Football
Barcelona secure 500 million Euro loan
Barcelona have secured a €500m loan from Goldman Sachs, with €100m arriving immediately to cover unpaid wages. Like many of the clubs who had signed up to the Super League project, Barca are struggling financially in the wake of the COVID pandemic and in need of fresh funds. President Joan Laporta has seemingly found the key with a loan worth €500m from American investment bank Goldman Sachs. ESPN claim there will be €100m arriving immediately, so Barcelona can settle outstanding payments owed to players. The club’s gross debt is said to now be almost €1.2 billion. Sources told ESPN the situation with outstanding payments was so bad that the squad was preparing to take the matter to the Spanish Footballers’ Association. Barcelona agreed with the players to defer payment of their wages duri...
Real Madrid deny contacting Max Allegri to replace Zinedine Zidane
A lot spoken about the future of Zinedine Zidane at Real Madrid in the last few hours, as well as who could replace him should he decide to leave. It was even said that ‘Los Blancos’ had reportedly made an offer to Massimiliano Allegri, something which the club have since denied. It hasn’t been confirmed that Zidane will leave Madrid at the end of the season, nor that ‘Los Blancos’ have made an offer for Allegri to be his replacement. At the moment, everything remains the same. Massimiliano Allegri or Raúl will succeed Zinedine Zidane this summer, should the Frenchman decide to leave Real Madrid. (Source: AS) pic.twitter.com/Y2cisfYwOy — Transfer News Live (@DeadlineDayLive) May 18, 2021 It was without a doubt this morning’s top news story. If Madrid had offered Allegri 10 million a year, ...
Taiwo Awoniyi gets UK work permit, set to leave Liverpool permanently
Fulham and West Brom are interested in signing Taiwo Awoniyi after he was granted a UK work permit for the 2021/22 campaign. Awoniyi linked up with Liverpool in 2015 but is yet to feature in an official game for the Reds. The Nigeria international has spent the past six years on loan at different clubs across in Europe and is currently with Bundesliga club Union Berlin. According to Goal the 23-year-old and his family were finally granted UK permits this week, following a lengthy application process. Aside from Fulham and West Brom, Stoke City have also registered interest in the forward, while Union Berlin are also keen on signing him on permanent deal. German clubs Stuttgart and Wolfsburg are also keen on signing him this summer. Liverpool are open to selling Awoniyi but will only accept...
Harry Kane tells Tottenham he wants to leave this summer
Harry Kane has reiterated his stance that he wants to leave Tottenham this summer. The 27-year-old has grown frustrated over the club’s inability to compete at the highest level, having seen his side fall out of contention to secure Champions League football for next season. Spurs have long been reluctant to entertain bids for their talisman but the England captain is hoping that they will soften their stance after his long service to the club. Daniel Levy will demand a huge fee for Kane – who prefers a move within the Premier League – as he is on a long-term deal until 2024. Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are potentially viable destinations, although it is still unclear as to whether a move will materialise. All three of the aforementioned Premier League giants have signif...
Manchester United boss: Fans will give us ‘extra lift’ in final few games
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer believes the return of fans will give Manchester United an “extra lift” in their final few games of the season. Supporters will be inside Old Trafford for the first time since March 2020 for United’s final home league game of the season, against Fulham, and after two defeats on the spin at home the United manager is hoping their support will give them a boost. After recent protests, Solskjaer is also hoping the supporters will get behind the team and hopes the game won’t be “marred by violence.” Solskjaer said: “Of course you hope that the game against Fulham will not be marred by any violence or over the top things. “I know our fans, I know the Manchester United fans, they’re the best fans I’ve had and I’ve got such a great relationship with them and they know how to ...
Bernd Leno: I don’t want to leave Arsenal
Bernd Leno has insisted that he does not want to leave Arsenal while outlining his ambition to help the club reach the Champions League again. Leno completed a £23 million ($33m) move to Emirates Stadium from Bayer Leverkusen in 2018, venturing outside of Germany for the first time in his professional career in the process. The 29-year-old has since nailed down the number one spot in Arsenal’s team; however, it has been suggested that he is one of several first-team stars likely to depart in the summer transfer window. Mikel Arteta is being tipped to reshape his squad after a turbulent 2020-21 campaign, but Leno has dismissed the ongoing speculation surrounding his future while revealing he intends to see out the final two years of his contract. “I don’t want to flee here, I feel good and ...
Manchester United board in disagreement with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer over Paul Pogba
Manchester United’s board and manager, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, are in disagreement over the future of Paul Pogba. The Mirror says with his contract at Old Trafford due to expire next year, attentions are starting to turn towards a possible new contract. Solskjaer wants the midfielder to stay at the club, having worked so hard to get him back to his blistering best. But it’s said that, behind the scenes, there’s a split in opinion. Some United board members are wary of meeting Pogba’s salary demands with the player’s agent, Mino Raiola, wanting his client to pocket £400,000-a-week. That’s just too steep at the current moment in time, particularly with the coronavirus crisis raging on and Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane being amongst their current targets. United are said to value their midfie...
Zinedine Zidane denies reports that he is leaving Real Madrid
Speaking to Movistar after Real Madrid beat Athletic Club 1-0, Zinedine Zidane denied reports suggesting that he is leaving the club at the end of the season. “How can I tell my players that I’m leaving the club at this stage of the season? We’re playing for our lives in this league and I’m going to say I’m leaving? You can say anything you want to say. I will never say that to my players. How can I say that. At the end of the season, we will see what will happen. We can’t constantly talk about my future.” Fernando Burgos of Onda Cero claims that Zidane has already told the Real Madrid squad that he won’t be at the club next season. Last Saturday, the day before the league match against Sevilla, Zidane reportedly told his players that he would not continue as Real Madrid manager, despite h...
Sam Allardyce: Premier League is becoming boring
Press Association Sam Allardyce has warned that the Premier League is in danger of becoming boring because teams have been “brainwashed” into using the same playing style. The English top-flight has opened up to different tactical approaches over the last decade, with an influx of coaches coming from elsewhere in Europe. However the West Brom manager fears coaches are being prevented from sticking to their preferred style and that the league is suffering as a result. He said to Sky Sports: “What’s the point of playing out from the back against Man City and Liverpool, the best high-pressing team in this country. If they drop off, you play out from the back. Where’s the space? Exploit the space. I tried to get the players to think about that. It’s a simple game that’s been complicated far to...
PSG president in talks with Spurs fullback Serge Aurier
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi is happy to bring Serge Aurier back to Paris this summer. The Tottenham full-back has been pushing to leave London and return to PSG for much of the season. The Ivorian was offered to PSG in January. Paris-based Soccer Link reports Al-Khelaifi has already struck personal terms with Aurier’s camp. While there’s some inside PSG still unhappy with the defender for the manner of his departure three years ago, Al-Khelaifi is eager to bring him back. Aurier has a deal to 2022 and Spurs aren’t expected to stand in his way should PSG make a realistic offer. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful p...
Paul Pogba: N’Golo Kante star is a ‘smart kid’ and a ‘cunning’ player
N’Golo Kante “cheats a lot”, according to Paul Pogba, who has described the Chelsea star as a “smart kid” and a “cunning” player. Kante has established himself as one of the top midfielders in Europe since joining Leicester City from Caen in 2015, helping the Foxes win the Premier League title before also going on to lift the trophy with Chelsea. The 30-year-old has a World Cup winners’ medal to his name too, having been part of the triumphant 2018 France squad alongside Pogba, who has now revealed that his compatriot will do whatever it takes to win, even if it means bending the rules. The Manchester United talisman told beIN Sports of his international colleague: “He cheats a lot. A lot. At card games, board games. Honestly, I’m telling the truth. He cheats. “He says he doesn’t cheat, bu...
Thomas Tuchel reacts as ‘unlucky’ Chelsea suffer back-to-back FA Cup final defeats
Chelsea suffered late VAR heartache as they slipped to back-to-back FA Cup final defeats after a 1-0 loss to Leicester City, Youri Tielemans’ second-half strike proving decisive. In front of a reduced, yet undoubtedly noisy, Wembley crowd, it was Chelsea who made the brighter start, Timo Werner showcasing his electric speed to test the Foxes backline early on. Despite controlling the opening exchanges, the first real chance of the match fell to their opponents, Timothy Castagne getting in down the right and teeing up Jamie Vardy inside the area, the veteran striker’s effort well blocked by Reece James. At the other end of the pitch, Thomas Tuchel’s men almost fashioned a chance of their own, Thiago Silva’s dinked cross agonisingly evading the head of Cesar Azpilicueta at the back post, aft...
