Liverpool could still make a move for Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone this summer, according to an update from Bundesliga journalist Christian Falk.

How much does Manu Kone earn?

The Reds' midfield looks set for a huge overhaul this summer, with Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai already coming in as exciting signings, and James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all leaving after their respective contracts expired.

Meanwhile, doubts surround the futures of Jordan Henderson, Fabinho and Thiago, following rumours of move away from Anfield, so it could be all change in the middle of the park ahead of the start of the 2023/24 Premier League season.

One player who has been linked with a move to Liverpool in the recent past is the £37,000-a-week-earning Kone, who was seen as a strong defensive target, prior to the more attack-minded Szoboszlai coming in from RB Leipzig. While talks over a move appeared to have cooled lately, a new update has breathed new life into the saga.

Are Liverpool signing Manu Kone?

Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk claimed that new Liverpool sporting director Jorg Schmadtke could look to bring in Kone this summer, depending on the severity of the injury he sustained on international duty:

"Jorg Schmadtke made clear that it won’t happen between Liverpool and Micky van de Ven. At Liverpool, Jurgen Klopp is saying what he wants in the market and Schmadkte is making plans from this.

"Schmadtke has an eye on him. So these are things in the background that Schmadtke is doing at the moment."

Seeing Kone back on the table is an exciting update to hear for Liverpool fans, with the 22-year-old someone who has been an influential performer for Monchengladbach in recent times. Last season, the Frenchman started 30 Bundesliga matches, completing 87.3% of his passes in that time and also averaging 2.5 tackles per game in the competition.

Predominantly a defensive midfielder, the youngster could provide balance in the middle of the park behind Mac Allister and Szoboszlai, and other more attack-minded options like Curtis Jones and Harvey Elliott, while Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia could also come in as competition, should at least one or two of Henderson, Fabinho or Thiago leave.

Kone was described as "fantastic" and a "one-man army in midfield" by football talent scout Jacek Kulig last season, following an outstanding performance against eventual Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich, and he would come in as both a regular starter from the off, and someone who could grow into a genuine force at Liverpool as the year pass, only improving as his all-round game matures.

What is certain is that at least one more midfielder is needed for the Reds in the current transfer window, in terms of bolstering the squad after big problems in the middle of the park last season, but it is starting to feel like two more would be the best outcome.

Mumbai Indians captain Rohit Sharma was left visibly frustrated after a contentious decision to not call a wide off the third ball of the final over in Mumbai’s chase when 11 were needed to win

Arun Venugopal in Mumbai 25-Apr-20173:17

Hogg: It was a great decision by the umpire

Mumbai Indians needed 17 runs off the last over against Rising Pune Supergiant to complete their seventh straight win in IPL 2017, but their pursuit received a jolt on the first ball as Hardik Pandya holed out to deep extra cover. Their captain Rohit Sharma, though, had piloted Mumbai’s chase up to that point and was intent on seeing things through. With one almighty swing at Jaydev Unadkat’s slower ball, he brought the equation down to 11 off four balls.Malinga opts for rest

After Lasith Malinga missed his second game in a row, against Rising Pune Supergiant, it has emerged he has taken a break to “work something out” with his bowling according to team-mate Harbhajan Singh.
“It was his call. He felt that he needed some break, he needed to work something out for his own bowling, which is fine,” Harbhajan said. “You need to respect him and give him his space. I am sure when he is going to come back, he is going to break a couple of people’s ankles. We can afford to give rest because we are sitting pretty. We don’t want to take things for granted, but we know that when it is required the most Mali will be right up there with what he does best.”
Earlier in the evening, Harbhajan himself had achieved a personal milestone of 200 T20 wickets and said he was happy to be playing for the same IPL franchise for a decade.
“It’s nice to be taking those 200-odd wickets and still going strong and getting younger by the day by training,” he said. “I am very happy to be playing for Mumbai Indians all these years. You need a lot of time to settle into different teams, different environments. Till the time I am playing, I see myself playing for Mumbai Indians.”

Unadkat’s next delivery was going to be another slower one, but having seen Rohit shuffle across the stumps, he pushed it wide. Rohit, on the other hand, realised that the ball was veering away from the guideline for wide deliveries, and left it alone. However, when umpire S Ravi didn’t call it a wide, Rohit shrugged in disbelief, and remonstrated with Ravi even as the square-leg umpire A Nand Kishore intervened. With 11 needed off three balls now, Rohit miscued a slog and was caught-and-bowled for a 39-ball 58, and eventually Mumbai went down by three runs.In the post-match media interaction, Harbhajan Singh and Ajinkya Rahane, representing Mumbai and Rising Pune respectively, had contrasting views on the legality of the contentious delivery. Neither player, however, felt Rohit’s animated conversation with the umpire was a serious transgression.”I think it was the right call,” Rahane said. “Because, as a batsman when you move [across the stumps], that area outside [the off stump] goes to the bowler. Rohit’s behaviour at that point was natural. As a captain, as a player, when the game is so close, it comes automatically; nobody does it deliberately. I don’t think there was anything wrong with his behaviour, but the umpire’s call was right too, for us.”It happens on the field and remains on the field. In this format, in close games, this will happen in the future as well. You should respect the umpire’s decision as well as whatever Rohit did that was completely natural.”Harbhajan also said Rohit was only checking with the umpire what the rule was. “He didn’t shout at the umpire or ask why it wasn’t given a wide,” he said. “He just wanted to know where he should stand for the wide to be called and he was told that the amount he moves is the amount of margin the bowler gets.”While Harbhajan felt the ball was fairly wide off the guideline, he said the umpire’s decision had to be respected. “I don’t really know if it was actually a wide ball or not,” he said. “I feel if both the legs of the batsmen move across the stumps, then the bowler should get the [benefit of the] margin. But, if you see, only one leg of the batsman went across, so I feel it should have been a wide. But, in the end, whatever is the umpire’s decision we have to move on with it.”Harbhajan, though, didn’t agree with the suggestion that the argument over the wide had led to a loss of momentum for Mumbai.”I don’t think momentum was lost, because Rohit was hitting the ball nicely, but [it was] unfortunate that he ended up hitting the [next] ball straight up in the air,” he said. “Cricket is a game where anything is possible. Just before that he hit a big six and a similar sort of ball went up and he got out. At that point all you need to do as a batsman was see the ball and hit the ball, and Rohit was batting on 50-odd.”While Harbhajan admitted that the penultimate over, where Ben Stokes conceded only seven runs, was crucial, Rahane revealed the thinking behind giving Unadkat the ball in the last over. He said Unadkat was preferred to Shardul Thakur because of his relatively slower pace.”I think after the 19th over when [Steven] Smith, Mahi bhai [MS Dhoni] and I were discussing, we talked about bowling Shardul or Jaydev,” Rahane said. “But we opted to bowl Jaydev because Shardul has quite a bit of pace, and we wanted to take the pace off and not give the batsmen any in the last over.”JD’s pace comparatively is slower than Shardul and his slower ball could be more effective as the wicket was slow. We didn’t want to give them any pace because Rohit was already set. One side [of the ground] was very short, so that was the plan for the last over.”The dismissals of Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya were also a result of smart thinking and understanding of angles. Rising Pune had three fielders in the V for Pollard – a long-off almost right behind the bowler in addition to a conventional long-off and long-on – and as many fielders on the bigger off-side boundary for Pandya.”We knew Pollard doesn’t play the lap sweep, so we wanted to keep two fielders straight – one right on the sightscreen and one slightly wider,” Rahane said. “That worked for us. For Hardik, he likes to play over covers and the boundaries were bigger too, so that’s why we brought square leg in and had three fielders on the line on the offside.”

ScorecardPaul Collingwood has given Durham hope of victory•Getty Images

Skipper Paul Collingwood fell three short of a century as Durham established a first innings lead of 116 on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Gloucestershire at Bristol.Resuming on 270 for four, the visitors were dismissed for 419, with Collingwood last man out for 97, made from 178 balls, with 10 fours.Michael Richardson hit 57 and shared a fifth-wicket stand of 122 in 42 overs with his captain. Craig Miles was the most successful Gloucestershire bowler with five for 99 from 28 overs.By the close the hosts had fought back well, reaching 175 for three in their second innings and led by 59, Chris Dent and Will Tavare making their second half-centuries of the match.Collingwood batted comfortably through the morning session. Resuming on 28, the veteran former England all-rounder was unbeaten on 78 at lunch, with his side 372 for seven and 69 in front.He reached his half-century off 112 balls, with 5 fours, shortly after Richardson had got to the same landmark from 130 deliveries, hitting four boundariesMiles then had Richardson caught behind pulling and followed up by knocking back Stuart Poynter’s off-stump when he had made nine in a seven-over spell of two for 26.Brydon Carse was caught behind off Liam Norwell for seven, the seamer’s 19th wicket of the season, in a morning session extended by 15 minutes to make up for time lost on the opening day.The afternoon saw Mark Wood, on 13, top-edge a pull shot off David Payne to give a simple catch to Chris Liddle at mid-on before Graham Onions became Miles’ fifth victim, caught at cover for ten attempting to force a short ball through the leg side and miscuing in the opposite direction..Collingwood had faced 178 balls and hit 10 fours when falling just short of his ton, well caught by George Hankins at slip, who showed great anticipation to hold the chance offered by a reverse paddle off Graeme van Buuren.”It would have been nice to have reached three figures, but with only one wicket left I was always going to push for runs in that over,” Collingwood said. “When you play that shot you don’t expect the slip fielder to move across and anticipate where the ball is going. Now I wish I had hit it finer to where he had been standing.”Cameron Bancroft’s miserable start to his second spell with Gloucestershire continued when he played across a straight ball from Chris Rushworth and departed for 13 with their second innings score on 30.But Dent and Tavare then batted with confidence in bright sunshine, the latter being first to his half-century, off 70 balls with 6 fours.Tavare again looked in good form until he was undone on 55 by the third ball of the match from Cameron Steel, brought on to bowl leg-spin in what proved an inspired move by Collingwood.Steel appeared to deceive Tavare with a googly, which tucked him up and bowled him, much to the delight of the young bowler and his team-mates.There was a life for van Buuren when he was dropped by wicketkeeper Stuart Poynter off Carse, but on 23 he was pinned lbw by Onions with the score on 159 and Gloucestershire 43 ahead.Dent had reached his half-century off 107 balls, with 6 fours, batting fluently without giving a chance. He was unbeaten on 64 at stumps.

Arsenal are reportedly one of the clubs interested in Israeli sensation Oscar Gloukh, as the Gunners eye reinforcements ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Mikel Arteta will hope to close the gap on Manchester City in making sufficient signings this summer, something that the Spaniard is seemingly mastering with Kai Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber Emirates bound.

The Gunners will face competition for Gloukh, who has been linked with a potential move to north London from Austria.

Are Arsenal signing Oscar Gloukh?

As reported by The Guardian on Tuesday, Arsenal are one of the Premier League representatives eyeing RB Salzburg midfielder Oscar Gloukh.

The report names the Gunners, along with City and Tottenham as the side’s wanting to secure the teenager’s signature, stating that the player would ‘prefer’ to join an English or Spanish side next.

It's thought that all three of those clubs have made enquiries to sign the player too.

It was only in the winter window that the youngster was picked up by Salzburg from Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv for a fee of €7m (£6m), however, a sharp start to his budding career has suggested that another move could be on the cards.

How good is Oscar Gloukh?

Labelled a "wonderkid" by journalist Tom Maston, the teen lit up the recent U21 European Championships, where he actually played against Emile Smith Rowe's England on Wednesday night.

The Arsenal star bagged an assist as Gloukh's side exited the tournament following a 3-0 defeat. He did, however, bow out having created four big chances in the tournament, the most of any player, while also registering three assists.

Deployed primarily as an attacking midfielder for Salzburg, the 19-year-old clearly has talents in the final third, as further highlighted by his two goals and one assist since arriving in the Austrian Bundesliga.

In the Bundesliga, Gloukh created five big chances, as well as averaging 1.2 key passes, despite only averaging 52 minutes per game for his new club.

For Arsenal, the teenager’s talent is an exciting prospect when taking into consideration Arteta’s confidence in young players at the Emirates, with the Gunners averaging the joint-youngest team last season.

The north Londoners are expected to bid farewell to Granit Xhaka this summer, who could depart for a German Bundesliga return after an eventful seven years at the club.

The Swiss midfielder’s exit could allow for a new face to flourish in his place alongside Rice, with Gloukh signalling to be a perfect heir to the 30-year-old.

Hailed as being a “jewel” by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the teenager has been tipped by Kulig to become a “future legend of Israeli football” and could emulate the creative spark that Xhaka introduced to his game in the latter stages of his Arsenal career.

Typically used as a deep midfielder, the Swiss ace was identifiable as a hot-headed cog in the engine room, before displaying a more offensive role under Arteta, scoring nine times last term.

The 30-year-old averaged 1.3 key passes per game for the Gunners, as well as creating six big chances, just one more than Gloukh in his half-a-season at Salzburg, implying that the youngster could one day fill the void left by Xhaka’s departure.

One thing that is certain is that the club that secures the signing of the starlet will have an audacious talent on their hands, in a player that has a glass ceiling to his abilities in central midfield.

Leeds United are preparing for the 2023/24 Championship season after suffering relegation from the Premier League this year, three years on from their monumental return to the top flight after 16 years away.

According to the Daily Mail, Daniel Farke is on the verge of assuming the role of manager at Elland Road, and given his pedigree in England's second tier – winning promotion on two occasions with Norwich City – there are few available bosses better placed to orchestrate a return to prominence.

While United are starting to commence transfer plans following a slow start to the window, it might be wise for Farke to utilise the club's prestigious youth academy and manage the squad's finances aptly.

This shifts attention to Cody Drameh. The rising star completed a successful loan spell last season with Luton Town, who earned promotion to the Premier League for the first time in the side's history, and the 21-year-old could now repeat the feat with his parent club.

How good is Cody Drameh?

Given Leeds' woeful defensive fortunes last term, the crux of their demise, it is hardly likely that Farke will be contented with his current options.

But Drameh now stands in stellar stead to cement a starting berth, with his average 7.09 Sofascore rating in the league last term evidence that he can thrive and provide a different dynamic to the right flank.

Indeed, the marauding ace made 16 appearances after joining the Hatters on a six-month loan in January, registering two assists, averaging 1.6 key passes per game, and 3.1 tackles and 2.6 clearances per outing.

Hailed as a "Duracell bunny" by former Cardiff City boss Steve Morison during his previous loan stint in Wales, the £2.5k-per-week gem's multi-faceted prowess is evidenced through FBref, where he ranks among the top 5% of full-backs for shot-creating actions across the Men's Next 8 divisions – the top leagues below the established European 'big five' – as well as the top 12% for successful take-ons, the top 3% for tackles and the top 1% for blocks per 90.

Given that Luke Ayling has been branded an "idiot" by Jamie Carragher and mustered only a lowly 6.60 Sofascore rating after conceding 78 times in the Premier League – a divisional high tally – the 31-year-old is surely not the answer.

And with Rasmus Kristensen closing in on a move to Serie A side Roma, Drameh could well find the right-back position is his own under Farke's wing.

Kristensen arrived from RB Salzburg one year ago for around £10m and impressed as the campaign drew into the latter stages, scoring three goals after Christmas and establishing a prominent role both on the defensive right flank and the centre.

Drameh boasts the energy and enthusiasm to impress in West Yorkshire next term, and he simply has to be provided with the opportunity to star – perhaps proving the difference as the Whites seek an instant return to the Premier League.

يستعد فريق كرة القدم الأول بنادي ليفربول، بقيادة المدرب يورجن كلوب، لخوض مباراة هامة مساء اليوم في بطولة الدوري الأوروبي ضد أتالانتا.

ويستضيف ليفربول الإنجليزي نظيره أتالانتا الإيطالي، في ذهاب دور الثمانية من بطولة الدوري الأوروبي على ملعب أنفيلد رود.

طالع أيضًا.. موعد والقناة الناقلة لمباراة ليفربول وأتالانتا اليوم في الدوري الأوروبي.. والمعلق

وتعادل ليفربول في آخر مبارياته في الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز بهدفين لمثلهما أمام مانشستر يونايتد في الجولة الماضية من الدوري الإنجليزي الممتاز.

طالع | تشكيل ليفربول أمام أتالانتا الإيطالي في الدوري الأوروبي.. موقف محمد صلاح تشكيل ليفربول المتوقع أمام أتالانتا في الدوري الأوروبي

حراسة المرمى: كيليهر.

خط الدفاع: جوميز، كوناتي، فان دايك، روبرتسون.

خط الوسط: ماك أليستر، واتارو إندو، سوبوسلاي.

خط الهجوم: محمد صلاح، كودي جاكبو، لويس دياز.

If Rangers were to sell Romanian international Ianis Hagi this summer, "it would be quite a surprise", claims transfer insider Dean Jones.

Rangers transfer news – what's the latest on Ianis Hagi?

Rangers have been undergoing something of a squad overhaul in recent weeks, with the Teddybears seeing senior players like Scott Arfield, Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent all leaving the club and a swath of new faces arriving.

So far, the Glasgow giants have signed six new players this summer, splashing the cash on striker Cyriel Dessers, who cost £4.5m from Cremonese and fellow centre-forward Sam Lammers, who cost the club £3m from Atalanta.

With the club clearly spending big this summer and more potential incomings on the way, several players have been linked with moves away from Ibrox to help free up more capital to fund Michael Beale's overhaul, with one of those linked with a move being Hagi.

According to Football Insider, Serie A side Lecce view the player as a 'concrete target' this summer and have already made contact with the Scottish giants over a potential transfer.

Rangers legend Alan Hutton told the publication that while he hopes the player stays, he thinks the club could sell:

"There is definitely a question mark there. Hagi had a stop-start season with a serious injury that did not allow him to play as much football as he wanted, but you still think at this moment in time, he would be knocked down the pecking order, especially with the new signings.

"I would like to see him stay but if they did get a reasonable offer in they would listen to it. "

What has transfer insider Dean Jones said about Ianis Hagi and Rangers?

Jones was quick to point out that the departure of Hagi seems unlikely at this point, as everything around the club suggests he will be staying.

Speaking to Football FanCast, he said: "I mean, he seems unlikely (to leave), and actually, it would be quite a surprise at this point if he did go. I mean, the noises around it seem to suggest that they will be staying."

How good is Ianis Hagi?

It has been a tough few years for the Romanian international, having started his career at Ibrox brightly in the 2020/21 season to having it abruptly cut short the following season due to a knee injury.

That injury required surgery, which caused the dynamic midfielder to miss a whopping 69 games for the Gers across 371 days from January 21st 2022 to January 27th 2023.

Before his injury, however, he was electric north of the border, especially in that first season when he started 20 games, scored six goals, and assisted a further nine, picking up an average rating of 6.93.

It was this kind of form that led Gigi Becali, the owner of Steaua Bucharest, to make a very bold prediction:

"I think he will be a great European footballer in the future. For me, he will be worth €100m (£85m) in just two years."

His then-manager Steven Gerrard was also full of praise for the Romanian youngster, hailing him as "magic" after a spectacular Europa League goal at Ibrox in 2020.

With the now 24-year-old just getting back to his best after the tough journey he's been on over the last 18 months, Rangers should do all they can to find a place for him in the team going forward, even if he doesn't quite live up to that €100m (£85m) prediction.

Mumbai Indians have plenty of experience in IPL playoffs, and will be at home, against a Rising Pune Supergiant side weakened by the absence of Ben Stokes and Imran Tahir

The Preview by Karthik Krishnaswamy15-May-2017Match factsQualifier 1, Mumbai Indians v Rising Pune Supergiant
Mumbai, May 16, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:15

Hogg: Bumrah, McClenaghan have struggled against Rising Pune

Form guide

Mumbai Indians: beat KKR by 9 runs, lost to Kings XI by 7 runs, lost to Sunrisers by 7 wickets

Rising Pune: beat Kings XI by 9 wickets, lost to Daredevils by 7 runs, beat Sunrisers by 12 runs

Head-to-headOverall: The teams have met four times, with Rising Pune winning three matches and losing one.This season: Rising Pune have done the double against Mumbai this season, winning by seven wickets at home thanks to breezy fifties from Ajinkya Rahane and Steven Smith, and by three runs at the Wankhede, where Ben Stokes bowled a critical spell full of clever slower balls.Big pictureRohit Sharma, Harbhajan Singh, Kieron Pollard, Ambati Rayudu, Lasith Malinga. Each of them has played in at least ten matches in the business end of the IPL – playoffs, semi-finals, finals. That is a whole lot of experience. All five have won two IPL titles each for Mumbai Indians, and all five could be part of their line-up on Tuesday.Rising Pune Supergiant have never been involved in a playoff. One way or another, Tuesday will be either their second-last or third-last game as an IPL franchise. Barring MS Dhoni, who has been involved in 17 playoff and knockout games for Chennai Super Kings, their most experienced post-season player is Rajat Bhatia, who has played all of four such games, for Delhi Daredevils and Kolkata Knight Riders.This is Twenty20 cricket, however, and it isn’t clear how much of a difference all that experience – or lack thereof – will make. It could mean something, though. Particularly because Rising Pune will be playing at the Wankhede Stadium, and even more so because they will be without Ben Stokes and Imran Tahir, arguably their two most important players this season.Both have left to join their international sides ahead of South Africa’s ODI series in England, and while Adam Zampa is a roughly like-for-like replacement for Tahir – if not yet in experience and big-match know-how – the question of how to replace Stokes, who is genuinely two players in one, will preoccupy Rising Pune endlessly until the start of the Qualifier.Regardless, Rising Pune’s spectacular rise up the table – they won eight of their last 10 games – to finish the league stage in second place was down to the work of more than just two men, with Rahul Tripathi, Steven Smith, Daniel Christian, Washington Sundar and Jaydev Unadkat making particularly critical contributions.Rising Pune, therefore, should retain most of their sense of self-worth, even without Stokes and Tahir. But Mumbai, who have no such worries apart from the loss of Jos Buttler, also to international duty, will start as clear favourites, on home turf, with most of their big names in excellent form.The likely XIsMumbai Indians 1 Parthiv Patel (wk), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Rohit Sharma (capt), 4 Nitish Rana/Ambati Rayudu, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Krunal Pandya, 7 Hardik Pandya, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Mitchell McClenaghan, 10 Lasith Malinga, 11 Jasprit BumrahRising Pune Supergiant 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Usman Khawaja/Mayank Agarwal/Rajat Bhatia, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Manoj Tiwary, 7 Daniel Christian, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Shardul Thakur/Lockie Ferguson, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Adam Zampa.Strategy puntDhoni has not batted at No. 4 since April 26, but Rising Pune might want to consider playing him there against Mumbai. Dhoni has batted at No. 4 four times this season, and scored 119 runs at an average of 39.66 and a strike rate of 146.91. He has done far worse at Nos. 5 and 6, however, scoring 121 runs in nine innings at an average of 17.28 and a strike rate of 93.07.He has excellent numbers in IPL playoffs and knockout matches, moreover, scoring 397 runs in 14 innings at an average of 44.11 and a strike rate of 139.78 – both are improvements on his overall IPL figures. He has done particularly well against Mumbai in playoffs and knockout games, scoring 154 runs in five innings at 51.33, with two half-centuries, and a strike rate of 163.82.Stats that matter Mumbai rested Nitish Rana for their last game against Kolkata Knight Riders, and the performance of Ambati Rayudu in that match may cause them to rethink bringing Rana back. Since scoring successive half-centuries against Gujarat Lions and Kings XI Punjab, Rana has only made 78 runs in six innings at an average of 13.00. Rohit Sharma does not have a great record in IPL playoffs and knockout matches. In 12 innings for Deccan Chargers and Mumbai, he has scored 159 runs at 14.45 and a strike rate of 101.27, with only one half-century. Among all the bowlers he has faced 20 or more balls against in the IPL, Rohit has scored quickest against Daniel Christian, taking 64 runs off him in just 28 balls at 13.71 per over, with four fours and six sixes, the most sixes he has hit off any bowler. He has also hit six sixes off Rajat Bhatia – another Pune bowler – and Morne Morkel. Who will replace Stokes? Usman Khawaja is one option, but his record against spin may mitigate against his selection. In the IPL, he has only scored 36 off 31 balls against spin, while being dismissed three times. In those 31 balls, moreover, he has only hit one four and two sixes. Khawaja has done a lot better against pace – 91 off 69 balls with one dismissal, while hitting 13 fours and a six. In the two league meetings between these two sides this season, Ajinkya Rahane scored 21 off nine balls against Mitchell McClenaghan, without being dismissed. In all, Rahane has achieved a strike rate of 156.67 against left-arm pace this season, while only managing 110.85 against all other bowlers. Rahul Tripathi, on the other hand, has scored at 125.64 against left-arm pace while rattling along at 155.50 against all other kinds of bowlers. It will be interesting to note how Mumbai use McClenaghan against these two openers. Eight Mumbai batsmen have scored fifties this season, the most for any team. It’s an indication of how their entire batting line-up has shared the responsibility of scoring runs, rather than one or two batsmen having big seasons. None of their batsmen has managed 400 runs yet, this season, but six of them – Kieron Pollard, Rana, Parthiv Patel, Rohit, Jos Buttler and Hardik Pandya – have scored 200 or more, with all of them managing strike rates in excess of 125. Mumbai ending the league stage at the top of the table had a lot to do with the fact that both their batting and bowling have clicked this season. They have managed the biggest difference between batting run rate and bowling economy rate (0.60) of all teams this season, with Sunrisers Hyderabad (0.50) in second. This match will pit the best slog-overs batting team of the tournament – Mumbai have a table-topping run rate of 10.45 in the last five overs – against arguably the best death-bowling team. Rising Pune’s economy rate in the last five overs (9.41) across the tournament is not as good as that of Sunrisers and Mumbai, but they have been the best death-bowling side, by far, since they began their run of eight wins in ten matches. In that time, they have led the bowling teams by a distance, conceding only 8.03 per over, which is significantly better than the next-most economical team, Kings XI Punjab, who managed an economy rate of 9.19.

Manchester United seemingly remain intent on signing Fiorentina midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat this summer, with the Moroccan international potentially set to be another high profile name to trade Italy for Old Trafford.

What are the latest Man United transfer rumours?

The Red Devils appear to have focused their attention on the Serie A market of late, with Erik ten Hag's side having agreed a deal with Inter Milan for the signing of goalkeeper, Andre Onana, while the club are also continuing their pursuit of Atalanta sensation, Rasmus Hojlund.

As per the Independent's Miguel Delaney, those deals could be followed by the capture of Amrabat, with the Premier League giants said to have made 'contact' regarding a move for the 26-year-old, with the 'basics of a deal' already in place.

The pieces does also go on to add, however, that any pursuit of the former Club Brugge man – who has just a year left on his existing contract in Florence – is dependent on player sales at the Theatre of Dreams, with the 6 foot 1 ace valued at around £30m.

How good is Sofyan Amrabat?

It may well come as something of a surprise that United are showing such strong interest in the Netherlands-born playmaker, with the club having already bolstered the midfield ranks with the signing of Mason Mount, while teenage maestro, Kobbie Mainoo looks set to remain a part of the first-team squad rather than heading out on loan.

That being said, however, Ten Hag is fully aware of the qualities that Amrabat could bring to the Red Devils were a move to take place, with the 53-year-old having coached the player during his time in charge at Eredivisie side, FC Utrecht.

Since that spell working together – which saw the 49-cap gem rack up ten assists in just 50 games under the Dutchman's watch – Amrabat has gone on to reach far bigger heights after starring for his country at the World Cup last year, notably been described as a "beast" amid his displays at the tournament by CBS' Ives Galarcep.

The £32k-per-week ace was part of a Morocco side that reached the last four in Qatar, having since helped his club to reach the final of the Europa Conference League, where he arguably took then-West Ham United skipper Declan Rice "to school", according to writer Muhammad Butt.

One key attribute that does make Amrabat an eye-catching prospect is his ability to dictate proceedings at the base of the midfield, showcased by the fact that he ranks in the top 5% among those in his position in Europe's top five leagues for pass completion, as well as in the top 11% for attempted passes.

That trait could see the Fiorentina star prove to be the perfect successor to Michael Carrick at Old Trafford, with the now-retired Englishman having simply been a master at controlling a game during his pomp at United.

Hailed by Pep Guardiola as "one of the best holding midfielders" he's ever seen back in 2017, the one-time Tottenham Hotspur man – who made 464 appearances during a glittering, trophy-laden spell with the Red Devils – also brought "authority, control [and] peace" to the side whenever he played, as per ex-teammate, Gary Neville.

Much like Amrabat – who ranks in the top 8% for progressive passes – Carrick was also renowned for his forward-thinking nature in his deep-lying berth, with one-time United boss Louis van Gaal previously stating:

"He is one of the best passers. Not only wide but also forward."

While Ten Hag certainly isn't starved of quality in the midfield ranks having snapped up five-time Champions League winner, Casemiro, last summer, there would be no harm in having another quality asset to call upon, particularly one who shares the qualities of a legendary figure like Carrick.

Chelsea are believed to be interested in signing Montpellier attacker Elye Wahi this summer, rivalling Wolves for his signature in the process.

Who is Elye Wahi?

The 20-year-old is an exciting young footballer currently making a name for himself in his homeland of France, catching the eye with his performances for Montpellier over the past 12 months or so, in particular.

Wahi proved to be one of the standout attacking players in the whole of Ligue 1 last season, scoring a hugely impressive 19 goals in just 29 starts. He also chipped in with five assists for good measure, showcasing his potential and no doubt making various clubs take notice.

The youngster is also a three-cap and one-goal France Under-21s international, and he has represented his country at Under-20, Under-19, Under-18, Under-17 and Under-16 level, too, showing that he has been considered a prospect for a number of years now.

Wahi is contracted with Montpellier until the summer of 2025, and while that is still two years away, the French club may start to become wary that they are slowly running out of time when it comes to receiving the biggest amount of money for his signature.

With Chelsea eyeing up attacking signings ahead of the new Premier League season, it looks as though the French ace could be seen as a potential acquisition in the summer transfer window.

Could Chelsea sign Elye Wahi this summer?

According to a new report from French outlet L'Equipe, the Blues are interested in signing Wahi this summer, and have been negotiating with him over a move for a number of days. Wolves have been in the conversation for the Montepellier man, but it looks as though the English team mooted recently is Chelsea.

A bid of around €30m (£25.6m) could be enough for the west Londoners to get their man, as Mauricio Pochettino looks to turn his side's fortunes around after a dire 2022/23 campaign, with new signings vital for that to happen.

Wahi could be a brilliant signing by Chelsea before the new season starts, having been described as "a powerful, athletic and fast player with a range of dribbling skills where only he knows what he is going to do next" by former Caen academy director Francis de Taddeo in the past.

At just 20, he has already shown that he can excel in one of Europe's big five leagues, and while the step up to the Premier League is still great, he has all the time in the world to mature as a player and adjust to life in the division.

Chelsea are absolutely crying out for a young centre-forward who can spearhead the attack for many years to come, with the departed Kai Havertz and the ageing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang also not the long-term solution moving forward.

Granted, there is still a rawness to Wahi's game that means another more experienced striker could also do with coming in, but he looks to have maturity beyond his years already, as highlighted by the relentless goal scoring form he produced in a Montpellier shirt last term.