CHELSEA are looking forward to the Champions League final – and reportedly eyeing a summer swoop for Bayern’s Niklas Sule.
Elsewhere we’ve the very latest on Tottenham’s manager search, while Sergio Aguero is reportedly set for a move to Barcelona.
And French superstar Kylian Mbappe could be on the move to the Spanish capital this summer, with reports suggesting he has an ‘agreement’ to join Los Blancos.
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Follow ALL of the latest news and updates below…
WHERE THERE’S A WIL
Wilfried Zaha has insisted again he would leave Crystal Palace for a ‘top’ club after reports of interest from Tottenham and Arsenal.
He told The Face: “I feel like I can have another shot at the top teams, because my dream is to win things.
“I’m good enough to go out there and compete with the best.
“If the opportunity came, I wouldn’t turn it down, because I feel like I deserve it. It’s so I can show my kids: ‘This is what daddy won’.”
PLAY BAL
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could give Manchester United wonderkid Hannibal Mejbri his Premier League debut against Wolves.
And Shola Shoretire could also feature as the Red Devils prepare for their Europa League final with Villarreal.
Solskjaer said: “They’ve had good seasons [in the academy].
“Both of them. Hannibal and Shola, both of them will be involved. Maybe we can get some minutes in them.
“We want to go into the [Europa League] final with lots of energy but also confidence, so we will freshen up a few faces on Sunday.
“We want to enjoy it and give a few minutes to some who might need it before the final.”
RED REVOLUTION
Manchester United are expected to spend big this summer as they look to bridge the gap on champions Manchester City.
Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Declan Rice have all been heavily linked with moves but they are just three of FIVE big names on United’s radar.
LaLiga stars Raphael Varane and Kieran Trippier are also said to be appealing to the Red Devils with fans hoping club chiefs will back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Here is how Man Utd could line up at the beginning of next season.
BEES BUZZING
Brentford are just one win away from the Premier League after stunning play-off turnaround against Bournemouth.
Thomas Frank’s side came from two goals behind in this rollercoaster semi-final to beat the ten-man Cherries 3-2 on aggregate.
Now they will take on either Swansea or Barnsley for a £100m-plus shoot-out at Wembley next weekend for a place in the top-flight.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg on the South Coast, Brentford’s day got off to the worst possible start on five minutes when Arnaut Danjuma caught them on the counter to break the deadlock.
But Ivan Toney soon got them back into it from the penalty spot before Chris Mepham was sent-off for Bournemouth on 28 minutes.
Vitaly Janelt then levelled the tie five minutes into the second half as the Bees piled on the pressure for a winner.
And finally that moment arrived with just nine minutes remaining as Marcus Forss stabbed home to book their date with destiny at Wembley.
DIM VIEW
Harry Kane should be allowed to leave Tottenham for the good of the club, ex-Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov has claimed.
He told Betfair: “I saw the clip of [Kane] waving and clapping the fans after the defeat to Aston Villa and he could have just been thanking the fans for their support, after all that was the first time they were back at the stadium.
“I can see why that could be seen as him saying goodbye, but let’s not jump to conclusions and at the end of the day he’s still at the club and he’s got a big couple of months coming up.
“It’s never a good thing for a player and the club to fight, if a player has expressed they want to leave then they have made up their mind.
“If a club fights and makes a move away complicated for the player then it’s not a pleasant situation for everyone involved, including the fans and other players.
“If Kane has told the club he wants to leave then they should find a reasonable way to agree what the fee should be and how to part ways.”
Credit: Getty BALED OUT
Gareth Bale has defended Eden Hazard for laughing after Real Madrid’s recent Champions League exit at the hands of Chelsea.
Referencing the now-infamous El Chiringuito clips, Bale, 31, told The Times Magazine: “I’ve seen it.
“It was literally as if he’d just murdered everybody. It’s a game of football at the end of the day.”
FERGIE ON MESSI
Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted he made a mistake around marking Lionel Messi in the 2011 Champions League final between Manchester United and Barcelona.
Barca won the game 3-1 with Messi netting the second in a special display from Pep Guardiola’s side.
The ex-Man Utd boss said: “ I should have changed at half time and put Ji Sung Park on Messi.
‘If I had played him against Messi I think we would have beat them.”
Credit: Reuters ‘DOOR IS STILL OPEN’
Anton Ferdinand says John Terry never contacted him before or during production of the former West Ham defender’s documentary Football, Racism and Me.
But Ferdinand insists the ‘door is still open’ and urged the Aston Villa coach to call him now.
The CPS charged Terry for using racist language during Chelsea’s game against Ferdinand’s QPR in October 2011.
Ferdinand accused him of calling him a ‘f****** black c***’.
Terry, 40, was cleared and then subsequently charged by the FA, fined £220,000 and given a four-game ban.
Ferdinand, 36, revisited the damaging incident and the aftermath in the powerful documentary released in November.
And in it he called for Terry to offer an explanation. But in an interview with the Times, Terry suggested contact was made but rebuffed.
However, Ferdinand – who said he was made to feel like the guilty man – has refuted the claim but invited Terry to call him now.
Ferdinand wrote: “I never received a call personally from JT prior to the documentary or during the process.
“As I stated on the doc, the door is still open to have a conversation if he’s serious about racism in football & wanting to create positive change. Call me then JT?”
‘MY DREAM’
Wilfried Zaha has insisted again he would leave Crystal Palace for a ‘top’ club after reports of interest from Tottenham and Arsenal.
Zaha told The Face: “I feel like I can have another shot at the top teams, because my dream is to win things.
“I’m good enough to go out there and compete with the best.
“If the opportunity came, I wouldn’t turn it down, because I feel like I deserve it. It’s so I can show my kids: ’This is what daddy won’.”
BLUE KNEW?!
Jose Mourinho taught John Terry football rules even referees didn’t know.
Terry told the Times: “When José Mourinho first came to Chelsea, he’d be in at 8am, putting the cones out, putting the balls down, making sure that drinks were there, the bibs are lined out.
“I made notes about what he said in team meetings, what he did in training sessions. I learnt so much from him.
“These are bits you pick up from top managers like Mourinho.
“He always said to me and Gaz [Gary Cahill], with five minutes to go, if we were winning 1-0 and the cross comes in, both go for a header, but both go down after.
“If you both go down you don’t have to come off the pitch. Gaz and me didn’t know about this rule.
“So this cross comes in, we go up for a header, we both go down, the ref blows the whistle and I said, ‘You all right Gaz?’. ‘Yes.’ ‘Stay down.’
“The ref comes over, ‘You both have to go off the pitch’. ‘No, you don’t, this is the rule.’
“The ref goes, ‘Yeah, you’re right.’ Mourinho was so far ahead of the game. It ran the clock down. That can win or lose you games.”
ACROSS CRIS
Manchester United are ready to snap up Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus this summer, according to reports.
And should the Portuguese icon be available, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer ‘would not hesitate’ in sanctioning a move for his former team-mate.
Ronaldo, 36, is set to consider his options after Sunday’s Serie A final day, following a desperately disappointing season for the Old Lady.
Juve currently sit fifth in the table, trailing the Champions League places by a point.
But even if Andrea Pirlo’s side do clinch a top four berth, Ronaldo may opt to leave a year before his contract expires.
And according to The Athletic, Man United chiefs are ‘monitoring’ their former No7’s situation with increasing interest.
BLUE MY MIND
John Terry has revealed his No1 aim is to manage Chelsea – who his current club Aston Villa face tomorrow in a Champions League decider.
The former England captain said: “My ambition is very clear. There’s an end goal for me and that’s managing Chelsea Football Club.
“My team will be winning — hopefully — very honest, very organised, very well drilled, very well prepared and with a back four.
“I look at Lamps [Frank Lampard] and Stevie [Gerrard] and the success they’ve both had. Lamps in his first season at Chelsea, and what Stevie’s done up at Rangers is unbelievable.
“I probably wasn’t ready to go into coaching then. I am now. But I’m not just going to jump into anything. I’ve turned down two jobs since I’ve been here.
“Decent-sized clubs. But it’s going to take something special for me to leave here. I’ve got one more year left at Villa. I’m in a privileged position because I’m in no rush. I want to be a No 1 but I’ll get there at some point.”
KING’S RANSOM
Manchester United have reportedly told Kingsley Coman they are ready to pay him £200,000 a week AFTER tax.
The Bayern Munich star has two years left on his contract but is yet to agree terms over a new deal.
Bild claim Coman, 24, earns £200k a week before tax but ‘would like to have it in net’.
United have apparently ‘indicated’ to the Frenchman they are willing to meet his demands – and make him their joint fifth top earner.
But there is no guarantee of a quick transfer as Bayern are in no rush to make a decision on his future.
And the Bundesliga champions will be able to demand a hefty fee, with Transfermarkt valuing him at £58.5million.
AGUERO TO BARCELONA
A reminder of the biggest story from the last 24 hours…
Sergio Aguero has agreed a two-year Barcelona contract as Manchester City’s record scorer heads for a summer free transfer.
That’s the claim from journalist Fabrizio Romano as Aguero battles to be fit for City’s Champions League final against Chelsea on May 29.
Aguero is likely to miss the Premier League kings’ domestic finale against Everton in front of returning home fans on Sunday with his leg injury.
But Romano believes the Argentina striker, 32, has made dramatic progress off the field in reported talks with Barcelona.
He tweeted that Aguero is “set to join until June 2023, agreement reached. Bonus included in case Barca will win the UCL”.
ING FOR A PENNY
Manchester City are reportedly interested in signing Southampton striker Danny Ings if they fail in their pursuit of Harry Kane.
Pep Guardiola’s side are thought to be among the Premier League sides chasing Kane, with Manchester United and Chelsea also competing for the England captain who has recently expressed his intent to leave Tottenham.
But if that does not come off, The Athletic are reporting that Man City have the same idea as their local rivals Man Utd in signing fellow English forward Ings.
He has been linked with a move to Old Trafford, but may feel his options will be limited at the club after Edinson Cavani signed an extension to keep him there another season.
PHIL US IN
Manchester City star Phil Foden has revealed what he said to Norway international Erling Haaland after his team’s win against Borussia Dortmund.
BIG DAY
So, today we have the second legs of the Championship play-off semi-finals and a League One second leg too.
The Scottish Cup final is on between St Johnstone and Hibernian.
Then there is also the final day of the Bundesliga and the La Liga title will be decided in Spain.
Huge day across Europe.
Credit: Getty ROO THE DAY
Dimitar Berbatov has shared how he and his Manchester United felt after Wayne Rooney handed in a transfer request at the club.
Analysing the Kane situation for Betfair, Berbatov reflected on the occasion in 2010 when Rooney expressed his unhappiness.
He said: “Transfer requests are a normal thing in football, players want to leave clubs. I was at Manchester United when one of the biggest names in football at the time, Wayne Rooney wanted to leave and handed in a transfer request.
“There were a lot of questions about why he wanted to go at the time and there was a lot of speculation, but in the dressing room you try to understand motives behind something like this and you don’t ask about it.
“You just try to put yourself in the player’s situation and see things from their side.
“As a player you can’t pay too much attention to these things and get distracted by it because it can affect your own game and performance.
“Moments like this can bring tension to a team which is why you shouldn’t focus too much on it, you can only hope that it gets resolved as quickly as possible for the good of the team.”
WOLVES NEXT MANAGER ODDS
Here are the odds for the manager to replace Nuno Espirito Santo at the end of the season.
Wolves Next Manager Odds – Betfair
- Bruno Lage 6/5
- Paulo Fonseca 9/2
- Vitor Pereira 5/1
- Rafa Benitez 8/1
- Rui Faria 9/1
- Scott Parker 10/1
- John Terry 12/1
- Roberto Martinez 12/1
- Chris Wilder 14/1
- Sean Dyche 14/1
- Eddie Howe 16/1
- Frank Lampard 16/1
- Patrick Vieira 16/1
- Pedro Martins 16/1
- Steven Gerrard 25/1
- BETFAIR: BET £5 GET 20*
DEPAY HIM
Memphis Depay will quit Lyon this summer, with Barcelona reported to be interested in signing the ex-Manchester United forward.
The 27-year-old is out of contract at the end of the season – and it’s bad news for United, who are set to receive nothing from the player’s sell-on clause.
Speaking to French newspaper L’Equipe, Depay said: “It will be strange to think that I will play my final game for the club on Sunday against Nice.
“I am a bit sad that I won’t be able to do that in front of the fans, in an empty stadium without my friends, the fans and my family.
“I’ve had some great times here. I have played in the Champions League, I have captained the team and I am a much better player now.
“I want to go to one of the two or three best clubs in the top five leagues. I don’t know where I will end up yet, but that’s my plan.
“If people don’t consider me a player of that level then they have a problem with me. If I am not on the list of great players then it’s their problem.”
ART ATTACK
Mikel Arteta is not getting too excited at the prospect of celebrating St Totteringham’s Day again — as Arsenal are nowhere near where they should be.
If Spurs fail to win at Leicester tomorrow, the Gunners can overtake their bitter local rivals with a final-day home victory over Brighton.
But Arteta said: “We have two more points than last season — but it’s nowhere near where we want to be.
“Every Arsenal supporter should be aiming for us to be winning trophies and, when that is not the case, they are not going to be happy. There cannot be any other ambition at this football club.
“But there is only one winner of the Champions League and one winner of the Premier League and the rest of the teams all failed.
“Finishing second or third is not a big achievement but our supporters know what has been going on here.
“It’s not because of what has happened today, yesterday or last year. We all know where this club used to be, but that is the past and now we need to focus on the future.”
TUCHEL SHUTS DOWN KANE TALK
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has refused to be drawn on the club’s interest in signing Tottenham hitman Harry Kane, who wants to leave the north Londoners this summer.
He said: “If you find any coach around the world who would not like to have Harry Kane in his team, call me again. I would like to speak with the guy and hear about his ideas of scoring and attacking.
“Everybody loves Harry Kane but let’s be very, very clear. He is a player for Tottenham.
“He has a long-term contract and we will not get involved in any press conference with any disrespectful comments about that.”
Tottenham hitman Harry Kane wants to move on to pastures newCredit: PA DISAPPEARING GINI
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has refused to be drawn on the future of Georginio Wijnaldum, whose contract at the club is set to expire in the summer.
The German said of the midfielder: “Nothing to say in this moment.
“Gini’s character is without question, a sensational guy, completely committed to the club and the team until the last day.
“It’s not the first time we had situations like that. The boys are used to being in negotiations, stuff like this.
“We will see about all these things on Sunday. Nothing else to say on this.”
Georgino Wijnaldum’s Liverpool contract expires at the end of the seasonCredit: PA GOOD MORNING FOOTY FANS
Sergio Aguero has agreed a two-year Barcelona contract as Manchester City’s record scorer heads for a summer free transfer.
That’s the claim from journalist Fabrizio Romano as Aguero battles to be fit for City’s Champions League final against Chelsea on May 29.
Aguero is likely to miss the Premier League kings’ domestic finale against Everton in front of returning home fans on Sunday with his leg injury.
But Romano believes the Argentina striker, 32, has made dramatic progress off the field in reported talks with Barcelona.
He tweeted that Aguero is “set to join until June 2023, agreement reached. Bonus included in case Barca will win the UCL”.
Romano also suggested that Holland attacker Memphis Depay, 27, will join Aguero at the Nou Camp last season.
That comes after Depay confirmed he would be moving on when his contract expires at the end of the season.
He told French newspaper L’Equipe: “It will be strange to think that I will play my final game for the club on Sunday against Nice.
“I am a bit sad that I won’t be able to do that in front of the fans, in an empty stadium without my friends, the fans and my family.
“I’ve had some great times here. I have played in the Champions League, I have captained the team and I am a much better player now.
“I want to go to one of the two or three best clubs in the top five leagues. I don’t know where I will end up yet, but that’s my plan.”
DEL HELL
Sir Alex Ferguson has questioned the recent form of Tottenham star Dele Alli.
The legendary coach thought the 25-year-old midfielder was going to become a ‘top player’ and has admitted he ‘doesn’t know what’s happened’ to his promising career.
Speaking to SPORTbible, Ferguson said: “I thought Dele Alli was going to be a top player, I must admit.
“I don’t know what’s happened there.”
The 79-year-old had been asked if there was anyone from the current game he’d try and sign if he was still a manager.
He was about to talk about Harry Kane before unexpectedly turning his attention to his Tottenham colleague.
Alli burst on to the scene in 2015 when he joined Spurs from MK Dons for £5million, winning the PFA Young Player of the Year award in his first season at White Hart Lane.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
