All posts by h716a5.icu

Chelsea are “considering” a move to sign Brentford goalkeeper David Raya this summer, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

Is David Raya leaving Brentford?

The Spaniard will be out of contract at the end of next season meaning that the upcoming window will be Thomas Frank’s final big opportunity to cash in should he not want to risk losing him for free in 12 months time, and an exit is likely after his boss admitted that he’s worried he’ll lose his number one, not to mention they have just signed his possible replacement in the form of Mark Flekken.

The Bees shot-stopper has been attracting interest from the Blues and Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur and it sounds like he’s keen to secure a big-money move elsewhere with his agent, Futbol21Pro’s Jaume Munell, having warned that should their client’s £40m price tag not be lowered, then he will see out his deal and leave for nothing in 2024.

Are Chelsea signing Raya?

Taking to Twitter, Jacobs revealed that Chelsea are weighing up an official approach for Raya, with Todd Boehly and Mauricio Pochettino both on the hunt for a new first-choice goalkeeper. He wrote:

“Thomas Frank has again reiterated that David Raya can leave for £40m. Chelsea and Spurs both considering him. Villa could also look if they lose Emi Martinez. Whether or not Brentford get such a large fee remains to be seen. Suitors feel the price is too high.”

Should Chelsea cash out on Raya?

Chelsea are reportedly open to offers for Edouard Mendy this summer after falling below Kepa Arrizabalaga in the pecking order, and with the owner searching for a fresh long-term first-choice between the sticks, Raya could be the perfect successor having been hailed “exceptional” by journalist Sam Dean.

The World Cup participant kept 12 clean sheets in the top-flight last season which saw him receive three man-of-the-match awards, not to mention that he ranks in the 94th percentile for crosses stopped so isn’t afraid to come out and claim the ball to clear the danger.

The 6 foot 1 colossus, who appears to be at the top of his game with a career-high Transfermarkt valuation, also recorded a total of 154 saves over the course of the campaign which was higher than any other goalkeeper in the division, giving him a success percentage of 77.7%.

Finally, Raya has a strong range of passing having completed 131 of 135 short range passes and 463 of 473 medium range passes, as per FBRef, so he's a very well-rounded shot-stopper and one that could fit perfectly into Pochettino's squad.

Arsenal could finally be set to add another all-important striker to their squad, in the hopes it can take Gabriel Jesus to the next level…

Arsenal transfer news – Antonio Sanabria interest

That's according to Italian outlet La Repubblica, relayed by Area Napoli, who notes the Gunners' interest in Torino marksman Antonio Sanabria.

The 27-year-old has drawn interest from a host of top clubs, but Mikel Arteta will arguably face the most competition with Napoli, who are expected to be in the market for a striker given the widespread interest in their star man, Victor Osimhen.

With a €25m (£22m) price tag expected to be placed upon the Paraguay international's head, this would represent a stellar cut-price option to provide fine competition to their Brazilian number nine.

Would Antonio Sanabria impress at Arsenal?

Having emerged through the infamous La Masia academy of Barcelona, the clinical attacker has enjoyed a fine season in front of goal, scoring 12 times and assisting a further three in the Serie A.

Such was his pedigree, AS Roma legend Francesco Totti had even suggested years ago: "I believe that Tony has a brilliant future. Along with Leandro Paredes, they have something more than others and I am convinced that they can have a bright future"

As a pure number nine boasting quick feet and enough speed to stretch defences, Sanabria offers a fine alternative to Jesus that could spur him on to revolutionise his game.

Despite enjoying a fine debut year in north London, the 26-year-old only managed ten goals and six assists in the league, figures admittedly marred by his long-term injury. However, even when fit his tally sits below his 13.82 expected goals for the season. This is a figure that will need to improve if they are to take that huge step towards Premier League glory.

In signing this alternative, they would not only have someone with experience to fill in should injuries strike again but also provide the necessary competition to improve the former Manchester City man's numbers.

After all, Arteta will be keen to spur his star striker to reach the levels of Erling Haaland, who has notched a record-breaking 52 goals in all competitions so far for his rivals.

With the hulking Norwegian having been backed up by the workmanlike and clinical Julian Alvarez, who too has scored 17 goals in all competitions as a second-string star, it has proven just how important some competent competition can be to reaching these levels.

Sanabria has all the physical assets to mimic Pep Guardiola's Argentinian forward, as a tricky live-wire who is impossible to mark, with a goalscoring level that arguably has outmatched Jesus this year. It could be such a quiet acquisition that ends up being the most important in this window, which promises to be a busy one for Arsenal.

Cricket Scotland announced a near-identical squad from their previous campaign – the ICC World Cricket League Championship against UAE – for the two ODIs against Hong Kong in Edinburgh on September 8 and September 10

ESPNcricinfo staff01-Sep-2016Cricket Scotland announced a near-identical squad from their previous campaign – the ICC World Cricket League Championship against UAE – for the two ODIs against Hong Kong in Edinburgh on September 8 and September 10.Uncapped fast bowler Gavin Main was the only change in the squad, replacing Josh Davey. Main, however, is available for the second ODI only.Scotland coach Grant Bradburn was upbeat about the side’s chances following the 2-0 sweep over UAE at the same venue in August.”Our players will relish the opportunity to play two more ODIs before the summer ends and are eager to finish the home season on a positive note,” he said. “We have seen huge benefits this season from training hard as a wider squad and we now have more players than ever contesting selection in the national team.”Squad: Preston Mommsen (capt), Kyle Coetzer, Matthew Cross (wk), Richie Berrington, Calum MacLeod, Michael Leask, Mark Watt, Alasdair Evans, Safyaan Sharif, Con de Lange, Craig Wallace, Chris Sole, Gavin Main (second ODI only)

Journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Arsenal are set to make a bid for Declan Rice in the next few weeks.

Who do Arsenal want to sign this summer?

After what's seemed like such a long season – lengthened by the mid-season delay of the winter World Cup – the Premier League campaign will be finished at the end of the month.

And while the Gunners may not have been able to win the title, they have still achieved their first major goal by qualifying for the Champions League with a top-four finish.

Next season then, with football to be played in Europe's most prestigious competition, the Gunners will need to upgrade some areas in their squad.

And it seems as though Mikel Arteta is not hanging around. Indeed, the latest news is that Granit Xhaka is heading to Bayer Leverkusen in a £13m deal.

And this may open the door for West Ham United captain Rice to arrive at the Emirates in the near future.

While speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano revealed the very latest on the £60k-per-week Englishman.

He said (3:41): “Arsenal will attack the situation of Declan Rice and now it's a priority for them to go on that one.

"So Declan Rice remains on the Arsenal list, is discussed internally and they want to try to make a bid in the next weeks, once the situation will be clear on West Ham's side, also on the price tag to start the negotiations”

Is Rice joining Arsenal?

Seeing as Manchester City look to have the title wrapped up but the Gunners mathematically can't drop below second with just two games left to play, they may as well start focusing on summer transfers.

West Ham, however, still have the little matter of a European final to fight for. Indeed, they play AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of their Europa Conference League semi-final on Thursday night.

With that being the case, the Irons and Rice will be entirely focused on that game in the short term and if they qualify, Arsenal probably won't be able to negotiate with the midfielder until the final has been played on June 7.

And so, for those particularly impatient in north London, they may even be hoping West Ham lose so they can come in with a bid as soon as possible.

To be fair, though with Premier League rivals such as Manchester United also in the market for Rice, it might be wise to get this deal wrapped up without much delay.

Virat Kohli continued his efficient and energetic accumulation of runs to bring up his maiden first-class double hundred, setting up India’s declaration on 566, their joint fourth-highest score against West Indies

The Report by Sidharth Monga22-Jul-2016
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
1:13

‘Ashwin at No.6 not a solution for all conditions yet’ – Manjrekar

Virat Kohli continued his efficient and energetic accumulation of runs to bring up his maiden first-class double-hundred, setting up India’s declaration on 566, their joint fourth-highest score against West Indies. Promoted to No. 6, R Ashwin enjoyed some luck in the first hour of the day before strolling to his third hundred against West Indies, taking his average against them to 64.67. Given 16 overs, the Indian bowlers tried desperately for a breakthrough, and succeeded less than 10 minutes before the end of play on the second day.That India could declare with more than an hour to stumps was down to Kohli’s scoring rate. While Kohli went at 4.2 an over and Amit Mishra and the tail swung their bats pushing for a declaration, the rest of the side managed 282 runs in 101.5 overs. Kohli’s intent – helped, no doubt, by a flat pitch and tiring bowlers – foiled West Indies’ plan pretty much from ball one: bowl defensively and ensure your stacked-up batting line-up has less time to survive. Apart from Shannon Gabriel, the bowlers – there was only one other specialist in the side – did not actively look for wickets and instead relied on frustrating batsmen. However, Kohli, who became India’s first captain to score an away double, took risks and made the bowlers bowl to him, because he was driving the wide ones too.Gabriel, though, should have had his second wicket early on the second day. West Indies’ wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich had waited for 97 overs for his first opportunity at a dismissal. When Gabriel produced the outside edge from Ashwin, his eagerness to celebrate led to a sitter being grassed. Ashwin was on 43 then. West Indies still managed to keep him quiet – at one point he went 40 balls for four runs – but Kohli, who resumed the day on 143 not out, kept finding a way around the defensive lines.As was the case on day one, Gabriel bowled a short burst with the new ball, and Carlos Brathwaite followed up with a spell that tested the batsmen’s patience by bowling a set of stumps outside off. The tactic had kept India’s top order quiet in the first session of the match, but Kohli didn’t wait for too long before taking a calculated risk, executing it so well that it didn’t look like a risk. Kohli has his own way of choosing what balls to drive. Each delivery of Brathwaite’s first three overs was bowled to Kohli, who attempted to score off only one, the widest of the lot. It wasn’t a half-volley either, but Kohli drove superbly on the up, and got a boundary to break any pressure the joining of dots creates.Cover-driving, as usual, remained the feature of Kohli’s innings. When he gave the treatment to Devendra Bishoo in the 105th over, the boundary took him past his previous best of 169 and brought up his 50th run through the covers. A sign of how well he batted came when, in the 113th over, he played perhaps the only ungainly shot of his innings, a half-sweep across the line to deep midwicket. As it turned out, he had picked the rare wrong’un from Bishoo, and was actually playing with the spin.No Test double is easy, but in the last over before lunch, Kohli strolled to one of the more inevitable ones with an easy single off a short offbreak. Kohli hadn’t really played the punch off the back foot on this slow track but, perhaps looking for even quicker runs, he tried that after lunch and ended up playing Gabriel onto his stumps. Ceasefire followed. West Indies went back to bowling defensively with defensive fields, with spinners on at both ends, which helped improve their over rate. Ashwin and Wriddhiman Saha didn’t look too fussed in a 71-run partnership that took 24.4 overs.Slow pitch, fielders in front, no pace to work with, and West Indies finally had a quiet half session. Ashwin didn’t look in any hurry, Saha tried to break the monotony, succeeding on a couple of occasions before getting stumped. Dowrich finally had a maiden Test dismissal. Overall, though, West Indies refused to attack, which could have risked giving India scoring opportunities, and India didn’t seem overly bothered with the slow going.Seven minutes before tea, with a back-foot punch through midwicket, Ashwin brought up his hundred, reminding one of the shot of the day, a back-foot punch through mid-on for four. Mishra’s enterprise at the other end – his fourth half-century came off only 68 balls – gave India the push they needed. Tired minds and bodies dropped three catches; the time seemed right for a declaration.In the overs that followed, Kohli tried a lot of attacking options: three slips and a gully, an extra gully and really full outswingers, short leg and backward short leg for short-pitched bowling, and his trump card R Ashwin. Rajendra Chandrika, who had earlier gloved an Ishant Sharma bouncer over the keeper, finally succumbed in the 15th over, edging Shami through to the keeper.

A round-up of all DPL matches played on June 22, 2016

Mohammad Isam22-Jun-2016Abahani Limited became Dhaka Premier League champions for the 18th time after their incomplete match against Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club on June 12 was declared no result. Each team was awarded one point, helping Abahani finish on top with 23 points, and Doleshwar second, with 21. This was decided by the four-member committee that was asked to investigate why the umpires for that game had walked off the field.BCB president Nazmul Hassan said he wanted a re-match between the two sides, but later decided that he would go with the committee’s recommendation of a no result.This is Abahani’s first title since 2010-11 season and their first since the DPL turned into a List A tournament in 2012-13.They had put themselves in pole position after crushing Prime Bank Cricket Club by 115 runs in Mirpur on Wednesday. Left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib took 7 for 58 to become the second Bangladeshi bowler to take a seven-wicket haul in List A matches, and set up the win as well.Captain Tamim Iqbal struck his second century this season as Abahani reached 316 for 7 in 50 overs.They were stuttering at one point though. Liton Das had fallen in the first over and the score had meandered to 97 for 3 in the 23rd. But Tamim added 173 runs for the fourth-wicket with the in-form Mosaddek Hossain.Tamim reached his fifty off 70 balls and sped to his hundred in the next 44 balls. He eventually holed out at long-on after making 142, the tournament’s highest individual score. Mosaddek made 78 off 74 balls with five sixes and three fours.Chasing 317, Prime Bank opener Mehedi Maruf hit 69 off 82 balls with five fours and three sixes. But he became part of a middle-order wobble as the team slipped from 115 for 1 to 126 for 5.Sajib first removed Jony Talukdar for 13 and then had Nurul Hasan stumped for 9 in his next over. Maruf and Taibur Rahman fell to Sajib in successive deliveries and Prime Bank were left needing 191 runs in 142 balls with only five wickets in hand.Sajib then took the last three Prime Bank wickets – Raihan Uddin, Rubel Hossain and Shuvagata Hom, who made 51 off 33. Nazmul Islam didn’t bat due to an injury.Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club beat Legends of Rupganj by seven wickets at the BKSP-3 ground to finish second on the league table.Batting first, Rupganj were bowled out for 143 in 41.2 overs with Asif Ahmed unbeaten on 59. Raqibul Hassan then guided the chase with an unbeaten 66 as Doleshwar made 144 for 3 in just 25.5 overs.Rupganj were 67 for 5 after being put in, before Asif and Pawan Negi added 28 runs for the sixth wicket – the highest partnership Rupganj could manage.Rahatul Ferdous, the left-arm spinner, took 4 for 36 in his quota of 10 overs, while Al-Amin Hossain picked up 3 for 29.Raqibul lost Imtiaz Hossain, his opening partner, early in the chase, but added 70 runs for the second wicket with wicketkeeper Rony Talukdar, who made 42. After the duo was separated by Alauddin Babu, the right-arm medium pacer, Raqibul added 57 more for the third wicket with Sachin Baby, who got out with Doleshwar requiring just one more run.At the Fatullah Cricket Stadium, Victoria Sporting Club signed off with a 17-run win over Mohammedan Sporting Club.Batting first, Victoria were bowled out for 205 in 48.3 overs after half-centuries from Mominul Haque and Al-Amin. In reply, Mohammedan were shot out for 188 in 42 overs despite having got off to a strong start.Victoria’s batsmen couldn’t capitalise on the partnership between Mominul and Al-Amin, who came in at 17 for 2 and added 83 for the third wicket. Left-arm spinner Enamul Haque jnr took 3 for 45 in 10 overs, while Habibur Rahman and Faisal Hossain took two each.Mohammedan were cruising at 141 for 3 in the 31st over, but lost seven wickets for 47 runs and were bowled out within the next 12 overs. Nazimuddin struck 50, while Mushfiqur Rahim contributed with 46.Mominul took 3 for 29 in nine overs, while Fazle Mahmud picked up 2 for 25.

Ilkay Gundogan's potential move from Manchester City to Barcelona is stalling because a deal can't be reached on the player's wages according to reports in Spain, via Sport Witness.

What is the latest on Ilkay Gundogan's Man City departure?

The midfielder has been with Pep Guardiola's side since the 2016/17 season and has managed 186 Premier League outings for the club during that time. He's claimed four league titles during that time and his team are heading for a fifth this campaign, with the side currently top of the standings.

It could be a nice send-off for the German too, with the player expected to depart the Etihad Stadium this summer. With his contract set to expire, and no new deal agreed to keep him at City, he looks likely to find pastures new when the window opens. Whilst the German himself has previously stated that no decision has been made over his future yet, reports claim he is probably set to head out of the exit door.

In terms of who will snap up the 32-year-old, the club most heavily linked to his signature is Barcelona. The Spanish giants are on the hunt for new midfielders following the news that Sergio Busquets will be bringing his time at the Camp Nou to an end. The Catalans then will be desperate to bring in Gundogan this summer but reports in Spain, via Sport Witness, state that talks are at a standstill because of the player's wages. It mentions that there is "disagreement" over the finances involved in his contract, with what the player wants being too much for Barca to offer currently.

Whilst a deal could still happen then, it looks as though fresh dicsussions are needed in terms of hashing out the terms of a contract with the Spanish giants in order to get a deal done.

Should Man City let Gundogan go?

The midfielder has given plenty to Pep Guardiola's side since arriving at the club seven years ago. He's often led City to victories on his own with his offensive drive and finishing ability, as showcased by him bagging 42 goals during his time there, as well as notching up 15 assists.

Even during the current campaign, when he has featured much less frequently for City, he has shone when given time on the field. The 32-year-old has a WhoScored rating of 7.06 in the Premier League, which puts him within the top ten best performers at the club this year.

Gundogan still has plenty to give then and even Pep Guardiola has previously admitted his admiration for the player. The manager labelled the German as "exceptional," which is high praise from a boss who has not only led some of the best teams in Europe to silverware but has also played for Barcelona himself.

If City do let the German depart, then they will be losing a player who still has a lot left in the tank and can still perform to a high standard most weeks too. It would be a blow for the Etihad-based side but with their financial power, they could certainly find an adequate replacement.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has decided to target a central defender behind-the-scenes with Crystal Palace star Marc Guehi on the agenda.

Who could Arsenal sign this summer?

As the Gunners chase a first league title in nearly 20 years, with Arsenal still well in contention despite Man City's unstoppable resurgence recently, sporting director Edu is reportedly identifying targets for the summer window.

The north Londoners are said to be in the market for a central midfield star above all, at least according to recent reports. Indeed, West Ham star Declan Rice and Brighton's Moises Caicedo apparently feature highly in the club's thinking.

This is regardless of Jorginho's signing in January with the Emirates Stadium side actively looking to reinforce that key area. Elsewhere in the team, moves for attacking options further forward haven't been excluded, as Arsenal hold a serious interest in both Vitor Roque and Barcelona star Raphinha.

Now, as per a report from The Daily Mail and journalist Sami Mokbel, Arteta is personally looking to strengthen another position in the squad. The Spaniard has now decided to target a centre-back behind-the-scenes, placing one near the top of his summer transfer wishlist.

As such, Palace defender Guehi is a player attracting interest from Arsenal, and it is believed that the Eagles could be tempted by a £50 million offer for their star.

William Saliba's lower back injury has exposed Arsenal's lack of depth in the middle of defence, making the signing of reinforcements for the position one of their priorities for this summer.

What could Guehi bring to Arsenal?

As per WhoScored, the England international ranks in Palace's top two for clearances made and interceptions per 90 – all whilst being their most-selected Premier League player.

Having featured over more league minutes than anybody at Selhurst Park, Guehi has been a key player under both Patrick Vieira and Roy Hodgson over the 2022/2023 campaign.

The 22-year-old has also been praised as an 'absolute tank' and 'massive' by goalkeeper Josef Bursik, who said this on his former England Under-21 teammate:

"Easy, Marc Guehi. He’s an absolute tank.

“It’s like having a brick wall in front of you, he’s massive.”

When asked who was the strongest player in that Under-21s side back in 2021, midfielder Conor Gallagher added:

"Definitely Marc. You can’t get round him and you can’t move him, so it’s definitely him.”

Arguably one of England's most exciting young defenders, he would be a stellar addition for Arteta.

Both Alastair Cook and Steven Smith have said the Ashes does not need to include a day-night Test but Cook believes boards should continue exploring the format

Andrew McGlashan08-Jun-20162:31

Ultimately day-night Tests means more viewers – Sutherland

Alastair Cook believes that boards should continue to explore the notion of day-night Test cricket but has echoed the views of his Australia counterpart, Steven Smith, in saying that the Ashes does not need such a concept.South Africa have now agreed to play a floodlit Test against Australia in Adelaide later this year, having initially been reluctant about the idea. This means there will be two day-night Tests in the Australian season, with Pakistan also playing under lights at the Gabba.England look set to play their first floodlit Test next year, against West Indies at Lord’s or Edgbaston, although the ECB did approach the Bangladesh Cricket Board about the possibility of playing one on the tour to Bangladesh in October.ACA chief wants day-night conditions worked on

The Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Alistair Nicholson has called for Cricket Australia find ways to optimise the conditions and tools required for day-night Test cricket, so that the quality of the cricket is not compromised.
“Over the next five months Cricket Australia needs to invest time and money to develop the best quality ball and the best wicket so we get the highest quality of Test cricket,” Nicholson said. “That’s what the players want and the fans deserve.”
He stressed that the players’ views have to be taken seriously. “The concerns of the players run deep, and with Alastair Cook’s comments we see they also run internationally. When the best players in the world are all expressing concerns they must be listened to and their concerns must be addressed.
“The message from players all over the world is clear: ‘We want the best quality Test cricket. To achieve this there is a lot of work to be done on the pink-ball format.'”

The key aim of the day-night Tests is to attract more spectators, when they are able to attend after work, but both Cook and Smith think current crowds for the Ashes are strong enough to stay with tradition.”A lot of the games have really good attendances and it’s probably not a series where you need to do it exactly at this time,” Cook said.Smith agreed. “I think it works pretty well with the red ball. Playing against England, we always get the viewers and the crowds out, so I don’t think there is any issue there.”Cook said the key to the format’s success in the longer term remains the quality of the pink ball. For the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide last year, when Australia faced New Zealand, extra grass was left on the pitch in a bid to ensure the ball retained its colour.Cook has experience of facing the pink ball when he played for MCC in Abu Dhabi in 2015 and does not feel it has the same qualities as the red ball.”No disrespect to the guys who make it, but on the two occasions I’ve played it doesn’t seem to behave the same way as the red ball,” he said. “I’ve got no idea why. But it’s one of the great things about Test cricket, sometimes the ball swings conventionally, sometimes it doesn’t, sometimes it reverses, but my occasions with the pink ball it didn’t do any of that, then it nipped all over under twilight. The quality of the ball is vital.”My general view of day-night Tests is that it’s definitely something cricket authorities need to keep looking at because it’s the way to keep the game moving forward with the times, making it more possible for spectators to come and watch.”Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland however said having day-night Tests in the Ashes would be a “natural progression” and would also attract more audience in the UK because of more suitable timings.”I respect the views of Steven and Alastair… the Ashes is a great contest and will no doubt attract a huge audience both at the grounds and on television, but the facts of the matter are by playing day-night Tests, we’re going to get even bigger audiences at the game and on television,” Sutherland said.”We’ve played one day-night Test match and this summer we have two in the schedule, so I think there’s a natural progression for us to get to a point where Ashes Test matches are played as day-night games. The Ashes series is still a long way off and we want to get through this summer first, but we will play somewhere between zero and two day-night Tests during the Ashes in 18 months’ time.”The time [of day-night Tests] shifts games into a more appealing time of day in the UK. We all need to stay very open-minded to this [and] continue to progress and build everyone’s confidence.”Sutherland also said there will not be any changes to the format of matches in Sydney (traditionally the venue of the New Year’s Test), Melbourne (traditionally the venue of the Boxing Day Test) and Perth. “There’s no doubt from our point of view Sydney and Melbourne are landmarks in the calendar and they work very well as day games at that time of year when everyone is on holiday. Perth is already time-shifted into the eastern states with the three-hour time difference.”

Leeds United are keeping tabs on Hull City defender Alfie Taylor ahead of a potential move to the Premier League, according to reports.

Who is Alfie Taylor?

Whites captain Liam Cooper and Robin Koch will be out of contract at the end of next season ,meaning that backline reinforcements will be needed should one or both of the duo depart during the upcoming window, and Sam Allardyce may have already highlighted an ideal long-term replacement in the form of the 19-year-old.

Taylor is an academy product at the MKM Stadium and is a regular feature of the club’s youth sides having originally joined the U18s, before being promoted to the U21s just last summer, as per Transfermarkt, but he is yet to make a single first-team appearance in the Championship.

The Tigers centre-back, however, has recently been training with Liam Rosenior’s senior squad and was named on the bench for the second-tier fixtures vs Watford, Blackburn and Middlesbrough, so is edging ever closer to making his professional debut, and this has attracted the attention of the hierarchy at Elland Road.

According to TEAMtalk, Leeds, alongside Premier League rivals Leicester City and Crystal Palace, are all “tracking” Taylor ahead of the 2023/24 term. Hull’s exciting starlet has been brought “onto the radar” of the top-flight trio following his performances at youth level, with his admirers looking to “bolster” their options in defence upon the conclusion of the current campaign.

The Yorkshire outfit view the teenager as a player with “huge potential” and believe that he could “develop” into someone that could compete at the highest level in the near future. The Championship outfit are “determined” to retain his services beyond the summer but are nevertheless “bracing themselves” to receive offers.

Would Taylor be a good signing for Leeds?

Should Leeds get relegated from the Premier League, Allardyce will have to sell some of his most prized assets and create a new squad ready for the Championship, so if that turns out to be the case, Taylor would be an extremely promising addition for the long-term future of the club.

Naturally a left-sided centre-back, he is a homegrown talent which always helps when balancing lots of transfers in and our during a no doubt busy summer, and is used to competing for silverware having participated in the likes of the FA Youth Cup with Hull’s U18s.

Finally, Taylor only currently pockets £500-per-week as a result of his age so he wouldn’t be an expensive player to have on the books, and when you consider how cheap of a recruit he’d be alongside his potential, Leeds chiefs shouldn’t even have to think twice about wrapping up a deal during the upcoming window.