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Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s captain, hailed his players for defying expectations after their seven-wicket victory over India

Alan Gardner at The Oval08-Jun-2017Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka’s captain, hailed his players for defying expectations after their seven-wicket victory over India at The Oval kept alive their hopes of a Champions Trophy semi-final. He dedicated the performance to Sri Lanka’s supporters, who made their presence increasingly felt as the game went on, as well as the victims of last week’s flooding in the country.India had looked in control after posting 321 for 6 but Sri Lanka, led by dashing half-centuries from replacement opener Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis, overhauled the highest successful Champions Trophy chase to set up a virtual quarter-final against Pakistan on Monday.”It was a very important game for us,” he said. “You know, no one really expected us to win. That took a lot of pressure off ourselves, and we just went out there, expressed ourselves and you can see what we can do when we play with a lot of freedom.”That’s our trademark, papare,” he said of the band playing enthusiastically in the stands for much of the game. “They come wherever we play. The Sri Lankan people like to have fun. It was very pleasing for us to give them a win because we had some terrible times in the recent past, especially with losing a lot of lives for floods, and we are very grateful that we could give them a smile.”It was like playing a World Cup Final. It was so noisy and a great atmosphere. We all know that all the Indians travel, and they’re right behind their team. I must thank all the Sri Lankan supporters that came out here. Even though it was little numbers, it was fantastic support for us. We really thank all of them.”Angelo Mathews swivels into a pull•Getty ImagesMathews had sat out Sri Lanka’s opening fixture – a heavy defeat against South Africa – due to a calf injury but contributed an unbeaten half-century on his return to help his team over the line. When asked about criticism aimed at himself and the coach, Graham Ford, for recent performances, he said he had been glad to be able to front up.”It’s always the coach and the captain. Today, once again, Kusal Perera’s call [to retire hurt] was also crucial. As a captain, I had to send him in, and it would have been a few bullets fired at me if it hadn’t gone too well. But that’s what we are there for, to take crucial decisions at crucial times, and it doesn’t matter if it fails. But, yeah, there is a lot of responsibility on the coach and the captain. So we do our very best out there, and we get the boys to do their very best, and we get the boys to try really hard, that’s what we look for.”Mendis was named Man of the Match for his innings of 89 off 93 and Mathews said that he and the team had benefited from speaking to Sri Lanka’s previous No. 3 before the match. “He [Mendis] met Kumar Sangakkara to get a few batting tips, and he’s the king, and we all look up to him. We all get advice from him, all the batters. He taught us a lot of good things on how to play on these tracks. Yesterday the guys met him and took a lot of advice and went out there and implemented it.”Sri Lanka’s victory left all four teams in Group B on two points after two games. Pakistan pulled off a surprise of their own when beating South Africa at Edgbaston on Wednesday and Mathews warned about taking preconceptions into the final round of matches.”It doesn’t matter if the opposition respects us. We are out to do a job, and we don’t really think about what the opposition think,” he said. “I mean, no one really expected us to win today as well, but we knew underneath that we had the talent and we had another opportunity to beat a fantastic team, which we did.”We don’t want to think too far ahead. We just want to take one game at a time. Now it’s done, and we look forward to the next game. It will be the same plans, go out there, no expectations. Go out there, play with a lot of freedom. You know, if we play good cricket, I’m certain that we can beat any team.”

Arsenal are keen on bringing in Gremio midfielder Bitello and sporting director Edu is said to know the 23-year-old 'very well' and has scouted him on several occasions, according to journalist Paul Brown.

Who is Bitello and are Arsenal keen on signing him?

According to 90min, Arsenal are believed to have 'opened talks' with Gremio over a possible move for Bitello that would cost the north London giants in the region of £8.5 million.

Gunners scouts have been over to Brazil to watch him in action and Edu has used his contacts within the game to position Arsenal to do a deal, with an internal belief at the club that he is a player that is currently 'under the radar' but could go on to have a significant influence in the Premier League.

Last term, the Formosa do Oeste-born ace went on to register seven goals and four assists in 34 appearances across all competitions for Gremio, as per Transfermarkt.

In conversation with Brazilian TV show Rede Sul quoted via The Evening Standard, Gremio president Alberto Guerra has indicated that despite interest being widespread in Bitello, no club has submitted a formal bid for the player, as he explained: “There are a lot of people watching Bitello, but there is no proposal, even to reassure our fans, at the moment.”

Foot Mercato have detailed that AS Monaco will provide competition to Arsenal as they look to sign Bitello, who is uncapped at international level, this summer.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Brown thinks that Arsenal sporting director Edu may rely on his connections in his homeland as the Gunners turn their focus towards bringing in Bitello.

Brown stated: "Arsenal are trying to sign another midfielder. At the moment, the favourite is Bitello from Brazil.

"Edu knows him very well and has watched him a few times already. I think he's 23 years old and is expected to have a very bright future and wouldn't cost the earth.

"I don't believe Arsenal have actually made a firm bid to sign him yet, but I think that's the next player that they might be trying to target."

What other business are Arsenal keen to conduct this summer?

According to The Athletic, Arsenal were said to have contacted Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Moises Caicedo's entourage while their negotiations to land Declan Rice took place amid nervousness that his deal wouldn't be completed.

Nevertheless, it remains to be seen if Arsenal will reignite their interest in the Ecuador international, with any move for another midfielder potentially contingent on Thomas Partey leaving the Emirates Stadium, as per Football London.

Arsenal are also believed to be 'preparing' a move for Southampton youngster Romeo Lavia and will fight with Premier League rivals Liverpool to try and secure the signature of the Belgium international, as per Football Insider.

Mikel Arteta has hinted that Arsenal aren't done yet in the transfer market in an interview with Sky Sports via 90min, stating: "We’ll have to see and how things develop in the next couple of weeks. We’ll be alert. There’s still time to do things and there’s still time for exits obviously. I’m sure things will move."

In the next few weeks, we will get a better idea of who else could enter the fold at the Gunners as the start of the 2023/24 campaign draws closer.

Leeds United forward Wilfried Gnonto is accumulating interest in his services from clubs across Italy alongside Premier League outfit Aston Villa, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Which clubs are keen on signing Wilfried Gnonto this summer?

According to journalist Alessio Lento, Gnonto is being sought after by Unai Emery's Aston Villa alongside Everton, as he stated on Twitter: "Future in Premier League for the National of Mancini, Wilfried Gnonto : Everton insists, but Aston Villa of Emery has no intention of letting go. It's a hot hour."

Calciomercato claim that a move for Gnonto is being explored by Serie A sides including Inter Milan, AC Milan and Fiorentina, though his reported £17.1 million price tag is deemed as excessive by keen parties.

Leeds United will either need to lower the price for Gnonto or explore the possibility of letting him go out on a loan deal, which is a policy they have operated when sanctioning the exits of Brenden Aaronson and Robin Koch.

Sport Italia via The Sun previously indicated that Gnonto was 'very close' to joining Everton in a transfer worth in the region of £19 million and detailed that Manchester United and Arsenal had also expressed attraction towards his abilities, though no such finalisation of any agreement has taken place.

FootballTransfers have put forward information to suggest that Gnonto features on a three-man shortlist at Goodison Park beside free agent Moussa Dembele and Leicester City veteran Jamie Vardy as Sean Dyche looks to strengthen his options in the final third.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Jones has signalled that Aston Villa and Serie A clubs are indeed open to adding Gnonto to their ranks.

Jones said: "I know that things fell apart in the end, but it would be a shame for the Premier League to lose him completely. There are teams in Italy that are keeping a little bit of a closer eye on the Gnonto situation right now, but Villa are having a strong push in this transfer window and a player like that would be really exciting."

Will Leeds United be able to keep hold of Wilfried Gnonto?

Stranger things have happened; however, it is hard to imagine that a fully fledged Italy international at Gnonto's age would be willing to drop down to the Sky Bet Championship to continue his career development.

Last term, Gnonto made a decent impact in his debut campaign at Elland Road, registering four goals and four assists in 28 appearances in all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

The £20k-a-week ace has also excelled in comparison to his positional peers across Europe's top five leagues regarding progressive carries, completing 4.39 per 90 minutes across the last 365 days, putting him in the top 20% for this metric, as per FBRef.

Cited by The Daily Mail, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville gave Gnonto some high praise in the aftermath of his performance in Leeds United's 2-1 loss to Aston Villa back in January, stating: "Sometimes you see potential and talent but watching him so closely, his understanding of where to be, his choice of pass, when to run with it, his awareness of teammates, really good honestly."

Gnonto has a bright future ahead of him and it looks like Leeds United will have a thankless task on their hands to try and keep him at Elland Road.

The final game of the league stage will have no bearing on how the playoffs pan out, but neither team would want to bow out with a defeat

The Preview by Sreshth Shah13-May-2017Match factsDelhi Daredevils v Royal Challengers Bangalore
Dehi, May 14, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)Head to headOverall: Royal Challengers have an emphatic 12-6 record over Daredevils.This season: One of Royal Challengers’ two wins this season was against Daredevils at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Kedar Jadhav’s sublime 69 helped the hosts post 157, which, despite Rishabh Pant’s 36-ball 57, was 15 runs too much for Daredevils.Form guide

Delhi Daredevils (sixth): defeated Rising Pune Supergiant by seven runs, defeated Gujarat Lions by two wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by 146 runs
Royal Challengers Bangalore (eighth): lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by six wickets, lost to Kings XI Punjab by 19 runs, lost to Mumbai Indians by five wickets

In the newsAB de Villiers left for national duty after Royal Challengers’ match against Knight Riders last Sunday, and it remains to be seen if Shane Watson, who confessed this season was his poorest at the IPL ever, returns to the XI.Daredevils included only three overseas players in the side that beat Rising Pune Supergiant, with Shahbaz Nadeem replacing Carlos Brathwaite. Considering Nadeem’s tight bowling against them – he took 1 for 21 – at Feroz Shah Kotla on Friday, chances of an unchanged XI for Daredevils are high. Australian fast bowler Ben Hilfenhaus is yet to play a game this season.The likely XIsDelhi Daredevils: 1 Sanju Samson, 2 Karun Nair, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Pat Cummins, 8 Amit Mishra, 9 Zaheer Khan (capt), 10 Shahbaz Nadeem, 11 Mohammed ShamiRoyal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Mandeep Singh, 3 Virat Kohli (capt), 4 Shane Watson, 5 Travis Head, 6 Kedar Jadhav (wk), 7 Pawan Negi, 8 S Aravind, 9 Samuel Badree, 10 Aniket Choudhary, 11 Yuzvendra ChahalStats that matter Royal Challengers are the only team this season to score at a run rate of less than 8.00. Their average partnership of 18.50 runs per wicket is also the poorest among all teams. The second-worst batting average, 23.77, belongs to Daredevils. Royal Challengers and Daredevils have been the two least successful teams in the Powerplay this season, having scored at a run rate of 6.90 and 8.23 respectively at the expense of 25 and 24 wickets in that phase. Royal Challengers have also been the slowest in the slog overs – they have scored at a run rate of 8.44 and lost 33 wickets, the joint-most by any team. Daredevils’ inconsistency this season reflects in their being the only team to score more than 195 runs three times while being bowled out under 70 on two occasions. Daredevils have been particularly poor – with both bat and ball – between overs six and 15. They have lost 37 wickets, the second-most by any team, and have played out the most number of dot balls – 268 out of 694 deliveries – in the middle overs. During that period, their bowlers have taken only 24 wickets – only one more than bottom-placed Gujarat Lions. Only seven half-centuries have been scored by the top four batsmen in either side, at an average of less than 25 – the lowest among all teams. No other team’s top four averages less than 29. Royal Challengers’ batsmen have been dismissed 53 times for single-digit scores – 15 more than Daredevils. In comparison, Sunrisers Hyderabad have had the least number of such dismissals: only 19 single-digit scores this season.

Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club were busy on the first two days of player trading in the Dhaka Premier League, signing up Abdur Razzak, Elias Sunny and Nurul Hasan

Mohammad Isam17-Mar-2017On the first day of the players’ transfer of the Dhaka Premier League, Bangladesh’s limited-overs captain Mashrafe Mortaza moved to Legends of Rupganj from Kalabagan Krira Chakra. The transfer window of two days allows the Dhaka clubs to officially get into contracts with the players for the forthcoming Dhaka Premier League.Mashrafe is Rupganj’s first national pool player (contracted by the BCB) for this season, who, like all the other clubs, are allowed to have three pool players. Mashrafe, who will leave Dhaka on Saturday to lead Bangladesh in the ODIs and T20s in Sri Lanka, said that the transfers were welcomed by the players.In the previous season, the BCB had decided to hold a players’ draft instead of a transfer, a replica of what they did two seasons prior too. The draft curbed the players from their choice of clubs and let the clubs choose who they wanted.”I am excited that the players transfer has returned to the traditional system because it gives the players the freedom to choose their team. It’s a good occasion to celebrate,” Mashrafe said.Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club remained busy on the opening day signing Abdur Razzak, Elias Sunny, Tanbir Hayder and Nurul Hasan.Defending champions Abahani Limited signed up Shuvagata Hom, and the latest entrant into Bangladesh’s ODI squad, Sunzamul Islam.Among the 87 players who made their moves on the first day of the transfer window was Mohammad Ashraful, the former Bangladesh captain who returned from his three-year suspension last year. He signed up for Kalabagan Krira Chakra.

Manchester United have had an opening offer of €35m (£31m) for Atalanta striker Rasmus Hojlund rejected immediately, according to reports from Italy.

Which striker are Man United signing?

Man United are still keen on signing a new striker this summer, but they have recently been hit with a double blow, as journalist Alex Crook has recently reported they are set to miss out on both Harry Kane and Victor Osimhen.

Having seemingly missed out on two of their main targets, it has now been reported United could make a move for a low-cost alternative in FC Porto's Mehdi Taremi, who is said to be appreciated by manager Erik ten Hag.

And after opening concrete talks over a deal for Hojlund earlier this month, the Red Devils have now submitted their opening offer for the Atalanta forward, though they did not receive the response they were hoping for.

That is according to a report from Corriere dello Sport (via Man Utd News), which details that Man United have failed to convince Atalanta to sell their striker, after making their first bid, which amounts to €35m (£31m).

The Italian club are said to be holding out for a fee of €45m (£39m) plus €12m (£10m) in bonuses, so the two parties are quite far apart for the time being.

United may face competition in their pursuit of the Denmark international, as Juventus also have him on their radar.

How many goals has Rasmus Hojlund scored?

The 20-year-old burst onto the scene last season, scoring six goals in eight games for Sturm Graz, before completing a €17m (£15m) move to Atalanta in August, where he continued his fine form in front of goal, netting ten times in 34 appearances.

Not only has he impressed at club level, but the Dane has enjoyed a fantastic start to his international career, already scoring six goals for his country – including a hat-trick in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Finland back in March.

Hailed as an "absolute monster in the making" by football scout Jacek Kulig, the starlet is showing all the signs that he is capable of going right to the very top. However, he should perhaps not be Man United's main striker target this summer.

In order to try and bridge the gap to Manchester City, United need to sign a striker who is already proven at the top level over a number of years and Hojlund is still at the very early stages of his career, so it would be a gamble to put all their eggs in this particular basket.

Ten days after announcing that it was his decision to drop Mahmudullah for the Colombo Test, BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said he was behind the decision to pick Mehedi Hasan for the ODIs against Sri Lanka

Mohammad Isam26-Mar-2017Ten days after announcing that it was his decision to drop Mahmudullah for the Colombo Test, BCB president Nazmul Hassan has said he was behind the decision to pick Mehedi Hasan for the ODIs against Sri Lanka.Mehedi had returned to Dhaka from Colombo on March 20 with the other Test players who were not part of the ODI squad that was announced the previous week. But three days later he was added to the ODI side, for the first time in his career.Hassan said that he first called chief selector Minhajul Abedin, telling him to include Mehedi in the ODI squad, before calling the player himself to ask him to make plans to return to Sri Lanka. He said Mehedi’s inclusion in the playing XI for the first ODI was only decided on only after the team arrived at the Dambulla ground; there was discussion around whether left-arm spinner Sunzamul Islam could be added to the XI instead.”I called up [Minhajul Abedin] Nannu to send over [Mehedi Hasan] Miraz,” Hassan said. “I found out he is in Khulna, and told him that he must get back to Sri Lanka. Basically we wanted to keep him as an option because they have a number of quality left-hand batsmen. Miraz had been bowling well in the Tests and this is a very important series for us. But when I sat with the team that morning [of the ODI], it still wasn’t decided if Miraz or Sunzamul [Islam] would be playing. It was finalised after coming to the ground.”Mehedi opened the bowling in the chase of 325 in Dambulla, sending down all ten over for figures of 2 for 43.Last week when Hassan had spoken about his role in the Mahmudullah exclusion, he said that he takes “all the decisions”. He has been vocal about selection decisions since the Afghanistan ODI series last September, and during the Bangladesh Premier League too. Incidentally, in June 2016 Hassan had said that the revamped selection committee would cut down his role in selection decisions.

Leeds United journalist Conor McGilligan says he is "exceptionally worried" about the club's future should manager Regis Le Bris be appointed ahead of Daniel Farke.

What's the latest on Leeds' manager hunt?

As Leeds await the green light on their change of ownership, with 49ers Enterprises being made to wait for their takeover to be finalised by the English Football League, there is still an empty manager's seat at Elland Road.

It has been over a month since Leeds parted ways with Sam Allardyce after the coach failed to save the club from Premier League relegation, with the Whites still uncertain on who their next manager will be come the beginning of the Championship season.

Daniel Farke is the favourite to take over in Yorkshire and is an obvious candidate given his two successful promotion campaigns with Norwich City, while another shortlisted name in Patrick Vieira is out of the running having agreed to take charge of Strasbourg in Ligue 1.

However, there have also been links with another French top-flight manager in recent days, with Lorient's Regis Le Bris being touted with a move to the Whites.

Le Bris guided Lorient to a tenth-placed Ligue 1 finish last season, winning 15, drawing ten and losing 13 of his 38 league games. Les Murles won eight of their opening ten matches but fell away in the second part of the campaign.

What did McGilligan say?

Journalist Conor McGilligan, speaking on the One Leeds Fan Channel, believes that opting for the inexperienced Le Bris over the proven Farke would be a poor decision for the club, expressing his concern over the managerial situation.

"Regis Le Bris was someone who we spoke about on the channel a while ago, and he was being reported about a month ago, so whether or not it's just agent talk, it's speculative and all this sort of stuff, you'd hope that," said McGilligan.

He added: "You have literally got a proven manager in the Championship, who was in the Bundesliga, finished mid-table in the Bundesliga last season, has an excellent points-per-game ratio and has won the Championship twice at a canter.

"[If] we are going for an unknown Regis Le Bris, who has done okay in Lorient for one season, and that's kind of up for debate as well, I would be exceptionally worried, exceptionally worried. And then the direction of the club completely changes because Regis Le Bris will have completely different targets to Daniel Farke."

McGilligan also suggests that the recent arrival of recruitment chief Nick Hammond, who he claims mainly focuses on players in the United Kingdom, points toward Farke's appointment looking more likely.

With Leeds' opening fixture against Cardiff City just over a month away and pre-season on the horizon, the club need to act quickly to bring in a new coach that can guide them back to the Premier League.

Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh said that time out of the Test side, during the home series against South Africa last year helped him work on a few aspects of his game, which he feels will be beneficial

Melinda Farrell in Bengaluru02-Mar-20171:16

‘Want to continue our winning ways at this ground’ – Marsh

It’s an odd anachronism that 21 is still considered such an important age.In Australia, for example, 21st birthdays are widely celebrated much the same as 18th birthdays, even though minors legally become adults once they turn 18. Cards are adorned with keys, cakes are baked in the shape of them, symbolizing the bestowing of the keys of adulthood to people who have been adults for three years.For whatever reason, turning 21 remains a mystical moment. The coming of age.If Mitchell Marsh plays in Bengaluru, his Test career will turn 21. But it feels as though he’s been coming of age for a very long time.Consider Marsh when he first hit adulthood. After captaining Australia to victory in the U19s World Cup, he was playing for Deccan Chargers in the IPL as an 18-year-old alongside Adam Gilchrist in a team coached by Darren Lehmann, a fact that seems almost ridiculous in its generational incongruity.Seven years and 20 Tests down the track, Marsh has a batting average of 22.79 and 29 wickets at an average of 37.27. That he is blessed with an abundance of talent is undeniable; that talent comes with expectations his critics feel have not been met.Marsh-bashing is a frequent occurrence on social media and the selection of brothers Mitchell or Shaun is guaranteed to spark a new round. The younger brother has the added burden of being an Australian allrounder, a position that attracts more scrutiny and criticism than most.Just ask Shane Watson.In fact, Marsh does just that. Heralded as the natural replacement for Watson at the end of his Test career, Marsh now seeks him out for advice.”I’ve spoken to Watto,” Marsh said. “Since he’s retired he’s been fantastic. He’s always been open to me giving him a call or a text. I could use him a little bit more, he’s always open for a conversation which is great.”Watson could no doubt give just as much advice on how to cope with flak off the field as he could on how to perform on it. When he passed the allrounder’s mantle on to Marsh it came with a target attached, something that unsettled Marsh to the extent he stopped reading comments about himself on social media altogether.”I try not to look too much into it,” said Marsh. “I wouldn’t have too much confidence if I read all the comments on Facebook. That’s part and parcel of playing cricket for Australia at the top level. People are always entitled to their opinion, that’s fine by me. It doesn’t stress me out. I used to read a lot of it then I had 10 innings where I didn’t get over 30, I didn’t have much to read so I stopped reading it.When the selectors cut a swathe through the Australian squad in the wake of the humiliating loss to South Africa in Hobart they didn’t miss Marsh. He had played only the Perth Test and was left out of the Hobart match in favour of Callum Ferguson. With no opportunities available to play first-class cricket, he returned home to join up with the Perth Scorchers.”In a way it was probably a good thing because I just went back to the Big Bash and enjoyed myself, tried to slog a few and managed to get a few out of the middle,” said Marsh. “But away from the game I worked on a few things that I feel will hold me in good stead if I can play in Australia again or play in other conditions. Sometimes it’s nice to get out of the spotlight. I was obviously under a lot of pressure for a while so in a way it was nice to get back to play with the Scorchers and here I am.”Marsh wasn’t required for bowling duties in the first Test but he applied himself for a watchful 31 runs on the crumbling pitch. For a powerful, attacking batsman, it was a commendable show of restraint in such conditions. It was followed by dressing-room celebrations that Marsh described as the best four hours of his life.”It was good, it gave me a lot of confidence,” said Marsh. “Even though I made only 30, being out in the middle for 80 balls certainly gave me a lot of confidence. Hopefully this wicket is a little better and I can turn it into a big score for us.””I think it’s just about adapting. That’s something we always speak about, Steven (Smith) always talks to us about it. In these conditions you’ve got to earn the right to attack and that’s by having a solid defence. That’s what I’ve been working on.”Marsh has also been working on gaining the trust of his brother. Shaun’s nine-month old son, Austin, is on the tour and Uncle Mitch is being allowed to babysit his nephew for the first time.”You earn your trust,” said Marsh, while conceding he wasn’t very confident on nappy-changing.”It’s taken me a while but I’ve got there now.”If he can produce his best in India, that’s a statement he may make for many Tests beyond his 21st.

Liverpool are looking to make tweaks to their successful squad this summer following a disappointing season and now a new update has emerged on a potential transfer target.

What's the latest on Liverpool's interest in Pau Torres?

According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool are one of the many clubs who have been admiring Villarreal centre-back Pau Torres.

As per the report, Aston Villa are working hard to get a cut-price deal done for the talented defender, whilst Tottenham Hotspur, Bayern Munich and the Reds are named as admirers of the player.

Would Pau Torres be a good fit for Liverpool?

Indeed, Jurgen Klopp's top priority this summer has been a midfield rebuild, however, the Reds are also seemingly on the hunt for a left-footed centre-back who can offer balance in the back-line as the current crop of central defenders at Anfield are all right-footed.

Liverpool have been linked with VfL Stuttgart ace Micky van de Ven and RB Leipzig titan Joska Gvardiol, both of whom are dominant on their left foot with the latter now reportedly agreeing on personal terms for a potential €100m (£86m) deal to join treble-winning Manchester City.

As a result, the signing of Torres could be an opportunity for Klopp to secure a centre-back with an extremely similar profile as Gvardiol but also would be much cheaper than his Croatian positional peer, with Villarreal possibly considering a fee as low as €40m (£34m), per some reports.

According to FBref, Gvardiol is named as the third most comparable player to Torres over the last 12 months, and it's not hard to see why when you consider their vast similarities.

When comparing the defensive duo, the pair shared resemblances in many key attributes last season including aerial duels won (55.1% v 55.8%), ball recoveries (195 v 167), blocks (36 v 34), shot-creating actions (1.21 v 1.20) per 90, tackles and interceptions won (56 v 57) and pass accuracy (85.1% v 85.9%).

Not only that, Torres – once hailed as an "extraordinary talent" by former Villarreal star Javi Calleja – is one of the most progressive defenders in the top five European leagues, ranking in the top 7% of his positional peers for progressive passes, progressive carries and shot-creating actions per 90, demonstrating unrivalled ability in his ball-playing role in Villarreal's defensive set up.

With that being said, if Liverpool could table an attractive offer to rival their competitors for Torres this summer he could be a fantastic signing for the club and provide Klopp with the profile of centre-back that he clearly desires to acquire ahead of next season.