Leeds United target Khvicha Kvaratskhelia is closing in on a move to Napoli, according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Lowdown: Leeds interest in Kvaratskhelia

The Whites were linked with a move for the 21-year-old ahead of the January transfer window. An offer in the region of £18m would have been enough for the winger at the time, but as we know, Victor Orta didn’t add to Leeds’ senior ranks during the winter market.

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Leeds were once again name-checked with an interest in Kvaratskhelia last month, but it looks as if he won’t be making the move to Yorkshire ahead of Jesse Marsch’s first season in charge.

The Latest: Napoli move

Romano took to Twitter in the early hours of Tuesday morning to reveal that Napoli are closing in on a move for Kvaratskhelia.

The Georgia international, who was also wanted by Tottenham, is now ready to accept the proposal from the Serie A title challengers.

The Verdict: Raphinha replacement needed?

Kvaratskhelia may have been viewed as a replacement for Raphinha, who has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona. The Brazilian is thought to be in advanced talks over a move to the Nou Camp, but it doesn’t look as if the Georgian will be arriving as a possible replacement.

Orta may now look elsewhere, with Leeds checking in on Nottingham Forest gem Brennan Johnson, who is a similar age to Kvaratskhelia and has netted 14 Championship goals this season.

Attacking reinforcements appear to be needed at Elland Road over the coming months, both out wide and at centre-forward following Patrick Bamford’s injury struggles, so it could be a busy summer around Elland Road.

In other news: Phil Hay has his say on ‘horrible’ Leeds ace who Marsch and Orta now want to offload

Doug Bollinger, who arrived from the Champions League two days before the first Test, injured himself on the final day of the Mohali Test

Sidharth Monga in Mohali06-Oct-2010October 24, 2009. Brett Lee joins the Australian team barely 12 hours before the toss for the first ODI of the gruelling seven-match series. Till then, Lee has been occupied in winning New South Wales the Champions League Twenty20. On the day of the match, with Harbhajan Singh and Praveen Kumar threatening a heist with the bat, Lee pulls up sore. End of series.It’s déjà vu in October 2010 in certain ways. Doug Bollinger, after a successful Champions League, arrives here two days before what turns out to be an all-time great Test, bowls impressively in the defence of a modest total, and when he is on absolute fire, running through the Indian batting with his aggression and hostility, he has to pull out because of abdominal pain. After an over in which he bounces Harbhajan Singh out, Bollinger is not available through the rest of the innings.”I actually had him ready to bowl the next over,” Ricky Ponting said later. “I went to grab his hat off him for the start of his next over and he said he’d felt some pain in one of his abdominals, and being a fast bowler and having that sort of injury I just sent him off the ground straight away.”Ponting, captaining an Australian side not dominant any more and hence in need of every resource it can get hold of, didn’t hide his disappointment last year. He is not hiding it this year.”It would have been nice to have another fast bowler to rotate through when we needed that breakthrough,” Ponting said. “At that stage, Doug had bowled just the one spell as well, so he would have been nice and fresh. When you are bowling at the tail, you need those strike options. That said, we used five other bowling options, but none of them could give us that result.”Ponting – not obligated, unlike many other international players, to always sing praises for the leagues – and the Australian team management haven’t been a fan of the clashes the various leagues create with national duty, the preparation part more than the actual playing part. They have all been concerned about the late arrivals of Bollinger and Michael Hussey.There is nothing to ensure that Bollinger wouldn’t have been injured had he trained with the Australian team for the last 10 days, but it helps a captain to know that his strike bowler has not been away playing in a private league until two days before a Test.”It probably doesn’t help,” said Ponting of Bollinger’s Champions League commitments. “But he’d been bowling, and that’s one positive for Doug that he’d been playing competitive cricket.”He probably hasn’t been bowling the amount of overs in the Champions League that some of the others have had coming over here, but the facts are that he’s been playing, he arrived a couple of days before the game.”I thought his work before that was very good, I thought his spell today was probably the best he’s bowled during the game, so [it was] disappointing for him to go down at the end there, it hurt us a lot.”

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Paul Stirling smashed a career-best 177 off 134 deliveries•Getty Images

Paul Stirling, the 20-year-old Ireland opener, played the innings of his life, smashing 177 from 134 deliveries to set up an easy win over Canada and tie the two-match ODI series in Toronto.Put in to bat, Ireland were given a strong start by Stirling and Andre Botha who added 91 in 12.4 overs. Stirling began hitting out in the third over, lofting and driving Harvir Baidwan for fours. He took medium-pacer Khurram Chohan’s fourth over for 14 runs, smashing him over long-on for six and then pulling and steering him for consecutive fours. He reached his fifty off 38 balls in the 12th over, guiding Balaji Rao behind point for four. Botha was dismissed in the next over for 28 and Canada managed to briefly rein in the scoring.Andrew Poynter and Stirling added 73 in 18.2 overs and by the time Poynter was dismissed, Stirling had moved to 96 off 90. A single off Chohan in the 34th over brought up his maiden List A hundred off 97 balls.Stirling warmed up for the Batting Powerplay by taking 14 runs in an over off left-arm spinner Parth Desai. Fifty-three runs came in the Powerplay, 38 of those from Stirling. Desai, who had bowled well in taking 1 for 31 in seven overs, went for 46 runs in his next three. With Stirling on 174 at the end of the 44th over, Sachin Tendulkar’s record ODI score was in some danger. However, Stirling hit a Baidwan full toss straight to point in the 45th over, after having struck 21 fours and five sixes. John Mooney’s late hitting took Ireland to an imposing 325.Canada rarely looked like keeping up with the asking rate, especially after being reduced to 34 for 2 in the eighth over. Despite a 79-run third-wicket stand between Ruvindu Gunasekera and captain Ashish Bagai, the run-rate hovered around five throughout the innings. Gunasekera top-scored again with 59 off 60 but he fell in the 24th over. Bagai followed in the 30th to make it 142 for 5, after which Canada needed a miracle.It wasn’t happening though, as offspinner Albert van der Merwe came up with a career-best performance of 5 for 49 and Canada were bowled out in the 47th over. Stirling was the deserving Player of the Match.

Liverpool are among the leading candidates to sign Jude Bellingham.

What’s the word?

That’s according to German outlet BILD, who report that Real Madrid and Liverpool are “already closely monitoring” Bellingham’s development.

The newspaper stated that the England star is the most expensive 18-year-old footballer in the world, whilst being priceless for Dortmund.

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BILD state that Bellingham’s status in the Dortmund hierarchy is expected to rise next season, with the leadership issues at BVB serving as a problem for the Signal Iduna Park side.

The fee may set Liverpool back though, with the German outlet stating this. “One thing is clear: if the ‘BellingBOOM’ continues at this breathtaking pace, the Dortmund diamond will soon become the next ‘over 100 million deal’ for Borussia.”

Worth every penny

From what we have seen of Bellingham so far, along with the metrics that he has produced during his developmental and prosperous time at Dortmund, he is worth every penny of the estimated €100m price tag.

The exchange rate would actually see Bellingham valued at around £83m, bringing the fee closer to his current market value which currently sits at £67.5m according to Transfermarkt.

Though, for an 18-year-old who has been described as a “leader” by teammate Mats Hummels and a “sensation” as per BT Sport, a £100m price tag would still seem worth it – given his identity as a current player, whilst bearing in mind his almost limitless potential.

The England wonderkid who stands at 5 foot 11 has asserted himself as a Dortmund regular ever since his move from Birmingham City in 2020.

This season has seen a big improvement in his goal contributions, with the £49k-per-week talent netting six goals and producing 13 assists in 40 appearances in all competitions.

Even more impressive though, is his record in the Champions League this season. With four goal contributions in six appearances, in the form of one goal and three assists, Bellingham has demonstrated his prowess as a big-game player.

A key attribute that Klopp and the Reds faithful will appreciate though is his ability to lead.

After the 4-1 defeat to RB Leipzig, Bellingham was the only player to stand in front of the fans and applaud them, an act that has made him the new “darling” of the BVB fanbase.

In other news: Liverpool targeting £13.5m-rated “world class” beast, supporters will be buzzing…

Glasgow Rangers have been hit with a European concern ahead of the 2022/23 campaign…    

What’s the talk?

The Glasgow Times have dropped an update explaining what Villarreal’s progress in the Champions League could mean for teams in Scotland.

If the Spanish outfit go on to win the European title this season then it is would mean that Gers would need to go through the qualification stages in 2022/23 – if they were to win the Premiership title.

As it stands, the winners of the Scottish top-flight will immediately qualify for the group stages of the Champions League next season. This would result in a major £40m bonus for competing in the competition, but that is now under threat.

Their automatic qualification will be taken away if a team wins the tournament this year whilst failing to finish in the top four of their domestic league. Villarreal are on their way to doing this as they are in the semi-finals whilst currently sitting seventh in LaLiga.

Gio van Bronckhorst will be sweating…

This update will leave the Gers head coach sweating buckets as it gives him another Champions League concern to worry about.

Firstly, he is nearing the end of an exciting – for the neutrals – Premiership title battle as the Light Blues are attempting to catch up with Celtic in the table. They are six points behind their rivals as it stands and will not be giving up on their attempts to lift the trophy for the second season in a row.

Whilst it may seem unlikely due to the current gap between the two teams, all Rangers can do is continue to win games in the league and hope that the Hoops drop points along the way. If they can claw it back and secure a stunning title win then that would put them in a fantastic position to qualify for the Champions League, but that is now in danger.

Van Bronckhorst will now have to keep a close eye on results in the competition and root for Liverpool in the semi-finals against Villarreal. He will be desperate, as will Ange Postecoglou, for the Spanish side to fail in their efforts to win the tournament as it would dampen Rangers’ chances of hitting the £40m jackpot later this year.

Although they will still have the opportunity to access that cash fund if they make their way through the qualification phase, the Dutch head coach would surely prefer to go straight into the group stage instead of enduring the stress of play-off football.

AND in other news, From £4.5m to £25m: Wilson had huge Rangers howler over “remarkable” 12-goal gem…

Newcastle enjoyed a busy January transfer window as Eddie Howe made a host of fresh additions to his Magpies squad.

Dan Burn, Matt Targett, Kieran Trippier, Bruno Guimaraes and Chris Wood all came through the door as they bolstered their team during PIF’s first chance to show off their spending power.

Attention may now turn to the summer as the club will potentially spend again to compete higher up in the Premier League table if they are able to avoid relegation this term.

La Repubblica (via MilanNews) recently reported that the Toon are one of a number of clubs circling around Franck Kessie heading into the summer, as he is set to become a free agent upon the expiry of his contract with the Serie A side.

Imagine him and Bruno

Newcastle could find their dream upgrade on Jonjo Shelvey and an excellent partner for Bruno Guimaraes by landing Kessie on a free transfer.

In the Serie A last term, he scored 13 goals and provided four assists. He also averaged 2.6 tackles and interceptions per game, proving that he is a player who can have an impact at both ends of the pitch with his ability to change games in the final third and his robustness defensively.

Milan head coach Stefano Pioli previously lauded the midfielder, saying: “There was some problem at the beginning, then we understood each other and now he is indispensable for my Milan. Even in difficult moments of the game he is always positive and his teammates recognize this.”

Shelvey, meanwhile, managed one goal and three assists, whilst making 2.5 tackles and interceptions per game. This suggests that Kessie could be a major improvement on him as he is far superior in the attacking third of the pitch and on a similar level heading towards his own goal.

The Ivorian international is also four years younger than the former Liverpool man. This means that the machine could have plenty more years ahead of him to develop as a player and exceed what Shelvey has been able to produce in a Magpies shirt, with Eddie Howe potentially being able to improve him on the training pitch.

Along with being an upgrade on Shelvey, he could also slot in nicely alongside Guimaraes. The Brazilian averaged 3.6 tackles and interceptions along with 1.8 key passes per game in Ligue 1 this season for Lyon, which suggests that he is a tough-tackling creative midfielder – compared to Kessie’s tough-tackling, goalscoring, style of play.

They could, therefore, complement each other well as they both look to get stuck in defensively and could work well as a pair off the ball to cut out opposition attacks. On the ball, however, Guimaraes could be tasked with the creative side of the game and leave his teammate to make late runs into the box in an attempt to score, which could make them an exciting pair.

AND in other news, Huge blow: Howe suffers major Newcastle setback that’ll leave fans very worried…

Worcestershire wrapped up a five-wicket win at home to Unicorns despite a fighting 91 from Josh Knappett

29-Aug-2010
Scorecard
Worcestershire avoided further embarrassment by the Unicorns after a rousing effort by their former reserve wicketkeeper, Josh Knappett, in the Clydesdale Bank 40 clash at New Road.Knappett made defiant 91 from 100 balls – beating his previous best in the competition by a single run – but the Unicorns’ total of 181 for 9 was not quite enough for them to repeat their victory when the teams met at Kidderminster last month.After seven consecutive CB 40 defeats, Worcestershire made it two wins in a row when edging home by five wickets with 12 balls to spare in a match trimmed to 37 overs a side because of rain. For Knappett it was special day back in Worcester where he spent three seasonsbut never played in a competitive match for the first team at New Road.Now back playing for Finchley in the Middlesex Championship, he has made his appearances for the Unicorns a showcase for his ability with the bat. This was his third half-century while scoring exactly 300 runs in 10 innings. Given that he scored a first-class hundred for Oxford UCCE before joining Worcestershire, it was no surprise to see him playing with such authority after the county attack had dismissed the Unicorns openers in six overs.Jackson Thompson clumped Jack Shantry’s second ball to mid-on and Chris Mutagh gave Chris Russell a debut wicket in the competition when Vikram Solanki held a slip chance at the second attempt. The part-timers ran into more bother when skipper Keith Parsons was caughtbehind off his one-time Somerset team-mate, Gareth Andrew, but Knappett built a new platform in successive stands of 50 with Sean Park (21) and Neil Hancock, the Devon-based Australian who hit two sixes off Shakib Al Hasan in making 29.Knappett, having hit 10 of the 15 boundaries in the Unicorns’ innings, cruelly missed the century he deserved when he attempted to pull Andrew and dragged the ball down on to his stumps. Andrew and Shantry finished with three wickets each in keeping Worcestershire’s target below 200 and Moeen Ali launched their chase with 40 from 26 balls in an opening partnership of 55 with Solanki.When Moeen departed in the seventh over, driving ex-Surrey seamer Neil Saker to mid-off, the early momentum was lost as Hancock conceded only 17 runs in seven overs and took two wickets, including Solanki at deep midwicket for 39.Off spinner Chris Brown also kept things tight in an eight-over spell for 33 and Knappett held a chance to remove Daryl Mitchell for 23, but James Cameron (25 not out) and Shaaiq Choudhry (21 not out) kept their nerve in a match-winning stand of 44.

Adam Jones has claimed that Everton must now make Burnley ‘regret’ their 2-0 loss at Norwich City in the Premier League on Sunday afternoon.

The Lowdown: Great results for Everton

After the Merseyside club beat Manchester United 1-0 at Goodison Park in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off, other results at the bottom of the table also went their way over the weekend.

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Watford lost 3-0 at home to Leeds United on Saturday afternoon, while Burnley then went and lost to Norwich. It means that Frank Lampard’s team are now four points clear of the relegation zone with just eight matches left to play.

The Latest: Jones reacts to Premier League results

Taking to Twitter, Liverpool Echo journalist Jones has now given his reaction to the results, claiming that the Clarets dropping off after beating Everton 3-2 in midweek was a ‘real let off’ for Frank Lampard’s side.

He chimed: “Well that is quite the weekend of results for Everton. In some ways, it’s a real let off.

“Burnley really dropped the ball after what seemed like a defining victory in midweek. Everton need to make them absolutely regret that over their next few games, whatever it takes.”

The Verdict: Not over yet

The race to secure Premier League safety is certainly not over yet, but of course the weekend’s results provide a huge step in the right direction for the Toffees.

Some of their next few fixtures look particularly daunting, with a trip to Liverpool in the Merseyside derby followed by a home match against Chelsea to come.

There could be plenty of twists and turns along the way, but Lampard will be hoping that Everton’s win against the Red Devils can install some much-needed confidence in his team, ready for the rollercoaster ahead.

In other news, one Everton ace has been branded ‘disappointing’

أعلن جيانلويجي بوفون أنه سيدعم منتخبًا إفريقيًا خلال مونديال قطر 2022، بعد فشل إيطاليا في التأهل، حيث قال الحارس الأسطوري إنه بمثابة فريقه الثاني منذ فترة طويلة.

تغيب إيطاليا عن نهائيات كأس العالم للمرة الثانية على التوالي، حيث تعرض بطل أوروبا لهزيمة مفاجئة 1-0 أمام مقدونيا الشمالية في مباراة فاصلة في مارس.

وجاءت الهزيمة في أعقاب غياب الآتزوري عن كأس العالم 2018 في روسيا، بعد خسارة الملحق أمام السويد.

كشف بوفون، الذي كان ضمن المنتخب الإيطالي الفائز بكأس العالم 2006، أنه سيدعم الكاميرون في قطر.

وقال الحارس المخضرم لراديو “أنشيو سبورت”، بحسب صحيفة “ذا صن” البريطانية، إن الكاميرون أصبحت فريقه الثاني خلال مونديال 1982 بإسبانيا، حيث واجهت إيطاليا الدولة الإفريقية في دور المجموعات.

وقال بوفون إن فريق الكاميرون الشهير عام 1990 كانوا أبطاله، حيث ضم الفريق الحارس توماس نكونو، بالإضافة إلى المهاجمين فرانسوا أومام بيك وروجر ميلا.

وقال بوفون، الذي خاض 175 مباراة دولية مع إيطاليا خلال مسيرته الدولية: “لقد كان منتخب الكاميرون دائمًا فريقي الثاني، فريقي المفضل منذ كأس العالم 1982”.

اقرأ أيضًا | فينسنت أبو بكر: لا نفضل الحديث كثيرا الآن.. سنتكلم في أرض الملعب

وأضاف: “في عام 1990، كان دعمي شاملًا، مع لاعبين مثل نكونكو وميلا وبيك الذين كانوا – بالنسبة لي – أبطالًا”.

أصبحت الكاميرون أول دولة إفريقية تصل إلى ربع نهائي المونديال عندما وصلت إلى دور الثمانية في إيطاليا 90، حيث خسرت 3-2 أمام إنجلترا في الوقت الإضافي.

السنغال وغانا هما الدولتان الإفريقيتان الوحيدتان اللتان حققتا هذا الإنجاز، ووصلتا إلى نفس المرحلة في عامي 2002 و2010 على التوالي.

قدمت تشكيلة الكاميرون 1990 واحدة من أعظم مفاجآت كأس العالم، عندما فاجأت الأرجنتين حاملة اللقب في يوم الافتتاح.

وسجل أومام بيك الهدف الوحيد في الفوز 1-0، مع استمرار الكاميرون على الرغم من إنهاء المباراة بتسعة رجال.

شهد مسار الأسود التي لا تقهر خلال البطولة أن ميلا أصبح أكبر هداف في كأس العالم، حيث سجل المهاجم أربع مرات، احتفل كل منها برقصة على علم الزاوية.

بوفون دومًا يضع نكونكو من بين أبطاله، زاعمًا أن حارس المرمى الكاميروني قد أثر على مسيرته المهنية.

التقى الثنائي في ملعب تدريب بارما العام الماضي، بعد عودة بوفون إلى فريقه المحترف الأول.

كتب بوفون: “تظل قدوات الشباب دائمًا قدوة، حتى بعد عقود، إنه لمن دواعي سروري دائمًا أن أعانق صديقي توماس نكونو مرة أخرى، الذي بفضله أصبحت حارس مرمى!”.

Gli idoli di gioventù restano sempre idoli, anche a decenni di distanza. È sempre un piacere riabbracciare il mio amico Thomas N’Kono, colui grazie al quale sono diventato un portiere! pic.twitter.com/5qawuc2UBz — Gianluigi Buffon (@gianluigibuffon) November 11, 2021

تبدأ الكاميرون مشوارها في كأس العالم 2022 عندما تواجه سويسرا على ملعب الجنوب يوم الخميس.

وسيواجه فريق ريجوبرت سونج بعد ذلك صربيا، قبل أن يختتموا المجموعة السابعة ضد البرازيل المرشحة لكأس العالم.

Wolves midfielder Leander Dendoncker is reportedly subject to interest from Serie A side Lazio ahead of the upcoming summer transfer window.

What’s the latest?

According to Italian outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Inside Futbol), the Rome-based outfit are looking to attempt a fresh swoop for the 27-year-old after a failed attempt last summer.

The Italian club could lose midfielders Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Lucas Leiva in the upcoming window and are therefore identifying potential replacements, with the Belgian reportedly on their wish list.

Dendoncker’s contract at Molineux expires in 2023 and could be available for a cut-price fee this summer if a contract extension cannot be agreed upon.

Wolves must keep hold of Dendoncker

Like Lazio, Wolves could see two key midfielders depart this summer in Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho and cannot afford to let a third depart.

Neves has been subject to interest from an array of clubs, including Arsenal, whilst Moutinho’s contract is set to expire in June.

Dendoncker has had to work hard to prove himself to Bruno Lage this term, with the Belgian starting just one of the West Midlands club’s first seven Premier League matches of the season.

However, since then the 27-year-old has gone on to start a further 15 matches in the top flight with Wolves still in the hunt for European qualification.

According to SofaScore, the versatile midfielder has completed 86% of his passes in the league this campaign whilst averaging 1.2 tackles, 1.2 clearances and 0.3 interceptions per game.

Although the Belgian’s average match rating of 6.81 is bettered by three other Wolves midfielders Neves (7.2), Luke Cundle (7.1) and Moutinho (7.04), it’s vital that Lage holds onto at least some of his current midfield options as opposed to the risk of having to reinvent his entire team’s core.

The £75k-per-week midfielder scored his sole goal of the campaign in Wolves’ vital 2-0 win away at Tottenham in February and was subject to praise from defender Max Kilman, who said: “He’s brilliant, nothing phases him. He knows his task and he doesn’t feel the pressure.”

Following an initial loan move from Anderlecht in 2018 that became permanent the following summer, Dendoncker has been a kingpin during Wolves’ current streak in the Premier League, having joined ahead of the club’s first season back in the top flight after six years away.

In that time the midfielder has made 149 appearances, making the prospect of a departure an upsetting concept for the Molineux faithful. Lage must not make that mistake this summer.

AND in other news: “My understanding…”: Wolves receive huge injury boost that could aid bid for Europe