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Newcastle United have the chance to end 70 years of domestic hurt at Wembley this afternoon when they take on Liverpool in the League Cup final.

Not since victory over Manchester City in the 1955 FA Cup final have the Magpies claimed silverware in England, a drought that is too staggering to believe.

Eddie Howe led the Toon to the same stage of this competition two seasons ago, but lost the showpiece event to Manchester United.

Can he put these demons to bed today? Or will Liverpool look to get back to winning ways after being bundled out of the Champions League midweek to Paris Saint-Germain?

It promises to be an exciting match, that’s for sure.

Newcastle United team news vs Liverpool

Defenders Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles will miss the trip to Wembley, while Lewis Hall won’t be available for selection now until next season after suffering an injury against Liverpool a few weeks ago.

Thankfully for Howe, Alexander Isak is fit and ready to shine for the Magpies against the Anfield side. It looked as though he was struggling for fitness a few weeks ago, but he could be key if the club want to end their seven-decade hoodoo today.

One player who is missing for the final is Anthony Gordon. During the FA Cup defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion a couple of weeks ago, the Englishman was sent off after pushing Jan Paul van Hecke in the head during the match.

This suspension could hurt Howe, but he does have a few options regarding a replacement for the talented winger.

While Harvey Barnes – who started against West Ham on Monday night – might be the obvious solution, Joe Willock could drop back into the heart of the midfield, which would allow Joelinton the chance to replace Gordon on the left wing instead.

Why Howe must unleash Joelinton for Newcastle

The Brazilian has played 31 games for the club this season, scoring four goals and grabbing an assist.

All of his goals have come in the Premier League, where the midfielder has also created a big chance, averages 0.8 key passes per game and won 5.7 total duels per match.

Goals

4

Assists

1

Total duels won per game

5.7

Possession lost per game

10.7

Key passes per game

0.8

Balls recoverd per game

5.4

Howe has praised the player heavily in the past, none more so than after Newcastle’s comeback against Nottingham Forest earlier this season, saying: “He’s like gold dust because you know wherever you put him he’ll do a good job.”

When compared to his positional peers in Europe’s top five leagues, Joelinton ranks in the top 10% for touches in the opposition penalty area (3.1), progressive passes received (4.14), total shots (1.84) and for through balls (0.38) per 90.

These statistics indicate that he could be a more than worthy replacement for Gordon this afternoon, even ahead of the previously peripheral Barnes, as the club chase a long-awaited trophy.

If the club perform to their best, they have a chance of defeating Liverpool, but every member of the starting XI will need to be up to the task of stopping Arne Slot’s side.

New name: Newcastle tracking "magnificent" £40m winger who PSG want to sign

He is a new target for the Magpies.

ByHenry Jackson Mar 14, 2025

South Africa muster belated fight to end a disappointing series on a better note

Tristan Lavalette08-Jan-2023South Africa defied Australia’s bold push for an improbable victory, and series sweep, as the third Test ended in a draw at the SCG.After following on, South Africa were 106 for 2 in their second innings when play ended five overs before the close. The surface played slowly and did not deteriorate as expected with South Africa mustering belated fight to end a disappointing series on a better note.Australia would have booked a spot in the World Test Championship final in June with victory, but one drawn match in the upcoming four-Test series in India will prove enough.Given their batting frailties, South Africa will be relieved to have escaped with a draw – their first such result since 2017.South Africa were nervous after skipper Dean Elgar fell before tea when he gloved a short Pat Cummins delivery to be caught behind. An under-pressure Elgar’s wretched series ended with just 56 runs at an average of 9.33 marked by struggles against short leg-side deliveries.After tea, spinner Nathan Lyon was left frustrated after a review on an lbw decision on Heinrich Klaasen went against him. The not-out decision was upheld even though replays showed the ball hitting middle stump.His mood soured further three balls later when Klaasen, playing his first Test match since 2019, stood his ground after edging a delivery to Steven Smith, who claimed a low catch at slip.But replays cast doubt over whether the ball touched the grass when it went into Smith’s fingers and it was enough for third umpire Richard Kettleborough to give not out.Klaasen’s luck ran out when he was clean bowled by a cracking reverse swinging delivery from Josh Hazlewood to provide a glimmer of hope for Australia with 20 overs remaining.South Africa were 82 for 2 with 15 overs left but Australia’s push continued with Cummins giving himself one last burst without reward.Cummins had also tried part-time spinners Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Travis Head, who claimed the only wicket in the morning session, but to no avail.Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar, who was wicketless in 14 overs in the first innings, was surprisingly backed to share the new ball alongside Hazlewood.In his first Test match since 2017, Agar again struggled with his accuracy in what has been a tough return in an audition ahead of Australia’s tour of India. He finished wicketless from 22 overs in the match.South Africa started the day precariously placed at 149 for 6 after Cummins and Hazlewood bowled superbly late on day four in fading light.Steven Smith fails to grab onto a tough chance from Heinrich Klaasen•Cricket Australia via Getty ImagesBut Harmer and Marco Jansen batted cautiously to thwart Australia’s attack. Jansen played a rearguard until being dislodged caught behind by Head with a delivery outside off stump that stayed low.But an 85-run partnership between Harmer and Keshav Maharaj pushed South Africa close to the follow-on target and likely safety from a series whitewash.Maharaj reached his half-century on the first ball after lunch before falling to Hazlewood with South Africa 24 runs short of avoiding following on.Having been preferred over Scott Boland, Hazlewood repaid the faith of the selectors on his return with four wickets after suffering a side strain against West Indies in the opening Test of the home season.Maharaj’s dismissal triggered an all too-familiar rush of wickets for South Africa to set up an intriguing finish although it proved an anti-climax.Australia ran out of time in a truncated match, where four straight sessions across days three and four were washed out. Forty-nine overs were also lost to rain and bad light on the opening two days to continue a run of rain-affected matches at the traditional SCG New Year’s Test.But Australia thoroughly dominated South Africa throughout a one-sided series to complete an unbeaten home Test season after earlier thrashings over West Indies in Perth and Adelaide.Australia’s massive first innings was built on an unbeaten 195 from opener Usman Khawaja and 104 from Smith, who passed Don Bradman with his 30th Test century.Having won three straight Test series in Australia, South Africa were a shadow with their batting unable to muster much of a challenge.Apart from fiery quick Anrich Nortje, their attack also underwhelmed with spearhead Kagiso Rabada taking just three wickets at 87.66 in the last two matches after an eight-wicket haul on the bowler-friendly Gabba surface. South Africa’s disastrous series also ended their chances of qualifying for the WTC final.

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Nicola Carey and Molly Strano played a key role with the ball

AAP11-Nov-2022

Heather Graham took Hobart Hurricanes to a matchwinning score•Getty Images

Heather Graham’s maiden WBBL half-century has helped Hobart Hurricanes climb into the competition’s top four with a 23-run win over a scrappy Adelaide Strikers.After Graham’s even 50 helped Hobart to 4 for 152, Nicola Carey became Hurricanes’ all-time leading wicket-taker as her 2 for 24 kept the Strikers to 4 for 129.The result marked Hurricanes’ first win over the Strikers since the opening weeks of the inaugural WBBL competition seven years ago, and has significant ramifications for this year’s tournament.After not playing finals since 2016-17, Hurricanes are now above defending champions Perth and into fourth with a game in hand on most teams in front of them.Strikers are still ahead of them in third with four games to play, but could have leapfrogged Brisbane Heat and Sydney Sixers into first with a win on Friday night at Karen Rolton Oval.And the Strikers largely had their fielding to blame. They dropped Elyse Villani on zero, Carey on 10 and Graham on 20. Combined, they added an extra 91 to their scores with Villani hitting 47 up top and Carey finishing unbeaten on 24.In comparison, the Hurricanes caught brilliantly when it mattered before Villani spilled a couple of late chances.Graham took a nice running catch on the boundary to remove Deandra Dottin for 15 off Carey, while Amy Smith pouched Tahlia McGrath (27) coming forward and low to the ground just as the allrounder looked to get going.That left Laura Wolvaardt to take control of the chase, but when Strano darted in one wide outside off to have her stumped for 45, the game was essentially done.Elsewhere, Brisbane Heat have lost the competition’s leading run-scorer Georgia Redmayne to a hamstring injury for their clash with Hurricanes on Saturday.Heat coaching staff are confident she will return before the finals in a little over a week, with Redmayne enhancing her hopes of an Australian call-up with 333 runs at 41.62 in the tournament.

شهدت مدرجات ملعب المباراة المرتقبة بين منتخبي مصر والمغرب، في نصف نهائي بطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا تحت 20 سنة، حضورًا لافتًا للثلاثي المغربي المحترف في صفوف النادي الأهلي.

وتواجد في مدرجات ملعب استاد الدفاع الجوي بالقاهرة كل من أشرف بن شرقي، ويحيى عطية الله، وأشرف داري، وذلك دعمًا لمنتخب بلادهم في المواجهة القوية التي تُقام على الأراضي المصرية. 

ويواجه منتخب مصر للشباب نظيره المغربي في لقاء حاسم، يسعى خلاله الفراعنة الصغار لمواصلة مشوارهم الناجح في البطولة، بعد أن تجاوزوا دور المجموعات بـ7 نقاط، إثر فوزين على جنوب إفريقيا وتنزانيا، وتعادل مع زامبيا، وخسارة وحيدة أمام سيراليون.

تشكيل منتخب مصر للشباب أمام المغرب في كأس أمم إفريقيا.. زعلوك يقود الهجوم

وكان منتخب مصر قد نجح في التأهل إلى نصف النهائي بعد فوز صعب على غانا في الدور ربع النهائي، بينما جاء تأهل المغرب على حساب منتخب سيراليون، ليصطدم المنتخبان العربيان في قمة كروية منتظرة على مستوى الشباب. 

وبوصولهما إلى الدور نصف النهائي، ضمن المنتخبان المصري والمغربي التأهل رسميًا إلى نهائيات كأس العالم للشباب، المقرر إقامتها في تشيلي، ليواصل الجيل الصاعد للطرفين كتابة فصول جديدة من النجاح على الساحة القارية والعالمية.

الجدير بالذكر، أن منتخب جنوب إفريقيا قد نجح في اقتناص بطاقة الصعود للدور النهائي ببطولة كأس أمم إفريقيا للشباب بفوز على نيجيريا بهدف دون رد، منتظرًا المتأهل من موقعة مصر والمغرب.

Tottenham Hotspur have been blessed with genuinely world-class talents over the years.

The North Londoners might not quite have the trophies to show for it, but the likes of Mousa Dembélé, Son Heung-min, Harry Kane and even Dele Alli all made names for themselves in N17 and became stars of the Premier League.

However, before that crop of players almost led the Lilywhites to domestic and continental glory, the club had another, arguably more talented star on their books: Gareth Bale.

The Welsh icon may have found glory while playing for Real Madrid, but he was just as unplayable during his time with Spurs, and while the club might not find another player exactly like him anytime soon, recent reports have touted a youngster with unmistakable similarities for a move this month.

Tottenham target Serie A ace

According to a recent report from GIVEMESPORT, Tottenham are one of several teams interested in signing Lecce star Patrick Dogu this month.

In fact, the report has revealed that ‘influential figures behind the scenes’ at Spurs have been trying to work out how they can jump ahead of rivals Manchester United to secure the Dane’s services.

The good news is that Lecce have already agreed to sell the full-back this month should an appropriate offer come in, but the bad news is that the Serie A side value the Danish international at £34m.

It could prove to be a challenging transfer to get over the line, but given Dorgu’s impressive form and sky-high potential, it’s one worth fighting for, especially as there are shades of Bale about him.

How Dorgu compares to Bale

Okay, the first thing to say is that even if Dorgu ends up being a roaring success at Spurs, which seems possible, he’ll still be some way off reaching the sensational heights that Bale did in his final season before joining Real Madrid in 12/13, when he produced 36 goal involvements in 44 games.

However, just because it’s unlikely that the Dane will be able to reach quite the same world-class levels as the Welshman doesn’t mean that there aren’t a number of evident similarities between the pair, because there are.

The first is the simple fact that, like the former Galactico, the Lecce gem will be joining the North Londoners – should a deal be struck – as an incredibly exciting and attack-minded left-back with the ability to play further up the pitch.

Left-Back

23

1

1

Right-Wing

11

3

0

Left-Midfield

9

1

0

Left-Winger

5

0

0

Right-Back

3

0

0

For example, in his 56 games for the Serie A side, the “super high potential” Dane, as dubbed by analyst Ben Mattinson, has made 23 appearances at left-back, 11 at right-wing, nine in left-midfield, five at left-wing and three at right-back, while the remaining five appearances were likely short cameos and therefore not attributed to a set position.

It’s not just this ability to play in attack and defence that makes the 20-year-old similar to the Cardiff-born icon; it’s also how he plays.

For example, according to Mattinson, the Copenhagen-born gem is an incredibly “dynamic” full-back who “loves to carry the ball up the field” and does so with such ease, in part thanks to the fact that his “dribbling is top drawer.”

However, while the offensive side of his game is what makes him most similar to the former Madrid star, he is no slouch when it comes to defensive duties, with Mattinson describing him as a “1v1 specialist” and someone who can “dominate his opponent physically.”

Finally, the 6 foot 2 prospect shares the former Spurs star’s incredible stamina, with Lecce sporting director Pantaleo Corvino describing him as having “an engine unmatched by anyone else.”

Overall, there are several apparent similarities between Dorgu and Bale, and these similarities are also what would make the youngster an ideal player for Posetcoglou, as he’d be able to play in multiple roles, he has explosive pace and, combined with his stamina, that could make him a nightmare for opponents in the Australian’s high-octane system.

Ultimately, it might require Daniel Levy and Co to invest more than they’d like to in a young player, but this looks like a transfer they must make.

Blockbuster move: Spurs target £40m PL star who can fix their Solanke issue

The sensational talent could develop into something special at Spurs.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes Jan 21, 2025

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou is facing the largest amount of pressure since he joined the club from Celtic in 2023, with Spurs sliding to 15th in the Premier League table after their 3-2 loss at Everton last weekend.

Ange Postecoglou criticised amid torrid Tottenham form

The Lilywhites showed real spirit to come back from 3-0 down at half-time on Merseyside, clawing back the deficit to just one, but the defeat was Postecoglou’s fifth in Spurs’ last six top flight matches and their 12th of the season overall.

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Until now, Tottenham hadn’t lost that number of games by this stage of a season for decades, and Postecoglou has been criticised for his one-note approach to matches in that time, whilst also failing to address his side’s leaky defence with a needed tactical tweak.

It simply must be said that Postecoglou has been dealt a plethora of injuries to key first-team players, including star striker Dominic Solanke just before their loss to Everton, and this has left the under-fire Spurs boss with precious few options.

Leicester City (home)

January 26

Brentford (away)

February 2

Man United (home)

February 16

Ipswich Town (home)

February 22

Man City (home)

February 26

Brennan Johnson is also set to be sidelined for weeks after he picked up an injury in their North London Derby loss to Arsenal last week, but Sky Sports pundit Jamie O’Hara says Postecoglou should be given his P45 regardless.

Reports suggest that Postecoglou is under no immediate threat of the Tottenham sack, but the 59-year-old faces a crucial week and this could well change if results continue in this manner.

Tottenham could sound out ex-Borussia Dortmund boss Edin Terzic if they decide to part company with Postecoglou, according to some reports, while another media source has now linked them with Brentford manager Thomas Frank.

Tottenham identify Thomas Frank as a "top" managerial target

According to TEAMtalk, the Bees boss is greatly admired by Tottenham’s hierarchy, following a productive few years at the Gtech Community Stadium where he has worked wonders on a shoestring budget.

The £4.5 million-per-year coach guided Brentford to promotion back in 2021, and they’ve never really been under any real threat of relegation since. Their highest league finish of ninth in 2022/2023 is impressive given the lack of resources available to Frank, and this has caught eyes at N17.

It is believed Frank would be a “top” target for Tottenham if they decide to sack Postecoglou. TEAMtalk add that chairman Daniel Levy and co even considered the 51-year-old as an option to succeed Antonio Conte, before they eventually landed on Postecoglou, and Frank has been praised as a “class act” by members of the media (Adam Keys).

The Dane is also expected to leave Brentford at the end of the season, meaning he could be attainable.

Bracewell has five wickets from two Tests but has conceded an eye-watering 5.67 runs per over

Matt Roller26-Jun-2022It was an over which turned the series. England were 136 for 4 in pursuit of 279 at Lord’s when Kane Williamson threw the ball to Ajaz Patel for his second over, hoping to break a partnership worth 67 between Joe Root and Ben Stokes.Stokes had slog-swept Patel’s second ball of the match for six into the Grandstand and Williamson was clearly reluctant to bring him back on. But with Colin de Grandhomme off the field with an injury which would end his series, he had little choice: even with Stokes on strike, Patel was back in the firing line.Stokes lined Patel up, monstering him over midwicket twice more in the first four balls of the over. He was nearly bowled by the fifth, missing another slog-sweep to a ball which bounced just past the top of his off stump and past Tom Blundell’s gloves for four byes, but with figures of 2-0-22-0, Patel did not return to bowl again.This was the first clear sign of England’s ultra-positive approach with the bat. They had scored at 2.83 an over in their run chase up until the start of that over and went at 4.64 thereafter, liberated by Stokes’ decision to take down his match-up with the ball spinning into his arc.”He saw that match-up with the left-arm spinner… it was a really important over,” Root said. “With Colin going off injured it meant that they were going to have to keep bringing their seamers back, keep them tired.” Kyle Jamieson, who picked up much of the slack, suffered a stress reaction in the next Test which ruled him out of the series.Williamson’s faith in Patel evaporated. He had taken 10 wickets in an innings and 14 in the match in his most recent Test, and 4 for 59 in New Zealand’s win at Edgbaston last summer, but was deemed surplus to requirements on two good batting pitches at Trent Bridge and Headingley.His replacement, Michael Bracewell, has been eviscerated: he has taken five wickets in his two Tests but has conceded an eye-watering 5.67 runs per over. He has the highest economy rate by a New Zealand bowler in a series anywhere, by any bowler in a series in England and the third-highest by any bowler in any series (min. 40 overs bowled).He has been a strangely negative selection: a 31-year-old allrounder, picked primarily for his bowling despite a career record of 27 wickets at 47.51 in first-class cricket before this tour, having only switched to offspin in the 2019-20 season. According to ESPNcricinfo’s ball-by-ball data, England have attacked 17.7% of the balls he has bowled, compared to an overall figure of 13.2% across the series: Bracewell’s team-mates call him ‘the Beast’ but he has been beasted on this tour.Related

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On Sunday, he removed Zak Crawley with his seventh ball, slapped straight to extra cover, but by the end of the day he had resorted to firing the ball down the leg side from around the wicket – and even then, Root swept him for consecutive fours. There were chances, with both Root and Ollie Pope edging past Daryl Mitchell at slip, but he conceded one boundary per over.”We’re backing him all the way,” Tom Blundell said in his defence, “but if you look at it, you’ve got two quality guys out there who play spin really well. If you look at the opportunities we created at times with Beast, if one of those goes to hand, it could be a different story.”Williamson was crying out for a bowler who could restrict England’s scoring but couldn’t find one. New Zealand packed their batting by picking Bracewell at No. 8 and effectively only fielded three frontline bowlers, two of whom have played all three games in this series and arrived straight from the IPL. His runs – 96 in four innings – have been handy, but nothing more.And so Bracewell had to plug away, finishing the day with 1 for 70 from his 11 overs on a pitch that had started to turn sharply. Jack Leach, his opposite number, bowled more than 70 overs, took the new ball in the second innings and took five wickets in each innings; Williamson posted a sweeper either side of square leg and watched Root nail the ball into the gap between them.Patel, meanwhile, looked on from the dressing room. Perhaps he would have suffered the same fate as Bracewell, but he was hardly given a chance. New Zealand will not play their next Test until the far side of the T20 World Cup by which time he will be a 34-year-old with only a dozen caps to his name.That his career record compares favourably to Leach’s is a reflection of the fact that New Zealand only pick him when conditions suit, but even on a dry, hard Leeds surface, he has had to carry the drinks. He must wonder how this series might have panned out if his penultimate ball of the tour had kissed the top of Stokes’ off stump, rather than bouncing over it.

Newcastle United won for the first time in five matches in the Premier League with a thumping 4-0 victory over Leicester City at St. James’ Park on Saturday.

It was a big day for English forward Jacob Murphy as he scored his first two goals of the season in the win, taking his tally to two goals and four assists in 13 appearances.

The former Norwich winger has only scored five goals in the Premier League since the start of last season, and should be hoping that his performance against the Foxes helps him to kick on.

Eddie Howe, though, could land a huge upgrade on Murphy when the January transfer window opens for business, amid interest in a star from one of their rivals.

Newcastle plotting bid for West Ham star

According to the Mirror, the Newcastle United head coach is plotting a bid to sign Mohammed Kudus from Premier League rivals West Ham United.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

The report claims that Arsenal and Liverpool are also in the race to land the Ghana international next month, which means that there is plenty of competition for his services.

It states that the Hammers have placed a whopping £90m price tag on the attacking midfielder’s head, and that means that the Magpies would have to splash out a club-record fee to bring him to St. James’ Park.

The outlet adds that Newcastle would need to sell players in order to afford a swoop for the West Ham star, with Miguel Almiron said to be a prime candidate to be moved on.

Howe must push for the Magpies to bring in enough funds to facilitate a move for Kudus because he could come in as a huge upgrade on Murphy on the right flank.

Why Newcastle should sign Kudus

The Hammers signed the forward from Dutch giants Ajax in the summer of 2023 and he has proven himself to be a fantastic performer at Premier League level, and in Europe.

Kudus scored five goals and created three ‘big chances’ in nine appearances in the Europa League last term, whilst Murphy managed zero goals and one assist in three Champions League outings.

The left-footed wizard, who was described as “unbelievable” by teammate Michail Antonio, also caught the eye with his performances in the English top-flight.

Appearances

33

21

Goals

8

3

xA

3.67

3.42

Assists

6

7

Dribbles completed per game

3.8

0.6

Pass accuracy

84%

74%

As you can see in the table above, Kudus made a greater impact than Murphy at the top end of the pitch, with more goals, more xA, and far more completed dribbles.

The West Ham magician has the quality to consistently drive past opposition defenders, whilst being reliable with his passes and effective in the final third, and this is why he could come in as a huge upgrade for Newcastle.

Howe could improve his team by signing a proven Premier League star who could win matches for the club more frequently with his superb qualities in possession, which is why he should work to secure his services in January.

Liverpool are now closing in on a move for a £179,000-p/w player who has been described as a “miracle”, according to a report.

Liverpool setting the pace

Life under Arne Slot could hardly be going any better, as the Reds are sitting four points clear at the top of the Premier League table with a game in hand, but it is crunch time in regard to three of their star players’ futures.

The trio of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah have reportedly all been offered contracts, moving swiftly after the latter confirmed he was “more out than in” following the win away at Southampton last month.

In terms of potential new arrivals, Liverpool have been weighing up an £8m move for young Motherwell midfielder Lennon Miller, having received “glowing reviews” from club scouts.

Not only that, but Slot seemingly has long-term plans to bring in a new centre-back, perhaps as competition for Van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate, having recently been named as an admirer of Bologna defender Sam Beukema.

While Slot will be hoping to keep one of the Premier League’s top right-backs at the club amid Alexander-Arnold’s uncertain future, there are also signs he could be looking to strengthen his defence on the opposite side.

Liverpool’s upcoming Premier League fixtures

Date

Fulham (h)

December 14

Tottenham Hotspur (a)

December 22

Leicester City (h)

December 26

West Ham United (a)

December 29

Manchester United (h)

January 5

Alphonso Davies available on free transfer

According to a report from Football Insider, the Reds are now closing in on Bayern Munich left-back Alphonso Davies, having been tracking him ahead of a potential free transfer in the summer.

As Davies is out of contract at the end of the season, he is free to enter negotiations about a pre-contract deal from January onwards.

Liverpool had initially appeared to have been priced out of a deal due to the defender’s high wage and signing-on fee demands, but they now believe they can reach a deal.

That said, Real Madrid are currently in pole position to secure the Canadian’s signature, so there is set to be stiff competition.

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Should the Reds be able to get a deal over the line, it could be a real statement signing, given how highly the £179k-per-week defender is rated by former teammate Ivan Perisic, who described him as a “miracle”.

The Canada international has now chalked up 215 appearances for Bayern Munich, during which time he has proven himself to be a real threat on the front foot, amassing a total of 11 goals and 34 assists.

Despite his attacking prowess, the former Vancouver Whitecaps man has been praised for his ability to recover defensively, indicating that he could be a brilliant acquisition for Slot and perhaps a necessary one, considering Andy Robertson will be 31 at the end of the season.