ZINEDINE ZIDANE has refused to rule out Crisiano Ronaldo having a bombshell return to Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have drawn 0-0 with Leeds and Arsenal in action against Spurs in a huge North London derby on Sunday.
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Follow our LIVE blog below to get the latest from around the clubs…
EXCLUSIVE BY DUNCAN WRIGHT
Man Utd’s new technical team will hold a transfer summit with boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this week to nail down their targets for the summer.
Top of the list is a new centre-forward who will finally end the long search for a recognised goalscorer at Old Trafford.
Edinson Cavani will not be offered an extension to his current one-year deal while a decision will be made on whether to accept offers for Anthony Martial.
A new central midfielder is also wanted, with Nemanja Matic likely to be allowed to leave.
The reliance on Aaron Wan-Bissaka at right-back has been shown this season and the club are looking to bring in someone else to provide cover in that position.
And a new top-class centre-back is also wanted to come in alongside Harry Maguire.
There is also likely to be discussion about the goalkeeping team.
Man Utd are set to discuss transfer plans this summer
EXCLUSIVE BY ALAN NIXON
Thomas Tuchel has come up with a clever ‘secret’ trick to fool the opponents of Chelsea.
The German tells players to use code words when they attack, so that his men know where to run when they are going forward — and who to aim for.
A baffled rival told SunSport: “You have no idea what’s going on but they know exactly what they are doing.
“It just makes the attacks quicker and more deadly because sometimes a guy passing does not even have to look up to know where the runner will be.
“They use different words all the time too, so you can’t even work it out during the game.”
Thomas Tuchel has developed a secret code at Chelsea
EXCLUSIVE BY ALAN NIXON
Paul Heckingbottom will get the chance to steer Sheffield United to safety and the FA Cup final – with Jason Tindall to join as his sidekick.
Heckingbottom is to run the Blades side for the rest of the campaign after Chris Wilder’s departure, with no plans for a new manager before the summer.
And former Bournemouth boss Tindall, axed after just half a season in charge, will partner him at the helm at Bramall Lane.
Tindall is available and keen to return to management.
His appointment will spark talk of Eddie Howe coming in as manager down the line, but insiders reveal that is not currently part of the plan.
Paul Heckingbottom will take charge of Sheffield Utd for the rest of season following Chris Wilder’s exit
EXCLUSIVE BY ALAN NIXON
Roy Keane wants the Celtic manager’s job — and a sensational return to Scottish football.
The Manchester United and Republic of Ireland legend is up for the task of taking on Steven Gerrard’s Rangers if the call comes.
The Parkhead post is right up his street because of his strong allegiance to the club.
The former Bhoys midfielder, 49, was offered the job before and declined, but he would say yes this time — and that might fit with Celtic’s requirements.
Senior Celtic chiefs want to keep the existing coaching staff and put a ‘figurehead’ in charge.
Keane does not have a backroom team that he uses, so that would be ideal.
Roy Keane wants the Celtic job
CITY SLICKERS
Man City pulled 17 points ahead of Man United at the top of the table thanks to a 3-0 win at Fulham.
It was all square going into the second half when John Stones put City ahead in the 47th minute.
Subsequent strikes from Gabriel Jesus and Sergio Aguero sealed the win for Pep Guardiola’s men.
But United have two games in hand to play, starting with Champions League hopefuls West Ham on Sunday.
KAI IN THE SKY
Chelsea star Kai Havertz could be used as a striker by manager Thomas Tuchel on a more regular basis.
Speaking after the 0-0 draw at Leeds, Tuchel said: “I feel Kai is very comfortable in high positions, to drop into half spaces from the high positions to turn and drive with the ball and use his speed.
“But he also arrives very naturally in the box to finish our attacks. He is comfortable in finishing.
“He can play as a No9, as a half striker or a winger. Today we used him as a No9.
“I am happy, unfortunately he could not finish like he finishes in training or his talent allows him to finish. I trust him in this position.”
Kai Havertz could become Chelsea’s main striker
MAN FOR MAN
Man Utd will go head to head with Chelsea in a summer transfer battle for Roma’s Gianluca Mancini, according to reports.
The Roma centre-back, 24, is set to be available for a cut-price fee of £27million when the market reopens due to the financial impact of coronavirus.
And according to the Express, that could tempt the Premier League giants to fight it out for his signature.
Man Utd and Chelsea are keen on Roma defender Gianluci Mancini
WILD THING
Sheffield United have announced the exit of manager Chris Wilder.
The Blades sit bottom of the Premier League table and look destined to return to the Championship.
Wilder took United from League One to the Premier League during his five years at the helm.
TEAM NEWS
Man Utd’s injury crisis could see Amad Diallo make his Premier League debut against West Ham.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could be forced to turn to the 18-year-old once with Anthony Martial a major doubt.
Marcus Rashford and Edinson Cavani are also unavailable for the crunch clash tomorrow.
How Man Utd could face West Ham
BOBBY DAZZLER
Robert Lewandowski became the joint-second highest Bundesliga scorer of all time with a goal in Bayern Munich’s 3-1 win over Werder Bremen.
The 32-year-old moved level with former Schalke man Klaus Fischer on 268 goals with a close-range finish after a defensive mix-up.
But he is still some way off breaking the record as German legend Gerd Muller remains 97 goals in front on a remarkable 365.
Lewandowski’s 268 Bundesliga goals – of which 74 were for Borussia Dortmund and 194 for Bayern – have come in 345 appearances, 190 fewer than Fischer.
However, if he is to equal the all-time record in fewer games than Muller then he will have to net the 97 goals required in just 81 matches.
Robert Lewandowski is now the joint-second highest Bundesliga scorer ever
UNDER THE ARCH
Ryan Giggs was in attendance as Salford City defeated Portsmouth in the EFL Trophy final at Wembley Stadium.
The Wales manager is currently on ‘special leave’ from his main job, as an alleged assault on his ex-partner is investigated
He was joined in the stands by Manchester United pals and fellow Salford investors Gary Neville and Paul Scholes – as well as another former team-mate in Roy Keane for the Pompey clash.
Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes watched Salford win the EFL Trophy
TOFF SITUATION
Everton fell further behind in the top four race as they lost 2-1 at home to Burnley.
Goals from Chris Wood and Dwight McNeil sealed an important victory for the Clarets.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin was on target for the Toffees but they are now five points off a Champions League spot.
Meanwhile, Burnley have pulled seven points clear of the drop zone.
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Burnley beat Everton 2-1 at Goodison Park
GLOVES ARE OFF
David de Gea could replace Dean Henderson in goal for Man Utd tomorrow after returning to England following the birth of his daughter in Spain.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer confirmed: “Yeah, David is back in Manchester. He is quarantining or self isolating.
“He’s just touch and go for Sunday, I think. I can’t really know when he came back.
“So I’m not really sure if it was Monday or Tuesday that he arrived back in Manchester.”
David de Gea could be back in goal for Man Utd tomorrow
GUNNING FOR CASH
Ex-Arsenal boss George Graham believes Mikel Arteta needs a £200MILLION transfer kitty to make the Gunners competitive again.
He told the Express: “They have got problems, but they can rectify them with three players.
“Arteta is doing a very good job. But while he has improved the players, he has only improved them to a certain point.
“They need to go out and buy two or three players, each costing £75m to £100m.”
George Graham has urged Arsenal to back Mikel Arteta in the transfer window
LIFE ON MARS
Man Utd have suffered a transfer blow after scout Mathieu Seckinger quit for Marseille, according to reports.
The French club have already poached two members of United’s scouting team in David Friio and Omar Sciolla.
And now they’ve made it hat-trick as Marseille’s Head of Football Pablo Longoria transforms the backroom staff.
Seckinger spent five years with the Red Devils and was recently promoted to first-team scout after years as a Academy Youth Scout.
He was responsible for picking out youngsters Aliou Traore, Noam Emeran, Hannibal Mejbri and Willy Kambwala.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has lost a member of his scout team
CRIS THE REDEEMER
Cristiano Ronaldo wants to make a sensational return to Real Madrid, according to reports.
The Portuguese icon left the Spanish capital three years ago, joining Juventus for £85million.
But according to Diario AS, he wants to make a remarkable return to Santiago Bernabeu.
Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 games for Madrid, while winning two league titles and four Champions Leagues.
And Juventus are ready to let him go for just £25m.
Cristiano Ronaldo is ready to leave Juventus for a return to Real Madrid
TU BLUE IT
Chelsea made it a dozen games unbeaten under Thomas Tuchel with a 0-0 draw at Leeds.
But the Blues blew the chance to move third in the table.
And the big worry is that their Champions League spot is under increased threat as a result.
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Chelsea and Leeds drew 0-0 at Elland Road
PER SHAPED
Andreas Pereira will reportedly look to quit Man United this summer.
The 25-year-old is currently on loan at Serie A side Lazio and is hoping to make the move permanent.
But ESPN understand that Pereira will try to force a move elsewhere even if Lazio do not agree to a permanent deal.
Fellow Italian clubs Napoli and Atalanta are also said to be interested in securing the Brazilian’s services.
Lazio loanee Andreas Pereira is ready to quit Man Utd
EDEN ON UP
Eden Hazard returned to Real Madrid action during Saturday’s last-gasp win over Elche.
The injury-prone former Chelsea superstar had missed the last seven matches with a knock.
In total, he’s managed just 35 matches since his £150million move and has missed 24 games alone this term.
But Hazard clocked up 15 minutes from the bench as Karim Benzema’s 91st minute strike handed Real a narrow 2-1 victory.
Eden Hazard return to action in Real Madrid’s 2-1 win against Elche
‘STAND TALL’
Wilfried Zaha has become the first Premier League player not to take the knee before a game.
Zaha stayed standing while the rest of the players knelt before Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win against West Brom.
He released a statement before kick-off, saying: “I feel kneeling has just become a part of the pre-match routine and at the moment it doesn’t matter whether we kneel or stand, some of us still continue to receive abuse.
“I now just want to focus on football and enjoy being back playing on the pitch. I will continue to stand tall.”
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Wilfried Zaha refused to take a knee before Crystal Palace’s game against West Brom
BEN AND GONE
Harry Maguire has asked Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to sign Brighton defender Ben White, according to reports.
According to The Transfer Window podcast, Maguire has told his manager he would like to play alongside an English-speaking centre back who understands the culture of Premier League football and will complement his game.
It is believed one of the players mentioned in this discussion was White, who has attracted many plaudits while playing for Brighton this season and Leeds the year before.
Harry Maguire wants to play alongside Brighton’s Ben White at Man United
HEAD START
Arsenal flop Shkodran Mustafi scored a comical own-goal for new club Schalke today in a 5-0 defeat at Wolfsburg.
And the Germans are now without a win in five games since his February 1 arrival from the Emirates.
Schalke’s hammering at Wolfsburg leaves them rooted to the bottom of the Bundesliga table.
And it’s a long way back up with NINE points separating them from safety.
NO FOUR-GONE CONCLUSION
Paul Merson believes Chelsea have what it takes to finish in the Premier League’s top four.
But Merson insists Champions League qualification is in no way guaranteed.
The Arsenal legend told Sky Sports: “Chelsea are now in pole position to finish in the top four after a big week of results, but it is not a foregone conclusion. They have to keep producing right until the end of the season.
“There are not too many concerns about injuries at the moment. They have a really good squad and we’ve seen it utilised in the last few weeks by [Thomas] Tuchel. [N’Golo] Kante and [Mason] Mount were rested on Monday, Olivier Giroud is on the bench too and Tammy Abraham is not even getting a look in.
“It’s far from job done, though. They need to keep this run going because we’ve already seen this season that things can change very quickly.”
OLE GLORY
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer admitted that he would be keen to have Cristiano Ronaldo in his squad.
This comes after recent reports suggesting Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes “offered” his client back to United and urged executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward to make an offer last summer.
A move never materialised but Solskjaer revealed during a Q&A with the club’s official website that the star forward would be among the legends he would love to have in his squad.
The United manager said: “I’d love the player Roy Keane, I’m not sure if I could manage him though.
“I’d sign him every day of the week, Roy was so influential but then again, I played with Cristiano and he’s been the best player in the world alongside Messi for the past 10-15 years now, so Cristiano.
“You’d take him in your team, for sure.”
BARC AGAIN
Borussia Dortmund megastar Erling Haaland might be the hottest transfer target of the upcoming summer market.
Manchester United are among the clubs most interested in landing Haaland, who has been in tremendous form this season with 31 goals in 29 matches across all competitions.
But United are facing stiff competition with Barcelona set to make room for the star centre-forward.
As mentioned below, that is why Barca are trying to offload a number of players ahead of the end of the season and ex-Liverpool ace Philippe Coutinho is among them.
According to the Daily Mirror, Arsenal appear especially interested in signing Coutinho as manager Mikel Arteta is in dire need of an experienced attacking midfielder
GETTY IMAGES
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
