same period since 2019, India have the best average against spin in ODIs and only England and South Africa have scored quicker than them. Nor do those numbers necessarily make them the best batting unit against spin. It probably suggests that when there is appreciable assistance for spinners, India perhaps don’t do enough to force the opposition bowlers out of their comfort zones. This is something Rohit has said India will continue to work on.The one other thing that stood about India’s series loss was their less-than-optimal use of bowling resources. Even that possibly came down to their obsession with keeping a seam-bowling allrounder ready should Hardik Pandya not be available. That is possibly why they persisted with Shivam Dube through the series when the conditions called for a spin-bowling allrounder in Riyan Parag. Sri Lanka’s spinners, then, not only fared better but also bowled a lot more than India’s: 81.1% of their team’s overs to India’s 65.3. Some of this might have been down to there being more assistance for spinners in the second innings but the make-up of India’s XI perhaps also had something to do with their willingness to pay a short-term price for what they believe is a long-term pursuit.

The Nagpur Test against Australia was the most recent example of India’s lower-order scoring invaluable runs to win the game

Karthik Krishnaswamy13-Feb-20232:58

Chopra: Jadeja currently the best Test allrounder in the world

For two-thirds of the second day of the Nagpur Test, Australia seemed to channel the spirit of India’s bowlers from the Bengaluru Test of 2017.In Bengaluru, India had been bowled out for 189 on day one and by stumps had slipped further, by allowing Australia to get away to a strong start. Then they had regrouped and turned in a bowling display of remarkable discipline to begin the process that culminated in one of India’s greatest-ever comeback wins.In Nagpur, Australia were bowled out for 177 on day one, and by stumps had bowled loosely and let India’s top order get away to a quick start. Then they regrouped at the start of day two, tightened their lines and lengths, and chipped away at the wickets.Related

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In Bengaluru, India reduced Australia to 269 for 7. In Nagpur, Australia did even better, reducing India to 240 for 7.At this point, the trajectories of the two Test matches, so tightly entwined this far, decided to go their separate ways. In Bengaluru, India bowled Australia out for 276. In Nagpur, Australia ran into Ravindra Jadeja and Axar Patel.If this were a videogame, India had keyed in their cheat code.Jadeja and Axar put on 88. In home Tests since the start of 2021, it was India’s 11th partnership of 50 or more for the seventh wicket or below. Axar and Mohammed Shami would then go on to make it 12, adding 52 for the ninth wicket.In this time, no other team has had nearly as many 50-plus lower-order stands at home as India, with England and Pakistan a distant second with eight each. Four of India’s 12 50-plus lower-order stands, meanwhile, have gone on to breach the century mark. Only one other team, Sri Lanka, has had as many as two.Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja added 88 for the eighth wicket in Nagpur•BCCIThe most remarkable thing about India’s lower-order interventions in home Tests is how frequent they’ve been. The 50-plus stands have come at the rate of nearly one every four partnerships; New Zealand are next best, with one in 7.33 partnerships adding 50 or more.It’s always been a facet of home advantage in Test cricket that the lower orders of home teams tend to perform better than those of the visiting team. Lower-order batters tend not to have all-weather techniques, and they are likelier as a result to contribute with runs and stickability in familiar conditions. At home, moreover, they face bowling attacks who are less suited to the conditions than the home attack.Over their decade of dominance at home, India have almost always had strong lower orders. Jadeja, R Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha, for instance, were heavy contributors to their four series wins in the 13-Test 2016-17 season. Australia will remember Saha’s century in Ranchi, where he and Cheteshwar Pujara turned a situation of parity into one of overwhelming Indian dominance, and the Saha-Jadeja partnership in Dharamsala that put India’s noses ahead in a tense struggle for the first-innings spoils.Since the start of the home Test series against England in early 2021, however, India’s lower order has gone to another level in home Tests. Jadeja sat out that series with an injury, but Axar made his debut, and Washington Sundar, who had made two key lower-order contributions in his debut Test just before this series, at the Gabba, also featured.India profited from five 50-plus lower-order stands in that series, and four of them stretched to 80 or beyond. Washington and Ashwin were involved in three each, and Axar in one, an eighth-wicket century stand in Ahmedabad.Axar’s lethal bowling in that series turned him into a near-certain pick in home Tests. With Axar joining Jadeja and Ashwin, India now had three frontline spinners who were also genuine allrounders in home conditions, with one of them, Jadeja, a genuine allrounder anywhere in the world.This meant India could pick all three in nearly every home Test without worrying about their batting, and still play two fast bowlers.R Ashwin has five Test hundreds•BCCISince the start of 2021, India’s spin-bowling allrounders have terrific records at home. Washington and Jadeja average over 60 – they’ve played only three and four home Tests in this period, respectively – Axar 31.22, and Ashwin 28.38.This has made winning in India, already the hardest task for away teams in Test cricket, even harder.As Nagpur showed, lower-order contributions have knock-on effects that go beyond just runs added. From seven down, India added 160 runs to their total, and extended their innings by 56.2 overs.All those extra overs of wear and tear meant Australia batted on a more challenging pitch than they would have if they’d run through India’s lower order quickly. All those extra overs in the field meant Australia’s batters played on a more challenging pitch with tired legs and tired minds.Over the course of a four-Test series, all those extra overs bowled are extra workloads for bowlers to recover from. Australia played a four-man attack in Nagpur, and they may have to do so again in Delhi if Cameron Green isn’t fully fit to perform his all-round duties.All the lower-order contributions have had another effect too – they’ve moved the spotlight away from India’s top-order issues. Since the start of 2021, both Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli have home averages in the 20s, and have looked far less assured against spin than they did in their pomp. KL Rahul’s only played one Test in this period, but he’s facing scrutiny over his form too. Their two most consistent middle-order contributors in home conditions in recent months, Rishabh Pant and Shreyas Iyer, both missed the Nagpur Test with injury. Pant is out for the entire series, and possibly the rest of the year too, and it isn’t yet certain if Iyer will return to play in Delhi.This piece could have been talking about all that. But it isn’t, because India have a cheat code in home Tests.

He’s happy being a spinner who doesn’t spin the ball and he’s ferocious when he gets a chance to bat

Alagappan Muthu04-Oct-20202:15

Moody: Can’t win by scoring just 19 boundaries in Sharjah

David Warner is set. It has taken him a while to get here. But finally, he is hitting a cricket ball so hard you wince watching it all happen.Imagine what it would take to beat him. To confound him to such an extent that he is bent over at the crease, held up by his bat, all of his power made totally redundant.This was a wide yorker of the finest quality. It had pace. It was accurate. And, best of all, it was the last thing the batsman expected… because it was bowled by a spinner.Krunal Pandya punched the air with a real sense of purpose. He had given away only nine runs in the over, the 15th of the innings, and he had taken a wicket, leaving the Sunrisers with an improbable task: 70 to win off only 30 balls – 12 of which would be shot out of the cannon that Jasprit Bumrah calls a right hand.Mumbai owed a lot of their victory on Sunday to Krunal. In fact, according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats, he had the greatest influence on the outcome of the match among his team-mates. In simple terms, his efforts mattered more than any other Mumbai player’s, and remember this iis a line-up that features T20 royalty.Krunal Pandya’s all-round show helped Mumbai Indians to their third win of IPL 2020•ESPNcricinfo LtdKrunal began his spell in the powerplay, where only two fielders are allowed on the boundary, which in Sharjah is barely 70m. He also had to deal with bowling into the hitting arc of the left-handed Warner. All of this points to a high degree of difficulty that the bowler has to negotiate and Krunal did beautifully. Dude hit four boundaries off four balls, but gave away only three in 24.And he’ll have to finish his full quota more often than not because there is no other option. Mumbai – or even India for that matter – can’t afford to rush Hardik Pandya into bowling after his back injury. The international players will be off on their tour of Australia immediately after the IPL. They can’t afford to go without their premier allrounder again.So Krunal is adapting to his new role. He only wobbles the ball now because he knows his pace (often exceeding 100kph) and his accuracy are his best bets to making a batsman hit where he wants. Krunal is so invested in this that he even experimented with a round-arm action to mess with Warner’s bat-swing. Anything to gain an edge.Krunal Pandya slammed two sixes and two fours in his four-ball innings•BCCIKrunal’s bowling showcased intelligence and clarity of thought. But there is a bit of anarchy in it as well. He’s happy being a spinner who doesn’t actually spin the ball. There was anarchy in his batting as well. Pure, pulse-pounding anarchy.In most of Mumbai’s matches, shots of their dugout late in the innings would reveal him in full gear and with a fearsome expression. He wanted in. He was ready to take on the world’s best death bowlers and put them into the stands. He had extra incentive to do that in Sharjah.Siddharth Kaul had just mercilessly yorked his little brother Hardik. You don’t mess with family like that. And so, big brother took strike, in his crease, his knees bent, his body in a crouch and set to spring on anything loose. Like a length ball. Krunal made it disappear over long-on. The strike was so pure that even cameraman lost track of the ball. This routine continued as Mumbai shot from 187 to 208 in the space of four balls – 6, 4, 4, 6.No batsman who has got to face at least two balls after having walked into bat in the 20th over in the IPL, has struck at a higher rate than Krunal’s 500 (FIVE HUNDRED!). Suddenly it wasn’t so clear which of the Mumbai siblings was the biggest six hitter. The question had to be put to Krunal at the press conference and, with a giant smile on his face, which then turned to out and out laughter, he simply said. “I’ll say [both] Pandyas are the biggest six-hitters.”IPL, you’ve been warned.

He last played for the team 21 years ago, but former Boston Red Sox pitcher-turned-TBS analyst Pedro Martinez remains a prominent voice in the team's sprawling media landscape.

When Martinez weighed in on the Red Sox's still-stunning trade of designated hitter Rafael Devers to the San Francisco Giants, Boston's fans took notice. The Hall of Fame pitcher mounted a fierce defense of Devers amid recent reporting that painted a picture of a divided Red Sox organization.

"I was shocked (when I heard about the deal), because if you try to sell to me, knowing Raffy Devers, that Raffy is a bad teammate or he's not a team player, you're lying," Martinez said. "You're gonna tell me he's a bad influence in the clubhouse? He's not."

The Devers trade has embarrassed Boston's front office amid an up-and-down year (and decade). The Red Sox traded Devers despite what has become an 8-2 record in their last 10 games, and the team has made the playoffs once since winning the 2018 World Series.

"The thing they mishandled from the get-go… this should've been in the hands of baseball people, not front-office people," Martinez said. "Not leaking it to the media. Not having a back-and-forth with the media, and (manager) Alex (Cora), and (president) Sam Kennedy, and (general manager Craig) Breslow."