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West Ham United planning to make fresh bid for Newcastle United midfield star: report
West Ham United could make a fresh attempt to sign Newcastle United midfielder Jonjo Shelvey, if they are able to avoid relegation from the Premier League this term, Football Insider reports. The Hammers are said to be fond admirers of Shelvey’s talents and they are reported to have failed to sign him in each of the previous two summer transfer windows. Still, the east London outfit are understood to hold an interest in the 28-year-old and it is reported that they could make a renewed bid, suppose they preserve their top-flight status. Shelvey is currently in his fourth season with the Magpies following the switch from Swansea City and he has enjoyed an impressive 2019/2020 campaign where he has bagged five goals from his 17 appearances in the top-flight. With more than three years remaini...
Chelsea star may be on his way out as club ramps up interest
Valencia could be set to offer Kepa Arrizabalaga a route out of his Chelsea nightmare. The Spanish stopper arrived at Stamford Bridge with a big reputation, but he has failed to live up to the hype. Arrizabalaga joined Chelsea from Athletic Bilbao for £71 million in 2018 and was tipped to backstop the Blues to glory. However, his erratic performances led to him being dropped by manager Frank Lampard, sparking talk that he will be sold this summer. Chelsea have been linked with numerous goalkeepers over the past few weeks, with Ajax star Andre Onana believed to be their number one target. With Chelsea seemingly willing to offload Arrizabalaga, Spanish media outlet Sport has claimed that Valencia are interested in securing his services. A return to La Liga may appeal to the 25-year-old, part...
Newcastle United could hire 60-year-old Spaniard as new manager after takeover: report
Rafa Benitez will be offered the opportunity to return as the Newcastle United manager when the ongoing takeover from PCP Capital Partners, backed by the Saudi Public Investment Fund, is complete. The Saudi-based consortium agreed on a deal worth £300m to buy the club from Mike Ashley last month and an announcement over the takeover is imminent with the prospective new owners having passed the Premier League’s Director’s and Owner’s test. In recent weeks, Mauricio Pochettino has been highlighted as the prime candidate to replace Steve Bruce as the next Magpies boss but 90min claims that the prospective new owners prefer the return of Benitez in the club’s dugout. The 60-year-old is currently contracted to Chinese Super League side Dalian Professional and the Tyneside outfit would need...
Report: Ancelotti has made contact to convince €40m target to join Everton
Popular football journalist and transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio has claimed recently that Everton could be one of those few Premier League clubs who could show ambition in the transfer market. Carlo Ancelotti has vowed to bring European football back at the Merseyside club, and for that the Italian needs to sign quality players across the pitch. However, the global economy has changed drastically due to the coronavirus pandemic and many football clubs are really struggling to make ends meet, let alone spending big in the transfer market. Keeping that in mind, it will be interesting to see how Everton approach the transfer window. Ancelotti is keen to bolster the attacking areas, and one of the players he is keen to bring to Goodison Park is Everton Soares. According to reports from ...
Victory to the West: Hertha Berlin 4-0 1. FC Union Berlin
Overall Report: Hertha Berlin started the Berlin Derby with far more possession and attacking threat, as Union set up their customary defensive counter-attacking system. The first half so a couple of decent chances for Hertha, most notably when Lukebakio went through on goal, but Gikiewicz was able to keep everything out. Union mainly threatened through set-pieces but couldn’t force Jarstein to do too much. The second half saw Union pushing a lot more, and Hertha found spaces through the middle, which they thoroughly exploited with two goals in 68 seconds. First, Plattenhardt whipped in a perfect cross for Ibisevic, who headed home. Then, the 35-year-old striker turned provider, as he played Lukebakio through, who went around the Union keeper and made it 2-0. Soon, Cunha was able to find s...
Report: Newcastle want £71m World Cup-winning defender post-takeover
According to Bild, Newcastle United are planning to lure Bayern Munich defender Lucas Hernandez to St. James’ Park this summer, with their prospective £300 million takeover set to hugely boost their transfer coffers. The France international, a key player for the side at the Russia 2018 World Cup, is out of favour at the Bundesliga side, featuring in just 14 games this term. Despite being able to play at both left-back and centre-back, the forms of Alphonso Davies and David Alaba in the respective positions have limited Hernandez’s playing chances, and a summer exit could be on the cards. The 24-year-old cost Bayern £71 million last summer, and the club will look to recoup the fees if they decide to let him go. Newcastle wouldn’t have a problem meeting their demands post-takeover, and...
Barcelona playmaker prefers move to Chelsea over other Premier League clubs: report
Barcelona playmaker Philippe Coutinho has the preference to join Chelsea despite the interest from a number of other Premier League sides, a report from Mundo Deportivo claims. The Brazil international is presently on a season-long loan at Bayern Munich, where he has managed to register an impressive tally of nine goals and eight assists from 32 appearances in all competitions. The German champions have the option to sign him permanently for £105m at the end of the season but they are expected to ignore the clause, particularly with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic. In recent weeks, the likes of Leicester City, Everton and Newcastle United have all been credited with an interest in Coutinho but Mundo Deportivo cites that the 27-year-old has his sights on joining F...
Arsenal could sign new central defender for just £9m: report
Arsenal are understood to be interested in signing Croatian defender Domagoj Vida from Besiktas during this summer’s transfer window, a report from Aksam claims. The north London side are looking at the prospect of adding another central defender to their squad this summer despite the fact that William Saliba will be available after his loan spell with Saint-Etienne. The likes of Axel Disasi and Kristoffer Ajer have been linked with the Gunners in recent weeks but according to Aksam, the club are said to hold a keen interest in landing the signature of Vida, who could be available for only £9m. The 31-year-old has been with the Istanbul outfit for more than two years and during this period, he has been a regular at the heart of the club’s defence, making 88 appearances in al...
Romelu Lukaku’s three-word verdict on Everton’s Richarlison
Inter Milan striker Romelu Lukaku has weighed in with his opinion on Everton striker Richarlison. The Belgian international spent four seasons at Goodison Park, scoring 68 league goals in 141 games before moving to Manchester United in the summer of 2017. The Toffees are yet to effectively replace Lukaku’s goals, but Richarlison is impressing and could help turn them to a top-six side if he becomes more consistent. The Brazilian international has 23 league goals in 62 games, and will look to keep on improving in front of goal going forward. Richarlison hasn’t reached the heights Lukaku reached at Everton, but is definitely on his way, and the Belgian has delivered a three-word verdict on him on Twitter: He’s good 💯 https://t.co/lIYyaaKDB9 — R.Lukaku Bolingoli9 (@RomeluLukaku9) May ...
Chris Sutton shares his best nine-in-a-row starting Xl
Celtic wrapped up nine-in-a-row earlier this week after the Scottish Premiership season was ended on a points-per-game basis. The campaign still had eight games left prior to the suspension of football in March due to the coronavirus pandemic, with the Hoops 13 points at the top of the table. The SPFL wasn’t able to come up with a way to play the remaining games, hence their decision to bring the campaign to a conclusion. Celtic will now look to make it 10-in-a-row next term, but their ninth consecutive title wouldn’t have been possible without some quality players over the past nine campaigns, and Hoops legend Chris Sutton has decided to pay a tribute to the best of the bunch, picking his best nine-in-a-row starting XI. My best 9-in-a-row Xl… who would be in yours??🍀#9inarowXl htt...
‘I’m certain of that’ – Phil Hay makes huge Bielsa claim as he delivers Berardi news
The Athletic’s Phil Hay has claimed that he is expecting head coach Marcelo Bielsa to swiftly renew his contract as it appears that the Argentine has found a second home in Yorkshire. He was left heartbroken after the Elland Road outfit failed to secure promotion last term, and there were doubts concerning his future at the club. However, Bielsa signed a new deal in the end, and with Premier League promotion on the horizon, a longer stay appears to be on the cards for him. The EFL announced yesterday that the season will be decided on a points-per-game basis if it is unable to be finished due to the coronavirus pandemic, and that will see Championship leaders Leeds secure top-flight promotion based on the current standings. “He’s planning for next season, as you’d expect, and in the same w...
‘Nothing has changed yet’ – Telegraph & Sky journalists pour cold water on NUFC takeover greenlight claim
The Sun reported last night that the Premier League had given the green light for the Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund takeover of Newcastle United to go ahead. The news outlet claimed that an official announcement is set to be made on or before June 1, with only the transfer of funds and paperwork left to be sorted as the PIF have passed the Premier League’s Directors’ and Owners’ test. However, Telegraph’s Luke Edwards has reported that while the takeover remains imminent, there has been no official or unofficial notification from Premier League given to anyone currently involved in running/ownership of the Magpies that they are going to greenlight the takeover. There has been no official or unofficial notification from Premier League given to anyone currently involved in running/ow...
