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    Real Madrid ‘refusing to splash out £130m for Jude Bellingham transfer’.. but TWO Premier League clubs willing to pay up

    REAL MADRID want to sign Jude Bellingham but are unwilling to stump up £130million to land the midfielder, according to reports.Bellingham is one of the most in demand players in Europe and he could be allowed to leave Borussia Dortmund this summer.
    Real Madrid are unwilling to spend £130million on Jude BellinghamCredit: Getty
    His contract expires in 2025 so Dortmund could look to maximise their profits by selling when the transfer window re-opens.
    The German side are believed to want around £130m for the England international.
    But according to Spanish newspaper ABC Real Madrid do not want to pay that much.
    That could seriously hinder their chances of landing the midfielder with several other clubs interested.
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    According to the report two unnamed Premier League clubs would be willing to match Dortmund’s valuation.
    Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City have all been linked with moves for Bellingham.

    Liverpool are also interested but that trio have the most financial power in the Prem.
    Despite that the Reds are said to be favourites to land the 19-year-old with Jurgen Klopp pushing to sign the superstar.
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    United are set to rival any bids for Bellingham however and their chances of landing the midfielder could be boosted if a takeover is completed soon.
    Chelsea could also focus all of their efforts on Bellingham if they miss out on Declan Rice, who could join Arsenal. More

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    Steve Cooper ‘in line to leave Nottingham Forest with at least TWO Premier League clubs set to fight for him’

    NOTTINGHAM FOREST are bracing for a fight to hold onto manager Steve Cooper in the summer, reports suggest.Cooper has earned a lot of recognition for his tremendous work at Forest as he led them back to the Premier League and steered them away from the top flight’s relegation zone.
    Nottingham Forest are facing a battle to keep manager Steve CooperCredit: Rex
    Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper is targeted by at least two Premier League clubsCredit: Rex
    According to The Mail, the 43-year-old is being targeted by at least two other Premier League clubs ahead of next season.
    The likes of Tottenham, Chelsea, West Ham, Southampton and Leeds are facing uncertainty regarding their respective manager.
    Antonio Conte’s Spurs contract is up in June while Graham Potter and David Moyes have come under fire at Stamford Bridge and London Stadium respectively.
    Ruben Selles and Javi Gracia’s positions at Southampton and Leeds respectively could also be affected if they get relegated.
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    Brighton might also need a new head coach as interest is growing for Roberto De Zerbi.
    But Forest owner Evangelos Marinakis is a big fan of Cooper and is not keen on letting him go as he sees him as an important factor that will help the club grow.
    That is why Marinakis stood by the Welshman after a rough start in the campaign.
    In fact, the Greek owner offered him a new three-year deal even though the bookies considered him a favourite for the sack back in October.
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    Cooper took over from Chris Hughton in 2021 and led Forest from relegation candidates to Championship play-off winners last season in a superb turnaround.
    Nottingham are now 13th in the Premier League table with four points separating them from the drop zone.
    Cooper’s side has amassed a total of six wins and 11 losses in 24 Prem matches. More

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    Arsenal target Moises Caicedo makes major change to his Instagram after using it to push for failed transfer

    BRIGHTON star Moises Caicedo has apparently deleted his official Instagram profile.This comes just over a month after Caicedo tried to force a move away from the Amex Stadium via social media.
    Brighton star Moises Caicedo has been targeted by Arsenal and ChelseaCredit: Alamy
    Moises Caicedo has deleted his Instagram after trying to leave BrightonCredit: Rex
    The midfielder was linked with a January transfer to Arsenal, who had a £70million bid turned down by the Seagulls and ultimately landed Jorginho.
    Chelsea also tried to sign the Ecuador international but their approach was also rejected by the south coast side.
    The 21-year-old tried to take matters into his own hands and pushed for a move on Instagram where he shared a long post expressing his desire to leave.
    But Caicedo’s tactic didn’t pay off as he stayed put at Brighton with the club’s hierarchy issuing him a stay-at-home warning before his eventual return to Roberto De Zerbi’s squad.
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    It doesn’t look like the Ecuadorian will be sharing any messages from Instagram any time soon as he appears to have scrapped his ‘moises_caicedo55’ account.
    Caicedo’s recent statement raised some eyebrows as it contained some errors.
    Remarkably, the Brighton star spelt the name of his home town Santo Domingo as “Santa Domingo”.
    Caicedo wrote: “I am grateful to Mr. [Tony] Bloom and Brighton for giving me the chance to come to the Premier League and I feel I have always done my best for them. I always play football with a smile and with heart.
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    “I am the youngest of 10 siblings from a poor upbringing in Santa Domingo in Ecuador. My dream always to be the most decorated player in the history of Ecuador.
    “I am proud to be able to bring in a record transfer fee for Brighton which would allow them to reinvest it and help the club continue to be successful.
    “The fans have taken me into their hearts and they will always be in my heart so I hope they can understand why I want to take up this magnificent opportunity.” More

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    Napoli wonderkid Kvaratskhelia’s agent reveals which club star wants to join as transfer race hots up

    NAPOLI star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s agent has revealed his the star’s preferred transfer if he were to leave the club would be to Real Madrid.Kvaratskhelia has made headlines around the world this season as he has scored 12 goals and bagged 15 assists in 26 matches across all competitions.
    Napoli star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia’s agent revealed his client’s favourite suitorCredit: Rex
    Kvaratskhelia is a fan of Real Madrid, who are targeting the Napoli aceCredit: Rex
    That has led to interest from the likes of Newcastle, Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and the winger’s favourite club Real ahead of the summer transfer window.
    The Georgia international’s agent Mamuka Jugheli suggested the reigning Spanish champions have the advantage in the ongoing bidding war.
    That is because the 22-year-old is a lifelong “Madridista”, even though his rep and father are big Barcelona fans.
    However, Kvaratskhelia remains focused on the Partenopei amid a stunning campaign for Luciano Spalletti’s men.
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    Jugheli told Geo Team: “His father and I are Barca fans, but Kvara loves Real Madrid.
    “If I see him in a Barca shirt I’ll be happy, but he’s Madridista.
    “Napoli director asks me not to be in a hurry — Kvara likes everything in Napoli.”
    This comes after Kvaratskhelia’s suitors were handed a major blow in their bid to land the scintillating forward.
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    That is because Napoli will sit down with his representatives at the end of the campaign and offer a deal worth £2.2million-a-season, plus bonuses, until 2028.
    That sum works out at around £42,000-a-week before add-ons.
    The Georgian has been tremendously influential at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona with the Serie A giants on course for their first title in 33 years.
    Spalletti’s men are 18 points clear from second-placed Inter Milan and set for the Champions League quarter-finals after winning 2-0 at Eintracht Frankfurt in the Last 16. More

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    Lionel Messi wanted by Saudi club but they will ‘offer FAR less than Cristiano Ronaldo earns’

    LIONEL MESSI is wanted by Saudi Pro League title challengers Al-Ittihad, reports suggest. The club are two points behind Cristiano Ronaldo’s table toppers Al-Nassr, and now want to level the playing field by bringing in their own superstar.
    Cristiano Ronaldo is top of the league with Al-NassrCredit: Getty
    Rivals Al-Ittihad are set to offer Lionel Messi his own mega-money contractCredit: Rex
    According to a report from Marca, Al-Ittihad want to offer Messi a contract worth £78million per year on a two-year contract.
    The report adds talks may have already begun between representatives of both sides.
    However, this deal is of a far lower value than what Al-Nassr currently pay Ronaldo.
    The 38-year-old joined the club in December after his contract at Manchester United was ripped up following a bombshell interview with Piers Morgan.
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    And he was offered an eye-watering £173m-a-year deal to leave European football behind.
    Messi has a contract at Paris Saint-Germain worth £25m a year net according to The Athletic – though the deal had huge sign-on and additional bonuses.
    PSG want him to sign a new deal and continue his blossoming partnership with Kylian Mbappe.
    But clubs including Barcelona and Inter Miami are also interested in his signature just like Al-Ittihad, with Messi entering free agency in the summer.
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    The Saudi side have not won the league since 2008/09, and are desperate to beat Al-Nassr and Al-Halil – another team with a reported interest in Messi – to the title.
    Al-Ittihad are currently coached by former Wolves and Tottenham boss Nuno Espirito Santo. More

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    Newcastle set to snap up Man City youth transfer guru Paul McLaren as Eddie Howe looks to pick up young talent

    NEWCASTLE are set to snap up Manchester City’s youth transfer guru as part of their continued revolution, according to reports.Paul McLaren is currently a youth scout for the reigning Premier League champions.
    Dan Ashworth and Eddie Howe are adding Paul McLaren to the staff at NewcastleCredit: Getty
    However, Fabrizio Romano reports he is on his way to St James’ Park.
    McLaren, 46, looks on course to start his new role as Head of Scouting in July.
    The former midfield spent 18 years as a professional in the EFL and retired in 2012.
    He spent a spell as Arsenal’s northern head youth scout and then switched to City five-and-a-half years ago.
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    However, McLaren has seemingly been headhunted as part of sporting director Dan Ashworth’s overhaul of the Newcastle academy.
    The Magpies created several new roles in January surrounding scouting young talent.
    Ex-Manchester City and Leeds scout Paul Midgley joined ahead of youth recruitment.
    Toon are thriving since the controversial £300million Saudi takeover.
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    First-team signings such as Nick Pope, Sven Botman, Kieran Trippier and Bruno Guimaraes are blossoming under Eddie Howe.
    And the popular boss took the club back to Wembley for their first major final in 24 years with last weekend’s Carabao Cup defeat to Manchester United.
    But as well as delivering progress at senior level – Newcastle are still in the race to finish in the top four and qualify for the Champions League – they also want to improve the youth-team set-up to breed further success. More

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    Man Utd and Chelsea in Jude Bellingham boost as Real Madrid put transfer operation on ice

    REAL MADRID have reportedly put a move for Jude Bellingham on hold which will boost Chelsea and Manchester United.The two Premier League giants are keen on signing the England international who is believed to have a very bright future in the game.
    Real Madrid have reportedly cooled interest in Jude BellinghamCredit: Reuters
    Liverpool are also believed to be prominent in the race to sign Bellingham, as well as Manchester City.
    But Los Blancos have now cooled their interest in the Borussia Dortmund midfielder, according to AS.
    The report claims that the stop in interest is because of the delay to Dortmund’s meeting to establish what Bellingham’s future would be.
    The 19-year-old has a contract at the Signal Iduna Park running until 2025 and the Bundesliga side value him at over £100million.
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    It has been suggested that Madrid would be willing to wait until the summer of 2024 to sign him when he could cost less money, as he would only have a year left on his contract.
    However, it looks increasingly unlikely that the England man will still be in Germany by then.
    And Bellingham’s Premier League suitors will try to wrap up a deal to sign him this summer.
    Dortmund director Sebastian Kehl, however, insists that the former Birmingham prospect is “comfortable” at the club.
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    He said: “Jude feels very, very comfortable at Borussia Dortmund.
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    “But we still haven’t had any new talks or received any offers for him.
    “He still has two more years on his contract and is a very important piece of this team.
    “We need Jude to achieve the objectives this season and we are glad that he is so focused on football and that there is no room for other matters in his head at the moment.”
    This season, Bellingham has scored ten goals in 30 appearances in all competitions. More

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    Tammy Abraham lined up for £40m Premier League return as former club scout Roma striker

    TAMMY ABRAHAM is being lined up for a £40million return to the Premier League.And one of his former clubs is ready to rival Manchester United for his signature.
    Roma star Tammy Abraham is being watched closely by a former sideCredit: Reuters
    Abraham, 25, has been plying his trade in Italy with Roma for the past 18 months.
    The England ace has 34 goals in 86 games for Jose Mourinho’s side.
    And he has been linked with a move to United this summer.
    But Forza Roma claims Abraham could be returning home to a different English side after being scouted by Aston Villa.
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    Unai Emery is said to be a big fan.
    And Villa are on the hunt for a powerful No9 after selling Danny Ings to West Ham in January.
    Abraham is already a firm favourite with Villa fans, having played for them on loan in the 2018/19 campaign.
    He struck 25 goals in 37 Championship games as Villa secured promotion to the top flight.
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    And a second Midlands spell could now be on the cards.
    Former Chelsea youngster Abraham may be keen on returning to England after two years abroad.
    His first season in Italy yielded an impressive 27 goals in all competitions.
    But Abraham has struggled for form this term with just seven goals in 33 games.
    Boss Mourinho is now being tipped to quit Roma should they miss out on a top four finish.
    And his exit could also signal the end of Abraham’s Serie A adventure. More