All posts by h716a5.icu

Harmanpreet, who was set to represent Surrey Stars, has been advised a month’s rest followed by rehabilitation after an MRI confirmed a tear in her left shoulder

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Aug-2017Harmanpreet Kaur, the India allrounder, has been ruled out of the upcoming Women’s Super League in England because of a shoulder injury. Harmanpreet, who was set to represent Surrey Stars, has been advised a month’s rest followed by rehabilitation after an MRI soon upon return to India last week confirmed a tear in her left shoulder.”I was in bad shape in the later stages of the World Cup but the physios got me going. It would have been great to be a part of Kia League,” Harmanpreet was quoted as saying by . “I had a successful stint with Sydney Thunder in Women’s Big Bash League (WBBL) which lifted my game and confidence. I will convey my unavailability to the franchise.”Harmanpreet, India’s second-highest run-getter at the World Cup, battled multiple injuries during the tournament. She hurt her little finger on the left hand during India’s second game, against West Indies. Ahead of the final, she was seen icing her shoulder after picking up an injury at the nets and didn’t train full tilt.”There were a couple of injuries before the final, but I was able to play thanks to our physio Tracy Fernandes,” she said. “At one point, it looked like I might have to return from the World Cup. I would like to give full credit to her for playing the full tournament.”Harmanpreet, who became the first India woman to sign a contract with an overseas T20 league, was the second-highest run-getter for Sydney Thunder in her maiden stint at the Women’s Big Bash in December-January.

In Antigua, West Indies got a bit of a leveller when they won the toss on a damp pitch and kept India to 251, but their batsmen still fell short by 93

The Report by Sidharth Monga30-Jun-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Kedar Jadhav played innovative shots in a rapid 40 which allowed India to amass 254•AFPLooking at how West Indies struggled in the chase of 310 in Trinidad, you felt they would need a leveller to compete with India. In Antigua, they got a bit of a leveller when they won the toss on a damp pitch – the start was delayed by 45 minutes because of torrential rain a day before the match – and kept India to 251, but their batsmen still fell short by 93.It was also a leveller that ODI cricket can do with every now and then: slips in place, value on short singles, premium on playing long innings. Reaching the run rate of four only in 43rd over, India’s 251 for 4 was the third-lowest total this decade for a side batting first and losing four wickets or fewer. Ajinkya Rahane, auditioning for the opener-cum-middle-order reserve role, batted through 42 overs for 72; his strike rate of 64.28 was the second-slowest since 2010 for openers batting first and facing 110 balls.However, that helped set the base for an MS Dhoni assault, who in Kedar Jadhav’s company, added 81 in the last 7.4 overs to take India well past 220, which might have been about par, considering West Indies’ inexperienced bating. Rahane’s wicket seemed to have come at the right time: Jadhav got 26 balls to smack 40 runs in, and Dhoni matched it with 50 off the last 29 balls he faced.Devendra Bishoo was again the pick of the bowlers, going for 38 runs for the wicket of Yuvraj Singh and adding a stunning catch to it. He, though, was introduced after Ashley Nurse had bowled five overs. The focus was clear: despite a helpful pitch and a start that had reduced India to 34 for 2, West Indies were happy to contain and take the wickets that came their way instead of actively going out looking for them.Those of Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli came their way. They didn’t display the required patience to weather this mode of bowling. Dhawan ramped a short ball but lack of pace did him in. Despite struggling against the unpredictable bounce, Kohli went to steer a rising delivery and gave the man at gully a catch. Yuvraj Singh’s wicket would have come West Indies’ way earlier than it did, but they neither appealed strongly nor reviewed when Yuvraj should have been out. By the time they got Yuvraj – thanks to a review again – he and Rahane had added 66, taken India to 100 and into the 27th over.Rahane had slowed down after scoring 19 off the first 19 balls he faced, and Dhoni himself struggled against the spin of Bishoo. The two batted on, but West Indies kept squeezing through defensive bowling. By the 39th over, it seemed Dhoni had decided it was time to go. He went after Bishoo, in his ninth over. One slog fell short of long-on, and the other lobbed towards short third man, to debutant Kyle Hope, who had earlier taken an excellent catch to dismiss Kohli. This time, though, the ball seemed to hold up in the wind, and started to dip just short of him. He dived after having committed to go one way, but couldn’t control the catch. Dhoni was only 28 off 50 at that point.Rahane didn’t enjoy similar luck when he decided it was time to go, against Miguel Cummins’ pace in the 43rd over. Bishoo judged his upper-cut perfectly, ran in from deep point, and dived at the right moment.Rahane had gone after Cummins not just because there was finally pace on the ball but also because debutant Kesrick Williams, charged with bowling five overs out of the last nine, was doing well. So Dhoni targeted Jason Holder, and took 17 off his last over, stunningly fetching one length ball from wide outside off and depositing it flat over square leg for six. Jadhav saw Dhoni’s innovation, and raised him a sweep shot off Cummins, having gone on a knee and well outside off well before Cummins released, and then pulling off the shot with surprising ease thanks to his still head.Steady heads was what West Indies needed at the top, but Umesh Yadav broke through the defence of Ewin Lewis in his first over, skidding the ball under his bat from round the wicket. That brought together brothers Hope, Kyle and Shai, who added 45 for the second wicket before they both fell to bouncers from Hardik Pandya. West Indies continued to misread Kuldeep Yadav, who bowled Roston Chase with a wrong’un, before R Ashwin premiered a new bowling action and struck in his first over.Ashwin shaped up to bowl a bit like a legspinner would but focused on his offbreaks more than he did in the previous match. In his first over, he had an overbalanced Jason Holder stumped with a wide down the leg side. You can’t be certain if Holder did actually play for a legbreak. You can be certain West Indies were now looking at their last hope: the partnership between Jason Mohammed and Rovman Powell.Powell played a couple of attractive strokes to go with a couple of streaky ones as the two added 54 together, but India slowed down the pace of the game. Spin came on at both ends, four runs came in 23 balls, and Powell finally tried the big slog to give Kuldeep his second wicket. Ashwin soon had his second with the trigger-happy Ashley Nurse caught at square leg. West Indies still needed 104 at that point. Only finishing touches were left, which the spinners duly did.

The Championship campaign officially kicks off in just over two weeks and Sunderland still have time to make further additions to their squad.

Who do Sunderland start their season against?

Tony Mowbray's side start their season with a match against Ipswich Town at the Stadium of Light and are likely to be without centre-forward Ross Stewart.

The Scotland international is reportedly set to miss the clash through injury as he continues to recover from an Achilles issue.

This means that the head coach does not currently have a senior number nine to call upon ahead of the opening day, which is why he must dip into the market within the next two weeks to sign a striker.

One reported transfer target for the second-tier outfit in that position is Bologna centre-forward Sydney van Hooijdonk, who just spent the season on loan at Heerenveen.

How good is Sydney van Hooijdonk?

The 23-year-old gem could be an excellent player for Sunderland as his form throughout the 2022/23 campaign suggests that he has the potential to be a reliable scorer for the club.

Mowbray could land winger Jack Clarke a dream partner on the pitch for the upcoming season as the former Tottenham Hotspur winger may end up with a striker who has the quality to make the most of the chances he creates.

Van Hooijdonk plundered 16 goals in 20 Eredivisie starts for Heerenveen, which came after the exciting dynamo found the back of the net six times in 13 Dutch top-flight outings during the first six months of his 18-month loan.

Meanwhile, No Sunderland player scored more than 14 Championship goals last season and only two players hit double figures.

This suggests that the Bologna prospect, who was once dubbed "prolific" by scout Jacek Kulig, could add a much-needed goal threat through the middle of the pitch for Mowbray.

He could, therefore, be perfect for Clarke as his ability to score goals on a regular basis, if it translates over from Dutch football, makes him a dream target for the former Leeds United prodigy.

The English wizard enjoyed a sublime run of form last term. The talented ace averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.00 across 45 Championship matches and contributed with an impressive number of goals and assists.

Only Stewart (10) and Amad Diallo (14), who has since returned to Manchester United following his loan spell on Wearside, scored more league goals for the club than Clarke (nine) did.

Creatively, the 22-year-old magician was outstanding for Sunderland.

He assisted a whopping 12 league goals for the Black Cats, which was five more than any other player, and produced 1.7 key passes per game – the most within the squad.

In fact, no player in the entire Championship assisted more goals than Clarke did last season, although Viktor Gyokeres also assisted 12 strikes for Coventry prior to his move to Sporting in Portugal.

Now, imagine the £17k-per-week hotshot consistently creating big opportunities for van Hooijdonk, who scored 35 goals in 41 U19 matches for NEC Breda during his youth career, to find the back of the net.

They could be a dream pairing who are able to strike fear into defenders next season, due to the potential link-up that they could have in the final third.

The 17-year-old Sutherland has chosen to accept the offer of a multi-year rookie deal with Victoria rather than nominating for the AFL draft

Daniel Brettig16-Jul-2017Will Sutherland, son of Cricket Australia’s chief executive James Sutherland and one of the most talented young athletes in the country, has revealed his decision to choose cricket over football.Having led Australia at Under-19 level but also been among the most closely watched AFL players at junior level, 17-year-old Sutherland has chosen to accept the offer of a multi-year rookie deal with Victoria rather than nominating for the AFL draft.”This was an incredibly tough decision,” Sutherland said. “Most of the advice that I received was to just follow my passion. That sounds easy enough, but not so much when my passion is for both sports.”I really loved my experience in the recent Under-18 National Championships when representing Vic Metro and this only made the decision more difficult. When it came down to it, my love and passion for the game of cricket just won out.”I’ve thoroughly enjoyed representing my state and country in the under-age ranks and the prospect of potentially being able to continue this at the senior level is very much my dream. I’m excited and relieved about this decision and will now look to focus on completing my Year 12 studies.”A powerful batsman and strong fast-medium bowler, Sutherland had been openly courted by the AFL amid expectations that he could be a top 10 draft pick. Details of Sutherland’s contract with the Bushrangers will not be finalised until an MoU is agreed between CA and the Australian Cricketers Association.”We’re pleased Will has made this decision and we look forward to supporting him through the rest of his Year 12 studies and his Cricket Pathway,” Cricket Victoria’s general manager Shaun Graf said.”The full Cricket Victoria squad lists for the upcoming 2017-18 season will be announced following the resolution of an MoU.”

Aston Villa are reportedly remaining on the tail of Joao Felix, as Unai Emery aims to up the quality on show at Villa Park.

This summer has been an impressive one so far for the Villans, who have secured the signatures of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres, with Moussa Diaby reported to be on the horizon too.

Monchi and Emery could create something special in the Midlands this window, with links to players in the calibre of Felix showing the ambition of the duo at the helm.

Could Aston Villa sign Joao Felix?

Last week, reports claimed that Villa were ‘leading the race’ to sign the Portuguese gem, who spent last season on loan at Chelsea.

A report from transfer insider Dean Jones and GIVEMESPORT named the 23-year-old as one of those that could be ‘on the shopping list’ of the Midlands club, who could be priced around the £80m mark by Atletico Madrid.

The swoop for the talent would be an audacious one, however with Diaby almost secured according to Fabrizio Romano, the Villans are showing real ambition this summer.

How good is Joao Felix?

Having once been lauded as a “genius” by Roma sporting director Tiago Pinto, a figure familiar with the talents of Felix, the 23-year-old has cemented himself as one of the most talented forwards in Europe.

Snatched by Atletico in 2019, the versatile attacker wrote his name in lights in Portugal before making the move to Madrid, scoring 15 goals and registering nine assists in the Primeira Liga in the 2018/19 campaign at just 18-years-old.

Earning a £113m price tag as a teenager is an indicator of the talent on show, now, Villa could equip their side with a forward as intricate as the former LaLiga sensation.

Deployed primarily as a centre-forward, the £242k-per-week Portuguese is extremely versatile in his approach to play, with the ability to occupy wide areas and roles just behind the striker.

For the Villans, obtaining a player in the calibre of Felix could be fundamental to their growth under Emery, and could be a marquee signing alongside the talents of Diaby.

The Frenchman could gel perfectly with the Viseu-born gem, in the Spaniard’s free-flowing attack, as an individual who himself adds a significant threat to the front line.

Also hailed as being an “absolute nightmare” for defenders by scout Jacek Kulig, Felix is a livewire in the final third, as highlighted by his monstrous 4.40 total shots per 90 in the Premier League last season.

The £40m-rated whiz’s talents delve way beyond his short spell in the Premier League, with him showcasing his attributes with 2.21 successful take-ons and 0.86 goals and assists per 90 in the 2021/22 LaLiga campaign.

At just 23, Felix has exerted his ability in Spain and Portugal, with Villa’s interest paving the way for him to finish his story in England after half a season at Stamford Bridge.

Emery could cause significant problems for his side’s opponents in the league, in a piece of business that could elevate the calibre and direction of things at Villa.

Before departing for what will be her last World Cup, India women’s captain Mithali Raj said she would want to lift the trophy as it would be a ‘revolution’ for Indian women’s cricket

Annesha Ghosh in Mumbai11-Jun-20173:02

Hopefully, Smriti Mandhana will be among runs again in England – Mithali Raj

When a 23-year old Mithali Raj captained the India women’s team for the first time at a World Cup, in 2005, little would she have imagined of leading the side to their best finish – runners-up to Australia – in a global tournament till date. Twelve years, three World Cups, a stockpile of records and a belated central contract later, Raj continues to have her mind hinged on the elusive encore with hopes of “destiny repeating itself…hopefully, for the better” in the eleventh edition of the World Cup, starting June 24 in England.Even as a personal milestone beckons – she needs 212 runs to overtake Charlotte Edwards as the leading run-scorer in women’s ODIs – in what will be her last World Cup, Raj’s opening words at the team’s departure press conference in Mumbai on Saturday offered a glimpse into what the attempt to winning the trophy means to her. “We want to win the World Cup because it would be a revolution kind of a thing for Indian women’s cricket,” she said. “It would give a big impetus for young girls to take up the sport.”For India to get anywhere close to accomplishing their first objective – “to get into the semis” – or “showcase the brand of cricket the girls have been playing for the past couple of years”, much will rely on the efficacy of their pace contingent, as will on its durability.However, with only three genuine quick bowlers in the squad – Jhulan Goswami, Shikha Pandey and Mansi Joshi – for conditions that have traditionally favoured seam and swing bowling, India have opted to go into the World Cup with a pace attack quantitatively weaker than all other seven teams. Raj, though, isn’t fretting over it; she believes India’s persistence with spin irrespective of conditions have borne fruit.”The three fast bowlers have done well in the last two series,” she explained. “We can’t really predict that anybody would get injured during the World Cup. But, yes, it’s important that all three are fresh and they are at their fittest. So, I am sure that we’ll not have any kind of an injury in the World Cup for the pacers or, for that matter, for any player from the side.”Honestly, everybody prefers to have extra fast bowlers in the side. But India have always banked on spinners, irrespective of the wicket that we’ve played on. Whether it’s Australia or South Africa [or elsewhere], spinners have done exceptionally well.”Raj was unambiguous in her assertion of the role she expects the seniors – not only her and Goswami but also others like vice-captain Harmanpreet Kaur, Pandey and Veda Krishnamurthy – to play in the tournament.”There are a few seniors already aware of the expectations and the pressures that one faces during the World Cup,” she said. “But the youngsters are the ones that we, as seniors, always make sure we can be there for them during the pressure situations because for all the first-timers playing the World Cup, I’m sure the expectations and pressures are huge for them as youngsters.”India seem to have more options for openers’ positions now as compared to the past•Getty ImagesIronically, though, over the past 15 months, during which India scripted 16 successive victories – equalling the second-longest winning streak in women’s ODIs – it is the side’s younger crop of players that has eased pressure off Raj. Much of this is due to the steadfastness of youngsters as much as it has been because of Raj’s inimitable batting prowess.Winning the quadrangular series in South Africa last month “made a lot of difference” to the team’s mindset, according to Raj, particularly for “comeback player” Punam Raut, who forged a record 320-run partnership with the 19-year old Deepti Sharma.”It sorted a lot of issues for us, because India has always struggled with the opening pair. But, in that series, and even in the [World Cup] Qualifiers, we had very good starts,” she said. “So, I guess in the last two series we’ve seen the openers doing their bit, giving us the right kind of start, whether posting a total or chasing a huge total like 270. And South Africa is a side which has a good bowling attack and playing them, beating them at home is exceptional.”The one area India have struggled with in recent times is to find a wicketkeeper who can contribute with the bat. Sushma Verma, who has featured in 40 internationals, has a high score of 4* in eight ODI innings and 12 in six T20I innings, batting mostly at No. 8 or 9. The inclusion of Nuzhat Parween, the second wicketkeeper, is an attempt to plug this gap.While emphasing the need for the middle order to step up and close out games, Raj underlined the value of the under-utilised, and mostly under-rated batting acumen of 28-year old allrounder, Shikha Pandey. To Raj, it is the security that Pandey offers as an aggressive accumulator, with the flexibility of playing second fiddle to the set batsman at the other end, that makes her an important cog.”She can open with the new ball and even come in and bat in the lower-middle order,” Raj said. “She can be a good support for a batter out there, for someone like Harman or Veda, if they are around. With Shikha there, we can still think of a victory, needing 70-80 runs.”It is of significance that Raj made mention of Pandey, for the last time India recorded a victory in England – albeit in a different format – it was Pandey who had hit the winning runs in Raj’s company to seal the Test win in Wormsley. The picture of Pandey holding her bat aloft in utter delight after hitting the winning four, remains one of the most defining images in the history of Indian women’s cricket.It is a moment that Raj and the rest of the team would want to remind themselves of when they take on hosts England in the tournament opener on June 24, and a tableau they will hope to recreate in coloured clothing probably on July 23 too, at Lord’s.

Liverpool have enjoyed a strong summer transfer window since the market officially opened for business last month as they have made two significant additions to their squad.

Who have Liverpool signed so far this summer?

The Reds completed the signings of Hungary international Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig and World Cup winner Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion to bolster their midfield options after they finished outside of the Premier League top four last term.

Jurgen Klopp could need to make a third addition in that area of the pitch as holding midfielder Fabinho has been touted with an exit from Anfield ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The Athletic's James Pearce recently reported that the Brazil international is expected to move on from the club after a £40m offer from Al-Ittihad Club came in for his services. He will not be part of the team's pre-season camp as his future remains up in the air.

His departure would open up a space for Liverpool to swoop for a replacement and Pearce has claimed that Fiorentina enforcer Sofyan Amrabat is one of the players being considered to come in.

How good is Sofyan Amrabat?

The 26-year-old destroyer, who has been valued at around €30m (£26m) by the Italian club, is a player who has the quality to be an excellent defensive midfielder for Klopp with his ability on and off the ball.

As you can see in the graphic above, as provided by Opta, Amrabat, who has previously been described as "criminally underrated" by journalist Muhammad Butt, ranked highly among his positional peers last season when it came to taking touches and winning possession back for his side, which shows that he excels at both sides of the game.

Whereas, Fabinho, as shown in the above chart, did not rank as high in either category for Liverpool as the former AS Monaco powerhouse struggled to stand out as one of the best midfielders in Europe.

In possession, meanwhile, the 29-year-old star was slightly above average for the Reds with an average of 5.34 progressive passes per 90, which placed him in the 59th percentile of midfielders within the Men's Big Five Leagues and European competitions over the last 365 days.

Amrabat, meanwhile, averaged 7.93 progressive passes per 90 for Fiorentina over the last 365 days. This ranked him in the top 8% of his positional peers over the last 365 days, which suggests that he has been one of the best midfielders at progressing play.

Mo Salah, Cody Gakpo, and Darwin Nunez could benefit from this as it would result in them picking up possession in advanced positions more often throughout matches, instead of waiting longer for the team to create opportunities for them to cause damage.

The Morocco international's aforementioned ability to win the ball back for his team more frequently than Fabinho means that the potential is there for him to be an upgrade on the Brazilian battler at both ends of the pitch.

A £40m move to Al-Ittihad could also see FSG make a net profit by swapping them – if the reported £26m price tag for Amrabat is accurate.

Therefore, the Fiorentina titan could be a dream replacement for Klopp to sign for financial and footballing reasons, which is why this could be a fantastic piece of business for the Premier League side to do before the deadline.

CSA has set no timeline for Dale Steyn’s return to the national team after the fast bowler suffered another delay in his recovery from a shoulder injury

Firdose Moonda16-May-2017Cricket South Africa has set no timeline for Dale Steyn’s return to the national team after the fast bowler suffered another delay in his recovery from a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery in November.Steyn was to play two four-day matches for South Africa A in England as preparation for the Test series, but he revealed on Saturday that he was not going because he has not been able to bowl at all. He said he would target a county deal late in the English summer and try and be available for the home series against Bangladesh in September-October.CSA, though, decided not to create any further expectation on Steyn’s comeback.”Dale’s surgery was a resounding success and the bone has healed,” Mohammed Moosajee, South Africa’s team manager who is also a doctor, said at the team’s departure for England on Tuesday. “The challenge is to get the shoulder stabilised and strengthened, and that’s why there is a bit of delay with getting him on the park again.”What the medical committee has decided is that we are not going to set an artificial deadline or timeline as to when he is going to be playing. We will wait for when he is ready. We are hopeful he will be ready some time during the home series.”South Africa’s 2017-18 home summer includes ten Tests – two against Bangladesh, four against India pending confirmation, and four against Australia – as well as their new franchise T20 tournament, which will provide plenty of opportunities for Steyn.Although he is available for all formats, Steyn is likely to be more inclined to play Tests as soon as possible, especially as he is five wickets away from overtaking Shaun Pollock as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker. Steyn played only eight Tests since the start of 2015 and broke down in three of them.

Good luck to the boys as they leave for the U.K. today.
I'll definitely be watching and backing you guys all the way.#ProteaFire

— Dale Steyn (@DaleSteyn62) May 16, 2017

The only other injury concern for South Africa at the moment is Faf du Plessis, whose shoulder will be assessed when the team arrives in the UK “There is a plan in place to have him ready for the first ODI but we are not sure of the warm-up games yet,” Moosajee said.Du Plessis is one of at least seven players who are likely to play all formats on the tour of England, along with Hashim Amla, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Kagiso Rabada, Keshav Maharaj and Morne Morkel. The 12-week trip is longer than any they have taken, and Moosajee said the management would seek out “creative and flexible” ways to give them down time.”Twelve weeks is unprecedented – we haven’t been on a tour that long,” Moosajee said. “Guys might come home for a week in between if time and space permits.”Du Plessis, South Africa’s Test captain, is the most likely to leave the tour at some stage. His wife, Imari, is 32 weeks pregnant with their first child, and du Plessis indicated he would like to return home for the birth. “I would like to be there for the birth of my first child so hopefully the timing works well,” he said.South Africa’s ODI captain AB de Villiers and his wife Danielle are expecting their second child but his participation in the Champions Trophy should not be affected because the baby is due later. South Africa have made a decision not to allow families to be with the players during the Champions Trophy.”It’s a really good move not to have family members for this tournament,” de Villiers said. “It’s a short tournament, only five games in total if we get to the final, so we are going to be focused on that.”

Chelsea could make a serious attempt to sign Roma and Argentina attacker Paulo Dybala during the summer transfer window, a new report has claimed.

When does Paulo Dybala's contract expire?

The Argentine has enjoyed a glittering career overall, not necessarily always reaching the heights many have expected of him, but still tasting so much success along the way.

Dybala is a five-time Serie A champion, winning all of those trophies during his time as a Juventus player, and he also famously tasted 2022 World Cup glory with Argentina back in December, scoring a penalty in the shootout victory over France in the final.

The 29-year-old has been a key man for Roma since joining from Juve last year, scoring 12 goals and registering six assists in 22 league starts in 2022/23. Despite that, it could be that he is allowed to move on during the current transfer window, with his current deal running out in 2025, meaning now could be a good time to move him on and receive a healthy fee.

Chelsea are looking for more attacking reinforcements to come in this summer, as they look to forget all about a woeful season and become top-four challengers again, and it could be that they see Dybala as a potential addition before the new Premier League campaign gets underway.

Are Chelsea signing Paulo Dybala?

According to Sport Mediaset [via Sport Witness], the attacker actually wants to stay put at Roma, but the club aren't necessarily as keen to retain his services moving forward.

A meeting with his agent and the club is "expected in the coming days", with his rumoured €12m (£10.2m) release clause possibly allowing the Blues to snap him up on the cheap. Chelsea's interest in the player is described as "real", and they would be willing to offer him a "much more substantial salary" to the one he is earning at Roma currently.

Dybala could certainly be an eye-catching signing for Chelsea, considering what a world-renowned player he has been for a number of years now, being described by Roma boss Jose Mourinho as his "sensation" recently. He is clearly a class act who has seen it all in the game, but there would still be reservations about him moving to Stamford Bridge.

For starters, he does turn 30 later this year, and with Mauricio Pochettino hopefully looking to build a young team who can excel together for a number of years, he wouldn't represent a long-term signing who is going to go up a gear any time soon. There is also an argument to say that his very best days are already behind him, hence why Juve were willing to sell him to a Serie A rival last year.

On the flip side, Dybala still possesses undeniable quality with his left foot, making things happen in the final third and being able to operate as a No.10 or out wide, and he could help fill the void left by Mason Mount, providing creativity in the middle of the park and providing for what is hopefully a new No.9 that arrives this summer.

Arsenal are among a large contingent of sides to have shown an interest in Red Bull Salzburg midfielder Oscar Gloukh, according to reports.

Who are Arsenal signing this summer?

The north Londoners have been making serious moves this summer, having finally agreed a deal to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice for £105 million (£100 million + £5m million in add-ons).

An agreement on price was actually reached last week, but much of the talks since then have centered around payment structure. However, it is now believed a compromise has been settled there, with Arsenal agreeing to pay the initial £100 million over a 24-month period.

Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, who dazzled in the Eredivisie last season, could also be closing in on a move to north London with reports suggesting talks are at a very advanced stage for the Dutchman and he's keen on the transfer.

If all goes to plan, the aforementioned duo will follow Germany international Kai Havertz through the door, with Arsenal recently confirming his £65 million move from Chelsea.

"Kai is a player of top quality," said Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.

"He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.

“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”

The Gunners could end up spending over £250m this window, according to some reports, but they have no intention of stopping after sealing their top target in Rice.

A new report by The Guardian and journalist Ed Aarons details a new target for Arsenal, as they join the race to sign highly-rated attacker Gloukh.

The Israel Under-21 international performances for club and country have alerted some of Europe's top sides, including Barcelona, and there is a large domestic following from the British Isles.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham are all targeting the 19-year-old, who is believed to prefer a move to either England or Spain.

Who is Oscar Gloukh?

Earning an array of caps for Israel at senior level also, Gloukh has been attracting more attention lately with some of his outings at this summer's U21 European Championship.

Former Israel international Gil Vermouth recently professed his admiration for the teenage star, calling him a "special" player with lots of potential.

"I would have told him not to leave Maccabi Tel Aviv," he said last year.

"If a club signs him and invests in him and takes him on as a project, then there is a chance of success. Gloukh is something special. He needs to examine his options, sit down with his parents and coaches, and decide."

Former Spurs defender Alan Hutton has also called Gloukh a "really talented" football player, with all the indications suggesting he could be one of Europe's most promising young teenage talents.