Sunderland have unveiled their new striker, Marc Guiu, after he completed his season-long loan move to the Stadium of Light. Régis Le Bris is building a side he hopes can do more than just fight for Premier League survival, and Guiu may play a pivotal role in the team’s attack.

The deal is structured heavily in Chelsea’s favour, with Sunderland paying a loan fee, all of his wages and a fine if Guiu doesn’t receive an adequate number of minutes. In his interview that served as an introduction for Sunderland fans to their new striker, Guiu spoke about what he believes he can bring to the team.

When asked about his thoughts ahead of the new season, Guiu described it as an “opportunity to get this club to where it deserves”. The youngster will likely feature prominently, and given his team-based answers in the interview, fans may enjoy seeing him receive the minutes Chelsea demand.

Guiu is the ninth arrival at the club this summer, but Le Bris and Kristjaan Speakman are not done yet and have shifted attention to the other end of the pitch.

Centre-back next for Sunderland

While Sunderland have already conducted a number of big deals this window, the club aren’t done yet. A report from Dominic Shaw in The Northern Echo has stated that the club is “prioritising the capture of a central defender”. Shaw also added that another wide attacker is on Speakman’s shopping list, but the current priority is to bring in a centre-back first.

Sunderland entered this window with the budget available to them to build a dream squad, and they have made tremendous progress so far, but now is the time for Speakman and Le Bris to polish off the squad with some final touches.

Sunderland's search for a centre-back

Sunderland have been named as one of three Premier League teams that are showing interest in Fiorentina defender Pietro Comuzzo. Italian outlet tuttomercatoweb has reported that Le Bris’s team, alongside Nottingham Forest and Manchester United, have an interest in the centre back, but none of the three have yet to make a formal bid.

While the links have persisted last month, Fiorentina manager Stefano Pioli was asked about Comuzzo and the transfer rumours: “Comuzzo? He’s a strong player, he’s here to compete for a place and be a starter.”

Earlier in the window, Sunderland were also linked to Jhon Lucumí of Bologna. Unfortunately for Sunderland fans, Sky Sports’ Tom White dampened hopes that this rumour may become reality when speaking on the Haway the Podcast: “I know we have been in for him… Whether we’ve pulled the plug or whether he’s rejected us, I don’t know.”

While it looks at present like Sunderland won’t be able to make either of these deals happen, there is still plenty of time left in the transfer window for Le Bris to identify a new centre-back and bring them to the club.

Related Sunderland made shock bid to sign striker similar to Arsenal star Gyokeres

Sunderland made an approach for a Premier League-proven free agent.

Posts ByCallum Kemp Aug 6, 2025

It would be fair to say that Manchester United’s lacklustre summer took a turn for the worse on Tuesday afternoon.

While the Old Trafford faithful have been crying out for the club to go out and sign some players, fierce rivals Liverpool have been doing precisely that, and now it looks like they are on the hunt for Alexander Isak.

In fact, according to some reporters, they are now preparing a £130m offer for the Newcastle United star, despite already spending around £116m on Florian Wirtz earlier in the window.

However, there might still be some good news for United fans, as reports suggest they are looking to bring in someone who could be their answer to the Swede before next week.

Manchester United's underwhelming summer

While it certainly doesn’t feel like it at the moment, the summer transfer window actually started in a rather positive fashion for United.

Transfer Focus

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

After recovering from their Europa League final defeat, the club went out and activated Matheus Cunha’s £62.5m release clause.

With the Brazilian being Premier League-proven and amassing an impressive haul of 23 goal involvements in 36 games last season, it is undoubtedly a great signing; however, the problem is that the club haven’t made another since.

Fortunately, that might be about to change. At least that is according to a recent report from the Manchester Evening News, which has revealed that United are closing in on Bryan Mbeumo.

In fact, in some much-needed good news, the report claims that the Red Devils are working hard to bring the Brentford man in before they begin their pre-season next week.

The club have already seen two offers rejected, with the latest being around £60m, but according to stories from earlier this week, they’ll need to pay £65m to get this deal over the line.

It’s certainly a lot of money to spend on one player, but given Mbeumo’s ability, it would be worth it, and it could be United’s own Isak-type addition.

Why Mbeumo could be United's Isak

Now, the first thing we’ll say is that, no, we don’t think Mbeumo is as good a player as Isak, but that doesn’t take away from the fact he’s still brilliant, and that isn’t really what we’re trying to say either.

Instead, we’re arguing that the Cameroonian international could have the same sort of impact on United in an attacking sense that the Newcastle ace could have for Liverpool.

That might sound absurd to some, but it’s really not, especially considering the difference a seriously dangerous Premier League goalscorer could have on this Red Devils side is far greater due to their current position, and the Brentford man is most certainly a dangerous goalscorer.

For example, in 38 league appearances last season, totalling 3417 minutes, the Bees’ “mini-Salah,” as dubbed by pundit Jason Cundy, scored 20 goals and provided eight assists.

That comes out to a brilliant average of a goal involvement every 1.35 games, or one every 122.03 minutes.

That would have made him comfortably the top scorer and most productive player in Ruben Amorim’s squad last season, ahead of Bruno Fernandes with eight goals and 11 assists in 36 games.

More impressively, however, it wasn’t too far off Isak’s tally.

Appearances

38

34

Minutes

3417′

2774′

Goals

20

23

Assists

8

6

Goal Involvements per Match

0.73

0.85

Minutes per Goal Involvement

122.03′

95.65′

In a far better team, the Swedish striker scored 23 goals and provided six assists in 34 league appearances, totalling 2774 minutes, which comes out to a goal involvement every 1.17 games, or every 95.65 minutes.

Finally, with the “phenomenal” Bees gem, as dubbed by one analyst, being able to play off the right or up top, he’d have even more opportunities to influence proceedings at the Theatre of Dreams next season.

Ultimately, Mbeumo is not as good a player as Isak, and nobody would suggest otherwise, but he is still an incredible attacker, and there is every chance that he could be as game-changing for United as the Swede might be for Liverpool.

Amorim's own Pogba: Man Utd leading race to sign "sensational" £42m star

Manchester United could be about to make a move to land a key target in their plans for the 2025/26 campaign.

ByEthan Lamb Jul 16, 2025

Chelsea’s have suffered another injury setback after midfielder Dario Essugo picked up a thigh problem while away with Portugal’s Under-21s. The Blues, already without several key players including Cole Palmer and Levi Colwill, will now be sweating on the youngster’s fitness ahead of their Premier League clash with Brentford after the conclusion of the international break.

• Chelsea confirm fresh injury blow with Dario Essugo sidelined
• Blues already missing Palmer, Colwill, Lavia, Delap and Badiashile
• Setback adds pressure ahead of Brentford Premier League clash

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Essugo, who joined Chelsea from Sporting CP in June for £18.5 million, has been serving as an understudy to Moises Caicedo and was pushing for more minutes this season. He has so far only featured as a substitute at the Club World Cup. With injuries galore at Chelsea so far, it was expected that he would get minutes in the Premier League. However, the Portuguese FA has now confirmed that Essugo has suffered a muscle issue.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  WHAT PORTUGAL FA'S STATEMENT READ

  The Portugal FA released a statement which read: “The Chelsea midfielder was excused from training due to a muscle problem in his right thigh, which he suffered after training. The athlete was evaluated by the Portuguese Football Federation’s Health and Performance Department and was declared unavailable.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Chelsea’s injury problems continue to mount, leaving Enzo Maresca short on depth. Colwill is already out long-term, while Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Liam Delap and Benoit Badiashile are also sidelined. Essugo’s absence could force the Blues to dig deeper into the squad if he isn't fit to at least feature on the bench against Brentford.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

  Chelsea face Brentford in a west London derby this weekend and will assess Essugo’s condition before then. The Blues hope his setback is only short-term as they manage a growing fitness crisis. Maresca’s squad depth will be tested further if the midfielder is ruled out for longer.

This Ranji season, Saurashtra have had three debutants in the four matches they have played so far

Rajan Raj10-Nov-2024Saurashtra have started the Ranji Trophy 2024-25 season on a disappointing note. In four games so far, they have drawn and lost two each. Those results have put them seventh in their group, but their captain Jaydev Unadkat believes that his side is going “through a period of transition”. This season, Saurashtra have already had three debutants in the four matches they have played so far.”Efforts are being made to give opportunities to youngsters. As captain, I want this change to be smooth,” Unadkat told ESPNcricinfo. “We want young players to come forward, and we want them to be given maximum opportunities. I want young players to settle in our team during my captaincy.”Saurashtra’s debutants this season include pace bowlers Navneet Vora and Hiten Kanbi, and batter Parswaraj Rana. While Vora has three wickets in two games at an average of 41, Rana contributed only 21 runs across two innings against Tamil Nadu. Kanbi, though, had a promising debut against Jharkhand, as he picked up 5 for 70 in the first innings, before grabbing one more in the second.Related

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Chappell to Shaw: 'Visualise the cricketer you want to become'

Over the last five Ranji seasons dating back to 2018-19, Saurashtra have made the final three times. Unadkat was their captain on each occasion, having even led his side to the title twice – in 2019-20 and 2022-23. Saurashtra also made the quarter-final last year, but this season, they run the risk of getting eliminated in the group stages. But Unadkat understands that a change of guard is inevitable, as seniors like Sheldon Jackson (38), Cheteshwar Pujara (36) and Arpit Vasavada (36) are near the end of their careers. Even Dharmendrasinh Jadeja is 34 while Unadkat himself is 33 years old.”It is not that players keep coming and going,” he said. “We know that when a transition period comes for a team, the performance goes up and down; but this is a part of this game.”Despite that, as captain, Unadkat remains focused on how to guide his side to a win each time he takes the field.”If you ask me what is most important for me, then I would say that I keep thinking about ways of taking Saurashtra to victory. I think about my team. When I wake up in the morning, the first thought that comes to my mind is how our team will win, and how it will become better. This is the biggest motivation for me right now.”Jaydev Unadkat had played 11 games for SRH in IPL 2024•Associated Press’IPL auction nothing new for me’Unadkat is one of 1574 players to enter the mega auction for IPL 2025, which will be held on November 24 and 25 in Jeddah. Last year, he played 11 games for Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), which was the eighth different side he was representing since his debut in 2010. While Unadkat is hopeful to make it back to SRH for the 2025 tournament, he doesn’t mind getting a new team either.”I am definitely very excited about the auction. The auction is nothing new for me,” he said. “Mega auction is a big opportunity, but whatever the results of the auction, I am fully prepared to accept it… Hopefully, SRH will select me in their team again. But even if they don’t – or something else happens – I am ready for it.”I played for eight teams; now even if there is a ninth team – or I get a chance for any team – I don’t have any problem. If I get my bowling role and I get to play, I will be satisfied. Earlier, I was with Lucknow [Super Giants, in 2023]; before that, I was in Mumbai [Indians, in 2022]. I got [to play] very few matches there, but still I was very happy in that set-up.”

A “talented” Glasgow Rangers player is getting closer to leaving the Gers, with a new report claiming he is in talks over a summer move to a new club.

Rangers close in on Neymar-esque starlet

The Gers are edging closer to the start of the new Scottish Premiership season, with new manager Russell Martin no doubt dreaming of winning the title over Celtic in his first season in charge.

Top-quality signings will be needed in that respect, and it looks as though a loan move for Tottenham teenager Mikey Moore is now close to being completed, which promises to be an exciting piece of business.

At just 17, Moore is a highly-rated winger who could be such an eye-catching performer for Rangers, with James Maddison even comparing him to Neymar: “From minute 45 to 65 I thought we had Neymar on the left wing. He was brilliant. Just demanding the ball and fearless. [He has] that young, fearless mentality and you never want to take that away from him. He’s a young kid, a brilliant lad, a lovely boy.”

While much focus at Ibrox is rightly on new signings, there are current players who could depart this summer, including Hamza Igamane. Now, a key update has emerged regarding another individual.

Rangers winger in talks over summer exit

According to a new claim from RTI Esporte [via Sport Witness], Rangers midfielder Jose Cifuenes is in talks with Sport Recife over a move away this summer.

The 26-year-old has been frozen out by Martin, not playing a part in pre-season at Ibrox, and he is keen on securing an exit before the new season gets underway.

It feels like the right decision for all parties to allow Cifuentes to move on this summer, especially as his manager clearly doesn’t consider him an important part of his plans moving forward.

The Ecuadorian is a good footballer, though, so there is always a potential risk in allowing him to leave, with former Gers manager Michael Beale praising him in the past.

“He is clearly a talented player and the more he plays, the more people will be aware of that. He is a player we brought in with high hopes for and this gives him an opportunity to have a run in the team now.”

He'd be amazing with Antman: Rangers in talks to sign "devastating" £10m ace

Rangers are reportedly in talks to sign a star who would be amazing with Oliver Antman.

ByDan Emery Jul 29, 2025

If Cifuentes does leave Rangers, he will depart with only 20 appearances to his name since arriving from Los Angeles FC in 2023, which is disappointing, and it may simply be looked back on as a signing that didn’t work out, despite moments of quality thrown in.

MatériaMais Notícias

Contra o Cruzeiro, o Corinthians precisava dar uma resposta ao torcedor, após a vexatória derrota diante do Remo, na Copa do Brasil, e a equipe conseguiu a vitória por 2 a 1 no Brasileirão. Contudo, mais uma vez a atuação ficou aquém do talento que o elenco corintiano possui, com os mesmos problemas que assombram o Timão no ano.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasCorinthiansSubstituto de Renato Augusto? Matheus Araújo indica preferência por posição no CorinthiansCorinthians16/04/2023CorinthiansLázaro valoriza ‘mudança de chave’ do Corinthians e elogia conexão com a torcidaCorinthians16/04/2023CorinthiansRóger Guedes cita técnicos europeus para defender trabalho de Lázaro no CorinthiansCorinthians16/04/2023

+ Matheus Araújo e Róger Guedes comandam vitória do Corinthians sobre o Cruzeiro; veja notas

O técnico Fernando Lázaro até mudou o esquema, colocando a equipe no 4-3-3 e jogando de maneira mais posicional, com Barletta e Róger Guedes bem abertos pelos lados. A estratégia não funcionou, já que novamente a circulação de bola do Corinthians foi lenta, e o clube sofreu demais na criação.

+ Guia Corinthians: onde assistir, análise dos adversários e tudo sobre o Timão na Libertadores

O principal destaque positivo nas mudanças de Lázaro foi a entrada de Matheus Bidu. O lateral foi muito bem como titular e mostrou que pode brigar com Fábio Santos na esquerda.

O treinador também merece elogios ao optar por Matheus Araújo ao invés de seguir dando chances a Paulinho e Maycon. O garoto da base não foi brilhante, mas deu dinamismo ao meio-campo, algo tão carente sem Renato Augusto, e mudou a partida quando tabelou com Fausto Vera para anotar seu primeiro gol pelo clube.

O gol deixou as arquibancadas em êxtase, e o Timão soube capitalizar o raro bom momento no jogo para selar a vitória com um gol no final, novamente marcado por Róger Guedes. A Raposa, que dominou a posse de bola, descontou nos acréscimos, mas a defesa corintiana segurou os três pontos.

+ Veja tabela e todos os confrontos do Brasileirão

A vitória alivia a barra de Lázaro e traz paz momentânea e necessária paz ao elenco para o duelo contra o Argentinos Juniors, na Libertadores. Mas não é coerente dizer que o Corinthians está evoluindo na temporada pois a equipe apresenta as mesmas dificuldades e não convence o seu torcedor.

continua após a publicidade

يستعد الفريق الأول لكرة اليد رجال بالنادي الأهلي، لخوض مباراة هامة أمام فيزبريم، في ثاني مبارياته ببطولة كأس العالم للأندية لكرة اليد.

وتقام البطولة على صالة نادي النادي بالعاصمة الإدارية الجديدة، تحت شعار “مصر تستقبل العالم من القارات للعاصمة الإدارية الجديدة”.

ويتواجد فريق كرة اليد بالنادي الأهلي في المجموعة الثانية من البطولة، والتي تضم ناديي فيزبريم المجري وسيدني الأسترالي.

طالع أيضاً.. موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة الزمالك وبرشلونة اليوم في كأس العالم للأندية لكرة اليد.. والمعلق

واستهل الأهلي مشواره بالبطولة بفوز كبير على نظيره جامعة سيدني بنتيجة 41-14، بالمباراة التي جمعت بينهما مساء الجمعة الماضية.

ويدخل الأهلي المباراة محتلاً المركز الثاني في ترتيب المجموعة الثانية برصيد نقطتين، متساوياً مع نظيره فيزبريم المتصدر بنفس عدد النقاط. موعد مباراة الأهلي وفيزبريم في كأس العالم لكرة اليد

تقام المباراة اليوم الأحد في تمام الساعة الثامنة مساءً بتوقيت مصر والسعودية. القناة الناقلة لمباراة الأهلي وفيزبريم اليوم

تنقل المباراة عبر قناة أون سبورت 2. معلق مباراة الأهلي وفيزبريم اليوم

يتولى خالد خيري مهمة التعليق على المباراة.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا

Manchester United are in a race with fellow Premier League side Everton in a bid to sign a £9 million international who has been labelled the “bargain of the summer”, according to a recent report.

Man Utd eyeing new midfield reinforcements

The Red Devils return to action at the end of this week, as they travel to Stockholm in Sweden to face rivals Leeds United in their first game of pre-season 2025. The hope Ruben Amorim will have is that his side will finally have Bryan Mbeumo through the door before that game gets underway.

Man Utd make loan proposal to sign £166k-a-week Bayern ace and get a reply

Man United have submitted a bid to sign a player from Bayern Munich on loan.

By
Brett Worthington

Jul 13, 2025

Once the deal for Mbeumo is completed, there has been a lot of talk that the next target will be a striker, but INEOS and co are also scouring the market to strengthen their midfield department. It was recently reported that United have made a move for not one but two new midfielders.

It’s been claimed that United have made an approach to sign Richard Rios from Palmeiras, who has been heavily linked with a move to AS Roma. The Brazilian side are said to want at least £25 million for Rios, who could be considered a replacement for Casemiro.

The second midfielder United are chasing is Bayern Munich’s Joao Palhinha. The Red Devils have submitted a loan approach for Palhinha, but the German side turned it down straight away, with Bayern looking to sell the player on a permanent basis instead. These two players could be very good signings for United, but there is another midfielder firmly on their list of potential summer signings.

Man Utd in race with Everton to sign £9m ace called "bargain of the summer"

According to Football Insider, Man United are very interested in signing Wilfred Ndidi from Leicester City. The 28-year-old has just suffered relegation with the Foxes, and while he is under contract until 2027, the midfielder has a £9 million release clause that can now be activated.

The Nigeria international is expected to leave the King Power Stadium, and while United are an option for the player, Everton, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Juventus are also in the race for the Nigerian international.

Ndidi, who has been dubbed the “bargain of the summer” by Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke, has been a Leicester player since 2017. During that time, he has faced the Red Devils on 14 occasions in all competitions, and he has lost 10 times overall, with the Foxes only winning two games.

Wilfred Ndidi’s Premier League record
Apps	220
Goals	7
Assists	14

His potential arrival at Old Trafford could see him be a replacement for Casemiro, who could remain at United but may not have a bigger impact this season than he did last, due to competition for places and the fact he isn’t getting any younger. Despite the Foxes’ struggles last season, Ndidi still managed to impress, recording five assists in 28 Premier League games.

All you need to know about the IPL mega auction 2025 – date, time, venue retention list, players to watch and more – on ESPNcricinfo

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-20241:10

Did Pant want to go back to the auction?

When is the IPL 2025 auction happening, and where?The IPL 2025 auction will take place on November 24 and 25, in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It’s being held overseas for only the second time – the 2024 auction was in Dubai. The two-day auction is scheduled to begin at 1300 local time (1530 IST) on November 24. This year, the IPL 2025 auction will clash with the third and fourth days of the Australia vs India Test in Perth.Why is the IPL 2025 auction a ‘mega auction’?Every three years, the IPL franchises undergo a reset of sorts. They are allowed to retain only a small number of players – a maximum of six this time – and must rebuild their squads at the mega auction. In other years, in between mega auctions, teams can retain as many players as they like before a ‘mini auction’, which takes place over the course of one day. Mega auctions take two days because the number of players up for bidding is much higher than at mini auctions.So how many players are there in the IPL 2025 auction?As many as 1574 players registered for the IPL 2025 mega auction but that list has been shortened to 577 players (367 are Indian and 210 are overseas). Here’s the final list of players.Will there be a marquee set of players like in the previous two mega auctions in 2018 and 2022?Yes, in fact there are two marquee player sets right at the start of the auction. Expect the teams to bid fiercely for those players. The first set of marquee players contains: Jos Buttler, Shreyas Iyer, Rishabh Pant, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, and Mitchell Starc. the second marquee set contains Yuzvendra Chahal, Liam Livingstone, David Miller, KL Rahul, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed SirajWho are the other big names in the IPL 2025 auction?There are plenty. Among the Indian players, there’s Ishan Kishan, R Ashwin, Harshal Patel, Khaleel Ahmed, Deepak Chahar, Venkatesh Iyer, Avesh Khan, Mukesh Kumar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Prasidh Krishna, T Natarajan, Devdutt Padikkal, Krunal Pandya, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, Umesh Yadav, and many others.The overseas list includes David Warner, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Devon Conway, Tim David, Rachin Ravindra, Quinton de Kock, Marcus Stoinis, Sam Curran, Jonny Bairstow, and many more.Related

Iyer, Pant, Rahul among 12 marquee players to kick off IPL 2025 auction

IPL 2025 auction – Full list of 577 players

MI retain big four; Klaasen retained for INR 23 crore

How will bidding take place?The marquee players will go up for bidding first, separated into two groups of six each. The next round of names to go up will be of capped players divided into sets based on their specialisation: batters, allrounders, wicketkeeper-batters, fast bowlers and spin bowlers. This will be followed by a round of uncapped players divided based on their specialisation. After player No. 116 (subject to timings), the auction will enter its accelerated phase, covering all players from 117 to 574.After this, franchises will be asked to submit names of unsold players from the full list who will go up once more for bidding in another accelerated phase.How much money do teams have to form their squads at the IPL 2025 auction?Each team has a total purse of INR 120 crore but some of that has already been spent on retaining players before the IPL 2025 auction. Punjab Kings have the biggest purse – INR 110.5 crore – to spend at the mega auction, followed by Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who have INR 83 crore, Delhi Capitals (INR 73 crore), Gujarat Titans (INR 69 crore), Lucknow Super Giants (INR 69 crore) Chennai Super Kings (INR 55 crore), Kolkata Knight Riders (INR 51 crore), Mumbai Indians (INR 45 crore), Sunrisers Hyderabad (INR 45 crore), and Rajasthan Royals (INR 41 crore).And how many players can the teams buy at the IPL 2025 mega auction?The size of each franchise’s squad is a maximum of 25 (minimum size is 18) and there are ten teams – so a maximum of 250 players in total. Forty-six players have already been retained by the teams, leaving a maximum of 204 slots to fill during the IPL 2025 auction. Each squad can have a maximum of eight overseas players so there are 70 slots for overseas players at the auction. CSK: 20 slots (7 overseas) RCB: 22 slots (8 overseas) SRH: 20 slots (5 overseas) MI: 20 slots (8 overseas) DC: 21 slots (7 overseas) RR: 19 slots (7 overseas) PBKS: 23 slots (8 overseas) KKR: 19 slots (6 overseas) GT: 20 slots (7 overseas) LSG: 20 slots (7 overseas)1:16

Steyn: ‘Another team will welcome KL Rahul with open arms’

Why do teams have varying number of slots to fill at the IPL 2025 auction?That’s because teams retained different numbers of players before the auction. While teams were allowed to keep a maximum of six (with a maximum of five capped and maximum of two uncapped players), PBKS, for example, retained only two players, while RR and KKR retained six.Mumbai Indians
Players retained: Jasprit Bumrah (INR 18 crore), Suryakumar Yadav (INR 16.35 crore), Hardik Pandya (INR 16.35 crore), Rohit Sharma (INR 16.30 crore), Tilak Varma (INR 8 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 1
Players eligible for RTM: One uncapped playerSunrisers Hyderabad
Players retained: Heinrich Klaasen (INR 23 crore), Pat Cummins (INR 18 crore), Abhishek Sharma (INR 14 crore), Travis Head (INR 14 crore), Nitish Kumar Reddy (INR 6 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 1
Players eligible for RTM: One uncapped playerChennai Super Kings
Players retained: Ruturaj Gaikwad (INR 18 crore), Ravindra Jadeja (INR 18 crore), Matheesha Pathirana (INR 13 crore), Shivam Dube (INR 12 crore), MS Dhoni (INR 4 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 1
Players eligible for RTM: One capped or uncapped playerRoyal Challengers Bengaluru
Players retained: Virat Kohli (INR 21 crore), Rajat Patidar (INR 11 crore), Yash Dayal (INR 5 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 3
Players eligible for RTM: One uncapped player and two capped players, or three capped playersDelhi Capitals
Players retained: Axar Patel (INR 16.50 crore), Kuldeep Yadav (INR 13.25 crore), Tristan Stubbs (INR 10 crore), Abishek Porel (INR 4 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 2
Players eligible for RTM: One uncapped player and one capped player, or two capped playersKolkata Knight Riders
Players retained: Rinku Singh (INR 13 crore), Varun Chakravarthy (INR 12 crore), Sunil Narine (INR 12 crore), Andre Russell (INR 12 crore), Harshit Rana (INR 4 crore), Ramandeep Singh (INR 4 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: None
Players eligible for RTM: NoneRajasthan Royals
Players retained: Sanju Samson (INR 18 crore), Yashasvi Jaiswal (INR 18 crore), Riyan Parag (INR 14 crore), Dhruv Jurel (INR 14 crore), Shimron Hetmyer (INR 11 crore), Sandeep Sharma (INR 4 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: None
Players eligible for RTM: NoneGujarat Titans
Players retained: Rashid Khan (INR 18 crore), Shubman Gill (INR 16.50 crore), Sai Sudharsan (INR 8.50 crore), Rahul Tewatia (INR 4 crore), Shahrukh Khan (INR 4 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: One
Players eligible for RTM: One capped playerLucknow Super Giants
Players retained: Nicholas Pooran (INR 21 crore), Ravi Bishnoi (INR 11 crore) Mayank Yadav (INR 11 crore), Mohsin Khan (INR 4 crore), Ayush Badoni (INR 4 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 1
Players eligible for RTM: One capped playerPunjab Kings
Players retained: Shashank Singh (INR 5.5 crore), Prabhsimran Singh (INR 4 crore)
Right-to-match (RTM) options at auction: 4
Players eligible for RTM: Four capped playersWhat does this Right-to-Match option at the IPL 2025 auction mean?The IPL teams were allowed to retain up to six players this time – of which a maximum of five can be capped and a maximum of two can be uncapped. The six could either be retained outright ahead of the auction, or can be bought back using Right-to-Match (RTM) options at the auction, or a combination of both.So here’s how the RTM options work: If a player has been bought by another franchise at the mega auction, the franchise that he was part of in IPL 2024 can step in at the end of the bidding process and buy back their player using the RTM option by matching the highest bid. After that, the franchise that made the winning bid will be given another opportunity to raise the bid to whatever amount they wish. In that case, the player’s previous team will have to match the increased bid to buy back their player.Having retained just two players, PBKS have the most RTM options (four) at the auction. RCB, who retained three players, have three, while Delhi Capitals, who retained four players, have two. Five teams – MI, CSK, GT, SRH and LSG – retained five players each and have just one RTM option at the auction, while RR and KKR have no RTM options.There is of course no limit on the number of players a franchise can buy back if they place the highest bids for them during regular bidding at the auction.

Leeds United have less than two weeks to prepare for their opening game of the 2025/26 Premier League campaign against Everton at Elland Road.

It will be the club’s first top-flight match in more than two years, since their 4-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur in West Yorkshire under the management of Sam Allardyce at the end of the 2022/23 season.

Daniel Farke will now be hoping to be more Marcelo Bielsa than Sam Allardyce or Javi Gracia, as the German head coach attempts to guide the team to safety.

The Whites boss will want more options to pick from at the top end of the pitch, though, as Lukas Nmecha is currently the only attacking player who has been added to the squad during the summer transfer window.

As you can see in the quotes above, Farke has made it clear that the club need to bring in more attackers, including a replacement for Manor Solomon.

The Championship champions should also be on the lookout for a marquee number nine addition, as it remains to be seen whether or not Joel Piroe has what it takes to make the step up.

Leeds have doubts over Joel Piroe's Premier League ability

Back in May, Football Insider reported that Leeds would not build their Premier League attack around the Dutchman, because they have doubts over his suitability for the top-flight.

The outlet stated that the Whites were not planning for the former Swansea marksman to be their first-choice number nine for the 2025/26 campaign, because of their doubts.

This may seem like an odd stance for the club to take after Piroe won the Golden Boot with 19 goals in the Championship for Leeds last season, but it is one that makes sense.

The Whites won the league with 100 points and were utterly dominant in the second tier, which meant that they were able to carry a striker like Piroe, who does not offer much to the team from a physical perspective.

In the Premier League, however, his lack of mobility and strength could cause problems as a starting number nine, as Leeds will be fighting against relegation rather than dominating matches.

Duels won

2.24

Bottom 3%

Duel success rate

26.9%

Bottom 10.6%

Aerial duels won

0.9

Bottom 12.9%

Aerial duel success rate

21.4%

Bottom 17.6%

Fouls committed

0.7

Bottom 7.1%

Fouls won

0.44

Bottom 9.4%

As you can see in the table above, Piroe was far too weak in duels with opposition players and ranked incredibly lowly among his positional peers in a host of physical metrics.

Leeds pushing to sign Serie A striker

Piroe’s lack of physicality, in terms of both speed and strength, may be why the Championship champions are reportedly eyeing up a new centre-forward.

Transfer Focus

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

According to journalist Sebastien Vidal, Leeds United are “pushing” to complete a deal to sign Montenegro international Nikola Krstovic from Italian side Lecce.

The reporter claims that the 25-year-old marksman has been given the “green light” to pursue a move away from the Serie A outfit this summer, which has opened the door to a potential transfer to Elland Road.

Vidal adds that the former Red Star Belgrade marksman is “high” on Farke’s wishlist of attacking reinforcements, with the club now pushing to get a deal done for the striker.

Earlier this summer, it was reported that Lecce value the centre-forward at a fee of around £26m, although it remains to be seen how much Leeds are willing to pay for his services.

Why Leeds should sign Nikola Krstovic

The Whites should sign the Serie A number nine because he would come in as a big upgrade on Joel Piroe for Farke ahead of the Premier League curtain-raiser against Everton.

Unlike the current Leeds forward, Krstovic has already proven his quality in one of Europe’s major leagues with his performances for Lecce over the past two seasons, proving that he can score goals at an impressive rate.

The £26m-rated striker scored 11 goals and provided five assists in 37 appearances in the Serie A during the 2024/25 campaign, which is a very respectable return for a player in a team that battled relegation, and successfully, it is worth noting.

Krstovic’s contributions at the top end of the pitch helped Lecce to finish 17th in the division, three points above the bottom three, which shows that he can step up and deliver crucial goals to help a team in a relegation battle.

Along with his potential to be an excellent goalscorer for Leeds, having scored 21 goals in the last two seasons, the Serie A star would also come in as a big upgrade on Piroe from a physical perspective.

Duels won

5.31

Top 38%

Duel success rate

40.6%

Bottom 46%

Aerial duels won

2.76

Top 29%

Aerial duel success rate

41.4%

Top 50%

Fouls committed

1.67

Top 39%

Fouls won

1.61

Top 33%

As you can see in the table above, the Lecce centre-forward ranked above average in most of the physical metrics that Piroe ranked among the worst in the Championship for.

Krstovic, who was hailed as “integral” by former boss Roberto D’Aversa, is a strong number nine who can hold his own in duels, on and off the ball, to provide his team with a strong outlet up front.

This means that he would be far more useful to Farke as a starter in the Premier League, as Leeds are likely to be battling the drop and will need a striker who can provide relief by winning fouls and duels, which is not Piroe’s strong suit.

Therefore, Krstovic could be an ideal signing for the Whites to come in as a proven goalscorer and physical presence in the number ninerole ahead of Piroe.

The new Rutter: Leeds submit bid to sign "fascinating" £22.5m star

Leeds United have reportedly submitted a bid to sign a star who could be their new Georginio Rutter.

ByDan Emery Aug 4, 2025