Manchester United appear to be keen on possibly bringing Brighton & Hove Albion goalkeeper Robert Sanchez to Old Trafford.

Are Man United interested in signing Robert Sanchez?

The Red Devils unveiled Mason Mount as their first summer signing on Wednesday, with the midfielder penning a deal until 2028 and the option of a further year in a deal worth a total package of £60m.

Arriving from Chelsea, the England international could be the first of many through the door ahead of Erik ten Hag’s second season in charge, with a new goalkeeper now seemingly next on the agenda.

Reports have suggested that Inter Milan goalkeeper Andre Onana is a real target, with an Old Trafford contract already agreed upon between the player and United.

However, a fee still needs to be agreed with Inter and Man United have verbally proposed a new £39m offer for his services. The Serie A side want around €60m, though, which could result in United looking elsewhere, where Sanchez comes into play.

According to The Daily Mail, Man United and other Premier League clubs are circling over a potential move for Sanchez.

The Spaniard has fallen out of favour under Roberto de Zerbi, with Jason Steele number one on the south coast and Bart Verbruggen recently brought in from Anderlecht for £16.3m.

As a result, Sanchez could be on the move this summer, and United view him as a cheaper alternative to Onana as he is valued at £30m.

Who is Robert Sanchez?

Sanchez, who shares the same agency as Luke Shaw, first moved to Brighton from Levante back in 2013 and has come through the youth ranks with the Seagulls.

The 25-year-old, now a full Spain international, spent time out on loan with the likes of Forest Green Rovers and Rochdale during the early stages of his career, turning out on 17 occasions in League Two and 26 in League One.

He broke into the first team setup during the 2020/21 season and has made a total of 90 senior appearances for Brighton, keeping 29 clean sheets, one of which came in the FA Cup semi-final with the Red Devils last season.

He is under contract until 2025 and earns £25,000-a-week with his current employers, and he came in for praise from former Brighton boss Graham Potter, who labelled him as ‘powerful’ and ‘fast’ who has ‘everything to be a top goalkeeper’.

“He is a monster in terms of his physicality. He’s not just big but he is powerful, he is fast.

“In terms of attributes as a goalkeeper, he has got everything to be a top goalkeeper.”

As per WhoScored, Sanchez averaged more passes and had a better completion rate than De Gea last season, whereas he stopped more crosses and averaged a shorter average length of goal kick than Onana, as per FBref. This shows how he could suit Ten Hag’s style of playing out from the back, and by the looks of things, a move could be one to keep an eye on.

More than 700 runs were scored in Bangladesh’s tour match against Sri Lanka President’s XI in Colombo, where the hosts completed a final-over win

Andrew Fidel Fernando22-Mar-2017
ScorecardMahmudullah found some form after a string of poor performances saw his exclusion from the second Test against Sri Lanka•AFPMahmudullah hit an unbeaten 71 off 68 balls and strode into some form in Bangladesh’s practice match against the Sri Lanka Board President’s XI, but his half-century could not see the visitors through as they lost by two runs, chasing 355. Also making fifties in the high-scoring encounter were Sabbir Rahman, Mosaddek Hossain, Mashrafe Mortaza, Kusal Perera, Sandun Weerakkody and Dhananjaya de Silva.In pursuit of the President’s XI’s 354 for 7, Bangladesh’s result was of little consequence: the visitors rifled through eight bowlers, and the match did not have List A status. However, a brisk half-century against bowlers who have all played for Sri Lanka may buoy Mahmudullah, who was chastened by his omission for the second Test in Colombo, hit four fours and a six. Bangladesh’s chances had seemed dim at 239 for 7 in the 39th over, until Mahmudullah put on a 101-run partnership with Mashrafe Mortaza, who hit a 35-ball 58. They couldn’t quite push the visitors to victory as Mahmudullah could manage just one run – needing four – off the final ball.Setting up the chase was Sabbir, who hit 11 fours and a six in his 72 from the No. 3 position, before Mosaddek contributed 53. Soumya Sarkar had also hit a 43-ball 47 to follow his good run in the Test series.Meanwhile, at the top of the President’s XI’s innings, Kusal had struck the latest in a series of uncharacteristically slow limited-over fifties. His 64 (retired out) came off 78 balls and featured only four fours. His two half-centuries for Sri Lanka A had also come at less than a run-a-ball. These three fifties came after a long slump for Kusal, during which he was dropped from the Sri Lanka side in all three formats.Nevertheless, his fifty and de Silva’s half century now creates a little competition at the top of the order, with captain Upul Tharanga, and wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella also having opened the batting for Sri Lanka over the last few months. Sandun Weerakkody, who had played in the South Africa series, but has not been chosen for the forthcoming one, also struck a fifty.There were no eminent bowling performances for the hosts, save for Akila Dananjaya’s 3 for 61.

New Zealand legspinner Ish Sodhi was unwanted at the IPL, and often by his country, but has joined Nottinghamshire for the NatWest T20 Blast.Sodhi, 24, comes with the recommendation of Andre Adams, the former Nottinghamshire and New Zealand seamer, and will be available for the duration of the tournament.During a brief spell with Adelaide Strikers at the BBL he claimed the remarkable figures of 6 for 11, the sixth best in T20 history, against Sydney Thunder but that was not enough to attract interest from an IPL franchise at the recent auction. Overall in T20 he has 60 wickets at 21.96 and an economy rate of 7.14. He was impressive at the 2016 World T20 where he claimed 10 wickets in five matches with an economy of 6.10.”Ish is a young player whose game has really moved forward,” Peter Moores, Nottinghamshire’s head coach, said. “He’s growing fast and we’re really excited to have him. We’ve seen the impact legspinners can have in T20 cricket. With the way batsmen strike the ball, you need bowlers that can take wickets throughout the innings.”Ish is a natural attacking leg-spinner who can create pressure and get us some crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs.”Sodhi has been in and out of the New Zealand side during their current season following his omission after the tour of India. He played two T20s against Bangladesh, where he claimed five wickets, and the first two ODIs against South Africa before being overlooked for Jeetan Patel in the last two matches of the series.Unless New Zealand take three specialist spinners to the Champions Trophy he could miss out on a place in the final 15.

علّق ستيف كلارك، المدير الفني لمنتخب اسكتلندا، على الإصابة التي تعرض لها لاعب ليفربول آندي روبرتسون في مباراة الأمس ضد أيرلندا الشمالية.

وتلاقى المنتخبان في إطار مباراة ودية، في فترة التوقف الدولي الخاص بشهر مارس، حيث خسرت اسكتلندا بهدف دون رد.

اقرأ أيضًا | تصريح غامض.. والد لويس دياز يثير التكهنات حول مستقبله مع ليفربول

وشهدت المباراة تعرض لاعب ليفربول، آندي روبرتسون، لإصابة في الكاحل أجبرته على الخروج في الشوط الأول.

وقال ستيف كلارك في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “heraldscotland” الإنجليزية: “من الواضح أنه خرج مصابًا، لذا سنقوم بتقييم حالته ونرى كيف سيعود إلى ناديه وسيعتنون به”.

ويستعد ليفربول لخوض مباراة يوم الأحد المقبل، في الجولة التاسعة والعشرين من الدوري الإنجليزي أمام برايتون.

Sunderland's hopes of bringing back Ellis Simms from Everton are fast fading as Championship rivals Coventry City close in on a deal for the striker.

How many goals has Ellis Simms scored?

Simms starred on loan with Sunderland in the first half of the 2022-23 Championship campaign with seven goals and two assists in 17 appearances.

That form earned the 22-year-old a recall to parent club Everton at the start of January, but he was restricted to just two Premier League starts – albeit one of those coming in February's Merseyside derby at Anfield, which the Toffees lost 2-0.

The high point for Simms undoubtedly came in March when scoring a late equaliser for Everton in a 2-2 draw away at Chelsea, with that likely to be his one and only goal for the club.

Sunderland understandably held an interest in signing Simms on a permanent basis once it became clear Everton were willing to sell, while Ipswich Town also placed a £4m bid, but The Athletic reports that Coventry are close to completing a deal worth between £6-8m.

Who are Sunderland signing?

The Black Cats have already brought in a new striker ahead of the new season, with Luis 'Hemir' Semedo arriving from Benfica. However, the 19-year-old has no senior experience, let alone experience of English football, so Tony Mowbray could do with signing at least one more forward.

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds United's Sonny Perkins is being eyed up by Sunderland, as well as Blackburn Rovers, with the Whites greenlighting his loan exit for the 2023/24 campaign.

Perkins featured three times for Leeds in cup competitions last season, each coming under former boss Jesse Marsch, and scored his first senior goal in an FA Cup third-round tie against Cardiff City – rescuing his side from a shock exit with a late goal in a 2-2 draw in South Wales.

The 19-year-old earned his first-team chance after scoring 11 goals across 18 Premier League 2 appearances, while also making an impact in the EFL Trophy with one goal in three games.

Perkins previously featured in a Premier League game for West Ham United, too, meaning the future is clearly bright for the 19-year-old, who was described as "dangerous" by U21 manager Michael Skubala last season.

To put Perkins' PL2 figures into some perspective, he averaged 0.85 goals and assists combined per 90 minutes last season, which compares to 0.67 for Simms in his most recent full season at that level in 2020-21, as per FBref.

Simms was directly involved in 0.72 goals per 90 minutes last season, a figure bettered only by Ross Stewart (1.12) among Sunderland players. The Black Cats undoubtedly need to find someone who can make just as big an impact, then, and Perkins – on £1.6k per week at Leeds, according to Salary Sport – may just be that man.

Much in the same way that not a great deal was expected from Simms when he rocked up on Wearside 12 months ago, Sunderland will be hoping for a similar masterstroke if the Perkins rumours are indeed true.

New skipper Joe Leach inspired a Worcestershire fightback as 16 tumbled on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match with in-form Northamptonshire at New Road

ECB Reporters Network21-Apr-2017
ScorecardJoe Leach responded stoutly for Worcestershire [file picture]•Getty Images

New skipper Joe Leach inspired a Worcestershire fightback as 16 tumbled on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship match with in-form Northamptonshire at New Road.New Northants signing, paceman Andy Carter, enjoyed an inspired debut with a deadly three wicket burst including Worcestershire top-scorer Moeen Ali, who made 50 as the home side were bowled out for 188.It was the ideal start to Northamptonshire’s bid to win the opening three Championship matches in a season for the first time in their history.But Leach, in his first home match at the helm since replacing Daryl Mitchell as captain, produced a deadly new ball spell which yielded four wickets.It was reminiscent of the form which brought him 65 Championship wickets last summer – the most by any bowler in Division Two.When bad light intervened with 25 overs remaining, Northants had been reduced to 102 for 6 with only Ben Duckett (45 not out) offering serious resistance.Former Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire player Carter was signed up after injuries to pace duo Ben Sanderson and Rory Kleinveldt.The visitors were also without skipper Alex Wakely for family reasons and Josh Cobb led the side in his absence.Moeen, playing his first Championship match for almost a year, and Daryl Mitchell dug in against the Northants seamers in adding 62 for the second wicket after the early departure of Brett D’Oliveira.Steven Crook trapped Mitchell lbw for 30 and Tom Fell departed in the same manner to Mohammad Azharullah.Moeen had greeted Carter’s introduction into the attack by planting his first delivery over midwicket for six and the England all-rounder went to his half century off 87 balls.But then Carter changed the complexion of the game when he returned after lunch for his second spell. Moeen went for a drive and was bowled and four balls later Tom Kohler-Cadmore, still to get off the mark, shouldered arms and suffered the same fate.It became three wickets in 11 balls for Carter as Ben Cox nicked a ball of extra bounce through to keeper Adam Rossington.Joe Clarke produced some flowing drives but Nathan Buck ensured Northants polished off the innings in efficient fashion.He disposed of Ed Barnard, Leach and Josh Tongue in the space of five overs while Clarke’s knock ended at 33 when he fell lbw to Crook.The wickets continued to tumble when Northants launched their reply with Leach settling into a lengthy opening spell which brought him four wickets.After Rob Newton went lbw in Leach’s first over, Duckett decided attack was the best form of defence in an over from Worcestershire overseas player John Hastings which cost 22 runs.He was aided by Max Holden in a stand of 53 but it was only a brief respite before the bowlers dominance returned.Holden drove Barnard to point before Leach took centre stage. Rob Keogh edged to second slip and Rossington rashly slashed the next delivery to point.Richard Levi survived the hat-trick ball and a spilled chance by Josh Tongue off Leach but it did not prove costly.He went lbw for 24 in Leach’s next over and his replacement Barnard disposed of Cobb in the same manner.

Arsenal are still very interested in signing Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia this summer but they need Thomas Partey to leave, according to reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Who are Arsenal signing this summer?

Kai Havertz, after completing a move from Chelsea in a £65 million deal, has already been announced as manager Mikel Arteta’s first summer signing. The Gunners boss, speaking on Havertz’s signing, insists he will strengthen Arsenal’s midfield to no end.

“Kai is a player of top quality,” explained Arteta.

“He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play. We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”

Meanwhile, it is widely reported that the north Londoners are closing in on West Ham United star Declan Rice after both Arsenal and the Hammers agreed a total £105 million fee for his transfer.

Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, who is apparently desperate to join Arsenal before 2023/2024, is also close to sealing his desired move as the club near these two major deals.

The signings could take Arsenal’s total spending past £200 million, but reports suggest they aren’t done there, with Man City defender Joao Cancelo and Galatsary’s Sacha Boey being considered for their defensive flanks.

Meanwhile, Arteta’s side have also been heavily linked with a swoop for Lavia of Southampton, but Liverpool and Chelsea are in the race. Indeed, a “huge fight” could be looming for the 19-year-old.

Romano has shared his own update on Lavia’s future, claiming Arsenal could still sign the Belgium international, but on one condition. Before attempting any deal, it is believed midfielder Thomas Partey will need to make way first.

Southampton, for their part, will charge around £50 million despite their relegation to the Championship.

What’s been said about Romeo Lavia?

The former Man City starlet averaged a higher pass accuracy than any other Southampton player last season whilst ranking among their best for league performances per 90 (WhoScored).

Lavia is clearly a player of huge potential, with City boss Pep Guardiola once explaining that everyone rated him highly when he was at Eastlands.

As well as this, journalist Sam Tighe, who watches the Saints every week, called Lavia one of the south coast side’s shining stars – believing Arsenal supporter should be thrilled by the prospect of him joining.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are advancing in talks to bring full-back Matt Doherty back to Molineux, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Are Wolves signing Matt Doherty?

The Old Gold are yet to make any new signings to Julen Lopetgeui’s side ahead of his first full season in charge in the Midlands. However, Matheus Cunha and Boubacar Traore have made their loan moves permanent from Atletico Madrid and FC Metz respectively in deals worth €50m and €11m.

However, there have been plenty of departures, with Ruben Neves joining Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. Nathan Collins has also left for Premier League rivals Brentford and Conor Coady has joined Championship side Leicester City.

Meanwhile, Joao Moutinho, Diego Costa and Adama Traore have all become free agents after their Molineux deals expired. Another player who is a free agent is former defender Doherty, and it looks as if a return to Wolves is firmly on the cards.

According to transfer expert Romano, who took to Twitter on Thursday, talks are advancing to the final stages, with an agreement between player and club now close.

“Understand talks to bring Matt Doherty back to Wolves are now advancing to the final stages, the agreement is now close. Doherty, expected to return on a free transfer.”

Matt Doherty’s career…

Doherty, who actually shares the same agency as nine Molineux players, joined Wolves back in 2010 from Irish side Bohemians and spent 10 years in the Midlands.

The right-back was loaned out to Hibernian and Bury in the early stages of his career but went on to make 302 senior appearances for Wolves, scoring a respectable 28 goals and providing 41 assists. He was a regular of the side under Nuno Espirito Santo that won the Championship title back in 2017/18 and qualified for the Europa League in their first season back in the top flight.

Doherty then left Wolves for Tottenham back in 2020 in a deal worth just under £15m and went on to make 71 appearances in all competitions in north London. Hailed as “outstanding” by Sky Sports’ Declan Olley for Spurs last year, Doherty made the move to Atletico Madrid back in January. Since then, the Irishman featured on just two occasions for the La Liga side and now finds himself a free agent.

It looks as if a return to Wolves is set to go through, though, and a move could be a shrewd one on a free transfer. Those at Molineux will know all about Doherty and the quality he could bring to Lopetegui’s side, with the full-back hailed in the media during his first stint with the club back in 2019 against Burnley.

“For all the Portuguese superstars, or promising Portuguese players that they have brought in over the last 18 months or so, it’s their Irish wing-back who stood out today. Matt Doherty was sensational today.”

As per FBref over the past 12 months, Doherty ranks in the top 1% of full-backs for aerial duels won and top 2% for shots and touches in the attacking penalty area, showing how he could once again bring an attacking option for Wolves at right-back.

Newcastle United are plotting to sign Sporting CP defender Goncalo Inacio this summer, with Eddie Howe keen to strengthen his side ahead of their Champions League campaign next season, according to a report from Football Insider.

Who are Newcastle signing this summer?

The Daily Mail have recently reported that Newcastle are still looking to bring in a forward, full-back and centre-back this summer, with Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi emerging as an option to fill the latter position.

The Magpies are ready to offer £45m to secure the centre-back's signature, but they are not the only Premier League club in the race, with Arsenal ready to splash the cash, meaning they may face a battle to secure his services.

Napoli's Kim Min-jae has been named as a target for Howe in the past, but the manager has missed out on the South Korea international, who is set to complete his medical tests before being unveiled as a Bayern Munich player in the near future.

Much like Kim, Inacio is in high-demand this summer, with the likes of Liverpool, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid all being named as potential suitors for the defender, and Newcastle are very much in the mix.

That is according to a report from Football Insider, which states that the Magpies are plotting to sign the Sporting CP star, with Howe keen to bolster his squad ahead of the return to the Champions League next season.

The manager wants to bring in more strength in depth, as his side aim to build on their fourth-place finish from last season, and the Portuguese defender "fits the profile" of player he is looking to add to the squad.

The Magpies are eager to sign players under the age of 24 with "huge potential", and the 21-year-old fits the bill.

How good is Goncalo Inacio?

The Almada-born youngster has been making waves in the Primeira Liga over the past few years, cementing himself as a key player for Sporting CP last season, making 33 league appearances at centre-back.

Football Scout Jacek Kulig has hailed the defender as "simply fantastic" in Ruben Amorim's three-man defence system, and he ranks in the 80th percentile for interceptions per 90 over the past year, when compared to players at a similar level.

All in all, the 6 foot 1 centre-back ranks in the 99th percentile for three stats, which are shot-creating actions, passes attempted and progressive passes, with the latter two earmarking him as a good fit for Newcastle, who have been much less pragmatic with the ball since Howe's arrival.

The starlet's performances at club level have already earned him a call-up to his national side, making two appearances back in March, helping his side keep a clean sheet when he completed the full 90 minutes against Liechtenstein, showing he should have no problem playing under the pressure and bright lights of continental football.

Inacio has all the traits required to be a success at St. James' Park, and although the £39m asking price is a lot for a player unproven outside of Portugal, Newcastle should definitely pursue a deal.

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches played on May 3, 2017

Mohammad Isam03-May-2017Gazi Group Cricketers took the top spot in the league with their sixth successive win, and handed Partex Sporting Club their sixth loss in six matches.After being invited to bat, Partex posted a competitive 270 for 9 on the back of half-centuries from opener Jatin Saxena and middle-order batsman Irfan Sukkur. Hossain Ali and Abu Hider picked up two wickets each for Gazi Group.They started the chase positively with openers Anamul Haque and Jahurul Islam adding 68 for the first wicket. Jahurul moved to 96, including 11 fours and a six, before retiring hurt. He did not return to bat, but a chain of cameos from the middle and lower order helped Gazi Group seal the chase with four wickets and six balls to spare. For Partex, Raijbul Islam and Jubair Ahmed took two wickets each.Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club ran up 309 for 7 and crushed Brothers Union by 92 runs in Fatullah. Their fourth successive victory took them to third place with 10 points.It was Prashant Chopra who laid the foundation for the win with his fourth List A century, which contained seven fours and three sixes. Legspinner Tanbir Hayder, who has played two ODIs for Bangladesh, then derailed the chase with his first five-wicket haul in List A cricket.Chopra was assisted by Fazle Mahmud, who made 78 off 75 balls, and Abdullah Al Mamun, who made 59 off 54 balls. Then they went from 277 for 2 to 300 for 7, but the late collapse did not cost them in the end.Brothers Union had a brisk start in their chase with openers Mizanur Rahman and Junaid Siddique adding 49 in seven overs. Farhad Hossain, the No. 3 batsman, sustained the momentum with his seventh List A fifty, but the middle order and the lower order crumbled. They were eventually bowled out for 217 in 43.5 overs.Khelaghar Samaj Kallyan Samity picked up their second win of the season after thumping Victoria Sporting Club by 57 runs at the BKSP-3 ground in Savar. Victoria, winless in six matches, are on the verge of being relegated.After being sent in, Khelaghar piled on 303 for 7 with opener Robiul Islam Robi scoring his first List A century – 107 off 115 balls, including 15 fours and one six. He added 102 for the first wicket with Salauddin Pappu who hammered five sixes and as many fours in his 51-ball 60. Robi then added 64 for the fourth wicket with Nazimuddin before Masum Khan (31*) and Dolar Mahmud (25) made cameos to push the total past 300.Rubel Mia, who took three wickets with his offspin, then struck six fours in his 46 and gave Victoria a good start in their chase. The middle over, however, could not build on his work. Arafat Sunny later struck three sixes and two fours in his unbeaten 47 off 41 balls, but it only served to reduce the margin of defeat. Suraj Randiv took three wickets while Tanvir Islam picked up two wickets for Khelaghar.