newcastle united He appears to have missed out on a contract with Mio Backhaus as he looks to beat Europa League finalists Freiburg.

BILD reports that Freiburg have dropped a ‘transfer bomb’ with the imminent signing of the 22-year-old.

Backhaus deal resolved

The newspaper reports that when current Noah Atubolu was in Istanbul for the Europa League final against Aston Villa in what was likely to be his last match for the club, they were busy signing his successor.

According to BILD, the deal for Mio Backhaus has been ‘virtually finalized’. Freiburg should make an announcement in the coming days. The German side will pay €15m for the U21 international.

This will include €3m in performance-related add-ons. This would represent a transfer record for both him and Werder Bremen.

Freiburg beat out the competition to secure the deal. Newcastle United and Brighton are pursuing Backhaus. There was also interest from Serie A sides.

Sport Witness covered a report this week Saying that the future of Backhaus would be resolved within 14 days. At the time, Newcastle seemed a likely destination.

Instead, the deal has gone to Freiburg. The fact that they could still offer European football despite the defeat to Aston Villa was probably a major contributing factor.

goalkeeper carousel

He will be part of an exciting era of goalkeepers in the Bundesliga. His move to Freiburg opens the door for Werder Bremen to sign Karl Heyn on a permanent basis from Arsenal. Current Freiburg number one Noah Atubolu will also move on.

Reports have linked him to Tottenham in recent months. BILD report that he is expected to fetch just over €20m for the German club. Presumably, that money will be used to pay for the €15m transfer of Mio Backhaus.

Either way, it appears Newcastle have missed out on this opportunity as they look to improve their goalkeeper options this summer.

of manchester united Interest in Rafael Leao has been a topic of discussion in recent weeks. The attacker is now struggling and is at the center of AC Milan’s goalscoring issues.

sports witness Covered Jorge Mendes’ involvement in a potential transfer. AC Milan are relying on the super-agent to find a new club for the attacker.

Through Mendes, Manchester United made initial contact to explore the terms of a deal. The Red Devils have an excellent relationship with the agent, having acquired Manuel Ugarte and Lenny Yoro through his work.

A deal for Leo will be cheaper than before, but that’s because his star has faded.

Leo made noise over the weekend

transfer market The report added that Leao’s performance against Atalanta was another ‘black mark’ on his season. Initially he was not expected to play but despite being given the start, he showed an ‘indifferent attitude’.

The game was important for the Rossoneri. Roma’s win over Parma took them level on points with Milan, who found themselves fourth in the table. They lost 3-2 and are now in serious danger of missing out on Champions League football.

The outlet accused Leao of ‘missing goals, poor play’ and was heavily criticized when he was removed in the second half.

Fans at San Siro protested against CEO Giorgio Furlani before the game. The 26-year-old’s performance enraged them further and the loudest boos were heard when the Portugal international was substituted.

Calciomercato doesn’t end there, adding that Leao is ‘hooked’ on the touchline.

Our Opinion: LEO is becoming an easy target

This may worry Manchester United, but AC Milan are generally struggling. They have won only three league games from nine, going from a title challenger to a team that could clinch a Conference League place.

As is often the case, their best player receives the most criticism. The issues are big, as evidenced by the protests against Furlani and Redbird ownership. Max Allegri’s system is also failing to bring out the best from Leo, who finds himself deeper and forced to cover more distances.

Finding a goal in Game 2 proved as difficult as finding a single-zero roulette wheel in a Vegas casino for the Vegas Golden Knights (1-1), falling 3-1 to the Anaheim Ducks (1-1) on Wednesday night at T-Mobile Arena. Great play from Anaheim goaltender Lucas Dostal and two missed defensive assignments by the Golden Knights, which led directly to Anaheim goals, proved to be the difference in the game.

Although the first period was scoreless, it was not due to lack of opportunities. Anaheim had a golden opportunity to score the game’s first goal early in the first period when the Golden Knights took four consecutive penalties. First, Tomas Hertl was assessed a two-minute minor for high-sticking John Carlson at 3:14, then Mitch Marner was whistled for delay of game for shooting the puck out of play, and then just when things seemed like they couldn’t get any worse for the Golden Knights, Jack Eichel took a double-minor for high-sticking Mikael Granlund at 5:33.

The Anaheim power play shot an astonishing 50% in the first round against Edmonton, but went 0-4 in Game 1 and then went 0-4 on four consecutive first period chances in Game 2. The Golden Knights’ penalty kill was so effective that Anaheim recorded zero shots during a combined 1:42 of 5-on-3 play. The Golden Knights penalty kill has been stellar so far in the playoffs, boasting a 95% success rate before an ideal five-on-five performance in Game 2.

Besides the Golden Knights’ penalty kill, the other storyline of the first period was shot inconsistency. The Golden Knights went 12+ minutes without a shot, including a two-minute power play opportunity where they did not attempt a single shot. The Golden Knights recorded a shot from Hertl at 16:46 of the first and did not get another shot until Ben Hutton had a shot on goal at 3:57. Overall, the Golden Knights were outshot 13-4 in the first.

The Golden Knights may have noticed the shot inconsistency in the first because they came out firing in the second, recording three shots on goal in the first minute of the frame and outscoring Anaheim 11-7 in the period. Despite the Golden Knights taking a greater amount of shots in the second period, it would be Anaheim who would get the first goal of the game. A defensive lapse by the Golden Knights left rookie Beckett Seneca (2) open in front of their net, allowing him to receive a Jeffrey Wiel pass from below the goal line and he immediately took the puck, beating Golden Knights netminder Carter Hart to his blocking side at 11:23 of the second. It was only the second time in eight playoff games that Anaheim scored the first goal of the game.

With exactly two minutes left in the second, Anaheim got its fifth power play opportunity and a chance to take a two-goal lead, but the Golden Knights penalty kill once again came into play and the score remained 1–0 heading into the third period.

Another missed defensive assignment by the Golden Knights gave the Ducks an elusive two-goal lead at 6:36 of the third. Leo Karlsson (4) was left alone in front of the Golden Knights net and was able to receive a beautiful backhand, cross-ice pass from Troy Terry and chip the puck up and over the glove Hart, who had no chance to make the play.

The Golden Knights got their third power play chance of the game with 8:23 left in regulation and nearly scored on a wild scramble in front of the Anaheim net. With Dostel stretched flat on the ice, exposing a wide-open net, Ducks forward Mikael Granlund made a glove save on the Golden Knights’ shot attempt, destroying what little momentum the Golden Knights had generated from the man-advantage.

Trailing by two, the Golden Knights pulled Hart for an extra attacker with four minutes remaining in regulation, but Anaheim immediately scored into an empty net to take a 3–0 lead. Just when a shutout seemed inevitable for Anaheim, the Golden Knights got a late power play, during which Mark Stone (3) deflected an Eichel shot with just six seconds remaining, ruining Dostal’s shutout bid, which would have been Anaheim’s first shutout all season.

With the series now tied at 1-1, the venue will change to the Honda Center with Game 3 taking place on Friday night.

notes

Dating back to the regular season, Tomas Hertl has now played 28 games without scoring a goal.

Ivan Barbashev’s seven-game playoff points streak was snapped.

figures

Shots on goal for the game favored the Ducks, 28–22.

The number of hits each was even at 39.

Faceoff winning percentage favored the Golden Knights 63.2% to 36.8%.

Blocked shots favored the Golden Knights 19-14.

The Golden Knights had 19 rebounds, while the Ducks had 15.

crystal Palace Last summer Inter Milan’s Yann Bisek came calling and I was keen. Any deal this year is likely to be more complex.

Despite proving himself under Simone Inzaghi in the previous campaign, the German made a slow start to the current season.

The lack of action under Cristian Chivu led Crystal Palace to move to sign the defender. sports witness It was widely covered, as the Nerazzurri rejected two offers.

Furthermore, they had moved on to Benjamin Pavard and were unwilling to sell another right-sided defender at the end of the transfer window.

Things have now changed for the Germany international gazzetta dello sport Provide information about his condition.

Crystal Palace transfer very difficult now

The Italian newspaper has made it clear that a move to Crystal Palace was very close for Yann Bisek last summer. Oliver Glasner’s side put forward €30m but a final agreement was never reached between the two clubs.

Now, Chivu sees the defender as a vital part of his backline. This is particularly due to the 25-year-old’s versatility in the backline and the Romanian Bisek’s courage and recovery when defending.

This is why Inter no longer sees Bisek as a sellable unit. This was true to some extent last season but the player has convinced his club of a long-term future.

Even if Crystal Palace make a move for him this summer, they will struggle to land a defender.

Our take: Bisek may have overtaken Crystal Palace

Despite not always being consistent, Bisek is one of Inter’s most important players. Last season, he performed brilliantly in the Champions League, particularly impressing against Barcelona.

This season, he has also performed quite well as a ball-carrier, dazzling the opposition with his pace on the ball.

He is a proven-Champions League player who has already won silverware at the highest level. Crystal Palace don’t really offer this and if Bisek leaves Inter, he would want to move up or to the side.

As the Montreal Canadiens prepare to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of their first-round series, it’s hard not to question the NHL’s decision making when drafting the playoff schedule.

Before we go any further, it’s important to remember that leagues don’t revolve around hubs, and there are other factors to consider than just hockey. Arenas outside modern sporting settings have become money makers for their billionaire owners, with concerts providing the majority of the year’s profits. With this in mind, it is always difficult to create an ideal schedule, as there are an endless stream of variables to consider.

And yet, watching the Canadiens crowd entertain themselves after a thrilling Game 3 win, I couldn’t help but wonder how much better the atmosphere would have been on Saturday night.

Len Hutson’s Habs playoff OT winner tonight at Bell Center pic.twitter.com/VpeMujdhjQ

– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) 25 April 2026

On the surface, perhaps it shouldn’t matter. The Canadiens will have played two games over the weekend, Friday and Sunday, giving the Bell-Centre faithful plenty of opportunities to celebrate the youngest team in the league.

But if the NHL’s goal is to give the game more exposure to the ultimate fan experience, it would be well served by giving new fans a glimpse of the most exciting atmosphere in North America, and that event only happens on Saturday nights, in the playoffs, at the Bell Center.

Of course, this opinion is dripping in ego, as there are other arenas that offer a healthier environment, but there is a reason the Bell Center is ranked as the best rink in the league.

No other arena can match the intensity, and no other fans can maintain that level of intensity during a game of sixty minutes or more.

And given the intensity involved in each game featuring the Montreal Canadiens and Tampa Bay Lightning, the chances of having a blowout game on a national broadcast will be significantly reduced.

Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The… More about Mark Dumont

SunderlandBrian Brobbey has performed well so far in his first season in the Premier League.

The Netherlands international arrived at the Stadium of Light from Ajax for €20m in September and has taken time to adjust.

After overcoming initial difficulties, the striker began to impress for Sunderland and this allowed him to return to the national team in March. He has scored six goals and provided one assist so far for the Black Cats.

His Premier League statistics this season are as follows:

• Appearances: 25
• Start: 16
• Total minutes: 1,470
• Minutes per game: 59
• Target: 6
• Help: 1
• Expected target: 4.49
• Expected Support: 0.48
• Big chances made: 2
• Big chances missed: 9

Last month, the 24-year-old explained by working He has had the help of Rotterdam-based expert Patrick Vorst to improve his game. This has not gone unnoticed as UK’s latest claims mention Bayern Munich’s strong interest in him.

Bayern’s stance on Sunderland player

T.Z Germany broadcasts claims made in England about the interests of the Bundesliga winners and then gives its own opinion.

Harry Kane is the first-choice striker for Vincent Kompany, with Nicholas Jackson as his backup. The latter is on loan from Chelsea and is likely to return to his parent club after this season.

Bayern Munich will therefore need to find a new striker in the summer and Brian Brobby could be an option.

It seems that the Bavarian club has not yet decided who can replace Jackson.

TZ state Bayern Munich must first carefully evaluate whether the 24-year-old is the best option as Kane’s backup. Even if he is, the finances required to secure his services could be a concern for the German club.

The Dutchman is currently valued at €40m plus he has a long contract with Sunderland, which puts Regis Le Bris’s side in a comfortable position to demand a higher fee.

These factors make the frontman an ‘expensive transfer target’ for Bayern Munich. This shows that the company is not willing to spend too much on a backup striker.

Newcastle United’s Anthony Gordon is also on their agenda, and he could operate further back. He could be a better option for Bayern Munich than the Sunderland player.

Contract, price and agent information

Brian Brobby’s contract is until 2029, and transfer market He is now worth €25 million. It would not be surprising if the Black Cats offer him an extension in the coming weeks.

Agency Sport Cover, led by agent Misa N’Diaye, is representing the Sunderland star.

chelsea Has been working on signing young talents in recent years.

The Premier League team’s strategy has been in place since Bluco, their current owners, took over at Stamford Bridge in 2022.

Last year, Chelsea paid Sporting more than €70m for Giovani Quenda and Dario Assugo, and the former will arrive at the west London club after this season.

Kwenda received treatment in London after suffering a fracture of the fifth metatarsal in December. He has returned to Sporting, pushing for minutes in the final stages of the season Part of Chelsea’s long-term Plan.

Club World Cup winners have also lost some youngsters to other clubs. In the winter market, the Blues and Tottenham Hotspur lost Sani Suleiman to RB Leipzig.

Back in January, Sport Witness broadcast news How a German club beat two English clubs in the transfer race. He is not alone.

Chelsea lost to Saint-Étienne

Now we are focusing on one such young talent from Cameroon, David Mimbang. cameroon news Chelsea, RC Strasbourg and AS Saint-Étienne are reportedly interested in the 17-year-old, who currently represents École de Football Brasseries du Cameroon. [EFBC].

The outlet says David Mimbang is a Cameroonian prodigy who is ‘highly in demand’ in Europe. This includes Liam Rosenior’s team, Strasbourg, another club owned by Bluco and other clubs. These clubs will be missing a midfielder from the League 2 side.

But! football club Chelsea and two French clubs are also reported to be interested in the teenager.

The outlet reports that EFBC president Jacques Alimby has confirmed Mimbang’s transfer to the lower division French side, without releasing his quotes.

He has attracted interest from Chelsea and Strasbourg, but both clubs will miss him. This is because the Cameroon U17 international will transfer to Saint-Étienne.

But! Mimbang is expected to arrive in France on Monday to complete transfer formalities, the football club reports.

Why should Saint-Étienne wait?

Although the deal seems to be in the advanced stages, David Mimbon will not be able to play directly for Saint-Étienne.

This is because he must wait until he turns 18 in August to be eligible to sign for a European club.

There were some ups and downs in Cesare Casadei’s life. chelsea He has now been criticized for his behavior towards Italians.

The midfielder joined the Blues in 2022 and had successive loan spells at Leicester City and Reading.

Despite playing under Enzo Maresca at Leicester, he did not fare well under the Italian for the Blues.

This led to his departure from Chelsea in January 2025, as he joined Torino on a permanent deal. Things have been better for him in Serie A and he has scored four goals this season.

sports witness Casadei could be in line to return to England, with interest from West Ham and Everton.

However, there is still an Italian perception that he moved to England – and especially Chelsea – too early.

D’Aversa targets Chelsea

Torino manager Roberto D’Aversa spoke to Sky Italia about the midfielder, who played against Pisa on Sunday.

The Italian pointed out that Casadei is still inconsistent and his Chelsea spell is one reason.

He said- Via fcinter1908: : “Cesare Casadei is a strong midfielder, he can get all the headers, but he is also someone who knows how to play football.

“He needs to find continuity first of all. He paid for an important move, to Chelsea, where he did not play, and he missed playing in a team where you can grow.”

D’Aversa used this argument to say that Italian football should be able to retain youth. Failure to do so hinders their development.

“Until the culture changes, coaches who develop young players won’t be highlighted, but coaches who win will be questioned if they don’t. Young players need time.

“They should be allowed to grow and make mistakes.

“I was lucky enough to train Kulusevski, who was coming out of Atalanta Primavera, and I was lucky enough to train Bastoni.

“They are young but they are strong. But if we don’t change the culture in Italy, it is difficult to muster the courage to let young players play.”

Chelsea isn’t the only problem

It’s fair to say that the Blues probably never had any concrete plans for Casadei.

was signed for €15m but never burst onto the scene despite impressing at the U20s World Cup in 2023.

At the same time, Italian football has its own problems. That’s why Casadei saw Stamford Bridge as a good idea for his development.

Serie A clubs generally do not have a reliable youth setup. Due to the financial situation of the game in Italy, they are more than happy to sell those players for capital gains.

That’s what Inter Milan did to Casadei, hindering his development.

That’s why D’Aversa is probably right in his judgment that the problem in this case goes beyond Chelsea.

Tottenham Hotspur beat Real Madrid in the race to sign Luka Vuckovic from Hajduk Split.

In September 2023, Tottenham reach £12m [€13.9m] The defender agreed a deal with Hajduk Split to arrive in London last summer.

The Premier League side sent him on a season-long loan to Hamburg SV in August 2025. The move has been a good one for the centre-back, who has established himself in the Bundesliga.

He has played 2,280 minutes in 25 matches so far this season and has scored five goals and one assist.

The Tottenham-owned player has been impressing in Hamburg and below are his stats per game in the Bundesliga.

• Interception: 1.2
• Tackle: 0.8
• Ball Recovery: 4.3
• Ground duels won: 2.1
• Aerial duel won: 5.5

Before Hajduk Split agreed with Tottenham, Real Madrid made progress to sign the Croatia international.

Tottenham beats Real Madrid in signings

is according to Hamburger AbendblattWho report why the La Liga side failed to sign him.

The newspaper recently received several pictures of the 19-year-old player’s visit to Real Madrid.

His brother, Mario, mother, Sanja and agent Damir Smoljan met his then manager, Carlo Ancelotti, and compatriot Luka Modrić. The latter left the Spanish club for AC Milan last summer.

‘Everything’ points to an agreement with Real Madrid, who offered Hajduk Split €6m plus €6m in bonuses, and discussed personal terms. However, things changed after Luka Vuckovic’s squad returned to Croatia from their trip to Madrid.

Real Madrid’s interest was leaked by Tomislav Kasalo, a member of his family and lawyer, in a pub in Split.

At the time, Casalo also did business with Pini Zahavi, who kept him informed about Los Blancos’ progress. The pair hatched a plan to stop her move to Spain.

It worked as Zahavi secured Spurs’ offer while the lawyer convinced the Vuckovic family. The latter had handled Mario’s doping ban case. He charged no fees and helped Zahavi secure Luca as a client.

What’s next for Luka Vuckovic?

His rise in Hamburg has attracted the attention of other clubs including Barcelona and Bayern Munich. zahawi recently said A decision on his client’s future will be made at the end of the season.

last week, Luca refused to discuss his future and revealed that he has a contract with the North London club until 2030.

transfer market He is now valued at €40m, an increase of €22m from October 2025. It signals his rapid development, and Spurs have to make a decision about his future in the summer.

Real Madrid, for their part, will now regret losing the defender to Tottenham. It is unclear whether the La Liga side will return for the Croatian at any time in the future.

Luka Doncic always wears his heart on his sleeve in every minute he spends on the hardwood, and that was certainly the case during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 110-97 win over the New York Knicks at home on Sunday.

While everything ended well and in good spirits for the Lakers, Doncic had some distinct moments of frustration towards the officiating – even appearing to point money towards the referees at one point, indicating they were on his opponents’ payroll.

Doncic isn’t the most skilled defensive player, so when he tries, he wants to get the least amount of reward. With about 4:30 remaining in the third quarter of Sunday’s game, he tried to charge rookie forward Mohamed Diarra on a three-on-two fastbreak, but the officials did not blow their whistle. He made the above provocative gesture immediately after that no-call.

Immediately after the game, the Lakers star made it known He told ESPN’s Malika Andrews that he faced two charges that night – one that counted, and one that didn’t.

(Fast forward to 0:20 of the video.)

Official fee charged? 1. But records show Luca faced 2 charges (according to him ???).

Now how can the Lakers turn what they showed against New York into a consistent defensive identity?

Fun post-game interview with Luca pic.twitter.com/qd96xgVsYO

– Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) 8 March 2026

Charges and blocks can be some of the most blatant calls in basketball, so there is always uncertainty in such games. But let’s say: Doncic is at least willing to put his body on the line in keeping with the Lakers’ defensive principles.

Luka Doncic leads Lakers to big win without LeBron James

LeBron James has been battling arthritis, which kept him out of the Lakers’ lineup on Sunday. not to worry; The Lakers still won comfortably, with Doncic recording 35 points and Austin Reaves supporting him with his 25 points.

The Lakers did a good job of forcing turnovers (the Knicks had 18 on the night), and they also kept them quiet from beyond the arc, allowing only eight triples on the night.

The LA Clippers picked up a win against the Denver Nuggets on Thursday night thanks to big scoring from Benedict Mathurin and Kawhi Leonard. However, he also got assistance from Jamal Murray.

Down by three points, the Nuggets first-time NBA All-Star guard was fouled on a three-point shot attempt with 0.9 remaining on the game clock and no timeouts remaining for either team. Murray, historically a clutch free throw shooter, stepped to the free throw line in front of the Clippers’ wall with a chance to tie the game and possibly send it to overtime.

Jamal Murray missed the first free throw, hit the back of the rim on the second free throw, and then had to wait about 30 seconds due to a substitution before taking his third and final free throw to tie. That shot veered off the right side of the rim and rolled right to left, effectively giving the Clippers the win.

Jamal Murray vs. The Wall… missed the last of 3 free throws to tie and the Clippers won. pic.twitter.com/nFuWFgi1Gx

-Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) 20 February 2026

“What was going through my mind?” When Kawhi Leonard was asked this question after the game, he repeated it. “Uh, I was just hoping he’d miss one, seriously, sh-t,” Kawhi Leonard said. “I mean, we were up by three, he dropped the first two, so really expected he would miss.”

Kawhi Leonard explains what was going through his mind during Jamal Murray’s game-tying free throws:

“I was just hoping he’d miss one, really, bullshit. I mean, we were up by three, he dropped the first two, so I was really hoping he’d miss.” https://t.co/BYVzOwVuLO pic.twitter.com/0oG8ybH6oS

-Tomer Azarly (@TomerAzarly) 20 February 2026

Shooting 88.7 percent on the season, Jamal Murray has missed 11 free throws in clutch situations (defined as a five-point game in the final five minutes) this season. Murray is just 11-of-18 from the free throw line in the final minutes of games with a margin of three or fewer points this season.

Kawhi Leonard finished Thursday night’s game with 23 points on 8-of-18 shooting, adding four rebounds and three assists. The Clippers forward was clearly battling some type of cold or illness after the game, which is why Benedict Mathurin’s big performance was much needed.

In his third game with the LA Clippers, Mathurin scored 38 points on 12-of-22 shooting from the field and 12-of-13 from the free throw line. The 38-point performance is the most by a Clippers player in his home debut as well as the highest individual career performance for the fourth-year guard out of Arizona.