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They used one of their three trump cards and had almost everything with their four experienced batters go right for them

Sidharth Monga24-Jun-20254:09

Gambhir: We had opportunities on all five days

India’s big guns have all fired. Rishabh Pant has scored two creative centuries, the openers have each hit a classy one in each innings, the captain has notched up a regal one, their gun bowler has exhausted one of the three Tests he is going to play and has delivered a five-for. And yet they are down 1-0. They have lost the unlosable Test.Let’s get the obvious out of the way. Their last four aggregated nine runs in both innings put together, becoming parts of collapses of 7 for 41 and 6 for 31 in pretty flat conditions. They dropped more catches than any team in a Test in England in the last 20 years. Their third and fourth fast bowlers provided them neither control nor penetration. They could have batted England out on the second day; they didn’t. They could have secured a huge lead had they held their catches; they didn’t. They could have batted England out again on the fourth day; they didn’t.It was a proper baptism by fire for captain Shubman Gill, having to lead a transitioning bowling unit on one of the more idiosyncratic grounds of the world against a side that might not have the quality of some of India’s recent opponents but are intimidating frontrunners. A new slips cordon had to come to terms with fielding about a foot or two below the pitch level, bowlers needed to quickly adjust to running in up and down the slope, and their mistakes with the bat forced them to defend more than they could attack on a notoriously difficult-to-defend ground with pitches running all the way to the boundary. He also has to deal with his lead bowler playing only three Tests.Related

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However, Gill will need to lay down the law here. It wasn’t long ago that the India tail used to dig in and fight for whatever runs they could claw out. On their last trip to England, India got the lead because of the runs the lower order scored. It’s not that Nos. 8 to 11 aggregated only nine runs in two innings. Dismissals can happen. Even to specialist batters. It was more the nature of the dismissals. They batted like millionaires without getting a feel for the conditions despite having a proper batter at the other end. They played Shardul Thakur precisely to provide them batting depth, but he was out playing expansive drives eighth ball and 12th balls.Gill just needs to imagine what would have happened if the tail had displayed such a casual attitude when Virat Kohli or Rohit Sharma was captain. Once, leave alone twice, in the same match. Gill will soon learn it is nice to have a great atmosphere and respect in the dressing room, but there needs to be some fear of the leaders as well.The lower-order flop is not the only reason why India lost the unlosable Test but it was a symptom of general drops in intensity that a captain needs to watch out against. Test cricket is more about playing good cricket for longer periods of time than flashes of brilliance. This is why an attack of four good fast bowlers is better than one world-beater, one good bowler and two bowling ordinarily. You need fitness, intensity, and ruthlessness to be up six hours a day, each day for five days, or however long it takes.3:26

Harmison: Not sure India believed they could get Duckett out

On the final day, when finally none of the big guns fired, India didn’t seem to have a plan on how to put together a consistent set of overs. Jasprit Bumrah should be allowed to have a day on which he is not bowling an unplayable delivery every over. The bowling choices need to be made based not just on numbers that day. Mohammed Siraj, the best bowler on display on the final day, wasn’t bowled from overs 42 to 80, a period of not just 39 overs but also two rain breaks. Ravindra Jadeja took a little too long to shift his line wider, into the rough, to challenge Ben Duckett’s reverse-sweeps. At one point Ben Duckett punched Jadeja towards mid-off, and he looked up to see there wasn’t one. Not short, not wide, not deep. Just no mid-off at all.In a Test that you make only one or two such mistakes, they can have only a trivial impact on the eventual outcome, but all these things add up.This was also collectively India’s worst fielding performance in a long time. Thakur misfielded because he slipped, but took forever to get back up and retrieve the ball. As Rishabh Pant could be heard saying on the stumps mic, “It is okay to misfield, but you need to recover.” It should have come from Gill. If you zoomed-out a little and looked at the whole field as events unfolded during the final day, it was hard to tell if Gill was in charge. At various times, Pant and KL Rahul set the fields and talked to the bowlers.1:59

Why were Indian seamers ineffective on day 5?

The most important job for Gill and Gautam Gambhir will be to lift the team after they have lost a Test in which they used one of the three trump cards given to them and had almost everything with their four experienced batters go right for them. As has been said in this space before, Gill’s real test will be if he plays Thakur as the bowling allrounder and it doesn’t work out. The ideal response will be to double down on the need to take 20 wickets and bring in a proper bowler – possibly Kuldeep Yadav – but their collapses have given them every reason to be conservative.A captaincy debut which started like a dream for Gill has ended up being a nightmare. This was only his sixth first-class match as captain. He needs to be cut some slack, but this is a job that comes with a lot of prestige and also responsibility. He has no option but to learn quickly on the job. There is no magic potion that can maintain the love and care but still instil fear and accountability.This is not to say the players are not hurting for this loss. They are hurting more than anyone on the outside can. They will all have to dust themselves off and do the good things again but also make sure their intensity doesn’t drop. The England bowling attack can be taken down. They just need their bowlers to be in the good areas more often than at Headingley, and then be switched on in the field.If there is any consolation, it has been done before. Kohli’s first Test as captain is remembered for his brilliant twin hundreds, but even that game featured ordinary selections and lower-order disasters. In his first series as the full-time captain, Kohli lost what seemed like the unlosable Test in Galle to start off with. You can quibble with other things, but it is hard to remember drops in intensity in the side after that.

The 17-year-old UAE international is set to make her England debut after a stellar summer

S Sudarshanan30-Aug-20232:08

Mahika Gaur talks about her idols, MS Dhoni and Mitchell Starc

Left-arm seamer Mahika Gaur was only 12 when she made her international debut for UAE. Four years on, she is set to become a double-international after being called up for England’s white-ball series at home against Sri Lanka.If you were to create a left-arm seamer in a lab, the ideal ingredients would be a tall frame, lean build, and an ability to move the ball, all of which Gaur, who is over six feet tall, has. In terms of pace, she is not yet Mitchell Starc, one of her idols, but in a short span, she has been able to use her height and discipline to trouble some of the top batters in the game.In Gaur’s first match at this year’s FairBreak Invitational Tournament in Hong Kong, she got a length delivery to lift off the surface and jag back into the hard-hitting Deandra Dottin, who swayed away but could only glove it to the keeper. In her second match in the Women’s Hundred, Gaur kept Oval Invincibles openers Suzie Bates and Lauren Winfield-Hill on a tight leash with her swing while mixing her lengths. She bowled 15 of her 20 balls inside the 25-ball powerplay for only seven runs and got the wicket of Winfield-Hill.Born in Reading in the south of England, Gaur was inspired to take up cricket after watching an IPL match in Jaipur in 2011: Shane Warne had starred in a Rajasthan Royals win over Delhi Daredevils and the atmosphere at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium captivated Gaur so much that she wanted to play as soon as she got back to England.”I was practising bowling in the garden. I think my dad was just surprised that I could roll my arm fully without chucking the ball,” Gaur said on the sidelines of the Fairbreak Invitational in April this year. “He was a left-arm bowler in college but never got to do his cricket thing. But when he saw that I have potential, he’s always been on board.”Three years later, when the family moved to Dubai, Gaur enrolled in the ICC Academy, where she met Chaya Mughal, who later became UAE Women’s captain. “The first time I went into ICC [Academy], she was training indoors and the coach over there, Adnan [Sabri] sir said that I can bowl to her.”I was bowling loopy full tosses and she was defending them. She was the first person I bowled to there and I was star-struck. My dad told me she’s from the UAE national team – that was pretty cool.”In 19 T20Is for UAE, Gaur took nine wickets and conceded 5.15 runs an over•Alex Davidson/ECB/Getty ImagesMughal also remembers her first sightings of a young Gaur, whom she went on to captain in 16 T20Is for UAE. “A young girl, taking a long run-up, high-arm action, left arm – I was surprised to see a full package,” she said. “The first thought that came to my mind was, ‘Wow, she is going to be a fantastic player for the UAE side!'”She was continuously hitting the hard length and wanted the ball to come into me. I was amazed to see such a talent and she was putting in a lot of effort in every ball. She wanted to do something new in every ball she bowled. The spark she had took me aback.”Twelve-year-old Gaur didn’t quite grasp the significance of her international debut, in 2019, and wondered why her parents and older sister were “making such a big deal of it”. She only realised how momentous her debut was when Theertha Satish and Khushi Sharma, two of her best friends in the UAE set-up, got their T20I caps in 2021 at ages 17 and 19 respectively.But the major turning point in her life came in 2020. After a training session with UAE was cancelled, Gaur found herself bowling in a masterclass session with Manchester Originals at the Dubai Expo. Lancashire men’s captain Keaton Jennings and former wicketkeeper Warren Hegg, the cricket operations executive at Lancashire and Originals, were impressed by what they saw.”[Hegg] was just talking to me and found out I have a British passport,” Gaur said. “So I could play in England as a domestic player. They got in touch with my parents and I moved to Manchester in December 2021.”The following June, Gaur took 11 wickets for UAE in the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup Asia Qualifiers – the most among fast bowlers and second overall, and her economy rate of 1.36 was the best for any bowler with at least four overs in the tournament. Originals picked her in their squad as a reserve and she made her Hundred debut this August.By then there was already enough indication that England were also interested in the tall seamer. In June this year Gaur was selected to play T20s for England A against Australia A in a shadow tour alongside the Women’s Ashes. She also took 11 white-ball wickets for her domestic side, Thunder, in 13 innings during this period.Gaur says she learnt a lot from her more experienced team-mates, including Nicola Carey, Bismah Maroof and Ayabonga Khaka, during the FairBreak Invitational Tournament earlier this year•Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Getty ImagesWhat has stood out in most of these appearances is her calm and her ability to keep batters in check with the new ball. In May at Old Trafford in a 50-over domestic game for Thunder against Sparks, she prevented a set Davina Perrin and Grace Potts from scoring eight in the final over; the match was tied.Gaur’s calm perhaps comes from wanting to emulate the other “Mahi”, MS Dhoni.”One of the players I looked up to was Dhoni,” she said. “He is the CSK captain, so I am a big CSK fan. We would watch all his finishes. My first ever cricket jersey was a picture of Dhoni and on the back it said ‘Mahi 7’ because he’s Mahi and I am Mahi as well.”I think it’s why I started liking cricket, because he was making the team win from impossible situations. When I was younger, I would also dream of finishing matches like he did.”Her other idol, Starc, sent her a video message on her 16th birthday that “made my day”.”I was just in shock. That was really kind of him, and hopefully in the future, I’ll get to meet and talk to him about bowling.”For now, Gaur is enjoying learning from her more experienced team-mates across the world. At FairBreak, she shared a dressing room with Australia’s Nicola Carey, Pakistan’s Bismah Maroof and South Africa’s Ayabonga Khaka.”I prefer to know about how [the experienced players] approach something,” she said. “We were in trouble chasing a tall total against Tornadoes when Nicola Carey went out to bat. From the dugout we just watched how she took responsibility and made us win comfortably when it looked like we were not going to win.”Similarly, in one of the games, Bismah played a great innings but we lost. I asked her about what she was thinking on that surface that was tough to bat on.”Ayabonga Khaka was telling me about when she goes to her yorkers and when is the right time to bowl a slower ball. When I got hit, she would tell me what I could have done [differently]. Just small stuff like that, not overcomplicating it. They just keep it super simple.”Gaur narrowly missed out being part of the inaugural Women’s Premier League in March in India. Gujarat Giants put in a late bid for her at the auction but they had already exhausted their overseas quota. Had she been picked, she might have played as the fifth overseas player in the XI, since she was from an Associate side. Still, she was happy a team had bid for her.Outside the game, Gaur is continuing with her education – she’s studying biology, maths and psychology – but says juggling school and cricket has been difficult. “As much as I want to study, I don’t want to just always be studying when we’re in a new country [for cricket]. It’s good to go out. I am not too upset that I haven’t been studying that much. It is good in a way because I’m always busy, [either] studying or playing cricket.”Bigger challenges await her as an England international. There will be more competition for a spot in the XI, but also more game time compared to her UAE days, which means more opportunity for the opposition to dissect her skills. However, FairBreak and the Hundred have shown she has the appetite to put up a fight.

The franchise system is out, and a lot of other things are in

Firdose Moonda23-Sep-2021It took a legal challenge, a consultation process headed by former ICC CEO David Richardson and 75 job losses, but finally it’s here: South Africa’s new domestic system. Gone are the complications of franchises and back is the simplicity of a provincial structure, with some additions.Not only are each of South Africa’s nine provinces represented in the new system, but some of them have multiple teams. Gauteng has three: the Johannesburg-based Lions, Northerns in Centurion and Easterns in Benoni. The Western Cape has Cape Town’s Western Province, the Rocks in Boland and South-Western Districts in Oudtshoorn, while Eastern Province has teams in Gqeberha and East London, and Kwa-Zulu Natal has a coastal and inland team. Each of the Northern Cape, Free State, Limpopo, North-West and Mpumalanga also have their own teams, ensuring that cricket crosses the length and breadth of the country to broaden the talent pool available to the national selectors.Related

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All 15 sides, along with the South African under-19 team, will be in action in the first competition of the season, a T20 tournament, that kicks off on Friday. It’s a fitting start because September 24 is a public holiday; the day on which South Africans celebrate their diverse heritages. The only drawbacks are that none of the members of the T20 World Cup squad will be involved as they go into a camp to prepare for the tournament, and then to quarantine in the UAE. While this competition competes with the IPL for eyeballs, it still signals the start of summer in the southern hemisphere. To mark the occasion, we take a look at five major talking points ahead of the South African domestic season.Map of South Africa’s new domestic teams•ESPNcricinfo LtdSame, same but different South African domestic cricket has, for the last 16 summers, been fairly confusing for outsiders to understand, because of the franchise system. The six teams were amalgamations of provincial teams, some of whom would never have imagined joining together to form one unit, but did anyway. An example is Northerns, who play in Centurion – as the name would suggest, to the north of Johannesburg – who partnered with Easterns, who play in Benoni, to the east of the city, to become the Titans. Inevitably, most of the Titans activity took place at SuperSport Park while Willowmoore Park was the forgotten cousin. All of that has been restructured away, even though some of the provincial unions will keep their franchises names, so each province plays independently.Northerns, the bigger of the teams that became the Titans, keeps the Titans name and Easterns will be known as Easterns. The Lions’ name has been retained by Gauteng, the Dolphins by Kwa-Zulu Natal, the Warriors by Eastern Province and Knights by Free State. The Cobras name has been dropped entirely and Western Province will be known as such. The Titans, Lions, Dolphins, Warriors, Knights and Western Province are joined by the Rocks (based in Paarl) and the North-West Dragons (based in Potchefstroom) in Division 1. Border, Easterns, Northern Cape, Kwa-Zulu Natal Inland, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and South-Western Districts make up Division 2.What hasn’t changed is that there is still a hierarchy in the domestic system but it is no longer based on professional franchises and semi-professional provinces as was the case before. Now, it’s simply Division 1 and Division 2 but actually, that’s all just semantics. Teams in Division 1 have the budget to contract more players (16) than teams in Division 2 (11), have the nationally contracted players on their books and, when first-class and one-day matches are televised, it will likely be Division 1 on the silver screen. But, these divisions are not set in stone and a promotion-relegation system will be in place from the 2023/24 season, though it is yet to be decided if one or two teams will be moved between divisions. Both divisions play in the season-opening T20 competition.Getty ImagesBig movers While many players have stayed with the provincial unions attached to their former franchises, there have been some notable moves – most obviously in the formation of the two new top-tier teams, Boland and North-West. Boland have acquired the services of international batters, Janneman and Pieter Malan from the Cobras (now Western Province) while North-West have signed Dwaine Pretorius, who played at the Lions, and Senuran Muthusamy, the third-leading wicket-taker in last season’s four-day competition from the title-holders, Dolphins. Thando Ntini has moved from the Titans to the Dolphins, having started his career in Cape Town, Beuran Hendricks has gone from the Lions to Western Province, and Dane Paterson will play for Eastern Province after spending the bulk of his career in Cape Town before a stint as an overseas player for Nottinghamshire.Returning KolpaksKyle Abbott will be eligible for South Africa selection again•Cricket South AfricaThe South African domestic set-up also welcomes back several players who ended their international careers to take up Kolpak deals. Boland are the biggest beneficiaries and have secured the services of batter Stiaan van Zyl and fast bowlers Hardus Viljoen and Kyle Abbott. North-West have also laid claim to a share of the returnees and signed Heino Kuhn. Duanne Olivier will play for the Lions, Simon Harmer for Titans, and allrounder Wayne Parnell returns to Western Province, where he will captain the team in the T20 tournament. The Kolpak system no longer exists, which also makes these players eligible for South Africa again.Involvement of former internationals in coaching structuresThough South African cricket has suffered a brain drain with the loss of Cobras coach Ashwell Prince to Bangladesh as a batting consultant, and Vernon Philander, who was due to play for Western Province, to Pakistan as a bowling coach, there are still former players in the system. For instance, Imraan Khan, who played one Test for South Africa in 2009 and was a stalwart of the domestic set-up, won the first-class tournament with the Dolphins last year and remains their head coach. Robin Peterson head Eastern Province, Allan Donald is in charge at Free State, and Paul Adams has landed a role as head coach of Border, after last coaching at the Cobras in 2016.There’s also a big-name among the support staff. JP Duminy, who retired from international cricket after the 2019 World Cup, is the batting consultant for the Lions and has been seconded to the South African team for the T20 World Cup.Other former players, albeit not internationals, who are involved are Adrian Birrell, former Ireland coach and South African assistant coach, who will be in charge of Boland, former Lions player Richard das Neves, who will coach Easterns and will join Namibia for the T20 Word Cup, and Dumi Makalima, former Border and Gauteng player who will take charge at Limpopo.Commentary in isiXhosa The high-profile names don’t stop on the field. Three former international bowlers will be behind the microphone for dedicated isiXhosa commentary. Makhaya Ntini, Monde Zondeki, and Mfuneko Ngam make up a five-person team which also includes seasoned broadcasters Mluleki Ntsabo and Sixolele Sotyelelwa. Though this is not the first time commentary will be offered in isiXhosa, it appears to be the start of a more regular offering in a language outside of English or Afrikaans and will hopefully be the trend throughout the summer.

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Manchester United have now opened talks to sign an “incredible” star, who’s scored a whopping 147 career goals, and they are looking to get a deal done at the start of next year.

Man Utd looking to bring in another leader

In the wake of the 4-1 victory against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday night, Ruben Amorim praised Lisandro Martinez for his leadership capabilities, while also adding: “Mason Mount is always the same thing, training, talking, dealing with people around Carrington. That is not easy. So he is a very, very good player.”

However, the perceived lack of leaders in the squad has been criticised for quite some time, with Roy Keane calling into question whether Bruno Fernandes is a suitable captain after the 1-1 draw against Chelsea last season.

Following the emphatic win at Molineux, the Red Devils are up to sixth in the Premier League table, but they clearly aren’t the finished article just yet, having lost at home to 10-man Everton and drawn with a struggling West Ham United side in recent weeks.

If Man United are to start competing for the top honours once again, they may need to bring in players who are experienced at the top level, and they have now opened talks over a deal for Sergio Ramos, who is a free agent, following his departure from Monterrey.

That is according to a report from Spain, which states negotiations are in the early stages, with United expressing the ‘strongest’ interest in securing the former Real Madrid man’s signature, and they are looking to bring him in at the start of next year.

Several other unnamed clubs are in the race for the Spaniard’s signature, with his future set to be resolved in the next few weeks.

Amorim's priority target: Man Utd step up interest in "special" Madrid star

Man United are now in the race for a “special” player

ByDominic Lund 6 days ago "Incredible" Ramos knows what it takes to win

With Keane previously making it clear he is not entirely convinced by Fernandes as a captain, Man United could perhaps do with bringing in an experienced leader, who knows what it takes to win.

The 39-year-old certainly fits the bill in that regard, having become the first player to captain a team to three straight Champions League triumphs during his time with Real Madrid.

Mesut Özil has also made it clear just how highly he rates his former teammate, saying: “Sergio Ramos is the best defender I’ve ever played with. And the one with the most character. At that time I was still very young, but I already had a very strong mentality. It was incredible. It was clear that sooner or later he would lead Real Madrid to UCL glory.”

Not only is the 180-time Spain international a top-quality defender, but he also poses a threat at the other end of the pitch, having amassed a whopping 147 career goals for club and country.

That said, Ramos is now 39-years-old, and hasn’t played in Europe since a spell with Sevilla in the 2023-24 campaign, so there may be some doubts over whether he is still capable of making an impact at a club like Man United.

Rangers manager Danny Rohl has confirmed that as many as six players are currently injury doubts to square off against Livingston in the Scottish Premiership this Saturday.

It’s bad timing for the Gers, who are attempting to make it four league wins from four under their new manager. Victory over bottom side Livingston would also see those at Ibrox rise to third if Hibernian also fail to beat Dundee. It would be the result of the strong start that Rohl has made to turn things around following the disaster that was Russell Martin’s tenure.

Thelwell can upgrade on Souttar by signing £8m defender for Rangers

With Danny Röhl in need of defensive reinforcements, could Rangers sign an “aggressive” £8m-valued star better than John Souttar and Nasser Djiga?

ByBen Gray Nov 20, 2025

The German told reporters in the build-up to Rangers’ return to action that he believes they’re “in a good way”, but still need to work on breaking old habits on the pitch.

As January approaches, the former Sheffield Wednesday boss may also be eyeing up some potential improvements to his squad amid recent links with the likes of Kilmarnock’s David Watson.

The midfielder would add the kind of depth that the Gers could do with this weekend following the latest injury news.

Rangers vs Livingston team news

As revealed by Rohl, as many as six stars could miss Rangers’ game against Livingston this weekend following a frustrating international break. Mikey Moore, John Souttar, Derek Cornelius and Bailey Rice are all certain to be absent after picking up knocks, whilst Youssef Chermiti and Liam Kelly are facing a race against time to return to full fitness.

Rohl told reporters: “I am very happy and very proud of my players during the international break. We do have a couple of injuries from players returning, such as John Souttar, Micky Moore, and Derek Cornelius, who all have muscle injuries. Bailey Rice got injured during training, and Liam Kelly is a question mark at the moment.”

It’s a particular blow for Tottenham Hotspur loanee Moore, who scored his first Rangers goal against Dundee just before the international break. The 18-year-old, who was dubbed “brave” by former manager Martin upon arriving, has now seen his recent momentum halted by an untimely injury.

With Rangers set to face Braga in the Europa League next Thursday, Rohl will hope to have a positive update on several injuries just in time for what is a crucial game.

Rangers open talks to sign "quality" attacking star ahead of Aberdeen

Viewers watching the New York Yankees' absolute shellacking of the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon may have noticed something… odd about the bats some pinstripes were using.

Jazz Chisholm Jr. and Anthony Volpe both stepped up to the plate against Milwaukee with unusual-looking bats. Instead of "normal" bats, they wielded bats that were fatter on the barrel towards the label and thinned out towards the tip. They looked somewhat like bowling pins.

Longtime Yankees broadcaster Michael Kay explained why they were using those bats during the YES Network broadcast and revealed the team actually custom-made those bats to improve hitting for those who tend to make contact closer to the label than the true barrel, like Volpe and Chisholm.

"The Yankee front office, the analytics department, did a study on Anthony Volpe and every single ball, it seemed like, he hit on the label," Kay said. "He didn't hit any on the barrel. So they had bats made up where they moved a lot of the wood into the label so the harder part of the bat will actually strike the ball."

It's certainly an unusual strategy. It also seemed to work; Chisholm and Volpe both went yard with the funky bats as part of a historic Yankees onslaught of home runs.

The new bats will likely be a talking point in the baseball world for a while. In the meantime, the Yanks were up 20-7 on the Brewers through seven innings.

AC Milan have stepped up their pursuit of Robert Lewandowski, scheduling a new round of talks with his agent Pini Zahavi as the Barcelona striker weighs his future as his contract nears its end. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic pushing internally to bring the 37-year-old to San Siro and Milan rebuilding under Max Allegri, the Rossoneri sense an opening, but salary demands remain a major hurdle.

• Milan accelerate pursuit as Lewandowski weighs future

  According to , Milan are preparing a fresh approach for Lewandowski, with a new meeting scheduled between sporting director Igli Tare and the striker’s agent Pini Zahavi in the coming weeks. The Rossoneri have made the 37-year-old a priority target for June, convinced that his arrival could transform the club’s rebuild under Allegri. Lewandowski’s contract with Barca runs until June 2026, but uncertainty around his long-term role coupled with the club’s plan to sign a new No.9 next summer has placed his future firmly in play.

  Milan rejected the idea of approaching him last year due to salary constraints, but with Champions League qualification now a central objective, the Rossoneri believe the timing may be right to formalise negotiations. The San Siro hierarchy have already tested the waters with Lewandowski’s entourage. This next meeting is expected to focus on possible salary parameters, with the Pole currently earning €20 million (£17m/$22m) net at Barcelona, almost triple the wages of Milan’s highest earner, Rafael Leao.

  With Barcelona evaluating replacements and Lewandowski keeping all options open, the situation is edging into a crucial phase, one that could reshape the summer transfer market.

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  Ibrahimovic’s influence and Barcelona’s search for a new No.9

  This renewed push from the Rossoneri comes with the backing of their former striker Ibrahimovic, now a senior advisor at RedBird and one of the most influential voices behind Milan’s sporting strategy. He views Lewandowski as the type of elite striker who can immediately elevate the squad, much like his own transformative return to the club in 2020.

  On the Barcelona side, their search for a new striker highlights how the club is preparing for life after Lewandowski. Reports indicate that Harry Kane sits at the top of their shortlist, with the England captain scoring 108 goals in 113 games for Bayern Munich since 2023. Other names include Julian Alvarez, long admired by Barca, and even a dream move for Erling Haaland, described internally as Joan Laporta’s “obsession”. Financial realities, however, mean the Catalan giants are also analysing cheaper alternatives such as Etta Eyong, underlining the scale of the transition being planned.

  Lewandowski’s reduced role this season, a result of injuries and the emergence of Ferran Torres has only added to uncertainty. Despite this, he remains Barca’s leading scorer with seven goals in nine La Liga matches, second only to Mbappe in the Spanish scoring charts.

• Lewandowski speaks out and Milan’s project takes shape

  The ex-Bayern striker has been open about his indecision regarding the next step in his career. While on duty with Poland, he made it clear that he does not intend to rush any decision: “I still don’t know the answer. That’s why I’m not in a hurry, I’m at peace with myself. Even if, for example, the club contacted me now, I still wouldn’t answer that question. Because I also have to feel what’s best for me. Now I’m calm, I’m not in a hurry and, at the moment, I don’t expect anything else.”

  His stance aligns with Milan’s long-term approach under Allegri and Tare, who are intent on recruiting experienced leaders to stabilise the squad. Zahavi’s strong relationship with Milan further strengthens their position. For Milan, landing Lewandowski would represent both a sporting coup and a symbolic statement that their project is entering a new era.

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  The next meeting could shape the summer market

  The Rossoneri's upcoming talks with Zahavi will be pivotal. If the two sides can find common ground on salary structure, potentially through bonuses or multi-year guarantees, negotiations could accelerate rapidly ahead of June. Barcelona, meanwhile, are expected to continue planning for a major reshuffle in the forward department, with the Lewandowski decision acting as the first domino.

  As interest from multiple European clubs quietly grows, all eyes now turn to Milan’s next meeting. The battle for Lewandowski is only just beginning and the outcome could define one of the summer’s biggest transfer sagas.

After claiming the MLS Golden Boot, Lionel Messi has been named to the MLS Best XI for the second time since joining Inter Miami. The recognition comes after Messi finished with the second-most goal contributions in a single season in MLS history and became the second player in league history to lead the league in goals and assists.

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  A star-studded team

  The squad features six first-time honorees and players representing nine different clubs, with the Philadelphia Union and Vancouver Whitecaps each seeing two players recognized. The team features multiple award winners, too, including Golden Boot winner (and MVP favorite) Messi, MLS Goalkeeper of the Year Dayne St. Clair, MLS Defender of the Year Tristan Blackmon, MLS Young Player of the Year Alex Freeman, and MLS Newcomer of the Year Anders Dreyer.

  Freeman is the youngest player named to the Best XI in five years (Brenden Aaronson in 2020), while Dreyer joins Roman Burki and Walker Zimmerman in making the list from a first-year expansion team in the 2020s. Denis Bouanga, meanwhile, became the first player since Josef Martinez to make the team three consecutive times as he joins Dreyer and Messi as the three attackers in the team.

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  Best XI in full

  Goalkeeper: Dayne St. Clair (Minnesota United FC)

  Defenders: Tristan Blackmon (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Alex Freeman (Orlando City SC), Jakob Glesnes (Philadelphia Union), Kai Wagner (Philadelphia Union)

  Midfielders: Sebastian Berhalter (Vancouver Whitecaps FC), Evander (FC Cincinnati), Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC)

  Forwards: Denis Bouanga (LAFC), Anders Dreyer (San Diego FC), Lionel Messi (Inter Miami CF)

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  Local flavor

  Four players in the side have played for the U.S. men's national team this year: Freeman, Blackmon, Sebastian Berhalter and Cristian Roldan. All four were in the U.S. squad for the September camp, with Roldan and Freeman returning for the October camp as well. Berhalter, meanwhile, joined Freeman this summer in representing the U.S. on the run to the Gold Cup final.

  Canada, too, is represented by St. Clair, who becomes the second Canadian player to be named to the MLS Best XI in the last decade, following Tajon Buchanan in 2021.

  The five domestic selections are the most since 2015, when there were also five: Luis Robles, Matt Hedges, Benny Feilhaber, Ethan Finlay and Dax McCarty, all American.

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  What comes next?

  Of the Best XI selections, Freeman is the only one not left in the playoffs after Orlando City were knocked out in the Wild Card round. All five deciding Game 3s of the current round will be played this weekend.

Turning their attention towards South America, one PIF chief reportedly personally wants to sign a Brazilian rising star for Newcastle United in 2026.

Ross Wilson closing in on first Newcastle signing

It was a busy international break at St James’ Park, as PIF welcomed new sporting director, Ross Wilson, from Nottingham Forest.

The 41-year-old arrives hoping to add some much-needed stability to Newcastle’s transfer department and has already been welcomed with open arms by manager Eddie Howe.

Wilson hasn’t taken long to make his mark, either.

According to reports, he’s already closing in on his first signing for the club in the form of Barnsley youngster Josh Kenchington. The England Under-15s star is reportedly set to arrive after the Magpies agreed a deal to secure his signature ahead of 2026.

Compared to John Stones, who also started out at Barnsley, Kenchington could turn into a major coup for Newcastle if he realises his impressive potential in years to come.

That said, he’s not the only young player that Newcastle have set their sights on.

Those at St James’ are also reportedly targeting a major South American talent who’s making serious noise across the Atlantic.

PIF chief personally wants to sign Rayan for Newcastle

According to reports in Brazil, as relayed by Sport Witness, PIF and Newcastle chairman Yasir Al-Rumayyan now personally wants to sign Rayan from Vasco da Gama in 2026 — telling an agent that he sees massive potential in the winger.

Al-Rumayyan has apparently “expressed his wish” for Newcastle to do a deal behind-the-scenes, and it is clear to see why.

The 19-year-old winger has really impressed in Brazil.

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With a release clause as cheap as €40m (£35m), Newcastle should be in a strong position to afford the talented winger if they fend off any competition from the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa.

Rayan recently became the youngest player in Vasco history to reach 10 Brazilian top flight goals since Dinamite in 1973, breaking a 52-year record, and he’s been in top form throughout the 2025 season with 15 strikes in all competitions — including eight in his last 13 league games.

What’s more, even with that release clause, Vasco value Rayan at just €30m (£26m), which hands Newcastle yet another boost if they push for his arrival.

Described as a “monster” by South American expert Nathan Joyes, Rayan is undoubtedly one to watch.

A number of South American talents have taken the Premier League by storm in recent years, and he could now be next in line.

It would be some statement from Wilson if he managed to pull off such a transfer coup so early into his Newcastle tenure.