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In the world of football, the Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, hinted at potentially signing a striker in the summer, along with some other key positions on the football pitch. Manchester City are interested in signing Lucas Paqueta if investigation into his alleged betting breaches get dropped. The Indian men’s hockey team lost the five-match Test series by 5-0 against Australia
Read below to learn details about these top stories and other happenings in the sporting world in the last 24 hours.
Football
Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag hints at striker signing in summer
When the Manchester United manager, Erik ten Hag, was asked about whether it would be good to have a proven goal-scorer at the club in the summer, he thought that it would help the cause. The 54-year-old was quoted as saying, “You need more options. You need double positioning in every position. Some positions we didn't have the choices this season - the striker position, the left-back position - and that has a negative impact on the results.”
Chelsea spend £747m on player transfers last season
As per the accounts published by the Companies House, Chelsea spent £747m on transfers last season, raising their wage bill by 18% to £404m, which was the second highest in the Premier League. The players, who cost £592m for Chelsea, were sold for £203m during the last season, but as per the accounting rules, they generated a profit of £63m from the transfers.
Manchester City to sign Lucas Paqueta pending investigation into his alleged betting breaches: Reports
Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Lucas Paqueta in the summer transfer window after he expressed his desire to leave the current club West Ham, but the deal will go through only if FA’s investigation into his alleged betting breaches get dropped, as the Guardian. Also, the release clause in the current contract with West Ham for Lucas Paqueta becomes active in June, and Manchester City expect personal terms to be not an issue, as per the report from the Athletic.
Pau Cubarsi wants to sign new contract with Barcelona after impressive UCL performance: Reports
The Barcelona defender, Pau Cubarsi, 17, is reportedly wanting to sign a new contract with the club after an impressive showing against Paris Saint-Germain during their 3-2 win in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg at Parc des Princes, as per Mundo Deportivo. The new development has happened in the wake of growing interest from big European clubs looking to bring him to their club.
Some major results in football are as under:
La Liga 2023-24
Real Betis 2-1 Celta Vigo
Bundesliga 2023-24
FC Augsburg 2-0 Union Berlin
Serie A 2023-24
Lazio 4-1 Salernitana
Ligue 1 2023-24
Metz 2-1 Lens
Eredivisie 2023-24
Excelsior 4-0 FC Volendam
Tennis
Novak Djokovic reaches semi-final of Monte Carlo Masters
The Serbian Novak Djokovic defeated Alex de Minaur of Australia in the quarter-final of the Monte Carlo Masters in straight sets 7-5, 6-4, to reach his 77th semi-final at the ATP 1000 level, going past Rafael Nadal in the all time list. The 36-year-old will be playing against the Norwegian Casper Rudd in the semis, who got the better of the Frenchman Ugo Humber 6-3, 4-6, 6-1.
Hockey
Australia win hockey Test series against India 5-0
In the fifth and final hockey Test, Australia defeated India by 3-2 scoreline at the Perth Hockey Stadium, to clinch the series with a 5-0 clean sweep. After the captain Harmanpreet Singh scored the first goal for India, the Australians ran riot, scoring three goals before the visitors got a consolation through Boby Singh Dhami in the latter stages.
Golf
American trio of Scheffler, DeChambeau, Max Homa take joint lead at Masters after two rounds
After two rounds of action at the Masters in Augusta, the American trio of Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau, and Max Homa shared the lead with the (-6) card. Their compatriot Tiger Woods also managed to make a record 24th consecutive halfway cut at the Masters on a blustery day two at Augusta.
F1
Fernando Alonso hails ambition and plans of future from Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso, who signed a multi-year deal with Aston Martin recently, spoke about the reasons why he committed to them through to their Honda era from 2026. He was quoted as saying, “There is no other team in the paddock with the ambition and the plans for the future that Aston has. But at the same time, you need to achieve those goals and you need to deliver those results.”