Barcelona are monitoring Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Rodrigo Moreno sources have told ESPN, but they are also considering other attacking options because they are aware both Arsenal and Valencia will be unwilling to sell during the January transfer window.

Barca's management met on Monday after the 1-0 victory over Granada and they decided to look into the market to find a replacement for Luis Suarez who will be out of action for four months following surgery on his right knee.

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Club sources have told ESPN they are not looking for a quick fix after Kevin-Prince Boateng failed to impress after arriving in last year's January window. Barca want to sign an established striker but know prices this month are exaggerated.

With this in mind, they are interested in Rodrigo and Aubameyang but the first attempts to start negotiations have not gone to plan.

"Valencia are not going to make it easy," a source told ESPN. "He's a very important player for them and it's the not the first time Barca have shown an interest in him."

Barca are also keeping an eye on Aubameyang, 30, who has a contract with Arsenal until 2021. Sources have told ESPN the player would like a change and test himself in La Liga.

"They really like him at the Camp Nou, he's possibly one of the most admired strikers at the club but they know it'll be tough to get him from the Emirates," the source said.

In Rodrigo's case, Barca could make a loan offer to Valencia which will include an obligation to buy the player next summer.

The club are not too optimistic about getting both deals done and sources told ESPN that Barca are working to sign another "top level" forward although they have not revealed a name.

Barca intend to sign a forward next summer and sources have told ESPN their two main targets are PSG's Neymar and Inter Milan's Lautaro Martinez.

If Barca manage to bring in a striker in this window, it will be a signing with the future in the mind given that there could be important news on the attacking front next summer.

MANCHESTER, England -- Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is offering no assurances that Marcus Rashford will return from a back injury before the end of the season and said only that the club will give the striker as much time as is necessary to recover.

Rashford has suffered a stress fracture in his back and predictions for his comeback have ranged from six weeks to three months. But asked directly at a news conference on Tuesday whether it was possible Rashford may not play again this season, Solskjaer did not rule it out.

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"Marcus is going to get as long as he needs to get fit," Solskjaer said. "We are not going to risk him when he has had an injury.

"I have got the best medical staff in the country and I am sure when Marcus comes back he will be 100 percent fit."

Solskjaer has faced criticism for the way he handled Rashford's injury with former Arsenal striker Ian Wright having said the United boss "thought about himself before the player" when deciding to field the 22-year-old against Wolves in the FA Cup third round replay.

Rashford was injured in a collision with Wolves defender Matt Doherty during the game which United won 1-0 but Solskjaer is adamant the forward wanted to play.

"I never put myself before the team," Solskjaer said when asked about Wright's comments. "I always put the team and the club before anything else.

"What we've discussed before here with Marcus, he's had minor discomfort in his back since the Burnley game. That's maybe three weeks before this game?

"We've had scans, we've monitored him. There's not been any injury there. He's had complaints, yeah. I had a discussion and conversation with him the day before or two days before. 'FA Cup, I'm going to rest you'.

"He felt fine. He was very, very adamant that if needed he could at least do half an hour because we want to go through in the cup because it's a big tournament for us. That just shows you Marcus's attitude.

"He looked very free and when I asked him if it was OK to be on the bench, no problem. He wanted to come on. It's just one of those unfortunate things."

Rashford's workload has increased this season after United sanctioned the departures of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez to Inter Milan without signing a replacement. It has left Rashford, Anthony Martial and 18-year-old Mason Greenwood as the only recognised strikers in the squad but Solskjaer stood by the decisions made in the summer, even in the wake of Rashford's inury.

"As I've said so many times before, we didn't find the right one for the right price," Solskjaer said. "Of course we knew we were a forward light when Romelu went and Alexis went, but you'll not see Anthony, Marcus and Mason do as well as they've done unless you give them the chance to play.

"Harry Hindsight, he's quite clever. That's the thing. We've got to make decisions there and then on what we believe in, and I still stick with that."

MANCHESTER, England -- Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has hinted that Manchester United were right to pull the plug on a deal for Erling Haaland despite suffering a striker crisis thanks to an injury to Marcus Rashford.

United are scouring the transfer market for a forward with Rashford set for an extended spell on the sidelines after suffering a stress fracture in his back.

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Haaland was a January target for Solskjaer, only for the teenager to sign for Borussia Dortmund when United refused to agree to certain stipulations set by agent Mino Raiola and his representatives, including inserting a buyout clause into his contract.

Haaland netted a hat trick on his Dortmund debut after coming on as a substitute on 59 minutes, which sparked a comeback from 3-1 down to win 5-3 over Augsburg on Saturday.

"It is important that we use common sense," Solskjaer said in a news conference on Tuesday ahead of Burnley's visit to Old Trafford.

"There are other things too when you sign players, that you have to keep in control. You can't give agents the control by giving buyout clauses and stuff.

"That has been touted around, that is for me, we have to be in control."

Solskjaer is keen to add a striker to his squad in the remaining days of the January transfer window to compensate for the loss of Rashford, who has scored 19 goals this season.

Edinson Cavani, who has handed in a transfer request at Paris Saint-Germian, Borussia Dortmund's Paco Alcacer, AC Milan's Krzysztof Piatek, Napoli's Dries Mertens, as well as a series of short-term options, have all been discussed but United are running out of time before the deadline while talks with Sporting Lisbon over a deal for midfielder Bruno Fernandes are ongoing.

"We are looking at different scenarios," Solskjaer added.

"If there are deals to be done we will update you on that. We know that Marcus is out for a few months.

"That will take its toll on the team because we are stretched."

LONDON -- On the face of it, Mikel Arteta has made an unimpressive start to life as Arsenal manager. Tuesday's 2-2 draw at Chelsea left him with just one win in six Premier League games since taking charge last month, and the club he described as the "biggest in England" lie in 10th position in the Premier League. Arsenal are 10 points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea, and their hopes of qualifying for the Champions League are hanging by a thread.

Yet statistics don't tell the full story where Arteta is concerned, especially after this London derby at Stamford Bridge when Arsenal emerged unbeaten, despite being reduced to 10 men after just 26 minutes following David Luiz's red card against his former club for a reckless foul on Tammy Abraham.

Progress, measured by the black and white of the league table or won-and-lost column, is hard to find, but this was a night when Arsenal showed they are displaying the green shoots of recovery that have been conspicuous by their absence for longer than anyone at the Emirates cares to remember. Young players, such as goal scorer Gabriel Martinelli and full-back Bukayo Saka (both 18), showed tenacity and ambition beyond their years, while right-back Hector Bellerin grew with the responsibility of the captaincy.

Chelsea, with an extra man and home advantage, twice took the lead, but Arsenal somehow emerged from Stamford Bridge with a point.

"I am so proud of the courage, the fight and the leadership," Arteta said. "I am very pleased.

"We are playing with a lot of young kids and what we showed tonight means we can be very proud of them. They stepped up; if a teammate makes a mistake, they have to have their back."

Arsenal are clearly at base camp in their rebuilding job under Arteta. Unai Emery was unable to bring stability and progress following Arsene Wenger's exit in May 2018, so Arteta has inherited a mess at the Emirates. His squad lacks quality in key areas, and there are too many players, such as Luiz and Mesut Ozil (who was substituted after 56 ineffectual minutes), who drag the team down due to their deficiencies.

But while Arteta has struggled to improve results since relinquishing his role as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City, he has found a way to get his players to do the basics. That should be the first objective of any manager, but Emery was unable to get his Arsenal team to fight as a collective and stick to a coherent tactical plan, so Arteta is already doing a better job than his predecessor on that score. The fact that Arsenal were a better team without Luiz and Ozil, despite being down to 10 men, says everything about the improved mentality Arteta has already instilled.

"After this game nobody will have to speak about us," Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka said. "We showed big character. A lot of people say we have no character in the team, so after this game we showed we have."

Battling and scrapping and chasing lost causes will get a team only so far, however. Arteta will have to reshape his squad in the summer to ensure that his side make greater progress in terms of results. But the stunning goals scored by Martinelli and Bellerin to secure a point will at least give Arteta the belief that he has some players who can help Arsenal get back to where they want to be as quickly as possible.

Chelsea manager Frank Lampard is attempting a similar rebuild at Stamford Bridge, and he is not much further up the mountain than Arteta, having been in the job since only July. Chelsea have a better squad -- a reality borne out by their position in the top four -- but they are beginning to lose momentum after winning just four of their past 12 league games.

Lampard's challenge is different to Arteta's because he has better players, but he now needs to help his young stars by adding experience to the squad. Failing to beat an opponent that has been forced to play with 10 men for more than an hour is an example of the lack of game-changing quality in Lampard's squad, and he will be concerned about slipping out of the top four if the poor run continues.

"We could have had three or four goals today," Lampard said. "Having shots, crosses and lots of 'ooh' moments. But we have to be clinical. When game day comes you have to have the killer instinct. We've not got that at the moment.

"We might be a bit young and in a bit of transition about us, but we have to have that quality."

While Lampard was frustrated, Arteta was realistic.

"Time will tell if this is a steppingstone, but at least I saw a reaction," he said. "I demand from the players that they never give up -- we have to keep playing with the spirit we showed in every game."

Arsenal's problem in recent years has been their inability to build on good performances. If Arteta can change that, Arsenal can look forward to better days ahead.

It's a signing that seems almost too perfect.

Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez, the most recognizable Mexican player for over a decade, is now in Southern California having signed with the LA Galaxy and the marketing possibilities seem endless. The sight of Chicharito going up against compatriot Carlos Vela twice a year (at least) adds another layer of hype to the intra-city rivalry with LAFC. Now in the weeks between El Trafficos -- their first meeting is May 16 at Banc of California Stadium, the return game on Aug. 23 -- fans of the two teams will be keeping a running tally as to which player is contributing more. What's more, Galaxy fans will get a much-needed shot of adrenaline heading into the 2020 campaign.

"If you drop Hernandez in Southern California or anywhere in the western continental United States, it's massive mayhem," said ESPN television analyst Herculez Gomez, who suited up for the Galaxy as well as a series of Liga MX teams during his playing career. "He will be recognized. He's seen as a global star."

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That's why there is more than temptation to call the signing of Hernandez the biggest since David Beckham back in 2007. But that would require forgetting Zlatan Ibrahimovic, which -- let's face it -- is impossible. There's no ignoring the 53 goals he scored over two seasons, nor can one forget the endless stream of soundbites. The beauty of the Zlatan signing was that he gave people a reason to watch every week, whether it was for something he did on the field or said off it. All of which makes for a mighty vacuum that Hernandez is stepping into.

"Zlatan is his own animal," said Gomez. "You can't take away from the impact that Zlatan has on and off the field. Chicharito isn't going to go to the late-night [talk show] circuit. He's not going to be that guy for you."

Yet bringing in Hernandez wasn't a "swap" deal. Ibrahimovic left of his own accord, rejoining Milan in January, so the question for the Galaxy was how best to compensate for the Swede's departure. Hernandez fits the bill and then some. That's especially true on the marketing side and, like it or not, that's a clear factor in this kind of acquisition. The signing of Hernandez isn't just about making up for Ibrahimovic but about keeping up with LAFC, especially with Vela tearing up the league on his way to an MVP season in 2019.

"The LA Galaxy cannot afford not to have a superstar on their team," said David Carter, the executive director of the Marshall Sports Business Institute at USC. "They built their brand that way over the years, they've been known to be this destination. And now more than ever, they are really battling for shelf space in Los Angeles because of the way Vela has played, the way LAFC has advanced the last couple of years. The Galaxy is not playing in a shiny new stadium, so it was imperative for them to make a statement. This was as much of an offensive move as it was a defensive move."

Yet Carter is wary of the line of thinking that if you sign a star from a particular demographic, fans will immediately flock to games. That hasn't been true for MLS in the past and isn't likely to be now.

"I think that in terms of numbers and influence in the Southern California market, the Hispanic influence is dramatic," he said. "But it's not homogeneous in terms of what they're looking for. You know, if you had a team of 11 Chicharitos and they went out there and were winless, they weren't going to be supported. Oh, wait, we had that, that was called Chivas USA."

Hernandez's personality isn't controversial, per se, but he does serve as something of a lightning rod, especially when it comes to the sporting press south of the border. That trait remains intense given the uncertainty facing his international future, as well as the perception that he's "giving up" by moving to MLS. It's a different kind of attention than what Ibrahimovic drew, but it's attention nonetheless.

"Chicharito has got this weird sense of drama that always follows him around in a way where he's always in the news," added Gomez. "Why isn't he playing? Why isn't he starting? Why isn't he going to the national team? What's going on? He's the 'it' player and has been the 'it' player for the last decade."

That mantle appears to be in the process of being passed on given the European exploits of Napoli's Hirving "Chucky" Lozano and Wolverhampton's Raul Jimenez, though it's not complete just yet. But the question about just how effective a player Hernandez is remains.

The last time Hernandez hit double figures in goals was with Bayer Leverkusen during the 2016-17 season. That number is relevant because the success or failure of such a signing ultimately comes down to performance. Ibrahimovic and Vela delivered on a consistent basis; the likes of Rafa Marquez and Giovani dos Santos didn't, and the fans noticed.

Ibrahimovic was such a physical force that he could create goals on his own, whereas Hernandez is a classic poacher, relying on movement and guile to score. That recipe can certainly work in MLS -- San Jose Earthquakes stalwart Chris Wondolowski has been using that skill set with great effectiveness for the past 10 years, despite playing on some horrendous teams -- but Hernandez will be reliant on the service he gets from others. The likes of Cristian Pavon and Aleksandar Katai are certainly capable of being consistent providers for Chicharito, but it does make for an additional variable for success.

One area Hernandez will be a notable upgrade is in the locker room. Ibrahimovic was notoriously tough on teammates and his barbs had the effect in some cases of killing a player's confidence. In that respect, Hernandez is the anti-Zlatan, a player quick with a smile and one who historically has been vocal in support of teammates.

Ultimately, Hernandez will need to deliver goals. No amount of marketing hype can hide that fact. If he can, his signing may not be perfect, but it will come close.

Zimbabwe's debutant opening batsman Kevin Kasuza has passed an initial test for concussion after being struck on the side of his helmet while fielding at short leg during Sri Lanka's innings in the ongoing Harare Test. He will continue to be monitored overnight for concussion.

Typically, a player is assessed before the start of the next day's play as well, as was the case recently when New Zealand's Henry Nicholls was struck on the head by Jofra Archer and passed initial assessments.

A statement from Zimbabwe Cricket's official handle said Kasuza had sustained a soft tissue injury to the skull, but a concussion test was negative and that a CT scan had ruled out internal injury.

#1stTest | Day 3 | INJURY UPDATE: Kevin Kasuza was hit by the ball on the side of his helmet while fielding at short-leg and sustained soft tissue injury in the skull. A concussion test was negative, while a CT scan also ruled out internal injury #ZIMvSL #TestSeries pic.twitter.com/ktE61QRA8L

— Zimbabwe Cricket (@ZimCricketv) January 21, 2020

The incident occured in the 42nd over when Kusal Mendis played a firm pull shot against Sean Williams. As Mendis was shaping up for the shot, Kasuza took the widely-used evasive position of tucking the head downwards and between the legs. However, Kasuza wasn't particularly low in his squat and the ball struck the back of the right side of his helmet before ricocheting towards the fine leg boundary.

Kasuza was on his feet for a few seconds and only took his helmet off after the batsmen had completed two runs. It was at this point that he appeared to get dizzy, and was assisted by wicketkeeper Regis Chakabva to stay on his feet before gently going down to the ground. Shortly after, he walked off with the team doctor, pausing occasionally to regain his balance. He then went off for scans and took no further part on the day. Timycen Maruma replaced him in the field.

The recently introduced concussion substitution protocols dictate that the team's medical representative - usually the physio - must run standardised tests and submit a report to the match referee. Should Kasuza fail that test on the morning of the fourth day, the match referee will assess if the substitute named by Zimbabwe is a like-for-like swap. Zimbabwe have allrounders Maruma and Brian Mudzinganyama as batting options on the bench. Should either of them be called upon as substitutes, they will only be allowed to play as batsmen.

Bangladesh have appointed Ottis Gibson as their fast-bowling coach for the next two years. This will be Gibson's first international coaching role since his tenure as South Africa's head coach ended in August 2019.

Before the South Africa stint, Gibson had served as West Indies coach as well as two terms as England's fast-bowling coach, both highly successful.

Gibson replaces Charl Langeveldt, who quit in December after less than five months in the role. He is now South Africa's bowling coach.

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BCB CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury said Gibson's inclusion wpuld strengthen the coaching team: "He brings in tremendous experience and has coached or played all over the world. He has also had the opportunity to observe Bangladesh cricket from close. I am sure he will be a very valuable addition to the Bangladesh team's coaching group."

Gibson will join the team in Pakistan for the three-match T20I series that begins in Lahore on Friday.

Gibson, who played two Tests and 15 ODIs for West Indies in the 1990s, became linked to the Bangladesh job after he had served as head coach of the BPL side Cumilla Warriors, which was directly managed by the BCB. Gibson said in an interview last month that he had enjoyed working with the domestic pace bowlers, particularly Al-Amin Hossain.

USA allrounder Steven Taylor has been stripped of the team's vice-captaincy ahead of their tour of Nepal, which includes four ODIs against Nepal and Oman. An internal investigation by USA Cricket has pulled Taylor up for "failing to display the high standards of behavior and professionalism that are expected of all USA National Team cricketers on last month's tour of the UAE."

A statement from a USA Cricket spokesperson after Monday's squad announcement for the Nepal tour claimed that Taylor "was not the only player to have acted in a manner which was inconsistent with the team's values and, after a review, was found to have broken team rules. All players involved have acknowledged their error of judgment and apologised to their team-mates and support staff and have committed to responding positively."

According to multiple USA Cricket sources, four other players were deemed to have breached team protocol in what was described as an "off-the-field incident" between matches during last month's ODI tri-series in the UAE. However, the sources would not reveal who else was involved. It is also understood that the incident in question was not communicated to USA Cricket officials until early January, more than two weeks after the team returned from the tour.

This is not the first disciplinary incident in Taylor's career that has cost him a leadership position. In 2013, Taylor was stripped of the USA captaincy, after he was deemed to have broken team rules while serving as USA U-19 captain on a tour of Canada earlier in the summer. He was also suspended for one match for the incident, in which administrators stated Taylor had broken team curfew to go out drinking while posting a running timeline of his night out on social media.

On this occasion, though, Taylor has managed to escape without a suspension. The rest of the USA squad is also unchanged from the ODI tour of the UAE in which they won three of their four matches. USA's squad will depart later this week for a warm-up tour in India during which they will play three 50-over matches in Mumbai before continuing on to Nepal. USA's first ODI of the tri-series is against Oman on February 6. It is USA's second ever tour of Nepal and their first since World Cricket League Division Five in 2015, when Nepal and USA claimed the top two spots to gain promotion to Division Four.

USA squad: Saurabh Netravalkar (capt), Karima Gore, Ian Holland, Akshay Homraj (wk), Elmore Hutchinson, Aaron Jones, Nosthush Kenjige, Xavier Marshall, Monank Patel, Nisarg Patel, Timil Patel, Cameron Stevenson, Steven Taylor, Rusty Theron.

January 22: Adelaide Strikers v Melbourne Stars in Adelaide

Our XI: Alex Carey, Peter Handscomb, Travis Head, Jake Weatherald, Jonathan Wells, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Rashid Khan, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle, Liam O'Connor

NOTE: Zampa and Handscomb return for the Stars and Carey for the Strikers after Australia's tour of India.

Captain: Travis Head

Head's 79 in his last game against the Hurricanes was a top knock, but since he has joined the Strikers' set-up he has been among the wickets as well, with three wickets so far while trying his hand at opening the bowling. Among the big-hitters on view in this game, Head is a risky as well as sensible choice for captain.

Vice-captain: Glenn Maxwell

The first time the two teams met this season, Maxwell hit most the of Strikers bowlers out of sight during a 25-ball 43. He's lost a bit of shine in the past few games, but being a good player against spin, he could be the man to counter the threat of the in-form Rashid Khan and Liam O'Connor.

Hot picks

Rashid Khan

With 16 wickets in the bag including a hat-trick in Adelaide this season, do you really need a reason to pick Khan?

Marcus Stoinis

BBL's leading run-scorer so far is another unmissable pick. He comes into the game on the back of a 37-ball 62 against the Sydney Sixers and, really, could be an option for captain for this game too.

Adam Zampa

The bowlers have ruled the roost in the past three games in Adelaide and in Zampa, the Stars have Australia's best bowler from the India ODI series. He could create a bit of havoc.

Value picks

Liam O'Connor: In the worst ten-wicket collapse in BBL history, when the Strikers shot the Brisbane Heat out, the chief wrecker was Liam O'Connor, who surprised the batsmen with his deceptive legbreaks. That game was at the same venue, so you simply can't ignore him.

Jake Weatherald: Without Haris Rauf in the side, the Stars bowlers look a bit out of shape and Weatherald, who has a strike rate of 142 in the season so far, will be eager to dominate. He's been the Strikers' second-highest run-getter behind Wells, and his explosive opening combination with Phil Salt could prove decisive.

Point to note

The last three BBL games in Adelaide have been low-scoring encounters, so take a punt on your bowlers and middle-order batsmen.

India A 231 for 5 (Shaw 48, Samson 39, Yadav 35, Gill 30, Neesham 2-25) beat New Zealand A 230 (Ravindra 49, Bruce 47, McConchie 34*, Siraj 3-33, Patel 2-31, Ahmed 2-46) by five wickets

A day after being called into the senior side's white-ball set-up, Prithvi Shaw and Sanju Samson had a good workout against New Zealand A, making 48 and 39 respectively in India A's five-wicket victory in Lincoln.

In pursuit of 231, India had a strong start with Shaw and Mayank Agarwal putting on 79 for the opening stand in a mere nine overs. However, one ball later, Jimmy Neesham, fresh off winning the Super Smash, had Agarwal caught behind for a run-a-ball 29. Shaw then moved to 48 off 35 balls, including five fours and three sixes, before Neesham stuck again, having him caught by Kyle Jamieson. The rest of the middle order also pitched in, Shubman Gill (30), Samson (39), and Suryakumar Yadav (35) all making key contributions. Both Samson and Yadav had struck at over 180, hastening India's march to victory.

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Krunal Pandya (15*) and Vijay Shankar (20*) then finished off the chase in the 30th over, with an unbroken 25-run sixth-wicket stand. Neesham, who had sustained a quad strain during the Super Smash, proved his form and fitness in the final of that tournament and followed it with figures of 2 for 25 in this one-dayer.

Neesham, however, wasn't as successful with the bat, managing just 1 off seven balls, before he was dismissed by Axar Patel. The left-arm fingerspinner collected two wickets, as did left-arm quick Khaleel Ahmed, while Mohammed Siraj bagged the game's best figures - 3 for 33 - as the home side was bowled out in 48.3 overs.

Rachin Ravindra, who had won the Super Smash earlier this week along with Neesham, top-scored for the hosts with 49 off 58 balls. Central Stags' power-hitter Tom Bruce contributed 47 off 55 balls to tune up for the T20Is against India. Bruce will replace New Zealand's premier power-hitter Colin de Grandhomme for the final two T20Is against India.

New Zealand A's No. 7 Cole McConchie hit 34 off 38 balls, but lacked enough support from the other end as Siraj and Ahmed cleaned up the tail.