All posts by h716a5.icu

Arsenal and Manchester City are both targeting Michael Olise following the end of the 2022/23 Premier League season which saw Pep Guardiola's side lift the title.

City have officially won their first trophy of the season but still have their sights set on two more, the FA Cup and Champions League finals still to come on the 3rd and 10th of June respectively.

Transfer plans have already begun for the league champions and Michael Olise is one man under consideration for Man City.

What's the transfer latest news on Michael Olise to Man City?

According to journalist Ekrem Konur, Arsenal and Manchester City have "great interest" in signing the Palace star. This season, he scored three goals and assisted 11, according to Transfermarkt and is now a target for the best teams in England.

Olise has four years remaining on his contract with Palace so the Eagles are well-placed to hold their ground in negotiations. Should Olise, leave he will command a transfer fee reportedly in the region of €40m (£34m), as per Konur.

Guardiola wants Olise to reinforce his midfield options with the Spaniard well-known for rotating his squad to ensure the team stays healthy. Ilkay Gundogan and Bernardo Silva could both leave the club this summer and so City are considering how to invest into their midfield.

Olise is seen by both Arsenal and Man City "clear about the player's qualities and are willing to make an economic effort to ensure his signing."

The midfielder and his "entourage" will ultimately decide where his career will go next.

How could Olise fit in at Man City?

21-year-old Olise is a promising player for the future but he has already demonstrated himself to be one of the most creative players in the Premier League.

His 11 assists this campaign are the result of his consistent creativity and vision.

Data from Fbref shows that Olise was expected to be in the 85th percentile for assisted goals (xAG). In reality, he over-performed projections by reaching 11 assists, placing him in the 91st percentile for assists by an attacking midfielder or a winger.

Clubs like Arsenal and Man City, who employ data gurus to analyse potential transfer targets, will have been watching Olise this season and looking at the stats to back up their decision to pursue him.

Following their tense Premier League title battle, both clubs will be hoping for a win in the transfer market as well.

India’s Test captain Virat Kohli hailed R Ashwin’s impact and Ravindra Jadeja’s relentlessness after India’s 197-run win over New Zealand in the series and season opener in Kanpur

Sidharth Monga in Kanpur26-Sep-20165:56

‘Tough phases within games will help us learn’ – Kohli

India’s Test captain Virat Kohli hailed R Ashwin’s impact and Ravindra Jadeja’s relentlessness after India’s 197-run win over New Zealand in the series and season opener in Kanpur. For a while now Ashwin has hovered around the top in the ICC bowlers’ rankings, trading it with Dale Steyn and James Anderson. He is the top-ranked Test allrounder. In India’s win he took 10 wickets for 225, including a six-for in the second innings. Jadeja, on the other hand, took a five-for in New Zealand’s first innings, scored 42 crucial runs with the tail in India’s first-innings and a quick half-century to set up a declaration in the second.”Ashwin has been outstanding for the Indian team,” Kohli said. “If you see all the impact players in the world, he comes in the top three-four easily. There are quite a few players making big impact for their respective sides, especially bowlers. Bowlers are the ones I feel that win you Test matches, and Ashwin is one of them. The rankings – I’m not a big fan of them – suggest that Ashwin is the best at the moment.”There’s no doubt that he’s been bowling wonderfully well for the last couple of years. He works very hard on his game. He’s a very keen thinker of the game. He likes to talk cricket. He understands the game very well, [he’s a] very smart cricketer, very intelligent. That shows in his batting as well. He understands the situation and plays accordingly. He knows when to get runs and when to play the situation out. So it’s priceless to have a cricketer like Ashwin in your Test team. He gives balance with both bat and ball. I would wish him all the best that he keeps nurturing his skill so that we can keep dominating Test matches and keep winning Test matches as much as we can.”With the quality of bowlers Kohli had at his disposal, he was confident New Zealand didn’t stand a chance to defend their way out for a draw on the final day. The visitors had lost four wickets on Sunday evening and resumed the final day on a score of 93 for 4 facing a target of 434.”Having batted on that wicket, and all the batsmen will vouch for this, you could not have defended your way out of the game,” Kohli said. “On a wicket that spins and bounces, you need to put the bowler under pressure. It is not so much as releasing your own pressure but it’s more to put the bowler under pressure and disrupt his lines and lengths. That’s a strategy all batsmen will use on a wicket like this.”It’s very similar to a seaming wicket as well. Whenever you get the opportunity you want to get a boundary and put the bowler under pressure [and tell him] that he cannot make a mistake. We knew that it was impossible for them to be defending all day, and we knew that the one odd chance will come. That’s all you look forward to. You have to be optimistic and have to be positive in that particular phase when a partnership is going.”The team’s confidence in Ashwin and Jadeja let India play with only four bowlers, Kohli said. “Well obviously if you have a bowler of his quality, along with Jadeja who is so accurate…” Kohli said. “We know Kolkata is a much better batting wicket, so we can afford to maybe play an extra bowler there, you never know. But a place where it will help the two quality spinners that we have, and reverse swing coming into play as well – you know two crucial wickets by Mohammed Shami in the second innings, first breakthrough by Umesh Yadav in the first – it makes a massive difference. Those things are also very important moments in the game.”You obviously have to strengthen your batting on a wicket that might go 50-50. You never know, the game can slip away very quickly. And the extra batsman helped. I mean Rohit got runs in the second innings, pretty solid with Jadeja. Both were able to play positively, and gave us an hour extra to bowl at them. Maybe we would have otherwise declared with our tail-enders batting one hour after tea. But that gave us the whole session yesterday and we got four wickets. So that makes quite a bit of difference. Again, having intelligent people in the change room obviously helps you make better decisions as you go on. You understand the game much more, you understand the combinations much better and you can afford to take smart decisions according to the wicket that you’re playing on.”Apart from possibly playing an extra bowler, India could make a change at the top of the order for the Test in Kolkata, which starts from September 30. After he was dismissed in the second innings, KL Rahul played no further part in the Kanpur Test due to a hamstring strain. Soon after the match, Shikhar Dhawan, the reserve opener, was seen having a lot practice session on the centre track. That could be a sign.

Leeds United are eyeing up Genk sporting director Dimitri de Conde as Victor Orta's replacement this summer, according to a new rumour.

Do Leeds need a sporting director?

The Whites have had a tumultuous time of things throughout this season, with the campaign not panning out the way many would have hoped last summer. Jesse Marsch's reign as manager came to an end, following too many poor results, Michael Skubala's caretaker period lasted three games and Javi Gracia didn't last much longer in the Elland Road hot seat.

Sam Allardyce is now Leeds' fourth manager of 2022/23, but he looks like he will fail in his efforts to keep his side in the Premier League, with a miracle required on the final day this weekend.

There haven't only been managerial casualties at Elland Road in recent times, however, with Orta relieved of his duties as sporting director, following a six-year spell. It means that the Whites are now on the lookout for someone new in the role, and it looks as though they have a potential candidate to come in.

Could De Conde be Orta's replacement?

According to Het Nieuwsblad, Leeds, and by extension, Andrea Radrizzani and the 49ers, are interested in snapping up De Conde from Genk, although they aren't alone in tracking him. Southampton and Tottenham are also mentioned in the report, so it may not be easy for the Whites to get their man, especially if the latter use their weight.

De Conde has been in his current role since 2015, so it could be that a fresh challenge appeals to him, and a move to England could be particularly eye-catching to him.

This could be an exciting appointment by Leeds if they get it done, with Orta having big shoes to fill, despite things ultimately ended badly for him, with Radrizzani deciding that a change was required.

De Conde has a wealth of experience, but at 48, he is still relatively young in terms of his job, and could bring fresh ideas to Leeds and be key to the right players coming in this summer. The clubare also likely to be under new ownership in the 49ers Enterprises, which could be beneficial to the Genk man in the long run, allowing him more funds for signings.

It may be that he is just one of many options to be the Whites' next sporting director, but either way, it is refreshing to see the club moving quickly, as they potentially prepare for life back in the Championship.

India captain MS Dhoni said he had guessed correctly that the final delivery from Dwayne Bravo would be a slower ball but his execution of the shot let him down

Peter Della Penna in Florida28-Aug-20163:37

Happy with how we bowled in last eight overs – Dhoni

India captain MS Dhoni said he had guessed correctly that the final delivery from Dwayne Bravo would be a slower ball but his execution of the shot let him down. With two runs needed off one ball, Dhoni was caught at short third man and West Indies won the first T20 international by the narrowest of margins.Dhoni said his team should be commended for their valiant chase in the highest-scoring T20 game ever. “I feel there were plenty of positives in this game because the way we chased down 245 runs, apart from the last ball,” he said after the match. “I felt we were totally in the game. Even the last ball, the thinking was right, the execution was wrong.”A cat-and-mouse game that had been developing over the course of the final six balls reached a new level as Bravo engaged in several discussions, stalling for several minutes ahead of the last ball, with two required by Dhoni to secure what would have been a record chase. Even though Dhoni said he knew what was going to be sent down, he praised Bravo’s skills in such a pressure moment.”When it comes to Bravo, I feel in the current scenario he’s among the best when it comes to the death bowling,” Dhoni said. “The amount of experience that he has really counts so you always know if he’s bowling it’s tough. What then becomes important is how we’re executing.”You have to really guess what he’s looking to bowl and according to that you play your shots. So if you guess the bowler well and execute well, you’ll end up winning. Rather than thinking who is bowling, what’s important is to think what his strength is and where he’ll look to pitch the next delivery.”Despite India conceding the third highest total in a T20I, Dhoni praised his bowlers for their effort to reel West Indies back in after Johnson Charles and Evin Lewis added 126 for the first wicket in 9.3 overs. By the end of the 11th over – a 32-run sequence in which Lewis struck the first five legal deliveries from Stuart Binny for six before mis-hitting a full toss – West Indies were 164 for 1.Dhoni said he thought West Indies were on track for 270 or more before R Ashwin started to shift momentum with a four-run 12th over, bowling with the breeze at his back.The wind from the pavilion end helped the spinners throughout the rest of the innings, and Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja conceded just 18 runs in the 12th, 14th and 16th overs. India’s pace bowlers also began nailing their yorkers and the result was just 40 runs off the final four overs to keep West Indies to 245.MS Dhoni said his bowlers did well to pull West Indies back to 245, after they had looked like getting 270•BCCI”I felt the way the boys performed overall was very good,” Dhoni said. “I was very happy how we brought the opposition down when it came to the last eight overs. That really matters because that is something where we have struggled quite consistently but it was a good exposure to our bowlers and they finished up well to restrict them to 245.”Dhoni also praised the batting efforts of KL Rahul, who struck his maiden T20I century in just his fourth match. Rahul ended 110 not out off 51 balls, having missed the fastest T20I ton by two deliveries, taking 46 balls to reach three figures.”He has been very consistent,” Dhoni said. “I feel that is a strength of Rahul also, compact player but at the same time unorthodox shots. He plays all over the ground, over covers, mid off, mid on. So a complete cricketer. Of course there’s a long way to go for him but the way he has played in the last six months, it’s very encouraging to see him bat.”As for the experience of playing in Florida in front of a heavily partisan Indian diaspora, Dhoni joked that “even if we’re playing in Bermuda Triangle, they’ll be there”. He also praised the efforts put in by the groundstaff at the Central Broward Regional Park in Lauderhill.”The facility is as good as anywhere else,” Dhoni said. “The ground itself is up to international standard. You can’t score 500 runs on a bad wicket, so fantastic wicket. The practice wickets were fantastic. When it comes to the stadium, it’s not a big stadium. The moment I say stadium I mean the number of fans it can house. I think it’s close to 15,000. So overall looking at everything as a complete package, I think it was fantastic. We had fun.”When it comes to the Indian fans, it’s a pleasure playing in front of them. They follow us everywhere wherever we are playing. So it’s a first time we are playing in the USA but not to forget we have a big Indian community out here so thanks to them for coming and watching the game.”

Newcastle United manager Eddie Howe is reportedly 'keen' on signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher this summer as he prepares for European football next term.

What's the latest on Conor Gallagher to Newcastle?

That's following a recent report from the Daily Mail, who states that the Magpies are hoping to take advantage of the squad congestion at Stamford Bridge and lure the 23-year-old England international to St. James' Park.

This follows a previous report from the same publication that Newcastle would have to compete against the likes of Liverpool and Brighton & Hove Albion from the Premier League and Borussia Dortmund from overseas.

Gallagher was subject to a £45m bid from Everton in January, and with just two years left on his existing deal with the Blues, could indeed be sold in the forthcoming window

Should Newcastle sign Conor Gallagher?

According to Sky Germany, the central midfield is one of the primary areas targeted by the Magpies hierarchy for investment, with technical director Dan Ashworth set to pull no punches as he crafts a team capable of cementing a position competing at the top of the Premier League table, and pushing for success in Europe too.

The likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Joelinton and Joe Willock already flourish at the nucleus of Howe's system, but bolstering the ranks with a signing of Gallagher's could truly bridge the gap between the ascending club and the likes of Manchester City and Arsenal, with Liverpool likely to improve next term.

Having played 42 matches across all competitions this season, Gallagher has started just 15 times in the Premier League, scoring three goals and supplying one assist, and might indeed be set to depart from west London in search of regular game time.

He has already proved his worth in the English top-flight, playing with arresting assurance on loan at Crystal Palace last season, earning an average rating of 7.08, as per Sofascore, scoring eight goals, making 1.1 key passes per match, completing 81% of his passes and averaging two tackles per outing.

Hailed for his "relentless" work rate by football writer Patrick Rowe, the £50k-per-week gem ranks among the top 21% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for progressive carries, the top 17% for successful take-ons and the top 2% for rate of blocks per 90, as per FBref, with the statistical site likening him to his coveted countryman Jude Bellingham.

Bellingham has emerged as a dynamic and devastating midfielder, scoring 14 goals and serving seven assists from 42 matches for Borussia Dortmund this season and is now poised for a summer transfer to Real Madrid.

The 19-year-old ranks among the top 2% of midfielders across Europe's top five leagues for rate of non-penalty goals, the top 8% for progressive carries, the top 15% for successful take-ons and the top 8% for rate of blocks per 90.

With Bellingham's influence easily discernible, signing a player bearing semblance to his remarkable skills in Gallagher could be a fruitful move indeed for Howe and co, adding yet another dimension to this burgeoning, multi-faceted Tyneside team.

Rain wrecked Surrey’s Championship match against Middlesex for the second successive day

ECB Reporters Network12-Jul-2016
ScorecardKia Oval was a bird bath again•Getty ImagesMore heavy rain in south London meant a second successive day of little cricket and left Surrey’s Specsavers County Championship Division One match against Yorkshire at the Kia Oval looking destined to be a draw.Surrey have reached 164 for 5 in their first innings, from 49.4 overs, with Steven Davies and Ben Foakes the not out batsmen on 29 and 14 respectively.A total of 142 overs have been lost so far in the game, and just 16.4 overs were possible on day two before the first rain showers arrived at 12.19pm. Repeated downpours then made the Oval groundstaff’s attempts to mop up a futile exercise and play for the day was eventually called off soon after 4.30pm.The 79 minutes of play at the start of the day were action-packed, however, with David Willey and Steven Patterson taking three wickets for no runs in nine balls as Yorkshire put Surrey’s top order under severe pressure and, initially, reduced them to 121 for 5 after they had resumed on 95 for 2.Davies hit Adil Rashid for two fours in the leg spinner’s only over shortly before the weather interruption, while Foakes has also done his bit to steady the Surrey first innings after Willey removed Zafar Ansari and Jason Roy and Patterson grabbed the prized wicket of Aaron Finch.Finch and Ansari, who had rallied Surrey from 36 for 2 on the opening morning of the game, took their third wicket stand to 85 before Willey fired a yorker through left-hander Ansari’s defences to bowl him for 40 and detonate two stumps out of the ground in spectacular fashion.Two balls later, in the next over from Patterson, a checked push-drive brought Australian batsman Finch’s downfall for an aggressive 57-ball 52, with the bowler jubilant as the catch was taken at short extra cover.Then, in Willey’s next over, Roy pushed at a ball angled across him by the left-arm seamer and keeper Andrew Hodd took the thin edge at the third attempt to send back the England one-day batsman for a duck.Willey said: “It’s a pretty flat pitch, so for us to get three for 70 this morning was a good session for us. Finch is a dangerous player, and we talked about a few different options to him. We knew we’d get a chance at some stage, so it was important we took it. I think we bowled quite nicely today and got our rewards. We deserved the wickets we got.”Aaron was hitting the ball very nicely down the ground, and we thought we might get a chance in that area. Thankfully, we did.” On bowling Ansari, he added: “I missed my length by about seven foot and bowled a yorker. Anti-skill! I was meant to bowl a length ball that held its line into off-stump. It was a fluke.”

Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka is set to depart the club, and a move to Bayer Leverkusen is nearly complete, Fabrizio Romano has confirmed.

What's the latest on Xhaka and Arsenal?

The Switzerland international has had his most productive season in an Arsenal shirt, notching up seven goals and seven assists in all competitions, but with one year left on his deal, all parties have decided to part ways.

He is closing in on a return to the Bundesliga, with Xabi Alonso's Bayer Leverkusen set to complete a deal for the 30-year-old.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Romano confirmed that the deal was nearing completion, with Arsenal set to receive around £13m for the midfielder.

"I can confirm now that talks are very advanced between Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen for Granit Xhaka, so Xhaka will leave Arsenal at the end of the season, and 90% he will become a Bayer Leverkusen player," he stated.

"They're just waiting to complete some of the final details. It's a €15m deal, so Arsenal will get €15m and also the player will get a four-year contract at Bayer Leverkusen. Everything is almost ready."

How much will Arsenal miss Xhaka?

Although he has been a divisive figure at times during his seven-year spell in north London, his performances this season have made him a popular figure among the media, and he has become a crucial part of the midfield three.

He was only omitted from the starting XI twice in the league this season, and Arsenal struggled in both games. They found themselves 2-0 down at home to Bournemouth before he was substituted on, and they fell to a damaging draw against Southampton when he was absent with illness.

The £120k-per-week star was described as "brilliant" earlier on this season, as his strong performances helped Arsenal sustain an unexpected title challenge throughout the campaign, and the club will need to replace him well.

There have been strong links with Declan Rice as well as Moises Caicedo, as two younger, robust midfielders who can replace both Xhaka's physical contributions and his leadership in the middle of the park.

Xhaka's leadership skills were praised earlier this season as he helped lead Arsenal to a derby victory away at rivals Tottenham Hotspur, and he may prove a tough figure to replace both on and off the pitch as one of the more vocal players in the squad.

R Ashwin’s returns of 7 for 83 in the second innings of the Antigua Test against West Indies lifted him back to No. 1 in the ICC Test bowlers’ rankings, displacing Yasir Shah

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jul-20162:47

Batting at No.6 was a complete surprise – Ashwin

R Ashwin’s returns of 7 for 83 in the second innings of the Antigua Test against West Indies lifted him back to No. 1 in the ICC Test bowlers’ rankings, displacing Pakistan legspinner Yasir Shah. Yasir, who had assumed top spot after his ten-wicket match haul in Pakistan’s victorious first Test against England at Lord’s, dropped four places to No. 5 after disappointing match figures of 1 for 266 in the second Test at Old Trafford.Top five Test bowlers

R Ashwin (India)

James Anderson (England)

Stuart Broad (England)

Dale Steyn (South Africa)

Yasir Shah (Pakistan)

Other notable movers included Chris Woakes, who surged up ten places to No. 23 after his match figures of 7 for 108 at Old Trafford contributed to England’s 330-run win. Umesh Yadav, who took five wickets in India’s innings victory in Antigua, jumped up six places to No. 24.In the Test batsmen’s rankings, England’s batting heroes at Old Trafford, Joe Root and Alastair Cook, both moved up. Root scored 254 in the first innings and 71 not out in the second to move up two places to No. 2, behind Steven Smith. Cook’s first-innings century and second-innings 76 not out were enough to propel him four places up, to No. 9.Virat Kohli, who scored his maiden first-class double-century in the Antigua Test, also moved up the rankings, by two spots to No. 12. Ashwin’s century in the same match helped him move three places up to No. 45 and, in conjunction with his bowling feats, also consolidated his position as the top-ranked Test allrounder.

A day after Ravi Shastri said he felt disrespected by the absence of Sourav Ganguly at his interview for the post of India’s head coach, Ganguly has responded by saying he was “very saddened” by Shastri’s “personal attack.”

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jun-20163:45

‘Being in such committees for 10 years, he should be aware of how it operates’

A day after Ravi Shastri said he felt disrespected by the absence of Sourav Ganguly at his interview for the post of India’s head coach, Ganguly has responded by saying he was “very saddened” by Shastri’s “personal attack.”Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, VVS Laxman and former BCCI secretary Sanjay Jagdale were part of the cricket advisory panel to find a successor for Shastri, who had been in charge of the Indian team for 18 months until the World T20 in March 2016. The panel had met the final contenders, including Shastri, last Tuesday before Anil Kumble was given the job.Controversy arose when Shastri told the media that a member of the panel had not been present at his meeting and that “that person was disrespectful of the candidate who was going to the interviewed and disrespectful to the job he was entrusted to do.”Ganguly was the one who had to miss Shastri’s presentation because he had to attend the working committee meeting of the Cricket Association of Bengal, where he is president. He said he left for the CAB knowing the rest of the cricket advisory committee had the experience to make the right call.”I just feel that the comments are very personal and if Ravi Shastri feels that I am responsible for him not being the coach of India, he’s living in a fool’s world,” Ganguly told TV reporters in Kolkata. “It’s a committee and there are people in the committee who are of more repute than I am and there are other people involved also who were consulted and spoken about. So that’s disappointing.”I am extremely saddened when he went on air, expressing his views, especially from someone who has been in every BCCI committee for the last 20 years. He has been in my position, you know, the position to select the coach. I don’t think he’s aware of everything.”Ganguly said Shastri’s meeting was scheduled at 4.15 pm, but assessing the other candidates had taken a little more time than expected. Ganguly was expected at the CAB at 5 pm, and had already gained the BCCI’s consent to temporarily leave the panel for this purpose.”I had informed the BCCI on the 19th [of June] in an official mail that I will have to leave at 5 o’ clock because the CAB working committee meeting was supposed to happen that day and being the president of the association, I’m supposed to chair the meeting.”The working committee meetings get decided 14 days before the meeting and to cancel it is impossible. And this meeting was decided in two days. Ravi’s meeting was at 4.15 pm in the afternoon and doing interviews with everyone it went past [that time] and we reached 5 o’clock.”I requested the committee if I could come back at six o’clock and do it again, which they agreed. Once I came here to this meeting, I got a message from Mr [Ajay] Shirke [the BCCI secretary] that the other two members are requesting if they could continue with Ravi, which I was fine with. I said ‘Fine, I know I have been stuck with this and you please go ahead and do it.’ That happens everywhere in the world and that’s the exact story.”Ganguly said he was also saddened that Shastri, a man who has worked with the BCCI for a long time and knew the hurdles administrative matters could throw up, had commented about him in such bad light.”It’s disappointing, being in such committees for 10 years, he should be aware of how it operates. I’m personally hurt because of what he said, of disrespecting, which was not the case. If that was the case, Ravi’s interview would not have been slotted at 4.15 pm and I’ve got the mails.”Answering a question from on what advice he would give Ganguly, Shastri had said “next time be at a meeting when someone is being interviewed for a position as important as that.”In response, Ganguly took offence to Shastri making his presentation via Skype instead of appearing before the panel in person.”Since he’s spoken about disrespect, and honestly I say this with anger, that he gave me a suggestion that in the future that I should be available for such meetings. I’ve been part of the BCCI for a while now and I make sure I’m available for such meetings.”I have an advice for him also, when the coach of India is selected and it’s one of the most important jobs in cricket, he should be in front of the committee giving his presentation and not sit in Bangkok on holiday and make a presentation on camera especially when someone who is one of the greatest cricketers of India all time spoke for two hours nearly, Anil Kumble.”

Manchester City are readying an unexpected swoop for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice, according to a recent report from Football Insider.

What's the latest Declan Rice transfer news?

According to one report, Arsenal have now dropped out of the race for Rice, despite the fact the player himself is keen on a move to north London, as they believe the £120m price tag West Ham are demanding is too high and unreasonable.

At one stage, the Gunners were said to be leading the race for the Englishman, but he may now have to move elsewhere, with Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United all registering their interest, as per a report from Sky Sports.

Although Pep Guardiola is adamant about keeping Ilkay Gundogan, with talks ongoing about a new deal, the German's future remains up in the air, and the West Ham captain could now be targeted as a replacement.

According to a report from Football Insider, the Sky Blues are readying an unexpected swoop for the 24-year-old, laying the groundwork for a deal, with it now looking likely they will miss out on Jude Bellingham, who is close to joining Real Madrid.

City are monitoring the situation of the central midfielder, despite interest from Arsenal, as they are one of the only clubs that would be able to commit to spending over £100m.

With the summer window approaching, Guardiola could formalise his long-term interest in the England international, who has spoken about his desire to play in the Champions League on several occasions.

Should Man City sign Declan Rice?

With Man City set to miss out on Bellingham, signing the West Ham midfielder would be the next best thing, given that he has proven himself at Premier League level over a number of seasons.

Hailed as "world class" by former Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley, the maestro has made 201 appearances in the English top flight, making his name as a box-to-box midfielder, with a keen eye for cutting out opposition attacks.

That is demonstrated by the fact he ranks in the 86th percentile for progressive carries, and in the 97th for interceptions per 90 in the past year, displaying both his attacking and defensive qualities.

One minor criticism that could be made is that Rice does not score enough goals, however he has played in a deep role for the vast majority of his career, and he more than makes up for his lack of threat going forward with his defensive capability.