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Liverpool have now submitted a “concrete offer” to sign a teenage centre-back from Ligue 1, say reports in the player’s homeland of Morocco.

Liverpool expected to complete Wirtz and Kerkez deals

Liverpool appear to be close to capturing not one but two new players in the coming days. Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen and Milos Kerkez from AFC Bournemouth are expected to follow Jeremie Frimpong through the Anfield door to become Arne Slot’s second and third signings of the summer.

Liverpool in talks for another club-record signing who's as exciting as Wirtz

Liverpool may need to replace Luis Diaz in the transfer market this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 4, 2025

The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed on Tuesday that Liverpool’s latest Wirtz bid, which was worth £109 million, was turned down by Leverkusen, as they hold out for a British-record fee of £126 million, but a deal is still expected to go through.

And Wirtz appears to have implied things are progressing on his own social media accounts too, posting on Instagram to deny reports he has demanded Alexis Mac Allister’s number ten shirt in order to join.

As Liverpool work on finding an agreement with Leverkusen, club chiefs are also closing in on a deal for a new left-back. According to Sky Sports, the Reds are growing increasingly confident that they will sign Kerkez from Bournemouth.

The Hungary star is keen on the move to Anfield and personal terms are not said to be an issue.

Liverpool submit official bid for teenage centre-back

The Reds don’t plan on stopping there, as according to Morocco’s LE360 Sport, relayed by Sport Witness, Liverpool have now made a concrete offer to sign defender Abdelhamid Aït Boudlal from Stade Rennais.

The 19-year-old, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Amiens in Ligue 2, has yet to make his senior debut for Stade Rennais, but that hasn’t stopped Liverpool and Newcastle United from showing significant interest. The Magpies have met with the player already, but the Reds have gone one step further and have already made an offer, though it is unclear what the offer is worth.

OGC Nice and two teams from La Liga are also in the ‘picture’ when it comes to signing Aït Boudlal. The Moroccan is under contract until 2028, but given the significant interest from Europe, it appears his time in Rennes is coming to an end.

Liverpool’s interest in Aït Boudlal isn’t new, as club scout Kyle Wallbanks was in attendance for the AFCON U20 tournament, where Aït Boudlal helped Morocco reach the final. The Reds have obviously been keeping a close eye on the defender and are now ready to bring him to Anfield.

Now that Rangers have a manager in place, their transfer window activity can begin in earnest.

Last week, Russell Martin was unveiled as the 20th permanent manager in Rangers’ 153-year history, but he faces a big task to guide the Gers through Champions League qualifying this summer and then, ultimately, aiming to topple their rivals at the top of the Scottish Premiership.

That will all be a tough task, but could Martin land his dream midfield signing early into his tenure in Glasgow?

Rangers' chasing midfield reinforcements

While recruitment as far as new players are concerned hasn’t been Kevin Thelwell’s first priority since heading to Rangers, attention can now finally turn to who could improve the squad at Ibrox.

Transfer Focus

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

Well, according to a report by Alan Nixon of the Scottish Sun, Martin would like Rangers to sign midfielder Flynn Downes this summer.

The 26-year-old played for Martin at Swansea and Southampton, initially on loan when the Saints gained promotion from the EFL Championship last year, before he made his move from West Ham to the South Coast permanent a year ago for a reported £18m fee.

That sky-high price tag could prove to be a severe stumbling block, considering Rangers’ record signing of all time is the £12m paid to sign Tore André Flo in 2000, while the highest fee they’ve paid in the modern era is £7.5m for Ryan Kent in 2019.

Nevertheless, after Southampton were instantaneously relegated from the Premier League after just one season back in the top-flight, there could potentially be a fire-sale at St Mary’s, with Downes possibly amongst those sacrificed.

So, could he be reunited with his former manager north of the border?

How Downes compares to Lundstram

Signing English players from down south is certainly not a new strategy for Rangers, with John Lundstram certainly one of the more successful of their imports of the modern era.

After failing to make a senior appearance for Everton, the midfielder, fair to say, was a bit of a journeyman, playing for Doncaster Rovers, Yeovil Town, Leyton Orient across two spells, Blackpool, Scunthorpe United and Oxford United.

He belatedly burst onto the scene at Sheffield United, making 62 Premier League appearances for the Blades, a key figure as Chris Wilder’s team finished ninth in 2019/20 as a newly-promoted club.

Nevertheless, it was only once he got to Glasgow that Lundstram truly found a home.

In total, the midfielder featured over 150 times for Rangers, scoring 11 goals, including the late winner against RB Leipzig that booked the club’s place in the Europa League Final, winning the Scottish Cup and League Cup, starting all three finals.

He ultimately departed for Trabzonspor on a Bosman last summer but, should Downes arrive, Rangers supporters would be hoping he could have a similar impact to that of his compatriot.

Host Dan Woffenden describes Downes as “class”, while Roshane Thomas of the Athletic labels him an excellent passer, also documenting how he ‘thrived under manager Russell Martin’ when the pair were together at Swansea.

Meantime, Chris Beaumont of Total Football Analysis praises the midfielder’s ‘fantastic engine’ and ‘physical presence’, asserting that he is one of the ‘hottest midfield prospects’ in English football.

So, let’s assess his statistics in the EFL Championship from the 2023/24 campaign.

It is worth mentioning that statistics from Downes’ season in the second-tier were used due to how generally hopeless Southampton were in the Premier League this season, thereby providing a data set that is uninformative.

Also worth noting that, according to Global Football Ranking, the Championship is the 11th strongest league in the world, compared to the Scottish Premiership down in 43rd, thereby offering a slightly more comparable level.

Thus, what the numbers do underline is that Downes is a high-quality passer, ranked third for pass completion percentage, while more than half of these passes were short, between five and 15 yards.

So, in Martin’s system that prioritises possession, he could be exactly the midfielder Rangers require, potentially having an equally enormous impact at Ibrox to that of Lundstram.

Martin could land dream 1st Rangers signing who's "very similar" to Raskin

Rangers could replace Raskin with a South American starler

By
Ross Kilvington

Jun 8, 2025

Chelsea are now in “ongoing” negotiations over a deal to sign an “incredible” striker, with a meeting taking place “in recent days”, according to RMC Sport journalist Fabrice Hawkins.

Blues looking to bolster squad before Club World Cup

The initial summer transfer window is set to close on June 10th ahead of the Club World Cup, before reopening on June 16th, and the Blues are looking to get a number of deals over the line before the first deadline.

Jamie Gittens has emerged as a major target since it was confirmed Jadon Sancho will not be making a permanent move to west London, while there have long been doubts over the goalkeeper options, with Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen being used interchangeably last season.

The interest in Hugo Ekitike is a little stranger, given that Enzo Maresca has already added Liam Delap to his squad this summer, but the manager may feel he needs a more experienced option at centre-forward, with the former Ipswich Town man yet to prove himself at the top level.

There has now been a new update on Chelsea’s Hugo Ekitike pursuit, with Hawkins taking to X to reveal they are in “ongoing” negotiations over a deal for the Eintracht Frankfurt striker, having held a meeting with his camp “in recent days”.

Deal close: Chelsea now nearing agreement to sign "world-class" £25m star

The Blues could seal a move for a new signing “tomorrow”, following a recent positive development.

1

By
Dominic Lund

Jun 8, 2025

The Blues are still considering a move for the forward, with contact yet to be broken off, despite talks not progressing, but a deal will not be cheap, with Frankfurt currently unwilling to compromise on their asking price of €100m (£84m).

Ekitike could be "incredible" signing for Chelsea

While the 22-year-old is the same age as Delap, he has more experience than the Englishman, having regularly provided goals and assists for Reims, Paris Saint-Germain and Frankfurt across spells in Ligue 1 and the Bundesliga.

Teammate Rasmus Kristensen has also been left impressed by the Frenchman, lauding him as “incredible” back in January, so it is little wonder that Chelsea are keen to take him to Stamford Bridge, although there are doubts over whether he is worth £84m.

With the Frankfurt star contracted until 2029, the German club are in a strong negotiating position, but the Reims-born striker is yet to prove himself in the Champions League, while a return of 15 goals in 33 Bundesliga games last season isn’t out of this world.

As such, while Ekitike could go on to be a top striker, the £84m asking price is a little steep, so the Blues should continue to try and negotiate a lower fee.

Manchester United’s front line is in desperate need of an overhaul this summer, with such a department massively holding them back from any success under Ruben Amorim.

The side only managed to net 44 times in their 38 Premier League outings last campaign, with no player in the first-team squad managing to register double figures.

Departures are to be expected in such an area, with academy graduate Alejandro Garnacho one player likely to be sacrificed in the coming months, after hitting out at his lack of action in the Europa League final.

Rasmus Hojlund could be another to leave the Red Devils during the off-season, with any sales massively helping Amorim in his quest to land new stars at Old Trafford.

As a result of the pending futures of the aforementioned players, targets have already been drawn up, with the hierarchy appearing to be making moves in the transfer market.

The latest on United’s hunt for new attackers this summer

The 3-4-2-1 formation utilised by Amorim at United requires specific players to be signed if they are to fit into the current system and be a success at the Theatre of Dreams.

A striker has been one of the main priorities in recent weeks, with the likes of Dušan Vlahović, Victor Osimhen and Hugo Ekitiké all firmly remaining on the club’s radar.

However, a new twist has emerged, with Sporting CP talisman Viktor Gyokeres still seen as their number one target for the position, according to TEAMtalk.

They claim that the Red Devils remain confident of a deal to land the 54-goal forward despite the Swede claiming that he’s only interested in a move to join fellow English side Arsenal.

It also states that the board at United believe his previous spell under Amorim in Portugal could play a huge factor in the deal, with the attacker wanting a move to England this window.

Why United’s latest target could be Amorim’s answer to Mbappé

Kylian Mbappé is a forward who has constantly tormented backlines across Europe in recent years, cementing himself as one of the best attackers in world football.

The 26-year-old joined Real Madrid last summer on a free transfer from PSG, after enjoying a six-year spell in Paris, which saw him net 235 goals in his 264 appearances.

His move to Spain has seen him continue his tremendous run in front of goal, registering 43 efforts in his 56 outings for the LaLiga giants, forming a deadly partnership with Vinícius Júnior.

Every team across the continent must wish they had a version of the forward, with his form in front of goal something which is extremely hard to find in the modern game.

However, United could be about to land their own version of the superstar, in the form of Gyokeres, with the Swedish international a force to be reckoned with in front of goal.

He’s been labelled as a similar player to Mbappé by FBref, managing to match or better the Madrid talisman in numerous key areas, highlighting how much of a sensational signing he would be for the Red Devils.

The Swede, who’s been labelled “the best striker in Europe” by The Athletic, has outscored Mbappé, whilst averaging a better goal per shot on target rate – handing Amorim the clinical edge he’s been lacking as of late.

He’s also completed more of the take-ons he’s attempted whilst registering more carries into the opposition box, having the ability to create an attacking opportunity out of nothing.

Gyokeres’ dominance is also reflected in his higher percentage of aerials won, with his ability in the air offering the side the needed focal point they’ve often lacked.

Given the interest from elsewhere this summer, the hierarchy must work quickly to secure the Sporting CP star’s signature, with the forward a talented all-round option.

His comparisons to Mbappé highlight the threat he carries, with the 27-year-old having the skillset to end their long-standing pursuit of a new talisman at Old Trafford.

More exciting than Mbeumo: Man Utd in talks to sign "very special" talent

Manchester United could be about to land a star who could thrive under Ruben Amorim.

1

By
Ethan Lamb

Jun 18, 2025

A Liverpool player who Mohamed Salah admits he loves playing with is expected to be the subject of an offer from a huge club, and he is open to the idea of leaving Anfield.

Who will Liverpool sign after Wirtz?

The Premier League champions have made a huge statement already this summer, with Florian Wirtz arriving for a British record fee of £116m from Bayer Leverkusen, with the German speaking of his delight at joining.

“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 in my opinion Liverpool was one of them. Yeah, I just saw myself in the best hands in Liverpool. I was really convinced by the people here, by the idea, and everything what the club offers me was really good. And in the end [it was] also easy to be excited for me to come to Liverpool.”

It’s now a case of seeing who else arrives at Liverpool this summer, with Milos Kerkez joining both Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong at the club, and various players are being linked with moves to Anfield.

Crystal Palace and England centre-back Marc Guehi has been strongly mentioned in recent days, being seen as both a replacement and an upgrade on the departing Jarell Quansah, and Lyon winger Malick Fofana has been mentioned as a potentially superb attacking signings.

Slot's answer to Mane: Liverpool chasing "monster" £70m Premier League star

Liverpool have set their sights on another attacking star this summer.

By
Angus Sinclair

Jun 24, 2025

There are also constant exit rumours surrounding various unwanted Liverpool players, however, and a fresh update has now emerged.

Nunez open to Liverpool exit as Napoli ready offer

According to The Athletic‘s Pearce on X, Napoli are now expected to table an offer for Nunez, with the striker “open” to a move to the Serie A champions:

“Napoli’s interest in Darwin Nunez has been registered and an offer is expected in due course. The Italian champions are the most serious contenders for the 25-year-old and he is open to moving to Naples.”

The £140,000-a-week and £7.3m-a-year Nunez needs to leave Liverpool before next season gets underway, with Arne Slot starting him just eight times in the Premier League last season.

The Uruguayan’s performances have been far too hit-and-miss for too long, even though Salah has admitted that he likes playing alongside him.

“Who do I most like to play with? It was Firmino. Now I feel like I generally like playing with Nunez. A lot of people don’t like him but I like playing with him.”

Nunez is arguably not at the level required to take this brilliant Liverpool team forward after scoring just five league goals last season, with an upgrade required this summer, but he will still leave as a popular figure, given his effort levels.

Napoli could be ideal for him, with their passionate fans likely to be drawn to him, and he could flourish playing in a weaker division than the Premier League.

Glasgow Rangers manager Russell Martin confirmed that there will be further changes to the playing squad after the 2-2 draw at Ibrox on Sunday.

The Scottish head coach has revealed that there will be more signings to be added to the group to bolster his team, and that means that there will be players who have to move on as well.

Martin has brought in Lyall Cameron, Max Aarons, Joe Rothwell, Thelo Aasgaard, and Emmanuel Fernandez, but is ‘expecting’ more recruits to arrive at Ibrox in the coming weeks.

It now remains to be seen who will remain at Rangers and who will be allowed to move on from the club, whether that be star players who may earn big moves or those on the fringes who are looking for more game time.

The Scottish Premiership giants have not always made the best decisions on player exits, as they have fumbled the chance to rake in huge profit on stars, such as Ryan Kent.

How Rangers fumbled millions with Ryan Kent

After an initial loan spell at Ibrox, Rangers swooped to sign the English winger from Liverpool for a reported fee of £7.5m in the summer of 2019 to bolster Steven Gerrard’s squad.

The electric left winger certainly proved his worth during his time in Glasgow, as he played a key role in the club’s Premiership title win in the 2020/21 campaign.

Kent ended that season with a return of 13 goals and 14 assists in 51 appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which included ten goals and ten assists in the top-flight.

In the summer of 2020, Gerrard revealed that the club had “strongly rejected” an offer from a team for the winger, which was reported to be a £10m bid from Leeds United.

The Daily Mail then reported that Leeds were ‘unsuccessful’ in an attempt to sign the forward for a fee of £15m after his performances during the title-winning campaign for the Light Blues.

As you can see in the table above, it may have been a mistake by the Gers to turn down that second offer from the English side, as he went on to be released for nothing just two years later.

His value continued to plummet before he left Ibrox on a free transfer in the summer of 2023, and they may wish that they had cashed in on him when they had the chance to.

Rangers reject offer for forward

The Light Blues must avoid any similar mistakes with their star players this summer, after Martin confirmed that the club have turned down a bid for one of their forwards

Transfer Focus

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

Cyriel Dessers watched on from the stands as Rangers played against Club Brugge on Sunday, and the manager revealed after the match that the club have officially rejected a bid for the striker already.

Martin explained: “Cyriel, he’s just been injured his ankle. So, he’s here today. We turned down a bid a while ago for him that was nowhere near the valuation for the football club.

Martin added: “So, that [deal is] nowhere near happening. He’ll get on the training ground this week and start enjoying it.”

No price tag or club was mentioned by the manager, but Greek side AEK Athens have been heavily linked with the forward. Journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos claims that they are set to make contact with Rangers once again this week over a deal for the number nine.

Why Rangers should cash in on Cyriel Dessers this summer

Rangers reportedly paid a fee of £4.5m to sign the Nigeria international from Cremonense in the summer of 2023, and the club should cash in on him this summer if any team comes in with an offer of more than that – £5m or more.

They turned down two bids for Ryan Kent, of £10m and £15m, that would have seen the Gers make a significant profit on the initial £7.5m that they paid for him, and they lived to regret that as the forward went on to leave for nothing in 2023.

The Nigerian forward turns 31 in December and his current contract at Ibrox is due to expire in the summer of 2027. That suggests that this summer may be the peak of his value at the club, because he is now heading towards the latter stages of his career and the latter stages of his contract.

This is their last chance to cash in on Dessers at peak value, as he will only have 12 months left on his contract next summer, and that is why they should look to move him on amid interest from AEK Athens.

As you can see in the table above, the 30-year-old striker has been an unreliable forward in front of goal for the Scottish giants in his two seasons in the Premiership.

Goal returns of 16 and 18 respectively are very solid hauls on paper, but 47 ‘big chances’ missed shows that the striker, who former Aberdeen chief Keith Wyness described as “marmite”, has not been dependable enough.

Dessers is an incredibly wasteful finisher and Martin could improve his Rangers team by cashing in on him this summer to then bring in a more efficient marksman to lead the club back to glory.

He'd be better than Djiga at Ibrox: Rangers close in on another new signing

Rangers are in talks to sign a star who would be an even better signing than Nasser Djiga.

By
Dan Emery

Jul 6, 2025

Therefore, the Light Blues must cash in on the forward in the coming weeks to avoid a Ryan Kent repeat and to potentially improve the squad.

Chelsea are still in the market for new signings after sealing deals for Liam Delap, Jamie Gittens and Joao Pedro, despite their immediate need to sell players, and they could be on for an end-of-window surge.

£130k-a-week ace in talks to leave Chelsea as BlueCo prepare "ruthless" axe

The west Londoners are ready to offload a host of players.

1

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 16, 2025

Their triumph in the Club World Cup and subsequent £87.5 million cash prize has practically paid for both Delap and Gittens – who cost a combined £85 million – so BlueCo do have money to spend.

They’ve also sold Kepa Arrizabalaga, Basir Humphreys, Noni Madueke, Marcus Bettinelli and Djordje Petrovic for a combined, estimated and reported total of around £96 million, with midfielder Mathis Amougou joining sister club Strasbourg for an additional undisclosed fee.

In terms of PSR, Chelsea are actually in line to make a profit right now and sailing comfortably under the limit, but they were recently sanctioned by UEFA for breaking their separate, more strict FFP rules.

The Blues need to sell players and balance out their squad, or face the prospect of not being able to register new players for the Champions League next season (Kaveh Solhekol).

With many players facing uncertain futures on the chopping block, Chelsea’s business for the rest of the window hinges on managing to get rid of certain squad members, but if they do, the west Londoners could still be on for a late-window flurry of incomings (Simon Phillips).

BlueCo remain keen on backing Enzo Maresca in the transfer market, and journalist Simon Phillips reports that the Italian is prioritising further attacking additions, due to Chelsea’s struggles playing against teams with a low block last season.

Chelsea hold new talks with Eberechi Eze's representatives this week

Writing via his Substack, the Chelsea reporter claims £100,000-per-week Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze is among their key targets.

They face stiff competition from Arsenal, who are about to formally approach Palace over signing Eze after holding talks on the player’s side for weeks (Ben Jacobs), but Chelsea have now reached out to the 27-year-old’s camp as well.

“SPTC sources have heard that yesterday, Chelsea held new talks with the agents of Eberechi Eze of Crystal Palace,” said Phillips on Wednesday.

“However, there has been no club-to-club contact yet, but it looks like Chelsea are seeing if they can get the player buy-in first. Eze has a release clause believed to be around £65m. So if Chelsea get the player buy in, they can just trigger this.

“However, we know that it’s not just about the fee, it’s about how it can be paid, and other aspects. Chelsea may also look to bring that fee down by offering players as they do with most deals at the moment. Palace have a number of Chelsea players on their wish list, with Trevoh Chalobah being the main one.

“Let’s see if this goes any further but for now, just talks with Eze’s agent to establish if any deal is possible on that side.”

The England international netted 14 goals and 11 assists in all competitions last season, including Palace’s match-winning goal against Man City in the FA Cup final, and he’s been a star player for Palace since his move from QPR in 2020.

Steve Cooper is back in management – this time in Europe – following his dismissals at Nottingham Forest and Leicester City.

• Leicester sack Cooper in 2024
• Looks for management return
• Takes shock European job

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Danish giants Brondby have confirmed the appointment of Cooper on a three-year deal. The Welshman has been out of work since being sacked by Leicester last November but now he is back in the dugout. He replaces Frederik Birk, who was sacked as head coach this week.

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• AFP
  

  WHAT BRONDBY SAID

  Director of football Benjamin Schmedes said in a statement: "Steve is that rare combination of youth and experience, vision and personality. He is a man who can embrace a club like ours and lift both the individual player and the entire club to a new level. We want to accelerate our development so that we can achieve the ambitious sporting goals we have and, not least, install a winning culture within the walls of Brøndby Stadium. This requires a mentality, leadership and a pair of broad shoulders that we have no doubt Steve possesses. That is why we are very pleased that he has agreed to take on the challenge."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Cooper was offered several jobs in the Championship, but he was attracted by Brondby's history and the potential to qualify for European football. The former Forest boss is said to believe his new team can win the league for the first time since 2021. 

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Brondby sit fourth in the Danish Superliga after seven games this season, with Cooper's new side winning four and losing three so far. His first game in charge is likely to be at home to table-toppers Copenhagen in the league on Saturday afternoon.

Nottingham Forest are now the club pushing hardest to sign an attacking midfielder who’s been likened to Arsenal star Martin Odegaard, and a deal could be possible for a fee of £25m, according to a report.

Forest keen on attacking midfielder amid Gibbs-White uncertainty

There is a great deal of uncertainty surrounding Morgan Gibbs-White’s future, with Sky Sports reporter Rob Dorsett revealing Forest are determined to keep hold of the attacking midfielder, despite Tottenham Hotspur triggering the £60m release clause in his contract.

However, the Tricky Trees may have a hard time keeping the England international at the City Ground, given that he has reportedly made it clear he wants to join Tottenham in talks with chairman Evangelos Marinakis.

It remains to be seen whether Nuno is able to keep one of his star players at the club, but should the move to Tottenham go through, the manager will need to bring in a replacement, and the Europa League side are now stepping up their pursuit of a new attacking midfielder.

That is according to a report from TEAMtalk, which reveals that Nottingham Forest are the club pushing hardest for Manchester City’s James McAtee, who is set to be available for £25m this summer, having been informed he is free to leave.

Forest are currently in discussions with McAtee, working to convince him to move to the City Ground, despite widespread interest from elsewhere, with the likes of West Ham Unied, Everton and Fulham submitting enquiries.

There is also interest from the Bundesliga, with Fabrizio Romano revealing the Man City ace has now travelled to Germany ahead of a potential move.

McAtee could be exciting replacement for Gibbs-White

Forest may have their work cut out trying to get a deal for the Englishman over the line, given the interest from elsewhere, but the fact they are now set to take part in the 2025-26 Europa League should work in their favour.

Should the Tricky Trees win the race, however, there are plenty of signs the 22-year-old could be an exciting replacement for Gibbs-White, with former Sheffield United striker Carl Asaba even describing him as “like Odegaard”.

Nottingham Forest now "ready" to make £26m bid for "machine" Wolves target

The Tricky Trees are set to “push’ for the signature of a midfielder.

By
Dominic Lund

Jul 15, 2025

During his time with the Blades, the Salford-born maestro picked up nine goals and three assists in their Championship promotion-winning 2022-23 campaign, before going on to feature regularly in the Premier League the following season.

Since returning to City, however, McAtee has been unable to establish himself as a regular starter, meaning a move could be best for all parties, and it would be a real bonus for Forest if he decides to move to the City Ground.

Former Burnley skipper Josh Brownhill has turned his back on English football after sealing a surprise move to Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Shabab. The 29-year-old midfielder, who had become a fan favourite at Turf Moor, opted for a new chapter in the Middle East despite strong interest from Premier League rivals Brentford, Wolves and West Ham, as well as Championship heavyweights Leicester City.

• Brownhill leaves Burnley for Saudi move   
• Midfielder turned down Premier League interest
• Al-Shabab boss Alguacil sold him his vision

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Brownhill’s decision comes just months after he helped the Clarets return to the Premier League, finishing last season with a stunning personal tally of 18 goals. Over five years at Burnley, the ex-Preston North End star racked up 211 appearances and 32 goals, becoming one of the club’s most consistent figures.    

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Al-Shabab are already home to Belgian international Yannick Carrasco and ex-Premier League defender Wesley Hoedt. Speaking about his decision to leave English football behind, Brownhill admitted it was club manager Imanol Alguacil who convinced him the time was right to leap. The former Real Sociedad manager reportedly impressed the midfielder with a tactical blueprint designed to maximise Brownhill’s attacking instincts.  

• WHAT BROWNHILL SAID

  "I feel really honoured to join Al-Shabab," Brownhill said. "The way the manager plays – formation, system and the vision that they see – is what really attracted me. I'm hoping to score a lot of goals and we'll be aiming to win some trophies this season." 

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BROWNHILL?

  Brownhill arrives at a club in need of inspiration. Al-Shabab opened their Saudi Pro League campaign with a 4-1 defeat to Al-Khaleej, a result that raised eyebrows and piled early pressure on Alguacil’s reign. If Friday’s clash with Al-Hazm comes too soon for the Englishman, fans may have to wait until September 19 when Al-Shabab take on Al-Feiha to witness his debut.