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Tottenham are said to be weighing up an offer to sign a "role model" defensive alternative to Genoa star Radu Dragusin as talks for the Romanian persist.

Spurs working on Dragusin deal

Earlier this week, reliable transfer source Fabrizio Romano shared news that Spurs have already agreed personal terms with Dragusin and negotiations are expected to continue over the weekend.

However, the presence of Serie A side Napoli appears to be complicating things somewhat, and there are some reports in Italy that they've even reached a draft agreement over Dragusin.

While it is believed Dragusin wants to join Spurs, it appears Ange Postecoglou faces stiff competition from abroad for the 21-year-old's signature.

Forward "on the verge" of joining Tottenham with "final negotiations today"

It’s been a surprise development this morning.

By
Emilio Galantini

Jan 6, 2024

He's been a star player for Genoa under Alberto Gilardino this season, making 19 Serie A appearances as a starter and even chipping in with two goals in that time.

His young age and sky-high potential also makes the player a pretty enticing target for Spurs, but that isn't to say the Lilywhites don't have alternative options to Dragusin.

Spurs rumoured centre-back targets for January	Latest update
Trevoh Chalobah	20th December
Jean-Clair Todibo	20th December
Morato	19th December
Radu Dragusin	3rd January
Sebastian Caceres	14th December
Jarrad Branthwaite	13th December

One of them, according to recent reports, is Bournemouth defender Lloyd Kelly.

The Englishman is out of contract at the end of this season, making him a pretty viable and affordable option for Spurs with Premier League experience to boot.

Tottenham weighing up offer for Kelly

According to broadcast giant Sky Sports, Tottenham are weighing up an offer to sign Kelly from Bournemouth, either in January or in the summer when his contract expires.

The 25-year-old is attracting interest from abroad as well as from clubs in England, with previous reports suggesting Kelly would consider a move to Spurs if offered the chance.

Sky says major European clubs like AC Milan, Juventus and Stuttgart are also interested in a move for Kelly, who is free to open talks with them over a pre-contract agreement for the summer.

The Englishman was targeted by Spurs over the summer window, and it appears they are still real fans of Bournemouth's "role model" player.

“He’s a really good person. He’d give his time to anybody, and he’s an amazing role model," said Bournemouth's former academy manager Gary Probert on Kelly to The Athletic.

"The local lad that lived a stone’s throw away from the stadium, that comes through, plays in the team. He’s the poster boy, really.

“He’s an amazing role model for all of our young players, not just because of the football he plays for his country, in the Premier League and all of that, but just how he is as a person. If he walked into the academy now, you wouldn’t know he’s played in the Premier League and is an England Under-21 international.”

وصلت منذ قليل، بعثة منتخب مصر إلى مطار القاهرة، قادمة من بوتسوانا، بعد إنجاز مهمتهم بنجاح والعودة بفوز كبير من خارج الديار.

منتخب مصر التقى مع بوتسوانا ونجح في الفوز برباعية دون رد، ضمن منافسات الجولة الثانية من التصفيات المؤهلة لكأس أمم إفريقيا 2025. أهداف مباراة مصر وبوتسوانا في تصفيات أمم إفريقيا

ويتواجد منتخب مصر في المجموعة الرابعة من تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا، بجوار منتخبات الرأس الأخضر وموريتانيا وبوتسوانا.

وكان منتخب مصر قد فاز على الرأس الأخضر بثلاثية نظيفة في مباراة الجولة الأولى والتي أقيمت يوم الجمعة الماضي بالقاهرة، بينما فازت موريتانيا على بوتسوانا بهدف وحيد.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي منتخب مصر مع موريتانيا في الجولتين الثالثة والرابعة من تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا، خلال شهر أكتوبر المقبل.

طالع أيضًا | أيمن يونس: مباراة مصر وبوتسوانا مليئة بالمكاسب.. ومحمد صلاح “وردة بنتعايق بيها” موعد مباراة مصر القادمة أمام موريتانيا في تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي منتخب مصر مع موريتانيا في إطار الجولة الثالثة من مواجهات المجموعة، يوم 7 أكتوبر المقبل في القاهرة.

ترتيب مجموعة مصر في تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا

1- منتخب مصر 6 نقاط

2- منتخب الرأس الأخضر 3 نقاط.

3- منتخب موريتانيا 3 نقاط.

4- منتخب بوتسوانا بدون نقاط.

Liverpool are reportedly eyeing a move for a "superb" young player in the January transfer window, potentially seeing him as a long-term successor to Mohamed Salah.

Mohamed Salah's Liverpool future

Salah's future has been a major talking point of late, with the 31-year-old the subject of a huge £150m bid from Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad last summer. The Reds rejected their advances, ensuring their star player stayed put for another season, but their interest is almost certain to return later this year, and there is another unnamed Middle East club in contact for Salah now too.

Liverpool will no doubt be braced for offers for the Egyptian superstar, who continues to stand out as comfortably his side's most relentless attacking player, and he will have to make a big decision over his future at the end of the season. His contract is up at Anfield next year, so he will either have to sign an extension in 2024, or find a new challenge.

The better outcome is to see Salah remain on Merseyside, considering he is still one of the best players in world football, but if he does move on, it is essential that the Reds bring in a spectacular replacement during the summer transfer window.

Liverpool eyeing Johan Bakayoko

According to Caught Offside, PSV Eindhoven winger Johan Bakayoko is seen as a target for Liverpool, with a move even potentially happening this month, due to Salah's involvement in the Africa Cup of Nations.

"Sources with a close understanding of the situation inside Anfield have informed CaughtOffside that Liverpool have as many as six main names on their list of targets for defence, midfield, and attack, with the latter being something they could be tempted to look at closely this January due to the absence of Mohamed Salah, who is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt."

Bakayoko looks like a player of immense potential, being hailed as a "superb" footballer by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, and enjoying a wonderful season for PSV to date, chipping in with 11 goal contributions (three goals and eight assists) in 16 Eredivisie appearances.

Appearances

16

Starts

14

Goals

3

Assists

8

Dribbles per game

3.3

Key passes per game

2.7

Still only 20 years of age, Bakayoko has Salah's ability to cut inside onto his left foot from a right-sided attacking role, and he is already producing such impressive levels of end product, despite his tender years. While the Belgian likely wouldn't be able to come straight in and hit the heights of the Liverpool legend from the off, he could be an eye-catching long-term addition at Anfield, with his potential clearly through the roof.

Bakayoko could even be a great signing even if Salah stays this summer, arriving as a squad player, before eventually usurping the Egypt legend when he does finally drift past his peak.

USMNT star Chris Richards received full marks in a Premier League geography challenge thanks to a little help from Matt Turner.

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Richards shows off his geography skillsLocates all 20 Premier League clubs on mapReveals how Turner helped him with NottinghamWHAT HAPPENED?

Richards was tasked with finding all 20 Premier League clubs on a map of England and made the challenge look easy, passing with flying colours. However, the USMNT star did reveal how a story from international team-mate Turner helped enormously when it came to locating Nottingham.

AdvertisementWATCH THE CLIPWHAT TURNER SAID

He said: "I remember Matt Turner saying that there's a Dunkin' Donuts there and that is just giving off Dunkin' Donuts energy."

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR RICHARDS

Richards will finish the season with Palace and then link up with the USMNT for the Copa America this summer. Turner is also set to be in the squad despite struggling for minutes at Nottingham Forest following the arrival of Matz Sels in January.

Tottenham are continuing to draw up their list of centre-back transfer targets this winter, and an interesting new name has surfaced.

Van de Ven injured until 2024

Spurs' plans to sign a left-footed alternative to star summer signing Micky van de Ven have accelerated recently, following the defender's recent hamstring injury.

Van de Ven limped off in a 4-1 defeat to Chelsea just over two weeks ago, dealing a hammer blow to manager Ange Postecoglou who'll be without the pacey central defender until 2024.

He had formed an exceptional partnership with Cristian Romero at the heart of Postecoglou's defence, which was a major factor in Tottenham's previously unbeaten start to the new Premier League season.

Spurs wanted another centre-back after van de Ven in the summer, with the club making a late deadline day attempt to sign Lloyd Kelly from Bournemouth which came to no avail.

However, van de Ven's absence highlights their stark lack of depth in the position, and has motivated Tottenham to target new options in January.

Spurs eye new centre-back for Ange

Cherries star Kelly, Uruguay star Sebastian Caceres, Everton's Ben Godfrey, Crystal Palace ace Marc Guehi, Chelsea defender Trevoh Chalobah, Genoa's Radu Dragusin and Union Saint-Gilloise centre-back Koki Machida are all on Tottenham's radar, according to reports in the last few weeks.

Any one of the aforementioned may well come in to shore up Postecoglou's options in central defence, which could be seen as a must, given Spurs are currently reliant on the likes of Eric Dier and Ben Davies.

The former was heavily out of favour at Tottenham before their 4-1 loss to Chelsea, when he came on for van de Ven and played his first minutes of the entire campaign. It will be very interesting to see who the north Londoners opt to bring in for Postecoglou, with news coming to light this week on a new name in Benfica star Morato.

Tottenham could look to sign Morato

New Lilywhites sporting director Johan Lange is apparently at work on identifying defensive targets for January, and the Brazilian is someone who they could look towards. Morato's limited chances could open the door for him to leave, having featured more in the Champions League than Liga Portugal this term.

The 21-year-old is seen as a player who could excel in Postecoglou's passing system. Morato also has the physical capabilities to be an asset in the Premier League, standing at a towering 6 foot 3.

He's also viewed as technically "superior" to van de Ven, according to The Daily Mail, who claim Tottenham are eyeing Morato as an alternative cover man to the Dutchman.

While the South American ace hasn't featured much this season, he's still amassed around 60 appearances for Benfica since making his debut for the club in 2019 (Morato stats – The Mail).

Interestingly, according to journalist Sami Mokbel, Morato actually told Benfica that he wanted to leave in the summer window. The defensive ace was a target for Fulham and Marco Silva, who saw an £18 million bid rejected.

MatériaMais Notícias

Um dos jogadores mais experientes do Corinthians, o lateral-esquerdo Fábio Santos foi bastante crítico ao time, após a derrota por 4 a 0 no clássico contra o Palmeiras, nesta segunda-feira (18), às 19h, em jogo atrasado da 28ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro.

continua após a publicidadeRelacionadasBrasileirãoPalmeiras domina primeiro Dérbi de 2021 e goleia o Corinthians por 4 a 0Brasileirão18/01/2021CorinthiansATUAÇÕES: Defesa vacila, e Gabriel leva pior nota do Corinthians em goleada no DérbiCorinthians18/01/2021CorinthiansCorinthians perde Gil e Gabriel para duelo contra o SportCorinthians18/01/2021

De acordo com o jogador, o elenco corintiano não conseguiu desenvolver o que foi preparado pelo técnico Vagner Mancini antes do jogo.

– Hoje, na verdade, não tirando o mérito do Palmeiras, mas tudo que o Mancini pediu para nós, fizemos o contrário. Marcamos uma linha intermediária, corremos para trás o tempo todo, demos muitas chances para os adversários – disse o lateral ao Premiere, na saída de campo.

> Veja a classificação do Brasileirão e simule os próximos jogos

Para Fábio, a solução para não cometer os mesmos erros nas próximas partidas está na comunicação interna.

– A gente tem que conversar entre nós no campo, se acertar. A gente tem que sentir a derrota, não é para falar que isso acontece, não pode acontecer em um clássico – pontuou o atleta.

continua após a publicidade

Ainda que com o resultado vexatório, Fábio Santos não vê terra arrasada na luta corintiana por uma vaga na zona de classificação para a próxima edição da Copa Libertadores.

– Mas temos um objetivo, está próximo, sofremos bastante já e não podemos nos abalar. Estamos focados na Libertadores, é isso que a gente quer”, diz o lateral do Corinthians – afirmou o lateral.

O Corinthians volta a campo já nesta quinta-feira (21). às 21h, quanto enfrenta o Sport, na Neo Química Arena, pela 31ª rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro. Com o revés contra o Palmeiras, o Timão permaneceu na nona colocação, com 42 pontos.

Manchester United are putting the wheels in motion for their upcoming transfer activity and are still keen to land a high-profile star on a free transfer, according to reports.

Man Utd return from international duty…

The Red Devils will return from the international break this weekend against Everton as they look to continue their positive form in the Premier League, which has helped to catapult the Premier League giants up to sixth in the division.

Winning four of their last five league matches, Erik ten Hag has managed to restore some credibility at Old Trafford; however, United are still some way off the terrifying force that they used to be, both domestically and in European competition.

Fabrizio Romano shares injury update out of Man Utd, says it's "great news"

United have endured their fair share of injury struggles over the last few months.

BySean Markus Clifford Nov 23, 2023

Fighting fire among his squad, Ten Hag has had to deal with an extensive injury list over the course of 2023/24 and not much has changed on that front as his side now prepares to take on Sean Dyche's Everton. As cited by The Manchester Evening News, the Red Devils will be without Christian Eriksen, Casemiro, Jonny Evans, Tyrell Malacia and Amad Diallo for the trip to Merseyside.

England international Luke Shaw has made his comeback to first-team training at Carrington and could be involved this weekend. At the same time, Marcus Rashford and Rasmus Hojlund are expected to feature despite concerns. Aaron Wan-Bissaka has been suffering from illness and Andre Onana was taken off on international duty with Cameroon, so it will remain to be seen whether they can return in time.

Man Utd's last five Premier League results

Manchester United 1-0 Luton Town

Fulham 0-1 Manchester United

Manchester United 0-3 Manchester City

Sheffield United 1-2 Manchester United

Manchester United 2-1 Brentford

Now, fresh information has come to light concerning the club's transfer plans, with a potential soon-to-be free agent on the agenda in the North West.

Man Utd still keen on Adrien Rabiot

According to Calciomercato via Sport Witness, Manchester United are still keen on Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot, who could be available on a free transfer in the summer of 2024 when his contract at the Allianz Stadium expires.

The report states that the France international came close to moving to Old Trafford last summer; however, concerns over his wages put an end to any speculation that he would be swapping Turin for Manchester, and he could soon be available to discuss pre-contract terms once more.

Labelled "a very elegant player" by his former international teammate Hugo Lloris, Rabiot has featured regularly for Juventus this campaign, registering a goal and assist apiece in 11 appearances across all competitions (Rabiot statistics – Transfermarkt).

Carrying the creative torch for Juventus from the heart of Massimiliano Allegri's engine room, the 28-year-old has also successfully carried out 30 shot-creating actions in Serie A, with three directly leading to goals (Rabiot statistics – FBRef).

Possessing elite-level experience and a composed temperament, Rabiot could prove to be an economically advantageous option for Ten Hag to bolster his options in midfield; so who knows, 2024 could finally be the year they get their man.

West Ham United are in the race to sign a new striker in January, but a report has revealed that they aren’t the only club hoping to bring him to the Premier League.

West Ham transfer news

The Irons appear keen to bolster their options in the backline having already been linked with moves for two defenders in the form of Perth Glory’s James Overy and Club America’s Sebastian Caceres, but the centre of the park is another area that they are looking to strengthen.

David Moyes has set his sights on Juventus’ Manuel Locatelli and Manchester United’s Scott McTominay in that defensive midfield role, though with centre-forward reportedly having been made the priority area heading into the upcoming window, the boss is ready to do battle to secure one of his top targets.

Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez has established himself as Arne Slot’s best-performing offensive player so far this season (WhoScored – Feyenoord statistics), and his impressive form has caught the eye of chiefs, but not for the first time at the London Stadium.

The Irons held preliminary talks for the 22-year-old over the summer both with his club and his representatives having been recommended to the hierarchy by technical director Tim Steidten, but having instead chosen to extend his contract, a deal failed to come to fruition before the deadline.

West Ham plotting move for Santiago Gimenez

According to The Mirror, however, Feyenoord’s Santiago Gimenez is of interest to West Ham who are considering taking a second bite of the cherry for their summer target.

“West Ham are among a long list of clubs chasing highly-rated Feyenoord frontman Santiago Gimenez. West Ham, Tottenham, Arsenal, Newcastle, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Napoli, Lazio, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid have all watched the 22-year-old in action during months gone by and Feyenoord are braced for winter approaches.

"Now Gimenez's value has sky-rocketed upwards of £40million although Feyenoord have no interest in selling their most-valuable asset, particularly halfway through the current campaign, in January.

"Although Gimenez is not the only target of interest – he is believed to be a popular pick among the Hammers' transfer committee despite widespread competition from across Europe.”

Since putting pen to paper at Feyenoord from Cruz Azul last summer, Gimenez has posted a remarkable 44 contributions, 38 goals and six assists, in 57 appearances (Transfermarkt – Gimenez statistics), with this prolific form having seen him described as a “Mexican Machine” by football talent scout Jacek Kulig.

Slot’s left-footed star has also recorded a total of 38 shots so far this season which is more than any other of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Feyenoord statistics), highlighting his desire to create chances and hit the back of the net. Additionally, Gimenez knows what it takes to compete and be successful at a high level having secured six trophies for both club and country since the start of his career, so he could bring a real winning mentality to the squad at West Ham.

In the five Tests Pakistan played over the last one year, Abbas left a lasting impression, picking up 30 wickets at an average of 15.50

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Aug-2018Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali and Babar Azam were among the big winners at the Pakistan Cricket Board’s annual awards night in Karachi on Wednesday. Abbas was named the Test Cricketer of the Year, while Hasan and Babar walked away with the corresponding honour in ODIs and T20Is.CricInfo

Abbas had a phenomenal introduction to Test cricket in April 2017, and in the five Tests that Pakistan played over the last 12 months, the 28-year old swing bowler has picked up 27 wickets in five Tests at an average of 16.85.Hasan built upon his excellent start to international cricket over the past year, taking 26 wickets in 12 matches at an average of just 18, and an outstanding economy rate of 4.76. His best performance of 5 for 34 came in an ODI against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, as part of a series whitewash inflicted upon the visitors. In addition, there were five other instances of the pacer snaffling three-wicket hauls in the last 12 months.Babar, 23, walked away with the highest T20I honour, for racking up 489 runs in just 12 innings, at an average of 54.33. He scored four half-centuries during this period, including an unbeaten 97 against West Indies; Pakistan’s second highest individual T20I score.Opener Fakhar Zaman, who recently become the fastest player to 1000 ODI runs and the first Pakistani to score a double-hundred in the format, was presented a “special award for Outstanding Performance”. Captain Sarfraz Ahmed, who did not miss a single match in the last one year, walked away with the Imtiaz Ahmed Spirit of Cricket Award.Among the women cricketers, Sana Mir was named the best ODI player and Javeria Khan was chosen as the best T20I player.

Getty Images

After a dim start to the season, marked by three winless matches on the road, St Lucia Stars’ season had begun to look brighter on Thursday night, after a trio of half-centurions boosted them to a franchise record total. But in the end, history repeated itself, as Trinbago Knight Riders maintained their impressive record over the Stars, who crashed to a stunning five-wicket defeat at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium in Gros Islet.David Warner, Rahkeem Cornwall and Kieron Pollard all crossed 50, each in contrasting styles, to take the home side to 212 for 2. And yet, it was far from enough, as Darren Bravo and Brendon McCullum launched a stunning late onslaught with a 137-run fourth-wicket stand. Requiring 85 runs off the last five overs, Knight Riders crossed the line with a ball to spare. The result also meant the Stars’ winless streak has been stretched to 15 games.Family feastThe end of Warner’s horrid run with the bat coincided with the arrival of his wife and younger daughter at St Lucia. With his two favourite girls watching from the stands, Warner looked at ease while compiling an unbeaten 72 off 55 balls. Most of his damage was done in the first 10 overs, beginning with an uppercut off Ali Khan in the third over for the first of his three sixes. Once Andre Fletcher got out in the sixth over, caught at backward point to a mistimed cut off Shannon Gabriel, Warner was content to ride in the slipstream of his subsequent partners.CornwallopAfter sitting out the previous match, Cornwall made an imperious return to the Stars lineup at No. 3. In the very first match of the season, Fawad Ahmed had struck on his first ball after entering in the seventh over. On this occasion, however, he was swatted with disdain over midwicket for six by Cornwall. The big man began the eighth over in the same fashion against Gabriel, swatting him back over his head for a maximum, before dragging him flat through the wind for six over square leg a few balls later.Cornwall clattered his fifth six over long-on to start the 12th over against Dwayne Bravo, at which stage he overtook Warner on the scorecard, and simultaneously brought up the fifty of their partnership, as well as the Stars 100. Cornwall eventually brought up his half-century off 25 balls, before running out of steam in the 15th over, edging behind as he tried to swing a wide delivery from Javon Searles to the leg side. That ended the partnership at 79 but the innings was hardly about to lose any steam.Pollard goes wildAt 130 for 2 in 15 overs, Tom Moody called out on the TV commentary that Stars should target 12 an over for the rest of the way to get to 190. For a team that has struggled to score runs and was bowled out for just 95 when these two sides met in the opening match of the season, the suggestion may have seemed optimistic. But by the end of the innings, hindsight showed Moody’s prediction was actually quite conservative.The Stars third-wicket pair of Warner and Kieron Pollard added 84 unbeaten runs off the final 32 balls of the innings. More than three-quarters of those came off the bat of Pollard, who sped away to the joint-fastest half-century in CPL history, getting there in just 18 balls. He stroked seven sixes in his 65 not out off 23 balls, the brunt of his damage absorbed by Dwayne Bravo, whose wretched form with the ball continued. The Knight Riders captain was once again his team’s most expensive bowler on the night, conceding 50 from four wicketless overs.Bravo leaked 20 to Pollard in the 18th, including two sixes over the leg side. Ali Khan came into the match as the CPL’s leading wicket-taker but with the exception of a searing yorker to Pollard that just missed his off stump in the 17th, the American lacked his usual bite and was clubbed for three more sixes by Pollard in the 19th over that went for 23 runs. Pollard then bludgeoned Bravo for two more maximums in the final over that brought 17 runs and catapulted the Stars to well over 200. And yet, it wasn’t close to being enough.Riders on the stormKnight Riders’ woes during a two-match losing skid were mainly down to a leaky bowling attack, but on this occasion their batsmen managed to bail them out. Cornwall backed up his impressive batting display by striking twice in the Powerplay with his offspin that claimed Sunil Narine and Chris Lynn, to dent the visitors chase early. But Knight Riders clawed back behind a 51-run stand between McCullum and Colin Munro to reach 74 for 3 after 10 overs, just 14 runs behind where Stars were at the same stage.It was at this point that Darren Bravo almost singlehandedly snuffed out the Stars, and how. Entering at the fall of Munro in the 10th over at 71 for 3, the younger Bravo dwarfed Pollard’s finishing kick. At 128 for 3 after 15, having just brought up a fifty partnership with McCullum. Darren channeled his inner Garry Sobers in the 16th by hoisting four consecutive sixes off Pollard to start the over. A two off the fifth ball was followed by another six off the final delivery to complete the most expensive over in CPL history.From there, Darren could not be stopped, romping his way to 94 unbeaten runs off 36 balls, including six fours and ten sixes. Even a brief stutter during an excellent 19th over from Mitchell McClenaghan, who snared two wickets and gave away just two runs, wasn’t enough to shake Darren, who ensured the Stars’ woeful record remained in tact. Denesh Ramdin hammered the final nail with a six – 34th of the match – off the penultimate ball that not only sealed the win but also equalled the record for most sixes in a Twenty20 match.