Roman Abramovich ‘to receive Chelsea bids this week’ as he ‘takes part in Ukraine peace talks’ – latest updates

Yarmolenko worried about family in Ukraine

David Moyes has revealed Andriy Yarmolenko is barely sleeping as he worries about his family in Ukraine.

Hammers manager Moyes said: “We will not rush him. I asked him to come in and see how he feels and if he feels up to it, he will travel with the team.

“If not, we will give him some more days off. For the hour or so he came in for training, he probably cleared his mind a little.

“When your country is at war and you’ve got family members over there, it’s very difficult to focus on the game.

“I know when I’ve spoken to him, he’s said he’s on the phone constantly, nearly 24 hours because of family members. He realises the difficulty. He is a long way away and can’t do anything about it.

“He is upset and rightly so. It is a difficult situation for us as well. We would like to offer Yarmolenko more help and support. But we don’t know what we can do either. It is the same across the world.”

Middlesbrough 1-0 Tottenham

Tottenham’s wait for a trophy continues after they were dumped out of the FA Cup fifth round by Championship side Middlesbrough.

Chris Wilder’s side were made to wait until the 107th minute to break the deadlock, which they did in style.

Teenage starlet Josh Coburn rifled in an effort into the top left corner from just inside the box to spark wild celebrations.

And they were unlucky not to score more in an end-to-end encounter.

It is now 14 years and counting since Spurs lasted won a piece of silverware.

Burnley 0-2 Leicester

James Maddison’s brilliant late curler and Jamie Vardy’s clincher on his injury return dented Burnley’s survival hopes.

The Clarets remain above third-bottom Everton only on goal difference after Foxes’ subs Maddison and Vardy turned the game.

Leicester upped a gear late on and Nick Pope produced one of his regular fine saves on the night to defy a fierce effort from Harvey Barnes.

But in the 83rd minute, Vardy controlled a ball over the top neatly and teed up Maddison to score sublimely.

Then in the 90th minute Vardy nodded in Barnes’ cross to put the game to bed.

Peterborough 0-2 Manchester City

A special night for Oleksandr Zinchenko ended in a victory that was also far from routine, writes SunSport’s Dan King.

Zinchenko, playing his first game since his Ukrainian homeland was invaded by Russia, was City’s captain for the night.

He and Peterborough skipper Frankie Kent were carrying the blue and yellow flag as they led out their teams.

But otherwise there was little room for sentiment on a challenging night for the left back and the Premier League leaders.

Until Riyad Mahrez broke the deadlock on the hour, City had not had a shot on target and their dogged opponents had missed the best chance through Sammie Szmodics.

As Pep Guardiola was telling Jack Grealish before the game, statistics can be meaningless and his team struggled to make their possession and technical superiority count on the heavy London Road surface. But Grealish will feel better about himself after grabbing the second goal.

Rangnick not favoured in Man Utd manager hunt

Ralf Rangnick has all but been ruled out of the running to become the next Manchester United boss.

And that opens the door to Paris Saint-Germain’s Mauricio Pochettino and Erik ten Hag of Ajax to take over.

The club revealed it is stepping up its search for a long-term replacement for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, who walked away with around £8million after being sacked in November.

Rangnick is in interim charge but as United revealed their latest accounts, he hardly got a vote of confidence when it came to a statement about finding a new man.

The German, 63, already has a two-year consultancy deal at Old Trafford on the table come the end of the season — but almost certainly not the opportunity to remain in charge of the team.

Football director John Murtough said: “We are now conducting a thorough process for the appointment of a permanent manager who will take charge this summer with the objective to get us back to challenging for domestic and European titles.”

PSG offer Mbappe new deal

Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly offered Real Madrid and Liverpool target Kylian Mbappe a new deal worth an eye-watering £800,000-a-WEEK.

Get French Football News claims PSG chiefs are desperate for Mbappe to stay at the Parc des Princes.

The World Cup winner, 23, is out of contract this summer. And having so far resisted calls to pen an extension, Mbappe looks set to become a free agent.

Real Madrid are leading the race for his coveted signature. Meanwhile, Liverpool are also plotting an incredible swoop to bring Mbappe to England.

However, PSG are making one last desperate play to keep Mbappe – for two more seasons, at least.

They have apparently offered the striker a new contract until 2024, which means Mbappe could yet secure a lucrative move abroad before he enters his prime years.

Chelsea trustees demand insurance policy

Chelsea’s trustees will reportedly demand an ‘insurance policy’ before agreeing to take over the stewardship of the club.

Blues’ Russian owner Roman Abramovich announced on Saturday that he has handed control of his beloved side over to their charitable foundation. His decision came following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The six trustees are chairman Bruce Buck, Women’s boss Emma Hayes, head of the National Lottery Sir Hugh Robertson, equality campaigner Piara Powar, lawyer John Devine and director of finance Paul Ramos.

Though it has been claimed that they are yet to formally accept the transition, but talks have already begun with further discussions planned for this week.

Reports have even suggested that the trustees have threatened to resign amid Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.

According to the Daily Mail, the trustees are apprehensive about accepting the responsibility. They state that one vital condition the trustees will insist on is the inclusion of an insurance policy.

Juve eye permanent Morata deal

Juventus look set to deal a blow to Arsenal’s and Tottenham’s rumoured hopes of a transfer swoop for Alvaro Morata.

Reports claim the Italians hope to steal a march on the Premier League rivals by making his temporary Serie A move from Atletico Madrid permanent.

Spanish newspaper Sport reports the player has indicated he wants to stay with Max Allegri’s team with whom he has a two-year loan deal which expires in 2023.

It is thought the former Chelsea forward, 29, who agreed to extend his temporary move for a further season last June, has become an integral part of Allegri’s side.

This is despite the January arrival of Dusan Vlahovic. The Serbia forward, 22, has enjoyed a storming start to his Turin career netting four goals in six top-flight appearances for the club.

Tuttomercato claim Arsenal are keen on a summer move for Morata with the Spain forward’s Atletico contract set to end in June this year.

Zinchenko handed Man City captaincy

Oleksandr Zinchenko was named as Manchester City’s skipper against Peterborough in the FA Cup as the club showed their support for Ukraine.

The 25-year-old was named in the starting XI for the Citizens for the first time following Russia’s invasion of his homeland.

Brazilian midfielder Fernandinho, who usually skippers City, handed the armband to his team-mate for Tuesday night’s fifth round tie at London Road.

Boss Pep Guardiola confirmed Zinchenko was to feature against Peterborough.

The defender broke down in tears prior to Saturday’s away win at Everton after fans and players showcased their solidarity with Ukraine.

Man Utd’s seven young stars

Darren Fletcher has picked out seven kids who will have a chance to push for the Manchester United first team next season.

Anthony Elanga has made great strides since Ralf Rangnick took over in December – and the Red Devils have high hopes for several others.

Technical director Fletcher pointed out that midfielder Hannibal Mejbri has been named in the squad in recent weeks. Meanwhile Brandon Williams, Teden Mengi, Jimmy Garner, Ethan Laird, Tahiti Chong, and Amad Diallo are all out on loan gaining first team experience.

Fletcher said: ”Anthony has done brilliantly since he broke into the first team, and Hannibal has also been more involved in the squad. Our U19s recently finished top of their group in the UEFA Youth League, and our U18s have reached the semi-finals of the FA Youth Cup.

“We currently have 13 young players and Academy products on loan and playing regularly in other divisions or leagues.

“Hopefully we’ll see players like Brandon Williams, Teden Mengi, Jimmy Garner, Ethan Laird, Tahiti Chong, and Amad Diallo reap the benefits of that.”

Predicted Chelsea team vs Luton

Chelsea are set to turn to the kids for their FA Cup clash with Luton Town.

Thomas Tuchel’s battered and bruised Blues narrowly lost out to Liverpool in Sunday’s thrilling Carabao Cup final.

And the German boss admits Chelsea now have a ‘dramatic’ injury list, with several first-team stars missing out tomorrow and others in dire need of a rest.

Barkley handed six-month driving ban

Premier League ace Ross Barkley has been slapped with a six month driving ban after being caught on his phone behind the wheel.

The Chelsea midfielder was today disqualified after cops saw him using the mobile while driving his £150k Mercedes-AMG in Wandsworth, South West London, last July.

Barkley, 28, was given six penalty points on his licence, and the ban was handed out after his “repeat offending”.

The £110k-a-week defender was made to pay a £333 fine, £34 surcharge and £100 in costs at the behind-closed-doors hearing at Bromley Magistrates today.

The Scouser, who has played for England 33 times, scoring six goals, pleaded guilty to a charge of using a handheld mobile phone while driving a vehicle.

It is understood that Barkley had hired a driver for the next year even before his ban was issued by magistrates.

Chelsea open to sale of Broja and Anjorin

Thomas Tuchel is reportedly willing to hear transfer offers for Blues starlets Armando Broja and Faustino Anjorin.

And it is thought the Chelsea boss is looking to cash in on the duo in a bid to finance summer swoops to boost his first team ranks.

Last year Chelsea smashed their transfer record with the £97million acquisition of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan.

However, that move was preceded by the exits of Fikayo Tomori, Kurt Zouma and Tammy Abraham.

The sale of the trio to AC Milan, Roma and West Ham reportedly pulled in more than £100m for the side.

Rumours of the potential sales of Broja and Anjorin come days after Blues owner Roman Abramovich, 55, announced his decision to step back from the club.

Abramovich ‘terrified of sanctions’

Roman Abramovich is ’selling assets as he’s TERRIFIED of being sanctioned’ amid calls for him to ‘lose control of Chelsea’.

Labour MP Chris Bryant claims the oligarch is going to ‘sell his home tomorrow’ following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

And European Parliament president Roberta Metsola insists anyone with ties to Vladimir Putin should not be in control of sports clubs.

Abramovich denies he has close links to the Russian president.

He handed over stewardship of Chelsea to its charitable foundation at the weekend.

However, the Mail claims the trustees will demand an ‘impenetrable indemnity policy’ before agreeing to Abramovich’s plan.