Southampton are expected to lose some key players between now and the end of the transfer window, as long-serving skipper James Ward-Prowse and in-demand pair Romeo Lavia and Tino Livramento continue to be linked with the St Mary's exit.

What players have Southampton sold?

Since finishing bottom of the Premier League, and thus finding themselves in the Championship this coming season, Southampton have sold Mislav Orsic to Trabzonspor and released the likes of Mohamed Elyounoussi and Theo Walcott.

In truth, none of those losses will be majorly felt as the south coast side seek an instant return to the big time, but that could soon change given the speculation surrounding the aforementioned trio of Ward-Prowse, Lavia and Livramento.

There does not seem to be a top-flight side that has not shown an interest in Lavia, with Liverpool now looking well-positioned to sign the defender, while Livramento is supposedly wanted by Chelsea and Newcastle United.

The Saints could raise large sums for both, but it goes beyond money alone when it comes to Ward-Prowse. However, the Daily Mail claims Southampton are in talks with Everton for Mason Holgate, which could go a long way to softening the blow of the club captain departing.

What position does Mason Holgate play?

While Holgate has featured as a holding midfielder at times, he is a centre-back by trade who can occasionally fill in on the right. That means he is not a like-for-like replacement for West Ham United target Ward-Prowse, but Russell Martin is no doubt already on the lookout for a central midfielder.

Instead, Holgate can take over from Ward-Prowse – assuming the fan favourite does indeed move on this summer – in terms of his leadership qualities.

The 26-year-old has previously captained Everton and has been hailed as a "leader" by the Liverpool Echo's Sam Carroll. Southampton still have plenty of quality in their squad, but they lack obvious leaders beyond Ward-Prowse.

As someone who has been on Everton's books since 2015, Holgate is clearly loyal and also a team player, given he has had to be patient for his limited opportunities at Goodison Park.

That is not to mention the other qualities Holgate can bring to Southampton, such as his ability to clear the ball and tackle opponents – arguably the two most important traits for any centre-back.

Holgate ranks in the top 11% of all centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for clearances per 90 minutes (4.97), according to FBref, as well as the top 21% for interceptions per 90 (1.24).

The Doncaster native is also capable of bringing the ball out from the back, ranked as he is in the top 11% for successful take-ons per 90 minutes (0.53).

While it must be factored in that Holgate – valued at around £4m by Football Observatory – only played 508 minutes of Premier League football last season, the numbers show that he stood up when called upon.

If the former England U21 international now has to drop down a tier to play regular football, it may well be that Everton's loss is Southampton's gain.

ScorecardJames Pattinson claimed three wickets for no runs to wreck Kent’s top-order•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire are in no rush to sign up another overseas player when James Pattinson returns to Australia after Saturday’s Royal London One-Day Cup final.The 27-year-old fast bowler has given the Division Two leaders outstanding service, with 12 wickets in his nine one-day matches and 31 to date in five appearances in the Championship, having reached that total by taking three wickets in eight balls to begin the dismantling of Kent’s first innings here, after which Nottinghamshire came through a testing first floodlit passage of the match in what they will feel is pretty good shape.Had Pattinson not missed four Championship matches during the Champions Trophy, when he was frustrated not to play in any of Australia’s fixtures, he could be past 50 first-class wickets for the season already, which is why Nottinghamshire will keep his place in the side vacant for as long as possible in the hope of seeing him again before the summer is out.Pattinson is in the squad for Australia’s tour of Bangladesh at the end of August but until the contract dispute between the players and Cricket Australia is settled, it cannot be taken for granted that the tour will go ahead. The current contracts expire on Friday.Were Nottinghamshire to have Pattinson back when the Championship run-in begins on August 28, they could confidently expect to have the firepower to bring a successful conclusion to their promotion bid, irrespective of whether Stuart Broad and Jake Ball are required by England.”Happily we’ve got a bit of time on our side,” Mick Newell, the county’s director of cricket said. “After this match, we just have the Championship match against Derbyshire between now and August 28 and there is the option to play Dan Christian or Ish Sodhi in that one. So we can wait and see how things unfold with James before we decide whether to look at anyone else.”Kent were probably fortunate to lose only three wickets to Pattinson as Nottinghamshire’s attack, missing Broad because of the heel injury that threatens his participation in Saturday’s one-day final, proved as effective with the pink ball as they have been with the red.He bowled just as impressively in his second spell as his first, bowling full and straight and fast, getting inswing and outswing, and another burst of wickets always seemed likely. As it was, after seeing Will Gidman escape twice in the same over, dropped by Steven Mullaney in the slips and then almost snapped up by Chris Read, he had to be content with three.Only Daniel Bell-Drummond came between Kent and a still-more painful indictment of their decision to bat first on a greenish pitch, carrying his bat for 84. At 23 years old, he continues to grow in stature, steadfast where others at times were betrayed by impatience or misjudgement.At 6 for 3, Sam Billings – dropping in for half this match between T20 and England Lions assignments – decided to counter-attack aggressively, taking on both Pattinson and Ball with some success. It was a major blow for Kent, then, that a loose drive against Luke Fletcher saw his assault ended earlier than it should have been.Darren Stevens also paid the price for taking liberties with Fletcher. Gidman, having survived against Pattinson while in single figures, helped Bell-Drummond add 55 before being yorked by Harry Gurney but the prospects for a Bell-Drummond century and a Kent batting point receded rapidly as Mullaney, something of a partnership-breaker with his skilful medium pace, took three wickets in the space of 13 deliveries. Mitch Claydon, not unusually, did not hang around long enough to delay the second interval.Thus Nottinghamshire had maximum bowling points, as they have in all their nine matches so far. Yet the achievement was double-edged this time, perhaps, in that it required their batsmen to step into the unknown, facing the pink ball under lights.Kent didn’t threaten them much at first. Matt Coles offered too much width and Stevens, who took the new ball ahead of the debutant New Zealand quick Adam Milne, was fairly easily kept out, with little forewarning of the edge to third slip that saw Jake Libby depart at the end of the 14th over.They were now at the difficult stage, when the floodlights were not quite in charge, for which they had practised in a mock-up last Friday evening without gaining much confidence.Kent’s tails were up briefly as Brendan Taylor and Samit Patel, both in form – Patel with back-to-back double hundreds – went cheaply, although the balls that did for them would probably have succeeded in any light and with any colour. Taylor was caught behind trying to fend off a snorter from Milne and Patel lost his off stump to a lovely ball from Coles that swung late, much to the relief of Joe Denly, who had dropped him at gully second ball off Milne.Nottinghamshire’s confidence, then, will have been much bolstered by emerging from the remaining hour and a half with no more setbacks, particularly given that Mullaney, dropped on 50 off a hard chance to gully off Stevens, had to contend with an upset stomach as well as a hostile Milne. He and Alex Hales have added 83.

India would not have expected their successes to come quite as easily as they have so far on this tour. There’s little to suggest the trend will be bucked in Pallekele

The Preview by Andrew Fidel Fernando23-Aug-20172:27

Maharoof: SL look depleted, a turnaround will be difficult

Match FactsAugust 24, 2017
Start time 1430 local (0900GMT)Big Picture
If anything, the first ODI was even more of a pounding than the Tests had been. After Sri Lanka’s batsmen had taken turns torching their own innings in quick succession, India appeared as if they could have doubled Sri Lanka’s score in the fifty overs. Sri Lanka might not even have taken a wicket had Rohit Sharma’s bat not got been lodged in some sticky Dambulla soil. Then, completing the embarrassment, the team’s bus was held up by demonstrators, who demanded that Sri Lanka’s cricket be pruned of politics, and voiced their raucous displeasure at the team. Sri Lanka Cricket has been unpopular in the past, but it’s fair to say now that this particular board’s reputation is in tatters – worse than ever before.Pandya with the new ball is a great option – Kohli

Virat Kohli believes Hardik Pandya, the new ball bowler, will lend a new dimension to India’s bowling attack as they look to narrow down on options ahead of the 2019 World Cup. Pandya has opened the bowling in six of his 18 ODI appearances so far.
“It’s quite possible, because he has the ability to swing the ball and he can bowl consistently over 135 kmph,” Kohli said. “With the new ball he can get a bit of extra bounce because of his height. We certainly look at it as a great option for us.
“If the teams try going after him, he can pick up a couple of wickets. Also (Jasprit) Bumrah is your strike bowler and he comes in one-change. The teams obviously will be a bit more wary against him so that really gives us good balance in terms of who to use when.”

It is a tour of increasing ease for India, who were always favourites, but would not have expected their success to come quite this easy. Shikhar Dhawan has buffed his stats beautifully in the island, hitting two hundreds in the Tests, and now posting a rapid ton in the first ODI. Virat Kohli might also have moved to triple figures on Sunday had the target been large enough to accommodate it. And Sri Lanka’s batsmen seem all too willing to lose wickets to whoever India throw the ball to.In the first match, they surrendered to the left-arm spin of Axar Patel, and the decidedly part-time stylings of Kedar Jadav. Beyond runs, wickets and rankings points, what are India themselves gaining from the contest? How will feasting on a meek Sri Lanka serve them as they build towards the 2019 World Cup?Sri Lanka have now returned to the site of their worst Test defeat in the island in the recent Test series (and in recent years), and must summon up the resolve to raise all three disciplines of their cricket out of their present shambles. The fielding hasn’t been talked about so much recently because the batting and bowling have been so bad, but with Upul Tharanga’s reprieve of Shikhar Dhawan, they have dropped no fewer than 63 catches (across formats) since the start of the year.Where, usually, when a team is struggling, the senior players might be expected to lead the way with good performances, it is Sri Lanka’s youngsters – Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka and the like – who seem most capable of lifting Sri Lank out of their pit.Form guideSri Lanka LLLWW(completed matches, most recent first)
India WWLWWIn the spotlight
Nine matches, seven wickets, an average of 61.71 and an economy rate of 5.93. There lie Lasith Malinga’s returns since his ODI comeback this year. What these numbers don’t tell you is that Malinga has had no fewer than eight catches dropped off his bowling (at least half of them easy chances), but still, he is very reliant on his wiles now, where once he also had the option of blasting batsmen out with raw pace. Given the inexperience of the remaining bowlers, Sri Lanka need Malinga to spark the attack into form. It has often been said that thanks to the IPL, no one has seen more of Malinga than India’s batsmen, but it is also true that Malinga knows those batsmen better than anyone else.While one limited-overs legend wanes, a bowler that has benefited from Malinga’s mentorship aspires to fulfil a similar role for his team. Jasprit Bumrah hasn’t had the best 2017 so far, perhaps, claiming only 11 wickets at 41.81, but took 2 for 22 from 6.2 overs at Dambulla, and the Sri Lanka innings didn’t even get to the death-overs stage, where Bumrah ordinarily prospers. Having had an excellent start to international cricket last year, Bumrah will now hope to lock down a place in the XI for that 2019 campaign. His yorkers are already pinpoint, but a little more menace with the new ball could potentially see him become one of the best ODI bowlers around.Team news
Sri Lanka have said that changes are on the way, and this generally means the attack is about to be switched up. Akila Dananjaya could replace Lakshan Sandakan on the spin-bowling front. Thisara Perera’s place could also be in question following his modest performance with ball and bat in the previous match. Milinda Siriwardana seems likeliest to replace him, provided Sri Lanka are happy to field three spinners.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Upul Tharanga (capt.), 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Chamara Kapugedara, 7 Milinda Siriwardanan 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Akila Dananjaya, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Vishwa FernandoKohli also hinted that India would try a few things in this series, but perhaps they will hope to win it first before any experiments are carried out. Their XI might be very similar to that which played at Dambulla. No one really had a poor game.India (possible): 1 Rohit Sharma, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli (capt.), 4 KL Rahul, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Kedar Jadhav, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Axar Patel, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 11 Jasprit BumrahPitch and conditions
The Pallekele pitch can often be seam-friendly under lights, but that does not mean spinners cannot be very effective there. As ever, with this stadium, there is a chance play will be interrupted by rain.Stats and trivia India have now won 15 of the last 19 ODIs between these two sides. For the year, they have won nine games and lost four. In 10 ODIs against Sri Lanka, Shikhar Dhawan has hit 757 runs at an average of 84.11 and a strike rate of 96.67. Among teams he has played more than one match against, Sri Lanka are easily his favourite opponent. India, meanwhile, are Lasith Malinga’s least-favourite opponent. He averages 43.88 and has an economy rate of 5.99 against them. The match will be Sri Lanka’s 800th ODI.Quotes
“I havent had a look at the wicket yet. If the wicket is similar to Dambulla I don’t see any reason to change the team just after one game. As I said, it was a near perfect game for us… I wouldn’t say perfect because we came back into the game beautifully and then consolidated it with the bat. We looked really sharp in the field as well. I am very happy with how we went in the first game, and then we will decide after having a look at the wicket.”
“Malinga is a leader in the change room. We don’t look purely at what he can do with the ball, but also look at what he does for the young bowlers, and we have got a young mob of them. Stats may show that he hasn’t performed like the Lasith of three years ago, but what he does add in value is immeasurable. His stats would also look different if we held the catches off his bowling.”

Glasgow Rangers have enjoyed plenty of success with American players throughout the years, with some of them contributing towards various successful periods in the club's history.

Which American players have played for Rangers?

Think back to Claudio Reyna, who made 83 appearances for the Gers across two and half seasons, or even to Damarcus Beasley, who despite being very much a Jekyll and Hyde type of player, he was unstoppable on his day, scoring a wonderful goal against Lyon in the Champions League as he won two league titles at Ibrox.

Even players such as Malik Tillman and Carlos Bocanegra, who enjoyed short stints at the Light Blues, will be remembered fondly, however, it is perhaps Maurice Edu who enjoyed the greatest success by an American player at Rangers.

Over 122 appearances at the Gers, he played a key part in three league title triumphs and his last-gasp winner against Celtic in February 2010 was a decisive moment in the title race that season.

He joined from MLS side Toronto and with Michael Beale aiming to bolster his squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign, there have been links to several players who are playing their trade in America, including Jose Cifuentes and Brandon Vazquez.

The Light Blues have been linked with a move for the FC Cincinnati forward this year, even going as far as to scout him ahead of any potential move. That, however, was back in April, so any move would now have to be revived.

Could Rangers sign Brandon Vazquez?

With Beale managing to secure the signings of Abdallah Sima, Sam Lammers and Cyriel Dessers already this summer, it looks as though he is in the market for one more forward option which will complete his attack.

Brazilian striker Danilo appears to be the main target, with Rangers putting in a second bid in order to lure him from Feyenoord, however, Vazquez would also be an excellent option.

Scoring 20 goals and grabbing eight assists during the 2022 MLS season was highly impressive and this led journalist Chris Smith to describe him as a player who has “developed into a ruthless goalscoring machine” following his exploits last year.

The 6 foot 2 forward has continued his rich vein of form into the current MLS campaign, already scoring four goals and grabbing two assists in 18 games, adding another two goals in the US Open Cup.

He ranks third in the squad for big chances created (four), fifth for successful dribbles per game (0.9) and fourth for shots on target per game (0.9), suggesting that he is among one of the best attacking options at the club and although not yet reaching the highs of 2022, there is still time for him to improve his goal tally.

Comparatively, Edu arrived at Rangers as a relatively unknown quantity and the late Walter Smith turned him into a solid midfielder who enjoyed some excellent moments at the club.

Vazquez is perhaps slightly more well-known, however, the same principles could apply and adding the striker to the squad ahead of a Premiership title tilt next season could allow the Gers to repeat their Edu masterclass from 2008 and enjoy more American success.

Tottenham Hotspur have now made contact with the agent of Fiorentina's Arthur Cabral to discuss a summer move, with the striker viewed as a potential replacement for Harry Kane, according to a report from Goal.

Is Harry Kane leaving Tottenham?

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has recently called on the club's hierarchy to resolve the situation surrounding Kane's future, saying: "[It’s] fair to say I am not relaxed about it! It’s not something you go: ‘Ah, well, you know if it does or doesn’t happen!’ I mean it’s a very important part of this football club, not just the team, but the football club."

"So, you’ve got to deal with it, and I think, for everyone concerned, we don’t want to be doing it for too long. I don’t think that is good for anyone."

However, it appears as though the transfer saga is going to continue for a little while longer, as Bayern Munich are now preparing to put a third offer on the table for the England international, which is expected to arrive at the end of the month.

The striker allegedly believes he would have a strong chance of winning the Champions League with Bayern, and he is ready to make a move to the Allianz Arena this summer.

Sky Sports reports that the 29-year-old will not sign a new contract this summer, and he remains open to formal talks with Bayern Munich.

As such, Spurs have started to run the rule over potential replacements for their talisman, and they have now made their first move to sign Cabral, according to a report from Goal Brasil (via Sport Witness).

With the Lilywhites worried about Kane's potential departure, they have made contact with the agent of the Fiorentina striker, who is valued at around €40m (£34m) by his current club.

As it stands, Tottenham are just gathering more information about the situation, and he is not the only striker being considered, with several other names on the list of targets.

Who is Arthur Cabral?

The Brazil-born forward first started to make a name for himself during his time with FC Basel, scoring a total of 65 goals in 106 appearances for the Swiss club, before completing a move to Fiorentina, where he has continued to impress.

Last season, the 25-year-old scored 17 goals in all competitions for the Europa Conference League runners-up, having found his feet in the Serie A after a slow start to life in Florence, scoring just two goals in 14 games during the 2021-22 campaign.

The former Basel man has been lauded as a "goal machine" by football scout Jacek Kulig, with Daily Mail reporter Matt Barlow claiming he is good with both feet, and strong in the air.

Although Cabral had a solid 2022/23 campaign with Fiorentina, he is still yet to prove himself at the highest level, so there are question marks about whether he would be a suitable replacement for Kane.

Of course, Spurs are unlikely to bring in anyone capable of scoring 30 Premier League goals in a season as Kane did last term, though they should still be able to attract a better replacement than the Fiorentina striker.

أعلن المدير الفني لفريق ريال مدريد، كارلو أنشيلوتي، التشكيل الأساسي لمواجهة ريال سوسيداد مساء اليوم في الدوري الإسباني.

ويلتقي الفريقان، مساء اليوم الجمعة، في مستهل مباريات الجولة الثالثة والثلاثين من الليجا موسم 2023/24.

اقرأ أيضًا.. تغيير في قائمة ريال مدريد المستدعاة لمباراة ريال سوسيداد

ويمتلك ريال مدريد 81 نقطة في المركز الأول، بينما يحتل ريال سوسيداد المركز السادس برصيد 51 نقطة.

وشهد التشكيل الأساسي تغييرات جذرية مع استعداد ريال مدريد لخوض مباراته ضد بايرن ميونخ الثلاثاء المقبل، في ذهاب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا. تشكيل ريال مدريد اليوم أمام ريال سوسيداد في الدوري الإسباني

حراسة المرمى: كيبا.

خط الدفاع: كارفاخال، ميليتاو، ناتشو، فيران جراسيا.

خط الوسط: تشواميني، لوكا مودريتش، سيبايوس.

خط الهجوم: إبراهيم دياز، خوسيلو، أردا جولر.

البدلاء: لونين، بيلينجهام، فينيسيوس جونيور، توني كروس، كامافينجا، فيدي فالفيردي، فاسكيز، روديجر.

Tottenham Hotspur's search to find a suitable successor to Harry Kane continues, with the latest reports indicating that the Lilywhites are plotting a move for Nottingham Forest speedster, Brennan Johnson.

How much would Brennan Johnson cost?

According to Football Insider, the north London outfit are currently 'keeping tabs' on the 22-year-old in their bid to land a possible replacement for Kane, with the latter man still looking set for a summer move to Bayern Munich.

As per the piece, Forest could be willing to sanction a sale if they are to receive a bid in excess of £40m, with both Aston Villa and Brentford – the latter of whom has already seen a £35m offer rejected – also in the race for his signature.

Read the latest Tottenham transfer news HERE…

This follows similar claims made by the Daily Mail's Simon Jones earlier this week, with the transfer insider reporting that while those at the City Ground are looking for a figure close to £50m, Spurs are keen to find something of a 'middle ground'.

How would Brennan Johnson fit in at Tottenham?

As the Independent's Miguel Delaney previously wrote, Spurs are unlikely to try and acquire a direct replacement for Kane through the middle, with the desire instead 'to reshape the attack amid Ange Postecoglou’s fluid new style'.

Johnson, therefore, could represent the attacking figurehead of that new-look front line, with there a potential for the former Lincoln City loanee to be flanked by the likes of Heung-min Son and Dejan Kulusevski next season.

If the 19-cap international is to arrive through the door at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium it could then spell bad news for last year's summer signing, Richarlison, with the £60m addition potentially set to see his hopes of taking on the central striker role threatened.

The former Everton talisman endured a dismal debut season at N17 after scoring just a solitary Premier League goal, with Johnson, by contrast, scoring eight times to help Steve Cooper's men stave off relegation.

While the Brazilian did recently net a hat-trick against Lion City Sailors while on pre-season, it remains to be seen if the 26-year-old can replicate such heroics in the upcoming campaign, with talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor previously criticising the mercurial talent for having no "standout attributes".

Having failed to fire in 2022/23, Richarlison was also rather limited in a creative sense after creating just a solitary big chance from his 27 league outings, while his Forest counterpart created four big chances from his 38 appearances for the Midlands side.

Described as a "superb talent" by scout Jacek Kulig, Johnson had previously illustrated his devastating brilliance after registering 26 goal involvements as part of his current side's successful promotion charge during the 2021/22 campaign,

While that stellar haul did come in the second tier, it is still beyond anything that the current Spurs man has achieved during his time in English football to date, with the £90k-per-week man having hit career-best figures of 16 goals and assists in the league during the 2019/20 season while at Goodison Park.

That could well suggest that if Postecoglou does reinvest any potential Kane funds in Johnson, it could be Richarlison that proves one of the notable victims of that transaction.

ESPNcricinfo previews the three Women’s World Cup Games to be played on July 12, 2017

The Preview by Annesha Ghosh11-Jul-2017Five rounds, 21 matches and 18 days since its start, the Women’s World Cup is still without a confirmed semi-finalist. That will change after Wednesday’s triple-header that features all of the top five teams, each within a point of the other. If teams have equal points, then the semifinalists will be decided by most wins, then Net Run Rate, and finally head-to-head.

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Though they hold a 33-8 advantage in meetings against India, Australia have reason to be wary, having suffered their first loss of the tournament, against England. Captain Meg Lanning called for more discipline from the bowlers, with Australia conceding 32 wides.Lanning may also want to avoid too much experimentation in the slog overs. Her gamble of using the part-time medium-pace of Elyse Villani in the 50th over against England cost them 13 runs.Australia’s batting order struggled against left-arm spinner Alex Hartley. That could be the cue for India to add a fifth spinner in place of opener Punam Raut. Raut has scored only 85 off 143 balls in four games since her 86 against England. Left-arm spinner Rajeshwari Gayakwad’s ability to deftly flight the ball and get it to dip and turn, and the fact that she’s picked at least one wicket in her last nine ODI innings, including three four-wicket hauls and a three-for, should strengthen her case for inclusion.By extension, letting Deepti Sharma open with Smriti Mandhana would also help Mithali Raj ease back into her regular No. 3 slot. Batting a position down since the tournament opener against England has coincided with a slump for the Indian captain.Shikha Pandey, who had finished as India’s leading wicket-taker in the ODI series against Australia in 2016, explained the need for the team to impose themselves on their opponents to come out of the uncertainty the loss to South Africa has put them into. “We need to pull ourselves back from the defeat. The best cricket that we can play is there, so hopefully it will come against Australia. Our initial breakthrough has been a concern for us. We need to play more attacking cricket.”South Africa will bank on Dane van Niekerk’s imperious form•ICC

South Africa, red-hot after an emphatic 115-run victory against India, will be eyeing their fourth win in the tournament in Taunton against Sri Lanka.The last time the two sides met, at the World Cup qualifiers in Colombo, South Africa wrapped up a nine-wicket win with 85 balls to spare- one of the 10 times they have beaten Sri Lanka in 14 completed matches. Dane van Niekerk, the South Africa captain, however, refused to rest on history. “We know how good they are, and we’re not going to go out there underestimating them,” she said. “We are going to go there to play our best cricket, the way we have been playing and our brand, and hopefully, that is good enough to get another two points.”Van Niekerk would herself hold the key as South Africa chase a substantial win. Her nine wickets – the joint-most in the tournament – includes two four-wicket hauls. Equally crucial would be the potent fast-bowling pair of Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, and opening batsman Lizelle Lee, who scored a 65-ball 92 against India.Sri Lanka, one of two winless sides so far, will look to put behind them their 47-run defeat to West Indies – the most recent of five consecutive losses. Top-order batsman Chamari Atapattu, the second-highest run-getter in the tournament, sounded optimistic. “We have played a lot of cricket against them, both home and away. I scored a few 50s and hundreds against them. I think we have a chance, and we will do our best.”In Derby, two of the more evenly-matched sides – England and New Zealand – will vie for ascendancy.On paper, there’s little to separate the two sides: 33 to 31 ODI wins in favour of New Zealand, England’s three hundreds and three fifties in this World Cup are closely matched by New Zealand’s one century, two 90-plus scores and three fifties, with both their captains having led from the front with match-winning tons.The one glaring difference is their results against Australia. While New Zealand failed to defend 219, England picked up their first World Cup victory over Australia in 24 years, powered by their veterans Jenny Gunn and Katherine Brunt who shone with both bat and ball.That win also gave England two crucial points that lifted them from fifth place to top of the table. Besides, the psychological advantage of benefitting from well-designed plans can barely be undervalued. If England had plans for Lanning’s shoulder injury, expect them to be equally tactful against Sophie Devine’s daunting strokeplay, Amelia Kerr’s wrong’uns, Lea Tahuhu’s immaculate lengths or Leigh Kasperek’s skiddy offbreaks.”Anyone can win from here, it’s brilliant to get that victory over Australia to head into the New Zealand match,” Gunn, who replaced the injured Fran Wilson in the playing XI, emphasised.All of that, however, is likely to have little effect on New Zealand’s captain, Suzie Bates, who said her side is game for everything England may have to offer. “We’d love to perform like this against someone like Australia, England or India, we haven’t done that yet, but it’s not to say that we can’t. I can’t wait for England, we haven’t played them a lot – they are a really talented side and have had some really good scores in this tournament. But we match up pretty well and it should be a really good game.”Having already endured a washout in their previous outing in Derby, against South Africa, New Zealand would hope the drizzle from match eve stays away when they take the field. While a win for England will guarantee them a spot in the semifinal, a second washout could severely dent New Zealand’s chances of making the top four, with only one league match remaining.In what is set to be the 100th ODI appearance for allrounder Amy Satterthwaite, Bates hoped New Zealand would be able to demonstrate their spirit. “The beauty of this team is having not just good cricket players but great people, we’re all here for the same reasons and we just want to win the World Cup.”

Chelsea "aren't going to give up" on signing Moises Caicedo this summer despite their most recent offer being rejected by Brighton & Hove Albion, and are quite "relaxed" about the deal, claims Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.

Is Moises Caicedo joining Chelsea this summer?

As it is every year, Stamford Bridge has once again become one of the epicentres for the summer transfer window this year; from selling a swathe of first-team players to signing a handful of promising youngsters, it's been all hands on deck in west London so far.

Over the last month or so, one of the biggest stories involving the Blues has been the transfer saga concerning Brighton's exciting Ecuadorian midfielder Caicedo and their persistence to sign him.

Read the latest Chelsea transfer news HERE…

According to football.london, Mauricio Pochettino's side have made four separate bids for the 21-year-old this month, with the first being worth around £65m plus £5m in add-ons – and the most recent being in the region of £80m.

The Seagulls have rejected these offers as they value their star at close to £100m – a price that reflects the sale of the positionally similar Declan Rice earlier in the window.

Although it looks like this reluctance to sell might now be an issue for the south-coast club, The Times has reported that the player has asked the club to reduce his valuation as he has made his desire to leave clear to the board.

Perhaps this is why the two-time European champions are still "relaxed" about the whole saga and have decided to maintain their pursuit of the dynamic midfielder, according to reporter Sheth.

He explained the current situation on Sky Sports News late on Friday, saying:

"[Roberto De Zerbi] is not ruling out Caicedo leaving, even though Brighton have rejected Chelsea's latest bid of £80m. Now, immediately after that, we were told that there are no active talks now between the two clubs and Chelsea are deciding what they're going to do.

"The information that I have is that Chelsea aren't going to give up just yet on Moises Caicedo. Talks are continuing behind the scenes at Chelsea just to decide what their next move is going to be – and if they are going to go in with another offer, how much that offer is going to be.

"They've been quite comfortable and relaxed about how they've approached this deal and how much they've been offering Brighton for Caicedo, £80m is not to be sneezed at."

Who else are Chelsea linked to this summer?

While the Blues' attention certainly seems to be focused primarily on securing the Brighton man's signature this summer, being unable to land any other targets would be a failure on the club's part, but luckily for fans, there are still a host of other stars touted for a move to west London over the next month or so.

According to journalist Ben Jacobs, Chelsea are "close" to agreeing personal terms with Ajax star Mohammed Kudus – a situation that puts them ahead of cross-city rivals Arsenal, who are also said to be interested in the Ghanaian.

The 22-year-old had a brilliant season for the Amsterdam club last year, scoring 11 goals and providing three assists in just 19 starts in the Eredivisie, and averaging a seriously impressive match rating of 7.29, per WhoScored.

With Jacobs reporting that a deal for the positionally versatile attacker is expected to cost somewhere in the region of £40m, it seems too good to pass up if the Blues can get it over the line.

If Pochettino was to have both Caicedo and Kudus at his disposal next season, Champions League football could be coming back to west London once again in the 2024/25 season.

West Ham are one of several clubs in the race for Samuel Iling-Junior this summer.

Who wants to sign Samuel Iling-Junior?

According to Il Bianconero (via Sport Witness), the Hammers, alongside Fulham and Everton, are keen on Iling-Junior and have made 'concrete' moves to try and bring the player to England.

The English sides have all ‘concretely come forward’ to assess the youngster and their respective next moves.

It is understood that Juventus are flexible in allowing the 19-year-old to leave, either through a permanent sale or a loan with an obligation to buy.

The Old Lady values the winger, who can also play as a left wing-back at around €20m (£17m) and his contract in Italy doesn’t expire until 2025.

What is Samuel Iling-Junior's style of play?

Iling-Junior began his career in Chelsea’s academy system in 2011, spending nine years with the West London outfit.

However, in 2020, he decided to leave the Blues and signed a deal later that year with Juventus. In 58 appearances for the Italian youth teams, he registered 29 goal contributions.

Thanks to this string of impressive performances, he made his Serie A debut in October 2022, coming on as a late substitute for Filip Kostic against Empoli. Later that month, the 2003-born gem then made his first Champions League appearance against Benfica, and within six minutes, he created an assist for Arkadiusz Milik.

At the end of last season in May, Iling-Junior made his first Serie A start and netted his first goal with the Senior side in a 2-0 victory over Atalanta.

In a short space of time, the forward has already forged a promising reputation thanks to his exciting talent and buzzing dynamism.

Michele Neri from Eurosport Italy has eulogised his potential, saying: “He has a great sense for dribbling and a speed from a standing start that other Juventus players do not have.

“He is an assist machine, but he can also score, especially when his movements off the ball allows him to find space in the penalty area.

“However, with the first team he has only scored one goal so far… so in terms of the next thing to work on I would say he can turn more chances into goals.”

From a West Ham perspective, Neri’s most telling comment is that the £11k-per-week starlet is a “very quick player, who loves to take on opposing full-backs and attack the vertical spaces, in a very direct way.”

This description bears much similarity to Jarrod Bowen, who has been of the Irons’ most important assets in recent times.

In the 2021/22 season, the 26-year-old recorded 24 goal involvements in the league and became the first West Ham player to record ten goals and assists in a single campaign since Paolo Di Canio in 2000. That year, Bowen was named the Players’ Player of the Season.

He continued the most recent campaign in an instrumental, as he was the club’s top league scorer with six goals, and engrained his name into Hammers folklore with a last-ditch winner in the European final against Fiorentina.

If the four-cap international ever possibly saw his future away from the London Stadium, then Iling-Junior, who has been described as “flamboyant” by Jacek Kulig, could be the heir to step into his claret throne.