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Manchester United hold a growing confidence behind the scenes that Chelsea's Mason Mount will agree to terms on a potential move to Old Trafford.

How old is Mason Mount?

The Red Devils have the opportunity to cap off what could be a mightily impressive first season at the helm for Erik ten Hag with a huge FA Cup final on the weekend.

Having finished third in the Premier League – securing Champions League football – and already getting his hands on his first piece of silverware at United, the Dutchman could make it two trophies in one season.

However, their city rivals will put up a stern challenge as they look to add another crown to their collection as they aim for the treble.

But United's encouraging 2022/23 campaign is seemingly not going to be settled on this summer with the Red Devils already looking to acquire the services of Mount.

The 24-year-old's time at Stamford Bridge could be coming to a close with his contract now having just one further year remaining.

Mount was spotted walking around the Stamford Bridge pitch following their final game of the weekend against Newcastle United as some speculate this was the England international getting a last look at the stadium.

And as United have been linked with interest, Fabrizio Romano has said on his YouTube channel that there is optimism at Old Trafford that he could become a Red Devil:

(2:00) "Behind the scenes, there is a feeling that the agreement between Mason Mount and Manchester United over personal terms would not be a problem."

"They feel that the player is keen to join Manchester United and to join Erik ten Hag's project. So Manchester United are really optimistic on the agreement with the player."

"Chelsea are still asking for at least €80m (£68m) for Mason Mount, while the intention of Manchester United, for example, at the moment is to spend something close to £45m-£50m because the player is out of contract next summer."

How much is Mason Mount worth?

The England international is a product of the Chelsea youth system, so potentially seeing him leave this summer will certainly pain the Londoners.

However, he only has one year remaining on his current deal at Stamford Bridge which does leave them vulnerable to possibly losing him on a free in the near future.

With this in mind, it is believed the Blues would be open to selling the 24-year-old if they were able to bring in a figure in the region of £68m.

Whether that is a figure which United would be willing to spend on the midfielder is another question as Romano suggests that they are currently only looking to offer around £45m-£50m.

As his current deal is set to expire next summer, Mount is currently earning in the region of £80k-per-week which would likely increase dramatically when his future is resolved.

Although United are showing a keen interest in the midfielder, it is still believed that Mauricio Pochettino is wanting to convince the England international to continue his career at Stamford Bridge.

But it does seem as if that boat may have now sailed.

Javed Akhtar, the former Pakistan spinner and international umpire, died in Rawalpindi on Friday. He was 75.

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jul-2016

Javed Akhtar, the former Pakistan spinner and international umpire, died in Rawalpindi on Friday. He was 75.Akhtar, an offspinner, made his international debut as a 21-year old against England at Leeds in 1962. He went wicketless in the match that Pakistan lost by an innings and 117 runs. It would be his only Test in a first-class career that spanned 17 seasons, from 1959-60 to 1975-1976.He returned to the international arena as an umpire in the same year he retired, when he first officiated in an ODI between Pakistan and New Zealand in Sialkot.Overall, Akhtar, who served on the ICC panel from 1997 to 1999, officiated in 18 Tests and 40 ODIs, the last of which was at the 1999 World Cup in a league fixture between England and India.

Insider ExWHUEmployee has claimed that West Ham United will show the Europa Conference League final at the Olympic Park for fans who can't get tickets to the match – should the club make it to that stage of the competition.

When is the Europa Conference League final?

On Thursday night, David Moyes and his side will face AZ Alkmaar away from home as they look to progress beyond the semi-final.

The Hammers come into the second leg with a slender lead having won 2-1 at the London Stadium thanks to goals from Said Benrahma and Michail Antonio after initially falling behind.

Should West Ham beat AZ Alkmaar and make the final, however, many fans may still be disappointed as they have been allocated only 5000 tickets for the match which will be played at the Fortuna Arena in Prague (which has just 20,000 seats) on June 7.

With this in mind, it seems as though the club will do their best to still make it a huge event for those who won't travel to Czechia for the match.

Indeed, while talking on The West Ham Way podcast, Ex revealed plans have been put in place to air the game in East London.

He said (10:25): “In terms of the final, if West Ham gets to the Conference League final, obviously, we know that there's only [a] 5000 ticket allocation. So there's going to be a lot of disappointed fans.

"West Ham do intend to turn the Olympic Park into a huge fan zone for fans to go and watch it there together, and to keep West Ham fans all in that one place.

"There’s plans already [that have] been put into place to make sure that happens."

How many tickets do West Ham have for the Europa Conferences League final?

As mentioned before, with just 5000 tickets available for the final in Prague, a number of supporters won't be able to see the team live.

Seeing as the London Stadium saw 62,471 fans in attendance for the first leg of that semi-final, it's no shock the club are hoping to find a way to keep their fan base happy by still bringing them together on the day of the final.

Seeing as it was 47 years ago that West Ham last reached a final in continental competition, this has the potential to be one of the club's biggest-ever events.

Of course, though, they need to survive on Thursday night first before any of this becomes truly relevant.

Former Warwickshire batsman Andy Moles has been put in charge of South African provincial team South Western Districts (SWD) for the next two seasons

Firdose Moonda25-May-2016Former Warwickshire batsman Andy Moles has been put in charge of South African provincial team South Western Districts (SWD) for the next two seasons. Moles, who had coached New Zealand, Hong Kong, Scotland, Kenya and Afghanistan in the past, has a long-standing association with South African cricket, having spent five seasons playing at Griqualand-West in Kimberley and coaching Free State.Moles was in charge of the Free State side, which included players such as Boeta Dippenaar, Nicky Boje and Morne van Wyk, in 1998 – before South Africa’s domestic system was franchised. Then, he coached at the highest domestic level in the country.He has now accepted a post in the second tier of the structure. South Africa’s six franchises form the top level of domestic cricket, with the 13 provincial semi-professional sides making up a lower level. SWD, who are based in Oudtshoorn – 350 kilometres east of Cape Town – feed into the Cobras set-up and contain a rich basin of cricketing talent that Moles hopes to tap into.”I have followed the structures and growth in SWD during the past decade and I firmly believe that there is a pool of exceptional talent in the Southern Cape,” Moles said.In 2013, SWD were granted CSA affiliate status and they have continued to grow since then. Their home ground has received major upgrades, and this summer, they are one of the four hosts of the Africa T0 Cup, which will also be Moles’ first assignment. Last year, SWD missed out on a place in the playoffs after beating Gauteng and losing to Kenya by one run. However, they are hoping to improve on those performances this time around and challenge in the three-day and one-day cups as well.”Andy has achieved great success at every level he has coached at and we expect that he will continue to achieve such success at SWD upon his appointment as our new head coach,” Rudy Claassen, the SWD president, said. “We believe that he has what it takes to get the best out of our players as he brings something special with him in that he has a proven track record, and hopefully his experience and expertise aids in SWD winning some silverware in the near future.”

Paris Saint-Germain are thought to be interested in signing Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes in the summer transfer window, according to a new report.

Just how good is Bruno?

The Brazilian has been a transformative figure since joining the Magpies in January 2022, becoming an instant hero at St James' Park and appearing to raise the level of those around him. His box-to-box quality has been so key since his arrival and he is enjoying a superb 2022/23 season to date.

Bruno has scored three goals and registered four assists across 24 Premier League appearances, with Alan Shearer describing him as "absolutely magnificent" earlier in the campaign. He has been a big reason for Newcastle's strong top-four push and it was no surprise to see their form dip when he was unavailable through suspension in the lead-up to the EFL Cup final defeat to Manchester United.

The Brazilian is contracted to the Magpies until the summer of 2026, but now a worrying exit rumour has emerged, as one of Europe's leading clubs eye up a move for him.

Could Newcastle star depart this summer?

According to iG Esporte [via Sport Witness], PSG are interested in signing Bruno in the summer transfer window, as they look to bolster their midfield options. He has been "evaluated internally" inside the Ligue 1 club, although an offer hasn't been tabled yet.

They are believed to "regret" the decision not to sign the Newcastle ace back when he was at Lyon, considering the impact he has gone on to make at St James' Park. It is noted that the Magpies are "looking to fend off" an interest in Bruno by offering him a new deal, however, so the hope is that he is happy in England and wants to extend his stay.

Losing the 10-cap Brazil international at his point would be a huge blow for Newcastle, at a time when they are on the cusp of returning to the Champions League and potentially embarking on a memorable era at the club. He is so essential to everything they do as a team, whether it is chipping in with end product from midfield or providing great off-the-ball work – he has averaged 2.4 tackles per game in the league this season – so it is essential that they keep hold of him.

The lure of PSG could be great, given their Champions League aspirations and financial power, but even Lionel Messi has struggled to truly excel there at times, so Bruno should see Newcastle as his best option moving forward.

Leeds United will have some big decisions to make this summer, regardless of the division they find themselves in at the beginning of the 2023/24 campaign.

Too many members of the Championship title-winning squad have been allowed to stagnate at Elland Road in the Premier League and they must be moved on by Javi Gracia in order to free up room for more talented young signings such as Wilfried Gnonto and Tyler Adams.

There were once high hopes for one of Leeds' most promising young midfielders, Jamie Shackleton, but the 23-year-old should finally be allowed to leave the club on a permanent deal this summer.

Should Leeds sell Shackleton this summer?

Shackleton would join Leeds when he was just seven, meaning he has been at the club for 16 years now, making his first-team debut under Marcelo Bielsa in the 2018/19 Championship season.

He would go on to play 78 times under the Argentine manager at Elland Road but has been used sparingly since his exit, featuring just once under Jesse Marsch before being allowed to join Millwall on loan in the Championship last summer.

While he has featured 34 times in all competitions for Gary Rowett's side so far this term, only half of those have been starts, with the youngster having failed to score or assist in any of his appearances.

Worryingly, WhoScored has awarded the £1.5k-per-week earner a dreadful 6.25 average rating for his performances in the Championship, which suggests that even if Leeds do go down this season, he cannot be trusted to be an effective player in the second tier.

Rowett has sung his praises already this season however, with the midfielder lauded by his manager after filling in at right-back in the win against Sheffield United earlier this year.

He said: "Shacks was absolutely outstanding alongside Sav, who was really good as well.

“He (Shackleton) only came off with a bit of cramp because he hasn’t played much. I said to him a month ago that you’re going to get game time and don’t be too disappointed. I couldn’t quite give it him that point, for different reasons, but now he has got the opportunity and he looked a player who really wanted to take that opportunity.”

Unfortunately, he has rarely lived up that billing on too many occasions throughout his career.

Indeed, Although Bielsa was clearly a fan of Shackleton, his performances didn't really merit so many appearances in the Premier League, as he was ranked as their 14th-best performer last season with a woeful 6.45 average rating from WhoScored.

Considering he hasn't lived up to his potential at Leeds and has struggled in the second tier this season, Gracia must ensure that he leaves on a permanent deal this summer, rather than letting him languish at the club until his contract expires in 2024.

Leeds United head coach Javi Gracia will be able to call upon club captain Liam Cooper against Wolves this afternoon after he recovered from injury, Adam Pope reports.

The Lowdown: Adams out

The Whites travel to Molineux this afternoon in what could be a pivotal Premier League meeting. However, Gracia will be without star midfielder Tyler Adams for the match after the club officially confirmed in the week that the USA international suffered a hamstring injury in training and will miss the match.

Adams also won’t be available to represent his country during the international break and is being assessed by specialists to see how much of the run-in he could miss. Gracia has Marc Roca and Weston McKennie as senior midfield options, although he also will think about using teenagers Darko Gyabi and Archie Gray while Adams is out.

However, there has been some good news on the injury front regarding Cooper, who has missed five of the last six top-flight matchday squads.

The Latest: Pope’s post

Pope was present for Gracia’s pre-match press conference at Thorp Arch on Thursday, where there was a positive update on Cooper. He relayed news on Twitter that the club captain ‘has completely recovered’ with Gracia adding that the defender ‘offers a lot both on and off the pitch’.

“JG says Liam Cooper has completely recovered from his injury issue. Says he offers a lot both on and off the pitch.”

The Verdict: Selection dilemma

Gracia has gone with Robin Koch and Max Wober in all three of his Premier League meetings in charge at Elland Road, with the pair keeping a clean sheet in his first game in charge against Southampton.

But going by his comments on Cooper, the head coach will have a key decision to make this afternoon as he is clearly already a big fan of the skipper. Cooper appears to be ready to feature from the off after being named in the Scotland squad for the upcoming international break.

As per WhoScored, Cooper has been Leeds’ third-best performing centre-back behind Pascal Struijk and Wober, although Struijk has been turning out at left-back for large parts of the season but has been out with his own injury issues in recent weeks.

It’ll be interesting to see who Gracia decides to go with in defence and in midfield for this crucial fixture, where a win could take Leeds up several places in the table, providing results elsewhere go their way.

When Manchester United face Barcelona in the second leg of their huge Europa League tie in midweek, manager Erik ten Hag will face a big dilemma.

That lies in the selection of his central midfield.

Last week, he selected Casemiro next to Fred but with the Brazilian sitting out due to suspension against Leicester, it presented Marcel Sabitzer with an opportunity to impress.

He has been a bit part of the side since his deadline day loan move from Bayern Munich and his display in the 3-0 win over the Foxes perhaps summed up why.

Slack in possession of the ball and lacking in conviction with his play, it would be a surprise if he was afforded another chance, particularly after finding himself lucky not to be sent off for a rash challenge on Wout Faes. However, it must be his partner on Sunday afternoon who should be given the axe; Fred.

Should Fred play against Barcelona?

This will be a tricky one for Ten Hag but despite his improved performance of late, the Dutchman must consider dropping him when Barca come to town on Thursday.

For so long the former Shakhtar Donetsk man has been a liability in the middle of the park for the Red Devils and simply cannot be relied upon to bring consistency to the side.

In truth, the moment United can find an upgrade he should be out of the team for good.

In the meantime, he may well have to settle for a place on the bench after a weekend display that was “so sloppy” in the words of Gary Neville during Sky’s live broadcast.

Also described as “another nightmare” performance by MEN’s Samuel Luckhurst until a superb assist for Marcus Rashford’s second goal, it was a display that typified his United career.

Only Bruno Fernandes (nine) made more than Fred’s four key passes during the contest but he gave the ball away all too regularly and was fortunate not to have been punished.

One such moment saw him surrender possession in the opening exchanges only for Brendan Rodgers’ men to spurn the subsequent chance that came about.

During the 29-year-old’s 66 touches of the ball he lost possession a whopping 14 times while from a defensive point of view made only one tackle and one interception despite the barrage of attacks Leicester sustained in the first 45 minutes.

He did win 3/5 of his duels but it was yet another error-stricken performance from an experienced player who has so often been the scapegoat and the one to attract criticism.

On this evidence, it is hardly a surprise why. If only he provided more magic moments like the assist.

Tony Scott has ripped into Everton manager Sean Dyche for his comments about the January transfer window.

The Lowdown: Everton left themselves in trouble

Everton were already in a perilous position heading into the January transfer window as the club were engulfed in another relegation battle but they somehow managed to exit last month in a far worse position.

The Toffees released Salomon Rondon from his contract and sold Anthony Gordon for £40 million, however, they decided against bringing in anyone to improve or at the very least, replace those players.

Therefore Evertonians are far from pleased with the board and have staged numerous protests over the last few weeks, but Dyche failed to get involved in that and instead claimed it was a difficult window and that Everton have quality in their squad.

The Latest: Dyche drops interesting comments

Scott was left fuming with the new Everton boss on the All Together Now podcast after what he had to say in order to defend what was a shocking transfer window.

He said: (2:40) “Sean Dyche can come out with whatever he wants in the press conference Greg because to me it didn’t wash, it didn’t wash that it’s a tough market and there’s not too many strikers Premier League ready.

“This wasn’t about the last day of the window this was about the whole of January and being prepared throughout the World Cup and since August we needed a centre forward.”

The Verdict: Striker woes could cost Everton

Even from the outside looking in it was very clear that Everton needed to sign a proven striker both last summer and during the January transfer window but in both cases, the Toffees opted against doing that.

Last summer they recruited Neal Maupay – who is Premier League experienced – although he has netted double figures in one campaign so the idea of him coming in and shouldering the burden was always very unlikely.

Calvert-Lewin simply can’t be trusted to be Everton’s main source of goals going forward as he can’t keep himself fit having started just 24 league games since the beginning of last campaign, so for Dyche to defend the board by saying it was a difficult window to work in will have certainly lost him some respect and time from the Everton faithful.

Injury expert Ben Dinnery has admitted it ‘would be a big surprise’ if Leeds United midfielder Tyler Adams wasn’t pushing for a start, Football Insider report. 

The Lowdown: Accrington absence

Adams has been a regular under Jesse Marsch since joining in the summer, making 18 appearances in all competitions. The 23-year-old did miss out against Accrington Stanley last weekend, though, after he picked up an injury prior to the trip to the League One side.

The USA international has since been joined at Elland Road by close friend and fellow countryman Weston McKennie, and Dinnery is expecting a return to action for the former on Sunday.

The Latest: Dinnery’s comments

Dinnery, who contributes for Sky Sports, was talking to Football Insider regarding Adams ahead of this weekend’s trip to Nottingham Forest. He is expecting the player to be back in contention for a starting spot after a ‘minor knock’ and said it ‘would be a big surprise’ if he didn’t.

“I fully expect Tyler Adams to be back in contention for Leeds United this weekend for their trip to the City Ground.

“His absence last week can be given context.

“It was an away trip to Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup and Leeds had plenty of availability in that midfield, with some players needing minutes.

“So Jesse Marsch decided to keep Adams out of the firing line to help him recover from what turned out to be a minor knock.

“There’s nothing to suggest that it is going to be a long-term issue for the American so it would be a big surprise if he’s not pushing for a spot in the starting lineup on Sunday.”

The Verdict: Fingers crossed

Adams has been one of the club’s best-performing players this season, as per WhoScored, making more tackles and passes per game than any other Whites player, while also ranking highly in key passes per 90 and pass success percentage. Therefore, his availability could be pivotal on Sunday in what is a crucial game for both clubs towards the bottom of the table.

It will be interesting to see who Jesse Marsch goes with in midfield and in attack after an injury blow to Rodrigo, but hopefully, Adams will be back in the starting lineup alongside Marc Roca, with McKennie also possibly in line for a debut.