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Manchester United have been linked with a huge double deal, with Sir Jim Ratcliffe thought to be pushing for a major club overhaul on and off the pitch this summer.

What Ratcliffe says goes at Old Trafford

Since his arrival in December 2023, Ratcliffe has been laying down the law at Old Trafford. He has been responsible for the arrival of new CEO Omar Berrada, poached from major rivals and Premier League champions Manchester City.

He has also begun proceedings to sign a further two backroom staff members, though neither deal has yet been completed. Dan Ashworth, ex-Brighton transfer guru, is on gardening leave with Newcastle United after being approached by the Red Devils, and is expected to leave the Magpies in favour of Manchester United sooner rather than later, though a major stumbling block remains the £20m compensation that Eddie Howe's side are demanding.

Related Fabrizio Romano: "Special" player would be "really keen" to join Man Utd

He could be perfect for the Red Devils.

Posts ByBen Browning Mar 12, 2024

Ratcliffe is also believed to be readying an approach for Crystal Palace Sporting Director Dougie Freedman, who would arrive at Old Trafford as the head of transfers ahead of the summer. Freedman is understood to be open to the move and Sir Alex Ferguson is also lending his weight to the deal, which could begin to move in earnest soon.

With those in the pipeline, attention has turned to the pitch, with the new United chief already plotting squad changes.

Major rebuild to start with Serie A swoop

After a disappointing campaign, Manchester United are in need of a rebuild. The club look set to miss out on Champions League football for next season, and will likely be playing in the Europa League barring a drastic change in fortunes in the final ten games of the season.

As per the Manchester Evening News, as many as 21 players could depart in some capacity as the club look to trim their wage bill and get rid of players that are falling below the required standard.

That will, of course, require new signings to counterbalance departures, with a centre-back and central midfielder two of the key areas to fill before the new season.

Manchester United's defensive options

Player

Contract Expires

Raphael Varane

2024

Harry Maguire

2025

Lisandro Martinez

2027

Jonny Evans

2024

Willy Kambwala

2025

Victor Lindelof

2025

Previously, the club have been linked to a double signing from Everton this summer, but now new links suggest that they could have turned their attention elsewhere.

As per Sport Witness, United sent scouts to watch the clash between Atalanta and Bologna recently with two players firmly on the radar. The first of those is midfielder Teun Koopmeiners, who followed up his performance against Bologna with two goals against Juventus and has been wowing fans this season.

He wasn't the only Atalanta star who was under the microscope though, with defender Giorgio Scalvini also very much on their radar. Neither player would come cheap though. Reports in Italy have previously priced Koopmeiners at 60m euros and Scalvini at 50m euros.

With both positions in desperate need of being filled at Old Trafford, those prices suggest that a deal to bring the pair to the northwest of England would cost around £94m. It is added that the club are 'watching their performances closely' as they look to plot a 'rebuild' led by Ratcliffe this summer.

Given Tottenham's impressive Serie A signings in recent summers (Guglielmo Vicario, Destiny Udogie and Dejan Kulusevski to name but three), United may see the Italian top flight as a more cost-effective way to bring talent to Old Trafford rather than paying the extortionate prices their fellow Premier League clubs demand.

They won't be alone thinking that though, with Tottenham likely to continue plundering from the Italian top flight and Juventus always lurking in the background.

Lionel Messi hit the bar with a failed spot-kick attempt in Argentina's Copa America quarter-final shootout win against Ecuador Thursday.

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Article continues below

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• Argentina captain pinged penalty off the bar
• Emi Martinez spared blushes with shootout heroics
• Albiceleste will play in semi-final next week

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Messi endured a rare big-moment slip-up in Argentina's Copa America quarter-final clash with Ecuador, pinging a penalty off the bar in La Albiceleste's shootout win. Ecuadorian goalkeeper Alexander Dominguez consoled the Inter Miami forward immediately after, but it was a shocking start to the shootout.

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  His blunder ultimately mattered little as Emi Martinez provided yet another memorable shootout performance, stopping two Ecuador attempts, while Julian Alvarez, Alexis Mac Allister, Gonzalo Montiel and Nicolas Otamendi all converted for Argentina in a 4-2 shootout win.

  Still, it's a haunting moment for the eight-time Ballon d'Or winner. One can't help but think of his missed attempt in the 2016 Copa America final – a moment that saw him briefly retire from the national team.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MESSI AND ARGENTINA?

  La Albiceleste have secured a spot in a fifth-straight Copa America semi-final. They will face the winner of the Venezuela vs Canada tie Tuesday evening.

His tenure would be till the end of 2020 with a possibility of extension based on the results

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Sep-2019Former South Africa allrounder Lance Klusener has been appointed Afghanistan’s new head coach. ESPNcricinfo understands Klusener’s tenure would be till the end of 2020, with a possibility of extension based on the results.Andy Moles, who is part of Afghanistan’s revamped selection set-up and is a former coach of the national team, had served as the team’s interim head coach during the recent tour of Bangladesh after the exit of Phil Simmons’ following the World Cup.According to Afghanistan Cricket Board, over 50 candidates had applied for the vacant position, with Klusener emerging as the top pick.Klusener played 49 Tests and 171 ODIs for South Africa between 1996 and 2004. Considered one of the best allrounders of his time, he collected 1906 runs and 80 wickets in Tests, as well as 3576 runs and 192 wickets in ODIs. He took up a coaching role with his domestic side Dolphins in 2012, before serving as the batting coach for Zimbabwe in 2016. In 2015, he was roped in by South Africa to tutor the lower order during their home series against England. He has also served as Mumbai Indians’ bowling coach in the IPL. More recently, he served as South Africa’s assistant batting coach for the T20I leg of their India tour.”I am extremely excited and honoured to be given the opportunity to work with some of the best talent in world cricket,” Klusener said in a statement. “Everyone knows the fearless brand of cricket Afghanistan play. I am very confident that with some hard work we can become one of the best sides in the world. I am really looking forward to working with the Afghanistan team and helping them take their cricket to the next level.”According to Lutfullah Stanikzai, ACB’s chief executive officer, Klusener’s appointment is timely keeping in mind Afghanistan’s preparations for the 2020 Asia Cup as well as the T20 World Cup in Australia next October.His first assignment with his new team will be the series of one Test, three ODIs and three T20Is against West Indies at ‘home’ in November-December.

MatériaMais Notícias

De volta à elite do futebol brasileiro, a Chapecoense aposta no rodízio neste começo de temporada com a real intenção de não desgastar o seu time.

+ Confira a tabela detalhada da 1ª fase da Libertadores

O técnico Umberto Louzer usa o elenco e começa a descobrir boas peças, como, por exemplo, o garoto Perotti, que é o artilheiro do time com 10 gols.

Invencibilidade

Com essa ‘descoberta’ de atletas, Louzer mantém o bom desempenho no comando da equipe e vai colecionando bons números.

Até o momento, em 10 partidas disputadas, o Verdão do Oeste soma sete vitórias, dois empates e uma derrota. Entre os empates, conta o resultado do tempo normal entre Chape vs JEC pela Recopa Catarinense, quando o Joinville levou a melhor na disputa de pênaltis.

No Catarinense, desde o revés contra o Hercílio Luz, a Chapecoense soma três vitórias e um empate.

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Manchester United will trim their squad this month and could be about to let one gem leave Old Trafford, following on from already being in the final stages of losing another talented youngster this window, according to transfer insider Fabrizio Romano.

Man United's outgoings…

In terms of players coming through the door at Old Trafford, there really isn't that much to discuss as Manchester United are yet to finalise any signings this month. Outgoings have been the main focus so far at the Premier League giants and it is likely that Erik ten Hag will be keen to reduce his squad size further over the next few weeks.

Manchester United ready to trigger release clause to sign new midfielder

He’s piqued the interest of Old Trafford chiefs…

BySean Markus Clifford Jan 7, 2024

Speaking at an official Fans Forum last month, Red Devils' football director John Murtough hinted that several fringe players would leave to receive regular game time elsewhere, as he stated: "There will always be the possibility of deals around the edges of the squad, particularly in terms of finding opportunities for players who are not playing as much football as they would like."

Eintracht Frankfurt moved swiftly to sign Donny van de Beek on by the time January rolled around and his teammate Jadon Sancho has already departed to join Borussia Dortmund on a similar deal, notching an assist in his first appearance against Darmstadt.

Now, Romano has let it be known that Manchester United could now be set to let a prodigious talent walk through the exit door as Ten Hag's squad cull continues.

Mateo Mejia set to leave Manchester United…

According to transfer guru Romano, Manchester United's young winger Mateo Mejia is set to join Sevilla on a free transfer and official documentation of the deal will be processed next week. Taking to social media platform X, the Italian journalist has indicated that the Red Devils will insert a 25% release clause into his agreement.

Of course, Alvaro Fernandez is also nearing a loan move to Benfica, which will include an obligation to buy, a sell-on clause and an option to purchase him again from the Portuguese giants at some point in the future.

Zaragoza-born Mejia has made 12 appearances across all competitions for Manchester United's development side this campaign, registering three goals and five assists (Mejia statistics – Transfermarkt).

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Despite the Red Devils' plight in the Premier League this campaign, Ten Hag doesn't seem too keen to introduce an influx of young stars and Mejia will now try to kickstart his senior career in Andalusia.

Sunderland will hope a return to the comforts of the Stadium of Light tonight – where the Black Cats have picked up eight wins in the Championship to date this season – can steer the Wearside club back on course after a bruising defeat to Ipswich Town last time out.

Going 1-0 up early on in Suffolk courtesy of a Jack Clarke thunderbolt saw the rapturous away following at Portman Road grow in confidence, only for Kieran McKenna's hosts to show their class eventually and come away with a comeback 2-1 win to break Sunderland hearts.

Michael Beale will hope switching up the Black Cats lineup can inspire an immediate response from his players to overcome Hull City tonight, with two potential changes in this predicted XI from the narrow Tractor Boys defeat last weekend…

1 GK – Anthony Patterson

Beale will hope he can keep his number one goalkeeper Anthony Patterson past this January despite interest from elsewhere, with football journalist Alan Nixon stating that the reliable Black Cats shot-stopper is being linked with a shock move away to Liverpool.

Despite this interest from Jurgen Klopp's Reds potentially turning Patterson's head and making him demand a move away, Beale will start the 23-year-old against the Tigers.

2 RB – Jenson Seelt

With Aji Alese potentially not fit enough to start tonight's game against Liam Rosenior's Hull, Beale could have to shake up the back four and play Jenson Seelt at right-back with Trai Hume moved over to the then-vacant left-back spot.

The exciting Dutchman shone playing in this makeshift role when Sunderland faced off against Hull in the reverse fixture just last month, winning five duels in the away contest to help his side clinch the three points.

3 CB – Daniel Ballard

Daniel Ballard's spot in the defence is set in stone for tonight's clash in contrast, the former Arsenal centre-back only missing one game this season to date in the league.

The Northern Ireland international even stood out in the defeat to Ipswich, winning all but one of his duels but to no avail as McKenna's men still exited the fierce encounter victorious.

4 CB – Luke O'Nien

Luke O'Nien also trudged off the field of play with his head held high despite the final scoreline, blocking four shots in the 2-1 away loss to ensure Sunderland weren't completely humbled on their travels to Suffolk.

The 29-year-old also gave his all in the reverse fixture versus the Tigers in December, completing ten accurate long balls in the narrow 1-0 win. Could O'Nien help his promotion-chasing side pick up a victory on home turf tonight with another clean sheet tallied up?

5 LB – Trai Hume

Hume won't be out of his comfort zone too much filling in at left-back tonight if selected there by Beale, drafted in with other options lacking that can do a job.

Averaging 5.7 ball recoveries per game this season, Beale will hope Hume's full-throttle energy and tenacity down the flanks can help Sunderland pick up a much-needed win at the expense of Hull to forget the demons of Ipswich.

6 CM – Pierre Ekwah

With Beale's experiment of playing a 4-4-2 formation at Portman Road not working whatsoever, the 43-year-old in the Black Cats hot-seat could be tempted to switch back to the tried and test set-up of a 4-2-3-1 with Pierre Ekwah chosen as one of his holding midfielders.

Ekwah struggled against the Tractor Boys centrally – the ex-West Ham United youth player turned Sunderland first-teamer allowing himself to be dribbled past twice – and so Beale will hope reverting the number 39 to a more comfortable anchor position gets the best out of him again.

7 CM – Dan Neil

On the contrary, Dan Neil didn't quite flop in the new formation chosen by Beale – amassing one key pass versus Ipswich in a bid to pull off a monumental victory on the road – but the homegrown Sunderland product does excel alongside Ekwah when played further back.

When featuring versus the Tigers away last month, Neil's creativity from a deep role stood out even more – helping himself to three key passes in the encounter – with one of those balls setting up Jack Clarke to score a stunner to win the tight match.

8 RM – Abdoullah Ba

Abdoullah Ba could well be retained for tonight's clash, the right winger benefitting from Patrick Roberts still being in the Sunderland treatment room and attempting to show to Beale that he's worthy of being Roberts' immediate replacement whenever selected.

Still only 20 years of age, the Frenchman isn't quite the finished product yet but his raw ability down the channels did trouble Ipswich defenders on occasion at Portman Road.

Registering two key passes from just 34 touches of the ball, Ba will hope he can contribute with a strike or an assist tonight as Sunderland get back to winning ways returning to Wearside.

9 CAM – Jobe Bellingham

With Alex Pritchard being lined up for a move away from the Black Cats, according to reports, despite breathing life back into his fading Sunderland career in recent weeks, Jobe Bellingham is the obvious choice in this number ten role for the visit of Hull tonight.

Played as an unorthodox striker against Ipswich, the dynamic 18-year-old is far more at ease playing just behind the lone centre-forward.

On New Year's Day, as Sunderland confidently dispatched Preston North End with ease in a 2-0 win, Bellingham shone in this role with a 100% successful dribble completion rate managed on top of only misplacing four passes from the 85 minutes he was on the pitch.

10 LM – Jack Clarke

It's no surprise to any Sunderland fans now when Jack Clarke rifles in a wonder strike, the ex-Tottenham Hotspur winger able to have his own goal of the season competition at this point with another sumptuous effort managed against the Tractor Boys last weekend.

Clarke will just hope if he manages to get fans at the Stadium of Light off their feet again with a sublime goal against Hull that a win is forthcoming at full-time, with the promotion hopefuls abundantly aware that their star attacker is a wanted man and could move on if the Black Cats slump further.

De Villiers looks rusty and the middle order continues to be a source of worry for RCB as they try to turn around a six-match losing streak

Alagappan Muthu12-Apr-20196:02

Will RCB finally collect their first win?

Big picturePlenty of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s losses tally back to their weak bowling units. But it may be argued that the six on the trot this season is more the result of their batting misfiring through every stage of an IPL match. Statistics indicate they have scored at 7.3 per over in the Powerplay (seventh-best out of eight teams), 6.9 between overs 7 and 15 (seventh-best again) and 8.9 in the back end (dead last).So, clearly, Kings XI Punjab have plenty of targets to aim at and a fine roster of bowlers to do it for them. Yet, two of their three losses in 2019 were the result of bowling mishaps. They fumbled a great opportunity against Mumbai earlier this week and, before that, allowed KKR to score 218. Strange things happen in the IPL and that trend is probably going to continue when these two teams meet on Saturday.In the news Kings XI batting coach S Sriram said Chris Gayle felt a twitch in his back during the game against Mumbai on Wednesday and that he needed to be monitored. Mayank Agarwal missed Kings XI’s previous match with a hand injury. The 28-year old has already played a high-impact innings against one of the best bowling teams in the tournament and his return to the XI could prove a major boost. RCB confirmed the signing of Dale Steyn on Friday evening. The South Africa fast bowler replaces the injured Nathan Coulter-Nile but will only be available for selection after April 15. Form guide

Kings XI Punjab: Lost to Mumbai Indians by three wickets, beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by six wickets, lost to Chennai Super Kings by 22 runs
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Lost to Delhi Capitals by four wickets, lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by five wickets, lost to Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets

Previous meetingGoes back to last year, when Kings XI were bowled out for 88 after fast bowler Umesh Yadav took out their two best batsmen – KL Rahul and Chris Gayle – inside five overs. RCB won with 10 wickets and 71 balls to spare.BCCI

Likely XIsKings XI Punjab: 1 KL Rahul (wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Karun Nair, 4 David Miller/ Nicholas Pooran, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Mandeep Singh, 7 Sam Curran, 8 R Ashwin (capt), 9 Mujeeb Ur Rahman, 10 M Ashwin, 11 Mohammed ShamiRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Virat Kohli (capt), 2 Parthiv Patel (wk), 3 AB de Villiers, 4 Marcus Stoinis, 5 Moeen Ali, 6 Akshdeep Nath, 7 Pawan Negi, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Umesh Yadav, 10 Yuzvendra Chahal, 11 Navdeep SainiStrategy punt Spin to AB de Villiers. His strike-rate of 94 this season is among the lowest for any batsman over the first 10 balls of their innings. Also, three of his five dismissals in 2019 were the result of opposition teams forcing him to play spin as soon as he came to the crease. Kings XI will want to exploit this weakness, and may even draft M Ashwin into their XI to do so. De Villiers, since IPL 2017, has lost his wicket to legspin seven times, while making a modest 158 runs in 121 balls. There is an equally strong case for Umesh Yadav’s inclusion in the RCB line-up. He matches up favourably against both Gayle and Rahul, conceding just about a run a ball, while also dismissing them a combined four times – Gayle thrice and Rahul once. In fact, Kings XI are Umesh’s favourite opposition – 26 wickets (personal best), 16 average (personal best), 7.13 economy (personal best)R Ashwin is pumped up after taking a wicket•BCCI

Stats that matter Since IPL 2015, the average first-innings score in a night game at Mohali is 173 and this is one of the rare venues where teams have more wins batting first (11) than second (5) RCB desperately need a strong hand in the middle order, especially now that international retirement seems to have made de Villiers a bit rusty. In an ideal world, Colin de Grandhomme and Moeen Ali should have solved that problem considering they have been striking at 148 and 170 in the middle overs of a T20 match since 2015. Except they average only 19 when playing the shortest format in India and it is that trend that is on show a little too often. Fair warning to fans of both teams. The Powerplay might be hard to watch. RCB have picked up only three wickets in this period across six different matches – that’s a bowling average of 98. Kings XI have been equally ineffective; they are the only team that leaks runs at a higher rate (8.6) than RCB (8.2). So yeah, might be useful to hide behind the couch and ask a friend to tell you when the first six overs are done.

MatériaMais Notícias

A partir das 21h30, a bola rola no Morumbi para a partida entre Flamengo e São Paulo, pela 38ª rodada do Brasileirão. Dependendo de uma vitória para conquistar o Octa, o Rubro-Negro está escalado para o duelo sem surpresas por Rogério Ceni, que busca seu primeiro título do torneio como treinador.

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Nesta quinta-feira histórica, os onze titulares do Flamengo são os seguintes: Hugo Souza; Isla, Rodrigo Caio, Gustavo Henrique e Filipe Luís; Gerson, Diego Ribas, Everton Ribeiro e Arrascaeta; Bruno Henrique e Gabriel Barbosa.

Acompanhe a transmissão em tempo real da decisão pelo site do LANCE!!

FLAMENGO ESCALADO! Rogério Ceni manda a campo o time esperado, o mesmo que venceu o Internacional no domingo. #lanceMORUMBI pic.twitter.com/HIP7Ivp759

— Matheus Dantas (@matheusdantasfr) February 25, 2021

Tottenham Hotspur's turbulent campaign has actually tantalised prosperity down the line, with Ange Postecoglou's managerial appointment working wonders to restore the fluency.

Fifth in the Premier League after 18 matches and with a game in hand on third-placed Aston Villa, Spurs have the opportunity to advance against Brighton & Hove Albion this evening, having won their past three matches.

That said, Postecoglou has many issues to contend with, and while the Seagulls are not in the finest form, they possess more than enough to hurt the hosts this evening.

Spurs team news vs Brighton

Tottenham might be firing themselves back into form but they will need to defeat Roberto De Zerbi's squad with a certain thinness that stems from the injury troubles over the past few months.

Star centre-back Cristian Romero is expected to be out for four or five weeks after sustaining a hamstring injury, and with Micky van de Ven still not expected back until January, Postecoglou will be forced to tinker over the coming period.

No Romero as Ange makes 3 changes in Spurs' predicted lineup vs Brighton

The north Londoners will be chasing a fourth successive victory tomorrow evening.

ByRobbie Walls Dec 27, 2023

Yves Bissouma is serving the second game of a four-match ban before jetting off to AFCON, while James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Manor Solomon, Ivan Perisic and Ryan Sessegnon remain long-term absentees.

Relievingly, Destiny Udogie will return to the starting line-up after serving a suspension during last week's hard-fought victory over Everton.

The players who could replace Cristian Romero vs Brighton

Udogie's availability hugely benefits Postecoglou's chances of success against Brighton, with the Italian slotting into his natural position and allowing his stand-in, Emerson Royal, to perhaps move centrally.

This makeshift solution is something that has been implemented during the 2-1 home defeat against Villa and the thrilling 3-3 draw at the Etihad Stadium against Manchester City, though he won just six of 15 duels across said encounters.

Eric Dier will be desperate to make another appearance after coming on at half-time against the Toffees; the England international is firmly out of favour under the Australian's management but the pickings are slim down at N17 right now.

While the 29-year-old might not be the tailor-made choice for Postecoglou's system – amid reports that an exit could lie in store in January – he is an experienced Premier League defender and may well be called upon today.

Should Postecoglou opt for a different route, however, handing Alfie Dorrington his first-team debut might be the perfect solution, with Spurs reporter Alasdair Gold claiming that he's "one of the most exciting centre-back prospects to emerge from Spurs' academy in years."

Dorrington, aged just 18, has been on the bench for the past seven outings and won all nine of his games in the Premier League 2 with the U21s earlier in the term, with a scouting report highlighting his strength in passing, positioning and being 'strong and decisive in the challenge'.

Romero is not easily replaced, with the aggressive star ranking among the top 14% of positional peers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for goals, the top 19% for progressive passes, the top 6% for tackles and the top 17% for blocks, as per FBref.

But Dorrington has been described as a 'commanding' centre-half by his club and will be confident in his ability to do a job on the major stage, with Gold stating that he believes a debut could be in the pipeline soon for the "terrific" starlet.

Having now been within the first-team mix for multiple match weeks, Dorrington could be handed his chance to shine, perhaps even impressing and staking his claim for a prominent role over the weeks and months to come.

Leicester City just keep winning. Another comfortable victory against Plymouth Argyle this weekend meant that the Foxes have now picked up back-to-back wins in the Championship.

Breaking Reading's record of accumulating 106 points in England's second tier looks like a real possibility, which has been helped by the fact that Leicester maintained several players after the club were relegated from the top flight.

Former Sunderland boss Tony Mowbray admitted that "they are Premier League" after the Black Cats were devoured by the Foxes earlier in the campaign.

Nevertheless, head coach Enzo Maresca is still looking to add even more Premier League quality to his squad ahead of the second half of the campaign and could be set to bolster his defensive department.

Leicester transfer news – Joe Worrall

In the aftermath of four consecutive defeats in the league, leaving the side just five points from the relegation zone, The Daily Mail reported that Nottingham Forest's club captain Joe Worrall has been asked to train away from the first-team group, alongside centre-back counterpart Scott McKenna. Furthermore, the outlet claimed that there were no behavioural issues, yet the duo have been put up for sale this coming January.

Another article published by The Daily Mail after the initial report has now claimed that Leicester City are monitoring Worrall ahead of the winter window, with Maresca looking to add depth and quality to his backline. Michael Carrick's Middlesbrough are also in the running for the 26-year-old centre-half.

Worrall has been with Nottingham Forest for quite some time and has been an integral part of the team in recent seasons, helping to guide the club to promotion back in 2022 under Steve Cooper in the playoff final. The manager even called his central defender "incredible" earlier this season.

Since returning from a loan spell at Rangers in 2019, Worrall has proven to be an important player for the Tricky Trees.

2019/20

48

4,313

2020/21

33

2,970

2021/22

46

4,170

2022/23

34

2,576

2023/24

6

439

However, there has been a massive dip in his involvement in the side this term, leaving the door open for a Leicester City swoop.

Joe Worrall's stats this season

Worrall could move to the King Power Stadium for relatively cheap. The CIES Football Observatory have placed the defender's market value at £4m, although Worrall still has a little under three years remaining on his contract, having signed a new deal back in September, so perhaps Leicester may need to cough up a little more than that.

The former Premier League champions currently have the best defence in the Championship, having conceded a mere 12 goals from 19 matches. Wout Faes and Jannik Vestergaard have been Maresca's preferred duo at the back and the pair have been very solid this season.

However, backup centre-back Harry Souttar has struggled for minutes this season and has played just 81 minutes of league action in total.

Speaking after his side's win at home to Plymouth on Saturday, Maresca explained that the Australian is being left out of the team due to the excellent form of Faes and Vestergaard. Having signed for £15m from Stoke City back in January, Souttar could leave the club in the near future, having already been up for sale during the summer.

Worrall could be the perfect replacement for the 25-year-old who, based on his last season in the Championship, outperformed both Souttar and Faes' stats this term.

Goals

0.02

0

0.05

Expected Goals

0.04

0

0.03

Progressive Passes

4.56

7.78

5.7

Progressive Passes Received

0.38

0

0.18

Switches Of Play

1.21

0

1.21

Tackles

1.9

1.11

1.39

Tackles Won

1.12

0.58

0.86

Interceptions

1.86

0

1.35

Clearances

3.26

1.11

3.39

Blocks

1.41

0

1.39

Aerial Duels Won

2.38

2.22

1.15

Worrall would certainly get into the squad over Souttar and could allow the latter to finally leave for pastures new, but there is a good chance that the Englishman takes Faes' place in the team as well by the end of the campaign should he move to the King Power Stadium.