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Tottenham Hotspur’s move for Barcelona defender Clement Lenglet is reportedly being ‘advanced a lot’, with a €5m deal potentially being enough to secure a transfer instead of €12m.

Are Spurs signing Clement Lenglet?

Spurs and Ange Postecoglou are busy in the transfer market making preparations ahead of the new season, with a number of new faces already through the door.

Attacking midfielder James Maddison has signed from Leicester City, goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has arrived from Empoli and left-winger Manor Solomon has put pen to paper on a Spurs deal on a free transfer. Meanwhile, Pedro Porro and Dejan Kulusevski have made their loan moves permanent in deals worth €40m and €30m, taking the club's total current summer spend to €136m.

Another player who was on loan at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season was Lenglet, but the club previously decided against making a move permanent.

However, a full-time transfer to north London appears to be back on the cards for the player who was hailed as "outstanding" by members of the media during the early stages of the previous campaign.

Sport Witness have shared a number of updates regarding Spurs and Lenglet, two of which have come in the last 48 hours from Spanish outlet Sport.

The first claimed that the La Liga champions are working hard when it comes to player sales, and a transfer to Tottenham for Lenglet is now being ‘advanced a lot’, with some optimism that the move will happen.

The second suggested that a fee of €5m (£4.3m) from Spurs could be enough for Barcelona to accept, despite the fact they had originally wanted more than €12m. Those at the Nou Camp are looking to get the player’s £204,000-per-week salary off the books, with the report stating €5m could be a bargain for the north London side.

How good is Clement Lenglet?

Lenglet made 35 appearances in all competitions for Spurs last season, 26 of which came in the Premier League. He came in for praise from John Wenham during the campaign, with the pundit calling him reliable.

“I just wanted to give (Lenglet) credit because I think his performance went a little bit under the radar. I have been impressed with him so far.

“The fact he has instantly come in for Ben Davies and we don’t look any weaker, that is a huge credit to him really.

“He’s a new signing to the Premier League, I know he has a lot of experience from Barcelona and with France but he already seems very reliable, like we could drop him in for any fixture.”

The 28-year-old ranked highly for Spurs when it came to clearances, average passes and pass completion per 90, as per WhoScored. However, the Frenchman was the club’s 14th-best performer when it came to match rating.

As per FBRef, Lenglet has actually been compared to centre-backs Edmond Tapsoba, Micky van de Ven and Piero Hincapie, three players who have also been linked with a move to Spurs. Over the past 12 months, Lenglet ranks in the top 1% of centre-backs for pass completion, top 4% for through balls and top 4% for tackles in the final third, showing how he could be a shrewd addition for the right price.

Postecoglou may feel he can get the best out of Lenglet following his first year in England, and by the looks of things, a move could be one to keep a close eye on over the coming weeks.

The Bangladesh allrounder blamed overeager shot selection against part-time spin as the reason for his team’s defeat in the Champions Trophy semi-finall

George Dobell at Edgbaston16-Jun-2017Bangladesh were “nowhere near their best,” said Shakib Al Hasan, as they succumbed to a nine-wicket defeat at the hands of India in the Champions Trophy semi-final at Edgbaston.They were progressing well at 154 for 2 with Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal well set with more than 20 overs left. But the introduction of Kedar Jadhav’s part-time offspin created “panic” in the batsmen who, in Shakib’s words, “played some silly shots” to be knocked over for 264.Shakib dismissed the idea that inexperience was to blame, pointing out that the players Jadhav dismissed were among the most seasoned in the Bangladesh side.”The way we performed today was very disappointing,” Shakib said. “We were in a good position to get 320 or 330. The batsmen were looking good to make individual hundreds and get us to 320.”But India bowled a few dot balls. And because it was a part-time bowler, the batsmen tried to score more runs and in doing that, they lost wickets. Losing two wickets to an occasional bowler obviously didn’t help. And from there on they kept on bowling in good areas and that put us under a lot of pressure.”We have played enough games to know these things happen. We are all experienced people. Bowlers bowl good balls and sometimes you can’t score runs. It doesn’t mean you panic and play big shots and get out. We played some silly shots. And on this wicket, a score of 260 or 270 is not even par.”In that situation, it was important for them to bat another five or 10 overs, like the way I did with Mahmudullah against New Zealand. If they could have batted until the 40th over, both would have scored their hundreds and we might have made 330 or 340.”That was the game-changing period. It is disappointing. Playing in a semi-final is a big thing for us but we were nowhere near our best.”Shakib wasn’t overly impressed with Bangladesh’s performance in the field, either. While he accepted the batsman had made life “very hard” for the bowlers with an inadequate total, he was disappointed by their response.”We have a solid bowling line-up,” he said. “But there isn’t much help for the bowlers on these wickets unless you are a super quality bowler. Most of our bowlers need a little bit of help from the wicket, but we haven’t been getting any. I haven’t taken any wickets in the tournament.”With our total and that wicket, we knew it was very hard for our bowlers. But still I think we were nowhere near our best in our bowling and fielding.”Shakib insisted there were no divisions in the squad, though, and suggested that the team would learn from the experience.”It’s a group,” he said. “It’s nothing individual. We play as a team, we win as a team and we lose as a team.”Now we have time to regroup and come back strongly. We’ve come a long way and from here we can only go forward. We will have a good break and think how we can move forward.”

Aston Villa goalkeeper Emi Martinez is 'open-minded' over his future this summer as speculation continues to grow over whether he will stay or leave, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Is Emi Martinez leaving Aston Villa?

According to talkSPORT last month, Martinez is on Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino's radar this summer, as the outlet stated on their Twitter account: "BREAKING: CFC are open to offers for both Kepa Arrizabalaga & Edouard Mendy. Mauricio Pochettino wants to bring in a new number one with Inter Milan's Andre Onana and AVFC’s Emi Martinez on his radar. – talkSPORT sources understand."

Manchester United were said to be readying an offer for Martinez as a potential replacement for David De Gea and had been impressed by his 'elite mentality' and performances across the last three years, as per Football Insider.

Nevertheless, the Red Devils look to have turned their attention towards Inter Milan stopper Andre Onana and have reached a verbal agreement to sanction a deal for the Cameroon international. Journalist Rudy Galetti also revealed his news on Twitter, saying: “Andre Onana, the details: Man Utd and Inter already reached a verbal agreement about the transfer fee: £42m+£5m add-ons; new contacts expected in the next 24/48h to discuss the details and complete the move. The Cameroon GK is ready to join MUFC.”

Last term, Argentina international Martinez enjoyed a productive season for Aston Villa, keeping 13 clean sheets in 37 appearances across all competitions, as per Transfermarkt.

Capology understand that the former Arsenal stopper earns around £120,000 per week on a contract that runs until June 2027.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jones thinks that Aston Villa could be tempted to cash in on Martinez in light of his exploits at the World Cup with his native Argentina.

Jones stated: "I don't think Martinez has been desperate to leave Aston Villa. I think it's more that he's open-minded about if the possibilities are going to come for him in his career, then it might come down at a time when he is a World Cup winner and there might have been a temptation for Aston Villa to cash at a moment like that, because of what his value would be on the market."

What else has happened or could happen at Aston Villa this window?

Aston Villa have been hard at work this summer as they prepare for Europa Conference League involvement in 2023/24 and Unai Emery has already brought in two players in the form of Youri Tielemans and Pau Torres from Leicester City and Villarreal, respectively.

L'Equipe via The Daily Express claim that more arrivals could be on the way, stating that the Villans have submitted an 'opening proposal' to Bayer Leverkusen in an attempt to bring France international Moussa Diaby to Villa Park.

One report in Spain has suggested that Joao Felix is on the radar of Aston Villa; however, he is not keen to join a club that aren't involved in the Champions League, making a move to Paris Saint-Germain a more appealing transfer for the Portugal international.

Emery will surely have a few more tricks left up his sleeve as the Spaniard looks to work his magic once again this season and tries to help his side rise up the Premier League standings.

Hampshire beat the rain by skittling Warwickshire out for 167 to go top of the Specsavers County Championship Division One table

ECB Reporters Network05-Jun-2017
ScorecardHampshire beat the rain by skittling Warwickshire out for 167 to go top of the Specsavers County Championship Division One table.Kyle Abbott and spin twins Mason Crane and Sean Ervine whipped through the struggling visitors to pull off an innings and 94 runs victory – with dark clouds circling at the Ageas Bowl.Ian Bell reached his 99th first class fifty, as he looked the only player at home on a tricky wicket, before he was bowled by Abbott.Jonathan Trott, who had batted all but 13 balls on day three, departed soon after as Mason Crane found turn and bounce to find his outside edge – a simple catch for Sean Ervine at first slip.Abbott’s golden arm then saw him pin Sam Hain lbw, the umpire noticing the ball had just struck pad before bat, before the South African had Rikki Clarke leg before to a ball which failed to get up.Gareth Berg replaced Abbott at the Pavilion End and had his own success in his second over when he had Tim Ambrose lbw – leaving Warwickshire in dire straits at 131 for 7.The only blip on an otherwise perfect morning for Hampshire was Jimmy Adams’ drop at second slip – which saw Keith Barker earn an extra life.After the interval, Crane pulled off a sensational googly, which kept very low, to baffle Grant Thornton and rap him on the pads.Kyle Abbott took the key wicket of Ian Bell•PA PhotosThen the rain arrived and frustrated the hosts by forcing the players off for 20 minutes, but when Hampshire came back onto the pitch they took little time in rolling through the tail.Boyd Rankin was bowled leaving a Sean Ervine straight ball, before the Zimbabwean finished things off by pinning Sunny Singh lbw.Hampshire move 14 points clear of Essex at the top of the table, having played a game more.The win was their third of the season, with Warwickshire taking three bonus points from the match to stay second from bottom.

A round-up of the Dhaka Premier League matches played on May 5, 2017

Mohammad Isam05-May-2017Abahani Limited got back to winning ways in style with a 107-run win over Prime Bank Cricket Club at the BKSP-3 ground. A fantastic top-order performance got them to 305 in 49.2 overs before Shuvagata Hom’s 5-wicket haul shut down Prime Bank.Shadman Islam struck his maiden List-A century, making 103 off 100 balls with nine fours and three sixes and added 119 runs for the first-wicket with Liton Das, who contributed with 65 off 63 balls that had four boundaries and three sixes.Shadman followed it up with a 101-run second wicket stand with Saif Hassan who also slammed three sixes and two fours in his 53-ball 51. Ariful Haque and Al-Amin Hossain took three wickets each but could not restrict Abahani from breaching the 300-run mark.Shuvagata then took the five-for while Manan Sharma picked up two wickets as Prime Bank were bowled out for 198 runs in 44.5 overs. Salman Hossain was unbeaten on 61 off 75 balls.Avishek Mitra’s 95 propelled Mohammedan Sporting Club to a six-wicket win over Prime Doleshwar Sporting Club at the Fatullah Cricket Stadium. The opener struck three fours and two sixes in his 134-ball anchor that lasted till the 41st over. in their chase of 229.He added 57 for the first wicket with Rony Talukdar and 52 for the second wicket with Shamsur Rahman, before adding another 55 with Raqibul Hasan who remained unbeaten on 49 off 60 balls.Earlier, Sajedul Islam and Charith Asalanka took three wickets each as Prime Doleshwar were restricted to 228 for 9 in 50 overs. Abdul Mazid top scored with 50 off 73 balls.Legends of Rupganj bounced back from their ordinary performance against Mohammedan Sporting Club in the previous encounter, as they crushed Victoria Sporting Club by six wickets at the BKSP-4 ground in Savar.Batting first, the hapless Victoria side were bowled out for 155 in 45.3 overs. Uttam Sarkar top scored with 35 while Rupganj’s Pakistani recruit Raza Ali Dar took three wickets with his left-arm spin. Mosharraf Hossain and Mohammad Sharif took two wickets each.Rupganj reached their target in 45.3 overs with Pinak Ghosh leading them with a 110-ball 62. Victoria used nine bowlers but could take only four wickets.

Burnley are reportedly showing an interest in possibly signing Southampton striker Che Adams, who is set to be on the move this summer.

What’s the latest Burnley transfer news?

The Clarets and Vincent Kompany are preparing for the 2023/24 season back in the Premier League and have already bolstered their squad ahead of the new campaign.

The club will host the first top flight game of the season against treble winners and Kompany’s former side Manchester City next month, and those at Turf Moor may see a few new faces in action.

Defender Dara O’Shea has been brought in from West Brom, whereas Jordan Beyer’s loan move from Borussia Monchengladbach has become permanent.

Meanwhile, Burnley were thought to be closing in on a move to sign Borussia Dortmund defender Soumaila Coulibaly on loan with an obligation to make a move permanent next summer for £15m, however, that deal is now thought to be off.

The club’s transfer record is on course to be smashed, though, with Manchester City goalkeeper James Trafford, who recently starred for England at the U21 European Championships, set to join in a deal worth £19m, and big money could also be spent on Adams going off a recent report.

According to The Sun in the last 48 hours, Adams is set to leave St Mary’s this summer with just 12 months remaining on his contract but could still cost any side £15m.

The report states that Everton and Nottingham Forest are both keen on the Scotland international, while the player, who is back in pre-season training, is also attracting interest from Burnley.

How good is Che Adams?

The 26-year-old, who shares the same agency as Burnley new boy O’Shea, has been with Southampton since 2019 after leaving Birmingham City.

Since then, Adams has made 145 appearances for the Saints, scoring 35 times and registering 15 assists in all competitions. He has turned out on 124 occasions in the Premier League and is valued at €20m by Transfermarkt, so could provide a solid experienced option for Kompany in the final third.

Former Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl hailed Adams for having a “fantastic” attitude, and the forward can even turn out on either wing if needed.

“He is a guy who is one day a little bit frustrated when he sees he doesn’t play but then when the game comes, he shows up immediately and this is fantastic.”

As per FBref, Adams has been compared to the likes of Tammy Abraham and Odsonne Edouard over the past 12 months and has shown that he isn’t just a forward who relies on service. He could bring plenty aside from goals to Burnley as he ranks in the top 15% of forwards for through balls and tackles won, proving that he has quality on the ball and is willing to work hard out of possession.

Kompany currently has Wout Weghorst, Lyle Foster, Michael Obafemi and Jay Rodriguez as centre-forward options ahead of the new season, however, should any move on, Adams could be seen as a solid signing at Turf Moor, and by the looks of things, it may well be one to keep an eye on.

Despite the heavy security presence, a young male fan – thought to be in his early to mid-teens – was able to make his way through to the dressing room before the start of the match at the Gaddafi Stadium.

Vithushan Ehantharajah11-Mar-2017A young fan was able to briefly gain access to the Peshawar Zalmi dressing room, marring what was otherwise thought to be a well-executed security operation during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final in Lahore last week. Despite the heavy security presence, the male fan – thought to be in his early to mid-teens – was able to make his way through to the dressing room before the start of the match at the Gaddafi Stadium.Some of the Peshawar players came across the fan as they made their way up to the dressing room. According to English batsman Dawid Malan, one of the four foreign players with Peshawar who chose to travel to Lahore, the fan was dressed in a “green Pakistan suit” with the Pakistan flag painted on his face, and began requesting selfies. Malan pointed the fan out to a security guard, and he was promptly removed.Colonel (retd) Mohammad Azam Khan, head of PSL security (and senior general manager vigilance, PCB) told ESPNcricinfo that the fan had come from the Patron’s Enclosure. The enclosure is adjacent to the dressing rooms and in the fans’ rush to get autographs from the players as they were entering the dressing-room area, he was herded along with them into the change room. Azam said the fan was removed from the room as soon as this was discovered.”It was concerning that, with all the checks, he was able to get in so easily,” Malan told ESPNcricinfo. “He kind of got in at a time when all the players were walking in and he somehow managed to get in as well.”We had just arrived at the ground and our cricket bags were being checked, so we just got to our seats in the changing room. I put my clothes bag down and walked around and there was this kid asking for selfies. I looked at the security guard in the room and asked him, ‘Sorry – who’s this guy?’ Suddenly, they all clicked into gear and he ended up being pushed out the gate.”The level of security in place for the final was almost unprecedented. Once Lahore was confirmed as the venue for the final, the ICC and FICA sent over security advisors to assess the situation and liaise with the PCB.Over 10,000 security personnel were deployed for the match, including Punjab police, and Pakistan’s paramilitary force – Rangers. The Nishtar Park compound was protected by huge metal gates, and spectators could enter the Gaddafi Stadium only after three layers of security checks, some of which took place at a two-kilometre protective perimeter around the venue. No public vehicle was allowed within a kilometer of the sports complex, which was also set up with a range of scanners, high-definition facial-recognition CCTV systems and police control centres.In addition to bomb-proof buses and a heavy-artillery cavalcade, there were also snipers at high vantage points, including the roof of the Gaddafi Stadium. The final itself took place without incident, with Peshawar beating Quetta Gladiators by 58 runs. After the post-match presentation, the players had around 20 minutes to change before they were taken from the stadium straight to Lahore airport. Their stay in the city was just around 24 hours.Malan also expressed slight concern that fans got too close to them at the players’ hotel as they made their way onto the bus. Guests staying at the hotel which hosted the players had also been through many checks.”It is definitely something that can be improved in the future,” said Malan. “I think maybe they worried so much about the overall security that, maybe, they didn’t focus too much on the smaller things. I think, in the future, if you wanted international teams to tour there, all those little things need to be taken into account as well.”

Manchester United remain in talks with Italian outfit Atalanta over striker Rasmus Hojlund, however, both sides are apart on their valuation.

Why are Manchester United in the market for a striker?

The Red Devils are looking to add a new number nine to their squad ahead of the 2023/24 season, with the clubs only recognised number nine option currently being Anthony Martial.

The club brought in Dutch international Wout Weghorst on loan last January, however, after zero Premier League goals in 17 appearances the Manchester side decided to not make his loan move a permanent one.

United struggled on the goalscoring front last campaign, being the third-lowest scorers out of the top 10 in the division. Marcus Rashford had a fantastic league campaign scoring 17 goals, which was 29% of the clubs goals last season, suggesting that should the England international struggle in front of goal for a prolonged period, the side may struggle in front of goal period.

Atalanta's Denmark international Hojlund appears to be one of the Red Devil's top targets for the position as the club look to add to the signing of Mason Mount this window.

The 20-year-old is not the only striker on the clubs shortlist, however, with Eintracht Frankfurt's French forward Randal Kolo-Muani also being an option that is being explored, according to Dharmesh Sheth.

Speaking on Sky Sports, Sheth confirmed United's interest in both players, and revealed that the club remain in talks with the Italian outfit regarding the transfer with both sides apart in their valuations.

"United remain in talks with Atalanta over their striker Rasmus Hojlund, the Denmark international. Again, a gap in valuation exists in that one but United continuing to work on that deal. Another option is the Eintracht Frankfurt striker Kolo-Muani."

Should Manchester United sign Rasmus Hojlund?

Hojlund is one of the most highly rated striking prospects on the planet, with his play style, attitude and looks drawing comparisons to Premier League golden boot winner Erling Haaland

Following his move from Sturm Graz in Austria last summer for a fee of €17.2m (£14.5m), the Dane really made his mark and grew his reputation, making 34 appearances and recording 10 goals and four assists across both the Serie A and the Italian Cup.

The forward is incredibly threatening in the final third, with his 0.47 non-penalty xG per 90 putting him the top 16th percentile of all forwards in that category. The players 0.44 non-penalty goals per 90 being a fine indicator of his lethal finishing, with their being just a 0.03 underperformance of xG per 90.

A part of Hojlund's game that will be appealing to manager Erik ten Hag will be his ability to play as a target man. The 20-year-old is an incredible presence in the box, with his 6.53 touches per 90 in the attacking penalty area ranking him in the top 7%, whilst his 10.99 progressive passes received per 90 putting him in the top percentile among company such as Kylian Mbappe.

The strikers tactical profile is incredibly desirable, and compares very well to some of Europe's elite from the past decade including Robert Lewandowski and Romelu Lukaku, and with so many years ahead of him yet, it's no surprise why Manchester United want to get this deal done and see Hojlund devlop his game at Old Trafford.

Australia’s performances in some of the practice matches on previous tours would have highlighted a few lessons for Darren Lehmann to follow, chief among them resilience on the field and in selections

Daniel Brettig16-Feb-2017As he surveys Mumbai’s Brabourne Stadium on the eve of Australia’s warm-up match against India A, there is a chance Darren Lehmann is casting his mind back to the first time he played at the ground. In the equivalent fixture on Australia’s 1998 visit – their first full tour of India in 12 years – Lehmann was one of 10 Australian fielders held spellbound by a ferocious Sachin Tendulkar double-century.Tendulkar led the local XI, and chose the occasion to strike the first blow in a battle he would ultimately win comfortably against the Australians in general and Shane Warne in particular. There was nothing subtle about the way Tendulkar took to Warne, hammering the visitors’ most accomplished bowler to such an extent that he finished the innings with the ugly figures of 0 for 111 from 16 overs.The awestruck Australians proceeded to stumble to an unexpected defeat, leaving their captain Mark Taylor to realise that the calculated assault on Warne had set the scene for a difficult and unsuccessful tour.”Warney’s a bit like all of us,” Taylor said at the time, “we need to improve. I think they’d be his worst figures in his first-class career. You don’t need me to tell you he’s been a great bowler for a number of years, but it shows that if you don’t bowl well and a side attacks you, you can go for runs.”Certainly Tendulkar did not look back, using the Mumbai platform to launch into one of his greatest Test hundreds in Chennai, before the entire Indian batting line-up laid waste to Warne at Eden Gardens. The episode is the most celebrated but far from the only example of Australian spin bowlers being targeted early in an India tour, building doubts in the minds of bowlers, team-mates and even selectors.Trevor Hohns and Darren Lehmann will have to be wary of second-guessing their selections, even as Australia’s spinners will have to respond effectively when they come under attack from India•Getty ImagesA decade later, Bryce McGain pulled out of Australia’s India tour party due to a shoulder injury on the eve of a warm-up fixture in Hyderabad. McGain’s misfortune left Jason Krejza as the only full-time spin bowler on tour, a likely debutant in the first Test, and with a big target on his back for an invitational batting line-up featuring a young Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Yuvraj Singh.What followed was another calculated mauling of the spin bowler by batsmen fleet of foot and aggressive of intent. Krejza, feeling the pressure, dropped repeatedly short, and was brutalised to such an extent that he returned the figures of 0-199 from 31 overs, spread across two innings.It was a return that troubled the selectors to such an extent that they summarily ruled Krejza out of the first Test. Then chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch was on duty in Hyderabad and offered a simple verdict down the phone to the rest of the panel back home: “We can’t pick him; they have absolutely slaughtered him in the tour game.”Instead, the tourists opted to include the Victorian captain Cameron White, flown in to replace McGain despite barely bowling his skiddy leg breaks in the Sheffield Shield the previous season. White was ineffective, Krejza unwanted. when the selectors finally decided to give Krejza a belated chance in the final Test, he harvested 12 (albeit expensive) wickets, posing a far greater threat than others had done before him.These lessons have hopefully not been forgotten by Lehmann, nor by the spin bowlers likely to feature in Mumbai over the next three days. Steve O’Keefe, Nathan Lyon, Ashton Agar and Mitch Swepson can expect to be attacked, and will need to be ready to respond effectively rather than thinking in purely practice mode.Likewise, the captain Steven Smith and the selectors on duty in Lehmann and Trevor Hohns should be wary of second-guessing themselves on the basis of a warm-up fixture. Perceived threats will be attacked by the hosts, in the hope of spinning the visitors off their axis. Resilience will be required, both with the ball and at the selection table.

An update has emerged on Manchester United and their chances of adding a new goalkeeper to their squad ahead of the 2023/24 campaign…

What's the latest on Diogo Costa to Manchester United?

According to 90min, the Red Devils have now been offered the chance to sign Porto goalkeeper Diogo Costa as the Primeira Liga outfit are in need of funds to comply with Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.

The report also claims that fellow Premier League side Chelsea have also been given the opportunity to snap the Portugal shot-stopper up this summer, as both English teams had already placed him on their shortlist of targets.

It states that the 23-year-old international has a release clause in his contract that would allow him to move on for a fee in the region of £65m, although it remains to be seen whether or not Porto would be willing to accept a lower figure due to their financial concerns.

Would Diogo Costa be a good signing for Manchester United?

Erik ten Hag could secure something of a transfer masterclass by taking advantage of this situation to secure a deal for the shot-stopping colossus in the coming weeks.

David de Gea is reportedly likely to move on at the end of his contract this summer, after the club attempted to go back on their initial contract offer to the Spaniard with a proposal that would have seen him earning even less, which would leave the number one shirt at Old Trafford vacant.

Bringing Costa in would be a terrific piece of business by the Red Devils boss as the Swiss-born titan has the potential to be a big upgrade on the soon-to-be free agent.

De Gea made three woeful errors directly leading to goals for the opposition across the Premier League and Europa League in 2022/23. In contrast, the Porto gem did not make a single mistake directly leading to the ball flying into his net throughout the Primeira Liga or Champions League campaign last term.

As a shot-stopper, Costa saved his team a whopping 6.1 league goals based on the post-shot expected goals (xG) of the shots against him last season, which essentially means that he prevented six goals that the average player in his position would have been expected to concede.

Meanwhile, United's number one conceded 0.7 more goals than the post-shot xG suggested the average goalkeeper would allow past them.

This would indicate that the experienced Spaniard underperformed between the sticks and does not offer as much quality, in terms of keeping the ball out of the net, as the £65m-rated tank.

Costa has also stopped a higher percentage (7.5%) of crosses into his box than de Gea (3.1%) over the last year, and this implies that United would have a greater presence at the back to alleviate pressure from the defence when dealing with an aerial bombardment.

Therefore, ten Hag would be sealing a masterclass by replacing his current no.1 with a summer swoop for the Porto star, who was once hailed as a "Superman" by talent scout Jacek Kulig, as the aforementioned statistics indicate that he would be a big and long-term upgrade on the struggling 32-year-old dud.