Newcastle United are now making their moves to upgrade their squad this summer, and they’re already on to their next target for the window after agreeing a deal.

The Magpies have signed Even Jaouen and Bazoumana Toure during the transfer window, while it emerged that they have agreed a surprise deal for Ajax star Seun Steur to strengthen their midfield following the departures of Anthony Gordon and Sandro Tonali for a combined £170m.

But despite those deals being done, the Toon are now ready to step up their interest in another top target in the coming days, as they look to get back to the Champions League.

Newcastle Moving for Johan Manzambi

According to David Ornstein, Newcastle are now ready to make a deal for Switzerland star Johan Manzambi in the coming days.

Manzambi, who has been described as ‘incredible’, has lit up the World Cup with his performances in central midfield, and that has attracted the attention of a number of top clubs across Europe.

The club have held talks with the player’s reps about a move to St James’ Park and are understood to be the frontrunners for his signature, but they are now prepared to make a move by opening up club-to-club talks with Bundesliga side Freiburg.

Manzambi is understood to be keen on making the switch to the Premier League side, and Newcastle are prioritising a move for him at this stage of the window, as they look to get ahead of the competition.

Ornstein reports that Newcastle are in the strongest position to complete a deal, although it’s claimed that they want to lower the £50m asking price at this stage.

Howe Rebuilding Newcastle Midfield

The big talk this summer around St James’ Park was that a rebuild was needed, and Howe believed he was in the perfect position to oversee it.

With Gordon replaced by Toure, attention now turns to replacing Tonali, and it seems that Howe feels that Manzambi and Steur can do that job, despite their age and lack of experience at the highest level.

With those signings though, it becomes imperative that they keep hold of captain Bruno Guimaraes, amid big interest from Arsenal, to keep things together and help carry over the transition the squad will be going through.

Tyson Fury’s highly anticipated clash with Anthony Joshua will NOT take place in the UK unless a strict rule put in place by local authorities is changed, according to the event organiser.

Fury vs Joshua has been scheduled for later on this year without a set date or location being confirmed. Many fans have speculated where the fight will take place, with Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium or Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena being the most likely venues for this historic bout.

While these venues are highly regarded, many British boxing fans have voiced their outrage at even the possibility of this fight taking place outside the UK.

While Joshua’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, has claimed that the clash is contractually bound to take place in the country, event organiser Turki Alalshikh has disclosed that there have been some roadblocks in getting the event confirmed for Wembley Stadium.

Why Wembley Stadium Might Not Host Fury vs Joshua

“I’ve said from the beginning, it depends on whether England gives us all that we need.

“We want the fights here in England, but we want the time zone and the time zone of all the world, especially in America.

In the UK, the main event usually commences around 10pm, with Brent council being strict with event organisers regarding licensing conditions, which usually see events conclude by 11pm in order to prevent any late-night disruption to residents.

With a huge focus on US markets, with west coast audiences being eight hours behind the UK, a 10pm start to the main event will be seen as too early in the eyes of Alalshikh and other event organisers.

In 2024, UFC 304 took place in Manchester and the company managed to negotiate with the local council to secure a 3am main event commencement time in order to cater to the US audience and market.

Alalshikh will have this in mind and will be hoping to be able to push back the event’s start time to ensure that Fury and Joshua make their entrances beyond midnight.

Tyson Fury & Anthony Joshua’s Next Fights Confirmed

Despite the uncertainty of when and where they will meet, Joshua and Fury have already begun preparation for their clash, with the former taking on Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga in Riyadh at the end of the month, while Fury will be in Thailand the day prior, fighting former WBA, WBC, and IBF heavyweight challenger Mariusz Wach.

UFC fans have expressed concern that Conor McGregor‘s comeback fight this weekend is in jeopardy after recent activity.

The controversial MMA legend is slated to be on the UFC 329 card in a rematch with Max Holloway after walking away from the organisation five years ago.

The Irishman was set to return two years ago at UFC 303 against Michael Chandler, but a broken toe led to McGregor having to cancel his return to the sport.

McGregor has not won in the Octagon since his 40-second victory over Donald Cerrone at UFC 246 in 2020 and many fans are eager to see “The Notorious” in action this week.

However, some eagle-eyed fans have noticed that some suspicious activity within the organisation is pointing towards McGregor not making it to the clash after all.

What UFC Fans Have Spotted That Raises Questions

For a period of time last night, the link to buy tickets for UFC 329 directly from the UFC’s website was not working and would show an error. While the link has been restored since, it was also noted that his after-party in Las Vegas had been cancelled and there was a suspicious lack of pre-fight content from the Irishman.

@CasualMMAinc on X noted: “Conor is pulling out and forcing the UFC to cut him. Genius plan to get out of his contract without getting knocked out cold.”

Another user, @luckymfunmma, stated: “McGregor didn’t appear in Embedded and now his after-party has apparently been cancelled.

Is the main event in jeopardy?”

While rumours are circulating that the fight will no longer go ahead, there is no indication from the UFC or McGregor himself that there will be any change to the schedule.

What Conor McGregor Has Said About His Return

Despite not appearing on the first episode of Embedded for UFC 329, McGregor did appear on UFC 329 Countdown, and expressed gratitude for being able to return to the sport, seemingly killing any rumour of the fight not going ahead.

“When that injury happened, I put it to myself. Now is the time when what you say to yourself behind closed doors, it’s now time to act on that. You’ve got to put in the work on yourself. And that I have done.

Holloway and McGregor last met in the Octagon in 2013, where a young McGregor secured a victory over the former featherweight champion and BMF titleholder by unanimous decision.

The two will, hopefully, clash once more at the T-Mobile Arena in Paradise, Nevada on Saturday.