Ten Hag hails depth of Man Utd squad amid quadruple push
As another weekend of Premier League action approaches, coaches will sit down with the media for their press conferences across Friday. Off-the-pitch happenings and brewing summer transfer news should make for another busy news day in the football world.
The big news emerging from Thursday evening is that Barcelona will be slapped with a costly transfer ban, preventing them from completing business this summer. They must raise £178million to do so, which could open the door for Manchester United to return for Frenkie de Jong.
United are also in the market for a new star striker. Harry Kane could be available after FA Cup defeat to Sheffield United left Tottenham Hotspur on the verge of another trophy-less season. And Gary Neville has told the England captain his 'only option' if he leaves the Lilywhites.
Meanwhile, Arsenal continue their pursuit of a first Premier League title since 2004, opening up a five-point gap over Manchester City on Wednesday. The Gunners could be primed for a £15m bargain at the end of the campaign.
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Football news LIVE: Man Utd's £178m boost, Arsenal's cut-fee bargain, Kane's 'only option' (Image: GETTY)
Some of the biggest clubs in Europe have been in action tonight with top-of-the-table clashes in both the Serie A and Bundesliga.
Napoli fell to their first Serie defeat since January as Lazio took a 1-0 win to move second in the table. Matias Vecino got the goal for the away side.
Borussia Dortmund moved top of the Bundesliga with a hard-fought win over RB Leipzig. First half goals from Marco Reus and Emre Can had the Black and Yellow in control before Emil Forsberg made things interesting with 15 minutes to go.
Meanwhile, Hull climbed to 13th in the Championship with a 2-0 win over West Brom through Benjamin Tetteh and a Dara O'Shea own goal.
Borussia Dortmund went top of the Bundesliga after beating RB Leipzig. (Image: GETTY)
The potential takeover of Manchester United will progress in the coming weeks.
A series of meetings with interested parties will take place over the next fortnight according to the BBC.
Representatives for the Raine Group and the Glazers will be involved with the discussions taking place in London or Manchester.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al-Thani are the only parties to have publically announced their intention to buy the club outright.
Real Madrid holding 'internal debate' over Carlo Ancelotti
Real Madrid chiefs are reportedly debating the tactics of manager Carlo Ancelotti as the team struggle domestically.
Los Blancos are sitting pretty in the Champions League with a 5-2 first leg lead over Liverpool but sit seven points behind Barcelona in La Liga and also fell to a first-leg defeat in the semi-finals of the Copa del Rey to their biggest rivals.
Now, ESPN reports that Madrid chiefs are debating his decisions with the report suggesting the biggest questions linger over selecting both Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.
Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has praised the club for completing Caicedo's new contract.
"This is fantastic news for the club, our fans, for me and most importantly for Moises," he told the Brighton website. "It will make us stronger as we move forward towards our targets on the pitch."
The midfielder seemed desperate to leave a little over a month ago however he will now remain on the south coast in the long-term in a remarkable turnaround.
Moises Caicedo has signed a new contract at Brighton despite being heavily linked with a move to Arsenal.
The Gunners saw two bids rejected in the January transfer window and had been tipped to return in the summer.
Caicedo had entered a transfer request to try and force through the move, however, the Ecuador international has now committed his long-term future to the club, signing a new deal until 2027 with the option of an extra year.
Moises Caicedo has committed his long-term future to the Albion by agreeing a new contract that runs until 2027, with a club option for an extra year. \u270d\ufe0f
Tottenham assistant Cristian Stellini has confirmed that Antonio Conte will take charge of Spurs from Sunday as he makes his return from gallbladder surgery.
The Italian missed most of the last month's action as he recovered from his operation but he should be in the dugout for the midweek fixture against AC Milan.
Speaking to reporters Stellini said: "I said he would come back this week and straight after the match against Wolves he will be in London and will be in charge again from Sunday."
Chelsea boss Graham Potter has given an update on the club's injury situation ahead of the encounter with Leeds tomorrow.
Thiago Silva is set for an extended spell on the sidelines while Reece James is also a doubt for the match at Stamford Bridge.
“Thiago will be around that time [six weeks], not sure exactly," he told reporters. "[Edouard] Mendy is making progress. N’Golo [Kante] had his first full session today, but still needs time. Mason [Mount] has had a problem with a lower abdomen area and tomorrow is too soon for him.
"Reece [James] has a tightness in his hamstring; we are assessing him but he’s doubtful for tomorrow as well. Azpi [Cesar Azpilicueta] has made progress but is not through protocols after a head injury like that.”
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has confirmed that Gabriel Jesus is nearing a return to first-team action after over two months on the sidelines.
The Brazilian picked up a knee injury at the World Cup that required surgery but has now returned to training.
"He’s not far now," Arteta told reporters. "I don’t want to give a timeline but he’s doing certain things with the team and certain things outside the team.
"He’s not very close but he’s not very far. The doctors are feeling confident with how he’s evolving
"It’s been pretty straightforward. At the beginning we were pretty concerned with the possible extent of the injury because we were talking about a few injuries there, and thankfully it wasn’t that bad.
"But it's been a long-term injury, it required surgery, it was not pleasing, especially the first few weeks. But knowing Gabi has been through that before, his mentality is incredible and the team has done a really good job with him to put him in the position he is in today."
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has confirmed that Vincent Kompany will one day succeed him.
Kompany is impressing as Burnley boss and is set to guide the club back into the Premier League as Championship winners.
And Guardiola believes he'd be a perfect bit at the Etihad Stadium once his tenure ends.
He said: "I'm impressed with the consistency. The Championship is difficult.
"Unbelievable. They're close to Premier League promotion, and I'm delighted for him personally...
"Sooner or later, he will be manager of Man City, but I am not sure when. I have not spoken to him about it. He knows the club, the environment. The destiny is there..."
Gary Neville has pledged that he will wear an Arsenal shirt if Mikel Arteta's side win the Premier League this season.
Neville has been one of Arsenal's main doubters this season, convinced that Manchester City will eventually have too much in the title race.
And in a wager with a Gunners fan on Twitter, he claimed he would wear the shirt of Manchester United's great rivals if they lift their first title since 2004.
I will wear an Arsenal shirt saying champions for you my friend! But if you lose it you all grovel on here and say \u201cSorry Gary\u201d \ud83d\ude02 https://t.co/L1R36gCApO
Manchester United are reportedly expected to hold meetings with their bidders in the next fortnight.
According to the Guardian, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and Sir Jim Ratcliffe will discuss their respective bids with the club for the first time soon.
Both suitors aren't thought to have offered more than £4.5bn, with the Glazer family demanding at least £6bn.
So the meetings will likely clarify how much they must put on the table to seize control at Old Trafford.
Piers Morgan has put a surprise name forward in the running for not just Arsenal Player of the Season but in the Premier League.
The Gunners fan believes Oleksandr Zinchenko would be worthy of the award after his summer arrival from Manchester City.
He told talkSPORT: "For me, potentially, along with Saka and Odegaard, the player of the season for us and maybe the Premier League has been Zinchenko.
"Pep Guardiola said he was surplus to requirements. His heat map last night is absolutely insane.
"That guy was supposed to be left-back, and he was absolutely everywhere."
Football news LIVE: Piers Morgan has tipped Oleksandr Zinchenko as Arsenal's Player of the Season. (Image: GETTY)
Manchester United are Harry Kane's only Tottenham Hotspur escape option this summer, claims Gary Neville.
Manchester City are unlikely to renew their interest after signing Erling Haaland.
Meanwhile, Neville belives Arsenal and Chelsea are out of the frame due to the two clubs' rivalries with Spurs.
So it leaves United as his 'only option' if he wants to remain in the Premier League.
He said: "I can't see him going to Chelsea, Harry. He's quite loyal to Tottenham, and there's a big rivalry between Chelsea and Tottenham.
"I don't see that happening. They do need a centre-forward [but] I don't see that happening.
"He's not going to go to Arsenal, again because of the rivalry. So Manchester United, I think, is the only option in England for Harry Kane this summer."
Man Utd is Harry Kane's 'only option'. (Image: GETTY)
Manor Solomon could be available for just around £15million this summer, despite being a £100m player, according to Maccabi Petah Tikva president Avi Luzon.
Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in the on-fire Fulham winger, who has scored in each of his last four games.
And Luzon, who knows Solomon from his spell in Israel, believes £15m would be a realistic transfer fee.
He said: “Stars like him can only be sold for millions abroad. These young players should go abroad at the age of 19 and 20 because this gives them a chance to reach the greatest levels.
“For me, he is worth 100 million. But if we are realistic, we can talk about 15 million.”
Barcelona have been informed they must raise £178m with player sales if they want to be active in the summer transfer market.
The Spanish giants completed several big moves last summer by triggering different economic levers amid their financial woes.
But there is seemingly no more room for manoeuvre, with player sales crucial to their future spending.
On Thursday, La Liga chief Javier Tebas said: "As of today, Barcelona doesn't have any room in its budget to spend in the upcoming transfer window.
"In the case of Barcelona, they have to drop from spending on wages and transfers from £532m to £399m, so it’s a budget of minus £177m.
"They have to reduce their investment in players and we have encouraged them to sell players because, for every amount they raise in sales, they can spend 40 per cent of that."
It will be music to Manchester United's ears, with Erik ten Hag reportedly ready to reignite his interest in Frenkie de Jong.
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