All posts by h716a5.icu

Neymar would be Manchester United's best player if he was to join the club in the summer transfer window, presenter Terry Flewers has claimed.

What's the latest on Neymar and Man United?

The Brazil superstar looks set to depart Paris Saint-Germain this summer, and the 31-year-old has been linked with a move to the Premier League, with Newcastle and Man United two possible destinations.

Neymar has suffered with a lot of injury problems over the years, but has still provided 18 goals and 17 assists in 29 outings across all competitions this season.

Speaking on The Football Terrace, Flewers claimed that Neymar would be the best player at United as soon as he walked through the door, in terms of ability and status, but injuries may be of some concern.

"Ability, yes. Output, yes. The name, the man, the magic the skills, I want Neymar at Manchester United for all of these reasons," he stated.

"He would be the best player at the club by a country mile as soon as he arrives, whether he plays on the left instead of Rashford, whether he plays in a kind of 10, off the striker role instead of Bruno Fernandes, if he plays on the right instead of Antony or Sancho, this guy is better than all of them."

"The injury problems though, that's my worry. The injury situation surrounding Neymar is my only concern around him."

Should United pursue Neymar?

United are in the market for a forward, and have reportedly made Harry Kane their top target.

Neymar is a wide attacker rather than a central striker, but should he arrive, Rashford could move to a striker role to accommodate the 31-year-old.

His injury problems, combined with his £941k-per-week wages, means that Neymar looks more like he could follow the route of other big names who arrived and failed at Old Trafford, such as Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Bastian Schweinsteiger, but if he can stay fit, he could help raise United's level.

Erik ten Hag's side have made good progress this season, winning the Carabao Cup and securing a third-placed finish, but someone with Neymar's quality and experience could help turn them into title challengers.

Wingers Antony and Jadon Sancho have scored a combined 15 goals in all competitions, less than Neymar alone, and the Brazilian would be a significant upgrade on both in terms of end product.

If the finances on any deal for Neymar are reasonable, then the Red Devils could benefit in the short term, by having an attacker with Neymar's quality in the squad, even if he isn't available for the whole season.

Watch more of The Football Terrace on YouTube now!

After big defeats in their previous three ODIs against full member nations, Ireland captain William Porterfield chose to reflect on the positives on the eve of their only ODI against South Africa

Firdose Moonda24-Sep-2016There is losing, and then there is being completely and totally outplayed. For the last three times that Ireland have played ODIs against Full Members, it has been the latter. They were beaten by 255 runs by Pakistan, and before that, by 136 runs and 76 runs by Sri Lanka, making for grim reading. However, William Porterfield, their captain, managed to find the positives.”We’ve done a lot of things well for 80 to 85 overs in a lot of those games,” Porterfield said. “Against Pakistan, we pretty much had an off day, and Sharjeel (Khan) had a very good day. He was the big difference in the game. If we kept him out of it, it would have been a decent enough contest. We probably lost the Sri Lanka game in seven or eight overs on the field. Those things can happen if you’re not right on it.”Realistically, that is a generous analysis. Sharjeel’s 152 off 86 balls accounted for almost half of Pakistan’s total of 337, but even if he had been kept quiet, Ireland only managed 82 in response. Similarly, they were unable to muster strong replies against Sri Lanka after conceding heavily in both the matches they played in June.The real reason for Ireland’s recent struggles may lie a little deeper, and Porterfield was willing to acknowledge that. “The biggest thing for ourselves was that we had quite a few debutants in those games, especially with our bowling attack, and the experience they have taken from that is going to be key.”Against Sri Lanka, Barry McCarthy earned his first cap to join a young pace pack that included Andy McBrine, who has played 16 ODIs, and Max Sorensen, who has 13 ODIs to his name. Add that to new faces in the batting line-up such as Stuart Poynter and Sean Terry, and you have a team in a transition of sorts, which makes the dip in consistency understandable.That makes it particularly important for Ireland’s stalwarts like Porterfield and the O’Brien brothers to perform well in the two matches in South Africa, but even more important that Tim Murtagh provides influence and inspiration through his presence. Murtagh joined the squad early on Saturday morning after winning the county championship with Middlesex, and Ireland will see the value of having someone with that success.Whether Murtagh plays the first game remains to be seen, especially as he would only have had little more than 24 hours of recovery time, but simply having him around will boost Irish spirits. “He is here today, training,” Porterfield said, his tone notably lighter than when he was dissecting Ireland’s last few performances. “He has got 20 years of experience behind him, so he knows what he needs to do and how his body is going to feel, and he will be pretty open and honest himself, how he is feeling.”How Ireland are feeling is also transparent. They are both nervous and excited at the possibilities that lie ahead in the next four days, and they are determined to make the most of them, so that they can be asked back to these shores in future. “Having the opportunity to come to South Africa and play them in their own backyard, and to play the world champions – Ireland play Australia in a one-off ODI after the South Africa match – in different conditions is what we have been building towards,” Porterfield said. “We’ve got to keep improving and keep putting in performances to merit the games that we get. We’re not here to just make up numbers for a couple of games, but we are here to win games of cricket.”

Surrey, finishing the season with a swagger, put Yorkshire in their place on their own Headingley midden by a 19-run margin

David Hopps at Headingley28-Aug-2016
ScorecardSteven Davies well-paced hundred helped Surrey overcome the loss of two early wickets•Getty ImagesYorkshire folk, so tradition has it, don’t much care for London. Dire warnings are issued that it’s £5 a pint, people run up escalators and that you are stared at suspiciously if you talk gratuitously to a stranger. As far as Yorkshire cricket is concerned, there must be strangers a plenty in London – they have still not managed to go there for a Lord’s final since 2002.Surrey, finishing the season with a swagger, put Yorkshire in their place on their own Headingley midden by a 19-run margin and now face the winners of Monday’s semi-final between Warwickshire and Somerset with a chance to improve on last year’s agonising defeat to Gloucestershire.Steven Davies’ impressively carefree century, with Ben Foakes not far short, took Surrey to 255 for 7, a worthy effort, but manageable in easing conditions. But Surrey looked in control of this Royal London Cup semi-final from the moment that Stuart Meaker took 3 for 2 in nine balls – Jonny Bairstow, Gary Ballance and Jack Leaning all succumbing on a sluggish surface that gave Meaker, the fastest bowler on view, few advantages.That Yorkshire remained in touch until deep into the game was down to the resolve of Tim Bresnan, who completed a productive batting summer in this competition with 68 from 82 balls, his resistance ending seven balls from time when he swung a full toss from Jade Dernbach to long-on. It was a composed effort from Bresnan, so calm in adversity that one imagines if war ever hit Pontefract he would first sit on a bench munching a bacon butty and see how it developed.After briefly imagining the possibility of a treble, Yorkshire have now crashed out of both limited-overs competitions on successive weekends at the semi-final stage. Their semi-final record in List A cricket is particularly galling. “That statistic isn’t in our minds,” said Jason Gillespie, their coach, ahead of this tie. But the statistic exists, further swollen to 17 defeats in 20. Perhaps it partly explains a Headingley crowd of only 5,000, left disappointed too often.”When it has mattered we haven’t been good enough,” said Alex Lees, whose debut season as a limited-overs captain has ended with dejection. “I thought it was a gettable target. Tim Bresnan has won us three or four games single-handedly and has been exceptional both with bat and ball. If we look back it will have been a positive season, but let’s be honest, you don’t want to lose two semi-finals.”There was little to delight the Tykes who did spend Bank Holiday Sunday at Headingley when Yorkshire batted. Adam Lyth popped Dernbach into the off side and then Lees, never entirely secure, played outside a quicker arm ball from Gareth Batty, who underwent an instant transformation from chatty chappie to the Batty Haka, his eyes as wide as fat-fried eggs, his face contorting in warlike celebration. “I’m so bad I always think it might be the last wicket I ever get,” Surrey’s captain proffered. He is much better than that.Batty held back Meaker until the 20th over, perhaps fearing that he would be more likely to leak runs when the ball was hard, and it took Meaker three balls to remove Bairstow, courtesy of a weak whip to midwicket. In his next over came two more. Ballance, who had carved his way into the 30s, edged to the wicketkeeper, Foakes, attempting to chop him through gully, a shot that often gets him into bother. Leaning dragged on to leave Yorkshire 81 for 5.Consolation came not just from Bresnan but also in the competitive instincts of Matthew Waite, whose spirited 38 shared a sixth-wicket stand of 80 in 16 overs. But Sam Curran scuttled in dementedly to deceive Waite with a slower ball from around the wicket, Tom Curran loped in with his own version of a slower ball to remove Steven Patterson first ball and Surrey got the job done.Surrey fielded five wicketkeepers in their XI, including the England U-19 Ollie Pope on debut. That plus a wicketkeeper of an older vintage, Alec Stewart, looking on. After they had been inserted by Yorkshire, two of them, Davies and Foakes, provided the substance in a fourth-wicket stand of 130 in 24 overs which allowed them to make light of a failure for Kumar Sangakkara, the man who had virtually single-handedly won their quarter-final against Northants – pulled off by one wicket off the last ball.The careers are increasingly interconnected: Davies has decided he wants to don the gauntlets again; Foakes is the man in possession. Davies has been offered another Surrey contract, but Somerset and Nottinghamshire are among those seeking to entice him away. There are good England judges who hold Foakes in high regard, so much so that a Test tour to Bangladesh and India is not beyond possibility, while Davies has not represented England for five years and never warrants a mention these days. It must frustrate him, but competition among keeper-batsmen has been high and his indecision about his commitment to the role has not always helped him.Here, though, was a reminder, of his quality. He timed the ball as crisply as anyone, his bigger shots, as so often, found square on the off side, and he reached 104 with little to discomfort him until depositing a full toss from Waite into the hands of deep square. Foakes, working the leg side efficiently, missed his hundred as he scooped Bresnan to short fine leg.Surrey had eyes on 275 when Davies was dismissed with 12 overs remaining. That they never quite summoned a final flourish was partly due to the nature of the pitch and also to the resilience of Waite, who received cheers for his return of 3 for 48. He was fortunate to pick up Rory Burns with a leg side gift which he flicked to long leg and Sam Curran also self-destructed but – just as he did in the NatWest T20 Blast quarter-final against Glamorgan in Cardiff – he revelled in the pressure of a big game and by that virtue alone looks a decent prospect. He will rue not locking onto a return chance, however, when Davies was 43.A place in the final, though, deservedly belonged to Surrey – and their combative captain, Batty. Born in Bradford, a Yorkshire loyalist in the crowd is bound to have asserted. Clearly here is one Yorkshire-born cricketer who has revelled in life in the capital.

Celtic centre-forward Kyogo Furuhashi was honoured with the Scottish Premiership Player of the Season award this week as a reward for his sublime performances in the division this term.

The Japan international has plundered 25 goals in 34 outings in the top-flight and has found the back of the net 14 more times than any of his teammates have, which highlights how much they have relied on him at the top end of the pitch.

Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis had provided support to the 28-year-old prior to his move to the MLS in January. The former Eredivisie star scored six goals in 21 Premiership appearances in the first half of the current campaign after he managed 13 in 21 outings in 2021/22.

Ange Postecoglou brought in centre-forward Hyeon-gyu Oh in a £2.5m deal in January to replace Giakoumakis but the 22-year-old has struggled to find his feet since making the move.

He has scored three goals in 14 matches in the Scottish top-flight and the Australian head coach could brutally ditch the attacker and make him the third-choice option up front by swooping to sign Anastasios Douvikas.

Who is Anastasios Douvikas?

The 23-year-old striker is a prolific marksman who currently plays for FC Utrecht in the Dutch Eredivisie and is a reported transfer target for Celtic this summer, according to reports in the Netherlands (via The Sun).

He is valued at around €12m (£10m) and his form in the 2022/23 campaign explains why his club hold him in such a high regard, and why the Hoops are eyeing a swoop for him.

Douvikas has scored 18 goals and provided four assists in 31 Eredivisie appearances this term. He has averaged a Sofascore rating of 7.03 and created seven 'big chances' for his teammates in that time.

This means that the Greek machine has been directly involved in a goal for Utrecht once every 1.40 matches in the league, which shows that the ace is providing quality in front of goal on a regular basis.

Oh, meanwhile, has averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.66 in his 14 Premiership outings.

The South Korean dud has created one 'big chances' and registered zero assists to go along with his three goals, which works out as a direct goal contribution every 4.66 games – far less frequently than the reported Hoops target.

Writer Martin del Palacio Langer hailed Douvikas' exploits in the Eredivisie this season as "extraordinary" and the aforementioned statistics back that up.

His form has been significantly better than the new Celtic recruit's in Scotland and this suggests that Postecoglou could brutally ditch the ex-Bluewings striker from being back-up to Kyogo by signing the Greek international, who has the potential to offer more goals and creativity, this summer.

Former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has joined the national team’s support staff in preparation for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand

Firdose Moonda14-Aug-2016Former South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher has joined the national team’s support staff in preparation for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand. Boucher, whose 147-Test career ended in 2012 with an eye injury, will work with the squad for three days before the first Test in Durban, which starts on Friday, and should also spend time with them ahead of the second Test in Centurion later this month. While his focus will be on Quinton de Kock’s wicketkeeping, Boucher will also work on the lower order’s batting skills and the overall mental aspect of the game.”Mark is a guy that is highly respected. It will be particularly good for young Quinton de Kock to spend some time with him and work on his keeping and do a few fielding drills,” coach Russell Domingo said.In the absence of AB de Villiers, who will sit out of the series with an elbow injury, de Kock is guaranteed to don the gloves in both matches. He will also have the responsibility of marshalling the tail, much like Boucher did, a particular area of focus for Domingo.Last season, he roped in then Dolphins coach Lance Klusener to work with the lower order ahead of the England series. It paid some dividends when, in the lone match South Africa won in Centurion, de Kock shared three half-century stands for the sixth, eighth and ninth wickets with Temba Bavuma, Kyle Abbott and Dane Piedt respectively.Vernon Philander’s imminent return to the XI will provide another possible partner for de Kock, and Boucher is set to work with all of them on prolonging innings as much as possible. “Mark enjoys working with lower order because he likes to toughen guys up,” Domingo said.Primarily, it’s the bulldog in Boucher that Domingo wants to make use of. His main job will be to attempt to impart some of the never-say-die approach that defined his style of play into a South African side stung by a season of disappointment. After losing back-to-back Test series, they slipped from No. 1 to 6, and also crashed out of the World T20 in the first round. Although Domingo said he will no longer use the term “team in transition” because of the experience in the side, he conceded that his relatively “new” bunch needed some mental muscle.”Mark has got the reputation of having that fighting spirit and epitomising what the Proteas have always stood for in terms of being tough,'” Domingo said. “It’s by no means the same team that got that No. 1 ranking. This is a new team and this team needs to try and set their own legacy and their own benchmark. It’s a great opportunity for these guys to do something special, something that not many people are expecting them to do.”South Africa can climb to No. 5 with a 2-0 win over New Zealand, which Domingo hopes could be the start of their rise back up the rankings. It may also be the only way Domingo manages to keep his job, which remains at risk despite CSA abandoning an independent review into national team performances. Domingo’s contract runs until April next year, but with important away trips to Australia and New Zealand before then, and a Champions Trophy, followed by an England tour soon after his deal expires, this New Zealand series could be a litmus test for him, and he seems set on getting as much help as he needs to keep it.”I always have tried to [bring in former players],” Domingo said. “To not tap into some of our past players would be foolish of us, particularly a guy that wants to offer something.”Boucher is the sixth former international to work as a consultant in the Domingo era, following Gary Kirsten, Mike Hussey, Graeme Smith, Klusener and Neil McKenzie, who remains in charge as batting coach. Domingo also had two former internationals as bowling coaches, Allan Donald and incumbent Charl Langeveldt, as well as Claude Henderson as their spin-bowling coach.

Glasgow Rangers are believed to be interested in bringing Lausanne-Sport left-back Archie Brown to Ibrox this summer, according to a fresh update.

Do Rangers need defensive additions?

Michael Beale's side have had a solid season overall, but ultimately, they have fallen short in every competition they have played in. Unfortunately, rivals Celtic not only pipped the Gers to Scottish Premiership title glory, but also beat them in the Scottish Cup semi-finals and Scottish League Cup final.

It is a further sign that Rangers need to go up a gear next season, in order to close the gap between themselves and the Hoops, with new signings vital to making that happen.

Additions are needed in various areas of the pitch and left-back is a position that could certainly be added to, in order to increase the competition for places, and keeping the likes of Borna Barisic and Ridvan Yilmaz on their toes. The former is out of contract in 2024, so he could even depart this summer, leaving a void in the process.

A new update suggests that the Gers may have a potential candidate to come in this summer.

Could Rangers snap up Brown this summer?

According to The Scottish Daily Mail [via Ibrox News], Rangers are eyeing a move for Brown at the end of the season, with the deal possibly costing more than £2m.

"Rangers have placed Lausanne’s highly-rated left-back Archie Brown on a list of potential signings. Turning 21 this weekend, the 6ft 3in defender has claimed five goals and five assists and has played first-team football as both a left-sided centre-half and a left full-back.

"Up for grabs for a fee in excess of £2million this summer, FC Copenhagen have shown an interest along with clubs across Europe. First-choice Borna Barisic is poised for talks with Micheal Beale over his future this summer, with his current deal entering its final 12 months."

Brown could be an exciting young addition at Ibrox in the summer transfer window, with the 20-year-old joining Swiss side Lausanne from Derby County back in 2021, making 39 appearances so far, and scoring five goals and registering four assists.

While he may not necessarily come in as an immediate starter, the left-footed defender is someone who could be viewed as both a strong squad addition and a future regular, assuming he continues to develop.

He registered 19 goal contributions (11 goals and eight assists) in 36 U18s Premier League games for Derby, highlighting his attacking pedigree from left-back, and he could benefit from working under a coach of Beale's quality.

David Saker, Australia’s newly appointed assistant coach, has vowed not to hold back on his opinions when he joins head coach Darren Lehmann in the national set-up

Brydon Coverdale15-Jul-20163:04

‘Hope my English experience helps Australia’ – Saker

Fast bowlers might be the “yeah, nah” men of Australian cricket, but their new coach David Saker is no yes man. The newly appointed assistant coach has vowed not to hold back on his opinions when he joins head coach Darren Lehmann in the national set-up, despite their history of what they have both referred to as “robust” discussions.As coach of Victoria last summer, Saker raised the ire of Lehmann by questioning why Australia would rush fast bowler James Pattinson back from injury, comments that led Lehmann to publicly tell Saker to mind his own business. But Lehmann has spoken of his admiration for Saker’s passion and energy, and Saker said he would continue to voice his sentiments in his new role.”A lot was made out of that, but Darren and I talk on the phone quite regularly and we begged to differ on a few things last year,” Saker said in Melbourne on Friday. “But we’ve both got Australian cricket at heart and we both want the best for Australian cricket.”Sometimes you need good robust conversations in a group. You can’t have people always agreeing. I don’t think that’s a great environment. That’s one of the things that I hope I do bring to the team. I hope I’m honest and say what I think. I think that’s important.”He [Lehmann] probably works a bit similar to me, he’s quite relaxed in the dressing room, he knows a lot about the game, he communicates really well. I think those are the things I do well. We do have some really good discussions at times. Obviously throughout the year we did that. But we both have the best interests of Australian cricket at heart.”Saker will join the Australian group in time for the one-day tour of South Africa in September-October, and will leave his position as coach of Victoria after only one season – albeit one in which the Bushrangers won the Sheffield Shield. And Cricket Australia has already floated the likelihood that Saker will step in as head coach at some point in 2017 to give Lehmann a chance for time off.Western Australia coach Justin Langer was acting head coach during the recent one-day tri-series in the West Indies and has been viewed as a strong candidate to take over the job whenever Lehmann chooses to step down, but Saker’s new role will see him well-placed for the position as well. Saker said he did harbour head-coaching ambitions, but first was keen to learn from Lehmann.”To work with Darren Lehmann and to be maybe put in charge of a tour here and there, that’s really inviting,” Saker said. “It’s a great opportunity and one that I’m really looking forward to.”This is just another learning curve for me. It’s been great, all through my career I’ve learnt off a lot of really good coaches. Working under Darren Lehmann is going to be the same. It’s going to be a really good experience. What happens down the track we don’t know, but I’m always keen to keep going with my coaching and see where it goes from there.”Prior to succeeding Greg Shipperd as Victoria coach, Saker spent five years as England’s bowling coach and during that time was part of their away Test series wins in Australia and India. His brief with Australia will be to help them achieve similar success in such campaigns, initially in India during a four-Test tour early next year.”When they’ve got all their players on the park, they’re a really good team,” Saker said of Australia. “Mitchell Starc is as good a bowler as there is in the world. I think when they get all their bowlers back and firing, you’ve got a really good attack. I think the really pleasing thing about it is there’s quite a lot. You need six or seven of them, and they’ve got that.”Most of them are quite young, compared to Jimmy Anderson and Stuart Broad, who are pretty experienced cricketers. When they get two or three more years of experience, there are going to be some serious bowlers in that group.”

Tottenham Hotspur have held talks with Eintracht Frankfurt boss Oliver Glasner who is officially leaving his club this summer, according to reports.

Who could be the next Spurs manager?

Spurs have shortlisted a succession of managerial candidates in the last fortnight, but as their number of options shrink, supporters are getting a clearer idea of who could succeed Antonio Conte.

Bayer Leverkusen's Xabi Alonso and Burnley's Vincent Kompany, who were rumoured to be of interest to chairman Daniel Levy, will no longer be contending as both tacticians commit their long term futures.

Former Bayern Munich and RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann won't be getting the job as things stand with various reports ruling him out of the running.

As a result, Spurs are targeting far narrower options, with Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim, Brighton's Roberto De Zerbi and Slot among the primary contenders.

Glasner, who is confirmed to be departing Frankfurt a year before the expiry of his contract, has been linked with a move to north London and The Daily Mail have an update.

According to their information, whilst the likes of Slot and Barcelona boss Luis Enrique enter pole position, Spurs have also held talks with Glasner behind-the-scenes.

While his appointment could be viewed as an "underwhelming" one, it appears the 48-year-old is still in the frame, and Spurs hope to settle on preffered candidates in the next fortnight.

Who is Oliver Glasner?

The tactican, who won a Europa League title with Eintracht last season, could be a fairly solid option for Levy and co given he is soon to be a free agent.

Favouring the 3-4-2-1 formation, Spurs players would arguably grow accustomed to Glasner's style of play quickly, as it is not too dissimilar to that of Conte.

He will be readily-available for hire this summer which comes as a real pull for Spurs, with no club to stand in the way of Glasner's possible appointment.

Former Wolfsburg boss Niko Kovac gave a glowing endorsement on his counterpart last year, explaining to the Frankfurt Allgemeine Zeitung (via Bundesliga):

“He’s very structured, very well organised, meticulous, observes the opposition very closely and prepares the team very well for them,"“He doesn’t just let Eintracht run their boots off. He adjusts tactics, tries to simulate the opponent during the week in training. Oliver has transferred his ideas of football well to his team because he works methodically, because there’s no chopping and changing.”

It will be interesting to see if Glasner emerges as a prime contender, with Slot currently thought of as being the frontrunner.

Arsenal are now eyeing a move for Real Madrid defender Ferland Mendy who has been told he can find a new club, according to journalist Tom Hopkinson.

What's the latest Arsenal transfer news?

The Gunners and Mikel Arteta have been dealt a hammer blow in their pursuit of a first Premier League title in nearly 20 years, with their hopes all but dashed after a humbling 3-0 defeat to Brighton on Sunday.

Man City, as a result, are now well and truly in the ascendency and could seal their third-successive domestic crown with victory over Chelsea this weekend.

Barring a capitulation from Pep Guardiola's side, Arsenal may already have to look on to next campaign, with sporting director Edu already confirming that plans for summer signings are well and truly underway.

"It's already started because you know what's happening in the market, everybody is doing stuff," said the transfer chief in March."You have to plan with people as well just to be prepared so when you go again in the summer you are very prepared."

As well as reportedly targeting central midfield signings, it is believed that Arsenal could reinforce in defence, with Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi among the players linked.

Now, as per a report by The Daily Mirror and their reporter Hopkinson, Galacticos full-back Mendy could well join Arsenal after he's been told to find a new club by Madrid.

Indeed, Real have apparently informed the 27-year-old's representatives that there is no new deal on the table for him, and that Mendy is free to search for another home.

This is where Arsenal come in, as Arteta's side are apparently now on "red alert" and eyeing a move for the Frenchman, with this report claiming he could cost as little as £17.5 million.

Mendy's agents are likely to seek talks with Spurs, too, but Arsenal's status as a Champions League club for next season could hand them an advantage.

What could Mendy bring to Arsenal?

The former Lyon star is capable of operating as both a left-back and further forward in left-midfield, coming as a brilliant alternative to Oleksandr Zinchenko and replacement for Kieran Tierney, with the latter thought to be leaving.

Former Real star Raphael Varane has also heaped praise on Mendy in past seasons, calling him a "very tough" player with "incredible" physical strength.

He said to Marca in 2020:

"The physical strength he has is incredible. He is adapting very well and allows us to put together great efforts in matches. His forte is defense but he helps us a lot in all facets of the game. He's confirming his potential. We gave him a brick for the clubs he puts in training. He's very tough."

The £154,000-per-week star has been a semi-regular at the Bernabeu since he joined them from Ligue 1, owing to his ability, and now Arsenal could have the chance to bring him to north London for below £20 million.

Sussex’s openers, Luke Wells and Harry Finch, added 212 for the first wicket on the second day of the tour game, underlining how important Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah are to the visitors’ plans in the Tests

Andrew McGlashan at Hove09-Jul-2016
ScorecardIf it was not already clear, the second day at Hove reinforced how crucial Mohammad Amir and Yasir Shah are to Pakistan’s hopes in the Test series against England. Sussex’s openers, Luke Wells and Harry Finch, added 212 for the first wicket before they declared 72 runs behind, offering Pakistanis the chance to see how keen they are for a proper game on the final day.Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s head coach, had billed this match a “bowl-off” to support Amir and Yasir with two places “up for grabs”. The ball did not swing conventionally before lunch and the lines were not consistent which enabled Finch and Wells to make a flyer: the fifty up in the eighth over, 120 in 27 by lunch.In the first session it was a case of who bowled least worse but in the hour before tea Wahab Riaz – probably playing-off against Rahat Ali for a spot unless Pakistan decide on three left-armers – provided a reminder of the danger that can be posed almost out of nowhere when the older ball starts to move.Wells was the first to fall when Wahab, who overstepped 10 times striving for pace, returned for his second spell of the day, his first from the Cromwell Road End, and started to find reverse swing with impressive pace: he will never be a bowler picked for economy, but he has the ability to rattle the batsmen. Wells drove flat-footed at a full delivery, edging behind seven short of a century, then Matt Machan was almost yorked first ball before being beaten by his second delivery.Finch, opening the batting for the first time in first-class cricket, reached his century in Wahab’s next over, when he square-drove his 16th boundary, but two balls later was tempted into driving a full delivery and edged to slip.At the Sea End, Imran Khan – a name that adorned this ground in the late 1970s and 1980s – picked up a brace himself, although they owed a little more to the batsmen’s errors. Machan was lbw after a horrid swipe across the line then Ben Brown drove loosely at his first ball: 212 without loss had become 233 for 4 in the blink of an eye. Imran had earlier struggled for rhythm as he ran up the hill, at one point delivering three consecutive no-balls.Sohail Khan may still be ahead of Imran in the queue for the right-arm seamer’s role having bowled well against Somerset. Although his figures here were expensive, he produced some sturdy spells, especially one during the afternoon when he troubled Wells, having him edge between first and second slip on 62 and then beating him three times in an over.Wells’ innings was a continuation of a strong run of form for the tall left-hander who had made 181 last week against Glamorgan. His fifty off 54 balls included 10 boundaries and seven more followed before Wahab found his edge.Finch, whose previous first-class hundred had come against Leeds/Bradford MCCU at the start of this season, gave one chance on 64 when he drove low to short cover off Zulfiqar Babar, but he was particularly impressive on the front foot. His century also included three sixes, one a cut over the short off-side boundary off Imran.Another issue for Pakistan, which England will be keen to exploit by keeping them in the field, is the lack of a proper fifth-bowling option. Azhar Ali trundled down a few overs of legspin while Asad Shafiq also had an over, but there will be a lot resting on four frontline bowlers. Yasir will have to keep it tight to allow the quicks to rotate; England will want to push Amir into his fourth and fifth spells of a day to test his endurance having played little multi-day cricket since his comeback.Having come in to face a hat-trick ball on first-class debut, Philip Salt played positively after tea before Craig Cachopa was given lbw on the front foot to Zulfiqar to bring the declaration with 24 overs left in the day.For the fourth time on the tour, Mohammad Hafeez reached double figures but not much further when, on 23, he pulled Jofra Archer to deep square leg. As a senior batsman, Pakistan will need Hafeez to lift his game in the Tests to ensure Azhar Ali and Younis Khan are not constantly exposed to the new ball.Shan Masood reached the close unbeaten on 38 but was never entirely convincing. Having given the same top seven both these warm-up matches, Pakistan have set their stall out for the opening Test but, as far as the first-wicket pair are concerned, they will enter more in hope than expectation.