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Arsenal are keeping tabs on a Real Madrid star who is set to depart the Spanish capital before the February transfer deadline.

Having fallen painfully short of any major silverware in recent years under Mikel Arteta, the 2025/26 season feels especially important for the Gunners. At the half-way point of the campaign, the North London side have a four-point advantage over Manchester City as they sit atop the Premier League.

Arsenal, who have not won the English top flight in over two decades, will no doubt be desperate to once again lift the biggest domestic honour available to them. Arteta has, over the years, built a squad that, in terms of quality in depth, is by far the best in England, something that has helped the club compete on all fronts this season.

Despite being the best team in the country at this moment based on their league position, Arsenal are looking to bolster their ranks this winter, adding some bodies to further cement their push for glory at the season’s end.

Recent reports have indicated that the club could be set to make a seismic addition to their forward line in the coming weeks.

Rodrygo seeks Madrid exit as Arsenal circle

According to Sport, as per Sport Witness, winger Rodrygo is “determined to leave” Real Madrid in the near future and Arsenal, along with Man City, are the “most likely destinations”.

A Madrid player since 2019, Rodrygo has grown unhappy under the tenure of Xabi Alonso having started just five league matches out of 18, and there is now “no going back” as he is already hiring new agents to force an exit.

Rodrygo, who earns £280,000 per week at the Bernabeu, is being pursued by a number of Premier League teams, with England appearing to be the most feasible destination for him. Arsenal are one such club and reportedly made “informal contact” with Madrid in September about a potential deal for the Brazilian.

Get Arsenal transfer coverage – subscribe to the newsletter Subscribe to the newsletter for focused Arsenal transfer analysis, including the Rodrygo rumours, how potential additions fit Arteta’s plans, and what such signings could mean for the club’s Premier League aspirations.

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Without doubt, Rodrygo would be a superstar signing for Arsenal, a player who could integrate immediately into the first team and bring with him an added level of quality to help the Gunners push themselves over the line this season. Whether or not a price can be agreed in the winter transfer window, however, remains to be seen.

Related Man City now favourites to sign £75m+ attacking star alongside Semenyo

He’s already working on an exit.

Posts ByTom Cunningham

New Zealand allrounder Doug Bracewell has announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Bracewell, 35, last featured for New Zealand in a Test match in 2023.A persistent rib injury, which has kept him out of action for Central Districts this season, has contributed to Bracewell’s decision.Bracewell played 28 Tests, 21 ODIs and 20 T20Is between 2011 and 2023. The highlight of his career came in just his third Test match, in Hobart in December 2011, when he took match figures of 9 for 60 to lead New Zealand to their first Test win in Australia in 26 years; it remains their last Test win in the country. In all, Bracewell’s bustling fast-medium brought him 74 wickets in 28 Test matches at an average of 38.82. He also took 46 wickets across his white-ball appearances for New Zealand.Bracewell led New Zealand to one of their most memorable Test wins with his 9 for 60 in Hobart in 2011•Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

“It’s been a proud part of my life, and something I aspired to as a young cricketer,” Bracewell said in a Central Districts statement. “I will always be grateful for the opportunities I have had through cricket, and the chance to play for my country, as well as for Central Districts, throughout my domestic career. It’s a privilege to play first-class and international cricket, and I’m grateful to have played and enjoyed the game for as long as I have.”Bracewell comes from one of New Zealand’s foremost cricketing families. His father Brendon and uncle John both played Test cricket, with John also enjoying multiple stints as New Zealand coach, while uncles Douglas and Mark also played first-class cricket. Bracewell played two ODIs and a Test alongside his cousin Michael, who will captain New Zealand in the ODIs on the tour of India next month, as well as an Under-19 World Cup in 2010.Apart from domestic cricket for Central Districts, Bracewell played for Delhi Daredevils (now Capitals) in IPL 2012, Joburg Super Kings at SA20 2024, and Central Stags in the Global Super League earlier this year.Bracewell retires with the rare distinction of having scored over 4000 runs and taken more than 400 wickets in first-class cricket in New Zealand; offspinner Jeetan Patel another player to have achieved this double. In his 137-match first-class career, Bracewell took 437 wickets at 31.08 and scored 4505 runs at 25.45 including three hundreds.

Tasmania 214 (Bailey 86, Dighton 63, Bollinger 6-68) and 4 for 141 (Birt 68*, Butterworth 62*, Bollinger 4-36) trail New South Wales 7 for 512 dec by 157 runs
Scorecard

Doug Bollinger’s first ten-wicket haul put New South Wales within sight of victory © Getty Images

Doug Bollinger picked up three wickets in four balls to register his first ten-wicket match and put New South Wales on the brink of an innings victory against Tasmania. Bollinger bundled out four of the Tigers’ top five batsmen for ducks in their second innings before a fightback from Travis Birt and Luke Butterworth steadied Tasmania’s freefall.At the close the Tigers still trailed by 157, reaching 4 for 141 with Birt on 68 and Butterworth on 62. Bollinger was on a hat-trick in his second over, when he had Michael Di Venuto caught behind from the third ball and Daniel Marsh lbw. George Bailey survived the next delivery but no more than that, giving Bollinger his tenth victim for the game.The Tigers were 4 for 11 by that stage, as Bollinger had already bowled Michael Dighton from the first ball of the innings. The Butterworth and Birt partnership rescued Tasmania from complete annihilation and left the scorecard even more lopsided than in the first innings.Bollinger was also the first-innings destroyer and he helped finish the job by adding Brett Geeves (15) to his overnight total of five wickets. That left him with a career-best 6 for 68, while Nathan Bracken and Beau Casson played a part in wrapping up the Tigers’ tail for 214.Simon Katich enforced the follow-on after a rain delay early in the day suggested the Blues might not have their full allotment of overs to dismiss Tasmania a second time. Bad light stopped play during the final session but the Tigers still faced a major challenge to avoid defeat and put their title defence back on track.

Will Munaf Patel be fit enough to play the practice game? © Getty Images

India are set to play a two-day practice game against a Kwazulu Natal Invitation XI ahead of the second Test against South Africa on Durban, starting on December 26. The match will be held at Northwood Crusaders Cricket Club, starting on December 22.Dilip Vengsarkar, the chairman of selectors, had talked about the considerable gap between the first and second Tests and how important it was for the players to keep themselves match-fit. “A lot of our guys have been sitting on bench and they could easily lose form, so it’s important to keep them in loop,” Vengsarkar had said. He’d stressed that such a game would benefit a player like Munaf Patel, the fast bowler who’d missed the first Test owing to a sore ankle.KZN Invitation XI Rivash Gobind (captain), Imraan Khan, Ross McMillan, Martin Bekker, Cedric Mabuya, Michael van Vuuren, Darren Smit, Robert Frylinck, T Pillay, Saidi Mhlongo, Ugasen Govender, M. Serame, Coach: Y. Ebrahim

Mahendra Singh Dhoni sends another one soaring into orbit © Getty Images

How important was it personally to follow up the 148 against Pakistan with an innings of real substanceIt was very important. The 183 not out [Jaipur] was very satisfying because the conditions were so different. Against Pakistan, we had batted first, but in this case, we were chasing a very big total.Did it give you extra satisfaction that three of your innings against Sri Lanka involved being there at the end of a run-chase, a familiar Achilles Heel of Indian sides in the past?I’m just happy that I fulfilled the responsibility that was given to me by the team management. It doesn’t matter whether it was batting first or chasing, I did what I was asked to do.How have you adjusted to being shunted up and down the order?It’s been a new thing for me. I’ve batted at a lot of different slots in the past few games, as high as No.3 and as low as No.8. But I’m getting used to it now.How have innings like the 148 and 183* affected your life, and added to the pressure?There’s always pressure to do well when you play for your country, but when I get to the middle, it all disappears. I never think of such things while batting.Which bowler have you found the hardest to face since making your debut?I think all international bowlers can test you. But Muttiah Muralitharan and Shane Bond were certainly testing.How hard do you work on fitness, given the double-role that you have to play?We work very hard. It also depends on the preparation you do in off-season, and also the in-season training that we do with Greg King.Do you feel your wicketkeeping has improved, and do you think you might get a chance in the Test team now? I’ve worked very hard on improving my keeping, but that’s a question you should ask the selectors. When I’ve been given a chance in ODIs, I have done well. Hopefully, I can do well if given a chance in Tests too.Are there any areas of wicketkeeping that you have worked on specifically? Mainly just footwork. I’ve been concentrating on that.Is it difficult keeping to the likes of Harbhajan on Indian pitches? Of course. Both Anil bhai [Kumble] and Harbhajan are a real challenge. But personally, I find keeping to Veeru [Sehwag] even more difficult. Don’t ask me why! (smiles).How do you account for the dramatic turnaround in India’s fortunes since Zimbabwe?That’s a question that Greg Chappell, as coach, is best equipped to answer (laughs).

Hashim Amla (right) with Jacques Kallis: Amla’s trip to India, in some ways, brings symmetry to the story of his family© AFP

On the afternoon of the first day of the Kolkata Test there appeared amoment that will surely find its way into all future histories of SouthAfrican cricket. At the fall of Jacques Rudolph’s wicket there arrived atthe crease the slim, bearded figure of Hashim Amla, the first player ofIndian origin to play for South Africa. Amla’s proud father, Dr MahomedH Amla, was present to witness his son’s brief but assured debut innings.I met Mr Amla on the second afternoon to speak to him about his son andabout the story of the Amla family in South Africa, of which Hashimrepresents the third generation. In some ways it is a classic immigrantfamily’s tale.”My father, Hassim, emigrated from Surat to South Africa in 1927, alongwith his two brothers,” said Mr Amla. “He was only fourteen then. By thattime there was already a tradition of Indian workers coming to SouthAfrica, mostly as farm labourers – it had been happening since 1860. Myfather worked for a while in a retail store, then as a commercialsalesman. My mother was South Africa-born, but her family too came fromSurat. I was one of ten children.”Those were different times. As children we were interested in sport, butwe never could think of a career in it. In any case there were noopportunities to represent your country because of the political system inplace then. It’s only since the nineties that opportunities have becomemore widely available to all South Africans. Hashim was lucky that, justat the time when he was growing up, everything had begun to change. Therewas a system in place and if you had talent, you could make it. Althoughwe were now South African, in some ways we still remained an Indianfamily. We have Indian food at home, and are respectful of Indiantraditions. In fact some people said to me yesterday that some of hisshots were very Asian in their execution, very wristy – even though helearnt his skills on South African pitches.”Hashim went to a school that had a cricketing background – Barry Richardswent to it, and also the swing bowler Richard Snell – and there theyspotted his talent early. He was only 16 when he was chosen to play a gameagainst the visiting England team. After that, every time a team came on atour and an invitation side was arranged to play them, Hashim would bepicked for it. In one such game he took 80 off the Australian team. So youmight say that even though he is quite young, he’s been waiting for hisopportunity for quite some time.”Mr Amla was born in 1950, and grew up in a world of segregation that hasnow thankfully been dismantled. He reflects on how much has changed in thespan of his lifetime. “Hashim is lucky that he did most of his growing uppost-1990, in a new South Africa. Now he is the first player of Asianorigin to represent the national team, and there’s another player, a kidnamed Imran Khan, who may soon be the second.” He observes that the largerforces of history have a great deal to do with the chances thatindividuals get. “Several high-calibre black players of an earliergeneration never got any opportunities. Basil D’Oliviera had to seek hisfuture in another country. So much has changed in South Africa.”So there is that side of the Amla family story, that can be placed withinthe history of twentieth-century South Africa, but, as with any immigrantfamily, also another side, with its roots in India. “I don’t think thatwhen my father arrived in South Africa, at the age of fourteen,” saysMr Amla, “he would have ever imagined in his wildest dreams that his grandsonwould one day play cricket for South Africa, and, what’s more, actuallycome to India to make his debut.”There is a symmetry to this story that seems to please Mr Amla very much.”This is my first visit to the country as well,” he says. “Unfortunatelyit is a short trip and I have to return to my practice as soon as the tour isover. But these have been days I will never forget. I need to come backagain.”Wisden Asia Cricket

Dean Park:
Dorset 298 & 240 (N Thurwood 79, C Crowe 5-84) v Berkshire 213 & 329-3 (RHowitt 124*, P Pritchard 86*, J Wood 61)
Berkshire won by seven wickets
Berks 21 pts, Dorset 7Grantham:
Lincolnshire 409-6 & 112-1 v Northumberland 197 & 323
Lincolnshire won by nine wickets
Lincs 24 pts, Northumberland 3 ptsLuton:
Norfolk 264 & 249(C Amos 58, A Roberts 5-61) v Bedfordshire 365-8 and 150-5(J Knott 50)
Bedfordshire won by five wickets
Beds 24 pts Norfolk 5 ptsMarch:
Cambridgeshire 277 & 73 Cumberland 272 & 79-2
Cumberland won by 8 wkts
Cumberland 22pts Cambridgeshire 7Torquay:
Devon 371 & 334-7d (C Mole 136*, D Court 70*) v Herefordshire309dec & 276-4 (RD Hughes 103, I Dawood 64)
Match drawn
Devon 12 pts Herefordshire 11 ptsBridge North:
Wales 301-8d & 212 (I Capon 53 not out, AP O’Connor 4-67) v Shropshire276-8d & 238-3 (MJ Marvell 90, TJ Mason 85*)
Shropshire won by seven wickets
Shropshire 22 pts Wales 6Stone:
Staffordshire 450-5 v Buckinghamshire 89 & 213 (G Bulpitt 4-79)
Staffordshire won by an innings and 148 runs
Staffordshire 24pts Bucks 2South Wilts
Oxfordshire 314-9 & 146 (RK Illingworth 5-44, RJ Bates 4-38) v Wiltshire325-7d & 138-4 (B Rizvi 53)
Wiltshire won by six wickets
Wilts 24 pts Oxfordshire 5Day 2 ScoreSt Austell:
Cheshire 253 & 109-7 v Cornwall 368

Hampshire cruised to a seven-wicket win over Sussex and were left with an agonising wait to discover whether it would be enough to secure promotion to Division One of the Norwich Union League.A Worcestershire victory over Essex at New Road would deny them and if that were the case Robin Smith’s men will doubtless reflect on the home defeats against lowly Essex and Middlesex as the reasons why they missed out.At least they ended in style, bowling Sussex out for just 142 on a greenish Hove pitch before racing to victory with 22.1 overs unused.James Hamblin was their match-winner. He checked a late order Sussex revival by taking the last three wickets to finish with 3-23 before smashing 60 off just 42 balls as Hampshire launched their reply in thrilling style.Hamblin hit 14 fours and a six off James Kirtley in his blitz, racing to his 50 in just 33 minutes of mayhem off just 28 balls. Neil Johnson (42) supported him well in a stand of 103 in 13 overs for the first wicket.Hampshire lost three wickets in successive overs with veteran Mark Robinson claiming two of them on what could turn out to be his final appearance for the county.But Derek Kenway and Simon Francis sped their side to victory with an unbroken stand of 35 and the winning runs were scored at 4.25pm.Earlier Robin Martin-Jenkins (38) and Billy Taylor (19) had organised some resistance from the Sussex tail after they had slumped to 63-6. There were two wickets apiece for Dimitri Mascerenhas, Shaun Udal and Alan Mullally.

David Miller’s approach at the crease and ability to create run-scoring opportunities need strengthening if he is hopes to find form again, according to former South Africa captain Graeme Smith. Miller last scored a half-century 10 ODI innings ago, and the drought has raised concerns about his technique and the impact of his failures on a middle-order that is missing JP Duminy, who is on paternity leave. Smith, also a left-hander, has identified what may be wrong.”Looking at David Miller now, there were a few ways to get him out: lbw, caught behind and with the short ball. He wants to get to a point where he lines himself up a little bit better with his front foot and gets his head to go to the ball and allow himself to play through mid-on and straight,” Smith said while doing analysis for during Sunday’s second ODI between South Africa and New Zealand.Miller was out for 5, leaving South Africa 76 for 4, when he leaned forward to play a Doug Bracewell delivery that was angled in towards the pads, took some extra bounce and then the leading edge as he closed the face of the bat too early. In dissecting the dismissal, Smith demonstrated how Miller had not lined up his head and his front foot, which resulted in him being off balance and unable to play the ball as intended.”David technically falls across himself which then causes him problems. You want to get yourself into a position where you are in a press,” Smith explained while mimicking the slightly compressed position that batsmen employ while getting ready to face a ball, ready to spring to action. “The only batter I have seen in world cricket who didn’t press was Matthew Hayden. For everyone else, you want to get into a nice strong position where your head and front foot are lined up and you can move them together.”Smith recommended Miller look to another southpaw, Rilee Rossouw, who has been getting himself into good positions consistently. “Look at Rilee, he sets his front foot nicely so lbw is not an option, his front foot and his head are aligned and they are moving in one direction,” Smith said.This is particularly important if Miller is in earlier in the innings, when the ball is still new and possibly moving around. “The new ball is the key factor here,” Smith said. “There’s options to get out against the new ball because it’s going to seam, it’s going to swing and in the middle order you don’t often get those situations, you might get pace off the ball but I think if David sets up a little bit more for the swinging ball and gets that front foot into a slightly better position, he can be a better off-side player.”Learning to line up better is not as easy as Smith makes it sound so he also had some pointers on what Miller and South Africa’s coaching staff can do in training to help make the adjustments. “There were two different training methods for me. There was trying to get used to conditions and in my net practices it was about setting up for what I was going to face out in the middle and then I would go away and if I wanted to work on confidence or shot making, I’d do that by myself in a quiet area,” Smith said. “It’s about understanding what you need to do in your net practices, the type of bowlers you are going to be facing, the conditions and you train accordingly. And then it’s about going away and working on the areas of your game you want to work on or building confidence in terms of your shot-making. “Miller would likely need to do both by realising the New Zealand bowlers, and doubtless others who will study video footage, have identified that he is not hitting as straight as he used to and is a candidate for overbalancing and mishitting. Not only has that hampered him technically but it could have a mental impact too as Miller questions his own ability, which Smith believes can improve beyond being a death-hitter.”David is such a crucial part of South Africa’s line-up. You want to grow him to become a better all-round batter for South Africa because a man of his ability could really change games,” Smith said. “He is a better player than being restricted to the last 10 or 15 overs. If he can learn to bat situations and coaches can grow his technique to a point where he can start playing Test cricket, he can be successful. If he can build that technical side of his game and find a way to line up a little bit straighter with his timing and ability, he is a very difficult guy to bowl to.”

A West Indian cricketing crisis has been averted, with near full-strength team set to participate in the World T20; 12 of the original 15 picked by the WICB for the tournament have signed the required contracts. Among the three who have not signed is batsman Darren Bravo, who has written to the board saying he wants to focus on Test cricket. Allrounder Kieron Pollard and spinner Sunil Narine had pulled out a few days ago, citing incomplete rehab work on injury and bowling action respectively.The WICB named allrounder Carlos Brathwaite and offspinner Ashley Nurse replacements for Pollard and Narine, and an alternative for Bravo will be picked soon.The threat of the WICB sending a second-string squad to the World T20 escalated after Darren Sammy, West Indies’ Twenty20 captain, exchanged a series of emails with board chief executive Michael Muirhead, asking for the player remuneration to be revised. Muirhead was unrelenting on the matter, though, and told Sammy that if each member of the original squad of 15, which was picked on January 29, did not write individually to the WICB by February 14, the board would conclude he “refused” selection.An episode like the controversial pull-out from the India tour in 2014 – over the revised contracts that significantly cut the internationals’ salaries – will not be repeated emerged last week after Sammy told Muirhead that the players will play in the World T20, but the WICB “cannot continue to be unfair and unreasonable”.Meanwhile, Bravo said the reason he was opting out was because his long-term goal was to do well in Test cricket. “I’m very grateful and humbled for the opportunity to represent the West Indies at the World Cup,” Bravo was quoted in a WICB media release. “However, I’m of the firm belief that I have a very big part to play in the resurgence of West Indies cricket in the longer formats of the game and I will like the opportunity to play in our Professional Cricket League [the regional first-class tournament] because it will put me in good stead and will allow me to achieve those goals that I have aligned myself for the year 2016 and beyond.”