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Newcastle United are now planning a January clear out, with multiple players now in line to leave, in order to raise funds for Eddie Howe.

What's the latest Newcastle transfer news?

Newcastle are making progress towards agreeing new contracts with two key first-team players, as transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has reported that Bruno Guimaraes has agreed to extend his stay at St. James' Park until 2028, despite interest from Liverpool.

The Magpies are also set to open talks over a new deal with Joelinton, with the 27-year-old "very happy" at the club, and now "ready to commit" to a new contract, so Howe is set to secure the long-term futures of two of his midfielders.

However, potential new arrivals are still being considered, with it recently being reported that Bayer Leverkusen's Piero Hincapie could be brought in, as CBS reporter Ben Jacobs believes they will be in the market for a new centre-back at some point in 2024.

Hincapie is expected to cost around £35m, so Newcastle would need to be willing to spend a sizeable amount to secure his signature in January, at a time when they have to be careful due to Financial Fair Play.

Speaking to CaughtOffside, Jacobs said: "It’s important to understand that Newcastle can’t break the bank because of Financial Fair Play. Just because they got into Europe once they can’t necessarily just change their model.

“Now that they have Champions League football, players will want higher wages, but Newcastle have done well to ensure they don’t have one stand-out earner. They have to be conservative, and that’s why I also sense they’ll be in for a quieter January.”

As such, the Magpies may need to make a few sales to raise funds for the January window, and Football Insider report they are now ready to sell multiple fringe players. With Howe's side aiming to adapt to the addition of European games to the calendar, they are considering adding multiple players in the January transfer window, but abiding by Financial Fair Play rules is a real concern at St. James' Park.

Who could Newcastle sell in January?

The report names Martin Dubravka, Mark Gillespie, Emil Krafth, Javi Manquillo, Loris Karius and Paul Dummett as the players who could potentially be sold this winter, having failed to play a single minute this season.

It makes sense to allow the majority of those players to leave, besides the back-up goalkeeper options, who could be called upon in the cup competitions. It is clear that Newcastle are having a hard time abiding by FFP, as they were unable to bring in Kieran Tierney or Marc Cucurella on permanent deals in the summer transfer window, instead being forced to consider signing them on loan.

The deal to sign Lewis Hall from Chelsea was structured to defer the payment, with Howe confirming they had to be "creative" to get the move over the line.

As such, the Magpies should undoubtedly look to move on a number of their fringe players in January, particularly considering they are eyeing some exciting new signings, including Hincapie, who could cost £35m.

Barcelona are reportedly exploring a potential free transfer for former Manchester United goalkeeper David de Gea ahead of the summer window.

• De Gea still without a club
• Barcelona considering free transfer signing
• Want stopper as back-up to Marc-Andre ter Stegen

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  De Gea remains a free agent following his summer exit from Manchester United. The goalkeeper has spent a frustrating season on the sidelines after failing to find a new club over the last nine months, but has now attracted interest from Barcelona, according to Mundo Deportivo. The cash-strapped Catalans are exploring a potential "strategic" free transfer in a bid to boost their goalkeeping options.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Marc-Andre ter Stegen is Barcelona's current first choice goalkeeper and any move for De Gea would see the goalkeeper arrive as a back-up option to the German. De Gea is thought to be keen to return to Spain but whether he would be willing to accept a secondary role remains to be seen. La Masia graduate Inaki Pena has deputised for Ter Stegen this summer but struggled at times while the Germany international was out earlier this season with a back injury. Pena be tempted to move on in the summer in search of more regular game time.

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  DID YOU KNOW?

  Ter Stegen matched the record for clean sheets in La Liga last season. The goalkeeper notched 26 clean sheets in 38 games to help Barcelona win the title.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR DE GEA

  De Gea has offered few clues on his future, which is looking increasingly uncertain the longer he spends out of the game. The Spaniard is an experienced stopper who has been linked with several clubs, including Nottingham Forest and Saudi side Al-Shabab, since his Old Trafford exit but it's still impossible to know where, or even if, he will play top-level football again next season.

Jurgen Klopp revealed that he had a "nice conversation" with Brentford striker Ivan Toney after Liverpool beat his team 4-1 on Saturday.

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• Klopp had a hearty chat with Toney
• The manager spilled the beans to the press
• Hailed the striker's skills in front of goal

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Toney, who has been in impressive form since his return from an eight-month ban for betting breaches, showcased his scoring prowess with his fourth goal in five games against the Reds on Saturday afternoon. However, his strike proved to be a mere consolation as Liverpool bagged a comfortable win with Darwin Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister, Mohamed Salah and Cody Gakpo getting on the scoresheet.

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• WHAT KLOPP SAID

  After the match, Klopp was seen engaging in a conversation with Toney and later spoke about it in brief to the press.

  "It was more like smiling at him, he's a handful and really tricky – I used a different word but it's really tricky to play against him obviously," Klopp said.

  "Am I right that he's a Liverpool supporter? He's not shy to say that?" he asked.

  "Then I can admit it as well. We spoke a little bit about that and he wished me good luck for my time after these things here. A lot of players said it. It was a nice conversation. I had one with [Vitaly] Janelt as well."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Despite intense speculation about Toney's future, with strong links to clubs like Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham, the 27-year-old opted to remain with Brentford until the end of the season. However, his impressive performances after his return will continue to attract suitors and Thomas Frank will face an uphill task to hold onto him in the summer.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR TONEY?

  Toney's blend of skill, determination, and goal-scoring prowess makes him a coveted asset for any team, and his recent performances have only enhanced his reputation in English football. His stock will only rise if he manages to score against Manchester City as well in their next Premier League encounter on Tuesday.

The two fast bowlers recovered from injuries, but wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella was omitted in favour of Dhananjaya de Silva

Andrew Fidel Fernando28-Feb-2018Fast bowlers Nuwan Pradeep and Suranga Lakmal have returned to the Sri Lanka T20 squad after recovering from injuries, but wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella has been omitted in favour of Dhananjaya de Silva for the upcoming tri-series at home.Legspinner Jeffrey Vandersay, who was with the T20 team in Bangladesh, was also left out, with Sri Lanka naming just two specialist spinners – Akila Dananjaya and Amila Aponso – in addition to Jeevan Mendis, the legspinning allrounder.Apart from Dickwella’s omission, Sri Lanka retained the bulk of their batsmen from the Bangladesh series, which they had won 2-0. Kusal Mendis is likely to open the batting again. Now that Kusal Perera is back, however, there is competition for the top spots, with Upul Tharanga and Danushka Gunathilaka also vying for places in the top three.The senior fast bowlers’ return to fitness meant that Sri Lanka also have a strong attack. Where in Bangladesh the quicks were inexperienced, Lakmal and Pradeep will be expected to provide control and reliability, while Dushmantha Chameera – if he plays – is a faster, more attacking option. Left-armer Isuru Udana was also in the squad.De Silva’s selection was something of a surprise, given his mixed performances in past T20 internationals. He was in good touch in the Tests against Bangladesh, however, and hit 55, 0 and 42 in Sri Lanka’s club-based T20 tournament over the past few days.Angelo Mathews, Asela Gunaratne and Shehan Madushanka were all unavailable through injury.The Nidahas Trophy begins on March 6 and will be played exclusively in Colombo.T20 squad: Dinesh Chandimal (capt), Upul Tharanga, Danushka Gunathilaka, Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Perera, Thisara Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Isuru Udana, Akila Dananjaya, Amila Aponso, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Dananjaya de Silva

Following Division Five in Jersey, teams have had to navigate through Division Four in Los Angeles and Division Three in Uganda. Now, another hurdle in Namibia in their bid for a World-Cup spot

Peter Della Penna in Windhoek07-Feb-2018The Kenya players enjoy a celebratory jig after their 42-run win•ICC/Donald MacLeod

Kenya

Some of the east African side’s results in the WCL Championship – wins over Hong Kong and tournament champion Netherlands – show they are more than capable of being a strong competitor should they advance to Zimbabwe. However, they are playing in Division Two because of their wild inconsistency.The biggest positive for Kenya is that they swept both matches in Namibia during the WCL Championship, giving them a leg up with their experience in local conditions. Captain Rakep Patel, Collins Obuya and Irfan Karim all scored more than 300 runs in the WCL Championship and are expected to have strong tournaments on the traditionally high-scoring pitches of Windhoek.

UAE

The only side with ODI status in this event, UAE are under heavy pressure to make it to Zimbabwe, failing which they lose their ODI status until 2022 at the earliest. UAE struggled early in the WCL Championship trying to recover from the retirement of Khurram Khan, but found their feet midway through the competition and finished by winning four of their final six matches, including a series split in Namibia, a win over Papua New Guinea and a sweep of Nepal in Abu Dhabi. Most recently, they knocked off a target of 300 against Scotland to pull off their highest successful ODI chase.Shaiman Anwar did the bulk of UAE’s scoring for much of the WCL Championship, finishing sixth overall with 431 runs. Adnan Mufti and Ghulam Shabber lightened the burden by coming through with big scores in the most-recent series against Nepal while Rameez Shahzad propelled the record chase against Scotland with his maiden ODI ton. A balanced bowling unit, featuring the opening pace pair of Mohammad Naveed and Zahoor Khan, makes up for the absence of Amjad Javed. The spin combo of legspinner Imran Haider, left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza and captain Rohan Mustafa completes the tournament’s most balanced attack.Sharad Vesawkar and Gyanendra Malla get together•Kaushal Adhikari

Nepal

After scoring two wins at the 2014 World T20 against Afghanistan and Hong Kong, Nepal has struggled to stay afloat in the top tier of Associate cricket. Of their opponents in this event, they can take consolation from the fact that they swept Namibia for half of their four wins in the WCL Championship, though that series win was achieved in Kathmandu. They also have positive memories of the last time they were in Namibia at WCL Division Two in 2015, when they secured a spot in the WCL Championship despite a last-day stumble.While the captain and vice-captain duo of Paras Khadka and Gyanendra Malla often get most of the plaudits for their batting acumen, middle-order finisher Sharad Vesawkar actually led the team in runs during the WCL Championship, with 415 runs at an average of 51.87. On the bowling side, spin has been Nepal’s strength over the years with the left-arm tandem of Basant Regmi and Shakti Gauchan. However, most of the attention at Division Two will be on teenage legspinner Sandeep Lamichhane, who garnered global attention last month after being taken by Delhi Daredevils at the IPL auction.

Namibia

The tournament hosts only managed to win three out of 14 games in the WCL Championship, but two of those – over Hong Kong and Scotland – had a significant impact on the final standings at the top of the table. In particular, the win in Edinburgh showcased what Namibia are capable of when operating at full strength. A rare appearance from Otago allrounder Christi Viljoen severely dented Scotland’s hopes of chasing Netherlands down for the title.Viljoen is back again for this tournament in an effort boost Namibia’s seam bowling and middle-order batting. Stephan Baard offers an explosive weapon at the top of the order while Gerhard Erasmus’ coming-of-age against Netherlands in the final round of the WCL Championship – a fluent 52 and 81 in both innings against the champion Dutch side – shows Namibia’s batting nucleus may be hitting form at just the right time.Oman celebrate after being crowned tournament champions•Peter Della Penna

Oman

Oman is attempting to follow in the footsteps of Afghanistan’s rapid ascent up the Associate ladder that began in Jersey at the 2008 WCL Division Five, by taking an identical journey to the World Cup Qualifiers. Oman secured three consecutive promotions beginning in Jersey in 2015 with a myriad of contributors along the way.In Jersey, it was Zeeshan Maqsood’s explosive batting paired with the swing bowling duo of Rajeshkumar Ranpura and Munis Ansari that took them forward. In Los Angeles, legspinning allrounder Khawar Ali’s Player-of-the-Tournament performance, including 74 and a five-wicket haul in a do-or-die showdown with Denmark, secured another promotion. At Division Three in Uganda, Khawar continued his impact with the ball but it was a host of characters led by Aqib Ilyas with the bat and left-arm swing bowler Bilal Khan who rallied them to the title.Entering Division Two, Ranpura and Ansari have faded out of the squad, but the ICC’s revised eligibility guidelines – which allow players to represent a country after just three years of residency – have opened the doors to two key allrounders: former Sialkot player Ahmed Fayyaz and former Saurashtra player Jayesh Odedra. The lifting of the ICC’s other stipulation, a maximum of two four-year residents in a starting XI, has also allowed for the recall of tall medium pacer Kaleemullah, who troubled batsman with his height and bounce last year at the Desert T20 Challenge. The trio may provide Oman with yet more difference-makers in an attempt to vault into the World Cup qualifiers.

Canada

Much like Netherlands and Kenya, Canada is an Associate that may have once taken a place in the World Cup for granted, having qualified four times including thrice from 2003 to 2011. But Canada not only failed to qualify for the 2015 event but lost ODI status through a poor performance at the 2014 World Cup Qualifier in New Zealand. However, unlike Kenya and the Dutch, who rebounded at 2015 WCL Division Two to earn a place in the WCL Championship, Canada’s bottom-two finish three years ago dropped them back to Division Three.It took Canada more than two years for the opportunity to climb back up, but they’ve produced a triumphant display in Uganda, propelled by the electric batting and canny medium pace of Rizwan Cheema, who was also named the Player of the Tournament. Teenage opening batsman Bhavindu Adhihetty played a strong support role, finishing as the tournament’s leading scorer with 222 runs. Adhihetty’s value to the senior side is such that he stayed away from the Under-19 World Cup in New Zealand – having previously captained Canada Under-19 to victory in the Americas Regional Qualifier – so that he could be with the seniors on their Division Three warm-up tour in South Africa.Like Oman, Canada have – for the moment – moved on from someone who helped get them to this point with Cheema not included in the Namibian touring squad. Yet like Oman, they are bolstered by reinforcements that give them an excellent chance of advancing. The recalled top-order duo of Ruvindu Gunasekera, who has spent most of the last two Canadian winters playing first-class cricket in Sri Lanka, and Srimantha Wijeratne provide a fire-and-ice combo that bridges the gap up to captain Nitish Kumar’s class in the middle order.

Aston Villa have bolstered their playing squad with three new signings during the summer transfer window but one of their players is now being touted with an exit…

What's the latest Aston Villa transfer news?

According to the Daily Mail, Burnley have submitted an offer of £12m to sign Villans attacking midfielder Aaron Ramsey ahead of the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.

The report claims that the Clarets are in talks with the club over a deal to snap up the England youth international after they won promotion from the Championship last term.

Read the latest Aston Villa transfer news HERE…

Unai Emery has brought in Youri Tielemans, Moussa Diaby, and Pau Torres to strengthen his team and it remains to be seen whether or not he is willing to sanction an exit for Jacob Ramsey's brother.

How good is Aaron Ramsey?

The Villa head coach must avoid the first big transfer blunder of his time at the club by keeping hold of the English dynamo instead of selling him to Burnley this summer.

Ramsey is an exciting young talent who is coming off the back of an impressive second-tier campaign with Norwich and Middlesbrough on loan.

The Villans should not be quick to move on such a promising prospect as the potential is there for him to be a big player for the club in the future if he is able to develop and translate his Championship and academy form over to the Premier League.

Last season, Ramsey averaged a Sofascore rating of 6.97 across 29 league matches for Boro and the Canaries combined, which is a score that only three Villa players – John McGinn, Emi Martinez, and Douglas Luiz – bettered in the Premier League.

The magical technician produced an impressive eight goals and four assists from an attacking midfield position, which shows that the young gem is capable of making things happen at the top end of the pitch with regularity despite his age and inexperience.

Meanwhile, no Villa midfielder managed more than six top-flight goals during the 2022/23 campaign and only two players in that position provided more than four assists.

Ramsey, who was dubbed "selfless" by ex-boss Michael Carrick, caught the eye in the Championship after enjoying a terrific time at U21 level for the Villans. He racked up 15 goals and eight assists in 30 U21 matches for the club prior to his first-team breakthrough.

This shows that the 20-year-old magician has been able to make a big impact for Villa's youth team and at two different second-division clubs, which means that he has been able to adapt and remain consistent despite having to play in varying leagues and with various managers and teammates.

Therefore, Ramsey could be able to handle the step up to the Premier League with Villa and could be a player with the potential to burst onto the scene this season as a goal scoring and creating midfielder.

This is why Emery must not sanction a move toTurf Moor for the academy graduate as he could be a terrific option for the Spanish head coach and improve his midfield's goal output if given an opportunity over the months to come.

Leeds United have gone through a summer of change so far as they have had to deal with relegation from the Premier League and a host of players moving out of the door at Elland Road.

Who has left Leeds this summer?

Tyler Roberts, Adam Forshaw, Joel Robles, and Rodrigo have all departed on permanent deals, whilst Marc Roca, Rasmus Kristensen, Brendan Aaronson, and Robin Koch have left on loan.

Manager Sam Allardyce also moved on at the end of last season, after he failed to maintain the club's place at the top table, and has been replaced by German head coach Daniel Farke.

Read the latest Leeds transfer news HERE…

The former Norwich tactician has been able to make one addition to his side to date, as Ethan Ampadu has joined on a permanent deal from Chelsea.

One player who could be on his way to Elland Road before the summer transfer window slams shut is Coventry City star Gustavo Hamer, as he has been linked with a switch to Yorkshire.

How good is Gustavo Hamer?

The Dutch maestro is an exceptional Championship performer, as his Sofascore rating of 7.35 placed him third within the entire league last term, whose ability to create for others could allow him to get the best out of misfiring Leeds forward Patrick Bamford.

Farke could get the ex-Chelsea striker back on the goal trail by signing Hamer to be an outstanding provider of opportunities from a midfield position.

Last season, the 26-year-old maestro racked up ten assists and created 16 'big chances' for his teammates. He also provided 1.8 key passes per game across 41 appearances outside of the play-offs.

Meanwhile, no Leeds player produced more than 1.5 key passes per match and Jack Harrison created the most 'big chances' for the team with nine.

Journalist and transfer insider Dean Jones compared Hamer to ex-Leeds star Pablo Hernandez, who assisted 21 goals in his last two second-tier seasons with the club, by saying that he could be a "Hernandez-type" figure under Farke.

This suggests that Hamer has the potential to be the German's main creative threat in the heart of midfield, which could benefit Bamford by allowing more room for error with his finishing as opportunities would come his way more frequently thanks to the Coventry gem's playmaking invention.

The Leeds centre-forward only scored six goals in 37 Premier League matches over the last two seasons but when fully fit, he had plundered 17 goals in 38 top-flight outings during the 2020/21 campaign.

He also managed an impressive 16 strikes in 45 Championship clashes throughout the 2019/20 title-winning campaign under Marcelo Bielsa, which shows that the ex-Middlesbrough loanee has the quality to be a terrific goalscorer for the Whites in each of the top two divisions.

Hamer's creativity could be the key to helping Bamford to rediscover his touch in front of goal as the Coventry star, who also scored 11 goals last term, has the ability to consistently provide the striker with the chances he needs to be a lethal scorer next season.

Therefore, Farke must push the club to complete a deal for the £5.2k-per-week whiz over the coming weeks in order to revive the former England international whilst also adding a sensational midfielder to his squad.

Sri Lanka Cricket has reiterated its commitment to starting a condensed, provincial-based first-class tournament in the 2017-18 season.Although a similar tournament had been scheduled and budgeted for the 2015-16 season, the board led by Thilanga Sumathipala had scrapped those plans, and has since failed to organise a high-quality first-class tournament for two seasons running.Next season, however, will see the introduction of a four-team first-class season, SLC vice-president K Mathivanan has said. The teams will be based in Dambulla, Pallekele, Galle and Colombo. This “Super Provincial” tournament will effectively be the centrepiece of the domestic schedule, with the club-based first-class tournament likely to be a three-day tournament only, where usually a portion of it is played across four days.”Since our focus is mainly on the Super Provincial tournament where only the top cricketers will be in action, we will play the [club tournament] as three-day games only,” Mathivanan told . “The 60 [that will play in the Super Provincial tournament] are the cream of our cricketers who will be selected for the national team, Sri Lanka A team and the Sri Lanka Emerging team.”While previous iterations of provincial-based tournaments had been short-lived, Mathivanan said he is intent on making the Super Provincial tournament a long-term success by ensuring “there’s a clear graduation path,” and that there is “loyalty of the players for their provinces – a culture we need to create in this country”.The domestic season will also be more clearly divided into first-class and limited-overs segments: “We do not want to switch from one format to other in a haphazard manner. Unlike previous years, we will be first playing red-ball cricket (first-class) followed by white-ball cricket (List A). This will enable players to have a better focus.”Mathivanan’s words align with those of SLC president Sumathipala, who told ESPNcricinfo in May: “Definitely, we are going to play the super provincial four-team tournament. We are looking at day-night pink-ball cricket for that as well. Initially, for the next two to three years, we’ve decided to distribute the players into the provincial team based on where they come from, as much as we can. The national selectors will then sit together and work out the best possible balance, and assign players accordingly.”However, the present board had also promised to organise a provincial-based first-class competition for the 2016-17 season, and subsequently failed to do so, scheduling only a List A provincial-based tournament instead.Nevertheless, if the Super Provincial first-class tournament is actually played as Mathivanan and Sumathipala have outlined, it is likely to represent a significant step in the development of senior talent. The club-based first-class system has been criticised for its bloated format for several years, and a consensus has formed that the quality of cricket in that competition has declined substantially.And while Sri Lanka’s age-group based tournaments remain relatively healthy – thanks in part to the present board’s investment in that area – cricketers who leave the school system have graduated to one of the weakest domestic structures in the Test-playing world. The club tournament has also been plagued by poor pitches.A four-day tournament, with fewer players and a higher quality of play, aims to fix that. Additionally, as each of the venues at Dambulla, Pallekele, Galle and Khettarama can be directly administered by SLC, this should theoretically mean the Super Provincial competition will be played on good surfaces.

Macgill is the board’s “No. 1 choice” for spin-bowling coach, while Ramanayake is discussing a role as bowling coach in the High Performance Center

Mohammad Isam30-Jul-2017Stuart MacGill, the former Australia legspinner, is the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s “No. 1 choice” for spin-bowling coach, while Champaka Ramanayake, the former Sri Lanka fast bowler, is in talks with the board for the role of bowling coach at the High Performance Center.”We are in discussion with Champaka Ramanayake for the HP unit on a long-term contract,” Nazmul Hasan, the BCB president said after a board meeting in Dhaka on Sunday. “Our first choice for the spin-bowling coach is Stuart MacGill, initially for three months.”We had spoken to 10-12 coaches for the spin-bowling role, almost all of whom responded and are interested. We have shortlisted two coaches for bowling coach positions. We haven’t had an agreement with either.”The position of spin coach has been left vacant since Ruwan Kalpage’s resignation last year. Venkatapathy Raju, the former India spinner, has, however, worked as a consultant. Earlier this year, talks between Sunil Joshi and the BCB didn’t materialise.Mark O’Neill, meanwhile, joined the Bangladesh team as batting consultant on Sunday on a one-month contract. “Mark O’Neill has come for just a month. We are looking at improving our lower-order batsmen, which we struggled with during the Champions Trophy,” Hasan said. “We heard he is quite good at working with the bowling machine. We might extend his contract with mutual consent.”Contracts of the national selectors were also extended by a year, although at least one selector may be sent to the junior panel soon.

Stuart Broad is confident of being fit for England’s first Test of the summer, against South Africa at Lord’s next week, after suffering a heel problem while playing for Nottinghamshire last week

Alan Gardner at Lord's30-Jun-2017Stuart Broad is confident of being fit for England’s first Test of the summer, against South Africa at Lord’s next week, after suffering a heel problem while playing for Nottinghamshire last week. Broad said he was “sick with nerves” before coming through a full training session without discomfort the day before the Royal London Cup final, also at Lord’s, and is set to return to action against Surrey.England’s Test squad will be announced on Saturday morning, with Broad all but certain to be included after passing himself fit for Notts. His availability – assuming he comes through the Royal London final unscathed – will come as a relief to England, after a number of injuries among the fast-bowling attack.”I wouldn’t declare myself fit for a Lord’s final if I was not right,” Broad said. “At the end of the day, you can walk on to any field, bowl your first ball and go down – that’s cricket. But having bowled 100% in the nets, it feels good. I just have to keep managing it well, as you have to with your body when you get to 31. But yeah, I’m fit for tomorrow, which in my opinion, if I bowl okay, it means I’m fit for the Test.”Broad walked off after bowling one over in the second innings of Nottinghamshire’s win over Leicestershire, having suffered a 1cm tear to the fat pad in his left heel. After being told by medical staff that such injuries usually heal at a rate of 1cm a week, he was left sweating on his involvement during “the biggest three weeks of the year”, with the Royal London final and Lord’s Test being followed by a Test at Broad’s home ground, Trent Bridge. Jake Ball, Broad’s Nottinghamshire team-mate, has been ruled out for England after suffering a knee strain earlier in the week, while Chris Woakes was already absent with a side injury picked up during the Champions Trophy. James Anderson has only just returned from a groin tear, while Ben Stokes was hampered by a knee problem during the ODI series with South Africa last month and Mark Wood is on the comeback from a third ankle operation – although all three are expected to be in the Test squad.Stuart Broad undergoes a fitness test on his injured left heel•Getty Images

“It was nice to get out today,” he said. “I’ve felt sick with nerves for the last three-four days, because I’ve worked really hard for three months and played a lot of cricket, pretty much for the biggest three weeks of the year – Lord’s final with your county that you’ve played every game for, Lord’s Test and home Test. So obviously the first step is a tick, being fit for the Lord’s final.”The England guys have said it’s up to me, I’ve played enough cricket to know whether I’m fit or not. You go into a Lord’s final ready to bowl ten overs – you get through something like that comfortably then you’re fit for a Test match.”Having played in all of Notts’ Royal London Cup games, Broad still harbours ambitions of a one-day recall with England – “when Woakesy did his side, I was staring at my phone” – but the priority now will be getting him through a demanding schedule of seven Tests in nine-and-a-half weeks.He will play with extra strapping on his foot and has had Ottis Gibson to stay at his house while working on technical issues to offset pressure on the heel but, ultimately, sometimes rest is the only cure. “A week without bowling, it seems to have, touch wood, done the trick,” he said.