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After making a solid start to their first season back in the Premier League, Leeds United are reportedly ready to ramp up their January move to sign a Serie A attacker.

Leeds' 2026 transfer plans

Daniel Farke couldn’t have made his desire for attacking signings much clearer during the summer if he tried. The German watched on as Leeds tried and failed to sign the likes of Facundo Buonanotte and was forced to settle for the likes of Noah Okafor and Dominic Calvert-Lewin instead. So far, however, he has used the cards he has been dealt to form a side capable of Premier League survival.

The Whites sit 15th in the top-flight and four points above the dropzone. There’s still a long way to go – 31 games to be exact – but there’s no denying that Farke’s side have made a solid start and only suffered defeat against Tottenham Hotspur last time out thanks to two deflected efforts.

The January transfer window could also help solve Leeds’ attacking problems to make up for their summer struggles. The likes of Chris Wood have already reportedly been eyed in what would be a significant return and others could follow.

Alongside the Nottingham Forest striker, those at Elland Road have also reportedly set their sights on a Serie A attacker, who would add some much-needed creative spark.

Leeds exploring Lorenzo Pellegrini deal

According to Football Insider, Leeds are now exploring a deal to sign Lorenzo Pellegrini in January and are ready to ramp up their pursuit of AS Roma’s attacking midfielder.

The Italian has less than 12 months remaining on his current contract and will be free to negotiate a pre-contract deal with interested clubs in January – handing Leeds quite the opportunity. The Yorkshire club could wait until the summer to land a free deal for his services or tempt Roma into a cut-price deal as they look to cash in before it’s too late.

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Whatever they decide to do, though, Leeds will have to act quick. Given his contract situation, they’re unlikely to be the only club interested in Pellegrini’s signature.

Roma boss Gian Piero Gasperini may also be keen to keep hold of the 29-year-old after telling reporters last month: “Pellegrini strikes the ball very well and has excellent timing on his runs, but this doesn’t necessarily have to be all he does. He must play as a midfielder and create chances as he did today.”

Considering the likely interest in his signature, there’s no doubt that Leeds would be securing quite the coup by signing Pellegrini in 2026.

Nepal won with two balls to spare, thanks to solid contributions from Kushal Bhurtel and Aarif Sheikh

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jun-2025

Michael Levitt scored a quickfire 86 off 53, following his 90 against Scotland, but his efforts were in vain in the T20 tri-series fixture on Thursday as Nepal triumphed over Netherlands by six wickets. Levitt’s knock helped Netherlands post 174 for 7, but Nepal chased down the target with two balls to spare, thanks to solid contributions from opener Kushal Bhurtel and Aarif Sheikh.Asked to bat first, Netherlands were in trouble early on, losing four wickets for 45 runs in the powerplay. However, Saqib Zulfiqar and Levitt managed to build a 63-run stand for the fifth wicket to stabilise the innings as Levitt brought up a 20ball half-century. Nepal broke through in the 12th over again when Sandeep Lamichhane had Zulfiqar stumped for 14. Three overs later, Levitt, who had struck six fours and five sixes, was dismissed by fast bowler Karan KC to dent Netherlands further, placing them on 127 for 6.Despite losing a few quick wickets, Netherlands mounted a fightback. Roelof van der Merwe, the experienced allrounder, raised the tempo with a rapid and unbeaten 36 off 21 balls. He shared a crucial 45-run partnership off just 30 balls with Aryan Dutt for the eighth wicket to lift Netherlands to a competitive total.In contrast, Nepal had a solid start to their chase, accumulating 60 runs in the powerplay for the loss of just one wicket. Bhurtel reached his fifty off 38 balls and put on 54 runs for the second wicket with Bhim Sharki, who contributed with a brisk 16-ball 27. Van der Merwe bowled Sharki in the ninth over, and Nepal lost their captain, Rohit Paudel, in the 12th over for just 5. However, Bhurtel continued to strike at a steady pace, and by the time he was dismissed for 65, Nepal only needed 34 runs off 26 balls. Aarif Sheikh took them closer with a quickfire 39 off 23 balls, which included three fours and two sixes, before retiring hurt in the penultimate over, with Nepal just seven away. Lokesh Bam finished things off with two sixes in the last over for Nepal’s second win in a row since their Super Over loss to Netherlands.Nepal have surged to top of the points table with four points. Netherlands, having played four matches, are tied on points but are placed second due to an inferior net run rate. Nepal will now face Scotland, who are on two points after three matches, in the last game of the series on Friday.

Nottingham Forest are now plotting the statement signing of a £30m forward, who is also being targeted by La Liga giants Barcelona and Atletico Madrid.

Forest looking to win race for Barca and Atletico target

It is a clear indication of how far Forest have come that they are now shopping in the same talent pool as the likes of Barcelona and Atletico, but it has been far from an ideal start to the new Premier League campaign.

The Tricky Trees have won just one of their first five league games, and suffered a shock defeat against Swansea City in the third round of the EFL Cup, which was an early setback for new manager Ange Postecoglou.

Under the helm of former manager Nuno, the Europa League side strengthened considerably in the summer transfer window, particularly in attacking areas, and Dan Ndoye has made a promising start, with two goal contributions to his name in the Premier League.

However, Evangelos Marinakis was unable to secure deals for all of his major targets, missing out on former SC Braga winger Roger Fernandes on deadline day, despite entering advanced talks.

There has since been an encouraging new update on Nottingham Forest’s interest in Fernandes, however, with a report from TEAMtalk reporting they are still plotting a statement signing of the winger, despite his £30m move to Al-Ittihad.

The 19-year-old is attracting serious interest, even though he only recently moved to Saudi Arabia, with the likes of Barcelona and Atletico Madrid also thought to be keen, although neither of the La Liga giants have made an approach thus far.

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Interest from the Premier League is particularly strong, with the Tricky Trees constantly observing the youngster, even since Ange’s appointment, as there is a belief he could boost their chances of qualifying for Europe once again.

"1v1 specialist" Fernandes could be difference-maker for Forest

It has to be said, it would be very strange if the Portuguese winger were to leave Al-Ittihad so soon after joining, having not even made his debut, but the starlet clearly has the ability to succeed at Forest, given his exploits in a Braga shirt.

Speaking just under two years ago, scout Ben Mattinson said: “Roger Fernandes is another player I love at Braga. 1v1 specialist with great whipped cross on him. A creative, unselfish winger. Also his maturity for only 17 is crazy, you can tell why he’s played so much already.”

The ex-Braga star amassed 12 goals and 16 assists in 91 appearances for the Portuguese club, which is an impressive return for a teenager, and indicates he could be capable of making the step-up to the Premier League.

Forest appear to be well-stocked in attacking areas, having signed Omari Hutchinson, Dilane Bakwa and Ndoye in the summer, but Fernandes is an exciting young player, and the rival interest from Barcelona and Atletico speaks volumes.

Vinicius Jr scored twice and Kylian Mbappe was on target yet again as Xabi Alonso’s Real Madrid saw off Villarreal to avoid consecutive league defeats and secure a convincing 3-1 win over the 10 men at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday evening. The visitors were reduced 10 men in the second half when Santiago Mourino was sent off, while Mbappe was forced off late on through injury.

Madrid created admittedly little in the first half. Aurelien Tchouameni came closest for Los Blancos, heading wide after a clever piece of work from Vinicius. Villarreal had their chances, too. Tani Oluwaseyi ran through on goal, but was denied by a signature stop by Thibaut Courtois. 

The Brazilian broke the game open in the second half. It took a wonderful piece of skill, him darting past his defender before seeing a deflected effort fly past a stranded goalkeeper. He added another after 69 minutes, winning a penalty before converting it to double Madrid's lead. And that should have been it. But Villarreal responded, Georges Mikautadze smashing home to make it 2-1 with 20 minutes to play. 

But Mbappe had the final say. The Frenchman pulled off a tidy exchange with substitute Brahim Diaz before side-footing home to kill things off – and avoid an early slip in the title race. 

GOAL rates Real Madrid's players from the Santiago Bernabeu…

GettyGoalkeeper & Defence

Thibaut Courtois (7/10):

Came up with one massive save in the first half. Could do nothing about the goal.

Federico Valverde (7/10):

Reliable at right back after a difficult week of criticism. Made one excellent recovery. 

Eder Militao (6/10):

Didn't get dribbled past, but should have closed Mikautadze down a little quicker when he lashed home. 

Dean Huijsen (7/10):

Unsteady here and there, but won his headers when needed. Still growing into it, but is clearly class. 

Alvaro Carreras (6/10):

A really good hour until Villarreal managed to exploit his wing a bit. 

AdvertisementGettyMidfield

Aurelien Tchouameni (6/10):

Reliable at the base of midfield. Snuffed out a couple of counterattacks. 

Dani Ceballos (7/10):

A solid, tempo-controlling hour. Completed most of his passes and was reliable defensively. 

Arda Guler (6/10):

Some nice moments but was otherwise rather drowned out in midfield. Looks like he needs a rest. 

GettyAttack

Franco Mastantuono (8/10):

A really clever performance on the wing. Up for the take ons, moved the ball well, and was unfortunate not to get on the scoresheet. 

Kylian Mbappe (8/10):

A clever header gave Vinicius the one-on-one that led to the first goal. Bagged the third to put the game to bed. 

Vinicius Jr (9/10):

On the ball a lot and ran at his man relentlessly. Grabbed a goal. Followed that by winning a penalty, which he dutifully converted. Back to something nearing his best. 

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GettySubs & Manager

Jude Bellingham (7/10):

Had two excellent chances shortly after coming on, but was denied twice. Full of legs. 

Eduardo Camavinga (6/10):

A bit erratic. Won some important tackles but was also a little loose at times.

Brahim Diaz (7/10):

Assisted Mbappe to mark a fine cameo. 

Rodrygo (N/A):

No time to make an impact. 

Xabi Alonso (7/10):

Will be pleased, all said. Madrid were better here, allowed few chances, and scored a couple of very good goals. A nice return to form against a good team.

Rangers have made some high-profile signings over the years, with the likes of Paul Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup going on to becoming Ibrox legends after heading to Glasgow.

Mikel Arteta, Giovanni van Bronckhorst and Ronald de Boer were just some other big names who decided to move to Scotland, but there could have been a lot more if the Gers got their way.

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From Lionel Messi to Ronaldo, Rangers nearly signed some legends of the game.

10 star players Rangers almost signed 10 Lionel Messi

Shortly before Lionel Messi made his Barcelona debut, Rangers and manager at the time Alex McLeish were alerted to the Argentine talent.

McLeish’s son, Jon, found Messi on Football Manager, with the Gers trying but failing to sign him on loan back in 2003.

9 Andres Iniesta

At the same time Rangers were trying to sign Messi, they also almost brought midfield maestro Andres Iniesta to Ibrox.

The Spaniard was a teenager at the time and nearly headed to Scotland on loan for regular game time as Rangers looked for their Barry Ferguson replacement. Unfortunately, Iniesta would get his chance in the Barca first-team shortly after and wouldn’t look back.

8 Ronaldo

Brazilian striker Ronaldo is arguably the biggest what if case when it comes to near transfer misses for Rangers.

The forward was wanted by the Gers, Lazio and Inter Milan in 1997 when he was still a Barcelona player. Ronaldo even had an offer from Rangers and former owner David Murray, but headed to Inter Milan instead.

7 Alan Shearer

Before becoming a goalscoring machine for Blackburn Rovers and Newcastle United, Alan Shearer was a Southampton player.

The Premier League’s all-time record scorer caught the eye of Rangers boss Walter Smith in the early 1990s, however, those at Ibrox couldn’t persuade Shearer to head to Scotland.

6 Dennis Bergkamp

Smith certainly had an eye for a future attacking star, as, along with Shearer, also wanted to bring Dennis Bergkamp to Rangers in the 1990s.

Bergkamp was an Inter Milan player at the time, and after Rangers failed to put a proposal together, the skilful Dutch forward signed for Arsenal in a £7.5m deal and would go on to become a Gunners legend.

Games

422

Goals

120

Assists

116

Trophies

10

5 Samuel Eto'o

After struggling to break through into Real Madrid’s first team from their academy, Samuel Eto’o found a home with Mallorca, securing a permanent move to the Spanish side in 2000.

The Cameroon striker would star for his new side and was wanted by McLeish in 2002. Rangers missed out on Eto’o, who, two years later, would sign for Barcelona, where he won three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies.

4 Jaap Stam

It wasn’t just attacking stars who nearly signed for Rangers, with central defender Jaap Stam targeted by Dick Advocaat after he took over as Ibrox manager in 1998.

Stam was a PSV Eindhoven regular under Advocaat, but he couldn’t bring the towering centre-back with him to Scotland, with Sir Alex Ferguson and Man Utd winning the race.

3 Robin van Persie

A Rangers move for Robin van Persie was extremely close in 2003, with a deal even agreed with Feyenoord for the Dutch forward to move to Ibrox for just £3m.

Van Persie was persuaded to head to Ibrox by Advocaat, however, Rangers failed to raise the funds and the striker would sign for Arsenal a year later.

2 Emmanuel Petit

Rangers found themselves in a bidding war with Arsenal for Emmanuel Petit back in 1997, and if it wasn’t for the Gunners, the French midfielder could have easily been a major signing for the Gers.

Former owner Murray once lifted the lid on how close Rangers were to bringing Petit to Ibrox.

1 Luka Modric

Rangers could have signed Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modric in the early stages of his career for just £3.5m, however, those at Ibrox didn’t have the funds.

Former Rangers assistant Ally McCoist was actually sent to watch Dinamo Zagreb right-back Vedran Corluka but was stunned at what he saw from Modric and urged the club to get a deal done.

MatériaMais Notícias

O Corinthians corre sério risco de sofrer punições por conta dos gritos homofóbicos proferidos por seus torcedores no empate em 1 a 1 com o São Paulo, no último domingo (14), em Itaquera, pelo Campeonato Brasileiro.

A CBF confirmou ao LANCE! que encaminhará ao pleno do STJD (Superior Tribunal de Justiça Desportiva) a súmula do árbitro carioca Bruno Arleu de Araújo, em que é relatada a paralisação da partida por cerca de cinco minutos para que as ofensas de teor sexual por parte dos corintianos contra os jogadores são-paulino. Durante a paralisação, os telões da Neo Química Arena exibiram uma mensagem reforçando sobre a proibição deste tipo de manifestação preconceituosa.

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+Guedes marca e mantém tabu histórico do Corinthians contra o São Paulo na Arena; veja notas

Em nota, a entidade máxima do futebol ainda reiterou que sua Comissão de Ética e Diretoria de Conformidade e Compliance também investigarão o caso. Além da súmula, a promessa é de ‘quaisquer outros dados colhidos sobre o assunto para as devidas providências. Inclusive na esfera pública, se for cabível.’

+ Todos os jogos do Brasileirão você encontra no Prime Video. Assine já e acompanhe o seu time do coração!

O time do Parque São Jorge é reincidente nesse tipo de denúncia. Em junho do ano passado, o Timão foi denunciado pelo STJD por arremesso de objetos no gramado, além dos gritos homofóbicos. Condenado, conseguiu um acordo para pagamento de R$ 40 mil.

A mudança para essa edição do Brasileiro, contudo, aconteceu em fevereiro, quando a CBF implantou o seu atual Regulamento Geral de Competições, que prevê penas mais duras para casos não só de ataque à orientação sexual, mas também racismo. Na ocasião, a entidade máxima do futebol brasileiro estabeleceu que o objetivo era o de encerrar até mesmo apelidos pejorativos com rivais, como acontece agora em Corinthians e São Paulo.

No documento estabelecido, a CBF prescreve quatro tipos de punições para casos de homofobia no futebol: advertência, multa de até R$ 500 mil, com o valor a ser revertido em prol de causas sociais, impedimento de registro e transferências de atletas e perda de pontos.

O STJD também mudou seu regimento e prevê penas mais duras. Para atletas, ou integrantes do clube, que praticarem tais ações, a entidade estabelece suspensão de cinco a dez partidas. Para pessoas não envolvidas diretamente com o clube (torcida), a punição é de suspensão pelo prazo de 120 a 360 dias, além de pagamento de multa, que varia de R$ 100 a R$ 100 mil.

O Corinthians se pronunciou sobre o ocorrido por meio de nota.

– O Corinthians volta a repudiar veementemente os cantos homofóbicos relatados na súmula do jogo deste domingo (14/5). Como sempre, o clube alerta continuamente sua torcida, por meio de suas redes sociais e do sistema de som e de telões da Neo Química Arena, com esclarecimentos aos torcedores quanto a ilegalidade dessas condutas. E mais uma vez insistimos com nossa Fiel Torcida para que cessem com atos como esses em nossa arena – publicou o clube.

No dia do jogo, o São Paulo não procurou a Polícia Civil para fazer registro criminal do ocorrido. E o presidente Julio Casares espera que as providências devidas sejam tomadas.

– Os fatos foram relatados pelo árbitro pela súmula e espero que a CBF tome as medidas cabíveis com base no que for documentado.

– Informo que aos 18 minutos do 2º tempo paralisei a partida por 2 minutos devido a gritos homofônicos (seria homofóbicos) da torcida “vamos Corinthians, dessas bichas teremos que ganhar”. Sendo informado no som e no telão do estádio para que os gritos cessassem. Mesmo assim, a torcida continuou gritando efusivamente. E após os gritos cessarem, a partida foi reiniciada. Fato esse comunicado ao delegado da partida e ao chefe do policiamento – escreveu o árbitro Bruno Arleu na sumula do Majestoso. 

+ Clique aqui e veja como apostar no Brasileirão
+ Confira os jogos e classificação resultados da Brasileirão-23 na tabela do LANCE!

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Not much can often be taken away from pre-season friendlies, but Sunderland’s winless streak continued this summer against Hull City last time out.

The Tigers hosting the pre-season affair would come away from the contest as slim 2-1 victors, with Simon Adingra’s opener for the Black Cats not enough to sway the tie in their favour.

The alarm bells aren’t being sounded just yet, however, as it’s to be expected that Regis Le Bris’ troops will look somewhat disjointed, especially as the barrage of new signings through the door attempt to become more and more used to each other on the pitch.

More fresh buys will soon be chucked into the mix, as well, as Sunderland’s flash summer spending shows no sign of stopping.

Sunderland consider deal for £26m star

Reports are now even suggesting that the Premier League newcomers are closing in on an Anthony Patterson replacement in goal.

Indeed, NEC Nijmegen goalkeeper Robin Roefs is set to leave the Netherlands behind for pastures new on Wearside, following in the footsteps of Granit Xhaka, who has finally sealed a switch from Bayer Leverkusen to Le Bris and Co. after tonnes of rampant speculation.

Sunderland could soon make it a hat-trick of exciting purchases by landing Galatasaray star Barış Alper Yılmaz, with a development by Turkish outlet Sabah Spor via X revealing that the Black Cats have made contact regarding a move, having been knocking on the Super Lig outfit’s door over a potential £26m deal.

Gabriel Sara is also allegedly on the Premier League side’s radar from the Turkish giants, but if Sunderland were to press on and snap up Yilmaz’s signature, they might well be about to pick up their next version of Amad Diallo, as another direct and entertaining attacker, like the Ivorian, calls the Stadium of Light home.

Why Yilmaz can be Sunderland's next Amad

Of course, Sunderland would be able to win Yilmaz outright, with Amad slipping through their fingers, unfortunately, after a breakneck loan stint at the club.

In total for the Black Cats, during the 2022/23 season, the now Manchester United first-teamer would collect a sublime 14 goals and four assists from 42 appearances, as his short-term heroics nearly saw promotion to the Premier League become a reality.

Often, the goals put away by Amad during his loan spell on Wearside were audacious, with Yilmaz also prone to an eye-catching strike himself, if this link-up play above with the aforementioned Sara is anything to go by, alongside the skilful effort being hammered home.

Last season in Super Lig action, the Galatasaray number 53 would chip in with similar numbers to Amad’s Sunderland stay down the Ivorian’s trusty right flank, with 12 goals and three assists registered just in the league, as well as showing off his class in the Europa League with a further goal and two assists tallied up.

Shots

3.70

2.34

Shot-creating actions

4.86

4.61

Progressive passes

2.43

2.81

Progressive carries

5.09

5.44

Successful take-ons

1.50

1.98

Touches in attacking penalty area

6.71

6.16

Progressive passes received

14.11

10.31

This blistering form in Turkey means he’s on the same pedestal as Amad in the here and now, too, with more shots and shot-creating actions managed by Yilmaz over the last year, when weighed up next to his Red Devils counterpart.

Moreover, it’s clear from the table above that both players get a buzz out of being gung-ho attackers, with progressive carries a particular standout aspect of both of their enthusiastic games.

His impressive skillset when marauding forward has even seen Turkish journalist Uğur Karakullukçu label the 25-year-old as an “animal”, alongside being donned as a “very special” talent ready for the Premier League by ex-coach Selçuk İnan.

There is a risk involved, considering £26m is a lot to fork out on an attacker not used to the Premier League. But, Sunderland’s gamble on Amad once upon a time paid off tremendously, with the hope that this deal is similarly golden in helping the Black Cats comfortably avoid relegation.

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MatériaMais Notícias

De volta ao time titular do Flamengo, Everton Ribeiro foi honesto após mais uma derrota do time – desta vez para o Maringá, pelo jogo de ida da terceira fase da Copa do Brasil. Para o meia, que admitiu que o adversário foi melhor e mereceu a vitória por 2 a 0 no Estádio Willie Davids, a responsabilidade de superar a má fase é dos jogadores.

– Momento é difícil. Não vai mudar da noite para o dia. Temos que refletir e ver o que estamos errando. Foram superiores em muitos momentos do jogo, mereceram a vitória e fomos muito abaixo do que podemos. Temos que melhorar, falar menos, ver o que erramos. Trabalhar forte para voltar ao caminho das vitórias. Só nós podemos reverter esse quadro que não é compatível com o nível de investimento e cobrança do Flamengo – afirmou o meia Everton Ribeiro ao “Prime Video”.

+ATUAÇÕES: David Luiz puxa fila de péssimas atuações em noite para esquecer do Flamengo

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Na Copa do Brasil, a situação do Flamengo é complicada. Para avançar sem a necessidade dos pênaltis, o Rubro-Negro precisa vencer o Maringá por três ou mais gols de diferença. A partida de volta será no dia 26 de abril, no Maracanã. De volta ao Rio de Janeiro nesta quinta, o elenco rubro-negro inicia a preparação para a estreia do Brasileirão. No domingo, recebe o Coritiba no Maracanã.

Celtic are now reportedly “set to up the ante” and try to complete the statement signing of a long-term target in the summer transfer window.

Celtic in contact over signing various players

It looks as though the Hoops are pushing hard to complete some important business this summer, with a number of players being strongly linked with moves to Parkhead.

Celtic are believed to have made contact with FC Cukaricki teenager Andrej Bacanin over a switch to the club, but rivals Rangers are also providing stern competition for his services. A new update has also claimed that the Scottish Premiership champions are in pole position to snap up the 18-year-old midfielder ahead of clubs across Europe.

Meanwhile, the Hoops have been in talks with Royal Antwerp attacker Michel-Ange Balikwisha over a move to the club, with the 24-year-old seen as a target for Brendan Rodgers’ side for a long time now.

In fact, one report earlier this year stated that the Celtic manager is a big admirer of the Belgian, having had his eye on him for some time now. Now, a fresh update has emerged regarding their pursuit of him.

Celtic increasing efforts to sign Balikwisha

According to The Daily Record, Celtic are now “set to up the ante” to sign Balikwisha this summer, as they look to “finally seal a move” for him. The report adds that signing Balikwisha would be a ‘statement of intent’, with the Hoops ‘primed to strike’.

Antwerp boss Stef Wils has also hinted in recent days that a move away for one of his best players is potentially on the cards, saying: “That’s possible, yes. I’m just working with the guys who are here at the moment. They all have the qualities to play here, so it would be foolish not to use them.”

It really does feel as though Celtic are now hellbent on getting a deal for Balikwisha over the line, in what could be such an impressive piece of business by the Scottish giants.

At 24, the left winger is at a perfect point in his career to come straight in and make an immediate impact, having been lauded as an “unpredictable” player by analyst Ben Mattinson.

Balikwisha seemingly likes the idea of moving to one of the biggest clubs in Britain after entertaining talks, and there is no reason why he couldn’t be the next great attacker at Parkhead, giving Rodgers the extra firepower he craves as his side look to both defend the title and perform better in the Champions League.

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The Antwerp star has 46 goal contributions in 141 appearances for his current club, and the fact that he can also do a job on the right wing and in a central attacking role is an added bonus.

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Brits 'finds a way out', with a little help from her friends

Ghosh goes off with concussion, Brits stretchered off with contusion

Eventually, the target proved steep as South Africa’s spinners used the slow pitch and the absence of dew to their advantage. In the end, India fell 12 runs short after flirting with the possibility of a heist when Rodrigues brought the equation down from 47 off 18 to 21 off six.Wolvaardt flies, Brits stuttersLaura Wolvaardt came out all guns blazing and took Renuka Singh for 16 runs in the third over. But South Africa weren’t able to build on that with Brits, at this point, struggling to hit the ball off the square.Brits took 10 deliveries to get off the mark and the piling up of dots made Wolvaardt take more risks than she would’ve liked. One such stroke – walking across to expose all three stumps in a bid to sweep left-arm spinner Radha Yadav into acres of open space – led to her downfall in the eighth over to leave South Africa 50 for 1.Kapp finds her gears straightawayKapp began with two fours off her first three balls, the first one, an inside-out drive over extra cover, particularly attractive. But she was also massively lucky to be reprieved twice in the 10th over.First, Richa Ghosh failed to hang on to a catch behind the stumps when Kapp was on 11 and then Mandhana put down a tough chance running in from long-off with the South African allrounder on 11. This helped unleash Kapp, which reduced the pressure on Brits after she had limped to a run-a-ball 25 at the 10-over mark.Jemimah Rodrigues made a half-century•BCCIFighting a back injury, Kapp had shelved her sweeps for large periods during the Test match between these two teams a few days ago. But in perhaps a sign that she was feeling heaps better, Kapp displayed different variations of her sweeps as her innings progressed – the full-blooded ones, the paddles, the scoops and even the reverse – during a 30-ball half-century that injected momentum into South Africa’s innings.Brits makes the most of her luckBrits broke the shackles in the 11th over when she heaved legspinner S Asha over the long-on boundary, even as Kapp went berserk at the other end in their near-century stand.Brits should’ve been out on 50 when she top-edged a slog, only for Ghosh to grass the opportunity. It would prove game-changing in a sense as Ghosh, who was hit on the chin by the ball rebounding off her gloves, while tumbling to the floor was ruled out of the rest of the game due to concussion.It took Brits until the 17th over of the innings to hit top gear, when she launched Radha for back-to-back sixes to offset any pressure from Kapp’s wicket in the same over. South Africa ransacked 58 runs off the last five to head into the break with momentum firmly with them.India go off rails despite Mandhana, Rodrigues knocksMandhana’s cameo helped India raise their half-century in the fifth over, before Ayabonga Khaka pulled the game back by nicking off Shafali Verma. That wicket slowed things down considerably as India’s No. 3, D Hemalatha, struggled to cope with the pressure of the asking rate. She limped to 14 off 16 at the halfway mark.This may have resulted in Mandhana’s downfall as she left her crease against Chloe Tryon and got caught behind. When Hemalatha was bowled off the very next ball, looking to clip Nadine de Klerk, South Africa sensed an opportunity with India 87 for 3 in the 11th.Rodrigues kept punching, using the crease superbly to manipulate the bowlers and pick up runs behind square against spin. Her enterprise offset Harmanpreet’s struggle against cramps, which appeared to limit her hitting range. Yet, when she played a full-blooded slog for a boundary to bring the equation down to 17 off 5, India believed. However, it wasn’t to be on the night as South Africa held their nerve to close out the game and seal their first win on tour.