Manchester City
Inter Miami owner ‘optimistic’ that Leo Messi will join in the future
Inter Miami owner Jorge Mas believes his side will be able to land Barcelona star Lionel Messi in the future. Messi’s contract with Barcelona will expire at the end of this month and the club is desperately trying to tie down the 33-year-old to a new deal. Various reports have stated that Messi’s potential Barca extension would include a provision for him to play two more seasons in Spain, then move to Inter Miami in 2023. Mas confirmed that he and Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham have been involved in talks to bring Messi to Florida. “David and I have been working really hard, we have aspirations of bringing the best players here and Leo Messi is a generational player, arguably the best player of all time,” Mas told the Miami Herald. “I am optimistic Messi will play in an Inter Miami sh...
Premier League’s ‘Big 6’ agree punishments over European Super League fiasco
The Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ have agreed to pay a fine following the European Super League drama back in April. On April 18, it was announced that 12 of Europe’s top clubs had agreed to break away from UEFA and form a new league, known as the European Super League. Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, and Arsenal all joined from England, as well as three each from Spain and Italy. The response to the announcement was intense. Players and managers spoke out against the idea, while fans protested at grounds. Some of football’s governing bodies, such as UEFA and the FA, threatened punishments for those who participated in the plan. The proposal lasted two days, before clubs buckled under the pressure. Chelsea were the first to back out, and the other five Engl...
Barcelona have held talks with agent of £36m-rated German, player would favour move – report
Manchester City midfielder Ilkay Gundogan would be open to joining Barcelona this summer, El Chiringuito reporter Jose Alvarez claims. The Blaugrana have been busy in the transfer market since the end of the season, and they have already announced the arrival of three new players. Among them are Sergio Aguero and Eric Garcia, who will officially join on free transfers when their City contracts expire at the end of the month. The Blaugrana have continued to be linked with several City players including Aymeric Laporte and Raheem Sterling, and Gundogan is the latest on their radar. It is reported that the club’s officials recently held talks with the uncle and agent of the midfielder over a possible transfer in the upcoming transfer window. The German international is said to favour a move t...
Nigeria reportedly keen on luring Manchester City youth product
Nigeria are trying to convince Anderlecht forward Lukas Nmecha to commit his international future to them, according to Bild. The Manchester City youth product impressed at the recent European U-21 Championship, finishing as the top scorer with four goals to help Germany win the title for the third time. Nmecha qualifies to represent Germany as he was born in Hamburg but has previously represented England from U16 to U21 level. He previously helped the Young Lions to win the 2017 European U-19 final after scoring the winner against Portugal in the final. As Nmecha has yet to represent any nation in a senior competitive international fixture, he can still commit his international future to England, Germany or Nigeria, where his father was born. There is little doubt that Nmecha’s performanc...
Report shares Levy’s stance on 3-time PL winner amid talks of players-plus-cash deal
Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy has reportedly made his stance clear on Harry Kane. There is a genuine fear that Kane could finally leave the north London club this summer, irrespective of whoever the club appoint as their next manager. The England striker is currently preparing for the upcoming Euro tournament, but his future at the north London club remains a key talking point. Both the Manchester clubs are heavily interested in signing Kane, with City being more proactive of the two. According to a recent report from The Sun, City are prepared to offer both Raheem Sterling and Gabriel Jesus in a player(s)-plus-cash deal to sign Kane. However, the same publication has claimed that Levy has no interest in entertaining such offer, and that he wants only cash for Kane. The report ...
Barcelona prefer selling €25m-rated graduate, no contract talks planned – report
Barcelona are prepared to sanction the sale of Sergi Roberto after declining to negotiate a new contract, Mundo Deportivo claims. The Spaniard has spent his entire career with the Catalan giants, registering 304 appearances across all competitions. He has less than 13 months left on his contract, and the hierarchy have yet to make contact with his agent over a renewal. It is reported that the Blaugrana could be leaning towards his potential exit during the forthcoming summer transfer window. Sportslens view: Roberto had an injury-plagued 2020/21 campaign for the Blaugrana, playing just 1,200 minutes in all competitions. The club seem prepared to sanction his sale this summer as they now have plenty of cover for the right-back position. Sergino Dest and Oscar Mingueza can play in the role w...
Report: Manchester stars lead La Liga rivals in player transfer values
The latest CIES Football Observatory report has been released, revealing the highest estimated transfer values of players in Europe’s top five leagues. The list is dominated by English players, with three Englishmen topping the charts and another four inside the top 20. The Premier League is also very heavily represented, with 12 players inside the top 20 and 43 in the top 100. There are 21 from La Liga, 15 from the Bundesliga, 14 from Serie A, and seven from Ligue 1. Paris Saint-Germain star Kylian Mbappe ranks 12th, much lower than many would expect. The Frenchman has been given a value of €118.3 million. This will be largely because he has a year left on his current contract, but he could probably command a higher fee this summer. Harry Kane is another who is lower down than expected, w...
Euro 2020: Germany still need some work ahead of France opener – coach
Germany still need to work on parts of their game before the start of the European Championship, coach Joachim Loew said on Sunday at the end of their nine-day training camp in Austria. The Germans, starting their tournament against world champions France on June 15, play their last warm-up match against Latvia on Monday. The Euros open on Friday. “I cannot fully draw conclusions from our camp just yet because our preparation continues and after the game tomorrow we have a week in Duesseldorf to prepare for France,” Loew, going into his final tournament as Germany coach, told a news conference. Loew has been in charge since 2006 and will be succeeded by his former assistant and former Bayern Munich coach Hansi Flick after the tournament. The Germans also play European champions Portugal as...
Euro 2020: Manchester City and Bayern Munich forwards could decide fate of Group E
We’re now less than a week away from the first whistle of Euro 2020, and the excitement is getting difficult to contain. Group E is one of the more open groups in the tournament. Spain will be the favourites but come into the competition following three early exits in a row. Hoping to cause an upset are Poland, Sweden, and Slovakia, who have some secret weapons of their own. Here is one player from each of those nations who could make an impact this summer. Poland – Robert Lewandowski Lewandowski enters the tournament in the form of his life It’s no secret who Poland’s main man is. Robert Lewandowski is one of the most prolific forwards of the modern era and has elevated himself to new heights in the last two seasons, scoring 103 goals in 87 appearances. The 32-year-old is one of the front...
Marcus Rashford penalty gives England win over Romania in Euro warm-up
Marcus Rashford’s penalty earned England an unconvincing 1-0 win over Romania in their final warm-up friendly ahead of Euro 2020 in Middlesbrough on Sunday. However, victory for Gareth Southgate’s men was again overshadowed by booing from supporters as the players took the knee before kick-off. Southgate’s selection will also be questioned as he named an experimental line-up with five players who are not part of his final squad making an appearance at some point in the game. There is still one place up for grabs in Southgate’s 26-man squad, though, due to an injury to Trent Alexander-Arnold. James Ward-Prowse, Ben Godfrey and Ben White were all given the chance to further their case from the start, while Jesse Lingard and Ollie Watkins came off the bench in the second-half. An inexperience...
Barcelona keen on signing 27-year-old Spanish star, could offer Sergi Roberto in exchange – report
Barcelona could propose a part-exchange deal to sign Manchester City defender Aymeric Laporte this summer, Spanish publication Sport claims. The Spain international made just 14 starts in the Premier League last term as he played the back-up role behind central defensive duo Ruben Dias and John Stones. Laporte recently hinted that he couldn’t guarantee his stay with the Cityzens with the limited game, and it is now reported that the Blaugrana are keen on signing him. The club are unlikely to afford him in a straight-cash deal and could offer Sergi Roberto as a makeweight to the Cityzens to secure his signature. Pep Guardiola is reportedly a huge admirer of Roberto. He handed him his Blaugrana debut when he was the club’s manager back in the 2010/11 season. Sportslens view: The 27-year-old ...
PFA Team of the Year: Man City dominate, Man Utd, Spurs and Liverpool also represented
The PFA Premier League Team of the Year has been revealed. The team is comprised of one goalkeeper, four defenders, three midfielders and three forwards. It is voted by fellow professionals based on who has performed best in the Premier League over the last season. The XI is heavily dominated by runaway champions Manchester City, who boast six of the 11. Of the remaining five, two play for rivals Manchester United, two for Tottenham Hotspur and one for Liverpool. The most notable omission from the team is Man City’s Phil Foden, who misses out despite being one of the six nominated for the PFA Player of the Year award. Full team Ederson and Dias have been excellent at the back Ederson (GK) – The Brazilian has been excellent since arriving in the Premier League, and this year was no exc...
