Manchester City have now moved into pole position in the race for an “incredible” star, with Pep Guardiola captivated by him.

Man City's January transfer plans taking shape

It is clear that Man City could do with bringing in some additional attacking firepower this January, given that Erling Haaland has scored more than half of their 27 Premier League goals this season, although Phil Foden is showing signs he could be getting back to his best.

City survived a scare to defeat Leeds United 3-2 on Saturday, with their academy graduate bagging a brace, scoring the all-important third goal in stoppage time.

However, with Haaland perhaps still in need of additional support in attack, the Blues are looking to sign a new forward, and they are now exploring a move for AFC Bournemouth star Antoine Semenyo.

Semenyo is not the only target though, with Guardiola’s side setting their sights on a new midfielder, amid Rodri being unable to overcome his injury woes, and there has now been a new update on their pursuit of Nottingham Forest’s Elliot Anderson.

According to a report from Spain, Man City are now the clear favourites to sign Anderson, but they will have to shell out one of the highest transfer fees in their history to get a deal done, with a €100m (£88m) asking price being touted.

Guardiola has been left captivated by the midfielder, who has attracted interest from some of the world’s biggest clubs, including Manchester United and Liverpool, but City have now moved into pole position in the race for his signature.

The Blues’ financial resources should also give them the edge, and there is every indication he would be a fantastic addition to Guardiola’s squad…

"Incredible" Anderson has earned move to top club

The central midfielder has been nothing short of a revelation for both club and country this season, most recently putting in a top performance against Brighton & Hove Albion, despite Forest losing 2-0, winning more duels and completing more dribbles than any other player.

Elliot Anderson’s key statistics

Number completed

Dribbles

6

Duels (won)

17 (12)

Accurate passes

62/71 (87%)

Crosses (accurate)

13 (6)

Lauded as “incredible” by journalist Konstantinos Lianos, the Forest star has also received high praise from England manager Thomas Tuchel, who said: “He is an elite player with the right attitude and a lot of talent. He is fulfilling his role in the best way possible so we are very happy with him.”

Man City now frontrunners to sign "world-class" £80m star, Pep's a big fan

There has been a new update on City’s pursuit of a new forward, who Pep Guardiola has dubbed “extraordinary”.

ByDominic Lund Nov 27, 2025

With Rodri still struggling on the injury front, it would be ideal to bring in a new midfielder who could help keep the pressure on Arsenal in the Premier League title race, and Anderson has proven himself as a top player this season.

Everton are now reportedly racing to sign a La Liga star ahead of both Leeds United and Juventus in the January transfer window.

Everton join race to sign Conor Gallagher

La Liga seems to be where it’s at for Everton ahead of the January transfer window, with reports now claiming that they’ve joined the race to sign Conor Gallagher.

The Ateltico Madrid midfielder has put the Premier League on high alert as he looks to leave the Spanish club this winter, and Everton could yet secure his signature.

A move for the England international would highlight the progress that the Toffees have made since moving into the Hill Dickinson Stadium. Currently sat 10th, David Moyes’ side are just three points off Chelsea in fourth and there’s every chance that they could push for a shock European place if their current form continues.

It’s worth noting that Gallagher’s not the only one on Friedkin’s radar ahead of January, either. The Toffees are in search of reinforcements across the pitch, perhaps starting with their frontline.

Whilst Thierno Barry is beginning to show glimpses of his quality, he remains without a goal after securing a £27m move from Villarreal in the summer. As such, Everton have reportedly set their sights on signing Franculino Dju ahead of Bayern Munuch.

Then comes the task of adding to Moyes’ backline and that has reportedly seen club chiefs turn their focus towards welcoming impressive Real Betis centre-back Natan.

Everton join race to sign Natan

As reported in Spain, Everton are now ready to compete in the race to sign Natan against both Leeds United and Juventus. The Real Betis defender has impressed in La Liga this season and is set to cost any potential suitor around €40m (£35m) in the January transfer window.

Dubbed a “physical” centre-back by Como scout Ben Mattinson, the South American has already played in Italy with Napoli and Spain with Real Betis. Now, a Premier League move could be calling, as Everton and Leeds do battle for his signature.

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The Toffees could look to re-sign one of their former players and have several formulas ready to acquire him.

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Standing at 6’2, the 24-year-old would certainly fit the part at Everton, who have a number of aerial dominators in Moyes’ backline as it is. There’s every chance that Natan would receive the game time that he’s after, too, given that Jarrad Branthwaite continues to struggle with injuries.

If the Toffees are to push into the European places this season then further investment will be the key. Whether it’s Natan, Gallagher or Dju in January, Friedkin would be wise to repeat their summer work and add quality in depth to Moyes’ side this winter.

Everton eyeing up move to sign former-Liverpool star who's been "fantastic"

Bruno Fernandes has been accused of playing out of his usual position because he wants to do "too much" as Manchester United captain. Former United defender Patrice Evra said Fernandes had carried United on his back in recent years with the numbers of goals and assists he has contributed to the Red Devils but he believes he could do with exerting more control on the team.

• Fernandes having mixed season with Man Utd

  Fernandes rejected a highly-lucrative offer from Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in the summer to stay at United but has experienced mixed fortunes in a hit-and-miss season for the Red Devils. Fernandes has contributed to 10 of the team's 26 goals in the Premier League, scoring twice and getting an assist in their last game against Wolves. 

  The captain, however, has been blamed for United's inconsistent results such as losing at home to 10-man Everton and failing to beat a poor West Ham side in the last three weeks, having pulled off impressive wins over the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea and Crystal Palace.

  And former United left-back Evra said Fernandes' tendency to play all over the pitch rather than focus on his central midfield role is preventing him from controlling the team's play as he should.

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  Evra: Hard to tell where Fernandes is playing

  Evra told GOAL, via : "It’s always sensitive to talk about Bruno. It depends what people call a real captain. With a captain, sometimes you can have someone like Roy Keane or a different one. Bruno is giving assists and scoring goals, this has never been the issue. The issue for me is for him to control the team and the tempo when he gets the ball.

  "You couldn't tell me where he's playing because he's everywhere. So sometimes maybe as a captain, you want to do extra, you want to do too much. And at the end, you're not even at your right position. But United wouldn't be where they are in the table if Bruno wasn't playing."

• Evra: Maguire a better player since losing captaincy

  Evra said he has no issues with Fernandes being United's skipper. But he noted how Harry Maguire had a burden lifted from him when he had the captaincy taken off him by Erik ten Hag in 2023. Maguire – who is currently out injured – has changed the narrative around him in the last two seasons with much-improved performances in defence, proving well-suited to Amorim's back three. 

  He has scored six goals since the start of last season, including handing United their first victory at Anfield in 10 seasons and grabbing the famous last-gasp winner against Lyon in the Europa League. 

  Evra explained: "I don't question the fact about Bruno being a captain – he deserves to be captain because Amorim has chosen him. Look at what's happening to Maguire. They got rid of the armband and he now plays like a United player. You saw how people were bullying him on social media or whatever. But he said, I'm staying here."

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  United can't afford to not return to UCL

  United climbed into sixth place in the Premier League after beating Wolves and the challenge is to move into the top four and return to the Champions League after a two-year absence. Evra said United should have no excuse for not qualifying for Europe's top competition, which they did in all but one of his nine seasons at Old Trafford as a player.

  "Under the previous manager, we won the FA Cup and EFL Cup, but you lose a lot by not being in the Champions League," Evra said. "It’s going to be tough. You’ve got Arsenal, City, Chelsea and Aston Villa giving it a real go. If United do not finish in the top four then it’ll be a massive disappointment – a failure. 

  "When I played for United, the goal was winning four trophies per season and now we’re talking about qualifying for the Champions League. Our wages went down by 30 per cent if we didn’t qualify for the Champions League, but we never had that issue."

There are set to be at least five seasons and it will be the first professional women’s cricket event in Saudi Arabia

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2025FairBreak and Saudi Cricket have announced a five-year partnership to host the Women’s World T20 Challenge in Saudi Arabia from 2026. It is set to be the first professional women’s cricket event in Saudi Arabia. Saudi Cricket and FairBreak said in a release that the competition will feature players from more than 35 countries.FairBreak is a private company founded in 2013 that aims to improve gender equality in sport and previously hosted the FairBreak Global Invitational T20 in 2022 and 2023 in Dubai and Hong Kong respectively. A third edition was planned in 2023 in the USA but it was initially postponed to 2024 and eventually didn’t come to fruition.The FairBreak Invitational was fully sanctioned by the ICC and had six teams. It featured international stars like Chamari Athapaththu, Sophie Ecclestone, Laura Wolvaardt and Marizanne Kapp among others. However, the BCCI did not give No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the Indian players. It is also unclear as of now if any Indian players will feature in the new T20 tournament.The announcement said new T20 league is “in alignment with the ambitions of Saudi Vision 2030” and among its objectives are to develop women’s cricket talent through structured training programmes and pathways, to raise public awareness and inspire the next generation of players, to enhance international collaboration, and to bring in players from more than 35 countries.The Women’s World T20 Challenge will see Saudi Arabia increase its presence on the cricket map. The IPL auction was held in Jeddah in 2024 and the country was also poised to back a new Grand-Slam-style circuit of T20 tournaments. Saudi Arabia is also set to host some games in the future seasons of the ILT20.

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