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Liverpool were recently linked with a move for Bayern Munich winger Kingsley Coman and the player could be available for a transfer at the end of the season if the opinion of a former Bayern official is correct.

What’s the story?

The Reds were one of several sides believed to be keen on securing the highly-rated 25-year-old’s services over the summer, but he ended up staying put due to his £86 million price tag despite the extensive speculation.

Now though, in an interview with German outlet BILD TV (as relayed by The Mirror), Bayern’s ex-sporting director Christian Nerlinger was asked about Coman’s future as he continues to be linked with a move away from Bavaria.

“I don’t think he will stay in Munich. Bayern had a recent tendency to lose players for free,” Nerlinger stated.

“But you can’t do that in the long run; you have to sell players from time to time if the offer is right. Coman is an excellent player, but given the situation, I think Bayern will consider selling him.”

Coman’s current contract expires in the summer of 2023, meaning Die Roten may only have the next two transfer windows to secure a substantial fee for the forward’s services.

Fans would be buzzing

The France international is set to be out until October, after making just four appearances this season, due to discovering a minor cardiac arrhythmia, which had seen him struggle with shortness of breath.

“‘King’ had an operation yesterday, he had a minor heart rhythm disturbance. I’ll explain that with my little medical expertise,” Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann revealed at a press conference on Saturday:

“There are two strands that activate the sinus node. One of them was cut off so that there would be no additional blow. Sometimes he had less air for a short time and was less productive.

“That’s why we did a long-term ECG (electrocardiogram) and found something that could be fixed quickly,” the young tactician explained.

It’s a potentially concerning setback for Coman, but the skilful forward has already achieved so much in his career. Despite being just 25, he has already won 24 major trophies in his career, including the Champions League, and was lauded by his youth coaches from an early age.

“His reading of the game and his technique stand out and make him formidable,” claimed France’s Under-17 coach Patrick Gonfalone back in 2012, when Coman was just 16.

Liverpool supporters would likely be buzzing if their club could secure a deal for Coman.

The Reds do seem a bit short of attacking options following the departure of Xherdan Shaqiri, and Klopp’s charges lack the strength in depth of their domestic rivals.

Coman’s arrival at Anfield would change that, though, and he could provide the necessary spark for Liverpool to return to the Premier League summit.

And, in other news…Signed for £34m, now worth £90m: Edwards struck gold with “exceptional” Liverpool gem 

Joe Root, the 18-year-old Sheffield-born opening batsman, has secured his future with Yorkshire.

Cricinfo staff20-Nov-2009Joe Root, the 18-year-old Sheffield-born opening batsman, has secured his future with Yorkshire. Root, who made his first-team debut against Essex in Yorkshire’s final Pro40 game of the 2009 season, signed a three-year contract with the club.Jonathan Bairstow (20), Oliver Hannon-Dalby (20), James Lee (20) and Gary Ballance (19) have all signed deals as well, which will extend their stay at Headingley until the end of 2011. With senior players such as Mathew Hoggard and Michael Vaughan no longer with the club, Stewart Regan, Yorkshire’s chief executive, hopes to usher in a new era.”We are heading into a new era after losing a number of senior players recently and therefore we felt it was essential to ensure that the undoubted talent that has emerged through our Academy system in recent years is retained,” he said. “These youngsters will form the future of Yorkshire cricket and we want to look after them. It is now over to them to return the compliment and perform to the best of their abilities on the pitch next season.”

The philosophy since Fosun took on the ownership of Wolverhampton Wanderers has been to buy young players with sell on value.

If you excuse the likes of Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho then Wolves have quite evidently achieved that.

In signing vibrant young footballers like Adama Traore, Ruben Neves and Pedro Neto, the Midlands outfit could rake in a bucket load of cash over the next few years.

Traore was signed for £18m but Bruno Lage rejected an offer in the region of £30m from Tottenham over the summer.

Neves, meanwhile, has been touted at £40m and Pedro Neto has been talked about as a £50m player in some circles.

However, one player who goes under the radar at Wolves has also seen his value rise quite significantly since arriving in English football.

That happens to be Belgium international Leander Dendoncker.

The midfield brute signed for just £12.4m in 2018 and in the last three years his value, per Transfermarkt, has soared to the £27m mark.

That’s quite the rise for a player who is a regular among a Belgian squad thought to contain their golden generation.

Dendoncker is yet to start a match in the Premier League under new manager Bruno Lage but he played a key part under Nuno Santo after they were promoted from the Championship.

The 24-year-old didn’t miss a single league outing during the 2019/20 campaign and featured on 33 occasions last term, only sitting on the sidelines for five matches.

Rarely injured and versatile in terms of his positions, he has become a vital cog in the wheel at Molineux.

Initially a central midfielder, Nuno began playing Dendoncker as a centre-back last term and hailed him as “fantastic” in the process.

He did struggle in a clash with Manchester City but that wasn’t a fair litmus for a player starting in an unnatural position.

Wolves’ tough-tackling Belgian has improved since that clash and ended last term with 2.6 aerial duels per game – the third highest in the squad – and as their central defender with the most tackles per appearance at 1.6.

He is yet to show his true colours under Lage but his market value rise dictates that they have a player with enormous potential on their hands.

Fosun clearly played a blinder with this move three years ago.

AND in other news, Get rid: Wolves owned player who lost the ball every 3.4 touches endures UCL nightmare…

Kieran Maguire has made a claim involving the prospective new owners at Newcastle United should a takeover be pushed through.

The Lowdown: Partnership announced

Last month, the St James’ Park club announced a new commercial deal with eToro.

The online social investment platform will now be allowed to advertise at St James’ Park and take advantage of a number of other marketing opportunities.

The Latest: Maguire on partnership

Speaking to Football Insider, football finance expert Maguire has now claimed that the prospective new owners would have been advised over the value of the deal with eToro, in case they can push the takeover through. He said:

“The way you value a club is you look at the future cash being generated.

“If the deal negotiations are at an advanced stage, the prospective new owners will have been advised as to the value of the deal with eToro and other partners.

“Given that Mike Ashley has still got to persuade them to pay a final price, if he locks the club into low-value deals, especially on a long-term basis, that is no good for him.

“If the club has been locked into lower-value revenue streams, that’s going to have an impact on what Ashley can charge.

“It’s not in Ashley’s interest or the new owner’s interest to be tied into them.”

The Verdict: Still hope

There is still hope that a takeover can be pushed through on Tyneside, as the prospective new owners will want to know what is going on inside the club in case they are able to take charge.

The arbitration case between Newcastle and the Premier League over the stalled bid is set to take place early next year, and a positive result for Mike Ashley could see him finally sell.

Nonetheless, the Toon Army will have to be patient after a disappointing summer transfer window which only saw them bring one player on a permanent deal in Joe Willock from Arsenal, and next year could well be their time.

In other news, find out what details Mark Douglas has revealed about this under-the-radar NUFC signing

Former Everton star Marcus Bent insists that the club still need to add depth up front despite the signing of Salomon Rondon in the summer transfer window.

The Toffees attempted to add new blood to support Calvert-Lewin, who has emerged as the club’s first-choice forward.

The England international was in sensational form last season and scored 16 goals in 33 games in the Premier League, and he has already netted three times in three games this term.

Everton brought Rondon into the club in the summer window, signing him on a free transfer on deadline day.

However, Bent believes that the club need to bring in more depth in the final third, be that up front or on the wing.

He says that boss Rafael Benitez is likely to have as many as five targets ahead of next summer’s window, although he does hold some doubts over whether they will be attainable.

Speaking to The Transfer Tavern, Bent said: “Everton are a big club, a new stadium, and going forward, and DCL hopefully he stays but he needs support, so we need to bring those players in to help him to score goals. Going forward, Benitez probably has five players he wants to get in.

“Whether he can get them with the budget, we don’t know, but what it will be, it will be moving players across with the January window coming in, but all in all, Everton need to be consistent, and they weren’t consistent last season.”

Chris Waugh says Newcastle United’s summer business may not be done despite a report to the contrary. 

The lowdown

The Telegraph’s Luke Edwards tweeted earlier on Tuesday that the club had briefed him that no more senior signings would arrive.

Newcastle have only made one addition so far this summer, bringing in Joe Willock from Arsenal for a fee in excess of £20million.

And given that Willock spent the latter half of the 2020/21 campaign on loan at St James’ Park anyway, it could be argued that the Magpies have yet to truly strengthen.

The latest

Speaking on The Athletic’s Live Transfer Deadline Day stream at lunchtime, club correspondent Waugh refused to rule out further Newcastle incomings.

He stressed that ‘at the moment it isn’t looking like’ new faces will arrive but suggested that ‘the next 90 minutes could be crucial’.

He ‘still thinks there’s a chance’ that Hamza Choudhury, Steve Bruce’s primary defensive midfield target, will arrive on loan from Leicester City before the deadline. That deal is described as being ‘in the balance’.

The verdict

There’ll be some satisfaction on Tyneside if they can find the funds for this Choudhury deal, but it’s also worth noting that Bruce will ‘almost certainly’ (in Waugh’s words) fail to land both a midfielder and a centre-back.

Newcastle, then, will still be looking light, and once again only look to have the tools to compete for a lower mid-table finish.

Given that just mere months ago there was still hope of a takeover going through this summer, it’s fair to say this window has been a disaster for the Toon Army, despite the ray of hope Waugh has shared.

In other news, this teenager is poised to join the club.

Queens Park Rangers look set to seal the arrival of Andre Gray at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium on Tuesday.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by the Watford Observer, who claim that, after it was reported that QPR had agreed to take the Watford centre-forward on a season-long loan, the 30-year-old has now passed his medical with Mark Warburton’s side, with his official arrival in west London set to be announced imminently.

The report added that, with just one year remaining on his current contract at Vicarage Road, it appears as if the striker’s move to QPR has brought an end to his time at the Premier League outfit.

Bhatia masterclass

Amit Bhatia has overseen a remarkable summer transfer window at QPR, with the chairman sanctioning the permanent signings of players such as Andre Dozzell, Stefan Johansen, Charlie Austin, Jordy de Wijs and Jimmy Dunne. Having also brought highly-rated Norwich City left-back Sam McCallum to the club on a season-long loan deal, the further addition of Gray would seem to be the cherry on the cake for Rs.

Indeed, while the £3.6m-rated striker failed to ever really cement a starting spot for the Hornets after his then club-record £18.5m move from Burnley back in 2017, the 30-year-old nevertheless impressed in spells during his time at Vicarage Road. He scored five goals and provided three assists over his 31 Premier League appearances back in 2017/18, as well as bagging seven goals and registering two assists over 29 top-flight fixtures in the following campaign.

However, the £70k-per-week forward’s previous form in the Championship is what will have interested QPR most, with the Rs undoubtedly hoping the man who Xisco Munoz dubbed a “brilliant” player can replicate his returns for Burnley back in 2015/16, when the Jamaica international scored a whopping 23 goals and provided eight assists over his 41 league appearances.

If he can, then Gray’s signing could well prove to be something of a masterclass by Bhatia, as it would seem that the striker boasts the ability to be the difference between promotion and yet another season in the Championship for QPR come next May.

In other news: Warburton drops hint on “unbelievable” £2.25m-rated machine, QPR fans will be buzzing

A round-up of the third day’s play of the fourth-round matches of the Ranji Trophy Super League 2008-09

Cricinfo staff25-Nov-2008
Rajasthan’s Robin Bist formed one half of a partnership that frustrated Hyderabad on day three © Cricinfo Ltd.

Scorecard
Four wickets apiece from young medium-pacer Anureet Singh and veteran spinner Kulamani Parida put Railways on course for their first win of the season at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. The two combined to skittle Andhra out for 108, and Railways lost two wickets before close in pursuit of the 90 runs needed for victory.Railways finished day two on 208 for 8 and added a further 19 to their total. Then Anureet, in his second appearance, struck with the new ball to leave Andhra 15 for 3. Parida ran through the lower order with 4 for 10 in 7.3 overs, while Anureet added a fourth to take his tally to 11 wickets in two games.Railways promoted Yere Goud to open alongside Sanjay Bangar, but both were back inside within eight overs. Once again it was Andhra’s new-ball pair of Doddapaneni Kalyankrishna and Paidikalva Vijaykumar who did the early damage. Milind Tamhane and Harshad Rawle took the score to 53 for 2, and Railways need just 37 more to win.Sanjay Bangar was pleased with the performances of both Railways heroes. “Anureet’s first spell did the trick,” he told the . “Then Parida reminded us of the older days and showed that with a little assistance from the pitch he can be dangerous.”
Scorecard
A successful opening spell from debutant left-arm medium-pacer Balkrishna Jadeja set up a huge 429-run lead for Saurashtra on day three against Mumbai in Rajkot. Balkrishna took 4 for 41 to help shoot Mumbai out for 214 in the last over of the day, and it it remains to be seen whether Saurashtra enforce the follow-on.Jaydev Shah, Saurashtra’s captain, declared at an overnight 643 for 4. Mumbai failed to gather any momentum with the bat, as Balkrishan removed the in-form Ajinkya Rahane for 0 in his first over. He quickly added Amol Mazumdar (0) and Wasim Jaffer (12) with an incisive new-ball spell. Mumbai were soon 28 for 4 and took lunch on 56 for 5.Hiken Shah (47) and Sairaj Bahutule (42) added 59 for the sixth wicket, but Shah’s dismissal at 113 for 6 was proceeded by a three-wicket burst. Usman Malvi (56) and Dhaval Kulkarni (19) frustrated the hosts with a 72-run stand for the last wicket, the highest of the innings. Kamlesh Makwana (2 for 32) and Ravindra Jadeja (2 for 62) chipped in.Mumbai coach Praveen Amre was critical of the shot selection from the batsmen and believed it had caused the debacle. “We had a bad start and credit goes to Jadeja who bowled superbly,” he told . “Also there were some irresponsible shots from our batsmen.””It was a good batting track but we were unfortunate that Wasim fell sick at the start. He came at No. 5. He took medicines before coming into bat. Amol Muzumdar too was unfortunate to get out for a duck off the first ball. Our openers didn’t click too. Overall everyone was responsible and credit to the Saurashtra bowlers who bowled very well. We now have to save the match,”Saurashtra coach Debu Mitra, however, believed Mumbai themselves were responsible for the mess they were in.”I would not like to name individuals but they bowled poorly and allowed us to score runs freely,” he told . “Whatever the nature of the wicket, if you do not bowl to a plan and in the right areas, then you are not going to get wickets. Mumbai failed to do that.””We declared overnight because we wanted to use the freshness in the wicket. And it paid off thanks to Jadeja. He stuck to his plan and swung the ball well.”
Scorecard
An unbeaten 174-run partnership for the fourth wicket between Rajesh Bishnoi and Robin Bist defied Hyderabad and raised hopes of Rajasthan escaping with a draw. Faced with a massive Hyderabad first-innings total, Rajasthan had slipped to 93 for 3 before Bishnoi and Bist got stuck in.At stumps at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Bishnoi was on a career-best 93 while Bist was 14 runs short of a maiden first-class century.Earlier in the day, the visitors initially capitalised on every reprieve they got. Acting skipper Arjun Yadav – VVS Laxman is recuperating from his heel injury – could not be faulted for initially leaving the third slip vacant so as to lure the batsmen into the drive.However, Shoaib Ahmed, a right-arm medium-pacer, removed openers Vineet Saxena (13) and Gagan Khoda (40) and his fellow new-ball operator Munagala Praneet Arjun kept Rajasthan’s captain Venugopal Rao to 20. Bishnoi and Bist, two of Rajasthan’s more promising batsmen, forged a strong partnership in 67.1 overs. Rajasthan still face a stiff task to draw this match, but the flatness of the track may yet assist them if the not out duo dig deeper.
Scorecard
Like Rajasthan, Punjab batted their way towards safety against Orissa in Bhubaneswar, but the final day will still prove to be a long one. Down a wicket when play resumed, Punjab lost just four more on the way to 246 for 5, with Karan Goel (58), Uday Kaul (50*) and Ankur Kakkar (77*) impressing after first-innings failures.Not for the first time in his long career, Debasis Mohanty had the most success for Orissa. He took three of the four wickets to fall and had figures of 4 for 50 by the close. Mohanty struck with the first ball of the day, trapping Ravi Inder Singh lbw for 35. The veteran Pankaj Dharmani went at 101 for 3, bowled by left-arm spinner Dhiraj Singh after adding 42 with Goel, following which Mohanty had Goel lbw and Taruvar Kohli dismissed in succession. Kaul and Kakkar had added 115 by stumps, leaving Punjab needing to bat out the last day.
Scorecard
Hosts Uttar Pradesh took seven wickets in 76 overs and by stumps at the Green Park in Kanpur, Maharashtra led by 105. UP led by 69 when they resumed on 290 for 6 but Samad Fallah, the left-arm medium-pacer, took 5 for 93 to dismiss them for 315. Half-centuries from Kedar Jadhav (65) and Deepak Shilamkar (56) stood out among the fall of wickets and Maharashtra finished the day struggling to notch their first win of the season.RP Singh went wicketless in 19 overs, but Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Imtiyaz Ahmed found success and reduced Maharashtra to 96 for 4. While UP could not prevent Jadhav and Shilamkar, in his second match, from adding 99, slow left-armer Praveen Gupta snapped up both batsmen for the addition of a single run. At the same score, Piyush Chawla bowled Rohit Motwani for 0.
Scorecard
Gujarat took a handy lead over Delhi going into the final day at Valsad, but their slow start to the second innings indicated they were not entirely pushing to win their second game of the season. Delhi were dismissed for 314 from an overnight 199 for 6, with spinner Mohnish Parmar taking four wickets and Siddharth Trivedi three. Gujarat’s openers put on 76 in 31 overs – a run rate of 2.45 – indicating they were opting to bat out a draw.For Delhi, debutant Yogesh Nagar top scored with 79 from 210 balls. There were further lower order contributions from Sumit Narwal (48) and Chetanya Nanda (25*) as Delhi moved on slowly. Trivedi dismissed Nagar and Narwal and Parmar took the last two wickets. In Gujarat’s second innings, Priyank Kirit Panchal batted 91 balls for his 42 and Nilesh Modi used up 97 balls for his 26.Umpire Sameer Bandekar has been known to get into the news for the wrong reasons. On Tuesday, a contentious decision by him spoilt an interesting battle. The Delhi team have lodged an official complaint with match referee Sunil Gudge over the verdict which cost Nagar his wicket.Bandekar upheld wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel’s appeal for a catch off Siddharth Trivedi, reducing Delhi to 293 for 8, and effectively ending any hopes of the visiting team overhauling Gujarat’s first-innings total.
Scorecard
Connor Williams and Rakesh Solanki tried their best to stave off defeat but two late wickets to two superb catches left Baroda with too much to do on the last day. Baroda are 22-runs short of wiping Karnataka’s 226-run lead but have only six wickets left and an entire day to contend with tomorrow. And their hopes would rest on Williams, who is on an unbeaten 97. (Read the full report.)

Ruben Neves could end up staying at Molineux, Wolves journalist Luke Hatfield has told The Transfer Tavern.

Neves had been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal, but a move there now looks dead following Granit Xhaka’s contract extension.

Manchester United were also thought to be keen on the Portuguese midfielder. However, according to the Daily Mail, they have now cooled their interest with Paul Pogba set to remain at Old Trafford for another season.

For Hatfield, it would now not be a surprise to see Neves still in gold and black after the summer transfer window closes.

“I think there’s a massive chance he ends up staying at Molineux,” the Express & Star reporter said.

“It’s always been the case with that deal where I think Wolves were always willing to listen, but until someone meets the valuation, they’re not going to push him out because he’s been an integral player for them.”

With it having looked at one point that Neves was heading for the Molineux exit door, the above is a bit of a bombshell.

Wolves fans, though, will surely be just fine with that. Neves has indeed been a key player for the club since joining, making 40 appearances in all competitions under former manager Nuno Espirito Santo last term.

South Africa completed the formalities of a 2-0 series victory with a comfortable seven-wicket success in the second one-day international in Kimberley

Cricinfo staff02-Nov-2008
Scorecard
South Africa completed the formalities of a 2-0 series victory with a comfortable seven-wicket success in the second one-day international in Kimberley. Hashim Amla took his chance to impress with a 76-ball 78, and Jacques Kallis continued his return to form with an unbeaten 92, as South Africa eased to their target with nearly 15 overs to spare.Kenya did produce a better effort with the bat as Seren Waters, the 18-year-old, made an eye-catching 74 to provide further evidence of his talent. For the home side this has been a good chance to shake off the early-season cobwebs and both victories have come without much fuss. It was a useful exercise for their bowlers to have first use in this match, allowing them to hone their skills ahead of the Bangladesh series.After 4-0 defeat in England, South Africa were trying to re-establish their credentials as a top limited-overs unit. Two wins over Kenya don’t prove anything, but time in the middle is always of greater value than net sessions. Kallis used both games to good effect after a barren England trip, following his 71 in the first match with a clam and efficient innings to carry South Africa home. He hurried the match to a conclusion by attacking Hiren Varaiya and finished the game with a six off a free hit.Kallis said he had worked hard during the off season with former Western Province and England coach Duncan Fletcher. “It’s nice that the hard work has paid off,” he said. “You never stop learning in this game. The slight technical changes I have made have opened up a few new scoring options for me.”The run-chase platform had been laid by Amla, who was one of few bright spots during the loss to England after being handed a chance to open by Graeme Smith’s injury. The captain’s continued absence allowed him another chance and he cracked 13 boundaries, after taking 16 balls to get off the mark, as the Kenya bowlers continually fed his strengths of cutting and driving.Herschelle Gibbs went early, smartly caught at midwicket by Waters, but Amla and Kallis added 118 in 17 overs. Amla reached his first ODI fifty off 47 balls and was on course for a maiden century when he was caught behind off the left-arm spin off Varaiya.While Kenya cannot take many positives from their fielding effort, the performance of Waters, who was educated at Cranleigh school in England, gives them something to leave with. In his fourth ODI, Waters needed 105 balls to reach his half-century before hitting debutant Johann Louw for two fours and a six in the 35th over. Another boundary followed off Albie Morkel before he was beaten for pace and bowled for 74, but useful contributions from Thomas Odoyo and Jimmy Kamande ensured a respectable total.Morkel finished with three wickets, including that of Steve Tikolo caught behind for duck, while Louw collected his first international scalp early on when Maurice Ouma edged to Mark Boucher. Louw was handed his chance with Morne Morkel being rested and it was a chance for South Africa to test their reserve strength. Smith and Dale Steyn are hoping to return against Bangladesh, another series that should allow South Africa to ease into their season before they head to Australia in December. That will be where the challenge really starts.