da bet vitoria： Liverpool look to be coasting to the Premier League title at this moment in time, but Arne Slot’s Reds will want to guard against any complacency seeping in heading into what could be a sensational 2025.

da bet nacional： Of course, it’s hard not to get carried away if you’re a fan of the Anfield giants currently, especially when you consider the Dutchman has steered his side to just one defeat all season long from 18 clashes to sit pretty at the top of the pile on a mammoth 45 points.

Still, January could see the ex-Feyenoord boss add some more numbers to his super-confident group in the hope some fresh blood can get his table-topping team further across the line to an unbelievable top-flight triumph.

Liverpool preparing move for "sensational" defender

As per reports from Spain, Liverpool are allegedly preparing a mega move for Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi this January to bolster their options at the back.

Unfortunately for the Reds, personnel in the centre-back positions isn’t plentiful at this moment in time, with Joe Gomez coming off injured versus West Ham United last time out, alongside Ibrahima Konate remaining sidelined.

Therefore, a big money move for the Eagles captain is now said to be in the offing, with a £65m offer reportedly heading Palace’s way shortly.

With the future of Virgil Van Dijk also up in the air owing to his contract running down, it is crucial that Liverpool start looking for more bodies in the heart of defence, with Guehi looking to be their desired man once more having been linked with a switch to Merseyside back in August.

He could be ready for this step up in quality, having once been labelled as “sensational” by Palace chairman Steve Parish, on top of his many similarities to Reds colossus Konate.

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Expand Collapse What Guehi could offer Liverpool

England centre-back Guehi deserves all the praise that has come his way since making the switch to South London, with his appearance total at Palace now stretching to 133 games.

From those clashes, Guehi has shown off his ability to be a reliable goalscorer coming up from the back with seven goals next to his name, alongside also being a brute force in the air with 5.5 duels won on average this season in the Premier League.

The in-demand 24-year-old is just a very well-rounded presence with his composure on the ball another standout attribute from his repertoire, displayed in the clip above and in his 44.2 accurate passes averaged per top-flight game this campaign to date.

Konate is much the same for Slot’s men when he’s at the top of his game with the pair perhaps striking up an imposing partnership if a move for Guehi does take place in January.

Guehi’s over the last year vs Konate

Stat – per 90 mins

Guehi

Konate

Attempted passes

53.99

69.92

Pass completion %

83.9%

88.7%

Progressive passes

4.43

3.93

Progressive carries

0.56

0.67

Shot-creating actions

1.16

0.89

Tackles

1.58

1.48

Blocks

1.54

1.00

Clearances

4.43

3.82

Aerials won

2.38

3.30

Stats by FBref

Said to be similar players as per FBRef, it’s clear to see where the parallels lie but Guehi does actually come out on top in various different aspects of his game compared to the Frenchman, with more tackles and clearances registered over the last year on average, on top of being a competent passer out from the back.

Although it would be obviously disheartening to lose Van Dijk, Liverpool fans would certainly feel less aggrieved about their superstar defender departing if a statement move for Guehi materialised.

This move would cost Slot’s men a bumper amount, but it might well prove to be a worthwhile investment in further strengthening Liverpool’s defensive options ahead of a nervy title run-in.

Related He wants to leave: Liverpool must sell star earning more than Jota & Gakpo

Slot’s Liverpool ace is looking to leave the club in 2025.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair Dec 30, 2024

Both sides have had their moments, but have reached a stage where they are dependent on other results to figure out their future

Mohammad Isam05-Nov-20223:17

Moody: It will be interesting to see what Pakistan will do with their top order

Big pictureSo competitive has this year’s T20 World Cup been, that heading into the final day of the Super 12s, five out of six teams in Group 2 remain in contention for two semi-final slots. The story in Group 1 was also equally gripping.Bangladesh and Pakistan face off in Adelaide on Sunday with their fate in their own hands, though only to a certain extent – Pakistan are more likely semi-finalists than Bangladesh. Neither of them might eventually make it, but a win will go some distance for two teams that have been inconsistent so far.Related

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Litton comes out of his shell and shows the way for Bangladesh

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Emotion: Bangladesh's superpower as well as kryptonite

Bangladesh might be still smarting from their five-run defeat to India, which was followed by fake-fielding accusations against Virat Kohli. Having started the chase on a blistering note and come agonisingly close to victory, it’s fair for Bangladesh to feel hard done by, though they haven’t thrown excuses around.Irrespective of the result, there was improvement for Bangladesh in that game. Litton Das finally came out of his shell to get a superb half-century, Taskin Ahmed bowled an economical four-over spell with the new ball where he tested India’s top-order batters, and Mustafizur Rahman seemed to be in his groove at the death. Taskin and Nurul Hasan even smashed India’s bowlers around in the dying stages of that game, but ideally, Bangladesh’s middle order needs to do that job.Pakistan will be aware of these gaps in Bangladesh’s make-up. They recently met in Christchurch in a tri-series designed as a build-up for the World Cup; Pakistan beat Bangladesh both times, although they had to fight for the wins on either occasion.For Pakistan, there are worries, especially because of the low returns from Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan: across four games in this World Cup, their opening stands have given Pakistan 1, 13, 16 and 4. Babar has been dismissed for single-digit scores each time. Fortunately for them, their middle order – especially Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan – have shown big-hitting abilities in crucial moments.Shadab Khan has shown the ability to adapt to different situations•Getty ImagesAllrounders Mohammad Nawaz and Mohammad Wasim have contributed regularly, too, and, not to forget, Pakistan have impactful fast bowlers who have the potential to knock over Bangladesh, who often struggle against pace and bounce.It could, however, be all for nothing. Both sides have floundered in crucial moments in the Super 12s stage: Pakistan against India and Zimbabwe, and Bangladesh also against India. While those results cannot be changed now, both Pakistan and Bangladesh have one final opportunity to pull things back their way.Form guide
Bangladesh LWLWL
Pakistan WWLLWIn the spotlightShadab Khan’s maiden T20I fifty couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for Pakistan. His knock of 52 from just 22 balls against South Africa took them from a difficult position to one of safety. Later, his two wickets in one over turned the game around for Pakistan. Shadab has quickly become a high-impact player, with an aggressive approach as a batter and accurate, stump-to-stump lines as a legspinner, apart from being a gun fielder. He has shown the ability to adapt to different situations, too, particularly in the batting order.It has not been a great World Cup so far for Nurul Hasan. He has made only 41 runs in four innings despite coming out to bat with 9 and 9.4 overs remaining in two of those. He has looked like he has pulled the trigger too early in his innings, or premeditating his shots. Nurul has also made errors as wicketkeeper, with the missed stumping against Zimbabwe standing out. He showed signs of class and ability with the bat against India, though, and Bangladesh will hope for more of that.Team newsBabar and Rizwan haven’t fired, but with their other batters, allrounders and fast bowlers all showing good form, they are unlikely to change the side that beat South Africa in Sydney.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 2 Babar Azam (capt), 3 Mohammad Haris, 4 Shan Masood, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Shadab Khan, 7 Mohammad Nawaz, 8 Mohammad Wasim, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Haris Rauf, 11 Naseem ShahBangladesh could retain the same set of fast bowlers against Pakistan•AFP/Getty ImagesBangladesh, too, are likely to retain the same side – including the same set of fast bowlers – from the India game for this one.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 2 Litton Das, 3 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 4 Afif Hossain, 5 Nurul Hasan (wk), 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Yasir Ali, 8 Taskin Ahmed, 9 Shoriful Islam, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Hasan MahmudPitch and conditionsThree out of four matches at the Adelaide Oval have been won by the side defending a total, with the average score batting first in those matches being 179. Teams have been helped by the short square boundaries too. A full game is in the offing as no rain has been forecast for Sunday.Stats and trivia Mustafizur needs four wickets to get to 100 T20I wickets, while Shadab is five away from the same milestone. This will be Pakistan’s first T20I in Adelaide, though they have played five Tests and 19 ODIs there. Mohammad Wasim has taken ten wickets against Bangladesh in the last five T20Is between the two sides.Quotes”We believe we can beat Pakistan. Qualifying for the semi-final is not in our hands, unfortunately.”

A look at how the six teams in the 2016 WCL Division Five stack up before the tournament gets underway in Jersey

Peter Della Penna in Jersey20-May-2016Eight years ago, the World Cricket League promotion and relegation tournament system for Associate and Affiliate nations was in its infancy as 12 teams descended on Jersey to take part in the first-ever Division Five tournament. Afghanistan, at that time a little-known cricket team who had played their first ever men’s international fixture in 2004, took the Associate world by storm in gaining the first of three consecutive promotions on the way to achieving ODI status. Less than a decade later, they claimed the biggest notch in their belt after they beat eventual title-winners West Indies in the World T20 2016.Afghanistan’s success story is a source of inspiration for all six teams returning to the setting of that unlikeliest of dramas when the 2016 World Cricket League Division Five kicks off on Saturday. Joining the host nation Jersey are their inter-island rival Guernsey, African sides Nigeria and Tanzania, south-Pacific island nation Vanuatu, and Oman, who beat Ireland at the 2016 World T20.Oman (fifth place at 2014 WCL Division Four)A little less than a year after a surprising run through the World T20 Qualifier in Ireland and Scotland, Oman’s return to the British Isles adds some spice to the event as they try to kickstart their 50-over World Cup-qualification journey. The cold and wet conditions expected on the island may be a far cry from the dry and hot weather back in the Arabian Peninsula, but their dramatic win over Ireland in Dharamsala this past March has resulted in the other five teams in Division Five drawing a bullseye on Oman.Though Oman’s recent rise in the T20 ranks has been rapid, they have undergone a steady decline in 50-over cricket since 2009. Effectively in Division One after winning all five games in the group stage at Division Two in 2007 to gain promotion alongside UAE, they then finished last in their group at the 2009 World Cup Qualifier and followed it with relegation from Division Three in 2013 and Division Four in 2014. Oman will hope that the confidence taken from their shortest-format performances in the last 12 months will help reverse that trend.They will have to achieve that without the services of their most capped player, Sultan Ahmed, who was not picked for this tournament with Ajay Lalcheta taking over as captain. Two of the bigger names missing in action are batting allrounder Amir Ali and batsman Adnan Ilyas. Amir, the Man of the Match in the win over Ireland, suffered a broken hand in Oman’s domestic competition and could not recover in time. It means a greater burden will be placed on Aamir Kaleem and Zeeshan Maqsood to come through with both bat and ball.Jersey (sixth place at 2014 WCL Division Four)Jersey will be aiming for déjà vu after gaining promotion twice while hosting – Division Five in 2008 and Division Six in 2013 – to offset the disappointment of relegation from Division Four at Malaysia in 2014. Captain Peter Gough has been a reliable contributor over the years, finishing as the team’s runs leader in three of Jersey’s seven previous WCL tournaments. He also spearheaded their nine-wicket takedown of Hong Kong at the World T20 Qualifier in Bready with 81 not out.However, more of the team’s recent overall fortunes in 50-over cricket have been linked to Ben Stevens. The left-arm spinning allrounder was Player of the Tournament at the 2013 Division Six and 2014 Division Five, when Jersey went undefeated on both occasions. Stevens took 17 wickets in the 2013 tournament and scored 403 runs at 67.16, including five half-centuries in the 2014 tournament. But, at the 2014 Division Four in Singapore, he scraped together just 136 runs with a best of 37 and took only four wickets at an average of 60.25 as the team finished last on the points table.Jersey’s trump card, though, is batsman Jonty Jenner. The 18-year-old finished fourth on the run charts of the World T20 qualifiers last year with 210 runs at 52.50. A Sussex-contracted player, he has had a handful of appearances for their second XI. In his only two prior WCL appearances, he showed decent promise with 176 runs at 29.33 and one half-century but is primed for a bigger output after his breakthrough showing in 2015.Tanzania (third place at 2014 WCL Division Five)Tanzania have remained relatively stagnant throughout the history of the World Cricket League. At home in 2008 and in Italy in 2010, they stayed put in Division Four after mediocre showings. They did spring a shock upset over Nepal in Italy by defending 117. However, they were relegated in 2012 after going winless in the group stage.Three wins in 2014 ensured they would stay in Division Five for at least one more tournament, but they are the most vulnerable for relegation back into the regional qualifying competition since there is no longer a Division Six tournament. The absence of allrounder Benson Mwita is a big setback to their chances of staying afloat. It means added expectations from allrounder Kassim Nassoro.Nigeria (fourth place at 2014 WCL Division Five)Nigeria are one of the most promising nations in the Associate world with tremendous growth over the last several years. They gained two consecutive promotions from Division Seven and Six in 2013, before staying put in Division Five after a fourth-place finish in 2014.Eager to return to Jersey will be medium-pacer Oluseye Olympio, who finished as the leading wicket-taker at Division Six in 2013 with 18 scalps at 10.61. Joshua Ogunlola won’t allow much pressure to build from the opposite end either. He took a tournament-best 17 wickets at Division Seven in 2013 and team-best 11 at Division Five in 2014.On the batting side, the bulk of the runs are expected from Segun Olayinka and Olajide Bejide. The 30-year-old Bejide was the team’s leading scorer at Division Five in 2014, including a century against Tanzania.Guernsey (second place at 2015 WCL Division Six)Guernsey arrive after gaining promotion from Division Six in Essex last September. Their chances of pushing Jersey or Oman for a spot in the promotion slots is enhanced by their familiarity with conditions. Going against them, though, is the memory of their horrid performance at Division Five in 2014, when they went winless in the group stage.At the time, Guernsey were still trying to find their feet after the retirement of Jeremy Frith, one of the biggest scorers in the history of the World Cricket League, and the scoring drop-off was significant. Stepping up to fill that hole now is Matthew Stokes, who finished as the leading run-getter at the 2015 Division Six as a 19-year-old with 241 runs, including a best of 135 not out against Botswana.Vanuatu (third place at 2015 WCL Division Six)Vanuatu round off the tournament field, gaining entry despite a third-place finish at Division Six due to the withdrawal of Suriname after the South American side were found to have used multiple ineligible players. Vanuatu were in the original Division Five in 2008 but a last-place finish in the group stages ensured they dropped all the way down to Division Eight.They stayed there in 2010 before gaining promotion in 2012 and again out of Division Seven in 2013 when they went undefeated in the group stage before losing the final to Nigeria. Their climb back up the Associate ladder coincided with the senior-team debut of teenage phenomenon Nalin Nipiko. The allrounder made 213 runs at 53.25 and took seven wickets as a 16-year-old at Division Eight in Samoa in 2012 and has continued to make strides.Captain and batting mainstay Andrew Mansale was the team’s leading scorer on both prior visits to Jersey in 2008 and 2013, with a total of 365 runs at 33.18, including a century against Bahrain. Joshua Rasu bolsters the batting depth, having made 222 runs at 55.50 in Division Six while Patrick Matautaava spearheads the bowling unit.

India coach says the importance of World Test Championship points has led to an increase in result-oriented pitches

Karthik Krishnaswamy07-Mar-20234:50

Dravid: Wickets all over the world have got more challenging for batters

On November 29, 2021, New Zealand’s last-wicket pair of Rachin Ravindra and Ajaz Patel hung on for 8.4 overs in fading light to deny India a Test win in Kanpur. That one wicket India failed to take cost them eight World Test Championship points.Had India taken that one wicket – and all other global Test results remained what they were – they would now have 131 WTC points rather than 123. Ahead of the fourth Border-Gavaskar Test match, which begins in Ahmedabad on Thursday, they would only have needed a draw to seal a spot in June’s WTC final at The Oval, rather than a win as they currently do.That Kanpur Test was Rahul Dravid’s first as India head coach. Two days before the Ahmedabad Test, Dravid referenced that Kanpur result while suggesting that the pressure to win World Test Championship points may have contributed to a glut of result-oriented, bowler-friendly pitches not just in India but all over the world.Related

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• Pat Cummins to miss Ahmedabad Test too

• Murphy relishes 'awesome' battle with Kohli

“It could be one of the reasons, because yes, there is a huge premium on results,” Dravid said on Tuesday. “You draw a game like Kanpur against New Zealand, where you take nine wickets in the second innings, you draw that game and that sets you back, in a home game.”Every team is getting results at home or are putting in really good performances at home, so there is a premium on results. You get four points for a draw and you get 12 for a win, so there is a premium on that, there’s no question about it.”India began the four-Test series against Australia needing three wins to confirm a place in the WTC final. They won the first two Tests and lost the third, and all three were low-scoring matches played on pitches where the ball turned sharply from day one. There have only been three 200-plus totals in 11 innings, and only four batters – two from each side – have averages north of 30.Under such circumstances, Dravid felt it was important for teams to have realistic expectations from their batters and set benchmarks accordingly.”It’s really about being realistic about what is a good performance on some of the challenging wickets we are playing on, not only here,” he said. “If you look at the last three-four years, all over the world I think wickets have got a lot more challenging, not only here. So you have to be realistic about what the benchmarks are now, what the standards are.”Just understanding that in these kinds of games, just one good performance can change the game. We saw that with Rohit [Sharma]’s performance [his century in the first Test in Nagpur], we’ve seen that many times over here. It’s just being realistic in our assessment of our batsmen, their averages and their numbers, and don’t really look so much into it.”Just backing our batsmen to understand that these are challenging conditions and they’re the same for both sides. And for them to be able to use it as a challenge and an opportunity to do something special. It might not necessarily be about scoring big double-hundreds, but you know there might be scores of 50-60 or scores of 60-70 somewhere might be really, really good scores in some conditions.”Sometimes, even a score of 17 can count as a positive effort. KS Bharat made that score in India’s first-innings total of 109 in Indore, and it came in a debut series of low scores for the wicketkeeper-batter. Dravid said India had no concerns over Bharat’s batting, and had words of praise for his keeping.Rahul Dravid is happy with the quality of KS Bharat’s wicketkeeping•Getty Images

“I think he [Bharat] has kept beautifully for us,” Dravid said. “Even though it’s not a big contribution he got 17 in the first innings [in Indore], got a nice contribution in the last Test match in Delhi, he played nicely and positively.”So yeah, you need a little bit of luck sometimes in these situations, and he’s probably not had that, but no, I think he’s shaping up really well, he’s been playing really well. He’s keeping really nicely for us which is really important as well. I think you’ve just got to put, sometimes, the batting performances in perspective a little bit, and be a little bit understanding of it.”Given how little work the fast bowlers have got through in the series so far – Mohammed Siraj has bowled just 24 overs across three Tests – there could be a case for India to play an extra batter instead of a second fast bowler. While he didn’t rule out this option, Dravid said the fast bowlers have made an impact even without bowling all that much, citing as examples the wicket of Usman Khawaja that Siraj took with his first ball of the series, and Umesh Yadav’s three-wicket burst on the second morning in Indore. He also felt the batting ability of the three spinners gave India enough depth without needing the extra specialist batter.”We just have to meet every condition separately,” Dravid said. “These conditions might be very different to Indore last week, so I think everything’s on the table. We try and put together what we think is our best side and gives us the best chance to get 20 wickets and the most balanced side.”We’ve seen also at times that [the fast bowlers] haven’t bowled a lot, but the kind of impact even a Siraj can have, picking up that early wicket in Nagpur, Umesh’s spell the other day to pick up three wickets. So even though sometimes you may feel the bowlers are not bowling a lot, just having that balance and that ability at times to go back to a more balanced attack is really important.”The fact that when we are able to play three spinners we bat all the way up to 9, with Axar [Patel] or [R] Ashwin batting at 9 for us depending on left-right, it’s a pretty good depth we’ve got on the batting side of things. We have to weigh everything, weigh all the options and then decide.”

Sevilla are keen to sign Chelsea flop Mykhailo Mudryk on loan despite his doping suspension, taking inspiration from Antony's success at Real Betis.

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• Sevilla take inspiration from Antony transfer
• Eyeing a move for Mudryk
• Chelsea flop serving doping suspension since December

Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mudryk has failed to live up to his significant potential since he moved to Chelsea from Shakhtar Donetsk for £89 million ($115m) in January 2023. To make matters worse, the Ukrainian was dealt a major blow to his career in December when he was hit with a provisional suspension after he failed a doping test. The 24-year-old is awaiting the results of a 'B' sample, and unless that comes back negative he faces a ban of up to four years – although he will be able to appeal his punishment to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS).

Advertisement

• Getty Images Sport
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  , however, reports that despite Mudryk's suspension and uncertain future, Spanish side Sevilla are eyeing a loan move for the Blues winger in the summer. Sevilla, who are currently 10th in La Liga, want to make some quality signings in the next transfer window to challenge for European football in the 2025-26 campaign.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The report also adds that Sevilla are drawing inspiration from city rivals Real Betis, who brought in Manchester United flop Antony on loan in the January transfer window. Like Mudryk, Antony miserably failed in the Premier League, but his game completely changed once he moved to Spain.

• Getty Images
  

  WHAT NEXT FOR SEVILLA & MUDRYK?

  Garcia Pimienta's side will be back in action after the international break next Sunday as they take on Betis away from home in the Seville derby. Mudryk, meanwhile, faces an anxious wait to learn his fate.

Another £820,000-a-week worth of Manchester United players could be cleared off the wage bill alongside Marcus Rashford this month, according to a recent report.

Man Utd transfer news

January could be a very busy period for the Red Devils, as Ruben Amorim and INEOS try to make changes to the squad and look to have a much better second half of the season than the first. Rashford’s future at Old Trafford could decide what United are able to do in this transfer window, as his exit would potentially free up funds for INEOS to enter the market.

But as we wait to see what happens to the Englishman, The Daily Star have reported that Amorim is now demanding that United sign Viktor Gyokeres this month. The United boss has told Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he cannot wait until the summer and wants to reunite with the striker this month, as he looks to improve United’s attack. However, this is not an easy deal to complete, as his £80 million release clause may be too much for the Red Devils at this moment in time.

Amorim demanding Ratcliffe signs £80m "Rolls-Royce" for Man Utd this month

He doesn’t want to wait until the summer.

ByTom Cunningham Jan 1, 2025

One player who is a more realistic target for the Premier League side is Nuno Mendes. United are interested in signing the Portugal international, and Mendes is keen on reuniting with Amorim at Old Trafford. PSG want to extend the left-back’s contract, but talks have broken down, and that has opened the door for United to make a move this month, as signing a new left-back is a high priority.

£820,000-a-week Man Utd quartet could leave Old Trafford

Rashford’s departure from Old Trafford is well talked about now, and from large sections of the club, it is expected, but he may not be the only player to leave this month. According to Sky Sports, Christian Eriksen, Victor Lindelof, Casemiro, and Antony could leave Man United, as they are open to offers.

Eriksen, Casemiro and Antony have been at Old Trafford since the summer of 2022, when they arrived in Erik ten Hag’s first transfer window as the club’s manager. Eriksen and Casemiro featured heavily under the Dutchman, as did Antony in his first season, but towards the end of last season and now under Amorim, all three have fallen down the pecking order.

Lindelof is one of United’s longest-serving players in the current squad, having joined in 2017. The Sweden international has struggled to be a regular in the side for a while now, and with his contract expiring in the summer, just like Eriksen’s, a move in January is an option.

Eriksen

Lindelof

Casemiro

Antony

Apps

89

268

105

94

Goals

7

4

15

12

Assists

16

7

9

5

This report states that United are open to both permanent and loan offers for all four players, as they don’t have a long-term future at Old Trafford. The four of them are on a combined £820,000-a-week wage, and their exits would ease some of the financial burden on the club.

Bayern Munich have reportedly moved ahead of Liverpool and Real Madrid in the race to sign Bournemouth star Dean Huijsen, who'll be sold for £50m

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Kompany keen on signing Huijsen this summerBayern ahead of Liverpool and Madrid in the race Bournemouth centre-back has £50m release clause in his contract Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to a report from TeamTalk, Bayern Munich have overtaken Real Madrid and Liverpool in the race to sign Bournemouth's star centre-back Dean Huijsen, with head coach Vincent Kompany desperate to work with the youngster.

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Bayern are reportedly working "very hard" to complete the deal in the coming weeks, hoping to sign him early in the transfer window, which opens officially on June 1. Kompany, who has been tracking the player since his time at Burnley and during the defender's loan at Roma, has made him a top priority for this summer.

While the Bavarians prepared to offer a lucrative five-year contract, Real Madrid have been reported of having a keen interest in the Bournemouth centre-back and remain a major contender. The 19-year-old has admitted his dream is to play for Madrid, making them a serious threat in the race for his signature. Despite this, Bayern want to ensure they remain ahead in the race by becoming the first team to make an official offer for the Spaniard.

DID YOU KNOW?

Bayern Munich are poised for a significant summer of change, with key transfers already on the horizon. Club legend Thomas Muller has confirmed that this will be his final season at the Allianz Arena. Additionally, Leroy Sane, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks, could join Muller in departing the club.

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR BAYERN MUNICH?

Kompany is experiencing a decent season at the helm for Bayern in his debut season in the Bundesliga. The Belgian head coach looks set to reclaim Bayern's throne in the league, as they currently lead rivals Bayer Leverkusen by six points. They are supposed to face Inter in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday, April 8.

Sri Lanka sensed a slightly soft centre in India’s much-advertised aggressive approach. If anything, competitors pick up the smallest of signs and the Indians gave out a few big ones today

Sharda Ugra in Galle14-Aug-20152:23

Let’s Talk About – How good is Dinesh Chandimal?

About eight nautical miles off the coast of Sri Lanka, about 15kms from Galle, the continental shelf that south Asia is rested on, breaks off, the Indian Ocean dropping into marine canyons and the deep sea. India find themselves not so far away from that that kind of an edge. From a position of sure-footed security at the start of the third day in the Galle Test, they were made to get their sea legs going into day four. After session after session of crisp and controlled cricket, on course to win the Test inside three days, India were knocked sideways by Sri Lanka. Or rather, by Dinesh Chandimal for over two hours. The tide of the match has not changed yet, but the Indian boat has certainly been rocked.Tests in Galle usually begin with easy-to-handle narratives but as they head towards the finish, they take on a life of their own – featuring drama and turnarounds, suspense and shredded nerves. Like those movies with breath-snatching twists at the end. Galle promises a wild weekend, too. Except, here everything is for real.To return to hard numbers: at the end of day two, Tharindu Kaushal had said he believed Sri Lanka could defend around 250, but the truth is that the highest successful chase in Galle is a piffling 99. It is Chandimal who has set up this action thriller, playing several key parts through his blistering, post-lunch counter-attack. He gave Sri Lanka the fuel needed to turn this Test into contest, took the match into its fourth day and also gave India much to think about.Their bowling was under attack in away conditions – not through the expected ennui of slow, low turners and long days in the field, as they had expected – but another kind of attack. Chandimal turned the field and common sense around through a series of reverse sweeps and switch hits, with the willingness to risk it all.The three decisions that went against India before lunch will no doubt cause much anguish. But it is best that they remember it as a bad-umpiring virus that has run through this game. Both in terms of the number of errors and the degree of the bloopers given and taken on both sides.India had squeezed the Lankan innings enough to believe they deserved to have them five down at the break before the umpiring handouts. Truth is, they did have 45 minutes in the shade, to kick a few kit bags, curse officialdom the ages, darkly mutter about DRS and then, with adult counsel and some food, work out that they had been dealt a bad hand and move on.India knew what their tactic had to be, as Ajinkya Rahane said later, “to give as little runs as possible.” When Chandimal forced the bowlers to change the very angles that they were coming at him from, they ran into a wall. With the old ball and a slowing wicket, they could not find a plan-B.  They lost their tightness and control of lengths, and the stinging turn at the start of the day was negated. Chandimal’s tactics were very simply evident, but none of the spinners found the variety or the fizz to land the ball where it could negate the angles he was reworking.After two firestarter partnerships with Lahiru Thirimanne and Jehan Mubarak, perhaps the most telling set of runs that could hurt India are the 65 runs that Chandimal scored with three tailenders. He laughed about it,”I tried to face three balls and rotate the strike on the fourth ball. They thought I would try to rotate the strike on the fifth ball, but I did it on the fourth ball.”Other than the Indian bowlers, Virat Kohli found himself in a situation of some discomfort early on his captaincy career. For an aggressive cricketer, to have aggression in its most elemental form flung at him when his team is ahead, can be very disconcerting. And maybe clarifying for the future. The balance between being aggressive and absorbing punishment can be the worst of trials for a captain. Kohli was faced with the dilemma presented to him by the four bowlers he was depending on.Other than Varun Aaron, they were a fairly experienced group in terms of matches and situations under their belt. To concede 155 in 28 overs, in the second session (including 88 from Chandimal), is not being caught by surprise. To concede over 5.50 an over for two hours non-stop, is being actually caught in the headlights. Kohli was trapped as to when exactly to go into a run-squeeze and through it concede a little ground; his bowlers, however game, however committed and however skilled, did not give him the run-drying overs that would have made the batsmen try to release the pressure.Aaron, however hostile, had conceded close to six an over in the first session and bowled a total of seven overs all day. This included a spell of 2-0-7-0 in the second session, before the new ball ended the innings in the last session in which Aaron didn’t get the ball.Sri Lanka would have sensed this slightly soft centre in India’s much-advertised aggressive approach. Already, it is being said that seamers are being prepared for the second Test at the P Sara Oval. If anything, competitors pick up the smallest of signs and the Indians gave out a few big ones today.

Wrexham forward Jay Rodriguez has been accused of diving after scoring a winning penalty against Exeter last weekend.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Rodriguez accused of simulation
• Earned and scored a penalty against Exeter
• Wrexham beat Exeter 2-0

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Wrexham continue to push for a third consecutive promotion to the Championship after they comfortably beat Exeter 2-0 in a League One clash on Saturday. Oliver Rathbone handed the Red Dragons the lead in the 23rd minute, and Rodriguez then doubled the lead on the hour mark from the penalty spot. The English striker went down inside the box after a challenge from opposition defender Jack McMillan.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Former Professional Game Match Officials Limited (PGMOL) chief Keith Hackett raised his doubts over the referee's decision as he accused Rodriguez of simulation while claiming the match official should have booked the player instead of awarding a spot-kick.

• WHAT KEITH HACKETT SAID

  Speaking to , Hackett said: "They go to ground so easily, you cannot see definitely that there’s contact. [It’s an] act of simulation, no penalty kick, the player’s dived [in an] act of simulation. Should’ve got a caution not a penalty kick, the referee’s been conned."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Phil Parkinson's side will next face Cambridge United on Tuesday before a clash with Burton Albion on Saturday. Both sides are currently in the bottom four of League One.

تحدث البرتغالي ديكو، المدير الرياضي لبرشلونة عن لامين يامال، لاعب الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي وأفضل مدرب تدرب تحت قيادته.

وأجرى الرتغالي حوارًا مع الأسطورة البرازيلية روماريو، من خلال البرنامج الذي يقدمه “وجهًا لوجه”، كشف فيه عن طموحاته مع تكوين الفريق الأول لكرة القدم.

ونقلت صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية التصريحات التي أدلى بها ديكو وقال عن أهم مهام عمله: “اهتمامي وتركيزي دومًا يكون على الفريق أكثر من اللاعبين وحدهم”.

اقرأ أيضًا | بعد فاتي ولينجليت.. لاعب جديد يستعد للرحيل عن برشلونة

وعن لامين يامال أكمل: “لامين ظاهرة لا تقارن، أن يكون الأفضل في العالم فهذا يعتمد على مستواه، سينافس ريال مدريد على البطولات مع برشلونة في السنوات القليلة القادمة، وهو في أفضل مكان للمنافسة سواء مع النادي أو منتخب إسبانيا والذي اعتبره الأقوى في العالم”.

وأردف: “بداية لامين تشبه إلى حد كبير بدايات نيمار، لقد ساعدته الحياة على النضج كما هو الآن، الآن لديه مسؤوليات أكثر كلاعب لكنه مازال صغيرًا، في سن الثلاثين سيفعل ما يتوجب عليه في هذا السن”.

وعن أفضل مدرب لعب تحت قيادته قال: “بالنسبة لي كان مورينيو أفضل مدرب عملت معه على الإطلاق، إنه مدرب ممتاز وعملت معه لسنوات، في ذلك الوقت كان ثوريًا كان يفعل أشياءً في التدريب تصيب الخصوم بالإرباك”.