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Out of the promoted three that soared out of the Championship last season, Sunderland could well be the side that’s most well-equipped to secure immediate safety in the Premier League if their whirlwind summer activity is anything to go by.

Of course, Leeds United have flexed their muscles as well with the recent £12m pick up of Sean Longstaff from Newcastle United sticking out, but that’s nothing compared to the millions continuing to be splashed by Regis Le Bris’ Black Cats.

Minus Reinildo joining on a free transfer from Atletico Madrid, Sunderland has amazingly forked out £12m+ on every other signing so far this summer, with that spending unlikely to slow down.

Sunderland closing in on another new signing

Nobody can knock Sunderland’s ambition since promotion was achieved gloriously, knowing time is of the essence if they want to recruit well and attempt to stay afloat in the Premier League.

Yet, the Black Cats haven’t quite added in proven Premier League quality to their ranks, like Leeds have managed with Longstaff, but that could soon change emphatically.

Transfer Focus

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

Indeed, the latest development from Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg via X reveals that a verbal agreement has now been reached between the Wearside outfit and Bayer Leverkusen over the signing of ex-Arsenal warrior Granit Xhaka.

If the deal goes through it would see Xhaka join the Stadium of Light ranks until 2028, and talks are now ongoing to finalise a move. One sticking point could be the midfielder’s £17m price tag.

A further report from Keith Downie, however, says that Sunderland are actually “close to completing a deal.”

How Xhaka can be Le Bris' next Le Fee

Xhaka is definitely worth pursuing for that amount, with the potential here for the 32-year-old to be Le Bris’ next statement buy, much like when Le Fee joined the building last summer.

Le Fee immediately showed off his class last season as Sunderland gunned for promotion back to the Premier League.

Not fazed by his new daunting environment whatsoever – having already been a classy performer in others top divisions such as Ligue 1 – Le Fee managed to pick up one goal and three assists for his troubles from 18 outings, with the ex-Lorient midfielder picking up two of those assists in crucial moments during the Black Cats’ tense, but ultimately, successful playoff journey.

Xhaka also proved himself to be the man for the big occasion when plying his trade for Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, as seen in the Basel-born battler collecting two mighty FA Cup triumphs when still situated in North London, on top of his many Premier League appearances for Arsenal as a regular member of the first team.

Games played

33

33

Goals scored

3

2

Assists

0

7

Touches*

110.5

94.5

Accurate passes*

91.0 (92%)

75.8 (91%)

Ball recoveries*

6.0

5.4

Total duels won*

3.5

3.9

In total, 225 of Xhaka’s 297 appearances for Arsenal came in the demanding terrain of the top-flight, with his combative style helping the Gunners get through some testing times, which should also stand him in good stead on Wearside if a relegation dog-fight is on the menu.

Staggeringly, across that extensive back catalogue of Premier League clashes, Xhaka would throw himself into 1001 duels, with 368 tackles also attempted, leading to Arsenal-based writer Connor Humm labelling him as a “monster.”

Fortunately, that same bite has followed him to the Bundesliga, too, with his standout numbers across his last two seasons in the German top division showing off a star that’s still at the peak of his powers.

He also has a moment of magic just waiting in his locker like Le Fee, with a combined goal and assist haul of 67 from 396 games for Arsenal and Leverkusen, further making him a statement signing worth getting over the line.

Football journalist Henry Winter has even hailed the potential signing as “inspired”, with Xhaka just one part of the ongoing jigsaw that might allow for Sunderland to thrive up a level.

Dream Bade alternative: Sunderland ready bid for £22m star after Xhaka

Sunderland could go after this defensive ace instead of securing Loic Bade’s signature.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 23, 2025

August is now very much on the horizon for Sunderland as a brand new Premier League campaign grows ever closer.

There will be concerns over the Black Cats’ last friendly contest amid all the excitement, however, as Regis Le Bris’ men were humbled 3-0 by Hearts on their last outing to Tynecastle.

Sunderland are already six signings down across the hectic transfer window.

Still, plenty more new faces will surely arrive through the door soon before West Ham United travel to the Stadium of Light to kick off the hotly anticipated Premier League season.

Sunderland make approach to sign Premier League star

Of course, Sunderland’s main target continues to be ex-Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka.

The ongoing saga involving the Switzerland international had taken a new, unexpected turn when Xhaka featured for Bayer Leverkusen during the German side’s last friendly match, despite past talk centring on the fact that the 32-year-old had reached a verbal agreement over a move to Wearside.

However, that now looks likely to be his final ever appearance for Leverkusen, with a breaking development coming to light on Monday that a fee of £15m has been agreed that will see him move back to England.

On top of that news, as per a report by Mackem News, Sunderland have also approached back-up Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega to try and strike up a deal, with the 32-year-old eager to stay put in England if he walks away from the Etihad shortly.

The £7m-rated City star is likely to depart the Etihad Stadium this summer owing to England goalkeeper James Trafford re-signing for the Citizens.

Ortega can immediately usurp Anthony Patterson on his arrival, with his top-flight know-how making him a standout signing for a Sunderland side attempting to instantly stay afloat in the top division.

Why Ortega could be a better signing than Xhaka

Winning the £90k-per-week stopper’s signature could even be a more important signing than Xhaka finally joining Le Bris’ camp, particularly if the two-time Premier League title winner goes on to play a pivotal role in securing safety for his new side.

Whilst Ortega has often been placed on the periphery at the Etihad next to Ederson stealing the limelight, the ex-Arminia Bielefeld man has shone in spurts for City when chucked into the first-team spotlight by Pep Guardiola, as seen in his vital, season-altering save against Tottenham Hotspur towards the back-end of the 23/24 campaign.

In total, the “exceptional” Ortega – as he’s been labelled previously by the City boss – has kept a promising six clean sheets in Premier League action from just 26 appearances in Manchester, with a high 67 saves also amassed in some clutch moments for the top-flight outfit.

Games played

25

Games started

5

Goals conceded

26

Pass completion %

796 (80%)

Saves made

67

Clean sheets

6

Amazingly, those six clean sheets have also come about despite Ortega only making five Premier League starts in total for City, meaning he should come into his own even more if he suddenly becomes one of Le Bris’ main starters at the Stadium of Light.

Patterson has never experienced a Premier League outing, on the contrary, so it would be a major risk to shove Sunderland’s number one shot-stopper from the EFL straight into a top-flight contest and expect him to immediately perform, which is where Ortega could come to the rescue.

Xhaka does also have lots of Premier League experience under his belt – with a mammoth 225 appearances in the tough division with Arsenal. He’s also now a Bundesliga winner after a remarkable 2023/24 campaign.

However, Sunderland have been very busy in the middle of the park this summer, upgrading their options already, with a club-record £30m already splashed on Habib Diarra, away from Noah Sadiki also joining Le Bris’ growing ranks.

Between the midfield duo, a bumper 162 appearances have been tallied up in both Ligue 1 and the Jupiler Pro League, with the Premier League not the most daunting next step subsequently.

Therefore, it might not actually be the most pressing move to finally sign Xhaka.

Rather, Sunderland will no doubt welcome Ortega even more, with the arrival of a Premier League-proven goalkeeper simply a necessity this year. It could be the difference between relegation and staying up.

He'd be amazing with Xhaka: Sunderland pursuing "incredible" Isak-esque gem

Sunderland is now pursuing a move for this incredible star who could shine alongside Granit Xhaka.

ByKelan Sarson Jul 25, 2025

Twenty-year-old Disha Biswas, who is too yet to make her Bangladesh debut, was also selected

Mohammad Isam18-Sep-2024Bangladesh have dropped experienced allrounder Rumana Ahmed for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2024 in one of five changes to the squad that had played in the Asia Cup in July. But there was a first call-up for uncapped top-order batter Taj Nehar.Also among those selected, there was a recall for Sobhana Mostary, Shathi Rani, Fahima Khatun and Disha Biswas. Twenty-year-old allrounder Biswas, who had played in the Under-19 T20 World Cup in January-February 2023, was also picked for the senior T20 World Cup last year, although she is yet to make her Bangladesh debut.Fahima, the experienced 32-year-old legspinner, has played 84 T20Is so far, 20 of which have come across the five T20 World Cups since 2014. However, she had lost her place in the squad recently when she struggled against India and Australia at home. After missing out on the Asia Cup, Fahima took six wickets in as many matches in the Women’s National Cricket League (NCL) T20 competition.Bangladesh squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024•ESPNcricinfo LtdMeanwhile, opening batter Rani, whose five T20Is came last year, was the NCL’s leading run-scorer with 284 runs at a strike rate of 151.06. However, Rumana, a veteran of 87 T20Is, missed out after scoring just 55 runs in three innings at the NCL. Middle-order batter Mostary also had a tough time against India and Australia, and neither did she perform in the NCL, where she managed 103 runs in five innings. Mostary is also yet to score a fifty in 38 T20Is, but chief selector Sajjad Ahmed put her selection due to a lack of options at No. 3.”She is a prospect. However, she hasn’t performed up to the mark,” Sajjad said. “We don’t really have a lot of options at No 3. We tried Ishma Tanjim, but she didn’t perform well, and she couldn’t do much in the NCL. That’s why we had to go to Sobhana Mostary.”Apart from Rumana, the four others left out of the T20 World Cup are Rubya Haider, Shorifa Khatun, Sabikun Nahar and Ishma Tanjim. Sajjad said that despite an experience of 87 T20Is, they replaced Rumana with Nehar, as the former hasn’t batted in an aggressive manner of late.”We selected Rumana in the Asia Cup, where, unfortunately, she didn’t perform,” he said. “She is a middle-order bat who isn’t batting the way that is needed in T20s.”Bangladesh start their 2024 T20 World Cup campaign against Scotland in the first of the double-header fixtures on October 3, the opening day of the tournament.Bangladesh squad for Women’s T20 World Cup 2024Nigar Sultana (capt), Nahida Akter, Murshida Khatun, Shorna Akter, Ritu Moni, Sobhana Mostary, Rabeya Khan, Sultana Khatun, Fahima Khatun, Marufa Akter, Jahanara Alam, Dilara Akter, Taj Nehar, Shathi Rani, Disha Biswas
In: Sobhana Mostary, Fahima Khatun, Taj Nehar, Shathi Rani and Disha Biswas
Out: Rumana Ahmed, Rubya Haider, Shorifa Khatun, Sabikun Nahar and Ishma Tanjim

Manchester City and the Premier League have settled their dispute over rules concerning Associated Party Transactions (APTs).

Man City in dispute over commercial deals rulesSettle with Premier League over matterOctober trial date no longer neededFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

City were set to go to trial with the Premier League in October over these commercial deals. The APT rules are designed to ensure that deals between clubs and other partners linked to their ownership are done at fair market value. After initially saying the new regulations were "unlawful", City have now accepted that the APT rules are "valid and binding".

AdvertisementGetty Images SportWHAT MAN CITY SAID

In a statement, City said: "The Premier League and Manchester City FC have reached a settlement in relation to the arbitration commenced by the club earlier this year concerning the Premier League’s Associated Party Transaction (APT) Rules and as a result the parties have agreed to terminate the proceedings. This settlement brings an end to the dispute between the parties regarding the APT Rules. As part of the settlement, Manchester City accepts that the current APT Rules are valid and binding. It has been agreed that neither the Premier League nor the club will be making any further comment about the matter."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Importantly, this legal action is separate from the one covering the 115 charges against City for alleged breaches of the Premier League's financial rules. The Cityzens have criminal charges against them but that battle is likely to rumble on for quite some time. That result could have huge ramifications for football itself.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

Before that gargantuan legal battle plays out, Pep Guardiola's side take on local rivals Manchester United when the Premier League returns this weekend. City will hope to bounce back from two straight losses, while United will be keen to make it two wins in a row.

Crystal Palace are now “very interested” in signing a “terrific” defender, amid the uncertainty surrounding Marc Guehi’s future at Selhurst Park, journalist Patrick Berger has revealed.

Guehi's future remains up in the air

With Guehi’s contract set to expire next summer, Palace will need to cash-in before the transfer window shuts, if they are to receive a sizeable fee for his services, and the centre-back has now re-emerged as a target for Newcastle United.

With the Eagles set to hold out for £50m, and Newcastle reluctant to spend more than £40m, it remains to be seen whether a deal will be possible, but there are plenty of other clubs waiting in the wings too.

Liverpool are now said to be preparing an offer for Guehi, while Tottenham Hotspur have also been named as potential suitors in recent days, so it could be extremely difficult for Oliver Glasner to keep hold of his centre-back this summer.

Consequently, Crystal Palace have now started to work on finding a replacement for the defender, and Sky Sports reporter Berger has taken to X to reveal they are “very interested” in signing Middlesbrough’s Rav van den Berg.

There is set to be fierce competition for Van den Berg’s signature, however, with FC Köln submitting an offer worth up to €7m (£6m), having identified him as their top target to strengthen their backline, and the Boro defender is open to a move to the Bundesliga.

Feyenoord are also very interested in the Dutchman, alongside a number of unnamed Bundesliga clubs, so it remains to be seen whether the Eagles are able to tempt him into a move to Selhurst Park.

"Terrific" Van Den Berg could flourish at Selhurst Park

The Eagles have displayed a good eye for signing and developing Championship players in recent times, with Eberechi Eze perhaps the best example, and there are signs the Dutch defender could be another fantastic long-term addition.

Despite being just 20-years-old, the youngster has already racked up a great deal of first-team experience at Middlesbrough, making 66 appearances across the past two Championship seasons, during which time he impressed Michael Carrick.

Crystal Palace make serious move for Girona star after holding Edouard negotiations

The Eagles are looking to recruit defensive additions.

BySean Markus Clifford Aug 4, 2025

The former Boro manager said: “He’s a terrific individual, really grounded and humble, terrific character and great attitude. He has a real calming influence but quite sure of himself in a really good way.”

Van Den Berg has proven he could now be ready to make the step-up to the Premier League, so it is promising news that Palace are in the race for his signature, but they may have to move swiftly, given that FC Köln have already submitted an offer.