The West Indian dasher made the highest contribution to Delhi Capitals’ win according to ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats
ESPNcricinfo Stats team28-Apr-2019The official match award in Delhi Capitals’ 16-run win over Royal Challengers Bangalore went to Shikhar Dhawan for his 37-ball 50, but ESPNcricinfo’s Smart Stats reckoned that Sherfane Rutherford made the highest impact for Capitals in their win, which put them in the IPL playoffs for the first time since 2012.Rutherford contributed with both bat and ball to Capitals’ cause: he scored a blistering 13-ball 28 not out that helped Capitals add 46 runs in their last three overs from a tricky position, and then took the key wicket of AB de Villiers at a critical juncture in the chase.Smart Stats valued Rutherford’s 28 runs worth 12 more, given the context of the game, as we considered the relative strike rate of the batsman and the pressure on him.ESPNcricinfo LtdThe wicket of de Villiers was also valued higher than just 1 because of the quality of the South African batsman, and the damage he could have inflicted had he batted on given the target was well within Royal Challengers’ sights. They needed 85 from 52 balls with eight wickets in hand when de Villiers was dismissed. Overall, Rutherford’s impact in Delhi’s win was 31.4%, the most by any Delhi player.Axar Patel’s cameo of 16 not out off nine balls, and his economical spell of 1 for 26 that included the prized wicket of Virat Kohli, earned him the next highest impact at 24.1%. Capitals captain Shreyas Iyer took the third spot at 14.7% for his 37-ball 52.
Manchester City could lose a young “game-changer” who has been compared to Kevin de Bruyne, with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich keen on a move.
Man City hunt top four finish as Pep prepares for FA Cup semi-final
Pep Guardiola’s side still have a lot to play for between now and the end of the season, with silverware on offer in the FA Cup and a top-four finish in the Premier League being targeted.
Later this month, the Sky Blues will take on Nottingham Forest at Wembley, looking to reach the final of the FA Cup against either Aston Villa or Crystal Palace.
Manchester City managerPepGuardiolacelebrates after the match
Meanwhile, in the league, City have some must-win fixtures coming up if they are to finish in the top four ahead of Forest, Chelsea, Newcastle and Villa.
It promises to be an entertaining end to the campaign at the Etihad Stadium, and ahead of the summer, De Bruyne has already announced his Manchester departure.
Man City vs Crystal Palace
April 12
Everton vs Man City
April 19
Man City vs Aston Villa
April 22
Nottingham Forest vs Man City (FA Cup)
April 27
Man City vs Wolves
May 2
The attacking midfielder will leave the club after 10 years as a City player, with rumours of a potential move to Saudi Arabia or the MLS on the cards.
De Bruyne could be one of many to leave ahead of the 2025/26 season, with the futures of Ilkay Gundogan and Jack Grealish both unclear at this stage.
Now, a teenage gem at the Etihad is also attracting interest, and interestingly, he has been mooted as the next De Bruyne.
Man City gem Divine Mukasa attracting Bayern Munich interest
As per transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Man City youngster Divine Mukasa is catching the eye of both Bayern Munich and Ajax.
The two European giants have been scouting the teenager, but it is added that City want to keep Mukasa in Manchester.
Recently, Mukasa has been dubbed as a talent who could be even bigger than Nico O’Reilly, a defender who has been flourishing under Guardiola in 2025.
Mukasa has been dubbed as a “game changer” by football scout Antonio Mango, whereas The Secret Scout has compared the 17-year-old to De Bruyne.
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Meanwhile, Man City’s official website describes Mukasa as a skilful and creative midfielder: “A player that thrives in tight spaces and well capable of scoring and assisting goals, Divine adds an extra level of creativity to every side he plays in.”
The attacking midfielder has produced a whopping 42 goal contributions in just 35 games in 2024/25 at youth level, so he could be the next to make the break into Guardiola’s first-team plans, should City keep hold of his services.
Scorchers’ late season slump continued against Heat with a ragged bowling and fielding effort proving costly
Tristan Lavalette29-Nov-2023 Grace Harris smashed a half-century to deflate Perth Scorchers before offspinner Georgia Voll claimed four wickets as Brisbane Heat stormed into the WBBL final after a commanding performance at the WACA.Having flown cross-country before playing on consecutive days, an indefatigable Heat relished a fast surface to post the highest score in a WBBL final. They then bowled and fielded with discipline in a superb defence to stun a crowd of 2226 fans.Heat will play Adelaide Strikers in Saturday’s final at Adelaide Oval. They’ve had to do it the long way after a convincing 44-run victory over Sydney Thunder in the elimination final at the WACA just a day earlier.”It’s always a great match-up when we play them. It’s going to be a great final,” Voll said with Heat and Strikers having split their two games this season. “It’s going to be an awesome atmosphere and hopefully we can knock them over one more time.”It was a disappointing end for Scorchers, who sat on top of the ladder before losing their last three matches of the regular season. Their slump continued against Heat with a ragged bowling and fielding effort proving costly.”Definitely a tough one, pretty stunned for words. But the dust will settle and we can celebrate what’s been a really great season,” Scorchers legspinner Alana King said.Harris vindicated captain Jess Jonassen’s decision to bat first in sunny conditions with a whirlwind in the powerplay. She had emerged from a form slump with 45 off 22 balls against Thunder and continued the momentum with a second ball boundary after charging offspinner Amy Edgar.Harris was equally destructive against pace and thumped quick Chloe Ainsworth through the covers in the next over.Harris scored 33 of Heat’s 41 runs in the first four overs with struggling opener Georgia Redmayne intent on turning over the strike. The end of the powerplay did little to curb Harris, who continued her aerial assault including a six over long-on that thundered into the mammoth sightscreen under the ground’s famous light towers.She fittingly reached her half-century with a boundary off seamer Piepa Cleary, who in frustration bowled a bouncer that flew way over Harris for a no ball.Scorchers resorted to allrounder Nat Sciver-Brunt, who was playing her last game of the season regardless of the result. She stood up with the key wicket of Harris by trapping her lbw in a decision that was upheld after an umpire’s call on review.Georgia Voll grabbed 4 for 19•Getty ImagesWithout Harris, Heat were pinned down in the middle overs with Sciver-Brunt bowling an accurate full length, while King was a constant wicket-taking threat.Heat were in danger of again falling away in the latter overs much like against Thunder, but Laura Harris stepped up with consecutive sixes off seamer Sophie Devine in the 17th over.Charli Knott, on her 21st birthday, then took over with 32 off 14 balls as Heat had one foot in the final.Devine did not take up her favoured position at the top alongside Beth Mooney. Instead, Lauren Winfield-Hill held onto her opener’s role and smashed 15 runs quickly before falling to quick Nicola Hancock.It wasn’t long before Devine came to the crease at No.4 alongside Mooney as the pair briefly provided a flicker of hope for Scorchers. But they fell in quick succession with the burden on Sciver-Brunt, who attempted a rally against the odds.But when she fell lbw to Jonassen on 36, it was only a matter of time before Heat wrapped up a memorable trip to Perth as they kept alive their bid for a third WBBL title.
How Knight Riders trumped Kings XI by being unpredictable, and, really, what was all the hand-waving from Dinesh Karthik all about?
Dustin Silgardo03-May-2019They say that if you can really up the ante in the last few overs of the first innings of a T20 match, it can really deflate the opposition, and stick the momentum firmly on your side.Sam Curran’s 24-ball 55 not out, including 22 runs in the last over, bowled by Harry Gurney, certainly made Kings XI the happier side at the break, and Knight Riders needed a start frenetic enough to snatch that momentum back, and away. Enter Chris Lynn, and in 22 Powerplay deliveries, he had put the pressure right back on Kings XI.He started quietly enough, but then got stuck into young Arshdeep Singh, taking three fours in the fourth over of the chase, and then hit R Ashwin for a four and a six in the fifth, and Andrew Tye for a six and four in the sixth before falling off the last ball of the Powerplay.The 46 he scored was also his best Powerplay performance this season – comfortably topping the 38 he had scored in 26 balls against Chennai Super Kings in Kolkata – both in terms of runs scored and strike rate.Gill at ‘home’ at the top of the inningsWe go back to Andre Russell saying the other day, that Knight Riders “have a good team”, but were “making bad decisions”. That’s when the team was in the middle of a win-drought. A change in the script, winning a match they had to win to stay in the running for a playoff spot does make it seem like some good decisions were taken, and we think one of them was in not being predictable.ESPNcricinfo Ltd Sticking with Sandeep Warrier instead of Prasidh Krishna, who had done well in patches but had been really expensive in his last few games Shubman Gill opening the innings on a ground he is very familiar with turned out to be a masterstroke. Not that Gill hadn’t opened before in IPL 2019 – he had thrice before, and now has three fifties in four innings at the top – but the temptation must have been to go with Sunil Narine after Kings XI put up 183 for 6. Knight Riders went with Gill, and were rewarded with a 49-ball unbeaten 65, the 19-year-old batting through the innings to take the team home. Russell was again given a lot of balls to face, having been sent in at No. 4 midway through the 11th over. It showed intent on the part of Knight Riders, an example of the team learning from its earlier mistakes, and the 24 he struck in 14 balls went some distance in helping them win with two overs to spare and boost their net run rate.Curran picks his targets, and spotsCurran’s 55 not out off 24 balls was his first really significant innings in the IPL, and his performance suggested that he had learnt from his previous six outings with the bat.He had been out twice to the variations of legspinner Sandeep Lamichanne, in Kings XI’s two games against Delhi Capitals, so he wisely played Knight Riders’ leggie, Piyush Chawla, cautiously. He had also struggled against Royal Challengers Bangalore offspinner Moeen Ali, trying to hit the ball square of the pitch before missing a reverse sweep and being trapped lbw.ESPNcricinfo LtdAgainst Knight Riders’ Sunil Narine, Curran looked to hit straight, getting both his boundaries in the long-on region. He went straight against the seamers too but mixed it up with some shots to fine leg.His reading of the slower balls was impressive. Against Mumbai Indians, he had fallen to a Jasprit Bumrah slower ball, but here, he anticipated a short slower one from Russell, walked across his stumps and slapped the ball to fine leg, and then, in the final over, waited on a Harry Gurney slower one and hit it down the ground for six.Pooran – a better No. 4 than Miller?David Miller is not the best batsman against spin. He doesn’t get out to spinners too often, but since 2017, his strike rate against spinners – in all T20s – has been 116.83. Nicholas Pooran, in contrast, has scored at 139.33 against spinners in the same period. The sample size in Pooran’s case is smaller than Miller’s though.As a result, Pooran, especially against a team like Kolkata Knight Riders, was Kings XI’s choice for No. 4 ahead of Miller, as he showed with a 27-ball 48 before toe-ending Nitish Rana to the midwicket fence. Miller was left on the bench for the game.ESPNcricinfo LtdBefore this game, in his IPL 2019 appearances, Pooran had batted at No. 4 only once, in the last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, and had scored a 10-ball 21. This time, he was even better. He hit Piyush Chawla for a six and a four in the eighth over, and another six in the tenth over, but was quiet against Sunil Narine – remember that maiden Super Over Narine bowled to Pooran in the 2014 Caribbean Premier League?Miller has had an underwhelming tournament, with 213 runs in 10 outings, with an average of 26.62 and strike rate of 129.87. Pooran might have done enough in his latest innings to keep that No. 4 spot for himself in whatever matches Kings XI Punjab have left in the tournament.Dinesh Karthik and Andre Russell have a chat•BCCIWhen you’re not happy and you know it, wave your hand It was interesting to see Dinesh Karthik looking a lot more animated than he usually is soon after the Powerplay. A meltdown, we called it on our ball-by-ball coverage, and it certainly looked like it, Karthik waving his gloved hands about and – from the looks of it – letting it rip. He even gave his team an animated talk during the strategic time out.What it was about, we didn’t know at the time. Was it about the murmurings of discontent in the ranks that we have been talking about?Karthik answered it after the game, saying, “I wasn’t too happy with the way the fielders and bowlers were doing, the body language. The kind of things I didn’t expect from them. So I thought I’d let the boys know what I felt about it.”
Newcastle United have joined the race for a “special” young star who has been likened to Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, according to a new report.
Newcastle plan for big summer after Carabao Cup success
Newcastle have had quite the season. Not only are the Magpies firmly in the race for Champions League football next season, they also won the Carabao Cup – their first piece of major silverware in 64 years.
To clinch the trophy, Eddie Howe’s side beat Premier League leaders Liverpool 2-1 in the final at Wembley Stadium, with both Alexander Isak and Dan Burn on the scoresheet.
Speaking to BBC Radio Newcastle about the club’s open-top bus parade, which took place over the weekend, Burn said: “It’s something I’ll never forget – I knew there would be a lot of people but when we saw the sheer amount of people it was amazing.
“It really hit home, what it means to the region and the city, the achievement that we’ve managed to do. The lads were starting chants all the way round and just being able to take in that moment, it was only an hour but it’s an hour I’ll never forget.”
On his goal in the final, which saw the English defender head home Kieran Trippier’s corner, Burn said: “The first few days, my phone was getting constantly pinged with videos and remixes, when I was away with the England lads it was on TV all the time and I ended up having to switch the TVs off at the end because I was starting to get a bit embarrassed!”
“I will watch it forever, I’ll never tire of it – it was an amazing moment.”
Newcastle join race for Dibling despite huge price tag
Even after such a successful season, Newcastle are expected to bolster their squad in the summer, with Howe keen to push on from this year’s achievements and build more depth. Among those players thought to be interesting the Magpies is Southampton’s Tyler Dibling.
Southampton's TylerDiblingin action with AFC Bournemouth's Dean Huijsen
According to Chronicle Live, Newcastle are now one of several clubs keen on the English talent and are “expected to closely monitor” his situation at Southampton in the coming weeks, as the Saints brace for a significant transfer shake-up when they eventually get relegated back to the Championship.
Though previously Southampton put a price tag of £100 million on Dibling’s head, it’s thought that the asking price will significantly drop in the summer to ensure a sale.
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Dibling has been one of Southampton’s standout players in an otherwise poor season for the club, and has been heavily lauded for his performances by former Premier League players Danny Murphy and Dion Dublin.
“It is the quality he has got – the belief in himself and the physical power. He just goes past people with ease. He has got a lovely left foot. He is very brave on the ball and his decision-making is good,” Murphy told BBC Sport of the 19-year-old in December.
“It is difficult to get too over the top with these young players, because he has just come on to the scene, but he is going to be something special.”
Dublin added: “Do you know what it is? I don’t want to put any pressure on him, but he plays his game like Cole Palmer, doesn’t he? He plays free and easy, and he gets himself into good positions, rolls players and takes the ball well.”
Antonio Conte has reflected on the emotional weight of his Tottenham exit, and how personal tragedy reshaped his outlook on life and football.
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Conte reflects on his Tottenham daysReveals how tragedy shaped his outlookReveals ick at Spurs celebrating CL qualificationFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Conte has opened up about his turbulent spell with Tottenham, describing his time in North London as a “difficult” chapter in his managerial journey. Though he led Spurs to a top-four finish in 2022, Conte has admitted that qualifying for the Champions League wasn’t something he ever felt deserved celebration — and revealed how a series of devastating personal losses shifted his perspective on football and life.
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Speaking to Sky Italia, Conte recalled his first full season with Spurs and the emotional and philosophical toll it took: "It was a difficult year at Tottenham. I arrived in November with them ninth in the standings and we ended up in the Champions League, overtaking Arsenal… For them, going to the Champions League was like winning the Premier League.”
But for Conte, the celebrations in the dressing room after sealing fourth place didn’t sit right: "On the last day, the Champions League entry was celebrated in the dressing room. I called my staff and told them: we don’t get used to these celebrations. You don’t celebrate these things. We are used to celebrating other things. OK, great feat, but at the same time, we understand what kind of celebration it is."
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The Italian coach went on to speak candidly about the personal tragedies that surrounded his final months in charge — the deaths of close friends Gian Piero Ventrone and Gianluca Vialli — which ultimately left him questioning his priorities and emotional capacity to continue at Spurs.
He added: "Gian Piero Ventrone died of leukaemia in fifteen days and it was a terrible blow on an emotional and psychological level and it wasn’t easy.
"Then Gianluca Vialli also passed away, with whom I had met the month before at a restaurant with my wife. I had seen him very calm, he was even fine, but during that dinner, I understood that something was wrong. You notice it when someone is enjoying something, he had drunk, eaten and after a month he passed away."
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The Napoli manager also spoke about Sinisa Mihajlovic’s death and its impact on him, and how it led him to reconsider his priorities in life.
Conte continued: "Sinisa’s story also had an impact. A series of pains that made me rethink some priorities. I had my family far away, in Italy, while I was in a hotel. My wife had always made an effort for me. So I asked myself: how much is it worth sacrificing family and friends for this knowing that from one day to the next you find yourself facing tragedies of this kind and no longer being there? This made me change some priorities.
"Then I also had a problem and I had to urgently have gallbladder surgery and I was at risk of getting pancreatitis. In short, that period made me think a lot about the priorities."
Bruno Fernandes has revealed that conversations with his "supportive" wife Ana Pinho convinced him to reject Al-Hilal and stay at Manchester United.
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Fernandes on "supportive" wife conversationsTurned down lucrative Al-Hilal moveStays at Manchester United as captainFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
The United captain had been offered £200m in salary over three years and the Saudi club were prepared to shell out a £100m transfer fee to land him, but he opted to stay put in the Premier League. He has since revealed that support from those closest to him was a big part of the decision.
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Fernandes said: "It was a very ambitious proposal. The president was a fantastic person. We never discussed the amount – with my agent, of course. Then I spoke to my wife and family and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career. She is someone who always supported me a lot. It was an easy move, even at a family level. I had Joao Cancelo there, my children are used to playing with him in the national team. We have a great friendship. But I want to maintain myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions. And I feel capable of it."
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Fernandes is set to feature alongside United's new signing Matheus Cunha at Old Trafford next season, after the Brazilian completed a £62.5m move from Wolves. Brentford attacker Bryan Mbeumo is expected to be the next through the door.
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Fernandes is set to feature for Portugal in Wednesday's Nations League semi-final tie against Germany, with a huge clash against either Spain or France on the cards in the final if they win.
At one stage this Premier League season, Enzo Maresca’s Chelsea looked like genuine title challengers hot on the heels of Liverpool.
Now, however, the Blues look shaky gripping onto fourth spot in the unforgiving league, with an unwelcome eighth defeat of the season greeting them come full-time away at Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal.
Cole Palmer’s complete absence from the squad did make Chelsea’s task of picking up a win on the road a lot harder, but there were still far too many underperformers that let the team down on the day, regardless of the England international sitting the contest out.
Chelsea's biggest underperformers vs Arsenal
Starting in goal, current number one Blues goalkeeper Robert Sanchez had a particularly shaky time of things on Sunday afternoon.
Before Mikel Merino gifted the hosts a 1-0 lead, Sanchez’s rash play out from the back nearly resulted in Gabriel Martinelli firing home, with the 27-year-old inexplicably kicking it straight to the Brazilian forward.
He arguably could have done better too when Arsenal’s man of the moment looped this header over Sanchez, but there were other underperformers who also struggled at the Emirates away from the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion ‘keeper in isolation.
Indeed, both Jadon Sancho and Christopher Nkunku offered very little down the flanks as the pair failed to muster up a single on-target effort, further reinforcing Palmer’s absence.
But, there was another attacker away from the out-of-sorts duo that struggled to leave his mark on the contest, having tallied up fewer touches than Sanchez across the course of his forgettable 90 minutes.
Maresca must forget 35-touch Chelsea dud after Arsenal
Not many players from a Chelsea perspective trudged off the Emirates turf happy with their individual efforts, with Maresca branding the overall showing as “frustrating” at the close of the game.
That would be an apt word to describe Pedro Neto’s away day too, with the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers attacker showing bursts of quality here and there, only to then fall flat for the visitors at the final moment. Handed a 5/10 player rating by the Sun, they suggested he was ‘always up against it as a false 9’ but was far too easily ‘outmuscled by Arsenal’s defenders’.
Minutes played
90
Goals scored
0
Assists
0
Touches
35
Accurate passes
15/17 (88%)
Shots on goal
3
On-target shots
0
Possession lost
12x
Successful dribbles
0/2
Accurate crosses
1/6
Total duels won
1/7
The table above makes for some pretty grim reading from Neto’s point of view, with his accumulation of 35 touches coming in at six fewer than Sanchez’s at 41, with no successful dribbles and no shots on target not exactly causing the Gunners’ defence much bother when he ventured forward.
Moreover, just one accurate cross being tallied up all game shows how poor the former Wolves’ man end product was in North London, on top of just one duel being won showing off his lack of fight whenever he became a passenger to the play unfolding.
Pedro-Neto-Chelsea
Whilst he does boast five goals and six assists in all competitions this season away from this no-show at Arsenal, Maresca could now axe Neto as his lone striker option for contests to follow even as Nicolas Jackson remains sidelined.
The ex-Leicester City boss might well fancy throwing Nkunku into this role instead having got seven goals out of the Frenchman up top this campaign, or Cole Palmer would surely be a worthy option as a false 9 once he’s fit again.
Despite some positives falling into Maresca’s lap this campaign, his side still find themselves short of being an elite team in the top flight, with more defeats piling up down the line potentially damaging their ongoing top-four chances.
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Super Giants are quite well placed despite their recent losses, while Sunrisers are at No. 9 but very much in the race too
ESPNcricinfo staff12-May-2023Sunrisers Hyderabad – #9 Sunrisers Hyderabad are the only team to have played fewer than 11 matches so far – they have played only ten, while five teams have already played 12. That means the last week will be the busiest for them, but it also means they have the best chance of making up lost ground, for they could still potentially double their current points tally of eight.If SRH do win each of their last four matches and finish on 16, they will give themselves a great chance of qualification. It could still come down to net run-rate as five teams could potentially end up on 16 or more, but SRH will very much be in the mix.If they lose this one, though, they will be at the mercy of several other results going their way, for as many as six teams, excluding SRH, can reach 16.The other disadvantage for SRH is their home record: one win in five games this season. They have done better in away matches – three wins out of five – but their remaining away games are against teams which have pretty good home records this season: Mumbai Indians (four out of six) and Gujarat Titans (three out of six).Lucknow Super Giants – #5 Lucknow Super Giants have lost their way after a relatively strong start, collecting only three points from their last five games. However, they are still in charge of their own destiny: three wins in three games will take them to 17 points and assure them of qualification.One loss, however, will put them in tricky territory, as up to five teams can finish on 16 or more points. For that to happen, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings will have to win all their matches; so if LSG don’t maximise the points from their remaining games, they will have to hope that other teams slip up.Curiously, LSG can even make it to the top four with 13 points, but for that to happen, Titans, Chennai Super Kings and MI will have to win most of their games so that the other teams are stuck on 12 or fewer points.
Sevilla’s Loic Bade is holding out for a move to Inter, rejecting offers from Bayer Leverkusen and Bournemouth as he awaits a defensive spot to open.
Bade prioritises Inter over all offersUnder contract with Sevilla until June 202925-year-old key defensive target for NerazzurriFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
According to , Bade has made it clear that Inter is his preferred destination this summer. Despite concrete offers from Leverkusen and interest from Bournemouth and Borussia Dortmund, the Sevilla defender is prepared to wait for the Nerazzurri club to make their move. Inter, however, need to offload a defender before they can finalise the transfer.
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The Frenchman remains one of Europe’s most in-demand defenders, valued at €30 million (£26m/$33m) by Sevilla and tied to a contract until 2029. His combination of composure, aerial strength, and ball-playing ability has caught the attention of top clubs. While Erik ten Hag's team are pushing hard, and Dortmund have joined the race, Inter’s interest has taken priority for the Frenchman. However, a delay from the Serie A side could force him to reconsider other options.
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The 25-year-old has been instrumental for Los Nervionenses, showcasing leadership and defensive stability. Piero Ausilio, Inter’s sporting director, has personally requested Bade's camp to stall negotiations with other clubs until Inter can clear squad space, reports .
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Inter must act quickly, a defensive sale will need to be finalised before any move for Bade can happen. Sevilla, meanwhile, will hold firm on their €30m valuation. If Inter delay too long, Leverkusen could pounce and seal the deal.