According to reports in The Sun on Sunday, Manchester United want at least £28m for left-back Luke Shaw if they are going to sell the unsettled £130,000-a-week defender this summer.

What’s the word, then?

Well, The Sun on Sunday says that Red Devils boss Jose Mourinho wants to bring a new left-back to the club this summer to provide more competition for Ashley Young, who has been playing in an unfamiliar role there this season.

The Sun on Sunday says that Mourinho has regularly fallen out with Shaw having publicly criticised him on more than one occasion, and the Portuguese boss is hoping to recoup the money they paid to sign him from Southampton in 2014.

The report adds that even though he has largely been frozen out at Old Trafford this term, the 22-year-old is willing to stay at United and fight for his spot in the starting XI, if they let him.

How has Shaw done this season?

It has been another rollercoaster campaign for the England international.

The 22-year-old was injured when proceedings got underway in August, and with Young, Marcos Rojo and Daley Blind all ahead of him in the pecking order at left-back, Shaw found it difficult to even get in the squad for the first few months of the season.

However, he did get a run in the starting XI at the end of 2017 and into 2018, but he quickly found Young preferred to him once again and he has only played 113 minutes of football in their last eight Premier League fixtures – prior to the clash against Arsenal.

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Are United right to let him go?

It’s difficult to say.

While Shaw may not be quite there in terms of fitness and mentality, the fact that he is still 22 years of age and clearly has plenty of talent in his locker would mean that their fans, who are split on rumours that they could sign Southampton’s Cedric Soares for their right-back spot, would like the Red Devils to keep the faith with him.

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However, it doesn’t seem as though Mourinho is ever going to get on with him, and if the Portuguese boss is at Old Trafford for years to come then it would be best for both parties if the left-back moved on this summer.

Will they get £28m for him?

It really could depend on which Premier League teams need a player in that position.

Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Chelsea and Everton may all be keen if the 22-year-old was to become available, and all four of them probably wouldn’t be against paying £28m in this day and age for a player who still has really good quality and potential to improve.

West Ham fans are getting excited about the potential arrival of Paulo Fonseca, as the Shakhtar Donetsk manager met with David Sullivan.

David Moyes’ West Ham contract officially ended this week, and fans are absolutely delighted about the latest links.

According to multiple reports, Paulo Fonseca has met with the West Ham owners as he prepares to take over from Moyes.

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Other candidates are expected to interview with the club, but Fonseca is the heavy favourite.

Fonseca has impressed during his tenure as Shakhtar boss, not only with the impressive performances on the pitch but also his charisma off it.

West Ham fans are desperate for a young, attack minded coach, and the 45 year-old could be just the man.

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Fonseca boasts an impressive 77.5 per cent win rate in Donetsk, and impressed spectators in the Champions League, including handing Manchester City one of their seven losses this season.

Fans have been reacting to the links on Twitter, and some of the best reactions can be found below…

When Steven Gerrard was appointed Rangers manager, plenty of Liverpool fans were not best pleased by the decision.

The retired midfielder had been coaching the Reds’ Under-18s team when he was approached about taking over at Ibrox.

The Liverpool legend, who spent 17 years of his career wearing the Liver bird on his chest, has never before had managerial experience at an elite level.

Gerrard’s first task will be to shape a squad worthy of challenging Celtic in the Scottish Premier League next season.

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Already, the 2005 Champions League winner has recruited former Burnley midfielder Scott Anfield, and now it appears that he is looking closer to home.

According to Turkish media outlet Sabah, the Gers are planning to launch a £4m bid for Fenerbahce defender Martin Skrtel.

The 33-year-old is well known to Gerrard and Liverpool fans given that he spent eight-and-a-half seasons at Anfield.

The Slovakian moved to Fenerbahce in 2016, but his future at the club remains up in the air.

Liverpool fans have been posting their reactions to the rumours via Reddit.

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Former Hull City and Watford manager Marco Silva is one of the frontrunners to replace Sam Allardyce as Everton boss according to reports in The Guardian, after the 63-year-old was sacked on Wednesday.

Despite leading the Merseyside outfit away from the relegation zone and to an eighth-place finish, the Toffees have decided to take a different direction ahead of next season, amid huge disapproval against the former England chief from the Goodison Park faithful, who are hopeful on Twitter that new director of football Marcel Brands will complete two huge signings from the Eredivisie this summer.

Silva may well get the vacant job considering Everton were keen to appoint him when they sacked Ronald Koeman last year, but the Hertfordshire-based club were understandably reluctant to let the 40-year-old go having only got him months before – the fall-out from the situation was ultimately one of the main reasons for his departure in January.

If the Portuguese boss does succeed Big Sam there will be inevitable links with some of the players he had a hand in bringing to the Hornets when he took over at Vicarage Road last summer, but he will also be well aware of other individuals he worked with during his spells at Sporting Lisbon and Olympiacos.

Here are three stars Everton could sign with Marco Silva connections…

One of Silva’s priorities this summer if he does get the Everton could be to bring in a new left-back and long-term replacement for Leighton Baines, and the answer to his problems may already be in the Premier League.

The Portuguese boss worked with West Ham United star Masuaku during his spell in Olympiacos – where the French full-back made his name before his move to England – and the 24-year-old would certainly provide the energy and attacking threat that the Merseyside outfit will want from the players in those positions next season.

Another player Silva worked with at Olympiacos was midfielder Milivojevic, who eventually left the Greek giants to join Crystal Palace in January 2017 having made a huge impact.

The Serbia international has made the transition to the Premier League look easy with 12 goals in 51 appearances in all competitions – including 10 in 36 top flight matches for the Eagles this term – and his goal threat coupled with his defensive ability could mean that he proves to be an upgrade on someone like Morgan Schneiderlin in the middle of the park for the Toffees during the 2018/19 campaign.

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Another player that could be a potential replacement for Schneiderlin is Euro 2016 winner Carvalho, who has been constantly linked with a move to the Premier League in recent years.

That may well finally happen this summer however, and there is no doubt that the powerful defensive midfielder – who Silva worked with during his spell in charge of Sporting Lisbon – looks to be ready-made to be a star in the English top flight.

He could come at a cost, but the 26-year-old is a player that could strengthen a Toffees side that have often looked shaky at the back this season, and provide real barrier in front of the defnece.

Do you agree, Toffees fans? Let us know below.

According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Manchester United are targeting Marko Arnautovic and Mario Mandzukic as they look to add another left sided attacker this summer, but it’s really a certain Manchester City target they should be signing.

What’s the story?

A recent report from Goal claims Pep Guardiola is considering a move for Bayer Leverkusen’s Leon Bailey, who is sure to draw plenty of interest this summer after his incredible breakout season.

The young Jamaican is on City’s radar as Guardiola looks to add a midfielder and a forward to his title-winning squad during the summer, with Leicester City’s Riyad Mahrez another option, and the Etihad outfit are keen to get their business wrapped up before the World Cup – or at the very least pre-season.

Having Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling, Leroy Sane and Leon Bailey all in the same squad would be an insane amount of youth, pace, flair and goals, which is why Jose Mourinho cannot allow it to happen.

While Manchester City are undoubtedly the hotter prospect right now, any young player that was born in the 1990s has grown up watching Manchester United dominate, and you’d be hard pushed to find a footballer in the world that would turn down a move to Old Trafford.

The report from Di Marzio claims Mourinho will use Matteo Darmian as a bargaining chip to land Mandzukic, but changing course and swooping for Bailey would be an upgrade in nearly every department.

Why Bailey?

With Anthony Martial looking like he could leave the club, it’s no surprise to see Mourinho looking to buff up his attacking ranks, but Mandzukic would just be a stopgap replacement whereas Bailey would be a genuine upgrade.

While Mandzukic undoubtedly has the edge in experience and defensive capabilities, the 20-year-old winger is faster, more technically gifted and more versatile.

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Valued at £40.5m by Transfermarkt, Bailey can play on either wing, and has flourished in his first full season in Germany, scoring 12 and assisting six in all competitions.

The young winger is quite simply electric with the ball at his feet, and the prospect of him linking up with the likes of Alexis Sanchez, Paul Pogba and Jesse Lingard, all spearheaded by the ever-improving Romelu Lukaku, could really be something special at Old Trafford.

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Bailey is right on the brink of becoming a world class player, and all he needs is a world class manager to bring it out of him. Mourinho should do everything in his power to make sure that man is him, and not his Spanish counterpart across town.

The Portuguese tactician has been criticised by fans for targeting older players like Toby Alderweireld and Mandzukic, and he can solve that complaint immediately by beating City to Bailey.

So, Manchester United fans, would you back a swoop for Bailey? Or would you play it safe and grab Mandzukic? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

According to reports in the Northern Echo, Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley could be tempted to sell captain Jamaal Lascelles if he received a £30m offer for the centre-back, with Everton and Chelsea two of the clubs listed as interested in the highly-rated 24-year-old.

The central defender made the step up from the Championship to the Premier League seamlessly last season, and his strong leadership at the back was one of the main reasons Rafa Benitez, whom a huge majority of fans don’t want to spend a club-record £20m fee to sign a 28-year-old star, and his men ended the campaign in an impressive 10th position.

So, how would cashing in on the Englishman truly impact the Magpies? Football FanCast take a look at the potential consequences of a summer sale of the former Nottingham Forest man…

Rafa would go, fans would be furious

The ramifications of Ashley deciding to sell Lascelles for £30m would be huge, even if he may feel it is a decent fee for the player.

The facts are that the 24-year-old is arguably their most important player, and with five years left on his contract at St James’ Park he shouldn’t be sold regardless of the offer – unless perhaps the figure creeps up to the £50m mark.

Newcastle can’t become a club that sells its best players on a regular basis if they want to progress and match Benitez’s ambitions, and cashing in on the man the Spaniard trusts and made captain would likely be the final straw given his frustrations with Ashley in the past, and it would leave fans at breaking point with the owner.

Chancel Mbemba would get chance he deserves

While the departure of Lascelles would be a disaster for the fans, it would give Mbemba a much-deserved opportunity to stake a claim for a spot in the starting XI at centre-back.

Despite being something of a regular for the Magpies in the Premier League in the 2015/16 campaign, he has found first-team minutes hard to come by over the course of the previous two seasons, and found himself behind Lascelles, Florian Lejeune and Ciaran Clark in the pecking order last term.

However, the 23-year-old may well get the opportunity to save his Newcastle career if the Toon Army’s captain is sold, and he has shown previously that he has the ability to take it with both hands and thrive.

Jonjo Shelvey would walk away

The 26-year-old showed in 2018 just how important he is to Newcastle and what a good player he is, and his performances certainly won’t have gone unnoticed by some of the bigger clubs in the Premier League.

Shelvey may have failed to make the grade at Liverpool previously, but he has progressed and matured significantly since then and now looks to be ready to make his mark for one of the top-six teams.

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While the England international may choose to be loyal and stick around at St James’ Park if the Tyneside outfit prove they can match his ambitions, selling their influential captain for £30m would certainly not do that, and it would surely see him scrambling for the exit door himself.

So, Newcastle fans, should your club sell Lascelles for £30m? Let us know by voting below…

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There was increased media scrutiny on Raheem Sterling in the buildup to England’s World Cup campaign and it it is fair to say that the Manchester City flier did not produce his best performance in the 2-1 win over Tunisia.

The African outfit were set up to frustrate and after England’s initial period of dominance, in which Sterling, Dele Alli and Jesse Lingard buzzed about and created chances at will, they did exactly that.

Gareth Southgate’s preferred system essentially incorporates three number 10s, but where Alli and Lingard have license to burst from deep, Sterling is constantly starting higher up before dropping in and that appeared to hamper him up against such a low block.

Nevertheless, as the scrutiny builds on his performance, it is important to note that he did manage to embark on his fair share of dribbles and made two chances, given limited opportunities operating in the most congested area of the park.

He was not the only England player to struggle to reproduce his absolute best club form in the Three Lions’ opener and there is every chance he will improve against Panama; he just needs a bit of breathing space.

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[brid autoplay=”true” video=”257236″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Five things we learned from England 21 Tunisia”]

Newcastle fans are once again furious with their club, after a report suggested Rafael Benitez will be working on a tight budget this summer.

This was supposed to be it. This was supposed to be the summer when Mike Ashley finally loosens his purse strings and lets Benitez smash the longest running transfer record in the Premier League.

Benitez did a stunning job getting the current Newcastle squad into the top half of the table last season, and fans were hopeful that they might finally spend some money to match the manager’s ambitions this summer.

A report from the Chronicle has cast major doubt over the Magpies’ summer plans though, saying the Spaniard could have to “shop in the bargain basket” again this year.

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Benitez did a pretty good job on a limited budget in January, with loan signings Martin Dubravka and Kenedy making a huge impact, but fans are fearing the worst about the impact of another low spending window.

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The £16m move for Michael Owen back in 2005 is still the Magpies’ record transfer, and fans are rightfully concerned that Benitez may walk if Ashley doesn’t match his lofty ambitions this summer.

You can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…

Aleksandar Mitrovic was up to his usual tricks in Russia this summer, and his three World Cup performances showed the best and worst of the powerful striker.

Mitrovic looks all set to leave Newcastle this summer, as a report from The Chronicle claims his tenacious World Cup performances have not convinced Rafael Benitez to stick with him.

The 23 year-old was loaned out to Fulham in January despite the Magpies being desperately short of goals, showing that Benitez just doesn’t have faith in him to carry out the Spaniard’s disciplined approach.

Mitrovic scored once at the World Cup, and at times he looked like the type of powerful, hungry striker that defenders would hate to play against, the exact type of number nine Benitez wants to sign this summer.

However, we’ve also seen the other side of the 23 year-old, as his lone goal against Switzerland is overshadowed by the fact that he took 14 shots across the three games, which is a truly dreadful conversion rate.

Who do you think will win the World Cup? Let us know here and win any World Cup shirt of your choice.

Probably the biggest issue with the young striker’s game is his discipline, or lack thereof, and he picked up two yellow cards in the group stage, meaning he would have missed the first knockout round if Serbia had managed to progress.

Although he managed to fit quite nicely into Fulham’s free flowing attack during his loan stay at Craven Cottage, he also showed a considerable lack of composure on the ball during the tournament, completing just 65 passes across the three games at a success rate of less than 50 per cent.

Despite all this, there are elements to Mitrovic’s game that tick the boxes Benitez is looking for in the transfer market. He won an incredible 21 aerial duels during the three group stage matches, something that would certainly come in handy when the Magpies are defending deep.

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The striker’s future is undoubtedly the biggest decision on Benitez’s plate this summer, and if he sells the 23 year-old only to bring in another Islam Slimani he could face some flak from fans.

So, Newcastle fans, what do you think about Mitrovic’s World Cup? Is he the striker you need? Let us know your thoughts by voting in the poll below…

Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday morning and declared himself “mentally prepared” to play the first Test against Australia, beginning at the Gabba on Thursday

Alex Brown24-Nov-2009Chris Gayle, the West Indies captain, arrived in Brisbane on Wednesday morning and declared himself “mentally prepared” to play the first Test against Australia, beginning at the Gabba on Thursday. In a tremendous boost for the tourists, Gayle headed directly for the Allan Border Field for the Windies’ final training session, where he informed team-mates he would be taking the field beside them the following day.”It’s difficult but, yes, I’m playing tomorrow,” Gayle said. “I’m committed to it. It doesn’t make sense to come and sit around and watch the game. It’s always difficult to come in the day before a Test match but what I try to do is prepare mentally. I know it’s a tough task ahead. The main thing is to condition my mind to go out there and lead from the front. It won’t be easy, but I’m mentally ready. I was hitting balls in the nets today and I’m feeling pretty confident.”Gayle touched down at Brisbane International airport shortly before 8am, sporting diamond encrusted sunglasses and all-black attire. He promptly dashed to the team hotel in the city, changed into his whites and reported for training at the Allan Border Field with the rest of the West Indian squad at 9am.Gayle showed few ill-effects from the long haul flight during a 20-minute batting session, with Sulieman Benn and a handful of local quicks on the receiving end of some powerful blows. He bowled several overs of finger spin to round out training, before racing across town to the Gabba to conduct his pre-match press conference.

Fans more drawn to short formats

Chris Gayle feels that declining attendance figures around the world suggest many supporters concur with his infamous assertion regarding the death of Test cricket. “If you look at what’s happening now, it’s no secret,” said Gayle, who sparked an international furore earlier this year when he said he “wouldn’t be so sad” if Test cricket were to perish.
“At the same time we’re always going to be committed to whatever cricket we play. I can’t say ‘Test cricket is going to die’ and it just happens like that. It’s just how things have been progressing the last couple of months. Spectators haven’t turned out. They’re more drawn to the coloured clothing at this point in time.”
The Gabba Test will mark the first time Gayle has represented West Indies since the home limited-overs series against India in July. Industrial action saw him miss the disastrous two-Test series against Bangladesh and the ensuing Champions Trophy, and he hopes the tour of Australia will help mend relations within West Indian cricket.
“This is a situation that we look at as a rebuild,” he said. “We’re trying to get back together. A lot has happened the last couple of months. We’re trying to put our best foot forward, go out as one unit and try to put the past behind us. We’ll give Australia a good fight.”

“I’m not feeling anything at this point in time,” Gayle said of his impending battle with jet-lag. “I don’t know what later on will happen. Hopefully I’ll get some rest in between and pull up fresh tomorrow morning. I haven’t played Test cricket for quite some time now. We haven’t played as a unit for quite some time as well. The challenge is always going to be there.”Gayle is no stranger to eleventh hour arrivals ahead of Test series. He landed in England the day before this year’s first Test, having been granted special permission by his board to extend his stint in the IPL. He also cut fine his arrival for the 2008 home Test series against Australia, also due to IPL commitments, prompting David Williams, the West Indies interim coach, to quip: “He’s getting used to it.”Gayle has spent almost 100 hours commuting between Jamaica and Australia over the past fortnight, with the latest trip occurring so he could be with his sick mother. She was released from hospital at the weekend, allowing Gayle to plan his way back to Australia. He thanked supporters for their “prayers and best wishes.””I’m honoured, it’s good to be back here,” he added, looking remarkably fresh. “Hopefully tomorrow it will be a good day for the West Indies cricket team. This time we’ll test our skills against the best team, so I’m looking forward to it.”Gayle kept fans abreast of his recent movements via his Twitter page, including updates on his mother’s improving health. He also caused a stir when, before boarding a flight in the United States, he tweeted: “couldn’t use my private jet pilot was too drunk so commercial all the way.” Upon arriving in Brisbane, Gayle said the post was intended as a joke. “I was mucking around,” he said.Joel Garner, the West Indian team manager, was buoyed by Gayle’s return. “He is the captain and one of the leading batsmen and now that he is back we hope he will be well rested over the next 24 hours,” Garner told Cricinfo. “I hope he will come out and give us the kind of support and performance that would make West Indians proud.”Williams, meanwhile, dismissed suggestions West Indies could opt to field first on Thursday to allow Gayle additional time to recuperate from his latest long-haul flight. “We’re not going to make a decision based on one guy,” he said. “If we get to the Gabba and we have a look in the morning and we feel it’s feasible for us to be bat then so be it.”