Liverpool are planning to battle Manchester City for the signature of Flamengo midfielder Lucas Paqueta, according to Premium Sport.

What’s the word?

Judging by the transfer speculation surrounding Liverpool, manager Jurgen Klopp is keen to strengthen his attacking midfield options.

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A deal for Lyon’s Nabil Fekir reportedly fell through, which has left the Merseyside outfit looking at alternatives.

According to Premium Sport, the Reds have an eye on Paqueta, who is also believed to be on the radar of Premier League champions Manchester City.

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The media outlet claims that the 20-year-old has a £40m release clause, but it is unclear whether Liverpool are willing to meet it.

Should the Reds pursue a deal?

There is no doubting Paqueta’s talent and it is very easy to understand why clubs would be interested in recruiting the young midfielder.

Last season, the young Brazilian, who has adopted the number 10 role, made 15 appearances in all competitions for Flamengo.

During that time, the talented starlet scored three goals and created four assists, which is a good return given the amount of game time given.

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However, Liverpool need to push up a level and in order to do that they require a finished product that can immediately add to the effort of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane.

They require a player that can provide service to the front three and also contribute with goals themselves.

While Paqueta certainly has it in him to be a huge star, at this moment in time, Liverpool should focus on the now rather than the future.

According to reports in The Sun, Everton are ready to launch a £12m bid for exciting Hull City forward Jarrod Bowen, and the Tigers’ Yorkshire rivals Leeds United should be watching developments closely.

What’s the word, then?

The Sun say that new Toffees boss Marco Silva, who worked with the 21-year-old during his time in charge at the KCOM Stadium, is ready to push ahead with a bid for the prolific winger – who netted 14 goals in 42 league games for the Tigers last term – despite the fact that he has been told that he needs to sell before he can buy.

The Sun report that Hull are desperate to hold on to Bowen who has two years remaining on his current deal – with the option of a third – but the player is keen to player in the Premier League and a bid of £12m could be enough to convince the Championship club to let him leave.

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If the youngster did arrive at Goodison Park, he would likely be competing with the likes of Theo Walcott and Nikola Vlasic, rated at £7.2m by Transfermarkt, for a spot on his preferred right flank.

Why should Leeds be monitoring the situation?

Well, new Whites boss Marcelo Bielsa, who has been urged to sign a 26-year-old South American World Cup attacker, will be keen to strengthen his own squad this summer in order to ensure they are well prepared for a serious promotion push during the 2018/19 campaign, and he may well want some effective wingers for his preferred 3-3-3-1/3-3-1-3 formation.

While Vlasic made 19 appearances in all competitions for the Toffees last term, the majority of those came from the substitutes’ bench and the arrival of Bowen could push him further down the pecking order, and ensure he is loaned out to get more regular minutes.

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The 20-year-old is pacy and full of tricks, and he could prove to be a brilliant addition for the Yorkshire club in their bid to finally secure a Premier League return.

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Kevin De Bruyne has become one of the Premier League’s star players since his move to Manchester City in 2015.

The Belgian international failed to make a name for himself at Chelsea during his spell between 2012 and 2014, but he has certainly found his stride at the Etihad Stadium.

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Last season, the midfielder was a key figure in City romping to the league title as he scored eight goals and created 16 assists.

It is highly unlikely that manager Pep Guardiola would entertain selling De Bruyne given how important he is to the team, but Liverpool fans think that their club should test City’s resolve.

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During the build-up to Saturday’s Group G clash between Belgium and Tunisia at the World Cup in Russia, BBC One broadcast a clip of a young De Bruyne admitting that he supported Liverpool, his favourite player was Michael Owen and that he wanted to play for the Reds one day.

Instantly, fans flooded Twitter, urging manager Jurgen Klopp to back an audacious swoop for the midfielder.

Russia striker Artem Dzyuba scored a penalty for Russia during normal time of their last 16 win against Spain at the 2018 World Cup on Sunday, and he looks to be the man that Southampton need to sign this summer.

The Zenit Saint Petersburg centre-forward, rated at £6.3, by Transfermarkt, started the tournament on the substitutes’ bench, but an impressive cameo from there in the 5-0 win against Saudi Arabia means that he has become something of a regular in the XI since then, and he has cause plenty of problems with his physical 6ft 5in frame.

Meanwhile, Saints boss Mark Hughes, who some fans believe is about to offload a £10.8m man, looks likely to be in the market for a new striker this summer in order to help a side that netted just 37 times in their 38 Premier League matches last term, and he may well be a replacement for club-record buy Guido Carrillo.

The south coast outfit only brought the Argentine to St Mary’s in January, but he failed to make most of the matchday squads under Hughes during the 2017/18 run-in, and he has been left out of their pre-season tour to China.

The Welsh manager may well have been impressed with Dzyuba’s latest performance, where he scored once from two shots at goal, won a remarkable 13 aerial duels and also showed his defensive work by completing one tackle.

Southampton have certainly suffered without a physical striker since Graziano Pelle left for China in 2016, and replacing him with the Zenit star two years later would prove to be an inspired decision.

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An inexperienced South African Invitational XI will take on England in two two-day fixtures at East London ahead of the Test series next month

Cricinfo staff24-Nov-2009An inexperienced South African Invitational XI will take on England in two two-day fixtures at East London ahead of the Test series next month. Wendell Bossenger, the Griqualand West and Eagles wicketkeeper-batsman who was named one of South Africa’s five cricketers of the year, will lead the squad that includes seven Under-19 players.”Cricket South Africa (CSA) once again presents an ideal opportunity to aspiring young talented players to experience some of the intensity of cricket at the highest level,” Max Jordaan, CSA’s senior amateur cricket manager, said. “The chance to play against England on the crest of their cricket after their recent success in the Ashes series, should be a dream occasion for any young player. Chances are that some of them could impress favourably on this occasion.””This is a young inexperienced but talented team, most of them fresh from the academy and U-19 talent acceleration programme. The very nature of cricket is its unpredictability. The talent of the eager young men and youthful exuberance could present some excitement in East London.”With two separate matches being played it means England will be able to give all their squad a run-out before the Test series begins at Centurion on December 16. Ian Bell, Ryan Sidebottom and Steven Davies have recently flown out to South Africa and will join up with the squad after the one-day series. The two fixtures at East London will be especially important for Bell and Sidebottom as they push for a Test place.SA Invitational Squad Wendell Bossenger (capt), Andrea Agathagelou, Roy Adams, Temba Bavuma, Keegan Eccles, Pumelela Matshikwe, Mangaliso Mosehle, Ayavuya Myoli, Siyamthanda Ntshona, Blake Snijman, Yaseen Vallie, Piet van Niekerk, Divan van Wyk, David Wiese

Shane Warne doubts Australia’s Test future includes Michael Hussey

Cricinfo staff12-Dec-2009Shane Warne doubts Australia’s Test future includes Michael Hussey and believes the batsman should have asked for a move last month to help out the team. The side is under intense scrutiny after they were outplayed by West Indies in the draw in Adelaide and Hussey has looked scratchy even though he has scored 66, 41 and 29 in the series.”He should have put his hand up to open, so Shane Watson could bat in the middle order where he belongs,” Warne said in the Herald Sun. “He’s on his last legs, and it might be time to inject some youth into his spot.”Watson has done well at the top of the order since replacing Phillip Hughes during the Ashes but the selectors want him eventually to slot in at five or six. Hussey is currently at No. 4 and has scored 619 Test runs at 34.38 for the year, even though his one-day form is strong.John Benaud, the former selector, said he would have dropped Hussey for next week’s third Test in Perth. “It’s time for Hussey to go,” Benaud said. “His footwork is terrible. He is totally out of touch. It is not his average that matters when you analyse his form, it’s the direction of his form graph. It has been going down for some time.”

New South Wales’ title defences of both the Big Bash and the Champions League are over

Alex Malcolm13-Jan-2010
Scorecard
Andrew Symonds top scored with an unbeaten 38 as the Bulls roared in Sydney•Getty Images

New South Wales’ title defences of both the Big Bash and the Champions League are over after Queensland routed them in a rain-reduced nine-over a side clash at ANZ Stadium. The Blues’ pursuit of 111 was made impossible by a wonderful spell from Man-of-the-Match Nathan Rimmington (3 for 13) before the star import Daniel Vettori added to his three outfield catches with a wicket in two overs that cost just seven runs to break local hearts.The defending champions failed dismally in their first game, finishing at 7 for 56 in front of a record crowd of 29,743 that had to wait 90 minutes for the rain to subside. When it finally did Queensland batted first in a nine-over slog-fest that began shrouded in smoke from an ill-thought-out pyrotechnics display.Bulls captain Chris Simpson elevated himself to open and provided some fireworks of his own as he walloped 34 from 14 balls to get the innings off to a quick start. Andrew Symonds (38) and Lee Carseldine (25) struggled with their timing early on a very slow surface, but both cleared the rope in the eighth over before Dwayne Smith (2 for 18) bowled a crafty ninth to rattle Carseldine’s and Craig Philipson’s stumps as the visitors were restricted to 110.In the reply David Warner started brightly by taking nine off the first four deliveries, including a mammoth six. But Rimmington removed Phillip Hughes with the fifth ball of the first over, skying a catch to Vettori, before striking gold with Warner pulling the next ball straight to Philipson at short fine leg. Rimmington’s second over was his coup de grace, with him beating Moises Henriques twice with two outswingers before scratching his outside edge with a third.New South Wales’ night was best summed up by the run-out of Phil Jaques, who dived for his crease only to bury his bat short of safe ground in the rain-softened turf, allowing the bails to be removed with his outstretched glove still short. The Bulls then removed Ben Rohrer and Steven Smith in the next five scoreless deliveries to embarrass the hosts.Queensland joined Western Australia and Victoria with two wins each. Victoria’s net run-rate is the inferior of the three and they must beat Tasmania at the MCG on Friday, while the winner of Saturday’s crucial clash between the Bulls and Western Australia should decide who will host the preliminary final.

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	N/R	Pts	Net RR	For	Against
South Australia	4	4	0	0	0	8	+1.947	689/79.0	542/80.0
Western Australia	4	2	2	0	0	4	+1.313	667/80.0	562/80.0
Queensland	4	2	2	0	0	4	+0.745	540/65.0	484/64.0
Victoria	4	2	2	0	0	4	-1.429	542/75.4	653/76.0
Tasmania	4	1	3	0	0	2	-0.575	582/80.0	628/80.0
New South Wales	4	1	3	0	0	2	-2.234	499/69.0	650/68.4

The IPL has released its final list of 66 overseas players who will be involved in the IPL auction on Tuesday

Cricinfo staff16-Jan-2010The IPL has released its final list of 66 overseas players who will be involved in the IPL auction on Tuesday. The list is a mix of rising stars such as Kieron Pollard and Eoin Morgan, and ICL returnees like Shane Bond and Damien Martyn in addition to Pakistan players returning to the IPL-fold. The list includes players from all eight Test-playing nations other than India, with 11 players from Pakistan, Australia and South Africa; nine from Sri Lanka; eight from England and West Indies; four from New Zealand and one each from Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Canada and Holland.Initially, 97 players had registered for the IPL auction and once the franchises had gone through the names, the list was pruned to 66.Brad Haddin, Phillip Hughes and Doug Bollinger are prominent Australia players in the list along with Damien Martyn. Haddin’s reputation as an attacking wicket-keeper batsman, and Bollinger’s impressive performance with the ball in both ODIs and Tests, make them strong contenders. Hughes could go high in the auction, given his average of 51.22 in Twenty20 cricket.Bangladesh’s flag-bearer is allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who, despite being ranked the No.1 allrounder during last year’s auction, wasn’t picked. Eoin Morgan’s aggression in the ODI series against South Africa will have some franchises interested – England’s players were named in the list only after the IPL organisers received a guarantee that they would be available for the full season. From New Zealand, Shane Bond’s admirable show after returning from the ICL, in the Champions Trophy, as well as in his short-lived Test comeback, makes him a bankable buy.The list also includes Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi, who had played for Deccan Chargers in the first season, and Sohail Tanvir, who struck the winning runs for Rajasthan Royals in the final of the inaugural edition. Pakistan’s finds of 2009, Mohammad Aamer and Umar Akmal, are also in the list, as are ICL-returnees Imran Nazir, Abdul Razzaq and Naved-ul-Hasan. Pakistan’s players did not participate in the IPL in 2009 following a deterioration in diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks in November 2008.West Indies boast an impressive group of contenders; chief among them is Trinidad and Tobago’s Pollard, whose clean, ruthless hitting in the Champions League Twenty20 could merit a lucrative IPL contract. Ramnaresh Sarwan comes back on the auction list while, for South Africa, left-arm fast bowler Wayne Parnell is in the fray for a deal.Here is the complete list:Australia: Brad Haddin, Philip Hughes, Doug Bollinger, Ashley Noffke, Adam Voges, Luke Pomersbach, Clint McKay, Graham Manou, Ben Laughlin, Jason Krejza, Damien MartynEngland: Tim Bresnan, Eoin Morgan, Robert Key, Anthony McGrath, Monty Panesar, Mark Ramprakash, Graeme Swann, Jonathon TrottPakistan: Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Umar Gul, Imran Nazir, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, Mohammad Aamer, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal, Umar Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Sohail TanvirSouth Africa: Zander de Bruyn, Wayne Parnell, Tyron Henderson, Lonwabo Tsotsobe, Rory Kleinveldt, Yusuf Abdulla, Vernon Philander, Johan van der Wath, Vaughn van Jaarsveld, Morne van Vyk, Justin KempSri Lanka: Nuwan Kulasekara, Nuwan Zoysa, Upul Tharanga, Thissara Perera, Thilina Kandamby, Kaushalya Weeraratne, Chanaka Welegedara, Chinthaka Jayasinghe, Chamara SilvaWest Indies: Kieron Pollard, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Daren Ganga, Lendl Simmons, Darren Bravo, Wavell Hinds, Kemar Roach, Sulieman BennNew Zealand: Grant Elliott, Lou Vincent, Shane Bond, Nathan McCullumZimbabwe: Murray GoodwinBangladesh: Shakib Al HasanCanada: Rizwan CheemaNetherlands: Ryan ten Doeschate

A round-up of the fourth day of matches from the sixth round of the Regional Four Day Competition

Cricinfo staff23-Feb-2010Shivnarine Chanderpaul was at the forefront during Guyana‘s first win of the season, and for three years in the WICB regional first-class championship, as they beat Leeward Islands by five wickets at the National Cricket Centre in Couva. Chanderpaul followed up his first-innings century with 32 not out, as Guyana, chasing a modest 98 for victory, reached their target before lunch. The result never appeared to be in doubt, although they lost Assad Fudadin and wicketkeeper Derwin Christian continuing from their overnight score of 49 for 3. But Chanderpaul was there to provide the final touch.”It is always good to win, and it will be a big boost to the team’s confidence going into the final round,” said Chanderpaul. “You needed to apply yourself and be patient which is a problem for most of our batsmen.”Apart from spending time in the middle, Chanderpaul was also pleased that his thumb injury, sustained during West Indies’ tour of Australia in December, hadn’t played up. “I’m feeling okay with my injury,” he said. “Victory against Zimbabwe in the coming series will be a psychological boost to the team and the fans in the Caribbean. We have to lift our game and play more intelligent cricket.”Offspinner Amit Jaggernauth starred with the ball to hand Trinidad & Tobago (T&T) a 155-run victory over Windward Islands in Port of Spain. Jaggernauth picked up 5 for 47 as Windwards, chasing 373 for victory, were cleaned up before the lunch interval. T&T had early success after the Windwards resumed from their overnight 129 for 5, with Imran Khan trapping Shane Shillingford leg before for 1. But from then on it was the Jaggernauth show as the Windwards lower order found the mixture of offspinners and googlies too hot to handle. The result helped T&T climb to third on the points table, whereas Windwards hit rock bottom.

Teams	Mat	Won	Lost	Tied	Draw	Aban	Pts
Barbados	6	4	0	0	2	0	57
Jamaica	5	4	1	0	0	0	48
Trinidad & Tobago	5	2	1	0	2	0	33
Combined Campuses and Colleges	5	2	3	0	0	0	24
Leeward Islands	5	1	3	0	1	0	22
Guyana	5	1	3	0	1	0	19
Windward Islands	5	1	4	0	0	0	16

Peter English15-Mar-2010Victoria are hoping their captain Cameron White will be able to switch into first-class mode when they chase consecutive Sheffield Shield wins this week. White has spent most of the year with Australia’s limited-overs sides and has returned from New Zealand to lead his state against Queensland at the MCG from Wednesday.Instead of aiming for a boundary or more an over he will have to operate much more cautiously over five days with his tactics and strokeplay. While players shift formats regularly during a season, White’s jump will be a significant shock as he hasn’t appeared in a first-class match since before Christmas.”Cameron White coming back to turn his head from white-ball cricket into red ball is a big ask,” Victoria’s coach Greg Shipperd said. “It’s a huge challenge in terms of your psychology.”It’s a five-day game and you need to make good decisions for long periods of time, it’s something we managed to juggle particularly well this season. Hopefully he’s able to switch on, on Wednesday. As a captain he played a terrific final for us last year and will be keen to do it again.”White scored a century in the rain-affected draw against the Bulls at the Junction Oval in 2008-09, which secured the trophy for Victoria. The venue this week is the MCG, where the hosts are unbeaten in their past 13 first-class matches.The Bushrangers are also in their ninth consecutive domestic final in all three formats, making them strong favourites against a developing and inconsistent Queensland side. Victoria’s line-up has also changed, with Brad Hodge and Dirk Nannes retiring from first-class cricket, and Shipperd wants the duties shared.”Everyone in the side has got a responsibility to do their job, from the opener pairing in Nick Jewell and Chris Rogers, to David Hussey, to the emerging boy Aaron Finch,” he said. “Andrew McDonald is still wanting to show the cricket world he’s one of the best allrounders in the business, and our aging pace bowling attack, they’ve got a job to do.”Shipperd and the Victorians are aware of Queensland’s desire to win back the trophy after last year and he is most worried by their bowling attack. “Ben Cutting had a terrific season and Chris Swan and Luke Feldman move the ball,” he said. “Our batting has to be on guard.” Rogers has been cleared to play despite a broken hand while the legspinner Bryce McGain has held on to his spot.If the Victorians click, they should have the power to grind down Queensland, although they have had some slips at the last stage. “Our hunger for competition speaks for itself in that we’ve been in 13 of the last 15 finals,” Shipperd said. In the eight previous deciders they have won twice, with those victories coming in the Twenty20 competition.Victoria squad Chris Rogers, Nick Jewell, Rob Quiney, David Hussey, Cameron White (capt), Andrew McDonald, Aaron Finch, Michael Hill, Matthew Wade (wk), John Hastings, Damien Wright, Bryce McGain, Darren Pattinson.