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West Ham United are looking to bolster their attack this summer as they prepare for life in the Europa League…

What is the latest on Harvey Barnes to West Ham United?

According to transfer insider Dean Jones, the east London outfit are in the early stages of figuring out a deal for Leicester City winger Harvey Barnes, and it's thought that they are in a good position to submit a proposal.

Jones told GiveMeSport:

"I think it's like early, early moves to figure out what the deal for Barnes would look like. It's a good moment, obviously, for West Ham to make a proposal.

"They are kind of champions of Europe, in their eyes, so they could at least got a trophy to show him and a plan for the future to show him."

It was reported earlier this week that Tottenham Hotspur made a £50m proposal for both James Maddison and Barnes, but Leicester rejected the offer, clearly valuing the pair higher. £40m is expected to be enough for the latter on his own.

Is Harvey Barnes the right man for West Ham?

West Ham are in an interesting situation regarding wingers at the club.

Jarrod Bowen had a disappointing season compared to his feats the previous campaign, yet still stepped up in the big moments for the Hammers, scoring the goal that won the club its first-ever European trophy.

Said Benrahma enjoyed another strong season since his move from Brentford three seasons ago.

The Algerian winger produced 12 goals and five assists across 52 games for the club this season, recording an average rating of 6.70 according to WhoScored. His 2.22 successful take-ons per 90 was the highest he's managed in an Irons shirt and the highest any West Ham player managed to achieve this season, according to FBref.

Beyond the Englishman and Algerian international, however, the London club lack real depth, with Maxwel Cornet's injury problems limited him to just 14 league appearances, whilst Pablo Fornals was deployed out of position on the wing at points due to the lack of depth.

Barnes would come in and solve that problem.

The 25-year-old dynamo, who Sky Sports journalist Adam Bate lauded as a "huge talent", has been incredibly consistent at Leicester from an output perspective, recording at least 13 combined goals and assists in each of his last four campaigns with the Foxes.

The no.7 also excels at progressing the ball with his dribbling, with his 3.32 progressive carries per 90 this season better than both Benrahma and Bowen

The Foxes winger has a very similar statistical profile to the one that West Ham's no.20 produced throughout the 2021/22 Premier League season, which was his best season at the club.

Barnes and Bowen together could form an unstoppable duo, with their goal threat off of both wings being incredibly difficult to contain, especially when factoring in the creativity within the Irons squad from the likes of Lucas Paqueta, Fornals and Benrahma.

Due to both players' similar styles, concerns and questions could be raised about how to pair will work together, and how West Ham could set about bringing out the best in both players.

One way the club could look to address that is in the market, by bringing in a striker who excels at link-up play rather than out-and-out goal scoring, which would allow the English winger duo to focus on running in behind the opposition defence and scoring goals, in a similar vein to what Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane excelled at for a number of years at Liverpool thanks to the work of Roberto Firmino.

The Leicester winger has drawn a lot of praise throughout his career, with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp previously describing the winger as "one of the biggest talents" as well as an "unbelievable player".

Barnes is going to be a hot commodity this summer, and the Hammers will face some stiff competition to bring in the winger, but should they be able to get a deal over the line they will secure a fantastic final-third threat with his best years still ahead, and a potentially game-changing partnership between Bowen and Barnes that could fire the Irons to their goals.

The first Test between New Zealand and Pakistan at Hagley Oval is expected to go ahead as scheduled on November 17, despite Christchurch having suffered a 7.5 magnitude earthquake, just after midnight on Monday.The Pakistan men’s team, who were in Nelson when the quake occurred, reported being a little shaken by the experience, but will prepare for Thursday’s Test as usual.”Preparations for the Test are going ahead, but we are continuing to monitor the situation,” a New Zealand Cricket spokesperson said. “It’s just a case of staying in touch with authorities.”Both teams arrived in Christchurch on Monday and have training sessions scheduled for Tuesday. The area continued to be hit by aftershocks, however. A 6.3 magnitude quake was felt at around 1.30pm on Monday, and these are expected to continue through the next week.Pakistan team manager Wasim Bari said NZC had assured his side of their safety, in the team hotel and at the ground. The cricketers had spent a largely sleepless night in Nelson. They had evacuated their hotel when the quake hit, and most had not returned to their rooms for the remainder of the night, electing instead to remain in the reception area.”For us it was something new because we don’t have many earthquakes in Pakistan,” Bari said. “This was a pretty strong one. We’d just finished watching the India-England match and the doors and windows were going from one side to another as if they were made of paper. There was some trauma as well for the boys. Back home, the families had felt disturbed.”The Pakistan women’s team, meanwhile, had ridden out the quake in the upper floors of a Christchurch hotel. Their manager Basit Ali told Geo News that the team was safe, though “still scared”.The New Zealand men’s squad had only assembled in Christchurch on Monday morning, but fast bowler Matt Henry – a Christchurch native – had been in the city overnight. He described the experience as “a bit scary”, but was pleased the Test would go ahead.”It always brings the community together – provides a brief moment of normality,” Henry said. “It’s probably good timing to have the Test match this week. Hopefully the weather plays it’s part.”The epicentre of the earthquake was at a depth of about 5km, about 40km from the town of Amberley, which is only about 90km north-east of Hagley Oval. Hagley Oval had become a Test venue after the previous Christchurch ground was devastated by an earthquake in 2011.

Glasgow Rangers head coach Michael Beale has already snapped up three signings to bolster his squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Dujon Sterling, Kieran Dowell and Jack Butland are all set to arrive at Ibrox at the start of next month on free transfers.

These deals follow on from his swoops to land Nicolas Raskin and Todd Cantwell in the January transfer window, and they both caught the eye in the second half of 22/23.

Raskin arrived on a permanent deal from Standard Liege and averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.90 across his 12 appearances in the Scottish Premiership and made 0.6 key passes per game and created one 'big chance' for his teammates.

However, there could be more to come from the Belgian talent as his form in the Pro League suggests that Beale could unlock more creativity from the 22-year-old.

How can Rangers unlock Nicolas Raskin?

The Light Blues head coach could unlock the best out of the young dynamo by securing a bargain free transfer for reported target Dimitrios Kourbelis.

He is a defensive midfielder by trade, who made 2.1 tackles and interceptions per game in the Greek top-flight in 22/23, and could be available for nothing this summer as his contract with Panathinaikos expires at the end of the month.

Bringing in an enforcer who can sit at the base of the midfield would allow Raskin to move further up the pitch and operate in areas where he can utilise his passing quality to open up the opposition.

In the first half of the 22/23 campaign, the Belgian maestro created four 'big chances' for his teammates and made 1.1 key passes per game, whilst averaging a Sofascore rating of 7.01, indicating that he has far more to give in the final third than he has displayed so far for the Gers and could improve the club's attack next term by taking on added responsibility in possession.

Kourbelis has played 167 career club matches as a number six, alongside appearances at right-back and centre-back, showing that he is experienced in that position and would be able to be a dependable option for Beale to call upon in front of the back four.

The £14k-per-week battler, who has been capped 30 times by Greece, displayed his defensive qualities during his country's attempts to qualify for the 2021 European Championships.

He made 3.8 tackles and interceptions per game across eight qualifying matches, demonstrating that he is capable of regularly cutting out opposition attacks.

Therefore, Beale could unlock Raskin's creativity in midfield by signing Kourbelis, whose defensive play was hailed as "superb" by journalist Josh Bunting, to sit behind the Belgian ace and allow him to push on and do what he does best further up the pitch.

Aston Villa are reportedly looking ahead to the summer transfer window, with the latest rumours linking a young forward to the club.

The Villans have enjoyed a journey of success since the arrival of Unai Emery in October, with the destination potentially being Europe with just one game remaining in this Premier League campaign.

Despite firing Villa from bottom-half dwellers to European hopefuls, the Spaniard is targeting a busy summer, telling The Athletic in April when he revealed his plans to increase squad depth in the break.

The four-time Europa League winner reportedly has increased interest in players from La Liga, as relayed through the speculated potential arrivals, with the latest name being one famed in the Basque Country.

What’s the latest on Nico Williams to Aston Villa?

As revealed by a report from The Athletic last week, Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams is believed to be a target for Emery at Villa Park.

The Spaniard was linked to the club in January, however with his contract expiring next summer, it could be time for Bilbao to cash in on his talents rather than see him leave as a free agent.

The 20-year-old has a €50m (£43m) release clause, with the Daily Mail reporting back in February that Emery could “revive” his interest in the winger in the coming window.

What could Nico Williams bring to Aston Villa?

Brother of Bilbao hero Inaki Williams, the youngster has been lauded by his older sibling for his capabilities.

Speaking in comments relayed by the BBC, the 28-year-old claimed the rising-star was more “technically” capable than him, and described him as having “confidence with both feet”.

The Pamplona-born ace is most known for his dribbling abilities, as conveyed by WhoScored when weighing up the player’s strengths.

His traits are supported through his on-field numbers, with the exciting winger ranking in the top 5% of players in Europe’s top five leagues in his position when it comes to progressive carries, averaging 5.92 per 90 – as per FBref.

The Spaniard’s skill on the ball could be reformative in Emery’s system, with the 51-year-old stating he desired to sign a "specialist winger" in January.

In comparison to Villa’s options now, the young star could certainly rival Jacob Ramsey, but furtherly be a significant upgrade on Bertrand Traore, who ranks poorly next to the “sensation”, as dubbed by journalist Shina Oludare.

The 27-year-old has averaged a dismal 0.1 (25%) successful dribbles per game this season, with the Bilbao ace registering 2.2 (48%) in La Liga – as per Sofascore.

In terms of actual goal threat, Williams could administer more in the squad than Traore, scoring six goals in Spain's top division this campaign, with the Villa man scoring just nine times in the last three seasons.

Likened statistically by FBref to Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, who netted 15 Premier League goals this season, Williams could be a livewire if introduced to the league, particularly in Emery’s plans.

At a young age and budding period of his career, the forward could be nurtured by the Spaniard who is famed to have elevated the careers of a host of young forwards, most notably Bukayo Saka in whom he handed his professional debut.

With the speculation hanging on whether the young ace is handed a new contract at Bilbao, his movements will certainly be something to monitor this summer.

كشف مصدر بنادي الزمالك عن اللاعبين الذين تم قيدهم في قائمة فريق الكرة محليًا وإفريقيًا ببطولة كأس الكونفدرالية خلال الفترة المتبقية من الموسم الجاري.

وأبرم مسؤولو الزمالك عدد كبير من الصفقات خلال فترة الانتقالات الشتوية لتدعيم صفوف الفريق بعد حل أزمة إيقاف القيد والتي عانى منها الأبيض منذ الموسم الماضي.

طالع | حاتم سكر: طريقة خروجي من الزمالك صعبة.. وتلقيت دعمًا كبيرًا من 4 لاعبين

وعلم “بطولات”، أن المقيدين في قائمة الزمالك محليا وإفريقيا، هم: “ياسر حمد – أحمد حمدي – محمد عاطف – مهاب ياسر – محمد شحاتة – زياد كمال – ترافيس موتيابا”.

بينما تم قيد الثلاثي: “عبد الله السعيد – ناصر ماهر – سيف فاروق جعفر”، في قائمة الفريق محليًا فقط.

ولم يتم قيد الثلاثي في القائمة الإفريقية ببطولة الكونفدرالية نظرًا لمشاركتهم السابقة إفريقيا سواء السعيد وسيف جعفر مع بيراميدز، أو ناصرماهر مع مودرن فيوتشر.

بينما وضع مسؤولو الزمالك اسم مصطفى أشرف في القائمة المحلية ولم يتمكن النادي من ضمه في القائمة الإفريقية بسبب توقيت القيد الإفريقي.

With takeover talks ongoing over the sale of Manchester United, Sky Sports pundit Kieran Maguire has reacted to the latest rumours from Old Trafford in an interview with Football Insider.

What is the latest on Man United's potential takeover?

The Red Devils are on the market, with several parties interested in potentially buying the Premier League outfit. A sale has been on the cards for months now too, with current owners the Glazers allowing the team to go through three stages of a bidding process so far in order to see any further offers for the side.

The two frontrunners to takeover at United are currently Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS and Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani from Qatar. Both have made bids to be handed the reins at Old Trafford but, as of yet, neither has officially been confirmed as being accepted by the Glazers. However, recent reports suggest that it is the offer from the Qatar-based group that is the "preferred" offer.

If Al Thani was to buy the Red Devils, it would be a "full takeover" from the new owners. If Ratcliffe was to buy the Premier League outfit, he could leave the Glazers on the board, with this latest report stating he may buy only just over 50 per cent of the team. That is an option that is likely to "anger" Man United supporters according to Sky Sports pundit Kieran Maguire via Football Insider, who stated that it could "allow the Glazers to have an element of input".

He said: "If they’re [The Glazers] allowed a 20 per cent threshold, there’s no obligation from Sir Jim Ratcliffe to give them a seat on the board. But that could be part of the negotiation strategy by the Glazers to demand that they stay in the boardroom. However, having a voice on the board isn’t the same as controlling the board.

"Ultimately, that would be by Sir Jim’s team, but it would allow the Glazers to have an element of input. I have a suspicion that it would anger quite a few Manchester United fans."

Would either takeover option be better for Man United?

The Red Devils supporters have displayed their annoyance at current owners the Glazers on several occasions since their tenure began, with fans even angry at them taking over before any deal had been completed.

Their ire has only increased since, with protests regularly arranged at Old Trafford in order to show their unhappiness at the Americans. It would therefore be a better option for the businessmen to have no further involvement with the club when they do decide to sell up, as supporters have recently demanded a complete sale. Whilst Ratcliffe's ownership would take some power away from the Glazers, they could still have some involvement – and therefore the Qatar bid seems the better option for everyone involved at Old Trafford.

Manchester United have enjoyed a fine season, with Erik ten Hag making his mark during his debut campaign in the Old Trafford dugout.

The Red Devils may not have been expected to secure a top-four place ahead of the likes of Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur, let alone do so having also reached two cup finals. With silverware already in the bag and another trip to Wembley on the horizon, their transformation from last season's mess has been meteoric.

However, with such impressive performances understandably comes additional pressure.

Ten Hag spent big in the summer to bolster his squad massively, but there still remain glaring weaknesses within his squad, not least up front. Although the former Ajax boss might appreciate Wout Weghorst, the goal-shy loanee is far from the answer.

Two key targets seem to have already been identified, both with rather contrasting skill sets. Should the Red Devils fail to tempt Harry Kane from north London, despite their longstanding interest, perhaps they could simply turn to Benjamin Sesko as a more long-term solution to their striking woes.

Will Benjamin Sesko join Man United?

Writing for GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Dean Jones gave an update on their search for a new forward. The Slovenian marksman continues to crop up as an option, but this makes for a perplexing transfer situation given the 19-year-old is already set to join RB Leipzig this summer.

Moving for a €24m (£21.3m) fee – well below his market value due to the shared Red Bull relationship – it is expected that the German outfit will seek to make a huge profit on the forward before he has even kicked a ball for them.

With United as long-time suitors and notorious big spenders, there is every reason to believe a deal could be made this summer.

How good is Benjamin Sesko?

With 14 goals in just 26 league matches for RB Salzburg, plus a further two in their domestic cup, it was been a prolific season for the young finisher. Such blistering form for someone of his age has understandably drawn praise, with journalist Ryan Taylor including him in the bracket of "generational talents". Meanwhile, fellow writer Manuel Veth agreed that the "kid is special".

What makes him so unique is not just his goalscoring, as the 6 foot 5 goliath also poses a fine physical threat upon which teams can build from. Given Ten Hag's liking towards Weghorst – who stands an inch taller than this potential successor – the Red Devils boss could seek to bring in this teenager and mould him into his perfect striker.

Whilst Kane might already have perfected such a role, and with an added hunger to push towards the all-time Premier League scoring record, he is hardly one for the future at 29. With a £100m upfront fee touted too, it is expected to be far from a cheap deal.

Despite being more inexperienced, Sesko could prove to be an intelligent investment for the future of the club, rather than rushing to sign the biggest, shiniest player available on the market – all at a cheaper price. This is a tactic they have deployed in the past since Sir Alex Ferguson's retirement, to little success.

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe has been offered an apology on talkSPORT from Simon Jordan who had previously doubted the 45-year-old.

Are Newcastle shocking the league?

The arrival of new owners on Tyneside promised a new dawn for the Toon Army, however, the speed in which Newcastle have been able to close the gap on the 'big six' has been staggering.

Granted, they have been helped in some sense by the hugely underwhelming campaigns for Chelsea and Liverpool which has them both well below their expected levels.

But Newcastle have been there to capitalise on the errors of others and that can be seen in recent weeks having leapfrogged the likes of Tottenham Hotspur who are enduring their own issues.

There can be no doubting the levels of the three sides aforementioned have been below par over the course of the 2022/23 campaign, but that is not Newcastle's issue.

Howe has his Newcastle side well-drilled and has been able to extract the best out of the players he has got as well as recruiting players who are proving to be instant hits on Tyneside.

As Newcastle sit in third and open a gap on fifth-spot, Jordan has issued the 45-year-old an apology on Thursday's talkSPORT show for previously doubting him:

"With all due respect to him, I was wrong about his appointment. Because he's gone in there, he's caught this wave, and he's ridden it. And more than ridden it. He's directed it.

"And he's now coming out as a far better manager than I envisaged he was. Now that's great when you're in ascendancy, and we haven't yet seen any kinks or any bumps in the road, but there's nothing to indicate that we're going to right now.

"It's been a direction of travel that's been upward since he's walked through the door. But he's been responsible for that."

How good has the appointment of Howe been?

The Newcastle boss was selected by PIF having previously left his role at Bournemouth after he was unable to keep them afloat in the Premier League.

So it would only be natural to think the 45-year-old's appointment could have been viewed as a short-term option to steady the ship from Steve Bruce's reign.

However, there was an almost instant improvement on Tyneside after Howe's appointment after he took Newcastle from 19th in the table – without a league win – and see them finish in 11th spot last season.

And this season has seen the Magpies continue from where they left off last season and go on to hold the league's best defensive record.

The Toon conceded 62 goals last season, however, this season – with 10 games left – they have allowed in fewer than a third of that total with just 20 goals conceded.

There have been a number of additions to Newcastle's side under PIF's reign, but there has to be a lot of credit given to Howe for the development of some of the players he inherited.

The likes of Miguel Almiron and Joelinton have both been transformed under Howe to become regular starters who have had a huge impact on Howe's Newcastle side.

Newcastle have by no means secured their spot in the top four just yet, but they are certainly heading in that direction and Howe is rightfully getting a lot of the credit for their impressive campaign.

A collection of Arsenal fans on Twitter have been left blown away by just how much Oleksandr Zinchenko loves the club after footage emerged of him celebrating a recent win.

What did Zinchenko do after Arsenal beat Palace?

In the Premier League this weekend, the Gunners managed to extend their lead at the top of the division to eight points with a victory over Crystal Palace.

Having just sacked former Arsenal legend Patrick Vieira as manager, the Eagles looked pretty lost at the Emirates. Indeed, they conceded four away from home thanks to a brace from Bukayo Saka and further efforts from Gabriel Martinelli and Granit Xhaka.

The win now means Mikel Arteta and his side have a considerable lead at the top of the league table, although Manchester City do have a game in hand.

As per usual, Zinchenko put in another fine display at left-back as he picked up a 7.0 match rating vvia SofaScore. What’s more, he finished the game with a 96% pass accuracy (47/49), completing two out of two attempted long balls and losing the ball just three times.

It was a near-flawless defensive display, winning three out of four ground duels and 100% aerial duels, making two tackles, one interception, and blocking one shot.

Evidently, it was a good day out for the defender and he was more than happy to celebrate after the game when driving past a pub packed full of Gooners and leaning out of the window to cheer widely.

Zinchenko is well-known to be a genuine Arsenal fan, so it might not be a shock to see him so fired up but his behaviour certainly impressed supporters online nonetheless.

Here are some of the best reactions…

Tottenham are reportedly monitoring the progress of Southampton captain James Ward-Prowse ahead of a potential summer move.

The Lowdown: Ward-Prowse on the move?

The Englishman has possibly been Saints’ standout player in a season full of struggles, with the south coast side currently sitting 19th in the Premier League.

Ward-Prowse has eight goal contributions (six goals and two assists) in the league in 2022/23 to date, showcasing his world-renowned free-kick-taking ability with a winner at Chelsea last month.

With Saints potentially getting relegated this season, the 28-year-old could be looking for a fresh challenge and he has been linked with a move away recently.

The Latest: Spurs eyeing up move

According to Football Insider reporter Pete O’Rourke, Daniel Levy and Co are ‘monitoring’ Ward Prowse’s situation at Saints currently, with a possible summer switch on the cards.

Southampton are resigned to losing their skipper if they are relegated, and Spurs have recently been hit hard by injuries in their midfield department.

The Verdict: Could be a top signing

Ward-Prowse, who actually has an impressive eight direct goal involvements against Spurs, is a top-quality footballer who has arguably been playing at a lower level than his talent merits for some time now, considering he is an 11-cap England international.

The £100,000-a-week midfielder has shown great loyalty to Saints, but at 28, now feels like the time to test himself elsewhere and Tottenham could be ideal for him.

Ward-Prowse would come straight in as a key man, having racked up 330 Premier League appearances and been called ‘phenomenal’ by former teammate Charlie Austin.

His technical ability is nicely complemented by a tenacious edge – he averages 1.7 tackles per game in the league this season – and he could help Spurs’ midfield look more formidable moving forward.