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Newcastle United’s qualification for the Champions League next season will give Eddie Howe hope that he can lure some high-profile players to Stamford Bridge.

One player they are showing interest in is Jadon Sancho. The Manchester United winger looks set to depart Old Trafford this summer.

The Englishman could cost the club around £25m, and he would certainly bolster their wide options, given his return of five goals and eight assists for Chelsea this season.

It would be a massive statement of intent if Howe could secure a deal for the former Borussia Dortmund starlet. While adding wingers will help the club next season, perhaps it is other positions that require strengthening first.

Newcastle enter the race to sign Barcelona star

One position that Howe must improve is his goalkeeping department. The club conceded 47 Premier League goals last term, the worst defensive record out of any side in the top five.

Thus, bringing in a top-class goalkeeper ahead of another Champions League campaign makes perfect sense.

According to reports in Spain, Barcelona’s keeper Marc-André ter Stegen could be set to leave the club following the arrival of Joan Garcia.

PSG, AC Milan, Manchester City, and Juventus have all expressed interest in the German international, but Newcastle are also entering the race.

Beating these clubs to the signature of Ter Stegen would be a major coup for Howe; that much is certain. Indeed, he would be an even better signing than Sancho.

Why Newcastle must sign Marc-André ter Stegen

Signing Sancho could prove to be a massive gamble. For Man United, the winger scored just 12 goals across 83 matches for the club. His loan spell at Chelsea didn’t exactly see him sparkle either.

His 41 matches for the Blues saw only five goals netted, and it was no surprise that they declined to sign him permanently. Given the fact that Newcastle can call upon players such as Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon, and Jacob Murphy on the wing, do they need to splash out to sign Sancho? Especially with the risks involved with his lacklustre form.

In this instance, making a move for Ter Stegen would be seen as the smarter approach. That’s for sure.

Last season, Nick Pope kept just eight clean sheets from 35 appearances, while Martin Dubravka kept five clean sheets across ten domestic matches for the Magpies.

If Howe is serious about progressing far in the Champions League next season, making a move to bring Ter Stegen to England would be a very shrewd move indeed.

He played just nine games last season for Barcelona, keeping a solitary clean sheet. The German has been with the La Liga giants since the summer of 2014, playing over 400 competitive matches in the process.

A total of 175 clean sheets have been kept throughout that period. While he may not have featured much this term, in La Liga during 2023/24, he was excellent.

Across his 28 matches, Ter Stegen made 2.7 saves per game – a success rate of 74% – while he was also successful with 100% of his runs out per game.

He was comfortable on the ball, as evidenced by his average of 40 touches per game, while a 94% pass accuracy in his own half suggests the German moves the ball on effectively.

The player was lauded as “ice cool” by popular X page Goalkeeper.com for the way he snuffed out an opponent’s attack in the Champions League in September 2023.

Given the fact that he has a contract until 2028 with the Catalan giants, a move would cost the club, although it hasn’t been determined just how much Hansi Flick will demand for his player.

Sancho would be a fine signing, no doubt, but bringing Ter Stegen to the north-east would certainly turn heads.

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West Ham United have reportedly agreed personal terms to sign a £20m midfielder and are in talks with his club over a deal.

West Ham start summer business with move for Celtic striker Cummings

The Hammers endured a difficult 2024/25 Premier League season after splashing the cash last summer, with Julen Lopetegui being sacked at the beginning of the New Year and former technical director Tim Steiden departing shortly after.

Graham Potter arrived and saw out the new season with the Irons, and he’ll soon be preparing for his first full season at the London Stadium, looking to put his own stamp on things in the transfer market.

West Ham have already sealed their first summer signing, with Celtic forward Daniel Cummings set to move to London.

Talented 19-year-old striker Cummings is out of contract at Celtic Park in the summer and has already agreed terms and undergone a medical with the Hammers, with Fabrizio Romano saying it is a “done deal”.

Cummings has been free-scoring for the Hoops in their youth sides and was even given a Champions League appearance by Brendan Rodgers in the 24/25 campaign, so seems to be a star in the making and will officially arrive on July 1st.

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After the Scotland youth international, West Ham now look to be targeting more experienced additions to the squad, with a new midfielder being worked on.

West Ham agree personal terms with £20m Raphael Onyedika

According to journalist Sebastian Vidal, relayed by GiveMeSport, West Ham have agreed personal terms with Club Brugge midfielder Raphael Onyedika.

Described as a potential “major signing” for the Irons by Vidal, talks are also underway with Club Brugge over agreeing a fee for Onyedika, thought to be worth around £20m.

A Nigeria international, Onyedika is attracted by the idea of playing in England but is still under contract with Club Brugge until 2027 after signing for the Belgian giants from FC Midtjylland in 2022.

Primarily a defensive midfielder, the 24-year-old can also play as a box-to-box central midfielder or even give cover as a centre-back, so would provide Potter with plenty of versatility, should a deal go through.

Onyedika even has Champions League experience with his current employers, scoring in the competition against Man City in 24/25, and by the looks of things, a move to West Ham is one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks.

Leeds United are looking to sign a new dominant in the air player who is being compared to former Whites midfielder Marc Roca.

Leeds transfer rumours following promotion to the Premier League

The 49ers Enterprises haven’t been wasting any time since Leeds secured their promotion back to the Premier League from the Championship on Easter Monday following a 6-0 win over Stoke City and Burnley’s 2-1 win over Sheffield United.

In fact, Daniel Farke’s future as Leeds manager has been thrown into doubt, with the club concerned about his previous record in the top flight with Norwich City.

Talking after sealing promotion, chairman Paraag Marathe said that the club have been “quietly preparing the club” for the Premier League.

“The Premier League is where Leeds belongs, and our goal is to establish a long-term presence there. With that in mind, we have been quietly preparing the club for this moment. The road ahead won’t be easy but we are ready to step confidently into this next chapter. Above all, this is your club and your promotion. I want to thank each and every one of you, along with the players and every member of staff at Elland Road and Thorp Arch, for your tireless commitment in pursuit of this unforgettable moment.”

A number of new signings look likely to be made to give Leeds the best chance of Premier League survival, including former midfielder Kalvin Phillips.

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Currently on loan at Ipswich Town from Manchester City, Phillips is thought to be ready to return to Elland Road this summer. Elsewhere, loanee Manor Solomon is expected to make his move to Leeds permanent from Tottenham Hotspur, with Spurs valuing the winger at £15m-£20m.

Now, an update has emerged on another target with Premier League experience, something the 49ers are after when it comes to summer signings.

Leeds want to sign £18m Premier League "machine"

According to reports in the Czech Republic, relayed by TBR Football, Leeds could now sign Tomas Soucek from West Ham United ahead of the 2025/26 season.

The Whites have been named as a potential destination for the 30-year-old, who was signed by the Hammers for £18m from Slavia Prague back in 2020.

Since then, the central midfielder has made 240 appearances for West Ham, with almost 200 of those coming in the top flight. Everton are also thought to be keen on Soucek, who was dubbed a “machine” amid links to the Toffees.

Talking earlier this year, Soucek hinted at a potential move away if he wasn’t getting regular game time: “I know a few guys who are happy with the money coming into their account every month, they enjoy the life of a footballer and don’t care about the bench. I can’t do that. I need to play. I suffer on the bench.”

Marc Roca

Real Betis

Julian Weigl

Borussia Monchengladbach

Boubacar Kamara

Aston Villa

Rodrigo Bentancur

Tottenham Hotspur

Joao Palhinha

Bayern Munich

Graham Potter has placed Soucek on the bench in West Ham’s last four games, and as can be seen, Football Transfers have likened the midfielder to Roca, who left Leeds for Real Betis.

As per FBref, Soucek has also been ranked in the top 1% over the past 12 months for aerial duels won (3.49 per 90), so he’d certainly bring a physical presence to Yorkshire, should a move go through.

Leeds United are looking to sign a new Japan international this summer who has the same agent as Whites star Ao Tanaka.

Tanaka starring in first season at Leeds

Arguably Leeds’ signing of the season alongside right-back Jayden Bogle, Tanaka has impressed after finally moving to Elland Road last summer. The midfielder cost the Whites just under £3m from Fortuna Dusseldorf and has featured heavily in his debut campaign under Daniel Farke.

Tanaka has made 41 appearances in all competitions for Leeds, with one of his highlights being a late goal scored against Championship promotion rivals Sheffield United.

The 26-year-old has come in for plenty of praise during the last 12 months, with BBC fan writer Adonis Storr calling Tanaka ‘one of the best bargains in Leeds history’.

“His introduction against Cardiff City at the end of September was only his third substitute appearances for Leeds, and he had never come on earlier than the 86th minute. Since then, no other footballer in the top four divisions of English football has completed over 1,000 passes and more than 50 tackles. The love from Ao was just as instant.

“In addition to passes and tackles, Tanaka is now adding goals to his performances – something that was missing last season when the Whites scored zero goals from central midfield. The £2.9m for Tanaka is one of the best bargains in Leeds history and shows that there is value available in the market should they look to strengthen in January.”

Tanaka’s best Leeds performances

WhoScored rating

Leeds 2-0 Millwall

9.12/10

Leeds 3-0 Sheffield Wednesday

8.31/10

Swansea City 3-4 Leeds

8.11/10

Sheffield United 1-3 Leeds

8.07/10

Hull City 3-3 Leeds

7.98/10

Now, it looks as if Leeds and the 49ers Enterprises are trying to repeat their Tanaka success by signing another Japanese ace.

Leeds plan offer to sign Japan international Hidemasa Morita

According to reports in Portugal, relayed by Sport Witness, Leeds are very interested in signing Sporting CP midfielder Hidemasa Morita.

It is claimed that Leeds are readying a concrete offer to sign Morita if they win promotion to the Premier League, with the player himself looking to leave his current employers this summer.

The 29-year-old is out of contract at Sporting CP in 2026, so the Whites could take advantage over the coming months. Valued at a career-high €15m by Transfermarkt, Morita is at the top of his game and can play as a holding or central midfielder. He also shares the same CAA Base agency as Tanaka, potentially making a deal easier to complete.

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Morita has also been capped 40 times by Japan and has played in both the Champions League and Europa League with Sporting CP under now Man Utd manager Ruben Amorim, and by the looks of things, a move to Leeds to play alongside Tanaka is one to watch.

All the stats and records broken in the third ODI of the tri-series

Shubh Agarwal13-Feb-2025353 – Pakistan’s chase against South Africa is their first successful 350-plus chase in ODIs. In 2022, they had chased down 349 against Australia in Lahore, which was previously the highest target they had successfully chased in ODIs.ESPNcricinfo LtdIt took Pakistan their 16th attempt to win an ODI chasing a 350-plus total. They are the fifth side in ODIs to chase down over 350. It is also the highest target chased in a multi-nation tournament.For South Africa, it is the highest target they have conceded in ODI cricket. Previously, they had lost after scoring 326 against Australia in 2002.260 – The captain Mohammad Rizwan and Salman Agha added 260 runs to race Pakistan to the finish line after a dodgy start. It is Pakistan’s third-highest partnership in ODIs, their highest against South Africa and their highest in a chase.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();