Football news LIVE: Chelsea target £125m striker Victor Osimhen, Manchester United join race for Mason Mount, Real Madrid plot shock Andy Robertson move
talkSPORT.com brings you all the latest news from the world of football.
Top stories
- Transfer notebook: Chelsea make Osimhen top target, Ruben Neves to Barca, Noble’s future, Forest to raid Southampton
- Arsenal and Liverpool boost as Brighton boss admits in-demand duo could leave
- Everton's survival bid takes blow with injury fears
- Noel Gallagher pokes fun at ‘idiot Arsenal fans’ as he rubbishes Ilkay Gundogan transfer rumour
- Bukayo Saka says ‘I’m giving everything back’ as Arsenal star signs new long-term contract
- Hero West Ham fan who fought off AZ ultras given Conference Final ticket
- How Tottenham could line-up under Arne Slot
Gareth Southgate has named his England squad for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
The big news is that Raheem Sterling does not feature, with the mutual decision made between Sterling and Southgate that the Chelsea ace would sit out after a difficult season for the Blues.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold returns following his return to form for Liverpool, while Brighton’s Lewis Dunk and Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi also make it.
Eagles teammate Eberechi Eze also gets a call up after his running of stunning form under returning Palace boss Roy Hodgson at the tail-end of the season.
Newcastle marksman Callum Wilson also gets a place among the forwards with Ivan Toney unavailable.
Ten Hag also batted away a question about the speculation linking Manchester United with Neymar.
Reports in France earlier this week claimed Paris Saint-Germain are open to selling Neymar this summer, and the Red Devils are already in early talks over a deal for the Brazilian superstar.
But when asked about the rumour, Ten Hag offered his stock answer on transfer rumours…
“When we have news, we will tell you.”
Erik ten Hag expects Marcus Rashford to be ready for tomorrow’s Premier League clash with Chelsea, but stopped short of confirming the striker will be fit to start.
Rashford has missed United’s last two fixtures, first with a leg injury and then through illness, but has returned to training this week.
“It looks like it,” Ten Hag said when asked if the 29-goal forward was fit. “Yesterday he returned to training, he looks quite fit but we have to see today what is the outcome of the training, how did we recover and then we will make our choices.”
United will secure a top-four place and a return to the Champions League for next season if they take a point from the match against Frank Lampard’s side.
“It’s clear. We want to win every game,” Ten Hag said. “That is what we do all season so tomorrow we want to do the same, we want to win the game, play dominant football and get the job done.
“First, we have to win the game tomorrow and get the job done. Then it’s about judgement from others if it’s a good, bad or normal performance.
“We are in a project, we want to go back and win trophies, we win one trophy but we want more trophies, compete with the best. We are still in a journey but we think we are in the right direction but it can always be better. Because good is not good enough.”
BREAKING NEWS: Southampton have confirmed Ruben Selles will leave the club at the end of the season.
It comes as the Saints are expected to announce Russell Martin as their new permanent manager later today.
A club statement reads: “Southampton Football Club can confirm that it has held conversations with Men’s First Team Manager, Ruben Selles, and decided that his contract will not be renewed when it expires at the end of the season.
“The club wants to place on record its thanks to Ruben for taking on the managerial position at a difficult time for the club and for giving his all as we attempted to stay in the Premier League.
“Ruben will take charge of the team for the final game against Liverpool on Sunday at St Mary’s.
“We wish him all the best for his future career.”
Chelsea have put Napoli striker Victor Osimhen at the head of their summer shopping list.
The Blues’ incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino believes a world-class No.9 can help Chelsea re-establish themselves at the top end of the Premier League table.
Pochettino would love a reunion with Harry Kane at Stamford Bridge, but knows Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy is highly unlikely to sell to their fierce London rivals.
talkSPORT revealed in February that Chelsea had joined Manchester United in the race for Osimhen – who lifted the Serie A title with Napoli this season.
With United’s future ownership still uncertain, the Blues are in a stronger financial position to meet the Italian champions’ £125million asking price.
READ MORE IN OUR LATEST TRANSFER NOTEBOOK
Todd Boehly is taking a step back at Chelsea after the Premier League giants’ worst season in 29 years.
Big things were expected at Stamford Bridge after the American billionaire’s takeover and mega-spending in two successive transfer windows.
However, it backfired hugely as Thomas Tuchel was sacked and Frank Lampard was unable to improve things, with the Blues consigned to finishing in the bottom half of the table.
And now, according to financial experts Bloomberg, Boehly has decided to dial back his direct involvement of the operation of the club.
The report claims he is now only spending 20 per cent of his time on day-to-day activities at the west London club, down from around 50 per cent, having handed more responsibility to Chelsea’s sporting directors.
Southampton are set to confirm Russell Martin as their new manager this afternoon, talkSPORT understands.
Relegated Saints will pay Swansea £400,000 in compensation to hire their head coach, plus an additional fee for his backroom team.
Southampton’s changes to the dugout did not work this season as they dropped from the Premier League to the Championship.
They sacked Ralph Hasenhuttl in November and replaced him with Nathan Jones, but that move backfired with coach Ruben Selles stepping up as interim boss for the rest of the season, but he was unable to steer Saints clear of the drop.
The Premier League has clarified the dates for the upcoming summer transfer window.
Transfer plans for many of the top flight’s sides are already in full swing, but there are always some late deals to be done with deadline day one of the biggest dates in the football calendar.
And Premier League chiefs have confirmed the window will open on Wednesday June 14.
It will then close on Friday September 1 at 11pm, giving clubs 11 weeks to do their business.
Former Chelsea midfielder Oscar has told talkSPORT it would be a ‘dream’ to return to Stamford Bridge.
Now 31, the Brazilian star still plays in the Chinese Super League for Shanghai Port – the club he left the Blues to sign for in 2017.
In an exclusive interview with talkSPORT, Oscar says he is happy playing in China and is thankful to Shanghai for everything the club has done for him since his arrival.
But he says harbours hopes of playing in a Chelsea shirt again before the end of his career.
“It’s a pleasure to play for this team,” said the Shanghai Port – formerly Shanghai SIPG – star.
“They’ve given me a lot of things, they’ve helped me and my family since I arrived here in 2017, so I really enjoy to play here.
“Now I’m just focusing on playing more games because last year I played just three of four games in the year because of COVID and the situation here.
“I stayed some months in Brazil, that’s why there was a lot of talk about me going to Flamengo, because I was in Brazil and maybe I could have gone to Flamengo just to keep fit, but this didn’t work.
“Of course it’s a dream to come back to Chelsea because everyone knows the passion I have for this club. It’s the same passion that I have for Shanghai, these are two clubs that I played for long periods, so I have a lot of good memories at Chelsea and also have good memories for Shanghai.
“But I have dreams to play for this team, so I would be happy if there was something that could be done to take me back to Chelsea, we’d have to talk.
“But for now I’m here so I try to win the title here again.”
Alex Crook joined talkSPORT Breakfast this morning to give us an update on Tottenham’s manager search.
He said Arne Slot is their top target and there is a meeting due to be held today between Slot’s representatives and his current club Feyenoord to determine how much it will take for Spurs to buy out his contract.
“There is a meeting taking place today that is going to be highly significant,” said the talkSPORT reporter.
“It’s between Arne Slot’s representatives and Feyenoord and they’re going to find out exactly how much it’s going to cost Spurs to get Slot out of his contract.
“I think we can say now, although Tottenham won’t admit it publicly, that Slot is their top target. He ticks their boxes, he’s a young up-and-coming manager and plays attractive football, which Daniel Levy in his programme notes on the last home game of the season over the weekend promised Spurs fans they would get with this appointment.
“He’s very good on the training ground at developing young players, too, so there are similarities in Spurs’ eyes between him and Mauricio Pochettino when he first joined the club.
“The tricky bit is there is a release clause in Slot’s contract, but that doesn’t kick in until the end of next season.
“If it was now, then Spurs would know that £6million would have him, but I think Feyenoord are going to hold out for a bit more than that, so there could be a compromise needed.”
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is backing Lewis Dunk for a recall into the England squad.
Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate will name his squad this afternoon for next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia.
Dunk was capped by Southgate in a 3-0 friendly win over the United States in November 2018 but has not featured again for his country.
“He deserves to play in the national team,” said De Zerbi.
“It’s not my work to decide the players of the national team but for us it should be a target.
“I hope he can play in the national team.”
De Zerbi says Dunk has played through the pain barrier to aid Brighton’s quest to seal European football at the tail-end of the season.
Dunk could start on the bench against champions Manchester City tonight evening due to ongoing calf and back issues.
“He’s playing with a lot of problems because he has calf and back problems but he is playing every game,” said the Seagulls head coach.
“Tomorrow he can start on the bench but I don’t know because if he can play with me in Brighton, he has to play always.”
Valencia have announced they will appeal against their five-game partial stadium closure and fine following the racist abuse aimed at Real Madrid forward Vinicius Junior.
The Spanish club has called the sanction ‘unfair and disproportionate’.
Vinicius threatened to leave the pitch in the second half of Sunday’s LaLiga match at the Mestalla after being subjected to alleged monkey chants from the crowd.
Real Madrid, who said the incident constituted a hate crime, filed a complaint with the Spanish State Attorney General’s Office and in response, Valencia have been ordered to shut the Mario Kempes south stand, where the alleged abuse happened, for five matches and have also been fined €45,000 euros [£39,000].
Valencia said in a strongly worded statement: “Valencia CF wishes to show its total disagreement and indignation at the unfair and disproportionate penalty imposed by the competition committee on the club with the closure of the stand for five games.
“Valencia CF wants to publicly denounce that in this resolution of the RFEF competition committee they show evidence that contradicts what the national police and LaLiga say.
“In addition, this sanction is based on evidence that the club has not been able to see and without giving us a hearing.
“Valencia CF has condemned, condemns and will condemn in the most energetic way any act of racism or violence. These behaviours have no place in football or in society and we will continue to act in the most forceful way to eradicate this scourge.
“For this reason, Valencia CF is collaborating from the first minute with the police and all relevant authorities to clarify the events that occurred last Sunday.
“In addition, it has applied the maximum possible sanction with the expulsion for life from our stadium to the fans that the police have identified for their racist behaviour.
“For this reason we consider that penalising and depriving all the fans who were not involved in these unfortunate incidents from seeing their team is a totally disproportionate, unfair and unprecedented measure against which we will fight.
“The fight against racism requires the real commitment of all the parties involved without using it as a pretext to incur serious injustices.
“Valencia CF will appeal to the last instance the closure of the stand, a sanction that it considers totally unfair and one more offence in the latest disciplinary decisions that have been taken against the club. Valencia CF asks for the utmost respect and rigour for our institution and fans.”
Manchester United have joined Arsenal and Liverpool in the race to sign Mason Mount, talkSPORT understands.
Even though incoming manager Mauricio Pochettino wants him to stay, Mount is almost certain to leave Stamford Bridge this summer after failing to agree a new deal.
Chelsea have tried to revive negotiations since deciding on Pochettino as their new boss but the Mount camp are believed to see this as too little too late.
Liverpool have long been viewed as the front-runners to sign Mount but Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is also very keen to bring the England midfielder to north London.
United boss Erik Ten Hag is encouraging the Old Trafford hierarchy to get ahead of their top-four rivals by making the first formal bid for Mount.
United are prepared to offer around £50m but Chelsea are holding out for a fee of closer to £80m.
Man City manager Pep Guardiola has called on the Premier League to make a swift decision on the more than 100 charges levelled against them for alleged financial irregularities.
City were referred to an independent commission in February over alleged rule breaches between 2009 and 2018, with the Premier League also accusing City of not co-operating since the investigation started in December 2018.
The sheer scale of the charges, which the club strongly deny, and the magnitude of the implications if found guilty suggest it is a case which will drag on for months, possibly years.
However, Guardiola does not want a cloud hanging over his side’s remarkable achievements and wants a resolution as soon as possible.
But the Catalan, who has a contract until 2025, stressed he would not walk away from the club while potential sanctions remain.
“I will stay next season while there are 110 breaches against us,” said Guardiola, who when asked whether he could extend three or four years beyond that added: “No, no, no. These two are enough.
“What I would like is if the Premier League and judges could make something as soon as possible, then if we have done something wrong everybody will know it.
“And if, we are like we believe as a club for many years, in the right way then the people will stop talking about that.
“We would love it tomorrow, this afternoon better than tomorrow.
“Hopefully they are not so busy and the judges can see both sides and decide what is the best because in the end I know fairly what we won we won on the pitch and we don’t have any doubts.
“We accept it is there. If it happened it happened. (But) let’s go, 24 hours sit down and lawyers present. Don’t wait two years. Why don’t we do it quicker?
“Let’s have it as soon as possible for the benefit of everyone. We want to defend our principles and if people doubt, OK, let’s go, let’s do it as soon as possible please.”
Everton are not hopeful Dominic Calvert-Lewin will be fit for their final day relegation decider against Bournemouth, talkSPORT understands.
Calvert-Lewin suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Wolves.
The Toffees will have to win to stay up if Leicester beat West Ham. The striker has played just 17 Premier League games this season, scoring twice.
Real Madrid are reportedly lining-up a shock move for Liverpool defender Andy Robertson.
The 14-time European champions are looking for a replacement for Ferland Mendy and could turn to the Scottish defender.
The Mail report that Madrid are plotting a £40m raid to try and tempt Robertson to Spain.
The former Hull City full-back has a contract until 2026.
Erling Haaland explained how relieved he was to win the Premier League title over the weekend.
Man City had been trailing Arsenal for most of the season before a brilliant run of wins saw them take the title with games to spare.
“I saw a stat of Arsenal being 240 something days top of the table,” Haaland told Sky Sports.
“We were like 20. We were chasing the whole season and to get hold of it was such a relief. It was such an amazing feeling.
“With all the experience in this club… they won it for the fifth time a lot of them. The hard work you do throughout the whole season is what you get in the end.
“In the last couple of weeks is where everything gets decided. That’s why it’s even better.”
Speaking on Sunday after City lifted the trophy, Haaland added: ‘These are memories I will remember for the rest of my life. We’ve been fighting so hard and honestly I don’t know what to say – I didn’t plan anything to say.
“I’m just going to enjoy this day. This is a special moment with the trophy and all the players and the whole club. Without the club and my teammates it would not be possible. Amazing.”
That’s it for today on talkSPORT.com’s football news blog.
We’ll be back in the morning with the latest on all the big football stories. But for now, it’s goodbye!
Noel Gallagher has revealed that Manchester City amazingly once tried to sign him. Okay, it was just a marketing strategy, but still…https://twitter.com/talkSPORT/status/1661092132864573475
Cristiano Ronaldo is keeping Al Nassr’s Saudi Pro League title hopes alive thanks to his fantastic goal tonight.
A loss for Al Nassr against Al Shabab tonight and a win for Al-Ittihad would confirm the latter as champions and it looked likely when Al Shabab raced to a 2-0 lead in the first half.
But Al Nassr pulled one back just before half time and came out roaring after the break with Ronaldo’s stunning curling effort putting them 3-2 up.
Arsenal have been warned Bukayo Saka’s new contract could hurt their chances of signing Declan Rice.
Everton have activated their option to extend the contract of midfielder Abdoulaye Doucoure by 12 months.It represents quite a turnaround in four months for the Mali international who, in the latter days of Frank Lampard’s reign, was training away from the first-team squad after a disagreement with the then Toffees boss.Having been brought back into the fold when Sean Dyche was appointed in late January, the 30-year-old has scored four goals – ending a drought dating back to September 2021 – in his last nine games, including two in the crucial 5-1 win at Brighton earlier this month.”Everton can confirm the club has activated the option to extend Abdoulaye Doucoure’s contract until the end of June 2024,” read a club statement.
Vinicius Jr has shared a video of the racist abuse former Real Madrid star Roberto Carlos faced during his days in Spain.
Quote-tweeting the clip, Vinicius Jr said: “1997. Racism in Spanish stadiums existed even before I was born.
“What has changed until today?”
Blackpool have announced the return of Neil Critchley as their manager, signing a four-year deal.
The 44-year-old returns to Bloomfield Road 12 months after leaving to become Steven Gerrard’s assistant at Aston Villa.
He only held that job for four months as Gerrard was sacked. He was then appointed the manager of QPR, but was sacked after just three months having claimed only one win in charge at Loftus Road.
But that hasn’t stopped Blackpool returning for the coach.
“It feels special to be back and I’m thoroughly looking forward to the task that lies ahead,” Critchley said.
“Looking back on my departure 12 months ago, I didn’t handle that in the manner I should have done. I enjoyed a fantastic relationship with Simon previously, and I thank him for this wonderful opportunity to come back to this special football club.
“I look at the Club now, and it has had a bump in the road but there is no reason why we can’t get back on track. It’s up to us – and I include myself in that – to reset and become who we were as a group again.
“Collectively, the staff, players and supporters have shared some special moments together, and I know we all want to experience that again, which is what we will be working towards.”
Callum Wilson is in line for a recall to the England squad, as Gareth Southgate prepares to name his latest team.
The Three Lions boss Southgate will at 2pm tomorrow reveal his squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers in Malta on June 16 and at home to North Macedonia in Manchester on June 19, with England top of Group C.
Newcastle striker Wilson has scored 11 goals since he was overlooked for the European Championship qualifying wins against Italy and Ukraine in March and helped spearhead the Magpies’ successful pursuit of Champions League football.
There is a spot available after Ivan Toney’s eight-month ban for betting offences was confirmed this month, and it appears Wilson is battling Aston Villa’s in-form star Ollie Watkins for the spot.
There are questions over Jude Bellingham’s fitness ahead of the announcement, though, and his knee injury could rule him out.
Meanwhile, Trent Alexander-Arnold is almost certain of a return after his improved form for Liverpool and with Reece James’ season having been ended by a hamstring injury in April.
