A claim has been made over Newcastle United’s pursuit of England under-21 international Lloyd Kelly.

What’s the talk?

Transfer insider Dean Jones has suggested that the Magpies could be in for the centre-back in the summer because of his history with Eddie Howe.

The Toon head coach signed the defender for Bournemouth from Bristol City for £13m during his time at the Vitality Stadium and has been linked with a swoop for him this year.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “Obviously, Eddie Howe knows him very well, and it’s not just that. It’s the potential that he’s got, the level he’s already playing at.”

Imagine him & Burn

PIF must land a Newcastle deal for Kelly in the summer as he would form an exciting partnership with Dan Burn at St. James’ Park.

They would complement each other well as their contrasting styles would help them work in tandem in matches as a pairing.

Whilst Burn excels in his individual duels and likes to bully attackers, he lacks the pace to cover in behind and can be exposed when he gets turned and has to chase after a ball that goes past him – as shown in recent goals for Everton and Chelsea as Alex Iwobi and Kai Havertz broke into the space behind him to score.

He has made 3.1 tackles and interceptions whilst winning 3.0 aerial duels and 4.7 battles in total per game in the Premier League this season – as per SofaScore. This shows that he is a strong one-on-one defender as he is regularly winning 50/50’s to regain possession for his side to make up for his lack of mobility.

Kelly, meanwhile, has only won 1.1 aerial battles per game in the Championship at an underwhelming success rate of 47%. The 23-year-old is not outstanding in the air, like the former Brighton man, and can leave the bulk of those particular duels to Burn.

He does, however, have the turn of pace to cover the 30-year-old and ensure that his speed is not a major issue in games. Former Cherries boss Jonathan Woodgate previously heaped praise on the central defender’s physical attributes, saying:

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“At the minute he just looks like a bit of a Rolls-Royce doesn’t he? He looked very, very good (against Bristol City).

“I was impressed to be honest with you, especially when (Antoine) Semenyo tried to run him down the line and Semenyo gave him two yards and Lloydy overtook him. It’s eye-catching when things like that happen, especially as a fellow defender. When you see things like that, it’s like ‘you’ve got a bit’.”

This suggests that he will be able to alleviate any problems caused by Burn’s mobility, or lack thereof, and that is why they would be a perfect pairing at Newcastle next season and PIF must seal a deal for Kelly in the summer.

AND in other news, NUFC plot audacious bid to sign £81m-rated “genius”, he “makes football a pleasure”…

Newcastle United’s owners showed in the previous January transfer window just how capable they are of being active in the market and spending money on bringing new players to the Tyneside club.

With the upcoming summer transfer window on the horizon, it seems as though a big twist has emerged over one potential deal that could take place for Newcastle once the current season ends.

What’s the latest?

According to a recent report from Football Insider, the Magpies are in pole position to sign defender Sven Botman from Lille for around £30m this summer even though he has apparently already agreed personal terms with AC Milan.

The Toon were linked with a move for the centre-back during the previous winter transfer window but couldn’t get a deal over the line.

Since joining the French club back in the 2020 summer transfer window from Ajax’s U21 side, the 22-year-old has made 75 appearances for Lille across all competitions, chipping in with three goals and two assists.

With an average of 4.5 clearances per game in Ligue 1 this season, more than any other Lille player, the Dutchman could be a big asset for the Toon and strengthen their back line.

Labelled as a “golden boy” by Francesco Miniero, the director of Botman’s agency in Italy, the defender would certainly be a special deal for PIF to pull off, who will surely be happy at being at the front of the line to sign the youngster.

Even though Eddie Howe’s side haven’t conceded more than one goal in any of their 12 previous games across all competitions, adding the Lille star, who is currently valued at £27m according to Transfermarkt, to their ranks would definitely make the team stronger at the back, even after they already added some depth to it in January with the arrivals of Dan Burn, Kieran Trippier and Matt Targett.

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Moving forward, if Newcastle were able to snatch Botman out of Milan’s hands and finally get their target after missing out on him in January, this would certainly please a lot of Toon fans and further increase the reputation of the club’s owners and their ruthlessness in the transfer market.

In other news: NUFC eye £49.5m-rated “phenomenon” who’s a “work of art”, he’d ignite St James’ Park…

Of recent, Manchester United are known to take an age when pondering important decisions.

Though, with Ralf Rangnick’s interim managerial contract expiring in late June, the Red Devils have a chance to act fast and appoint a manager who could oversee their summer rebuild.

What’s the word?

For those who want to see 52-year-old ten Hag takeover the United helm next season, the latest reports will be very much welcomed.

According to Fabrizio Romano, who spoke on his YouTube channel:

“He would be super happy to be the new Manchester United manager. The feeling was positive even on Erik ten Hag’s side during the meeting with Man United.

“He wanted to know budget, potential signings and how they would back him in the market. This is a key point.”

Fabrizio also addressed the logistics behind the potential deal.

“A key point, on compensation, from what I’m told on Man United’s side they don’t see a problem for compensation. They are ready to pay what is right to Ajax.

“The conversation between the club has always been good. The relationship is fantastic due to Edwin van der Sar.”

Great news for Man United

The latest reports from super-journalist Fabrizio Romano will please the alleged 87.9% of United fans who want ten Hag to take over as manager next season.

Although it is worth noting that whilst these discussions between Erik and the Old Trafford side are positive, nothing is guaranteed until the agreements have been made and the contract has been signed.

Though, the discussion of details in this depth does mean that talks are moving in the right direction, with ten Hag showing his eagerness and commitment to the cause by wanting to understand more on the intricacies around how the club is run and the type of resources that he will be equipped with.

As Romano points out here, the relationship between Manchester United and Ajax is strong.

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With their shared link with van der Sar, who is the CEO of the Amsterdam outfit, the Red Devils are in the best decision to appoint the Dutchman who worked with Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich.

The Red Devils should act as fast as possible with ten Hag, who can then begin the rebuild process at the club.

All in all, the news that compensation won’t be a problem is particularly good news for the club. They appear to be a step further towards appointing him which given his winning mentality, securing several major honours in his homeland, he’d be a wise hire.

In other news – Man Utd now plot bid to sign £31.5m dynamo, he’s ever better than Rashford – opinion

Celtic simply must seal the permanent signing of centre-back Cameron Carter-Vickers this summer, according to journalist Stephen McGowan.

The Lowdown: Carter-Vickers superb on Sunday

The Hoops picked up arguably their biggest win of the season so far on Sunday afternoon, clinching a 2-1 victory away to their bitter Glasgow arch-rivals.

It was Carter-Vickers who scored the winning goal at Ibrox and his all-round performance was sensational as he ensured that Celtic held on for victory during a tense second half.

As per Sofascore, the 24-year-old made a hugely impressive eight clearances during the game, also winning eight out of 10 duels and making three interceptions as he posted a man-of-the-match rating of 7.7.

The Latest: McGowan urges Celtic to stump up for Carter-Vickers

Taking to Twitter after the match, McGowan urged Celtic to make Carter-Vickers’ loan move permanent in the summer following the American’s tremendous display against Rangers.

The Scottish Daily Mail’s Chief Football Writer gushed: “Irrespective of whether Celtic get that Champions League money they should pay whatever it takes for Cameron Carter-Vickers.”

[web_stories_embed url=”https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/web-stories/celtic-updates-23/” title=”Celtic updates!!” poster=”” width=”360″ height=”600″ align=”none”]

The Verdict: No-brainer for Hoops

It makes complete sense for Ange Postecoglou to bring in Carter-Vickers permanently, with the 24-year-old’s performances for Celtic catching the eye throughout the season.

He has made 27 Premiership starts and won 4.3 aerial duels per game, and there are real signs that he is forging a dominant partnership with Carl Starfelt at the back. As per WhoScored, they both rank in the top five players this season currently in Postecoglou’s squad.

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Also, at 24, he is at an ideal age in terms of his peak years most likely still being ahead of him.

The eight-cap USA international’s current deal at Tottenham expires in 2023 and they may be keen to receive a fee for him while they still can this summer. That could play into Celtic’s hands if there is both a willing seller and an enthusiastic buyer.

In other news, three Celtic players shone most in the win over Rangers. Find out who they are here.

Celtic left it late against Aberdeen to seal Wilfried Nancy’s first win in charge of the club, as Kieran Tierney and James Forrest grabbed last-gasp goals.

The Hoops were drawing 1-1 with the Dons with 15 minutes to play, on course for a fifth straight game without a win, before Tierney popped up in the 88th minute to put them 2-1 up.

The moment that changed the game was created by substitute Colby Donovan, whose brilliant cross found the former Arsenal man at the back post to score.

Why Wilfried Nancy must finally unleash Colby Donovan

Nancy’s new 3-4-2-1 system has slowed down the academy graduate’s progress at Parkhead, because he has not started any of the manager’s games in charge yet.

This fresh formation means that there is no right-back position, which is where Donovan typically plays, in the side. Instead, there is a right-sided centre-back role and a right wing-back role.

Donovan should finally be unleashed as a starter by Nancy in a new role for him as a wing-back, because he has the attacking qualities to potentially be an effective player in that position.

The 19-year-old starlet has provided three assists in 12 appearances in the Scottish Premiership and Europa League combined this season, per Sofascore, including the one for Liam Scales against Sturm Graz in the clip above.

Donovan provided another reminder of the quality that he can offer at the top end of the pitch with his sublime ball into the box for Celtic’s second goal against Aberdeen, and that is why he should start in that new role against Livingston this afternoon.

If Nancy unleashes the teenage talent as a starter in that position, there could be an opportunity for another player in the squad to be sold next month.

The Celtic flop who should be sold in January

Since the new manager came through the door to play a new formation at Parkhead, Hyun-jun Yang has been playing as a wing-back for the Scottish giants.

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The South Korean attacker has started four of the manager’s five matches in all competitions, starting every game other than the League Cup final against St Mirren, but he has not offered much in the way of quality in the final third.

Since signing in 2023, the 23-year-old winger has only scored nine goals and provided ten assists in 63 appearances for Celtic in all competitions to date, per Transfermarkt, which shows that he has not offered a consistent threat in front of goal.

Journalist Graham Spiers noted that Yang is an “often-maligned” player, possibly because of his lack of goal contributions, but hailed some of the work that he did for Brendan Rodgers and Martin O’Neill.

His last two starts, against Dundee United and Aberdeen, show the best and the worst of the forward, explaining both why he may be underrated, yet also why the Hoops should cash in on him.

Hyun-jun Yang

Vs Dundee United

Vs Aberdeen

Minutes

86

69

Pass accuracy

94%

96%

Duels won

8/13

5/10

Tackles won

3/3

1/1

Shots on target

0

0

Key passes

0

1

Big chances created

0

0

Stats via Sofascore

As you can see in the table above, Yang did a lot of good work as a wing-back in those two matches, as he was reliable defensively and with his passes, but he lacked quality in and around the box, with no ‘big chances’ created or shots on target.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Celtic transfer & tactic insight Want clearer context on Celtic? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth takes on tactics, rising talents like Colby Donovan and transfer chatter. Focused analysis ties match moments to squad decisions so you know what matters next. Subscribe Subscribe to the newsletter for Celtic transfer & tactic insight Want clearer context on Celtic? Subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth takes on tactics, rising talents like Colby Donovan and transfer chatter. Focused analysis ties match moments to squad decisions so you know what matters next.

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Unfortunately, lacking quality in the final third has been the theme of the South Korean’s overall career at Parkhead, as evidenced by his aforementioned output for the club to date.

Yang has produced two goals and no assists in 19 appearances in all competitions this season, per Sofascore, which means that he has even fewer goal contributions than Donovan, who has recorded three assists.

This suggests that the Scottish full-back may carry an even greater threat at the top end of the pitch than the South Korean flop as a wing-back, which is why Nancy should make this change to the starting XI.

Related Bad news for Scales: Celtic opens talks to sign "immense" star in January

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Replacing Yang with Donovan would then allow the club to finally cash in on the winger, who would then not be a starting-calibre player, amid reported interest from Birmingham, Norwich, and Preston.

The England team after putting the Sri Lankan team into bat on a rainaffected first day of the second under-19’s Test match at Northamptonfailed to press home the advantage.Sri Lanka, one down in the series, were at one stage 79 for 3 butrallied to make 223 for 5 at the end of day thanks to a stand of 98between Thilina Kandamby (58) and Jehan Mubarak (46) in 34 overs. Theopeners Ian Daniels (38) and Nimesh Perera (27) put on 51 runs in 12overs when the latter was out to Tim Murtagh. Malintha Gajanayake wasthe next to go, dismissed by Justin Biship for 1. Then Daniels left at79. The fourth wicket stand between Kandamby and Mubarak initiated arecovery before left arm spinner Monty Panesar bowled Mubarak for 46.Finally Kandamby succumbed to Bishop.Kaushalya Weeraratne and Muthumudalige Pushpakumara played out tillthe end of the day.

	Jhulan Goswami became the second Indian woman to reach the 100-wicket landmark in ODIs © ICC

Jhulan Goswami has become the fourth woman to reach 100 wickets in one-dayers after she took 2 for 25 against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup. She is only the second Indian woman, after Neetu David, also playing the Asia Cup, to reach the landmark.No. 100 came when she had Deepika Rasangika caught off the penultimate ball of innings.Last year she won the ICC Women’s Player of the Year, beating stiff competition offered by Australia’s Lisa Stahlekar and England’s Claire Taylor.In her first three years, from 2002, Goswami took only 38 wickets. Between 2005 and 2008, she picked up 62 wickets at a phenomenal average of 19. While it took her 82 matches to reach the landmark, Cathryn Fitzpatrick and David, got to theirs in under 65 games.Before the start of the Asia Cup, Goswami said there were a lot of expectations from her to reach 100 wickets in Sri Lanka. “Back home people are watching me quite carefully because every match they expect five wickets which is not easy, she said. “I want to enjoy my game and play my best cricket. “It is great times for women’s cricket. So many things are happening at the moment and things are changing day by day which is good.”Her captain Mithali Raj was happy to have two bowlers with 100 wickets each in her side. “Now we want our other bowlers to get to this landmark as well – Amita Sharma and Rumeli Dhar,” she told Cricinfo.India and Sri Lanka have qualified for the final of the Asia Cup, scheduled for Saturday in Kurunegala.

ScorecardChris Read saw Notts home at Aigburth [file picture]•Getty Images

Nottinghamshire continued their march towards the Royal London Cup quarter-finals by beating Lancashire by four wickets in a tense clash at Liverpool, their fourth win from five Group B matches.The Outlaws restricted the Lightning to a below par 216 for 8 having invited them to bat on a testing but far from impossible batting surface.Karl Brown top-scored for the hosts with 77 off 114 balls, but Samit Patel’s 3 for 31 from five overs of left-arm spin was central to a late innings stumble.Seamer Gavin Griffiths and off-spinner Arron Lilley then shared five wickets as Notts slipped to 146 for 6 in the 35th over of their chase, including James Taylor for 56 off 77 – his third successive fifty.But their heroes were seventh-wicket pair Chris Read and Brett Hutton, who hit 47 not out and 33 not out respectively and shared 71 in 12 overs to seal the two points.Earlier, Lancashire lost five for 42 to slip from 162 for 3 in the 42nd over, with Jake Ball also taking 2 for 24 from eight.The Lightning were on course for 240 or 250 with Brown and captain Steven Croft in partnership for the fourth wicket. They shared 66 in 15 overs before departing in successive Patel overs.Patel only came into the attack to bowl the 38th over and had Brown stumped in the 42nd and Croft caught at deep square-leg in the 44th. He later had James Faulkner caught behind off a top-edge.Aside from giving Brown two lives on five and 39, Notts’ catching was impressive.Notts lost openers Riki Wessels and Alex Hales (32), as well as Brendan Taylor, inside eleven overs of their chase to 21-year-old Griffiths, leaving the score at 53 for 3.Wessels was caught at deep backward square-leg in the seventh over, Griffiths’ first, before Hales was brilliantly caught and bowled one-handed and Taylor caught at mid-off in the space of three balls in the eleventh.James Taylor and Patel (29) shared 51 inside 12 overs to steady the ship before the latter found deep mid-wicket off Stephen Parry’s left-arm spin in the 23rd over.The target became double figures in the 28th with Taylor closing in on his half-century.When Lilley had Steven Mullaney caught at leg slip in the 31st and Taylor stumped in the 35th, Notts were six down and still 71 short of their target.Read and Hutton, however, calmly saw their side home with a little over three overs to spare.Lancashire have now lost three of their first five matches in this competition and realistically need to win their last three to have any hopes of progressing through to the last eight.

ScorecardJoe Clarke stood out with his maiden Championship hundred – a shining light on a bleak day for Worcestershire•Getty Images

Worcestershire are 13 points adrift from safety with two games remaining after suffering a thumping defeat, by an innings and 63 runs, against Sussex at New Road. To make matters worse, the two counties above them, Somerset and Hampshire, have a match in hand. The upshot is that they will need to win their last two matches to have a chance of staying up – a depressing state of affairs for their director of cricket, Steve Rhodes, as he marks 10 years in charge.They are the bald facts. But even on this forlorn day, as they lost with 26 overs remaining, there was rich consolation. Joe Clarke’s maiden Championship hundred, from 174 balls with 14 fours, filled the afternoon with optimism, his achievement coming amid considerable tension with Worcestershire’s last pair at the crease.A delightful cover drive when Chris Jordan overpitched, with the last man Saeed Ajmal looking on from the other end, brought a rare purr on a day when Worcestershire returned to the bottom of the table for the first time since mid-June. Sussex, by virtue of their first Championship win in nine matches, advanced to fourth from bottom.It was a close run thing for Clarke, if not for Worcestershire. When a succession of deliveries thudding into Jack Shantry’s pads finally brought an lbw decision for Luke Wells – the fifth of the innings – Clarke was 97, the tea interval was pushed back and, with the new ball only two balls away, Ajmal walked out for his last contribution of the season for Worcestershire – perhaps his last ever – before he departs for the Hajj festival. That exit came with spread-eagled stumps against Steve Magoffin, armed with the new ball.

The relegation battle

Sussex 14 matches – 146 points
Somerset 13-133
Hampshire 13-128
Worcestershire 14-120

Rhodes’ work ethic and determination has helped to keep Worcestershire honest since his rapid elevation to the top role upon Tom Moody’s departure to coach Sri Lanka in 2005. He takes fierce pride in Worcestershire’s self-sufficiency, committing himself ceaselessly to the development of young players, of which Clarke, a 19-year-old from Shrewsbury, is set to be a fine representative. Sussex’s change bowling was limited, and the pitch remained quite sound, but he repelled two fine bowlers in Magoffin and Jordan as he played Worcestershire’s one innings of true quality in the match.Michael Vaughan watched him make 88 at Scarborough, his previous career best, and immediately tipped him as a future England batsman. England’s selectors are already excited by his potential, regarding him as one of the best young batsmen in the country. Having signed a new contract, he may need to further his education in Division Two.Worcestershire deserve that faith. This season, their overseas bowler Ajmal apart, they have at times fielded a side that has only ever played county cricket for the club. “Quite a feat I reckon,” Dave Bradley, of BBC Hereford and Worcester, has observed, and so it is.With three wickets already down overnight, and still 241 needed to make Sussex bat again, Worcestershire’s fate looked as good as sealed at the start of the final day.Three more fell by lunchtime despite showers robbing 12 overs from the morning. Slight unease began to gather for Sussex when the seventh-wicket pair resisted until mid-afternoon, but OIlie Robinson switched to offspin guise, which he first unveiled in county cricket against Warwickshire earlier this season, to bowl Ben Cox on the slog-sweep with a lavishly-flighted delivery. Seam is still very much his lead suit, but the affable manner of his offspin captures his laid-back personality. After that, it was a matter of awaiting Sussex’s victory and hoping for Clarke’s hundred. Both duly came.As debates take place about the structure of county cricket, it is not a good time for Worcestershire to be a yo-yo club. If the decision is taken to reshape the Championship into two divisions of eight and 10 in 2017 then the likelihood is that there would be only one promotion place on offer next season. A lot of ifs perhaps, but not the sort of outcome that would suit a county that has had five promotions and five relegations in the past 12 years. For Rhodes, it has literally been a decade of ups and downs.No side is too good to go down, as is habitually observed, but Sussex come closer to that assessment than most. They have been stricken by bowling injuries for much of the season, and like many counties their spin options are limited, but they have been vastly superior in this game. It helps, of course, when Jordan is fit again and giving every indication of a vigorous end to the season.But Sussex, despite this win, cannot entirely relax. They have moved up to fourth bottom, 13 points clear of Somerset, 18 ahead of Hampshire, but both these counties have a game in hand and meet next week at Taunton in another significant relegation encounter.At least one of these counties will be close enough to disturb Sussex with two matches remaining, making their final home match of the season, against Somerset the following week, another game that will have a major bearing on the relegation places.

The Pakistan selectors have retained offspinner Bilal Asif for the ODI series against Zimbabwe, in a bid to assess his credentials ahead of the England Test series. The idea is to have someone to fill the bowling hole left by Mohammad Hafeez, who has been banned for one year for an illegal bowling action.Asif was originally only part of the T20 squad visiting Zimbabwe, but did not make it to the playing XI. He was also selected for Sri Lanka ODI series but returned without making a debut. Almost 30, he has 32 wickets in 11 first-class games at 28.90 apiece.”The request to retain Bilal Asif had been made by the team management, as conveyed by the manager Mr Intikhab Alam,” chief selector Haroon Rashid said in a statement. “In a separate discussion with Misbah-ul-Haq, it was put forth by the Pakistan Test captain that since the England team contains five left-handed batsmen and because of Hafeez’s inability to bowl at international level, we were left with no offspin bowling options in the Test squad.”Pakistan have picked two other spinners for England series – legspinner Yasir Shah and left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar. The selectors named Hafeez as a specialist batsman in the squad, along with two more openers – Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood, with Azhar Ali the No. 3 batsman.”Misbah suggested that since Bilal Asif is presently the standout available option in the domestic circuit, so if we can try him in the ODI matches against Zimbabwe for assessing his offspin bowling credentials, it may help us in case we intended to add him as the 16th member in the Test squad against England,” Rashid said.”We have already picked two left-arm spin bowlers in the Pak ‘A’ team to the UAE for this purpose but if Bilal Asif is found up to the mark in Zimbabwe, then we can have him in the Test squad as an offspinner along with leggie Yasir Shah and left-arm spin of Zulfiqar Babar. The suggestion was discussed by the selectors, as well as with head coach Waqar Younis, and there was unanimity of view on the issue.”Pakistan play three ODIs in Zimbabwe, starting on October 1.