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      Man Utd ‘to cover £100,000 a WEEK of Jadon Sancho’s wages during Borussia Dortmund loan after £73m flop frozen out’

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      BORUSSIA DORTMUND are demanding Manchester United pay a third of Jadon Sancho’s wages, according to reports.Talks between the clubs are progressing over a potential loan move this January.
      Jadon Sancho could seal a return to Borussia Dortmund this monthCredit: Getty
      Sancho, 23, is open to ending his Old Trafford nightmare and rejoining his former club.
      But Dortmund are not willing to pay his entire £290,000-a-week salary as it is out of their budget, claim the Mail.
      Therefore, the German giants are demanding Man Utd pay £100,000 of his wages every week.
      It means the Red Devils will hand Sancho around £2.5m to play elsewhere until the end of this season should they agree to the proposal.
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      However, United would save £5m from getting a portion of his wages off the books, which will help the club meet FFP regulations.
      Reports suggest that there will be no obligation to buy Sancho included in the deal.
      But Dortmund may have to pay more for the loan if clauses based on appearances made and Champions League qualification are met.
      Sancho has not played for Man Utd since a public fall out with Erik ten Hag in September.
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      The exiled £73m star claimed the manager made him a “scapegoat”.
      Sancho refused to apologise and has since been banned from training and all first-team facilities.
      Meanwhile, Dortmund are closing in on the loan signing of Chelsea star Ian Maatsen. More

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      I held transfer talks with Tottenham… but joined Arsenal after Spurs paid for a taxi to take me there

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      EMMANUEL PETIT opened up about Arsenal’s mastermind plan to hijack Tottenham’s move for the Frenchman in 1997.And the former midfielder revealed Spurs even paid for his taxi ride to Arsene Wenger’s house.
      Petit held transfer talks with Tottenham before signing for Arsenal in 1997Credit: Getty – Contributor
      Petit revealed Spurs even paid for a taxi to Arsene Wenger’s houseCredit: PA:Empics Sport
      Petit’s former Monaco boss Wenger joined the Gunners in 1996 and transformed the club.
      And a year later the star found himself in London with Spurs chairman Alan Sugar to talk about a transfer from Monaco to White Hart Lane.
      But as soon as Wenger heard about his former player in the capital he made sure Petit heard his pitch first before signing anything.
      So after his chat with Tottenham, the player asked them for some time to think about the offer at his hotel.
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      The North London club even paid for his taxi back but the car did a detour to Wenger’s house, where he then sealed a deal with the Gunners for £2.5million.
      He said on talkSPORT: “I had meetings on the same day with Tottenham and Arsenal.
      “I met Tottenham in the morning, but when I came to England I didn’t know about the rivalry between the two clubs.
      “When I left the Spurs stadium, they booked me a cab and the cab driver asked me for directions, so I gave him the Arsenal address and I didn’t realise that the cab was pre-paid by Spurs, so they knew where I was going!
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      “I told Spurs that I needed time to think about it but knew that I had to see Arsenal, as well as other clubs in Italy and Spain.
      “I told everyone that I’d make my mind up and when I knew the answer I would give it, but after a couple of days I signed for Arsenal and it went into newspapers and all of a sudden the story came.
      “I realised the pressure of the rivalry then.”
      Arsenal were challenging for Premier League glory while Spurs were battling it out in the relegation zone in the 1997-98 season.
      By the end of Petit’s first campaign, he was a Premier League and FA Cup winner.
      And that summer he and Arsenal midfield partner Patrick Vieira helped France to the World Cup.
      Spurs struggled through the season and ended up finishing in 14th.
      Petit left Arsenal in 2000 for Barcelona and returned to England and joined Chelsea in 2001, retiring at the club in 2004. More

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      I’m an ex-Arsenal star, Arteta should sign ‘more complete striker’ than Ivan Toney, I wouldn’t pay Brentford’s price tag

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      FORMER Arsenal star Mikael Silvestre revealed Mikel Arteta should sign striker Victor Osimhen instead of Ivan Toney.The Spaniard is desperate for a “more complete striker” after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup in their 2-0 defeat by Liverpool on Sunday.
      Mikael Silvestre revealed which striker Mikel Arteta should signCredit: Getty – Contributor
      Silvestre revealed Arsenal should not sign Ivan ToneyCredit: Alamy
      The former Arsenal star prefers Napoli’s Victor Osimhen as a No9 option for the GunnersCredit: Getty
      Toney prepares to return from his eight-month suspension for breaching FA betting rules.
      And the Brentford striker, 27, has been linked with a move to North London this month.
      But Silvestre believes the Bees’ £100million asking price for the one-cap England centre-forward is way too high.
      He told GGRecon: “I think £100m is extremely high. I know goalscorers are very rare, but that’s too much money for Ivan. I don’t believe that price is a true reflection of his quality.”
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      However, Osimhen, 25, who has a reported £112m release clause in his contract would be a better value for money for Arteta’s side.
      He continued: “In my eyes, Victor’s a more complete striker than Ivan Toney. I believe his style would be better suited to Arsenal too.
      “As soon as Osimhen joined Napoli from Lille, he needed six months to adapt and then after that, he became a real threat and scored a lot of goals.
      “He was key to Napoli winning the Serie A title last season and for the reasons I’ve provided, I would prefer Arsenal to sign Osimhen over Ivan Toney.”
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      The Napoli star bagged 26 goals last season, helping the Italian club win their first Serie A title in 33 years.
      This season he has continued his sensational form with seven goals and two assists in just 13 league games.
      And after Arsenal’s exit from the FA Cup it is clear they need a proper goalscorer.
      Arteta’s side have one win in their last seven in all competitions, but more worryingly, have had 48 shots in their last two home outings without hitting the back of the net.
      The Spaniard has tried three different strikers in their last three games – Gabriel Jesus, Eddie Nketiah and Kai Havertz – but they have scored just one goal, by Bukayo Saka at Fulham.
      Silvestre believes the Gunners should be prioritising bringing in a striker this month.
      He added: “Considering the lack of effectiveness from the front three or four, I believe a striker will be the priority for Arsenal in the January transfer window.” More

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      Sir Jim Ratcliffe told to REBUILD Old Trafford as INEOS chief warned of huge project after Man Utd investment

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      MANCHESTER UNITED hero Lee Sharpe has warned new club chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe that he faces a “big project” after his recent investment.And that includes an Old Trafford rebuild.
      Manchester United hero Lee Sharpe warned Sir Jim Ratcliffe he is facing a ‘big project’Credit: PA
      Sharpe believes Ratcliffe needs to rebuild Man Utd’s iconic Old TraffordCredit: Reuters
      Sharpe claims Man Utd’s Carrington training ground also needs a ‘refurb and a reshuffle’Credit: Getty
      Ratcliffe has completed his long-awaited 25 per cent investment of United, pending final approval from the Premier League.
      Sir Jim will be in charge of all sporting matters regarding the men’s and women’s teams along with the academy.
      The Ineos chief is facing a massive task that includes improving Erik ten Hag’s struggling team and upgrading the club.
      And Sharpe advised the 71-year-old to start by rebuilding Old Trafford to compete with Arsenal’s Emirates and the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
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      United fans have repeatedly complained about the state of the Theatre of Dreams, which includes cracks on the ceiling that have led to water leaking through.
      Former winger Sharpe also believes the Red Devils’ Carrington training ground needs a “refurb and a reshuffle”.
      Ratcliffe is expected to invest £237million into the club’s infrastructure after his £1.3billion minority share takeover last month.
      And Sharpe is confident Britain’s richest man can change the club’s fortunes along with Sir Dave Brailsford after they held a “positive” meeting with players and staff at Carrington last week.
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      But the former England international has warned Ratcliffe not to sack Ten Hag despite the Manchester giants’ turbulent campaign, which sees them sitting eighth in the Premier League and out of Europe..
      Sharpe told SunSport on behalf of Fruityslots.com: “I think we’re looking for stability. I think stability, I think support. I think he’s already came in and gave everybody a bit of a pep talk and a bit of a motivational speech.
      “I think everybody’s pleased to have him now. I think they like to see his sort of ambitions and his aims for the club. So it’ll be interesting to see what happens and how much input he actually has, and how much the manager can still retain his input.
      “And how the manager keeps a strong say in transfers on who goes, who comes in and who goes out. So it’ll be interesting to see how the dynamic works.
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      Sharpe is confident Ratcliffe will turn Man Utd’s fortunes aroundCredit: Getty
      Sharpe believes Ratcliffe and Sir Dave Brailsford will change Man Utd’s fortunesCredit: Getty
      “But I think Jim Ratcliffe has already got them on a positive foot. Spoken to the players, spoken to the staff, and already had a bigger response than the Glaziers have had in 15 or 20 years they’ve been in charge.
      “So you know, I don’t think it’s time to sack the manager just yet. Let’s hope that Sir Jim Ratcliffe can give the manager the support he needs and we can turn the results around.
      “I think there’s a lot of things [that need to be done] I think the ground probably needs a rebuild to be fair.
      “If It’s gonna keep up with the likes of the Emirates and the Tottenham Stadium and the things that are going on.
      “Manchester United, you know, classify themselves as the biggest if not one of the biggest clubs in the world and they need the best facilities, the best ground.
      “I think the training ground at Carrington probably needs a refurb and a reshuffle. They probably need a couple of players so it’s a big project. Brailsford has been in cycling, we’re not sure how that translates back to football.
      “But he certainly did a great job with Great Britain cycle team, let’s hope he can do the same with the club.
      “It’s all about relationships now and how they build those relationships and the manager has to have trust in in the people that are coming in above him.
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      “And then it’s about the manager laying down his foundations of how he sees the team playing, what sort of players he’s looking for.
      “And for the people above him to go and get the players that he’s asked for.” More

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      Man Utd legend Rio Ferdinand slams ‘overhyped’ Premier League star dubbed ‘next Steven Gerrard’ by fans

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      RIO FERDINAND does not believe Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai deserves all the praise he has received since arriving at Anfield.The Hungarian star, 23, has made an impressive start to life in the Premier League as part of Jurgen Klopp’s rejuvenated side.
      Dominik Szoboszlai has made a superb start to life at AnfieldCredit: PA
      Rio Ferdinand believes Szoboszlai has been overhypedCredit: Getty
      Alongside the likes of Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Wataru Endo, Szoboszlai has led Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table at the turn of the year.
      He has scored four goals and provided three assists in 26 matches for the Reds.
      Some of his performances have seen him compared to iconic Liverpool talisman Steven Gerrard – who played 710 games for the club and is widely regarded to be one of their greatest players.
      Yet despite receiving heaps of praise, Manchester United legend Ferdinand, 45, is not completely sold on the ex-RB Leipzig man.
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      Speaking on his Vibe with Five YouTube channel, he said: “I know everyone is hyping him, but I don’t think Dominik Szoboszlai has done [as well as people make out].
      “He’s a good player but people are saying ‘oh, he’s the next [Steven] Gerrard!’ and I haven’t seen that yet.
      “I see bare of their [fans’] comments. But one of my mates in my group always says it [that he is the next Gerrard].
      “But he is easy on the eye.”
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      Szoboszlai has been compared by some fans to Liverpool icon Steven GerrardCredit: AFP
      Liverpool sit 14 points clear of Ferdinand’s former club Man Utd – who are languishing in eighth.
      Bruno Fernandes and Marcus Rashford are the only two of Erik ten Hag’s players to have registered more goal contributions than Szoboszlai in all competitions so far this season.
      But the Liverpool midfielder is not expected to be available for his side’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham on Wednesday after picking up a hamstring problem which kept him out of their 2-0 win over Arsenal in the FA Cup.
      Giving an update on Szoboszlai before their win at the Emirates, Klopp said: “We will have to see [if he can play against Fulham].
      “Dom is very positive, not a lot of pain but no chance for Sunday. Not for then Wednesday. Then we will see.
      “After that, hopefully, he might be back but we don’t know.” More

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      Erik ten Hag gave simple two-word team talk in Man Utd dressing room after Wigan FA Cup win

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      ERIK TEN HAG told his players “job done” after Manchester United’s 2-0 FA Cup victory over Wigan on Monday night.After a nervous start which saw Andre Onana making an early save at the DW Stadium, the Red Devils coasted through to the fourth round.
      Manchester United secured a 2-0 win against Wigan on Monday night with Bruno’s penaltyCredit: Getty
      With a difficult start to the season, the Red Devils have secured a favourable next round tie against either Newport or Eastleigh away.
      Diogo Dalot’s strike opened the scoreline for United before Bruno Fernandes won and converted a penalty after half-time.
      Ten Hag admitted he was satisfied with the result but gave a very simple team talk after the match.
      He said to ITV: “The FA Cup is all about winning, it is knockout. You want to finish the job. That is what I said in the dressing room, ‘job done’.”
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      Rasmus Hojlund, Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay all missed golden opportunities to make the win more comfortable.
      And Ten Hag felt his side could have made more of their opportunities.
      Speaking on their slip-ups against the League One side Ten Hag added: “In the first half I think we created five or six very good chances.
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      “I think it was very good football. We should have taken more, but if you don’t score you have to stay focused and I think we did that tonight.
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      “I don’t know why the chances were misses. You can’t always say why you’ve missed chances.
      “There were some good attacks and good chances, but we didn’t take them, but the way we created them was OK.”
      United will turn their heads back to the Premier League as they prepare to take on Tottenham on Sunday at Old Trafford.
      Ten Hag’s side needs a victory in their battle for a place in Europe next term.
      Speaking on his chances of winning the FA Cup, the former Ajax boss said: “It is too far. You have to go game to game, especially in the Cup. Our focus is on Spurs now.” More

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      Brighton ‘closing in’ on stunning transfer for most bought star on FM24 after beating Man City to sign wonderkid

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      BRIGHTON are set to sign Argentinian wonderkid Valentin Barco, according to reports.The 19-year-old has been on the radar of several top clubs since the summer.
      Valentin Barco is wanted by Brighton and Man CityCredit: Getty
      Brighton tried to snap him up prior to the start of this season but were unable to get a deal over the line.
      They have now re-entered talks with Boca Juniors and hope to sign Barco for £8million, claim the Mail.
      Brighton appear to be in pole position due to their reputation of improving young talents from South America.
      They brought the likes of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister over to Europe, going on to sell them to bigger clubs for huge fees.
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      Roberto De Zerbi’s men are also able to tempt Barco by offering him first-team opportunities.
      However, Manchester City are not out of the running yet and hope to hijack Brighton’s move.
      Barco is known to many fans via Football Manager as he is the most bought star on the game due to his high potential.
      The teenage sensation is predominately a left-back, but he can also play higher up the pitch as a winger.
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      He has featured 35 times for Boca Juniors, having first joined the club at the age of nine.
      Barco has also been capped twice by Argentina’s Under-23s. More

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      Newcastle vs Man City preview: Guardiola’s Treble winners look to close gap on Premier League table toppers

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      MANCHESTER CITY visit struggling Newcastle in the Premier League on Saturday. Pep Guardiola’s men are hoping to close the gap to Liverpool to two points with a win over the Magpies.
      Bruno Guimaraes will brilliant in Newcastle’s win over SunderlandCredit: Getty
      Kevin de Bruyne could return to Premier League action against NewcastleCredit: Getty
      Man City won the previous fixture between these two sides thanks to Julian Alvarez’s brilliant goal.
      Manchester City will be looking forward for the return of Kevin De Bruyne after the Belgian maestro came off the bench in a 5-0 win against Huddersfield Town.
      De Bruyne provided an assist for Jeremy Doku in a 33 minute cameo against the Championship strugglers.
      What is their form like?
      Newcastle United have the 3rd best home record in the Premier League by only loosing twice all season to Liverpool and quite recently, Nottingham Forest.
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      However recent form does not go for good reading for The Magpies.
      Eddie Howe’s men have endured seven defeats out of TEN matches in all competitions which has left his side currently sitting 9th in the league.
      After being 6 points adrift in early December, Manchester City have certainly found their form by being unbeaten in their last eight games in all competitions.
      Pep Guardiola’s men are currently leading the Premier League with the most goals with 45, which is seven goals less after 19 games in their treble winning season.
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      Not to mention, The Citizens away form in the league is better than any other side which makes Saturday a very compelling game due to Newcastle’s impressive home record at St .James’ Park.
      Who will be the star men?
      Fresh off a brace at the Stadium of Light, Alexander Isak is a man on a mission with the Newcastle forward scoring 13 goals in all competitions this season.
      The Swedish forward has already beaten his previous season tally which was 11 goals.

      If Newcastle end up getting a result on Saturday, there would be no surprise if Isak contributes to that with the striker scoring 4 goals in his last 3 games.
      Silky Phil Foden is in fine form this season with the midfield maestro scoring 11 goals and producing 8 assists for his side.
      Similarly, the Stockport born midfielder is also coming off the back of a brace last weekend by scoring two instinctive goals in the sides win over Huddersfield Town.

      The England International has certainly stepped up for the treble winning side after Premier League’s leading goal scorer Erling Haalandendured a small period on the side lines with an ankle injury.
      What is the team news?
      Injury hit Newcastle United still have several key players out for the fixture.
      Nick Pope, Matt Targett, Jacob Murphy, Harvey Barnes, Callum Wilson, Joe Willock and Elliot Anderson will be unavailable on Saturday.
      Brazilian midfielder, Joelinton, is currently being assessed ahead of the game.
      Manchester City will be without defender John Stones after sustaining an ankle injury at Goodison Park in late December.
      Bernardo Silva and Kalvin Phillips are expected to feature after the duo missed the FA Cup win against Huddersfield due to illness.
      Pep Guardiola will be hoping that his star man, Erling Haaland, will be available for the trip to St. James’.
      What have the managers said?
      Pep Guardiola said: “[Erling has had] two or three sessions and feels good. Hopefully, [he can play soon but], I don’t know for Sunday or for Newcastle.”
      Eddie Howe said after his sides win over Sunderland on the weekend that: “It’s been a frustrating time for us and our injuries are still a big problem.”
      “Physically we look stronger. That extra gear was back. And we’ve not just won the game but kept a clean sheet.”
      When is Newcastle v Man City?

      Newcastle United will face Manchester City on Saturday, January 13.

      The match is scheduled to get underway at 5:30pm GMT.
      St. James’ Park will host approximately 52,000 fans in Tyneside.

      What TV channel is Newcastle v Man City on and can it be live streamed?

      Newcastle United v Manchester City will be broadcasted LIVE on BT Sport 1 and BT Sport Ultimate.
      Coverage of the tie will be expected to be at 4:45pm GMT.
      Alternative, you can watch Newcastle United V Manchester City LIVE on the streaming platform, discovery+.

      SUNSPORT prediction
      Newcastle United 1-2 Manchester City
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      What are the odds?

      Newcastle to win 9/2
      Draw 16/5
      Manchester City to win 4/7

      *Odds courtesy of Ladbrokes and are correct at the time of publication. More