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Real Madrid are tracking Malaga sensation Antonito, but they will face stiff competition from rivals Barcelona.

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Antonito liked by Real MadridHas been on Barca's radar tooJanuary move on the cards with contract expiring next summerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Real Madrid are showing serious interest in capturing the signature of Malaga wonderkid Antonio Cordero, better known as Antonito, in the upcoming January transfer window, according to Marca.

Barcelona have also been linked with a move for the youngster.

AdvertisementRaul Gonzalez TwitterTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Real Madrid wanted to sign Antonito this past summer for the B team, Real Madrid Castilla. However, Malaga's commitment towards renewing the 18-year-old, whose contract expires on June 30, 2025, saw them turn down the proposal from Madrid.

Things haven't changed a lot since then, as Malaga's desire to extend Antonito's contract is currently in a state of limbo. They are well aware that within six weeks' time, the talented Spaniard will be free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with either Real or Barca.

But neither team wants to wait until the summer. Both Real Madrid Castilla and Barca Atletic are threatened by relegation to the fourth tier as things stand. The clubs believe that adding a player with Antonito's quality and potential could save them from facing a demotion at the end of the current campaign. As such, a fierce transfer battle could be on the cards.

DID YOU KNOW?

With Malaga, in the Segunda Division, Antonito already has three goals and three assists in 12 league appearances, out of which he has started just seven times.

He recently featured in three games for the Spain U19 side in their EURO U19 qualifiers, starting two games and coming off the bench in one. He scored a goal and had an assists in the 83 minutes he played against Faroe Islands U19.

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AFPWHAT NEXT?

Ultimately, the decision rests on the Malaga gem. The club are persistent in their efforts to have the player sign an extension, but his agent Pini Zahavi is currently among the most powerful football agents in the world. He is a close associate of Barcelona president Joan Laporta and also represents the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Hansi Flick. What happens in January would be interesting to watch, with Real also determined to sign one of Spain's brightest young talents.

Leeds United have had to deal with losing some of their top talent since they failed to secure promotion back to the Premier League last season.

Academy graduate and Championship Young Player of the Year Archie Gray was the first major exit from Elland Road, as he moved to Tottenham Hotspur, and Glen Kamara soon followed with a permanent switch to Rennes.

Now, the Whites are set to cash in on the Player of the Year from the second tier as Crysencio Summerville has agreed to join West Ham United in the top-flight for £25m.

The Dutch forward's expected exit is set to leave Daniel Farke's side short of options in the wide areas and Leeds are reportedly looking at one winger from the Premier League.

Leeds eyeing Premier League winger

According to Sky Sports transfer centre (01/08/2024), the Whites are one of a number of teams interested in a swoop for Crystal Palace gem Jesurun Rak-Sayki.

The report claims that Championship rivals Burnley and Sheffield United are also keen on a loan deal for the young Eagles whiz this summer.

It states that Premier League side Southampton are in talks to secure a permanent deal for the left-footed star's services, but Palace would like to send him out on loan to continue his development next season.

If Leeds win the race for his signature for the 2024/25 campaign then Rak-Sakyi could help Farke to forget about Summerville with his potential attacking quality on the flank.

Why Jesurun Rak-Sakyi could be a good signing for Leeds

The 21-year-old is a right winger by trade and could line up on that side of the attack, which would then allow Wilfried Gnonto to play on the left – cutting inside onto his favoured right foot.

It will take a lot to replace Summerville, who produced 19 goals and nine assists in the league last term, but Rak-Sakyi's form at youth level and for Charlton on loan in the 2022/23 campaign suggests that he has the potential to be a fantastic replacement.

Starts

40

41

Goals

15

19

Conversion rate

17%

15%

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8

9

Dribbles completed per game

1.8

2.3

As you can see in the table above, Rak-Sakyi caught the eye as both a scorer and a creator of goals in the third tier during his time with Charlton.

The English ace also racked up an eye-catching 24 goals and eight assists in 40 outings at U21 level for Palace, as well as eight goals and eight assists in 17 games at U18 level.

These statistics show that the £5.1k-per-week wizard has the potential to replace Summerville's goals and assists, or at least come close to doing so, if he can translate that form over to the Championship next term.

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The Whites are reportedly interested in a swoop to sign the central midfielder.

ByDan Emery Jul 31, 2024

Rak-Sakyi, who was described as "remarkable" by Roy Hodgson, could then help Farke to forget about the Dutch magician by coming in and providing an exciting attacking spark alongside the likes of Gnonto, Dan James, Mateo Joseph, and Georginio Rutter next season.

Bayern Munich boss Vincent Kompany has issued an injury update on Harry Kane after he limped out of his side's draw with Borussia Dortmund.

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Dortmund take on BayernKane picks up injuryKompany issues update on strikerFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Just after the hour mark of Borussia Dortmund's home Bundesliga clash with Bayern, a game that ended 1-1, the England international was forced off the field with what looked to be a thigh injury. After the match, manager Kompany quipped he could "sense the English worry" following this setback but hoped for the best for the 31-year-old.

AdvertisementWHAT KOMPANY SAID

Kompany said on the striker: "Harry said it's not too bad. Hopefully that's the case. We'll have the tests today and let’s see what happens. I could sense the English worry there…"

The coach then spoken about Kane's chance of facing Leverkusen next: "It will be tight. I don't know many players who managed to recover in such a short time. We'll know more tonight.

"Of course Harry's goals are very difficult to replace, but we said from the beginning that we trust the squad and the team. We managed to create many chances in the second half. The team is very well equipped with a lot of quality in attack. It's tough to replace Harry's quality one on one, but we can solve it differently with the other guys we have in the team."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Kane has proven to be a goalscoring machine for Bayern over the past 15 months or so, notching a whopping 64 goals in as many games. The England forward became the quickest player to reach 50 Bundesliga goals earlier this month and much of Bayern's success will likely be down to him. He and his team – who are top of the Bundesliga – will hope this is not a serious injury as they bid to win silverware once again following a trophyless 2023/24. Kane said after the game he wasn't sure how bad the injury was, telling Sky Germany reporter Kerry Hau: "I don't know. We have to look. We'll do a scan today (Saturday)."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

While Kane and Bayern wait to see the extent of the former Tottenham man's injury, the Bavarians take on defending DFB-Pokal champions Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16 of the competition on Tuesday night.

Ashwin explains the “different actions, different speeds, and different releases” he has had to use to stay on top of the batters

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Mar-20246:06

Dravid: ‘Really proud of how the team has evolved’

India, led by five-wicket hauls from Kuldeep Yadav and R Ashwin in the two innings, and an all-star batting display led by centuries from Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill, crushed England by an innings and 64 runs to win the series 4-1 in Dharamsala. Here is what Ashwin, who was playing his 100th Test, and head coach Rahul Dravid had to say afterwards on the official broadcast.Rahul DravidYeah, really proud, to be honest. To go behind in the first Test, obviously it was a little bit disappointing, but just credit to the team and all the players, the way they bounced back. I thought we were able to keep a lot of calmness in spite of losing that first match. I still believed that we had the skills and the abilities to compete. And just the way we performed, especially when we’ve been put under pressure at various stages in the series. We’ve always found people to step up, the team to stand up. So as a coach and as a support staff, I couldn’t be really prouder of this team and the way they’ve played right through the series.Related

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Obviously when you do lose players of the kind of experience and quality [Virat Kohli and Mohammed Shami missed out altogether and KL Rahul played just one Test] that we probably didn’t have in this series, it can be tough. I mean it can be tough just from an entertainment perspective for people who come to watch the series or follow the series – you want to watch some of the greatest players in the world play. But, having said that, I just always really believe that there’s an incredible amount of talent in India and a lot of young people, young players coming through. And it was a great opportunity for them to step up and show how good they are. And we saw that right throughout the series. And I think from our perspective, it was terrific to see the young players do well, but also I thought our performances were all-round; we had sort of total team performances. If you went down our whole squad, you’d see almost everyone contributed at some stage in the series, at critical stages. So, that was a pleasing thing for us from our perspective.[On the new players coming through] I think it’s nice. I think I’m privileged to work with a lovely team. It’s not just about me. And I think this is a fantastic bunch of professionals that I have the privilege of working with. And I’m learning from them all the time. Rohit [Sharma] has been fantastic to work with. I think he’s a terrific leader. And just the guys gravitate towards him phenomenally, which is fantastic to see. And also, I’d just like to give a big shout out to [chief selector] Ajit [Agarkar] and his team as well. A lot of the youngsters that come in, honestly, as a coach and as a captain, we don’t actually get to see them because we don’t see as much domestic cricket as Ajit and his team of selectors do. And they’ve pushed us and they’ve challenged us to pick some of these young players and they’ve picked the right ones and they’ve come out here and performed. So sometimes it’s not easy being a selector because you always get the criticism but a big credit and a big pat on the back to Ajit and his team as well.[Standout moment from the series] I don’t know. I mean, some great performances all through. Hard to pick probably one standout moment. Maybe, I’d just say Ashwin coming back to the team after what he went through. Yeah, performances are there and you’re expected to perform and you’re expected to do well. But, you know, Ash coming back after what he’d gone through for the team and wanting to come back and contribute to the team and the series, I think for me really signified what this team is about and what the character of this team is. And I think that was just for me, probably the standout moment of the series and really gladdens your heart as a coach to kind of environment that that had been created.Young guns: Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel and Yashasvi Jaiswal celebrate India’s 4-1 win•AFP/Getty ImagesR AshwinVery happy, can’t really put a wrapper on how I’m feeling. It’s been quite a lot that has happened over the last week or so, a lot of talk about the 100th Test. Overwhelmed, a lot of well-wishers have come forward and wished me well. Great previews by the media team of the BCCI. But to have a good game in terms of wickets, what more can a bowler ask for?[Five-for in 100th Test] Through the series, I have gone to different actions, different speeds, and different releases all because India is one place where we play in so many venues and every surface requires a different sort of skillset to be executed. But overall, I was pleased with how the ball came out in this game, even though I went for a few big hits. It’s probably because of the fact that the ball is hanging on both sides of the blade. Probably most pleased with this performance and the second innings at Ranchi.[On Ollie Pope’s wicket in Dharamsala] In India, sometimes the beauty is what’s gone by. And largely, cricket is a game played between the two sides of your head here. What went by was definitely going on in his head. I was expecting him to probably reverse his sweep. It looks like a lot is happening because the new ball is biting off the surface. That’s a time where you can utilise if you can gauge the batsmen properly. One good spell I went through this morning, and picked the batsmen’s particular shot as well.[On his experiments] I am least bit insecure about what people feel about me. I know as a cricketer or anybody at the top level of any other profession will have to take criticism from experts. This is one such case, I have kept my eyes open. I have listened to good feedback and good criticism and taken it on board. Unless I try, I will never be able to learn. So I lock away what I learn. I lock away the limitations of a particular learning. If I’m confident of trying and executing something, I will try that. I don’t want to hold back.I feel times have rolled along and, in a way, the number of video footages that you get, the video analysis you can do, and how frequently you play among the top Test nations, the batters are constantly prepared and they can line you up beautifully if you are the same person that you keep coming. Of course, there will be phases where you will keep it, you will find good lengths in certain spells, but sticking to one method won’t be good enough to dismiss batters. I am not saying it won’t work but thankfully, I am one of those who has experimented, learnt, and it has worked for me. I can’t say this is the method somebody else should stick to. But nevertheless, with all the video footage and analysis going on, it’s better if you stay on top of it.Yashasvi Jaiswal finished the series with 712 runs•AFP/Getty Images[On bowling with Kuldeep] From the far end, there was more bite, from the other end there was a bit more speed off the surface. If you can use it really well as you execute your skills you’ll learn about it, it really works. With the new ball, I got some bounce and kick today, that was really good. In the first innings, when Kuldeep came on that side, he was able to utilise it and all in all, I thought, the way the ball is coming out of Kuldeep’s hand is unbelievable. Watching a wristpinner in such flow and the kind of switches he has been able to make through the series and especially in the last ten months is so heartening to see. I can’t be more happy for somebody.Yashasvi JaiswalI think, I really enjoyed [the series]. It gives me a lot of experience and I’m really happy with the way I’ve played throughout, and I really enjoyed my innings. I was just thinking to play my shots, if I feel like I can score runs and if I feel like I can take the bowler down, then okay I need to take him down. [No goals in Test cricket] I’m just trying to play one match at a time and enjoy [it] and make sure that I do something for my team and help my team win. I’m always thinking that I need to contribute in any way to my team winning the game.Kuldeep Yadav[Is this the best he is bowling?] I think yes. It’s the hard work I did from the last couple of years, and I’m getting the reward.[On his best performance in the series] I think I bowled really well in Ranchi. I’d probably choose the Ranchi Test match. The way I used the drift over there was fantastic.I liked the Ben Stokes wicket as well in Ranchi. Probably I love the Zak Crawley wicket (too), it was a beautiful ball.[On improving as a bowler] Just the length. Just focusing on the length, just keep trying to bowl on a good length, that’s very important for any spinner in any format you play. It’s actually helping me a lot, not trying too much… not thinking about [anything else] but the length and what pace I am bowling. And my rhythm as well.[On his improvement as a batter] Credit goes to batting coach [Vikram Rathour]. He helped me a lot. Not only the skill aspect, I think mental aspect as well, just backing [yourself] every time I am doing a net session.

Still looking to complete more summer business before deadline day at the end of the month, Leicester City are now reportedly plotting a move to hijack Southampton's pursuit of a Premier League gem.

Leicester transfer news

The Foxes have had to be careful on the profit and sustainability front so far this summer, hoping to avoid a punishment that would leave their season in disarray before it's even underway. But that hasn't stopped them from welcoming several reinforcements and it may not stop them in pursuit of some ambitious additions, such as Steven Bergwijn.

The former Tottenham Hotspur winger could yet make his return to the Premier League courtesy of Leicester in a move that would see the Ajax captain hand Steve Cooper's attack a significant boost. What's more, according to Fabrizio Romano, the Foxes have agreed a deal to sign Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion for the season, with the focus clearly on Cooper's frontline this month.

After losing Kelechi Iheanacho at the end of his contract and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall to Chelsea earlier this summer, Cooper could certainly do with a spark to ignite his attack before the Premier League campaign gets underway, and the Foxes seem to be well aware of that.

Imagine him & Fofana: Leicester plotting move for "explosive" PL talent

Leicester City could seriously bolster their attacking options with this pair of new signings.

ByKelan Sarson Aug 7, 2024

According to Paul Joyce of The Times, Leicester are now plotting to hijack Southampton's move to sign Fabio Carvalho from Liverpool this summer. The Saints have already seen a £15m bid rejected by the Reds and reportedly upped their offer to around £20m in the hope of landing the attacking midfielder. Leicester may now swoop in right under their nose to land an impressive coup.

Carvalho has certainly impressed in pre-season too, scoring in a 2-1 defeat over Arsenal and a 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United. There's no doubting his quality – Leicester will just be hoping to be the side benefitting from it this season.

"Fantastic" Carvalho would replace Dewsbury-Hall

When Dewsbury-Hall swapped Leicester for Chelsea alongside Enzo Maresca earlier this summer, he left a significant gap in attacking quality that Carvalho could be left to replace in the forthcoming campaign. The Liverpool man has proved his quality in pre-season and, for that matter, whenever he's received an opportunity outside of Anfield, and has now earned a Premier League chance.

Goals

9

12

Assists

2

14

Key Passes per 90

2.01

2.70

Minutes

1,882

3,636

In an outstanding loan spell at Hull City in the second-half of last season, Carvalho revived his campaign and earned the praise of former manager Liam Rosenior as a result, who said via the Hull Daily Mail: "His mentality is humble. He wants to work. "I have to drag him off the training pitch every day. I walked into our old dressing room yesterday afternoon, he's cleaning his boots in the sink.

"He's just so humble, and he's going to have a great career because he's got the right mentality and it's not. The goal pleases me. The goal pleases me, and it's fantastic and that's why we brought him in."

Arsenal's clash with Manchester United headlines the FA Cup third round draw while Liverpool will host Accrington Stanley and Tottenham face Tamworth.

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Premier League teams enter FA CupBix Six discover third-round opponentsHolders Man Utd face ArsenalFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

The draw for the FA Cup third round was made on Monday evening and is headlined by the fact that Arsenal will host Man United in a stern test of the Red Devils' credentials to retain the trophy they won under Erik ten Hag. Elsewhere, Manchester City drew Salford City, a club owned by the Class of 92, a group of United legends. Tottenham will head down the leagues, as they face National League Tamworth away from home.

AdvertisementAFPWHO WILL THE BIG SIX PLAY?

The big six in the Premier League have been drawn against the following opponents:

Liverpool vs Accrington Stanley

Manchester City vs Salford City

Chelsea vs Morecambe

Arsenal vs Manchester United

Tamworth vs Tottenham Hotspur

Your team not among the bix six? The full third-round draw has been made.

WHEN WILL THE GAMES BE PLAYED?

The fixtures will be played over the weekend of the 11th of January. It remains to be seen which games will be scheduled for television but that will be announced shortly. Arsenal's clash with United and Spurs' trip to Tamworth are almost inevitable, as is Liverpool's clash with Accrington Stanley.

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT?

The busy Christmas period comes before the third round of the FA Cup kicks off. Most Premier League teams face seven domestic games before the weekend of the 11th of January. Squad rotation will be key as the likes of Arsenal and Chelsea try to stop Liverpool pulling even further away at the top of the table, while the FA Cup may provide some respite to a struggling Man City side.

Leeds United fans would have accepted the odd departure here or there this summer, knowing that it was a likely outcome that their squad could be picked off bit by bit after not winning promotion to the Premier League.

Yet, with Georginio Rutter now expected to head for the exit door for £40m to move to Brighton and Hove Albion, Daniel Farke's men are set to lose Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and their sensational Frenchman all in the space of the same catastrophic transfer window.

This might well have been an easier reality to stomach from the point of view of the Championship promotion challengers if they all moved on gradually over time, but the sudden nature of all of their top talents leaving the building will be a hard one to take if you're an ardent Leeds fan.

The latest on Rutter's future at Leeds

The 2023 signing featured during Leeds' dismal League Cup defeat to Middlesbrough on Wednesday evening but that is likely to be the last we see of him at Elland Road.

Just hours after the game had finished, reports emerged that Brighton had activated Rutter's £40m release clause, an exit fee that was due to expire at midnight on Thursday.

Since then, Farke has all but confirmed the attacker will be on his way out, with the player saying his goodbyes to the club.

Despite this setback, the Whites have bounced back from bigger departures in the past and will strive to do the same here, with Raphinha's exit to Barcelona in 2022 another soul-sapping loss of personnel at the time.

Raphinha's time at Leeds

The entertaining South American attacker would swap Rennes for Leeds before the 2020/21 season, becoming a statement capture after Marcelo Bielsa's Whites had finally returned to the promised land of the Premier League.

He would be an instant success wearing Leeds white, with six goals and nine assists registered during his debut campaign, before taking it up a notch during his second, and final season with 11 goals fired in from 35 games, even as his side tried to keep their heads above water at the foot of the league.

That would signal the end of Raphinha's fleeting, but meaningful, love affair with the West Yorkshire titans, with a bumper move to Barcelona sealed that summer.

The Whites finally suffered relegation without their Brazilian "magician" – as he was labelled by former Leeds teammate Daniel James – when the pair played alongside each other at Elland Road.

Leeds didn't let their star man exit without getting a pretty penny out of the Catalonian giants first, however, with £55m sent the way of his former employers, making him the most expensive sale in the club's history.

Archie Gray's sale of £30m to Tottenham Hotspur this summer feels miniscule in comparison, whilst those at Leeds will be cursing the decision-making of those formerly trusted with overseeing proceedings that allowed a £40m release clause to be placed above Rutter's head, that now sees him set to move away to the Seagulls.

Raphinha's transfer value in 2024

Leeds will hope that they end up winning in terms of the major move, as £40m is still a sizeable amount of money to work with when it comes to luring new incomings through the door.

Moreover, Raphinha has struggled to settle in Spain since exiting Elland Road, so it could be said that the Championship outfit cashed in at the best possible time in that regard, instead of allowing his value to potentially deteriorate if he wasn't let go in his prime.

Therefore, the same could be true for Rutter, who might well be a flash-in-the-pan signing by Brighton, considering his past woes in the division with the Whites.

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Finding himself in and out of the Barca first team ranks owing to recurring injury issues last season in LaLiga, Raphinha could now welcome a return back to England according to reports, with Transfermarkt speculating that his valuation for a club to snap him up would still be in the region of £42m.

That's £2m more than what Leeds are managing to get out of Rutter, despite the former TSG 1899 Hoffenheim attacker setting the second alight last campaign with six goals and 15 assists collected from 45 contests.

Leeds will just hope Rutter doesn't go on to become an established top performer moving on up a league, resulting in his value going up and up, way above the £40m that has resulted in the 22-year-old star departing Elland Road prematurely.

Not just Rutter: 4/10 star should never play for Leeds again after Boro

Leeds United fans wouldn’t be too sad to see the back of this dud away from Georginio Rutter’s expected exit.

1 ByKelan Sarson Aug 15, 2024

Bangladesh’s centurion is looking forward to making an even bigger score against Sri Lanka in Pallekele

Mohammad Isam21-Apr-2021Many would’ve been surprised at seeing Najmul Hossain Shanto’s name in the Bangladesh team sheet in Pallekele. He had averaged 11.14 in seven innings against West Indies after the coach and captain publicly backed him to be their No. 3. In fact, the insistence on Shanto over Shakib Al Hasan at No. 3 in the ODIs raised many eyebrows. Then he didn’t perform against West Indies, and his only innings in New Zealand saw him bowled off a half-tracker. A team that has lost their last eight matches finds it hard to answer questions about an under-performing batter.If not the whole answer, Shanto has given a sample of his ability with an unbeaten 126 on the first day against Sri Lanka. This maiden Test century couldn’t have come at a better time for someone under pressure to perform regularly.By batting seven-and-a-half hours, Shanto did what most No. 3s around the world do on a true pitch against an inconsistent bowling attack. He helped the team recover from an early wicket, supported an aggressive batter and then controlled the innings with the No. 4. He added 144 with Tamim Iqbal and 150 with Mominul Haque, neither dominating nor falling behind. Shanto called it an “organised” innings where he didn’t want to rush into anything. But it was clear from his words that it took a lot of effort to reach this mindset after being so clumsy and wayward against West Indies couple of months ago.”I don’t think it was about proving myself,” Shanto said. “I have worked hard in the last five or six months and although I didn’t get the result, I believed in myself to score big runs. It was important for me not to rush anything. I think I played a much organised innings. Of course Tamim batted very well. He was scoring quickly, which allowed me to take a bit of time. His innings was helpful for me. I tried to bat according to the merit of the ball.””I think I was mentally relaxed today. I wasn’t too worried about scoring runs. It was more about enjoying the innings. I just reacted to every ball. I didn’t look at the scoreboard to check how much I made or how many balls I faced.”The fact that he understands the value of patience was readily apparent in how he didn’t mind taking 38 balls to move from 90 to 100. When he finally reached the three-figure mark, he smiled and gave a bow towards his dressing room.Shanto said that he didn’t show a lot of emotion because he believes he isn’t done in the innings. He also said that he tried to block out the outside noise during his run of poor form. “I believed I could make a big one so there wasn’t much to be excited about. I want to bat long tomorrow and play more matches in the future.”Honestly, I don’t focus on what’s being said about me. I heard some stuff from my family members. Maybe people believe I have the ability to do well which is why there is a lot of expectations from me,” he said.Shanto said that the pitch, with a tinge of green, was good for batting after they rode out the first hour. He is looking ahead to the second day, and particularly the first session, for a bigger score for himself and the team.”When I reached the middle, Tamim told me I should bat knowing that this is a good wicket. He told me that I shouldn’t worry too much about the wicket. Here the new ball does a bit, as you saw even at the end of the day.”It is a good wicket. I will try to bat as long as possible tomorrow by staying positive. We must bat well in the first session on the second day. Only after that, we will know what would be a good first innings total,” he said.

Leeds United are believed to have made a surprise approach for an "absolutely top class" player this summer, according to a new transfer rumour.

More Leeds signings needed after Ramazani

The Whites most recently acquired the signature of Largie Ramazani, with the winger arriving on a permanent basis from Almeria, having scored three goals and chipped in with five assists in La Liga last season.

While the diminutive Belgian represents an exciting piece of business for Leeds, coming in and helping make up for the loss of Crysencio Summerville to West Ham, it is still clear that further additions are needed in the next week or so before the transfer window closes.

Archie Gray's exit to Tottenham has heightened the need for a new right-back to come in for Daniel Farke, even though Jayden Bogle has joined from Sheffield United, and a central midfielder is also vital after Glen Kamara's departure to Ligue 1 side Rennes.

It looks as though Leeds may be set to address one of those aforementioned areas of focus, with a new update dropping regarding their upcoming business.

Leeds make loan approach for "top class" player

According to Football Insider, Leeds have made an approach by registering their interest in Bournemouth defender Max Aarons, seeing him as a good option to bring in on loan.

The Whites are thought to be "readying a surprise move" for the £35,000-a-week right-back, and perhaps most significant is the fact that Farke is believed to be a "big fan", having worked together during their Norwich City days.

Aarons could be such a shrewd signing by Leeds this month, gaining so much experience over the years and proving to be a right-back who could offer quality at both ends of the pitch. The fact that Farke knows him so well can only bode well, too.

At 24, he still has a lot to offer in his career, and given his lack of playing time at Bournemouth – only 13 starts came his way in the Premier League last season – he could feel that now is the best time for him to move to another club.

Aarons has made 90 appearances in the Premier League, which shows how experienced he is at playing at a high level, as well as appearing 131 times in the Championship, scoring five goals and registering 13 assists for good measure. Meanwhile, former Norwich manager David Wagner once said of him: "Everybody knows how highly we rate him as a player and as a person as well. He's been absolutely top class."

The former Norwich City man could come in and provide competition for Bogle, who can also operate as a winger, meaning that he may even be first-choice from the off, boosting Leeds' hopes of returning to the Premier League in the process.

£20,000-p/w Leeds player who Farke starts is pushing to leave Elland Road

He played against West Brom last weekend.

1 ByHenry Jackson Aug 23, 2024

A 27-time capped England Under-21 international, Aarons may not have made the step up to being an elite-level right-back, but he could be one of the best players in the Championship in his position, becoming a key man for the Whites.

Real Madrid will reportedly 'abandon' a January pursuit of Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold in the hope of signing him for free next summer.

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TAA out of contract in 2025Linked with Real Madrid transferJanuary move for Liverpool ace ruled outFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Madrid are ready to 'abandon' a January move for Alexander-Arnold as Liverpool are 'unlikely' to part company with him in early 2025. The Reds are trying to retain the services of the 26-year-old, whose contract expires next summer, but at present, he is no closer to signing a new deal.

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Madrid are in the market for a new right-back as Dani Carvajal is sidelined for the long term with a cruciate ligament injury. Even though the Spaniard is potentially out for the season, Los Blancos are reportedly not prepared to fork out a hefty sum for Alexander-Arnold in January. Liverpool are eager to keep onto the England international and team-mates Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah – all of whom are into the last year of their Anfield contracts.

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If Madrid are unable to convince Alexander-Arnold to join them, GOAL revealed that they are keeping tabs on Manchester United full-back Diogo Dalot – whose contract at Old Trafford runs until 2028. Sources understand he would cost around €50 million (£40m) to land in January.

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Aside from transfer speculation and whether or not Alexander-Arnold will stay at Liverpool, his Premier League table-topping side travel to Newcastle United on Wednesday.