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Wolverhampton Wanderers have been linked with a Portuguese starlet ahead of the transfer window, as Julen Lopetegui prepares for his first summer in charge at Molineux.

It will be a window far from simple for the Spaniard following the revelation of Wolves’ FFP issues, however, with sales expected to be made, there may still be a chance for improvement despite the financial burden.

The latest news reveals the Midlands club’s interest in an 18-year-old starlet from Portugal, who could be the heir to Ruben Neves in more ways than one.

What’s the latest on Joao Neves to Wolves?

As reported by Portuguese outlet A Bola (via Sport Witness), Wolves have emerged as a potential buyer for Benfica youngster Joao Neves.

The report states that the Midlands side are joined by Bayern Munich in displaying interest in the 18-year-old, who has a €60m (£52m) release clause that the Portuguese champions are aiming to raise.

What could Joao Neves bring to Wolves?

Described as being a member of a “highly talented” group of Benfica teens by talent scout Jacek Kulig, the teenager could flourish under Lopetegui.

Wolves have enjoyed showcasing a Portuguese core since their promotion from the Championship, with Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho providing the perfect midfield pairing at Molineux.

This summer marks the end of an era, with Moutinho confirmed to be departing and Neves being the centre of an ongoing transfer saga to depart for bigger things.

While the duo are irreplaceable in their experience, having made a combined 465 appearances for the club in all competitions, reinforcements can be hired to replicate the baseline of their quality.

At just 18, Wolves target Joao Neves could be a strong shout to be a suitable successor to his namesake at Molineux, as suggested by their playing styles.

Playing as a deep midfielder on 17 occasions for Benfica this term in the league, Neves has been identified as having strengths in his passing ability and guarding of the ball as per WhoScored, with the Wolves captain possessing similar strengths.

As per Sofascore, the teen displays an array of strengths over a season average comparable to the 26-year-old.

The Tavira-born youngster averages a passing accuracy of 87% to the Wolves skipper’s 84%, as well as displaying a strong presence in the defensive areas of the engine room, winning 57% of his total duels to the Premier League ace’s 53%.

While the 26-year-old averages 2.3 tackles per game to the youngster's 1.5, it’s expected that the seasoned midfielder scores higher in some areas than the prodigy, with their numbers displaying the levels that the Benfica ace is already reaching.

Neves adds a direct threat in the final third for Wolves, which could be replicated by the club's summer target who is identified as being an indirect threat in set pieces, and a handful on the ball, as signified through being fouled an average of 1.3 times per game – as per Sofascore.

The signs are all green for the young talent to potentially thrive at Molineux and follow in Neves’ footsteps, with the only potential gripe being his price tag, which may prove too costly for Lopetegui should Wolves fail to solve their financial woes.

As international cricket, particularly the fifty-over format, seeks relevance in a changing sporting culture at least one current South Africa player still thinks ODIs have their place.”I know there are T20 leagues everywhere but one-day cricket is still there and it’s not easy. People still like to watch one-day cricket. Fifty overs is a long time. It’s a good challenge and you have enough time to show your skills,” legspinner Imran Tahir said. “In T20, there’s a time shortage because you’ve got four overs. In one-day cricket, you relax and the game goes long and you only win the game in the last 10 or 15 overs.”Tahir, who will be in action for South Africa in the upcoming ODI series against Australia, which starts from September 30, believes the format has become compelling again because bowlers can play a bigger role in what is seen as a batsman’s game. Last June, playing conditions were altered to allow teams five fielders outside the circle in the last 10 overs of an ODI innings, in an effort to limit what had become a glut of runs in that period. As a result, Tahir said that even spinners could operate in the slog overs and, in so doing, hone their consistency.”This 5-4 field makes our life really hard but it’s nice to see they now allow five fielders outside the circle in the last 10 overs,” he said.”I have been bowling at the death, sometimes. You need to focus. You know if you miss your target, you will go for a boundary but it’s also good because it makes you a really good bowler. You practise hard and you try to bowl in one area most of the time.”Despite that, Tahir maintains that his main role is not limiting run-scoring but taking wickets. “I never look to contain. I always try and take wickets,” he said. And the numbers prove it.Last year, Tahir was the second-highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket with 37 scalps from 22 matches, behind Mitchell Starc. This year he is already the third-highest with 21 wickets from 11 scalps. In the upcoming series, he will come up against the two players ahead of him on that list, John Hastings and Adam Zampa, and has nothing but praise for the Australia legspinner.”Zampa is a very good bowler. He proved that over the last year, in the IPL and playing all over the world. I reckon he is a very good talent,” Tahir said.Despite the presence of Zampa and Tahir in the squads, the South Africa legspinner warned fans to not look forward to too much in terms of spin-bowling this weekend, during the first two ODIs of the five-match series. Tahir said he was not expecting much turn at Centurion and the Wanderers but hoped for more spin at the coastal venues later in the series.There is also pressure on Tahir to maintain his position as first-choice spinner after South Africa’s selectors packed the squad with other spin options in Aaron Phangiso and Tabraiz Shamsi.”The selectors and coaches and captain have showed trust in us spinners which is a good sign and it’s also becoming challenging for us as spinners against each other,” Tahir said. “I like that because I can never be relaxed. Thanks to these guys, I want to keep improving. I am happy to play with these guys and I hope to see them do well for South Africa in future.”

Arsenal are “confident” that they will agree a new long-term contract with forward Reiss Nelson, according to journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Is Reiss Nelson leaving Arsenal?

The Gunners winger is an academy graduate at the Emirates Stadium having worked his way up through the various youth ranks to get promoted to the first-team back in 2019, and despite having made 65 senior appearances since, his future has recently been up in the air.

The England U21s former international’s contract is set to expire at the end of the season meaning that he will become a free agent on the market should he not put pen to paper on fresh terms, and his potential availability has been alerting a trio of potential suitors.

The Athletic report that Premier League rivals Brighton and Hove Albion, West Ham United and also AC Milan are all interested in striking a deal for the 23-year-old, despite him making zero starts in the top-flight this season, but it now seems to be the case that he won’t be going anywhere during the upcoming transfer window.

Have Arsenal offered Nelson a new contract?

Taking to Twitter, Romano revealed that Arsenal are closing in on an internal agreement regarding fresh terms for Nelson. He wrote:

“Arsenal proposal to Reiss Nelson: four year contract, option included for one more season — as revealed two days ago. Short term deal proposal was rejected in April, talks are now advancing for [a] long term contract. Parties are confident.”

Arsenal will know that Nelson hasn’t featured as much as he would have liked this season as a result of his thigh injury sustained in the early stages of the campaign, but he’s proven what he’s capable of when given the chance to play and he’ll be a key player for the future of the club so retaining his services is completely the right decision.

The Gunners’ “explosive” right-winger, as lauded by football talent scout Jacek Kulig, has posted five goal contributions (three goals and two assists) in ten top-flight appearances this term whilst averaging 8.45 shot-creating actions per game which is higher than any other of his fellow teammates, via FBRef.

The Europa League participant, who pockets £15k-per-week, also provides Mikel Arteta with versatility having operated in eight different positions since first emerging onto the scene, and with Aaron Ramsdale and Bukayo Saka having both recently committed their futures in N7, it seems as if Nelson is about to follow in their footsteps.

Newcastle United are interested in signing Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele this summer after talks were held with the player’s representatives.

What’s the latest news on Newcastle and Dembele?

Eddie Howe is looking to bring Champions League football back to St James’ Park, with the Magpies in a solid position in the Premier League to finish in the top four in the final.

The club are three points clear of fifth place Tottenham with a game in hand, and qualifying for Europe’s biggest club competition could help them in the transfer market when it comes to bolstering Howe’s squad with proven quality.

One player who has been heavily linked with a move to Newcastle is Dembele, with interest dating back to last year when reports suggested that personal terms had been agreed with the winger.

As we know, a move failed to materialise last summer, but it looks as if the Magpies could go back in for the France international, who is currently on around £200,000-a-week at the Nou Camp.

90min reporter Graeme Bailey shared a story he's heard in the last 48 hours regarding Newcastle and Dembele. He stated that the club, and by extension owners PIF, once again hold an interest in the winger, adding that Magpies intermediaries met with the player’s camp during his recent trip to England.

It is believed that ‘brief contact’ was made between the player's representatives and Newcastle chiefs, with Dembele, who went to watch Sunderland, ‘attracted by the prospect of playing in the Premier League’.

Should Newcastle sign Dembele?

Dembele, hailed as a ‘special’ player by Xavi Hernandez, has been out of action with a hamstring injury since February. The 25-year-old in fact has an extremely long injury history during his career, missing more than 100 games for Barcelona with various problems.

Therefore, you could say that moving for the forward would be a gamble, but provided he can stay fully fit, may prove to be an excellent signing. He had contributed to 15 goals in 28 games for Barcelona this season, averaging a WhoScored match rating of 7.23/10, a higher score than any Newcastle midfielder or attacker.

Hailed as a two-footed player who can penetrate defences by Didier Deschamps, Dembele would provide an option on either wing for Howe, and with the player about to enter the final 12 months of his Barcelona contract, he could be available for a cut-price fee.

Stuart Meaker, the Surrey fast bowler, has suffered a freak groin injury that looks likely to keep him out of action for the first few weeks of the season.

George Dobell29-Mar-2016

Stuart Meaker, the Surrey fast bowler, has suffered a freak groin injury that looks likely to keep him out of action for the first few weeks of the season.Meaker was hurt while batting in the nets on Easter Monday when he inside edged a delivery on to his groin. He subsequently underwent a minor operation.While it is too early to predict how long Meaker will be absent, it seems highly unlikely that he will be fit for selection before May and it is possible he will not play before until June.The news is another setback to a Surrey side preparing for their first season back in Division One. While Meaker hardly featured last year, he has been bowling with impressive pace at Loughborough – well into the 90s, according to coaches – and looked likely to feature in a team already hit by injuries.The club are also without Jade Dernbach, who has a back injury and Freddie van Den Bergh and Zafar Ansari, who both have thumb injuries. Dernbach may have chance of being fit for the start of the T20 season – Surrey’s first game is on May 26 – while Ansari has a chance of being ready for Surrey’s second Championship match, which starts on April 24.Surrey have also announced that Vikram Solanki, who retired as a player at the end of the last season, will return to the club as a part-time 2nd XI captain. He will not be registered as a professional player, but will provide some on-field experience and leadership to a young second XI side in the Championship in particular and support Ali Brown, the second XI coach, off the pitch.In the 2nd XI Championship, players are allowed to name 12-man teams with 11 batting and fielding. It is, therefore, entirely possible that Solanki will not bat in many games.The Surrey management may well feel vindicated by news of Meaker’s injury. The club has been criticised in recent weeks after signing Ravi Rampaul and South African born seamers Conor McKerr and Mathew Pillans. But, as injury to Meaker shows, teams probably require depth in their seam-bowling resources if they are to sustain a challenge throughout a season. The club were also looking to ease the burden on young seamers such as the Curran brothers.

Everton have found themselves tangled up in another relegation battle this season and Sean Dyche will surely be working hard over the international break to get his players ready to take on the final push for Premier League survival.

The Toffees are currently just two points clear of the relegation zone in 15th and only have ten games remaining to retain their top-flight status at the end of the season, however, many of their competitors have games in hand.

Only Crystal Palace, Southampton and Wolverhampton Wanderers have played the same amount of games (28), with everybody else from 12th down to 20th playing fewer whilst only a maximum of four points separates any of the clubs embroiled in the scrap for safety.

As a result, every single point counts in the upcoming fixtures for the Merseysiders and Dyche must find ways to climb the table into a much more comfortable position to avoid a real chance of relegation.

One player who has rarely been seen at Goodison Park since his arrival last summer is James Garner but having now recovered from a back injury, the Everton boss must unleash the talented youngster.

Should James Garner start for Everton?

The former Manchester United academy graduate caught the attention of a number of clubs after his phenomenal season-long loan spell with Nottingham Forest in the Championship.

Over 41 appearances, Garner proved himself to be a well-rounded asset, scoring four goals, and registering eight assists in an attacking capacity. Defensively, he won 1.8 tackles, made 1.4 interceptions and won 3.9 duels won per game.

Since arriving at Goodison Park, however, the 22-year-old dynamo – hailed "exceptional" by Paul Robinson – has only made six appearances in which he has averaged only 23 minutes per game, which seems like a completely wasted opportunity to unleash a player who clearly has the capabilities of being a huge asset to the attacking threat.

It is no secret that some of Everton's midfielders haven't been pulling their weight as of late with the "disinterested" Amadou Onana – in the words of journalist Paul Brown – not performing to his usual standards and Alex Iwobi earning the second-lowest rating (6.4) against Chelsea – as per Sofascore.

Like his two positional peers, Garner has been called up for international duty and will likely play for the England U21s which would be a great opportunity for the player to prove his ability to Dyche who will surely be watching his young prospect's progress closely.

With that being said, if the £30k-per-week earner can put in some good performances on the international stage over the coming week there is no doubt that Dyche should unleash him against Tottenham Hotspur next month.

Manchester City and Pep Guardiola are close to securing a deal for a young defender, with a deal said to be close to bringing him to the Etihad Stadium, according to reports.

What's the latest news involving Manchester City?

Cited by BBC Sport, Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Gary O'Neil has hinted that Manchester City target Matheus Nunes could be set to stay at Molineux despite going on strike to try and secure a move to the Etihad Stadium.

O'Neil has spoken about Nunes and his future at the Old Gold, stating:

"He's not with the group at the moment, his choice. After the bid from Manchester City he decided it was best for him to not to be with the group. Club policy, and how we deal with things like that, is set in place. As far as I'm aware there's been no improved bid. Matheus Nunes is still our player, we have a long contract still with him and at this moment I fully expect him to be here come 2 September."

According to The Daily Mail, Wolves are holding out for a fee of £60 million for the Portugal international; however, Manchester City are only willing to go up to £55 million in negotiations.

There has since been a further update from Fabrizio Romano, who said that Nunes is now set to sign for City, with Tommy Doyle heading the other way in a separate deal.

Kevin De Bruyne is currently sidelined through injury and West Ham United midfielder Lucas Paqueta had also been a target for the Citizens before an investigation into the Brazilian regarding potential betting breaches scuppered any notion of a transfer.

Earlier this month, talkSPORT reported that Manchester City midfielder Kalvin Phillips was attracting interest from Liverpool to help strengthen Jurgen Klopp's engine room. Journalist Alex Crook has spoken to Give Me Sport recently and admitted that Klopp is 'really interested' in sanctioning a late deal for Phillips, which in turn could pave the way for Manchester City to bring in additional reinforcements in the middle of the park.

Are Manchester City signing Jamal Baptiste?

Transfer expert Romano has detailed that Manchester City are now on the verge of completing a deal to bring in a talented young defender, as he stated on X:

"Excl: Manchester City are on verge of agreeing deal to sign former West Ham centre back Jamal Baptiste, born in 2003 — here we go. Baptiste will join on free transfer, been told medical and contract signing soon. City project’s to develop best youngsters in Europe."

Manchester City completed summer signings

Player

Fee

Previous Club

Josko Gvardiol

£77.6 million

RB Leipzig

Jeremy Doku

£55.5 million

Stade Rennais

Mateo Kovacic

£25 million (£30 million with add-ons)

Chelsea

All transfer fees courtesy of Sky Sports News

Jamal Baptiste, who left West Ham United at the end of last term, made two senior appearances for the Hammers during his time at the London Stadium; nevertheless, has suffered from the rare illness Guillain-Barre syndrome in the past (a serious condition that affects the nerves) which curtailed his opportunity to make an impact under David Moyes, as per The Athletic.

Former West Ham academy manager Terry Westley sang his praises with this early claim, though, stating about Baptiste back in 2019:

"One of the finest young prospects at the club without any doubt is 15-year-old Jamal Baptiste who believe me is going to be a monster player".

Ensuring bright young prospects are well stocked at the Etihad is a big priority for Manchester City chiefs as they look to maintain their dominance in English football, and 20-year-old Baptiste could be the latest instalment in a long conveyor belt of talent in the North West.

ScorecardWesley Madhevere took three wickets and struck an unbeaten half-century•ICC/Getty Images

Namibia’s decision to bat backfired on them to such an extent that they began their innings losing two wickets in two overs and then were bowled out for 113. With the score on 4 for 46 in the 13th over, and Eben van Wyk gone for 24 – it would become the highest score of the innings – they shifted focus towards lasting the full 50 overs. Zimbabwe didn’t mind. They used eight bowlers, and all of them conceded less than 4.5 runs per over. Nkosilathi Nungu, Dion Myers and Wesley Madhevere picked up two wickets each.The chase began in exciting fashion with opener Gregory Dollar and No. 3 Myers falling before the score reached double-digits. But Madhevere put an end to the mini-slide, hitting 47 off 38 balls, with seven fours, and Zimbabwe got to their target with seven wickets and 183 balls to spare.

Manchester United have seen a sizeable bid turned down for a prolific top-five European league striker this window, according to recent reports.

How good is Randal Kolo Muani?

Randal Kolo Muani is a distinctive attacking force who would've added another dimension to Manchester United's final third. In his time at Eintracht Frankfurt, Kolo Muani, who has previously been labelled as "explosive" by his former youth coach Yann Lecoq, has enjoyed a meteoric rise to becoming one of Europe's most prolific marksmen, registering 25 goals and 17 assists in 48 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Expectedly, he has started the new Bundesliga campaign in fine fettle, netting the opening goal in his current employers' 1-0 victory over Darmstadt in their first league fixture, as per Sofascore. The France international converted his goal from an xG of 0.91 and picked up a match rating of 7.2/10 for his exploits on the pitch for Eintracht Frankfurt.

According to FBRef, Kolo Muani ranks highly compared to his positional peers across Europe's top five divisions in successful take-ons and has managed around 2.24 per 90 minutes in the last 365 days, putting him in the 96th percentile.

What happened with United's bid?

According to L'Equipe journalist Loic Tanzi, via Sport Witness, Manchester United have had a bid in the region of €70 million plus bonuses (£60m) turned down for Eintracht Frankfurt striker Randal Kolo Muani earlier this window.

Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain are also looking to add to their star-studded squad and are keen to bring the France international to the nation's capital – they now hope to finalise his signature later this week.

As per L'Equipe, transcribed by The Mirror, Kolo Muani did not close the door on a move to Old Trafford and even confirmed his dream is to play for an elite-level club in an interview earlier this year, stating: "We talk about it a lot already, but I try to be focused on my club. We continue our performances and we will see this summer. Afterwards, I always dreamed of playing in big clubs. I thought I was going to need some time to adapt, maybe a year. But everything exploded. Either way, I’m ready for any challenge."

Foot Mercato claim that Paris Saint-Germain have agreed personal terms with the 24-year-old on a deal that would see him sign on for five years at the Parc des Princes. Tottenham Hotspur were reported to be keen on Kolo Muani earlier this summer, though their lack of Champions League football complicated any potential swoop, as per Sport Bild.

Manchester United now look to have found their solution to a long-standing striking problem in the form of Rasmus Hojlund, who joined the Premier League giants from Atalanta in a transfer worth £72 million, as per Sky Sports. Nevertheless, the Denmark international is currently out injured due to a back problem and it is unclear when he will come into contention to make his Red Devils debut, according to The Evening Standard.

Manchester United could've benefitted from having someone of Kolo Muani's unique abilities leading the line in 2023/24, though they will be excited to see how Hojlund settles in once his injury clears up.

Aston Villa have provided Monchi and Unai Emery with funds to bolster the playing squad so far in the summer transfer window…

Who have Aston Villa signed this summer?

The Villans brought in Belgium international Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from Leicester City as their first signing ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

They have since added Moussa Diaby for a club-record £51.9m deal from Bayer Leverkusen and central defender Pau Torres from Villarreal on a permanent basis.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

There could be further business to come for Villa, though, as they have been linked with a swoop to sign Leeds United ace Wilfried Gnonto this summer, who would cost at least £40m.

How good is Wilfried Gnonto?

The 19-year-old dynamo is an exciting young talent who could come in as a player with long-term potential whilst also having the ability to make an immediate impact on the pitch.

Emery could land Ollie Watkins a dream partner in the final third as the Italian ace is a versatile gem who could either play out wide to provide service for the England international or through the middle as a striker partner for him.

The former Inter prospect produced two goals and four assists in 14 top-flight starts for the Whites as they were relegated from the division last term and could improve upon that tally as part of a better team, given that Villa finished seventh in the table and a whopping 30 points clear of the Yorkshire-based outfit.

Watkins scored 15 league goals for the Villans last season and he could help the Italy international, who struck ten times in 16 U17 matches for Inter, to find his feet as a goalscorer at the top level after signs of promise so far.

The Leeds ace scored 12 goals and assisted ten in 74 games for Zurich prior to his move to England, but it is his play in deep possession that has caught the eye during his time at Elland Road so far.

In the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, Gnonto ranked amongst the top 13% of his positional peers for progressive carries per 90 (4.39), which shows that the teenage ace is excellent at driving his team up the pitch by picking the ball up in a deep position before racing past players to eat up ground.

Watkins, on the other hand, ranked in the bottom half of players in his position for progressive carries per 90 (1.44) and this suggests that he would benefit from having the Leeds star as a strike partner to do that side of the game for him.

Gnonto could use his dynamism and ball-carrying ability to push Villa forward and Watkins can maintain his position through the middle as the starting number nine and concentrate on getting into goalscoring areas to punish teams at the top end of the pitch.

The £40m-rated ace, who was described as an "absolute nightmare" for defenders by talent scout Jacek Kulig, has not proven himself to be a lethal scorer but his four assists in 14 top-flight starts suggests that he also has the creativity to provide the English striker with chances to score from.

Therefore, they could form a dream partnership upfront for Villa and one that could have the potential to get even better with time as Gnonto, hopefully, develops.