Inaki Pena left waiting on future decision as Barcelona block goalkeeper's transfer due to Joan Garcia registration uncertainty

Barcelona have blocked Inaki Pena’s move as the club struggles to register new arrivals with La Liga, leaving the shot-stopper’s future unclear.

Pena’s exit from Barcelona is delayedClub aim to resolve situation before La Liga openerMultiple teams interested in PenaFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Barca have placed Pena’s proposed transfer on hold as the club has yet to register new signings Joan Garcia and Wojciech Szczesny with La Liga, according to a report from . Until both goalkeepers are officially registered, the Catalan side will not give the green light to Pena's departure. The 26-year-old was included in Hansi Flick’s pre-season squad for the Asia tour, remaining the only fit and registered goalkeeper following Marc-Andre ter Stegen’s surgery.

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Barcelona’s goalkeeping department is undergoing a major overhaul this summer, with the club aiming to have Garcia and Szczesny as the primary options. Pena, whose contract runs until 2026, has long been informed that he is not part of Flick’s plans and has fielded offers from several clubs, including Celta Vigo, Sevilla and Galatasaray. However, with the club needing to contend with La Liga’s registration rules and Ter Stegen's unavailability, a move is only possible once at least one of Garcia or Szczesny is registered. Barcelona are under pressure to resolve these registrations before the opening day against Mallorca in three weeks.

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Barcelona currently have four senior goalkeepers under contract, with only Pena eligible to play at the start of the new La Liga season if registrations are not completed in time. Garcia, signed from Espanyol, and Szczesny, re-signed after his contract lapsed at the end of June, are expected to take the top two spots but cannot feature until formal registration is finalised.

AFPWHAT NEXT FOR INAKI PENA?

If Barcelona secure registration for Garcia or Szczesny before the start of the season, Pena's transfer should proceed swiftly, with Spanish and international clubs awaiting the green light for negotiations. Should complications persist, Pena may be forced to remain at Barca until at least one registration is processed. The club’s aim remains to finalise his departure before the end of the summer window, but strict financial regulations and tight timelines could lead to further delays.

Sri Lanka face fight to save game in only tour match before England Tests

Hosts ended Day 2 with a 185-run first-innings lead, with Jayasuriya bagging 5 for 102 for visitors

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Aug-2024In their only tour match ahead of their three-match Test series in England, Sri Lanka face a fight to save the game after conceding a heavy first-innings deficit to an inexperienced Lions team in Worcester.Sri Lanka were bowled out for 139 in just 43.5 overs on Wednesday, with no batter reaching 30 and Gloucestershire’s Zaman Akhter taking 5 for 32, the second five-wicket haul of his first-class career. Lions took a six-run lead heading into the second day after losing four wickets on the first evening, three of them to Prabath Jayasuriya’s left-arm spin.But by the time rain brought the second day to an early finish, Lions had secured a first-innings lead of 185. Hamza Shaikh, the 18-year-old Warwickshire batter on first-class debut, made 91 from No. 4, sharing a 104-run stand for the seventh wicket with Kasey Aldridge, the Somerset allrounder, who himself made 78.Related

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Jayasuriya finished with 5 for 102 from his 31.2 overs, with Kasun Rajitha taking 2 for 51 from 19. But Lahiru Kumara, who has not played a competitive match since June, was expensive, leaking 92 runs from his 18 overs and dismissing only tailender Ajeet Singh Dale.Lions are fielding an under-strength side, with two first-class debutants in Shaikh and Farhan Ahmed, whose elder brother Rehan has played in all three formats for England. The ECB have only pulled one player – Josh Hull, who has made two appearances for Manchester Originals – out of the Hundred, which features most of the country’s best young players.Sri Lanka have not played a Test since their tour to Bangladesh earlier this year, which ended at the start of April, and most of their squad have not played any first-class cricket since the domestic four-day tournament finished in early May. Vishwa Fernando, who is not playing against Lions, took 12 wickets in two appearances for Yorkshire in June.Sri Lanka’s 18-man squad will travel from Worcester to Manchester after the tour game ahead of the first of three Tests against England, which starts on Wednesday at Emirates Old Trafford. They will be joined in Manchester by former England batter Ian Bell, who has been recruited as a batting coach for the series to provide local knowledge.

Bhuvneshwar goes to RCB for INR 10.75 crore as fast bowlers cash in on day two

Indian allrounders Krunal Pandya and Nitish Rana were sought after by RCB and RR

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-20242:04

Moody: Curran poses a left-hand conundrum with bat for CSK

Bhuvneshwar Kumar emerged as the most expensive player sold in the early bidding on day two of the IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah, with Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) buying him for INR 10.75 crore (US$ 1.28 million approx.).Fast bowlers were in high demand with Deepak Chahar going to Mumbai Indians (MI) for INR 9.25 crore ($1.10 million approx.), Akash Deep to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) for INR 8 crore ($0.95 million approx.), Mukesh Kumar to Delhi Capitals (DC) for INR 8 crore ($0.95 million approx.), pace-bowling allrounder Marco Jansen to Punjab Kings (PBKS) for INR 7 crore ($0.83 million approx.), and Tushar Deshpande to Rajasthan Royals (RR) for INR 6.50 crore ($0.77 million approx.).RCB and RR also went up against each other for Indian spin allrounders, with RCB snapping up Krunal Pandya for INR 5.75 crore ($0.68 million approx.)and RR getting Nitish Rana for INR 4.20 crore ($0.50 million approx.).Related

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A large number of players were unsold in the early bidding, including established IPL names like Shardul Thakur, Kane Williamson and Ajinkya Rahane. There were no takers for Prithvi Shaw either, despite his base price being only INR 75 lakh. On day one, David Warner and Jonny Bairstow were among the high-profile players to go unsold.Records were broken on day one of the IPL 2025 auction in Jeddah, when PBKS first bought Shreyas Iyer for INR 26.75 crore and then LSG bought Rishabh Pant for INR 27 crore, making them the most expensive players in the history of the league.

If I want to be at that level, I have to be as good as Bumrah – Unadkat

Saurashtra captain talks about his evolving journey and how making an Indian comeback remains his priority

Interview by Saurabh Somani11-Jan-2020Your thoughts on the IPL auction – you’re back with your old team. At a reduced price but in a familiar setting?I think this is the first time I’m answering a question about the auctions. I consciously didn’t want to speak about it because I felt this has to be taken as lightly as it can be. I haven’t thought about it as much as I did previously. All I know is I’m going to play in the same team, and I’m happy I’m going to play in the same set-up where I know the people, the management, the captain. But auctions, pressure and the things that people talk about – I’m just over all that.Does it give you confidence that even though Rajasthan Royals released you, they had enough faith to want you back?That has been a trend with me for whatever team I’ve played in. People have been looking to get me back. All I can make out from that is that I must be doing something good for the team and with my performance. All I want is to be better at it, maybe not give them a chance to put me back in the auction again and prove that I’m worth more than what people think I am. But having said that, I am in a happy space about my cricket. If you would have asked me this question two years back, I would have talked a lot about it, but at the moment, it doesn’t affect me at all, even if I talk about it.

“Earlier, it used to play on my mind that I need to get X number of wickets in a season to make my name, but those things don’t really play on my mind anymore. I’m above that now. It’s just about bowling at my best, bowling hostile spells where you can feel the batsmen don’t like playing you”

This is a T20 World Cup year. Are you aiming at something specific, like being in that tournament?If I take it that way, it’s not going to help me. The competition is such that whoever is getting chances, people are doing well. So I just need to focus on my skills. Of course, whatever efforts I’m putting in, it’s all about getting my place back in the Indian team, but it’s not all about the World Cup. It’s a personal goal that I’ve set, and it’s a process that will go on till I prove that I’m worth getting my place back in the team.Everyone knows what one tournament can do for a player, especially for someone who is on the verge of being in and out of the team. So be it IPL or this Ranji Trophy, everything is crucial.You had told me recently that you are at peace with your game, even though you aren’t making the India A squads?Yes, you can say that. Although recently, it did disappoint me a bit, that after starting the season on a great note, I was a bit hopeful of being given a chance in the India A tour that’s coming up. So it’s not that I’m not at all bothered about that, these things do come in the mind, thoughts like: ‘when is the next selection happening, and when am I going to get my chance?’ Especially when I’m doing well. But like you said, I am in a state of peace in the sense that it does not affect my mindset at all when I play a game. Being the captain actually helps because I’m thinking about the team, strategies and all that and it’s not just about me. That’s helped me a lot to be in a good space.You got the captaincy mid-season last year and ended up having your most successful season as a bowler.I think captaincy added a whole new dimension to my game and to myself as a player. I am someone who loves taking on leadership roles. I’ve loved it since I was quite young. I am fortunate that I’m playing for a team like Saurashtra. It’s not a team with lots of ‘big’ players, it’s a well-knit unit, and it’s always good to captain a side like that.I’m excited for the guys in my team. The way we played last year was something I cherish, and would love to repeat. I don’t really care if anyone else noticed it or not, but the way we were enjoying ourselves, coming back from behind to win [in the quarter-final against Uttar Pradesh and the semi-final against Karnataka], I think there’s no better feeling. I can do this throughout my career if given the chance.You said Saurashtra is a team without ‘big’ players, but you have two pretty big ones in Cheteshwar Pujara and Ravindra Jadeja.Yes, of course. But then they are not always available. Cheteshwar was there for the knockouts last year and he was a big help. We’ve been best friends since 8-9 years now and he’s the guy with whom I talk cricket the most. It was really good to have him around in the first year [of my captaincy]. When I wanted any help from someone in the middle, he was there. And as a batsman, you can’t ask for anything better than Cheteshwar. And Ravindra as well, whenever he has played for Saurashtra, he has won matches single-handedly. He’s obviously one of a kind, cannot be matched.But now we have a team that is doing well even when they are not available, which wasn’t the case before. We wanted to do that as a team, and we’ve been able to do that last season.

“We had a deal that if he [Pujara] gets a century in any of the innings there [in Australia], I would give him a gift worth INR 5000. And if I would take a fifer here [in the Ranji Trophy that was going on], he would give me a gift worth INR 5000. So we had a friendly battle to see who would come on top and get more gifts. He got three centuries in that tour, but after the 193 in Sydney he told me that was actually deserving of a 200 so I should give him 10,000 for that!”

You’ve been great friends with Pujara. You and he must have had some interesting conversations when he was in Australia, putting in a Man-of-the-Series performance, and you were leading Saurashtra in the Ranji Trophy?We had a deal that if he gets a century in any of the innings there, I would give him a gift worth INR 5000. And if I would take a fifer here [in the Ranji Trophy that was going on in India at the time], he would give me a gift worth INR 5000. So we had a friendly battle to see who would come on top and get more gifts. He got three centuries in that tour, but after the 193 in Sydney he told me that was actually deserving of a 200 so I should give him 10,000 for that!I had a good season as well, I had four fifers here. So he gave me a gift and I gave him one. So it was quite memorable.Since you said you enjoy captaincy, do you think there was a case for you to get it sooner, and not just when Jaydev Shah retired? [Jaydev Shah retired midway through the 2018-19 season after having captained Saurashtra in 111 games, a Ranji Trophy record]I think this is the right time, because I have matured as a player. Maybe if it had come to me a couple of years earlier, I would still be fighting my own way about how I want to be as a player. I was still figuring out what my strengths and weaknesses are. But now I’m at a stage where I’m really clear about those things. So now I can really focus on the captaincy as well because it’s something that demands a lot of attention. If you want to be the captain of a , if you want everyone in the team to do well, there are a lot of things you can do as a captain. Keep everyone together, keep the atmosphere good. At the same time, guys who are not playing, keep them on their toes and aware about where they stand. If you want to do all that, you have to be clear in your mind as a player, so I think it’s come to me at the right time.What went right last season for Saurashtra, and for you?Before the fourth-innings chase in the quarter-final, I spoke and Cheteshwar spoke about how important it is for a side like Saurashtra, who don’t really have the kind of players that Mumbai or Karnataka have had, that we qualify for the knockouts every year without the help of guys like Cheteshwar and Ravindra. So it was an opportunity that we thought we could not miss, and everyone believed in themselves more. That was one thing I really loved about our team last season: we started believing we can beat any team, and win from any position.As for my bowling, my strength has been to use the angles and swing it both ways. A couple of wickets were helpful, but apart from that, not many were. I got a couple of fifers in Rajkot on flat wickets where I really bowled my heart out. The only plan there was to reverse the ball. If you’re playing in Rajkot, it’s bound to reverse, and if you have the skills it can reverse in 15-20 overs.You spoke about the hurt of missing out on India A selections. Is it tough to find motivation to play domestic cricket, having tasted international cricket?I don’t agree with that. I would say it’s actually easier if you have played at the highest level because you’ll always know that you have it inside you to once again perform and reach there. If you haven’t been selected even once, you might still have doubts about whether you are good enough to play at that level or not. The aspiration [to play for India] is always there, but for me, every season has been really exciting at the start. Earlier, it used to play on my mind that I need to get X number of wickets in a season to make my name, but those things don’t really play on my mind anymore. I’m above that now. It’s just about bowling at my best, bowling hostile spells where you can feel the batsmen don’t like playing you.ESPNcricinfo LtdYou last played for India A in 2013 with the red ball. The stats say you’ve been arguably one of the top two or three pacers in domestic cricket from then to now, but you’ve still not got an opportunity after that.I feel whoever has got a chance in my place in the past has been doing well, or probably deserved to get a call-up at some point – like I did when I was doing well. I still feel that I have it inside me to come back in the team and be successful as well. I don’t just want to get a spot, I want to do well at the international level. I’ve reached there in all three formats, so it’s not about being picked anymore. Now it’s about being picked and being relied upon as one of the premier fast bowlers in the country. The standards are high. The way the current crop of fast bowlers is doing is something I try to imitate. When I saw [Jasprit] Bumrah bowling in the West Indies, it inspired me to be as hostile as him. If I want to be at that level, I have to be as good as him. You have to be above everyone else if you want to be successful at that level.Does the thought of increasing your pace ever come?Not really. I’m obviously not as quick as some of the other guys, but it’s different skill sets. To be honest and realistic, I cannot aim to bowl at 145kph. That hasn’t been my strength since the start of my career, so I don’t really want to focus on just increasing my pace. Yes, if the fitness levels increase, pace is bound to increase by a few kilometres, which I can feel has happened with me in the last two-three years. I’ve started to train specific to my bowling style. It’s about what I need technically in my bowling to be good. Say I have my back foot collapsing, I would work on my calf strength, or of the muscles needed while jumping in the delivery stride. Steffan Jones, who was our fast bowling coach at Rajasthan Royals, has been helping me a lot. I went to train at his academy in the UK for ten days specifically to tailor my training, and I found that it is helping me.Speaking of Rajasthan Royals, you have had to deal with a fair amount of trolls on social media, because you’ve been in the spotlight for the prices you’ve fetched in past auctions?At some point, I do feel that people become so harsh they don’t realise we are humans as well. But having said that, you can’t really go to every individual and see what their mindset is. They [trolls] do it for fun, or just to get attention. People have told me to not bother about that and that social media is something I shouldn’t really look at.Does it happen in real life ever?I haven’t had anyone coming up to me and telling me anything on my face. I think those people only mention you on social media. Face to face, they won’t speak anything. That itself shows that those things don’t really matter as much as you think they do at times.We play this beautiful game for fans, for people to follow it and love it. But in our country, it happens that a minority do it out of hatred or jealousy. Critics can help you at times, tell you things that you don’t see in your game. But people who just abuse you all the time don’t really matter. When it started, it was difficult because I wasn’t used to it. But I’m pretty much immune to all that now. You have to develop a thick skin if you are playing cricket in India.

Scorchers bank on Richardson, Allen and Connolly to finish 2024 on high

Strikers recovered from 58 for 8 courtesy a Doggett-Boyce record BBL partnership but the total of 142 was chased down with 33 balls remaining

AAP31-Dec-2024Perth Scorchers finished 2024 in second position on the BBL ladder after cruising to a seven-wicket win over the Adelaide Strikers on New Year’s Eve.A record-breaking ninth-wicket stand between tailenders Brendan Doggett (47*) and Cameron Boyce (29*) spared Strikers total humiliation in front of a bumper crowd of 41,624 at Adelaide Oval, lifting them to 142 for 8.But it wasn’t enough to stop resurgent Finn Allen (50 off 23 balls), golden-bat leader Cooper Connolly (48* off 35 balls) and captain Ashton Turner (35* off 18 balls) from piloting the Scorchers to victory with 33 deliveries to spare.The Scorchers reply, though, wasn’t without drama. Matt Hurst was dropped twice before being pouched for 3, and Scorchers should have been 13 for 3 when Connolly, on 4, edged Doggett to wicketkeeper Ollie Pope but only the bowler offered a muted appeal.Allen, who came into the match with 10 runs from four innings, was grassed on 11 by Alex Ross before earning the ire of fiery Strikers import Jamie Overton.

The pair exchanged words before clashing again when Overton ran Allen out backing up at the non-striker’s end, but didn’t follow through with the appeal, instead animatedly warning the New Zealander for backing up too far.After Doggett castled Allen, Turner came in and finished the job by crunching Boyce for 6, 6, 4.Earlier, Strikers crashed to 58 for 8 before Doggett – whose previous best T20 score was 10 not out – and Boyce became unlikely batting allies.Only D’Arcy Short and Ross – filling in as skipper for injured Matt Short, who suffered a fractured toe against Hobart Hurricanes last Friday – reached double figures for Strikers before Doggett and Boyce’s resurrection job.”Credit to them, they bowled well in the first 6 to 10 overs,” Strikers opener Short said. “It was nice for the boys to put on a bit of score for us to try to defend, but in the end it wasn’t enough.”Pope and Chris Lynn went cheaply before Jake Weatherald fell to a stunning one-handed catch by Andrew Tye, launching himself skyward at mid-off.Jhye Richardson, recalled to the Australian squad for the recently completed Boxing Day Test against India, bolstered his hopes for selection in the upcoming Sydney match.The paceman had Overton prodding a leading edge to Ashton Agar at backward point, then cleaned up Liam Scott with a superb yorker next ball.”It [win] was nice,” Richardson said. “We would have liked to have kept them to an even lower score. Coming into today, we know this is a high-scoring venue and [conceding] 140-odd, we would have taken every day.”Strikers, who lost 6 for 18 in 30 balls, were rescued by Doggett and Boyce who combined for an unbroken 84-run srand, the best-ever for the penultimate wicket.Pace trio Richardson, Jason Behrendorff and Lance Morris were the chief destroyers with the ball for the visitors, whose only concern came when Agar left the field with back spasms, although Scorchers don’t believe he will miss any games.”I would expect him to be back next game,” Richardson said. “It was a bit of an unfortunate spasm at the wrong time. I think he’ll be fine.”

Wrexham can sign big O'Connor upgrade in swoop for "outstanding" EFL star

Wrexham are currently preparing for a season in the Championship after they finished second in League One to earn promotion up to the second tier.

The Red Dragons are yet to make their first signing since the end of last season, but there will be plenty of work going on behind the scenes to identify targets to improve the team.

Phil Parkinson will have to judge which of his players are ready to make the step up to the Championship after a season in League One, which means that some difficult decisions could have to be made.

Why Thomas O'Connor may be replaced

One player who could be replaced as a regular starter is left-sided central defender Thomas O’Connor, who has been at the club since they were in the National League.

The former Southampton academy graduate has never played above League One level in his career to date, and was a regular starter – starting 25 of his 31 appearances in the 2024/25 campaign – for Wrexham this season.

O’Connor was, however, an unused substitute in five of the last seven matches and it remains to be seen whether or not he will be able to handle the step up to the Championship, a level that he has never played at before.

Transfer Focus

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

The BBC reported earlier this month that Wrexham, Norwich, Birmingham, and Sheffield United are among the teams interested in a deal to sign Harry Darling on a free transfer from Swansea City.

His contract with the Welsh side is due to expire at the end of this month, and the Red Dragons are one of the sides looking to snap him up for nothing.

Why Darling would be an upgrade on O'Connor

Parkinson must push to convince Darling to make a move across Wales rather than joining Birmingham, Norwich, or Sheffield United, as he would improve the club’s options at the back.

Despite being right-footed, the 25-year-old Englishman often plays on the left-side of a centre-back pairing and this means that he could take O’Connor’s place as the left-sided centre-back in a back three at Wrexham.

Unlike the current Red Dragons defender, Darling is an experienced Championship defender who has made 108 appearances at that level, which means that he would arrive at the Racecourse as a proven second tier star.

He would be a relatively risk-free signing as someone who has been there and done it and could immediately improve Wrexham’s team, particularly when you take his performances this season into account.

Appearances

31

39

Goals

0

5

Clearances per game

2.9

5.0

Dribbled past per game

0.5x

0.3x

Ground duel success rate

53%

66%

Aerial duel success rate

57%

64%

As you can see in the table above, Darling’s defensive work in the Championship, in terms of his success rate in duels and how often he was beaten by opposition attackers, was more impressive than O’Connor’s was at a lower level.

This suggests that the Swansea star, who was hailed as “outstanding” by former boss Luke Williams, is a big upgrade on the current Wrexham left centre-back, particularly from a defensive perspective.

Darling also, as shown in the table, scored five goals from centre-back, compared to O’Connor’s barren return in League One, and this suggests that he would offer a much greater goal threat in the 2025/26 campaign.

The English titan, who ranked in the top 31% of centre-backs in the league for progressive passes per 90 (3.70), is a ball-playing defender who has shown that he can mix technical quality and class on the ball with strength and reliable out of possession at Championship level.

Big Rathbone upgrade: Wrexham still in race to sign "outstanding" PL star

Wrexham could be about to land a big upgrade on Oliver Rathbone by signing this Championship-experienced ace.

ByKelan Sarson Jun 12, 2025

Therefore, he would be the perfect signing, as a proven second tier star, to come in as a big upgrade on their left-sided centre-back position this summer.

Personal terms agreed: Rangers now in talks to sell "brilliant" £20m ace

Glasgow Rangers are now in talks with a European club over the sale of a “brilliant” key player, who has already agreed personal terms to go, according to a recent report.

Martin wants more defensive reinforcements at Rangers

The Gers are closing in on their return to pre-season action, as it is less than four weeks away until they return to competitive action in the Champions League second qualifying round. Before that, Russell Martin will hope to have as much transfer business wrapped up as possible, as he will want to make a strong start as the new Rangers boss.

The Scottish giants announced the signing of Max Aarons on a season-long loan deal from AFC Bournemouth on Wednesday. The defender is “delighted” to be joining Rangers, as he describes the Gers as a “huge club”.

max-aarons-transfer-gossip-leeds-united-djed-spence-tottenham-hotspur-farke

Aarons told the club’s media team: “I am delighted to be here; as you can see, it’s a huge club, and you realise that when you walk through the doors. I can’t wait to get going.

“I’ve got a lot of experience now in different leagues, and I have played a lot of games. I think I can bring that experience; I can bring a new energy, and I think Rangers fans can be excited – I am really looking forward to it.”

Rangers bid made: 49ers table offer to bring "spectacular" 22 y/o to Ibrox

The Gers want a permanent transfer.

ByCharlie Smith Jun 26, 2025

Aarons may not be the only defender to arrive at Ibrox this summer, as the Gers are in talks to sign Conor Coady from Leicester City. Meanwhile, Rangers are also looking into the possibility of a deal to sign Owen Beck from Liverpool, with the new boss making it clear he wants to improve his defensive ranks.

Rangers now in talks to sell Hamza Igamane

Deals for Coady and Beck may soon become more financially viable too, as according to Sacha Tavolieri, Rangers are in talks to sell Hamza Igamane to French outfit Lille.

Tavolieri states that Lille have made Igamane a top target, as they see him as the person to replace Jonathan David, who is leaving the club on a free transfer.

He adds that the Rangers forward has spoken to the club and has now agreed personal terms, and all that remains is the two clubs, who are in talks, to agree a transfer fee.

Earlier this week it was reported that Rangers were “at risk” of losing Igamane, as teams such as Marseille and Lazio were circling with interest. In fact, it was claimed that Marseille had made an approach to sign the 22-year-old, which had rocked the Scottish club.

Rangers have set a £20 million asking price on Igamane, but it remains unclear if Lille would be willing to pay that much.

Apps

46

Goals

16

Assists

3

The Morocco international was sensational for the Gers last season, as he netted 12 goals in 33 league games, as well as a further four in the Europa League. A standout moment was him netting the winner in the 3-2 win away at Celtic, an impact that Derek Ferguson lauded as “brilliant”.

“Igamane is a real breath of fresh air, the young man. The manager said he was trying to get him up to speed, but in the last few games he has been nothing short of brilliant. He is off the cuff, and he had three or four nutmegs this afternoon – and took his goal brilliantly. I don’t know if you remember Ted McMinn, but Igamane’s got that unpredictability.”

Arsenal: Berta now leading charge to sign "powerful" £21m star; offer ready

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is personally leading the charge to sign a “powerful” player, with an offer now ready to be submitted, according to a report.

Berta taking hands-on role at the Emirates

Having laid the foundations, the Arsenal hierarchy believes now is the time for the team to start winning silverware, and Berta has a big role to play, with the Italian regarded as a master negotiator, capable of being involved in multiple deals at once.

The 53-year-old is taking a hands-on role at the Emirates Stadium, attending training sessions and press conferences, while also putting in work behind-the-scenes to secure agreements for the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Christian Norgaard and Martin Zubimendi.

There have been some disagreements with Mikel Arteta, however, especially when it comes to which striker they should bring in, with Berta keen to sign Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres, while the manager would prefer to sign RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

RB Leipzig's BenjaminSeskocelebrates their second goal scored by Lukas Klostermann

Berta is simultaneously working on moves for both strikers, indicating a decision is yet to be made as to which striker is the preferred option, and the north Londoners are also keen to strengthen at the opposite end of the pitch.

That is according to a report from Super Deporte (via Sport Witness), which states Berta is now leading the charge for Valencia defender Cristhian Mosquera, who has recently been identified as a key target by Arteta.

Saka will love him: Arsenal agree initial fee to sign £60m "monster"

Arsenal could be growing closer to signing a new striker.

ByMatt Dawson Jun 29, 2025

Such is Arsenal’s level of interest, they are now ready to submit an offer in the region of €20m – €25m (£17m – £21m) for Mosquera, with around €3m – €5m (£2.6m – £4.3m) of the higher amount based on bonuses relating to performance.

Berta is said to be key to the deal, with the sporting director retaining a long-term interest in the 21-year-old, having also targeted him during his time with Atlético Madrid.

"Powerful" Mosquera could be ideal centre-back signing

With any new centre-back signing unlikely to immediately take Gabriel or William Saliba’s spot in the starting XI, it would make sense to bring in a younger centre-back, capable of replacing one of the first-choice options on a long-term basis.

The Valencia star is showing very promising signs in La Liga, having now established himself as a key player, missing just one La Liga game last season, while the defender has also received high praise from former youth coach Miguel-Ángel Angulo.

Angulo said: “He’s characterised by a physical condition and good technical qualities, powerful in the air, and mature for his age.”

Having also received plaudits from Statman Dave, Mosquera is clearly an exciting young player, who could provide Arsenal with the depth to compete on all fronts next season, before going on to stake a claim for a regular starting spot.

Quantas finais da Libertadores já foram disputadas no Maracanã? Quem foi campeão?

MatériaMais Notícias

da esport bet: O Maracanã será o palco da decisão da Copa Libertadores da América de 2023, O anúncio foi feito em evento realizado na sede da Conmebol, em Assunção, no Paraguai, no dia 8 de março. Onde também ficou decidido que a final da competição será realizada no dia 4 de novembro de 2023. um sábado. Um dos templos mais famosos do futebol mundial, essa não será a primeira vez que o estádio vai receber a final da Libertadores. Confira abaixo, todos os jogos de finais de Libertadores que o Estádio do Maracanã já recebeu.

da mrbet: +Condição especial para matrícula no curso Gestor de Futebol, aprovado por Dante, Petković, Léo Moura e outros craques. Saiba mais!

FLUMINENSE 3 (1) X (3) 1 LDU
FINAL DA COPA LIBERTADORES DA AMÉRICA DE 2008 (2º JOGO)

A primeira vez que o Maracanã viu uma equipe dar uma volta olímpica numa final de Libertadores aconteceu em 2008. O Fluminense de Conca, Thiago Neves e Thiago Silva venceu a LDU de Quito por 3 a 1 no tempo normal (após derrota por 4 a 2 na partida de ida no Equador). Na decisão por pênaltis, no entanto, o Tricolor das Laranjeiras viu o experiente goleiro Cevallos brilhar e vencer a disputa por 3 a 1, para a tristeza dos mais de 86 mil torcedores presentes no Maracanã.

Data: 2 de julho de 2008.
Público: 86.027 pessoas.
Árbitro: Héctor Baldassi (ARG).
Gols: Bolaños (LDU), aos 6′ do primeiro tempo; Thiago Neves (FLU), aos 12′; aos 28′ do primeiro tempo e aos 11′ do segundo tempo.
Pênaltis: Urrutia, Salas e Guerrón (LDU); Cícero (FLU).

Fluminense: Fernando Henrique; Gabriel (Mauricio), Thiago Silva, Luiz Alberto e Júnior César; Ygor (Dodô), Arouca (Roger), Thiago Neves e Conca; Cícero e Washington. Técnico: Renato Gaúcho.

LDU de Quito: Cevallos; Jairo Campos, Calle, Norberto Araujo e Ambrosi; Vera, Urrutia, Guerrón e Bolaños (Salas); Manso (Willian Araujo) e Bieler. Técnico: Edgardo Bauza.

PALMEIRAS 1 X 0 SANTOS
FINAL DA COPA LIBERTADORES DA AMÉRICA DE 2020 – JOGO ÚNICO

A segunda vez que o ‘Templo do Futebol’ viu uma equipe dar a volta olímpica foi no dia 30 de janeiro de 2021, um sábado. No final do jogo, Breno Lopez, atacante do Palmeiras, sobe contra a marcação de Pará, lateral do Santos, e coloca a bola no ângulo esquerdo do goleiro John, que nada pode fazer, 1 a 0 para o Palestra. O Verdão conquistava ali, sua segunda Copa Libertadores, e Abel Ferreira caminhava a passos largos para o começo de uma era vitoriosa no clube da Barra Funda. Vale lembrar que o Brasil e o mundo passava pela pandemia da COVID-19, o jogo, que de início seria com portões fechados, terminou com um acordo entre a CONMEBOL e os clubes para que fossem convidadas 1.250 pessoas de cada lado, totalizando 2.500.

Data:30 de janeiro de 2021.
Público: 2.500 pessoas (Convidados dos clubes).
Árbitro:Patricio Loustau (ARG).
Gols: Breno Lopes (PAL) aos 53 do 2º tempo.

Palmeiras:Weverton; Marcos Rocha, Luan, Gustavo Gómez e Matías Viña; Danilo, Raphael Veiga (Alan Empereur), Zé Rafael (Patrick de Paula) e Gabriel Menino (Breno Lopes); Rony (Felipe Melo) e Luiz Adriano.Técnico:Abel Ferreira.

Santos:Jonh; Pará (Bruno Marques), Lucas Veríssimo, Luan Peres e Felipe Jonatan (Wellington); Alison, D. Pituca e Sandry (Lucas Braga); Marinho, Kaio Jorge (Madson) e Solteldo.Técnico:Cuca.

RESSALTANDO AS OUTRAS DUAS FINAIS QUE ACONTECERAM NO ‘MARACA’

Ver o Santos de Pelé, Coutinho, Zito e Pepe jogar no Maracanã era bastante comum nos anos 1960. Tanto que a equipe jogou a primeira partida da final da Libertadores de 1963 contra o Boca Juniors no estádio. Com uma grande atuação de Coutinho, o Peixe venceu o Boca por 3 a 2 e garantiu o título oito dias depois, na Bombonera, com uma vitória por 2 a 1 em cima dos xeneizes.

SANTOS 3 X 2 BOCA JUNIORS
FINAL DA COPA LIBERTADORES DE 1963 – (1º JOGO)

Data:3 de setembro de 1963.
Público: 63.376 pessoas.
Árbitro:Marcel Alert Bois (FRA).
Gols: Coutinho (SAN); aos 2′ e aos 21′, Lima (SAN); aos 28′ do primeiro tempo; Sanfilippo (BOC); aos 43′ do primeiro tempo e aos 44′ do segundo tempo.

Santos: Gilmar; Mauro e Geraldino; Dalmão, Zito e Calvet; Dorval, Lima, Coutinho, Pelé e Pepe. Técnico: Lula.

Boca Juniors: Errea; Magdalena, Marzolini (Orlando) e Simeone; Rattín e Silveyra; Grillo, Rojas, Menéndez, Sanfilippo e Alberto González. Técnico: José D’Amico.

FLAMENGO 2 X 1 COBRELOA
FINAL DA COPA LIBERTADORES DE 1981 – (1º JOGO)

O Maracanã voltaria a ser palco de uma decisão de Libertadores em 1981, quando o Flamengo de Zico, Nunes, Júnior e companhia recebeu o Cobreloa no primeiro jogo da decisão. O placar terminou em 2 a 1 para o Fla. No entanto, a equipe chilena venceu o jogo de volta por um a zero no Estádio Nacional de Santiago. O primeiro título da Libertadores do Flamengo viria apenas no dia 20 de novembro com vitória por 2 a 0 com grande atuação de Zico no Estádio Centenário de Montevidéu.

Data: 13 de novembro 1981.
Público: 93.985 pessoas.
Árbitro:Carlos Espósito (ARG).
Gols: Zico (FLA); aos 12′ e aos 30′ do primeiro tempo; Merello (COB); aos 20′ do segundo tempo.

Flamengo: Raúl; Leandro, Figueiredo, Mozer e Júnior; Andrade, Adílio e Zico; Lico (Baroninho), Nunes e Tita. Técnico: Paulo César Carpegiani.

Cobreloa: Wirth; Rojas, Mario Soto, Tablio e Escobar; Jiménez, Alarcón e Merello; Múñoz, Siviero e Puebla. Técnico: Vicente Cantatore.

"Madness" – Journalist fumes at PSR update as Aston Villa £15m from crisis

Aston Villa are in a position where they may need to sell players to meet the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules and there is plenty of contention surrounding their situation from fans, pundits and journalists alike.

Aston Villa's PSR situation and who may leave the club this summer

In short, Aston Villa are one of the Premier League’s most at-risk clubs with PSR heading towards the deadline on June 30th. Per The Athletic’s projection, they can only lose £15 million in 2024/25 to remain within regulatory boundaries.

Unai Emery’s men have recorded a pre-tax loss of £206.2 million in the last two years, which is the highest deficit across the top-flight in that time and leaves the Birmingham-based outfit in danger of punishment.

Aston Villa – Marcus Rashford

Big money sales such as Jhon Duran leaving for Al Nassr and Leon Bailey’s anticipated move to Saudi Arabian outfit Neom SC have left hope that the Villans can evade any form of penalty.

However, they are teetering on the brink and their failure to qualify for Champions League football ended up being a massive setback, especially when Marcus Rashford and Marco Asensio’s expensive loan deals formed part of their bid to secure a place despite already treading water in their efforts to balance the books.

There have been suggestions that Aston Villa could sell stakes in their women’s team to make ends meet, an option that remains active following a failed bill to cancel that practice after Chelsea flipped £90 million in losses to a £128 million profit in 2024.

Aston Villa now seriously interested in signing "aggressive" 13-goal rival

He could be on the move.

By
Tom Cunningham

Jun 5, 2025

Losing a maximum of £105 million over three rolling years is the limit for Premier League clubs in order to comply. Still, not everyone is happy at the rules that their clubs have to abide by to evade sanctions.

Journalist fumes at Aston Villa PSR latest

Taking to social media platform X, iNews correspondent Mark Douglas vented his frustration at Aston Villa’s need to sell and made the point that Newcastle United have suffered a similar fate in their efforts to progress as a club.

Admittedly, PSR has become a controversial topic among football fans for a number of reasons, with some feeling that the traditional ‘Big Six’ clubs are protected more than others due to the ease in making ‘pure profit’ sales or by filing via subsidiaries of their PLC’s entity.

Regulation is critical to promote fairness, though there are clear elements in the current system that leave a lot to be desired. Aston Villa find themselves in a frustrating situation and will need to meticulously ensure they don’t fall foul of the authorities.

Others will argue their wage to revenue ratio is a problem, brought on by decisions such as paying £227,500 of Marcus Rashford’s salary weekly during his stay. Either way, the rise of PSR over the last few years has become a contentious issue and continues to limit the progression of those attempting to challenge the traditional order.

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