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West Ham United are set to make an opening bid for Elye Wahi in the near future, and a new report has detailed how much they may have to pay for the Montpellier striker.

Who is Elye Wahi signing for this summer?

Get French Football News have recently revealed that Wahi is one of the most sought-after players in Ligue 1 this summer, with Chelsea recently making an opening offer worth €28m (£24m), which was subsequently knocked back by Montpellier.

The Blues are yet to return with another bid for the forward, and they now risk losing out to Premier League rivals Tottenham Hotspur, who are namechecked as potential suitors, with Portuguese side Benfica also said to be interested.

West Ham have also turned their attentions to the 20-year-old, having found out that Arsenal striker Folarin Balogun would prefer to move abroad, and they have already entered talks to determine his willingness to join, ahead of making a concrete move.

Read The Latest West Ham Transfer News HERE

According to a more recent report from L'Equipe, the Hammers are now "concretely positioned" to make an approach for the Montpellier star, and they are expected to submit their opening offer soon.

The report details that Eintracht Frankfurt have already made a bid of €33m (£28m) for the youngster, which was still not enough to tempt his current club into a sale, despite being a £4m increase on Chelsea's previous bid.

The Blues have been to accelerate talks with the Frenchman, meaning West Ham could be in a good position to hijack the deal, if they are willing to stump up a sizeable transfer fee of around £30m.

How many goals has Elye Wahi scored?

Football talent scout Jacek Kulig lauded the starlet as "incredible" as a result of his performances for Montpellier last term, and that praise was very well-earned, given his fantastic record in front of goal in Ligue 1.

The Courcouronnes-born attacker scored 19 goals in 33 league games, during which time he also amassed six assists, almost doubling his goal tally from the prior season, in which he found the back of the net ten times in the French top flight.

There are still aspects of Wahi's game that need to be improved, as outlined by Montpellier manager Michel de Zakarian:

"He needs to run a lot more, always be moving and be in a position to repeat the efforts. He’s a sprinter, he goes really quickly, but sometimes he’s knackered after 45 minutes. He needs to work a bit better, that’s training every day. If he wants to play in a big club and play with great players, he needs to work hard.

"He can go very far, at a very, very good level. Scoring goals like he does, you need to put them in the back of the net. What he does is good for his age, but I think he can do even better."

However, David Moyes has parted ways with Gianluca Scamacca this summer, and bringing in a young striker with a high ceiling could be a wise move, given that both of his current options, Danny Ings and Michail Antonio, are now in the latter stages of their careers.

Guyana notched up their second win of the season after chasing down a target of 39 in 14.5 overs against Windward Islands in Gros Islets. Veerasammy Permaul’s four-for triggered a Windward slide in their second innings as they slipped from 163 for 4 to 244 all out, setting up an tiny chase for Guyana that they completed with seven wickets to spare.Windward Islands seemed on course for setting a sizeable total when Kirk Edwards was striking a half-century in a 58-run stand with Roland Cato, but then 19-year-old Sherfane Rutherford struck before Permaul dismantled the middle and lower order, and just like that Guyana needed 39 for victory.In their chase, although Guyana tottered to 30 for 3, the target was never going to cause too much concern.Rutherford, in just his third first-class game, caused Windward Islands plenty of problems in their first innings too, taking 6 for 32 to help knock them out for 151. While seven of Guyana’s batsmen did not get into double digits in their reply, the four who did made it count: Chandrapaul Hemraj made 50, Anthony Bramble fell 10 short of a maiden first-class hundred, Vishaul Singh made a seventh first-class ton, and that man Rutherford got his first first-class fifty. As a result, Guyana pushed on to 357 and put themselves well on course for victory even at that halfway stage.

Australia’s captain Steven Smith has taken the responsibility for New South Wales’ (NSW) contentious decision to drop last season’s leading Sheffield Shield run-maker Ed Cowan, stating that he wished to see more of the younger left-hander Daniel Hughes ahead of the international season.While not an official NSW selector, Smith said he had involvement in the call alongside the coach Trent Johnston, with all state coaches and talent managers aware of the wider philosophies underpinning Shield selection and the search for youthful talent capable of playing for Australia. Key to the decision was the fact that Smith himself has seen little of the 28-year-old Hughes as a batsman, due to his own international commitments.”I did have an involvement and it’s a tough selection, definitely,” Smith said when launching his new book, , in Sydney. “Ed was a fantastic player last year he played beautifully but with Davey [Warner] and I back in the team, it’s always been the way at NSW with guys coming back and unfortunately people have to miss out and on this occasion it’s Ed. We’ve opted for Daniel Hughes to play at No.6.”He’s been in terrific form in the JLT Cup, he scored 200 in grade cricket on Saturday and I think he’s a player potentially for the future, so it’s a good opportunity for him to play with the likes of myself and Davey. Learn a little bit off us and the way we prepare and a good chance for me to see him play as well.”I think I’ve only played in one game with him in the game after Hobart here the SCG last year, so good opportunity for me to see him and unfortunately on this occasion it’s Ed that misses out. But I’ve told him myself that when he comes back into the team when we all go [to play Tests], he has to continue to set the standard and do what he did so well last year, because he did have a very good year.”Smith made it clear that he felt Hughes was a player of international potential, which factored into the decision. “I think he does [look like an international player], yeah. He’s 28 years old,” Smith said. “He’s coming to his prime in terms of age and batsmen. He looks like he has a very good technique. He plays the new ball well as we’ve seen in one-day cricket and it’ll be interesting to see how he goes against some good pink-ball bowlers in Adelaide, in [Chadd] Sayers, [Daniel] Worrall and Kane Richardson. Good opportunity for him.”Whether I’m playing or playing a Test match and watching scores, I’m always looking at what guys are doing in state cricket. Always trying to find the next best players to come in and play in the Australian team. I certainly have my eye out.”Looking ahead to the shape of the Test team to face England in the Ashes next month, Smith said he was looking for big runs from players capable of filling the uncertain No. 6 berth in the batting order, whether an allrounder or not. As an on-field captain, Smith will be hopeful the emerging player can also bowl serviceable seam overs, but made it clear that runs were the priority.”I think first and foremost we need our best six batters playing. It’s going to be important to get some runs out of that position. It’d be good if they could bowl but in the end it’s down to having the best six batters,” he said. “Preferably [a seamer], but we’ll wait and see. We’ve got these two Shield games until it’s picked and a third game for some guys to put their name up there. Hopefully we see some big scores.”It’s a great little preparation for the international guys, three shield games before the first Test hasn’t happened for a long time. But also a good opportunity for a few guys to stand up, knowing there might be a few positions up for grabs, it puts a little bit of pressure on and we like seeing guys perform under pressure, so hopefully a few guys step up and really ‘bash the lights out’.”A source of great excitement for Smith arrived on the weekend, when he faced Mitchell Starc in the nets at Sydney Church of England Grammar School on the North Shore. “I faced Mitchell at Shore School on Saturday and he was swinging the ball, which is fantastic,” Smith said. “Left-armers that bowl at good pace and swing the ball are a great weapon, so let’s hope he can keep doing that.”With the pink ball it certainly was. The white ball probably only swings for two overs, maybe three at the start of a game, so it’s hard to get a real gauge on that. But the red ball and the pink ball usually swing for a little bit longer. It’s a big weapon to have if he’s swinging them back into the right-handers.”

Chelsea are set to 'continue' their interest in Lyon playmaker Rayan Cherki this summer alongside chasing a deal for Crystal Palace winger Michael Olise, according to transfer insider Dean Jones.

Is Rayan Cherki moving to Chelsea?

According to FootballTransfers, Cherki has held talks with both Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur as he assesses his options this summer amid interest from the Premier League.

The outlet detail that Lyon are in financial difficulty and have been placed under the microscope by French football authorities due to their wage expenditure and transfer activity and it is believed that Chelsea could submit a bid worth €40 million (£34.2 million) for the 19-year-old.

Calciomercato via JuveFC claim that Juventus could also emerge as a suitor for Cherki if Federico Chiesa is to leave the Allianz Stadium this window.

Last term, Cherki, who is "two footed", made 39 appearances for Lyon in all competitions, going on to notch five goals and six assists in total, as per Transfermarkt.

As per ESPN, Cherki is keen to join Chelsea this summer and the Blues are preparing an 'opening offer' for the Lyon-born midfielder as a potential replacement for USA international Christian Pulisic, who has recently moved to AC Milan.

RMC Sport understand that Chelsea have made a proposal to Crystal Palace to try and land winger Olise worth in the region of £39 million.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, transfer insider Jones think that Chelsea will pursue both players as the transfer window progresses; however, he isn't convinced that both will arrive simultaneously at Stamford Bridge.

Jones stated: “I’m expecting the interest in Rayan Cherki to continue as well through to next week and it’s unlikely both of these players are signed this summer.

“So with that in mind I am interested to see the actual value of these deals come to light and the terms of those potential deals too.

“One thing I do know about Olise is that his ambition in the game would definitely mean he is interested in a move like this, but of course he is also being linked with other big clubs and for him this is a fantastic moment.”

Who else could Mauricio Pochettino bring to Chelsea this summer?

More high-profile arrivals could be on the way to Stamford Bridge this summer following the additions of Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Diego Moreira and Angelo, as per Transfermarkt.

According to Football Insider, Ajax midfielder Mohammed Kudus is keen to join Chelsea and the Blues are close to finding an agreement over personal terms with the Ghana international.

Writing in his column for CaughtOffside, transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Chelsea have initiated contact with Crystal Palace to speak about Marc Guehi, who is being eyed as an alternative to injured defender Wesley Fofana.

Chelsea are closing in on a deal to sign Montpellier striker Elye Wahi amid competition from Inter Milan to sign the 20-year-old, who will then be loaned to their satellite club Strasbourg to continue his development in 2023/24, as per The Daily Mail.

In the coming weeks, Chelsea boss Pochettino will be looking to put the finishing touches to an encouraging off-season in terms of recruitment before the new Premier League campaign commences.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Craig Ervine hit five fours and two sixes in his 86-ball 77•AFP

Solomon Mire and Craig Ervine struck half-centuries as Zimbabwe clinched the three-match series by chasing down a revised target of 229 with six balls to spare and six wickets in hand. Victory was sealed when Sean Williams, who struck an unbeaten 19-ball 29, hit Paul van Meekeren for successive boundaries in the 36th over.The Netherlands, who were bowled out for 142 in the series opener, gave a better account of themselves after electing to bat by posting 291. Wesley Barresi (67) and Stephan Myburgh (77) put together a 143-run opening stand in 23 overs to lay a strong platform before Zimbabwe’s spinners slowed things down and picked up all the six wickets to fall – Sikandar Raza was the most-successful with figure of 3 for 40 with his offspin.In reply, Zimbabwe were cautious after the loss of Hamilton Masakadza in the sixth over, but Mire and Ervine helped drive the chase. At one stage, Zimbabwe were handily placed at 101 for 1 when play was stopped because of rain in the 20th over. They added 59 in the eight overs eight overs that followed the interval to lead the cruise before Williams saw them home.The third and final one-dayer will be played at The Hague on Saturday.

Manchester United target Andre Onana is "open" to a move to Old Trafford this summer, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Is Onana joining Man United?

With Erik ten Hag's side having finally agreed a deal with Chelsea for Mason Mount, attention has turned to replacing the departing David de Gea, who is edging towards leaving the club following the expiration of his contract.

The man they have seemingly turned to is Inter's Onana, who is in contact with United over a move to the Premier League.

Despite no fee having been agreed with the Italian side as of yet, it is believed that Inter will demand a fee of around £50m for their 27-year-old shot-stopper. United will be hoping to get that figure down, or at least spread the payment over a long period of time.

According to Fabrizio Romano, Onana is keen on a move to the Premier League and is open to joining the Red Devils on a permanent basis.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, the Italian said: "Something I mentioned yesterday night and in the past few days about Andre Onana is that Manchester United interest is there. I can say that also in the recent hours, today Man United had one more contact with Andre Onana's camp."

He added: "They [Inter] want around €50/55m for Onana, not less than this. But, for sure Man United interest is there. They're very well informed on the conditions, on player and club side, and the player would be open to Premier League experience."

The fact that Onana is open to a Manchester United will only strengthen the club's position when bargaining for the Cameroon international, although it appears that United are yet to approach Inter directly to speak about the transfer.

Chelsea were also interested in Onana, with the Blues eager to replace Edouard Mendy, but United have jumped ahead of them in the queue.

Is Onana an upgrade on De Gea?

When comparing Onana with his potential predecessor De Gea, both in their domestic leagues only, the two goalkeepers are not too dissimilar in standard.

Onana conceded 0.13 fewer goals per 90 and boasted a 2.4% higher save percentage than his counterpart, while De Gea enjoyed a significantly better clean sheet percentage (44.7 to 33.3).

However, there is a difference when it comes to distribution. Despite playing 14 fewer games than De Gea, Onana managed only 29 fewer passes, boasting a 10.1% better pass accuracy, but the main difference came with long passes as both goalkeepers had the exact same short and medium pass completion percentage.

It's clear that Onana is more comfortable with the ball at his feet and is utilised in a distributor role far more often than De Gea, which is the main reason Ten Hag is looking to move for the 27-year-old.

For Ten Hag, however, it looks like a trade worth making to help him implement his style of football at Old Trafford.

Arsenal have entered pole position to sign Southampton starlet Romeo Lavia at the expense of Chelsea and Liverpool, according to reports.

Who are Arsenal signing this summer?

It's been a window to remember for Gooners so far, with their side already completing a deal for Germany international winger Kai Havertz from Chelsea for £65 million.

The forward will bolster Arsenal's ranks and provide a different dimension in the attacking areas, with manager Mikel Arteta raving over Havertz's versatility and quality.

“Kai is a player of top quality," said Arteta.

"He has great versatility and is an intelligent player. He will bring a huge amount of extra strength to our midfield and variety to our play.

“We welcome Kai and his family to Arsenal Football Club and we are all excited to start working with him when we start pre-season training soon.”

Meanwhile, Arsenal are also believed to be closing in on Ajax defender Jurrien Timber, coming as they finally agree a fee and payment structure for the signing of West Ham star Declan Rice.

The England international is set to join Arteta's side, with renowned transfer journalist Fabrizio Romano giving his famous "here we go".

Lavia, who has been repeatedly linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium, could be next to follow the aforementioned trio.

According to a report by Football Transfers, the 19-year-old would prefer to join Arsenal over both Chelsea and Liverpool.

What's more, Arsenal have got a headstart on their rivals, having been in talks with Lavia's entourage since April. Those discussions have gone very well – gifting them an "edge" in the race to sign him.

They're also able to pay better wages than the likes of Man City, Man Utd, Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea this summer, again reinforcing Arsenal's position.

However, agreeing a fee with Southampton may be tricky, as it is believed the Saints want as much as £50 million for the Belgium international.

What's been said about Romeo Lavia?

The teenage sensation has been exceptional since his move from Man City to Southampton last summer, with members of the media describing him as a "shining star" on the south coast.

Former Man United star Paul Scholes is another big admirer, having endorsed Lavia's passing range and physicality in the centre of midfield last year.

"I was surprised when City let him go I think he is good enough potentially, he is only 18-years-old maybe hold him back a bit," explained Scholes.

"He has got a pass in his locker and he is big and strong and likes to defend. He does not want to get forward too much and sits in-front of the back four and sets the play in motion from there.

Scholes' former Old Trafford teammate, Rio Ferdinand, echoed those thoughts also.

"‘He is a young player who can do both sides of the game," said the ex-England defender.

"Equally good defensively but also once he is one the ball he has tremendous feet and can pass it."

The ECB has expanded its group of Cricket Liaison Officers (CLOs) for 2017, with a plan to have one present at every match

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Feb-2017

The ECB has expanded its group of Cricket Liaison Officers (CLOs) for 2017, with a plan to have one present at every match. Andy Smith, the former Surrey allrounder, has been appointed to the new role of Cricket Operations Manager to oversee the CLOs.Five new CLOs, all with extensive experience of the county game, have been recruited: Tim Boon, Dean Cosker, Richard Ellison, Wayne Noon and Lloyd Tennant. They join the four appointed in 2015 – Graham Cowdrey, Stuart Cummings, Tony Pigott and Phil Whitticase – plus former international umpire Steve Davis, who joined the panel last year.”I’m delighted to be back in cricket at the ECB, in an interesting and challenging new role,” Smith said. “The Cricket Liaison Officers were introduced to county cricket in 2015 with the twin aims of supporting groundsmen and umpires, with the capacity to attend all four days of a Championship match, unlike Pitch Liaison Officers in the past.”After encouraging feedback following the introduction of this role two years ago, the CLO will now have more decision-making responsibility in the areas of discipline and the rating of pitches. It’s a positive step forward to support the county game and will enable us to provide coverage across all matches for the first time.”The ECB has also added former Derbyshire and Sussex batsman Mark Newell and James Middlebrook, who played for Yorkshire, Essex and Northamptonshire, to its reserve list of first-class umpires for 2017.

أكد إبراهيم حسن مدير منتخب مصر الأول لكرة القدم، أنه تم اختيار 7 لاعبين محترفين لمعسكر شهر مارس و الذي يتخلله بطولة ودية مع منتخبات نيوزيلندا وكرواتيا وتونس والمقرر إقامتها بالإمارات.

ومن المقرر أن يلتقي منتخب مصر مع نيوزيلندا يوم 22 مارس المقبل، وإذا حقق الفوز سيواجه الفائز من مباراة تونس مع كرواتيا، وذلك على هامش بطولة الإمارات الودية.

وقال إبراهيم حسن في تصريحات للمركز الإعلامي: “الجهاز الفني يتمنى كل التوفيق والسلامة للاعبين المحترفين السبعة الذين وقع الاختيار عليهم لمعسكر مارس”.

طالع أيضاً.. حسام حسن يعلن قائمة المحترفين لمعسكر منتخب مصر المقبل.. موقف محمد صلاح

وأضاف: “الجهاز حريص كل الحرص في المقام الأول على سلامة اللاعبين، وفي حالة إصابة أي لاعب سيتم حسم أمره من قبل الجهاز الفني والطبي للمنتخب خلال تواجده داخل المعسكر وبالتنسيق مع ناديه بكل شفافية”.

وأوضح: “تواصلت تليفونيا مع جميع اللاعبين المحترفين المختارين للمعسكر، خلال الساعات الماضية للاطمئنان عليهم وأتمنى لهم التوفيق، إلى جانب الترتيب للمواعيد الخاصة بانضمامهم لمعسكر المنتخب”.

وأتم: “سعيد بالروح العالية التي وجدتها في اللاعبين من خلال التواصل معهم والتأكيد عليهم ببذل قصارى جهدهم لرفع اسم بلدهم عالياً خلال المرحلة المقبلة، وتحقيق آمال وطموحات الشعب المصري”.

Zafar Ansari has joined Stuart Broad as an injury doubt ahead of the third Test after both players missed training in Mohali on Thursday.While the England management have yet to confirm anything, it seems Broad has almost no chance of playing. He sustained a foot injury on the opening day of the Visakhapatnam Test and has been hobbling around in a moon boot in recent days.Ansari’s situation is less clear. He has recovered from the illness that troubled him in Vizag, but is still struggling with a sore back. He will have to prove his fitness in training on Friday if he is to have any chance of playing in the Test that starts on Saturday. Fellow spinner Gareth Batty is therefore likely to come back into the side if Ansari is ruled out.Any thoughts that England may have had of playing an extra seamer were surely scotched by a first look at the Test pitch in Mohali. Dry, cracked and shaved, there is nothing in it to suggest a fourth seamer would be a lot of use.That is not ideal, though. Batty, like Moeen Ali, is an offspinner and, against an India line-up packed with right-handers, the left-arm option that Ansari provided could be missed.There is another option. England could pick an extra batsman, allowing them to retain Ben Duckett – they are keen not to dent his confidence – and find a place for Jos Buttler. Moeen Ali would probably be moved back down to No. 8, with Chris Woakes at nine and Adil Rashid at ten, but it is England’s batting that has let them down and, in the cooler climate of Mohali – think of a pleasant day in England in May – there is less need for a sixth bowler to share the workload.It is unlikely they will adopt such an approach. Alastair Cook likes the balance of an attack that contains three seamers and three spinners and, with a couple of those spinners a little more inconsistent than he would like, the insurance policy of the extra bowler is understandable. It is more likely that Moeen – ultimate utility player that he is – will be asked to fill yet another hole and bat at No. 4.You wonder if Moeen’s low maintenance demeanour and innate modesty sometimes count against him; it is hard to think of a player who has been shunted up and down the order as often. If he bats at No. 4 in Mohali, No. 3 will be the only position in the top nine he has not filled.One man who looks certain to play in Mohali is Woakes. England missed him in Vizag, most notably with the bat, but also with the ball. As well as developing great accuracy – he hardly bowled a poor delivery in Rajkot – he has also developed into England’s quickest bowler with a bouncer than can trouble the best of them; just ask Cheteshwar Pujara. In his absence, it was mainly left to Ben Stokes to test the India batsmen with the short ball.Chris Woakes bowled impressively at Rajkot before being rested for the second Test•AFP

Woakes is about as far from the archetypal image of a raging, snorting fast bowler as you could meet. He modestly admits that his late development of pace has rendered him the fastest bowler in the team for “the first time since I was 12” and said the first thing he thinks when he hits a batsman is wanting to make sure he’s okay. While he claims he was disappointed to be rotated out of the team for the second Test, it is hard to imagine him unleashing much more than a quiet “tut” of disapproval at the decision. Besides, he says he feels fresher for the break.He was asked – inevitably – about England’s method of shining the ball. And, equally inevitably, he steered a diplomatic course between expressing some sympathy for Faf du Plessis and some understanding of the margins that exist between sucking on a sweet to generate saliva and directly applying the sweet to the ball. A future in diplomacy awaits.”If you’re placing a sweet on the ball that is obviously against the rules,” Woakes said. “But everything else seems to be a little bit of a grey area. We won’t be changing anything we do when we go out there this week. There’s always cameras on you, there always have been, so there’s nothing we need to change.”Hashim Amla said he had chewing gum in his mouth pretty much all day. Is that deemed as wrong and as cheating? I think it needs to be clarified exactly what the problem is.”At drinks breaks, guys have sweets or mints just to freshen up and keep the energy going, but nothing from a sweet is allowed to go on a ball so therefore we don’t do that. It’s just a sugar boost really. Gatorade has sugar in it as well. We take those drinks on board and then lick our [finger] and put that on the ball. Is that classed as a sugary substance going on the ball? I don’t know.”Of more concern to England is how to bowl to Virat Kohli. While Pujara has scored heavily in the first two Tests as well, it is Kohli who is keeping England awake at night. He looks magnificent and, in the second innings at Rajkot and Vizag, a class above anyone else from either side. In the past, England have been able to deal with him with lateral movement and good control. But there is little movement here and Kohli looks an improved player. These are still three Tests to play, but he could well prove to be the difference between the sides in this series.”His first 30 balls will be crucial,” Woakes said. “Because once he gets in, it’s hard to get him out. But I feel like the teams are fairly evenly matched. I know they are in their own conditions and they are good in their own conditions but I don’t think they’re out of reach.”