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Teenager Pooja Vastrakar also returns to the T20I squad led by Harmanpreet Kaur, while D Hemalatha is back for the ODIs

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2019India women have named uncapped 15-year-old batsman Shafali Verma in their T20I squad for the first three – of five – games of the series against South Africa, which starts on September 24 in Surat. Another teenager, 19-year-old allrounder Pooja Vastrakar, who debuted in 2018, has been recalled to the team that will be led by Harmanpreet Kaur.Alongside that of Harleen Deol, the selection of Verma and Vastrakar seems to signal a decided move towards youth as they come in to replace the likes of Ekta Bisht, Komal Zanzad and Mithali Raj, who retired from T20Is on Tuesday.Raj will continue to lead the ODI squad, where D Hemalatha returns after having missed the ODIs against England earlier this year.Verma, who has never played at the senior level, was among the brightest players in the Women’s T20 Challenge in May, impressing the likes of Dani Wyatt, her team-mate at Velocity, with her hitting ability at the top of the innings. She had previously rocked the domestic T20 scene with Haryana during the 2018-19 senior women’s inter-state T20 tournament, making 186 runs in six innings at a strike rate of 187.87, including a tournament-high 128 off 56 balls against Nagaland.For Vastrakar, it’s a first stint with the team since June 2018, with an injury keeping her away from Women’s World T20 last year. The seam-bowling allrounder scores at a rate of 137.09 and has taken 12 wickets at 18.50 in a career of 11 T20Is, and could partner one of Shikha Pandey and Arundathi Reddy in India’s seam attack. Mansi Joshi is also in the mix with a return to the squad, while the spin options remain largely the same as the one that lost the series to England, with the addition of Harmanpreet, who had missed that series.For the three-match ODI series, which starts on October 9 in Vadodara, Mona Meshram has been left out of the squad following a dip in performances in recent times. Meshram made ducks in both her innings against England, and was among the batsmen who copped criticism during India’s below-par Asia Cup in 2018. Tamil Nadu’s Hemalatha takes her place in the squad, while Deol has been left out, having previously been named for the England series. Kaur returns to the ODI set-up as vice-captain.Veda Krishnamurthy continues to miss out from the ODIs, but has retained her spot for the T20Is despite her three single-digit scores in her last four innings. Taniya Bhatia is the wicketkeeper in both squads.India squad for first three T20Is: Harmanpreet Kaur (captain), Smriti Mandhana (vice-captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Poonam Yadav, Shikha Pandey, Arundhati Reddy, Pooja Vastrakar, Radha Yadav, Veda Krishnamurthy, Harleen Deol, Anuja Patil, Shafali Verma, Mansi JoshiIndia squad for ODIs: Mithali Raj (captain), Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (vice-captain), Punam Raut, Smriti Mandhana, Deepti Sharma, Taniya Bhatia (wicketkeeper), Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey, Mansi Joshi, Ekta Bisht, Poonam Yadav, D Hemalatha, Rajeshwari Gayakwad, Priya Punia

Just days after gushing about the chance to live his Champions League dream, Facundo Buonanotte has been brutally snubbed. The 20-year-old Argentine, Chelsea’s latest summer recruit, has been left out of the Blues’ European squad in a decision that embarrassed the midfielder who had only just spoken of his excitement.

• Chelsea loanee Buonanotte cut from squad 
• Argentine star’s dream debut cruelly dashed 
• Blues face Bayern in opening clash  

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Buonanotte joined the West London giants on September 1 in a season-long loan deal from Brighton. It was Chelsea’s tenth signing of the window and their fifth attacking addition in what has been one of the busiest recruitment drives in club history. The deal, worth around £2 million in loan fees, was struck after Chelsea swooped in at the final moment to beat Leeds United, who had been close to securing him. The South American youngster arrived at Stamford Bridge with a solid reputation, having made 50 appearances for Brighton, scoring five goals, and already boasting two senior caps for Argentina.  

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  When signing, Buonanotte spoke with pride about joining Chelsea and specifically about playing under the bright lights of Europe’s biggest stage. 

  “It’s a massive step in my career,” he told club media. "I’m really happy to be here and ready to offer as much as I can to the team and the staff. I’m sure it will be a positive season. Of course, I’ll get the opportunity to play in the Champions League for the first time, which will be a great challenge. I’m really looking forward to this season and hopefully I can help the club to achieve its goals."

  Just two days later, those words were rendered hollow as his name was left off Chelsea’s official Champions League squad list.

• TELL ME MORE

  With Enzo Maresca dealing with an inflated squad packed with new arrivals, tough choices had to be made. Regulations restrict Champions League squads to 25 senior players, and while youngsters under 21 who have been at the club for more than two years can be added freely, Buonanotte does not qualify. As a result, Maresca wielded the axe, and Buonanotte, one of the most recent arrivals, was among the casualties. 

  While Buonanotte sits out, Chelsea have still managed to squeeze in other high-profile names. Alejandro Garnacho, snapped up from Manchester United this summer, has been included. Romeo Lavia, Tyrique George, and Josh Acheampong also qualify under UEFA’s youth exemption rules and will be available.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  UEFA’s strict financial regulations have intensified Chelsea’s selection headaches. In July, the club were slapped with a €31 million (£27m/$36m) fine and told they must ensure a positive transfer balance from last season’s Conference League squad to this season’s Champions League squad. That ruling forced the club to be extra cautious in how they constructed their European roster. 

Daniel Farke and Leeds United need to strengthen at right-back this month. Djed Spence has returned to parent club Tottenham Hotspur halfway through was meant to be a season-long loan spell, and Luke Ayling has joined Middlesbrough until the end of the season. If the gap goes unfilled, Farke may be concerned about being caught short as he bids to steer his side to promotion from the Championship.

One player who's emerged as a target is West Ham's Ben Johnson. The Athletic's Phil Hay has named him as a player of interest for the Whites, with his ability to play in either full-back role no doubt a considerable draw. Significantly, there's now been an update on Johnson's availability in January.

West Ham make stance on Johnson clear

According to The Daily Mail, West Ham want to sell Leeds target Johnson, rather than loan him out. The player has rejected the offer of a new contract, and his current terms are due to expire in the summer, so that puts pressure on the Irons to cash in rather than risk losing him for nothing.

In addition, West Ham know that they could put the proceeds from the prospective sale towards a new attacker, which is on the agenda at the London Stadium in the next couple of weeks. Leeds' interest is real but they have yet to make an "official approach" so the 49ers will need to stump up the cash soon, as Sheffield United and Scottish Premiership title-chasers Rangers are keeping an eye on his situation too.

Johnson has edge over Williams and Roberts

Former West Ham star Trevor Sinclair has previously dubbed Johnson, a two-time winner of West Ham's young player of the year award, "superb", but would he be the best fit for Farke?

He's been limited to two Premier League appearances under David Moyes this season, only one from the start, but a couple of Leeds' other targets in the top flight also find themselves down the pecking order. Nottingham Forest's Neco Williams has only started four matches, while Burnley's Connor Roberts hasn't made the XI since late October. The table below compares the players in their experience, one-v-one defending and attacking output, all surely key criteria in Leeds' search.

You can see that, even though there's a disparity in appearances, they're all in the same bracket for starts and broadly aligned for minutes too. Williams stands out going forward, and while he's won the highest volume of tackles, it's Johnson who has posted comfortably the best success rate. As an all-round option, then, he may have the edge on the other two, and crucially, he's available for transfer. The big question now is how much West Ham will demand, and whether that's within Leeds' budget for the mid-season market.

Trent Alexander-Arnold pulled up injured just three minutes into Real Madrid's Champions League clash with Marseille on Tuesday evening at the Santiago Bernabeu. The English full-back, handed his Champions League debut in the white jersey by head coach Xabi Alonso, lasted just three minutes before pulling up in pain.

• From dream start to disaster

  Alexander-Arnold had barely broken into stride when disaster struck. Sprinting forward with the ball, he suddenly clutched at his left hamstring. The look on his face said it all, another cruel twist for a player who has had rotten luck since swapping Merseyside for Madrid.

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  Limping off but no stretcher

  Alexander-Arnold sank to the turf, grimacing and shaking his head in disbelief. But in a small mercy for the fans, he managed to walk off on his own, declining a stretcher and showing at least some signs of mobility.

• Alonso's rotation plans in tatters

  Alonso has been keen to rotate his full-backs this season, giving Carvajal and Alexander-Arnold two La Liga starts apiece in the opening four fixtures. The plan was to keep legs fresh, competition fierce, and options plentiful across all competitions. But that strategy is now under threat. Carvajal, a club stalwart and academy graduate, has once again shown why prising the role away from him is near-impossible. With Alexander-Arnold sidelined, the Spaniard has a grip on the starting spot.

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  A blow to Trent's new chapter

  For Alexander-Arnold, the timing could not be worse. Moving from Liverpool to Real Madrid was meant to be the fresh start to supercharge his career. Instead, his Bernabeu story has already hit a stumbling block. The full-back has shown flashes of his trademark passing range and attacking instincts, but the sheer presence of Carvajal has prevented him from truly planting his flag in Spain. This latest setback leaves him scrambling to prove his worth all over again.

New Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has urged the club to sign players capable of winning matches.

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• Flick wants Barcelona to sign top players
• Linked with moves for Williams and Olmo
• Ready to trigger Williams' release clause

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Barcelona have been linked with moves for Spain's Euro 2024 heroes Dani Olmo and Nico Williams in recent times. The Catalan giants are reportedly progressing towards finalising a deal for Williams as they are ready to match the Athletic Cub star's €58 million (£48m/$63m) release clause.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Amid talks of adding a new player to their roster and bolstering the squad, Flick, during an interview with Barcelona's official media team, urged the club to bring in players who can win matches for the team as he vowed to take the Catalan giants to the 'next level'.

• WHAT HANSI FLICK SAID

  The former Bayern Munich coach said: "We have to bring in a player who can win games, but we also have young players who we have to help so that they can improve. I've felt from day one the passion that the people have. The fans. Everyone. The president. Everyone here, those who work here, have that passion for Barca. The devotion to give their best for this club.

  "And that's also something big for us because we want to be part of this entity and live this passion and this devotion. We want to give everything we have to take this club to the next level. We will do everything possible."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BARCELONA?

  The Blaugrana are set to travel to the United States where they will play pre-season friendly matches against Manchester City, Real Madrid and AC Milan.

Jack Grealish admits to being left “absolutely heartbroken” by his England Euro 2024 snub, but intends to use that as “motivation” at Manchester City.

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• Graced Euro 2020 and 2022 World Cup
• Sat out major tournament in Germany
• Looking to rediscover spark at club level

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 28-year-old winger played a prominent role for the Three Lions in their run to the final of Euro 2020, while also figuring in Gareth Southgate’s plans at the 2022 World Cup. A dip in form at club level did, however, lead to him being left out of another European Championship party.

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  WHAT GREALISH SAID

  Grealish had to watch on from afar as England came agonisingly close to landing elusive major silverware and has said of his omission from that squad: “I’ll be honest it was probably, football-wise, the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to deal with in my career. I was absolutely heartbroken and then obviously when you’re on your holidays, wherever I was, every time you turn on the phone or turn on the TV or whatever, you just see it. So it was hard to not to see it. For myself now, moving forward, I have to just try to use that as motivation going into this season and try to have the same mentality as I had two years ago. In my first season at City I don’t think I performed as well as I could and in the second season I played in a lot of the games and that was down to the first season. I had wanted to come back stronger and I certainly did that, so hopefully I can do that again.”

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Grealish has scored only 14 goals through 125 appearances for City, but hopes an early return to pre-season – having had no international football to contend with – will have him raring to go in 2024-25. He added while on a summer tour of the United States: “This is my chance to get my fitness, to have a two-week head start and try to be as fit as possible. And I’m playing with confidence. I feel like that’s what I need and fingers crossed I can do that.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  City have landed the Premier League title in each of Grealish’s three seasons at the Etihad Stadium, while also claiming Champions League, FA Cup, UEFA Super Cup and FIFA Club World Cup honours. The former Aston Villa star still has three years left to run on the contract that he signed when completing a British record transfer to Manchester.

Celtic saw some big names wave goodbye to the Parkhead club during what ended up being a rather busy previous summer transfer window.

One figure that left last summer after making a big impact during his time as a Celtic player was striker Odsonne Edouard.

After scoring 86 goals in 179 appearances for the Hoops, the Frenchman was sold to Crystal Palace in a deal worth £15m.

While Ange Postecoglou’s side haven’t exactly missed having the 24-year-old in their ranks as they ended the 2021/22 SPFL campaign as the league’s top-scoring side, it seems as though the club may have identified one figure that they could sign in the summer as a potential next version of Edouard.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Record, Celtic have watched Bristol City striker Antoine Semenyo in person after being linked with a transfer move for the 22-year-old.

As a product of City’s youth system, the striker had loan spells at clubs such as Bath City, Newport County and Sunderland before becoming a regular figure for Nigel Pearson’s side.

Edouard 2.0

This season has seen the Ghanaian become a deadly figure in the Championship for City by racking up eight goals and 12 assists in 31 appearances, leaving only Andreas Weimann with more goal contributions.

To further highlight how much of an attacking threat he has been throughout this campaign, Semenyo has the highest average for shots and second-highest for key passes per game in City’s squad.

As well as having a knack for scoring on a fairly regular basis, as Edouard did at Celtic, the City star has also shown that he’s capable of creating goals for his teammates.

This backs up why Pearson claimed that his player is a “nightmare to play against” and why he has a reported price tag of a whopping £20m.

While this may be a hefty transfer fee for the Hoops to splash out on, their £40m prize money for winning the league and securing their place in the Champions League could help them out when it comes to negotiating a cheaper deal for the player.

Should Postecoglou feel the need to strengthen and refresh what is an already deadly attack in his squad this summer, securing a move for Semenyo could be the best way for the Hoops to do that.

In other news: “Very soon”: Insider drops big Celtic transfer claim that’ll have supporters ecstatic

Major League Soccer has announced the finalists for its 2025 Year-End Awards, with Lionel Messi headlining a five-player shortlist for the Landon Donovan MLS MVP award. Bradley Carnell, Jesper Sørensen, and Mikey Varas are finalists for the Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year honor, with winners to be revealed during the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs.

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  Chasing MVP

  The MVP race features a group of prolific attacking players who defined the 2025 regular season. Messi, aiming to become the first player in MLS history to win the award in consecutive years, led the league in goals to claim the Golden Boot. He finished the season with 29 goals and 19 assists. LAFC’s Denis Bouanga, last year’s runner-up, returns as a finalist after another strong campaign at the heart of LAFC’s attack with 24 goals and nine assists. 

  San Diego FC’s Anders Dreyer also earned a place among the finalists after an impressive debut season, becoming just the fourth player in MLS history to record at least 15 goals and 15 assists in a single campaign at 19 goals and 19 assists. FC Cincinnati’s Evander and Nashville SC’s Sam Surridge round out the list, each playing pivotal roles in guiding their clubs to playoff contention.

  MVP candidates

  Player	Club
  Denis Bouanga	LAFC
  Anders Dreyer	San Diego FC
  Evander	FC Cincinnati
  Lionel Messi	Inter Miami CF
  Sam Surridge	Nashville SC

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  Coach of the Year candidates

  The Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year award features three finalists who led remarkable turnarounds. San Diego FC's Varas guided the expansion side to the most points ever by a first-year club, building a dynamic attacking team that set numerous offensive records. Philadelphia Union's Carnell transformed a struggling side into Eastern Conference contenders after taking over ahead of the season, implementing an aggressive pressing style that revitalized the club. The Vancouver Whitecaps' hire of Sørensen also proved impactful, with the Dane steering the club to second place this year in the Western Conference. 

  Coach of the Year candidates

  Coach	Club
  Bradley Carnell	Philadelphia Union
  Jesper Sørensen	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
  Mikey Varas	San Diego FC

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  Other awards

  MLS also announced several other leading award finalists. Here is the full list:

  Comeback Player of the Year

  Player	Club
  Lawrence Ennali	Houston Dynamo FC
  Nick Hagglund	FC Cincinnati
  Richie Laryea	Toronto FC

  Defender of the Year

  Player	Club
  Tristan Blackmon	Vancouver Whitecaps FC
  Jakob Glesnes	Philadelphia Union
  Kai Wagner	Philadelphia Union

  Goalkeeper of the Year

  Player	Club
  Matt Freese	New York City FC
  Dayne St. Clair	Minnesota United FC
  Yohei Takaoka	Vancouver Whitecaps FC

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  Awards schedule

  The finalists for each award category were determined through a comprehensive voting process involving MLS club technical staff, first-team players, and select media members, with each group accounting for one-third of the final results. As the Audi 2025 MLS Cup Playoffs progress, the league will announce winners across all categories, adding another layer of intrigue to the postseason competition.

Jasprit Bumrah has been rested from the ODI series but is in the T20I squad

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Oct-20251:19

Chopra: Rohit’s place in the side will now depend on form

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma have been picked in India’s ODI squad for the series in Australia starting on October 19, marking their international comebacks after last playing in the 2025 Champions Trophy final in March. The squad will be led by Shubman Gill, who has replaced Rohit as the ODI captain, with Shreyas Iyer the vice-captain.The selection panel, headed by former India fast bowler Ajit Agarkar, met on Saturday in Ahmedabad, where India won the first Test of the series against West Indies by an innings and 140 runs.There are five changes to the ODI squad from the 15 that won the Champions Trophy in the UAE in March: Ravindra Jadeja and Varun Chakravarthy are missing, Hardik Pandya is recovering from a quadriceps injury, Rishabh Pant has not yet fully recovered from the broken foot he suffered in England, and Jasprit Bumrah has been rested. They have been replaced by allrounder Nitish Kumar Reddy, who was injured for the Champions Trophy, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal.Related

• Gill inherits the wealth of India's Rohit-Kohli era

• Gill replaces Rohit as India's ODI captain

“With regards to Jaddu [Jadeja], I mean look, at the moment to take two left-arm spinners to Australia is not possible. He is clearly in the scheme of things with how good he is, but there will be some competition for places,” Agarkar said. “Of course he was there in the Champions Trophy squad, because we took those extra spinners with the conditions there [in UAE]. At the moment we could only carry one and get some balance in the team with Washi [Washington Sundar] and Kuldeep there as well. I don’t think we are going to need more than that in Australia. It’s a short series, you can’t accommodate everyone and unfortunately at the moment he is missing out, but it’s nothing more than that.”Bumrah is part of the T20I squad for the five matches in Australia after the ODI series. The only change to the T20I squad that won the Asia Cup last month is Hardik being replaced by Reddy, while Washington has been added, making it a squad of 16.”We have already rested him for the one-day games. When we can manage his workload, we will do that,” Agarkar said about Bumrah. “Wherever you can give him a break, you will, because we all know how important he is, but we have also got to see what is in the interest of the team. And when we need him to play, he is always available, but we will look after [him]. Not just him, Siraj bowls a lot of overs as well. There are other guys who do play Test cricket, who will end up having a lot of bowling to do, so we will try and manage all the seamers, so that we minimise the risk of injuries.”Agarkar indicated that Gill and Rohit were likely to open in the ODIs, which means Jaiswal could miss out on a place in the starting XI. He also said Jurel was picked ahead of Sanju Samson in the ODI squad due to batting position, while KL Rahul is likely to remain the first-choice wicketkeeper.”Sanju Samson bats at the top of the order,” Agarkar said. “I think when he got a 100, I think he batted No. 3, if I am not wrong. Jurel usually bats lower down the order. KL bats there as well. You have seen how good a player Dhruv is. Again, you are looking at spots. I don’t think there is room at the top again. So, we are looking at guys who can fit in those spots. Obviously, Sanju at the moment in T20 cricket is batting there [middle order] and we are trying him there. But in one-day cricket, it’s a little bit different. So, that’s basically the thought. It’s more the position than anything else.”India play three ODIs in Australia on October 19, 23 and 25, followed by five T20Is between October 29 and November 8.

India’s ODI squad for Australia

Shubman Gill (capt), Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Shreyas Iyer (vice-capt), Axar Patel, KL Rahul (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Washington Sundar, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh, Prasidh Krishna, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal.

India’s T20I squad for Australia

Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Tilak Varma, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Varun Chakaravarthy, Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Sanju Samson (wk), Rinku Singh, Washington Sundar.

Barcelona haven't given up on Nico Williams as they are reportedly set to reignite their pursuit of the Athletic Club star in 2025.

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• Barcelona seemed to be the frontrunner for Williams
• Forward stayed put at Athletic Club
• Catalan club to resume efforts to sign him next summer

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The talented winger, who has been one of Athletic Club's standout players in recent years and also emerged as a bright spark for La Roja in Euro 2024, attracted significant interest from multiple European clubs – with Barcelona particularly keen to bring him to Camp Nou. However, despite their best efforts, the deal did not materialise as Williams decided to remain at Athletic Club for the 2024-25 season, which put an end to the Blaugrana's immediate pursuit.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to reports from Barcelona are already making plans to return for Williams in the summer of 2025. The club has maintained good relations with both the player and his representatives, and they believe that a deal is still possible in the near future. Williams has a release clause set at €62 million and the Catalan club hope that they will be able to pay the fee upfront next summer, braving their persistent financial struggles. The report further mentions that Barcelona had always wanted to sign the player in 2025 but his meteoric rise in Germany, inspiring Spain to the European championship, led them to make a serious push for the player in 2024.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Barcelona's arch-rivals, Real Madrid, are also reported to be monitoring the Athletic Club winger. According to , Real Madrid sees Williams as a possible successor to Vinícius Junior, should the Brazilian winger leave the Santiago Bernabeu for Saudi Arabia. Real Madrid are reportedly open to the idea of parting ways with Vinícius, especially after securing the services of Kylian Mbappe. The Frenchman's arrival has strengthened Real Madrid’s forward line, and the club believes they could manage without Vinícius if a suitable offer were to come in for the 24-year-old.

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  WHAT NEXT?

  With both Barcelona and Real Madrid expressing interest in Williams, the battle for his signature could intensify next summer. While Barcelona have maintained a close relationship with the player and have been tracking him for years, if Real Madrid come calling, it would be difficult for the forward to turn them down. Nonetheless, the stage looks set for a potential battle between Spain’s biggest footballing rivals for one of the game’s most promising young talents.