Kaveh Solhekol has told Sky Sports one of the most sought after players in the January transfer window will join Liverpool if FSG make a move.

Liverpool set to pursue new forward in January

The Reds are expected to pursue reinforcments to their forward line in the winter window after a string of unfortunate events has left Arne Slot short of options.

Mohamed Salah, whose future is in doubt, has departed for AFCON, while Cody Gakpo is sideline with a short-term injury.

Alexander Isak is set to be out for several months, with the Press Association reporting there are concerns within the club about serious damage to the striker’s lower leg.

Slot admitted the £125m summer signing’s situation did not look good after he was forced off in the 2-1 win over Tottenham on Saturday.

Isak has made 16 appearances since his British record move from Newcastle on deadline day but Saturday was only his sixth Premier League start, and now faces a lenghty wait to make his seventh.

FSG are expected to be active in the January transfer window, and Liverpool’s top target is Bournemouth forward Antoine Semenyo.

The Cherries star has a release clause of £65m which will only be active for certain teams for a short period of time at the beginning of the window, and Solhekol, speaking live on Sky Sports News on Monday afternoon, claimed the Reds are favourites.

Semenyo is "world class", says Kluivert

The 25 year-old Ghana international, who will not be at AFCON after the Black Stars failed to qualify, has scored eight times and provided three assists in 16 Premier League appearances this season.

Antoine Semenyo

Premier League 25/26

Appearances

16

Goals

8

Assists

3

Shots per game

2.4

Dribbles per game

1.6

Key passes per game

1.4

His Bournemouth teammate, Justin Kluivert, was full of praise for the winger back in October.

Subscribe for in-depth Liverpool transfer newsletter Curious about Liverpool’s January transfer strategy? Subscribe to the newsletter for expert analysis of likely targets like Antoine Semenyo, how injuries shape recruitment, and clear, evidence-based transfer coverage plus broader club context. Subscribe Subscribe for in-depth Liverpool transfer newsletter Curious about Liverpool’s January transfer strategy? Subscribe to the newsletter for expert analysis of likely targets like Antoine Semenyo, how injuries shape recruitment, and clear, evidence-based transfer coverage plus broader club context.

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“He is incredible, he shows it every game now,” Kluivert told Sky Sports.

“He is just world-class. We are glad to have him and that is why I said we have a good team. He is the one that scores goals for us and we appreciate that. He’s doing an amazing job.”

Related Ekitike will love him: £65m PL star wants to join Liverpool over Man Utd

Liverpool are weighing up a winter bid for a forward with Mohamed Salah’s future unclear.

Posts ByAngus Sinclair

It has been a bit of an up and down season for Everton in the 2010/11 Premier League. David Moyes’ men were seemingly going to be embroiled in the relegation battle that half the league are involved in, but a recent run of good form means that the Toffees are looking up rather than down and could still secure European qualification, as Everton currently lie 7th in the Premier League table.

The Toffees’ recent upturn in form has seen the players playing for the Everton shirt and showing some of the determination that the Merseyside club is renowned for. Moyes has brought a grit and never say die attitude to Everton and over the course of the season that has eventually begun to shine through. Leon Osman and co. have started to find the back of the net to brighten spirits at Goodison Park and to lift the mood of supporters further, we are giving away a signed Everton shirt to one lucky Everton fan…

188SPORT have teamed up with Football FanCast to give fans the chance to win a signed Everton shirt

188SPORT are proud sponsors of Everton and recently launched their new ‘Moments In Time’ website which offers Toffees fans the chance to vote for their favourite ever game-changing moment from an Everton game. ‘Moments In Time’ is an interactive forum, where you, the fans, can read club legends’ favourite moments as well as uploading your own, commenting and voting on others.

To upload your moment and have your say, log on to www.188sport.com/moments/everton

For a chance to win just correctly answer the following question…

What nationality is Everton manager David Moyes?

A) English

B) Irish

C) Scottish

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Email your answer to [email protected] to be in with a chance of winning this great prize.

The competition closes on Monday 2nd May at 12pm so make sure you get your answers in now!

For the FootballFanCast.com Competition Terms and Conditions click here.

20-year-old Neymar, heavily linked with Chelsea this summer, has emerged as the next big thing on the conveyer belt of Brazilian talent, and on Saturday he’s likely to play an instrumental role in his country’s Olympic gold medal clash with Mexico.

It will be the young forward’s first major international final, though the man dubbed the future of Brazilian football has said he won’t approach the match differently to any other.

That may be the case on the training ground, but in the privacy of his Olympic accommodation he may deploy some unusual tactics to get psyched.

Can you come up with a funny caption for this picture?

Leave your suggestions in the comments section below…

This week you can win a copy of Chelsea FC: Double Champions! Season Review 2011/12 on DVD!

For Chelsea , 2011/12 was an incredible season that will live forever in the hearts and minds of players and fans alike.

The club completed an historic double, lifting The FA Cup and becoming newly crowned champions of Europe, lifting the coveted Champions League trophy following years of heartbreak, after beating four times winners Bayern Munich at their home ground in one of the most exciting Finals in recent times.

Every match and every goal from this unforgettable season are covered in this action-packed review, with bonus material thrown in, too.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here

Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.

Last week’s winner: Goonerrrrr – click here to see all entries

French reports claim Tottenham have entered the race to sign Adrien Rabiot, but fans are completely split on a move for the PSG midfielder.

According to France Football (via Sport Witness), Spurs have “entered the race” to sign Rabiot, and Mauricio Pochettino sees him as a Mousa Dembele replacement.

While PSG are not expected to face Financial Fair Play sanctions this summer, the French media do expect them to offload one or two first team players, and Rabiot could be one of them.

Dembele is of course expected to leave North London this summer. The Belgian beast is entering the last 12 months of his contract, and it’s probably better for all parties involved to cash in on the fan favourite midfielder now.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255896″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Tottenham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

Rabiot is a defensive midfielder like Dembele, but they are certainly not identical players. Rabiot is less athletic than the Belgian but far more technically gifted and a truly excellent passer.

The 23 year-old rose through the youth ranks with the French champions, and already has six France caps. He is sort of press resistant in a way, using his incredible composure and coolness on the ball to work his way out of tight situations in midfield.

Valued at £45m by Transfermarkt, the midfielder is reportedly out of contract next summer, so Spurs could get an excellent deal if they move now.

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Fans can’t decide on the links though, with some absolutely loving the idea of signing the 6-cap star, while others don’t think he’s good enough to fill Dembele’s boots.

Either way, you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Kumar Sangakkara strained his hamstring while batting during the tour game in Adelaide © Getty Images

Kumar Sangakkara, the Sri Lankan vice-captain, is a doubtful starter for the first Test against Australia in Brisbane after scans revealed a grade one tear in his left hamstring. The injury was sustained on Saturday during the team’s first warm-up match in Adelaide.Sangakkara told Cricinfo that he remained optimistic of his chances ofmaking the Test, which begins in Brisbane on November 8, although hewill miss the second and final warm-up match against Queensland on Friday.”I would say it’s definitely a grade one tear,” he said in Adelaide on Tuesday prior to flying to Queensland. “But we will have to see when the MRIs are assessed. Realistically, I’m just trying to make sure I do everything right with my treatment and make sure I get ready for the Test.” His coach Trevor Bayliss added that he was “not hopeful” that he would make the first Test.Sangakkara had only made one run in the first innings against the Chairman’s XI before sustaining the injury. He had wanted to bat on with a runner, but the physiotherapist Tommy Simsek called him off the pitch. “He was quite right in taking me off as I could have made the injury bigger had I stayed on,” Sangakkara said. He was rested as a precaution at first, but the pain began to worsen.A grade one is the least serious type of tear, but he still needs daily treatment from the physio. He has since been testing his leg out in the gym and on the bike and says that he is already feeling better. “I’m not in any major pain, it’s just discomfort.”The absence of Sri Lanka’s vice-captain would be a big blow to the tourists who are aiming for their first Test win on Australian soil during the two-Test series.Mahela Jayawardene, the captain, said: “He’s been a vital component obviously but if he’s not fit the other guys have to step up to the plate. We would love to have Kumar there but if he’s not going to be there the other guys have to step up to the responsibility.”Prasanna Jayawardene will take the gloves in the second tour match. He deputised well for Sangakkara during the first warm-up in Adelaide this week, with a host of catches, but has not yet batted on tour. He has impressed before, when Sangakkara played as a specialist batsman in the three-Test series against Bangladesh in July, and he scored his first maiden Test century, too.Chanaka Welegedara was injured in the same match, straining his rightquadriceps, while Sanath Jayasuriya picked up a cold. Sujeewa deSilva is expected to fly in to cover for Welegedara, his fellow fastbowler, and could be launched straight into the side on Friday. He hasbeen playing for the A side in Zimbabwe.

ScorecardJesse Ryder’s early blows eased Essex’s victory path•Getty Images

Sometimes the result doesn’t matter. When George Scott of Middlesex, 19 years old and playing only his second professional T20 match, ran in from long-off and dived forwards, it didn’t really matter if he had or had not got his hands underneath a chance to dismiss Ryan ten Doeschate.What mattered is that he tried. Because less than half an hour earlier Scott had dropped two straightforward catches off Jesse Ryder before facing the ignominy of making a fielding error in front of the famously boisterous Chelmsford crowd. With them barracking behind him it would have been far easier for Scott to let ten Doeschate’s lofted straight drive come to him on the bounce, but he ran, he dived – he tried.Scott’s attempt at long-off was adjudged after TV replays to have bounced and, by a marginal decision, ten Doeschate was not given out. Middlesex lost this match comfortably, but for a team rooted to the bottom of the South Group and blooding a youthful team for the future, this was a night in which the result didn’t really matter.

Insights

Middlesex lost the match in the middle-overs of their innings when they failed to build upon a strong start. Eleven single-figure overs that contained just three boundaries and three wickets choked any sense of momentum. Quite why Eoin Morgan struggled so desperately is hard to gauge. Essex have a high-quality bowling attack but he has faced far better. If Middlesex are going to promote youth in T20 they are going to need the more experienced players to lead by example and drag the newcomers with them, Morgan failed in that task here. Perhaps he is bearing his responsibilities too heavily.

Indeed there was, just a handful of overs into Essex’s chase of Middlesex’s 150 for 5, a heavy sense of resignation in Dawid Malan’s voice as he spoke almost wistfully to the commentators about a total he felt was “well under-par” and how his team was “well up against it.” Essex’s chase was just a few overs old. Of course, Malan was right, but it was revealing to get a sense of Middlesex’s resignation in this match against an in-form Essex team.Middlesex actually made a fairer fist of it than many would have predicted. After winning the toss and electing to bat Middlesex lost Malan in the first over, but the coming together of Nick Gubbins and John Simpson provided them with a strong base. The pair carried Middlesex to 54 for 1 by the end of the Powerplay and 78 for 1 before Simpson was dismissed.It was in the ensuing middle overs that Middlesex lost the match, and, rather intriguingly it was then that England’s T20 and ODI captain Eoin Morgan was at the crease. Essex bowled well and shuffled their bowlers regularly.The variation provided by Shaun Tait, Graeme Napier, Reece Topley, Ravi Bopara and Tom Westley saw eleven consecutive single-figure overs tick by between the sixth and the seventeenth over. Simpson, Gubbins and Ryan Higgins all fell within 26 balls as the demands of the conditions squeezed the Middlesex batsmen into mistakes and they struggled to find fluency.The tight middle-overs ensured that even 33 coming off the last three could not take the visitors towards a competitive total. Morgan was dismissed in the penultimate over for a 25-ball 29 and Middlesex’s 150-5 was 26 lower than the next lowest score batting first at Chelmsford this season. It was never going to be enough.Essex hit more boundaries in the first 12 balls of their innings, seven, than Middlesex managed in their last 89. It was Ryder who did the bulk of the damage and after facing just six balls he was 22 not out and would go onto score 59 from 27. Mark Pettini was dismissed in the fourth over of the chase but by the time Essex ended the Powerplay 64 for 1 the match was as good as over.Middlesex fought hard with the ball. Gurjit Sandhu and Harry Podmore, both young bowlers, collected impressive figures of 1 for 19 and 2 for 28 respectively and the team ended up collecting six wickets between them, but with Westley striking a useful 45 the result was never in doubt, not of course that the result really mattered to Middlesex.For Essex, by contrast, this result was precious. Having lost four of their first five matches they now stand one win away from qualification for the quarter-finals.Interestingly, five of Middlesex’s team for this match, Gubbins, Higgins, Scott, Podmore and Sandhu, were involved a day earlier in Middlesex winning the Second XI T20 Cup, a result that matters far more to a county planning for the future. As for Chelmsford, Scott will learn from days like these and will hope it makes him a better cricketer.

ScorecardPat Cummins more than doubled his tally of first-class runs to avert embarrassment for the Australians•Getty Images

It’s just as well for Australia that day one of this fixture was completely curtailed by rain. Had Northamptonshire been permitted a full allotment of time, they may well have been able to force a quite ludicrous victory over a baggy green XI performing listlessly against a second-string team from the lower tier of the County Championship.There is every chance that Chris Rogers will play his final Test match at The Oval next week. If so, events at Wantage Road gave some indication of exactly how much he will be missed by the remainder of the batting order. The display put on by the top order conveyed a near total lack of confidence about how to cope with even a mediocre bowling attack using the Dukes ball serviceably in overcast conditions.On the same strip that Steven Crook had occupied to clatter their bowlers for a brazen 142 from 96 balls the day before, Australia’s batsmen failed comprehensively to function as a unit. It took a lower-order stand by Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon to ward off the momentary threat of an outright defeat in the two available days, and the last pair of Cummins and Fawad Ahmed to avoid the follow-on.Cummins played well for his undefeated 82, but it spoke volumes for the shambles further up the order that he was required to more than double his tally of first-class runs to see out the day.This has been a most unsatisfactory week for the tourists as they try to regather themselves for the Oval Test. Internal troubles, articulated as the loss of trust in the coach Darren Lehmann after the Brad Haddin affair in at least one report, appeared to be thrashed out in a terse meeting between players and selectors on the outfield before the game, while further discontent with selection was voiced by Nathan Lyon after his latest ODI team omission.Meanwhile, the retiring captain Michael Clarke, Mitchell Johnson and Chris Rogers all spent time away from the team in London, leaving the new captain and deputy, Steven Smith and David Warner, to commence their time as a leadership duo in the most inauspicious surroundings. Whatever is said about the unity of this group, the performances at Edgbaston, Trent Bridge and now Wantage Road have been anything but cohesive.The trouble had started early, when Smith failed to cover a fraction of new ball movement for Maurice Chambers and edged behind for a duck. Shaun Marsh, who had looked momentarily solid, was then unable to ride some extra bounce extracted by Richard Gleeson and parried an edge to third slip. The Marsh brothers appear likely to again be trading places in the team for The Oval, while Cummins may find himself included for Josh Hazlewood.A few overs later and Crook was introduced to the attack. Afflicted by all manner of injuries over the years, he was road-testing his bustling fast-medium for other late-season assignments, and was greeted most generously by Adam Voges, who offered a vague waft at Crook’s first ball and was taken in the slips. The innings entered the realm of parody when Shane Watson planted his front foot and fell lbw to the economical Ben Sanderson for 20 – all that was missing from the usual script was an unsuccessful referral.From there Mitchell Marsh and Peter Nevill recovered some ground with a stand of 69 that featured as many runs snicked as stroked, but they were to be separated when Crook returned to pluck out the wicketkeeper’s off stump. Marsh and Peter Siddle were out within the next eight overs, and at 180 for 8 just past the day’s midpoint an uncomfortable number of overs still remained.Cummins and Lyon proceeded to show rather more application than some of those who had preceded them, and saw the innings beyond tea in the absence of Crook, who left the field soon after pouching his third wicket and did not reappear. Northamptonshire will hope he is fit for their Royal London Cup match against Gloucestershire at this ground on Monday.Their last chance of getting any further in this match was spurned when George Munsey dropped the most straightforward of chances at backward point when Lyon sliced Chambers square of the wicket. Chambers kicked at the turf in dismay, but it was really the Australians who had more reason to be angry with themselves.

If the adjournment of a key BCCI working committee is an indication, N Srinivasan is far from being assured to continue as the ICC chairman following the annual general meeting of the BCCI next month. BCCI insiders believe Srinivasan’s continuance as the ICC chairman could be scuttled if the Supreme Court bars him from attending next month’s annual general meeting, or if he fails to acquire BCCI president Jagmohan Dalmiya’s support.Not just detractors, but even supporters of Srinivasan – and there are still a handful of them among the BCCI members – admitted that the former BCCI president will have his task cut out to convince the AGM and retain his post at the ICC.The new BCCI dispensation had cited need for continuity after a delayed AGM for the seven-month period. In the lead-up to Friday’s meeting, it was being whispered in the BCCI corridors that Srinivasan had struck a deal with secretary Anurag Thakur to continue serving his full term as the chief of the world governing body.However, a Srinivasan supporter conceded that with the president Dalmiya not allowing Srinivasan to attend the working committee, it would be a tough ask to seek the support on the floor of the house during the AGM. Moreover, if the Supreme Court does not allow Srinivasan to attend the AGM, then it will all but end Srinivasan’s regime at the ICC next month.One of Srinivasan’s critics all through the IPL corruption scandal pointed at the fact that even if a majority of BCCI members supported his candidature, it would be difficult for them to voice their support for a motion if it was not backed by the president. He insisted if the court allowed Srinivasan to attend the meeting, it would be imperative for Srinivasan to patch up with Dalmiya for maintaining his stronghold on the ICC.Srinivasan was the BCCI’s nominee for the post of ICC chairman in June 2014 following the ICC restructuring. His term is for two years. At the time of the ICC revamp, one of the sticking points for some Full Members was that the top three positions were for the nominees of the BCCI, CA and ECB, rather than for any specific individuals.The other requisite was that it is a transitional two-year arrangement, meaning that after the first term, any member could be elected to these positions. Since a BCCI nominee is currently occupying the position, it is for them to decide who will be in the post of chairman of the ICC. In other words, the BCCI could change it if they wanted to.Since the BCCI AGM every year nominates its representative in the ICC Board, Srinivasan’s fate will be decided most likely on September 27. Despite being sidelined for the BCCI top post after being embroiled in controversies following the aftermath of the corruption scandal, Srinivasan managed to retain his ICC nomination in March this year.With inputs from Nagraj Gollapudi

The BCCI has decided to invite bids for two new IPL franchises to replace the suspended Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals in the next two seasons. The owners of Super Kings and Royals had been suspended for two seasons by the Lodha panel, which had looked into corruption in the IPL.The board’s decision to invite bids for the next two years only, while Super Kings and Royals remain suspended, means that it is not looking to increase the number of franchises from eight. IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said as much when asked if the IPL will become a ten-team tournament in two years’ time, though he did not commit to it. “No, [it will be] just eight teams. That’s why the tenders will be given for only two years,” Shukla said. “Whichever bidder is interested in buying a team for two years will get it. Then we’ll see what to do, whether we should make it a 10-team tournament or what… [For now] the two bids will be invited for two years only for the two vacant slots.”The IPL title sponsorship, meanwhile, was given to Vivo Mobiles, a Chinese phone manufacturer. PepsiCo, the previous sponsor, had ended its deal with the league two years ahead of schedule. It is understood that PepsiCo held the right to transfer its five-year agreement, so the beverage giant brought in Vivo. The terms of the agreement remain the same, so the BCCI will earn Rs 78.2 crore (US$12 million approx) for each of the next two IPL editions from the new title sponsors.Among other decisions taken at Sunday’s working committee meeting in Mumbai, the BCCI also decided to hold its Annual General Meeting on November 9, and extend Nike’s deal as apparel sponsors of the Indian team. It also decided to appoint PricewaterhouseCoopers to look into how the funds distributed by the board to its member state associations were being utilised. Auditing giant M/S Deloitte was hired for “Project Transformation”, the board’s initiative aimed at improving governance, and operational and financial processes – according to a statement explaining the project on the BCCI’s website.This was the first meeting chaired by the new BCCI president Shashank Manohar.The working committee also rubber-stamped the board’s decision to move the treasury office from Chennai to Mumbai, and hire M/S Gokhale & Sathe, a Mumbai-based firm, as internal auditor.The board’s statement following the meeting said it had also decided to “look at the lands offered” by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board for the further development of the National Cricket Academy, which is currently hosted within the Chinnaswamy Stadium premises in Bangalore. National Cricket Academy chairman MP Pandove, IPL chairman Shukla, BCCI treasurer Anirudh Chaudhry and BCCI joint-secretary Amitabh Choudhary will inspect the lands, and take a decision on the same “within one month”.

The question of why criminal charges were not brought against Lou Vincent has been raised by Chris Cairns’ defence in his perjury trial at Southwark Crown Court. Vincent is one of the key witnesses against Cairns but has faced no legal action despite admitting to match-fixing and money laundering in the UK.Vincent, who has previously said Cairns ordered him to fix matches, was banned from cricket for life in 2014 under ICC regulations and his evidence forms a large part of the case brought by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).Vincent was not given any guarantees that he would not be charged by officers investigating the case but Oliver Pownall QC, representing Cairns, suggested the Metropolitan Police was only interested in material that could be used against Cairns.The court also heard of CPS concerns that not pursuing charges against Vincent could “seriously undermine the prosecution”. Notes from a meeting in February 2014 questioned whether Vincent was “rushing to the door” to implicate others and minimise his own role.However, detective chief superintendent Michael Duthie said that his main concern had been investigating the allegations of perjury, emphasising that issues to do with fixing were for the ICC and ECB. Cairns is accused of perjury and perverting the course of justice during his 2012 High Court libel action against Lalit Modi.”My decision was to investigate what happened at High Court, not match-fixing,” Duthie said. “I knew [Vincent] cheated and lied. We didn’t give any immunity or promises. If he started giving evidence about criminality in interviews with our staff, we would have stopped and cautioned him.”Pownall suggested that the idea Vincent would have been pursued for his crimes was a “sham” and that officers feared he would not give evidence against Cairns if he was also charged, something Duthie denied.Duthie and detective constable Lucy Wade were the final witnesses to be called by the prosecution. Cairns, who denies all charges against him, is due to the take the stand next week.The trial continues.