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Rangers manager Michael Beale personally "believed he was close" to signing his top transfer target, but there's now been a twist.

What's the latest Rangers transfer news?

There is set to be a real summer of changes at Ibrox as the Gers, after a largely underwhelming Scottish Premiership campaign, look to wrestle dominance back off Old Firm rivals Celtic.

Beale's side are reliably believed to be in pole position to sign Ecuador international and Los Angeles FC star Jose Cifuentes, with talks held and at an advanced stage, according to reports.

The South American is by no means the only player attracting Gers' interest, though, as Arsenal's Aaron Trusty is also believed to be on their radar.

Rangers need to be busy in this transfer market as a plethora of first team players look set to leave for free at the end of this month, including Ryan Kent, Alfredo Morelos, Filip Helander, Scott Arfield, Steven Davis, Allan McGregor and Kieran Wright (Transfermarkt).

The latter two are particularly concerning as Beale will be left very short in the goalkeeping department, with club legend McGregor set to depart and may well retire depending on developments.

Signing a new shot-stopper may well be imperative, but a report from The Scottish Sun has some bad news in this regard.

According to their information, Man United are preparing to hijack the Gers' move for Butland and want to sign him permanently as cover for David De Gea and Dean Henderson.

United are even ready to double Rangers' salary offer for the 30-year-old who is set to leave parent club Crystal Palace on a Bosman deal this summer.

The Red Devils' stance is described as a potential "huge blow", as Beale "believed he was close" to signing Butland, who was his "main target".

SunSport also claimed that Rangers were on the brink of making Butland their first summer signing, but after a twist from Old Trafford, it appears they're now on the backseat.

Who is Jack Butland?

The former Stoke City goalkeeper, who has nine caps for England at international level, could bring a wealth of experience and quality to Glasgow – making him a credible candidate to succeed McGregor.

Butland has found game time difficult to come by over the last few seasons, but former Palace boss Patrick Vieira claimed last year this didn't get him down – branding his ex-keeper a "real" and "positive" professional.

Signing the player on a free deal would be excellent business from Rangers' perspective, but United's presence now certainly complicates matters.

BCCI and WICB officials are confident of securing US visas in time for their respective squads to go ahead with the proposed T20 series in Florida next month

Peter Della Penna29-Jul-2016BCCI and WICB officials are confident of securing US visas in time for their respective squads to go ahead with the proposed T20 series in Florida next month. A source with knowledge of the negotiations between the two boards, which took place at the Central Broward Regional Park (CBRP) on Thursday, said that the series is “98% on”.The tentative plan, it is understood, is to hold two T20s on August 27 and 28, following the negotiations in Florida that involved BCCI general manager MV Shridar and WICB commercial manager Nelecia Yeates. Discussions are also believed to involve staging a return visit by both sides in 2017.For now, the 2% hold-up on finalising the August series is based on multiple factors, including the visa status of players. However, multiple sources have confirmed that the BCCI has already submitted names, photographs and documents for their intended T20 squad to the US Embassy in Jamaica, where the second Test is due to start on Saturday.There is a sense of urgency to get expedited visas approved for India’s dual Test and T20 players at the US Embassy in Jamaica because there is no US Embassy in St Lucia, the venue of the third Test. All US consular affairs in St Lucia are handled by the US Embassy in Barbados. By waiting to file the visa applications until the team gets to Trinidad for the fourth Test, it would leave just a over a week to finalise other logistical aspects with no guarantee that the players’ visas will be approved.Aside from the visas, the WICB also needs to get approval from the ICC to host matches in the USA, though that is a formality with the ICC eager to facilitate as much cricket as possible within the country. ICC chief operating officer Iain Higgins is currently in Florida for the CPL matches and is expected to rubber stamp approval once an application is submitted.A contract will also need to be arranged with the CBRP and Broward County for stadium rental fees. That may also include paying a fee to accommodate the shifting of an event previously scheduled for August 28 at the stadium. The BCCI is determined to play the matches on a Saturday and Sunday to capitalise on the US expat market, enabling fans to fly into Florida for the weekend.The start times may also shift at the behest of the BCCI. The CPL matches taking place at the CBRP this week include local start times of 7 pm on the two week nights, and 12 pm and 4 pm doubleheaders for the weekend. The BCCI is pushing for the two T20Is to have a 10 am local start in Florida, which is 7.30 pm in India, allowing a prime-time audience and maximising TV revenue.One more piece in the puzzle is the ground capacity. The capacity for the CPL has been capped at 10,000, but the CBRP is capable of bringing in more temporary bleachers to hold as many as 20,000 people. The BCCI is angling for the capacity to be maxed out, confident that they can generate two sellouts and maximise gate revenue.Among the other details to be ironed out are the ticket-pricing policy as well as broadcast rights. Pending the approval of the players’ visas along with the other logistical details, the two proposed matches may not be finalised until sometime next week.

The ICC has revealed that it undertook a successful confidential conciliatory process to resolve a complaint made by Cricket Namibia under the anti-racism code during Namibia’s Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan in Noida earlier this year

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Jun-2016The ICC has revealed that a confidential conciliatory process was used to resolve a complaint made by Cricket Namibia under the anti-racism code during Namibia’s Intercontinental Cup match against Afghanistan in India earlier this year. The ICC made a statement about the issue through a press release on Tuesday.Following discussions with an ICC-appointed conciliator, all parties agreed that “some of the offence caused by words used by some of the Afghanistan players resulted from cultural differences, a lack of sensitivity and misunderstanding. The Afghanistan Cricket Board accepted that certain words spoken by some of their players in the presence of a Namibian player could reasonably have been expected to cause offence.” Both the board and the Afghanistan players in question offered an apology to the Namibian cricketer involved and stressed “that there was no intention to cause offence on the basis of race, or act in a way that would constitute a breach of the ICC Anti-Racism Code”.The Afghanistan board also agreed that its national squad shall attend an education and training course organised by the ICC, which focuses on “the responsibilities of international cricketers in relation to issues of race, language and cultural sensitivity.”The conciliator appointed in this instance was an “accredited mediator with extensive experience in race relations issues and sports disciplinary matters,” the ICC said. The process also involved relevant parties from both teams in Edinburgh, where the ICC’s annual conference is presently underway.In September 2006, the ICC adopted an amended anti-racism code, which extends to player, personnel and spectator behaviour. In terms of spectator behaviour, the code allowed member countries to impose punishments ranging from ejection from the venue to a life ban if the spectator was found guilty of racial abuse.The process of mediation as a method to amicably resolve such conflicts among cricketers was introduced in October 2009, more than a year after the controversial incident between Harbhajan Singh and Andrew Symonds in Australia that nearly led to India pulling out of the tour. The code included a conciliation procedure to prevent “confusion, misunderstanding, ignorance or language and translation barriers” that could lead to such disputes.David Richardson, the ICC’s CEO, stressed the ICC’s commitment to tackling the issue of racism. “I would like to thank all parties involved for their cooperation in and commitment to the conciliation process,” he said. “I am also extremely grateful to the conciliator for his professional approach. The ICC would like to stress that there is no place for racism within the sport; we are proud of the diversity of the global cricket community and accordingly place the utmost importance on every participant according respect to their fellow players.”The ICC also specified that since all parties agreed that the conciliation process had reached a consensual resolution, the matter was closed and no further comment will be made.

Journalist Jonny McFarlane has revealed that Rangers will sign a striker who can link up the play and run in behind.

What's the latest Rangers transfer news?

At the end of the season, it seems as though Alfredo Morelos will almost certainly be leaving Ibrox when his contract ends.

Indeed, manager Michael Beale recently confirmed as much to the press, saying: "Alfredo is obviously going to be moving on."

With that being the case, it's more than likely that the Scottish Premiership side will be on the hunt for at least one new striker in the summer.

As of yet, though, it remains unclear who exactly their primary target will be. However, while speaking on the Rangers Review podcast, McFarlane gave details about what sort of profile will be targeted.

He also alluded to the idea that he has heard a name, but needs to further check with sources before divulging the full information.

He began (2:38): "Whoever arrives in the summer – I've got my suspicions about who it might be – whoever arrives, I think will be a player who will link up and go in behind.

Before later adding that he couldn't yet reveal who exactly that target is, saying: (6:26): “There's a number of names that have been linked that are out there. And I think one of them is right.

"But I've not got that [rumour] backed up what it needs to be [before I can say the player's name].

“But I think whoever Rangers are linked with, it will have to be someone that can both link up play and have the pace to go in behind."

Who will Rangers sign this summer?

One of the biggest rumours floating about Scotland at the moment is the story which claims Josh Maja could be on his way to Ibrox.

Indeed, as per The Scottish Sun, the Bordeaux man will see his contract expire at the end of the season and has consequently been targetted by Rangers.

When asked directly about this claim, he told France media (via The Scottish Sun):

"I can't think about that at the moment.

"We have so many important games before the end of the season and I have to concentrate on that only.

"We'll see what happens at the end of the season.

"I have to wait to hear what the management of this club says and whether they want to keep me."

He has, however, been described as a "natural finisher, a pure goalscorer" by journalist Nicolas Le Gardien (via The Athletic) so it remains to be seen if his characteristics match what McFarlane listed above.

Although, perhaps he has good link-up play, as WhoScored suggests his strengths include doing layoffs, as well as making passes and through balls.

Everton are running out of time.

Never in the history of this distinguished football team has divisional football been contested outside the Premier League, but all that could change over the next few weeks.

The Toffees languish in 19th place in the top flight, yielding just 29 points and six victories from 34 matches, though the three teams placed above them boast just one point more than Sean Dyche's men heading into the weekend.

With imminent fixtures against Brighton & Hove Albion, Manchester City and Wolverhampton Wanderers preceding a potentially favourable finale against Bournemouth at Goodison Park, Dyche must find a balance to ensure their status is preserved.

The Blues are currently seven outings without a victory in the Premier League, last prevailing with a late winner against Brentford in March, but with four draws in this period, Dyche will be confident that a coveted triumph is forthcoming.

They will be without veteran stalwart, Seamus Coleman, however, with the 34-year-old Irishman sustaining a knee injury against Leicester City and now unlikely to feature again this term.

Who should replace Seamus Coleman?

Coleman has been a reliable presence this season and has featured 23 times in the top flight, starting 20 times after not playing across the first two months of the campaign.

As per Sofascore, the 67-cap Republic of Ireland international has been impressive this term defensively, recording an average of 1.5 tackles and one interception per match, as well as succeeding in 61% of his total duels, with former boss Frank Lampard calling him an "incredible player" last year.

However, a good worker uses the tools at their disposal, and Dyche must now utilise a new cog down the defensive right flank, and despite his recent red card, we feel Mason Holgate must be picked ahead of Nathan Patterson.

In the looming matches against Brighton and City, defensive uniformity will be paramount, and while Patterson is an exciting prospect, 26-year-old Holgate could be the better fit to adopt his captain's mantle.

Playing just seven times this term and starting on just four occasions in the Premier League, the £70k-per-week dynamo was sent off against Crystal Palace last month in the 80th minute after receiving two bookings, though he did play a role in keeping a clean sheet in the 0-0 draw at Selhurst Park.

Primarily a centre-back, Holgate has played on the right throughout his Toffees career and would bring an element of creativity across this latter phase of the campaign, ranking among the top 10% of top-level defenders over the past year for goals and the top 2% for assists per 90, while he is also among the top 17% for successful take-ons and the top 8% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.

The "leader", as hailed by the Liverpool Echo's Sam Carroll, might have been a peripheral figure this term, but his average of 1.8 tackles, 1.2 interceptions and 4.2 clearances in the league certainly hints that he can be an effective option, having also won 59% of his ground duels, as per Sofascore.

Coleman's setback can be met with nothing but woe from the Everton camp, but with such little time remaining, slotting Holgate into the starting fold will only aid the club's efforts at cementing their status in the Premier League once again.

Journalist Dean Jones has claimed that possible future Tottenham Hotspur manager Julian Nagelsmann could want to sell half the team amid the club's recent poor form.

What's the latest Spurs manager news?

With Antonio Conte gone, interim Cristian Stellini sacked, and Ryan Mason now in charge, there is plenty of interest in who will actually become Spurs' next permanent boss.

According to some recent reports, former Bayern Munich coach Nagelsmann is currently at the very top of a "four-man shortlist" for their next head coach.

Whoever comes in next, likely wouldn't have been impressed by some of the recent Premier League displays from the current Tottenham squad.

For instance, they were thumped away from home 6-1 against Newcastle United and on the weekend conceded three goals in the first 15 minutes to Liverpool, before eventually levelling the game only to go and throw away the three points just minutes later.

These disastrous performances show there is much work to do in North London next season and Jones has suggested that a new manager may want major changes if he does come in.

In an interview with GIVEMESPORT, the insider was asked what Nagelsmann would have made of the dismal display at Newcastle.

He replied: “You've got to study the group of players you’ll be working with.

“Looking at the application of the 11 players on the pitch during the opening 20 minutes of the Newcastle game, I don't even know where you would begin apart from trying to get rid of half of them.”

Who could leave Spurs this summer?

And while Spurs have shown some reliance in the two games since then – coming back from two goals down to draw with Manchester United, and then almost pulling off a comeback against Liverpool – there are major doubts over the quality of some of the players.

For example, experienced centre-back Eric Dier was slammed in the media after his "sloppy" display against the Reds on Sunday.

Journalist Jonathan Veal wrote on Twitter: "Dier's time is up, surely?" and if Nagelsmann was watching the events at Anfield and St James' Park he may well feel the same way.

Beyond that, the 35-year-old may also have to deal with losing some players he might not want to depart. After all, Harry Kane seems to have perpetually been linked with an exit over the last few seasons.

All in all, whoever arrives at Tottenham looks to have a massive rebuild on their hands.

Frank McAvennie feels that Liverpool will complete a deal to bring in Man City midfielder Kalvin Phillips this summer, according to Football Insider.

What's the latest on Kalvin Phillips to Liverpool?

The midfielder has struggled for gametime this season, featuring just seven times in the Premier League for Pep Guardiola's outfit this campaign. This has been due to a combination of both a shoulder injury that ruled him out of action at the beginning of the campaign and a lack of fitness following the World Cup.

With the 27-year-old not playing frequently for City, it means that the player could perhaps be available on a deal when the summer transfer window opens its doors. Liverpool could provide the escape route for Phillips too, with the Reds eager to add a midfielder to their ranks in the close season.

They've already been linked with the midfielder previously via the Daily Star, with the club feeling that a deal could be done and the player seemingly keen to move over to Anfield. Klopp has already revealed that a deal for Jude Bellingham is pretty much dead in the water, with the Reds unable to find the financial power to seal a deal for the Dortmund star.

Instead, they could turn to Phillips – and Frank McAvennie has told Football Insider that he feels a deal will be completed this summer.

"He will get Phillips for about £40/£50m. I think he is a good option for that kind of money because then you can buy other players," the former St Mirren man said of Jurgen Klopp. The pundit added that he feels the Man City man would be a suitable replacement for Jordan Henderson, who is now 32-years-old. "I love Henderson, he is a steady player, keeps everyone under control, but he is coming to the end of his career.

"They need players in there that are going to be buzzing about. I am not too sure if the young boys there are ready to do that yet. So I think Phillips, Thiago [Alcantara] and another midfielder would be wonderful."

Would Kalvin Phillips be a good Liverpool addition?

Phillips has proven in the past that he is more than capable of performing at Premier League level, with his showings for Leeds United helping him to break into the England setup. It led to him helping his international side to reach the Euro 2020 final and although his team were unsuccessful, losing to Italy, he ended up being crowned England's Player of the Year for 2020/21.

The midfielder was hailed as a "rolls-royce" of a player and "fantastic" during his showings for England by journalist Josh Bunting, particularly against Denmark. He said:

"Kalvin Phillips Rolls Royce performance, absolutely fantastic driving from deep and turning over the possesion. Played a couple of brilliant passes. He's stood out in this tournament from the opening game against Croatia. Top performance from him once again."

The 27-year-old then could be a welcome addition to Liverpool's team. Whilst he's only amounted to a rating of 6.15 during his Premier League appearances for Man City so far, when he was a regular at Leeds during his first top tier campaign he was handed a score of 7.01 by WhoScored. Having played at the required level for the last three seasons and having clearly been able to up his game since the jump from the Championship, there is no question he could be an asset for the Reds.

Everton have generated some incredible talent from their Finch Farm academy with Tom Cannon the latest prodigy breaking through into first-team football.

However, Farhad Moshiri could now be heading for another transfer disaster.

What's the latest on Tom Cannon's Everton future?

According to journalist Alan Nixon, the Everton striker is attracting attention for his performances out on loan at Preston North End and now the club could be subjected to a bid from Swansea City to secure his services this summer.

Nixon claimed on his Patreon subscription platform: "Everton striker Tom Cannon is a wanted man – with Swansea now rivalling Preston to take him next season.

"The Welsh outfit are strong on Republic of Ireland U21 cap Cannon who has been a huge hit for North End on loan.

"Swans had been asking about Cannon before he scored against them last week and his performance only confirmed their thoughts. Everton boss Sean Dyche will look at Cannon in pre-season and may even promote him to his first team squad."

"But if Cannon is allowed out again then Swans will be trying as hard as Preston and may even make a cash offer if they lose top scorer Joel Piroe."

Will Tom Cannon play for Everton next season?

It is no secret that Everton's biggest problems this term have come in front of goal, with the club failing to secure the services of a prolific goal-scorer to replace the contributions of Richarlison and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in the forward line.

Whilst Richarlison made a £60m exit that earned the Toffees a tidy profit, the combination of his departure alongside the constant injury issues that have plagued Calvert-Lewin over the last two seasons, has left the side unable to find the back of the net consistently and, as a consequence, resulted in another relegation scrap at the bottom of the table.

No other team in the entire Premier League has scored fewer goals than Everton this season so far (24), so it will be imperative that the powerbrokers at Goodison Park address this issue as the highest priority at the end of the campaign, whether they retain their top-flight status or not.

Indeed, there are several financial concerns surrounding the Merseyside club with an investigation underway at present, so there will be an appeal to the hierarchy to sell on their hottest prospects to give them the best possible chance of escaping any further turmoil.

On the other hand, by deploying Cannon in the centre-forward role, they could save themselves millions in outsourcing a new addition to add depth to their attacking line, especially if the young goal machine can continue his current form at Goodison Park next season.

Over 18 Championship appearances, the Irishman – hailed "ruthless" by journalist Joe Thomas – has scored eight goals, registered one assist and created three big chances, as well as averaging 1.1 shots on target and 1.1 successful dribbles per game, with none of the current Everton forwards scoring as many goals as the rising star so far.

With that being said, it would make little to no sense for the Toffees to take a quick buck for Cannon this summer and should instead allow him the chance to become a consistent feature in the first team.

Although Richarlison was a very different case, they have already felt the true force of letting one prolific striker go, they cannot afford to do the same in this situation. Indeed, keeping the youngster at the club could pay off significantly.

Liverpool have identified Ryan Gravenberch as a potential midfield option in the summer following their recent blow in the race for Jude Bellingham.

Have Liverpool pulled out of the Bellingham race?

The pursuit for the signature of Bellingham in the summer took a major twist over recent days with Liverpool believed to be one f the three main sides eyeing the midfielder.

Alongside the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid, it is believed Liverpool were seriously interested in potentially signing the 19-year-old.

However, reports have now suggested the Reds have pulled out of the race as a result of the finances expected to be involved in the possible sale of the England midfielder.

Now, it appears the Merseyside are weighing up their options for potential alternatives as they look to plan for the new campaign at Anfield.

It has been a largely underwhelming campaign for Liverpool this season and one they will be hoping some reinforcements over the summer could turn around.

One name which has been floated around as a possible alternative for Bellingham is the £155k-per-week Bayern Munich midfielder, Gravnberch.

Indeed, speaking on the Talking Transfers podcast, insider Graeme Bailey has suggested the 20-year-old is a player who Jurgen Klopp's side are said to be keen on:

(23:50) "A very interesting name to keep an eye on and I suspect he'll be very strongly talked about with Liverpool. They like him, as you say. So I think he'd be very much under consideration for them. Could be a very good pickup for a Premier League team."

Could Gravenberch be a good Bellingham alternative?

It has to be noted potentially missing out on Bellingham will naturally feel like a huge blow given the high praise that the youngster has received over the early stages of his career.

However, the Dutchman, Gravenberch, is a player who landed at Bayern in the summer from Ajax with huge expectations following his time in the Eredivisie.

Under his previous manager, Julian Nagelsmann, the 20-year-old was hailed despite the lack of game time he was receiving from the starting XI: “It’s not easy for Ryan but he’s gonna be one of the best midfielders in the world," he said.

The midfielder has made 17 appearances in the Bundesliga and only one of those have come from the starting XI with a total of 323 minutes of league action (via Transfermarkt).

Gravenberch has been described as "special" by talkSPORT's Mark Goldbridge and last season he certainly showed that having provided more shot-creating actions than Bellingham did last season (via Fbref).

Of course, this has to be caveated by the fact he was playing in a different league to Bellingham last season, however, the Dutchman (67.4%) also provided more successful take-ons than Bellingham (55.1%).

Missing out on the statement signing of Bellingham will hurt for Liverpool fans, but it seems there are other players who could bolster Klopp's options in the middle.

Newcastle United have been handed a potential transfer boost ahead of the summer window as Paris Saint-Germain will not be an option for Moussa Diaby.

Could Diaby leave Leverkusen in the summer?

Going into the summer, the French winger will have just two years remaining on his deal with the Bundesliga side and has been a target for the Toon in the past.

It was reported last summer that Newcastle were eyeing the 23-year-old as a potential transfer target but hit a number of stumbling blocks in trying to seal his services.

Indeed, it is believed the £60m asking price put on the winger by Leverkusen was well beyond what Newcastle were willing to pay last summer.

Reports would suggest the German side were looking for a fee in the region of £60m which is around what Newcastle ended up spending on Alexander Isak.

However, it is also said the Toon have not moved on from their interest in the 23-year-old and could look to bring him to St. James' Park over the summer window.

And speaking on his YouTube channel, insider Jacque Talbot has claimed the Ligue 1 champions, PSG, would not be willing to bring him back to the French capital:

(3:10) "But we've heard from people in France because PSG have been linked to Diaby and, you know, he's gonna be linked back to a move to PSG, but it's a very good line there. That is not going to happen.

"They do like him as a profile but just in the principle of buying back one of their players for a high price it's just not going to happen. So obviously leaves the door open in some regards to Newcastle bringing him in."

Would Diaby improve Newcastle?

Newcastle made a big money addition to their left-wing over the January window with the purchase of Anthony Gordon from Everton.

However, it may be thought the impressive form shown by Miguel Almiron this season could see the Toon go without any reinforcement on the right.

But it has become apparent over recent weeks that this may not be the case with Almiron suffering from an injury issue which has seen him sidelined.

Although Almiron has been in fine form under Eddie Howe, there is still room for improvement and Diaby could certainly be the man to provide that competition ahead of next season.

Football writer Hrach Khachatryan hailed Diaby as a "beast" earlier this season and it is clear to see why when he has provided 3.54 take-ons per 90 minutes (via Fbref).

Diaby has also provided a higher return of shot-creating actions (3.85) per game in comparison to Almiron (3.00) this season.

But what is perhaps even more impressive from a Newcastle perspective is that Diaby has offered two goals in the Champions League and a further two in the Europa League this season for Leverkusen (via Transfermarkt).

In comparison, Almiron does not have experience in the elite European competition, and this is something which the Toon will potentially have to consider over the summer as they aim for a spot inside the top four.