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An update has emerged on Leeds United and their plans to add to their squad before the end of the summer transfer window…

What's the latest Leeds United transfer news?

According to Football Insider, Whites boss Daniel Farke is keen to strengthen his defensive options before the deadline passes and has identified Manchester City centre-back Taylor Harwood-Bellis as a big target.

The report claims that the west Yorkshire outfit will attempt to 'lure' the England U21 international to Elland Road after his impressive season on loan with Burnley last term.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

It states that bringing in a new central defender is a 'huge priority' for the club and Liverpool's Nat Phillips, who won promotion with Bournemouth in 2022, has also been named as an option heading into the final few weeks of the window.

LeedsLive recently claimed that City are looking for a fee in the region of £15m for the talented youngster but could agree to a loan deal if no club is willing to reach that figure, as it remains to be seen how much Leeds would be prepared to spend on him.

How good is Taylor Harwood-Bellis?

The 21-year-old colossus is a proven Championship performer who has the quality to slot straight into Farke's team as a dream replacement for Robin Koch, who has joined Eintracht Frankfurt on loan.

Following the club's relegation from the Premier League, the German centre-back moved on to the Bundesliga – this came after 36 top-flight starts for Leeds last season, which is why the Yorkshire-based outfit need to find a replacement for him.

Vincent Kompany's Burnley won the second division title in style last term as they finished on 101 points and only lost three of their 46 matches.

Harwood-Bellis played a crucial role in their success.

He was one of the top performers at that level as he averaged an exceptional Sofascore rating of 7.21 across 32 appearances, which was the second-highest score within the Clarets squad and the seventh-highest rating throughout the entire league.

Despite his young age, the Leeds target showcased his dominant play at the back with a duel success rate of 63%. This shows that the 6 foot 2 tank does not get bullied by opposition attackers, which was also the case for Koch as he won 57% of his battles for the Whites last term.

He also averaged an excellent Sofascore rating of 7.26 over five European Championship matches for England's U21 side this summer as the towering titan helped his country to win the tournament without conceding a single goal.

Meanwhile, no Leeds player averaged a Sofascore rating higher than 7.00 in the top-flight during the 2022/23 campaign and the Man City youngster could be a sensational performer for Farke.

These statistics show that the English ace, who Kompany hailed as having an "outstanding" attitude, has been in terrific form for club and country over the last 12 months and would arrive at Elland Road full of confidence and ready to make an immediate impact on the pitch for Farke.

Therefore, Harwood-Bellis could be a fantastic replacement for Koch, who averaged a Premier League Sofascore rating of 6.63 last season, and Leeds must work hard to land his signature before the window slams shut.

Manchester City are willing to pay Valentin Barco’s release clause, and a report has claimed that the Sky Blues are actually willing to pay more to sign the defender.

What’s the latest Man City transfer news?

Pep Guardiola has brought in midfielder Mateo Kovacic and defender Josko Gvardiol from Chelsea and RB Leipzig so far this summer, but it appears as if it could be a fairly busy end to the window for those at the Etihad.

Attacking additions appears to be on the to-do list for the treble winners, especially a new right-winger following Riyad Mahrez’s move to Saudi Arabia. Rennes’ Jeremy Doku appears to be the top target for that role, with recent reports even claiming that City have agreed on personal terms with the Belgian over a five-year deal.

Another attacking midfielder could also be on the agenda before the September 1 deadline, with Kevin de Bruyne potentially sidelined for a long period of time with a hamstring injury.

West Ham United star Lucas Paqueta is another who was heavily linked with a move, but it looks as if the club have a new target in Boca Juniors teenager Barco and are willing to swoop.

Sport Witness relayed a transfer update from one Argentinian outlet regarding Barco in the last 48 hours. They claimed that City are willing to activate the player’s $10m (£7.86m) release clause, however, the Sky Blues are actually willing to pay $14m (£11m) and they would also have to ‘pay taxes’ for the transfer too, which would take the deal to $17m (£13.3m), over £5m more than the player’s actual release clause.

Barco, who has also been targeted by Brighton & Hove Albion, would like to play the Copa Libertadores with Boca Juniors before making any move away, something that City may have to consider when negotiating a deal.

Who is Valentin Barco?

Barco is 19 years of age and is primarily a left-back who can also turn out slightly further forward in a left midfield role if needed.

The Argentina U20 international is valued at a career-high €3.5m by Transfermarkt and is already sponsored by Adidas, with his contract at Boca Juniors valid until the end of 2024.

He has made 20 senior appearances for his current employers – 17 of which have come in 2023, and by the looks of things, he has caught the eye in England. Back in 2021, Barco was named among The Guardian’s 60 best young talents in world football, with Juan Carlos Pasman highlighting his ability at free kicks:

“Plays in the same position as Roberto Carlos and wants to continue in defence despite his coaches preferring him to play in midfield because of his technical ability. At the time of writing he has already played three times for Boca’s first team and is part of the Argentina under-17 set-up.

“He is extremely good going forward and has a mean free-kick, capable of scoring dead-ball goals with his left foot. Stands out with his bright red hair and promises to be a future star.”

It looks as if a move to the Etihad could be one to keep an eye on, with City having just two weeks to complete a deal.

Jason Holder, West Indies’ captain, has challenged his players to “look themselves in the mirror” and find a way to fight back into the series after crushing defeat at Edgbaston

Andrew Miller at Edgbaston19-Aug-2017Jason Holder, West Indies’ captain, has challenged his players to “look themselves in the mirror” and find a way to fight back into the series, after being dealt a humiliating innings-and-209-run defeat in the first Investec Test at Edgbaston.West Indies lost 19 wickets in a single day, six of them in the final session under the floodlights, to lose a historic pink-ball contest inside three days, and now they face a massive challenge to recover their poise ahead of Friday’s second Test at Headingley.”It’s obviously very disappointing, we didn’t show enough fight,” Holder said after the match. “We were totally outplayed.”We’ve got to just believe, we have a few days off now, we have to use them wisely. We’ll sit and talk, and formulate some plans about how we are going to go, but it’s not impossible [to come back]. It’s just one game, the series is not lost, we have believe, regroup, and come back strongly.”Holder’s troubles, however, extend across every facet of West Indies’ game. Neither of their innings totals (168 and 137) came close to matching the individual contribution of England’s top-scorer, Alastair Cook (243), while Stuart Broad’s feat of overtaking Ian Botham’s Test wickets tally of 383 underlined the yawning gulf in experience between England and their opponents.”There’s inexperience in the side but we have to be professional and get over that,” said Holder. “I thought we were in the game for a session, but Cook and [Joe] Root put on a really good partnership and we were struggling in the end. We’re a young side with nothing to lose, we just have to believe and come back strongly.”The early finish to the Test does at least give West Indies the best part of a week to get over such a bruising defeat, but while Holder said that the coaching staff would do their best to formulate some plans to stage a comeback, it was up to the individual players to raise their games.”We can’t dwell on it, we have to critique each performance of each player, and look at ways we can move forward. But each player has to look himself in the mirror and see where they can improve.”West Indies lost 19 wickets on a day of abject batting at Edgbaston•Getty Images

Holder, whose own performance was well below the spirited standards that he has so far set in his Test career, singled out the efforts of Jermaine Blackwood and Kemar Roach for particular praise. Blackwood, who made a century against England in their last Test series in the Caribbean in 2015, top-scored with 79 not out in the first innings, having been recalled to the team for the first time since last year’s tour of the UAE.And Roach, whose first-morning extraction of Mark Stoneman was as good a delivery as was bowled all match, fought a lone battle to lift the standards of a seam attack that could yet be reinforced by a recall for Shannon Gabriel at Headingley next week.”I was really appreciative of the way Blackwood played,” Holder said. “He was his normal self after coming back into Test cricket. I want to keep encouraging him to be selective but play his natural game. And I thought Kemar Roach toiled and bowled well, he gave a tremendous effort every time I called on him.””Not an easy job but it’s not impossible,” he said of captaining West Indies. “We’ve got to stay in the game and stay in the fight. Only a couple of Tests ago, England were beaten by South Africa, and we’ve competed really well in the last few Tests we’ve played. We beat Pakistan [at Sharjah in 2016], and they beat England here last year. So it’s important for us to stay with it, and come back strongly.”

أكد خالد بيبو مدير الكرة بالنادي الأهلي، أن لديه ثقة كبيرة في اللاعبين خلال مواجهة العودة أمام مازيمبي للوصول إلى المباراة النهائية من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا.

الأهلي أنهى لقاء الذهاب أمام مازيمبي، بالتعادل السلبي في المباراة التي أقيمت اليوم السبت، بمدنية لوبومباشي بالكونغو.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي الأهلي مع مازيمبي، يوم الجمعة المقبل الموافق 26 أبريل، في إياب نصف النهائي على ملعب استاد القاهرة الدولي.

وقال بيبو خلال تصريحات عبر الموقع الرسمي للأهلي: “أثق في خبرات وقدرات لاعبي الأهلي في التعامل مع مباراة العودة، نتحدث مع اللاعبين بشكل مستمر والجميع الآن في حالة تركيز والعمل يتم على قلب رجل واحد، من أجل الوصول إلى نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا”.

وأضاف: “مباراة العودة ستكون صعبة، خصوصًا أن مازيمبي منافس قوي ويلعب كرة سريعة ويجيد التهديف خارج ملعبه”.

وواصل: “الفريق واجه ضغوطات عدة، وكانت هناك تحضيرات كثيرة قبل مباراة مازيمبي سواء في الجانب الفني أو الإداري”.

طالع | “تجده في كل مكان”.. كاف يتغنى بلاعب الأهلي بعد التعادل مع مازيمبي

وأكمل: “الجميع بذلوا جهدًا مضاعفًا خلال هذه المباراة، والنتيجة جاءت مرضية ولكن الحسم والصعود سيكون في مباراة العودة بالقاهرة”.

وأتم: “الفريق يطير إلى القاهرة مباشرة، وبعد الراحة سيبدأ الجهاز واللاعبون سريعًا التحضير لمباراة العودة، التي نتمنى أن تشهد حضورًا جماهيريًّا كبيرًا يصنع الفارق كما هي عادة جماهير الأهلي”.

شن سمير كمونة، لاعب الأهلي السابق، هجومًا على ثنائي المارد الأحمر بسبب أخطائهما خلال مباراة القمة أمام الزمالك التي أقيمت أمس الإثنين، وانتهت بفوز الفارس الأبيض بهدفين مُقابل هدف.

وشهدت المباراة صراعًا قويًا بين الفريقين، حسمه الزمالك بهدفين من سيف الدين الجزيري، في المقابل، سجل للأهلي البديل أحمد عبد القادر. أهداف مباراة الأهلي والزمالك في الدوري

وقال كمونة في تصريحات عبر قناة “إم بي سي مصر”: “الأهلي كان بعيدًا على المستوى الهجومي والانتشار، الزمالك كان له الأفضلية في ظل وجود عبد الله السعيد وناصر ماهر وأحمد حمدي، وبدأوا يصنعون شيئا جماليا وأداء هجوميا لم نره من سنين في الأبيض”.

طالع أيضًا | ميدو يسخر من مشجعي الأهلي ويوضح سبب فوز الزمالك ويصف كولر بـ “المغرور”

وتابع: “ناصر ماهر استحوذ على الكرة ومررها للجزيري من بين المدافعين عبد المنعم ورامي ربيعة، والمهاجم التونسي (ضحك عليهم) وتحرك خلفهم واستطاع التسجيل”.

وأضاف: “أنا أحمل كولر المسؤولية، التشكيل الأساسي الذي من المفروض أن يبدأ به لعب به في الشوط الثاني، كان يجب أن يبدأ بـ وسام أبو علي وعبد القادر وكهربا”.

وأردف: “الأهلي لم تكن له فرص كثيرة أمام الزمالك، لكن لو كان بدأ بالتشكيل الصحيح كان سيتقدم والأبيض هو من كان سيبحث عن التعادل”.

واختتم: “رامي ربيعة ومحمد عبد المنعم يقعان في أخطاء متكررة سواء مع الأهلي أو المنتخب، الجزيري استغلهما في الأهداف، ذكاء من المهاجم التونسي وعدم تفاهم بين الثنائي، وأنصحهما بألا يكونا متقاربين في الملعب، الأهلي يفتقد ياسر إبراهيم وعندما يعود سيتغير أداء دفاع المارد الأحمر”.

Paul Collingwood starred with bat and ball at Gosforth as Leicestershire never recovered from a disastrous start

ECB Reporters Network05-May-2017
ScorecardPaul Collingwood starred with bat and ball [file picture]•Getty ImagesPaul Collingwood hurried Durham to a five-wicket Royal London Cup win against Leicestershire at the South Northumberland club ground in Gosforth.After taking 3 for 42 in dismissing the visitors for 211 with one ball unused, Collingwood went in at 122 for 3 and remained unbeaten on 65.Leicestershire were brought swiftly back to earth after their 103-run win against Warwickshire, slumping to 13 for 4 after losing an important toss.Fresh from his 153, Mark Pettini edged Chris Rushworth’s second ball of the match behind and although the pitch appeared to have good carry, Cameron Delport and Aadil Ali both lobbed up easy catches from mistimed drives.They provided James Weighell with the first two of his four wickets, the third coming when Ned Eckersley also surrendered by hooking straight to long leg.Mark Cosgrove was beginning to look dangerous when, on 21, his attempted pull off Paul Coughlin flew off the top edge over the wicketkeeper for six. But, on 37, he clipped Collingwood straight to deep square leg.At 68 for 6, Zak Chappell went in and remained unbeaten in compiling his maiden one-day half-century. He reached 50 with a fierce pull wide of long-on off a slower ball by Weighell and had eight other boundaries in his 59 off 82 balls.Lewis Hill was the second-highest scorer with 44 before he clipped Collingwood to mid-wicket and was brilliantly caught by Keaton Jennings, diving to his left. Dieter Klein helped Chappell add 73 in 17 overs for the ninth wicket before he heaved across the line in the 49th over and was bowled by Weighell for 26.When Durham replied, left-armer Klein surprised Jennings with a full toss which had the Durham captain lbw for 12. But Michael Richardson was soon in full flow as two cuts off Gavin Griffiths flew to the boundary.Richardson reached 50 off 65 balls but then went back for a second run to third man and found himself at the same end as Stephen Cook with the throw heading for the other end.Cook was bowled for when trying to run Tom Wells to third man then Cameron Steel fell lbw to a yorker in the same over with 33 still needed. But Collingwood hit two sixes and six fours in his 45-ball half-century and quickly finished the job.

Arsenal will "test the waters" for Real Madrid star Aurelien Tchouameni if they fail to sign either Moises Caicedo or Romeo Lavia, according to reports.

Who will Arsenal sign next?

The north Londoners are believed to have agreed a £105 million (£100m + £5m in add-ons) to sign West Ham United star Declan Rice after weeks of negotiations.

Rice, who looks set to become the most expensive British player of all time, is nearing a move to the Emirates Stadium in a big boost for manager Mikel Arteta.

The England international is now very likely to follow Kai Havertz through the door, with the Germany international's signing already confirmed in a £65 million deal from Chelsea.

Arsenal have been linked with further additions, namely Southampton's Lavia, Turkish wonderkid Arda Guler and even Wolfsburg defender Micky van de Ven in recent days.

The Gunners could end up spending north of £200 million this transfer window, and after just falling short in last season's title race, it appears they're determined to mount another serious challenge.

It will take a lot to usurp treble-winners Man City, who became only the second ever English side to win the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League in a single season.

According to Football Transfers, Arsenal are looking to be very ambitious, as they could now make a move for Madrid's Tchouaméni.

The France international, who is on around £212,000-per-week, has apparently been added to Arteta's list of transfer targets this summer.

It is believed Arsenal will "test the waters" for Tchouaméni, which presumably means some form of approach/enquiry, but only on one condition.

Indeed, the north Londoners will only turn to him if swoops for either Brighton's Caicedo or Lavia ultimately fail – with Galacticos president Florentino Perez set to demand at least €100 million (£86m).

Perez apparently views Tchouaméni as the centre piece for Madrid's side next term, so prising him away from the Bernabeu will be a difficult task to say the least.

What's been said about Aurelien Tchouameni?

Called a "sensational player" by members of the media, former Man United star Rio Ferdinand was left in awe of the 23-year-old during his World Cup outings in Qatar last year.

"Listen, Tchouameni is a young kid, he’s going to make mistakes but he’s a superb talent, he produces moments out of nowhere, incredible player," said Ferdinand on the BBC (via This is Futbol).

“Replacing Pogba in a France XI is not an easy task, but so far, Tchouaméni has been superb.

“Tchouameni showed why he plays for Real Madrid. He has the patience, talent, control, he has everything you need.”

Glasgow Rangers could have found their own version of a top-flight star as Michael Beale's interest in Cyriel Dessers has become well-known in recent weeks…

What's the latest Rangers transfer news?

With the Teddy Bears' arch-rivals retaining the Scottish Premiership last season, the Glasgow giants have got their work cut out for them if they're to overthrow the Hoops, so expect a busy summer from Beale's side.

Already, the club has been linked to numerous names as they look to strengthen the squad.

The likes of Lyndon Dykes and Charlie Cresswell are just a couple of the many names that have been linked with Rangers so far this summer.

One other name that the club are reportedly interested in is the Cremonese frontman, whose underlying stats and style of play are very similar to the Premier League star Callum Wilson.

Adding a goalscorer to the side is vital for Rangers, but adding one who so closely resembles a star like the Newcastle United and England man could be pivotal in the club regaining their status as Scottish champions.

How does Cyriel Dessers compare to Callum Wilson?

According to Opta Analyst, the underlying numbers between the duo are very similar. In fact, the player comparison tool gave them a 65.6% similarity score.

The duo take a similar number of shots per game, with Dessers – who is reportedly valued at just £7m – averaging 1.9 shots a game, while Wilson averaged 2.4 and the majority of both forwards' efforts came within the penalty area.

In fact, both men spent plenty of time inside the opposition area, with the Cremona forward among the top 95% of strikers in the top five European leagues for touches inside the penalty box, while Wilson was among the top 89%.

Another similarity the pair share is their aerial ability, with the "phenomenal" and "incredible" Dessers – as once hailed by ESPN correspondent Cecilia Lagos – in the 38th percentile of forwards in Europe's top five leagues in terms of aerial battles won, while Wilson put up similar numbers, with the Newcastle striker in the 40th percentile.

Comparatively, the strikers very rarely showcase a level of ball-carrying ability either, with the Serie A man's average of 0.5 successful dribbles a game almost identical to Wilson's 0.4 successful dribbles a game.

While the Newcastle man enjoyed a much more prolific season last campaign, the attributes and the tools are all there for the ten-goal machine to replicate his success if he were to make a move to Rangers, providing the club with a strong, goalscoring poacher that may help swing the balance of power in Scotland as they chase Celtic again next season.

Juventus are interested in making a move for Leeds United youngster Wilfried Gnonto this summer, according to a fresh transfer update.

How has Gnonto fared at Leeds?

The 19-year-old joined the Whites during last summer's transfer window, coming in as an exciting young signing with a potentially massive future in the game.

While Leeds' season was generally an awful one, as they suffered relegation from the Premier League after three years in the division, Gnonto was arguably one of the few brights parks. The £20,000-a-week attacker's form wasn't necessarily great every week, but he still scored twice and registered four assists in the league, often looking like one of his side's most dangerous and unpredictable players.

Like so many current Whites players, however, the Italian will now be weighing up his future, with Championship football not something that is likely to appeal to him. It could even be that he leaves in the summer, with a new claim proving to be a worrying one, in that respect.

Could Gnonto make quickfire Whites exit?

According to Gazzetta dello Sport [via Sport Witness], Juventus are keen on signing Gnonto before the start of next season, even though an official approach is yet to be made.

The report states that the Serie A giants were frustrated by Leeds' relegation, as it ended their hopes of Weston McKennie joining the Whites permanently, and therefore getting him off their wage bill. They are trying to use that negative as a positive, though, instead turning their attention and making contact with Gnonto.

The idea of Leeds losing the winger so soon after arriving is clearly concerning, considering he is already a 10-cap Italy international, while still being in his teens. He has been lauded as a "special" player by Michael Skubala, and had the Whites not gone down, he looked like he could be a key figure for a number of years to come.

It is hard to persuade any top-class footballer to stay put when the team gets relegated to the second tier, though, so it would be difficult to begrudge Gnonto a move away in the summer transfer window, especially if a club of Juventus' calibre come calling.

There is always the chance that the teenager could remain loyal, trying to help Leeds make a quick return to the Premier League, but the best that the Whites can realistically hope for now is to get good money for the youngster's signature.

Hibernian are keeping tabs on defender Morgan Feeney as they look to bolster their defensive options ahead of next season.

What’s the latest on Morgan Feeney to Hibs?

According to the Daily Record, Hibs are eyeing up a move for Carlisle centre-back Feeney as Lee Johnson aims to bolster his back line.

The 24-year-old is out of contract at the English side this summer, meaning Hibs could secure him on a free transfer, although they could face competition from fellow Premiership sides Hearts and Aberdeen, while there is also interest from League One – suggesting that the Easter Road outfit face a tough battle to sign him.

Could Morgan Feeney improve Hibs?

In the top flight last term, Johnson’s side conceded 59 goals, which was the joint fifth lowest across the whole league, however, they face a big problem in terms of centre-back options ahead of 2023/2024.

The departure of Mikey Devlin leaves Hibs with just two senior centre-backs at the moment and there will need to be a few additions over the coming weeks in order to improve the depth of the squad.

Johnson could secure a reunion with Feeney, having coached him during his spell as Sunderland manager and the 6 foot 2 gem could certainly come in and solve their defensive problem, no doubt about it.

The Englishman made his debut for Everton when he was just 17, and although he didn’t make the grade at Goodison Park, he has played for Tranmere Rovers and Sunderland, before finally enjoying a solid run of matches at Carlisle, featuring 76 times for the club.

The defender played 31 times in League Two as Carlisle secured promotion via the playoffs, however Feeney missed the end of the season due to injury. The 24-year-old did play a big part in the club achieving a top seven spot however, achieving a Sofascore rating of 6.96/10, which ranked him as the third-best player in the squad.

He also ranked in the top five for accurate long balls per game (2.2), interceptions per game (1.3) and clearances per game (2.8) to further underline his importance to the team and Johnson must act sooner rather than later to snap him up ahead of next term.

Journalist Nathan Ridley lauded the player following his injury in April which ruled him out for the rest of the season, saying: “A real shame if Morgan Feeney's time at Carlisle ends like this. He's more than capable of playing in League One.”

Luring him North of the border for nothing would represent a good piece of business for Hibs, and they need to make defensive signings a priority considering just how thin they are at the back.