Chelsea may be unable to sign Crystal Palace star Michael Olise despite being prepared to pay his £60 million ($76.5m) buyout clause.

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Chelsea tried to recruit Olise in 2023Prepared to pay £60m release clauseBut Blues may not be able to sign Palace aceWHAT HAPPENED?

Chelsea tried and failed to sign the Eagles winger last summer, despite triggering his then £35m ($44.6m) release clause – with the ex-Reading man then putting pen to paper on a new four-year deal. Now, the Blues are back to try and land the 22-year-old, but a sizeable hurdle may scupper that deal.

AdvertisementGettyTHE EXPLANATION

The Telegraph states Chelsea have contacted Palace over a move for Olise but the release clause is not a straightforward one as it may only be triggered by a Champions League club. The Blues will play in the Europa Conference League next season, meaning only Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa, and teams who qualified for the elite competition would be able to secure his services.

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Despite missing much of this season with hamstring injuries, Olise was still a force to be reckoned with when fit. The France Under-21 international scored 10 goals and bagged six assists in just 19 Premier League games.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Olise, whose contract at Selhurst Park runs until 2027, is likely to be the subject of a bidding war this summer. He has also been linked with Manchester United in the past. It remains to be seen if he will play for Palace again.

With the January transfer window now closed, Arsenal's attention has already turned to the summer, when they could once again splash the cash on reinforcements. The Gunners have been linked with several names in the last few weeks, but this weekend's Premier League action revealed another clue in the direction that Mikel Arteta and Edu Gaspar are looking.

Arsenal transfer news

Those at The Emirates seemingly have two priorities this summer; replace Thomas Partey and find a consistent goalscorer. Partey could be set to leave Arsenal and has proven to be an unreliable option due to constant injury concerns in the last year or so. Gabriel Jesus' lack of goals – scoring just eight in all competitions so far in the current campaign – has created a need for more clinical options, meanwhile, opening the door for options.

When it comes to a Partey replacement, the names mentioned have mainly been Everton's Amadou Onana and Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi. The Gunners were linked with Onana throughout the January window but failed to push on and secure the Belgian's signature. When the summer transfer window arrives, he may well be presented as a potential option once more.

On the striker front, all paths seem to be leading to Ivan Toney. According to a new report from Graeme Bailey for HITC, Arsenal scouts were in attendance to watch Toney against Wolverhampton Wanderers, as well as the Midlands club's winger Pedro Neto.

The scouts picked a good day to watch the Englishman, given that he got himself on the scoresheet and was handed an 8/10 rating by The Daily Mail's Tara Anson-Walsh in the Bees' 2-0 victory.

It looks set to be some chase for Toney this summer in a race that Arsenal will hope to win and put an end to their striker woes, in the process.

"Special" Toney could solve Arsenal's problem

If Arsenal are looking for a ruthless goalscorer in front of goal, then a player who was only outscored by Erling Haaland and Harry Kane in the Premier League last season is the answer. Toney's 20 goals caught plenty of attention and if there was a worry that he would struggle to get back to his best after a lengthy ban, then his three goals in his first four games back should have eased those concerns.

Brentford manager Thomas Frank knows all about Toney's ability, praising the forward a few weeks ago as he prepared for his return to action against Nottingham Forest. Frank said:

"I'm looking into the eyes of a player that's very committed. He will start tomorrow [against Nottingham Forest] and will captain the side. I'm pretty sure he's ready.

"He's a special character, a fantastic person to be around. The energy he brings, the smile, the positivity, is a massive thing. He drags people – he wants to win. It's a massive boost. It's like a new signing. There's an argument for him being the second-best striker in the league, in my opinion."

Wilfried Gnonto only joined Leeds from Swiss outfit FC Zurich in the summer of 2022, but his future has been uncertain since the Whites were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season.

Everton, who edged out Leeds in the fight for survival, made three bids to sign him, the last of which was worth £25.7m, but Daniel Farke's side held firm in their £30m valuation and the Toffees refused to meet it. While all of this was going on, Gnonto submitted a transfer request and withdrew himself from contention, but after he was denied a move, he rebuilt the bridge by apologising to Farke.

The Italian has had to be content with a bit-part role at Elland Road this season, starting only a quarter of Leeds' 28 Championship games up to this point. Heading into the New Year, then, there seemed to be a strong chance that he would push for a move again.

Leeds, for their part, have been hopeful of tying him down to a new contract if the player is receptive, and there's now been some positive movement on that front.

Leeds close to Gnonto breakthrough

According to The Athletic's Phil Hay, Gnonto could now sign a new deal at Elland Road. Leeds are "looking to finalise" an agreement with the forward after some productive negotiations, even though his previous contract still has three and a half years to run.

In an attached story for The Athletic, Hay adds that a deal is close, and so one of the big success stories of the January window could be an in-house breakthrough rather than an external transfer.

Leeds right to show patience with Golden Boy nominee Gnonto

This should be seen as a big boost for Leeds, because Gnonto remains a top long-term prospect. Indeed, we shouldn't forget, in the midst of the recent drama, that he's only 20 years old. Gnonto showed flashed of huge promise during his first season at Elland Road, scoring four goals and providing four assists. Most notably, he opened the scoring in a 2-2 draw at Manchester United within the first minute, becoming the youngest overseas player to score a Premier League goal at Old Trafford.

While his tally of one goal and one assist looks underwhelming, it's hard to be too critical of him given the distractions he's faced as a young player, his shortage of gametime and the consequent lack of rhythm.

Gnonto has also underlined his potential at the international level by not only scoring five in five for Italy's under-21s, but also amassing 13 caps for the senior side and becoming their youngest-ever goalscorer in a defeat to Germany in 2022.

His exploits that year, where he also scored 10 goals and provided five assists in 36 games for Zurich, earned him a place in the final 20 for the Golden Boy award, given to the best under-21 in top-flight European football. That shortlist also featured the likes of Jude Bellingham, Jamal Musiala and Pedri.

Gnonto, then, could still prove to be a huge bargain at just £3.8m as he prepares to commit his long-term future to Leeds.

أعلن الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، عن مغادرة لاعب جديد من صفوف منتخب مصر، معسكر الفراعنة الحالي، بسبب الإصابة، ليتأكد غيابه عن مباراة موريتانيا القادمة.

منتخب مصر يستعد لمواجهة موريتانيا، يوم الثلاثاء 15 أكتوبر، في إطار الجولة الرابعة من تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا.

طالع | رسميًا.. حسام حسن يُقرر استبعاد محمد صلاح من مباراة مصر القادمة أمام موريتانيا

وكان منتخب مصر فاز على موريتانيا في مباراة الجولة الثالثة التي أقيمت مساء الجمعة على ملعب استاد القاهرة، بنتيجة 2-0.

ووفقًا للصفحة الرسمية لاتحاد الكرة المصري، غادر نبيل عماد دونجا لاعب نادي الزمالك ومنتخب مصر، معسكر الفراعنة، لصعوبة لحاقة بمباراة موريتانيا.

حيث خضع اللاعب لاختبارات طبية تحت إشراف الجهاز الطبي بقيادة محمد أبو العلا، بعد شعوره بآلام في العضلة الخلفية وأثبتت استمرار معاناته من الإجهاد بالعضلة الخلفية، ليفضل الجهاز الفني بالتنسيق مع الجهاز الطبي إراحة اللاعب.

ومن المقرر أن تغادر بعثة منتخب مصر غدًا الإثنين إلى العاصمة الموريتانية نواكشوط، على متن طائرة خاصة.

يذكر أن منتخب مصر يتصدر ترتيب المجموعة الثالثة في تصفيات كأس أمم إفريقيا، برصيد 9 نقاط من الفوز في الثلاث جولات الأولي.

Unlike a lot of teams in the Premier League, Spurs were active during the January transfer window. Their near-£27m move for Genoa's Radu Dragusin was the most expensive deal done by any side last month, and they also signed Timo Werner from RB Leipzig on loan.

If Ange Postecoglou had got his way, though, there would have been another new face arriving in North London too. Spurs were keen on a deal to sign attacking midfielder Sebastian Szymanski from Fenerbahce and were prepared to "push" to get a deal done before the deadline. Postecoglou dispatched scouts to watch the £30m-rated Pole in action, but in the end no deal materialised.

Spurs ready to revive Szymanski move

Based on a report from Turkish outlet Fanatik, though, this matter is far from closed. There's a feeling that Szymanski won't be staying at Fenerbahce for long, with interested clubs queuing up.

Journalist says Spurs could re-sign "beautiful" player ahead of Pochettino

Chelsea are believed to have looked at signing him as well.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 23, 2024

Ange and Spurs have been "watching" for a "while" now and "may make a move in the summer", while Italian giants Milan have identified him as a "primary" target for the off-season. Elsewhere, Bundesliga leaders Leverkusen want to build from a position of strength by striking a deal.

Spurs could sign a "gem" who's ready to press

Fenerbahce only paid around £8.3m to sign Szymanski from Dynamo Moscow last summer, and that's now looking like one of the bargains of the window. The 30-cap Poland international has scored 12 goals and provided 14 assists in 39 games across all competitions, which makes him one of the most productive players in European football this season.

Rank

Player

Club

Goals

Assists

Total

1

Viktor Gyokeres

Sporting

29

11

40

=2

Kylian Mbappe

PSG

32

7

39

=2

Luuk de Jong

PSV Eindhoven

28

11

39

4

Harry Kane

Bayern Munich

29

8

37

=5

Igor Thiago

Club Brugge

26

4

30

=5

Ollie Watkins

Aston Villa

18

12

30

=7

Edin Dzeko

Fenerbahce

22

7

29

=7

Mauro Icardi

Galatasaray

20

9

29

=7

Mohamed Salah

Liverpool

19

10

29

=10

Vangelis Pavlidis

AZ Alkmaar

25

3

28

=10

Lautaro Martinez

Inter

23

5

28

=10

Erling Haaland

Manchester City

22

6

28

=13

Jude Bellingham

Real Madrid

20

8

28

=13

Bukayo Saka

Arsenal

15

13

28

=13

Rafa

Benfica

15

13

28

=16

Santiago Gimenez

Feyenoord

22

5

27

=16

Andreas Skov Olsen

Club Brugge

19

8

27

=18

Pedro Goncalves

Sporting

13

13

26

=18

Sebastian Szymanski

Fenerbahce

12

14

16

=18

Cameron Puertas

Union SG

8

18

26

He's inevitably won plenty of plaudits for his exploits this term, with under-23 scout Antonio Mango describing him as a "gem" and sports journalist Josh Bunting raving about his "wonderful" technique.

Crucially, in addition to his headline attacking output, he also works tirelessly out of possession. Indeed, according to StatsBomb, he'd averaged more pressures per 90 minutes (31.3) than anybody else in the Turkish top-flight in the first phase of the season, and that may be a big part of his appeal for Postecoglou.

Yorkshire hunt down testing target of 165 thanks to powerful batting displays from overseas stars

ECB Reporters Network23-Aug-2019Yorkshire Diamonds kept alive their slim hopes of qualifying for Kia Super League Finals Day with a four-wicket win over Roses rivals Lancashire Thunder in Scarborough.Alyssa Healy’s blistering 77 set the tone for the Diamonds and broke the back of their opponents in a chase of 165, after Ellie Threlkeld’s 52 and Harmanpreet Kaur’s 38 had guided Lancashire to a competitive total.But Yorkshire’s hopes of a Finals Day appearance depends on results elsewhere. The Thunder, who were already eliminated, remain winless.Healy’s innings was a joy to watch for all gathered in Scarborough. She batted with power, timing and intelligence to get the Diamonds off to a flyer. Her half-century came from just 28 balls in the seventh over – brought up with a six – and she went on to post a century opening stand with captain Lauren Winfield.She made her way to 77 from just 38 balls, including 12 fours and three sixes, with the Diamonds 103 without loss but Sophie Ecclestone returned to change the game. The England spinner had Healy caught in the deep and struck next ball to bowl Winfield. Hollie Armitage was then run out by Kate Cross as three wickets fell in the over.Cordelia Griffiths was stumped by Threlkeld off a wide by Natalie Brown before another run out for Cross as Bess Heath departed for 2. Yorkshire had slipped from 103 for no loss to 115 for 5, still needing 50 to win from 46 balls.If panic had set in, Jemimah Rodrigues and Alice Davidson-Richards did not show it, putting on a 34-run stand to give Yorkshire control again. Davidson-Richards fell for 13 and the Diamonds needed 13 from the final two overs. But Rodrigues finished it a hurry, striking three successive boundaries to clinch victory with seven balls to spare.Lancashire started their innings brightly as Tahlia McGrath offered some early acceleration. The Australia international struck five boundaries on her way to 29 and but she was the third wicket to fall as Yorkshire pegged back the Thunder momentum.Sune Luus was caught in the deep by Rodrigues for 15 and Sophia Dunkley departed for 8 before McGrath was trapped by Davidson-Richards in the ninth over to leave Thunder 58 for 3. But a superb partnership between Harmanpreet and Threlkeld proved crucial to the innings. Threlkeld was positive from the start, sweeping and striking aggressively to the leg side to offer momentum as Harmanpreet took time to get set.Once she did get her eye in, the India star batted beautifully. She struck a huge six over midwicket off Leigh Kasparek before launching Katie Levick into the stands to take Lancashire to 116 for 3 after 16 overs.Harmanpreet was brilliantly caught by India team-mate Rodrigues – diving forward in the deep – for 38, but Threlkeld continued her assault. She struck a six and a four in the final over to reach 52 from 36 balls, before being bowled by the next delivery. Ecclestone hit the final ball – her first – for six to carry the Thunder to 164 for 5.

Dimuth Karunaratne led Sri Lanka’s slow but steady progress on a rain-drenched first day at the P Sara Oval in Colombo. The Sri Lanka captain blunted the new ball and grew more fluent against the old one, making an unbeaten 49 off 100 balls, on a truncated day that saw only 36.3 overs. This, just three days after he had broken into the top ten in the Test batting rankings.A persistent drizzle had wiped out the entire morning session before returning to delay the start of the final session of the day. Although it relented, fading light resulted in early stumps on the opening day.ALSO READ: Williamson and Karunaratne, two ends of the control spectrumAfter Sri Lanka had opted to bat, both Tim Southee and Trent Boult found swing and seam movement on a grassy track, but their lengths weren’t full enough. It was offspinner Will Somerville who provided New Zealand with the breakthrough, when he extracted turn and bounce to have Lahiru Thrimanne, the other opener, spooning a catch to short cover for a skittish 2 off 35 balls.Karunaratne, much like Thirimanne, had been uncertain when the ball was pitched up, and threaded the cordon twice when he reached out outside off in the early exchanges. However, when Boult erred short, Karunaratne rose on top of the bounce and crunched him between point and cover for a brace of fours.Karunaratne’s defensive technique was tighter against Somerville and Ajaz Patel although he faced only eight balls of spin. Somerville’s tussle with Thirimanne was more intriguing as the offspinner challenged the edges with fuller lengths. Somerville could have had Thirmanne with his third ball when he drew a bottom edge, but wicketkeeper BJ Watling wasn’t quick enough to close his gloves around the ball.Moments after being dropped, Thirimanne cracked under pressure and loosely drove Somerville to Williamson in the 15th over. Kusal Mendis then played a few lively shots and upset Somerville’s lengths, but he was largely circumspect against the seamers. He contributed 32 to a 50-run second-wicket stand with Karunaratne before Colin de Grandhomme landed the ball on the seam and had him nicking off in the post-tea session.New Zealand had broken up their three-man spin attack and picked seam-bowling allrounder Colin de Grandhomme in place of Mitchell Santner, who not too long ago was their No.1 spinner. Sri Lanka, meanwhile, recalled a fit-again Dilruwan Perera in place of Akila Dananjaya, who risks suspension after being reported for suspect action for a second time in ten months.

During last summer's transfer window, Aston Villa parted with more than £4m to sign Nicolo Zaniolo on loan from Turkish club Galatsaray with a conditional obligation to buy. If certain criteria are hit, Villa will pay a guaranteed £19m to sign Zaniolo, and potentially up to £13m more in add-ons.

Based on recent reports in Italy, though, that's far from a certainty. Milan, Napoli and Fiorentina are all looking into a deal in the summer, so there's clearly a realistic chance that he won't reach the obligation-to-buy threshold. Zaniolo himself is said to be keen to return to his homeland to boost his prospects with the national team.

Zaniolo wasn't the only temporary addition made by Unai Emery, but there's no option to buy in the case of Clement Lenglet. Villa are covering 75% of the Barcelona player's salary but, unless they make a satisfactory permanent offer, he'll automatically return to the Nou Camp in the summer.

Last month, Milan held talks over a deal for Lenglet, but Villa were reluctant to cancel their loan agreement, and now there's a chance that he could end up staying in the Midlands long-term.

Villa may make permanent Lenglet push

According to Spanish outlet Sport, via Sport Witness, Villa may sign Lenglet permanently in the off-season. His "good performances" in recent weeks could lead them to "take the step" of tabling a formal bid.

Barcelona will "try to sell" the Frenchman because they want to get his wages off the books, but it's unclear whether they'll be willing to entertain a cut-price deal. Lenglet is believed to be "one of the highest earners" at the club right now, but the Blaugrana are of course only paying a quarter of his salary as it stands.

"Amazing" Lenglet is enjoying best spell

Lenglet has played 14 games for Villa in all competitions. At first, most of his game time came in the Europa Conference League, where he started five of Villa's six group-stage matches, but then an injury to Pau Torres presented an opening for the Premier League. Having been left on the bench for 14 straight top-flight matches at the beginning of his Villa career, he's now rattled off six consecutive top flight starts.

Clement Lenglet matches	Score	SofaScore rating
Sheffield United (H)	D 1-1	6.9/10
Manchester United (A)	L 3-2	7.0/10
Burnley (H)	W 3-2	6.6/10
Everton (A)	D 0-0	7.5/10
Newcastle (H)	L 3-1	7.2/10
Sheffield United (A)	W 5-0	7.3/10

Speaking at the end of December, Emery was effusive in praise for Lenglet's attitude: “I am very happy with him. His commitment in every training session is amazing. He is a very good professional and always ready to play. The last matches he was sick, he was with us in Zrinjski. He was better at Brentford but still a little bit sick.

“Other players maybe wouldn’t be with the squad if they were feeling like he was. I am wishing to see him and am really very excited about how he will help us and in the next matches.”

Aston Villa now reach “agreement” over new deal for “scintillating” star

Villa are rewarding the player for the best form of his career in the Midlands.

By
David Comerford

Feb 6, 2024

Torres has now returned for Villa, so it remains to be seen whether Lenglet keeps his place in the side, but with Emery's men set to compete in the Conference League knockout stage as they fight for a top-four finish, there should still be plenty of opportunities regardless.

Captain proud of team’s resolve in defeat but recognises need to make more runs after fallow series with bat

George Dobell at Old Trafford08-Sep-2019Joe Root has insisted he “definitely” wants to carry on as captain of England despite failing to reclaim the Ashes.Australia’s victory at Old Trafford gave them an unassailable 2-1 lead in the series, meaning Root has led two unsuccessful attempts to win the urn. It was also Australia’s first successful Ashes campaign in England since 2001. But while Archie MacLaren, more than a century ago, was the last England captain to survive two Ashes series defeats to lead England into a third, Root is adamant that he is the man to do the same.”I definitely want to carry on as captain,” Root said. “I have been given a fantastic opportunity to captain the Test side and will continue to work very hard at doing my best at that.And while Root admitted defeat was “bitterly disappointing”, he took heart from England’s final-day resistance, suggesting it provided encouragement for the future.Josh Hazlewood celebrates dismissing Joe Root•Getty Images

“It’s tough to take, losing the Ashes. It’s bitterly disappointing. But when you find yourself in a situation like today you learn a lot about your team and the guys. I thought everyone showed a lot of courage, resilience, and character. Everyone should be really proud about how they approached the day.”I thought the guys fought extremely bravely. They dug in, they fought and they put a high price on their wicket. It almost makes it a little bit harder to take but, at the same time, I could not be more proud with how we fought today.”A significant part of England’s problems have been Root’s own lack of runs. On Saturday he became the first England captain to register three ducks – two of them golden – during a series and his average for the four games is a modest 30.87. But while he accepted he had to find a way of doing better, he also made the point that the batsmen on both sides – with one notable exception – had struggled.”If you take Steve Smith out, it would be very similar for both teams,” Root said. “It has been a series dominated by the ball. Both batting sides have very experienced players who have not performed how they would have liked and that tells a story by itself.”Bowling at Smith in this form is difficult and you have to make sure you take all your chances. We did not do that and that cost us.”The teams have put all batters – bar Smith – under pressure and it’s been challenging. But I have to find way of scoring runs. You have to look at areas you want to get better both in yourself and as a team.”In many ways we were an inexperienced team. We have to learn quickly. We were not as good as we would have liked to be or consistent throughout the whole game. This can’t keep happening. You are not going to win many games if you start behind. There is still plenty to learn for this group.”Root also insisted there was plenty to play for in the final Test at The Oval. While the Ashes have gone, England can still level the series – Australia would, as current holders, retain the urn even if the series finishes 2-2 – and the introduction of the World Test Championship provides further motivation.”Every game against Australia matters,” Root said. “We have to make sure we finish this summer strong. We have an important Test match against Australia and we have the Test Championship to play for. We have to get something out of this series.”I know the Ashes are not coming back but, in terms of the Test Championship at the end of the two-year cycle, those points could be crucial. You never want to lose an Ashes series but turning up at The Oval and putting in a strong performance is crucial for this group.”England’s team for the final Test, which starts on Thursday, will be announced on Monday.

Napoli striker Victor Osimhen is looking to leave the club this summer and Gli Azzurri have reportedly slashed his asking price.

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Napoli slash asking price for Osimhen Will accept close to €100 million for strikerPSG, Chelsea and others interestedGetty ImagesWHAT HAPPENED?

Following a number of disagreements and issues between Osimhen and Napoli, the Nigerian striker has been looking for a way out this summer and the Serie A side had placed a massive €150 million (£126.8m/$160.9m) price tag on him. However, as per Calciomercato, Napoli have now slashed their asking price down to €100 million (£84.5m/$107.2m) amid a lack of interest.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

A number of teams have shown an interest in signing Osimhen this season including Paris-Saint Germain and Chelsea. However, every club has been put off by Napoli's asking price and now they could potentially show some interest in the Nigerian following his price drop.

getty imagesDID YOU KNOW?

It had been reported earlier by Italian outlets that Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli were reportedly ready to trigger his earlier release clause as they looked to make a step forward alongside Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal who are hard at work in the transfer window.

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WHAT NEXT FOR OSIMHEN?

The Nigerian striker is reportedly certain that he doesn't want to continue with Napoli past this summer and he hopes that the drop in his asking price will help invite more interest in his service.