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West Ham United have now reached a verbal agreement over a deal to sign a defender, who is set to be available for around £4m this summer, according to journalist Dominik Schneider.

Hammers set out to strengthen defence

West Ham recently secured the signature of Kyle Walker-Peters on a free transfer, but Graham Potter has no plans to stop there, with the manager also keen to bolster his options in the centre of defence.

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown revealed the desire to sign a new centre-back comes amid major doubts over Nayef Aguerd’s future, with Potter looking to sell the Morocco international this summer.

Brown said: “West Ham are aiming to sign a top-class centre-half. Potter wants reliable options in that position because he isn’t happy with what he’s got. It’s something West Ham have been lacking for a while, and it’s going to be a priority before the season starts because the manager is pushing for it.

“Potter isn’t happy with Mavropanos, he’s far too mistake prone and is liable to cost you a game, and he’s looking to move on Nayef Aguerd as well.”

That said, it may be difficult to compete for the signature of an established top-level centre-back, off the back of the Hammers’ very disappointing 2024-25 campaign, and they now look set to take a gamble on a defender from the Swiss league.

West Ham now battling Sunderland to sign "aggressive" Bundesliga winner

The Hammers have had a first-hand look at his quality.

ByTom Cunningham Jul 19, 2025

That is according to Schneider on X, who reveals West Ham have now reached a “verbal agreement” over a deal for Lugano defender Albian Hajdari, and a deal could be on the cheap side.

Hajdari has a €5m (£4.3m) release clause included in his Lugano contract, and while the Hammers are yet to trigger it, the centre-back is “keen to join” this summer, indicating it could be very easy to get a deal over the line.

"Dominant" Hajdari could excel at the London Stadium

While the 22-year-old would not be a big-name signing, there are clear indications that he could be a success at the London Stadium, having performed very well for Lugano over the course of the past year.

The Lugano star’s defensive abilities certainly cannot be called into question, given that he is placed in the top 1% for interceptions per 90, and the top 2% for blocks, when compared to his positional peers.

Not only that, but the one-time Switzerland international has also received high praise from scout Ben Mattinson, who described him as “aerially dominant” and “composed on the ball”, with the latter quality potentially making the Binningen-born defender ideal for Potter.

At just over £4m, Hajdari could be a bargain addition to Potter’s squad, and there are clear signs that he could kick on at the London Stadium.

Are Rangers on course for a return to the Champions League?

Having already dumped out Panathinaikos in the previous round, the Gers demolished Viktoria Plzeň 3-0 in the first leg of their third qualifying round tie on Tuesday night; new hero Djeidi Gassama scored twice, while Cyriel Dessers converted a penalty in first half stoppage time.

Thus, Russell Martin’s side will take a commanding lead to Stadion města Plzně next Tuesday, now likely to face Club Brugge in the play-off round, after the Belgian outfit beat Red Bull Salzburg 1-0 away from home in their first leg on Wednesday.

Even though the Light Blues have both Champions League and Scottish Premiership commitments during a very busy August, they remain active in the transfer market too, so could they sign a “talented” youngster from a Premier League giant?

Rangers continuing to reinforce

So far this summer, Rangers have made nine new signings, most recently bringing in Oliver Antman for a reported fee of £4m on Monday.

24 hours later, the Finnish international was thrown in for his debut against Viktoria Plzeň and certainly impressed, posing a constant threat all night, with European scouting expert Joost van der Leij asserting that they “robbed the living daylights out of Go Ahead Eagles”, getting such a high-quality player at a bargain price.

One position Martin has not yet strengthened is his goalkeepers, failing in attempts to sign Carl Rushworth from Brighton and Aaron Ramsdale from the new manager’s former club Southampton.

Thus, as reported by Dominik Schneider of FußballTransfers, Rangers “have joined the race” to sign Arsenal goalkeeper Karl Hein, with Sevilla amongst those also interested.

Transfer Focus

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

The 23-year-old finds himself third-choice in North London, behind David Raya and new signing Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Last summer, manager Mikel Arteta stated that the youngster “needs to play games”, adding that he has “big potential and a big future ahead of him”, with Hein subsequently loaned out to Real Valladolid, so another loan move, this time to Govan, could be on the cards.

How Karl Hein would improve Rangers

Hein joined Arsenal from Meistriliiga side Nõmme United back in 2018, but has only featured once for the Gunners at senior level since then, starting a Carabao Cup tie against Brighton in November 2022.

He endured a pretty underwhelming loan spell at Reading earlier that year, appearing just five times for the Royals at EFL Championship level, but took a gigantic leap forward in his development in Spain last season.

During that aforementioned loan spell at Real Valladolid, Hein was their starting goalkeeper, racking up 32 appearances, earning plenty of praise for his performances, even though los Blanquivioletas finished rock-bottom of the table.

Minutes

2,790

13th

Goals conceded

68

1st

Post-shot xG faced

58.8

1st

Saves

96

4th

Crosses stopped

34

5th

High claims

28

6th

Errors leading to a goal

1

19th

Passes attempted

941

6th

As the table outlines, while Hein did concede more goals than anyone else in La Liga last season, he did face the most expected goals too, given that Valladolid were largely hopeless, and other statistics make for more encouraging reading.

He ranked fourth for saves and fifth in terms of crosses stopped, making just one error resulting in an opposition goal.

Also, despite his lack of club experience, Hein does boast plenty at international level, having already accumulated 39 caps for Estonia since his debut five years ago, starting 22 of the Blueshirts’ last 23 competitive fixtures.

Chris Wheatley of the Sporting News labelled him a “talented goalkeeper”, while Josh James of Arsenal.com documents his ‘rapid development’, praising his ‘laser-like focus’ on improving every single day.

Meantime, following Real Madrid’s 3-0 victory over Valladolid last August, President Florentino Pérez praised the opposition’s “very good goalkeeper”, making six saves that afternoon at the Bernabéu.

So, could he become the latest loan star to arrive at Rangers from a Premier League giant and shine?

Well, the most recent player to do this was Ryan Kent, who impressed to such an extent during his loan period from Liverpool in 2018/19 that the Gers paid a reported fee of £7.5m to make the deal permanent, the second-most expensive signing in the club’s history, only surpassed by the £12m splashed to sign Tore André Flo in 2000.

Kent would go on to make 218 appearances for the Light Blues, scoring 33 goals and registering 56 assists, winning the Premiership title and a Scottish Cup, also a pivotal figure in the team that reached the Europa League Final in Seville.

Well, if Hein went on to have even half as successful a career as that in Glasgow, his signature would represent quite the coup.

Imagine him & Gassama: Rangers made approach for "hugely underrated" star

Rangers reportedly made an approach to sign a wing wizard who could be exciting alongside Djeidi Gassama.

ByDan Emery Aug 6, 2025

It’s been an interesting summer for Arsenal so far.

On the pitch, Mikel Arteta’s side have left a lot to be desired with wins over AC Milan and Newcastle United, but losses against Tottenham Hotspur and Villarreal.

However, off the pitch, it would be fair to say that Andrea Berta and his team have exceeded expectations so far with smart depth additions and a couple of big-money deals for Viktor Gyokeres and Martin Zubimendi.

Moreover, the North Londoners look primed to do more business, with both Eberechi Eze and Ademola Lookman touted for moves to the Emirates.

Why Arsenal want to sign Eze & Lookman

As things stand, Arsenal continue to be linked with both Eze and Lookman, with the former having a release clause worth £68m in his current contract that’ll expire in a week, and the latter reportedly being available for a fee of around £43m.

Market Movers

Football FanCast’s Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club’s star player or biggest flop worth today?

While it seems unlikely that the Gunners would sign both internationals, it’s easy to see why they are interested in them.

For example, despite playing in a mid-table team at best, the Englishman managed to rack up a brilliant haul of 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 appearances, totalling just 3303 minutes, last season.

That means the 27-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by pundit Micah Richards, maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.72 games, or every 132.12 minutes.

On top of that, he also scored in the quarter-final, semi-final, and final of the FA Cup, leading the Eagles to the first major trophy in their existence.

On the other hand, the Nigerian star has been a lean, mean goalscoring machine for several years now.

For example, since moving to the Bergamo outfit in August 2022, the “world-class” attacker, as dubbed by the BBC’s John Bennett, has scored 52 goals and provided 25 assists in 118 appearances, totalling 7538 minutes.

In other words, the former RB Leipzig star has averaged a goal involvement every 1.53 games or every 97.89 minutes over the last three seasons, which is a level of output that could fire the Gunners to glory next year.

In all, it’s easy to see why Arteta and Co would want to splash the cash on one of these stars, although whoever they decide on will have to smash all expectations to see their valuation even approach that of another Arsenal star.

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Eze & Lookman

While they’re yet to win anything with them, Arsenal are a club blessed with an abundance of incredibly talented stars in their squad, although it’s still really quite easy to pinpoint their most important player: Bukayo Saka.

The Hale End icon has developed from an exciting academy graduate into a fully-fledged superstar and the poster boy of Arteta’s project over the last few years, and his valuation reflects that.

Transfermarkt, for example, now prices the 23-year-old game-changer at a staggering €150m, which converts to about £130m, or at least £19m more than Lookman and Eze combined.

While some might question such a valuation, we reckon it’s pretty spot-on, and the first reason why is down to his output.

For example, despite missing almost four months of action with a hamstring injury last season, the Gunners’ “future legend,” as dubbed by talent scout Jacek Kulig, was still able to rack up a sensational haul of 12 goals and 14 assists in 37 appearances, totalling just 2619 minutes.

Appearances

37

43

40

Minutes

2619′

3303′

2871′

Goals

12

14

20

Assists

14

11

7

Goal Involvements per Match

0.70

0.58

0.67

Minutes per Goal Involvement

100.73′

132.12′

106.33

Not only did that make him the most effective player in the North Londoners’ squad, but the dynamic winger maintained an average of a goal involvement every 1.42 games, or 100.73 minutes, which is not only world-class, but better than Eze and Lookman.

On top of that, the Ealing-born monster has also established himself as an essential member of the national team, earning 44 senior caps, in which he’s produced 20 goal involvements, and winning back-to-back Player of the Year awards.

Ultimately, while Lookman and Eze are brilliant players who’d make excellent signings for Arsenal, we don’t think their valuations will ever be able to reach Saka’s.

Not Eze: Arsenal ready to pounce for "superstar" in Berta's best deal yet

The international would be a game-changer for the Gunners.

ByJack Salveson Holmes Aug 8, 2025

And possibly no overs from the top-order batter – “I’d say more likely turn to the fast bowlers a bit more,” Cummins says

Andrew McGlashan05-Dec-20245:13

Cummins on pink-ball Tests: ‘Not a huge shift from red-ball cricket’

Pat Cummins expects to see a more proactive Marnus Labuschagne at the crease in Adelaide as Australia’s No. 3 searches for a revival of fortunes, but it appears less likely he will be used extensively as a medium-pace bowler despite question marks over how many overs Mitchell Marsh has in him.Labuschagne has come in for significant scrutiny after his first innings in Perth where he made 2 off 52 balls, which was followed by shouldering arms to Jasprit Bumrah in the second and being lbw for 3. However, analysis has shown it was a wicked delivery from Bumrah that skidded through low and Labuschagne was within his rights to believe it would have missed the stumps.Still, his form has been troublesome for a while with 90 of the 123 runs he has made in his last ten Tests coming from one innings in Christchurch. During his net sessions in Adelaide, there has been a noticeable urgency to his strokeplay and indications he is looking for ways to rotate the strike. Labuschagne has an impressive record at Adelaide Oval with an average of 71.75 and three centuries.Related

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“He’s training well like he always does, hitting millions of balls,” Cummins said. “It’s pretty impossible to kind of dismiss or ignore some of the commentary about perhaps being a little bit more proactive, so I think you’ve seen that side of it in the nets. The challenge is always going out there and making sure you have that mindset. But he’s been great like he always is. Always working on things, trying to plan how he’s going to score his hundred this Test.”While accepting that Australia were not up to the mark in Perth, Cummins was hopeful that the batters would be better for having faced the India attack, most significantly Jasprit Bumrah, even though it did not go well.”I hope there’s some lessons learnt,” he said. “The good thing is, batting and bowling we’ve now had a look at them, they’ve had a look at us as well, but you get a look at some of the bowling plans that you want to implement. The same with the batters, they know how they are going to be attacked first up. I’m sure – well, I really hope – everyone’s kind of learnt a bit and come back here slightly better prepared having had a look at what they are going to throw at us.”Marsh, meanwhile, was locked in Australia’s XI 24 hours out from the Test – the only change being Scott Boland replacing the injured Josh Hazlewood – and Cummins, who confirmed Marsh had been battling back stiffness since the white-ball tour of the UK, was confident the allrounder would be able to be part of the attack despite not doing any bowling in the lead-up.

“I’d say more likely turn to the fast bowlers a bit more. In Perth, Joshy was getting a little bit sore as well there towards the end, so there’s a bit of preservation there. Whereas this Test everyone’s fit and firing”Pat Cummins on Marnus Labuschagne’s role as a bowler in Adelaide

“[We] made the call with the medical staff over the last couple of days to give him a couple of days off bowling, but expect him to warm up and if required [he] will bowl,” Cummins said. “Guessing he would be required at some point… prioritise his overs for the games rather than kind of using up some of them in the nets.”In Perth, Labuschagne was used as a bouncer bowler until reverting to legspin late in India’s second innings but Cummins indicated that any extra overs required in this match would likely be soaked up by the four main bowlers if Marsh was limited in his output.”I’d say more likely turn to the fast bowlers a bit more,” Cummins said. “In Perth, Joshy was getting a little bit sore as well there towards the end, so there’s a bit of preservation there. Whereas this Test everyone’s fit and firing so if that remains the case as a general rule you try and rely on your four main guys.”1:42

McGlashan: Crucial few days in Adelaide for Australia

Significantly, Cummins made mention of Boland’s ability to bowl long spells as he returns to the Test side for the first time since last year’s Ashes.”All last summer he was geared up to go and no one fell over,” Cummins said. “Feels like it’s been quite a while [since he’s played]. As a captain, it’s pretty awesome to have someone like Scotty come straight in, you know he can bowl a huge amount of overs if you need. He’s super consistent, he’s performed at this level and looks ready to go.”However, there is increasing confidence that Hazlewood could be ready to return for the third Test in Brisbane after he bowled during training on Wednesday. Cummins explained that Hazlewood had initially continued to bowl after first feeling the side issue in Perth before the decision was taken not to push him through the problem.”That’s probably the right call in hindsight,” he said. “I think in previous years where he’s kept bowling, it’s probably turned that one week injury into a three or four or five week injury whereas this year seems a little bit different and he’s really confident.”

Liverpool will not start record-signing Alexander Isak when they return to Premier League action against Burnley on Sunday, according to Joe Cole.

Cole predicts Isak won't start against BurnleyIsak joined Liverpool in British record transferStriker returned to action for Sweden on MondayFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

All eyes will be on Turf Moor this weekend with Isak, 25, in line to make his eagerly-anticipated debut for the Reds. The striker put an end to the summer-long saga surrounding his future as he moved to Anfield from Newcastle United for a British transfer record fee of £125 million (€144.5m/$169m) on deadline day.

AdvertisementGetty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

However former Liverpool midfielder Cole is expecting Isak to only emerge from the bench against Burnley, citing the Sweden international's lack of fitness after refusing to feature in Newcastle's opening three Premier League fixtures against Aston Villa, Liverpool and Leeds United.

WHAT COLE SAID

In quotes carried by the London Evening Standard, Cole told Paddy Power: "I don't expect him [Isak] to go into the team straight away.

"I think they've got to be smart with him. And you've got to expect Liverpool to do that with all of their players – they've been blooded in. They are playing well. Ekitike’s scoring goals, there's no need to rush him.

"I think it's a smart thing to do, just to feed him in, let him come off the bench, let all the hoo-ha die down, and just let him figure out how to become a Liverpool player. There's no rush. It's not like they've lost two of the first three and they need him right at it. You know, come on with 20 minutes, half an hour to go, and see how he goes."

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DID YOU KNOW?

Isak earned his first minutes of the 2025-26 season when he came off the bench in Sweden's World Cup qualifier against Kosovo on Monday. The former Real Sociedad forward made an 18-minute cameo as his side slipped to a 2-0 defeat on the road.

Marseille boss Roberto De Zerbi expects Mason Greenwood to become a "complete" footballer like the "greatest players in Europe". The Italian has pushed the forward hard since arriving at the French side last summer and it is clear he has high hopes for him. The head coach also wants him to learn from the likes of elite players such as Kylian Mbappe and Raphinha.

De Zerbi sets Mbappe and Raphinha challenge for Greenwood

The 23-year-old had a superb debut season for Marseille in 2024-25, scoring 22 goals and bagging six assists in 36 appearances. Former Brighton head coach De Zerbi has a lot of faith in the ex-Manchester United man's ability but feels he needs to improve his pressing game to get to the level of Real Madrid's Mbappe, Barcelona's Raphinha, and Paris Saint-Germain's Ousmane Dembele.

AdvertisementgettyWhat De Zerbi said on Greenwood

He said, via RMC Sport: "I expect him to become a complete player, like the greatest players in Europe. Yesterday, I saw a bit of Newcastle vs Barcelona. I saw Raphinha, who was pressing everyone in the last 20 minutes, with incredible determination. I also see Kylian Mbappe in Madrid, who was pressing everyone, Ousmane Dembélé in Paris too last year, we remember. I would like to help him, because it helps Marseille in general. I would like him to become a complete player, a team player. That is my job, it is not just individual work. The collective, you improve it by improving the individuals."

De Zerbi demands the best from Greenwood

Despite him having an excellent campaign for the French giants, that did not stop De Zerbi from dropping Greenwood last season as he questioned his attitude and application. But the former Sassuolo boss clearly feels that his strategy is the best way to get the most out of him. He certainly looked undaunted when Greenwood's Marseille took on Mbappe's Madrid in their 2-1 Champions League loss in midweek.

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Getty Images SportWhat next for Greenwood and Marseille?

The one-time England international will need to be at his best when De Zerbi's Marseille, who sit seventh in Ligue 1, host defending French champions and current league leaders PSG on Sunday evening.

A “barnstorming” Sunderland player has now agreed a move to a foreign club this summer in a last-minute permanent transfer.

Le Bris wary of Burnley threat

The Black Cats made a dream start to life back in the Premier League last weekend, beating 3-0 West Ham at the Stadium of Light.

Sunderland cannot afford to rest on their laurels, however, with a trip to fellow promoted side Burnley up next on Saturday, and manager Regis Le Bris isn’t taking the Clarets for granted.

“It is always a different story. They (Burnley) enjoyed a really strong last year. They were really consistent and strong to beat. They conceded few goals and they were always well-organised so I don’t think it will be different for the next game.

“They still have many threats to score goals. Against Tottenham, they changed their system so they might change it again or keep the same one. At the same time, we have a different team. Players who played last season alongside the new players.”

It has been a relentless summer for Sunderland when it comes to new signings, with as many as 11 permanent additions coming in, but now an update has emerged regarding the exit of a current player.

Habib Diarra

Strasbourg

£27.1m

Simon Adingra

Brighton

£21m

Enzo Le Fee

Roma

£19.8m

Chemsdine Talbi

Club Brugge

£17.2m

Noah Sadiki

Union SG

£14.6m

Granit Xhaka

Bayer Leverkusen

£12.9m

Nordi Mukiele

Paris Saint-Germain

£10.3m

Omar Alderete

Getafe

£9.8m

Robin Roefs

NEC Nijmegen

£9m

Reinildo Mandava

Atletico Madrid

Free transfer

Arthur Masuaku

Besiktas

Free transfer

"Barnstorming" Sunderland player agrees "permanent" exit

Taking to X, O’Rourke said that Sunderland midfielder Nectarios Triantis has agreed a move to MLS side Minnesota United, striking a deal at the last minute before the window closed there on Thursday evening.

This feels like the right time for Triantis to seal a permanent exit from the Black Cats, considering he has spent the past two seasons on loan at Scottish Premiership side Hibernian.

Sunderland's most expensive signings of all time

Who is the Black Cats’ record addition?

ByCharlie Smith Sep 5, 2025

It may have been made clear to the 22-year-old that he didn’t have a long-term future at Sunderland, amid so much competition for places in the Premier League, and a move to the MLS could be good for him, having been hailed as “barnstorming” by producer Sacha Pisani after one goal for Hibs.

Triantis ultimately didn’t make the grade at Sunderland, only making five appearances, but he is young enough to enjoy a good career elsewhere as the years pass.

Player-turned-pundit says comments over fitness caused team to give her ‘cold shoulder’

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2025Alex Hartley, England’s former World Cup-winning spinner, has claimed that Sophie Ecclestone “refused” to be interviewed by her on TV and that she has been “given the cold shoulder” by England players since criticising their fitness following their T20 World Cup exit in October.Hartley, who has worked extensively as a broadcaster and pundit since retiring from professional cricket, had said that a handful of players were “letting the team down” with their fitness levels after their shock defeat to West Indies in Dubai. Heather Knight and Jon Lewis, England’s captain and coach, both denied that it had contributed to their group-stage elimination.Following England’s 57-run loss in Monday’s first T20I in Sydney, which put Australia 8-0 up in the Ashes and ensured they will retain the trophy, Hartley said she had been frozen out. “Sophie Ecclestone refused to do a TV interview with me today,” she told the BBC’spodcast. “I’ve been hung out to dry by the England team: none of them will talk to me on the boundary edge.”The reason I said that they were not as fit as Australia is because I want them to compete with Australia, I want them to be better than Australia, and I want them to win Ashes and World Cups. I’m giving my opinion, and I’ve been given the cold shoulder from the England team ever since.Related

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“Not all of them have given me the cold shoulder. I don’t want to say that they’ve all been the same, because they haven’t. Some of the players have been absolutely outstanding: I’ve spoken to them in the street, at the ground, wherever. But a few individuals – coaches, players – they literally haven’t looked at me.”England’s fielding has been a problem throughout the Ashes. Beth Mooney was dropped early in her match-winning 75 in Sydney on Monday, while a series of errors contributed to England’s three ODI defeats at the start of the tour. It prompted Hartley to reiterate her view that England have struggled to match Australia’s “athleticism” across the series.”I’ve upset them, clearly,” she said. “Jon Lewis has come out and said there isn’t a problem with fitness in his squad, there isn’t a problem with fitness in the England environment. They obviously think I’m completely wrong in my opinion – which is fine, absolutely fine. I’m entitled to my opinions, and they’re entitled to theirs.”It’s my job to say if I see something that needs to be better, and I did, but the way that I’ve been treated since I think is totally unfair. But they will say that my comments were unfair, so if that’s the way our relationship is going to be moving forwards, then so be it… If fitness isn’t a problem, then it’s athleticism from a few, isn’t it?”An England team spokesperson declined to comment when contacted by ESPNcricinfo.

Sunderland had one of the busiest transfer windows in the Premier League, with Regis Le Bris’s side having the 5th highest net spend of the entire league.

Earlier in the window, Sunderland brought in some of their most expensive ever players ever, such as Habib Diarra, Simon Adingra and Enzo Le Fée. The Black Cats were still pushing for deals on deadline day as they signed Ajax’s Brian Brobbey in the window’s final hours.

However, one deal they didn’t manage to complete was that of Jhon Lucumi. Sunderland placed numerous bids with Bologna for the centre-back that culminated with a £24 million deadline day offer that was rebuffed.

Bologna had already sold centre-back Sam Beukema to Napoli in the window and were reluctant to let another defender go. They were also hoping to get Lucumi to sign a new contract, but this has not yet materialised, providing Sunderland with the opportunity to reignite the transfer saga in January.

Sunderland given hope in Lucumi transfer

Renato Villa spent six years at Bologna and retired there after making nearly 200 appearances for the club. In a recent interview, he spoke about Bologna’s current defensive options and was pressed about Lucumi’s future: “Selling him now would have brought in £21.7 million, while if you sell him in January, you’ll only get £9 million. It’s an evaluation the club will surely have made, weighing up the technical and financial factors.”

As an alternative to Lucumi, Sunderland agreed a deadline loan deal with RB Leipzig for Lutsharel Geertruida, paying just over £2 million as a loan fee, and they have the option to sign him permanently next summer for £20 million. Despite bringing in another option though, with Geertruida only guaranteed to be on Wearside for one year, Sunderland may go back in for their top target when his price drops, providing he does not sign a new contract.

Space for Geertruida and Lucumi

While both are good options for Le Bris, they are two very different defenders. Last season, Lucumi played considerably more of the pair; his extra minutes equalled almost 12 full games. Their defensive strengths had significant variations, with Geertruida on the front foot with more interceptions, whereas Lucumi was better at tackling dribbling players and getting blocks in.

As well as the ways they vary statistically, they also vary stylistically. Lucumi is a traditional centre-back, while Geertruida is a little more versatile and fluid in his position, having previously been utilised at centre-back and full-back. This means that if Lucumi were to join in January, there may still be a place for Geertruida as cover along all of the backline.

Overall, Sunderland seem to still have the funds available to sign Lucumi, especially for the cut-price, as they submitted that deadline day bid for him and only signed Geertruida on loan. If they feel they can accommodate both players in their squad, this would be the best strategy, and having multiple defensive options won’t hurt their chances of Premier League survival.

U.S. international Christian Pulisic powered AC Milan to a 2-1 win over Napoli on Sunday, recording both a goal and an assist in the clash with the defending champions. After the victory, Pulisic said it sends a strong message to Serie A, praising the team’s defense and spirit as a driving force behind their success.

'We feel incredible'

Pulisic expressed immense pride in his team's resilient performance after Pervis Estupinan 57th-minute red card forced Milan to defend their lead with one fewer player.

“We feel incredible, honestly,” Pulisic said in an interview with . “Just the spirit of the team the way we fought. Also after the red card, we really gave everything and it’s a special feeling now for us.”

The American believes to the top of the table sends a message to other Serie A teams.

"It sends a message for sure,” Pulisic said. “That we’re a good team, we’re a strong team, you know we can score goals, but we can defend like this. And we have a good spirit and I think it shows a lot for sure.”

AdvertisementGetty Images SportFighting against skepticism

USMNT icon Tony Meola praised Pulisic following his exceptional performance in AC Milan's victory. The American remains on the top of Serie A scoring chart, but Meola believes Pulisic continues to get treated with skepticism despite his success.

“If you remember, his first year everyone was like can he get 10 goal contributions? I said he was at least a 20-goal contribution guy throughout the season. But then the story was, can he do it again? And then the story is can he follow that up, right? It’s like people don’t want to believe in him sometimes," Meola said on . "They know he’s got it but they’re almost waiting for the other shoe to drop and he continues to get better.”

Getty Images Sport'He’s right there with Clint'

Meola suggested that Pulisic's primary motivation is being recognized for his skill rather than being evaluated through the lens of his American background.

“He has said time and time again, ‘I want to show you I’m a good footballer.' Not [just that] I’m a good American footballer, that I’m a good footballer," Meola explained. "Take the American tag off of me, look at me like everybody else. And that’s what American players are trying to do but this guy has taken the torch."

Meola's also positioned Pulisic among the pantheon of American soccer legends despite the winger being just 27 years old.

“We talk about Clint Dempsey all the time and he was incredible in Europe,” Meola said. “At some point we’re going to talk about Christian and his career and it’s going to be the top American player that’s gone over to Europe. I think he’s right there. Clint, I know that’s a different debate, but he’s right there with Clint.”

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AFPPicking up momentum

Pulisic's exceptional club form comes at an opportune moment for both Milan and the USMNT. and the American will take on Juventus on the road on Oct. 5 before the international break begins. Then Pulisic travels stateside as the USMNT will face Australia and Ecuador in friendly matches.