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Celtic could reportedly now complete the signing of an “excellent” player this summer, having missed out on snapping him up in the January transfer window.

Celtic eye signings amid doubts over Rodgers' future

The Hoops are preparing to make the trip to St Johnstone this weekend, as they look to go one step closer to Scottish Premiership title glory. They have a 13-point lead over Rangers currently, so it surely feels like a matter of time until they are once again crowned champions.

In terms of potential summer signings to further bolster Brendan Rodgers’ squad, Celtic are believed to be pushing to sign Royal Antwerp forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha, with the manager a big fan of him.

Speaking of Rodgers, one new report that has emerged has claimed that he “could quit” the Hoops at the end of the season, amid possible interest from clubs in the Premier League.

It is stated that the 52-year-old is “content at Parkhead as things stand”, but there doesn’t appear to be any guarantee that he will be in charge of Celtic when next season gets underway, especially if he does not receive backing in the transfer market.

Celtic plan to back the boss with £4.2m long-term target

According to TuttoMercatoWeb [via Sport Witness], there is still belief that Celtic could sign David Strelec from Slovan Bratislava this summer. The Hoops attempted to sign him at the eleventh hour in the January window, but were unable to entice him to the club midway through the season.

The 24-year-old could be available for as little as £4.2m at the end of the season though, potentially rising to £5.9m, with offers expected to come his way.

Strelec could be a potent addition to Celtic’s attack, which is needed after the surprise departure of Kyogo Furuhashi back in January. The Slovakian has enjoyed an impressive season for Bratislava, scoring three times in the Champions League qualifiers before also finding the net twice in the main competition itself.

Strelec has proven his worth at international level, too, scoring seven goals in 28 caps for Slovakia, while scout/writer Jacek Kulig has hailed him as an “excellent” player.

The striker ticks so many boxes for Celtic, at a time when Rodgers will want more firepower added to his squad, not least his age. Strelec turned 24 on Friday, meaning he now has plenty of experience at a good level, but is still a young player whose peak shouldn’t arrive for another few years.

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He is an attacking player with genuine pedigree, and if Celtic were able to snap him up for as little as £4.2m, it could be a superb piece of business. That said, £5.9m is still hardly paying over the odds for a player of his quality.

Earlier in the day, India’s bowling attack roared back to bowl out England for 319 despite Ben Duckett’s 153

Sidharth Monga17-Feb-2024″Even when it was 200 for 2, guys were pretty relaxed. You know, in a session, there is four or five that could come your way.”R Ashwin, the man who said those words, might have pulled out of the Test overnight for personal reasons, but the Indian attack was good enough to vindicate him with eight wickets in a session and a half as India roared back from the shock of a sensational Ben Duckett hundred on day two. Kuldeep Yadav softened England up with an excellent spell that virtually ran through the first session, and Mohammed Siraj capitalised on it in the second session as India took the last eight wickets for just 95 runs.With a first-innings lead of 126 secured, India’s batters finally got down to scoring the runs that should be scored off an inexperienced and inaccurate attack. Riding on a sparkling century from Yashasvi Jaiswal, India ended the day with a lead of 322, which is 84 more than what they still had in the bank at the start of the day. That is probably why Ashwin was confident of a comeback on a pitch that was likely to only get worse for batting.Related

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Five of the 12 wickets on the first two days had fallen in the first hour. It was pertinent that India cash in on that movement from the moisture early in the morning. In Ashwin’s absence, they began with Jasprit Bumrah and Kuldeep. Immediately, it was apparent there was a little more available than had been in the second half of day two, which is when Duckett had led England to 207 for 2 in 35 overs.Bazball gives, but Bazball takes as well. Joe Root, more overs under his belt than runs in this series, tried the reverse scoop in Bumrah’s third over of the day, but ended up hitting it to second slip for a sharp catch for Jaiswal. To be fair to Root, until then he had scored 64 with that shot in just 23 balls for one dismissal. What followed is a true test of the dressing room’s disregard for results, the biggest building block of Bazball.Kuldeep Yadav sent back Ben Duckett for 153•Getty Images

In the early exchanges, Duckett had reminded India of the problem they had. Kuldeep had a deep square leg for the sweep, and a deep cover for the reverse sweep, but he swept from in front of the stumps and deliberately in front of square. And when India sent another man back, he picked an easy single.Kuldeep’s response was to go wider and look for more overspin. That kept Duckett quiet, and then drew an edge on the reverse sweep, his first boundary off an edge. Eventually, after reaching 150, he ended up hitting a short, wide ball straight to cover. It just stopped a touch and turned more than expected. Everything was coming together for India: the pitch was misbehaving just that little bit more, a traditionally high-risk shot had gone straight to hand, and Kuldeep was bowling beautifully.Kuldeep was in great rhythm, giving the ball proper rip, creating deception both in the air and off the surface. Before he got Duckett in what might look on the surface a soft manner, he had beaten Jonny Bairstow in the air, and then ripped the ball in to trap him for his eighth duck against India, the most by any batter.Kuldeep bowled through the session bar one over for day-three figures of 12-1-35-2. It might be just two wickets, but it set the foundation for India conceding just 83 in 26 overs in the session. Finally India had some control over the free-scoring England batters.Post lunch, Ben Stokes tried to take a few risks, and for once they didn’t all come off. Ravindra Jadeja, bowling around the wicket to the left-hand batter, an angle that has raised a few eyebrows in the series, got him on the slog sweep thanks to that angle. The ball didn’t turn, and Stokes holed out. Something similar happened with Tom Hartley, who charged him but was beaten by the lack of turn and stumped to give Dhruv Jurel his first Test victim.Joe Root handed a catch to second slip off a reverse scoop•Associated Press

At the other end, Siraj charged in, reversed the ball, and ran through the lower order. Ben Foakes got one that stopped in the surface, and then pinged all the way to mid-on for a catch. Rehan Ahmed got a superb yorker that he even cue-ended, but couldn’t save his off stump. Full, reversing, off-stump-seeking Siraj was too good for James Anderson. For once, India had ended an innings in just 85 false responses, a bit of luck they were due after the hard work in the first four innings of the series.For the fifth time in the series, the young batting group was presented with an opportunity to bat England out of a match. India’s innings began right at the mid-point of the middle day of the middle Test of the series; by the end of the day it seemed the series had turned a corner. Finally it looked like a four-man attack whose one spinner debuted this series. Their best spinner has been Root, who got them their first wicket: Rohit Sharma lbw to a ball too full.Jaiswal and Shubman Gill then began slowly, absorbed the best England had to offer, and got to 75 for 1 in 26 overs. Jaiswal looked at ease, Gill seemed to have started back and across to try to cover the off stump better. In the 27th over, floodgates opened. On 35 off 73 at this moment, Jaiswal flicked a switch, hooked Anderson, then pulled him dismissively in front of square, and then lofted Hartley for two sixes down the ground. Suddenly he was 61 off 81.Then Jaiswal biffed Ahmed down the ground before sweeping Root for his 18th six in just seven Tests. The cherry on the top was his two reverse-swept boundaries in three balls off Ahmed, played the way England have been playing: switch the stance but not the grip. This is just after head coach Rahul Dravid might have sent him a quiet instruction to be ruthless. He brought up his third Test hundred with a cut in front of square off Mark Wood, bowling with a square field for the short ball.Almost a silent partner, Gill reminded everyone he was around when he pulled Mark Wood for a six to bring up his fifty off 98 balls. He scored just 57 in the 155-run stand, which came to a pause with back pain forcing Jaiswal to retire hurt, probably a precaution keeping next week’s Test in Ranchi in mind.

يسعى نادي روما الإيطالي للتعاقد مع أحد لاعبي فريق ليفربول الإنجليزي، خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفي الجاري، والذي ينتهي بنهاية شهر أغسطس الحالي.

وشهد ليفربول عدة تغييرات في صفوفه هذا الصيف، برحيل عدة لاعبين وإبرام تعاقدات جديدة تحت قيادة مديره الفني آرني سلوت.

وافتتح ليفربول موسمه في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بفوز برباعية لهدفين أمام بورنموث، ويستعد اليوم الإثنين لمواجهة نيوكاسل في الجولة الثانية.

ويرغب روما في التعاقد مع اليوناني كوستاس تسيميكاس من صفوف ليفربول، ويسعى لضمه على سبيل الإعارة، وتواصل بالفعل مع النادي الإنجليزي بحسب ما أفاد الصحفي فابريزو رومانو عبر حسابه على منصة “إكس”.

اقرأ أيضًا | ليفربول يتخذ قرارًا حاسمًا بشأن صفقة رودريجو

وذكر رومانو، أن تسيميكاس يريد الرحيل والانضمام إلى روما، لكن ليفربول لم يُعط الضوء الأخضر للصفقة بعد، حيث يريد النادي الإنجليزي بيع لاعبه اليوناني وليس إعارته.

وأشار رومانو إلى أنه بجانب روما، يوجد ناديين آخرين يرغبان في ضم تسيميكاس، لكن لم يوضح من هما.

وكان ليفربول قد تعاقد هذا الصيف مع فلوريان فيرتز، هوجو إيكيتيكي، جيريمي فريمبونج، ميلوس كيركيز، ريدي وودمان، أرمين بيتشي، إلى جانب ويل رايت الذي انضم لفريق الشباب، فيما غادر صفوفه عدة لاعبين مثل لويس دياز، داروين نونيز، ترينت ألكسندر أرنولد، نات فيليبس، كاومين كيليهر.

Tottenham Hotspur are now ready to fight for the signature of an “amazing” in-demand striker, with talks potentially set to commence in the coming weeks, according to a report.

Spurs in need of a striker

Prior to Dominic Solanke’s return from injury, Ange Postecoglou experimented with a number of different options in attack, but none of the replacements have managed to consistently find the back of the net.

Richarlison has scored just two Premier League goals this term, having also struggled with injuries, while Mathys Tel has just one goal in six games since arriving on loan from Bayern Munich until the end of the season.

As such, there are clear signs Postecoglou will need to bring in a new striker this summer, and Spurs have identified a number of potential targets, although they have recently been dealt a blow in their pursuit of RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

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Arsenal are said to have overtaken Tottenham in the race for Sesko’s signature, which means Postecoglou’s side may be forced to move on to other targets, and a report from Spain has now revealed they are ready to fight it out for Lille’s Jonathan David.

David is one of the most sought-after strikers in Europe, given that he is available on a free transfer at the end of the campaign, and there may be competition for his signature from the likes of Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Newcastle United.

The English clubs view the Canadian as a perfect target, given the level of his performances in Ligue 1 and the Champions League, and talks are expected to start in the coming weeks, although it is unclear whether Spurs specifically will start negotiations.

"Amazing" David on fire in the Champions League

Lille still have a good chance of progressing to the Champions League quarter-finals, having drawn 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund in the first leg of their round of 16 tie, and their striker has been one of their key players.

The Canada international has scored six goals in nine games in Europe’s elite competition, while also providing two assists, showcasing he is capable of performing at the very highest level.

After scoring against Montpellier at the weekend, the 25-year-old is remarkably now on 32 goal contributions in all competitions this season, indicating he very much deserves a move to one of Europe’s top clubs.

The Lille star has impressed in Ligue 1 for quite some time, being lauded as “amazing” by journalist Rick Westhead during the 2022-23 campaign, at which point he was outscoring the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

Given that David is set to be available on a free transfer, he could be the perfect striker target for Tottenham, but they may find it very hard to compete for his signature, unless they manage to qualify for the Champions League via a Europa League triumph.

da wazamba： Turning their attention towards the summer transfer window, Arsenal are now reportedly looking to hijack AC Milan’s move to sign a defensive reinforcement alongside interest in Matheus Cunha.

Arsenal transfer news

da 888casino： All but down and out in the Premier League title race thanks to knockout blows from West Ham United and Nottingham Forest, Arsenal’s task is clearer than ever this summer. They must rebuild Mikel Arteta’s attack. That must be their priority if they want to finally end their wait for England’s biggest honour for the first time in over two decades.

With that priority in mind, it’s no surprise that the rumours have already been coming thick and fast as names such as Alexander Isak threaten to steal the headlines. As things stand, it certainly seems like the Newcastle United man is the Gunners’ number one target, but whether they can afford to match his reported £150m price tag is another question entirely.

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If it’s not the Swede, meanwhile, then it may well be Cunha. After failing to secure a move to The Emirates or elsewhere in January, the Brazilian put pen to paper on a new deal at Wolverhampton Wanderers which reportedly includes a release clause of £62m. A far more affordable option than Isak, Arsenal are seemingly among those eyeing Cunha’s signature once again this summer.

He’s not the only Wolves star they could sign, either. According to Caught Offside, Arsenal are now looking to hijack AC Milan’s move to sign Rayan Ait-Nouri this summer.

The Italian giants have reportedly been lining up a move to sign the left-back as a replacement for Theo Hernandez, who looks set to leave the San Siro this summer. Arsenal could yet stand in the way of that move, however, and perhaps even match Wolves’ €60m (£50m) price tag when the summer arrives.

"Talented" Ait-Nouri would add surprise attacking spark

If reports are to be believed and Ait-Nouri is on Arsenal’s radar, then those in North London could be about to see the end of central defenders inverting at full-back with natural players preferred in such a role. Ait-Nouri would certainly be a solid candidate if that is to be the case too, given how his attacking exploits would help to sharpen a blunt Arsenal attack.

Premier League stats 24/25 (via FBref)

Rayan Ait-Nouri

Riccardo Calafiori

Starts

26

10

Goals

3

2

Assists

5

1

Ball Recoveries P90

4.76

3.13

A player who often steps onto the front foot and leaves his mark, Ait-Nouri is exactly the type of driving force Arteta needs to ignite his side’s attacking spark once again.

Earning plenty of praise during his time at Wolves, former manager Gary O’Neil told reporters when asked about the left-back: “I know he’s played a lot of games for Wolves and he’s extremely talented, but there’s still a lot of learning that he needs to do in his understanding of the game.”

At just 23 years old, there’s still plenty more to come from Ait-Nouri whether it’s at Wolves, AC Milan or, indeed, Arsenal.

Paul Mullin has been warned that there is no place for "sentiment" at Wrexham as Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney prepare to spend again.

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• Three-time Player of the Year & fan favourite
• Has hit over 100 goals for the Red Dragons
• May be offloaded following historic promotion

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Mullin remains a fan favourite at SToK Racecourse after registering more than 100 goals for the Red Dragons while helping them to promotion out of the National League and League Two. The 2024-25 campaign has been a tough one for the 30-year-old frontman.

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• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  The target has been found on just three occasions, with only nine starts being recorded. Mullin has not figured in a matchday squad since February 23, with record-breaking transfer business in January seeing him slip down the pecking order.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  There has been talk of Wrexham sanctioning a sale in the next window, freeing up funds and squad space for further additions, with Phil Parkinson looking for more Championship pedigree to be added to his ranks.

• Getty
  

  WHAT EFL PUNDIT SAID

  Former EFL star turned pundit David Prutton has told of Mullin’s situation: "As we saw when he first joined the club, dropping out of the EFL, he took a real chance and a gamble. Yes, you would say it was a well-paid gamble, but he's delivered the goals that have given the foundations of a side that has gotten itself into the Championship, which is a glorious thing to see.

  "There would be an element of sentiment there, I don't think he would be used sentimentally. I think he's a player that is proven to be a very decent part of this Wrexham side. However, the Championship, as we know, is brutal. Wrexham, potentially, given their financial foundations, may want to think that – and this is casting no shade on Paul Mullin – they maybe want to look at someone more established from a Championship point of view, or someone dropping down from the Premier League.

  "Undoubtedly, the story that's been created around them will make them a very, very attractive proposition for many players."