After launching a late move to sign Marco Asensio, Aston Villa have reportedly agreed personal terms with another Ligue 1 star in a late transfer flurry for Unai Emery.

Aston Villa open talks to sign Asensio

They’ve left things late, but Aston Villa are finally moving in the summer transfer window. With a matter of days left until the window slams shut, the Villans have opened talks to sign Asensio from Paris Saint-Germain. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Midlands club are pushing to secure a permanent deal following the Spaniard’s successful loan spell in the second-half of last season.

By the time that his loan spell came to an end last season, Asensio had become a fan favourite and scored eight goals in 21 games in all competitions. As such, he was always likely to be a summer target for all involved at Villa Park who made the mistake of falling in love with a loan player.

Alongside Evann Guessand, the former Real Madrid gem would add some much-needed depth to Emery’s attack as deadline day approaches. There’s no denying that his arrival is one that Villa need, having drawn their opening game against Newcastle United 0-0 and then failing to score again in a 1-0 defeat against Brentford.

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After Asensio, they may not be done there, however. Rumours are continuing to emerge that Aston Villa are still targeting further reinforcements as they look to save what has otherwise been a summer to forget. And that has reportedly seen them turn towards another Ligue 1 star alongside Asensio.

Aston Villa agree personal terms with Mikautadze

As reported by French journalist Marc Mechenoua, Aston Villa have now agreed personal terms with Georges Mikautadze and are now in club-to-club negotiations with Lyon after submitting a €25m (£22m) offer. As talks continue, the Midlands club will be desperately hoping to reach a full agreement before Monday’s deadline.

If they can secure a deal worth £22m, meanwhile, then they’d be getting an absolute bargain. When compared to Ollie Watkins last season, Mikautadze more than kept pace – scoring 17 goals and assisting another 11, whilst the Englishman netted 17 himself and created 14 in all competitions.

Described as “electric” by analyst Ben Mattinson, Mikautadze is ready to take the Premier League by storm and potentially form an impressive partnership with Watkins. Welcoming both the Lyon man and Asensio before Monday’s deadline would be a true statement of intent from Aston Villa.

Manchester United legend Gary Neville has claimed one player is “not good enough” and part of a “massive problem” after the 3-0 defeat at the Etihad Stadium.

Man Utd fall to 14th after Manchester derby defeat

It was always going to be a difficult task for Man United to get something from Sunday’s game, but the manner of the defeat is likely to be particularly concerning, with Ruben Amorim’s side suffering a 3-0 defeat at the hands of bitter rivals Manchester City.

Speaking after the game, Paul Scholes suggested a simple lack of quality on United’s behalf was the difference between the two sides, with the club legend particularly critical of the midfield.

Scholes said: “I don’t think the quality is there. “Whatever two out of the four or five they have got in [midfield] – Casemiro, Bruno [Fernandes], [Kobbie] Mainoo – whatever combination he seems to try doesn’t seem to work.

“That’s a big issue. I thought all summer the absolute priority was a centre midfield player with legs, who can play and can control a game.”

With the Red Devils falling to 14th after the heavy defeat, Neville was also left unimpressed, and the former right-back singled out a midfielder for criticism on his podcast after the match (via GiveMeSport).

The Sky Sports pundit said: “The midfield is a massive problem, and we’ve known that. United fans know that. Ugarte And Fernandes today, I think you mentioned it early, about an hour before the game, that Ugarte and Fernandes played in this fixture last year from start to finish, and United won the game, but Ugarte is not good enough.”

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ByAngus Sinclair Sep 15, 2025 Ugarte fails to impress once again

Unfortunately for Amorim, Ugarte seems to be yet another player who has failed to adapt to life at Man United, despite exhibiting very promising signs before making the move to Old Trafford.

In fairness, the Uruguayan wasn’t one of the worst performers for Amorim’s side on Sunday, receiving a SofaScore match rating of 6.8, but he struggled to have any real impact on the match, being dribbled past on one occasion and losing possession eight times.

Neville is not the only person to have called out the £120k-a-week midfielder this season either, with football writer Muhammad Butt very critical of the 24-year-old’s performance in the embarrassing EFL Cup defeat at the hands of Grimsby Town.

As such, it is little wonder Man United are looking to strengthen their midfield in January, with Al-Hilal’s Ruben Neves and Brighton’s Carlos Baleba among the targets.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Coritiba está na zona de rebaixamento do Campeonato Brasileiro, mas a diretoria não mede esforços para reforçar a equipe neste segundo semestre.

O centroavante Islam Sliman, ex-Anderlecht-BEL, pode bater o martelo e atuar no time do Couto Pereira.

De acordo com as informações apuradas, o jogador recebeu uma proposta do Coxa, que aguarda a resposta até sexta-feira.

Europa 

Apesar da oferta apresentada pelo Coritiba, o Sliman ainda deseja continuar no futebol europeu e espera uma proposta tentadora na janela de verão do velho continente.

Anderlecht 

Em seu último clube, o centroavante participou de 16 jogos, marcou nove gols e deu uma assistência.

أعلن كرونسلاف يورتشيتش المدير الفني لفريق بيراميدز، تشكيل لاعبيه في مواجهة نهضة بركان اليوم السبت في كأس السوبر الإفريقي.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي بيراميدز مع نهضة بركان المغربي مساء اليوم السبت على استاد الدفاع الجوي في موقعة كأس السوبر الإفريقي.

طالع | القنوات الناقلة لمباراة بيراميدز ونهضة بركان اليوم في السوبر الإفريقي

ويلعب بيراميدز السوبر الإفريقي للمرة الأولى في تاريخه بعد الفوز ببطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بينما يشارك نهضة بركان بصفته بطلًا للكونفدرالية الإفريقية.

ويبحث بيراميدز عن الفوز على نهضة بركان للتتويج ببطولة كأس السوبر الإفريقي، بينما يسعى الفريق المغربي لتحقيق اللقب خارج الديار. تشكيل بيراميدز أمام نهضة بركان

حراسة المرمى: أحمد الشناوي.

خط الدفاع: محمد الشيبي – محمود مرعي – أحمد سامي – محمد حمدي.

خط الوسط: وليد الكرتي – مهند لاشين – بلاتي توريه.

خط الهجوم: مصطفى فتحي- أحمد عاطف قطة – فيستون مايلي. دكة بدلاء بيراميدزمحمود جاد – كريم حافظ – أحمد توفيق – محمود زلاكة – عبد الرحمن مجدي – إيفرتون داسيلفا – محمد رضا بوبو – دودو الجباس – مروان حمدي. 

“It’s about winning.” With those three words, uttered 24 hours after being named England Women’s head coach, Charlotte Edwards set out her mission to turn an underperforming team into World Cup contenders within six months.Effectively dispensing with the ‘inspire and entertain’ mantra introduced two years ago by her predecessor, Jon Lewis, Edwards wasn’t afraid to tread into territory that makes some other coaches squeamish. Similarly, she was forthright about the need to hold players accountable for their fitness.”They’ve had this mantra of entertaining and inspiring over the last little bit, and I think it’s probably just changing their focus,” Edwards told reporters at Lord’s on Wednesday. “It’s bottling that entertaining and that aggressive approach, but for me, it’s about their game smarts and their game awareness about winning.”I’m under no illusions. I’ve come into this role, it’s about winning. I think coaches are sometimes too scared to say we want to win. That’s our job. My job is to win games of cricket, and I think it’s how we go and do that now.”That looks different on each given day and I just want to create some intelligent players who win games of cricket for England, and that’s going to be how I’ll go about stuff over the next few weeks, and try and instil that within the players.”Lewis lost his job following the 16-0 Ashes drubbing in Australia in January, which followed a shock group-stage exit at the T20 World Cup last October.Those results brought into question the fitness of some players in the squad, particularly when compared to the fiercely athletic Australian team.”My first week is actually profiling next week, so I’m going to judge for myself about where the team are with their fitness,” Edwards said. “I will make the players more accountable for fitness, so that’s something I’m going to do.”But there’s many aspects to this and I think the results from the winter, although 16-nil, I know that we are closer to that than what that scoreline suggested. I wouldn’t have taken on this role if I didn’t think that, in six months’ time, we could win a World Cup in India. I think we’ve got the playing group to do that.”We’ve got a lot of hard work and we’ve got a lot of honesty in that time before then, but I’m really confident that, given some time with this group, that we can turn things around very quickly.”England’s standards collapsed over the winter, particularly in the T20 World Cup in Dubai•ICC/Getty Images

The Ashes proved the final straw for Lewis and Heather Knight, who lost her job as captain, although she will remain available for selection as a player, following a sweeping review into the team’s performances.There had been a sense that Edwards would be reluctant to coach a team containing a core of players she had led as England captain until her retirement in 2016, but she welcomed the opportunity, feeling that enough time had passed.Edwards has stepped down from head coaching roles with Mumbai Indians, Sydney Sixers and Hampshire to fully focus on the England job, having won eight titles in five years at franchise and domestic level.”The great thing now is I’ve worked with them a lot in all the franchise competitions that I’ve worked in,” she said. “They’ve seen a very different person from Lottie the captain to Lottie the coach.”I think I’m a much better coach than I was captain, if I’m honest. There’s been enough time now between me playing with them all and I’m thoroughly looking forward to it. I’ve had some lovely messages from the players over the last 24 hours and I’m just super excited to get there on Monday.”Among Edwards first tasks’ will be to appoint a new captain, which she anticipated doing sooner rather than later after linking up with the team, saying she had a clear idea of her No.1 contender.Related

• Lauren Winfield-Hill joins Essex on loan from Yorkshire for Blast

• Lamb puts England credentials on show as Edwards looks on

• Charlotte Edwards offers ECB help with Ashes whitewash review

• Where it went wrong for Jon Lewis and where to now for England Women

• Knight's inglorious exit exposes limits of England women's evolution

In terms of the coaching role, Edwards was the standout candidate, with Clare Connor, Managing Director England Women’s Cricket, confirming that she was appointed without “the normal sort of open-recruitment process” that would be used for a coach at that level.That means the ECB ignored its own pledge to adhere to the Rooney Rule in recruiting head coaches. Under the rule, at least one applicant from black, Asian or minority ethnic backgrounds are to be interviewed.Connor also revealed that, as a result of the review, the ECB would set out in the coming days to recruit a national selector for the first time since the women’s game became professional in England and Wales. That would feed into a commitment to foster greater links and communication with domestic teams.Centrally contracted England players are expected to be available for the first seven rounds of the domestic 50-over competition, starting on April 19, with a strong emphasis on performance for selection in those games.Jon Lewis and Heather Knight paid the price for England’s poor showing this winter•PA Images via Getty Images

She also said players’ physical, mental and overall preparedness to compete at the highest level had been examined.”All of that professional standards, we’ve had some really good feedback on,” Connor said. “The domestic game we got feedback from, and from some notable figures in the world game as well.”Going back to our criteria and the appointment of Lottie, no one knows better what those professional standards need to be now. She’s seen it around the world. We’ve seen it for ourselves, obviously, during the Ashes in the starkest sense.”The pace of change in women’s cricket, it’s been fast and it’s been demanding. I think we’ve supported players well through those last few years. I think one of the things around the professionalisation is making sure that we’re challenging as well as being supportive.”That’s our role, to support players, but also challenge them and support them for successful times, and to perform under pressure.”Edwards believes that a focus on performance at domestic level as a benchmark for national selection will go some way to addressing the England team’s shortcomings in pressure situations, as laid bare in their error-strewn T20 World Cup defeat to West Indies and throughout the Ashes.With home series against West Indies and India this summer before the 50-over World Cup in India from late September and a home T20 World Cup next year, getting that aspect of the game right is crucial, with Edwards putting a strong emphasis on improving in the 50-over format.”We’ve got a lot of young players who, for me, haven’t played enough cricket, so I want them to experience playing more cricket, being put in those situations time and time again and earning your England cap,” Edwards said.”The door is not shut to anyone and that’s going to be a strong message coming out today, but hopefully starting with the county season, that’s going to be a really positive thing.”I’m not going to talk too much about the past. For me it’s all about the future and what I see is that we’ve got a really talented squad and I think we’ve got some of the best players in the world, some really talented high-potential young players, which I’m looking forward to working with.”

The win – their biggest in ODIs in terms of runs – gave Bangladesh an NRR boost and put them top of the points table

Firdose Moonda10-Apr-2025Bangladesh captain Nigar Sultana scored her first ODI hundred, off just 78 balls, and led her team to their highest total in the format and a thumping win over Thailand in their women’s World Cup Qualifier in Lahore on Thursday. Sultana was ably supported by Sharmin Akhter, who shared in two century stands and was unbeaten on 94, as Bangladesh posted the highest total of the tournament so far. The Bangladesh spin twins Fahima Khatun and Jannatul Ferdus did the rest.Fahima, the legspinner, and Ferdus, the offspinner, shared all ten Thailand wickets between them, both recording five-fors. Ferdus was playing in just her third ODI and bowling in this format for the first time and ended with figures of 5 for 7, which included a double-wicket maiden in her opening over. The more experienced Fahima, in her 45th match, took her first five-for to finish with 5 for 21.Thailand were bowled out for 93 inside 29 overs, their lowest ODI total, while Bangladesh secured their largest victory by runs in this format – 178.As the result suggests, Thailand had little joy from the fixture, though it started with an early wicket. In the fourth over, Ishma Tanjim reached for a wide delivery from Phannita Maya and got a thick edge through to the wicket-keeper Nannapat Koncharoenkai. From there, it was all Bangladesh. Fargana Hoque and Akhter put on 104 runs off 141 balls for the second wicket in a partnership that set Bangladesh up. Hoque brought up her fifty shortly after the halfway stage, off 75 balls, and then showed an intent to accelerate. But she top-edged an attempted slog sweep off Onnicha Kamchomphu and was caught at midwicket.That brought Sultana to the crease and her energy immediately upped the tempo. She found boundaries with the cut and the sweep and then began her charge against the spinners, with confident strikes through the leg side. Her fifty came off 45 balls, and she needed just 33 more to get to her century. Impressively, Bangladesh scored 77 runs in the last ten overs and topped their previous highest ODI score of 252 by 19 runs. The 152-run stand between Sharmin and Sultana was Bangladesh’s highest third-wicket partnership in ODIs.[File photo] Fahima Khatun picked up her first ODI five-for•CWIThe only thing they were unable to do was give Sharmin enough of the strike to get to a century. She was on 92 and facing in the final over but could only get a couple of singles. Four of Thailand’s seven-bowler attack conceded at six runs an over or more, including three of their spinners. Bangladesh’s attack was much tighter and more difficult to get away.They opened with spin at one end in the form of Nahida Akter and Thailand negotiated the early exchanges well. Their opening pair put on 38 in eight overs before Fahima was brought into the attack. She struck with her first ball, which she tossed up as Chanida Sutthiruang played down the wrong line and was bowled. Fahima continued to puzzle Thailand as Koncharoenkai played for turn against a delivery that straightened and Nattaya Boochatham missed a sweep and was trapped lbw. Thailand were 47 for 3 inside 15 overs, and things were about to get much worse.Ferdus bowled Natthakan Chantham with her second ball when she took out middle stump with a perfect offspinner. She ended that over with an almost identical ball to dismiss Maya. Before she conceded a run, Ferdus took a third when Naruemol Chaiwai offered a catch to Rabeya Khan at slip. Aphisara Suwanchonrathi scored the first run off Ferdus and then became her fourth wicket, at the start of the next over. She snuck through Suwanchronrathi’s bat-pad gap to find leg stump. Ferdus completed her five-for in her fifth over when she accepted a caught-and-bowled chance from Sunida Chaturongrattana.Fahima already had her fourth by then and was kept on in search of a five-for. She got there with the penultimate ball of her eighth over, when Onnicha Kamchomphu was hit on the pad in front of leg stump.All six teams have now played a match each and Bangladesh, by virtue of their superior net run-rate, top the table. The top two teams will qualify for the ODI World Cup to be held in India later this year.

Manchester City are looking to cement themselves as the team to beat in the Premier League and they could go some way to doing that if they are able to tempt their latest transfer target to the Etihad Stadium.

Manchester City react to Champions League league phase draw

In an eventful week, the Champions League league phase draw is now complete and Manchester City now know who they will face for a place in the knockout rounds of the competition.

From the eight sides they will take on, ties against Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are the standouts, though the Citizens have landed a favourable run off games on paper and will feel confident they can progress.

Man City’s Champions League opponents

Real Madrid (A)

Borussia Dortmund (H)

Bayer Leverkusen (H)

Villarreal (A)

Napoli (H)

Bodo/Glimt (A)

Galatasaray (H)

AS Monaco (A)

Fixture dates TBC

Speaking after the draw, Pep Guardiola expressed his delight at being able to welcome former Manchester City heroes Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane back to the Etihad Stadium.

He stated: “I’m really pleased he (Kevin De Bruyne) will come back here and of course, we have to beat the teams Napoli and Galatasaray (with Leroy Sane), nice to welcome him back. I’m sure the people will give a great welcome to them, they deserve it.”

Nevertheless, attention turns to their clash against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend alongside transfer activity, and the Citizens are plotting move to sign Trent Alexander-Arnold from Real Madrid.

Admittedly, that may come down the line in January, though it shows that Guardiola’s ambition is through the roof as his side look to get back to dominating English football. Fermin Lopez could also move to the Etihad from Barcelona, and they are lining up another significant play for one of the world’s finest stars amid growing uncertainty over his future at a global superpower.

Man City lining up record Vinicius Junior bid

According to reports in Spain, Manchester City are lining up a £130 million bid to sign Real Madrid star Vinicius Junior, given he has two years on his contract left in the Spanish capital.

The Brazil international is at loggerheads with Los Blancos over an extension and Guardiola is ready to swoop in, given his pace and ability to burn past defenders in one-on-one situations.

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ByDominic Lund Aug 28, 2025

Similar to their pursuit of Alexander-Arnold, the Citizens may wait until 2026 to move for the winger, who has been nominated for the 2025 Balon D’Or and has previously been labelled “quality” by scout Jacek Kulig.

Starting the campaign with a bang, Vinicius registered a goal and an assist in Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Real Oviedo last weekend, but his situation is growing slightly more uncertain as the weeks go by.

Manchester City are no stranger to a statement signing, and manging to push a deal over the line for someone of such a high pedigree would be guaranteed to make global headlines.

Jamie Carragher claims Erling Haaland has become the “greatest goal-scorer to ever play in English football”, with the Manchester City striker being ranked above the likes of Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Ian Rush. The Norway international has been in blistering form this season, taking his goal tally for club and country to 18 when netting another match-winning effort against Brentford.

Haaland's record: Goal numbers for Man City & Norway

Haaland has found the net on nine occasions through seven Premier League appearances in 2025-26, moving him clear of the chasing pack in the race for a third Golden Boot. The 25-year-old’s overall output for City stands at 136 strikes in 155 games, while his record-setting tally for Norway has moved on to 48 from 45 caps. His numbers are similar to those once posted by all-time greats Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Haaland appears to be on course to rewrite the history books, with a 10-year contract being committed to at the Etihad Stadium that is set to take him through to the summer of 2034. If that deal is to be seen out, then a place in English football folklore will be safely secured. Carragher believes the powerful frontman will go down as the best to grace the English game.

AdvertisementGettyCarragher claims Haaland is English football GOAT

Former Liverpool and England defender Carragher told when assessing Haaland, who displayed more brute strength and unerring finishing ability when seeing City to a 1-0 victory over Brentford: “I think we're watching the greatest goal-scorer to ever play in English football. I honestly can't remember Jimmy Greaves, Dixie Dean and all those players from years ago. But I think of Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, Harry Kane and Ian Rush for my club Liverpool. There's a difference for me between a great centre-forward or striker and a goal-scorer. I think what we're witnessing now is something we've never seen before in our game and don't forget, this is a club where the goal-scorer beforehand was Sergio Aguero, one of the greatest we'll ever see. This is on a completely different level to Aguero. He's the best.”

Family life helps to make Haaland even better

Haaland is showing no sign of slowing down, despite all that he has already achieved, with the birth of his son in December 2024 giving the formidable Norwegian even more to play for. He told when asked if he is in the best form of his career: “You can say so, I’ve never felt better than I do now. I think it’s about preparation first of all, getting ready for the games and I spoke so many times about it before, you can be physically ready but you need to be mentally ready as well.

“To be honest with a kid I think it makes me even better because I actually disconnect more than ever, I don’t think about football at all. Sometimes when you’re younger you think of this and that and maybe worry a little bit about things. But now when I go home I relax even more so I think I need to give a shout out to my son.”

City boss Pep Guardiola, who has distanced Haaland from any transfer talk, said when giving the Blues’ fearsome No.9 his own big billing: “I said one month ago he is the best and that year we won the treble, I don’t know how many goals he scored – maybe 50 million goals. But now he signed a contract for many years – we have to find him more, but he is more involved in the game, not just in the finishing, he is more on the ball and he work a lot his ethic, pressing and I am really pleased and I hope this week with Norway he can score more and come back fit for the Everton game.”

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Getty ImagesWorld Cup target: On course for first international tournament

Haaland will form part of the Norway squad that is set to face Israel in a World Cup qualifier next weekend. They sit top of their qualification group at present, with Haaland looking to grace the first major international tournament of his career when FIFA’s flagship event heads to the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.

He has previously been with Mumbai Indians and specialised in fielding and running between the wickets for the franchise

Mohammad Isam07-Apr-2025

James Pamment has been appointed as the new fielding coach of the Bangladesh men’s national team. He will join the Test squad ahead of the two-match series against Zimbabwe at home later this month. Pamment has been given a long-term contract that ends after the ODI World Cup in 2027.”I am really excited about the opportunity to get involved with a very talented Bangladesh side,” he said in a statement. “I am eagerly looking forward to joining the players and the backroom staff ahead of the Zimbabwe series.”Pamment effectively replaced assistant coach Nic Pothas, who oversaw the side’s fielding improvement in the past few months before leaving the job in January this year. Bangladesh have had a number of fielding coaches in the recent past – Ryan Cook and Shane McDermott also worked with the team in the last few years.Pamment comes with an impressive resume as a fielding coach. He was the assistant coach at Mumbai Indians (MI) in the IPL since 2018, and specialised in fielding and running between the wickets for the franchise.Prior to the IPL role, Pamment’s international experience was with New Zealand, where he was the fielding coach and specialist technical advisor. He also worked in NZC as a high-performance coach.Pamment, 56, was born in Yorkshire but is a New Zealand national who played all his first-class cricket for Auckland.

Leeds United ended the window in frustrating fashion, but could now be ready to make amends with a statement signing in January.

Leeds miss out on late window targets

Supporters at Elland Road will feel a sense of frustration at the closing stages of the market period, where the Whites missed out on a number of targets that would’ve helped Daniel Farke to shape his squad for the bulk of the campaign.

Despite Leeds lodging a late move for Gustavo Hamer, Sheffield United made it clear that he wouldn’t be sold for under their valuation of the playmaker, hence why he remained at Bramall Lane.

Report suggest that the Whites also missed out on Fulham star Harry Wilson, while Pete O’Rourke has signalled that Farke has to carry a level of frustration amid the club being unable to bring Manor Solomon back to Yorkshire from Tottenham Hotspur.

He told Football Insider: “There will be a hint of frustration for Daniel Farke – they missed out on some targets. They are still lacking a bit up front, Leeds and he fears for them on that front – not getting the deal done for Manor Solomon will be a blow to Farke and the Leeds fans, because he had such a great impact there on loan last season.

“They tried to sign Harry Wilson on deadline day from Fulham and weren’t able to get that deal over the line as well, so they were looking to add some creativity in the final third.”

Joe Rodon’s injury scare has issued a reminder that there is still work to do at Leeds to bring in the depth required to handle Premier League football, and they may now look to add to their backline once the transfer window opens.

Leeds plotting January move for Nico O'Reilly

According to CaughtOffside, Leeds are plotting a January move to sign Manchester City star Nico O’Reilly, who is also said to be in the sights of Brighton & Hove Albion, Lyon, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea. Capable of playing at left-back or central midfield, the 20-year-old has registered five goals and two assists in 23 appearances across all competitions for the Sky Blues.

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Dubbed “awesome” by Mark Kennedy, Bayer Leverkusen saw two bids rejected for the England Under-21 international during the summer window, and he may be set to pen new terms at the Etihad Stadium on a long-term basis.

Nevertheless, Leeds could look to offer first-team guarantees before that scenario becomes a reality. The outlet claim nothing has been signed yet, offering a chance for Farke’s men to sell a vision before January comes around, when Leverkusen will again be in the mix.

Acquiring promising talent could be one avenue to securing Premier League survival, but it remains to be seen whether the 49ers could push such a statement deal over the line.