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Dwayne Bravo picked up his 400th T20 wicket to restrict Hobart Hurricanes to 164, and Cameron White went past 5000 T20 runs as he chased the target down with ease

Alex Malcolm21-Dec-2017
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsThe Melbourne Renegades recruited spree-turned heads during the off-season but it was some familiar faces that orchestrated a comprehensive first-up win over the Hobart Hurricanes. Dwayne Bravo became the first man to 400 T20 wickets and showed how valuable a commodity he is with his second five-wicket haul in T20 cricket to restrict the Hurricanes to a sub-par 164.Then Cameron White wound back the clock with a vintage unbeaten 79 to guide his side home with nine balls to spare. He was ably supported by Marcus Harris (50 off 34) and Renegade-turned-Striker-turned-Renegade Brad Hodge (22* off 14).It was Bravo who set the game up after the Renegades elected to bowl at the toss. He bowled four one over spells, all of which dragged the Hurricanes back after they threatened to post an enormous total on an excellent batting surface.Cameron White cuts one during his match-winning 79 off 59 balls•Getty ImagesThe new opening pairing of D’Arcy Short and Alex Doolan raced to 48 after five overs before Bravo’s mix of slower balls firstly yielded three dots to Doolan and then took him out, caught at short third man while trying a big shot down the ground. Short’s troubles against spin compared to his class against pace was evident when Brad Hogg slid one into his front pad as he tried awkwardly to sweep off an ill-advised length.Ben McDermott and George Bailey then ripped into Hogg, taking 22 from the 11th over of the innings to move the total to a healthy 2 for 102.Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi delivered an excellent over of offspin in the 12th conceding just four runs. The Hurricanes went 17 balls without a boundary before McDermott was caught off a Bravo slower ball.The Hurricanes spluttered from there with Nabi bowling four overs for just 25 and picking up Bailey. Matthew Wade was the only one to hit Bravo over the rope before he became the seamer’s fifth victim off the final ball of the innings.Jofra Archer in his delivery stride•Getty ImagesThe Renegades chase started horribly with Aaron Finch falling in the first over. White and Harris then combined for a 113-run stand, weathering the Hurricanes battery of express pace bowlers with some sound scoring plans and a touch of good fortune. They used the pace and waited for loose deliveries rather than trying to fight fire with fire.Jofra Archer was only Hurricanes bowler not to concede more than nine an over. He took 2 for 17 from four overs including a rare gem of a double-wicket maiden in the 14th to give the Renegades chase the speed wobbles.But Hodge, fresh from facing military mediums on synthetic pitches in sub-district cricket in Melbourne, launched the second ball he faced, a 140-plus kph rocket from Aaron Summers, onto the hill to ease the pressure.White went about his work with a minimum of fuss, as he has done so often in his career. On another day he would have been a worthy Man of the Match, but that honour went to Bravo.

Celtic are reportedly showing an interest in Wolves winger Daniel Podence, and a new update has shared how much the player could cost.

What’s the latest Celtic transfer news?

The Hoops have so far brought in six new players at a total cost of £12m this summer, but it looks as if further additions will be made at Parkhead before the deadline. A pending arrival is believed to be Elfsborg defender Gustaf Lagerbielke, with the player flying into Glasgow after a fee was agreed between the two clubs.

After securing the services of Lagerbielke, Celtic and Brendan Rodgers could well turn their attention to targets further forward, with Manchester City midfielder James McAtee just one player who has recently been linked with a move north.

However, it appears as if the Hoops have their eyes on Podence from Wolves, with the player missing from the opening game of the season against Manchester United on Monday evening.

Sky Sports reporter Antony Joseph took to X on Tuesday evening to share an update on Podence, claiming the Hoops are keen on his services. He added that Wolves value the player at £12m, although Celtic seemingly feel that figure can be lowered through talks.

“Celtic are keen on Wolves winger Daniel Podence. He has one year left on his contract & wasn’t included in the squad last night.

“Wolves want around £12m, but it’s understood Celtic see room for negotiation, if they make an approach.”

Celtic’s current transfer record is under £10m for Odsonne Edouard, so even if Celtic manage to reduce a potential fee, it could still be the club’s most expensive signing of all time.

Who is Daniel Podence?

Podence is 27 years of age and is primarily a left-winger who can also turn out as a second striker or right-winger. A Portugal international, the attacker progressed through the academy at Sporting Lisbon and made 40 senior appearances for the club before joining Olympiacos in 2018.

He then turned out on 68 occasions for the Greek side, contributing to 27 goals, which resulted in a move to Wolves in 2020 in a deal worth €19.60m. In England, Podence, on £52,000-a-week, has made more than 100 appearances in the Midlands and as Joseph claims, is into the final 12 months of his deal.

Podence was hailed by former Wolves winger Michael Kightly back in 2020, who said:

“I thought he was really, really good. I was surprised that he never came on in the Sheffield United game. Fair play to Nuno [Espirito Santo], he probably realised that he made a mistake and he’s stuck him in against Everton.

“[There was] no better way for Podence to show Nuno what he’s been missing, if you like. I thought his performance was really good. He looked sharp, he looked strong. Every time we got the ball, he looked like he was going to make something of it. He’s exactly what Wolves need.”

It could well be a transfer to keep an eye on, and it will be interesting to see if Celtic firm up their interest in the player with an approach or a formal opening offer.

Tom Blundell is in line for a Test debut after BJ Watling was unable to prove his fitness to keep wicket in the opening match of New Zealand’s season

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Nov-2017New Zealand will need a new wicketkeeper for the opening Test against West Indies in Wellington after BJ Watling was forced to relinquish the gloves due to his ongoing hip problem.The uncapped Tom Blundell is favourite to take the role although the decision won’t be confirmed until after the New Zealand A match against West Indies.Watling, who has not kept wicket in the last four Plunket Shield matches for Northern District, will remain part of the squad and could be considered as a specialist batsman. If he misses out completely it will be the first Test he is absent from since England at Headingley in 2013.The New Zealand A squad for the warm-up match has also been hit by injury and illness with Martin Guptill (hamstring), Colin Munro (ill), Adam Milne (back) and Scott Kuggeleijn (ill) all withdrawing.

Everton have kicked off their Premier League campaign but are still on the look out for new additions to strengthen the squad, and now a fresh update has emerged on the club's pursuit of a potential target.

What's the latest on Everton's interest in Hugo Ekitike?

According to journalist and transfer insider Rudy Galetti, Everton are "pushing hard" to sign Paris Saint-Germain forward Hugo Ekitike before the transfer window closes on the 1st of September.

Galetti took to Twitter to reveal:

"#Everton are pushing hard for #Ekitike: talks with #PSG are progressing at a good pace."

"Understand the club is speeding things up to anticipate the competition of Eintracht and other 🇪🇺 teams interested in the ST."

"Hugo hasn't made a decision on his future yet."

How much will Hugo Ekitike cost?

There is no doubt that Sean Dyche will be desperate to improve the attacking threat at Goodison Park this summer, following a torrid Premier League campaign last season that left them struggling to create and convert goal-scoring opportunities throughout.

Everton scored the second-fewest goals (34) in the entirety of the top flight last season, with only Wolverhampton Wanderers hitting the back of the net on fewer occasions (31), something that must massively improve if they are to avoid another relegation scrap.

Indeed, the Toffees have secured the signings of Youssef Chermiti and Arnaut Danjuma already, but with Dominic Calvert-Lewin struggling to maintain his fitness and Dwight McNeil set to be side-lined for weeks with an ankle injury, there is definitely still to room to add depth and quality in the final third.

Ekitike is a fantastic youth prospect who has struggled for game-time at PSG over his first season in Paris, something the Frenchman would have been prepared for due to competing with Kylian Mbappe for the position in the highly-competitive front three.

Nevertheless, the 21-year-old scored three goals, registered four assists and created three big chances over 25 Ligue 1 appearances, despite only making 12 starts and averaging 46 minutes per game, according to SofaScore.

Not only that, Ekitike ranks in the top 5% of his positional peers across the top five European leagues per 90 minutes played for assists, interceptions and pass completion, as well as ranking in the top 20% for tackles won and blocks too, demonstrating that he is a huge asset in his role.

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig dubbed the France U21 forward a "revelation" and has waxed lyrical about his strengths claiming he is a complete forward who "can also play as an inside forward" as well as being "fast & powerful" with "superb flair, agility & coordination for a player of his size".

Ekitike currently earns £80k-per-week, as per FBref, which would make him one of the highest earners at Goodison Park, and it has been reported that PSG would command a fee of around €35m (£30m) to part ways with their player permanently.

With that being said, the signing of Ekitike could be the final piece to add much-needed quality in the final third this season and if he can continue to develop his skills at Goodison Park, he could be massively valuable to Everton for many years to come.

Pakistan’s captain makes a lot of runs with the shot, but his top-edge while attempting it on the final day in Dubai opened a gate for Sri Lanka

Osman Samiuddin in Dubai10-Oct-2017It is the kind of dismissal that can change the nature of a captaincy. Sarfraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq were building on their stellar work on the fourth evening and had already scored 27 runs in six overs at the start of the fifth day.As he has done thousands of times before, Sarfraz went down to sweep the fifth ball of Dilruwan Perera’s over. He got nice and low, but the ball didn’t – it bounced a little more, caught his top edge and landed in Nuwan Pradeep’s hands at deep square leg.Pakistan needed 92 at that stage and this was the last specialist batting pair. They had already put on 173 and were in the process of turning the game around. More significantly, the new ball was due in eight balls and the situation demanded Sarfraz and Shafiq to be there to face it. Instead he was gone, and with it, Pakistan’s hopes of a series-levelling win: they lost their last four wickets for just 23 runs, and with it went Pakistan’s unbeaten, decade-long home streak.Did he regret the shot?”No, not regret,” he said. “That is my shot and I play it a lot. In this innings I really checked myself, I didn’t play too many shots but I guess, there is regret that I got out to it and the team was hurt because of that.”It is correct that the sweep is his go-to shot against spin and he is very good with it. But, the situation as it was, this being his second Test as captain, and having been dismissed in the Abu Dhabi chase also attacking, it will, he admitted, make him rethink its deployment. A loose hook shot in his first Test as captain, after all, changed the nature of Imran Khan’s batting.”It is the shot that I play, I’ve played it lots before and made runs from it,” he said. “But I’ll try and not play it at crucial moments again.”That mistake merely compounded a whole series of collective ones Pakistan made through the two Tests. It constitutes the first real bump in Sarfraz’s leadership, which hitherto has gone smoother than expected. He’s won nine and lost two T20s that he’s led in, and can already boast of a global ICC trophy.”I got to learn a lot from this. We made many mistakes. This was my first series as captain and it was pretty tough. Captaincy is very different in Tests – it changes session by session.”His assessment of the defeat wasn’t much different from Mickey Arthur’s the previous evening. It wasn’t the bowling, though Sarfraz did concede they could’ve gone with two spinners here. The biggest problems were of the batsmen, failing in a chase of 136, and then failing to make 300 in each innings in Dubai. But it wasn’t just the order that was the problem.Shafiq’s final day hundred was the only century for Pakistan in four innings, with seven fifties [Sri Lanka had two but both were big ones].”We lacked in our batting, we didn’t play any long innings and didn’t capitalise on good starts,” Sarfraz said.”The kind of innings Asad played, if we had gotten that in the last game, or in the first innings here, then we could’ve gotten out of it. I’ve learnt a fair bit and I hope that whatever the next series is, we’ll try and improve on these.”Part of that could be attributed to a lack of game time. In contrast to Sri Lanka who came into this series battle-hardened with a full series against India behind them, Pakistan had not played a Test since May. Since the Champions Trophy win in June, they had only played three Twenty20s against a World XI, which, tough as they may have been, carried the air of exhibition games.Their only real preparation, for a series that began in the UAE as early as the last week of September for the first time, was a five-day training camp in Lahore. There had been some talk of an earlier arrival in the UAE for better preparation before the team left, but Sarfraz was happy they had done their work.”If I say we didn’t do our full preparation, or we weren’t acclimatised to conditions, it would be wrong. We did our preparation in the time we had. We played a practice game in Lahore.”I think we just didn’t play this series well and to say we didn’t get the time to prepare is wrong – we did our preparations right. We just didn’t avail the opportunities we had. In the first Test we got so close and could have won it but couldn’t.”

Wolverhampton Wanderers have made contact with midfielder Guido Rodriguez over a potential switch this summer, according to Rudy Galetti.

The side are set for a busy final month of the transfer window.

What is the latest Wolves transfer news?

The Midlands side have had an incredibly tumultuous window so far.

The club have been incredibly limited in terms of what they can do in the market this summer due to FFP restrictions. Premier League rules state that clubs can only record losses of £105m over a three-year-period. In their most recent financial results, the club recorded a £46.1m loss, meaning that the side will have to limit spending and losses in order to comply to regulations and avoid punishments.

There was a real concern that current manager Julen Lopetegui would depart this summer after managing to keep the side up last season despite being bottom on Christmas. The former Real Madrid boss was reportedly frustrated with the situation and held multiple talks with the clubs ownership this summer, with reports suggesting the Spaniard could walk away from the job. Fortunately for Wolves fans, Lopetegui has confirmed that he will stay this season despite the clubs troubles.

Wolves have lost a number of key players this summer, with the most notable departure being Portuguese midfielder Ruben Neves, who joined Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal for a reported fee of £47m. Defender Nathan Collins also departed after just one season at Molineux, joining fellow Premier League side Brentford in a deal worth £23m. The club also lost long serving players Joao Moutinho and Adama Traore following the expiry of their deals at the club, whilst former captain Conor Coady made the switch to recently relegated Leicester City.

The only transfer the club have made is bringing back former player Matt Doherty on a free transfer after his short term deal at Spanish side Atletico Madrid. The other confirmed singings were the activations of obligatory buy options from the loan deals of Matheus Cunha and Boubacar Traore.

The club are looking make another signing this summer according to Galetti, who told GIVEMESPORT that conversations had occurred between Rodriguez and Wolves, however the player remains in discussions with his club Real Betis over a contract renewal this summer.

He said: "Wolves are moving slowly at this stage of the summer transfer window. There have been some contacts with Real Betis for Guido Rodriguez, but nothing concrete. The player, among other things, is discussing his contract renewal with the Spanish club.”

What is next for Wolves this window?

There is still plenty of business for the Midlands club to do this summer.

Well, you would think that a player like Rodriguez is a must for Wolves after the departures of Ruben Neves and Joao Moutinho, but it remains to be seen as to whether they can actually pursue signings like this given their current situation.

The club have suffered a blow in terms of incomings however, seemingly losing the race to sign Bristol City young star Alex Scott to Bournemouth. Wolves saw two offers rejected for the player this window, with £18m and £20m bids knocked back for their number one target, and the Cherries seem to be the side who have matched the Championship sides asking price of £25m. The club are looking to replace Collins with Nico Elvedi, with Football Insider reporting that the club are close to be completing the transfer for a fee in the region of £7.7m after the player rejected a new deal with the club.

There could still be outgoings from Molineux this summer as well. Daniel Podence is reportedly a target of Spanish side Betis this summer, with the side hoping that a fee in the region of £7-10m will be enough to prise the player away from Wolves. Both Max Kilman and Matheus Nunes are targets for top European sides this summer, with the Englishman a target of Napoli following the departure of Kim Min-Jae this summer to Bayern Munich, whilst Nunes a reported target of PSG, with Luis Campos reportedly a big fan of the Portuguese midfielder who joined Wolves last summer for £42.2m.

Former Pakistan head coach will also double up Director Cricket for the PSL franchise

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Sep-2017Former Pakistan fast bowler and two-time head coach of the Pakistan team, Waqar Younis, has been appointed bowling coach and director cricket by Pakistan Super League franchise Islamabad United. The director’s role was previously held by Wasim Akram. Waqar and Akram had earlier been touted for a reunion on the Multan Sultans coaching staff, but it hadn’t materialised.The announcement was made by Islamabad United team owner Ali Naqvi and captain Misbah-ul-Haq.”For any captain who is a batsman it is advantageous to have a coach who is a great bowler, someone he can trust and who commands respect both with the local players and the foreign players,” Misbah said. “Having worked with Waqar before, I think his appointment is a great one for Islamabad United, and one that will benefit our bowlers and our dressing room greatly.”Waqar, also present at the press conference, echoed Misbah’s thoughts.”Misbah and I relied on and helped each other out in the lowest of times for Pakistan cricket,” the new bowling coach said. “Having been through the experience we had from 2010 to 2012 is something that will always be with me, so it feels great to be reunited with someone I have worked with so much over the past seven years.”When I used to see PSL from the outside, Islamabad United seemed like a family to me and I am thrilled to be a part of it. We all want the PSL to come back to Pakistan and we are on the right track.”Waqar had two stints as head coach of Pakistan, which followed two stints as bowling coach after his international retirement. This will be his first foray as a coach in the PSL, but he has experience in franchise cricket from his time as bowling coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad during the Indian Premier League in 2013. Sunrisers had finished with the best economy rate that year.Naqvi said there were “no issues” between Akram and the franchise: “Wasim Akram was a great teacher for our bowlers. There were no issues with him. We are thankful for his services. Wasim worked with Rumman Raees and taught him swing. Now we have Waqar Younis who will teach him toe-crushers.”I think in Waqar we have found the ideal man for this role. Not only does he have years of coaching experience with the national team – both as a bowling coach and a head coach – but a lot of his success has been with many of our current players, especially Misbah.”Furthermore, as a team that believes in numbers, the fact that along with his great numbers with the national team, in his lone IPL season, with the Hyderabad team, his team finished with the best bowling numbers in the tournament provided enough evidence for us to go after him.”Islamabad United had begun the last edition of the PSL as defending champions and were eliminated in the second qualifying playoff by Karachi Kings.

A ready reckoner ahead of the media rights auction on September 4, where 24 companies could be in the fray as bidders

Nagraj Gollapudi02-Sep-2017Is the Indian Premier League the most lucrative property in global cricket?The answer will be revealed on September 4 when the BCCI conducts the auction for the IPL media rights. The bidding will take place in Mumbai, with some of the biggest names in global business set to vie for various rights of a tournament that has already realigned the boundaries of cricket in unpredictable ways during its ten years of existence.Here is a ready reckoner to the bidding process, the bidders and the different rights being auctioned.How many bidders are there?A total of 24 bidders bought the bid document, including Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Yahoo, Reliance Jio, Star India, Sony Pictures, Discovery, Sky, British Telecom and ESPN Digital Media.The growth of the league can be measured through the diversity of the bidders as well as the number of companies that have shown interest. In 2008, when the IPL was conceived, about six companies bought the bid document for the first rights cycle. All were television entities and, eventually, only two qualified for the bid – the Sony-World Sports Group alliance and Nimbus.How many categories of rights will be auctioned on Monday?Previously, the BCCI, which owns the IPL, had sold the rights only for three categories: India television rights, India digital rights and rest of the world. However, on Monday, a set of seven rights will be open for bidding. For the Indian market, bids are divided into television and digital; then there will be separate bids for the USA, Europe, Middle East, Africa regions and the rest of the world. For these five markets, the bids include both television and digital rights.How will the bidding process work?The rights will be awarded to the highest bidder in each category. An interested party or a consortium can even make a global bid (for all seven categories) – if their bid is the highest, they will earn the rights.The winner in each category will be determined by matching the bids which will be presented in a sealed envelope. In May, the BCCI had decided to retain the tender process which it said was the most transparent way to award the rights as opposed to e-auction. Recently the Supreme Court, too, struck down a petition favoring the e-auction. The BCCI was against the e-auction mainly because of the danger of bidders walking out once they realised they had reached their limit with the bid figures being publicly displayed. In a tender process, the bidder just gets one chance and has to commit to a figure they can put in the envelope.What is the duration of the rights?All rights have a five-year span: 2018-2022.Why a five-year cycle, considering the previous television rights were for 10 years?According to Rahul Johri, the BCCI’s chief executive officer, 10 years is “too long” a period to commit in an industry that is dynamic. Previously, when the BCCI sold the television rights for 10 years, the IPL had not yet established itself. “It was a new property and it needed a long-term commitment,” Johri said. “But now the world is changing so fast, so from both the rights seller’s point of view and rights buyer’s point of view, five years is a good term. A lot of companies do a five-year plan. So it is a more realistic way to go.”ESPNcricinfo LtdWhich category could attract the most competition?In the Indian market, television rights will remain the prime target as it is the “most valuable” property. In 2008, WSG bagged the television rights for the Indian market for a 10-year cycle (2008-2017) for $918 million. A year later, Sony bought those rights for $1.63 billion.What is the likely worth of television rights in the Indian subcontinent?
Johri will not speculate, but is optimistic the number could be quite high considering the BCCI recently sold the India team sponsorship rights and the IPL title sponsorship for large sums. Smartphone manufacturer OPPO Mobiles India bought the team sponsorship rights for a five-year period, beginning April 2017, for about $166 million, edging out Vivo, another mobile phone manufacturer. Vivo, however, trumped Oppo by retaining the IPL title sponsorship rights (2018-22) for approximately $341 million, a 454% increase over the price paid for the same rights in 2012. “The IPL is one of the most viewed properties in the world. The IPL is a disruptive property. When the IPL is on, the world watches only IPL,” Johri said.How fierce is the competition for digital rights likely to be?
An increasing number of viewers are turning to digital platforms for sports coverage. With Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Discovery Sports, Yahoo and BAMTech (an American internet video provider) aiming to leverage this audience, there could be fierce bidding among them and local providers like Reliance Jio, Star India and Sony. Star India was the previous rights holders for digital rights globally, having paid close to INR 303 crore for a three-year period of 2015-17. These digital behemoths are challenging traditional broadcasters by venturing into sports broadcasting. Amazon recently won the UK rights for showcasing all the major Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) tournaments while BAMTech has been streaming Major League Baseball for a few years now.

Everton are in desperate need of another new attacker, and time is running out to find one before they begin their Premier League campaign at home to Fulham in two-and-a-half weeks' time.

Who are Everton's current forwards?

The Toffees already have a hugely talented forward in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, but the England international's fitness problems were once again a major issue last season as he was restricted to just 15 Premier League starts.

Neal Maupay, a £15m signing from Brighton & Hove Albion last summer, was tasked with filling in for Calvert-Lewin but ended the campaign with one goal and no assists in 27 league appearances.

Dwight McNeil offered some much-needed quality out wide during the run-in, which ultimately ended with the Toffees avoiding the drop, while Arnaut Danjuma has recently joined on loan from Villarreal to provide further competition to Demarai Gray.

It is clear to see why Sean Dyche is eager to bring in another forward, and with a move for Almeria's El Bilal Toure now looking bleak, it may well be that Salernitana's Boulaye Dia is the Merseyside outfit's priority target.

According to reports from La Citta di Salerno this week, Everton are ready to offer €25m (£21m) and Maupay for the Senegal international in a player-plus-cash offer, which could be enough to tempt the Serie A side to cash in.

How many goals has Boulaye Dia scored?

Dia has played – and scored – in three of Europe's top five leagues, having netted 24 times in Ligue 1 for Reims, five times for Villarreal in LaLiga and 16 times in 33 Serie A games for Salernitana last season.

It was during his time at Reims that Dia first caught the attention of many, with Senegal team-mate Sadio Mane stating two years ago that he had been "really impressed" by his compatriot and did not expect him to stay with the French club for long.

So that proved, and after a short spell in Spain, Dia is now doing his thing in Italy. The 26-year-old scored 16 goals in 33 Serie A games last season, seeing him ranked among the top 16% of forwards across Europe's top five leagues for non-penalty goals scored in 2022-23, as per FBref.

Dia also set up six goals, ranking him in the top 14% for assists, showing that he is more than just a goalscorer – something that could see him form a solid partnership with Calvert-Lewin, assuming the latter can stay fit.

Interestingly, the one area Dia lacks is where Calvert-Lewin thrives, meaning they could easily feed off each other. The Salernitana star was among the bottom 14% of forwards in terms of aerial duels won last term (0.71 per 90); Calvert-Lewin was in the top 8% (5.10 per 90).

Some may suggest Dia and Calvert-Lewin simply cannot be shoehorned into the same side, but it would be a similar dynamic that fierce rivals Liverpool used so well for many years with Roberto Firmino, Mohamed Salah and Mane in attack.

Indeed, Dia is very alike Mane in a number of areas, not least their ability to score regularly. For example, Mane bagged 16 goals in 34 league games in his final season with Liverpool – the same number that his compatriot scored in one game less for Salernitana last time out.

As Dean Jones told GIVEMESPORT last year, Dia is a "handful" for defenders and a forward with "real goal potential", which has earned him strong comparisons with Mane.

Having shown he can score in France, Spain and Italy, Dia may now be given the chance to follow further in Mane's steps by doing so in the Premier League.

Glasgow Rangers have agreed on a fee with Feyenoord for striker and long-term target Danilo, Sky Sports report.

Are Rangers signing Danilo?

A number of new players have been signed by Michael Beale ahead of his first full season in charge of the club, and it looks as if Danilo could be the next through the door.

Jack Butland, Leon Balogun, Kieran Dowell and Dujon Sterling have all made the move to Glasgow on free transfers.

Meanwhile, money has been spent on attackers Cyriel Dessers and Sam Lammers, whereas Brighton forward Abdallah Sima has arrived on a season-long loan.

Despite three new additions in the final third the club have lost three attackers from last season in Alfredo Morelos, Ryan Kent and Antonio Colak, with Rangers receiving money for the latter after he signed for Parma.

Danilo has been a key target in Glasgow, with Beale personally thought to be an admirer of the forward. An opening offer was turned down by the Eredivisie side, who have been wanting more than £5m for the striker, and it looks as if they will get their wish after a new bid was submitted, with all parties involved on course to get what they want.

Sky Sports shared an update out of Ibrox regarding their pursuit of Danilo on Tuesday. They stated that there has been a breakthrough, with an agreement reached between the two clubs which could be worth a total of £6m.

“Some breaking news from Rangers. They’ve had a deal worth £6m accepted by Feyenoord for striker Danilo. The 24-year-old scored 12 times last season and has been the subject of several offers.

“The initial fee being £5.2m before potential add-ons. Personal terms not expected to be a problem, the Brazilian is keen on a move to Ibrox.”

Further reports have claimed that the forward is poised to travel to Scotland early next week to finalise a transfer by undergoing a medical and signing the relative paperwork, with a five-year deal on the cards.

Who is Danilo?

Danilo actually the same agency as Rangers players Connor Goldson, Fashion Sakala, John Lundstram and Rabbi Matondo, so now a fee has been agreed, you’d like to think a move will go smoothly.

The 24-year-old appears to be at the peak of his powers with a career-high €6.5m Transfermarkt valuation and joined Feyenoord on a free transfer last year. Since then, the forward has found the back of the net on 14 occasions in 48 appearances, helping the club to the Dutch top-flight title in the process.

Prior to his stint with his current employers, Danilo was on the books with Ajax and enjoyed a productive loan spell with FC Twente, scoring 17 Eredivisie goals in 33 appearances during the 2020/21 season.

In total, Danilo has scored 87 goals in 175 appearances at youth and senior level, but with a first taste of senior football outside the Netherlands on the cards, it will be interesting to see if he can find the back of the net regularly in Scotland.