Newcastle United are now said to have ‘opened talks’ over a deal to sign Benfica defender Amar Dedic, and fans will be relieved. The Magpies are now beginning a new era under new boss Matthias Jaissle, but there are worries aplenty ahead of the new season.

The Newcastle squad has been decimated this summer, with Sandro Tonali, Bruno Guimaraes and Anthomy Gordon have all left, not to mention head coach Eddie Howe, who has been a rock at the helm over recent years. The Magpies have done plenty of business in a bid to replace those players, but many fans are still not convinced the ingredients are there for success, however good Jaissle is.

Newcastle fans concerned after pre-season friendly

Newcastle lost to Everton in a pre-season friendly on Wednesday night, conceding far too easily. The performance concerned many Toon fans, who took to social media to express their concern over the defence.

Jaissle may well feel he needs more at the back before the transfer window closes, and it does seem as though Newcastle are planning to make another defensive signing.

Newcastle’s summer signings so far

• Bazoumana Touré
• Aladji Bamba
• Lukas Hornicek
• Sean Steur
• Ewen Joauen

Newcastle now in talks over right-back deal

According to TeamTalk, Newcastle are in talks over a deal to sign Dedic, and the right-back is said to be up for the move to the North-East. Dedic played a key role in Benfica going unbeaten in the league under José Mourinho last season, although they didn’t quite do enough to win the title.

Dedic, who is 23 years of age, represented Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup this summer, and Benfica know he is a valuable asset. It’s claimed there is a £25.6million asking price for the full-back, and while talks are ongoing between Newcastle and Benfica, it will come down to whether the Magpies are willing to pay the money for the full-back.

Newcastle have lost Kieran Trippier, Emil Krafth and Matt Targett in recent times, and that has left Tino Livramento and youngster Leo Shahar as the remaining options. Jaissle may well feel as though he wants a more senior option to provide competition for Livramento, and the fans appear to feel the same way.

Tennis legend Roger Federer has left the billionaire club of athletes after his sports brand ‘On’ suffered a major price crash.

Federer had been among the few sportspeople with a net worth of $1 billion or above since last August. Forbes claimed that the 20-time Grand Slam winner had a net worth of $1.1 billion (£813 million), making him one of the wealthiest individuals in sports.

Much of the 45-year-old’s wealth was believed to have come from a significant minority stake in shoe and apparel brand ‘On’. He has an equity stake in the Swiss sportswear company worth more than $375 million (£277.3m).

The eight-time Wimbledon champion isn’t the only past-and-present tennis star affiliated with ‘On’, as their roster includes women’s world number six Iga Swiątek, Italian Flavio Cobolli, and Brazilian teenage prospect João Fonseca.

Federer Drops Out of Athlete Billionaire List

After going public on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021, On’s market capitalization is said to have reached nearly $15 billion (£11.1bn) in August 2025. That was until Tuesday, when, despite record sales, the company’s share price plummeted by over 20 percent and lowered its revenue forecast.

Federer, as a result, is no longer a billionaire and has lost $52m (£38.4m), reducing his net worth to $952m (£704m), per Forbes. Despite his and the sportswear company’s financial setback, tennis is still represented among the eight athletes who still hold billionaire status.

Former tennis and ice hockey player turned businessman, Ion Tiriac, has a staggering net worth of $2.3bn (£1.5bn). The Romanian was the inaugural billionaire athlete, reaching 10 figures in 2007 when he turned to investment in real estate, car dealerships, and financial services.

Six-time NBA champion Michael Jordan joined the rich list seven years later, and his net worth is now estimated to be $4.3bn (£3.3bn). The basketball icon is joined by his former Olympic gold-medal-winning teammate Magic Johnson, whose worth is estimated at $1.6bn (£1.2bn).

LeBron James has been in the headlines after making the surprising decision to join the Philadelphia 76ers earlier this summer. The NBA’s all-time leading scorer’s net worth is $1.4bn (£1bn), slightly more than the ‘greatest golfer in history’, Tiger Woods, at $1.5bn (£1.1bn).

Just behind them are three footballing heroes, and inevitably, Cristiano Ronaldo ($1.2bn/£900m) and Lionel Messi ($1.1bn/£813m) continue their storied rivalry off the pitch. The only Englishman on the list is David Beckham, whose net worth is estimated to be $1b (£740m).

Federer: Playing Tennis Wasn’t About The Money

Despite the riches he earned during his illustrious career on the tennis court, Federer insisted that he played the game for the love of the sport rather than for money. Back in 2011, he was battling it out with Novak Djokovic but had earned a purported $61 million (£45.2m) in prize money.

Federer’s net worth at the time was thought to be between $100-160m (£73.9-118.2m), which speaks volumes about his earnings as his career progressed and after his retirement. He said:

Once Federer called time on his career in 2022, he had earned almost $131m (£97m) in prize money. Sponsorship deals with brands such as Nike, Uniqlo, Lindt, Mercedes-Benz, Rolex, and Moët & Chandon proved beneficial, as he made around $1bn (£739m) in pre-tax off-court earnings.

Reports of Tottenham closing in on a deal to sign Monaco and USMNT striker Folarin Balogun are wide of the mark. Spurs have had a busy summer so far, racking up a club-record spend of more than £235million, which has largely been made up of the signings of Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes and Jan Paul van Hecke.

Roberto De Zerbi has been handed more financial resources than any other Spurs manager before him in his first summer in charge, and the spending is not done yet. Tottenham still want to add attackers, with a winger signing the next priority, while they could end up signing a striker if the right deal comes up, or indeed if one of Dominic Solanke and Richarlison leave, and it is not clear De Zerbi wants either to leave.

On Wednesday, it was reported that Tottenham were closing in on a deal to sign Monaco striker Balogun, who impressed for his national team at this summer’s World Cup. Balogun is a former Arsenal player, which would make the deal a controversial one.

But GIVEMESPORT understands that the reports are wide of the mark and that Tottenham are not interested in a deal to sign Balogun this summer. Spurs may well end up signing a striker this summer, but it won’t be the London-born USMNT international.

Folarin Balogun during USA vs Belgium via Reuters/Blake Dahlin

Tottenham’s signings so far this summer

• Sandro Tonali
• Mateus Fernandes
• Jan Paul van Hecke
• Marcos Senesi
• Andry Robertson
• Martin Dubravka ​​​​​​​

Balogun has a reported asking price of £51.2million this summer, which would make him a pricey deal for a club that has already amassed a huge spend this summer, while the winger position now appears to be their priority.

Spurs have been heavily linked with a move for Manchester City star Savinho this summer, while Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo is another who has been linked. In terms of the striker position, Spurs have three out-and-out strikers on their books, which includes Solanke, Richarlison and Dane Scarlett.