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Celtic ended their 2023/24 campaign last month with a 1-0 win over their closest rivals in the final of the SFA Cup at Hampden Park to secure a domestic double.

Adam Idah's late winner with the final touch of his loan spell from Norwich City won the tournament for the Hoops, shortly after they had won and lifted the Scottish Premiership double.

Brendan Rodgers won two trophies in his first year back in the dugout at Parkhead, having replaced Ange Postecoglou last summer, and will now be aiming for more silverware next term.

The Northern Irish head coach could look to utilise the upcoming summer transfer window, which opens for business this month, to bolster his squad for the new campaign.

A goalkeeper is on the agenda for the Scottish giants after Joe Hart's retirement and exit from Paradise, with Liverpool's Caoimhin Keller having recently been linked with a move to the club.

However, Celtic are also looking to add to their playing squad in other areas of the pitch, and are reportedly looking at a central defender from the Premier League.

Celtic's interest in £8m colossus

According to the Daily Mail, Rodgers is lining up a possible swoop to add Bournemouth centre-back Chris Mepham to the club's defensive set-up this summer.

The report claims that the Scottish giants have added that Wales international to their list of targets, as they look to bolster their defence over the coming weeks and months.

It states that the Cherries are looking for a fee within the region of £8m in order to allow the right-footed titan to depart the Vitality Stadium ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

However, it remains to be seen whether or not the Hoops are prepared to meet their demands at this moment in time. Mepham has one year left to run on his current contract with the Premier League outfit, which is why Bournemouth may look to cash in now in order to avoid losing him for nothing next summer.

The Daily Mail adds that Sheffield United, who are now in the Championship, and Leeds United were both keen on a deal for the Cherries ace during the January transfer window.

There is no mention of any current interest from those two sides and it is unclear as to how much competition Celtic are facing to land the brute's signature.

The report also claims that Rodgers is looking to add more quality to his side at goalkeeper, left-back, centre-back, midfield, and in the attacking areas, which suggests that there could be plenty of inwards business before September's deadline.

Going back to Mepham, Rodgers and Celtic could find the club's next version of Cameron Carter-Vickers by securing a deal to sign the defender this summer.

Celtic's Cameron Carter-Vickers masterclass

The Hoops initially signed the USA international on loan from Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2021, before they made the deal permanent the following year.

They brought him to Parkhead on loan after he had enjoyed an impressive spell on loan with Bournemouth in the Championship during the 2020/21 campaign.

The Spurs loanee won 60% of his duels, including 66% of his battles on the deck, across 21 outings in the second tier for the Cherries that term.

This shows that he had the quality and the physicality to consistently dominate opposition attackers in physical contests, which Celtic may have noticed and hoped would translate over to football in Scotland.

Postecoglou took a gamble on the American colossus and it has paid off big time for the Bhoys as his dominant defensive work has translated over to the Premiership over the last three seasons.

Cameron Carter-Vickers' defensive dominance

Scottish Premiership

21/22

22/23

23/24

Duel success rate

68%

69%

68%

Ground duel success rate

59%

59%

62%

Aerial duel success rate

73%

74%

71%

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Carter-Vickers has consistently dominated opposition defenders in duels on the deck and in the air to help his side win the last three league titles.

The 26-year-old titan has been a brickwall at the back at times for Celtic and Mepham has the potential to arrive and provide a similar presence at the heart of the defence for Rodgers, should the Hoops decide to strike a deal for his services this summer.

Why Chris Mepham could be Cameron Carter-Vickers 2.0

Just like Carter-Vickers was not getting a sniff of the first-team at Spurs, the Welsh colossus has not been a regular in the Bournemouth team of late.

The 26-year-old ace only started six Premier League games and made ten appearances in the division this season, which illustrates how far down the pecking order he has been.

Mepham did, however, start 24 matches in the top-flight during the 2022/23 campaign and showcased his potential to be a dominant force at the back for Celtic.

He won 63% of his duels on the ground and 62% of his aerial contests across 26 appearances in the Premier League for Bournemouth, which shows that the Hoops target has the physicality to dominate opposition attackers at the top level of English football.

The Cherries outcast has recently showcased his quality in that respect whilst playing for Wales during their qualifiers for the European Championships this season, with an aerial duel success rate of 71% across nine appearances during the qualification campaign.

Championship

Chris Mepham (21/22)

Cameron Carter-Vickers (20/21)

Minutes played

1,095

1,845

Tackles + interceptions per 90

2.88

2.19

Blocks per 90

1.15

1.22

Aerial duels won per 90

4.03

2.93

Progressive passes per 90

3.78

1.90

Progressive carries per 90

1.23

0.44

Stats via FBRef

As you can see in the table above, Mepham, who was hailed as "aggressive" by manager Scott Parker, also outperformed Carter-Vickers in their last Championship seasons respectively, with his work in and out of possession.

He made significantly more progressive carries and passes to help his side on the ball whilst also winning more aerial duels, tackles, and interceptions combined per 90.

This suggests that the Bournemouth defender has the potential to replicate Carter-Vickers' success in Scotland as his statistics in the Premier League, at international level, and in the Championship suggest that the quality is there for him to be an excellent player for Celtic.

Related Celtic could save millions by unleashing "exceptional" 6 ft 2 colossus

The Hoops could avoid splashing out cash on a new signing by bringing through this young talent.

Posts ByDan Emery Jun 6, 2024

Therefore, Rodgers could land his next version of the American titan by securing a deal to sign the £8m-rated star, who could resurrect his career by moving to Scotland to showcase his dominant defending and progressive passing.

Luis Enrique has broken his silence on Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid, admitting it is “a pity” that the Frenchman is no longer at PSG.

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• World Cup winner left as a free agent
• Now a 'Galactico' at Santiago Bernabeu
• Spanish coach has nothing but respect

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• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After several windows of transfer speculation, World Cup winner Mbappe finally made his way to Santiago Bernabeu in the summer of 2024. He bid farewell to his homeland after reaching the end of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain and becoming a free agent.

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  He did not always see eye-to-eye with demanding Spanish coach Enrique, with the ex-Barcelona boss taking to dropping him at times. Mbappe was, however, a revelation for PSG across his seven years in the French capital, becoming the club’s all-time leading goalscorer.

• WHAT ENRIQUE SAID

  Enrique has nothing but respect for the player and man that he spent one season working alongside at Parc des Princes, telling a new documentary from : “In Kylian's case, I met a wonderful player. A person of an exceptional personal level, which you rarely find when you arrive and see a player of that level. Human, affectionate, close. He is a wonderful player. What a pity he went to Madrid. Especially for us at the time. But life is also part of the game.

  “I hope everything goes very well for him. I have nothing to reproach him for, he conditioned his departure. We always try to improve his virtues and cover his defects. He has always been very polite and respectful. Also his brother and his parents.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Mbappe hit 256 goals for PSG through 308 appearances, having joined them in the same summer of 2017 that saw Neymar complete his record-breaking €222 million (£185m/$247m) transfer from Barcelona. The France international is now another ‘Galactico’ looking to earn hero status in Madrid.

Dropped batsman set to finish as he began, one match into a losing campaign against West Indies

Andrew Miller15-Jul-2020In the course of his long and not-entirely-lustrous career, Joe Denly has come to know all about being on the outside looking in – he spent nine years and an England-record 384 matches in the wilderness, after all, before his remarkable recall in Sri Lanka in 2018. For the next two weeks in Manchester, however, he can brace for something of the inverse experience – a wistful, poignant period of being on the inside looking out.Inside England’s bio-secure bubble at Emirates Old Trafford, looking out on his team-mates as they move on without him. Inside the team environment, for now, but looking out towards his new life as a former international cricketer – the status that will surely be conferred on him for good this time, after his run of 15 consecutive Tests ended as it had begun, one Test into a losing campaign against West Indies.ALSO READ: Stubborn Smith staking reputation on Buttler’s Test careerNever say never, you might argue. The door is not closed, as Joe Root insisted, but that’s surely only because to open it would risk allowing a series-threatening lurgy to breach the team’s inner sanctum. At the age of 34, and with the rising star Dan Lawrence already straining for the next opening in the team, there can be no way back from here.Instead, it seems that Denly’s final innings against West Indies last week will stand as testimony to every attribute – good, bad and infuriating – that he brought to a doughty but ultimately inadequate Test career.On Saturday at the Ageas Bowl, Denly was faced, not for the first time, with reinvigorating a failing England batting display. He showed grit in abundance as he settled in for another of his long hauls. But then, with the hardest work done, a flaccid clip to midwicket off the spin of Roston Chase meant that he bowed out for the 28th and final time with 29 from 70 balls – barely half a point shy of his final Test average of 29.53, and just five balls short of his mean stay at the wicket.There have been other, more lauded, Test batsmen who’ve averaged worse than that – Mark Ramprakash (27.32) and Moeen Ali (28.97) among them, while Graeme Hick (31.32) and the still unimpeachable Jos Buttler (31.46) are only a tick above.Joe Denly during a practice session with Zak Crawley in the background•Getty ImagesA degree of mockery is inevitable, not least because of the close attentions Denly received from his former Kent team-mate and chief selector, Ed Smith, who talked him up as a “genius” prior to his Sri Lanka recall and tried so hard to crowbar him into England’s World Cup plans too. But Denly’s durability deserves to be celebrated with something more than just an ironic cheer.For history may record his highest Test score as 94, but it would be remiss to ignore his haul of nine “Denturies” in the space of 13 innings: stays of 100 balls or more that have entered a certain niche of cricket folklore, much as the “Cowan”, of Australian Ed fame, did during Michael Clarke’s rebuilding years of 2012-13.For that has been Denly’s fate in the course of a cross-over era for English cricket. Consider the chaos that he was asked to help sweep up on debut in the Caribbean 18 months ago – England had just been bowled out for 77 in the first Test in Barbados, losing nine wickets in a single session. And if that was bad, then at least it was a slight improvement on the ten-in-a-session that they had squandered at Auckland, Dhaka and Nottingham in the preceding seasons.The Test team was rudderless. Alastair Cook was long gone, the one-day stars were preoccupied with staying in character for the fast-approaching World Cup, and though England in theory had the most awesome lower-middle order in the game, with every man-jack from 5 to 9 considering himself an allrounder, there was no hope of them getting a toe-hold in any contest if the team was 30 for 3 in every innings.What England needed in that period, more desperately even than runs, was time. A chance to take a breath, whether that was the middle-order themselves, or England’s seamers who were getting justifiably sick of having their feet up for barely half a day at a time. And Denly, with the unglamorous grit of the seasoned pro, was able to oblige.In a five-month zenith between August 2019 and January this year, Denly evolved into a batting barnacle straight out of Chris Tavare’s playbook. It started most famously in the second innings of the Ashes Test at Leeds, where Denly’s dour, uncelebrated but ultimately priceless 50 from 155 balls provided the grit for Ben Stokes’ Headingley oyster.The pair did not share so much as a single delivery in that historic second innings – instead they crossed in the outfield after Denly’s dismissal in the 60th over of England’s innings. And yet, by enduring for that long, and in helping to gnaw 141 runs out of an improbable victory target of 359, he did what few England No.3s had managed since the demise of Jonathan Trott. He gave England’s middle order a rare chance to bed in before the new ball, and flourish thereafter.And more recently, his efforts gave England’s next big thing the leeway to blossom too. By drawing the heat away from Ollie Pope in the early months of his return to the side, Denly allowed him to settle into the team at No. 6, Ricky Ponting-style, rather than leave him to become yet another sacrifice to the team’s waning standards in the top three. That’ll be Pope’s berth soon enough, you sense. But doing things in a rush has been England’s downfall in Tests for far too many seasons now.”‘It’s never an easy decision to lose someone from the team,” said Root on the eve of the Test. “Joe has done a brilliant job over a period of time for us and I suppose he’s helped show our identity as a side and the way we want to play moving forward. He’s been a big part of that by batting long periods of time and laying the platform for the middle order to go on and make big scores.”That much is true, and at least on this occasion, Denly will depart with some gratitude ringing in his ears – unlike his experience back in 2010, when he was dumped on the eve of the World T20 in the Caribbean, and had to look on from the outside as England lifted their maiden global trophy.He spent the rest of the decade presuming he’d never get another chance. At least this time he gets to finish as an insider.

Stood down staff at Cricket Australia may find themselves working at Woolworths after the chief executive Kevin Roberts approached the supermarket giant and cricket sponsor about temporary work opportunities amid the coronavirus pandemic.Roberts, who has maintained there is a united front in cricket about cash-saving decisions including mass staff stand downs on 80% pay cuts until at least July, dug in further on his chosen approach on Wednesday morning, also revealing that a home international season played without crowds could cost CA up to A$50 million in revenue. CA is not currently eligible for the federal government’s JobKeeper support programme having lost no major revenue streams from cancelled matches.CA’s state association owners compelled CA to back down on their original proposal to shave 45% from annual grants and the Australian Cricketers Association (ACA) – no stranger to conflict with the governing body in Roberts’ time – are understood to be planning how to build elements of their fixed revenue percentage model into any revenue fluctuations next summer. Roberts, though, has continued to defend his chosen tack, even asserting on Wednesday that he has “vast majority” support for CA management’s remedies.ALSO READ: Cricket Australia mulls five India Tests behind closed doors“I wrote to Brad Banducci the CEO of Woolworths given that Woolworths is among organisations that need more staff at the moment,” Roberts told SEN Radio. “Our people and culture team are also working with other organisations who are in the habit of placing people in organisations and industries that have a temporary need for more people.”So we’re doing those things proactively and people are at the centre of everything we do, and as much as we hate making those sorts of decisions we had to make last week, the other side of that coin is certainly that we’re supporting our people and looking for even temporary opportunities for them to be involved and earning income elsewhere when their income is reduced from cricket.”Stand downs until July are likely to be followed by redundancies and other cuts even if a full international season is played, due to setbacks such as the potential loss of revenue from matches needing to be played in empty stadiums. “Our revenue from ticket sales you could put a ring around A$40-50 million depending on the season,” Roberts said. “So that is significant obviously, and something that goes into our planning.”Asked about how he reached the decision to stand down all but a handful of staff on only 20% of their usual salaries while executives remain on 80% of their usual base rates of pay, Roberts said that it had simply been a matter of judging how much work was able to be done while placing the business on hold and paying employees accordingly. Roberts faced direct questioning from his staff on this very issue on Tuesday, which he has said will save A$3 million from the bottom line of an organisation with annual revenue of about A$200 million from broadcast rights alone.In its most recent annual report, CA listed executive pay – covering that of Roberts, his executive team and the chairman Earl Eddings – as totalling A$6.6 million, up from A$5.6 million for 2017-18. That salary bill has been shaved by some 20% amid the current suite of measures, while all but a few lesser paid staff have lost 80% of their wages.”It’s what activities are being paused and what’s the skeleton staff we require for the activities that continue and that leads you to a temporary solution, which is the national coaches being part-time through this period,” Roberts said. “It’s something we need to continue managing sensitively no doubt, and we are doing that, which is why we’re communicating with our people every second day, and our people can ask me any question on a live stream every second day.In response to questions about reservations raised by state associations, the ACA and staff about the way CA has approached its cost-saving and planning measures around coronavirus, Roberts declared that “unity doesn’t attract eyeballs in the media”, and suggested that he “absolutely” had enough support to drive his chosen changes through.”We know that you won’t have 100% of people and 100% of stakeholders happy at any particular time. But the reality is that the vast majority of our people, our members, our stakeholders are very comfortable with how we’re working through this. I think it’s just the reality of the situation versus what is sometimes reported, given that stories of harmony don’t necessarily sell. We’re working through things in an open and really orderly way with all of those organisations. It’s all about focusing on, in cricket parlance, the next ball.”

أعرب أحمد حسن، قائد منتخب مصر التاريخي، عن سعادته بتوسيع قاعدة اللاعبين في قائمة الفراعنة تحت قيادة حسام حسن، مشيرًا إلى أهمية الدمج بين اللاعبين الخبرة والشباب، مُنتقدًا بشدة غياب أي لاعب كرة قدم سابق عن مجلس إدارة اتحاد الكرة المصري.

وقال أحمد حسن في تصريحات عبر برنامج “وان تو”، عبر إذاعة “أون سبورت إف إم”: “نحن سعداء بتوسيع قاعدة ضم اللاعبين والنزول بالأعمار السنية، والاعتماد على عناصر من المنتخب الأولمبي”.

وتابع: “نحن مررنا بأزمة في وقت من الأوقات عندما اعتزل جيل ودخل بعده جيل آخر من اللاعبين الشباب، ولم يجدوا من يوجههم ويدعمهم من اللاعبين الكبار، لكن حاليًا هذه فرصة للاعبي المنتخب الأولمبي بأن يظهرا وسط جيل محمد صلاح وتريزيجيه واللاعبين الكبار، والمنتخب يحتاج لهذا الخلط بين العناصر أصحاب الخبرات والشباب”.

وأضاف: “أمر إيجابي من حسام حسن الدفع بعناصر شابة في المباراة الماضية أمام الرأس الأخضر، هذه جرأة منه، وجميعهم كانوا إضافة وإن شاء الله يكونوا كذلك في المستقبل، كلنا ندعم حسام حسن في تحقيق أهدافه وعودة منتخب مصر لمكانته الطبيعية، والمنافسة على كأس أمم إفريقيا والتأهل لكأس العالم، وبغض النظر عن نتيجة المباراة السابقة، فأنا أحييه على شجاعته لأنه بدأ يصنع جيلًا جديدًا للمنتخب”.

طالع أيضًا | محمد بركات: لاعب منتخب مصر جيد جدًا.. وظهور وجوه المنتخب الأولمبي أسعدني

وبسؤاله عن رؤيته لنجاح قائمة هاني أبو ريدة بالتزكية، وتوليها رئاسة الاتحاد المصري لكرة القدم، قال: “مشهد حزين جدًا، هذا الاتحاد اسمه اتحاد كرة القدم، إذًا لا يصح اتحاد كرة القدم لا يوجد فيه لاعب كرة قدم، هذا أمر مُحزن جدًا، بالتأكيد كرة القدم صناعة، لكن ماذا عن الأمور الفنية والتقييمات، كان يجب أن يتواجد لاعب كرة قدم سابق، ونحن نمتلك خبرات كثيرة، لكن عدم تواجد أحد أمر صعب جدًا”.

وأشاء: “هل يُعقل أن تكون نقابة الممثلين بدون ممثل، أو نقابة الأطباء بدون طبيب، أو نقابة المهندسين بدون مهندس؟ بالتأكيد لا، لذلك عدم وجود لاعب كرة قدم في اتحاد الكرة شيء صعب جدًا”.

وشدد: “نحن نُعاني من مشكلة تحكيمية، فكان من المفترض أن يكون ضمن القائمة حكم سابق، وإثنين من لاعبي كرة القدم السابقين، وحازم إمام ومحمد بركات لم ينجحا لأنهما لا بد أن يتم وضعهما في بيئة عمل ناجحة تساعدهما”.

واختتم: “محمد فضل كادر محترم وسبق وعمل في الاتحاد وعنده خبرات، وأيمن يونس ومحمد صلاح أبو جريشة ومحمد عمر وأحمد عبد الله وخالد بيبو وسيد عبد الحفيظ، هناك أسماء كثيرة كان ممكن يكونوا موجودين وعندهم خبرات ومارسوا كرة القدم”.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Vasco da Gama venceu o Nova Iguaçu por 1 a 0 pela sexta rodada da Taça Guanabara Sub-20,no CT Nova Iguaçu.O gol da partida foi marcado por Emerson Urso. O Cruz-Maltino volta a campo pela competição diante do Botafogo, na próxima semana quarta-feira, no CEFAT, em jogo adiado da 4ª rodada.

> Confira e simule a tabela da série B do Campeonato Brasileiro

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Os Meninos da Colina comandaram as ações desde o início da partida e tiveram uma boa chance aos 15 minutos da etapa inicial. Arthur recuperou o domínio da bola e deixou marcos Dias em condições de finalizar. O atacante cortou e bateu, porém a bola passou por cima da meta do arqueiro adversário. Em outra boa chance, Arthur cobrou falta, e a bola carimbou na trave.

> Conheça o aplicativo de resultados do LANCE!

Ainda no primeiro tempo, o Vasco apertou a marcação e conseguiu abrir o placar. Após erro da defesa adversária, Emerson Urso chutou de primeira e estufou a rede.

Na etapa final, os meninos souberam administrar o resultado e segurou bem o Nova Iguaçu, que teve apenas uma boa chance, mas o goleiro Pablo fez boas defesa. No fim, o time da Cruz de Malta teve boa chance de ampliar com Zé Vitor, que cabeceou, mas o goleiro adversária fez uma defesa segura.

Paris Saint-Germain refused to match Manchester United's offer for Leny Yoro due to concerns about the centre-back's 'fragility', it's been revealed.

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• Yoro suffers broken foot against Arsenal
• Set for two months out
• PSG knew about defender's 'fragility'

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Paris Saint-Germain were in the running to sign Yoro from Lille but pulled out due to concerns over the teenager's fitness, according to L'Equipe. Of course, this revelation is pertinent now in the wake of the news that Yoro is set to miss up to two months with a suspected broken foot.

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  Yoro suffered the injury during the first half of United's pre-season clash against Arsenal on Saturday. The Frenchman could now be out for the entirety of August and September in what is an unfortunate way for his career in England to begin.

  The Red Devils won the race to sign Yoro thanks to a bid worth £52 million ($67m), which neither PSG nor Real Madrid were willing to match. L'Equipe's report suggests PSG had done their homework on the 18-year-old, though, and part of the reason why they pulled out was due to his feet being a potential weak point.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Yoro played in 44 games last season for Lille and didn't suffer a single foot injury. That will give United hope that this setback isn't the start of a recurring series of issues and that PSG's scouting was inaccurate.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR UNITED?

  Yoro will undergo more tests to determine the severity of the injury and what his recovery will look like. In the meantime, it wouldn't be a surprise if United's efforts to bring in a centre-back increase; Lisandro Martinez, Harry Maguire, Jonny Evans and Victor Lindelof are the only healthy centre-backs Erik ten Hag has available right now. The Red Devils have been linked with Matthijs de Ligt and Jarrad Branthwaite.

Manchester United are one of a number of clubs interested in signing an exciting young player with a £25.7m release clause, according to a fresh transfer update.

Who does Sir Jim Ratcliffe want at Man Utd?

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's influence at Old Trafford is growing all the time, and he will be looking for the Red Devils to make some great signings in the summer transfer window in order for them to return to the top of English football in the future.

Girona left-back Miguel Gutierrez has emerged as a rumoured transfer target for United this summer as he continues to enjoy an impressive season for a team sitting second in La Liga, which has been one of the surprise stories of the season. He has apparently been tracked for "months" as Erik ten Hag potentially looks to sign a long-term replacement for Luke Shaw.

Highly rated Benfica centre-back Antonio Silva has also been backed to join United in the near future, with their defence needing fresh blood added to it considering Raphael Varane, Harry Maguire and Jonny Evans are all in their 30s, while Victor Lindelof reaches that milestone in July.

Ratcliffe is also thought to be weighing up the idea of sacking Ten Hag at the end of the season and bringing in an upgrade, with Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi one of the rumoured targets for United.

Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has also been linked with replacing the Dutchman in the Old Trafford hot seat, having won the Premier League title with the Blues back in 2016/17.

Man Utd want Rafael Venancio

According to Globo Esporte [via Sport Witness], Manchester United are keen on signing Rafael Venancio this summer, with the teenage Corinthians defender a wanted player who has a €30m (£25.7m) release clause in his current deal.

The Red Devils are believed to have been tracking the 17-year-old for "years" and could look to "accelerate his development" by signing him soon. Chelsea are in the same boat, however, also seeing him as a great long-term option.

Venancio may be a relative unknown to many considering his age and the fact that he isn't playing in Europe, but he looks like a player who could have a massive future in the game. Granted, he is yet to actually feature for Corinthians at first-team level, but he has clearly caught the eye of United considering the length of time they have been tracking him for.

The fact that he has a release clause means that the Red Devils could simply meet the amount and get the business done seamlessly should they believe he is worth the gamble. He is contracted to Corinthians until the summer of 2026, but it looks as though United could make a bid in the coming months.

Man Utd track “fantastic” Real Madrid academy graduate for summer transfer

The Red Devils have tracked him for “months”.

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Henry Jackson

Mar 2, 2024

Signing exciting young players is refreshing to see, assuming this is part of Ratcliffe's approach to transfers, with United far too guilty of signing big names who are past their best in recent years, whether it be Cristiano Ronaldo, Edinson Cavani, Casemiro or Varane, to name just a few.

England and Real Madrid star Jude Bellingham has discovered his fate after an investigation by UEFA into his celebration against Slovakia.

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Bellingham in hot water for celebrationUEFA confirm England star's sanctionHas been fined and hit with a banWHAT HAPPENED?

Bellingham has been hit with a fine and a suspended ban by UEFA following his X-rated gesture after scoring for England against Slovakia at Euro 2024. The Real Madrid superstar made a lewd gesture after his dramatic late equaliser and explained afterwards it was an "inside joke". UEFA decided to investigate and a decision has now been announced.

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UEFA said in a statement that the decision had been made to "to fine the English Football Association player Jude Bellingham €30,000 and to suspend him for a total of one UEFA competition match for which he would be otherwise eligible for violating the basic rules of decent conduct. Said suspension is not immediately enforced and is subject to a probationary period of one (1) year, starting from the date of the present decision."

THE BIGGER PICTURE

Bellingham, England manager Gareth Southgate and the national team's supporters will breathe a sigh of relief as the suspended ban allows Bellingham to feature against Switzerland in their Euro 2024 quarter-final on Saturday. The 20-year-old will have to serve the suspension if he steps out of line while on international duty again over the next year.

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GettyWHAT NEXT?

Bellingham and his England co-stars will come up against Switzerland in the quarter-finals this week. The winner of that tie will go on to face either Netherlands or Turkey in the competition's penultimate round next week.

Flower had overseen the England Lions since leaving the head coach job in 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2019Andy Flower has left the ECB after 12 years at the organisation.Flower, who led England to their first men’s ICC tournament win in 2010 and their first away Ashes win since 1986-87 later in that year, was first employed as Peter Moores’ assistant coach in 2007. He became head coach in 2009, and after stepping down following the disastrous 2013-14 Ashes campaign, took up a role as ‘technical director of elite cricket’, giving him responsibility for the England Lions team.An ECB statement said that Flower had left “to pursue other opportunities”, and he said that he would still be based in England.Flower described his time at the ECB as “a real privilege”, and picked out the World T20 win in 2010, the away Ashes win, and victory in the 2012-13 series in India as three highlights.Flower also gave his backing to new England coach Chris Silverwood.”I’m really happy for Chris that he’s getting the chance to lead England and I think he’s going to do a great job,” he said. “I also want to wish Mo Bobat, the new performance director, all the best in his new role.”Flower hinted that he was more likely to return to the game with a coaching role at a T20 franchise than in the international game.”I haven’t had a sustained break for quite a long time,” he said. “I will still be based in England and I will continue to watch English cricket very keenly – it has a very bright future.”Andy Flower had a successful stint as England coach across formats•ESPNcricinfo LtdFlower’s departure completes a major overhaul in the ECB’s structure since the start of the year.Andrew Strauss stepped down from the team director role due to family reasons, and has become head of the cricket committee, while Ashley Giles has moved into his old role. Trevor Bayliss vacated the head coach role, which was filled by Silverwood, while David Parsons left his performance director role to be replaced by Bobat.Mark Ramprakash left his position as a batting coach, and reports have suggested that Kevin Shine (fast-bowling coach) and Peter Such (spin coach) are expected to leave their roles. Silverwood’s backroom staff has yet to be announced, though it is expected that continuity, rather than upheaval, will be the order of the day.