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Manchester United have now been told that a £50m offer for an “all action” midfielder will be accepted in the January transfer window.

Man Utd determined to sign central midfielder amid Casemiro update

Casemiro has emerged as one of Ruben Amorim’s key players this season, with the only Premier League game the Brazilian has missed being due to suspension, and Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that talks over a new contract are now underway.

The transfer expert said: “So now the desire is from Man Utd obviously to continue with Casemiro, but on different conditions.

“So the salary he has right now is a salary Manchester United don’t want to pay in the future. Not because of unhappiness with the player, but because they want to change the salary structure.”

Given that the Brazilian rakes in a whopping £350k-a-week, it is no surprise United are keen to reduce his salary, and it would also be savvy to bring in a long-term replacement for the former Real Madrid man, considering he is set to turn 34 in February.

As such, Man United have recently identified Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Joao Gomes as a target, and there has now been a development in their pursuit of the midfielder, having been told that a £50m offer would be accepted in January.

That is according to a report from Football Insider, which reveals Man United are determined to bring in a new central midfielder, having missed out on their key summer targets, and they could launch a move for Gomes when the upcoming transfer window opens.

Wolves are hesitant to sanction a departure, which is why they are demanding £50m, although the 24-year-old would still be far more affordable than Brighton & Hove Albion’s Carlos Baleba and Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton, who would both cost over £100m.

"All action" Gomes could be viable Casemiro heir

Much like his compatriot, the Wolves star excels at winning back possession, having averaged 3.34 tackles per 90 over the past year, which places him in the 96th percentile when compared to other midfielders.

Scout Ben Mattinson has also confirmed he rates the Brazilian highly, describing him as an “all action” midfielder, a “dog of a ball winner” and an “excellent box crasher”, while also praising the central midfielder’s physicality.

The 10-time Brazil international is also now very experienced in the Premier League, having made 104 appearances in the competition for Wolves, during which time he has amassed seven goals and four assists.

Their new Pogba: INEOS "would love" to sign £100m + star for Man Utd

Manchester United appear to be making strides in a deal to land a top-level player for Ruben Amorim’s squad.

ByEthan Lamb Nov 26, 2025

Gomes has proven he deserves a chance to prove himself at a bigger club, and Man United should definitely capitalise on Wolves being bottom of the table by trying to lure him away in the January transfer window.

He added an unbroken 117 for the third wicket with KJ Perera as SL chased 192 down

Madushka Balasuriya07-Sep-2025

Zimbabwe put forward a team effort led by Tadiwanashe Marumani’s fourth T20I fifty to post an imposing 191 for 8. But Sri Lanka’s top four batters made light work of their target by ending the game with 14 balls and eight wickets to spare. With it, Sri Lanka took the series 2-1.Kamil Mishara will be the name on everyone’s lips after the game, though, with his 73 not out off 43 balls the shining light in an outstanding display of batting from the Sri Lankans. Pathum Nissanka (30 from 20 deliveries) and Kusal Mendis (30 off 17) once more delivered a strong start in the powerplay. But while Sri Lanka have long struggled to maintain that momentum, on Sunday, Mishara and the returning Kusal Perera dusted off the 192 chase with ease with an unbeaten stand of 117 from 63 balls.Earlier, Marumani rode his luck to propel Zimbabwe’s efforts, and he was ably assisted by cameos throughout the innings. At one point, Zimbabwe looked poised to breach 200, but Sri Lanka again excelled during the death overs, particularly with Dushmantha Chameera and Matheesha Pathirana, to ensure Zimbabwe had a total that was eventually gettable.Tadiwanashe Marumani scored a steady half-century•Zimbabwe Cricket

SL’s powerplay one-upmanshipAfter Zimbabwe posted their highest total against Sri Lanka – and their third highest total at the Harare Sports Club – Sri Lanka knew what they needed to do to chase it down.Part one played out as expected, with Kusal Mendis and Nissanka once more providing the Sri Lanka with a customary blistering start to the chase. The pair put on an opening stand of 58 off 32 deliveries, as Sri Lanka struck 67 runs in the powerplay for the loss of just one wicket.It was the ideal response to Zimbabwe, who had done similarly well in the powerplay by scoring 58 for 1. That effort had been led by a somewhat chancy knock by Marumani, who played anchor, as both Brian Bennett and Sean Williams provided the aggression.Dushan Hemantha picked up three wickets•Sri Lanka Cricket

Mishara announces himselfPrior to this tour, Mishara had briefly introduced himself to Sri Lanka’s cricket followers in 2022 during matches against India and Australia before swiftly finding himself back in the domestic wilderness. In the years since, he has crafted himself as a batter full of intent and aggression – it was ill-advised in the second T20I, but on Sunday, he showed how useful that skillset can be.Coming into bat late in the powerplay, Mishara soon found himself the senior man in a partnership with Perera, as both Mendis and Nissanka had fallen in quick succession. But with lopsided boundaries on offer, both Mishara and Perera smartly took the singles and twos on offer, without searching for the boundaries – a luxury afforded by the strong powerplay.However, a stunning loft down the ground for six, hitting through the line, signalled to all watching what Mishara was all about. It would be another ten deliveries until he found his next boundary, but scarcely was a dot ball registered under his watch.Mishara’s assurance also seemed to revive Perera, who had been dropped for the second T20I following a lean patch of form, but here he seemed to be finding his feet once more. The pair eventually began finding boundaries as and when needed, with Mishara in particular looking always keen to take on the onus. By the end, Mishara looked assured in a challenging middle-order role, one Sri Lanka will be hoping he can hold on to for a while.Sikandar Raza batted at a high tempo•Zimbabwe Cricket

Chameera, Pathirana dent Zimbabwe’s chargeSikandar Raza said after the game that he was absolutely thrilled with Zimbabwe’s batting effort, and with 191 on the board, you don’t have to wonder why. It was a performance built on a strong powerplay, but more importantly, smart and aggressive cricket throughout.Dushan Hemantha, for example, picked up three wickets – the most in the innings – and they were the prized scalps of Williams, Raza and Marumani. But such was the trajectory of the Zimbabwean innings that it hardly halted their momentum.Each of Zimbabwe’s top seven reached double digits, while five of them struck at a strike rate of 150 or more. It was the quintessential team innings, and one that saw them score 95 runs through the middle overs (7 to 16). Yet, by the end of the game, many watching on may have felt they were perhaps 30 runs short.That is primarily down to Sri Lanka’s excellent effort with the ball at the death, where they conceded just 38 runs and picked up four wickets, a period which culminated in a final over where the returning Pathirana gave away just six runs and accounted for two wickets – one of which was a run-out.

Where once greatness was expected, now only meaningful contributions are required, and Kusal Mendis is playing match-winning innings while also impressing with the gloves

Andrew Fidel Fernando19-Sep-20252:22

Maharoof: Mendis a nightmare for spinners once he gets going

“The prince”, “next great Sri Lankan batter”, “boy wonder” are some descriptions that have been assigned to Kusal Mendis. “Spoilt”, “useless”, “soft”, “touchy” are some others. Although at home he is a polarising cricketer, outside Sri Lanka, he is a pretty inoffensive presence – one of those South Asian wicketkeepers who doesn’t feel especially comfortable sledging in English, so there are no viral clips.And yet, few Sri Lankan cricketers have got into as many arguments with fans at the edge of the boundary as Mendis. When Sri Lanka were on one of their huge losing streaks in the late 2010s or early 2020s, Mendis was one of the guys to blame. Not taking sufficient responsibility was one accusation. Caring too much about social-media likes was another. People would say things like this to his face, and Mendis would respond just as quickly.But he is 30 now, and has, in his own way, carved out a place. He was a specialist batter for Sri Lanka when he started out, but had kept wicket at the age-group levels. Long after it became clear he was not about to be the saviour of Sri Lankan batting, choices were reassessed, expectations were toned down, and goals have been reset.Related

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• Kusal Mendis, Nuwan Thushara knock Afghanistan out

He is now one of the few players that appears across formats for Sri Lanka. What is key to this deal is that he must keep wicket, and do it well. At international level, Mendis has been crushing it.Even just in this Asia Cup, he’s made his presence felt behind the stumps. Against Hong Kong – the opponents that tested Sri Lanka most in the group stage – he stuck pads out to stop extras, scrambled stumpings off bad ricochets, and took a high catch. The entire vibe of this team is that now, you find ways to make yourself useful. Nine years after he appeared in international cricket, perhaps Mendis has found his pocket.He is, as Afghanistan found out, brutal on errors of length, a master of varieties of the sweep, and an excellent manipulator in the middle overs. If there is a ball that can possibly be hit square of the wicket, Mendis tends to oblige. He also tends to far prefer spin. By necessity, he has now become a white-ball opener. But he’s always looked most comfortable when playing the sweep as often as possible.”We knew today they’d bowl a lot of spin,” Mendis said after the Afghanistan game. “What me and Kusal Perera talked about was to bat normally until the 12th over. But almost automatically, we were able to make eight or nine runs per over. That made things easier for us.”Even when Charith Asalanka came to bat, we were waiting for those seam-bowling overs, so we can score some runs off that.”If there is a ball that can possibly be hit square of the wicket, Kusal Mendis tends to oblige•Associated PressAlthough Asalanka faced zero seam-bowling deliveries through the course of his stay, Mendis’ theory held true – Afghanistan’s seamers are easier to get away with the older ball than their spinners. It was Kamindu Mendis, in the end, who helped Mendis take Fazalhaq Farooqi down. By that stage, there had been 12 successive overs of spin, through which Mendis’ sweeps, cuts, swivel-pulls and nudges had helped Sri Lanka stay in touch with the required rate.Then a 15-run over off Farooqi sealed the result. Mendis hit the winning runs, deservedly, crashing Mujeeb-Ur-Rahman through midwicket.Where once greatness was expected, now only meaningful contributions to the team are required. Mendis has had to reassess his role several times in his career. But he is now Sri Lanka’s wicketkeeper-batter across formats. And he is playing match-winning innings, while also impressing with the gloves.Sometimes all it takes is finding your niche.

Former Chelsea left-back and Strasbourg star Ben Chilwell has revealed that he is not giving up on his dream to play for England at the 2026 World Cup, despite being sold by the Blues over the summer. Chilwell claimed that he has already received positive responses during talks with national team boss Thomas Tuchel, adding that "it would be a nice feeling to prove some people wrong".

England squad shaping up ahead of 2026 World Cup

England will be heading into next year's World Cup in the United States of America, Canada, and Mexico as one of the favourites, led by Tuchel, whose pedigree at club level is both proven and widely respected. The Three Lions have experienced a tale of 'so near, yet so far' in recent major international tournaments. They lost the Euro 2024 final to Spain as the agonising wait to taste success continued, but Tuchel's troops look strong as things stand. 

Despite boasting ridiculous squad depth, with most positions stacked with talent in abundance, one of the weakest links in the England XI is the left-back spot. In recent times, Tuchel has called up the likes of Djed Spence, Miles Lewis-Skelly, and Tino Livramento, with Manchester City's rising star Nico O'Reilly starting there in the most recent pair of international fixtures.

AdvertisementAFPChilwell eyeing England's 2026 World Cup squad

It's anyone's guess as to who will be England's starting left-back at the marquee event next summer in North America. With no player seemingly nailing down that position as things stand, could there possibly be an opening for former Chelsea defender Chilwell to play himself into contention? The 28-year-old certainly doesn't rule it out. Chilwell last made an appearance for England in March 2024, but has since been an afterthought internationally.

"What a story it would be if I went to the World Cup after I was in the [Chelsea] bomb squad and everyone had counted me out 12 months prior," Chilwell told . "It would just be the biggest middle finger to so many people, which to me is a motivation. Chelsea were honest with me and there's no resentment, but of course I've got an ego, so it would be a nice feeling to prove some people wrong."

The ex-Leicester City man also revealed that he has kept in touch with the national team gaffer and initial talks have gone well. 

"Probably 99 out of 100 people are saying, 'No, he's not going, and it is impossible to go to the World Cup'," he admitted. "We've had conversations since he's got the job at England. I'll try and word it right – it has been said that it's not out of the equation.

"It makes me laugh that people think I'm an old player at 28 – I'm really in my prime. That's why the World Cup is an ambition… there's so much to achieve. First things first, I want to play well here, be healthy, and then the rest – the World Cup – may follow. If I can say I gave everything but don't achieve it then it's not the end of the world. I'll still be enjoying my football, and only be 29."

Chilwell reflects on his Chelsea departure

Last summer, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca made it clear that Chilwell would not be a part of his plans for the 2024-25 season. Barring a second-half substitute cameo against Barrow in the Carabao Cup in September, he did not make a single appearance. His exile under Maresca came to an end towards the end of the winter transfer window, as Crystal Palace signed him on a short-term loan.

In the summer, with the chapter of his Chelsea career well and truly closed, he joined BlueCo's sister club Strasbourg permanently, moving to Ligue 1. However, the 2021 Champions League winner revealed that he doesn't hold any grudges over how he was treated by Maresca.

"I've never had anything against Enzo Maresca. I told everyone how much I respected the fact that he was honest, because at least then I could just go, 'alright, cool, I'm not wanted'," he explained. "Of course I wasn't happy with the decision – I didn't agree with it, but I respected it.

"I definitely feel like I suffered from it. I also completely knew I could have done the role [as an inverted full-back]. I played centre-mid until I was 12 and even with Thomas [Tuchel], when we played in a back three, I was making runs into striker positions, or because Toni Rudiger liked to drive with the ball, I'd go inside. I was able to do it – I just didn't have the opportunity."

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AFPAmbitions with Strasbourg – silverware & UCL dream

Things have been going well for Chilwell at Strasbourg, where he has earned the trust of head coach Liam Rosenior. The Milton Keynes-born full-back shared his ambitions for this season.

"It wasn't my top choice, but then I spoke to the manager. It was only a 10-minute call, and I rang my agent straight away after and said, 'Yes, let's get Strasbourg done,'" Chilwell added. "Liam said I'd be surprised how much I'd enjoy it. He still thought I could improve and said he would ask me to play certain roles I haven't played before, which has already started to happen.

"Then there's the leadership side of it. I've been in changing rooms with serial winners and know how to be in a group that wins stuff. It just seemed like a no-brainer and a pretty perfect fit.

"I'm definitely shocked at the quality. There are a lot of people going straight to the top here, and I include the manager in that. The league is good and the stadiums are full. We've shown we can compete with PSG and the manager has big ambitions to win stuff this season and qualify for the Champions League."

The 20-year-old allrounder from a small town close to Lucknow has already made a splash in IPL 2025

Shashank Kishore and Daya Sagar04-Apr-2025Vipraj Nigam, 20, is pleasantly surprised at how much recognition he has received over the past two weeks at IPL 2025.An allrounder signed by Delhi Capitals (DC) primarily for his legspin bowling, Nigam helped his team turn the tables on Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on his IPL debut when he smashed a 15-ball 39 after going out at 113 for 6 in a tall chase of 210. DC won, with Ashutosh Sharma overshadowing Nigam with an unbeaten 66 in 31 balls.”I was nervous, but also excited,” Nigam tells ESPNcricinfo. “The feeling of earning the respect of your team-mates and coaches is something I can’t express in words. It’s been amazing to come and play with the same people I’ve watched on TV.”Related

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Nigam’s batting chops were never in doubt – he broke through into the Uttar Pradesh Under-19s as a batter first, and then legspin took over. When he picked up “13 or 14 wickets in two crucial matches”, an opportunity to be part of a junior camp at the National Cricket Academy [now Centre of Excellence, in Bengaluru] opened up soon after domestic cricket resumed after Covid, sometime in 2022. It was there that he realised the need to develop his all-round abilities.”They [the coaches] told me legspinning allrounders are rare,” he says. “After that, I started working on my bowling seriously.”What he thought was a small step turned into a giant leap when he earned further recognition at the UP T20 League in 2024, where he was the second-highest wicket-taker. Blessed with a quick-arm action modelled on his hero Yasir Shah, the former Pakistan legspinner, Nigam found his way past batters with his fizz. Those performances earned him trials with DC, Mumbai Indians (MI) and Punjab Kings (PBKS).”A few other teams had invited me, but the Ranji Trophy was on, and I wanted to prioritise that,” he says. “But I did well at the trials wherever I went – they gave me good feedback. But there were no guarantees.”At the auction last year, Nigam was signed for INR 50 lakh, “big money” for the son of a primary schoolteacher from Barabanki, a small town near Lucknow. “My father never stopped me from playing cricket,” he says. “My mother would initially tell me it was important to study, but after a point even she started encouraging me. Sports wasn’t a thing at home.”

“I didn’t move to Lucknow initially, I’d do up and down by bus. There was this excitement of going every day to play, as a youngster you don’t think ‘oh, I have to travel this far’. It’s all you want to do. Now the journey has gotten more comfortable since I’ve bought a car”Vipraj Nigam

Sports wasn’t big in his hometown either. Those who aspired to play cricket had to move to Lucknow. Nigam, however, was fortunate to be under the mentorship of Sarwar Nawab, who had just started the lone cricket academy in Barabanki.As Nigam began to develop physically, Nawab worked on his power hitting, while state senior Zeeshan Ansari, who has also broken into the IPL this year, worked on Nigam’s legspin.Ansari played for India at the Under-19 World Cup in 2016 alongside Rishabh Pant and Ishan Kishan, but lost his way for a few years, failing to break into the UP senior team. During this period, Ansari kept his cricket dream burning by practicing and playing A-division cricket in Lucknow, while being a big brother for young Nigam.Nawab and Ansari helped enhance Nigam’s skills, but the proof of the pudding was in being able to play and perform in competitive games. Nawab happened to know Khaleeq Khan, who ran the UP Timber Cricket Club in the A division of the city’s club circuit. Khaleeq offered Nigam an opportunity to play for the club and he has been a regular since.”I didn’t move to Lucknow initially, I’d do up and down by bus,” Nigam says. “There was this excitement of going every day to play, as a youngster you don’t think ‘oh, I have to travel this far’. It’s all you want to do. Now the journey has gotten more comfortable since I’ve bought a car. Earlier, I used to walk, then take a bus, train there for five-six hours and come back. It used to be tiring.””I learnt a lot from several of my seniors,” Vipraj Nigam says of his UP team-mates•Delhi CapitalsAt the club, Nigam enhanced his skills by playing with the cream of UP’s next in line. “I learnt a lot from several of my seniors there,” he says. “Akshdeep Nath, Upendra Yadav, Mohammad Saif – all of them had Ranji Trophy experience. Playing and training with experienced players helped me tremendously.”Nigam also got to play with many of them when he earned a senior state debut in the 2024-25 season. UP made the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy quarter-finals after Nigam made an impression with the bat, an unbeaten 27 off eight balls against Andhra, a prelude of sorts to his IPL fireworks.”I feel very blessed to have had the journey I’ve had,” he says. “I’m learning from the best. KL Rahul is in my team. I’ve been speaking to him every day. Kevin Pietersen [the team mentor], Axar [Patel] , Kuldeep [Yadav] – they’re all amazing players. The IPL is such a platform where you see and learn from the best. I’d like to have a chance to speak to MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav.”For now, bowling and picking up wickets and being able to “make an impact” for DC and wherever he plays is enough for Nigam.

Green had absorbing battles with Renshaw and Labuschagne, who shared a 103-run stand for the second wicket

Tristan Lavalette11-Nov-2025
Australia’s first Test line-up appears to be taking shape after Cameron Green produced two sharp four-over spells while Marnus Labuschagne made a half-century batting at No.3 in a hard-fought opening day between Western Australia and Queensland at the WACA.However, the Ashes squad members were overshadowed by Matt Renshaw who did not make the cut with Australia’s hierarchy opting for uncapped opener Jake Weatherald.After Queensland were sent in, Renshaw made 101 off 198 balls and shared a second-wicket partnership of 103 with Labuschagne before WA fought back through quick Cameron Gannon late in the day.”Obviously there’s a bit of disappointment straight away but then you realise that it’s not the end of the world,” Renshaw said of being overlooked for the first Test squad. “It’s a lot different to the way that I handled it eight-nine years ago. I just wanted to enjoy myself today and have intent.”