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Arsenal chiefs have just been handed a boost in their pursuit of a forward target, as his club make their stance over a summer sale clear behind-the-scenes.

Premier League title hopes fade for Arsenal after 1-0 West Ham defeat

Mikel Arteta watched on from the sidelines as his Gunners side fell to a 1-0 home defeat against West Ham United on Saturday afternoon, courtesy of a sole strike from Jarrod Bowen, with the result now leaving them 11 points adrift of frontrunners Liverpool.

Arsenal offered £302k-per-week Zubimendi alternative who'd cost just £29m

The Gunners have been approached with an intriguing proposal.

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Arsenal could close that margin to eight points with their game in hand, but it would arguably take a miracle for Arteta’s side to catch Liverpool in the race now, considering the Merseysiders’ excellent form all season, and the fact we’re now at the business end of the Premier League campaign.

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The north Londoners have been hamstrung by injuries to key attacking players recently, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli unavailable until March, while both Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus are out for the rest of this season.

Arteta could be ruing their missed chance to bring in a top-class forward in the January transfer window as a result, with Arsenal having a low-ball £40 million offer for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins rejected last month (David Ornstein).

Various reports have claimed that Arsenal are targeting a new forward this summer instead, and many high-profile names are being linked at the moment, including Newcastle United star Alexander Isak, RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko, Juventus forward Dušan Vlahović, Sporting CP number nine Viktor Gyokeres, Eintracht Frankfurt ace Hugo Ekitiké and even ex-Liverpool talisman Roberto Firmino.

Arteta also reportedly wants an alternative to Saka and Martinelli out wide. Indeed, an intriguing name to look out for in this regard is Borussia Dortmund sensation Jamie Gittens.

The Englishman, formerly of Chelsea and Man City’s academies, has impressed since moving to the Bundesliga for first-team football. This season, Gittens boasts 11 goals and four assists in all competitions, which has attracted interest from the Premier League’s elite.

Borussia Dortmund tell Arsenal target Jamie Gittens he's free to leave

According to The Boot Room and journalist Graeme Bailey, Arteta could be free to make a move for the 20-year-old this summer, as Dortmund give the green-light to a potential sale.

As per their information, Dortmund have informed Gittens that they will allow him to leave, and Arsenal could emerge as favourites to secure his signature – ahead of English rival quartet Tottenham, Chelsea, Manchester City and Aston Villa.

A return to his homeland also holds appeal to Gittens, with Dortmund setting his price tag at around £70 million.

This comes as another bit of good news for Arsenal, considering other reports suggested Gittens’ price tag was closer to £83 million. The left-winger’s form has been praised by those close to him, with ex-Dortmund head coach Nuri Şahin branding him an “incredible” one-v-one forward.

Masabata Klaas, Ayabonga Khaka, Tazmin Brits, Lara Goodall and Marizanne Kapp play key hands as South Africa win with lots to spare

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Sep-2023

Nadine de Klerk made all the difference with her medium pace•PCB

They might have swept the T20I series, but Pakistan are finding the ODIs a tougher nut to crack, conceding the series at the first time of asking, losing the second game by six wickets to fall 2-0 behind. The star of the show for South Africa on Monday was Nadine de Klerk, who first returned 4 for 32, and then hit a 30-ball 24 not out as South Africa chased down the modest 169-run target in 34 overs.She wasn’t the only star performer for South Africa on the day, though. When they bowled, after Pakistan opted to bat on winning the toss, Masabata Klaas and Ayabonga Khaka contributed with wickets, three and two respectively. And Tazmin Brits, Lara Goodall and Marizanne Kapp chipped in with the bat in the chase.But de Klerk stood out. She picked up the first three Pakistan wickets to fall, inside her first two overs. The medium pacer struck with her first two deliveries, in the eighth over, getting both Muneeba Ali and Sadaf Shamas caught behind by wicketkeeper Sinalo Jafta. First ball of her next over, she found a way through Sidra Ameen’s defences to hit the stumps.Pakistan were 20 for 3 in 9.1 overs at that stage, and Klaas and Khaka got their first wickets not long after, reducing Pakistan to 49 for 6 in the 18th over.There was a fightback.Aliya Riaz, who had walked out at No. 5, and Fatima Sana, the No. 8 batter, took the fight to the South Africans. They stitched together a stand of 114 for the seventh wicket, Riaz scoring 53 in 86 balls, with three fours, and Sana hitting 69 in 87 balls, with ten fours, to give Pakistan something to work with.But, again, once they were separated, the end came early, with de Klerk, who had returned 3 for 23 in the first game, picking up her fourth wicket when she sent back Umm-e-Hani.It didn’t seem like a lot of runs. Almost exactly what Pakistan had scored in the first game (165) when responding to South Africa’s 292 for 4, and South Africa put up a similarly strong performance with the bat in their chase on this occasion.Captain Laura Wolvaardt didn’t last long, falling to Sadia Iqbal after scoring 13 in an opening stand of 41 with Brits. But Brits (45 in 54 balls) and Goodall (36 in 53) got the chase on track with a 40-run stand for the second wicket. It was fairly straightforward for South Africa after that, and though Sune Luus fell for 10, Kapp’s 29 not out in 28 balls and de Klerk got the job done with lots to spare.The third game will be played in Karachi, the same as the first two, on Thursday.

Chris Rushworth completes five-wicket haul as 36 overs are added to 35 lost on day one

ECB Reporters Network27-Sep-2023

Neil Wagner scored 72•Getty Images

Neil Wagner, who struck a career-best 72 for Somerset against Warwickshire, will long-remember the second day of their weather-damaged LV=Insurance County Championship tussle at Edgbaston, but nobody else will.To the 35 overs lost on day one, another 36 were wiped out on day two which ended with Warwickshire on 112 for 3 in reply to the visitors’ 215.Somerset were lifted to 215 by a century stand for the ninth wicket between New Zealand all-rounder Wagner (72 from 78 balls) and Josh Davey (46, 80). It is still a modest total but represents a strong recovery from the wreckage of 37 for 6. Chris Rushworth took 5 for 47 – the 32nd haul of five or more wickets of his career.Warwickshire captain Will Rhodes (42, 90 balls) then kept his side’s reply from early ruin in this mid-table duel which may still yield a decisive result. Both sides have nothing to lose so might as well take a positive approach to the season’s dying embers.After Somerset resumed on the second morning on 180 for 8, Wagner and Davey continued to bat with few alarms. They took their alliance to 119 in 25 overs before being parted in controversial fashion.Wagner, having hit 11 fours and two sixes and just passed his previous career best (70), was aghast to be adjudged caught behind off Olly Hanon-Dalby, evidently thinking the ball had clipped either pad or stumps. His sense of injustice only heightened when the innings was wrapped up next ball as Davey skied Rushworth to long off.Warwickshire’s reply started badly when Kraigg Brathwaite’s run of ever-diminishing returns – 16, 9, 9, 8, 3, 0 – continued when his off-stump was plucked out by Lewis Gregory. Brathwaite fell in a brilliant first over by Gregory which could have brought a wicket every ball, but Rob Yates and Rhodes survived to add 53 in 16 overs before the former edged a Jack Brooks outswinger to wicketkeeper James Rew.The light, perpetually moderate, closed in even further after lunch and Rhodes and Alex Davies survived for an hour in low cloud with impending rain and floodlights on before the umpires took the players off.Rhodes lifted Davey to extra cover in one of the two slivers of play that followed before the light closed in for the final time. Only Wagner will recall this staccato day – unless the small crowd happened to include a connoisseur of watching covers being taken on and off – in which case, he or she had a treat because they were taken on and off with great speed and efficiency and considerable flair.

A Bundesliga move awaits Jobe Bellingham, with Dortmund leading the race, but Jurgen Klopp may well tempt the Sunderland star to choose RB Leipzig.

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Bellingham expected to leave SunderlandBVB currently leading the raceKlopp could lure Sunderland star to a rival teamFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to , Bellingham is "right at the top" of the wish list of Borussia Dortmund officials Lars Ricken and Sebastian Kehl. The decision has been made to make an approach to the younger brother of former Dortmund player Jude Bellingham. The approximated cost of the operation is believed to be €25-30 million. However, Klopp, who is currently the Global Head of Football at Red Bull, could tempt the Sunderland star to choose Dortmund's Bundesliga rivals in RB Leipzig.

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BVB have a particular advantage when it comes to signing the 19-year-old central midfielder from Sunderland; contact with the Bellingham family, especially with father Mark, has never been broken since Jude's departure for Real Madrid. In addition, Jobe regularly visited Dortmund when his brother was still playing there. He, therefore, knows the environment and the people in charge.

The scouting department, which once discovered Jude, is said to be enthusiastic and completely convinced of Jobe's abilities. In addition, those responsible are particularly impressed by the physical development of the 19-year-old, who is now said to be 1.91 metres tall. Bellingham is now a member of England's U21 national team and was also named the Championship's best young player. He has made 40 appearances (4 goals, 3 assists) in the current season.

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If the transfer goes through, Dortmund will not be looking to sign loan player Carney Chukwuemeka on a permanent basis, according to reports. Although the 21-year-old loan player impressed greatly when he did play, he rarely saw any action. Chukwuemeka arrived in Dortmund in the winter with a significant fitness deficit and often struggled with muscle problems.

The catch, though, is that Klopp is determined to sign Jobe for Leipzig, despite his overall package and the fact that he is contracted to Sunderland until 2028, could prove to be obstacles in the operation.

Getty Images SportWHAT'S NEXT?

In addition to Jobe, Rayan Cherki is also a must-have signing for Dortmund in the summer after the third attempt to sign him. A winter transfer had reportedly fallen through because Lyon owner John Textor did not stick to the agreement with Cherki to let him go for an offer of €22.5 million.

Coach Niko Kovac is said to have already spoken to Cherki, who is having a strong season (12 goals, 19 assists) despite personal frustration over the failed winter transfer. According to , a transfer in the summer would now cost Dortmund €30 million.

Jadon Sancho is not expected to play a role in the plans of the BVB bosses. Recently, English media had repeatedly reported that Dortmund were planning to bring the 25-year-old back and could possibly get Sancho in exchange for Jamie Gittens, who is looking to leave. However, Ricken, Kehl and Co. have now clearly agreed not to pursue Sancho, who is currently on loan from Manchester United to Chelsea.

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