Month: April 2022

ERLING HAALAND’S future is set to be finalised by the end of next month – with Manchester City currently leading the race to sign him.

Reports in Germany say the Borussia Dortmund striker’s £64million release clause must be activated by April 30.

That means all clubs bidding to sign him must register their intention by then – while the Norwegian must also notify his current club of his intention to leave.

Sources in Germany suggest he will make his plans clear before the end of March.

A move to the Etihad is becoming increasingly likely while Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have all been keeping tabs on the 21-year-old’s situation.

However City are pushing hardest and should know in just over six weeks if they have been successful.

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Madrid are believed to be their major rivals for his signature but their priority this summer is signing Kylian Mbappe.

And that has put City firmly in the box seat as they are ready to do a deal now to bring him to England.

Former Germany international Matthias Sammer works as an external consultant for Dortmund and claimed he fainted when he saw the offer from the Prem champions.

He said:  “I didn’t hear anything today, yesterday, the day before yesterday. But I know City is after him.

ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI is keen to leave Bayern Munich in the summer, according to reports.

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Lewandowski, 33, became a fan favourite when he arrived at the club in 2014.

He has scored an impressive 337 goals in 365 games for the Reds, and many have labelled him as the best striker in the world.

However, according to reporter Florian Plettenberg and Sky Sports, he is now looking for a new challenge.

Plettenberg broke the news on Twitter, and said: "I know that Lewandowski wants to leave FC Bayern in the summer."

Borussia Dortmund star Erling Haaland is reportedly Bayern Munich's first choice when it comes to replacemin the Pole.

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BVB are expected to request around £65million for the 21-year-old, but they may ask for a higher fee if their biggest rivals are interested.

Haaland has certainly made his mark on European football this year, recording 23 goals and six assists in 21 games across all competitions.

Some of the world's biggest clubs are keen to sign him, including Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

But, Manchester City are currently in front when it comes to the race for his signature.

MANCHESTER UNITED have been urged to ditch Harry Maguire from their starting XI and replace him with ‘no-nonsense’ Antonio Rudiger.

That’s according to former Red Devils defender Gary Pallister, who reckons the Chelsea star would be an upgrade on Maguire.

However, he adds that the United skipper should NOT be sold, with the hope that challenging Rudiger for a place in the XI eventually makes Maguire a better player.

The England ace had another torrid evening as United crashed out of the Champions League to Atletico Madrid on Wednesday.

Maguire also scored a calamitous own-goal in the weekend win over Tottenham.

And United are now thought to be exploring options for a new centre-back this summer.

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Chelsea ace Rudiger is a reported possibility, with the German out of contract at Stamford Bridge in July.

He would apparently be open to staying in the Premier League.

And former centre-back Pallister, who won four league titles during a nine-year career at United, believes Rudiger is the ideal man to partner Raphael Varane.

However, Pallister believes United shouldn’t completely axe Maguire just yet, as he may need the challenge of some real competition in order to truly realise his potential.

NEWCASTLE have reignited their interest in Napoli striker Victor Osimhen, according to reports.

The Magpies were linked with the Nigerian star throughout the January transfer window, but faced competition from Arsenal at the time.

According to Corriere Dello Sport, they offered around £84million to Napoli for their star man, but the two parties could not come to an agreement.

However, Newcastle are now set to make an improved offer for the 23-year-old in the summer.

The Magpies are looking to overhaul their squad following the £300million Saudi takeover.

They have already made some statement signings since the change in ownership.

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Bruno Guimaraes became one of the club's most expensive signings when he arrived from Lyon for a fee of £43million in January.

Kieran Trippier was also a key signing for Eddie Howe's side, along with Chris Wood who joined from Burnley for £25million.

They also poached Matt Targett and Dan Burn from Premier League rivals Aston Villa and Brighton.

But, Newcastle are expected to spend even more during the summer and are scouting some big names.

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ENGLAND'S future looks bright with a plethora of budding cubs itching to burst into the national set-up and make their mark amongst the Lions.

After the Three Lions' agonising defeat to Italy in the Euro 2020 final several youngsters are waiting in the wings, ready to usher in a new dawn for Gareth Southgate's side.

Players such as Bukayo Saka, Mason Mount and Marcus Rashford were the nation's young hopes at the Euros, but now there's a bunch of new kids on the block.

Most notably, starlets such as Jacob Ramsey and Trevor Chalobah have been making waves ahead of the Qatar World Cup later this year.

But the duo aren't the only ones on the verge of a call-up for England.

Here, SunSport takes a closer look at the youngsters on the brink of greatness for the Three Lions.

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JACOB RAMSEY – ASTON VILLA

England icon and Aston Villa boss Steven Gerrard has already tipped Jacob Ramsey for international success following his stunning form for his club.

Aged just 20, Ramsey's become a staple for Villa this season – hitting the net six times in 26 Premier League appearances.

Ramsey shot through the ranks at Villa since joining their academy aged six and signing a professional contract in 2019.

He had a brief stint on loan with Doncaster Rovers in 2020 where he scored three goals.

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PHIL FODEN says he will get a dog called ‘World Cup’ if England triumph in Qatar later this year – to go with the pooch he already has named ‘Carabao’.

The Manchester City ace got himself a French bulldog soon after his boyhood club won the League Cup for a third straight year in March 2020.

Asked if it was true the mutt had been christened after the energy drink who sponsor the competition, Foden said: “Yeah, it is.

“After I won it, I got a dog just after the final, so I decided to call it that. It’s not having puppies though, no chance.”

The Etihad favourite was part of the Three Lions squad who came so close to glory in the Euros last summer.

Asked if he would consider calling another dog ‘World Cup’, he said: “If we get there and win it then yeah – definitely.”

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Before then he is aiming to add the Champions League to a medal collection that already includes three Premier Leagues,an FA Cup and four Carabao Cups – at the tender age of 21.

He said: “Obviously that’s the one we dream about, the one we want.

“We’ve won the Premier League all these times and all the cups but it would be extra special if we could – but if not I still believe we’ve been so successful in the last few years.”

Foden was stunned recently when City legend and former team-mate Sergio Aguero named him as his favourite current player.

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MANCHESTER UNITED's board MUST take Jamie Carragher's advice and do everything they can to appoint Thomas Tuchel as the next permanent manager.

The upheaval at Chelsea means that Tuchel’s position may become problematic between now and the summer.

United were knocked out of the Champions League by Atlético Madrid on Tuesday evening.

Although the Red Devils are mathematically still in the race to qualify for the Champions League next season via the Premier League, given their indifferent form there are not many United supporters who think they will.

But, whether it’s the Champions League, Europa League or no European football at all next season, the big talking point amongst supporters is who will be in the dugout.

United, as Gary Neville has said on numerous occasions, must go for “best in class”.

But what exactly does that mean in relation to United’s pursuit of a new manager, and why does Tuchel fit the profile above all others?

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Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are the two best managers in world football.

Unfortunately, they manage Manchester City and Liverpool.

Automatically, you then have to look at who the “best of the rest” is, and names like Diego Simeone and Antonio Conte.

It would be very difficult to get Simeone away from Madrid, and why would he leave a side that beat United so comfortably over two legs?

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MEMPHIS DEPAY should be offered a shock transfer return to the Premier League with Tottenham, according to reports.

The Dutchman, 28, struggled during his two seasons with Manchester United from 2015 to 2017.

However, he resurrected his career at Lyon and joined Barcelona on a free last summer.

But according to Gerard Romero, Depay could be on the move again this year with Spurs making an approach.

With the futures of Steven Bergwijn and Harry Kane unclear, Tottenham are likely to need reinforcements in attack.

They missed out on Adama Traore but did land Dejan Kulusevski in January – and the Swede has made an instant impact in North London.

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Traore joined Barcelona, initially on loan, while fellow forwards Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ferran Torres also made the switch from the Premier League.

Those arrivals – coupled with a series of injuries – have limited Depay's game time this year, although he has scored two in his last three substitute LaLiga appearances.

He was unable to add to his overall Barca tally of ten goals in Sunday's 4-0 win over Osasuna.

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But the forward managed to post a video of a naked Gerard Pique to his 14million Instagram followers as the players celebrated in the changing room.

ANTONIO RUDIGER had agreed personal terms over a contract extension – but the deal is now off after the club was slapped with sanctions, according to reports.

The German defender, 29, is out of contract at the end of the season.

Chelsea had tried – and failed – to convince Rudiger to sign an extension for much of the season.

Manchester United and Bayern Munich were alerted to the potential free transfer this summer, with the centre-back already able to negotiate pre-contract terms with foreign clubs.

But BILD have now claimed Rudiger had finally agreed to STAY at Chelsea before sanctions scuppered the deal.

Abramovich's assets were frozen, with Chelsea placed under a special licence which allows them to operate but unable to generate new revenue.

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Owner Roman Abramovich's assets were frozen last week due to his relationship with Vladimir Putin.

Chelsea have been placed under a special licence which allows them to operate but bans them from generating new revenue.

As such, the West London giants are banned from any and all transfer activity – including offering players new contracts.

The Blues have a number of deals expiring this summer, including defenders Rudiger, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen.

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MANCHESTER UNITED are set to sign Brighton wonderkid Toby Collyer, the teenager confirmed.

The 18-year-old had also been attracting interest from Chelsea and West Ham.

But after the defensive midfielder impressed on a trial with the Red Devils, Fabrizio Romano reported contracts have been signed for a three-and-a-half-year deal.

Collyer's contract at Brighton expires in the summer and the two parties failed to agree terms on a new deal.

The versatile youngster, who can also play at centre-back, joined Albion aged 12 and made his Under-18s debut aged 15.

But now the 18-year-old is poised for a move to Old Trafford.

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And he all but confirmed the switch by posting a photo of a United home shirt complete with 'Collyer 6' printed on the back – the same number as Paul Pogba, whose contract expires this summer.

Mark Beard coached Collyer during their time together with Brighton U18s.

And he told Sussex Live he reckons the former England U16s and U17s captain is the best in his position across the country at his age.

Beard said: "You could see he was going to be a top-class player.