Category Uncategorized

Insider Dean Jones has revealed that Brighton and Hove Albion star Solly March was very unhappy not to be picked in the latest England squad.

What's the latest on Solly March and Brighton?

The Englishman has been in brilliant form of late, and before Premier League football was put on hold for the current international break, he'd been delivering some top displays.

Indeed, the 28-year-old has seven goals and two assists in his last 11 league outings – which has helped fire Brighton to seventh in the league and pushing for a spot in the top four.

Seeing as he netted in back-to-back games before the league's hiatus, you can see why he felt he might have been worthy of a call-up to the Three Lions squad.

However, Gareth Southgate omitted March and it supposedly has not gone down too well with the now-furious individual.

While speaking on the latest Chasing Green Arrows podcast, journalist Jones said: "I was speaking to someone the other day about this. Solly March is not particularly happy about having the week off because he feels, I'm told, that he probably deserved a call-up.

"I think he's thinking, 'If I didn't call up now, am I ever going to get a call-up, particularly while I'm playing for Brighton?' – I'm not saying wants to leave Brighton.

"But like, what more could the man do? Especially as there were a few dropouts."

Has Solly March ever played for England?

As Jones alludes to, both Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden pulled out of the England squad due to injury but even this didn't mean March was able to get a late call-up.

Interestingly enough, the 28-year-old – who currently earns £50,000 a week with the Seagulls – has actually played for Southgate before in an England shirt.

Indeed, the Brighton man played for the England U21 side on three occasions, scoring one, while the current senior boss was in charge of the youth team.

However, March has been unable to prove himself good enough to warrant a first cap for the Three Lions since then. Until recently, this might not have come as a great surprise, but his recent form has certainly elevated his status within the Premier League.

With 11 direct goal contributions, only seven Englishmen have created more in the top flight this term. Evidently, though, Southgate is yet to see enough from the winger to change his mind.

Everton have picked up a much-needed victory at Goodison Park this afternoon in their Premier League clash with Brentford and Sean Dyche will be thrilled with the resilience his team showed throughout the performance.

The Toffees are now 15th in the league table after climbing out of the relegation zone following their 1-0 victory over the Bees, however, they are only two points clear of the bottom three and must continue to fight for more crucial points to secure safety over their remaining 11 fixtures.

Despite having far less possession of the ball (33%), Everton had more shots on target (6 v 4), more tackles won (25 v 10) and more clearances completed (26 v 11) – a testament to the outstanding defensive display that was perfectly executed to seal their sixth victory of the season.

It was a strike from Dwight McNeil in the opening minute of the clash that ultimately won the Merseysiders their first game in four, a player who has seen his game-time increase since the arrival of his former Burnley boss in January.

It has been a common theme throughout the team with another one of Dyche’s former players reprising their role as Michael Keane was once again deployed this afternoon in the back-line alongside James Tarkowski instead of Conor Coady.

However, not all the players at Goodison have been lucky enough to become one of the first names on the team sheet with Demarai Gray seemingly snubbed by the Everton boss upon his appointment.

How did Demarai Gray perform against Brentford?

Gray had been benched for two and made three appearances of under half an hour in each of the first five outings under Dyche but has finally been given the opportunity to prove himself in the latest two fixtures and has now rightfully earned his spot in front of goal.

The 26-year-old winger has been deployed in the most advanced position of Dyche’s 4-5-1 formation that saw the side draw with Nottingham Forest last week and win against Brentford today, proving his ability to adapt to a more central role in the final third.

Over his 86-minute performance, Gray – once hailed as ‘electric’ by BBC journalist Garth Crooks – won a whopping nine duels, created one big chance, made two key passes, and completed 100% of his dribble attempts, as well as winning three tackles, offering two shots on target and having a goal disallowed in the 43rd minute.

The wizard was a constant threat at the top end of the pitch and caused plenty of problems for the Bees defence to deal with, which allowed Everton’s defenders a breather whilst he was causing chaos in the opposition half.

It is clear the Everton star is shining in his new role, offering both a huge presence and lots of creativity to the attacking threat and could now be Dyche’s secret weapon in securing survival after failing to select Gray over the majority of his short tenure so far.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer to continue to deploy Gray, and gives the Everton manager a real dilemma as to how Dominic Calvert-Lewin will fit into the team when he returns from injury, especially if the team continue to thrive.

Anand Vasu says Wasim Jaffer hardly played a false shot during his unbeaten 192 on the first day of the Kolkata Test

Anand Vasu in Kolkata30-Nov-2007

On January 28, 2003, Mumbai needed 127 to beat Himachal Pradesh in a Ranji Trophy match when Wasim Jaffer received news that his mother Zulekha had died. Jaffer was shattered and unsure of whether to play on the final day. Chandrakant Pandit, then coach of the Mumbai team who had suffered a similar fate, spoke to Jaffer of his experience to which Jaffer replied, “I’ll do it for my team”. He scored 47 off 51 balls as Mumbai won without losing a wicket. Only then did Jaffer leave to attend his mother’s funeral.Determination is one of Jaffer’s stronger suits and he prefers to make statements on the field rather than off it. Ask around for a tale of some sort from his past, and apart from descriptions of his long innings in domestic cricket, you draw a blank. Soon after scoring 192 on the first day of the Kolkata Test, Jaffer faced the media. When a journalist asked if he was distracted – or forced to concentrate harder – by the presence of his wife Ayesha in the stands, who was frequently on the giant screen, Jaffer only said, “I always know where my wife is,” displaying a sense of humour that isn’t always obvious.What is obvious, though, is Jaffer’s tremendous hunger to score. In Indian cricket, the role of an opening batsman is not to be envied. They don’t get too many chances, and once dumped, there isn’t a way back. Ask Sadagoppan Ramesh, Shiv Sunder Das, or even Aakash Chopra. But Jaffer has done it twice – he made his debut in the home series against South Africa in 2000-01 and was dumped, following which he was picked again for the 2001-02 tour of West Indies before being dropped once again.”I’ve gone through a lot of lean phases in my career,” Jaffer said. “I’ve been brought up like that. I’ve been dropped two or three times and gone back to Ranji Trophy, got big scores and come back. I’m used to scoring big. It’s just that I haven’t done that much in international cricket and I’ll try to do that from here on.”On the day, Jaffer faced 255 balls and was rarely beaten. Even Rahul Dravid was troubled early on, especially by Sohail Tanvir, but Jaffer hardly played a false stroke. He has always scored a high percentage of his runs in boundaries, looking exceptionally elegant when he strikes the ball through the leg side, and he hit 32 fours today.

“I don’t think I’ve batted so fluently so far in my Test career,” Jaffer conceded at the end of the day, but refused to compare this knock with his double-century against West Indies in Antigua. “All hundreds have been special. I’ve got only few so I’ll count all of them as special. Scoring 192 runs in a day is something I haven’t done before. It feels good that we’re in a strong position and I’ve got runs.”Jaffer has five centuries in 23 Tests but you can break his career up into two phases. In the seven Tests he played before his latest comeback, and the 16 he has played since. In Phase I, Jaffer made 261 runs at just over 20, scoring three fifties and no hundreds. Since returning to the team against England at Nagpur, Jaffer has been a different batsman. He’s not so hampered by that half stride forward, is being trapped half-cocked much less, and has been far more assured outside the off stump. And it’s shown in his numbers; an average of 41.89 with five hundreds, one of them a double.”I was conscious that I have got a few starts in the England series [earlier this year] and did not convert them into hundreds,” Jaffer said. “The same happened in the Ranji Trophy so I was a bit conscious and tried to be focused once I was past 60-70.”And focus he did, past 100 and then 150 and to the doorstep of 200 while VVS Laxman, the man who owns an epochal 281 at this ground, sat padded-up and watched. In a team of stroke-makers Jaffer barely gets mentioned, and more talk is centred round players who aren’t even in the Test side. Almost without anyone noticing, Jaffer has become the third highest run-getter in the world this year behind Jacques Kallis (1125) and Kevin Pietersen (881), with 718 to his name so far. Contrary to popular belief Jaffer isn’t bland or colourless, just quiet, and at the moment very valuable to this Indian team.

Manchester United are about to offload a first-team player to help clear their wage bill, and Erik ten Hag has given him permission to depart Old Trafford, according to reports.

What's the latest transfer news involving Manchester United?

According to Football Insider, Manchester United are keen to bring in a midfielder and a defender before the close of play in the market, but they need to shift players out of the door in order to sanction prospective incomings.

Previously, the Red Devils hoped that selling Scott McTominay and Harry Maguire would provide the 'requisite funds' to complete their business in the window; nevertheless, both moves broke down and have left Ten Hag in a tricky position and unable to facilitate arrivals.

Fiorentina midfielder Sofyan Amrabat has been earmarked as a key target by Manchester United and has been given a deadline of this Friday to determine his next steps amid interest from the Red Devils, Liverpool and Atletico Madrid, according to Corriere dello Sport via Football Italia.

Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch is also garnering attention from Manchester United and Liverpool, with the Netherlands international reportedly having a £22 million price tag on his head this summer, as per The Mirror.

Despite this, it remains to be seen whether Manchester United can afford moves for either target in light of their current situation. Dutch coach Ten Hag is looking to finalise a permanent exit for fringe player Donny van de Beek and any funds raised will be put towards further incomings, ESPN understand.

Now, in a report from Football Insider, Manchester United defender Brandon Williams has agreed a move to Sky Bet Championship side Ipswich Town after being left out of the squad for his employers' 2-0 defeat away to Tottenham Hotspur last weekend.

The outlet indicate that the £65k-a-week ace is set to swap Old Trafford for Portman Road on an initial loan agreement, which will likely include an option-to-buy to take him to Suffolk on a permanent basis.

Should Manchester United let go of Brandon Williams?

Despite showing promise in the infancy of his Manchester United career, it is clear that Williams' time is now up at Old Trafford and he is well down the pecking order at the club behind the likes of Luke Shaw and Tyrell Malacia.

Williams has made 51 appearances for the Red Devils since making his senior breakthrough, notching one goal and three assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

Last campaign, the 22-year-old spent the majority of time out with various injury concerns and made just one appearance for Manchester United's senior side in a five-minute cameo against Burnley in the EFL Cup.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano had detailed that negotiations are 'advancing' over Williams' impending loan switch to Ipswich Town and has claimed that a buyout clause will be present in any agreement, which more or less confirms that his time at Manchester United is on the verge of coming to a permanent end.

Finding an environment where he can play regular football looking ahead will be important for Williams and the chance to work with former Manchester United first-team coach Kieran McKenna may be the ideal scenario to get his career back on track.

Shivnarine and Tagenarine on playing professional cricket together in the Caribbean

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Feb-2018

Imagine you were a professional cricketer. Now imagine you had to share your dressing room with… your father. And, on top of that, your dad is a legend of your sport. A lot to handle? Doesn’t quite seem to be the case with Tagenarine Chanderpaul, who shares the Guyana dressing room with his father Shivnarine. Chanderpaul junior, 21, jokes that Shiv, 43, “knows how I am, so he’s kind of free up with that”.Tagenarine says he knows enough to make good use of the vast experience of his father – the most capped player for West Indies in Test cricket – but does not let his record put unreasonable pressure on himself. “I just try and be myself. I can’t be him, you know,” Tagenarine said, according to the . “[But] most of the training, I use him to get some help. He gives me a few pointers.”Shivnarine, not unexpectedly, had plenty of advice for his son: “He’s been around [the domestic circuit] for a while. He had a good season in the [first-class] Regional Four-Day tournament. It’s the first time he had a full season, but that’s just the beginning.”He needs to keep going. He’s young and he needs to learn as quickly as possible and take it a distance because, whenever you get an opportunity, you have to grab it sometimes.”That said, the equation was not all work and no play between father and son. “We still have our fun and have our jokes,” Shivnarine said. “In any team sport, you need to have fun. That’s the only way to keep going.”When I went into the Windies team, we had people who used to give us a lot of jokes – guys like Kenneth Benjamin, Amby [Curtly Ambrose]. Those are the guys who keep you going on tour. I know how important that is. You need people like them around to keep you going. So yeah, there’s a time when you make your jokes and a time to get serious and down to business.”Guyana are currently in Antigua, to play the semi-final of the Regional Super50 List A tournament. They take on Windward Islands at the Coolidge Cricket Ground on Thursday afternoon.

FATA‘s decision to bowl turned out to be a nightmare after Kamran Akmal, Salman Butt and Aamer Yamin struck brisk half-centuries each to set up a 41-run victory for Lahore Whites. FATA tried hard to chase down the daunting total of 213 – the highest total in the tournament so far – but were dismissed for 172 after opener Mukhtar Ahmed (30 off 15) and captain Hammad Azam (50 off 28) were the only batsmen who got going in the innings. Regular wickets from Wahab Riaz (3 for 15), Umaid Asif (2 for 27) and Bilal Asif (2 for 15) made it tough for FATA.Lahore started with a blazing opening partnership of 94 runs between Kamran (63 off 29) and Butt (74* off 50) in 7.5 overs. FATA slowed them down with a few wickets but Yamin and Butt joined hands to hammer another hefty 75 runs in under seven overs to take Lahore past the 200 mark. FATA were scoring at over 10 runs per over with the help of Mukhtar and Hammad, but once the latter fell at the score of 151 in the 15th over, FATA could add only 21 more runs before being bowled out.Asad Shafiq’s 72 off 49 and Anwar Ali’s 4 for 30 set up a 14-run win for Karachi Whites over Rawalpindi. Karachi were led to 178 by Shafiq and a cameo from Sarfraz Ahmed’s unbeaten 30 off 20 balls. In reply, Rawalpindi were off to a steady start but no batsman was able to capitalise on a start as none of them scored more than 30.Opting to bowl, Rawalpindi struck early with the wicket of Khurram Manzoor in the second over, but Shafiq led the charge by batting until 19th over. Shahid Yousuf’s 21 off 20 and Sarfaraz’s unbeaten innings helped Karachi to a competitive total. Rawalpindi did manage to keep the game afloat for some time but were not able to keep the asking rate in check as Ruman Raees (2 for 25) and Azam Hussain (2 for 33) shared four wickets along with Anwar’s four-for. Rawalpindi needed 65 from the last five overs with only three wickets in hand and ended on 164 for 9.

With speculation still swirling regarding Harry Kane's future at Tottenham Hotspur, chairman Daniel Levy could be eyeing a dream successor to the England skipper in the form of Paris Saint-Germain contract rebel, Kylian Mbappe.

What are the latest Tottenham transfer rumours?

As per various reports, Levy may be forced to cash in on Kane this summer rather than run the risk of letting the 29-year-old leave for nothing in a year's time, with Mbappe seemingly facing a similar situation at the Parc des Princes, as the Ligue 1 giants will also not entertain a free transfer exit for the Frenchman next summer, if he does not commit his future to the club.

According to French outlet, L'Equipe, Spurs could look to pounce on the uncertainty surrounding the 24-year-old's current situation, with the north Londoners said to be among the clubs who have 'taken information' from PSG chief, Nasser al-Khelaïfi in recent days.

The belief is that the likes of Tottenham – as well as their rival suitors – see a 'possibility' of taking the former Monaco man on loan for the upcoming campaign, with Ange Postecoglou's ready to lodge an 'important' bid in order convince his current side to agree to that temporary exit.

This comes amid claims that Saudi Arabian side Al Hilal have lodged a mammoth £260m bid for the forward, despite the 70-cap superstar being valued at closer to €126m (£108m), according to Football Transfers.

Could Mbappe replace Kane at Tottenham?

For many, attempting to replace Kane either this summer or the next appears something of an impossible task, with the Premier League side set to be forced to fill the void of a player who is their all-time record scorer, having also netted 30 league goals last season to finish second in the scoring charts behind Erling Haaland (36).

If there was a man to plug the gap, however, it would seemingly be Mbappe, with the "crazy" talent – as described by Arsenal icon, Thierry Henry – having arguably been more clinical than the Englishman in recent times.

While the latter man has 280 goals in 453 games in all competitions for Spurs to date with a goal-to-game ratio of 0.61, his PSG counterpart has bagged 212 goals in just 260 games for his current side, resulting in a superior goal-to-game ratio of 0.81.

Equally, despite Kane's heroics last season – as he netted 32 goals and provided five assists in 49 games in all competitions – the Walthamstow native which still edged by Mbappe, with the World Cup-winning hotshot contributing 41 goals and ten assists in just 43 appearances across all fronts.

In the Champions League, for instance, Mbappe netted seven goals in only eight outings despite seeing his side crash out at the last 16 stage, while the Englishman only bagged one goal in eight appearances as his side were also dumped out in the first knockout round.

While it remains to be seen if the younger man could emulate his goalscoring feats in the Premier League, on the evidence of his career so far, the 5 foot 10 machine has certainly proven himself to be particularly lethal in front of goal, performing at a level that even Kane seemingly can't get close to.

Regard as arguably "the best" in the world at present – according to pundit Rio Ferdinand – Mbappe's arrival at N17 could provide Postecoglou with a new, devastating attacking figurehead.

Chris Gayle and Evin Lewis set the agenda as West Indies withstood a chilly autumnal evening, and a spirited England fightback, to seal victory by 21 runs at Chester-le-Street

The Report by Andrew Miller16-Sep-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Gayle set the agenda with a traditionally six-laden cameo, while his heir apparent, Evin Lewis, lived up to his lofty billing with 51 from 28 balls, as West Indies withstood a chilly autumnal evening, and a spirited England fightback with the ball, to seal victory by 21 runs in the one-off T20 at Chester-le-Street.On a night that could not have been further removed from the balmy, barmy circumstances of their previous T20 encounter, in the World T20 final in Kolkata 18 months ago, West Indies choked England’s ambitions, first through the spin twins of Sunil Narine and Ashley Nurse, and then through a canny spell of pace-off-the-ball from Kieron Pollard, Kesrick Williams and Carlos Brathwaite, at precisely the moment when it seemed their own resolve was about to crack in the inhospitable conditions.After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, West Indies served up the definitive innings of two halves. At the halfway mark they had rampaged to 106 for 1, with Gayle and Lewis crunching seven sixes between them in a freewheeling partnership, but they were restricted to 70 for 8 thereafter, as Liam Plunkett’s deck-hitting aggression, allied to another wily spell of legspin from Adil Rashid, looked to have kept their target well within manageable proportions.With the weather beginning to deteriorate as quickly as the temperature, the contest seemed to have swung decisively in England’s favour – the first-ball dismissal of Jason Roy notwithstanding – when Alex Hales smashed 43 from 17 balls to launch their pursuit in a fusillade of boundaries. But when, in the sixth over, Hales missed a loose drive to be bowled by a gleeful Brathwaite, England’s usually power-packed middle order could produce no adequate substitute for his sublime ball-striking.Joe Root, often so adept at working the gaps to allow his team-mates to clear the ropes, this time turned in a stodgy innings of 17 from 19 balls that came to an end with a low catch at short cover as Nurse struck with his third delivery. And spin continued to apply a tourniquet to England’s run-rate, as Eoin Morgan ducked and dived against Narine to no avail. After three consecutive dot-balls, Morgan reversed his hands for flick through backward point, but picked out the fielder to depart for 2 – his seventh consecutive single-figure score in all T20 innings.Eoin Morgan picked up another low score•Getty ImagesThe conditions were never easy for West Indies’ fielders – the cold and damp combined to create a funereal over-rate as well as regular protests about the slippery out-field. But with the umpires adamant that the show must go on – and the hardy Durham crowd certainly never lost the faith in that regard – West Indies found a second wind as England’s innings dribbled through the middle overs.If anyone was going to reignite the run-chase, it was Jos Buttler, whose mere presence was a reminder that nothing could be taken for granted. But with little pace to work with, he was unable to risk his habitual dinks over the keeper’s head for fear of holing out behind square, and he had been limited to two boundaries in a 27-ball stay when a Williams short ball induced a spliced pull to Rovman Powell at deep midwicket.Williams – who had borne the brunt of Hales’ earlier onslaught, when pace on the ball had equalled pace off the bat – then made it two in the over as a skittish Rashid gloved an attempted ramp to the keeper. Narine returned for his final over, that included the stumping off David Willey for 1, before Jonny Bairstow – England’s final, final hope – capped a collapse of 4 for 11 in 14 balls when he shovelled a Brathwaite slower ball to backward square leg.Fittingly, it was the captain Brathwaite – remember that name? – who put the seal on the victory as Plunkett missed a slog across the line with three balls of the innings remaining. England were all out for 155, done in by some canny bowling and a classy outfit who proved, as if it needed reiterating, that their World T20 triumph was no fluke.In the final analysis, however, it was West Indies’ flying start with the bat that proved the decisive difference between the sides. And fittingly, given that what little hype in the build-up to this contest had centred around the master and the apprentice at the top of West Indies’ order, it was Gayle and Lewis who shared top billing.Gayle, who got off the mark first-ball with an edged four through third man, soaked up a handful of sighters with that exaggerated caution that has so often been a feature of his game, before crunching from first gear to overdrive in the waft of a bat. His seventh ball, from Willey, was spanked over midwicket to bring up the 100th six of his T20 international career, and he celebrated that landmark in emphatic style one ball later, an arcing flog down the ground and over the sightscreen as Willey was once again punished for feeding Gayle’s strengths on a full length outside off.At the other end, Lewis – whose last act in West Indies’ colours had been a matchwinning 125 not out from 62 balls against India – slipstreamed his senior partner with poise and maturity. He avoided falling for the ego-trap that had done for Gayle (and his predecessor as opener, Johnson Charles) in the World T20 final, when Root was tossed the ball for the second over of the Powerplay for tidy over of darting offbreaks, and instead saved his change-up for the introduction of Tom Curran, whom he cracked for four, six, four, six from the first four balls he faced.West Indies finished the Powerplay on a daunting 72 for 0, but England – to their credit – found a means to claw back into the contest. The catalyst came with the introduction of Plunkett in the seventh over, as Gayle was pushed onto the back foot by a lifter outside off, and was slow to set off as Roy’s shy from backward point was sharply gathered by the bowler to pull off a tight run-out.Lewis’s half-century then came to an end as he smashed a Plunkett slower ball into the midriff of Root at mid-off, and when Plunkett followed up with two more major scalps – Marlon Samuels, caught at midwicket off a cramped pull for 10, and Pollard – expertly plucked at fine leg by a stretching Curran – England had found a means to restore their foothold in the game.Rashid, who’d been teasing out a tidy line and length in his mid-innings holding role, then dragged one down for Chadwick Walton to flog a top-edged pull out to Willey at deep midwicket, then did for Brathwaite and Narine in quick succession as an untimely rain interruption – with seven balls remaining – further disrupted West Indies’ flow. But, just as had been the case on that famous night in Kolkata, West Indies would not be denied. The prize on this occasion was rather more low-key, but with their big names back on parade after a low-key Test leg of their tour, it was a notable return to the colours nonetheless.

Real Madrid are ready to make their final offer for Paris Saint-Germain superstar Kylian Mbappe in January, but it will come with one major catch.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

• Madrid will make Mbappe offer in January
• Will give striker just two weeks to decide
• Otherwise will target Haaland instead

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Madrid are ready to make a final offer for Mbappe in January, but will only give the forward until the 15th of the month to make a decision on his future, according to AS. Mbappe is out of contract in the summer and will be free to negotiate with Los Blancos. Madrid have already missed out on Mbappe once, and are determined not to do so again. However, if he does not agree a deal by the club's deadline, then they will switch their focus to Manchester City's Erling Haaland instead.

Advertisement

• Getty
  

  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Mbappe remains a crucial figure for PSG and has scored 15 goals in 13 Ligue 1 appearances for the club so far this season. The French giants remain keen to keep hold of Mbappe but have not yet been able to reach an agreement on a new contract. It remains to be seen what Mbappe will do next, but Madrid appear to be willing to move on swiftly if he does not agree a switch to the Santiago Bernabeu. Haaland is said to have a release clause in his Manchester City contract that can be triggered by teams outside of England in 2024.

• Getty Images
  

  DID YOU KNOW?

  Haaland has just broken Mbappe's record to become the youngest player to score 40 goals in the Champions League at the age of 23 years and 130 days. The Manchester City striker is also the fastest player to achieve the landmark, needing just 35 games to hit the milestone in Europe's premier club competition.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

Add GOAL.com as a preferred source on Google to see more of our reporting

• WHAT NEXT FOR MBAPPE & HAALAND?

  Mbappe's future could become clearer in the coming weeks, with the France international free to negotiate a pre-contract agreement with other clubs from January 1st if he has not renewed with PSG. The 24-year-old has long been Madrid's top target, but will have to make a decision on his future quickly if he is to link up with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Vinicius Junior in the Spanish capital.

Tottenham Hotspur are now ready to bring in Chelsea left-back Marc Cucurella as a replacement for Ivan Perisic, according to a recent report from Football Transfers.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Fabrizio Romano reports that no decision has been made regarding Perisic's future at N17, however, there are question marks over whether the Croatia international will remain a Spurs player next season.

Destiny Udogie is set to be part of new manager Ange Postecoglou's plans, having spent last season on loan at Udinese, with the Australian recently making the decision to take the 20-year-old left-back on their pre-season tour of Thailand.

Udogie being handed a more prominent role in the squad could reduce Perisic's game time, and there have been reports that Daniel Levy could even end up terminating the 34-year-old's contract, amid interest from Turkish Super Lig side Fenerbahce.

Bringing in at least one new centre-back appears to be the priority for Postecoglou, with Romano recently reporting that Bayer Leverkusen's Edmond Tapsoba remains Spurs' "top target", while they are also interested in signing Wolfsburg's Micky van de Ven.

The new manager is also keen on strengthening the left side of his defence, with Football Transfers now reporting Tottenham are closely following the situation of Cucurella at Chelsea.

The Lilywhites are ready to bring the left-back in as a replacement for Perisic, and it could be a fairly easy transfer to orchestrate, as the Blues are desperate to get rid of him, although the type of fee they are set to demand is currently unclear.

Last summer, Chelsea paid £55m for the Spain international, and he is keen to remain at the club, but a move to Spurs could be an attractive proposition, given their status and location.

If Tottenham are able to sign the former Brighton & Hove Albion man, Postecoglou plans to play him alongside Yves Bissouma, as an inverted full-back, allowing his old teammate to push further up the pitch.

What positions can Marc Cucurella play?

The 24-year-old has predominantly featured in a left wing-back role throughout his career so far, however, he has also featured slightly further forward at left-wing, as well as at centre-back on occasions.

Hailed as "brilliant" by Arsenal forward Leandro Trossard, the defender was one of Brighton's top performers in the 2021/22 campaign, averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.11, the third-highest figure in the squad.

While the Spaniard has not gotten off to the best of starts at Chelsea, coming under plenty of criticism from fans and the media alike last season, there were some promising signs, with UEFA's Technical Observer Panel praising him after the Blues' victory against Borussia Dortmund, saying:

“Cucurella was fantastic, claiming numerous turnovers in the first half and reading the game intelligently as well as showing aerial strength and an accuracy of distribution which underpinned the victory for Chelsea.”

Cucurella ranks highly for some key metrics over the past year, including tackling, placing him in the 97th percentile for tackles per 90, when compared to his positional peers, and if he is able to reignite his form from his time with Brighton, he could be a solid signing for Spurs.