Celtic are in the midst of building for the new campaign and are now closing in on a winger who would provide a much-needed fresh face in the wake of a key departure, according to a report.

Nicolas Kuhn's Celtic exit prompts frantic transfer movement

After 18 successful months in Glasgow, Nicolas Kuhn is joining Como from the Scottish Premiership champions in a deal that will see the Bhoys earn a tidy profit on the former Germany Under-20 international, who was brought in from Rapid Vienna for £3 million.

Fabrizio Romano confirmed the Celtic winger’s departure on social media platform X, stating: “Nicolas Kühn, on his way to Italy as he signs in as new Como player on €19m from Celtic. Agreement done as revealed last week and Kühn on his way with agent Fabian Dingler. Here we go, confirmed.”

Leaving Brendan Rodgers short of options out wide, the Bhoys have reacted by putting in a bid for Rapid Vienna star Isak Jansson, who could follow in Kuhn’s footsteps by leaving the Austrian Bundesliga side for Parkhead.

Their offer is said to be in the £2.5 million range, though an unnamed side have put forward a £3.4 million proposal for the Swede, potentially sparking a bidding war between interested parties.

Attacking reinforcements appear likely to arrive sooner rather than later, with Celtic also focused on deals for Kawasaki Frontale striker Shin Yamada and Napoli’s Giuseppe Ambrosino.

Celtic’s opening five matches of their Scottish Premiership title defence

St Mirren (H)

Celtic Park

Aberdeen (A)

Pittodrie

Livingston (H)

Celtic Park

Rangers (A)

Ibrox

Kilmarnock (A)

Rugby Park

Following an end to last term that felt like a slight grind to a halt, new faces are needed to provide a spark once again and the Bhoys are now close to landing a key target, per recent developments.

Celtic close to signing Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha

According to Voetbalkrant, Royal Antwerp winger Michel-Ange Balikwisha is close to joining Celtic and Marc Overmars is keen to push through a deal swiftly so the Belgian Pro League outfit can begin to work on incomings.

Financially, Antwerp are in a position where they need to sell before they can buy, and it appears that the Bhoys are now on the verge of taking the 24-year-old off their hands for a ‘hefty sum’ of money.

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Enjoying a productive campaign, Balikwisha registered four goals and three assists in 18 appearances across 2024/25. However, injuries have limited his scope to make a greater impact over the last couple of years.

Either way, Celtic are now set to land a key reinforcement out wide and one they have targeted for a long time, providing an injection of quality once Kuhn completes his move to Como.

Time is of the essence for the Bhoys ahead of their Champions League playoff tie in August, so fans will be waiting with anticipation hoping an announcement will soon follow.

Crystal Palace have now submitted a formal bid for a forward, who is also being targeted by two Champions League clubs, according to a report.

Crystal Palace step up Diomande pursuit amid Guehi uncertainty

Marc Guehi is looking increasingly likely to be leaving Palace this summer, with Fabrizio Romano revealing the centre-back could now be on his way to Merseyside.

The transfer expert said: “For Marc Guehi the conversations continue, and this week there will be more, so get ready for more contacts between Liverpool, the camp of the player and Crystal Palace.”

Consequently, Oliver Glasner will need to bring in a replacement for his captain, and Ousmande Diomande has been identified as a major target, with the Eagles thought to be on the verge of sealing a £47m deal for the Sporting CP star.

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The south Londoners are believed to have had a bid accepted for Diomande, and he could be a real coup for the FA Cup winners, given that the likes of Newcastle United and Real Madrid have also been named as potential suitors.

However, the centre-back is not the only highly sought-after player that Crystal Palace have made an offer for, with a report from Italy (via Sport Witness) revealing they have now submitted a formal bid for Bologna winger Dan Ndoye.

Two Champions League clubs are also in the running for Ndoye, namely Borussia Dortmund and Napoli, with the latter making an offer of their own, which was deemed not high enough by Bologna.

However, the Italian champions remain interested, having recently made contact with the winger’s agent, which could pose a real problem for the Eagles, as he would rather sign for Napoli than make the move to Selhurst Park.

"Complete" Ndoye could be fantastic signing for Crystal Palace

The £17k-a-week Bologna star’s agent, Lodovico Spinosi, certainly has no doubts about his client’s ability, saying last year: “He is a complete player who, if he manages to be more decisive up front, will be at a top-tier club.”

Since then, the Switzerland international has really managed to kick on, enjoying the best season of his career in 2024-25, picking up eight goals and four assists in the Serie A, while playing a role in Bologna’s Italian Cup triumph.

The 24-year-old scored the only goal of the game to secure a shock victory for his side against AC Milan, and he has also proven himself at international level in the past, scoring against Germany at Euro 2024.

With Eberechi Eze’s future in doubt, amid interest from Arsenal, Crystal Palace may need to sign a new winger this summer, and Ndoye, who is capable of playing on both sides, could be a fantastic addition to Glasner’s squad.

A “fantastic” Leeds United player is now believed to have reached an agreement over a £7.2m exit, as his Elland Road career edges towards its conclusion.

Players who could leave Leeds this summer

While much focus is on the shiny new signings who could join the Whites in the summer transfer window, there are current players who are expected to move on to pastures new in the coming weeks and months.

There is no guarantee that Illan Meslier will still be a Leeds player come the opening game of next season, for example, following a 2024/25 campaign that included some dreadful mistakes.

Elsewhere, left-back Junior Firpo is heading to La Liga outfit Real Betis, following four years with the Whites. He played there prior to his move to Barcelona back in 2019.

Mateo Joseph is another player who reportedly wants to leave Leeds this summer, following a frustrating 2024/25 season for him, in terms of playing time. Only 11 starts came his way in the Championship, and he may feel that now is the right time for a new challenge.

"Fantastic" Leeds ace reaches agreement over £7.2m move

Speaking to LeedsUnited.News, journalist Gramae Bailey has claimed that Leeds youngster Joseph is now also heading to Betis in an initial £7.2m move this summer, with an agreement reached.

“Leeds have agreed to let him leave. I am told the overall deal could be around the €10m [£8.5m] mark including add-ons. There were a few teams keen, but the player made it clear he wanted Betis. It has moved on from that point. Leeds would have been more than happy for him to fight for his place, but Joseph wanted the move back to Spain.”

It would be a shame to see Leeds lose Joseph, considering what a talented young player he is, with scout Jacek Kulig describing him as “fantastic” in the past.

As mentioned, the attacker has struggled to be a genuine key starter under Daniel Farke, and while he has still featured lots from the substitutes’ bench, he may see his playing time further limited in the Premier League next season.

For that reason, there is clear sense in allowing Joseph to leave Leeds in the summer window, and the fact that they have a sell-on clause included in the contract acts as a positive.

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There is a risk in the Whites allowing him to move on, given his potential – he has scored eight goals in just 11 caps for Spain’s Under-21s – but at this point, it is understandable why he would want to be a star man elsewhere.

West Indies CEO believes time is nigh for touring teams to receive fees for fulfilling their overseas obligations

Andrew Miller07-Jul-2024Johnny Grave, the chief executive of Cricket West Indies, hopes that memories of the team’s bio-secure tour of England in 2020 will help to advance the narrative about Test cricket’s revenue-share model, in the wake of his remarks earlier this year that the current system is “completely broken”.Speaking at Lord’s during MCC’s inaugural World Cricket Connects symposium – a gathering of many of the sport’s most influential players, administrators and media representatives – Grave expressed his hope that West Indies would once again prove a competitive force, just as they were in winning the first Test of the 2020 tour in Southampton, as well as each of their last two home series against England, in 2019 and 2022.But, he said, in the wake of CWI’s reported outlay of US$2 million to fulfil their tour of Australia in January and February, the onus was on cricket’s Big Three – India, England and Australia – to find a better means of propping up the economies of the sport’s less financially secure nations, rather than just sending their own teams on endless overseas tours, from which the host boards are able to replenish their coffers.”We don’t get any money at all from the Australian market, or from that tour, so it’s a double-whammy,” Grave said, in the wake of a Test tour on which West Indies again exceeded expectations with their thrilling series-levelling win at the Gabba in January.”There are a number of measures to ensure this competitive balance, and ensure that the three formats thrive. I think the easiest thing to do is say, well, this format doesn’t make money or isn’t sustainable in this market or that country, but if the game works together and has a collective mindset, there is plenty of money to go around to ensure the game can thrive.”Grave cited India’s ongoing T20I series in Zimbabwe, featuring a new-look team led by Shubman Gill, only days after their victory in the T20 World Cup in Barbados, as proof that the BCCI “cannot do more for the world game” in a pure playing capacity. Instead, he welcomed the suggestion voiced last year by Richard Gould, his counterpart at the ECB, that the time may be coming for touring teams to be paid a fee for fulfilling their overseas engagements.”Do we need to play more contextual, meaningful cricket? Absolutely,” Grave said. “But I think Richard’s point around being open to sharing revenue is a massive positive, because when we are talking about sharing revenue we are talking about three countries.Ben Stokes and Jason Holder hold microphones as they talk into a broadcast camera during the Covid series in 2020•Getty Images”One country cannot play any more cricket, cannot do more for the world game than they are doing, and that’s the BCCI. England have been fantastic, they have toured us pretty much every year, bar a few, since 2017. Is there more they could do for us? Not really. So at that point you have to look at the model and the finances, and for leaders of the ECB, Australia and India to be even talking about it, I take it as a positive indication of a shift in mindset that needs to happen.”England’s vulnerability to the fragmenting international game was made abundantly clear in the Covid-blighted summer of 2020, when West Indies were instrumental in “keeping the lights on”, in the words of the then-ECB chief executive Tom Harrison.By agreeing to play their three scheduled Tests behind closed doors and in bio-secure environments at Old Trafford and Southampton, West Indies helped fulfil the ECB’s contractual obligation to Sky Sports, with each Test valued in the region of £20 million. This in turn helped mitigate the ECB’s losses that still ended up being in the region of £100 million.”I think what Covid proved was that you can’t play against yourselves, and that you need to have opposition,” Grave said. “The better that opposition is, and the more balanced the game is, the better the product is, because then there’s genuine jeopardy.”In Covid everyone had to come together. The fact that we were coming here and generating no revenue was irrelevant. We were trying to save the game, because none of us knew whether the game as we knew it would ever happen again.”West Indies’ Test tour comes just weeks after the completion of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean. Despite the hosts falling short of the semi-finals after a tight loss to South Africa in St Lucia, the sense of togetherness and expectation was palpable from a set of big-name players whose greatest financial opportunities still come on the T20 franchise circuit, but whose restored faith in CWI has been a notable aspect of Grave’s era as chief executive.Related

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“We’ve had to find balance, which was initially struck by speaking to the players in a respectful way and creating two windows, in the IPL and the CPL,” Grave said. “We then tried to have balance and flexibility with our players in how we schedule bilateral cricket – we rarely play over that Christmas and New Year period because it’s important for our players to be at home with their families – while we’ve also tried to create windows for them to go to other leagues where the calendar has allowed it.”So it’s all about balance. And at the moment Darren Sammy and Rovman Powell, the leaders of our T20 team, have really got those players focused.”Now the attention turns to the Test series against England, starting with a first Test at Lord’s – a venue that West Indies haven’t frequented since 2017.”It’s probably the pinnacle Test series that we play, it’s the barometer of how the team are developing,” Grave said. “We’re coming off a high, obviously it’s a long gap since that amazing day at the Gabba, and for a number of the players this will be the first time they’ve ever played at Lord’s.”They’re playing for the Richards-Botham Trophy, the ultimate example of friendship and camaraderie between England and West Indies. So being here it’s always special, but I think for our players to hopefully announce themselves to the English audience with a Test series at Lord’s is fantastic.”

West Indies captain Hayley Matthews will return to Melbourne Renegades after the club secured her as a pre-draft signing on a one-year deal.Matthews joined amid much fanfare last season when taken as the third pick in the draft having produced some stunning performance for West Indies including her spectacular innings against Australia at North Sydney Oval.However, she struggled to replicate that with 255 runs at 19.61 and a strike-rate of 114.34 in a forgettable season for Renegades, who finished bottom with just two wins, although she did finish as their joint-leading wicket-taker with 14 at 27.64.Renegades’ prospects for the 2024-25 season will be boosted by the availability of Sophie Molineux after injury. Tayla Vlaeminck also missed the full campaign and is currently off contract.”We haven’t achieved what we’ve wanted to the last couple of years but with some key members back and some new additions cooking up as well, I’m confident we can go out there and put it all together,” Matthews said.Matthews is the fourth overseas player to be signed ahead of the WBBL draft following Amelia Kerr (Sydney Sixers), Nadine de Klerk (Brisbane Heat) and Marizanne Kapp (Melbourne Stars).Meanwhile, in domestic moves the two Sydney clubs have bolstered their pace attacks. Courtney Sippel, who is part of the Australia A squad to face India A next month, has signed a three-deal with Sixers to move from Heat while Taneale Peschel has moved to Thunder from Perth Scorchers.”At the Scorchers, I’ve been given…every opportunity, but I felt like I’d been stagnant for the last season or two,” Peschel said. “I always play the safe card and I’ve always stayed in WA and thought, okay, I’m still getting opportunity, I’ll stay here. I think just this year, something clicked.”I thought, I’ve got to try something else. I’ve got to stop playing a safe card. Who knows what something like a change to another team can offer my career.”Peschel, 29, was talked out of retirement earlier in her career by Lisa Keightley, the former Western Australia and Scorchers coach, who is now in charge of Thunder.”Taneale was playing club cricket, and she was the fastest bowler there, the best bowler there, and I just thought she had the potential to give it another crack at a higher level,” Keightley said.”Taneale is a highly skilled bowler and has pace that not many have. It’s what we are after to compliment our medium pacers. She has bowled at key times for the Scorchers, in the power play and at the death and done really well.”

Rangers manger Russell Martin has provided a new transfer update out of Ibrox, admitting to Sky Sports that he is “excited” with some of the Gers’ targets.

Rangers plan transfers as fixtures are released

Lyall Cameron has become the first addition of the summer in Glasgow after penning a pre-contract agreement earlier in the year.

Leaving Dundee for Rangers, the midfielder is expected to be the first of many through the door in that is the 49ers Enterprises and Martin’s maiden transfer market.

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Next on the transfer to-do list ahead of the club’s Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos appears to be defensive signings.

Bournemouth right-back Max Aarons and Leicester City centre-back Conor Coady are two firm targets to bolster Martin’s ranks at the back, with approaches made for both.

Meanwhile, turning attention back to the pitch, Rangers have learned their fixture list for the 2025/26 season, with a trip to Motherwell being Martin’s first domestic game in charge of the club.

Rangers’ first 5 Scottish Premiership fixtures	Date
Motherwell vs Rangers	August 2
Rangers vs Dundee	August 9
St Mirren vs Rangers	August 23
Rangers vs Celtic	August 31
Rangers vs Hearts	September 13

The first league game at Ibrox will be against Dundee on Saturday August 9, whereas the first Old Firm clash against rivals Celtic is scheduled to take place on Sunday August 31 at Ibrox.

Martin “excited" as he shares Rangers transfer update to Sky Sports

Talking to Sky Sports following the Scottish Premiership fixture release, Martin was asked about the chances of any pending signings and revealed he is expected to “a few” to arrive before the first leg against Panathinaikos on July 22.

Martin was also quizzed on the future of striker Cyriel Dessers amid links of a move away from Ibrox, to which he said:

“The updates will come as and when they are actually real. At the minute, I’m expecting him to return on Monday and I’m looking forward to working with him.”

It looks as if there could be some real movement in the weeks to come, and it’ll be interesting to see if the likes of Aarons and Coady are the players Martin is excited about and if they arrive in time to take on the Greek side.

Rocky Flintoff hits maiden fifty for Lancashire in vain

ECB Reporters Network08-Aug-2024Rocky Flintoff hit his maiden fifty for Lancashire in their Metro Bank One-Day Cup match against Middlesex at Emirates Old Trafford but his 115-ball 88 could not prevent the visitors securing a vital five-wicket victory in their bid to qualify for the knockout stages of the competitionThe 16-year-old’s polished contribution helped his side post 233 for 9 in what had become a 48-overs-a side match. But that total was overhauled by Middlesex for whom Joe Cracknell made 98 before he was stumped off Jack Morley when only 24 runs were needed for victoryFlintoff had been caught off the last ball of his side’s final over, having hit six fours and two sixes in his fifth innings for the county his father, Andrew, represented with distinction. However, his effort was eclipsed by Cracknell and Sam Robson, who put on 175 for Middlesex’s second wicket.The visitors then lost four wickets late in their innings to spark a few nerves in the away dressing-room but Robson was unbeaten on 87 when the victory was sealed with eight balls to spare.Lancashire’s innings began poorly when George Bell was caught at backward point by Luke Hollman off Ethan Bamber for four. Three overs later, Henry Brookes had Josh Bohannon leg before wicket for five when the home skipper was looking to work the ball to leg.Bohannon was replaced by Flintoff, whose 58-run stand with the debutant Kesh Fonseka offered clear signs of promise to Lancashire supporters. However, Fonseka was caught and bowled by Hollman for 42 when he top-edged an attempted sweep and Venkatesh Iyer perished in similar fashion for nine, when he drove a short ball low and hard to Hollman’s left and the bowler dived to a take a fine-one handed catch.Undaunted by these reverses, Flintoff continued to bat with good judgement and reached his fifty off 77 balls with four fours and a six. Other partners succumbed to the patient Middlesex attack. Having made nine, Chris Green top-edged a hook off Brookes and was caught at long-leg by Noah Cornwell, and George Balderson was caught and bowled by Josh de Caires for 18.Harry Singh was caught at mid-off by Cornwell off Bamber for 19 but after a short break for rain that reduced the game to a 48-overs-a-side contest, Flintoff and Bailey went on to the attack, putting on 60 runs in 52 balls before Bailey was caught at long-off by de Caires off Brookes for 30.Three balls later the same combination took Flintoff’s wicket but the 16-year-old received a standing ovation from the crowd, some of whom will probably have applauded his father in similar circumstances. Brookes was the pick of the Middlesex attack, taking four for 43 from his ten overs, but he shared the laurels with Bamber, who finished with two for 31 off nine.With rain falling not far from Old Trafford, Middlesex’s batters had to keep an eye on the total required by Duckworth-Lewis-Stern should the game have been interrupted. With that in mind, Joe Cracknell and Nathan Fernandes put on 45 in 61 balls before Fernandes was caught down the leg side by Bell for 11, thus giving Josh Boyden his first wicket for Lancashire.The steady tempo of the Middlesex innings was maintained by Cracknell and Sam Robson and run-scoring became easier against spinners who found it difficult to grip the ball in the thin drizzle.Cracknell reached his fifty off 71 balls and the visitors were 104 for one at the midpoint of their innings. That, however, was only the signal for further acceleration and Lancashire bowling and fielding flagged as the second-wicket pair seized control of the game.Robson reached his half-century off 64 balls and it was fitting that he struck the winning runs. Boyden finished with 2 for 35 and Morley, who had caused the late jitters, took 3 for 48.

Just as you thought Arsenal’s start to the summer was quiet, they have roared into life over the last fortnight to welcome in a batch of new acquisitions.

Kepa Arrizabalaga has signed from Chelsea (yes, another one), Christian Norgaard has arrived from Brentford and the headline addition so far has been £55m Martin Zubimendi.

The trio have already got to work during the club’s warm weather training camp in La Manga and it’s not long now until the Gunners head to Asia, more specifically Singapore, for their pre-season tour on July 19th.

Before then, Mikel Arteta will hope for more new faces. Here’s the latest on that.

Arsenal's summer transfer window: the latest

This could be a busy old week for Andrea Berta and Co as he aims to bring in a few more fresh signings before that trip to Singapore.

The first is set to be Noni Madueke. Whether you like it or not, the Chelsea winger is due to be announced as an Arsenal player this week after undergoing a medical this weekend.

According to Henry Winter, he looks set be followed through the door by Valencia centre-half Cristhian Mosquera. A deal had gone quiet over recent weeks, but the journalist shared that things should be wrapped up soon.

And then there’s the centre-forward, the elusive striker. Will Viktor Gyokeres finally head to the Gunners?

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

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Well, things are becoming rather toxic between him and Sporting at the moment. The Swede has regularly told his club that he will never play for them again and has made it clear he won’t attend pre-season training.

Sporting president Frederico Varandas, has since hit back at the striker, saying: “If they [Arsenal] don’t want to pay Viktor’s fair market value, we’re very comfortable with that for the next three years. This strategy is also making it more complicated for the player to leave. Nobody is above the interests of the club. Whoever they are. We’re calm. Everything will be resolved with the market closing, a hefty fine and an apology to the group.”

Sky Sports reports that the Portuguese giants are looking for around £69m, add-ons included. Despite the war of words here, the former Coventry star is still confident of getting his move, so much so that he expects to be in London this week.

That’s according to journalist Graeme Bailey, who said: “Gyokeres considers his Sporting career over, having agreed personal terms with Arsenal. Sources have also told me that he hopes to be in England early next week to complete his move.”

The impact Viktor Gyokeres could have at Arsenal

In recent years, it’s safe to say that Arsenal haven’t exactly got their squad building 100% nailed on.

They’ve signed good players, of course, but since Arteta became Arsenal boss, he has only signed six attackers; Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz, Gabriel Jesus, Leandro Trossard, Willian and Marquinhos.

It’s hardly an illustrious list of names and therefore, the signing of Gyokeres could transform this Arsenal side.

Let’s cast our minds back two years a moment. In the same week of the 2023 summer window, Declan Rice was putting pen to paper on a club-record £105m move at the Emirates Stadium and Gyokeres was completing his switch from Coventry to Sporting.

Since then, the duo have become two of the best players on the continent. Rice has totally transformed this Arsenal team and it was his performances that propelled them towards the Champions League semi-finals.

No one will forget that night in north London when Arsenal hit three past Real Madrid. Rice was the hero, scoring two stunning free-kicks. It felt like his transfer fee had been paid back in one night, if it hadn’t already.

Rice went on to dazzle in the Bernabeu too, with Rio Ferdinand noting that the England international “stood up against the holders of this trophy” and “ran the show in both games”. The former defender exclaimed that the midfielder has now “put himself in another bracket.”

Well, if Rice was one piece of the puzzle that was missing, then Gyokeres could be the final piece that completes the jigsaw. He could be the Rice-like signing that catapults this Arsenal team to greater things, and by greater things, we mean finally winning a trophy.

Arteta may have the FA Cup to show for his efforts, but the Premier League and Champions League continue to elude him.

Rice has now taken Arsenal close but Gyokeres could help across the finish line. Why? Well, he’s one of, if not the best centre-forwards in Europe right now.

Gyokeres through the years

Season

Games

Goals

Assists

2020/21

34

5

1

2021/22

47

18

5

2022/23

50

22

12

2023/24

50

43

15

2024/25

52

54

13

Stats via Transfermarkt.

Forget Alexander Isak, forget Erling Haaland, what the Swedish powerhouse has done over the last two years is nothing short of remarkable.

In 2023/24, the striker bagged 43 goals in 50 outings and went even better throughout the latest campaign, netting a stunning haul of 54 goals in 52 appearances.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that that tally is pretty damn good, and considering how Arsenal struggled in offensive areas of the pitch last season, he could be game-changing.

Arteta’s side didn’t lack creativity. No player registered more expected assists per 90 minutes in the Premier League than Bukayo Saka in 2024/25. As a club, they had the sixth-highest number of shots in the division and produced the fifth-most key passes.

However, despite that, they found it difficult to put the ball in the net. For the first time since 1923/24, the Gunners failed to find a player who scored double figures in the league.

As a result, signing a man who has scored 97 goals at club level over the last two campaigns ought to fix the problem.

Gyokeres might not be a club-record move like Rice was but his impact on the field of play is likely to be just as significant. Dare we smell another Arsenal title charge? Time will tell.

Related Eze's dream CF: Arsenal in talks to sign £69m "monster" & it's not Gyokeres

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Posts ByJack Salveson Holmes Jul 10, 2025

He scored a counterattacking 86 and then took two wickets in two overs to leave the game in the balance

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Sep-2024

File photo: Axar Patel came in at 34 for 5 and scored 86 off 118 balls•BCCI

Axar Patel bolstered his credentials as one of the country’s most important all-round players on the first day of the Duleep Trophy, scoring a remarkable half-century to carry India D out of severe trouble in Anantapur. He then came back to pick up two wickets in two overs as well to ensure a game that could have slipped away from his team now remains in the balance.Anantapur more than lived up to its reputation of being a fast-bowler friendly venue. A wicket fell in the very first over of the game, which set the trend in the early going as India C, having opted to bowl, cut through the opposition top order, leaving them at 34 for 5. It was difficult even for players on the fringes of the Indian Test team as Shreyas Iyer and Devdutt Padikkal ended up with scores of 9 and 0. Karnataka fast bowler Vijaykumar Vyshak was responsible for much of this damage and the threat he posed continued throughout the day. He finished with figures of 12-3-19-3.Into this mire stepped Axar, batting at No. 7 but in to face a newish ball with barely 11 overs done. He has made several telling contributions from down the order for India in Test cricket, although he hasn’t always walked into a situation as bad as this one when playing international cricket. Axar responded to it with aggression, scoring 86 runs off just 118 balls with six fours and six sixes. He shepherded India D’s lower order, putting on an 84-run ninth-wicket partnership with Arshdeep Singh (13). But for all his good work, he could only get his team to a total of 164.India C started poorly as well with B Sai Sudharsan and Ruturaj Gaikwad becoming the seventh and eighth players to bag single-figure scores on a day when 14 wickets fell. Harshit Rana took them both out in his opening spell and went to stumps with figures of 7-5-13-2. Axar built on those early wickets when he was brought on to bowl, striking twice in two overs. Among those he sent back was Rajat Patidar who is known for his strokeplay against spin and was using it to help his team recover from those early blows. India C went to stumps at 91 for 4, still trailing by 73 runs.

Amid all the chaos surrounding their search for a striker, Newcastle United are now reportedly considering an approach to sign a Serie A defender as an alternative option to Giorigio Scalvini.

Newcastle still eyeing defensive targets

Whilst their biggest priority seems to be signing a striker this summer, even if it’s not Hugo Ekitike who arrives, Newcastle also still have their sights set on a defensive reinforcement. The Magpies once again lacked much-needed depth within their backline at times last season, forcing Dan Burn to step into the centre-back role. But with their PSR concerns eased this time around, they must finally address their central defender problem.

On that front, Eddie Howe’s biggest concern should be Sven Botman. As talented as the Dutchman is, he completed just eight Premier League appearances last season and battled with consistent injury struggles for a second consecutive campaign.

Simply put, if Newcastle are going to compete on all fronts, then they may need a viable replacement for the 25-year-old if he faces the same problems next season.

Knee problems

2024/25

7

Broken kneecap

2024/25

6

Cruciate Ligament surgery

2023/24

28

Knee injury

2023/24

16

Ankle injury

2023/24

2

Missing a total of 59 games in the last two seasons, Botman has gone from a crucial player to an unreliable option for Howe in frustrating circumstances and links to the likes of Scalvini suggest that Newcastle are well aware of that.

Newcastle now enter talks with agents of 19-goal star who PIF chiefs "love"

He would be an excellent Ekitike alternative.

1 ByTom Cunningham Jul 17, 2025

The Atalanta star – still just 21 years old – has reportedly found himself on Newcastle’s radar as they look to welcome a key reinforcement this summer. His name isn’t the only one on the list, however. Alongside him, the Magpies have also reportedly set their sights on another Serie A defender as an alternative option.

Newcastle also considering Savona approach

According to Sky Sports, Newcastle are now considering an approach to sign Nicolo Savona from Juventus this summer. The Italian has plenty of versatility, given that he can play right-back, right-midfield and at centre-back, and would instantly offer Howe crucial competition for a number of roles in his side.

Minutes

1,724

272

Tackles Won P90

0.68

1.33

Progressive Passes P90

3.07

6.67

Ball Recoveries P90

3.75

4.33

Whilst the numbers suggest that Scalvini is the standout option, it is worth noting that the Atalanta man played far fewer minutes than Savona due to injury struggles and, therefore, had less data to base those numbers on. Nonetheless, with the minutes that he did receive, he impressed.

Whether Newcastle value those numbers over the value of recent minutes is the big question. Described as “very interesting” by scout Jacek Kulig last season, Savona is someone that could be ready to step into Newcastle’s backline if needed. The same may not be able to be said for Scalvini, who is just returning to full fitness after a lengthy absence.

Given that Newcastle already have one injury-prone defender in the form of Botman too, welcoming another player who spent large parts of last season sidelined would be an incredible risk.