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Manchester United submit official bid for Cristiano Ronaldo

News broke earlier on Friday that the Red Devils had hijacked Manchester City’s move for the 36-year-old, leapfrogging their local rivals in the race for his signature as City ended their interest.

Talks between Man United and Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes only began on Thursday evening, while a series of messages from the Portuguese forward’s former Old Trafford teammates helped to sway him towards a move back to the red half of Manchester.

The 36-year-old had looked destined to join United’s local rivals Manchester City in a £25m deal, after telling current club Juventus that he wants to leave before Tuesday’s transfer deadline.

However, in a remarkable turn of events Man City have since pulled out of the running to sign Ronaldo, with United now the clear front-runners for his signature.

Talks between the two parties only began on Thursday night, but they have advanced quickly and ESPN reports that a series of WhatsApp messages between Ronaldo and a number of his former teammates at Old Trafford helped to convince him to return.

The report claims that Ronaldo was warned that his Manchester United legacy and the esteem in which he is held by the club’s fans would be irrevocably damaged if he joined their cross-town rivals.

A contract proposal has also been sent to Mendes, with Man United offering Ronaldo a two-year deal until June 2023.

While none of the ex-teammates have been named, now-Derby County boss Wayne Rooney hinted on Thursday that Ronaldo joining Man City would damage his reputation as a Man United legend.

The Red Devils are now confident of pulling off a sensational return for the forward on a two-year deal for the transfer window closes on Tuesday.

Ronaldo made 292 appearances for Man United between 2003 and 2009, scoring 118 goals and helping the club to three Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League crown.

With the five-time Ballon d’Or winner now pushing for a return, transfer expert Fabrizio Romano reports that Man United have submitted a formal offer of €25m (£21.4m) plus add-ons to Juventus, who are understood to be holding out for a fee of around £25m.

Since leaving for Madrid, the prolific Portuguese attacker has netted 551 times at club level, while Man United’s leading scorer in the same timeframe is Rooney with 156

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Real Madrid to announce Kylian Mbappe signing on Friday

Real Madrid are reportedly closing in on the signing of Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe.

After it emerged that the La Liga giants had made a formal bid for the player earlier this week, the two clubs exchanged words which suggested that finalising a deal would prove difficult.

However, Los Blancos are said to have improved their bid to €170m (£145.87m) plus €10m (£8.58m), terms which will realistically have to be considered by their PSG counterparts.

According to Marca, the French club will formally accept that offer on Friday, creating the possibility of an announcement from Real later in the day.

Given Mbappe’s well-documented desire to make the switch to the Bernabeu, personal terms are expected to be a formality.

The 22-year-old has less than 12 months remaining on his contract at Parc des Princes, effectively forcing PSG’s hand when it came to parting ways with their former most prized asset

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Cristiano Ronaldo arrival could see Raheem Sterling leave Manchester City

Cristiano Ronaldo’s proposed move to Manchester City could see Raheem Sterling leave the Etihad Stadium, according to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano.

The Portugal international is believed to be closing in on a move to the Citizens, although the Premier League champions are yet to agree a transfer fee with Juventus.

According to Romano, Man City will need to balance the books if Ronaldo arrives, and Sterling could potentially leave the club ‘if the right bid is made’ before the end of the transfer window.

The England international, who has less than two years left to run on his contract at the Etihad Stadium, has scored 115 goals and registered 87 assists in 294 appearances for the Citizens in all competitions.

Sterling was again an important player for the club last term, contributing 14 goals and 12 assists in 49 outings, but he struggled to show his best form for periods of the campaign.

The 26-year-old, who is believed to have rejected the chance to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer, came off the bench to score in Man City’s 5-0 win over Norwich City last weekend

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Manchester City ‘must pay at least £24m for Cristiano Ronaldo

Soccer Football - Italy - Serie A - Udinese v Juventus - Dacia Arena, Udine, Italy - August 22, 2021 Juventus' Cristiano Ronaldo scores a goal that is later disallowed after a VAR review REUTERS/Massimo Pinca

Juventus have reportedly made it clear to Manchester City that Cristiano Ronaldo will not be allowed to leave Turin this summer unless the Old Lady receive a transfer fee in the region of €28m (£24m).

The Citizens have already allegedly agreed personal terms with Ronaldo, who is also believed to have spoken with the English club’s head coach Pep Guardiola on Thursday morning.

The former Manchester United attacker, who has less than one year left on his contract in Turin, is said to be determined to force a move to the Premier League champions.

According to Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano, Ronaldo’s agent Jorge Mendes is working to complete the deal, but Juventus want a transfer fee of €28m (£24m) for the Portugal international.

Romano claims that Man City will decide ‘soon’ whether to submit the offer, as Guardiola’s side were hopeful of being able to sign the former Sporting Lisbon youngster on a free transfer.

The Citizens have switched their attention to Ronaldo after missing out on a deal for Harry Kane, who will remain Tottenham Hotspur beyond the end of the summer transfer window.

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Chelsea agree loan deal for Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez

Chelsea have reportedly agreed a season-long loan deal for Atletico Madrid midfielder Saul Niguez.

The Blues have been strongly linked with the Spain international in recent days and have been in talks with Atletico over a potential move for the versatile midfielder.

According to 90min, Thomas Tuchel’s side have now agreed terms on a season-long loan for the 26-year-old, who has also been linked with Manchester United during the current window.

The report claims that the deal is not yet complete, though, as the two clubs are still holding discussions over whether there will be an obligation to buy next summer.

Atletico are allegedly keen to include a clause that will see the move become permanent next year for a fee in the region of £40m.

Saul, who still has five years left to run on his contract at Wanda Metropolitano, has made 339 appearances for Diego Simeone’s side in all competitions.

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Chelsea closing in on £42.8m deal for Jules Kounde

Chelsea are reportedly on the verge of securing a deal for Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde.

The France international’s future has been the subject of much speculation in recent weeks, with Chelsea emerging as the leading candidates to sign him before the end of the transfer window.

A recent report claimed that Thomas Tuchel’s side were facing the prospect of missing out on a deal for Kounde unless they made progress in talks with Sevilla over the next couple of days.

According to Italian journalist Gianluca Di Marzio, the Blues have now achieved a breakthrough, and a deal worth an initial €50m (£42.8m) is almost done.

Di Marzio claims that the transfer will include a number of add-ons, which will be triggered if the 22-year-old reaches certain goals during his time at Stamford Bridge.

Kounde has made 90 appearances for Sevilla over the last two years, while he was in action for France at this summer’s European Championships.

Chelsea are still attempting to sell Kurt Zouma before the end of the transfer window, and West Ham United are said to be in advanced discussions over a deal for the centre-back

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Gabriel Jesus set to remain at Manchester City this summer

Manchester City attacker Gabriel Jesus has reportedly done enough in the early stages of the 2021-22 season to convince head coach Pep Guardiola to keep him at the club this summer.

The Brazil international was strongly linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium earlier in the transfer window, with Juventus believed to be the favourites to sign him.

However, talk of a switch to Turin has cooled in recent weeks, and according to Eurosport, Jesus is no longer available for transfer, even if Harry Kane arrives from Tottenham Hotspur.

The report claims that Guardiola views the South American as an option in the wide areas, and the Man City boss wants to keep hold of him for the current season.

The 24-year-old has scored 82 goals and registered 36 assists in 197 appearances for the Citizens since arriving from Palmeiras in 2017.

Guardiola lavished praise on Jesus for his performance in Saturday’s 5-0 win over Norwich City, which saw the English champions pick up their first points of the season

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Florentino Perez: Paris Saint-Germain issued rude response to Kylian Mbappe bid

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has said that Paris Saint-Germain issued a ‘rude’ response to the Spanish club’s offer for Kylian Mbappe.

The France international has told PSG that he wants to leave the club before the end of the transfer window, and Los Blancos are believed to have made an offer in the region of £137m for his services.

Perez has revealed that the Ligue 1 giants ‘answered rudely’ when the offer was made, as PSG are believed to be holding out for a much higher fee than the offer said to have been placed on the table.

“They [PSG] have already answered and rudely,” Perez told Spanish journalist Jose Manuel Moreno.

Mbappe has scored 133 goals and registered 63 assists in 174 appearances for PSG since making the move from Monaco, initially on loan, in the summer of 2017.

The 22-year-old’s current deal at Parc des Princes is due to expire next June, meaning that he would be free to negotiate a pre-contract with foreign clubs in January 2022 if he remains in Paris beyond the deadline.

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Daniel Levy refusing to lower Harry Kane’s £150m asking price

Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy is reportedly refusing to lower his £150m valuation of Manchester City target Harry Kane.

The Premier League champions are believed to have had a £100m bid – with only £75m guaranteed up front – rejected for the England captain earlier in the transfer window.

City are now preparing a fresh offer worth around £120m, however the Daily Telegraph reports that Levy could continue to reject bids for Kane even if they get close to £150m, as he is determined to keep hold of the striker.

Levy is also unwilling to let the 28-year-old leave as he does not feel that the club would be able to find a replacement in the final seven days of the transfer window.

Kane, who has spent his entire career with Spurs but has yet to win a major trophy, has expressed his desire to leave the club this summer with Pep Guardiola’s side believed to be his preferred destination.

The striker was not named in Tottenham’s squad for their opening day victory against Man City, but he did come off the bench in their 1-0 win away at Wolverhampton Wanderers last weekend.

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Sergio Ramos asked Carlo Ancelotti to keep him at Real Madrid

Sergio Ramos unsuccessfully enlisted the help of Carlo Ancelotti during contract negotiations with Real Madrid, according to a report.

The 35-year-old ran down his Bernabeu deal last season and was unable to agree to fresh terms with the club, eventually leading him to complete a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain.

Ramos insisted at his farewell speech that he intended to stay in the Spanish capital, but Florentino Perez was only prepared to offer him a one-year extension rather than the two years he was holding out for.

According to Marca, Ramos spoke with Ancelotti upon the Italian’s return to the Bernabeu dugout in the hope that he would be able to ‘twist the arm’ of the 74-year-old.

However, Ancelotti reportedly told Ramos that he was unable to affect a situation which was beyond his control, and as a result Ramos gave a tearful farewell to the club he had represented for 16 years.

The centre-back left Real Madrid after scoring 101 goals in 671 games for the capital club, but a calf injury has prevented him from making his PSG debut this month.