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Crystal Palace have now joined the race to sign an “outstanding” new centre-back, following a new update on Marc Guehi’s future at Selhurst Park.

Palace looking to sign Guehi replacement

After Liverpool missed out on the signing of Guehi on deadline day, it remains up in the air where the England international will end up, but according to a new update, a move to Real Madrid could be on the cards, as the Santiago Bernabeu is the Palace captain’s priority destination.

Oliver Glasner remained tight-lipped when asked for an update on the defender’s future, saying: “You will ask me all these questions again and again and again. I need to find one answer. I will always tell you the same, as long as I don’t know anything else. Because, believe me, if I knew something. I would tell you.

“I don’t know what will happen with Marc [Guehi]. I don’t know what will happen with new players, and I don’t know what will happen with JP [Jean-Philippe Mateta], I don’t know anything.”

However, the Eagles have now started planning for life after Guehi, with the 25-year-old’s contract set to expire at the end of the season, and the likes of Manchester City’s Nathan Ake and Lens star Samson Baidoo have emerged as targets.

According to a report from Caught Offside, Crystal Palace have also joined the race to sign Udinese centre-back Oumar Solet, having sent scouts to watch the Frenchman in action, but there could be competition for his signature from rival Premier League clubs.

Indeed, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Aston Villa, West Ham United and Manchester United have also been credited with an interest in Solet, who is represented by the same agent as Brennan Johnson, and could be available in a loan-to-buy agreement during the current transfer window.

Related Crystal Palace now join race to sign "magnificent" forward after Nketiah blow

The Eagles have set out to strengthen in attack.

Posts ByDominic Lund "Outstanding" Solet could be exciting Guehi heir

The Melun-born defender has been a key player for Udinese in the Serie A this season, making 18 appearances, while he also caught scout Antonio Mango’s eye during his time at Red Bull Salzburg.

Having averaged 1.89 tackles per 90 over the past year, the Udinese ace ranks in the 80th percentile, when compared to other centre-backs, with an average of 1.52 blocks per 90 placing him in the 83rd percentile.

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The 6 foot 4 colossus is also known for his ability to push forward, being described as “marauding” by scout Jacek Kulig, which could make him a solid replacement for Guehi, who is also capable of making an impact in attack, picking up two goals and two assists in the Premier League this term.

Solet could be an exciting addition to Glasner’s squad, but rival interest from the likes of Tottenham, Chelsea and Manchester United could pose a problem.

West Ham have made the ‘only’ concrete bid for an in-form striker, and his club have promised to let him leave on the condition they get a suitable fee.

West Ham fail to beat Brighton in thrilling 2-2 draw

West Ham’s alarming winless run reached eight matches following a dramatic 2-2 draw with Brighton that featured three first-half penalties at the London Stadium.

The result leaves the Hammers four points adrift of safety, still in eighteenth, while Brighton extended their own barren run to six games without victory.

West Ham struck first when Lucas Paqueta’s clever pass released Jarrod Bowen to round Bart Verbruggen and finish calmly in the tenth minute, with Brighton equalising through Danny Welbeck’s penalty after Max Kilman tripped Yankuba Minteh.

Welbeck actually missed a second spot kick moments later when his audacious Panenka struck the crossbar following Lucas Paqueta’s foul on Lewis Dunk.

West Ham then regained their advantage deep into first-half stoppage time when Paqueta converted from 12 yards after Dunk handled Callum Wilson’s goalbound effort.

Related "Could happen" – Player admits he may join West Ham as agent works on transfer

He’s made a January admission.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler introduced Kaoru Mitoma and Brajan Gruda at half-time and the changes proved decisive when Joel Veltman capitalised on Alphonse Areola’s poor punch from a corner to tap home the equaliser sixteen minutes after the restart.

Brighton appealed for another penalty when Mitoma went down under Bowen’s challenge, but VAR declined to intervene.

Both sides created late opportunities without finding a winner, condemning each team to end 2025 mired in poor form and desperately seeking improvement in the new year.

It was yet another stark reminder that West Ham’s options simply aren’t good enough, and how January could be crucial in determining their Premier League survival.

Nuno Espírito Santo hooked Callum Wilson midway through the second period with no decent alternative on the bench, with West Ham trying to remedy that behind-the-scenes.

According to reports this week, West Ham could turn to Viktoria Plzen striker Rafiu Durosinmi.

West Ham make 'only' concrete bid for Rafiu Durosinmi

According to journalist Pete O’Rourke this week, West Ham submitted a £12 million bid for Durosinmi, but reports from the Czech Republic actually state the real fee is much lower.

iSport and journalist Jonas Bartos state that interest from the Hammers represents the ‘only concrete offer’ received thus far when it comes to the Nigeria international, despite murmurs of interest from other clubs.

While O’Rourke claimed West Ham tabled £12m for Durosinmi, Czech sources indicate the actual figure offered stands significantly lower at around £4.3 million.

Plzeň have deemed this sum unacceptable and remain unwilling to sell their influential striker below their asking price despite his desire to test himself in England’s top flight.

Despite reports to the contrary, ISport claim that the 22-year-old’s contract actually expires in 2027, rather than 2026 mentioned elsewhere, and this gives Plzen more leeway to demand extra cash.

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Plzeň also supported him through serious knee injuries and subsequent operations that derailed a nearly-completed transfer to Eintracht Frankfurt in 2023.

That being said, the club have promised Durosinmi they will greenlight his exit to an elite European league, provided any interested party meets their valuation.

The powerful striker has scored seven league goals in 18 appearances this season alongside four strikes in European competition, totalling around 22 this calendar year in all competitions.

Interest from Benfica, Lazio and multiple Premier League and Championship clubs continues to build around Durosinmi as the transfer window looms.

The forward particularly impressed gainst Lazio in March’s Europa League round of 16, scoring once and providing an assist across both legs of the tie.

Related Premier League forward set to join West Ham after Nuno specifically asked for him

He’ll sign ‘immediately’ in January.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini

	The manager Neil Maxwell, who looks after Brett Lee, says Cricket Australia should try to introduce a transfer fee for players involved in the IPL © Getty Images

A leading player agent believes Australia could not sustain its own version of the Indian Premier League because the market is too small. The Australian Cricketers’ Association is dreaming of an Australian Premier League, but Neil Maxwell, who has Brett Lee in his management stable and is the chief executive of the Kings XI Punjab franchise, said only England and India were in a position to develop the big events.A smaller population combined with less opportunity for major broadcast and sponsorship deals limits the possibility of a stand-alone venture in Australia. “India and England are the only two markets that can sustain franchise tournaments,” Maxwell said in the Sydney Morning Herald. “[England has] the revenue, they have the pay TV and the population.”Let’s not beat around the bush, the major revenue is going to come from the television rights and then sponsorship helps too, but in Australia’s case the sponsorship is also weaker. You have to have consortiums who are prepared to invest in the tournament, and they will do it for the money, for the profit, and it’s going to be very different to India because of that lack of competition for the television rights.”Another idea that has emerged since the IPL began is having an Australian team in the league, which Cricket Australia will consider. However, Maxwell told the paper Australia would be better off benefiting from their players, which were their “biggest asset”. “Cricket Australia should probably try to set up a deal with the organisers to receive transfer fees,” he said. “So if someone ends up buying an Australian player they [Cricket Australia] are rewarded for producing that player.”

Former Pakistan captains Javed Miandad and Intikhab Alam feel Dav Whatmore would have been a better choice than Geoff Lawson © AFP

Shoaib Malik, the Pakistan captain, has said that the Pakistan Cricket Board had made the right decision in appointing Geoff Lawson as coach.”It is a positive decision and will help the players,” Malik was quoted in the newspaper . “As for Lawson’s expertise, I feel he can do a good job with both bowlers and the batsmen because the batsmen do not need basic level coaching and just need to hone their skills.”Talat Ali, the Pakistan team manager, also commended the decision and said that Lawson’s experience could benefit the team.Meanwhile, Javed Miandad, the former Pakistan captain, denounced the appointment. “The move to hire foreigners when you have better people here gives a wrong message to the youngsters that our elders are nothing and foreigners will be preferred for key posts over experts such as Hanif Mohammad, Intikhab Alam and many others,” Miandad told .Miandad, who has in the past spoken against the need for foreign coaches, also felt that the board had erred in their choice of a foreigner as coach. “Also, I believe the decision has not been taken on merit since Dav Whatmore has better international experience and has a definite edge since he has the experience of coaching Asian teams like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.”Miandad said that many of Pakistan’s successes in the past had come under Pakistani coaches, while little had been achieved under foreign coaches.Lawson, however, said that he would like Miandad to be a member of his team. “I’d like to get Javed on board to be part of the coaching crew, to be part of the system and help out, because he was an outstanding player and a tough bloke as well,” he told the . “We could do with a few of those characteristics among the guys at the moment.”Intikhab Alam, a former captain and more importantly the manager-cum-coach of the 1992 World Cup-winning Pakistan side, aired similar views as Miandad. Speaking to , Alam said, “Whatmore had helped Sri Lanka to win World Cup in 1996 and he also showed fine progress with the Bangladesh team.” Talking about Lawson’s appointment to , Alam said, “I have nothing against him but he should be prepared for a lot of criticism and a hard time.”

The International Cricket Council has said it will help to ensure that the South African duo, Nicky Boje and Herschelle Gibbs, are able to tour India in October without fear of arrest.Boje and Gibbs run the risk of being detained by Indian police over match-fixing allegations dating back to 2000, but Dave Richardson, head of the ICC’s cricket operations, said they would try to defuse the situation before the Champions Trophy tournament at the end of the year.”We can only facilitate the process,” said Richardson. “It is principally a problem of two individual players and they are obviously taking legal advice. But if we receive a request from the South African cricket board, we are willing to facilitate it.”Gibbs and Boje have not toured India since the scandal broke in 2000, because they have failed to obtain any assurance that they will not be detained for questioning.The former South Africa captain, Hansie Cronje, was implicated in the same scandal. He admitted involvement on his part and was served with a life ban before dying in a plane crash in 2002.The Champions Trophy will be held from October 7 to November 5 in Mumbai, Mohali, Ahmedabad and Jaipur.

Adam Gilchrist will captain Australia in the first two Tests of the series© Getty Images

Adam Gilchrist, Australia’s stand-in captain, has said that his batting line up have a game plan to counter India’s spin attack, and they are confident going into the first Test, which starts on October 6 at Bangalore.”We are all ready to go,” said Gilchrist. “We’ve toured India and Sri Lanka, and we feel very comfortable with our game plans and how we approach the spinners. All the guys are looking forward to the Test. There are no real demons out there for us now.”The last time Australia toured India – the epic 2001 series – Harbhajan Singh, India’s prodigiously talented offspinner, picked up 32 wickets in three Tests, and India came back from a heavy defeat in the first match to win the next two, and secure a 2-1 series victory. Harbhajan and Anil Kumble, the seasoned legspinner who needs just three wickets to reach 400, will once again lead India’s bowling this time round.But the touring Australians had little trouble notching up scores of 302 for 7 and 207 for 2 in their three-day warm-up match in Mumbai on a wicket tailor-made for spin bowling. Justin Langer overcame soaring temperatures to reach a century in Australia’s second innings, and Matthew Hayden, Michael Clarke and Damien Martyn all passed fifty during the match.”It was good to start the tour like this,” Gilchrist said of the game, which ended in a draw yesterday. “We lost half a day due to rains, otherwise there could have been a result. Still we had a few good days in Bombay. We had a quality time out in the middle against the spinners. Now it depends on how we take this lesson into the Test series. We have come with a game plan on tackling the Indian spinners. It depends on how we execute that plan.”Gilchrist also praised Glenn McGrath’s effort in the match. McGrath, who missed Australia’s home series against India and the tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year through injury, picked up 4 for 25 in 21.2 overs”Glenn is coming out of one-day cricket and it was good to see him settle into a nice groove,” Gilchrist added. “It bodes well for us.”Gilchrist is leading the side in the absence of Ricky Ponting, who has been ruled out of the first two Tests after breaking his thumb while fielding during Austrlia’s defeat to England in the semi-finals of the Champions Trophy last month.

A report in the Birmingham Post claims that Warwickshire are in talks with the city council regarding the feasibility of them building a new stadium in conjunction with Birmingham City FC.Warwickshire have made no secret of their frustration with restrictions on development at Edgbaston, particular the repeated refusal of applications to install permanent floodlights on the ground. All previous attempts have been thwarted by local residents.A move away from Edgbaston would free them of such restrictions, and by entering into a ground-share arrangement they would be able to build a far better stadium that were they to try and finance it on their own.The Birmingham Post article says that the talks, which are at an advanced stage, involve selling St Andrews (Birmingham City’s home) and Edgbaston and building a new, 60,000 seater stadium in central Birmingham (the Eastside district), which would benefit from a roof and (moveable) athletics track. The idea is to host the Commonwealth games as well as national and international cricket all year round.Dennis Amiss, Warwickshire’s chief executive, admitted that the county had contributed to the feasibility study, but downplayed the likelihood of the plans coming to fruition. “We thought that it was only right to ensure that we looked at the possibility in a responsible manner. But the city council are talking about a multi-sport arena with a capacity of around 60,000 and which could cost £150 million.”I don’t think it would be sensible to play county cricket in a stadium of that size. If it is going to be a multi-sport venue, with football as the main sport, it would be difficult to marry that up with county cricket. I think that, realistically, the only cricket that could be played at the stadium is international cricket. We would not own the stadium and we would have to rent the stadium to stage international matches there."

MELBOURNE, March 5 AAP – Poor form and the Pura Cup cricket table demand Victoria scores an outright win over Western Australia in the match beginning tomorrow at the MCG.The Bushrangers and New South Wales are equal second going into the weekend but the Blues are better placed to meet Queensland in the March 14-18 final because they have one more outright win.The Victoria-WA match and NSW’s home game against Queensland, also from tomorrow, will be the last two Cup matches ahead of the final at the `Gabba.Queensland savaged Victoria last week, continuing the Bushrangers’ 20-year drought in Brisbane and maintaining their indifferent form of the past two months.”(It’s) not just because of the mathematics of it – an outright win here would give us a chance with some momentum to go to Queensland,” said Victorian coach David Hookes.”If we got two points here and just fell over the line and NSW lost, and we still made the final, it wouldn’t be the same form going into Brisbane.”It’s probably a reflection on the way we’ve played the season, we’ve struggled a bit since Christmas.”That can be the legacy of having a youngish side.”But the pitch and WA, which is out of contention, will do Victoria no favours in its mission to score six points.Hookes was diplomatic, rather than enthusiastic, about the straw-coloured strip.”The pitch looks good – it’s an irony in the sense it doesn’t look like an easy result wicket,” he said.”It’s probably the sort of pitch you’d like to get from October onwards, not something getting towards the end of the year.”He also observed there seemed to be plenty of feeling between the two teams.”I must say, I don’t think there’s too much love lost between these two groups of players,” he said.”There’s probably been more aggro between these two sides than Victoria and any other side this year.”WA captain Justin Langer did not think there was any particularly bad blood but admitted the Warriors would do nothing to help Victoria reach the final.”We won’t be doing Victoria any favours, they’ve got to win it,” he said.He was also mystified about the WA selectors’ decision to drop experienced players Ryan Campbell and Mike Hussey.”You’d better ask the selectors about that – obviously the selectors were a little concerned about the fact we’ve only won two Pura Cup this year,” Langer said.”I guess it was a message from the selectors that WA cricket needs more out of our senior players.”I was disappointed for them because they’re obviously two good mates of mine and I’ve played the majority of my WA cricket with (them).”I guess it’s always a surprise when senior players are left out.”WA also dropped Callum Thorp while recalling paceman Brad Williams and promoting youngsters Luke Ronchi and Peter Worthington.Victoria will take an unchanged 12 into the match.Squads:VICTORIA: Darren Berry (capt), Jason Arnberger, Matthew Elliott, Shane Harwood, Brad Hodge, David Hussey, Mathew Inness, Mick Lewis, Jon Moss, Andrew McDonald, Matthew Mott, Cameron White (12th man to be named).WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Justin Langer (capt), Jo Angel, Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Matthew Nicholson, Marcus North, Chris Rogers, Luke Ronchi, Adam Voges, Brad Williams, Peter Worthington (12th man to be named).

In an upset result, West Indies overturned the form book to record a16-run victory over India on Saturday to win the Coca-Cola Cup finalat the Harare Sports Club, after twice losing to the same oppositionin the preliminary round.The weather (and the media facilities, as is usual until the new mediacentre is finally built) failed to match the occasion. It wasunusually overcast and therefore very cold, like an English countymatch in April.The pitch was good for batting, giving only a little early help to theseamers, and it took a fair degree of spin. However, Sourav Gangulywas happy to put West Indies in to bat on winning the toss for India.West Indies, in Wednesday’s `preview’ of the final, had made a solidstart that had proved to be too slow. They were determined it wouldnot happen again. Daren Ganga and Chris Gayle began with positivestrokeplay and had 33 on the board after five overs, mostly offDebashish Mohanty, who went for 26 in his first three-over spell.The Indian bowlers and fielders showed signs of stress under theunexpected pressure as the fifty came up in the eighth over. HarbhajanSingh was brought on to bowl the tenth over and succeeded in putting abrake on the scoring rate. Runs still cascaded from the other end, asthe batsmen matched each other with superb driving in particular, andran well between wickets. These first ten overs were the decisiveperiod of the match, as the West Indian openers gave them an advantageand impetus that they never lost.Harbhajan finally broke through as Gayle (43 off 45 balls) holed outto long-off in the 14th over, having put on 86 with Ganga, who in thefollowing over hit Virender Shewag over his head for four to reach 50off only 40 balls. He eventually holed out at deep midwicket off Sodhifor 71 off 62 balls. Carl Hooper came in next, but Wavell Hinds becamebogged down against the spinners and hit a return catch to Sodhi for10.Two new batsmen in Hooper and Shivnarine Chanderpaul had to settle in,but then they got the board moving again, not so much with thepowerful boundaries of their opening pair but more through skilfulplacement for ones and twos. Hooper ran to his fifty off 46 balls, andChanderpaul soon followed before being yorked by Nehra for exactly 50.The pair had added 108 and West Indies were 238 for four in the 43rdover.The aim was no doubt for 300, but Hooper (66 off 63 balls) skiedZaheer Khan to mid-off, which put that difficult target just out ofreach. Ramnaresh Sarwan made 16, Ridley Jacobs 26 not out, and WestIndies finished with 290 for six.Only spinners Harbhajan (35 runs conceded off 10 overs) and Sodhi (31off 7) escaped serious punishment and India faced a mammoth task towin the Cup the form book said should be theirs. But with SachinTendulkar in their ranks, it could be done.However, India’s hopes soon received a crushing blow. Tendulkar,suffering apparently from stomach trouble, had not scored when hetried to pull Corey Collymore in the third over and skied a catch tomidwicket.Ganguly however seemed quite to have regained his form, scoring 22 ofthe first 24 on the board and playing some daring shots, especiallyover the covers, against the pace bowlers. However, when he had 28 hetried to swing Collymore across the line, to be trapped lbw, and Indiawere 35 for two in the ninth over.Heavy responsibility now devolved upon VVS Laxman, returned frominjury, and Rahul Dravid. Laxman (18) was just settling in and lookinggood when he pulled to square leg to give Collymore his third wicket,and at 58 for three in the 13th over, India were staring defeat in theface.Dravid, undaunted, played some fine strokes, but Shewag (2) alsoflicked a catch to midwicket, this time off Dillon. Then came thefinal blow as Dravid (30) played back to Reon King and played the ballon to his stumps via the inside edge. At 80 for five with all theirfront-line batsmen back in the pavilion, India were to all effectsdead and buried.Sodhi and Sameer Dighe did their best to ensure India would lose withhonour, as they shared an aggressive partnership of 101 beforeCollymore returned to have Sodhi caught at long-on for 67 off 76balls. Gayle bowled Harbhajan (12), going for a big hit, and Khan (0)with successive balls, but Dighe continued to blaze away, hittingparticularly powerfully to leg.But 25 were needed off the final over and it was just too much, withthe heroic Dighe finishing unbeaten with 94, assisted perhapsunexpectedly by Mohanty (18 not out). Collymore finished with four for49. Although India were never quite there after the loss of theirfirst five, it was great entertainment to the last ball.

Leeds United correspondent Phil Hay has relayed a new injury concern for Jesse Marsch regarding Luke Ayling.

The Lowdown: Late substitution

Ayling, who has been key under Marsch since the American replaced Marcelo Bielsa, was forced off against Southampton on Saturday afternoon.

The 30-year-old, who Jermaine Jenas labelled as ‘quick’ and ‘agile’, scored the winner against Wolves prior to the international break but missed his first minutes under Marsch. The right-back called for treatment and was taken off for Pascal Struijk late on in a 1-1 draw at Elland Road.

The Latest: Hay’s post

Hay relayed comments from Marsch on Twitter on Saturday evening, with the Leeds boss addressing a mix up on the touchline.

Captain Liam Cooper was supposed to come off for Struijk, however, Ayling was the man to make way due to a ‘little (injury) situation’.

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

The Whites received a major double boost with Cooper and Kalvin Phillips making their first appearances since December, so it would be typical of Leeds’ season if they now have a new injury concern with Ayling.

He has already missed nine games this season with a knee problem, so hopefully, his withdrawal was only as a precaution, as Marsch suspects it will be ‘fine’.

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Ayling’s presence at right-back is needed in a crucial trip to Watford next weekend, especially with Stuart Dallas covering Junior Firpo at left-back.

In other news: Leeds may now lose another star alongside Raphinha and Phillips; he stunned a club employee.