Liverpool are still considering a deal for Juventus ace Federico Chiesa this summer, and Jurgen Klopp's interest may now be piqued following recent revelations regarding the Italy international's transfer status.

What's the latest on Federico Chiesa to Liverpool?

That's according to newspaper La Gazzetta Dello Sport – via Paisley Gates – who claim that the Reds might now pursue a transfer for the winger after his €60m (£52m) valuation was slashed to just €40m (£35m).

It's claimed that Chiesa and manager Massimiliano Allegri do not have a good relationship and, as such, he is not considered indispensable; this is compounded by the Old Lady's financial problems.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

Liverpool are focusing on the midfield and defence this summer, but if an apt opportunity arises, Klopp might be inclined to take a closer look at the feasibility of bringing the Italy international to Anfield.

How good is Federico Chiesa?

Liverpool's attack is the one area of the pitch that supporters do not seem to be concerned about at present, with Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota and co looking set to bring goals in abundance for the Merseyside outfit over the coming months – and likely years.

Regardless, with Chiesa ostensibly available for a relatively small fee – especially in today's market – the powers that be at Anfield might decide to enter formal negotiations to secure his signature.

Chiesa spent the lion's share of the past two campaigns sidelined following a detrimental ACL injury last year, missing 62 matches of competitive club action.

However, the 25-year-old did start to find his feet again in the closing stages of the 22/23 season, scoring two goals and supplying two assists across the final five matches of the league term.

If the "wizard" – as praised by writer Roger Bennett – can find consistency in his fitness levels, Liverpool could boast a dynamic new wideman for years to come, with FBref ranking Chiesa across the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 15% for progressive carries, the top 17% for successful take-ons and the top 13% for tackles per 90.

As such, the stats-led site have likened the £152k-per-week phenom to Arsenal's prodigious talent Bukayo Saka, with the 21-year-old one of the centrepieces of the Gunners' resounding revival over the past couple of years.

Arsenal qualified for the Champions League this year after seven seasons away and took Manchester City to the wire in the Premier League title race, looking set for their first league triumph since 2004 before a late blip put Pep Guardiola's imperious team in the driving seat.

Saka was described as "electric" by Statman Dave for his fantastic exploits for the north London side last year, scoring 14 goals and providing 11 assists from 38 matches in the English top-flight.

This season, Arsenal kicked off their campaign with victory in the Community Shield against the Citizens, with Saka providing Leandro Trossard with the assist to take the match to penalties in the dying embers.

As per FBref, the Hale End graduate ranks among the top 20% of positional peers for goals, the top 18% for assists, the top 10% for progressive carries and the top 6% for touches in the attacking box per 90.

Chiesa's style is direct and aggressive, much like Saka's, and both players possess a knack for attacking with both direct goal threat and creativity, which could serve Liverpool well in the dynamism and flexibility of their frontline.

Chiesa would no doubt be a "potent" presence – as he has been called by Rio Ferdinand – for Klopp's side and while his signature might not be the priority, if the chance to sign him does arise, then the Reds must at least look into the prospect of snapping him up.

Fulham are "pressing" insistently to sign Leicester City defender Timothy Castagne and he could leave for just €15 million (£12.8m) this window, according to reports.

Who will Fulham sign this summer?

The Whites, after what seemed like weeks of waiting, have finally got to work on sealing official transfers before the start of 2023/2024.

Marco Silva's side have been linked with a plethora of players in the last two months but recently formalised their interest with two major signings.

Mexico international striker Raul Jimenez put pen to paper on a move from Wolves and could help to fill the hole left by the potentially departing Aleksandar Mitrovic. Meanwhile, Calvin Bassey's signing from Ajax gifts Silva some real defensive depth and quality.

Everton's Demarai Gray, Fluminese's Andre and Man United midfielder Fred have all linked in the past week too, so it looks like Fulham could yet make more additions before deadline day.

Another player to have been repeatedly linked with a move to Craven Cottage is Castagne, who suffered relegation with Leicester at the end of last season.

The 27-year-old is also attracting interest from Serie A giants Juventus with the Old Lady apparently entering pole position for him.

However, that isn't to say Fulham aren't in the race, with Italian news website TuttoJuve sharing an update on their links to the former Atalanta star.

Fulham's "pressing" to sign Castagne is "insistent" behind-the-scenes with it looking like they're determined to make a move, even despite the versatile defender already saying 'yes' to Juve.

The report adds that Leicester value him at around £12.8 million, meaning Silva could land him for a fairly reasonable fee, though one major obstacle in this is of course Juve's presence.

It will be interesting to see whether Fulham can sway Castagne into making a move back to the top flight rather than Turin.

How good is Timothy Castagne?

The full-back, who featured for Belgium at last year's 2022 World Cup in Qatar, was also a mainstay for Leicester last campaign.

No other Foxes player made more top flight appearances than Castagne, not even their goalkeepers, and he also ranked as one of their best-performing players by average match rating according to WhoScored.

Chipping in with two goals and three assists along the way, the Belgian could be a brilliant asset for Fulham, especially considering his versatility.

Castagne is capable of playing anywhere across the defence, at centre-back or full-back, not to mention further forward on either flank.

His experience is also a big draw, having featured in three different World Cups for the Red Devils throughout his career, and a European Championship as well.

Former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers, speaking after his side snapped up Castagne in 2020, revered the player for his speed and application.

“I’ve watched Timothy Castagne for a number of years – he fits the profile of how I want to work," said Rodgers.

"He’s fast, non-stop running – he wants to score but he can defend – good composure. He’s a brilliant signing for us. He’ll prove to be a really good asset for us.”

Former Test batsman Rob Quiney has announced his retirement from first-class cricket after he was not offered a Victoria contract for 2017-18

Brydon Coverdale21-Aug-2017

Former Test batsman Rob Quiney has announced his retirement from first-class cricket after he was not offered a Victoria contract for 2017-18.Quiney, 35, played two Tests against South Africa in 2012-13 and was a fixture of Victoria’s squad over the past decade, winning five Sheffield Shield titles with the Bushrangers in 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He will leave the game with 5674 runs at an average of 36.84 from 96 first-class appearances.Quiney’s retirement came as Victoria revamped their contract list for next summer, also losing captain Matthew Wade to Tasmania and allrounder Marcus Stoinis to Western Australia. Left-arm spinner Michael Beer, who is also a former Test cricketer, was not offered a new contract, while Evan Gulbis and Ian Holland were also omitted.As expected, Peter Handscomb was confirmed as the state’s new captain, replacing Wade. Young batsmen Will Pucovski and Blake Thomson were handed full contracts, along with wicketkeeper Sam Harper and fast bowler Xavier Crone. Rookie deals were given to fast bowlers Mitch Perry and Zak Evans, as well as Will Sutherland, the son of Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland.”Although we’ve lost some senior experience for this season, we’re fortunate to have a number of our younger players having gained valuable experience over the last two years and they know what it takes to be successful at first-class level,” Shaun Graf, Cricket Victoria’s general manager of cricket, said.”Add young stars Will Pucovski and Will Sutherland to that mix and it’s an exciting time for Victorian cricket – it’s hard to think of a time when we’ve been in a stronger, more successful position in the state’s history.”Graf said Quiney had been a significant contributor to Victoria over the past decade.”Rob Quiney has been a tremendous figure in Victorian cricket throughout his highly decorated career,” Graf said. “He embodies all of Victoria’s values and it’s a testament to his skill and character that he’s been able to achieve so much success as a player, particularly playing in our five most recent Sheffield Shield titles including the three-peat.”Quiney won consecutive Bill Lawry Medals as Victoria’s Shield player of the year in 2010-11 and 2011-12, and a Dean Jones Medal as the state’s one-day player of the year in 2011-12. In 2012, he was also named the State Player of the Year at the Allan Border Medal night.He won his call-up to Test cricket in November 2012, when he replaced the injured Shane Watson for the first Test against South Africa at the Gabba. He made 9 in his only innings and retained his place for the second Test in Adelaide, but was axed after completing a pair in that match.Victoria squad Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Daniel Christian, Jackson Coleman, Xavier Crone, Travis Dean, Aaron Finch (Cricket Australia contract), Sebastian Gotch, Peter Handscomb (capt, CA contract), Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, John Hastings, Jon Holland, Glenn Maxwell (CA contract), James Muirhead, James Pattinson (CA contract), Will Pucovski, Jake Reed, Matthew Short, Peter Siddle, Blake Thomson, Chris Tremain, Guy Walker, Cameron White. Rookies Zak Evans, Sam Grimwade, Jackson Koop, Tom O’Donnell, Mitch Perry, Will Sutherland.

تمكن فريق سموحة من الفوز على نظيره المقاولون العرب بهدف دون رد، خلال المباراة التي أقيمت بينهما اليوم ضمن منافسات بطولة الدوري المصري الممتاز.

والتقى سموحة مع المقاولون العرب، على أرضية ملعب الأخير، في خضم مواجهات الجولة الـ 20 من المسابقة المحلية.

وسجل حسام حسن هدف فوز سموحة في الدقيقة 43،  من كرة عرضية لداخل منطقة الجزاء بقدم ميدو مصطفى استقبلها حسام حسن بتسديدة قوية سكنت الشباك.

طالع أيضاً.. فيديو | المصري يخطف فوزاً قاتلاً من الداخلية ويصعد لوصافة الدوري

وشهدت المباراة لقطة مثيرة للجدل بعد احتساب ركلة جزاء لصالح المقاولون العرب، نفذها جوزيف أوشايا وتصدى لها حارس المرمى وتابعها محمد سالم بتسديدة سكنت الشباك، لكن حكم المباراة ألغى الهدف بداعي دخول محمد سالم إلى منطقة الجزاء قبل تنفيذ ركلة الجزاء.

بهذا الفوز، يحتل فريق سموحة المركز السادس في جدول ترتيب الدوري المصري برصيد 28 نقطة، من 19 مباراة، حقق الفوز في 7، وتعادل في 7، وخسر 5 مواجهات.

على الجانب الآخر يتواجد فريق المقاولون العرب بالمركز السابع عشر، وفي رصيده 12 نقطة، من 19 مواجهة، فاز في 2، وتعادل في 6، وخسر 11 مباراة. هدف فوز سموحة على المقاولون العرب في الدوري المصري

Preity Zinta, the Bollywood actor and co-owner of Kings XI Punjab, has taken over the Stellenbosch franchise in South Africa’s T20 Global League, bringing the number of IPL owners in the tournament to three. Cape Town Knight Riders are owned by Shah Rukh Khan, who also owns Kolkata Knight Riders, while the Jo’burg Giants were bought by the GMR group, which owns Delhi Daredevils.Stellenbosch was the only franchise that did not have a private owner after South African investment corporation Brimstone pulled out of the deal last month. The Stellenbosch franchise had been taken over by Cricket South Africa before being acquired by Zinta. The T20 Global League has only one locally-owned team now, in Pretoria, bought by Osman Osman, who owns events company Blu Blood.The lack of local interest in the league was cited as a concern by CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat, when he addressed Brimstone’s withdrawal. “It is a fact that we have struggled to convince South Africans to become owners in the Global League,” Lorgat said.Brimstone’s reasons for withdrawal hinted at general uncertainty over the profitability of ownership in the T20 Global League. “We found it quite difficult to get to actual numbers because it’s the first year of the tournament and we knew we were going to have to use some modelling as to what to expect going forward,” Mushtaq Brey, Brimstone’s CEO said. “When we did all the numbers, we decided not to go ahead with the investment.”So far, the T20 Global League has cost CSA millions. In their latest annual report, CSA tabled a loss of 3.3 million Rand (US$ 257,294) having only generated a revenue of R 1 million (US$ 93,561) and incurred expenses of R 4.5 million (US$ 350,555).Expenses on the T20 Global League so far included the costs of the launch, which was held on June 19 in London for which several guests were flown in business class from South Africa, and stadium upgrades around the country.Lorgat had informed owners to expect it to take time to see returns on their investment but that did not deter foreign interest, especially from India. The Benoni and Durban franchises are owned by corporations, who also have interest in the Pakistan Super League, while the Port Elizabeth and Bloemfontein teams are owned by businessmen from the UAE and Hong Kong respectively.With the tournament – scheduled to start on November 3 – less than two months away, all eight squads are finalised. The Stellenbosch franchise will be coached by Stephen Fleming, with Eric Simons as assistant coach, and Faf du Plessis as the marquee player. Lasith Malinga and Alex Hales are the big international names, with several home-grown players from the Paarl area such as Henry Davids and Justin Ontong in the squad. None of the players from Kings XI Punjab are in the Stellenbosch side but du Plessis had been in touch with some national team-mates who have worked with Zinta before.”I’m very excited to see that Preity Zinta has come on board,” du Plessis said. “I have heard from my team-mates that she is very good to work with, so I’m looking forward to working with her and seeing how she impacts our team space. She is also very passionate about the sport and I am sure local fans will have an awesome time at Boland Park.”The Paarl stadium, situated 63 kilometres away from Cape Town, will benefit from CSA’s financial upgrades, which should improve facilities, including stands and floodlights. Like the other seven venues, it will host seven league matches in the T20 Global League, with the final scheduled for Johannesburg on December 16.

West Ham United "dream" of signing Fulham star Joao Palhinha this summer but it could be a very expensive deal, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Who will West Ham sign?

After selling former star midfielder Declan Rice to Arsenal, in a marquee deal worth £105 million (including £5 million in add-ons), West Ham are set to benefit from a huge financial windfall.

The agreement took time to be finalised, as there were delays in documentation from Arsenal's end, but Rice has now become the most expensive English player of all time – overtaking the price tags of Jack Grealish (Man City) and Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid).

It's now up to David Moyes' side to put that money to good use and invest in major signings. West Ham are also in dire need of an out-and-out replacement for Rice in midfield.

Juventus midfielder Denis Zakaria, Bayern Munich's Leon Goretzka, Man United's Scott McTominay, Chelsea ace Conor Gallagher and James Ward-Prowse of Southampton have all been linked with taking up the role recently.

Palhinha is also a player on West Ham's radar and has been subject to approaches, and while the player is apparently keen on joining, it is believed his price tag could well be too much.

According to Romano, speaking to CaughtOffside, the east Londoners "dream" of signing the Portugal international as he shares an update on West Ham's hunt for a new midfielder.

"Monaco want Zakaria, they have submitted their first bid for the player. It’s now up to West Ham if they want to bid again after initial proposal was rejected by Juventus 15 days ago," said Romano.

"Zakaria is still assessing his options, and Monaco could be an interesting option for him as their new manager Adi Hutter knows him well.

"West Ham’s dream target in midfield is Fulham’s Joao Palhinha, but that looks like being a very expensive deal.”

How good is Joao Palhinha?

The 28-year-old was one of Marco Silva's best-performing players by average match rating, according to WhoScored, and he racked up multiple goals from midfield.

Palhinha was also a fixture in the Fulham starting eleven last season, with the former Sporting Lisbon star playing more minutes than any other outfielder (WhoScored).

To further emphasise what a phenomenal player he is, the Portuguese averaged more tackles per 90 than any other player in the English top flight – making him the division's best in that regard (WhoScored).

Serbia international forward Aleksandar Mitrovic also called Palhinha the signing of the season for Fulham, not to mention an "amazing, amazing" player for the west Londoners.

“I think this year there’s been some sensational [signings] that we have made," said Mitrovic.

“For me personally, [Joao] Palhinha is the signing of the season so far, amazing, amazing [player].

“[Bernd] Leno is the signing that we made that’s amazing. The players who fit straight away and didn’t need time to adapt like before, they fit straight away.

Colin Ingram’s refashioned career as a specialist white-ball cricketer will come with leadership duties at Glamorgan

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Oct-2017Devastating South Africa batsman Colin Ingram and veteran Australian seamer Michael Hogan will share Glamorgan’s captaincy duties next season.The decision comes in the wake of Jacques Rudolph’s retirement. Rudolph stood down in the Championship in May, with Hogan stepping in on an interim basis, but he led Glamorgan to Finals Day in the NatWest Blast before his career came to an endIngram has turned himself into a white-ball specialist after a prolific limited-overs season fired his ambition to play in more global T20 tournaments worldwide.The standout performer of any county in limited overs cricket over the last two seasons, Ingram struck 1,026 runs and five centuries in white-ball competitions during 2017 and was named the PCA MVP award winner for the T20 Blast in 2016 and One-Day Cup in 2017.Ingram will feature for the Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash later this year but his only experience in the IPL came with the Delhi Daredevils before he joined Glamorgan at the end of 2014.Hogan will now continue to lead the side in red-ball cricket next term, while Ingram will have the captaincy duties in the One-Day Cup and T20 Blast competitions.In the first two games under Hogan’s leadership Glamorgan secured back-to-back victories against Durham at Swansea and at New Road over Worcestershire, the eventual Division Two champions, before finishing seventh in Division Two with a line-up featuring up to eight Academy graduates towards the end of the season.Glamorgan Chief Executive Hugh Morris, said: “We are very fortunate to have two excellent leaders within the squad and the decision to appoint Michael and Colin was unanimous by our Committee. By splitting the captaincy during a busy season both players can bring fresh impetus across the different formats.”

Liverpool have retained their interest in OGC Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram this summer as Jurgen Klopp looks to complete his midfield ahead of a crucial Premier League campaign.

What's the latest on Khephren Thuram?

That's according to Tuttosport (via FC Inter News), who write that Liverpool are interested in signing the Frenchman but face a wave of competition from Inter Milan, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain.

The report claims that Thuram, the 'jewel' of Nice, is indeed attracting intense attention from said outfits are impressing in Ligue 1, with Les Aiglons believed to have placed a €50m (£43m) price tag on the energetic midfielder to ward off advances.

Read the latest Liverpool transfer news HERE…

While the 22-year-old is happy to stay put, Liverpool could do with a few more faces in the centre after losing James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain on free transfers, Fabio Carvalho on loan and Fabinho and captain Jordan Henderson to Saudi Arabian sides this summer.

How good is Khephren Thuram?

Liverpool signed Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion for £35m before swooping for the creative Dominik Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig for £60m, and while such purchases are impressive, more needs to be done to ensure the top-four is not missed for a second successive season.

While a move for holding midfielder Romeo Lavia is taking centre stage at present – the Reds have failed with three bids; Southampton are holding out for £50m – Thuram could be targetted next to close the door on the midfield rebuild.

Journalist Zach Lowy believes that Liverpool must strike a deal in any case, as he explained exactly what the box-to-box ace could bring for Klopp's side:

"Khephren Thuram is just the sort of player that Liverpool need to transform their midfield. Elite ball carrier for someone of his size and really effective at winning the ball high up the pitch — perfect signing for Klopp’s side."

If the Merseyside outfit do decide to forge ahead with another midfield transfer after the Lavia saga is concluded, one way or another, then the interest in Leicester City's Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall must be abandoned in place of Nice's gem, who would surely bring more to the table for a lasting period.

According to Anfield Watch, Liverpool have been monitoring Dewsbury-Hall's progress with the Foxes over the past year, and have been left impressed despite suffering relegation from the Premier League.

The 24-year-old, who is rated at £24m by FootballTransfers, can hold his head high as many of his peers succumbed to dismal form and the defence capitulated to flood in the water and sink the ship.

As per Sofascore, he recorded an average league rating of 6.86 last term, completing 79% of his passes, forging 1.3 key passes and 1.7 tackles per outing and winning 52% of his ground duels.

Comparatively, Thuram averaged a match rating of 7.04 in France, completing 87% of his passes, making 1.1 key passes, 1.1 interceptions and 1.5 tackles per game and succeeding with 51% of his dribbles.

Once lauded as "tenacious" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Thuram also ranks among the top 5% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries, the top 9% for successful take-ons, the top 21% for assists and the top 23% for interceptions per 90, as per FBref.

Dewsbury-Hall is listed as a comparable player to the one-cap France international, and while he does rank among the top 12% of positional peers for progressive carries, the top 10% for successful take-ons and the top 1% for blocks per 90, with such a similar profile to Thuram Klopp would have to decide between the pair.

And Thuram simply has to be the answer – at just 22 years of age, he could be moulded to the German manager's own creation and be nurtured into a truly world-class talent, one capable of spearheading Liverpool toward a new era of illustrious success.

One Tottenham Hotspur player in particular could find himself 'out of the team' due to the arrival of Micky van de Ven from Wolfsburg, according to journalist Paul Brown.

What has gone on with Micky van de Ven at Tottenham Hotspur?

Van de Ven attended Tottenham's 5-1 victory over Shakhtar Donetsk at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium ahead of his proposed move to the Lilywhites from Wolfsburg, as per The Daily Mail. And, he has since put pen to paper, bolstering Ange Postecoglou's defensive line.

Last term, Van de Ven featured 36 times for Wolfsburg in all competitions, registering one goal and two assists in the process, as per Transfermarkt.

Of course, Van de Ven's arrival could have a knock-on effect in terms of game-time distribution regarding his teammates, with England international Dier likely to be influenced by the impending deal.

Nevertheless, The Sun's Martin Lipton believes that Dier will be valued as an important squad player at Tottenham in 2023/24, as he stated to the Last Word on Spurs YouTube channel: "“The fans don’t like Dier, but I think Dier’s role will be as a squad player, not as a first-team player. He’s important in the squad as a human being, as a man, as an experienced head, and maybe if he played fewer games he’d be a better player as well."

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Brown thinks that £85k-a-week earner Dier could be sidelined in favour of Van de Ven as the latter is a better natural fit in a back four, making him a more applicable choice.

Brown told FFC: "I've always thought that Dier is a centre back only really works in a three. It doesn't look to me like Spurs are going to play with a three this season, so it may be that he finds himself out of the team once Van de Ven is up to speed. I think that Van de Ven and Romero may be the first choices ideally for the new manager in a back four."

What next for Tottenham Hotspur?

Well, Tottenham fans certainly won't be in the best of moods on the eve of their first game of the season, with record goalscorer Harry Kane now out of the club and the country, as he sealed a move to Bayern Munich.

But, there is reason for optimism, as Daniel Levy now has plenty of money to spend on a potential replacement.

O Jogo via The Sun claim that Porto forward Mehdi Taremi could be a potential replacement for Kane and the Lilywhites are said to have opened talks with the Iran international's entourage to discuss a move to north London.

Taremi is believed to be available for a fee in the region of £17 million and has just one year left on his deal at the Estadio do Dragao as rumours over his future continue to swirl.

In terms of departures, Davinson Sanchez and Tanguy Ndombele could be on their way out of Tottenham amid interest from Turkish giants Galatasaray, according to 90min.

Aston Villa are working to sign Galatasaray attacker Nicolo Zaniolo, with someone at Villa Park knowing the player well.

What’s the latest Aston Villa transfer news?

NSWE have backed Unai Emery ahead of the manager’s first full season in charge, with Europa Conference League football on offer in the Midlands this season.

So far, the club have brought in Youri Tielemans on a free transfer from Leicester City and have secured big-money moves for Pau Torres and Moussa Diaby from Villarreal and Bayer Leverkusen respectively.

However, further new arrivals could be on the cards before the September 1 deadline, after it emerged that attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendia has suffered significant ligament damage to his knee.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

A new attacking addition appears to be of interest, with Zaniolo seemingly the club’s latest transfer target.

Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano took to X on Thursday to share what he’s heard about Villa and Zaniolo. He said that those in the Midlands are working on a deal, with new director Monchi previously signing the player for Roma.

“Understand Aston Villa are working on deal to sign Nicolo Zaniolo. It’s concrete possibility being discussed, one of the top names in the list. Villa director Monchi signed Zaniolo at Roma from Inter and negotiations will follow with Galatasaray. Deal on.”

Since then, Villa correspondent John Townley has said that talks are at an advanced stage.

“AVFC are in advanced negotiations with Galatasaray over signing Nicolo Zaniolo. Zaniolo only arrived in Turkey earlier this year and scored five goals in 10 appearances last season. The 24yo was signed by Monchi when he joined Roma in 2018.”

Who is Nicolo Zaniolo?

Zaniolo is primarily an attacking midfielder who can also play as a second striker or right-winger, so would offer Emery a versatile option in the final third.

The Italy international only made the move to Galatasaray back in February, and prior to that, had spells with Roma and Inter Milan. In total, the left-footed attacker made 128 appearances for Roma, contributing to 42 goals, and has turned out on 12 occasions for his current employers.

Described as a “monster” by one reporter, Zaniolo has also been labelled as a player who is “evolving into a world star” by Milliyet's Galatasaray correspondent Nevzat Dindar after links to Tottenham earlier this year.

"Zaniolo is also evolving into a world star. English clubs for Zaniolo.

"It goes up to 30-35 million euros. At this point, Galatasaray does not take Juventus' offers seriously. Tottenham is the closest club to finish Zaniolo."

As per FBref, Zaniolo has been compared to Premier League wingers Marcus Rashford, Heung-min Son and Harvey Barnes over the last 12 months. He has ranked in the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers for shots, the top 4% for fouls drawn and the top 1% for penalty kicks won, showing how he could provide a real threat at Villa Park.

It looks as if a move could well develop quickly, so it will be one to keep an eye on over the coming days as the new Premier League season gets underway with Villa set to take on Newcastle United.