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Barcelona prefer selling €25m-rated graduate, no contract talks planned – report
Barcelona are prepared to sanction the sale of Sergi Roberto after declining to negotiate a new contract, Mundo Deportivo claims. The Spaniard has spent his entire career with the Catalan giants, registering 304 appearances across all competitions. He has less than 13 months left on his contract, and the hierarchy have yet to make contact with his agent over a renewal. It is reported that the Blaugrana could be leaning towards his potential exit during the forthcoming summer transfer window. Sportslens view: Roberto had an injury-plagued 2020/21 campaign for the Blaugrana, playing just 1,200 minutes in all competitions. The club seem prepared to sanction his sale this summer as they now have plenty of cover for the right-back position. Sergino Dest and Oscar Mingueza can play in the role w...
Officially GOAT’ed: Simone Biles Wins 7th National Championship
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: Jamie Squire / Getty It’s way past time to add Simone Biles to the Sports Mount Rushmore, which already includes Tom Brady, Michael Phelps, Serena Williams, and Michael Jordan or Lebron James (choose one). The four-time Olympic champion has collected another gymnastic Infinity Stone claiming her 7th straight U.S. national title, the most of any American woman. The 24-year-old won with a two-day score of 119.650 score, claiming titles on the all-around, balance beam, vault, and floor exercise event. She scored nearly five more points than the runner-up Sunisa Lee. “I feel like I did try to enjoy it because it could be one of my last championships that I’ll attend,” Biles told Olympics.com. “But it’s also the road to Tokyo, and after this we have tria...
Update on the future of ex Real Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane
Zinedine Zidane will not rush back into management and is interested in managing the French team once the job becomes available, according to Libertad Digital. The Frenchman’s second spell in charge of Real Madrid ended at the end of last season and he has since been replaced by Carlo Ancelotti. In his first stint as Madrid manager, Zidane guided the team to three Champions League titles and one La Liga crown. His second stint was not as successful as he just won one La Liga crown in the 2019/20 season and ended the last campaign empty-handed. None of the European heavyweight clubs are currently looking to hire a manager, and Zidane will wait until the French national team job becomes available. Zidane’s 1998 World Cup-winning teammate Didier Deschamps has been in charge of Les Bleus since...
Chelsea working hard to sign star with 53 goal contributions, Blues optimistic about transfer
Chelsea remain keen on signing Borussia Dortmund striker Erling Braut Haaland. According to Jan Aage Fjortoft, the Premier League side are currently working hard to secure the services of the Norwegian international. Haaland is seen as the missing piece that could help the Blues challenge for the Premier League title next season. Thomas Tuchel guided Chelsea to Champions League success this past season, and he will be hoping to lead them to Premier League glory next term. Dortmund have maintained that the striker is not for sale this summer, but Fjortoft claims that Chelsea are confident of completing the transfer. However, he says the asking price and the player’s wage demands could scupper their hopes of sealing the deal. Re: Erling Haaland Chelsea working intense to get Erling Haaland. ...
Arsenal are reportedly keen on AC Milan star
Arsenal are considering a move for Hakan Calhanoglu as they look to bolster their attacking options, according to reliable journalist James Benge. Calhanoglu is set to become a free agent as his contract with AC Milan expires at the end of June, and he has yet to sign a new deal. The 27-year-old was a regular starter for Milan last season, scoring four goals in 33 appearances to help the team claim second spot in Serie A. Another target who Arsenal are understood to have broached internally is Hakan Calhanoglu, out of contract with AC Milan this summer. He is an option, not clear how high on the list he might be but expectation is he’s an alternative to Odegaard. — James Benge (@jamesbenge) June 7, 2021 Along with veteran striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Calhanoglu played a key role in spearhea...
Roma are interested in Arsenal midfielder
Granit Xhaka is closing in on a move from Arsenal to Roma, according to Football London. The Swiss international was strongly linked with a move to Borussia Monchengladbach in January, but Gunners manager Mikel Arteta persuaded him to remain at the Emirates Stadium. The 28-year-old was one of Arsenal’s best players last season as he went on to make 46 appearances in all competitions. Arsenal fans have been fairly indifferent to Xhaka since October 2019 after he made rude gestures as he was substituted in a Premier League game against Crystal Palace. Xhaka was stripped of the club captaincy by then-manager Unai Emery following the incident. He is now looking to be part of Jose Mourinho’s project at Roma, which will entail building the Serie A team into a trophy challenging force. Now in the...
Barcelona turn attention to €50m-rated midfielder after Georginio Wijnaldum blow – report
Barcelona have revived their interest in Napoli midfielder Fabian Ruiz after missing out on Georginio Wijnaldum, Radio Catalunya claims. The Catalan giants were widely fancied to sign Wijnaldum on a free transfer following the expiry of his Liverpool contract at the end of the month. However, the deal was hijacked at the final hurdle, with Paris Saint-Germain offering him double the wages that the Blaugrana had proposed. It is now reported that the club have switched their attention to Ruiz and have already made contact with the Spaniard’s representatives. Napoli ‘only want money’ on the table, and there is no room for negotiations over the fee when it comes to the club president Aurelio de Laurentiis. Sportslens view: Ruiz has been a long-term target for the Blaugrana, but a deal has neve...
The Celtic and Rangers stars hoping to make an impact at Euro 2020
With the postponed European Championships just around the corner, we look at the Celtic and Rangers players participating in the tournament. Most of the Glasgow contingent will represent Scotland at Euro 2020, but several Rangers stars will play for other countries. Here is the list of all Ibrox and Celtic Park stars that will take part in Euro 2020. Rangers Borna Barisic – Croatia The 28-year-old has been a permanent fixture in Steven Gerrard’s team this season, making 50 appearances in all competitions. Barisic is Croatia’s first-choice left-back and will play a prominent role in the upcoming tournament. After finishing runners-up to France at the 2018 World Cup, the Blazers are not among the favourites. A competitive group that pits them against England, the Czech Republic and Sco...
Euro 2020 Group F Preview: Cristiano Ronaldo and Kylian Mbappe look to steal the show
The phrase ‘Group of Death’ gets used a lot, but it has never been more appropriate than this instance. Group F at Euro 2020 is without a doubt the one to look out for, with no fewer than three major contenders competing up against each other. 2014 World Cup winners – Germany. Euro 2016 winners – Portugal. 2018 World Cup winners – France. All three of these were drawn in the same group, along with Hungary. It’s a group stuffed full of world-class talent and one that we can’t wait to watch. Here is one player from each Group F side to keep an eye on this summer. France – Kylian Mbappe Mbappe could be one of the stars of the tournament Three years ago, Kylian Mbappe lit up the World Cup with several exceptional performances, including a goal in the final. The youngster could be back for more...
Report: Manchester stars lead La Liga rivals in player transfer values
The latest CIES Football Observatory report has been released, revealing the highest estimated transfer values of players in Europe’s top five leagues. The list is dominated by English players, with three Englishmen topping the charts and another four inside the top 20. The Premier League is also very heavily represented, with 12 players inside the top 20 and 43 in the top 100. There are 21 from La Liga, 15 from the Bundesliga, 14 from Serie A, and seven from Ligue 1. Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe ranks 12th, much lower than many would expect. The Frenchman has been given a value of €118.3 million. This will be largely because he has a year left on his current contract, but he could probably command a higher fee this summer. Harry Kane is another who is lower down than expected, w...
Southampton reveal transfer stance on James Ward-Prowse amid Aston Villa interest – report
Southampton have made their stance clear on club captain James Ward-Prowse amid interest from Aston Villa, The Mail reports. The Villans are eager to complete their transfer business early, and they are on the verge of landing Norwich City playmaker Emiliano Buendia on a club-record deal. It was recently claimed that they could follow the purchase of Buendia with a surprise move for England international Ward-Prowse. However, the Saints have made it clear that their graduate is not for sale at any price during this summer’s transfer window. Sportslens view: The Saints sanctioned the sale of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to Tottenham Hotspur last year, and they failed to find a suitable replacement. They didn’t have much choice as the Dane’s contract was due to expire in 12 months. The same is not ...
SL View: Spurs will strike gold if they can land £40m Everton target this summer
Could this be the year? It has to be this year. Has there been any transfer window in recent memory where Wilfried Zaha didn’t want to leave Crystal Palace? How many times in the last few years have we seen clubs queuing up for Zaha, only to walk back after knowing his price tag? Zaha is the talisman figure for the Eagles, but maybe he has outgrown himself. He needs a fresh challenge, and Palace need a fresh direction as well. Two summers ago, he was valued at around £100m, but now he could be available at a reasonable £40m. According to reports from The Times, Zaha has told Crystal Palace he wants to leave. He wants to quit Selhurst Park in the summer and preferably wants a move away before the Eagles return for pre-season training next month. According to a recent re...
