Chelsea duo Raheem Sterling and Cole Palmer appeared to get into an argument over who should take a penalty against Arsenal on Saturday.
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Manchester United will not be involved in a potential summer transfer war for the Napoli striker Victor Osimhen amid their ongoing hunt for a new forward.
How much will Victor Osimhen cost?
United made a solid start to life under Erik ten Hag over the course of the 2022/23 campaign, but there is clearly still room for improvement.
The Red Devils secured their spot in the Champions League or the upcoming campaign as well as getting their hands on the Carabao Cup.
But it was apparent the Premier League giants were lacking a key figure up front to lead their attack.
Marcus Rashford ended the campaign with 30 goals across all competitions, however, only 17 of those came in the Premier League.
This has seen the likes of Harry Kane heavily linked with a potential move to the Theatre of Dreams over the course of the coming months.
However, recent reports have suggested this is no longer a possibility for United as they expect Tottenham Hotspur's asking price for them to be far too high.
And there has even been some links to the Napoli talisman, Osimhen, who has endured a stunning campaign which has the Serie A champions reportedly valuing him at around £128m.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Fabrizio Romano said: "Mentioning strikers, let me clarify one thing on Victor Osimhen."
"For Victor Osimhen, on Manchester United's side they feel is too expensive at current conditions €150 million – this is what Napoli want for Victor Osimhen.
"And so, at the moment, Man United are not entering into any bidding war for Victor Osimhen because €150 million is considered too much."
Which striker will Man United sign?
It is apparent the Red Devils are not overly keen on the notion of paying big money for a striker this summer.
Kane and Osimhen offer United with an opportunity to make a huge statement in the market ahead of what will likely be another competitive Premier League campaign.
However, it seems the Red Devils – for whatever reason – will be delving into the market for a potentially cheaper alternative.
According to some reports, Danish youngster Rasmus Hojlund is believed to be on the radar of those at Old Trafford this summer.
“It's a huge club, so I must have done something right if it says they want me. My goal is to reach the top shelf, and you can say that Manchester United is. So it will be huge,” he told a Danish outlet amid the links to the Red Devils.
However, it does seem as if the 20-year-old could potentially also come at a big asking price this summer with some reports suggesting Atalanta have an £86m valuation of the youngster.
Through strong concentration and sure-footed technique, the Australian duo staved off India and ensured the Border-Gavaskar Trophy bout remained locked at 1-1
The Report by Daniel Brettig20-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:04
Chappell: This is like a win for Australia
Thirty minutes before lunch, Peter Handscomb joined Shaun Marsh amid a Ranchi tumult. Their captain Steven Smith had just shouldered arms to let Ravindra Jadeja bowl him, symptomatic of a tired mind, the over after Matt Renshaw had also fallen. Australia were still 89 runs short of making India bat again; the hosts were circling hungrily.Five hours later, Handscomb was still there and Marsh not long departed. The Test match was drawn, and the Border-Gavaskar Trophy bout remained locked at 1-1. Through batting of commendable calm and sure-footed technique, the Australian duo had thwarted India in a manner that will be a source of enormous satisfaction to the tourists. By getting out of a predicament few expected them to survive, they took the series to its final match.Equally, India will be left to ponder why they were unable to close out this match in the manner of others during this elongated home season after the sublime innings by Cheteshwar Pujara. Certainly the Ranchi pitch stayed playable, but R Ashwin was unable to find a way through the Australian batsmen to provide the counterpoint to Jadeja’s danger. Ishant Sharma and Umesh Yadav both bowled useful spells, but could not follow up Renshaw’s wicket.Ultimately, Australia’s selection of a sixth batsman in place of the injured Mitchell Marsh gave them the batting depth they needed, not only to make a decent first-innings total but also to wriggle out of trouble on the final day. Before this match the visitors had gone 38 Test innings without a fifth-wicket stand worth 100 or more. In Ranchi, they managed to do it twice. Marsh and Handscomb’s stand was worth 124, soaking up 62 priceless overs.Smith and Renshaw had begun simply trying to bat for as long as possible, taking occasional scoring opportunities but stripping their games of risk. India’s captain Virat Kohli began with Jadeja at one end and Yadav at the other, not calling on the offbreak’s of the world’s No. 1 ranked bowler Ashwin until the ball had lost much of its earlier hardness.The plan to Smith appeared to be bowling wide of the stumps while trying to test the Australian captain’s patience. He was comfortable in leaving plenty of balls alone while scoring from the occasional ball that strayed onto the stumps. Renshaw had a few awkward moments against Jadeja but overall held his shape well in dealing with the left-armer’s variation between sharp turn and skidding straight balls.Kohli replaced Yadav with Ishant, and he found a hint of movement from around the wicket. Renshaw’s decision to pull away from the first ball of the 29th over of the innings seemed to raise Ishant’s ire, and he hurled down a pair of bouncers in the same over to push the opener back, before thudding one into his front shin for the lbw verdict.Smith had been safe in padding away anything Jadeja served up from over the wicket, but next over he failed to get his front leg far enough down the pitch or in line and heard the sickening noise of the off stump tumbling over. That error put Cheteshwar Pujara’s enormous concentration in perspective, and left Marsh and Handscomb with much to do.Ishant Sharma and India had precious little to celebrate on the last day in Ranchi•Associated Press
There were plenty of reasons for Marsh and Handscomb to feel overwhelmed when the afternoon session began, but neither was in the mood to give anything away. Their methods offered a contrast of left and right, plus Handscomb’s penchant for getting down the pitch versus Marsh’s long stride down the wicket and outside off stump.A key over arrived midway through the session when Handscomb took 13 from an Ashwin over, compelling Kohli to take him out of the attack and switch Jadeja away from the end from which he had found spiteful turn to defeat David Warner and Nathan Lyon on the penultimate evening.Handscomb and Marsh continued to accumulate either side of the interval, neither batsman doing anything outlandish but simply showing strong concentration and tight technique to frustrate the hosts, who had seemed so confident of victory little more than two hours before.A pair of lbw appeals were referred by India but the day was going with Australia: Handscomb was struck on the back foot but the ball was not striking enough of the bails to avoid being deemed too high, and Marsh’s miss of a flatter Ashwin delivery was not fatal because the ball had not quite straightened enough to strike leg stump squarely.Both batsmen went on to half centuries and negotiated the early passages with the second new ball – India’s last real hope of securing the rush of wickets they needed. Finally, Jadeja added a fourth victim when Marsh bunted a catch to short leg, and Glenn Maxwell soon squeezed Ashwin to silly point. But by then the match had all but petered out.Kohli kept his men going beyond a point that others might not have, perhaps still believing in a miracle. Handscomb, though, was unperturbed, leaving Kohli to finally seek his hand in a gesture of concession and so send these sides to Dharamsala for the decider.
Newcastle United appear set to make it a double raid on Serie A as they look to add to the imminent arrival of Sandro Tonali by bringing in Federico Dimarco.
Widespread reports on Wednesday suggested Newcastle are increasingly confident of bringing in Tonali for a fee in the region of £60m, but the ambitious Magpies are not likely to stop there.
Newcastle transfer news – Dimarco a target for Ashworth
According to NUFC Blog, Newcastle sporting director Dan Ashworth has not just flown to Italy to speak to AC Milan about a deal for Tonali, but also Inter Milan regarding a move for Dimarco.
It would be quite the coup for Newcastle should they pull off the transfer, as Dimarco is a player who has been touted as a €35m (£30m) target for Real Madrid and Manchester United this summer.
The ten-cap Italy international still has three years to run on his San Siro contract, so Inter will not feel obliged to sell unless their valuation is met in full.
Where would Federico Dimarco fit in at Newcastle United?
It is no secret that Eddie Howe is after a new left-back this window to rival – or more likely replace – Dan Burn for the 2023-24 season and beyond. While Burn largely did a good job there last season, the fan favourite is not expected to start there in the Champions League next season.
Kieran Tierney had been strongly linked with a switch from Arsenal to St James' Park, but news on that front has gone quiet of late and it now appears Dimarco is Howe's favoured option.
It is clear to see why, too, as Dimarco played a big part in Inter's run to last season's Champions League final, starting ten of their 13 games – including the full 90 minutes of the 1-0 defeat to Manchester City in Istanbul.
Dimarco can play left-back and also left wing-back given his attacking nature, highlighted by his eight goals for Inter in all competitions last season. Indeed, The Analyst ranks the Italian in the top 2% of all defenders last term for goals scored across Europe's top five leagues last season.
No defender across Serie A, Ligue 1, LaLiga, Bundesliga and the Premier League performed better than Dimarco in terms of shots, touches in the opposition penalty box and chances created.
To put those figures into some perspective, Dimarco's 0.20 goals per 90 minutes last season, as per FBref, compares to 0.05 for Burn, who was also occasionally used at centre-back.
Dimarco assisted ten goals last season, meanwhile, whereas Burn did not set up a single goal, while the Inter defender's 2.01 shots per 90 minutes compares to 0.67 for Burn.
The former Hellas Verona loanee is also a threat in terms of his deliveries, much like Kieran Trippier on the opposite flank, earning praise from European football expert Carlo Garganese for his "world-class" crosses and set-pieces.
That is not to say Burn does not have his own qualities in other areas, and the same is true of Dimarco in terms of his weaknesses.
For example, Burn wins 2.43 aerial duels per 90 minutes, compared to 0.23 for Dimarco, while the latter is also second best in terms of tackles won (0.98 v 1.07) and blocks (0.80 v 1.21).
Ultimately, Howe must decide whether he wants to be cautious on that side of the pitch or integrate a player into the team capable of getting even more out of the likes of Alexander Isak and Callum Wilson. Should he go with the latter option, this move would no doubt be bad news for their current towering full-back.
In an exciting new era at St James' Park with Champions League football set to return, Dimarco is surely the man for Howe to go for.
The arrival of Lasith Malinga for Mumbai Indians and Shakib Al Hasan for Kolkata Knight Riders highlights the high-profile match between the two teams on Sunday
The Preview by Vishal Dikshit08-Apr-2017Match factsMumbai Indians v Kolkata Knight Riders
Mumbai, April 9, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)
3:01
Hogg: With Lynn opening, KKR very balanced
Head to headLast season: Mumbai Indians won both matches, by the same margin – six wickets – and with the same Man of the Match – Rohit Sharma
Overall: Mumbai have won 13 of the 18 matchesIn the newsMumbai will be buoyed by the arrival of T20 specialist Lasith Malinga, who warmed up for the IPL with a hat-trick against Bangladesh, although in a losing cause. His addition will strengthen an attack that took only three wickets and could not defend 184 against Rising Pune Supergiants in their opening game.However, they will be without batsman Ambati Rayudu, who was stretchered off the field during the first game with a groin injury. Rayudu will be out for at least 10 days, according to Mumbai coach Mahela Jayawardene. Saurabh Tiwary could replace Rayudu.Sri Lanka’s Asela Gunaratne also joined the Mumbai squad, although he will find it tougher to squeeze into the middle order that comprises notable names from both domestic and international cricket. Mumbai, however, might reassess their decision to leave out Harbhajan Singh, their most capped player, from the first game. He might help curb Chris Lynn’s aggression as the batsman strikes more easily against fast bowlers.Kolkata Knight Riders received an international boost too – Shakib Al Hasan joined them after receiving the Man-of-the-Match award by top-scoring and taking three wickets against Sri Lanka. Knight Riders have already changed their prolific opening pair of Gautam Gambhir and Robin Uthappa from last season, by making Lynn open. But, moving from Rajkot to a smaller ground in Mumbai, will they want to play three spinners again? Umesh Yadav’s unavailability will make them look towards Ankit Rajpoot as a domestic pace option.The likely XIsMumbai Indians: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Saurabh Tiwary, 5 Nitish Rana, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Krunal Pandya/Hardik Pandya, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Jasprit Bumrah, 10 Mitchell McClenaghan/Tim Southee, 11 Lasith MalingaKolkata Knight Riders: 1 Gautam Gambhir (capt), 2 Chris Lynn, 3 Robin Uthappa (wk), 4 Manish Pandey, 5 Yusuf Pathan, 6 Suryakumar Yadav, 7 Chris Woakes, 8 Kuldeep Yadav, 9 Sunil Narine, 10 Piyush Chawla/Ankit Rajpoot, 11 Trent BoultAmbati Rayudu had to be carried off the field during the match against Rising Pune Supergiant•BCCI
Stats that matter Among teams that have faced each other at least ten times in the IPL, Mumbai’s 13-5 record against Knight Riders is the best (by win-loss ratio) In the 2016 IPL, spinners struck 16 times at Wankhede Stadium at an average of 20.12 and economy rate of seven, compared to the pacers’ average of 34.30 while taking 26 wickets with an economy rate of 8.52 Rohit Sharma has scored 25.50% of Mumbai’s runs in the eight wins he has featured in against Knight Riders Mumbai have the lowest average (18) for opening stands, using six pairs, since the beginning of 2016. Knight Riders have the best (50), after utilising only two pairs Lendl Simmons, who did not play Mumbai’s first match, has the highest average in the IPL (47.10). As opener, he is only behind Virat Kohli’s average of 58.11. Harbhajan has dismissed a few attacking batsmen as many as four times each in the IPL – Gambhir, Chris Gayle, Manish Pandey, Kevin Pietersen, Suresh Raina and Dwayne Smith
Everton midfielder Amadou Onana could be the 'most likely' player at Goodison Park to be sold this summer, according to journalist Paul Brown.
What's the latest transfer news involving Amadou Onana?
As per The Guardian, Chelsea have emerged as suitors for Onana this summer as they look to add some steel in the middle of the park at Stamford Bridge.
The report states that the £100k-a-week ace could be a natural replacement for veteran Chelsea anchorman N'Golo Kante, who is set to move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad at the end of the month.
Manchester United have also been monitoring Onana's situation as Erik Ten Hag seeks to add some more power to his options in the engine room and the Dutchman has signalled his intention to bring the Belgium international to Old Trafford, as per Football Insider.
Everton will play hardball with any sides that are keen on Onana and may demand up to £60 million in order to give themselves a platform for Sean Dyche to rebuild his squad this window, according to claims from the same outlet.
Financial difficulties have engulfed the Toffees of late and it is believed that they are 'under pressure' to sell Onana due to being in 'special measures' with the Premier League as a consequence of accumulating losses of over £370 million in a three-year period, as cited by The Daily Mail.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Brown thinks that Onana is one of the 'most likely' players to depart Everton this summer.
Brown said: "We still really haven't heard exactly what the player himself wants to do. I'd like to hear from Onana whether he really is committed to Everton for the long term or whether he does fancy a move to another club. That's the big question mark here. He didn't really pull up any trees the last few weeks of the season.
"You don't really want to be see your club sell any of its regular first team players… but if it comes to it, I think he's probably the most likely one to go."
Would losing Amadou Onana come as a blow to Everton?
In all likelihood, yes it would, seeing as Onana enjoyed a promising debut campaign as an Everton player and helped them to maintain their league status in the English top-flight.
In 2022/23, the 21-year-old made 35 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees, registering one goal and two assists, as per Transfermarkt.
Onana also stood strong in the tackle across the season and successfully averaged 2.2 successful challenges per match in the Premier League, as per WhoScored.
FBRef show that he also had the capacity to get forward from deeper positions and support his teammates, laying on 45 shot-creating actions in total.
Everton will want to keep hold of Onana this summer; however, it may be difficult given the calibre of side keen on taking him off their hands.
On a slow pitch in Hamilton, South Africa were content with only one specialist slow bowler and AB de Villiers has defended the move despite a seven-wicket defeat
Andrew McGlashan in Hamilton01-Mar-2017AB de Villiers was frustrated that South Africa lacked a “spark” in the field in Hamilton but defended the team selection believing an extra spinner would not have made a difference.The opening match of the series had been played on the same ground (this was the game moved from Napier due to their outfield problems) and batting was difficult throughout. The latest surface, an adjacent strip, was not expected to be quite so helpful but spin and the use of cutters was still likely to be a key weapon.New Zealand played two frontline spinners, plus cutters from Tim Southee and James Neesham proved effective in the middle of the innings, but South Africa chose Chris Morris over left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi to replace Andile Phehlukwayo who had a groin injury. There was also less variation from the South Africa pacemen in conditions that de Villiers felt had eased up towards the second innings.”They played Imran Tahir, who is the No. 1 bowler in the world, very well tonight. I’ve no reason to think it would have been different with another spinner,” de Villiers said. “I tried to bowl JP Duminy, but it didn’t turn as much as I expected it to. I felt there was more turn very early on in the afternoon, which was weird because in the last game it turned in the evening. But all in all, the wicket played pretty well over the 100 overs and we were beaten by the better team.”Given memories of the previous game, where conditions prompted de Villiers to call them the toughest he had faced, he admitted thinking South Africa’s 279 for 8 – which included 100 off the last eight overs – would be a winning total only for Martin Guptill to make it look wholly inadequate.”I thought it was enough because of what happened in the last game. The wicket started breaking up, turned a lot, got really slow, it was exploding, but there was not a lot of that tonight which means it was a really good ODI wicket. We just came unstuck against a better team and didn’t play our best especially in the second half. I wasn’t entirely happy with our skills. While in the rest of the series we have been bowling really well, there wasn’t a spark in the field [on Wednesday] so we need to get our act together for the final now.”Throughout the series, South Africa have needed de Villiers and the lower to bail them out of middle-order wobbles. In Hamilton they lost for 4 for 30 to slip to 158 for 6 before Chris Morris and Wayne Parnell helped haul the innings around. Duminy, who was promoted to No. 4 in this game, and David Miller have had a lean time with 108 runs in seven innings but they retained the utmost faith of their captain.”They are world-class players and will come to the party when it matters most which is hopefully the next game. We all go through patches but luckily we bat deep. There is no need to panic. I believe our top order is the best in the world.”
Christian Pulisic scored his third goal of the Serie A season to lead AC Milan to a win over Lazio.
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Pulisic scores third goal of seasonMilan top Lazio 2-0Musah impresses as early substitute
The U.S. men's national team star had scored in his first two Milan appearances before making little impact in the next four games as he went in and out of the XI. There was no keeping him quiet on Saturday, though, as the American scored a key goal in the second half to help seal all three points for the Rossoneri.
Pulisic wasn't the only American to impress in the win, with Yunus Musah coming off the bench early to replace the injured Ruben Loftus-Cheek, nearly earning an assist as he set up an Olivier Giroud chance late in the first half.
Getty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?
It was a highly physical match between the two Serie A sides, and one that was extremely tight until Pulisic's breakthrough goal.
The American's strike came in the 60th minute, with Pulisic finally breaking the deadlock with a fantastic half-volley. Rafael Leao will be credited with the assist, having raced through on the left wing before playing a bouncing cross to the penalty spot. Pulisic was there to finish, striking the ball into the net to score a key early-season goal for Milan.
Pulisic was joined on the scoresheet by Noah Okafor, who came off the bench to score Milan's second goal from another Leao assist. It was the striker's second in as many games as he begins to get going for Milan.
Musah, meanwhile, had some decent game time as he came on in the 29th minute. The American midfielder's fantastic cross to Giroud nearly resulted in a goal just before halftime, but, after an initial save on the Frenchman's first shot, Tijjani Reijnders couldn't quite turn the ball into the back of the net.
AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE
The focus will be on Pulisic, who is continuing to shine after arriving in Italy. Milan's attack is crowded, albeit not as crowded as Chelsea's and, with a crucial Champions League game looming, Pulisic made the perfect statement to Stefano Pioli.
To be fair, Pioli already seems to be a believer, with the trio of Pulisic, Leao and Giroud seemingly his preferred attack. That trio currently has Milan atop Serie A with that group combining for 10 of Milan's 14 goals in these first seven games.
Pulisic, though, was not named to Milan's starting XI against Newcastle in Europe, with Pioli instead turning to Samuel Chukwueze. Can Pioli leave Pulisic on the bench next week against Dortmund? It'll be tough after this performance.
Musah, meanwhile, also put in a positive performance as he continues to try and play his way into Pioli's starting XI. In addition to his near assist, he had a solid shot on goal in the second half as the ex-Valencia man was highly involved throughout for Milan.
GettyUSMNT IMPACT
Pulisic's role with the USMNT is unquestioned, so, from that perspective, the U.S. are simply glad to see the winger fit, confident and scoring ahead of October's friendlies.
Musah, meanwhile, is a player that could be battling for a starting midfield spot if the U.S. does, in fact, move Gio Reyna into a No.10 role.
The bad news for the USMNT is that Tyler Adams is out injured again, robbing the team of their top No.6 heading towards those games against Germany and Ghana. With Musah continuing to take steps forward at Milan, though, he should be ready to step in.
The fact that Pioli turned to Musah instead of ahead of Tommaso Pobega shows that the American midfielder is doing something right. He hasn't yet earned a starting XI spot, but, after his manager hailed him as a "complete player" ahead of this match, he did plenty to prove him right in this one.
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GettyGOAL'S RATINGS
Christian Pulisic (8/10):
Got the crucial goal and was dangerous throughout. Routinely targeted by physical play with few calls from the referee, Pulisic never drifted out of the game and, ultimately, helped decide it with his goal.
Yunus Musah (7/10):
Thrown into a tough situation as an early sub, but he responded well. Passed the ball well, created a few chances and looked comfortable throughout. A positive step.
Scorecard
In a nutshellKumar Sangakkara’s best form since international retirement wasn’t enough to overhaul Lahore Qalandars’ top-heavy batting performance in the latter’s seven-run win. In an entertaining contest at the Sharjah Stadium, Brendon McCullum’s men struggled to deliver a knockout blow to Karachi Kings, which meant the win looked narrower than it actually was. Karachi’s chase of 180 looked an uphill battle from the start, with the beleaguered Chris Gayle holing out to long-off in the second over of the chase bowled by Sunil Narine. Karachi’s challenge, in truth, lasted for the duration of the 101-run third-wicket partnership between Sangakarra and Shoaib Malik. When the pair fell within five balls of each other, the chase swiftly faded.Lahore’s captain McCullum’s lean run also continued, as he dragged a straight delivery on for a second successive duck, but the rest of the batsmen demonstrated that the horror innings against Peshawar Zalmi, where they were bowled out for 59, had not dissuaded them from going for their shots. Fakhar Zaman and Jason Roy shrugged off their captain’s departure to plunder 57 runs by the sixth over. Zaman barely noticed Roy’s dismissal, or indeed the end of the Powerplay, as he and Umar Akmal continued to swing from the hip. Karachi did not help themselves, dropping a pair of fairly routine catches that would have sent the pair packing earlier. By the end of the 13th over, Lahore were 125 for 4, and looked set for 200, and while they didn’t quite manage that, their final score of 179 was good in the end anyway.Where the match was wonA slow start is often costly in any T20 contest but when chasing 180, it is almost decisive. Gayle looked a tortured shell of his usual self in his seven-ball stay at the crease, and Babar Azam played a lazy shot to gift third man an easy catch. Sangakarra began brightly, his timing as well as placement his vintage majestic self, but with Malik also struggling early on, Karachi only mustered 60 runs in the first nine overs. The innings really only burst into life off the back of a poor tenth over from Bilawal Bhatti, and 53 runs came off the next four overs. But the slow start meant Karachi’s asking rate never really came down to a point when the pressure was off, and Sangakarra ultimately fell playing the high-risk cricket that was the only option before the side.The men that won itNarine, the bowling equivalent of McCullum in T20s, has lived up to his billing all tournament. He was at his wily, unplayable best today, turning the ball sharply off the Sharjah surface with no batsman seeming to pick him up properly. It appeared that as long as Lahore could turn to him, they were ahead in the game. It helped, of course, that the two wickets he took were of Gayle and Kieron Pollard. The mystery Narine continues to carry in his arsenal was epitomised by Pollard’s cluelessness as he played all around an offspinner.File photo – Sunil Narine removed Gayle and Pollard•AFP
Fielding fitThe fielding between the two sides was particularly stark. While Lahore looked sharp and alert under the stewardship of McCullum, taking their catches and hitting the stumps regularly, Karachi were sloppy. Zaman and Akmal had comfortable chances put down – the former, unhelpfully, by Sangakarra – and Karachi regularly struggled to stop ones from turning into twos. Given that the margin of defeat was only seven runs, such sloppiness cost them dear and they can ill-afford such untidiness in the following games if they have to lift themselves from the bottom of the table.The moment of the matchThe abiding memory of this game will undoubtedly be the century stand between Malik and Sangakarra, boasting a combined age of 74. Sangakarra’s lofted cover drive, in particular, is a shot worth the clichéd admission fee on its own. On consecutive deliveries off the unfortunate Yasir Shah in the thirteenth over, he showcased both his finesse and destructive power, timing the first over extra cover for four. Yasir went straighter next ball, but was still brave enough to flight the ball generously. Fortune didn’t favour him, as Sangakkara slog-swept him – still gracefully, somehow – onto the Sharjah roof. It might not have been decisive, but it was certainly delightful.Where they standLahore’s up-and-down season continues, with McCullum’s men managing two wins and two losses. They have four points, and sit fourth in the table on net run rate. Karachi are yet to manage a win in their three games.
Manchester United signing Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa this summer would be a surprise as he would be a 'big name contender' to challenge David De Gea between the sticks, according to journalist Dean Jones.
What's the latest transfer news involving Diogo Costa?
According to A Bola via METRO, Manchester United are interested in signing Costa from Porto this summer and he has emerged as a priority target for Erik Ten Hag.
The report states that the Red Devils are reluctant to activate his £64 million release clause and are trying to get his current employers to lower the price of the £24k-a-week ace.
As per The Guardian, they also detail that Manchester United are known admirers of Costa; however, Newcastle United and Chelsea are also keen on the Portugal international this off-season.
David De Gea's future at Old Trafford is uncertain and he may well depart the club following a distinguished period of service stretching back to 2012, as per 90min.
Contractually, De Gea will be free to leave Manchester United at the end of the month when his deal at the Red Devils expires; however, Ten Hag does have an option to extend his terms at the Premier League giants by a further 12 months.
Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones has indicated that he would be surprised if Costa was brought to Old Trafford this summer.
Jones told FFC: "To be honest, I would just be surprised generally if they brought in a big-name contender for De Gea. It doesn't really add up with what their intentions should be in this transfer window. They either replace David De Gea or they focus the main bulk of their money on other positions."
Would Diogo Costa be a good signing for Manchester United?
Costa is a very accomplished goalkeeper who is highly regarded among his peers due to his safe handling and his composure and distribution on the ball.
In 2022/23, the 23-year-old made 40 appearances in all competitions for Porto, recording 20 clean sheets in total, as per Transfermarkt.
As per FBRef, Costa has also managed to produce a save percentage rate of 77.2% in the Primeira Liga, demonstrating his reliability between the sticks.
Former Brazil international Helton was full of praise for Costa last year in an interview with Noticias ao Minuto, stating: “He [Costa] has the possibility of being the best goalkeeper in the world. I knew his qualities, and this is not a surprise to me. He took over at FC Porto and the national team as well, and this, even if there is Rui Patrício, an excellent goalkeeper.”
It is easy to see why Costa would warrant such high appraisal and he could well be a long-term replacement for De Gea if the latter chooses to depart Old Trafford.