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Manchester City are now frontrunners in the race to sign a “world-class” £80m star, who Pep Guardiola has called “extraordinary”.

Man City eyeing new forward after Bayer Leverkusen defeat

Guardiola rung the changes on Tuesday evening, making 10 alterations to the side that lost 2-1 at Newcastle United at the weekend, and Bayer Leverkusen made them pay, emerging as 2-0 winners at the Etihad Stadium.

City did manage to create some chances, with Nathan Ake, Savinho and second-half substitute Erling Haaland all squandering big opportunities, but they weren’t clinical enough on the night, and the German side emerged as surprise winners.

Pep would’ve been hoping that his attackers would step up in the absence of Haaland, with Omar Marmoush being given the nod ahead of the Norwegian at centre-forward, but it was a subpar performance from the Egyptian, who received a 6.2 SofaScore match rating, the lowest of any player.

The defeat arguably underlined the need for the Blues to bring in another forward to support Haaland in the January transfer window, and there has now been a positive update on their interest in Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr.

According to a report from Football Insider, Man City are now frontrunners in the race to sign Vinicius, alongside Premier League rivals Chelsea, with the forward’s future at the Santiago Bernabeu in doubt, following a fallout with manager Xabi Alonso.

Talks over a contract extension have stalled, meaning the Brazilian could be set to depart the Spanish club, and City would have the financial muscle to get a deal over the line, with his current employers looking to receive £80m.

Should Madrid decide to cash-in this summer, with the 25-year-old’s current deal set to expire in 2027, a number of Saudi Pro League clubs would also join the Blues in the race, so there could be stiff competition for his signature.

"World-class" Vinicius could elevate Man City's forward line

With the likes of Savinho, Marmoush and Oscar Bobb failing to deliver against Leverkusen, Pep may be keen to bring in a forward who is already proven at the top level, and he is known to be a keen admirer of the Real Madrid star.

The City boss lauded the Brazil international as “extraordinary” last year, while he has also received high praise from Jurgen Klopp, who described the winger as “world-class” and a Real Madrid “legend”.

The former Flamengo man has been one of Madrid’s most important players for several years now, and he remained potent in front of goal right across the 2024-25 campaign, weighing in with 41 goal contributions in all competitions.

Same agent as Stones: Man City ready to snap up £80m Champions League "superstar"

There has been a new update on the Blues’ pursuit of a new defender.

ByDominic Lund Nov 27, 2025

As such, should Vinicius Jr become available, Man City should undoubtedly make a move, and £80m would be reasonable fee for a forward who is still young, and regarded as one of the best wingers in the world.

Brian Bennett and JJ Smit were the heroes for Zimbabwe and Namibia, respectively, in Harare

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Oct-2025Zimbabwe joined Namibia in the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup after they eased past Kenya in the second semi-final of the ICC’s Africa qualifiers in Harare. South Africa are the third African team in the World Cup, having qualified directly. Earlier in the day, Namibia had qualified after beating Tanzania in their semi-final contest without much fuss at the same venue.After the bowlers restricted Kenya to 122 for 6, Zimbabwe aced the chase in 15 overs with seven wickets to spare. Openers Brian Bennett and Tadiwanashe Marumani smashed 70 together in the first six overs – only three times have Zimbabwe hit more runs in the powerplay in T20Is where ESPNcricinfo has data. Vraj Patel ended the partnership in the next over when he removed Bennett for 51 off 25 balls. Bennett’s innings featured eight fours and a six, including a sequence of 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4 in the fourth over, bowled by Lucas Oluoch. He is currently the highest scorer in the tournament, with 299 runs in four innings at an average of 74.75 and a strike rate of 184.56.Vraj also got rid of Marumani for 39 off 27 balls in the 11th over, but by then Zimbabwe had reached 100. Captain Sikandar Raza fell for 10 off 18 balls, but Ryan Burl and Tony Munyonga got the job done for Zimbabwe without any further setbacks. Brendan Taylor, who had cracked 123 off 54 balls against Botswana in Zimbabwe’s 170-run win last week, was not needed with the bat.Zimbabwe’s bowlers had set up the win, with Blessing Muzarabani leading the line with figures of 4-0-19-2. Rakep Patel was the only Kenya batter to cross 20. He scored 65 off 47 balls before falling to Richard Ngarava, who finished with 1 for 31.File photo – JJ Smit was the best batter and best bowler on show for Namibia•AFP/Getty Images
As for Namibia, this will be their fourth appearance at the men’s T20 World Cup. They had also taken part in the editions in 2021 (Super 12s), 2022 (group stage) and 2024 (group stage).On Thursday, Namibia were asked to bat by Tanzania captain Kassim Nassoro, and put up a strong 174 for 6, familiar hands Gerhard Erasmus, the captain, and JJ Smit hitting fifties to help their cause.It hadn’t started so well for Namibia, with four wickets – Jan Frylinck, Malan Kruger, Louren Steenkamp and Jan Nicol Loftie-Eaton – falling within the powerplay. But Erasmus and Smit got together at that point and scored quickly to snatch the momentum away from Tanzania. Erasmus scored 55 in 41 balls with six fours, while Smit hit 61 not out in 43 balls with one four and four sixes.That gave Namibia the runs they needed, and Smit was back in action, this time with the ball, to hurt the Tanzania top order. He picked up the first two wickets to fall, those of Arun Yadav and Dhrumit Mehta, off consecutive balls in the sixth over, and later removed Mukesh Suthar to finish with 3 for 16. Ben Shikongo was the other main wicket-taker for Namibia, returning 3 for 21.There were pockets of resistance from Tanzania, but nothing effective enough to change the course of the match as they finished 63 runs short despite batting out their overs.

Liverpool saw their mini-revival come to an end as they lost 3-0 against Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday. The Reds were unable to build on their victories over Aston Villa and Real Madrid in a sluggish performance which saw Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku put them to the sword during Pep Guardiola’s 1,000th-game as a manager.

In a lacklustre start to the 199th meeting between the two sides, Liverpool conceded an early penalty when goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili brought down the electric Doku inside the area. However, Georgia’s No. 1 was able to make amends, diving to his left to deny Haaland. City didn’t have to wait long to get another chance, though – Norway international Haaland leaping above Ibrahima Konate to head home from Matheus Nunes’ cross after 29 minutes.

Still struggling to get a foothold, Liverpool thought they delivered a sucker punch when Virgil van Dijk met Mohamed Salah’s corner with a superb header. However, the goal was ruled out as Andy Robertson was adjudged to have been interfering with play from an offside position. And to compound the visitors’ misery, City soon doubled their lead when Gonzalez’s strike deflected in off Van Dijk.

Much better in the early stages of the second half, substitute Cody Gakpo passed up a great chance to pull a goal back for Liverpool, firing wide from Conor Bradley’s low cross. And the champions were then made to pay when Doku capped off a scintillating performance by curling home City’s third.

As the match wore on, Salah almost scored a late consolation but he stabbed his effort just past the post as City secured a huge three points which sees them – and not Liverpool – confirm themselves as Arsenal’s closest challengers for this season’s Premier League title.

GOAL rates Liverpool's players from the Etihad Stadium…

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Giorgi Mamardashvili (6/10):

  Gave the penalty away by clipping Doku with his left knee, but the shot-stopper made amends by saving Haaland's resulting spot-kick.

  Conor Bradley (6/10):

  The youngster found it difficult to contain Doku, though he admirably stuck to the task. Going forward, he whipped in a number of teasing crosses, which his team-mates were unable to do more with.

  Ibrahima Konate (4/10):

  Getting involved in Bradley's battle with Doku when he didn't need to, with the Belgium ace subsequently squirming free inside the penalty area, the defender was mostly responsible for the spot-kick which Mamardashvili then saved. The France international was beaten in the air moments later as Haaland headed City in front.

  Virgil van Dijk (5/10):

  The Dutchman thought he had equalised with a brilliant header, but the goal was disallowed by the officials. And then to make matters worse, Gonzalez's low drive deflected off him and past Mamardashvili for City's second.

  Andy Robertson (5/10):

  While he failed to close down Nunes, whose cross brought about Haaland's header, the left-back appeared to be under instruction to stay narrow and not engage with the City man. He was then deemed to be interfering with play in the build up to Van Dijk's header, with the goal later being chalked off.

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• AFP
  

  Midfield

  Ryan Gravenberch (5/10):

  Was often second-best in his ground duels, winning just 22 per cent (2/9) of his attempted challenges.

  Alexis Mac Allister (5/10):

  Emerging successful from just two of his five ground duels (40%), he struggled to get near City's midfielders, receiving a yellow card for a foul on Doku.

  Dominik Szoboszlai (5/10):

  As Liverpool struggled to make inroads in the encounter, the Hungary international had few moments to do what he does best – marauding forward to launch attacks.

• Getty Images Sport
  

  Attack

  Mohamed Salah (7/10):

  While he received little service, the forward was a threat whenever he did have the ball, curling in a great corner which led to Van Dijk's disallowed goal. The Egypt international went close to scoring late on, stabbing an effort just wide of the post.

  Hugo Ekitike (5/10):

  The striker was left to plough a lonely furrow as Liverpool struggled to muster up enough opportunities. He was then withdrawn early in the second half.

  Florian Wirtz (5/10):

  Operating from the left-hand side, the German allowed Liverpool to catch their breath on one or two occasions, floating infield on the counter-attack.

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• Getty Images Sport
  

  Subs & Manager

  Cody Gakpo (5/10):

  Introduced early in the second half, he should have converted one of Bradley's dangerous crosses but the forward completely missed the target.

  Milos Kerkez (5/10):

  A second-half substitute, the full-back found it difficult to make an impact.

  Curtis Jones (6/10):

  Replacing Mac Allister in the second half, the midfielder was neat and tidy as Liverpool pushed for a consolation.

  Joe Gomez (N/A):

  Brought on too late to effect the game.

  Federico Chiesa (N/A):

  Another late substitute, he was unable to register another strong cameo.

  Arne Slot (5/10):

  The manager could only watch on as his side struggled in an opening 45 minutes which ultimately decided the game. While Liverpool were slightly better in the second half, particularly in the first 10 minutes or so, they were comfortably second best throughout.

Sanju Samson: Traded to Chennai Super Kings from Rajasthan Royals in exchange of Ravindra Jadeja and Sam CurranShardul Thakur: Traded to Mumbai Indians from Lucknow Super Giants for INR 2 croreSherfane Rutherford: Traded to Mumbai Indians from Gujarat Titans for INR 2.6 croreArjun Tendulkar: Traded to Lucknow Super Giants from Mumbai Indians for INR 30 lakhMohammed Shami: Traded to Lucknow Super Giants from Sunrisers Hyderabad for INR 10 croreMayank Markande: Traded to Mumbai Indians from Kolkata Knight Riders for INR 30 lakhNitish Rana: Traded to Delhi Capitals from Rajasthan Royals for INR 4.2 croreDonovan Ferreira: Traded to Rajasthan Royals from Delhi Capitals for INR 1 crore

Anthony Volpe has had a rough go of it manning shortstop for the Yankees this year.

That continued Saturday in New York's home series against their bitter rival. He airmailed a throw to first base in the ninth inning to try and beat Red Sox second baseman David Hamilton in an attempt to end the inning. In what was already a blowout, the throw sailed well over Ben Rice's head and let another Boston run score, widening their lead to eight runs.

New York let up three more runs before they could get out of the inning and lost to Boston 12–1 for their third loss in a row as the Red Sox will play for a four-game sweep at Yankee Stadium Sunday.

The missed throw resulted in Volpe's 17th error of the season, which is the most across the American League and tied with Reds star Elly De La Cruz for the most in Major League Baseball. In his defense, the throw was off-balance and there was a force out available at second base, but Jazz Chisholm Jr. couldn't get there in time to cover the bag. Nevertheless, the fans at Yankee Stadium let their shortstop and entire team hear it after the play, anything but thrilled with the Yankees' performance thus far against the Red Sox.

Volpe committed 16 errors last season and 17 the year before, and now has over 30 games left to eclipse his unfortunate career-high total. With the big loss, the Yankees (69–60) fell 1.5 games back of the Red Sox for the top wild-card spot in the AL. They have a three-game advantage on the Royals, who are the first team out of the AL's current wild-card picture.

There was a momentary delay during the fourth inning of the Tigers-Guardians wild-card series showdown on Tuesday after a foul ball from Angel Martinez careened directly into one of the stadium cameras behind home plate, instantly shattering the lens.

After the pitch was fouled off, the loud and unmistakable sound of glass shattering could be heard on the broadcast. Glass could be seen flying onto the ground behind the plate, and just about everyone looked back towards the camera station in confusion.

Have a look at the bizarre moment in Tuesday's Game 1:

The noise created by the shattering of the camera lens truly sounded like a sound effect straight out of a movie.

The broadcast panned to show the damaged camera, and the shattered lens was visible in the shot. The grounds crew responded quickly and arrived on the scene in order to clean up the area behind home plate and allow for play to resume.

Hopefully, that camera can be replaced and ESPN can get its behind-the-plate angle up and running again.

The incident that caused the probe happened during Pakistan Shaheens’ tour of the UK

Danyal Rasool07-Aug-2025Pakistan batter Haider Ali has been placed under criminal investigation by the Greater Manchester Police, and has been provisionally suspended by the PCB pending the outcome of the inquiry. While no details about the nature of the criminal offence have been released, ESPNcricinfo understands Haider is not currently in custody in the UK, but was interviewed under caution by GMP.The PCB issued a statement it had been “made aware” of the investigation, with the incident in question occurring during Pakistan Shaheens’ recent tour of England, which concluded on Monday. The PCB has confirmed it is providing Haider legal support “to protect his rights throughout this process”.”The PCB has been made aware of a criminal investigation currently being conducted by the Greater Manchester Police involving cricketer Haider Ali,” the PCB statement said. “The investigation pertains to an incident that reportedly occurred during the Pakistan Shaheens’ recent tour of England.”The PCB fully respects the legal procedures and processes of the United Kingdom and acknowledges the importance of allowing the investigation to run its due course. Accordingly, the PCB has decided to place Haider Ali under provisional suspension, effective immediately, pending the outcome of the ongoing investigation. Once the legal proceedings are concluded and all facts have been duly established, the PCB reserves the right to take appropriate action under its Code of Conduct, if necessary.”Haider, 24, has played two ODIs and 35 T20Is for Pakistan, and was a senior player on the Shaheens’ UK tour. He played all three 50-over games against a first-class XI, as well as two three-day games.

Keep up to date with all the movements around the counties ahead of the 2026 men’s county season

ESPNcricinfo staffKeep up to date with all the movements around the counties as preparations are made for the 2026 men’s county seasonDerbyshireIN: Matt Montgomery (Nottinghamshire)
OUT: David Lloyd (retired), Alex Thomson (released)
OVERSEAS: Caleb JewellDurhamIN: Kasey Aldridge (Somerset), Archie Bailey (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Mitchell Killeen (Essex), Paul Coughlin (Lancashire)
OVERSEAS:EssexIN: Mitchell Killeen (Durham), Zaman Akhter (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Nick Browne (retired), Adam Rossington, Jamal Richards (both released)
OVERSEAS: Simon HarmerGlamorganIN: Sean Dickson (Somerset)
OUT: Sam Northeast (Kent), Tom Bevan (released)
OVERSEAS: Colin IngramGloucestershireIN: Craig Miles (Warwickshire), Will Williams (Lancashire), Dawid Malan (Yorkshire)
OUT: Archie Bailey (Durham), Ajeet Singh Dale (Lancashire), Zaman Akhter (Essex), Dom Goodman (Sussex), Tom Price (Sussex), Josh Shaw (Somerset)
OVERSEAS: Cameron Bancroft, Gabe Bell (April-May), D’Arcy Short (T20)HampshireIN:
OUT: Keith Barker (Warwickshire), Benny Howell (Nottinghamshire), Joseph Eckland (released)
OVERSEAS: Kyle AbbottKentIN: Sam Northeast (Glamorgan), Matt Milnes (Yorkshire)
OUT: Jack Leaning (Sussex), Nathan Gilchrist (Warwickshire), George Garrett (retired), Marcus O’Riordan, Mohammed Rizvi (both released)
OVERSEAS: Keith DudgeonLancashireIN: Paul Coughlin (Durham), Ajeet Singh Dale (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Will Williams (Gloucestershire), Josh Boyden (released)
OVERSEAS: Marcus Harris, Chris Green (T20)LeicestershireIN: Stephen Eskinazi (Middlesex), Jonny Tattersall (Yorkshire), Josh Davey (Somerset), Ben Green (Somerset)
OUT: Louis Kimber (Northamptonshire), Chris Wright, Harry Swindells (both retired), Matt Salisbury, Roman Walker (both released)
OVERSEAS: Peter Handscomb, Keshav Maharaj (April-July)MiddlesexIN: Caleb Falconer (academy)
OUT: Stephen Eskinazi (Leicestershire)
OVERSEAS:NorthamptonshireIN: Louis Kimber (Leicestershire), Calvin Harrison (Nottinghamshire)
OUT: Freddie Heldreich (released)
OVERSEAS: Matthew Breetzke, Nathan McSweeney, Harry Conway (April-May), Yuzvendra Chahal (July-Sept)NottinghamshireIN: Benny Howell
OUT: Calvin Harrison (Northamptonshire), Matthew Montgomery (Derbyshire), Sammy King, Dane Schadendorf (both released)
OVERSEAS: Kyle Verreynne, Fergus O’Neil (April-June)SomersetIN: Josh Shaw (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Kasey Aldridge (Durham), Sean Dickson (Glamorgan), Josh Davey (Leicestershire), Ben Green (Leicestershire), Andrew Umeed (released)
OVERSEAS: Riley Meredith (T20), Migael PretoriusSurreyIN: Ralphie Albert (academy)
OUT:
OVERSEAS:SussexIN: Danny Briggs (Warwickshire), Jack Leaning (Kent), Dom Goodman (Gloucestershire), Tom Price (Gloucestershire)
OUT: Ari Karvelas, Bertie Foreman, Archie Lenham, Zach Lion-Cachet, Henry Rogers (all released)
OVERSEAS: Jaydev Unadkat (June-Sept)WarwickshireIN: Keith Barker (Hampshire), Nathan Gilchrist (Kent), Jordan Thompson (Yorkshire)
OUT: Danny Briggs (Sussex), Craig Miles (Gloucestershire), Moeen Ali (retired)
OVERSEAS: Beau Webster (April-July)WorcestershireIN:
OUT: Tom Hinley, Yadvinder Singh (both released)
OVERSEAS: Usama Mir (T20), Ben Dwarshuis (T20)YorkshireIN:
OUT: Matt Milnes (Kent), Jordan Thompson (Warwickshire), Jonny Tattersall (Leicestershire), Dawid Malan (Gloucestershire)
OVERSEAS:

يلتقي منتخب الكويت، اليوم السبت، مع نظيره الأردن، ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس العرب 2025 المقامة في دولة قطر.

وتقام مباراة الأردن والكويت على استاد أحمد بن علي ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من دور المجموعات ببطولة كأس العرب 2025.

طالع.. فيديو | السعودية أول المتأهلين إلى ربع نهائي كأس العرب بالفوز على جزر القمر

وكان الأردن قد حقق الفوز في مباراته الأولى على نظيره الإمارات، بينما تعادل منتخب الكويت مع منتخب مصر.

ويحتل الأردن صدارة ترتيب المجموعة الثالثة في كأس العرب برصيد ثلاث نقاط، ثم مصر والكويت لديهما نقطة، فيما تحتل الإمارات المركز الرابع دون نقاط. موعد مباراة الكويت والأردن في كأس العرب

وتنطلق المباراة بين الكويت والأردن في تمام الساعة الواحدة ظهرًا بتوقيت القاهرة والساعة الثانية ظهرًا بتوقيت الدوحة والسعودية والأردن والكويت. القنوات الناقلة لمباراة الكويت والأردن في كأس العرب

وتبث المباراة عبر قنوات بي إن سبورتس HD المفتوحة، بالإضافة إلى قناة الكأس، أبوظبي الرياضية، ودبي الرياضية وإم بي سي مصر 2.

ويمكنكم مطالعة مواعيد ونتائج جميع المباريات لحظة بلحظة عبر مركز المباريات من هنا.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. enjoyed a productive night despite the Arizona Diamondbacks' 10-5 loss to the San Diego Padres on Tuesday night. Gurriel helped the Diamondbacks jump out to a lead with a two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning, then later tied the game with a clutch, two-run shot off of Padres flamethrowing closer Mason Miller in the bottom of the eighth inning.

But Gurriel's homer was more than just clutch.

It was historic. The round-tripper came off of a 103.9 mph fastball from Miller, making it the fastest pitch homered on in the pitch-tracking era, which dates back to 2008.

Miller, who has thrown the fastest pitch in MLB this season, spared no velocity in the at-bat with Gurriel, as the Padres reliever hurled two other pitches clocked at 103 mph or higher, both of which were fouled off by an on-time Gurriel.

The Diamondbacks outfielder's unique homer ended up being a footnote after the Padres put up a five-spot in the top of the 11th inning, leading to their eventual victory and Arizona's loss.