Manchester United are interested in signing Birmingham midfielder Jude Bellingham in the January transfer window, sources have told ESPN.

United believe a bid of around £25 million plus another £5m in add-ons could be enough to prise the 16-year-old away from St Andrews.

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If a deal can be agreed, options on the table include Bellingham joining Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's senior squad immediately or re-joining Birmingham on loan until the end of the season.

Sources have told ESPN that after establishing himself as a first team regular in the Championship this season, playing regular football would be a major factor in Bellingham's decision.

The teenager has scored four goals in 25 games so far this term and has been capped at England Under-15 and U16 level.

Solskjaer is short in midfield after losing Paul Pogba and Scott McTominay to injury. Pogba is expected back in February after undergoing an operation to remove bone fragments from his ankle while McTominay is recovering from a knee ligament injury suffered against Newcastle on Boxing Day.

Sources have told ESPN that United remain interested in Sporting Lisbon midfielder Bruno Fernandes but, as of Wednesday morning, a fee had still not been agreed.

Sporting value the 25-year-old at around €80m and are pushing for a deal made up of €65m up front and another €15m in add-ons while United are hoping to pay close to €50m with €10m in bonuses.

With six needed off two balls, New Zealand No. 9 Kristian Clarke smashed a six over deep midwicket to knock Sri Lanka out of quarter-final contention and secure his team's pathway into the next round in dramatic fashion.

With three wickets in hand, New Zealand needed 12 off the final over that was being delivered by Dilshan Madushanka, but Clarke - who finished unbeaten on a three-ball nine - walked across his stumps to connect cleanly with his slog. The New Zealand players rushed onto the field to celebrate while the Sri Lanka team fell on their knees.

New Zealand's chase of 243 was set up by Rhys Mariu, who struck 86 with six fours but it was their No. 4 and Player of the Match Beckham Wheeler-Greenall who led most of their charge in the second half of the innings. He struck 80 with four fours and a six and was run-out in the 49th over with the team needing 14 runs in the last nine deliveries.

That Sri Lanka posted 242 in the first place was courtesy their No. 8 and allrounder Ahan Wickramasinghe, who hit nine fours in his 48-ball innings of 64. He had walked in at the 37th over with Sri Lanka at 141 for 6 and together with No. 6 Sonal Dinusha (46) added 78 runs in 66 balls. The early damage to Sri Lanka was caused by legspinner Adithya Ashok, who took 3 for 38 in the first innings.

Sri Lanka are now relegated to the plate group of the tournament since they can now only reach a maximum of two points. New Zealand now face India to see which of those teams end up topping Group A.

Afghanistan were through to the quarter-finals after beating United Arab Emirates by 160 runs, their second straight victory. Opener Ibrahim Zadran showed his international experience in top scoring with 87 in a dominating batting performance. He was complemented by Rahmanullah, who made an 82-ball 81 at No. 4 as they posted 265 for 5. The end-overs impetus was provided by Mohammad Ishaq, the wicketkeeper, who struck four fours and a six in his 26-ball 35 not out.

In reply, UAE started promisingly with the openers Aryan Lakara and V Aravind putting on 61, but a procession of wickets followed thereafter as they were bowled out for 106. Legspinner Shafiqullah Ghafari, who spun South Africa out with 6 for 15 in the tournament opener, finished with magical figures of 5 for 23.

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Pakistan joined Bangladesh in the quarter-finals, but not before being run close by Zimbabwe, who made a proper fist of a 295-run target. They eventually fell 38 short to crash out of the knockouts from Group C. Pakistan recovered from 74 for 3 courtesy half-centuries from Fahad Munir and Qasim Akram. With the launchpad set, Mohammad Haris provided the spark with a blistering 48-ball 81, in which he struck six fours and four sixes.

Zimbabwe's Wesley Madhevere, playing in his third Under-19 World Cup, began impressively with a half-century while Milton Shumba from No. 3 also made 58. However, from 186 for 3 in 36 overs, Zimbabwe failed to kick on courtesy Abbas Afridi and Tahir Hussain, the seamers, who finished with three wickets apiece.

South Africa bounced back from their opening-day loss to Afghanistan by trouncing Canada by 150 runs in Potchefstroom. Bryce Parsons, the captain, made a 90-ball 121 to steer the innings, while Jonathan Bird and Tyrese Karelse contributed 54 and 60 respectively to South Africa's imposing 349 for 8, 120 of which were scored in the last 13 overs.

Canada's innings folded around Benjamin Calitz's unbeaten 62; they were bowled out for 199 in 41.1 overs, with Achille Cloete, Tiaan van Vuuren and Jack Lees picking up two wickets apiece. The loss means Canada are out of the running for the quarter-finals.

Pakistan allrounder Shoaib Malik insists he is not getting ahead of himself following his call-up for the series against Bangladesh, and will "not set any long-term goals". Most notably, that meant he wouldn't commit to saying whether he aimed to be part of Pakistan's World T20 squad, saying that was "too far out".

"I am not thinking about the World Cup; my selection is for the Bangladesh series and I will try to avail whatever opportunity I get," he told reporters in Lahore. "The World Cup is too far out, and I don't set long term goals. Whatever's in my hand I will try. There are lots of youngsters in the team who should be groomed and that is the priority. I also don't want to make a statement that I will retire from T20 cricket after the World Cup. When the time comes, I will see how things are going."

Malik's remarks on his aspirations for the World T20 stand in stark contrast to his fellow senior player Mohammad Hafeez's, who was also called up by chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq for this series. The day after his inclusion in the side, he declared the World T20 would mark his retirement from all international cricket, suggesting playing in that event is very much front and centre among his goals.

Malik should be more familiar with the visiting Bangladesh side than most. Just last week, he was part of the Rajshahi Royals side that triumphed in the Bangladesh Premier League final in Dhaka. He ranked fourth on the run charts across the entire competition, racking up 455 averaging just under 38. In addition, he shed light on some of the conversations he had had with players in Bangladesh, and his attempts to assuage any concerns players might have about touring Pakistan.

"Players do ask us about how things are in Pakistan when we go out and play in different leagues. The sort of security you get in Pakistan, you don't get anywhere else. Some Bangladesh players also inquired about security, and I told them that they should come and have a look at it themselves. Only one player [Mushfiqur] is not coming because of personal reasons. I just want to say to him 'please do come next time and see for yourself'. When the Bangladesh team comes and sees the atmosphere here, I think they will also convince others who aren't coming right now to come for the next leg."

As for the cricket, though, he expects nothing less than the sternest of challenges.

"Bangladesh are bringing a strong team. Their system has become stronger over the years. A well-balanced side is coming. But if you look at our T20 team, we have lots of players who have plenty of experience. Babar Azam is highly thought of around the world; when I go play in other leagues, they all praise him. When other players also get chances on a consistent basis, I feel sure they will also perform, too."

But for Pakistan's oldest serving cricketer - Malik made his international debut in 1999 - being in this side at all defies expectations. After a torrid World Cup campaign he was dropped halfway through, he lost his central contract, and the possibility he had played his last game for Pakistan was very real. Now, back in the side and with a chance to show his worth as a stabilising influence in a team that has begun to slide, Malik has a simple explanation for why he's sticking around.

"I'm still enjoying my cricket," he said.

Kagiso Rabada's aggressive wicket-taking celebrations could be a result of being overburdened, according to Graeme Smith, South Africa's acting director of cricket.

Rabada, who has 43 Test caps to his name at the age of 24, accumulated a fourth active demerit point when he entered Joe Root's personal space and screamed at the ground where Root was standing, after dismissing him at St George's Park. As a result, Rabada will miss a must-win Test for South Africa at the Wanderers. While being careful not to excuse Rabada's behaviour, Smith called on other players to step up and share the load.

"It can't happen anymore. He is disappointed," Smith said. "There is an element of consistency from the ICC we need to get and understand but we cannot have our gun bowler missing games for these type of things anymore.

"He is a poster boy and we need to develop more poster boys. Too much has been put on his shoulders as well. He is on every ad, playing every game, he is carrying the can. If he doesn't perform well, we are in trouble. I think it's a good thing he is being rested in this series, we need to see some other people step up and start filling that void and taking some pressure off him. Maybe that will help as well."

This is not the first time Rabada has been sanctioned for breaching the ICC's code of conduct. In July 2017, he missed the second Test against England at Trent Bridge after again racking up demerit points which culminated in a send-off for Ben Stokes at Lord's. South Africa won the match despite Rabada's absence.

Rabada was also in danger of being suspended from the Cape Town Test against Australia in 2018 after he violated the code of conduct twice in Port Elizabeth, first when he yelled into David Warner's face and then when he had a shoulder brush with Steve Smith. The second offence was initially deemed a Level 2 sanction but on appeal, Rabada was successful in downgrading it to a Level 1 offence and he escaped a ban.

On that occasion, Rabada admitted he was letting the team down. Now, two years later, he has said almost exactly the same thing, leading to questions about why he has not learnt from his mistakes. Smith believes it could be the expectation that falls on Rabada as leader of the attack, particularly when South Africa are not performing.

At St George's Park, Vernon Philander and Dane Paterson were ineffective with the new ball, leaving it to Rabada to make the breakthrough with Root's wicket. While dismissing the opposition captain was something to celebrate, Smith believes Rabada needs to learn how to direct his excitement elsewhere.

"It's learning how to channel that emotion in the moment, when your adrenaline is pumping and you have put in the hard work," Smith said. "How does he channel that better? How does he become a charismatic man for the environment and the crowd without transgressing? These are things that hopefully we will be able to guide him but also in those moments on the field, with that instinct, how he responds is important.

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"Sometimes you do get hot-headed, we have all been there, on the field, when your emotions are running high, you're in the moment, it's a battle between you and the top batter, and vice-versa, and that's got to come now. He is experienced enough to know how to channel that and that's what we've got to get out of him."

That Rabada has been able to become so experienced in such a short period of time is also the result of South Africa's transformation targets, which require the national team to field a minimum of six players of colour including two black Africans on average over the course of a season. And while there have been several black African players in the mix - Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo and Temba Bavuma - none of them have had the same consistent and injury-free run as Rabada, which has resulted in him being overused.

Earlier on Wednesday, Quinton de Kock said he while saw Rabada's absence this week as a big loss for the team, it was also a much-needed opportunity for Rabada to "get some time off his feet". Rabada will also be rested from the three-match one-day series which will give the opportunity to recharge the batteries and reflect on his conduct.

"In this period where he is going to have an extra week off and rest the one-day series - KG works extremely hard, he is extremely professional - we will be having discussions on channelling his emotions better and still being that aggressive fast bowler that South African cricket needs," Smith said. "But he does need support from players around him and needs people to come through and carry some of that can so that he doesn't always feel he is the ultimate guy that needs to deliver. We need to have more players around him. We need to get people like Lungi permanently on the field and fit and so on, carrying that can with him."

Ngidi has been named in South Africa's ODI squad but will only be available subject to passing a fitness test. He has not played any cricket since picking up a hamstring injury in the Mzansi Super League (MSL). He is involved in a three-week strength-and-conditioning camp along with Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi and Jon-Jon Smuts, all of whom could play against England if they meet the required fitness standards. Rabada is expected to be back for the T20s.

Two weeks ago, New Zealand's Kristian Clarke needed to defend eight off the final over against Zimbabwe's lower order to secure victory in a third-place playoff match at the Quadrangular tournament in South Africa. But Zimbabwe's No. 9 Luke Oldknow struck a six off him to crush New Zealand's hopes.

On Wednesday, Clarke had a shot at redemption. He was faced with the task of hitting six runs off two remaining balls. At stake was a quarter-final berth. He cleared deep midwicket, much to the joy of his mates; Sri Lanka's hopes crushed.

"Winning or losing in the final over is probably the toughest part of the game," Clarke told ESPNcricinfo. "I was part of it when we were playing Zimbabwe and I kind of bowled an average last over and lost the game, so I know the feeling.

"In the last over, me and [the No. 8] Joey Field just talked about the bowler, that he may bowl full. So we wanted to walk across and go square. He was telling me to breathe to stay calm. After hitting the shot, I looked for a bit, but since I timed it pretty well, I just began to run off."

New Zealand, whose first game against Japan was washed out, now have the opportunity to top Group A if they beat India on Friday. Clarke felt lessons had to be learnt from the tense finish ahead of the clash against the defending champions and tournament favourites.

"We can take a lot of confidence from this win ahead of the India game," Clarke said "Chasing 250 [243] is a good effort. But we don't want to fly too high. We want to keep carry on and focus on the processes. We stuck to our training against the Sri Lanka spinners and they paid off. We'd like to stick to that against India."

For Sri Lanka, it was "heartbreak", according to team manager and former international Farveez Maharoof, himself an Under-19 World Cupper (featured in the 2004 edition). However, he felt the better side won on the day.

"Definitely can't question our boys' effort," Maharoof said. "Just one of those heartbreakers. "The boys fought brilliantly because conditions were very good for batting till the end. The boys fought well, especially with our partnership in the first innings between Sonal Dinusha and Ahan Wickramasinghe [who struck 78 runs in 66 balls].

"Overall, New Zealand were deserving winners. They were in the game more than us and they dragged the game right till the end. In the end, our boy missed his yorker by six inches and it goes for a sixer. Complete heartbreak, can't imagine what the boys are going through. All in all, good game."

As for how the Sri Lankan youngsters would cope with the loss, Maharoof said that's where the contribution of the support staff comes in. He said that despite a tough loss, there were positives for the team to learn for the future.

"It will be hard for sure," Maharoof added. "You can see the coaching staff and the players are clearly down. Now it's up to the management to cheer the boys up. We have a plate to play for, and pretty proud of the boys' effort.

"They never gave up till the end, and these are little good things that will help the boys in their careers. Answering your question, how hard it is? Definitely very hard and that's where our professionalism comes in. We need to get the boys up and running again."

A fit-again Deandra Dottin has returned to West Indies' 15-member squad, led by Stafanie Taylor, for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia.

Dottin had been out of cricket for eight months, recovering from a right shoulder injury that required corrective surgery and months of rehabilitation.

Lee-Ann Kirby, meanwhile, returned to the West Indies squad after more than 12 years. The 32-year old allrounder from Trinidad and Tobago played the last of her two T20Is in July 2008.

Kirby and batter Aaliyah Alleyne are the most inexperienced members of the squad. Alleyne made her debut during the home series against India last November, featuring in all three matches that West Indies lost.

The semi-finalists from 2018 are looking to reclaim the title they won in 2016, when they beat Australia in a thrilling final at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The star of that game Hayley Matthews is one of three frontline allrounders - the other two being Taylor and Dottin. Anisa Mohammed, the experienced offspinner, will spearhead the spin attack.

The pace department will be led by Shakera Selman and Shamilia Connell, both of whom are returning from injuries, along with newcomer Cherry-Ann Fraser.

"Lee Ann Kirby returns to the team after an extended absence but she has shown herself to be a prolific scorer," chief selector Ann Browne-John said in a release.

"In addition the introduction of the young fast bowler Cherry Ann Fraser is ideal for the Australian pitches which are generally fast with some bounce. The team has the experience and talent to excel at the World Cup."

West Indies, who last played international cricket in November, will play Pakistan in three warm-up matches in Brisbane ahead of the T20 World Cup.

They begin their campaign on February 22 against first-timers Thailand in Perth, ahead of matches against Pakistan (Canberra) and England (Sydney) on February 26 and March 1 respectively. Their final group fixture will be on March 3 against South Africa in Sydney.

Squad: Stafanie Taylor, Aaliyah Alleyne, Shemaine Campbelle, Shamilia Connell, Britney Cooper, Deandra Dottin, Afy Fletcher, Cherry-Ann Fraser, Sheneta Grimmond, Chinelle Henry, Lee-Ann Kirby, Hayley Matthews, Anisa Mohammed, Chedean Nation, Shakera Selman

Minnesota Lynx star Maya Moore will sit out a second consecutive WNBA season and has taken herself out of consideration for the Olympics so she can push for the prison release of a Missouri man who she believes is innocent, she told The New York Times.

That man, 39-year-old Jonathan Irons, is serving a 50-year prison sentence for a conviction of burglary and assault of a man in his home with a weapon. Moore first met Irons in 2017 when she visited the Jefferson City Correctional Center, where he is an inmate.

"I'm in a really good place right now with my life, and I don't want to change anything," Moore told The New York Times in a telephone interview this week. "Basketball has not been foremost in my mind. I've been able to rest, and connect with people around me, actually be in their presence after all of these years on the road. And I've been able to be there for Jonathan."

Irons was 16 at the time of the incident. The homeowner testified that Irons was the person who assaulted him, but Irons' lawyers say there is no evidence (witness, fingerprints, footprints, DNA) to corroborate that their client committed the crime. Irons, an African-American who was living in poverty, was tried as an adult and the all-white jury found him guilty.

Moore, 30, told the newspaper that she is not retired, despite her decision to sit out a second straight WNBA season.

"I don't feel like this is the right time for me to retire," she told The Times. "Retirement is something that is a big deal and there is a right way to do it well, and this is not the time for me."

The United States national team said it supports Moore's decision.

"We are going to miss Maya tremendously, but we also respect her decision," Carol Callan, director of the U.S. national team, said, according to the newspaper. "A player of Maya's ability does not walk away from the gym lightly. Everyone feels it. The thing that makes her so special is her approach, her dedication, which has always been contagious for our team. We know how devoted she is to what she believes in, and that what she is doing is remarkable."

Moore was the first overall pick in the 2011 draft. With Moore, the Lynx went to the WNBA Finals six times. Last season, without her, the Lynx finished 18-16 and were the seventh seed in the postseason, losing to the Storm in the first round.

Moore was the WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2011, the league MVP in 2014 and a five-time All-Star. She has career averages of 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists.

UFC superstar Conor McGregor has made no secret of his interest in trying his hand at boxing again, be it in a rematch with Floyd Mayweather or perhaps a showdown with another legend, Manny Pacquiao, both of whom have also shown interest in facing him.

But Top Rank promoter Bob Arum has another idea for McGregor -- and one with a twist.

Arum said that he would like to make a two-fight deal with UFC president Dana White for McGregor to fight undefeated welterweight world boxing titleholder Terence Crawford -- first under MMA rules inside the Octagon, then a second fight under boxing rules.

"You've got an elite boxer in Terence Crawford fighting an elite MMA guy in Conor McGregor under MMA rules," Arum told ESPN on Wednesday. "You don't think that would be interesting and something the public would want to see? I think it's very realistic."

Arum said there have been some discussions between the sides but declined to specify which parties had talked.

"Whenever they are ready, we are ready," Arum said. "We'd do the MMA fight first if that's what they want."

McGregor crossed over to the boxing ring for the 2017 fight with Mayweather -- who won by 10th-round TKO in the second-highest-grossing pay-per-view in history -- and all of the recent discussion of male crossover fights has been about the MMA athlete going to box. Crawford is the first elite male boxer in his prime to say that he is willing to fight under MMA rules. Crawford, who has a background in wrestling, said he would embrace a chance to fight McGregor in the cage or in the ring.

"I'm a fighter first. As a fighter, I would entertain it," Crawford told ESPN. "I just have to have the proper time to prepare myself. It would be a little more than boxing training. I haven't been in that [wrestling] environment in a long time, but most definitely I feel I can compete with anyone given the proper time to train on the MMA side, being that I have a wrestling background. McGregor would have to worry about my stand-up game as well. It would be interesting. He's got good kicks and he's strong. I'd have to prepare myself for those things, but I feel I would be all right."

What Crawford has really wanted is the opportunity to face other top 147-pounders and unify world titles, but all of the other elite welterweights, such as unified titleholder Errol Spence Jr., titlist Pacquiao and former titleholders Shawn Porter, Keith Thurman and Danny Garcia all fight under the Premier Boxing Champions. Crawford is with Top Rank, making those bouts extremely difficult to make.

"I can't get none of these top welterweights in the ring to fight me, so whatever is clever. I'm with it all," Crawford said of a potential major fight in MMA.

Arum said fighting Crawford would make sense for McGregor (22-4 in MMA, 0-1 in boxing), who scored a vicious 40-second TKO over Donald "Cowboy" Cerrone at UFC 246 last Saturday night in Las Vegas in his first MMA bout since losing to Khabib Nurmagomedov in October 2018.

"Fighting Crawford would be great for McGregor because he has no chance in a boxing match except to pick up a check," Arum said. "In an MMA match, he would be the favorite, but Crawford would have a chance because he's one tough dude and because he has a wrestling background. I think that Crawford is the one boxer that can compete with an elite MMA guy under MMA rules. We'd do two fights so we can level the playing field by fighting in both disciplines. Mayweather and Pacquiao would never fight under MMA rules. Crawford would."

Crawford (36-0, 27 KOs), 32, of Omaha, Nebraska, one of the top boxers in the world pound-for-pound, wrestled in middle school and still dabbles in it when not preparing for boxing matches.

"I always had the talent for wrestling, but I liked to throw my hands. I liked punching people in the face more than hugging them," Crawford said. "My dad was a wrestler, my uncle and my grandfather wrestled, and they were always teaching me the moves. I just liked boxing more.

"A lot of people may say if Terence goes into the Octagon he will get crushed, but they don't know me."

Kansas forward Silvio De Sousa has been suspended indefinitely for his role in the Jayhawks' brawl with Kansas State on Tuesday night.

Kansas announced the suspension Wednesday in a statement from coach Bill Self.

The school did not reveal a specific length of De Sousa's suspension or additional punishment for any other player, citing its joint review with the Big 12.

"I have suspended Silvio De Sousa indefinitely pending the final outcome of the review by KU and the Big 12 Conference," Self said in his statement. "As I said last night, we are disappointed in his actions and there is no place in the game for that behavior."

The melee began when De Sousa blocked DaJuan Gordon's shot in the final seconds of an 81-60 victory and then stood over Gordon. At one point during the brawl, De Sousa, who had thrown multiple punches, held a stool above his head before assistant coach Jerrance Howard grabbed it from him.

The Jayhawks' Marcus Garrett and David McCormack were also in the thick of things along with the Wildcats' James Love and David Sloan, who was the first player to come to Gordon's defense.

"The players told me they went on the court because they thought the game was over," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said on Wednesday's Big 12 media teleconference.

Weber said he was "sad" about the events that unfolded and added that he expected the Big 12, in consultation with leaders from both schools, to announce suspensions "sooner rather than later."

Self said Tuesday night that the fight was "not part of heated competition." He added that he had been in contact with a woman who was caught in the middle of the fight and said he planned to check on her on Wednesday.

"I'm sure we'll correspond with her today, see how she's feeling today," Self said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.