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Mauricio Pochettino confident of keeping Kylian Mbappe at Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino has said that he is planning for Kylian Mbappe to stay at the club for the 2021-22 campaign.

The France international’s future remains the subject of much speculation, with his contract in Paris due to expire next June.

Real Madrid continue to be credited with an interest in the World Cup winner, although the Spanish outfit’s financial issues will make it difficult for them to sign him before the end of the transfer window.

Pochettino has insisted that the 22-year-old “is motivated” at the club, and the head coach is not expecting to lose the attacker over the next couple of weeks.

“I see that he [Mbappe] is motivated, working hard to making this a great season,” Pochettino told reporters. “He is our player and I don’t see him not being here this season.

“He has a year left on his contract, even if he doesn’t renew it, and he has demonstrated to me that he is happy with us here. He is calm and the club knows what they’re going to do. We know he is our player and that he is preparing for our match tomorrow.”

Mbappe has scored 132 goals and registered 63 assists in 173 appearances for PSG since arriving from Monaco, initially on loan, in July 2017.

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Aubameyang and Lacazette missed Gunners’ opener after positive coronavirus tests

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette missed Arsenal‘s defeat at Brentford last Friday after testing positive for coronavirus, the Gunners have announced.

The north London outfit said Aubameyang could make a return to action in Sunday’s home clash with Chelsea, but fellow forward Lacazette will sit things out once again.

A statement on Arsenal’s official website on Thursday read: “Auba is now negative on Covid-19 testing, is well and following all protocols for return to play.

“He will return to training and be assessed prior to Sunday’s match. Alex is still recovering and will not be available.”

Winger Willian and goalkeeper Alex Runarsson have also tested positive.

The statement said Willian was adhering to protocols and that his health and fitness would be monitored and assessed ahead of the Chelsea game, while Runarsson was still recovering and would remain unavailable.

Arsenal have Thomas Partey (ankle), Gabriel Magalhaes (knee) and Eddie Nketiah (ankle) out of action as well.

Partey and Gabriel are aiming to be back in training later this month, and the target for Nketiah is early September.

Mikel Arteta’s men were beaten 2-0 by the Bees in their Premier League opener.

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Liverpool view new Mohamed Salah contract as a priority

Liverpool are reportedly desperate to sign Mohamed Salah to a new contract and initial negotiations with the attacker’s agent have been ‘productive’.

The 29-year-old has scored 126 goals and registered 49 assists in 204 appearances for the Reds since making the move from Roma in July 2017.

Salah started the 2021-22 Premier League season in excellent fashion against Norwich City, meanwhile, scoring once and providing two assists in his side’s 3-0 win

The Egypt international’s current deal at Anfield is due to expire in June 2023, and talk of a move to Spain continues, with Barcelona and Real Madrid said to be admirers.

However, according to The Athletic, Liverpool have held ‘productive’ discussions with Salah’s agent, and the Reds have ‘no sense of concern’ over the forward’s future.

The report claims that any new deal could push Salah towards £300,000 a week in wages, with the Merseyside giants accepting that they need to break their wage structure to keep him.

The Egyptian has scored 96 goals in 146 Premier League appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side

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Manchester United offer Paul Pogba £400k-a-week contract

Paul Pogba reportedly has a £400k-a-week contract offer on the table as Manchester United seek to tie him down to fresh terms.

The former Juventus man is yet to commit his future to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side beyond 2022, with Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain ready and waiting to pounce should he become available on a free transfer.

United are thought to be desperate to extend Pogba’s stay at the club, although the World Cup-winning Frenchman is supposedly in no rush to make a decision on his next career move.

according to The Athletic, Pogba has been offered a new deal worth £400k per week until the summer of 2025, which would take him past David de Gea as the club’s highest earner.

However, the report adds that the midfielder is unlikely to sign a new deal before the end of the current transfer window, but he is of the view that United now have a squad capable of competing for the biggest honours.

Pogba assisted four of United’s five goals in last week’s Premier League win against Leeds United and has also found the back of the net 38 times in 207 games for the Red Devils.

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Barcelona prepared to terminate Samuel Umtiti’s contract

Barcelona are threatening to terminate Samuel Umtiti’s contract if the Frenchman continues to refuse opportunities for an exit, according to a report.

The World Cup-winning defender has fallen out of favour under Ronald Koeman and is supposedly wanted off the books by Barcelona amid their desperate financial situation.

Umtiti was understood to have been in talks with Lyon over a potential return to France, but as things stand he remains contracted to Barca and is supposedly in no rush to leave.

According to Sport, should Umtiti reject the opportunity to depart the club properly, Barca will not hesitate to terminate his contract in the next few days.

The report adds that La Blaugrana are ‘very upset’ with Umtiti’s attitude, and the 27-year-old did not honour a pre-season agreement in which he would agree to an exit if he failed to convince coaches in friendlies.

Umtiti was unsurprisingly left out of Barca’s squad to face Real Sociedad at the weekend and still has just under two years left to run on his deal at Camp Nou

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Arsenal close to agreeing Martin Odegaard deal

Arsenal are reportedly closing in on a €35m (£29.8m) deal to bring Real Madrid playmaker Martin Odegaard back to the Emirates.

The Norway captain enjoyed a positive six-month loan spell at the Emirates last season – contributing two goals and two assists in 20 appearances – and the Gunners have been keen to land him on a permanent basis all summer long.

After Odegaard was left out of Carlo Ancelotti’s squad to face Alaves in Saturday’s La Liga match, the playmaker’s agents reportedly flew to London in order to discuss a deal with Arsenal.

Now, The Athletic reports that Arsenal are ‘close’ to welcoming Odegaard back to the club, and the 22-year-old missed Real Madrid training on Tuesday in anticipation of a potential move.

The report adds that Real will sanction a sale for under £30m, and should the details be finalised quickly, Odegaard could be announced in time to face Chelsea on Sunday.

The former Stromsgodset starlet signed for Real Madrid as a 16-year-old in 2015 but has only made 11 appearances for the senior team, and his existing deal at the Bernabeu is due to run out in 2023

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Liverpool optimistic about new Mohamed Salah deal

Liverpool reportedly remain optimistic about their chances of tying Mohamed Salah down to a new deal at Anfield.

The former Chelsea and Roma man is currently due to become a free agent in 2023 and stoked the fire last year by refusing to rule out a move to Real Madrid or Barcelona.

After scoring once goal and assisting two more in the Reds’ 3-0 Premier League win at Norwich City at the weekend, Salah’s agent Ramy Abbas Issa posted a cryptic message on Twitter, writing: “I hope they’re watching,” in an apparent message to Liverpool chiefs.

Despite the ongoing uncertainty surrounding his future, the Sunday World claims that Liverpool are confident of agreeing fresh terms with Salah as they prioritise contract extensions this month.

Jurgen Klopp has already seen Fabinho, Alisson Becker, Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold commit their futures to the club, while Jordan Henderson is also thought to be on the verge of signing a new three-year contract.

Salah’s contributions at the weekend took him up to 126 goals and 49 assists in 206 games for Liverpool, and he also became the first player ever to score on the opening day in the Premier League five years in a row at Carrow Road

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Atletico Madrid ‘agree deal for Tottenham Hotspur-linked Dusan Vlahovic

Atletico Madrid have reportedly beaten Tottenham Hotspur to the signing of Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic.

With continued uncertainty over Harry Kane’s future in North London, Spurs had supposedly identified Vlahovic as an ideal candidate to lead the line in the event of the England captain’s departure.

Inter Milan were rumoured to have been interested before striking a deal for Edin Dzeko, and Fiorentina intended to tie Vlahovic down to fresh terms amid interest from top European clubs.

However, Corriere dello Sport claims that Atletico have now agreed a €70m (£59.6m) deal to sign the Serbian from La Viola, forcing Tottenham to look elsewhere in their striker search.

Spurs’ pursuit of Lautaro Martinez also appears to be dead in the water following the latest update from the Argentine’s agent, and the Lilywhites are said to have turned their attention to Barcelona’s Martin Braithwaite.

Vlahovic prepares to leave Fiorentina after netting 21 goals in Serie A last season, and he kicked off the 2021-22 campaign with a brace in a Coppa Italia victory against Cosenza at the weekend.

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Paul Pogba will not sign new Manchester United deal this month

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba will not sign a new deal with the Red Devils during the current transfer window, according to a report.

The France international is now in the final year of his existing contract with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side, who are desperate not to lose him for free in the summer of 2022.

Paris Saint-Germain continue to be credited with an interest in Pogba, although the arrival of Lionel Messi is thought to have scuppered any chances of a move in August.

Solskjaer supposedly remains keen to tie the midfielder down to a new deal, but the Daily Mail claims that Pogba is in no rush to agree fresh terms or decide his future.

The report adds that United chiefs want Pogba to stay on until at least 2025, and he could expect a rise on the £290k a week he currently pockets in Manchester, but there is very little chance of the former Juventus man deciding his future this month.

The 28-year-old set up four of Man United’s five goals in a 5-1 drubbing of Leeds United at the weekend, and PSG are rumoured to be preparing a mammoth £510k-a-week deal for the Frenchman should he run down his United contract

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Carlo Ancelotti rules out Cristiano Ronaldo Real Madrid return

Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti has insisted that he has “never considered” bringing Cristiano Ronaldo back to the Bernabeu.

The five-time Ballon d’Or winner’s next career move remains the subject of much speculation, with his existing deal at Juventus due to expire in 2022 amid links with Los Blancos and Manchester United.

Ronaldo recently took to social media to lash out at the ‘disrespectful’ coverage of his future, and Ancelotti has also weighed in on the saga with a post on Twitter.

The 62-year-old wrote on Tuesday: “Cristiano is a Real Madrid legend and he has all my love and respect. I have never considered signing him. We look forward.#HalaMadrid.”

Manchester City are also rumoured to have been offered the chance to sign the Portuguese attacker, but Pep Guardiola’s side have retained their focus on a move for Tottenham Hotspur’s Harry Kane.

Ronaldo found the back of the net five times at Euro 2020 and enters the 2021-22 campaign with a Capocannoniere to defend following his 29-goal haul in Serie A last term.