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An update has emerged on Celtic and their plans to bolster their squad heading into the upcoming summer transfer window…

What's the latest on Zan Vipotnik to Celtic?

According to Football Scotland, Ange Postecoglou is considering a swoop to sign Maribor centre-forward Zan Vipotnik ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The report claims that the club are weighing up a possible bid to snap up the 21-year-old prospect, who is also being courted by Croatian giants Dinamo Zagreb.

It is stated that his current club are looking for a fee in the region of £3.5m and the player's agent has confirmed that the Hoops are in the race for his signature.

Sasa Zupan told Football Scotland: "Yes, there is interest from Celtic for a summer transfer but there are a lot of clubs who want to sign Zan when the window opens."

Who is Zan Vipotnik?

He is a 21-year-old Slovenian international who currently plays for Maribor in his home country and the talented youngster could come in as a dream heir to Kyogo Furuhashi at Parkhead.

The number 77 has caught the eye with his performances this season as the young marksman has plundered an impressive 23 goals and one assist in 38 appearances in all competitions, including 20 strikes in 30 league outings.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig previously described the hotshot as a "poacher" and listed "finishing" and "movement" as some of the strengths of his game.

His statistics for Maribor this season suggest that those comments from Kulig were accurate as the dynamo has been a consistent, prolific, goalscorer at senior level in spite of his young age.

He is seven years younger than Kyogo and could arrive in Scotland as his understudy to start with before eventually taking over from the Japan international, as the gem has many years left ahead of him to grow and develop.

In the Scottish Premiership this season, the 28-year-old scored 27 goals and provided two assists in 36 appearances and was a reliable, prolific, scorer for Postecoglou throughout the campaign.

The PFA Scotland Men's Player of the Year is the go-to man for goals at Parkhead but has been linked with Crystal Palace and would reportedly be interested in playing in the Premier League, which puts his long-term future at the club in doubt.

This means that bringing in Vipotnik could be a shrewd piece of business by the head coach, as the up-and-coming marksman's form this season indicates that the ace has the potential to replicate Kyogo's success at Celtic if he is able to translate his performances over to Scotland.

Therefore, Postecoglou could land the dream heir to the phenomenal Japanese centre-forward by winning the race to land the £3.5m Slovenian talent.

Aston Villa are on the path towards an exciting time ahead with Unai Emery at the helm on his Premier League return.

When the club hired the Spaniard in November, not many would have dreamed how the season could end, with Villa still in contention for a top-six finish and European football next campaign.

The four-time Europa League-winning coach has installed a new sense of belief in the squad, taking players to the next level and placing the club in a positive direction.

While things are ticking at Villa Park this season, the Spaniard has been linked with a number of players that could improve his squad in terms of depth and in signing future stars.

Earlier this week, the Villans were linked with a potential double swoop for a Serie A pair, in a move that could have a positive influence on Villa’s hopes to compete at this level again next season.

What’s the latest on Denzel Dumfries to Aston Villa?

As reported by InterLive – via SportWitness – Villa are planning a €55m (£48m) offer to sign Inter Milan duo Marcelo Brozovic and Denzel Dumfries.

Both players have been linked with a move away from Inter this summer, with InterLive’s report claiming that Mateu Alemany – who had been set to join Villa until a change of heart – could be the key influence in any move.

However, since revelations regarding Alemany's own future, there has been no update on whether Dumfries remains a target.

What could Denzel Dumfries bring to Aston Villa?

Lauded as a “monster” by journalist Alan Rzepa on Twitter, the right-back is one of the top performing in his position in Europe over the past year as per FBref.

The 27-year-old ranks in the top 4% in Europe’s top five leagues in his position for his rate of aerials won, with 1.97 per 90.

The most dominating attribute the Dutchman offers is his ability to get forward, which is a key strength for a full-back when entering the Premier League.

Having caught the eye for his pace and directness, the £55k-per-week defender is a threat in attack on the flanks.

Such a claim is supported by the £35m-rated full-back's numbers which rank him in the top 1% of those in his position in Europe for most touches in the attacking penalty area, averaging a huge 4.01 per 90.

While Ashley Young is a seasoned professional in the Premier League, having made 421 appearances in the league over the years, the 37-year-old is nearing the end of his playing career.

The Stevenage-born right-back has been a key member of Emery’s squad, however, finding depth in his position is vital.

Dumfries could opt as a worthy heir to the Englishman, as a player that is experienced himself having played among Europe’s elite in his career at Inter.

Only time will tell if the Dutchman will reside at Villa Park come the end of summer, however, his talent and suitability to Emery’s squad is an exciting prospect.

ScorecardChris Jordan’s five wickets completed Sussex’s win•Getty Images

Chris Jordan starred with 5 for 28 and teenager Phil Salt hit 81 from 76 balls as Sussex bowled out Middlesex for 191 to win by 31 runs in a rain-shortened Royal London One-Day Cup South Group game at Hove.Jordan, bowling with impressive pace and firing in his toe-crushing yorkers seemingly at will, topped and tailed the Middlesex innings after Sussex had totalled 222 for 7.It was Sussex’s first win in the competition this season, at the third attempt, and Salt was joined in a third-wicket stand of 125 in 18 overs with New Zealand batsman Ross Taylor, who hit a 44-ball 54 despite finishing his innings with a runner because of a pulled hamstring.Ben Brown’s entertaining cameo of 31 not out from 13 balls pushed Sussex on to a challenging total in a match reduced to 32 overs per side, and it proved too much for Middlesex despite both Brendon McCullum and Eoin Morgan getting starts with 44 and 31 respectively.England one-day fast bowler Jordan struck twice with the new ball to bowl Dawid Malan for a duck and have Paul Stirling caught – after a juggle – by Brown behind the stumps for 4, and he later returned to pick up three tailend wickets as Sussex wrapped up the match with little fuss with eight balls remaining unbowled.Left-arm seamer George Garton and legspinner Will Beer also made important breakthroughs for Sussex after McCullum, who hit a six and six fours in his 37-ball effort, and Morgan, with five fours, threatened to mount a challenge with a third-wicket partnership of 40.Garton, 19 and in only his third List A appearance, had McCullum well held on the deep square leg boundary while Beer bowled Morgan behind his legs and then flummoxed John Simpson with a googly to have the left-hander caught by Jordan at slip.Beer’s seven overs brought him 2 for 34 and Garton later had Nick Gubbins caught behind for 37 after he and James Franklin had offered some defiant blows. Franklin’s 28 was ended when he swung Danny Briggs’s left-arm spin to deep midwicket where substitute fielder Luke Wells dived forward to take a fine catch.Play did not get under way until 2pm due to overnight and morning rain but, when it did, there was some rich entertainment for a sparse crowd well down in numbers on the 2,500 or so who would have been expected to attend on a sunny day.Chris Nash survived a difficult high chance to slip, one ball before Toby Roland-Jones nipped one back from down the Hove slope to bowl him for 11. And Sussex looked to be vulnerable when Luke Wright, after one hoicked six off Roland-Jones, was held at mid-on off the same bowler for 15 in the seventh over – the last of the initial powerplay in this reduced-overs contest.Salt and Taylor, however, grew in authority the longer they were together and also capitalised on some moments of good fortune. Salt, on 15, was beaten by a beauty from James Fuller which jagged away from his defensive bat and on 32 edged Fuller just short of first slip. Taylor, on 24, was badly missed by Fuller at deep mid wicket when he skied a pull at Franklin’s left-arm seamers.Fuller, in fact, did not lay a hand on the ball. Running in too fast from the boundary edge to position himself for the catch, he momentarily lost his footing and the slip disorientated him so much that, in the end, the ball sailed over his head and plopped to the turf as the batsmen ran two.Salt and Taylor added 125 in 18 overs, and there were some memorable strokes in the partnership which provided the meat in Sussex’s total. A reverse-sweep four by Salt off Stirling’s off spin was followed later by an extraordinary reverse flip which went high for four to the unguarded third-man ropes. The teenager also produced a superb straight-driven four off Fuller to reach his 52-ball 50, while Taylor merely upped his own tempo after calling for Nash to act as his runner when, on 26, he strained a hamstring muscle.In the 22nd over Taylor mowed Nathan Sowter’s leg spin over midwicket for six and, next ball, swept him hard for four before reaching his own 50 three overs later with a six swung off Stirling. From the next ball, however, attempting something similar, he was well held by Sowter on the deep square leg boundary.Salt soon followed, bowled by Franklin, and neither Harry Finch, Jordan nor Beer lasted long as Sussex slumped from 164 for 3 to 185 for 7. Finch, after one lovely straight four, was bowled swinging at Franklin for 8, Jordan was comically run out for 7 by the bowler after trying to swing Roland-Jones to leg, slipping over when looking for a sharp single and failing to crawl back into his crease, while Beer was leg-before to the next ball.Brown, however, hoisted Fuller for successive sixes in the final over after previously ramping Roland-Jones brilliantly for four and also earning seven runs in total for two pulls to deep square leg. In all, 30 runs came from the last two overs as Sussex, thanks to Brown, finally managed to build significantly on the Salt-Taylor stand.

Newcastle United have not been short of memorable performances this Premier League season and Eddie Howe will surely be thrilled with the quick progression his team has made over the last 12 months.

The Magpies are currently third in the top-flight table with the chances of Champions League football next season becoming a real possibility should they keep up their phenomenal form after going unbeaten in their last five outings following the victory over Brenford this weekend.

It was by no means an easy battle won at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday afternoon and for the first 45 minutes it looked like Newcastle could be in trouble, as many players looked exhausted and their successful system looked to be disjointed – giving two penalties away before half-time.

However, the Newcastle boss displayed exactly why he has comfortably led his squad to bigger things this season, with his impeccable in-game management paying off massively in the second half.

Howe decided to take drastic action during the break, replacing Sean Longstaff and Jacob Murphy with Anthony Gordon and Callum Wilson, slightly tweaking the formation by moving Isak into a shadow striker role behind the England international, as the Swede has often displayed his ability to drop deeper.

To say it paid off is an understatement as it was a game-changing move that ultimately helped the Geordies become much more offensive and energetic, which led to a well-fought 2-1 victory.

Should Howe play Wilson and Isak together more often?

There is no doubt that Howe has a headache worth having when it comes to selecting his starting striker, as both Wilson and Isak have been massively influential in the position over the season so far.

The £46k-per-week goal machine has scored ten goals and delivered four assists in 27 appearances, with his form in front of goal earning him a call-up to Gareth Southgate's England squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year.

Wilson's £120k-per-week competitor for the striker role, Isak, was a monumental signing for the Magpies last summer, making the move to Tyneside for a club-record fee of £63m and has been a joy to watch ever since – scoring nine goals and registering one assist in 13 appearances.

The two goal-scorers boast different qualities, with Wilson an incredible finisher who thrives as a fox in the box, whilst Isak plays his best football when he is given the freedom to drop deeper and drifts into wider positions to receive the ball from midfield, often utilising his impeccable dribbling skills to trouble his opponents in the final third.

The St James' Park faithful welcomed the partnership when Howe made the change yesterday, with The Chronicle's Ciaran Kelly heaping praise on the pair for the build-up to Isak's winning goal:

"Callum Wilson lays it off on the edge of the area and Alexander Isak arrows it into the top corner first time. Unreal. They can play together, all right."

With that being said, Howe could have the perfect attacking formula for the rest of the season to unlock Champions League football for the North East club, as it is clear that Isak and Wilson can not only deliver apart but shine together too.

A report by Fantacalcio has suggested that former Tottenham Hotspur boss Mauricio Pochettino is Antonio Conte’s ‘designated’ replacement.

The Lowdown: Conte set to leave?

Spurs’ current head coach, going by developments in the last 24 hours, seems set to depart north London with reports suggesting that Conte is on the way out.

The Italian, after being appointed by chairman Daniel Levy in 2021, guided Spurs to a top four Premier League finish last season but has arguably failed to build upon that success since.

Conte took his frustrations out on both the board and Spurs’ squad in a furious post-Southampton rant last weekend, questioning Tottenham’s very culture.

He stated:

“We are 11 players that go into the pitch. I see selfish players, I see players that don’t want to help each other and don’t put their heart (in).

“Why? Because they are used to it here, they are used to it. They don’t play for something important yeah. They don’t want to play under pressure, they don’t want to play under stress.

“It is easy in this way. Tottenham’s story is this. Twenty years there is the owner and they never won something but why? The fault is only for the club, or for every manager that stays here. I have seen the managers that Tottenham had on the bench.”

The Latest: Report suggests ‘designated’ Conte replacement…

Following Conte’s speech which has sent shockwaves throughout football, noise surrounding a possible replacement for the 51-year-old has only gathered pace.

Pochettino is one man to be heavily linked with the job, and a report by Fantacalcio has suggested that the former PSG boss seems to be Conte’s ‘designated heir’.

In terms of where Conte could go next, this report adds that Inter Milan are currently ‘in the front row’ to give him a chance to return to Serie A.

The Verdict: Perfect candidate…

The ex-Southampton manager is a sure-fire candidate to succeed Conte and we believe he is perfect, especially considering his top flight experience and status as a free agent.

Pochettino has earned real praise for his job at Spurs with journalist Alex Crook calling him ‘ruthless’ and a ‘good man-manager’ when talking about the Argentine’s previous links with Man United.

He would also come back to Spurs with more pedigree and experience having managed superstars at PSG, a club he also guided to a Ligue 1 title last year.

Indeed, it would seem Pochettino really should be the favourite to take over.

Tottenham Hotspur are doing everything they can to keep Harry Kane in north London beyond his current deal and have not received any interest from Manchester United.

How long is left on Harry Kane’s contract?

The England captain is now playing into the final 18 months of his deal with the north London club meaning this summer may be the last opportunity for Spurs to bring in serious money for him.

However, there is the belief that the 29-year-old could be open to extending his stay with the Lilywhites if the club are able to match his ambition.

Indeed speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the north London club are doing what they can to tie their 29-year-old down to an extended stay:

(2:50) “What I can say is that Man United never had any kind of direct contact with people close to Harry Kane, with his family, his brother they’re taking care of the player’s future.”

“The feeling of people into Tottenham is that they will do their best to keep Harry Kane at the club, to negotiate a new contract very soon to discuss with Kane and keep Kane at the club.”

Who is interested in signing Harry Kane?

There have been reports suggesting the likes of Bayern Munich have shown an interest recently in potentially signing Kane having lost Robert Lewandowski last summer.

However, the Bundesliga side may find it a difficult task to prise the England captain away from the Premier League with Alan Shearer’s all-time goalscoring record in sight.

This has naturally led to links to the Red Devils who will likely be on the lookout for a striker in the summer having lost Cristiano Ronaldo in recent months.

But there is still a lot riding on the final months of the campaign for Tottenham who could still get their hands on some silverware.

This will be a tough ask given the club are currently in the middle of a serious injury storm which has seen some of their important players struck by long-term issues.

And Kane’s sensational form in the Premier League this season may not help Tottenham’s chances of tying him down to a new deal with the likes of United in need of a prolific striker.

What will be interesting to see is whether the future of Antonio Conte has a big influence on Kane’s decision making given the Italian’s spell in north London could well be heading to an end.

Kane has played some of his best football under the proven winner, so if Conte is to move on in the summer, it will be interesting to see whether Kane feels the club is heading in a positive direction.

It is believed Mauricio Pochettino could be the man to come in and replace Conte, however, that may not be enough to keep Kane in north London.

Newcastle United are preparing a big-money offer for an "excellent" attacking player currently on the books of a European giant, according to a new transfer rumour.

Newcastle transfer news

The start of the January transfer window isn't far away now, and Eddie Howe could be desperate to make some new signings to add to his injury-hit squad.

Newcastle have been so unfortunate in the fitness department this season, having to make do without many important players at different times, while Sandro Tonali's 10-month suspension has also been a big blow that has only added to the woes.

The Magpies have certainly been linked with plenty of players in recent times, with individuals in various areas of the pitch potentially being targeted next month.

In defence, the likes of Goncalo Inacio and Piero Hincapie have been backed to join Newcastle, with the pair currently shining for Sporting CP and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.

Kalvin Phillips continues to look like the Magpies' primary midfield target in January, as he aims to bring an end to a disappointing spell at Manchester City, while VfB Stuttgart striker Serhou Guirassy is seen as someone who could boost Howe's attacking options moving forward.

Newcastle readying Matias Soule offer

According to Tuttosport [via Sport Witness], Newcastle are also readying a big offer for Juventus youngster Matias Soule, who is currently on loan at Frosinone.

The update states that the Magpies are "ready to put €25m (£21.6m) on the table" and make a move for the 20-year-old, with a recent report suggesting Newcastle are the frontrunners to snap him up.

Juventus are willing to wait until the end of the season to part ways with Soule, however, due to him currently enjoying his loan spell.

He could be a strong signing by Newcastle if they strike a deal in one of the upcoming transfer windows, though, with Frosinone manager Eusebio Di Francesco hailing him last month, saying:

"In certain aspects, he resembles Berardi, but he must learn to shoot on goal more often. He doesn’t lack qualities and has excellent dribbling, but in the game, he needs to be more lucid when making his choices. My thought is that his talent should not be limited; with time and experience, he will improve in many aspects."

This season, Soule has scored goals six in 14 Serie A appearances, which is a good return for a side who are currently sitting 13th in the table, and he is a player who should only get better the more he matures in the coming years.

Whether Newcastle can strike a deal in January looks debatable given the player's loan situation, but even if they decide to wait until the summer, it is a move they should certainly consider.

Newcastle must sign £50m Longstaff upgrade who would be Howe's dream

This £50m “leader” would be Eddie Howe’s dream signing at Newcastle United.

ByAdam Scully Dec 22, 2023

Soule also has a combined tally of 10 caps for Argentina at youth level – seven for the Under-20s and three for the Under-16s – further showing what an exciting young prospect he is.

NFL superstar Patrick Mahomes, along with his wife Brittany, is hoping to tempt Taylor Swift into watching a NWSL fixture involving the KC Current.

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• Chiefs star owns stake in NWSL outfit
• Partner is close friends with pop icon
• Hoping to find window in busy schedules

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, who has savoured another Super Bowl triumph in 2024, forms part of the ownership group at the newly-constructed CPKC Stadium – the first women’s professional sports venue in the world.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mahomes became the first American Football player to acquire a stake in a NWSL franchise back in 2023 and has high hopes for the team’s future. He has been joined in that venture by partner Brittany, who can regularly be spotted sitting alongside pop icon Swift at Chiefs games – as she supports boyfriend Travis Kelce.

• WHAT MAHOMES SAID

  Mahomes is hoping to make the most of that friendship, telling ESPN: “We might get her here at some point, she's a busy woman and Travis is a busy guy. So, maybe during season or something like that we'll get her out to a Kansas City Current game. She loves supporting Kansas City just like we do and I'm sure Brittany can nudge her and get her here pretty easily.”

  Brittany added: “That's definitely on me. I'll work on it, I will work on it.”

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• WHAT NEXT?

  The Current opened their 2024 campaign with a thrilling 5-4 victory over the Portland Thorns. They have 12 more home games to take in this season, meaning that Swift could be in attendance at some point if a window can be found in her Eras International Tour schedule.

It might not have had much of a bearing on the result of the match, but the third umpire might have looked at the wrong replay when the on-field officials turned to him to check on a no-ball during the match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore.Jasprit Bumrah is no stranger to bowling no-balls – his costliest one coming in last year’s Champions Trophy final – but he got away without scrutiny when he dismissed Umesh Yadav, the eighth Royal Challengers batsman to fall, on Tuesday. The on-field umpire immediately asked to see if he had overstepped. The replay shown, though, has Umesh at the non-striker’s end, and the heel of Bumrah’s front foot lands well inside the crease. The commentators were surprised that it was even checked. “No need to go [to the third umpire] for that,” commentator Sunil Gavaskar said on air.It went unnoticed that Umesh was in the picture at the non-striker’s end until Twitter user @ronak_169 brought it to ESPNcricinfo’s notice. While this was not significant to the result – Royal Challengers were 137 for 7, chasing 214, with only 13 balls left – it once again raises the possibility of this human error in more critical stages of the match. Nor is this the first time that the third umpire has ruled on a no-ball when watching the wrong replay.In the 2011 IPL, Sachin Tendulkar was ruled out similarly. The first two replays showed that the bowler Amit Mishra was close to overstepping, but a third angle, from cover, had him just okay. It was later noticed that in the third replay, Tendulkar was at the non-striker’s end. Later that year, in a Test match in Barbados, MS Dhoni was ruled out off a no-ball even though on-field umpire Ian Gould suspected Fidel Edwards had overstepped and went upstairs to check. The wrong replay was shown to the third umpire on that occasion, which the broadcasters, , then admitted as “a human error, compounded by a senior replay operative having to return home at a very short notice”. There must be others that go unnoticed.This kind of error often occurs when the replay operator clicks twice, thus going to the previous ball and missing the ball in question. In this case, Umesh was indeed at the non-striker’s end one ball before he got out. There is no plausible reason for this to be anything other than an innocent human mistake, but such an error has the potential to attain major significance in a tight situation.In this particular instance, perhaps the third umpire could have been more vigilant. Perhaps checking who is at the non-striker’s end when checking for no-balls can be added to the third umpire’s protocols, but by no means is it an exhaustive check: in this case, for example, if the previous ball had been a dot played out by Umesh, a wrong replay would have shown Virat Kohli at the non-striker’s end.The trickiest part of the situation is the delegation of the decision-making arm to the broadcaster, which is not neutral in international cricket. The ICC doesn’t pay for the technology used for decision making, which means it cannot hold the broadcasters accountable for any errors. If ICC does assume control of the decision making, the money will have to ultimately come from the member boards’ share of profits, which reduces the likelihood of this happening in the near future.

Victoria vaulted back into contention for the Sheffield Shield final after bowling out Western Australia for 213 on day four

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Feb-2018
ScorecardVictoria has vaulted back into contention for the Sheffield Shield final after a crushing 255-run win over Western Australia at the WACA.The Bushrangers needed just two wickets on the final morning to complete the rout but they were frustrated by Josh Inglis and Matt Kelly, who put together a 109-run partnership for the ninth wicket.Victoria opted not to bowl any of their frontline quicks on the final day leaving Daniel Christian, Cameron White and Glenn Maxwell to try and finish the job. Inglis moved within sight of his first Sheffield Shield century before he was trapped in front by Christian on 87.Kelly also fell to Christian nine balls later for his highest first-class score. Christian finished with 2 for 27. Chris Tremain was named Man of the Match for his first career 10-wicket haul.