General Football News
‘It can take months’ – Keith Downie shares the latest on NUFC takeover
Newcastle United fans are eagerly looking forward to the end of owner Mike Ashley’s 13-year tenure at Saint James’ Park, but the £300 million takeover by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund continues to drag on. A £17 million deposit is already with the Premier League, with the remainder of the funds to be transferred to Ashley once the takeover gets the thumbs up. The owners’ and directors’ test on the would-be Newcastle owners is taking more time than expected, and Sky Sports’ Keith Downie reckons it could take weeks and even months, with the coronavirus pandemic making it hard to work out when there will be a breakthrough. “In terms of the takeover going through, we’re pretty much at the final knockings. A lot of spade work has been done, certainly in the last two months, but even mor...
Report: Tottenham keen on 24-yr-old defender, Daniel Levy reportedly a fan
Tottenham are keen on signing the Atalanta full-back Timothy Castagne. The Londoners have been linked with the player for a while now and it appears that Daniel Levy is a fan of the defender as per Het Nieuwsblad (via HITC). Castagne would be a sensible signing for Tottenham this summer and it will be interesting to see if the Premier League side can convince the Italians to sell. Mourinho needs more depth in his full-back positions and the Belgian could push Serge Aurier for the starting berth. The competition for places will bring out the best in both players and it will help Spurs improve. Castagne might be tempted to move to the Premier League if a concrete offer comes along. Spurs won’t have to work hard to convince him. They are well equipped to offer him a better financial pack...
Player thinks 2 reported targets would be ‘great’ for Newcastle United
Jonjo Shelvey has said on The Beautiful Game Podcast that Philippe Coutinho and Kalidou Koulibaly would be good signings for Newcastle United. According to Le10 Sport, Newcastle are interested in signing central defender Koulibaly from Italian club Napoli in the summer transfer window. Mundo Deportivo has claimed of interest in attacking midfielder Coutinho – currently on loan at Bayern Munich from Barcelona – from the Magpies. Newcastle midfielder Shelvey believes that if the Magpies are able to bring the Senegalese defender and the Brazilian attacker, then it would be great for the club. Shelvey (jokingly) said on The Beautiful Game Podcast when asked about Coutinho and Koulibaly: “I’m packing my suitcase ready to go. “If it does happen it would be great for the club, and we’d hopefully ...
Report: Leeds remain keen on €12m defender, but face competition from PL duo
Leeds United remain interested in signing the Freiburg defender Robin Koch. As per Record (via Sportwitness), West Ham and Spurs are keen on the player as well. Benfica were thought to be keen on the player but they have backed out due to financial reasons. It will be interesting to see if Leeds can sign Koch this summer. The 23-year-old could prove to be a solid addition to Bielsa’ back four. Leeds will need better defenders if they are in the Premier League next season. Also, if they fail to sign Ben White permanently, they will need someone to fill his void. Koch is talented and Bielsa could develop him into a star. The young defender needs to join a club where he can play regularly and develop as a player. A move to Leeds seems ideal at this stage of his career. He might struggle to ho...
Newcastle want 28-yr-old at all costs, willing to pay €10m more than Euro giants
Newcastle have been linked with Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly for a while now. As per Area Napoli (via Sportwitness), the Magpies want to sign the player at all costs now. Apparently, the Premier League outfit have already been in touch with Napoli. They are aware of Real Madrid’ interest in the player and they have informed the Italian club that they are willing to pay €10m more than Los Blancos for the player. Koulibaly appears to be a top target for Newcastle this summer. Perhaps their new owners want to make a statement signing once the takeover is complete. The 28-year-old defender is a world-class player and perhaps the best centre back in the world right now after Van Dijk. He could totally transform Newcastle at the back next season. The Magpies will be hoping to bring European footba...
Report: £60m Manchester United transfer could see Celtic get £4m windfall
According to The Scottish Sun, Celtic could get a £4 million windfall if Moussa Dembele leaves Lyon, with Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona interested in the striker. The report has claimed that United, Chelsea and Barcelona all are eyeing a £60 million move for the 23-year-old striker this summer. If the transfer happens, then the Hoops will get £4 million due to a sell-clause they inserted in the Frenchman’s contract when he joined Lyon from the Glasgow giants in the summer of 2018 for £20 million, according to the report. Stats According to WhoScored, Dembele scored 16 goals and provided two assists in 27 Ligue 1 matches, and played seven times in the Champions League for Lyon this season. The former Celtic star scored 15 goals and provided four assists in 33 league matches, and ...
Report: Spurs looking to sign 22y/o French centre-back Arsenal have been tracking
According to RMC Sport, Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Reims centre-back Axel Disasi this summer as boss Jose Mourinho looks to bolster his defence. Belgian defender Jan Vertonghen is expected to move on at the end of the season, and Spurs want the young Frenchman to replace him. However, they face competition from Arsenal and Southampton for Disasi’s signature, while the 22-year-old is also attracting interests from La Liga and Bundesliga clubs. Reims are asking for £13 million for the signature of the defender, but suitors are yet to meet their demands, and it remains to be seen if Spurs or the Gunners will. Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta prefers to sign a left-footed centre-back, and the fact that Disasi is right-footed could see the Spaniard rather focus on making Pablo Mari’s ...
Chelsea in talks with Euro giants, 92-cap int’l could be on his way to Stamford Bridge
Chelsea are considering a swap deal including Jorginho this summer. As per Guardian, the Blues have opened talks with Juventus regarding an audacious swap deal which will involve Miralem Pjanic as well. Apparently, Sarri wants to be reunited with Jorginho once again and Chelsea will be offered Pjanic in exchange. Sarri has worked with Jorginho for a while now. The two had a great relationship at Napoli and Sarri brought him to Chelsea with him. The Italian manager now wants to take Jorginho back to Italy. It will be interesting to see if the two clubs can agree on a deal in the coming weeks. Pjanic is a quality player but he is on the decline right now. Chelsea might end up giving away a better player in Jorginho if the deal goes through. Frank Lampard needs to improve his midfield options...
Report: Newcastle keen on midfield starlet who is attracted to their project
Newcastle have been linked with a move for the Aston Villa youngster Carney Chukwuemeka. As per reports (via Birmingham Mail), the player is attracted to Newcastle’s project. The Magpies are in the middle of a takeover and once the formalities are complete, they are expected to spend heavily on new players. The new owners will look to showcase their ambitions by bringing in top talents. The Villa starlet is thought to be seduced by that. Newcastle are reportedly keen on the midfielder and it will be interesting to see if they can agree on a deal with their Premier League rivals. Chukwuemeka is very highly rated at Villa and it seems unlikely that they will sanction his sale to a Premier League rival. That said, Aston Villa are in danger of going down this season and if they are relegated, ...
Report: Spurs linked with Wolves target, Mourinho could give them edge in chase
Tottenham have been linked with the Portuguese midfielder William Carvalho. As per Record (via Sportwitness), Wolves and Leicester are keen on the player as well but Jose Mourinho’s presence at the helm is an advantage for Spurs. Mourinho is a world-class manager with a great track record of winning trophies and Spurs have an interesting project. It will be interesting to see if the Londoners submit a bid for Carvalho in the coming weeks. The 28-year-old defensive midfielder could be a handy option for Mourinho next season. Spurs have Ndombele and Winks as their first-choice central midfielders and neither possess Carvalho’s skillset. He could complete Tottenham’s midfield trio next season, if the transfer goes through. Carvalho is a key player for Betis and they will not want to part ways...
Report: Rangers stance on Celtic being crowed champions now
According to The Daily Record, Rangers will not object to Celtic bring crowed champions of Scotland. Rangers are as many as 13 points behind leaders and bitter Old Firm rivals Celtic in second place in the Scottish Premiership table at the moment. Steven Gerrard’s side have a game in hand, and there are also two Old Firm derbies left to be played this season. The Scottish Premiership is suspended at the moment due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the divisions below all have been called off. The Daily Record has reported that Rangers will not object if it is decided that the Scottish top flight will end now, with Celtic crowned champions of Scotland. All the 12 top-flight clubs have decided that they will not stop in the way of Celtic being declared champions and Heart of Midlothian being ...
Former Rangers defender urges player to leave Celtic on loan
Former Rangers right-back Alan Hutton has told Football Insider that Celtic will send Marian Shved out on loan in the summer transfer window. Hutton, who started his professional club football career at Rangers before moving to Tottenham Hotspur and Aston Villa, believes that it is important that Shved starts playing regular first-team football from now. Hutton told Football Insider about Shved when asked about a loan exit: “I would have thought so. You can’t just sit there and train all day. “They’ll be hoping in the summer that other options either in England or even in Scotland come up for him so he can jump to it and get back. “You need to play, just sitting about doing nothing for half a season or a season is no good to anybody. It’s important that he goes out and play...
