More stories

  • in

    Pochettino Spurs return EXCLUSIVE, Chelsea in for Sancho, Mbappe urgent PSG talks, Aguero LATEST – live transfer news

    MAURICIO POCHETTINO could make a stunning return to Tottenham, as exclusively revealed by SunSport.Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is considering trying to persuade their ex-boss to leave Paris Saint-Germain.
    Meanwhile, Sergio Aguero – who has played his final game for Man City – is closing in on a move to Barcelona next season.
    Chelsea are looking forward to the Champions League final – and reportedly eyeing a huge £80m swoop for in-demand England ace Jadon Sancho.
    And French superstar Kylian Mbappe could be on the move to the Spanish capital this summer, with reports suggesting he has an ‘agreement’ to join Los Blancos.
    WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game
    Follow ALL of the latest news and updates below…
    S-MART DECISIONS
    Tottenham are reportedly in talks with Belgium boss Roberto Martinez to become their new manager.
    Sky Sports claims Daniel Levy has identified the former Everton gaffer as the perfect man to replace Jose Mourinho.
    Spurs have now reached out to Martinez as he prepares for Belgium’s adventure at the Euros.
    And Sky add the Spanish tactician has already told friends he expects a return to club football later this summer.
    Euro 2020 could be Roberto Martinez’s final tournament in charge of Belgium
    AS LUK WOULD HAVE IT
    Luka Modric has signed a one-year contract extension at Real Madrid, keeping him at the club until 2022.
    The Croatian’s previous deal had been set to expire at the end of June.
    Some speculation had arisen that he could depart Santiago Bernabeu to try something new before the end of his career.
    But the former Spurs midfielder, 35, is loving life at Real Madrid as much as ever.
    Modric celebrated his extension by posing in front of a collection of Madrid’s European Cups, while holding aloft a shirt with ‘Modric 2022’ on the back.
    Alongside the image, Modric wrote on Instagram: “Happy and proud to continue wearing the jersey of the best team in the world. ✍️❤️🙏 #HalaMadrid”
    Luka Modric celebrated with Florentino PerezCredit: Instagram @realmadrid
    IN THE BAGG
    Frank Lampard is set to have talks with West Brom over the vacant Hawthorns manager’s job.
    Sam Allardyce quit the role after failing to stop the Baggies from being relegated.
    It was the first time Big Sam had ever experienced dropping out of the top-flight in more than 500 games as manager.
    West Brom chiefs are now on the hunt for a new boss to lead their Championship charge as they aim to break back into the Premier League at the first time of asking.
    Ex-Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder was an early frontrunner to take over.
    But Lampard is also on the club’s shortlist and is likely to be interviewed for the role.
    The former England midfielder has experienced life in the Championship before having managed Derby before taking over at Chelsea.

    WILF HUNTER
    Tottenham are reportedly competing with Everton in the race to prise Wilfried Zaha away from Crystal Palace.
    The 28-year-old winger is once again facing an uncertain future as he looks to depart Selhurst Park in his quest to win silverware.
    And with just two years left to run on his contract in South London, the Ivory Coast international is unlikely to pen a new deal.
    According to Goal, both Spurs and the Toffees are chasing Zaha, while long-term admirers Arsenal are claimed to be eyeing up Norwich’s Emiliano Buendia instead.
    Tottenham could press ahead with a move for Zaha if star striker Harry Kane is sold.
    Meanwhile Everton have retained their interest in the player after having two bids rejected for him in 2019.
    It has been stated that despite the Eagles looking to keep Zaha, he could be available for £40million.
    ARSEN-ALL OVER
    Willian is keen to quit Arsenal and re-join Chelsea just 12 months after leaving on a free, according to reports.
    The Brazilian forward, 32, walked away from Stamford Bridge last year after the Blues refused to offer him a three-year contract extension.
    Chelsea famously refuse to offer more than one-year extensions to players over the age of 30, but were willing to compromise and hand Willian a two-year deal.
    But Willian instead opted to sign a three-year deal at Arsenal.
    Things haven’t gone smoothly for the winger though, after a tricky debut season in North London.
    It’s now believed Willian and is keen to quit the Emirates – with a number of clubs monitoring his situation.
    Willian believed to have offers from across Europe, with David Beckham’s Inter Miami also keen.
    But Sky Sports now say the forward is keen to head back to Chelsea, where he played over 300 times in seven years – helping the club win two Premier League crowns.

    ENGLAND’S EUROS SQUAD BY CLUB

    BEST ENGLAND XI WHO MISSED OUT ON 33-MAN PROVISIONAL SQUAD

    ‘BACKED OFF’
    Jamie Vardy “backed off” from a move to Arsenal from Leicester after a meeting with Arsene Wenger in 2016.
    The Gunners matched the £20million release fee clause inserted in the striker’s contract at the time and soon opened talks with the hotshot.
    Vardy, who had just returned from Euro 2016 with England, scored 24 goals to fire Leicester to their magical Premier League title win the season previous.
    The ex-Fleetwood marksman looked set to leave the King Power to join Arsenal only to change his mind late on, and he still remains at the Foxes.
    He previously told Sun Sport: “I’ve always said the brotherhood at Leicester is unbelievable.
    “It wasn’t that big a decision, it was quite easy, this is where I wanted to be.”
    Now Dick Law, who was Arsenal’s transfer negotiator at the time, has now revealed how the deal broke down.
    He told The Athletic: “The deal with Leicester was done, the deal with the player was done.
    “He came down to visit with his wife Rebekah, he sat on the couch in front of Arsene…and then he backed off.
    “On his way back to Leicester I get a call from the player saying he wants to think about it overnight. At that point, you know it’s bad news.”

    XAVI SAYS NO TO BRAZIL
    IF the Brazil FA had it their way, then Barcelona legend Xavi would be next manager of the national team.
    Reports claimed that the Brazil FA made an offer to the former midfield maestro, who is the manager of Qatar Stars League club Al Sadd.
    He was to join the national team coaching staff now, with a view to taking over as head coach after the next World Cup. However, he turned down the offer.
    It is understandable if he thought that it was far too soon in his coaching career to be thinking of such a high pressure job in a country that he barely knows.

    LIGT’S OUT
    Matthijs de Ligt is angling for a move to Barcelona after growing discontent with life at Juventus, according to reports.
    The Dutch central defender, 21, had endured two difficult seasons in Turin following his high-profile move from Ajax in 2019.
    Juventus forked out a whopping £67.5million on the youngster, beating competition from Barca for his signature.
    During the same summer, De Ligt’s former Ajax team-mate and close friend Frenkie De Jong made the switch to the Nou Camp.
    According to Catalunya Radio, the pair have been in close contact with De Ligt pushing for a reunion at Barca.
    The report adds how Barcelona would be interested in concluding a deal, but know financial restrictions will make it tough.
    De Ligt still has three years left on his deal at Juventus so they are in no rush to cash in.

    ENGLAND’S PROVISIONAL 33-MAN SQUAD FOR EURO 2020
    GOALKEEPERS: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Sheffield Utd).
    DEFENDERS: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Godfrey (Everton), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Man City), Ben White (Brighton).
    MIDFIELDERS: Jude Bellingham (Dortmund), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (West Ham/Man Utd), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).
    FORWARDS: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Mason Greenwood (Man Utd), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jadon Sancho (Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
    IBRA-CADABRA
    Liverpool are reportedly on the verge of completing the signing of RB Leipzig star Ibrahima Konate.
    The Reds have been linked with the centre-back for months as Jurgen Klopp looks to solve his defensive woes.
    Now the Daily Mail claims the transfer should become a done deal this summer after Liverpool agreed to meet his £40million release clause.
    Konate is celebrating his 22nd birthday today back in his French homeland.
    He is currently preparing for Les Bleus’ European U21 Championship quarter-final against Holland next week.
    But today’s report states ‘German sources understand he will resolve his move to Anfield imminently’.

    BRIGHT SPARK
    SunSport exclusively revealed that Brighton defender Ben White is in contention for a shock England call-up for Euro 2020.
    Harry Maguire’s ankle injury plus form concerns about Eric Dier have led to the Three Lions boss suddenly looking at other options.
    And White, 23, is the player who has caught his eye the most.
    Southgate even made a trip down to the south coast to watch him in action earlier this month.
    SunSport understands the ball-playing defender has been told to not to fly off on holiday this week after completing his Premier League season at Arsenal.
    Watch this space.

    ENGLAND SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT
    When is the England Euro 2020 squad announced?

    Gareth Southgate will name his PROVISIONAL England squad at 1pm today.
    Southgate will be talking from The Three Lions’ St George’s Park HQ to make his announcement.
    Southgate will be able to name his final squad on June 1, especially if any of the players involved in the Europa and Champions League finals get injured.

    ‘ARD TIMES
    Former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard and Jody Morris are reportedly set to part ways ahead of their returns to football.
    Blues icon Lampard, 42, took his close friend with him to Derby in 2018 where he appointed him as his assistant manager.
    And Chelsea’s all-time top scorer then brought the 42-year-old with him when he returned to Stamford Bridge a year later to take charge of his beloved side.
    Both men – who played together at Chelsea during the early 2000s – are out of a job having had their contracts in West London terminated in January.
    According to the Daily Mail, the pair are ready to take up separate coaching roles.
    They state that Morris could be eyeing up his first managerial job having caught the interest of a number of clubs.

    HURTY HARRY
    This is how we expect Manchester United to line up against Villarreal in the Europa League final tomorrow evening, with captain Harry Maguire set to miss out due to injury.

    NO PAIN NO GAIN
    Marcus Rashford claims England will benefit from their World Cup pain in their bid to reach the Euros final.
    The Manchester United striker, 23, said: “We’ve got a good chance. The talent and ability in the team is as high as I have seen it.
    “A lot of it is down to self-belief. I was speaking to some of the players and I think the only thing that stopped us last time was entering that element of the unknown.
    “We hadn’t been that far as a team before and we didn’t know what to expect…I feel like we’ve learnt from those experiences, plus we’ve got a few new talented faces in the squad.
    “We’re looking at a really good balance and you need balance to win trophies.”
    NEXT TOTTENHAM MANAGER ODDS

    BACK FOR MAUR
    Tottenham are preparing for a monster summer with the future of star striker Harry Kane and hiring a new manager top of the agenda.
    Kane, 27, has stated his desire to quit Spurs in a desperate bid to finally get his hands on some silverware.
    Manchester City, United and Chelsea are all keen on the £150million-rated striker in what looks set to become the biggest transfer saga of 2021.
    On the manager front, Ryan Mason took over from Jose Mourinho on an interim basis in April with a full-time replacement to be hired this summer.
    But Spurs could look to their past to solve both problems – with SunSport revealing Mauricio Pochettino is set for a shock return to North London in a move that could see Kane sensationally STAY.

    POCH SHOCK
    Mauricio Pochettino could make a stunning return to Tottenham.
    Spurs chairman Daniel Levy is considering trying to persuade their ex-boss to leave Paris Saint-Germain.
    And SunSport can reveal that Pochettino is seriously considering a switch back to the club as he is unhappy in Paris and would love a second chance at White Hart Lane.
    It could be Spurs’ ace card to keep Harry Kane, who yesterday modelled their new home kit.
    Pochettino was sacked by Spurs in November 2019 after five years at the club before taking over at PSG in January this term.

    RON WAY STREET
    Cristiano Ronaldo has posted a lengthy cryptic message which has fans believing he is quitting Juventus.
    It read: “The life and career of any top player are made of ups and downs. Year after year, we face fantastic teams, with extraordinary players and ambitious goals, so we always have to give our best to keep ourselves at excellence levels.
    “This year we couldn’t win Serie A, congratulations to Inter for the well deserved title. However, I have to value everything that we achieved this season at Juventus, both in collective and individual terms.
    “The Italian Super Cup, the Italian Cup and the Serie A Top Scorer trophy fill me with happiness, mainly due to the difficulty they carry with them, in a country where nothing is easy to win.
    “With these achievements, I reached a goal that I had set myself since the first day I arrived in Italy: to win the Championship, the Cup and the Super Cup, and also to be Best Player and Top Scorer in this great football country filled with tremendous players, giant clubs and a very own football culture.
    “I’ve already said that I don’t chase records, records chase me. For those who don’t understand what I mean by this, it’s very simple: football is a collective game, but it is through individual overcoming that we help our teams achieve their goals.
    “It is always looking for more and more on the field, working more and more off the field, that records eventually emerge and collective titles become inevitable, some being the natural consequence of the other.
    “So, I’m very proud with this fact that has been widely replicated in recent days: Champion in England, Spain and Italy; Cup winner in England, Spain and Italy; Super Cup winner in England, Spain and Italy; Best Player in England, Spain and Italy; Best Scorer in England, Spain and Italy; Over 100 goals for a club in England, Spain and Italy.
    “Nothing compares to the feeling of knowing that I’ve left my mark in the countries where I’ve played, and that I gave joy to the fans of the clubs I represented. This is what I work for, this is what moves me and this is what I’ll always keep chasing for until the last day.
    “Thanks to everyone who took part in this journey! We stand together!”

    ALL IN
    Max Allegri is ready to reject Tottenham and jobs in Italy to hold out for the Real Madrid job, according to reports.
    Los Blancos could be set for a summer of change after a trophy-less campaign under boss Zinedine Zidane.
    Zidane still has a year left on his deal but hinted he is ready to depart this summer.
    And it appears Real Madrid are already planning for his eventual departure having held talks with former Juventus boss Allegri.
    Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano wrote on Twitter: “Massimiliano Allegri’s priority is always Real Madrid.
    “He has still not accepted any bid from Italy as of today – he wants to wait for Real.
    “Allegri is the favourite only if Zidane decides to leave the club. Real are also planning for some new entry in the board.”

    SAN STORM
    Manchester United’s pursuit of Jadon Sancho could finally be over this summer with Borussia Dortmund reportedly telling the star he can leave.
    The Red Devils were desperate to land the England winger last summer only to be priced out of a move.
    The Bundesliga side wanted £117million for the 21-year-old – now they will allegedly accept £75m.
    German newspaper BILD claim that this summer will be Dortmund’s ‘final goodbye’ to Sancho.
    They are determined to hang on to fellow starlet Erling Haaland as a host of big guns across Europe plot swoops.
    But selling Sancho to United instead of cashing in on the Norwegian is allegedly viewed as ‘acceptable’ by Dortmund chiefs.

    GOOD MORNING FOOTBALL FANS,
    Kylian Mbappe is in urgent transfer talks with Paris Saint-Germain over his future following Sunday’s Ligue 1 title flop.
    He told Canal Plus: “Everyone knows how profoundly attached I am to the club.
    “I have always been very thankful towards the president and my different coaches.
    “What I want is to win, to feel like I am somewhere where I can win, where there is a solid project around me.
    “The footballing project is essential. I want to feel like I am part of a team that is going to do something.
    “Then, it’s up to us to show what we can do. We are talking with the club, we will see what happens.”
    Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel is hopeful Edouard Mendy will be fit for the Champions League final after a ‘huge improvement’ in his rib injury.
    The goalkeeper, 29, was taken off at half-time after crashing against the post attempting to save Bertrand Traore’s opener in the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.
    He said: “For Edu, the update is that we still have hope that he joins training on Wednesday and he joins the group.
    “We had a huge improvement in the management of the pain.
    “We need a further update on Wednesday, but we hope to have him back in training on Wednesday.
    “Edu will play if he is fit and if he is not fit on Wednesday we will try on Thursday.
    “And we will try on Friday and take the responsibility for this decision.”
    And finally, Gareth Southgate has shelved plans to name his final Euros squad today.
    The England boss will instead reveal a provisional group at lunchtime before finalising his 26-man tournament picks next Tuesday.
    Southgate delayed his final choices because of the number of Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United players involved in the two European club finals.
    It will also give Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson extra time to work on his fitness after his long lay-off following groin surgery.
    But his Reds team-mate Trent Alexander-Arnold is still sweating over his place.
    The 22-year-old was not selected for the three World Cup qualifiers in March due to his loss of form.
    Despite an improved end to the season, he has struggled to convince Southgate despite his offensive strengths.
    Now the Three Lions boss must make big decisions on his right-backs with Chelsea’s Reece James also at risk.
    West Brom keeper Sam Johnstone is set to replace injured Burnley star Nick Pope.
    The Dortmund duo of Jude Bellingham and Jadon Sancho are likely to be included.
    LUKE-ING UP
    To miss one final is unlucky. Two is heartbreaking. Three, you might start wondering if you are in the right trade.
    But four… no make that FIVE if you want to chuck in a Super Cup… well.
    Well that is Luke Shaw’s back catalogue at Manchester United as he finally looks forward to breaking his duck in the Europa League final against Villarreal in Gdansk.
    He said: “There was disappointment with all of them, really.
    “In big games at big times are big opportunities to show yourself and I feel like I missed out on them.”

    Load more entries… More

  • in

    England Euro 2020 squad announcement LIVE: Watch stream FREE, TV channel – Eric Dier DROPPED, Trent IN

    GARETH SOUTHGATE has named his 33-man provisional England squad – and there’s no place for Eric Dier.The Three Lions manager has named his longlist Euro 2020 squad before whittling the names down for the June 1 deadline.

    Start time: England squad revealed at 1pm
    TV/ live stream: England FA YouTube/ Sky Sports News

    BETTING SPECIAL – GET ENGLAND TO WIN EURO 2020 AND HARRY KANE TO BE TOP SCORER AT 22/1
    Watch Southgate’s announcement from St George’s Park below NOW…
    [embedded content]
    Follow ALL of the latest updates from the England announcement here…
    CAST YOUR VOTE
    With heaps of attacking talent at his disposal, Gareth Southgate is facing a serious selection headache for the Croatia game on Sunday 13th June.

    CLUB BY CLUB
    Aston Villa have more players named than Arsenal and Tottenham combined.
    What an interesting list this is…
    Everton and Aston Villa have more players in the England squad than Arsenal and Tottenham combined
    THE 33-MAN SQUAD

    NEW ARRIVAL
    Southgate mentioned it in his press conference just then, Newcastle’s Graeme Jones will be brought in as an assistant coach this summer.
    🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #NUFC assistant coach Graeme Jones will join up with the @England squad during #EURO2020 as part of Gareth Southgate’s coaching team.Best of luck, Graeme! ⚫️⚪️— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) May 25, 2021

    ON MAN UTD, MAN CITY AND CHELSEA PLAYERS…
    “We’ll give them a period of rest after their finals. It’s probably not exactly a week, but it will be around 5 or 6 days.
    “That’s exactly how we approached it ahead of Russia (2018 World Cup) – we had Jordan Henderson and Trent come in late for that.
    “It does affect who we can play in those first two friendlies and we can’t overplay players in those friendlies.”
    ON MASON GREENWOOD…
    When asked about the Iceland incident, Southgate said:
    “The past is absolutely the past. I spoke to Mason before the U21s in March and made that clear.
    “His inclusion on this list shows we are willing to select him. Young people make mistakes.
    He’s an outstanding finisher, there’s no question about that.”

    ON HARRY KANE’S FUTURE…
    “I never have to have a conversation with Harry Kane about focus. He has goal this summer with us and that’s to win a European Championship and I know how important that is to him.
    “What’s going on at his club is between him and Tottenham. I’m talking across the board here, but I think it’s very unlikely that transfer deals will be done while we’re away.”
    ON DIER MISSING OUT…
    “He is a man who I have tremendous respect for. He has been a key player in some of our biggest moments. Unfortunately I just don’t think his season has been strong enough to be in the squad.”
    ON WHITE AND GODFREY…
    “I think they’re both exciting young defenders. There are others we’ve been looking at that we really like.
    “These two are very flexible and can play in different roles as well and it’s a great opportunity for us to get to know them a bit better and for them to work with the team.
    “There’s no way of knowing how long they’ll be with us at this stage.”
    ON FOUR RIGHT BACKS…
    “You’re looking at four right backs, and people think I have a right-back obsession, but I just see four good footballers. We go into a tournament that those sorts of flexible players and good footballers who can fill a few roles are going to be important to us.”

    GARETH SAYS
    “Our situation is more complicated than any other country at the moment. We’ve got 12 players still to play in European finals this week so we were always going to need some additional players for this first part of our camp.
    “My preference would’ve been to name a clean 26 but we’ve not got an ideal hand of cards and there are a lot of unknowns. Information and evidence is very important and we’ll have a lot more in seven days.”
    BOSS IS UP
    We’re a few minutes away from hearing from Gareth Southgate about his squad selection.
    BE THE BOSS…

    FANTASY FOOTBALL
    Just for a bit of fun, here’s an XI of players that have missed out…
    Alex McCarthy; Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Fikayo Tomori, Eric Dier, James Tarkowski; Dele Alli, Ross Barkley, James Maddison; Callum Wilson, Patrick Bamford, Danny Ings.
    Pretty handy team, that.

    HAVE YOUR SAY

    FULL STORY
    HERE is the full story on Gareth Southgate’s provisional England squad from Duncan Wright and Gary Stonehouse…
    UNCAPPED Ben White and Ben Godfrey have been named in England’s provisional Euro 2020 squad – but Eric Dier has been axed after a dismal season with Tottenham.
    Brighton defender White and Everton’s Godfrey are part of a 33-man group chosen by boss Gareth Southgate, but Dier is the biggest casualty.
    Jesse Lingard, Jude Bellingham and Mason Greenwood will all report for duty this weekend but there is no place for Southampton striker Danny Ings.
    Trent Alexander-Arnold has been included as one of four right-backs, and in goal Sheffield United’s Aaron Ramsdale will also train with the senior squad with Nick Pope missing out through injury.
    Southgate has also drafted Jordan Henderson in despite not playing for three months, and Kalvin Phillips is fit to link up despite injuring his shoulder in the final game of the season for Leeds.
    Leicester City star James Maddison has also missed out despite his stunning form for the FA Cup winners.
    With 12 players involved in the Europa League and Champions League finals this week there was no way the England boss was going to be able to settle on his actual squad this week.
    .Credit: AFP
    FRONT UP
    Gareth Southgate will explain his team selection at 2pm.
    We’ll hear from the England boss then and I’ll bring you the best bits.
    FINAL CUT
    Of the seven players to be left out, one will most likely be a goalkeeper.
    And it looks like a defender heavy squad as well – four right-backs in there and plenty of centre-back options.
    How about up front as well? Ollie Watkins and Bukayo Saka are among 10 forwards named.
    SEVEN UP
    A reminder that SEVEN of these players will not make the final 26-man squad while will have to be named by June 1.
    MISSING MEN
    No Eric Dier, no Danny Ings, no Patrick Bamford… among the most notable absentees from that squad.

    HAPPY WITH THAT?
    Trent in, Lingard makes it, Godfrey and White also included at the back.
    BREAKING NEWS – THE SQUAD IS IN
    Here it is, England’s provisional 33-man Euro 2020 squad…
    GOALKEEPERS: Dean Henderson (Man Utd), Sam Johnstone (West Brom), Jordan Pickford (Everton), Aaron Ramsdale (Sheffield Utd).
    DEFENDERS: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Ben Chilwell (Chelsea), Conor Coady (Wolves), Ben Godfrey (Everton), Reece James (Chelsea), Harry Maguire (Man Utd), Tyrone Mings (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), John Stones (Man City), Kieran Trippier (Atletico Madrid), Kyle Walker (Man City), Ben White (Brighton).
    MIDFIELDERS: Jude Bellingham (Dortmund), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Jesse Lingard (West Ham/Man Utd), Mason Mount (Chelsea), Kalvin Phillips (Leeds), Declan Rice (West Ham), James Ward-Prowse (Southampton).
    FORWARDS: Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Everton), Phil Foden (Man City), Jack Grealish (Aston Villa), Mason Greenwood (Man Utd), Harry Kane (Tottenham), Marcus Rashford (Man Utd), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Jadon Sancho (Dortmund), Raheem Sterling (Man City), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
    FINAL COUNTDOWN
    Six minutes to go now until the squad is out…
    PREP SCHOOL
    After this, the Manchester United players will be in Europa League action against Villarreal tomorrow while Man City and Chelsea stars will get ready for the Champions League final.
    The rest of the provisional squad will meet up for training and Gareth Southgate will get his team ready for two friendlies against Austria on June 2 and Romania on June 6.
    Not ideal as the European finalists will need a few days off so a few of the provisional players who don’t make the final 26 may still be around for the friendlies.
    Load more entries… More

  • in

    Cristiano Ronaldo return LATEST, Sancho UPDATES, Man Utd £150m Harry Kane EXCLUSIVE, Solskjaer interested in Coman

    MANCHESTER UNITED’s England stars are planning to launch a Harry Kane charm offensive at the Euros, The Sun can exclusively reveal. Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw will use their friendship with Tottenham’s £150million-rated striker, 27, to make him choose United over rivals Manchester City and Chelsea.
    Meanwhile, United have “stepped up” their bid for Bayern Munich’s France ace Kingsley Coman this summer.
    On the injury front, Anthony Martial has been ruled out of the Europa League final through injury and Harry Maguire is unlikely to recover in time for the Villarreal clash.
    WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game
    Stay up to date with every twist from Old Trafford in our live rolling blog…
    LUKE-ING UP
    To miss one final is unlucky. Two is heartbreaking. Three, you might start wondering if you are in the right trade.
    But four… no make that FIVE if you want to chuck in a Super Cup… well.
    Well that is Luke Shaw’s back catalogue at Manchester United as he finally looks forward to breaking his duck in the Europa League final against Villarreal in Gdansk.
    He said: “There was disappointment with all of them, really.
    “In big games at big times are big opportunities to show yourself and I feel like I missed out on them.”

    CAPTAIN FANTASTIC
    United fans will be delighted that Harry Maguire, 28, has been included in Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s 26-man travelling party for the Europa League final.
    The Red Devils skipper has flown to Gdansk and is doing everything he can to be fit and available for his first final as captain.
    But it’s likely that the match will come just too soon for the crocked ace.
    EYES ON THE PRIZE
    Manchester City romped to this season’s Premier League title, clinching glory with weeks to spare.
    But while their success on the pitch increased this season, their prize money actually went DOWN.
    According to The Times, City netted £163million for their efforts this campaign.
    This figure is made up of their £123m ‘equal share’ payment – given to every club in this season’s Premier League – and then a further £40m for winning the title.
    Runners-up Manchester United pocketed £38m, meaning their overall total was £161m.

    WORLD IN MOTION
    Manchester United star Harry Maguire says he still cannot watch England’s 2-1 defeat by Croatia at the 2018 World Cup.
    He told the Overlap: “The Columbia game was massive for us. We should have really won it in normal time.
    “And then to reach the quarter-final and we get Sweden and then all of a sudden we, we believe that we, we can, we can go and win this.
    “I look back at Croatia and I still, I still feel a bit disappointed, should be a good memory to reach a World Cup semi-final but I can’t really watch it back because it makes me feel disappointed.
    “I can remember the feeling at half-time and that’s probably where we went wrong, we probably felt like we were nearly there. We played really well in the first half, we probably should have been more than one goal ahead.
    “In the second half, we just couldn’t keep the ball.
    “We probably didn’t have that experience of playing in these big games, and these big tournaments to see out the semi-final, so I look back at it as disappointment just because I do feel that we could have done that little bit more.”
    [embedded content]
    NOT IN A HARRY
    Manchester United will win the Premier League if they DON’T sign Harry Kane this summer.
    That’s according to former Red Devil Owen Hargreaves, who is backing his old club to go on a spending spree this summer.
    He told the Mail: “It’s a big call: do you get a right winger, a centre-back and a central midfielder or do they go and get Harry Kane?
    “I don’t think there’s a right or wrong answer. The one thing you would say is that they won’t want Kane to go elsewhere, they don’t want him to go to their competition.
    “I am sure there is a lot going on behind the scenes right now.
    “Recruitment is easy. You ask: what do we have and what do we need? Right now, United need a right winger, a central midfielder and a central defender. If Ole gets those three, he can win the league next season.
    “He (Ole) needs to be backed. If he is backed and they bring in players, I don’t mean any players, I am talking difference-makers.
    “Look at the impact Virgil van Dijk had at Liverpool, the impact Ruben Dias had at City. You need guys in the areas you need, if Ole gets that, they will be closer.
    “It all comes down to money, this is not fantasy football. Everyone wants Neymar and Mbappe but that’s not realistic.
    “I think Jadon Sancho would suit United perfectly, I also like Raphinha at Leeds. He would offer something different.
    “Ole loves to use two midfielders in a double pivot because it gives the team balance.
    “Maybe next season, he can find a way to get both Bruno Fernandes and Paul Pogba into the team with one defensive midfielder who can do that pivot job on his own, someone like Kante, to then free the likes of Marcus Rashford or Mason Greenwood, Cavani and Sancho.
    “That is killer. United can go toe-to-toe with anyone with that.”

    NOT KEANE ON IT
    Harry Maguire says criticism from pundits annoys him.
    The Red Devils star made the revelation in an interview with Sky pundit Gary Neville and it comes after Roy Keane laid into him last year.
    He told the Overlap: “Yeah I think it does, I’m not going to sit here and lie. But I think you’ve got to come to an agreement that it’s opinions, everyone has an opinion.
    “Of course everyone wants to hear people speak about them doing well and everything’s nice but that’s not life, that’s not football, you’ve got to accept that.
    “I think it can change confidence in players, especially the ones that listen to it more than others.
    “Because you’re a big part of the game now. You analyse things, every goal that we concede you analyse.
    “I think it can affect confidence but what I would say is that when you do, you don’t just speak negative about players, you also speak positive so I think as a footballer you’ve got to expect that.”
    STAT ATTACK
    Coronavirus has impacted every walk of life over the past 14 months – and football is no exception.
    The 2020-21 season kick-started a month later than usual on September 12 with the 38 rounds of matches crammed into a condensed schedule.
    And with some help from Opta, here are a collection of the best stats from a truly unique Premier League campaign…

    The 2020-21 Premier League campaign was the first season in any division in the top four tiers of English football league history to see more away wins (153) than home wins (144).
    Manchester United became just the fourth side in English top-flight history to remain unbeaten away from home across an entire league campaign, after Preston in 1888-89, Arsenal in 2001-02 and Arsenal again in 2003-04.
    Bruno Fernandes’ winner for Manchester United against Brighton – scored after the full-time whistle initially blew – was the latest goal scored at 99:45.

    BAR CRAWL
    Barcelona are ready to cut as many as ten first-team players this summer- including former Manchester United target Ousmane Dembele.
    Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho are just two other star names who could be sold as the Spanish giants look to cure their ailing finances while also turning the team around.
    According to Sport, the starting point will be securing Lionel Messi’s contract.
    Another major extension will also prove vital to the summer with the Catalans reportedly wanting Dembele to commit his future by the end of July.
    If the winger does not extend his current deal, which expires in 2022, he will be available for transfer.
    SURPRISE PACKAGES
    Aston Villa were this season’s biggest over-achievers, according to a Premier League supercomputer.
    But Manchester United – who runner’s up to rivals City – were also among the biggest successes of the campaign.

    DANE AND DUSTED
    Manchester United target Harry Kane has wished Dane Scarlett ‘best wishes’ with a signed shirt.
    And some Tottenham fans online think that the England captain’s gesture is hinting at an imminent move.
    Kane, 27, starred in Spurs’ new kit launch this morning, sparking hopes in some that he could stay this summer.
    But the nature of his message to Scarlett, 17, has others fretting that he is readying himself for an exit.
    On the signed shirt, Kane included the message: “To Dane, Keep working hard mate! Best wishes.”

    SO NEAR YET SO VAR
    Exclusive by Martin Lipton: Manchester United would have finished BELOW Liverpool without VAR this season.
    Yet a SunSport study of all the decisions overturned by Stockley Park show Arsenal were the biggest “sufferers” from the system.
    If all on-field original decisions had stuck, Mikel Arteta’s men would have earned four more points and earned the final Champions League spot.
    Liverpool, five points adrift of United in the actual table, would have swapped places with the Old Trafford side to take second, although still 13 points behind champions Manchester City.

    ON THE BOX
    Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane are among the top pundits who will provide the analysis for ITV’s Euro 2020 coverage.
    A raft of big names have been hired by the broadcaster ahead of their two England group games.
    The Three Lions will have former stars Ian Wright, Ashley Cole, Eni Aluko and Andros Townsend in the studio to chew over the action, along with Chelsea Women’s boss Emma Hayes.
    ITV are scheduled to broadcast England’s huge clash with Scotland on June 18 with Graeme Souness joined by Scott Brown and John Collins on the panel.
    Joe Ledley and Robert Earnshaw have been signed up to provide insight on Wales’ final group game versus Italy, live on the channel on June 20.

    MATA OF TIME
    Manchester United star Juan Mata wouldn’t be drawn in any discussions about his future and remains focused on Wednesday’s Europa League Final against Villarreal.
    Mata told Sky Sports: “In three days we have an important game which is where my mind is. I still feel I can play good football.
    “I know what I want. I’m still hungry to play football.
    “I thought it was a good performance. We made a lot of changes with some young players who showed they could play at this level.
    “We have a very important game on Wednesday. This is good preparation, both physically and mentally.
    “He [Anthony Elanga] is a very good player. He has a good attitude and he works hard in training. I’m very happy for him”
    RON TURN
    Manchester United are ‘exploring’ a stunning return for Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.
    Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been looking to add to his striking department for months to help close the gap on champions Man City.
    They have been linked with big-money moves for Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
    But Spurs are allegedly determined not to sell their star man to United as he looks set for a huge £150m switch to City instead.
    Haaland is now also set to stay in the Bundesliga for another 12 months leaving Solskjaer to look elsewhere for new firepower as reports suggest Southampton’s Danny Ings has emerged as a target.
    However, a fresh claim by The Athletic states that they could still look to bring their former hero Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.

    KANE NOT ABLE
    Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed his interest in Manchester United transfer target Harry Kane – while Ollie Watkins has been tipped to replace the striker at Tottenham.
    England star Kane has told the North London side he wants to leave this summer after another disappointing campaign.
    That has prompted interest from the Blues, Manchester United and City.

    HOME GARD
    West Ham fear Manchester United will block any attempt to sign Jesse Lingard by opting to keep the star this summer.
    Lingard played a key role in helping the Hammers secure a Europa League spot with nine goals in 16 appearances on loan in the capital.
    Boss David Moyes is desperate to bring the 28-year-old to the London Stadium on a permanent basis.
    But the popular Hammers gaffer admitted on Sunday he had no clue whether a deal was possible.
    There are increasing concerns within the club that United have no interest in letting the England ace leave Old Trafford on the back of the impact he has made while on loan.
    SunSport understands there has been no contact at all between the two clubs to discuss a permanent deal, despite the Hammers making it clear they would be willing buyers.

    ‘WE MUST IMPROVE’
    Harry Maguire has urged his Manchester United team-mates to ‘improve again’ after an impressive Premier League campaign.
    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also confirmed the injured defender will still travel with the team to their Europa League final against Villareal in Gdansk on Wednesday.
    Maguire is almost certain to miss the Europa showdown having injured his ankle ligaments against Aston Villa earlier this month.
    But the Red Devils captain will still join his team-mates so he can provide support from the sidelines.
    And despite his absence from the upcoming season finale and United’s last four Premier League games, Maguire is still trying to keep standards high.
    After United won 2-1 at Wolves on Sunday as they comfortably finished second – five points above Liverpool in third – Maguire took to Instagram to urge his team-mates to get better next season.
    The 28-year-old uploaded a picture of himself in a United shirt and wrote: “Great way to finish the @premierleague campaign.
    “Well done lads. Another step forward this year but we don’t settle for this, next year we must improve again. Looking forward to Wednesday #MUFC.”

    CHELSEA TO STEAL SANCHO?
    Chelsea could look to steal Jadon Sancho from under the noses of Manchester United.
    According to the Daily Mirror, however, the Blues are looking to test the waters with a bid in the region of £80million.
    The star winger made a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Dortmund that he will be allowed to leave in the summer if an interested party meets certain demands.

    NO PLACE FOR HATE
    Rio Ferdinand has been racially abused for the second time in less than 24 hours.
    The Manchester United legend was subjected to monkey chants from a Wolves fan at Molineux on Sunday.
    The supporter was thrown out, arrested and Wolves promised to ban the fan for life if found guilty.
    Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: “The last couple of weeks, it’s been unreal to see fans back.
    “However to the Wolves fan who has just been thrown out for doing a monkey chant at me, you need to be dismissed from football and educated.
    “Come meet me and I will help you understand what it feels like to be racially abused!”
    But Ferdinand received further abuse online when Twitter user @AageBjerre told the former England defender and now BT Sport pundit to ‘Eat a banana’ followed by three emojis of the fruit.

    GOAL MEDAL
    Manchester United transfer target Harry Kane completed a unique double as this season’s top goalscorer and assist-maker – but was still some way off the Premier League’s all-time creation record.
    Consistent top form and a largely injury-free season allowed the Tottenham star to produce a personal-best tally of 23 goals and 14 assists.
    That meant a total of 37 goal involvements, comfortably clear of Bruno Fernandes (30), Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min (both 27).
    Patrick Bamford, Jamie Vardy (both 24) and Marcus Rashford (20) also featured in the upper echelons following strong campaigns in front of goal.
    But Tottenham hero Kane still has work to do if he is to best the Prem’s greatest-ever goal creators.

    IMPRESSIVE DIALLO
    Amad Diallo impressed for Manchester United during their 2-1 win over Wolves on Sunday.

    NANI’S DREAM TEAM
    Former Man Utd star Nani has revealed his five-a-side dream team from those he has played with in his career.
    Here are his selections:

    TOP MAN
    Manchester City are favourites to sign Harry Kane this summer after lifting the Premier League trophy.
    Kane’s future is uncertain after he made it clear he’d like to move away from Tottenham.
    And bookmakers Betfair make City favourites to land him, ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea.
    Kane is said to want to stay in the UK despite Daniel Levy’s preference to sell him abroad.
    And the bookies believe Kane will get his way with the European contingent starting with PSG at 9/1, Real Madrid 20/1, Barcelona 25/1 and Juventus 33/1.

    EUROPA BOOST
    Manchester United go head-to-head against Spanish opponents Villarreal in the 2020-21 Europa League final on Wednesday.
    And William Hill are giving brand new customers the chance to back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side at 25/1 to lift the trophy – that’s boosted from 5/6!

    Visit the William Hill website on your mobile device using this link HERE*
    Sign up, making sure you use EPM25 in the Promo Code section
    Add Manchester United to lift the trophy to your bet slip
    Place a maximum £1 stake on your selection
    If you win, great, William Hill will give you 5 x £5 in free bets!
    Free bets will be paid within 48 hours of the event ending

    Get 25/1 on Man Utd lifting the Europa League trophy – HERE*

    MAGIC NUMBER
    Gary Neville believes Manchester United’s best route to signing Harry Kane is a players-plus-cash deal.
    The 46-year-old told Sky Sports: “It’s difficult. City don’t tend to break their budget, do they? [Their record is] £65m-£70m – they’re not going to get him for that.
    “So it’s whether they could get a player to Tottenham that would makeweight the deal.
    “And I think that’s what United maybe have in Martial, James and Lingard.
    “They’re types of players you could send [to Spurs] plus a chunk of money and it might make Daniel Levy happy.”

    Load more entries… More

  • in

    Aguero LATEST, Chelsea to make £80m Jadon Sancho offer, Barcelona ‘to cull Coutinho and Griezmann’ – live transfer news

    SERGIO AGUERO is closing in on a move to Barcelona next season.The Argentine legend played his final game for Man City yesterday, and was given an emotional farewell by manager Pep Guardiola.
    Chelsea are looking forward to the Champions League final – and reportedly eyeing a huge £80m swoop for in-demand England ace Jadon Sancho.
    And French superstar Kylian Mbappe could be on the move to the Spanish capital this summer, with reports suggesting he has an ‘agreement’ to join Los Blancos.
    WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game
    Follow ALL of the latest news and updates below…
    LUKE-ING UP
    To miss one final is unlucky. Two is heartbreaking. Three, you might start wondering if you are in the right trade.
    But four… no make that FIVE if you want to chuck in a Super Cup… well.
    Well that is Luke Shaw’s back catalogue at Manchester United as he finally looks forward to breaking his duck in the Europa League final against Villarreal in Gdansk.
    He said: “There was disappointment with all of them, really.
    “In big games at big times are big opportunities to show yourself and I feel like I missed out on them.”

    DAN IN THE DUMPS
    Dani Ceballos has confirmed his exit from Arsenal as the midfielder posted an emotional message to Gunners fans ahead of his Real Madrid return.

    EYES ON THE PRIZE
    Manchester City romped to this season’s Premier League title, clinching glory with weeks to spare.
    But while their success on the pitch increased this season, their prize money actually went DOWN.
    According to The Times, City netted £163million for their efforts this campaign.
    This figure is made up of their £123m ‘equal share’ payment – given to every club in this season’s Premier League – and then a further £40m for winning the title.
    Runners-up Manchester United pocketed £38m, meaning their overall total was £161m.

    WORLD IN MOTION
    Manchester United star Harry Maguire says he still cannot watch England’s 2-1 defeat by Croatia at the 2018 World Cup.
    He told the Overlap: “The Columbia game was massive for us. We should have really won it in normal time.
    “And then to reach the quarter-final and we get Sweden and then all of a sudden we, we believe that we, we can, we can go and win this.
    “I look back at Croatia and I still, I still feel a bit disappointed, should be a good memory to reach a World Cup semi-final but I can’t really watch it back because it makes me feel disappointed.
    “I can remember the feeling at half-time and that’s probably where we went wrong, we probably felt like we were nearly there. We played really well in the first half, we probably should have been more than one goal ahead.
    “In the second half, we just couldn’t keep the ball.
    “We probably didn’t have that experience of playing in these big games, and these big tournaments to see out the semi-final, so I look back at it as disappointment just because I do feel that we could have done that little bit more.”
    [embedded content]
    VIEW TO A KYL
    Kylian Mbappe is in urgent transfer talks with Paris Saint-Germain over his future following Sunday’s Ligue 1 title flop.
    He told Canal Plus: “Everyone knows how profoundly attached I am to the club.
    “I have always been very thankful towards the president and my different coaches.
    “What I want is to win, to feel like I am somewhere where I can win, where there is a solid project around me.
    “The footballing project is essential. I want to feel like I am part of a team that is going to do something.
    “Then, it’s up to us to show what we can do. We are talking with the club, we will see what happens.”

    BALE OUT
    Gareth Bale will join Wales for pre-Euro 2020 training on Wednesday after being allowed to fly back to Madrid to see his family.
    The Dragons captain, 31, travelled back to Spain on Sunday night after scoring twice for Tottenham in their 4-2 Premier League final day win at Leicester.
    But Bale, who has completed a season-long loan at Spurs from Real Madrid, will now spend time with his family in the Spanish capital before linking up with Robert Page’s 28-man training camp in Portugal.
    Spanish TV channel EL Chiringuito showed footage of Bale arriving back in Madrid late on Sunday night.
    Wales travelled to the Algarve on Monday for the five-day camp near Lagos.
    SunSport understands Bale will follow testing and quarantine rules and will be tested when he enters the squad bubble as per Uefa testing regulations.

    STAT ATTACK
    Coronavirus has impacted every walk of life over the past 14 months – and football is no exception.
    The 2020-21 season kick-started a month later than usual on September 12 with the 38 rounds of matches crammed into a condensed schedule.
    And with some help from Opta, here are a collection of the best stats from a truly unique Premier League campaign…

    The 2020-21 Premier League campaign was the first season in any division in the top four tiers of English football league history to see more away wins (153) than home wins (144).
    After setting a club record 68-game unbeaten home run in the Premier League, Liverpool then lost six consecutive home league games for the first time in their history.
    Manchester United became just the fourth side in English top-flight history to remain unbeaten away from home across an entire league campaign, after Preston in 1888-89, Arsenal in 2001-02 and Arsenal again in 2003-04.

    BAR CRAWL
    Barcelona president Joan Laporta is ready to wield the axe and cut as many as ten first-team players in a summer overhaul.
    Antoine Griezmann and Philippe Coutinho are just two star names who could be sold as the Spanish giants look to cure their ailing finances while also turning the team around.
    According to Sport, the starting point will be securing Lionel Messi’s contract.
    A number of senior players who have not quite hit the high notes at the Camp Nou are named as up for sale, from Coutinho and Miralem Pjanic to Martin Braithwaite, Junior Firpo and Neto.
    One-time Arsenal target Samuel Umtiti could finally move after a torrid time with injuries.
    Matheus Fernandes is being considered for a sale while academy starlet Riqui Puig may be allowed to leave on loan.
    Even club stalwarts Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba, Sergio Busquets and Sergi Roberto are said to not be safe from the clearout as Barcelona attempt to agree a fresh round of pay cuts with the quartet.
    ON THE MEND
    Thomas Tuchel is hopeful Edouard Mendy will be fit for the Champions League final after a ‘huge improvement’ in his rib injury.
    The goalkeeper, 29, was taken off at half-time after crashing against the post attempting to save Bertrand Traore’s opener in the the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa.
    He said: “For Edu, the update is that we still have hope that he joins training on Wednesday and he joins the group.
    “We had a huge improvement in the management of the pain.
    “We need a further update on Wednesday, but we hope to have him back in training on Wednesday.
    “Edu will play if he is fit and if he is not fit on Wednesday we will try on Thursday.
    “And we will try on Friday and take the responsibility for this decision.

    EURO BARRED
    John Barnes claims Jack Grealish is a huge doubt to make England’s Euro squad after his recent injury woes.
    He told BonusCodeBets: “Grealish hasn’t played for a few months so it’s going to be difficult for him to really say he’s done enough to get picked for the Euros squad.
    “Particularly if you are talking about his position whereby you have James Maddison, Mason Mount and other attacking midfielders who can play in that position.
    “If England were struggling for other players in that position, then maybe we could take a chance on him.
    “But with so many players already playing in that position, you shouldn’t have to drop other players into different positions to accommodate Grealish.”
    SO NEAR YET SO VAR
    Exclusive by Martin Lipton: Arsenal would have finished FOURTH without VAR this season.
    A SunSport study of all the decisions overturned by Stockley Park show the Gunners were the biggest “sufferers” from the system.
    If all on-field original decisions had stuck, Mikel Arteta’s men would have earned four more points.
    That would have been enough to take them above Spurs, West Ham AND Chelsea and steal the final Champions League spot.

    AUBA AND UNDER
    Arsenal are interested in a shock move for Leicester flop Cengiz Under, according to reports.
    Under joined the Foxes on loan from Roma last summer, to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ forward line.
    The temporary deal included a £20million option to buy.
    But with the Turkish international having failed to make an impact in the East Midlands, he is set to be back on the market this summer.
    His contract in the Italian capital still has another two years left to run.
    But he is expected to be sold in the coming months.
    According to Tutto Mercato, the Gunners are one of a number of teams interested in signing the winger.

    FOX HUNT
    Leicester are reportedly closing in on a £20million deal for Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare.
    The Mail claim talks have been ongoing since January with the Ligue 1 side ready to cash in on the 22-year-old due to the financial impact of Covid.
    Soumare is thought to have been convinced by a move to the King Power Stadium by France U21 teammate and Leciester defender Wesley Fofana.
    NEYMAR PENALTY SHOCKER
    Not only did PSG lose the Ligue 1 title to Lille last night, Neymar also missed a penalty in shocking circumstances.
    They did win the game 2-0, but Lille’s victory meant they failed to defend the French top flight.
    Here is the spot kick.
    NEYMAR MISSES! 😱Lovely feet from Di María to win the penalty, Neymar steps up, stutters, but puts it wide! 😫Horrible miss in a must-win game 😖 pic.twitter.com/l6QJLbxtiP— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 23, 2021

    KANE NOT ABLE
    Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed his interest in Manchester United transfer target Harry Kane – while Ollie Watkins has been tipped to replace the striker at Tottenham.
    England star Kane has told the North London side he wants to leave this summer after another disappointing campaign.
    That has prompted interest from the Blues, Manchester United and City.

    HOME GARD
    West Ham fear Manchester United will block any attempt to sign Jesse Lingard by opting to keep the star this summer.
    Lingard played a key role in helping the Hammers secure a Europa League spot with nine goals in 16 appearances on loan in the capital.
    Boss David Moyes is desperate to bring the 28-year-old to the London Stadium on a permanent basis.
    But the popular Hammers gaffer admitted on Sunday he had no clue whether a deal was possible.
    There are increasing concerns within the club that United have no interest in letting the England ace leave Old Trafford on the back of the impact he has made while on loan.
    SunSport understands there has been no contact at all between the two clubs to discuss a permanent deal, despite the Hammers making it clear they would be willing buyers.

    ‘WE MUST IMPROVE’
    Harry Maguire has urged his Manchester United team-mates to ‘improve again’ after an impressive Premier League campaign.
    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also confirmed the injured defender will still travel with the team to their Europa League final against Villareal in Gdansk on Wednesday.
    Maguire is almost certain to miss the Europa showdown having injured his ankle ligaments against Aston Villa earlier this month.
    But the Red Devils captain will still join his team-mates so he can provide support from the sidelines.
    And despite his absence from the upcoming season finale and United’s last four Premier League games, Maguire is still trying to keep standards high.
    After United won 2-1 at Wolves on Sunday as they comfortably finished second – five points above Liverpool in third – Maguire took to Instagram to urge his team-mates to get better next season.
    The 28-year-old uploaded a picture of himself in a United shirt and wrote: “Great way to finish the @premierleague campaign.
    “Well done lads. Another step forward this year but we don’t settle for this, next year we must improve again. Looking forward to Wednesday #MUFC.”

    NO PLACE FOR HATE
    Rio Ferdinand has been racially abused for the second time in less than 24 hours.
    The Manchester United legend was subjected to monkey chants from a Wolves fan at Molineux on Sunday.
    The supporter was thrown out, arrested and Wolves promised to ban the fan for life if found guilty.
    Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: “The last couple of weeks, it’s been unreal to see fans back.
    “However to the Wolves fan who has just been thrown out for doing a monkey chant at me, you need to be dismissed from football and educated.
    “Come meet me and I will help you understand what it feels like to be racially abused!”
    But Ferdinand received further abuse online when Twitter user @AageBjerre told the former England defender and now BT Sport pundit to ‘Eat a banana’ followed by three emojis of the fruit.
    GUER WILL HE GO?
    Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero bid farewell to the Etihad faithful in fairytale fashion on Sunday with two goals in his team’s 5-0 thrashing of Everton.
    But focus has already switched to where he will play next season having confirmed he will leave this summer with his contract expiring next month.
    Barcelona are hot favourites to sign the Argentine superstar.
    The 32-year-old is one of the greatest players in Premier League history and is demanding £200k-a-week from his next team.
    And Pep Guardiola all but confirmed the goal machine will join the Catalan giants in the next few weeks.
    However, nothing has been confirmed yet and SunSport has explored five teams the Argentine international could join including Ronald Koeman’s side.
    Those five teams are:

    Barcelona
    New York City FC
    Paris Saint-Germain
    Chelsea
    Juventus

    GOAL MEDAL
    Harry Kane completed a unique double as this season’s top goalscorer and assist-maker – but was still some way off the Premier League’s all-time creation record.
    Consistent top form and a largely injury-free season allowed the Tottenham star to produce a personal-best tally of 23 goals and 14 assists.
    That meant a total of 37 goal involvements, comfortably clear of Bruno Fernandes (30), Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min (both 27).
    Patrick Bamford, Jamie Vardy (both 24) and Marcus Rashford (20) also featured in the upper echelons following strong campaigns in front of goal.
    But Tottenham hero Kane still has work to do if he is to best the Prem’s greatest-ever goal creators.

    RAM SHOCK
    Spain have sensationally dropped captain Sergio Ramos from their Euro 2020 squad.
    Boss Luis Enrique has decided to axe the nation’s most-capped player for the summer showpiece.
    Ramos only managed 21 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos and has paid the price for his lack of fitness.
    And amazingly it is the first time EVER that no Madrid player has been included in a Spanish squad for a major tournament.
    Luis Enrique said: “It was a very difficult decision but Ramos has not been able to compete or train very much recently.
    “I would have liked Ramos to be in the squad but I did not think it was viable because he has practically been unable to compete.”
    BELL’S HELL
    Arsenal star Hector Bellerin has revealed how he turned to booze as he struggled to deal with his injury hell.
    Bellerin said: “It was the first time that I had got injured like that, and I had friends and team-mates that had gone through it before, I had my family next to me, but I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen to me.
    “I talk about an experience when I came back and I wasn’t really training, and I started going out a lot, I started drinking and all this stuff and you know for a footballer that’s not what you’re supposed to say but it’s the truth.
    “We have our issues, we have our mental health problems. And when football, which is basically your identity gets taken out of you, we find it difficult.
    “Obviously London is a town that offers a lot of distractions and it’s really easy when you don’t feel you have a responsibility – obviously I knew I had to recover, but I didn’t have to train or play – my mind kind of just went elsewhere.”

    TOP MAN
    Manchester City are favourites to sign Harry Kane this summer after lifting the Premier League trophy.
    Kane’s future is uncertain after he made it clear he’d like to move away from Tottenham.
    And bookmakers Betfair make City favourites to land him, ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea.
    Kane is said to want to stay in the UK despite Daniel Levy’s preference to sell him abroad.
    And the bookies believe Kane will get his way with the European contingent starting with PSG at 9/1, Real Madrid 20/1, Barcelona 25/1 and Juventus 33/1.

    HEN DO
    Jordan Henderson expects to be fit to lead England at next month’s European Championships.
    He said: “I was itching to get on. But I have only trained a few times with the team so it wasn’t the wisest thing to do!
    “I feel good. I have been training the last few weeks on my own.
    “Now I need team training and hopefully I can be fit for the Euros. Fingers crossed. That is my target.
    “I have been working hard in the background. I feel good but I have to go and train with England and be ready for the Euros.”

    MAGIC NUMBER
    Gary Neville believes Manchester United’s best route to signing Harry Kane is a players-plus-cash deal.
    The 46-year-old told Sky Sports: “It’s difficult. City don’t tend to break their budget, do they? [Their record is] £65m-£70m – they’re not going to get him for that.
    “So it’s whether they could get a player to Tottenham that would makeweight the deal.
    “And I think that’s what United maybe have in Martial, James and Lingard.
    “They’re types of players you could send [to Spurs] plus a chunk of money and it might make Daniel Levy happy.”

    Load more entries… More

  • in

    Odegaard future LATEST, Zaha to leave Crystal Palace, Bould sacked in backroom shakeup – latest Arsenal transfer news

    ARSENAL manager Mikel Arteta has confirmed the club will open transfer talks with Real Madrid over a deal for Martin Odegaard ‘in the next few weeks’.Elsewhere, Wilfried Zaha has insisted again he would leave Crystal Palace for a ‘top’ club with reports of Arsenal and Tottenhm interest.
    And, there’s been a big change in the backroom with club legend and Under-23s coach Steve Bould dismissed.
    Dennis Bergkamp has told Arsenal fans that Daniel Ek is STILL interested in buying the club off Stan Kroenke.
    WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game
    Get all the latest Arsenal news, transfer gossip and updates with our live blog…
    AUBA AND UNDER
    Arsenal are interested in a shock move for Leicester flop Cengiz Under, according to reports.
    Under joined the Foxes on loan from Roma last summer, to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ forward line.
    The temporary deal included a £20million option to buy.
    But with the Turkish international having failed to make an impact in the East Midlands, he is set to be back on the market this summer.
    His contract in the Italian capital still has another two years left to run.
    But he is expected to be sold in the coming months.
    According to Tutto Mercato, the Gunners are one of a number of teams interested in signing the winger.

    ODE TO JOY
    Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal will open transfer talks with Real Madrid over a deal for Martin Odegaard ‘in the next few weeks’.
    He said: “We have a very clear and strong opinion on what we would like to do.
    “He’s not our player. We’ll have discussions in the next few weeks, but first of all we need to respect that he’s a Real Madrid player.
    “We’ll have those communications. We’ve tried to make everything that we could to get Martin performing for the team, which I think he’s done.
    “He has adapted really well to our way of playing and to our football. Hopefully we have given him the hope and the feeling this could be a good place for him.
    “[Confident Odegaard will stay?] I don’t know. It’s not in our hands, I don’t know.”
    SO NEAR YET SO VAR
    Arsenal would have finished FOURTH without VAR this season.
    A SunSport study of all the decisions overturned by Stockley Park show the Gunners were the biggest “sufferers” from the system.
    If all on-field original decisions had stuck, Mikel Arteta’s men would have earned four more points.
    That would have been enough to take them above Spurs, West Ham AND Chelsea and steal the final Champions League spot.
    Instead, Arsenal finished eighth and OUT of Europe for the first time since 1995-96.

    ARTETA ON KROENKE CONVERSATION
    Mikel Arteta has revealed what was said between himself and Josh Kroenke before Sunday’s game against Brighton.
    The Arsenal boss said: “The same that he says every time that we’re on the phone, that he’s very supportive, very passionate about the club and he wants to take the club to a different level.
    “That’s the ambition and that’s why he’s here.”
    Credit: Getty
    DOWN TO BISS-NESS
    Liverpool have reportedly received a huge boost in their battle with Arsenal for Brighton star Yves Bissouma.
    The 24-year-old midfielder has enjoyed another stunning campaign with the Seagulls.
    He won the most tackles during the 2020/21 campaign and his displays have attracted plenty of attention.
    Brighton have reportedly placed a £40million price tag on his head amid interest from both Jurgen Klopp’s Reds and Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.
    Now Fabrizio Romano appears to have indicated that it is Liverpool now leading the race for the Mali international.
    The Italian football journalist said: “I’m told he’s not the hottest name for Arsenal, you know. They are looking for something different.”

    PARTEY ON FANS RECEPTION
    Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey signed for the Gunners at the beginning of the season but has spent almost all of the campaign playing behind closed doors.
    He finally got the opportunity to show what he can do in front of Arsenal supporters against Brighton on Sunday.
    And Partey heaped praise on the fans of his new club.
    He said: “I think we had their support today which was very beautiful.
    “We were encouraged and we were down they supported us, they pushed us up and at the end this is what we need. We are very grateful.
    “We had a good game and everybody gave their best, and at the end it’s part of the game, we have to keep working hard, we have to prepared, we have to end well and we did well, so we have to be prepared for the next season.
    “[Missing out on Europe] is disappointing, but now we have the opportunity to come back next season and fight for everything we can.”
    Credit: Getty
    GUNNERS MISS OUT ON EUROPE
    Arsenal missed out on a European qualification place by one point in the Premier League.
    And while Mikel Arteta is disappointed by that, he hopes his side will be able to capitalise on playing less games next season.
    He said: “I’m sad because this club deserves to be delivered trophies and the Champions League. We haven’t managed that.
    “It’s very challenging circumstances but we’ve tried to stick together and do our best. It’s not been enough.
    “We have to be very critical of ourselves, of myself, and then prepare the best possible way for next season to take advantage of that.
    “Hopefully we can have the pre-season that I haven’t had, and have time to work with those players and try to be a better team.”
    Credit: PA
    ARTETA ON SUMMER PLANS
    Mikel Arteta feels Arsenal need to strengthen in the summer in order to compete with the rest of the Premier League next season.
    The Spaniard said: “They’re going to get better [other PL teams] and they’re going to strengthen, so we need to get better.
    “First of all, we have to get our players better, more consistent and help them to improve. All our way of playing, our philosophy, I think is in place.
    “They buy into that and now is the moment to take it to the next level, to improve that and improve our consistency because since December to now, we’ve shown that we’re the second or third-best team in the league.
    ‘It’s not enough. Six months, the level is high, so we need to do that for 10 months.”

    PERFECT PEPE
    Here is Nicolas Pepe’s goal against Brighton yesterday. It was the Ivorian’s 16th goal of the season.

    KROENKE OUT
    That’s what a section of returning Arsenal fans chanted at the Emirates during Arsenal’s clash with Brighton after the European Super League fiasco.
    Supporters held signs demanding the Kroenke family’s exit from the club and some even threw balloons with the same message on the pitch.
    Gunners manager Mikel Arteta, however, is pleased to have the fans back in the stands regardless of the circumstances.
    He said: “Well happy with the performance the result, but most importantly having our fans back again.
    “Thanks so much to them on behalf of myself the staff and all the players”

    BELL’S HELL
    Arsenal star Hector Bellerin has revealed how he turned to booze as he struggled to deal with his injury hell.
    Bellerin said: “It was the first time that I had got injured like that, and I had friends and team-mates that had gone through it before, I had my family next to me, but I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen to me.
    “I talk about an experience when I came back and I wasn’t really training, and I started going out a lot, I started drinking and all this stuff and you know for a footballer that’s not what you’re supposed to say but it’s the truth.
    “We have our issues, we have our mental health problems. And when football, which is basically your identity gets taken out of you, we find it difficult.
    “Obviously London is a town that offers a lot of distractions and it’s really easy when you don’t feel you have a responsibility – obviously I knew I had to recover, but I didn’t have to train or play – my mind kind of just went elsewhere.”

    TOP 8 FINISH
    Arsenal finished eighth in the Premier League table following their 2-0 win over Brighton.
    A poor season, but given they faced a relegation battle after a few months, there are some positives for Mikel Arteta to take.

    FANS BACK
    It was great to see the fans back at the Emirates Stadium yesterday.

    CHAMBERS ON PEPE’S IMPRESSIVE DISPLAY VS BRIGHTON
    Arsenal defender Calum Chambers has praised Nicolas Pepe for his superb display against Brighton on Sunday.
    He told the club website: “Brilliant. Brilliant. He was covering me defensively, which is amazing!
    “I think he’s improved a lot, he’s a great player and we’ve seen it from the start in the first day of training, we’ve seen his quality, and I think now he’s really starting to show everyone what he can do.
    “We’re all delighted for him.”
    Credit: Getty
    KRO BARRED
    Arsenal fans have continued their protests against owner Stan Kroenke ahead of their final game of the season – and son Josh is at the Emirates.
    Around 10,000 supporters have been allowed inside the ground for their clash against Brighton, with Josh attending his first Gunners game in more than a year.
    And thousands demonstrated outside the ground, setting off flares and chanting against their American owner.
    Fans’ anger against Kroenke have been fuelled ever since the club announced they were planning to join the doomed European Super League.
    Arsenal’s league position, stranded in ninth under Mikel Arteta in a disappointing campaign, has further added to the frustrations.
    The Arsenal Supporters’ Trust have also launched the ‘Kroenke Out Fans In’ campaign designed to put pressure on the owner to sell up.

    MAZZ ENOUGH
    Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal rebuild has continued behind the scenes with chief medic Bruno Mazziotti reportedly let go.
    The Brazilian arrived less than a year ago following good reviews of his work with Paris Saint-Germain and his country’s national team.
    However, according to Goal, the Gunners have informed him that his contract will not be renewed.
    The news follows the departure of Steve Bould from the Under-23s.

    DOWN TO BISS-NESS
    Liverpool have reportedly received a huge boost in their battle with Arsenal for Brighton star Yves Bissouma.
    The 24-year-old midfielder has enjoyed another stunning campaign with the Seagulls.
    He won the most tackles during the 2020/21 campaign and his displays have attracted plenty of attention.
    Brighton have reportedly placed a £40million price tag on his head amid interest from both Jurgen Klopp’s Reds and Mikel Arteta’s Gunners.
    Now Fabrizio Romano appears to have indicated that it is Liverpool now leading the race for the Mali international.
    The Italian football journalist said: “I’m told he’s not the hottest name for Arsenal, you know. They are looking for something different.”

    ODE TO JOY
    Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal will open transfer talks with Real Madrid over a deal for Martin Odegaard ‘in the next few weeks’.
    Arteta said: “We have a very clear and strong opinion on what we would like to do.
    “He’s not our player. We’ll have discussions in the next few weeks, but first of all we need to respect that he’s a Real Madrid player.
    “We’ll have those communications. We’ve tried to make everything that we could to get Martin performing for the team, which I think he’s done.
    “He has adapted really well to our way of playing and to our football. Hopefully we have given him the hope and the feeling this could be a good place for him.
    “[Confident Odegaard will stay?] I don’t know. It’s not in our hands, I don’t know.”

    DON’T LUIZ IT
    ARSENAL defender Gabriel lost a TOOTH when he and his team-mates celebrated David Luiz’s final game for the club.
    The Brazilian was elbowed in the face during the fun and spent several minutes searching the Emirates pitch for his missing tooth before giving up.
    Gabriel has been out on the pitch for ages looking for something, he’s now got a few of the coaching staff helping him. I’m pretty sure he’s looking for a tooth. pic.twitter.com/3iirVtbuOP— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) May 23, 2021

    BERT BATTLE
    Leicester are attempting to beat Arsenal in the transfer chase for Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand.
    The left-back has confirmed he will be leaving St Mary’s once his contract expires on June 30 and a raft of clubs have reportedly shown interest.
    West Ham and Crystal Palace are said to be keeping tabs on the star.
    And the Gunners have been long-term admirers with manager Mikel Arteta desperate to bring him to North London.
    Now a fresh report states Arsenal’s hopes could be about to suffer a blow.
    TalkSPORT claim that Leicester have drawn-up a one-year contract and are preparing to offer it to Bertrand.
    He will be offered a deal to join the FA Cup winners over the coming days.

    ARTETA ON KROENKE
    Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta couldn’t lead the club to next season’s European competitions.
    The Gunners endured a turbulent campaign that saw the fans clashing with the Kroenke family after the European Super League fiasco.
    Arteta, however, defended Josh Kroenke and claimed he “wants to take the club to a different level”.
    The Arsenal boss said: “He’s very supportive, very passionate about the club and he wants to take the club to a different level. That’s the ambition and that’s why he’s here”
    GOOD MORNING ARSENAL FANS
    Arteta has confirmed Arsenal will open transfer talks with Real Madrid over a deal for Martin Odegaard ‘in the next few weeks’.
    The Norway international, 22, made his 20th appearance for the Gunners in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Brighton.
    Arteta said: “We have a very clear and strong opinion on what we would like to do.
    “He’s not our player. We’ll have discussions in the next few weeks, but first of all we need to respect that he’s a Real Madrid player.
    Arsenal missed out on a European finish after their 2-0 win over Brighton but Arteta inists his side are moving in the right direction.
    He added: “What I can say is that when I watch the team a few months ago and when I watch them now, regardless of the result, in my opinion we are in a much better place and we will be in a much better place.
    “That’s the step but as well we now need to identify that the level is now so high that the only way to do it is to be much better next season, much more consistent and that’s the challenge ahead of us”
    In a more bizarre tale, Arsenal’s Gabriel spent his afternoon searching for his tooth.
    After their 2-0 victory against Brighton, the Arsenal players met in the centre of the pitch to greet David Luiz.
    Willian then pointed at Gabriel, indicating one tooth had fallen out.
    Gabriel spent the next 20 or so minutes looking for the missing tooth with a few members of staff, later calling it an evening.
    DON’T LUIZ IT
    Arsenal defender Gabriel lost a TOOTH when he and his team-mates celebrated David Luiz’s final game for the club.
    The Brazilian was elbowed in the face during the fun and spent several minutes searching the Emirates pitch for his missing tooth before giving up.
    After their 2-0 victory against Brighton, the Arsenal players met in the centre of the pitch to greet David Luiz.
    The 34-year-old, who is leaving the club when his contract expires in the summer, did not feature against the Seagulls due to injury.
    After making his way to the middle, Luiz was hugged by Gabriel before the rest of the squad joined the celebrations.
    It all seemed like fun and games until the players began laughing, with ex-Chelsea star Willian pointing at Gabriel.
    The 23-year-old defender then pointed at his teeth, indicating one had fallen out.
    Gabriel spent the next 20 or so minutes looking for the missing tooth with a few members of staff, later calling it an evening.
    Gabriel has been out on the pitch for ages looking for something, he’s now got a few of the coaching staff helping him. I’m pretty sure he’s looking for a tooth. pic.twitter.com/3iirVtbuOP— Charles Watts (@charles_watts) May 23, 2021

    ODE TO JOY
    Mikel Arteta has confirmed Arsenal will open transfer talks with Real Madrid over a deal for Martin Odegaard ‘in the next few weeks’.
    The Norway international, 22, made his 20th appearance for the Gunners in Sunday’s 2-0 win over Brighton.
    Arteta said: “We have a very clear and strong opinion on what we would like to do.
    “He’s not our player. We’ll have discussions in the next few weeks, but first of all we need to respect that he’s a Real Madrid player.
    “We’ll have those communications. We’ve tried to make everything that we could to get Martin performing for the team, which I think he’s done.
    “He has adapted really well to our way of playing and to our football. Hopefully we have given him the hope and the feeling this could be a good place for him.
    “[Confident Odegaard will stay?] I don’t know. It’s not in our hands, I don’t know.”
    MORE FROM ARTETA
    Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is adamant that the team has significantly improved in recent months despite, missing out on Europe for the first time in 25 years.
    The Gunners finished eighth after Tottenham defeated Leicester and beat their north London rivals to seventh place.
    Arteta said: “What I can say is that when I watch the team a few months ago and when I watch them now, regardless of the result, in my opinion we are in a much better place and we will be in a much better place.
    “That’s the step but as well we now need to identify that the level is now so high that the only way to do it is to be much better next season, much more consistent and that’s the challenge ahead of us”
    Load more entries… More

  • in

    Euro 2020 LIVE news: Ramos AXED from Spain squad, Grealish ‘huge England doubt’ for Barnes – latest updates

    THE league season is over…which can only mean Euro 2020 is coming your way!We’ll be bringing up you ALL of the latest news and developments ahead of the big summer tournament right here.
    Teams are readying their squads, with France electing to bring back Karim Benzema to the fold…after FIVE years in internatonal wilderness.
    Gareth Southgate is naming his 26-man England squad tomorrow, but will he bring star defender Harry Maguire despite his ankle injury?

    WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game

    Follow all of the latest news, build up and updates below…
    SOL SEARCHING
    Exclusive by Tom Barclay: Sol Campbell is out of the running for the England Under-21 job.
    The former defender, who won 73 caps for the Three Lions in his playing career, is understood to have had an interview to succeed Aidy Boothroyd.
    But the FA have decided to go in a different direction and ex-Southend and Macclesfield boss Campbell, 46, is no longer under consideration.
    England can take their time over the appointment.
    The Young Lions do not play a fixture until their Euro qualifier at home to Kosovo in September.
    Justin Cochrane, the current head coach of England’s U17s side, remains the favourite for the role.
    HERE WE GO
    England are second favourites for Euro 2020 behind France as Gareth Southgate prepares to name his squad for the tournament.
    England are priced at 5/1 to bring football home this summer with Betfair after only 9/2 favourites France.
    Belgium and Spain are next in the betting list at 6/1 and 7/1 while Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal are joint with Germany at 15/2.

    HEN DO
    Jordan Henderson expects to be fit to lead England at next month’s European Championships.
    He said: “I was itching to get on. But I have only trained a few times with the team so it wasn’t the wisest thing to do!
    “I feel good. I have been training the last few weeks on my own.
    “Now I need team training and hopefully I can be fit for the Euros. Fingers crossed. That is my target.
    “I have been working hard in the background. I feel good but I have to go and train with England and be ready for the Euros.”

    RAMOS ON SHOCK EUROS OMISSION
    Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos has spoken out about not being selected in the Spain squad for the European Championships this summer.
    He tweeted: “After a tough few months and a strange season unlike anything I have experienced in my career comes the Euros.
    “I have fought and worked every day, in body and soul, to be able to reach 100 per cent for Real Madrid and the national team but things don’t always work out the way we’d like.
    “It pains me not to have been able to help my team more and not to play for Spain but, in this case, the best thing to do is rest, fully recover and come back next year like we’ve always done.
    “It hurts not to represent your country, but I have to be honest and sincere.”

    ITALY’S PROVISIONAL EURO 2020 SQUAD
    Provisional 33-man squad:

    GK: Salvatore Sirigu (Torino)
    GK: Gianluigi Donnarumma (AC Milan)
    GK: Alessio Cragno (Cagliari)
    GK: Alex Meret (Napoli)
    DF: Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus)
    DF: Leonardo Bonucci (Juventus)
    DF: Alessandro Florenzi (Paris Saint-Germain)
    DF: Francesco Acerbi (Lazio)
    DF: Leonardo Spinazzola (Roma)
    DF: Cristiano Biraghi (Fiorentina)
    DF: Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli)
    DF: Gianluca Mancini (Roma)
    DF: Alessandro Bastoni (Internazionale)
    DF: Manuel Lazzari (Lazio)
    DF: Rafael Toloi (Atalanta)
    MF: Bryan Cristante (Roma)
    MF: Marco Verratti (Paris Saint-Germain)
    MF: Nicolo Barella (Internazionale)
    MF: Lorenzo Pellegrini (Roma)
    MF: Manuel Locatelli (Sassuolo)
    MF: Stefano Sensi (Internazionale)
    MF: Gaetano Castrovilli (Fiorentina)
    MF: Matteo Pessina (Atalanta)
    FW: Andrea Belotti (Torino)
    FW: Ciro Immobile (Lazio)
    FW: Lorenzo Insigne (Napoli)
    FW: Federico Bernardeschi (Juventus)
    FW: Federico Chiesa (Juventus)
    FW: Domenico Berardi (Sassuolo)
    FW: Moise Kean (Paris Saint-Germain)
    FW: Matteo Politano (Napoli)
    FW: Giacomo Raspadori (Sassuolo)
    FW: Vincenzo Grifo (Freiburg)

    PORTUGAL’S EURO 2020 SQUAD:
    Full 26-man squad:

    GK: Anthony Lopes (Lyon)
    GK: Jose Sa (Olympiacos)
    GK: Rui Silva (Granada)
    DF: Jose Fonte (Lille)
    DF: Ruben Dias (Manchester City)
    DF: Joao Cancelo (Manchester City)
    DF: Nélson Semedo (Wolves)
    DF: Pepe (Porto)
    DF: Nuno Mendes (Sporting CP)
    DF: Raphael Guerreiro (Dortmund)
    MF: Joao Moutinho (Wolves)
    MF: Danilo Pereira (Paris Saint-Germain)
    MF: Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
    MF: Renato Sanches (Lille)
    MF: Ruben Neves (Wolves)
    MF: Sergio Oliveira (Porto)
    MF: Joao Palhinha (Sporting Lisbon)
    MF: William Carvalho (Real Betis)
    FW: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
    FW: Andre Silva (Eintracht Frankfurt)
    FW: Pedro Gonçalves (Sporting CP)
    FW: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City)
    FW: Gonçalo Guedes (Valencia)
    FW: Rafa Silva (Benfica)
    FW: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid)
    FW: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)

    GERMANY’S EURO 2020 SQUAD
    Full 26-man squad:

    GK: Manuel Neuer, (Bayern Munich)
    GK: Bernd Leno, (Arsenal)
    GK: Kevin Trapp, (Eintracht Frankfurt)
    DF: Robin Koch, (Leeds)
    DF: Christian Gunter, (Freiburg)
    DF: Mats Hummels, (Borussia Dortmund)
    DF: Antonio Rüdiger, (Chelsea)
    DF: Matthias Ginter, (Borussia Monchengladbach)
    DF: Emre Can, (Borussia Dortmund)
    DF: Niklas Sule, (Bayern Munich)
    DF: Lukas Klostermann, (RB Leipzig)
    DF: Marcel Halstenberg, (RB Leipzig)
    DF: Robin Gosens, (Atalanta)
    MF: Toni Kroos, (Real Madrid)
    MF: Joshua Kimmich, (Bayern Munich)
    MF: Thomas Muller, (Bayern Munich)
    MF: İlkay Gundogan, (Manchester City)
    MF: Leon Goretzka, (Bayern Munich)
    MF: Leroy Sané, (Bayern Munich)
    MF: Kai Havertz, (Chelsea)
    MF: Florian Neuhaus, (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
    MF: Jonas Hofmann, (Borussia Mönchengladbach)
    MF: Jamal Musiala, (Bayern Munich)
    FW: Timo Werner, (Chelsea)
    FW: Serge Gnabry, (Bayern Munich)
    FW: Kevin Volland, (Monaco)

    Credit: AP:Associated Press
    NOT TRENT TO BE
    Liverpool star Trent Alexander-Arnold is ‘not expecting’ to make Gareth Southgate’s Euro 2020 England squad.
    The right-back, 22, was a shock omission for the World Cup qualifiers back in March.
    He bounced back from that setback with a string of impressive displays for the Reds to help them secure Champions League qualification.
    His chances of earning an international recall for the showpiece were boosted even further when Uefa ruled teams could choose 26 players instead of 23 for the tournament.
    Now The Athletic reports he is set to miss out and there has been no contact between England boss Southgate or anyone in his camp and Alexander-Arnold.
    However, it does state there is still time for that to happen ahead of the squad announcement tomorrow.

    SPAIN SQUAD FOR EURO 2020
    Here is the Spain squad for Euro 2020. Manager Luis Enrique decided to pick only 24 players instead of the 26 he was allowed to select.
    And that includes the omission of long-time centre-back Sergio Ramos. Bold from the ex-Barcelona boss.
    Goalkeepers: David de Gea, Robert Sanchez, Unai Simon
    Defenders: Aymeric Laporte, Jose Gaya, Jordi Alba, Pau Torres, Eric Garcia, Diego Llorente, Cesar Azpilicueta
    Midfielders: Marcos Llorente, Sergio Busquets, Rodri, Pedri, Thiago, Koke, Fabian
    Forwards: Dani Olmo, Mikel Oyarzabal, Gerard Moreno, Alvaro Morata, Ferran Torres, Adama Traore, Pablo Sarabia

    SOUTHGATE ANNOUNCEMENT
    We are 24 hours away from England boss Gareth Southgate’s announcement about his Euro 2020 squad for this summer’s tournament.
    Who will make the 26? Not long to find out. Southgate will make the official reveal tomorrow at 1pm.
    Credit: Getty
    FRANCE’S EURO 2020 SQUAD
    Full 26-man squad:

    GK: Hugo Lloris, (Tottenham Hotspur)
    GK: Steve Mandanda, (Marseille)
    GK: Mike Maignan, (Lille)
    DF: Raphaël Varane, (Real Madrid)
    DF: Jules Kounde, (Sevilla)
    DF: Lucas Digne, (Everton)
    DF: Benjamin Pavard, (Bayern Munich)
    DF: Lucas Hernandez, (Bayern Munich)
    DF: Presnel Kimpembe, (Paris Saint-Germain)
    DF: Clement Lenglet, (Barcelona)
    DF: Kurt Zouma, (Chelsea)
    DF: Leo Dubois, (Lyon)
    MF: Paul Pogba, (Manchester United)
    MF: Moussa Sissoko, (Tottenham Hotspur)
    MF: N’Golo Kanté, (Chelsea)
    MF: Adrien Rabiot, (Juventus)
    MF: Corentin Tolisso (Bayern Munich)
    FW: Olivier Giroud, (Chelsea)
    FW: Antoine Griezmann, (Barcelona)
    FW: Kylian Mbappé, (Paris Saint-Germain)
    FW: Kingsley Coman, (Bayern Munich)
    FW: Thomas Lemar, (Atletico Madrid)
    FW: Ousmane Dembele, (Barcelona)
    FW: Wissam Ben Yedder, (Monaco)
    FW: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid)
    FW: Marcus Thuram (Borussia Monchengladbach)

    Credit: AFP
    RAM SHOCK
    Spain have sensationally dropped captain Sergio Ramos from their Euro 2020 squad.
    Boss Luis Enrique has decided to axe the nation’s most-capped player for the summer showpiece.
    Ramos only managed 21 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos and has paid the price for his lack of fitness.
    And amazingly it is the first time EVER that no Madrid player has been included in a Spanish squad for a major tournament.
    Luis Enrique said: “It was a very difficult decision but Ramos has not been able to compete or train very much recently.
    “I would have liked Ramos to be in the squad but I did not think it was viable because he has practically been unable to compete.”

    PARTY POPER
    Nick Pope is set to miss out on Euro 2020, after Sean Dyche confirmed that he’ll be undergoing a ‘minor knee operation’ next week.
    The Burnley stopper started England’s last three games in March, when Jordan Pickford was missing with an injury of his own.
    But a knee problem that has ruled him out of the Clarets’ last three games is set to see him miss out on competing with Pickford for his place.
    Speaking to BT Sport ahead of today’s final day clash with Sheffield United, Dyche said: “Unfortunately, Nick is going to need a minor operation on his knee this week.
    “That’s not ideal for him or us and possibly for the England team. We’ll wait and see.
    “It’s nothing too serious, we don’t think, but it still needed doing.
    “He was trying to get right for this game to give it a test but didn’t quite come through in training, so he and we have had to make a judgement call on that.
    “It’s mainly down to him and he knows what he’s got to do. He’ll have that (the operation) done this week and hopefully, it will settle down for a quick recovery.”

    RAM BLOW
    Aaron Ramsey has handed Wales another injury worry less than three weeks before Euro 2020.
    The Juventus midfielder, 30, missed the Serie A final day clash at Bologna yesterday with a muscular problem.
    Ramsey, who has been plagued by fitness issues in his two seasons in Italy, is still expected to join up with Wales for their pre-Euro training camp in Portugal today .
    Ramsey will be assessed for the muscle fatigue but is likely to be picked in Robert Page’s 26-man squad named on May 30 – regardless of the latest injury setback.
    But the ex-Arsenal star, who was in the Euro 2016 Team of the tournament following Wales’ glorious run to the semi-finals, will need to be managed at the finals this time around as the Dragons have three group games in nine days.
    Wales kick off their Euros campaign against Switzerland in Baku in 19 days’ time on June 12 before taking on Turkey and Italy.

    HEN DO
    Jordan Henderson expects to be fit to lead England at next month’s European Championships.
    He said: “I was itching to get on. But I have only trained a few times with the team so it wasn’t the wisest thing to do!
    “I feel good. I have been training the last few weeks on my own.
    “Now I need team training and hopefully I can be fit for the Euros. Fingers crossed. That is my target.
    “I have been working hard in the background. I feel good but I have to go and train with England and be ready for the Euros.”

    WALES 28-MAN SQUAD
    The big news this morning is that Hal Robson-Kanu has been left out of Wales’ 28-man Euro training camp squad.
    This will later be trimmed down to 26, but Robson-Kanu – who scored a sensational goal for Wales against Belgium at Euro 2016 – will not feature.
    Wales squad: Wayne Hennessey, Danny Ward, Adam Davies, James Lawrence, Ben Davies, Joe Rodon, Chris Mepham, Chris Gunter, Rhys Norrington-Davies, Neco Williams, Joe Allen, Joe Morrell, Ethan Ampadu, Matthew Smith, Jonathan Williams, Kieffer Moore, Aaron Ramsey, Harry Wilson, Gareth Bale, David Brooks, Tyler Roberts, Tom Lawrence, Rabbi Matondo, Dylan Levitt, Tom Lockyer, Rubin Colwill, Mark Harris, George Thomas.
    Credit: AP:Associated Press
    EURO 2020 BLOG
    Welcome to the Euro 2020 live blog. The best place for live updates regarding all key news about the European Championships.
    We are two and a half weeks out from the start of the tournament and the squad announcements have begun to come in thick and fast.
    I will keep you up to date throughout the day and fill you in about all other key info regarding the postponed Euros.
    Credit: Getty
    Load more entries… More

  • in

    Aguero to Barcelona LATEST, Chelsea to make £80m Jadon Sancho offer, Brendan Rodgers future – live transfer news

    SERGIO AGUERO is closing in on a move to Barcelona next season.The Argentine legend played his final game for Man City yesterday, and was given an emotional farewell by manager Pep Guardiola.
    Chelsea are looking forward to the Champions League final – and reportedly eyeing a huge £80m swoop for in-demand England ace Jadon Sancho.
    And French superstar Kylian Mbappe could be on the move to the Spanish capital this summer, with reports suggesting he has an ‘agreement’ to join Los Blancos.
    WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game
    Follow ALL of the latest news and updates below…
    AUBA AND UNDER
    Arsenal are interested in a shock move for Leicester flop Cengiz Under, according to reports.
    Under joined the Foxes on loan from Roma last summer, to bolster Brendan Rodgers’ forward line.
    The temporary deal included a £20million option to buy.
    But with the Turkish international having failed to make an impact in the East Midlands, he is set to be back on the market this summer.
    His contract in the Italian capital still has another two years left to run.
    But he is expected to be sold in the coming months.
    According to Tutto Mercato, the Gunners are one of a number of teams interested in signing the winger.

    FOX HUNT
    Leicester are reportedly closing in on a £20million deal for Lille midfielder Boubakary Soumare.
    The Mail claim talks have been ongoing since January with the Ligue 1 side ready to cash in on the 22-year-old due to the financial impact of Covid.
    Soumare is thought to have been convinced by a move to the King Power Stadium by France U21 teammate and Leciester defender Wesley Fofana.
    NEYMAR PENALTY SHOCKER
    Not only did PSG lose the Ligue 1 title to Lille last night, Neymar also missed a penalty in shocking circumstances.
    They did win the game 2-0, but Lille’s victory meant they failed to defend the French top flight.
    Here is the spot kick.
    NEYMAR MISSES! 😱Lovely feet from Di María to win the penalty, Neymar steps up, stutters, but puts it wide! 😫Horrible miss in a must-win game 😖 pic.twitter.com/l6QJLbxtiP— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) May 23, 2021

    KANE NOT ABLE
    Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed his interest in Manchester United transfer target Harry Kane – while Ollie Watkins has been tipped to replace the striker at Tottenham.
    England star Kane has told the North London side he wants to leave this summer after another disappointing campaign.
    That has prompted interest from the Blues, Manchester United and City.

    HOME GARD
    West Ham fear Manchester United will block any attempt to sign Jesse Lingard by opting to keep the star this summer.
    Lingard played a key role in helping the Hammers secure a Europa League spot with nine goals in 16 appearances on loan in the capital.
    Boss David Moyes is desperate to bring the 28-year-old to the London Stadium on a permanent basis.
    But the popular Hammers gaffer admitted on Sunday he had no clue whether a deal was possible.
    There are increasing concerns within the club that United have no interest in letting the England ace leave Old Trafford on the back of the impact he has made while on loan.
    SunSport understands there has been no contact at all between the two clubs to discuss a permanent deal, despite the Hammers making it clear they would be willing buyers.

    ‘WE MUST IMPROVE’
    Harry Maguire has urged his Manchester United team-mates to ‘improve again’ after an impressive Premier League campaign.
    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also confirmed the injured defender will still travel with the team to their Europa League final against Villareal in Gdansk on Wednesday.
    Maguire is almost certain to miss the Europa showdown having injured his ankle ligaments against Aston Villa earlier this month.
    But the Red Devils captain will still join his team-mates so he can provide support from the sidelines.
    And despite his absence from the upcoming season finale and United’s last four Premier League games, Maguire is still trying to keep standards high.
    After United won 2-1 at Wolves on Sunday as they comfortably finished second – five points above Liverpool in third – Maguire took to Instagram to urge his team-mates to get better next season.
    The 28-year-old uploaded a picture of himself in a United shirt and wrote: “Great way to finish the @premierleague campaign.
    “Well done lads. Another step forward this year but we don’t settle for this, next year we must improve again. Looking forward to Wednesday #MUFC.”

    NO PLACE FOR HATE
    Rio Ferdinand has been racially abused for the second time in less than 24 hours.
    The Manchester United legend was subjected to monkey chants from a Wolves fan at Molineux on Sunday.
    The supporter was thrown out, arrested and Wolves promised to ban the fan for life if found guilty.
    Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: “The last couple of weeks, it’s been unreal to see fans back.
    “However to the Wolves fan who has just been thrown out for doing a monkey chant at me, you need to be dismissed from football and educated.
    “Come meet me and I will help you understand what it feels like to be racially abused!”
    But Ferdinand received further abuse online when Twitter user @AageBjerre told the former England defender and now BT Sport pundit to ‘Eat a banana’ followed by three emojis of the fruit.
    GUER WILL HE GO?
    Manchester City legend Sergio Aguero bid farewell to the Etihad faithful in fairytale fashion on Sunday with two goals in his team’s 5-0 thrashing of Everton.
    But focus has already switched to where he will play next season having confirmed he will leave this summer with his contract expiring next month.
    Barcelona are hot favourites to sign the Argentine superstar.
    The 32-year-old is one of the greatest players in Premier League history and is demanding £200k-a-week from his next team.
    And Pep Guardiola all but confirmed the goal machine will join the Catalan giants in the next few weeks.
    However, nothing has been confirmed yet and SunSport has explored five teams the Argentine international could join including Ronald Koeman’s side.
    Those five teams are:

    Barcelona
    New York City FC
    Paris Saint-Germain
    Chelsea
    Juventus

    GOAL MEDAL
    Harry Kane completed a unique double as this season’s top goalscorer and assist-maker – but was still some way off the Premier League’s all-time creation record.
    Consistent top form and a largely injury-free season allowed the Tottenham star to produce a personal-best tally of 23 goals and 14 assists.
    That meant a total of 37 goal involvements, comfortably clear of Bruno Fernandes (30), Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min (both 27).
    Patrick Bamford, Jamie Vardy (both 24) and Marcus Rashford (20) also featured in the upper echelons following strong campaigns in front of goal.
    But Tottenham hero Kane still has work to do if he is to best the Prem’s greatest-ever goal creators.

    RAM SHOCK
    Spain have sensationally dropped captain Sergio Ramos from their Euro 2020 squad.
    Boss Luis Enrique has decided to axe the nation’s most-capped player for the summer showpiece.
    Ramos only managed 21 appearances in all competitions for Los Blancos and has paid the price for his lack of fitness.
    And amazingly it is the first time EVER that no Madrid player has been included in a Spanish squad for a major tournament.
    Luis Enrique said: “It was a very difficult decision but Ramos has not been able to compete or train very much recently.
    “I would have liked Ramos to be in the squad but I did not think it was viable because he has practically been unable to compete.”
    BELL’S HELL
    Arsenal star Hector Bellerin has revealed how he turned to booze as he struggled to deal with his injury hell.
    Bellerin said: “It was the first time that I had got injured like that, and I had friends and team-mates that had gone through it before, I had my family next to me, but I didn’t know exactly what was going to happen to me.
    “I talk about an experience when I came back and I wasn’t really training, and I started going out a lot, I started drinking and all this stuff and you know for a footballer that’s not what you’re supposed to say but it’s the truth.
    “We have our issues, we have our mental health problems. And when football, which is basically your identity gets taken out of you, we find it difficult.
    “Obviously London is a town that offers a lot of distractions and it’s really easy when you don’t feel you have a responsibility – obviously I knew I had to recover, but I didn’t have to train or play – my mind kind of just went elsewhere.”

    TOP MAN
    Manchester City are favourites to sign Harry Kane this summer after lifting the Premier League trophy.
    Kane’s future is uncertain after he made it clear he’d like to move away from Tottenham.
    And bookmakers Betfair make City favourites to land him, ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea.
    Kane is said to want to stay in the UK despite Daniel Levy’s preference to sell him abroad.
    And the bookies believe Kane will get his way with the European contingent starting with PSG at 9/1, Real Madrid 20/1, Barcelona 25/1 and Juventus 33/1.

    HEN DO
    Jordan Henderson expects to be fit to lead England at next month’s European Championships.
    He said: “I was itching to get on. But I have only trained a few times with the team so it wasn’t the wisest thing to do!
    “I feel good. I have been training the last few weeks on my own.
    “Now I need team training and hopefully I can be fit for the Euros. Fingers crossed. That is my target.
    “I have been working hard in the background. I feel good but I have to go and train with England and be ready for the Euros.”

    MAGIC NUMBER
    Gary Neville believes Manchester United’s best route to signing Harry Kane is a players-plus-cash deal.
    The 46-year-old told Sky Sports: “It’s difficult. City don’t tend to break their budget, do they? [Their record is] £65m-£70m – they’re not going to get him for that.
    “So it’s whether they could get a player to Tottenham that would makeweight the deal.
    “And I think that’s what United maybe have in Martial, James and Lingard.
    “They’re types of players you could send [to Spurs] plus a chunk of money and it might make Daniel Levy happy.”

    REUNION
    Jose Mourinho is reportedly plotting a reunion with Nemanja Matic for a third time.
    The recently-axed Tottenham manager takes charge of Roma this summer and already has several transfer targets in mind.
    According to a report from Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has emerged as his No1 priority.
    The 32-year-old Serbian already knows the Portuguese ace well.
    He was first signed by Mourinho back in 2014 when he returned to Chelsea from Benfica.
    Matic then followed him to Old Trafford from the Blues in 2017 and was a mainstay under him for 18 months.
    Now Mourinho appears to want his trusted lieutenant again in Italy.

    TOP NEWS
    Tottenham fans were given double reason to cheer on Monday with the release of next season’s home kit – and a hint Harry Kane may STAY.
    The striker claimed the Premier League Golden Boot and Playmaker awards as he helped his club to a European finish on the weekend.
    But the North London club’s faithful were worried they were watching Kane, 27, in a Spurs shirt for the final time.
    Those fears were somewhat eased soon after as he featured front and centre of their kit release for the 2021-22 season.
    The England star posed in the Nike design, which celebrates the centenary of the club’s iconic cockerel badge.

    ‘HOW’S THAT HAPPENED?’
    Liverpool rose from the dead to snatch third place in the Premier League on the final day of the season – and Gary Neville simply couldn’t believe it.
    The Reds lost six straight games at Anfield between January and March as they looked destined to not only miss out on Champions League qualification, but all European football entirely.
    But Jurgen Klopp’s squad fought until the bitter end, winning eight and drawing two of their final ten games as they roared back up the table.
    Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 2-0 on the final day of the season to confirm their spot in the top four.
    But with Leicester and Chelsea both losing – to Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively – the Reds ended up third, just ONE place behind Manchester United.
    Speaking on Sky Sports, a stunned Neville squeaked: “Have they finished third? How’s that happened?”

    PEP TALK
    Pep Guardiola all-but confirmed Sergio Aguero’s transfer to Barcelona and appeared to let slip that Lionel Messi will STAY.
    The Manchester City boss will lose his star striker this summer when Aguero’s contract expires next month.
    And Guardiola seemed happy with the fact the Argentine will be moving to his former club, where he spent 15 years as a player then manager.
    He told BBC: “Maybe I reveal a secret. Maybe he is close to agreeing a deal for the club of my heart – for Barcelona.
    “He is going to be playing alongside the best player of all time, Messi.
    “I’m pretty sure he is going to enjoy. And maybe Barcelona are stronger and stronger with him on the pitch.”

    ASTON VANILLA
    Chelsea have reportedly complained to the Premier League after their arrival to Villa Park was delayed by stewards eating ice cream.
    The Blues’ team bus was held up at the club car park and told to wait ahead of their final game of the Premier League season.
    Staff at the gate then informed them they didn’t have permission from the head of security to allow them to proceed ahead.
    The delay enraged Blues boss Thomas Tuchel and his players, who went into the match needing a victory to secure Champions League football for next season.
    And according to The Daily Mail, they were further incensed after seeing two of the stewards blocking the bus were eating ice cream.
    The two stewards were apparently eating ice creams with Flakes and raspberry sauce instead of clearing a path to a parking space.
    Chelsea were eventually granted entry, after a 15 minute delay.

    IT S-AINT A NO
    Danny Ings has refused to rule out a shock transfer to Manchester United or City.
    The Southampton striker is a target for both clubs after impressing with 12 Premier League goals in an injury-hit season.
    He told talkSPORT: “I’ve got a contract until the summer of 2022. I haven’t really acknowledged them [transfer rumours].
    “I’ve just been focused on each game. Ultimately, I’ve still got a contract here. My main focus is to finish the season strong.”

    ARTETA ON KROENKE
    Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta couldn’t lead the club to next season’s European competitions.
    The Gunners endured a turbulent campaign that saw the fans clashing with the Kroenke family after the European Super League fiasco.
    Arteta, however, defended Josh Kroenke and claimed he “wants to take the club to a different level”.
    The Arsenal boss said: “He’s very supportive, very passionate about the club and he wants to take the club to a different level. That’s the ambition and that’s why he’s here”
    GOOD MORNING FOOTBALL FANS
    Jordan Henderson reveals he expects to be fit to lead England at next month’s European Championships.
    The Liverpool captain has not played since the Merseyside Derby in February due to a groin injury that required surgery.
    Hendo said: “I was itching to get on. But I have only trained a few times with the team so it wasn’t the wisest thing to do!
    “I feel good. I have been training the last few weeks on my own.
    “Now I need team training and hopefully I can be fit for the Euros. Fingers crossed. That is my target.
    “I have been working hard in the background. I feel good but I have to go and train with England and be ready for the Euros.”
    Meanwhile Andrea Pirlo sparked Cristiano Ronaldo exit rumours after dropping him for Juventus’ clash with Bologna.
    The Old Lady headed into the away fixture needing to win to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
    In what is undoubtedly one of the biggest games in Pirlo’s reign, he sensationally left Ronaldo on the substitute bench.
    And Chelsea could look to steal Jadon Sancho from under the noses of Manchester United.
    According to the Daily Mirror, however, the Blues are looking to test the waters with a bid in the region of £80million.
    The star winger made a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Dortmund that he will be allowed to leave in the summer if an interested party meets certain demands.
    LILLE MIX
    Lille completed an incredible Ligue 1 title win on Sunday as they held off a final day challenge from moneybags Paris Saint-Germain.
    Mauricio Pochettino’s men beat Brest 2-0 thanks to an own-goal from Romain Faivre and a Kylian Mbappe strike.
    But PSG’s victory meant little as Lille beat Angers 2-1, finishing top of Ligue 1 by a single point.
    Canadian striker Jonathan David got the party started for Lille after just ten minutes.
    And Burak Yilmaz’s penalty had his side looking comfortable before half-time.
    A late strike from Angelo Fulgini gave Lille a scare.
    But they rode out the last few minutes to clinch title glory.
    Lille have now won their first Ligue 1 trophy since the 2010/11 season, when a young Eden Hazard propelled them to victory.
    HEN DO
    Jordan Henderson expects to be fit to lead England at next month’s European Championships.
    The Liverpool captain has not played since the Merseyside Derby in February due to a groin injury that required surgery.
    The 30-year-old was an unused substitute against Crystal Palace on the final day of the season but he is confident he can play for Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions at the Euros.
    Hendo said: “I was itching to get on. But I have only trained a few times with the team so it wasn’t the wisest thing to do!
    “I feel good. I have been training the last few weeks on my own.
    “Now I need team training and hopefully I can be fit for the Euros. Fingers crossed. That is my target.
    “I have been working hard in the background. I feel good but I have to go and train with England and be ready for the Euros.”
    PIRL OF WISDOM
    Andrea Pirlo has fuelled Cristiano Ronaldo exit rumours after dropping him for Juventus’ clash with Bologna.
    The Old Lady headed into the away fixture needing to win to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
    In what is undoubtedly one of the biggest games in Pirlo’s reign, he sensationally left Ronaldo on the substitute bench.
    The Portuguese ace is the league’s top scorer with 29 goals.
    But his exclusion, just four days after winning the Coppa Italia, will raise huge doubts over his future.
    Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Ronaldo is not injured and it is a ‘technical decision’ made by Pirlo.
    It is only the fifth time in three seasons as a Juventus player that Ronaldo has been benched.
    Load more entries… More

  • in

    Cristiano Ronaldo return LATEST, Man Utd £150m Harry Kane EXCLUSIVE, Solskjaer interested in Coman, Sancho battle

    MANCHESTER UNITED’s England stars are planning to launch a Harry Kane charm offensive at the Euros, The Sun can exclusively reveal. Harry Maguire, Marcus Rashford and Luke Shaw will use their friendship with Tottenham’s £150million-rated striker, 27, to make him choose United over rivals Manchester City and Chelsea.
    Meanwhile, United have “stepped up” their bid for Bayern Munich’s France ace Kingsley Coman this summer.
    On the injury front, Anthony Martial has been ruled out of the Europa League final through injury and Harry Maguire is unlikely to recover in time for the Villarreal clash.
    WIN £50,000! Play Dream Team Euros – our FREE fantasy football game
    Stay up to date with every twist from Old Trafford in our live rolling blog…
    ON THE BOX
    Manchester United legends Gary Neville and Roy Keane are among the top pundits who will provide the analysis for ITV’s Euro 2020 coverage.
    A raft of big names have been hired by the broadcaster ahead of their two England group games.
    The Three Lions will have former stars Ian Wright, Ashley Cole, Eni Aluko and Andros Townsend in the studio to chew over the action, along with Chelsea Women’s boss Emma Hayes.
    ITV are scheduled to broadcast England’s huge clash with Scotland on June 18 with Graeme Souness joined by Scott Brown and John Collins on the panel.
    Joe Ledley and Robert Earnshaw have been signed up to provide insight on Wales’ final group game versus Italy, live on the channel on June 20.

    MATA OF TIME
    Manchester United star Juan Mata wouldn’t be drawn in any discussions about his future and remains focused on Wednesday’s Europa League Final against Villarreal.
    Mata told Sky Sports: “In three days we have an important game which is where my mind is. I still feel I can play good football.
    “I know what I want. I’m still hungry to play football.
    “I thought it was a good performance. We made a lot of changes with some young players who showed they could play at this level.
    “We have a very important game on Wednesday. This is good preparation, both physically and mentally.
    “He [Anthony Elanga] is a very good player. He has a good attitude and he works hard in training. I’m very happy for him”
    RON TURN
    Manchester United are ‘exploring’ a stunning return for Cristiano Ronaldo this summer.
    Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been looking to add to his striking department for months to help close the gap on champions Man City.
    They have been linked with big-money moves for Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
    But Spurs are allegedly determined not to sell their star man to United as he looks set for a huge £150m switch to City instead.
    Haaland is now also set to stay in the Bundesliga for another 12 months leaving Solskjaer to look elsewhere for new firepower as reports suggest Southampton’s Danny Ings has emerged as a target.
    However, a fresh claim by The Athletic states that they could still look to bring their former hero Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.

    KANE NOT ABLE
    Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has confirmed his interest in Manchester United transfer target Harry Kane – while Ollie Watkins has been tipped to replace the striker at Tottenham.
    England star Kane has told the North London side he wants to leave this summer after another disappointing campaign.
    That has prompted interest from the Blues, Manchester United and City.

    HOME GARD
    West Ham fear Manchester United will block any attempt to sign Jesse Lingard by opting to keep the star this summer.
    Lingard played a key role in helping the Hammers secure a Europa League spot with nine goals in 16 appearances on loan in the capital.
    Boss David Moyes is desperate to bring the 28-year-old to the London Stadium on a permanent basis.
    But the popular Hammers gaffer admitted on Sunday he had no clue whether a deal was possible.
    There are increasing concerns within the club that United have no interest in letting the England ace leave Old Trafford on the back of the impact he has made while on loan.
    SunSport understands there has been no contact at all between the two clubs to discuss a permanent deal, despite the Hammers making it clear they would be willing buyers.

    ‘WE MUST IMPROVE’
    Harry Maguire has urged his Manchester United team-mates to ‘improve again’ after an impressive Premier League campaign.
    Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has also confirmed the injured defender will still travel with the team to their Europa League final against Villareal in Gdansk on Wednesday.
    Maguire is almost certain to miss the Europa showdown having injured his ankle ligaments against Aston Villa earlier this month.
    But the Red Devils captain will still join his team-mates so he can provide support from the sidelines.
    And despite his absence from the upcoming season finale and United’s last four Premier League games, Maguire is still trying to keep standards high.
    After United won 2-1 at Wolves on Sunday as they comfortably finished second – five points above Liverpool in third – Maguire took to Instagram to urge his team-mates to get better next season.
    The 28-year-old uploaded a picture of himself in a United shirt and wrote: “Great way to finish the @premierleague campaign.
    “Well done lads. Another step forward this year but we don’t settle for this, next year we must improve again. Looking forward to Wednesday #MUFC.”

    CHELSEA TO STEAL SANCHO?
    Chelsea could look to steal Jadon Sancho from under the noses of Manchester United.
    According to the Daily Mirror, however, the Blues are looking to test the waters with a bid in the region of £80million.
    The star winger made a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Dortmund that he will be allowed to leave in the summer if an interested party meets certain demands.

    NO PLACE FOR HATE
    Rio Ferdinand has been racially abused for the second time in less than 24 hours.
    The Manchester United legend was subjected to monkey chants from a Wolves fan at Molineux on Sunday.
    The supporter was thrown out, arrested and Wolves promised to ban the fan for life if found guilty.
    Ferdinand wrote on Twitter: “The last couple of weeks, it’s been unreal to see fans back.
    “However to the Wolves fan who has just been thrown out for doing a monkey chant at me, you need to be dismissed from football and educated.
    “Come meet me and I will help you understand what it feels like to be racially abused!”
    But Ferdinand received further abuse online when Twitter user @AageBjerre told the former England defender and now BT Sport pundit to ‘Eat a banana’ followed by three emojis of the fruit.

    GOAL MEDAL
    Manchester United transfer target Harry Kane completed a unique double as this season’s top goalscorer and assist-maker – but was still some way off the Premier League’s all-time creation record.
    Consistent top form and a largely injury-free season allowed the Tottenham star to produce a personal-best tally of 23 goals and 14 assists.
    That meant a total of 37 goal involvements, comfortably clear of Bruno Fernandes (30), Mohamed Salah and Son Heung-min (both 27).
    Patrick Bamford, Jamie Vardy (both 24) and Marcus Rashford (20) also featured in the upper echelons following strong campaigns in front of goal.
    But Tottenham hero Kane still has work to do if he is to best the Prem’s greatest-ever goal creators.

    IMPRESSIVE DIALLO
    Amad Diallo impressed for Manchester United during their 2-1 win over Wolves on Sunday.

    NANI’S DREAM TEAM
    Former Man Utd star Nani has revealed his five-a-side dream team from those he has played with in his career.
    Here are his selections:

    TOP MAN
    Manchester City are favourites to sign Harry Kane this summer after lifting the Premier League trophy.
    Kane’s future is uncertain after he made it clear he’d like to move away from Tottenham.
    And bookmakers Betfair make City favourites to land him, ahead of Manchester United and Chelsea.
    Kane is said to want to stay in the UK despite Daniel Levy’s preference to sell him abroad.
    And the bookies believe Kane will get his way with the European contingent starting with PSG at 9/1, Real Madrid 20/1, Barcelona 25/1 and Juventus 33/1.

    EUROPA BOOST
    Manchester United go head-to-head against Spanish opponents Villarreal in the 2020-21 Europa League final on Wednesday.
    And William Hill are giving brand new customers the chance to back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side at 25/1 to lift the trophy – that’s boosted from 5/6!

    Visit the William Hill website on your mobile device using this link HERE*
    Sign up, making sure you use EPM25 in the Promo Code section
    Add Manchester United to lift the trophy to your bet slip
    Place a maximum £1 stake on your selection
    If you win, great, William Hill will give you 5 x £5 in free bets!
    Free bets will be paid within 48 hours of the event ending

    Get 25/1 on Man Utd lifting the Europa League trophy – HERE*

    MAGIC NUMBER
    Gary Neville believes Manchester United’s best route to signing Harry Kane is a players-plus-cash deal.
    The 46-year-old told Sky Sports: “It’s difficult. City don’t tend to break their budget, do they? [Their record is] £65m-£70m – they’re not going to get him for that.
    “So it’s whether they could get a player to Tottenham that would makeweight the deal.
    “And I think that’s what United maybe have in Martial, James and Lingard.
    “They’re types of players you could send [to Spurs] plus a chunk of money and it might make Daniel Levy happy.”

    REUNION
    Jose Mourinho is reportedly plotting a reunion with Nemanja Matic for a third time.
    The recently-axed Tottenham manager takes charge of Roma this summer and already has several transfer targets in mind.
    According to a report from Italian publication Corriere dello Sport, Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic has emerged as his No1 priority.
    The 32-year-old Serbian already knows the Portuguese ace well.
    He was first signed by Mourinho back in 2014 when he returned to Chelsea from Benfica.
    Matic then followed him to Old Trafford from the Blues in 2017 and was a mainstay under him for 18 months.
    Now Mourinho appears to want his trusted lieutenant again in Italy.

    AHEAD OF THE PACK
    Manchester City have reportedly already made an enquiry for Manchester United target Harry Kane – way back in January.
    The 27-year-old striker wants to leave Tottenham this summer after another disappointing campaign for the North London side.
    City are leading the race to sign the striker, and the Etihad is believed to be Kane’s preferred destination.
    Chelsea and Man Utd are also in the chase for the England superstar.
    However, the Daily Star has now claimed Pep Guardiola’s side contacted Spurs back in the winter transfer window over a potential move.
    They were told to forget about it – but it looks as if that enquiry set the wheels in motion for him to go public with his desire to depart.

    EU BEAUTY
    Manchester United will pick up an average of £75,000 a man if they win the Europa League final on Wednesday.
    It is understood Old Trafford chiefs have set aside a pool of around £4million.
    And that will be handed to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s team and his backroom staff if they beat Villarreal.
    Some players, like midfielder Paul Pogba, will get closer to six figures for European glory against the Spanish side.
    Once TV money comes in, United could bank £90m from their run.
    They have landed £12m just for reaching the final.

    ‘HOW’S THAT HAPPENED?’
    Liverpool rose from the dead to snatch third place in the Premier League on the final day of the season – and Gary Neville simply couldn’t believe it.
    The Reds lost six straight games at Anfield between January and March as they looked destined to not only miss out on Champions League qualification, but all European football entirely.
    But Jurgen Klopp’s squad fought until the bitter end, winning eight and drawing two of their final ten games as they roared back up the table.
    Liverpool beat Crystal Palace 2-0 on the final day of the season to confirm their spot in the top four.
    But with Leicester and Chelsea both losing – to Tottenham and Aston Villa respectively – the Reds ended up third, just ONE place behind Manchester United.
    Speaking on Sky Sports, a stunned Neville squeaked: “Have they finished third? How’s that happened?”

    RON-SONG
    Manchester United are ‘exploring’ a stunning Cristiano Ronaldo transfer return this summer.
    Red Devils boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been looking to add to his striking department for months to help close the gap on champions Man City.
    They have been linked with big-money moves for Tottenham’s Harry Kane and Borussia Dortmund’s Erling Haaland.
    But Spurs are allegedly determined not to sell their star man to United as he looks set for a huge £150m switch to City instead.
    Haaland is now also set to stay in the Bundesliga for another 12 months leaving Solskjaer to look elsewhere for new firepower as reports suggest Southampton’s Danny Ings has emerged as a target.
    However, a fresh claim by The Athletic states that they could still look to bring their former hero Ronaldo back to Old Trafford.
    And those rumours of the Portuguese star’s exit will only intensify after he was dropped for Juventus’ final game of the season last night.

    IT S-AINT A NO
    Danny Ings has refused to rule out a shock transfer to Manchester United or City.
    The Southampton striker is a target for both clubs after impressing with 12 Premier League goals in an injury-hit season.
    He told talkSPORT: “I’ve got a contract until the summer of 2022. I haven’t really acknowledged them [transfer rumours].
    “I’ve just been focused on each game. Ultimately, I’ve still got a contract here. My main focus is to finish the season strong.”

    CASH N’ HARRY
    Manchester United will compensate Harry Kane over any lost earnings if he forces a transfer from Tottenham, according to reports.
    SunSport exclusively revealed United and City are both ready to offer the England striker £80MILLION in wages to tempt him from Spurs.
    The Sunday Times claim United will also pay him a multimillion-pound signing-on fee to cover any loyalty bonuses Kane, who has three years left on his contract, would forsake if he were to formally hand in a transfer request.
    Kane, 27, has told Tottenham he wants to leave and has openly flirted with an exit – but has NOT put in a written request.
    United hope their compensation package will move them ahead of City and Chelsea in the race.
    The club’s England stars also plan to charm Kane at the Euros and lure him to Old Trafford.

    GOOD MORNING MAN UTD FANS
    Chelsea could look to steal Jadon Sancho from under the noses of Manchester United.
    According to the Daily Mirror, however, the Blues are looking to test the waters with a bid in the region of £80million.
    The star winger made a “gentlemen’s agreement” with Dortmund that he will be allowed to leave in the summer if an interested party meets certain demands.
    Juan Mata will not be drawn in any discussions about his future and remains focused on Wednesday’s Europa League Final against Villarreal.
    The Spaniard is out of contract in the summer but proved his worth after scoring in the 2-1 win over Wolves.
    He told Sky Sports: “In three days we have an important game which is where my mind is. I still feel I can play good football.
    “I know what I want. I’m still hungry to play football.”
    Meanwhile Andrea Pirlo sparked Cristiano Ronaldo exit rumours after dropping him for Juventus’ clash with Bologna.
    The Old Lady headed into the away fixture needing to win to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
    In what is undoubtedly one of the biggest games in Pirlo’s reign, he sensationally left Ronaldo on the substitute bench.
    It didn’t matter as Juve when on to win 4-1 and seal a top four finish.
    Ronaldo has been linked with a return to both Manchester United and Real Madrid.
    IT S-AINT A NO
    Danny Ings has refused to rule out a shock transfer to Manchester United or City.
    The Southampton striker is a target for both clubs after impressing with 12 Premier League goals in an injury-hit season.
    He told talkSPORT: “I’ve got a contract until the summer of 2022.
    “I haven’t really acknowledged them [transfer rumours].
    “I’ve just been focused on each game. Ultimately, I’ve still got a contract here.
    “My main focus is to finish the season strong.”
    PIRL OF WISDOM
    Andrea Pirlo has fuelled Cristiano Ronaldo exit rumours after dropping him for Juventus’ clash with Bologna.
    The Old Lady headed into the away fixture needing to win to stand a chance of qualifying for the Champions League.
    In what is undoubtedly one of the biggest games in Pirlo’s reign, he sensationally left Ronaldo on the substitute bench.
    The Portuguese ace is the league’s top scorer with 29 goals.
    But his exclusion, just four days after winning the Coppa Italia, will raise huge doubts over his future.
    Fabrizio Romano confirmed that Ronaldo is not injured and it is a ‘technical decision’ made by Pirlo.
    It is only the fifth time in three seasons as a Juventus player that Ronaldo has been benched.
    ‘NEED EDUCATING’
    Rio Ferdinand has revealed he was subjected to a vile monkey chant while working at Wolves’ clash with Manchester United.
    West Midlands Police later confirmed that a man had been arrested in connection with the abuse at Molineux.
    The Red Devils legend, 42, was in attendance on Sunday for the final day of the Premier League.
    Despite old club United securing a 2-1 away win, his day was ruined by one scumbag, with the culprit now in police custody.
    Ferdinand shared the shock racist abuse he had received via his Twitter account.
    The former centre-half wrote: “The last couple weeks, it’s been unreal to see fans back.
    “However to the Wolves fan who has just been thrown out for doing a monkey chant at me.
    “You need to be dismissed from football & educated. Come meet me & I will help you understand what it feels like to be racially abused!”
    Load more entries… More