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      Julian Alvarez’s Man City future ‘in doubt’ as European giants launch transfer enquiry for striker

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      BAYERN MUNICH are interested in signing Manchester City star Julian Alvarez, according to reports.The Bundesliga giants are on the lookout for a striker to replace Robert Lewandowski following his departure last summer.
      Bayern Munich want to sign Julian AlvarezCredit: Alamy
      And it appears they could be ready to spend big as they are set to miss out on the league title to Borussia Dortmund.
      According to Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Bayern want to sign Alvarez.
      Thomas Tuchel’s side have reportedly made an enquiry about the World Cup winner’s availability.
      And it is possible he could leave with Alvarez keen to play regular football – he has been restricted to just 12 Prem starts this season.
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      However the 23-year-old did recently sign a one-year contract extension on improved terms to extend his stay until 2028.
      He scored after starting against Chelsea on Sunday and netted in a substitute appearance against Real Madrid last week too.
      And it is possible he will be handed a start by Pep Guardiola in the FA Cup or Champions League finals.
      But City legend Sergio Aguero believes his compatriot deserves more game time and cannot understand why Alvarez is so often left out.
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      He said: “What I don’t understand is why he didn’t play Julián [Alvarez] I wonder, but well it’s Pep. He doesn’t favour anyone.
      “If it was up to me, I’d play Julián in almost every game – we need him to be active and have a spark,” More

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      Liverpool star Andy Robertson lined up for shock £40m Real Madrid transfer as Spaniards seek natural left-back

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      ANDY ROBERTSON is a shock transfer target for Real Madrid, reports say. The Spaniards have been forced to improvise this season by playing Eduardo Camavinga at left-back.
      Andy Robertson is reportedly a shock transfer target for Real MadridCredit: Getty
      It comes after Ferland Mendy, 27, spent much of the season ruled out through injuries.
      Mendy is now being linked with a move away from the Bernabeu while Camavinga, 20, wants to shift back into midfield.
      So Real are in the market for a left-back and according to the Daily Mail, Liverpool’s Robertson are on their list.
      And it is believed the Scottish international, 29, would cost in the region of £40million.
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      Real have also been heavily linked with Bayern Munich’s Alphonso Davies, 22.
      But the Canadian – contracted until 2025 – is strictly not for sale and the German champions are hoping to extend his deal.
      In another blow to Liverpool, Real look close to wrapping up a deal to sign England star Jude Bellingham.
      Personal terms are understood to have already been agreed.
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      The contract would keep him in the Spanish capital until 2029 with a pay package worth more than £17million-a-year.
      Real are set to pay a”fixed” amount of just over £87m for Bellingham, with bonuses also being added.
      The chase saw Liverpool pull out of the race due to a quoted asking price of £131m as they turn their attention to new midfield targets.
      Jude Bellingham is close to signing for Real MadridCredit: Getty More

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      Erling Haaland reassured over Luton facilities as Man City ace told ‘you’ll walk through the other s*** entrance’

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      ERLING HAALAND and his fellow Premier League superstars have been told they should embrace playing at Luton’s old rickety Kenilworth Road if the club gets promoted on Saturday.Although the Manchester City ace loves playing away at lavish surroundings such as Old Trafford, the Emirates and Anfield, he will find playing at the 118-year-old 10,356-capacity stadium a completely different experience.
      The main entrance to Kenilworth Road sits under a bridge
      The away entrance to Kenilworth Road runs under nearby houses
      Hatters chief executive Gary Sweet told SunSport: “We might have to give our entrances a lick of paint and a new sign but let’s embrace this. 
      “It annoys me but makes me giggle when you read on social media about how our away fans’ entrance goes through gardens.
      “It’s been like that before the Second World War — so why is it raised now just because we might be going into the Premier League?
      “Haaland isn’t going to walk through that entrance. He’s going to walk through the other s**t entrance we’ve got. This is what we’ve got guys — so embrace it.
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      “People poke fun at our ground but it doesn’t bother us. We’ve got thick skins here and it perhaps shows a bit of fear from other teams.
      “Our ground will be an asset to the Premier League. This is proper, real life football. This is history and tradition happening right here.
      “This isn’t a sterile atmosphere bowl of a stadium where not much goes on.
      “This is lively, this is emotion, white knuckle, this is tears and joy, everything in this stadium is a cauldron. If you can’t embrace it, you don’t like football.”
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      Luton take on Coventry in the Championship play-off final for a £200million windfall to the winner — just NINE years after playing non-league.
      And this season the Hatters finished third with the THIRD LOWEST wage bill. Even several clubs in League One have bigger budgets.
      And Sweet said: “It shows we can achieve something with what we’ve got and it’s a great story for those people who don’t need lavish surroundings to succeed. 
      “You can do it with hard work, intelligence, guile, sensible financial management and determined commitment from everyone pulling in the same direction without having a swanky stadium.
      “It’s a beautiful stadium by the way — the old girl is beautiful.”
      But if the club do beat the Sky Blues at Wembley, they will have to spend around £10million and have just FOURTEEN weeks to bring the ground up to Premier League standards.
      Luton CEO Gary Sweet says anyone who cannot embrace the uniqueness of Kenilworth Road cannot love football
      Erling Haaland could be visiting Kenilworth Road next season
      The club must build a new stand where the executive boxes are currently situated — traditionally known as the Bobber Stand. It will include a media centre for journalists and broadcasters. 
      They must erect a new television gantry as well as a media conference room to seat 70 people as well as at least 50 seats for media and league data providers.
      With the Premier League having 100 contracts with broadcasters around the world, the club must have in place 15 international TV commentary positions and a further 15 for radio. 
      Also the floodlights need to be upgraded.
      Sweet said: “We have climbed from non-league to this position in nine years — so I’m sure we can sort out the ground in 14 weeks!”
      Meanwhile, Sweet says it Is all systems go to move into a new stadium Power Court — which will initially have a 19,200 capacity with scope to increase that to 23,000.
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      But the club must wait for the removal of an old electric sub station to be removed from the site before they can get work underway. The stadium is currently at pre-application stage.
      Sweet said: “The new stadium and Premier League football could be worth dozens of millions, perhaps more than £100m, to Luton and the locality.” More

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      Arsenal handed huge Moises Caicedo transfer boost as De Zerbi tells Brighton star ‘you can go if you want’

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      BRIGHTON boss Roberto De Zerbi has told star duo Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo: “If you want to go, you can go.”But he still hopes Europa League qualification could convince the Seagulls’ biggest stars to snub offers from the Premier League elite.
      Moises Caicedo has been told he can leave BrightonCredit: Getty
      And the same applies to Alexis Mac AllisterCredit: Getty
      And the Italian coach has demanded owner Tony Bloom improves the squad or risk ending up like Leicester or West Ham.
      The Seagulls have confirmed European football next season for the first time in their history — and can clinch sixth and a Europa League spot if they avoid defeat at home to champions Manchester City tonight.
      Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo and Kaoru Mitoma are on the radar of several top-flight giants, including Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United.
      De Zerbi put the brakes on Caicedo joining the Gunners in January for £70million.
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      On whether this could be the last home game for the likes of him and Mac Allister, De Zerbi explained: “It can be.
      “They can have the possibility to change as they deserve to play at another level but now we can offer them the possibility to play in Europe.
      “Our level is bigger now. I think it can help.
      “The Europa Conference League is a very nice competition but everybody can see the Europa is more important.
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      “I don’t know if they can change. They will have more motivation but they are very good guys.
      “When I work for myself and my club, I still think for the players.
      “The players have one career, one life and we can’t decide for them. I don’t know what Tony will decide but if they want to leave, it is right they leave.”
      De Zerbi has also been linked with other jobs after a stellar eight months at Brighton but the 43-year-old insists he will stay as long as he feels “fire and motivation”.
      However, the message is clear to Bloom — more quality is needed to avoid a collapse like those at relegation battlers Leicester and West Ham, who both finished in the top eight last year.
      De Zerbi said: “I push with Tony to improve the squad every day.
      “Leicester, West Ham this year — if you don’t improve always year by year you can find a  surprise the year after.”
      Brighton will give City a guard of honour and De Zerbi said their boss Pep Guardiola gave him an encouraging call when he arrived in September.
      He added: “Pep is the best coach in the Premier League, the best coach in the past 30 years.” More

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      Newcastle set to earn less than half Man City’s Champions League money as they have NO ranking points

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      NEWCASTLE’S Champions League pot of gold is set to be less than HALF of the Prem’s other three contenders.Eddie Howe’s men have earned the club a place back in the European elite for the first time since the 2002-03 season under Bobby Robson.
      Newcastle will receive less than half of the other Prem clubs that have qualified for the Champions LeagueCredit: Reuters
      Pep Guardiola’s Man City will collect at least £58.06millionCredit: PA
      But a full decade without any Euro football will hurt them when Uefa dole out the Champions League cash in September.
      While Manchester City are assured of a minimum £58.06million before they even kick a ball, New­castle may start with just £21.5m, less than half the likely fees paid to both Arsenal and Manchester United, who need one point from their final two games to book a top-four spot.
      That is due to the Toon taking a tiny share of the controversial “ten-year historical coefficient pot”.
      The £522m pot is divided on a sliding scale, with top-rated qualifiers Real Madrid taking £31.65m and City, fourth in the rankings, earning £28.67m.
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      But Newcastle, due to their long European exile, have NO ranking points.
      Instead, they will be assigned one fifth of the English coefficient of 37.635 —  just 7.527 ranking points.
      That almost certainly means Newcastle will be the lowest-ranked qualifiers and take just £989,000 from that pot. Manchester United will pick up £24.72m and  Arsenal £21.75m.
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      The total Champions League prize fund of  £1.77billion per season is split into three portions —  historical rankings, performance-related merit payments, and  TV “market pool” for each country.
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      All four English sides earn the same £13.6m qualification payment.
      But with the Toon looking more likely to finish fourth — Manchester United will go third with a win over Chelsea tomorrow — they will get a smaller cut of the  TV pool.
      BT’s mega-deal, which continues under the new TNT Sports label, means the English pot of £57.6m is the biggest in Europe.
      The first half is paid out according to the Prem positions, with champs City taking 40 per cent — £11.52m —  and the fourth-placed team just a tenth, or £2.88m.
      Erik ten Hag’s  United, if they finish third, will get a fraction MORE than Arsenal — £48.11m — because of that extra coefficient payment.But even finishing third would only bag Newcastle a total of £24.38m. More

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      Pep Guardiola wants Man City case heard NOW as club face waiting years for Prem verdict on 115 charges

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      PEP GUARDIOLA wants the Prem’s case against Manchester City for alleged financial wrongdoing to be heard NOW — so they can clear their name.Top-flight chiefs hit Pep’s Treble chasers with 115 charges back in February, all dated between 2009-18.
      Pep Guardiola wants the Premier League’s case against Manchester City heard nowCredit: Reuters
      The club are facing 115 charges dated between 2009-18Credit: Reuters
      Many claim the allegations have cast a shadow over the club’s amazing achievements.
      Some experts predict it could take two to four years to resolve.But Guardiola wants it sorted ASAP to prove once and for all City have done things by the book since their Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008.
      The Etihad chief said: “What I would like is if the Premier League and judges could do something as soon as possible — so if we have done something wrong everybody will know it.
      “And if we are — like we believe we are — a club that for many years has done things the right way, then people will stop talking about it.
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      “We would love it to be tomorrow — this afternoon would be better. We would love that.
      “Hopefully, they are not so busy and the judges can see both sides and decide what is the best.
      “In the end, I know fairly what we won on the pitch and we don’t have any doubts.”
      City have not lost a game since the charges were brought in early February and won a third straight Prem title at the weekend.
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      They are now just two matches away from a historic Treble of the title, FA Cup and Champions League.
      Former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach Guardiola added: “We accept it is there. If it happened, it happened.
      “It was the same with Uefa and now it’s the Premier League.
      “So let’s go, in 24 hours, sit down and let the lawyers present.
      “Don’t wait two years. Let’s have it as soon as possible for the benefit of everyone.
      “We want to defend our principles and if people doubt, OK, let’s do it as soon as possible, please.”
      Guardiola signed a two-year contract extension in November, which keeps him at the Etihad until summer 2025.
      He insists he will not leave while the charges are hanging over his club — but there have been suggestions he could quit if City pull off the Treble.
      They face Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3 and take on Inter Milan for the European Cup a week later.
      But 52-year-old Pep said: “I will stay next season while there are 110 breaches against us. Don’t worry.
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      “But I don’t know what I’m going to feel winning or losing in the two chances we have.
      “I have a contract and when I sign it, I want to respect the club.” More

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      I managed Luton in the National League, I never cry but I’ll shed a tear if they get to the Prem

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      JOHN STILL is not a man who gets emotional but admits he may shed a tear at Wembley if Luton win promotion to the Premier League.For the legendary lower-league boss set the Hatters on a journey from non-league to within 90 minutes of the top flight in NINE years.
      John Still was the man who put Luton back on the upward curve
      When Still took charge at Kenilworth Road in 2013, the club was not a happy place. They were about to start their fifth season in the National League.
      But the East Londoner — who has managed Leytonstone, Dartford, Maidstone, Redbridge Forest, Dagenham, Peterborough and Barnet — led them to the title and promotion back into the EFL.
      Still said: “The club was on its knees. They felt wronged by the football authorities after having all those points deductions that saw them slide from the Championship.
      “The National League is a hard division to get out of and everyone was losing heart.
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      “It was clear after a few games the fans were not with us. There was no unity at the club. That was the first thing I had to rectify.
      “People told me when I took over if Luton were not 1-0 up after 15 minutes, the crowd would turn.
      “And we had a few episodes where I had to speak out about that. I asked the supporters, ‘What would happen if the crowd didn’t turn on us?’
      “The opposition were always waiting for supporters to go against us. It hadn’t helped the team. We only won two of our opening eight games.
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      “We gradually changed that and the fans kept with us.
      “After a game, I’d get the players around the centre circle and have a fan out there with us to listen in. These sort of things helped unite everyone.”
      Still points to the fact Wrexham have just managed to escape from the National League after 15 years — and Luton had to overcome the trauma of no longer being an EFL club to stand a chance of becoming one again.
      He said: “You must accept you’re no longer a League club, embrace the division and play a different way than what you’ve been used to.
      “Otherwise you’ll struggle like teams such as Scunthorpe and Oldham!”
      Still spent almost two-and-a-half seasons at Kenilworth Road and not only did he put them on their upwards trajectory but also midfielder Pelly Ruddock and defender Dan Potts too.
      Ruddock, 29, was just 19 when he played for the club in the National League, on loan from West Ham before the move was made permanent.
      And Still said: “We paid just £25,000 for him. It’s amazing he’s gone from non-league to within a play-off final away from the Premier League with one club. That’s unique.
      “Sometimes when you change managers — from me to Nathan Jones then to Mick Harford, back to Nathan and now Rob Edwards — they will have different ideas. 
      John Still is surrounded by jubilant Hatters fans after their promotion in 2014
      ”So to be there through various managers, to have to take on their ideas which might be different is a fantastic testimony for him.
      “I’ve always had this thing for young, hungry players and Pelly fits that bill and was maybe someone who wouldn’t get an opportunity in the Premier League. I thought he might do well for us.
      “He was ambitious and has fallen into the category of being the right player at the right club at the right time. He’s grown with the club.
      “Pelly has developed his skills as well as his mentality. Having a good attitude, working hard, listening, taking information, you can’t be taught that. That’s down to you and takes zero skills. You must have those ingredients and, in Pelly’s case, he did.”
      Potts, meanwhile, was 21 when he made the move from the Hammers when Luton were in League Two eight years ago.
      John Still wearing his Conference winners medal in 2014
      He said: “I knew Dan’s dad, former West Ham defender Steve Potts. I lived close to Chadwell Heath where they trained. I knew Dan. He had to overcome leukaemia when he was a kid and got himself going again.
      “I thought he was an ideal person to come to us and rebuild his career. I knew he had the same mentality as his dad so thought it was no gamble.”
      Still will be at Wembley as a club guest on Saturday.
      I ask the legendary boss if he will shed a tear if the Hatters win promotion?
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      He said: “I’m not that sort of person but I think there will be because when I look back at where the club was when I went there to where it is now it’s extraordinary.
      “At Wembley I will be watching alongside wonderful Luton legends such as David Pleat and Mick Harford — and if I am seen as having played just a fraction of a part of their history then I’m delighted to have been that fraction.” More

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      Surprising thing Premier League aces should have done if they want to play better, according to surgeon

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      FOOTBALL stars who have hair transplants play better once they have their new barnet, an expert claims.The procedure gives them fresh confidence — leading to better performances on the pitch, according to Dr Victor Hasson.
      An expert claims that footie stars who have hair transplants, such as Wayne Rooney, play better after having surgeryCredit: PA
      Dr Victor Hasson says Rooney removed the stigma by going public after his 2011 treatmentCredit: PA
      He said he has worked on many Premier League aces “whose lives have been changed”.
      He said: “They are able to perform at a high level when they have that confidence.
      “It is tremendous to have that self belief.”
      He said he would never reveal his clients’ names unless they spoke about their ops first, but he is best known for former Spurs boss Antonio Conte’s transplant.
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      And Dr Hasson — who has carried out 20,000 ops at his Hasson & Wong Hair Transplant Clinic in Vancouver — hailed Wayne Rooney for going public after his 2011 treatment.
      He added: “Rooney removed the stigma.
      “Even in Canada, people were talking about him.”
      Dr Luciano Sciacca, a hair transplant surgeon at the Wimpole Clinic in London’s Harley Street, agreed a new head of hair boosted players.
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      He was responsible for 27-year-old Rob Holding’s transformation — with the Arsenal defender now needing to wear an Alice band.
      Michael Panayiotis Kokotsis, marketing boss at the clinic, told the Daily Telegraph yesterday: “Rob has been great for our business.
      “Lots of young men look at him losing his hair and say, ‘Wow, that’s me’.
      “He is a walking advertisement for what a fantastic hair transplant looks like.”
      Dr Hasson is best known for former Spurs boss Antonio Conte’s treatmentCredit: Supplied
      The expert says that the procedure gives footie stars fresh confidence, which shows up on the pitchCredit: Getty More