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      Barcelona ‘want to offer Chelsea Miralem Pjanic in swap transfer for Jorginho’ after career revival under Thomas Tuchel

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      BARCELONA are reportedly keen to sign Chelsea midfielder Jorginho in the summer and are willing to offer Miralem Pjanic in exchange.The Bosnian moved to the Nou Camp in a high-profile switch from Juventus last year, but he has failed to live up to expectations in Spain.
      Chelsea midfielder Jorginho is reportedly a summer target for BarcelonaCredit: AP
      Bosnia international Pjanic could be offered to the Blues in exchange for JorginhoCredit: Getty
      According to Sport, Barca are keen to offload the player at the end of the season, and have identified in-form Jorginho as a possible replacement.
      The Catalan side are even exploring the viability of a swap deal involving the pair.
      However it remains to be seen if the West Londoners would be persuaded into a deal considering Jorginho’s recent stunning displays.
      The midfielder has been transformed under Thomas Tuchel.
      By contrast Pjanic, 31, is yet to score or provide an assist in any of his 28 outings in all competitions this season.
      And he has fallen out of favour under Ronald Koeman, with the ex-Roma ace without a LaLiga appearance since February 24.
      It was claimed earlier this month that Chelsea are prepared to open contract talks with Jorginho, who has chipped in with seven goals in 38 matches.
      And his agent declared in April that the ex-Napoli ace is going nowhere as he insisted his future remains at Stamford Bridge.
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      Joao Santos told TuttoMercatoWeb: “[Jorginho] has a two-year contract with Chelsea.
      “He’s thinking about playing in the Euros and then the World Cup in Qatar.
      “He will remain at Chelsea, 100 per cent.”
      Jorginho did, however, revealed earlier in the season that he wishes to return to Serie A side Napoli ‘one day’.
      Ex-Chelsea boss Frank Lampard’s next job could be Crystal Palace, Celtic or England More

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      Champions League final could be held in Portugal after UK Government and Uefa fail to make breakthrough in talks

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      CHELSEA and Manchester City fans WILL be able to attend the Champions League final.But supporters of both clubs were facing up to the increasing likelihood of having to travel to Portugal rather than Wembley for the May 29 showpiece.
      The Champions League final is looking more and more likely to be hosted at Lisbon’s Stadium of Light
      The scheduled venue in Istanbul has now been ruled out because of a renewed Covid wave in Turkey.
      And a day of intense negotiations between the Government and Uefa over switching the game to Wembley failed to break an impasse.
      As SunSport revealed, Uefa wants guarantees that media, broadcasters, VIPs from around the football world and sponsors will be allowed to enter the UK without strict quarantine requirements.
      While visitors would be allowed to attend Wembley for training and press conferences and the match itself, they would be confined to hotel quarters for the rest of their stay and not allowed out to sight-see.
      But that is a serious sticking point for Euro chiefs, who are pressing for restrictions to be lifted.
      Although the Government is willing to make significant compromises in order to let the game go ahead, there are concerns that simply waving 2,000 potential Covid spreaders into the country is not feasible or acceptable.
      And that could lead to Uefa and the Government reluctantly conceding Wembley is not a viable option, with the match instead being shifted – as it was last season – to Lisbon’s Stadium of Light.
      While the Portugal option would hit fans of Chelsea and Man City in the pocket, they would at least be able to attend the game.
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      Talks between the UK Government and Uefa over Wembley hosting the game failed to break an impasseCredit: PA

      Portugal was placed on the Government’s ‘green list’ of countries last Friday, meaning travellers coming back to the UK would not be required to quarantine at home or in hotels.
      More talks between the Government and Uefa will take place today before a final decision, with the hope that a deal can be reached.
      That, though, would require Uefa limiting its number of ‘essential personnel’ and guests in attendance, ruling out large numbers of sponsors and the international football figures from around the globe who would normally attend European Football’s Blue Riband event.
      Despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s public offer to Uefa, the Government is wary of effectively opening the floodgates to visitors in the current circumstances.
      Those individuals who are seen as ‘vital’ for the event to take place will be given the green light to travel.
      But the Government will resist Uefa’s demands for all of its planned guests to be allowed to come on public health grounds.
      If a deal can be struck, however, the EFL will not stand in the way and will reschedule the Championship play off final.
      If main broadcasters Sky demand the ‘£170m match’ is played as scheduled on May 29, all three play off games will be switched, with Villa Park or Old Trafford the likely venue.
      However, if Sky are more accommodating, the three games could stay at Wembley and each be played 24 hours later than planned, with the Championship match on May 30 and League Two game moved to June 1.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Champions League final chaos for Chelsea and Man City fans as Turkey added to UK travel red list More

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      Uefa ready to switch Champions League final from Istanbul to Wembley with 22,500 Chelsea and Man City fans in attendance

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      UEFA chiefs are ready to shift the Champions League final to WEMBLEY.But only if the UK Government can give them a set of guarantees.
      Uefa chiefs are ready to move the Champions League final between Chelsea and Man City to WembleyCredit: Reuters
      SunSport revealed the personal plea from Boris Johnson to Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin after Turkey was placed on the Government’s red list.
      That would mean travellers would be required to quarantine for ten days on their return to the UK.
      Uefa are understood to be sympathetic and agree that, in the circumstances of a Covid wave in Turkey, not asking Chelsea and Manchester City fans to travel makes sense.
      But Uefa has ruled out grounds including Tottenham, Newcastle, Arsenal and Aston Villa.
      The governing body is also not considering Hampden Park or the Principality Stadium in Cardiff.
      Euro bosses signalled that Wembley – with a capacity of 22,500 until the middle of June – is the only suitable venue.
      While there is growing momentum, a series of issues must be overcome.
      The first would be for the EFL and FA to agree to shift or reschedule the Championship play-off final, also due to be played on May 29.
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      Chelsea and Man City could now go head-to-head at Wembley rather than in IstanbulCredit: EPA

      That could either be moved or brought forward by 48 hours, allowing both Chelsea and City to train at Wembley on the day before the Champions League final.
      But Uefa is also seeking absolute guarantees from the Government that all media, broadcasters, sponsors and VIPs will be allowed to attend without quarantine issues.
      In addition, Uefa will ask the clubs who were involved in this season’s competition to give up part of their prize money to meet the estimated £20million-plus costs already incurred by the Turkish authorities ahead of the planned game at the Ataturk in Istanbul.
      A final decision is expected to come early this week.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Champions League final chaos for Chelsea and Man City fans as Turkey added to UK travel red list More

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      Chelsea verdict: ‘New Pep Guardiola’ Thomas Tuchel rapidly closing the gap between Blues and Man City with future bright

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      MANCHESTER CITY will be crowned Premier League champions this season – but Chelsea are closing the gap thanks to Thomas Tuchel.The Etihad giants’ quality under Pep Guardiola is unquestionable – with the Spaniard arguably the best coach on the planet.
      Man City boss Pep Guardiola is the best boss on the planet for now – but Chelsea’s Thomas Tuchel is catching up at a rate of knotsCredit: Rex
      But there is one man sprinting up behind him at lightning speed – Blues chief Tuchel.
      Just weeks after knocking him out of the FA Cup in the semi-final, Tuchel once again showed just how close his Chelsea side are to reaching City’s level by beating them 2-1 in their own back yard. 
      The German boss only arrived at Chelsea in January with the club struggling.
      But Tuchel has already shown everyone just how much of a tactical genius and motivator of players he can be. 
      The two teams meet each other in the Champions League final later this month – already proving the gap isn’t as large as the current Premier League standings suggest.
      Guardiola his built his excellent City side up over time and Tuchel is only just getting started.
      You just know Guardiola will be having a keen look over his shoulder to keep an eye on the German’s progression in the seasons to come.
      On Saturday, Tuchel took all three points to go third in the Premier League – and put City’s title party on hold, at least for another week.
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      There was little to separate the two sides, with both managers naming weakened teams following important Champions League matches in midweek.
      In truth there was little to separate the two sides – only further proving how far Chelsea have come in such a short period.
      City will win the league this season. That’s a given at this stage.
      But Chelsea could easily come away with the FA Cup and the Champions League – an outcome unthinkable around Christmas.
      Blues owner Roman Abramovich has always been obsessed with Guardiola as a coach and he would have done anything to get him in the Stamford Bridge dugout.
      But in Tuchel he has the ‘new Guardiola’ – and one thing is for sure: the future looks bright.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Champions League final chaos for Chelsea and Man City fans as Turkey added to UK travel red list More

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      Chelsea player ratings: Wasteful Werner killing Blues’ attacks with offsides but Gilmour sparkles in middle of the park

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      CHELSEA fought from behind to snatch a crucial three points in their pursuit of a top-four spot at Manchester City on Saturday.Raheem Sterling opened the scoring for the hosts before Sergio Aguero embarrassingly missed a Panenka-style penalty just before the break.
      Billy Gilmour shone as Hakim Ziyech got on the scoresheet against Man CityCredit: Reuters
      Hakim Ziyech equalised with a powerful low drive before Marcos Alonso snatched a winner in injury-time.
      But how did the Blues’ stars perform in the dress-rehearsal for the Champions League final?
      Here’s how SunSport rated the Blues’ stars.
      Edouard Mendy – 8/10
      Made some decent saves – as he did against Real Madrid midweek – and managed to thwart Aguero’s dreadful Panenka attempt with a simple save.
      Cesar Azpilicueta – 8
      The Spaniard was solid and battled hard as always.
      His attacking contributions are underrated and he set up Ziyech with a smart pass for a great goal.
      Andreas Christensen – 3
      He looked shattered and was over-committing in challenges. It was one of those that put Chelsea 1-0 down and saw him injure himself.
      Real shame with the form he has been in.
      Antonio Rudiger – 8
      Love the way he drives forward with the ball and he was full of pace and energy despite also playing in the Champions League win on Wednesday.
      Reece James – 8
      He wasn’t great in the first half and he kept misplacing passes, but he came out like a different beast in the second, motoring up and down the flank and contributing well in attack and defence. 
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      N’Golo Kante – 8
      The Frenchman was decent as expected, but Manchester City always seemed to have a player close to him and tried to keep him quiet.
      Kante was good though again and got rested in 67 minutes coming off for Jorginho.
      Billy Gilmour – 9
      The young Scot looked very calm and confident in the middle and he was actually orchestrating most of Chelsea’s good play.
      He was unfortunate to give away a penalty, which – luckily for him – was missed by Aguero. 
      Marcos Alonso – 8
      The wing-back was a bit quiet and I actually forgot he was playing at times, rarely touching the ball in the first half.
      But Alonso came into it a lot more as Chelsea stepped it up in the second half and scored the winner to put City’s title party on ice.
      Hakim Ziyech – 6
      Largely non-existent and gave the ball away a lot in the first half.
      But he improved a lot in the second half and scored a very good goal to equalise. 
      Timo Werner’s inability to stay onside is starting to hurt Chelsea in attackCredit: Rex
      Christian Pulisic – 7
      The American international was also largely far too quiet in the first half and didn’t get himself in the game enough despite a few bursts forward.
      But like the rest of the attackers, he improved immensely in the second half. 
      Timo Werner – 5
      He started the game well and his hold up play looked better.
      But Werner soon became too wasteful again in the final third and started to tire a little with far too many offsides. 
      SUBS: Kurt Zouma (for Christensen, HT) – 8
      He did a good job and what he needed to do when he came on at half time and made a very important tackle late on to keep Chelsea in the game.
      Jorginho (for Kante, 67) – 7
      Allowed for the energetic Kante to be rested, and was pretty solid in there.
      Callum Hudson-Odoi (for Ziyech, 75) – 7
      Energetic, and actually scored a good goal which was ruled out for offside unfortunately. 
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Champions League final chaos for Chelsea and Man City fans as Turkey added to UK travel red list More

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      Chelsea’s Champions League push fuelled by boozy Hell’s Angels advert Thomas Tuchel used as inspiration

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      CHELSEA’S rush for cup glory has been inspired by a boozy Hell’s Angels advert.The Blues are chasing Champions League and FA Cup trophies this month.
      Thomas Tuchel has used an old Carlsberg ad featuring Hells Angels to inspire his Chelsea starsCredit: Carlsberg
      Tuchel’s mental tactics have been spot on as he’s guided Chelsea to the Champions League finalCredit: The Sun
      Tuchel has tried to convince his Chelsea stars to not be scared of anyoneCredit: Carlsberg
      The on-pitch evolution has been taking place throughout a season which threatened to implode, as Frank Lampard was sacked and replaced with Thomas Tuchel.
      But the German, 47, has also been working to change the mentality of his stars – not least by using a two-minute advert featuring a pack of tattooed bikers to convince them not to be scared of anyone.
      The players were left bemused several weeks ago when they were called together at the club’s Cobham training ground to watch what they thought was a tactical film.
      Instead they were greeted by a video of a cinema packed full of Hell’s Angels in an ad made ten years ago by Carlsberg.
      Chelsea stars exchanged quizzical looks as they watched a series of couples enter the cinema to be confronted by the unsettling audience, with only two seats available right in the middle of the bikers.
      Some turned away immediately, visibly put off from taking a seat in among the 148-strong menacing audience, who were all staring at them as they walked into the auditorium.
      But those who did take their seats were greeted with cheers, applause and a bottle of the drink – as the advert-makers proved a point of showing how people should not be frightened of situations.
      Tuchel also made a point of telling his players they needed to be brave – and not scared of any situation or team who confronts them.
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      Tuchel’s bizarre tactics have clearly worked with Chelsea now in the finals of the FA Cup and Champions LeagueCredit: Carlsberg
      The advert was made by Carlsberg ten years ago – but is still serving a purpose to this dayCredit: Carlsberg

      His message was that the players must always be confident in themselves and their ability to perform, overcoming any internal doubts they may have.
      And the message obviously got through, as the Blues went on to see off LaLiga leaders Atletico Madrid in the last 16 – before dealing with Porto and Real Madrid with ease in the quarters and semis.
      It is just one of the off-the-wall tactics Tuchel has employed since arriving at Stamford Bridge to turn his group into one of the most efficient, difficult-to-beat teams around.
      The Blues boss has even admitted he takes advice from his daughters’ school teacher for tips on how to be a leader and inspire – plus says he will use examples from all walks of life in an attempt to get his message home.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Edouard Mendy and the Chelsea team celebrate in the dressing room after easy Real Madrid Champions League semi-final win More

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      Chelsea put Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri on transfer chopping block as they try to raise funds for summer spree

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      CHELSEA have reportedly put Marcos Alonso and Emerson Palmieri on the transfer list in order to raise funds for another summer spree.The two left-backs sit behind £50million man Ben Chilwell in Thomas Tuchel’s pecking order.
      Chelsea could cash-in on Marcos Alonso to fund their summer transfers, say reportsCredit: Getty
      The Blues could also part ways with Emerson Palmieri in a big summer overhaulCredit: AP
      And in a bid to raise funds for another big summer in the transfer market, the Blues are willing to let Alonso and Emerson leave, according to Goal.
      Alonso, 30, was frozen out under Frank Lampard – who was sacked in January – following a bust-up.
      Despite that, the Spaniard initially appeared to be Tuchel’s first choice shortly after his arrival at Stamford Bridge and was set for a Chelsea revival.
      However, Chilwell, 24, has played the last four Champions League games – including both legs of the semi-final win over Real Madrid – as well as the crunch top-four Premier League game with West Ham.
      Now Alonso is set to join Emerson, 26, on the transfer list, with Chilwell clear No1 choice.
      Emerson had looked set to quit last summer, with a move to Serie A seemingly on the cards.
      Napoli, Juventus and Inter Milan had seemed keen to bring the outcast left-back to Italy, but the switch never materialised.
      Emerson hasn’t played in the Premier League under Tuchel this season, limited to two brief cameos off the bench in Europe – scoring in the last-16 tie with Atletico Madrid.
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      Ben Chilwell has established himself as Chelsea’s No1 left-back this seasonCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd

      Both Alonso – who won the Premier League title in his first season in West London in 2016-17 – and Emerson are out of contract at the end of next season.
      And Chelsea want to cash-in this summer rather than allow them to walk away on a free.
      They will use any funds raised to sign a new striker, with Tuchel keen to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
      Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud could also be sold to raise money as Chelsea eye another big summer, having spent over £250m on new faces last year.
      ⚽ Read our Football live blog for the very latest news from around the grounds
      Edouard Mendy and the Chelsea team celebrate in the dressing room after easy Real Madrid Champions League semi-final win More

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      Chelsea stars will pocket a whopping £5m bonus if they win Champions League and are already guaranteed £5m

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      CHELSEA stars can double their money and scoop a £10million bonus if they are crowned European champions.The squad is already set to share a £5m windfall as reward for beating Real Madrid to reach the final later this month.
      Chelsea are in line to double their money and earn a £10m bonus if they win the Champions League this seasonCredit: Instagram
      The Blues beat Real Madrid 2-0 on Wednesday night to book their spot in the Istanbul finalCredit: Getty
      They face Manchester City in Istanbul three weeks on Saturday in the third all-English final.
      The bonus package was agreed at the start of the season when nobody gave Chelsea a hope of winning the Champions League for a second time.
      They will be underdogs against City in Turkey later this month.
      But fear nobody after overcoming 13-time European champions Real Madrid in the semis.
      SunSport revealed that mega-rich City’s squad will trouser around £15m from a bonus pot with some players getting more than others.
      Mason Mount and Timo Werner scored the goals which put Chelsea through 3-1 on aggregate against the Spanish giants.
      But Werner has been quick to pay tribute to modest midfielder N’Golo Kante for his starring role.
      Kante hopes to negotiate a new contract this summer when he will have just two years left on his current deal.
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      Werner said: “N’Golo is always really important for us.
      “He’s a beast, to win the ball and fight and run all over the place.
      “The manager tells us every time he is playing that we play with two players.
      “He’s a really good guy, plays so good, and also last night how he ran next to me and created a chance and also when he ran with the ball, gave a pass to Christian at the second goal.
      “He’s so important to us and I’m very glad we have him in our squad.”
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      N’Golo Kante waves to wild Chelsea fans while driving off in Mini as Tuchel celebrates outside stadium after Real win More