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Newcastle United have made a rather late attempt to sign Zlatan Ibrahimovic in the summer transfer window, according to Calcio Mercato.

However, as per the outlet, AC Milan are hopeful that they can tie the 38-year old down to a new deal very soon, after originally having disputes over how much money that they want to pay him.

The Italian giants originally wanted to pay him five million euros with a maximum of six being offered, but Ibrahimovic requested seven.

However, the veteran is thought to have softened his position on the deal as it looks like the Magpies may have come in too late for him.

Indeed, what a coup it would be to recruit one of the biggest names in world football. Ibrahimovic has scored a quite staggering 529 goals over the course of his long career in the beautiful game, 467 playing for the likes of big European giants like Juventus and FC Barcelona as well as netting a further 62 strikes for the Swedish senior international side (via Transfermarkt).

The Swede has also won a plethora of titles in his career, including winning footballer of the year a quite stunning 13 times, 11 for his native country Sweden and two while playing in Italy (per the website).

Having had experience playing for Manchester United in England as well, Ibrahimovic knows the Premier League well, and could still have proved to be a good asset at St. James’ Park, both on and off of the pitch.

Nevertheless, it looks as if the striker will be staying in Milan in what is a bit of a blow to the Toon.

Geordies, would Ibrahimovic have been a good signing? Comment below!

Aston Villa appear to be the latest team to enter the race for one of the Bundesliga’s wantaway stars…

What’s the word?

According to The Athletic, the Midlands outfit are eyeing a move for Schalke 04 midfielder Weston McKennie, who is really keen on swapping the Bundesliga for the Premier League this summer.

Just a few days ago, it was claimed that Southampton were in talks to sign the USA international for a fee thought to be around £20m, as per Sky Sports.

It has been no secret that McKennie would love a move to England this summer, which is a boost for those interested teams, of which Everton and Newcastle United have also been linked.

Luiz upgrade

One of Dean Smith’s biggest problems last season was scoring goals – his strikers combined for just six of their 41 all season – however, it wouldn’t hurt to make additions across the board if they are to avoid another relegation dogfight.

McKennie would surprisingly be an upgrade to their defensive midfielder position as he has rated out better than Douglas Luiz in most areas of his game.

Per WhoScored, the 21-year-old powerhouse averaged 1.6 interceptions, 1.4 tackles, 1 dribble and 0.6 key passes per game, which is all an improvement on what the former City man delivered in a Villa shirt this season.

He was even dribbled past on fewer occasions and also committed fewer fouls.

McKennie’s current boss, ex-Huddersfield man, David Wagner tipped him to become one of the top players in the Bundesliga, labelling him an “outstanding talent” who’s “brave” and “very good in the air”.

Throughout his Schalke career he’s played anywhere through the middle, including central defence, right-back and upfront, which makes him an even more attractive prospect in Smith’s Villa system.

For just £20m, Johan Lange could bring an absolute bargain to Villa Park.

AND in other news, Bundesliga sensation is the perfect Jack Grealish successor…

Will Manchester United qualify for the Champions League?

It is a question that does not currently have an answer.

The current global pandemic has called a halt to professional sport, including the Premier League, and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side’s destiny is currently up in the air.

They are fifth in the table, three points behind Chelsea, with nine games of the season to play.

They were also perhaps the in-form team – bar Liverpool – in the table before the suspension of play; they had not tasted defeat since a shock 2-0 defeat to Burnley in January.

They had beaten Chelsea and Manchester City in that time.

It remains to be seen exactly when the league will resume, and whether United will be able to crack the top four; City’s suspension from European competition means that a fifth-placed finish may well be enough.

The news cycle, of course, continues and we’ve taken a look at the best stories of the week regarding the Red Devils!

United’s biggest flops?

We’ve listed the 20 worst signings Manchester United have made during the Premier League era and there are some genuine stinkers! Click here to see who made the cut.

Paul Pogba’s bank balance hits the headlines

Paul Pogba, meanwhile, has been featured in The Sunday Times rich list! See where he ranks here.

Fans unhappy with defensive target

Fans are also disappointed with reports that the club could make a move for a Championship defender in the summer transfer window, and we’ve compiled some particularly angry tweets here.

Man United beat Chelsea to big transfer

Spanish outlet Todofichajes claims that United have struck a deal for a Ligue 1 star, beating Chelsea to his €70m (£61.9m) signature. Click here to find out more.

Plea-se come to Old Trafford

According to Sky Germany, via Metro, United are in talks with Borussia Monchengladbach striker Alassane Plea. Click here to find out what’s going on.

Deal struck for Barca youngster

A deal has been struck to bring in a young defender from Barcelona, however, per Sport. Who could it be? Read on here.

Ole to turn raid Juve?

And Calciomercato reports that United could swoop for a Juventus ace in the summer. Read more about that potential deal here.

Former Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Paul Robinson has said that Mauricio Pochettino “harmed” Eric Dier by limiting his game time, in an interview with Football Insider.

What did he say?

Dier struggled for game time under Pochettino towards the end of the Argentine’s spell at Spurs, managing just 20 Premier League appearances last season.

However, he has become a key part of new boss Jose Mourinho’s plans and is set to be offered a new contract that will keep him at the club beyond 2021.

Asked why Dier has been struggling for game time in recent years, Robinson said the England man had been harmed by Pochettino.

“He had a lack of game time under Pochettino and that has harmed his season,” Robinson told Football Insider.

“Also if anyone was going to get moved about it was Eric Dier due to his versatility but maybe that works to his detriment.

“As he gets older I see him more as a centre-half. I think Dier is best deployed in a back-three.

“There was a time under Pochettino where you thought he was going to be leaving because he was not even in the squad. I hope he can get back to that and kick on after the new contract.”

Quick turnaround

There has been a quick turnaround in fortunes for Dier, who is now back in favour and looks set to earn a new deal.

The England international is versatile and has proven himself as a quality player when given the trust of his manager, and this appears to be what he has with Mourinho.

With Spurs now willing to offer him a new deal it shows how much he is valued and perhaps the fact that Pochettino was willing to phase him out shows why his time at Spurs came to an end.

أعرب بيتسو موسيماني، المدير الفني للفريق الأول لكرة القدم بالنادي الأهلي، عن سعادته بالتأهل إلى دور نصف النهائي في دوري أبطال إفريقيا، بعد التعادل مع صن داونز في مباراة الإياب والفوز بهدفين في الذهاب.

وقال موسيماني في تصريحات صحفية للموقع الرسمي للأهلي: “حققنا هدفنا بالتأهل، أخذنا قرارات سيئة في بعض الأوقات، صن داونز استحوذ على الكرة أكثر، ولكن الاستحواذ لا يعني تحقيق الفوز”.

وأشار إلى أن فكرة الحديث عن وجود ثغرات في دفاع الأهلي غير صحيحة بالمرة، فنحن سجلنا ثلاثة أهداف في مرمى صن داونز، إذًا من هو الفريق الأضعف دفاعيا.

وأضاف: “أمتلك لاعبين أصحاب أجساد قوية، وعملت على الضربات الثابتة، وكنت أعلم أنها الطريق الوحيد أمام صن داونز، ونجحت في خطتي، وقد أغلقت صفحة مباراة اليوم وأفكر حاليا في مباراة السوبر الإفريقي، ولا أشغل ذهني بمن سنواجه في نصف النهائي”.

طالع | موسيماني: لعبنا بذكاء أمام صن داونز.. ونحتاج للهدوء استعدادًا لنهضة بركان

وأكمل: “أنا مدرب محترف، تأثرت عندما رأيت بعض اللافتات ضدي خارج الملعب، وقلت لنفسي ماذا أفعل أكثر من ذلك؟ فقد قدمت الكثير لفريق صن داونز، وعموما أنا مستمر في طريقي ولا أريد أن أتحدث أكثر، لا بد أن أستمر في حياتي وهذه هي كرة القدم”.

وقال: “ما تركته في جنوب إفريقيا رصيد كبير، وفي يوم من الأيام سوف أكتب كتابا أسرد فيه رحلتي وكيف رحلت عن صن داونز رغم أنني تركت فريقا كبيرا، لقد رحلت بسلام وتصافحنا، ولن أتحدث أكثر من ذلك”.

واختتم: “مباريات دوري أبطال إفريقيا تبدأ من دور ربع النهائي، وكلنا نعلم ذلك، والأدوار الأولى تمهيدية، وقد واصلنا طريقنا بنجاح خلال المراحل السابقة، ونسعى لاستكمال مشوار الدفاع عن اللقب”. هجوم وسباب جماهير صن داونز ضد بيتسو موسيماني

🤔🤔🤔🤔 pic.twitter.com/MDOg5OuXja

— moira (@moiramtsports) May 22, 2021

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Pundit View series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent quotes from journalists, pundits, players and managers…

Chris Wilder believes it is right that Heung-Min Son is available to play for Tottenham Hotspur when they take on Sheffield United this weekend, per Sky Sports News.

What’s the word?

Son made a slide tackle that led to Everton midfielder Gomes sustaining a fracture-dislocation of his ankle on Sunday as Spurs drew 1-1 with the Toffees.

The South Korea international was left distraught by the extent of the injury and was sent off by referee Martin Atkinson.

The red card has since been rescinded and Son will subsequently be available to play against the Blades at the weekend.

And Wilder, who was at Goodison Park scouting this weekend’s opposition, believes that it was the right decision to overturn Atkinson’s original decision.

He said, when asked if he expected Son, who scored twice in the 4-0 win over Red Star Belgrade on Wednesday, to play: “Yes, I would have done. We went to watch Tottenham and we were right in front of it.

“Straight away you knew the severity of the injury. I imagine all managers and fellow players will be wishing Andre a really speedy recovery but it’s just one of those unfortunate situations.

“From our point of view [Son] is obviously a quality player but he seems a right down-to-earth lad as well.

“But we’ll be up not just against him but some other very high-quality players on Saturday afternoon.”

Initial VAR failure

Wilder is absolutely right.

Atkinson, in completely understandable circumstances, officiated on emotion following the horror of Gomes’ injury.

Even still, VAR is there for occasions like that and the red card should have been overturned on the pitch.

While Son was probably too distraught to carry on anyway and would have needed to have been substituted, the red card irreversibly altered the flow of the game.

Spurs went on to concede in the 97th minute, as Cenk Tosun rescued a point, and those points won’t be coming back, even if Son will.

That Wilder, the manager Spurs will be facing this weekend, instantly knew the decision would be overturned speaks volumes to how VAR failed both Spurs and Atkinson.

يأمل ماوريسيو بوتشيتينو في جاهزية نجمه كيليان مبابي، لمباراة فريقه باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي أمام مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي، بدوري أبطال أوروبا.

ويحل باريس سان جيرمان ضيفًا على مانشستر سيتي يوم الثلاثاء المقبل، بإياب نصف نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا، وكانت مباراة الذهاب انتهت بهزيمة الفريق الفرنسي 2-1 على ملعبه حديقة الأمراء.

وكان باريس سان جيرمان أعلن إصابة مبابي في ربلة الساق، أمس الجمعة (لمطالعة التفاصيل من هنا)، وبوتشيتينو متفائل بتطور حالة الفرنسي قبل المباراة.

وقال بوتشيتينو لـ “كانال بلاس” الفرنسية: “أنا متفائل، أنا متفائل دائمًا، سنرى كيف يتطور غدًا، لكني متفائل نعتقد أنه سيكون متاحًا لكننا سنتخذ قرارًا قبل المباراة”.

كيليان مبابي لم يتمكن من اللعب اليوم السبت ضد لينس في الدوري الفرنسي، بسبب إصابته في الساق اليمنى، وحسمت المباراة بفوز باريس سان جيرمان 2-1، بهدفي نيمار وماركينيوس.

Some Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter after they heard that Mohamed Salah would not appear at Old Trafford with his teammates on Sunday due to injury, and have directed their fury at Leicester midfielder Hamza Choudhury as a result.

Why, you might ask?

Well, the England U21 man was at fault for Salah’s absence after it was his horrendous tackle in Liverpool’s 2-1 win over the Foxes before the international break that had damaged the Egyptian’s ankle.

It was not the first time that the 22-year-old has seriously hurt an opponent.

The 5 foot 10 midfielder went in recklessly on Matt Ritchie in Leicester’s Carabao Cup win over Newcastle, causing Steve Bruce to criticise Choudhury. In addition to that, he was also sent off for the England U21 side at the U21 European Championships back in the summer after a horror challenge on Jonathan Bamba.

Let’s take a look at what some visibly infuriated Liverpool fans on Twitter have been saying…

This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

The start of the new season was definitely a mixed bag for the boys from the Spanish capital.

And even though we are only seven games in the ongoing La Liga campaign, Real Madrid have already faced a number of tough opponents.

In the domestic competition, they went through clashes with Sevilla and Atletico Madrid, winning the former and drawing the latter, while they also faced off against Paris Saint-Germain in Europe, suffering a heavy defeat in the process.

Watch Spanish Football Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

By all accounts, there have been some stern challenges thrown in front of them already but their weekend clash against Granada at the Santiago Bernabeu might still be the toughest one yet.

And sure, this does sound a bit weird considering we’re talking about a newly promoted team and especially when taking into consideration all the titans we’ve mentioned.

But Granada are a very capable team. After all, they’ve beaten Barcelona 2-0 at home and are currently sitting second in the standings, just one spot below Los Blancos themselves.

And this is before we add Real Madrid’s injury woes into the equation.

Watch Lionel Messi and Gareth Bale answer the internet’s weirdest questions in the video below…

As it currently stands and according to the latest reports, Zinedine Zidane won’t have a single left-back available for the Saturday’s clash with all three of Marcelo, Ferland Mendy and Nacho out with a fitness issue.

Needless to say, this might pose a huge selection problem for the Frenchman but it will also show us exactly where Real Madrid are as a team.

These kinds of games usually separate the best from the rest and if the Galacticos want to stay true to their name and retain their first spot in the table, winning despite obvious problems is a must.

For that reason, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that the clash against Granada might be their toughest challenge yet, and overcoming it might prove a huge point to all of their critics out there.

Let’s see if they manage to do exactly that.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

Carlos Corberan has a plethora of options available to him at U23 level.

Before last week, Leeds’ young stars had gone unbeaten and even beat Watford 6-0 while including players like Luke Ayling and Eddie Nketiah in the starting XI.

Previously at FFC we’ve analysed how this policy could have a negative impact on those coming through at academy level, but those who could be hindered most come in an attacking area.

Leeds only have two out-and-out strikes in their first team but Marcelo Bielsa’s favouritism of Patrick Bamford has meant Nketiah has also been reduced to chances in the academy.

Not only has this seen Ryan Edmondson struggle for opportunities after scoring a hat-trick in pre-season, but it’s also limited Kun Temenuzhkov, who could now be facing an uphill battle to make an impact.

The Bulgarian is a player with enormous promise, so much in fact that he was once in the famous La Masia academy at Barcelona.

You don’t grow up coming through the ranks in Catalonia without an abundance of talent. After all, it’s an academy that’s developed the likes of Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

Temenuzhkov isn’t close to possessing the same level of quality as those types of players but he does have great ability, something that was detailed when he was named as one of The Guardian’s 60 best young players in football for 2017.

A profile was given which compared him to the teenager’s idol and one of the current crop at Barcelona: “Temenuzhkov is deservedly regarded as one of Bulgaria’s hottest football prospects. Growing up idolising Luis Suarez, the pint-sized prospect has shown the same predator’s instinct in the penalty area as the Uruguay striker.”

That was fine praise indeed for the 18-year-old who has only featured on one occasion for the Leeds senior team after making the move from Spain.

Eligible to play for the Iberian country and Bulgaria, it’s looking increasingly unlikely that he’ll ever get a chance to stamp down his authority.

Not only does he have Bamford and Nketiah to get past but the striking options within the U23s is hotly contested.

Temenuzhkov is battling Edmondson and new signing Liam McCarron which has seen him reduced to substitute appearances more than anything else.

Having recently been rewarded with a new contract Leeds clearly rate the prospect highly but they must now prove there is a route to the first team.

This deal is a huge display of faith but his lack of opportunities so far this term isn’t too promising.

After scoring 30 goals in as many games for Barcelona’s Juvenil B team once upon a time, it seems foolish not to try and unearth more of his talents.

So far, it’s proving an uphill battle for the youngster and it’s unlikely to get any easier in the immediate future.