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Tadej Pogacar's remarkable Vuelta a Espana campaign has taken a devastating turn after the six-time grand tour winner crashed out on stage eight — on a flat, innocuous stretch of road of all places. He's undergone successful surgery on a fractured collarbone, but a four-minute race lead evaporates just like that.
Shifting to the transfer window, Aston Villa are spending with serious intent. The club have completed a forty-seven million pound signing of Senegalese winger Ibrahim Mbaye from Paris Saint-Germain, bringing genuine pace and width to Unai Emery's squad as they push for another big European run this season.
And in the Championship, Sunderland are making noise of their own — agreeing a deal worth just under thirty million pounds for Lyon winger Malick Fofana, who'll pen a five-year contract at the Stadium of Light. At that price, the Black Cats are betting heavily on Fofana being the spark that drives a promotion push.
That's your play-by-play. Sports Desk, back to the booth.
