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      Roberto Firmino’s dream return to Premier League hits buffers due to monstrous wages ex-Liverpool striker expects

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      ROBERTO FIRMINO’S personal terms are making it hard for him to come back to the Prem.The ex-Liverpool forward, 32, could cut short his stay at Saudi Arabian side Al-Ahli but his camp are after a stunning package.
      Roberto Firmino’s wage demands are preventing him from returning to the Premier LeagueCredit: Getty
      Former Brazil ace Firmino has had interest although no English clubs are willing to pay the £300,000-a-week it would take to get him.
      He signed a three-year deal with Al-Ahli in the summer but could now quit just six months into his contract.
      Firmino has managed just three goals and three assists in 19 appearances so far this season.
      The forward has also not started a league match since October, coinciding with his side’s eight-match unbeaten run.
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      His spell out of the starting line-up has seen Firmino lose the captain’s armband, having started the campaign as skipper.
      A number of Premier League clubs have since been linked with a move for the former Red.
      Fulham were reportedly “offered the chance” to sign Firmino this week to bolster their attacking options.
      Meanwhile, Sheffield United were interested before sacking Paul Heckingbottom in December.
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      It is unknown if new boss Chris Wilder remains keen to bring the ex-Brazil international in following his return to Bramall Lane.
      Firmino scored 111 goals and provided 79 assists in 362 appearances across his eight-year spell at Anfield.
      Of those goals, 82 came in the Premier League, making him the highest scoring Brazilian in the league’s history.
      Firmino’s 82 Premier League goals for Liverpool are more than any other BrazilianCredit: AFP More

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      Five clubs Jordan Henderson could transfer to in January as England star tells team-mates Saudi move was huge mistake

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      JORDAN HENDERSON wants to seal a January transfer after telling former team-mates his move to Saudi Arabia has been a mistake.The former Liverpool captain, 33, left Anfield to join Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq in the summer.
      Jordan Henderson could leave Al-Ettifaq after admitting the move was a mistakeCredit: Alamy
      He was all smiles when he signed for Steven Gerrard’s side in July 2023Credit: Reuters
      But it has not worked out as planned with Henderson yet to score and his side on a nightmare run of poor form.
      Now SunSport understands he has had enough and is ready to head back to Europe.
      Leaving before honouring two years of his £700,000-a-week contract would trigger a major tax bill worth around £3.5million.
      However, it could see the midfielder bolster his chances of featuring at Euro 2024.
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      But where could Henderson go if he did make the shock early exit?
      RETURN TO LIVERPOOL
      Henderson spent 12 years at Anfield, racking up 492 appearances for the Reds.
      He inherited the captain’s armband from Gerrard and lifted the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup.
      Jurgen Klopp brought in Alexis Mac Allister, Dominik Szoboszlai, Wataru Endo and Ryan Gravenberch in a midfield overhaul – but some extra trophy-winning experience could be vital as Liverpool chase another league title this term.
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      The England international is the only Liverpool captain to lift the Premier League trophyCredit: Times Newspapers Ltd
      NEWCASTLE
      Newcastle have the local bragging rights after winning the Tyne-Wear FA Cup clash – and they could have even more if ex-Sunderland boy Henderson joins them.
      Newcastle are owned by the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the connections to the Saudi Pro League would ease negotiations – especially after Premier League clubs voted to allow transfers between clubs with the same owners.
      Eddie Howe’s squad has been decimated by injuries and a holding midfielder is high on the wish list anyway, with Kalvin Phillips also a target.
      Henderson started out at boyhood club Sunderland, joining aged eightCredit: AP:Associated Press
      CHELSEA
      Chelsea have splashed the cash – more than £1billion to be precise – since Todd Boehly took over at Stamford Bridge in 2022.
      And yet despite the big-money arrivals of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Lesley Ugochukwu, an experienced head in the middle of the park could be a sensible addition.
      Henderson would certainly provide that and linking up with a host of Three Lions stars could help catch Gareth Southgate’s eye.
      He could line up in midfield with Enzo Fernandez at ChelseaCredit: Getty
      CELTIC
      Henderson was at Liverpool throughout Brendan Rodgers’ tenure as Kop boss from 2012 to 2015.
      And the Northern Irishman may well be keen for a reunion to add a top-quality midfielder into his Celtic team.
      The lower overall quality of the league compared to the Premier League would also work in Henderson’s favour because he turns 34 at the end of the season.
      Brendan Rodgers managed the midfielder at AnfieldCredit: Action Images – Reuters
      MOVE TO GERMANY
      SunSport understands an unnamed German club are also monitoring Henderson’s situation with particular interest.
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      With Bayer Leverkusen the surprise leaders and Bayern Munich, Stuttgart and RB Leipzig all chasing, the Bundesliga is wide open going into the second half of the season.
      Henderson proved he is willing to move abroad when he went to Saudi and the chance to test himself in another of Europe’s top five leagues could be appealing.
      Could Henderson line up with Harry Kane at Bayern Munich?Credit: Alamy More

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      Jordan Henderson ‘wants shock Premier League return’ just six months after Saudi transfer… and it’ll cost him millions

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      JORDAN HENDERSON wants to return to the Premier League just six months after his move to Saudi Arabia.However, an early exit from Al-Ettifaq would cost the former Liverpool captain millions.
      Jordan Henderson wants a shock return to the Premier LeagueCredit: Reuters
      The Daily Mail report Henderson, 33, is eager to complete a shock switch back to England.
      SunSport revealed in October that some players wanted to come home after regretting their transfers.
      Ex-Reds skipper Henderson is now believed to be amongst those players after struggling to settle since his £12million move.
      A return from Saudi Arabia would come at a cost for Henderson, though, as he faces losing millions of pounds in tax and lost wages.
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      His reported £700,000-per-week wages are only tax free if he honours the first two years of his contract, the report adds.
      Saudi Arabia’s 20 per cent income tax rate would therefore leave Henderson with a tax bill of around £7million if he returned home.
      A comeback would boost his chances of making Gareth Southgate’s England squad for Euro 2024, though.
      He has been included in all three squads since his move, but was booed during the October friendly against Australia.
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      Henderson has yet to score in 19 appearances for Al-Ettifaq this season, instead providing five assists.
      The Saudi Pro League side are currently on a woeful run of form, winning just one of their last 13 matches in all competitions.
      Manager Steven Gerrard is under mounting pressure as a result, with his side currently eighth in the table.
      Meanwhile, his assistant Ian Foster resigned this week to take the vacant Plymouth job.
      Henderson joined Steven Gerrard at Al-Ettifaq in the summerCredit: Reuters More

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      Forgotten Tottenham flop Steven Bergwijn handed Premier League lifeline as talks held over transfer return

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      WEST HAM are weighing up a move for Ajax winger Steven Bergwijn.The Hammers are in need of some attacking reinforcements this month with Lucas Paqueta injured and Mohamed Kudus away with Ghana at the Africa Cup of Nations.
      West Ham are eyeing a move for Ajax winger Steven BergwijnCredit: Getty
      Bergwijn – who spent two-and-a-half years with Tottenham between January 2020 and July 2022 before returning to Holland – is desperate for a switch back to the Premier League.
      And SunSport understands there have been some preliminary talks between the East Londoners and the Dutchman’s representatives.
      However, any move remains a long way off with lots of moving pieces.
      A January transfer to the London Stadium will be heavily dependent on outgoings first to raise funds having spent big in the summer.
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      Having sold Declan Rice to Arsenal for £105m, David Moyes – alongside technical director Tim Steidten – brought in Kudus, Edson Alvarez, James Ward-Prowse and Konstantinos Mavropanos for a total of around £117.5m.
      SunSport also understands that Ajax are unlikely to sanction a loan with an obligation to buy owing to the fact Bergwijn, 26, is the club captain.
      Bergwijn made 83 appearances for Spurs, scoring eight goals.
      West Ham have already shipped out one player this month – versatile defender Thilo Kehrer on loan to French giants Monaco for the rest of the season with a view to making it permanent this summer.
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      Alongside Kudus, centre back Nayef Aguerd is also away at AFCON with Morocco – a player who has been linked with a departure to Saudi Arabia and Italy in recent weeks.
      The tournament, which is being held in the Ivory Coast, will run from January 13 to February 11. More

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      Man Utd to insert shock clause into Jadon Sancho loan transfer deal with Borussia Dortmund after Jim Ratcliffe steps in

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      MANCHESTER UNITED will not include an option to buy in Jadon Sancho’s loan move to Borussia Dortmund, according to reports.The winger is set to end his Old Trafford exile by rejoining his former club on a six-month loan deal.
      Jadon Sancho is set to leave Man Utd on loan this monthCredit: Getty
      Sir Jim Ratcliffe accepts that Sancho’s value is lowCredit: AFP
      Sancho, 23, has been frozen out at Old Trafford since falling out with boss Erik ten Hag in September.
      Ten Hag, 53, criticised Sancho’s training levels after dropping him for a trip to Arsenal, subsequently banishing him from the first team when the England international refuted his claims.
      Sancho has since trained with the reserves, even being banned from the first team canteen after refusing to apologise.
      This week it emerged that the United outcast is on the verge of rejoining Dortmund on loan, with BVB paying just £3.4million to cover the deal and a portion of Sancho’s wages, which are said to be around £300,000-a-week.
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      The Bundesliga club received £73m for Sancho back in 2021.
      According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Man Utd do not want to include an option to buy in the loan deal.
      He adds that new partial owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe accepts that Sancho’s value is not high at the moment, and do not want to allow the opportunity for Dortmund to get him back on the cheap.
      His future will instead be decided in June, when he will have two years remaining on his United contract.
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      Sancho has played 82 times for the Red Devils, scoring 12 goals and laying on six assists.
      He featured in their first three matches of this season from the bench, prior to his falling out with Ten Hag.
      The winger excelled during his previous stint in the Bundesliga.
      He played 137 times for BVB, scoring 50 goals and laying on 64 assists.
      Sancho netted twice in the final as Dortmund won the DFB Pokal in 2021, starring alongside Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham.
      Sancho, 23, excelled during his previous spell at Dortmund alongside Erling Haaland and Jude BellinghamCredit: AFP More

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      Chelsea flop Timo Werner on verge of sensational loan transfer to Spurs in blow to Man Utd’s hopes of January swoop

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      TOTTENHAM are on the verge of signing Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig.Sky Sports Germany’s Florian Plettenburg reports that a deal is nearly done to bring the German forward to North London on a six-month deal.
      Werner is near to joining TottenhamCredit: Getty

      Spurs are keen to insert an option to buy into the loan, with that being the final part of the negotiation currently.
      According to Fabrizio Romano, the forward has reached a personal agreement with Tottenham – and has been left out of Leipzig’s friendly against St.Gallen today.
      RB Leipzig’s official account confirmed that he had been left out of the squad to arrange a transfer.
      Werner spent two unsuccessful years as Chelsea’s frontman between 2020 and 2022.
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      The Blues were convinced to part with £47million to sign the German forward after he hit 28 goals in 34 games in the 2019-20 season.
      But after registering 23 goals and 21 assists in his 89 appearances for Chelsea he was deemed surplus to requirements and sold back to Leipzig in the summer of 2022.
      Werner enjoyed a middling first season back at the club where he once shone, scoring nine and registering four assists in his 29 Bundesliga appearances.
      But this season he has fallen down the Leipzig pecking order behind Lois Openda and Yussuf Poulsen.
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      That meant Leipzig were keen to get the player off their wage bill in January and Spurs have swooped in to do a deal.
      Werner has attracted interest from several Premier League teams this window – including Manchester United, Aston Villa and West Ham.
      United value the striker’s Premier League experience, and wanted to bring him in as competition for the struggling Rasmus Hojlund.
      Likewise, Aston Villa wanted to bring the forward in as back up for Ollie Watkins.
      Werner may have been rewarded with more game time at West Ham given Michail Antonio’s latest struggles with injury.
      But it looks as though the German international has ultimately been convinced by Ange Postecoglou’s project at Spurs.
      The pacy forward, who can operate off the left or through the middle will provide a similar profile to Spurs captain Son Heung Min – who is away with South Korea for the Asia Cup this month. More

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      Chelsea outcast David Datro Fofana ‘lined up for shock transfer to LaLiga giants’ with star to be recalled from loan

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      SEVILLA are ready to make a January loan swoop for Chelsea striker David Datro Fofana, according to reports.The Ivorian, 21, has spent the first half of the season at Union Berlin in the Bundesliga.
      David Datro Fofana joined Chelsea from Molde 12 months agoCredit: Getty
      The striker has spent the first half of the season on loan at Union BerlinCredit: Reuters
      He has netted just twice in 17 appearances, with Union having slumped to 15th in the table.
      Fofana was suspended by the German side in October after reacting angrily to being substituted against Napoli in the Champions League.
      The forward snubbed a handshake from his manager Urs Fischer and had to be consoled on the bench.
      He was subsequently banned by his club for a week, with Fischer sacked the following month.
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      According to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, Sevilla want to bring Fofana to Spain for the second half of the campaign.
      The reigning Europa League winners are hoping to bolster their front line, having so far endured an underwhelming campaign.
      Quique Sanchez Flores’ side are 16th in LaLiga, just one point above the relegation zone.
      Fofana joined Chelsea from Molde in an £8million deal 12 months ago.
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      He made four appearances for the Blues last term before being sent to Union Berlin.
      The 5ft 11in ace bagged his first goal for Union in a 1-1 Champions League draw with Napoli in November.
      He finally got off the mark in the Bundesliga by scoring against Koln in the last game before the winter break last month.
      Fofana has been capped three times by the Ivory Coast but has failed to make the cut for their 2024 Africa Cup of Nations squad. More

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      Ange Postecoglou rules out £180k-a-week star ever playing for Tottenham again

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      ANGE POSTECOGLOU has ruled out Ivan Perisic playing again for Tottenham.The Croatian, who turns 35 next month, made a bright start under Postecoglou at the start of the season but then damaged his anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in September.
      Ange Postecoglou has ruled out Ivan Perisic playing again for TottenhamCredit: Alamy
      Spurs feared at the time it would curtail his campaign despite the veteran vowing to return ahead of the Euros this summer.
      But his manager has now confirmed the wideman will not feature again this term, meaning he has played his last game for the club with his expensive contract expiring in the summer.
      Asked if he expected Perisic to play again this season, Postecoglou replied: “No. He’s working hard, to be fair to Ivan.
      “He’s obviously got some national team commitments he wants to get back to as soon as possible. He’s been a significant loss for us.
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      “I thought this year he was going to be a really significant contributor because of his experience and we saw that in the first few games because of the way he impacted games.
      “But yeah, he won’t…he’s unlikely to play for us again.”
      Perisic was signed by Postecoglou’s predecessor Antonio Conte in the summer of 2022 on a two-year deal, believed to be worth £180,000 a week.
      He has made 50 appearances for the North Londoners, with his only goal for the club being the final one of Conte’s reign in March’s 3-3 draw at Southampton.
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      Reports have linked Perisic with a move back to Croatia with Hajduk Split ready to pounce.
      The move is in place as Spurs built a good relationship with the Croatian giants after snatching dream-signing 16-year-old Luka Vuskovic.
      Perisic is a lifelong supporter of the side and played in the youth ranks for the club from 2000-2006.
      Ivan Perisic looks to have played his last Spurs gameCredit: Getty More