Victoria captain Will Sutherland confirmed Maxwell could play a couple of Shield games early in the summer with the Sri Lanka Test tour in late January in mind

Alex Malcolm25-Sep-2024

Glenn Maxwell looks set to make his Sheffield Shield return•Getty Images

Victoria captain Will Sutherland says Glenn Maxwell will be available to play some Sheffield Shield cricket in the early part of the summer as the spin-bowling allrounder makes a push to be part of Australia’s Test tour to Sri Lanka in January and February next year.Maxwell, who turns 36 in October, is currently in England with Australia’s ODI team and has not played a Shield match for Victoria since February 2023 and has played only two first-class matches in the last five years due to his white-ball commitments and his freak leg injury.Australia’s ODI players are set to return from England early next week with the opening Shield round to begin on October 8. Victoria host Tasmania at the Junction Oval in Melbourne before a large group of Australia Test and white-ball stars look set to be available for the second Shield round starting on October 20 when Victoria host New South Wales at the MCG.Related

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The third and fourth Shield rounds overlap with Australia’s home ODI and T20I series against Pakistan that runs from November 4-18. There are also two Australia A first-class games against India A in the first two weeks of November. There are two more Shield rounds starting on November 24 and December 6 respectively while the Border-Gavaskar series is underway, just before the BBL starts.Maxwell will not be part of Australia’s plans for the five-Test home series against India barring a very unique set of unforseen circumstances eventuating. But he is a chance to go to Sri Lanka for the two-Test series that could be crucial in Australia’s quest to make another World Test Championship final. Maxwell was part of the Sri Lanka tour in 2022 and nearly played the first Test in Galle, with his ability as a spin-bowling allrounder seen as an asset in spinning conditions, especially if the Tests are set to be low-scoring and fast moving. All of his seven Test matches have been played on the subcontinent with his last coming in Bangladesh in 2017.Australia’s selectors have made it clear previously that they see very little link between Shield cricket and Test cricket in Sri Lanka from a form line perspective but Victoria is keen to have Maxwell play some red-ball cricket for them in the early part of the summer and it will be an opportunity for him to get into the red-ball rhythm given he has played so little in recent years, despite conditions in Victoria in October being a world away from the subcontinent.”I think he’ll be available for a couple and I believe he’s keen to play as well,” Sutherland said on Wednesday. “Obviously, things can change with him playing at the moment, but to have a player like Glenn potentially come into our side is a bit of a luxury, so hopefully that can work out nicely.”Maxwell’s last first-class game was for Warwickshire in the county championship last year where he made 81 off 67 and bowled 24 overs across two innings.Scott Boland injured his heel on his Durham debut•Getty Images

Victoria are unlikely to have Australia fast bowler Scott Boland available for the first Shield game of the summer against Tasmania as he slowly builds up off a knee issue, having also been ruled out of his county stint with Durham earlier this year due to plantar fasciitis in his foot. But he is set to be unleashed in the game against NSW at the MCG where Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon and Steven Smith are all a chance to play for the Blues.”I believe it’s the second [game],” Sutherland said of Boland’s return. “You have to double check with him, but I faced him in the nets a few days ago, and he’s still nipping the ball back into me, blowing my quad off every second ball. He’s still got his tools, and he’s just building up nicely. I’m sure he’ll be ready to go for the Shield season.”Sutherland revealed he will likely be on bowling restrictions during the start of the Shield season coming off a stress fracture in his back. He bowled six overs and made 36 not out in Victoria’s opening One-Day Cup win over Tasmania on Monday in Melbourne and will bowl again in Friday’s One-Day Cup game against Queensland. But he confirmed he is still working up his loads for Shield cricket and might be restricted in the number of overs he can bowl.”I’ll be able to play the first game, probably, I just won’t be able to bowl as many overs as I would like,” Sutherland said. “I’ll be on restrictions. What that looks like will depend on how Friday goes. But, yeah, there’ll be limits for sure.”I think the main issue is bowling back-to-back days, so I’ll be able to bowl a fair bit on one day, but then unfortunately, the next day we’ll be in a bit of strife. So it does create some issues at times. But we’ll just have to work through that and maybe miss the odd game here and there.”Sutherland has been doing some work on his action over the winter with Victoria bowling coach Adam Griffith in order to avoid further back trouble.”I’m just trying to get more stable at the crease,” Sutherland said. “I would like to pick up a couple yards as well. So I’ve definitely been doing plenty. They sort of go hand in hand. The more efficient you get, it’s probably safer at the crease, and you can maybe pick up a few yards as well. Definitely doing some work there.”One man who won’t be part of Victoria’s Shield team at the start of the season is Will Pucovski. The one-Test opener has not been training with the group and is set to finish his playing career after a medical panel advised he not continue due to the repeated concussions that he has suffered. It is understood it will be a while before his medical retirement is formally confirmed due to ongoing negotiations over his contract and injury compensation.Sutherland said he has been in contact with Pucovski via text message and said his teammates have been checking in.”He’s probably closer to other guys than me but we’ve sent the odd message to each other, just trying to stick with him,” Sutherland said. “We’re a tight group at Victoria. We want to have that family sort of feel so I’m sure a lot of boys have tried to keep in touch with him.”I’m not sure of the situation he’s obviously going through at the moment. I’m probably not the right person to ask. But hopefully things can work out for him, and we’re definitely looking after him and trying to keep in touch.”

Marco Jansen and Gerald Coetzee are expected to be back in action by November after being rested for South Africa’s white-ball tour of the UAE, where they will play Afghanistan and Ireland. The pair are a third of the way through a 12-week conditioning block as part of a CSA plan to manage the bowlers and help them recover from or prevent injury.Neither has played for South Africa since June, with Jansen rested from the West Indies Tests and Coetzee injured just before the matches. Currently, Jansen has a shoulder concern and Coetzee a hip issue, but even before those niggles, CSA had recognised the need to give them a break as part of a broader strategy to keep bowlers at their best.”Both of these young players were presenting with chronic physiological and physical things that are predisposed to fast bowling and so we realised that we had to step in. We have to give these guys the best chance of being able to perform,” Rob Walter, South Africa’s white-ball coach, said. “Obviously the workload on young cricketers has gone through the roof, especially guys who bowl fast. In order to ensure that their injuries didn’t put up the stop sign [on their careers], we wanted to put them on a conditioning block.”Related

• South Africa to decide whether to tour Bangladesh this week

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Similarly, South Africa are giving premier quick Kagiso Rabada an extended period of time off ahead of a busy period of Test cricket, which will start with two matches against Bangladesh in October. CSA is currently waiting on a security assessment to confirm the team’s travel to Bangladesh – the women’s T20 World Cup was moved out of the country to the UAE following political tensions – but expect to play the series at a neutral venue. That will be followed by two Tests against each of Sri Lanka and Pakistan before the SA20, Champions Trophy and IPL, leaving this as the only viable time to rest Rabada.”If you look at what he has in store for him, starting from when the Bangladesh Test series starts, it’s non-stop cricket,” Walter said. “When KG puts on a jersey for South Africa, we want him to be delivering his best and we’ve seen that when his pace is up, that’s when he’s most impactful and effective. It’s just not possible to keep expecting him to do that if we don’t provide these rest, recovery and conditioning windows. This was a perfect time to give him that opportunity. We don’t have a lot of Test matches so to have our best bowlers available and firing for Test cricket is absolutely imperative. So there’s a collaboration between myself and Shukri [Conrad – the red-ball coach] to make sure that that happens.”In Rabada’s absence, Lungi Ngidi and Ottneil Baartman will lead the pace attack in the UAE with Anrich Nortje, who opted out of a national contract as he works his way back from stress fractures, also omitted. Nortje played at the T20 World Cup 2024, but there is no indication of when he will consider representing South Africa in longer formats.South Africa are also resting their two frontline spinners, Keshav Maharaj and Tabraiz Shamsi, and middle-order batters David Miller and Heinrich Klaasen, in the UAE as they look to deepen the player pool ahead of more anticipated schedule clashes. The tri-series in Pakistan ahead of next year’s Champions Trophy is one example, as it will coincide with the SA20 knockouts and so, South Africa will not have a first-choice squad available. To prepare for that, they are broadening the international player base on their UAE trip.”The reality is we can’t rely on one group of players to win games for South Africa and so the players that you see in the squad are either high potential players that we believe can make big contributions for South Africa moving forward, or the next best players in the country,” Walter said. “We want to make sure that we have a bigger group of players that can win games for South Africa. If we want to keep relying on the same faces to do that, what happens with injury, what happens with retirement, what happens in all those instances? The only way to know is to keep exposing players to international cricket.”

Celtic are in need of a new option on the left flank ahead of the 2025/26 campaign to cover for the time that Portuguese winger Jota is going to be out for.

Brendan Rodgers’ side clinched the Scottish Premiership title in style with a 5-0 win away at Dundee United, but the left-sided forward hobbled off with a worrying injury in the first half.

It was then revealed after the game that Jota would be out for between six and nine months, setting a potential return date as late as February of next year.

The 26-year-old speedster returned to Parkhead in the January transfer window, from French side Rennes, and produced four goals and two assists in seven league starts in the Scottish top-flight before his injury.

This means that the Hoops need another option on the left wing because they are unlikely to have Jota available for a large portion of next season, hence why they are keen on Royal Antwerp’s Michel-Ange Balikwisha.

Celtic are reportedly in talks with the Belgian Pro League club in an attempt to secure a deal to sign the left winger, who is valued at £5m, this summer.

What Balikwisha could bring to Celtic

The 24-year-old forward is a right-footed left winger, like Jota, which means that he could play a similar role within Rodgers’ tactical set-up next season.

Balikwisha’s form in the Pro League, when available, over the last two seasons also suggests that he has the potential to deliver both goals and assists from the left flank at a respectable rate.

Starts

27

12

xG

6.46

2.65

Goals

7

4

Big chances created

6

7

Key passes per game

1.5

1.6

Assists

5

3

As you can see in the table above, the Belgian talent has scored 11 goals and provided eight assists in his last 39 appearances in the Pro League, which suggests that he could offer a decent threat at the top end of the pitch from a wide position.

This means that the potential is there for him to replace the goals and assists that they have lost through Jota’s injury, which is why he could be a solid signing for Celtic this summer.

However, Balikwisha’s own injury record over the years is a cause for concern because he has suffered a lot of injuries that have kept him out for significant lengths of time each season during his time with Royal Antwerp.

In the last four seasons, the 24-year-old wing wizard has missed a whopping 63 games through injury, and at least ten matches in all four campaigns, suffering eight separate injury issues in that time.

This suggests that Celtic would be gambling on his fitness by bringing him to Parkhead to replace their currently injured player, which is why it could make more sense to look in a different direction if another target becomes available.

Celtic's interest in Premier League winger

Earlier this summer, Football Insider reported that the Premiership champions were interested in a potential deal to sign Aston Villa forward Louie Barry to bolster their squad.

The outlet claimed that the Scottish giants were willing to explore either a loan or a permanent deal for the former Barcelona academy starlet this summer.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

They looked set to miss out on a deal for the 22-year-old talent when Hull City agreed a £3.5m fee to sign him permanently, only for the transfer to fall through after the Tigers were hit with a three-window embargo.

That transfer ban for the Championship side has put Barry back out on the open market and presented teams with an opportunity to snap him up, which means that he could still be an option for Celtic.

It remains to be seen, though, whether or not the Hoops are still interested in the English sensation, or if they would be willing to go in with an offer to sign him permanently at this point in the window.

Why Celtic should sign Louie Barry

Rodgers should seriously consider a swoop to sign Barry from the Premier League outfit before the end of the summer transfer window, though, because he has the potential to be an even better winger signing than Balikwisha.

Whilst his injury history is far from spotless, the English forward has missed fewer games (34) through injury in his career than Balikwisha (63), which suggests that he may be more reliable from an availability perspective.

The 22-year-old star’s form during his time on loan with Stockport County in League Two and in League One in the last two seasons also suggests that the potential is there for him to offer even more than Balikwisha at the top end of the pitch.

Barry produced nine goals and four assists in 20 League Two games in the 2023/24 season, before plundering 15 goals and two assists in 23 League One outings in the first half of last season.

xG

0.47

Top 5%

Goals

0.75

Top 3%

Shots on target

1.80

Top 2%

xA

0.21

Top 11%

Assists

0.11

Top 47%

Successful dribbles

2.70

Top 2%

As you can see in the table above, the Villa youngster was one of the best players in the English third tier last season at scoring and creating goals from a wide position, and was unfortunate not to have more assists to show for the xA that he created.

Barry, who was hailed as “electric” by reporter Sam Byrne, scored 24 goals, assisted six goals, and created 12 ‘big chances’ in his 43 appearances on loan at Stockport, which suggests that he has even more to offer in front of goal, particularly as a scorer, than Balikwisha.

The Belgian forward, as aforementioned, has scored 11 goals in his last 39 Pro League outings, which is not as impressive as Barry’s return in England is, whilst playing in the same position.

Therefore, Celtic and Rodgers could land an even better winger than Balikwisha by signing the Villa gem, who is two years younger, less injury-prone, and has more potential to explode as a goalscorer on the left flank.

Celtic could sign their new Van Dijk in a star who once silenced Gyokeres

Celtic are interested in signing a defender who could be Virgil van Dijk 2.0 at Parkhead.

ByDan Emery Jul 10, 2025

West Ham United have now reached a verbal agreement over a deal to sign a defender, who is set to be available for around £4m this summer, according to journalist Dominik Schneider.

Hammers set out to strengthen defence

West Ham recently secured the signature of Kyle Walker-Peters on a free transfer, but Graham Potter has no plans to stop there, with the manager also keen to bolster his options in the centre of defence.

Speaking to Football Insider, former scout Mick Brown revealed the desire to sign a new centre-back comes amid major doubts over Nayef Aguerd’s future, with Potter looking to sell the Morocco international this summer.

Brown said: “West Ham are aiming to sign a top-class centre-half. Potter wants reliable options in that position because he isn’t happy with what he’s got. It’s something West Ham have been lacking for a while, and it’s going to be a priority before the season starts because the manager is pushing for it.

“Potter isn’t happy with Mavropanos, he’s far too mistake prone and is liable to cost you a game, and he’s looking to move on Nayef Aguerd as well.”

That said, it may be difficult to compete for the signature of an established top-level centre-back, off the back of the Hammers’ very disappointing 2024-25 campaign, and they now look set to take a gamble on a defender from the Swiss league.

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The Hammers have had a first-hand look at his quality.

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That is according to Schneider on X, who reveals West Ham have now reached a “verbal agreement” over a deal for Lugano defender Albian Hajdari, and a deal could be on the cheap side.

Hajdari has a €5m (£4.3m) release clause included in his Lugano contract, and while the Hammers are yet to trigger it, the centre-back is “keen to join” this summer, indicating it could be very easy to get a deal over the line.

"Dominant" Hajdari could excel at the London Stadium

While the 22-year-old would not be a big-name signing, there are clear indications that he could be a success at the London Stadium, having performed very well for Lugano over the course of the past year.

The Lugano star’s defensive abilities certainly cannot be called into question, given that he is placed in the top 1% for interceptions per 90, and the top 2% for blocks, when compared to his positional peers.

Not only that, but the one-time Switzerland international has also received high praise from scout Ben Mattinson, who described him as “aerially dominant” and “composed on the ball”, with the latter quality potentially making the Binningen-born defender ideal for Potter.

At just over £4m, Hajdari could be a bargain addition to Potter’s squad, and there are clear signs that he could kick on at the London Stadium.

يستضيف نادي مانشستر سيتي نظيره نابولي اليوم الخميس، لحساب الجولة الأولى من دوري أبطال أوروبا مرحلة الدوري من بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وتلعب المباراة في الوقت الحالي حيث مضى حوالي نصف ساعة على بداية اللقاء، وسط ضغط من قبل لاعبي مانشستر سيتي بحثًا عن تسجيل الهدف الأول.

ويسعى مانشستر سيتي إلى تحقيق الفوز على نابولي من أجل بداية دوري أبطال أوروبا بأفضل شكل ممكن وفي سعي السيتيزن نحو تحقيق اللقب الثاني في تاريخ النادي الإنجليزي.

طالع .. جوارديولا يحذر من خطورة لاعب مانشستر سيتي السابق خلال مواجهة نابولي

وشهدت المباراة تعرض قائد نادي نابولي، جيوفاني دي لورينزو للطرد في الدقيقة 21 من عمر الشوط الأول من اللقاء.

دي لورينزو أعاق نجم نادي مانشستر سيتي، إيرلينج هالاند، على حدود منطقة الجزاء في انفراد واضح للدولي النرويجي.

وعاد حكم اللقاء إلى تقنية الفار التي بينت وجود عرقلة واضحة من دي لورينزو على هالاند ليطرد الظهير الأيمن في نهاية المطاف.

وبذلك تعززت فرص مانشستر سيتي في تحقيق الفوز في لقاء اليوم وسط تراجع من نابولي والاكتفاء بالدفاع فقط.

Giovanni Di Lorenzo has been sent off with a straight red card!

pic.twitter.com/o96SRaOhw0 — The Champion Stand🏆⚽️ (@TheChamp_Stand) September 18, 2025

Arsenal have emerged as the leading contenders to sign a “rising star” for Mikel Arteta this summer, amid their plethora of other potential deals, with sporting director Andrea Berta showing no sign of slowing down.

Arsenal complete signing with medical "done", announcement due "this week"

Mikel Arteta is set to welcome another player.

4

By
Emilio Galantini

Jul 9, 2025

The north Londoners have already signed goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, midfielder Martin Zubimendi and Christian Norgaard, with the latter completing his medical earlier this week (David Ornstein).

Arsenal are now attempting to bolster a host of different areas in attack after this trio of transfers, and supporters are anticipating the end of their long search for a prolific number nine, as their club close in on a deal for Sporting CP striker Viktor Gyokeres.

Chelsea’s Noni Madueke could join the Sweden international, having agreed personal terms, with Crystal Palace star Eberechi Eze also holding “positive” talks to join Arsenal in a separate deal (ESPN).

Arsenal transfer spending under Arteta (via Sky Sports)	Money on new signings
19/20 – winter	£0
20/21 – summer	£81.5m
20/21 – winter	£900k
21/22 – summer	£156.8m
21/22 – winter	£1.8m
22/23 – summer	£121.5m
22/23 – winter	£59m
23/24 – summer	£208m
23/24 – winter	£0
24/25 – summer	£101.5m
24/25 – winter	£0
25/26 – summer	£65m

Sky Sports back that Arsenal could sign both a left-winger and Eze this summer, in what is a very exciting prospect for fans, but it plunges the futures of both Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli into serious doubt.

Eze would come in to complement Gunners captain Martin Odegaard, as per Sky this week, and his versatility means Arteta could also utilise the 27-year-old as an alternative to Bukayo Saka when required.

Saka spent months out injured midway through 2024/2025, which undoubtedly hampered Arsenal’s Premier League title challenge, so it would be useful for Arteta to have different quality options on that side.

With Berta working on multiple attacking signings already, and a move for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo also still on the cards, it does beg the question: where does FC Porto sensation Rodrigo Mora fit in?

Arsenal in pole position to sign FC Porto starlet Rodrigo Mora

The 18-year-old was a member of Portugal’s UEFA Nations League-winning squad and displayed real flashes of brilliance during FC Porto’s Club World Cup campaign – scoring a brilliant solo goal in their 4-4 draw with Al-Ahly.

Arsenal sent scouts to run the rule over Mora during his CWC outings, with the teenager emerging as “one of the most highly-rated youngsters in world football”.

That is according to Football Transfers, who state that Arsenal are now the current favourites to sign Mora, ahead of both Man City and Man United, having expressed the most significant interest so far.

The Portuguese’s contract includes a £60 million release clause, but given Berta’s pursuit of other illustrious forwards, it would be quite a move if he managed to get a transfer done this window.

Perhaps the versatile attacking midfielder could come as an alternative to Eze, following his impressive 2024/2025 haul of 12 goals and four assists in all competitions.

He’s also already a record-breaker, having become the youngest debutant in Portuguese football history two years ago.

“We now have Rodrigo Mora, who just turned 18. He’s a brilliant footballer, another rising star,” said Porto president André Villas-Boas.

“We love the game, and I believe that passion fuels the talent we see right now. Technically gifted, for sure.”

Ashleigh Gardner has been cleared of concussion after the allrounder’s bizarre collision with Georgia Wareham before Australia’s T20I against New Zealand.Gardner missed Australia’s series-opening win in Mackay on Thursday night, after she and Wareham clashed heads during a warm-up game.Wareham has also been cleared of any concussion symptoms after recovering from the knock to play in the five-wicket win.Gardner, the reigning Belinda Clark Medallist, initially laughed off the incident before leaving the ground in tears. The 27-year-old has had a wretched history with concussions with seven throughout her professional career. The issue prompted Gardner to see a neuropsychologist in 2018, after suffering four in the space of 20 months. Saturday’s news will therefore come as a welcome relief to Gardner, with both she and Wareham a chance to play the second T20 against New Zealand in Mackay on Sunday.Australia also have other injury concerns ahead of next month’s World Cup in the UAE with Grace Harris (calf) and Kim Garth (knee) both missing the New Zealand series.Beth Mooney, who will pay her 100th T20I in the second match of the series, said Australia would be looking to sharpen up.”It was a good game for us, not a great one,” Mooney said. “So we’re looking to sharpen up every facet of the game, maybe getting off to a bit of a better start with the bat in terms of wickets lost, and then with the ball, maybe tidying up a few different areas there.”[New Zealand] got 140 on the board and they perhaps were a few runs short, so we’ll have to adjust tomorrow night if they come out pretty hard.”On the landmark game, which will come at the scene of one of her greatest performances, the unbeaten 125 against India in 2021, Mooney said: “It’s always nice to play one game for Australia, but to play a 100 when there was probably a time where I didn’t think I’d play any is very special.”New Zealand were without Sophie Devine for the first game of the series as she continues to recover from an ankle injury with a cautious approach being taken ahead of the T20 World Cup

Tottenham are planning to sign a new centre-back this summer, with Daniel Levy and Johan Lange casting their eyes on an exciting young target who Spurs tip to become a star.

Tottenham make £150k-a-week ex-Chelsea star top target after Frank decision

The Spurs boss is personally keen on him.

ByEmilio Galantini Jul 24, 2025

The Lilywhites are reliably believed to be looking at bolstering the centre of their defence, as reported by The Telegraph, who also state that Thomas Frank’s side could weigh up another move for Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi.

Son Heung-min

7.00

James Maddison

6.98

Pedro Porro

6.95

Dominic Solanke

6.84

Dejan Kulusevski

6.83

via WhoScored

Spurs saw a club-record £70 million bid rejected for Guehi in January, but despite this and competition from Premier League champions Liverpool, they haven’t thrown in the towel when it comes to potentially signing the England international.

Palace are also now open to selling Guehi for a minimum £45 million with his contract expiring in less than 12 months (GiveMeSport), so this is certainly one to watch, but the 25-year-old isn’t Tottenham’s only defensive target.

Contrary to other reports, some media sources state that Tottenham are frontrunners to sign Illia Zabarnyi from Bournemouth, despite PSG’s lengthy ongoing talks to sign the Ukranian.

Zabarnyi has already agreed personal terms with PSG, but Spurs apparently remain in the race for his signature after the 22-year-old’s exceptional campaign at the heart of Andoni Iraola’s defence.

Tottenham reportedly competed to sign Zabarnyi’s former centre-back partner Dean Huijsen as well, according to Fabrizio Romano, but it was always a tall order to barge aside Real Madrid, who’ve since added the Spaniard to Xabi Alonso’s ranks.

“Tottenham Hotspur were also constantly calling as well as Bayern Munich,” said Romano to GMS about the race for Huijsen earlier this year.

“But, the German giants understood they needed to sell a centre-back like Kim Min-jae in order to proceed with a new expensive signing, and it didn’t happen. For Spurs and Newcastle, it also became impossible to compete when Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal appeared with important proposals.”

Tottenham expected to make "official move" for Giovanni Leoni

Alongside Guehi, the north Londoners could turn to Parma defender Giovanni Leoni.

Levy and Lange have been linked with the 18-year-old already, but CaughtOffside now state that Tottenham are expected to make an “official move” for Leoni shortly.

Parma won’t entertain any offers below their asking price, though, which could be up to around £35 million, and Newcastle are fellow favourites to sign the Italian teenager who’s fresh off the back of a solid debut campaign for the Serie A side.

Leoni is highly-rated at N17, though, described as a “standout young defender” in the report, and those within Spurs view him as a ‘cornerstone of their future defensive setup’.

The former Sampdoria gem, who stands at a towering 6 foot 4, made 17 top-flight appearances for Parma across 24/25 – featuring at centre-back and playing as a right-back occasionally – and he’s tipped for a very bright career.

كشفت تقارير صحفية، ماذا قال تشابي ألونسو، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد للاعبه فينيسيوس جونيور، بعدما جلس بديلًا على مقاعد البدلاء في مباراة مارسيليا الأخيرة بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

وواجه الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد نظيره أولمبيك مارسيليا مساء الثلاثاء الماضي، في المباراة التي جمعتهما ضمن منافسات دوري أبطال أوروبا.

وحقق ريال مدريد بقيادة تشابي ألونسو فوزًا بشق الأنفس على حساب نظيره مارسيليا في مستهل مشواره ببطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا، بنتيجة 2-1، على ملعب “سانتياجو برنابيو”.

وظهر فينيسيوس على أتم الاستعداد خلال تواجده على مقاعد البدلاء في سانتياجو برنابيو، ودخل بديلًا في الشوط الثاني وكرر تألقه واستطاع أن يحصل على ركلة جزاء منحت الفوز لصالح ريال مدريد بالمباراة.

اقرأ أيضًا | رودريجو: أشكر أنشيلوتي لأنه يعرف كل شيء.. وجاهز دائمًا مع ألونسو

تسببت ركلة الجزاء هذه في إثارة جدلًا كبيرًا في الإعلام الفرنسي لأن الحكم احتسب لمسة يد على مدافع مارسيليا خلال تمركز اللاعب في وضع الدفاع الطبيعي وأن اللمسة لم تكن متعمدة.

وكشف برنامج “إل شيرينجيتو” أن تشابي ألونسو تحدث مع فينيسيوس قبل الإعلان عن التشكيل الأساسي لمباراة مارسيليا في دوري أبطال أوروبا، وعلم البرازيلي أنه سيدخل بديلًا.

وفقًا للبرنامج، فإن ألونسو أوضح لـ فينيسيوس أن الأمر لا يتعلق بالجودة أو أي أمور فنية بل لرغبته في توزيع عدد دقائق اللعب على اللاعبين حتى يتجنب الإرهاق.

Arsenal have now opened talks over a deal for a “world-class” forward, who is pushing to leave his current club, according to a report.

Gunners' striker pursuit rumbles on

At one stage, it appeared as though the Gunners were very close to getting a deal for Viktor Gyokeres over the line, with Fabrizio Romano revealing a deal was close to being sealed over a week ago.

However, the deal has since stalled, with some reports even suggesting that Manchester United could hijack the move, although Romano has since quashed those rumours, insisting the Swedish striker has his heart set on signing for the Gunners.

As such, the north Londoners still appear to be in a strong position to get the deal done, but Gyokeres is not the only attacker they are eager to get through the door, having also set their sights on a winger, with Real Madrid’s Rodrygo of interest.

However, a deal for the Madrid star could be on the expensive side, with the Spanish side holding out for £87m, and Mikel Arteta’s side have now set their sights on a potential alternative option.

Berta set to launch mega-money bid to sign Arsenal's best LW since Sanchez

Arsenal are looking to strengthen their wide forward options this summer.

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According to a report from TEAMtalk, Arsenal have now made fresh contact over a deal for Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman, who is pushing to leave the Italian club, following a fallout with former manager Gian Piero Gasperini.

Andrea Berta is now weighing up whether to make a concrete approach for Lookman, who could be a far more affordable option than Rodrygo, given that Atalanta are demanding £43m.

However, the Gunners may have to fend off interest from elsewhere, with Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid retaining a strong interest in the forward.

"World-class" Lookman could be fantastic Rodrygo alternative

Not only is the Atalanta star much more affordable than Rodrygo, but he has performed remarkably well over the past year in terms of non-penalty goals per 90, ranking in the top 2% compared to his positional peers.

Statistic

Average per 90

Non-penalty goals

0.63 (98th percentile)

Progressive carries

5.71 (94th percentile)

Shot-creating actions

5.51 (92nd percentile)

The former Everton man has really kicked on since leaving the Toffees, with journalist John Bennett singling him out for very high praise after scooping up the African Footballer of the Year award at the end of 2024.

At 27-years-old, Lookman is likely to be in his prime years, and he could be a real difference-maker for Arsenal in their pursuit of the Premier League title next season.