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      Anthony Martial ‘agrees to transfer’ in U-turn after former Man Utd star turned down ‘biggest contract in club history’

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      ANTHONY MARTIAL has reportedly made a transfer U-turn in his search for a new club.The forward remains a free agent after leaving Manchester United when his contract expired at the end of June.Anthony Martial is set to complete a transfer U-turn in his search for a new clubCredit: PAHe had looked set to join Brazilian side Flamengo earlier this month only for the deal to fall through when the parties could not agree on contract length.A host of clubs have shown an interest in Martial since his Old Trafford exit, including Lille, Atalanta, Marseille and Besiktas.However, he now appears ready to join a team he previously snubbed the chance to sign for.According to Sport24, Martial has reached a verbal agreement with AEK Athens and final documents are now being exchanged.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLThe 28-year-old will pen a three-year deal with the Greek outfit worth £2.5million-per-season.His contract is said to be the most lucrative deal in the club’s 100-year history.Martial will join a host of former Premier League stars at AEK, with Erik Lamela, Nordin Amrabat and Roberto Pereyra already at the club.Meanwhile, the 13-time Greek champions currently top the Super League after making an unbeaten start to the new season.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALSThey are out of Europe, though, following a shock defeat to Armenian side Noah in Conference League qualifying.Martial will arrive off the back of a disappointing final season with the Red Devils.Man Utd fans all tell Antony to do the same thing as Ten Hag gives £86m flop Jadon Sancho-style dressing down Several injury layoffs, most notably following groin surgery in January, limited him to just 19 appearances.Overall, however, the Frenchman scored 90 goals in 317 appearances for United during his nine years in England.If his move to AEK is completed in time, he could make his debut away to Kallithea on Sunday night.Martial has been a free agent since leaving Manchester United earlier this summerCredit: Alamy More

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      Man Utd and West Ham on transfer red alert with Leon Goretzka ‘unhappy’ after Bayern Munich axe

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      BAYERN MUNICH have put a host of Premier League clubs on red alert by admitting that Leon Goretzka is “unhappy”.The 29-year-old German international midfielder has been brutally axed by new boss Vincent Kompany this term following the arrival of Joao Palhinha from Fulham.Leon Goretzka is unhappy at Bayern MunichCredit: GettyAnd his potential availability has put several clubs including Man Utd on alert over a transferCredit: GettyGoretzka has been at Bayern since 2018 and remains under contract until 2026 but he could be set to push for a move in January.He has played just one minute of competitive football under Kompany and failed to even make the bench for Saturday’s 6-1 victory over Holstein Kiel.Manchester United and West Ham have been long-term admirers of the experienced star.A host of other top-flight clubs would also be keen should Goretzka become available.READ MORE ON MAN UTDAnd the prospect of him departing Bayern appears to be very real as director of sport Max Eberl revealed how miserable the ex-Schalke man is.He said: “We communicated very clearly from the start.“Leon knew that we were relying on Pavlo [Aleksandar Pavlovic], and that we would bring in with Palhinha and that Josh [Kimmich] would play more in the centre again.”He added: “We’ve also said that when Leon is there and ready to face the situation, he’ll be treated completely normally.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERS“Leon’s a great guy. I like him a lot, even though he’s obviously upset at the moment. I understand that too. But that’s part of life in football.”Bayern know that his value will drop significantly once he enters the final 12 months of his contract in June.Manchester United vs SouthamptonThat means that they could look to push him out of the door in January with a potential loan-to-buy agreement.Although his £273,000-a-week wages could be an issue.Man Utd ratings vs Southampton as Onana saves a penalty and Rashford finally scoresMARCUS RASHFORD scored his first Premier League goal in 189 days as Manchester United cruised to a 3-0 victory at Southampton.The Red Devils got back to winning ways after suffering defeats in their last two Prem games, with Matthijs de Ligt notching his first Man Utd goal.But United had Andre Onana to thank as the keeper kept out Cameron Archer’s penalty at 0-0.Here’s how SunSport’s Charlie Wyett rated United’s stars…Andre Onana – 7Saved the penalty by Cameron Archer, albeit a poor one from the Southampton forward.But that stop and the stopped rebound proved to be absolutely crucial.Noussair Mazraouri – 7Needed treatment after falling awkwardly in the first half but that did not stop him from delivering a solid performance.Also got forward to good effect before being one of three United defenders to be subbed off.Matthijs De Ligt – 8Shaky start defensively but was unmarked to score from Bruno Fernandes cross to calm United’s nerves with the opener.He was delighted to get his first United goal and dedicated his celebration to his wife’s birthday today.Lisandro Martinez – 7Not been in great form so anything was an improvement – although Saints’ attack was toothless.Diogo Dalot – 5Suffered an absolute shocker of a first half courtesy of Southampton’s tricky wingers.Conceded the penalty after bringing down Tyler Dibling but was also constantly exposed throughout the half.Kobbie Mainoo – 6United continue to lean far too heavily on such a young player. And this defensive role does not really suit him.Christian Eriksen – 7A surprise starter although United’s two goals came from his corners.The system, though, still does not play to his strengths as he is too deep.Bruno Fernandes – 7Cracking corner cross ball from Eriksen who plonked the ball on the head of De Ligt.Amad Diallo – 7Looked lively throughout – really encouraging. Teed up Rashford for the second goal.Joshua Zirkzee – 6Forced a couple of saves by Aaron Ramsdale but does not look like a 25 goal-a-season striker.Marcus Rashford – 7Hopefully the second goal will give him a real confidence boost. Also forced a couple of saves from Aaron Ramsdale.SUBSGarnacho (for Rashford 73 mins) 7Was brutally fouled by Stephens who saw red shortly after coming on. Notched United’s third goal of the game in the final minute.He struck high into Ramsdale’s high corner after a brilliant ball from Casemiro.Manuel Ugarte (for Eriksen 73 mins) 6Harry Maguire (for Mazraouri 74 mins) 6Jonny Evans (for Martinez 77 mins) 6 More

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      Mikel Arteta reveals why it took him only TEN SECONDS to know for sure he had to bring Raheem Sterling to Arsenal

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      ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta revealed it only took 10 seconds to convince him to sign Raheem Sterling because he saw immense “hunger” in the ex-Chelsea star.Sterling, 29, joined the Gunners on loan from the Blues during the final hours of transfer deadline day last month after he fell out of favour at Stamford Bridge.Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta knew he should sign Raheem Sterling in just 10 secondsCredit: GettyArteta signed Sterling for Arsenal after seeing immense hunger in the wingerCredit: GettySterling joined Arsenal on loan from Chelsea on transfer deadline dayCredit: APThe winger and Arteta spoke on the phone and he knew almost right away that the Chelsea ace would be perfect for his squad.The Spanish tactician and Sterling worked together at Manchester City when the former was Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager.And the 42-year-old coach is adamant that a reunion at the Emirates will be successful because the England international “really wants it”.Arteta said: “The first call I had with him, I knew in the first 10 seconds we have to bring him because he really wanted it. Read More on Arsenal”That was my only question mark: ‘What stage is he at in his career?'”After 10 seconds, I knew already before the next questions that we needed him here.”What I see is hunger. He’s a player that wants to play every minute of every game.”You can feel it walking through the door. We are better with him. He’s going to make us better.”Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSSterling is in line for an Arsenal debut on Sunday in the North London Derby at Tottenham.Arteta will need the ex-Liverpool star to shine as he faces quite a few problems heading to the clash with Spurs.Raheem Sterling showing off skills in Arsenal training sessionThe Gunners will be without the suspended Declan Rice and the injured Mikel Merino, while captain Martin Odegaard and summer signing Riccardo Calafiori pose as doubts. More

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      Andros Townsend FINALLY completes surprise transfer days after admitting ‘I don’t know who owns me’ live on TV

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      ANDROS TOWNSEND has finally completed his surprise move to Turkish side Antalyaspor, just days after admitting “I don’t know who owns me.”The former Tottenham star was all smiles in his official presentation for the Super Lig side on Friday.Andros Townsend has finally joined AntalyasporCredit: Instagram / @antalyasporThe winger had been left in the dark over whether his move was going throughCredit: Instagram / @antalyasporHe posed in a club shirt while writing on social media: “A new chapter… can’t wait to get started.”And it marked the end of a long and arduous road for Townsend, who left relegated Luton for a challenge abroad.The winger penned a deal with Antalyaspor earlier in the summer.But they failed to conclude the move before a transfer ban came into effect.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLTownsend was left in limbo for several months as he trained alone, with Antalyaspor not even announcing his arrival — let alone registering him.Townsend was back home last weekend for England’s 2-0 win over the Republic of Ireland, commentating on the game for ITV.And live on air, he announced he had no idea if his contract with Antalyspor was ever going to be validated.He said: “I believe so (I have a contract). Anything other than that I have no club.Most read in FootballFOOTBALL FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS“It’s a crazy scenario, they have a transfer embargo so can’t announce or register me.“I’m not even sure if I’m contracted but here we are.”Football fans stunned as Premier League star Andros Townsend reveals he eats chicken feet for dinner every single night Townsend previously opened up on the move, adding: “[It’s] three days before the start of the season at Luton.”I get a call from Antalyaspor saying ‘We have an offer for you but you’ve got 24 hours to respond because we’ve got a transfer ban coming and we need to get you in before the transfer ban’.”So no time to think about it. I managed to negotiate to be involved in the first game for Luton, played 10 minutes in that, and then it was literally all signed, all done.”Then we missed the deadline by a couple of hours.”So the contract is signed with Antalyaspor, they can’t officially register me, they can’t announce me because they have a transfer ban.”So I’m literally just stuck in Antalyaspor just training. I don’t know who owns me. I don’t know where my contract is. So yeah, that’s me.” More

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      Eddie Howe reveals he HASN’T spoken to Paul Mitchell in bombshell admission after Newcastle chief slammed club strategy

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      EDDIE HOWE launched a passionate defence of his Newcastle signings after Paul Mitchell claimed there was “no clear strategy” regarding transfers previously.The Magpies boss also set alarm bells ringing by revealing the Toon chiefs have not spoken since last week’s bombshell interview as he addressed the internal “civil war” talk.Newcastle boss Eddie Howe revealed he hasn’t spoken to Paul MitchellCredit: GettyNewcastle sporting director Mitchell blamed transfer struggles on the previous regimeCredit: GettyNew sporting director Mitchell came in for fierce criticism after failing to deliver Marc Guehi or any other top outfield reinforcements in the summer after replacing Dan Ashworth.However, he pointed the finger of blame at Newcastle’s previous regime for their struggles in the last window and claimed the recruitment set-up he inherited was “not fit for purpose”.But Howe, who played a pivotal role in transforming the squad since taking over in November 2021, hit back and said: “I’m very, very proud of every single player that we signed in that period.“It’s easy to look back on any transfer window and make a judgement on the players that you signed three years down the line. Read More on Football”But, actually, you have to go back to the situation that we were in at those moments and when you’re in the relegation zone and trying to recruit players, that’s not an easy thing to do.“You are also recruiting for the long-term and not just the short-term and I think when you look then that work was good.“Our objective was to stay in the league, and I’m not going to critique every signing, but I’m proud of the body of work that we did and the players that we have now from the legacy of those transfers. I think everybody can hold their heads up very high.”As well as convincing Kieran Trippier to leave Atletico Madrid to help Toon fight relegation in his first season, Howe has also brought in a host of young and hungry talents such as Anthony Gordon, Alexander Isak and Bruno Guimaraes.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSAnd all of them will now be worth considerably more than they were signed for.Howe continued: “I’m very, very proud of those signings and I’ve said all along – and I don’t want to make it about old and new structure – but those signings I played a huge part in.Eddie Howe reveals best striker he’s ever worked with who’s scored 58 times this season while on £75-per-goal bonus“I took ownership of all those signings, whether they were good, bad, I’ll take ownership of that as ultimately I was the final decision maker on those signings.“I was very proud to sign those players and I think they’ve been brilliant signings for where we were and the very long-term future of the club and I really believed in them and still do. I’d certainly like to find a few more of them.“We were in a relegation battle so some of those signings were more short-term in that moment because you needed instant results, relegation wasn’t something we could contemplate.“But, always in the back of my mind with every signing I make, it is always about can they impact the team now and impact the team in the right way in the future.“The key thing now is the future and I’m sure we can get future transfer windows right as ultimately that is the most important thing at any club because to be successful you have to recruit well.”Mitchell also claimed that Howe had played more of a supporting role over the past window than the leading one he had previous, to which the Newcastle boss responded: “I don’t think it’s right for me to make individual comments in reply to Paul’s.“I don’t think that will help our current situation and for me I’m just focusing on the future.”’No contact’Mitchell also said he and Howe spoke for “an hour on the phone” each night, but the latter revealed that the pair have not had any contact since the former’s interview.“I’ve had no contact from Paul,” said Howe. “But I don’t think that is unusual. We’ve got different jobs to do, I’m focusing on the football and the team and he’s focusing on his role.”When pressed on why Mitchell went public with his “not fit for purpose” remarks, Howe replied: “That’s for Paul to answer, I don’t think I can answer for him.“The scouting structure was there, and whatever you think about the structures, the results were very good.”Howe was given the opportunity to respond directly and publicly to the criticism, but stated that “it wasn’t the time or place” to do that.As for rumours regarding internal problems between him and Mitchell, Howe said: “As for civil war stuff, absolutely not in my experience.No ‘civil war’ “But I’m cocooned in my work and absolutely focused on the players and the training and that is what I do every single day that I’m here.“I don’t involve myself in politics. For me, this job is very much about the players that we do have and trying to make the supporters proud every time that we play.“Everything else around that I try not to get involved in.”When asked to rate his “bromance” with Mitchell, Howe said: “I don’t really understand the fascination with our bromance and I don’t think that it has to be that way.“I think it has to be a collaboration and sometimes there are moments – I fall out with Jason [Tindall] a lot and that’s probably the closest bromance I have at the club.READ MORE SUN STORIES“We have healthy debate and argument and that’s never been a problem as long as it’s respectful and for the greater cause, which is always the football club and to try and get results.“There is no issue with that but I think that the collaboration part is the most important thing and it’s got to be teamwork for the ultimate aim.” More

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      Man Utd could have got £500m for Cristiano Ronaldo and that would have been CHEAP, says man who took his number

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      MANCHESTER UNITED could have sold Cristiano Ronaldo for more than £500million when he left the club, Michael Owen has claimed.The Portuguese legend, 39, departed Old Trafford for £80m in 2009 when he joined Real Madrid.Cristiano Ronaldo left Manchester United for £80million in 2009Credit: News Group Newspapers LtdMichael Owen became Man Utd’s new No7 following Ronaldo’s departureCredit: PA:Empics SportHe had scored 118 goals in 292 games for the Red Devils, winning a host of trophies including three Premier League titles and the Champions League.Ronaldo also moved to Spain as a Ballon d’Or winner having collected the 2008 award ahead of Lionel Messi and Fernando Torres.England striker Owen, 44, took the No7 shirt at Man Utd following Ronaldo’s exit having joined in the same summer transfer window.He would go on to score 17 goals in 52 games, struggling to fill the huge shoes of his predecessor.READ MORE ON MAN UTDMeanwhile, Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 matches for Real Madrid across a nine-year spell that solidified him as one of the all-time greats.Now Owen has spoken about the price Ronaldo left Man Utd for and how it should have far exceeded the £200m mark set by Neymar – despite the Portuguese superstar’s move happening 15 years ago.Speaking to Genting Casino, he said: “If you look at the transfer record now of over £200million, you’d have to say that Cristiano Ronaldo was worth more than that at Manchester United.”In hindsight, for what he gives you, look at the amount of Champions League medals he’s going to pretty much win you single-handedly, for the amount of shirts and the publicity and the merchandise around the world that he’s going to sell.”Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO WELCOME OFFERSHe continued: “In hindsight, I think £500m would be cheap. You could even double that if you look at the goals, the trophies, the shirts, and how much the clubs have benefited from having him there.”Since he played for Real Madrid they’ve thrown hundreds and hundreds of millions on the new stadium, they are in a great financial position.Cristiano Ronaldo and Rio Ferdinand in hysterics as they remember Man Utd nicknames from ‘Shrek’ and ‘SatNav’ to ‘J-Lo'”They’re paying all this money to Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham – a lot of this will have been off the back of the success of Cristiano Ronaldo.”How he’s grown their brand, how he’s won them trophies and made them all this money.”So I guess if you’d said to them at that point how much he would give you for nine seasons, they might say yes to a billion pounds, forget about £80m. £500m would be cheap.”Owen also opened up about how he felt replacing Ronaldo – who returned for a second spell at the club in 2021.He added: “I think because I was at that stage of my career I didn’t feel any pressure in taking Cristiano Ronaldo’s shirt number and that’s what Sir Alex Ferguson said to me.”He said to me when he handed me the number because I had pretty much been there, seen it, done it and played for great teams under the biggest of pressures and won the biggest of trophies. “It was probably in safe hands. I wasn’t going to go into a nightclub and do anything stupid or be disrespectful to the shirt in any way.”I was a pro and people knew my character and knew that it was in safe hands. There also wasn’t the expectation of matching his 40 goals because I was coming to the end of my career.”But I think from the manager’s point of view, he wanted it represented really well. When you look at the players that have worn it in the past, then he wanted it in safe hands and I would like to think I treated it with a lot of respect and that was probably the reason. “I’ve had a bad back since wearing that with the weight of it! But no, on a serious note, it was a huge honour at the time to be offered. And I was definitely not going to say no.”READ MORE SUN STORIESRonaldo recently criticised Man Utd’s ambitions under Erik ten Hag, insisting they need to “rebuild everything”.Ten Hag responded by saying the Al-Nassr forward is “far away in Saudi”. More

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      Arsenal ‘snubbed chance to sign Victor Osimhen after Gunners placed price cap on new striker transfer’

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      ARSENAL turned down the opportunity to sign star striker Victor Osimhen in the summer because they thought he was too expensive.Osimhen, 25, has put the whole world on notice the last four years thanks to some stunning performances with Napoli whom he led to their first Serie A title in 33 years.Arsenal turned down the opportunity to sign Victor Osimhen in the summerCredit: RexArsenal opted against Osimhen because of his staggering release clauseCredit: GettyThe Nigeria international attracted immense interest this past summer transfer window and came close to Chelsea who made him their top target.The Blues made a final bid in the dying hours of the transfer market last month but did not hear back from the centre-forward, while there were even reports of club chiefs flying to Naples to hold talks.Osimhen ended up moving to Galatasaray on loan much to the surprise of everyone after he fell out of favour in Naples and new manager Antonio Conte gave his shirt number to Romelu Lukaku.According to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano, Arsenal also had the chance to land the Nigerian.Read More on ArsenalHowever, the Gunners opted against meeting his staggering release clause, which is said to have cost £109million.The North Londoners also decided against going for a striker altogether with manager Mikel Arteta placing his faith on Kai Havertz as a false nine.That is despite Eddie Nketiah moving to Crystal Palace and Gabriel Jesus still dealing with fitness issues.Arsenal looked determined to land a centre-forward from the top shelf in the early days of the summer transfer window.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSArteta’s side was strongly linked with the likes of Victor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko.But Gyokeres and Sesko ultimately stayed put at Sporting Lisbon and RB Leipzig respectively.How superstar Mikel Merino is the final piece of Arsenal’s jigsaw – City should watch outAccording to The Times, however, Arteta looks set to sign a star forward in the next two transfer windows after penning a new deal at the Emirates which ties him until 2027.That could see Arsenal going back for Sesko, while Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams and Bayern Munich ace Jamal Musiala have also been linked. More

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      Unemployed ex-Premier League star, 35, lined up for Serie A transfer after leaving old club four games after signing

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      A FORMER Tottenham star is reportedly being lined up for a move to Italy.The 35-year-old is looking for a new club after being made a free agent by Croatian outfit Hadjuk Split.The player left Spurs in the summerCredit: GettyHe joined Hajduk last January on loan from Spurs, before ripping up his contract in north London to make the move permanent this summer.But after playing just four games as a permanent addition to his hometown club, he was cut loose following a fallout with new boss Gennaro Gattuso last month.Now he is searching for a new club after being left in limbo, and it looks like a return to Serie A could be on the cards.According to reports, Monza are looking to sign the experienced star as they search for a new full-back.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLMonzas boss Alessandro Nesta is said to be keen to bring in a new left-back with his side yet to win a league game this season.And according to Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, Monza chairman Adriano Gallini is “dreaming” of signing the player to fill the void.However, it’s also claimed that the former World Cup finalist is hesitating over the move.136-time Croatia international Ivan Perisic previously played in Serie A for Inter Milan – winning the Scudetto with the Italian giants in the 2020/21 season.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BET SIGN UP OFFERS FOR UK BOOKMAKERSPerisic joined Spurs from the Inter in 2022 with the club managed by Antonio Conte at the time.But the arrival of Ange Postecoglou at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium ultimately saw the veteran lose his place in the side and join a number of high-profile players in mass exodus from the club.Perisic left Spurs having made 50 appearances and scored one goal.Premier League stadium given subtle makeover during international break More