Liverpool are said to have fresh competition over their prime winger target this summer. The Reds are hoping to land a new attacker this summer despite having already snapped up Spain star Victor Muñóz on an early-summer deal, with Mo Salah’s departure leaving an almighty hole at Anfield.

Andoni Iraola will want to fill that hole, but he must also be cognisant of the other needs within his squad, with a winger likely to cost big money. At this point, it’s clear RB Leipzig and Ivory Coast winger Yan Diomande is the prime target, but there is now fresh competition amid an eye-water price tag.

Real Madrid enter the race for Diomande

Gonzalo Fuentes via Reuters

According to El Debate, Real Madrid have now entered the race for Diomande as José Mourinho looks to bolster his own attack. Los Blancos do have Vinicius Jr on the left, but there is potential for Diomande to play on the other side, given Rodrygo is going to be out until winter time following his long-term injury.

Real Madrid have the financial power to compete with Liverpool and PSG, who are said to be the main competitors for Diomande at this point, and it’s no secret Los Blancos club president Florentino Perez wants a Galactico signing this summer to back up his presidential promise of delivering one, even if fans already know that promise was an empty one.

What will help Liverpool and PSG is that Mourinho is said to be prioritising a high-profile midfield signing, with Chelsea star Enzo Fernandez being linked, and it’s unlikely the Spanish giants will spend another €100million on another single player after they address the midfield.

Still, there is cause for concern for Liverpool, who are now reportedly preparing a fresh offer worth £103.5million, which would be staggering money to pay for a 19-year-old.

Liverpool think Diomande is worth the money

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The Reds clearly believe Diomande is generational talent in the making, given they are willing to pay so much for a player who is relatively unproven. Diomande’s World Cup performances are also helping keep the asking price ticking upwards, as is interest from PSG, who could sell Bradley Barcola this summer.

Former Reds boss Jurgen Klopp agrees with the assessment of Diomande, too, recently saying: “Diomande is one of the best wingers in the world right now. He is unstoppable in one-on-one situations. Nobody defends Diomande for 90 minutes.”

That is high praise, given the standard of wingers at this World Cup, and Klopp is clearly a fine assessor of football talent.

A backstage update has emerged on WWE’s plans for Sami Zayn after the Canadian Superstar shockingly became the WWE Champion at Night of Champions in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Saturday night.

The 41-year-old pinned Cody Rhodes to win a Triple Threat match also involving Gunther in the evening’s main event to win his first ever world title in WWE.

Despite Sami being a heel on television at present, the crowd in Saudi Arabia erupted with joy at the result. Although Zayn was born in Canada, his parents emigrated from Syria, and he is a practicing Muslim who speaks Arabic.

WWE’s Original Plan For Sami Zayn in Saudi Arabia

Image Credit: WWE

This has helped him create a genuine connection with WWE fans in Saudi Arabia. Per a report from Cory Hays of False Finish, the company had originally planned to have Sami win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 43, which is also set to take place in Riyadh.

“They wanted to do it next year at WrestleMania. Getting him involved in this story with Cody and Gunther made this even more special,” wrote Hays on Twitter.

Sami’s surprise championship win came more than 11 years after his main roster debut, but he isn’t expected to hold the gold for long, according to veteran journalist Dave Meltzer.

How WWE ‘Really Feels’ About Sami Zayn

Heading into the Premium Live Event, defending champion Rhodes was considered to be a strong favourite to retain the title. However, the promotion opted pivot and give Sami the victory. His time on top is not expected to last, though.

​​​​​​​Speaking on Wrestling Observer Radio after Night of Champions, Meltzer stated:

“The main event was a good match, real good. And, you know, the championship change was a surprise. I mean, I don’t think that he’s the guy in their plans.”

Painting a bleak picture of Zayn’s chances of enjoying an extended reign, Meltzer indicated that it may even be a struggle for Sami to still be champion after SummerSlam, which takes place in Minneapolis, Minnesota in just five weeks’ time.

“I don’t see a long reign, but I would hope it’s longer than SummerSlam. You know, I mean, long enough to where it’s not like one of those things where it’s like, well, we finally gave it to him, but we didn’t mean it, you know.”

While it may not last for long, Zayn’s peers in the locker room were quick to pay tribute to the veteran Superstar after he finally achieved his lifelong dream.

Among those to give Sami his flowers was his real-life best friend, Kevin Owens, who took to Twitter to share some heartfelt words congratulating his pal.

“When you’re consistently that good for that long, you become undeniable,” wrote ‘KO’.

Multiple-time Women’s Champion Becky Lynch joined in the celebrations as she admitted: “I’m crying tears of joy! So well deserved! Congratulations Sami Zayn.”

Zayn’s victory sees him become the 19th Grand Slam champion in WWE history, which is testament to his remarkable achievements in the ring. He has waited years to make it to the top of the mountain. It remains to be seen just how long he will stay there.

Football fans often expect fireworks at the FIFA World Cup as countries collide for the chance to become world champions. That said, nobody anticipated the war that ensued between Portugal and the Netherlands at the 2006 World Cup.

Famously nicknamed ‘The Battle of Nuremberg’, it was a Round of 16 match that made history and plenty of controversy. It stunned the footballing world as a record four red cards were handed out, along with 16 yellow cards, during a heated affair which should have also seen Luis Figo sent off for a headbutt.

Portugal prevailed with a 1-0 victory courtesy of Maniche’s 23rd winner, but it’s a game ultimately remembered for the drama that unfolded leading to the most cards brandished in a World Cup game. It had held the record for the most yellow cards until 18 players were booked in Argentina’s quarter-final victory over the Netherlands at the 2022 World Cup.

‘Figo isn’t Jesus Christ’

Jerry Lampen via Reuters

Portugal were the first to go down to 10 men after Costinha had been shown two yellow cards within the first half. That was until former Chelsea right-back Khalid Boulahrouz was handed his marching orders for a second bookable offence in the 63rd minute – his first being a foul so brutal that it forced Cristiano Ronaldo to withdraw through injury. .

Moments prior, ussian referee Valentin Ivanov had booked Figo after the Real Madrid legend headbutted Mark van Bommel as part of a touchline mele. He was fortunate to stay on the pitch for that incident, but it wasn’t long until team-mate Deco later headed down the tunnel after receiving two yellow cards and a subsequent red card.

That same fate came for Giovanni van Bronckhorst in stoppage time. The former Barcelona man had avenged Van Bommel, landing an elbow on Figo as they raced towards a loose ball.

Figo’s antics were perhaps the biggest talking point during the heated Round of 16 clash at the Frankenstadion in Nuremberg, Germany. His headbutt made headline news, and coach Luiz Felipe Scolari gave a famous quote in response to the incident.

Scolari told reporters ahead of Portugal’s quarter-final against England: “Jesus said we should turn the other cheek. Unfortunately, Figo is not Jesus Christ.”

Jose Manuel Ribeiro via Reuters

FIFA surprisingly cleared Figo to play against the Three Lions, insisting that the player had been sanctioned by the referee at the time. This allowed the Madrid hero to play the rest of the tournament.

Figo and Portugal went on to beat England on penalties before losing 1-0 to France in the semi-finals. The Portuguese finished fourth after a 3-1 defeat to Germany in the Match for Third Place.

Figo’s headbutt was one of two that created chaos at the 2006 World Cup. Zinedine Zidane took a leaf out of his Madrid teammate’s page in the final when he headbutted Italy’s Marco Materazzi in the chest, resulting in his sending off in his final international game that ended in defeat.

FIFA’s Blatter blamed Ivanov

Ivanov came in for heavy criticism for his handling of Portugal’s win over the Netherlands. He struggled to deal with the indiscipline from both teams and, as a result, set an unwanted record for the referee who handed out the most cards and red cards in a World Cup match.

Not only were fans and pundits calling out his performance, but former FIFA President Sepp Blatter even put him on blast. He told Portuguese television channel SIC:

“I consider the referee was not at the same level as the participants, the players. I think there could have been a yellow card for the referee.”

Ivanov and English referee Graham Poll, who had handed three yellow cards to one player, were removed from the tournament after the Round of 16. Blatter explained that “FIFA owes it to itself, in its own flagship competition, to send out the best referees.”

Blatter eventually promised to apologise for his comments and although there is no official record of him ever doing so, he did at least publically express his regret over them, telling reporters: “I would just like to say that I regret what has happened. I regret what I said about his actions in the match between Portugal and the Netherlands.”

The Russian official’s own father hit back at the FIFA president, pointing out that the organisation had demanded referees be tougher on competitors.