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Aston Villa will target a summer move for Athletic Bilbao forward Nico Williams, according to The Athletic.

What’s the latest Aston Villa transfer news?

Unai Emery and NSWE appear to be putting plans in place ahead of the manager’s first full season in charge, with the owners readying a “huge” spending spree.

The Spaniard won’t be working alongside Barcelona director Mateu Alemany set to stay at the Nou Camp after talks over a move to the Midlands collapsed. However, despite this, Villa still appear to have Johan Lange working behind the scenes, and a move for Williams could well be on the cards.

The Athletic shared a transfer story on Friday regarding plans for every Premier League side. When it came to Villa, reliable reporter Gregg Evans said that ‘top of Emery’s wish list is a striker and/or wide player who can also play as a No 9’.

When it came to specific targets, he named Williams, who was linked with a move earlier in the year, alongside midfielder Giovani Lo Celso and Real Madrid’s Marco Asensio.

Who is Nico Williams?

Williams is just 20 years of age and is primarily a right-winger. The Spain international has been a regular for Bilbao this season, making 40 appearances in all competitions, contributing to 15 goals. He also featured at last year’s World Cup in Qatar, turning out in all four of Spain’s games as a right-winger.

Valued at a career-high €25m by Transfermarkt, a figure which has more than doubled over the past 12 months, Williams has come in for praise from brother Inaki, who labelled the winger as a “great player” who is in “incredible shape”.

“I’m not surprised by what my brother does because I’m used to seeing him practically every day, I know the capabilities he has.

“Nico is a great player, he is in incredible shape and I think he can give a lot to Spain.”

He may not have featured regularly as a centre-forward during his career to date, however, Williams would be able to play on either flank and who knows, Emery may look to coach him in a central role over time, should he move to the Midlands.

It seems as if he is an attacking target, and with a £50m release clause in his current contract, a move looks likely to be one to keep an eye on in what is set to be an extremely busy summer.

Even though most of the Zimbabwe squad members have recovered, Hamilton Masakadza, their most experienced batsman, has picked up a back injury and was ruled out of the second Test

Firdose Moonda05-Aug-2016Even though most of the Zimbabwe squad members have recovered from the illnesses and injuries that have plagued them over the past week, Hamilton Masakadza, their most experienced batsman, has picked up a back injury and was ruled out of the second Test. Sean Williams, though still coughing, was feeling much better and Tino Mawoyo made significant progress from a bruised thumb injury he sustained before the first Test against New Zealand.Masakadza, Zimbabwe’s most capped player by a distance with 30 Test appearances, will not be able to take his spot at No.3. Instead, it is likely Sikandar Raza or Craig Ervine will be promoted with Prince Masvaure moving into the middle order and Peter Moor likely to debut to bolster the batting line-up.This will be the first Test Masakadza will sit out since Zimbabwe’s Test comeback five years ago, in 2011 against Bangladesh. In that time, they have played 15 Tests and Masakadza has scored three centuries, including a career-best 158. Masakadza scored just 15 and 4 in the first Test and was so disappointed by his first-innings dismissal – a return catch to spinner Mitchell Santner – he said it weighed on him for the rest of the match.

James Maddison would be a game-changing signing for Newcastle as they return to Europe, journalist Ben Jacobs has claimed.

What's the latest news with James Maddison and Newcastle?

The England international is looks set to depart Leicester City, who are on course to be relegated from the Premier League, and Newcastle are interested in the midfielder.

Although Leicester have been poor, Maddison has been one of their brighter performers, and he could be a statement signing for Eddie Howe's side as they return to Europe.

Speaking to Football FanCast, Jacobs claimed that the 26-year-old could be a level-raiser for the Magpies, who have had a long-standing interest in the former Norwich star.

"Newcastle have always been interested in Maddison as the kind of creative-minded, slightly versatile goalscorer, assister, that Eddie Howe feels is going to be a difference maker," he stated.

"With Champions League football now, Newcastle are going to be in an even stronger position."

Should Newcastle move for Maddison?

The midfielder has scored ten and assisted nine times in 28 league games this season, and this is no easy feat in a side struggling near the bottom.

He could be a statement signing as Newcastle aim to return to the Champions League, and help Howe's side move up another level after a sensational season of progress.

Newcastle are light in midfield, and Maddison could line up alongside Bruno Guimaraes and one of Joe Willock or Sean Longstaff, and inject some more end-product into the side.

At 26, he will be entering his prime years, and if Newcastle can beat off other interest and secure his signature, he would be a huge signing in terms of statement and quality.

Extra quality and depth will be necessary for the Magpies as they prepare to deal with the extra workload of European fixture congestion, and Maddison will arrive as someone proven in the Premier League with European experience.

Graeme Souness described Maddison as a "great player," and whilst a deal may not be cheap, Newcastle may be able to flex their financial muscles with the addition of Champions League revenue if they can secure a top four spot.

Maddison can be the first of a number of signings which could transform Newcastle from a top-four contender to a title challenger in the next few seasons, and even if they have to pay a premium now, it could be a deal which provides a lot of value in the long term.

Newcastle United have "concrete interest" in Bayer Leverkusen forward Moussa Diaby, according to an update from reliable journalist Christian Falk.

Is Diaby having a good season?

The 23-year-old has been a key player for Leverkusen throughout this season, producing numerous influential performances. He has started 30 Bundesliga matches, scoring nine goals and registering eight assists in that time, often taking up a right-sided forward role.

Diaby has also displayed his versatility, however, playing in an attacking midfield role and as a centre forward, and he looks like a superb long-term prosect. The £49,000-a-week attacker's current deal expires in 2025, but Leverkusen could struggle to hold onto him until then.

With Newcastle looking to bring in reinforcements in the summer transfer window, it looks as though the exciting young Frenchman could be a genuine target, having been linked with him recently.

Could Newcastle sign Diaby this summer?

Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk claimed that Newcastle are one of the clubs showing "concrete interest" in Diaby this summer, along with two other huge clubs:

"So we’re not quite sure if Arsenal is out of the race for Moussa Diaby. There are three clubs with concrete interest as things stand; one is Arsenal, one is PSG, and the third is Newcastle.

"Newcastle have been interested for a long time and now they’re gearing up to have another go at signing him. We heard they’re preparing an offer of about €60m.

"The last time we talked in the winter, they were interested but the deal never came about because Leverkusen weren’t interested in selling, so Newcastle brought in Anthony Gordon. I think they paid €45.6m but he isn’t the solution they’re searching for, which is why they’re coming back for Diaby. He has a contract until 2025 and Leverkusen are wary of having to potentially sell the player if €60m is put on the table."

Diaby could be an ideal summer signing by Newcastle, with the nine-cap France international someone who could be an upgrade on Miguel Almiron, for all his improved form this season. He has 97 goal contributions (49 goals and 48 assists) in 168 appearances for Leverkusen, and that type of end product could take the Magpies to a different level.

At 23, he is still so young, too, so his all-round game should only become more polished as the years pass – Freiburg manager Christian Streich has called him "incredibly dangerous" – and Newcastle qualifying for next season's Champions League would hopefully be enough to entice him to the club.

Former Madhya Pradesh cricketer Kapil Seth died on July 2 due to an illness. Seth was 36

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jul-2016Former Madhya Pradesh cricketer Kapil Seth died on July 2, aged 36. Seth was suffering from Hepatitis B, according to MPCA.Seth, who bowled medium-pace, represented Madhya Pradesh in only one first-class and List A game in the 2000-01 season. He made his sole Ranji Trophy appearance against Vidarbha in November 2000 and scored an unbeaten 125 at No. 10. His century, along with Ankit Srivastava’s 204, helped Madhya Pradesh rally from 276 for 8 to 552 for 8 declared, and the side eventually beat Vidarbha by an innings and 176 runs.He did not bat in his only List A match – also against Vidarbha, in the Ranji Trophy One Day competition – but had figures of 1 for 27 in the match.

A chaotic few days at Paris Saint-Germain has seen Lionel Messi suspended, and fans are now showing their anger towards the club’s biggest superstars.Supporters gathered outside the Parc Des Princes to chant against Messi, but in an even more bizarre turn of events, some gathered outside Neymar’s house and called for him to leave.The former Barcelona pair both arrived in the French capital as world-class talents, but having been unable to help PSG progress further in the Champions League, patience has run out towards them, and now Neymar has fallen victim to abuse from fans who once adored him.

The club have condemned the behaviour of their fans, and Neymar has already dropped hints on social media about his feeling towards PSG, with it clear that both he and Messi were far happier during their spell together at Barcelona.

Twitter has already exploded in reaction, with some quick to condemn the actions of the PSG supporters. The best can be seen below…

Some called out the Parisian club’s fanbase…

Whilst others questioned why superstars would want to join in the future…

A failure to leave the ball decisively paved the road to an ’embarrassing’ and ‘humiliating’ innings-defeat at Headingley, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-May-2016A failure to leave the ball decisively paved the road to an “embarrassing” and “humiliating” innings-defeat at Headingley, Sri Lanka captain Angelo Mathews said. Chasing England’s 298 in the first innings, Sri Lanka collapsed to 91, then 119 following on. They batted for less than 73 overs in the match. Thirteen Sri Lanka dismissals were catches behind the wicket on the off side.”We were not decisive in leaving the ball,” Mathews said. “They bowled in good areas and we just kept putting our bats out of line of the stumps, and it kept nicking our bats all the time. We have to be decisive and play the correct one.””It was quite an embarrassing defeat. It was pure poor batting and the execution. You have to be really skillful to bat against these guys, especially in these conditions. Anderson once again showed his class. Stuart Broad was brilliant as well. One or two of our guys needed to raise our hands and put up a good score, particularly in the first innings. We failed to do that in the first innings, and once again in the second innings, so that’s a pretty obvious reason for our defeat.”Sri Lanka had appeared to be in control of the game when their bowlers reduced England to 83 for 5 in the second session of the opening day. However, Jonny Bairstow and Alex Hales put on a partnership of 141 in which at least three catches were spilt. Later, Bairstow also combined with No. 10 batsman Steven Finn for a further 55 runs.”We got five wickets for 80 runs, and we let them off the hook,” Mathews said. “We dropped at couple of catches. Jonny Bairstow batted brilliantly – credit should go to him and Alex Hales. They got them to a decent score on this wicket and it was up to us as batters to get to a decent score as well. But once you get 90-odd runs, it is very a difficult road going into the second and third days. It was very tough. We have good enough batting to pass 300, but we made it very tough for ourselves.”Having lost inside three days at Headingley, Sri Lanka now have five full days in which to prepare for the second Test at Chester-le-Street. Sri Lanka have come back to square a series following a heavy loss in the past year. They recovered from a ten-wicket hiding against Pakistanat Galle last June, before winning the next Test. Mathews said his men would look to such series for inspiration.”We have done it in the past. We have a couple of days to regroup, think about our strategy, train really hard and come back hard. All we’ve got to do is change our mindset. If you believe you can do it. Yes, it was a humiliating defeat. It was embarrassing. But if you stick to our plans in the second game we could turn the tables around.”Sri Lanka had been through extended preparation for this tour, having gone to a training camp in Kandy, before also playing two tour matches against Leicestershire and Essex. Mathews said the conditions at Headingley were much tougher.”Nothing really went close to this game. It was swinging and seaming right from the word go. If you have top-quality fast bowling like Broad and Anderson in your team, the opposition batsmen have to work really hard. It was swinging and seaming right throughout the first day and second day, because there was no sun on the wicket to dry it out.”

Everton's proposed investment deal with 777 Partners is 'not expected' to happen at the moment, according to journalist Paul Brown.

What's the latest news surrounding potential investment in Everton?

Everton find themselves in a tricky situation both on and off the field and fans have been out in force to protest against the Goodison Park hierarchy at many of their home matches this season.

As per Sky Sports, Everton majority owner Farhad Moshiri is said to be seeking investment into the club to help fund the development of the new Everton Stadium currently being built.

The Liverpool Echo report that Miami-based American investment fund 777 Partners and New York-based sports investors MSP Sports Capital are both keen on supplying Everton with financial support.

Forbes detail that Everton have also recently been referred to an independent commission by the Premier League due to breaching the league's profit and sustainability rules during 2021/22, meaning that news of fresh investment will likely be a relief to supporters.

Away from matters at boardroom level, The Toffees also have a fight on their hands to retain their Premier League status and face a real danger of being relegated to the Sky Bet Championship.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Brown has said that rumours of a deal between 777 Partners and Everton were 'massively overstated' by some reports.

Brown said: "There were reports in Italy that 777 were interested or close to a takeover of the club. I think that's massively overstated. I know Everton have spoken to this group several times. I don't believe a full takeover was ever on the table with them.

"They are not significant investors in sport in the way that you would expect from people who want to take over and run a club completely in the Premier League.

"I understand they value the club far below what Moshiri does and that the chances of them investing in Everton are quite slim at the moment.

"It's not expected from within Everton that a deal is going to be done there at the moment."

What now for Everton?

Regardless of matters elsewhere, Everton boss Sean Dyche will be fully concerned with trying to keep Everton in the Premier League.

The Toffees have endured another difficult season in 2022/23 and have so far failed to learn the lessons of their near scrape with relegation last season under Frank Lampard.

Following a damaging 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United at Goodison Park in midweek, Everton have it all to do, starting with a relegation six-pointer away to Leicester City at the King Power Stadium next Monday evening.

Nevertheless, Dyche and his players can only influence the challenges that lie ahead and will be keen to ensure that they do enough to survive come the close of play.

Manchester United continued their bid for further silverware after edging past Brighton and Hove Albion in the FA Cup semi-finals on Sunday afternoon, with Erik ten Hag’s men booking their place in the showpiece following a narrow, shootout triumph at Wembley.

Just days on from their humbling 3-0 loss away to Sevilla to crash out of the Europa League, the Red Devils issued a solid response to contain a lively Seagulls outfit, in what was a rather even contest on the day.

It ultimately took a skewed penalty from an unfortunate Solly March to decide the hard-fought encounter, with United’s Victor Lindelof stepping up following that blazed effort to ensure that it will be the Old Trafford outfit who take on rivals Manchester City in the final.

The ‘Ice Man’ – as he is affectionately known – calmly curled home that decisive spot-kick to cap what was a fine all-round performance from the Sweden international, with the 28-year-old having been truly “exceptional”, as per writer Casey Evans.

How did Lindelof perform against Brighton?

In an attacking sense, the Carabao Cup winners appeared rather blunt, in truth, with the major source of inspiration having come from Bruno Fernandes prior to the Portuguese’s late withdrawal, with the 28-year-old having racked up three key passes from 46 in total during his 101-minute outing.

The former Sporting CP ace notably saw his first-half effort flash just wide of the post in what was one of few potential openings for Ten Hag’s men, while he also ‘worked hard defensively’ – as per GOAL’s Richard Martin – after winning seven of his nine ground duels.

United’s shortcomings in the final third ensured that the rather makeshift backline was well and truly tested, although Lindelof, in particular, stood firm to help contain Roberto De Zerbi’s men, having produced an “aggressive” display alongside usual left-back, Luke Shaw, in the words of Evans.

With the Manchester outfit currently without both Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez due to injury – and with captain Harry Maguire suspended – the onus had fallen on the former Benfica ace to step up to the mark, with the experienced ace having done far more than just lash home the winning penalty.

Hailed as the game’s “MOM” – Man of the Match – by club legend Gary Neville, the £120k-per-week rock repeatedly bailed his side out of trouble having registered five clearances and won four of his seven ground duels, while also proving adept at carrying the ball out from the back after completing both of his attempted dribbles.

Although there may be doubts regarding the Swede’s long-term future at the Theatre of Dreams, the 66-touch ace produced ‘one of his finest United performances’, according to The Guardian’s Jamie Jackson, showcasing that he could well be a useful asset for Ten Hag and co for the remainder of the campaign, at least.

When the former Ajax boss needed someone to step up, the ‘Iceman’ cometh…

Chelsea are set for further talks with former Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino alongside Julian Nagelsmann, according to journalist Matt Law.

What's the latest Chelsea manager news?

The west Londoners are now officially out of the Champions League, putting an end to their Premier League season and now ruling out the chance of any silverware.

Chelsea and co-owner Todd Boehly's focus is now surely on finding their successor to Graham Potter, with the Englishman sacked over a fortnight ago after a lacklustre campaign.

The search for his replacement is well and truly on with their being links to a variety of elite coaches – varying from Nagelsmann and Pochettino to Jose Mourinho or Luciano Spalletti.

Boehly's first full season overseeing the west London side has been disappointing to say the least, and whoever the American tycoon appoints next will be pivotal in taking Chelsea forward as a football club.

Now, as per a report by reliable reporter Law in The Telegraph, there has been an update on the matter. According to his sources, former Barcelona boss Luis Enrique is now an outside contender for the role despite being interviewed and holding talks.

As Chelsea begin the next phase in their manager search, a new round of talks is set to take place with both Nagelsmann and Pochettino. The Argentine has already 'impressed' Boehly and Behdad Eghbali before they even appointed Potter, and Pochettino is still well in contention alongside Nagelsmann.

This comes after initial contact has already been made with the South American with Stamford Bridge sources insisting Nagelsmann is not the firm favourite.

Should Chelsea hire Pochettino?

The ex-Tottenham and Southampton manager has key experience working on a shoe-string Premier League budget – being praised for his work in doing so.

Spurs pundit Jamie O'Hara branded the tactician 'world class' for operating within financial limits but still managing to guide his former club to a Champions League final in 2019.

Having won trophies in Ligue 1 with PSG before leaving last year, Pochettino's credentials for the Chelsea post have only strengthened since his time at Spurs.

Indeed, the ex-Espanyol boss should certainly be considered a viable candidate to replace Potter at Chelsea, not least because of his brand of entertaining, attack-minded football.

The 4-3-3 attacking man could bring back a level of excitement on the pitch and most certainly has an abundance of quality players to work with.