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Manchester United are on the brink of a deal to sign FC Porto midfielder Vitinha for £34m, according to reports in Portugal.

The Lowdown: Vitinha profiled

Vitinha is primarily a central midfielder who can also play in holding or attacking midfield roles. The 22-year-old spent the 2020/21 season on loan with Wolves, making ‘special talent’ after making the move to Molineux.

The Premier League side didn’t exercise their option to make a move permanent, but the Portugal international, who shares the same agency as Cristiano Ronaldo, could now be heading back to England to work under Erik ten Hag.

The Latest: Transfer ‘imminent’

Sports Witness relayed an update from Portuguese 0utlet Record on Tuesday morning regarding Vitinha.

They claimed that the midfielder is heading for an ‘imminent’ exit, with a Premier League club set to exercise his €40m (£34m) release clause. Manchester United are the only club mentioned, with Vitinha apparently fitting Ten Hag’s style of play.

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The Verdict: Interesting…

Vitinha only made attacking midfielder.

He seemed to improve last season and was a regular for FC Porto playing in a deeper role though, so that could be a position Ten Hag looks to use him in going forward.

That would leave Bruno Fernandes free to occupy a more advanced role, and still just 22 years of age, United could look back on a move for Vitinha in years to come as a smart piece of business.

In other news: Fabrizio Romano now drops more transfer news he’s heard from Man Utd after ‘internal’ talks. 

Everton narrowly avoided Premier League relegation this season as Frank Lampard guided his team to a dramatic 3-2 victory over Crystal Palace in their penultimate game to guarantee survival.

This close escape won’t be enough to satiate the Goodison Park faithful, though, and they may be expecting big things next season, especially with the manager getting a full summer transfer window to reshape the playing squad.

One move that they could make is signing defender Adrien Truffert from Rennes, as Farhad Moshiri looks to loosen the purse strings to sign the £10.8m-rated left-back.

He can be their own Theo Hernandez

That’s according to French outlet L’Equipe, who claimed that Everton are keen on the 20-year-old as Lampard aims to boost his porous defence.

Truffert could develop into Everton’s very own Theo Hernandez, the AC Milan and France left-back who has won the Champions League and UEFA Nations League, and the Merseyside club are in need of a defender with his quality.

FBRef’s similar player model compares Truffert with his compatriot and it’s clear to see why. Both are goalscoring full-backs and love to get forward as much as possible. Hernandez scored five goals and registered five assists in 2021/22, while the Rennes youngster notched three goals and three assists in Ligue 1.

Truffert committed fewer fouls than the AC Milan defender (24 to 39), and although Hernandez makes more interceptions (26 to 19) and tackles (40 to 21), there is plenty of time for the former to improve certain areas of his game and, at 20 years of age, he isn’t near the finished product yet.

Hernandez displayed his attacking qualities by delivering almost three times as many crosses (141) as Truffert (47) this season, but a move to the Premier League could see him gain more experience playing at a much more demanding level of football than the French top flight.

The Rennes left-back has been dubbed “incredible” by the French media, and given his performances during the season, it’s clear to see why there has been interest from England. Everton might never sign Hernandez from Milan, but Moshiri could get the next-best thing with a swoop for Truffert.

AND in other news, Lampard must now brutally axe Everton’s £22m “walking red card”, he’s Klaassen 2.0

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Adama Traore to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by 90min, who claim that, despite the fact that Barcelona are not planning to take up their option to buy the Wolverhampton Wanderers winger following his loan spell at Camp Nou, Bruno Lage’s side will still look to move the 26-year-old on this summer – with Tottenham said to once again be exploring a deal for the Spain international.

The report goes on to state that Antonio Conte is believed to still hold an interest in the forward after failing to agree a deal with Wolves in January, while Leeds United and Newcastle United are also thought to be keeping a close eye on the situation of the attacker ahead of a potential move of their own in the coming weeks.

Perisic 2.0

With it being widely reported last winter that Conte intended to deploy Traore at right wing-back if he was to secure the signing of the winger, and with a new player in this position reported to be one of the Italian’s priority targets this summer, it is easy to see why the 52-year-old has retained an interest in the Wolves forward.

The Tottenham manager has a history of converting wide attacking talents into wing-backs, having done so at Inter Milan with none other than Spurs’ most recent signing, Ivan Perisic.

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Indeed, despite having spent the majority of his career playing on the left of a front three, the Italian tactician deployed the 33-year-old at wing-back to great success in the Nerazzurri’s title-winning 2021/22 campaign, with the £9m-rated talent scoring four goals, registering four assists, creating ten big chances and averaging a SofaScore match rating of 6.90 over his 32 Serie A appearances in the position.

As such, considering the fact that Traore’s primary strength is his ball-carrying ability – with FBref ranking the forward in the top 1% of wingers in Europe’s big five leagues for dribbles completed, as well as the top 3% for progressive carries and the top 25% for shot-creating actions over the last 12 months – it is evident that the player who Carles Gil dubbed “unstoppable” and Xavi labelled a “beast” would be a perfect candidate for Conte at right wing-back.

And, with reports suggesting the £46k-per-week talent will be available for a fee of around €20m (£17m) this summer, not only could Fabio Paratici land Conte his next Perisic with the Wolves winger, but he could also seal what may prove to be one of the bargains of the window.

AND in other news: “They told me..”: Italian journo drops big Spurs transfer update, Conte surely buzzing

Tottenham Hotspur correspondent Alasdair Gold was one of the first to react on Twitter to news that right-back Emerson Royal was a victim in an attempted armed robbery.

The Lowdown: Emerson involved in incident

The Brazilian first made the switch to the Premier League when he joined the Lilywhites on a five-year contract from Spanish giants Barcelona for a fee believed to be £25.8m. He has since made 41 appearances in all competitions for Antonio Conte’s side during his first season in north London.

News was broken by football.london reporter Rob Guest that in the early hours of Friday morning, the 23 year-old defender had successfully managed to escape an attempted armed robbery.

The article states that there were ’29 shots fired’ between police and the assailant, but the Spurs star has assured people that he is safe and well and will speak out about the incident soon.

The Latest: Gold reacts to Emerson update

In a new post on his personal Twitter account, Gold reacted to the shocking revelation he’d heard involving Emerson and wrote:

“This sounds horrible. Thank goodness Emerson is ok.”

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The Verdict: Relief

It will come as hugely positive news to not just his family and friends, but also to everyone associated with Tottenham to know that the six-cap international is unharmed.

The £22.5m-rated starlet has been a regular feature in Conte’s starting XI this season, making 31 top-flight outings, scoring one goal and providing one assist during that time, via Transfermarkt.

Royal is said to have returned to his home country for a short break following the conclusion of the season, but will obviously now need to be given the appropriate time to recover from the incident before even considering making a return to the football pitch ahead of the start of the new term.

In other news… Fabio Paratici has reportedly opened talks over the possibility of signing a ‘scary’ new player.

West Ham United manager David Moyes is now ‘ready’ to offload another member of his Premier League squad this summer, according to reports.

The Lowdown: West Ham exodus begins?

As per the Evening Standard, the 59-year-old seems to be orchestrating a significant summer overhaul as he steps up transfer talks, with the club already confirming four departures.

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Ryan Fredericks, Andriy Yarmolenko, David Martin and the retiring Mark Noble will all leave the London Stadium upon the expiry of their contracts, with speculation also continuing to surround Tomas Soucek’s future.

According to recent claims, West Ham could listen to offers for the Czech Republic midfielder, with club insider Claret & Hugh now claiming that Moyes is ‘ready’ to offload another player.

The Latest: Moyes ready to axe Vlasic…

According to their information, the Scotsman ‘appears to be ready to cut his losses’ on 2021 summer signing Nikola Vlasic and will ‘try to recover whatever he can’ from selling the Croatian.

The club, and by extension GSB, have allegedly ‘sanctioned his potential sale’ as they give the green-light for the 24-year-old to leave.

The Verdict: Right call?

Despite a phenomenal season with former club CSKA Moscow before joining the east Londoners, Vlasic’s lack of opportunities under Moyes during his debut campaign with West Ham is perhaps an indicator that he just doesn’t quite cut it at Rush Green.

Over the 2020/21 season, he averaged a brilliant rate of four shots at goal per 90 in the Russian Premier League whilst racking up 11 goals and five assists (WhoScored), standing out as a consistent threat.

However, starting just six top-flight matches for West Ham over 2021/22, he hasn’t been given much of a chance to replicate his CSKA form for the Irons, and it may be best for both player and club to agree an amicable departure.

In other news: Offer ready: West Ham leap ahead of European giants in race for £21m forward! Find out more here.

Celtic could make as many as seven signings during what could be an exciting summer transfer window, according to journalist Pete O’Rourke.

The Lowdown: Huge summer awaits for Celtic

The Hoops won the Premiership title earlier this month, with Ange Postecoglou working wonders since taking charge last summer.

This is no time for Celtic to rest on their laurels, though, and they are widely expected to use their imminent Champions League income to bring in new players.

A fresh claim suggests that this could be a particularly busy summer at Parkhead.

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The Latest: Journalist drops exciting transfer claim

Speaking to GiveMeSport, O’Rourke claimed that seven signings could be made altogether by Celtic this summer, including permanent deals for loanees Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota, both of whom the Hoops are intending to retain.

He claimed:

“I think if they could get those two in it would be good business and they’ll probably be looking at, at least another four, maybe five signings for Celtic.

“I think there’s positions in the team that they’ll need to strengthen, especially in midfield with Nir Bitton and Tom Rogic both leaving the club on free transfers, making a couple of midfield spots up for grabs.”

The Verdict: Build a dynasty

Postecoglou’s first year at Celtic has been extremely promising, but it is now important to try and build a dynasty at the club, with plenty more silverware hopefully coming their way in the coming years.

That will clearly depend on the manager signing a new deal – his current rolling contract expires at the end of this month – but if he does stay put, there could be many more great days ahead for the Parkhead faithful.

While seven additions may be a lot to expect, especially after last summer’s mammoth recruitment, strengthening across several areas of the pitch should allow Celtic to keep the balance of the squad ticking over nicely and ensure that there is no shortage of quantity and quality in Postecoglou’s ranks.

In other news, Celtic are eyeing up a summer move for one player. Find out who it is here.

Alasdair Gold has dropped a worrying injury update concerning Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur ahead of Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Norwich City.

What’s the latest?

Speaking in a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, the football.london journalist revealed that, following the 1-0 victory over Burnley on Sunday, the central midfielder looked to be in a great amount of pain after picking up a knock towards the end of the match – something that could be a cause for concern ahead of this weekend’s final day fixture.

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Regarding the 24-year-old’s condition, Gold said: “I watched some of the tunnel footage after the game – I saw Bentancur was limping, he took a big whack towards the end. He was in a lot of pain. I think it might have been his knee, he did have a knee issue before. But I watched him in the tunnel footage limping like he’d been shot.”

Conte will be sweating

Considering how important a part of the Tottenham side Bentancur has already proven himself to be following his £21.5m move from Juventus at the start of the year, the fact that the Uruguay international could be struggling for fitness ahead of what is undoubtedly Spurs’ most important game of the season is sure to have left Antonio Conte sweating.

Indeed, over his 16 Premier League appearances this term, the £42.5m-rated midfielder has been in breathtaking form, registering two assists and creating three big chances for his teammates, as well as making an average of 52.1 passes, 1.1 interceptions, 2.1 tackles, 2.0 clearances and winning 5.1 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per game.

These returns have seen the £75k-per-week talent average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.15, ranking him as Spurs’ joint fourth-best performer in the top flight of English football.

As such, it is clear for all to see that being without the services of Bentancur for a game in which Tottenham must better Arsenal’s result against Everton in order to qualify for the Champions League would come as a huge blow to Conte, as the 24-year-old has formed an incredibly effective partnership with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in the heart of the Italian’s side.

AND in other news: Contact made: Paratici now in talks for “high-level” Spurs signing, he’s the next Mane

Tottenham Hotspur, and by extension Fabio Paratici, could be ‘in the mix’ to sign a £51 million star for Antonio Conte this summer, hints Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge.

The Lowdown: Lilywhites officials spotted…

According to a report from 90min, Lilywhites officials were recently sent on a mission as they were tasked with running the rule over certain transfer targets.

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Spurs scouts were allegedly in attendance for both of Villarreal’s clashes with Liverpool in the Champions League semi-finals recently as the Premier League top four chasers eye both defender Pau Torres and winger Arnaut Danjuma.

The latter man has been in fine form under Unai Emery in Spain since joining from Bournemouth last summer as transfer chief Paratici is now linked with a potential swoop.

The Latest: Bridge drops Tottenham hint…

Speaking to GiveMeSport, reporter Bridge of Sky Sports now hints Spurs, and by extension Paratici, could be ‘in the mix’ for Danjuma if he becomes available – despite not hearing anything ‘concrete’ concerning them yet.

He explained:

“I do think he would be [an upgrade on Bergwijn]. He’s a real talent and another level to Bergwijn.

“But I don’t think there’s anything concrete on Tottenham, I’ve not heard anything, but would they be in the mix if he became available? Maybe.”

The Verdict: Hopefully…

Depending on developments, Spurs joining the race for Danjuma comes as an exciting proposition.

Villarreal have apparently slapped a €60 million (£51m) price tag on his head given the ex-Championship forward’s sensational form this season, a valuation which could arguably be worth it.

Branded ‘near enough unplayable’ earlier this season by pundit Owen Hargreaves, Danjuma has racked up the most goals and assists combined under Emery domestically whilst also attempting the most shots at goal per 90 (WhoScored).

His signing would be a major upgrade for Conte in the forward positions and supporters could be hoping their side do indeed enter the mix.

In other news: Conte green-lights Spurs move as he now gives ‘unbelievable signing’ absolute priority, find out more here.

Celtic brought an end to their title-winning 2021/22 Premiership season with an emphatic 6-0 victory over Motherwell in front of their home fans.

As well as it being a special day in terms of seeing the Hoops lift the league trophy after being crowned champions in midweek, it was also the day that Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton brought an end to their Parkhead careers.

On Friday, it was revealed that the duo will be leaving the club after spending nearly 10 years each in Glasgow.

Rogic started the match and ended up playing for 62 minutes, whereas Bitton came on as a late substitute for his final appearance in green and white.

However, it was another midfielder who took some of the shine away from the Australian in particular in terms of his performance today.

Having also played 62 minutes before being replaced by Yosuke Ideguchi, fellow Hoops midfielder David Turnbull was arguably Ange Postecoglou’s hero this afternoon.

With 71 touches of the ball, the 22-year-old not only scored Celtic’s second goal of the day but also completed 60 of the 61 passes he attempted. With those touches, the Scotsman made two key passes, one cross and four long passes, as per SofaScore.

In addition, the youngster completed the one dribble he attempted and won 75% of his duels, showing just how solid he was on and off the ball for his team.

This display ultimately earned the former Motherwell ace an impressive overall match rating of 7.9/10, which is comfortably higher than the 6/10 rating that Rogic earned from SofaScore.

Hailed as a “truly wonderful footballer” in the past by former Fir Park academy director Gordon Young, Turnbull certainly haunted his old club this afternoon and ended their season with a disheartening defeat.

Having ended his campaign with 10 goals and eight assists for the Hoops across all competitions, the 22-year-old has undeniably played a big part in Celtic’s title triumph this season, ranking as their best performer according to WhoScored when players who left in August are excluded.

Moving forward, Postecoglou will be now hoping that the midfielder can keep delivering this sort of performance for the Bhoys throughout next season on the domestic and European stages.

In other news: Big Lennoxtown claim emerges, it’s great news for Celtic supporters

Shakib said he wants to play a full series across formats in Bangladesh to say goodbye to the fans

Mohammad Isam07-Dec-2025Former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan has reversed his retirement from Tests and T20Is, and has said that he wishes to play all three formats. Shakib has not played international cricket in over a year and had announced his retirement from Tests and T20Is last year.”I am officially not retired from all formats,” Shakib said on the podcast, which features Moeen Ali, on Sunday. “This is the first time I’ll be revealing that. My plan is to go back to Bangladesh, play one full series of ODI, Test, and T20, and retire.”I mean, [I can] retire from all formats in a series. So it can start from T20I, ODI and Test, or Test, ODI, T20I. Either way, I’m fine, but I want to play a whole series and retire. That’s what I want.”Related

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Shakib hasn’t returned to Bangladesh since May 2024, once the Awami League government was dethroned on August 5. Shakib was an MP for that party. He was named in an FIR in an alleged murder case, although he was not in the country at the time. He then went on to play Tests in Pakistan and India. The second Test against India in Kanpur was his last international game.When asked whether he will return to Bangladesh, Shakib said, “I am hopeful. That’s why I’m playing [T20 leagues]. I think it will happen.”Shakib further said that he will not be burdened by results and he wants to “give something back to the fans” for years of support in a home series.”I think when a player says something, they try to stick to their words,” he said. “They normally don’t change it all of a sudden. It doesn’t matter if I play well or not. I might play a bad series after that, if I want to play. But I don’t need to do that.”I think this is enough. It’s just a nicer way to say bye to the fans that they supported me always, give something back to them, playing a home series.”Shakib Al Hasan last played a Test in late 2024•AFP/Getty ImagesAhead of the Kanpur Test in September last year, Shakib announced he wasn’t going to play T20Is anymore, while expressing his desire to play his last Test in the home South Africa series that was scheduled for October.There were some protests and clashes around the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Dhaka ahead of the Test series, after which Shakib issued an apology for his silence during the students-led protest which led to hundreds of deaths in July and August.The BCB then dropped Shakib for the Tests against South Africa, mainly because Bangladesh’s interim government couldn’t guarantee his safe exit from the country.Earlier this year, a BCB official said that Shakib was welcome to return to the Bangladesh team. In September, Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Mahmud declared that Shakib would not be allowed to play for the country after Shakib wished former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on her birthday.Shakib, who was elected as an MP from his hometown Magura in January 2024, also suggested that he wasn’t done with his political career when he was asked what legacy he wants to leave. “[I have] done my cricketing part. Maybe political side is left,” he said. “It’s something I want to do for the people of Bangladesh and people of Magura. That was my intention, and it is still my intention. Let’s see where Allah takes me.”