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Here's everything you need to know about Barcelona's pre-season games and how to watch them.

The 2023-24 season saw Barcelona finish second in La Liga, behind arch-rivals Real Madrid. There wasn't even a competition for the title and the Blaugrana will be disappointed with their season.

The 2024-25 season should offer renewed hope of getting back to their best with new players added to the squad over the summer transfer window. They will be desperate to hunt for trophies alongside Real Madrid, but before that hunt begins, they will need to go through a strong pre-season to get the squad ready.

Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about Barcelona's pre-season plans ahead of the 2024-25 season, plus ticket information, where to watch games live and more.

GOALBarcelona 2024 pre-season fixtures & results

Date Game Kick-off time Venue

July 30Barcelona 2-2 Man City (4-1 on penalties)7pm ET / 12am BST (July 31)Camping World Stadium, OrlandoAug 3Barcelona 2-1 Real Madrid7pm ET / 12am BST (Aug 4)MetLife Stadium, New JerseyAug 6Barcelona 2-2 AC Milan (3-4 on penalties)7.30pm ET / 12.30am BST (Aug 7)M&T Bank Stadium, BaltimoreAug 11Barcelona vs Monaco2pm ET / 7pm BSTEstadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, Barcelona

Barcelona kicked off their pre-season with a win on penalties against Premier League champions Manchester City on July 30. They followed that up with a victory in El Clasico against Real Madrid.

In their third fixture, Barcelona suffered a defeat on penalties against AC Milan.

The Joan Gamper Trophy game against Monaco on August 11 would also be played as part of Barcelona's preparations for the new season.

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Tickets for Barcelona's pre-season tour are available to buy now.

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How to watch Barcelona pre-season games on TV & livestream online

In the US, all of Barcelona's pre-season games will be available to watch and stream online live through ESPN+. The Man City game will also be on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, Fubo (sign up for a free 7-day trial), DirecTV Stream and Sling Orange.

Barcelona's pre-season games will be shown on Premier Sports in the UK. The game against City will also be on the English club's official channel, CITY+.

Highlights of all the club-friendly games and other behind-the-scenes action should be available to watch on Barcelona One, which is the club's official streaming platform.

There is no confirmation on where to watch the Joan Gamper Trophy game against Monaco yet.

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When does the 2024-25 season start for Barcelona?

The La Liga fixtures for the 2024-25 season have been released. Barcelona will begin their new league campaign with a clash against Valencia away from home on August 17.

Barcelona will be looking to get back to their trophy-hunting ways and will be eager to start the campaign on a winning note.

Arsenal are finally ready to sanction the departure of Eddie Nketiah to Marseille, but only if they meet their asking price.

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De Zerbi keen to bring Nketiah to MarseillePersonal terms already agreedArsenal have now revealed asking priceWHAT HAPPENED?

The French club have been pursuing the Arsenal striker for the entire summer but have not yet had a breakthrough in negotiations with the Gunners over a permanent deal. But according to The Athletic, Marseille now know they must fork up out a fee of €30 million (£26m/$33m) at the end of the proposed one-year loan.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The ball is now firmly in Marseille's court over whether they sign Nketiah or not. Arsenal are not prepared to move on their asking price and if the French club want to continue bolstering Roberto De Zerbi's attack, they will need to meet the Gunners' demands.

DID YOU KNOW?

Nketiah has already agreed personal terms on a five-year contract with Marseille and is keen to link up with De Zerbi, who is the main driver behind the deal. The 25-year-old only signed a new deal with the north London club in 2022, which has become a stumbling block in getting the deal done.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR NKETIAH?

Having featured 27 times in the Premier League last season, Nketiah is not seen as an outcast at Arsenal. As it stands, he is working with the team during pre-season as they look to launch an offensive on Manchester City in a bid for the top-flight crown.

Batsman becomes county’s first Indian overseas player since Javagal Srinath in 1995

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Feb-2020Cheteshwar Pujara, the Indian top-order batsman, will play six County Championship fixtures for Gloucestershire this season after signing a short-term deal with the club.Gloucestershire, who will be playing in Division One for the first time since 2005 after winning promotion last season, will be Pujara’s fourth county, following spells at Derbyshire (2014), Yorkshire (2015 and 2018) and Nottinghamshire (2017).Pujara is one of only two Test specialists in the contracted list of 27 Indian players not to feature in the IPL, making him available for the start of the English season.His first game will be the season opener against Yorkshire at Headingley on April 12, and he will leave immediately before the T20 Blast starts at the end of May. Qais Ahmad, the Afghanistan legspinner, will play the final six Championship games as well as the whole of the Blast, while the club does not currently have an overseas player for the mid-season games against Somerset and Hampshire.ALSO READ: Pujara joins elite list with 50th first-class tonPujara will be the club’s first Indian player since Javagal Srinath in 1995, who took 87 Championship wickets at 19.09 apiece after being recommended to the county by Courtney Walsh.”I am really excited to get the opportunity to represent Gloucestershire this season,” Pujara said. “The club has a rich cricketing history, and this is a great opportunity to be a part of it and contribute to its success.”I am grateful to the club for giving me this opportunity and cannot wait to get to Bristol to meet my teammates and score some runs. I have really enjoyed the experience of coming over to the UK and playing county cricket over the last few years and I am looking forward to building on that whilst continuing to improve my game.”Pujara’s record in County Championship cricket is surprisingly underwhelming. He averages 29.93 across 36 innings in the competition, including a six-game spell with Yorkshire in 2018 in which he failed to make a single half-century.Richard Dawson, Gloucestershire head coach, said: “Cheteshwar is a player with great temperament who will add international experience to the squad. He is undoubtedly one of the best batsmen in world cricket and we are very fortunate to have him in our squad for the start of the County Championship campaign.”Adding Pujara to a strong batting line-up gives me great confidence ahead of our opening County Championship matches.”

Arsenal’s Hale End academy boasts a vast amount of success, notably in recent years with Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe becoming two key cogs under Mikel Arteta.

The latter may have endured a rough two years with injury but the former is now one of the Premier League’s elite players.

Is it too far to suggest Saka is the finest product to come through at Arsenal? Perhaps not. At the age of 22, the young winger has scored 18 goals this season and also supplied 13 assists for his colleagues. Eight of those involvements have come in eight Champions League games too.

Rio Ferdinand doesn’t think he’s world-class yet, but we do. The dazzling Englishman has been superb for the Gunners.

Yet, he is following in the footsteps of some illustrious homegrown talent before him. Think Jack Wilshere who dominated Barcelona in the aforementioned Champions League as a teenager.

Injury cruelly robbed him of a fine career but for a player who broke through at a similar time – Serge Gnabry – he has certainly not been robbed.

Why Arsenal sold Serge Gnabry

Saka is perhaps the finest attacking player to come through the academy at Hale End since the German, who is now tearing it up at Bayern Munich.

However, had more opportunities presented themselves at a young age, perhaps he’d still be in north London.

Gnabry made his debut for the Gunners in 2012 during a League Cup tie against Coventry City, but following that, he only made another 17 first-team appearances under the tutelage of the great Arsene Wenger.

Why? Well, he did have to contend with the likes of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey, Alexis Sanchez and an in-form Theo Walcott for a place. That said, he did score one Premier League against Swansea City in the 2013/14 campaign.

That was about as good as it got for the German in London with an infamous loan spell with West Brom following. It’s safe to say Tony Pulis wasn’t a great fan at the time.

“I only had him for a couple of months. He has done fantastically well now, you have to hold your hands up, but at the time he was nowhere near it,” the ex-Baggies boss admitted.

“He was brought off in a reserve game. I wasn’t there but they played Aston Villa on a Monday night and the reserve coach, who is at Sheffield Wednesday with Darren (Moore) now, brought him off. He said he never tried a leg, he stood out wide, he flicked it up a few times and that was it.”

Well, Gnabry has made Arsenal and Pulis eat humble pie over the years. After joining Werder Bremen for just £4m, he unsurprisingly later signed for Bayern. He has scored 86 goals and registered 52 assists for the Bavarian outfit, won five Bundesliga trophies and tasted Champions League success.

Thus, he shouldn’t feel the need to justify his exit from the English capital, but he has tried to, once saying: “I was still confident I could’ve got in the team but I didn’t want to wait. I didn’t want to be fourth or fifth choice any longer. It was the hardest decision I had to make in football, leaving a club like Arsenal – the fans, the players – but to keep playing I had to take a step back and it was the right decision.”

It’s safe to say he may well be Wenger’s biggest failure in the transfer market through the years but could Edu and Co also be on the path to selling the wrong player again?

Arsenal's next Hale End departure

Selling academy talent is something all clubs have to do, including Arsenal. They did so only last summer when Folarin Balogun moved to Monaco following a successful loan stint in France.

The Gunners received a pretty impressive £35m fee for his services. Not bad for someone who only played ten senior matches in the famous red and white.

Well, who could be next? A certain Charlie Patino, scorer of a goal on his first-team debut against Sunderland as an 18-year-old.

The midfielder celebrated such an occasion as the “best day of his life” but similarly to Gnabry’s development at Arsenal, hasn’t had much success since.

Patino is currently enjoying a second loan spell in the EFL with Swansea City, having plied his trade with Blackpool last term. All in, the 2003-born talent has contributed to seven goals and eight assists in 70 outings. Those aren’t bad numbers for a deep-lying midfielder but he hasn’t captured the eye as much as some may have thought.

Sadly, with Arsenal’s midfielder rather packed at the moment, it doesn’t appear as though first-team opportunities will be forthcoming. Reports now even suggest that he is set to leave the Emirates Stadium behind for good in the summer with Arteta ready to greenlight an exit with Ethan Nwaneri waiting in the shadows to make his impact.

Such an eventuality is not a surprising one but it is a shame. After all, Patino has been billed as a star of tomorrow for a good few years now. Indeed, Arsenal’s head of scouting Sean O’Connor previously described him as the “best player who has ever walked through the doors at Hale End.”

That’s some statement but just goes to show the level of player Arsenal are willing to let go here. Indeed, it would hardly be a shock if in a few years time the Londoners are made to rue such a sale, just as they have with Gnabry.

Arsenal losing "superb" £60m gem could be as big a mistake as Gnabry

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ByJack Salveson Holmes Apr 12, 2024

Chelsea have been accused of reaching a "new low" after a chaotic day at Stamford Bridge, with one player leaving, two exiled and another joining.

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Chelsea sold Gallagher and signed Felix from AtleticoBlues criticised by fans on social media for the dealSterling and Chilwell treatment also controversialWHAT HAPPENED?

In a hectic day for the Premier League side, they offloaded academy graduate Conor Gallagher to Atletico, while bringing Portugal international Felix back to Stamford Bridge from the Madrid side. Meanwhile, Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell have been exiled from the squad as the club look to sell the pair.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT FANS ARE SAYING

The Blues used Kanye West's song Homecoming in a video showing Felix on the training ground, adding the caption: "Home again." That sparked an angry reaction from some given Felix only spent a few months on loan at Chelsea in 2023 prior to joining them just as they forced Gallagher out after 18 years at the club.

Also, coach Enzo Maresca's decision to exile Sterling and Chilwell has been the subject of discussion among Blues supporters.

"Using Homecoming on the announcement of a former loan player you've only signed to enable the sale of an actual homegrown player is a new low," said one fan on X.

"No way Chelsea are using this “homecoming” gimmick for a player who was on loan with them for half a season and the only reason this transfer happened is because they forced out a kid who’d been with the club since he was 6 years old," EiF said. "So ridiculous."

Talking Tactics posted: "Until you get sent to the guest house. That caption & choice of music sure is a kick in the teeth to one or two."

Chelsea appear to be signing Joao Felix solely because they failed to sign Samu Omorodion," Colin Millar said. "And they need to give Atletico Madrid a lot of money so they can afford to sign Conor Gallagher. It really is an inexplicable way of running a football club."

"It is so obvious Behdad [Eghbali, co-owner] is doing everything now, from Gallagher & Felix to Sterling who was Boehly’s star signing. Clearlake are ruining us," said Fred.

Tommy Gunn wrote: "They have done sterling [sic] bad and I am not his biggest fan", while Analytical Football said: "Maresca stance on no playtime for Sterling, is a bitter surprise to his camp. Hope he finds his form again. Godspeed Sterling!"

"Sterling's number given to someone else while sterling is still at the club. Weird weird club [sic]," said RedAntLFC, referring to the news Sterling's No.7 has now been given to new signing Pedro Neto.

"Stripped Sterling of his number and booted him from first team training despite him honouring his contract and making no offences. Absolutely classless," said Magic hat. "How can anyone have respect for Chelsea’s owners and management, including Maresca."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Chelsea will attempt to sell Sterling and Chilwell before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. Sterling has been offered to Aston Villa and is of reported interest to Juventus, while it was reported that Chilwell was proposed to Manchester United.

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

The Blues will hope to have the pair off of their books before long, while Maresca's team prepare for Thursday's Conference League game against Servette. Three days later, they will take on Wolves in the Premier League.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou has a "wildcard" left-back option at his disposal as he thinks of alternatives to the injured Destiny Udogie.

Udogie out for the rest of the season after Spurs injury

The Italy international has been one of Postecoglou's real success stories since the beginning of his tenure.

Tottenham may have tabled a bid for £24m Kane replacement in recent days

Spurs are eager to bring in his successor.

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Starting 28 Premier League games as a mainstay for Spurs, the left-back stars on a regular basis and has taken to Postecoglou's unique inverted full-back role with real aplomb time and time again over 2023/2024.

After spending 2022/2023 out on loan at Udinese to further his development, rather than coming straight to north London when he was signed by Fabio Paratici nearly two years ago, the 21-year-old has seriously taken to life in England.

Aston Villa 0-4 Tottenham

7.77

Tottenham 4-1 Newcastle

7.75

Everton 2-2 Tottenham

7.74

Burnley 2-5 Tottenham

7.63

Bournemouth 0-2 Tottenham

7.53

Udogie has been praised for his Tottenham displays by members of the media on countless occasions, and especially by Sky pundit Stephen Warnock in February.

"The way Tottenham play this season, everybody talks about the spine of the team, but it’s actually the fullbacks who are the most important players,” said Warnock on The Sky Sports Football Show (via HITC).

“And I am made up to say that. It makes me very happy. They change the way that they play. Udogie doesn’t play as a conventional fullback or as an overlapping fullback.

“Incredibly, I saw an article on this a few weeks ago where he has actually completed the most dribbles in midfield. That tells you everything about the type of player he is and where he is playing on the pitch, so often, you see him and Porro in centre-forward positions or number 10 positions."

The importance of Udogie in Postecoglou's system is crystal clear, but the Spurs boss was dealt a hammer blow in these last few days. Indeed, amid Tottenham's chase for Champions League football and ahead of their all-important north London derby clash with Arsenal, Udogie has now been ruled out for the rest of the season through injury.

The former Serie A starlet underwent surgery on his left quadriceps, and released an Instagram statement confirming he will not feature again this season (via talkSPORT).

Ange could use "wildcard" Tottenham left-back option

Attention now turns to how Postecoglou will cope without one of his star players in the race for a coveted top four finish. The likes of Ben Davies and versatile stand-in Emerson Royal are sure-fire contenders to fill in for Udogie, but another could well be centre-back Micky van de Ven.

As explained by journalist Sam Truelove in a piece for football.london, van de Ven could be a "wildcard" Udogie replacement at left-back for Tottenham, given he is actually capable of playing the role.

The Dutchman has been another key player under Postecoglou, but at centre-back. He's yet to showcase his prowess further wide, and the demands of a Postecoglou full-back would surely put him to the test.

However, his searing pace could well make him an astute option, so it will be interesting to see if Postecoglou goes down that avenue.

The tournament was originally scheduled to start on March 29 and run till the third week of May

Nagraj Gollapudi13-Mar-2020IPL 2020 has been deferred until April 15 following the global concern over the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) outbreak. ESPNcricinfo understands that if the situation is safe for the IPL to start in mid-April, the new window for the tournament is likely to be April 16 to June 5.The decision to postpone the tournament, which was scheduled to start on March 29, was taken by the BCCI top brass led by its president Sourav Ganguly and secretary Jay Shah and top management of the IPL in the wake of the advice given by various arms of the Indian government.The IPL sent the communication to all eight franchises on Friday, saying it would meet the owners on Saturday in person in Mumbai to further debrief on the matter.In its statement announcing the decision on Friday afternoon, the BCCI said it was “suspending” the IPL until April 15 as a “precautionary measure” against the coronavirus. “The BCCI is concerned and sensitive about all its stakeholders, and public health in general, and it is taking all necessary steps to ensure that, all people related to IPL including fans have a safe cricketing experience,” the release said. “The BCCI will work closely with the Government of India along with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and all other relevant Central and State Government departments in this regard.”The IPL now joins a host of high-profile sporting events including the English Premier League and UEFA Champions League, the NBA and the ATP Tour to have been affected by COVID-19 (novel coronavirus), a respiratory illness that was declared as a pandemic by the World Health Organistion (WHO) this week.With the outbreak rapidly escalating across the globe the Indian government has placed severe travel restrictions for people traveling in as well out of India. With the coronavirus being highly contagious and spread through contact, the government said sporting organisations would need to adhere to Health Ministry’s guidelines to avoid mass gatherings.ESPNcricinfo had earlier reported the possibility of the IPL being a severely restricted tournament – with at least some part of it being played to empty stands – because of the pandemic. While the central sports ministry had said it would not stop sporting events from taking place as long as they adhered strictly to government guidelines discouraging mass gatherings, the external affairs (foreign) ministry had said that its advice was to not go ahead with the tournament at this time, but left the decision to the organisers.In the end the BCCI was left with not much choice and was forced to change its initial stance of business-as usual when Ganguly had said the IPL was on and the board was taking all necessary precautions. However, the pressure on the BCCI was building up as state governments across India including those of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Punjab and Delhi on Friday insisting that they would not allow mass gatherings, something an IPL match would easily attract.On the eve of the India-South Africa ODI series opener, on March 11, the BCCI shared its first public statement on the coronavirus saying a list of dos-and-don’ts were distributed to all stakeholders including the players who had been asked not to shake hands or use third-party phones to take selfies during interactions with the fans.Later on Friday, it was confirmed that the final two ODIs of the South Africa series, in Lucknow (March 15) and Kolkata (March 18) would not be played for the same reasons.Before arriving at the decision to defer the tournament, the IPL is understood to have consulted at least some of the franchises for their views. As far as the franchises were concerned they wanted the tournament to go ahead in whatever form even if behind closed doors. One franchise chief executive said an option that was considered, and, which might still be in play if the tournament starts in April, is to allow no spectators during the first few weeks of the tournament and then upon review resume ticket sales.

Enzo Maresca outlined the goal for Chelsea in the 2024-25 season as he claimed that he was not asked to deliver Champions League qualification.

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Chelsea not looking to seal a top-four spotMaresca outlined his goal for the seasonWill next face Servette on ThursdayWHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea started the 2024-25 Premier League campaign with a loss against Manchester City, but they made a statement with a strong comeback in their second outing as they thrashed Wolves 6-2 by playing an attractive and attacking brand of football. Maresca, however, is unwilling to set any target for the team at such an early stage in the season as he clearly stated that he is not under pressure to win the league or secure a top-four spot.

AdvertisementWHAT ENZO MARESCA SAID

Speaking to Chelsea's official website, the manager said: "For us, the target at this moment is to improve players. No one from the club asked me to compete for the Premier League or compete for a Champions League spot. They just asked me to improve the players and improve the team. The most important thing is to be better game after game. Also, the target is to solve the economic problem in terms of selling players. From there, we try to do our best and see where we arrive."

Getty Images SportTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The former Manchester City assistant coach further dissected his team's performance from the Wolves clash as he added: "In some moments we started to see our team. There are many things the players are still learning. Sometimes we can play quicker, sometimes slower. It’s with time we are going to improve. We started one-and-a-half months ago.

"When there is space in behind, we need to attack in behind. When teams sit back, there is no space in behind and it’s difficult. We need more passes, more process. I want to see my team play the way we want to play and compete every game. This is the most important thing. I want to see on the ball a clear idea of what they want; and off the ball, a very aggressive team."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR CHELSEA?

The west London side will now aim to secure their place in the Europa Conference League group stage as they next take on Servette in the second leg of the play-offs round on Thursday night. Maresca's side have a two-goal lead from the first leg.

Pakistan’s head coach and selector stresses importance of international cricket resuming

George Dobell13-Jun-20201:29

Misbah-ul-Haq: ‘The players are hungry and raring to go’

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s chief selector and head coach, has insisted that the PCB has not asked for a reciprocal tour as part of their agreement to play in England.A 29-man Pakistan squad is expected to arrive in England at the start of July for a three-Test tour that is set to be played behind closed doors and will commit the touring players to several weeks in something approaching bio-secure conditions.But while Misbah conceded that his side will be “at a bit of a disadvantage” going into the series, he was adamant that the wider good of the game is best served by a resumption in international cricket.ALSO READ: Shahid Afridi tests positive for Covid-19England have not toured Pakistan since 2005-06. Security concerns have seen subsequent series between the sides played in either the UK or the UAE though there were growing hopes, before the Covid-19 pandemic, that England would return to Pakistan in late 2022.”It’s important for cricket boards that cricket starts now,” Misbah said. “That will raise revenue which will be reinvested in cricket. If we don’t play, obviously, we will be in trouble.”For the development of this game, international cricket has to take place. Otherwise it will be difficult for smaller and weaker cricket nations to go forward. It’s important for bigger nations that cricket is revised now, too.”It is not in our minds that the ECB has to do something for us in return for us coming. The most important thing is to re-start international cricket.”Obviously, in the bigger picture, we want not just the ECB but all cricketing nations to help each other so this game can grow. It’s important for the cricket fans in Pakistan and also for Pakistan cricket that countries start touring Pakistan. But we are not expecting anything in return for this tour.”By the time the series starts, England will have just played three Tests against West Indies and Pakistan will not have played competitively since March. Furthermore, Pakistan will not have the luxury of any official warm-up games – though they will play inter-squad matches – and have been obliged to cancel their training camp in Lahore due to rising cases of Covid-19 in the region.But Misbah suggested that the month his squad will have in the UK before the series begins should provide adequate time to prepare.”It is a little bit of a disadvantage,” Misbah said. “But we believe in the resumption of cricket on the condition that the environment is safe and secure. That’s why we did not hold a camp in Lahore. The situation was really getting worse there and we thought securing the players’ health and safety was important. So we thought we should hold on and start in England where the [Covid-19] situation is getting better and better.”I’m hoping if we arrive at least four weeks before the series, we can get the time for preparation. That’s why we are bringing 29 players and mostly these players are for the longer version. Everyone needs to work really hard in those four weeks. Especially Yasir Shah because spinners need to bowl a lot to get back into rhythm, especially legspinners.”It’s really difficult for me to tell exactly where the players are [in terms of fitness] at the moment because, from March, everybody is on their own. Obviously we are having online sessions and information from them, but we don’t have any evidence because we not practising together.”So yes, we have a slight disadvantage. It will be a challenge for us, and Yasir also, to get back to his best. He needs to work very hard. But we are confident. We have a good team. If we can adjust quickly to these conditions and this situation we can perform well. We can do really well in England.”While Misbah said there were “no concerns” about the dangers posed by Covid-19 in the UK among his squad, he did concede that Haris Sohail had declined to tour due to anxiety over the virus.”It was Haris’ family,” Misbah said. “They were having concerns. They were not convinced. He has to respect the family’s decision and he pulled out of this series. The others are fine. They are ready to tour England.”

With the summer transfer window fast approaching, Newcastle United have reportedly turned their attention towards beating Tottenham Hotspur in the race to land a future Premier League star.

Newcastle transfer news

It looks set to be a busy summer at St James' Park, with PIF already reportedly getting their business underway by reaching an agreement to sign Lloyd Kelly on a free deal upon the expiry of his Bournemouth contract at the end of the season. The left-back, who can also play centre-back, should help ease Eddie Howe's defensive problems in what could go down as one of the bargains of the summer in England.

PIF enquire over dream Isak successor who's scored 3 vs Newcastle in 23/24

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ByEthan Lamb May 10, 2024

Free agents seem to be the trend at the moment too, with Tosin Adarabioyo also linked with a switch to the Magpies at the end of his Fulham contract. Suddenly, Howe could have two solid new options alongside the likes of Fabian Schar and Sven Botman next season in moves that could help bridge the gap to the Premier League's top four. It's not just defenders for the here and now that the Magpies could land, however.

According to Miguel Delaney of The Independent, via Caught Offside, Newcastle are eyeing a move to sign Josh Acheampong from Chelsea this summer ahead of Tottenham Hotspur. The young right-back could be among those who leave Stamford Bridge in a bid to help the Blues avoid any Financial Fair Play sanctions, with Newcastle the side potentially left benefitting.

It wouldn't be the first time that Newcastle have done business with Chelsea for a full-back either, having signed Lewis Hall on from the Blues last summer, which is on course to become permanent at the end of the season. Where Hall has struggled, however, Acheampong will be looking to thrive if he decides to leave Stamford Bridge for St James' Park this summer.

Acheampong may become Trippier successor

It's worth noting that Kieran Trippier, at 33 years old, isn't getting any younger and Newcastle need to start thinking about a replacement. And that's where Acheampong could come in. Still just a teenager and making his way in first-team football, the young right-back could complete a move to St James' Park this summer, before learning from and eventually taking the role of Trippier.

Fending off interest from Tottenham won't be easy, but Newcastle may hope that Chelsea's potential reluctance to sell a young player to a London rival will play a key part in Acheampong's next destination, should he leave this summer.

The likes of Anthony Gordon and Tino Livramento have thrived under Howe and the young right-back could go on to do the exact same next season. Having made just one Premier League appearance for Chelsea this season, game time and senior minutes could be the key to whatever decision Acheampong makes in the coming months of the transfer window.