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Liverpool are still considering a deal for Juventus ace Federico Chiesa this summer, and Jurgen Klopp's interest may now be piqued following recent revelations regarding the Italy international's transfer status.

What's the latest on Federico Chiesa to Liverpool?

That's according to newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport – via Paisley Gates – who claim that the Reds might now pursue a transfer for the winger after his €60m (£52m) valuation was slashed to just €40m (£35m).

It's claimed that Chiesa and manager Massimiliano Allegri do not have a good relationship and, as such, he is not considered indispensable; this is compounded by the Old Lady's financial problems.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

Liverpool are focusing on the midfield and defence this summer, but if an apt opportunity arises, Klopp might be inclined to take a closer look at the feasibility of bringing the Italy international to Anfield.

How good is Federico Chiesa?

Liverpool's attack is the one area of the pitch that supporters do not seem to be concerned about at present, with Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and co looking set to bring goals in abundance for the Merseyside outfit over the coming months – and likely years.

Regardless, with Chiesa ostensibly available for a relatively small fee – especially in today's market – the powers that be at Anfield might decide to enter formal negotiations to secure his signature.

Chiesa spent the lion's share of the past two campaigns sidelined following a detrimental ACL injury last year, missing 62 matches of competitive club action.

However, the 25-year-old did start to find his feet again in the closing stages of the 22/23 season, scoring two goals and supplying two assists across the final five matches of the league term.

If the "wizard" – as praised by writer Roger Bennett – can find consistency in his fitness levels, Liverpool could boast a dynamic new wideman for years to come, with FBref ranking Chiesa across the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 15% for progressive carries, the top 17% for successful take-ons and the top 13% for tackles per 90.

As such, the stats-led site have likened the £152k-per-week phenom to Arsenal's prodigious talent Bukayo Saka, with the 21-year-old one of the centrepieces of the Gunners' resounding revival over the past couple of years.

Arsenal qualified for the Champions League this year after seven seasons away and took Manchester City to the wire in the Premier League title race, looking set for their first league triumph since 2004 before a late blip put Pep Guardiola's imperious team in the driving seat.

Saka was described as "electric" by Statman Dave for his fantastic exploits for the north London side last year, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists from 38 matches in the English top-flight.

This season, Arsenal kicked off their campaign with victory in the Community Shield against the Citizens, with Saka providing Leandro Trossard with the assist to take the match to penalties in the dying embers.

As per FBref, the Hale End graduate ranks among the top 20% of positional peers for goals, the top 18% for assists, the top 10% for progressive carries and the top 6% for touches in the attacking box per 90.

Chiesa's style is direct and aggressive, much like Saka's, and both players possess a knack for attacking with both direct goal threat and creativity, which could serve Liverpool well in the dynamism and flexibility of their frontline.

Chiesa would no doubt be a "potent" presence – as he has been called by Rio Ferdinand – for Klopp's side and while his signature might not be the priority, if the chance to sign him does arise, then the Reds must at least look into the prospect of snapping him up.

R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja, however, have been rotated out while the core of the batting line-up remained the same

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Sep-20173:43

Kalra: Ashwin, Jadeja will have to fight their way back

Fast bowlers Umesh Yadav and Mohammed Shami have returned to India’s ODI squad. They last played limited-overs cricket in July but were part of the 16 men picked for the first three matches against Australia. The series begins on September 17 and runs through to October 13.India have also chosen to be without R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja for a second series in a row. However, the chairman of selectors MSK Prasad clarified that both players have only been rotated out of the squad.This meant another opportunity for Kuldeep Yadav, Yuzvendra Chahal and Axar Patel to lead the team’s spin attack. They had been impressive during the 5-0 whitewash of Sri Lanka last week, collecting 14 wickets at a combined economy rate of 4.18.India’s squad for the first three ODIs against Australia•ESPNcricinfo Ltd”The team for the three ODIs against Australia has been selected in line with the rotation policy of the board and accordingly R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja have been rested,” Prasad said. “The team’s performance during the Sri Lanka tour was outstanding and players like Axar Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal, who performed very well are being given an extended run and this will in turn supplement our approach, to build a strong reserve strength, as we prepare for forthcoming tours.”It would appear likely that Ashwin, currently playing for Worcestershire, might stay for the entire county season. He spoke to ESPNcricinfo about wanting to get used to to English conditions ahead of India’s five-Test tour in 2018 and took a five-for on debut two weeks ago. Jadeja has not played top-flight cricket since the Tests against Sri Lanka ended in the first week of August, and he has not been part of India’s limited-overs squads since July.India v Australia

Sept 12 – warm-up game, Chennai

Sept 17 1st ODI, Chennai

Sept 21 – 2nd ODI, Kolkata

Sept 24 – 3rd ODI, Indore

Sept 28 – 4th ODI, Bengaluru

Oct 1 – 5th ODI, Nagpur

Oct 7 – 1st T20I, Ranchi

Oct 10 – 2nd T20I, Guwahati

Oct 13 – 3rd T20I, Hyderabad

Hardik Pandya retained the allrounder’s spot. He was not in the XI for the final two matches of the Sri Lanka tour but will lend fast-bowling support to Umesh, Shami and Jasprit Bumrah, who is fresh from a climb to No. 4 on the ICC ODI bowlers rankings.With four seamers available, Shardul Thakur, who made his international debut a little over a week ago, has been left out.India’s batting wore a familiar look with each of the seven specialists – Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane, Manish Pandey, Kedar Jadhav – from the Sri Lanka series keeping their place.

Former India captain concedes players are invariably “more powerful” than coaches in the modern-day game

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Oct-2017The manner of Anil Kumble’s exit as India coach and how the entire captain-coach saga played out in public view was both “unfortunate” and unfair to the former India captain, according to his former colleague Rahul Dravid. He also conceded that players were invariably more powerful than coaches, and any power-struggle inevitably resulted in the favour of the players.Kumble stepped down immediately after the Champions Trophy in June after his partnership with Kohli became “untenable.” Ahead of that tournament, reports of Kohli telling BCCI about players being uncomfortable with Kumble’s “overbearing” ways surfaced.”At the end of the day, I don’t know the specifics of that particular issue, but it shouldn’t have got played out in the way that it did,” Dravid said at the Bangalore Literature Festival. “I think the whole thing got played out in the media which is very, very unfortunate for Anil and not fair on him at all.”So, what’s the reality of it and what happens behind closed doors is not something I’m privy to, so I can’t comment directly. But it was definitely an unfortunate episode, especially to someone like Anil who has been an absolute legend of the game, someone who has done more to win Test matches for India than anybody I know. And he had a successful year as coach as well. But the fact is that it should never have played out the way that it did, publicly.”That the coaching job came with an inherent risk of a sack wasn’t lost on Dravid. “See, coaches get sacked. The first thing you know when you stop playing and become a coach is that some day you are going to get sacked,” he said. “That’s the reality.”As an India A and Under-19 coach, I know that someday I’m going to get the boot. Some football managers get sacked after two games, so that’s the reality. Players are more powerful than coaches. We know that because we were more powerful than coaches when we played.”When there was a suggestion that players had become too powerful, Dravid said players had little say in their journey to superstardom. “A lot of cricketers come from humble, middle-class backgrounds. At the core of all this, if you remove the hype and hoopla, they are just normal guys who grew up and became heroes,” he said. “They became heroes thanks to people like you [anchors, journalists], television asking for interviews, writing books about them. It’s the game that has made them heroes.”I read that the players have become too big, but who has made them too big? It’s very easy to say that, and also a lot of other people have become rich by players becoming rich. It’s reality now. It’s the fact of the matter. At the end of the day, cricketers are simple people. But everything gets blown out of proportion for them. So they have to deal with things a certain way.”

Sunderland are keen to strike a deal to bring Universidad Catolica forward Alexander Aravena to the Championship, according to reports.

Who is Alexander Aravena?

Aravena is naturally a left-sided winger who has plied his trade with Cristian Paulucci’s side ever since his childhood days, having graduated from the club’s academy to make a total of 27 appearances so far, and despite having briefly left to join Nublense, he’s now returned for a second spell.

However, the 20-year-old’s contract is set to run out at the end of the calendar year meaning that the ongoing window will be the Primera Division outfit’s final chance to cash in should they not want to risk losing their prized asset for free upon the expiration of his deal.

The Black Cats and Tony Mowbray are likely to be searching the market for attacking reinforcements with Amad Diallo having returned to Manchester United following his successful loan, not to mention the uncertainty surrounding the future of Ross Stewart, and if the following update is to be believed, the Chile international has been flagged as an ideal candidate.

Are Sunderland signing Alexander Aravena?

According to Spanish outlet Minutod, Sunderland are "extremely interested" in signing Aravena this summer. The Stadium of Light side "would have arrived with a very good proposal" that would meet his club's expectations, but confirmation that an official bid has been submitted is yet to have been given.

Universidad Catolica chiefs are believed to have set a "minimum" price tag of €8m (£6m) for their attacker as a result of the northeast outfit "closely" keeping tabs on him, but they aren't the only admirers as he is also gaining "interest" from several unnamed clubs across Europe.

How many goals has Alexander Aravena scored?

In the Primera Division this season, Aravena has racked up an impressive 12 goal contributions (nine goals and three assists) in 19 appearances so he’s extremely prolific, and should he put pen to paper on a move to Sunderland, he would be an “excellent” addition for Mowbray according to journalist and Black Cats fan Josh Bunting.

The Huechuraba native has also so far recorded a total of 44 shots over the course of the campaign which is the second-highest number throughout his squad, via FBRef, highlighting his constant desire to find the back of the net, or at the very least try his best to test the opposition’s goalkeeper.

Furthermore, the youngster is a versatile operator having been deployed in seven various positions since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even four roles in the midfield, so he would be a great option for the boss to have at his disposal should any unexpected injuries occur.

The Black Cats have already completed the signing of centre-forward Eliezer Mayenda from FC Sochaux-Montbeliard but that clearly hasn't stopped the hierarchy from assessing what other targets are out there to bolster their ranks in the final third, and if an offer gets tabled in the final stages of the window, Aravena could be following in the former's footsteps by making the move to the Championship.

Erik ten Hag has set his sights on adding another one or two players to his Manchester United squad before the summer window slams shut in a couple of weeks.

Rasmus Hojlund, Andre Onana and Mason Mount have already joined the Old Trafford side and although there is the need for another defender, especially if Harry Maguire departs in the next few days, Ten Hag could also be tempted to sign a midfielder.

A Premier League star has been linked, and it appears as though the Red Devils are ready to make the next step to securing his signature.

Who do Man United want to sign this summer?

According to The Guardian, United look set to make an approach to Everton with regard to a potential deal for Amadou Onana.

Read the latest Man United transfer news HERE…

The Belgian only joined the Toffees from French side Lille last year, with the Merseyside club reluctant to sell this summer.

Sean Dyche would only entertain bids of over £50m as per the report and Everton are under no pressure to sell one of their prized assets so soon after arriving in the Premier League.

Who has played for both Man United and Everton?

United have endured mixed success by signing players from Everton throughout the previous 20 years.

The likes of Romelu Lukaku and Marouane Fellaini didn’t quite live up to expectations during their spell in Manchester, yet Wayne Rooney was arguably Sir Alex Ferguson’s finest signing.

Rooney joined the Red Devils aged just 18 having shone at the 2004 European Championships for England, yet it was his breakthrough at Everton which convinced Ferguson to make the move ahead of the 2004/05 season.

A debut hat trick set the tone for what would turn into a glory laden 13 years at Old Trafford, netting 253 goals in total. As it happens, Ten Hag could repeat United's Rooney masterclass by managing to convince Onana that a move along the M62 would be the best for his development.

The 21-year-old showcased his impressive defensive abilities from the heart of the Everton midfield as he was arguably one of their few bright sparks in an utterly woeful campaign that nearly culminated in their relegation.

He ranked third across the squad for tackles per game (2.2) and also finished in the top five for interceptions (1.1) and lost possession just 7.7 times per game, one of the lowest totals in the team.

Hailed as a “tenacious tackler” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the Belgian certainly could add that extra bit of bite into the United midfield and make them more formidable.

Winning a total of 4.2 ground duels – at a success rate of 59% – undoubtedly backs up this praise from Kulig and although potentially costing in excess of £50m, it would be a wise investment for not only the upcoming season, but for the next five to ten years.

Rooney arrived at Old Trafford under undue pressure to succeed and he more than repaid the club’s investment.

Onana may offer totally different qualities to that of the former forward, but he can still have a similar sort of impact by arriving in Manchester.

Jackson Bird returned to Tasmania’s XI for the Shield match and had an impact with a five-for and a crucial 26 that boosted the side’s first-innings total

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Nov-2017
ScoreboardGetty ImagesHaving been released from Australia’s Test squad, Jackson Bird skittled South Australia with a five-for that gave Tasmania a 141-run first-innings lead in Adelaide. By stumps, Tasmania had swelled that lead to 220.Bird struck twice in the first three balls of his first over, sniping out Johnathon Dalton and Callum Ferguson for ducks. Travis Head, the South Australia captain, scored 80 and shared a 76-run stand for the third wicket with Jake Weatherald, before Thomas Rogers dismissed Weatherald and started South Australia’s slide. From 2 for 76, South Australia quickly slipped to 6 for 100, and Bird then returned to wipe out the tail-enders and complete his five-for. Earlier in the day, he had made an important contribution with the bat, too.That Tasmania were able to add 54 to their overnight score of 2 for 228 was largely down to a 42-run tenth-wicket stand between Bird and Bell, who made a dogged 16 off 76 balls. A five-wicket haul from Adam Zampa capped South Australia’s bowling efforts in the first innings, and the legspinner returned to dismiss Jordan Silk for 28 in Tasmania’s second innings. Kane Richardson took out Alex Doolan, Silk’s opening partner, before George Bailey shepherded Tasmania through to stumps with an unbeaten 52-ball 32. Jake Doran, who struck a century in the first innings was unbeaten on 1

Cameron Bancroft might be part of Australia’s Ashes-winning squad but his early forays in county cricket have caused a headache or two

David Hopps22-Dec-2017Cameron Bancroft will return to county cricket with Somerset in 2018 as he seeks to build on his new Test status by finally proving his mettle in the English game.Bancroft makes the switch from Somerset’s west country neighbours, Gloucestershire, were he has spent two relatively undistinguished seasons considering that he has now won considerable kudos in Australia as part of their Ashes-winning squad.He also revealed a dry wit in his first media conference when he outlined at length Jonny Bairstow’s “headbutt” greeting in the Avenue bar in Perth shortly after England’s Ashes party had touched down in Australia.He averaged 40.29 for Gloucestershire in the Championship last season, which sounds solid enough, but remove an admirable unbeaten 206 in a stalemate against Kent and the returns have not been so great: 671 runs over the last two seasons, both of them only temporary assignments, at an average of 25.80.Such a return illustrates why Bancroft’s selection for Australia’s Ashes XI was met with more scepticism in England than in his native Australia, where his unbeaten 228 for Western Australia against South Australia in Perth last month became an irresistible claim for selection.Bancroft still has learning to do and that means that Somerset have secured him for the majority of the season, confident that even though he will make a step up to Division One this can be his breakthrough season.Somerset’s director of cricket Andy Hurry said: “Cameron will be available, subject to permission from Cricket Australia, for the start of the 2018 Specsavers County Championship season, all of the Royal London One-Day Cup fixtures plus the six remaining Championship matches that take place after the T20 Blast group stages. This will provide us with the continuity that we are looking for from an overseas signing.”He has come very highly recommended and will fit seamlessly into our environment. This will be a key ingredient to us achieving our aspirations of winning silverware. Cameron has the appetite and the temperament for scoring big hundreds. He really values the price of his wicket, is mentally tough and highly driven to succeed.”Bancroft made his international debut in this winter’s first Ashes Test, making an eye-catching 82 in Australia’s second innings, although his returns have been low since then. If he has as much impact at Somerset as his coach at Western Australia and Perth Scorchers, Justin Langer, who averaged more than 50 in first-class cricket for the county, then everybody will be more than satisfied.Chris Rogers, another Australian opener of recent vintage, also came close to leading Somerset to the title in 2016.As a teenager in Attadale, a well-to-do riverside suburb of Perth, Bancroft kept a poster of Langer on his bedroom wall, and is slowly developing a similar reputation as a driven and disciplined opening batsman.”I’ve heard a lot of good things about Somerset from Justin Langer and it’s clear that they are a team heading in the right direction,” Bancroft said. “There’s a long history of Australians doing well at Taunton, so hopefully I can add my name to that list.”

Fulham are now attempting a late move for Senegal international defender Ismail Jakobs as a report shares an update on transfer talks.

Who will Fulham sign?

Manager Marco Silva has watched three major signings come through the door so far.

Indeed, defender Calvin Bassey is perhaps the most notable of them, with Fulham putting pen to paper on an £18.2 million move to prise him away from Eredivisie giants Ajax.

Meanwhile, former Wolves duo Raul Jimenez and Adama Traore swapped Molineux for Craven Cottage thereafter, with the Whites attempting to strengthen before September 1.

Their trio of deals, though, isn't satisfactory enough from Silva's perspective – as the Fulham boss explained earlier this month that his side quite simply need to be doing more.

"Unfortunately, we need many still. We have some important players injured,” Silva said.

“I hope they can come sooner. We have just two full backs, we need a midfielder too and we have just two wingers so we need another two wingers.

“We have completed our central defenders. I needed these players 15 days or 20 days ago, not now.”

Fulham were chasing a deal to sign Chelsea winger Callum Hudson-Odoi to shore up that area of the squad, but according to reliable media sources, that move has stalled.

The west Londoners now also need a striker to replace the departed Aleksandar Mitrovic, as Silva's former star striker has made a move to the Saudi Pro League to join up with Al-Hilal – where he will partner Neymar going forward.

To succeed Mitrovic, it is reported that Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun is of serious interest with talks ongoing, but they'll face some stiff competition from Ligue 1 side Monaco.

Back to Jakobs and the full-back area, Fulham are apparently chasing the Senegalese, with a report from TEAMtalk sharing the latest on their pursuit.

Indeed, the outlet claims they're in ongoing talks to sign the African who featured at last year's 2022 World Cup in Qatar, and he is now a "top target" for Silva personally.

This comes as the full-back area is seen as a transfer "priority", with Leicester City star Timothy Castagne also on Fulham's radar heading into the September 1 deadline.

It's added that the Craven Cottage side are "determined" to win the race for Jakobs in particular, though, with with league rivals Nottingham Forest also in the hunt for his signature.

How good is Ismail Jakobs?

The 24-year-old has impressed at Monaco since his transfer from Cologne in 2021, making 41 appearances in all competitions last season.

Jakobs can contribute going forward, too, having registered eight assists in total throughout his total cameos in a Monaco shirt.

The left-back also managed four goals and four assists in 47 appearances whilst he was at Cologne (Transfermarkt), but his discipline behind-the-scenes has been flagged as an issue recently.

"Jakobs was fined for something that will remain internal," said former Monaco manager Phillipe Clement last season.

"It’s clear that it wasn’t good. He understood that. It’s done, but he won’t be part of the squad [against Toulouse]."

They are team-mates in the IPL and friends off the field, but Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers will only be batsmen to dismiss as soon as possible when South Africa begin their Test series against India

Firdose Moonda30-Dec-20172:59

Can India replicate the success of 2017 in the year 2018?

One of the most anticipated match-ups of the South Africa-India series is between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. They are the superstars of their respective sides, team-mates at the Royal Challengers Bangalore and great mates off the field but Kohli confirmed that once they step over the white line, their cosiness will replaced by fiery competitiveness.”AB is a great friend of mine,” Kohli said on Saturday. “I respect the way he plays the game and I have always respected him as a person. When we are playing against each other – not that we cross the line with each other, we are just not like that with each other, we can’t – but it’s about wanting to get AB out. And I’m sure the opposition want the same when I play or when [Ajinkya] Rahane plays or [Cheteshwar] Pujara plays.”But even though the Kohli-de Villiers clash could make most of the headlines, Kohli played down suggestions that the outcome of the series could hinge on which of the two bats better. Instead, he said it would take a collective effort to claim bragging rights over the next month.”Everyone wants to be the stand-out player in the series and make contributions towards the team winning the series but unless you have that as a group, you don’t have many chances of winning the series. Some people might have brilliant individual performances but then you will always be fine with one or two people doing well,” Kohli said. “Right now with the kind of hunger we have in the group, everyone wants an opportunity. That’s a very exciting thing.”I can’t speak for the opposition because AB hasn’t played much Test cricket since he played against us and he is coming back after a while. Setting apart all of the spice created from the outside about the series, the team that plays well together has the best chance of winning.”De Villiers has only played one Test since injury and a self-imposed sabbatical kept him out of the longest format for 23 months since January 2016. He made his comeback against Zimbabwe in the four-day, day-night Test over Boxing Day, where he was also named stand-in captain for the ill Faf du Plessis, whom de Villiers handed the reins to last year. As (mis)fortune would have it, de Villiers also ended up keeping wicket in the match because Quinton de Kock suffered a slight hamstring strain. Du Plessis and de Kock are expected to be fit to take on India and a selection headache looms over how to include de Villiers in the Test team.

With the transfer market still open for another few weeks, it's always useful to know big players would be open to joining your team – just ask Liverpool and Jurgen Klopp how that can derail any summer spending plans…

Well, the good news for Arsenal is that a Premier League striker has gone on the record as saying likes the way the Gunners play, suggesting he'd be keen on a move in the future.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

Mikel Arteta's men have already completed some big bits of business this summer with the likes of Declan Rice, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and David Raya all heading to North London.

However, the club may not be done there and with Folarin Balogun expected to make a big move away in the near future, this could potentially open the door up for a new attacker to arrive either this summer or perhaps in January.

Read the latest Arsenal transfer news HERE…

One man who appears to be putting himself in line for such a move is Brentford striker Ivan Toney. Indeed, when talking recently on The Diary Of A CEO podcast, despite admitting he is a fan of Liverpool since his childhood, he shares a certain level of respect for Arsenal and their "passionate" fans.

You can see the specific clip below via Twitter, as Toney opens up on his feelings about the club and his plans for the future, as he appears to drop a bit of a come-and-get-me plea, saying: “The next club I go to, if I was to move, it would be… the right club.

He continued with a smile: "I’ve been a Liverpool fan my whole life but from young, I’ve liked Arsenal, I like watching Arsenal, how they play and how passionate the fans are.”

Ivan Toney: “The next club I go to if I was to move, it would be the right club. I’ve been a Liverpool fan my whole life but from young, I’ve liked Arsenal, watching Arsenal, how they play & how passionate the fans are.” [The Diary Of A CEO]Full episode: https://t.co/chp6qL6vj5 pic.twitter.com/ONyygzbzey— afcstuff (@afcstuff) August 21, 2023

How much does Ivan Toney earn?

The Brentford striker earns a reported £20k-p/w on a contract that runs out in the summer of 2025, so he may well soon be ready to seriously consider a move away from the Bees. But of course, this might not be easy due to his current ban from football.

The 27-year-old is currently serving an eight-month suspension after accepting that he broke Football Association betting rules – he is not allowed to play again until 17 January next year but can return to training on 17 September.

In the same Diary Of A CEO podcast (via BBC Sport), he opened up on how he is "counting down the days" before he returns to training and said the wait is like "being in football prison".

He said: "The whole football community is big on mental health and then the FA are going to do this and push me away. It's not a place I want people to feel sorry for me. That's the last thing that I want

"So, what if someone not as strong as me in the head is going through this situation and their punishment is they are not allowed at the club – that would break them.

"Right now, not being around the training ground, it does hurt me. I just know when I'm at the training ground, I train harder. It's not a nice feeling. Not being allowed at the training ground is baffling to me.

"I'm counting down the days until I can be training and around the boys. It's like being in football prison at the moment."