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Tottenham Hotspur have now entered the lead in the race for a Premier League forward, whose future is starting to look uncertain…

Spurs want new forward despite encouraging signs vs Sunderland

Although Tottenham were unable to take all three points against Sunderland last time out, drawing 1-1 after Ben Davies’ opener was cancelled out by Brian Brobbey’s late effort, Thomas Frank believes there were some encouraging signs on display.

Frank said: “There were a lot of positives in the performance. The first half was much more like we want to do.

“I liked our intensity with and without the ball, we created a lot of good situations, but we lacked the decisiveness to finish the game off.”

However, with the manager also bemoaning the fact his side weren’t clinical enough, it could be a savvy move to strengthen his attacking options this month, particularly considering Brennan Johnson has already left to join Crystal Palace.

Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Jorgen Strand Larsen, RB Leipzig’s Yan Diomande and AS Monaco’s Maghnes Akliouche are among the potential targets, but there have now been reports Spurs could also look to raid one of their London rivals.

According to a report from Spain, Tottenham have now taken the lead in the race to sign West Ham United’s Jarrod Bowen, with the Englishman’s future at the London Stadium starting to look uncertain, given that the Hammers are seven points from safety.

Should West Ham be relegated to the Championship, Bowen’s departure is almost inevitable, and the north Londoners are interested in securing his signature, as they value the forward’s versatility and goal-scoring ability.

If the Irons fail to stay up, the 29-year-old would be willing to listen to offers from elsewhere, and there are indications he could be a fantastic addition to Frank’s squad…

"Superstar" Bowen could be ideal signing for Tottenham

As previously mentioned, Tottenham have struggled in front of goal this season, finding the back of the net just three times in their last five Premier League matches.

Subscribe for Deeper Spurs Transfer Insights and Analysis Join the newsletter for focused transfer breakdowns, scouting notes and valuation context—clear perspectives on how targets like Jarrod Bowen could fit Tottenham and what a potential big-fee chase would mean for Spurs’ recruitment strategy.

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Consequently, it could be a smart move to bring in a player who has already proven he is capable of delivering in the top flight, and the 20-time England international fits the bill, having been a reliable source of goals and assists over the past six seasons.

Jarrod Bowen’s performance by season

Premier League appearances

Goal involvements

2020-21

38

13

2021-22

36

24

2022-23

38

12

2023-24

34

22

2024-25

34

23

2025-26

21

7

Having also been lauded as a “superstar” by writer Paddy Keogh, Bowen clearly has the ability to succeed at a top club, but a deal could be on the expensive side, with a potential fee of £100m being touted.

Related Tottenham ready double-your-money offer for player who's keen to join Frank

Spurs are preparing a bid.

Posts 1 ByEmilio Galantini

That would be an astronomical sum to pay for a player yet to prove himself at the very highest level, and the highest transfer fee in Tottenham’s history, so they should look to get a deal done for a lower price.

Michael Burns, the former Warwickshire and Somerset cricketer, has been introduced to the ECB’s first-class umpires’ full list for 2016, following the recent retirement of Martin Bodenham.Burns, who played as a wicketkeeper as well as a seam-bowling allrounder in a first-class career that spanned 13 years, also served as Somerset’s captain before retiring in 2005. He was added to the umpiring reserve list in 2012.Bodenham, who was appointed to the first-class list in 2009 following a distinguished career as a football referee, remains the only individual to have officiated across both domestic professional football and cricket.”Martin can be very proud of the successful transition he made from one sporting code to another,” said Gordon Hollins, the ECB chief operating officer. “He has been a highly respected figure within our first-class game and leaves with ECB’s sincere thanks for his contribution to cricket and our best wishes for his retirement.”We are also delighted to welcome Michael onto the full first-class list for the first time and congratulate him on having made such an impressive start to his umpiring career.”ECB Full List 2016 Rob Bailey, Neil Bainton, Paul Baldwin, Mark Benson, Michael Burns, Nick Cook, Nigel Cowley, Jeff Evans, Russell Evans, Steve Gale, Steve Garratt, Michael Gough, Ian Gould, Peter Hartley, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Graham Lloyd, Jeremy Lloyds, Neil Mallender, David Millns, Steve O’Shaughnessy, Tim Robinson, Martin Saggers, Alex Wharf.

Bromley 179 (Wells 64, Watson 47, Renshaw 3-21) beat Kibworth 175 (Hanger 40, Sheen 4-30) by five runs
Scorecard

Kibworth’s Simon Renshaw cleans up Bromley’s Ruel Brathwaite © Martin Williamson

Bromley from Kent won the Cockspur Cup with a tense four-run victory over Kibworth from Leicestershire at a sun-drenched Lord’s.Bromley, last year’s beaten finalists, batted first and didn’t seem to have made enough when they were bowled out for 179 in the last over of their innings. But Kibworth, who made a solid start to their reply, lost wickets at key stages and in the end they were left needing nine to win with two wickets in hand off the last over.Nobody could accuse James Butterfill, Bromley’s captain, of lacking courage as he brought himself on to bowl. His third ball was a long hop which Mahmood tried to hit out of the ground but was bowled, and off the final ball Chris Hill, Kibworth’s No.11 fell to a catch a couple of yards inside the short midwicket boundary as he went for the six needed for glory.Kibworth made a slow start against the accurate Tom Mees and Ruel Brathwaite, Mees, bowling from the Pavilion End, being particularly hard to get away. His opening spell of six overs yielded eight runs and he finished with 0 for 18 off nine. But after seeing off the new-ball bowlers, Kibworth failed to press on.

Kibworth’s John Hanger on his way to 40 © Martin Williamson

Their openers, whose hundred stand in the semi-final had helped them into the final, lost their way. Sunny Patel, who played for England Under-19s earlier this summer, started confidently but quickly lost his touch, and John Hanger struggled to find the gaps. Seventeen-year-old Josh Cobb briefly upped the tempo with a breezy 22, but once he fell to Man-of-the-Match Grant Sheen, the innings again hit the doldrums as Bromley strangled their middle order.It was only in the final five overs, with the rate in double figures, that Kibworth finally started hitting out, but by then they had left themselves with too much of an ask.Former Surrey batsman Nadeem Shahid admitted afterwards that he thought Bromley were 20 runs short at the end of their innings.On a slow and low pitch – the same one that had been so batsman-friendly in the Village final on Sunday – Bromley lost three early wickets, two to the lively Mahmood and then the key one of Shahid to Nick Ferraby, chipping limply to mid-on.

Alan Wells drives inches over the bowler’s outstretched fingers © Martin Williamson

The former Sussex and Kent batsman Alan Wells and James Watson rebuilt the innings. Wells, now 46 but in fine trim, was in good touch until he injured himself scurrying a quick single; Watson, who could politely be described as burly, looked as if he would hit the ball a long way but only opened his arms in the final few overs.Bromley’s running was poor, rarely putting pressure on the fielders, and nor did they milk the absurdly short Tavern boundary – but neither did Kibworth. After Wells holed out for an admirable 64, the innings subsided with a whimper.Watson fell three short of what would have been a pedestrian fifty – he faced 83 balls – as Simon Renshaw returned to mop up the tail. However, Renshaw bowled four booming leg-side wides in his last two overs, and in the event that was the difference between the sides.

‘Sreesanth bowled beautifully, with pace in good areas’ – Rahul Dravid © Getty Images

Rahul Dravid was a relieved man at the end of a gripping game at the Kinrara Oval, with India snapping a losing streak that extended back to May and their first outing in the Caribbean. Having made just 162 on a pitch that always kept the bowlers interested, he was indebted to his pace attack and Harbhajan Singh for a sterling display that saw India edge home by 16 runs.”We just tried to stay relaxed, and we did speak about getting a couple of wickets early,” he said, when asked what the team had discussed at the dinner break, when West Indies were 34 for 0. “In the last couple of games, West Indies has lost wickets quite quickly in the middle order. Ifwe put the ball in the right areas and held our chances, then anything could happen. Our bowlers came back and bowled beautifully, and things really worked out for us.”He pin-pointed the phase immediately after dinner as the pivotal one. “That was a very important part of the game. Munaf [Patel] and Sreesanth bowled beautifully, with pace and in good areas. They got us three quick wickets, and then Ajit [Agarkar] came on and bowled a beautiful spell. We kept the pressure on right through. Harbhajan came on later, and RP [Singh] got a crucial wicket, so all in all, the guys bowled really well.”The return of Sreesanth, who finished with 2 for 25 from eight overs, gave India a genuinely pacy option, and Dravid revealed that Irfan Pathan’s poor run of form had forced his hand. “I thought we’d go in with our five best bowlers for this match,” he said. “Irfan’s not been bowling thatwell. That doesn’t mean he won’t be bowling well in a month’s time, or in two months. Irfan remains very much a part of the scheme of things. He lends a lot of balance to the team when he plays, and his ability to do both roles in crucial to us.” He was brusque when asked what Pathan had been told prior to being benched. “What I discuss with my players is pretty personal,” he said, “and it’s not my prerogative to tell you.”The batting debacle against an attack having one only specialist bowler, Corey Collymore, was understandable cause for concern, but he denied that it had anything to do with the batting order being shuffled around too much. “I don’t know how you can say that. Irfan didn’t play today, so wemoved Virender Sehwag up from where he’s supposed to be playing for us. Yuvi hadn’t had a bat for a long time and he was feeling slightly unwell today, so we thought we’d give [Suresh] Raina a chance up at four, with Dhoni at six. The thing with Sachin [Tendulkar] and me opening issomething that I thought we’d try in the last two tournaments, but we haven’t had much opportunity to try it out.

After starting out so well, it all went pear shaped for West Indies © Getty Images

“It was a combination of some good bowling and some poor batting. Some of the boys who batted for a while said that if we’d got to 210 or 220, that would have been a good score on that pitch. There was something in the pitch, but we’re disappointed that we didn’t get that. But these close games provide for great, exciting cricket. As batsmen, we’ve got to play on pitches that do a bit, and learn to cope. We can’t always play on flat tracks.”Dravid was also full of praise for Harbhajan, whose superb spell with the ball was preceded by a gritty 37 with the bat. “One of the positives to come out was the way Harbhajan batted,” he said. “We give our lower order a lot of batting, and that was stressed during the camps in Bangalore.It’s nice to see that some of that has paid off, at least in terms of Harbhajan, if not anyone else. When you’re playing with just six frontline batsmen, you’re taking a bit of a gamble and if people like Ajit and Harbhajan can contribute, which they’re capable of, it makes a big difference.”Brian Lara, who came in at No.9 and stroked a fluent 40 before running out of support, was disappointed with the manner in which the match was surrendered, but made no apologies for his attempt to give a misfiring middle order more batting practice. “It showed that the guys are out of form and lacking in confidence,” he said. “We used this game to see if our boys could gain something, especially in that department, guys who are batting 6,7,8, push them up the order and see if they showed some responsibility. That did not happen but we’ve still got the finals toplay.”We could have won the game by eight wickets had myself, [Chris] Gayle and others batted up the order, but then we wouldn’t have known what to expect from guys like [Wavell] Hinds and [Runako] Morton in the final. At least now, we know where they stand and they have the opportunity to correct themselves.”Despite the pitch being a challenging one, Lara was still dismayed by the nature of the capitulation. “I just told the guys in the dressing-room that it was not a 250 pitch. If you bowled in the right areas, you might get something out of it. [Ian] Bradshaw had shown that in a few matches, as did Glenn McGrath and Johnson earlier, and Dwayne Smith today. I alwaysthought that at some point of time, a team was going to fold for under 200. I never thought two teams would fold at the same time.”

Brian Lara on Tendulkar – ‘I don’t know if he has any doubters in India, but there’s definitely not a doubt here’ © Getty Images

The one bright spot, the return of Collymore apart, was a marvellous spell from Dwayne Smith with the new ball. “I am proud of the bowlers,” said Lara. “Dwayne Smith bowled well and Collymore, who did not look 100% fit, looked unplayable on occasions. We’ve still got guys likeBradshaw to come back, so I’m a little happier in that area though there is cause for concern in the batting.”With one strike bowler in Collymore, I obviously had to turn to Bravo, Smith or Hinds. Smith has been the best support bowler so far. He put the ball in the right areas and got genuine wickets. I would like to see him score some runs as well because he has some part to play in thatdepartment.”The defeat put an end to West Indies’ five-match winning streak against India, but Lara reckoned that his side would still hold the edge if they met again in the final. “If they do make it to the final, it’s going to be a different ball game,” he promised. “They came here to win the match andto be kept under 200 with one strike bowler; they will have the psychological disadvantage going into the finals if we meet them.”While praising Harbhajan – “He tries to get wickets and is always a good attacking bowler in one-day cricket” – Lara was also appreciative of the manner in which India battled back. “Sometimes, when you have a small total to defend, you knuckle down a bit and come out harder. Their guys showed consistency in line and length and it paid off at the end of theday.”He saved the best for last, waxing eloquent when asked about Tendulkar’s 65, the defining innings of the match. “Sachin is a very good friend of mine,” he said when asked whether he was disappointed to be at the receiving end once again. “If he scores runs, it is attractive, a sight tobehold. I want my players to learn from a guy like that, he’s an exceptional talent.”Seeing him bat, there’s not much you can do sometimes. He is such aperfect batsman that on occasions, you see guys struggle and he does not. I’m happy that he has come back and is scoring runs because such a great player needs to come to the fore. I don’t know if he has any doubters in India, but there’s definitely not a doubt here. It’s nice to see him come back and show his class. I want to see him do that on Friday as well.”

England are to send two security officials to Pakistan to assess the safety arrangements for the team’s forthcoming tour.The pair will arrive in Pakistan on Sunday to assess match venues and team hotels, an unnamed official from the Pakistan board told the Reuters news agency. The security officials will then meet with interior ministry officials to review all of the arrangements for the tour, which begins with England’s arrival on October 26.”We are going to provide state-level security to the English cricketers,” said the board official. “All our arrangements and rehearsals have been completed.”England’s tour of Pakistan begins with a warm-up match on October 31, and one further practice game before the first Test gets underway on November 12 at Multan, in what is their first tour of Pakistan since 2000. The tourists have already rejected a proposal a proposal to play a Test match in Karachi or any match in Peshawar for security reasons.Abbas Zaidi, the director of the PCB, has already assured the England management that the board will do its utmost to ensure the team’s security in Pakistan. “The security for them will be air tight,” he said. “The interior ministry officials have been cooperative in the past and this time also they are extending all cooperation. We don’t foresee any problems with the security arrangements for the visitors.”

Scorecard

Mark Rampraskash continued his good form with a century at Whitgift School© Getty Images

As Mike Watkinson sat on his white garden chair, a drink perched on the plastic table alongside, a blue and white parasol folded neatly above, you could almost imagine he was on holiday. Unfortunately for him, this was turning into the kind of holiday that gets featured on TV programmes presented by Nicky Campbell and Fiona Bruce.His main source of complaint would have been Mark Ramprakash, who spent the day piling on the runs and taking Lancashire inexorably to the brink of defeat as Surrey put together a first innings of 525. The title-fight that Red Rose fans were hoping for is quickly becoming a scrap to avoid a knockout.Ramprakash is in sumptuous form at present, and today he racked up his fifth century in seven Championship innings, making 134 with a procession of drives and cuts, as well as the shot he slammed to long-off to bring up his century. In the process of the innings he overtook Ian Bell as the First Division’s leading runscorer – and poured soothing unguent on the troubled waters that have threatened to suck Surrey down this season.”I don’t think I’ve had a run quite like this … you get in a little bubble and I’ve stayed in it,” said Ramprakash. “What’s satisfying from my point of view is that the last three seasons I had before this year at Surrey have all been quite successful in terms of the team playing well. This year has been totally different – the team’s been struggling.” Ramprakash’s purple patch couldn’t have come at a better time: “We need quite a big finish because we’re in big danger of going down.”But he wasn’t the only Surrey player putting a big smile on the crowd’s many faces. Tim Murtagh was also in the holiday spirit. Coming to the crease at the fall of the seventh wicket, with the score on 399, Murtagh’s approach suggested that Ally Brown had given him a video of his own batting highlights for Christmas.While Martin Bicknell showed off his collection of drives, reaching 41,Murtagh hit several enormous straight sixes, as well as one that disappeared over the headmaster’s tent. When Doshi joined Murtagh for the last wicket stand, the headmaster’s guests were in even more danger – the two men fired boundaries at will and their partnership of 60 took less than eight overs. Murtagh’s half-century came off only 66 balls.If that wasn’t entertainment enough, three Lancashire wickets in the last hour’s play gave any slumbering spectators a wake-up call. Poor Mark Chilton, who managed only 2 in the first innings, had an even more miserable time at the second attempt. He fell to the very first ball of the innings, nudging a ball straight into the hands of Richard Clinton at short leg. If there was anyone happier than Jon Batty in the ground, it could only have been the cheerfully unemployed paramedic slurping a Mr Whippy.

England v South Africa, 1st Test, Edgbaston, Day 4

Michael Vaughan: a sublime 156

This year, the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack took a deep breath and used a picture on its front cover for the first time in history. It was, as has been widely reported, a huge gamble. But never mind 139 years of tradition and all that – what was really at stake was the here-and-now. By anointing Michael Vaughan as Wisden’s star of 2003, the old yellow book was tempting fate in a truly heinous fashion.Superstitions are an invaluable part of every cricketer’s kitbag, so it would only have been natural if Vaughan had been unable to buy a run all season. Look, for example, at the curse of the Playfair annual – every cricket anorak’s pocket companion – who, year after year, have ruined the seasons of their chosen stars.And sure enough, Vaughan began 2003 with a worrying set of wobbles. Against Zimbabwe, he managed a tortuous 8 from 42 balls at Lord’s, followed by a flashy five-shot 20 at Durham, as if his key attributes of grit and flourish had had a quarrel and taken an innings each. A glut of one-day matches hardly helped his composure at the crease – all too often he was dismissed early, trying to make something out of nothing with un-Vaughanish glides through gully or uncalibrated hoicks over midwicket.But, how different his game appears when there is nothing at stake but the match. Vaughan’s splendid duel with Shaun Pollock, from whom he faced every single delivery of the first hour, encapsulated his performance. For the first time this season, Vaughan was not being expected to live up to the hype that his Ashes series created, merely to ride with that hype.In that first session, Vaughan faced 76 deliveries from Pollock and scored 17 runs. It was the pivotal spell of the day, and, with England an eternity from saving the follow-on, unquestionably the most gripping. But a similar return against Zimbabwe, or in a one-day game, would have been deemed unacceptably slow. Never mind the fact that, for the remainder of his innings, he rattled along at exactly four an over.Despite his success as England’s one-day captain, Vaughan may never be able to convert his prolific Test form into consistency in the limited-overs game. He is too finicky an artist for that. But, give him a blank canvas and all the time in the world to produce a masterpiece, he’ll clatter one off and still leave time to spare.Click here for today’s Bulletin

With Test spots up for grabs, there will be no letting up by New Zealand’s cricketers as they take on South Australia from tomorrow.Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming today warned the Redbacks could face some fire from pace duo Chris Martin and Shane Bond, who will be out to claim a berth inthe second Test against Australia in Hobart from November 22.”There is a Test spot up for grabs, maybe two, and they’re stupid if they don’t see that,” Fleming said.”I think they’ve been made very aware of what’s up for grabs and they’ll be playing very well, very hard.”Bond, 26, flew into Adelaide earlier this week as a replacement for Dion Nash, who was sent home after the drawn first Test with a stomach injury.Left-armer Shayne O’Connor is also in doubt with a knee injury.Black Caps allrounder Chris Cairns will be rested from the four-day fixture at Adelaide Oval after pulling up sore from his last-day heroics, which took NewZealand within 10 runs of Test victory in Brisbane. The Gabba match was his first Test back after 12 months on the sidelines with a knee injury.While New Zealand was waiting until late tonight to name its team for Adelaide, Fleming said Daniel Vettori would benefit from playing.Vettori and fellow spinner Glen Sulzberger have spent the past few days working here with former Australian Test spinner Ashley Mallett.Lou Vincent, who was New Zealand’s 12th man during the Brisbane Test, will also play on his old stomping ground, having grown up in Adelaide and representedSA at under-17 and under-19 level.Fleming regarded the match as an important step to finding the right recipe for the second Test.”We had an opportunity and we played reasonably well for an afternoon,” he said of the first Test.”There were aspects previous to that that weren’t so hot and we’ve got a lot of work to do to go into that Hobart Test feeling a little bit better than what we are at present.”SA will be buoyed after thrashing Tasmania by an innings and 40 runs at the weekend after captain Darren Lehmann scored 246 and vice-captain Greg Blewett 163.But Jeff Vaughan was a late omission from the Redbacks’ side to play New Zealand.Vaughan was suffering on-going headaches from concussion after he was hit in the head by a ball during the match against Tasmania.Chris Davies was brought into the side as a replacement.Blewett saw the match against New Zealand as a chance to stay on a roll.”We’re trying to keep some sort of momentum going for our season,” he said.SOUTH AUSTRALIA: Darren Lehmann (capt), Greg Blewett (vice-capt), David Fitzgerald, Shane Deitz, Chris Davies, Ben Higgins, Brad Young, GrahamManou, Mike Smith, Peter McIntyre, Paul Rofe, Mark Harrity, (12th man to be named).

Having arrived at Celtic on a free transfer last summer, questions were immediately raised amongst the Parkhead support regarding the club’s decision to hand the 31-year-old central midfielder a four-year deal – with Bhoys Analytics stating their belief that offering the former Crystal Palace player a long-term contract was “insane” and that the move was a “confusing” one for the Hoops to make.

Perhaps more worryingly, Kieran Devlin then revealed in a report for The Athletic back in September that the former Republic of Ireland international had struggled to get to grips with Ange Postecoglou’s demands in training, as well as suggesting that the 56-year-old manager, nor Celtic’s scouting department, had any say into the midfielder’s signing.

In his piece, the journalist wrote: “Dressing-room sources have spoken of how newcomer James McCarthy has struggled in training with the pace and intensity of Postecoglou’s sessions and the demands of his midfielders.

“The Athletic understands neither Postecoglou nor the scouting department had meaningful input into signing McCarthy this summer after his contract expired at Premier League Crystal Palace.”

Indeed, this would go some way to explaining why the £14k-per-week man has featured so sparingly for the Hoops this season, making just six starts in all competitions, as well as featuring for a grand total of 681 minutes – the equivalent of seven and a half games.

Furthermore, when the £2.25m-rated midfielder has been on the pitch, he has failed to impress, averaging an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of just 6.80 over his eight Premiership appearances – ranking him as Celtic’s joint 11th-worst performer in the league – in addition to averaging an even more disastrous SofaScore match rating of 6.62 over his five Europa League outings.

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As such, considering just how poor the player who RTÉ analyst, Eamon Dunphy, dubbed a “terrible flop” has been for Celtic, Dominic McKay’s decision to commit just shy of £3m on a four-year deal for McCarthy has already proven to be something of a nightmare for the Bhoys – and one that does not seem likely to end any time soon.

AND in other news: Celtic now set to secure prodigy despite English interest, supporters will be buzzing

Kapil Dev: “BCCI is like a king and I am its subject. If it wants to sack me from the NCA then I cannot stop it” © AFP

Kapil Dev called recent remarks made by Sharad Pawar, the Indian board president, about the Indian Cricket League (ICL), “shameful”.”If the board thinks that only the national XI can attract crowds, then it should stop conducting any domestic tournament,” Kapil, who is the chairman of the ICL’s executive board, told .When asked to comment on the unofficial ICL, which is being bankrolled by Zee Telefilms, India’s largest listed media company, and carrying a prize of US$1 million, Pawar said that the competition would mainly feature players coming out of retirement. “Everyone wants to see official cricket, not the oldies. I see no reason for young players going there. Only those who play official cricket can represent India.” Pawar also warned that promising young players would be ineligible for the Indian team if they played in the tournament.Kapil said the BCCI should not be threatening players because they cannot perform on the field under fear. “The board is scared of the ICL. That is the only reason it is not willing to talk to us,” Kapil said.The BCCI will meet on August 21 to decide, among other matters, whether Kapil should continue as chairman of the National Cricket Academy (NCA), now that he has joined hands with the ICL. Kapil, who had earlier been sent a letter by the BCCI on the matter, remains defiant. “BCCI is like a king and I am its subject. If it wants to sack me from the NCA then I cannot stop it.”The ICL will feature six teams playing Twenty20 matches. Each team will comprise four international players, two Indian players, and eight upcoming players. Brian Lara is the only confirmed player on the ICL list. Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath have denied Kapil’s claims that the two have been signed for the league. Among other big names Inzamam-ul Haq, Stephen Fleming, and Chris Cairns are reported to be negotiating deals with the ICL.