Joshua Zirkzee has become the subject of fresh transfer discussion in the closing stages of the summer window, with Aston Villa understood to have made contact with Manchester United over a possible move.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Villa have made a phone call to United to ask about Zirkzee’s availability and the terms of any potential agreement. A switch is not considered straightforward, but it remains a scenario that could still develop before the window closes.

Villa’s need for attacking depth is clear. They are preparing for their second Champions League campaign in three seasons and currently have limited cover at centre-forward. That situation could become more pressing if Al Hilal succeed in tempting unsettled Ollie Watkins to Saudi Arabia. Tammy Abraham is the only other senior No. 9, while Brian Madjo, who scored in the UEFA Super Cup, is highly rated but will not turn 18 until January.

Zirkzee is not Villa’s main target. That priority is said to be Chelsea’s Nicolas Jackson, who previously worked with Unai Emery at Villarreal. Jackson became available after Chelsea moved ahead with Emmanuel Emegha, although his fee and wider interest in him mean Villa have no guarantee of landing the Senegal international.

The Dutch forward is not viewed as a classic penalty-box striker. Despite his size, Zirkzee tends to play deeper and contribute to combination play and buildup, a profile closer to Harry Kane than Erling Haaland.

At present, a move to Aston Villa appears unlikely, because it depends on Jackson not arriving and United accepting suitable terms for Zirkzee within a short timeframe.

Romano also says that if Zirkzee does leave, it is worth keeping a “close eye” on United’s response, with a backup striker to Benjamin Šeško already a familiar idea.

Matheus Cunha and Marcus Rashford can both play up front, with the former selected ahead of Šeško in the opening-day defeat to Hull City, but United have been linked with a striker addition throughout the summer, even if it remains behind central midfield, goalkeeper and left back in their list of priorities.

A new documentary, A Beautiful Obsession, revisits one of the most turbulent stretches of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City tenure, with a confrontation involving Kyle Walker among its most striking scenes.

City entered 2024-25 as history-makers, having become the first side to win four straight league titles. But the season quickly unravelled. From October into December, Guardiola’s team went seven matches without a win in all competitions, losing six of them. By the end of 2024, that poor run had stretched to just one victory in 13 games.

The Walker incident came after City’s 2-0 defeat to Liverpool at Anfield on Dec. 1, 2024. With Arne Slot’s side already top of the Premier League and later crowned champions by a wide margin, the result carried added weight. Guardiola blamed Rúben Dias and Walker for Liverpool’s decisive second goal, prompting a heated exchange.

“You keep saying my name in every meeting and every f—ing thing. Every f—ing meeting, it’s my name,” Walker hit back after blowing his fuse.

When Guardiola pointed out Walker’s role, the player responded: “You didn’t want me to be a captain. I’ve reacted to someone else, I lost the ball, you somehow bring my name into it.”

Guardiola replied: “If you’ve taken it personally, Kyle, I’m sorry, This is my defeat – if I am a problem you have to tell me. I won’t stay here for the money or for the fact just to stay, I don’t want to feel that I have to run away from you.

“If I am a problem, tell me. That is not going to change the love I have for you, not one second.”

Walker would start only three more games before leaving on loan to AC Milan in January, then joining Burnley permanently that summer.

The documentary also shows the wider personal strain around Guardiola, who told his players he was getting divorced. Manuel Estiarte said the squad “were worried because Pep was nervous, sad, different and only I knew the reason.” Guardiola later called it a “confession” after the Juventus defeat on Dec. 11, 2024, telling them: “I am f—ing divorced from the most beautiful woman in your planet, my wife, my ex-wife. I love her unbelievably but we lost the passion. I love her? Yeah, absolutely. She loves me? Yeah, but we lost the passion.

“How do you play football? Because you play, or for something inside? In your lives, whatever you are going to do, do it with passion. I don’t want good players, I want players with passion.”

Kevin De Bruyne also appears in emotional scenes after being told his contract would not be renewed. “It’s really hard,” he said.

Mikel Arteta has indicated Arsenal may have to begin the season without their first-choice defence, with William Saliba and Jurriën Timber still several weeks from full availability. Neither defender has featured in pre-season, leaving Arteta to consider different options at the back and, by his own assessment, that situation is likely to continue until the first international break in late September.

Speaking before Sunday’s Community Shield against Manchester City, Arteta said Timber is making encouraging progress but remains short of a return to full group work. “We are ramping up now with certain actions and especially the volume and the load, and I think he is on a good trajectory, but there are still a few weeks to go.”

He added: “I don’t know [if he will be back before the break]. We have to wait and see. He needs to start training with the group in the next week or so, hopefully, and then see how he progresses from there. It’s been a long-term issue right now, and we want to make sure that every step that we take is the right one, he feels right to do that and he’s such an important player for us.”

On Saliba, Arteta kept his update brief. “As we all know, it’s more a long-term injury.”

Arsenal have eight matches scheduled before the international break, beginning with Sunday’s meeting with Manchester City. The Premier League title defence starts at home to Coventry City on Friday, Aug. 21, followed by trips to Aston Villa and Sunderland, plus home fixtures against Chelsea and the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion. Their schedule also includes a third-round Carabao Cup tie and the opening match in the Champions League league phase.

With both defenders still sidelined, Arsenal’s early-season rotation may be shaped as much by absences as by the calendar itself.