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Manchester United midfielder Donny van De Beek could still be on his way out the door, amid ongoing talks over a move to a Champions League club.

Who did Man United sign in the summer?

Man United strengthened the spine of their team in the summer transfer window, with goalkeeper Andre Onana arriving from Inter Milan, while Jonny Evans and Sergio Reguilon were brought in to bolster Erik ten Hag's defensive options.

Rasmus Hojlund was the Red Devils' marquee signing in attack, and there is good news heading into today's match away against Arsenal, with Ten Hag revealing the striker is fit to play, as the £72m star has recovered from a back injury which delayed his debut.

In central midfield, Mason Mount was the main addition, with the former Chelsea man joining in a £55m deal, and Ten Hag will have been pleased to get a deal for Sofyan Amrabat over the line on deadline day, with the Fiorentina midfielder joining on a season-long loan.

Speaking after Amrabat's arrival, Football Director John Murtough said:

“We have tracked Sofyan for a long time, so we are really pleased to bring him to Manchester United. His committed, high-energy approach to the game fits perfectly with the group that we are building here.

“We know that Sofyan’s mentality, dynamism and technical qualities will help the squad as we look to achieve success in all competitions this season.”

With the Morocco international completing a move to Old Trafford, Van de Beek may fall even further down the pecking order, having failed to make a single appearance for United in any competition so far this season.

As such, according to The Daily Mail, the Red Devils remain in talks with Galatasaray over the midfielder, who is deemed surplus to requirements by Ten Hag.

Despite having a £1m loan offer rejected on deadline day, the Turkish club remain keen on the Dutchman, and they are believed to be the front-runners for his signature, although there has been interest from elsewhere.

French side FC Lorient are also keen, as are the 26-year-old's former club, Ajax, but Galatasaray are out in front, as their transfer window does not close for another two weeks.

Is Donny van De Beek leaving Man United?

Given that the 19-time Netherlands international has fallen so far down the pecking order at Man United, it would not be surprising if he is keen to leave, and a move to Galatasaray could allow him to keep playing at a high level.

The Turkish side are in the Champions League group stages, so a move may well appeal to the former Ajax man, and it could be one of the few options he has on the table, considering the transfer window has now closed for much of Europe.

It is a real shame the central midfielder's move to Man United has not worked out, as he is clearly a top player on his day, having been lauded as "sensational" by journalist Antonio Mango just 18 months ago. However, a move away appears to be the best solution for all parties at this stage, and Van de Beek should try and reignite his career with Galatasaray.

Big picture

The Nidahas Trophy hasn’t produced ground-breaking cricket yet but it has certainly provided a lot of drama. Even though India won comfortably against Sri Lanka on Monday, there was always a sense of tension that one more wicket could open up the game. Bangladesh provided their share of drama too over the weekend.What could tilt the next battle, between India and Bangladesh, could be confidence. Whichever side can retain belief within themselves could come out on top on the day.India have plenty of happy faces in their team after the hard-fought win over the home side. Manish Pandey and Dinesh Karthik finished off the tricky chase quietly, after Suresh Raina’s 15-ball 27 had stirred up the ground. The experienced Raina could have played himself in, given that India had already lost captain Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, but he did the exact opposite.Among the bowlers, too, India have much confidence. Washington Sundar and Yuzvendra Chahal varied their pace well, and so did Shardul Thakur who finished with four wickets. Jaydev Unadkat and Vijay Shankar played supporting roles.Bangladesh must have a buzzing dressing room too, having won in dramatic fashion against Sri Lanka. The fact that their previous highest successful chase was 166 has made the chase of 215 all the more special. Liton Das started in fine style before Tamim Iqbal took over the baton. Then Soumya Sarkar struck a few timely blows and Mushfiqur Rahim took over, finishing with an unbeaten 72 off 35 balls with some help from Mahmudullah.Bangladesh’s bowling could do better, however. Mehidy Hasan and Nazmul Islam will once again need to slow things down while Mustafizur Rahman and Rubel Hossain have to bowl well in the Powerplay and slog overs. Taskin Ahmed may have to give away his place after being below par.

Form guide

India: WWLWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh: WLLLL

In the spotlight

Shardul Thakur has used the knuckle-ball to great effect against Sri Lanka, picking up his first four-wicket haul in T20Is. He will once again have to ace those change-ups in the crucial overs, especially if the match is shortened by rain.Mustafizur Rahman has played the most T20s among the Bangladeshi bowlers in 2018, which means there remains a lot of dependence on him. He has taken four wickets in the Nidahas Trophy so far but was unable to stem the flow of runs against Sri Lanka.Associated Press

Team news

India made only one change in the previous game, replacing Rishabh Pant with KL Rahul, and barring any last-minute injuries, they are likely to go with the same XI.India (probable): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 KL Rahul, 4 Suresh Raina, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 Dinesh Karthik (wk), 7 Vijay Shankar, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Yuzvendra Chahal, 10 Shardul Thakur, 11 Jaydev UnadkatBangladesh are unlikely to change their winning line-up but there are strong question marks next to Sabbir Rahman and Taskin Ahmed after the Sri Lanka game. Ariful Haque and Abu Jayed could be options to consider.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Liton Das, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Mahmudullah (capt), 6 Sabbir Rahman/Ariful Haque, 7 Mehidy Hasan, 8 Mustafizur Rahman, 9 Taskin Ahmed/Abu Jayed, 10 Rubel Hossain, 11 Nazmul Islam

Pitch and conditions

Rain continues to be forecast in Colombo, with Bangladesh already talking about being mentally prepared for a stop-start game. The pitch is likely to remain the same, mostly batting-friendly.

Stats and trivia

• In Monday’s game against Sri Lanka, KL Rahul became the first Indian batsman to be out hit wicket in a T20I.
• Despite career economy rate of 9.74, Rubel Hossain remains one of the most reliable bowlers in T20s for Bangladesh.

Quotes

“The Indian bowlers made a lot of change of pace, especially their spinners. They found turn when they bowled it very slow. The pace bowlers have taken off the pace from the ball. We need to keep an eye on these things.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Rajneesh Gurbani is mobbed by his team-mates•Rajneesh Gurbani

Vidarbha proved why they deserved to be crowned the Ranji Trophy champions in their maiden final – a debutant shone in the first over of the match, their best bowler of the season took a hat-trick, their lower order stepped up to hand them a massive lead, and their bowlers delivered long spells on the fourth day to wrap an emphatic nine-wicket win against Delhi in Indore.Vidarbha, who had dominated most sessions of the match, started the fourth day by adding only 19 runs to their overnight lead of 233 runs, losing all of their last three wickets on 547. Delhi had some hope of taking a respectable lead when Dhruv Shorey and Nitish Rana struck half-centuries in the second session, aided by three dropped catches, before both fell minutes before the tea break and offspinner Akshay Wakhare helped wipe out six wickets in the last session. Delhi ended with a scanty lead of 28 with a flurry of late boundaries from Vikas Mishra and the Vidarbha batsmen chased it down in five overs.Shorey and Rana came together in the first session to bring the deficit under 100. Vidarbha’s fielders were also party to the partnership of 114 runs for the third wicket. In the sixth over after lunch, Rana’s inside edge off the thigh pad was put down by short leg when the batsman was on 19. As soon as Rajneesh Gurbani was taken off the attack three overs later, Shorey, on 15, drove Siddhesh Neral but Wasim Jaffer dropped him at first slip. Rana and Shorey scored with ease thereafter and combined for a prolific over against Neral when they were in their thirties: a Rana edge flew wide of Faiz Fazal at slip before Shorey exhibited three classy strokes to race to 45: a flick, a back-foot punch and a cover drive.Rana had barely stretched his score when Shorey was on 59 and edged Aditya Thakare, this time to slip where Jaffer put down a sharp chance again. Wicketkeeper Akshay Wadkar then pouched catches off both Shorey and Rana to land Delhi in trouble again. There was a change in Delhi’s tempo when Shorey fell first off Sarwate: Rana and captain Rishabh Pant started smothering the bowlers to collect quick runs. Pant smacked his third ball so far over long-on that the ball had to be changed and Rana ended that over of Gurbani with two fours through the legside. However, Gurbani had Rana edge what turned out to be the last ball before tea.Wakhare provided the early breakthrough in the last session with a beauty to knock over Himmat Singh’s off stump for a duck but, for some reason, Pant kept swiping at the other end. He also got a life when he survived a stumping chance off Wakhare on 27 but lasted only four balls after that. He handed a skier to point for a 36-ball 32. Six down and trailing by 11 runs, Delhi were running out of time and luck.Mishra’s late surge, including two sixes down the ground, ensured Delhi got a lead, but it was only a matter of time before Vidarbha would chase it down to lift the trophy.Chasing 29 at the end of the day, Vidarbha lost Fazal when he was trapped lbw by Kulwant Khejroliya on the back pad for 2. Jaffer and R Sanjay saw through the next four overs patiently before Jaffer uncharacteristically struck four fours in a Khejroliya over to seal the win. Khejroliya kept banging them short and Jaffer pulled, hooked and tucked the final four to fine leg to lift his arms and be mobbed by his team-mates.Vidarbha had four wickets in hand when the day began and Delhi started the new year the way they had ended 2017. Khejroliya dismissed Siddhesh Neral for the third time in the match off a no ball but it didn’t cost Delhi much. Neral was dropped on 61 too, and he edged one off Navdeep Saini to the wicketkeeper for 74 in the sixth over of the day. Five balls later, overnight centurion Akshay Wadkar swiped for a leading edge to point and this time Khejroliya managed a legitimate delivery. Saini finished the innings in the next over for a five-for by having Thakare edge one to the slips which was a juggled catch that popped out of third slip’s hands and was completed by Shorey at first slip.Delhi’s second innings started with Gambhir cashing in whenever the ball was pitched on middle or leg, collecting three of his seven fours square on the leg side. His brisk innings ended when he was struck in front of leg stump by Gurbani from around the wicket and the angle was such that it would have missed the stumps but he fell to a poor decision. Much before that, the opening stand was broken when Kunal Chandela tried to clear the field down the ground against Wakhare with the new ball, but handed a catch to mid-off for 9.

Having trounced India in seam-friendly conditions in Dharamsala, Sri Lanka go to Mohali with a chance of ending an otherwise miserable ODI year on a high

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy12-Dec-20172:38

Chopra: Expect a lot of seam movement in Mohali too

Big pictureAtmospheric conditions in north India have haunted Sri Lanka right through their tour of India. If it was the smog in Delhi, it was rain in Dharamsala. On Monday, they spent four hours at the airport with their chartered flight unable to take off. They returned to their hotels and only flew to Mohali on Tuesday, the eve of the third ODI.North India, however, has been kind to Sri Lanka from a cricketing standpoint; they left Delhi with a heartening draw in the third Test, and trounced India in the first ODI in Dharamsala, ending a 12-match losing streak in the format.India, as a result, are the team under pressure ahead of the second ODI. Questions hover over their batting, in particular, as it will for any team that stumbles to 29 for 7 in the absence of its best batsman. Shreyas Iyer, Dinesh Karthik and Manish Pandey occupied Nos. 3, 4 and 5 in Dharamsala, and between them scored 11 off 60 balls, none of them convincing with their techniques against the moving ball. India will not want to make wholesale changes after one loss in unusual conditions, but they will not have been too impressed with what they saw of their upper middle order.For Sri Lanka, meanwhile, this is a chance to end an otherwise miserable year in 50-overs cricket on a high. At various points during this tour, they have shown sparks of the team they could become if their talent is harnessed right; a win in Mohali could accelerate that process.Form guideIndia: LWWLW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Sri Lanka: WLLLLIn the spotlightBhuvneshwar Kumar and Jasprit Bumrah beat the bat numerous times in Dharamsala, but only had two slightly expensive wickets (and one chalked off for a no-ball) to show for it as they strained to defend a hugely below-par 112. Given more typical circumstances, they are among the best new-ball and late-overs pairs in ODI cricket, and their contest against Sri Lanka’s top order could determine the course of the second ODI.His medium-paced offcutters weren’t required in Dharamsala, and a small target meant his batting wasn’t called for either, but Sri Lanka would have been pleased that Asela Gunaratne was back on the field after four-and-a-half months out injured. Gunaratne has been one of their brightest performers in recent seasons – as four trophies at SLC’s recent annual awards would suggest – and they will hope the long break hasn’t done his rhythm any harm.Team newsIndia aren’t known to make too many changes after one defeat, but the solidity of Ajinkya Rahane could be an option if they were to relax their policy of playing him as an opener or not at all. The fingerspin of Axar Patel could also come into consideration – possibly at Kuldeep Yadav’s expense – if they want to strengthen their lower order.India: 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Dinesh Karthik, 5 Manish Pandey, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9 Axar Patel/Kuldeep Yadav, 10 Jasprit Bumrah, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal.Lahiru Thirimanne’s horror tour continued with a duck in Dharamsala. Sri Lanka have plenty of options to take his place if they decide to leave him out, with Kusal Perera, Sadeera Samarawickrama and – if fit – Dhananjaya de Silva all in contention.Sri Lanka: 1 Danushka Gunathilaka, 2 Upul Tharanga, 3 Lahiru Thirimanne/Kusal Perera/Sadeera Samarawickrama/Dhananjaya de Silva, 4 Angelo Mathews, 5 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 6 Asela Gunaratne, 7 Thisara Perera (capt), 8 Sachith Pathirana, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Akila Dananjaya, 11 Nuwan Pradeep.Pitch and conditionsMohali seldom plays true to what is now an outdated reputation for pace and bounce, but it is still the north Indian winter, with maximum temperatures in the high teens or low twenties, and there has been some rain about in the lead-up to the match, so fast bowlers can expect a certain amount of help.Last year, the seamers took eight out of 13 wickets in an ODI against New Zealand in which an unbeaten 154 from Virat Kohli and an 80 from Dhoni helped India chase down 286.Stats and trivia Mohali has hosted more ODIs – 23 – than any other Indian ground since its debut in November 1993. Upul Tharanga is returning to Mohali 11 years after his only match there. In that game, he scored 105 in a Sri Lanka win against Bangladesh in the 2006 Champions Trophy. Angelo Mathews needs 63 runs to become the tenth Sri Lankan batsman to 5000 in ODIs. Niroshan Dickwella, meanwhile, is 21 short of 1000 ODI runs.Quotes”I didn’t feel like I was a very new part of the team. I knew a lot of players, Mahi [Dhoni] was here, I played with him in the last IPL, they made me feel part of them, I am feeling really good.”

MatériaMais Notícias

Santos e Vasco se enfrentam nesta quarta-feira (02), às 21h30, pela sétima rodada do Campeonato Brasileiro, na Vila Belmiro.

Os dois times vivem realidades diferentes na competição, embora ambas tenham sido derrotadas no último fim de semana. Enquanto o Peixe chegou ao segundo revés consecutivo, e terceiro no Brasileirão, ao perder por 1 a 0 o Flamengo, na Vila Belmiro, no domingo (30), o Vasco foi derrotado pela primeira vez na competição no sábado (29), quando viu o Fluminense vencer por 2 a 1, no estádio do Maracanã.

Para o segundo duelo seguido contra equipes cariocas, o Peixe terá o retorno do volante Alison, que cumpriu suspensão automática contra o Fla. Já o Gigante da Colina terá sete desfalques, sendo cinco infectados por Covid-19. Três jogadores testaram positivo para a doença nesta terça-feira (01) e se juntaram a outros dois companheiros que já estavam infectados. Talles Magno, foi expulso contra o Flu na última rodada, e é desfalque, assim como Leandro Castán, preservado fisicamente. Andrey retorna de suspensão, e é novidade.

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Estádio: Vila Belmiro, Santos (SP)
Data e horário: 2 de setembro de 2020, 21h30 (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Rodrigo Dalonso Ferreira (SC)
Assistentes: Hélton Nunes (SC) e Éder Alexandre (SC)
Árbitro de vídeo: Heber Roberto Lopes (SC)
Onde ver: Globo (menos MG, RS e PE), Premiere e Tempo Real do L!

Santos: João Paulo; Pará, Lucas Veríssimo, Luan Peres e Felipe Jonatan; Alison, Diego Pituca e Carlos Sánchez; Marinho, Raniel e Soteldo. Técnico: Cuca.

Desfalque: Renyer (recupração de lesão ligamentar no joelho direito).

Pendurados: Lucas Veríssimo e Soteldo.

Vasco: Fernando Migues; Yago Pikachu, Miranda, Marcelo Alves (Ulisses) e Henrique; Andrey, Fellipe Bastos, Juninho, Bruno César e Benitez; Germán Cano. Técnico: Ramon Menezes.

Desfalques: Leandro Castán (desgaste físico), Talles Magno (suspenso), Vinicius, Bruno Gomes, Ricardo Garça, Werley e Breno (Departamento Médico).

Pendurados: Cayo Tenório e Henrique.

Burnley are keen to re-sign Chelsea defender Ian Maatsen following his successful time at Turf Moor on loan last campaign, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is Ian Maatsen going to Burnley?

According to The Sun, Maatsen is wanted by Burnley and Vincent Kompany's men are chasing his signature despite the Netherlands Under-21 international featuring for Chelsea in pre-season.

The 21-year-old is out of contract at Stamford Bridge in 2024 and Burnley are said to be trying to land Maatsen for a cut-price fee of £10 million with add-ons included.

Last term, Maatsen was on loan at Turf Moor and enjoyed a superb campaign as Burnley strolled to the Sky Bet Championship title, registering four goals and six assists in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

As per The Athletic, Maatsen is also being considered by West Ham United as David Moyes aims to bolster the left hand side of his defence this window.

Nottingham Forest are another side that have put their hat in the ring to land Maatsen; however, he has stated his willingness to stay at Chelsea in a recent interview cited by The Daily Mail.

Following Chelsea's 5-0 victory over Wrexham last week where he scored twice, Maatsen said: "'I try to do my best. It's all I can do. Of course I want to stay. If I prove that every day in training and work hard in the matches, they'll decide. Hopefully I can stay here."

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs has detailed that Burnley remain interested in Maatsen despite baulking at Chelsea's earlier £20 million asking price for the full-back.

Jacobs told FFC: "There is interest obviously from Burnley because he was on loan there last season, but talks a few weeks back between Burnley and Chelsea were honing in around the £20 million mark and Burnley saw that as too high. West Ham are also looking at the player too."

What next for Burnley?

Burnley have already started their preparations for the Premier League campaign by bringing in James Trafford, Jordan Beyer, Nathan Redmond, Dara O'Shea, Zeki Amdouni and Lawrence Vigoroux. Republic of Ireland international Michael Obafemi has also joined the Clarets permanently, as per Transfermarkt.

Coventry City star Gustavo Hamer could be next to pitch up at Turf Moor in a deal worth £15 million that could see one of Luke McNally or Bobby Thomas head in the opposite direction to join the Sky Blues, as per The Daily Mail.

Burnley aren't showing any sign of halting their recruitment drive and have reportedly had a bid in excess of £10 million turned down for Sunderland winger Jack Clarke, TEAMtalk understands.

Clarke is said to be unhappy at Sunderland for going against their word and turning down the proposal as he seeks a move to the English top flight to continue his development.

Wolfsburg midfielder Aster Vranckx is garnering attention from Burnley and Fulham this summer and the Bundesliga outfit would demand around ‘at least €10 million’ for the 20-year-old, according to DH via Sport Witness.

Excitingly, Burnley fans look like they will be able to welcome a few new signings yet ahead of 2023/24 getting underway from a competitive standpoint.

Ottis Gibson is expected to be named South Africa’s new coach within days, with the ECB now seeing his departure as inevitable

George Dobell11-Aug-20170:58

Paul Farbrace, England’s assistant coach, addressed the prospect of Gibson’s departure during the Old Trafford Test

Ottis Gibson is expected to be named South Africa’s new coach within days.While Gibson is currently employed as the England bowling coach and is expected to report to Birmingham on Monday for training ahead of the first Investec Test against West Indies, it is understood the ECB now sees his departure as inevitable and expects a deal to be finalised imminently.Although England will hope Gibson is able to remain with them until the end of the Test series against West Indies – which could lastuntil September 11 – they are aware that South Africa’s next Test series (against Bangladesh) starts on September 28. South Africa will want him present at a training camp that precedes that series.Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s captain, confirmed earlier in the week that Gibson was the first choice of the panel charged with picking a new coach. That decision now has to be ratified by Cricket South Africa.That only leaves CSA and the ECB to agree a compensation figure. While Gibson has a year of his England contract remaining, it is understood he has confirmed to the ECB that he wants to take the position with South Africa. It is not anticipated that the compensation discussion will delay his appointment.That means that the Edgbaston Test could well be his last with England.Richard Johnson, the former England seamer who currently performs the role of bowling coach with Middlesex, is a leading candidate to replace Gibson, though James Anderson could help out as a player-coach in the interim.Another intriguing possibility is the addition of Darren Gough to the coaching staff in some capacity. While Gough is not thought to be interested in a full-time role, he has emerged as a possible candidate as a bowling coach or consultant of the white-ball sides. He is Level 3 qualified and recently made a good impression working with the England U-19s. He is understood to be open to an approach.It is also understood that discussions continue with Saqlain Mushtaq. While he is currently contracted to spend 100 days a year with England, there is a good chance that role will be extended.

Wellington Masakadza, who last played an international match in March 2016, has been included in Zimbabwe’s ODI squad for the series against Sri Lanka.* The left-arm spinner, who has 15 wickets from 10 ODIs, last appeared in a 50-over international fixture in 2015, against Afghanistan in Sharjah.The Zimbabwe squad for the only Test of the tour had three recalls – Regis Chakabva, Carl Mumba and Natsai M’shangwe – while uncapped allrounder Nathan Waller was also picked. Solomon Mire, Richard Ngarava and Chamu Chibhabha were left out. Waller was a part of Zimbabwe’s squad for the home series against Afghanistan in February but did not get a match. The changes also mean that Mire and Ngarava will have to wait longer for a maiden Test appearance.This is Zimbabwe’s first tour of Sri Lanka since a three-Test series in December-January 2001. While the five-match ODI series on this tour begins on June 30, the one-off Test will be played in Colombo, starting July 14.ODI squad: Solomon Mire, Hamilton Masakadza, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer (capt), Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Peter Moor (wk)Sikandar Raza, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Donald Tiripano, Richard Ngarava, Wellington Masakadza, Malcolm Waller, Chamu Chibhabha, Tarisai MusakandaTest squad: Regis Chakabva, Hamilton Masakadza, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer (capt), Craig Ervine, Sean Williams, Peter Moor (wk), Sikandar Raza, Tendai Chatara, Chris Mpofu, Donald Tiripano, Nathan Waller , Natsai M’shangwe, Malcolm Waller, Carl Mumba , Tarisai Musakanda*June 28, 4.00am GMT: This story was updated after Zimbabwe Cricket sent out the official release

Liverpool are expected to make an offer for highly-rated Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, according to an update from talkSPORT.

Who is signing Romeo Lavia?

The future of the 19-year-old has been a big talking point of late, with an exit from Saints widely expected after their relegation from the Premier League to the Championship.

Lavia has been constantly linked with a move to Liverpool, as the Reds look to do major surgery to their midfield, having already acquired the services of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, now seeking their next addition.

The Merseysiders are far from alone from expressing an interest in signing the young Belgium international however, with fellow Premier League powerhouses such as Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea all thought to be eyeing him up.

It looks as though Liverpool could be in pole position to sign Lavia, though, following a positive update that emerged on Monday morning.

What's the latest on Lavia to Liverpool?

According to talkSPORT, Liverpool are now ready to table an offer for the Southampton starlet, as they look to snap him up during the summer transfer window:

"Liverpool are preparing an opening offer for Southampton midfielder Romeo Lavia, talkSPORT understands. The Reds have moved ahead of Chelsea in the race to sign Lavia, whom Saints have valued at £50million.

"Chelsea’s co-director of recruitment Joe Shields has recommended Lavia to new manager Mauricio Pochettino. But the Blues are thought to be exploring alternative targets for now."

This is a hugely exciting update for Liverpool, with Lavia such a talented footballer who could develop into one of the best defensive midfielders in the world over time, proving to be the perfect long-term replacement for Fabinho.

He is already a senior Belgium international, winning one cap for his country, as well as making 29 Premier League appearances. Not only has he not looked out of his depth, but he has even stood out as possibly Saints' best player over the past 12 months or so, being lauded as "ridiculous" by Southampton reporter Jacob Tanswell for his courage to take the ball from deep and beat the opposition press.

Alongside Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, Lavia could complete a major rebuild of Liverpool's midfield that last well into the future – bringing in Nice star Khephren Thuram would arguably make it a perfect summer at Anfield – and beating big six rivals to his signature would also feel significant.

Assuming he avoids serious injury, the sky is the limit for the Belgian, and the hope is that he would jump at the opportunity to working under Jurgen Klopp.

Aaron Finch said that Asela Gunaratne, who led Sri Lanka to a last-ball win in Geelong, was a particularly difficult batsman to defend against due to his ability to strike boundaries to any part of the ground

Brydon Coverdale in Geelong19-Feb-2017Sixteen off the last over would be a daunting enough challenge for any batsman in a Twenty20 chase. Sixteen an over for the final three overs is something else entirely. And yet Australia’s captain, Aaron Finch, said he felt that while Asela Gunaratne remained at the crease, Sri Lanka still had a chance of achieving their goal, an assessment that turned out to be accurate, to the delight of thousands of Sri Lankan fans at Geelong’s Kardinia Oval.Gunaratne took 12 off James Faulkner, then 22 off Moises Henriques, and the 14 that Sri Lanka then needed off the final over from Andrew Tye were completed when Gunaratne crunched the last ball over cover for four. Finch said Gunaratne, who had also scored a half-century in Sri Lanka’s successful chase at the MCG on Friday, was a particularly difficult batsman to defend against due to his ability to strike boundaries to any part of the ground.”The plan was pace off and wide,” Finch said. “If he wanted to go to the short boundary over the leg side, make him really fetch it with no pace on the ball. Geez, he hit some clean, didn’t he? He played a hell of an innings. That’s as good a striking as you’ll see. For a guy to be able to hit over fine leg and over mid-off, they’re pretty rare skills to be able to do both, and he hasn’t mis-hit a ball in two games now.Asela Gunaratne struck with bat and ball against Australia in Geelong•Getty Images

“With the dimensions of the ground, with an in-batter who was hitting them so clean, you know that you still have to execute. I felt all along that we had to get him out to win, or get him off strike a little bit more. We struggled to do that for the last three overs. We couldn’t seem to bowl enough balls at [Nuwan] Kulasekara and then [Lasith] Malinga. But when you’ve got a guy who’s in like that, it’s so hard to defend. The way our bowlers bowled up front and then through the middle was top-drawer.”Nearly 14,000 spectators turned out to the match, which was the first international ever played in Geelong, and a good proportion of those were Sri Lankan supporters. For almost two hours after the match ended, several hundred of those Sri Lankan fans celebrated outside the ground on Moorabool Street, with trumpets blaring as they waited for the Sri Lankan players to emerge on their way to the team bus.Although the result was a disappointing one for Australia, Finch said he was pleased with the way Geelong supported Kardinia Oval’s international debut. Crowd numbers might have been higher if it weren’t for heavy rain earlier in the day, which affected the women’s T20I between Australia and New Zealand that preceded the men’s match.”Being about minus seven degrees doesn’t help,” Finch joked, “and it was bucketing down with rain all day. But the crowd was still fantastic. The surface, after so much of a downpour, was unbelievable, the wicket played really well. No bigger test than the weather that Geelong had over the last couple of days. To be able to produce a world-class venue like that was unbelievable.”