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Leeds United may be crying out for a striker, having already bolstered their backline sufficiently, but that should not rush manager Daniel Farke into a move to fix that issue…

Is Michail Antonio leaving West Ham United?

However, Football Transfers seem to suggest that might be the case, as they detail the future of West Ham United's leading no.9 Michail Antonio.

The Jamaica international has been a fine talisman for the Irons over the years but age has been cruel to the forward, who has seen his physical assets wane somewhat. He remains a willing runner and impressive with his hold-up play, but the goals have just started to dry up.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

So, to suggest that Elland Road could be one of his potential destinations as he reportedly pushes for an east London exit should worry fans, as their interest in the ageing marksman would barely even mark an upgrade on last season's struggling Patrick Bamford.

Is Michail Antonio any good?

With 276 appearances for the Hammers under his belt, there have been particularly proficient periods in the 33-year-old's career that led to widespread praise.

However, those moments have been far less frequent in recent times, with the former Nottingham Forest ace having only mustered seven goals across 37 appearances in all domestic competitions last term. It marked a sharp drop off from his 2021/22 season, where he scored ten and assisted eight in the Premier League alone.

The £85k-per-week star was even lambasted by Glen Johnson during West Ham's most recent season, where they were threatened with relegation for a period. He noted:

"Michail Antonio always works hard but his form has not been great for some time now. The problem with a player like Antonio, even when his form is good, he's still not a natural goalscorer and won't give you loads of goals.

"When he's out of form, he can run around and draw some fouls, but that's not good enough in the Premier League. For a struggling team, you have to give more."

Even Bamford recently managed to amass six goals across 31 appearances in the league and the FA Cup, with the main issue surrounding the 29-year-old being his profligacy in front of goal.

The former Chelsea man missed 13 big chances in the Premier League but clearly had a knack for being in the right areas – Antonio did miss seven of his own too.

Such a troublesome tenure has come just two years after the marksman scored 17 and assisted a further eight in their return season back in the top flight, suggesting it had not been that long since he was instead one of the division's most lethal assets.

Having since been thwarted by injuries of late, this has had a huge impact on his freshness.

Yet, given he is four years Antonio's junior and with his peak arguably surpassing that of David Moyes' striker too, there is little value in bringing in such an old forward to occupy a position that could see Bamford easily recapture his form.

His most recent period in the Championship did see him fire them to the title too, with 20 goal contributions in the league.

With the years he has on him, which also hands the former England international a higher likelihood to replicate his lethal past, it could be argued that signing Antonio would be to bring in an unnecessary, far worse option.

The largely simplified and smoothly codified new MoU is the first of its kind to include both men’s and women’s cricket

Daniel Brettig07-Sep-2017Australian cricket’s pay war has formally ended with the completion of the full MoU between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association for the next five years.Negotiation and drafting of the full agreement took around two months, after a heads of agreement between the two warring parties was announced by the chief executives James Sutherland and Alistair Nicholson at the MCG on August 3. It is the first of its kind to include both women and men.After 20 years of collective bargaining agreements adapted and expanded from the original revenue sharing deal struck in 1998, ESPNcricinfo has learned that the new MoU has been largely simplified and more smoothly codified when compared to the labyrinthine deal reached in 2012.Its fundamentals include payment of 27.5% of agreed Australian Cricket Revenue to all players according to CA’s projections over the next five years, with players receiving 19% of revenue created above projections and grassroots levels of the game handed 8.5%. Should revenue exceed A$1.96 billion over the next five years, the players will receive 27.5% of that extra revenue. The use of the extra grassroots funding is to be decided upon by a joint committee featuring two representatives each from CA and the ACA.The ACA, meanwhile, will continue to be funded by CA, though the money will no longer be termed a “grant” to the players association but instead a payment for the players’ intellectual property as used by the board for broadcasting, promotion and sponsorship of the game. The commercial wing of the ACA announced during the dispute, the Cricketers Brand, will continue its operations.Pressure from commercial partners, and also the intervention of the federal government’s minister for sport, Greg Hunt, played a significant role in bringing the dispute to an end. Another factor was the looming possibility of CA not being able to send a touring team to Bangladesh for the ongoing Test series, after the players voted unanimously not to tour unless an agreement was reached. An Australia A tour of South Africa had already been cancelled for the same reason.CA had entered the dispute seeking to end the players’ claims to a fixed percentage of the game’s revenue, a principle at the core of all agreements that had been reached since 1998. The board argued that the model prevented it from investing more freely in numerous elements of the game, particularly funds for grassroots junior and club competitions.Also on Thursday, CA released its strategy document for the next five years, aiming among other things to make the WBBL the “undisputed leader of women’s sporting leagues in the world” by 2022. Also strongly prevalent throughout the strategy is the need for CA to provide the game’s fans with more of what they want, namely an increased amount of Twenty20, an aim that dovetails with Australia’s hosting of the women’s and men’s World T20 tournaments in 2020.On a team performance level, the strategy document speaks of a greater focus on the shortest format of the game by developing “the leading talent pathway with a paradigm shift in alignment to the T20 format” and also ensuring that cricket can “transform into the best high-performance model in Australian sport, with ground-breaking use of technology”. All state associations have set the goal of significantly upgrading their own training facilities over the next five years.The strategy also sets lofty goals for generating more money for the game, an aim thrown into sharp focus by looming negotiations for television rights deals both domestically – for international cricket and also the BBL and WBBL – and internationally, particularly the selling of rights to Australian cricket into the lucrative Indian market.”Significantly grow media, digital and commercial revenue and develop more socially responsible partnerships,” the document states. “Increase revenue from international markets through innovative content, new partnerships and by reaching more of the global cricket family. Unlock the rapidly growing commercial markets for women’s cricket.””Storytelling” was another element to be touched upon in the document, which stated: “Cricket has a modern, positive and progressive voice in Australian sport and around the world. Storytelling makes cricket the highest profile and preferred sport for children, parents and grassroots communities. Our stories are relevant for women and girls, reflecting a gender-neutral sport. Cricket has the most inclusive and compelling stories, making our elite players the most recognised and respected Australian athletes. Australian Cricket has a clear identity that connects and inspires employees, who are empowered and harnessed as sport’s best storytellers.”Sutherland declined to speak about the strategy, but last month indicated that this was likely to be his last MoU negotiation, having been chief executive since 2001. “We’re very pleased to be putting this one behind us and we’re looking forward to five years of stability,” he told , “That [the next one] might be someone else’s problem I think.”

Lionel Messi is one of, if not the greatest player of all time. That is a fact of football. And with that status comes the privilege of playing with some of the best players that the beautiful game has to offer, who will likely spread the word of the Argentine's greatness even further.

There are many great honours in football, from the Champions League, all the way to the World Cup, but sometimes, players can simply realise their dream by sharing a pitch with Messi.

With that said, it must be some feeling to be named in the list of the legend's favourite teammates throughout his illustrious career – a list that we've taken a detailed look at, after it was revealed by Titan Sports, via The Daily Mirror.

10 David Villa

Arguably playing with Messi at the peak of his powers, David Villa formed quite the partnership with the Argentine, scoring a total of 48 goals in 119 appearances for Barcelona.

Messi, meanwhile, with Villa as a teammate, famously scored 91 goals in the calendar year of 2012.

9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Likely fuelling Zlatan Ibrahimovic's planet-sized ego even more, as if that was needed, Messi also named the Swede in his list of his favourite teammates.

During his time at Barcelona, the former AC Milan forward made just 46 appearances, in which he scored 22 goals in a short, but efficient spell at the Nou Camp.

8 Sergio Busquets

Messi then moved on to his former Barcelona teammate, and current Inter Miami teammate Sergio Busquets. And this one is up there with the least surprising.

Such is the way that Busquets makes everything easier out of the spotlight, providing the platform for greatness, many attacking players over the years will likely give the same answer as Messi.

Now in MLS, the Barcelona legend will almost certainly do the same job.

7 Andres Iniesta

There's not many players that can match Messi's Barcelona legacy, but if anyone can come close, it is Andres Iniesta. And the iconic number 10 recognised the honour of playing with the legendary midfielder, naming the Spaniard in the list of his favourite teammates.

Iniesta won the lot during his time in La Liga, and remains one of the best players to ever step onto the famous Nou Camp turf.

It came as no shock when Messi name-dropped his former teammate.

6 Xavi

Just like during their playing career, you can't get Iniesta without Xavi. Together, they formed one of the best midfields in football history alongside the aforementioned Busquets, winning four Champions League trophies together.

It's no surprise that Messi named all three midfielders in his list. There's no doubting they truly helped provide the platform for his incredible success throughout his career.

5 Neymar

Even ignoring Neymar's pure football ability for a second, his friendship alone with Messi was going to get him on the list.

Back to his football ability, Neymar isn't exactly a poor player, either. His flare was the perfect addition to Messi's magic, with the duo enjoying particular success during their Barcelona days, while also showing occasional glimpses of magic together at Barca.

4 Luis Suarez

Just like Neymar, Luis Suarez's friendship gets him on Messi's list first and foremost, before we even look back on his incredible Barcelona career.

Together with Messi and Neymar, Suarez formed one of the best front threes in the history of football. Together, 'MSN' played a total of 409, scoring an incredible 344 goals and recording 157 assists, winning honours such as the Champions League.

Suarez, himself, during his time at Barcelona, scored 195 goals in 283 appearances.

3 Samuel Eto'o

Another player that Messi had the privilege of scoring plenty of goals alongside, Samuel Eto'o was as selfless as ever during his time at Barcelona, helping a younger version of the Argentine to great success.

In total, Eto'o scored 130 goals in 199 appearances for a sensational record in front of goal.

He remains a Barcelona legend, and one of Messi's favourite players.

2 Deco

Like Eto'o, Deco had an impact on the early stages of Messi's career – something that the forward acknowledged by listing the former Barcelona man in his list of favourite teammates over the years.

During his time at the La Liga giants, Deco made 161 appearances, winning one Champions League, and scoring 20 goals.

1 Ronaldinho

Ronaldinho was always going to feature on this list, wasn't he? At the time, it felt like the passing of the torch between the Brazilian legend to Messi, as if he was almost welcoming space for his forthcoming legacy.

Not many would have believed at the time that a player could better Ronaldinho's time at Barcelona. Yet, here we are, with arguably the greatest player of all time doing exactly that, and more.

It has been a busy summer transfer window of change for Celtic as they have changed managers, made a £25m sale, and brought in five new signings.

Who have Celtic signed this summer?

Brendan Rodgers, who replaced Ange Postecoglou in the dugout last month, made Norwegian midfielder Odin Thiago Holm and Australia international Marco Tilio his first two signings.

The Northern Irish tactician added two further additions to his squad on Monday of this week as Hyeok-kyu Kwon and Hyun-jun Yang both arrived from South Korea on permanent deals, before Polish central defender Maik Nawrocki joined from Legia Warsaw on a five-year deal.

Amongst these new arrivals, the Hoops also sold Portuguese phenomenon Jota to Saudi Arabian side Al Ittihad for a reported fee of £25m, which has left the head coach with a huge hole to fill within the attack ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.

Who could Celtic replace Jota with?

Rodgers could finally replace the 24-year-old sensation with a swoop to sign reported Celtic transfer target Tete, who currently plays for Shakhtar Donetsk and is looking for a move away from Ukraine after two loan spells.

Journalist Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT that the Brazilian forward would "raise the bar" for the club with his quality at the top end of the pitch to fill the void left by Jota, which is backed up by his impressive form for Lyon prior to a recent spell with Leicester.

Rodgers signed the 23-year-old wizard for the Foxes during the January window after he enjoyed a strong year on loan in France. During his time with the Ligue 1 club, Tete racked up eight goals and ten assists in 30 appearances – including eight goals and eight assists in 26 top-flight games.

This means that the talented maestro, who was once hailed as a "hurricane" by Shakhtar CEO Sergei Palkin, recorded a direct goal contribution once every 1.67 matches on average for Lyon, which is a sublime return from a wide position.

Jota, meanwhile, chipped in with 11 goals and 11 assists across 33 Scottish Premiership clashes last season, which is one involvement every 1.5 outings on average. He was one of two Hoops stars, alongside Kyogo Furuhashi, who produced more than 15 goals and assists combined.

This suggests that Tete, who scored nine goals in 17 league games for Shakhtar during the 2021/22 campaign, has the potential to be an excellent replacement for Jota in terms of his ability to score and create goals on a regular basis from out wide.

The exciting dynamo could also be an excellent signing for Celtic as he already has a relationship with Rodgers and knows what the manager wants from his wingers, due to their spell together in England earlier this year.

Tete was dubbed a "super" professional by the ex-Liverpool boss, who also described the Shakhtar loanee as exactly what he had been looking for in a right-sided attacker.

Although the £21k-per-week ace only scored once in 13 Premier League games for Leicester, his eye-catching displays for Lyon indicate that the quality is there for him to arrive in Scotland as a Jota-esque figure on the flank for Rodgers by scoring and assisting goals week-in-week-out to compete for trophies over the next nine months.

Jason Roy’s reputation is markedly higher than his red-ball average, but for once those worlds collided at Kia Oval in a tight London derby

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Kia Oval29-Aug-2017Jason Roy led Surrey’s response•Getty ImagesA young Surrey side spurned the opportunity to run rings around a Middlesex XI that creaked in the field on day two of a match that is still anyone’s when it really should be theirs. It may be putting too fine a point on it, but what sprightly exuberance the hosts displayed on day one to fight for every run in the field was countered by a batting display that began well and lost concentration as it went on. The wise heads accompanying James Franklin in the field managed enough of the game to ensure it was rarely beyond them.Dismissing Middlesex inside 85-overs gave Surrey the luxury of batting at their own pace. Even with the loss of both openers, they began day two at their leisure: 69 runs scored in the entirety of the morning session, for the loss of just Scott Borthwick, edging Steven Finn behind, 10-minutes before lunch. The bulk of those runs came from Nightwatchman Stuart Meaker: booed for turning down runs the night before, was egged on after every boundary – three in a row were taken off Toby Roland-Jones – on his way to a more than useful 42.Time was the real currency, here. Surrey’s batting card had a club cricket quality to it: wiser heads dotted in and amongst the younger kids. Experienced spread about like policemen on street corners, making sure everyone ticked along nicely. When the peace needed to be disturbed, Surrey had just the men for it.An older ball in the second session was flayed around, as Jason Roy and Ben Foakes made use of a slow pitch and a frustrated Middlesex attack, helping to put on 149 between lunch and tea. Naturally, England thoughts crept in. It doesn’t take much at a county match for home fans to plug their own, especially when England are rattling through players like disposable razors.In Roy, Surrey have a player who seems to command a Test place in newspaper columns rather than in his work against the red ball. For 91 balls, those two worlds collided.In at four, he got off the mark with a cut off Finn through point. As scoring became tougher, he knuckled down, picking off singles at will. He didn’t have to battle, but he did have to grind. Then, when he was 36 from 48 balls, he decided it was time to kick things up a gear and smashed Ollie Rayner into the Pavilion two balls in a row to move to 48 from 50. The half-century came up eight balls later. Thing is, it was only his second half-century of the season – albeit a season in which he has been limited to just five innings so far through white ball commitments with the IPL and England.Once that was in the bag, Roy stepped aside for Foakes, who had played it cool for the most part, contributing 35 of their century partnership. Foakes was 33 from 82 balls before making his move: a brace of fours off Finn, one off Roland-Jones helping him to 50 from 94 balls.From this point on, it really should have been a tale of two men reaching their first Championship centuries of the season. Instead, the story to tell is of an advantage spurned. When Roy had a brain fade and failed to clear mid off against Adam Voges’ passable left-arm spin, and Foakes was trapped in front by James Franklin, it sent about a cascade of wickets that saw Surrey’s secure a first innings lead of just 33.The final four wickets would fall for just 49 runs, the last four with the new ball: Roland-Jones finishing with four for 66 and Tim Murtagh bagging his first two of the match. All the hard work of the fifth wicket stand between Roy and Foakes should have turned the match. In the end, it reads as a flashy 125 that simply got the game back to square one, with honours just about even.At stumps, brought about by bad light, Middlesex were just 18 behind, Sam Robson and Nick Compton still in tact, with weather expected to play some part on day three. For the second evening in a row, they leave the happier despite Surrey having controlled most of the preceding play.

Chelsea have opened discussions with Ajax for attacking midfielder Mohamed Kudus, according to David Ornstein.

The Blues are close to an agreement on personal terms with the player.

Who is Mohamed Kudus joining this summer?

The Ghanaian international is a player in demand this summer.

Chelsea are the most recent club to try and make a move for the 22-year-old, with reports stating that the club have made contact with not only Ajax but also the player's representatives. Whilst no official offer has been submitted yet, dialogue between all parties has taken place and the club are considering the player among a host of other targets. It is also reported that personal terms will not be an issue, with an agreement close regarding that matter already.

Arsenal are also interested in the midfielder, with a report from FootballTransfers stating that the Ghanaian prefers a move to Mikel Arteta's side this summer over a switch to Stamford Bridge due to the Gunners' participation in this season's Champions League. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal can afford to do this deal however, having already spent over £200m this summer, reports state that the sales of players such as Folarin Balogun and Kieran Tierney could be required first before any move for Kudus can be attempted.

Earlier on in the window Brighton and Hove Albion were interested in the player's signature, with manager Roberto de Zerbi reportedly assessing his midfield options ahead of the clubs first Europa League campaign, however that move seemed to stall as Brighton were unwilling to meet the £40m asking price for the player.

Speaking on the FIVEUK YouTube channel, Ornstein revealed that Kudus is one of a number of options being surveyed by Chelsea, with the club having held discussions with all parties:

"Chelsea came to the fore, but Brighton had initially been the leading contenders, but that one seems to have gone quiet. Obviously Chelsea are looking to strengthen in their attacking midfield department and as I understand there has been some dialogue with Ajax as well as the player side that has made an agreement close on personal terms. Whether that has moved forwards since then I don’t know, and let’s see because Chelsea will be surveying a number of options."

Would Kudus be a good signing?

Kudus could be a bargain signing if he's able to realise his potential.

The versatile player who can feature all across the attack as well as in attacking midfield enjoyed the finest season of his career last season, registering 25 goals and assists in just 42 outings across all competitions last term as Ajax just missed out on the Eredivisie title.

Kudus is also one of the most exciting young players in the world with the ball, ranking in the top one percent for successful take-ons per 90 and the top four percent for attacking touches in the opposition’s penalty area, showcasing that even if he is struggling to find the back of the net, the quality he has and the threat he carries makes him a handful for defenders

Former Ballon D'Or winner Marco Van Basten was full of praise for the attacking midfielder, stating:

"I find Mohammed Kudus a much better football player than Antony. Kudus has much better technique and he knows what he is doing. Antony may be faster, but Kudus is smarter and more technical. He is much more of a footballer, you can place him anywhere on the pitch, an all-rounder for the team. In fact, I like him much better than Antony. He's more fun to watch play.”

Should the Blues complete the deal, they will have a very exciting player on their hands, who could form incredible partnerships with the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Enzo Fernandez

Mark Stoneman, the Surrey opening batsman, is set to make his Test debut against a pink ball next week, after being named in a 13-man England squad for the first Test against West Indies at Edgbaston

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Aug-2017Mark Stoneman, the Surrey opening batsman, is set to make his Test debut against a pink ball next week, after being named in a 13-man England squad for the first Test against West Indies at Edgbaston, the first day-night Test to be staged in this country.Also in the frame for a debut is the Hampshire legspinner, Mason Crane, who displayed his composure in the T20 series against South Africa in June, and, at the age of 20, has been handed an opportunity to press for a place on this winter’s Ashes tour. He replaces his county team-mate, Liam Dawson, who featured in the first two Tests against South Africa, but was outshined in the spin-bowling stakes by Moeen Ali’s 25-wicket haul.Meanwhile, Chris Woakes, England’s swing-bowling allrounder, could be selected to make his return to international cricket in front of his Warwickshire home crowd, after recovering from the side strain that caused his withdrawal from England’s Champions Trophy campaign in June.England squad for 1st Test

Joe Root (capt), Moeen Ali, James Anderson, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Dawid Malan, Toby Roland-Jones, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, Tom Westley, Chris Woakes

Woakes steps into the squad in place of Middlesex’s Steven Finn, having played a significant allround role for Warwickshire on his comeback to the County Championship last week. He took five wickets in the match against the champions, Middlesex, including 3 for 38 in the decisive second innings, and chipped in with a half-century as well, to help his struggling team to their first championship victory of the season.Stoneman, however, is at this stage the only certainty for a call-up, following Keaton Jennings’ struggles to find any form as Alastair Cook’s partner at the top of the order. After making a century in his maiden Test innings against India in Mumbai, Jennings passed fifty just once in 11 subsequent innings, and averaged 15.87 in four Tests against South Africa with a top score of 48.Stoneman, who is set to become Cook’s 12th opening partner since the retirement of Andrew Strauss in 2012, has certainly earned his call-up. His move from Durham to Surrey this season has earned him 1,033 runs in first-class cricket, including a top score of 197 and an average of 57.38 with three centuries.”After an excellent series victory over South Africa, our first against them on home soil since 1998, we now look forward to building on our success against the West Indies,” James Whitaker, the National Selector, said.”The selectors would like to offer their congratulations to Mark Stoneman and Mason Crane who thoroughly deserve their opportunity in the squad.”Keaton Jennings will return to Durham and will look to recapture the form that earned him selection in the first place. I am sure he will find his confidence and look to score runs in the remaining matches of this season.”Chris Woakes has proved his fitness and returns to the squad having missed most of the summer through injury. He was impressive in his return game at Lord’s this week and if selected in the final line-up, he will be relishing the prospect of playing on his home ground.”On behalf of the selectors, I would like to wish Joe Root, Trevor Bayliss and all the squad the very best for what will be an exciting series against West Indies.”

The Supreme Court ruled that the BCB can make changes to the constitution, without outside interference from the National Sports Council

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-2017BCB president Nazmul Hassan has called for swift elections after the Supreme Court ruled that the board can amend its constitution without interference from the National Sports Council, the government regulatory body for sports. The Supreme Court said the National Sports Council has no authority in amending the BCB constitution.A three-member bench of the Appellate Division, headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha, passed the order after disposing the appeal that was filed against a High Court verdict that declared an amendment to BCB’s constitution, made by the National Sports Council, as illegal on January 27, 2013. On the following day, an appeal to stay the order was granted by the High Court.In November 2012, former BCB director Mobasher Hossain and Yusuf Jamil Babu filed a writ at the Dhaka High Court, challenging the legality of the BCB constitution’s amendment.”We are waiting to receive a copy of the full verdict but the case has been dismissed,” Hassan said. “From what we have heard, it has been a very positive verdict for Bangladesh cricket. Now we have to quickly announce dates for AGM and EGM to make changes to the constitution.”The court will issue directives and make some observations about the authority of the BCB and the NSC in a full judgment, which will be released later.

Liverpool are on the hunt for another midfielder after securing the signings of Alexis Mac Allister and Dominik Szoboszlai, and a new update has emerged on a potential move for a familiar transfer target.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Aurelien Tchouameni?

According to The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe, Liverpool have reignited their interest in Real Madrid midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni this summer.

Bascombe claims that Tchouameni is the player Jurgen Klopp would want to sign if he was made available by Los Blancos, which is likely to depend on their potential signing of Kylian Mbappe, with Tchouameni's sale able to boost funds in order to secure the Paris Saint-Germain star's signature.

Did Liverpool bid for Tchouameni?

Tchouameni will be a well-known player to the Anfield faithful after Liverpool made the Frenchman their top midfield target last summer, however, an approach from their Champions League rivals was too tempting for the player to refuse.

In the summer of 2022, the Reds reportedly agreed personal terms with Tchouameni, but within weeks, he was confirmed as a Real Madrid player in a €100m (£86.5m) deal.

It was then reported last month that Liverpool have made a €55m (£47m) bid to tempt him away from Spain, however, it is short of expectations, with Florentino Perez demanding an eye-watering fee of €80m (£69m).

Indeed, it would be a substantial investment for FSG to sanction this summer after spending over £95m already, but with both Fabinho and Jordan Henderson set to depart for the Saudi Pro League this summer, it could be a move that sets up Liverpool's midfield for many years to come.

Tchouameni is one of the hottest young prospects in Europe, ranking in the top 1% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues for pass completion and interceptions, as well as ranking in the top 11% for aerial duels won and clearances, demonstrating strong midfield traits that could make him not only the perfect Henderson replacement, but also a great partner for Mac Allister.

When comparing the 23-year-old's output with the Liverpool skipper's last season, Tchouameni comfortably outperformed the England midfielder in a number of key attributes, including pass completion (92.8% v 83%), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.51 v 0.30), successful take-ons (71.8% v 52.2%), percentage of tacklers dribbled (60.5% v 41.7%) and aerial duels won (66.7% v 52.4%).

In terms of building a partnership with Mac Allister, the former Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder's connection with Moises Caicedo became an unstoppable force on the south coast last season, which ultimately played a huge part in the Seagulls' qualification for European football.

As per FBref, Caicedo is named as one of the most comparable players to Tchouameni over the last 12 months, with the pair sharing similarities in their pass completion (92.8% v 88.5%), shot-creating actions per 90 (2.47 v 2.52) and progressive passes per 90 (6.32 v 6.28), suggesting that Mac Allister could thrive alongside the France international, too.

With that being said, it would be a no-brainer for Liverpool to sign Tchouameni this summer – he has previously been hailed as a "ridiculous talent" by journalist Josh Bunting – and if they could secure a deal with Real Madrid, it would deliver Klopp a full midfield rebuild ahead of next season.

India will miss Yuvraj Singh, who is recovering from viral fever, and Rohit Sharma, who will join the team on match day when they face New Zealand in their first Champions Trophy warm-up match on Sunday

Nagraj Gollapudi27-May-2017Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma will miss India’s first Champions Trophy warm-up match, against New Zealand on Sunday. Yuvraj is down with viral fever, while Rohit will join the squad on Sunday. Both are expected to be ready for India’s second warm-up match, against Bangladesh on May 30.Yuvraj and Rohit were the only two players to miss the two training sessions India have had in the last two days: Friday, at Lord’s, and Saturday, at The Oval.The BCCI sent out a medical update on Yuvraj, stating he was making “steady progress” after he woke up feeling crook on Friday morning. After undergoing tests, Yuvraj was advised rest. “The BCCI Medical Team confirms that Indian allrounder Yuvraj Singh who is presently down with viral fever is making steady progress,” a media release said. “There are no major health concerns and he is recuperating well, to the satisfaction of the medical team.”Rohit had got permission from the team management to attend a family wedding on Saturday. He was booked on a late night flight to join the team the next day.After the two warm-ups, India will travel to Birmingham, where they play Pakistan in their first match on June 4.