Newcastle United have learned how much it will cost to sign Burnley midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu, according to Chronicle Live.

The Magpies are in the market for new midfielders ahead of Sandro Tonali’s impending move to Tottenham Hotspur. A whooping £100m deal will take the Italian from Tyneside to North London.

Switzerland’s World Cup standout, Johan Manzambi, is among the names on Eddie Howe’s shortlist of potential Tonali replacements. They also appear to admire Burnley’s Ugochukwu, who is expected to depart following the Clarets’ relegation.

Newcastle want Burnley’s Ugochukwu

The report claims that Newcastle are linked with Ugochukwu, but Turkish giants Galatasaray have made a proposal for the former Chelsea man. He could be on the move for £24 million, which is a decent fee for a player with Premier League experience.

Ugochukwu joined Burnley from Chelsea last August in a £25m deal, making him the club’s record signing. He appeared 38 times for the Clarets, registering three goals and two assists.

There were huge expectations of the 22-year-old when he arrived in England back in August 2023. As is the case with most youth signings who head to Stamford Bridge, he had few first-team opportunities to showcase his abilities.

Ugochukwu, dubbed “fantastic”, got that chance at Turf Moor, and he was one of only a few players who impressed for the Lancashire outfit. He’ll undoubtedly not want to be playing EFL Championship football at this stage of his career.

Howe needs Ugochukwu and Manzambi

There is a real opportunity for Newcastle to sign a young holding midfielder with plenty of promise. While he failed to win over Chelsea and endured a disappointing loan spell at Southampton, he earned plenty of praise at Burnley.

The Magpies are no longer in the market for marquee signings and are instead targeting young players who can develop into top talent. The French midfielder may view a move to St James’ Park as a perfect place for him to grow and live up to his potential.

What the Tyneside outfit mustn’t do is view Ugochukwu as a direct replacement for Tonali. Ideally, Howe looks at signing both the Frenchman and Manzambi to add two new options in a much-needed midfield refresh.

The same report claims that the club are also eyeing AS Monaco midfielder Lamine Camara. It’s a good sign that the Magpies are weighing up several options rather than making a knee-jerk signing.

A packed summer of British sport is already in full swing, and a record crowd is expected to descend on Silverstone this weekend for the British Grand Prix, with a supercomputer now weighing in on its prediction for the full race at the iconic circuit.

Much has changed since last year’s dramatic edition, which was won by Lando Norris after title rival Oscar Piastri picked up a 10-second penalty for erratic braking behind the safety car, while Nico Hülkenberg stunned the Formula One world by claiming a surprise podium in a chaotic thriller.

This time around, Norris lines up sixth on the grid after a below-par qualifying session, with early forecasts suggesting he may struggle to repeat last year’s triumph. Meanwhile, George Russell, fresh off his Austrian GP victory and long hoping for a home win, has also been tipped by AI predictions to miss out on a podium finish, despite being the bookmakers’ second favourite.

10

Liam Lawson

Racing Bulls

Liam Lawson, who drives for Racing Bulls, put in a best lap of 1:28.927 in Q3, lining him up just one place outside the points for the sprint at Silverstone. He is expected to remain there throughout the race as the Kiwi’s good form continues to build a head of steam.

9

Arvid Lidbland

Racing Bulls

Finishing one place above his teammate is Arvid Lindbland. The Swedish-British driver could not contain his excitement heading into this weekend as he prepares for his first-ever Silverstone race as an F1 star, and a ninth-placed finish would be an achievement in itself for the 18-year-old, as he currently sits 13 in the overall standings.

8

Isack Hadjar

Red Bull

For a third race in a row, the Supercomputer has predicted Isack Hadjar to finish in eighth. After finishing sixth in Spain, the Frenchman will be looking to carry on a pretty solid job for Red Bull this season. After so many years of struggles with their second driver, this would be Hadjar’s fifth consecutive points finish since his retirement from the Miami Grand Prix at the start of May, so many would say a pretty successful run, despite it meaning he will drop three places from his position on the starting grid.

7

Oscar Piastri

McLaren

Oscar Piastri will be disappointed after finishing eighth during qualifying, but he is expected to make up a tiny bit of ground, as McLaren’s secondary driver is tipped to finish one place higher and in seventh. Heading into the weekend, a lot has been made about his and Lando Norris’ cars looking ‘slow’, and the slump continues.

6

Max Verstappen

Red Bull

Bruna Casas via Reuters

Max Verstappen could only claim seventh on the grid at Silverstone, with his Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar more than a tenth faster in fifth. He once again criticised Red Bull, saying that “there’s no point competing” if they can’t sort out their top-speed issue. As things stand, it doesn’t seem the flying Dutchman’s head is in it, and that’s expected to stay unsolved until the season reaches its conclusion.

5

Lando Norris

McLaren

Amid the chaos of a wet and wild 2025 British Grand Prix, Norris produced a coming-of-age performance that would ultimately propel him on to becoming world champion. Northamptonshire won’t provide him with a podium finish this year, however, should AI’s predictions of a fifth-placed finish come true.

4

George Russell

Mercedes

Lisa Leutner via Reuters

George Russell has developed into one of Britain’s darlings of motorsport in recent years, and with four podium finishes already this season, he is Kimi Antonelli’s closest rival to become world champion. But he too has been denied a podium in Silverstone this weekend, meaning he will not finally end his hoodoo on a track he’s so desperate to win on.

3

Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari

Manon Cruz via Reuters

Lewis Hamilton will be hoping to continue his incredible record of success in front of his home crowd at this weekend’s British Grand Prix, with the seven-time World Champion having already scored nine victories around Silverstone. He’s not the elite level he used to be, but a third-placed finish is certainly still a success for the Ferrari driver.

2

Charles Leclerc

Ferrari

In what is expected to be a huge clash between Ferrari and Mercedes this weekend, Hamilton has claimed him and Charles Leclerc will need to work together in order to stand a chance at beating current champion-elect Kimi Antonelli. AI believes that won’t be enough, but second and third is still good going as they maintain their places in the front row on the grid.

1

Kimi Antonelli

Mercedes

Jakub Porzycki via Reuters

19-year-old Kimi Antonelli, who leads the world championship and won the sprint race on Saturday morning, had almost two-tenths on Charles Leclerc in second and three-tenths on Hamilton in third. It’s no wonder he’s predicted to win his seventh race in 11 this season, with some forecasting it to be a demolition job.

Turkish giants Galatasaray have reportedly cooled their interest in Manchester United target Carlos Baleba, according to Turkish outlet Sporx.

Baleba is one of many midfielders on United’s shortlist as they look to replace Casemiro. An enquiry was made for the Cameroonian last summer, but Brighton insisted the player wasn’t for sale.

The Red Devils appeared to place a move for Baleba on the back burner at the start of the ongoing transfer window. But their failure to land top targets including Elliot Anderson means they could turn back to the Seagulls star.

Man Utd won’t face Turkish competition for Baleba

via Reuters

Galatasaray had also been eyeing Baleba and enquired about the cost of a deal for the 22-year-old. After learning of Brighton’s £77m (€90m) asking price, the Turks have backed out of a potential pursuit.

That gives United the chance to press ahead and win the race for the defensive midfielder, although they, too, have had reservations about the price. GIVEMESPORT understands that he remains on the club’s wishlist and he has agreed personal terms.

Baleba’s form dropped last season amid the noise surrounding his future at the Amex. Once an undisputed starter in Fabian Hurzeler’s midfield, the Cameroonian started eight of 31 league appearances on the bench.

United may feel Brighton’s valuation is unjustifiable given the difficult past campaign he endured. That said, he had been a standout performer for the Seagulls the season before with many viewing him as the south coast outfit’s perfect Moises Caicedo heir.

Man Utd need to act soon

United made replacing Casemiro their top priority heading into the summer transfer window. They initially made Elliot Anderson their number one choice to come in for the Brazilian but missed out on the England international, who joined Manchester City for £116m.

Other names have been linked, including Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni. The Frenchman’s salary and the La Liga giants’ reluctance to sell have raised doubts over a potential deal.

Baleba dropped down the midfield shortlist following a disappointing season, but United are running out of viable options to replace Casemiro. When at his best, the Cameroonian is a superb number six, an all-action midfielder who can take games by the scruff of the neck.

United have sealed one midfield signing thus far, bringing Ederson to Old Trafford from Atalanta. They missed out on Mateus Fernandes, who joined Tottenham Hotspur for £85m earlier this week.