Arsenal’s transfer train shows no sign of stopping anytime soon.

Mikel Arteta’s side have burst into life in the last few weeks, and following the signings of Martin Zubimendi and Kepa Arrizabalaga for a combined fee of £65m, they’ve announced the arrival of Christian Norgaard.

The Danish international has joined the Gunners from West London outfit Brentford for a fee of £15m including add-ons, and looks unlikely to be the only Scandinavian to move to the Emirates this summer, as talks for Viktor Gyokeres are said to be advanced.

However, while there is a lot to be excited about, some problems may also be brewing, with Arsenal closing in on a Premier League signing, which could be bad news for Ethan Nwaneri.

Arsenal target more Premier League stars

With the Gunners desperate to finally get over the line next season and win the Premier League, it makes sense for them to be targeting stars from the competition.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

One of the names most heavily touted for a move to the club is Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze, who’s reportedly already been subject to a £45m bid from the Gunners.

It’s not hard to understand why Arteta and Co would be so keen to sign the England international, as he fired the Eagles to FA Cup glory last season and racked up a tally of 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances.

However, while signing the former QPR star appears to be something of a fan-pleasing no-brainer, the same cannot necessarily be said about the deal for Noni Madueke.

Yes, according to a recent report from Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenberg, Arsenal are continuing in their quest to sign yet another Chelsea ace.

The reporter has revealed that a verbal agreement has been reached, and talks are proceeding according to plan between the two clubs. At the same time, the winger is awaiting an official agreement before undergoing his medical.

In terms of how much the 23-year-old is set to cost the Gunners, transfers expert Fabrizio Romano reported yesterday afternoon that they had made an official offer worth around £50m.

This is unlikely to be a popular deal among the Arsenal faithful, as while Madueke is a talented player, his arrival could be bad news for Nwaneri.

Why Madueke could be bad news for Nwaneri

While we can’t know exactly what is going on behind closed doors, much of the talk around Nwaneri over the last week or so has focused on the negotiations surrounding a new deal, which have supposedly not gone as well as Arsenal would have liked.

The reason given for this has more often than not been down to him asking for guarantees around game time, and this is the main reason Madueke’s arrival could be bad news for him.

For example, even though the Chelsea star is left-footed, he is first and foremost a right-winger and considering the offer the Gunners have already made for him, he’d likely become the first backup for Bukayo Saka.

Therefore, with just one signing, the Hale End prospect could see his minutes decimated, as while he can play in midfield, his most played position last season was right wing, and it wasn’t even close.

Finally, even though some fans may not be happy with the club signing yet another Chelsea player, there are elements to the Barnet-born winger’s game that could explain the Gunners’ interest and why he’d likely start ahead of the 18-year-old.

Madueke’s FBref scout report
Statistics	Per 90	Percentile
Progressive Carries	6.82	Top 1%
Carries into Penalty Area	4.12	Top 1%
GCA (Defensive Action)	0.04	Top 4%
Touches (Att Pen)	8.15	Top 4%
Non-Penalty xG	0.43	Top 6%
Shots Total	3.54	Top 7%
Progressive Carrying Distance	154.28	Top 7%
Shots on Target	1.33	Top 8%
All Stats via FBref

For example, FBref ranked him in the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues for progressive carries and carries into the penalty area, while also ranking him in the top 7% for total progressive carrying distance, all per 90.

These statistics help to demonstrate that the “fearless” phenom, as dubbed by U23 scout Antonio Mango, is a carrying machine.

Add to that the fact he scored ten goals and provided five assists in 2305 minutes of action across the Premier League and Conference League proper last term, and it’s easy to see how he could be useful for Arteta and Co.

Ultimately, while large sections of the fan base might not be on board with this signing, Madueke would likely add more quality to the squad; however, his arrival could come at Nwaneri’s expense.

Saka's dream CAM: Arsenal submit bid for £45m superstar & it's not Madueke

The experienced international could be a game-changer for Arsenal and Bukayo Saka.

1

By
Jack Salveson Holmes

Jul 10, 2025

Leeds United have made contact over the signing of an attacking player who is admired by none other than legendary striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, according to a new transfer update.

Leeds suffer Paixao transfer blow

There is still plenty of time for the Whites to get some important business over the line this summer, but they have suffered one big blow ahead of their Premier League return next month.

Primary transfer target Igor Paixao has reportedly chosen to move from Feyenoord to Marseille, rather than join Leeds, meaning Daniel Farke will now have to turn his attention to other attacking options instead.

It’s now a case of the Whites finding an ideal alternative option to Paixao, as well as strengthening in other positions, with Galatasaray midfielder Gabriel Sara mentioned as a strong addition to come in and bolster Farke’s depth in the middle of the park.

Now, another name has been thrown into the mix for Leeds, as they look to perfect their squad before the Premier League opener at home to Everton on August 18th.

Leeds make contact over Sottil signing

According to a new report from TuttoMercatoWeb [via Sport Witness], Leeds and Farke have made contact with Fiorentina about signing winger Riccardo Sottil this summer. Serie A side Torino are also pushing hard to snap up the 26-year-old, however, potentially bringing him in on loan with an option to buy him permanently next year.

Sotill has the quality to be a big hit for Leeds, with Ibrahimovic, who serves in an advisory role for AC Milan, even speaking of his admiration when the winger was on loan there last season.

“Sottil always looks for one-on-one situations, can play on both wings, is young, and has room to grow. Our job is to help them become even stronger.”

Sottil has 15 goals and assists apiece in 138 appearances for Fiorentina, while three goals in 12 caps for Italy’s Under-21s shows that he has been a highly-rated figure since his younger days.

Better signing than Paixao: Leeds in hunt to sign "exceptional" £30m star

Leeds United are reportedly in the hunt to sign an attacking midfielder who would be a better signing than Igor Paixao.

1 ByDan Emery Jul 29, 2025

The Italian was even in the top 1% of dribblers last season when compared with positional peers in the big five leagues, further highlighting his attacking ability. He could get Leeds supporters out of their seats next term and beyond.

Tom Latham and Rachin Ravindra trust in their team’s ability to adapt but don’t want to go into the game with “too many preconceived ideas”

Deivarayan Muthu23-Oct-20241:08

Manjrekar: Rank turner will be an acid test for New Zealand

New Zealand have played down all the talk around the Pune pitch – a slow, dry, black-soil surface is in the works – but if conditions turn out to be extreme and the ball turns square from the first day, it could favour the visitors’ spinners too. This is the assessment of their captain Tom Latham on the eve of the second Test against India at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium.”I guess whatever we’re presented with, it’s about, for us, trying to adapt as quick as we can; that’s something that we can’t control with the wicket,” Latham said. “So it’s about trying to go out there and adapt as quick as we can, and if it’s going to be a wicket that turns a little bit more, then we’ve obviously got four spinners in our line-up, so fingers crossed that will play into their hands, but yeah, as I said, it’s about trying to adapt on the run, and try not to go into the game with too many preconceived ideas.”Allrounder Rachin Ravindra, who is among New Zealand’s spin options, agreed with his captain. When Pune had served up a sharp turner in 2017, it had backfired on India, with left-arm fingerspinner Steve O’Keefe spinning Australia to victory inside three days. O’Keefe took 12 wickets, which was as many as R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja combined.Related

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“If it’s an extreme wicket, it almost brings us into the game more,” Ravindra said. “If you win the toss, all of a sudden you take a couple of wickets and you’re right into the game on a wicket that’s pretty spicy and turns a lot. As a team, it’s about accepting what’s in front of us. We can’t change that. We can’t control what wicket they’re going to roll out.”But we can control our attitude, how we approach it, and each and every position we get into with the bat or consistency with the ball. We’re excited for the challenge, whatever it may be.”New Zealand had picked three spinners for the first Test in Bengaluru, but didn’t need any of them with the ball in the first innings in seaming conditions. Their workload, however, could be much heavier across both innings in Pune. New Zealand are also open to selecting an extra spinner in place of a seamer if the conditions dictate the need for it. Offspin-bowling allrounder Michael Bracewell has returned home for the birth of his second child, but they have other options in Mitchell Santner (left-arm fingerspinner) and Ish Sodhi (wristspinner).Rohit Sharma and Tom Latham chat after Bengaluru Test•BCCI”Yeah, I obviously had a little bit of a think around what that [the playing XI] may look like, but we’ll make those final decisions after I speak to you guys, Latham said. “So yeah, as I said, it’s just about trying to make sure we adapt as best we can, and try to get a little bit of information from previous games here, and also the practice wickets that we’re on will hopefully be something around, or similar to what we’re getting, so I think that’s the beauty of our team, is trying not to go into the game with too many preconceived ideas, and trying to make sure we adapt as best we can.”Latham also looked back fondly on the success in Bengaluru – he became only the third New Zealander to captain the side to a Test win in India – but he quickly shifted the focus to Pune, where New Zealand hope to go one better and seal the series.”Yeah, obviously very special, I guess to be… there’s myself, Graham Dowling and John Wright, to be in this position is really special, Latham said. “But for me it was a team effort, it wasn’t just me that obviously contributed to the win, you know, the guys did a fantastic job, and obviously that was last week, we obviously celebrated what was a special performance.”But our attention turned quickly to this game, and we’re trying not to, I guess, rest on what happened last week, as trying to take the confidence from last week, and take that into this game, and hopefully hit the ground running.”

Jasprit Bumrah threatened to take a wicket every second delivery, but NZ eased their way to the target of 107

Sidharth Monga20-Oct-20242:01

Manjrekar: Rachin looking like one of the best overseas batters in India

The exhilarating Bengaluru Test got the climax it deserved, with New Zealand made to work hard to complete their first Test win in India in 36 years. Under overcast skies, the ball seamed around appreciably, Jasprit Bumrah threatened to take a wicket every second delivery, and the crowd appealed almost every ball, but New Zealand absorbed it all to ease their way to the target of 107 once things settled down a touch.Will Young was the calming influence after Bumrah got Tom Latham second ball of the day, but Devon Conway did his bit – jumping around, wearing blows on the body, but not playing loose shots. By the time Bumrah finally got Conway for 17 off 39 balls, he was at the fag end of his spell and New Zealand had scored 35 already. The fielders did their bit, having saved at least 11 runs by then.But once again India’s misreading of the pitch came back to hurt them. They didn’t have a third seamer to exploit the conditions, and Young and Rachin Ravindra knocked off the remaining runs with relative ease.4:44

Rohit: ‘Except the first two-three hours, we played very good Test cricket’

While Bumrah bowled, though, you struggled to see where the next run would come from. He drew 22 false shots in eight overs, consistently drawing movement off the surface. Latham might have thought he had the accurate inswinger covered, but the ball pitched and nipped in even further to get him. Conway thought he had the angle covered from around the wicket, but this one swung after pitching, beginning to change its path halfway between pitching and reaching Conway, beating the outside edge and trapping him in front.Bumrah was in his seventh over now, and Ravindra, the first-innings centurion, all but sealed the deal when he got two boundaries off the first three balls he faced. He steered the first one behind square, and then got the rare loose ball from Bumrah – a full one on the pads.Young then paddled and punched Ravindra Jadeja for boundaries in his first over to get the package ready. Not trusting the Bengaluru weather to hold up after lunch, the two batters attacked the spinners to put a nice little bow on the top. Young’s drop-kicked six off Kuldeep Yadav was even Mark Waugh-like.India made a remarkable comeback from being bowled out for 46 in the first innings, but in the end, New Zealand hung in long enough to seal only their third Test win in India and their first since 1988.

حددت الجهات الأمنية، عدد جماهير مباراة منتخب مصر أمام نظيره غينيا بيساو، ضمن التصفيات المؤهلة لبطولة كأس العالم 2026 في الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وكندا والمكسيك.

ويلتقي منتخب مصر، مع غينيا بيسارو، ضمن منافسات الجولة الأخيرة من التصفيات الإفريقية المؤهلة إلى كأس العالم 2026 على استاد القاهرة يوم 12 أكتوبر المقبل.

طالع.. حكم مباراة منتخب مصر وجيبوتي في تصفيات كأس العالم 2026

وعلم بطولات من مصادر خاصة، أن اتحاد الكرة تلقى خطابًا رسميًا من الاتحاد الإفريقي لكرة القدم بشأن إقامة المباراة يوم الثاني عشر من أكتوبر على استاد القاهرة.

وحصل اتحاد الكرة على موافقة مبدئية من الجهات الأمنية لحضور 50 ألف مشجع في مواجهة مصر وعينيا بيساو.

وينتظر اتحاد الكرة، التأهل إلى كأس العالم خلال مباراة جيبوتي المقبلة يوم 8 أكتوبر في المغرب حيث يحتاج الفراعنة الفوز للتأهل رسميًا.

Brazilian coach Abel Braga is bothered by Carlo Ancelotti's nationality and has claimed the Italian won't win the World Cup with the Selecao.

Braga targets Ancelotti ahead of Bolivia gameManager bothered by Italian's nationalityBrazil yet to lose under former Real Madrid bossFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Experienced Brazilian manager Braga has been critical of Ancelotti's appointment, casting doubts over his suitability to the role because of his nationality. While the 73-year-old agreed that the team have shown improvement under the Italian's mentorship, he feels a foreign coach cannot be as committed to the cause as one from Brazil. 

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After Real Madrid relieved him of his duties in the summer, Brazil appointed Ancelotti as coach Dorival Junior's replacement. While his tenure had a rough start as they drew 0-0 with Ecuador in June, they bounced back with a narrow win against Paraguay and saw further improvements last week as they ousted Chile 3-0. With Brazil now second in the World Cup qualifying table, Braga acknowledged their progress under the new boss, but admitted that Ancelotti being Italian "bothers" him.

WHAT BRAGA SAID

Braga said to : "It bothers me. I'm not talking about the quality of the person; everyone who knows him personally says he's very good. It's just that when you open his jacket, his skin isn't green and yellow. The five world titles were won by Brazilians, so there's a certain sadness, because no one believes in the Brazilian coach. The results are the same at clubs. Ancelotti's first game was ugly, terrible, the team nervous, sitting back. I was surprised to see the comments the next day. They didn't talk about the performance; they said Brazil was closer to the World Cup. If it had been Dorival or Diniz, it wouldn't have happened like that; there would have been criticism all the time. Since there was such relief from the press, that carried over to the other games."

He further commented about Ancelotti failing to deliver the World Cup in 2026: "I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think he'll be a world champion. We'll have to wait a little longer. That other generation, with Endrick, Estevao, those guys are going to conquer. They're all outstanding."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR BRAZIL?

Brazil will play their next qualifier against Bolivia today. They currently sit second in the standings, 10 points behind Argentina.

England vs Scotland

Sharjah, 2pm local timeEngland squad: Heather Knight (capt), Lauren Bell, Maia Bouchier, Alice Capsey, Charlie Dean, Sophia Dunkley, Sophie Ecclestone, Danielle Gibson, Sarah Glenn, Bess Heath, Amy Jones (wk), Freya Kemp, Nat Sciver-Brunt, Linsey Smith, Danni WyattScotland squad: Kathryn Bryce (capt), Chloe Abel, Abbi Aitken-Drummond, Olivia Bell, Sarah Bryce (wk), Darcey Carter, Priyanaz Chatterji, Katherine Fraser, Saskia Horley, Lorna Jack, Ailsa Lister, Abtaha Maqsood, Megan McColl, Hannah Rainey, Rachel SlaterTournament form guide: England have won both matches they’ve played so far – against Bangladesh and South Africa – while Scotland are coming into the match having lost all three of their games.News brief: These teams will be facing each other for the first time in T20Is. England are coming into this match after a gap of five days, having last played against South Africa on Monday.Scotland are out of the semi-final race. The Group B table has three teams – England, West Indies and South Africa – still in contention for the semi-final, with England having the lowest net run rate among them. England will be looking to improve their NRR with a big win.”There was a little bit of illness at one point but I think hopefully everyone will be available,” England captain Heather Knight said of player availability ahead of the match.This will also be Scotland wicketkeeper-batter Lorna Jack-Brown’s last international match.Player to watch: Danni Wyatt-Hodge has been solid at top of the order for England. Chasing a tricky target of 125 on a slow Sharjah pitch, with left-arm spinners bowling from both ends, she dropped anchor after the early loss of Maia Bouchier and stitched a 64-run stand with Nat Sciver-Brunt. She finished with 43 in as many balls, which followed her Player-of-the-Match performance of 41 against Bangladesh.Harmanpreet Kaur’s 52 took India to a win against Sri Lanka•ICC via Getty Images

Australia vs India

Sharjah, 6pm local timeAustralia squad: Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), Darcie Brown, Ashleigh Gardner, Kim Garth, Grace Harris, Alana King, Phoebe Litchfield, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Annabel Sutherland, Tayla Vlaeminck, Georgia WarehamIndia squad: Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), Smriti Mandhana (vice-capt), Yastika Bhatia (wk), Shafali Verma, Deepti Sharma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Richa Ghosh (wk), Pooja Vastrakar, Arundhati Reddy, Renuka Singh, D Hemalatha, Asha Sobhana, Radha Yadav, Shreyanka Patil, S SajanaTournament form guide: Australia have three wins in three matches and are coming into this contest having comprehensively beaten Pakistan. With that win, they also all but sealed a semi-final spot thanks to their net run rate of 2.786. India have two wins in three games. In their previous match, they posted the highest total of the tournament so far – 172 for 3 – and in return bundled Sri Lanka out for 90 to post their biggest win by runs at the T20 World Cup.Related

• India flex their muscle in prelude to high-voltage Australia clash

• What do New Zealand need to qualify for the semi-finals?

• Lorna Jack-Brown, Scotland cricketer and crime fighter

• Alyssa Healy feels pain as Australia face World Cup depth test

• Vlaeminck dislocates shoulder on T20 World Cup return

News brief: Australia have major injury concerns heading into the crucial clash. Just four balls into the match against Pakistan, Tayla Vlaeminck was out with a right shoulder dislocation. To make things worse, captain Alyssa Healy suffered “an acute right foot injury” while batting on 37 as she hobbled off the field with Australia needing 14 runs to win. Both players went for scans on Saturday.India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who had hurt her neck in the match against Pakistan, turned up with a pain-relief patch on the right side of her neck during the Sri Lanka match. She also didn’t take the field during the chase. Fast bowler Pooja Vastrakar bowled full-tilt before the Sri Lanka game but didn’t play.India will want a big win against Australia. If they win by more than 61 runs, they will move ahead of Australia, thereby automatically qualifying for the semi-final. In a case where India win by fewer than 60 runs, they will hope New Zealand win by a very small margin against Pakistan on Monday. For instance, if India make 150 against Australia and win by exactly 10 runs, New Zealand need to beat Pakistan by 28 runs defending 150 to go ahead of India’s NRR. If India lose to Australia by more than 17 runs while chasing a target of 151, then New Zealand’s NRR will be ahead of India, even if Pakistan beat New Zealand by just 1 run while defending 150.Overall, India have won just eight out of 34 T20Is they’ve played against Australia. Two of those wins came in the group-stage games of previous T20 World Cups, in 2018 and 2020.Players to watch: Two of their best batters finding their form bodes well for India heading into the big game. Harmanpreet and Mandhana’s collaborative effort against Pakistan boosted India’s NRR with the semi-final race heating up. Mandhana, after a cautious start to her innings, changed gears and took on Sri Lanka’s spinners to make 50 off 38 balls. Harmanpreet, continuing from where she’d left against Pakistan, played a classic, hitting eight fours and a six on her way to a 27-ball 52. It was just what India needed to reinvigorate their T20 World Cup campaign.

In a summer full of additions, Glasgow Rangers reportedly approached a former Premier League winger with the chance to reunite with Ibrox boss Russell Martin earlier this summer.

Antman "ready" for Rangers move

The latest in a long line of Gers incomings came in the form of Oliver Antman earlier this week. The former Go Ahead Eagles winger has put pen to paper on a deal worth around £4m, according to reports, and has instantly set his sights on making an immediate impact.

Speaking to Rangers’ official website, the new winger said: “When I first heard Rangers were interested, I was excited because it is a huge club, and you don’t get these kinds of opportunities many times in your life. The last couple of days have been really busy and stressful but now I am ready to settle in.

“I am excited for tomorrow, the first match at Ibrox. I have heard it is a special place, but I haven’t even seen it yet, so I am excited for everything that is to come. “I have trained with Go Ahead Eagles now for over a month, I have had five training matches and also a 90-minute game, so I’m fully fit and ready.

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“I think Scottish football is going to be a lot more physical but that is definitely something I can learn. To play for Rangers you have to win every single game, that is expected. You cannot skip a game, every single game is a must win. I am expecting a lot of wins and a lot of good times.”

After scoring seven goals and assisting another 17 in impressive fashion last season, those at Ibrox should have high expectations for Antman from the very off.

In an alternate reality, however, those in Glasgow could be preparing to welcome a winger who has already worked with Martin in the past.

Rangers made contact to sign Djenepo

According to Africa Foot, Rangers made contact to sign Moussa Djenepo from Standard Liege earlier in the transfer window, approaching the winger over a summer switch. Ultimately, the deal didn’t progress, however, and the Gers have seemingly since turned towards Antman. But it is still worth pondering how much of an impact the former Southampton man could have made.

Interestingly, Djenepo is also a player that Martin is already familiar with. The winger appeared once for the Rangers boss during his time at Southampton before moving on to Standard Liege. Now, it seems as though the pair could have enjoyed a second chance to make up for lost time in the Scottish Premiership.

At just 27 years old, Djenepo is still very much capable of making his mark again. At his very best, former Southampton boss Ralph Hasenhuttl praised the Belgian for his “fantastic” work, as he starred in the Premier League for the Saints. Now looking to return to that level, reports suggest that Rangers and a reunion with Martin was an option for Djenepo this summer.

While they might not have spent the truly vast sums of money they have in windows past, Chelsea have still been busy in the market this summer.

As things stand, the Conference League champions’ standout signings are Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens, and they are set to secure the highly rated Jorrel Hato any day now.

However, for all the brilliant deals they’ve been able to get over the line, they had to watch Liverpool get their hands on the free-scoring Hugo Ekitiké, who was touted for a move to Stamford Bridge earlier in the window.

Fortunately, if reports are to be believed, the West Londoners could be closing in on a player who could be their own version of the French attacker.

Chelsea target their own Ekitike

Now, while plenty has already happened this summer, and it is often hard to keep track of every deal and rumour, it’s true that Chelsea were linked with Ekitike at several points towards the start of the window.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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However, with the Blues clearly focusing on other, more pressing targets, and likely not being quite as interested as some stories suggested they were, Liverpool stole a march on them and secured the Frenchman’s services for a fee of around £69m.

Interestingly, while the former Eintracht Frankfurt star is now obviously no longer available, the West Londoners do appear like they are closing in on another attacking gem who could be their version of him.

At least that is according to a recent report from German outlet Bild, which reaffirms Chelsea’s intense interest in the talented Xavi Simons.

The report goes a step further, revealing that the Blues have now reached a broad agreement on terms with the player himself, and while they’ve not made an official offer to RB Leipzig just yet, it’s believed the German outfit are holding out for a fee of €70m, which is about £61m.

It would be an expensive transfer to get over the line, but given Simons’ ability and potential, it would be worth it, especially as he could be their own Ekitike.

Why Simons could be Chelsea's own Ekitike

Now, the first thing to say is that while Simons is an incredibly versatile player and someone who has made a few appearances up top, he is not a centre-forward like Ekitike, but there are still several reasons the former could be Chelsea’s version of the latter.

Firstly, the young Dutchman would also be making his way to a ‘big six’ side in the Premier League from a Bundesliga side outside the traditional big two in Leipzig, similarly to how the Frenchman’s moving to Merseyside from Eintracht Frankfurt.

Second, both players are making their moves at similar ages, with the midfield maestro being just 22 and the exciting centre-forward just turning 23 years old.

The last somewhat surface-level similarity is the fact that both of them spent time playing for Paris Saint-Germain.

Simons joined the French side’s youth system in 2019 and then left and rejoined over the following years until his move to Leipzig was made permanent this January, while the new Liverpool star joined the Parisians in July 2022, and then left for Germany on a permanent deal two years later.

Finally, while the former PSV Eindhoven dynamo is unlikely to match the 22 goals in 48 games Ekitike scored last season at Stamford Bridge due to the position he tends to play in, he still has the ability to be an attacking tour de force, and could help flip games on their head for Maresca and Co.

For example, in just 33 appearances last season, totalling 2763 minutes, the Amsterdam-born “game-changer,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, scored 11 goals and provided eight assists.

Simons in 24/25

Appearances

33

Minutes

2763′

Goals

11

Assists

8

Goal Involvements per Match

0.57

Minutes per Goal Involvements

144′

All Stats via Transfermarkt

In other words, the sensational talent, who one analyst has dubbed “one of the best 10s in the world,” managed to average a goal involvement every 1.73 games, or every 144 minutes.

Ultimately, while it wouldn’t be cheap, Chelsea should be doing what they can to bring Simons to West London this summer, as he could add some real quality to their attack and be an answer to Ekitike.

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 1, 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.