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.

Lionel Messi did target Robert Lewandowski at the 2022 World Cup, Angel Di Maria has revealed, with rivals warned not to make the Argentine angry.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Albiceleste clashed with Poland in QatarSouth Americans went on to win the whole thingIconic forward responds to any doubtersWHAT HAPPENED?

Argentina locked horns with Poland in their final group stage outing at a global gathering in Qatar. Having suffered a shock defeat to Saudi Arabia in their opening fixture, while edging past Mexico in their second, the Albiceleste knew that nothing less than a win would do. Messi was not on target against the Poles, but he did impress in a 2-0 win and made a point of drifting far enough back that he got a chance to tangle with current Barcelona striker Lewandowski at various intervals – with Argentina ultimately going on to land the biggest prize in football.

AdvertisementGettyWHAT DI MARIA SAID ABOUT MESSI

Di Maria has told the documentary ‘Champions, a year later’: “Even my grandmother realised that Messi was deliberately confronting Lewandowski. These are things about him that remain inside him sometimes. When someone talks about him, he ends up throwing it at you.”

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Di Maria added on Messi’s desire to get one over on anybody that has written him off, with Lewandowski having questioned why the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner did not vote for him when collecting the 2021 FIFA Best Award: “There are people who talk and don't respect him, and don't realise that he is the best player in history. So you don't have to tell him anything, because in the end he ends up getting angry and it makes things worse [for opponents].”

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR MESSI & LEWANDOWSKI?

Messi completed his medal collection when inspiring Argentina to World Cup glory. He has crossed paths with Lewandowski again since, but the South American superstar is now plying his club trade in MLS with Inter Miami while a Polish rival is seeing questions asked of his future at Camp Nou – amid talk of potentially joining Cristiano Ronaldo and Co in the Middle East.

Ireland have called up the uncapped pair Jack Tector and Nathan Smith for their Intercontinental Cup match against Netherlands at Malahide from August 15-18.Allrounder Simi Singh, who made his ODI debut earlier this season, and legspinner Jacob Mulder have been chosen as the spin-bowling pair ahead of George Dockrell and Andy McBrine.Paul Stirling (calf), Niall O’Brien (shoulder) and Craig Young (elbow) are all unavailable due to injury. However, Boyd Rankin and Kevin O’Brien return after missing the previous Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan.Tector, 20, has been in consistent form this season and scored a century for Ireland Wolves against Scotland A last month while Smith claimed a five-wicket haul against MCC Young Cricketers last week.”I’m obviously delighted to be included in the squad,” said Tector. “It has been a dream of mine for a long time so it’s massively exciting. I’ve been happy with how the season has gone so far. The winter was brilliant with the Shapoorji Pallonji Academy and it’s nice to see that paying off. I’d like to thank everyone who has helped me along the way, particularly my club YMCA who have been so supportive.”Smith said: “I’m absolutely delighted with the call. It’s great to be a part of this exciting time in Irish cricket and I’m looking forward to the challenge.”Ireland squad William Porterfield (captain), John Anderson, Andrew Balbirnie, Peter Chase, Ed Joyce, Barry McCarthy, Jacob Mulder, Tim Murtagh, Kevin O’Brien, Boyd Rankin, Simi Singh, Nathan Smith, Jack Tector, Gary Wilson.

Hearts are continuing to work to land players this summer, and Football Scotland has revealed that the club have a centre-back as their top priority in the transfer market at present.

Have Hearts signed any players this summer?

The Scottish Premiership side have yet to make a single signing as of yet this summer, with the club instead seeing plenty of their own players head out the exit door. Josh Ginnelly, who featured 30 times for them in the league last season, has been allowed to leave and join Swansea for nothing for starters, which will be a blow to the club.

He bagged 12 SPL goals last time around and also had four assists – career-best totals for the winger. However, he opted not to stay on with the side and has now left for the Championship again,

Further to that, the Jam Tarts have also lost youngster Scott McGill to Raith Rovers. He only ever featured in one league outing for the side mind, and will now play his football elsewhere. Euan Henderson has left to join Hamilton, having spent four seasons in Edinburgh. He struggled to get going with Hearts though, scoring only three times in the league for them, and spent the 2022/23 season with Queen's Park. Five more players have also been let go.

Who has been linked with a Hearts transfer?

It means there is certainly room for more bodies and improvements in the squad as things stand. Hearts had been eager to wrap up a deal for Riku Handa, but that deal collapsed. The defender has featured heavily in Japan in the J1 and J2 Leagues for Gamba Osaka and Montedio, and it looked like a switch to Scotland could be on, but Steven Naismith and Co will have to move on to other targets.

According to a report from Football Scotland's reliable Mark Hendry, the Jambos have identified what area they would most like to strengthen this summer. Naismith, who is currently their technical director, has been working hard to find potential incomings and a central defender is seen as the main area for improvement this transfer window. It looks likely then that any linked names in the coming days and weeks will fall into that category.

Henry also adds that a right-back is also quite high up on the shopping list – so it appears that most of their focus, at least for now, will be on improving their backline in front of Zander Clark.

With Hearts finishing in an impressive fourth in the Scottish Premiership last season, they will not want to let their standards slip ahead of the new campaign. With Ginnelly having left, it will be hard to replace his goals and creativity. However, the Jam Tarts staff worked hard to take their team into the top four last time around and have proven their ability to do so. Supporters will have to trust that they can now get the job done again and bring in the right players this transfer window.

Worcestershire Rapids turned current form on its head by beating arch-rivals Birmingham Bears by five runs in the NatWest T20 Blast at Edgbaston

ECB Reporters Network04-Aug-2017Worcestershire Rapids turned current form on its head by beating arch-rivals Birmingham Bears by five runs in the NatWest T20 Blast at Edgbaston.In front of a bumper crowd of 15,113 (a record for a Bears home T20 group game) the Rapids totalled a meaty 190 for 7, built on a lightning start supplied by openers John Hastings (51 from 20 balls) and Joe Clarke (34 from 15).That target proved too much for the Bears who ended on 185 for 7, their challenge undermined by the excellent spin of Mitchell Santner who claimed 3 for 16 despite resistance from debutant Dominic Sibley and Grant Elliott.Put in, the Rapids made a seriously rapid start as Hastings and Clarke thrashed 75 in 28 balls. At one stage, five successive balls – three from Colin de Grandhomme in an over that cost 30 and two from Boyd Rankin – were lifted for six.John Hastings’ 20-ball 51 set up Worcestershire victory•Getty Images

Hastings hit four fours and five sixes and Clarke clubbed two fours and four sixes before both perished to calm catches by Aaron Thomason at deep midwicket.A brake was applied by the spin of Sibley. The new signing from Surrey delivered 4-0-20-1, collecting his first Bears wicket when Santner was well-caught by Jeetan Patel at long-on.The innings lost momentum in the middle but gathered impetus again later thanks to the improvisation of Brett D’Oliveira who made an unbeaten 35 off 24 balls.Birmingham also started briskly but were pegged back by tandem spin. The fifth over, from Santner, cost just one run and brought the wicket of Ian Bell, caught at short third man. Santner then added the wicket of Sam Hain, stumped, in his next over before Adam Hose fired a fierce return catch back to D’Oliveira.Sibley was within a single of a debut half-century when he skied Mitchell to Santner at long-on. The Bears’ were running out of potential match-winners and another one disappeared when Elliott reverse-swept Santner to short third man.De Grandhomme thumped two sixes on his way to 23 from 12 balls but after he was superbly caught by Ed Barnard on the point boundary off Joe Leach, the Bears’ challenge subsided – and the Rapids’ qualification push was well and truly rebooted.

Alex Hales’ barnstorming white-ball form continued•Getty Images

A brutal display of ball-striking from Alex Hales powered the Notts Outlaws to a convincing victory over Durham Jets in the NatWest T20 Blast competition.The England international, who scored an unbeaten 187 to help his county win the Royal London One-Day Cup final a month ago, clubbed nine fours and nine sixes in a stunning innings of 95, made from just 30 deliveries.West Indies’ star Chris Gayle holds the record for the fastest individual T20 century of all-time, getting to the landmark from only 30 balls and Hales could have equalled it but his mighty assault off James Weighell sliced high into the Nottingham sky and then down into the waiting gloves of wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter.”I knew there was a chance to go for the quickest T20 century of all-time and you don’t get those opportunities very often,” Hales said. “I love batting at Trent Bridge, for me it is utter paradise, the wickets are great and there are some short boundaries, so I knew there was a chance of doing it.It’s a special feeling to play here and to get so many in the Powerplay overs with Riki. As a team we’ve got real momentum at the moment and hopefully we can keep it going.”Riki Wessels made an undefeated 41 to ensure that Hales’ work didn’t go unrewarded, although there was a clatter of wickets before the home side got over the line to chase down a target of 184 and complete a five-wicket win with 37 balls remaining.

A record-breaking chase

106 Runs scored by Nottinghamshire Outlaws in the Powerplay against Durham Jets – Most runs ever scored in the Powerplay in T20s where ball-by-ball data is available. They broke the record set by Kolkata Knight Riders who scored 105 against Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier this year in the Indian Premier League.
19 Balls taken by Alex Hales to reach his fifty. This is the second time this season he has scored a fifty in 19 balls or fewer. He reached his 50 in 18 balls against Yorkshire.
13.30 Run rate at which the Notts Outlaws chased down the target of 183 set by Durham – second-highest in all T20s where the target was above 150. Netherlands chased 189 in 13.5 overs at 13.95 runs per over which remains the best.
9.63 Average run rate at Trent Bridge since the start of 2016 – highest for any ground that has hosted more than 10 T20s. The ground has a strike rate of 153.09 in the same period which is also the highest.

Durham had earlier scored 183 for 7, after being asked to bat first, with Michael Richardson top-scoring with 53 and Paul Coughlin was left undefeated on 42 from 25 deliveries. Pace off the ball proved beneficial for the home attack, with Samit Patel taking 2 for 23 and both Steven Mullaney and Ish Sodhi also picked up two wickets.The Outlaws’ run chase began in highly dramatic circumstances, with Durham suddenly finding themselves two bowlers short.Thirteen runs, including a six from Hales, came from Weighell’s opening over of the innings but it was the next over that produced a flurry of incidents, with three different bowlers needed to complete the set of six.Usman Arshad was ordered out of the attack after sending down two waist-high full tosses. Coughlin took over and went for two fours and a six before he had to leave the field after being struck on the hand by a blow from Hales. Jack Burnham completed the over with a dot ball.Hales and Wessels brought up the team 50 in only 3.2 overs but only five more balls were bowled before a short shower sent the players off the field.The break seemed to re-invigorate the opener as Hales powered his next three balls to the ropes, to leave the total on 78 without loss after five overs.Ryan Pringle came in for extreme punishment as Hales then took 28 off the next over, passing his 50 from just 19 balls, with seven fours and three sixes. The board read 106-0 at the end of the sixth over, a world record for the Powerplay overs.No bowler was spared, although Cameron Steel put down a bullet of a caught and bowled chance when the international was on 82. Typically, the next two balls disappeared out of the ground.Once Hales had departed mayhem set in. Both Tom Moores and Mullaney departed to the first ball they faced and Christian only made 10, with Steel getting his first two wickets in the format – but at a personal cost of 60 runs.Patel made 26 but fell to Brydon Carse when only four runs were needed, leaving Wessels and Brendan Taylor to take the Outlaws over the finishing line.Earlier in the day, Durham were put under pressure from the very start of their innings when Graham Clark was bowled in the first over by Patel.Richardson and Steel began to re-build the innings with a stand of 54 but Mullaney separated them as soon as he came into the attack. The first delivery sent down by the medium-pacer was helped out by Steel, straight into the safe hands of Hales at deep midwicket.Burnham was bowled by Sodhi for 1 and Gareth Harte, in for the resting Paul Collngwood, lofted Mullaney out to Taylor at deep cover.The visitors had slid from 57 for 1 to 68 for 4 but then had around 15 minutes to regroup after a sudden shower sent the players scurrying back to the dressing rooms.Upon the resumption Richardson went on to reach his 50 from 37 balls but hit all around a Patel delivery and was bowled.Sodhi removed Stuart Poynter but an eighth wicket stand of 52 between Coughlin and Ryan Pringle, who made 25, helped the Jets towards a competitive total.Overthrows helped the Jets take 21 from the final over, with Ball’s last delivery being scooped over his own head for six by Coughlin.Durham’s defeat was their eighth in 10 matches, whilst the Outlaws now top the North Group table, despite having lost their first two matches in the competition.

Jesse Lingard is gearing up for a return to football as the free agent continues to work out and train alone amid his search for a new club.

Article continues below

Article continues below

Article continues below

Lingard a free agent since summerWinger training and working out aloneShared motivational post on social mediaWHAT HAPPENED?

The 30-year-old has been a free agent since he was released by Nottingham Forest at the end of last season. Lingard was unable to find a new team ahead of the current campaign but appears to be determined to get back into the game soon.

AdvertisementWHAT LINGARD SAID

The former Manchester United star posted images on Instagram of himself working out, adding the caption: "Gyming".

The England international included in his post a motivational quote that read: "Doors are opening for you. The wait wasn't punishment, it was preparation."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Lingard has regularly shared videos and images of his progress in training and the gym as he continues to wait for a new opportunity. He spent a month in Saudi Arabia training with Al-Ettifaq and even featured in a match for Steven Gerrard's team, but did not end up signing a permanent deal with the club and is back in England.

ENJOYED THIS STORY?

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

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR LINGARD?

With teams in the market to sign reinforcements as the January transfer window approaches, Lingard may field a few offers in the coming weeks and will hope to finally find a new side to continue his career.

Leeds United's questionable transfer policy in recent years was undoubtedly a huge contributor to their steady slope back into the Championship. For all the excitement that surrounded the club in 2020, 2023 swiftly wiped that away as they succumbed to relegation from the Premier League.

These rogue deals spanned the tenures of both Marcelo Bielsa and Jesse Marsch, although it could be argued that the latter truly put the nail in the coffin with some choice acquisitions that wasted funds.

The £24.7m expended to bring in Brenden Aaronson immediately springs to mind, and yet despite the American only scoring once all year before being recently shipped out on loan, it was not even the worst piece of business conducted during that campaign.

Staring down the drop, Marsch saw fit to unload another huge fee to tempt an unproven Georginio Rutter to Elland Road. Breaking the club record fee, the Frenchman immediately saw unnecessary pressure heaped onto his shoulders to drag them out of the mud. He would average just 24 minutes per match in the league.

Given they start this coming season at home to Cardiff City, this was clearly a failed venture.

However, that is not to suggest that he does not retain huge promise.

There is clearly a bright player in there, just waiting to be unleashed. Perhaps Daniel Farke could seek to usher that out with a few choice additions of his own.

In terms of supplementing the attackers he already boasts, there are arguably few better options on the market than Manchester United's Amad Diallo, to whom they have been linked with a swoop.

What position does Amad Diallo play in?

Fresh off the back of a scintillating season as a left winger with Sunderland, the £28k-per-week wide man proved to be a key asset for Tony Mowbray's side that pushed for an unexpected playoff spot.

Although they were felled by Luton Town, that did not stop the Ivorian from lighting up one of their clashes, thundering home from way out to equalise in the first leg.

That marked one of the many goal contributions the 21-year-old would record from that left flank, as he scored 13 and assisted a further three in the Championship.

To put this kind of potency onto the wing, likely commanding numerous opposition players to thwart, the space for Rutter to shine would surely see him showcase his true talents.

After all, former Hoffenheim boss Sebastian Hoeness has been full of praise for the youngster in the past: ''Georginio is very athletic, a good striker of a football and can play in a variety of forward roles. His combination of speed, athleticism and shooting ability with both feet means he has huge potential." The pieces are in place for him to pose a huge threat to English football.

Were he to be put in a one-on-one situation, which Diallo's presence could induce, the figures suggest that this forward would leave most in his wake.

After all, when compared to other forward across Europe, this 21-year-old ranks in the top 1% for successful take-ons per 90. However, what would make this relationship more even is the defensive work rate of the ex-Hoffenheim finisher, who also sits in the top 8% for tackles, the top 2% for interceptions and the top 8% for blocks per 90, via FBref.

This would in turn allow the man branded an "absolute wizard" by writer James Copley in the form of Diallo to unleash that magic more often, allowing both of these assets to dominate the Championship together.

It just makes sense to put Rutter and Diallo in the same team, given how the presence of both tricksters would help facilitate the success of their counterpart.

Leicester City ramped up their preparations for the new Championship campaign this week with the signing of Callum Doyle on loan from Manchester City, but new head coach Enzo Maresca appears to be on the lookout for even more recruits.

Who are Leicester City signing?

The Foxes have so far brought in Doyle, Conor Coady and Harry Winks since being relegated from the Premier League in May, just seven years on from winning the competition.

Coady and Winks arrived from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur respectively for a combined fee of £17.5m, helping to offset the departures of James Maddison, Youri Tielemans and Caglar Soyuncu among others.

The Foxes have been tipped to bring in another centre-back to potentially partner Coady, and TEAMtalk suggests Leicester are one of seven teams keeping tabs on Middlesbrough's Paddy McNair.

Middlesbrough are supposedly open to offers for the Northern Ireland international, who is on wages of around £20,000 a week at the Riverside Stadium, according to Capology.

What position does Paddy McNair play in?

McNair has shown his versatility across the past six seasons in the Championship with Sunderland and for his current side, the past five of those with the latter, having played at centre-back in central midfield and at full-back.

Indeed, as per WhoScored, McNair was used 28 times in the heart of defence last season, twice on the right and seven times in central midfield, making him a very versatile option for Maresca should he arrive.

As Boro boss Michael Carrick pointed out last season when praising McNair's "terrific" displays, it is at centre-back he prefers playing.

The 28-year-old can be trusted to do a job wherever he is fielded, with veteran Neil Warnock hailing him as the best player he has managed, while predicting he would be playing "at the very top" again one day.

It has not quite worked out that way just yet, but McNair is still clearly a man in demand, with promoted Premier League trio Luton Town, Sheffield United and Burnley also said to be interested.

McNair is particularly strong when it comes to his ability to move the ball forward from the back. As per FBref, he ranks in the top 4% of centre-backs for progressive carries (1.69 per 90) across the eight divisions most alike the Championship, and he is among the top 2% for progressive passes received.

Where the former Manchester United player let himself down last season was in terms of clearances per 90 (2.61) and interceptions per 90 (0.80), placing him among the bottom 4% and bottom 7% of centre-backs respectively.

Looking at Coady's figures from last season on loan at Everton, he averaged 3.78 clearances per 90 in the Premier League – only four team-mates could better that – and 0.60 interceptions.

Should they be paired together, it is likely that McNair will be the one tasked with taking the ball forward in a flexible formation – Pep Guardiola protege, Maresca is in charge, after all – while Coady will be more of a pure defender.

Either way, it will be one of the more experienced centre-back partnerships in the Championship should Leicester pull off the deal, and one with plenty of promise.

Luke Ronchi was destroyer-in-chief in the chase, smashing 70 off 33 to hasten Guyana Amazon Warriors’ victory

The Report by Peter Della Penna07-Sep-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsRashid Khan claimed the first hat-trick in CPL history•Getty ImagesIn a rematch of the 2016 CPL final, Guyana Amazon Warriors exacted revenge behind Rashid Khan’s hat-trick and Luke Ronchi’s cold-blooded 70 off 33 balls to knock out the defending champion Jamaica Tallawahs at Brian Lara Stadium. Tallawahs were on the back foot throughout Amazon Warriors’ chase of 169 courtesy a splendid second-wicket stand of 67 in 5.1 overs between Ronchi and Chadwick Walton, before victory was sealed by a six from Assad Fudadin with 13 balls to spare.Opening questionFor the second night in a row, the decision to open the batting with a player who hadn’t played through the tournament produced underwhelming results. On Tuesday night, it was William Perkins with Trinbago Knight Riders and on Wednesday night, it was Kennar Lewis with Tallawahs.The Tallawahs management decided to drop Glenn Phillips despite four 30-plus scores in seven innings in the competition. Captain Kumar Sangakkara said at the post-match presentation that the reason to include Lewis was because the Tallawahs “had gone soft in the Powerplay”. Lewis managed 15 before he was bounced out by Rayad Emrit, caught at deep square leg in the fifth over.The riddle in the middleSangakkara and Andre McCarthy, a consistent performer for the Tallawahs this season, were pushed down two spots. Rather than giving their two leading scorers the most time to bat, their delayed entry may have cost the side 20-plus runs, particularly since Sangakkara finished unbeaten on 57 off 38 balls.Steven Jacobs benefited most. The offspinner pinched two early wickets in the seventh over, snapping up Lendl Simmons at cover for 34 and then had Mahmudullah four balls later as his sloppy swat to the leg side found Veerasammy Permaul at midwicket to make it 59 for 3.Rashid’s googly hat-trickOn Wednesday night, Rashid created CPL history with the tournament’s first ever hat-trick.First was McCarthy, beaten driving by a googly to begin the 15th over. Jonathan Foo lunged at another googly next ball and was beaten easily as the ball knocked into leg stump.Rovman Powell’s dismissal was the worst stroke of the three, teased into chasing a flighted delivery well outside off that spun back sharply to hit off stump. At 116 for 7, Tallawahs were left with a struggle to get to a defendable total on a night where heavy dew made gripping the ball increasingly difficult as the night wore on.Ronchi the ravagerThe Amazon Warriors’ playoffs chances were hit when captain Martin Guptill left the tournament due to a family emergency. But the Warriors have seemingly been galvanized with the arrival of his replacement Ronchi, who has scored more runs in three matches (149) than Guptill did in the first seven (142).A harbinger of the savage display to come arrived on his third ball when he effortlessly lofted Mahmudullah back over his head for six. After the Powerplay, Ronchi feasted on poor angles offered by the Tallawahs bowlers, as he used nothing but wrist to whip Rovman Powell for a pair of sixes off the first two balls of the seventh over. Kesrick Williams wilted under pressure too. Ronchi soon brought up the second-fastest fifty of CPL 2017, off 20 balls.Ronchi finished with 70 off 33 balls, setting up Thursday night’s showdown with Trinbago Knight Riders for a chance to return to the CPL final for the fourth time in five seasons.