Aston Villa are ready to spend up to £40 million to sign Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham this summer, according to the Mirror. The 23-year-old is not in manager Thomas Tuchel’s long-term plans and has been told he is free to leave the club. Villa manager Dean Smith wants to wrap up his side’s transfer business as quickly as possible to start preparations for the upcoming season, and Chelsea are expecting a bid imminently. Sportslens View Abraham spent 2018-19 on loan at Villa Park, scoring 25 goals in 37 Championship games to help the Midlands outfit win promotion to the Premier League. The England international remains admired by the fans and Smith, and a move back could delight him as he looks to revive his international career. Abraham is also out of favour with the national team, and he ...
Italy made it to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 after a tough evening against Austria. The first chance of note came in the 17th minute. Leonardo Spinazzola got down the left and played a low cross to Nicolo Barella, whose shot was denied by the right foot of Daniel Bachmann. Austria responded with a chance of their own. Marcel Sabitzer floated a ball over the top for Marko Arnautovic, but the former West Ham United forward fired over on the half-volley. The closest either side came to opening the scoring came through Ciro Immobile. The Lazio man hit a shot from 30 yards which clipped the outside of the post. Italy had the better of the first half, registering 11 attempts to Austria’s one. Nonetheless, the two sides went into the break level. Austria came out in the second half showing mu...
Roma defender Chris Smalling has no plans of joining Everton despite his uncertain future at the Serie A outfit, The Mail reports. The England international has spent the past two seasons with Roma and has been a regular starter for them when fit for selection. Despite this, there have been question marks regarding his future due to his mixed relationship with new manager Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese previously questioned the defender’s commitment at Manchester United when injured, and there are suggestions that he could move on. It was recently reported that the Toffees had expressed an interest in his services, but it appears that Smalling has no desire to join them. The 31-cap international previously snubbed their advances before he made the move to Roma from United on an initial loan...
West Ham United have been handed a boost in signing Burnley defender James Tarkowski this summer, Football Insider reports. The England international was on the radar of the Hammers last summer, but the Clarets refused to sanction his sale. The Hammers were willing to pay up to £30 million for the centre-back, but the Clarets were firm on their £50m valuation. Tarkowski has since turned down an extension with Sean Dyche’s side, and he could be sold for a knockdown price this summer. With just 12 months left on his contract, the Clarets are open to selling him. The Hammers could renew their interest in his services. Sportslens view: West Ham failed to land a high-profile centre-back last summer, and they ended up signing Craig Dawson on loan from Watford. The 31-year-old proved a ...
Crystal Palace have opened negotiations with Swansea City manager Steve Cooper over their vacant head coach position, Football Insider claims. The south London outfit were initially fancied to appoint Nuno Espirito Santo as their manager, but the deal broke down at the final hurdle. Palace were reluctant to employ Santo’s significant number of backroom staff while there was also a disagreement over the transfer plans. Earlier this week, it appeared that they were on the cusp of landing Lucien Favre with the Swiss having agreed terms over a three-year deal. The club had started the work permit process before the 63-year-old decided that he is not prepared to return to club management. It is now reported that Cooper is the front-runner for the job, having ‘wowed’ the hierarchy with his plans...
Manchester City want Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish this summer, but they are yet to begin talks with the Midlands outfit. That is according to Sky Sports Italia journalist Fabrizio Romano who provided the latest update on Twitter. There’s still nothing advanced or agreed for Jack Grealish. Manchester City are strongly interested in signing him but NO talks ongoing with Aston Villa, as of today 🏴 #MCFC #AVFC Man City board considers ‘complicated’ to sign both Grealish and Kane [Spurs refused opening bid]. — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 26, 2021 Sportslens View Man City also want Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane, but landing both the English striker and Grealish this summer could prove complicated. Villa reportedly wou...
Bournemouth attacking midfielder Arnaut Danjuma caused a stir during the week after admitting that he would be open to joining Leeds United. While he has since taken to Twitter to clear things up, his comments appear to have set things in motion at the Vitality Stadium. Danjuma told Voetbal that he does not want to play in the Championship, and he could be getting his wish. According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, the 24-year-old could leave Bournemouth this summer, with Wolfsburg one of the clubs keen. Bournemouth winger Arnaut Danjuma could leave this summer. Wolfsburg are among clubs interested in signing him. 🇳🇱 #Wolfsburg #Bournemouth — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 26, 2021 Sportslens View Leeds have not been linked with Danjuma yet, but could they be...
Goodbye group stage, hello knockout phase. Yes folks, we’re down to the last 16 in the European Championships and as Jim Ross would say ‘business is about to pick up’. We’ve reached the stage of the tournament where a mistake can kill someone’s career, or one goal could lead to a player bagging a big-money move they don’t deserve. Let’s look at some of the key talking points from the last 24 hours and establish which team we want to crash out of the competition. Denmark on a mission The football world froze two weeks ago as Christian Eriksen collapsed during Denmark’s opening game against Finland at the European Championships. Thankfully, the medical experts miraculously worked their magic, and Eriksen has lived to fight another day. What a man! ‘He’s become a friend’ – how Kasper Hjulmand...
Manchester City want to bring Chelsea right-back Reece James to the Etihad Stadium this summer, according to The Athletic. Manager Pep Guardiola is a huge admirer of the England international having been impressed with his last two performances against his side. James’ ability to play at centre-back and midfield has also caught the eyes of the Man City boss, and is looking to lure him away from Chelsea before the end of the summer transfer window. Sportslens View Guardiola wants to strengthen his side for next season’s Premier League title defence, while also hoping to go one better in the Champions League. The Chelsea star stopped Raheem Sterling in last season’s final, and the Man City manager reckons his defensive and attacking abilities would help strengthen his squad going forward. Th...
Former England and Chelsea star Joe Cole has urged Gareth Southgate to include Mason Mount in his starting line-up against Germany instead of Jack Grealish. During an interview with talkSPORT, Cole reiterated his admiration for the Aston Villa playmaker but implored Southgate to bring Mount back into the starting XI. “As much as I love Jack, I would go with Mase ahead of him for this game,” he said. “Jack won’t like this, but having Jack off the bench, if it is level after 60 minutes, imagine Wembley seeing Jack step up if we need something. “You need someone on the bench who can change something. “Mason is a little bit more disciplined in the central position, which allows you to change the system a little bit. “It is like choosing [a favourite] between your kids. Choosing between Mason M...
Paris Saint-Germain have been in prolonged contract negotiations with Kylian Mbappe, and there has been no progress over an extension as of yet. The Frenchman has just over 12 months left in his deal, and a decision over his future will be made following the European Championships. Mbappe’s contract situation has led to constant links with Madrid, who have been long-term admirers of him since his youth days at Monaco. Liverpool are not far behind when it comes to the speculation involving the forward, but Les Parisiens remain determined to keep him. Les Parisiens president Nasser Al-Khelaifi recently made a vow that the club will ‘never sell‘ Mbappe and the forward will stay next season. They are yet to hold fresh talks with Mbappe, but recently confirmed that his younger brother Etha...