Lionesses star Ella Toone is attracting interest from Barcelona, with the European champions weighing up a move for the Manchester United midfielder.

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Barca weighing up summer move for TooneEngland star has spent six years at Man UtdBut could join three Lionesses in CatalunyaGettyWHAT HAPPENED?

Toone has spent the last six years with the Red Devils and has been a key player in their rise from the second-tier to the upper echelons of the Women's Super League table. The 24-year-old was part of the squad that won promotion to the top-flight in 2019 and, in a fitting manner, she scored the opening goal in the FA Cup final earlier this month as they won their first major trophy.

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She has had some incredible moments with England in that time too, scoring in the final of the Lionesses' Women's Euros triumph in 2022 as well as in the 2023 Women's World Cup semi-finals, and those exploits appear to have caught the eye of Barcelona. According to , the Catalans are interested in signing Toone this summer, though no formal approach has been made yet. Barca already have two England stars on their books, in Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh, and are set to add another in Ellie Roebuck this summer.

DID YOU KNOW?

Toone signed a new contract with United during the 2022-23 season, tying her to the club until the summer of 2026. As a result, Barca would have to pay a significant fee to prize her away from the English club and they would also need to weigh up the logistics of any deal when it comes to meeting financial regulations, as they are currently in the process of a bumper renewal for Alexia Putellas which could possibly force them to hold back on a new deal for Bronze.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR TOONE?

There is still one more game on the calendar for United this season, at Old Trafford against title-chasing Chelsea. Whether that will be Toone's final match for the club or not, only time will tell.

After watching the development of the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Sako, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba, Mikel Arteta is reportedly looking at signing another young talent for Arsenal.

Arsenal plotting interesting new signing

Just five days ago it was reported that Arteta is happy with Eddie Nketiah and Gabriel Jesus sharing the goals, amid rumours of a potential striker being signed in the January transfer window.

But, defeat at the hands of Fulham may just force his hand slightly, as the Gunners now cannot afford too many more slip-ups if they are to keep pace with the likes of Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City, prompting more links to Ivan Toney.

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A 20 goal-a-season player is something that every successful side needs – just look at Erling Haaland at Manchester City, Mohamed Salah at Liverpool and Harry Kane at Bayern Munich. This is something that let Arsenal down last season and is currently holding them back slightly in the current campaign, as Nketiah and Jesus only managed a combined 20 goals in the 2022-2023 campaign, with just 13 goals in 47 appearances so far this season too (as per Transfermarkt).

One solution, as previously mentioned, could be to go down the route of finding another young talent, which has served the Gunners really well over the last few years. Especially with Arteta's concerns about Financial Fair Play at the moment.

Arsenal on Ibrahim Osman scouting mission

Indeed, according to the Express, Arsenal are monitoring Ibrahim Osman from afar, as they weigh up attacking options. However, the Gunners will face competition as the likes of Brighton & Hove Albion, Crystal Palace and Fulham are also interested.

And, Ben Jacobs has stated that a January transfer is "possible" for Osman. The 19-year-old can play anywhere across the front three, though he is typically deployed as a left winger for current club FC Nordsjaelland over in Denmark.

Judging by the youngster's stats, it doesn't appear as if this would be a move to solve the supposed striker goals issue at the Emirates as he's only produced four goals and layed on five assists in 29 appearances this season.

Ibrahim Osman's Superliga statistics – 2023/24 (Sofascore)

Key passes per game

1.2

Shots per game

2.6

Big chances created

6

Successful dribbles per game

2.6

Assists

4

Goals

1

Appearances

16

The winger, who represents Ghana at youth level, is expected to secure a move away from Denmark at some point, which is something that even the manager Johannes Thorup isn't denying:

“He is a fast winger and striker, and I have huge expectations for him to be skilled. He has the pace which is important for us to have on at least one of our strikers. I don’t want to say that he has to take over for someone, but people can probably figure out that there is a player who is really good for us in the Super League, who might be really hard to keep,” .

Unbeaten Chennai Super Kings are sitting on the top of the IPL points table. Both victories were achieved with Super Kings in control of the match. For the defending champions to begin confidently this season is not remarkable. However, the make-up of their playing XI has been out of the ordinary. In both games, they have fielded only three overseas players, even though they’ve had the option to go for four.Both games have been played on pitches that aided the slower bowlers to varying degrees. Despite having Mitchell Santner in the squad, Super Kings have not felt the need to add his all-round talent to their playing roster as yet, with their complement of Indian bowlers and Imran Tahir doing the job. They didn’t even name a replacement when Lungi Ngidi was ruled out before the season started, only roping in Scott Kuggeleijn after David Willey also became unavailable.The playing XI looks set to continue for a third straight game when they take on Rajasthan Royals on home ground on Sunday, barring any late injury or illness. It is almost unheard of to not pick the full complement of overseas stars for three matches in a row, but Super Kings aren’t looking at this as a ‘strategy’. It is, quite simply, a simple matter of picking the best available XI. If only three overseas players fit in it, so be it.”Looking at the squad and skills is not based on overseas versus Indian (players),” coach Stephen Fleming said on Saturday. “Harbhajan Singh was a great option for the left-handed combinations that we faced in the first two games. And that can change if you face a lot of right-handers, you’ve got Mitchell Santner there. But you don’t to play four overseas.”Whilst in the past you’ve picked overseas players that fit into your side, we’re really happy with the quality of Indian players that we have and that’s why we tend to talk about the abilities in the squad rather than if you’re an overseas player or an Indian player. We rate the players that we pick and those two sides were based on the best balance we thought would win the game.”Based on the make-up of the squad and the pitch at the home ground of Chepauk, Fleming also gave out 160 to 170 as the total that should be par on an “ideal” T20 pitch.”We bought a side based on Chennai’s history, which is a slower track,” he said, adding that the pitch for the first game where Royal Challengers Bangalore were bowled out for 70 was an anomaly. “What we saw the other night was an aberration, that’s not normally how it is. A sort of a 160-170 score here has been what we’ve looked for in the past.”The pitch at Delhi was fractionally slow but certainly dry. It think a variation of surface is what you’re after, you don’t want 200 every time. People think that’s the best wicket but if you ask the bowlers that’s probably not a great season for them. So something that’s got a little bit of challenge for the batters, which you can also get a rough par score of about 160, maybe 170 – in between there – and depending on how you get it and what’s on offer, that would probably be the score or conditions you’re looking for if you want it to be ideal.”Whether faced with a pitch on which 100 is par, or 150 or 200 – Fleming and the Super Kings think-tank know they have the personnel to fit the conditions, Indian or overseas.

The January transfer window is fast approaching and Tottenham Hotspur could look to dip into the market to bolster the depth of their defensive options.

Summer signing Micky van de Ven suffered a hamstring injury against Chelsea next month and is not due back until after the turn of the year.

Ange Postecoglou has already confirmed that the club want to sign another centre-back to add to their group and have made that search a priority.

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Pre-January negotiations are being held.

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Emilio Galantini

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It was recently reported by The Sun that Benfica central defender Felipe Morato, who has a £68m release clause, has emerged as a top target for the Australian head coach.

Postecoglou could now land a big upgrade on current left-sided centre-back Ben Davies by securing a deal for the Brazilian titan in January.

Ben Davies' season in numbers

The Wales international has stepped in for van de Ven and been a reliable, if not spectacular, performer at the heart of the defence alongside Emerson Royal and, since his return from suspension, Cristian Romero.

Davies has featured in 11 Premier League matches so far this season for the club and has helped his side to keep one clean sheet in that time.

The 30-year-old defender has made 2.1 tackles and interceptions combined and 3.1 ball recoveries per match, and has won 65% of his duels in total.

In possession, the £80k-per-week gem has averaged 6.41 progressive passes and 0.71 progressive carries per 90 in the Premier League this season, which ranks him within the top 9% and 50% respectively among his positional peers.

The statistics that show Morato would be a big upgrade on Davies

Meanwhile, Morato's impressive form for Benfica in Portugal suggests that he has the potential to come in as a big upgrade on the former Swansea ace.

The left-footed centre-back, who could complement the right-footed Romero on the left of the pairing, has featured in seven Liga Portugal matches this term and caught the eye with his performances.

He has averaged 3.2 tackles and interceptions combined and 6.1 ball recoveries per game, which shows that the talented colossus is able to win possession back for his side far more frequently than Davies has this term for Spurs.

On the ball, Morato ranks within the top 12% of his positional peers among the Men's Next 14 competitions over the last 365 days for progressive passes (4.85) and the top 6% for progressive carries (1.50).

These statistics suggest that the 22-year-old titan, who was once described as a "magnificent" defender by talent scout Jacek Kulig, could offer more than Davies in terms of how often he carries the ball out from the back to start attacks, although the Tottenham man progresses the play through passes more.

Overall, Morato could be a big upgrade on the experienced defender due to his impressive defensive skills and ball-carrying ability, as he could cut out far more opposition attacks to help Spurs to keep more clean sheets whilst also being able to offer quality in possession.

Postecoglou must now push the club to secure a deal for his services as the young Brazilian could be an excellent signing for the short-term, as an upgrade on Davies, and the long-term, as he is eight years younger than the Welsh ace.

واصل الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بـ الأهلي، تدريباته مساء اليوم الأربعاء على ملعب التتش بالجزيرة وذلك في إطار الاستعدادات للموسم الجديد.

ويستعد الأهلي لمواجهة فريق جورماهيا الكيني في لقاء الذهاب بدور الـ32 من بطولة دوري أبطال أفريقيا.

وخاض اللاعبون جانبا من التدريبات البدنية المتنوعة في الجيم قبل انطلاق فقرات المران الجماعي.

قاد مارسيل كولر المدير الفني لـ الأهلي التدريبات الجماعية للفريق، إلى جانب التدريبات البدنية تحت إشراف أندرياس اندويا مخطط الأحمال.

طالع | رسالة إلى جماهير الأهلي.. أول تعليق من أليو ديانج بعد رحيله إلى الخلود السعودي

بينما أدى اللاعبون جانبا من تدريبات الكرة المتنوعة قبل أن يختتم المران بتقسيمة قوية شارك فيها اللاعبون.

يذكر، أن الأهلي قد حصل على فترة راحة سلبية بعد انقضاء مباريات الفريق ببطولة الدوري المصري، بجانب الانسحاب من المشاركة في كأس مصر.

Victoria’s captain Travis Dean made his first half-century since December as the visitors rumbled over South Australia at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Mar-2019

Victoria’s captain Travis Dean made his first half-century since December as the visitors rumbled over South Australia at Karen Rolton Oval in Adelaide to enter Thursday’s Sheffield Shield final against New South Wales with plenty of confidence.Needing 167 to win the Victorians were well served by Dean and the prolific Marcus Harris, one of two batsmen alongside Matthew Wade to pass 1000 runs for the Shield season, who added 130 before being separated to essentially put the result beyond doubt.The left-arm spinner Tom Andrews found a way past both Dean and Harris, while Luke Robins managed to zip past Will Pucovski for a duck, but Victoria were soon celebrating their sixth outright victory of the season by seven wickets, also consigning the Redbacks to last place on the table by a considerable margin.

Everton manager Sean Dyche is reportedly keen on completing the permanent signing of a "phenomenal" player, according to a fresh transfer update.

Everton signings impressing

The Blues could only have dreamed of being in their current form a few months ago, with Dyche completely turning around their fortunes of late, improving in his role all the time. Incredibly, Everton have won their last four Premier League games in a row without conceding a single goal, including a 2-0 win away to Burnley on Saturday evening.

There are so many players who are performing at a much higher level than they were previously, whether that be individuals who have been at Goodison Park for some time or those who have only joined the club recently.

There are a number of new additions who are currently doing well, with Jack Harrison steadily improving since arriving on loan from Leeds United in the summer transfer window, overcoming a slow start to register three assists in the league so far this season.

Fellow loanee Arnaut Danjuma has admittedly made less of an impact to date, but Beto has added more firepower to the attack, netting twice in all competitions. Meanwhile, Jarrad Branthwaite has caught the eye since returning from his loan spell at PSV Eindhoven.

Dyche wants permanent Harrison signing

According to a new update from Leeds Live, Dyche personally wants to make Harrison's Everton loan move a permanent one in the near future, although there is no option to buy in the current loan deal.

"LeedsLive understands there is no option-to-buy clause in Harrison’s loan agreement but Sean Dyche would be keen on making the deal permanent."

In the same report, former Leeds and England goalkeeper Paul Robinson admits that Harrison will be mulling over whether to move to Everton for good, or return to Elland Road at the end of the season:

"Everton are a hard-working team and Jack’s a big part of that. I can understand why he’s non-committal on his future because he probably doesn’t know. There’s a lot of ifs and buts for him in the next six to 12 months, depending on what Leeds do.

"If Leeds stay in the Championship, I don’t think there’s a conversation about, ‘Is it Everton or is it somewhere else?’ There will be a lot of Premier League suitors for him. It’s only an option or a discussion to have if Leeds come into the Premier League. Then it’s between the player and the club."

It is clearly a tough call for Harrison to make, but so much points towards Everton being on the rise at the moment, with Dyche looking like an impressive appointment.

The Blues should avoid relegation Premier League based on current form, and the move to their Bramley Moore Dock stadium is happening in 2025. Harrison could like the idea of being a part of such an exciting venture, as there is also the takeover of the club that could happen sooner rather than later.

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The 27-year-old has been hailed as "phenomenal" by YouTube Conor McGilligan, and given his age, he could be a mainstay of the team for another four or five years, so it makes complete sense for Everton to retain his services, making this one to watch.

Real Madrid have reportedly lost interest in Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies and are now targeting Girona star Miguel Gutierrez instead.

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• Real lose interest in Davies
• Will target Girona's Gutierrez
• Also drop Yoro interest

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The 14-time Champions League winners are always on the hunt for new signings to keep strengthening their squad and have been linked with a move for Bayern's Davies. However, according to Cope, that is not the case anymore as they have an eye on Gutierrez, who has shone with Girona this season.

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  The report also claims that Madrid have cooled their interest in Lille centre-back Leny Yoro as they look to put their trust in youth academy graduate, Rafa Marin, who has impressed Carlo Ancelotti and company during his current loan spell with Alaves.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Just like Marin, Guttierez is also a La Fabrica graduate and was sold to the Blanquivermells in 2022 as he looked for a more stable role. Madrid have a buyback clause on the left-back and could very well activate it to bring the 22-year-old back to the Santiago Bernabeu this summer.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MADRID?

  With the league having already been tied up, Madrid only have one more important game to contend with this season, the Champions League final against Borussia Dortmund on June 1.

Sheffield Wednesday look to be nearing towards their first signing of the January transfer window already, with the expected arrival of James Beadle on loan from Brighton now almost a certainty to join the Owls according to reports.

Yet, even with a potential new starting goalkeeper added to the ranks, Danny Rohl won't stop there and could well look to his native Germany for some left-field January additions to further bolster his team.

When speaking to the Sheffield Star and outlining his approach for the transfer window, the former Bayern Munich assistant coach stated that he could well flex his past connections:

"You are always looking and talking to some people. It's not just our former clubs, it's also about the Bundesliga, the second division."

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With that in mind, here are three potential signings Rohl and Wednesday could sanction this month to give the South Yorkshire club a brand-new Bavarian feel…

1 Leon Dajaku

The first of three potential transfer targets with this in mind is former Sunderland attacker Leon Dajaku, the versatile German forward adept at playing down the wings or as a second striker which could be useful for Rohl.

Dajaku didn't set the world alight with the Black Cats – contributing towards eight goals from 37 appearances in League One with the sleeping giant at the time – but the current Hajduk Split man could well be up for a return to English football if the Wednesday boss tempts him.

Rohl and Dajaku were together at Bayern for two years between 2019 and 2021, the six-time Germany U19 international even winning himself a first-team start for the Bundesliga giants in this patch of his career.

Scoring three goals and notching up a further two assists for Split this season, it could well be an astute buy for the Owls this month to add Dajaku to their attacking positions.

2 Fiete Arp

Hyped up to be destined for the big-time when breaking through at Bayern, Fiete Arp's career hasn't quite gone to plan after outlandish suggestions that he would eventually take the world by storm as a world-class striker.

The German boy wonder did score a ridiculous 37 goals from 45 appearances playing for Hamburg at U17 level back in 2017, the Bundesliga giants swooping in to sign Arp off the back of his unbelievable goal record at youth level.

Arp never managed to replicate that blistering knack of putting away goals for fun when joining Bayern, with Rohl there every step of the way bearing witness to Arp's progression as coach.

With the now Wednesday boss one for putting his arm around the likes of Bailey Cadamarteri at Hillsborough currently, helping the teenage sensation perform well even with heaps of pressure on his shoulders, the Owls boss could look to do the same with the 24-year-old German attacker even with Arp now matured.

The 6 foot 1 centre-forward has found his prolific streak again in the 2.Bundesliga this season with Holstein Kiel however, scoring five times from ten starts. Could he be a gem under Rohl in the Championship?

3 Remy Vita

The final signing Rohl could make putting his Bundesliga links to good use is Remy Vita, the French defender formerly on the Bayern books. Interestingly, he has even played in South Yorkshire during his career to date.

Vita was on loan at Barnsley during their dreadful 2021/22 relegation campaign down to League One from the Bayern II side, barely sparking into life with the Tykes but showing his pedigree in bursts.

In a rare win over QPR that same season, the diminutive wing-back stood out – winning six of his ten ground duels at Oakwell on the way to the hosts winning 1-0 over the Hoops.

Predominantly playing as a left-back throughout his career, this would be another smart addition to the Owls squad this January with a lack of available options already at the club able to play in that spot with Rohl having to rely on Akin Famewo – who is usually a centre-back – to fill in there on occasion.

Rohl would have to get over the hurdle of landing Vita from his current club Fortuna Sittard, but with Vita familiar to how the German boss operates after spending time at the Allianz Arena together, this could be a move that has legs this month.

Newcastle United have been boosted in their efforts to sign an attacking "magician" in the near future, according to a fresh transfer update.

Newcastle's interest in Raphinha

The Magpies are badly in need of an injection of quality into their squad this month, following what has been a season of struggles to date. At the start of the campaign, there were high hopes that Eddie Howe's side could kick on to secure another top-four finish in the Premier League, as well as go far in the Champions League, but it hasn't panned out that way.

It would be a surprise if Newcastle failed to make any new signings in the January transfer window, with plenty of players linked and additions badly needed in order to give Howe's men any chance of getting themselves back in the top-four hunt.

One player who was seen as a big target for the Magpies last summer was Raphinha, who is currently at Barcelona after starring for Leeds United. A move failed to materialise at that point, with the Brazilian staying put, but he has struggled to be a regular in 2023/24 to date, only starting eight league matches.

Now, it looks as though the move isn't dead in the water, however, with Newcastle's hopes of acquiring his signature given a boost.

Newcastle handed Raphinha boost

According to a new update from Sport [via Sport Witness], Newcastle could have a second chance to sign Raphinha, with the La Liga giants increasingly of the feeling that he could be allowed to move on.

It is claimed that "patience is running out" with the winger given his disappointing impact at Barca since arriving from Leeds, and a second bid could now be accepted for him.

Raphinha may have been a little underwhelming in Spain thus far, but that's not to say that he couldn't be an inspired signing by Newcastle at a time when more attacking quality is required. The 27-year-old is someone who former Leeds teammate Dan James has raved about in the past, lauding his technical brilliance, saying:

"He’s a magician. He’s always been a great player – I played against him at United and he was always great – but he’s improved so much. He fully deserved his Brazilian call-up and I think since he got it, he’s pushed on even more, he’s even more confident. He can do absolutely anything on the pitch. It’s great playing with him."

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Raphinha has proven himself in the Premier League in the past, which means he could hit the ground running at St James' Park – he has 29 goal contributions (17 goals and 12 assists) in 65 appearances in the competition – and his class out on the right-hand side would provide strong competition for the likes of Miguel Almiron.

At 27, his best years could be about to arrive, and whether it is in January or the summer that he joins Newcastle, his flair and end product could make him a new hero at St James'.