Manchester United are reportedly putting contingency plans in place should they sell one star this summer

Manchester United could save millions of pounds in the transfer market with a swoop for former Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic this summer. United have reportedly placed the 26-year-old on their transfer wishlist, along with Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins should they try to sign a new striker.

United have invested heavily in their forward line in recent years, with Benjamin Sesko, Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Joshua Zirkzee all moving to Old Trafford for considerable fees. However, United could revamp their front line again this summer, with ongoing uncertainty around Zirkzee’s future at the club.

The Dutch striker has struggled for consistency since his move to the club from Bologna, with Michael Carrick’s side preparing for a return to the Champions League. Several clubs are reportedly keen on signing Zirzkee, with Juventus, Roma and Como all believed to be keen.

All three clubs are said to be pushing for a loan arrangement, with either an obligation or option to buy included, despite United’s preference for an outright sale. If Zirkzee is sold before the deadline, United could move to bring in a new frontman.

It’s claimed by i News that Vlahovic, who is now a free agent after leaving Juventus earlier this summer, and Aston Villa’s Watkins are amongst the names under consideration. Vlahovic, of course, wouldn’t require a transfer fee.

Vlahovic’s contract in Turin expired earlier this summer and he’s already been connected to several clubs, including Barcelona. Turkish side Besiktas were also one of them, though that prospect now appears to have faded.

“Regarding Vlahovic, since the player is a free agent, the matter is in his hands,” Besiktas director of sport Onder Ozer admitted previously. “If he prefers one of the major five leagues, then Turkiye isn’t one of them. If an opportunity does arise for Vlahovic, then of course we would want to evaluate it as a club.

“He had the best season of his career with Vincenzo Italiano at Fiorentina and the coach still occasionally speaks with him. He has great respect for the coach.

“There is surely a desire to work with him again, but the priority for players isn’t choosing a coach, it’s choosing a contract. I imagine Vlahovic is expecting a big contract and a team competing in the Champions League.”

Former Fiorentina and Italy head coach Cesare Prandelli rated Vlahovic as one ‘one of the best strikers in Europe’ when asked about the Serbian striker.

“For me, he’s a champion,” he said in an interview with Tuttosport in September. “I’d like him to score even more goals: he’s one of the best strikers in Europe.

“But he shouldn’t shy away from the attack: there’s no point in asking him to link the play or contribute to the play.”

Watkins, meanwhile, has been frequently linked with a move to Old Trafford, though Villa are anticipated to demand a substantial fee for the England international, especially following the sale of Morgan Rogers to Chelsea.

At present, neither Vlahovic nor Watkins are being actively targeted, at least while Zirkzee remains at the club. However, this could shift quickly should the former Bayern Munich and Bologna player edge closer to leaving.

Zirkzee arrived at United in a £36.5m transfer two years ago, but has netted only nine goals since then.

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Training Camp has arrived, with this year’s rookies, the quarterbacks, and selected veterans the first to return to the Twin Cities. It is a big moment for this year’s Vikings rookies as they look to fulfill the dream and secure a place on the Vikings’ final roster.

Vikings Rookies to Look Out for in Training Camp

There will be a lot to unpack over the course of training camp as players battle for their place on the roster. This article aims to focus on this year’s Vikings rookies, which ones to keep a particular eye on, and why. We have a mix of early-round draft picks all the way to some potential undrafted gems.

Caleb Banks (Defensive Tackle)

There is only one place to start: the 2026 first-round pick.

Selected with the 18th overall pick, Caleb Banks presents a risky choice for Minnesota. The talent isn’t in question but after turning heads in the scouting combine it was revealed he had suffered a new foot injury – one that had already caused him to miss much of the 2025 college season. His draft stock quickly tumbled from first-round potential to being seen as a Day 2 prospect.

Minnesota decided to gamble on his talent and all signs point to his inclusion at training camp. Seeing Banks out on the field this early would be a boost and should give Vikings fans excitement that he can be ready to show off his talents come the start of the season.

Domonique Orange (Nose Tackle)

Minnesota doubled down on big defenders in this year’s draft when they selected Domonique Orange in the third round. With the nickname Big Citrus, Orange profiles as a true run-stuffer with the potential to start at nose tackle.

Standing in Orange’s way is Levi Drake Rodriguez, a seventh-round pick who proved himself a solid depth player in his second season with the Vikings in 2025. Orange should have the credentials to beat him out if he can adapt quickly to life in the pro ranks and prove his game-readiness as a rookie to defensive coordinator Brian Flores.

The Rodriguez and Orange battle could be one of the most intriguing of the preseason.

Jake Golday (Linebacker)

In between the two big defensive linemen the Vikings selected linebacker Jake Golday with their second-round pick. There has been discussion over Golday’s position, notably whether he’s a true off-ball linebacker or whether he could play from the edge. Given the way Flores likes versatility in his players – see Andrew Van Ginkel and Josh Metellus – it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Golday lining up in various spots.

With the potential of Golday, Van Ginkel, Metellus, and new signing Jamal Adams lining up together, Flores could have fun making offenses try to figure out who is playing where. That makes Golday a dream player for the Vikings DC and someone to keep a close eye on in training camp to see him develop.

Dillon Bell (Wide Receiver)

Undrafted rookies making the final roster was a theme of the Kwesi Adofo-Mensah era. Will that be the same now that Nolan Teasley is the general manager? The best chance seems to come in the form of Dillon Bell who has been creating some hype already.

He’s being likened to former Viking Percy Harvin with his versatile skill set and ability to make things happen once the ball is in his hands. Whether Bell can make a play for a 53-man roster spot is a story worth following. It will be tough with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison,  and Jauan Jennings locking up the top three places on the depth chart. It leaves Bell trying to beat out Tai Felton and Myles Price on the WR depth chart, with the latter having punt/kick return ability on their side.

Demond Claiborne (Running Back)

I (like most people) expected the Vikings to do something to address a running back situation that hasn’t been great in recent seasons.

Minnesota waited until the sixth round of the draft to bring in Demond Claiborne. On the surface, that doesn’t appear much of a threat to Aaron Jones or Jordan Mason. However, the trend in recent years has been to draft RBs later, and some good ones have come out of the mid-to-late rounds.

Claiborne brings 4.37 speed to the Vikings’ offense; it’s up to him to use that asset to carve out a role in Kevin O’Connell’s offense.

Max Bredeson (Fullback)

When O’Connell became the Vikings head coach there was an expectation he would do away with the fullback position that his predecessor Mike Zimmer had valued so highly. Instead, O’Connell embraced CJ Ham and found a role for him in his offense while keeping a team captain and special teams contributor on the roster.

Ham has now retired but it appears that the fullback position lives on in Minnesota with fifth-round rookie Max Bredeson. While Bredeson is set to succeed Ham, he is a very different player. He was a tight end in college and never attempted a single rushing attempt. Training camp will give us the first look at how O’Connell plans to use Bredeson.

Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.

Following another encouraging day at the Games, the Indian contingent will aim to maintain its momentum as weightlifting, athletics and para athletics present fresh medal opportunities, while a strong boxing contingent will fight for places in the semifinals and guaranteed medals. Swimmers Sajan Prakash and Aneesh S Gowda will also be in action, hoping to progress from the heats to the evening finals.

Weightlifting presents another medal opportunity

India’s medal campaign begins with Sanjana competing in the women’s 77kg final. The Indian lifter will be aiming to continue the country’s impressive performances on the weightlifting platform and add another medal to the tally. 

Athletics targets podium finishes

India will have a busy day on the track and in the field with qualification rounds and multiple medal events.

Tajinderpal Singh Toor and Samardeep Singh Gill will compete in the men’s shot put qualification, while Animesh Kujur lines up in the men’s 200m heats. Yashas Palaksha and Santhosh Kumar Thamilarasan will also begin their campaigns in the men’s 400m hurdles heats.

India’s biggest athletics medal hopes rest on Sreeshankar Murali and Lokesh Satyanathan in the men’s long jump final, Manpreet Kaur in the women’s shot put final, and Parul Choudhary in the women’s 3000m steeplechase final.

Five Indian boxers chase guaranteed medals

India will have another strong day in boxing, with six quarterfinal bouts on the schedule. Victory in each contest will assure the boxer of at least a bronze medal.

Sakshi Choudhary takes on Northern Ireland’s Caitlin Fryers in the women’s 51kg division, while Arundhati Choudhary faces New Zealand’s Morgan Henderson in the women’s 70kg quarterfinal.

Sachin Siwach meets Botswana’s Treasure Moremi in the men’s 60kg contest before Ankush Yadav faces Seychelles’ Jade Micock in the men’s 80kg category. Narender Berwal rounds off the evening session against Samoa’s Michael Seko in the men’s 90+kg quarterfinal, while Jaismine Lamboria takes on England’s Elise Glynn in the women’s 57kg quarterfinal later in the night.

Swimmers eye finals

India’s swimming campaign will feature Sajan Prakash and Aneesh S Gowda in the men’s 200m freestyle heats.

Should either swimmer qualify, they will return later in the night for the medal race. Aryan Nehra will also compete in the men’s 1500m freestyle final, where he will look to challenge for a podium finish.

Para swimming and para athletics offer medal hopes

India will also have representation in para swimming as Suyash Narayan Jadhav and Chaitanya Vishwas Kulkarni compete in the men’s 50m freestyle S7 heats.

If they progress, they will return for the final later in the night.

In para athletics, Devender Kumar and Sagar Thayat will compete in the men’s discus throw F42-44/F61-64 final, while Mohammed Basil M and Dilip Mahadu Gavit will contest the men’s 100m T47 final, giving India two more medal opportunities.

Bowls campaign continues

India’s bowls challenge will continue with Dinesh Kumar and Navneet Singh facing Namibia in the men’s pairs sectional play, while Nayanmoni Saikia takes on Caroline Whitehead of the Isle of Man in the women’s singles sectional play.

India schedule: Commonwealth Games 2026 Day 6 (July 29)

Commonwealth Games 2026 Day 6: Live streaming and telecast details

What time do India’s events start on Day 6 of the Commonwealth Games 2026?

India will begin its Day 6 campaign at the Commonwealth Games 2026 with the women’s 77kg weightlifting final from 2:00 pm IST.

How many medal events will India take part in on Day 6 of the Commonwealth Games 2026?

India is scheduled to compete in eight confirmed medal events, with two additional medal opportunities in swimming and para swimming if the Indian athletes qualify from the heats.

Where to watch the live telecast of Day 6 events of the Commonwealth Games 2026 in India?

The live telecast of Day 6 events of the Commonwealth Games 2026 will be available on Sony Sports Network and DD National in India.

Where to watch the live streaming of Day 6 events of the Commonwealth Games 2026 in India?

The live streaming of Day 6 events of the Commonwealth Games 2026 will be available on the SonyLIV app and website in India.

The president of the Czech Football Association has backed Gianni Infantino’s controversial plan to sell stakes in the World Cup’s commercial rights.

After details of Infantino’s plan came to fruition on Tuesday, David Trunda told Sky News he can see the “positive impact” of the Fifa president’s plan.

For Uefa, European football’s governing body, Trunda’s comments are an early blow to their hopes of launching a member-wide boycott of Fifa competitions. In order for a boycott to take place, all 55 Uefa members would unanimously have to agree. A call to discuss the plans is scheduled for Thursday.

“I can see the pragmatic benefits for Czech football from working in close co-operation with [FIFA president] Gianni Infantino and his team,” Trunda told Sky.

“Of course we need more details, but my personal point of view is that I can see the positive impact of FIFA’s intentions.

“I was elected a little more than a year ago, and for me personally all the projects I have experienced in cooperation with FIFA have been very positive for the development of European football.”

At this early stage, Trunda’s remarks are an outlier, with other high-profile football associations such as the Danish and Romanian FAs condemning the plans and lack of transparency. The Czech FA will discuss the proposals at an executive meeting on 11 August.

Infantino’s plan promises windfalls of $40m for Fifa member associations – of which there are 211 – who sign up to the plan by 19 September. It gives members just 53 days to decide which direction they go down.

In a letter to the member associations, seen by The Independent, Infantino has promised that national federations would benefit from an increase of its ‘Fifa Forward’ funding from around $8m to $20m for the upcoming four-year cycle between 2027 and 2031 if the new FFE subsidiary is created.

Additionally, the letter states that a “one-off” payment of another $20m would be made available for member associations who vote for Infantino’s proposals on 19 September. In the letter, member associations are then warned that their funding for the 2027-2031 cycle would only stand at $10m if the vote does not pass, meaning they would miss out on $30m.

The member associations were also informed, via Fifa’s press release, that they could expect further increases in future cycles, rising to $24m by 2035 to 2038. Thrive Eternal, led Joshua Kushner, the brother of US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, are set to lead the new investment, which Fifa said could raise $4.2bn.

An English FA spokeswoman said: “We were completely unaware of this proposal and have no substantive details, including what the proposition actually is, and what conditions are attached.

“Based on the limited information, we are deeply concerned about the lack of process and governance to get to this point, and the apparent substance and principles involved.

“When the proposal is shared in the full and transparent way now promised by Fifa, we will make our views clear, and comment further.”

Uefa, ran by president Aleksander Ceferin, who does not see eye to eye with Infantino, released a strongly-worded statement on Tuesday.

“The soul and governance of football are not assets to trade – especially with zero transparency as to who gains financially,” it read. “None of us are the owners of football: it is not FIFA’s to sell.”

Jurrien Timber has travelled back to London from Arsenal‘s training camp in Spain in a move related to the groin injury that caused him to miss the end of last season.

The Netherlands international missed two months towards the end of last season because of an ankle injury, but returned in time for the Champions League final loss to Paris St-Germain.

However, a groin issue then caused him to miss the World Cup.

It is now understood that the right-back has returned to London from the Gunners’ training camp in Spain but sources insist the visit is part of his rehabilitation schedule and not because of a setback in his recovery.

Timber is expected to return to Spain to rejoin the squad.

Timber, the Gunners’ first-choice right-back, played 30 Premier League games as they won the title last season.

He joined Arsenal from Ajax in July 2023 for an initial fee of £34m, but missed most of his first season after tearing his anterior cruciate knee ligament.

Arsenal face Manchester City in the Community Shield on 16 August (15:00 BST), before beginning their Premier League title defence against promoted Coventry City on 21 August (20:00 BST).

Brendan Allen believes UFC middleweight champion Sean Strickland is a bad matchup for Nassourdine Imavov.

Imavov (17-4 MMA, 9-2 UFC) said he’s 100 percent confident that he’s next in line for a title shot against Strickland (31-7 MMA, 18-7 UFC). Imavov hasn’t lost a bout since dropping a five-round decision to Strickland in January 2023 – a fight which Strickland took on short notice at light heavyweight.

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Allen (27-7 MMA, 15-4 UFC), who also has a loss to Strickland, explained the difference between their short-notice fights.

“It was up at 205. I think Sean took it on Tuesday, but from what I understood from that one is Sean was out, he was chilling, that’s why it was at 205,” Allen told Submission Radio. “When I fought Sean, he had just fought two weeks before. So, he was still in really good shape. I was the one who didn’t want to make ’85 back to back. I didn’t know how my body would recover, so that’s why we fought at ’95, but he was still in really good shape. But with Imavov, I heard he’d been out. He was recovering, not really training super a lot.”

Despite the different circumstances that a rematch would take place in, Allen still sees Strickland getting the best of Imavov.

“It’s one of those things. Styles make fights,” Allen said. “I think Imavov is overall a better fighter, but maybe that style just gives him a little bit of a problem with how he leans and how he moves and things like that, and the pressure he’s going to try to put. I like Imavov. He’s a good guy. I have a lot of respect for him, but I just think that style is going to be hard. But if I’m pulling for someone, I’m going to pull for Imavov.”

This article originally appeared on MMA Junkie: Brendan Allen: Sean Strickland’s style tough for Nassourdine Imavov

Sakshi Chaudhary in action© Getty

Also in this edition:

In Italy, Roberto Mancini returns as national team manager. RC Lens are continuing their strong pre-season form. Bradley Barcola could be set to leave Paris Saint-Germain for Liverpool. In tennis, Arthur Fils is causing concern, while Adrian Mannarino is causing a surprise. In the NBA, Draymond Green has extended his contract with the Golden State Warriors.

The 2026 Kansas City Chiefs offense will be under a microscope as the unit hopes to make more explosive plays. Jon Gruden, known as an offensive-minded coach, weighed in on the team’s struggles in recent years.

“The standards on offense in Kansas City are sky high. They’ve always had very high standards. I got to sit there in training camp and watch them last year,” said Gruden. “In 2022, number one scoring offense, number one total offense, number one passing offense, but it’s been on a decline every year since. Take a look at it. They went from first to 15th, the 15th, 20-first last year. That’s not up to our standards in Kansas City in scoring.”

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Gruden was a special guest of head coach Andy Reid at Kansas City’s training camp practice sessions last year.