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    Man Utd could offload £375k a week flop Casemiro in shock transfer THIS MONTH but new club admit it’s ‘risky business’

    MANCHESTER UNITED are reportedly set to offload Casemiro in a shock transfer to Flamengo, who admit it’s “risky business.”Casemiro, 32, has fallen out of favour at United under Ruben Amorim and has featured for just 20 minutes in the last five matches.Man Utd flop Casemiro is set for a ‘risky’ move to FlamengoCredit: GettyHe currently pockets a whopping £375,000-a-week to boot, one of the biggest salaries going.And United were eager to offload Casemiro before the winter transfer window slammed shut last week.However, it remains open in some countries outside Europe.One of those is Casemiro’s native Brazil.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLAnd reports in his homeland claim that Flamengo are set to complete a sensational loan swoop shortly.Casemiro, who began his football career at rivals Sao Paulo, is likely to jump at the chance of an exit.Antony, Marcus Rashford and Tyrell Malacia all completed loan moves away from United in the winter window.And Flamengo are even said to be ready to pay part of his mammoth annual salary.Most read in FootballBEST FREE BETS AND BETTING SIGN UP OFFERSHowever, they reportedly understand there is a huge risk in paying out so much money due to Casemiro’s advanced years and recent decline in performances.Journalist Jorge Nicola said: “I can assure you that Flamengo investigated the player’s situation in the last few days.Man Utd fans baffled by Fred’s reaction to team-mate having object thrown at him in fiery Fenerbahce clash “The English club agreed to loan him and help with part of his salary. Filipe Luis would love to count on Casemiro.“Flamengo understands that, given all the figures, it is a very risky business.“Even though United are willing to help with most of the salary, there would still be a very high amount to be paid.” More

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    Controversial Crystal Palace shareholder John Textor wants to SELL top-scorer Jean-Philippe Mateta to his other team

    CRYSTAL PALACE hitman Jean-Philippe Mateta is an ambitious target for Lyon — in a controversial move planned by John Textor.Textor, the French club’s American owner, wants them to bid for the in-form star this summer.Jean-Philippe Mateta could leave Crystal Palace this summerCredit: ReutersJohn Textor has a share of both Palace and LyonCredit: GettyBut that will not go down well at Palace, where Textor is also a major shareholder — even if he is planning to sell his stake.Frenchman Mateta will be in demand in the next window and the Eagles will have a fight on their hands to keep him.Yet Lyon may have to reach the Champions League to have a real chance of tempting Mateta, who has scored ten league goals so far this season.The powerful striker, 27, will seek to join an elite club.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLPalace would look for at least £50million for Mateta and if he continues his form, there could be big Premier League interest.Meanwhile, the Eagles have earmarked two rising centre-halves to replace Marc Guehi — Burnley’s Maxime Esteve and Middlesbrough’s Rav van den Berg.They realise England defender Guehi will have to be sold in the summer amid interest from Newcastle, Tottenham and Chelsea.Palace were priced out of their first choice, Strahinja Pavlovic, with AC Milan asking for £35m.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSFrenchman Esteve, 22, has been impressive for Burnley in a defence that has conceded just nine goals in 31 Championship games.Dutch star Van den Berg, 20, has caught the eye at Boro and Palace will be watching him closely in the run-in this season.His older brother Sepp, 23, plays for Brentford.Fans joke Ian Wright’s coat ‘reminded them to take the bins out’ as Arsenal legend hosts FA Cup clash More

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    ‘We don’t miss him’ – Chelsea boss Maresca fires brutal parting shot at Joao Felix after sending £46m flop out on loan

    CHELSEA boss Enzo Maresca fired a brutal parting shot at Joao Felix after his move to AC Milan.Felix, 25, has joined the Serie A side on loan until the end of the season.Joao Felix has signed a loan deal with AC Milan until the end of the seasonCredit: GettyEnzo Maresca insists Chelsea do ‘not miss’ FelixCredit: GettyThe versatile Portuguese attacker’s exit comes just six months into his seven-year contract after the Blues signed him in a £46million deal from Atletico Madrid.With strikers Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu out injured, Chelsea crashed out the FA Cup in a 2-1 loss to Brighton.The club’s decision to allow Felix to leave was questioned, but the manager insisted he does not need him.Maresca said: “I don’t think we miss Joao. Joao is happy there and we are happy Joao is happy there. READ MORE IN FOOTBALL”We had two striker injuries on Deadline Day, it is something difficult to think. “Nico can be back very soon. Sometimes I think you need to play some games without players to realise how important they are. “Off the ball, his pressing is always very good and on the ball he is a threat always.”Before the defeat to Brighton, Maresca asked about Felix, saying: “I don’t know about the future. It’s complicated to talk about the future.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”Nothing bad happened. Players train everyday and want to play all the games.”But just 11 are playing. We decided together that it was a good option to leave. He never complained.”Bizarre moment Enzo Fernandez gives fan his shorts after Chelsea clash… but supporter SNIFFS themFelix started just three Premier League games this season, with the majority of his appearances coming in cup competitions.Christopher Nkunku led the line for Chelsea against Brighton but struggled. Maresca previously admitted he was open to playing Cole Palmer up front.Chelsea ratings vs Brighton as pantomime villain Cucurella can hold head high but Nkunku has a shockerBRIGHTON came from behind to dump Chelsea out of the FA Cup with Kaoru Mitoma’s perfectly placed chip securing a 2-1 win for the Seagulls at the Amex stadium.But how did Chelsea’s players fare? Who was the biggest let down and who was the best of the worst? Check out SunSport’s player ratings…Robert Sanchez – 5/10Back in the side after being dropped by Enzo Maresca after a number of errors this season. The Spaniard looked shaky on the ball at the start of the game but seemed to brush off his nerves as the match developed.Nothing he could do about Brighton’s opener with Georginio Rutter’s perfectly placed header flying past him.Perhaps a little slow off his line for Brighton’s winner, but take nothing away from Kaoru Mitoma’s perfectly executed chip.Malo Gusto – 5Worked tirelessly charging up and down the right flank for Chelsea, but failed to have much joy going forward or defensively.Struggled to deal with the dangerous Mitoma throughout the game, and was caught napping out of position for the Japanese forwards winner.Tosin Adarabioyo – 5Alongside Trevoh Chalobah, was guilty of allowing Georginio Rutter to drift into space to fire home Brighton’s early equaliser.Played some confident passes at times, but also looked like a walking mistake on the ball at times. Was caught in possession on the halfway line by Georginio Rutter which almost led to a Brighton goal.Trevoh Chalobah  – 6Equally as responsible for Brighton’s opening goal alongside his centre back partner, allowing Rutter a free header in the box.Was more composed on the ball than his Tosin throughout the game, however, and already looks like Chelsea’s best centre back after being recalled from loan.Marc Cucurella – 6The pantomime villain of the evening at the Amex stadium, with Brighton fans spending the full 90 minutes booing their ex player everytime he got a hold of the ball.Was solid throughout the game, although failed to have the attacking impact that he has had for Chelsea in recent games.Moises Caicedo – 6Looked to be running a one man midfield before Enzo Fernandez was introduced in the second half.Worked tirelessly but was clearly frustrated with his sides efforts, putting in a couple of nasty tackles which led to him being booked.Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 4A rare start for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall at Chelsea this season, and in truth, he failed to take advantage.A very poor challenge early on saw the Englishman booked, and he failed to have any impact on his side going forward or defensively in the first half.Was substituted fifteen minutes into the second half for Enzo Fernandez in the wake of Brighton’s second goal.Pedro Neto – 5An injury concern midway through the first half, which in truth he never quite looked to shake off.Looked confident he had the better of Tariq Lamptey, often beating his fullback. His final ball, however, was sorely lacking throughout the match, with a number of crosses flying over everyoneCole Palmer – 6Played his part in Chelsea’s opener with a first time cross into the box – although it’s difficult to mark that goal down as anything other than a Bart Verbruggen howler.Looked like he was missing his regular attacking partner Nicholas Jackson, with a clear lack of connection with the Frenchman Christopher Nkunku up top.Jadon Sancho – 5Looked uninterested for large parts of the first half, and failed to close down Joel Veltman who whipped in the cross for Brighton’s opener.He picked up in the second half with some direct dribbling, although never managed to find the final ball.Christopher Nkunku – 2It’s hard not to feel sorry for Nkunku, with the forward looking completely lost in Enzo Maresca’s system.It genuinely seemed like he wasn’t on the pitch at times, with the Frenchman missing in action for large parts of the game.The one clear chance he had running through on goal, he bizarrely elected to cross the ball rather than have an effort himself.SUBS:Enzo Fernandez (Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, 59) – 7Brought an air of control to Chelsea’s midfield which was sorely lacking before. Played a few nice passes with the short time he had on the pitch.Nothing came of his efforts, although perhaps the result would have been different for Chelsea had he started the game.Tyrique George (Jadon Sancho, 73) – 5Spurned a great opportunity over the bar, and other than that failed to have any impact. More

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    Chelsea closing in on transfer for Sporting wonderkid Dario Essugo despite young stars’ concerns about joining Blues

    CHELSEA are closing in on a deal for Sporting Lisbon star Dario Essugo.The Blues want to sort out a fee with the Portuguese side quickly as the 19-year-old midfielder’s reputation grows on loan at Las Palmas.Chelsea are closing in on a deal for Sporting Lisbon star Dario EssugoCredit: GettyEssugo’s reputation grows while on loan at Las PalmasCredit: GettyEssugo will only be keen if he is to be part of the squad — a growing issue with young stars chased by the London club.Striker Eli Junior Kroupi, 18, chose Bournemouth instead of Chelsea last week when he quit French side Lorient.And the Blues’ Argentinian centre-half Aaron Anselmino, 19, refused a loan to Strasbourg because he does not want to be moved around.Essugo joined Sporting in 2014 at the tender age of nine years old.Read More on FootballAfter eight years within the Lisbon giants’ youth ranks, the defensive midfielder earned a senior call-up.The Portugal Under-21 international would then split his time between the first and B team.That led to recent loan stints at Chaves and of course Las Palmas.Essugo has amassed a total of one goal in 14 appearances with the LaLiga outfit this season.Most read in FootballThis comes after a total of 25 appearances with Sporting the last four years.Essugo made history with the Portuguese outfit in 2021 when he became the club’s youngest ever player to wear the jersey at just 16 years and six daysChelsea vs West Ham: Player Ratings BreakdownChelsea didn’t bring any new players during this past January transfer window.The Blues just recalled Gabriel Slonina, Trevoh Chalobah, David Datro Fofana and Anselmino from their loan stints. More

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    Real Madrid ‘make William Saliba No1 transfer target’ but Arsenal convinced he would be world’s most expensive defender

    REAL MADRID are prioritising a transfer swoop for Arsenal star William Saliba.Saliba, 23, has been established as one of the best defenders in the Premier League where he has formed a rock-solid duo with Gabriel Magalhaes at centre-back.Real Madrid see Arsenal star William Saliba as an ‘absolute priority’Credit: GettyArsenal wopuld only let Saliba leave for a record transfer feeCredit: RexAnd that has led to immense interest from some of the world’s elite clubs for the Gunners’ star.According to RMC Sport, Real have made the France international an “absolute priority” ahead of the summer transfer window.However, the North Londoners are demanding a massive fee for their star Frenchman.Arsenal see Saliba as the best centre-back in the world following two goals in 33 appearances across all competitions this season.Read More on ArsenalMikel Arteta’s side is not keen to sell the ex-Saint-Etienne star any time soon.However, if Arsenal have no option then they are planning to demand a hefty fee.The same source claims the Premier League giants are convinced Saliba will go down in history as the most expensive defender if he leaves the Emirates.That means Arsenal won’t consider any bid worth less than £80million.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSThat is how much Manchester United splashed to sign Harry Maguire from Leicester in 2019 and made him the most expensive defender in football history.Saliba has a contract with Arsenal until 2027, which means the club is in no rush.Meet Ayden Heaven: Arsenal’s next William SalibaThe Frenchman joined the Gunners in 2019 from Saint-Etienne but was immediately sent back on loan to the French outfit to gain more experience.That led to more loan stints to Nice and Marseille until he was finally established in Arsenal’s first team in 2022.Since then, Saliba has stood out for Arteta’s side with a total of seven goals and two assists in 116 appearances. More

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    Man Utd rejected two loan offers from clubs in Italy for struggling striker in closing days of transfer window

    MANCHESTER UNITED knocked back a couple of cheeky loan bids from Italy to land Rasmus Hojlund in the closing days of the transfer window.AC Milan made a tentative inquiry for the Danish striker, before they switched their sights to Chelsea’s Joao Felix after getting a firm no-go.Man Utd rejected several loan bids from Italian clubs for Rasmus HojlundCredit: GettyAnd former club Atalanta – who sold him to United 18 months ago – got the same answer when they asked about taking him back for the rest of the season.Hojlund, 22, has struggled to make an impact since his £64 million move, and has not scored a goal this calendar year.But with strikers in short supply at Old Trafford, United never entertained the idea of letting him leave.And sources insist Ruben Amorim still has faith that he will come good.READ MORE IN FOOTBALLUnited did let two other forwards go during the January window though.Flop winger Antony was packed off on loan to Real Betis.While £325,000-a-week misfit Marcus Rashford joined Aston Villa for the remainder of the season.United opted against signing a replacement for either man, with target Mathys Tel ending up at Tottenham on deadline day.Most read in FootballJOIN SUN VEGAS: GET £50 BONUSThe Red Devils did manage to make one senior signing for Amorim.A cool £30million was dropped on Lecce left-back Patrick Dorgu – who ended up making his debut on the RIGHT during yesterday’s controversial FA Cup win against Leicester.Fans spot Sir Alex Ferguson YAWNING as he watches woeful Man Utd – but get distracted by who he’s sitting next toHis arrival eventually saw Tyrell Malacia complete a return to Holland with PSV Eindhoven.And United are now fully focused on drawing up targets for this summer’s transfer window. More

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    Roy Keane breaks silence on Marcus Rashford’s shock transfer to Aston Villa and has MAJOR concern

    MANCHESTER UNITED legend Roy Keane questioned Marcus Rashford’s shock decision to join Aston Villa.Rashford, 27, left United after two decades with the club as he fell out of favour soon after the arrival of new manager Ruben Amorim.Roy Keane questioned Marcus Rashford’s move to Aston Villa from Manchester UnitedCredit: ITVRashford joined Villa after falling out of favour at Man UtdCredit: GettySince December 12, Amorim left the star forward out of his squad for every game apart from one, in which he was an unused sub.The Portuguese head coach then suggested he was so unhappy with the way the England international trained he’d rather pick 63-year-old goalkeeping coach Jorge Vital instead.That led to Rashford joining Villa on loan during this past January transfer window.And Amorim admitted he could not get United’s fallen star to buy into his plan.Read More on Man UtdRashford is looking to regain his former goalscoring prowess at Villa Park.But Keane is not convinced Unai Emery’s side will turn the Man Utd academy graduate’s career around.The popular pundit questioned how Rashford will manage to get his “hunger” back at Villa after losing it at Old Trafford.Keane told ITV before United’s FA Cup clash with Leicester: “It is sad but has been on the cards the last year or two. Clearly they didn’t get on.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS”The strange things is I thought he’d go abroad for a new adventure, but to go to Villa surprised me. “If he has lost the hunger at United, how is he going to get it at Aston Villa?”Aston Villa boss Unai Emery opens up on how Marcus Rashford has trained after shock loan transfer from Man Utd Rashford could make his debut with Villa on Sunday’s FA Cup clash against Tottenham in front of his new team’s home crowd. More

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    Vinicius Jr ‘REJECTS new Real Madrid contract’ as Saudi league’s stunning £1BILLION offer edges closer

    VINICIUS JUNIOR has rejected a new contract from Real Madrid amid intense interest from Saudi Arabia, reports suggest.Vinicius, 24, currently pockets a staggering £12.5million per year at Real, with whom he has a contract until 2027 with a release clause worth a whopping €1billion (£830m).Real Madrid superstar Vinicius Jr has turned down a new contractCredit: RexVinicius has attracted intense interest from Saudi ArabiaCredit: RexHowever, the star forward has been receiving interest from Saudi Arabia as club chiefs are willing to break the bank for his signature with an offer close to his astronomical asking price.Meetings reportedly took place between Vini’s representatives and Saudi officials in December following an initial approach last summer.That led Los Blancos to the negotiating table as they look to tie up the Brazil international with a new long-term contract that would knock back interest from the Saudi Pro League’s riches.Meetings have been held between the reigning European champions and Vinicius’ camp as well as close family.Read More on FootballAccording to The Athletic, however, Real’s opening bid has been turned down by Vinicius and his team.The new offer included a pay rise that didn’t satisfy the Brazilian but talks will continue.Saudi chiefs are willing to take Vinicius’ earnings to a staggering £168m per year.The officials from the Middle East want to offer the Real star that amount over a five-year period, meaning his contract will be worth £865m.Most read in FootballCASINO SPECIAL – BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITSThe Spanish giants are desperate to keep him and insist it would take a bid close to the player’srelease clause for them to even consider selling.But they will not stand in his way should he be tempted by the cash on the table.Vinicius Jr wins Fifa The Best award after Ballon d’Or controversy while Man Utd ace Garnacho also bags top prizeVinicius is said to be generally happy at Real, where he has won three LaLiga titles, the 2023 Copa del Rey and two Champions League trophies during his successful seven-year spell in Madrid. More