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Harry Kane's transfer saga with Bayern Munich isn't "going away this summer" even after Tottenham Hotspur rejected the Bavarian club's initial offers, claims journalist Paul Brown.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news – what's the latest on Harry Kane?

It has been a positive start to the summer transfer window for Tottenham so far this year. Despite finishing outside the European places for the first time since the 2008/09 season, the North London outfit managed to secure the signature of one of their top transfer targets and most sought-after players in the league, James Maddison.

That said, the main task for the Lilywhites this year looks to be keeping their club captain and talismanic centre-forward Kane in N17.

Spurs' all-time top scorer now has under a year left on his £200,000-a-week contract, and with no indication that he will be signing a new one, Europe's top clubs have begun circling.

The latest elite side to show their interest, and with some persistence at that, is German giants Bayern Munich.

The Bundesliga champions had a first official bid of €70m (£60m) plus add-ons rejected last month and are now preparing a second deal worth an estimated £70m; however, Spurs are set to reject that one as well, per the Daily Mail.

Despite these setbacks, the Bavarian side will likely continue to test Daniel Levy's resolve, especially as Sky Sports Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg has reported that the England captain "definitely wants to join FC Bayern now."

What has Brown said about Harry Kane?

Brown points out that Bayern won't give up on this deal and that they perceive Spurs to be in a weak position here due to Kane's current contract situation.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "Yeah, I don't think this is going away this summer. I think Bayern will push really hard. The interesting thing is that the first time the news leaked out of Germany that Bayern had bid for Kane, people at Spurs were denying that that had ever happened.

"This time, they're offering no comments and going no further. So, make of that what you will. I think Bayern are trying hard to sign Kane this summer, and they will continue right up until the window closes.

"They think that Daniel Levy and Spurs are not in a strong position because Kane's contract is running out."

How many goals has Harry Kane scored in his career?

Kane has established himself as one of the top five strikers in world football over the last decade, but how many goals has he scored so far?

In 435 appearances for Spurs, he has scored 280 goals and provided 64 assists, giving the "England Legend" a genuinely outstanding goal contribution every 1.2 games. Of those 280 goals, 213 have come in the Premier League, 21 in the Champions League, and 24 in domestic cup competitions, per TransferMarkt.

The Walthamstow-born machine performs just as well for his national side as he is now the all-time top goal scorer for both club and country.

In 84 appearances for the Three Lions, Kane has scored 58 goals and provided 18 assists, giving him a frankly outrageous goal contribution every 1.1 games in international football.

While Levy and Co are certainly playing a dangerous game by keeping such a valuable asset whilst his contract runs down, it's unlikely that they could replace him with the money Bayern have offered thus far anyway.

Cristiano Ronaldo plunged into an ice bath ahead of Portugal's final Euro 2024 qualifying game against Iceland.

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Ronaldo plunges into an ice bathPortugal face Iceland nextA Selecao have qualified for Euro 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The Portugal and Al-Nassr star shared a photo on his Instagram story where he can be seen calmly meditating as he plunged into an ice bath ahead of the national's team final Euro 2024 qualifying match against Iceland. The Ronaldo-led side have already booked their place in Germany while maintaining a 100% win record through their nine qualifying matches.

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The 38-year-old looks to be in great shape both on and off the pitch. He has scored 16 times in 17 matches and provided nine assists for his club this season and was also on target for A Selecao in their recent 2-0 win over Liechtenstein in the Euro qualifiers.

WHAT RONALDO SAID

The superstar uploaded his Instagram story with the caption, 'G Night' with a 'cold face' emoji.

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WHAT NEXT FOR CRISTIANO RONALDO?

The Manchester United and Real Madrid legend will be next seen in action against Iceland on Sunday before heading back to Saudi Arabia where Al-Nassr will be playing against Al-Akhdoud in the Pro League on Friday. Ronaldo and Co currently trail leaders Al-Hilal by four points.

Lionel Messi is “very happy” at the moment and that should help to keep him on course to play at the 2026 World Cup, says Javier Zanetti.

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• All-time great savoured global glory in 2022
• Boasts record-breaking cap and goal tallies
• May be tempted to grace more tournaments

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner has offered a mixed response to questions of his international future. Messi originally suggested that, after guiding Argentina to global glory at Qatar 2022, he would bow out before FIFA’s flagship event heads to the United States, Canada and Mexico.

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  He has backtracked on those comments slightly since then, offering hope to the Albiceleste that he can be convinced to play on, and the legendary 36-year-old is playing with a smile on his face again after leaving European football to continue his club career in MLS with Inter Miami.

• WHAT THEY SAID

  Argentina icon Zanetti has told when asked for his assessment of Messi in 2023: “I see Messi really very happy. He looks whole and eager to continue playing football, which is what he loves the most. I hope he continues playing for a few more years because someone who loves football enjoys watching him play.”

  Pressed on whether the all-time great can be talked into gracing the 2026 World Cup, Zanetti added: “I am one of those who thinks that one must live in the present. And if Messi's present is to be content, it is very likely that between now and when the World Cup arrives he will continue to feel the same way, wanting to continue playing and wanting to play in another World Cup. You have to take it little by little and take care of him. Above all, that he feels comfortable and that he has the desire to continue competing.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Messi already boasts record-setting hauls of 178 caps and 106 goals for his country and will be enhancing those tallies over the coming months as he takes part in World Cup qualifiers at the 2024 Copa America – another title that Argentina are looking to defend.

Allan Border, Australia’s famously hard-bitten former captain, was scathing in his assessment of Matt Renshaw’s temperament, after he opted to retire ill midway through his battling half-century on the first day of the first Test in Pune.After a solid opening stand of 82 in over 27 overs, Renshaw’s partner David Warner was bowled in Umesh Yadav’s first over, whereupon Renshaw himself went straight to the umpires for a conversation before following up with his incoming captain, Steven Smith, who was walking out to bat at No. 3.The two had a chat and, after a bit of confusion and several hand signals, Renshaw was asked to wait, presumably because the next man Shaun Marsh was not ready. There was apparent confusion as to whether Renshaw would be asked to play out the over and then go off, but Australia’s team management subsequently confirmed he had to “retire hurt” with an “upset stomach”.That excuse cut no ice with Border, however, who famously refused to allow Dean Jones to retire with dehydration during his epic double-century in the tied Test in Chennai in 1986. Border mocked Jones as a “weak Victorian”, saying he wanted a “tough Queenslander” out there alongside him. Although Renshaw was born in England, he now plays for Queensland.”I hope he’s lying on the table in there half dead,” Border said on . “Otherwise, as captain, I would not be happy.”I don’t think I’ve ever seen that before. He’s obviously just got an upset stomach to some degree and he was probably trying to use the situation where David Warner had just been dismissed to race off the ground and go to the toilet.”What happened in the ensuring time there, I can’t ever think of a situation like that that’s happened before where someone’s gone off because they’re a bit ill.”If David Warner hadn’t got out then he wouldn’t have even thought about it. It’s a bit of an odd situation. He probably thought he had time to race off the ground and get back on while the new batsman was coming out to the crease.”I can tell you what, if Shaun Marsh was dismissed in those last 15 minutes I would’ve been ropeable as captain.”Fortunately for Renshaw, Marsh was not dismissed until after the break, and he eventually resumed on 36, at the fall of the third wicket in the 60th over, going on to make a hard-earned 68 before falling to R Ashwin.

West Indies’ proposed tour to Pakistan for two T20Is in mid-March is off the table, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPNcricinfo. The WICB rejected the PCB’s proposal for the tour after receiving advice on security from the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations. The WICB has also cancelled an expected security recce, which was planned for later this month. The two boards, however, continue to discuss the possibility of two T20 internationals in Florida on March 19 and 20.It is understood that earlier this week the West Indies Players Association wrote to FICA, seeking advice on the current security situation in Pakistan. FICA reportedly gave WIPA the latest security advisory from its security consultants, Eastern Star International, who provide security for various international boards including the ECB, Cricket Australia, New Zealand Cricket and the ICC.In the report, FICA warned that the risk level in Pakistan remains “at an extremely elevated state” and that “an acceptable level of participant security and safety cannot be expected or guaranteed”. Earlier this month, FICA’s report on player safety and security strongly discouraged players from traveling to Lahore for the Pakistan Super League final, scheduled for March 5.According to the proposal, Lahore was likely to host the two matches on March 18 and 19, followed by two matches in Florida, which are still being discussed and are likely to go ahead.On Wednesday, the WICB released the schedule of Pakistan’s seven-week tour of the Caribbean, beginning from March, which comprises two T20Is, three ODIs and three Tests across five venues. As per the ICC’s Future Tours Programme (FTP), four Tests had been originally slated for this series, but one Test was dropped from the itinerary to accommodate the proposed tour of Pakistan and the T20Is in the USA.West Indies are the third team – after Ireland and Sri Lanka – to reject travelling to Pakistan in the last two years.In 2015, Zimbabwe became the first the first Test-playing nation to tour Pakistan since 2009, when an attack on the Sri Lankan team bus resulted in the suspension of international cricket from Pakistan. The ICC, however, had refused to send its match officials for the series. The PCB appointed its own match officials, and hoped the Zimbabwe series would serve as a stepping stone to reviving international cricket in the country. That ambition, however, suffered a setback when a suicide attack took place near the Gaddafi Stadium during the second ODI. Zimbabwe, though, played the third and final ODI two days later and completed the tour.The PCB remains firm in its plan to host the Pakistan Super League final in Lahore on March 5, and has drawn up contingency plans to replace those overseas players unwilling to travel to the country due to security reasons. The board has decided to hold a new draft in the last week of February to bring in foreign players who will be willing to travel to Pakistan in place of those who will opt out.

A round-up of the second day’s play in round one of Ranji Trophy Group A matches

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Oct-2016

Group A

Fast bowlers Krishnamoorthy Vignesh and Aswin Crist helped Tamil Nadu compete against Mumbai in Lahli. Vignesh finished with 5 for 41 on debut, while Crist returned figures of 3 for 51 as they made sure Tamil Nadu – who had been all out for 87 – conceded a first-innings lead of only 89 runs.Openers Washington Sundar and Abhinav Mukund then wiped out that deficit with a 107-run stand that shifted the momentum firmly in Tamil Nadu’s favour. However, Dhawal Kulkarni broke the partnership to open a passage of play in which six wickets fell for the addition of just 43 runs. Debutant left-arm spinner Vijay Gohil did most of the damage, taking 3 for 36. Tamil Nadu went to stumps with a lead of 64 and only four wickets in hand.Harpreet Singh raced to an unbeaten double-century to help Madhya Pradesh post 465 from an overnight total of 292 for 7. Seamers Ishwar Pandey and Gaurav Yadav then reduced Uttar Pradesh to 131 for 5 as Madhya Pradesh established a dominant position by stumps on day two in Hyderabad.In the morning, resuming on 112, Harpreet hit 104 of the 173 runs Madhya Pradesh added. He was well supported by Ankit Sharma, who scored 61 off 97 in an eighth-wicket stand that yielded 155 runs in 208 balls. Madhya Pradesh maintained a run-rate of almost 5 in the 36 overs they faced.With the ball, Pandey made the first breakthrough and Yadav made the next three, before the run-out of Piyush Chawla left Uttar Pradesh struggling at 96 for 5. Eklavya Dwivedi and Kuldeep Yadav saw them through to stumps without any further losses.Uday Kaul and Gurkeerat Singh scored unbeaten fifties in an unbroken 110-run fifth-wicket stand to rescue Punjab and take them to 154 for 4 against Railways in Delhi.This was after Siddarth Kaul dismissed Railways’ overnight batsman, Ashish Yadav (81) Shivakant Shukla (128), and then removed Anureet Singh to complete his five-wicket haul. Overall, Punjab took 5 for 74 in the day and bowled Railways out for 331.In their reply, Punjab were reduced to 44 for 4 by the Railways quicks, before Uday Kaul (59*) and Gurkeerat (66*) put up resistance.Baroda declared on 544 for 8, before Gujarat‘s openers survived 15 overs to stumps on another batsman’s day in Jaipur.Resuming on 285 for 2, Baroda’s overnight batsmen Aditya Waghmode and Deepak Hooda added a further 57 runs before their 175-run third-wicket partnership was broken. By that stage, Hooda had got 118; Waghmode was dismissed shortly after for 142.Contributions of 47 from Hardik Pandya and 66 not out from Swapnil Singh took Baroda past 500. Gujarat’s openers, Samit Gohel and Priyank Kirit Panchal, closed out the day at 34 for 0.

Northants are well placed for a fourth victory of the season after Richard Levi made one of his most important contributions of the Championship season

ECB Reporters Network14-Sep-2016
ScorecardRichard Levi’s 95 boosted Northants’ second innings•Getty Images

Richard Levi’s 95 helped put Northamptonshire on course for a fourth win of the season as they set Gloucestershire 442 to win at Wantage Road. The hosts were bowled out for 376 in their second-innings before Gloucestershire closed day three at 35 for 2.Gloucestershire were sent in for 16 overs to the close and they lost Gareth Roderick for 19, who edged a good length delivery from Ben Sanderson that just held its line, and Will Tavare, who tried to play a back-foot push and was caught at second slip for a nine-ball duck.Northants’ position was set up by Levi, whose only other innings of note in the County Championship came in the third match of his injury-hit season with a century against Derbyshire. He steered his side into control of the game with a confident 114-ball innings with 15 fours.At 155 for 4 shortly after lunch, Gloucestershire sensed a way back into the game but Levi shared a stand of 71 with Adam Rossington for the fifth wicket and 76 with Steven Crook for the sixth.Rossington missed a sweep at Jack Taylor and was lbw for 34 before Levi, five short of a pleasing century, pushed into the off side and called for a single that Crook disagreed with as Will Tavare dived to his left to make a sharp save. Levi was three-quarters of the way down the wicket and gave up any chance to recover his ground. Tavare had time for a cup of tea before returning a throw to Phil Mustard.Earlier in the day, Northants resumed 44 for 0 and Ben Duckett made his way to 70 in the final innings of a wondrous 2016 season.Having struck five fours to reach 31 not out by the close on day two, he began the third day in typically aggressive touch. An extra-cover drive against Liam Norwell was the stroke of the morning as he passed fifty in 59 balls with eight fours.But when a fifth hundred of the season looked possible, Matt Taylor made a ball jump and take the splice of the bat, providing a catch to George Hankins at point.Duckett walked off to a great ovation having scored 1,338 County Championship runs at 60.81 with four centuries – and two doubles – this season.Rob Newton was also out on the third morning, edging Matt Taylor to slip after an opening stand of 116 with Duckett and in the over before lunch Alex Wakely edged David Payne to second slip to keep Gloucestershire in the game. Levi’s afternoon ensured it was the hosts who took control.

Sri Lanka coach Graham Ford has echoed the sentiments of opener Dimuth Karunaratne, suggesting his team’s approach to the series has been less than ideal.Sri Lanka played two practice matches against Essex and Leicestershire in the weeks before the first Test, but Karunaratne said the opposition attacks had not sufficiently prepared Sri Lanka for facing England’s bowlers. Essex and Leicestershire are Division Two county sides, and in any case had not fielded their best XIs for the encounter. In contrast, teams visiting Sri Lanka generally play a strong Board XI side, usually featuring players on the fringe of the Test team.”All of you would appreciate that facing Anderson and Broad at Headingley is as tough as it gets,” Ford said. “I think the Leicester attack was all second-teamers. Essex had a couple of first-teamers and they bowled quite well. The step I think was quite a shock to our lads.”Ford, who coached Surrey in their past two county seasons, said he understood the challenges facing counties asked to provide practice opposition to visiting teams.”I guess ideally it would have been better if we had one or two more games. Maybe the first one we start off at a gentle pace and play against a county team, and then you play against opposition that’s close to international standards. But cricket is so busy these days, and I fully appreciate that the county season is hectic. I don’t think it’s ideal, but we have to make the most of what we get.”Sri Lanka have several selection decisions to make before naming their XI for the Test, with the pace attack substantially depleted, and at least three batsmen contending for the No. 7 batting position. One of those batsmen, Kusal Perera, said he felt “in good touch” after returning to training following a five-month hiatus, and Ford felt Perera would be up to playing at Lord’s if required. The batsman had resumed training on May 13, and had only arrived in England on June 4, owing to visa delays. He is highly unlikely to take the gloves at Lord’s.”It is a test for Kusal, having been out of cricket for as long as he has,” Ford said. “It’s not going to be easy but he is an extremely classy player. Classy players sometimes find a way even if they have been out of the team. Maybe it takes a little bit of luck just to get themselves in, but if he gets in, he is a special player.”I would have no problem selecting him. Each day he’s trained, he’s hit the ball better. I’m sure he’s up for it. In a way with everything that has gone on in his life mentally, he might really be up for getting out there and performing well. From here on he’ll appreciate every day that he gets on the field. If he gets a chance to make a comeback at the greatest venue in the world, I’m sure he’ll be grabbing it with both hands.”On the bowling front, Sri Lanka have four seamers on tour, of which three are likely to play at Lord’s. Complicating the decision is the cloud over Shaminda Eranga’s action. He was reported for a suspect action following the second Test, and underwent a biomechanical test at Loughborough on Monday. He is free to play until the results are made public – probably in the next fortnight. Ford suggested Sri Lanka were unlikely to allow the doubts over his action affect selection.”I think Eranga has worked so hard through the tour and bowled reasonably well,” he said. “So until such time as the result comes out and we know one way or another, I think we’ve got to treat everything as normal and get on with it. I think we’ve given him enough support as far as the mental side of things is concerned. So he certainly will be considered for selection.”If Sri Lanka choose to make changes to their attack, 29-year-old left-armer Chaminda Bandara is in line for a Test debut. Bandara had also arrived on June 4, but may provide versatility to the seam attack, not just with the left-arm angle, but also by bringing the ball in to right-handed batsmen.”Bandara gives us something completely different,” Ford said. “I think one of the criticisms we had of the attack is that they are all fairly similar – similar pace, right arm, and generally trying to shape it out a bit. There’s no real variation in the pace unit. He’s something for us to consider – to throw in something different.”

Liverpool are interested in completing a deal to bring Napoli defender Kim Min-jae to the Premier League, according to reports.

What's the latest on Kim's future?

Football Insider has reported that the Reds are willing to listen to offers for Joel Matip and Nat Phillips this summer, meaning that central reinforcements will be needed should they depart. South Korea international Kim only made the move to the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium last year, but having been a regular feature under Luciano Spalletti with 27 Serie A starts in his debut season, he has been attracting interest.

Foot Mercato journalist Santi Aouna (via Liverpool Echo) recently credited Jurgen Klopp with an interest in the 26-year-old, whose camp would reportedly be happy to green-light a move, and despite his contract not set to expire for another two years, there is a way he could be brought to Anfield in the coming months.

According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester United have all “expressed an interest” in Kim and activating the £40m release clause included in his terms. The English trio are among “several” other unnamed clubs across Europe who are also monitoring his situation, but it’s claimed that he would “prefer” a move to the Premier League.

It is thought that Spurs could hold a “slight advantage” as a result of him being international teammates with Son Heung-min, but his representatives are aware of the “many other” options. Napoli, however, are keen to keep hold of him and could therefore look to remove his exit clause by offering him a new deal.

Would Kim be a good signing for Liverpool?

Kim has been dubbed a “rock” at the heart of Napoli’s backline by Serie A expert Matteo Bonetti, and should the opportunity to sign him arise, he could be the ideal long-term partner for Virgil van Dijk at Liverpool.

The Nike-sponsored star is currently averaging 3.8 clearances and 2.8 aerial wins per league game, highlighting his physical presence both on and off the ground, whilst recording a 90.5% pass success rate, displaying his confidence and composure on the ball (WhoScored).

The 6 foot 3 defender is also capable of chipping in from time to time when it comes to the opposite end of the pitch, having scored six goals and provided two assists throughout his career, via Transfermarkt, so for someone who has the ability to make a positive impact at both ends of the field, he is perhaps the perfect profile of defender for Klopp.

Arsenal already have a squad clearly capable of winning the Premier League. As they enter their final ten games of the season, they sit eight points clear of their nearest rivals, as Mikel Arteta closes in on his ultimate prize.

The Spaniard is owed a lot of praise for his work in forging this outfit, taking no prisoners as he uprooted experienced members of the squad and replaced them with youth, all of whom seem hungry for success.

Whether they see it out or not, there is a need to keep evolving in this game where it has arguably never been more difficult to win the elite honours. Manchester City will forever spend to maintain a regular title charge, whilst Liverpool can never be discounted. Meanwhile, Manchester United and Chelsea are overseeing expensive rebuilds which could also see them return to the mix soon.

The Gunners cannot afford to stand still, especially when the core of their squad could soon require a refresh. With Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey aged 30 and 29 respectively, they are soon to be entering their twilight years.

Arteta needs a new set of enforcers to replace their ageing stalwarts, but they must retain that silky skillset that allows them to uphold their free-flowing philosophy.

With this criteria, it is no surprise to therefore see them once again linked with West Ham United captain Declan Rice.

How much is Declan Rice worth?

It was only late last week when journalist Simon Phillips suggested that the north London outfit led the race for the 24-year-old, as he told GIVEMESPORT: "A lot can happen in the next two months until the end of the season. That one could go either way, but Arsenal feel like they're in the lead for that at the moment."

The Times also reported back in January that they had made Rice their top summer target, despite the £80m fee demanded, as this actually represents something of a bargain compared to the British transfer record David Moyes threatened; this truly seems like a deal destined to happen.

Especially when it makes this much sense.

Partey is imperative for Arsenal, with his defensive work in the engine room key in protecting their back four. As such, he maintains 2.3 tackles and one interception per game, alongside an 87% pass accuracy. The Ghanaian also marries this with the occasional screamer, of which he has three this season, via Sofascore.

Now compared to Rice, it is clear why Arteta remains so keen. He also records 2.2 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per 90, yet brings that pass accuracy up to an impressive 89%. This is partnered with four goal contributions too, as per Sofascore.

Their similarities are striking, and his role in dictating the play for the Hammers has seen him branded a "midfield maestro" by journalist Josh Holland.

However, this compliment was blown out of the water by fellow writer Jai McIntosh, who simply wrote: "Imagine thinking Declan Rice isn’t world-class."

This potential deal would further revolutionise a squad already bursting with talent, and make them even more dangerous on all fronts for many years to come. The fact that he is young and English helps the cause too, as he only adds to their impressive statistics as the youngest average squad in the league.