Football news LIVE: Aston Villa in talks with Real Madrid star Asensio, Bellingham surgery fears, Arsenal and Bayern Munich battle for Rice, Ten Hag on Maguire and De Gea’s Manchester United futures
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Top stories
- Aston Villa in talks to beat Arsenal and Paris Saint-Germain to Marco Asensio free transfer
- SIMON JORDAN: Todd Boehly can take no positives from first year as Chelsea owner but will learn from mistakes
- Arsenal still favourites for Declan Rice despite Bayern Munich entering race
- Erik ten Hag hints that Harry Maguire could leave Man United this summer
- Mauricio Pochettino finally confirmed as new Chelsea manager
- Fulham interested in Fred transfer with Marco Silva seen talking to Man United midfielder
Ruben Loftus-Cheek is close to agreeing a summer transfer to AC Milan.
The midfielder’s Blues contract expires in 2024, but it appears he set to make the move over to Italy and join former teammate Fikayo Tomori at the San Siro.
Fabrizio Romano claims Loftus-Cheek is set to sign a long-term contract with the Champions League semi-finalists, and the club and player are confident of getting it all wrapped up soon.
Harry Kane WANTS TO STAY at Tottenham.
That’s according to his Spurs teammate – for now – Emerson Royal.
This could be Kane’s last opportunity to leave the north London club while he’s still at the peak of his powers.
But will he instead decide to stay put and cement his legacy as a true Tottenham legend?
Another award we never knew existed – see post this morning about the ‘Most Powerful Goal of the Season’ – is Simon Jordan’s ‘Ass of the Year’.
And it goes to Leeds United and their owner Andrea Radrizzani, saying he was ‘ridiculous’ for telling fans at the start of the season that there was no danger of the club being relegated.
He also took aim at the Whites chief over his decision to stick with Jesse Marsch for too long and appointing the wrong replacement in Javi Gracia – which the talkSPORT host says was the cause of their relegation from the Premier League as they left it too late for Sam Allardyce to recover.
He has a lot more to say in the latest episode of One2One – watch it below!
Coventry City has confirmed the list of players who will leave the club this summer – and it includes Fankaty Dabo after his costly penalty miss.
Dabo missed from the spot as the Sky Blues lost to Luton Town in the Championship play-off final, missing out on promotion to the Premier League in a penalty shoot-out that went to sudden death.
And now it has been announced he will depart at the end of his contract in June.
“Fankaty Dabo, Julien Dacosta, Todd Kane, Sean Maguire, Michael Rose, Martyn Waghorn and Tyler Walker will all leave the Sky Blues following the conclusion of their contracts,” read a Coventry statement.
“Under-21s players Will Bapaga, Tom Billson, George Burroughs, Ricardo Dinanga, Aidan Finnegan, Jay McGrath, Harrison Nee and Blaine Rowe will also leave the club.
“Captain Liam Kelly has been offered a new one-year contract with Coventry City, having made 161 appearances and scored three goals for the Sky Blues in his distinguished career at the club so far. The club will keep supporters updated regarding negotiations regarding the new deal for Liam.
“Jonathan Panzo (Nottingham Forest), Callum Doyle (Manchester City), Brooke Norton-Cuffy (Arsenal), Josh Wilson-Esbrand (Manchester City) and Luke McNally (Burnley) return to their parent clubs following the end of their loan deals with the Sky Blues.”
Dejan Kulusevski has admitted he is in the dark over his Tottenham future.
Spurs intend to take up the option to sign the popular Swedish forward in a permanent deal from Juventus after his successful loan spell.
A £30million buyout clause would have been triggered had Tottenham qualified for the Champions League, and although they ultimately finished eighth to miss out of European football all together, the club still plans to seal a deal for Kulusevski.
However, the player himself cast doubt over whether a deal will be done after their 401 final day win over Leeds.
Asked if he would be staying at Spurs, Kulusevski told the Evening Standard: “I’ve got to speak with the club, honesty we haven’t had time to do that because it’s been a very tough last few months. We all just tried to do our best and get as many wins as possible, so I will speak with the club and we’ll see what the plan is from their side and from my side. We’ll see.
“Of course I love the club but I have to speak with the club and see what their thoughts are and how the future is looking. We’ve still got to speak about that.”
Simon Jordan did not hold back with his verdict on Manchester United star Antony…
The talkSPORT pundit said on his White and Jordan show: “Okay, Ten Hag. You should have spent £170million in August and £50m in January. Would that have suited you better?
“No, you decided to fire your bolt early and spend £220m in the August window.
“What have you done with that? One of the huge parts of it was Antony.
Host Jim White said: “You’ve got this thing about Antony.”
Jordan replied: “Because he’s crap. He’s £90m worth of crap!”
Arsenal have no plans to let Emile Smith Rowe leave the club this summer.
The midfielder and firm fan favourite experienced an injury-hit campaign which meant he was rarely part of the Gunners’ title pursuit.
The 22-year-old lack of action has led to suggestions he has lost his place in Mikel Arteta’s plans.
But The Athletic claim Smith Rowe is still regarded as an ‘important’ part of Arteta’s future vision for the team and will not be allowed to leave.
The Arsenal No.10 is under contract at the Emirates Stadium until 2026.
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Tottenham could be knocked back by another managerial target with Luis Enrique in talks with Napoli.
talkSPORT revealed earlier this month how the ex-Barcelona boss and Feyenoord manager Arne Slot were Spurs’ top two targets, but the Dutchman decided to stay on at De Kuip as he penned a new contract until 2026.
And the north London outfit could be handed a further blow with it claimed that they could now miss out on Enrique.
According to The Guardian, Enrique is in negotiations with the Serie A champions to replace Luciano Spaletti.
The Italian has revealed he will be departing the club to take a year out football after guiding Napoli to their first Scudetto since 1990.
Their president Aurelio De Laurentiis has confirmed he is keen on Enrique, but is aware he is a target for other clubs.
He told Rai Sport: “For sure Luis is top coach, we discussed, but I can tell you that he has Premier League clubs in mind.
“I said that he won’t find same food or places there, but Premier League is more attractive, of course.”
David de Gea’s Manchester United future remains uncertain after boss Erik ten Hag refused to confirm whether he will be the club’s No.1 next season.
The 32-year-old is set to become a free agent when his contract expires this summer, though the Red Devils have the option to extend his stay by a further 12 months.
Asked by The Times whether De Gea will be at the club next campaign, he said: “Yes, but I will not say he’ll always be my No.1.
“Because in a club like Man United there must be competition in all positions. You can’t do it with 11 players. It is impossible. You need double positions.”
And the Dutchman has insisted that De Gea has to ‘step up’ having made a number of costly mistakes this term, while struggling to adapt to his system of playing out from the back.
He remarked: “It’s not what I want, it’s more what top football demands nowadays.
“If you observe the biggest teams, you have to be capable of playing from the back, and use your keeper as a plus one in your back, otherwise it’s very simple for opponents to put you under pressure.
“He [De Gea] had to step up. In a number of games, he showed progression.”
Simon Jordan believes Todd Boehly will learn from his mistakes after a ‘baptism of fire’ in his first year as Chelsea owner.
The American completed his takeover of the Blues on May 30, 2022 and the first 365 days in charge have not gone to plan as they finished 12th – despite splashing out £600million on new players.
Speaking on White and Jordan, the ex-Crystal Palace owner said: “Todd Boehly will have had a baptism of fire.
“He will have seen the landscape and read about the way English football is held together and not believed it. Sat in Premier League meetings then seen the way the media has reacted to his decisions and seen the consequences of his actions.
“You don’t get in a position where you are the head of a private equity firm that can facilitate the purchase of a football club for £2.5billion and not be in a situation where you can pivot and react and learn lessons from the experiences you’ve got.
“There’s nothing wrong with learning from your mistakes, it’s about not making those same mistakes again.”
Dejan Kulusevski has admitted he remains in the dark at whether Tottenham will sign him on a permanent deal.
The Swedish forward joined from Juventus in January 2022 on an initial 18-month loan, with Spurs having a £26million buy option.
Speaking to the Evening Standard at whether he will be at the club next season, the 23-year-old said: “I’ve got to speak with the club.
“Honesty we haven’t had time to do that because it’s been a very tough last few months.
“We all just tried to do our best and get as many wins as possible, so I will speak with the club and we’ll see what the plan is from their side and from my side. We’ll see.
“Of course I love the club but I have to speak with the club and see what their thoughts are and how the future is looking. We’ve still got to speak about that.”
Aston Villa are in talks over signing Marco Asensio in a free transfer.
The 27-year-old Spain international is set to leave Real Madrid as a free agent this summer when his contract expires.
And it appears he has been tempted by Unai Emery’s revolution at Villa Park, with the Premier League side in talks to land the winger despite rival interest from Paris Saint-Germain and clubs in Italy.
Joao Felix will leave Chelsea and return to Atletico Madrid this summer.
Atletico president Enrique Cerezo has revealed new Blues boss Mauricio Pochettino has decided against turning the Portuguese forward’s loan into a permanent deal.
The 23-year-old arrived at Stamford Bridge in January to great fanfare, but has largely disappointed with just four goals in 20 appearances.
And now it appears he will be reunited with Diego Simeone – having left on loan over a feud with the Atleti boss.
“We have been informed that Poch does not count with Joao Felix for Chelsea,” Cerezo said.
“He will return here.”
On his Atleti future, the boss added: “We’ll see… we’ve nothing planned.”
Gabby Agbonlahor wants Aston Villa to sign Leicester’s Harvey Barnes in a potential cut-price transfer.
The Foxes were relegated from the Premier League on the final day of the season despite beating West Ham.
It’s now expected the club’s top stars will leave this summer, with Barnes and James Maddison the most likely to find big moves
And ex-Villa captain Agbonlahor wants to see Barnes sign for Unai Emery’s side.
“There’s a lot of players in that Leicester squad that are going to go and we’ve seen how hard it is to come straight back up,” he told talkSPORT Breakfast this morning.
“Maddison is going to go for less than they would’ve expected. Harvey Barnes, I want Aston Villa to go and get him now for a cut fee. We’ll give you £25-30million thank you very much.”
Harry Kane has been told he has four options available to him this summer.
The Tottenham striker has been widely linked with a move away this summer with just one year left on his contract in north London.
Former Arsenal and Chelsea star Emmanuel Petit says Manchester United are his only option if he wants to leave Spurs but stay in the Premier League.
But the Frenchman says the England captain should consider a move abroad, with two European giants linked.
“We ask the same question of Harry Kane every season,” Petit told Betway. “Does he want to go somewhere else?
“Because I think year after year, someday it’s going to be too late for him to leave Tottenham. There are only two options for him, he either stays at the club until the end and be an ambassador or manager. He will be loved for a long time by the Spurs fans.
“The other option is to maybe go to Manchester United because Weghorst has not been doing very well since he joined the club. Chelsea are missing a striker even with all those players and the money spent in the transfer market, they’re still missing a striker over there.
“For me, if he wants to move, there are only two options in the Premier League. He can’t join Chelsea knowing the rivalry between Spurs and Chelsea. And he won’t be joining Arsenal as he was at Arsenal when he was a kid and you know the rivalry with Arsenal is even bigger than it is with Chelsea. So maybe Manchester United, for me this is the only option [other than Spurs].
“But if he wants to go abroad, there are two perfect clubs for him. PSG and the other one is Bayern Munich.
“When I look at Bayern Munich, I have big respect for Choupo-Moting but he’s the only striker. There are only two clubs abroad who can afford and can buy Harry Kane. It’s PSG and Bayern Munich and in the Premier League, there’s only one club for me and it’s Manchester United.”
And the winner of the award we never knew existed is…
The Premier League has announced West Ham star Said Benrahma has been handed the award for ‘Most Powerful Goal of the Season’.
The Hammers forward’s jackhammer effort against Crystal Palace earned him the gong – which we’re pretty sure nobody knew was even a thing – as it travelled at a jaw-dropping 107.17kph.
Some strike, that!
Fabio Carvalho has joked that modelling is ‘all I do now’, but Liverpool will NOT sell the youngster this summer.
The 20-year-old has been used sparingly by Jurgen Klopp in his first season as a Reds player following his transfer from Fulham.
The attacking midfielder made 21 appearances, but only eight of those were starts.
According to The Times, Carvalho wants to play more regular football next season, but Liverpool will resist any permanent offers for him.
However, the Reds will listen to loan proposals for him to gain more experience, with Jurgen Klopp seeing Carvalho as a regular starter in the future.
Klopp has hailed Carvalho’s attitude this season despite his lack of regular action, while Liverpool are said to have rejected a transfer offer from RB Leipzig which the club considered derisory.
More boardroom news this morning – Chelsea have announced the appointment of Chris Jurasek as their new chief executive, with president of business Tom Glick set to leave after less than a year in his role.
The Blues’ 12th-place Premier League finish in owners’ the Clearlake group’s first season has led to Mauricio Pochettino being named head coach and tasked with improving their on-field fortunes.
Further upheaval off the pitch came with the announcement that Jurasek will oversee all business areas at Chelsea and report to the board alongside co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
“I’m delighted to be joining Chelsea, a club which is loved and followed all over the world,” Jurasek said. “I’m enormously proud to be leading it into the next chapter in its rich history.
“We have huge opportunities to grow on and off the pitch and to engage our exceptional fans both in London and wherever they are supporting us from.”
Former Manchester City executive Glick will be exiting the club, having only been appointed last July – although no departure date was announced by the club, who said the former president of NFL franchise the Carolina Panthers wanted “to pursue other opportunities’.
Glick will work closely with Jurasek in the coming months to ensure a smooth transition before leaving.
Liverpool have announced the appointment of Jorg Schmadtke as the club's new sporting director.
The 59-year-old German joins the Premier League giants following a four-year spell in the same role at Wolfsburg.
A former goalkeeper, Schmadtke previously held sporting director roles at Cologne, Hannover and Alemannia Aachen.
He will begin his new role on June 1, taking over from Julian Ward who will leave the club in the summer after more than a decade at Anfield.
Fenway Sports Group president Mike Gordon said: “Firstly, I would like to welcome Jorg to Liverpool Football Club in the knowledge that he will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience into a role in which such qualities can only be beneficial both to him and us.
“Jorg will work with our football operations department as it continues to provide support for Jürgen Klopp, in keeping with our ongoing endeavour to keep growing and developing the club in all areas.
“At the same time as we welcome Jorg, we must also bid a fond farewell to Julian Ward, who has served us with unstinting diligence, fortitude and energy in a number of roles, the most recent one being sporting director.
“We wish Julian and his young family the very best for the future and thank him for everything he has done for Liverpool FC during the past 11 years.”
Tottenham have been warned Harry Kane will be a different player next season if they don’t give him the move he wants.
It appears time for Kane to leave this summer after another trophyless season for Spurs, and with the north London club playing Europa Conference League football next season.
Manchester United have been linked with a keen interest in the England captain and former Liverpool striker Dean Saunders says Daniel Levy should accept an £60million bid to sell the star man.
And if he doesn’t, and Kane stays, he doubts the striker will be as motivated to perform as he winds down his contract.
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly interested in a shock move for Martin Odegaard.
The Arsenal captain has enjoyed a fantastic season with the Gunners as they finished second in the Premier League.
The Mail report that PSG are weighing up a shock move for the Norway international.
However, they could find it difficult to tempt him away from the Emirates.
Ajax have confirmed that Manchester United legend Edwin van der Sar has left as their CEO.
In a statement, the Dutch club said: “Chief Executive Officer Edwin van der Sar has decided to leave Ajax. He will transfer his duties to his colleagues on the Board of Directors from June 1, 2023 onwards.
“The Supervisory Board has requested Van der Sar to formally remain in his position until August 1, to ensure a good transfer of both national and international dossiers.”
Van der Sar: “After almost eleven years on the board, I am done. We have experienced wonderful things together, but it has also been an incredibly tough period. I am very grateful for the people I have met and worked with during my second career at Ajax, and what we have achieved and been through together.
“I feel the need to take some distance, to get some rest, and to do other things. It doesn’t feel good to take decisions about the future of this wonderful club in the coming period. That is why I have decided to resign.”
Marcus Rashford scooped two prizes at Manchester United’s end of season awards.
The forward won the Sir Matt Busby and Players’ Player of the Year following his brilliant season for the Red Devils.
Speaking on Twitter, he said: “What an incredible honour to win both the Sir Matt Busby and Player’s ‘Player Of The Year’ awards tonight. To have the support of both the fans and my teammates means the world – I couldn’t do it without you all. Thanks to the manager & all the staff for their phenomenal help.”
Erik ten Hag has hinted that Harry Maguire may leave Manchester United this summer if the defender decides he is not happy with a lack of playing time.
The club captain played only 16 Premier League games this season and has been culpable of a number of high-profile errors, most recently in last month’s Europa League exit to Sevilla.
Ten Hag has consistently praised the influence of the 30-year-old – who joined in 2018 from Leicester for £80million, a world-record fee for a defender, and is under contract until 2025 – around Old Trafford, even when he has endured long spells out of the team.
When fit, Lisandro Martinez and Raphael Varane have been the preferred central-defensive partnership in the former Ajax boss’s first campaign, with Luke Shaw sometimes filling in, as the team racked up 17 top-flight clean sheets – the most of any side in the division.
Now the manager has made the strongest suggestion yet that Maguire’s time at United could be coming to an end.
“No-one would be happy with this situation,” Ten Hag said in an interview with The Times. “He is not as well. He trains always on best levels, so with 100 per cent effort.
“So he handles that situation well and he’s in that manner and in his captaincy he’s important for the squad.
“But he has high competition there (at centre-back) with Raphael Varane, who’s fantastic.”
He added: “Let’s say I’m happy he’s here and when we needed him he did his job. But it’s also a decision he has to make.”
