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Manchester United are very, very interested in Barcelona centre-back Samuel Umtiti as a backup to Harry Maguire, according to Le10 Sport (via Sport Witness).

It is being reported by the French publication that the Old Trafford giants would be willing to put down a bid just short of the Catalan club’s valuation of the France international.

However, Manchester United aren’t the only club in the north-west interested in Umtiti, with rivals Manchester City also said to have made an enquiry for the 25-year-old.

The interest in Umtiti comes after a hold up in negotiations with Leicester City for Maguire, which is said to have the player feeling furious.

With the holdup in negotiations with Leicester City, having a contingency plan is beneficial for the club. It seems the former Olympique Lyonnais man forms part of a centre-back target list. Just last week the club were said to have made a bid for Benfica centre-half Ruben Dias, as well as having been linked with moves for West Ham United’s Issa Diop and Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly.

Given Ole Gunnar Solskjaer side’s poor defensive record last season, reinforcements are a must. However, the Frenchman comes with one big red flag and that is his recent injury history. In the last two seasons, Umtiti has missed 40 games, 28 last season and 12 in the 2017/2018 season.

While Manchester United definitely need reinforcements in defence, Umtiti is ultimately not the man for them. Maguire, Koulibaly, and Dias all have far better injury records and would provide less hassle than the 25-year-old in that sense.

As well as Umtiti’s injury record, he doesn’t fit the mould of what Solskjaer is seemingly attempting to build at the club: buying homegrown players. Someone like Maguire fits that mould and should be chased instead.

Manchester United fans, would Umtiti be a good alternative to Maguire? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

[ad_pod ]Express & Star confirmed on Friday afternoon that 16-year-old Louie Barry had left the club after rejecting the offer of a three-year contract.The same publication revealed towards the end of last month that a new deal was on the table for the youngster and the club apparently remained confident that he’d stay.However, their worst fears have now been realised with the youngster departing.And reacting to the news on Twitter, fans were absolutely enraged that he was leaving the Hawthorns. One supporter claimed they may as well close the academy whilst another said it was pointless considering the compensation fees received for players was so low.Other supporters took fire at the player as one suggested Barry had no loyalty. A further fan took issue by suggesting that money talks and he was moving simply for a higher salary.

The teenager has been linked with a move to PSG in the past and if he goes abroad, Albion would receive a sum of £235,000.

Barry has also been attracting the interest of Barcelona and now he’s left, will be free to play elsewhere.

Here’s the best of the reaction.

[ad_pod ]This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…Per a tweet from Sky Sports’ Keith Downie, Leicester have agreed a £30m fee with Newcastle to sign Ayoze Perez.

What’s the word?

Leicester’s transfer activity so far this window had been fairly quiet, welcoming the solitary addition of young right-back James Justin to the club.

The 21-year-old arrived last week from Luton but the Foxes now look as though they’re ramping up their preparations for next season considerably.

On Tuesday night, Geoff Peters confirmed on Twitter that Perez and his agent had met with Leicester officials over a possible move.

It was then revealed on the same platform by Downie that a deal had been agreed to take him to the King Power for £30m.

He said that a medical and personal terms were yet to be agreed, however.

Revitalising Leicester

One of the key components of Perez’s game is his versatility.

The 5 ft 10 forward has the ability to play as a striker, as an attacking midfielder and on the wing.

Considering Leicester already have Jamie Vardy and James Maddison in a central role, there is a case to be made that the 25-year-old could play out wide if he joins.

Perez spent the second half of the campaign playing slightly to the right of Salomon Rondon at Newcastle, an area he seemed to thrive in and have a devastating impact from.

He finished the season with six goals in five matches, one of which came against Leicester. He also netted a hat-trick playing from the right against Southampton.

The Spaniard has always been a bit of an enigma, failing to hit double figures in the Premier League until the most recent season when he netted 12.

And if you bear in mind his recent form from the right flank, he could revitalise that area of the pitch for Brendan Rodgers and his team.

Could Daniel Sturridge be set to reunite with Brendan Rodgers? Check out the video below to find out…

After the departure of Riyad Mahrez, Leicester have lacked a goal-scoring winger. Demarai Gray didn’t have the best of seasons, scoring just four, whilst Rachid Ghezzal only found the net once in the league in 2018/19.

As a result, someone who has the ability to supply goals from a wide position could be crucial heading into next season.

£30m is a huge fee to pay but it would solve a large problem area for the Foxes.

With Manchester United having reportedly made an offer of £50m for Crystal Palace’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka, you would think that the right-back is close to being the finished article.

But after a very mixed performance in England U21s’ 2-1 defeat to France, it is clear that he still has some way to go.

As ever, Wan-Bissaka was exceptional in his 1v1 duels, making more tackles (6) than anyone else on the pitch (as per WhoScored). However, going forward, the England youth international was not always the most convincing, a theme that also occurred during his 2018/19 Premier League season.

Crossing, for example, is not one of Wan-Bissaka’s greatest strengths just yet. Last term, he made 0.3 crosses per game, which pales in comparison to what the likes of Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier (both 2) averaged (also per WhoScored).

Based on that, it can be argued that Wan-Bissaka is a very good defender, but still has some work to do before he becomes the complete modern-day full-back.

Still, at 21 years of age, the Crystal Palace academy graduate has plenty of time to improve his all-round game.

And if not, considering that he pretty much has the defensive side of things on lock (averaged more tackles per game (3.7) than any other Premier League right-back), it would not be a complete catastrophe. You only have to look at someone like Chelsea’s Cesar Azpilicueta, a full-back that has become renowned for his defensive capabilities rather than his offensive skills, and what he has gone on to achieve in the game.

Is Wan-Bissaka a £50m player? Probably not. But he is still one hell of a defender who will learn from the mistakes he made at the Stadio Dino Manuzzi.

Crystal Palace fans, just how far do you think Wan-Bissaka can go in the game? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below!

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Rangers fans are pleased to hear that Steven Gerrard is in no way interested in making a switch to Derby County this summer, after the club were said to be interested in appointing him.

The Times reported on Tuesday that the Rams had made an approach to open discussions on a potential switch, should Frank Lampard take up the vacant manager’s position at Chelsea.

Check out a fan’s outrageous call for England to take a leaf of out cricket and rugby’s book after a limp Nations League performance in the video below…

The paper reckon that the Gers boss refused the notion outright, not even entertaining the idea of making a shock summer switch.

Gerrard is busying adding players to his Rangers squad, who have returned to pre-season training this week in preparation for UEFA Europa League qualifying action next month.

He may not have won any trophies last season but he tangibly improved the club in a number of different ways and apparently now wants to see the project through to its conclusion, despite the reported interest from England.

Rangers fans believe he’s in it for the long haul, refusing to believe there was much chance of him move to Derby anytime soon.

These supporters have taken to Twitter this week to share their thoughts on it all…

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According to Football Insider, Everton have set their sights on West Ham left-back Aaron Cresswell ahead of a potential summer swoop.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Toffees have been keeping tabs on the England international whilst the future of 34-year-old Leighton Baines remains up in the air – his contract is set to expire next month and it remains to be seen if he’ll be offered fresh terms.

Regardless of that, Everton are in the market for a left-back to play understudy to first choice Lucas Digne and have identified Cresswell as an option given his experience and price tag.

In this era of ‘big 6’ dominance, has finishing 7th become as good as winning a trophy? The Pl>ymaker FC squad have their say in the video below…

The aforementioned report states that the Hammers will likely want double the £4m they spent on acquiring the 29-year-old from Ipswich in 2014 – Cresswell has two years remaining on his contract with the Irons.

Ideal Baines replacement

There are many similarities between Baines and Cresswell.

Both of them are England internationals. Both of them are excellent technicians, and both of them are also experienced Premier League regulars with plenty of appearances under their belt.

Cresswell featured just 20 times in the league this season as he shared left-back duties with Arthur Masuaku, suggesting that he will presumably be okay to do the same with Digne as he shouldn’t expect to start at Goodison Park.

Baines offered a reliable, calm head on experienced shoulders as well as the know-how to step in and competently support the first-choice left-back, but his advancing years mean someone else must perform this role behind Digne.

Director of Football Marcel Brands said that the club would be targeting young players and wouldn’t invest big money in older players, with the 20-25/26 age bracket being used to target the right option.

However, whilst he is 29 years of age, Cresswell’s modest £50,000-a-week earnings, reasonable price tag and familiarity with a bit-part role make him the ideal Baines replacement for Everton.

كشفت تقارير صحفية إسبانية أن نادي برشلونة سيدفع أكثر من 130 مليون يورو من أجل عثمان ديمبلي الذي انضم منذ 3 سنوات قادمًا من بوروسيا دورتموند الألماني.

برشلونة تعاقد مع اللاعب الفرنسي قادمًا من بوروسيا دورتموند الألماني في صيف 2017 لتعويض رحيل نيمار دا سيلفا، الذي رحل إلى باريس سان جيرمان مقابل 222 مليون يورو.

طالع أيضًا.. مرشح رئاسي لـ برشلونة: نيمار خارج حساباتي

رغم تتويج ديمبلي بعد عام من انضمامه إلى برشلونة بمونديال روسيا 2018 مع منتخب فرنسا، إلا أنه قضى معظم أوقاته في كامب نو مصابًا.

صحيفة “آس” الإسبانية، أن صفقة ديمبلي قد تكلف برشلونة إلى ما هو أكثر من 130 مليون يورو، بسبب بعض الشروط التي وافق عليها النادي الكتالوني في عقد انتقال اللاعب من بوروسيا دورتموند.

اللاعب انضم في 2017 بـ 105 ملايين يورو، وبعد أن لعب ديمبلي مباراته الـ75 مع برشلونة، دفع النادي الكتالوني 5 ملايين أخرى، غير الذي حصل عليها مرتين من قبل بعد حصول ديمبلي على الدوري الإسباني مع البلوجرانا، مما يعني أن الصفقة وصلت حتى الآن إلى 120 مليون يورو.

وما زال بإمكان دورتموند الحصول على المزيد من وراء صفقة ديمبلي الذي حدثت في 2017، ويمكن أن يصل المبلغ إلى 148 مليون يورو، في حالة تحقيقه دوري أبطال أوروبا، وبعض الأرقام الفردية.

اللاعب الفرنسي شارك مع برشلونة حتى الآن في 83 مباراة بمختلف المسابقات خلال أكثر من 3 سنوات، وسجل 22 هدفًا و17 تمريرة حاسمة.

أصدر نادي باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي، بيانًا رسميًا بشأن لاعبه البرازيلي نيمار دا سيلفا، واستبعاده من قائمة منتخب بلده البرازيل، لمواجهتي فنزويلا وأوروجواي.

نيمار يعاني من إصابة في الفخذ، وكان طبيب المنتخب البرازيلي، رودريجو لاسمار، صرّح أن اللاعب لن يكون لائقًا لمواجهتي البرازيل في تصفيات أمريكا الجنوبية المؤهلة لمونديال قطر 2022. (طالع تصريحاته كاملة من هنا)

وجاء بيان باريس سان جيرمان على النحو التالي:

“سينضم نيمار إلى باريس ومركز أوريدو التدريبي قريبًا لمواصلة برنامجه، حيث لم يرغب الطاقم الطبي للمنتخب البرازيلي في المخاطرة بمشاركته في مباراة المنتخب في 17 نوفمبر”.

وأضاف: “إنه قرار يحترم الثقة والتعاون بين موظفي باريس سان جيرمان والمنتخب البرازيلي”.

كما قدم سان جيرمان تحديثًا بشأن لاعبه الشاب مويس كين موضحًا: “استأنف مويس كين برنامجه اليوم في مركز أوريدو التدريبي بعد استبعاده من قبل طاقم المنتخب الإيطالي، وذلك بفضل التعاون الجيد بين النادي والمنتخب الإيطالي”.

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Paul Tierney was announced on Tuesday as the referee who will take charge of Everton against Manchester United at the weekend, and his remarkable record suggests one match outcome can already be ruled out.

Both clubs will be looking to bounce back from disappointing performances and results when they meet at Goodison Park on Sunday.

The Toffees suffered a dreadful 2-0 defeat against already-relegated Fulham in the Premier League, while the Red Devils crashed out of the Champions League with a whimper after losing 4-0 on aggregate to Barcelona.

That was United’s fourth successive reverse on their travels – the first time that has happened since manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was playing for the club back in 1999.

The Merseyside outfit and the Old Trafford side both still have aspirations of finishing seventh and in the top four respectively this term, so it is very much all to play for at the weekend.

Tierney’s astonishing record certainly makes for interesting reading ahead of the clash however.

According to WhoScored, the 38-year-old is yet to officiate in a single draw from the 21 top flight encounters he has been the man in the middle of the pitch for during the current campaign.

Along with the fact that it is a more than a month since a draw has been recorded in the Premier League – there have been none in the previous 34 attempts – and you would have to assume that the game on Merseyside is destined for either a home or away win.

Solskjaer will certainly be hoping it is the latter with some United fans on Twitter already beginning to change their tune on him following some poor decisions.

Meanwhile, Marco Silva needs to build some momentum again ahead of next season if Everton are going to fulfil their ambitions following yet another inconsistent campaign.

Football can be a toxic game at times with the way that rival fans act on social media, and Liverpool fans often have to take it as badly as anyone. Yesterday, though, they knew what was coming after Mo Salah won a penalty against Cardiff they were all bracing themselves for complaints from rival fans over the decision.

The Kopites were expecting all sorts after the decision was made, and with recent claims from rival supporters that their Egyptian ace is a diver and all sorts of other abuse, they knew it was happening again. There was simply nothing that could be done, though, Salah was wrestled to the ground by Sean Morrison and it was as stonewall a penalty as you’ll ever see.

Even without the penalty, the Reds would have won the game 1-0 thanks to Georginio Wijnaldum’s opener. They weren’t about to complain about the penalty shout when it was given and would have been in complete agreement with the referee as he pointed to the spot. James Milner stepped up and did what he does best after the pen was given, and the Reds will be quick to block out abuse from their rivals.

You can read the Kopites’ verdict on the penalty here:

The Reds are all in agreement that the foul on Salah was just that, and will be quick to ignore the rival supporters who argue otherwise.