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West Ham United have an interest in signing Jonathan Bamba before next week’s transfer deadline…

What’s the word?

That’s according to the Express, who claim that the Irons could soon target the Lille midfielder as an alternative option to Jesse Lingard, who is yet to return to the London Stadium after a successful loan spell last season.

The 28-year-old seems likely to remain at Manchester United barring any late changes. Back in July, Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hinted that the England international was part of his plans for the 2021/22 season.

As a result, Bamba has emerged as a potential target capable of filling his void. It’s thought that the Ligue 1 champions value him in the region of £25m.

The Irons, however, will face competition from across Europe, with Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen also mooted with interest.

Imagine him & Antonio

Bamba played an integral role in Lille pipping big-spending Paris Saint-Germain to the title last season – as per Transfermarkt, he provided six goals and 11 assists, averaging a direct contribution every 176 minutes.

Whilst, via WhoScored, only two other players recorded a higher seasonal average than his 7.07. And throughout the season, he displayed phenomenal work rate playing on both flanks and through the middle, where he averaged 1.2 tackles on top of 1.7 key passes, 1.6 shots and 1.4 dribbles per outing.

It’s this level of creativity that suggests he could fill the gap left behind by Lingard, who provided nine goals and four assists in just half a season.

Indeed, Bamba was dubbed the “creative leader” of Lille by journalist Zach Lowry, having emerged from a side that once had Nicolas Pepe, Jonathan Ikone and Rafael Leao as their key talismen. He went onto claim that everything went through the former France U21 international, only further explaining just how crucial he was to their success.

The 5 foot 9 dynamo is also blessed with explosive pace, something that could help dominate many a Premier League defence, with the ‘hidden gem’ said to be ‘lightning-quick.’

You can only imagine the sort of damage that the presence of Bamba could do alongside Michail Antonio in the attack. The 31-year-old machine became West Ham’s record top-flight goalscorer this week and he would thrive even more with a creative protagonist like the Lille star next to him.

Hammers boss David Moyes could form a lethal and mouthwatering frontline with the addition of the £18m-rated sensation,

AND in other news, ExWHUemployee drops big West Ham takeover claim, fans will surely be buzzing…

Ligue 1 expert Adam White insists that Leicester City will be desperate to keep hold of defender Wesley Fofana for the foreseeable future after his breakthrough at the club.

The £36m-rated French defender is currently on the sidelines after suffering a leg fracture in pre-season.

He is likely to be out until 2022 at the earliest, but he had developed into one of Brendan Rodgers’ first-choice stars at the King Power Stadium.

Indeed, Fofana has made 38 first-team appearances for the club and played 90 minutes in the FA Cup final victory over Chelsea at the end of last season, keeping a clean sheet in the 1-0 victory.

Fofana developed at Saint-Etienne but he has consistently been linked away from the club.

Manchester United were linked with an interest prior to his injury, although reports suggested that Leicester would demand a massive fee to let him go.

And White insists they will attempt to keep him for as long as humanly possible.

He said: “Yeah I think he definitely is someone that Leicester City are going to keep hold of. In France, he’s regarded very highly having come through at St Etienne.”

West Bromwich Albion have been dealt a major blow in their bid to bring Okay Yokuslu back to The Hawthorns.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Sky Sports (via Football League World), who claim that, despite having a loan offer knocked back for the Celta Vigo central midfielder, Watford are in continued talks with the LaLiga side regarding a deal for the 27-year-old.

Previous reports had claimed that West Brom were also in discussions with the Spanish side over a deal for the Turkey international, with Yokuslu thought to be open to a switch to the Championship if no Premier League sides were interested in his services.

Ismael will be gutted

With the recent departure of Romaine Sawyers leaving Valerien Ismael extremely short of options in the middle of the park, the fact that a deal to bring Yokuslu back to West Bromwich this summer now looks to be out of the question is sure to have left the Frenchman gutted.

Indeed, not only would the 27-year-old have plugged a gap for the Baggies, considering just how impressive he was in the Premier League last season, the Turk’s arrival would have provided Albion’s promotion hopes with a significant boost.

Over his 16 Premier League appearances last term, the £6.75m-rated man provided one assist and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as making an average of 2.2 interceptions, 2.4 tackles, two clearances and winning a whopping 7.9 duels per game.

These metrics saw the man Kyle Bartley dubbed a “tenacious” player earn an average SofaScore match rating of 6.99, ranking him as the club’s fourth-best performer in the league.

As such, with Yokuslu clearly having the ability to play for a Premier League side, should Ismael have managed to convince the £31k-per-week midfielder to join his Championship outfit, it would not seem to be an overstatement to claim that the 27-year-old would have gone on to be one of the best players in the division come the end of the season.

However, with Watford appearing the closer of the two sides to getting a deal for the Celta Vigo man done, Ismael will now have to turn his attention in what remains of the summer transfer window elsewhere.

In other news: Key West Brom figure drops update on “magnificent” £28k-p/w gem, it’d be a major boost

رد الدولي البرازيلي، مارسيلو، الظهير الأيسر لنادي ريال مدريد، على عرض نادي إي سي ميلان، حيث يرغب النادي الإيطالي في التعاقد معه بعد نهاية عقده مع المرينجي.

ريال مدريد أعلن رحيل مارسيلو، بعد 15 عامًا قضاها رفقة النادي الملكي، والبرازيلي لم يعلن عن وجهته المُقبلة بعد، ولا يريد اعتزال كرة القدم.

وكان ميلان قد قدم عرضًا لـ مارسيلو، من أجل التعاقد مع البرازيلي، خاصًة وأنه يريد الاستمرار في أوروبا.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مارسيلو يتحدث عن كواليس رحيله ويومه الأول في ريال مدريد ويعترف: ما حققته بفضل جدي

وأوضحت صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية أن عرض ميلان لمارسيلو تضمن راتبًا سنويًا قدره 3 ملايين يورو.

ومع ذلك رفض مارسيلو العرض، حيث أن البرازيلي غير مُقتنع باللعب في ميلان مقابل هذا المبلغ فقط، إذ كان يتقاضى 6 ملايين يورو مع ريال مدريد.

وذكرت الصحيفة أن على الرغم من رفض مارسيلو، ولكن ميلان سيقوم بتحسّين عرضه، في ظل إصراره على التعاقد مع الظهير البرازيلي.

Watford will be looking to pick up where they left off last time out against Aston Villa as they travel to Brighton and Hove Albion in Saturday’s late kick-off.

Xisco Munoz’s side were in excellent form as they raced into a 3-0 lead against Dean Smith’s men in their first fixture back in the top flight before consolation goals from John McGinn and Danny Ings took the gloss off the result slightly.

However, changes will be necessary for the Hornets, especially after they rocked by the news that Juraj Kucka could be out for three months with an injury, which is a huge blow considering his impressive debut against the Villans last weekend.

Here’s how Football FanCast expects Xisco to line up his side at Brighton, with three changes from the team which beat Villa last time out…

Daniel Bachmann keeps his place in goal and will be looking to earn his first clean sheet of the new season at the Amex Stadium.

There’s one change in defence as, after returning to training this week, Kiko Femenia comes in at right-back to replace the £1.35m-rated Craig Cathcart, which should give Watford’s right-hand side more attacking possibilities against Graham Potter’s outfit.

There is one enforced change in the midfield as summer signing Imran Louza replaces the injured Kucka to make his first competitive start in a Watford shirt.

Finally, after impressive performances last weekend, Emmanuel Dennis and Ismaila Sarr keep their places in attack. They are joined by Cucho Hernandez, who scored superbly just moments after coming off the bench against Villa.

In other news… Forget Dennis: Watford beast who made 5 key passes was Xisco’s star against Villa

Fraser Forster has reportedly rejected a new deal at Southampton, which will surely concern Ralph Hasenhuttl considering the lack of goalkeeping options at St Mary’s.

What’s the word?

According to The Scottish Sun, the 33-year-old shot-stopper has rejected a reduced deal at St Mary’s, which opens the door to a potential return to Celtic this summer.

The Hoops have been linked with the English ‘keeper in recent weeks after his impressive performances on loan there in the 2019/20 season, although Hasenhuttl had suggested earlier in the summer that he and Alex McCarthy would be competing for a starting spot in his side during the 2021/22 campaign.

Could Forster leave Southampton?

Forster is one of the top earners at Southampton but spent the majority of last season on the bench, before an impressive run of form in the FA Cup led Hasenhuttl to give him more opportunities in the Premier League.

The former England international would make 13 appearances in total for the Saints, eight of which came in the Premier League, where he averaged a solid 6.70 rating from WhoScored for his performances.

Southampton have already sold Angus Gunn to newly-promoted Norwich City, so if Forster were to depart on loan or a permanent deal this summer, it would leave Hasenhuttl with very few options in the goalkeeping department, with young Harry Lewis perhaps not ready to deputise for McCarthy.

It is no surprise that Celtic want Forster to return, given his performances there during the 2019/20 seasons, which led French defender Christopher Jullien to sing his praises in 2019, saying:

“There are no words! There are no words to describe that. He’s been unbelievable since he’s come here.”

“At the end of every game, I tell him he’s the best goalkeeper I’ve played with. I’m so happy to have him behind me. He just makes so many saves.”

[freshpress-quiz id=“594431”]

Therefore, unless Southampton can bring in a new goalkeeper, it is bad news for Hasenhuttl that Forster has reportedly rejected this new deal, as it would leave the Austrian’s squad looking even thinner if the 33-year-old were to depart this summer.

And, in other news… Southampton dealt huge transfer blow with “exceptional” transfer target

Manchester United are the frontrunners to sign Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane this summer, according to Spanish football journalist Euan McTear.

After losing Sergio Ramos to PSG earlier this summer, Real Madrid won’t want to lose another star centre-back but with only one year left on his contract, the Spanish giants may look to cash-in on him, rather than risk losing him for free next year.

After playing for France at the Euros, Varane will now turn his attention back to club football and where he will be playing this season coming, with McTear telling TT: “At this point, Manchester United seem like the frontrunners”.

Varane has played plethora of trophies in his time at the Bernabeu and McTear thinks there’s definitely a space for the French defender at Old Trafford.

He added: “They’re are one of the clubs that do have a space there, next to Maguire there is a question mark, some of the other clubs have their two settled centre-backs so Manchester United makes a bit of sense”.

It looks like United are ready to make their move for Varane, with The Guardian reporting that the Red Devils are preparing a bid and that Varane would like to play in the Premier League.

The ICC Champions Trophy burst into life at Premadasa on Sunday night after explosive centuries from openers Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly that whipped a near capacity crowd into a frenzy and whisked India into the semi-finals at England’s

Charlie Austin22-Sep-2002The ICC Champions Trophy burst into life at Premadasa on Sunday night after explosive centuries from openers Virender Sehwag and Sourav Ganguly that whipped a near capacity crowd into a frenzy and whisked India into the semi-finals at England’s expense.During the afternoon the majority of spectators that flocked into the venue were largely neutral. There were enclaves of flag waving Indian fans, but most appeared non-committal, unsure as to whom they should support. Boundaries and wickets were cheered with equal vigour.But Sehwag’s innings, a glorious exhibition of uninhibited stroke play, provided such thrilling entertainment that they swung decisively behind Ganguly’s side, dancing, chanting and clapping India towards a remarkable eight-wicket victory.England, after a disastrous start to their innings, had set a daunting 270-run target, a total that had never been successfully chased in Premadasa’s 56-game history.But as Mohammad Kaif and Yuvraj Singh had proved at Lord’s during the NatWest series final, when India had chased 325 and won, India’s richly talented batting line-up is not bound by cricket history – no target is unobtainable, nothing is impossible.England needed to start well. Under the luminous Premadasa lights Matthew Hoggard and Andrew Caddick would have expected to swing the white ball and Nasser Hussain would have been hopeful of early inroads. They were all disappointed.Ganguly and Sehwag started circumspectly, scoring just 17 from the first five overs. However, Sehwag started his assault in the sixth over and 82 runs were plundered in the next 10 overs. Caddick conceded 46 in just six overs and the game was won before the fielding restrictions had even been lifted.Sehwag raced past 50 in only 37 balls and on to his second hundred – his first had also been in Sri Lanka, a 69-ball effort at the Sinhalese Sports Club against New Zealand last year – from just 77 balls, hitting 17 fours and one six. Hussain tried all his bowlers but no one could restrain him.Eventually Ian Blackwell, England’s new spinning all-rounder, who had top scored earlier in the day with 82 from 68 balls, brought an end to the carnage as Sehwag pushed back a return catch, but by then the damage had been done and there was no way back for England.His innings overshadowed the performance of his captain, who scored an unbeaten hundred. Content to sit back and admire Sehwag’s pyrotechnics, Ganguly was only 18 when India moved past 100. He gathered momentum, however, especially after the dismissal of his opening partner, eventually reaching his 19th ODI hundred, from 103 ballsHaving reached the landmark, punching the air in delight, he rushed the match towards an early conclusion with a flurry of boundaries, finishing unbeaten on 117 from 109 balls, having struck 12 fours and three sixes. India had won with an incredible 10.3 overs to spare.Earlier, Hussain’s side had started dreadfully after winning what had appeared a crucial toss, losing two early wickets, including that of destructive opener Marcus Trescothick, whose wicket is now prized above all others by England’s opponents.And when VVS Laxman dived low to his left to dismiss the in-form left-hander for a duck, the Indian enclaves erupted, waving their plastic chairs above their heads in celebration, aware that India had struck a potentially match-winning blow.The early loss of Trescothick, who had scored consecutive hundreds in his previous two one-days, appeared to unsettle an English top order that has grown accustomed to Trescothick-fuelled brisk starts. The fact that India’s two left-armers, Ashish Nehra and Zaheer Khan, started impeccably only heightened their frustration.Whilst Nick Knight struggled to find the gaps, Hussain batted like a man who would prefer to watch the semi-finals from the comfort of his Essex sitting room. Part-time wicket-keeper Rahul Dravid spilled a regulation chance before he had scored and, when he did scramble his first run, he would have been dismissed had Yuvraj Singh hit the stumps.Desperate to get the scoreboard moving, he played two desperate slogs in Khan’s third over, ungainly shots that prompted a severe tongue lashing from the bowler. However, his 11-ball ordeal was ended when he top-edged an attempted hook off a well-directed short delivery from Nehra.Seven for two in the sixth over with their makeshift and inexperienced middle-order exposed, England looked set for a low score and possible humiliation. But Knight and Irani steadied the innings with a 73-run partnership from 82 balls.Just when the pair had brought the match back to an even keel, leg-spinner Anil Kumble won an lbw decision from umpire Steve Bucknor, who thought long and hard before raising his finger without recourse to the television umpire. Irani had scored 37 from 47 balls and England were back in trouble on 80/3.But Owais Shah (34) provided Knight with positive support, thriving against the spinners with nimble footwork. The pair added a further 47 from 55 balls before Knight, immediately after he had passed 50 for the 21st time in his 85-match career, threw away his wicket as he lofted part-time spinner Yuvraj Singh into the deep.England then slipped to 153/5 when Shah was caught behind off Kumble, starting the crucial partnership of the innings between veteran Alec Stewart and Somerset newcomer Ian Blackwell, who added 104 from 91 balls.Blackwell, playing only his second game, was particularly impressive. His cheeks flushed red through the exertion of batting in such extreme heat and humidity, he dominated the Indian attack in the latter overs, striking six fours and three sixes as England plundered 66 runs from the final six overs.

أعلن نادي أستون فيلا الإنجليزي تعاقده بصفة نهائية مع البرازيلي فيليب كوتينيو من صفوف برشلونة الإسباني.

وقع صانع الألعاب البرازيلي عقدًا حتى عام 2026، وبعد توقيعه على سبيل الإعارة من برشلونة في يناير، كان لكوتينيو تأثير فوري في فيلا بارك ببعض العروض المتميزة، سجل أربعة أهداف وساهم في ثلاث تمريرات حاسمة حتى الآن.

وأفاد برشلونة عبر موقعه الرسمي، أنه قام ببيع كوتينيو إلى أستون فيلا مقابل 20 مليون يورو، وأدخل النادي بندًا للبيع بنسبة 50٪ لأي عملية بيع مستقبلية للاعب.

ولد فيليب كوتينيو في 12 يونيو 1992 في ريو دي جانيرو، وتم تقديمه كلاعب برشلونة في 8 يناير 2018، مقابل 140 مليون يورو.

ظهر لأول مرة في 25 يناير من نفس العام في ربع نهائي كأس الملك ضد إسبانيول، ومن ثم انتقل إلى لعب المزيد من المباريات، وقدم الكثير من التمريرات الحاسمة وتسجيل الأهداف.

اقرأ أيضًا | تشافي يعطي الضوء الأخضر لرحيل لاعب برشلونة الشاب

وتم إعارة كوتينيو إلى بايرن ميونخ ثم عاد مجددًا لبرشلونة، وكان ظهوره رقم 100 للفريق في المباراة أمام رايو فاييكانو خلال موسم 2021/22، قبل وقت قصير من مغادرته على سبيل الإعارة إلى أستون فيلا في يناير الماضي.

في المجموع، لعب 106 مباريات مع النادي وأحرز 26 هدفًا، سجله الإجمالي في برشلونة بلغ 65 فوزًا، 24 تعادلًا، و15 هزيمة فقط.

كشف حسني عبد ربه مدير الكرة بنادي الإسماعيلي، تفاصيل أزمته مع لاعب الفريق باهر المحمدي عقب مباراة المصري وحقيقة الحصول على وعود لاستكمال مهمة الجهاز الفني الجديد للدراويش.

طالع | فيديو | الإسماعيلي يهزم المصري بثلاثية في مباراة مثيرة بالدوري

وقال عبد ربه في تصريحات تلفزيونية بفضائية “أون تايم سبورتس”: “نحمد الله على فوز الإسماعيلي أمس على المصري، وأهم من الفوز هو ظهور الروح وهي رسالة للاعبين أن يقاتلوا والفوز سيأتي”.

وأضاف: “لا أحد يحصل على ضمانات في كرة القدم، نعمل من أجل نادينا ولا أستطيع أن أقول إننا حصلنا على وعود بالاستمرار، ولكني أتمنى الاستقرار والبناء على ما حدث في مباراة أمس”.

وواصل: “ما جرى بيني وبين باهر المحمدي، أن الظروف ليست على ما يرام بينه وبين الجماهير، وسلاح الإسماعيلي هو الجمهور”.

وأردف: “خلال الفترة الماضية لم تكن الظروف بين باهر والجماهير جيدة وهذا أمر طبيعي، وأنا بالأمس كنت أريد حل هذا الأمر، حتى عندما دفعته لكي يذهب ليحيي الجماهير ولكن اللاعب كان مضغوطًا”.

واختتم عبد ربه: “أولًا وأخيرًا نحن أسرة واحدة وفي وضع استثنائي ونحتاج لتكاتف الجميع”.