Cricket South Africa has received more than 150 expressions of interest over ownership of the eight franchises in their new T20 league

Firdose Moonda09-Mar-2017

Cricket South Africa has received more than 150 expressions of interest over ownership of the eight franchises in their new T20 league. South Africa are planning a tournament in the mould of T20 leagues around the world such as the IPL, BBL and CPL to be played annually in November and December. The eight teams will be privately-owned.Last Friday’s expression of interest deadline revealed that the most likely owners will be local or Indian – with 39% from South Africa and 35% from India. There has also been interest from the UK, the USA and the UAE . The next step in the process is for parties to submit tender proposals by April 15. CSA will then decide on a shortlist and then finalise the team owners.Apart from communications from potential team owners, CSA has also been in contact with what CEO Haroon Lorgat called “star players from across the world” who want to participate in the tournament. CSA has already confirmed all their internationals will be available for the event, with no other fixtures planned for that period.Previously, Kevin Pietersen, Kieron Pollard, Darren Sammy, Andre Russell, Sohail Tanvir and Chris Gayle have been part of the South African domestic T20 tournament, which is played between the six existing franchises and has remained a low-key competition. The new tournament, whose name and logo are in the process of being confirmed, will be a completely different entity, and will run separately to CSA’s other domestic competitions.”The tournament has enormous potential and will change the face of South African domestic T20 cricket. We have been longing for a big league of our own to showcase the talent, facilities and beauty of South Africa,” Hashim Amla said. “We have great talent in South Africa and for our local players to rub shoulders and play with some of the best T20 players in the world can only be good for them.”

Australia were bowled out for 137 in their second innings, leaving India with 87 more to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on a fizzing Dharamsala pitch

The Report by Daniel Brettig27-Mar-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details4:22

Chappell: Umesh Yadav has been a hero this season

Australia’s batsmen froze in the spotlight of the opportunity to press for a series-sealing victory over India, leaving the hosts needing a mere 87 to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy on day four in Dharamsala. The surprise for the hosts and source of regret for the visitors was that wickets to pace, not spin, dictated the course of the day.Starting their second innings 32 runs behind, Australia lost David Warner, Steven Smith and Matt Renshaw while still in deficit and were ultimately rounded up for a measly 137. Only Glenn Maxwell offered any prolonged resistance, the rest stuck in quicksand against Umesh Yadav, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.Umesh and Bhuvneshwar in particular made a mighty impact, making the new ball kick, jump and jag in such a way that Warner and Renshaw were utterly spooked, while Smith’s series ended with an attempt to assert himself that ended with a misjudged pull shot and scattered stumps. Ashwin and Jadeja were then left to separate Maxwell and Peter Handscomb before mopping up the rest.Jadeja and Wriddhiman Saha had earlier put together a priceless partnership to push India into the lead before Australia struck in the minutes before lunch. As had been the case in Ranchi, India’s seventh-wicket stand was a thorn in Australian sides, lifting the hosts from an overnight deficit of 52 to an advantage of 18 before the visitors were able to find a wicket. Jadeja’s innings maintained his up surge not only as the world’s No. 1 ranked bowler, but also as a batting talent.He had solid support from Saha, who was fortunate to still be at the crease given Matt Renshaw’s drop off the bowling of Cummins on the second evening. It was ultimately Cummins who ended the stand by coaxing Jadeja to drag onto the stumps, before also claiming Saha with a spiteful bouncer that the wicketkeeper gloved into the outstretched right hand of Steven Smith at second slip.These wickets feel either side of O’Keefe finding some turn in his first over of the session to defeat Bhuvneshwar Kumar, with Smith claiming the catch. He had refrained from using O’Keefe while Jadeja was at the crease, a measure of the respect Australia had for the left-hander’s potential to score quickly.Australia thought they had a wicket with the first ball of the morning, when Cummins angled across Jadeja and there was a noise as the ball passed the bat. The umpire Marais Erasmus raised his finger instantly, but Jadeja reviewed just as fast. Replays showed the bat had brushed his back pad rather than the ball, the decision reversed.With the ball still new, it swung and bounced disconcertingly at times, requiring all of Jadeja’s skill to keep down. Saha proved an effective partner, and the scoring rate rose dangerously for an Australian side conscious of not giving up too much of a lead. At the same time, Smith and his bowlers were straining for wickets, as evidenced by an ambitious referral for lbw against Saha by Josh Hazlewood off an inside edge, and also a preponderance of niggling chatter between bowlers and batsmen.Not for the first time, Cummins took it upon himself to generate something, and did so by going around the wicket to Jadeja after he had hooked a pair of short balls in his previous over. Jadeja’s middle stump was knocked back, and he was soon to be joined by Bhuvneshwar and then Saha.Steven Smith’s sensational series with the bat ended at 499 runs•Associated PressKuldeep Yadav added a pesky few runs with the last man Umesh before Nathan Lyon returned to the bowling crease. He had Kuldeep caught at deep backward square leg on the sweep with his first ball. That gave Lyon a deserved five-wicket haul, and left the touring batsmen to contemplate the best way to build a lead.They would have expected a few difficult overs from the pacemen but not the fusillade fired down by Bhuvneshwar and Umesh that did for Warner, Smith and Renshaw. Warner was struck one stinging blow on the shoulder by a Bhuvneshwar short ball that climbed sharply, was dropped for a second time in the match by Karun Nair, and did not get far enough across his crease to avoid edging Umesh the following over.Smith seemed intent on domination, sending his first ball to the boundary behind square leg then lining up Bhuvneshwar’s short and full deliveries. But his attempt to carry on brought a miscalculation and an ugly drag onto the stumps – Smith finished the series with a laudable 499 runs but the sense of an unfinished last innings.Renshaw’s dropped catches and cheap first-innings dismissal had conveyed something of fatigue on his first overseas tour having played so maturely earlier in the series. Now he fiddled at an Umesh delivery he may have left at another time. Australia were three down and still a run in deficit.For a time, Handscomb and Maxwell appeared capable of forging a major stand. Maxwell was the aggressor and Handscomb the accumulator, and the left-arm wristspin of Kuldeep was withdrawn by Ajinkya Rahane after being effectively neutralised. However in the final few minutes of the session, Ashwin found Handscomb’s outside edge with an offbreak that jumped without turning, then Shaun Marsh – beset by a back injury – bunted lamely to short leg.Maxwell loomed as the key to Australia’s chances when the evening session began, and after Wade evaded an early lbw appeal and referral, Maxwell was given out to Ashwin when he tucked his bat behind his pad. The review showed umpire’s call for both impact with the pad and projected path towards the stumps.Cummins and Wade then tried to steady the innings, but became trapped into scorelessness in a way that meant the Australian lead did not appreciably grow relative to the time they spent at the crease. So when Cummins fell to Jadeja, the lead was still well short of 100, and it remained there through the swift dismissals of O’Keefe and Lyon.Finally Wade showed more intent in Hazlewood’s company, until the paceman was deceived twice by Ashwin. The first occasion seemingly to a catch at second slip, but replays showed M Vijay had grounded the ball and so the players returned to the middle for another two balls, this time to see the umpire Ian Gould’s finger raised for an lbw.Vijay and KL Rahul were left with six overs to the close. They negotiated them with a level of comfort that underlined not only how well Umesh and Bhuvneshwar had bowled, but also how Smith’s Australians had squandered the sort of chance they had been fighting to have all series.

There has been an update regarding Manchester United's pursuit of Fiorentina midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat…

What's are the latest Man United transfer rumours?

Having got the transfer window underway with the signing of Mason Mount on an initial £55m deal, the Red Devils now look to be turning their attention to both Andre Onana and Rasmus Hojlund from Inter Milan and Atalanta, respectively, in their bid to bolster Erik ten Hag's ranks ahead of next season.

Now, according to Sky Sports Germany reporter, Florian Plettenberg, the Old Trafford outfit are also stepping up their interest in another Serie A star in the form of Amrabat, with the transfer insider revealing on Twitter:

"ManUtd is monitoring Sofyan #Amrabat very closely. At this stage, it’s not advanced but first talks took place. #MUFC. Understand, that it could become a hot topic later in this window. He’s also on the list of FC Bayern. But nothing concrete at this stage."

This follows claims made by the 26-year-old's brother, Nordin, who suggested that Ten Hag – who coached the Morocco international at FC Utrecht – is "charmed" by the player, with a potential €30m (£26m) deal on the cards.

How good is Sofyan Amrabat?

The Netherlands-born maestro notably came to wider attention after helping to guide his country to the last four of the World Cup in Qatar, having arguably been the "best midfielder" at the tournament, according to journalist Amine El Amri.

Also lauded as a "great footballer" as well as being a "raging bull", in the words El Amri, the £32k-per-week ace could well tread a similar path to another quality midfield asset to have arrived in Manchester from Italy, in the form of Juan Sebastian Veron.

Although the latter man's time at the Theatre of Dreams was ultimately rather brief as he departed for Chelsea in 2003 after joining from Lazio on a £28.1m deal two years earlier, he had still made a telling impact under Sir Alex Ferguson, having been lauded as a "world-class player" at the time by teammate Ryan Giggs.

Like Amrabat – who was a "colossus" on the international stage last year, according to pundit Stuart Pearce – Veron had come to wider attention after helping the Rome outfit to Scudetto glory in the 1999/2000 campaign, with Ferguson hailing the Argentine as a "marvellous player" upon the confirmation of his move to England.

Despite being unable to truly flourish in a United shirt, the now-retired ace still contributed 26 goals and assists in 82 games for the club in all competitions, according to Transfermarkt, offering a classy, ball-playing presence in the centre of the park.

As club legend Gary Neville stated, although Veron was unable to break-up the famed midfield partnership of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes, he did offer something fresh in the centre of the park in his deep-lying berth, with the Sky Sports pundit stating:

"The way Veron played, coming out of Italy, he moved into different positions and was fluid, trying to get the ball from the left back, et cetera."

That composure and quality on the ball appears to be shared by Amrabat, with the one-time Club Brugge ace ranking in the top 5% in Europe's top five leagues among those in his position for pass completion, as well as in the top 8% for progressive passes, with the hope being that he could pull off the type of delightful threaded assist that Veron memorably laid on for Ruud van Nistelrooy against Deportivo La Coruna in the Champions League in 2003.

Of course, the aim will be for the Fiorentina menace to prove an even greater success than the former United man was in English football, helping to follow Mount in strengthening Ten Hag's midfield department.

With the exit of Phil Jones leaving Veron's number four shirt available – the number which Amrabat wears for his country – perhaps the Moroccan can follow in the Argentine playmaker's footsteps this summer…

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches held on April 17, 2017

Mohammad Isam17-Apr-2017Mushfiqur Rahim picked up his second successive Player-of-the-Match award after his eighth List-A hundred set up Legends of Rupganj’s 68-run win over Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club at the BKSP-4 ground in Savar.Mushfiqur struck 14 fours and a six during his run-a-ball 134, and in the process he added 225 runs for the third wicket with Naeem Islam who also struck a century. He made 103 off 118 balls, hitting seven fours and a six. Mashrafe Mortaza, Jalaj Saxena and Mohammad Sharif then combined to get Rupganj over the 300-run mark.Despite losing Imrul Kayes in the second over, Dhanmondi remained on track with Mahbubul Karim and Fazle Mahmud adding 54 for the second wicket. But while five out of their top eight batsmen went past 20 runs, the highest scorer was Ziaur Rahman with 42. They folded for 237 in the 47th over.For Rupganj, Mohammad Sharif, Naeem, Mosharraf Hossain and Asif Hasan took two wickets each.File photo – Nazmul Hossain Shanto struck a match-winning century for Abahani as they beat Partex•ICCNazmul Hossain Shanto’s unbeaten century helped Abahani Limited brush aside Partex Sporting Club by seven wickets at the BKSP-3 ground in Savar. He hit five fours and four sixes during his 109-ball effort, taking the defending champions to their 235-run target with 11.3 overs to spare.Abahani had lost two early wickets in the chase but Shanto and Mahmudullah added 150 runs for the third wicket to bring them close to the target. Mahmudullah made 77 off 52 balls with five fours and as many sixes. Shanto and Mosaddek Hossain sealed the win with an unbroken stand of 44 for the fourth wicket.Partex had earlier posted 234 for 7 in 50 overs, with Jubair Ahmed top-scoring with an unbeaten 50 off 69 balls at No.6. For Abahani, Mohammad Saifuddin and Shuvagata Hom had taken two wickets each.File photo – Arafat Sunny took a four-wicket haul as Brothers Union were restricted to 246•AFPImtiaz Hossain fell one short of a century, but his knock helped Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club (DPSC) complete a four-wicket win over Brothers Union at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium. Imtiaz, who plays for Sylhet in the National Cricket League, struck nine fours and two sixes during his 143-ball innings.Imtiaz added 86 for the first wicket with Abdul Mazid who chipped in with 45. DPSC lost wickets at regular intervals but kept up with the scoring rate, until Farhad Reza and Sharifullah got them home with nine balls to spare. Mohammad Saddam took three wickets while Nihaduzzaman picked up two wickets.Earlier, Brothers Union too had got off to a great start with their Rajshahi opening pair of Mizanur Rahman and Junaid Siddique putting up 113 up front. Mizanur made 57, while Junaid top scored with 87. However, Brothers Union couldn’t capitalize on the good start, and were ultimately restricted to 246 for 9 in 50 overs.Arafat Sunny took four wickets, following up his five-for against Partex Sporting Club in their previous encounter. Offspinners Sharifullah and Enamul Haque also took two wickets each.

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rising Pune Supergiant, who have lost three out of four matches each, will face each other in Bengaluru on Sunday

The Preview by Sreshth Shah15-Apr-2017Match factsRoyal Challengers Bangalore v Rising Pune Supergiant
Bengaluru, April 16, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)2:54

Hogg: Dhoni has to stand up and be a leader

Form guide

Royal Challengers Bangalore (sixth): lost to Mumbai Indians by four wickets, lost to Kings XI Punjab by eight wickets, defeated Delhi Daredevils by 15 runs

Rising Pune Supergiant (eighth): lost to Gujarat Lions by seven wickets, lost to Daredevils by 97 runs, lost to Kings XI by six wickets

Head to headOverall: The two teams have faced off only twice, in IPL 2016, with RCB winning both times.The last time they played in Bengaluru, Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 108 helped the home side chase down the 192 target with three balls to spare.In the newsBefore the match against Mumbai Indians, Kohli had said Chris Gayle was “a top contender to start in every game” but with the Chinnaswamy surface being drier than usual, combined with the West Indian’s poor form, it remains to be seen whether RCB will tweak their batting. Shane Watson, who captained RCB in the first three matches, will probably remain sidelined for extended periods through the tournament.Steven Smith’s return to the Rising Pune XI helped their batting, even though they had to leave out Faf du Plessis. With Lockie Ferguson going at an economy rate of 11 against Gujarat Lions, Pune may choose Adam Zampa’s legspin over Ferguson’s pace on a Bengaluru pitch that had much for spinners to exploit. They will be forced to think about how many legspinners they would want to play though.The likely XIsRoyal Challengers Bangalore 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Virat Kohli (capt), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Kedar Jadhav (wk), 5 Pawan Negi, 6 Mandeep Singh, 7 Stuart Binny, 8 Tymal Mills, 9 S Aravind, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Samuel BadreeRising Pune Supergiant 1 Ajinkya Rahane, 2 Rahul Tripathi, 3 Steven Smith (capt) 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 Ben Stokes, 6 MS Dhoni (wk), 7 Ankit Sharma, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Lockie Ferguson/Adam Zampa, 10 Rahul Chahar, 11 Imran TahirStats that matter Gayle has outstanding numbers against the frontline Rising Pune legspinners – he has scored 51 off 30 deliveries against Imran Tahir and 44 off 16 balls against Zampa, in the CPL and the Big Bash League. The only Rising Pune bowler to dismiss Kohli is Ashok Dinda, who was dropped in the last game. Against Tahir and Zampa, Kohli has scored 75 runs off 42 balls. Rajat Bhatia has been Rising Pune’s second-best bowler so far this season (economy rate of 7.85), but Bengaluru is easily his least favourite venue as far as the numbers go: in 14 overs in the IPL, he has figures of 0 for 145. His economy rate of 10.35 is his worst among all IPL venues where he has played more than one match. How Rising Pune use Tahir remains to be seen. In the death overs since 2014, his economy rate has been 8.56 and has taken 36 wickets at an average of 14.08. In the middle overs in the IPL this season, he has taken four wickets and only conceded 29 runs in 42 deliveries. Tymal Mills has never bowled to Ben Stokes in a T20 game. Stokes scores at a strike-rate of 166 in the last five overs while Mills has taken 31 wickets in the same period, averaging 13.25 with an economy rate of 7.36.

At times last season, Newcastle was simply devastating in front of goal. Eddie Howe’s free-scoring Magpies netted three or more times in 11 different Premier League matches.

This scintillating potency meant that the club secured Champions League football for the first time in 20 years.

Much of their attacking impetus is owed to the magnificent form of Callum Wilson.

In 21 top-flight starts, the 31-year-old scored on an incredible 18 occasions.

It is an even more impressive feat when considering is one of the few regular starters to survive the recent takeover – a testament to his quality and value to the team.

However, with the Magpies needing to juggle domestic and European football, they need to add as much depth as possible.

One name that’s been suggested to follow in the footsteps of Sandro Tonali by securing a move to Tyneside is Elye Wahi.

What’s the latest on Elye Wahi to Newcastle United?

According to Foot Mercato (via The Hard Tackle), Newcastle, as well as Arsenal and Chelsea are involved in a transfer tussle for the signature of Wahi.

The 20-year-old’s contract doesn’t expire until 2025 and Montpellier has reportedly made it clear that they are unwilling to do business for less than €40m (£34m).

Why should Newcastle United sign Elye Wahi?

The Frenchman rose to national prominence when he was a youth player at Caen, scoring 89 goals in the 2016/17 season at U14 and U15 levels.

As a result, he eventually moved to Montpellier and signed his first professional contract with the club in October 2019. The forward then made history in January 2021 when he became the club’s second-ever youngest goalscorer at the age of 18 years and 13 days.

This season, the youngster has been at his most productive, with 25 goal contributions in 33 Ligue 1 appearances. This included a strike in December 2022 in a 2-0 win over Lorient, which was the 20th goal in top-flight French football, meaning he is the second teenager after only Kylian Mbappe to reach the milestone in the last 40 years.

His prolific form meant that the £1.6k-per-week star bags 0.68 goals per 90, with a 37% conversion rate.

Ex-Caen academy director Francis de Taddeo has highlighted Wahi’s class, saying: "He is a powerful, athletic, and fast player with a range of dribbling skills where only he knows what he is going to do next.”

This praise has been echoed by Montpellier manager Michel Der Zakarian, who added: “He is able to dribble, he has speed, he has a good heading game, he is able to score with both feet. He has a good palette.”

A player of this quality can provide excellent competition for Wilson, who is gloriously thriving at Newcastle.

He ranks within the top 4% in Europe’s top five leagues among his positional peers for non-penalty goals per 90 and Howe has recognised his influence, saying: “He’s a hugely important part of our team, a focal point. We rely not just on his goals but his movement, his work rate. His appearance in the team gave us confidence.”

If the north-west giants can flaunt both of these wondrous attacking talents at the club come August, they will be well-equipped to deal with any challenge thrown at them.

ScorecardKent’s wily seamer Darren Stevens bagged 6 for 22 to help his side to secure a dramatic three-day victory in Canterbury where Gloucestershire were skittled for 61 in the space of 93 minutes.Stevens, 41, joined forces with James Harris – making his on-loan debut from Middlesex – to dismiss the visitors inside 21 mid-session overs and wrap up an emphatic win with four sessions of this Specsavers County Championship clash remaining.”It’s a great shame because we kept on scrapping in the field and our four lads, Liam [Norwell] in particular, bowled really well throughout for us, but we can’t afford to keep batting like that. We just didn’t stand up,” Richard Dawson, the Gloucestershire coach, admitted. “There’s not much you can say after being bowled out for 61 on a good cricket pitch. We had a quick two-minute chat and will all have time to think it over on the way home. We’ll then have a de-brief back in Bristol and re-group before we take on Leicestershire.”Gloucestershire’s unlikely victory target of 396 on a sporting St Lawrence pitch, suddenly became an insurmountable task once Kent’s new ball pairing of Stevens and Harris reduced the visitors to 14 for 4 in the space of 28 deliveries.Cameron Bancroft appeared bemused as he played down the wrong line to lose off stump to Harris, then first innings top-scorer Chris Dent suffered a similar fate when shouldering arms to a Stevens in-swinger.Will Tavare prodded forward at Harris to feather a catch to the keeper and, next ball up, George Hankins threw the kitchen sink into a drive only to be caught in the cordon by Will Gidman at third slip.Visiting skipper Phil Mustard survived the Harris hat-trick delivery but, without scoring, he nicked behind when aiming to drive a drifting in-ducker from Stevens.Graeme van Buuren withdrew the bat against Stevens to lose off stump, as did Craig Miles after groping inside the line of an away swinger to make it 24 for 7.As they moved past 31 David Payne at least spared Gloucestershire the ignominy of posting their lowest total against Kent – mustered at the Angel Ground, Tonbridge in 1903 – but, with 36 on the board, Payne sliced a back-foot force against Stevens to backward point where Daniel Bell-Drummond pouched a diving catch.Jack Taylor pushed defensively outside the line of another Stevens in-swinger to depart lbw then Liam Norwell, Kent’s tormentor with the ball, top-scored with 24 before he skied an attempted pull against Mitch Claydon to the keeper to finish the game by 3.50pm, while Harris completed his excellent debut with figures of 3 for 26 and six wickets in the game.”I certainly didn’t see that coming,” Stevens said. “There was plenty in the pitch for the bowlers if you put it in the right places and when we spoke after day one I thought 250 was a par score.”We felt Gloucestershire bowled too short in our first innings and we went on to bowl better lengths and got dramatic rewards. It was a really good cricket pitch; plenty in there for the bowlers, but if you applied yourself with the bat you could score runs on it too. Joe Denly played brilliantly for us, I scraped a 50 and I felt Chris Dent was outstanding for them in their first innings. You needed to bide your time and wait for bad balls. It was old school cricket on a great cricket pitch.”There was little or no sign of the drama that would follow at the start of day three as Kent batted on until shortly after lunch in adding 128 to their overnight total. Resuming on 118 for 4 the hosts were soon in trouble against fiery opening bursts from Norwell, who bagged 3 for 0 in five balls.Nightwatchman Harris sparred at a Norwell lifter and edged through to keeper Mustard, Stevens lost his off stump when aiming an airy drive to a full delivery then, two balls later, Rouse also departed without scoring when he feathered one from Norwell to third slip where Tavare took a sharp chance.With a five-wicket haul to his name and eight in the match, Norwell took a deserved rest, allowing experienced left-handers Gidman and James Tredwell to forge a vital eighth-wicket partnership that added an unbroken 60 through to the interval. In the process, Gidman scored a 101-ball 50 with eight fours.The hosts came out swinging for late runs after lunch, but Gidman was bowled by Taylor without addition and, two balls later, Matt Coles fell to the same bowler after heaving across the line. Tredwell (47*) and Mitch Claydon added 52 for the last wicket before Claydon clipped to mid-on.Kent banked 21 points for their opening Division Two win of the campaign while Gloucestershire headed home with only three.

ضرب فريق الترجي التونسي موعدًا مع صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي، في دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا للموسم الحالي 2023-2024.

واستطاع الترجي التأهل إلى دور نصف النهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا بالفوز على أسيك أبيدجان الإيفواري بركلات الترجيح، عقب انتهاء مباراتي الذهاب والإياب بالتعادل السلبي.

وعلى الجانب الآخر، تخطى فريق صن داونز الجنوب إفريقي عقبة يانج أفريكانز التنزاني بركلات الترجيح أيضًا، بعد انتهاء مواجهتي الذهاب والإياب بالتعادل السلبي (0-0).

طالع.. فيديو | بركلات الترجيح.. الترجي يتأهل إلى نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا على حساب أسيك ويصطدم بـ صن داونز

وتحددت مباراة نصف النهائي الثاني من بطولة دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بمواجهة الأهلي مع نظيره مازيمبي الكونغولي.

الأهلي كان قد فاز على سيمبا التنزاني بنتيجة 3-0 في مجموع مباراتي الذهاب والإياب، بينما مازيمبي تخطى بترو أتلتيكو الأنجولي بهدفين مقابل هدف. موعد مباراة الترجي وصن داونز في دور نصف نهائي دوري أبطال إفريقيا

تقام مباراة الذهاب بين الترجي وصن داونز في تونس أحد أيام 19 أو 20 أبريل، والإياب أحد أيام 26 أو 27 من نفس الشهر في جنوب إفريقيا.

Wolverhampton Wanderers are reportedly interested in Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo, as Julen Lopetegui eyes a midfield rebuild this summer.

The Midlands side have accumulated almost £80m in sales so far this transfer window, now, the time to make purchases may be on the horizon.

Could Wolves sign Arthur Melo?

As reported by Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo, Wolves have knocked on the door of Arthur, who has just returned to Turin after a disastrous loan spell at Liverpool.

The report claims that the Old Gold are 'more than interested' in the Brazilian, who is expected to depart Juventus this summer for a new challenge after a tough introduction to the Premier League.

Valued around €25m (£21m) by FootballTransfers, Lopetegui could secure a bargain for a player rich in quality and experience, with Mundo Deportivo editor Javier Alfaro claiming that the coach and player would be a good match at Molineux.

Alfaro explained: 'Lopetegui’s taste for footballers of good ball handling undoubtedly plays in Arthur’s favour.'

How good is Arthur Melo?

Lauded as “extraordinary” by Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri, Wolves could bolster their midfield with added quality by signing the 26-year-old technician this summer.

A fresh shot at experience in the Premier League could be vital to regaining form for the Brazilian, who failed to make a single appearance in the league during his season-long loan on Merseyside.

Just a month into his journey at Liverpool, Arthur required surgery for a muscle injury sustained in training, leaving him sidelined for four months and ultimately out of action for the entirety of his loan after being unable to reintegrate into Jurgen Klopp’s plans.

Anfield’s trash could be Molineux’s treasure, however, with the former Barcelona ace being a competent figure to have in the middle of the park when in form.

Going back to the 2021/22 Serie A campaign, the 26-year-old showed glimpses of how beneficial he could be under Lopetegui’s watchful eye in the Midlands, shining in areas similar to the recently departed Ruben Neves.

Wolves’ former captain will leave a dent in midfield at Molineux, however his services are not irreplaceable, and the Goiania-born star could prove to be a dream successor to the Portuguese whizz.

In the 2021/22 season Arthur averaged an outstanding 90% passing accuracy rate per game for Juventus, as well averaging 5.99 passes per 90 into the final third, via FBref.

Similar numbers were hit by Neves last term, who averaged an 84% passing accuracy per game, and 6.02 passes into the final third per 90.

Playing in the engine room, the Brazilian is an assured presence to sit ahead of the defence, as highlighted by his average of 64% duel wins per game in Serie A, tackling an average of 1.22 dribblers per 90 from the middle of the park.

The 26-year-old could prove to be a more robust option for Lopetegui’s midfield than Neves, who averaged 53% total duel wins per game and tackled 0.95 dribblers in midfield per 90 last season for Wolves.

With redemption on his mind and a year starved of game time, Arthur could hit top form at a critical moment in his career should he be given a starting role at Molineux.

With an influx of departures pencilled in, Lopetegui could make a smart move in securing the signature of the midfielder, who would undoubtedly be a strong addition to his side.

It looks as if an official bid for Moises Caicedo from Chelsea could finally be happening, with Sky Sports reporting that the Blues will "formalise" their interest in the player shortly.

What are the latest Chelsea transfer rumours?

The Premier League side have got plenty of irons in the oven it seems, with numerous players all linked with potential transfers to Stamford Bridge. They've already brought in Nicolas Jackson and Christopher Nkunku for their first-team squad and yet the rumours have not stopped. Instead, it appears the business may now be in full flow for Mauricio Pochettino's side, as they look to rebuild the squad after last season's meltdown.

At one end of the pitch, Chelsea appear to be keen to bring in more goalkeeping reinforcements. At the top of their list in that area seems to be Diogo Costa, with a recent report suggesting Jorge Mendes is now on the case in terms of a deal. The Blues have recruited the agent to help them snap up the Porto man and are now pushing to get a transfer done.

They've also placed Federico Valverde on their wanted list, although there is no offer on the table yet for the Real Madrid player.

Are Chelsea signing Moises Caicedo?

However, it is Moises Caicedo who has arguably dominated headlines when it comes to Chelsea transfers recently. One report suggested that a deal worth £70m could happen for the Brighton man, whilst another added that the Blues have already spoken to the Seagulls ahead of a potential move.

Now, according to Sky Sports, Chelsea are indeed ready to kick things up a gear when it comes to Caicedo. They plan to "formalise" their interest in the player soon and in another boost for fans of the club, it seems as though once a fee has been agreed, the midfielder himself will have no issue with joining them. Instead, they are being "encouraged" by the Ecuador man in regards to whether or not he would agree personal terms – so it is positive news for the Blues in their pursuit of the 21-year-old talent.

With no official bid made yet, it isn't clear how much Caicedo would cost Chelsea as part of a move. However, other reports have suggested that an offer may be worth around £80m and that could be enough to land the midfielder. That fee is not fixed though and could vary when talks officially open between the Seagulls and the Blues.

Whatever fee the club have to pay for the 21-year-old could be worth it though, with the youngster viewed as having a lot of potential, whilst also already playing at an incredible level. Football talent scout Jacek Kulig stated that Caicedo is already a "high quality" option in the middle of the field and that he is a "big fan" of the Brighton man. It shows that the Ecuador starlet is already catching the eye – and a move to Stamford Bridge could really bolster Chelsea's midfield as they look to improve in the Premier League next season.