Latest Transfer rumors: Man Utd race for spurs Sergio Reguilon as
Marco Verratti at Al-Arabi, Sergio Reguilon at Fulham, Wilfried Ndidi at Nottingham Forest
Sports Mole compiled some of the latest transfer rumors, including Marco Verratti to Al-Arabi, Sergio Reguilon to Fulham and Wilfried Ndidi to Nottingham Forest.
Paris Saint-Germain are said to have accepted an offer from Qatari club Al-Arabi for midfielder Marco Verratti.
Despite having three years left on his contract, the 30-year-old is expected to leave PSG in the coming days.
PSG have told Verratti that he is no longer part of their plans and therefore they are looking to sell him before the transfer window ends.
Verratti was expected to complete the transfer to Al-Hilal, but the Saudi club were unable to complete the deal after using up all the funds allocated by the Public Investment Fund for the transfer period. Present. According to Foot Mercato, the French champions have now accepted an offer from Al-Arabi for the France international.
While Verratti wants to stay in Europe, Al-Arabi hopes to convince the 30-year-old to join the Qatari Stars League.
During his 11 years in the French capital, Verratti made 416 appearances, scoring 11 goals and providing 61 assists.
Meanwhile, Fulham are said to be leading Manchester United in the race for Tottenham Hotspur defender Sergio Reguilon.
Reguilon, who spent last season on loan at Atletico Madrid, is likely to leave Spurs before the transfer window closes on Friday. The Spaniard has been identified as a potential target for United, who are looking to sign a new left-back following Luke Shaw’s injury.
However, according to The Telegraph, Fulham is also interested in Reguilon and is currently leading the race for his signature.
Fulham manager Marco Silva has made it clear he wants the club to sign five signings before Friday’s transfer deadline, including two full-backs.
As the Cottagers prepare to sign right-back Timothy Castagne from Leicester City, the addition of Reguilon will strengthen their left-back defence.
If Reguilon moves to Craven Cottage, he will create competition for the club’s current number one choice left-back, Antonee Robinson. Elsewhere, Nottingham Forest are said to be close to submitting an offer for Leicester City midfielder Wilfried Ndidi.
The 26-year-old has emerged as a transfer target for Steve Cooper’s side, who are hoping to land a central midfielder before the transfer window closes.
According to journalist Fabrizio Romano, Forest is about to send an official offer to the Nigerian international.
Ndidi is keen to complete a move to the City Ground and has agreed personal terms with the Premier League club.
With less than 12 months to go since the player’s contract expires, Leicester can decide to collect the money and agree to leave. Although the future is uncertain, Ndidi has not missed a game for Leicester this season, helping Enzo Maresca’s army have 5 consecutive victories in all competitions.
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Man Utd given tips to fully hijack ‘world-class’ Saudi bound £25.6m+ player, better than Sofyan Amrabat – bid expected soon
Manchester United should definitely hijack the Marco Verratti away from the Saudi League deal.
The Italian midfielder is one of the world’s best players. He’s highlighted that for years with PSG, but made everyone particularly take note in 2020 when he won the Euros with his nation.
Verratti is a silky midfielder who possesses immense skill and the ability to pick out an intricate pass, but also tenacious in a challenge and astute defensively – making him one of the most balanced, technically gifted players in world football presently.
At 30 years of age, he’s still got four more years at his best. He would be an ideal midfielder for Manchester United, going off the start of the season, so why not ake advantage to hijack the proposed Saudi League deal?
Verratti is perfect for Manchester United
Looking at Manchester United’s two opening fixtures, one thing has become clear – the midfield has looked woeful.
Mason Mount was brought in to play that traditional midfielder role, but it just hasn’t clicked as of yet. We actually think he’d be better suited further up the pitch, but obviously, Bruno Fernandes holds down that role.
It’s clear to see that defensively, we’ve looked a little lost in the middle. That’s because the balance of either Fred or Christian Eriksen who dropped back to help Casemiro has now gone.
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Man United hoping to sell prolific attacker if “better offer” from Saudi League pop’s up
Manchester United is now keen on adding new players but Anthony Martial’s stay at Manchester United might well come to an end before August is out, with Erik ten Hag willing to let the centre forward leave.
According to 90mins, the Frenchman is attracting interest from Saudi Pro League clubs, with Man United said to be “aware” of discussions taking place.
Thus far, only representatives of Martial and those of Saudi Arabian clubs are thought to have been in contact.
Nevertheless, Manchester United are “hopeful” that a “lucrative offer” will present itself in due course.
The club knows that getting a fee for Anthony Martial would be no small feat, with the mercurial striker on a heft contract worth around £250,000-a-week.
One thing is a concern to the club because his injury record certainly does not align with those wages, nor have his performance on the rare occasions in which he does make it onto the pitch.
Such was his promise as a youngster, AS Monaco were confident that the Ballon d-Or clause negotiated as part of his sale to Man United stood a very good chance of being activate.
Looking back on Martial’s time at Old Trafford, it now seems like an incredibly fanciful notion.
It would be difficult to gauge his current value given his aforementioned issues. Transfermarkt estimates that he would be worth around £12.9m, but United would be unlikely to fetch that price even from a Saudi Arabian club.
But simply getting his wages off the books would be a success at this stage. His annual salary of around £13m places a burden on the club’s ability to operate in the transfer market, as it counts towards United’s compliance with UEFA’s Financial Sustainability Regulations.
Any fee, therefore, would look like a bonus, although with the team light on strikers, Ten Hag is sure to push for a replacement should Martial leave the club.
For now, all Manchester United can do is wait to see what offers present it’s sellf, while keeping an eye out for a more reliable centre forward who could soon be on the move.
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Liverpool could qualify for the Champions League despite finishing fifth next season under the new UEFA rules
Liverpool are currently missing out on the Champions League next season but could be a different story if they finish fifth again in 2023/24
With less than two weeks left in the Premier League season, Liverpool’s hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League remain in check.
After Monday night’s 3-0 win over Leicester City, the Reds are one point adrift of Newcastle United and Manchester United are in fifth place. However, they played one game more than both the Magpies and Red Devils.
As a result, already sure of a top-six finish and Europa League qualification, they need at least one between Newcastle and Manchester United to win just one of their remaining three games, winning both of their last two games, if they are to secure a unlikely top four finish.
Newcastle play Brighton & Hove Albion at home on Thursday before hosting Leicester City on Monday and then ending the season at Chelsea. United meanwhile travel to AFC Bournemouth on Saturday before hosting Chelsea in the second leg on Thursday May 25 and ending the season at home to Fulham.
While Liverpool could reach maximum points in their remaining matches at home against Aston Villa and away against already relegated Southampton, it is still a huge challenge for every team above them to drop the points needed to ensure a place in the four possible finishes. head of the Reds.
In desperation, some fans may have wondered if there was a circuitous route for Jurgen Klopp’s side to next year’s Champions League. For example, if Man City won the tournament this season, would England secure a fifth qualifying spot? Unfortunately, the answer is no. Consequently, if Liverpool do not have at least one between Newcastle United and Manchester United, they will play in the Europa League next season.
In fact, it looks set to become more difficult for the Reds to re-qualify for the Champions League next season anyway, given the increased competition they will face.
Pep Guardiola’s dominant Man City will strengthen their squad as always, while Arsenal and Newcastle United will now enjoy the riches of Champions League football after years in the wilderness. Meanwhile, Manchester United could be financially buoyed by new owners this summer, while Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea look to support their new managers in the transfer market.
Add to that Robert De Zerbi’s Brighton side who came close to making the top four this year and would have considerable cash to spare following big-name departures. While it is premature to call them Champions League hopefuls, the Seagulls will be looking to build on their impressive campaign this year. Liverpool will of course improve, with a midfield refresh expected at least this summer. Alexis Mac Allister, Mason Mount and Ryan Gravenberch are all of interest, with other deals slated for the closing season as well.
The race for football in the Champions League is therefore likely to be even tougher in the years to come. So it’s good that fifth place doesn’t currently qualify for the European Cup, but that could change soon.
From the 2024/25 season, the Champions League format is set to change, with the tournament expanding from 32 teams to 36 clubs. The traditional group stage is abandoned, placing all 36 teams in a single table, with each of the qualifying teams playing eight matches, four at home and four away.
Teams finishing from first to eighth automatically qualify for the round of 16, with the knockout stage remaining the same as the current system from then on. Meanwhile, the teams placed between ninth and twenty-fourth will contest a two-legged play-off, with the eight winners also advancing to the round of 16.
So how will the four participants be determined?
Another team qualifies via the ‘Champions Path’ qualifying path, which shows competitions that fall outside the top 10 of the UEFA Country Coefficient. Meanwhile, the league that ranks fifth in the UEFA coefficient will also get an extra spot.
France currently occupy that spot, with the top two teams currently qualifying for the Champions League group stage and the third-placed qualifying for the third qualifying round. Under the new format, the top three teams would automatically qualify for the new league format, with their fourth team qualifying instead, rather than the Europa League group stage as before.
The last two places are reserved for the two countries with the highest coefficient scores of the current season. If the new format were introduced next year rather than in 2024/25, it would give England and Italy fifth place in Champions League qualification. Meanwhile, in three of the last four seasons, a Premier League side has reportedly been given one of the extra slots.
Liverpool’s transition campaign has come essentially a year early to take advantage of the format change, which would see the fifth-placed qualify for the Champions League.
And while the possibility of an extra place for English clubs could help them in their qualification race next season, assuming Premier League sides return to high performance, by winning the Europa League, with the champions of the European secondary competition will still have a place in the Champions League group stage competition under the new format.
However, Klopp will inevitably hope his side return to the top of the table and fight for titles rather than mere Champions League qualification as the 2023-24 season draws to a close.