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    Chelsea ‘enquire about Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone’ and have edge over PSG in transfer battle

    CHELSEA have enquired about Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone with the Blues having the edge over Paris Saint Germain according to reports.The French U-21 international joined the Bundesliga side in January 2021 from Toulouse.
    Manu Kone could be on the move to the Premier League this summerCredit: Getty
    Kone joined Borussia Moenchengladbach in 2021 from ToulouseCredit: Getty
    The 21-year-old has been in excellent form for Daniel Farke’s side this season and attracted the interest of some of Europe’s top clubs.
    According to German publication Sport Bild Chelsea and PSG have enquired about the midfielder.
    The report added that the Stamford Bridge club have the edge as Kone “dreams” of a move to the Premier League.
    Despite spending over £100million on Enzo Fernandez in January Chelsea are in the market for a defensive midfielder.
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    The Blues are trying to find a solution that would enable Fernandez to operate further forward.
    Fernandez has had to operate deeper of late following the departure of Jorginho to Arsenal, N’Golo Kante’s injury and the lack of a defensive midfielder in the squad.
    Graham Potter’s side have also been linked with moves for West Ham’s Declan Rice and Moises Caicedo of Brighton.
    A summer departure is a possibility for Kone with the report adding that his agents have met Gladbach sporting director Roland Virkus to talk about a summer exit.
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    Gladbach would be looking for in the region of £25m or more for a player who will have two years left on his contract come the summer.
    To date the midfielder has made 50 appearances for Gladbach, scoring three goals with his first for the club coming in the 5-0 win over Bayern Munich in the German Cup. More

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    Arsenal risk missing out on Julian Brandt transfer as ‘astronomical’ offer emerges – but star ‘dreams’ of Premier League

    ARSENAL could miss out on Julian Brandt with Borussia Dortmund preparing an “astronomical” offer to keep him, according to reports.The attacker’s contract with the German side is set to expire in the summer of 2024.
    Julian Brandt is set to be in high-demand this summerCredit: Getty
    The possibility of a cut-price swoop has put a number of teams on alert, including Arsenal and North London rivals Tottenham.
    According to German outlet DW, however, Dortmund will offer Brandt a huge salary to extend his deal and stay at Signal Iduna Park.
    The 26-year-old has been in great form this term, scoring nine goals and laying on five assists in 32 appearances in all competitions.
    Despite Dortmund’s best efforts, Brandt “dreams” of moving to the Premier League.
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    While chatting to Caught Offside, Bundesliga reporter Christian Falk offered up his take on Brandt’s situation.
    Falk said: “He’s been dreaming for years of making it in the Premier League.
    “There has always been contact with Arsenal and we’ve heard that the club is interested again.
    “His contract expires in 2024, so there has to be a decision, especially now that he’s found more consistency this term in comparison to recent years at Dortmund.
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    “Now, it could be the time to make the next step and follow [Kai] Havertz to England.
    “He hasn’t got one club in his head at the moment, but Arsenal are of course more interested than ever before.”
    Brandt could slot in on either the left or right flank, as well as Martin Odegaard’s No10 position.
    Spurs could also look to bolster their creativity, depending on who their manager is next term.
    With Antonio Conte appearing almost certain to leave, Tottenham are set to have a new boss in charge come August.
    Mauricio Pochettino, Luis Enrique and Marco Silva have all been linked with the job. More

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    Yann Sommer lives up to incredible promise as he trucks in a near TONNE of Swiss chocolate.. before giving it to charity

    YANN SOMMER went from dominating his box to donating his chocs – all 700 KILOS of them!The Bayern Munich keeper trucked in the top-notch nibbles from his home country Switzerland after making a bemusing promise to team-mate Matthijs de Ligt – but then gave them to a foodbank instead.
    Yann Sommer wanted to thank goal-line hero Matthijs de Ligt with a massive haul of chocolates but ultimately gave them to a Munich charityCredit: Getty
    Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry were the goalscoring foxes in the box for Bayern but it’s the chocs in these boxes that will help a foodbank
    Sommer vowed to reward the defender for a goal-line clearance when Bayern KO’d PSG in the Champions League last week.
    In the end, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting and Serge Gnabry both grabbed an After Eight on the night – second-half goals to clinch a 2-0 win.
    That double bounty put Bayern into the last 16 by 3-0 on aggregate.
    But Sommer was so impressed by De Ligt’s intervention that he vowed to deliver him a huge haul of chocolate bars from Swiss manufacturer Kägi. 
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    The stopper, however, eventually opted to send the sweets to a charity in Munich called Münchner Tafel.
    And apart from being a charitable idea, De Ligt seems to think it was wise for football reasons too.
    Just before the 0.7 TONNE of bars was redirected, the Holland star told Sport1: “We’re in good form now so it’s better not to eat too much chocolate.
    “This week was very important — with the win against Paris (and against Augsburg). 
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    “We’re now in the Champions League quarter-final, in the DFB-Pokal and top of the Bundesliga, so it was important.”
    And chasing that confection of honours is surely a sweet consolation for sticking to a strict eating regime. More

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    Dortmund’s ‘disturbing’ Jude Bellingham statements after Man Utd and Chelsea transfer target struggles for form

    BORUSSIA DORTMUND have hinted at the reason behind Jude Bellingham’s drop off in form.The England international, 19, enjoyed a tremendous first half of the season before he shone for his country at the World Cup.
    Jude Bellingham has had his knee bandaged up in recent weeksCredit: Getty
    But he has struggled to regain that level of performance in recent weeks.
    And it is now a month since he registered a goal or assist for the Bundesliga giants.
    Sporting director Sebastian Kehl was quizzed about Bellingham’s difficulties following Dortmund’s 2-2 draw with Schalke over the weekend.
    He said: “Maybe he’s missing a goal here or there that he scored in the first half of the season.
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    “He works. He wants and wants. And yet there are times when that’s okay. You also have to admit that a player doesn’t always play at the highest level.
    “But I know with him that he works hard on himself. That’s where it goes.”
    However, Kehl then hinted at Bellingham carrying an injury after being asked specifically about the bandaging he has been wearing on his left knee.
    Kehl replied: “He has been treated regularly over the past few weeks.
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    “That may end up costing one or two per cent. We hope that we can get this under control quickly.”
    Pressed further on the knee problem, he cryptically added: “As long as he can play, everything is fine.”
    German newspaper Bild described the comments as “disturbing” as Dortmund fans face an anxious wait over the fitness of their star midfielder.
    Bellingham has been heavily linked with a move away from Dortmund this summer, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool and Real Madrid among the clubs keen to sign him.
    Meanwhile, Dortmund’s run of eight Bundesliga wins in a row came to an end at the hands of Schalke as they dropped two points behind Bayern Munich in the title race.
    It came just four days after Edin Terzic’s side were dumped out of the Champions League by Chelsea. More

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    Man Utd and Chelsea dealt transfer blow as ‘Barcelona enter race to sign France star Marcus Thuram for FREE’

    BARCELONA have reportedly entered the race to sign Borussia Monchengladbach star Marcus Thuram on a free transfer in a blow to Premier League sides.The French international – whose contract at the Bundesliga side is set to expire in the summer – has a host of admirers.
    Barcelona have reportedly entered the race to sign Marcus ThuramCredit: Getty
    Premier League sides including Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal have all been linked with moves for him.
    They may all find it more difficult to land Thuram as Barcelona are now interested in signing him, according to fichajes.
    The report suggests that the 25-year-old could arrive as a replacement for Ansu Fati or Ferran Torres.
    Barca could be tempted to cash in on one of them in order to alleviate their financial struggles.
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    The club are currently dealing with an impending transfer ban which would make registering new players difficult.
    Thuram also has ties to Barcelona as his father, Lilian, played for the club between 2006 and 2008.
    The forward has been in great form this season for Monchengladbach.
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    He has scored 14 goals and provided four assists in 24 appearances in all competitions.
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    He is currently the joint-fourth top scorer in the Bundesliga, behind Vincento Grifo, Christopher Nkunku and Niclas Fullkrug.
    Thuram made five appearances in the World Cup in Qatar for France, including as a substitute in the final. More

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    Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool ‘all want Josko Gvardiol transfer’… but which club leads race for RB Leipzig star?

    CHELSEA, Manchester City and Liverpool all want to sign Josko Gvardiol, according to reports.The RB Leipzig centre-back is one of the most sought-after players in Europe after impressing at the World Cup with Croatia.
    Josko Gvardiol is wanted by three Premier League clubsCredit: Rex
    The Daily Mail claim that Man City are leading the race to land the 21-year-old.
    Pep Guardiola’s side reportedly view Gvardiol as a priority signing this summer.
    The player has a £98million release clause that will begin from 2024 with RB Leipzig hoping he stays.
    Gvardiol joined the Bundesliga outfit in 2020 from homeland club Dinamo Zagreb for a fee of £14m and he has since helped them win the DFP Pokal last season.
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    City want to bring in a new defender as Guardiola has been forced into regular changes at the back this season and could sell Aymeric Laporte.
    The Spaniard, Ruben Dias and John Stones have all had lengthy spells out injured, while Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake have stepped in.
    Chelsea have already spent an eye-watering £138m on centre-backs Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Benoit Badiashile this season.
    But with Thiago Silva aged 38, Gvardiol is seen as a potential long-term replacement.
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    Chelsea also have strong links to RB Leipzig, with them hoping to sign his team-mate Christopher Nkunku and the Blues’ technical director is Christopher Vivell, who they pinched from the Germans.
    Meanwhile, Liverpool are also interested in Gvardiol but rumours suggest they could be put off by the fee.
    Jurgen Klopp’s priority is revamping his midfield.
    They have been linked with the likes of Jude Bellingham and Mason Mount. More

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    Arsenal and Spurs set for summer transfer war for Borussia Dortmund ace Julian Brandt with Germans looking to cash in

    ARSENAL and Tottenham will battle it out to sign Julian Brandt in the summer, according to reports. Brandt, 26, will have 12 months left on his contract at Borussia Dortmund in the summer.
    Julian Brandt is attracting interest from Arsenal and TottenhamCredit: Reuters
    Bild have reported the Bundesliga title challengers are reluctant to lose the midfielder and remain intent on getting him tied down to a new deal.
    However, the length of his deal could force the club into a sale.
    Furthermore, interest from the North London rivals could see Brandt’s head swayed in favour of testing himself in England.
    The report adds Brandt wants a move to London after discussions with close friend Kai Havertz.
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    The Chelsea star has told Brandt about life in the capital, leaving him wanting to see what the fuss is about.
    Both Arsenal and Spurs want to add options to their teams in the summer.
    The Gunners will need more creativity and firepower throughout the squad as they prepare for a campaign in the Champions League.
    Meanwhile, Spurs would like to add to their creative options, with an overwhelming reliance on Harry Kane, who is expected to leave in the summer.
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    This season Brandt has offered exactly this to Dortmund.
    He has eight goals and four assists this season, including four goals in his last five league games.
    The performances have left club director Sebastian Kehl impressed too.
    He previously told Bild: “We see Julian’s development every day. He has taken a giant step forward – and we are very happy about that.
    “I am of course familiar with the contract situation and we are approaching the subject very positively and calmly.” More

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    Sadio Mane predicts more Premier League stars will complete Bundesliga transfers… thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo

    SADIO MANE predicts more Premier League stars will move to the Bundesliga… thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo.Mane, 30, swapped Liverpool for Bayern Munich in a £35million deal last summer.
    Sadio Mane has tipped more Premier League stars to join him in the BundesligaCredit: Getty
    Mane has revealed what Cristiano Ronaldo said after he joined Bayern MunichCredit: Getty
    And his high-profile capture was hailed as a huge coup for the German giants.
    Mane scored 120 goals in 269 games for the Reds, winning every club trophy available.
    But the Senegal star still snubbed a new contract in order to move to Bavaria.
    Mane believes the Bundesliga is every bit as good as the Premier League.
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    And he predicts more stars from England’s top-flight will eventually join him in making the switch.
    That’s after former Manchester United star Ronaldo, now playing in Saudi Arabia, congratulated Mane on his move.
    The forward said: “The Bundesliga is sometimes underestimated. This was also on display by recent successes in the Champions League.
    “I met Ronaldo in Mallorca before the start of the season, when my transfer was already decided.
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    “He congratulated me on moving to Munich and told me: ‘It’s a great club, it’s a big step for you’.
    “I am sure that soon we will see even more Premier League stars in the Bundesliga. The championship here is very balanced.
    “See how tight the top of the table is. And the atmosphere in the stadiums… why should anyone say no to the Bundesliga?”
    Mane so far has 11 goals and four assists in 24 games for Bayern, who are joint-top of the Bundesliga table with Borussia Dortmund.
    As for old club Liverpool, they are 21 points off Premier League leaders Arsenal after a below-par campaign.
    But Mane is confident Jurgen Klopp remains the right man to turn things around at Anfield.
    He added: “Liverpool will be back. I’m convinced they will overcome this situation.
    “They had many injuries and tough tests but Jurgen Klopp is definitely the right man.
    “He will lead Liverpool back up, from this season – the players love him.” More