Glasgow Rangers are reportedly planning to table an offer for an attacking player who “does everything”, seeing him as a potential alternative to Jamie Vardy.

Rangers linked with stunning Vardy signing

Vardy has been one of the most prominent attacking stars in the Premier League over the past decade, famously starring for Leicester City en route to an unfathomable title triumph in 2015/16.

Now, the 38-year-old is being strongly linked with a summer move to Rangers, having brought to an end a legendary spell at the King Power Stadium at the end of last season, saying goodbye to the fans.

“I’ve had 13 unbelievable years at this club, with lots of success, some downs, but the majority all highs. But it’s finally time to call it a day, which I’m devastated about but I think the timing is right. I just want to sincerely thank you all for taking me in as one of your own.”

Recent reports have suggested that the Gers have opened talks with Vardy over a move to Ibrox, seeing him as an ideal option to bring added firepower to Russell Martin’s squad, as the new manager looks to win the Scottish Premiership title at the first attempt.

Given his age, it is understandable why some may have reservations about a move, but there are no great signs of the Englishman slowing down, and he could be an inspired signing for a year or two. It looks like a younger option is being looked at, though, following a new update.

Rangers planning bid for attacker who "does everything"

According to Gol [via The Daily Record], Rangers are planning a bid for Girona striker Bojan Miovski, seemingly seeing him as an option if they miss out on acquiring Vardy’s signature. The 26-year-old is also reportedly wanted by Celtic this summer, so it could be a tug of war between the two biggest clubs in Scottish football.

Miovski could be a great signing for Rangers this summer, even though Vardy is arguably the preferable choice in the sense of high level experience, with the striker 12 years younger than the Leicester icon.

The Gers have felt the wrath of the North Macedonian plenty of times in the past, with Miovski scoring four goals against them in nine appearances, three of which came in six league outings.

Meanwhile, former Rangers attacker Billy Dodds has lauded his ability, saying: “I really like Miovski. How he played against England, you’re stepping up the levels and notching up the standard of football, then seeing him today, seeing him throughout the season. You get some people who don’t join in the game, don’t link up, but score goals. Others you see not scoring goals but they link up. This guy does everything.”

Rangers and 49ers set to sign "aggressive" Premier League player for Martin

A transfer has reportedly been agreed.

By
Henry Jackson

Jul 8, 2025

A return to Scotland may appeal to Miovski, having only netted twice for Girona in 17 La Liga appearances last season, and he stands out as a top-quality option for Rangers alongside Vardy.

تشهد بطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز “البريميرليج” لموسم 2025-2026، مباراة قوية بين مانشستر سيتي وآرسنال، مساء اليوم الأحد.

ويحل مانشستر سيتي ضيفًا على آرسنال بملعب “الإمارات”، في إطار مباريات الجولة الخامسة لبطولة الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

وفي الجولة الماضية بالدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز، قادت ثنائية إيرلينج هالاند وهدف فيل فودين، مانشستر سيتي للفوز 3-0 على أرضه على مانشستر يونايتد.

ثم مساء الخميس، سجل هالاند وجيريمي دوكو هدفين في فوز مانشستر سيتي 2-0 على أرضه أمام نابولي، حامل لقب الدوري الإيطالي، في بداية مشواره في دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وكان مانشستر سيتي تعرض لهزيمة قاسية بنتيجة 5-1 على ملعب الإمارات الموسم الماضي، وقال بيب جوارديولا إن فريقه يواجه تحديًا صعبًا يوم الأحد ضد آرسنال.

وقد يشهد مانشستر سيتي عودة جون ستونز إلى خط الدفاع بعد إصابته بآلام عضلية أبعدته عن الملاعب، فيما يظل ريان شرقي غائبًا بسبب مشاكل عضلية، وأيضًا يستمر غياب عمر مرموش وريان آيت نوري. تشكيل مانشستر سيتي المتوقع أمام آرسنال

حراسة المرمى: جيانلويجي دوناروما.

خط الدفاع: عبد القادر خوسانوف، دياز، جفارديول، أورايلي.

خط الوسط: رودري، برناردو سيلفا، تيجاني ريندرز.

خط الهجوم: فيل فودين، هالاند، جيريمي دوكو.

ويُمكنكم متابعة أحداث مباريات اليوم لحظة بلحظة من مركز المباريات من هنــــا.

Chelsea are in advancing talks to sign RB Leipzig playmaker Xavi Simons, but according to a new report, they’re also speaking with another winger as BlueCo keep their options open.

Related Burnley make approach to sign £200k-a-week Chelsea player, he "will leave"

The Clarets are determined to retain their Premier League status.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jul 25, 2025

Enzo Maresca and his squad are due back at Cobham for the week commencing August 4, and they have precious little time to prepare for the new season, given they take on Crystal Palace in their first Premier League game just 13 days later.

In the meantime, Chelsea are working to back Maresca with much-needed reinforcements to his squad, especially in the attacking third.

Chelsea’s best performers in the Premier League last season

Average match rating

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

The west Londoners struggled against sides in the low-block last season, which is a key reason why Maresca has identified Chelsea’s forward line as the main area of improvement before transfer deadline day on September 1 (Simon Phillips).

They’ve already sealed Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro this summer for a combined fee of around £145 million, but Maresca is rumoured to want another major attacking signing to give his side the best possible chance of challenging for the title next season.

Amid their advanced talks for Ajax defender Jorrel Hato, who has already agreed personal terms, Chelsea are actively working towards signing Simons.

There are even some reports that a deal for the Netherlands international is actually even further along than the likes of Fabrizio Romano are reporting (Simon Phillips), but until he’s signed on the dotted line, anything can happen.

“The last our sources heard on Simons to Chelsea was that it was very close but had some final details to sort out,” wrote journalist Simon Phillips, via his Substack.

“As I said yesterday, I’ll be shocked if this doesn’t get done now, but it doesn’t mean it 100% does get done. I’ve been in this industry now long enough to know that a deal is never done until you see the player holding the shirt or a club announces it! So don’t get excited yet.”

Chelsea still speaking to Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho

Taking this into account, journalist Graeme Bailey has told TBR Football that Chelsea are still talking to Man United winger Alejandro Garnacho and his representatives.

The Argentine, who can play both on the left and in central attacking midfield like Simons, bagged 11 goals and 10 assists in all competitions last season. United want to sell, as is common knowledge at this point, so much so that they’ve now slashed his price tag from £70 million to around £40 million.

Following consistent links to the 21-year-old, Bailey reports that Chelsea remain in dialogue with Garnacho despite their fast-progressing negotiations with Leipzig. They also remain big fans of Aston Villa star Morgan Rogers, who would actually be their first-choice, so it appears Chelsea are still open to different scenarios if they cannot strike a deal for Simons.

Garnacho, in terms of being an excellent alternative to the 22-year-old, could really fit the bill, with Red Devils legend Rio Ferdinand branding him the “real deal”. As well as his excelling reputation, the South American also boasts proven Premier League experience.

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

Burnley are now interested in bringing another England international to the club alongside Kyle Walker this summer, according to a new transfer report.

The Clarets knew that some statement signings would be required ahead of their return to the Premier League next month, and they duly delivered, completing the signing of Walker from Manchester City. The 35-year-old has enjoyed a stunning career, winning six league titles at the Etihad and also clinching Champions League glory, and he has spoken of his happiness at sealing a move to Burnley.

Burnley supporters will be hoping to see some more stellar names arrive at Turf Moor before the end of the summer transfer window, and it looks as though they are pushing to sign a player that Walker knows well.

Burnley now keen on signing another England man

According to a fresh claim from Haber Turk [via Sport Witness], Burnley are in the race to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Besiktas this summer.

The 31-year-old wants to terminate his current deal in Turkey, instead preferring to seal a return to the Premier League, with Leicester City also keen on snapping him up. He has one year remaining on his contract.

Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t quite the force he was during his younger years, with a serious ACL injury at Liverpool in 2018 cutting him down in his prime, but he could still be an excellent signing for Burnley ahead of the 2025/26 season.

The former Reds man is a hugely experienced figure for club and country, winning the Premier League title back in 2019/20 and scoring seven goals in 35 caps for England, with Jurgen Klopp showing his appreciation for him during their time together at Anfield.

“When I heard Ox had signed his new contract with us, I am sure my emotions were the same as every Liverpool fan hearing the news tonight – absolutely delighted. This is because an absolutely outstanding player and person has shown his belief and commitment to our project here and it’s a deal I think makes sense on both sides.”

Oxlade-Chamberlain can bring a goal threat from attacking midfield areas – he can also do a job out wide – and the fact that he is hungry for a return to England means Burnley would be signing a player with a point to prove. It feels like a no-brainer for Scott Parker if he can make it happen.

An lbw decision against Antigua and Barbuda Falcons batter Imad Wasim that swayed between out and not out for over 10 minutes led to “chaos”, controversy and an unusual delay in the CPL game against Trinbago Knight Riders in Port-of-Spain.The initial not-out decision was briefly overturned by the third umpire Nigel Duguid before Wasim was called back to resume batting, which sparked off animated chats between TKR captain Kieron Pollard and the on-field umpires Christopher Taylor and Patrick Gustard.The incident happened on the second ball of the tenth over of the chase right after Sunil Narine had Hassan Khan stumped for 36 off 20 balls. Falcons needed another 67 off 65 deliveries when Wasim looked to defend his first ball with a forward press in front of the stumps, and Narine, from around the wicket, pitched the ball on a good length, before it went on to hit Wasim’s pads right in front of middle stump. The loud lbw appeal was first given not out by umpire Taylor, which Narine asked Pollard to review. When Pollard did, ball-tracking showed the ball hitting leg stump, which would have meant a golden duck for Wasim.Wasim, however, looked confident that he had edged the ball before it hit his pad. He was seen chatting with the umpires before he started walking off, and was even willing to, in turn, review TKR’s review as replays on the big screen showed he had edged it. Falcons assistant coach Curtly Ambrose was watching the replays in the dugout too with the rest of the squad, and was seen gesticulating from just beyond the boundary to protest against Wasim’s dismissal.The umpire soon reverted his decision to not out after seeing the inside edge, but only to spark off an animated conversation between Pollard and both on-field umpires, with this time the TKR coach Phil Simmons signalling from the dugout. It led to a near 12-minute delay, with the TKR camp clearly unhappy about the eventual decision, and later seeing Wasim hitting the winning runs too.Despite the loss on Thursday, TKR are still second on the points table. But they have not sealed a playoffs berth yet, and a visibly upset Pollard kept things very short at the presentation. “If I speak, I’ll get into trouble,” he said about the Wasim incident. “So I better stay quiet on that.”Falcons captain Chris Green was more expressive. “Chaos, absolute chaos,” Green said. “I don’t know what went on. He was given out when he shouldn’t have been, and then he stood over the rope and he probably shouldn’t have – but he was told to. Absolute chaos. I don’t know what happened, but this tournament continues to entertain in different ways… Really happy with the win. We outplayed them in all facets of the game tonight, and we thoroughly deserve that win.”

Carey has produced scores of 74 and 77 not out while incumbent Inglis has nursed a quad issue, creating a selection quandary

Alex Malcolm25-Sep-2024

Alex Carey scored his second successive half-century in the third ODI•Getty Images

Alex Carey’s stunning return to Australia’s ODI side will cause the selectors a headache ahead of the Champions Trophy 2025 when incumbent wicketkeeper Josh Inglis returns from a quad complaint, according to coach and selector Andrew McDonald.Carey was recalled to Australia’s ODI side at the start of the series against England – having been dropped during last year’s ODI World Cup – after Inglis was ruled out of the first ODI at Trent Bridge due to quad soreness he suffered in the second T20I against England on September 13.Inglis is still yet to recover and Carey has taken his chance with back-to-back scores of 74 and 77 not out, with both innings salvaging Australia from perilous positions to post competitive scores at Headingley and Chester-le-Street respectively.Related

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It has raised the question of whether Inglis will automatically reclaim his spot when he is fit to return. Following Australia’s loss to England in the third ODI, McDonald said the wicketkeeper’s spot would be a headache, but a positive one.”It’s always a good problem to have when you’ve got people competing for spots within your team,” he said. “Unfortunately, Josh was injured in the T20 series, and Alex has jumped into that spot and done incredibly well. So as I said, it’s always a good problem to have.”McDonald did suggest there was a possibility both men could play in the same team moving forward. The pair have played in the same ODI side for Australia on six occasions, four of those coming last year on the tours of South Africa and India immediately prior to the ODI World Cup, with Inglis playing as a specialist batter in all six games when Carey was the first-choice wicketkeeper.”It’s always something we will consider,” McDonald said. “If you think back sort of 12 months ago, we had Ingo and Kez in the same team. So it’s quite possible, and the way that Alex is batting is very impressive. Summing up the situation, navigating going through the middle against spin. He’s a quality player. He’s played a lot of international cricket, so the way he’s performing isn’t a surprise to us.”But it would seem a less likely option when all of Australia’s best players are fit and available. A more likely option would be Australia playing an extra allrounder to deepen the batting with Aaron Hardie putting his name up for the role with an impressive 44 from 26 balls at the death to help lift Australia’s total above 300 on Tuesday. Hardie wasn’t initially set to play until Adam Zampa was ruled out late with illness.Aaron Hardie clubbed his way to 44 off 26 balls•Getty Images

Australia have been keen to experiment with an allrounder at No. 8 since McDonald took over as coach in 2022 in the hope of potentially using that combination in major tournaments, only to consistently revert to playing seven batters and four specialist bowlers which was the model that won them the World Cup.Hardie’s form adds to their options, and potentially strengthens the case to play eight batters given he has bowled very impressively in the series so far. He can bowl with the new ball, and he provided a showcase of his death-hitting prowess despite having only limited experience in the role at the domestic level.”Aaron Hardie called into the team late, got some critical death hitting there to get us up to a total,” McDonald said. “He was definitely impressive today.”It’s something we’ve discussed over a period of time, and we’re on the record in saying, leading to the last World Cup, we wanted to have three distinct ways of playing, and one of those was with the eighth batter. So we’ve done that previously. The allrounders aren’t always available and fit, so therefore sometimes that team’s not on the table.”But we feel as though with the allrounders we’ve got with Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, you throw Marcus Stoinis also into that who’s not here, Will Sutherland’s been exposed across the journey as well. So you start to work through that. Matthew Short is an allrounder in his own right as well, along with Glenn Maxwell. So we’ve got options to be able to structure up that way. We do like to lean towards the three quicks with Adam Zampa, but clearly, that’s another way of playing.”The counterpoint is that Australia’s allrounder-heavy attack can lack potency, no matter how many runs they score. That was especially exposed without Zampa in the side and England’s batters took full advantage. McDonald is hopeful to have both Zampa and Travis Head available for the final two ODIs at Lord’s and Bristol on Friday and Sunday.”It’s always a different team when Adam Zampa is not there, an incredible performer for us over a long period of time,” McDonald said. “It was a late decision to leave him out. Clearly, we’ve had a little bit of illness in the camp, and that’s been well documented. Unfortunately, he was the latest casualty.”[Head] should be right for the next game. I won’t go into that any further, but he should be ready to go.”

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

Chelsea are in the market for more attacking options, with BlueCo looking to add to their summer contingent of Liam Delap, Joao Pedro and Jamie Gittens.

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ByEmilio Galantini Jul 19, 2025

Enzo Maresca has reportedly identified the final third as a key area to improve after struggling against the low-block last season (Simon Phillips), and it is basically a foregone conclusion that they’ll face this time and time again next term.

Cole Palmer

7.33

Moises Caicedo

7.02

Enzo Fernández

6.95

Nicolas Jackson

6.88

Noni Madueke

6.82

via WhoScored

The Blues do wish to improve other areas of their squad, like at centre-back, with Ajax starlet Jorrel Hato among their chief targets for the backline amid uncertainty surrounding the futures of Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile.

However, in the meantime, Maresca is believed to be prioritising another forward signing in his bid to mount a Premier League title challenge – which looks more and more likely after a very successful last few months.

Chelsea have money to spend after raising nearly £100 million through player sales and winning the Club World Cup, which brought in around £87.5 million worth of prize money to the Stamford Bridge coffers.

While they still need to sell players and balance out the squad, given Chelsea’s pact with UEFA after breaching FFP rules, there is still scope for them to bring in fresh attacking talent.

Chelsea are even thought to be weighing up ‘unofficial swap deals’ as a solution to offload surplus players whilst reinforcing Maresca’s ranks further, and some reports suggest that the west Londoners could let Nicolas Jackson head to Aston Villa in exchange for Morgan Rogers.

Multiple sources have also claimed that Chelsea are in dialogue with the representatives of Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze, who bagged 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season, not to mention the FA Cup final-winning strike against Man City.

Eze is emerging as a key target for Maresca, and he could battle both Arsenal and Tottenham for the 27-year-old, amid some reports that their London rivals have fallen behind Chelsea in the race for his signature (TEAMtalk).

Chelsea expected to be offered Xavi Simons by super agent Ali Barat

However, according to newspaper BILD, via Get German Football News on X, another opportunity has come to light in the form of RB Leipzig star Xavi Simons.

Simons sealed a permanent move to Leipzig from PSG in January for around £43m, not including hefty add-ons, but he could already be on the move. The 22-year-old put pen to paper on a deal running till 2027, and Simons is prepared to leave Leipzig this window amid interest from both Chelsea and Arsenal (Fabrizio Romano).

BILD report that Chelsea are expected to be offered Simons by super agent Ali Barat, and the representative is set to work on finding him a new club.

The Netherlands international has racked up an impressive 21 goals and 23 assists in total for Leipzig since first joining them on loan in 2023/2024, with a move to England now firmly in his sights.

Simons is actually the highest-paid player in Leipzig’s history, on a reported £192,000-per-week, and he’s been praised as an attacker who “has everything”.

“He is a very good player. He had a very good European Championship and a great season with Leipzig,” Bayern Munich sporting director Christoph Freund said last year.

“He’s developed really well. I think he’s going to have a really good career at the highest level. He has everything, mentality, character and is just an exceptional player.”

Tilak Varma is the fifth capped player retained by MI ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction

Nagraj Gollapudi31-Oct-202410:44

Should Rohit or Surya replace Hardik as MI captain?

Mumbai Indians are set to retain their four major Indian players – Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Suryakumar Yadav – along with Tilak Varma ahead of the IPL 2025 mega auction.With those five capped players retained, MI can use their one right-to-match option only on an uncapped player at the auction. While the individual amounts for each of their retained player is yet to be ascertained, MI will lose at least INR 75 crore from their purse of INR 120 crore, or more if they have paid a higher aggregate amount to the five.MI had a disappointing IPL 2024, finishing at the bottom of the league under the leadership of Hardik, who was traded in from Gujarat Titans and replaced Rohit as captain. Hardik was regularly booed at various venues last season as fans expressed their displeasure at the change of leadership, but he bounced back from poor personal form with significant contributions during India’s successful 2024 T20 World Cup campaign. However, Suryakumar was preferred as India’s T20I captain after that tournament once Rohit retired from the format, even though Hardik had captained India in T20Is for much of 2023.Related

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Gill, Rashid, Sudharsan to be retained by Gujarat Titans

Samson, Jaiswal, Parag and Sandeep set to be retained by Rajasthan Royals

ESPNcricinfo has learned the MI management had a chat recently with their senior players on the plan going forward before agreeing on retentions.October 31 is the deadline by which the ten franchises have to submit their lists of retained players to the IPL. The teams have been allowed to retain up to six players ahead of the mega auction before the 2025 season, of which a maximum of five can be capped internationals and two can be uncapped players. While the IPL has set minimum deductions from the auction purse for each player retained – INR 18 crore for the first player, INR 14 crore for the second, INR 11 crore for the third, INR 18 crore for the fourth, INR 14 crore for the fifth, and INR 4 crore for an uncapped player – the franchises are free to pay more or less than those amounts to their retained players.