Metro – Sports

Leandro Trossard was unveiled as a Besiktas player last month (Picture: Getty Images) Besiktas have approached Arsenal in an attempt to make another big signing from the Premier League champions, having already landed Leandro Trossard this summer. The Belgian has made the switch to the Turkish Super Lig in a deal worth an initial £15.3million and another potential £1.7m in add-ons. The 31-year-old becomes one of the star names in the Besiktas squad but they are hoping to add another high profile star this summer. Turkish publication Fanatik report that Besiktas have approached Arsenal over a deal to sign striker Gabriel Jesus. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won’t be around next season. The Brazil international is available for transfer this summer, having falling down the pecking order behind Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokeres. The Gunners want £20m for the striker, who has just one year left on his contract, while they are only interested in a permanent exit rather than a loan deal. There is no shortage of interest in the 29-year-old, with Napoli pursuing a deal for his signature, but Besiktas are trying their luck as well. Gabriel Jesus looks likely to be leaving Arsenal this summer (Picture: Getty Images) Jesus arrived at Arsenal from Manchester City in the summer of 2022 in a £45m deal but has seen much of his time at the club hampered by injury. He has performed in fits and starts, but has played just 123 times in four seasons, scoring 32 goals. He remains in first team contention and has featured in pre-season, but an exit is looking increasingly likely this summer. There is also interest from Turkey in another Arsenal star, with Galatasaray reportedly keen on Gabriel Martinelli. Gabriel Martinelli has been at Arsenal since 2019 (Picture: Getty Images) TalkSPORT report that Galatasaray have made an initial inquiry for the Brazilian winger and talks have been held over a fee. The 25-year-old featured regularly last season, making 53 appearances across all competitions and scoring 11 goals. He has one year left on his current contract, although Arsenal do have an option to extend that by another 12 months. Martinelli would only be allowed to leave if the Gunners bring in a new signing on the left wing, as they are already a bit short there after the departure of Trossard. The pursuit of Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr was unsuccessful and Arsenal are now thought to be looking at the likes of Kenan Yildiz at Juventus and Eli Kroupi Jr at Bournemouth. They are also interested in Atletico Madrid’s Julian Alvarez, as are Barcelona. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Nuno Espirito Santo is building a new team at West Ham (Picture: Getty Images) West Ham are are putting together their squad for the upcoming Championship season and are looking at some recognisable names. The Hammers were relegated from the top flight last season but have stuck with manager Nuno Espirito Santo, after finishing the campaign on 39 points. There have been some significant departures, with Mateus Fernandes going to Spurs for £85 million, Crysencio Summerville heading to Al Hilal for £55m and Freddie Potts joining Club Brugge in a £10.2m deal. Callum Wilson also departed on a free transfer and gets another crack at the Premier League by joining Brentford. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won’t be around next season. Experienced defender Joel Veltman has arrived from Brighton on a free transfer, while Venezuela international loan signing Keiber Lamadrid has made his move permanent. Espirito Santo will need more numbers, though, and West Ham are making moves for Troy Parrott and Reiss Nelson. Former Tottenham striker Parrott has been excelling at AZ since moving there permanently in 2024, scoring 30 goals in 59 Eredivisie games and 51 in 97 appearances across all competitions. Troy Parrott has been a big hit at AZ (Picture: Getty Images) He has been linked with a string of European clubs this summer, including Porto, but West Ham are hopeful of securing a deal and have made a bid of around £15m, according to the Daily Mail. The 24-year-old has hinted that he is in no rush to return to England, having enjoyed his time with AZ so far. ‘Before I went to the Netherlands, I was completely focused on England,’ he told De Telegraaf. ‘I dreamed of the Premier League. ‘But once in the Netherlands, I discovered that the football world is a lot bigger than England.’ Reiss Nelson has featured for Arsenal in pre-season (Picture: Getty Images) Nelson is also on the Hammers’ radar as he appears to be surplus to requirements at Arsenal. The 26-year-old came through the Gunners academy and has made 90 first team appearances, but has played just once for Arsenal in the last two seasons. He spent the majority of the 2024/25 campaign on loan at Fulham and last season on loan at Brentford. The winger is back at his parent club and has featured in pre-season, but is unlikely to get much chance to shine in the first team in the coming campaign. West Ham are reportedly exploring a deal, but Fulham and Benfica are also credited with interest. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Dario Essugo captained Chelsea in Jakarta on Sunday (Picture: Getty Images) Chelsea youngster Dario Essugo admits it was a surprise to be handed the captain’s armband in a pre-season friendly on Sunday, but hopes it can inspire other young players at the club. The 21-year-old skippered a the Blues in their meeting with Malaysian side Johor Darul Ta’zim, which ended 3-3. Chelsea beat AC Milan 3-0 in a friendly on Saturday, so manager Xabi Alonso completely changed the starting line-up, but there were still plenty of recognisable names in it. Liam Delap, Nicolas Jackson and Estevao made up the front three, with the likes of Jamie Gittens, Tosin Adarabioyo and Geovany Quenda all starting as well. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won’t be around next season. It was Essugo who got the nod as captain, having also worn the armband earlier in pre-season as well. The midfielder suggested his maturity has earned him the honour, hoping to show to other young players at the club that age is just a number. ‘For me it was a surprise but of course it’s a pleasure,’ the Portuguese prospect said. ‘I didn’t expect to be captain at this age and at this big club so for me it’s just a pleasure and I enjoyed it a lot. Essugo will be hoping for more first team opportunities this season (Picture: Getty Images) ‘For me it means everything because I didn’t expect it. It’s a message for me and for all the players that it’s not about the age, but maybe it’s about maturity. It’s learning and staying positive.’ On how he feels he is developing at Chelsea, he said: ‘[I’ve learned] a lot because here we have a lot of big players, so I try to learn from everyone. I think that’s it, learning from my teammates and enjoy.’ Essugo was signed from Sporting last year in a deal worth £18.5 million, but had little impact in his first season at Stamford Bridge. Essugo has a lot of competition in Chelsea’s midfield (Picture: REUTERS) The Portugal Under-21 international made just three Premier League appearances and five in total over the campaign. He will be hoping that the faith Alonso has shown in him over pre-season is a sign of more action to come when the new season gets underway later this month. Chelsea have one more summer friendly, against Real Sociedad on Saturday, before starting their Premier League campaign at Fulham on August 24. Alonso spoke after the 3-0 win over AC Milan of using multiple systems and attempting to be as unpredictable as possible. Xabi Alonso is already mixing things up at Chelsea (Picture: Getty Images) The Spaniard has played a back three and back four over the summer so far. ‘We want to be versatile in our approach and system,’ he said. ‘I think we have the players to adapt to different ones because they understand how to support each other. ‘The principles are the same but the movements can change; we need to be unpredictable, we want to be flexible, and we want to have a threat. The system is just a picture; you need to move, rotate and create dynamics [in the team] and that is when the picture becomes a movie. ‘We are not just sticking to one idea and the more options that we have, the better team we will be.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Marcus Rashford had worn the iconic Man Utd No.10 shirt from 2018 to 2025 (Photo: Getty) Marcus Rashford has been handed a new shirt number upon his return to Manchester United, which may provide some insight into his future at the club. It was thought that Rashford had already played his final United game long ago after he frozen out of his boyhood club by Ruben Amorim in December 2024. Following loan spells at Aston Villa and Barcelona, it was expected that the England forward would join the Spanish giants permanently, but they opted not to trigger his £26million buyout clause. That has left the 29-year-old in transfer limbo, with few clubs showing interest in him, while United have been reportedly reluctant to give him another shot. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won’t be around next season. Following his exploits at the World Cup, Rashford finally returned to training on Sunday, linking up with the Red Devils for the first-time in over 18 months and was pictured in a jubilant mood, taking photos with fans and signing autographs. Michael Carrick has confirmed that Rashford will be part of the squad for their final two pre-season friendlies, saying: ‘We have a full squad next week in Dublin. ‘We fly straight there and meet Leeds on Wednesday. We have a few days in Dublin where we have the whole squad, including Marcus, Kobbie [Mainoo] and Lisandro [Martinez]. Rashford has trained with Man Utd for the first time in 18 months (Photo: Getty) ‘I’ve played with him [Rashford]. I played in the game he made his debut, so we have a history.’ While this alone is by no means confirmation that Rashford will be a United player this season, the club have hinted that will be the case after handing him a new squad number. The forward is unable to reclaim his prized No.10 shirt as it was given to Matheus Cunha upon his arrival from Wolves last summer. Rashford wore the No.14 while on loan at Barcelona (Photo: Getty) Even his old squad numbers, 19 and 39, are occupied by new players, namely Bryan Mbeumo and Tyler Fletcher. But, according to Fabrizio Romano, Rashford will now don the No.14, the shirt number he wore at Barcelona and one typically given to an important first-team member. At United, the No.14 shirt has previously been worn by the likes of Christian Eriksen, Jesse Lingard and Javier Hernandez. It is said United chose it in order to send a message of trust to the player and a sign that he will be reintegrated at Old Trafford, unless a deal can be struck with another club. Teams in Turkey and Saudi Arabia have approached Rashford, but he wants to play for a top European side in order to remain in the England squad. There have been links with the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham butit seems he will back playing for his boyhood club this season. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source

Mikel Arteta is dealing with some big injuries before the season has begun (Picture: Getty Images) Mikel Arteta has given the latest on the injury status of William Saliba and Jurrien Timber and it sounds like Arsenal fans will not be seeing either for a while. The Gunners boss was speaking after a friendly against Borussia Dortmund on Sunday at the Emirates which the German side won 3-2. Neither Saliba nor Timber were involved as the Frenchman deals with a back problem and the Dutchman is out with a groin issue. Arsenal are back in action in a friendly with Como on Wednesday before taking on Manchester City in the Community Shield on Sunday. Get the latest transfer news every morning Sign up to our daily football newsletter for personalised updates on who your team is trying to sign and who won’t be around next season. Their Premier League title defence starts with a home game against Coventry on August 21 and it sounds unlikely either injured player will be involved. Asked on their return dates, Arteta told a press conference on Sunday: ‘I cannot be very precise with that. Jurrien is progressing really well, he’s on the pitch, he’s doing quite a lot right now, but is still weeks away, I cannot say how much. ‘William is in rest mode at the moment. For two weeks he had to do almost nothing, don’t aggravate the injury. It’s going to take some time to heal, we know that. William Saliba has been ruled out after the World Cup (Picture: Reuters Connect) ‘As quick as we have more news we can inform.’ Two weeks ago Arsenal released a statement on Saliba, saying he ‘has suffered a back injury which will require a period of rehabilitation.’ The club added: ‘Extensive assessments have concluded that surgery is not recommended, but William should now commence a managed recovery programme. ‘William’s rehabilitation will commence immediately, with continual management of his injury, and he is expected to be out of action for an extended period.’ Jurrien Timber has been training but is not fit to play (Picture: Getty Images) Arsenal are not short of options at the back, with Gabriel, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapie, Ben White, Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly also in the squad. However, Arteta accepted that Saliba is a huge loss given his level of influence in the side. ‘We have experienced that in the past, unfortunately,’ the manager said on being without the Frenchman. ‘When he’s been available, his stats are incredible. ‘We know that we have lost an incredible player. Same with Jurrien.’ Arteta was asked if he is looking to add a defender to his squad in the transfer window, but did not suggest this is where he is looking to strengthen. ‘We conceded some poor goals the other day, some poor goals today, in the way we competed especially, but that’s a collective responsibility,’ he said. ‘We need to improve with the players that we have.’ Comment now Comments Add Metro as a Preferred Source on Google Add as preferred source