Soccer

MOHAMED SALAH banked an eye-watering £37million bonanza from sponsorship deals and image rights.The Liverpool striker’s image rights company has scored big — with assets of £36,693,199.Salah rakes in huge amounts of money from his image rightsCredit: GettyThat represents a £3.3m increase compared with the previous year — the equivalent of £275,000 a month on top of his Liverpool wages.Salah, 32, opened his image rights firm, Salah UK Commercial Ltd, in 2014 while at Chelsea.Adidas, Pepsi, Vodafone, Uber and Oppo are among the brands with which he has lucrative links.And things could get even better in the next accounts — if Salah signs a new deal with improved image rights with the Anfield club.READ MORE IN SPORTThe Egypt forward won a dispute over image rights with his nation’s FA in 2018 after high-level political intervention from their government.He was left fuming that the official team plane being used to fly the Pharaohs to the World Cup featured a huge image of him on the side.The Egyptian national team said he was “insulted” that no one consulted him over whether the design would conflict with any of his personal commercial deals.The plane had been paid for by Egypt’s official team sponsor, telecommunications company WE.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSDepicting Salah next to the corporate logo of WE could have cost the Liverpool star millions, as it might have breached his contract with Vodafone.The winger has been heavily linked with an Anfield exit when his contract expires in June but new reports claim he is in advanced negotiations to extend his deal.Liverpool star Mo Salah enjoys casual stroll down Blackpool Pier on rare day off More

ARSENAL striker Gabriel Jesus left fans in stitches with a birthday cake Neymar described as “weird” in the pair’s hilarious exchange over its sexual innuendo.The crocked 28-year-old appeared oblivious to the way his Instagram followers might interpret the design after posting a photo of him pointing towards the cake with a huge grin on his face.Gabriel Jesus showed off his funny cakeCredit: instagram @dejesusoficialNeymar found the cake design hilariousCredit: GettyThe message on the top, etched out above two cartoon-style figures in an apparently compromising position with the one on the ground wearing a birthday hat representing the Gunners’ striker, said in Portuguese: “I’m going to celebrate my birthday, yes.”Neymar found the cake hilarious, responding with a laughing emoji while commenting: “Congratulations brother. The design of of this cake is weird.”The Arsenal frontman tried to play down any suggestion of rudeness in response to his former Brazil team-mate.Insisting the design showed something completely different to what his pal was seeing he said: “I didn’t want a cake but the woman did it like that. I’m getting a beating hahaha!”READ MORE ON ARSENALBut Neymar continued: “A punch was the last thing I thought about” followed by more laughing emojis.Another of Jesus’ followers chimed in by adding: “I think Jesus is taking something other than a punch!!!”The birthday boy footballer also posted another photo of him celebrating his big day with his influencer fiancee Raiane Lima and their daughter Helena.The couple announced in December they were expecting their second child.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSArsenal confirmed in January their striker had been ruled out for the rest of the season after sustaining a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament during their FA Cup exit to Manchester United.The injury is the opposite knee to the one in which he suffered an ACL injury in 2022.Neymar and girlfriend Bruna Biancardi hold spectacular gender reveal to announce she is expecting their second child Jesus has been posting updates on his journey back to playing, publishing a video last month of him walking in a pool and on a treadmill and showing his daughter touching his knee as he rested.He wrote alongside the footage: “The first seven weeks of recovery are done.“Working hard and improving every day, thanks to God. Step by step.”Jesus and Raiane revealed in January she was expecting a boy in a touching video featuring their daughter, born in May 2022.In a heartfelt message coinciding with Raiane’s birthday eight weeks ago, the Arsenal star wrote: “I wish you all the best.“You deserve everything good in your life! Me, Helena and our son on the way are blessed by God to have a woman like you in our lives!“May God continue to bless you and protect you. I love you.” More

MANCHESTER UNITED’S search for a ‘domestic’ cover goalkeeper has stretched to an England U20 World Cup hero.That’s because the Red Devils are keeping a keen eye on Preston North End’s Freddie Woodman.Manchester United are interested in Preston North End goalkeeper Freddie WoodmanCredit: GettyThe 28-year-old will be one of the best free-agent stoppers around in summer after keeping 13 clean sheets in 37 Championship appearances this season.But the former Bournemouth loan keeper has missed Preston’s last few games with an ankle issue.The Red Devils were checking on him before his ankle injury and he is in the frame, along with Blackburn’s Aynsley Pears.Woodman played in the Prem with Newcastle and may be looking to start every week next season.READ MORE ON MAN UTDWhile fans will remember him for his penalty-saving heroics when England won the U20 World Cup back in 2017.Over the years he has spent time out on loan with the likes of Bournemouth, Swansea, Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Crawley Town.Before he made his permanent exit from Newcastle United in July of 2022 to join Preston.Should he swap Deepdale Stadium for Old Trafford, then North End have already got their eye on a replacement.Most read in FootballWoodman was England’s hero in the 2017 U20 World Cup finalCredit: AP:Associated PressBlackburn Rovers goalkeeper Aynsley Pears is also on Man Utd’s listCredit: PAJoin SUN CLUB for the Man Utd Files every Thursday plusin-depth coverage and exclusives from Old TraffordThe Lilywhites are keen on Finland’s Jesse Joronen, 32, who is set to leave at Italian side Venezia.Manchester United already signed Fenerbahce goalkeeper Altay Bayindir last January, but the 26-year-old has played just six times in all competitions.While Andre Onana remains the No.1 at the Theatre of Dreams despite high-profile errors in the past.Brandon Williams opens up on struggles with ‘ridiculous’ Man Utd pressure and being ‘stabbed in the back’ by friends More

PEP GUARDIOLA always insisted this season would be an almighty challenge — but he never expected the proof to be so painful.After four titles in a row with a Manchester City side that many people — myself included — were calling the best in the world only a couple of years earlier, he wasn’t the only one.Pep Guardiola has endured a tough season with Manchester CityCredit: GettyNobody doubted the need for a total rebuild in Manchester, although you might well have been talking about Ruben Amorim’s boys, too.With United heading for their worst season since they went down in 1974 and with their own boss slaughtering his side, it’s one that has got bigger by the week.So if anything summed up how City haven’t so much slipped but absolutely plummeted, it is the notion Pep, not Amorim, is the manager with the biggest rebuild on his hands.That, plus the fact there is actually a grain of truth in the joke that Sky are promoting today’s Old Trafford game as the mid-table Manchester derby.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLPep knows nothing lasts for ever. And with the FA Cup up for grabs, there is every chance he won’t end without a trophy for the first time since his debut year in England.But the problem is when you’ve made such a habit of winning, that doesn’t make for a successful season.Make no bones about it, this has been a disaster. City started as odds-on to win a fifth title on the bounce. With eight games left, they can’t even be sure of the top four.For years it’s not been about whether City will win a trophy, more about how many. If it’s “only” one there are those who even see it as a disappointment.Most read in FootballGuardiola’s Man City and Ruben Amorim’s Man Utd both need a rebuild to compete againCredit: GettyCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSIf you’d said in August that, with two months to go, it would be FA Cup or bust I’d have laughed in your face. By the way, don’t think that’s a gimme either. The bookies may have City as huge favourites but they’re not playing like it.Wife of Man Utd goalkeeper Andre Onana ‘robbed of £62K handbag and Rolex’ in horror theft as man, 25, chargedThere hasn’t been much of the season when they have.I have to admit I don’t think they will do again — not without a mass overhaul.Losing Kyle Walker was massive, especially when you’ve had to play people out of position to replace him at right-back.Something he has had to do all season on the other flank, too. Kevin De Bruyne  is still a fantastic player but not the one he was, Ilkay Gundogan is coming to the end, and Bernardo Silva could be off this summer.Rodri will be fit again, of course. But how long will it take to get up to speed again?So you see what I mean about how the Etihad rebuild is quite probably even bigger than the one at Old Trafford.Kevin De Bruyne has announced that he will leave Manchester City in the summerCredit: APRodri could take a while to get back to his best following his ACL injuryCredit: PAThere’s still the verdict — and potential punishment — from the charges [for allegedly breaching the Prem’s financial rules] hanging over them. How’s that going to affect things?Pep has been brilliant with what he’s created. There’s every chance it will go down as the greatest side the Prem has ever seen.But climbing that high means there is farther to fall if you stumble… and City are struggling to keep their feet right now.It demands genius recruitment this summer, and I keep asking the same question: where do you find the talent at the level they need?Arsenal spent a year looking for a centre-forward and couldn’t manage it. Pep faces the same problem in about half-a-dozen positions.Read More on The SunAfter so many titles and a Champions League, a top-four finish is no reason to celebrate. Even with an FA Cup thrown in.There’s a reason I’m tipping a draw today. Not because it’s a battle between two giants who will cancel each other out — more that neither is good enough to win!The Manchester derby kicks off at 4:30pm on SundayCredit: Getty More