Arsenal are still "also pushing very hard" to sign Man City captain Ilkay Gundogan despite the advanced reports involving Barcelona, according to an update out of Spain.

Who will Arsenal sign this summer?

Mikel Arteta's side have many plates spinning as they attempt to bolster their ranks for the 2022/2023 Premier League season, with midfield additions and forward reinforcements in the pipeline.

West Ham star Declan Rice is a player of serious interest with Arsenal already having multiple bids rejected for the England international, though they remain determined to complete a deal and talks are ongoing (Dharmesh Sheth).

Meanwhile, the Gunners are believed to be nearing the capture of Chelsea star Kai Havertz, with reliable journalist David Ornstein confirming as much just today.

Lavia of Southampton is also apparently "most likely" to join Arsenal despite interest from Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool. Gundogan, who is out of contract at the end of this month, has been heavily linked with a move to north London too.

The Germany international commented on his future recently amid links to Borussia Dortmund, saying there are talks happening behind-the-scenes.

"Of course I have a strong connection to Dortmund. I wasn’t surprised those rumours came up," said Gundogan.

"But the probability wasn’t too high for me. It wasn’t a big issue for me to return to the Bundesliga.

"Basically, there is no decision yet. Talks are going on in the background."

Both Arsenal and Barcelona are major suitors for the 32-year-old, who played a real role in helping City achieve monumental treble-win.

According to Mundo Deportivo, the Gunners are "also pushing very hard" for his signing alongside Barca, despite Gundogan sending "positive messages" to the La Liga champions.

They say those at Camp Nou are still awaiting a definitive decision from him, meaning Arteta's side are still firm contenders to steal him away despite reports this week suggesting he is on the verge of a deal with Barca.

How many goals has Gundogan scored for Man City?

Over his 300+ plus appearances in sky blue, Gundogan has racked up an impressive 60 goals and 40 assists, highlighting his real threat in the final third.

However, his real strength is making a mark on the big occasion, having most recently bagged a brace in the FA Cup final to seal an all-important victory over rivals Man United – a win which helped them clinch their treble.

He scored many crucial goals on City's way to retaining their Premier League title as well, leaving little wonder journalists have described Gundogan as "one of the most underrated big game players ever".

With Tottenham Hotspur having ended their protracted manager search following the appointment of Ange Postecoglou, the major talking point at N17 remains the future of free-scoring talisman, Harry Kane.

The England skipper – who bagged 30 league goals last season – is yet to commit himself to the Lilywhites with just 12 months left to run on his current deal, having been the subject of notable interest from the likes of Manchester United in recent months.

While Spurs are believed to be adamant that the 29-year-old that is not for sale despite that expiring contract, it remains to be seen if Kane will still be at the club in the long term, amid the prospect of deparing on a free transfer next summer.

That fact may ensure that Postecoglou and co will need to plan ahead and lineup a suitable successor to the 280-goal monster in the near future, with The Sun recent reporting that the north Londoners have been offered the chance to sign Benfica's £80m-rated marksman, Goncalo Ramos.

Should Tottenham sign Goncalo Ramos?

The Premier League outfit should no doubt jump at the opportunity to potentially snap up the Portuguese machine, with Ramos having been in sensational form of late, scoring 27 goals in all competitions in 2022/23.

While still in the early knockings of his senior career, the 21-year-old – who has been hailed as the "next [Karim] Benzema" by former youth coach Joao Fonseca – has made a strong impression over the past year or so, having notably bagged a hat-trick for his country at the World Cup back in December.

That stellar form both domestically and at international level has shown that the Olhao native is a truly clinical asset when leading the line, ensuring that he could potentially be the next reliable goalscoring presence at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, as the heir to Kane.

A further benefit of Ramos' arrival would be his creative quality, with the promising forward having also chipped in with 12 assists last season as a marker of his all-round ability when leading the line, with that trait also shared by Kane, who has recorded 64 assists throughout his time at Spurs.

With the latter man also set to turn 30 later this summer, there will come a time in the near future when a replacement will need to be found – even if he does sign a new deal – with Ramos therefore seemingly a dream candidate for Postecoglou and co.

Eventually having to replace Kane will be a hard ask for Spurs over the coming years, although the Benfica ace – who has "all the conditions to play in the Premier League" according to compatriot Bruno Fernandes – would certainly be a worthy option.

The Committee of Administrators has barred disqualified BCCI and state association office bearers who are part of the IPL governing council from attending the IPL auction

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2017The Committee of Administrators has barred disqualified BCCI and state association office bearers who are part of the IPL governing council from attending the IPL auction. The tenth IPL auction is set to take place in Bangalore on February 20.The Committee of Administrators was appointed by the Supreme Court to oversee the implementation of the Lodha Committee recommendations. The committee named three persons in particular – CK Khanna, Amitabh Choudhry and Anirudh Chaudhry – and also warned that any other IPL governing council member attending the auction should do so only after they have self-assessed to determine that they do not stand disqualified as per the Lodha recommendations.The release sent out by the BCCI said: “Mr. CK Khanna, Mr. Amitabh Choudhary, Mr. Anirudh Chaudhry and any other persons who claim to be ex-officio members of the IPL GC on account of being office bearers of the BCCI shall not be entitled to attend the IPL Player Auctions since the issue regarding validity of the undertakings filed by such persons pursuant to the order dated 2nd January 2017 is still pending before the Hon’ble Supreme Court.”Amitabh Choudhry had earlier tried to attend an India selection meeting as joint secretary but the Supreme Court had ordered that the meeting be convened by the board CEO Rahul Johri.The committee said it didn’t have the details of all the IPL members so they were expected to assess for themselves if they were disqualified. “The Committee of Administrators does not have complete data to determine whether each of the members of the IPL GC other than the ex-officio members are disqualified or not,” the release said. “In view thereof, the said other members are requested to assess for themselves as to whether they are disqualified or not. Should they attend the IPL Player Auctions, the concerned members would be deemed to have undertaken and represented that they are not disqualified as aforesaid.”The IPL governing council has four members out of which Rajiv Shukla, Jyotiraditya Scindia and MP Pandove stand disqualified under the Lodha Committee norms. Only Sourav Ganguly can now attend the auction. The committee said it might nominate persons as substitutes if required.The release said: “In the event less than 2 of the members are available to attend the IPL Player Auctions on 20th February 2017, any role that may ordinarily have been performed by the IPL GC in relation to the IPL Player Auctions will be performed by such persons as the Committee of Administrators may separately designate for the purpose, if required.”

نجح منتخب مصر في الفوز على نيوزيلندا بهدف نظيف في المباراة التي جمعتهما مساء الجمعة بكأس عاصمة مصر.

المباراة أقيمت على أرضية استاد مصر في العاصمة الإدارية بـ نصف نهائي بطولة كأس عاصمة مصر المدرجة ضمن سلسلة فيفا الدولية.

وحصل مروان عطية لاعب خط وسط منتخب مصر على جائزة أفضل لاعب في مباراة اليوم أمام نيوزيلندا.

وفاز منتخب مصر بهدف نظيف سجله مصطفى محمد من ركلة جزاء، حصل عليها إمام عاشور بعد الالتحام القوي الذي تعرض له وأدى إلى إصابته. 

طالع أيضاً.. موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة تونس وكرواتيا اليوم في كأس عاصمة مصر

وشارك مروان عطية أساسياً مع مصر في مباراة نيوزيلندا، وقدم أداءً جيدًا، ليفوز بجائزة رجل المباراة.

وتأهل منتخب مصر إلى المباراة النهائية من بطولة كأس عاصمة مصر، منتظراً الفائز من مواجهة تونس وكرواتيا المقرر لها اليوم السبت.

Pinpointing a new midfielder to partner Enzo Fernandez at Chelsea is arguably one of Mauricio Pochettino’s biggest challenges, which he simply must get right.

Getting the perfectly curated protector with a tough-tackling ferocity and keen athleticism is a tricky task.

The club has been incessantly linked to Moises Caicedo, however, Brighton are supposedly demanding around £120m for the Ecuadorian’s services.

Nevertheless, a cheaper, more realistic, and attainable alternative has emerged in the form of Aurélien Tchouaméni, whose signing would be a humongous statement of intent from the West Londoners.

What’s the latest on Aurélien Tchouaméni to Chelsea?

According to reports in Spain, the Blues offered €60m (£51m) for the Frenchman which was immediately rejected, and they are planning an improved bid of €80m (£68m), which will give Real Madrid something to think about.

Although far-fetched and extremely ambitious, the 2021 Champions League winners possess a ludicrously excessive budget, which could be shrewdly sprayed upon this ball-winning machine.

Who can Aurélien Tchouaméni emulate at Chelsea?

The 25-cap international joined the 14-time European Champions last summer for €100m (£86m) and made 50 appearances for Los Blancos.

As per FBref, the former Monaco prodigy has been compared to the current talk of the town, Declan Rice, due to their strikingly similar attributes.

Defensively, both these titans are formidable protectors for their backlines, with Tchouaméni averaging slightly better numbers in most departments as he has more tackles per 90 (2.61 vs 2.17), interceptions per 90 (1.98 vs 1.73), clearances per 90 (1.87 vs 1.59), and aerials won per 90 (1.91 vs 1.02), according to FBref.

The £206k-per-week man also outperforms his positional peers in pass completion (92.9% vs 86.5%), but Rice makes more progressive passes.

Tchouaméni’s compatriot Paul Pogba has lauded the sensation for his quality saying: “Very very good. He's not a boy, he's a man.

“It was a pleasure to play next to him. He brings a lot of energy. A lot of energy, and extraordinary technical and physical quality.”

Indeed, that's a review that could well describe Rice too.

The 22-year-old has started every game for his nation at the 2022 World Cup and scored in the 2-1 quarter-final victory over England.

Sky Sports News chief reporter Kaveh Solhekol has said that Chelsea’s new ownership has targeted the world’s “best young players” and Tchouaméni certainly fits that bill.

The pivot ranks within the best 8% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for interceptions, pass completion, and clearances per 90.

For the West London outfit to get back to where it belongs, this is exactly the type of scintillating Rice-like signing to reinvigorate the fanbase with a new-found belief that its new setup can take the club forward.

Manchester United hold some "doubt" over the capability of Mohammed Kudus to play the midfield role he wants at Old Trafford, claims transfer insider Dean Jones.

Manchester United transfer news – what's the latest on Mohammed Kudus?

After securing Champions League football with a fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season, United are looking to bolster their midfield options over the summer to cement their position and hopefully push on to challenge the likes of Arsenal and Manchester City next year.

The club's main target over the last few weeks, Mason Mount, proved to be an incredibly difficult deal to get done. But, the Red Devils have now seemingly agreed a deal for the midfielder.

Another player on the team's transfer wish list is Ajax midfielder and Ghanaian international Kudus.

Whilst unlikely to be a like-for-like alternative for Mount, the 22-year-old is a promising player in his own right after moving to the Dutch capital three years ago and donning the famous red and white 63 times since then.

According to the Daily Mail, the Eredivisie outfit have slapped a £40m price tag on their man, and if United are keen, they should get a move on as high-flying Brighton & Hove Albion are already in talks with Ajax.

What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about Mohammed Kudus to Manchester United?

Jones explained that the player wants to be seen as just a midfielder in any potential move to United, but there is some doubt at the club whether he could play that role in the league to the same standard as Mount.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I think, Kudus wants to be a midfielder. But I think in terms of being ready to be a Premier League midfielder, there seems to be some doubt around Man United."

Would Mohammed Kudus be a good signing for Manchester United?

With Jones revealing that the decision makers at United harbour some doubt over the player's ability to play as a Premier League midfielder, are they right?

Well, if his performances last season were anything to go by, no.

According to WhoScored, the Nima-born dynamo achieved a seriously impressive average match rating of 7.29 across his 30 games in the league, scoring 11 and assisting a further three.

Granted, he spent the season across central midfield, attacking midfield and striker, but he achieved a minimum rating of 6.56 across all three, which is a good base to develop from.

And who better to help him develop from where he currently is than his former manager Erik ten Hag, who once hailed the Ghanian-machine as "excellent" in a post-match interview during his time with the Amsterdam club.

In today's market, £40m isn't a huge investment anymore, and for a player that seems to be adept in multiple positions, is young, and has an eye for goal, United should seriously consider pulling the trigger on this one, regardless of what happens with Mount.

Leeds United journalist Conor McGilligan says he is "exceptionally worried" about the club's future should manager Regis Le Bris be appointed ahead of Daniel Farke.

What's the latest on Leeds' manager hunt?

As Leeds await the green light on their change of ownership, with 49ers Enterprises being made to wait for their takeover to be finalised by the English Football League, there is still an empty manager's seat at Elland Road.

It has been over a month since Leeds parted ways with Sam Allardyce after the coach failed to save the club from Premier League relegation, with the Whites still uncertain on who their next manager will be come the beginning of the Championship season.

Daniel Farke is the favourite to take over in Yorkshire and is an obvious candidate given his two successful promotion campaigns with Norwich City, while another shortlisted name in Patrick Vieira is out of the running having agreed to take charge of Strasbourg in Ligue 1.

However, there have also been links with another French top-flight manager in recent days, with Lorient's Regis Le Bris being touted with a move to the Whites.

Le Bris guided Lorient to a tenth-placed Ligue 1 finish last season, winning 15, drawing ten and losing 13 of his 38 league games. Les Murles won eight of their opening ten matches but fell away in the second part of the campaign.

What did McGilligan say?

Journalist Conor McGilligan, speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, believes that opting for the inexperienced Le Bris over the proven Farke would be a poor decision for the club, expressing his concern over the managerial situation.

"Regis Le Bris was someone who we spoke about on the channel a while ago, and he was being reported about a month ago, so whether or not it's just agent talk, it's speculative and all this sort of stuff, you'd hope that," said McGilligan.

He added: "You have literally got a proven manager in the Championship, who was in the Bundesliga, finished mid-table in the Bundesliga last season, has an excellent points-per-game ratio and has won the Championship twice at a canter.

"[If] we are going for an unknown Regis Le Bris, who has done okay in Lorient for one season, and that's kind of up for debate as well, I would be exceptionally worried, exceptionally worried. And then the direction of the club completely changes because Regis Le Bris will have completely different targets to Daniel Farke."

McGilligan also suggests that the recent arrival of recruitment chief Nick Hammond, who he claims mainly focuses on players in the United Kingdom, points toward Farke's appointment looking more likely.

With Leeds' opening fixture against Cardiff City just over a month away and pre-season on the horizon, the club need to act quickly to bring in a new coach that can guide them back to the Premier League.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRoss Taylor was the fourth New Zealand batsman to reach 6000 ODI runs•AFP

South Africa’s lower order threatened another heist, but Trent Boult gave a glimpse of why he went for big money in the IPL by holding his nerve to help New Zealand secure a series-levelling six-run victory in Christchurch. Dwaine Pretorius’ 26-ball fifty almost wrestled the game away from New Zealand until Boult got his yorkers on target in the penultimate over. He then cleaned up Pretorius to make amends for dropping him in the deep on 15.The win should have been much more comfortable for New Zealand when South Africa slipped to 214 for 8, but after Pretorius was shelled he kept finding the boundary. It came down to needing 20 off two overs when Boult, who had earlier claimed the key scalps of Quinton de Kock and AB de Villiers but conceded 15 off his ninth over, only went for five runs of his last. Andile Phehlukwayo was unable to locate the boundary early in the last over bowled by Tim Southee – and did not trust Imran Tahir with the strike – as South Africa’s winning streak ended at 12.It meant that Ross Taylor’s record-breaking day did not come in vain. He became New Zealand’s leading ODI century-maker, and the country’s quickest batsman to reach 6000 runs in the process, while adding the innings-defining stand of 123 with Jimmy Neesham.While Boult earned a mega payday 48 hours ago, Taylor was not picked in the auction: his T20 cricket is not valued by country or franchise at the moment. His absence from New Zealand’s side has been a topic of much debate, but in the longer white-ball format he is playing as well as ever. He equalled Nathan Astle’s 16 centuries against Australia, at Hamilton, earlier this month and went one better off the final ball of the innings when he drilled Wayne Parnell through the covers.Taylor added 104 with Kane Williamson, their 11th century stand in ODIs, to set the base for the innings. Then, Neesham struck a timely 45-ball half-century which helped New Zealand add 89 in the final ten overs. The Hagley Oval pitch was slower than usual due to recent poor weather, so while five of the previous nine first-innings totals on the ground had been over 300, this one was more than workable.However with David Miller back after his finger injury and Phehlukwayo at No. 10 (Kagiso Rabada was ruled out with a knee niggle), South Africa’s batting order was even more imposing. But New Zealand kept chipping away. Southee produced an unplayable delivery to trap Hashim Amla lbw and Colin de Grandhomme nipped one back to defeat Faf du Plessis.JP Duminy was sent in at No. 4 ahead of de Villiers – for tactical purposes it was said – but having eased to 34 he was beaten in the flight by Mitchell Santner: a chance for a match-defining innings had slipped away. The same could be said of de Kock, for the second match running, after he had glided to his fifty from 59 balls before heaving Boult deep into the leg side.A hallmark of South Africa’s winning streak has been having someone in the top order take responsibility for an innings but that wasn’t the case in Christchurch. Miller, after his spell on sidelines, couldn’t quite find his timing before edging Ish Sodhi’s googly and de Villiers under-edged a pull against Boult in his first over back in the attack.Trent Boult and Tim Southee sealed the victory by executing their yorkers in the final overs•AFP

When Chris Morris was smartly run out by a back-handed flick from Dean Brownlie and Parnell lbw to Santner, there seemed very little chance for South Africa only for late drama. New Zealand would have struggled to recover if they had let this one slip away.It had not been easy going for them when they were put in. Tom Latham’s tricky run continued, softly clipping a leg-stump delivery from Parnell to square leg. It made his run in ODIs – since the 137 against Bangladesh on this ground – 2, 0, 0, 7, 4 and 22, potentially leaving him vulnerable when Martin Guptill returns from injury.There was caution from Williamson and Taylor at the start of their partnership, but Williamson broke the shackles when he bunted Phehlukwayo over wide mid-on at the end of the 19th over. The next 11 overs brought 73 runs – Williamson reaching his second fifty of the series off 59 deliveries – to leave New Zealand with a strong platform of 155 for 2 after 30 overs.The innings threatened to lose its way when Williamson picked out long-on against Imran Tahir and Neil Broom collected his second failure of the series to leave the onus very much on Taylor.The boundary that took him to fifty off 60 balls also brought up the 6000-run milestone and alongside Neesham, whose position had been coming under scrutiny, they ensured the wobble did not become a collapse. Neesham was the first to take on the bowling inside the final ten overs, which helped take the pressure off Taylor, as he took on Tahir’s last two overs and also played a blistering pull off Morris.Taylor began the final over on 95 but lost the strike off the first ball and only got it back with two deliveries remaining. A meaty swing at the penultimate ball sent it sailing towards long-on where Miller took a fabulous catch but, sliding round the boundary, thought he would touch the rope and flicked the ball back so it became two runs. The final ball of the innings was wide outside off and Taylor thumped it through the covers to wild applause from the sellout crowd. They were cheering again a few hours later.

Western Australia extended their lead with a solid batting performance against Tasmania on day two of their Sheffield Shield game in Hobart

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Feb-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Hilton Cartwright struck nine fours and four sixes in his 145-ball 94•Getty Images

A solid first-innings batting effort from Western Australia extended their advantage against Tasmania in their Sheffield Shield match in Hobart. Resuming on 1 for 149, Western Australia went on to post 410 on the back of fifties from Hilton Cartwright (94), Cameron Bancroft (84) and Josh Inglis (55).Bancroft and Cartwright added 98 for the second wicket, but Tasmania’s bowlers chipped away thereafter, reducing Western Australia to 8 for 369. Wicketkeeper Inglis, batting at No. 7, struck a counter-attacking half-century off just 48 balls to push Western Australia’s lead to 212. Cameron Stevenson picked up three wickets, while Simon Milenko and Cameron Boyce took two wickets each.Tasmania lost their openers within the first four overs of their second innings. In the eighth over, Alex Doolan was caught off fast bowler David Moody and Beau Webster was dismissed four overs later, as Tasmania slumped to 4 for 37. George Bailey and nightwatchman Stevenson took Tasmania to stumps, still trailing by 154.

Tottenham Hotspur could launch an offer for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins if Harry Kane leaves this summer, according to reports.

Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham?

Kane has reportedly reached an agreement in principle with Bayern Munich after his agent held talks with the German champions, but the £60m offer made was immediately dismissed by Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy.

The Bundesliga side are set to come back in with a bid of £70m, with the striker getting "closer and closer" to a move to Germany, however, Levy is said to be holding out for a minimum of £86m, so the two clubs are still some way apart.

Journalist Alasdair Gold has been informed that Spurs have no plans to sell their talisman this summer, but they have now seemingly started work on contingency plans, should he force his way out of the club.

According to reports from Spain (via The Hard Tackle), Tottenham and Ange Postecoglou could launch an offer for Aston Villa striker Watkins, amid the uncertainty surrounding Kane's future, however, they are not the only Premier League club interested in his services.

Manchester United and Newcastle United are also attentive to the situation surrounding the Englishman, who Unai Emery could be willing to let leave, as long as Villa are able to find a suitable replacement. The 27-year-old's contract is set to expire until June 2025, meaning the Villans will be in a strong position when it comes to negotiating a transfer fee.

How many goals has Ollie Watkins scored?

The Torquay-born striker scored a very respectable 15 goals in the Premier League last season, reaching double figures in the top flight for the third season on the spin, so it is no wonder some top clubs are now queuing up for his signature, with the player even scoring twice at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Hailed as "sensational" by members of the media, the £75k-per-week forward averaged a 6.96 WhoScored rating in the top flight during the 2022-23 campaign, the highest of any player in the Villa squad, having also recorded a total of six assists.

Of course, every Spurs fan is well aware that it will be a massive blow if Kane leaves this summer, with the England captain scoring a total of 70 goals in the Premier League over the past three seasons.

Although Watkins has been very impressive for Villa, it is very unlikely he would be able to record those sorts of numbers in a Tottenham shirt, so Levy's main priority should be keeping hold of Kane for the foreseeable future.