Newcastle United have been considering a swoop for Stuttgart central defender Konstantinos Mavropanos this summer, but will now need to move swiftly to prevent rival Premier League interest.

Who wants to sign Konstantinos Mavropanos?

According to the Sun, the former Arsenal prospect is a target for Eddie Howe's Magpies, though West Ham United and Wolverhampton Wanderers currently lead the race to sign the Greece international.

The report claims that while Newcastle – who are in the market for a right-sided centre-back – are monitoring the situation, they do have other targets ahead on their shopping list.

It's thought the player has a release clause of €25m (£21m) in his contract.

How good is Konstantinos Mavropanos?

The 6 foot 4 "gladiator" – as praised by former boss Pellegrino Matarazzo – did not cut the mustard at the Emirates Stadium and made the move to Germany after playing just eight times for the Gunners, perhaps severing his chances having picked up a red card despite his little time on the pitch.

Read the latest Newcastle transfer news HERE…

But since moving to the Bundesliga, he has gone from strength to strength and now boasts some remarkable metrics to have captured the attention of clubs such as Newcastle and the Hammers, who will both play in European competition this season.

As per FBref, the £13k-per-week titan ranks among the top 4% of centre-backs across Europe's top five leagues for shot-creating actions, the top 14% for progressive passes, the top 8% for progressive carries, the top 4% for successful take-ons, the top 1% for interceptions and the top 8% for aerials won per 90.

The dynamism and aptitude with both his physicality and technicality is discernible through such statistics, and given that he recorded an exemplary average Sofascore rating of 7.26 in the league last season, completing 86% of his passes, making 2.2 interceptions and 3.5 clearances per game, also succeeding with 66% of his total duels, Newcastle would have a dreamy new addition to bolster the backline.

Newcastle have demonstrated an astute and diligent strategy regarding transfers over the past few years, and this would be a continuation of the club's overall growth, and if Mavropanos is tied up, it could be the second time league rivals Arsenal's loss has been turned to the Magpies' gain.

In August 2021, Joe Willock's impressive loan spell with the Toon was made permanent for £25m, and he has since been an integral part of the club's ascent, having made 35 displays in the Premier League last season, scoring three goals and supplying six assists as Newcastle earned a deserved top-four finish.

Hailed for his "stunning" development by Graeme Bailey, the £80k-per-week Englishman has also been lauded for his “limitless" potential by journalist Simon Collings and looks set for a prominent role as Newcastle continue to improve as a European force.

Signing Mavropanos too would really irk Arsenal, if the pair were able to combine and take even higher than last term's fourth-placed finish, or even further than the Carabao Cup finale defeat to Manchester United, ending a 54-year wait for major silverware.

With Mavropanos' robustness as an all-encompassing modern defender and Willock's creativity and directness in midfield, Newcastle might just elevate their imperious squad even higher, and leave the powers that be in north London watching on with a rueful gaze.

Kevin De Bruyne could opt to leave Manchester City in favour of joining a Saudi Pro League club next summer.

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• Saudi PIF renew interest in De Bruyne
• De Bruyne could move out in the summer
• Current Man City contract expires in 2025

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  According to , the Saudi Public Investment Fund (PIF) have renewed their interest in the Manchester City star having reportedly gotten back in touch with the player, and they view him as a primary target for next summer.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  De Bruyne's current contract with the Cityzens expires in 2025, which means that he could consider evaluating his options in the summer of 2024 when only one year will be left in his existing deal. In October 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo's club Al-Nassr reportedly showed interest in the former Chelsea star. He even attracted attention from a Saudi second-tier club Al-Qadsiah.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The 32-year-old has appeared in just one Premier League game in the ongoing campaign as he picked up a muscle injury in the club's season opener against Burnley and had to undergo surgery. He recently returned to training and was included in the club's matchday squad against Sheffield United on December 30.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR KEVIN DE BRUYNE?

  It remains to be seen if Pep Guardiola will hand the midfielder a start on Sunday as the Cityzens play their first match of 2024 in an FA Cup third-round clash against Huddersfield.

Blackburn Rovers admin hilariously trolled Hollywood duo Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney after drawing Wrexham in the FA Cup fourth round.

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• Blackburn admin trolls Wrexham's Hollywood owners
• Asked if Wrexham needed directions to Blackburn's home
• Blackburn take on Wrexham in the FA Cup fourth round

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After drawing Wrexham in the fourth round of the FA Cup on Monday, Blackburn X admin trolled the Welsh club's Hollywood owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney. They shared a wildly inaccurate map of UK football clubs – which emerged in the second season of the 'Welcome to Wrexham' documentary – to take a dig at the Red Dragons.

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• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Quoting one of their old X posts from October 23, the Blackburn admin shared the map with the caption, "See you soon, @Wrexham_AFC. Let us know if you need directions?"

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The map that was shown in the documentary, attempted to show the location of UK football clubs, albeit unsuccessfully. The map was widely mocked for its inaccuracy, with Blackburn one of several teams unimpressed with their supposed geographical location.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR BLACKBURN AND WREXHAM?

  The two clubs are set to square off in the FA Cup fourth round between 26 to 29 January at Ewood Park. For now, Wrexham will shift focus to League Two where they take on AFC Wimbledon in a crucial encounter on Saturday. On the same day, Blackburn face West Brom in the Championship.

The opener scorched his way to a 54-ball hundred – his second in T20Is this year – to break India and force the series into a decider in Thiruvananthapuram

The Report by Deivarayan Muthu04-Nov-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:16

Agarkar: India need to look past Dhoni in T20Is

Colin Munro scorched his way to a 54-ball hundred – his second in T20Is this year – to break India and force the series into a decider in Thiruvananthapuram. He made excellent use of four chances to launch New Zealand to 196 for 2 after they had opted to bat and though Virat Kohli made a vintage 65 in response, the rapidly rising scoreboard pressure was just too much to overcome.India were forced into a situation where they had to score more than two runs a ball in the last 10 overs. Even the best finishers struggle to maintain such a high pace for such a long time. Hardik Pandya, new to the role, fell for 1 and even an old hand like MS Dhoni never got going. At a stage when the asking rate was nudging 15, he was playing a run-a-ball innings, unable to hit Mitchell Santner and Ish Sodhi off their plan of attacking his pads.A better fielding effort could have helped the hosts as well. Bhuvneshwar Kumar dropped a very tough chance at deep midwicket – the kind where a player has to decide whether to take the catch or save a six. Munro was on 36 then. He gave a far simpler opportunity to Shreyas Iyer at long-on but the ball was parried the ball over the rope for six. A wayward throw from Rohit Sharma came to Munro’s rescue in the 12th over. And finally, on 79, he was dropped by Chahal running back from cover.Given so many lives, Munro capitalised. His batting is founded on a simple strategy: stay leg side of the ball and belt it and an easy-paced hit-through-the-line Rajkot pitch was right up his alley. He crunched seven sixes – all in the arc between deep midwicket and long-on. The carnage began when he welcomed Mohammed Siraj into international cricket with a punched four to the backward point boundary. Siraj then switched to slower offcutters, but Munro waited for those and carted a brace of sixes. By then New Zealand had passed their first fifty opening stand in the limited-overs tour of India.At the other end, Martin Guptill played a Jekyll-and-Hyde innings. He laboured to 14 off 22 balls against pace and hit 31 off 19 balls against spin. Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar had shackled him with seam movement and bounce, but he broke free against Chahal, who oddly bowled into the batsman’s hitting arc. Guptill simply planted his front foot down and took the legspinner for three successive boundaries in his first over, including a signature loft that sailed into the sightscreen. Chahal, however, recovered to best Guptill for 45 with a front-of-the-hand flipper. Three overs later, Siraj had Kane Williamson holing out to deep square leg for 12.But even with six bowlers, India couldn’t stop Munro. Axar Patel and Pandya were also lined up and sent over the boundary. Munro reached his first fifty off just 26 balls – after Iyer’s drop – and brought up his second off 28 balls. This meant he joined Brendon McCullum – his former captain and someone he still seeks out for advice – in elite company. They, along with Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis, are the only batsmen with two T20I tons.Munro had a job to do with the ball too. He introduced the world to his knuckle ball and snaffled a skier of a return catch to cut short Iyer’s innings at 23. The Mumbai batsman had added 54 for the third wicket with Kohli to give India hope after Trent Boult’s double-strike in his first over. The left-arm quick first burst through the gate of Shikhar Dhawan with a nip-backer and four balls later, he coaxed an outside edge from Rohit with extra bounce. When Pandya was fooled by a googly from Ish Sodhi for 1, India were reduced to 67 for 4 in the 10th over.The early wickets, however, did not bother Kohli. He forayed down the track and drilled Boult over his head. Then he targetted Santner and hit him for three boundaries in five balls, including a shovelled six over long-on. However, as the ball got older, it began to grip in the pitch and that brought Sodhi into the game big time. A peach of a legbreak in the 13th over very nearly had Dhoni stumped for 8.Spin continued being New Zealand’s trump card through the middle overs as they tied down one end which kept piling the pressure on Kohli at the other.An equation of 85 off 30 balls needed both batsmen to fire but try as Dhoni might, he couldn’t find his range. He came down the track but rarely got the leverage he was looking for. He nudged the ball into the deep to steal twos but the fielders were wise to that trick. He even swung right across the line but nothing worked. He was 28 off 28 at the end of the 18th over.To compensate for that, Kohli charged out to Santner and was caught behind. Boult then took over, picked up a couple more wickets and wrapped the game up with a career-best 4 for 34. He had recorded his worst ODI and T20I outings over the past week but found a way to raise his game when New Zealand needed it most.

Wolves players held up their team-mate Mario Lemina's shirt after Max Kilman put the side 1-0 up at home to Everton.

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Kilman scored to put Wolves 1-0 upLemina not involved in gameWolves looking to move away from relegation fightWHAT HAPPENED?

A dangerous cross from Nelson Semedo was not cleared by the Everton defence, leading to a scramble in the six-yard area before the Wolves captain stabbed home. Following his goal, Kilman and his team-mates headed towards their own dugout before holding aloft Mario Lemina's shirt.

AdvertisementGettyTHE EXPLANATION

Lemina was absent from the Wolves squad for the game following the death of his father, with the players paying tribute by holding up his shirt and wearing black armbands for the match. Lemina had scored on his last outing for Wolves against Chelsea and had dedicated his goal to his father.

WHAT WOLVES SAID:

Wolves offered their condolences to Lamina and his father ahead of the match with a statement on social media: "Our hearts go out to Mario Lemina after the passing of his father yesterday morning. The whole pack send their love and sympathy to Mario and his family. Mario’s teammates will wear black armbands today in honour of his father’s memory."

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Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT FOR WOLVES?

The team's next fixture is against Brentford in an all-Premier League FA Cup third round tie on Friday, January 5.

Liverpool have now received a boost in their pursuit of Nicolo Barella, with it being reported that Inter Milan are now willing to sell him if they receive a bid worth over €80m (£69m), according to reports from Italy.

What's the latest Liverpool transfer news?

Fabinho has recently followed Jordan Henderson out the exit door, putting pen to paper on a three-year deal with Saudi Arabian side Al-Ittihad, meaning there is now a pressing need for Jurgen Klopp to bring in new reinforcements in central midfield.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has now confirmed that Southampton's Romeo Lavia is Klopp's "priority" target in midfield, with talks currently ongoing, however the deal is not straightforward, with the Saints looking to hold out for a package worth £50m.

Fluminense midfielder Andre also remains an option for the Reds, with the Brazilian club said to be holding out for a fee of €25m (£21m), while they have made contact over Eintracht Frankfurt star Jesper Lindstrom, who is also being targeted by Arsenal.

According to recent reports from Italy (via Sport Witness), Liverpool have also been handed a boost in their pursuit of Barella, as Inter would now consider selling the midfielder, if they were to receive an offer worth over €80m (£69m).

The Serie A side are now closing in on a deal for Udinese's Lazar Samardzic, which means they may no longer consider the Italian non-transferrable, in what would come as a real boost to his potential suitors.

In the Premier League, the Reds "in particular" are keen to sign the 26-year-old, with their interest mainly being driven by Klopp, who is believed to be a "great admirer", however Manchester City are also in the mix for his signature.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

How good is Nicolo Barella?

It is clear to see why Klopp is such a huge fan of the Italy international, as he is a real threat going forward, averaging 0.22 non-penalty goals per 90 over the course of the past year, which places him in the 92nd percentile compared to his positional peers.

The central midfielder averaged a 6.94 WhoScored match rating in the Serie A last season, the fourth-highest in the Inter squad, amassing a total of six goals and six assists, the joint-third highest number of goal contributions of any Inter player.

With an average of 1.6 key passes per game, the Cagliari-born maestro is clearly a very creative player, however he is also happy to pitch in with the defensive side of the game when needed, as indicated by the fact he averaged 1.4 tackles during that time period.

Lauded as "fantastic" by Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher, the Inter Milan star has proven he could be a quality addition to Klopp's squad, however he is not a like-for-like replacement for Fabinho or Henderson, given that his main qualities are on the front foot.

As such, it is important the Reds get a deal for Lavia over the line first, but they should undoubtedly reignite their interest in Barella, should Inter Milan make it clear they are willing to sell him this summer.

Aston Villa are reportedly continuing their pursuit of Barcelona forward Ferran Torres, as Unai Emery and Monchi resume their search for star talent this summer.

The Villans have already equipped their side with reinforcements in the wide areas, after capturing Moussa Diaby from Bayer Leverkusen, however, the latest news suggests that the Spanish duo aren’t done spending yet.

What is Ferran Torres' market value?

Valued by Football Transfers at €40m (£34m), Torres is a player that has been linked with the Midlands side throughout the summer, with news in Spain reporting contact back in May.

News reported on Sunday from Spain, relayed by Sport Witness, has reinforced Villa’s interest in the winger, claiming that the club are pushing to sign him.

The report focused on Barcelona’s potential sale of Ousmane Dembele, and how heavily that move would rely on the Catalan giant’s desire to allow Torres to depart, along with Emery’s side’s requirement to up their price.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

Earning £165k-per-week, the 23-year-old’s wages are mentioned as a problem that Villa could face in their pursuit, however, added that the club are ‘willing’ to make the effort to do what they can to bring the player to Villa Park.

How good is Ferran Torres?

Lauded as a “wonderful footballer” by Barcelona manager and Spanish footballing legend Xavi, the young winger could be one to fire the Villans to further glory.

The Spaniard isn’t the only wide-playing acquisition that Villa have been linked to this summer, with Belgian talent Jeremy Doku also a figure rumoured to be on Emery’s shopping list.

Despite being a “menace” in attack, as praised by U23 scout Antonio Mango, the Rennes winger may not be the best option on show for Emery and Monchi to poach, with Torres providing experience that the 21-year-old lacks.

As a former player of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, the Spaniard possesses the knowledge of what it takes to succeed in the Premier League, an asset that leaves some new signings fumbling after making the move from abroad.

A two-time Premier League winner at the Etihad, the versatile forward netted nine goals and recorded three assists in just 28 league appearances for the Citizens, where he struggled to maintain a spot in the competitive pecking order.

Placing Doku’s six goals scored in Ligue 1 compared to Torres’ four in La Liga aside, chasing the Barcelona gem may be the better option in Emery’s pursuit for an additional winger.

The two are similar in their strengths, however, the Midlands side would want to swerve away from hiring from abroad to avoid past mistakes, best highlighted by Leon Bailey’s move to Villa Park from the Bundesliga.

The Jamaica international registered 18 goals and assists in his final league campaign for Bayer Leverkusen, and has since recorded just five goals and six assists in the Premier League, showcasing that the grass isn’t always greener for those unfamiliar with the English game.

Speaking after securing a hat-trick in the Premier League, Torres admitted to the standard being “very physical” however added that he had “adapted very well”, supporting Villa’s claim to chase his talents.

Monchi and Emery could pull off a masterclass by opting for the former City ace over the talents of Doku, in a move that could present to be less of a risk with a high reward.

Centuries from Amandeep Khare and Ashutosh Singh helped Chhattisgarh recover from Umesh Yadav’s twin-strikes upfront to end the day at a comfortable 246 for 3 against Vidarbha in Nagpur. The pair added 227 for the third wicket before Umesh dismissed Ashutosh for 113 in the day’s final over. Karn Sharma, the legspinner, who impressed for India A and has 31 wickets in four first-class games so far this season, finished with none for 65 off 24 overs in his first game for Vidarbha.Punjab, searching for points after conceding a lead and losing outright in their first two games, racked up 396 for 3 against Goa in Poorvorim. Jiwanjot Singh, the opener, struck 215 of those and was still going strong when stumps were drawn.Jiwanjot struck an unbroken 236-run fourth-wicket stand with Anmolpreet Singh, 103 not out, when play ended. Anmolpreet, promoted No. 4 in the absence of Yuvraj Singh, struck 11 fours and two sixes. Uday Kaul missed out converting a start into three figures, falling for 66, while Manan Vohra was out for a three-ball duck in the first over.Half-centuries from Nikhil Gangta (89*) and Ankush Bains (68) spared Himachal the blushes against Services in New Delhi. They recovered from a precarious 92 for 4 to finish on 273 for 5 at stumps. Prashant Chopra, the opener who struck a triple century in the tournament opener, failed to convert, falling for 55. Bains and Gangta, chasing his second century of the season, batted for a better part of the day to add 159 and help the side stage a remarkable recovery.

Manchester United have now submitted an offer for Urawa Red Diamonds goalkeeper Zion Suzuki, but it has been knocked back by the Japanese club, with the player himself focussing on representing his country at the 2024 Olympics, according to a report.

What's the latest Man United transfer news?

With Andre Onana's arrival now confirmed, Man United have been running the rule over potential back-up options for the Cameroonian, having recently been linked with a £5m move for Fenerbahce goalkeeper Altay Bayindir.

The Daily Mail report the Red Devils are considering a move for the Turkey international, who could come in as a replacement for either Dean Henderson or Tom Heaton, with the future of both goalkeepers in doubt.

Henderson is due to join Nottingham Forest and Luton Town have offered Tom Heaton the opportunity to start regularly, so a move for Bayindir could make sense, particularly considering the fact that Fenerbahce are expecting him to be sold.

According to reports from Japan (via The Nottingham Post), Man United have made a bid for Suzuki, who is highly-rated in his native country, however it has been turned down by Urawa Red Diamonds, and the player himself has no interest in leaving.

The 20-year-old is fully focussed on representing Japan at the 2024 Olympics, and staying where he is will give him the best opportunity to do that, rather than making the switch to Old Trafford to play second fiddle to Onana.

The Nottingham Post explain that the Red Devils are actively trying to sign a new goalkeeper while Forest try to re-sign Henderson, who left a lasting impression during his loan spell at The City Ground in the 2022-23 campaign.

Who is Zion Suzuki?

The young goalkeeper, who was born in the USA, has been lauded as "one of the most exciting goalkeeping prospects coming out of Japan" by the media, in part due to his "exceptional" passing ability, which has caused him to be compared to Ederson.

The 6 foot 3 colossus has already started to force his way into the starting XI for Urawa Red Diamonds, however he is yet to establish himself as the J1 League side's first choice, having made 29 appearances in all competitions since his debut in 2021.

Given his limited first-team experience, little is known about whether Suzuki would be able to make the step-up to a club the size of Man United, so it is not too disappointing the Red Devils have had an offer rejected, as they still have some other solid targets.

Of course, Onana is likely to be Erik ten Hag's first choice, for large parts of the season, but the aforementioned Bayindir could be a decent alternative option, given that he has represented Turkey five times at international level.

At 25-years-old, the Fenerbahce shot-stopper is a lot more experienced than Suzuki, making a total of 141 first-team appearances for his current club, including 11 in the Europa League, indicating he would be capable of filling in for Onana on occasion.

Proactive step comes in the wake of rains that have lashed the city over the last two weeks

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Nov-2017TN’s games moved out of ChennaiTamil Nadu’s last two games against Madhya Pradesh and Baroda have been moved out of Chennai following persistent rains over the last few weeks. ESPNcricinfo understands that Tamil Nadu will now take on Madhya Pradesh in Indore from November 17, before flying to Vadodara to face Baroda from November 25. The secretaries of both the Baroda Cricket Association and the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association – Snehal Parikh and Milind Kanmadikar respectively – confirmed that the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association had approached the BCCI to move the matches out of Chennai following which the venues were changed.Tamil Nadu have already had one rain-affected game, against Tripura, and possibly didn’t want to risk their prospects of qualifying for the knockouts. With three games left, Tamil Nadu are fourth on the Group C standings, behind Andhra, Madhya Pradesh and Mumbai, and are still in search of their first outright win. Tamil Nadu’s immediate challenge will be their game against Odisha in Cuttack from November 9.Test players to skip but Iyer, Pandey, Rahul join squadsThe forthcoming round of the Ranji Trophy beginning on November 9 is expected to be low on star quotient with most of the India internationals away on national duty. With India’s first Test against Sri Lanka beginning in Kolkata on November 16, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav are set to join the national side. Delhi, too, will miss the services of captain Ishant Sharma. Rishabh Pant will lead the side in his stead. However, Shreyas Iyer, India’s newest T20I debutant, has been added to Mumbai’s squad for their game against Baroda.Wriddhiman Saha has also been named in the Bengal squad that will take on Vidarbha in Kalyani. Meanwhile, Karnataka will also be boosted by the presence of Manish Pandey and KL Rahul, who were both part of India’s T20I squad against New Zealand, as they take on Delhi in Alur.