Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo is attracting interest, Kevin de Bruyne could be set for a move to Saudi Arabia, while Liverpool are hopeful of keeping Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo, 24, is attracting interest from Liverpool, Newcastle United and Tottenham after the Ghana attacker’s impressive start to the season. (Give Me Sport), external

Saudi club Al-Nassr are confident of signing Manchester City’s Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 33, when his contract expires at the end of the season. (Team Talk), external

Liverpool full-back Trent Alexander-Arnold, 26, could be convinced to run down his contract at Anfield to join Real Madrid on a free transfer by England team-mate Jude Bellingham. (Sun), external

Real Madrid are stepping up their interest in Alexander-Arnold but Liverpool are hopeful they can convince the 26-year-old to stay. (Football Insider), external

Liverpool have identified Eintracht Frankfurt’s Egypt forward Omar Marmoush, 25, and Borussia Dortmund’s Germany attacker Karim Adeyemi, 22, as potential replacements for Egypt winger Mohamed Salah, 32. (Sky Germany – in German), external

Manchester United’s hopes of signing Colombia midfielder Richard Rios have improved, with Palmeiras willing to consider selling the 24-year-old for 20m euros (£16.7m) in January. (Caught Offside), external

Arsenal and Manchester United are tracking Wigan Athletic’s 22-year-old English goalkeeper Sam Tickle as they look to bolster their goalkeeping options. (Team Talk), external

Southampton’s hierarchy are set to meet to discuss manager Russell Martin’s future at the club. (Football Insider), external

Paris St-Germain’s France striker Randal Kolo Muani, 25, could leave in January but the Ligue 1 champions want at least 70m euros (£59m) for him. (AS – in Spanish), external

Bayer Leverkusen and Germany forward Florian Wirtz, 21, is keen to join Bayern Munich next summer. (Sky Germany – in German), external

Newcastle United are continuing to monitor Lille’s Canada striker Jonathan David, 24, as a potential January transfer target. (Football Insider), external

Hugo Viana, director of football at Portuguese side Sporting, is Manchester City’s favoured candidate to replace the outgoing Txiki Begiristain in the same role at the Premier League champions. (Fabrizio Romano), external

If flyweight champion Alexandre Pantoja is looking for fresh competition to defend his title against, Tatsuro Taira thinks he will have the strongest case.

Undefeated Japanese sensation Taira (16-0 MMA, 6-0 UFC) will look to put his resume over the top for a crack at the 125-pound belt when he takes on Brandon Royval (16-7 MMA, 6-3 UFC) in Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 244 main event, which takes place at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas (ESPN+).

Pantoja has already beaten the majority of the top-ranked contenders in the division, and some of them twice over. There’s only a few new matchups for the champ, and Taira is one of them if he gets through Royval.

Amir Albazi would have a case if he beats Brandon Moreno in the UFC Fight Night 245 main event on Nov. 2. Former RIZIN FF champ Kai Asakura has also been rumored for a crack at gold in his promotional debut. Nothing is seemingly set in stone, though, and Taira aims to show the promotion he’s the guy.

“I’m very excited to see the Albazi vs. Moreno fight,” Taira told MMA Junkie through an interpreter on Tuesday. “Of course,  I’m looking forward to Kai Asakura, how he can do as well. But just thinking of the results and records that I have in UFC, I’ve been the one who has been consistently winning and showing strength. I’m pretty sure I would belong as the next title contender.”

Taira made his octagon debut in May 2022 and has already rattled off six UFC wins, with four of those coming by stoppage. The 24-year-old has three Performance of the Night bonuses to boast, as well, and as a result has positioned himself for this breakthrough opportunity against Royval.

“I wouldn’t say (my rise up the division is happening) fast, but I would say it’s a good pace,” Taira said. “It’s been working well so far. I’m ranked No. 5 now and I definitely want to show the fans that I belong here and also I belong as a champion soon and become a very strong champion.”

Taira’s desire to become UFC champion is unwavering, and he said nothing has distracted his commitment to the sport. He is determined to keep his undefeated streak going for as long as possible, because the fear of losing is also a driving force.

“If I start thinking of losing and stuff, I do get kind of scared,” Taira said. “But once the fight is coming and I start focusing, I don’t really even think about my record. I just really focus on the fight. That’s how much I love MMA. I just want to keep winning.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC Fight Night 244.

Dustin Poirier is used to being a closing act in the UFC octagon, but on Monday night, he did so during the wildly popular Kill Tony comedy program.

During comedian William Montgomery’s set on the popular comedy show, hosted by Tony Hinchcliffe, he mentioned the former interim lightweight champion. He accused Poirier of talking trash about him and added that he could not stand the popular fighter.

As Montgomery’s voice got higher and higher, “The Diamond” showed up from the backstage area behind Montgomery on stage. After going nose-to-nose, the two hugged it out before simultaneously yelling, “We ain’t ever going to stop” to wide fanfare.

Watch the video of Poirier’s appearance above.

Poirier did his absolute best to put on a mean face, but you could tell he couldn’t hold his laughter back at moments before the friendly payoff.

Following a submission loss to lightweight champion Islam Makhachev at UFC 302 in June, Poirier hinted at retirement. Since then, Poirier has teased one more fight, which has yet to be announced.

Khalil Rountree left UFC 307 with some gruesome battle scars.

Rountree was badly beaten in his attempt to take the UFC light heavyweight title from Alex Pereira this past Saturday in the main event of the card in Salt Lake City. It was a Fight of the Night winning contest where both fighters dished out damage, but unfortunately for Rountree, he took most of it.

Apart from the regular bumps and bruises that come with most fights in the UFC, Rountree revealed he suffered a deviated septum, and already went through a painful procedure to address it.

“I don’t know what punch, but I know that last uppercut before the body shots definitely landed on my nose, but I already had felt some pain in my head,” Rountree told Kevin Iole. “It could’ve been from that, but after we got the scans and everything the night of the fight, yeah, the doctors saw that there was some slight fracturing and a severely deviated septum, so we went right ahead and corrected that as soon as I got home.

“Definitely the most uncomfortable, painful procedure I’ve ever had last night. It was the hardest sleep. My mouth is constantly dry and just a constant headache. Inside my nose, my nasal cavities right now are just stuffed with sponges and splints. It’s very, very uncomfortable.”

Rountree (13-6 MMA, 9-6 UFC) impressed many at UFC 307, as he fared well against Pereira (12-2 MMA, 9-1 UFC). He was up on all three judges’ scorecards prior to getting stopped in the fourth round. The two also put on one of the best UFC title fights of 2024.

For Rountree, there’s no second-guessing his career following the damage he sustained at UFC 307. It was all worth it.

“Every scar that I have, every bump, it’s all worth it,” Rountree said. “For me to have worked this hard to get to the point of fighting Alex in a main event for a title, everything that came with it was absolutely worth it. I wouldn’t change one thing.”

For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.

Palmer is the first Chelsea player to receive the recognition since Ashley Cole in 2010. Frank Lampard also won the award while at the Blues.

Arsenal’s Saka was named men’s player of the year in the past two seasons, while Harry Kane, Wayne Rooney and David Beckham are also past winners.

Past winners:

2023-24 – Cole Palmer (Chelsea)

2022-23 – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

2021-22 – Bukayo Saka (Arsenal)

2020-21 – Kalvin Phillips (Leeds)

2019 – Jordan Henderson (Liverpool)

2018 – Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

2017 – Harry Kane (Tottenham Hotspur)

2016 – Adam Lallana (Liverpool)

2015 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

2014 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

2012 – Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

2011 – Scott Parker (Tottenham Hotspur)

2010 – Ashley Cole (Chelsea)

2009 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

2008 – Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

2007 – Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

2006 – Owen Hargreaves (Bayern Munich)

2005 – Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

2004 – Frank Lampard (Chelsea)

2003 – David Beckham (Manchester United)

Artem Vakhitov has an opportunity to earn a UFC contract when he competes on The Contender Series on Oct. 8, but even before he sets foot in the octagon for the first time, he’s got light heavyweight champion Alex Pereira’s attention.

The former rivals who met twice in GLORY with Vakhitov holding the final win over Pereira before he left the promotion to sign with the UFC have already engaged in a war of words. With Vakhitov making his transition into MMA — with a 2-1 record, which is almost identical to Pereira when he joined the UFC roster — he’ll have plenty of eyes on him when he fights next Tuesday night.

While he still has to perform and impress the UFC executives in attendance to guarantee himself a contract, Vakhitov knows Pereira is already looking over his shoulder.

“I didn’t ask for any attention from him but he already knows he lost to me two times,” Vakhitov said about Pereira when speaking to MMA Fighting. “It’s worrying him a little bit.

“For sure for fans around the world, it’s very interesting. Let’s see for the future. I think we can do it.”

Much like Pereira signing with the UFC largely due to his wins over then champion Israel Adesanya in kickboxing, Vakhitov knows he’s got a leg up on the competition when it comes to a fast rise up the ranks.

Add to that, the 33-year-old Russian doesn’t believe there are many strikers even close to Pereira’s level on the feet, which is another reason why he wants to shake things up with his arrival.

“You see now that he is very easily beating all the guys now,” Vakhitov said. “For sure, they really needed some guy who can beat him in that striking style. I guess we will see who is the best striker very soon.”

Because he shares so much history with Pereira thanks to those back-to-back fights in 2021, Vakhitov competes on The Contender Series with a much brighter spotlight on him than the average prospect.

That might intimidate some fighters but don’t count Vakhitov among them.

“I’m not getting any pressure,” Vakhitov said. “I just have it in my own way. My aim and my focus is only on Dana White’s Contender Series for sure. If I will get Pereira in the future, I will show a great fight and let’s hope that will be meet soon in the octagon.

“I was thinking that I could get in the UFC directly without Dana White’s Contender Series but anyway it’s a very good chance for me. A great opportunity to get there. I will take this chance and for sure I will only show great fights in the future. I think it’s a very good opportunity for me.”

Beyond his training at home in Russia, Vakhitov has also spent significant time training at Kill Cliff FC in Florida, the same gym that houses notable UFC fighters such as Shavkat Rakhmonov, Gilbert Burns and Michael Chandler.

Making the move from kickboxing to MMA is never easy but Vakhitov believes he’s learned a lot already and he’s still adding more and more weapons to his arsenal everyday.

“From the beginning, I was starting to work on defense from takedowns, about things to help me defend from guys on the ground,” Vakhitov said. “I’ve got a few camps in Moscow and here in [Florida] so I’m already experienced and a lot of high level guys are training with us.

“It for sure helped me with the experience and I’m getting more into this stuff. It looks like the transition is going well and we are still working on it. Continuing to work on it.”

Assuming he wins next Tuesday and UFC CEO Dana White offers him a contract, Vakhitov doesn’t expect that he’ll just get handed a fight against Pereira right away.

Vakhitov has no problem earning the chance to face his old foe again but until then he’ll keep rooting for Pereira to hold onto his title — just like he did in his latest defense over Khalil Rountree at UFC 307.

“For sure [rooting] for Alex to win, it’s all I can wish for him,” Vakhitov said. “Just continue to win and I hope we will meet very soon. He just has to wait for me.”