L’Équipe are reporting that Bordeaux midfielder Junior Onana (22), once linked with a move to AC Milan, is set to join Serie A side Cremonese in a €5m deal.  According to L’Équipe, Cremonese and Bordeaux have come to an agreement on a fee of €5m plus an extra €1m in bonuses. Earlier this summer he had looked set to join Serie A rivals AC Milan, however, the reigning Italian champions were only willing to loan the player. The deal, which will likely see him join Cremonese, also includes a percentage on any future sale.  Whilst L’Équipe report that he is set for a move to Italy, the French publication also reveals that two new competitors…

Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc says he has no plans to be more assertive when it comes to the team’s strategy calls during Grand Prix races in 2023 despite a string of miscues derailing the team’s campaign last year. The Ferrari pit wall was blamed for a number of mistakes last season that derailed their championship bid and allowed Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to open up a dominant lead in the points. Verstappen had been playing an increasingly large roll in decision making from the cockpit, just as Lewis Hamilton does at Mercedes. Even George Russell has been heard to call strategy and talk tactics from the cockpit. Read also: Senior…

Wales have added experienced hooker Scott Baldwin to their squad ahead of the Six Nations as a replacement for injured Ospreys colleague Dewi Lake. Baldwin, 34, last played international rugby in 2017 and comes in for Lake, who suffered a knee problem during the Ospreys’ Champions Cup win over Leicester. The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) confirmed that former Harlequins and Worcester Warrior, Baldwin, has joined the squad preparing for next week’s opener with Ireland. Injury headache for Warren Gatland Other options in the number two jersey for Wales head coach Warren Gatland are captain Ken Owens, and Bradley Roberts, with Ryan Elias ruled out injured. The absence of Lake is another…

According to Fabrice Hawkins OGC Nice want to lower Marseille’s asking price for striker Bamba Dieng, with a move still potentially on for the player as a ‘wildcard’ signing for Les Aiglons. Marsielle are convinced that the problem which caused the failure of Dieng’s deadline day medical is benign – and are reportedly very annoyed by the situation. Ligue 1 transfer rules dictate that one player can still be signed from a French team outside the transfer window – referred to as the ‘joker’ or ‘wildcard’ – which means that a Nice deal for Bamba Dieng could still be in the offing.  Click Here: qld maroons shirt La Provence journalist Alexandre Jacquin also reports…

Helmut Marko says Sergio Perez’s greatest achievement at Red Bull has been to merely “survive” alongside Max Verstappen for the past two years. Perez was handed the plum seat at Red Bull Racing at the end of the 2020 season, the Mexican replacing Alex Albon who had failed to make much of an impression against Verstappen during his year and a half with the team. And Albon’s predecessor Pierre Gasly lasted only half a season alongside Red Bull’s blindingly fast two-time world champion. Last weekend, Perez finished runner-up to Verstappen in the opening round in Bahrain of the 2023 season, a good start to the four-time Grand Prix winner’s campaign.…

Northampton Saints director of rugby Phil Dowson was full of praise for his squad for the way they adjusted without several players en route to their 19-18 triumph in Saturday’s East Midlands derby against Leicester Tigers at Welford Road. Apart from being without five players who are in England head coach Steve Borthwick’s Six Nations squad, Saints were also missing the injured Courtney Lawes and suspended duo Fraser Dingwall and Lukhan Salakaia-Loto. Momentous victory Saints‘ narrow win over Tigers was their first away triumph of the season but despite being minus several first choice players they delivered an excellent performance and came from behind to secure victory. “The more successful…

Speaking after Paris Saint-Germain’s 3-0 win over Nantes last night, club captain Marquinhos looked ahead to the Parisian side’s Champions League test against Juventus on Tuesday. When asked about the looming fixture against the Italian giants, Marquinhos said:  “The team has worked well so far, it was the best preparation. We’ve played some good games, we’ve won, we’ve just had two consecutive clean-sheets. We’ve been good away from home too. In the Champions League, we know that there is always a different context, these are special games. The preparation is done, but now we have to play a great game at home to win.” “It gives you confidence to keep…

McLaren says its new long-awaited wind tunnel in Woking has now been completed, and the team hopes to have access to its new tool in June. The completion of McLaren’s crucial piece of infrastructure was a priority for the outfit’s former team boss Andreas Seidl and technical director James Key, and was initially expected to conclude in 2021. But the global Covid pandemic led to the wind tunnel’s construction being delayed by two years, forcing McLaren to continue to conduct most of its aerodynamic work at Toyota’s facility in Cologne. In Bahrain, Seidl’s successor at the helm of McLaren, Andrea Stella, provided some insight on when the team’s crucial piece…

Fiji have been dealt a huge setback just over eight months out from the Rugby World Cup in France with the news that their head coach, Vern Cotter, has stepped down from his position with immediate effect. Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) chairman Humphrey Tawake said his organisation had accepted Cotter’s letter of resignation and that a new coach will be appointed “in due course”. A press statement on the FRU’s official website said: “Fiji Rugby Union {FRU} has today accepted the resignation of Flying Fijians head coach Vern Cotter who has decided to resign from his role with immediate effect due to personal reasons. “FRU takes this opportunity to thank…

Sébastien Denis is reporting that Marseille midfielder Jordan Veretout (29) is a candidate for a France call-up after an impressive start to the Ligue 1 season.  Whilst uncertainties prevail as to Paul Pogba’s availability for this winter’s World Cup in Qatar after the Juventus midfielder underwent knee surgery, Veretout, who has five caps for the France national team could be set for a re-call.  Veretout has received a “pre-call-up” and according to Denis, is a “serious candidate” to join the France national team during their fixtures later this month.  Veretout hasn’t been called up by Didier Deschamps since November 2021, but despite huge competition in France’s midfield, he could yet return to the fold after…