An update has emerged on Manchester City and their attempts to bolster their defensive options after their treble-winning 2022/23 campaign.

What's the latest on Josko Gvardiol to Man City?

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the Citizens are set to advance their attempts to land RB Leipzig central defender Josko Gvardiol this summer.

Pep Guardiola is pursuing a deal to sign the Croatian ahead of next season and the club will need to pay at least £85m in order to secure his signature.

The reporter said: "Manchester City will keep working on Joško Gvardiol deal next week. Talks will enter into advanced stages with Leipzig with new verbal bid. Exclusive story from yesterday: personal terms, 100% agreed. Gvardiol said yes. Leipzig want at least €100m."

Where would Josko Gvardiol fit in at Man City?

Guardiola often deployed a system last season that had four out-and-out central defenders across the back four and Gvardiol could easily slot in on the left side in either position.

The 21-year-old has experience playing as a central defender and as a left-back in his career and the talented youngster could come in as a big upgrade on Nathan Ake in the latter role.

RB Leipzig's stopper has proven himself to be an excellent Bundesliga performer and caught the eye with his exceptional performances at the World Cup last year. He averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.16 and made 2.9 tackles and interceptions per match across seven outings in the tournament.

The Croatian defender also averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.10 across 29 Bundesliga appearances in 21/22 and made 3.4 tackles and interceptions per game.

Ake, comparatively, has not averaged a Premier League rating higher than 7.08 or managed more than 1.9 tackles and interceptions per outing in any of his three campaigns with City to date, which suggests that Gvardiol has the potential to deliver better performances week-in-week-out.

The "monster" – as the aforementioned Romano once described him – could suit the left-back role in Guardiola's new-look system perfectly as he is adept at progressing the ball through dribbles to get his team up the pitch.

He has averaged 1.63 progressive carries and successful take-ons per 90 over the last 365 days in the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions, in comparison to Ake's 1.41 per 90.

This suggests that the £19k-per-week colossus could also be an upgrade in terms of how he drives the team forward by dribbling past opposition attackers to open up space for the midfielders and attackers to then receive possession.

Gvardiol is also seven years younger than Ake and, therefore, has many years left ahead of him to grow and develop under Guardiola's coaching, which is another reason why City could land a big upgrade on the Dutchman by securing this deal.

Rangers are "closing in" on the signing of Cremonese striker Cyriel Dessers, having reached an agreement on the "final fee", according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

Which striker are Rangers signing?

The Gers have expressed an interest in Feyenoord striker Danilo, however, they had an opening bid of £3.5m immediately rejected by the Dutch side earlier this week, as it was way below their valuation.

In fact, there have been reports that Feyenoord could demand as much as £17m for the Brazilian, as they are currently under no pressure to cash-in, meaning the Light Blues could turn their attention to other targets.

Michael Beale has been pushing to sign Dessers for quite some time, having sanctioned a seven-figure bid at the beginning of June, and the manager is now inching closer to completing a deal for the 28-year-old.

Taking to Twitter, Romano has now claimed that Rangers and Cremonese have reached an agreement regarding the "final fee" for the £19k-per-week forward, with the documents to finalise the move currently being drafted.

The Gers are "closing in" on a deal for the Cremonese striker, with an agreement now "imminent", indicating that the deal could be done in the next few days.

"Understand Rangers are closing in on deal for Cyriel Dessers. Agreement now imminent with Cremonese for Nigerian striker — here we go soon. Clubs have agreed on final fee and all documents are being drafted."

Who is Cyriel Dessers?

The Nigerian forward has regularly been finding the back of the net in some of Europe's major leagues for quite some time now, firing home 20 goals in all competitions for Feyenoord during the 2021-22 campaign, before completing a switch to the Serie A.

During his time with Cremonese, the Belgium-born attacker has not been quite as prolific, registering seven goals in all competitions last term, however, he has been playing in a poor side, who ended up finishing second-bottom in the Serie A.

Hailed as "phenomenal" by members of the media, the former Feyenoord man's previous exploits indicate he could be a fantastic acquisition for Rangers, having amassed 140 goal contributions in 212 games at centre-forward throughout his career so far.

There are aspects of the Nigeria international's game that could improve, considering he has averaged just 0.06 assists per 90 over the past year, and 0.91 aerials won, placing him in the 23rd and 21st percentile respectively.

All in all, though, Rangers should be excited by the imminent arrival of Dessers, as his goal-scoring record has been very impressive for a number of years, and there is every indication he could be a success in the Scottish Premiership.

AB de Villiers led the run charts and Martin Guptill recovered from a hamstring injury to play perhaps his best innings. But neither of them will feature in the upcoming three-Test series

Firdose Moonda05-Mar-2017In a one-day series dominated by bowlers, two batsmen in particular stood out. AB de Villiers led the run scoring and Martin Guptill recovered from a hamstring injury to play perhaps his best innings. But neither of them will feature in the upcoming three-Test series between their two countries, albeit for different reasons.De Villiers has opted out of the series – and most of Test cricket for 2017 – as part of a workload management program while Guptill has not been selected despite his finding form, after he lost his Test place late last year, and the contest may be poorer without them.”Anybody, any coach, would want AB de Villiers in their side but he has made a decision and we respect that decision,” Russell Domingo, the South Africa coach, said. “He plays such a lot of cricket around the world, at such a high level all the time and he has got a young family so you can understand those decisions. We all definitely wanted him to stay but it’s a decision he has made for family life.”De Villiers, who has had lengthy breaks over the last eight months with an elbow problem, appeared close to his best in the last three weeks. His 262 runs came at 87.33 and included two half-centuries but that was not enough to change his mind about his Test hiatus. “I can’t wait to get home. I am really looking forward to get to my family. A three-week tour works really well. A couple of weeks at home before more cricket starts again is coming at a great time for me,” de Villiers said. “I will really miss the boys and I will watch the cricket but it’s a great time for me to get back and rest the mind.”He will have the next few weeks off before joining up with the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL and then reuniting with his national team-mates as they prepare for the Champions Trophy – a tournament de Villiers “believes in my heart” they can win. Even if they don’t, he will see the competition as a valuable marker for his ultimate goal of lifting the 2019 World Cup, which will take priority over all other cricket for now. “He needs to freshen up and he needs to try and win the World Cup in 2019 – that’s a big ambition for him. It’s his decision and we respect it,” Domingo said.Without de Villiers, South Africa have already won three Test series, against New Zealand, Australia and Sri Lanka, and although they will miss their star batsman, Domingo is confident they can cope without him “We know when he is here, he gives absolutely everything, there’s no doubt about it. He will be missed but we’ve gone through a series against Sri Lanka and a series in Australia without him so the game goes on. As good as anyone is, the game goes on,” Domingo said. “Somebody will in time get to de Villiers’ level. When that is we don’t know, but someone will get there at some stage.”South Africa’s Test middle-order is made up of JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Temba Bavuma and Quinton de Kock with Theunis de Bruyn included as a reserve batsmen. Of those, only Bavuma has struggled of late but he found some form domestically during February with two fifties in his last four matches.Those numbers pale in comparison to Guptill’s but he was never going to be considered for a Test recall after being dropped at the start of the season, so while the unbeaten 180 reignited the debate the decision had been made. New Zealand coach Mike Hesson explained Guptill could be tried in the middle-order, where Henry Nicholls is currently establishing himself, but will first have to stake his claim in domestic cricket with Auckland.Guptill had a reputation for being loose outside the off stump and, as a result, is a favourite for the South Africa attack. In Tests, no bowler has dismissed him more than the absent Dale Steyn (six times in seven matches) and Vernon Philander is encroaching on that, having accounted for Guptill four times in six matches. Guptill has only scored one fifty against South Africa in 13 Tests innings but his two ODI hundreds – coming in the space of three innings – and one T20 century have served as enough warning of what he can do. Domingo was not complaining that they will not face him again over the next three weeks.”You always feel maybe you can bowl to the rest of the guys [in one-day cricket] whereas Martin is a guy who can dominate you straight away. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor will try and get themselves in but Martin is a guy who, from ball one, can take you apart,” Domingo said. “He is a hell of a player and that was one of the best one-day hundreds I’ve seen. His ball striking is phenomenal. I know his Test record hasn’t been as good as he would have hoped for but we always think a team without Martin Guptill is probably not the same.”

Windward Islands recorded a comfortable six-wicket win over Kent at Coolidge in their final match of the Regional Super50. Kavem Hodge, who had spent most of the tournament batting at No. 6 for Windwards, struck his maiden List A fifty after being promoted to open the batting to chase Kent’s 205.Hodge got the Windwards chase going in the right direction after the early fall of Johnson Charles for 5 by adding 54 for the second wicket with Devon Smith (32) and another 86 for the third wicket with Sunil Ambris. Hodge ended with 68 and Ambris 48, just two shy of what would have been his seventh fifty in eight games during group play. Ambris ends the round-robin stage with 423 runs at 70.50, second overall behind Leeward Islands captain Kieran Powell’s aggregate of 509 at 84.83.When Hodge fell in the 40th, 31 runs were still required for victory. Captain Liam Sebastien and Kyle Mayers knocked off the rest of the runs, securing victory with 13 balls to spare. Kent had stumbled to 35 for 5 after choosing to bat at the toss before a 104-run sixth-wicket stand between Will Gidman and Adam Rouse salvaged their innings. Shane Shillingford eventually dismissed both men for 94 and 40 respectively and Kent’s tail fought until the 49th over before they were bowled out with seven balls left in the innings.Trinidad & Tobago rolled past West Indies Under-19 by 182 runs at North Sound to set up a first-place showdown with Leeward Islands on Sunday. The win over West Indies U-19 moved T&T to 6-1 in Group B, the same record as Leewards though T&T trails Leewards by two points due to the bonus point structure in round-robin play. The winner of Sunday’s match will top Group A and most likely face Jamaica while the loser will probably face Barbados, who hold a five-point advantage at the top of Group B heading into the final round of group matches.Kyle Hope, Jason Mohammed and Denesh Ramdin each struck half-centuries in T&T’s total of 290 for 5 after West Indies U-19 opted to bowl. Hope made 70 off 98 balls, adding 58 for the first wicket with Kjorn Ottley before teaming up with Mohammed to add 74 for the third wicket. Mohammed top scored with 84 off 73 balls and produced a 92-run fourth-wicket partnership with Ramdin before falling late in the innings. Ramdin took T&T through to the finish, ending on 60 not out off 42 balls to ensure the target would be well out of reach for West Indies U-19.Left-arm spinner Khary Pierre continued his fine tournament by doing most of the damage during a seven-over middle overs spell of 3 for 6 that accounted for top-scorer Emmanuel Stewart for 20 and captain Kirstan Kallicharan for 16. West Indies U-19 were eventually bowled out for 108 in 29.2 overs. Their final game is a rematch with Kent, the only side West Indies U-19 has beaten in the competition.

تحدث زالاتكو داليتش المدير الفني لـ منتخب كرواتيا، عن المواجهة القادمة أمام تونس، المقرر لها اليوم السبت ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس عاصمة مصر الودية، مشيرًا إلى دور مصر العظيم في تنظيم البطولة.

ويلتقي المنتخب الكرواتي مع نظيره التونسي، على أرضية استاد القاهرة الدولي، في نصف نهائي بطولة كأس عاصمة مصر المدرجة ضمن سلسلة فيفا الدولية.

وقال داليتش في تصريحات عبر قناة “أون تايم سبورتس”: “شكرًا على تنظيم هذه البطولة، تجربة جديدة وأتمنى أن تكون ممتعة للفريق، جئنا من أجل تكوين قوام الفريق، وستكون خبرة لنا قبل أمم أوروبا، جئنا بالقوام الرئيسي، واجهنا منتخب تونس منذ 4 سنوات وسعيد بمواجهتهم مرة أخرى”.

طالع أيضاً.. مدرب نيوزيلندا: مباراة مصر لم تكن سهلة.. الملعب رائع وسأزور أماكن كثيرة

وأكمل: “الظروف هنا جيدة ربما الطقس بارد بعض الوقت، وسنعطي الفرصة للجميع في هذه البطولة”.

وأتم: “جئنا للقاهرة لنستطلع أشياءً جديدة وأنا متأكد أن الجماهير المصرية ستكون سعيدة بمشاهدة لوكا مودريتش ومستعدون لتقديم بطولة جيدة”.

Having been handed the reins at Tottenham Hotspur last month, new boss Ange Postecoglou has also moved quickly to bolster his ranks having secured the signing of both James Maddison and Guglielmo Vicario over the past week or so.

That may not be the end of the Lilywhites' summer business, however, with recent reports stating that the club are among a raft of European clubs who are interested in signing Sheffield United starlet, Daniel Jebbison, having been 'keeping tabs' on his progress at Bramall Lane.

As per 90min, the north London outfit – as well as the likes of Aston Villa, Everton and Newcastle United – are showing a strong interest in the 19-year-old with just a year left to run on his existing deal, with the likes of Juventus and Borussia Dortmund also ready to pounce.

That growing list of suitors would suggest that Spurs will have a fight on their hands to land the £720-per-week teenager, although the signing of the Canada-born England youth international could well represent a dream, long-term heir to talisman Harry Kane at N17.

Who is Daniel Jebbison?

The 6 foot 3 marksman notably came to wider attention after netting on his first Premier League start against Everton back in May 2021, with the youngster having arguably been the "shining light" in what proved to be a dismal end to that season for the Blades, according to pundit Micah Richards, as they slipped to relegation.

Since that return to the second tier, Jebbison has been forced to prove his worth further down the footballing pyramid after joining Burton Albion on loan for the 2021/22 campaign, ultimately going on to score nine goals in just 23 games during that promising temporary stint.

While injury has disrupted the towering hitman since then, the exciting talent did chip in with two goals and one assist in 19 outings across all fronts last season, with coach Jack Lester saying of his talents:

"He’s got a really bright future, Dan. I think people forget how young he is, he was ahead of schedule if you like for where we saw him as we were looking at him as a 15, 16-year-old but he’s got there through his hard work and his talent and we’re really pleased with him and we’re optimistic of a really bright future for him."

Although goals have been in short supply of late, what has been impressive is the one-time Chorley loanee's ability to offer a creative force when leading the line having averaged 3.48 per 90 for shot-creating actions across the last 365 days, representing a near identical record to that of Kane – who ranks in the top 10% among his European peers in that regard with an average of 3.47 per 90.

The latter man – who has been linked with a move to Bayern Munich of late – is facing an uncertain future at the club with just 12 months left on his current deal, with the Englishman also no spring chicken as he is set to turn 30 later this month.

That would suggest that even if the club's record scorer is to extend his contract in the near future, Postecoglou will still need to have a contingency plan in place, hence looking to a figure such as Jebbison who could potentially take on Kane's goalscoring mantle in the years to come.

Aston Villa are serious contenders after making an enquiry to sign Villarreal midfielder Dani Parejo this summer, according to reports.

Is Dani Parejo leaving Villarreal?

Since joining from Valencia back in 2020, Parejo has been a regular feature of Quique Setien’s first-team, starting 37 out of the 38 La Liga games last season, but despite this, he’s facing an uncertain future and could be on the move during this window.

The Spaniard will be out of contract at the end of next season meaning that the coming weeks will present his side with their final big opportunity to cash in should they not want to lose him for free, and should he depart, he won’t be short of potential suitors being their second top-performing defensive player in 2022/23.

Unai Emery will already be very familiar with the 34-year-old having managed him for 145 matches during his time in his homeland, and it sounds like he’s eyeing a reunion with his former star by wanting to bring him to the Premier League.

Are Aston Villa signing Parejo?

According to El Periodico Mediterraneo (via Sport Witness), Aston Villa have “tested the ground” for Parejo and are firmly “in the picture” to sign him ahead of the new campaign.

Spanish reports previously claimed that Emery has personally requested to sign the midfielder, though Villarreal are believed to have offered him a new three-year deal which they are “hopeful” he will accept, so this will be a situation to closely watch over the summer.

Coud Parejo be a good addition for Emery?

Parejo is naturally a central midfielder but he’s much stronger in the attacking aspect of his game. He has been hailed a player who “oozes class” by journalist Josh Bunting, so if he was to sign on the dotted line, he would be a fantastic recruit to add a bit of composure and guile in the middle third.

The AC Talent client, who pockets £62k-per-week, posted seven goal contributions (four assists and three goals) in 37 La Liga appearances last season and recorded 144 crosses along with 113 shot-creating actions, which was higher than any of his fellow teammates, via FBRef.

Finally, Parejo is a versatile operator having been deployed in five various positions over the pitch, including everywhere across the centre of the park, which will no doubt be yet another attribute that the boss admires, and with him holding an existing connection to his target, there’s a strong chance that an agreement could be reached.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale is reportedly set to seal his sixth signing of the summer transfer window in the coming days.

The Light Blues boss has already snapped up Sam Lammers, Dujon Sterling, Jack Butland, Abdallah Sima, and Kieran Dowell, with Cyriel Dessers now on the verge of arriving at Ibrox too.

Sky Sports have claimed that the Gers have agreed a deal with Italian side Cremonese to sign the 28-year-old centre-forward, and he may not be the last striker through the door ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Football Scotland recently revealed that Nigeria international Josh Maja is one of the names on the club's wanted list as they plot further additions to their squad.

Where would Josh Maja fit in at Rangers?

The English-born ace has played the majority of his senior career as a striker and would join Lammers, Dessers, Antonio Colak and Kemar Roofe as Beale's options in that area of the pitch.

Signing the former Bordeaux attacker, who is available on a free transfer, would allow the manager to part ways with one of his other number nines, as having five players to compete for one spot seems excessive.

It was reported by The Scottish Sun in May that the club would listen to offers for Croatia international Colak and the arrival of Maja would present Beale with the chance to ruthlessly ditch the former PAOK man.

The 29-year-old finisher scored four goals in 15 appearances for the English boss last season, after 14 strikes in 24 outings during the first half of the campaign, with that suggesting he struggled to adapt to the new way of playing.

Maja, on the other hand, is coming off the back of an impressive year in Ligue 2 with Bordeaux. The former Fulham man plundered 16 goals in 34 starts, highlighting his ability to find the back of the net on a regular basis.

He also produced 1.2 key passes per game and six assists to prove himself as a creator for his teammates, to go along with his own threat in the box.

Meanwhile, no Rangers forward managed more than 14 Scottish Premiership goals and Fashion Sakala (seven) was the only striker with over five assists.

This suggests that the Nigerian marksman, whose talent was dubbed "rare" by ex-Gers forward Jermain Defoe, has the potential to be an excellent option for Beale, while also being a possible upgrade on Colak, who assisted one goal and made a measly 0.5 key passes per league match last term.

Therefore, the Light Blues boss would be able to ruthlessly ditch the Rangers number nine from the club this summer with Maja able to take his place in the squad.

Tottenham Hotspur could be set to boost their defence tenfold, by simply making one standout transfer…

What's the latest on Aymeric Laporte to Tottenham Hotspur?

According to The Mirror, that is exactly what Ange Postecoglou plans to do.

With the Australian looking to usher in revolutionary change in north London, removing the weak mentality that has plagued this club for too long, this report seems to suggest that the former Celtic boss views Aymeric Laporte as a key figure in achieving this goal with Tottenham named as an 'interested' party.

As Manchester City seek to both free up a spot and gather funds to sign Josko Gvardiol, the Spain international could be a necessary casualty, with a hefty £60m price tag slapped upon his head.

In an effort to make a marquee signing and show that they are not here to continue their cycle of mediocrity, Daniel Levy may well sanction this switch and bring the out-of-favour colossus to N17.

How good is Aymeric Laporte?

It is a testament to the qualities of Laporte, that Pep Guardiola once branded him "the best left-sided centre-back in the world."

However, with his ever-changing philosophy and the vast squad upheaval the former Barcelona coach often undergoes, it seems the 29-year-old has fallen down the pecking order. He made just 12 league appearances last season.

Now would mark the perfect time for a switch, especially given he has essentially completed club football following their recent treble victory.

He could bring this winning mentality to north London, alongside his immense quality, and surely strike up an instant partnership with the returning Destiny Udogie.

Having been signed for £15m under Antonio Conte, the 20-year-old was shipped out on loan to Udinese, where he has excelled. Poised to now fight for a starting spot in the Spurs side, these two on the left side could lock down one-half of Postecoglou's new-look back-line with ease.

After all, Laporte was once an imperative cog for Guardiola, who underpinned plenty of success that came before last term.

He has featured 179 times for the Citizens, with the pinnacle of his career at the Etihad arguably either coming during the 2018/19 season or the 2021/22 season. Given the latter was more recent, it is a far more valuable tool for comparison.

During that campaign, he averaged a 7.12 average rating in the league, where he established himself as one of Europe's best ball-playing defenders. His 95% pass accuracy and 75% dribble success rate serve to emphasise this (via Sofascore), with the former statistic so high that it ranks 6% higher than Spurs' best performer in that field last term.

To combine this with one tackle and 1.8 clearances per game suggests he boasts solidity to boot.

These attributes would help facilitate the front-foot play style of Udogie, who managed seven goal contributions from left-back in Serie A most recently alongside his one key pass recorded per game, via Sofascore. Throughout the Spurs squad, only Pedro Porro and Ivan Perisic recorded a higher average last season in this metric of those who were not forwards.

With the "beast" that is Laporte – as dubbed by writer Muhammad Butt – punching high-quality balls into the Italian, who could then bomb forward knowing he has the security of such a solid stalwart behind him, this swoop could immediately fix a left side of defence that has troubled the club in recent years.

Arsenal have been in contact with Kai Havertz once again over the weekend and the German forward has reaffirmed his interest in making the move to north London.

How much is Kai Havertz worth?

This summer will present the Gunners with an opportunity to build on what proved to be a promising 2022/23 campaign in north London.

Mikel Arteta's men did not have enough firepower behind them to see their title charge over the line as Manchester City pipped them to the Premier League crown.

But the Spaniard – and the fans – will have a lot of positives to take from their displays in the 2022/23 campaign and provide them with a lot of optimism for the upcoming campaign.

However, having seen City land the treble in recent weeks, it will surely send a message to the board and Edu Gaspar that Arsenal may need to invest heavily if they are to dethrone the champions.

And it seems as if the Gunners are keen to do so this summer with links to the likes of Havertz who has reportedly been valued at around £75m by Chelsea.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the German has been in contact with Arsenal over the weekend where he was proclaimed his interest in a potential transfer:

"Kai Havertz has been very clear, also this morning [Sunday], in new contacts, he wants to join Arsenal.

"He has an agreement with Arsenal on personal terms, so everything is ready on player's side."

How many goals did Havertz score last season?

It was an underwhelming campaign for the Blues last season and Havertz is not a player who can be excused from their failings.

Despite playing the majority of the campaign as their centre-forward, Havertz was only able to provide the west London side with seven goals in the Premier League (via Transfermarkt).

Chelsea played the majority of the 2022/23 campaign without an out-and-out striker in their starting XI which can certainly be seen through their poor return in front of goal.

And it has to be questioned whether Havertz has actually done enough to earn himself a transfer to a side who challenged so strongly for the Premier League title.

The Gunners will be playing Champions League football next season and, in Chelsea's European games, Havertz was only able to return two goals in his 10 Champions League appearances last season (via Transfermarkt).

He has been hailed as a "magician" by some in the media and the potential opportunity at Arsenal could allow him to rediscover his form shown in the Bundesliga.