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West Ham United have been handed a huge boost in their bid to bring Mohamed Bayo to the London Stadium this summer.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by French media outlet Foot Mercato, who claim that, following a number of reports linking David Moyes with a move for the Clermont Foot centre-forward in recent weeks, the Ligue 1 side are now willing to green light a move for a figure in the region of €14m (£12m) in the summer transfer window.

However, the report goes on to state that the Hammers are not alone in their pursuit of the Guinea international’s signature, with LOSC Lille, Eintracht Frankfurt, Hertha Berlin, Valencia, Tottenham Hotspur and Everton also believed to be tracking the forward ahead of a potential move of their own.

Huge coup

Considering just how exciting a prospect Bayo quite clearly appears to be, should Moyes manage to beat the likes of Spurs, Everton, Eintracht and Valencia to a deal for the 24-year-old this summer, it would undoubtedly represent a huge coup for West Ham.

Indeed, over his 32 Ligue 1 appearances in 2021/22, the £10.8m-rated talent was in electric form for Clermont, scoring 14 goals, registering five assists and creating six big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.1 shots, making 1.0 key pass and completing 0.9 dribbles per game.

These returns saw the £10k-per-week forward who Jacek Kulig dubbed “indispensable” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 6.94, ranking him as Pascal Gastien’s third-best performer in the league – a quite remarkable feat considering Clermont’s 17th place finish in the French top-flight last time out.

As such, with Moyes in desperate need of both backup to and competition for West Ham’s sole centre-forward, Michail Antonio, next season, it would very much appear as if Bayo could be something of a perfect fit for the 59-year-old Scot – especially considering the fact the Guinean now looks to be available for an extremely reasonable fee this summer.

AND in other news: ExWHUemployee drops huge one-word transfer update, West Ham supporters will be buzzing

Celtic have had a good start to their summer transfer window by securing a permanent deal for Cameron Carter-Vickers following his successful loan spell last season.

However, one bad bit of news that emerged recently concerned fellow Hoops defender Josip Juranovic, who has been linked with a move away from the Parkhead club this summer.

In his debut season as a Celtic player, the defender made 35 appearances for the Bhoys across all competitions.

Whether the full-back leaves the club or not, this current transfer period could give Ange Postecoglou the chance to bring in what could be the next version of the Croatian.

The player in question, who has been linked with a move to Celtic Park this summer, is Alexandro Bernabei.

The Lanus left-back, who is currently valued at £2.97m according to Transfermarkt, has made 87 senior appearances for the Argentine club after emerging from their youth ranks.

In those appearances, the 21-year-old has scored five goals and delivered 10 assists, highlighting the attacking prowess he has for a full-back.

This backs up why he was labelled as a “dangerous” player by journalist Fernando Campos on Twitter.

It also shows how much of an asset the starlet could be for the Bhoys up and down the pitch.

With Juranovic scoring 10 goals and providing 25 assists in 241 club appearances throughout his career, this highlights the talent that both players have in the final third.

In fact, in their previous campaigns, both defenders racked up over 30 shots at goal and more than 90 crosses each.

Furthermore, the 26-year-old is included on a list of similar players to the Lanus youngster according to Football Transfers.

In terms of a potential move to Celtic, the fact that Adam Montgomery is reportedly set to join St. Johnstone on loan for next season, in addition to Boli Bolingoli being named as one player the Hoops are looking to get rid of this summer, this could pave the way for Bernabei to take his place in Postecoglou’s squad.

Moving forward, regardless of what Juranovic’s future will look like, Celtic should do all they can to make sure the Argentine puts pen to paper on a deal at Parkhead this summer.

AND in other news: Celtic now given green light to sign “incredibly fast” £5m talent, Ange surely buzzing

Sky Sports pundit Gabby Agbonlahor says he could ‘100%’ see Tottenham Hotspur re-signing Christian Eriksen during the upcoming transfer window.

The Lowdown: Spurs make contact with Eriksen

The 30-year-old arrived back in the Premier League when he joined Brentford on a six-month deal in January, but his short-term contract is set to expire at the end of June, making him a free agent for any potential suitors interested in securing his services.

A Lilywhites source has told Football Insider that Spurs have been in contact with the midfielder and they would be interested in bringing him back to north London.

Transfer insider Fabrizio Romano also revealed over the weekend that Thomas Frank’s side have submitted a ‘serious’ offer to the Dane, but he is considering his options with several clubs in the mix.

The Latest: Agbonlahor supports Eriksen move

Speaking to Football Insider on whether he could see Eriksen making the move back to Tottenham, Agbonlahor said: “100 percent.

“I don’t think he left on good terms to go to Inter Milan but he went to Inter Milan under Conte.

“Conte is going to know him well. I think he had a shaky start under Conte but then started to play under him.

“It’s an option, definitely. It just depends on what Eriksen wants to do with so many offers on the table.

“He might want to try something different. It’s just good to see clubs willing to take a chance on him now.

“You’ve got to give credit to Brentford as the first one who decided to take that chance. He can prove that he can be fine with the procedure that he’s had because he played so many games.”

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The Verdict: Perfect addition after Bissouma?

Spurs look set to secure the signing of Yves Bissouma in the coming days, with Gary Jacob reporting this week that the Brighton midfield enforcer is set for a medical in north London over a £25m move.

Eriksen meanwhile has already enjoyed a hugely successful spell with Spurs, having made a staggering 304 appearances for the club across all competitions, so it wouldn’t come as any surprise to see him come through the door next after Bissouma.

This season, the 115-cap international has been in impressive form for Brentford, with four assists and one goal to his name in just 11 outings, as per Transfermarkt, and he could add the sprinkling of creativity to the squad while the Seagulls star adds the steel deeper in the team.

With director of football Fabio Paratici said to have promised Antonio Conte up to six new signings as he looks to rebuild his squad ahead of the start of the new season, adding two fresh faces to a position that is expected to lose Harry Winks this summer would be excellent for squad depth.

In other news… a journalist has shared an exciting Tottenham transfer rumour that has come to light involving one of the club’s summer targets.

Aston Villa are edging closer to reaching an agreement for the permanent signing of loanee Robin Olsen, according to Fabrizio Romano.  

The Lowdown: Loan move

Olsen made the move to the Midlands back in January from AS Roma after spending the first half of the season with Sheffield United.

The 32-year-old, who was labelled ‘monstrous’ by the Spanish press following a fine performance for Sweden, served as backup to Emiliano Martinez and made his debut on the final day of the season against Manchester City.

NSWE have already made Philippe Coutinho’s loan stay permanent, and it looks as if Olsen could now follow suit.

The Latest: Romano’s post

Romano took to Twitter on Wednesday morning to provide an update regarding Villa and Olsen.

The transfer expert revealed that ‘Villa are getting closer’ to a ‘full agreement’, with a €3.5m option to buy clause ‘expected to be triggered soon’. Romano added that ‘talks are in progress’ and a ‘deal could be completed soon’.

The Verdict: Good news

It may not be a mega-money signing and a marque name like Coutinho or Diego Carlos, but securing Olsen to a full-time deal could still prove crucial for Steven Gerrard.

He has bundles of experience in a number of European leagues, in the Champions League and on the international stage, and seems to be content with serving as back up to Martinez at this stage of his career.

Olsen may also be able to help Martinez improve even further, and at a fee of just under £3m, a move seems to be an extremely shrewd one.

In other news: Villa and NSWE now set to sign ‘astonishing’ star after Carlos; ‘deal will happen’  

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke, Leeds United striker Rodrigo will likely not be ‘willing to stay’ if the club gets relegated at the end of the season.

The Lowdown: Club-record signing

The 31-year-old first arrived at Elland Road from Valencia for what was a club-record fee of £26m back in 2020, where has since gone on to make 59 appearances for the Whites in all competitions to date.

As a result of the Yorkshire outfit’s recent 2-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal, and given the fact that Everton have had a positive turnaround in form, this means that Leeds have now dropped into the relegation zone ahead of Wednesday’s clash against Chelsea.

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The Latest: Rodrigo could follow star trio

Leeds could face losing some of their stars if they are unable to maintain their Premier League status for yet another season, with Kalvin Phillips, Raphinha and Patrick Bamford all potentially leaving.

And O’Rourke has admitted that he thinks Rodrigo could be the fourth major exit.

He told GiveMeSport: “He is a quality player, Rodrigo. Leeds fans, I don’t think they’ve seen the best of him. If they go down, I think they might have a problem keeping him.

“He might have to be sold because he’s on big wages, and I’m not too sure if he would be willing to stay and play in the Championship.”

The Verdict: Great attacking threat

The £100k-per-week ace would be a huge loss to the Whites if he was to depart this summer, having made a total of 16 goal contributions during his time at the club so far.

The forward, who was once hailed as an “extraordinary” footballer by former Barcelona manager Quique Setien, has proven to be a real threat in the final third this season, where he has averaged 1.6 shots and 1.2 key passes per game in the top-flight, via WhoScored.

Should Leeds make the fall back down into the Championship, Rodrigo won’t be the only name whose future will be put under doubt, with the aforementioned trio even joined by Joe Gelhardt in recent exit reports, and relegation could now seriously damage the long-term future of the club.

In other news… the Whites are reportedly interested in signing a Premier League maestro this summer.

Chance for veteran of Pakistan domestic scene to make the grade, seven years after his last flirtation with international cricket

Osman Samiuddin at Headingley31-May-20181:13

Salahuddin hopes to emulate Pakistan legends

About 90 minutes’ drive away from Clitheroe, where Fawad Alam is turning the tears of another non-selection into runs and wickets in the Lancashire league, another long-ignored domestic giant is getting his due. On Friday at Headingley, Usman Salahuddin will step out to play his 100th first-class game. You will know it better as his first Test.Salahuddin’s wait has been no less frustrating than that of Alam. He first appeared for Pakistan in a pair of ODIs in West Indies in 2011, where he batted at seven and then at four, did little, and was gone. Since then he’s played for several Pakistan A sides and is now on his third tour with the senior side.And if it hadn’t been for Babar Azam’s broken arm, he wouldn’t have been debuting. Even then, there was a chance that Fakhar Zaman, a white-ball opener, might have played in Babar’s place in the middle order.In announcing his selection Sarfraz Ahmed made it sound as much a reward for Salahuddin having been around for so long as batting form – he’s played only in the two-day game against a second-string Leicestershire, in which he made 69.Salahuddin’s been there, but he’s never been . He got married just before this tour so perhaps that has brought a change of luck.”You can’t lose heart in cricket,” he said a day ahead of the other big day. “You have to wait for your good times, which I have done. I’d like to give credit to the management because I’ve been with the team for a few tours now but they never let me get down. They kept practicing with me. Whatever weak points I had they’ve worked on with me.”Nobody can deny that, on the weight of his domestic performances, he deserves his chance. Over 6000 first-class runs at a healthy mid-40s average, seen by themselves, are impressive numbers.But the strange, forever shifting nature – and unstable standard – of domestic cricket in Pakistan means it’s difficult to really know how well anyone goes until you throw them out there. Some seasons they use Kookaburra balls and big runs are scored. Some, like last season, they use Dukes and no runs are scored.Pitches, in general, have been deteriorating since the start of the century but this last season was especially poor. Runs in Punjab in the early season are more valuable than late-season runs down in the south of the country.Usman Salahuddin•Getty ImagesSalahuddin’s big, breakthrough seasons were seven years ago – in 2010-11 he scored 1197 runs, averaging 66.50; the next year was even better with 1401 runs at nearly 80 (and seven hundreds). Since then he hasn’t put together two big seasons back to back.Only 11 of his 99 first-class games have been played in Sindh, where, broadly speaking, runs are easier to come by, so it could be said he scores tough runs. But his record against regional sides – usually with the weaker bowling attacks – is considerably superior than against department sides (of all the sides he has scored at least 200 runs against).He’s also moved around a lot, playing for five different department sides in 10 years and last season he played for a regional side, Lahore Whites.The season just gone was a hellish one for batsmen and he averaged less than 38. But there was a point to it. “The Dukes ball has helped. The PCB used those this season because this tour was on, so it was good practice.”Batsmen didn’t score the kind of runs they would get usually so, though the Duke ball is difficult, it’s been pretty helpful. I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit. It doesn’t get old quickly and it keeps swinging.”Given how long and how many runs it’s taken him to get here, the goal for now is just to stay as long as he can.”I don’t want to play just one Test. Like Younis Khan got 10,000 runs, or Inzi bhai’sperformances, those legends, I’m going to try and play as much as I can for Pakistan. I don’t want to just play one Test and then relax. I want to play for a long time for Pakistan.”With inputs from Mazher Arshad

Usually loud and extravagant, the allrounder let the new ball do the talking instead on his ODI debut

Arun Venugopal in Dharamsala16-Oct-20161:43

Have to throw part-timers in the deep end – Dhoni

Hardik Pandya doesn’t do “regular”. “Life, king size” seems to be more his thing. He is what they call filmy – read: dramatic. Pandya is a showman; look up his interviews on YouTube to watch him explode into a gazillion expressions in less than a minute. He is image-conscious, finicky about brands, and even shares his birthday with Amitabh Bachchan; you wonder why he isn’t in Bollywood.Pandya’s love for the limelight also means he loves taking on a challenge. In IPL 2016, he had the chance to be play-maker when Mumbai Indians promoted him to No. 3, but the move didn’t quite work out. Both his batting and bowling form took a hit, and he was left out of India’s subsequent limited-overs series against Zimbabwe and West Indies. Up to that point, though, Pandya had featured in each of the 16 T20Is India had played in 2016, picking up 15 wickets at an average of 24. He was then sent to Australia with the India A team, where, statistically, he didn’t have a great tour, but the selectors had seen enough to bring him back.A few minutes before the toss in Dharamsala, Pandya was surrounded by his team-mates as he collected his maiden ODI cap from Kapil Dev, incidentally 38 years to the day since India’s finest allrounder had made his Test debut. Pandya was in the spotlight again for about 30 seconds. MS Dhoni decided Pandya could bask in it a while longer when he gave him the new ball.”Our thinking was to give him a chance to exploit the new ball. The reason being, we all felt, he is quite deceptive – he can bowl quick and he has got movement,” Dhoni said. “Even on wickets where some of the other bowlers don’t get that kind of swing, he is still somebody who can get some purchase of the wicket.”Pandya didn’t begin well, though, as Martin Guptill took him for three fours off his first five balls. The numbers weren’t in his favour again, but two of those three boundaries were off edges, and a fourth delivery only just missed Guptill’s outside edge. Dhoni made note and installed a third slip before the last delivery of the over. Pandya got the ball to swerve in on a length and straighten to find Guptill’s edge, which went went to second slip.Pandya took off in celebration, with arms outstretched, but there was none of his usual vein-bursting screams. His only extravagance on the day, in fact, was a pair of sunglasses that appeared to be fashioned after cartoon characters Swat Kats’ headgear.Pandya maintained good pace, staying between the late 130s and early 140s, and married it with late movement to frequently find the batsmen’s body: Kane Williamson copped one on the thigh pad, while Tom Latham, who handled Pandya with the most ease, was hit on the box. While Pandya leaked a boundary in each of his first three overs and bled 26 runs – mostly by bowling too full – he made it up by giving away only five more runs in his next four overs.He was particularly effective against the left-hand batsmen, conceding only 18 runs off the 31 balls they faced. Pandya benefited as much from his “Test match length” as from his new-ball partner Umesh Yadav’s accuracy at the other end; together they pinned down the returning Corey Anderson before his attempt to club Pandya was snaffled by a diving Umesh at mid-off.With the first leg of the Pandya experiment having gone well, Dhoni said he wanted to give him a decent run with the new ball. “We only have eight games before the Champions Trophy [including the Dharamsala ODI], so we would like to see under different situations and conditions how he reacts and how he quickly he can adapt to the conditions,” Dhoni said. “Of course, let’s say for example, if it is 2-2 and it is the fifth game of the series, then we will obviously try to play the best XI. But, I don’t see any reason if he keeps performing the way he did in this game why he can’t be our first pick when it comes to the three fast bowlers.”Pandya, meanwhile, was back in the limelight when he walked out to collect his Man-of-the-Match award. The characteristic wide grin was in place, but there was no excessive animation, mirroring his manner from the game. It wasn’t a bad change to embrace on a comeback. To the new ball then, and new beginnings.

Watch the plays of the day from the first day of the second Test between Sri Lanka and India in Colombo

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Aug-2015The Sri Lanka slip-upThe opposition wins the toss, choose to bat and you have them 20 for 2. Things were swell for Sri Lanka, until it came that time for a fielding blooper.The Rahul punishmentGreedy batsmen make the most of their chances and KL Rahul belongs to that breed. He eased to a second Test century with a delightful array of strokesCaptain compensatesEnough was enough for Angelo Mathews. So when a difficult but important opportunity off the bat of Virat Kohli presented itself, he pulled off something specialThe allrounder comes undoneStuart Binny was flown in to try bolster India’s batting. The 40 balls he spent though were very very uncomfortable and he eventually threw his wicket awayThe late blowHe seemed like he had a lot of time to play his shots. He also seemed to push at too many outside off. Rohit Sharma produced an important fifty for his career, but just as he seemed set to go through to stumps unscathed, he was out lbw off the final delivery of the day.

Also, openers who have scored centuries in the same Test innings, most lbws in an innings, and lowest T20 totals not featuring ducks

Steven Lynch11-Feb-2014Kumar Sangakkara made a triple-century and a hundred at Chittagong – and reached 300 and 100 with sixes. Has this ever happened before? asked Azweer from India

The only man before Kumar Sangakkara in Chittagong to follow a triple-century with a single one in the same Test – or indeed first-class – match is Graham Gooch, who scored 333 and 123 for England against India at Lord’s in 1990. But Gooch didn’t reach 300 with a six – as far as I recall it was a leg-side nurdle off Ravi Shastri that took him to the landmark. Gooch’s 456 runs remains a record for a single Test: Sangakkara (424) is now third on that particular list, also behind Australia’s Mark Taylor, who made 426 (334 not out and 92) for Australia against Pakistan in Peshawar in 1998-99.How many times have both openers scored a century in the same Test innings – and how often has it happened in ODIs? asked Clare Blackmore from England

There have been 66 instances of both openers scoring a century in the same innings in a Test, the most recent being by M Vijay (153) and Shikhar Dhawan (his debut 187) for India against Australia in Mohali in 2012-13. The first one was in the final Test of the 1899 Ashes series, at The Oval, when Stanley Jackson made 118 and Tom Hayward 137 for England. Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer achieved the feat no fewer than six times, and another Australian pair, Bill Lawry and Bon Simpson, on four occasions. Jack Hobbs/Herbert Sutcliffe, Gordon Greenidge/Desmond Haynes and Graeme Smith/Herschelle Gibbs all managed it three times. There have been 27 instances in one-day internationals, most recently by Quinton de Kock and Hashim Amla for South Africa against India in Durban last December. The first one was by Geoff Marsh and David Boon for Australia against India in Jaipur in 1986-87. Sourav Ganguly and Sachin Tendulkar achieved the feat together on three occasions (and also both did it with Virender Sehwag), although the individual record-holder is Sri Lanka’s Upul Tharanga, who has been involved in five instances with three different partners.Was Sri Lanka’s 587 against Bangladesh last week the lowest Test total to include a triple-century? asked Dhanushka Edussuriya from Sri Lanka

Kumar Sangakkara’s 319 against Bangladesh in Chittagong last week was the 27th triple-century in Tests, and the third by a Sri Lankan, after Mahela Jayawardene’s 374 and Sanath Jayasuriya’s 340. There are six lower totals than Sri Lanka’s 587 in Chittagong which also contained triples, although four of them involved innings that were declared. Lowest of all is Australia’s 543 for 8 against England in Melbourne in 1965-66, when Bob Cowper made 307, the first triple-century in a Test in Australia. The two next-lowest were both by England against New Zealand: 546 for 4 at Headingley in 1965 (John Edrich 310 not out), and 548 for 7 in Auckland in 1932-33 (Wally Hammond 336 not out). Then come Australia’s 566 against England at Headingley in 1930 (Don Bradman 334), West Indies’ 580 for 9 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2010-11 (Chris Gayle 333), and Australia’s 584 against England at Headingley in 1934 (Bradman 304).Six Sri Lankans were out lbw in their 587 at Chittagong. Was this a record for a Test innings? asked Jamie Stewart from Canada

That was the 20th time a Test innings had included six lbws – and oddly it had happened to Sri Lanka in Chittagong before, on their last visit in January 2009, when they ended up winning by 465 runs. But there have been two instances of seven lbws in the same innings: by Zimbabwe against England in Chester-le-Street in 2003 (five of them to the debutant Richard Johnson), and by New Zealand against Australia in Christchurch in 2004-05 (three apiece to Jason Gillespie and Shane Warne). For the full list, click here. The most lbws in a match is 20 – half the wickets to fall – in the match between West Indies and Pakistan in Providence in May 2011.Although Sri Lanka made 730 at Mirpur, Suranga Lakmal was out for 0. Was this the highest Test innings to include a duck? asked Mohan Sharma from India

There have been 12 higher totals in Tests than Sri Lanka’s 730 for 6 in Mirpur – and three of them have included ducks. The highest of all is England’s 903 for 7 against Australia at The Oval in 1938, when Eddie Paynter was out for 0 (and Denis Compton for 1). In Kingston in 1954-55 Australia were 0 for 1 after Les Favell was out for a duck, but recovered reasonably well to make 758 for 8, with five individual centuries (a record, since equalled by Pakistan against Bangladesh in Multan in 2001). And there were actually two ducks – bagged by opener Wavell Hinds and wicketkeeper Courtney Browne – in West Indies’ 747 against South Africa in St John’s in 2004-05.Was England’s 111 at Sydney the lowest total in a completed Twenty20 international innings without a duck? asked Daryl Montuya from Bahrain

Actually there have been five lower all-out totals without a duck in Twenty20 internationals to date. The smallest of them is Sri Lanka’s 87 against Australia in Bridgetown during the World Twenty20 in May 2010 – the lowest scores were a pair of 1s by Lasith Malinga and Ajantha Mendis. England’s 88 all out against West Indies at The Oval in 2011 also featured no ducks (although skipper Graeme Swann made 0 not out). The lowest score in Canada’s 91 against Kenya in Belfast in August 2008 was Harvir Baidwan’s 1 (the following day Kenya themselves struggled to 106 for 9, with no ducks, against Scotland). To complete the set, Kenya made 107 (lowest score 1 not out) against Ireland in Mombasa in 2011-12, while four men scored 2 in New Zealand’s 110 all out against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge during the 2009 World Twenty20.

ESPNcricinfo presents the plays of the day from the final in Port-of-Spain where rain prevented an exciting conclusion

Daniel Brettig in Port-of-Spain19-Apr-2012Record of the dayWhen Kemar Roach sent Ben Hilfenhaus’ off stump cartwheeling – the second time he had plucked that very same stump in the match, having also removed it when belonging to Shane Watson – he became the first West Indies fast bowler to take 10 wickets in a Test since Corey Collymore against Pakistan at Sabina Park in 2005. Against Australia the drought had stretched as far back as the one-run Adelaide Oval Test of 1993, when Curtly Ambrose rounded up 10 to help the visitors to the narrowest win in the history of the five-day game. No wonder Roach celebrated wildly when the wicket fell, and also led his team-mates off at the end of the innings.Declaration of the dayFrom the moment Michael Hussey cracked Narsingh Deonarine’s first ball after lunch for six over wide long off, it was clear that Michael Clarke’s Australia would try to make something of the match, even though the rain threatened. Having taken the lead to 214 for the loss of eight wickets, Clarke called his men in, as he had done in the first innings at Kensington Oval. Given the scoring rate across the match and the strong likelihood of rain, Clarke’s call was as shrewd as it was bold, but his desire to keep the game moving at all costs remained clear.Promotion of the dayHaving been set a challenge by Clarke, Darren Sammy responded grandly in the 11 overs that were possible before the long threatened rain blanketed the ground. First, he promoted Kieran Powell to open with Adrian Barath instead of the more conservative Kraigg Brathwaite. Powell stroked his first ball through the covers for four, and after his dismissal the next man in was no-one other than Sammy himself, seeking to drag the West Indies into the contest with rapid runs. He had perished by this method in the first innings, but in the second he brought the match to life with a series of brave blows, reaching 30 from 26 balls before light and rain intervened. On a pitch that has been the epitome of slow and low, his innings was the only of the match to return a strike rate of better than 100.