Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand is on Manchester United‘s transfer shortlist, while N’Golo Kanté is being targeted for a return to Europe. Join us for the latest transfer news and rumors from around the globe.

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TOP STORIES

– Amorim expects Man Utd transfer requests in Jan.
– Madrid’s Alonso on Vini Jr. Clásico furore: ‘Subject closed’
– Liverpool’s Arne Slot refuses to give update on contract talks

TRENDING RUMORS

– Manchester United are weighing up a move for Sporting CP midfielder Morten Hjulmand, according to TEAMtalk. The Red Devils are continuing to assess the transfer market ahead of plans to strengthen manager Ruben Amorim’s midfield in January. It is reported that Hjulmand, 26, could be acquired for half of the fee that United would be expected to pay to sign Crystal Palace midfielder Adam Wharton or Nottingham Forest‘s Elliot Anderson, with recent reports indicating that either could require an offer worth between £100 million and £120m to secure. Hjulmand, who has previously been linked with Juventus, has been on United’s shortlist for a long time.

– Paris FC are dreaming of signing Al Ittihad midfielder N’Golo Kanté, reports Foot Mercato. The 34-year-old is yet to extend his contract with the Saudi club, and newly promoted Ligue 1 side Paris FC see it as a “golden opportunity” to bring him back to Europe. Kanté has made six starts in the Saudi Pro League so far this season, and he will enter the final 18 months of his deal in January. He won one Premier League title with Leicester City and another with Chelsea, where he also won the UEFA Champions League, before moving to Saudi Arabia in 2023. He also wont he 2018 FIFA World Cup with France, for whom he last appeared in November 2024.

– A move for Bayern Munich center-back Dayot Upamecano is being considered by Internazionale, according to Gazzetta dello Sport. It is believed that the France international is yet to communicate a desire to stay put at the Allianz Arena, and the Nerazurri are “poised to make a move” if an opportunity arises to land him. The 27-year-old is set to enter the final 18 months of his contract in January, while Lazio‘s Mario Gila is seen as a potential alternative.

– Multiple clubs are lining up to sign Manchester United striker Joshua Zirkzee in January. TEAMtalk reports that West Ham United are among five Premier League teams keen on a move for the 24-year-old, but they are facing competition from Europe, with Sevilla and PSV Eindhoven also interested. Previous reports have indicated that the Red Devils would prefer to keep their squad together beyond the next transfer window, but with the 2026 FIFA World Cup approaching, Zirkzee wants to play regular minutes to have a chance of being selected in the Netherlands‘ squad for the tournament.

– Clubs in the Premier League are interested in Palmeiras forward Vitor Roque, according to Diario AS. The 20-year-old left Barcelona for a fee of €25m in February and he has hit form again upon his return to Brazil, scoring goals in 27 league matches. His performances are believed to have caught the attention of clubs in Europe, but teams in England‘s top flight are “favorites” in the race for him.

EXPERT TAKE

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Zirkzee, Mainoo facing uncertain futures at Manchester United

Rob Dawson says Joshua Zirkzee and Kobbie Mainoo are hoping for new clubs in the transfer window.

OTHER RUMORS

Arsenal are considering an approach for Bayern Munich attacking midfielder Lennart Karl, with the Emirates Stadium hierarchy willing to back manager Mikel Arteta in January. (CaughtOffside)

Liverpool are planning to hand new contracts to midfield pair Ryan Gravenberch and Dominik Szoboszlai. (Fabrizio Romano)

Atlético Madrid’s Conor Gallagher “remains an option” for Manchester United in their search for a midfielder. (Fabrizio Romano)

Jadon Sancho could be set to return to Manchester United in January, with Aston Villa “unimpressed.” with his recent performances during his loan spell. (Football Insider)

West Ham are reluctant to part ways with midfielder Lucas Paquetá in January. (Football Insider)

Juventus, Internazionale, and Roma are interested in a potential move for Genoa midfielder Morten Frendrup who has also been approached by teams in the Premier League. (Nicolò Schira)

Aston Villa and Leeds United are among the teams interested in PSV Eindhoven attacking midfielder Ismael Saibari. (TBR Football)

Napoli, Sevilla, and Real Betis are looking at Club America winger Brian Rodríguez. (Ekrem Konur)

Talks over a new contract are set to take place between Sassuolo and forward Armand Laurienté. (Nicolò Schira)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — After Austin Reaves carried the Lakers as their solo star all week, Luka Doncic returned Friday to take the baton back with another 40-point performance in Los Angeles’ 117-112 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

Doncic, who missed the previous three games with a sprained finger on his left hand and a lower left leg contusion that he thought might keep him out until at least Sunday, flew to Memphis separately to join the team Thursday and went on to pour in a game-high 44 points.

It was Doncic’s third straight 40-point game after scoring 43 on opening night against Golden State followed by 49 against Minnesota, becoming the only player in NBA history other than Wilt Chamberlain to top the 40-point plateau in three straight games to begin his season. (Chamberlain did it twice — seven straight games in 1962-63 and five straight in 1961-62).

“I mean, I feel great,” Doncic said when asked about being included in such rare company with the basketball legend. “But obviously, if we get a win, I feel even better. So that’s the whole point, trying to help the team to win. And sometimes it’s going to be scoring, sometimes other things.”

He did other things, too, leading L.A. with 12 rebounds and six assists as the Lakers fought back from a 15-point second-half deficit to win their first NBA Cup group play game, but it was the scoring that was most impressive — especially because of the other luminaries he joined.

Only Chamberlain, Doncic and Michael Jordan in 1986-87 scored 125 points or more in their first three games to start a season; Doncic has 136.

And, by averaging 45.3 points in his first three games, Doncic became the first Lakers player since Kobe Bryant in 2007 to average 45 or more in any three-game span.

Doncic was asked if he could become the only player other than Chamberlain to average 40 for a season.

“That’s going to be tough,” Doncic said. “Sometimes they’re going to double me more. Sometimes I won’t be able to score that much. I had I think three or four shots that were crazy shots that I felt like doing, but they were terrible shots. So … I’ve got to work on that. But that’s tough. I don’t know.”

When told that Reaves didn’t think it was crazy, saying after the Lakers’ home win over Minnesota that he thought 40 was within Doncic’s reach, Doncic said with a smile, “Austin’s stupid.”

Reaves averaged 40 points on 50% shooting (41.4% from 3) with 10 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 2.3 steals in the three games that Doncic missed, with LeBron James (sciatica) also sidelined. After Friday’s win, he had more praise for Doncic, and a critique of himself.

“His ability to get us off to hot starts is big for us because, if you come out and he has 15 in the first, we’re going to score, I would assume, 30 [points],” Reaves said of Doncic, who leads the league in first-quarter scoring, averaging 13 points. “Unless everybody else is shooting bricks like I was tonight.”

Reaves started the game 2-for-9 but finished as the Lakers’ second-leading scorer with 21 points.

L.A. also got big contributions from Marcus Smart, who was in the starting lineup after a two-game absence because of a right quad injury and put up 12 points, four assists and two steals; and Jake LaRavia, who had 13 points, five rebounds and three steals against his former team.

Deandre Ayton had nine points on 4-for-6 shooting in the first half but didn’t play after halftime because of what coach JJ Redick called “middle back spasms.” Ayton spent the third quarter in the locker room trying to get loose and said he would have returned to the game in the fourth quarter if called upon, but L.A. was able to hold on without him.

Ayton said he expects to be available when the Lakers host the Miami Heat on Sunday.

That will be another opportunity for Doncic to score 40 and another chance for his teammates to find ways to describe what they are seeing from their teammate.

“Fantasticness,” Smart said, making up his own word for what Doncic is doing this season. “It’s been great to watch.”

It was a regular net session at a cricket academy in New Delhi, but the excitement among the young girls in their colourful jerseys was unmistakable. They now have a sparkling new source of inspiration after the Indian women’s team stunned favourites Australia in the Women’s World Cup semi-final on Thursday.

Batter Jemimah Rodrigues delivered an unbeaten 127 as India chased down a record 339 at Mumbai’s DY Patil Stadium, securing a spot in Sunday’s final against South Africa.

“There is always that one moment that inspires a generation,” said 19-year-old Armeet Kaur, a batting all-rounder for the Delhi state team. “Jemmy’s innings yesterday was exactly that. It’s going to change things.”

Twelve-year-old Ridhima Chaudhary was star-struck. “It made me feel like I have to play like them,” she said.

The sixth-grade student revealed that she’s already training towards that goal — three hours a day, five days a week. “My parents also say that the cricket academy is as important as school,” she added.

Coach Sumit Poria described the victory as a “turning point” for women’s cricket in India. “The way the crowd cheered for the team — it’s a boost like nothing else before,” he said.

While infrastructure has improved over the years, a win like Thursday’s “will go a long way in convincing parents” to support their daughters pursuing cricket seriously, Poria noted.

Prize purse exceeds men’s

The eight-nation tournament, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, has already broken records.

Data released by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and streaming platform JioHotstar showed the first 13 matches drew more than 60 million viewers — five times higher than the 2022 edition.

The India–Pakistan clash earlier this month became the most-watched women’s international match ever, with 28.4 million viewers.

That’s still a small figure for the world’s most populous nation, but it shows the rise in popularity of women’s cricket.

India, twice runners-up, are chasing a maiden title in the 50-over World Cup that now boasts a record $13.88 million prize purse — eclipsing even the men’s total from two years ago.

In New Delhi, the excitement is tangible. Replica women’s team jerseys sold out online just hours after India secured their final berth.

The popularity is being matched by economic clout.

The wider sports market is booming in India, with its estimated value to surge to $130 billion by 2030, according to a 2024 report by Deloitte and Google.

The 2023 launch of the Women’s Premier League generated about $700 million in franchise and media rights for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

The move toward pay parity, pushed by then-BCCI secretary and now ICC chairman Jay Shah, has further boosted the women’s game.

Very big moment

“The rise of digital platforms has transformed sports consumption… occurring alongside a growing diversification of India’s sports fans,” the Deloitte report said.

And women are a key part of that.

“Women’s sports are on the rise,” it said. “Fans are increasingly interested in women’s sports.”

Whether or not India lift the trophy on Sunday, the young cricketers at Delhi’s training nets say the impact is already beyond measure.

“When I started playing six years ago, there were only the men to get inspired by,” said 18-year-old Ishita Singh. “But now there’s the women’s team too.”

Veteran Indian sports journalist Sharda Ugra called the win “a very big moment”.

“It will make the game leapfrog another level in India in terms of attention and being a viable career option for so many girls who want to take part in sport,” she said.

“Already there is a mass of talent burgeoning in women’s cricket in India. This will make that five times bigger, whatever happens in the final.”

India’s women cricketing stars, including Harmanpreet Kaur and Smriti Mandhana, have become household names, attracting major sponsorships and wide media coverage.

There is a big market to tap into.

“Women now comprise 236 million fans — or 36 precent — of the fanbase,” the study estimated.

“This debunks the notion of a male-only fanbase — and (shows) women’s fast-growing influence in sports.”