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Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe succession plan has faced an early stumbling block, with Napoli forward Victor Osimhen eyeing a move to England.

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Mbappe to leave PSG in summerParisians targeting Napoli hitman OsimhenBut Nigerian frontman wants PL moveWHAT HAPPENED?

PSG's French starboy reportedly announced to the club on Thursday that he would be leaving when his contract expires in the summer, with Real Madrid the likeliest to land the forward. Naturally, plans are being put in place at Parc des Princes for who to replace Mbappe. Osimhen has emerged as a likely candidate, but PSG will reportedly need to fork out €130 million (£112m/$141m) for his release clause, reports (via ).

Advertisement(C)Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

According to the report, neither that fee nor the player's €10m-a-year (£8.6m/$10.8m) wages faze the Ligue 1 giants, who have always been backed in the market by their wealthy Qatari owners. However, 's piece does state that Osimhen's preference may scupper their approach. The Nigerian is said to favour a move to the Premier League, with the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United on the hunt for forward reinforcements.

DID YOU KNOW?

Osimhen has perhaps flirted with a move to Stamford Bridge above all. He has openly admitted that Didier Drogba is his childhood idol and sent Blues fans wild with his response to a fan asking him to "rescue" their club late last year.

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GettyWHAT NEXT FOR OSIMHEN?

The ball, then, appears to be in Osimhen's court, as a host of Europe's top sides are set to battle it out for his signature in a few months' time. Despite their lavish spending across two years of Todd Boehly ownership, Chelsea have been told how they can spend a further £350m ($441m) in the summer, meaning Osimhen will still be in their sights.

New Zealand Cricket has gone back to its roots with the reintroduction of the Plunket Shield as the trophy for the men’s first-class competition this summer

Cricinfo staff04-Nov-2009New Zealand Cricket has gone back to its roots with the reintroduction of the Plunket Shield as the trophy for the men’s first-class competition this summer. The shield was first introduced in 1906 and was replaced from 1974-75 by the Shell Trophy, which was itself succeeded by the State Championship in 2001-02.But the loss of State Insurance as sponsors for 2009-10 has prompted a return to the Plunket Shield, which has been on display at the New Zealand Cricket Museum in Wellington. The NZC chief executive Justin Vaughan said he was excited at the prospect of dusting off the trophy.”The Plunket Shield has a strong place in our cricket history,” Vaughan said. “The reintroduction of the Plunket Shield allows us to acknowledge the traditions of the game and at the same time appropriately celebrate and promote our four-day first-class competition. For the first time in a decade we find ourselves in a different sponsorship environment – and this gives us the opportunity to restore real history and heritage back into our first-class competition through the Plunket Shield.”The Plunket Shield has been the historical foundation of domestic cricket in New Zealand for over a century – and New Zealand Cricket is committed to retain the Plunket Shield for our four-day first-class competition into the future. The naming rights for this competition are not for sale. We look forward to some great performances in the four-day competition and we hope cricket enthusiasts will get out and strongly support the reintroduction of the Plunket Shield.”The shield was last won in 1974-75 by an Otago side captained by Glenn Turner. He said it was pleasing to see the prize back up for grabs 35 years later.”The Plunket Shield was our only first-class competition at that time,” Turner said. “There was no one-day game, and just five rounds of three-day matches, so the competition was intense. The Shield was a real symbol of inter-provincial rivalry. The four-day game remains the pinnacle of our domestic cricket, so it will be great to see it back as the focus of the competition.”The season kicks off next week with the first round of four-day games. The six teams play five rounds before Christmas and a further five rounds in February-March.

BBC Sport’s Adam Pope has revealed that Leeds United star Raphinha “should be fit” for this weekend’s Premier League clash against Norwich City.

What’s the story?

The Brazilian hobbled off during his side’s 1-1 draw with Wolves last weekend, and there no doubt would have been real fears about how long he could potentially be out for.

The former Rennes man himself moved quickly to allay those doubts after that match, and while he was not involved in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup defeat against Arsenal, he looks set to be good for the trip to the Canaries on Sunday.

Writing on Twitter after the game against the Gunners, Pope said: “Shackleton & Raphinha should be fit for Norwich. No injuries forced the substitutions. Klich for Forshaw as MB felt he’d take advantage of the offensive play in the 1st half. Gelhardt on for Roberts because he wanted to try out Joffy with Rodrigo.”

Huge boost for Bielsa

Make no mistake about it, Raphinha has emerged as one of Leeds’ best players, if not their best.

He ranked fourth for goals and first for his assists among his teammates last season, and his willingness to take players on and try and make things happen for his side was reflected by him averaging the most dribbles of any Leeds player with 1.9 per game.

Raphinha’s displays had Leeds teammate Patrick Bamford hailing him after the 2-0 win over Crystal Palace back in February, with the England international telling Sky Sports: “I think, to be honest, he has been a steal for Leeds. I am surprised. As soon as he came in, you saw him in training, you know sometimes with players whether they are good or they are top class, and he really was. He stood out straightaway.

“I am surprised that bigger teams, more established Premier League teams I should say, haven’t taken a punt on him because he really is someone special, and he is young.”

Given Leeds’ wretched start to the Premier League season – they’ve managed just one win all campaign – having Raphinha available for a crunch game against fellow strugglers Norwich is a massive boost for the White.

Those three words that he “should be fit” will undoubtedly leave many supporters around Elland Road absolutely buzzing.

Meanwhile, this Leeds star has given Bielsa a headache…

Leeds United right-back Luke Ayling was filmed riding a scooter on Saturday by his wife on Instagram.

The Lowdown: Ayling limps off

Marcelo Bielsa was forced to deploy Ayling at centre-back alongside captain Liam Cooper on Friday evening against Newcastle.

The Whites drew 1-1 at St James’ Park and added two more players to the injury list, with goalscorer Raphinha and Ayling going off with knocks.

Ayling went down twice before eventually making way for Jamie Shackleton.

The Latest: Instagram post

Ayling’s wife, Poppy, posted a video on her Instagram story on Saturday afternoon, with the Leeds man riding a scooter alongside his daughter.

Poppy captioned the video as a ‘family walk’, so perhaps Ayling’s knock is worse than first feared and the £25,000-a-week defender is being advised not to walk following his injury.

@TalkingShutt took a screenshot of the story and posted the image on Twitter, leading fans to hypothesise that the scooter is to prevent him walking, while one supporter claimed the image ‘isn’t good news’.

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/latest-leeds-united-news-16/” title=”Latest Leeds United news!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: Not ideal

Bielsa is without Pascal Struijk for two more games due to suspension, while Diego Llorente and Robin Koch have both been sidelined.

So, should Ayling’s injury be worse than first feared, it would be another setback for the Whites at the back.

Hopefully, Ayling decided to ride the scooter by choice and is feeling fine after his knock against Newcastle, however, you could certainly look at it with the same worry that some fans already have.

Only time will tell how serious it is, but it would’ve helped ease fears if Ayling was captured walking freely on social media.

In other news: ‘Be a big boost’ – Paddy Kenny lauds ‘brilliant news’ from Leeds United source. 

Sri Lanka Under-19 took the upper hand in the five-match series, with a comprehensive win in the third ODI at the Gardens Oval

Cricinfo staff06-Oct-2009
Scorecard
Sri Lanka Under-19 took the upper hand in the five-match series, with a comprehensive win in the third ODI at the Gardens Oval. Four wickets from left-arm fast bowler Charith Jayampathi along with a near run-a-ball fifty from Kithruwan Withanage was enough to ensure the five-wicket win against Australia Under-19.Put in by Sri Lanka, Australia never really got going, with wickets falling at regular intervals. The visitors bowled with purpose with Jayampathi striking at crucial moments. No. 10 Luke Doran emerged as the highest scorer with 26, as the hosts were bowled out with five balls to spare.It wasn’t the best of starts as well for Sri Lanka during their reply, as Sean Abbott made early inroads. He removed the top three in quick time to leave the visitors struggling at 3 for 34. However, Withanage and Rumesh Buddhika took up the responsibility of repairing the innings and they did it in style, putting on 92 for the fourth wicket. While Budhhika managed three boundaries during his 68-ball 32, Withanage smashed 10 during his stay.The partnership effectively sealed the match and Danushka Gunathilake (24) then saw them through.Sri Lanka have a 2-1 lead going into the fourth encounter on Friday.

Ravi Bopara has admitted that he is fighting to save his Test place after his poor form continued with a miserable match at Headingley

Cricinfo staff09-Aug-2009Ravi Bopara has admitted that he is fighting to save his Test place after his poor form continued with a miserable match at Headingley. He bagged scores of 1 and 0 in the fourth Test and his series tally is a meagre 105 at an average of 15 as he struggles to adapt to the No. 3 berth.”There is no disguising the pressure I am under,” he wrote in the . “There is nowhere to hide because, in such a massively high-profile series as this and against opponents of the quality of Australia, you have to front up every single day.”Bopara made a promising start to his time at first drop with consecutive centuries against West Indies earlier in the summer, but combating the likes of Ben Hilfenhaus and Mitchell Johnson has proved a far harder task. The Australians have probed his weakness outside off stump where his technique is loose and, as Justin Langer wrote in his hard-hitting dossier about the England players, have prayed on Bopara’s ego.However, Bopara is determined to remain positive despite his difficulties having experienced a similar situation in Sri Lanka during his debut series when he collected three ducks on the bounce.”It is up to me. No one else can do the batting for me,” he said. “Just as important for me now is my thinking and my approach. When you are searching for a bit of form, the main danger for a player like me, who likes to go for his shots, is that I might start slipping into survival mode.”I’ve been guilty of doing that in the past, both in county cricket and when I had that terrible time on my first England tour in Sri Lanka, and it just doesn’t work. If I am given the opportunity at The Oval to respond to my scores of one and a first-ball duck here at Leeds, whatever else I do to break out of this trot, I must remain positive and look to score at every opportunity.”To compound Bopara’s misery replays showed he got an inside edge when given out first ball against Hilfenhaus on the second day at Headingley, but he refused to make any excuses.”I wouldn’t say I’ve been blessed with good fortune over a couple of umpiring decisions, but I’ve no complaints. Stuff happens when things aren’t going your way. I have to admit I’m finding it pretty difficult to see the positives at the moment. But I’ll try to keep smiling and keep enjoying my first taste of the Ashes.”

Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge has told Football FanCast that he reckons Harry Kane should be involved against Wolves on Sunday.

Kane was left out of the squad for Spurs’ season-opening victory at Manchester City last weekend due to his lack of fitness.

However, the England captain has since reported back to Hotspur Way to integrate with the rest of his teammates but still wasn’t included in the party that were beaten in Portugal in the UEFA Conference League on Thursday despite being named in the squad for the play-off tie.

Kane’s availability was once more the main talking point when Nuno Espirito Santo addressed the press ahead of his return to Wolves this weekend, but the Spurs boss didn’t confirm or deny whether the 28-year-old will make his first appearance since the Euro 2020 final.

But whilst Santo said he’ll decide regarding Kane 24 hours before the game, Bridge told Football FanCast that he should play some part:

“I’d be surprised if Kane started against Wolves on Sunday, but I think he should be on the bench.”

An update has emerged on Leeds target Nahitan Nandez, regarding Cagliari’s plans for the January transfer window. 

What’s the talk?

Leeds United target Nandez has been promised that Cagliari will work hard to allow him to leave in the January transfer window.

His agent has confirmed that his club’s president is willing to sell him for less than the €36m (£30.8m) release clause Nandez has in his current contract.

He told Calcio Napoli 24, via Sport Witness: 

“Cagliari? Giulini has promised the player and me to do everything possible so that he leaves in the January market.

“Nandez wants to win something; he wants to play in the Champions League. The president has given us his word, Nandez has been the most expensive player in Cagliari’s history, but we know the crisis there has been.

“Goodbye on loan or outright? I think he will sell him at a lower price than the one requested, there is a 36 million clause, but the president spoke yesterday with Nandez and told him that he will lower the price and let him leave.”

Bielsa would love him

Leeds chief Victor Orta must sanction a January deal for Nandez following this update from the player’s agent, as it means the Whites could pick up a potential bargain.

Cagliari are seemingly desperate to cash in on the Uruguay international, hence their willingness to sell him for less than £30.8m, and Leeds could look to take advantage of the situation.

Orta reportedly chased a swoop for Nandez in the summer window, indicating that he feels the midfielder could be a useful addition to Marcelo Bielsa’s squad. The Leeds head coach would love to have him as an option in the middle of the park, based on his form last term in the Serie A.

Nandez averaged a SofaScore rating of 6.80 across 32 appearances – making 2.5 tackles and interceptions per game. This shows that he can perform consistently whilst putting himself about in midfield at the top level, although there is no guarantee that he can translate that over to the Premier League.

Serie A expert Conor Clancy hailed Nandez earlier this year, claiming he could play anywhere. He told This Is Futbol:

“Anywhere Bielsa wants to play him, he’d do a job. I like him a lot. I think he’s only about five foot seven, but you wouldn’t know it if you just watched clips of him, he is a little bit of a machine. He’s so powerful but at the same time, has really, really good ball control.”

Therefore, Bielsa would love the £42k-per-week beast as he, according to Clancy, has the physical attributes to thrive in a pressing, high intensity, system whilst also offering versatility positionally. This means that Bielsa could play him in a myriad of roles and fill several gaps by utilising Nandez’s flexibility, which he would surely be delighted with.

Orta must now look to persuade Nandez to arrive at Elland Road ahead of other interested clubs. Whilst his agent has outlined that he wants to play in the Champions League, Leeds could attempt to convince him – whether they believe it or not – that they can qualify for Europe’s premier competition in the coming years.

AND in other news, Forget Llorente: Leeds beast with 96 touches was Bielsa’s unsung hero vs Watford…

Many Everton fans have been left buzzing as transfer news emerged on Franck Kessie.

As per a report this week by 90min, which has since been shared by Toffee TV on their Twitter page, the Goodison Park club – as well as Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal, and Leicester City – are monitoring his situation at AC Milan, where he has yet to agree to sign a new deal with his contract expiring next summer.

Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid and Paris Saint Germain have all enquired about Kessie, but a move to the Premier League is high on the wish list for the Ivory Coast international, who struck 14 goals last season for the Rossoneri despite playing as a defensively-orientated midfielder.

Given the calibre of competition for his signature, and the fact that he is currently playing in the UEFA Champions League, it would be quite the coup for the Merseyside club if they were able to snap him up.

Everton fans on Kessie transfer news

These Toffees fans buzzed as the transfer news was shared on Twitter, with one claiming that they were ‘excited’ and another describing it as ‘awesome’:

“PLEASE”

Credit: @29tooffeeezz

“I heard this the other day before their match last night in which he got sent off. Once Everton has touched you ……. (P.S would be an awesome signing to be fair)”

Credit: @joshhodge81

“Absolute masterstroke if we pull that off”

Credit: @_EvertonTheGear

“JUST INJECT HIM IN TO MY VEINS!! He’s great on the counter which is what this team needs. There are critics to his tackling ability but we have that bulldog Allan to help with that. Please @Everton get this man!!!!!!”

Credit: @GeezyEFC

“I wish mate, imagine Allan, Doucoure and Kessie in midfield”

Credit: @JoeyOconnor22

“Don’t even get me excited like that!!”

Credit: @EFCDayne

In other news, find out what contract news has had these Everton fans buzzing

Phillip Hughes might possess Test and first-class averages nudging 70, but he still admits to nerves on the eve of Australia’s Ashes squad announcement

Alex Brown18-May-2009Phillip Hughes might possess Test and first-class averages nudging 70, but he still admits to nerves on the eve of Australia’s Ashes squad announcement. Hughes will be confirmed as Simon Katich’s opening partner when Andrew Hilditch names the 16-man touring party on Wednesday, but is loath to pre-empt the selectors’ decision.”You still love to see the team and know that you’re there,” Hughes told Cricinfo. “You don’t want to take things too lightly. Obviously I’d love to see the team and see myself in it.”Hughes has been in superb touch for Middlesex of late, producing his fourth century of the English summer on Sunday in a limited-overs match against Somerset. His innings of 119 from 112 deliveries propelled Middlesex to their highest ever one-day total, and followed a sequence of three centuries in as many first-class fixtures, culminating in an astonishing record of 574 runs at 143.50.Hughes’ sublime efforts on the county scene have hardly surprised Australian audiences, who marveled as he reeled off consecutive innings of 75, 115 and 160 in his maiden Test series in South Africa. In his 24 first-class appearances to date, he has compiled ten centuries, and will be heavily relied upon to lead the Australian batting order in England.When Australia surrendered the Ashes urn in 2005, Hughes was completing his year 10 studies at Macksville High School on the north coast of New South Wales. Now, he is set to re-unite with Katich at the top of the order, and will look to continue the form that helped guide Australia to a surprise 2-1 victory in South Africa.”I’ve obviously spent a fair bit of time with Simon at New South Wales over the last 12-18 months,” Hughes said. “We’ve formed a good relationship on and off the field. That really helps, when you get along like that. We’ve batted in the middle together for a while now, and it’s always great when you go to that next level … to go out and open the batting with him. It definitely did help a little bit.”Hughes has used his time with Middlesex to develop an understanding of local pitch conditions – his only previous trip to England was for a three-week carnival with the New South Wales under-17 team – and develop a mental dossier on some of the England players he will face, not least his Middlesex team-mate, Andrew Strauss.He has also taken the opportunity to speak with Justin Langer, currently on duty with Somerset. Like Langer, Hughes is a prolific left-hand opener with an unfashionable technique, and the elder has taken his successor under his wing.”I’ll be catching up with him again and we’ll be going for dinner,” Hughes said prior to Sunday’s one-day match. “He’s a great guy and he’s been great for me. We met up earlier on this trip to England, and spoke a bit during the South African series. He asks me about England, how I’m enjoying it, and just about general life. The big thing he tells me is to be myself. He says that this is the technique that got you to this level, so keep being yourself and keep enjoying it. It’s great to talk to Justin.”Blog with Alex Brown on the Ashes squad between 10.30am and 12.30pm (AEST) on Wednesday