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Manchester United have initiated “contact” to bring Feyenoord star Justin Bijlow to the Premier League, according to journalist Laurie Whitwell.

Who is Justin Bijlow?

Bijlow is a goalkeeper who currently plays his football for Arne Slot’s side having graduated from their academy to get promoted to the first-team back in 2016, where’s he’s since gone on to establish himself as their number one.

The Netherlands international still has another two years remaining on his contract in his homeland, but his performances have caught the eye of Erik Ten Hag after Dutch outlet 1908 reported that the boss holds a concrete interest in the shot-stopper.

Voetbal International further claimed that the 25-year-old would be open to joining, but his club, at this stage, don’t want to sanction his sale and are instead looking to tie him down to a new deal.

That doesn’t seem to have stopped an approach from being made at Old Trafford though…

Are Man United signing Bijlow?

Taking to Twitter, Whitwell revealed that Man United have enquired about Bijlow to discover his availability ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. He wrote:

“#MUFC make contact over Feyenoord GK Justin Bijlow. Dutch champions very reluctant to sell but United exploring options, which include Andre Onana. CF still the priority, costs will dictate next signing. Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund fee viewed as too high.”

Man United could be set to lose David De Gea this summer having still not agreed a new contract, so should he depart, Ten Hag will of course need a direct replacement, and Bijlow could be the perfect successor having been hailed “brilliant” by ESPN correspondent Cecilia Lagos.

The World Cup participant, who pockets £5k-per-week, kept 12 clean sheets from 25 Eredivisie appearances last season and ranked in the 90th percentile amongst 'keepers for crosses stopped, so he isn’t afraid to come out of his net and claim the ball to clear the danger from his area.

The 6 foot 2 colossus also made 59 saves from 77 shots on target against, giving him a success rate of 75.3% which is higher than De Gea’s 71.1%, showing how much of an upgrade he’d be on the manager’s current first-choice between the sticks.

Finally, Ten Hag already knows Bijlow as he will have faced him in the Eredivisie during his time with Ajax, so the boss could use this existing connection to try and entice his goalkeeping target to M16 in the weeks and months ahead.

Vernon Philander has recovered from a slight ankle impingement and is expected to take his usual place in South Africa’s Test squad, which departs for New Zealand in the weekend

Firdose Moonda23-Feb-2017

Vernon Philander has recovered from a slight ankle impingement and is expected to take his usual place in South Africa’s Test squad, which departs for New Zealand in the weekend. Philander struggled with the niggle in the aftermath of South Africa’s home series against Sri Lanka, and did not play any cricket for over a month. But he returned to play a List A game for his franchise, Cobras, on Wednesday and will turn out for them again on Friday before leaving.Philander bowled eight overs against Warriors in East London and finished as the most economical bowler in his team’s 57-run win. He claimed 1 for 38, with Simon Harmer his victim. Philander will play Friday’s match against Titans, where another pacer, Morne Morkel, will be hopeful of staking a claim for a national comeback.Morkel has not played for South Africa since June last year and has been battling a back injury that he has revealed was considered career-ending. Morkel suffered from a bulging spinal disc during the CPL, and has only been able to take small steps towards bowling in the last eight months. He travelled with South Africa’s Test squad to Australia and played three warm-up matches. But he was not risked for the internationals and was primed for a comeback during the one-dayers against Sri Lanka, although he did not regain fitness in time. He has since played one List A game, where he gave away 53 runs in eight overs and went wicketless, and now has to hope it is enough for a recall.South Africa would welcome Morkel’s experience in a pace pack that has lost Kyle Abbott to a Kolpak deal, but may also be wary of having him break down mid-tour. If Morkel does not make the Test cut, he will likely continue to play in the domestic one-day cup in a bid for a spot in the Champions Trophy squad, where South Africa are still searching for a new-ball partner for Kagiso Rabada.Without Morkel, South Africa will seek to add a bowler, most likely an allrounder to back up their Test pace attack that will include Philander, Rabada and Duanne Olivier, who made his debut last month. Olivier should edge ahead of Wayne Parnell in the playing XI. Parnell could well be the reserve bowler, although Chris Morris and Dwaine Pretorius, who are currently with the ODI squad in New Zealand, are also making strong cases for inclusion.South Africa’s batting line-up is settled despite the absence of AB de Villiers, who has mostly made himself unavailable for Test cricket for the rest of 2017. Dean Elgar, Stephen Cook, Faf du Plessis, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy and Temba Bavuma make up the top six, with Quinton de Kock, the wicket-keeper batsman, at No.7.Knights captain Theunis de Bruyn, who finished third on the first-class rankings, and was the reserve batsman for the Sri Lanka series, is expected to travel in that capacity again. Interestingly, South Africa are also likely to take a reserve glovesman as back-up for de Kock. Although Rudi Second, who finished sixth on the first-class run-charts, was considered the favourite, Titans’ Heinrich Klaasen, who was seventh, is thought to be in line for a maiden call-up.

The ECB hope that the All Stars Cricket scheme will inspire around 50,000 new cricket lovers in its first year

George Dobell10-Feb-2017

The ECB are to launch an ambitious project designed to attract a new generation of supporters to the game.With evidence suggesting the sport has slipped to something approaching irrelevance in the eyes of children (research suggest pictures of wrestlers are more recognisable to children than England’s captains and that only 2 percent of children between the ages of 7 and 12 rate cricket as their favourite sport), the ECB hope that the All Stars Cricket scheme will inspire around 50,000 new cricket lovers in its first year.The nationwide initiative, which is based upon the Milo Cricket scheme pioneered in Australia, is aimed at children between the ages of five and eight. Parents will be required to pay £40 per child (the ECB are understood to be exploring the possibility of providing financial aid for families in need) for which the children will receive a rucksack full of kit and eight weeks of introductory sessions at a local cricket club starting in May. Clubs will receive £5 for every child that signs up and will be encouraged to run summer camps in the school holidays as part of ensuring a lifelong involvement in the game. The ECB hope around 1,500 clubs will sign up to All Stars in its first year with each club attracting at least 30 children.If all that sounds familiar – and many clubs do already run such admirable schemes – the emphasis of All Stars will be more towards enjoyment (“competition without exclusion,” as the ECB call it) than some comparable courses. There will be no hard ball or full-size pitches, for example, with bean bags used instead of balls for some, with progress badges awarded as skills such as ‘catching’ or ‘hitting’ are achieved. Instead of coaches, ‘activators’ will run the sessions and children will receive emails from England players congratulating them on their progress. As other commitments allow, there will also be personal appearances by England players as the ECB build on research underlining the value of “heroes” in inspiring a new generation of cricket lovers.But it’s the method that the ECB will use to reach this new generation of potential players and supporters that differentiates this programme. Determined to reach beyond cricket’s normal audience, the ECB plan to invest heavily in advertising – the scheme will, for example, be pushed on popular radio stations around the time of the school run – while they also hope to agree partnerships with various lifestyle publishers and websites such as Mumsnet. They are also expected to announce a celebrity ambassador – likely to be a woman with young children – in the coming weeks. Research has convinced the ECB that it is, in general, mothers who make most of the decisions over which hobbies children of such ages.The project is part of the ECB’s wider ‘Cricket Unleashed’ programme, which aims to re-establish the sport’s relevance to all sections of society. In the longer term, they hope their new-team T20 competition – which looks likely to be partially broadcast free to air – will play a leading role in the expansion, but with little cricket currently broadcast free to air (there are some clips and highlights on-line and on TV), they are investing heavily in the department run by Matt Dwyer, the ECB’s director of participation and growth, who now has around 80 development officers around the country. Dwyer was also heavily involved in the Milo programme that has run successfully in Australia.Dwyer’s team will aim to work closely with the County Boards in driving growth in four key areas: kids, clubs, communities and casual cricket. With staff based in regional locations as well as at Lord’s, the team will be backed by increased investment in marketing and digital support to strengthen connections with county cricket boards, clubs, leagues, volunteers, coaches and officials.The All Stars scheme is not without its critics. Some have expressed concern at the failure of a pay-as-you-go option (thereby reducing the impact of the one-off outlay for parents), some at the negative impact on clubs already running such projects, and others on the failure to deal with the substantial problem of teenagers dropping out of the game. There is an issue, too, with volunteer disillusionment and weariness. The ECB state that a few teething troubles are inevitable and the project can be tweaked as it develops. They also say they are working on plans to combat the drop-out issue.But whatever other faults may be levelled at the ECB, they have acknowledged the game has a serious problem in England and Wales and they are investing heavily in trying to find a solution. Whether that can be done without a serious realignment of the broadcasting landscape – a key factor in Australia’s success with the Big Bash – is debatable.Clubs or individuals who wish to be involved can sign up here

Liverpool made a blistering start to the 2023 summer transfer window after swiftly signing Alexis Mac Allister from Brighton & Hove Albion for a bargain £35m, but are yet to make their next move.

That's despite a wealth of names entering transfer circulation, mostly focussing on the midfield after the departures of James Milner, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain at the end of their contracts.

However, following a revelation from The Athletic's David Ornstein earlier this week, it could be that the next man to join the Anfield ranks is Red Bull Leipzig star Dominik Szoboszlai, who has enjoyed an exemplary campaign with his German Bundesliga outfit.

Ornstein's report reveals that Liverpool met with the Hungarian's representatives, with a release clause of €70m (£61m) the requirement if the Reds' sporting director Jorg Schmadtke does decide to lodge a formal offer for the playmaker.

The sticking point comes in the clause's conditions, which purportedly expires at the end of June and as such leaves Jurgen Klopp's side with a paltry window of opportunity to make their move before the bargaining chips fall into Die Roten Bullen's hands.

How good is Dominik Szoboszlai?

Should Liverpool decide to pay the lucrative sum to procure the fleet-footed phenom, they would wield a creative midfielder of a calibre unseen on Merseyside since Philippe Coutinho plied his trade for the club.

And what a signing it would be; Szoboszlai has made 91 appearances since arriving from RB Salzburg, registering 42 direct goal contributions and has been hailed as a "generational talent" by journalist Marcel Moeller.

This season, the 22-year-old scored ten goals and supplied 13 assists from 46 outings as Leipzig secured a third-place finish in the German top-flight, also winning the DFB Pokal for the second season in succession.

Given his ability as a dynamic and prolific No. 10, Szoboszlai could be Klopp's answer to Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes, who has cemented his stature as one of Europe's premium attacking midfielders since joining the Red Devil ranks from Sporting Lisbon for an initial £47m in January 2020.

Fernandes has scored 64 goals and registered 54 assists from 185 outings for the Old Trafford side and has been hailed as the "example" and "inspiration" by his manager Erik ten Hag as United clinched the Carabao Cup last term and finished third in the league.

As per FBref, the £240k-per-week Portuguese gem ranks among the top 3% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for shot-creating actions, the top 6% for passes attempted, the top 5% for progressive passes, the top 20% for tackles and the top 5% for clearances per 90.

This all-encompassing skill set exemplifies the nature of his trade and why he has been so effective over the past several years and is something that Szoboszlai could certainly emulate, given that he is listed as a 'similar player' to the Portugal maestro.

This is evidenced through the 32-cap Hungary captain's FBref metrics, where he ranks among the top 15% for assists, the top 9% for shot-creating actions, the top 13% for progressive passes, the top 11% for blocks and the top 13% for clearances per 90.

Described as a "magician" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, Szoboszlai is exactly what Liverpool need to thread the thirds together and restore balance and cohesion to Klopp's outfit, and despite the high valuation, he must be signed to close the gap on the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United after a lacklustre year.

كشف متخصص سوق الانتقالات، فابرزيو رومانو، عن تطورات جديدة بشأن مستقبل محمد صلاح وإمكانية بقاءه أو رحيله عن ليفربول في الميركاتو الصيفي المقبل.

ويمتلك محمد صلاح عقدًا مع ليفربول حتى 30 يونيو 2025، ولكن هناك اهتمام كبير من جانب أندية الدوري السعودي بضم الفرعون المصري.

ورغب الاتحاد الصيف الماضي في ضم محمد صلاح من ليفربول مقابل 150 مليون جنيه إسترليني، وفي الفترة الماضية، ودخل الهلال في السباق.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مهاجم ليفربول أولوية في باريس سان جيرمان لتعويض رحيل كيليان مبابي

وبحسب رومانو في تصريحات نقلتها شبكة “Liverpool World” الإنجليزية، وقال: “لا يزال هناك اهتمام من نادي الاتحاد بضم محمد صلاح”.

وتابع: “كان عرض الاتحاد في الصيف الماضي وصل إلى 150 مليون يورو، لكن ليفربول ويورجن كلوب رفضا التفريط في اللاعب”.

وأضاف: “بنهاية الموسم، ووفقًا لما علمته أن سيكون هناك محاولات من بعض الأندية السعودية مرة أخرى من أجل التعاقد مع محمد صلاح”.

واختتم: “لكن في الوقت الحالي لا توجد أي مفاوضات مع ليفربول أو محمد صلاح بنفسه، لأن الأندية السعودية تعلم أن هناك تركيزًا على إنهاء الموسم بأفضل طريقة ممكنة”.

Auckland, by virtue of this victory, have earned maximum bonus points from round seven of the Plunket Shield and trail top-ranked Canterbury by one position, while Northern Districts are placed third

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Mar-2017

Tarun Nethula’s all-round show – a match haul of nine coupled with a brisk half-century – helped defending champions Auckland trump Northern Districts by 71 runs, despite resilient counterattacks with the bat from HR Cooper across both innings.Nethula waltzed to a run-a-ball 52 in the first innings, after five other Auckland batsmen scored in excess of 45 to post 461, validating captain Rob Nicol’s decision to bat. Robert O’ Donnell (75) shared a 115-run stand with Nicol (46) for the third wicket, before a 139-run tenth-wicket stand between Mitchell McClenaghan – who remained unbeaten on a career-best 73 – and Rajvinder Sandhu – who hit a 94-ball 82 in only his second match, the record for Auckland by a No. 11 – propped them up further.Nethula, along with Sandhu, then ran through the opposition line-up, claiming four wickets each to bowl out Northern Districts for 334 in 106.4 overs in the first innings. Cooper stood out with a 101, ensuring his third-wicket stand with Corey Anderson (80) took his side close to 300.Having conceded a 127-run lead, Northern Districts medium-pacer James Baker removed the Auckland openers for 68, but found little support from the other bowlers, as 20-year-old Glenn Phillips scored 109, his maiden first-class century in only his second Plunket Shield match and third first-class innings – he became the first player in New Zealand’s domestic history to score tons across all three formats – first-class, T20 and List A one-day – in a single season, with all three of his hundreds coming on the same ground, the Eden Park Outer Oval.Phillips, who peppered 16 fours and a six in his knock, was also involved in a 130-run stand for the third wicket with Nicol, who scored 47 before declaring on 202 for 4.Chasing 329, Cooper backed up his first-innings century with a fighting 83 to keep Northern Districts in with a chance of victory, but Nethula bettered his first-innings returns with a five-for, the 11th of his first-class career to bowl out the opposition for 258 in the final session of the match.Auckland, by virtue of this victory, have earned maximum bonus points from round seven of the Plunket Shield and trail top-ranked Canterbury by one position, while Northern Districts are placed third.Ajaz Patel is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 38 scalps•Getty Images

Central Districts, on the other hand, were knocked out of the tournament after a dramatic second-innings collapse. They did just about enough to salvage a draw against Wellington in a last-over thriller at McLean Park, but that was not enough.Chasing 199, Central Districts raced away to 150 for 3 in 29.1 overs, after captain Will Young coupled his first-innings century with a 37-ball 38 alongside George Worker, who plundered 85 off 100 balls, smashing nine boundaries and one six. The duo added 71 for the third wicket off only 68 balls, but Young’s dismissal in the 32nd over triggered a six-wicket collapse, with his side capitulating to 190 for 9 in the second ball of the 39th over. The last pair of Ajaz Patel and Blair Tickner, however, ensured they played out the remaining four balls, denying an outright victory to Wellington.During Wellington’s second innings, Patel’s 5 for 106 from 49.2 overs was pivotal to Central Districts’ bowling them out for 336, after captain Michael Papps (116) and Tom Blundell (51) put on 73 for the fourth wicket to guide Wellington to 183. Patel, the offspinner, thwarted any possibility of the opposition nearing 400, taking his tournament tally to 38 wickets while ensuring his side had a target under 200 to overhaul in less than two sessions.Earlier, Central Districts responded to Wellington’s first-innings total of 245 with 382, with Young’s 124 and Jesse Ryder’s 61 helping Central Districts take a lead of 137. Matt McEwan returned the best figures for Wellington, picking up 6 for 81, while Brent Arnel scalped four in the second innings, as Central Districts hung on to end the final session on 191 for 9.

فتح لاعب وسط الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي ريال مدريد، توني كروس، الباب أمام تمديد عقده مع الملكي لعام جديد قبل انتهاء الموسم الحالي.

وينتهي عقد كروس مع ريال مدريد بنهاية الموسم في 30 يونيو المقبل، وبحسب استراتيجية النادي الأبيض أن التجديد لما هم فوق 30 عامًا يكون عام بعد عام.

اقرأ أيضًا.. ميلان يصل إلى اتفاق مع ريال مدريد لضم لاعبه

وتحدث كروس عبر التلفزيون الإسباني، وقال: “لا توجد أي مشكلة مع ريال مدريد، سنتحدث مرة أخرى حول التمديد ونرى ماذا سيحدث”.

وتابع: “ما زلت في مرحلة اتخاذ القرار، العلاقة بيني وبين النادي جيدة جدًا، اعتقد أننا مرتاحين للغاية، خاصة وأننا نسير بشكل جيد جدًا في الموسم”.

وعن إمكانية انتقال مبابي إلى ريال مدريد: “لقد قال كيليان نفسه أنه لا يعرف بعد، فكيف يمكنني أن أعرف؟”.

واستمر: “نريد بالطبع أفضل اللاعبين في ريال مدريد وهو واحد منهم بلا أي شك، لكن الشيء المهم هو الفوز بالألقاب، سيكون من الجيد بالنسبة له الانتقال إلى ريال مدريد”.

وأتم: “لكن بالنسبة لي، أرى أن ريال مدريد يمتلك فريقًا قويًا بالفعل في الوقت الحالي”.

Getting a deal over the line in modern-day football can involve more steps than ever, with agent fees, small contract details, and in the case of Arsenal and Declan Rice… a shirt number.Of course, the deal has reportedly been completed, with just the formalities to come, such as the presentation of the midfielder, after his medical – which will happen today (Friday 7 June). But, it remains to be seen whether all of Rice’s demands have been met.At West Ham United, the England international wore the number 41 shirt, which has since become his famous number. There’s just one issue, however, and that’s a certain Arsenal rule which may bring the end to the midfielder’s tradition.

What’s the latest on Declan Rice and Arsenal?

Rice to Arsenal is all but done. Barring a miracle, according to reports, he will be playing at The Emirates next season in a transfer that should significantly improve Mikel Arteta’s side.

There was some early doubt about whether the move would take place, with Manchester City getting involved and reportedly placing a bid worth £90m, before seeing it rejected.

The treble winners dropped out of the race when Arsenal saw their bid of £100m plus £5m in add-ons accepted by the Hammers. And, so, here we are, with Rice set to line up for the Gunners next season.

He has received a lot of praise ahead of the move, too. His new teammate, Emile Smith Rowe told The Sun, via Sportskeeda: “I can’t speak highly enough of him. I remember my first camp, and I was surprised with how good he actually was. He was the best in training. Just his level, intensity, technically, everything he was doing. A real leader and still so young. He was really, really good.”

The North London side are also close to completing a deal to sign Ajax defender Jurrien Timber this summer. According to Fabrizio Romano, the Dutchman is set to undergo a medical at the club soon as well.

All of a sudden, With Timber, Kai Havertz, and Rice added to the mix, Arteta’s side may do more than just compete for the Premier League title next season.

One thing’s for sure, though, Rice will want to lift any trophy whilst wearing his famous number.

What is the rule that Declan Rice could break at Arsenal?

As of right now, according to Arsenal Youth expert Jeorge Bird on Twitter, the club doesn’t allow players in the first-team to wear numbers over 36.

He said: “Mika Biereth has been given the number 41 shirt. It will be interesting to see if he’s asked to give it up for Rice. Arsenal don’t normally allow first-team players to have numbers over 36 (Iwobi had to give up 45) but they could make an exception for Rice.”

It would certainly be an interesting move from Rice, if he were to instantly break a rule at the club upon making the move. From the club’s perspective, they may simply hope that he isn’t entirely attached to the number, and is happy to move onto something else.

Whichever number he is given, though, we’re sure the midfielder will make it iconic all over again.

Tom Alsop hit an unbeaten century to ensure Kent were outgunned with ball and bat as Hampshire wrapped up an emphatic six-wicket win

ECB Reporters Network27-Apr-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Tom Alsop made his second one-day hundred•Getty Images

Tom Alsop hit an unbeaten century to ensure Kent were outgunned with ball and bat as Hampshire wrapped up an emphatic six-wicket win in their Royal London One-Day Cup South Group opener in Canterbury.Hampshire recovered from a patchy start to their bowling display at a cold, overcast St Lawrence ground and went on to dominate the last two-thirds of the match with opening bat Alsop, on only his 19th List A appearance, seeing his side home with an unbeaten 112 and with 29 balls to spare.In pursuit of 259 for victory at an asking rate of 5.18 an over, Hampshire made a disastrous start in losing Michael Carberry, the former Kent and England opener, lbw to Wayne Parnell’s second delivery of the game. It also proved to be the first and only maiden of the match.Matt Coles offered nothing like the same consistency at the Pavilion End though and conceded 35 from his first four, wicketless overs, as Hampshire’s second-wicket partners James Vince and Alsop bolted, adding 112 in 16 overs. Vince’s 50-ball stay for a majestic 69 ended when he worked across one from Darren Stevens to be sent packing lbw, but Alsop became the game’s fourth half-century maker after facing 61 balls.Mitch Claydon jagged one down the slope and through the gate to clip Liam Dawson’s leg stump, then the same bowler found the leading edge of Jimmy Adams’s bat for a looping catch to mid-off.It proved a false dawn under the floodlights however, as Alsop teamed up with Sean Ervine (33*) to add an unbroken 82 for the fifth wicket and ease their side over the win line. Alsop, who hit his first 50-over century against Surrey last year, reached three figures from 125 balls and with a dozen fours.At the other end of the cricketing age scale, it had been Kent’s veteran allrounder Stevens who top scored with 60 to spare his side’s batting blushes after they had threatened to completely waste a promising start. Stevens, who turns 41 on Sunday, hit three sixes and a brace of fours to ensure the hosts posted 258 after being invited to bat first.Kent laid decent foundations through Joe Denly and Daniel Bell Drummond, whose first-wicket stand of 94 in 15.2 overs ended when Denly miscued to mid-on against left-arm spinner Dawson.On a slightly two-paced pitch, Kent’s innings tailed off meekly thereafter with only Stevens providing any form of prolonged resistance. Sean Dickson cut a short one to cover point then, after reaching a 63-ball fifty, Bell-Drummond followed suit by flat-batting low to a diving Chris Wood at cover.Soon after, Wood left the field with a side strain midway through his sixth over, but Kent wickets continued to fall as Sam Northeast chipped to midwicket and Alex Blake played across the line to depart lbw. Parnell pushed inside the line of a Reece Topley leg-cutter that held its line to trim off stump, then Adam Rouse departed lbw after moving across his stumps to work to leg.Stevens marched to his 46th List A half-century in his 294th appearance in the format, reaching the milestone from 49 balls with two fours and a brace of sixes, both over long-on.Coles smeared across one from Dawson to be bowled before Stevens, after another straight six, miscued to extra cover off a leading edge against Topley to go for 60 off 57 balls. James Tredwell and last man Claydon saw it through to the 50th over before Claydon heaved to midwicket to give Topley figures of 3 for 65. Holland, Dawson and Crane bagged two wickets apiece.

It is becoming increasingly more clear that Southampton's chances of keeping hold of either – let alone both of – Romeo Lavia and James Ward-Prowse this summer are incredibly slim.

How much will Romeo Lavia cost?

Lavia is reportedly a target for both Liverpool and Chelsea, which is helping Southampton when it comes to negotiations over a possible fee.

The Saints are said to value Lavia at £45m, but with Manchester United and Arsenal also potentially interested, they could hold out for closer to £50m.

Ward-Prowse is valued at around the £40m mark, meanwhile, meaning Southampton could have plenty of money to play with when it comes to bringing in replacements.

Finding a successor for Lavia in particular is going to be incredibly difficult, but the south coast club may already have identified the perfect match.

According to the Daily Mail, a move for Leicester City's Hamza Choudhury has previously been discussed, albeit with a move looking unlikely at this stage.

Is Hamza Choudhury a good player?

Choudhury looked like being a huge talent when making his Premier League debut for Leicester shortly after turning 20, but instead, he found himself on loan in the Championship last season with Watford.

While the Hornets had an underwhelming campaign on the whole, Choudhury made his presence felt by leading the way in metrics such as tackles per game (3) and interceptions (2.3), while his 14 yellow cards were the joint-most of any player in the division, level with Reading's Andy Yiadom.

Indeed, only Sheffield United's Max Lowe (3.2) registered more tackles per game in the English second tier last season, as per WhoScored, while nobody managed more interceptions than Choudhury.

Southampton could do with a player who is capable of breaking up play and keeping things ticking over in the middle should Lavia depart, and the numbers point towards Choudhury being exactly that player.

The former England U21 international won 1.99 of his tackles per 90 minutes last season, according to FBref, which compares to 1.42 for Lavia in a division higher.

Choudhury also completed 86.2% of his passes, compared to 82.9% for Lavia, while he also offers more of a presence in the air, winning 67.7% of his aerial duels last season to Lavia's 41.2%.

This is not to say Choudhury is a better player than Lavia as such, but the 25-year-old has proven Championship quality and is a player who will no doubt feel he has a point to prove should Leicester again look to offload him.

Just as football reporter Ben Jacobs put it ahead of Choudhury's loan move to Watford last season, the Leicester academy graduate – on wages of £7.5k-per-week – "still has huge potential", which he went some way to showing during his eye-catching spell at Vicarage Road.

At a fraction of the price of the fees they will generate for both Lavia and Ward-Prowse, everything points towards Choudhury being a perfect fit for Southampton in their bid to earn a swift return to the Premier League.