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Liverpool are “clearly ahead” of rivals Chelsea in the race to sign a “magnificent” player in the summer transfer window.

Kerkez to join Liverpool this week

The Reds have now officially signed Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen in a British-record £116m move, in a piece of business that has made the rest of Europe sit up and take notice.

There is unlikely to be a bigger signing made this summer, with Wirtz considered one of the world’s top attacking players, but Liverpool are not expected to be done there, still planning on adding fresh faces to the squad.

It looks as though Milos Kerkez will be the next name through the door at Anfield in the coming days, with journalist Fabrizio Romano claiming over the weekend that a minor issue has been ironed out and that he could be unveiled as soon as Tuesday.

David Ornstein of The Athletic has gone one better, however, saying that a medical is now expected to be done on Monday after flying into the UK, with the deal set to be worth £40m for the Bournemouth left-back.

Liverpool leading race to sign "magnificent" ace

Now, reliable Sky Sports journalist Sacha Tavolieri [via Sport Witness] has said that Liverpool are “clearly ahead” of Chelsea and others in the battle to sign Lyon winger Malick Fofana this summer.

He states that the Reds’ head of recruitment, Barry Hunter, admires the 20-year-old and has him at the top of his list of summer targets. The Premier League champions will need to sell Federico Chiesa first, though, and Fofana could possibly cost as much as £60m.

Fofana could be a brilliant long-term signing for Liverpool, with scout Jacek Kulig describing him as a “magnificent” prospect last year.

At just 20 years of age, the young Belgian has already bagged 22 goal contributions (15 goals and seven assists) in 62 appearances for Lyon, also winning one cap for Belgium at senior level, and those numbers should only improve as he matures as a player.

Predominantly a left-sided attacking player, it seems slightly strange that Liverpool would push so hard for Fofana, though, especially as Chiesa is right-sided in general.

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Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo appear to be staying put, so it would arguably only make sense for the Reds to sign the Lyon ace if one of them moves on, or if Arne Slot sees him as a backup option to Mohamed Salah on the right. But his talent is undeniable, so the idea of him in a Liverpool shirt is exciting.

يستعد نجم نادي ليفربول، محمد صلاح، لكتابة تاريخ شخصي جديد له مع الريدز، وذلك قبل مواجهة النادي الإنجليزي يوم غدًا الثلاثاء أمام ريال مدريد في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ليفربول سوف يواجه نظيره ريال مدريد مساء يوم غدًا الثلاثاء على ملعب أنفيلد، وذلك لحساب الجولة الرابعة من مرحلة المجموعات في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويسعى ليفربول إلى تحقيق الانتصار على ريال مدريد من أجل استعادة الثقة، عقب الفترة الصعبة التي عاشها الريدز خلال هذا الموسم والخسارة بشكل متتالي بالفعل.

اقرأ أيضًا .. روني يرد مجددًا على فان دايك: عليه القيام بدوره كقائد لليفربول

وعلى الجانب الآخر يعيش ريال مدريد أفضل فتراته تحت قيادة المدير الفني تشابي ألونسو، وحقق الميرنجي انتصارات عديدة مع مدربه الإسباني ويتصدر ترتيب الدوري الإسباني.

وأشار موقع ليفربول الرسمي، إلى أن محمد صلاح سوف يخوض مباراته الـ200 مع النادي الإنجليزي على ملعب أنفيلد في إنجاز غير مسبوق للدولي المصري، بينما سجل ابن الـ33 عامًا 137 هدفًا مع ليفربول في هذا الملعب.

وأضاف الموقع، أن محمد صلاح يمتلك 48 هدفًا في دوري أبطال أوروبا ويحتاح إلى هدفين فقط، من أجل أن يصبح أول لاعب أفريقي في التاريخ يصل إلى 50 هدفًا في المسابقة الأوروبية.

محمد صلاح تعرض إلى الكثير من الانتقادات خلال هذا الموسم، بعدما انخفض مستواه مع الريدز قبل أن يستعيد عافيته بعض الشئ ويسجل أمام برينتفورد وأستون فيلا خلال الأسبوع الحالي والماضي في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

India 16 for 1 (Southee 1-4) trail New Zealand 259 (Conway 76, Ravindra 65, Washington 7-59, Ashwin 3-64) by 243 runsThree days ago, Washington Sundar was not even part of this Test squad, instead scoring a hundred and taking a couple of three-fors against Delhi in the Ranji Trophy. Brought in the XI ahead of the incumbent spinner (Kuldeep Yadav) and the back-up (Axar Patel) in the squad, he took seven wickets on the first day of a Test to bowl New Zealand out for 259. Five of his victims were bowled, one lbw and one caught as he took out the last seven wickets following three taken by Tamil Nadu team-mate R Ashwin.While this was Washington’s maiden Test five-for and his best figures in first-class cricket, the three wickets took Ashwin past Nathan Lyon’s 530 in 25 fewer Tests. The two could be involved in a showdown later in the year in Australia, but right now India were in a fight to defend their 18-series winning streak at home. Washington proved to be just the ally he needed.R Ashwin didn’t take much time to get among the wickets•BCCI

India called up a second offspinner from outside the squad ostensibly to lengthen their batting without compromising on taking the ball away from left-hand batters, but two left-hand batters in the top order – Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra – still scored fifties and threatened to take New Zealand to a big total after winning the toss on a track on which batting last won’t be fun. New Zealand were 138 for 2 when Ashwin got Conway, and 197 for 3 when Washington accounted for Ravindra.As the series moved from Bengaluru to Pune, the clouds, seam and extra bounce all disappeared. There was no concept of good-toss-to-lose here. Nothing is ever easy in Test cricket, but this was one of the easier starts to an innings with the openers racing to 30 in seven overs without any trouble. But Ashwin was introduced early, and it took him just five balls to drift one in and then turn it past the outside edge to trap Tom Latham lbw.There was turn from the good part of the pitch, but not consistent. The partnership between Conway and Will Young looked threatening, but a sharp review demanded by short leg Sarfaraz Khan returned a faint touch of the glove to send Young back. Now Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja kept troubling the batters: in the 11 overs they bowled in tandem, they drew 24 false shots and conceded just 30 runs.Rachin Ravindra got to yet another milestone in his fledgling Test career•BCCI

Post-lunch, when India started with Jasprit Bumrah and Washington, runs came freely: 35 off the eight overs. Ashwin brought control first and then the wicket of Conway. Again the ball turned, but this time it was the drift and dip that put Conway out of position, and the turn made him look like pushing at a ball he didn’t need to play.Ravindra, Player of the Match in Bengaluru, brought New Zealand much-needed solidity because Daryl Mitchell was extremely uncertain at the start of his innings. He survived an lbw on umpire’s call, played risky sweeps of both kinds, and only looked comfortable after 20 balls or so. Ravindra, though, gave the bowlers nothing. Akash Deep got close to getting him with at short midwicket but the hit was too ferocious to catch for a fielder so close. An outside edge after two bouncers managed to beat slip and brought up his fifty.Ten minutes before tea, now in his third spell, Washington began to get it right. The first ball of this spell turned from middle and off to go past Ravindra’s bat and hit the top of off. Things began to happen now as balls went straight on or turned from the same spot. The penultimate ball before tea beat Tom Blundell’s outside edge, and the last one, slower and wider, turned back in through the gate to take top of middle.Tom Blundell was bowled by Washington Sundar on the stroke of tea•BCCI

Post-tea, Washington bowled in all his glory: at the stumps, but getting variable turn from the pitch. An inspired review accounted for Mitchell in a rare dismissal: offspinner getting an lbw from over the wicket when the batter is forward. As it turned out, this had turned just the right amount to both be hitting him in line and taking the leg stump.Tied down, frequently going back to full balls, Glenn Phillips ended his struggle of 9 off 31 with a chip straight to deep mid-off. Had you seen just the shot and not the field, you wouldn’t have been wrong to assume the mid-off was up tight and he was just looking to clear him.Mitchell Santner hit two sixes in his fighting 33, but Washington kept hitting the stumps at the other end. To Tim Southee he went wide on the crease from around the wicket. The angle beat the outside edge and hit top of off. Ajaz Patel was caught back to a full ball, and played on. To bookend his work, Washington produced another beauty to account for the set batter, Santner: one that pitched on middle and off and took the top of off.The accuracy and variations of pace and seam position, with a little help from the pitch, proved to be too good for New Zealand.With just 10-odd overs to bat to stumps, India shelved some of their ultra-aggressive approach from their last two Tests. Still, Southee swung and seamed one past Rohit Sharma’s watchful bat to take top of off. A small bit of joy for New Zealand at the end of a tough session.

Glasgow Rangers appear to be closing in on their next head coach as Russell Martin is being heavily touted with a move to Ibrox ahead of next season.

Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claims that the Scottish manager has accepted the project in Glasgow and is ready to join the Light Blues this summer.

Martin, who had a loan spell at Ibrox in the second half of the 2017/18 campaign, has been out of work since he was relieved of his duties by Premier League side Southampton at the end of 2024.

Whilst supporters may be concerned by his sacking in the top-flight in England, the ex-Norwich City centre-back also did a lot of good work in the Championship with the Saints, and has been backed to be a success by a former teammate.

As you can see in the clip above, Steven Naismith believes that Martin would bring a clear style of play to Ibrox that has been lacking with recent managerial appointments.

The style of play Russell Martin could bring to Rangers

If you look at the way his Southampton team played in the Championship, as a team expected to challenge at the top of the table, you can get an idea of how his Rangers team could look in the Scottish Premiership.

He coached a ball-dominant team that constantly wanted to control the game whilst also being progressive and creative in possession, rather than just having possession for the sake of having possession.

Martin wants his side to play with a purpose – to create chances and score goals – and his Southampton team did that effectively in the Championship in the 2023/24 campaign.

Pass accuracy

87.7%

1st

Passes into the penalty area

594

1st

Progressive passes

2556

1st

Shot-creating actions

1255

1st

xG

79.8

2nd

Points per game

1.89

4th

As you can see in the table above, the Saints ranked first in the league for progressive passes and passes into the penalty area, which shows how forward-thinking and incisive they were with the ball.

Southampton typically started matches in a 4-3-3 formation in that campaign, often with one winger who can drift infield to form a front two with the striker and one more traditional wide man on the other side.

This means that Rangers, should they go through with appointing Martin, should look to recruit players who would suit his ball-dominant and positionally flexible system in the summer transfer window.

With this in mind, the 49ers could land the Scottish head coach a dream first signing at Ibrox by swooping for a Leeds United star who has been linked with a move to Glasgow.

The Leeds star Rangers have been linked with

Earlier this month, TEAMtalk reported that Rangers have emerged as a potential suitor for Leeds forward Largie Ramazani ahead of the 2025/26 campaign.

The outlet claimed that the Premiership giants are ‘monitoring’ his situation at Elland Road, a year on from his £10m move from Almeria to England.

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It stated that Ramazani aligns with how the club want to recruit talent in the transfer market, as they are looking for young and dynamic players who can thrive in the Premiership and European competitions.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not the £10m-rated forward will be available for a move this summer because Daniel Farke is yet to make a final decision on his future in West Yorkshire.

The 49ers and sporting director Kevin Thelwell should, though, push hard to agree a deal for the Belgian forward because he would be a dream first signing for Martin at Ibrox, should he be appointed in the coming days or weeks.

Why Largie Ramazani would be a dream signing for Russell Martin

As aforementioned, the Scottish coach’s Southampton team typically had a traditional, direct, winger on the left and more of a central player on the right in the Championship.

Ramazani would be a perfect fit for Rangers on the left in Martin’s system as a natural wide player who likes to take players on and make things happen in the final third, using his dribbling and pace to cause opposition teams problems.

In fact, talent scout Jacek Kulig once described him as a “mini Vinicius”, referring to Real Madrid’s Vinicius Jr, because of his “electric” and “explosive” play style, and the fact that they are both nimble and dynamic right-footed left wingers.

Whilst he may not have racked up 21 goals and 15 assists like Vinicius Jr did for Real in the 2024/25 campaign, Ramazani’s form in limited minutes for Leeds suggests that the potential is there for him to be an exciting addition for the Gers.

Non-penalty xG

0.53

Top 1%

Non-penalty goals

0.68

Top 1%

Assists

0.23

Top 18%

Non-penalty xG + Expected Assisted Goals

0.69

Top 1%

Progressive passes

4.29

Top 18%

Progressive carries

4.63

Top 8%

As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old attacker ranked highly among his positional peers in the league for scoring and creating goals, whilst also progressing the ball consistently through carries and passes.

This suggests that he would be an ideal fit for Martin’s system, which requires players to constantly progress the play, whilst also having the quality in the final third to be a difference-maker in matches.

Ramazani ended the season with six goals and two assists in the division, despite starting just seven of his 29 appearances, which shows that he can be productive in front of goal.

Now, imagine the Belgian winger in a Rangers team managed by Martin that could consistently create chances for him to score, whilst starting week-in-week-out.

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Ramazani would be a dream first signing for both Martin and the 49ers because of the potential he has to be a game-changing addition on the wing, whilst also suiting the potential new manager’s style of play perfectly.

Liverpool are looking to close their negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen for the transfer of Florian Wirtz, but sporting director Richard Hughes still needs to dot the i’s and cross the t’s.

Still, this is a bank-breaking transfer we’re talking about, one which could seal Liverpool’s place among Europe’s elite for many years to come. After all, former Werkself striker Patrick Helmes has claimed Wirtz is “probably the best midfielder in the world” after his exploits in his homeland over the past few years.

Is £113m (or maybe even a bit more), perhaps a little steep? Maybe it is, but that shouldn’t detract from Liverpool hitting the jackpot with such an influential signing, especially since the wide defensive flanks have already been addressed.

Liverpool haven’t yet completed a deal for Milos Kerkez, but the Bournemouth left-back is expected to leave the Vitality Stadium and move to Merseyside in the coming weeks, more i’s and t’s with that one.

Kerkez will prove an upgrade on Andy Robertson, 31, but he won’t reunite with Dean Huijsen, who was pursued by Liverpool but ultimately signed for Real Madrid after they activated his £50m release clause.

Still, Liverpool need a centre-back.

Why Liverpool need a centre-back

In May 2021, Liverpool signed Ibrahima Konate from RB Leipzig for £36m, sealing a much-needed central defensive recruit. Liverpool have not signed another centre-half since.

This is, in large part, because skipper Virgil van Dijk has been such an indomitable force over the years, one of the chief architects behind Jurgen Klopp’s ascent to greatness in the Anfield hot seat.

Van Dijk and Konate should make the chief partnership once again next season, but a player such as Huijsen could have been the perfect understudy to develop his craft over the coming years and become a superstar under Arne Slot’s wing.

Given that Van Dijk turns 34 next month and has just two more seasons at the club, it would be prudent to find and foster a new rising talent now, especially since the £50m-rated Jarell Quansah has been mooted for a summer sale.

And though Huijsen’s out of reach, Liverpool have entered a race for a young defender who might be even better than the Spain international.

Liverpool enter race for new CB

As per Portuguese outlet A Bola – as translated by Sport Witness – Liverpool have joined the race for Ousmane Diomande, with Sporting Lisbon warming to the idea of cashing in on the defender.

Portuguese sources believe an official approach could come from one of the 21-year-old’s suitors in the coming days, with Liverpool joined by Crystal Palace and Manchester United in having the most concrete interest, ahead of Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

Sporting would let their young star leave if their €60m (£50m) price tag is met, meaning Liverpool may have the financial advantage over the Eagles, especially since they were already willing to fork out such a sum for Huijsen.

Why Liverpool want Ousmane Diomande

Diomande is still young, but he’s already built up a wealth of experience in Portugal, featuring 101 times for the Portuguese club after leaving Danish side Midtjylland in January 2023.

Having been singled out for his “incredibly complete” skill set by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Diomande is the real deal, all right, and might actually prove an even better signing for Liverpool than Huijsen would have been.

So slick and stylish on the ball, he’s the archetypal defender, to be sure, but also a powerful and steely defensive force.

Matches (starts)

32 (26)

31 (29)

Goals

3

1

Assists

2

0

Touches*

63.9

77.1

Pass completion

84%

94%

Key passes*

0.5

0.3

Ball recoveries*

3.3

4.5

Tackles + interceptions*

2.7

2.2

Clearances*

6.1

2.6

Ground duels (won)*

3.6 (56%)

4.3 (60%)

Though advocates of Huijsen’s journey would point toward Diomande playing in a division of lower overall quality, it’s clear he’s a naturally crisper central defender, still retaining a degree of creativity and proving more accurate in his combative ventures, especially in the duel.

He demonstrated he can throw down with the best of them on the biggest stage too. As per FBref, Diomande ranked among the top 15% of centre-backs in the Champions League last season for pass completion and for successful take-ons per 90.

Such performances actually led the data-driven site to draw Arsenal’s William Saliba as his most comparable player, and given analyst Ben Mattinson has cottoned on to the likeness, hailing the Ivorian as “a hybrid between Gabriel [Magalhaes] and Saliba”, the importance of Liverpool putting together an official offer is only underscored.

He’s been performing at a high level for several years now, and consistently at that. With distinguishable physicality, speed and technical skill, the 6 foot 3 star has what it takes to become a superstar in the coming years, having been a regular feature in Sporting’s senior squad as they’ve clinched back-to-back Liga Portugal titles and indeed caught the eye while doing it.

With Arsenal’s central defensive pairing one of the finest on the continent, instrumental in conceding the fewest goals across the past two Premier League campaigns, Liverpool could strike gold in bagging themselves a player carrying similar properties.

Diomande could perhaps offer more from an attacking standpoint, but when you’re picking at offensive flaws when trying to identify the chinks in a young centre-backs game, it’s clear that he’s doing something right.

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South East Stars seamer involved with senior team for first time as injury cover

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Jun-2024England have handed a first senior call-up to South East Stars seamer Ryana MacDonald-Gay for their ODI series with New Zealand, ahead of the first match at Chester-le-Street on Wednesday.MacDonald-Gay, 20, has represented England Under-19s and England A and is currently the second-leading wicket-taker in this season’s Rachael Heyhoe-Flint Trophy, with 12 at 11.75 and a best of 5 for 31 from four matches.She has been added as cover due to what head coach Jon Lewis described as “a couple of niggles” in the 14-player group, and will join up with the team in Durham on Tuesday.”Ryana has been a standout bowler in domestic 50-over cricket and had a good 50-over tour of New Zealand with our England A team,” Lewis said. “We have brought her in at this point as we have a couple of niggles in the squad. We have been really impressed with her skill level and accuracy.”She is an exciting young talent and we look forward to having her in the squad.”MacDonald-Gay made her Kent debut as a 15-year-old in 2019 and has also represented Oval Invincibles in the Women’s Hundred. She took six wickets in two 50-over appearances and five in two T20s on the England A tour of New Zealand in March.