Arsenal youngster keen on loan move in January

Folarin Balogun is keen to leave Arsenal in the winter transfer window for the sake of more game time as he has struggled to impress Mikel Arteta since being promoted to the senior squad.

Balogun signed a contract extension last summer after negotiations which lasted for several months that looked sometimes on the edge of breaking down.

The Hale End product has been in the dynamics of the first team since 2020 but has only made two Premier League appearances for the club, one of which was the 2021/22 season opening day loss to newly-promoted Brentford in August 2021.

He was a trusted part of the Europa League squad last season, however, and showed some of the quality which he regularly shows with the Arsenal U-23s, where he has been made to play this season since after the opening day.

Various reports now claim that the 20-year-old American, born to Nigerian parents but raised in England, is keen on getting senior team experience and as such, is seeking a loan move in January.

Three Championship clubs including Middlesbrough, managed by sacked Sheffield United boss Chris Wilder, are looking to have him in their ranks from January.

It is also reported that French Ligue 1 side, Saint-Etienne, is ready to challenge the three Championship clubs for his signature in January.

Balogun speaks up on his situation

The England youth international has spoken up about his situation within the Gunners squad 

“I have played youth football for a little while, I have obviously scored a lot of goals at that level and improved at that level drastically from when I started,” Balogun said.

“I do feel like I am ready for a new challenge but I am not sure what that might be, it might be a loan or if I am needed at Arsenal then I am here and the gaffer knows that.

“I know the potential I could have and that I need to achieve is massive. I haven’t achieved it yet. What I see now I would just describe as glimpses, things that need to be worked on and can be improved.

“The performances I am putting in are all I can do at the moment. I know that I am going in the right direction.”

Balogun is inspired by fellow Hale End graduates Emile Smith-Rowe and Bukayo Saka who have not only gone on to secure prominent first team roles but also gotten England senior team call-ups.

“This time last year Emile was playing 23s football, so that just shows how quickly things can change in football,” Balogun added.

“I know that I need to be patient and I have complete faith in the gaffer. Whatever the plan is I will give 100 percent and I know it will work out.”

Arsenal look to shake things up in January

Balogun is not the only Arsenal player looking for a way out of the club.

Fellow Hale End product Eddie Nketiah is looking to leave the club and has rejected the Gunners’ latest contract offer to extend his stay beyond this summer when his contract runs out.

He’ll be free to talk to teams in January, and except anything changes, will be leaving Arsenal in June 2022 for free.

Alexandre Lacazette is also on his way out, as the 30-year-old striker’s agents are on the lookout for the best deal for him. Several clubs including AC Milan and Atlético de Madrid are interested in Lacazette.

However, 90min have claimed that the north London side are interested in signing Brazilian striker Gabriel Barbosa Almeida “Gabigol” who is looking for a return to Europe after a horror spell at Internazionale.

Gabigol is a central striker who can play on the right wing as well, a good replacement for the soon-to-be absent Nicolas Pepe.

The Flamengo striker would also have little problems adjusting to life at the Emirates Stadium as compatriots Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Magalhaes will be there to help him adjust.

He could also be a fan favourite as he has admitted his admiration for Arsenal legend Thierry Henry many times in the past, and claims to model his game on the legendary Gunner.

Swiss star has heart set on Liverpool move in the summer

Reports suggest that Liverpool is the favoured destination for Borussia Monchengladbach defensive midfielder, Denis Zakaria, who is being courted by a host of clubs.

The highly sought-after 25-year-old has expressed a wish to work with Jurgen Klopp and is not keen on renewing his contract with Gladbach according to reports.

Zakaria signed for the German Bundesliga outfit in 2017 after starting off his football career in Switzerland playing for Servette and Young Boys. He broke in immediately into the team’s starting line up and has remained a key player ever since, playing 138 games to date for Gladbach.

The defensive midfielder, who has been compared to Patrick Vieira, has been a key player for the German side over the past couple of years as he has played 138 times.

Gazzetta Dello Sport, the source of the reports, claim that a host of Premier League clubs including Manchester City and Liverpool, as well as AS Roma, Borussia Dortmund, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Juventus are all interested in the defensive midfielder.

But the report states that Liverpool is Zakaria’s favoured destination as he “dreams” of a move to the Premier League to work under Jurgen Klopp.

Monchengladbach would reportedly demand between €8 million and €10 million for him in January.

Liverpool can offer Zakaria a much better financial package

The Swiss international is a versatile player who can not only provide cover for the defence, but can be used as a box to box midfielder in the mould of Georginio Wijnaldum and also as a centre-back.

Zakaria is strong, energetic, a superb tackler and a great passer of the ball and is quickly developing into a fine all-round midfielder in the same mould as Premier League legendary midfielder and current Crystal Palace boss, Patrick Vieira.

Barcelona was one of the first clubs to contact him through his representatives according to reports, but more reports suggest that Barcelona manager Xavi Hernandez isn’t completely certain of the move as it’ll mean losing Frenkie de Jong.

Among his current suitors, only Bayern Munich, Manchester City and Liverpool can offer him a good financial package as well as a winning project to be a part of.

However, the interest from both City and Bayern are not as concrete, making it easier for Zakaria to chase his dream move to Liverpool.

The midfielder is also reportedly still open to the Barcelona switch if the Liverpool move falls through.

Liverpool fans excited about Denis Zakaria links

Liverpool fans on Twitter are very excited about the links to the Swiss international and are calling for Fenway Sports Group (FSG) to go for the defensive midfielder in January.

It is worthy of note that Liverpool have a strict transfer policy which makes it such that they rarely sign players, even going a whole season on two separate occasions without a new player.

Fans of the club are excited about the links and the news coming out of the 25-year-old’s interest in playing at Anfield, and this could be a way for the already out of favour FSG to score some points with the fans.

Liverpool fans are not just the only fans hoping to sign him. Fans of all the clubs to which Denis Zakaria is linked have started tweeting and sending messages to their clubs to pull a rabbit out of their hats by signing the midfielder.

Manchester City record signing admits he could have been with city rivals instead

Manchester United missed out on the opportunity to sign Jack Grealish, as the player has revealed that he was ‘really close’ to completing a move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2020.

“I was really close to going [to Manchester United], but nothing happened in the end,” he told The Telegraph ahead of a potential return to Villa Park for City’s game on Wednesday night.

“We played United in a pre-season game on Saturday and I wasn’t supposed to play in a cup game at Burton. But after the United game I said to [Christian] Purslow and my agent ‘if I’m not leaving, I’ll sign my new contract.’”

“I went in with my dog on Tuesday morning, signed the deal, and played later that day.”

It was in this new contract that Aston Villa added the £100 million release clause which Manchester City forked out the following season for Grealish.

“We all agreed on the clause and if any team hit that, it’s a win-win because it means I’ve had an unbelievable season and Villa got £100 million,” Grealish added.

Grealish also admitted that walking away from Villa was hard, but Champions League football was too much to pass up on.

“You only get one shot at your career and it just flies by,” he continued. “I feel Villa are going towards that [Europe] but I just didn’t know how long it was going to take for us. If I hadn’t come here, I would have regretted it forever.

“You look at most of my England team-mates – I was probably one of the last to play [in the] Champions League. I’ve played four times in it now and loved every moment. 

“It’s the one we all want to win. The manager has come here and won everything else, we’re all desperate to win it and I’ve come here to try and help them.”

Grealish admits to tough adaptation period at City

“It’s been harder than I expected,” Grealish said to The Telegraph when asked about how he has found life at City since his £100m move.

“I’ve found it a lot more difficult than I thought I would, adapting to a different manager and teammates. At first I thought I’d have more of the ball, get more assists and goals but it doesn’t work like that at all.

“I’ve had nowhere near as much of the ball as I used to get at Villa.”

However, City manager Pep Guardiola believes that Grealish is being too hard on himself, claiming that the attacking midfielder needs to give himself more credit.

“If you analyse the games [and whether] he played bad. Absolutely not. With the quality he has it is difficult to play bad. But the way we played and the expectations every few days… It is completely different to what he lives at Aston Villa. But he did it incredibly well there.

“Now he comes back from the international break injured and now hopefully come back step by step to his best form.”

Guardiola, however, still expects a lot more from Grealish in the remainder of the season, saying that City ‘will be in trouble’ if Grealish isn’t at his best.

“I don’t think so, we will be in trouble! We have to see it right now, the best of course. Absolutely not, I am not thinking the best of Jack Grealish we will see next season. I want to see it this season!”

Gerrard wants a warm welcome for Grealish at Villa Park

Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard has urged Villa supporters to give Grealish a warm reception if the 26-year-old is fit enough to make the trip from Manchester.

“Jack very much deserves a warm welcome. I have no doubt he will get that, this is his club and it will be when his career is over because he was here as a little boy,” Gerrard said in his pre-match conference.

“He came through the academy, the club has benefited a lot from what Jack has given and we very much wish him well in terms of the remainder of his career. But obviously not tomorrow for 90 minutes!

“I can feel what he has been through because I have been there myself when you have that opportunity to move on from your club.”

Chelsea in danger of losing Antonio Rudiger after defender rejects latest contract offer

Antonio Rudiger has rejected Chelsea’s latest contract offer for an extension of his time at the club, giving his main suitors, Real Madrid, even more hope in their chances of signing him this summer.

The 28-year-old defender joined the Blues in 2017 from Roma for £27 million and has gone on to make 166 appearances in all official competitions for the Blues, scoring nine goals.

His appearance record could have been more robust if not for Frank Lampard who didn’t count on the defender during his year-and-half stint as Chelsea manager, even leading to exit rumours for Rudiger.

But Rudiger found favour again with Thomas Tuchel, becoming a key member of his compatriot’s Chelsea. No Chelsea player has played more minutes in all competitions for the club this season than Rudiger, leading to renewal talks which have not progressed until now.

The 28-year-old centre-back’s contract at Stamford Bridge will expire this summer and Goal reports that Chelsea’s latest offer to Rudiger was around £7million per year (£140,000 per week), much less than his teammates Timo Werner, Thiago Silva, Kai Havertz and Romelu Lukaku.

Reports coming from Spain claim that Rudiger is looking for around £10m per year (£210,000 per week), which Real Madrid is prepared to offer the rejuvenated defender when his current deal runs out at Chelsea.

Thomas Tuchel calm about the Rudiger situation  

Chelsea manager, Thomas Tuchel, whose trust in the defender has made him into a mainstay at the club and one of the Premier League’s scariest defender is calm about the situation and also wants him to stay.

“We know that [he can speak to foreign clubs in January], of course,” Tuchel said at the beginning of November. “It is pretty clear what we want but it is not like this in football when the coach or club wants something and things happen.

“You have to accept that sometimes it can arrive and you end up in situations where things are in a bit of a delay and take time but I am very, very sure that Toni feels also how respected and what an important role he plays in this club.

“I’m calm because I feel Toni is calm. I feel the situation here is calm inside and from here we go.”

Transfer insider, Fabrizio Romano has reported that the German defender would love to remain at Stamford Bridge but the club’s offer is not acceptable amid interest from Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich.

Chelsea in danger of losing their whole defense in June

Andreas Christensen is also an important player under Tuchel and is in a similar contract standoff situation with Antonio Rudiger.

The 25-year-old Denmark international has been at Chelsea since his teens, when he joined the club’s academy from Brøndby in the Danish league almost a decade ago.

Malang Sarr is down the pecking order of defenders at Chelsea but is also looking for an exit route out of the club via a long-term loan option in January according to his agent Federico Pasterello (via Gazzetta dello Sport).

Veteran defenders, club captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva are also out of contract in June which has placed a lot of pressure on the club’s management.

Chelsea, however, are linked with a number of high-profile centre-backs including Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo, Sevilla’s Jules Kounde and Fenerbahçe’s Attila Szalai.

Chelsea is the 2021 Club of the Year as winners in the 2021 Ballon d’Or awards are revealed

Chelsea have been recognised for their achievements as a club as France Football awarded them the 2021 Club of the Year at the Ballon d’Or gala on Monday.

France Football unveiled two awards at the 2021 Ballon d’Or awards gala: “Striker of the Year” and “Club of the Year”.

Both award categories are the third and fourth introductions by France Football in the past three years, following the Kopa Trophy for best young player under the age of 21 and the Yashin Trophy for the best goalkeeper.

Robert Lewandowski, who missed out on his Ballon d’Or due to COVID-19 restrictions forcing France Football to cancel last year’s gala, won the Striker of the Year award, while Chelsea won the Club of the Year award.

The Blues were the standout team in this year’s Ballon d’Or nominations for both the male and female categories following an excellent year in which the men’s team won the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Super Cup, and the women’s team won the English Women’s Super League.

Captain Cesar Azpilicueta, Romelu Lukaku, Mason Mount, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante were on the 30-man shortlist for the men’s award, while Pernille Harder, Sam Kerr, Jessie Flemming and Fran Kirby were on the 10-woman shortlist for the women’s award.

Edouard Mendy was also nominated for the Yashin award following his brilliant season with The Blues but lost out on the Yashin Trophy to Gianluigi Donnarumma.

How Chelsea won the Club of the Year award

Chelsea became a dominant force under manager Emma Hayes and that dominance was on full display in 2021 as expected.

It was a smooth run to the final of the UEFA Women’s Champions League where they faced the unmovable wall of Barcelona Femeni, captained by 2021 Ballon d’Or Feminin winner, Alexia Putellas.

This was after they had wrapped up the WSL in England for the second time in a row to claim their fourth title, the most in the competition’s 11-year history. A win in the UWCL final would’ve also meant that Chelsea would be the first club to have their men’s and women’s teams be European champions.

Meanwhile, the men’s team braved many odds as they picked up the pieces of a season in which they could’ve ended outside the places for European competition. 

Thomas Tuchel took over from Frank Lampard and helped transform the team into a club that nobody wants to play against, eventually beating Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in the Champions League and later Villarreal in the Super Cup.

This was after battling their way back into the top four to earn a chance to qualify for the 2021/22 Champions League in case things didn’t go their way in the final.

Chelsea men’s team currently top the 2021/22 Premier League table while Chelsea women’s team are in second place and looking to defend their title from their perennial rivals, the Arsenal women’s team.

As it stands, Chelsea remains in pole position to win the 2022 Club of the Year award, which will definitely please fans.

Cristiano Ronaldo furious after United’s 1-1 draw with Chelsea; reassures fans afterwards

Cristiano Ronaldo was visibly angry after Manchester United’s 1-1 draw with Premier League leaders Chelsea on matchday 13 of the 2021/22 season.

The Portuguese superstar stormed down the tunnel at full-time, refusing to shake hands with the officials or his opponents after Manchester United lost two valuable points to Chelsea.

Chelsea huffed and puffed and missed a few chances to go ahead thanks to poor finishing and Manchester United’s goalkeeper, David De Gea who has rediscovered his best form after struggling for the better part of three seasons.

And Jadon Sancho opened the scoring after an uncharacteristic mistake from Chelsea skipper and Ballon D’Or candidate, Jorginho, gifted him an opportunity to go one-on-one with Edouard Mendy. The goal was against the run of play as United suffered at Stamford Bridge in the first half of the tie.

Jorginho made up for his error by slotting home a penalty 19 minutes later after Aaron Wan-Bissaka brought down Thiago Silva in a clumsy attempt to clear the ball to snatch a point for league leaders, Chelsea, to the annoyance of Cristiano Ronaldo and Manchester United fans.

Ronaldo was left on the bench by caretaker manager Michael Carrick, surprising everyone. The decision turned out to be a favourable one for the Red Devils, as they were able to comfortably soak up all the Chelsea pressure.

The 36-year-old replaced goalscorer Jadon Sancho after 64 minutes but was unable to make any meaningful impact in the game. He also earned a yellow card for dissent after sarcastically clapping at referee Anthony Taylor over a decision to award a Chelsea drop ball late on.

By his standards, Ronaldo had a poor game and his frustrations showed after the final whistle was blown with the way he stormed right out of the pitch through the tunnel without exchanging any greetings with opponents, fans or the officials.

Ronaldo assures United fans that ‘nothing is impossible’

The draw extended Manchester United’s run to three league games without a win – something the five-time Ballon D’Or winner was also visibly angry about.

Ronaldo showed his leadership later that evening with a tweet to Manchester United fans assuring them of his desire to keep succeeding with the team.

He tweeted via his Twitter account: “There is still a long road ahead and nothing is impossible when you play for Man. United. We will keep chasing our goals until the end!”

Ronaldo has pulled Manchester United out of many a sticky situation this season, especially in the Champions League. His six goals in the competition won 10 points for the club, which helped them qualify for the next round.

His disappointment with himself and the team was understood and he wasn’t the only one feeling this way.

Caretaker manager Micahel Carrick said post-match: “When you’re in front in a game like this, to have it taken away from you like it was is disappointing.

“We came here to win the game, we had a plan, we were positive in our mindset and in our attitude for that, so we’re a little bit disappointed, I can’t lie.”

Carrick explains that Ronaldo was on board with the team changes

Carrick’s controversial decision to leave Ronaldo out of the starting XI dominated most of the headlines before the match, but he explained that Ronaldo understood why the changes had to be made and agreed to them.

“Cristiano is probably our standout name, but it’s just game plan, ideas. I had a good chat with Cristiano actually, he was great, and we’ve decided to go like that today,” he told Sky Sports.

“It’s a decision just to pick a team, to be honest. I don’t think it needs more drama than that. Everyone is fine, all the boys who have come out of the team have been terrific around the place.”

Carrick also explained his reasons to journalists after the game, as the issue of United’s dullness in the attack was raised.

“The changes I made was a feeling,” he told journalists. “We had thoughts about the game, how the game was going to go, about how we could hurt them, how we could penetrate, a little bit of freshness as well, a bit of energy some boys have played a lot of games.”

Alexandre Lacazette is preparing for life after Arsenal as agents seek new opportunities

Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette has revealed in an interview that his agents are “looking” at options for him as he prepares for life after four years at Arsenal.

The striker’s contract will run out in the summer and his latest comments imply that he’s not looking to spend any more time at the Emirates, despite being a fan favourite.

The 30-year-old joined Arsenal in 2017 from Olympique Lyonnais as one of the hottest strikers in world football. He was supposed to move to Atletico de Madrid, but the deal fell through due to the transfer ban placed on Atletico for one year.

He eventually signed for the Gunners for £46.5 million, a record fee at the time for both Lyon and Arsenal. He has scored 51 times in 135 appearances for the Gunners – a record which could’ve been a lot more if not for occasional fitness issues that kept him out of the team for extended spells.

He has, however, found his playing time cut by a lot since Mikel Arteta took over as Arsenal’s head coach in 2019, and has started only four Premier League games this season and 10 in all competitions, scoring three goals and providing one assist.

The 30-year-old striker reportedly earns around £200,000 per week at the Emirates Stadium, which is why the Gunners are reluctant to extend his deal on his current salary.

Lacazette will have no problems finding a replacement club, as Newcastle United, AC Milan, Olympique de Marseille and Atletico de Madrid are currently all courting the striker.

Lacazette wants a beautiful project

Speaking with French football channel Telefoot, Lacazette said: “Of course, my agents are starting to look to the right and to the left. But not until January, I really want to focus myself on something.

“And then we will see what is on offer, if the challenges are interesting; if there are beautiful projects, how they are counting on me.

“So there are still many questions, I prefer to wait until January to position myself.”

Mikel Arteta’s comments on the situation also suggest that he can do without the striker. The  Gunners boss thinks it is important that the club continues to communicate with Lacazette for both parties to be clear on what they want.

“That’s a position that’s happening more and more in football,” Arteta said about Lacazette’s case. “He is not the only one, we have a few.

“That’s something we have to deal with, with contracts that they were coming from a few years ago, with certain particularities. We knew that was the case.

“I have already spoken with them individually about how we have to handle those situations the best possible way, and that’s it.

“The important thing is that communication is clear, and the intentions of both parties, while they are together, are very clear.”

Antonio Conte wants Arsenal target

Meanwhile, reports from Calciomercato show that Arsenal’s pursuit of Juventus’ winger Dejan Kulusevski is being threatened by Tottenham Hotspurs and Antonio Conte

Calciomercato reports that Kulusevski has fallen out of grace with Max Allegri at Juventus and that the Bianconeri manager “doesn’t want to find space for the Swedish international, and doesn’t consider him ready and is difficult to place on the pitch.

Kulusevski is valued at £30 million. The winger wants to play more and will be open to a move away from Juventus to a club that can guarantee him the playing time he needs. Arsenal now have to battle Antonio Conte’s massive pull to be able to land the winger from Juventus.

Liverpool break two goalscoring records with win over Southampton; score 700 goals under Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool ran rampant at Anfield as visiting Southampton faced the ruthlessness of the Reds rampaging attacking line on matchday 13 of the 2021/22 Premier League season.

The Reds set a new club record in the Premier League after smashing four goals past Southampton on Saturday afternoon. Diogo Jota put Liverpool in front after just two minutes, before scoring another thirty minutes later.

Thiago Alcantara and Virgil van Dijk rounded off the scoring in the second half with goals in the 37th and 52nd minute to seal another three points for the Reds and break a club Premier League goalscoring record. Liverpool have now scored 700 goals under Jurgen Klopp since he took over in 2015.

The four goals from this victory put them at 39 goals from their opening 13 games of the season, which is their best-ever tally at this stage of a top-flight season. The Reds are also the Premier League’s highest goalscorers this season, nine goals ahead of table-toppers Chelsea.

The win also helped them reduce the point deficit to the league leaders by one point pending the outcome of the Chelsea-Manchester United game on Sunday afternoon.

Mohamed Salah also notched another milestone for himself after he set up Jota for his second of the day. The assist has now put the Egyptian forward at 150 total goal involvements in the Premier League from Liverpool are two goals short of recording 700 since Jurgen Klopp took charge.

The Reds also matched another longstanding Premier League record by being the first team to score at least twice in 17 straight games since Sunderland in the 1927 season.

Klopp attributes Salah and Mane form to pre-season; heaps praise on Diogo Jota for being a Liverpool player

Liverpool failed in their title defence last season largely due to a large number of injuries in the squad which affected the balance of the team, losing the title to Manchester City.

After last season’s injury problems and an empty Anfield, the rhythm is back at Liverpool and Klopp’s heavy metal football is in full flow.

Klopp said to journalists after the win: “We knew we lacked stability last season. We had no centre-halves for a while and to find solutions. So it wasn’t a shock we couldn’t find the solidity we have now where everyone knows exactly what he has to do.”

Klopp also attributed the fine form of Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah to an extended pre-season. The attacking duo has been the best in the league – and arguably the world – for a number of seasons and are currently in the top two for goalscorers this season, with teammate Jota.

“This year we had a proper pre-season and especially upfront with Sadio and Mo they had the longest pre-season they had for ages and that was helpful and found the stability back,” Klopp said of Mane and Salah.

He also praised Diogo Jota who has been a revelation since moving from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Liverpool last season. The Portuguese forward was a guaranteed starter at Wolves and was believed to be at Anfield to provide cover for the front three of Mane, Salah and Firmino.

He has since slotted seamlessly into the attack that Klopp has had to expand his attack to a front four on many occasions. “He made the right decision [to sign]. When you talk to a player and they ask where they will play, I say you decide that with our performances,” Klopp said.

“It is not like the line-up is set in stone. It is about making 35 really good games rather than getting through a season and somehow playing 50 games. You need more than 11 players in a squad and more than three strikers and Diogo was smart enough to see that.”

Paul Pogba’s Real Madrid dream dealt huge blow as LaLiga giants make decision

Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba may never get his dream move to Real Madrid after the LaLiga giants’ latest transfer decision, according to reports by Marca.

Paul Pogba will be out of a contract at Manchester United by summer and his agent Mino Raiola has been cooking up a storm in the media concerning the 28-year-old’s contract situation.

The French midfielder who left Manchester United in 2012 to Juventus and returned in 2016 for £89 million in a world-record transfer has not found life as easy as he did while in Turin.

A U-20 and senior World Cup winner with France, Pogba’s talents have never been called into question. Yet, getting the best out of him at Manchester United has been the biggest challenge of every coach he has played for at the club to date.

This has sometimes been interpreted as an attitude problem by some of his coaches, pundits, former United players and by many fans of the club, with his £290,000 weekly salary not doing him any favours.

Pogba is currently out injured and will return in January to full training, but is still Manchester United’s biggest headache from the dressing room due to his contract situation.

Real Madrid to look elsewhere; believes Pogba will not fit in club’s system

The 28-year-old will be a free agent in the summer and is leaning towards an exit from Old Trafford, despite reports of Manchester United wanting to strike a new deal with him.

Mino Raiola, Pogba’s agent, has been front and centre of the whole issue, even claiming at one time that Pogba will not sign a new contract at United no matter what is offered.

This statement by Raiola is believed to have been made in the confidence of Pogba securing a move to Real Madrid because of the good relationship between Raiola and Real Madrid president, Florentino Perez.

Paul Pogba has also previously expressed an ‘eternal desire’ to play for Los Blancos, but may now be facing dashed hopes as the club has admitted that the midfielder doesn’t fit their system and won’t be an option for them in the coming transfer windows.

It is worthy of note that Paul Pogba has come close to joining Madrid in the past on a few occasions, and that the club admires the player greatly. However, under Carlo Ancelotti, he is no longer an option as the club has decided to find replacements for other areas in their squad.

Rangnick appointment may spell the end for Pogba at Manchester United

Real Madrid shifting their focus from Paul Pogba to other areas may lead to the Frenchman signing a new deal with Manchester United, but with Raiola’s comments hanging over the club, it could be a difficult process.

It is also understood that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was a positive influence on the Frenchman, and his exit from the club could lead to Pogba not signing a new deal.

Ralf Rangnick’s appointment as interim head coach could even make matters more complicated for Pogba. The German has stated in the past that Pogba is not his kind of player.

Rangnick is not expected to make any drastic changes in his six-month interim manager spell but if he does, Pogba may become the new focal point of the team or may be forced out of the squad.

Manchester City’s Ferran Torres close to Barcelona move

Manchester City forward Ferran Torres is close to a move back to LaLiga with an agreement already reached with Barcelona for his services, according to reports.

Marca reports that the Spaniard’s agent was in Spain last week to meet with Barcelona’s management concerning a potential switch for his client. The report also claims that Barcelona’s director of football, Mateu Alemany is currently in Manchester to discuss the deal with City’s management as the club prepares for the financial obligations that the signing will impose on them.

Barcelona is looking to bolster their frontline due to the injuries affecting the squad and has been in the market for a new striker. Raheem Sterling, Torres’ teammate at Manchester City, was among the leading options. The 21-year-old has now overtaken his 26-year-old teammate as Barcelona’s leading candidate.

Marca also reports that the clubs are the only parties slowing down the deal, as there’s already a deal in place between Ferran Torres and Barcelona.

It is important to mention that the youngster was on Barcelona’s radar last summer and was keen on the move, but that the Catalan club chose to go for Francisco Trincao instead, who is now spending the season on loan at Wolverhampton Wanderers in England.

Ferran Torres enticed by the Xavi project

While the reports claim that the 21-year-old Spanish international is not desperate to leave the Etihad, the idea of leading the line at a brand new Barcelona under Xavi Hernandez does appeal to him.

The forward is also worried about Manchester City’s prospects of signing a big name striker next season, which will limit his playing time at the club even more.

Barcelona have promised Torres an important role in the squad in their initial contact and hope that a deal can be agreed upon between them and City in January.

Torres joined Manchester City from his hometown club Valencia in August 2020 on a five-year contract for a reported transfer fee of €23 million. He has since scored 16 goals for the Citizens in 43 appearances in all competitions.

His time at Manchester City also helped him earn his first call-up to the Spanish national team, for who he has since featured 22 times, scoring 12 goals.

Barcelona eyeing Manchester City trio

While the young Spaniard may have replaced Raheem Sterling at the top of Barcelona’s priority list for attacking replacements, the 26-year-old Englishman is still a target for the Catalan giants.

City, however, will only sanction the deal if Barcelona’s proposed loan deal for Sterling comes with an obligation for the Catalan club to sign him permanently after.

Bernardo Silva is the other name on Barcelona’s list, and it is understood that the little Portuguese is also keen on a move to LaLiga. However, Manchester City’s valuation is sure to scare Barcelona away, who are currently down in the dumps with their finances.