CHELSEA are weighing up a chase for Jadon Sancho – by selling Callum Hudson-Odoi to Borussia Dortmund.
Meanwhile Celtic could sell Odsonne Edouard to Southampton with a big summer of transition expected at Parkhead.
And Antonio Conte has LEFT Inter Milan, just days after guiding them to the Serie A title.
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Follow ALL of the latest news and updates below…
DAVE CAN’T SAVE
David de Gea’s penalty miss consigned Manchester United to a dramatic Europa League final loss to Villarreal.
Unai Emery’s side won 11-0 on penalties, with every player on the pitch bar De Gea scoring.
Gerard Moreno had given Villarreal the lead against the run of play on the half hour mark, after being lost by Luke Shaw and evading Victor Lindelof.
Solskjaer cajoled his side at the break, and his side were soon level.
Edinson Cavani was in the right place at the right time, as he so often is, to prod the Red Devils level in the 55th minute.
No one could snatch a winner within 90 minutes, however, and the match went to extra time in Gdansk.
The match meandered on, with both goalkeepers rarely tested.
And it then went to a marathon penalty shoot-out, with every penalty going in before De Gea’s tame kick was denied by Geronimo Rulli.
REAL PROBLEM
Zinedine Zidane has reportedly quit Real Madrid!
TIER JERKER
Exclusive by Derek McGregor: Kieran Tierney heard his knee ‘pop’ — and feared his Euros dream was over.
The Arsenal star crashed to the ground in agony after a collision with Liverpool midfielder James Milner in a 3-0 home defeat on April 3.
Feeling sharp pain from his left knee, Tierney became deeply concerned he could be destined for the operating theatre.
He said: “I heard the pop from my knee and it immediately went through my mind ‘Is this bad? Is this my season done?’
“I was worried about it being long term. Arsenal were on course for a European final and I didn’t want to miss the ties we had coming up or the end to the season.
“Then there was Scotland and the Euros. There was everything to play for.”
MOUR TALENT
Roma boss Jose Mourinho is reportedly interested in signing former Leicester City star Demarai Gray.
Rumours suggest the Portuguese manager wants reinforcements with the English winger believed to be on his shortlist.
According to Sky Sport Germany journalist Max Bielefeld, the Serie A side are keen on signing Gray.
The 24-year-old only joined Bayer Leverkusen in January, signing an 18-month contract with the Bundesliga club.
ZLAT’S THAT
AC Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic has avoided a ban from Uefa for having a financial interest in a betting company.
The Swedish striker has been fined €50,000 – around £43,000 – but will be able to play for the Serie A side in next season’s Champions League.
Despite evading suspension, Ibrahimovic will NOT represent Sweden at Euro 2020 after picking up an injury late in the season.
MAKING HIS MARC
Rio Ferdinand has praised Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford for campaigning against child hunger.
Speaking to ITV’s Robert Peston, Ferdinand said: “I think Marcus has done remarkably well.
“I think he’s a young man who is really showing the way for a lot of the young players and people in society that if you believe in something, and you have a platform, you have a voice, and you have the ability to really transcend and change things.
“And even going up against the establishment, almost, they did that with confidence and he got the backing of the nation, and listen, you have to understand as well, it was a cause that was worthwhile.
“In the end Boris Johnson came around and understood that right thing to do was to follow Marcus’s lead and that’s an unbelievable achievement.”
BURN-ABEU
Fire has broken out at Real Madrid’s stadium The Bernabeu.
Construction is ongoing on the £500million redevelopment but those plans have been halted tonight as a fire raged inside the ground.
It is not know what caused the fire or whether anyone has been injured.
Huge plumes of thick black smoke filled the skies above the famous old stadium as emergency vehicles sped to the scene.
Sizeable flames could be seen burning inside the stadium through one of the exposed parts of the construction.
GUNNAR BE GREAT
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hopes Europa League glory will kick-start another trophy-laden era at Manchester United.
He said: “These are big nights for us. We have five wins in Europe and it might be the stepping stone for something better to come, a bright future.
“This is a young team and it’s a team we have rebuilt over the last couple of years, so hopefully this is the start of something more.
“When players get the taste of success and win trophies, it can go two ways – ‘We’ve done it now and we can relax’ or it just gives you more of that feeling.
“You want more, you want it all the time, you want the feeling again with your team-mates, with your club.
“I trust these players. I’ve seen something grow inside them – more and more confident, more robust, resilient – and as a group, I’m confident we’re ready for this now.”
DONNA GET HIM
AC Milan have confirmed contract-rebel keeper Gianluigi Donnarumma has left the club.
The 22-year-old stopper’s deal runs out next month and the Italian have refused to match his wage demands after drawn-out talks.
Milan technical director Paolo Maldini told reporters: “He [Donnarumma] has been a protagonist of this season.
“It’s getting more and more difficult to find players who start in a team and always end up staying.
“The roads with Gigio are splitting, I can only wish him the best.”
Former wonderkid Donnarumma has been linked with several top European clubs, including Premier League giants Manchester United and Chelsea.
TEAM NEWS
Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford are both starting for Manchester United tonight ahead of joining England’s Euro Squad next week.
And in a huge boost to Gareth Southgate and the Three Lions, Harry Maguire is fit enough for the bench.
RACE RAP
Ondrej Kudela has LOST his appeal after racially abusing Rangers star Glen Kamara – putting him out of this summer’s Euro 2020.
Slavia Prague’s Kudela was hit with a 10-match ban by European football’s governing body after he was found guilty of the comments towards the Gers midfielder at Ibrox in March in a Europa League tie.
That appeared to rule the veteran out of his side’s matches at the tournament this summer.
And that has proven to be the case after Uefa’s appeals committee heard evidence from several of his team-mates on video conference call this morning.
The Czech Republic controversially left open a Euros place for the disgraced defender in the hope he won his appeal.
But now, Uefa have dismissed that case after today’s hearing, meaning he WON’T feature at all against Scotland in the Euros.
LEV IT TO ME
Tottenham will demand £200million for Harry Kane this summer, according to reports.
Manchester City, United and Chelsea are all interested in signing the England skipper but Daniel Levy won’t make it easy.
According to The Independent, the 59-year-old will demand ‘at least’ £200m to ‘even consider’ letting his side’s No10 go.
Levy even values Kane as more important to the club than Gareth Bale was in 2013, prior to his then world record move to Real Madrid.
But the Indy also claim that Levy’s stance isn’t as ‘sure-footed’ as before – because of the financial pressures brought about by the pandemic, as well as Spurs’ new stadium.
CONT THE COST
Antonio Conte has quit Inter Milan – just days after leading them to the Serie A title.
The former Chelsea boss had a huge row with the club’s president Steven Zhang and is unhappy at future plans.
Cash-strapped Inter may have been forced to sell stars to raise more than £80m this summer and slash the wage bill by 20 per cent.
And Conte, who had a year left on his deal, has quit the club and will receive around £5m in compensation.
BERG OUT
Tottenham star Steven Bergwijn is the major casualty of the Netherlands’ Euro 2021 squad but there is room for Brighton defender Joel Veltman.
DIALL TONE
Manchester United fans have been left excited by footage of Amad Diallo making the beautiful game look easy in training.
FANDEMONIUM
Manchester United fans have been getting into the party spirit in Gdansk ahead of tonight’s Europa League final.
The Red Devils will be backed by 2,000 travelling supporters from England tonight, as they face Villarreal in the Baltic city.
And as fans starved of European travel have arrived in the city, they’ve been quick to revel in the adventure and have a good time.
A great number have been seen enjoying Gdansk’s bars.
And no shortage of pints have been consumed in the city centre.
IN THE FOXHOLE
Leicester have reportedly agreed a deal for French title winner Boubakary Soumare – as they face the prospect of losing midfield star Youri Tielemans.
Belgium international Tielemans won the FA Cup for Brendan Rodgers’ side with a world-class finish in their 1-0 final win over Chelsea.
The 24-year-old has been voted the Foxes’ player of the season and SunSport recently revealed he is set for talks over a new contract.
But reports in Belgium claim Liverpool have targeted former Anderlecht and Monaco ace Tielemans to replace Gini Wijnaldum.
The Holland midfielder, 30, is leaving Anfield on a free transfer this summer with Barcelona a possible destination.
Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is also credited with an interest in signing £50million-rated Tielemans.
Leicester have now secured an ideal replacement if the Belgian quits the King Power Stadium – by tying up a £20m deal for French ace Soumare.
KAN DO ATTITUDE
Chelsea’s Champions League hopes have received a massive boost after key-men N’Golo Kante and Edouard Mendy returned to duty today.
The Blues pair both took part in training on day one of the build-up to Saturday’s clash with Manchester City.
Inspirational midfielder Kante has been struggling with a hamstring problem to the extent he missed Sunday’s Premier League finale at Aston Villa.
In the same game keeper Mendy was forced off at half-time after crashing into the goalpost making a save and injuring his ribs.
The stopper had to undergo scans in the wake of the incident and for a time boss Thomas Tuchel was sweating on his No1’s fitness.
But news that both have been passed fit for training at least is a massive plus for the Stamford Bridge outfit.
SunSports understands they took part in full training with the rest of the group and then did a session on their own.
Chelsea fly to Portugal tomorrow ahead of this weekend’s final and Tuchel may now have a full squad to choose from.
FANS LIVING IT UP IN GDANSK
Manchester United fans are enjoying themselves in Gdansk, Poland ahead of tonight’s Europa League final against Villarreal.
Credit: Reuters Credit: EPA RUDDY GOOD
Rio Ferdinand has named his Premier League’s four best defenders… including Antonio Rudiger.
The Chelsea ace almost departed in the summer under Frank Lampard after being frozen out of the first team.
But he was thrust back into the starting XI following Thomas Tuchel’s appointment in January and has gone from strength to strength.
Rudiger, 28, has been part of a Chelsea defence that kept a hugely impressive 19 league clean sheets.
Speaking about his top four Premier League defenders of the season, he said: “I think [Antonio] Rudiger, since he’s been playing, has probably been [the] second or third best centre-half after [Ruben] Dias and maybe [John] Stones, [Harry] Maguire.”
‘RUBBISH REPORTING’
Gareth Bale’s agent has rubbished reports in Spain that the Welsh star was hoping to retire after Euro 2020.
The forward is preparing to lead his nation at the next month’s showpiece after building up his fitness at Tottenham on a season-long loan from Real Madrid.
Bale, 31, scored 11 goals in just ten Premier League starts at Spurs but was hardly used by Jose Mourinho before the Portuguese boss was axed in April.
He still has a year remaining on his mega £600,000-a-week Madrid contract but Los Blancos are desperate to get him off the wage bill.
Spanish outlet ABC have claimed today that Bale is preparing to quit football at the end of Euro 2020.
It stated the ex-Southampton ace wanted to hang up his boots and attempt to forge a career as a pro golfer.
However, his agent Jonathan Barnett shot those rumours out of the water when asked about them by talkSPORT.
He said: “Sorry, I don’t speak about rubbish reporting.”
‘RUBBISH REPORTING’
Gareth Bale’s agent has rubbished reports in Spain that the Welsh star was hoping to retire after Euro 2020.
The forward is preparing to lead his nation at the next month’s showpiece after building up his fitness at Tottenham on a season-long loan from Real Madrid.
Bale, 31, scored 11 goals in just ten Premier League starts at Spurs but was hardly used by Jose Mourinho before the Portuguese boss was axed in April.
He still has a year remaining on his mega £600,000-a-week Madrid contract but Los Blancos are desperate to get him off the wage bill.
Spanish outlet ABC have claimed today that Bale is preparing to quit football at the end of Euro 2020.
It stated the ex-Southampton ace wanted to hang up his boots and attempt to forge a career as a pro golfer.
However, his agent Jonathan Barnett shot those rumours out of the water when asked about them by talkSPORT.
He said: “Sorry, I don’t speak about rubbish reporting.”
TAP DANCE
Arsenal are reportedly in negotiations to prise highly-rated centre-back and Manchester United target Edmond Tapsoba away from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer.
The 22-year-old has been earning rave reviews in the Bundesliga since joining the German side from from Portuguese outfit Vitoria in January 2020.
Man Utd have also been linked with a move for the Burkina Faso international having scouted him this season.
And according to Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, Arsenal have joined the race to sign the defender.
He has claimed that the player is at the top of Mikel Arteta’s wishlist as he looks to bolster his backline.
HOMEWARD BOUND
Lionel Messi has jetted home to Argentina with his family after being given permission to miss Barcelona’s last league match amid continuing uncertainty over his future.
The footballer was due to reach Buenos Aires this morning with wife Antonela Roccuzzo and children Thiago, eight, Mateo, Ciro, five, and Mateo, three.
Bodyguard Pepe Costa accompanied them as they boarded their plane on Tuesday night at Barcelona’s El Prat airport.
They made a beeline for the airport terminal without stopping after being dropped off in a chauffeur-driven 4×4 despite shouts from waiting photographers anxious to get them to pose for a last family pic on Spanish soil.
The 33-year-old is due to meet up with the Argentina national squad for two World Cup qualifiers with Chile and Colombia on June 3 and 8.
Then they begin their quest for glory at the Copa America tournament.
RU THE DAY
Wolves are willing to sell midfielder and Manchester United transfer target Ruben Neves for around £35million this summer, according to reports.
The Portuguese international looks likely to be one of the names sacrificed as the club plot a mini overhaul.
According to the Athletic, Wolves are being forced to sell their assets if they want to spend big.
Neves, 24, is one of the names up for grabs with reported interest from Man Utd.
He moved to the Molineux in 2017 with the club in the Championship and helped earn promotion in his first campaign.
Neves has since played a key role in Wolves’ time in the Premier League including qualifying for Europe.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
