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Celtic have made tentative contact over signing a £10,000-a-week defender this summer, according to reports.

Celtic transfer rumours

The Hoops and Brendan Rodgers are currently involved in a dramatic Scottish Premiership title race with rivals Rangers, but it appears as if Parkhead chiefs are assessing their summer transfer options.

Celtic battling Premier League clubs for international attacker

He’s scored 27 goals this season.

ByCharlie Smith Apr 1, 2024

The club were active in both windows during the current 2023/24 campaign, however, Rodgers admitted back in February that his side could have been “braver” with the type of player they are targeting.

“I would go with supporters thinking we could maybe be a little bit braver in terms of bringing in another level of player. But that’s up to me to try and fix that over the course of my time here.

“You look at the strategy here and you have to be careful because in some ways it has worked. You bring in players for a minimal fee and then they go out and make the club a lot of money.

“What I want to hopefully balance in my time here is that we can still do that, because it is an important part of the modern game. But we also want to be brave enough to hang our hat on a ready-made player.”

This summer, the club reportedly want a new goalkeeper, winger and striker at the bare minimum, with Joe Hart retiring in the coming months. Liverpool goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher appears to be the top target at the back, and by the looks of things, Celtic are also looking in England at a new defender.

Celtic make contact to sign Jake Clarke-Salter

There have been recent rumours regarding Celtic and a move to sign Queens Park Rangers defender Jake Clarke-Salter.

Football Scotland reporter Mark Hendry has now confirmed that Celtic’s ‘recruitment staff have made tentative contact over the player to sound out the key information such as fee, desire and expectations’.

Clarke-Salter, on £10,000-a-week, is an out-and-out centre-back who has plied the majority of his career in England alongside a loan spell in the Netherlands with Vitesse.

The 26-year-old came through the ranks at Chelsea and had a number of loan spells away from Stamford Bridge before signing for QPR in a free transfer back in 2022.

Since then, the defender, called “outstanding” by former manager Mark Robins, has made more appearances for his current employer than any other club.

Jake Clarke-Salter appearances by club

QPR

45

Vitesse

37

Birmingham City

34

Coventry City

31

Bristol Rovers

13

Sunderland

11

Chelsea

2

He’s under contract until 2026, though, so it looks as if Celtic may have to pay a reasonable fee for the player. They've had similar success when signing a centre-back who had been loaned out to various sides in Cameron Carter-Vickers, so a move for Clarke-Salter may well be one to keep an eye on.

West Indies allrounder had praise for Chris Lynn after he was named Player of the Tournament

Barny Read in Abu Dhabi25-Nov-2019When addressing Dwayne Bravo from here on out, you must do so as “Mr. Champion”, after the West Indies allrounder led his Maratha Arabians franchise to the Abu Dhabi T10 title on Sunday night. Asked why the Arabians were able to succeed where other franchises fail and back up their early pace setting by sealing victory in the final, Bravo said it was “because most teams don’t have the champion”.Bravo, who recently hinted at an international comeback, took Maratha to their first T10 trophy courtesy of a comfortable eight-wicket win over Deccan Gladiators that was just reward for the team that has dominated since losing the opening match of the tournament to reigning champions Northern Warriors 10 days ago.This was their sixth win from their seven subsequent matches, with the rain the only thing to get the better of them in that time. And in leading the only franchise to survive all three editions of the tournament, Bravo said it was time to put a formal title to his “Champion” moniker.”Officially my name changed from ‘Master Champion’ to ‘Mr Champion’, so now you have to address me as ‘Mr Champion’, okay?” Bravo said before hailing the experience of his squad for maintaining their form throughout.ALSO READ: ‘My will to win is very strong’ – Pollard”When all of us put our thinking caps on and we come together to come up with a game plan, we stick with it. I’m the captain, yes, but it’s not all my way, all my decisions. I have experienced guys who have a lot of knowledge and I lean on these guys for information and advice.”I think that’s the main reason we were so successful throughout this tournament. We lose the first game but it was a way of us learning how to play this game. It’s a pattern and I think we are the only team in the tournament to play with that pattern.”One of those players Bravo has been able to rely on has been Chris Lynn and “Lynnsanity” has firmly taken hold of the Abu Dhabi T10 with the Australian in inspired form en route to taking Player of the Tournament honours. Lynn, who topped the league’s run-scoring charts with 371 runs from eight innings and finished with the most runs in a single T10 season, was the driving force behind Maratha’s dominance.His stunning sequence included four knocks over 50, including the two highest scores in the league’s history. Both of those – 91 not out against Team Abu Dhabi and 89 versus Delhi Bulls – were greater than Maratha’s 88-run target in the final and while Chadwick Walton’s superb 51 not out stole the show, Lynn has been the form player this year.”Most credit I must give to [Lynn] for the way he played and he showed he is still one of the best white-ball batsmen in the world,” Bravo said. “The way he dominated single-handedly throughout the tournament, he put a lot of fear in the opposition and he took the leadership role as the senior batsman in our team and he led from the front.”Lynn, who put this form up there with his 2016-17 Big Bash League performances that also secured Player of the Tournament honours, added: “I think the biggest thing for us was our communication. Right from day one [Maratha Arabians coach] Andy Flower and Dwayne set the standard that communication would be key, especially in a tournament that’s so short, with players we haven’t played with, we gelled really nicely and we executed to a tee out in the middle.”By virtue of topping Group A and Group B respectively, it was the first time Deccan and Maratha had met. Having been put into bat first, Mohammad Shahzad got Deccan immediately up and running with four from Mitchell McCleneghan’s first ball – the fourth time Shahzad has hit the opening ball for a boundary in nine innings, a run that includes three sixes – but captain Shane Watson was back in the hutch just four balls later.It started Deccan’s slide to just 87 for 7 from their 10 overs, the third-lowest total and fewest runs of any team batting first this year. It was a disappointing end to the tournament for Watson but his solitary run did take the 38-year-old’s tally to 237, a record only bettered by the frankly ridiculous return of countryman Lynn.While Watson missed out with the bat in the final, he had an otherwise fine tournament, hitting two unbeaten half-centuries and a highest score of 75 not out. It shows he is more than keeping up with cricket’s most frantic format and while the fire still burns, Watson the player has no plans to hang up his boots just yet.”I just absolutely still love playing,” Watson told ESPNcricinfo on the eve of the final. “I love playing [T10] because it’s a great skill-development format for my Twenty20 batting. I love being able to continue to refine what I’m doing technically [and] mentally, with being around these amazing team environments, meeting new people.”I’m not sure how long I’m going to continue to play for but while I’m still loving it and feel I still can play at my best, I don’t know how long it’ll last for.”

Tottenham are under the belief that an "underrated" forward is the ideal fit for manager Ange Postecoglou's system, according to reliable transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano.

Spurs looking to make "major signing" in new winger

Reliable media outlets have suggested this week that Spurs are looking to make a "major signing" in the wide area this summer.

Tottenham want to sign £64m star who Pep said has "absolutely everything"

He’d be a very ambitious capture.

By
Emilio Galantini

Feb 29, 2024

While their squad includes the likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Son Heung-min, Timo Werner, Manor Solomon and Brennan Johnson, it is currently unclear as to whether Spurs will trigger the £17 million buy-option in Werner's deal or opt to send him back to Leipzig in Germany.

Werner has apparently impressed Spurs staff with his attitude behind-the-scenes, but now decision has yet been made, with journalist Miguel Delaney of The Independent claiming Tottenham wanted a star winger in January but settled on the former Chelsea man.

Another very reliable reporter in Dan Kilpatrick of The Evening Standard claimed this week that Tottenham could even end up bringing in two wingers this summer, which would result in Solomon being pushed out the door.

“He (Solomon) was a free transfer," said Kilpatrick. "It was a clever or backhanded bit of business to get him from Shakhtar in those circumstances. Whatever Spurs sell him for, or if they were to sell him would be profit. It would make him a canny bit of business, and I don’t think that option can be ruled out if they sign a couple of wingers in the summer which is definitely a possibility.”

Spurs have been linked with Wolves star Pedro Neto as one option, with Romano sharing an update on this.

Tottenham think Pedro Neto is perfect for Ange

According to the respected journalist, Tottenham believe Neto could be a great player for Postecoglou's system, with Romano also claiming the "underrated" star could be a "fantastic" solution.

“Another Premier League winger to watch could be Pedro Neto," said Romano to CaughtOffside.

"I’m sure Arsenal like the player because already two years ago, they included Pedro Neto in their shortlist and Arsenal work like this – when they appreciate a player, they keep following him. Even if they were not able to make it happen two years ago, I’m sure they’re still keeping close eye to Pedro Neto.

Pedro Neto's best league games for Wolves this season	Match Rating (via WhoScored)
Crystal Palace 3-2 Wolves	8.27
Wolves 3-4 Man United	8.14
Wolves 1-3 Liverpool	7.75
Bournemouth 1-2 Wolves	7.74
Chelsea 2-4 Wolves	7.65

“Tottenham are worth keeping an eye on too, because someone at the club believes that they need a new winger in the summer, so Pedro Neto could be a fantastic solution. He knows the league very well so this could be an important factor but also they believe that he could be a good player for the idea of football wanted by Angel Postecoglou.

“So I think these two clubs will be interested in Pedro Neto, and I would also keep a close eye on Liverpool – let’s see who’s going to be their manager, let’s see who’s going to be their director and what kind of strategy they will have. But Pedro Neto has also been scouted by Liverpool in recent months and years."

One teenage talent seems to have a clear pathway into manager Ange Postecoglou's first team at Tottenham this year, with staff at the club said to be extremely impressed.

Spurs plan to recruit and develop young rising stars

The January transfer window at Spurs taught us a few things, but chief among them is chairman Daniel Levy and the club's plans to recruit Europe's most promising young stars.

"He's a must" – Hoddle says he's wanted "real talent" at Spurs "for years"

The former England boss has tipped him to shine at Euro 2024.

ByEmilio Galantini Feb 3, 2024

Tottenham were widely reported to be chasing a deal for Club Brugge winger Antonio Nusa for a large portion of the winter, only for Premier League rivals and London neighbours Brentford to unceremoniously hijack the move.

Nusa went on to fail his medical with the Bees, remaining in Belgium with Brugge, but recent reports suggest that the 18-year-old could still make a move to N17 later this year (Pete O'Rourke).

Spurs reportedly have other European and domestic talents on their radar as well, with the club looking to mimic successful past deals which eventually saw the likes of Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr become first teamers under Postecoglou.

Spurs will continue to explore opportunities for young stars on the rise, with potential loan-back deals, as they did with players such as Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr," wrote Alasdair Gold for football.london in January.

"Tottenham are among the Premier League clubs to have shown an interest in Norwich's talented winger Jonathan Rowe, but at this moment have not made a move for the versatile 20-year-old who has scored 12 goals and provided three assists in 28 matches this season."

In a big statement by Spurs, the Lilywhites ultimately settled on a rising star alternative to Nusa in Swedish sensation Lucas Bergvall.

Postecoglou's side hijacked Barcelona's deal for the 18-year-old, who decided to join Tottenham on deadline day and will fully link up with the club after spending the remainder of 2023/2024 at Djurgårdens IF.

Bergvall set for first team this year with Tottenham staff impressed

The plan for Bergvall when he does join this year, according to reliable journalist Gold, again for football.london, is to immediately involve him with the first team.

Such is the midfielder's potential, Tottenham staff are said to be charmed and very impressed by Bergvall, coming after the Scandinavian visited Hotspur Way before he put pen to paper on a move.

Radu Dragusin

Arrival (permanent, Genoa)

Lucas Bergvall

Arrival (buy-to-loan, Djurgardens IF)

Timo Werner

Arrival (loan, RB Leipzig)

Ashley Phillips

Exit (loan, Plymouth)

Japhet Tanganga

Exit (loan, Millwall)

Alejo Veliz

Exit (loan, Sevilla)

Eric Dier

Exit (loan, Bayern Munich)

Ivan Perisic

Exit (loan, Hajduk Split)

Sergio Reguilon

Exit (loan, Brentford)

Djed Spence

Exit (loan, Genoa)

Bergvall apparently made an instant impact with those at the club, so it will be fascinating to see if he can hit the ground running this summer.

MatériaMais Notícias

A vitória por 2 a 0 sobre o Santos, no último domingo, na Vila Belmiro, foi mais um passo enorme do Corinthians para garantir a classificação para as quartas de final do Campeonato Paulista. A vaga pode ser assegurada nesta segunda-feira sem que o time entre em campo.

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TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2021 clicando aqui

GALERIA
> Everaldo já foi! Veja quem deixou o Corinthians para a temporada 2021

Com 21 pontos, o Timão lidera o Grupo A do Paulistão de forma isolada e os principais adversários de sua chave têm apenas seis pontos cada. Mesmo assim, ainda não é possível dizer que o clube do Parque São Jorge está classificado, porque Inter de Limeira e Santo André têm mais 15 pontos em disputa, o que ainda permite a ambos alcançar a pontuação corintiana.

No caso da Inter, se ela vencer todas e o Corinthians perder seus dois últimos jogos, pode fechar a primeira fase na liderança do grupo por conta do número de vitórias (7 a 6). Já a situação do Santo André é um pouco mais complicada, porque somente empataria no número de vitórias (6 a 6) e precisaria tirar a diferença no saldo de gols que hoje é de 7 (Timão) contra -4 do Ramalhão.

Como é possível notar, o cenário e a lógica mostram que o Corinthians está classificado e a confirmação nos números é questão de tempo. Isso pode acontecer sem a necessidade de Mancini e seus comandados entrarem em campo. Basta que Inter ou Santo André não vençam seus jogos nesta segunda contra Ponte Preta e Guarani, respectivamente. Se pelo menos um dos dois não puder mais alcançar o Timão, a classificação corintiana estará garantida.

Se por acaso isso não acontecer nesta segunda-feira, pode ter uma resolução ainda nesta semana, mais uma vez sem precisar que o Corinthians entre em campo. Isso porque na quinta-feira, Santo André e Inter de Limeira voltam a atuar para cumprir jogos atrasados contra Ferroviária e Palmeiras, respectivamente. Bastará novamente que um deles não vença.

A tendência é que no próximo domingo, quando enfrentar o São Paulo, na Neo Química Arena, o Corinthians já esteja classificado no Campeonato Paulista e com o primeiro lugar no grupo garantido. Restará ao clube buscar a maior pontuação possível nesta primeira fase para ter vantagem de decidir os confrontos de semifinal (jogo único) e final (ida e volta) dentro de casa.

Horários dos jogos desta segunda-feira

20h – Ponte Preta x Inter de Limeira
22h15 – Santo André x Guarani

continua após a publicidade

Manchester City have been rocked by the news that a "world-class" star could leave to join a European giant this summer, according to a new transfer update.

Man City transfer news

Pep Guardiola may have built one of the greatest squads in the history of English football, but he is always on the lookout for new signings, in order to keep his current players on their toes.

West Ham midfielder Lucas Paqueta has been linked with a move to the Etihad at the end of the season, with the Hammers unlikely to keep hold of him after he nearly moved to Manchester last summer.

Young Brazilian sensation Savio is expected to join from Girona in the summer, with the 19-year-old a forward with a bright future, currently on loan in Spain from another City Football Group club in Troyes.

It is also vital that City retain the services of the most important players at the club, not least star striker Erling Haaland, whose future has been in the news at times of late. They are confident that they can tie him down to a new deal, though.

Another crucial figure is now being linked with a move away from the Etihad in the summer transfer window, however, in an update that will concern many supporters.

Man City could lose Bernardo Silva

According to Telefoot on X, Bernardo Silva could leave Manchester City for Paris Saint-Germain this summer, having even "agreed" to join them last summer.

"Another avenue studied: Bernardo Silva, who already agreed to join Paris last season, before being retained by Pep Guardiola at City. The Portuguese is still in PSG's little papers."

Bernardo has been a sensational player for City ever since arriving from Monaco back in 2017, producing so many memorable moments along the way and winning five Premier League titles. For that reason, it doesn't bear thinking about him moving on, considering he is still only 29 years of age and in his prime as a player.

Appearances

336

Goals

63

Assists

63

He has rightly been hailed as a "world-class" footballer by Dion Dublin, and meanwhile, Guardiola has spoken about him in the most glowing way possible in the past, even comparing him to all-time great Lionel Messi:

"He is an extraordinary player, he made two great goals. The action from the second goal looks like Messi, Messi has done that many times. Everyone is so happy to have him here."

Bernardo is the perfect midfielder for City, not only possessing the elite technical brilliance to thrive in such a special team, but also having an incredible engine and winning mentality, allowing him to dig deep in big games and act as a nuisance to opponents.

Manchester City now eyeing £200m double deal for “bulldog” and “strong” player

The Premier League champions are not messing around…

ByTom Cunningham Jan 19, 2024

It does feel as though the Portuguese is linked with a move away every year, only to end up staying put, and the hope is that the same thing happens this summer, with his current City deal not expiring until 2026.

“It’s pretty fair to say some of the boys are a bit disappointed with their batting at the top,” he said about their batting against West Indies

Melinda Farrell08-Jun-20194:18

Agarkar: India favourites against Australia, but only just

Ricky Ponting has expressed concern over the mindset of some of Australia’s batsmen despite the 15-run victory over West Indies in their group match. Australia lost five wickets for just 79 runs in the face of fast and aggressive short-pitched bowling before Steven Smith partnered with Alex Carey and Nathan Coulter-Nile to steady the innings.”It’s pretty fair to say some of the boys are a bit disappointed with their batting at the top,” Ponting said. “But listening to Steve Smith talk about it as well, the wicket was a little bit more uneven than what we thought it might have been, you could see a lot of uneven bounce with the shorter ball in particular.”The boys found it difficult to play the ball off the back foot. Yes, they led to a couple of dismissals, but it was more the follow-up balls and the mindset around how we played some of the short pitched bowling today that was the biggest concern.”Of particular concern to Ponting was that Usman Khawaja was struck twice by short balls. On the second occasion, he was attempting to pull Andre Russell and he was out edging a loose drive on the next delivery. Khawaja was also hit on the grille of his helmet facing Russell during Australia’s warm-up match against West Indies in Southampton and underwent scans on his jaw. Ponting said he hoped to find out if there was an underlying issue.”That’s a big part of my role now – I’m not going to teach him how to play a cover drive or a pull shot, I need to know what’s going through his mind in moments like that. What leads to that thinking about playing a shot like that. If I can help in some way just to get him through a situation like that and give him something else or something different to think about, I think that’s a huge part of coaching.”I thought he’s looked really good. He started his innings really well today, he punched one down the ground for four early on. He got hit in the head. I’m more concerned to what led to him playing that shot. What was he thinking? Was he expecting another short ball? Was he going to try to help it over backward point? What was he thinking? I’ll get to the bottom of it in the next 48 hours.”India’s bowling attack will present a different challenge to Australia’s batsmen at The Oval on Sunday. After a six-month period in which Australia and India have met in five Tests and five ODIs there will be some familiarity in the contest. But Ponting said that has only increased the Australians’ respect for Jasprit Bumrah, in particular.”I think everyone has learnt he’s probably one of the best fast bowlers in the world with a white or a red ball,” Ponting said. “They’ve learnt he can surprise you with pace. They’ve learnt his control is outstanding as well, which is why he’s one of the leading fast bowlers in the world.”We’ll need to be well prepared for him and I’m sure the boys will be, having played as much as they have against him during the summer.”They also pose some pretty strong threats with the spinners as well. They were both pretty good the other day – [Yuzvendra] Chahal and Kuldeep [Yadav]. There’s some work for the boys to do. More a mindset thing. I’ve been really happy with the skills I’ve seen from all the boys, it’s just about getting the mindset right and getting the adaptation of that mindset right between what you need at different times in the game and playing accordingly.”Ponting has been closely involved with several players in the India squad, thanks to coaching stints with Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals in the IPL. When asked if that gave him any insights he could pass on to the Australian players, he made a wry reference to Shane Warne’s comments in the that questioned Ponting’s involvement in the 2019 tournament on the grounds of conflict of interest.”I’m going to say I didn’t learn anything about any of the Indian batsmen while I was at the IPL otherwise I might not get a gig back there again. Warnie will have me out of a job like he tried to before this year’s IPL,” Ponting said.”I coached Rohit Sharma for a couple of years at Mumbai, I had Shikhar Dhawan for a couple of months at Delhi. I didn’t learn anything about those guys by being with them in India that I didn’t already know before.”I think I’m a pretty astute watcher of the game and, with batsmen, I’m pretty good at picking why certain batsmen are good at hitting the ball to particular areas. The way they pick up the bat, the way they hold the bat, the backlift, the foot movement – whatever it may be. So I don’t think I’ve learnt anything more about them having been a part of the IPL. It’s a different format as well obviously.”We saw a couple of days ago how good Rohit Sharma is at the top of the order for them, he’s a class player. I’m not the only one. Steve Smith’s shared dressing rooms with a lot of other players as well. As a coach, yes, I can bring some stuff, but a lot of the players in the team have played with them and against them over the years. If I can add a couple of gold nuggets, I’ll try to my best.”

MatériaMais Notícias

No andamento da3ª rodada do Campeonato Paulista, a Ferroviária não tomou conhecimento do Botafogo SA e aplicou um sonoro 5 a 0 em Araraquara, enquanto notradicional clássico do ABC Paulista, Santo André e São Caetano não saíram do 0 a 0.

20 motivos para acreditar que o Palmeiras vai seguir forte nos próximos anos

O destaque da noite no Paulistão foi o atacanteBruno Mezenga, autor de um hat-trick (três gols) na Arena Fonte Luminosa. No clássico, ambas equipes acertaram a trave, mas nenhuma delas conseguiu sair com os três pontos.

VEJA CLASSIFICAÇÃO ATUALIZADA DO PAULISTÃO 2021

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Com o empate, o Ramalhão segue na vice-liderança do Grupo A, com cinco pontos. Já o Fogão amarga a última colocação do mesmo grupo, com apenas um ponto conquistado.
​
O Azulão leva seu primeiro ponto no estadual e continua atrás de Santos, Guarani e Mirassol no Grupo D. A Ferrinha, por outro lado, cola no São Paulo, com sete pontos no Grupo B.

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The January transfer window officially opened for business on Monday and Manchester United could dip into the market to bolster their squad this month.

Erik ten Hag could need to add to his options at the heart of his defence amid growing uncertainty surrounding the future of Raphael Varane.

The Daily Mail recently claimed that the club have decided not to activate the 12-month extension clause in his £340k-per-week contract, which means that the centre-back is due to leave on a free transfer in the summer.

Man Utd ready to accept bid for "outstanding" ace who faced Nottingham Forest

Sir Jim Ratcliffe isn’t hanging around.

ByHenry Jackson Dec 31, 2023

He is now free to speak with foreign teams to put pen to paper on a pre-contract deal ahead of an exit from Old Trafford at the end of the season.

Ten Hag could forget all about Varane by securing a deal for Leny Yoro, who is a reported target for the club and available for a fee of €90m (£78m).

Varane's season in numbers

The 30-year-old enforcer has featured in 11 Premier League matches so far this season for United and started alongside Jonny Evans in the recent 2-1 defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Ten Hag's side have only kept two clean sheets in those 11 games and Varane has not been an outstanding contributor for the team from a defensive perspective.

The former Real Madrid star has averaged 0.7 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game in the top-flight, which places him 18th and seventh within the United squad respectively and this shows that he is not one of the top-performing defenders at the club.

He has also made 3.9 ball recoveries per match and won 69% of his individual duels, which shows that opposition players have found it difficult to get the better of him in physical contests.

United and ten Hag have seemingly decided that his performances have not been good enough to warrant a contract extension, and they could now forget about him by swooping for another player in his position.

Leny Yoro's season in numbers

Yoro has established himself as a regular starter for Lille in Ligue 1 with 16 appearances and 15 starts during the 2023/24 campaign to date.

His emergence in the first-team for the French side is an incredible achievement when you consider that he only turned 18 in November 2023.

The impressive teenager, who talent scout Jacek Kulig described as "world-class material", is a staggering 12 years younger than Varane but has outperformed him so far this term.

Yoro has averaged 1.3 tackles and 1.3 interceptions per game in Ligue 1 for Lille, which is almost twice as many per match as the United dud. He has also made 4.2 ball recoveries per outing for the French side.

Despite his inexperience and young age, the 18-year-old has won an impressive 67% of his duels throughout the top-flight campaign so far.

These statistics suggest that Yoro has the quality to win possession and cut out opposition attacks far more frequently than Varane, whilst being able to dominate attackers with similar effectiveness.

At the age of 18, the French titan could arrive as a fantastic signing for United in the short-term, given his superior statistics in comparison to his compatriot, whilst also being a terrific long-term addition with the potential to improve and develop over the years to come.

Therefore, ten Hag can forget all about Varane and focus on the future of his defence by securing a deal for the £78m-rated colossus.