The Ghanaian forward registered a goal and an assist, inspiring his team to a vital win in their relegation battle.

Lens took an early lead when Neil El Aynaoui converted a penalty just two minutes into the game. Ruben Aguilar then doubled their advantage with a powerful volley midway through the first half.

Le Havre, however, responded strongly. Issa Soumaré sparked the comeback with a stunning long-range strike before setting up Ayew, who calmly slotted home to level the score at 2-2 by halftime.

Florian Sotoca restored Lens’ lead after the break, but Ayew remained instrumental. His dangerous cross forced an error from Malang Sarr, allowing Josué Casimir to equalize.

The match reached a dramatic climax in stoppage time when Casimir won a penalty. Ahmed Hassan stepped up and converted from the spot to seal a remarkable win for Le Havre.

Ayew now has five league goals and two assists this season, underlining his leadership as Le Havre fights to avoid relegation.

The victory lifts them to 18th place with 20 points, as they prepare for a crucial clash against AS Saint-Étienne next weekend at the Stade Océane.

Sources with knowledge of the deal say there are additional bonus payments attached to the sale, with the player due to undergo a medical before the transfer is officially confirmed.

City manager Pep Guardiola has been determined to strengthen his squad after a difficult couple of months which has seen the defending Premier League champions slip to sixth in the table – and 12 points behind leaders Liverpool.

The club are also in negotiations with Brazilian side Palmeiras for teenage defender Vitor Reis, although the club’s president has been quoted as saying reports they are keen to cash in on the 18-year-old are “not correct”.

In addition, City are keen on Egypt forward Omar Marmoush following the 25-year-old’s impressive displays for Eintracht Frankfurt this season.

Khusanov will become the first Uzbekistan player to join a Premier League club once his move is completed. He will also be City’s first significant January signing since the arrival of Aymeric Laporte in 2018.

It underlines Guardiola’s determination to reverse City’s fortunes and address a chronic injury situation that has left him without a succession of defenders during the first half of the campaign.

Ruben Dias has not featured since the derby defeat by Manchester United on 15 December and has been ruled out of Saturday’s FA Cup third-round tie with League Two side Salford City.

England’s John Stones will also miss the game, while Nathan Ake has twice been ruled out for extended periods because of injury already this season.

Lens only paid 100,000 euros (£84,000) for Khusanov from Belarusian club Energetik-BGU 18 months ago.

However, he has developed rapidly and made 13 appearances in Ligue 1 so far this season and has 18 caps for Uzbekistan.

Khusanov scored his first goal for the club on his most recent appearance, a French Cup tie with Paris St-Germain on 22 December.

City have also been handed welcome news with the return to training of Oscar Bobb after the 21-year-old Norwegian’s five-month absence with a fractured leg.

The Ghanaian international, who had drawn interest from multiple French teams, chose to join the English Sky Bet Championship side.

Salis Abdul Samed prêté à @SunderlandAFC 🔄

Apparu à 72 reprises avec le Racing, le milieu rejoint l’Angleterre sous la forme d’un prêt pour la campagne 2024/25 de @SkyBetChamp.

Bonne saison @salisabdulsamed ! pic.twitter.com/VqAiKVBxIi

— Racing Club de Lens (@RCLens) August 30, 2024

Abdul Samed, who joined Lens in June 2022 for a reported €5 million and signed a five-year deal, made an immediate impact with his debut and first goal in August of the same year.

Despite making 39 appearances last season, including in the Champions League and Europa League, Abdul Samed fell out of favour with new manager Will Still over the summer.

FC Nantes, Stade Brestois, and AS Saint-Étienne were among the clubs linked with the midfielder, but a deal was finalized with Sunderland—now managed by former FC Lorient boss Régis Le Bris—on transfer deadline day. The loan arrangement does not include an option for a permanent transfer.

Abdul Samed has completed his medicals in France and will soon travel to England to join his new squad.

Currently valued at €8 million by Transfermarkt, Abdul Samed has been omitted from the Black Stars squad for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Angola and Niger.

The 24-year-old, who joined Lens in 2022, faced injury challenges last season, limiting him to 27 appearances across all competitions.

Head coach Will Still decided to reduce the squad size due to space constraints and is aiming to offload Samed along with another player before the transfer window closes.

Samed’s contract with RC Lens runs through June 2028.

“For the well-being of the group and the training sessions, it was necessary to trim the group a little,” Coach Still explained, as reported by Foot Mercato.

During his time with RC Lens, Samed has made 72 appearances and recorded one goal and one assist.

Despite his contributions, the club’s current strategy seems to be shifting, with Samed reportedly a candidate for a transfer to Montpellier.

At 24, Samed has faced a challenging season marked by numerous injuries and struggles to regain form after recovery.

In the current Ligue 1 campaign, Samed has started in only 17 matches, a significant drop from his previous contributions, with just eight starting lineups in 2024.

This decline contrasts sharply with Samed’s key role in RC Lens’ successful bid for Champions League qualification last season.

During that campaign, Samed played in 33 Ligue 1 matches, contributing one goal and one assist as RC Lens secured their place in the prestigious European competition.

He also featured in four Coupe de France matches, further underlining his importance to the team.

However, following his uninspiring outings, RC Lens is prepared for the upcoming transfer window as they expect to consider offers for Samed and other surplus players in the squad.

The Gunners scored five in a phenomenal first-half display as they reach the last 16 in their first appearance in the competition for seven years.

Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard all scored in the first half, before Jorginho added a late penalty.

Arsenal progress from Group B alongside PSV Eindhoven, with Lens out.

Havertz, brought into the starting XI after scoring the winner against Brentford at the weekend, opened the scoring on 13 minutes when Lens failed to clear a looping ball into the box. Jesus nodded across goal and Havertz showed a striker’s instinct to finish from close range ahead of goalkeeper Brice Samba.

Jesus turned scorer to slot the second past Samba from 15 yards, sweeping home after being set up by Saka’s powerful run between defenders from the right.

Arsenal’s attacking unit was in full flow, illustrated by Saka taking his turn to move from provider to scorer just two minutes and 20 seconds later, steering the ball home after Samba saved from Martinelli.

Brazil winger Martinelli would not be denied and scored the best of the lot on 27 minutes, finding the far bottom corner after cutting inside from the left.

The fifth came in first-half stoppage time, Odegaard perfectly timing a volley from 12 yards following Takehiro Tomiyasu’s excellent cross.

Arsenal are the first side in Champions League history to have five different scorers in the first half of a match.

A more sedate second half followed, before Jorginho added a sixth from the spot following a handball by Abduqodir Khusanov.