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Manchester City are reportedly set to rival Manchester United for Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong, according to the latest reports…

What’s the word?

As per journalist Jonathan Shrager, the reigning Premier League champions are keen on a deal for the Dutchman, with the Etihad Stadium outfit’s ability to offer Champions League football next season likely to bolster their chances ahead of struggling neighbours United.

Writing on his Twitter feed, Shrager said of the 24-year-old’s situation: “Barça and Xavi are keen to keep De Jong, Frenkie wants to play in UCL, and MCFC are interested in him, with Pep an admirer of the player. So, whilst MUFC have been interested long before ETH arrival, at this moment, these factors seem to reduce the chances of FDJ coming to United”.

Recent reports had suggested that the Red Devils were eyeing a move for the 40-cap international and that the Blaugrana could be inclined to sell, although this latest update suggests that the advantage is with Pep Guardiola and co, should the Nou Camp outfit sanction a sale.

Imagine him and De Bruyne

While City remain firmly in the mix for a potential Premier League and Champions League double this season, it would appear that the club are keen to strengthen their already stellar squad even further, with De Jong the latest high profile figure to have been linked with a switch to the Etihad.

Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland is the potential new arrival stealing all the headlines, while Sporting Lisbon’s Matheus Nunes has also cropped up on the radar, with Guardiola having dubbed him “one of the best in in the world” earlier this season.

Links to the latter would suggest that a new midfield addition is on the agenda for the league leaders this summer, particularly with veteran stalwart Fernandinho recently confirming his desire to leave at the end of the campaign once his existing deal expires.

Potential target De Jong may not be the same profile of player as the Brazilian, although he would likely add his own sprinkling of quality to the club’s midfield ranks, having previously been labelled “extraordinary” by his current boss Xavi.

With Rodri likely to remain in a holding role with the Cityzens for years to come, there is potentially a slot available as part of a midfield three alongside Kevin De Bruyne, particularly with uncertainty over the future of Bernardo Silva.

A De Jong-De Bruyne midfield partnership is a truly salivating prospect, with the younger of the two offering undoubted quality in possession to match the talent of City’s chief creator.

The former Ajax man is a master at dictating tempo and conjuring attacks from his midfield berth, ranking in the top 6% for progressive carries and the top 5% for progress passes received per 90 among those in his position in Europe’s top five leagues.

The latter statistic showcases his knack at probing into the final third, while his quality as something of a midfield metronome is also emphasised by his stellar 91% pass completion rate so far this term in La Liga.

The £63m-rated De Jong seemingly fits the mould of a Guardiola player with his ability to break the lines – as showcased by his 86% dribble success rate in the Spanish top flight this season – while his previous comparisons to Andres Iniesta, a player with whom the City boss enjoyed huge success during his time in charge at Barcelona, also illustrate how he could thrive for the Manchester outfit if this prospective move comes off.

AND in other news, Man City now plot exciting move for £33.5m “monster”, Stones could be in trouble

Former Sheffield United goalkeeper Paddy Kenny believes introducing VAR midway through next season could have a negative impact on Celtic and others.

The Lowdown: SPL set for VAR

The Scottish Premiership is yet to experience VAR, instead watching the much-discussed technology being used from afar across Europe’s top leagues.

It has now been confirmed that it will be used in the SPL from the middle of next season onwards, however, following a one-sided vote on the matter.

VAR will come into play after the 2022 World Cup, which takes place between November 21st and December 18th.

The Latest: Kenny bemoans decision

Someone who doesn’t like the idea of the change halfway through the campaign is Kenny, who told Football Insider that it could benefit some teams more than others come next May:

“They are asking for trouble with this. It should start at the start of next season or the start of the season after, you can’t start it halfway through a season.

“There will be decisions they get wrong in the first half of the season which could cost teams, then in the second half of the season, you get a different result.

“That could decide relegation or whoever wins the league. It’s wrong, I don’t think it’s right at all. It will lead to so many debates and what-ifs. It needs to come in at the start of a season.”

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The Verdict: Could backfire hugely

It is a strange decision to implement VAR in the middle of a season, seemingly asking for trouble, in terms of some teams feeling hard done by compared to others.

Celtic could be robbed by a key decision before the World Cup takes place, for example, while Rangers could then benefit from the same incident taking place after Christmas.

It would surely have made more sense to bring in VAR at the beginning of the 2022/23 campaign, although if all clubs are happy with this situation, they will have to accept that some may profit more than others over the course of the season.

In other news, a financial expert has made a promising Celtic claim. Read more here.

A key Rangers transfer twist has emerged on summer flop John Lundstram, regarding his future at Ibrox…

What’s the talk?

According to The Athletic’s Jordan Campbell, the midfielder is set to remain at Ibrox beyond the end of the transfer window.

He Tweeted: “Further to the interest in Aaron Ramsey on a loan deal, understand that John Lundstram won’t be leaving Rangers this window.”

This comes after reports earlier in the month that Chris Wilder was keen to bring him back to England with Middlesbrough in the Championship.

Big blunder

Ross Wilson is now heading for a big blunder following this update from Campbell.

Since Gio van Bronckhorst’s arrival at Ibrox, Lundstram has made six appearances for the club and only started three times. This suggests that he was already low down in the pecking order before the arrival of James Sands on loan from New York City FC.

He is now set to be pushed further down with the imminent signing of Aaron Ramsey from Juventus. The Welsh international joins to compete with the likes of Sands, Glen Kamara, Ryan Jack, Steven Davis, Scott Arfield and Joe Aribo for a starting berth in the middle of the park, which highlights the depth van Bronckhorst has to pick from in midfield.

This means that Lundstram could potentially find himself watching on from the bench, or even the sidelines, between now and the end of the campaign. He is reportedly on £22k-per-week and that is a hefty amount of money for the Gers to be chucking down the drain every week until the summer if he does not leave in the current window.

Therefore, not allowing the Englishman to depart, on loan or permanently, before the deadline could be a big error by Wilson. Not only could it result in an unhappy player in the dressing room, provided he wants to be playing regular football, but it could also cost the club a fortune with no benefit to them at all.

AND in other news, “I understand”: Jordan Campbell drops Rangers deadline day claim, GvB surely fuming…

Mitchell Starc is edging closer to a place in the XI for the second Test in Adelaide starting from Thursday, his speed, swing and height augmenting the natural variety provided by his left arm

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide20-Nov-2012Like Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc admits his rise to a place in Australia’s Test squad has been spotted with bouts of self-doubt. Unlike Johnson, Starc has a left-arm fast bowling method that has grown increasingly likely to hold up under the stress of that self-doubt reappearing in the cauldron of the series against South Africa.Starc is edging closer to a place in the XI for the second Test in Adelaide starting from Thursday, his speed, swing and height augmenting the natural variety provided by his left arm. Ben Hilfenhaus appears the most probable fast bowler to make way, though the younger James Pattinson is slipping ever closer towards the sorts of prescient workload red flags that suggested he would be a casualty at the SCG last summer.Whoever he replaces, Starc will be doing so as a far more confident and accomplished bowler than the one who strode nervously onto the Test stage at the Gabba against New Zealand a little less than 12 months ago. Despite having played only four Tests, Starc is already spoken of by the coach Mickey Arthur and the national selector John Inverarity as a success, his skills and durability both benefiting from a careful program that has melded development and match-play over the past year.”Still being in one piece is obviously a great thing,” Starc said. “Mickey has said right from the get-go, there’s a plan for everyone, he’s been quite honest. He’s spoken to me a lot about coming in around the team and times when I would go back to state cricket. They have kept me informed and it’s been pretty successful over the past 12 months.”I feel I have improved my game and learnt so much being around the Australian team, then gone away and been left alone a bit as well, to my own devices.”Starc’s education has also factored in his personality, which carries less swagger than Pattinson though occasionally given to bouts of aggression. Gabba spectators once discovered this during a domestic limited-overs appearance for New South Wales, in which Starc gestured upon taking a wicket with triumph and no little anger at a handful who had baited the wiry southerner.In this, Starc shares some ground with Johnson, whose shy and retiring character was sometimes pushed to one side in attempts to play the role of enforcer. This never sat with complete comfort on Johnson’s shoulders, and Starc is glad to have the more demonstrative Pattinson to engage in the verbal battle while he concentrates on keeping his arm and action higher than Johnson’s has ever been.”I’ve had it [white line fever] a few times but I will probably leave it to Patto,” Starc said. “I’m not as verbal as Patto is. I am probably more [about] actions rather than words. Jimmy’s pretty good at it, so I’ll let him keep doing that. I’m probably not going to have a crack at anyone. Hopefully I can do that with the ball.”Through the past two years Starc has built his sense of self-worth, helped by mentors including Wasim Akram and Jason Gillespie to first realise what a talent he had, and then set about making sure it is used for maximum returns. “I’d done a lot of work on that though my time at the academy, I probably didn’t have the greatest self-confidence but I worked through that and I’m probably better off for that now,” Starc said. “At the academy we have sports psychologists and that sort of thing who we have sessions with every week, so they worked for me.”The recurring sight of cartwheeling stumps after another inswinger has curled through a batsman’s defences has no doubt helped Starc’s belief, and even if the formats are wildly different, his success for the Sydney Sixers and the national side in Twenty20 will be an aid of sorts should he take the new ball at Adelaide Oval.Among Starc’s skills is a penchant for subverting his left-armer’s angle by moving round the wicket with the older ball and gaining enough reverse-swing to bend the ball away from right-hand batsmen, when with the new ball they had been wary of it bending back in. In this he shows the influence of Akram, who was fearsome enough with the new ball from over the wicket but often lethal from round it with the old.”It is sometimes a bit of a spur-of-the-moment thing, a change of angle. I like to do it a lot more in limited-overs cricket towards the death,” Starc said. “It doesn’t happen as often in four-day cricket for me. I am sticking to over the wicket and hopefully getting that line across the right hander.”We had it swinging around in the nets yesterday so hopefully we can bring that out into the game, and hopefully get the ball to reverse a bit where it’s more abrasive on the drier track. Hopefully the quicks can make full use of the reverse-swing and the conventional swing. We’ll do as much as we can to get that ball off the straight.”

Leeds United are among the Premier League teams interested in signing Alex Scott this summer…

What’s the word?

That’s according to Football League World, who claim that the Yorkshire giants are now facing competition from Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur for the 18-year-old’s signature following his impressive breakthrough at Championship outfit Bristol City.

Earlier this month, the Mirror reported that both the Whites and Spurs had scouts in attendance of the Robin’s Good Friday clash with Stoke City, where the promising teenager played the full game at right wing-back.

He is thought to be valued at around £10m.

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The next Jack Grealish?

The versatile talent is capable of playing in a variety of roles, including out wide as a wing-back or winger, though his best position is thought to be as a creative midfielder or no.10.

Born and signed from Guernsey, Scott has emerged as a key player for former Leicester City and Watford boss Nigel Pearson, having made 36 appearances in the second tier.

He has provided four goals and two assists from those matches, with the bulk coming from an attacking midfield position.

Given his sparkling form and capability to play wide and centrally, it’s no wonder the Bristol City gem has already earned plenty of comparisons to Manchester City and England star Jack Grealish, to who he is thought to be very similar to.

‘The Guernsey Grealish’ could be an intriguing option for Whites boss Jesse Marsch and the squad heading into next season and for just £10m, it could be quite the steal indeed.

Scott has more than held his own at Ashton Gate this term, ranking as Pearson’s seventh-best player in the Championship – an average of 1.6 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game suggests he can do some defensive work, just as much as he likes to get forward, having also averaged 0.8 key passes and dribbles per outing too.

“Not only is he a very creative midfielder but he is incredibly hard-working, especially out of possession, and that’s one of his stand-out qualities,” claimed City’s player pathway manager Brian Tinnion to the BBC.

He also added in another interview: “His work rate and his desire to learn has been unbelievable.”

Whether Leeds will make their move for Scott this summer remains to be seen but the prospect of sealing the next Grealish-like talent for such a small figure should be too good to ignore.

AND in other news, Journo reveals where Leeds will look strengthen this summer…

West Ham United boss David Moyes is desperate to sign a new striker target as news emerges on Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins, as per insider reports.

The Lowdown: Irons eye striker…

The Irons and Moyes, reportedly convinced that Atalanta striker Duvan Zapata had signed in the late hours of January, thereby ending West Ham’s long search for a forward, were left bitterly disappointed (The Evening Standard).

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Phone calls to the Colombian’s representatives were unanswered with the 31-year-old going AWOL, leaving Moyes stranded without a senior back-up option for the second half of 2021/2022.

Their quest to add a new central striker now continues into the next summer transfer window, and according to club insider Claret & Hugh, the Hammers boss is very keen on Premier League star Watkins.

The Latest: Moyes sets sights on Watkins…

Moyes has allegedly been ‘seriously tracking’ the 26-year-old in his quest to finally fill the striker’s position.

Watkins is the Scotsman’s top target, and despite Steven Gerrard’s side being adamant they won’t sell, it is believed that won’t stop West Ham from attempting a move.

A ‘key London Stadium insider’ told C&H: “It’s become clear Villa are not interested in selling the player but that won’t stop us trying.”

The Verdict: Move on…

There are various stumbling blocks to this move, not just Villa’s strict no sale stance, but also the fact he could cost around £60 million, according to reliable reporter Luke Hatfield.

Moyes’ interest is certainly understandable given Watkins’ status as a fairly young England international with proven goalscoring ability over the last few seasons.

He’s also been called ‘unbelievable’ by Villa pundits like Dan Bardell (via This is Futbol), but given the appear to make West Ham’s life difficult in attempts to land the striker, it could be best to move on for now and look at alternatives.

In other news: West Ham insider makes contrary Rice claim in big boost for Moyes, find out more here.

England captain Andrew Strauss has warned against the danger of complacency with England progressing successfully through the opening stages of their Ashes tour

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Nov-2010England captain Andrew Strauss has warned against the danger of complacency with England progressing successfully through the opening stages of their Ashes tour. England started their trip with a six-wicket win against Western Australia, and had the better of a drawn match against South Australia that ended on Saturday.”The last thing we can do is get complacent and pat ourselves on the back, because we are ramping up our preparations,” said Strauss. “The preparation has gone well so far. We’ve got one more game to up it a level before the Test match.”Strauss scored hundreds in both of England’s warm-up games so far, his unbeaten 120 guiding England’s second-innings chase at Perth. He shared in a 181-run opening stand in England’s second innings against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval, with his partner Alastair Cook making 111 not out. Cook began the tour in unconvincing fashion with two single-figure scores against Western Australia, but the manner in which he bounced back to compile his hundred impressed Strauss.”Everyone wants to get runs early in the tour, to settle down and get used to the conditions,” said Strauss. “He batted exceptionally well. It wasn’t just the fact he got runs, it was the way he did it. His foot movement was very good and his timing was crisp. He’ll be feeling pretty good about himself, and that’s good for the team.”Despite two impressive showings in the warm-ups, Strauss suggested that there were still certain areas – such as first-innings totals – that could be improved upon. “I think our batting could have gone better actually, certainly the first innings in both games. In Australia, you set up the match by how you bat in the first innings. We’ll be looking for big first-innings scores, and we haven’t done that quite as much as we should have done.”England slipped to 4 for 95 on the first day of their match against South Australia before they were steadied by a 131-run partnership between Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell, and Strauss lauded both their performance and that of the bowling attack. “We didn’t have it all our own way, losing four wickets quite early on the first morning – which wasn’t ideal,” he said. “But from that point onwards, we reacted very well. Ian Bell and Paul Collingwood played exceptionally well in the first innings.”Our bowlers did a really top-quality job to bowl them out for 220 on a very flat wicket – and obviously we followed up with some good, positive cricket in the second half of the game.”Each member of England’s four-man frontline bowling attack has contributed at some point during their preparatory matches, but certain players may well be rested for next week’s match against Australia A in Tasmania in order to travel to Brisbane and acclimatise to the humid conditions there before the first Test. Strauss insisted, however, that such plans were yet to be finalised.”The situation at the moment is that everyone is flying down to Hobart. Then we’ve got to decide what is the best preparation for those seam bowlers for Brisbane. We’ll talk to them individually and then decide what the best bowling attack for that Australia A game is. There is definitely that option to send them up there to get acclimatised to the humidity – you can see the merits in that – but we haven’t decided one way or another at this stage.”Australia’s preparations for the first Test have been rather more troublesome than England’s, as they crashed to a one-day series defeat against Sri Lanka and still face questions over the form and fitness of certain players. Strauss suggested that the discord in the hosts’ camp could help England.”We were quite clear about the majority of our Test XI before we got on the plane. But everyone likes stability and security, knowing where they stand. If that’s not the case for Australia, then that could be a good thing for us.”

Leeds United are still eyeing up ‘three to four midfielders’ in the January transfer window, according to journalist David Anderson.

The Lowdown: Leeds desperate for a midfielder

The Whites have been plagued by injuries throughout this season and they currently look light in the middle of the park, in terms of options.

Kalvin Phillips’ hamstring injury has left a gaping void in that area of the pitch, while Adam Forshaw has to be managed carefully after a long absence of his own.

Leeds have been linked with signing a number of midfielders this month, including Cagliari’s Nahitan Nandez and Huddersfield Town’s Lewis O’Brien.

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The Latest: Journalist makes fresh claim

Speaking to Give Me Sport, Anderson claimed Victor Orta and co are looking at a move for a midfielder, even though money is hard to come by at present:

“What I’m being told is that they’re looking at three to four midfielders.

“They want to sign at least one. It’s a delicate one because they don’t have pots of cash because they don’t really plan to spend money in January. Normally they like to spend in summer.”

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The Verdict: At least one needed

It would be a huge surprise if January ticked by and no midfielder came in, with Phillips’ absence making it essential that more depth is added.

In fact, one signing should be the bare minimum, with a relegation battle potentially on the cards and another possible injury setback for Forshaw giving Marcelo Bielsa even fewer options.

The hope is that someone of Nandez or O’Brien’s ilk arrives in the coming weeks, in what would be a much-needed boost, with an injection of fresh blood required.

Both of those aforementioned players would add tenacity and quality, averaging two and 2.8 tackles per game in their respective leagues this season.

In other news, Leeds are reportedly ‘pressing’ to complete one piece of transfer business. Read more here.

A key Rangers update has emerged on Ibrox shot-stopper Jon McLaughlin, regarding his future at the club…

What’s the talk?

According to the Daily Record, the Gers are close to agreeing a new contract with the goalkeeper as they look to avoid losing him for nothing at the end of the campaign.

The report does not claim how long the extension will be, but a deal is seemingly on the verge of being completed for him to remain in Glasgow.

Delight

Rangers fans will surely be delighted by this news as McLaughlin is a reliable operator who is a useful player to have in the squad. He has not let the club down whenever he has played this season and could remain as a dependable number two next term.

The 34-year-old has averaged a solid SofaScore rating of 6.82 in the Premiership in the current campaign, saving 64% of the shots against him and making one penalty save from the sole spot-kick he has faced. This shows that he is a solid player at this level who is able to step in and perform when needed.

Allan McGregor’s contract at Ibrox expires in the summer and it remains to be seen whether or not the veteran, who turns 40 next week, is willing to extend his career. This means that pinning down the current number two to fresh terms could help to keep some continuity in the ranks if the ex-Hull stopper moves on, rather than leaving Rangers in the lurch between the sticks come the summer.

The Gers have been linked with a swoop for Benjamin Siegrist of Dundee United and the shot-stopper could come in to compete with McLaughlin. This could create a level of competition similar to what Van Bronckhorst currently has with his two goalkeepers at Ibrox this term, with both players battling for the number one jersey, which is why this update will come as a big boost for the head coach.

Therefore, fans will surely be delighted with this news, as it means that Rangers could be set to have a strong goalkeeping department next season instead of losing both of their first-choice ‘keepers and being left scrambling around to bring in two new additions. The Gers now need to ensure that they can get a deal over the line for Siegrist, or an alternative target, if McGregor decides to hang up the gloves in the summer.

AND in other news, Van Bronckhorst can jettison Rangers liability in swoop for “phenomenal” 18y/o with a “big future”…

Wolves have revealed the latest information in forward Hee-Chan Hwang’s recovery from a thigh injury, and it certainly looks positive.

What’s the latest?

The RB Leipzig loanee has been out of action since mid-December with a thigh injury and had started life at Molineux impressively, scoring four goals in his first six league appearances.

Although the goals had dried up slightly prior to suffering his injury, the South Korean was a regular fixture in Bruno Lage’s side and his return will be very welcome.ÂThat return, in fact, could come in the coming weeks.

On their official Twitter page, Wolves shared a video of Hwang addressing fans and providing an update on his fitness.

The 25-year-old said: “After the injury, I am recovering well and have started jogging and training.

“I will try my best to show my best performance to the fans. Thank you for your support.”

According to Premier Injuries, 10 Februrary is currently the estimated date for the South Korean’s return to action.

Wolves fans will be buzzing

Although the West Midlands outfit are sat comfortably in eighth place with hopes of a push towards the top-six, goals have been at a shortage for the entirety of their campaign.

Having scored just 17 goals in 20 league games, Lage’s side are the Premier League’s third-lowest scorers, therefore the return of Hwang will be welcome indeed.

When fit, the 25-year-old was mainly operating on the left-hand side of a front-three, a position that has seen various personnel fill in over the course of the campaign.

The likes of Daniel Podence, Franciso Trincão and Adama Traore have all started on the left-hand side on occasion this season, despite their preference being the right. However, the trio have just one league goal between them.

Who to play either side of striker Raúl Jiménez has been a headache for the Portuguese manager at times this term, particularly during the absence of the South Korean, meaning that his return can’t come soon enough.

Moreover, prior to his injury there was talk of the Black Country club swooping to turn the Leipzig-loanee’s loan deal permanent, given the fact that the winger hadn’t been getting much of a look in at the Bundesliga outfit.

Hee-Chan Hwang’s return from injury will be a major boost as Wolves look to close the gap between them and the top-six.

In other news: Sky Sports journalist drops Wolves transfer update live on air, Lage will be delighted