Paris Saint-Germain Wanted Ronaldo Before Signing Neymar

Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain broke the transfer record this summer when they splashed a cosmic amount of cash to bring in Brazilian superstar Neymar from Barcelona. A deal which was worth £198 million shook the football world to its core, resulting in huge market inflation.

However, the highly-rated Barcelona man was merely second choice to PSG’s major target, Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo, according to reports.

As per the report mentioned in Mirror, PSG only shifted their focus from Ronaldo to Neymar when the French club realised that ‘they wouldn’t be able to lure Cristiano Ronaldo to France’. The Ligue 1 heavyweights were reportedly aiming to make a move for the Portuguese as soon as reports emerged about him wanting to leave Spain.

The root cause of Ronaldo’s desire to depart was the tax fraud allegation, which led the star forward want to leave the country after growing ‘frustrated’ with the situation.

However, PSG were unable to take advantage of the circumstances, and eventually made their bid to capture Neymar after failing to land the Real Madrid man.

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“I Made Them Pay” – Louis Van Gaal Absolutely Destroys United Over Handling Of Sacking

 Former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal has finally put words to his feelings about getting sacked at the end of 2015-2016 campaign.

The Dutchman parted ways with the English club after spending two years at Old Trafford, during which he was heavily criticized for his ‘boring’ style of play. The news of his sacking was broken to Van Gaal less than 24 hours after the 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final in May.

However, the ex-manager has accused the club of plotting his dismissal months before he was actually shown the exit door. Van Gaal stated that the decision to replace him with current boss, Jose Mourinho, had been taken as early as January 2016.

As per Mirror, the 66-year-old has compared his removal to ‘a humiliating public execution,’as Van Gaal believes chief executive Ed Woodward betrayed him by going behind his back to bring in Mourinho...

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Manchester City Face ‘Concrete’ Competition For Benjamin Mendy

Reuters

Manchester City are front runners in getting Benjamin Mendy’s signature, but as it seems, Manchester United’s interest in the Frenchman has taken a new level due to City’s failure in deciding his wages.

Mendy was reported to be in, or on his way to Manchester a couple of days ago. However, the 22-year-old himself quickly scrapped the rumours by posting a video on social media that clearly showed Paris in the background.

The Citizens and their neighbours Manchester United have both expressed ‘concrete interest’ in the left-back, as reported by L’Equipe (via Sport Witness) on Tuesday. But according to different reports, they are not the only clubs in the race to bag the young star, and Monaco too, are said to be in a powerful negotiating position.

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has already told those in power at the Etihad that he’d like Mendy to be a part of his squad for next season, and the player is also tempted to join the team because of the role offered to him.

But, according to L’Equipe, no ‘wage agreement between the two parties was found’ and one of the prime reasons is because of immense competition from clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona, Liverpool and Chelsea.

A deal that is believed to cost around €45 million is not a huge amount for either of the two managers currently in charge of the Red and Blue parts of Manchester.

With the Red Devils having struggled at left-back position this season, and City set for a complete revamp of their defensive line-up, the English clubs would surely be pushing the most for Mendy.

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Done Deal: Chelsea Striker To Join Liverpool

Reuters

Chelsea striker Dominic Solanke is set to complete his switch to Liverpool after failing to agree to sign a contract with his current employers.

As per Liverpool’s official website, Solanke is confirmed to join Jurgen Klopp at Anfield on July 1, 2017, upon the expiry of his contract with his current club, Chelsea. The striker was unable to agree terms on a new contract offered by the Blues.

Celtic, RB Leipzig, and a number of Premier League giants were in race to get the 19-year-old’s signature, but as it appears, the Reds have overcome the fierce competition by bagging the striker’s services. However, a fee is yet to be decided, and as per the reports, it would be decided by a tribunal.

Solanke has been unable to break into the current English Champions’ first team, despite making his senior debut for the club at the age of 17 in 2014, and spending a loan spell with Vitesse Arnhem in 2015-16, where he scored 7 goals in 25 appearances. It is believed that talks over his contract at Stamford Bridge ceased because of lack of playing time.

The highly rated youngster is currently playing for England, who are set to face Costa Rica in the last 16 on Tuesday, at the Under-20 World Cup in South Korea. Solanke has won the FA Youth Cup twice, UEFA Youth League, and U17 European Championship, and will officially join the Reds in July.‎

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Manchester United To Confirm Departure Of Two Players From Old Trafford

Reuters

Two Manchester United players are set to make an exit from the club even before the official opening of the transfer window.

As per Manchester Evening News, Red Devils’ youngsters Kayne Diedrick-Roberts and Faustin Makela seem to have left the club.

18-year-old Diedrick-Roberts had moved to United from Fulham in 2015, and scored in the Under-18s’ win at Middlesbrough early in 2016-17. The forward had lined up alongside Marcus Rashford in the academy attack last season, but was outshone by United’s other youngsters.

Roberts then moved to Bournemouth on a youth loan in December in order to get more play time, and then made a return to Old Trafford for his only United Reserves start in the draw with Leicester in April.

The news was confirmed by academy captain Callum Whelan in an Instagram Story earlier this month.

Hampered by growth-related injuries, 17-year-old Faustin Makela, who was restricted to just one academy start in successive seasons, is also said to be confirmed to leave the club.

The midfielder had made his Under-23 debut at Leicester in April, and has already taken up a youth loan with League One side Bury due to a lack of playing time.

Makela wrote on Instagram: “Shared a lot and good memories with the boys, going to miss you all & good luck to everyone in the future.”

One of the recent United debutants, Angel Gomes, posed with Makela, holding a shirt signed by his academy teammates.

With the club expected to confirm their retained and released list within the next few weeks, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s United contract about to expire this summer, the possibility of discharging some of the other youth players may be very well on the table.

The two high-profile departures last summer included Victor Valdes and Nick Powell.

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Paul Pogba Hints At Antoine Griezmann’s Imminent Arrival

Reuters

Antoine Griezmann has been linked to Manchester United over a potential transfer for next season for quite some time, and as it appears, his fellow countryman Paul Pogba has indicated that a deal could be close.

The Atletico Madrid striker is believed to be the Red Devils’ prime target for the summer transfer window, and with Pogba’s latest comments on Griezmann’s transfer situation, further rumours have been triggered over the forward’s potential move to Old Trafford.

With a tally of 26 goals in all competitions this season, the Frenchman has been an integral part of Diego Simeone’s line-up, but an England switch is likely to happen, as per the reports.

Paul Pogba was recently asked about his fellow compatriot’s move to United, to which he replied (via Telefoot): “Play with Antoine Griezmann next season? Watch this space.”

The comment could also be translated as “business to follow”, meaning that negotiations over the 26-year-old striker have come into an advanced stage.

However, United manager Jose Mourinho, who spent the last weekend at Monaco Grand Prix, admitted that he is currently not involved in any kind of talks to sign Griezmann.

“I have no idea if Antoine Griezmann will come to United,” Mourinho told Sky Sports F1. “Ask Ed Woodward. He knows since March who I want, what I want and how much I want.

“Now is time for him to work. It’s for him to work because he has holidays in August and in August I’m working. I don’t care about football for a month. I’m really happy with our season, the trophies, to be back in Champions League but now I have a rest, to disconnect completely and enjoy my family and friends and other sports I like.”

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Nolito Desperate For Manchester City Exit After Frustrating Season

Reuters

Manchester City winger Nolito has given the final verdict on his future with the English club.

The 30-year-old has revealed that his time with the Citizens is close to an end, and he is said to be looking to leave the club this summer after growing frustrated with the lack of playing time.

The winger joined the Premier League giants from Celta Vigo last year, making an impressive start in England’s top flight by scoring a brace against Stoke City in his second league appearance.

But after January, the Spaniard lost his mark in Pep Guardiola’s team, often being left on the bench, and on certain instances, not even making the matchday squad at all.

Nolito barely featured for City in the second half of the campaign, having made just five substitute appearances in the Premier League from January on.

“I’d like to leave, whether that be on loan, permanently. I know about Atletico, Celta. These are things for my representatives,” Nolito told Marca.

“I’m calm and on holiday at the moment, but I’m thinking about returning to Spain. I know Atletico and Celta are interested. Up until December I was playing and was happy, but after those four months I’ve hardly played.

“I don’t know what happened, you’ll have to ask him. It has been a year to forget, an experience that hasn’t turned out as I’d planned, but hopefully this summer we’ll find a solution.”

The City exodus is set to continue with Pablo Zabaleta joining West Ham United, while Bacary Sagna, Gael Clichy, Jesus Navas and Willy Caballero will all be departing on free transfers.

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Stoke City Plot Ambitious Summer Move For Premier League Superstar

Reuters

Stoke City are planning a shocking transfer deal for Manchester United skipper Wayne Rooney with the backing of their sponsors, Bet365.

As per reports from Mirror, Stoke boss and former United striker Mark Hughes is said to be the brains behind the move. As claimed by the British daily, Hughes is trying to tempt Rooney to stay in the Premier League and ignore offers from China and USA.

The project, which is financed by the club’s shirt sponsors Bet365, is a gamble that the club is willing to take. A £45 million package to lure the Manchester United superstar to the Bet365 Stadium is being prepared by the online gambling firm, founded by Stoke’s chairman Peter Coates, is claimed to be a comfortable task considering their financial clout.

However, one of the major problems that the Potters will be facing in order to persuade the 31-year-old is that Rooney had insisted after the Europa League final win over Ajax on Wednesday that he won’t play for any Premier League clubs other than Manchester United and Everton.

The Englishman has been linked with a return to his boyhood club, but till now, there has been no approach from Goodison Park for the United captain, who has a year left on his £300,000-a-week contract.

Nonetheless, United could also cash in on the striker for nothing less than £20 million if he opts to go to the Chinese Super League, but as it appears, Stoke’s interest in Rooney could help the forward stay close to his Merseyside roots.

Rooney has claimed that he would be discussing all the options with his family on their holiday before making a final decision on his future.

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Manchester United Contact PSG Star Over A Potential Move To Old Trafford

Reuters

Manchester United are already out looking for potential signings for next season, and have reportedly made contact with Paris Saint-Germain over their pacey winger, Lucas Moura.

Lucas, who signed for the French giants from Brazilian side São Paulo for €40 million four years ago, is currently said to be evaluating his options. He has finished the season with a tally of 19 goals, and has already featured in 145 games for PSG since his arrival.

According to the reports from Sport Witness, Manchester United are looking to bolster their midfield with the addition of a speedy right winger. Mourinho’s first choice for the role has been Chelsea’s Willian, who also has been linked to the club for quite some time now.

However, with Chelsea likely to play hard-ball over the Brazilian winger, Mourinho is likely to stop pursuing Willian in order to buy time for other potential signings.

Nonetheless, the Portuguese may have already found a replacement in the form of Moura, who also has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in the past, despite a deal never materialising.

With the Red Devils looking to push for their 21st Premier League title next season, the United boss is set to be given a £200 million transfer budget for the summer, and Antoine Griezmann being the all important transfer, other targets, such as Lucas Moura, could also make a move to Old Trafford.

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Gianluigi Donnarumma To Sit In The Stands If New Contract Is Not Signed

Reuters

An ultimatum has been issued by AC Milan to super agent Mino Raiola, insisting that the club would make their highly rated goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma sit in the stands next season if a new deal isn’t signed by the end of June.

Donnarumma is currently one of the hottest young properties in Europe, and the Rossoneri are keen to keep the goalkeeper, and thus, are pushing to extend his contract which is set to expire at the end of next season.

With a meeting scheduled for next week, negotiations with the 18-year-old’s agent have been in progress, but the club seems to be exasperated now due to Raiola’s stalling.

According to Italian daily Corriere della Sera, the Serie A giants appear to have lost their patience, and have given an ultimatum to the super agent regarding the wonder kid’s contract situation. The club has threatened Raiola that if a new contract is not signed by the end of June, Donnarumma would be forced to sit in the stands next season.

Also, the Rossoneri are said to be willing to lose their young goalkeeper on a free transfer at the end of next season, instead of allowing the Italian shot-stopper to leave this summer for a fee that they consider to be lower than his value.

Premier League giants Manchester United and Manchester City have been keeping an eye on the youngster’s current situation, and are likely to make a move soon, should the standoff between Raiola and AC Milan continue.

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