Everton are interested in a deal to bring Inter Milan forward Joaquin Correa to the Premier League, according to reports.

What's the latest on Correa to Everton?

The Toffees could be forced to sanction a mass exodus of some of their most prized assets should they suffer relegation, but with Dominic Calvert-Lewin being monitored by Arsenal and Neal Maupay wanted by Salernitana, Sean Dyche will need attacking reinforcements regardless of his side’s status.

The Argentinian international’s deal at the San Siro isn’t set to expire until 2025, but having made just seven starts in 30 Serie A games this season, has fallen significantly out of favour under Simone Inzaghi and could therefore be looking for a move elsewhere in the summer.

TuttoMercatoWeb journalist Niccolo Ceccarini recently claimed that the Goodison Park outfit have already “carried out some surveys” on the 28-year-old and they must have liked what they discovered because it appears that they are now weighing up an approach.

According to Italian outlet Inter Live (via Sport Witness), Everton, alongside top-flight rivals West Ham and Aston Villa are all “interested” in signing Correa ahead of the 2023/24 term.

The Merseysiders will “hopefully” be able to move and negotiate a deal for the striker, whose club are open to selling him should they receive a fee of €15m (£13m), a sum that Farhad Moshiri could meet “without problems”. Inter's attacker and his camp, however, believe that he is “worth less” which could have been said to force through an exit as quickly as possible.

Should Everton splash the cash on Correa?

Correa might have fallen down the pecking order at Inter but he would make a hugely positive impact at Everton so they should 100% dig deep to wrap up this absolute bargain of a deal in the summer.

The World Soccer Agency client has 102 goal contributions (63 goals and 39 assists) to his name since the start of his career and ranks in the 99th percentile for pass completion by strikers in Europe's top leagues, highlighting not only his prolific form in the final third but also his strong link-up play with his teammates.

The 6 foot 2 colossus would further add wonderful versatility to the squad having previously operated in six different positions, including anywhere across the frontline, and knows what it takes to be successful having won six trophies at both club and international level, alongside competing in both the Champions and Europa League.

Finally, Correa has been lauded a “formidable” player by his manager Simone Inzaghi and so it would be a massive coup for the board should they be able to get this deal over the line during the upcoming window.

Arsenal have three games to potentially win their first Premier League title since 2004 – should Manchester City fail to win all of their remaining fixtures.

The Gunners were in the driver's seat for the majority of the season, however going four games without a win in April dealt Mikel Arteta a huge blow to their hopes of winning the title.

Mathematically, the north Londoners can still claim the top spot, though title talk aside, it’s been a successful season with Champions League football confirmed alongside a top-two finish.

A crucial element of Arsenal’s downfall were the injuries to both William Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu, whose absences terrifically impacted the team’s form and uncovered a lack of depth in defence that was not coverable.

As the end of the season beckons, Arteta will look to improve his young squad with depth and quality ahead of Champions League action and a new Premier League campaign to contend in.

According to reports, Arsenal have emerged as a possible new home for a young Ajax star, wanted by a host of European clubs in the summer.

Will Arsenal sign Devyne Rensch?

As reported by Football Insider the Gunners have “registered an interest” in 20-year-old right-back Devyne Rensch.

The Dutchman has been a revelation for Ajax this season, featuring 23 times in the Eredivisie, scoring three goals and securing one assist at right-back.

Having risen up through the prestigious Ajax academy, the Gunners now 'want to sign' the youngster in order to replace Ben White on the flank with the aforementioned sourcing suggesting Arteta plans to give the Englishman a “central role” in defence.

What can Devyne Rensch bring to Arsenal?

The Gunners have been exposed this season for their lack of depth in defence, providing little cover for unexpected injuries in a demanding season.

20-year-old Rensch has been integral to his team this term and could provide experience and an offensive full-back style of play while keeping to Arsenal’s youthful spark.

The "top talent" – as per scout Jacek Kulig – ranks highly amongst others in Europe in his position, excelling in his passing ability and desire to get forward – as per FBref.

At right-back, the Dutchman ranks in the top 2% for pass completion rate (86.1%) in leagues compared to the Eredivisie, and has also shown flair in getting forward, ranking in the top 4% for progressive passes, averaging a whopping 6.74 per 90 minutes.

Such numbers are comparable to White’s influence on the Arsenal team, who ranks in the top 4% amongst Europe’s top five leagues for progressive passes (7.18), showing Rensch’s potential to play ‘the Arsenal way’ under Arteta. The youngster is strong in defence also, averaging 2.47 tackles per 90 for Ajax over the last year.

Described as “incredible” by journalist Sizwe Jacques Mbebe after making his Netherlands debut in 2021, the Lelystad-born defender has been raved about by Erik ten Hag, who gave him his debut the year prior.

Speculated to potentially cost as much as £20m via Football Transfers, it's a sizable sum for a young player, but considering Arteta’s trust in youth prospects, Arsenal could be a strong place for the Dutchman to progress.

Virat Kohli has suggested India are likely to stick to a five-bowler combination for the second Test in Jamaica, despite the “bounce and carry” that its green-tinged pitch promises

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kingston29-Jul-2016Each of the last 15 Test matches at Sabina Park has ended with one team victorious and the other defeated. The pitch for the second Test between West Indies and India, which starts on Saturday, promises yet another decisive result, and Virat Kohli has welcomed it. India, he said, were “excited” to be playing at a “result-oriented ground”.”We’re not focusing on the opposition too much,” he said. “We are happy that the wicket is going to have some bounce and carry. There was decent enough bounce in Antigua for us to exploit whatever help was there. Jamaica is going to be even better, it’s a result-oriented ground, we all know that. We’re quite excited about it.”We’ve got good pace, the bowlers are bowling good areas. We’d just like to focus on that and believe that our batsmen are good enough to tackle any pace and bounce that West Indies’ bowlers have. The plan is to go out there and play with the determination and focus that we showed in the first game.”Ahead of the first Test in Antigua, Kohli had spoken about India’s horses-for-courses approach, and picking the best possible bowling attack that could take 20 wickets in the given conditions. Considering the tinge of green on the Sabina Park pitch, India may have been tempted into thinking they may not need a five-bowler combination, such as the one they picked in Antigua, and instead play an extra batsman at No. 6. But Kohli indicated India would stick to the same approach that won them the Antigua Test by an innings and 92 runs. He also suggested India would need two spinners, and felt slow bowlers would come into the game in the second innings.”Honestly there’s not much room to change when you’ve won the first game, knowing that the fast bowlers have done the job,” he said. “There’s good bounce in this wicket. The last time we played a Test here, in 2011, [Amit Mishra] and Harbhajan [Singh] both got good turn and bounce. So the spinner can’t be left out of the game.”There is a second innings as well, we need to understand that. It’s not overcast conditions and a green pitch where you will compromise on one spinner. You know that when the wicket dries up it will start turning and there is good bounce so the spinners will come into play. Like they did in the last game also, spinners can play a massive role. I think the roles will switch pretty drastically with each innings, that’s what I feel, for all bowlers, and for that we have to have all bases covered for us to have enough options to take 10 wickets in the second innings also.”We need to have a good balance of spinners and fast bowlers for us to get a result. And that’s what we had in the first game. As I said, when you win there’s not that much room for change unless the conditions are drastically different, which they are not. There’s pace and bounce here, and I think this will help the spinners in the second innings as well.”Kohli was confident India’s lower order could perform just as well as they had done in Antigua, where R Ashwin, batting as high as No. 6 for the first time in his career, scored a hundred, with Wriddhiman Saha and Amit Mishra making more-than-useful contributions at No. 7 and No. 8 as well.”It’s no different to any other place we will play at,” Kohli said. “Obviously we need to be wary of the conditions a bit more because it is a ground that is result-oriented. It’s obviously going to take more application than we showed at Antigua already. It’s going to take more responsibility and more concentration by the batsmen to get the job done.”Ashwin came good at six, Saha played well, Mishi got runs. That just deepens our batting line-up and gives us the same bowling options that are required to take 20 wickets. It’s an exciting ground to play at because you know there is going to be a result. The match is going to be hard-fought and any session can change the game. Which is very exciting for us as Indian Test cricketers.”India will make one forced change to their XI, with M Vijay yet to recover fully from a bruised thumb he suffered during his first-day dismissal in Antigua. KL Rahul, who has already scored two hundreds in five Test matches, is set to replace him at the top of the order.”Well, [Rahul has] been in a very good zone,” Kohli said. “He scored runs in the practice games, he scored in [the ODI series in] Zimbabwe, we all know that. He had a great IPL season. I think that was the turnaround for confidence as far as he’s concerned. Last year, he had a good tour to Sri Lanka, got a hundred there. Again, didn’t play against South Africa [at home].”It’s more a case of a guy waiting for an opportunity. You can see that with him. You can sense it. He wants to play. He’s batting really well, he wants to make it count. He wants to get big runs. I’m confident of his abilities. He’s pretty compact, he’s a solid opener, and he’s a great fielder as well. Gives you that wicketkeeping option as well, in case something happens to Saha.”He’s, all in all, a great package for the team and it’s great to see that he’s going to get a Test match. Obviously, unfortunately Vijay has to miss out because of injury. Not good for him. He’s someone who has always done well for the team, always takes pride in playing for the country. He was not really happy with getting hit in the first innings, which is not in his control.”KL is excited. KL is ready. KL is batting really well and that’s obviously a very good thing for the team.”

The ICC has agreed to support Sri Lanka Cricket and Kusal Perera’s claim for costs and damages from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has said

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Jul-2016The ICC has agreed to support Sri Lanka Cricket and Kusal Perera’s claim for costs and damages from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), SLC president Thilanga Sumathipala has said.Perera had been suspended after a Qatar-based lab found a banned substance in his urine sample, but the doping charges were dropped in May when an independent analyst found that the WADA-accredited lab’s findings were not sustainable.Though the ICC had previously said it “does not accept that it is responsible” for the consequences the lab’s findings, SLC believes it has got the ICC’s support in its attempt to obtain both costs and compensation from WADA itself.Sumathipala said the board’s request for compensation for Perera received widespread support at the recent ICC meeting in Edinburgh.”We appealed to the ICC about the injustice that had happened to Kusal, and we were given an audience at the CEOs’ meeting. I must say the committee comprising of the CEOs unanimously supported our claim,” he said. “Then it came to the board meeting, and at the board meeting we made the appeal that there should be compensation – not just the cost. It was decided that the costs and the compensation should be paid to him, because the ICC took the position that the claim made by Kusal is fair and justifiable. ICC decided to stand by Sri Lanka Cricket and support the claim.”SLC said it spent about 13 million Sri Lankan rupees (US $92,000 approx) on fighting the case. The player himself is expected to pay this figure back to the board, according to Perera’s management. The board, however, has been adamant that those responsible for the imposition of the five-month suspension on Perera should ultimately bear the costs. Sumathipala suggested that no less than 35 million rupees (US $246,000) was appropriate, given Perera’s loss of earnings during the suspension, and the “damage to his reputation”.”This kind of compensation has never ever been paid to anybody in the history of cricket,” Sumathipala said. “The ICC and SLC are together in this – the money is ultimately coming from WADA, through the ICC, to Kusal. It is a new experience for WADA as well.”Sumathipala said the board was optimistic WADA would provide compensation, as it has already accepted there was a flaw in its processes. “I don’t think we will have to go to court over it,” he said. According to Sumathipala, the ICC and WADA have also blacklisted the Qatar-based lab.Discussions with WADA are believed to be in their very early stages, though, and Perera himself is yet to be brought up to speed on the situation. SLC officials are expected to meet with Perera and his management after the player returns from the England tour on Thursday.Perera missed a full tour of New Zealand, bilateral T20s against India, the Asia Cup and the World T20 as a result of the suspension. He was also ineligible for this year’s IPL auction, as well as the initial Test squad for England as he had only recently returned to training.

The future structure of England’s T20 competition might be in doubt, but there is no doubting the success of NatWest Blast Finals Day.Tickets for the three-match climax at Edgbaston on Saturday 20 August have now sold out, with the exception of the allocation of 3,200 tickets reserved for the competing semi-finalists.This is the first time in the history of NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day that the event has sold out before all semi-finalists have been confirmed.The four teams that will qualify for two semi-finals and a final in a full day of T20 action receive an allocation of only 800 tickets for Finals Day.Should any of these tickets remain unsold, Edgbaston will release a final allocation at 1000 on Tuesday August 16.Notts Outlaws and Northamptonshire Steelbacks have already won through following the first two quarter finals. Gloucestershire meet Durham on Wednesday and Glamorgan face Yorkshire on Thursday.Gareth Roberts, Commercial Director of Warwickshire County Cricket Club, said: “NatWest T20 Blast Finals Day is the biggest day in the domestic cricket calendar and is growing in demand each year, with tickets for this year’s event selling out in record time.”This will be the eighth NatWest T20 Blast Finals that Edgbaston has hosted and is part of our long-term staging agreement, which sees the event played here in Birmingham until at least 2018.”Controversy surrounded the start of the tournament in May when Colin Graves, the ECB chairman, who favours a big-city competirion that would by-pass the 18-team county system, called the present competition “mediocre”.Despite that, attendances have shown a slight improvement this season, following a large leap in 2015, even though there has been additional competition from the European football championships and, latterly, the Olympic Games.

After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play

Arun Venugopal24-Aug-2016
ScorecardAbhinav Mukund followed up a fifty on the opening day with an unbeaten 162 in India Red’s second innings•PTI

After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play. Thanks to Nathu Singh’s six-for, India Red needed only a little more than 10 overs to bowl out India Green in the afternoon, before going to stumps on 344 for 3. The centerpiece of their second innings was the 240-run alliance between Abhinav and Chatterjee.

Abhinav Mukund on…

His innings: It’s been a long time since I scored such a big hundred, so I put my mind to it. I haven’t batted under lights so I was a bit more focused and I wanted to concentrate – I had worked a lot on my fitness – and I wanted to prove that. I have been on the field through both the days so definitely towards the end I was tiring a bit, but I wanted to push [myself] mentally and carry on.
Batting with Sudip Chatterjee: I have played with him for Vijay CC, so we have batted together before. We knew things would get easier if we gritted it out initially. I just told him to hang on because it takes a bit of time to get set with the new ball.
Behaviour of the pink ball: I think the ball came on to the bat much better in the evening session. There was a little bit of seam movement initially with the new ball, and it’s starting to turn a little bit. It is also skidding on a little bit so it is slightly harder to play the spinners. Shreyas Gopal was giving it a good rip. I think it (the pitch) is dry underneath, that is why it’s turning.

With Abhinav still at the crease, unbeaten on 162, and with recognised batsmen to follow, India Green’s bowlers and fielders might have to work overtime. In any event, the side’s misery was to a certain extent self-inflicted with some slipshod fielding – they dropped four catches – and profligate bowling.The narrative on day two was nothing like the first day: 379 runs were scored for the loss of six wickets, as opposed to 277 for 17 on Tuesday; bowlers 1- batsmen 1. Two factors, though, remained constant. First, the pink ball itself has not had a disproportionately heavy bearing on either outcome. The second factor was Abhinav.His effort was remarkable as much for its longevity – he batted for more than five hours – as its unhurried rhythm. There was no dulling of tempo, however, as his strike-rate constantly remained upwards of 75. While Abhinav might want to offer a quiet ‘thank you’ to India Green captain Suresh Raina, who dropped him on 66 and 92, the reprieves seemed little more than an incentive for his positive, risk-free approach.If Abhinav’s 22nd first-class hundred was the well-rehearsed jig of an accomplished dancer, Chatterjee’s was a laboured effort enhanced by improvisations. After having made only 5 in the first innings, Chatterjee took 18 balls to score his first run, but the longer he stayed the more irritated India Green’s bowlers became. By the time he scored his sixth first-class hundred, Chatterjee’s strike-rate had crossed 60. Chatterjee’s first false stroke in a long period – an ill-timed sweep – eventually saw him trapped lbw to Shreyas Gopal, but Abhinav, and later Gurkeerat Singh, ensured the show went on.India Red entered the afternoon needing three wickets to bowl out their opponents, and despite Saurabh Tiwary’s fifty and a rain interruption, Nathu made light work of the tail. When the second session began, it was, at least in parts, a re-run of the first afternoon’s play: Abhinav alternated between leaving and driving the ball with equal assurance, Ashok Dinda leap-charged his way to banging the ball on the shorter side of full length, and Sandeep Sharma did the un-Dinda thing by pitching the ball up to bring swing into play. The most conspicuous change from the first innings was the approach of the India Red batsmen. Sample this: Dinda went for Srikar Bharat’s throat, like on Tuesday, and Bharat responded with a pull – this time he was on top of the ball rather than the other way around – in front of square for six.Pink ball or not, Abhinav was not going to deviate from a formula fare. He left anything on a length around the off stump, especially with the new ball, while driving, punching and upper-cutting – his release shot in the first innings – errant deliveries. He made matters worse by pinching sharp singles to further throw India Green off gear. The most abiding visual of Chatterjee’s innings was his well stretched-out forward defence, but sneakily he worked his way towards a bigger score. As he grew in confidence, the cuts and the drives became a more regular occurrence.India Green’s fielding, particularly that of Ankit Rajpoot, was a throwback to the Indian fast bowler of the 1990s. While he offered a cheeky boot to halt cover drives, he was let balls slip through, or reacted late to a catch – one such somnolent attempt let Chatterjee off the hook when he was on 74.Raina himself appeared lost, and was intermittently off the field, leaving Parthiv Patel in charge. The wickets of Chatterjee and Yuvraj Singh late in the day offered India Green a sudden shot of enthusiasm, which they will need to build on over the next two days.

Jermaine Blackwood has said the match could have changed complexion had he not been dismissed in the last over before lunch

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-20161:24

‘West Indies’ decision to bat first not a pragmatic one’ – Manjrekar

Jermaine Blackwood, whose innings of 62 and fourth-wicket partnership of 81 with Marlon Samuels were rare bright sparks in West Indies’ first-innings total of 196, said the match could have changed complexion had he not been dismissed in the last over before lunch. Having been reduced to 7 for 3, West Indies had recovered to 88 for 3 when R Ashwin had Blackwood lbw with only three balls left in the session.”When I went out [to bat], he [Samuels] was just giving me a lot of advice about staying positive and running well between the wickets and try to score runs and wear down the bowlers,” Blackwood said. “As scoring chances came, I played my shots. If I had come back after lunch, it would have been a different ball game, because me and Marlon had a nice partnership. For me to get out, it set the team back and put the bowlers back on top. So I guess you have to learn from your mistakes.”Blackwood said the counterattacking approach he adopted from the time he stepped in was just his natural game. “That is just normally how I play, ever since I started playing. So that’s my natural game. I try to score my first 20-25 runs quickly, and tried to use the pace of the ball. So that is how Jermaine Blackwood plays his game.”Jason Holder, the West Indies captain, had sprung something of a surprise at the toss, when he chose to bat on a damp, grassy pitch. Blackwood said there was nothing wrong with the decision to bat, but West Indies’ batsmen simply hadn’t batted well enough.”Normally, at Sabina Park, the wicket is going to have a little bit in it for the pace bowlers for a couple hours. This track is different and has some grass, so they will get assistance right through the match for pace bowlers. It wasn’t a wrong decision to bat first, but we just didn’t bat for a long period. I guess next time we will have to do that.”

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag will be looking for the club to move on Eric Bailly over the coming summer transfer window.

What's happened to Eric Bailly?

The Red Devils were dumped out of Europe on Thursday night with a humiliating 3-0 defeat away to Sevilla crushing their dreams of getting their hands on the Europa League.

Ten Hag and his men still have one more shot at adding to their Carabao Cup with their FA Cup semi-final coming up on the weekend at Wembley Stadium.

It has been a season of progress at Old Trafford with the Red Devils sitting in a great position to secure themselves a spot in the Champions League for next season.

But it seems there could also be a clear out on the horizon in Manchester with Ten Hag looking to sell a number of players who are currently out on loan.

One of them being Bailly who has spent the 2022/23 campaign on loan with Marseille, but it has not been a straightforward season for the Ivorian.

The 29-year-old has only made four starts in Ligue 1 this season with injury and suspension hindering his game time for the French side (via Transfermarkt).

And speaking on his Here We Go podcast, Fabrizio Romano has claimed the £91k-per-week ace is a player who is not wanted at Old Trafford ahead of next season:

(11:35) "So Bailly will be back to Manchester United and from what I understand, he will be on the market. So he's not going to be part of Manchester United project next season unless something new happens, so the idea is to sell Bailly."

Should United sell Bailly in the summer?

The Ivorian has previously been slammed as "dreadful" by journalist Josh Bunting for some of his defending during his time at Old Trafford.

And it is apparent his recent spell in France is leaving a lot to be desired with the 29-year-old clearly not in the manager's thinking have only racked up four league starts.

Perhaps a lot of his failings at Marseille could be accredited to his horror challenge which saw him hit with a stunning seven-game suspension.

But his time on the pitch has seen him provide some fairly impressive defensive returns as he ranks inside the top percentile for interceptions and the top second percentile for blocks made (via FBref).

However, United have made some significant additions to their side over recent years with Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez.

But with their backup options failing to provide much relief amid the duo's injury issues, is Bailly really the man to provide them with deeper squad depth next season?

R Ashwin, whose 5 for 62 helped India dismiss West Indies for 196 on the opening day of the second Test at Sabina Park, said he was “pretty surprised” by Jason Holder’s decision to bat first

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Kingston31-Jul-20161:32

‘Ashwin exploited the spin and bounce from the pitch well’ – Manjrekar

R Ashwin, whose 5 for 62 helped India dismiss West Indies for 196 on the opening day of the second Test at Sabina Park, said he was “pretty surprised” by Jason Holder’s decision to bat first. Speaking to the media after India had moved to 126 for 1 in their reply at stumps, Ashwin said the pitch was a “bit sticky” early on, and that it might have suited West Indies’ strengths more to bowl first.”I was pretty surprised that they won the toss and batted first today,” Ashwin said. “Like Virat mentioned at the toss, there was a bit in it, it was a bit sticky. Maybe I would’ve batted as well. But with their strengths, I thought it was a bit surprising.”Despite India ending the day on top, Ashwin cautioned that there was a long way still to go in the match. “I was really taken aback by the counterattack that [Jermaine] Blackwood did,” he said. “It sort of put the game in the balance. And we had to break [through] twice and brought the game back. It’s clearly a game where the experienced side is seizing the more opportune moments. I would put it that way. With a little bit of experience and nailing the right moments, the game could get closer.”This game has a lot of uncertainties. We just saw one when Sri Lanka pulled it off against Australia [in the Pallekele Test]. And they did the same against us in Galle [in 2015], so we can’t be lacklustre with that, we will have to keep doing our process properly.”Ashwin said his variations of pace had been key to picking up five wickets on a damp first-day pitch.”A little bit of bounce and speed variation, that was important, I thought. Most of the dismissals were brought about by difference in speeds rather than much of spin, actually. It was initially damp and there was some turn, but after that it flattened out a bit and started going straight. This ball, once it gets older, it becomes easier to bat. There’s a lot more time. I think it was more about bounce and speed variation that created the problem.”Playing only his 34th Test match, Ashwin has already picked up his 18th five-wicket haul. At this moment, his rate of taking five-fors is even better than that of Muttiah Muralitharan, who picked up 67 in 133 Tests.”Everybody wants to start playing cricket one day to achieve what nobody else could achieve,” Ashwin said. “I am happy to be there, at some stage of my career where I am better than everybody else who has played the game. It feels nice, but the only thing that is constant is trying to improve from wherever you are. I think change is very very important. Keeping on benchmarking yourself is more important. This is good, but tomorrow is a different day and you have to keep improving.”Coming in for the injured M Vijay, KL Rahul got India off to a near-perfect start to their reply, and ended the day batting on 75. Ashwin wasn’t surprised by his performance, and said he had nicknamed him ‘batting machine’ for the amount of batting he does in training.”We all know that he’s a quality cricketer,” Ashwin said. “He’s made a lot of runs in first-class cricket. He has pretty much arrived at this level.”Beforehand, when he made hundreds for us, it has been crucial knocks. He made one in Sri Lanka which is very very memorable. As a matter of fact, the way he played in the IPL, it’s just an extension. Everybody wants Rahul to do well, which is a big tick for him.”I’ve nicknamed him batting machine. He keeps batting all the time and it’s not a surprise that he’s made runs and I’m very happy for him.”

Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in making a move for Southampton talisman, James Ward-Prowse this summer, with the Englishman facing an uncertain future at St Mary's following the club's recent relegation.

What's the latest on Ward-Prowse to Spurs?

According to the Daily Mail, the Lilywhites – as well as the likes of Aston Villa and West Ham United – are said to be admirers of the 28-year-old, with the Saints already said to be preparing themselves for offers from Premier League clubs after their drop into the second tier was confirmed at the weekend.

As per the report, the influential midfielder's current deal – which is set to run until 2026 – does not contain a relegation clause, with the south coast unsurprisingly still keen on keeping hold of the long-serving asset despite the prospect of life in the Championship.

That being said, however, the piece goes on to add that the playmaker's reported £100k-per-week salary could prove rather 'pricy' for the newly-relegated side next season, with that potentially opening the door for the likes of Spurs to pounce.

Should Spurs sign Ward-Prowse?

Aside from the search for a new permanent manager at N17, the major concern for Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy will be the uncertainty surrounding Harry Kane's future at the club, with the 29-year-old the subject of interest from Manchester United with just a year left on his existing contract.

The hope will be that the club's record goalscorer will opt to stay put in north London beyond the end of this season, with the signing of Ward-Prowse, in particular, potentially set to be a key factor in tempting the England captain to remain in the capital.

The additon of his compatriot could well represent a dream signing for Kane such is the midfielder's ability to provide quality service, with talkSPORT pundit Darren Ambrose going as far as to suggest that if "you sign James Ward-Prowse, Harry Kane stays".

As Ambrose claimed, the arrival of the "set piece master" – as hailed by broadcaster Maximiliano Bretos – could give Spurs' talisman "an extra ten goals a season" due to his deliveries, with that likely to be a mouthwatering prospect as far as Kane is concerned.

Lauded as the "perfect player that Spurs need that goes from defence to attack" – according to Ambrose – Ward-Prowse would be a real asset to his Three Lions colleague as he arguably has the "best delivery in the league", in the words of teammate Jan Bednarek.

The Portsmouth-born gem – who is valued at around £17m by CIES Football Observatory – has notably created nine big chances this season as a marker of his devastating, creative brilliance, with that a better record than what the current midfield pairing of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (five big chances) and Oliver Skipp (zero big chances) have achieved combined for Spurs this term.

As such, it is clear to see that the 5 foot 8 sensation would represent a "great fit" for the club – as per journalist Pete O'Rourke – and potentially for Kane, with Levy needing to ensure that a deal is wrapped up sooner rather than later for the "unbelievable" talent, as hailed by ex-Saints man, Oriol Romeu.