MANCHESTER CITY are marching to the Premier League title following a 20th win on the bounce in all competitions.
Meanwhile Manchester United could snap up Antoine Griezmann for just £50m as a cheaper alternative to Jadon Sancho.
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Follow our LIVE blog below to get the latest from around the clubs…
CAN’T BAY-LIEVE IT
Omar Richards sealed a bombshell free transfer to Bayern Munich.
The Reading defender, 23, will swap Berkshire for Bavaria this summer, after agreeing to a shock four-year deal with the German champions.
The stunning transfer was hashed out between his entourage and Bayern on Monday afternoon, following three months of negotiations.
And he has already passed a medical in the UK, due to coronavirus travel restrictions.
BANKING ON BALE
Gareth Bale’s long-awaited return to form is being celebrated as much in Spain as it is at Spurs.
The Welsh superstar rolled back the years as he helped Tottenham batter Burnley 4-0 on Sunday.
The Spanish giants hope it will persuade Tottenham to extend Bale’s stay for the final year of his contract next term.
And the good news for them is the North Londoners will look at taking him on loan again for next season if he continues to impress between now and the summer.
That will have Bernabeu bosses jumping for joy as they are desperate to get the £650,000-a-week Welshman, 31, off their wage bill.
So desperate, in fact, that they agreed to let him rejoin Spurs in a ridiculously cut-price deal that involved no loan fee and the Premier League club paying just £230,000 a week of his wages
UP FOR THE CUP
Boris Johnson has offered up Britain’s stadiums for the whole European Championships as the UK’s vaccine roll-out surges ahead of the continent — and he can’t wait to raise a pint to the prospect.
The football tournament’s semi-finals and final are already pencilled in for Wembley in July but temporary teetotaller Mr Johnson said last night: “Any other matches they want hosted, we are certainly on for that!”
It could kick-start a “bonanza” decade of footy, with Chancellor Rishi Sunak set to pump millions into funding the UK and Ireland’s joint pitch to host the 2030 World Cup in tomorrow’s Budget.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, the Prime Minister said: “We are very, very keen to bring football home in 2030. I do think it’s the right place.
“It’s the home of football, it’s the right time. It will be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country.”
EVERTON 1 SOUTHAMPTON 0
Carlo Ancelotti has got Everton’s fans dreaming of both reaching Europe AND finishing above their neighbours.
And tonight, Ancelotti’s team finally proved that maybe, there is a chance this unlikely double could actually happen.
Everton need to sort out their terrible home form. And tonight, they did just that to end a run of three successive home Premier League losses and it was also their first victory in six matches at Goodison.
Read Charlie Wyett’s match report HERE.
LET IT SLIDE
Adama Traore’s baby oil technique IS to stop defenders pulling him back and avoid injuries, Nuno Espirito Santo confirmed.
He said: “It was not my idea, but I thought it was honestly a fantastic idea by the medical department because it came from the injury that he had with his shoulder.
“That was caused basically because of holding of his arm and creating this strong impact on his shoulder and he got injured from that.
“It’s hard to stop Adama, it’s very hard to stop him, and that avoids that situation.
“He becomes more slippery, so we get the advantage of his speed and talent.
“It was an option to avoid it, and from then on, he’s kept on doing it and it’s good.”
LONE WOLF
Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo has provided an update on Raul Jimenez.
REAL PROBLEM
Mo Salah is too expensive for Real Madrid, former Blancos president Roman Calderon has asserted.
He told Egypt’s ONTime Sports: “[Salah] is a great player and a goalscorer.
“He helped Liverpool by giving his best, but I don’t think they will let him go.
“It is expected that, if they were to think about it, they would only let him go for a lot of money.
“Salah is wanted, of course, by Real Madrid. But Liverpool would ask for a lot of money and, if that deal were to be completed, it would be crucial.
“Salah is a great player with fantastic potential, and any club wishes to acquire such talents, but for Real Madrid I do not think they have the financial means to sign Salah.”
HIT FOR SIX
Manchester United have not fared well against the rest of the ‘Big Six’ this season with the 0-0 draw at Chelsea the latest setback.
MORE FROM CARRAGHER
And while accusations of ‘boring, boring Man United’ have been levelled at boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his team, pundit Jamie Carragher doesn’t think the Norwegian is to blame.
Asked if that’s the ‘big issue’, Carra said on Sky Sports MNF: “For me yeah – I wouldn’t describe Solskjaer as a defensive manager.
“I know those results look like that and maybe other managers we would… but this is a guy who’s played for Manchester United in those type of teams.
“I don’t recognise him as that kind of manager – right now I actually think it’s a quality issue.
“So when I talk about being on the front foot, it’s easier being on the front foot without the ball.
“It’s easy as a manager to organise that and say where you want to press and we’ve been critical of teams on this show where they drop deep, two banks of four and they can’t get out.
FORWARD THINKING
Manchester United lack ‘quality’ upfront and ‘need a centre-forward more than anything’, according to Jamie Carragher.
He said on Sky Sports MNF: “I actually thought they were very brave, on the front foot, pressing man to man all over the pitch.
“But in that final third they just didn’t have that quality.
“You’ve said they’re the top scorers in the Premier League but have they got that player to score in the decisive games, that player that’s going to take them to the league title?
“And when I look at that, people talk about Manchester United, they need a right winger, they went for (Jadon) Sancho, they need a centre-forward more than anything.”
TAM TIME UP
Chelsea are reportedly facing transfer interest in Tammy Abraham from a number of Premier League clubs.
The Telegraph claims doubts are emerging over the striker’s Stamford Bridge future after he was axed from Sunday’s matchday squad against Manchester United.
TRUE BLUE
Fiorentina’s Tessel Middag admits she’ll always have a soft spot for Manchester City ahead of their Champions League tie on Wednesday.
Middag, 26, joined City full of optimism in 2016 but her time at the club was cut short due to a ten-month cruciate ligament injury.
Reflecting on her time at the Academy Stadium, she said on City’s website.: “My injury did affect what I could do on the pitch but from a human perspective, I’m happy with the connections I made there.
“I still have very warm feelings about Manchester as a whole and City as a Club.”
SLICE OF LUC
Chelsea have received a boost in their pursuit of Lucas Gourna-Douath with St-Etienne reportedly prepared to accept £22million.
The centre-midfielder, 17, has been heavily linked with a move to the Blues and the Ligue 1 outfit may be forced into selling at the end of the season because of the financial impact of coronavirus.
The youngster is said to be keen on continuing his development with his boyhood club.
But St-Etienne face being forced to sell at the end of this season as part of a mass player cull, according to FootMercato.
KEANE FOR IT
Sean Dyche reckons Roy Keane was right to say he could have played against Burnley on Sunday – because the Clarets were that bad at Tottenham.
He said: “Actually, he probably could have. I don’t know if you remember him as a player, but he was pretty decent!
“So to be fair to him, it wouldn’t surprise me if he could have played out there.
“Look, I’ve got no problem with him questioning us, and what we do.
“I’m used to it. It goes with the territory. It’s part of their job. They’re pundits for a reason. They have a voice, they have a say.
“I’ve never been precious about that sort of thing, because everyone has an opinion on football, not just the pundits.”
LIN BUSINESS
Manchester United will demand more than £20million for Jesse Lingard this summer, according to reports.
The 28-year-old joined West Ham on loan in January, after falling out of favour at Old Trafford.
Lingard wasn’t picked for a single match in the Premier League or Champions League by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the first-half of this season.
But to West Ham’s surprise, the Red Devils weren’t interested in a permanent transfer in January.
According to Eurosport, the Hammers were hoping to include a £15m option to buy in the deal, in addition to the £1.5m loan fee.
But they claim that United turned their nose up at the offer, as club chiefs ‘knew’ that Lingard was capable of his current stunning form.
MO PROBLEM
Mo Salah could be subjected to a fierce club v country row after being included in Egypt’s Tokyo Olympics prelim squad.
The Liverpool striker, 28, has been named as one of the country’s three overage players in Egypt’s under-23 side heading to Japan this summer.
The Games take place between July 23 and August 8, meaning Salah would miss the opening weeks of next season for the Reds.
Shawky Gharib, Egypt’s Olympic national team coach, said: “Salah is one of the best players in the world.
“And he is the first name in our squad which we sent to Fifa
“Our final choices must be from this squad, and Salah is the first name.
“We will start talking with Liverpool when Salah is here and after the next international duty.”
NETHER YOU MIND
Exclusive by Tom Barclay: Nigeria are trying to persuade Bournemouth star Arnaut Danjuma to switch allegiances from the Netherlands.
Danjuma, 24, was born in Lagos to a Nigerian mother and Dutch father.
He moved to Holland aged four and eventually joined PSV’s academy.
The forward won two caps for the Oranje in 2018 against Germany in the Nations League and a friendly versus Belgium in which he scored.
A rule change was approved by Fifa in September meaning players can switch countries if they have played no more than three competitive games.
It would allow Danjuma to play for the Super Eagles despite his Nations League appearance.
ALLI OR NOTHING
Peter Crouch wants Dele Alli to be given a second chance at Spurs.
The former England international wrote in his Mail column: “We aren’t privy to what is happening behind closed doors and we have to respect why Mourinho is making these calls. But I expect Dele would have been totally deflated at being on the bench against Burnley.
“Gareth Bale looked like the Gareth Bale we all know against Burnley. Harry Kane and Heung-min Son were on fire, too.
“If you add Dele into that equation, you have a front four who are as exciting as anything in the country. I hope he gets another chance.”
WHAT THE DEL
Dele Alli ‘should not be left to rot’ at Spurs, according to Peter Crouch.
The former England international wrote in his Mail column: “I was at Tottenham last Wednesday and I thought Alli was super.
“He had a glint in his eyes, he looked hungry and a class above.
“Yes, he was playing opponents who were average but his quality shone through and it was a reminder of how good he can be. So I could understand why he would have been frustrated on Sunday.
“He hasn’t featured in nine of Tottenham’s Premier League squads this season and that is too much absence for a player of his class. He shouldn’t be left to rot, he shouldn’t have a career that is just drifting aimlessly.”
NO JOSHING
Former Chelsea wonderkid Josh McEachran has sealed a move to MK Dons on his 28th birthday.
The midfielder had been training with the 14th-place League One club since leaving Birmingham in late January.
GUARD UP
Manchester City can equal a club record for 28 matches unbeaten if they avoid defeat against Wolves at the Etihad on Tuesday.
They have won 20 of those matches on the spin – meaning they are closing in on the world record of 24, currently held by Brazilian side Coritiba.
But Pep Guardiola said this is no time for them to be sitting back and reflecting on the milestones they have passed.
He said: “We don’t have time. There are many games, every three days a game so we have to rest and think another one.
“When you win you are happy but the day after you have to think the next one. This is what we have to do.
“It is nice but it is next game. When it happens you think ‘ok another game another record’ but we are here to try and win the title. The people demand it.”
COVID CASE DROP
Prem Covid testers recorded just two positive results for the second week running.
A single positive result was recorded from both the 1,355 tests taken between Monday and Thursday and the 1,378 between Thursday and Sunday.
It was the second successive week with just two positives and further proof of the success of the Premier League’s enhanced protocols.
The last time a clean bill of health was recorded was in the final week of last season.
NOT BAYERN IT
Pep Guardiola insists his former club Bayern Munich are the best in the business right now – not Manchester City.
He said: “The best team in Europe and in the world are Bayern Munich because they won everything – they are the best,
“In England, the champions are Liverpool because they are the best. If you want to take the crown, you have to win.
“In March, nobody is champions. We have to do well and try to win but we cannot deny the last few months were exceptional in terms of results.”
SPURRED ON
After a turbulent first year in North London following his club-record £65million transfer, there was talk Tanguy Ndombele may leave Tottenham last summer – something he now confirms was his desire.
He told Football London: “To be perfectly honest with you I don’t know how close I was to leaving.
“What I know is that I did want to leave. I spoke about this with people at the club and particularly with the chairman [Daniel Levy].
“The chairman said he didn’t want me to leave and definitely that’s something that really helped.
“The hardest moments are in the past and I’ve moved forward and things are much better for me and the team and it’s all behind us.
“I wouldn’t really say that I made errors, or particular errors – everybody has to take their own responsibility for what goes on in a season and there were things that went on at the club that people know about and things that went on at the club that people don’t know about.
“I’m able now to look back and see what were the aspects of my contribution that I needed to work on and what’s great now is that everything’s moving in the right direction for the team, for the club and for everyone and that’s really satisfying.
“Without a doubt it’s made me stronger mentally. What happened last season made me and improved me as an athlete.”
PAUL EARS
Paul Pogba spoke to Tanguy Ndombele about their difficulties working under Jose Mourinho.
Spurs star Ndombele told Football London: “We spoke, we spoke about that but really quickly.
“It wasn’t like he gave me any advice because our situations were completely different.
“It’s true he worked with Mourinho but my own experiences weren’t the same and each relationship has its own characteristics.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
