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MANCHESTER UNITED READY TO WELCOME OFFERS FOR JESSE LINGARD

Manchester United are ready to listen to offers for Jesse Lingard with the England international deemed surplus to requirements at Old Trafford despite his recent goal-scoring form.

The 27-year-old has struggled for game time under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer this season, making nine Premier League starts but only one since the turn of the year.

The arrival of Bruno Fernandes in January and the emergence of Mason Greenwood as a first team starter have seen Lingard slip further down the pecking order and his chances of starting big games are now very slim.

The England World Cup star has taken his chances to shine in recent weeks. coming off the bench to score in the final Premier League game of the season against Leicester and then netting against LASK in the Europa League earlier this week.

Two goals in two games has not been enough to keep the United hierarchy that he should stay, though, and he is available for transfer this summer, according to the Guardian.

A price has not been mentioned, but with United looking to do a deal and many clubs struggling economically due to the coronavirus crisis, it will almost certainly be below the £30m mark.

Lingard has one year left on his contract at Old Trafford, although the club have the option to extend it by another year, which they may do if a deal cannot be struck and they do not want to risk losing him on a free next summer.

The midfielder had hinted at a United stay, or at least that he wanted to remain at Old Trafford in an Instagram post last month.

‘Im starting with the man in the mirror im asking him to change his ways,’ wrote Lingard.

‘This season has been difficult for so many reasons. I lost who I was as a player and person, but I never wanted to give up, I knew who I really was on and off the pitch and knew that having been there before I could get there again.

‘This meant working harder than I’d ever done before and trusting in those around me that they knew how to best help me achieve that. I know the fans have been frustrated but in all this time my love for this club and everyone connected to it has never left me.

This team, this club is my family and I will continue to keep working harder than ever to help this team achieve its goals.

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CONTE’S INTER FUTURE TO BE DECIDED AFTER EUROPA LEAGUE

Inter Milan will not make any decision on Antonio Conte’s future as head coach until the end of their Europa League campaign.

Conte spoke with the club’s president Steven Zhang via video conference on Monday, a call that has been described as “cordial” by Sky in Italy.

The former Chelsea manager’s future had come into question on Saturday when he was critical of the club’s leadership following their 2-0 Serie A win over Atalanta.

The Inter boss had said his team had not been recognised for their positive performances, which culminated in them finishing second behind Juventus.

Conte told the newsmen on Monday that he fully intends to respect his contract.

He said: “I am committed to a three-year project with Inter and, as I always have done in my life, I will work hard and fight with all my strength and everything in my power to make it a winning project.”

Inter face Spanish side Getafe in a one-off game in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday for a place in the Europa League quarter-finals.

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CHELSEA RECONSIDERING LEICESTER’S BEN CHILWELL AS LEFT BACK OPTION.

Chelsea will have to pay a world record price for a defender if they’re to sign Leicester City ace Ben Chilwell this summer. Frank Lampard is keen to continue his overhaul at Stamford Bridge by signing the England international, who the Blues have tracked for the last two years.

Leicester finished just a point behind Chelsea this term but the Foxes are resigned to losing Chilwell and are already making contingency plans for his exit.

However, the Midlands club are under no pressure to sell and they’ve grown accustomed to cashing in on one player each summer, selling the likes of Harry Maguire, Riyad Mahrez, N’Golo Kante and Danny Drinkwater in recent years.

Leicester demanded £80m for Maguire from Manchester United last summer and despite over two months of negotiations, the Foxes received their asking price as United eventually caved in the final week of the window.

United’s deal for Maguire eclipsed the £75m that Liverpool paid for Virgil van Dijk, making the England centre-back the most expensive defender of all-time. However, according to the Mirror, Leicester want more than the £80m they received for Maguire as the Foxes are in a stronger position this time around.

It means Chelsea will have to pay a world record fee to land the left-back and the Blues will have to give the deal serious consideration, given they’re already pursuing a £80m deal for Kai Havertz. The Blues have spent £90m already this summer on Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech.

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MANCHESTER UNITED, INTER MILAN NEAR AGREEMENT ON SANCHEZ TRANSFER DEAL.

Manchester United seem to be getting their transfer business done quick in the summer, as the premier League giant are near an agreement with Inter Milan for the final transfer of Alexis Sanchez.

Aside from any deals for new players, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer knows that he has to ship a few current members of his squad out.

Alexis Sanchez has spent the past season on-loan at Inter Milan.

In news that will surely be music to the ears of United fans, the Italian giants have reached total agreement with the Red Devils on a permanent deal for Sanchez.

According to an Italian sports journalist, Fabrizio Romano, who broke the news via his twitter handle.

Romano notes that Inter won’t pay a transfer fee for the Chilean, but they will instead take over his full salary and pay him €7m per season.

Summary of reports from UK media says his spell at Old Trafford, Sanchez only scored five goals and made 45 appearances in total across all competitions over the two seasons he was contracted at the club.

Once it goes through, it’s a move that will surely benefit all parties and allow Solskjaer to refocus his efforts.

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Vertoghen leaves spurs on a free

Tottenham defender Jan Vertonghen has left the club after eight years.

Vertonghen, 33, made 315 appearances for Tottenham, but leaves after seeing his playing time limited under new manager Jose Mourinho this season.

The Belgian, who departs as a free agent, helped Spurs reach finals in the Champions League and League Cup.

“So my time at the club comes to an end, a sad day for many reasons,” Vertonghen wrote in a post on Instagram.

“I will miss the friends I’ve made here, the staff that make the club run, playing at the amazing new stadium and of course you fans,” he added.

“Thank you for all the support over the years. You’ve been amazing. We had many unbelievable memories but for now, it’s goodbye.”

Vertonghen, who joined Tottenham from Ajax in 2012, did not feature in his side’s last Premier League game of the season, a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace.

His team-mate, England striker Harry Kane, was among those to pay tribute to Vertonghen and goalkeeper Michel Vorm, who is also leaving.

“It’s been a pleasure sharing a dressing room with them,” Kane said in a caption, alongside a squad picture.

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Chelsea want Oblak

After a couple of years of stagnation, Chelsea are in the mood to compete for the Premier League title once again next season.

The Blues, who tightened their grip on a top-four spot with a 1-0 home victory over Norwich City on Tuesday evening, have already completed deals for Ajax star Hakim Ziyech and RB Leipzig striker Timo Werner, as head coach Frank Lampard looks to add flashes of quality to his attacking ranks.

Despite having concluded deals for both Ziyech and Werner, Lampard is not yet satisfied with the attacking options he already has, with the Blues continuing to be heavily linked with a move for Bayer Leverkusen star Kai Havertz, as well as Brentford winger Said Benrahma.

Doubts have been cast about the quality of club-record signing Kepa Arrizabalaga, with Lampard looking into the prospect of landing a new goalkeeper.

And one name that is being closely linked with a move to the Premier League is Atletico Madrid shot-stopper Jan Oblak. The Slovenian international is considered by many as one of the very best goalkeepers in world football and would most certainly not look out of place in Chelsea colours.

The Blues have identified Oblak as their top transfer target ahead of the summer window officially opening for business later this month, the Mirror reports.

After signing a new deal at the Wanda Metropolitano last year, a £120million buy-out clause was inserted in the goalkeeper’s contract. However, Chelsea are prepared to go in with an offer of less than £100million and offer Arrizabalaga to sweeten the deal.

Atletico do not want to sell the Slovenian No.1, but they may be forced to because of the financial impact the coronavirus pandemic has brought.

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England set transfer window date

The Premier League and English Football League summer transfer windows will be open for 10 weeks between 27 July and 5 October, subject to Fifa approval.

In addition, the Premier League and EFL say there will be a domestic-only window between 5-16 October.

“During this window, clubs will only be able to trade with EFL clubs (either loans or permanent registrations),” said a Premier League statement.

“No transfers can take place between Premier League clubs in this period.”

The EFL also said any new signings by its clubs could not play until the start of the 2020-21 season.

“This is applicable to clubs involved in the Championship play-offs,” it explained in a statement.

The EFL added: “The window for international registrations closes at 23:00 BST on Monday, 5 October, with an agreement in place with the Premier League for an extended two-week domestic-only window, which will close at 17:00 on Friday, 16 October.”

There has not yet been any announcement on a start date for the 2020-21 season.

Launching the new season on 12 September remains the most likely option, but that comes immediately after September’s round of international games.

The Football Association and EFL are concerned the reduced number of match dates will have an impact on their respective cup competitions

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Psg want Rashford

Paris Saint-Germain have had an awful lot of time to plan for next season, but manager Thomas Tuchel has been absolutely unwavering on one view. There’s been no second-guessing himself, or mulling it over.

The German sees Marcus Rashford as a top target. Tuchel has been even more emphatic when discussing it with key figures around the club. He thinks England “don’t realise how good a player Rashford actually is”.

The Old Trafford hierarchy, however, greatly value Rashford. It may take quite the offer to see how much. Even in this Covid-19 deflated market, United would want over £100m. Tuchel would probably be willing to pay it.

The PSG boss adores Rashford’s directness and versatility. He feels that willingness to run, as well as some of the more selfless aspects of his game, can greatly complement Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Rashford could even represent a long-term alternative to Mbappe, if Real Madrid can eventually make their move there.

This is also what Tuchel prizes. He feels Rashford can play in a number of positions, without his level dropping in any of them. That versatility is of particular value to Tuchel because of the variety he loves in his team’s attacks, as well as the desire for them to interchange and offer a whirlwind of movement.

He sees Rashford as “the perfect model of the modern dynamic attacking player”, who you can see fitting into most elite teams. ✕

It isn’t the only interest Rashford has had from major continental club, after all. Barcelona were very keen last year, at the time when they were trying to increase their points of attack, and trying to figure out who best to sign. They felt Rashford would have been perfectly suited to La Liga. They were also particularly impressed with his England form, and felt these showed that bigger games bring out even more in the 22-year-old.

Barca didn’t act at the time, both because they believed it would be too difficult to do a deal with United, and because there was an existing dialogue with Antoine Griezmann. What is true is that Rashford probably would have suited Barca’s 4-3-3 better than the French star, especially when producing that “wide raider” form that Gareth Southgate has so lionised.

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EVERTON SWEATING ON DEFENSIVE INJURIES AHEAD VILLA CLASH

Everton are sweating over the fitness of their major defenders with Mason Holgate bring the fresh victim after the defender missed training again today.


The Blues have been without the 23-year-old defender for the past two matches because of a shin injury picked up at Spurs over a week ago.
Holgate, who has become Everton’s first-choice centre-back since Carlo Ancelotti came to the club, has been sidelined for the games with Southampton and Wolves – and remains a major doubt for Thursday’s visit of relegation threatened Aston Villa.


Carlo Ancelotti will provide an update on Holgate’s chances of facing Villa, when he holds a virtual press conference on Wednesday afternoon. 
The Blues boss will also give greater clarity on the fitness of Andre Gomes who was ruled out of the Wolves game after picking up a knock on his ankle.


Yerry Mina was forced off after just 31 minutes of Sunday’s game at Molineux with an unspecified muscle injury and it remains to be seen if he will be fit for the Villa clash or given the time to fully heal and not rushed back.


Following the Wolves game, Ancelotti said: “Yerry had a muscular problem.
“Unfortunately, when you only have two days to recover, the player doesn’t recover properly and to have an injury like this can happen.

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Barcelona offer Coutinho to Arsenal & Newcastle

The Liga giants are eager to get the former Liverpool star off their books and may be willing to sanction a loan switch to a Premier League suitor

Barcelona have offered Philippe Coutinho to Arsenal and Newcastle in an ongoing bid to free up squad space and funds that will allow them to launch a raid on Inter for Lautaro Martinez, Goal has learned .

Barca snapped Coutinho up from Liverpool in the winter window of 2018 , but have seen little return on their investment.

A season-long stint at Bayern Munich has only served to raise further questions of the 28-year-old’s form and fitness .

Barcelona are now looking to put another deal in place, with the Liga giants aware that they cannot incorporate another sizeable salary into their plans for 2020-21.

There is acceptance on the part of the Blaugrana that they are going to struggle to find a European suitor willing to take on both Coutinho’s wage and a sizeable transfer fee.

With that in mind, they have started to seek out potential landing spots, and Arsenal and Newcastle have been sounded out, with both clubs having been heavily linked with the midfielder in the past.

No answer has been received from either club as yet, with the Gunners and Magpies continuing to mull over the terms of a deal and their respective standings for next season – on both sporting and financial fronts.

Efforts to bring in alternative options, such as Argentina international Lautaro , can only be made if money is saved and raised elsewhere.