Things are moving apace. Liverpool have already replaced Trent Alexander-Arnold with Jeremie Frimpong and are advancing with deals for Florian Wirtz and Bournemouth left-back Milos Kerkez.

Talk about a show of intent. Talk about ambition. FSG have faced their criticisms across their time at the head of the Liverpool table, but the American owners are backing Arne Slot to the hilt this summer after the Dutch coach secured a Premier League title in his first term at the helm.

With a much-anticipated move for Wirtz, which could rise to a British-record £116m, set to be finalised in the coming days, hopes are morphing into expectations that the Reds will be right there in the title battle next season, throwing the heaviest punches and swerving the blows from Arsenal, Manchester City and the like.

What, then, should be Slot and sporting director Richard Hughes’ next move in the transfer market? Well, for all Anfield’s impressive dealings, the glaring point of contention still hasn’t been addressed: Liverpool need to part with Darwin Nunez and bring in a new number nine.

Why Liverpool need to sell Darwin Nunez

As far as statement signings go, Liverpool usually hit the nail on the head. However, Nunez has proven to be a blot on the copybook, never living up to the fixed £64m fee and actually regressing under Slot’s jurisdiction.

24/25

47

7

7

23/24

54

18

15

22/23

42

15

4

Back in February, Slot stated he “can’t accept” Nunez’s work rate following a slew of games which had turned little personal reward for the Uruguayan. Previous versions of the 25-year-old invariably provided a tenacious

A maverick, Nunez is powerful and instinctive, but consistent finishing has always eluded him throughout his time on Merseyside, and if it were not for Mohamed Salah’s extraordinary 2024/25 campaign, the striker’s woes might have been hung under a brighter, more blinding light.

Salah scored 34 goals and assisted 23 more across all competitions last season. Extraordinary. The Egyptian King turned 33 this month, though, and needs a more reliable frontman to keep him performing at his peak.

Well, Liverpool are acting with ambition, hoping to sign a star who might just prove to elevate the legend. Who knows, he may even surpass Salah’s greatness.

Liverpool line up new striker

According to Ben Jacobs for GIVEMESPORT, Liverpool are ready to place a record-breaking bid for Newcastle’s Alexander Isak this summer.

Liverpool’s current interest in the Sweden striker can be traced back to the start of March, when The Athletic’s David Ornstein confirmed the Reds had him at the top of their shopping list.

The Magpies, who won the Carabao Cup and qualified for the Champions League last term, would want north of £150m for Isak, but GMS claim FSG would be willing to offer £100m plus add-ons, which would eclipse the fee agreed for Wirtz.

How Isak could surpass Salah at Liverpool

Liverpool need a striker, all right, and Isak is their dream target. If sporting director Richard Hughes could pick any number nine across the globe, this is the man he’d move for.

Coming off the back of a 27-goal campaign with Newcastle, Isak, who has been hailed as “the best striker in the world” by analyst Raj Chohan, could be the most incredible addition to a Liverpool side already jam-packed with attacking quality.

Isak’s prowess, always improving, could even see him become a goalscoring machine under Slot’s wing above that of Salah, whose 34-goal season was frankly ridiculous.

24/25 – Newcastle

42

27

6

23/24 – Newcastle

40

25

2

22/23 – Newcastle

29

11

3

21/22 – Sociedad

41

10

3

20/21 – Sociedad

44

17

2

Moreover, his unique approach to the attacking game could see him reach that pedestal on which Salah perches, surmounted above the rest of the Premier League’s attacking talent.

As per FBref, he ranked among the top 16% of strikers last season for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 8% for successful take-ons per 90.

This protean attacking quality could see him join the likes of Luis Suarez and Fernando Torres as one of the most complete and electric number nines the Premier League has ever seen.

Would this make him a more dangerous forward than Salah? Who knows, but Isak definitely has the perfect style to dovetail into Slot’s system and bring a new level of direct goalscoring threat.

And it must be said, Liverpool have certainly felt the force of the Sweden striker’s skills, Isak having scored a stunning goal against them at St. James’ Park last year before bagging in the Carabao Cup final, a strike which proved definitive.

But it’s not just his goalscoring. Isak has the capacity to outstrip even Salah’s ridiculous goal per game rate at Liverpool (0.61), with his Newcastle average currently at 0.57.

As he continues to go from strength to strength, Isak could hit a truly staggering flow, especially given that he would be playing among some of the best in the business (including Salah, whose playmaking has hit another level over the past couple of years).

Whether Isak would finish a potential Liverpool career with a greater legacy than Salah is tantamount to splitting hairs. In all likelihood, he’d fail on that front, for Salah has transcended pure quality on the field to immortalise himself in Liverpool lore.

However, Isak’s ability to score is a special thing – pundit Alan Shearer has described him as a “world-class assassin” – and if signed to the Liverpool cause and allowed to foster relationships with Salah and Wirtz, his goalscoring record could form something not witnessed on Merseyside.

Huijsen was better: How Spanish media rated Trent's first game post-Liverpool

Trent Alexander-Arnold made his debut for Real Madrid in the Club World Cup.

ByMatt Dawson Jun 19, 2025

Shaun Harvey has explained why big-money deals in the Premier League do not scare Wrexham, with the Red Dragons' transfer model being revealed.

• Red Dragons have risen into the Championship
• Hollywood co-owners daring to chase the dream
• Door opened for investors to join epic adventure

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Hollywood co-owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have helped to fund a meteoric rise for the Welsh outfit. Their personal fortunes allowed rivals to be outspent in the National League and League Two.

Advertisement

• Getty/GOAL
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Three successive promotions have lifted Wrexham into the Championship, with multi-millionaire chairmen no longer enough to compete at that level. Further investment is being sought, while record-breaking commercial deals are helping to bolster the coffers.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary series has opened up a window to the world, making the Red Dragons an appealing project for those with the deepest of pockets, and the plan is to reach the top-flight of English football in the not too distant future.

• Getty
  

  WHAT HARVEY SAID

  Teams at that level continue to splash eye-watering quantities of cash – with the history books being rewritten again in 2025 – but Wrexham director Harvey told Ben Foster’s ’ when asked about deals of £70 million plus and how the Red Dragons feel about being one step away from that level: "I think we are there now. I don’t think we have to wait for the Premier League.

  "Our model has always been, we always wanted to sign players that used to play at least one division higher than what we were playing in. If we are going to do that now, we are signing players that are Premier League quality. They want Premier League wages.

  "We have probably subdivided the Championship into top end and bottom end. If you are looking to sign players from the top end of the Championship to come and help you on your journey, they are earning fortunes.

  "Our wage bill now, a month, will be more than we paid for the whole time that we were in the National League. Income has gone up as well, so it’s not just a one-way street."

An “unbelievable” Liverpool player is reportedly in talks over a move to a top Saudi Pro League club, amid rumours of Bernardo Silva’s transfer there collapsing.

Man City plan to recapture title from Liverpool

The Reds managed to wrestle the Premier League title away from Manchester City in 2024/25, ending their spell of dominance in the competition. It looks as though Pep Guardiola’s side will be back stronger next term, however, not only because of Rodri being fit again, but also due to some top-quality signings.

Guardiola himself has been coy about his team’s chances of challenging Liverpool again, but it could also be construed as mind games from the Spaniard.

“We are miles away from Liverpool. That is the reality. I have a feeling next season will be better but I don’t know how we will react after the Club World Cup. We will be exhausted without a holiday before next season. We have to rise and increase our level otherwise we will not compete to fight for the titles. But if we are fit, we will try and we will be closer.”

City look to be bringing in the likes of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki, from Wolves, AC Milan and Lyon respectively, with Liverpool’s rivals meaning serious business, snapping up talented young players and moving on some of their older stars.

Kevin De Bruyne has departed after a legendary spell at the Etihad, and there has also been talk of Silva sealing a move to Saudi side Al-Hilal, having been offered a £500,000-a-week deal in the Middle East before. The likes of Ederson, Kyle Walker, and Jack Grealish may not have futures in the northwest, either.

Rayan Ait-Nouri (Wolves)

24

Tijjani Reijnders (AC Milan)

26

Rayan Cherki (Lyon)

21

Man City’s potential summer exits

Age

Ederson

31

Bernardo Silva

30

Jack Grealish

29

"Unbelievable" Liverpool ace in talks over exit

According to Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna, Liverpool striker Darwin Nunez’s representatives are now in talks with Al-Hilal, with Bernardo’s move there about to fall through.

Nunez has been a popular figure among Liverpool fans during his time at the club, with Ally McCoist quick to praise his assist to Harvey Elliott away to Paris Saint-Germain last season.

“Unbelievable football from Darwin Nunez, because nine times out of ten he hits this. He doesn’t, he takes the right option. Watch Nunez, usually he pulls the trigger there, it looks a simple pass and it is but it’s there to hit first time, that’s the secret of it.”

Despite this, an upgrade on Nunez has to be found by Liverpool this summer, with a stunning move for Newcastle United star Alexander Isak even mooted. The Uruguayan’s finishing leaves a lot to be desired, as does his general football intelligence.

With Milos Kerkez and Florian Wirtz looking likely to join Jeremie Frimpong at Anfield, signing an elite No.9 would make it the perfect summer window for the Reds.

Liverpool could sign £70m PL star who's England's answer to Wirtz

Liverpool could unearth England’s answer to Florian Wirtz by signing this £70m-rated star.

ByDan Emery Jun 9, 2025

Ultimately, Nunez’s time at Liverpool has been disappointing, and if they can receive a hefty fee from Al-Hilal, they should take the money and run.

ECB chief executive confident that process can be game-changing if money is spent well

Vithushan Ehantharajah13-Dec-2024ECB chief executive Richard Gould is confident the Hundred will generate enough money to future-proof the County game for the next “20 to 25 years” after multiple bids were tabled for each of the eight teams earlier this week, in the second round of the equity sales process.Having received over 100 bids from 35 parties in the first round, a broad spectrum of interested buyers remains. They are understood to include eight of the 10 IPL team owners and co-owners, plus US-based sports investors and private equity.Gould confirmed most investors have put in multiple bids. Once it is determined which investors best match the interest of one of the eight host teams, the third and final stage will see clubs and counties decide upon their two preferred partners for a joint venture.The ECB remain increasingly optimistic that they will better their initially stated aim of raising a minimum of £350 million, not least with competition between investors already evident.In September, Vikram Banerjee, tasked with selling off stakes in the Hundred as ECB director of business operations, stated that the final process could be delayed if the right bids and suitors are not found for all teams. Three months and two stages on, Gould says it is “more likely” the 49 percent stakes on offer for each of the eight teams will be sold first time. Host counties can then decide how much of their gifted 51 percent they wish to part with.Related

• Yorkshire to start clearing debts of £25 million as Hundred money lands

• Paul Farbrace: Hundred windfall will enable counties to plan for 'cricket, not finance'

• New PCA chair: Hundred gender pay gap 'needs to be addressed'

• Hundred investors express frustration at ECB's 'pure financial' motives

• Equity sale in the Hundred could be delayed beyond 2025 – Vikram Banerjee

Most of the money raised from those 49 percent stakes is set to be split among the 18 counties and MCC, with 10 percent portioned off for the recreational game. This means that county game is in line for a massive windfall, But Gould insists it will need to be spent wisely.”My hope is that this will recapitalise the county game for the next 20-25 years, if that money is used really well,” he said in Hamilton, on the eve of the third Test between England and New Zealand.”We’re not counting our chickens yet, but the aim of this is to raise significant investment that is going to go into the game. One of the things that has been attracting the investors is the money they’d be putting in is going to develop the game. A very significant chunk is going into the recreational game, even more is going into the professional game and that is split between the hosts and non-hosts.”The professional counties have been very keen to explain to us that they want guard rails in place. Those are likely to focus on the level of debt a club has, the level of reserves a club should have and also when they are making investments, making sure those are investments for the good of the game – providing financial return or in things like the player pathway.”

After competing in phases through the first Test in Chennai, Bangladesh ultimately paid the price for their top-half collapsing in the first innings, according to captain Najmul Hossain Shanto. India beat the visitors by 280 runs with over five sessions to spare. Bangladesh were bowled out for 234 in their second innings, an improvement on their 149 all out in their first. They had slipped to 40 for 5 on the second afternoon, a phase of play that Shanto believes cost them the game.”We didn’t bat well in the first innings”, Shanto said. “It was a very important phase of the game. We could have been in a better position if we had at least one [big] top-order partnership. There will always be a challenge for the top order to do well, especially in the first innings. It is important to see how we are coping with it. We are working towards it but we are not getting the desired results.”The top order recovered slightly in the second attempt on the third day when openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam added 62 runs, although in pursuit of a stiff 515.Related

• Shakib trials strap around neck as head-positioning tool in Chennai

• Spotlight on off-colour Shakib amid injury murmurs

• Ashwin's double act of hundred and six-for secures 1-0 lead for India

“It is important to spend the time in the wicket but it wasn’t enough [today],” Shanto said. “Still, it will help for the second Test. It was very important for the openers to put on 62 runs. That’s one thing we can look forward to in the next Test match.”Shanto scored his first Test fifty in 11 innings and finished with 82 which included eight fours and three sixes. While that will encourage the visitors, he believes he could have done much better.”That’s usually how I bat in these type of conditions. I was clear with my plan. I think everyone has a different plan. I hope they (India) will plan differently in the next match,” he said.Unlike his nervous start in the first innings, Shanto adjusted to the pace of the game quite well in the second. He attacked R Ashwin as the rough outside his off stump was relatively benign on the third afternoon. He quickly reached his half-century too, off 55 balls, while others like Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim and Shakib Al Hasan struggled to tackle the Indian bowling.Shanto’s scoring pattern in his Test career has been all or nothing. Out of his 57 innings, he has been dismissed 32 times between the scores of 0 and 19, and on 14 occasions in the twenties and thirties. He has also frequently converted fifties into centuries. Before this Test, every time crossed the seventies, he got to his century. His 82 in Chennai was the first time he got out in the eighties in a Test innings.1:25

India ‘stood out’ despite not playing on rank turner – Manjrekar

When Bangladesh resumed the fourth day on 158 for 4, Shanto found Mohammed Siraj tough to negotiate. He played out a couple of maiden overs, and only got Siraj away for a pulled four in the 46th over.”The morning session was tough today. The way Siraj was bowling. They were all bowling really well. Shakib also batted well. We tried to contribute for the team. We tried to bat as long as we could. Today’s morning session was one positive thing. We didn’t bat well after that,” Shanto said.When India captain Rohit Sharma brought on Ashwin, who had already taken three wickets on the third day, the stand between Shakib and Shanto was broken, which triggered the collapse of six wickets for 40 runs.”I think it was quite challenging to bat today. They were bowling in the rough. I don’t want to use it as an excuse. These are challenges we have to take,” said Shanto, who was the eighth wicket to fall but by then the writing was on the wall.Bangladesh’s openers had earlier bounced back with an encouraging effort on the third day. Similar to how they played in Rawalpindi in the second Test against Pakistan, both Zakir and Shadman offered a straighter bat to the ball, kept their cool in the initial exchanges and got off to a quick start. But just like it happened in Rawalpindi, both fell after building a solid platform.While Shanto said that he wants the openers to play their “natural game”, batting coach David Hemp said on the third day that the openers are still in the phase of working on their starts at the crease.”It goes without saying that you need to start well and once you have faced 20 or 30 balls, you get a bit of idea of what’s happening,” Hemp said. “You want to go on from that, especially when you scored 30 or 40 runs. You have done the hard work, so make sure you cash in. We did it in patches in Pakistan.”We will keep working on it in practice. We have to get ourselves in first, as that’s something we haven’t done well enough. If you go back to March [against Sri Lanka], we were not doing well enough. So we are doing that better now. But once you get to 40-60 balls, ideally you bat 120 balls. When you do that, you will walk away with a reasonable reward.”The openers’ mini-fightback and Shanto’s knock were the only two aspects of their batting that will give Bangladesh some confidence on their way to Kanpur. At the same time though, the top-half’s abject failure in the first innings will haunt them until they get it right. Several batters need to step up. Otherwise Bangladesh could be staring down the barrel again.

If a third fast bowler joins Philander and Rabada and provides a bit of control, South Africa can hope to challenge India a little more

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Pune09-Oct-20191:54

Agarkar: SA should trust their best bowlers

Fifty-six spinners have conceded 200 or more runs in a Test match in India. None of them have done so while bowling as few overs as Dane Piedt did in Visakhapatnam.36-4-209-1.Piedt ended the Test with a positive contribution, top-scoring with 56 in the fourth innings. But for all his ability with the bat – he has a hundred and 12 fifties in first-class cricket – he knows more than anyone else that he is a bowler first, and he will ultimately be judged on his deeds as an offspinner.

Watch cricket on ESPN+

India v South Africa is available in the US on Hotstar and ESPN+. Subscribe to ESPN+ and tune in to the three Tests.

In Visakhapatnam, even when he wasn’t necessarily bowling long-hops or half-volleys, Piedt didn’t offer either a wicket threat or any means of keeping India’s batsmen in check. There were times, particularly when Rohit Sharma and Mayank Agarwal were toying with him in the first innings, when you wondered how South Africa may have done had they played, in Piedt’s place, someone bowling the same number of overs and conceding three-and-a-half runs an over, with or without the bonus of wickets.That hypothetical bowler would have conceded 126 runs in 36 overs. That’s 83 fewer runs across two innings. This might have meant India needing to bat for longer before declaring in either or both of their innings, or declaring with fewer runs on the board, either way giving South Africa a little more chance of ending the game with a result other than defeat.And that’s without taking into consideration the extra overs South Africa could have entrusted that hypothetical bowler with, and the subsequent reductions in the workloads of Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Keshav Maharaj, their three main bowlers, and the debutant batting allrounder Senuran Muthusamy.Lee Warren/Getty ImagesBefore the second Test in Pune, the Piedt question was posed to South Africa captain Faf du Plessis at a press conference; what he made of the offspinner’s performance, and whether he was thinking of any change in the composition of his bowling attack. His reply suggested he was thinking of wickets rather than the control that the hypothetical three-and-a-half-runs-per-over bowler could bring.”We are thinking what’s going to be our most aggressive options to get 20 wickets,” du Plessis said. “We didn’t get 20 wickets the first Test and that’s something I don’t want to do again. We are planning for a pitch that will be a bit drier and that will spin.”It’s true that the Visakhapatnam pitch didn’t offer raging turn to spinners from either side, and the Pune track may well be more helpful. But on the eve of the Test there was also a fair amount of grass on the surface, and there could be some early dampness too, with the ground having soaked up plenty of rain over the last week or so.India captain Virat Kohli said the dampness, if present, would help both the seamers and the spinners, and didn’t think it would affect the composition of his attack. But South Africa could, and perhaps should, be thinking about which bowlers they pick.Perhaps they should do so regardless of how much grass remains on the surface, or how much early moisture there is, or even how much turn it looks like offering as the game wears on. South Africa’s squad contains no other spinner apart from the three they played in Visakhapatnam, but it does have two genuinely quick bowlers in Lungi Ngidi and Anrich Nortje. Nortje is uncapped, but Ngidi has excellent numbers from his first four Tests, and would be an automatic pick outside Asia.Despite the conventional wisdom of needing two spinners in India, should South Africa play to their strengths, and simply play their best bowlers, even if that means playing only one frontline spinner?Since South Africa’s last tour of India in 2015-16, visiting fast bowlers have actually done better than visiting spinners in India. While it’s been hard toil for both kinds of bowlers, the quicks have had a better average and economy rate than the spinners overall.