Chelsea have been linked with a move for AC Milan midfielder Franck Kessie. According to ilmilanista.it, new manager Thomas Tuchel is a big admirer of the Ivory Coast international. The 24-year-old has been a standout performer for Milan in Serie A this season, scoring seven goals and assisting a further three in 21 appearances. SL View Kessie has emerged as a key figure under Milan boss Stefano Pioli, earning the nickname ‘The President’ due to his influence on the dressing room. However, his current contract expires in June 2022 and he is yet to agree a new deal with the club. Milan slapped a £45 million asking price on Kessie during December in a bid to ward off potential suitors and they will be keen to retain his services. While Chelsea may find it difficult to prise Kessie away from ...
The ongoing saga over Sven Botman’s future took another interesting twist on Sunday evening. According to Get French Football, Lille have agreed a deal to sell the defender to an unnamed major European club for between €40-45 million this summer. However, according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano, there is still no agreement in place. Sven Botman will certainly be a key player in the summer transfers market, but there’s still no agreement with any English club as of today. “Fake news”, agent Bruinenberg comments. Tottenham and Liverpool were interested in January but he’s never been close to leave Lille. 🔴 — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 14, 2021 SL View Botman’s performances for Lille have led to him being linked with a big-money move this summer. Liverpool have be...
Chelsea forward Hakim Ziyech wants to discuss his future with the club this summer. According to Corriere dello Sport, the 27-year-old is unhappy with his lack of game time and wants to move on at the end of the season. Ziyech has made 19 appearances in all competitions for the Blues, scoring just twice since joining the club from Ajax. AC Milan and Roma have previously linked with Ziyech and could be open to negotiating a loan move for the Moroccan. SL View Ziyech built up an impressive reputation during his time with Ajax, but he has failed to replicate that form in a Chelsea shirt. After getting off to steady enough start with the Blues, the forward appears to have regressed dramatically over the past couple of months. His cause wasn’t helped by Frank Lampard’s scattergun approach to ma...
RB Leipzig defender Dayot Upamecano has agreed a deal to join Bayern Munich. According to Fabrizio Romano, the 22-year-old will complete a move to the reigning Bundesliga champions this summer. Salihamidzic just confirmed to Bild that Dayot Upamecano has reached an agreement with Bayern Münich on personal terms: “I can confirm, we’re very happy!” 🔴 The deal will be signed and completed in the coming months, when the release clause [€42.5m] will be paid to RB Leipzig. — Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) February 12, 2021 SL View Upamecano has been one of the most sought-after defenders in Europe following his impressive performances for Leipzig over the past couple of years. The 22-year-old has been heavily linked with the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea, while Manchester United and ...
The 24th round of fixtures in the Premier League features some exciting match-ups, particularly towards the top of the EPL table. We’ll update this story with reports, results, highlights and the latest Premier League standings throughout the weekend. The action is already underway this weekend, with Leicester City going head-to-head with Liverpool at the King Power Stadium. The Foxes recovered from a goal down to secure a 3-1 victory – James Maddison, Jamie Vardy and Harvey Barnes got the goals. Crystal Palace versus Burnley is the 3.00 pm kick-off, but most fans will be eagerly awaiting the early evening fixture. Manchester City have swept all before them over the last few weeks and look a good bet to continue their stunning form against Tottenham Hotspur. Guardiola has a strong City squ...
Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown says that Thomas Tuchel should “sit down and keep quiet” when Chelsea are playing. Keown, who commentated on the Blues’ FA Cup victory at Barnsley on Thursday, was unimpressed with Tuchel’s animated behaviour on the touchline. “Tuchel has come through the door and he’s had five very good results,” he told talkSPORT. “Chelsea showed a different side to their game last night with some character. “But you’ve got to limit the messages that come across. He was up on his feet, he was really angry last night. “It’s one of those, ‘boss, can you just keep quiet because I need to concentrate, it’s a difficult pitch here. I’m over the white line, let me play’. “I thought he got the balance a little bit wrong. Look, I’ve not done the job and it must be really frust...
Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer spoke to Norwegian outlet VG at length, and part of the conversation turned towards Erling Haaland and the time the two spent together at Molde. Solksjaer said: “Erling will have a fantastic career. I’m following Erling. I’ve always said that. “Was it 18 months we had together or something? Almost two years, maybe. A wonderful time. He will definitely have a great career for both Norway and his club. “He is doing incredibly well for Dortmund, so we’ll see where he ends up. As a Norwegian and someone who has worked with him, it is of course fun that he does so well. “We will do what we can to become a better team, then he will do what he can to become a better player. Where does he end up? I do not want to say anything other than that, that I w...
The Premier League season continues this weekend, with the 24th round of fixtures featuring some high-profile matches. There are four games on Saturday, two of which will have a big bearing on proceedings at the top of the EPL table. The action gets underway at 12.30 pm as Leicester City welcome Liverpool to the King Power Stadium. Both teams head into the game in the top four and will be eager to pick up three points to keep themselves in the title hunt. Crystal Palace versus Burnley is next on the agenda, but that will merely serve as a warm-up for the early evening game. Table-topping Manchester City have been in imperious form over the past few weeks and will fancy their chances of beating Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium. There are four games on Sunday, with the pick of the bun...
Although facing a goalkeeper from 12 yards with no-one else in your way might not seem too daunting a task to most, Manchester City fans will lead you to believe that it is one of the more difficult aspects of the game. Recently, İlkay Gündoğan (who was – and still is – in the form of his life) joined an elite club of Cityzens who have a penalty success rate of less than 70% in the Premier League, including Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Gabriel Jesus and Riyad Mahrez. Welcome to the club bro https://t.co/h0qs8pp7fF — Raheem Sterling (@sterling7) February 7, 2021 On the other hand, the likes of Jorginho and Bruno Fernandes (who are dubbed ‘penalty merchants’ by the same fans that watch their team attempt to send spot-kicks into lower Earth orbit) have scored 44% of their combined c...
Chelsea are close to signing Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng on a free transfer this summer and that could pave the way for the German champions to bring in a replacement. The Bavarian giants celebrated the second treble in their history last season with Boateng and David Alaba making up their central defence, but both players appear set to head for the exit door in four months’ time. There has been a complete breakdown in contract talks with Alaba and CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge recently confirmed that the Austrian will leave the club when his deal expires at the end of June. Boateng is in a similar contract situation and the indications are that he could leave alongside his defensive partner, with the Blues said to have agreed a deal in principle with his agent to sign him this summe...
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed two players, who are expected to make the starting line-up against Barnsley tomorrow. The Blues are unbeaten in the past five games in all competitions and four of those have been under Tuchel, who replaced Frank Lampard last month. Ahead of the game, Tuchel has confirmed that N’Golo Kante will make the starting XI after coming off the bench in the last two matches for the Blues. The Frenchman has not started a game for the club since January 3 because of a hamstring problem sustained in training. He has played only 31 minutes off the bench since his comeback. He has the chance to impress tomorrow and reclaim a regular starting role. “N’Golo will start tomorrow and I am so happy to have him back again. We put him on the pitch against Tottenham an...