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Manchester United are now targeting Feyenoord goalkeeper Justin Bijlow, who could be brought in alongside Andre Onana, according to reports from the Netherlands.

Which goalkeeper are Man United signing?

Man United goalkeeper David de Gea officially became a free agent on Friday following the expiration of his contract, and it is now looking increasingly likely that the Spaniard will not return to Old Trafford for the upcoming campaign.

As such, Erik ten Hag is tasked with bringing in a suitable replacement, and Onana is at the top of the list, as the manager retains a good relationship with the Inter shot-stopper from their time working together at Ajax.

The Cameroonian is viewed as a huge upgrade on De Gea due to his distribution and reading of the game, however, he will not come cheap, as it is believed it will take offers in excess of £50m for Inter to consider a sale this summer.

Not only is Onana emerging as a key target, but Dutch outlet 1908 reports the Red Devils hold a concrete interest in signing Bijllow, who could arrive at Old Trafford in addition to the Inter 'keeper (via Sport Witness).

The report explains that United are looking to replace De Gea, though Feyenoord are apparently not interested in allowing the £6k-per-week goalkeeper to leave and are pushing for him to sign a new contract.

Voetbal International reports the player himself would love to make the switch to Old Trafford, but at the moment, it appears as though Feyenoord will stand in his way.

Who is Justin Bijlow?

The Rotterdam-born goalkeeper has played for Feyenoord throughout his entire career, and he has impressed enough to be called up for The Netherlands on several occasions, amassing a total of eight caps for his national side.

Hailed as "brilliant" by members of the media, the 25-year-old has recorded a very impressive average clean sheet percentage over the past year, placing in the 92nd percentile compared to his positional peers playing at a similar level.

Given his international experience and impressive performances at club level, it is unclear whether the Dutchman would be happy playing second fiddle to Onana, who would surely be first-choice if he costs over £50m.

If he is willing to accept a more limited role, Bijlow could be a fantastic addition to Ten Hag's squad, who could even be capable of pushing for a starting spot.

Wolverhampton Wanderers have been offered the chance to sign Harry Maguire this summer, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

What's the latest transfer news involving Harry Maguire?

Recently, CBS Sports reporter Ben Jacobs spoke on the United Stand YouTube channel and stated that Maguire could be a surprise target for the Old Gold this summer as Julen Lopetegui eyes defensive reinforcements.

Jacobs gave some further insight into Wolves' interest in Maguire this off-season, stating: “I would actually keep an eye on Wolves. One dark horse for Maguire. Even though he has not had as good a season this season as the season before, Max Kilman is being looked at by a variety of clubs, so Wolves could lose a centre-back, and that might open the possibility later in the window for them to look at a player like Maguire.He is on their radar as well. There are going to be offers for Maguire.”

According to Football Insider, Aston Villa, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur are also keen on the £190k-a-week ace, who is also attracting attention from clubs overseas.

The report states that despite several clubs being open to offering him a new challenge, Maguire is said to be content at Manchester United despite falling further down the pecking order at Old Trafford during 2022/23.

talkSPORT understand that Maguire is keen to fight for his spot at Manchester United and is 'reluctant' to leave the Red Devils, where he is currently club captain.

Speaking to Football FanCast, transfer insider Jones would have his doubts over Maguire's suitability to Wolves should he complete a move to Molineux.

Jones told FFC: "I mean, the Maguire one surprises me a bit. I'm not really sure how that fits with anyone's vision, whether it's Harry Maguire or Wolves, so I'm not so sure about that one, but this is the time when they're trying to put the feelers out and find clubs that will buy and actually show some interest in Harry Maguire. I can believe that it's been put to them. Would they be interested?"

Would Harry Maguire be an ideal addition for Wolverhampton Wanderers?

Maguire is an experienced head that could potentially be an intelligent signing by Wolves if he was to be enticed to swap Old Trafford for Molineux this summer.

The Sheffield-born star – who has been dubbed a "monster" by some in the media – was utilised mainly as a rotational squad option during 2022/23 and made 31 appearances in total for Manchester United, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored show that the 30-year-old had his wits about him regarding sniffing out danger across the term, as he completed an average of 2.6 clearances per match in the Premier League.

As per FBRef, Maguire also excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in the art of aerial duels won, successfully coming out on top in around 3.01 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the top 12% for this metric.

Nevertheless, Wolves would need to beat off stiff competition from a number of clubs in England and around Europe if they were to snap up Maguire in this window.

Rangana Herath conceded 400 career wickets would be “nice to have”, while reiterating that at 39, he considers his future in the game after every series. Having taken 6 for 59 in Sri Lanka’s victory in Galle, Herath is now the most successful left-arm spinner in Tests, surpassing Daniel Vettori’s career tally of 362. This was also his 29th five-wicket haul – only Muttiah Muralitharan, Shane Warne, Richard Hadlee and Anil Kumble have achieved more.”If you can get to a target like that it would be terrific, because very few people have taken 400 Test wickets,” Herath said. “I’d love to get there, but I can’t guarantee that I’ll be in this form forever. But I’ll keep playing and contributing as I can for the team and for the country, and hope that the wickets keep coming.”That Herath is now among the most successful bowlers in the game is all the more extraordinary, given he did not have a long run in the team until he was 31. Before 2009, when he became a fixture in Sri Lanka’s Test XI, Herath had played only 14 Tests at sporadic intervals.”I have no regrets about starting late,” he said. “I have already played 79 Tests and I am happy with what ever I have achieved so far.”Herath needs 34 more Test wickets to get 400, and if matches are played per-schedule, Sri Lanka play six further home Tests this year before they are due to go overseas for a bilateral tour. In those matches, Herath may find himself sharing the spin duties with two other slow bowlers, however – Sri Lanka now having fielded three specialist spinners in each of their last four Tests on the island. Unusually, in this match, they also played two seamers, bringing the number of frontline bowlers to five. As acting captain, Herath said having so many bowlers at his command provided him with a wealth of possible strategies.”We talked a lot about playing six batsmen and five bowlers, and ultimately it was the selectors who made that decision,” Herath said. “I look at it the positive way. I have loads of options when you have three spinners. When we bowl long spells bowlers will get tired, so in that situation having five bowlers is a clear advantage.”As you saw today, playing against three spinners with such a large score to get is difficult for the opposition. The pitch wasn’t turning as much as usual, but we had the bowlers who did well – Dilruwan Perera and Lakshan Sandakan gave a lot of support.”Though Sri Lanka were rarely pushed in this match, they did drop three catches in the first innings. Catches had been liberally spilled in recent tours of South Africa and Australia as well. 

”After a game we look at the weak points in all three departments, and we have to be more cautious when it comes to fielding, as we missed a few chances,” Herath said. “But we are learning. We will work hard and come good.”

The shares of the BCCI and the ECB in the ICC’s revenue pie have reduced, even as cricket’s governing body aims at a sense of equity in revenue distribution

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2017

ESPNcricinfo can reveal details of the ICC’s new financial model that was proposed to Full Members at last weekend’s board meeting in Dubai. The models are part of a broader report, produced by an ICC working group committee, which seeks to provide the basis of a new constitution for the game.The draft of a new constitution was passed in principle at the meeting, with seven members voting for it, two opposing and one abstaining. Members will now bring thoughts, suggestions and concerns to the table in April, which may result in changes to the draft.The biggest obstacle will be the financial model and, in particular, the BCCI’s objections to it. ICC revenues for this rights cycle – 2015-2023 – are estimated to be around US $2.5 billion. Some estimates suggest revenues may go as high as $2.7 billion. The projections in this model are for revenues up to $3 billion. These are based on the possibility of additional ICC tournaments being added to the existing cycle. ESPNcricinfo has seen the model, from which a number of things stand out.

ICC Gross Revenues
(in US$) 2.5 billion 2.6 billion 2.7 billion 2.8 billion 2.9 billion 3 billion BCCI 255-260 270-275 285-290 305-310 320-325 335-340ECB 120-125 130-135 135-140 145-150 155-160 160-165CA 110-115 120-125 125-130 135-140 140-145 150-155CSA 110-115 120-125 125-130 135-140 140-145 150-155PCB 110-115 120-125 125-130 135-140 140-145 150-155WICB 110-115 120-125 125-130 135-140 140-145 150-155NZC 110-115 120-125 125-130 135-140 140-145 150-155SLC 110-115 120-125 125-130 135-140 140-145 150-155BCB 110-115 120-125 125-130 135-140 140-145 150-155ZC 75-80 80-85 85-90 90-95 95-100 105-110IRE 50-55 55-60 55-60 60-65 65-70 70-75AFG 50-55 55-60 55-60 60-65 65-70 70-75No contribution, no cost
The most controversial aspect of the 2014 Big Three financial model was the idea of contribution costs, and the realisation that not all members bring to the game an equal amount of money. What each Full Member earned in total from the ICC revenue was a percentage figure of the total revenues (the contribution cost, based on contributions made, and provided as compensation for playing in ICC events: the BCCI had a 20.3% share, ECB 4.4%, Cricket Australia, 2.7% and so on) plus an equal share of the surplus (which is how revenues had been divided until then). The seven non-Big Three boards also got an additional $10 million over eight years as part of the Test Cricket Fund.In the new model, this breakdown of earnings is redundant as is the contribution-cost element. Instead one lump sum figure is provided for each board. But the principle behind contribution costs remains because in every projection, the BCCI gets a bigger share of the pie than every other board – twice as much, in fact, as the next.The Big Three take a hit
In the new model, the percentage shares of the BCCI and ECB in the total pie have gone down, while that of CA remains roughly the same. But a quick calculation will tell you why the BCCI is unhappy with these models. Not only is there no real formula behind them, but the Indian board takes the biggest hit from the 2014 model.In that model, for gross ICC revenue of $2.5 billion, the BCCI stood to earn between 17.6-18% of the revenue (between $440-445 million*). In the new model, at the same gross revenue, it gets 10-10.2%. That is a reduction in potential earnings of between $180-190 million. The percentage share does increase should the ICC’s revenue increase but it isn’t a large spike: if the ICC gets $3 billion as revenue, the BCCI’s share will be between 11.16-11.33%.Under the 2014 model, the ECB stood to take 5.8-6%, whereas now its share is 4.8-5%, or between $20-30 million less. CA’s share was between 4.4-4.6% in the last model and is more or less the same now. As with the BCCI, their shares will increase should the ICC’s total gross revenue increase. That is the case with all boards.Equity
The ICC said in its press release after the meeting that a sense of equity played a big part in the determining of these figures. That much is clear in the fact that below the BCCI and ECB are seven boards that stand to get essentially the same share for nearly any projected value of total gross revenue.It would seem as if the ICC has tried to preserve both a sense of contribution cost – by recognising the right of the BCCI to the largest share – and, by narrowing the gap between them and the others, ensuring a degree of equality among the boards beneath them. The problem, of course, is that there remains no set formula behind these numbers – they remain, essentially, arbitrary figures.Welcome Ireland and Afghanistan
You will not have missed the last two entries in the first table – Ireland and Afghanistan. The status of both was discussed at the board meeting; Afghanistan’s domestic multi-day tournament was given first-class status, thus fulfilling one key prerequisite to play Test cricket.This model – as well as the Test league structure – is perhaps the clearest sign yet that there is a will to have them playing Tests, or at least be part of the big boys’ club. Over eight years (with ICC gross revenues of $2.5 billion) each could earn $50-55 million.Goodbye Test Cricket Fund
One of the redeeming features of the Big Three model was the introduction of a Test Cricket Fund that sought to subsidise unprofitable bilateral series outside the Big Three. That amounted to $10 million for each of the seven boards over the eight-year cycle. The first payments were made to these boards last year.This move is likely linked to the introduction of a league structure for Test cricket, which, in theory, means that all bilateral contests have greater context, and thus, greater financial value and so do not need subsidising.*

Wes Durston has called time on his Derbyshire career by mutual consent.Durston, 36, leaves Derbyshire after making 218 appearances since his debut in 2010, scoring 7,628 runs across all formats. He also skippered Derbyshire in limited-overs cricket.Cricket advisory director, Kevin Dean said: “Wes has been a tremendous player for Derbyshire and we would like to thank him for his efforts over the last seven seasons. He made many notable contributions down the years, no more than in our 2012 promotion winning season, but both parties feel that the time is now right to move on. We wish Wes all the very best for the future.”Durston’s uncomplicated see-ball, hit-ball approach made him a favourite with Derbyshire supporters and probably testified to a late-developing career that had a reawakening in his thirties after he had been released early by Somerset. But he began to show his age in 2016 and with the new director of cricket, Kim Barnett, intent on a shake-up, his departure is no surprise.

Sourav Ganguly has said the matter of rescheduling the Ranji games was only put forward to the technical committee, but they did not make the decision

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Nov-2016

Sourav Ganguly, the chairman of BCCI’s technical committee, has said his committee didn’t make the decision to reschedule the two postponed Delhi fixtures. Ganguly’s claims contradict those of the BCCI, which had suggested the technical committee had taken the decision.”The Technical Committee of the BCCI recognised the extraordinary circumstances prevailing in Delhi and decided to reschedule the Ranji Trophy 2016-17 fifth round matches between Hyderabad-Tripura and Gujarat-Bengal after the first two days of play were lost due to smog conditions in New Delhi,” the BCCI had stated in its press release dated November 6.Ganguly, however, maintained the technical committee had little to do with the decision. “This was not decided by technical committee. This was put forward to the technical committee by BCCI,” he told ESPNcricinfo. However, when pointed out the BCCI couldn’t have made the decision had his committee not agreed to it, Ganguly said: “yes, true.”While ESPNcricinfo’s attempts to contact BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke didn’t yield a response, a board source said it was a collective decision to reschedule the matches and that due process was followed.The decision to reschedule the fixtures meant the Group A clash between Gujarat and Bengal and the Group C game between Hyderabad and Tripura would now be played four days after the completion of the final round, from December 15 to 18, in Visakhapatnam and Kolkata respectively. This move led to protests from the Mumbai Cricket Association and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association against the “unfair advantage” extended to the teams playing in the rescheduled games.TNCA secretary Kasi Viswanathan had said the matches in question shouldn’t be rescheduled, and that the points should be shared retrospectively. “In a league stage you cannot do this; it will be a disadvantage to the other teams. It is an act of God, and you should have only shared points,” he told ESPNcricinfo.Ganguly, however, defended the decision and said it was made before the permutations for the knockouts came into the picture. “The decision was done then only, at the start of the season, which was two or three matches old,” he said. “If you look at the start of the Ranji season there are some teams who started early, some teams who started late. I don’t know how it gives them unfair advantage; you still have to win a cricket match. Gujarat, in any case, will qualify because they have beaten everyone.”Mumbai currently lead the standings in Group A with 26 points, while Gujarat, with 21 points, are two points behind second-placed Tamil Nadu. In Group C, the top-three teams are separated by only three points. While table-topper Andhra and third-placed Haryana have two more matches remaining, Hyderabad has an extra game against Tripura, who are in the bottom half.The rescheduling of games has also forced BCCI to push back the knockout matches. The quarter-finals, initially scheduled to begin on December 17, will now be held from December 24 to 28. The semi-finals were moved from December 27 to January 3, while the final, originally set to be played from January 7, will now take place from January 12 to 16.

Christopher Nkunku has been backed to thrive under Mauricio Pochettino at Chelsea, should both make the move to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Is Nkunku joining Chelsea?

The Blues have a crucial summer ahead of them in the transfer window, following what has been one of the club's most disappointing seasons in recent memory. It looks increasingly likely that Pochettino will become the next permanent manager and the Argentine will need to be backed in the market.

Additions are required in various areas of the pitch, one of which is attack, where too many players have been ineffective this season, from Raheem Sterling to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Nkunku has been strongly linked with a move to Chelsea, with the general assumption being that he will complete his switch from RB Leipzig at the end of the season.

The 25-year-old has scored 13 goals in 21 Bundesliga appearances this season, with 65 in 166 for Leipzig overall, and he has won eight caps for France.

Could Nkunku be Chelsea's Son?

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Dean Jones said that Nkunku could end up being Chelsea's version of Son Heung-min for Pochettino, with the South Korean such a key player during the Argentine's time as Tottenham boss:

"I think the Nkunku arrival is one you can go at with a completely fresh pair of eyes. At the moment, it's expected that Nkunku will come in as a wide player, but I've spoken to a couple of different people now who also wonder if he might end up being played as nine or a false nine.

"There are various types of positions that he can play, and Pochettino could consider for him. That would be one of interest to see if he can find someone that gives him that Son flexibility he had at Tottenham."

If Nkunku can have anything close to the impact that Son did for Pochettino, he could be an invaluable player for Chelsea, providing consistent end product, hard work and versatility. While there is no confirmation of both the 50-year-old's arrival as manager and the Leipzig man's signing yet, it would now be a surprise if both didn't happen this summer.

Nkunku would be coming in at a great time in his career, arriving in his mid-20s and with his peak years likely to be ahead of him, and he could be the central attacking player that the Blues have craved so badly this season, with Arsenal legend Thierry Henry a big admirer and Jesse Marsch saying he has "no weaknesses" during their time at Leipzig.

Lancashire take satisfaction in a hard-fought batting performance against a Nottinghamshire seam attack which included three international bowlers

Paul Edwards at Old Trafford18-Apr-2016
ScorecardLiam Livingstone’s half-century took Lancashire into a first-innings lead•Getty ImagesLancashire’s two previous First Division campaigns included only a scattering of days as encouraging as this one. In 2014, the county secured just four first-innings leads in 16 attempts and an inability to bat long in the first half of matches cost them their status. So the satisfaction gained from the four half-century stands shared by Steven Croft’s batsmen against a Nottinghamshire seam attack which included three international bowlers must be considerable indeed.No one enjoyed themselves more than Alex Davies, for whom a tough cricket match seems almost a natural environment, and Liam Livingstone, who marked his first-class debut with a composed, unruffled innings of 63 not out. Stuart Broad may have gained a little personal kudos from having his England team-mate James Anderson caught behind for 6 but he found Lancashire’s freshman a far tougher opponent. Livingstone hit Broad for five boundaries and took 25 off the 24 balls he faced from him. He played the ball, not the bowler.Nottinghamshire’s cricketers applied themselves in the best Trent Bridge tradition; Steven Mullaney’s tight eight-over spell after lunch was typical of their approach. But Mick Newell, Peter Moores and their players were left regretting the inability of their batsmen to post a total greater than 242 on a flat pitch where simple application is often all that is required.All of which offered some sort of warmth to the home fans on a chill Mancunian day when spring was an intermittent visitor and the sun gulled the unwary into venturing out without their coats. The blue skies belied the strength of a bitter westerly wind and the cricketers needed to steel themselves for their task. Bowlers were happy to bowl because it kept them warm; batsmen were content to bat because they could do so in a couple of fleeces; the poor old fielders were left half-hoping that the ball did not come to them. The sanctuary of the dressing-room and the teapot must have been tempting indeed.Each session followed a roughly similar pattern. The first was characterised by watchful defence in its first hour but a little more aggression in its second. Lancashire added 83 runs in 29 overs, 32 of them scored in the 15 overs before Luke Procter and Haseeb Hameed were dismissed by Harry Gurney and Jake Ball in the space of four balls. A more sprightly 51 were added in the 14 overs faced by Alviro Petersen and Steven Croft. But the difference seemed greater than that. Petersen immediately batted fluently, clipping Gurney twice through the leg side before driving Ball to the boundary off the back foot.Nevertheless, a foundation had been laid by Procter, whose only first-team appearance in 2015 was a T20 match, and by Hameed, who was playing his first innings at the top level of English cricket. The rhythm of the innings had also been set and it was never lost in the remainder of the day. Although Croft was caught at the wicket by Read off Mullaney for 15, Davies immediately settled to his work and even the loss of Petersen, caught and bowled by Broad off the leading edge for 48, did not disturb him.Instead Lancashire’s wicketkeeper-batsman shared in a remarkably mature 72-run stand for the sixth wicket with Livingstone and they had taken the score to 228 for 5 before the new ball, which had been taken just after tea, brought Nottinghamshire their best period of the day. Davies was lbw to Ball and Broad then removed both Anderson and Neil Wagner in quick succession. At that point, with more than 22 overs left in the day, it seemed that Nottinghamshire would be batting again on Monday evening, but Kyle Jarvis joined Livingstone in an unbroken 62-run stand for the ninth wicket which extended their side’s lead from the modest through the healthy to the substantial. Jarvis’s unbeaten 36 showed what could be done on this wicket but Read’s batsmen will still have to play well for at least an hour or so before they are in credit.

Chelsea are one of the clubs who are going into the summer transfer window with the Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Kouadio Kone.

Do Chelsea need another midfielder?

Reports would suggest the Blues are going into the summer window with another midfielder on their radar given the links to the likes of Declan Rice.

And it seems as if they will enter the summer window with a list of potential targets which could also include the sought-after Jude Bellingham.

However, they already seem to be among the front-runners in the race to potentially sign Kone from the Bundesliga side ahead of the summer.

Indeed, speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano has suggested a move to London could potentially be on the cards for the young Frenchman:

(1:20) "It's my understanding that three clubs in this moment are leading the race for Manu Kone. One for sure, at the moment, from my understanding, is Chelsea.

"Chelsea appreciate Manu Kone. They have many players in the list, we have to include Roméo Lavia, we have to include the situation of Declan Rice, they are always monitoring, but we know that also Manu Kone is a player they are following."

Would Kone improve Chelsea?

As a result of Jorginho's departure and Ngolo Kante's long-term injury issue, Mateo Kovacic has been handed a lot of opportunities in the Chelsea side this season.

The Croatian has already racked up 19 appearances in the Premier League despite dealing with his own setbacks throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

However, a big summer addition in midfield could potentially see his spot in the side come under serious threat given the club recently spent over £100m on the addition of Enzo Fernandez.

The 21-year-old, Kone, has played 24 times for Monchengladbach in the Bundesliga this season and provided the same return of one goal and one assists as Kovacic (via Transfermarkt).

Journalist Josh Bunting hailed Kone earlier in the season as "outstanding in the hole" after "dictating the tempo of the play" in Gladbach's game against Bayern Munich.

And this has been a theme which has continued throughout the 2022/23 campaign with the 21-year-old ranking in the top percentile for successful take-ons across the top five leagues (via FBref).

The youngster has also registered more tackles per 90 minutes this season in comparison to Kovacic as well as over double the number of ball recoveries so far this season (via FBref).

The future of Kante remains uncertain with his deal set to expire at the end of the season and no new deal in place, if the Frenchman is to leave, perhaps Kone could provide them with a long-term option in the middle.

Given there are reports suggesting the Blues will face competition from Arsenal for Rice's signature, Kone could potentially be n alternative they could look to at a cheaper fee.

In a game where bat dominated ball almost right from the start, both teams will probably look back at the last six overs of the Indian innings as the phase which turned out to be the most critical

On the Ball with S Rajesh06-Feb-2006In a game where bat dominated ball almost right from the start, both teams will probably look back at the last six overs of the Indian innings as the phase which turned out to be the most critical. After 44, India were cruising along at 300 for 4 – a run-rate of 6.82. In the next six overs, that rate fell drastically to 4.67, as Pakistan nailed six wickets, starting with the crucial scalp of Sachin Tendulkar in the 45th over. No over fetched more than seven, and a total which appeared headed towards the 340-plus mark finished up only on 328.Even that total was a huge one, but Pakistan’s batting, led by Salman Butt, ensured that the Indians were on the back foot very quickly. The most impressive aspect of his batting was the manner in which he scored runs almost equally off all the Indian bowlers – the bowler who finished up with the best economy rate against him was Zaheer Khan, and even he went for 15 from 18 balls.

Zaheer Khan 18 15 5.00 Irfan Pathan 42 37 5.29 Ajit Agarkar 14 13 5.57 Murali Kartik 18 18 6.00 S Sreesanth 15 18 7.20The performance which would have most pleased the Indian fans was Sachin Tendulkar’s hundred. Plenty had been written about him after his failure in the Tests, but he answered the critics in the manner he knows best – with runs off the bat. Tendulkar didn’t start as fluently as he normally does – against the fast bowlers (Naved-ul-Hasan, Asif, Gul and Razzaq) he only scored 41 off 66 balls. Against the slow bowlers, though, Tendulkar was in his elements, milking 59 from 47. With the confidence back, he could well be more aggressive against the fast bowlers through the rest of the series.