Gossip: Blades in battle to sign striker Geubbels
Sheffield United and Southampton face stiff competition from Leeds, Wolves and four German Bundesliga clubs to sign French striker Willem Geubbels, 23, from Swiss Super League side St Gallen after he netted 14 goals in 31 games last season. (L'Equipe - in French), external
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Times
29 minutes ago
- Times
Florian Wirtz: Liverpool sign Bayer Leverkusen star on five-year deal
Florian Wirtz has revealed how Arne Slot's vision for Liverpool persuaded him to join the club for what could become a British-record transfer fee of £116million. The Germany playmaker admitted there was a time when he 'didn't expect Liverpool to be his next club', only for the power of the club's sales pitch to convince him to leave Bayer Leverkusen and reject interest from Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Wirtz also spoke of the profound effect that losing 4-0 at Anfield with Leverkusen in the Champions League last November had upon him as he described Liverpool as 'machines'. Liverpool have paid £100million for the attacking midfielder, with a further £16million dependent on bonuses, and their summer outlay will continue as they have agreed to sign the Bournemouth left back Milos Kerkez in a £40million deal. That will take the spending beyond £200million, of which Wirtz is the undoubted centrepiece, with the 22-year-old confident he will continue to develop under the tutelage of Slot. 'I just thought that it was the right point in my career to make the next step and, of course, I wanted to get to a club that is from the top three in the world, and Liverpool was one of them,' he said. 'The people say I'm a creative player and I hope I can bring this creativity to the team and also the joy on the pitch. I try to make assists, goals and run for the team and defend. I hope I can just make the team one step better. 'I just saw myself in the best hands in Liverpool. I was really convinced by the people here, by the idea, and everything the club offers me was really good. It was not that easy for me, for sure, because I am a German player. I play for the Germany national team. 'So it was not easy for me to decide, but the talks with the coach [Arne Slot] and Richard [Hughes, sporting director] and everybody were, from the very first time, so good and it just kept going like this. 'Every time I spoke to one of the [people from] the club I felt like, 'This is the place I want to be,' and so in the end I was really 100 per cent convinced I want to join Liverpool and it was the best choice. 'I can remember the first time, he [Slot] already showed me some scenes of how we want to play and how I could fit in the team. He was just telling me that I'm a player he really wants to have in his team and can bring the team a step forward. I just could imagine it [being] good to be in the team and to make it better because I have to make my performances every week — but I'm here for this. 'I was the first one in my family who was really into this club when they spoke to us or told us that they are interested in signing me. For sure, I didn't expect that Liverpool will be my next club but my family was supporting me and I didn't have to convince them about the club or something. 'I'm not coming [to] have fun here. I want to achieve something and give the fans what they deserve. Last season they won the Premier League so my goal is, for sure, to win it again and also to go further in the Champions League. I'm really ambitious.' Wirtz referenced the defeat Leverkusen endured last season and said he had watched both the title celebrations against Crystal Palace and the end-of-season parade and had been wowed by the joyous scenes. He had flown into Manchester airport on Thursday before beginning a medical that he completed on Friday. Wirtz will return for pre-season training on July 8. 'It was really tough to play here,' Wirtz continued, during an interview with Liverpool's website. 'I was still thinking about the game when I spoke to the coach or the other guys. It was an example [of] how it can be here. We lost 4-0 and we had to run so much and lost almost every duel. I just wanted to be part of this team. 'Inside me, I was feeling this quality of the team and also the size of the club. Inside me, I was always thinking about this game. I could remember how it was playing here.' Should the bonuses be triggered, the Wirtz transfer would outstrip the present British record of £115million, paid by Chelsea to Brighton & Hove Albion for Moisés Caicedo in 2023. Liverpool will look to finalise Kerkez's transfer next week and have already spent £29.5million on signing Jeremie Frimpong, who was Wirtz's team-mate at Leverkusen and taught him to speak English. A similar fee has been paid for the Valencia goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili and £1.5million has been spent on another goalkeeper, Armin Pecsi of Puskas Akademia. With Jarell Quansah set to join Leverkusen in a deal worth about £35million when his participation with England in the European Under-21 Championship is over, there is also interest in Palace's Marc Guéhi. Bournemouth want at least £65m for PSG target Zabarnyi Bournemouth have valued Illia Zabarnyi at more than £65million in talks to sell the centre back to Paris Saint-Germain (Gary Jacob writes). The French club made an increased offer worth up to £55million for Zabarnyi, who signed a five-year contract last summer that does not have the type of release clause that allowed his defensive partner Dean Huijsen to join Real Madrid for £50million last month. PSG made a first offer of £40million plus £5million in add-ons for the 22-year-old. Zabarnyi cost £24million from Dynamo Kyiv in January 2023. West Ham United want about £25million for Nayef Aguerd after interest in the centre back from Juventus. Aguerd, 29, has two years left on his contract and was on loan at Real Sociedad last season. He joined from the French club Rennes for about £30million, including add-ons, in 2022. Southampton have rejected Atalanta's increased £12million offer for Kamaldeen Sulemana, the winger. The Atalanta head coach, Ivan Juric, stood down as Southampton manager in April after the club were relegated from the Premier League.
Reuters
33 minutes ago
- Reuters
India future already looking bright as new generation step up to fill Kohli and Sharma void
LEEDS, England, June 20 (Reuters) - The retirement of two Indian batting icons in less than a year piled the pressure on the next generation to step up, and new skipper Shubman Gill and opener Yashasvi Jaiswal look ready to fill the void left by Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma. Losing the India bowler with the second-most test wickets in Ravichandran Ashwin as well as former captains Kohli and Rohit in quick succession left India facing a daunting task during their tour of England. With England missing several frontline bowlers through injury for the series opener at Headingley, India were keen to make their mark. Jaiswal and Gill proved that there is still plenty of depth left in the Indian batting line-up, with both scoring centuries on Friday as the visitors piled on the runs to end day one of the first test on 359-3. The next 10 tests could define how the combination of skipper Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum are viewed, after plenty of highs and lows over the past few years, with the Ashes series in Australia following India's visit. Putting India into bat to apply further pressure, at a ground where each of the previous six test matches have been won by the side bowling first, 23-year-old Jaiswal proved that the tourists had quickly transitioned from the old to the new. The scourge of England, however, was not overawed by any stretch, as he became the first Indian batter to score centuries in his first match in both Australia and England with a flawless display of off-side batting. Three of Jaiswal's five centuries have come against England. In total, he has now amassed a colossal 813 runs in 10 tests when facing McCullum's side. "We spoke a lot in the middle (with Gill) and we just made sure we tried to play session by session," Jaiswal told reporters. "Try to get as many runs as we can get, put the ball in the right places. "We enjoy playing together, there is amazing camaraderie between us. The way he batted was incredible, so calm and composed given the circumstances. I always enjoy batting with him. "Everywhere I go, everything I do in cricket, I love it. Of course some moments are more special than others." While Jaiswal dealt with the heat on a scorching Leeds day, Gill could not have been under more scrutiny. Without a test century outside of Asia, Gill came to the crease in Kohli's number four position in the order, with quick wickets before lunch swinging the momentum in England's favour. After back-to-back fours in the 32nd over settled his early nerves, Gill sprayed boundaries to all corners, bringing up his hundred with a glorious drive through the covers. Just five India captains have reached three figures in their first match as skipper. Gill now has the opportunity on day two to go really big and really make his mark.
Leader Live
34 minutes ago
- Leader Live
Michael Vaughan ‘staggered' to see England bowl first at Headingley
The tourists enjoyed a dream start to this summer's five-match main event, taking control with a commanding total of 359 for three as Yashavi Jaiswal (101) and new captain Shubman Gill (127no) made themselves at home in Yorkshire. England's batters would have been forgiven for wishing it was them piling up the runs on a friendly surface, rather than chasing the ball around in 28 degree heat, and would have had the chance had Gill called correctly. Like Stokes he planned to bowl first, following a trend that has seen six successive victories at this ground by the team who took the the field. But Vaughan, who grew up playing his cricket here for Yorkshire, was still surprised to see his successor gamble against long-term convention. 'I'm an old school traditionalist here at Leeds: when the sun is shining, with dry weather, you bat,' he said. 'I was staggered when he said he was going to bowl. Traditions are out the window. You look at the England side and their strength is in the batting. There is inexperience in the bowling at the moment, but Ben clearly had a gut feeling, and sometimes that has worked.' Vaughan also cautioned against marking the game down as a guaranteed run-fest, pointing to the presence of the inimitable Jasprit Bumrah in the away dressing room. Backed by a big chunk of scoreboard pressure, the paceman is likely to pose a serious threat regardless of conditions. 'We won't know for sure until we see Jasprit Bumrah bowl on it,' said Vaughan. 'He can bowl you out with anything. Until I see that, I will hold my judgment on how flat this pitch is.' With England wearied by their work, they sent out short-term bowling consultant Tim Southee to make their case. The recently retired New Zealander, who has taken over the mentoring role following James Anderson's return to county cricket, said: 'When you win the toss and bowl you expect to make early inroads but the Indian openers negotiated that first hour or so pretty well. 'If there was a little bit of moisture left in it, it was probably going to be this morning. You look at the surface and make the decision based on what you think will give you the best chance. Not all the the time do you get it right. But credit to the Indian batsmen, in particular Jaiswal and Gill, they played a couple of great hands.' Jaiswal, who continued his dominant form against an England side he took for 712 runs in the previous series on Indian soil, was jubilant. 'It was very special, it meant a lot to me,' he said. 'I just wanted to get in and do something for my team, for my country and for myself after the work I have put it. I loved it.'
