Arsenal want £50m Kounde, Aguero to Chelsea LATEST, Grealish 'set for Man City' – Spurs, Liverpool transfer news
CHELSEA are considering a summer move for Sergio Aguero, who is available on a free transfer from Manchester City.
Meanwhile Arsenal have reportedly entered the race for Sevilla's Jules Kounde.
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- Etienne Fermie
FRIENDS REUNITED
Paul Pogba was Manchester United's hero last night in Milan, as he bagged the only goal to send the Red Devils through to the Europa League quarter-finals.
And after the game, the Frenchman caught up with old pal and team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The duo, who played together at Old Trafford, even swapped shirts after the match.
- Etienne Fermie
BIEL AND END ALL
Leeds United boss has played down his team's need for a new striker this summer.
With Patrick Bamford injured, the Whites are looking a little thin upfront.
But the Argentine said: "Tyler Roberts, Bamford and Rodrigo can all play as a centre-forward and Rodrigo and Tyler can also play behind the centre-forward.
"They are all options and throughout different stages of the campaign, they have given positive responses."
Marcelo Bielsa is happy with his attacking playersCredit: PA - Etienne Fermie
ALESS IS MORE
Liverpool are interested in signing £43million-rated defender Alessandro Bastoni from Inter Milan, according to reports.
Jurgen Klopp is still seeking a solution to his centre-back woes, despite signing Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies on transfer Deadline Day.
According to Gazzetta dello Sport, the Reds are eyeing up the 21-year-old Italian, who was bought by Inter in 2017.
Bastoni, 21, has made 24 Serie A appearances for the league leaders this seasonCredit: Getty
- Etienne Fermie
CAV A LOOK AT THAT
Boca Juniors president Juan Roman Riquelme is 'in talks' with Manchester United star Edinson Cavani, according to reports.
The Uruguayan has become a popular figure at Old Trafford since joining on a free transfer last summer.
But amid reports that he is unsettled in England, the 34-year-old could return to South America at the end of his United contract.
And according to Infobae, Riquelme is working on sealing a deal.
Cavani, 34, could leave United this summerCredit: Reuters - Etienne Fermie
THE RIGHT CARL
Tottenham will NOT take up their option to buy loan striker Carlos Vinicius, according to reports.
The Brazilian arrived in North London last summer on loan from Benfica, with a view to making the move permanent 12 months later.
But according to Football Insider, Spurs will not spend the £38million it would take to make the deal permanent.
Vinicius, 25, has scored nine goals in 22 appearances this season – although none have come in the Premier League.
Vinicius appeared from the bench as Spurs were knocked out of the Europa LeagueCredit: AP - Etienne Fermie
SEAL THE GREAL
Manchester United could be beaten to £100million target Jack Grealish by rivals Manchester City – who hope use midfielder Douglas Luiz as leverage.
The Etihad giants have a buy-back option on the Brazilian midfielder they sold to Villa in 2019.
It means City can re-sign Luiz for around £25m up until the start of June — but the 22-year-old is thought to be worth considerably more.
City could be prepared to let Luiz stay at Villa Park if it gave them a run at Grealish this summer.
And that would be an ace up the sleeve of the champions-elect for boss Pep Guardiola as he makes the England ace a major target.
Jack Grealish could leave his boyhood club this summerCredit: AFP - William Pugh
GOOD MORNING FOOTY FANS
Manchester United and Arsenal booked their place in the Europa League quarter finals last night.
But Spurs will not be joining them after crashing to a shock defeat against Dinamo Zagreb.
Jose Mourinho’s men lost 3-0 in Croatia, despite having won the first leg 2-0.
The Special One is now favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave his job, according to odds from Betfair.
And Mourinho sensationally accused his flop players of showing no respect for themselves after the final whistle.
It was a different story for United, who beat AC Milan 1-0 on the night and 2-1 on aggregate thanks to super-sub Paul Pogba.
Meanwhile, Arsenal lost 1-0 to Olympiacos but went through thanks to their 3-1 win in the first leg.
In other news, Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger will wait until after the European Championship before discussing his future at the club.
The centre-back’s current contract expires at Stamford Bridge at the end of next season.
And despite his upturn in fortunes, Kicker are reporting that he will still wait until he returns from Euro 2020 before sitting down to talk the possibility of a new contract.
Finally, Man Utd and Chelsea are reportedly locked in a huge transfer battle to sign RB Leipzig defender Ibrahima Konate.
According to AS, Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barca have joined the race to land the highly-rated defender.
The 21-year-old French talent has attracted significant interest after his form for Leipzig.
But with Dayot Upamecano joining Bayern Munich this summer, Leipzig may not be prepared to sell another key defender unless they receive a major offer.
- Anthony Chapman
HAPPY HENDING
Dean Henderson has replaced David de Gea as Manchester United's first-choice keeper, says Paul Scholes.
He told BT Sport: "I think it's Henderson. I think he has taken it over.
“I thought David [De Gea] had been lucky after the Everton game to keep his place, I thought there were a couple of mistakes where he could have done better.
“There had been a few things before that, a couple of things after that. Not glaring and obvious mistakes, but I just feel a bit more confident with Henderson in there.
"He seems a little bit more relaxed. David has been an amazing keeper for United, he's been brilliant and he still will be if Dean doesn't take his chance.
"I just think the time has come to give Henderson a run of games in the team and see how he does.
"I think he possibly should be No1 for England if he carries on this form."
Paul Scholes has praised Dean Henderson's performance against AC Milan - Anthony Chapman
EXCLUSIVE BY ANDY DILLON
Tammy Abraham returns to training on Friday in a fresh bid to shake off his stubborn ankle injury.
The Chelsea striker 23, has been struggling since picking up the problem against Burnley in January.
After this weekend there is no domestic action until their home Premier League clash against struggling West Brom on April 3.
Abraham now hopes to be available for that.
The striker’s return will provide a major boost to Tuchel’s attacking ranks.
Tammy Abraham is back in Chelsea training
- Anthony Chapman
SEEING RED
Rangers star Kemar Roofe was sent off after leaving Slavia Prague keeper Ondrej Kolar bloodied with a flying high boot to the face.
The Light Blues striker was brought on to replace Scott Arfield in the 55th minute at Ibrox – but saw red just six minutes later after an ugly mid-air collision.
Replays showed that the Rangers star had his eye on the ball and that it was a purely accidental challenge.
However, Roofe was ultimately sent off for endangering an opponent.
Rangers went on to crash out of the Europa League 3-1 on aggregate, with Leon Balogun also sent off.
Kemar Roofe was sent off after kicking Slavia Prague keeper Ondrej Kolar in the face he challenge was purely accidental but Roofe saw red for endangering an opponent Kolar had to leave the pitch on a stretcher and with a makeshift bandage on his forehead Images later emerged of Kolar with a huge gash on his forehead and a nasty wound under his eye - Anthony Chapman
PAUL THE OTHER ONE
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hailed Paul Pogba’s match-winning performance against AC Milan on his return from injury.
The Man Utd boss beamed: “We’ve missed Paul. He’s been out for almost two months and any team would miss him.
“He’s very important for us, he will give us a big boost for the rest of the season.
“Today he made a big difference.”
Paul Pogba made the difference against AC Milan - Anthony Chapman
NOT SPURRED ON
Jose Mourinho accused his Spurs flops of showing no respect for themselves as they crashed out of the Europa League.
The Special One said: “Football is not just about having players that think they have more quality than others.
“The basics of football goes beyond that. It’s attitude and they beat us on that.
“Before the game I told my players of a bad attitude and it happened.
“I believed the players only realised the game was in risk when they scored the second goal.
“I feel sorry for my team – I belong to that team – did not bring the basics of football but the basics of life, which is to respect our jobs and to give everything.”
Jose Mourinho slammed his players as Spurs exited the Europa League - Anthony Chapman
AC MILAN 0 MAN UTD 1 (1-2 AGG)
Super-sub Paul Pogba scored just two minutes after coming on to send Manchester United into the Europa League quarter-finals.
The midfielder mad his long-awaited return from injury as he replaced Marcus Rashford at the break in the San Siro.
And his impact was instant as he ended a goalmouth scramble to give the Red Devils a 2-1 aggregate lead.
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- Anthony Chapman
TIEL DEAL
Leicester midfielder Youri Tielemans is wanted by Inter Milan this summer, according to reports.
Fichajes reports Inter are preparing to table a £34.3million offer for his services.
Former Chelsea manager Antonio Conte is said to have been impressed by his technical quality and reading of the game.
Tielemans opened talks with Leicester in February over a £100,000-a-week new deal.
But nothing has been made official yet – giving Inter hope they can sneak in and snare the player.
Youri Tielemans has caught the eye of Inter Milan - Anthony Chapman
JOSE NO MOUR?
Jose Mourinho is the new favourite to be the next Premier League manager to leave their post.
The ex-Man United boss saw his Spurs side crash out of the Europa League to Dinamo Zagreb 3-2 on aggregate – having won the first leg 2-0.
According to Betfair, Mourinho was 14/1 before tonight’s horror show.
And now he is just 13/10 to leave the London club.
- Jose Mourinho: 13/10
- No Manager To Leave: 13/5
- Steve Bruce: 7/2
- Sam Allardyce: 5/1
- Paul Heckingbottom: 11/1
*Odds according to Betfair
- Anthony Chapman
DINAMO ZAGREB 3 SPURS 0 (3-2 AGG)
The authorities come down heavily on footballing fraudsters in this part of the world.
So Jose Mourinho and his Spurs stars might be wondering if they should be be allowed out of Croatia following this.
The hosts suffered the worst possible preparation as their coach Zoran Mamic was jailed for nearly five years for embezzlement.
But after this it is Mourinho and his men who deserve to be banged up for impersonating a Premier League team.
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- Anthony Chapman
FIRING BLANKS
The first 45 minutes are nearly over at the San Siro and United are still drawing 0-0.
The Red Devils have struggled to create opportunities against Milan, who are packing the midfield while playing without a recognised striker.
Remember, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's men MUST score to stay in the tie, having conceded a late equaliser at Old Trafford in the first leg for 1-1.
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- Anthony Chapman
ARSENAL 0 OLYMPIACOS 1 (3-2 AGG)
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang climbed off the naughty step to help nervous Arsenal edge their way through to the Europa League quarter-finals.
But there won’t be too many potential opponents quaking at the knees at the prospect of being drawn against Mikel Arteta’s men tomorrow afternoon.
It was a good job for Arteta that his team held a 3-1 cushion from last week’s first leg in Athens.
And in the end that was just about enough to see them safely over the line against an Olympiakos team who simply refused to give up.
READ THE FULL MATCH REPORT HERE
- Anthony Chapman
TOP OF LEAGUE
Man Utd have the most sustainable squad in Europe.
That is the headline news from a study which suggests United should be challenging for glory both in the Champions League and the Premier League.
The CIES Football Observatory released its findings on sustainable squad management with United ruled the top dogs.
Clubs were ranked on three main areas with age structure, group stability and contractual policy assessed to determine the most sustainable teams.
The report claims the Red Devils are well placed to qualify for the Champions League 'without too much difficulty' in the coming seasons, and are also in a position to 'eventually lift again the Premier League trophy'.
United lead the way in the sustainability table - Anthony Chapman
TEAM NEWS
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has named an unchanged team to face AC Milan tonight.
That means Dean Henderson continues in goal ahead of David De Gea, with Luke Shaw beating Alex Telles to the left-back spot.
It also means Paul Pogba and Donny van de Beek only make the bench after returning from injury.
And Amad Diallo is also still waiting for his first start despite scoring in the first leg of the Europa League last-16 clash.
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- Anthony Chapman
RUD AWAKENING
Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger will wait until after the European Championship before discussing his future at the club.
The centre-back's current contract expires at Stamford Bridge at the end of next season.
And despite his upturn in fortunes, Kicker are reporting that he will still wait until he returns from Euro 2020 before sitting down to talk the possibility of a new contract.
Antonio Rudiger will wait until after the Euros before deciding on a new Chelsea deal
- Anthony Chapman
UP FOR THE CUP
The FA Cup is back this weekend with a place in the last four at stake.
The likes of Man Utd, Chelsea and Man City are still in the competition.
But just who has made the most quarter-final appearances since the turn of the century?
Find out below!
- Anthony Chapman
BAST-ION OF STRENGTH
Liverpool are willing to pay £43million for Inter Milan centre-back Alessandro Bastoni, according to reports.
Jurgen Klopp's side are in the hunt for centre-backs in the summer and are willing to cough up serious cash for Inter star Bastoni, according to Gazzetta.
Manchester City and Barcelona failed with bids in January, and Antonio Conte is determined to keep the 21-year-old after making him a regular in the team.
Bastoni's £25,000-a-week Inter contract expires in 2023.
But in a blow to the Reds, Calciomercato report he is keen to stay at the San Siro and sign a bumper new deal.
Liverpool are interested in Inter Milan star Alessandro Bastoni - Anthony Chapman
VAN DE BLEAK
Aajax legend Ronald de Boer claims Donny van de Beek is ‘not happy’ at Manchester United.
He told TalkSport 2: “It’s not true that he asked Man United to leave.
“[But[ His agent also told me that of course he’s not happy that he’s not playing.
“He’s only had two starts under Solskjaer and that’s not what he hoped for when he joined Man United.
“But he’s not panicking at all, he told his agent he’s so happy at Man United because the club is one of the best in terms of how they treat him, he feels loved.”
Donny van de Beek is unhappy with his lack of minutes at Man Utd - Anthony Chapman
TEAM NEWS
Star men Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris both start for Spurs against Dinamo Zagreb in the Europa League tonight.
Dele Alli and Erik Lamela are involved too, with Gareth Bale dropping to the bench.
Meanwhile, Harry Winks, Ben Davies and Eric Dier also start as Spurs look to hold on to their 2-0 aggregate lead and book their place in the quarter finals.
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