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Sunderland were dealt a blow in their pursuit of a new centre-forward option this week as one of their reported transfer targets moved to another Championship club.

What's the latest Sunderland transfer news?

The Sunderland Echo had claimed that the Black Cats held talks with Premier League outfit Fulham over a possible loan deal for 20-year-old marksman Jay Stansfield, who spent last season on loan at Exeter.

However, Tony Mowbray and Kristjaan Speakman were unable to get a deal over the line for the talented youngster as Birmingham City officially announced his arrival on loan on Thursday.

The club could quickly get over that disappointment, though, as they are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Ukrainian striker Nazariy Rusyn from Zorya Lugansk, who is said to be set to put pen to paper on a four-year contract at the Stadium of Light.

How good is Nazariy Rusyn?

Mowbray could be on the verge of securing a dream alternative to Stansfield by bringing the 24-year-old marksman to Wearside after his impressive performances throughout the 2022/23 campaign.

Rusyn enjoyed a terrific season with Zorya and proved himself to be capable of scoring and assisting goals from a number nine position, which could make him a fantastic addition to the squad for Sunderland.

The exciting whiz, who is reportedly valued at £2.5m by the Black Cats, racked up 13 goals and six assists in 30 Premier Liga outings last term, which means that he was directly involved in a goal every 1.88 matches on average.

Stansfield, on the other hand, produced nine goals and seven assists in 38 League One games for Exeter last season, which is an average of one goal contribution every 2.36 clashes.

These statistics show that Rusyn provided more quality at the top end of the pitch for his respective club due to his ability to score and assist goals more frequently than the 20-year-old talent.

Neither player is a proven Championship performer and this means that there would have been a risk, in terms of their adaptation to playing at this level.

Still, the Ukraine U21 international's record suggests that the potential is there for him to be an excellent player for Mowbray if he can adapt to life in England.

Rusyn, who has scored one goal in two league games this season, could be an outstanding performer for the English head coach if he can replicate his Zorya performances for Sunderland.

Last term, no current Black Cats player managed more than ten Championship goals and no striker produced more than three league assists.

This suggests that Rusyn, with his 13 goals and six assists during the 2022/23 campaign, has the scope to be a superb option for the ex-Blackburn Rovers manager at the top end of the pitch. His ability to score and assist goals could improve Sunderland's attack and help them to push up the table this season.

Therefore, the £2.5m-rated finisher could be a dream alternative to Stansfield due to his superior record in front of goal last term and the fact that he would come in on a permanent deal rather than a loan, which means that the talented marksman has room to grow over the course of several years.

A first-innings five-wicket haul from Sherman Lewis and a second-innings hundred from Devon Smith – who carried his bat – couldn’t prevent Windward Islands from slipping to their second defeat in three matches

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Nov-2017
ScorecardWICBOpening-day hundreds from Jason Mohammed and Denesh Ramdin set up Trinidad & Tobago’s first win of the season and consigned Windward Islands to their second defeat in three games. Picking up 22 points from the game, which ended inside three days, T&T moved above Guyana to the top of the table, with 41.4 points from three matches.Sent in to bat at the Queen’s Park Oval, T&T built a solid base courtesy a 97-run second-wicket stand between Kyle Hope (68) and Yannic Cariah (49). Mohammed and Ramdin built on that base, and had both brought up their hundreds when T&T ended the first day at 334 for 3. Sherman Lewis dismissed both of them early on the second day, after a fourth-wicket stand of 213. Mohammed made 113 off 187 balls (9×4, 1×6) and Ramdin 116 off 170 (9×4).This was the beginning of a T&T collapse that cost them their last seven wickets for only 49 runs, with Lewis picking up his maiden five-wicket haul. The momentum did not stay with Windward Islands for long, however, as they folded for 166 in their first innings, giving up a first-innings lead of 236. Three of their top five got past 30, but none of them got as far as a half-century, as T&T’s bowlers chipped away at the wickets. Legspinner Imran Khan was the most successful of them, finishing with 3 for 46.Following on, Windward Islands did better in their second innings, though not by much. Devon Smith carried his bat for an unbeaten 119 (240b, 13×4, 1×6) but found little top-order support. The biggest partnership of the innings was 96 for the eighth wicket between Smith and Shane Shillingford (52), as Windwards were bowled out for 259. Imran picked up four second-innings wickets, as did the left-arm seamer Daniel St Clair. It only took 4.3 overs for T&T’s openers to chase down their target of 24.

Leeds United have gone through a summer of change so far as they have had to deal with relegation from the Premier League and a host of players moving out of the door at Elland Road.

Who has left Leeds this summer?

Tyler Roberts, Adam Forshaw, Joel Robles, and Rodrigo have all departed on permanent deals, whilst Marc Roca, Rasmus Kristensen, Brendan Aaronson, and Robin Koch have left on loan.

Manager Sam Allardyce also moved on at the end of last season, after he failed to maintain the club's place at the top table, and has been replaced by German head coach Daniel Farke.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

The former Norwich tactician has been able to make one addition to his side to date, as Ethan Ampadu has joined on a permanent deal from Chelsea.

One player who could be on his way to Elland Road before the summer transfer window slams shut is Coventry City star Gustavo Hamer, as he has been linked with a switch to Yorkshire.

How good is Gustavo Hamer?

The Dutch maestro is an exceptional Championship performer, as his Sofascore rating of 7.35 placed him third within the entire league last term, whose ability to create for others could allow him to get the best out of misfiring Leeds forward Patrick Bamford.

Farke could get the ex-Chelsea striker back on the goal trail by signing Hamer to be an outstanding provider of opportunities from a midfield position.

Last season, the 26-year-old maestro racked up ten assists and created 16 'big chances' for his teammates. He also provided 1.8 key passes per game across 41 appearances outside of the play-offs.

Meanwhile, no Leeds player produced more than 1.5 key passes per match and Jack Harrison created the most 'big chances' for the team with nine.

Journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones compared Hamer to ex-Leeds star Pablo Hernandez, who assisted 21 goals in his last two second-tier seasons with the club, by saying that he could be a "Hernandez-type" figure under Farke.

This suggests that Hamer has the potential to be the German's main creative threat in the heart of midfield, which could benefit Bamford by allowing more room for error with his finishing as opportunities would come his way more frequently thanks to the Coventry gem's playmaking invention.

The Leeds centre-forward only scored six goals in 37 Premier League matches over the last two seasons but when fully fit, he had plundered 17 goals in 38 top-flight outings during the 2020/21 campaign.

He also managed an impressive 16 strikes in 45 Championship clashes throughout the 2019/20 title-winning campaign under Marcelo Bielsa, which shows that the ex-Middlesbrough loanee has the quality to be a terrific goalscorer for the Whites in each of the top two divisions.

Hamer's creativity could be the key to helping Bamford to rediscover his touch in front of goal as the Coventry star, who also scored 11 goals last term, has the ability to consistently provide the striker with the chances he needs to be a lethal scorer next season.

Therefore, Farke must push the club to complete a deal for the £5.2k-per-week whiz over the coming weeks in order to revive the former England international whilst also adding a sensational midfielder to his squad.

Everton are just over three weeks away from their opening Premier League fixture against Fulham, and they have made a grand total of one signing this summer.

Ashley Young, albeit experienced, is 38 years old and hardly likely to get the revival started following a woeful couple of seasons in Merseyside.

The Toffees certainly need strengthening in almost all areas of the pitch and Sean Dyche will need to start securing some new arrivals in the next couple of weeks otherwise the pressure could start to build.

Having netted just 34 goals in 38 league matches last term, the need for a clinical centre-forward is obvious, yet their back line could also be bolstered, as they had the seventh-worst defensive total in the division, conceding 57 goals.

According to Tutto Juve (via Sport Witness), Everton are interested in signing young Belgian defender Koni de Winter this summer, and they have ‘inquired’ about his situation at Juventus.

How good is Koni de Winter?

The Goodison Park outfit face competition from French side Lille for the player as he looks set to undergo pre-season training at Juventus ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

The 21-year-old has a contract at the Serie A side until 2026, which means Dyche will have to stump up a decent fee in order to tempt them to sell and with Juventus holding the starlet in ‘high esteem’, any move could be tricky to work out.

That said, it would be a wise move should they complete a deal for the £10m-rated talent, as he could well be a dream replacement for James Tarkowski. Despite holding one of the worst defensive records in the division, the former Burnley defender emerged as one of their finest players during a terrible season.

The 30-year-old ranked third across the squad for overall Sofascore rating, accurate passes per game (34.6) and interceptions per game (1.3) while he also made 5.2 clearances each match, good enough to rank him top of the pile, proving to be an impressive signing.

He won't be around forever, however, and Dyche will soon have to find an ideal replacement to the centre-back sooner rather than later. De Winter could be the ideal candidate.

He has already made two appearances for the Bianconeri, coming in the Champions League during the 2021/22 season, showing that they clearly value his talent, yet he ended up at Empoli on a loan deal last term.

The 21-year-old made 14 appearances across the whole season and won 59% of his aerial duels along with making 4.5 clearances and one tackle per game, with the youngster clearly showing glimpses of his defensive talents.

His former teammate at Juventus Leonardo Bonucci lavished praise upon the 6 foot 2 gem back in 2021 when he was just emerging from the academy, claiming that the defender “has no fear” and if given a chance in the Premier League, he could accelerate his development.

Of course, Dyche will be looking at signing seasoned campaigners who have the required experience to push Everton towards the top half of the table, yet taking a gamble on players such as De Winter, a player dubbed "strong" by Pavel Nedved, could pay off handsomely in the future.

Leeds United transfer chiefs Nick Hammond and Gretar Steinsson are targeting Liverpool centre-back Nat Phillips this summer, according to journalist Beren Cross.

How old is Nat Phillips?

The 26-year-old has almost become something of a cult hero at Anfield, following an impressive spell during the back-end of the 2020/21 season, when he filled in after a host of injuries to key men and helped the Reds finish third in the Premier League. It led to him being known as the 'Bolton Baresi', in relation to AC Milan's legendary hero Franco Baresi.

On the whole, though, Phillips has had to settle for being nothing more than a fringe player, with Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate, Joel Matip and Joe Gomez all ahead of him in the centre-back pecking order. Last season, for example, he only played 66 minutes of action, starting once and coming on as a substitute on another occasion.

The Englishman is out of contract at Liverpool in the summer of 2025, but given his lack of playing time, it would be a surprise if he was still at the club beyond the end of the current transfer window.

Could Leeds sign Nat Phillips?

According to Leeds Live's Cross, Phillips is still on Leeds radar ahead of a summer move for the Liverpool man, although he isn't the only target:

"Centre-backs, left-backs, central midfielders, advanced playmakers and centre forwards would be wise bases to target between now and September 1.

"The former are, LeedsLive understands, currently being targeted with the most vigour by Gretar Steinsson and Nick Hammond. Liverpool’s Nat Phillips and Manchester City’s Taylor Harwood-Bellis remain under consideration as two of the options in central defence they like."

Phillips may have ultimately struggled to make the grade at Liverpool, in terms of becoming a genuine key man for an extended period of time, but he could be an excellent signing by Leeds, as they look to return to the Premier League from the Championship as quickly as possible.

Jurgen Klopp once lauded the defender as "absolutely insane" when hailing his performances, which says a lot about the quality he possesses, and he could be a dominant force for the Whites, at a time when they could really do with a leader at the heart of their defence.

Phillips averaged 4.5 aerial duel wins per game across two EFL Cup appearances last season, showing what a monster he is in the air, but he is also arguably underrated on the ball because of his physical stature, having enjoyed an 86.6% pass completion in the Premier League in 2022/23.

At 26, the Liverpool centre-back is at a good age, with his peak years potentially still to come, so he could be a key figure at the back for Leeds for the next four or five years, coming straight in as one of the first name on the team sheet and immediately making the Whites more resolute at the back.

Phillips aforementioned cult status means he could also be a popular player with the supporter, always giving his all and proving to be an excellent team player.

India have included Dinesh Karthik in their squad for the Champions Trophy as a replacement for Manish Pandey, who has been ruled out with a left side strain

ESPNcricinfo staff18-May-2017India squad for Champions Trophy

Virat Kohli (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma, Ajinkya Rahane, MS Dhoni (wk), Yuvraj Singh, Kedar Jadhav, Hardik Pandya, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jasprit Bumrah, Dinesh Karthik

India have included Dinesh Karthik in their squad for the Champions Trophy as a replacement for Manish Pandey, who has been ruled out with a left side strain. Pandey sustained the injury during a Kolkata Knight Riders practice session ahead of their IPL Eliminator against Sunrisers Hyderabad on Wednesday.Karthik has played 71 ODIs since his debut in 2004 – keeping wicket in 24 of them – scoring 1313 runs at 27.93. He was part of India’s victorious 2013 Champions Trophy campaign, and last played international cricket during the 2014 Asia Cup in Bangladesh.In recalling Karthik, the selectors have rewarded his excellent domestic form across formats. He scored 704 runs in the 2016-17 Ranji Trophy at 54.15, with one hundred and five fifties, and was a vital cog in Tamil Nadu’s run to a 50-overs title double, scoring a combined 854 runs at 85.40 in the Vijay Hazare Trophy and Deodhar Trophy. In the IPL, Karthik was Gujarat Lions’ second-highest run-getter with 361 at a strike rate of 139.38.

The Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) has made it clear that any attempted move by the BCCI office bearers and state associations to bring former board president N Srinivasan back into the fold would need the approval of the Supreme Court.The office bearers want to nominate Srinivasan as the BCCI representative for the crucial ICC Board meetings later this month in Dubai. A final decision is likely to be taken at the board’s special general body meeting (SGM) on April 9 in Delhi.Although Srinivasan has not made his thoughts public, he met the three existing BCCI office bearers in Hyderabad on Wednesday. This was just before the three men – Amitabh Choudhary (acting secretary), Anirudh Chaudhry (treasurer) and CK Khanna (acting president) – were headed to meet the CoA, led by Vinod Rai and Vikram Limaye. It is understood that Rai, the CoA chairman, told the three office bearers that members attending the SGM or any ICC meeting would need to comply with the eligibility criteria approved by the Supreme Court.Srinivasan fails the eligibility test on three main fronts. He is past the age cap of 70 years. He has also completed nine years as an office bearer both at the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and the BCCI, which disqualifies him automatically. Srinivasan is also yet to resign as the president of the TNCA, thereby flouting the court judgement of July 2016, which had approved the Lodha Committee’s recommendations.However, in their meetings with the CoA, the office bearers pointed out that there were no restrictions on the states or BCCI appointing a representative to attend the ICC meetings.The CoA, on Thursday, said it would seek the court’s approval, but asked the BCCI members to adhere to the court order. “Members may kindly note that the Committee of Administrators has decided to seek appropriate directions from the Hon’ble Supreme Court on matters relating to eligibility for participating in any Special General Meeting or Annual General Meeting of the BCCI (both with reference to Members and their nominees/representatives) as well as eligibility for being appointed to represent the BCCI at the ICC.”Members are requested to consider the above issues and ensure that attendance and decisions at any Special General Meeting or Annual General Meeting of the BCCI is in compliance with the orders passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court as well as all applicable norms, rules and regulations.”There have been murmurs in the past few weeks of Srinivasan making a return at the ICC Board, which was considered improbable after he was forced to step down as BCCI president by the Supreme Court in 2015.In its meetings on April 26 and 27, the ICC Board is expected to deliberate, and probably vote, on the various resolutions concerning the governance structure and the revenue distribution model. Last month, the CoA sent an expansive e-mail to the ICC elaborating on its differences on the various resolutions.Nonetheless, the BCCI office bearers and most state associations have been sceptical of the CoA’s accommodating attitude towards the ICC Board. The CoA has stressed that the BCCI ought to engage and not confront the other member boards. However, the office bearers are adamant that the BCCI could not afford to loosen its grip and certainly not come down on its share derived from the ICC’s broadcasting rights.These office bearers and the other members of the BCCI have strongly objected to the reformist drive put in place by ICC chairman Shashank Manohar, who was the board president until last April. To take on Manohar, the office bearers felt a strong opposing voice was necessary.Incidentally, in an order issued in February, the court had approved three names – Limaye, Choudhary and Chaudhry – who could attend the ICC meetings that took place couple of months ago. Choudhry attended the ICC chief executives committee meeting while Limaye sat in the Financial & Commercial Affairs as well as the ICC Board.

Cape Cobras earned their first points of this season’s Momentum Cup when half-centuries from Richard Levi and Omphile Ramela and four wickets from right-arm quick Jason Smith led them to a comprehensive 57-run win against Warriors in East London. Cobras marched to 319 for 6, with middle order contributions too, after opting to bat and dismissed Warriors for 262 with Yaseen Vallie unbeaten on a valiant 93.Cobras were given a strong platform with an opening stand of 118 in under 20 overs even though Ramela scored slowly – 58 from 96 balls. But Levi hammered 11 fours and a six in his 73 off 55 before he handed a return catch to Sisanda Magala. Ramela was run out just over 10 overs later even as Stiaan van Zyl chipped in with 44 and the middle and lower order saw useful contributions from Dane Vilas (46 off 35) , Smith (29 off 26), Aviwe Mgijima (21* off 15) and Vernon Philander (16* off 8).Cobras broke Warriors’ opening stand in the seventh over when Rory Kleinveldt removed JJ Smuts. Warriors struggled to stitch substantial partnerships after that until Vallie accompanied opener Gihahn Cloete in a 58-run fourth-wicket stand. Once Dane Piedt dismissed Cloete, Vallie held up one end but wickets kept falling around him. His unbeaten 93 off 96 balls was not enough, as all Cobras bowlers were among the wickets, led by Smith’s 4 for 38, and Warriors were bowled out in 44.2 overs.

Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has made it 'very clear' to Chelsea midfielder Mason Mount that he is a 'priority target' at Old Trafford this summer, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest transfer news involving Mason Mount?

According to reports, United have already had two initial bids for the England international turned down by the Londoners.

However, another bid is expected to land shortly with the Red Devils are still considered as being the side that are in pole position to sign the £80k-a-week ace.

Nevertheless, Simon Jones, who is a journalist for the Daily Mail, has delivered another update in his Transfer Confidential that may worry Manchester United fans, revealing that their pursuit of Mount has now put them in a position where Ten Hag might need to choose between signing a high-profile striker or goalkeeper this summer, as their budget won't allow them to strengthen both positions.

Tottenham Hotspur talisman Harry Kane was also a target for the Red Devils previously; however, any move to bring in the 29-year-old now looks to be off the table.

Manchester United star Luke Shaw spoke about Mount when asked if they had been in contact in an interview cited by METRO while on international duty, stating:

"Yeah, obviously he’s not here [Mount was injured]. I think it’s all just a bit of banter really, obviously we have a joke and a laugh about it. I am not too sure what goes on behind the scenes; it’s to do with the club really.

"But of course when we’re here and together we have a joke about it but like I said I don’t know too much what’s going on."

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, renowned journalist Romano has signalled that Manchester United have communicated their vision to Mount at Old Trafford.

Romano stated: "They believe that this is kind of a strategy game, so let's see if Chelsea will change their position on the price in the next few weeks.

"Manchester United have sent very clear messages to the player in recent days, telling him they want him and that he is considered a priority target."

How did Mason Mount fare at Chelsea in 2022/23?

Mount endured an inconsistent campaign for Chelsea, in all honesty, though he still showed flashes of quality in a collectively underwhelming time of things at Stamford Bridge.

As per Transfermarkt, the 24-year-old made 35 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea, registering three goals and six assists in the process.

WhoScored detail that Mount had no problem trying to force the issue for Chelsea and showed bravery when on the ball, completing 1.3 key passes on average per match in the Premier League.

According to FBRef, Mount was a handy presence in the engine room with regard to chance provision and successfully mastered 83 shot-creating actions over the course of the term.

Being handed a fresh opportunity somewhere else to show his capabilities may be the best option for the Portsmouth-born ace's career moving forward and Ten Hag could potentially take him to the next level at Old Trafford.

Tottenham Hotspur have made a €22m (£19m) bid for Galatasaray defender Victor Nelsson, according to recent reports from Turkey.

What's the latest Tottenham transfer news?

Tottenham have a number of defenders on their transfer shortlist this summer, with reports from Italy detailing they are admirers of AS Roma centre-back Roger Ibanez, who could be available for a fee of around €32m (£27m).

Spurs are working on a low-cost deal for Barcelona Clement Lenglet, who spent last season on loan in north London, and an agreement is now said to be close, with the La Liga champions keen to try and lower their wage bill as soon as possible.

Aymeric Laporte has also been linked with a move to the capital, owing to his lack of game time with Manchester City last season, and 90min report the Spaniard could be available for a sum of £40m.

The Man City defender is a very well-known name, however Tottenham fans may not be as familiar with Nelsson, who they have reportedly submitted an official bid for, totalling €22m (£19m).

However, Galatasaray are said to be holding out for a fee of €25m (£21m), which indicates they may reject the Lilywhites' bid, although Daniel Levy is already very close to matching the Turkish side's asking price.

The Galatasaray defender is also on the radar of Arsenal, as well as clubs from Italy, so Spurs may face some late competition in the race for his signature.

Who is Victor Nelsson?

Hailed as a "Danish lion" by Galatasaray board member Resit Omer Kukner, the centre-back made his breakthrough with FC Nordsjaelland, recording 98 appearances for the Superliga side, before moving to FC Copenhagen.

After earning himself a move to Galatasaray in August 2021, the 24-year-old has gone from strength to strength, cementing himself as a key player in the starting XI by making 33 league appearances this season.

An average of 3.3 clearances per game in the Super Lig ranked the Denmark international second in the squad, while 0.7 blocks places him first, displaying his defensive acumen.

That said, there are doubts about whether the 6 foot 1 defender is ready to make the step up to a club that will be aiming to push for the Champions League places, as he was ranked as just the 11th-best performing Galatasaray player in the league by Sofascore.

Nelsson could prove to be a really astute signing, however Spurs may be better off focussing on targets who are already proven at the top level, such as Laporte.