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Having finished the previous campaign with Wout Weghorst as the starting option in attack, Manchester United will hope to have ended their longstanding centre-forward woes with the signing of Danish superstar, Rasmus Hojlund, with the 20-year-old joining from Atalanta on a deal that could rise to £72m.

After years of short-term signings in the striking department – including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani and Cristiano Ronaldo – the promising marksman could be the man to lead the line for the foreseeable future, with the Old Trafford outfit seemingly crying out for a prolific presence through the middle.

The Red Devils could, however, have found a dream, long-term centre-forward option far sooner – and for far cheaper – in the form of Slovenian sensation, Benjamin Sesko, with the towering hotshot looking like another case of one that got away for United.

Why didn't Man United sign Benjamin Sesko?

The Premier League giants are no strangers to having snubbed the chance to sign exciting young strikers on the cheap, with the most famous example seeing the club fail to pounce to land Erling Haaland – who scored 52 goals for rivals Manchester City last season – on a measly £4m deal from Norwegian side, Molde.

Described as the 'next Haaland', young Sesko is another forward who had caught the eye of the United hierarchy in the recent past, with The Athletic revealing that the powers that be had the chance to sign the then-teenager from Domzale in 2019.

As per the report, the Slovenian side had been demanding just £2.5m if they were to sanction the sale of the 6 foot 4 starlet, albeit with those back in Manchester believed to have viewed that valuation as 'excessive' at the time.

That decision to pass up the chance to sign the Radece-born "Machine Man" – as described by talent scout Jacek Kulig – remains a true headscratcher, particularly with the in-form powerhouse seeing his price tag rise substantially in recent times.

How much is Sesko worth now?

Following a subsequent move to Austrian side, Red Bull Salzburg in 2019, the emerging talent particularly impressed during his extended loan spell at FC Liefering, bagging 22 goals and six assists in just 44 outings, prior to returning to his parent club.

The 22-cap international – who already has seven goals for his country – made a rather smooth transition to life back at Salzburg after recording 40 goal involvements in just 79 games across the last two seasons, sparking renewed interest from United last summer.

Despite claims that technical director John Murtough was holding talks with the player's agent, it was later confirmed that the prolific gem had sealed a move to sister club, RB Leipzig – with the Daily Mail reporting that the fee was as high as £55m.

That represents a 2100% increase in value in relation to what the Red Devils could have signed him for just four years ago, with Erik ten Hag likely ruing the fact that the previous regime did not do more to get their hands on a potentially "generational" talent – as hailed by journalist Ryan Taylor.

Life in Germany has already started brightly for the 20-year-old as he has two goals from just two Bundesliga outings so far this term, while also catching the eye with one goal and two assists in a recent standout showing against Northern Ireland in Euro 2024 qualifying.

As such, even if Hojlund does go on to prove a success in English football, United could potentially have snapped up a similarly exciting asset to the Copenhagen native in the form of Sesko, albeit without having had to break the bank.

Afghanistan nearly bottled what should have been a straightforward chase of 198, but the insurance provided by the brilliance of their spinners from earlier in the day just about bailed them out

The Report by Akshay Gopalakrishnan15-Mar-2018Afghanistan nearly bottled what should have been a straightforward chase of 198, but the insurance provided by the brilliance of their spinners just about bailed them out in their Super-Sixes clash against West Indies. Throughout the 47.4 overs that the chase lasted, it always seemed like Afghanistan would pull this off one way or the other. And yet, they never managed to eliminate the apprehension that accompanied as one batsman after the other perished in their dash towards an early finish.Where a cool head and common sense was the demand of the hour – the asking rate was always in control – rash judgement and impulsive strokeplay took over. In the end, they managed to hang in there, scraping through by three wickets, to hand West Indies their first defeat of the tournament, and keep their own campaign alive.The second-innings indiscretions were a far cry from the top-class performance that their spinners put in. Facing a must-win in every remaining match, Afghanistan presented their best selves yet in the tournament to rein in a powerful West Indies line-up.The circumstances couldn’t be seemingly any more averse to bowling. These were pristine batting conditions, with the sun beating down on the Harare Sports Club, and a surface that came with a thin layer of sheen. To add to that, West Indies were coming into the game with an average first-innings score of 307 in the tournament. But Afghanistan’s opening pair of pacer Dawlat Zadran and offspinner Mujeeb Ur Rahman demonstrated the old adage: well-begun is half-done.Having seized the early advantage with the wicket of Chris Gayle, Afghanistan were relentless. Mujeeb’s 3 for 33 underpinned what ended up being a spin-dominated innings, with as many as 39 overs coming from the slow bowlers. Mohammad Nabi became the first Afghanistan bowler to 100 ODI wickets, as West Indies limped to an underwhelming 197 for 8.Mujeeb and Dawlat complemented each other perfectly. While Dawlat had the West Indies batsmen on a leash by continually probing away in the channel outside off, Mujeeb flummoxed them with a whole array of variants. Inside his first two overs, West Indies had been subjected to conventional offbreaks, carrom balls, topspinners, and a googly that smashed the top of an unsuspecting Gayle’s off stump.It wasn’t until the eighth over, when Evin Lewis swept Mujeeb hard through fine leg for the first of four fours in nine balls, that West Indies began to find momentum.That was, however, immediately snuffed out by Nabi, who struck with his first ball. Nabi’s delivery came on with the arm and hit Shimron Hetmyer’s pad, but not before it had brushed the inside edge that the umpire had failed to spot.Lewis’ misjudgment in calling for a suicidal single in the next over had him run out to a direct throw from Najibullah Zadran as Afghanistan further established their ascendancy – reinforced by the fact that Rashid Khan, the team’s best bowler, made his first appearance as late as the 23rd over.Marlon Samuels and Shai Hope arrested the slide with a 55-run fourth-wicket stand, but it was an association where a lack of strike-rotation was all too evident. With the duo progressing at three to the over, Rashid could afford to hold Mujeeb back for a third spell.West Indies’ only bright passage came during Jason Holder’s burst of 28, but he fell to a sharp catch by Najibullah at long-on off Mujeeb that sent them right back into their shell. Hope, who survived an extremely close leg before shout against Rashid on 18, barely made Afghanistan feel the pinch. He alone ate up 55 dots, and picked an inopportune moment to get out – in the 43rd over, with West Indies searching for acceleration, when he was the set batsman.Like Afghanistan, West Indies’ bowlers were sharp and accurate to begin with. Keemo Paul, the debutant, struck with his first legal delivery, getting Javed Ahmadi to play all around a length ball that straightened, and trapped him leg before. But the rash strokes began costing them soon after, Mohammad Shahzad slashing a wide delivery to cover.Rahmat Shah then played the most important knock of Afghanistan’s innings. His trio of boundaries off Carlos Brathwaite in the 14th over signaled that Afghanistan were getting a move on. He found two able partners – first in Samiullah Shenwari, with whom he added 66 for the third wicket, and then in Mohammad Nabi, who helped him add 49 for the fourth wicket.It took a brilliant diving catch by Hetmyer at deep square leg to end the second of those associations. In their 93-ball association, the duo had played out nearly 10 overs of dots. Still, with 66 needed off 84 balls with six wickets in hand, this was Afghanistan’s game to lose.Rahmat continued to eat away at the target until, in trying to force a cut, he picked out backward point. Now, Afghanistan were feeling the jitters for the first time in the chase. Najibullah and Gulbadin Naib took them closer with handy cameos, but perished to profligate shots. It was Afghanistan’s batting depth that eventually got the job done: Rashid, with an ODI average of 21, bats at No. 8; he saw them through.West Indies were culpable of their own share of lapses. They dropped catches of Rahmat, Shenwari, Nabi and Rashid. In all, the reprieves cost them 58 runs: damage that is irreversible when you’re defending 197.

علق روى فيتوريا المدير الفني السابق لمنتخب مصر الأول على مستوى الدوري السعودي في الموسم المنقضي، موضحًا رأيه في تألق رونالدو مع النصر.

وكان الهلال قد نجح في التتويج ببطولة الدوري قبل نهاية المسابقة بثلاث جولات، فيما حل فريق النصر في المركز الثاني برصيد 82 نقطة.

وقال فيتوريا في تصريحات تلفزيونية عبر قناة SSC: “تابعت كل المباريات تقريبًا للدوري السعودي، لأن لدينا النصر الذي أتابعه دائمًا، والآن الدوري السعودي به حماس كبير وإثارة، لا أتابع كل المباريات، ولكن أتابع اللقاءات المهمة”.

وبسؤاله ما رأيك في استقطاب الصفقات إلى السعودية؟، أجاب: “ينشط فيها الكثير من اللاعبين الكبار والمتميزين، الأمر بدأ مع رونالدو، لقد كان أول صفقة كبيرة ومهد السبيل لباقي اللاعبين للانتقال إلى السعودية، ومسرور لرؤيتي هذا التطور في الكرة السعودية”.

طالع | رونالدو: أتمنى مباراة عادلة أمام الهلال في نهائي كأس الملك

وحول رأيه في إنجاز رونالدو مع النصر بتسجيله 35 هدفا بالدوري السعودي في موسم واحد؟، أوضح: “هذا إنجاز رائع من رونالدو، عندما انتقل إلى الدوري السعودي قدم عملا رائعا وسجل أهدافًا عديدة، ويؤدي دائمًا بتركيز وقوة”.

واستطرد: “رونالدو ولد وخلق لتسجيل الأهداف، هذا الأكسجين الذي يعيش به، وتسجيل الأهداف هو أهم شيء في حياته”.

وواصل مدرب مصر السابق: “لويس كاسترو المدير الفني للنصر يقوم بعمل رائع مع الفريق ويقدم موسمًا رائعًا، ولكن الهلال السعودي قدم عملاً خارقًا للعادة ولم يخسر أي مباراة، والنصر لم يفوز فقط باللقب لأن الهلال قدم عملًا استثنائيًا”.

وبسؤاله عن تتويج الهلال بالدوري بدون هزيمة في الموسم؟، أردف: “الهلال قدم موسمًا استثنائيًا وما قاموا به ليس بالأمر السهل، الفرق الأخرى قوية جدًا النصر والشباب والاتحاد والأهلي، شيء خارق للعادة أن تفوز بدون خسارة”.

وزاد: “السر أن الهلال بدأ بشكل جيد جدًا واكتشفوا التوليفة والاستمرارية في الأداء طوال الموسم، واللاعبون كانوا يؤمنون بما يقوم به المدرب، كان موسم استثنائي، لم تكن جولة سياحة، والهلال ثقافة كبيرة وناد عريق، وأيضًا المدرب، قاموا ببناء فريق قوي، وكان لديهم قوانين واضحة”.

وحول رأيه رأيك في جيسوس مدرب الهلال كمنافس وأبرز مميزاته؟، أوضح: “هو مدرب بمؤهلات خارقة للعادة وليس من السهل أن تواجهه، تفوز ضده مرة وتخسر أمامه العديد من المرات، مدير فني كبير جدًا، خلق فلسفة متميزة للاعبين وبأفكار متميزة، وهو قريب دائما من المكسب بهؤلاء اللاعبين”.

George Dockrell’s first four-for in nearly three years was followed by a century from Paul Stirling, who struck 101 off 97 balls, to chase down 178 with 12 overs to spare

The Report by Peter Della Penna in Sharjah10-Dec-2017Paul Stirling celebrates after notching his fifth ODI ton•Peter Della PennaIn a coaching tenure pockmarked by a lack of victories over Full Members, John Bracewell signed off on his time as Ireland coach with two straight wins in Sharjah as Ireland took the series decider by five wickets on Sunday night. George Dockrell’s first four-for in nearly three years was followed by a disdainful century from Paul Stirling, who finished as the leading run-scorer in the series.Afghanistan’s innings started in assured fashion with Dockrell being hit for six by Javed Ahmadi in the second over. In the sixth over, he carved Boyd Rankin through the off side for a series of boundaries. But the slightest pressure applied by Tim Murtagh resulted in the first mistake, Ahmadi forcing a pull in the seventh over to mid-off for 27. Rankin had Noor Ali Zadran dragging on in the next over and from there Ireland grew taller in the field.Whereas most of the Irish damage came from pace in the first two games, Dockrell and Stirling stepped up to take half the wickets. Stirling struck first, getting Asghar Stanikzai to skew a drive to backward point for 5 in the 18th over. Rahmat Shah then got out in arrogant fashion to give Dockrell his first, attempting to bring up a fifty with a six and instead picked out the tallest man on the field, Rankin at long-off.But it was the wicket of Mohammad Nabi that demonstrated Afghanistan’s lack of respect for Irish fingerspin, falling in identical circumstances to Stanikzai as a sliced drive found its way to Kevin O’Brien at short third man. Nasir Jamal picked out square leg with a sweep he middled, to give Dockrell his third and put Afghanistan on 109 for 6 with nearly 20 overs left.Rashid Khan fought gamely to keep Afghanistan in the match. He wound up finishing with a joint-top score of 44 and ended the series as Afghanistan’s second-highest scorer, a major indictment of the recognised batsmen. While he played orthodox strokes, his frustration grew as his remaining partners showed little willingness to apply themselves as Barry McCarthy ran off three straight wickets, two of those in the 41st over. Rashid began turning singles down in the 42nd over and stretched the innings into the 49th, giving the crowd a rise with a huge six off McCarthy into Second Industrial Street, before he was caught in the deep off the same bowler to end the innings.With Dawlat Zadran out nursing a niggling shoulder injury, Afghanistan made the curious call to bring in Shapoor Zadran, who had only played three ODIs since taking the new ball in the 2015 World Cup. Based on his performance on Sunday, he may have wrecked his chances of being in the touring party to Zimbabwe for the World Cup Qualifiers after he was dismantled single-handedly by Stirling. The bruising opener drove Shapoor through extra cover for the first of his 11 fours in the third over, and then nearly took Shapoor’s head off with a searing straight drive in the fifth to knock him out of the attack.Afghanistan’s spinners made inroads in the interim with Mujeeb Zadran bowling William Porterfield for 4 in the next over to land a hopeful blow. Nabi was curiously held out of the attack until after drinks but struck in his second over, drawing Andy Balbirnie into a dance down the pitch for a stumping. Rashid had Niall O’Brien lbw to a legbreak that held its line to make it 96 for 3.But Gary Wilson and Stirling teamed for a half-century stand to straighten Ireland’s chase once more as Afghanistan went crooked with the return of Shapoor to the attack. Stirling hooked the first ball of the 29th over a statuesque Rahmat at long leg for a six that could have been a wicket. But Stirling showed his disdain for Shapoor’s medium-pace two balls later, getting on a knee to slog sweep him over the square-leg rope for six more.Stirling’s hammering of Shapoor culminated in the 36th over. In the space of four balls, he moved from 81 to a century with hooks for four and six over long leg, then a tennis swat over cover for six more. A front-foot pull over midwicket finished the sequence to bring up his sixth ODI century, off 93 balls.Stirling fell to a Rashid googly to end the next over and several of Afghanistan’s players graciously shook his hand before he exited the field to more applause from the Afghanistan fans who remained. Two fours by Kevin O’Brien off Mujeeb in the following over sealed the win with 12 overs to spare.For Ireland, the back-to-back wins after a humiliating loss in the series opener were a major confidence boost in their final scheduled series before the World Cup Qualifier. The series loss for Afghanistan, only their second in nine ODI series since the 2015 World Cup and first since a 2-1 defeat in Bangladesh in October 2016, may dent their standing as one of the pre-tournament favourites heading into Zimbabwe.

Important to focus and not let change in batting positions affect game, says India batsman

Akshay Gopalakrishnan in Alur09-Nov-2017Mayank Agarwal’s classy century against Delhi on Thursday may have made him the star on most days. But for the few hundreds that gathered at the KSCA ground in Alur, Manish Pandey was all the rage. The Karnataka batsman was the sole recipient of applause from a clamouring crowd as he walked out to bat. Later, when a few members of the team cooled down with a light football session at the end of day’s play, Pandey was the centre of all attention again. It didn’t seem to matter that a few other heroes, who have also played for India, were in closer vicinity, jogging around by the boundary.This popularity of Pandey isn’t newfound, but it has certainly surged since he’s become a part of India’s limited-overs squad. Coming from the same batch of India Under-19s as Virat Kohli, Pandey hasn’t had the same opportunities or exposure at the senior level. He’s had to bide his time despite consistent scores in domestic cricket. His rise hasn’t been meteoric, but he’s still a popular player.Now, over two years since his international debut, Pandey is still fighting to nail a permanent spot. Constant changes to his batting position haven’t made the process easy. An average of 43 and strike-rate of 95 suggests there’s ability and potential, but it hasn’t always been enough. There’s been competition in the form of Kedar Jadhav, Dinesh Karthik and KL Rahul, his good friend and Karnataka team-mate. That is perhaps why every opportunity he gets at any level of competitive cricket is a blessing at this stage of his career.Barely a few hours after turning up for India in a T20 international against New Zealand in Thiruvananthapuram, Pandey hopped onto a flight to Bangalore and drove to Alur, on the outskirts of the city, to join his Karnataka mates ahead of a crucial Ranji Trophy game. The batsmen who preceded him had set it up nicely. The sunshine had eased out whatever moisture there was on the surface, and Delhi’s bowlers were tiring. Pandey walked in and stroked a half-century, the significance of which was magnified by the presence of MSK Prasad, the chairman of selectors. After a punchy 74, Pandey acknowledged it was important to not let the bar drop.”It’s a completely different ball game [playing four-day cricket as compared to the limited-overs formats], you know,” he said. “I had more time to settle down and play my shots as the innings progressed. It’ll be important for me to continue batting like this and have fun.”It was quite easy. The plan was to come at No. 4, but with the jet lag and stuff like that, I came in at No. 5. I have been playing a lot of ODI and T20, which obviously starts in the later part of the day. It was good to come back and play Ranji Trophy cricket for Karnataka. It was amazing to see the boys again. The partnership before definitely helped.”Pandey had a rousing start to his one-day career, with a half-century against Zimbabwe in Harare. Three games later, he blitzed a match-winning century against Australia in Sydney. A middling series against New Zealand cost him his place, and it took nearly a year for him to get a chance again, after a highly successful series with the India A team in South Africa.Pandey announced his return with an unbeaten half-century in a crushing 168-run win over Sri Lanka. Since then, he has floated between Nos. 4 and 6, not remaining in the same position for more than three games in a row. It also hasn’t helped that he returned with two single-digit scores in the three innings that he batted at No. 4. With India still in the hunt for a permanent fix to the No. 4 spot, those were costly lapses.Pandey’s game is well-suited to the position as he has the wherewithal to play the big shots as well as build an innings, like he showed in that Sydney hundred against Australia. However, being denied the luxury of settling into a position has made the bid harder.”I didn’t think about international cricket or the memories from before. I only thought about Karnataka cricket and my batting today,” he said. “I was looking forward to play this game. It is a little difficult to adapt, but I think I have done this for a long time. It’s a part of the game where the team wants you to play No. 4 or 5 or 6, and it’ll be important for me to stay focussed and keep waiting for the call-up.”Pandey last played a first-class match in December last year, when Karnataka conceded the quarterfinal of the previous season’s Ranji Trophy to Tamil Nadu inside two days. Given how heavily involved he has been in limited-overs cricket in that time, the pace at which Pandey struck his runs on Thursday perhaps wasn’t entirely surprising. But he denied any conscious effort in tweaking his game.”You don’t look to score a boundary every ball, but I look to score a single every ball, be a little aggressive. Even if it’s a defence, the intention is to be aggressive. Because of a lot of T20 cricket that is happening, cricket has changed in such a way that batsmen want to score runs and score boundaries. In a way, that’s really good for cricket where it’s looking good from the outside. I think we should just focus on getting runs.”

Chelsea are entering fresh talks to sign Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic this summer, according to reports, as Mauricio Pochettino looks to bolster his attacking options.

The Serie A club have reportedly valued their forward at €90m (£77m), but are willing to negotiate on that price with a swap involving Romelu Lukaku.

What's the latest on Dusan Vlahovic to Chelsea?

Juventus have placed a €90m (£77m) price-tag on Vlahovic, with the Serie A club also willing to accept €70m (£60m), plus €10m (£8.5m) in add-ons this summer, according to reports in Italy, via Sport Witness.

The complications in any deal taking place could come through Juventus' negotiations for Chelsea's Lukaku. Reports in Italy suggest that the London club value the Belgian at €40m (£34.5m), making any swap deal difficult, given Vlahovic's higher price-tag.

The Blues also want to stay between the €55-60m mark for the Serbian, so with Chelsea not willing to match Juventus' reported price-tag, there are plenty of negotiations to come if both clubs want to get a deal done for the two forwards this summer.

According to Sky Italia, though, Lukaku has agreed personal terms with Juventus, agreeing a three-year deal with the club and the option for an extra year, so those new negotiations are coming. As translated by Sport Witness, "new contacts are expected shortly" and Juve are "waiting for a strong move" from the Blues which will involve a large cash sum plus Lukaku,

Should Chelsea sign Dusan Vlahovic?

If Chelsea can get a deal done for Vlahovic, whilst also bidding farewell to Lukaku, then it would represent a solid piece of business.

The Juventus striker may not have hit top form at his current club, but his record of 49 goals in 108 appearances for former club Fiorentina proves that he is capable of finding the back of the net on a consistent basis.

When looking at Pochettino's newly-assembled squad at Stamford Bridge, too, the one thing they lack is an out-and-out goalscorer. They may have welcomed both Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson this summer, but neither's main strength comes in the form of goals, especially the former, who may operate best behind whoever leads the line for the Blues next season.

Vlahovic could add the cherry on top of a solid summer of arrivals at Chelsea. He may even bring an end to the London club's striker curse once and for all, ending a horrid run of forwards who forget how to find the back of the net as soon as they wear their famous colours.

The Juventus forward has earned plenty of praise for his performances in the past, too, with Tottenham Hotspur insider John Wenham telling Football Insider when the North London club were linked with a move: "In any case, he’s scoring every week. By all accounts, he’s an unbelievable player."

The fact that Vlahovic has been praised by Chelsea's rivals could leave the Blues extra delighted if they completed a move for the forward this summer.

With plenty of negotiations still to come, however, it remains to be seen whether or not Chelsea and Juventus can reach an agreement, which would see Vlahovic and Lukaku swap clubs in one of the deals of the summer transfer window in Europe.

The board announced a bonus for the two senior selection committees for the impressive performances of the men’s and women’s teams in recent times

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2017

The BCCI will award INR 15 lakh each to the members of the men’s and women’s senior selection committees for having selected “good teams”. The decision was communicated at the end of the meeting between the board’s office bearers and the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) in Delhi on Wednesday.”They have been rewarded for selecting good teams,” CoA member Diana Edulji told reporters.The men’s selection committee, headed by MSK Prasad and comprising Sarandeep Singh and Devang Gandhi, has overseen a fruitful period for India since its appointment in September last year. During the last 12 months, India registered Test series wins in West Indies and at home over New Zealand, England, Bangladesh and Australia, before sealing the ongoing series in Sri Lanka 2-0. India also had a good run in limited-overs cricket, winning home series against New Zealand and England, and being runners-up at the Champions Trophy in June.The Hemalata Kala-led women’s panel, which includes Lopamudra Banerjee and Shashi Gupta, has also enjoyed much success over the last year. Mithali Raj’s team won the Asia Cup and the Quadrangular tournament featuring South Africa, Ireland and Zimbabwe, before making the final of the World Cup in June.In other developments, the question of India’s participation in the Olympics, Edulji said, would be decided by the BCCI’s general body. The other point of discussion was the revision of domestic players’ wages for which Edulji said BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary was entrusted with firming up the modalities of the revised arrangement. The matter would be taken up during the CoA’s next meeting on August 23 in Mumbai. On the subject of payment of former India captain Mohammad Azharuddin’s pending dues, Edulji said it had been referred to the board’s general body. She also said that the legal team was studying Sreesanth’s case after the Kerala High Court overturned his life ban imposed by the BCCI.

Liverpool are firmly in contention to sign Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha with pivot Fabinho closing in on a £40m move to Saudi Arabian outfit Al Itihadd.

Is Joao Palhinha leaving Fulham?

According to Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri, the Reds are 'most keen' on the Portugal international as they seek fresh faces to reassemble their midfield.

Tavolieri claims that the Cottagers are seeking in excess of £52m for the ace, with certain sources claiming that a jaw-dropping £90m might even be the requirement to prise him away from Marco Silva's squad.

Reliable source ExWHUEmployee claims that the 28-year-old wants a move to the Hammers, though it's hard to imagine he would turn his head at a move to Anfield if Jurgen Klopp decides to advance negotiations.

Is Joao Palhinha a good player?

Having lost James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to contractual conclusions last month, Klopp might not have wanted to lose such a distinguished star as Fabinho despite the Brazilian's poor performances last season, especially when partnering with captain Jordan Henderson's forthcoming and highly-publicised move to Saudi side Al Ettifaq.

While The Athletic recently posted a report summarising Liverpool's top targets, Palhinha could prove to be the ace best-placed to unlock the full capacity of this talented Liverpool team, it just remains to be seen if a reasonable fee could be negotiated for a player with four years left on his current deal.

The metrics certainly don't do the £50k-per-week gem any harm, with FBref ranking the "machine" – as he has been called by teammate Harrison Reed – among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for tackles, the top 12% for clearances and the top 8% for aerials won per 90.

Completing a £17m transfer to London last summer, Sky Sports reporter James Weir even went as far as to say that he had been "one of the signings of the season" after playing a starring role in Fulham's tenth-placed finish after achieving promotion that term.

It would be ludicrous for Liverpool to not attempt to sign the phenom, especially considering the Anfield side's past success in raiding teams of lesser stature in the Premier League under Klopp's wing.

Of recent years, the prime example is the £41m acquisition of dynamic attacker Diogo Jota from Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2020, with Palhinha's compatriot harvesting 58 direct contributions from 117 matches since his arrival, winning the FA Cup and Carabao Cup.

The 26-year-old has been hailed as a "pressing monster" by Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders and was instrumental in the side's vital late-season purple patch last term, scoring seven goals across the last eight league encounters.

With the Portuguese star making the successful leap to a side capable of challenging for major honours with regularity, perhaps Palhinha can join his countryman and make a marked improvement on the Merseyside club's central midfield.

Liverpool must now act in order to get the Anfield masses cheering again, and with Palhinha's signing, the perfect foundation for Klopp's new-look midfield might just be installed.

Bayern Munich have made "important contact" with Tottenham Hotspur over a move for Harry Kane and have no intention of giving up their pursuit of the centre-forward, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Is Kane joining Bayern?

Having seen two bids rebuffed already in their hunt for Kane, Bayern are showing no signs of dropping their interest in the England forward.

Kane wants a move to the German champions and as long as that remains the case, Spurs are going to find it difficult to keep the 29-year-old in north London amid Bayern interest.

However, Tottenham, and most significantly Daniel Levy, know the drill by now. They have been here many times before with Kane's future the subject of focus every single time the transfer window rolls around.

This time it may be tougher to halt Kane's exit with Romano claiming that Bayern have no intention of stopping their pursuit of the attacker having made "important contact" with Spurs over a deal.

Speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Romano said: "We can confirm what has been reported tonight, so there was a very important contact today between Bayern and Tottenham to discuss about Harry Kane.

"This is important because Bayern are trying their best. This is very clear. They offered €70m plus add-ons almost 20 days ago, rejected. Then €80m plus add-ons, also rejected by Tottenham. The message from Tottenham has always been clear: they will fight to keep Harry Kane at the club. They want to offer him a new deal.

"Ange Postecoglou is trying to convince the player about the project by speaking to him directly at the training ground, but Bayern are still trying. Thomas Tuchel is behind this story because Tuchel is really pushing to have Harry Kane and Bayern and Tottenham had a conversation. At the moment, it's still not something like a done deal, an agreement."

He added: "Bayern told in a very clear way to Tottenham that they don't have an intention to stop. They want Harry Kane and they want to try again. So, the feeling of sources is that Bayern tried to explore the real conditions from Daniel Levy to sign Harry Kane."

Bayern's persistence may prove increasingly difficult for Levy to resist as Kane's contract expires next summer and he is keen on a move to Bavaria.

However, losing such a talismanic and significant figure would massively disrupt Postecoglou's rebuild and leave the Lilywhites with an uncertain season ahead of them without Kane's consistent goals.

Kane netted 30 times in 38 Premier League games despite Tottenham's lacklustre performances and eighth-placed finish, and Spurs have been indebted to him for saving their skin countless times in recent seasons.

Who are Tottenham signing?

Kane's exit will be of huge concern to Tottenham supporters, but they can be extremely satisfied with the business they have already conducted in the window.

James Maddison, Guglielmo Vicario and Manor Solomon have all arrived at Hotspur Way, while the loans of Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski have been made permanent.

While any new signings may be influenced by potential outgoings, there is a sense that Postecoglou is nowhere near done in the market.

Priority for the time being is a new centre-back, with Edmond Tapsoba and Micky van de Ven top of the club's list of targets. The Bundesliga pair would both help solidify a leaky defence and offer Postecoglou a central defender that is comfortable playing out from the back.

If Kane were to leave then Spurs would obviously require a ready-made replacement and someone they could potentially invest in is Napoli forward Victor Osimhen, although the striker would likely cost an absolute fortune.

West Ham United have submitted an enquiry for AZ Alkmaar star Tijjani Reijnders in the hope of bringing him to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Tijjani Reijnders?

Reijnders is naturally a central midfielder who currently plies his trade at the AFAS Stadium having joined the U21s there from PEC Zwolle back in 2017 before getting promoted to the first team the following year, as per Transfermarkt, where he’s since gone on to become a regular feature.

In the Eredivisie, the Dutchman started all 34 games under Pascal Jansen last season and established himself as his side’s third overall best-performing player with a WhoScored match rating of 7.26, and David Moyes has already had the chance to assess him live in action.

During the Europa Conference League, the Irons had to face the 24-year-old’s side and will know exactly what he’s capable of having put a goal past Lukasz Fabianski, something which has tempted the boss into trying to entice him to E20.

Are West Ham signing Reijnders?

According to Sport Italia (via Sport Witness), West Ham have made an "in-depth" enquiry to discover the availability of Reijnders in the "past few days" ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. AC Milan and other unnamed clubs are also believed to have "expressed their interest" in AZ Alkmaar's prized asset, but at this stage, there's no indication as to how much it would cost to secure his services.

Should Moyes consider a bid for Reijnders?

Whilst Reijnders is a central midfielder, West Ham will know that he is much stronger in the attacking aspect of his game, and having been dubbed “unplayable” by journalist Josh Bunting, Moyes and the hierarchy should definitely consider tabling an opening offer.

The ESA & GFM client, who earns £8k-per-week, racked up 11 goal contributions (eight assists and three goals) in 34 Eredivisie appearances last season, with this form seeing him collect three man-of-the-match awards, but he’s also a creative threat away from the net.

Reijnders, who has the versatility to operate in seven various positions, including everywhere across the centre and out wide on both wings, ranked in the 96th percentile for progressive carries so loves to push up the pitch but was also calm and composed in possession with an 88.8% pass success rate which was higher than any Irons player, therefore he would be an upgrade on the boss’ current options at the London Stadium.