Aguero to Barcelona DONE, Chelsea interested in Harry Kane, Mbappe to Real Madrid, Ben White EXCLUSIVE – transfer news
SERGIO AGUERO is closing in on a move to Barcelona next season.
The Argentine legend plays his final game for Man City today.
Chelsea are looking forward to the Champions League final – and reportedly eyeing a summer swoop for Bayern's Niklas Sule.
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.
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Follow ALL of the latest news and updates below…
- Joe Brophy
NOT SO KEANE ON HIM
Scott McTominay has hit back at Roy Keane for the Manchester United’s criticism of the midfielder during the club’s 4-2 defeat to Liverpool.
He said, per the Mirror: “People talk. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and you have to respect that.
“But I’m not going to spit my dummy out and cry over something Roy Keane says.
“If that’s what he thinks, then that’s what he thinks.
“For me, it isn’t a drama. I’d be a fool if I went home worrying about what people think about me.”
- Joe Brophy
VARDY'S FOOTBALL FWENDS
Exclusive by Sarah Arnold: Jamie Vardy is set to bid for The Inbetweeners’ infamous yellow banger.
The Leicester City and former England striker normally drives a £165,000 Bentley Continental GT.
But he is a big fan of the classic Channel 4 comedy — and its “football fwend” joke — and even calls mates from his hometown of Sheffield “The Inbetweeners.”
In the series the pals shouted “bus w*s” at bus stop queues as they pottered past in the 1996 Fiat Cinquecento Hawaii, with a mismatched red door and rude bumper sticker.
It is up for auction in Bristol and has already had an offer of £5,500.
A source close to 34-year-old Jamie said: “He’s told his mates he wants to have it as a collector’s piece.”
Auctioneer Andrew Stow said: “It’s just so British. It’s an underdog — yet everyone wants a piece of it.”
- Marc Mayo
GOOD MORNING FOOTY FANS
SunSport can exclusively reveal Brighton defender and Man United target 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 Gareth Southgate 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.
Instead he will now wait anxiously to discover if he has got the nod for a potential England debut in next month’s tournament.
Meanwhile, we can tell you that Liverpool will sell centre-half Nat Phillips in the summer – but only if they get a major offer.
The defender has had his first run in the team under Jurgen Klopp, but he is unlikely to be a starter next season and that has caught the eye of other Premier League clubs.
The Reds have already decided not to keep Turkish centre-back Ozan Kabak, but local lad Phillips could also go if the right bid lands.
The 24-year-old starred in the win at Burnley, when he got his first senior goal, and the former VfB Stuttgart loanee could command a £10million fee.
Finally, SunSport can also reveal West Brom are facing a tough battle to talk Chris Wilder into leading them back to the Premier League.
Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael may be approached instead if Wilder does not have the appetite to replace Sam Allardyce.
Wilder and Ismael are at the top of the Baggies’ shortlist after Allardyce decided to leave following the first relegation of his career.
But Wilder is willing to wait for a Premier League job as he thinks he has proved himself since taking Sheffield United to a top-ten finish in his first season in the top flight.
And the shrewd boss has told pals he may even hold out for the first round of sackings next season — with Newcastle a potential move in his sights.
- Anthony Chapman
NOT CUP FOR IT
UEFA chief Aleksander Ceferin has slammed the idea of staging a World Cup every two years as “completely irrational”.
He told SunSport: “FIFA can do a feasibility study about that but it’s impossible that the World Cup would happen every two years.
“This would, from one point of view, cause a complete disruption of the calendar.
“From the other point of view players would be exposed to injuries if they played a month-long tournament every second summer and will not have time to recover from the long season.
“The idea to have the World Cup every two years is completely irrational.”
- Anthony Chapman
30 HARRY
Pep Guardiola has opened the door to signing Harry Kane by admitting: I’d love a 30-goal-a-year hitman.
The Man City boss said: “I’d love to have a striker who got 50 goals a season honestly but I don’t like to put all the pressure on one player.
“At Barcelona Lionel Messi, every season since he was born, scored 50 a season.
“Thierry Henry scored a lot in the first season, Samuel Eto’o scored a lot – what a striker.
“When you are to win titles, especially the Premier League, with just one guy you won’t win it.
“You need more and the statistics speak for themselves. You need three guys with more than ten, scoring 12 to 15, to be competitive.
“But when you have someone who can get 25 to 30 it helps a lot.”
- Anthony Chapman
EXCLUSIVE BY DAN KING
Gary Neville and Uefa chief Aleksander Ceferin agree on the basics.
But their visions of how to stop future Super League projects and give football a more sustainable future are very different.
Player-turned-pundit Neville and more than 100,000 fans who signed a parliamentary petition reckon English football needs an independent regulator to defend its traditions and values.
But Ceferin believes the game can and should be left to govern itself – and English football must play its part in devising Europe-wide solutions to long-running problems.
He said: “I don’t think there’s a need to change the way football is run. Especially I don’t think that governments should interfere.
“When there are ideas of an independent body governing football, it’s just a matter of time before the level of independence of those bodies will be questioned.
“The most important thing is that we strengthen the pyramid, that we create the regulations we didn’t have so that projects like that cannot happen again.”
- Anthony Chapman
EXCLUSIVE BY DUNCAN WRIGHT
Brighton defender and Man United target 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 Gareth Southgate 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.
Instead he will now wait anxiously to discover if he has got the nod for a potential England debut in next month’s tournament.
- Anthony Chapman
BOULD DECISION
Arsenal legend Steve Bould has been SACKED after more than three decades of loyal service.
The Gunners legend has been at the club since 1988 – firstly as a player and then as a coach.
Bould has been working as Under-23s coach since June 2019 after taking over from Freddie Ljungberg.
But has now been given the boot by Arsenal.
It's believed academy chief Per Mertesacker will take over from Bould, at least for now.
- Anthony Chapman
EXCLUSIVE BY KEN LAWRENCE
Jordan Henderson is set to join in the celebrations should his Liverpool team-mates secure a Champions League place on Sunday.
But the Anfield skipper will still have a worry at the back of his mind.
For he has told close pals he is deeply concerned that his return to training after groin surgery in February may have come too late for him to make England’s bid for the Euros this summer.
But Henderson, though seen happy and smiling as he worked out on Friday, fears he might get a call that would turn the joy of his club’s top-four comeback to sorrow.
- Anthony Chapman
EXCLUSIVE BY ALAN NIXON
Liverpool will sell centre-half Nat Phillips in the summer – but only if they get a major offer.
The defender has had his first run in the team under Jurgen Klopp, but he is unlikely to be a starter next season and that has caught the eye of other Premier League clubs.
The Reds have already decided not to keep Turkish centre-back Ozan Kabak, but local lad Phillips could also go if the right bid lands.
The 24-year-old starred in the win at Burnley, when he got his first senior goal, and the former VfB Stuttgart loanee could command a £10million fee.
- Anthony Chapman
EXCLUSIVE BY RICHARD MORIARTY
Man Utd’s England stars plan to charm Harry Kane at the Euros and get him to join the Red Devils.
Harry Maguire, Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford will use their friendship with Tottenham’s £150million-rated striker, 27, to make him choose United over rivals Manchester City and Chelsea.
England skipper Kane’s desire to leave Tottenham has been the talk of the Old Trafford dressing room, with Uruguayan forward Edinson Cavani also speaking up.
A source said: “All the players have been discussing Harry leaving Spurs. The English players plan to work on him when they meet up.
“They know how good he is and though he would present competition to someone like Marcus, they are excited at the thought of playing with him. Edinson has not been shy in telling everyone how highly he rates him.
“His English isn’t great – but he can get his message across. Harry is a similar kind of player, so all the players think he would fit well into their system as they like to play on the counter-attack, like Spurs do.”
- Anthony Chapman
EXCLUSIVE BY ALAN NIXON
West Brom are facing a tough battle to talk Chris Wilder into leading them back to the Premier League.
Barnsley boss Valerien Ismael may be approached instead if Wilder does not have the appetite to replace Sam Allardyce.
Wilder and Ismael are at the top of the Baggies’ shortlist after Allardyce decided to leave following the first relegation of his career.
West Brom chiefs would prefer to make a quick appointment.
But Wilder is willing to wait for a Premier League job as he thinks he has proved himself since taking Sheffield United to a top-ten finish in his first season in the top flight.
And the shrewd boss has told pals he may even hold out for the first round of sackings next season — with Newcastle a potential move in his sights.
- Anthony Chapman
RASH DASH
Man United forward Marcus Rashford has refused to rule out a move abroad in the future.
He told The Guardian:"I would never say no.
"Other than United? I’m a big fan of Real Madrid and Barcelona, because they’ve always had great players and played attractive football.
"Everybody watches Real Madrid and Barcelona."
- Anthony Chapman
NIK HIM
Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic will be available for just £21million this summer, according to reports.
The 23-year-old has been linked with Manchester United and a host of other top European sides, including Arsenal.
According to Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport, Fiorentina are willing to sell Milenkovic to the highest bidder this summer.
Previous reports suggested Fiorentina would not sell the centre back for less than £38m.
- Anthony Chapman
LU BEAUTY
Luis Suarez fired Atletico Madrid to the LaLiga title less than a year after being axed by Barcelona.
The Uruguayan scored the decisive goal as Diego Simeone's men won 2-1 at Valladolid to be crowned champions.
Suarez said: “I am just delighted the way Atletico have appreciated me. They have given me the chance to show I can still perform on this stage. Thank you for trusting in me.
“A lot of people have suffered with me. I think I have been playing football for many years and this is the year my family have suffered the most.
“It is an amazing feeling to perform in the final game of the season. My work is to help the team and pay them back by scoring goals.
“Atletico is a huge club and we have shown it this season. We have been the most regular performers and that is why we are champions.”
- Anthony Chapman
NEXT RON
Juventus are lining up a bid for Antoine Griezmann to replace Cristiano Ronaldo, according to reports.
Ronaldo, 36, has been strongly linked with a move away from Turin in the coming months, with Manchester United circling.
Old Trafford boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 'wouldn't hesitate' to bring CR7 back, if club chiefs can make the finances work.
Juve bigwigs know that a Ronaldo departure could be in the offing, and are planning for such a scenario.
And according to Spanish paper Sport, the Italian giants are plotting a move for Barca's No7 Griezmann.
- Anthony Chapman
BRU-WOAH
Bruno Fernandes is 'close' to signing a bumper new £200,000-a-week contract at Manchester United, according to reports.
The Red Devils are set to double the Portuguese playmaker's current wages, such has been his impact since joining in January 2020.
Fernandes, 26, still has four years remaining on his current deal.
According to the Mirror, Fernandes' agent Miguel Pinto has flown to Manchester to 'step up talks' with the Red Devils.
And, all being well, the contract should be signed BEFORE Fernandes plays for his country at the Euros.
- Anthony Chapman
LEW AND BEHOLD
Robert Lewandowski beat Gerd Muller's record of most goals in a Bundesliga season, in the final minute of Bayern's final day 5-2 rout of Augsburg this afternoon.
The Pole, 32, has had another extraordinary campaign under Hansi Flick.
And he equalled Muller's 39-year-old record last weekend when he notched Bundesliga goal No40 of the campaign.
- Anthony Chapman
DON DEAL
Barcelona are ready to cash in on Marc-Andre ter Stegen and replace him with Gianluigi Donnarumma, according to reports.
AS claims Barca now lead the race for Donnarumma, who is out of contract this summer.
The goalie is waiting to see if Milan can finish in the top four on Serie A’s final day before deciding on his future.
- Anthony Chapman
WHERE THERE’S A WIL
Wilfried Zaha has insisted again he would leave Crystal Palace for a ‘top’ club after reports of interest from Tottenham and Arsenal.
He told The Face: “I feel like I can have another shot at the top teams, because my dream is to win things.
"I'm good enough to go out there and compete with the best.
“If the opportunity came, I wouldn't turn it down, because I feel like I deserve it. It's so I can show my kids: 'This is what daddy won'.”
- Anthony Chapman
PLAY BAL
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could give Manchester United wonderkid Hannibal Mejbri his Premier League debut against Wolves.
And Shola Shoretire could also feature as the Red Devils prepare for their Europa League final with Villarreal.
Solskjaer said: “They’ve had good seasons [in the academy].
"Both of them. Hannibal and Shola, both of them will be involved. Maybe we can get some minutes in them.
"We want to go into the [Europa League] final with lots of energy but also confidence, so we will freshen up a few faces on Sunday.
"We want to enjoy it and give a few minutes to some who might need it before the final."
- Dylan Terry
RED REVOLUTION
Manchester United are expected to spend big this summer as they look to bridge the gap on champions Manchester City.
Harry Kane, Cristiano Ronaldo and Declan Rice have all been heavily linked with moves but they are just three of FIVE big names on United's radar.
LaLiga stars Raphael Varane and Kieran Trippier are also said to be appealing to the Red Devils with fans hoping club chiefs will back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
Here is how Man Utd could line up at the beginning of next season.
- Dylan Terry
BEES BUZZING
Brentford are just one win away from the Premier League after stunning play-off turnaround against Bournemouth.
Thomas Frank's side came from two goals behind in this rollercoaster semi-final to beat the ten-man Cherries 3-2 on aggregate.
Now they will take on either Swansea or Barnsley for a £100m-plus shoot-out at Wembley next weekend for a place in the top-flight.
Trailing 1-0 from the first leg on the South Coast, Brentford's day got off to the worst possible start on five minutes when Arnaut Danjuma caught them on the counter to break the deadlock.
But Ivan Toney soon got them back into it from the penalty spot before Chris Mepham was sent-off for Bournemouth on 28 minutes.
Vitaly Janelt then levelled the tie five minutes into the second half as the Bees piled on the pressure for a winner.
And finally that moment arrived with just nine minutes remaining as Marcus Forss stabbed home to book their date with destiny at Wembley.
- Dylan Terry
DIM VIEW
Harry Kane should be allowed to leave Tottenham for the good of the club, ex-Spurs striker Dimitar Berbatov has claimed.
He told Betfair: "I saw the clip of [Kane] waving and clapping the fans after the defeat to Aston Villa and he could have just been thanking the fans for their support, after all that was the first time they were back at the stadium.
"I can see why that could be seen as him saying goodbye, but let’s not jump to conclusions and at the end of the day he's still at the club and he's got a big couple of months coming up.
"It's never a good thing for a player and the club to fight, if a player has expressed they want to leave then they have made up their mind.
"If a club fights and makes a move away complicated for the player then it's not a pleasant situation for everyone involved, including the fans and other players.
"If Kane has told the club he wants to leave then they should find a reasonable way to agree what the fee should be and how to part ways."
Credit: Getty - Dylan Terry
BALED OUT
Gareth Bale has defended Eden Hazard for laughing after Real Madrid's recent Champions League exit at the hands of Chelsea.
Referencing the now-infamous El Chiringuito clips, Bale, 31, told The Times Magazine: "I've seen it.
"It was literally as if he'd just murdered everybody. It's a game of football at the end of the day."
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