Premier League
Man United enter race to sign £36m Tottenham Hotspur target with 13 goal contributions
Liverpool, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are all interested in landing the signature of RB Leipzig captain Marcel Sabitzer this summer, BILD reports. Sabitzer has been with Leipzig for the past seven years and was part of the side which secured promotion to the German top-flight in 2016. The 27-year-old had his best season for the Bundesliga outfit last term, registering 16 goal and 11 assists while regularly operating on the right wing or the number 10 role. He has played in a more central midfield role this season but has still made contributions with seven goals and six assists in all competitions. It is now reported that Leipzig could sanction his departure this summer amid his reluctance to sign a new contract beyond June 2022. His situation has caught the eye of Liverpool, ...
‘I wouldn’t be surprised’: Bacary Sagna says £22.5m star could leave Arsenal this summer
Former Arsenal defender Bacary Sagna has said that Hector Bellerin could leave the Gunners this summer in order to challenge himself. Bellerin has made 234 appearances for the north London side since his debut in 2013, but his future with the club is uncertain at the moment. His contract is due to expire in June next year and it has been reported that he has an agreement with manager Mikel Arteta to leave the club this summer. Speaking exclusively to Goal.com, Sagna said that the right-back may finally part ways with the Gunners this summer in the quest for a new challenge. While the club have recently won silverware, Sagna emphasised that the 26-year-old may want to test himself at another club during the backend of his career. He said: “Hector has been there for years. He started playing...
Report: Barcelona offer three-year deal to Liverpool star, Serie A club also interested
Barcelona have offered a three-year deal to Liverpool midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum whose contract expires at the end of June, Italian journalist Nicolo Schira has claimed. Wijnaldum has been with the Reds for the past five years and he has been a quality performer, registering 22 goals and 16 assists from 226 appearances. However, the Dutchman could be on the move in the next few months with no resolution over his Reds contract which will conclude shortly after the end of the season. In a recent update provided by Schira, the Netherlands international has yet to find an agreement over a new deal with the Merseyside outfit He added that the Blaugrana are working towards signing the 30-year-old midfielder, and have offered him a three-year contract worth €8m per year. Inter Milan have...
‘Just a matter of time’: Fabrizio Romano provides contract update on Man City star
Manchester City are convinced that Kevin De Bruyne will put pen-to-paper on a new contract in the near future, reputed Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano claims. The Belgium international had a superb 2019/2020 campaign with the Cityzens with 16 goals and 23 assists as he was named the PFA Player of the Year. In the current season, he has been hampered by a couple of muscle injuries, but he has still excelled with seven goals and 16 assists from 31 outings. His contract with the Cityzens does not expire until June 2023, but the club are keen to reward him with an extension at the earliest possibility. Talks have been underway for a while and Romano has said that it is only a matter of time before he signs a fresh deal with the runaway Premier League leaders. Manchester City are convinced t...
Manchester United must pay £103m to sign 26-year-old with 19 goal contributions
Atletico Madrid have made it clear that Manchester United or any other club must trigger the £103 million release clause in Marcos Llorente’s contract to sign him this summer, Marca reports. Llorente is currently in his second season with the Spanish giants and has been in fine form with 10 goals and nine assists from 36 appearances across all competitions. It was recently reported that the Red Devils had tabled a £68.5m offer for the midfielder, which had made Atletico contemplate over a possible summer sale. However, this has been dismissed by Marca, who also claim that the La Liga leaders have no plans of selling him for anything less than his £103m buy-out clause. Thomas Partey, Lucas Hernandez, Rodri Hernandez and Antoine Griezmann were all sold only after their release clau...
Lucas Torreira open to playing for Arsenal again on one condition
Uruguayan midfielder Lucas Torreira would be open to playing for Arsenal next season if he is assured regular playing time by manager Mikel Arteta, The Athletic reports. The 25-year-old fell out-of-favour under Arteta following the project restart last term, and he was loaned out to Atletico Madrid before the summer transfer deadline. His time with the Madrid giants has been a frustrating one with just 629 minutes of playing time, and they are unlikely to consider the option to buy him this summer. It is now reported that Torreira is open to re-establishing himself within the Gunners ranks next term, but he will want the assurance of regular game time. Sportslens view: Arteta has shown that he is prepared to hand opportunities to fringe players, and Mohamed Elneny has been a prime example ...
Manchester United table £68.5m bid to sign playmaker with 19 goal contributions
Manchester United have tabled a £68.5 million offer to sign midfielder Marcos Llorente from Atletico Madrid during the summer transfer window, AS reports. The Spain international joined Atletico from arch-rivals Real Madrid in 2019 and he had a decent debut season with five goals and five assists from 36 outings. He was largely in-and-out of the starting line-up, but his heroic display to knock out Liverpool from the Champions League proved a turning point in his career. In the current campaign, Llorente has flourished operating in an advanced central midfield role, registering 10 goals and nine assists from just 35 appearances. He has been instrumental in the club’s push for the La Liga title. Diego Simeone’s side are currently holding a four-point lead over Barcelona at the top of t...
Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur may have to pay over £30m to sign 23-year-old PL midfielder
Sheffield United have set their asking price for Sander Berge amid interest from the likes of Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, a report from Sheffield Star claims. Berge joined the Blades in a club-record deal from Genk in January last year and played a key role in the defensive midfield (14 league games) as they finished ninth in the standings. In the current campaign, the 23-year-old managed 13 league appearances until December before sustaining a hamstring injury. He has not played in the past three months, but is likely to make a comeback before the end of the season. With the Blades on course for relegation, Berge is likely to be one of the high-profile players leaving the club this summer, but it is reported that the Yorkshire outfit won’t sell him on the cheap. Berge was purchased fro...
From Owen to Wilshere, the Premier League’s Unfulfilled XI features the best players to never make it
The launch of the Premier League in 1992 sparked a wave of hype that has continued apace since then. While the self-styled ‘best division in the world’ clearly has plenty of attributes, it is debatable whether the excitement it generates is truly justified. One area where the propaganda machine has run riot is regarding players, with the last few decades littered with examples of someone being hailed as ‘the next big thing’. With many of those players failing to live up to expectations, we have assembled a Premier League Unfulfilled Potential XI. David James (GK) – Although James ended his career with two major trophies on his CV, it is impossible to look back on his playing days and think that he delivered what was expected of him. For starters, you don’t end up with the nickname ‘Calamit...
AFCON: Aston Villa congratulate Bertrand Traore, Burkina Faso on qualification
Premier League side Aston Villa have congratulated Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso after qualifying for the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations. Despite playing a 0-0 draw against Uganda on Wednesday evening at St. Mary’s Stadium-Kitende, Entebbe, Kamou Malo’s men booked a place in Cameroon with a game to spare. That will be the 13th time the West African country would reach the finals since their maiden appearance at Ghana 1978 – where they finished in eight position. The Villa Park giants have taken to social media to celebrate their winger and his country on their recent success. “Congratulations to Bertrand Traore and Burkina Faso, who qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations 2021 with a goalless draw against Uganda on Wednesday!” a tweet from the club read. Burkina Faso – who currently lead Gr...
Chelsea receive boost as £110,000-a-week star is ready to sign a new contract
Chelsea defender Thiago Silva is prepared to sign a new one-year deal with the club, a report from The Express claims. The 36-year-old joined the Blues on a free transfer last summer, shortly after his contract expired with Paris Saint-Germain. There were doubts whether he could adapt to English football at his age, but he has done so with flying colours and is now a firm fan favourite. Silva has not played since early February because of a hamstring injury, but that is unlikely to scupper his prospects of prolonging his stay with the Blues. His current contract expires at the end of June, but there is a 12-month extension clause that can be activated if both he and the club agree to it. The Blues are open to the extension, and it is now reported that Silva is prepared to put pen-to-paper ...
26-year-old fears Man United want to extend his contract to sell him for bigger fee
Manchester United defender Eric Bailly fears the club want to extend his contract so that he is more valuable ahead of the summer transfer window, Sky Sports reports. The Ivorian has been with the Red Devils since 2016, but he has registered only 100 appearances due to multiple injuries and competition for places. Earlier this month, manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed that contract talks were underway with the centre-back, and he was hopeful for a quick resolution. However, it has since been reported that Bailly could snub a contract renewal beyond June next year after being dropped for the AC Milan trip despite being fit. It is now revealed that the 26-year-old has fears over signing an extension as that could be a step to make him ‘more valuable in this summer’s transfer market’...
