TOTTENHAM are reportedly ready to hijack Arsenal’s £70m move for Lautaro Martinez.
Spurs were already in a good position to sign the Argentine as they had his former manager at Inter, Antonio Conte, in charge.
And following the Arsenal’s slip up at Newcastle, they are also set to be able to offer him Champions League football.
Meanwhile, Robert Lewandowski is set to take a £100,000-a-week pay cut to join Barcelona from Bayern Munich.
And Kylian Mbappe has confirmed that his transfer decision on a potential move to Real Madrid is set to be announced before he jets off with the French squad.
Keep up to date with all the latest transfer news across the globe…
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
Tottenham set for double transfer
Tottenham will sign both Cristian Romero and Dejan Kulusevski on a permanent basis this summer, reports suggest.
That is according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who claims that Spurs have set aside €80million (£68m) to tie both loan stars down with fresh contracts.
Kulusevski joined the North Londoners from Juventus in January on an initial 18-month loan deal.
Romero arrived earlier last summer on loan from Atalanta with the option to buy for £42.5m.
It is understood that there is also a five-year contract already agreed with the centre-back that will become official once his loan turns into a permanent transfer.
United fans beg for Nkunku
Man United fans have begged the Red Devils to sign RB Leipzig star Christopher Nkunku after he was named Bundesliga’s Player of the Season.
Nkunku’s impact has wowed United’s faithful who flocked to Twitter to voice their desire for him to be in a Red Devils shirt next season.
One fan reckoned Nkunku’s switch to United is a foregone conclusion and wrote: “United player soon.”
United have had an indifferent season and currently languish in sixth spot in the Premier League with just one game left to play.
And one supporter who believes Nkunku will provide a solution to the club’s problems next season, added: “@ManUtd here is our man.”
While a third Red Devils loyalist chipped in: “Think he’d be perfect for us.”
Chelsea face Lewandowski Barca blow
Chelsea target Robert Lewandowski is reportedly desperate to join Barcelona.
And he is even willing to take a £100,000-a-week wage cut to make his dream move come true.
Chelsea and PSG are both thought to have joined the race for the wantaway Bayern Munich striker.
But Mundo Deportivo claims Lewandowski only wants Barcelona and is ready to do whatever it takes to get a move.
Juventus refute Pogba contract talks
Juventus deny they held talks with Man Utd star Paul Pogba over a free transfer.
Chief executive Maurizio Arrivabene said: “Pogba is a United player, respect first of all goes to him and his team.
“His agents are the same as [Moise] Kean and [Luca] Pellegrini, it is normal to meet them. The subject today was not Pogba.
“If we wanted to talk to Pogba we must talk to United first, it’s a gentleman’s agreement between the clubs.”
Barca close in on duo
Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta are set to join Barcelona this summer.
Fabrizio Romano claims a deal to sign Alonso is almost complete.
And Barca are confident of also landing Azpi after offering him a two-year deal.
The veteran Spaniards would link up with Andreas Christensen at the Nou Camp, with the Dane joining on a free transfer.
Messi set for Inter Miami switch
Lionel Messi will reportedly link up with David Beckham at Inter Miami.
But he won’t ditch PSG until his deal expires in 2023.
DIRECTV Sports report part of the proposal will be for Messi to own a 35 percent stake in the MLS franchise.
The Argentina legend has also been linked with a return to Barcelona this summer.
United urged to sign Ziyech
Dutch legend Marco van Basten has urged Erik ten Hag to sign Chelsea’s Hakim Ziyech for Man United.
Ziyech and Ten Hag worked together at Ajax, with the Moroccan a key player in his XI.
And with the playmaker struggling for minutes at Chelsea, Van Basten believes a reunion should be on the cards.
He said: “What comes to my mind now is that I think Ziyech who already plays in England could be a very good footballer at Manchester United for Erik.”
Arsenal transfer hopes take hit
Arsenal’s Champions League dream is in chaos after a 2-0 defeat at Newcastle.
Spurs are now in pole position to secure fourth spot.
And Arsenal could miss out on a host of top signings as a result.
SEE THEIR TARGETS HERE
Real set to announce Mbappe
Real Madrid will announce the free transfer of Kylian Mbappe after their Champions League final against Liverpool.
AS and Marca both claim the PSG striker has agreed a mega-money five-year deal to move to the Bernabeu.
And his contract will also include the world’s highest release clause – currently held by Barcelona’s Ferran Torres at £1BILLION.
Bale ready for Prem return
Gareth Bale WILL leave Real Madrid this summer – and is targeting a Premier League return.
Agent Jonathan Barnett said: “Gareth will leave Real Madrid. His return to English football is likely, I think.
“But his future now depends on Wales and their playoff games for the World Cup. We have to wait for what Wales do.
“It all depends on whether his national team qualifies for the World Cup, then we will make a decision, which may vary if Wales go to the World Cup or not.”
Klopp admits Liverpool Mbappe interest
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Liverpool are interested in signing Paris Saint-Germain striker Kylian Mbappe this summer.
He said: “Of course we are interested in Kylian Mbappe, we are not blind!
“Nothing to say about [contact with the player], but between Kylian and Liverpool, it is all set, it is all fine.
“We like him – if you don’t like him then you have to question yourself!
“But no, we can not be part of these battles. There must be other clubs involved, but that is fine. He is still a great player.”
Lukaku not Chelsea’s first choice
Chelsea held talks with THREE other strikers before signing Romelu Lukaku last summer.
Goal claims the Blues attempted to sign Spurs’ Harry Kane, Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland and Bayern Munich’s Robert Lewandowski.
However, the newly-crowned European champions were unsuccessful on all three fronts.
And that saw them eventually pay a club-record £97.5million for Inter Milan’s Lukaku.
Gundogan set for City exit
Ilkay Gundogan is reportedly set to leave Man City this summer.
The German is out of contract in 2023.
And the Mail claims City will cash in to avoid losing him on a free transfer.
Pep Guardiola already has a replacement lined up in Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong.
But it remains to be seen if Gundogan joins a Premier League rival.
Prem teams eye Monaco’s Badiashile
Monaco star Benoit Badiashile says he has had ‘contact’ with Prem clubs amid speculation of a summer move.
Badiashile said: “We all know the competitiveness of the Premier League, it is a fantastic league that of course, is very interesting and we all love the games.
“I had the chance to play in the Champions League with Monaco and I think this club deserves this competition, it’s a club that’s used to playing in this competition and we want to get back on track.
“Right now, I’m really happy with Monaco. I had some contact in the past with some [English] clubs but I’m fully focused on the end of the season and Monaco and I feel good.”
Good morning footie fans
Arsenal have been dealt a major blow to their top-four hopes after losing 2-0 to Newcastle at St James’ Park.
The Gunners’ are now facing the prospect of finishing behind North London rivals Tottenham in fifth place with one more league game to go.
The Magpies opened the scoring on 55 minutes following an own goal by Ben White and sealed the win half an hour later with Bruno Guimaraes.
The North Londoners are now two points behind Spurs in the Premier League table with just one more game to go.
Meanwhile, Blackpool ace Jake Daniels has opened up about his “massive relief” after revealing he is gay.
Just one current male footballer has come out as gay and that is Adelaide United’s Josh Cavallo from Australia.
The only prominent male English player to have done so before Daniels was Justin Fashanu, who revealed he was gay in 1990. He took his own life eight years later.
Daniels told Sky Sports: “Now is the right time to do it. I feel like I am ready to tell people my story. I want people to know the real me.
“I have been thinking for a long time about how I want to do it, when I want to do it. I know now is the time. I am ready to be myself, be free and be confident with it all”
And Chelsea departing owner Roman Abramovich has been accused of blocking the final sale of the club and putting its future at risk.
In a remarkable cranking up of pressure, sources close to the Government have turned their fire on Abramovich over the ongoing sale condition.
Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and his consortium have been hopeful of completing a £2.6billion takeover with a promise to spend a further £1.65bn on the stadium, academy and team-building by the end of this week.
But the ongoing spat between the Blues and the DCMS over the final structure of the deal has now broken out into a serious problem.
A Government insider expressed “considerable alarm” at the flare-up, suggesting the viability of the West Londoners could be in danger.
The source said: “There’s quite serious concern in government that the deal may fall apart and that Roman Abramovich is ultimately willing to let Chelsea go under.”
Finally, Departing Manchester United star Paul Pogba is not keen on joining rivals Manchester City.
That is according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, who reports Pogba has no intention of discussing a move to City.
The midfielder’s United contract runs out in June and he is set to leave Old Trafford.
Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are also keeping tabs on the France international ahead of the summer transfer window
FT: Newcastle 2-0 Arsenal
Arsenal have been dealt a huge blow to their top-four hopes after losing 2-0 to Newcastle at St James’ Park.
The Gunners’ are now facing the prospect of finishing behind rivals Tottenham in fifth place with one more league game to go.
The Magpies opened the scoring on 55 minutes following an own goal by Ben White.
The Toon sealed the win half an hour later with Bruno Guimaraes.
The North Londoners are now two points behind Spurs in the Premier League table.
Relive all the action on SunSport’s results page here
Newcastle 1-0 Arsenal
Newcastle open the scoring against Arsenal at St James’ Park.
The Magpies are ahead following an own goal by Ben White on 56 minutes.
That is a major blow for the Gunners’ top-four hopes as that means Tottenham remain fourth in the Premier League table.
You can follow all the action on SunSport’s live blog here
Man Utd eye Kante
Incoming Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag has been linked with a sensational swoop for Chelsea star N’Golo Kante.
The takeover disruption at Stamford Bridge has convinced a number of clubs that some of the Blues’ prized possessions are up for grabs at the end of the season.
According to The Mirror, this has led to United chiefs, including Ten Hag, believing a move for Kante is a realistic proposition.
The news comes after SunSport exclusively reported that the West Londoners were fearing the star midfielder would be one of a number of players on their way out of the club.
Chelsea are already bidding farewell to Antonio Rudiger, who is joining Real Madrid, as well as Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen, who have been linked with Barcelona.
That is after the club were restricted from doing business back in March following sanctions imposed on departing owner Roman Abramovich
HT: Newcastle 0-0 Arsenal
Arsenal are goalless at St James’ Park in their crucial Premier League match against Newcastle.
The Gunners need to beat the Magpies in order to overtake rivals Tottenham in fourth place to advance to next season’s Champions League.
However, the North Londoners have been unable to break the deadlock and lost Takehiro Tomiyasu to injury after 39 minutes as he was replaced by Cedric Soares.
You can follow all the action on SunSport’s live blog here
Credit: GETTY IMAGES Dybala transfer message
Arsenal have been offered the opportunity to sign outgoing Juventus star Paulo Dybala, but there is a catch.
Dybala is only interested in joining a club that will be playing in the Champions League next season.
And that will make it even more crucial for the Gunners to finish in the top four of the Premier League table ahead of North London rivals Tottenham.
With Alexandre Lacazette certain to leave this summer and Eddie Nketiah expected to follow, manager Mikel Arteta is in the market for two strikers
Darwin Nunez boost
Manchester United and Arsenal have received a transfer boost in their bid to sign Benfica star Darwin Nunez as his club closes in on signing a replacement.
According to The Athletic, the Portuguese outfit is lining up a swoop for Stuttgart star Sasa Kalajdzic.
The Lisbon giants are expecting to lose United target Nunez this summer and ideally want a deal completed as soon as possible to allow them plenty of time to fill the void.
Now moves are being made to bring Kalajdzic to replace their star striker
Chelsea takeover latest
Chelsea departing owner Roman Abramovich has been accused of blocking the final sale of the club and putting its future at risk.
In a remarkable cranking up of pressure, sources close to the Government have turned their fire on Abramovich over the proposed sale condition.
Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and his consortium were hopeful of completing a £2.6billion takeover with a promise to spend a further £1.65bn on the stadium, academy and team-building by the end of this week.
But the ongoing spat between the Blues and the DCMS over the final structure of the agreement has now broken out into a serious problem.
A Government insider expressed “considerable alarm” at the flare-up, suggesting the very viability of the West Londoners could be in danger.
The source said: “There’s quite serious concern in government that the deal may fall apart and that Roman Abramovich is ultimately willing to let Chelsea go under”
Newcastle vs Arsenal subs
And here’s who Newcastle manager Eddie Howe and Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta chose for the bench:
NEWCASTLE: Darlow, Dummett, Lascelles, Ritchie, Gayle, Trippier, Fernandez, Fraser, Murphy
ARSENAL: Leno, Lacazette, Pepe, Sambi Lokonga, Swanson, Patino, Cedric, Martinelli, Salah-Eddine
You can follow all the action in SunSport’s live coverage here.
Newcastle vs Arsenal XI
Arsenal face Newcastle at St James’ Park in a crucial match for the visitors as they need to win to overtake rivals Tottenham in fourth place.
You can follow all the action in SunSport’s live coverage here.
Here’s how the two teams will play tonight:
ARSENAL: Ramsdale, Tavares, White, Gabriel, Tomiyasu, Odegaard, Elneny, Xhaka, Saka, Nketiah, Smith Rowe
NEWCASTLE: Dubravka, Krafth, Burn, Schar, Targett, Longstaff, Guimaraes, Joelinton, Almiron, Wilson, Saint-Maximin
Griezmann to stay
Atletico Madrid president Enrique Cerezo has stated that Antoine Griezmann will stay at the Wanda Metropolitano beyond this season’s loan from Barcelona.
Griezmann returned to Atletico last summer following a hapless two-year stint at the Nou Camp.
Cerezo said: “Griezmann will stay here, he will continue at Atleti next season.
“Money is not a problem when the plan is to stay together and the player wants to continue”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
