Gatti Sports Reports SA

MANCHESTER TEAMS AT BATTLE AGAIN FOR ANOTHER GOALKEEPER! Manchester teams Manchester United and Manchester City are once again at war to land another goalkeeper with Senne Lammens from Jupiler Pro League side Royal Antwerp having caught the attention of the Manchester giants. Lammens has been in fine form since joining Antwerp back in 2023 from Club Brugge. The 23-year old also helped Antwerp deliver the Belgian Super Cup in the 2023/24 season. So far, Lammens has played 64 matches conceding 86 goals and keeping 12 clean sheets across all competitions for Antwerp. United and City are also in the race to land former AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma from French champions Paris Saint-Germain. Between both Manchester clubs, Who will land Donnarumma and Lammens? Photo provided by Getty Images.

BRENTFORD PLACE £50M ON WISSA! Newcastle United, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will have to dig deep in their pockets if they really want to land striker Yoane Wissa from Brentford FC as the club demands as much as £50M for the Congolese international.  Brentford have already seen Bryan Mbeumo complete a move to Manchester United after the club agreed to pay a fee of over £60M.  Former Brentford coach Thomas Frank who has made a switch to Tottenham Hotspur is also likely to land Wissa considering the relationship they had at Brentford.  Will Newcastle, Manchester United or Tottenham meet Brentford's financial demands? Photo provided by IMAGO.

A 14-YEAR OLD STAR INVITED TO JOIN MANCHESTER UNITED FIRST TEAM! Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has invited 14 year old striker Joseph Junior Gabriel to train with the Manchester United first team. The teenage striker only played 4 matches for the Manchester United under 18 last season but has already caught the attention of Amorim. Gabriel is also the son of former Arsenal and Brighton striker Joe O'Cearuill. Should Gabriel be promoted and make his senior debut in the coming weeks, He will hold the record of being the youngest player to make a Manchester United senior team debut and the youngest player to play in the Premier League.  Photo provided by Getty Images .

WREXHAM SHORT OF €200K TO MATCH BARCELONA'S TRANSFER SPENDING IN THIS WINDOW! Hollywood movie stars Ryan Reynolds and Robert McElhenney are surely standing on business when it comes to their co-owned club Wrexham AFC. The club that is in it's debut season in the EFL Championship has been spending money in acquiring quality players to ensure that come the end of the season they climb up to the English Premier League. Should they win promotion to the English Premier League, That will extend their history and record of securing 4 successive promotion dating back from their time in the English National League.   In this current transfer window, Wrexham have spent €27.3M on players transfers which is €200k less than what Spanish LaLiga giants Barcelona have spent also in this window. Overall, Wrexham also ranked the 72nd team in the world in terms of spending on transfers. Photo provided by Wrexham AFC.

WHO WILL BOOK THIS SEASON'S MTN8 FINAL SPOTS? The second semifinal legs of the MTN8 will take place today in order to determine who will be this season's finalists between the defending champions Orlando Pirates, Mamelodi Sundowns, Stellenbosch FC and Sekhukhune United.  The first legs played last week Saturday starting at the Orlando stadium where Pirates and Sundowns played a 1-1 draw. Teboho Mokoena got the goal for Sundowns while Kamogelo Sebelebele got the equalizer for Pirates. Today the second leg will play at the Lucas Masterpiece Moripe stadium at 15h00.  The second first leg followed a few hours after the Pirates and Sundowns fixture where Stellenbosch FC had the upper hand over Sekhukhune at the Danie Craven stadium as they won 2-0. The goals on the Stellies board were registered by Godswill Enyinaya and Devin Titus. Sekhukhune will be hoping to turn the tables at the New Peter Mokaba stadium at 18h00.  Who will book this season's MTN8 final? Will it be Pirates...

ALEXANDER ISAK BREAKS HIS SILENCE REGARDING THE LIVERPOOL TRANSFER! Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak has finally broke his silence regarding his intentions to leave United for Liverpool. The 25-year old Swedish international posted a story on his Instagram yesterday revealing that he had told the club about his intentions of leaving in this current transfer window and both him and club had an agreement but are now turning their backs on him. With everything that has been happening behind closed-doors, Isak was also dropped for United's first English Premier League match day squad against Aston Villa last weekend where they played a 0-0 draw at Villa Park. Below is the Instagram story posted Alexander Isak yesterday: Newcastle United also didn't hold back as they also released their own statement in the early hours of today regarding Isak's behavior: Newcastle United statement: Alexander Isak "We are disappointed to have been alerted to a social media post by Ale...

ZUNGU TO FLOURISH AT MAGESI? Magesi FC have been reported to have signed former Orlando Pirates midfielder Nkanyiso Zungu on a free transfer after he became a free agent following the sale of Motsepe Foundation Championship club Pretoria Callies.  Callies sold its Championship status to North West ABC Motsepe League side Lerumo Lions who will now be campaigning in the Championship.  Magesi who are reported to have signed Zungu are also rumoured to have given the 29-year old a contract with a tricky clause which stipulates that if he misbehaves like he did the time he was at Orlando Pirates and Richards Bay FC, He will have his contract terminated. Will Zungu be able to flourish in the colours of Magesi? Amazulu, Jomo Cosmos, Stellenbosch FC and Platinum City Rovers are some of the teams Zungu played for which makes him highly experienced. Photo provided by BackpagePix .

PIRATES TO RELEASE MOFOKENG FOR R35M TO JOIN THE MLS? With most people saying that Orlando Pirates winger Relebohile Mofokeng should not spend another season in the Betway Premier League after Mohau Nkota completed a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League signing for Al-Ettifaq, An offer from Major League Soccer side Minnesota United has been tabled to Pirates for the services of Mofokeng according to Tom Bogert. Minnesota United is a team that is currently housing former Maritzburg United striker Bongokuhle Hlongwane who has been with them since January 2022. The rumoured fee submitted to the South African giants by Minnesota  is $2M which equals to slightly over R35M. The R35M bid submitted to Pirates is R4M more than the money Ettifaq paid for the services of Nkota.  Will Pirates release Mofokeng to Minnesota for R35M or will they want more money to release him. Photo provided by Orlando Pirates Football Club.

CONTE WANTS ZIRKZEE TO REPLACE THE INJURED LUKAKU! Seeing that Belgian international striker Romelu Lukaku has suffered an injury that is going to keep him out for months, Napoli head coach Antonio Conte is rumoured to be eyeing Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee to serve as a replacement for Lukaku. Conte successfully delivered the Italian Serie-A title for Napoli in just a season after being appointed. The Italian coach recruited Lukaku together with Scott McTominay to form a deadly goal scoring duo which eventually did the job for him.  Napoli have also welcomed former Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne who penned a deal after joining on a free transfer.  Now with Lukaku injured, Zirkzee is a top target for Conte with Alejandro Garnacho also regarded as an option. Photo provided by IMAGO.

ROMA GETS LEON BAILEY ON LOAN! AS Roma have reached an agreement with Aston Villa for the services of winger Leon Bailey who will initially join on a season-long loan. The initial season-long loan contains a loan fee of £1.7m. The agreement also contains the option to buy the winger for around £19m (€22m) when the 2025/26 season concludes. Bailey has been with Villa since the start of the 2021/22 season joining on a €32M transfer from Bayer Leverkusen. He went on to make 144 appearances accompanied by 22 goals and 24 assists across all competitions for Villa. Before getting Bailey, Roma were also linked with Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho but the deal failed to materialize due to Sancho's £250k per week salary demands. Photo provided by IMAGO.

ONANA WANTED BY HIS FORMER CLUB! Since being dropped to the grand stands in Manchester United's first 2025/26 season English Premier League match last week against Arsenal, Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana now finds himself looking for a new team in this current transfer window. United's head coach Ruben Amorim named Altay Bayindir on the starting line-up and Tom Heaton as the substitute goalkeeper in last week's encounter. Onana has been deemed as the worst goalkeeper in the Manchester United history after conceding 148 goals in 101 appearances since being signed by the club in 2023. With Onana no longer in the plans of United, His former employers Inter Milan are interested in signing him back. Photo provided by IMAGO.

ERIC BAILLY JOINS LALIGA NEWBIES! Spanish LaLiga newbies Real Oviedo have made a statement signing after they unveiled the acquisition of former Manchester United and Villarreal defender Eric Bailly. The Ivorian defender joins on a free transfer having parted ways with Villarreal last month. He has now signed a 2-year contract with Oviedo. Oviedo secured their ticket back to the Spanish first tier having finished third in the Spanish second tier with 75 points and subsequently won the play-offs beating Mirandes for the LaLiga spot. Now with the statement signing of Bailly, Will the 31-year old Ivorian help the team survive relegation? Photo provided by IMAGO.

WILL SIYANDA XULU FIND A TEAM THIS SEASON? With the 2025/26 season having already commenced, Former Mamelodi Sundowns and Kaizer Chiefs defender Siyanda Xulu has now entered his second season without a club. The 33-year old was released by the defunct Supersport United at the end of the 2023/24 season but failed to land a new team ever since. Xulu tried his luck again in Israel last season but a deal also failed to materialize. Before playing for Supersport United, Xulu had a stint in Israel plying his trade for Hapoel Tel Aviv. Looking a Xulu's age, He might still give a few good seasons. Will Xulu land a new team this season? Photo provided by BackpagePix.

MOKWANA WANTED IN SAUDI ARABIA! Bafana Bafana international Elias Mokwana might be joining former Orlando Pirates winger Mohau Nkota in the Saudi Pro League as it has been reported that newly promoted Al-Hazem wants to sign him from Esperance de Tunis.  Al-Hazem earned a spot in the Saudi first tier after finishing third in the Saudi First Division League and winning the promotional play-offs. The Saudi outfit are rumoured to have offered Esperance a transfer fee of $800,000 (R14million) to sign the Bafana Bafana international. Will Esperance let Mokwana go for that figure or will they push to get more money from Al-Hazem for the services of Mokwana? Photo provided by Esperance de Tunis .

COUTINHO'S VASCO THRASH NEYMAR'S SANTOS FC 6-0 IN LEAGUE MATCH! Yesterday, Neymar JR's club Santos FC hosted Philippe Coutinho's Vasco Da Gama at the morumBIS for a Serie-A encounter. The results didn't go as planned for the home side as they were hammered 6-0 with Coutinho being among the goals with a brace.  Both Santos and Vasco find themselves on the wrong side of the Serie-A table. Vasco jumped from 17th place to 16 place after their victory having accumulated 19 points in 18 matches. Santos remained in 15th place with 21 points after 19 matches.  The 6-0 loss also resulted in Santos coach Clebar Xavier being fired right after the game. Neymar recently extended his contract with Santos this past June which will now expire in December this year. It is highly possible that the 33-year old midfielder will depart Santos when his contract expires with Bayern Munich looking for his service. Photo provided by IMAGO.

OMARI HUTCHINSON CLOSE TO A PREMIER LEAGUE RETURN! The 2025 European Under-21 Championship winner Omari Hutchinson will not be spending the 2025/26 season in the EFL Championship with Ipswich Town who got relegated from the English Premier League at the end of last season. It's reported that the 21-year old midfielder is close to sealing a move back with Nottingham Forest close to agreeing a £37.5m deal with Ipswich Town for his services. Hutchinson will depart Ipswich after being with them for 2 full seasons joining from Chelsea on a £20M transfer. Before playing for Chelsea, Hutchinson also had a stint at Arsenal. Photo provided by IMAGO.

ERIK LAMELA HANGS HIS BOOTS AT 33! Another professional football player  in Erik Lamela has decided to call it time to his football playing career ending a 17-year playing career. The winger started his playing career at Argentine giants River Plate playing for the under-20 side in 2008 before being promoted to the senior team the following year (2009). He spent 2 and half years as River Plate's first team player before joining Italian side AS Roma in 2011 on a €17M transfer.  Lamela played 2 seasons at Roma before catching the attention of English side Tottenham Hotspur who broke their bank and landed him on a €30M transfer. Lamela's time at Spurs didn't yield him good results as he failed to win the club a trophy in his 8 season stay.  He moved to Sevilla in 2021 on a free transfer. His journey at Sevilla tendered from the year 2021 until the beginning of last season where he joined Greeks side AEK Athens where he also decided to retire.  It has been reported that ...

COMO ANNOUNCE TWO SIGNINGS FROM AJAX! Cesc Fabregas co-owned and coached club Como 1907 have announced their latest signings with Lyfe Oldenstam and Muguel Da Silva joining from Ajax Amsterdam. Part of the statement published on the Como website yesterday announcing the signing of the former Ajax duo is written as follows: "Como 1907 is pleased to announce the final acquisition of Lyfe Oldenstam and Miguel Da Silva from AFC Ajax. The two young talents will become part of the Spring Rose as part of the long-term collaboration between the two clubs." "Dutch defender Lyfe Oldenstam has collected 22 appearances with Ajax Under-19 in the 2024/25 season, after climbing the academy hierarchies starting from the Under 15. Oldenstam also represented the Netherlands from Under 15 to Under 18. Last year he debuted among the professionals with Jong Ajax in the Eerste Divisie." "Portuguese striker Miguel Da Silva has played 35 games with the Ajax Under-17 team last se...

SUNDOWNS PART WAYS WITH LORCH AND MAEMA! Mamelodi Sundowns have shockingly confirmed the departures of midfielders Thembinkosi Lorch and Neo Maema. Maema departs the Tshwane club having been with them for about 4 years representing them on 120 occasions and winning 7 major trophies in the process. Lorch joined Downs last year from Orlando Pirates but spent the remainder of the 2024/25 season on loan at Wydad Athletic Club. Reports suggests that Lorch will sign a permanent transfer with Wydad. Maema who is currently with the South African national football team at the CHAN tournament, Is on the wanted list of many teams including Orlando Pirates, Kaizer Chiefs, Durban City FC, Siwelele FC, Sekhukhune United and Stellenbosch FC. Photos provided by Mamelodi Sundowns Football Club.

YOUNG BOYS PLAYER SEALING A MOVE TO AC MILAN! Italian Serie-A side AC Milan have completed the signing of defender Zachary Athekame as their new right back from Brack Super League side BSC Young Boys. Milan and Young Boys have agreed on a €10m total package plus 10% sell-on clause to be beneficial for Young Boys should Athekame move to another club from Milan. The right back will soon travel to Milan for medical and contract signing following Koni De Winter’s arrival. Photo provided by IMAGO .

DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN A LEEDS UNITED PLAYER! English Premier League newbies Leeds United have completed the signing of former Sheffield United striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin. The 28-year old striker signed on a free transfer after he was released by Everton last month.  Dominic spent 9 years at Everton and has since gone on to make 273 appearances which are accompanied by 71 goals and 22 assists across all competitions.  Will Calvert-Lewin hit the ground running at Leeds and help the team avoid heading back to the EFL Championship? Leeds will open their English Premier League season with a home encounter against Everton next week Monday. Photo provided by IMAGO.

CITY ANNOUNCE TAAHIR GOEDEMAN'S LOAN MOVE TO PSL NEWBIES! Cape Town City FC took to their social media platforms yesterday to announce that their midfielder Taahir Goedeman has completed a season long loan to newly promoted Durban City FC. The 25-year old will momentarily ditch the John Comitis owned side and join his former Cape Town City teammates Darren Keet, Thabo Nodada and Hashim Domingo who also got signed by Durban City but they penned permanent deals after joining on free transfers. "Best of luck to Taahir Goedeman who will spend the 2025/26 season on loan with Durban City." Wrote Cape Town City FC on their social media platforms yesterday announcing Goedeman's loan move. Cape Town City will begin their life in the Motsepe Foundation Championship with a home fixture against Venda FC at the Athlone stadium next week Saturday. Photo provided by Cape Town City Football Club.

LIVERPOOL SET TO ADD 18 YEAR OLD FROM PARMA! Liverpool are planning on breaking their bank even more as they aiming to sign Parma defender Giovanni Leoni as soon as possible and erase their initial plan of wanting to sign him next year before the 2026/27 season kicks-off. The Arne Slot side is reported to be in advanced talks to get Giovanni Leoni now as staying in Italy on loan is also ruled out as an option for Liverpool. The 18-year old defender will be thrown straight into the deep end as Liverpool are also looking at that Ibrahima Konate wants to leave and they want to sell him in this current transfer window before his contract expires next year. Currently, Club to club talks are ongoing with Leoni having already agreed to the Liverpool project and the deal could wrapped up soon. Photo provided by IMAGO .

BONGOLWETHU SIYASI TRAINING WITH GALAXY! In hope of securing a contract in the Betway Premier League in this current new season, Former Ajax Cape Town and Mamelodi Sundowns DSTV Diski Challenge defender Bongolwethu Siyasi has been spotted training with Mpumalanga based outfit TS Galaxy FC According to FARPost.   The 22-year old was among the players unveiled by Marumo Gallants before the season commenced but it turns out he never signed a contract even though he was unveiled with the players who had signed with Bloemfontein outfit.  Gallants and Siyasi couldn't agree on contract terms hence the former Venda FC man went to Galaxy to try his luck.  Will Siyasi earn himself a contract with The Rockets? Photo provided by BackpagePix.

THABANG SIBANYONI RETURNS TO MAGESI! Magesi FC have welcomed back striker Thabang Sibanyoni who now joined the club on a free transfer after he was released by Mamelodi Sundowns following the expiry of his contract this past June. Sibanyoni spent the remainder of the 2024/25 season on loan at Magesi from Downs. He has now signed a 1 year deal with the reigning Carling Knockout Cup champions. Before rejoining Magesi, The 29-year old was rumoured to be on the radar of newly promoted Durban City FC and Siwelele FC but failed to land contracts at both clubs. Sibanyoni spent 8 seasons with Sundowns before he was released but never made an appearance for the Tshwane side. Photo provided by Magesi Football Club.

OUADDOU WANTS TO COME BACK STRONGER AGAINST DOWNS! Orlando Pirates suffered two straight losses in the Betway Premier League this season which is match day 1 and 2. The Buccaneers comfortably opened their season with a 2-0 home win against Polokwane City in the quarterfinals of the MTN8 setting up a semifinals date with Mamelodi Sundowns.  Their next match after the MTN8 quarterfinal was followed by a Betway Premier League opener at home against Sekhukhune United this past Saturday where they lost 1-0. Yesterday they played their first away fixture which was against Marumo Gallants where they also lost 2-1.  Now heading into their MTN8 semifinal first leg against Mamelodi Sundowns at the Orlando stadium, Orlando Pirates head coach Abdeslam Ouaddou has highlighted that they will go back to their analysis and see how they can improve in their next encounter.  Ouaddou has also come under the spotlight for not playing the club's last season regular players as he opted to play...

MAN CITY MIDFIELDER FINALIZING A MOVE TO FOREST! Having burst into the English Premier League scene last season, Manchester City midfielder James McAtee has since caught the attention of other teams in the Premier League and the Bundesliga. UEFA Europa League bound Nottingham Forest are closing in on securing McAtee from Manchester City after both clubs agreed on the player's transfer.  Official proposal for McAtee submitted by Forest is slightly over £20M. Player’s keen on the move and Forest hope to finalise the deal as soon as possible to add McAtee for Nuno Esperito Santo. Photo provided by IMAGO .

CITY TO PUSH MORE FOR RODRYGO? Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola is trying by all means to sign winger Rodrygo Goes from Real Madrid before the current transfer window closes. The 24-year old winger has also been rumoured to be wanted by other English Premier League clubs like Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool since last season.  Rodrygo on the other hand still wants to stay at Madrid and fight for his place and the club also wants him to stay but placed a €100M asking price on him.  Will City push more to land Rodrygo at the Etihad stadium? Photo provided by IMAGO .

CHRISTIAN ERIKSEN TO JOIN PREMIER LEAGUE NEWBIES! Former Brentford FC and Manchester United midfielder Christian Eriksen is close to securing a contract with English Premier League returnees Burnley FC as the club is in discussions to have the Danish player join them.  Eriksen became a free agent in June after parting ways with Manchester United following the expiry of his contract.  Some of the marquee signings made by Burnley includes former Manchester City defender Kyle Walker and former Ipswich Town FC defender Axel Tuanzebe.  Photo provided by IMAGO .

BITTER PILL! PALACE CHAIRMAN ADMITS MARC GUEHI HAVE TO LEAVE IN THIS CURRENT WINDOW! Time is ticking on Crystal Palace as midfielder Marc Guehi enters his last season at the club. The former Chelsea man doesn't want to extend his contract with Palace and the club might lose him for free. With speculation on the future of Guehi, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish has given an update on whether the 25 year old will be staying beyond the 2025/26 season or not. In an interview he had after Palace defeated Liverpool on penalties in the FA Community Shield this past Sunday, Parish admitted that Marc Guehi will have to extend his contract or be sold in this current transfer window as the club is not willing to lose him for free. Out of desperation, The price tag set on Guehi's head is not more than £40M. Interested parties includes Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich among the teams interested in Guehi. Photo provided by IMAGO .

REAL MADRID PLANNING TO SIGN TRIO AS FREE AGENTS! Having capitalized on free agents in the past few years signing the likes of David Alaba, Antonio Rudiger, Kylian Mbappe and Trent Alexander-Arnold, Real Madrid are plotting free agents signing in 2026 and have shortlisted three centre-backs. Liverpool's Ibrahima Konate, Bayern Munich's Dayot Upamecano and Chelsea's Marc Guéhi will all be free agents come the end of the 2025/26 season as they currently don't want to extend their contracts with their respective employers. The trio of players have made their intentions clear that they want to join Real Madrid in the 2026/27 season and Madrid is also keen on the players. Will Real Madrid land the trio come next year or will the players make last minute decisions and join other teams or extend their contracts? Photo provided by Real Madrid C.F.

IPSWICH SECURE CHUBA AKPOM FROM AJAX! EFL Championship returnees Ipswich Town FC have been boosted by the signing of striker Chuba Akpom who joined them on a loan transfer from Eredivisie side Ajax Amsterdam.  Ipswich lost a few good players following their relegation from the English Premier League. They saw their star player Liam delap completing a move to Chelsea and Axel Tuanzebe who joined newly promoted Burnley FC. Akpom is no stranger to the Championship having already played for the likes of Brentford while they were still participating in the league, Hull City, Coventry City, Nottingham Forest and Middlesbrough. He also played in the English Premier League representing Arsenal and Brighton and Hove Albion. "Ajax, Chuba Akpom and Ipswich Town FC have reached an agreement for the loan of the forward to the English club. The loan takes effect immediately and runs until June 30, 2026. The agreement includes an option to buy for the English side." Wrote Ajax Amsterdam yes...

DUŠAN TADIĆ JOINS THE UAE PRO LEAGUE! Former Southampton FC and Ajax Amsterdam winger Dušan Tadić has landed himself a new home as he has signed for United Arab Emirates Pro League club Al-Wahda on a free transfer. Tadic was released by Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahçe following the expiry of his contract. He spent 2 seasons with the Jose Mourinho's side where he played 109 matches with 64 goal contributions across all competitions. The 36-year-old winger signed a 1-year contract with his new club meaning there might be a possibility of him hanging his boots when his contract expires as he will be 38-years old next year November. A new chapter awaits Tadić in the UAE Pro League, Can he help the club win a trophy this season after spending the whole of last season without any trophy?  Photo provided by IMAGO.

TOTTENHAM TRYING TO GET WINGER FROM MANCHESTER CITY! Thomas Frank and Tottenham Hotspur want to ensure that their squad is much stronger gearing up to the 2025/26 season. The club is reportedly plotting a surprise transfer move for Manchester City winger Savinho in just one year after his €25M arrival at the Etihad. The Brazilian winger who joined City last year July, has caught the attention of Spurs’ recruitment team as they look to bolster their attacking options ahead of the new season. Savinho played 48 matches in his debut City season across all competitions with 3 goals and 13 assists. Letting him go will come at a costly price, City will surely bump up his price maybe to £40M. Will Spurs and City agree on the transfer of Savinho? Photo provided by IMAGO .

DOUGLAS LUIZ GETS AN OFFER FROM SURPRISE PL TEAM! With former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz looking for a way out of Italian giants Juventus in the current transfer window, Clubs in England have been battling to land his signature.  Luiz only joined Juve at the beginning of last season on a €51M transfer from Aston Villa signing a 5-year contract. He struggled to make an impact which prompts him to force a move away. He played just 27 games across all competitions without any goal contribution.  His former employers Aston Villa, Newly promoted Leeds United, West Ham United and Everton were previously reported to be looking to sign the Brazilian international, Nottingham Forest are now reported to be closing in on a deal to sign Luiz from Juventus.  Photo provided by IMAGO.

BURNLEY SIGNS ARMANDO BROJA FROM CHELSEA! English Premier League returnees Burnley FC further made reinforcements to their squad as they unveiled 23-year old striker Armando Broja on a permanent transfer from Chelsea.  Broja got handed a 5-year deal by Burnley meaning his contract will expire in June 2030. The Clarets also signed Axel Tuanzebe and Kyle Walker in over a month ago.  "Burnley FC are pleased to confirm the signing of Armando Broja, who joins the Club on a five-year contract from Chelsea for an undisclosed fee" Wrote Burnley on their social media platforms yesterday announcing the signing of Broja.  Having struggled to make an impact at Chelsea, Will Broja stamp his authority at Burnley? Photo provided by Burnley Football Club.

TAMMY ABRAHAM OPENS HIS BESIKTAS ACCOUNT WITH A HAT-TRICK! Former Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham has issued a firm warning to people who are maybe doubting his capabilities as he netted a hat-trick in his Besiktas debut last night. The Turkish side played a friendly match against St Patrick Athletic where they won 4-1 with Abraham scoring 3 of the 4 goals. Abraham will spend the rest of the 2025/26 season at Besiktas on loan from Italian Serie-A side AS Roma but might join on permanent basis should the Turkish club be keen on signing him permanently. Will the hat-trick Abraham scored last night open his goal scoring run going forward? Photo provided by Besiktas .

INTER MILAN EYEING JADON SANCHO AS BACKUP! Serie-A side Inter Milan are considering a move for Manchester United winger Jadon Sancho if they fail to sign Ademola Lookman from Atalanta.  Milan are strongly linked with Nigerian winger Ademola Lookman whom his club Atalanta have now increased his price tag from €45M to now being at €70M amid interests coming from teams all over Europe.  Sancho was supposed to join Chelsea at the end of his short loan stint but he declined the £180k per week salary offer from Chelsea as he wanted the £250k he is currently earning at United.  What baffles a lot of people is that Sancho declined £180k per week from Chelsea but was considering €100k per week from Juventus who are also in the race to sign him. Photo provided by IMAGO.

CR7 BAGS A HAT-TRICK IN CLUB FRIENDLY! Former Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Cristiano Ronaldo is strongly continuing where he left off last season. The 40-year old bagged a hat-trick last night when Al-Nassr defeated Rio Ave 4-0 at the Estadio Algrave in their second pre-season friendly match.  Ronaldo scored for the second week in a row having scored 1 goal in his club's 2-1 win over Toulouse last week Wednesday.   Al-Nassr's next match will be against Almeria this coming Sunday at the Estadio Mediterraneo.  Ronaldo is still enroute to score 1000 career goals, he has already surpassed 930 goals currently. Can he be able to reach 1000 career goals before his Al-Nassr contract expires? Photo provided by IMAGO.

HOW MAN UNITED WERE ABLE TO AFFORD SESKO! English Premier League giants Manchester United were finally able to get their target Benjamin Sesko after meeting the €70M/£61M transfer fee that was requested by his employers RB Leipzig.  Sesko will be United's third signing after Matheus Cunha who was signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bryan Mbeumo signed from Brentford.  United lost a lot of players to their English Premier League mates with Viktor Gyokeres joining Arsenal, Florian Wirtz and Hugo Ekitike joining Liverpool and now Alexander Isak snubbing them as he only wants to join Liverpool. Many were wondering how will United be able to keep their finances in check and avoid breaking the financial fair play rules. This is how United were able to fund the Sesko deal: - United’s £12.75M wage savings on Rashford who is currently on loan at Barcelona. - Staggered payment structures on Mbeumo & Cunha - £21M in sell on fees on players who've moved on to other clubs. - Chelse...

DARWIN NUNEZ & AL-HILAL MOVE SEALED! Saudi PRO League giants Al-Hilal have reached an agreement with the reigning English Premier League champions Liverpool for the services of striker Darwin Nunez. Negotiations had been going on for over a month now but after all, an agreement has been reached between both clubs with a €53M fixed plus add-ons set to be paid to Liverpool by Al-Hilal. Al-Hilal and Nunez have agreed on a 3 year deal with a weekly salary that will be between £400k to £500k which is a good jump from his £140k per week at Liverpool. The Uruguayan international will travel to Saudi Arabia to complete his medicals and sign for the Simon Inzhagi side. Photo provided by IMAGO .

CAPE TOWN CITY SIGN SIFISO NGOBENI FROM MAMELODI SUNDOWNS! Motsepe Foundation Championship side Cape Town City FC have bolstered their defense with the acquisition of former Bloemfontein Celtic and Mamelodi Sundowns left-back Sifiso Ngobeni.  Ngobeni joins on a free transfer after he was released by Mamelodi Sundowns last month following the expiry of his contract. Having initially signed a 5-year deal with downs when he joined, The 28-year old spent the past 3 seasons on loan which was at the now-defunct Supersport United and Amazulu.  Ngobeni is the second signing made by the Citizens after they also announced former Ajax Amsterdam goalkeeper Mickey Van Der Hart yesterday. Former Moroka Swallows, Kaizer Chiefs and Sekhukhune United defender Njabulo Ngcobo is also rumoured to be training with City hoping to earn himself a contract. Photo provided by IMAGO.

NKUNKU TO LEAVE CHELSEA THIS MONTH! The reigning UEFA Europa Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup champions Chelsea and French striker Christopher Nkunku as set to part ways this month as Nkunku wants a move away from The Blues.  Nkunku joined Chelsea 2 seasons back on a €60M transfer from Bundesliga club RB Leipzig but his time in England so far which was also marred by injuries hasn't been able to see him replicate his Leipzig form. The 28-year old striker was able to score 18 goals and provided 5 assists in 62 appearances across all competitions. Teams in the English Premier League, Bundesliga and Italian Serie-A have shown interest in Christopher. Manchester United, Bayern Munich, Juventus and Napoli have all shown interests. Who will Nkunku join? Photo provided by IMAGO.

NJABULO NGCOBO SPOTTED WITH NFD TEAM! Having been released by Sekhukhune United in June following the expiry of his contract, Former Moroka Swallows and Kaizer Chiefs defender Njabulo Ngcobo is rumoured to be training with Motsepe Foundation Championship side Cape Town City hoping to earn himself a contract. City who had been in the South African top flight for 9 years after buying the status of Mpumalanga Black Aces, Were relegated to the Championship after failing to win the promotion/relegation play-offs which were subsequently won by North West based club Orbit College FC. Ngcobo was also rumoured to be close to joining newly promoted Durban City FC and Chippa United but none of the moves materialized. Will the John Comitis owned side give Ngcobo a chance to revive his career? Photo provided by BackpagePix.