Archive January 30, 2026

Liverpool‘s Curtis Jones is attracting interest from Serie A side Inter Milan, while Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli could be on their way to La Liga. However, Joshua Zirkzee looks like he may now stay in the Premier League.

Inter Milan are in talks with Liverpool over a loan switch for midfielder Curtis Jones, 25, with an option to buy the England midfielder. (Fabrizio Romano)

Arsenal could offer Brazil forwards Gabriel Jesus, 28, and Gabriel Martinelli, 24, as part of the deal to sign Atletico Madrid and Argentina forward Julian Alvarez, 25. (Teamtalk)

Arsenal are also close to selling defender Oleksandr Zinchenko to Ajax. The 29-year-old Ukraine international joined Nottingham Forest on loan last summer but has only made four Premier League starts. (Athletic – subscription required)

Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest are exploring a deal to sign Manchester City‘s 33-year-old German goalkeeper Stefan Ortega, whose contract expires in the summer. (Florian Plettenberg – Sky Germany)

Everton midfielder Dwight McNeil, 26, is another option for Nottingham Forest, but the Toffees’ struggle to source a replacement for the Englishman may make a deal tricky. (Sky Sports)

Dutch forward Joshua Zirkzee, 24, wants to stay at Manchester United for the rest of the season, having been repeatedly linked with a move back to Italy with Roma interested. (Sun)

Argentine centre-half Lautaro Rivero, of River Plate, is being monitored by Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Strasbourg. The 22-year-old reportedly has an £86m release clause. (El Crack Deportivo – in Spanish)

Real Madrid are ready to cash in on France midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, with Arsenal and Liverpool keen on signing the 23-year-old. (Fichajes – in Spanish)

Aston Villa have received a loan bid from Hoffenheim for their Scotland Under-21 striker Rory Wilson, 20. (Sky Sports)

Wolves are interested in signing Scotland striker Che Adams, with the 29-year-old at Italian side Torino since leaving Southampton on a free transfer in the summer of 2024. (Talksport)

Karim Benzema is considering a return to Europe or finding a club in Major League Soccer after discussions over a new deal in Saudi Arabia turned sour. The 38-year-old former Real Madrid and France forward will be out of contract at Al-Ittihad in June. (ESPN)

Manchester City are considering bringing back Norway midfielder Sverre Nypan, 19, who is on loan at Middlesbrough, into their squad for the rest of the season. (Manchester Evening News)

Harlequins snatched a late bonus-point win over Trailfinders as the Premiership Women’s Rugby returned after a six-week break.

Trailfinders were leading 26-20 in the closing stages when Wales international Alex Callender, who was making her first start of the season after returning from injury, scored a late try, with Spain full-back Claudia Pena adding the conversion, to hand the visitors a 27-26 victory.

Aoife Wafer earlier scored a hat-trick of tries for Quins, who are now on a four-game unbeaten run and stay third in the PWR table on 28 points.

“This is huge for us, building that momemtum again,” Wafer, 22, said after the victory.

“We got a couple of wins pre-Christmas but every win is important pre the international break, it is all going to crucial.”

Wafer made her long-awaited Harlequins debut last month, having not featured since the World Cup in September when she played on despite breaking her collarbone and rupturing a medial collateral ligament in Ireland’s quarter-final defeat by France.

United Rugby Championship

Glasgow Warriors 31 (28)

Tries: Smith, Lancaster, Oguntibeju, McKay Cons: Lancaster 4 Pens: Lancaster

Munster 22 (5)

Glasgow Warriors maintained their spot at the top of the United Rugby Championship table with a bonus-point victory over Munster at Scotstoun.

Ollie Smith, Dan Lancaster, Jare Oguntibeju and Josh McKay scored tries to establish a commanding 28-5 half-time lead, with Ethan Coughlan responding for the visitors.

A wonder try from Dan Kelly gave Munster hope and further scores from Brian Gleeson and Diarmuid Kilgallen brought the visitors back within six points.

Lancaster knocked over a late penalty to halt the Munster fightback and ensure Glasgow made it nine straight wins in all competitions.

Munster had started on the front foot, banging on the Glasgow line but the home side struck with their first attack.

A sweeping move from deep set Smith free and while he appeared destined to be bundled into touch by two red jerseys, he somehow grounded the ball with an extraordinary finish before being forced out of play.

Fly-half Lancaster banged over a cracking touchline conversion in windy conditions, and less than a minute later he was converting his own try in front of the posts after intercepting a pass from opposite number Tony Butler.

Munster struck back in similar fashion, Coughlan reading Stafford McDowall’s wide pass to collect and score.

The frenetic pace slowed somewhat but with a strong wind at their backs, Warriors wanted to add to their lead before the break.

They hammered at the Munster line and eventually Oguntibeju was able to dive through a ruck to touch down.

Munster wing Thaakir Abrahams was sent to the bin for a cynical knock-on to halt a Glasgow attack.

The home side made their numerical advantage count – McKay gliding through a gaping hole to go over for the bonus-point try.

Angus Fraser and Seb Stephen both crossed for Glasgow, but both were denied after TMO interventions – Fraser adjudged to have been held up, and Stephen’s stunning solo effort ruled out for an earlier knock-on by Ben Afshar.

Kelly conjured a stunner of his own and this one did count. The Munster centre broke through off a first-phase scrum move from inside his own half and showed terrific pace to burn the cover defence on the outside to score.

For the first time in the contest, Warriors were wobbling and when they messed up a lineout near their own 22, Gleeson reacted first to gather and race away to score.

The pendulum had swung towards the Irish side and when Kilgallen crossed for their fourth try, it was a six-point game.

Glasgow Warriors: McKay; Rowe, McDowall (c), Yule, Smith; Lancaster, Afshar; Bhatti, Stephen, Walker, Craig, Oguntibeju, Ferrie, Fraser, Miller.

Replacements: Stewart, McBeth, Talakai, Cockburn, Vailanu, Duncan, Oliver, Urwin.

Munster Rugby: Haley; Abrahams, Daly, Kelly, Kilgallen; Butler, Coughlan; Wycherley, Barron (C), Jager, O’Connell, Wycherley, Edogbo, Quinn, Gleeson.

United Rugby Championship

Benetton (13) 20

Tries: Odogwu, Garbisi Cons: Smith, Farias Pens: Smith 2

Scarlets (3) 20

Scarlets and Benetton shared the spoils in a dramatic United Rugby Championship draw in the Treviso fog.

Both sides missed late kicks – with teenage Scarlets fly-half Carwyn Leggatt-Jones failing with a routine conversion – and had to settle for two points each in a game that was completed despite the testing conditions.

Benetton led 13-3 after eight points from the boot of Rhyno Smith and a try by Italy centre Paolo Odogwu.

Former Wales scrum-half Gareth Davies went over soon after the restart in heavy fog and the visitors hit the front in the 57th minute through wing Tomi Lewis.

Scarlets – who already have a game to catch up at Connacht following a round two postponement – were pleased that referee Andrew Brace was happy to continue despite the challenging circumstances.

Scrum-half Alessandro Garbisi sniped over for a classy try with nine minutes to go to put Benetton 20-15 in front, but wing Macs Page levelled, only for Leggatt-Jones to miss the conversion next to the posts.

In a test of both sides’ squad depth before the Six Nations, the first half was scrappy with Benetton full-back Smith missing an early penalty and then striking two over in response to Leggatt-Jones’ opener.

The Italians suffered a pre-match blow with the loss of Tonga centre Malakai Fekitoa and then lost strong-running number eight So’otala Fa’aso’o, but gradually turned the screw.

Pressure paid off as half-time approached when seven-times capped centre Odogwu, released from Italy’s squad, jinked over from close range.

Scarlets had the chance to respond swiftly, but failed with a pair of driving line-outs in the corner to trail by 10 points at the break.

They quickly cut into that when veteran scrum-half Davies sniped over after a typically strong carry by the excellent number eight Fletcher Anderson, Leggatt-Jones converting.

Scarlets went into a 15-13 lead in the 57th minute when Lewis crossed from Leggatt-Jones’ superb pass to the left wing before referee Andrew Brace, after consulting with his fellow officials, was convinced to keep going.

The visitors were held up over the line as they tried to make it a two-score game and that proved to be crucial.

Hard Benetton carrying in the 22 opened up a weak spot at a ruck for Garbisi to finish superbly, with Roger Farias adding the extras.

The Scarlets response was superb with Leggatt-Jones getting to Dane Blacker’s dink over the top to put Page over, only for the 18-year-old stand-off to miss the routine conversion.

Benetton: Smith; Mendy, Odogwu, Drago, Ratave; Farias, Uren (capt); Gallo, Maile, Gallorini, Marini, Snyman, Izekor, Kingi, Fa’aso’o.

Replacements: Bernasconi, Aminu, Pasquali, Scrafton, Casartelli, Garbisi , Gallagher, Medina.

Scarlets: J Davies; Page, Roberts, Williams (capt), Lewis; Leggatt-Jones, G Davies; Hepburn, Van der Merwe, Holz, Price, Lousi, Douglas, Taylor, Anderson.

Replacements: Harry Thomas, Morse, Henry Thomas, Ball, D Davis, Blacker, McBryde, Badham.

Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)

Assistants: Clara Munarini & Bisetto Luca (Italy)