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Report: Liverpool can snap up 27-year-old midfielder for bargain £8.5m fee
Liverpool could sign Real Betis ace Guido Rodriguez for a bargain fee this summer according to a report from Estadio Deportivo. The Spanish publication claims that the La Liga outfit want just €10 million (£8.5 million) for the defensive midfielder. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp is well known to be keen on strengthening his ranks at Anfield this summer. That is obvious after Gini Wijnaldum left Liverpool to link up with Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer. Liverpool target Guido Rodriguez in action for Real Betis last season – Copyright: xPRESSINPHOTOx AP_210228_727 Liverpool to move in for Rodriguez? The Reds can sign the 27-year-old Argentina international for a paltry £8.5 million. That really is very good value. And with the Merseyside outfit not as flush with cash as they once were, Rodri...
LeBron James Has Words for Those Questioning New Lakers Roster: “Keep That Same Narrative Energy”
LeBron James has heard all the negative chatter surrounding the latest Los Angeles Lakers roster for the 2021-22 NBA season and he has taken it upon himself to let the critics know that he is not phased. The Lakers’ roster has caused quite a ruckus throughout the NBA when the franchise acquired Russell Westbrook in a blockbuster trade that sent Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Montrezl Harrell to the Washington Wizards. The Los Angeles Times recently reported that Westbrook had spoken to King James and Anthony Davis a week prior to the trade with all three players discussing that they are willing to put aside their egos to bring another ring to LA. The Lakers roster is arguably stacked with NBA veterans, signing Carmelo Anthony, Kent Bazemore, Wayne Ellington, Dwight Howard and Tre...
Report: West Ham miss out on attacker involved in 17 EPL goals last term due to wages
West Ham United were keen on signing West Bromwich Albion attacker Matheus Pereira this summer. However, they could not match the wages Al Hilal have offered him, according to Standard Sport’s Jack Rosser. West Ham were keen but couldn’t match the wages on offer in Saudi Arabia. #WHUFC https://t.co/LKP72yydPy — Jack Rosser (@JackRosser_) August 4, 2021 Sky Sports journalist Fabrizio Romano has claimed that the Saudi Arabia club are in advanced talks with the Baggies to sign the 25-year-old having agreed personal terms. Al Hilal are in advanced talks to sign Matheus Pereira from WBA. Final details to be fixed between Al Hilal and WBA on final fee – personal terms now agreed. It’s up to the two clubs. 🇧🇷🔵 #AlHilal Leeds are not interested – Matheus pushing to co...
QPR and Birmingham amongst the dark horses in the Championship
There are usually six teams expected to challenge for promotion at the beginning of the Championship season – the three teams who have just been relegated from the Premier League, and the three who missed out on promotion through the play-offs. Of course, it’s not always the relegated sides and play-off teams who contest for promotion. Every season, there are usually a few sides who climb from mid-table obscurity and get themselves in the frame for the top spots. Dark Horses Queens Park Rangers are one of the sides gaining some attention. They finished in ninth place last campaign, but that doesn’t tell the full story. Their first half of the season was a bit of a nightmare, and they found themselves in a relegation battle. But this all changed with the arrivals of Charlie Austin, Sam Fiel...
Derby in trouble, Blackburn & Bristol City could struggle
Where there are winners, there must be losers. And, in the Championship, there are three big losers – the three who get relegated. The three coming up from League One are often predicted to struggle, given that they have to adjust to a higher standard of football. Of course, this isn’t always the case, but two of the three relegated sides from last season were newly promoted. Hull City won the League One title last term, so in theory should be the best placed to survive. One thing Hull have in abundance is goalscorers – last season, Josh Magennis, Mallik Wilks, and Keane Lewis-Potter scored 50 league goals between them. If they can translate this form into the second tier, they will give themselves a massive boost in their bid for safety. Can Magennis step up to the Championship? But that ...
Aston Villa not interested in £35m West Ham United target amid hefty wage demands – report
Aston Villa are unlikely to meet the wage demands of out-of-favour Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, Football Insider reports. Abraham has been fancied to leave the Blues after barely playing under Thomas Tuchel during the back end of last season. He has been linked with Villa, West Ham United and Arsenal, but won’t come cheaply with the Blues valuing him at £35 million. Besides this, the move could be complicated with Abraham demanding an £80,000 increase on his current salary of £50,000-per-week. It is now reported that Villa have informed Abraham’s camp that they are unlikely to meet his wage demands for a potential transfer. Sportslens view: Abraham played 16 minutes for the Blues between March and May but still registered 12 goals from 32 appearances in all competitions. H...
The Athletic: Liverpool to land huge windfall following £30m EPL transfer
Liverpool are entitled to 20 percent of the profit Southampton have made from selling Danny Ings to Aston Villa, according to The Athletic. The Reds inserted a sell-on clause when they sold the England international striker to the Saints in 2018 and will now earn around £6 million after he was sold for £30m. Sportslens View It is a huge and unexpected windfall for Liverpool as no one saw the deal coming, and it would go a long way in helping boost their coffers. Ings joined the Reds from Burnley in the summer of 2015, leaving three seasons later for Southampton. Injuries and lack of playing opportunities limited him to just 25 appearances and four goals across all competitions for Liverpool, but his fitness has improved since he left. Ings featured in 100 games across all competitions for ...
Fulham and West Brom stars tipped to shine in the Championship
While the ultimate goal of the Championship season is promotion to the Premier League, the Golden Boot race is always an interesting sub-plot. Expect this season to be no different, with a number of proven goalscorers looking to make their mark once again. The current leading candidate appears to be Fulham’s Aleksandar Mitrovic, and it’s not particularly difficult to see why. He is the only player in the second tier who already has a Championship Golden Boot to his name, having hit 26 back in the 2019/20 season. Mitrovic has a fantastic record in the Championship Last season wasn’t an easy one for the Serbian, scoring just three league goals in 27 outings. However, his record in the Championship with Fulham is nothing short of excellent, bagging 36 in 57 for the Whites. The most likely to ...
Why Aston Villa signing is terrible news for greedy Chelsea star
The news that Aston Villa have signed Danny Ings from Southampton took most people by surprise. Villa had been strongly linked with Saints star James Ward-Prowse, and Ings didn’t appear to be on their radar. However, with Jack Grealish edging closer to a £100 million transfer to Manchester City, Villa have moved to strengthen their forward options by signing Ings. The 29-year-old hasn’t come cheaply, with Villa paying around £30 million to secure his services. The Midlands club have been busy this summer, with deals for Emiliano Buendia, Leon Bailey and Ashley Young already wrapped up. If Grealish joins City, it could be argued that Villa’s squad is stronger than the one that ended last season. Ings will provide top-class competition for Ollie Watkins and allow Dean Smith to adopt differen...
Real Madrid set €18m asking price for versatile attacker, AC Milan are interested – report
Real Madrid have set an asking price of €18 million for Isco Alarcon amid transfer interest from AC Milan, Calciomercato reports. The Rossoneri have a good association with the Madrid giants, and they recently signed Brahim Diaz for a second loan spell. They are now interested in signing Isco, who can leave the Bernabeu Stadium with his contract expiring in less than 12 months. Los Blancos value him at around €18m, but Milan could settle on a lesser fee with their good relations with the La Liga club. However, the Spaniard’s wages could be a major stumbling block. The 29-year-old is currently on an annual package of €6.5m. Sportslens view: Isco has had a fine career at Madrid, but his influence has reduced in recent years after being restricted to regular substitute appearances. ...
Andre de Grasse Wins Gold in the Men’s 200-Metre Olympic Final
After securing a bronze medal in the 100-metre final earlier in the week, Canadian sprinter Andre de Grasse has finally bagged himself gold by winning the men’s 200-metre final in impressive fashion at the Tokyo Olympics. The 26-year-old — who claimed silver in the 2016 Rio Olympics behind Usain Bolt — clocked a Canadian record finishing in 19.62 seconds, ahead of Kenny Bednarek and Noah Lyles of the United States who finished second and third respectively. Erriyon Knighton, who crushed Bolt’s under-18 and under-20 200-metre records at the Olympic Team Trials earlier this year, became the youngest male to ever compete in a 200-metre final at just 17-years-old, coming through in fourth place in 19.93 seconds. De Grasse’s victory ends a decade of 200-metre dominance from the now-retired Bolt...
Brahim Diaz works on convincing Real Madrid star to join AC Milan
Brahim Diaz is reportedly doing his part in convincing wantaway Real Madrid playmaker Isco to join AC Milan over other suitors this summer. According to Defensa Central – a source close to the Santiago Bernabeu outfit – the 29-year-old attacking midfielder has been in touch with Diaz to understand the situation at the San Siro. Isco is increasingly likely to depart Madrid in the coming weeks after falling out of favour in the Spanish capital. He experienced a disastrous season with Los Blancos, making 25 La Liga appearances, 17 from the substitutes bench. Having entered the final year of his contract, the ex-Malaga man is a player Madrid would like to get rid of in the summer. Pressured to comply with La Liga’s salary cap, the 13-time European champions must offload several fringe players,...
