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Chelsea are now believed to have taken a serious interest in one marquee Newcastle star amid a real worry for incoming new manager Liam Rosenior.

After Enzo Maresca’s shock exit on New Year’s Day, credible reports suggest that the west Londoners are about to turn to their sister club for the Italian’s immediate replacement.

Talks are underway with the former Hull City boss and believed to be progressing, with Rosenior the overwhelming favourite to take over from Maresca just two days after the 45-year-old parted company.

However, according to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea are currently waiting on the Ligue 1 side to find a replacement before they green-light their manager’s departure.

Rosenior is very highly-rated for his work developing young players, and he’s already transformed the likes of Diego Moreira at Strasbourg after he was previously let go by Chelsea.

Despite links with the likes of José Mourinho, it is clear that BlueCo see Rosenior as the man to take them forward after Chelsea’s sour relationship with Maresca came to a very abrupt end.

Amid their chase for the tactician, Stamford Bridge chiefs are also making transfer plans, and their ‘major concern’ about injury-ridden midfielder Roméo Lavia has prompted them to look at proven alternatives.

Related Big-name manager prepared to join Chelsea instead of Rosenior after Maresca exit

It would be a statement move.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini

That is according to journalist Wayne Veysey, who told Football Insider that Chelsea are now eyeing a move for Newcastle star Sandro Tonali.

Chelsea set sights on Sandro Tonali amid 'major' Rosenior concern

In what is likely to be a big worry for Rosenior once he does come in, Chelsea have few midfield options bar Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo, who’ve been run into the ground this season.

The club also want an upgrade on Andrey Santos, prompting them to look at the Italian as an option for the summer, rather than January.

In any case, Veysey writes that Chelsea have set their sights on Tonali after taking a ‘firm interest’ in the 25-year-old.

Tonali is a key figure in Eddie Howe’s midfield, starting 16 of their 19 Premier League games so far, and the Magpies are set to demand a marquee fee to let him leave.

Subscribe to the newsletter for Chelsea transfer insight For wider context on Chelsea’s Rosenior link, Tonali interest and how transfers shape the squad, subscribe to the newsletter for in-depth coverage, analysis and informed perspectives on these moves and what they mean.

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Lee Ryder reported late last year that Newcastle want similar figures to Alexander Isak, with fees north of £130 million expected to be the benchmark for any negotiations about Tonali.

The big question is whether Chelsea would be willing to pay anywhere near that sum considering they’ve already splashed north of £100m on both Caicedo and Fernandez since BlueCo’s ownership began.

Tonali isn’t the traditional signing in terms of age that Chelsea usually go for, despite still being pretty young, so it would be a pretty out of the ordinary move by Behdad Eghbali and co.

Another worry for Chelsea is Howe’s recent admission that Tonali hasn’t quite hit the same heights as his comeback campaign last season.

Related £325,000-a-week Chelsea star now wants permanent exit amid interest from West Ham

He has not played for the Blues since 2024.

Posts ByJames O'Reilly

Todd Murphy is firming to play his first home Test, after the SCG’s head curator declared the pitch’s green covering would be near-irrelevant come day one.With administrators still on edge after last week’s two-day debacle in Melbourne, an extremely green SCG surface raised eyebrows in Sydney on Thursday.Related

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But chief curator Adam Lewis insisted on Friday that should not be a concern, and he was hopeful Sydney would extend into a fifth day.”You want to see green tinge three days out,” Lewis said.  “If you’re not seeing any live grass three days out, then that’s when [it’s a worry] … I’m really comfortable with where we’re sitting.”We had a little bit of sun this morning. They’re saying a bit more sun tomorrow. That will take the greenness out of the pitch. We’re really happy with the pitches at the moment. We’re looking good.”Lewis admitted he felt for MCG counterpart Matt Page last week, but said he felt no external pressure to ensure the fifth Test in Sydney went the distance.It’s estimated that Cricket Australia (CA) has lost in the vicinity of AUD15 million in profits this summer, with the opening Test in Perth also finishing inside two days.Even Prime Minister Anthony Albanese joked at a function with teams on Thursday night that they had to ensure the game went to day three, in order to support the McGrath Foundation fundraiser.The pitch at the SCG has been the centre of much attention•AFP/Getty Images

One of the hardest grounds in the world to bowl on between 2014 and 2023, last year’s SCG Test was over in just two-and-a-half days.Lewis said that his ground staff would go with 6mm of grass this year compared to 7mm last season, while also reducing its density. That in itself generally acts to flatten out the wicket and produce less movement, while also inviting the chance of spin late in the match.”We just thought … we could thin our density out a little bit,” Lewis said. “That’s what we’ve done this year. We’ve practised that in the Shield matches and we’ve received very good marks.”CA CEO Todd Greenberg said he too was confident the SCG Test would last the distance.”I’ve had more phone calls and conversations about wickets and millimetres of grass than I thought I’d ever have,” Greenberg said. “But I’m hopeful and confident we will have a long and productive Test match here.”Cameron Green’s form is under scrutiny heading into the final Test•Getty Images

All of which should spell good news for Murphy. Australia’s coaching staff had a prolonged conversation around the pitch on Friday morning, after leaving Murphy out and going with four quicks at the MCG.Murphy then spent most of Friday’s training session bowling to Australia’s top order, while Alex Carey also had an extended run keeping to him.With seven Tests to his name overseas, Murphy would be expected to come in for Jhye Richardson if he does play in Sydney.England have promised to take the attack to Murphy, who played two Tests during the 2023 Ashes were he conceded 4.72 an over.”Whoever plays, I think that’s the mantra of our team, is to try and put pressure on people,” opener Zak Crawley said. “Todd’s a very good bowler, but I can envisage us trying to put some pressure on him, like we would all their bowlers.That’s going to come with some risks, and if it’s turning it’s definitely going to be a threat. But I think we’ll try and put pressure on all their bowlers.”The other question for Australia will be whether Cameron Green remains in the side, after Beau Webster was spotted fielding in the gully during slips training on Friday. Green has averaged 18.66 with the bat in this series. The SCG was the scene of Webster’s debut a year ago against India.

Scorecard

	Canterbury celebrate winning the trophy away from home © Getty Images

Canterbury secured their first State Championship title in a decade after Todd Astle’s four wickets helped fend off a charging Wellington at the Basin Reserve. Wellington were 154 for 5 chasing 249 when Astle collected three wickets in an over to reduce them to 154 for 8 and all but end any chances of a home-town triumph.Wellington started the day in big trouble at 14 for 4, however a 65-run stand from Chris Nevin (25) and Neal Parlane brought them back into the game. When Brandon Hiini had Nevin lbw, Parlane batted on with Luke Woodcock and their 83-run partnership caused some nervous moments for Cantebury, who had declared late on the fourth afternoon.But Astle’s heroics changed the match – he began with Parlane caught by Michael Papps for 74. Three balls later Dewayne Bowden was caught without scoring before Jeetan Patel was caught behind from his first delivery.Woodcock tried his best to rescue the situation, however he was the last man out, finishing with 65 and giving Astle the figures of 4 for 26 as Canterbury prevailed. It was their first State Championship title since 1997-98.”It was a magnificent effort from us in a game that’s gone up and down,” Canterbury coach Dave Nosworthy told the . “But Wellington are a quality side and I feel for them at the moment, I know what they’re going through.”

Kenya’s major stakeholders will be asked to vote tomorrow night on whether to support plans to establish a new authority to run Kenyan cricket or to stick with the embattled Kenyan Cricket Association.At the weekend Ochillo Ayacko, the minister for sports, summoned various parties, including representatives of the country’s provincial associations, striking players and other leading officials, and announced his intention to form a new body – provisionally named Cricket Kenya (CA) – to bypass the KCA. Ayacko will present his application to have the new organisation ratified by the Registrar of Societies tomorrow morning.The country’s two largest bodies – the Nairobi Provincial Cricket Association and the Coast Cricket Association – will both consult with members clubs in the evening over whether to back the new venture. Given that between them they represent almost all of Kenya’s functioning clubs, their support will decide whether Ayacko’s bold initiative gets the go ahead.If it does, then it is likely that Ayacko will seek an urgent meeting later this week with Malcolm Speed and Ehsan Mani, the chief executive and president of the ICC, to try to get their backing and ICC recognition that CA should be confirmed as the real authority representing Kenyan cricket.Although the ICC has repeatedly refused to be drawn into an increasingly messy business, it is widely rumoured that the minister’s decision to finally act against the KCA received its tacit backing after investigations revealed the scale of the problem in the country.Ayacko’s move is thought to have caught the KCA executive off guard. Last Thursday, a scheduled court hearing was delayed in rather strange circumstances after the High Court judge who had summoned the warring parties to appear before him suddenly found he was too busy to hear the legal arguments and postponed the hearing until March 7.The judge claimed that as he had read newspaper reports stating that the national squad was in training, there was no urgency in holding the hearing. However, the reports, which Cricinfo understands were not true, appeared in The Nation, a leading newspaper which has pro-KCA leanings and which critics have accused of being a virtual mouthpiece for Sharad Ghai, the KCA chairman.

Brian Lara’s captaincy has been a bright spot in this series, and he should get a longer run, and more freedom in the job © Getty Images

Amit Varma and Sambit Bal discuss the forthcoming Jamaica Test
Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”; 1.6 MB)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA
Audio length: [6.45 mins]India came to West Indies with a lot of hope, but might actually have gone backwards during this series, says Sambit Bal, Cricinfo’s editor, in conversation with Amit Varma. Their fast bowlers have especially been exposed, with only Munaf performing to brief. While West Indies still have problems, Brian Lara’s captaincy has served them well, says Bal, and the selectors need to reinforce their faith in him. Listen in.Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”; 1.6 MB)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA
Audio length: [6.45 mins]

Anyone who has visited the County Ground over the last few days will have noticed a digger busily shifting a pile of rubble on the Coal Orchard side of the ground.This waste material has been created by the construction of a new entrance by the side of the Riverside Stand that is the final phase of the ground improvement scheme that was started last year by Somerset County Cricket Club.The creation of this new entrance turnstile means that spectators who park in the Coal Orchard and Priory Bridge Car Parks will be able to enter the ground without having to cross a busy main road.Speaking at the County Ground this morning chief executive Peter Anderson told me: “The club has invested £457,000 in these ground improvements, for which we have received £189,000 in grants from the Safety at Sports Grounds Fund. We now have attractive boundary walls and entrances and safe surfaces for people to walk on around the ground.”He continued: “With the introduction of these new turnstiles I can tell at anyone time exactly how many people are inside the ground which is important from a safety angle.”Next season will also see the introduction of the new style membership card which will be in the form of a swipe card with the members name and photograph on it.Before the new style cards can be issued all members need to submit a passport sized photograph of themselves with their name written clearly on the reverse side to the club.Alternatively members can also call into the County Ground where their photograph will be taken, no appointment is necessary and the process is quite painless!Membership secretary Jo Arnold told me: “Up until now only about one quarter of the members have either sent their photograph into the office or have called in to let us take it for them. In order that we can process the new memberships it is important that we have a photograph of every member as soon as possible.”

Easterns 306 and 149 beat Northerns 183 and 212 (Kemp 65,Reddy 5-39) by 60 runs
ScorecardAt SuperSport Park, Easterns ensured that they would win the SuperSport Series Shield after taking only 12 overs to wrap up the Northerns innings. The 60-run victory took them past Northerns, who have now completed their season’s commitments. Easterns still have a game in hand, and have an unassailable lead. Hopes for Northerns faded when Justin Kemp lost his wicket for 65 and Brendon Reddy produced career-best figures of 5 for 39.

Auckland’s Matt Horne gave the national selectors a healthy nudge to remind them that he wasn’t prepared to be discounted as an opener’s alternative for international cricket when guiding Auckland into the State Shield final today.Auckland will have the chance to win the domestic one-day competition for the first time since 1989/90.Horne batted superbly to score 96 as Canterbury were beaten by six wickets at Jade Stadium.It was cruel misfortune that he missed out on what would have been a deserved century as he wasn’t able to get a gift ball from Craig McMillan far enough behind deep backward point for the boundary that would have brought the reward. Instead Chris Harris took the catch.McMillan was the beneficiary when two sucker balls he bowled in the over dramatically improved his return for the day. He also had Lou Vincent when he hit a soft caught and bowled chance back to McMillan who had gone into the over with none for 35 off four overs but who ended with two for 39 off five.The comparisons between the batting of the two sides could not have been further apart.Auckland achieved the basic requirement of building partnerships as seen from the 70 for the first wicket between Horne and Llorne Howell, 70 for the second wicket between Horne and Tim McIntosh and 55 between Horne and Vincent.Canterbury paid the price for a diffident display of batting which seemed to read more terrors into the slow pitch than was warranted. They also had to admit to superior catching by the Aucklanders who managed some outstanding takes to further penalise the home side.Craig Pryor completed a fine catch running back with the ball dropping away from him to dismiss Shanan Stewart while McMillan fell to a fine reflex catch by Aaron Barnes at short mid-wicket.Only another innings of consequence from Harris, his second in three innings, got Canterbury as high as they did with their 199 for nine wickets. He was out in the 49th over when bowled by Andre Adams for 58, scored off 84 balls. He and Peter Fulton had added 72 runs for the sixth wicket when Fulton was run out, albeit by the third umpire’s decision, when attempting a second run off a no-ball.Had Fulton managed to slide his bat in a straight line, he would still have been in but the movement as his bat ended up at about 30 degrees to the crease meant he was just short of his ground.Shane Bond was used as a pinch-hitter but didn’t succeed and it was left to Gareth Hopkins to strike some lusty blows as 25 runs were added to add some lustre to Canterbury’s innings.Earlier, Nathan Astle had been strangely subdued as he was forced to change the nature of his innings after losing Stewart and McMillan in reasonable proximity. Then when Gary Stead and Chris Cairns were both out cheaply to leave Canterbury 65 for four wickets after 20 overs.Frustration finally appeared to get the better of Astle in the 27th over, Astle was well caught by Rob Nicol at backward square leg on the boundary for 32 scored off 68 balls.Another fine catch was made by Adams to make the last dismissal off the last ball of the innings running around the boundary and diving to dismiss Hopkins from Pryor’s bowling.Auckland’s bowlers generally used the conditions better with Kyle Mills taking two for 36 runs from his 10 overs, Barnes one for 26 off 10 and most impressively of all, Tama Canning one for 23 off 10.Canterbury captain Stead said his side lost too many wickets in the first 20 overs.”Auckland outplayed us in all facets of the game,” he said.Adams would have to be concerned that his 10 overs cost 50, although he did pick up two wickets.Horne said the key to Auckland had been getting off to a good start.”We were able to get partnerships going, some of the wickets have been quite tough but our boys bowled sensationally today,” he said.Canterbury’s bowling lacked penetration. Bond did get through 10 overs to take one for 41 while Stephen Cunis with none for 25, Astle one for 28 off six and Harris none for 27 off his six were the pick of the rest.It was a disappointing end for the Cantabrians, but the Aucklanders came up with the goods at the right time and deserved their final success.

Durham paceman Steve Harmison, who was in the England squad a year ago, took his first five-wicket haul for two years against Nottinghamshire at Chester-le-Street today.But Durham had to rely on their England one-day squad newcomer, Paul Collingwood, to take them within sight of the follow-on target.At 205 for six they were 17 short of the 222 they needed at the close, with Collingwood still there one short of his fifth championship half-century of the season.On a blameless pitch Durham slipped to 96 for four after Nottinghamshire lost their last seven wickets for 94 runs to be all out for 371.Collingwood survived a stumping chance off left-arm spinner Richard Stemp on 15 as he and Danny law repaired the early damage with a stand of 68 in 18 overs.Harmison had one for 67 when Nottinghamshire resumed on 277 for three, but he bowled much straighter than on the first day and finished with five for 100.He was helped by the visitors’ bold approach as Usman Afzaal dragged the day’s fourth ball into his stumps after adding one to his overnight 88.Paul Johnson, who resumed on 89, completed his century off 133 balls with 14 fours and immediately hit two more boundaries before steering Harmison straight into the hands of third man.With a session lost on the first day, plus 40 minutes today and more rain forecast, Durham also went for their shots.Greg Smith produced a beauty to have Martin Love caught behind, and with Andrew Harris and Stemp taking two wickets each they would have had Durham in deep trouble had Collingwood not kept them afloat.

Aston Villa may be set for a difficult summer, with the likes of Carney Chukwuemeka, Douglas Luiz and Matty Cash all being linked with moves away from the Midlands in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Brazilian superstar Philippe Coutinho still hasn’t had his future resolved, with manager Steven Gerrard desperate to keep him at Villa Park beyond his loan spell from Barcelona.

However, if he doesn’t make his temporary stay at the club permanent at the end of the season, the Liverpool legend may be forced into the transfer market to find a longer-term replacement for the midfielder – brought in to help replace Jack Grealish, and John Swift could be that man to fill the void.

What’s the news?

Having been long-term admirers of the Reading midfielder, the Championship side’s former manager John McDermott has claimed that the former Chelsea youth prospect could thrive in Gerrard’s team.

“It’s hard to say [If Swift could make it in the Premier League] – you could stick him in at someone like Aston Villa as technically he’s very good,” McDermott said on BBC Radio Berkshire. “He makes goals, he scores goals and I can see him ending up at somewhere like Aston Villa or someone like Leeds United.

“He can play, he sees a pass but it’s hard to say [how good he could be] until you put them in that environment.”

He can make the step up

Described as “super-talented” by former Royals boss Veljko Paunovic at the beginning of the season, the 26-year-old midfielder will be available for free this summer, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season.

Having scored an incredible 11 goals and adding 13 more assists in 35 appearances for the struggling Championship relegation candidates, only Fulham duo Aleksandar Mitrovic and Harry Wilson have averaged higher match ratings than his 7.28, with the Serbian striker on top with a 7.65, and the Welsh winger just below with 7.40.

His form has been nothing short of remarkable, given Reading sit in 21st in the second tier, and with him taking 2.1 shots per game and 2.7 key passes per game – he is certainly capable of becoming a prime creator in the Premier League with his level of footballing intelligence, surrounded by higher quality players.

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Grealish made 16 goal contributions last season for Villa before signing for Manchester City this summer in a deal worth £105.75m, and while Swift may not quite reach that valuation – his 24 goal contributions for Reading is evidence that he could be just as active in the final third – from an even deeper position than the England international.

That is something certainly worth shouting about if you are among Villa’s recruitment team.

In other news: Insider drops “serious” behind-scenes AVFC update that will scare supporters