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Blackburn Rovers have now reached an agreement over the signing of a versatile forward player, according to a key update from journalist Sacha Tavolieri.

Ismael preparing for first summer at Blackburn

Rovers narrowly missed out on a place in the Championship playoffs in 2024/25, finishing two points adrift, and it’s now a case of kicking on next season. This summer is manager Valerien Ismael’s first chance to sign players who he believes can suit his system best at Blackburn, and the 49-year-old recently discussed his plans for the summer.

“Our job now is to keep the vast majority of this squad as I’ve learned about the players. Reliability is very important for a manager – at the same time, we need to add some of what we don’t have in the team to ensure we can compete better. We have a lot of trust in the players and, with a good pre-season and being clearer with the principles, I think we will be in a good place.”

Swansea City striker Jerry Yates is among the players to have been linked with a summer to Blackburn, but Hull City are also believed to be providing competition for his signature. It looks as though one piece of business is extremely close, though, following a fresh claim.

Blackburn reach agreement to sign winger

According to Tavolieri on X, Blackburn are now closing in on the signing of Kortrijk winger Dion De Neve, having reached a “long-term” agreement to snap up the 23-year-old. The young attacker is set to sign his contract soon and will then start his medical.

De Neve may not be a household name to Rovers supporters, but any new signing is exciting, and he could be an excellent addition to Ismael’s squad. For starters, the Belgian’s versatility stands out, with a wide attacking role his strongest position, but left-back is also an area of the pitch that he can thrive in, perhaps offering the manager a route to vary his system with attacking wing-backs.

De Neve won seven caps for Belgium at Under-17 and Under-16 level combined earlier in his career, too, showing that he was a highly thought of teenager.

A powerful runner down the left flank, he could add much-needed quality for Blackburn, as they look to make the step up to being in the playoffs next season.

Blackburn fighting QPR and Hull for "amazing" forward with 96 career goals

The Rovers are among the clubs leading the chase to sign a forward, who is now expected to leave his club this summer.

ByDominic Lund May 13, 2025

This feels like a strong start to Blackburn’s summer, and it’s now a case of Ismael bringing in more players between now and August.

With Ibrahima Konate attracting interest from Real Madrid and Virgil van Dijk certainly no spring chicken anymore, it was hardly a surprise to see Liverpool throw their hat in the ring for Bournemouth defender Dean Huijsen.

The young centre-back has shown himself to be one of the most exciting defenders in Europe and as such, attracted the interest of many a suitor on the continent.

Possessing a £50m release clause that could be paid in three instalments, this move felt like a no-brainer for the top clubs in Europe, yet Liverpool have now sadly missed out on his signature.

Indeed, it was announced on Saturday that Madrid had agreed a deal to bring the 20-year-old to the Bernabeu this summer.

So, who could the Reds target instead?

Liverpool could sign amazing Huijsen alternative

There appear to be several defenders on Liverpool’s radar at the moment, with Arne Slot not just keen on strengthening in the centre of defence but also at full-back.

Transfer Focus

Mega money deals, controversial moves and big-name flops. This is the home of transfer news and opinion across Football FanCast.

Jeremie Frimpong looks poised to sign as Trent Alexander-Arnold’s replacement, while there are a few contenders to replace Andy Robertson at left-back with the likes of Milos Kerkez and Rayan Ait-Nouri two names touted.

As far as their options at centre-back are concerned, they could get over their Huijsen setback by launching a move for Ajax sensation Jorrel Hato.

That’s according to Fabrizio Romano, via GIVEMESPORT, who claims that Hato is “one of the players appreciated at Liverpool” but “let’s see also what Arsenal decide to do,” with the Gunners interested.

Liverpool may have to pay a similar price to Huijsen with Ajax reportedly valuing the 19-year-old at around £42m.

How Hato compares to Huijsen

In the words of scout Jacek Kulig, the teenager is “one of the most talented CBs of his generation in Europe.” Fine praise indeed, but what makes him so special?

Well, as data analyst Ben Mattinson notes, the Dutchman is an “exceptional athlete” who can “carry through the lines”, much in the same way Huijsen can.

They’re pretty similar profiles, but Hato comes with one additional plus point, he can play at left-back, as well as in the middle.

A left-footed player, it’s no surprise to see he’s in such high demand. Not only could he replace Robertson, but he’s a mighty fine long-term replacement for Van Dijk too.

Pass success %

89%

83.5%

Key passes

0.65

0.54

Progressive passes

4.24

4.96

Progressive carries

1.37

1.55

Successful take-ons

0.25

0.08

Tackles won

1.29

1.01

Ball recoveries

4.53

3.91

Aerial duels won

1.83

2.56

While Huijsen trumps the young Netherlands international for progressive passing and carries, there are some key wins for Hato here.

He’s notably crisper in possession, making more take-ons and completing a higher percentage of his passes. Hato is also a natural shuttler, completing more ball recoveries per 90 minutes.

Let us not forget that this is a player who has captained Ajax too, even at his young age. It’s remarkable really that the Dutch side have placed so much faith in him.

If Liverpool are hunting for their future Van Dijk replacement, considering Hato boasts natural leadership skills, he ticks all the boxes here for Slot and Co.

He'd be their best CM since Fabinho: Liverpool plan bid for £60m "machine"

Arne Slot is looking to strengthen his Liverpool side in the transfer market this summer.

2 ByAngus Sinclair May 18, 2025

Arsenal sporting director Andrea Berta is reportedly waiting for a green-light from the Kroenkes to seal his first major signing at the club, with an agreement for the player described as “done”.

Arsenal transfer plans as Mikel Arteta prepares for PSG

With their Premier League clash against Crystal Palace done and dusted on Wednesday evening, Mikel Arteta can now put full focus into their far more important Champions League semi-final first leg against PSG next Tuesday.

Fabrizio Romano says Arsenal "really" want £50m player, talks already held

The north Londoners are very keen.

ByEmilio Galantini Apr 23, 2025

The Gunners face France’s champions in a mouthwatering European encounter which has the power to make or break Arsenal’s season, and Arteta’s side now have six days to prepare for their most crucial match of the season so far.

Bournemouth (home)

May 3rd

Liverpool (away)

May 11th

Newcastle United (home)

May 18th

Southampton (away)

May 25th

Arteta’s mind will only be on how to ge the better of Luis Enrique’s high-flying PSG side, who’ve seriously impressed both domestically and in Europe, but he’ll take comfort from the fact Aston Villa very nearly upset them in the last round.

Off the field, Berta and co are already making transfer plans for next season.

Arsenal are believed to be in the market for a second-choice keeper, full-back, midfielder, left-winger, right-winger and striker (GiveMeSport). It was also reported that they could bring in two midfielders, with Newcastle star Bruno Guimaraes linked.

However, it has since come to light that the north Londoners could extend Thomas Partey’s contract instead, following an impressive end to the campaign.

It is unclear how this will impact their ongoing attempts to sign Real Sociedad star Martin Zubimendi, but given Jorginho is still likely to leave the Emirates, Arteta will still be in need of reinforcements for the engine room.

Arsenal have been in talks to sign Zubimendi for months, and there is confidence that the Spain international will eventually arrive and depart his boyhood club for the Premier League, one year after he rejected a switch to Liverpool.

Arsenal agree Martin Zubimendi deal as Berta awaits green-light

According to journalist Juan Castro, writing in a column for Marca (via Sport Witness), Arsenal’s deal for Zubimendi actually seems to be “done”.

However, there are a few things holding up despite the alleged agreement, with one of them being Arsenal’s owners – Josh and Stan Kroenke. Berta is believed to be waiting on the club’s board members to sanction Zubimendi’s £51 million release clause payment, while Real Madrid could still come in to mount a late hijack.

If the Kroenkes refuse to green-light a move, it could collapse, with Los Blancos also posing some threat in the background, even if it is still unlikely Real pose a threat at this stage, with a deal very far down the line.

Zubimendi would be a stellar capture for Arteta, and has been described as the “perfect” midfielder for Arsenal, so supporters will be hoping the Kroenkes eventually give the go ahead.

Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues have had a quiet World Cup so far. India can’t afford for it to stay that way

Vishal Dikshit10-Oct-2025India are approaching the halfway mark of their Women’s World Cup campaign and their performances have not lived up to the promise they displayed in the lead up to the tournament. They haven’t come close to playing the perfect game, and Australia await on Sunday.India’s most severe problem is that their star-studded top five has been reduced to rubble and their innings has needed a lower-order rescue in all three games. They managed to recover well enough to win their first two matches but fell short against their toughest opponents yet, South Africa.The trend in this tournament has been for most teams to lose five or six wickets by around 25 overs, but India’s struggle stands out because none of their senior trio of Smriti Mandhana, Harmanpreet Kaur and Jemimah Rodrigues has made a half-century.When compared to the other seven teams at the World Cup, India’s top five averages 23.13, lower than all the other serious semi-finalist contenders England, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Among teams that have played at least two games, India are the only ones without a 50-plus score from their top five. It terms of run rate, India’s top five is third from the bottom.Related

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Harmanpreet: 'This time we will cross the line'

Harmanpreet: 'It wasn't an easy pitch to bat'

India need to fix flaws ahead of tougher challenges

During the previous game against South Africa, Mandhana broke a 28-year record held by Belinda Clark and is on track to become the first woman to score 1000 ODI runs in a year. She has eight hundreds since the start of 2024; the most recent of those – 125 off 63 balls against Australia last month – was the second fastest in the format.In the World Cup, however, she has made only 8, 23, and 23 so far. What was hard to believe was that her scratchiest innings – against South Africa – came on the flattest pitch India have played on to date. She was beaten frequently in Visakhapatnam and struggled against the swing of Marizanne Kapp before eventually holing out against left-arm spinner Nonkululeko Mlaba.It would have been even harder to believe for the Indian camp because in their two training sessions in Visakhapatnam, Mandhana batted like she did during that century against Australia: taking apart the swing of Renuka Singh, middling aerial shots against anyone who bowled to her, and shuffling around her crease to hit anywhere she wanted to.Jemimah Rodrigues has fallen to left-arm spin in all three games•ICC/Getty ImagesMandhana’s close friend Rodrigues was not far behind before this World Cup. She scored both of her ODI centuries in 2025 and her strike rate in a year was more than a run a ball for the first time. She had found success at No. 5, a position given to her only in 2023 after she spent her early years in the top order.To be fair to Rodrigues, the first delivery she faced in her maiden ODI World Cup is a contender for the ball of the tournament: Sri Lanka’s left-arm spinner Inoka Ranaweera used drift and turn from around the wicket to hit off stump. Rodrigues, however, fell to left-arm spin in India’s next two games, too. She was lbw to Pakistan’s Nashra Sandhu and lbw to South Africa’s Chloe Tyron, missing the sweep on both occasions. Her highest score so far is 32 off 37 against Pakistan, but she might have not even got that far had Diana Baig not overstepped when she was on 2.Harmanpreet hasn’t had a magical year so far, but she’s the sort of batter who can play a blinder out of nowhere, especially against India’s next opponents Australia. She played a cameo against Sri Lanka when India needed more, struggled for rhythm against Pakistan, and got totally stuck against South Africa, crawling to 9 off 23 before mistiming an on-the-up push to point that drew instant criticism from Anjum Chopra for getting through the shot too early against the left-arm spin of Tyron.You can bet on Harmanpreet raising her game against Australia, though, especially on the biggest stages. After her match-winning 171 not out in the 2017 World Cup semi-final, she nearly took India to the gold medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, nearly secured a place in the 2023 T20 World Cup final, and ran them close in the 2024 T20 World Cup, too.Harmanpreet had hoped that the WPL, now three seasons old, would prepare India’s lower order to handle crunch situations better than they have in the past. The previous three games have proved that India’s Nos. 6 to 9 can dig the team out of a deep hole. The onus is now on Mandhana, Harmanpreet and Rodrigues to ensure they don’t find themselves in one, as the race to the semi-finals heats up with tough fixtures against Australia and then England.

Since the start of 2022 no batter with a significant portfolio against spin has scored quicker than him, and this shot, which goes against what makes a pull a pull, plays a big role in that

Karthik Krishnaswamy26-Oct-20232:25

Klaasen on being labeled as the ‘best finisher’ and working on his six-hitting

When is a pull no longer a pull? If you’re the kind of person who spends an unhealthy amount of time dwelling on the precise meanings of cricketing terms, you might find yourself pondering this when you watch Heinrich Klaasen play the pull.Defined most simply, the pull is a horizontal-bat shot hit across the line of a short-pitched ball. Klaasen’s pull, particularly against spin bowling, routinely fails to check all three of those boxes.Consider the one he hit off Adil Rashid en route to his 67-ball 109 against England at the Wankhede Stadium. It could hardly be described as a horizontal-bat shot, since his bat was at something like a 45-degree angle to the ground. He didn’t hit across the line of the ball as much as through it, his bat swing tending towards that of a back-foot drive on the up.A rendition of the pull that has brought Heinrich Klaasen so much success against spin•ICC/Getty ImagesAnd the ball from Rashid was really not short at all. It was a more-or-less good-length ball, a wrong ‘un probably destined to miss leg stump at slightly below stump height. Klaasen shifted his weight on to the back foot and swung his hip open so his front leg was well outside leg stump, brusquely reclaiming the room that the bowler had tried so assiduously to deny him. From this position he swung his bat through an arc both smooth and ferocious, his arms at full extension, and launched the ball well beyond the wide long-on boundary.This was a shot that occupied the outer limits of what a pull is and does – not really a pull at all, but nonetheless the most devastating of pulls. The Klaasen pull may, in fact, be even more than that; it may well be the most devastating weapon against spin in all white-ball cricket.!function(){“use strict”;window.addEventListener(“message”,(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data[“datawrapper-height”]){var e=document.querySelectorAll(“iframe”);for(var t in a.data[“datawrapper-height”])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();