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Nottingham Forest have “sealed” the signings of two players from the same club, according to an exciting new update from journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Nottingham Forest raid South America in transfer market

After a fantastic 2024/25 season in the Premier League, in which the Reds exceeded all expectations and finished seventh in the table, it’s now a case of building on that success and making Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad even stronger moving forward.

Further signings will be needed, albeit ensuring they keep in line with financial rules at the same time, and Cruzeiro striker Kaio Jorge has been linked with a summer move to the City Ground. The Brazilian has scored 17 goals in 41 appearances for his current club, highlighting the quality he could bring to Forest in the final third.

Another South American attacker, Goztepe’s Romulo Cardoso, has also been mentioned as a possible addition for the Reds before next season gets underway, with the club seemingly feeling that added firepower is needed, especially if Chris Wood fails to hit the same level as he did last term.

The summer transfer window may still be in its infancy this year, but Forest are already acting fast, with two different players now reportedly all but confirmed as new additions.

Nottingham Forest seal double signing

According to a key update from the renowned Romano on X, Nottingham Forest have “sealed” the double summer signing of Botafogo pair Igor Jesus and Jair Cunha.

Reds supporters will no doubt be buoyed by this news, with Nuno being backed in the transfer market by owner Evangelos Marinakis and being handed a couple of exciting signings in very different positions.

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ByTom Cunningham Jun 20, 2025

Jesus could be a fantastic addition to Forest’s attack, having scored one in four caps for Brazil and netted 43 times in 88 appearances for Saudi side Shabab Al-Ahli, also being described as a “special talent” by Bleacher Report.

Brazil

4

1

Shabab Al-Ahli

88

43

Botafogo

57

17

Coritiba FC

49

5

Meanwhile, Cunha is an exciting young centre-back with a bright future in the game, with scout Jacek Kulig describing the 20-year-old as an “intriguing” player who can become “top-class” in the future.

This business immediately strengthens Forest at both ends of the pitch, with Jesus and Cunha representing long-term signings who could mature into massive players at the City Ground as the year pass.

Football is built on gossamer-fine margins, and Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe will know that his side came within a whisker of failing to restore their place in the Champions League.

The Toon might have lost to Everton at St. James’ Park on the final day of the Premier League season, but Aston Villa also lost at Old Trafford, thus securing Newcastle’s place among Europe’s elite once again, having also won the Carabao Cup in March.

United won’t be losing Alexander Isak to a rival this summer, but with Callum Wilson at the end of his contract, a new striker is among the biggest priorities for the Tynesiders.

Newcastle leading race for new striker

Howe reportedly wanted his striker addition to be Ipswich Town’s Liam Delap, but he’s now set to join Chelsea for £30m.

However, PIF have found an alternative, and have even established the lead in the race.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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As per Italian outlet Calcio Mercato, Fiorentina’s Moise Kean may be on the move this summer, and Newcastle are said to be ‘very interested’ in signing him.

Kean, 25, has also been the subject of enquiries from Serie A champions Napoli, who are deliberating over whether to meet his €52m (about £44m) release clause, which will be active across the first two weeks of July.

Why Newcastle want Moise Kean

Kean flopped like a fish when last trying his skills on Premier League soil, only scoring twice across 32 games for Everton in England’s top flight.

However, he was young and Everton were turbulent. The Italy international re-joined Juventus from Goodison Park in a deal worth £25m (the same ballpark Everton initially paid). Now he is regarded as “the king of kings” for La Viola by those like reporter Mina Rzouki.

His rise has truly been something to behold, and if Kean can translate his sustained form over to Newcastle, he could become a force to be reckoned with, one who could even apply pressure on Isak.

Moise Kean – League Stats by Season (last 5 years)

Season

Apps

Goals

Assists

24/25 – Fiorentina

32

19

3

23/24 – Juventus

19

–

–

22/23 – Juventus

28

6

–

21/22 – Juventus

32

5

3

20/21 – PSG

26

13

–

20/21 – Everton

1

–

–

Stats via Transfermarkt

His stratospheric leap into rich form since moving to Florence has been a remarkable thing to witness, scoring 19 league goals last term, but it’s not Kean’s only weapon. As per FBref, he ranked among the top 12% of Serie A forwards this year for successful take-ons per 90.

There’s a power and purpose to his football that echoes Delap’s qualities, the English striker captivating so many suitors this season with his strength and confidence, hailed by Alan Shearer for being a “nuisance to play against.”

Kean, meanwhile, has been praised for his “scary” physical presence by reporter Carlo Garganese.

Newcastle must push hard to get this one done; across all competitions this season, Kean has posted 25 goals, even outscoring supposedly Manchester United-bound Bryan Mbeumo, who has indeed opted to sign for the Red Devils, rejecting Newcastle and more in the process.

Brentford’s Mbeumo, while not a striker, has been one of English football’s finest goalscorers this year, bagging 20 goals from 42 matches.

It’s clear: Newcastle must secure Kean’s signature. After all, they are already in the lead and were willing to spend on Delap. Here is the perfect alternative.

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Posts ByAngus Sinclair Jun 3, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur are now closely monitoring an “exceptional” attacking midfielder, who is also a target for Champions League semi-finalists Paris Saint-Germain, according to a report.

Spurs set sights on new midfielder

Tottenham have fallen way short of expectations in the Premier League this season, but they took a huge step towards Champions League qualification by progressing past Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League earlier this week.

With Ange Postecoglou’s side set to take on Bodo/Glimt in the semi-final, they should, on paper, stand a very good chance of going all the way in the competition, which would allow them to compete for some top players in the summer transfer window.

A new midfielder is of particular interest to Spurs, and they have recently been handed a boost in their pursuit of Frankfurt’s Hugo Larsson, with it being revealed the 20-year-old is privately considering a move to north London, despite interest from Manchester City.

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The Lilywhites want to hold discussions.

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Emilio Galantini

Apr 19, 2025

There appears to be a focus on youth ahead of the summer window, with it being revealed Tottenham are also keen on signing Sunderland starlet Jobe Bellingham, who could be available for around £20m.

A move for Bellingham wouldn’t break the bank, but there is another target on the shortlist who could also be available for a relatively low fee, with a report from Spain revealing Spurs are interested in signing FC Como’s Nico Paz.

Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain are also in the race for Paz, while Real Madrid hold a buy-back clause, which allows them to snap up their former player for just €9m (£8m), giving them an advantage over the other interested clubs.

That said, the Lilywhites are doing everything they can to win the race for the 20-year-old, whose market value could increase considerably, should he maintain his current levels of performance.

"Exceptional" Paz flourishing in the Serie A

The former Real Madrid man was unable to make the grade in La Liga, but he has flourished since making the move to Como last summer, picking up six goals and seven assists in 30 Serie A appearances.

It should be little surprise that the Spanish-born midfielder is performing very well in Italy, however, given that former Real Madrid man Toni Kroos spoke very highly of him during his time at the Bernabeu, saying: “This lad (Nico Paz) should be training with us every day because he’s exceptional.”

Not only that, but manager and fellow legendary midfielder Cesc Fabregas has also praised the Como star this season, saying: “Nico enjoys playing, he can play different roles and he is a very complete player.”

“I see a very, very big potential in him.”

As such, Paz could be a fantastic signing for Tottenham this summer, but it could be difficult to compete with Real Madrid, should the Spanish side formalise their interest.

After a very rare defeat last Sunday, can Celtic get their pursuit of yet another treble back on track?

Last time out, the Hoops were beaten by the side bottom of the Scottish Premiership for the first time in two decades, defeated 1-0 by struggling St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

This actually means Brendan Rodgers’ side have lost three of their last six Premiership fixtures, having only endured two defeats across their previous 46 league outings.

Nevertheless, this’ll merely delay the party, and a record-equalling 55th Scottish top-flight title could be secured as soon as this weekend, if Celtic are able to beat Kilmarnock in Saturday’s early kick, and then Rangers are beaten at Aberdeen 24 hours later.

Plenty of players are getting the plaudits for the Bhoys’ continued monopolisation of Scottish silverware, but one unsung hero is going under the radar, reminiscent of a fans’ favourite of yesteryear.

Aaron Mooy's Celtic career

Aaron Mooy only made 42 appearances for Celtic during one season in Glasgow, but he certainly left a lasting impression.

He arrived in July 2022, reuniting with Ange Postecoglou, who’d previously been his manager with the Socceroos, although there were question marks about this move, considering the Australian had made just 31 appearances during his two-year spell with Shanghai Port; Chinese football massively affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.

Eric Knott of Read Celtic described the signing as ‘underwhelming’, adding that the move ‘might not work out’, while Sean Martin of the Celtic Way did not believe the signing made sense.

On the contrary, Mooy proved to be an extremely useful addition, registering seven goals and 11 assists, that’s a goal involvement every 110 minutes on average.

Postecoglou stated there is “no doubting” Mooy’s quality but, after the manager departed for Tottenham, the midfielder announced his retirement from football, news incoming boss Rodgers said he was “disappointed” to learn, although this was “something we absolutely respect”.

So now, is a current Celtic midfielder having a similar impact, albeit a player they’ll hope to have around for longer than one season?

Celtic could now be brewing the next Mooy

After Hibernian had made four unsuccessful bids to sign him last summer, Celtic ultimately snapped up Dundee midfielder Luke McCowan on deadline day, paying £1m plus add-ons for his services.

Given that the Hoops had also just signed Arne Engles for a club-record fee, with Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate and Paulo Bernardo already in the squad, many questioned how much the 27-year-old would actually play.

Well, so far, this has been money well spent, with McCowan scoring six goals and accumulating seven assists in hoops, currently ranked joint-14th in this season’s Premiership for goal involvements.

His manager Rodgers labelled McCowan as “fantastic”, adding that he has been “absolutely first class”, while Michael Shearer of the Celts Are Here praised his ‘outstanding performances’.

So, let’s see how his statistics compare to Mooy’s from a couple of seasons ago.

Appearances

42

42

Minutes

1,983

1,987

Goals

9

7

Assists

13

11

Shots

49

20

Shot accuracy %

54.29%

60%

Chances created

35

36

Passing accuracy %

83.78

85.39%

Through balls

10

Zero

Duels won

81

49

Ball recoveries

103

95

Touches

1,320

1,245

In a near-identical number of minutes so far, McCowan – who writer Kai Watson lauded as “tenacious” – comes out on top when compares to Mooy for the vast majority of metrics.

The current Celtic star has registered more goals and assists this season, while also racking up higher numbers when it comes to shots and touches as well as defensive metrics such as duels won and ball recoveries.

Mooy did create one more chance and register a slightly higher passing accuracy, there’s still time for McCowan to change that of course, but all of this proves that the 27-year-old was an absolute bargain at only £1m.

Rarely-seen Celtic flop is fast becoming their new James McCarthy

The rarely-seen Celtic flop could end up becoming the new James McCarthy at Parkhead.

ByDan Emery Apr 10, 2025

Who will make the 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup? The deadline for selection is May 1

Sidharth Monga29-Apr-2024Don’t expect IPL form to play too much of a role when India’s selectors pick the 15-man squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup, the deadline for which is May 1.The selectors are unlikely to go for players who are unproven at international level even though a few of them have made heads turn with their hitting in IPL 2024. The one bolter that might have been picked got injured. Much like consumers of the sport and pundits, the team management and selectors are believed to have been excited about Mayank Yadav’s pace and accuracy. They would have likely punted on him, but his injury-prone body might have prevented that now.The IPL, though, has served to prove the fitness of Rishabh Pant, who had been out of cricket since his horrific car accident in December 2022. Sanju Samson, however, is likely to be the first-choice wicketkeeper as India need a spin-hitter to pair with their top three who tend to get stuck against spin. Also, Jitesh Sharma’s form hasn’t been great and KL Rahul has been batting at the top of the order, which is crowded already. The top four of captain Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav was more or less decided even before the IPL began.Hardik Pandya’s bowling fitness could be a cause for concern for the selectors. When fully fit and in form, Hardik does what nobody else can in the country: bowl medium-pace and hit in the middle order. As such, he should be a certain starter, but he has been bowling only about two overs a match in the IPL and his pace has been down too. He still has a month to get into proper bowling rhythm and justify keeping Shivam Dube or Rinku Singh out of the XI.If India are to take both Dube and Rinku to the T20 World Cup, they will have to leave out either a back-up wicketkeeper or a back-up bowler. It will likely come down to a shootout between Rinku and a back-up fast bowler. It would have helped if one of the top four could bowl or keep wicket, but India are stuck with a top order that is one-dimensional.The only way to accommodate the power-hitters is to drop one or two of the top four, but Rohit had already been confirmed as the captain by BCCI secretary Jay Shah earlier this year. Rohit, in turn, is believed to have asked for Kohli because of his temperament. Not that it would be an easy call for the selectors to take one and leave out the other: as we have maintained in these pages, it’s either both or none. Jaiswal is the only left-hand option in the top order, and Suryakumar is among the best T20 batters in the world.The IPL’s Impact Player rule will add to the frustration of the selectors as prospective allrounders have not been called upon to bowl at all. For Dube to edge out Hardik, he ideally should have bowled a little, but CSK have not needed him to because of the Impact Player. The same goes for Riyan Parag at Rajasthan Royals. The IPL teams have no incentive to develop allrounders. So even if the selectors wanted to take Dube as a seam-bowling allrounder, they have nothing to assess his bowling.Hardik Pandya hasn’t been impactful as a bowler in the IPL•BCCIAs of now, Ravindra Jadeja might edge out Axar Patel as the spin allrounder in the first XI, but Axar could make the squad as the back-up spinner, leaving Kuldeep Yadav as the only wristspinner in the squad of 15.Jasprit Bumrah’s fast-bowling partners remain difficult to identify in the absence of the injured Mohammed Shami. Arshdeep Singh is likely to be the left-arm quick because of his ability to move the new ball, but his form at the death hasn’t been great in the IPL. Avesh Khan is in the fray because of his height and ability to hit the surface and Mohammed Siraj is also in the mix even though his form has not been great for RCB.The fast bowlers other than Bumrah are not yet in stone. Mohsin Khan and Harshit Rana have impressed the decision-makers, but their fitness is not believed to be at its peak, which can be a risk in a World Cup.India’s likely T20 World Cup squadTop order: Rohit Sharma (capt), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar YadavMiddle and lower-middle order: Sanju Samson (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Axar Patel, Shivam Dube, Rinku SinghSpinners: Kuldeep YadavFast bowlers: Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan/Mohammed SirajOther contenders: KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Sandeep Sharma

Test your knowledge and memory as the India batter becomes the second cricketer to play 100 internationals in all three formats

Sreshth Shah28-Aug-2022

Somerset seamer attempting to add a yard of pace to further his Test case

Matt Roller15-Aug-2020At the end of last summer, Craig Overton spoke to Ed Smith, England’s national selector, and asked what he was doing wrong.Ever since he ran the drinks in an ODI series against New Zealand as a 21-year-old, Overton had been in and around England squads, Lions trips and pace-bowling programmes without ever quite nailing his place down. He finally made an international debut at Adelaide in 2017-18, claiming Steven Smith as his maiden Test wicket, but appearances remained fleeting.ALSO READ: Overton reminds England selectors of his talent for SomersetSo after being calling into the side for the fourth Ashes Test in Manchester last summer, before he was left out without a second thought in the fifth, Overton took matters into his own hands.”I’ve been involved a little bit, but it felt like I would play one match and then miss quite a few,” Overton says. “So I spoke to Ed after the Ashes, just to try and figure out ways of improving so that I can not only get in the side, but also stay there.”I want to be playing cricket for England as much as possible, not just the odd Test match, so it was a case of me trying to figure out what he believes I need to do to improve. He said they wanted me to bowl a little bit quicker without losing the accuracy that I have – that was the main thing.”I don’t think I’ll ever be a 90mph enforcer. If I bowl 81-82mph at the minute, it’s about trying to get to around 85-86mph and still have that level of control. If I can be in the mid-80s with the shape and control that I have, I’ll be in the game most of the time.”

An exhibition from Craig Overton this morning! Take a closer look at his new-ball spell

CC: @englandcricket #WeAreSomerset #WARvSOM pic.twitter.com/i5Or5tlpgh

— Somerset Cricket (@SomersetCCC) August 15, 2020