All posts by h716a5.icu

Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth has provided an update on Manchester United’s attempts to sign Frenkie de Jong.

The Lowdown: Romano’s reveal

United have been linked with a move for the Barcelona star ever since Erik ten Hag took over at Old Trafford at the end of April.

Fabrizio Romano provided a key update regarding De Jong and the Red Devils on Wednesday morning. The transfer expert revealed that United have ‘opened direct talks’ with Barca, who want €85m for the midfielder’s services.

De Jong reportedly wants to play Champions League football, something United can’t currently offer, however, they are still looking to ‘push’ for a move.

The Latest: Sheth’s update

Sheth took to Twitter hours on from Romano’s claim on De Jong to share what he knows regarding a possible transfer.

The Sky Sports reporter stated that United have indeed ‘held initial talks’ over a transfer, but he’s been ‘told’ there are ‘significant obstacles’, name-checking a fee and will of the player as two.

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The Verdict: Barca’s financial situation key?

As Sheth claims, agreeing on a fee and persuading De Jong to move to Old Trafford could prove tricky. However, something that could work in United’s favour is Barcelona’s ‘financial issues’.

The Catalan giants ‘need to solve’ their problems off the pitch, according to Romano, so selling De Jong for a big fee would certainly help their situation.

It appears as if a move could be extremely complicated, and with United looking at a ‘number of midfielders’ and making it their priority area to bolster, it’ll be interesting to see how long they pursue De Jong before moving on to alternative targets.

In other news: MUFC eye £28.8m-rated maestro after ‘Louvre’-worthy moment – Paul Hirst. 

Journalist Pete O’Rourke has offered an exciting update regarding Aston Villa’s interest in Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder, Yves Bissouma.

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider has claimed that Steven Gerrard and co will be in for the Mali international again this summer, having seen a bid rejected for the 25-year-old back in January.

Having already brought in Boubacar Kamara this summer on a free transfer, O’Rourke revealed that Villa could look to bolster their midfield ranks even further: “We all know Villa have held a long-term interest in Yves Bissouma. They tried to sign him in January, but Brighton managed to hold on to him. I would expect Villa to be considering a move again for him in the summer transfer window.

“If they were to get him and Kamara in the same window, I think we’d definitely see an improvement in that Villa midfield in general.”

This follows a report from 90min last week that stated that the Midlands side were keen on rekindling their interest, with a bid of around £30m seemingly on the cards for a player who is out of contract next summer.

Imagine him and Kamara

With Kamara’s arrival already confirmed, NSWE are seemingly set on a total revamp of the club’s midfield, with Bissouma’s potential capture only set to add increased quality in the centre of the park alongside the promising Frenchman.

Having made the move to the Amex from Lille in 2018, the Seagulls star has been an integral asset to manager Graham Potter, emerging as one of the most coveted midfield players in the Premier League following his impressive displays in recent seasons.

A “Champions League level” player, in the words of his manager, the £31.5m-rated gem has the ability to impact the game at both ends of the pitch, while also driving his side forward with an unerring calmness in possession.

Capable of a spectacular strike from distance, the £29k-per-week powerhouse is perhaps most widely-regarded for his defensive ability, notably averaging a remarkable 2.9 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 1.8 clearances in his 26 league outings in the 2021/22 campaign.

Not only an imposing midfield presence, however, the 18-cap maestro also possesses a silky quality with the ball at his feet, ranking in the top 10% for dribbles completed and the top 9% for pass completion among midfielders in Europe’s top five leagues.

With Kamara in tow – who also ranks in the top 4% for pass completion and the top 3% for attempted passes – Villa would have a midfield duo capable of keeping the ball out of the reach of the opposition, but a partnership that also has the defensive instinct to win back possession if needed.

That combination would no doubt be the envy of clubs far higher in the league table, with – as O’Rourke suggested – Gerrard’s men set to enjoy a rapid improvement if the pair are unleashed at the start of next term.

The signing of the 22-year-old Marseille man is already in the bag, it now requires Villa to make their interest concrete in Brighton’s “phenomenal” star – as dubbed by pundit Lee Hendrie.

A Kamara-Bissouma midfield axis is simply a mouthwatering prospect.

IN other news, Gerrard can land AVFC’s next Southgate with move for “outstanding” £120k-p/w warrior

West Bromwich Albion were ultimately unsuccessful in their attempt at securing promotion back to the Premier League this season after finishing 10th in the Championship.

The Baggies ended their underwhelming campaign with 67 points on the board from 18 wins, 13 draws and 15 defeats.

One player in West Brom’s squad who didn’t end up having much of an impact throughout the season is Matt Phillips.

Having appeared in 28 league games, the 31-year-old only scored three goals and provided two assists, all of which came between August and September.

With that in mind, it’s safe to say that, despite his versatility in playing across numerous attacking positions, the Scotsman was not a reliable attacking figure for the Baggies.

Now that this dismal season has come to an end, West Brom’s focus can shift to the upcoming summer transfer window and their preparations for the 2022/23 campaign.

In terms of potential incoming transfers, one figure who has been linked with a move to The Hawthorns and could be a big upgrade on Phillips is Scott Twine.

Twine can be huge Phillips upgrade

After joining MK Dons last summer, the 22-year-old went on to have a storming debut season with the League One side. In 46 league appearances, he found the net on 20 occasions and delivered 13 assists in the process.

This shows just how consistent he can be when it comes to not only scoring goals but setting them up for his team-mates as well, which is something that West Brom needed from Phillips this season.

With Twine averaging 3.3 shots per game this season in the third tier, this is more than double the average that Phillips (1.4) managed for his side.

As a result of his impressive efforts on the pitch, the MK Dons gem ended the season as the joint-second highest-rated player in the entire league according to WhoScored, with an overall performance rating of 7.41/10.

Labelled a “terrific character” by his manager Liam Manning, Twine is reportedly valued at £3m.

Given his fairly young age and his clear attacking talent, the former Swindon Town ace certainly has what it takes to not only be a prospective solid summer signing for West Brom but also a big upgrade on the misfiring Phillips.

In other news: Bruce can unearth WBA’s next Pereira by unleashing “splendid” rarely-seen teenage prodigy

Sky Sports pundit Paul Robinson has been full of praise for Manchester City star Jack Grealish for delivering a ‘refreshingly honest’ TV interview after lifting the Premier League trophy on Sunday.

The Lowdown: An underwhelming start

The 26-year-old was named on the bench and ended up being an unused substitute in Pep Guardiola’s matchday squad for the Sky Blues’ final game of the season against Aston Villa last weekend, where they secured an astonishing 3-2 comeback victory to clinch the title in dramatic fashion in front of their jubilant home supporters.

The England international made the switch to the Etihad Stadium in a British record £100m move from the Midlands last summer, but he hasn’t been able to make the start that he would have hoped for in Manchester. So far for City, he has only scored three goals and provided the same number of assists in 26 top-flight appearances, as per Transfermarkt.

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The Latest: Robinson praises Grealish

Speaking to Sky Sports immediately after the match on Sunday, the former Villa captain admitted that he has felt ‘nervous’ playing under Guardiola since his arrival at the Etihad, but Robinson believes that there will be a ‘big improvement’ in Grealish ahead of the 2022/23 season.

The ex-England goalkeeper told Football Insider‘s Dylan Childs: “I liked his interview after the game. I thought it was refreshingly honest.

“He has found it tough this season but it’s a different role for him. He has stepped out of his comfort zone into a dressing room full of stars with an expectation to win the Premier League. Man City are expected to win every competition they are in. Grealish hasn’t had that before.

“It is very different playing week in, week out for Villa being the main man. At City he is not guaranteed a game.

“I think the experiences of this season will stand him in good stead for next year though. I expect we will see a big improvement next season. He will only get better.”

The Verdict: More to come from Grealish

Despite his sparsity of goal contributions so far at City, the 20-cap England international has still made a positive impact whenever he has been on the pitch, having averaged two key passes, 1.7 shots and 1.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League, via WhoScored.

Grealish is definitely capable of creating more in the final third, which he did with ease during his time at Villa, where he racked up 75 goal contributions. This is something which could come more naturally over time once he has had the chance to properly blend into the City starting XI.

Having just claimed yet another top-flight title, Guardiola will now be preparing for the start of the new term, when the £250k-per-week star could go on to play a pivotal role in maintaining the club’s unprecedented run of success from over the past decade.

In other news… a Sky Sports pundit has backed one of Man City’s first-team stars to put pen to paper on a new contract

Leeds United winger Raphinha remains on the radar at Barcelona ahead of the summer transfer window, according to the latest update from Mundo Deportivo. 

The lowdown: Growing interest in Raphinha

Unsurprisingly following what has been a disappointing second season back in the Premier League, there has been heightened speculation over the future of the Whites’ top talents.

That applies to nobody more so than Raphinha, as the likes of Bayern Munich and Liverpool have previously been credited with an admiration of the 25-year-old.

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However, it now appears that there could be a new frontrunner in the pursuit of the flamboyant Brazilian…

The latest: Price drop pending?

As per a report from Mundo Deportivo highlighting the top summer targets in Catalonia, Barcelona manager Xavi has Raphinha in his ‘sights’ as the legendary former midfielder turned manager attempts to strengthen the ranks at Camp Nou.

It is claimed that the deal is ‘conditional on the future’ of Leeds, which suggests that relegation for the Yorkshire club would mean a definite departure for the seven-cap Brazil international.

Furthermore, the report claimed, that despite Raphinha holding a current market value of £40.5m from Transfermarkt, a loss of top-flight status could see a move completed for around €25m (£21m) this summer.

The verdict: Premier League status is crucial

Having played 90 minutes in the 1-1 draw against Brighton at Elland Road on Sunday, BBC journalist Jonathan Buchan took to Twitter to suggest that the man who was dubbed a ‘magician’ by team-mate Dan James could’ve played his final home game for Leeds.

With 28 direct goal contributions in 66 outings so far for the Whites, Raphinha has been a superb capture for £17m from Ligue 1 outfit Rennes (BBC) in October 2020 and has certainly proven to be at a good enough level to remain amongst the upper echelons of European club football.

Whilst the retention of top-flight football is pivotal for more than just the winger’s continued presence at the club, avoiding a possible cut-price sale of such prized assets – as has been mooted by this report – is almost as important for the club financially.

Selling Raphinha or indeed the much-coveted Kalvin Phillips at a bargain fee due to the loss of Premier League status would be a huge blow to the Whites’ finances and would likely hinder any plans that Jesse Marsch and Andrea Radrizzani may have in place to strengthen the squad at Thorp Arch this summer.

In other news: Leeds want this powerful 12-goal striker who is ‘ideal’ for the Championship

Aston Villa are among the leading contenders to sign Atletico Madrid forward Luis Suarez this summer, according to reports from Spain. 

The lowdown: Suarez exit confirmed

Having joined Los Rojiblancos in 2020, the 35-year-old has already confirmed that he will be leaving the Wanda Metropolitano following the conclusion of the current La Liga season.

Since signing for Diego Simeone’s side, Suarez has scored 34 times in 81 outings, taking his club senior goal tally to 436 across spells with Nacional, Groningen, Ajax, Liverpool, Barcelona and now Atletico.

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Now it appears that a reunion with former Anfield team-mate Steven Gerrard could be on the cards in the upcoming transfer window…

The latest: Villa interested in Suarez

As per Spanish sources, Aston Villa, Inter Milan and Sevilla all ‘want to sign’ Suarez.

It is claimed that Gerrard ‘wants to meet again’ with the 132-cap Uruguay star in order to ‘fight to qualify for European competitions’ next season.

The report added that ‘several teams’ have shown an interest in the 35-year-old, who has ‘everything’ according to Gerrard when naming his best team-mates from his illustrious playing days.

The verdict: No-brainer

Whilst there is a danger of Villa Park becoming somewhat of an Anfield alumni reunion having already secured a permanent deal for Philippe Coutinho, adding Suarez to the squad would be a huge boost ahead of next season.

The Uruguayan has scored 13 times and registered another three assists in 43 appearances across all competitions in the current campaign, earning a 6.89 Sofascore rating from 34 La Liga outings whilst taking 1.6 shots per game.

Still holding a market value of £9m from Transfermarkt, signing Suarez on a free transfer to play second fiddle to frontline duo Ollie Watkins and Danny Ings would have to be regarded as a sensational piece of business if Villa can pull it off.

In other news: Former Villa boss reacts to £50m+ plus price tag for ‘fantastic’ ace

ESPNcricinfo explains the nuts and bolts of the bidding process, which takes place on August 26

Nagraj Gollapudi and Osman Samiuddin25-Aug-2022Why do I even need to know about ICC rights when all I care about is who my team plays next?
Because, ultimately, the money from these rights forms a chunk of the money that makes the rich (India, England and Australia) richer but keeps the game going in the smaller member countries. So, if you care about that, you probably better care about this too.Fine, so what’s being bid for?
A whole bunch of events from 2023-31: 16 men’s events (over eight years between 2023-31) and six women’s events (over four years – between 2023-27). World Cups, Champions Trophy, T20 World Cups, U19 World Cups, you name it, every ICC event – men and women – you watch until 2031 will be part of this deal.Brought to me by?
As ESPNcricinfo understands it, one or more of Disney Star*, Sony, Zee, Viacom and Amazon.And am I watching it on my phone, TV, tablet?
Either, both, all. For the first time, the ICC has unpacked its rights. No longer is it selling one set of TV rights to the highest bidder; it is now selling its rights as separate packages of TV only, digital only, and TV and digital combined. All three are for four or eight years. In case any of the packages are sold for only four years, the ICC will open another window to sell the rights for the second four-year period.That sounds like bidding could get complicated.
That’s exactly what four of the main broadcasters in the running thought, and several emails were sent to the ICC about the lack of transparency in the process. And as a symbolic protest, they didn’t initially attend some training sessions – or “mock auctions” as they called them – designed to familiarise them with the process.Expand.
Disney Star, Zee, Sony and Viacom expressed various concerns over the transparency of the bidding process. TL;DR: the broadcasters were unhappy with the fact that the bids were not going to be shared once opened, among those who bid; that there was no clarity about how close the highest bids needed to be to trigger a second round of bidding; and they wanted to know more about how the ICC would judge a bid for a four-year deal against a bid for an eight-year deal.What happened next?
The four broadcasters eventually did go ahead and put in bids, and according to some reports, the clarity they wanted has been given. For example, according to a report in the , broadcasters have been told that if a bid is within 10% of the highest bid/combination bid, it will trigger a second round of bidding – only this time through an e-auction (more on that shortly).There has also been some more information around a pre-determined multiplier, which will be used to judge an eight-year bid against a four-year one. The ICC will look at the best bids for both tenures and then look at the ratio between the two, compare that with the multiplier, believed to be set at 2.8. If the ratio for eight years exceeds the multiplier, then the ICC will pick the winner for the eight-year bid. If the ratio is less, then the highest bid for four years will be selected.I’m sorry, what?
Here’s an example. If the best four-year number is 100 and the best eight-year number is 270, the ratio is 2.7 (270/100). That is below the 2.8 multiplier set by the ICC. So in this case, the ICC will go with the highest bidder for four years. But if the best bid for four years is 100 and the highest bid for eight years is 300, then the ratio of 3 means the ICC will pick the highest bid for eight years.Does that mean there could be an e-auction, like the one at the IPL?
Only, as we say, if the second-best bid is within 10% of the best bid; the first round of bidding is the old-school, sealed-bid methodology, which the ICC says has worked best for years (some broadcasters wanted an e-auction from the start, after the success of the IPL). The ICC also argue that the unbundled nature of their rights offering means that it is too complex for a simple e-auction process. In fact, at first they had ruled out an e-auction but have since stepped back from that. The e-auction, if needed, will take place a few days later.Why have they gone to the Indian market first?
In short: money. It is cricket’s biggest market and as the IPL rights proved, there is massive appetite among the biggest broadcasters there for more cricket content. The ICC is banking on the belief that since two different broadcasters – Disney Star and Viacom – have won the TV and digital rights respectively for next five-year cycle of the IPL, both as well as other participants will bid aggressively to bag the second biggest rights in cricket, that of the ICC.Underpinning this is also simple maths: by unbundling its package of rights into men’s and women’s events, into digital and TV, by going into different territories, they stand to make much more money than they have in previous cycles.I’m not sure how it has taken this long to get to the crux of this: how much money are they expecting to make?
Nobody can be certain but here are some facts. In the last cycle, the ICC sold its rights for just over US$2 billion. But that was a different, linear world: that figure was for all rights on all platforms globally. For this cycle, the ICC is believed to have a benchmark figure in mind, an “asking price” of $1.44 billion for a four-year deal and $4 billion (1.44 multiplied by 2.8) for an eight-year deal. That is double the last deal for eight years, and it is only a benchmark figure – so the minimum they expect – and .Expectations have risen not just because of the way broadcasting and the digital landscape has changed since the last cycle, but because there is more content. There were six men’s events in the previous eight-year cycle, whereas there will be one annually in this next cycle. Six of the eight events fall in the Indian time zone; India play host to three men’s event; four of the eight events in the next cycle take place during the Diwali festive season when the Indian market is usually in spending mood.Separate women’s rights will help. An element of development still remains, in that the highest bid will not necessarily guarantee the winner. The ICC is keen to find the right broadcasting partner who can promote women’s cricket globally. The highest bidder(s) will make a presentation in front of the Media Rights Advisory Group (MRAG) – formed specifically to adjudicate the bidding – to showcase how they aim to help women’s cricket grow, and that will not just be limited to the global events but the overall game.

Callum McGregor and substitute Callum Osmand scored in extra-time as Celtic emerged victors in an epic Premier Sports Cup semi-final against 10-man Rangers at Hampden Park.

With former Hoops boss Martin O’Neill back in the dugout as interim manager after taking over from Brendan Rodgers last Monday – along with Shaun Maloney – Celtic took the lead through Johnny Kenny after 25 minutes and then Gers midfielder Thelo Aasgaard was shown a straight red card by referee Nick Walsh for a reckless challenge on Anthony Ralston.

The Ibrox side, with new head coach Danny Rohl taking charge of his first Old Firm game, fought back in the second half with captain James Tavernier levelling from the spot in the 81st minute to take the game to extra-time.

However, McGregor thundered in a goal three minutes after the restart, before teenager Osmand scored his first Celtic goal 15 minutes later for a 3-1 win which sets up a meeting with St Mirren in the final on December 14 at the national stadium.

An exhausting afternoon began with Celtic quickly into their stride. Japan striker Daizen Maeda was through and shot straight at Jack Butland but the Gers goalkeeper was as bemused as anyone seconds later when Ibrox defender Nasser Djiga’s attempted clearance cannoned off midfielder Nicolas Raskin and ended up in the Rangers net, only for VAR to confirm Maeda was offside in the build-up.

Moments later, Gers striker Youssef Chermiti missed the target from six yards after Mohamed Diomande had picked him out.

However, when Kenny jumped highest in the box to head in an Arne Engels corner with barely a challenge from four blue jerseys around him, Celtic were deservedly ahead.

Butland saved a powerful Kenny drive before Hoops keeper Kasper Schmeichel blocked a Raskin drive with his leg after a Gers counter, then Chermiti failed to connect properly with Tavernier’s free-kick when only two yards from goal.

When the hitherto anonymous Aasgaard was sent packing for a needless lunge at Ralston, Rangers’ task became even more difficult.

There were loud and angry Gers shouts for a red card when Celtic defender Auston Trusty left his boot on Butland’s face after the keeper had gathered the ball but Walsh produced only a yellow.

What VAR said on Trusty yellow card in Celtic vs Rangers

Talking about the incident at half-time on Premier Sports, it was confirmed that “VAR said” Trusty’s challenge was “reckless” but was still only worthy of a yellow card.

Better than Ange: Celtic reach out to hire "tactically unbeatable" manager

Durham batter hits final ball over long-on with five required to end Southern Brave’s perfect start

ECB Media13-Aug-2025A last-ball six from Graham Clark saw Northern Superchargers defeat Southern Brave on their home turf in a nail-biting finish.Put into bat, the Brave were soon in all kinds of trouble. Kiwi Jacob Duffy, fresh off the plane from a Test series with Zimbabwe, decimating their power-packed top-order, reducing them to 26 for 3 off 24 balls by dismissing Leus du Plooy, James Vince and Jason Roy.James Coles and the evergreen Laurie Evans rebuilt steadily then violently, putting on 87 in 57 balls to put a defendable total in sight despite spin twins Mitchell Santner and Adil Rashid keeping things in check, the Brave finishing with a middling 139 for 5.Jacob Duffy celebrates an early breakthrough•Alex Davidson/Getty ImagesCraig Overton replicated the work of Duffy, taking three relatively inexpensive wickets for the Brave, but Zak Crawley sparkled alongside England team-mate Harry Brook, both of whom scored quickfire 20s.When Chris Jordan pulled up with a groin injury, it felt like a game-changing moment but the Brave rallied, Jofra Archer bowling a brilliant penultimate set, going for just one run and taking two wickets to finish with 2 for 15.The Superchargers needed 10 off the last set, bowled by Tymal Mills. Dots off balls three and four left five needed off the last, at which point Graham Clark hit a back-of-the-hand slower ball over the ropes at deep midwicket to send the away fans into a frenzy.Clark, only playing due to a David Miller niggle, said he felt “euphoric” after sealing the points. “I thought I’d messed it up when I left that wide one and then missed a slot ball, but it’s such a good feeling to get over the line,” he said.”Batting in the middle order role is something I’ve never done before. I’ve spent the last few days with [batting coach] Neil McKenzie trying to improve my power-hitting. We thought it was a really good wicket, where you could play proper shots. Santner really took the pressure off: he’s a quality operator, when he fields, bowls or bats; such a calm character, and hits the ball so cleanly.”

The Los Angeles Dodgers were able to beat the New York Mets, 9-0, in Game 1 of the NLCS on Sunday night in Los Angeles. And while it was an easy victory for the NL West champs, they are lucky that Shohei Ohtani didn't get injured on what looked like a very dangerous moment in the fourth inning.

In case you missed it, Ohtani slid safely into second base after hitting a double off the wall in right field. After he stood up, Mets star shortstop Francisco Lindor fired a relay throw to home that came very close to hitting Ohtani in the head.

This looks like it could have done some damage if it hit the Dodgers star:

Yikes.

Here's the full play:

Ohtani and the Dodgers will be back in action Monday afternoon in Game 2, which starts at 4 p.m. ET.