Paris Saint-Germain have become favourites to sign Ajax captain Matthijs de Ligt due to the efforts of former sporting director Leonardo, who is set to return to the French champions after nearly six years away, sources have told ESPN FC.

After a disappointing 2018-19 season in which the Parisians claimed only the Ligue 1 title, PSG are moving to revive their once-ambitious project by bringing back the Brazilian who laid the bones for Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) after their 2011 takeover of the club, and his priority is the signature of coveted defender De Ligt.

According to the sources, Leonardo is in Paris finalising his return to the Ligue 1 giants in a position of considerable influence that should diminish, if not totally extinguish, current sporting director Antero Henrique's Parc des Princes role -- as had been on the cards for some time.

The former PSG and Brazil midfielder is in constant contact with De Ligt's agent Mino Raiola, according to the sources, with compatriot Maxwell also heavily involved in the negotiations for the 19-year-old.

The sources say PSG are confident they can sign De Ligt despite interest from the likes of Barcelona, Manchester United and Juventus. However, the French capital outfit were also confident they'd won the race to sign Ajax teammate and fellow Netherlands international Frenkie de Jong before they were ultimately pipped to the midfielder by Barca.

De Ligt and Raiola are convinced that PSG would be a smart sporting decision for the teenager as they could guarantee maximum game time, the sources added, though Thomas Tuchel's men can also, crucially, meet Raiola's exorbitant commission demands.

Should Leonardo succeed in securing De Ligt, PSG would be open to selling fellow defender Presnel Kimpembe this summer, with the club confident they can bring in at least €40 million for the youth academy-raised France international.

ESPN FC sources have indicated such a sum would represent approximately half of the proposed De Ligt fee, and that signing the Dutchman could see captain Thiago Silva sold if a good offer arrives. Or, he could be allowed to play out the final year of his contract before leaving.

PSG remain in need of substantial sales before the end of the month to stay out of UEFA's financial fair play (FFP) crosshairs, with Thomas Meunier attracting the most interest. However, the decision not to renew Gianluigi Buffon's lavish contract frees up significant space on the wage bill.

Per the sources, Les Parisiens' original plan was to focus on sales until the end of June before launching an assault on the transfer market. But they've been since informed that immediate action would be required to secure the in-demand De Ligt.

U.S. men's national team manager Gregg Berhalter has announced the 23-player roster that will take part in the 2019 Gold Cup.

The list contains many familiar names, including Chelsea midfielder Christian Pulisic, Toronto FC midfielder Michael Bradley and RB Leipzig midfielder Tyler Adams. But it also includes some new faces, including Derby County midfielder Duane Holmes and Vitoria Guimaraes midfielder Tyler Boyd. Boyd recently received approval from FIFA for a one-time change of association after the winger had represented New Zealand in official competition at the youth level.

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All told, there are 10 players on the roster with previous Gold Cup experience.

"As always, there were some difficult decisions to be made for this roster and I'm extremely pleased with how the players have shown so far this year overall," Berhalter said. "We've had a chance to look at the player pool for the last six months and we feel great about the group that will take on the task of trying to win the Gold Cup.

"This is only the start of the journey. Our ambition is to progress as a team throughout the tournament and put ourselves in a position to be playing July 7 in Chicago."

The announcement brought disappointment for eight players who had participated in all or part of a training camp that began on May 25. The most surprising omission was arguably Werder Bremen forward Josh Sargent, who played 90 minutes against Jamaica. Sargent was eligible to take part in the FIFA under-20 World Cup -- taking place in Poland -- but was brought into the senior team camp instead. Now he won't take part in either tournament.

Berhalter mentioned after the Jamaica match that a hamstring injury would rule out LA Galaxy midfielder Sebastian Lletget. Jackson Yueill, who made his international debut against Jamaica, wasn't on the preliminary 40-man Gold Cup roster, and was thus ineligible to take part. The other five players to be cut from the squad are defender Cameron Carter-Vickers, midfielder Djordje Mihailovic, midfielder Jonathan Amon, midfielder Joe Gyau, and defender Antonee Robinson.

The announcement comes on the heels of a 1-0 friendly defeat to Jamaica in which an experimental U.S. side looked sluggish and lacked sharpness. Berhalter should have more of his first-choice lineup available for Sunday's friendly against Venezuela at Cincinnati's Nippert Stadium.

The U.S. will begin play in the Gold Cup on June 18 when it takes on Guyana at Allianz Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

U.S. MNT GOLD CUP ROSTER BY POSITION (Club; Caps/Goals):

GOALKEEPERS (3): 12-Sean Johnson (New York City FC; 7/0), 22-Tyler Miller (LAFC; 0/0), 1-Zack Steffen (Columbus Crew SC; 9/0)

DEFENDERS (8): 14-Tyler Adams (RB Leipzig/GER; 10/1), 3-Omar Gonzalez (Toronto FC/CAN; 50/3), 2-Nick Lima (San Jose Earthquakes; 3/0), 23-Aaron Long (New York Red Bulls; 5/0), 16-Daniel Lovitz (Montreal Impact/CAN; 4/0), 19-Matt Miazga (Chelsea/ENG; 13/1), 13-Tim Ream (Fulham/ENG; 29/1), 5-Walker Zimmerman (LAFC; 6/2)

MIDFIELDERS (6): 4-Michael Bradley (Toronto FC/CAN; 145/17), 20-Duane Holmes (Derby County/ENG; 1/0), 8-Weston McKennie (Schalke/GER; 8/1), 10-Christian Pulisic (Chelsea/ENG; 25/10), 15-Cristian Roldan (Seattle Sounders FC; 10/0), 6-Wil Trapp (Columbus Crew SC; 16/0)

FORWARDS (6): 17-Jozy Altidore (Toronto FC/CAN; 110/41), 7-Paul Arriola (D.C. United; 22/3), 21-Tyler Boyd (Vitoria Guimaraes/POR; 0/0), 18-Jonathan Lewis (Colorado Rapids; 4/0), 11-Jordan Morris (Seattle Sounders FC; 27/5), 9-Gyasi Zardes (Columbus Crew SC; 44/7

Eden Hazard is set to sign for Real Madrid after Chelsea accepted an offer of £88.5 million plus significant add-ons that could take the deal to the £130m mark, sources have told ESPN FC.

Though the initial fee for Hazard is significantly below Chelsea's original £130m asking price, it is understood that, when realistic bonuses and additional payments are factored in, the value of Madrid's offer will reach that figure.

Madrid's chief executive, Jose Angel Sanchez, travelled to London at the start of this week in the hopes of getting a deal for Hazard over the line, and the two clubs reached the outline of an agreement on Thursday morning.

Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane had made signing Hazard a priority as he revamped his squad after a disappointing season, with Chelsea having resigned themselves to selling their star player before he entered the final year of his contract.

Hazard will leave Chelsea after 110 goals and 81 assists in 352 appearances in all competitions, with two Premier League titles among six major trophies won in his seven seasons at Stamford Bridge.

He inspired Chelsea to a 4-1 win over Arsenal in the Europa League final on his farewell appearance, scoring twice and setting up a goal for Pedro.

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Sources told ESPN FC that Hazard had been in regular contact with Zidane for several months, with him and his family looking into housing and school options in Madrid.

Madrid have harboured an interest in for many years and asked about signing him last summer, only for Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia to make it clear he was not for sale.

Hazard's move to Madrid sees him become the club's most expensive signing, overcoming the previous record which was Gareth Bale's then world record £86m deal in 2013.

It will also see him reunited with former Chelsea teammate Thibaut Courtois, who left Stamford Bridge in a £35m deal last summer.

Essex 309 (Westley 77, Bess 3-45) drew with Yorkshire 390 and 107 for 1 (Lyth 56*, Ballance 51*)

Gary Ballance's chances of a century in six successive Yorkshire matches came to grief just before tea on the final day at Emerald Headingley with an unexpected cloudburst that prematurely ended a stalemate that had long since lost all other significance.

That at least consigned one of Yorkshire's more confusing statistics to history. Ballance is the first Yorkshire batsman to have scored hundreds in five successive Yorkshire matches, although Len Hutton did it on seven successive occasions in Yorkshire matches in which he played in 1947 and 1948.

Such distinctions will not remotely concern Ballance, who was 51 not out when the deluge brought an early tea. His only ambition will be to extend a prolific Championship season, which has brought 668 runs at 83.5, to force his way into consideration for the Ashes series. If happenstance means James Vince gets an opportunity with England in the World Cup, and he makes runs, Ballance's chances of adding to his 23 Tests, the last of them against South Africa in Nottingham, will further recede.

One senses in any case that Ballance is out of vogue, to be ranked alongside avocado bathroom suites, lava lamps and hipster beards. He will have to play doubly well to get noticed.

(Incidentally, the suggestion that hipster beards are out of fashion was a cruel misrepresentation and if any hipsters happened to have been drawn to a piece about an ultimately pointless county cricket match, one can assume they have already left in search of reassurance).

From the moment on the third evening that Peter Siddle rose, half asleep, from a bench in the Essex dressing room, where he had been vaguely watching India's World Cup match against South Africa, and roused himself to save the follow-on, this contest needed enterprise from both captains to salvage a worthwhile finish.

But Siddle and Sam Cook blithely extended their last-wicket stand for a further 70 minutes, and those who had hoped for better began to stare staunchly into mid-distance. Championship spectators no longer religiously turn to the newspaper crossword to help them through the game's longeurs (a shame because it was always an interesting clue to their political affiliations) and many remain allergic to mobile phones, especially during hours of play.

In all, Siddle and Cook put on 86 in 25 overs, every run making the slim chance of a positive declaration increasingly starved of possibility. Siddle finished with 60 off 119 balls, his best score in his second season as Essex's overseas player, at which point he fell leg-before to Steve Patterson, while Cook's career-best unbeaten 37 off 74 included a pulled six off Ben Coad.

When Yorkshire started their second innings, they led by 81 with 76 overs remaining in the day. Many sides have contrived finishes from such positions, but not often on such a sound surface, and not often Yorkshire.

Andrew Gale, the coach, said with justification that the pitch had flattened out. Yorkshire remain unbeaten, and stable, but have yet to pull off the sort of thrilling result that identifies them as definite title contenders. Now 25 points behind leaders Somerset, they face Surrey at Guildford on Monday; the defending champions are yet to win in five matches.

Yorkshire lost their debutant opener, Will Fraine, for a duck, but were on 107 for 1 from 42.5 overs when the rain tumbled from the sky. Essex's main concern will surround the fitness of their seam bowler Jamie Porter, who is the catalyst for so many of their better moments, and who limped off during his 10th over.

Nottinghamshire 97 (Patel 6-16) and 354 for 8 (Duckett 140, Nash 85, Patel 4-72) drew with Warwickshire 391 for 9 dec (Hose 111, Sibley 87)

Warwickshire bade a temporary farewell to their Headquarters after play, with the ICC ready to move in and begin its rebranding of Edgbaston as a World Cup venue. Higher profile games await, contested by more familiar names with greater hype and richer reward. But don't assume that any of the internationals will be as tense or passionately-contested as stages of this Championship fixture.

Hands were shaken at five to six when Warwickshire accepted that time had run out on their push for success. By that stage, Nottinghamshire had opened a lead of 60 runs with two wickets in hand and only five overs remaining. Enough batsmen played with a resolution altogether missing in their first innings. While Jeetan Patel continued to wheel away and wickets fell in clusters, Wednesday's wholesale collapse was not to be repeated.

Nor was the worst of the behaviour. Steven Mullaney, the Nottinghamshire captain, confirmed that his side had received a Level One warning for their conduct and it would be surprising if individual sanctions did not follow against at least one player. "I think the game was played hard, very hard and there were a couple of incidents that would have been borderline," he admitted.

Both Mullaney and Jim Troughton, the Warwickshire first team coach, could not suppress wry smiles when asked whether proceedings had been more feisty than usual. "It was an enjoyable game," Troughton said. "There were some emotions, some frustrations flying around. Bowlers are grumpy old things and I don't think that should be taken away."

A heavy morning shower lopped five overs off the quota to make the task slightly easier for Nottinghamshire. Their second-wicket pair of Ben Duckett and Chris Nash eased back into the groove with cheap early runs and it was not until the 75th over, by which time they had added 199, that Warwickshire broke through. Four wickets then fell for 16 runs, but Mullaney and Tom Moores rebuilt before themselves falling in successive overs. New batsmen tended to fall through early-innings footwork; once set they could hold firm.

Duckett proved a great example. His travails as an England player against R Ashwin seemed a distant memory as he thwarted Patel, getting behind the ball rather than pushing without a second line of defence. Across his career he has tended to clear up mess rather than avoid it altogether and his 140 from 237 balls in just shy of five hours did most to undo the damage first time around.

England still have him on the radar; he made his T20 international debut only last month. Here, the man sometimes known as the Pocket Rocket was just as much the Pocket Block-It, mixing the trademark cuts that come relatively easily to players of his short build with patience and discretion. At the other end, Nash (85) was steadiness personified and gave an object lesson in playing pace late and with light hands.

It took a brilliant, left-handed catch at short leg by Sam Hain to remove Duckett, giving Patel his second wicket of the innings. Number three soon followed, Will Rhodes reacting quickly at slip to account for Joe Clarke. Hain then took his fifth catch of the match with the second new ball in play to complete a miserable comeback for Samit Patel, whose place in the Nottinghamshire side must again be up for discussion.

Much rested now on Nash, but he inexplicably missed one from Henry Brookes to become a clear leg-before victim. Although Patel returned to the attack with the ball only eight overs old, the surface did not offer the bounce or pace of turn that he wanted. Even so, the wicket of Mullaney represented his 22nd in the past two games. Figures of 10 for 88 usually belong to a winner. Not this time.

Both sides ultimately left with reason for hope. "It was an incredible effort from us, from one through to eleven," Troughton said. "They showed the brand of cricket they should pride themselves on for the rest of the season." Ryan Sidebottom is due to return to second team action next week and Olly Stone should be fit by the end of the month. But Ian Bell is making a slower recovery than expected from foot surgery and is due to see a specialist on Friday.

Mullaney bristled at a suggestion that Nottinghamshire had lacked bravery in the first innings. Instead, he thought, the loss of early wickets to bad strokes had simply opened a door for the home side. "We have not batted well enough since the first game of the season against Yorkshire, we know that, but hopefully [our second innings] will turn things around," he said. It needs to; they remain bottom of the table.

The crowd was small but constant through the day, determined to savour every minute in the knowledge that their side will not return until July 21 and then under the T20 moniker of Birmingham Bears. Three solitary figures sat as far apart as seemed possible in the Eric Hollies stand, as though part of a geometric exercise to construct the biggest triangle in the vast expanse of seating. Yesterday it was a place of quiet contemplation. Three weeks on Sunday, England and India will meet here. It will be cacophonous.

Sri Lanka fans, look away now. What's that? You already were, even after the rousing dogfight of a win over Afghanistan… Okay, well, these are tough times, so that's understandable. But up next is an opponent that Sri Lanka have never beaten in World Cup competition. Yes, that's right. Against Pakistan on the biggest one-day stage, your team's record reads: played seven, lost seven.

It is not much better in Champions Trophy encounters either (one win in four). Only a couple of years ago, just a few miles along the M4 in Cardiff, Sri Lanka were sucker-punched by Sarfaraz Ahmed's team in a match that was effectively a quarter-final. Pakistan went on to win the tournament; Sri Lanka started handing around the captaincy like a prize at a raffle.

Dimuth Karunaratne is the sixth different man to lead the team in ODIs since Angelo Mathews in that tournament. But while he might be on what is politely known as a hiding to nothing over the next few weeks, there are tentative signs that Sri Lanka have more competitive spirit than was generally ascribed to them after a supine 10-wicket thrashing at the hands of New Zealand in their opening game. Lasith Malinga kicked some teacups around before the Afghanistan match and Sri Lanka's bowlers got stuck in amid the damp conditions in Cardiff.

The British weather has often been cause for a little shiver (or an extended one, accompanied by a call for another layer) among touring Sri Lanka teams. The hands are cold, the senses dulled. When Kumar Sangakkara decided to warm up - figuratively speaking - for Sri Lanka's 2014 tour, he chose to go to Durham, the country's most northerly outpost, for a spell in county cricket. Suitably braced, he got himself straight on the honours board at Lord's.

Durham's head coach during Sangakkara's spell there, Jon Lewis, is now the man in charge of Sri Lanka's batting. Lewis has been in the job for just six months and in that time has worked with more than a dozen top-order batsmen, which is hardly ideal preparation for a World Cup campaign. After putting up scores of 136 and 201 in the tournament so far, there is clearly room for improvement but Lewis is phlegmatic about what can be done at this stage.

"I've seen a lot of cricketers in six months, which has been good in some respects, because it has been nice to see some young - and some senior - Sri Lankan cricketers," he told ESPNcricinfo. "That's given me a really good feel for the country and the players they have. Maybe a little bit more continuity, seeing the same people for a bit longer, we'd have maybe had more of a chance to make some progress. But we are happy with the players we've got and we've got to try and do our best to get a little bit more out of this batting group."

Of immediate concern is the form of Mathews, former leader and the likeliest batting champion in this Sri Lanka side. Having been dropped in circumstances both unceremonious and acrimonious late last year, his return has so far seen him record one run and face 21 balls across three ODI innings - but faith in his enduring qualities remains, amid talk in the camp that he could move up to No. 4 against Pakistan.

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"Angie's probably our most experienced player, and so far we've got very little out of Angie and Angie knows that," Lewis said. "It's fine, but it would be unrealistic to think we're going to have a really strong World Cup and Angie was not going to feature too much. He's going to have to give us a couple of strong performances. I've no doubt he's got them in him and he's working very hard to make sure they come out at the right time, and hopefully it's going to be here at Bristol.

A collapse of dizzying proportions against Afghanistan, from 144 for 1 to 159 for 6, undermined Sri Lanka's hopes of posting a daunting total, with Kusal Mendis and Mathews among those foxed by Mohammad Nabi's non-turning offbreaks. Lewis suggested that the team had mentally switched off after a good start, while Karunaratne, who has attempted to set the tone with a couple of nuggety innings at the top of the order, was confident both players would come good.

"Our middle order comprises players who have experienced this type of situation before," Karunaratne said. "Kusal Mendis scored well in the practice games and also in the South Africa series and failing in two matches I don't think it has anything to do with his talent, he only needs a start to get going. Mathews is a player with a lot of experience and this sort of thing happen to players, however good you are. But with their experience, once they get going, you cannot stop them from scoring runs. I have plenty of faith in them and I think they will perform well against Pakistan."

Sri Lanka may not arrive "ship shape and Bristol fashion", as they used to say of the trading vessels that regularly departed from this port city, but neither have they been holed below the waterline. There was laughter and pats on the back at training on Thursday, while the team also sat in a huddle on the boundary's edge afterwards, listening intently to the coach and captain even as the rain began to fall.

The British weather might end up doing them a favour on this occasion, too. If beating a Pakistan side buoyed by victory over England is beyond them, Sri Lanka could yet avoid adding to that aforementioned record of World Cup defeats thanks to the dodgiest of weather forecasts. Whatever the case, there is at least hope for better performances to come.

"Nobody feels too bad after a win," Lewis said. "We know we could have played better [against Afghanistan], and in a way there's a comfort in knowing we haven't played our best cricket. We've had four innings in this tournament in two games and we've probably got one of them right. With that in mind, we've got a win from those sorts of performances, and if we start to put two innings in a single game together there's no reason we can't win a few more."