All posts by h716a5.icu

Manchester United have made an improved offer for Inter goalkeeper Andre Onana having seen their previous bid rebuffed, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Will Manchester United sign Onana?

Onana's potential move to Old Trafford is proving to be one of the transfer sagas of the summer with a deal seemingly no closer to completion.

Inter have already rejected Man United's opening £38.5m bid for their goalkeeper as Erik ten Hag seeks a reunion with his former Ajax stopper. Onana is keen on a move to the Premier League too and has expressed his desire to link up with Ten Hag once again.

The 27-year-old's stock has significantly risen as a result of consistently outstanding Serie A and Champions League performances, the peak of which came in last season's 1-0 European final defeat to United's rivals Manchester City.

Onana's willingness to play out from the back and his assurance with the ball at his feet make him an understandably desirable target for Ten Hag, especially given the pair have already worked together in the Netherlands.

While Inter are holding firm on their valuation of the Cameroonian, their resolve looks set to be tested again as transfer expert Romano claims an improved bid has been sent to the Italian club.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, he said: "He [Onana] is a top target for Manchester United – a goalkeeper. They are working on it. They made an opening proposal of €45m [£38m], add-ons included. Rejected by Inter. Inter always wanted €60m [£51m] for Onana.

"But what we can say today is that after new contacts during the day, Manchester United have improved their proposal for Onana and now they are around €50m [£43m], add-ons included."

He added: "So, Man United have arrived at €50m now, Inter always wanted €60m. So, at the moment it seems from Inter sources that they are not happy yet with this proposal.

"€50m with add-ons included, so likely to be €45m plus €5m, and so the idea of some sources close to the negotiation is that for €55m package this deal could be done. So, let's see how it will advance."

Romano goes on to add that Inter want the deal done as soon as possible with the club not wanting to sell the player late in the window. The Nerazzurri will need to replace Onana and will want as much time as they can get to go into the transfer market themselves for a goalkeeper.

With both sides seemingly keen to get the deal done for the right price, Onana could very well be on his way to Old Trafford sooner rather than later.

Is David de Gea leaving Man United?

Of course, the future of United's current goalkeeper De Gea depends on the negotiations taking place with Onana.

De Gea's contract expired at the end of June and he is now technically no longer a Man United player, despite ongoing talks between the Spaniard and the club.

A series of cryptic tweets from De Gea suggest that talks are not going smoothly or advancing at present, with De Gea's 12-year United career perhaps coming to an abrupt halt. Partner this with the Red Devils' Onana discussions and there is good reason to believe the 32-year-old will not be at Old Trafford next season.

Ten Hag has said in the past that he cannot guarantee that De Gea will always be his number one (via 90min), with the shot-stopper's technical ability having come under fire in recent years.

Despite this, De Gea still won the Premier League Golden Glove following a season of 17 clean sheets.

Sarah Taylor took a significant step towards a return to international cricket on Thursday, when she took the field for an England XI against Ireland in the UAE

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-2017Sarah Taylor took a significant step towards a return to international cricket on Thursday, when she took the field for an England XI against Ireland in the UAE and scored 26 not out to contribute to the second of three victories during a pre-World Cup training camp.Taylor, 27, who was belatedly added to the camp after missing out on original selection, said afterwards that she felt “more pride” in resuming her career following a year of anxiety issues than she had felt in making her England debut as a teenager back in 2006.Despite playing nearly 200 matches for England in all formats, Taylor has not featured for her country since the World T20 in India last March, having taken an indefinite break from the game to undergo Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to address a debilitating condition that had, at times, led to her leaving the field of play to be sick.”I can’t thank the staff enough for helping me achieve more than I hoped for this tour,” Taylor wrote on Twitter. “I didn’t come here looking to play any games and my expectations were low.”There has been some bumps along the way, but on Thursday I put on an England shirt for the first time in over a year. I honestly didn’t know if this would ever happen again but I had more pride this time than when I debuted back in 2006.”It is still a complete honour to wear the England badge and share a dressing room with this squad.”Taylor is widely regarded as one of the world’s best female batsmen and wicketkeepers, and in 2015, she became the first woman to play first-grade men’s cricket in Australia.Her ECB central contract was renewed in December, in spite of her year on the sidelines, and she remains in the thoughts of England coach Mark Robinson, as he oversees his squad’s final preparations for the World Cup that gets underway on home soil on June 24.

Manchester United are reportedly in the race for Leicester City winger, Harvey Barnes, despite the Englishman having seemingly been nearing a move to rivals, Newcastle United.

What are the latest Man United transfer rumours?

With United having already wrapped up a deal for Barnes' compatriot, Mason Mount, the Daily Mail have reported that the Red Devils – as well as West Ham United – are also admirers of the Foxes ace, with the 25-year-old looking destined to leave the newly-relegated side this summer.

As per the report, while it is the Magpies who remain the frontrunners for the forward's signature, the belief is that Eddie Howe's side are struggling to match Leicester's £40m valuation, potentially opening the door for the Old Trafford outfit to pounce.

The former West Bromwich Albion loanee still has two years left to run on his existing deal at the King Power Stadium, although it would appear highly unlikely that he will remain as part of the club's push for promotion next term.

Do Man United need Harvey Barnes?

With Erik ten Hag also having the likes of Marcus Rashford, Alejandro Garnacho and Jadon Sancho at his disposal, there may be those scratching their heads at the prospect of signing another player who predominantly features on the left flank.

That being said, there have been reports that the former Ajax boss is seeking to acquire a new option in that role, with that revelation coming amid claims that Sancho could be on his way, having fallen out of favour of late.

There could also be a world in which Rashford is utilised as a central striker next season – as he did so frequently last term – even if United are to snap up promising Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund, with it yet to be seen if the towering Dane can be relied upon having netted just nine Serie A goals in 2022/23.

With those factors in mind, it would then make sense to provide competition to young Garnacho with the capture of Barnes, with the Burnley-born speedster having proven his credentials in recent years having bagged 45 goals and laid on 32 assists in 187 games for his current side.

It is also noteworthy that the highly-coveted "livewire" – as hailed by pundit Alan Hutton – is also said to share a number of statistical and stylistic similarities with that man Rashford, according to FBref, ensuring that Barnes could be a useful rival to his fellow Englishman, while also taking on the academy graduate's role on the left if he is to be deployed through the middle.

That likeness can be seen by the fact that the pair can both offer a clinical attacking threat, with Rashford having scored 17 league goals last season, while Barnes chipped in with 13 top-flight goals despite Leicester's drop into the second tier.

That has ensured that the current Red Devils talisman ranks in the top 1% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for non-penalty goals, while his Foxes counterpart is only just behind as he ranks in the top 6% in that regard.

Much like Rashford has been lauded as "unstoppable" by Ten Hag for "his speed, his dribbles and his directness", Barnes also possesses that "raw pace" which can pose a real menacing prospect for the opposition, as per Hutton.

Having seen the impact Rashford had last term – after bagging 30 goals in all competitions – to then find a possible clone in the form of the £35k-per-week speedster would be a real coup.

England face the prospect of having to manage Ben Stokes’ knee injury through the Champions Trophy

Alan Gardner28-May-2017England face the prospect of having to manage Ben Stokes’ knee injury through the Champions Trophy, with the allrounder admitting the team’s medical staff is unclear on the full extent of the problem. Stokes has been rested from the final ODI of the series with South Africa, along with Chris Woakes andMoeen Ali, with England calling up Steven Finn, Toby Roland-Jones and Liam Dawson as replacements.Stokes has been experiencing pain in his left knee when bowling and is due to go for a scan in the coming days. He was named Man of the Match after scoring 101 and taking 1 for 12 in England’s series-sealing victory at the Ageas Bowl on Saturday, but sent down just five overs across two matches against South Africa and said afterwards that the injury remains something of a mystery.”It’s just my delivery stride, a little bit of sensation running up the side of my knee,” he said. “Batting, running around the field, everything like that is fine. We’re managing it as well as we can with our physios and doctors, and myself. It’s an injury I’ve had before and sometimes will just go away – there are good days and bad days, I could wake up tomorrow and it be completely gone. We’ll just have to monitor it over the next few days.”Stokes required surgery to repair a cartilage tear in the same knee last year, after injuring it during the Test series with Sri Lanka, and was out for several weeks. He said he was not sure if the current problem was related. “It comes and goes, on certain days I don’t know if it’s going to be good or not. We only really find out how it is when I start bowling.”Although Stokes is expected to be fit for England’s Champions Trophy opener against Bangladesh on Thursday, the problem is bound to cause concerns about his workload, given his importance in balancing the one-day side. He has spent much of the last two months playing his first season at the IPL, where he featured in 12 matches for Rising Pune Supergiant.”We’re going to get a few more scans, to get a bit more of an idea about what’s happening. Then the doctors, physios, strength and conditioning coaches have a clear idea of what we can do to counteract it and maybe take the problem away, which is obviously what I want and what the medical staff wants. So hopefully it will become a bit clearer.Eoin Morgan, England’s captain, admitted the aim was to try and “build up” Stokes’ knee to get him through the Champions Trophy and said the decision to only give him three overs in the second ODI, which went down to the final ball, was part of such planning.”We’re constantly monitoring him and trying to manage him as best as we can,” Morgan said. “There was a very similar game this time last year when he played against Pakistan and only bowled a few overs with the same injury, we’re trying to build it up again with the Champions Trophy in mind. It’s a very strange injury, he aggravates it when he bowls, in his delivery stride. He’s good to play as a batsman if need be but obviously we want Ben Stokes the allrounder.”Woakes, who took four wickets in England’s 72-run win at Headingley on Wednesday, missed the second ODI with a tight quad. He and Moeen, who was Man of the Match in the first ODI but has picked up a groin niggle, are also expected to be fit for England’s Champions Trophy campaign.

Chelsea are keen on tying centre-back Levi Colwill down to a new deal amid interest from Liverpool, according to renowned journalist Neil Jones.

How much does Levi Colwill earn?

The 20-year-old's future has been a big talking point this summer, having seen his stock rise hugely in the past 12 months after shining on loan at Brighton and recently won the European Championship with England's Under-21s.

Liverpool have been continually linked with a move for the £15,000-a-week-earning Colwill, with the Reds seeing him as their first-choice centre-back target, but Chelsea are understandably desperate to retain his services. His current deal expires in the summer of 2025, but the more that time goes on, the more the Blues risk losing him on the cheap.

It remains to be seen what will happen, but it seems clear that the situation is up in the air, with the player himself no doubt weighing up his next move.

What's the latest on Levi Colwill's Chelsea future?

Speaking to Caught Offside, Jones admitted that Colwill's head could be turned by a move to Liverpool, but says Chelsea want to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge:

"It’s no secret that Liverpool like Levi Colwill, as I reported back in March. Colwill is someone Liverpool really admire, and it’s hardly surprising as he was one of the best centre-backs in the league last season, he’s young, left-footed as well which is something Liverpool want, and I think he’s got a big future ahead of him.

"The question has always been what Chelsea will do with him. There’s no question that Liverpool and Brighton want him, but it remains a big question if Chelsea are willing to allow him to leave, and at what kind of price. I think there is a possibility that Colwill will look at the situation at Chelsea and says he wants to play regularly and pushes to do so elsewhere if he thinks it’s not going to happen for him at Stamford Bridge.

"I think Chelsea would like him to sign a new contract, but there’s some uncertainty if he’ll do that, but equally the new manager Mauricio Pochettino could put him into the team once he’s back, and then I’m sure everyone would forget about any prospect of him leaving."

The idea of Colwill leaving Chelsea at this point in his career is hugely concerning, considering he has the potential to be a future start for both the Blues and England, having been lauded as a "fantastic" player by Lewis O'Brien, whom he played with during their time together at Huddersfield Town.

The hope is that Mauricio Pochettino can persuade the youngster to stay put in west London, promising him regular playing time that will aid his chance of starting for England at Euro 2024, with Harry Maguire's place in the team potentially under threat.

The former Tottenham boss has often been an advocate of youth, building an exciting young team at Spurs when Harry Kane and Dele Alli were bursting onto the scene, and seeing Colwill develop in the same way and sign a new deal would be absolutely huge for the club.

Shiv Thakor, the Derbyshire allrounder, has been suspended by the county after it became apparent that he faced allegations of “indecent exposure”

George Dobell06-Jul-2017Shiv Thakor, the Derbyshire all-rounder, has been suspended by the club after allegations he indecently exposed himself to two women.Thakor, a former England U19 player, has not been arrested but voluntarily attended a police station in Derby where he wasquestioned. Derbyshire subsequently suspended the 23-year-old on full pay pending a further investigation.He has not been charged.ESPNcricinfo understands the incident occurred when Thakor was being shown round a new house by a pair of female estate agents. It isalleged he catastrophically misread the signals and was found in a bedroom in a state of undress. It is understood that CCTV footage ofsome of the event exists.”Shiv has been suspended on full pay pending an investigation,” a statement released by Derbyshire confirmed. “He has not beencharged by police and there is no further comment to make at this stage.””A 23-year-old man voluntarily attended St Mary’s Wharf police station and was interviewed in connection with the alleged offences,” aDerbyshire Police spokeswoman told .

Overseas tours during pre-season afford players the chance to give back to the fans who set their alarms for, quite frankly, ludicrous times to make sure they’re up and ready to watch their favourite side.

It’s a chance for supporters to realise their dreams of getting to see the action first-hand and to show their support in person. And that’s why it’s even more wholesome when players go that extra mile to thank them.

Bukayo Saka became the latest star to show his appreciation to the Arsenal support as the Gunners continued their USA tour.

As you can see in the footage below, the winger made a fan’s day in a viral clip following the Gunners’ 5-0 thrashing of MLS All-Stars

Bukayo Saka makes fan’s day with wholesome gesture

Going over to the supporters, Saka was seen signing shirts and taking photos, before noticing one particular fan holding a sign, which read: “Saka, it’s my B-Day, can I get a pic?”

The Arsenal man did more than just take a picture, however, giving the young supporter a moment that he’ll forever cherish by gifting him his boots.The fan couldn’t hide his shock, in what was the most wholesome moment of pre-season so far.

Meeting the fans and performing gestures like that is what pre-season is all about.

Fans online loved the footage, flocking to Twitter to say so.

How many Premier League goals does Bukayo Saka have?

Saka’s rise into one of the best players in the Premier League is something that cannot be applauded enough.

When the England international first emerged as an academy graduate, he would have seen a defeated and drained squad which was out of ideas. He breathed new life into the Gunners, alongside Emile Smith Rowe, however, and has been rewarded ever since.

Helping to transform the North London side, with the helpful guidance of Mikel Arteta, Saka will make his Champions League debut next season, as he looks to continue his rise, potentially helping his side to another Premier League title challenge.

In total, the winger has scored 31 Premier League goals in 135 appearances, whilst also assisting a further 27 goals.

That number will undoubtedly increase more and more as the seasons go by, too.

In the last campaign, the 21-year-old enjoyed his best season so far, as Arsenal finished second behind Manchester City. By the end of the season, Saka had been involved in 25 goals, finding the back of the net 14 times, and assisting 11 further goals.

Having been involved in 17 goals in the campaign prior, it looks as though Saka’s output is rising by the season, which means we could see an even greater improvement from the academy graduate come August.

That will be the hope of England boss Gareth Southgate too, that’s for sure, as he will be looking to guide his country to the piece of silverware they so desperately desire at Euro 2024 in 12 months’ time.

Saka is on course to play a key role for the Three Lions, as one of the most crucial assets that Southgate can use to his advantage. If the Arsenal man is at his best next season, then not only will Arsenal benefit, but England at the Euros will, too.

Liverpool are "still in contact" with Southampton over a summer move to Anfield, according to a fresh update regarding his potential arrival at the club.

Do Liverpool want to sign Romeo Lavia?

The 19-year-old enjoyed something of a breakthrough season for Saints last time around, even though they ended up suffering relegation from the Premier League to the Championship. He was a rare shining light for the south coast club throughout the campaign, doing his best to put out fires in his defensive midfield role and averaging 2.1 tackles per game across 29 league appearances.

Lavia is widely expected to leave Southampton before the 2023/24 season gets started, with the young Belgian understandably not wanting to be languishing in the second tier of England football for at least the next 12 months.

Liverpool have been constantly linked with a move for the teenager, seeing him as an ideal midfield option to come in and join Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai as new signings. With Fabinho and Jordan Henderson both seemingly on the verge of leaving the club and moving to Saudi Arabia, there is only an even greater need for reinforcements in the middle of the park.

A new update has now emerged over the Reds' pursuit of Lavia, and following a quiet spell regarding the saga recently, it looks as though their interest has returned.

What's the latest on Romeo Lavia to Liverpool?

According to Football Insider, Liverpool are "still in contact" with the Saints youngster over a summer move to Anfield, holding "new talks", and are hoping to sign him by "the end of the month".

There is still interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, however, so the Reds will have to work hard to get their man, especially as the former can promise him Champions League football in 2023/24.

Lavia really does look like exceptional young footballer – one who has been described as "incredible" by none other than Pep Guardiola – so the idea of him in a Liverpool shirt is undoubtedly exciting. Granted, he won't arrive on the cheap, but given his long-term potential, he could be worth every penny as the years pass.

At just 19, it is important to remember that the Belgium international is still a maturing footballer, though, so asking him to come in and be the Reds' new regular No.6 could be a bit much so early in his career, given the step up in quality and the fact that every second of his time on the pitch will be analysed far more at Anfield than St Mary's.

For that reason, Liverpool need to be bringing in Lavia as a squad player to begin with, in order to not put too much pressure on him and expect miracles from the off, with an older midfielder also arriving to add further midfield depth, whether it be Khephren Thuram, Manu Kone, Cheuick Doucoure or someone else.

This is an encouraging update, however, and Lavia is someone who could end up being the heartbeat of the Reds' midfield for a long time, should he arrive this summer, blossoming into the perfect Fabinho successor.

West Indies captain Jason Holder was critical of his batsmen after they squandered starts in the fifth ODI in Kingston

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-20171:29

‘We should give our bowlers some credit’ – Holder

West Indies captain Jason Holder has rued the batsmen’s failure to build on a “pretty decent start”, expressing concern about their shot selection after the eight-wicket loss to India, which sealed a 3-1 series defeat.On a seemingly batting-friendly surface, West Indies stuttered to 205 for 9 and did not see a single 50-plus partnership.Though Kyle Hope scored 46 off 50 balls and his brother Shai made 51 off 98 balls, the rest of the line-up struggled, particularly against India’s spinners. Ravindra Jadeja, Kuldeep Yadav and Kedar Jadhav gave away only 76 runs in 24 overs to set up a straightforward chase.”We had a pretty decent start, but we didn’t carry on,” Holder said after the match. “The openers gave a reasonable start. We didn’t get a momentum to press on. I felt the par score was 270 here.”West Indies had a chance to recover so long as Holder was at the crease. He came in at 115 for 4 and took the spinners on, slogging Jadeja, reverse-sweeping Kuldeep and driving Mohammed Shami inside out over cover. But two balls later, he was caught at long-on looking to for another boundary. At that point, the hosts still had 10 overs left to bat.”I got out too early and I should have batted. I would say I did not rotate the strike well,” he said. “We were not able to keep our wickets intact. We lost wickets every time we seemed to be gathering momentum. I can’t put it on to the pitch; it’s just poor selection of shots. A few of our batsmen got some big overs and pushed the game deeper.”West Indies haven’t had a series win in 10 tries and in the last five years, and among Full Members, their average of 27.28 and run-rate of 5.11 are only better than Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe.Holder called for better application before their ODI series against England in September. “We should find ways to rotate the strike properly. We have got a month or two before our ODI series in England, we should go back and work on our games and enhance it before we start.”It was the bowlers who handed them their only win in the series, in the fourth ODI when they bundled India out for 178. “The entire series they have been putting their best. They should be given credit,” Holder said. “To bowl the way we’ve done in this entire series against a quality batting line-up showed a lot of maturity.”Holder also praised Shai Hope, who scored a cautious half-century and put on a 48-run stand for the fifth wicket with him. “When a world-class batsman like Virat Kohli bats he makes sure he takes them to a winning position. That’s the only thing I encourage Shai to do. He’s been consistent with the bat and he’s gone on to some really good positions but it’s about carrying it as deep as possible and come out with a 100 not out like Virat showed today.”

One took 4 for 28, the other smashed 70 not out, and together they helped Trinbago Knight Riders to a seven-wicket victory

The Report by Peter Della Penna12-Aug-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsColin Munro equalled Darren Sammy’s record for the season’s fastest fifty•Randy Brooks – CPL T20 / GettyAt a rowdy Queens Park Oval, the home team Trinbago Knight Riders took the lead on the CPL points table with their third win in four matches. Their success was built on Colin Munro’s unbeaten 70 off 47 balls which ensured a chase of 157 went off without a hitch, leaving Guyana Amazon Warriors still looking for their first win this season.Shadab’s web
On Friday evening, three players – Kesrick Williams, Wahab Riaz and Kevon Cooper – were tied for most wickets in CPL 2017. Shadab Khan spun his way past all of them with 4 for 28. The legspinner now has eight wickets from four matches at an average of 10.5 and economy rate of 5.25.The Amazon Warriors had sprinted to 40 for 0 in three overs before Shadab slowed them down, with a wicket off his first delivery, and that too, of Martin Guptill’s, who was looking dangerous on 24 off 13 balls. His return to the XI after hamstring injury didn’t go according to plan, caught by Khary Pierre running in from long-on.Pierre’s safe hands accounted for Shadab’s next two wickets as well. A half-tracker to start his second spell should have gone out of the ground but Pierre managed to keep his balance at the very edge of the midwicket boundary and send back Jason Mohammed. Then, fighting off the wind to nab a very difficult skier, he and Shadab dismissed debutant Roshon Primus in the 18th over to leave the Amason Warriors on 131 for 6.Sohail Tanvir picked out Kevon Cooper at long-off next ball to put Shadab on a hat-trick and despite screaming his lungs out when Rayad Emrit was struck on the pads misreading a googly, Shadab’s lbw appeal was turned down with the batsman comfortably outside the line of off stump.Tanvir’s near double-strike
Defending 156, Tanvir struck with the first ball when Brendon McCullum chased a wide delivery and was caught at cover point. Munro came in at No. 3 and Tanvir bowled a beautiful inswinger that slammed into the batman’s pads in front of middle stump. However, umpire Langton Rusere denied the lbw appeal, thinking it would have continued with the angle – the left-arm quick was bowling over the wicket to the left-hander – and missed the target.The Munro mauling
Munro made the most of the benefit of the doubt given to him and scored the joint-fastest fifty of CPL 2017, equalling Darren Sammy’s 23-ball effort against Barbados Tridents 24 hours earlier. Munro followed one script to hit fours – backing away to cut over the off side – and another for his sixes – clearing the front leg to slog over the leg side.Only one shot to the boundary strayed from this formula: while ducking a bouncer from Primus, the ball clipped the glove and lobbed over the wicketkeeper. Munro eventually finished with five fours and five sixes and now leads the season’s run-charts with 178 runs in four games.Ramming home victory
There was a little period, after the halfway mark, that the Knight Riders had to weather. Rashid Khan made Darren Bravo look rather unsure at the crease, conceding only one run in two overs with his deceptive googlies. But before Bravo’s battle with the legspinner could resume, he was dismissed by Primus in the 14th over with the target still 51 runs away.A slow pitch kept offering good turn, and as well as Rashid was exploiting it, Guptill felt he had to hold his trump card back for the end overs. That decision helped the new batsman Denesh Ramdin get into his stride. He bashed 42 out of a partnership of 56 with Munro and sealed the chase with a six over point.