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She will evaluate her leadership skills and batting in the series against Pakistan and NZ before deciding if she wants the job full time

Firdose Moonda25-Aug-2023Laura Wolvaardt will use South Africa’s series against Pakistan and New Zealand to see if she is “able to handle” the pressures of captaincy alongside her batting in order to decide if she wants the job full time.Wolvaardt was named interim captain in place of Sune Luus, who stood down last week, and promised to be a “soft-spoken,” skipper who will “lead through my actions.” She will take charge of the team for 14 matches (six in Pakistan and eight at home against New Zealand), having done the job twice before, in ODIs against India in 2021.”It was important for the next two tours for it [captaincy] to be more of an interim position to see if it’s something I am able to handle and if I can still focus on my batting with the added responsibility,” Wolvaardt said, from England, where she was playing in the Hundred. “I had a conversation with the coach and the head selector… We mutually agreed on the two tours to see if it was something I would respond well to, batting wise and leadership wise as well.”Related

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South Africa name Wolvaardt as women team's interim captain

At 24, Wolvaardt is young in age but rich in experience. She made her international debut seven years ago, but is already third on South Africa’s all-time highest run-getters’ ODI list and sixth on their T20I charts. Plus, she has already played in three T20I and two fifty-over World Cups. She also has experience in leagues around the world. She is also one of only two squad members – Luus being the other – who has played in Pakistan. Given the importance of the ODI matches, in particular, which are part of the qualification process for the next World Cup, South Africa will need Wolvaardt at her best and coach Hilton Moreeng believes they will get it.”She is a very disciplined cricketer. The way she goes about her game is evident to everyone in the team. I don’t think the responsibility will impact her performance,” Moreeng said. “She knows the importance of both roles she plays in the team. We don’t think it should be a challenge regarding her performances.”Wolvaardt herself is “excited,” by the opportunity and “looking forward to actually doing it,” despite indicating she was not ready to captain earlier in the year. That, she says, was a bluff out of respect for the incumbents. “It’s definitely always something that has been in the back of my mind. At the time, we had great leaders in Dane and Sune so I didn’t want to say anything that could impact that,” she said. “I was just biding my time and the opportunity has presented itself. I am very excited. I think it will test me as a cricketer and develop my game as well.”Asked how she will approach the task of leadership, Wolvaardt replied with the class of one of her cover drives. “I like to think of myself as quite calm and composed. I am hoping I am able to bring that on the field as well but we’ll see what happens in tight games,” she joked. “I am a little bit more soft-spoken than what other captains might be. I am just going to try and lead from my actions and lead from the front. Hopefully that’s alright.”Wolvaardt has not been part of the team’s pre-tour camp in South Africa because she has been playing in the women’s Hundred and will meet up with the squad in Pakistan. She does not see her absence from what Moreeng described as an intense discussion on the issues affecting the squad, including some players’ unhappiness with him continuing in the job, as an issue. “I’ve been in the side for seven or eight years. It’s not like I am coming into a side where I don’t know half of the people,” she said.She was also not in South Africa for the launch for the announcement of the professionalism of the top-tier of the women’s domestic game, which will see 66 players contracted across six teams. Having given up the opportunity to pursue a degree in medicine to build a career in cricket, Wolvaardt knows first-hand the sacrifices generations of female cricketers had to make to play the game and welcomed the development.”It’s incredible that girls have a bit more of a pathway to come through,” she said. “It’s always been a challenge for us to fill the gaps because there is not much support outside of the national team or there wasn’t. I’m really looking forward to the future. We will be able to keep a lot more young girls in cricket. They will actually see it as a viable career option. And it takes a little bit of pressure off the contracted players as well because you have that safety net to fall back on. Hopefully we are able to play with a bit more freedom knowing that we have that.”

India might bring in Suryakumar and Iyer, if fit, and rest one of the frontline bowlers as both teams look to cement finals berth

Shashank Kishore12-Sep-20231:34

Muzumdar: Bumrah’s presence brings this Indian bowling line-up alive

Big picture – India might rotate playersTwo weeks ago in Bengaluru, India’s Asia Cup-bound squad had exhaustive fitness tests to check their levels of preparedness for the cricket coming up over the next three months.On Tuesday, those fitness levels will be put to test as India return to the R Premadasa Stadium a little over 12 hours after beating Pakistan in a game that was played over two days because of rain. When they won, they won by a record 228 runs, which has vaulted their net run-rate into orbit, and another win will take them through to Sunday’s final.Coming into the tournament, India had several questions to answer.Can Ishan Kishan bat in the middle order if required? He answered it quite emphatically, hitting an 82-ball 81 against Pakistan in Pallekele to open the tournament.Sure, Jasprit Bumrah eased in nicely against Ireland, but can he unleash beast mode against quality batting line-ups? On Monday, he answered that by taking out Imam-ul-Haq in a fiery opening spell that set up India’s magnificent defence.How match-ready is KL Rahul? He hadn’t been keeping wickets until a couple of days prior to the game against Pakistan. And can he go through the rigours in such testing conditions upon his return after being out of action since early May?Not meant to play initially – he was drafted in only after Shreyas Iyer had to go out following back spasms just minutes before the toss against Pakistan – Rahul marked his comeback with a stunning run-a-ball century (he ended with 111 not out in 106 balls) and put up 223 in an unbroken stand with Virat Kohli for the third wicket.That wasn’t it. He kept for all but the first few overs of Pakistan’s innings to dismiss any concerns there may have been.On Tuesday, India may want to try and answer a couple more questions. How about giving Suryakumar Yadav some action? Is Iyer fit enough to slot back in? Can India look to rest one or more of their frontline fast bowlers and give Mohammed Shami and Prasidh Krishna some game time?1:33

Uthappa: Rahul’s innings showed how much work he has put in

Sri Lanka have had a couple of days off to rest and recuperate following their hard-fought win over Bangladesh. They uncorked a gem in Sadeera Samarawickrama, who after years of failing to build on his early promise showed signs of maturity in a clutch knock.Kusal Mendis provided the calmness in the batting, and the bowlers, led by Maheesh Theekshana and Matheesha Pathirana, lent a touch of magic in the face of a mounting challenge from Bangladesh’s middle order. Dasun Shanaka, who has increasingly been facing the kind of pressure Daren Sammy faced as captain when it came to proving his utility and worth, contributed superbly with the ball.It wasn’t quite a complete performance against Bangladesh, but the bowlers held firm at different times under pressure to bail the side out. On Tuesday, Sri Lanka face a rampant batting line-up that will give them more cues on where they stand as a bowling group with bigger battles coming up.Not to forget, Sri Lanka are now on a streak of 13 men’s ODI wins in a row, second only to Australia’s 21 in 2003… can they take it to 14?Form guideSri Lanka WWWWW
India WWWLWIn the spotlightIn March 2021, around the time he was in line for the ODI vice-captaincy, Iyer was out for six months with a shoulder injury. By the time he returned, he had not just lost that opportunity but also his IPL captaincy to Rishabh Pant at Delhi Capitals. Earlier this year, a back injury that needed surgery put his World Cup dreams in doubt. But he recovered within six months. But one game in, he has been laid low again, this time by back spasms. Is he ready? Can he pull up well and prove his fitness in a proper match environment?Ever since he announced himself with a five-for against Australia at the Under-19 World Cup last year, left-arm-spinner Dunith Wellalage has been touted to do big things as an allrounder. Only 12 ODIs old, Wellalage has already impressed many with his calmness and control. That Sri Lanka find themselves in the Super Four is partly due to his all-round efforts – 33 not out and 2 for 36, including the wicket of Hashmatullah Shahidi in a tense finish – against Afghanistan. Tuesday will be an opportunity to build on his exciting initiation.1:51

Maharoof: Shanaka brings balance to the team when he bowls

Team newsIndia may want to give a chance to some of their reserves. This could bring Suryakumar and Shami into the mix. It isn’t clear yet if Iyer will be fit to return. Sri Lanka may not want to fix something that isn’t broken given they are already without several first-choice bowlers following injuries.India (probable XI): 1 Rohit Sharma (capt), 2 Shubman Gill, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 KL Rahul (wk), 5 Suryakumar Yadav/Ishan Kishan, 6 Hardik Pandya, 7 Ravindra Jadeja/Axar Patel, 8 Shardul Thakur, 9 Mohammed Shami, 10 Prasidh Krishna, 11 Mohammed SirajSri Lanka (probable): 1 Pathum Nissanka, 2 Dimuth Karunaratne, 3 Kusal Mendis (wk), 4 Sadeera Samarawickrama, 5 Charith Asalanka, 6 Dhananjaya de Silva, 7 Dasun Shanaka (capt), 8 Dunith Wellalage, 9 Maheesh Theekshana, 10 Kasun Rajitha, 11 Matheesha PathiranaPitch and conditionsIt is expected to remain sultry, with humidity likely to be a massive factor. Evening showers are forecast, although if there’s one thing we have found out over the past week, it’s futile trying to predict weather patterns. It isn’t clear yet if a fresh surface will be used for this match. Either way, given the pitch will be fully covered until about noon – rain or no rain – there could be some moisture for the fast bowlers to try and exploit first up, before conditions spice up for them under lights.Stats and trivia India have won ten of their last 11 ODIs vs Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka. Rohit Sharma is 22 runs away from becoming the second fastest batter to 10,000 ODI runs. Sri Lanka have won each of their last 13 ODIs. This is the second-longest winning streak in men’s ODIs. They have bowled out their opponents in each of those 13 matches, which is the best sequence for any team.

Ex-Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has warned Florian Wirtz that his £116m price tag will put a target on his back.

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Klopp was effusive in his praise of the 22-year-old, calling his compatriot an "outstanding player". However, he also called the British record fee "insane" and that the player will be "aware" of his substantial fee if he does not perfrom for his new team.

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Klopp also referenced comments he made about finances in football, suggesting he would have walked away from football if €100m fees became the norm. However, the now head of global football operations at Red Bull accepted that such sums are the demands of the market, especially for a player of Wirtz's stature.

WHAT KLOPP SAID

Klopp told Welt: "There's no question about it, it's an insane sum, and one that a player at Liverpool is aware of if things don't go well for two or three games.

"We all agree that we're talking about a great player here. I know I once said that I'm out if we pay 100 million euros for a player. But the world is changing. That's just the way the market is.

"He's an outstanding player who can give any club something great. Whether he'll make the reigning English champions even better remains to be seen."

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The young star will join up with his new teammates in a couple of weeks, before the Reds jet off for a pre-season tour of Asia. He will be grateful to see a friendly face in Jeremie Frimpong, his ex-Leverkusen teammate also made the switch to Merseyside earlier this summer. Any help in transitioning to the Premier League should help stave off the negative responses if Wirtz does not immediately live up to his heft price tag.

Sam Billings to remain T20 captain with Bell-Drummond taking charge of red-ball side

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Oct-2023Kent have appointed Daniel Bell-Drummond as club captain, succeeding Sam Billings in the role – although Billings will continue to lead the T20 side.Bell-Drummond, 30, came through the Kent academy and has made 369 appearances for the club across formats, captaining the side on a number of occasions in Billings’ absence. Last season, he made a career-best 300 not out against Northamptonshire, helping to set up one of Kent’s two wins as they narrowly survived in Division One of the LV= Insurance County Championship.Bell-Drummond will captain the side in Championship, with the 50-over leadership likely to depend on availability around the Hundred.”I’ve been a Kent cricketer since I was seven years old; I love the club,” Bell-Drummond said. “It’s now my job, alongside the rest of the playing squad, to take Kent Cricket forward into a new season as captain and it’s a challenge that I’m looking forward to.”I’m looking forward to working with Simon Cook and Matt Walker, shaping this team into being competitive on all fronts, but also making sure that this ethos spreads down to our age group squads, with help from our fantastic pathway coaches.”I’d like to thank Sam Billings for his six years of excellent club captaincy, and, of course, I’ll be working closely with Sam as he remains one of the leaders in the dressing room. This is a team sport, and everyone will have a role to play.”To the Kent members and supporters – we’ll both be experiencing good times and I’m sure some tough times, but we will be going through it all together. We’ll be looking to hit the ground running for 2024 and that will begin with pre-season training in the New Year. Before we all know it, it’ll be April and time once again to wear the Kent shirt with pride.”Billings announced he was giving up the club captaincy last week, after a difficult summer in red-ball cricket during which he averaged 9.20 with the bat. However, he will remain Kent T20 captain, having led the club to the Blast title in 2021, saying it would “be great to work in partnership” with Bell-Drummond.Simon Cook, Kent’s director of cricket, added: “We’re delighted to appoint Daniel as our club captain. He is one of the real leaders in the dressing room and has shown time and time again to be one of our marquee players – with excellent performances with the bat and also being a part of the senior leadership group of the team.”He has led by example when called upon whether as captain or as a senior player when it has been needed, and I have complete confidence in Daniel to be a big contributor in how we want to move forward, playing a brand of cricket that filters down to our talent pathway and hopefully brings renewed success.”We’re also delighted that Sam Billings will continue his leadership of our T20 side. Sam has invaluable experience of playing in, and winning, the biggest tournaments in T20 cricket, including captaining us to our T20 title in 2021.”

As AC Milan weigh their striker options for 2025, a familiar Bundesliga face has emerged on their radar again after major interest in Dusan Vlahovic.

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Milan consider Boniface as alternative to VlahovicLeverkusen could sell due to recent injuriesScored 11 goals in all competitions last seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Milan have identified Bayer Leverkusen striker Victor Boniface as a key option to strengthen their attack, according to . The 24-year-old Nigerian is reportedly one of several forwards being considered, alongside Juventus’ Vlahovic. Initial contact has been made with Leverkusen as Milan assess their summer transfer strategy.

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Boniface scored 14 Bundesliga goals as Leverkusen won the title in the 2023-24 season but was limited to 19 league appearances last term due to injuries, though he still managed to score eight goals. While he was once valued at upwards of €50 million (£43m/$59m), Milan could now secure his services for a reduced fee of around €30m (£25m/$33m) due to his inconsistent availability and the rise of Patrik Schick as Leverkusen’s main striker.

DID YOU KNOW?

Milan will continue negotiations with Leverkusen as they weigh their options for a new No.9. The Italian club are also monitoring Vlahovic's situation, though financial demands from Juventus could complicate the move.

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Boniface’s reduced price tag and lower salary expectations make him a more viable option as the Rossoneri aim to finalise their attacking line ahead of the 2025–26 campaign.

The team are 0-3 early in the season and have lost Alyssa Healy, but there is time to fight back

AAP25-Oct-2023Coach Charlotte Edwards insists the Sydney Sixers’ WBBL season is far from over, despite crashing to three straight losses to start the summer.Already without Alyssa Healy through friendly fire to her finger from her pet dogs, Sixers sunk to another loss on Tuesday night with a three-wicket defeat to Brisbane Heat.Title favourites before the season started a week ago, Sixers are now second last and face a hard road to climb back towards the WBBL’s top four. But they are adamant all hope is not lost.Related

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Edwards is quick to point to the fact Adelaide Strikers lost their first two games of last season before coming back to beat Sixers in the final and win the title.Sixers themselves also lost the first six games of the opening season in 2015-16 before reaching the final.”We all know that this T20 format is quite a fickle format,” Edwards said. “We’re not we’re not playing badly, we’re not being rolled. We’re just not winning those those close moments.”We’ve not taken our catches, we’ve not taken our opportunities at times. With the bat we’ve not really extended partnerships,. We’ve just got to keep keep turning up, it’s a long tournament as we all know. The Strikers lost their first few games last year.”Sixers face Melbourne Renegades at Junction Oval on Sunday, as part of nearly a fortnight on the road after three straight losses in their home city.They expect to have a clearer prognosis on Healy’s injury by then, and whether she will return at some point during the WBBL. If she is ruled out for the season the Sixers have limited options on domestic replacement players with former NSW wicketkeeper Hannah Trethewy drafted in.There were some positive signs on Tuesday night, with 17-year-old Kate Pelle moving well and taking two catches behind the stumps.”Seeing someone like her now flourish in this environment is a real positive for us as a club,” Edwards said. “Midge [Healy] was loving watching her taking those catches. There’s a lot to come from her with the bat as well.”Ellyse Perry also looked in good touch with 49 while moving back to the top of the order. Sixers also expect to have her back bowling by early next month, as she fights back from a knee injury.

Newcastle have confirmed that striker Callum Wilson has decided to leave the club after the expiration of his contract.

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Wilson to search for new clubDeparts Newcastle after five yearsScored 49 goals in total for MagpiesFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

Newcastle have confirmed that Wilson has left the club upon the expiration of his contract. The striker joined the club from Bournemouth in 2020 in a £20 million ($27m) deal and went on to make 130 appearances, scoring 49 goals and registering 11 assists. He failed to score a single league goal last season, however, and is now searching for a new club.

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Wilson, who has won nine England caps, has already been linked with both Leeds and Burnley, as the two promoted clubs seek more firepower ahead of a return to the Premier League. The Magpies have released a statement confirming the forward's exit, and they have claimed the decision was Wilson's.

WHAT NEWCASTLE SAID

Newcastle posted on X: "Callum Wilson has confirmed he will depart Newcastle United after five seasons at the club.    From scoring on his debut against West Ham in 2020 to wearing the iconic number 9 shirt, Callum has played a huge part in our success in recent years and we thank him for all his contributions.    Good luck for the future, CW9!"

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Wilson will hope to find a new club swiftly as pre-season training begins up and down the country. Newcastle, meanwhile, play Celtic in a friendly on July 19.

Australia are as formidable a unit as they come, but India, in familiar conditions and fresh off the win over England, will be tough to best

S Sudarshanan20-Dec-20231:15

India-Australia Test is ‘huge’ for women’s cricket

Big picture – A tough challenge for India It’s been almost 40 years. Australia Women played a four-Test series in India in 1984, all of which ended in draws, with the last at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. On Thursday, India and Australia will start a one-off Test match, again at Wankhede, to kick off their multi-format series.Tests are rare for women. Which is why this Test possesses a tough challenge for India, who will step out in whites only four days after a historic win over England in Navi Mumbai.India were helped by an extra day off – they wrapped up the win against England in just over two days – in recovering and setting sights on Australia. “When you are playing back-to-back Tests, it is important to recover and feel fresh,” Harmanpreet Kaur said on the eve of the Test. “The more we feel fresh, the better it will be for us because there is hardly time to prepare. If there was a 10-12 day [gap], you can take two-three days off and again prepare yourself. We were lucky we had fourth day off and then just one day off [after that].”Related

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For Australia, it’s a fresh start, too. Meg Lanning, under whose captaincy they reached unimaginable heights, is not around anymore. She retired from international cricket just days before the squads for India were announced. Alyssa Healy was handed the reins, and this is the first tour for her and Tahlia McGrath as full-time captain and vice-captain, although they were in-charge on an interim basis at the Ashes, too.”Unbelievably huge shoes to fill in replacing Meg Lanning,” Healy said. “The success she had as not only a player but as a leader of the Australian cricket team is fairly unmatched right around the men’s and women’s game. Big shoes to fill on my part but one that’s really exciting to me. Bring it on, India is a big challenge!”Healy is returning after a finger injury – she was accidentally bitten by her dog after just one game at the WBBL and required surgery. She said “the finger is all good”. “I didn’t realise how much I’d missed it watching WBBL at home and coming here and getting the opportunity to keep and have a bat.” She also confirmed that she will keep wickets in the Test.In the spotlight – Smriti Mandhana and Jess JonassenSmriti Mandhana was one of the busiest players in India’s training sessions on the two days leading up to the Test. Against England, she looked comfortable and was the more aggressive of the two openers, but she couldn’t convert her fluent starts to anything substantial. The last time India played Australia in a Test match – the pink-ball match in Carrara in 2021 – Mandhana scored her only century in the format. Her form is good, and she would want to score big this time too.4:26

Harmanpreet: ‘Our approach hasn’t changed, we will look to attack and win the game’

Jess Jonassen, who led Brisbane Heat to a runners-up finish at the WBBL, idolised Daniel Vettori growing up, but has been studying Ravindra Jadeja to prepare herself to bowl in Mumbai. She became the first to get to 150 WBBL wickets this season with her season haul of 24 to warm-up for the India tour, and on Wednesday, she began by bowling to Ellyse Perry and Ashleigh Gardner and focussed on landing the ball on or just outside off. She varied her pace but attempted to bowl in the fuller-than-good-length region even when Phoebe Litchfield and some others faced her. She is one of the best in the business, and if conditions are favourable, she is certain to be a handful for the India batters.Team newsHarmanpreet gave little away about the combination, saying, “I have 13 players in my mind, and will take a final call in the evening.” Shubha Satheesh, who fractured a finger during the England Test, was not at training, while the work Harleen Deol and Richa Ghosh were put through suggests it could be a toss-up between the two.India (possible): 1 Smriti Mandhana, 2 Shafali Verma, 3 Jemimah Rodrigues, 4 Harmanpreet Kaur (capt), 5 Harleen Deol/Richa Ghosh, 6 Yastika Bhatia (wk), 7 Deepti Sharma, 8 Sneh Rana, 9 Pooja Vastrakar, 10 Renuka Singh, 11 Rajeshwari GayakwadThe allrounders in Australia’s squad give them great depth, both with the bat and with the ball. Expect them to stick with the XI they played at the Ashes, with a likely toss-up between Kim Garth and Lauren Cheatle for the second seamer’s slot being the only point of contention.Australia (possible): 1 Beth Mooney, 2 Phoebe Litchfield, 3 Ellyse Perry, 4 Tahlia McGrath, 5 Alyssa Healy (capt & wk), 6 Ashleigh Gardner, 7 Jess Jonassen, 8 Annabel Sutherland, 9 Alana King/Georgia Wareham, 10 Lauren Cheatle/Kim Garth, 11 Darcie BrownPitch and conditionsUnlike at the DY Patil Stadium, the pitch at the Wankhede had a green look to it around the middle the day before the game. But it was brown and bare towards each end. Healy reckoned it was dry, and the green grass “which is very unusual to you guys looks very bare to us”. She added, “If you get an opportunity to bat first, you need to bat long and bat well and bat the opposition out.”The temperature in Mumbai this week has been in the late 20s and early 30s. The mornings have been cool, and that might help the seamers in the first hour. And, as Healy pointed out, the SG ball used for the Test match “swings a little bit when it’s shiny but if you can keep it in some sort of condition, it swings the whole day”.Quotes”When you bat and bowl for three days – the likes of Deepti and Pooja, who didn’t get enough rest [after the England Test] – we try to take care of their loads. They need to feel ready for the game and we made them train accordingly. The ones who had lesser loads, we pushed them hard in the nets to feel more confident.”
“We have been part of a few multi-format series with points system coming into play, and giving the Test match, in particular, a greater context. Being a bit cheeky, I would have thought India would have backed themselves in their home conditions and got off to a 4-0 start. It does surprise me a little bit.”

Galatasaray have fulfilled Napoli's demands for bank guarantees as they await the Serie A side's final decision on their offer to sign Victor Osimhen.

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Galatasaray submitted €75m to NapoliItalians reviewing deal with a final decision expected soonTransfer will break Turkish record by huge marginFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

According to a report from , Galatasaray have formally submitted the required bank guarantees to Napoli in a bid to secure the €75 million (£63m/$82m) transfer of Osimhen. Talks between the two clubs resumed over the weekend, with the Turkish champions offering a package that includes €40m (£34m/$44m) upfront and the rest via instalments and add-ons. Napoli are currently reviewing the proposal and are expected to respond within hours.

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Napoli had previously rejected Galatasaray’s earlier offers due to concerns over the payment structure. However, the Serie A side appears more receptive now that bank guarantees have been delivered. Osimhen has already agreed to the move, with Galatasaray pushing to complete what would be a record-breaking deal for Turkish football. Napoli, for their part, are looking to reinvest the proceeds into a major squad overhaul this summer.

DID YOU KNOW?

If completed, the move would become the most expensive transfer in Turkish football history by a massive margin – Orkun Kokcu became the most expensive Super Lig signing on Sunday when he joined Besiktas from Benfica for a reported €25m. Galatasaray have made Osimhen their top priority for the window after he scored 37 goals in 41 games for the club in the 2024-25 season during his loan spell.

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AFPWHAT NEXT FOR GALATASARAY?

Galatasaray are awaiting Napoli’s final response and are preparing documentation to complete the transfer. Further meetings are scheduled this week to align on payment schedules and legal terms. The club is aiming to finalise the deal before their pre-season tour begins, with Osimhen expected to join immediately upon completion.

The 18-year-old is following in a long line of world-class stars to don one of the most famous jerseys in football

It's official: Lamine Yamal is Barcelona's new number 10, inheriting the iconic shirt having penned a new, incredibly lucrative contract with the Catalan powerhouse. It's a shirt with a complex history, but plenty of its owners have claimed the Ballon d'Or down the years, and Yamal will want to be next.

As he follows in the footsteps of some greats of the game, the winger has vowed to forge his own path, saying: "I'm under no pressure; I'll continue enjoying myself with a different number. I'm grateful for the club's trust and I'll try to continue that legacy."

However, the plight of previous incumbent Ansu Fati – another La Masia 'wonderkid' who has endured a sharp fall from grace – should serve as a warning as Yamal prepares to shoulder the weight of expectation at Camp Nou.

But who are the former wearers that the 18-year-old should be looking to emulate? Below, GOAL ranks the top 10 No.10s in Barcelona's storied history…

Arquivo pessoal10Evaristo

As you're about to discover, a plethora of wonderful Brazilian players have donned the famous No.10 down the years, but Evaristo was the very first almost 70 years ago.

Bestowed that honour way back in 1957, the centre-forward plundered 105 goals in just 151 appearances across five seasons after leaving his home country, winning the Spanish title twice. Controversially, he would go on to join Real Madrid, where he was markedly less successful, but his reputation at Camp Nou remains intact.

AdvertisementGetty Images9Gheorghe Hagi

Undoubtedly the best Romanian footballer of all time and one of the finest attacking midfielders on his generation, Hagi graced Barcelona's No.10 shirt after crossing the Clasico divide in 1994 having previously plied his trade at Real Madrid.

Despite his injury problems, Hagi's two-year stay at Camp Nou was still littered with moments of pure magic, resulting in him having the rare honour of being adored by both Barca and Real fans 30 years on.

Getty Images8Luis Suarez

Before Luis Suarez there was… Luis Suarez. One of the greatest Spanish players of all time, he took on the No.10 during the 1950s and early 60s, briefly wearing the No.11 in the days before fixed squad numbers.

He was awarded the Ballon d'Or in 1960, becoming the first Spaniard to claim the prize, not long before he departed the club for Inter, where he would also achieve legendary status.

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PROSHOTS7Hristo Stoichkov

One of a host of Barcelona players to win the Ballon d'Or with the No.10 on his back, Bulgaria hero Stoichkov enjoyed his best years at Camp Nou in the shirt.

Forming a formidable striker partnership with Brazilian legend Romario, whom he often shared the jersey with, he secured a Golden Ball in 1993-94 season off the back of a prolific, title-winning campaign.