標籤: rivals

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.

Atalanta’s Marco Palestra could be an option Manchester City Before the summer transfer window.

The right-back came through the Serie A team’s youth system and made his first-team debut in 2023. He played 16 matches before moving on loan to Cagliari in August 2025.

Palestra played 3,058 minutes in 36 matches this season and scored one goal and four assists. His form for Cagliari also saw him make his debut for Italy in March.

On April 15, Khel Witness Covered claims from Italy Manchester City and Arsenal are competing to sign him in the summer.

Inter Milan have also shown interest in the 21-year-old.

Manchester City’s move is conditional

Journalist Gianluca Di Marzio Includes a report on the Italian champions’ budget and goals for the upcoming window.

He mentioned Manchester City when discussing the latest on the Nerazzurri’s interest in Palestine.

Marco Palestra is Inter Milan’s ‘undeclared dream’ right-back target. However, a fee of €40 million will not be enough to convince Atalanta, who are waiting to find out what Manchester City plan to do.

Pep Guardiola remains in charge at the Etihad but the latest reports from the UK and Spain suggest he will leave after this season. Enzo Maresca has been without a job since leaving Chelsea earlier this year and he is in the running to replace him.

If the Italian becomes Guardiola’s successor, Manchester City could make a move for his compatriot. This is because the Premier League team is looking for a player with similar qualities to Palestra.

If Manchester City make a move, his price could rise to €50-60m, and in that case, the defender would be out of Inter Milan’s reach. In short, the Citizen San Siro could ruin the club’s signature dream.

Manchester City may need a new right-back

Pep Guardiola has two right-backs in Matheus Nunes and Rico Lewis. The latter is limited to 312 minutes from 10 league matches and can be transferred elsewhere.

Marco Palestra could definitely be an option as people feel he fits what they are looking for. The Italian has a contract until 2029, and transfer market He is worth €30 million.

Aston Villa Barcelona could be beaten to the signing of Eze Abedi this summer, with the Catalans not interested in moving the player at the current asking price.

Sport reports it is ‘highly unlikely’ Abede and Barcelona will cross paths again due to interest from the likes of Aston Villa.

clear path to aston villa

The newspaper reports that Eze Abeda is not a priority for Barcelona’s sporting management this summer. They are exploring other options including retaining Marcus Rashford.

A recent report from Diario de Seville Indicated that Newcastle and Aston Villa are both interested in the 24-year-old.

Betis are prepared to sell to the highest bidder to ensure a significant profit on the player. And the emergence of the Premier League pair has made Barcelona’s chances of a move less likely.

Had it been financially advantageous they would have considered a deal which would have valued them at around €30m. Since they own 20% of his rights, this means he will cost them around €24 million.

But his price tag could be high, so Barcelona would love to see him sold at that high price and cut out of it. Betis value the winger at around €40m. Barcelona have also not ruled out the possibility of selling their 20% stake to Betis just to bring in money. This is something he has done before as well.

What will Aston Villa pay?

Either way, the Catalan giants have no intention of competing with Aston Villa or anyone else for Aze Abeda this summer.

The La Liga champions, at least at the moment, are shying away from any potential deal and are instead waiting to see what happens and how much they can make from it.

The question is whether Aston Villa will pay closer to €40m. Given their tight financial situation in recent years, even with Champions League football, it is difficult to see that happening this summer.

celtic If they want to sign Issa Doumbia from Venezia, they may need to move quickly, with Portuguese competition close behind.

calciomercato.it Doumbia is set to leave the Italian club this summer, the report says. At present, his future seems likely to be in Portugal only.

Portuguese efforts

They explain that after a remarkable season that saw him play a key role in Venezia’s promotion from Serie B, several major European clubs are now eyeing the 23-year-old.

In particular, two of Portugal’s top three clubs, Sporting Clube de Portugal and Benfica, want him. According to CM.it, Sporting has stepped up its efforts to secure a deal in recent days.

However, the deal is not yet complete, as Rui Costa and his colleagues at Benfica have also made ‘important progress’. There is a real Lisbon derby going on for the midfielder’s signature. New and important developments are expected at some points throughout this week.

This should probably be a warning sign for Celtic. The Scottish giants have been credited with interest over the months.

celtic need to move

Sport Witness also covered a report detailing how their interest is justified. Doumbia is undoubtedly a star on the rise and the growing interest in him is testament to that.

The fact that the Portuguese pair are both also Champions League clubs is further testament to this fact. Both are now pushing for a deal, also indicating they want to get in on it before competition gets too fierce.

Celtic may be busy focusing on their title challenge, which is certain to go all the way, but this may also be something they need to focus on. Failure to move quickly now could see them miss out on potential summer signings.

Sporting Clube de Portugal and Benfica are certainly working to make sure they win the race behind the scenes.

brentford Now know that it is becoming a very real race for Issa Doumbia. And Sporting aren’t really hiding their intentions anymore.

The Venezia midfielder has had a huge season in Italy. The 22-year-old has scored nine goals and provided five assists in 37 appearances. He has helped Venezia gain promotion back to Serie A. So it is natural that he has made himself one of the most talked about midfielders in the country.

That rise has attracted the attention of many clubs across Europe. However, The Brentford name will continue As one of the English sides was seriously interested in the position.

The problem for them is that sporting is moving fast.

Sporting is working hard for Doumbia

according to to ballThe Portuguese side have already moved beyond simple interest and made a concrete contract offer to the player.

Now the financial details have also come out. The newspaper reports that Sporting are offering Doumbia a five-year contract worth €100,000 (£85,600) a month after tax until 2031.

armory, chelsea, Manchester City And Manchester United Ajax star Mika Godts is unlikely to face competition from Barcelona this summer.

Journalist Matteo Morato reports that the Catalan giants have no interest in the 20-year-old, despite reports to the contrary. Voetbal Primeur reported his comments today.

Premier League interest

Mika Godes is set to receive a big-money move this summer after establishing himself as a rising star in Europe at Ajax this season.

The youngster has scored 16 goals and 13 assists in 39 games for Ajax this season, including a spectacular solo goal in the 2-0 win over NAC Breda that grabbed the headlines. Overall, the youngster has scored 24 goals and 23 assists in 106 games for the Dutch giants since his debut.

The Premier League is already making the rounds. Sport Witness covered a report stating that Arsenal and Chelsea have already sent scouts. Manchester City and Manchester United are also in the mix. However, fans have been urged to avoid heading to the Etihad.

A report from the Netherlands has also included Barcelona in the mix. But, speaking to Radio Marca, Matteo Moretto insisted that is not the case.

“I’ll tell you something else, Ajax winger Mika Godts’ name has come up often,” he said. Brand radio program La Pizarra de Quintana.

“He is very good, very talented, and has already been offered to Barça several times. Barcelona do not want to pursue this option at the moment.

“They’re not interested. They prefer a more experienced, winning profile.”

Where next for Mika Godts?

It appears that Barcelona are not keen, with Mika Godts having to make an interesting decision regarding his future this summer.

If bigger clubs come calling, is he out of Ajax at that point? Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United all have the money to give Ajax what they want. And also give a big contract to the young player.

But the question is whether either side would be best for his future. After all, he has benefited from regular playing time at Ajax and experience in the Eredivisie and Europe. It will be a completely different story in the Premier League.

The growing feeling in the Netherlands is that it should look for an intermediate step. It remains to be seen whether he heeds that advice amid a potentially busy summer.

nottingham forest It appears that Nobel Mendy is in a better position to act quickly, with the latest report from Portugal suggesting that the rivals are still in no position to make a move.

Interest in the 21-year-old centre-back first emerged in Spain, Where we covered Forest, Benfica and Atalanta reports Everyone was eager and ready to submit strong proposals. It outlined a competitive race on paper.

However, coverage from the Portuguese newspaper record Important context has now been added – specifically around Benfica’s situation. And that’s good news for Nottingham Forest.

Benfica is not ready to act yet

According to records, Benfica has been monitoring Nobel Mendy for some time. Despite this, no proposal has come yet. And the reason is structural rather than financial.

Benfica’s next move in the centre-back market depends on the future of Nicolas Otamendi and Antonio Silva. Both could leave this summer, and only once the situation is resolved will the club decide whether to pursue Mendy.

This effectively stops their interest.

This is an important detail that was not clear in the initial reporting from Spain. While Benfica are firmly in the race, they are in no position to accelerate it at the moment.

Are the forests ready to be moved first?

Of course, this creates an obvious contrast with Nottingham Forest. The Premier League side were already reported to be ready to submit a high offer to Spain, and unlike Benfica, there is no internal situation slowing them down at present.

It doesn’t appear that Forrest is waiting for an exit or a contract resolution before stepping into this position. Practically, this could allow him to first link up with Rayo Vallecano, who are expected to make Mendy’s deal permanent with Real Betis for €2.4m (£2.1m).

If Forest want to act quickly, they could enter into talks before other interested clubs are fully ready to enter the race.

what happens next

Spanish reports suggested a three-way conflict. The Portuguese press now presents a more nuanced picture.

Forest’s willingness to move forward with a concrete offer could give them an early advantage. Meanwhile, Benfica is waiting for internal decisions, which is likely to cause a delay.

Meanwhile, Nobel Mendy has done a lot to continue attracting attention. He has featured regularly for Rayo Vallecano this season and recently earned his first senior cap for Senegal in March.

Nevertheless, their role is not completely fixed. He was recently left on the bench in the 1–0 win against Strasbourg in the UEFA Conference League semi-finals. After all he is still developing.

So if timing proves decisive, Nottingham Forest may have a clearer path forward than when interest initially surfaced.

Fenerbahçe are ready to get serious in their attempts to sign Bernardo Silva after he leaves Manchester City in this summer.

Photomack reports that the Turkish club They have ‘started efforts’ to include Silva in their team once he becomes a free agent.

manchester city tour

According to their information, sporting director Devin Ozek and football branch manager Erton Torunogullari will travel to England after the Galatasaray derby on Sunday.

They are planning to hold the first meeting with Bernardo Silva’s agent to discuss a move this summer.

There are also plans to beat rivals Galatasaray to his signature. This would involve the Manchester City star being offered a higher salary than the one already offered by Galatasaray. There is no mention of statistics at this point.

But Fenerbahçe are getting serious about the Manchester City midfielder. His planned trip to England to meet his agent is proof of this.

fierce european competition

The question is whether the Turkish side can win the race for the 31-year-old, with half of Europe seemingly ready for him.

The Manchester City star remains an attractive option, especially on a free transfer. And several European sides are already making moves for them behind the scenes.

Juventus have been keen for months, while Galatasaray are also making an offer. In fact, a report last month had Bernardo Silva There is a €15m deal to be decided between the two clubs.

This appears to have spurred Fenerbahce into action. They don’t want to let him go elsewhere in Turkey without putting an offer on the table themselves. Thus, their director will be traveling to England this week to speak to his agent and state his case.

This will add another layer to an already developing transfer battle. Silva will have plenty of suitors and even more offers when he leaves Manchester City on a free transfer this summer.

🇪🇸 Vitor Reis | “I want to return to Manchester City” – defender explains loan, development and ambitions https://t.co/ZjcvXg4Btv #mcfc

– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 21 April 2026

Atletico Madrid face threats from Manchester United and Arsenal in the transfer race for Atalanta’s Ederson.

The La Liga team are looking to improve their midfield next season and their main target is Ederson.

Both Manchester United and Arsenal could provide competition and spoil the Madrid club’s transfer efforts.

The Brazil international has been a regular for the Serie A team since joining from Salernitana in July 2022. He has played 172 matches so far and 34 are from this season.

His Serie A statistics this season are as follows:

• Appearances: 23
• Start: 20
• Total minutes: 1,688
• Minutes per game: 73
• Tackles per game: 2.0
• Balls recovered per game: 4.4
• Duels won per game: 4.4

On March 13, Game Witness Covered claims from Italy Of the Red Devils who will be included in the auction.

Manchester United and Arsenal still keen

Earlier this week, we Covered claims from Spain Italian visit of Atlético Madrid sporting director Matteo Alemany to hold talks with Atalanta president Antonio Percassi. They had traveled to overtake Premier League teams like Arsenal.

Diego Simeone’s side are willing to pay €35m plus €5m in bonuses while the Italian club want €50m. Other claims mention a verbal agreement with the 26-year-old.

all atalanta This points out when relaying the latest on Manchester United and Arsenal at L’Eco di Bergamo.

The Premier League pair are still at loggerheads despite claims of an agreement in principle between Atletico and the player.

Manchester United is really keen and the Gunners are also joining the fight. Two English clubs are trying to pry the South American from the clutches of the Spanish club and their interest could shake things up for the summer.

It is unclear where the Brazilian could end up, but what seems ‘certain’ is that he will leave La Dea after this season.

Contract, price and agent information

Ederson has less than 18 months left on his contract and a renewal is unlikely. According to its value transfer marketIs €40m.

The next window will be Atalanta’s last big chance to earn a good fee and avoid losing him for free in 2027.

Link Sports, the agency headed by Brazilian agent Andre Cury, is managing him.

🇧🇷 Exclusive: Arsenal tracking Lucca Marques

⭐️ 18-year-old’s rapid growth draws attention
⚽️ Youngest player to score in Copa Libertadores in Sao Paulo history
🇩🇪 Borussia Dortmund also interested
➡️The Gunners can make a formal offer in the summerhttps://t.co/u7LuPMgUyJ #afc #bvb

– Sports Witness (@Sport_Witness) 3 April 2026

The Carolina Hurricanes did it again.

With their 5–2 win on Saturday, the Hurricanes completed a season series sweep against their Metropolitan Division rival, the New Jersey Devils. The last time they did so was during the 2023–24 season, although the series then consisted of only three games.

During the first period of play, things were close between the Hurricanes and Devils in terms of pressure and possession, but thanks to old-fashioned ‘fly the zone’ tactics a goal from Timo Meyer in the final minutes of the frame gave the Devils the lead.

This was a strategy they continued to implement throughout the game, making things difficult for the Hurricanes.

But, Carolina proved that rest is also a weapon once the rust is cleared, as they rebounded in the second frame – scoring not just one, but three goals throughout the period.

Nikolaj Ehlers was the first to score on the power play, followed by Jackson Blake on a goal in the slot, followed immediately by Jordan Staal’s great tip-in on a shot from Ehlers.

It was a great frame by Carolina offensively and defensively, as they limited the Devils to just five shots.

last twenty minutes

As they entered the third frame, with the game up 3–1, the Hurricanes continued to press forward offensively. Shayne Gostisbehere, who was in his first game back after missing nine consecutive games due to a lower body injury, scored the fourth goal for Carolina. However, less than 30 seconds later, he was given a rare charging penalty after a shoulder-to-shoulder hit on Evgeni Dadonov, who had the puck at the time of his commitment to the hit.

Nevertheless, Seth Jarvis found the back of an empty net during the penalty kill and scored his 30th goal of the season for the third consecutive season, becoming only the sixth player in franchise history to accomplish the feat.

Still, the Devils made do with what they had, and Dadonov managed to score a goal with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game – his first of the season.

Onward to the next game

As the game ended, Ehlers was given his first star of the game and he went to the bench for a quick interview with reporter Hannah Yates, discussing the game and goals, before capping it off with a simple statement:

“We have to go get some revenge tomorrow.”

The Montreal Canadiens, to whom he was referring, will be their next opponent after a 5-2 loss to them on Tuesday.

Rachel Barkley is a beat writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes for Carolina Hockey Now on SportsNut. Painting Stories…More About Rachel Barclay

The Montreal Canadiens were in Ottawa on Wednesday night, facing a Senators team looking to make the Eastern Conference playoff berth.

Moments before puck drop it was announced that Cole Caufield would be forced to leave the game due to the flu. Caufield was used sparingly in the third period of Tuesday night’s win against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As a result, Alex Texier returned to the first line, playing alongside Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkowski.

It should also be noted that rookie Jacob Fowler was given the start by the Canadiens, and he was a big part of the youth movement that led to the 3-2 win. Fowler stopped 29 of 31 shots sent his way to ensure the victory.

Let’s look at the highlights!

strong start

The Canadiens started the game on the right foot, culminating with Juraj Slafkowski’s 24th goal of the year just one minute into the first period.

It was Slafkowski’s 164th career point, the most by a Canadiens player before turning 22 in franchise history. Some may suggest that this is an easy feat since you started playing in the NHL at the age of 18, but it is quite a difficult thing to quickly learn while playing in the best hockey league on earth.

Talking about young players, rookie Ivan Demidov recorded his 50th point of the season in this sequence.

Juraj Slafkowski worked ahead of time! 🚨 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/zCTJpkYJYR

– TVA Sports (@TVASports) 11 March 2026

senators respond

Josh Anderson plays a rough-and-tumble style of hockey that is guaranteed to come with a certain amount of time spent in the sin bin, but he has made a habit of taking penalties at bad times this season, and to make matters worse, they are almost always the epitome of unnecessary ones.

There’s no doubt that the lack of consistency in umpiring makes life more difficult for a player like Andersen, but the Canadiens can’t afford to be among the most penalized teams in the league, and the fact that Andersen is a repeat offender can’t be ignored.

With that in mind, the Senators tied the game late in the first period while Anderson was in the box for roughing. This proved to be a turning point when it came to Montreal’s ability to control the flow of the game.

I immediately knew it was a good goal 🤷‍♂️#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/bZs4BtEdjl

– Ottawa Senators (@Senators) 12 March 2026

Habs fans will be quick to tell you that Tim Stützle takes dives more often than a duckling learning to hunt, but he’s a very good hockey player, and he absolutely loves playing against Montreal.

He’s also highly efficient, and doesn’t need any help from his opponents to score, but the Canadiens still gave him a hand on Wednesday with minimal defensive coverage and incredibly soft clearing attempts.

To Alexander Carrier’s credit, despite the fumble before Ottawa’s goal, it must be said that the Habs forward blitzed the zone rather than supporting his defencemen, or offering good outlet options.

Tim Stützle can’t stop, and won’t stop 🔥#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/h0zPnPgY7G

– Ottawa Senators (@Senators) 12 March 2026

Crowded Threesome

It would be hard for you to argue that Saint-Louis has made a lot of bad decisions this year, but their lack of enthusiasm for Texier is a bit odd, especially since there are several players in the lineup who don’t perform as well offensively as the Frenchman.

Texier has done everything possible to earn his ice time, including some much-needed offense while dealing with a complete lack of consistency from a usage standpoint.

On that note, Texier tied the game for the Canadiens with a very strong individual effort late in the second period.

Alex Texier has 8 goals and 11 assists in 32 games #GoHabsGoWhile he averages less than 13 minutes per game when he is not a healthy scratch. pic.twitter.com/1Cvrf5Zu2U

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 12 March 2026

cardiac children

With the game tied 2-2, the Habs displayed great speed in transition, which was the biggest advantage of having a smooth skater like Alex Newhook in the lineup.

By scoring the go-ahead goal, Demidov tied Anaheim Ducks forward Beckett Seneca for the most points by a rookie this season with 51 points.

This marked the 13th consecutive game in which the Canadiens scored at least three goals.

Great speed in transition gave Ivan Demidov his 51st point of the season.#GoHabsGo Are ahead 3-2. pic.twitter.com/VTJ1f5oK5D

– Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) 12 March 2026

The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Saturday facing the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

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