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Manchester United target Neymar is seemingly keen on a move to Old Trafford this summer, with prospective new owner Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani open to a deal.

What's the transfer gossip on Neymar to Manchester United?

Foot Mercato shared an update on United's interest in signing Neymar this summer in the last 48 hours, saying the Red Devils have the advantage when it comes to the attacker. The Brazilian appears to be on his way out of PSG with the Ligue 1 outfit open to getting his incredible €3.6m-a-month (£3m-a-month) salary off the books.

Most recently, the PSG hierarchy has been irritated by Neymar after he missed the final game of the season due to injury before appearing in Monaco to watch the Grand Prix. The Brazilian's trip was seen as a "provocation" and "seals his fate a little more."

Foot Mercato note that PSG tried to sell Neymar last summer and are looking to sell him again this year, with Manchester United, Newcastle and Chelsea named with an interest.

United, as mentioned, are said to hold the advantage, with the player, who has contacts with the Qatar brand, seduced over a move to Old Trafford and can only see himself playing in Manchester or staying with PSG.

The 31-year-old reportedly wants to continue playing in Europe for the time being after an offer of around €400m (£343m) from a Saudi Pro League side was rejected by the forward.

Is a Man Utd move to sign Neymar wise?

Labelled as "one of the best players on the planet" in the media, Neymar has already won plenty in the club game, nine major honours with PSG in fact, and a move to Manchester United could be an opportunity to grow his personal brand even more.

The Premier League appears to be a popular attraction for the top stars, although it's unclear whether or not Neymar's body is strong enough to cope with the demands of England's top flight. According to Transfermarkt, the Brazilian missed 15 games after undergoing ankle surgery on a nasty injury sustained against Lille in February.

Potential new owner Jassim is said to be keen on signing Neymar should he complete a takeover at Man United. If he was able to remain fit, Neymar is the type of player that could restore Erik ten Hag's side back to the top with 293 goals and 188 assists in his club career, and by the looks of it, a move may well be one to keep an eye on.

Arsenal transfer target sign Declan Rice has sent Bukaya Saka a message of support on Instagram after the winger signed a new contract.

How much is Saka's new contract worth?

It was revealed this week that the England international has signed a new four-year deal with the Gunners which makes him the club's best-paid player. Indeed, as per Evening Standard, Saka will make at least £200k-p/w, but this can rise to £300k-p/w with bonuses.

It's a great moment for the player, the team and the fans and the 21-year-old seemed delighted about the deal, telling Arsenal.com: “I’m just really happy. There’s been a lot of talking and it’s been a while, but I’m here now. I think this is the right club, the right place to make the next step. It’s a beautiful club – look where we are."

And it seems someone else outside of North London is also delighted for Saka. Yes, West Ham United captain Rice sent his England teammate a message on Instagram to show his support.

The midfielder said: "Congrats brother! Fully deserved."

What's the latest on Rice and Arsenal?

The Gunners are in the market for a new midfielder this summer and appear to have identified Rice as a main target – alongside the likes of Brighton's Moises Caicedo, Chelsea's Mason Mount and Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan.

However, the West Ham man looks to be a priority with a bid expected to come in at the end of the season after the Irons have played their Europa Conference League final.

Seeing as Rice has publicly spoken about his desire for Champions League football, Arsenal look to be a great fit for the midfielder. Earlier in the season, he told The Guardian: “One hundred per cent I want to play in the Champions League,” he said. “For the last two or three years I’ve been saying that.

“I’ve been playing consistently well for my club and I feel like I really want to keep pushing. I see my friends here who are playing Champions League and for big trophies.

“You only get one career and at the end you want to look back at what you’ve won and the biggest games you’ve played in.”

Considering Mikel Arteta's men will be in the Champions League next term and Rice has been linked with a transfer already, his latest message to Saka could suggest he's already picturing life at the Emirates next term.

It's certainly something for fans to get excited about.

Reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano has revealed that Tottenham Hotspur are still in contact over a move for Djed Spence but Fabio Paratici is weighing alternatives.

The Lowdown: Interest in Spence

Since March, the 21-year-old has received many approaches from a myriad of clubs over a potential transfer ahead of next season.

In a behind-the-scenes swoop, Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich tried to open negotiations for the Nottingham Forest loanee before later quitting the race, as the opportunity to sign Ajax defender Noussair Mazraoui opened up instead.

With Spence helping Forest achieve their famous promotion to the Premier League this campaign, the Nottingham outfit are said to be keen on retaining the England U21 international, and so they are now planning to make a permanent bid for the player.

The Latest: Spurs in pole

In a column for Caught Offside, Romano has shared the latest news regarding Spence’s future.

The journalist claims that Tottenham are in regular contact for the 21-year-old, as they consider him a possible option for Antonio Conte’s right wing-back position.

Romano believes that the Lilywhites are the ‘frontrunners’ in the race to secure the defender’s signature, but Spurs managing director Fabio Paratici is said to have three or four targets in the same position, so a transfer is still far from a certainty.

Nottingham Forest are also mentioned to have made a permanent approach for Spence.

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The Verdict: Paratici not messing around

Having produced an excellent campaign in the Championship with Forest, a permanent move to a Premier League side appears to be inevitable for Spence ahead of next season.

The loanee received major plaudits during Steve Cooper’s side’s stunning run in the FA Cup, with Arsenal legend Ian Wright hailing the defender for his display against the Gunners, claiming that it was “one of the best right back performances” he had seen “for a very long time”, asserting that he had not seen such a combative, technical and “swashbuckling” performance.

With such hype surrounding the youngster, this will not be an easy transfer for the Lilywhites to pull off, but with Paratici already plotting out other targets, fans can rest easy knowing the Italian transfer guru is not sitting around with all his eggs in one basket.

In other news: Tottenham Hotspur: Insider drops ‘exciting’ Harry Kane contract claim

Everton could make a move for Manchester United midfielder James Garner this summer, while James Tarkowski is still top of the transfer wish-list. 

The lowdown

Garner spent the 2021/22 season on loan at Nottingham Forest, helping them win promotion to the Premier League.

The Englishman played the full 90 minutes last weekend at Wembley last weekend as Forest beat Huddersfield Town in the playoff final.

Steve Cooper’s side are thought to be keen to retain Garner for their first season back in the top flight, but new United manager Erik ten Hag will assess him before deciding whether to sanction a move (via The Athletic).

Garner, who was born in Merseyside, has two years to run on his United contract and is valued at £6.3million by Transfermarkt.

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The latest

The Blues are looking at a ‘potential loan deal’ for Garner ahead of the 2022/23 season (via The Daily Mirror).

They’re ‘confident’ of making free agent centre-back Tarkowski their first signing of the summer, but Garner might prove to be the second.

Any further business after that, journalist David Maddock says, will depend upon outgoings.

The verdict

Everton have done business with United as recently as January, negotiating a loan move for Donny van de Beek, and they may be about to re-open communication channels.

Intriguingly, Maddock notes that the Red Devils are interested in Dominic Calvert-Lewin, so it will be interesting to see if the two prospective deals become linked.

Everton would surely have been mightily impressed by Garner’s display in the promotion decider. He won all five of the ground duels he contested, completed 42 of his 48 passes (88%) and created three chances in an all-round display that earned him SofaScore’s man of the match award.

Former United boss Jose Mourinho told a ‘confidant’ that Garner is ‘a player’, The Times’ Henry Winter has marvelled at his ‘class’, while Liverpool Echo journalist Christopher Beesley believes he could offer Lampard a ‘new dimension’. That should get Everton fans excited.

In other news, Everton are in pole position to sign this CB, and it’s not Tarkowski.

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Darwin Nunez to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

That’s according to a recent report by Football Transfers, who claim that Fabio Paratici has already made contact with the Benfica centre-forward’s representatives regarding a move for the 22-year-old – with the Portuguese outfit reported to be willing to part with the Uruguay international for a figure in the region of £68m this summer.

The report goes on to state that Liverpool, Manchester United, Newcastle United, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid are also keeping a very close eye on the situation of the striker ahead of a potential swoop of their own in the coming months.

Van Dijk’s worst nightmare

Considering the quite extraordinary season Nunez enjoyed in 2021/22, it is easy to see why Paratici appears keen to secure a deal to bring the centre-forward to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this summer.

Indeed, over his 28 Liga Portugal appearances this term, the £49.5m-rated talent was in devastating form for Benfica, scoring a league-high 26 goals, registering four assists and creating ten big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.0 shots, making 1.1 key passes and completing 1.4 dribbles per game.

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These returns saw the 22-year-old average a simply sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.48, ranking him as the joint third-best player in the top flight of Portuguese football.

The £31k-per-week forward who Keifer MacDonald dubbed the “complete package” also highly impressed over his ten Champions League appearances, scoring six goals against the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Ajax and Liverpool, as well as averaging a SofaScore match rating of 7.06.

The Uruguayan’s performances over the two-legged quarter-final with Jurgen Klopp’s side particularly caught the eye, with the striker’s displays leading Virgil van Dijk to claim that the former Penarol starlet is one of the top five players he has ever faced.

When asked who were the most difficult opponents he has played against, the Netherlands international stated:

“[Sergio] Aguero was obviously unbelievable. [Lionel] Messi, arguably the best player in the history of football in my opinion. [Kylian] Mbappe is different, quick… [Erling] Haaland and also Darwin. He’s a bit similar – very direct, quick, tall, strong and it’s quite difficult to play against him.”

As such, considering his undoubted ability, his potential for future growth and his extremely reasonable £68m price tag, Paratici simply must do everything he can to win the race for Nunez this summer, as, if the 22-year-old can give a player as talented as Van Dijk nightmares, this will certainly be the case for every other defender in the English top-flight next season.

AND in other news: “I understand…”: Alasdair Gold drops huge Spurs transfer claim supporters will love

Everyone had hailed Manchester City as almost certain winners of the UEFA Champions League this year. British TV pundits certainly did, as did a plethora of bookies, who have all been left utterly stunned and looking rather foolish. They all underestimated the dark side of the force, on Wednesday 4th May of all dates.

You see, somewhat coincidentally, 4th May each year is when Star Wars fans around the world celebrate the iconic movie franchise, posting “May the Fourth be with you” on social media. It was also the day when Manchester City headed to the Death Star, also known as the Santiago Bernabeu, seemingly confident of a rebel victory that would get them into the UEFA Champions League final.

Not so long ago, in a galaxy not all that far away, Real Madrid and their president Florentino Perez were reviled around the continent, having inspired numerous clubs to join the dark side as it were, promoting the idea of a European Super League from www.espn.com/. Such was the rebellion amongst fans of the beautiful game around Europe, in which Florentino appeared to set himself up as an Emperor Palpatine of sorts. He even continues to harbour hopes of leading a new continental project, alongside tainted fellow collaborators Barcelona and Juventus.

Nevertheless, the quest for European dominance continues at the Spanish giants. Even if they couldn’t get a new money-spinning competition going, they would seek to exert power over the old one they had apparently wanted to cast aside. That had been dealt a minor blow at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, when City emerged victorious from a thunderous encounter against Real Madrid, even if it seemed like quite a hollow victory at the time.

So it was that the Jedi Master himself, Pep Guardiola, led his band of rebels to take on the Empire. They even seemed capable of holding the evil forces at bay in their very own territory. What they didn’t bank on was Real Madrid launching their Star Destroyer into the fray, the secret weapon known as Rodrygo Goes. Well, as the story goes, that young Sith apprentice of Darth Ancelotti was destined to cause a shift in the force.

Any resistance from Pep’s petty band of rebel scum was destroyed in an instant. When all seemed lost, Rodrygo breached the City defences, leaving the rebel forces in utter disarray. Amidst chaotic scenes and as Jedi Guardiola frantically attempted to rally his troops, Rodrygo struck again and the battle would be prolonged.

Deep into extra-time and with each side looking for a way to win this war, clearly swayed by the dark influence surrounding him in Death Star Bernabeu, with the simple blow of a whistle, Italian referee Daniele Orsato awarded Real Madrid a penalty. Up stepped Sith Lord Benzema to unleash his force lightning from the spot, as Real Madrid went on to complete a remarkable comeback in extra-time as seen in www.uefa.com/.

Instead of the fireworks hailing a New Hope for Manchester City, their failure was complete the Death Star Bernabeu crowd roared in delirious approval. When the Empire Strikes Back, as they often do in European football Star Wars, there is almost a sense of inevitability. But will there be any Return of the Jedi in this particular story? Well, that all depends on what a certain Jedi Master from Germany has planned. “Save me Jurgen Klopp, you’re my only hope,” will be the pleading cry of Liverpool fans throughout the galaxy.

The Klopp rebellion will depart for Paris with plenty of confidence, having already suffered a previous UEFA Champions League defeat against the Dark Side. “The greatest teacher, failure is,” uttered Master Yoda in his wisdom. “Do or do not. There is no try,” will be his most sage advice, as Liverpool prepare to face their date with destiny.

Just like their fellow English rebels, Liverpool are already being proclaimed as potential victors by online bookmakers, but “you must unlearn what you have learned,” as Yoda once insisted. This is why the Jedi Masters at www.sbo.net/football/ have additional advice for padawan punters to explore, having published their own sacred tomes covering the best free bets and offers, aiming to impart useful knowledge about various betting promotions and sign-up bonuses.

Liverpool are assuming the role of the light side of the Force in this particular battle, up against the Dark Side as Real Madrid attempt to exert their control. The only mind tricks here will be whether the English rebels can match their status as favourites, seeking revenge for their last battle with the Sith Lords of Madrid.

Whichever side of the Force you decide to back, this final battle between Liverpool and Real Madrid promises to be a blockbuster. But when it comes to the Spaniards and their stranglehold on continental success over the years, never, ever, underestimate the dark side of the force.

Photo by Unsplash

Manchester United are reportedly close to the signing of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona in a move which will surely please incoming manager Erik ten Hag.

What’s the word?

According to a report from AS (via The Faithful MUFC), a deal is close for the transfer of the Dutchman from Camp Nou to Old Trafford.

The report stated that if United make an offer of €70m (£59.6m) then the La Liga side will allow the 25-year-old to leave.

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Ten Hag would then reunite with his former Ajax protégé, and this news will surely excite the Old Trafford faithful.

Better than Paul Pogba

De Jong is currently valued at £63m by Transfermarkt and could well be the marquee signing that Ten Hag needs to make to instantly make an impression on United supporters who are desperate for success.

With the likelihood of Paul Pogba leaving the club upon the expiry of his contract this summer, as Juventus seemingly offer the midfielder a deal to return to Italy, then the Red Devils urgently need another central midfielder.

In the 25-year-old, they would get an instant upgrade on the Frenchman. It’s clear that the Netherlands international offers more of a goalscoring threat from midfield, with four goals this season compared to Pogba’s solitary strike.

De Jong also has a higher pass completion rate than the 29-year-old (90.1% to 83.5%), generates more than double the amount of shot-creating actions (104 to 56) and has made significantly fewer fouls over the course of the season (37 to 56).

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These figures clearly prove that signing De Jong would be a shrewd move, and with Ten Hag knowing exactly what he would get from the Barcelona maestro from their mutual time at Ajax, then it’s a transfer that makes absolutely perfect sense.

With Barca manager Xavi dubbing the midfielder a “genius”, it could be a massive loss to the Spanish side in the long-term, but it would be a tremendous coup to kickstart the Ten Hag era at Old Trafford.

AND in other news, Man United plotting bid to sign “complete” £63m monster, he’d be their own De Bruyne

With Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur heading into Thursday’s Premier League meeting against Arsenal knowing that they simply must secure victory over their north London rivals in order to have any chance of sealing a top-four finish this season, the 52-year-old Spurs manager will certainly not have been disappointed by his team’s performance, nor the result.

Indeed, Cedric Soares’ needless barge into the back of Son Heung-min gave Paul Tierney no choice but to point to the spot after just 22 minutes, with Harry Kane coolly tucking the ball past Aaron Ramsdale to give Tottenham the lead.

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Matters were made worse for Arsenal just 11 minutes later when, having already made a quite astonishing three fouls, Rob Holding was shown a second yellow card for an elbow on Son – a numerical advantage on which Spurs wasted no time in capitalising, with Kane again heading home just before the break to double the hosts’ lead.

The game was dead and buried a little over 60 seconds after the restart, when Gabriel Magalhaes first failed to hold off Kane, before scuffing his clearance straight into the path of Son, who slotted home to give Tottenham an unassailable lead and move his side to within one point of the Gunners in the Premier League table.

However, while it was very much all about Kane and Son in attack on Thursday night, one player whose performance perhaps went under the radar was that of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, the 26-year-old midfielder who has recently been linked with a £30m move away from north London in the summer transfer window.

Indeed, over the course of the 90 minutes last night, the £60m-rated talent was imperious in the heart of Conte’s midfield while he had the ball at his feet, enjoying 91 touches, completing 73 of his 79 attempted passes (92%), finding his man with five long balls and making one key pass.

The £100k-per-week Dane also impressed out of possession, winning three tackles, making one interception, completing three clearances and winning four of his five attempted duels, a success rate of 80%.

These returns saw the midfielder who Graeme Souness once dubbed “useless” average a highly impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.5, while football.london journalist Alasdair Gold awarded the 26-year-old an eight in his own player ratings, stating of his performance: “Won some big tackles to get Spurs on the front foot and was a constant thorn in the side of the Arsenal midfield.”

It is indeed true that Kane and Son stole the show on Thursday, while Davinson Sanchez also impressed after being a late replacement for Cristian Romero. However, it was undoubtedly Hojbjerg who most proved his worth to Conte against the Gunners, with it now appearing as if the Denmark international is an indispensable part of the Italian’s side.

AND in other news – Bid incoming: Paratici to make £34m offer for Spurs target, he’d be a “special” signing

Tottenham Hotspur are interested in a deal to bring Joao Palhinha to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the word?

That’s according to a report by Portuguese publication Jornal de Noticias (via Sport Witness), who claim that, following earlier reports suggesting that Tottenham are at the front of the queue to land the Sporting Lisbon talent this summer, Fabio Paratici is now preparing an initial offer for the 26-year-old.

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The report goes on to state that Wolverhampton Wanderers and Manchester United are also interested in a move to bring the Portugal international to the Premier League, while the Liga Portugal side themselves are looking to receive a figure totalling €40m (£34m) in order to part with the defensive midfielder this summer.

A “special” signing

With it being reported that Antonio Conte has prioritised the signing of a new central midfielder in the summer transfer window, it is easy to see why Paratici is plotting an offer for Palhinha ahead of Tottenham’s 2022/23 campaign.

Indeed, over his 26 Liga Portugal appearances this season, the £23.4m-rated talent has been in breathtaking form in the heart of Ruben Amorim’s midfield, making an average of 3.0 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 0.9 clearances and winning 7.1 duels – at a success rate of 61% – per game.

The £24k-per-week defensively-minded midfielder has also impressed in an attacking capacity, scoring three goals and creating one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 1.0 shots, making 0.4 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per fixture.

These returns have seen the 12-time capped international who Amorim dubbed a “special player” average an extremely impressive SofaScore match rating of 7.11, ranking him as Sporting’s ninth-best performer in the top flight of Portuguese football.

As such, with the likes of Harry Winks, Giovani Lo Celso and Tanguy Ndombele all looking likely to be moved on by Tottenham this summer, Palhinha would very much appear to be a fantastic replacement for any of the three outbound midfielders, leading us to believe that Paratici must do all he can to convince the 26-year-old of a move to north London ahead of a switch to Wolves or Manchester United this summer.

AND in other news: Journo claims “the door is open” for Spurs to sign £45m star, supporters will love it

David Moyes has delivered some important West Ham injury news ahead of their upcoming Europa League clash against Eintracht Frankfurt on Thursday night.

The Lowdown: Missing from the matchday squad

The Irons recently suffered a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal in the Premier League in their race for a top-six finish, but first team regular Ben Johnson appeared to be missing from the starting XI and wasn’t even occupying a seat on the bench, with teammate Vladimir Coufal taking his place.

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The 22-year-old has been in impressive form under Moyes this season so it was a surprise to see him not named in the match-day squad, however, it’s now been revealed that there was a very good reason as to why.

The Latest: Injury concern

The Athletic correspondent Roshane Thomas shared the news in a Twitter post, revealing: “Moyes says Ben Johnson has a thigh strain.”

Johnson joins a long list of defensive injuries at the London Stadium including Issa Diop and Angelo Ogbonna.

The Verdict: A massive blow

If the versatile wing-back is unavailable for selection in the second leg against the Bundesliga outfit, then this would come as a huge blow for the Scottish manager who needs all of his experienced defenders accessible to him, should the Irons have any chance of turning the tie around.

Despite Johnson only making 16 top-flight starts this term, he has been an absolute rock at the back for the Hammers, averaging 2.7 clearances, 1.8 tackles, and 1.2 interceptions per 90 minutes, via WhoScored.

Dubbed a “brilliant” player by pundit Paul Robinson since making his stamp on the first team, the £2.5k-per-week ace would be hugely missed if not declared fully fit in time, but will hopefully come back into contention for his side as soon as possible.

In other news… a BBC pundit has backed West Ham to make a move for a Championship starlet who could ‘do a Jarrod Bowen’.