Henry, Bergkamp and Vieira ‘join Spotify owner’s Arsenal takeover bid’, Chelsea ‘lead Varane transfer race’

ED IN THE GAME

Eden Hazard is fit and ready for Real Madrid’s Champions League semi-final first-leg against old club Chelsea on Tuesday.

The Belgian has had a torrid time with form and fitness since fulfilling his ambition of moving to the Bernabeu in a £130million deal in 2019.

But he came off the bench in the 77th minute of Madrid’s 0-0 draw against Real Betis on Saturday.

And boss Zinedine Zidane says the forward came through unscathed and is in contention to play when the Blues visit the Bernabeu on Tuesday.

The Frenchman said: “He played 20 minutes the other day and he felt quite good.

“The most important thing is that he doesn’t feel anything about his problem.

“He’s quite well, he’s with us, he’s happy to be with us and contribute to the team a lot.”

FINAL PUSH

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has a chance to banish his semi-final hoodoo when Utd face Roma in the Europa League last-four on Thursday.

SAMBULANCES

Samuel Eto’o has proved just what the doctor ordered for his fellow countrymen… by donating 10 AMBULANCES to Cameroon’s health service.

The former Chelsea and Everton striker has been dismayed by the coronavirus pandemic’s effects on his home country.

Big-hearted Eto’o, 40, has now paid 400 million West African francs – £530,000 – to fund the fleet of emergency vehicles.

The ex-Barcelona and Inter Milan star presented them to Cameroon’s public health ministry last week.

He wrote on social media: “Donating 10 ambulances to the Ministry of Health in Cameroon.

“Was such an honour to be able to do this for my country, so more people can be helped in emergency situations.”

COAST IS CLEAR

Premier League Covid testers have recorded their first clear week this season.

And League bosses believe they are proving the game is close to winning the battle against the virus.

Over the past week, two rounds of testing, comprising 2,787 samples of players and staff across the 20 clubs, found no positives.

Just over half of those – 1,472 – took place between Monday and Thursday, with a further 1,315 samples taken between Friday and Sunday.

DEVIL MAY CARE

Eric Bailly has shared his delight at signing a new deal at Manchester United.

The Ivorian told the club’s media: “I’m very happy. This decision is something I didn’t have to think about, I love this club and I love playing for Manchester United.

“I’m happy and so are my family, everything is good. Now the moment with my injury has passed and I’m fit and feel good, and that’s it. A new contract is like a new challenge and I’m ready for this.

“That’s why I say the new contract shows the group has confidence in me – the coach, the staff and the players and, for me, that is very important.

“And that’s why I made this decision to stay at the club.”

CASE FOR DEFENCE

Eric Bailly has signed a new deal at Manchester United until 2024 with the option of a further year.

EURO VISION

Everton have seen their chances of European football handed a boost – thanks to Manchester City’s Carabao Cup victory.

City’s 1-0 Wembley win over Spurs on Sunday means the spot for next season’s inaugural Europa Conference League will now go to a Premier League side and seventh place will clinch it.

Currently, Everton are eighth, one point behind Spurs with a game in hand.

Tottenham would have been handed an automatic place into the new tournament had they beaten City at Wembley.

Fifth place in the top-flight always comes with a Europa League spot while the Euro place for an FA Cup triumph will now go to sixth place because finalists Chelsea and Leicester look certain to have already qualified.

So seventh place now becomes more important even though the new Europa Conference may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The English team will have to win a two-legged play-off in August before entering the group stages of a tournament which will have representation of three clubs each from Wales, Northern Ireland, Moldova and Armenia.

NIGHT-MAAR

AZ Alkmaar players were forced to watch Ajax’s title celebrations from the team bus as it drove through the middle of their rivals’ party.

A 2-0 win for the Amsterdam giants on Sunday all but sealed their 35th Eredivisie crown.

STILL A GUN-NER!

Arsenal teenager Folarin Balogun has signed a new four-year contract at the Emirates.

Securing the 19-year-old will come as a huge boost to the club with the striker being heavily linked with a move away in recent weeks.

Arsenal announced the news on Monday afternoon. And Balogun confirmed the deal will run until 2025.

He tweeted a picture of himself at the Emirates alongside the caption: “My home. My heart. See you soon Gunners. Balogun2025.”

The New York born star has been at Arsenal for 10 years since he was nine and has been playing on the scholarship contract he signed in July 2017.

KOVA ALL BASES

Chelsea travel to Real Madrid for their Champions League semi-final first-leg on Tuesday.

The Blues will be without Mateo Kovacic but Thomas Tuchel could be set to recall Kai Havertz to the starting XI.

ZERO COVID

Prem covid testers have recorded their first clear week this season.

And League bosses believe they are proving the game is close to winning the battle against the virus.

Over the past week, two rounds of testing, comprising 2,787 samples of players and staff across the 20 clubs, found no positives.

Just over half of those – 1,472 – took place between Monday and Thursday, with a further 1,315 samples taken between Friday and yesterday/Sunday.

But will all of the tests coming back with negative results, Prem chiefs were delighted to be able to announce the outcome.

CROWN JUL

Julian Nagelsmann has asked to terminate his RB Leipzig deal a year early and agreed to join Bayern, according to reports.

The 33-year-old coach is wanted by both Bayern Munich and Tottenham to be their next manager.

And Kicker in Germany report that he’s asked to end his Leipzig contract until 2023 a year early to join Bayern.

Bild, meanwhile, report that Leipzig will demand £26million in compensation from Bayern Munich.

Tottenham are looking for a new boss to replace Jose Mourinho, while Bayern are searching for Hansi Flick’s successor.

£MIRATES RICH LIST

Mesut Ozil is still Arsenal’s second highest player despite leaving in the January transfer window.

The 32-year-old left the Emirates earlier this year and moved to Fenerbahce.

But the Gunners agreed to pay 90 per cent of his £350,000-a-week deal until it ends this summer, reports say.

SEEING RED

Fuming Arsenal fans are planning another huge protest against their hated owner before their clash with Villarreal next week.

The Gunners supporters gathered in huge numbers last Friday outside the Emirates before facing Everton.

Thousands of them chanted and held up banners demanding Stan Kroenke sell up after the recent European Super League shambles.

And the fans are now expected to make their feelings known again before the Europa League second-leg match on 6 May.

SunSports understands action groups and supporters trusts believe even more will turn up this time around.

There were at least 1,000 people at the rally last week, with fireworks, flares and an effigy of US owner hanged up.

MONEY FOR NOTHING

Arsenal are still paying Mesut Ozil £315,000 a WEEK despite him leaving for Fenerbahce, reports say.

The Gunners are forking out 90 per cent of the midfielder’s salary even though he left the club in the January window.

Ozil, 32, brought his eight-year Arsenal stay to an end when he moved to Istanbul.

The midfielder had six months left on his contract with the Gunners but opted to move on to pastures new as he’d been frozen out by Mikel Arteta.

But The Athletic’s David Ornstein revealed that the club haven’t been able to cut ties just yet.

He says that the Gunners are still paying 90 per cent of the £350,000-a-week deal until the end of June.

NO GOOD BAILLY

Eric Bailly is reportedly set to sign a new contract at Manchester United.

The Manchester Evening News reports the centre-back is set to commit to a new deal after being reassured about his chances of playing time next season.

The Ivorian has lagged behind Victor Lindelof in the battle to partner Harry Maguire at the back.

The 27-year-old has made 100 appearances for United since joining from Villarreal in 2016.

ENGLAND REIGNS

English football is poised to reclaim the title of best in Europe – after NINE years.

And if either Chelsea or Arsenal beat their Spanish opponents this week, England will be confirmed in top spot – even if all four remaining Prem clubs go out at the semi-final stage.

The exploits of the Prem’s Euro battlers have seen England’s five-year coefficient score rise to 98.283 points.

Two points are earned for every win and one for each  draw in European competition, divided between the number of teams who have qualified – seven in the case of England – to provide an average score for each country.

England started the season in second place behind Spain, who have been top of the Euro table since 2012.

But while English clubs have accrued 22.071 points so far, Spain have gathered just 18.642, for a total of 96.997.

With only Real Madrid and Villarreal left of La Liga’s initial seven sides, Spain’s maximum possible final total is 98.711.

England will be assured of topping that if Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United, between them pick up just three draws or a win and a draw in their combined eight matches across both legs of the semi-finals.

COLE DOWN

England and Chelsea legend Joe Cole had his fair share of injuries on the pitch but now the pundit seems to have injured his knee in the commentary box!

CITIZEN KANE

Ryan Mason refused to discuss Harry Kane’s Tottenham future after their Carabao Cup final defeat.

Spurs fans fear another season without a trophy will increase the chances of striker Kane quitting the club in the summer.

But when asked what the future holds for his England captain, interim boss Mason simply replied: “He’s got training this week and will be preparing for a very important match this weekend.

“Harry’s a true professional and that’s about it.”

Mason also insisted Kane was fit to start, despite a lacklustre display on his return from an ankle injury.

He said: “He’s fit. There were no problems with him whatsoever. He took a couple of hits in the game but his ankle is fine.”

HEN-OUR ROLL

Goalscoring legends Thierry Henry and Alan Shearer have become the first inductees of the Premier League Hall of Fame.

The online showcase of English football’s modern greats launched on Monday morning ahead of a fan vote on six more additions.

TRUE ST-ARR

Chelsea are reportedly plotting a £10.5m swoop for Metz’s teenager star Pape Sarr.

The Senegal midfielder, 18, has enjoyed a dramatic rise into the French side’s first-team this term.

As well as attracting admiring glances from a host of big clubs, he has also earned international recognition.

Sarr won his first cap for his country in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Congo last month.

That came only four months after his league debut for the French club in November.

Now L’Equipe claims Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea have joined the growing list of teams queuing up to try and sign him.

But the Blues will face stiff competition for Sarr’s signature. Premier League rivals Everton and Newcastle are also keen on the starlet.

GREAT DANE

Arsenal have reportedly joined Manchester United and Chelsea in the transfer chase for Fulham’s loan star Joachim Andersen.

The 24-year-old has shone for the Cottagers this season in the top-flight despite his side looking certain to be relegated from the Premier League.

The Danish international has made 27 appearances since moving to London from Lyon but looks unlikely to make that switch permanent this summer.

Lyon are expected to cash in on the defender, and despite Andersen’s good relationship with Fulham’s Scott Parker, a move to the Championship will not interest him.

The LIgue 1 team will demand at least £20million for the centre-back.

The Mirror states that Arsenal could be preparing a swoop as a replacement for David Luiz.

The Brazilian is a free agent in June and has yet to finalise a new 12-month extension with the Gunners.

YOU KEN DO IT

Kenny Dalglish reckons Celtic and Rangers would thrive in a British League – and would easily finish in the top half every season.

SunSport exclusively revealed on Thursday that plans were in place to create a new cross-border competition following the collapse of the breakaway European Super League (ESL) movement.

Writing in his column in the Sunday Post, Dalglish said: “In the days since the ESL collapsed, there has been more talk of new league structures, only this time it’s not with any ESL, but a new British league set-up.

“The chat has mentioned there could be a place for Rangers and Celtic in any new structure.

“Now, I have no problem with that because I think the Old Firm would do really well in it.

“Given the same financial resources as many of the other clubs, I believe they’d comfortably be in the top half of any British league every season.

“They both have brilliant fan bases, and they would be successful. But I do think they’d need to compete to get the rewards.”

SPOT ON

Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira have reportedly joined forces with Spotify founder Daniel Ek’s to make a bid to takeover Arsenal.

The Telegraph reports the three Invincibles could all return to the club in some form if the streaming giant’s Swedish billionaire is successful in taking over from Stan Kroenke.

In the wake of the Super League debacle, fans protested heavily against majority shareholder Kroenke and his son Josh insisted the club wasn’t for sale during an online fans forum last week.

Forbes puts Ek’s worth at £3.4billion and he confirmed his interest in buying the Gunners on Twitter last week.

He wrote: “As a kid growing up, I’ve cheered for @Arsenal as long as I can remember. If KSE would like to sell Arsenal I’d be happy to throw my hat in the ring.”

TAKE IT TO VAR

Chelsea are reportedly leading the race to sign Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane.

The Blues are edging out PSG and Manchester United as clubs look to snare the 28-year-old this summer, according to Mundo Deportivo.

The France star is out of contract in June 2022 and is yet to agree an extension in the Spanish capital.

The report states Chelsea are prepared to pay the £60.8million their Champions League semi-final opponents will ask for.