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Chelsea set ‘exit price’ of £52 million for Bayern target

Bayern Munich are interested in signing Chelsea star Christian Pulisic. According to TodoFichajes, the Bundesliga giants view Pulisic as a potential replacement for Kingsley Coman. The 24-year-old has been linked with a move to Manchester United, potentially paving the way for Pulisic to return to the Bundesliga. The United States international has shown flashes of brilliance at Chelsea, but he is yet to establish himself as a regular starter. SL view Chelsea paid Borussia Dortmund more than £57 million for Pulisic in 2019 and it is fair to say that their outlay has not been successful thus far. The Blues are said to be ready to cut their losses on the 22-year-old and accept an ‘exit fee’ of £52m from Bayern this summer. However, it would be a surprise if Chelsea were looking to offload Pu...

‘I’m begging’, ‘Brilliant signing’ – Some AVFC fans react with club named favourites to land 23y/o

According to Eurosport, Aston Villa are keeping an eye on the situation of Sheffield United midfielder Sander Berge ahead of the summer transfer window and are the early favourites to land him. The Norway international has been out injured since last December following surgery to a tendon injury, and he could be put up for sale at the end of the season if Chris Wilder’s side fail to beat the drop. That is a big ask at the moment as the Blades are 20th in the Premier League and 14 points off safety. Berge joined the club from Genk for a club-record fee of £22 million last January and would be keen to remain in the top-flight should they go down. Villa could do with the quality of the Norwegian in the middle of the park next season as manager Dean Smith looks to further strengthen his option...

Liverpool take risky approach at the back, Barcelona set to attack

The Champions League has reached the knockout stage and the round of 16 features some exciting UCL fixtures. We’ll update this story with reports, results and the latest Champions League highlights as the first-leg games are played. Paris Saint-Germain produced a superb performance to demolish Barcelona 4-1 at the Nou Camp – Kylian Mbappe (3) and Moise Kean got the goals. Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane were on target as Liverpool triumphed 2-0 against RB Leipzig in Budapest. Erling Braut Haaland (2) and Mahmoud Dahoud bagged the goals as Borussia Dortmund triumphed 3-2 at Sevilla. Porto secured a 2-1 victory at home to Juventus – Mehdi Taremi and Moussa Marega were on the scoresheet for the Portuguese side. Olivier Giroud scored a stunning goal as Chelsea ran out 1-0 winners on the road agai...

Defender misses out for Man City, Monchengladbach forward may return

Borussia Monchengladbach and Manchester City meet in the Champions League knockout stage for the first time on Wednesday. Monchengladbach will not enjoy the privilege of playing at Borussia-Park. Due to the ongoing restrictions imposed on English travellers, the encounter will be staged at Puskas Arena in Budapest. Gladbach’s wobble on various fronts continued last weekend as they succumbed to a shocking 2-1 loss to relegation-threatened Mainz 05. The Foals have now failed to win four of their previous five competitive fixtures (D2, L2), including the last four. It is not the kind of statistic Marco Rose’s side will be looking to dwell on ahead of their meeting with one of the best European teams at the moment. A 2-0 loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League back in November 2020 was...

‘I love to see him play’: Romelu Lukaku praises ‘talented’ Man United forward

Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku heaped praise on Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford during a Q&A session on Twitter earlier today. Rashford has experienced another top season with the Red Devils, registering 18 goals and nine assists from 39 games across all competitions. His performances have earned him praise from a large section of the club’s faithful and he has also grabbed the attention of his former United teammate Lukaku. The Belgian was asked about his thoughts on Rashford on Twitter and in his reply, he was full of praise as he talked about the forward’s potential. The 27-year-old added that he loves to see Rashford play and described him as one of the most talented stars he has played with during his career. He is improving all the time! I love to see him play. one o...

Photo: Leeds star sends touching tribute to Ronaldinho’s mother

Leeds United United winger Raphinha has sent a touching tribute to Ronaldinho’s mother after the Whites won 3-0 against Southampton at Elland Road. Raphinha scored the third goal of the match with a spectacular free-kick and then produced the message written on his vest top. The message reads – “Much strength for the Assis Moreira Family. Rest in Peace Dona Miguelina”. Dona Miguelina Eloi Assis dos Santos was the name of Ronaldinho’s mother. She died recently from COVID-19. Raphinha was shown a yellow card for taking off his shirt to reveal a vest top with a message in Portuguese. He didn’t care a bit as it was intentional on his part to spread the message.  Leeds returned to winning ways at Elland Road with goals coming from Patrick Bamford, Stuart Dallas and Raphinha. Bamford s...

Photo: Leeds players and Bielsa send emotional tribute to Kalvin Phillips’ grandmother

Leeds United players have sent a touching tribute to Kalvin Phillips’ grandmother who passed away last week. The Whites released a picture from their official Twitter account where all the players were seen holding the shirt with ‘Granny Val’ written on it. 🤍 That one was for you Granny Val! #AlwaysWithUs pic.twitter.com/AEXH2LWdVt — Leeds United (@LUFC) February 23, 2021 Patrick Bamford said after the match that Granny Val is a big part of the club. The striker has dedicated the victory to Phillips and his family. 🗣 “Granny Val is a big part of the club, loads of people have grown to love her without knowing her. That was for Kalvin and his family.” Patrick Bamford speaking about the tribute Leeds United paid Kalvin’s grandmother ‘Granny Val’ ...

Leicester reportedly plotting summer move for 28y/o Rice wants West Ham to sign

According to Eurosport, Leicester City are keeping tabs on West Ham United loanee Jesse Lingard and will continue to monitor his situation for the rest of the season ahead of a potential bid in the summer. Sportslens View The 28-year-old joined the Hammers on loan from Manchester United in January, and he has hit the ground running at the London Stadium, weighing in with three goals in four Premier League games. Lingard did not feature in any league games for the Red Devils this season and scored just once in 22 EPL appearances last term. His form with West Ham has now caught the eyes of Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers, and more suitors are expected to join the Foxes in the race for the England international. Hammers star Declan Rice wants the club to sign Lingard on a permanent basis, whil...

Pep Guardiola provides fresh Man City injury update ahead of Monchengladbach clash

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has provided a fresh injury update ahead of the club’s Champions League clash against Borussia Monchengladbach tomorrow. The Cityzens are currently on a stunning 18-match winning streak in all competitions and are favourites to beat the Bundesliga outfit at the Puskas Arena. Ahead of the game, Guardiola confirmed that there are no fresh injury concerns and Ake is the only player out of contention as he is recovering following a hamstring problem. He told Mancity.com “Everyone except Nathan is fit. Right now I am thinking about team selection. I am not clear because I need to see how the players recover and feel. We will decide tomorrow.” Sportslens view: The Cityzens are currently on an exceptional run of 18 consecutive victories and, overall, they are...

‘I don’t know’: Mourinho comments on his relationship with Levy amid reports of job threat

Ahead of Tottenham Hotspur’s Europa League clash against Wolfsberger AC, Jose Mourinho has described his relationship with club chairman, Daniel Levy. Spurs are going through a poor run of form at the moment. Their latest 2-1 defeat against West Ham in the Premier League was their fifth in six matches. The Telegraph covered an Exclusive where they claimed that Mr Levy could make a drastic decision to sack Mourinho if the results do not improve. The report claimed that the Spurs boss has been given the next 12 days to turn their fortunes around. Failing to do so could see the end of the Portuguese’s tenure at the club, with RB Leipzig boss Julian Nagelsmann emerging “at the top of a list of targets” to replace Mourinho if the dismal run of form continues. However, Mourinho has sai...

‘He’s lost the plot’: Many Spurs fans react to what Mourinho has just said

Jose Mourinho has insisted that he is certain that he will leave a good legacy at Tottenham Hotspur. Tottenham are struggling badly at the moment, especially in the Premier League. The north London club have lost five times in their last six league games, and Mourinho is under tremendous pressure at the moment. There have been reports that Mourinho’s job is under threat with Daniel Levy looking likely to sack the Portuguese if the results do not improve immediately. Mourinho in his press conference has spoken about his cordial relationship with Levy and has suggested that he is determined to turn things around at Spurs. The Athletic has claimed that many Spurs players are frustrated with Mourinho’s tactics, and a section of Spurs fans aren’t too impressed with his negative brand of footbal...

Is Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang past his best?

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s performance against league leaders Manchester City was a testament that footballers, especially those in their 30s, tread on thin ice. Put one foot wrong and social media is filled with posts stating the player is out of his depth. In Aubameyang’s case, people who were being critical of the striker completely forgot the impact the player had on the team just a week ago. Aubameyang is too often a passenger when playing as a striker. His hold up play has been horrific. — Bhavs (@bhavss14) February 21, 2021 The 31-year-old has had an underwhelming campaign this season, netting just five goals in the Premier League prior to the game against Leeds United last week. Having handed out another long-term contract to a player in his thirties, Arsenal will be hoping that i...