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According to TEAMtalk, Sheffield United are looking to sign Will Vaulks this summer.

The midfielder has been the standout performer for the Millers this season, but a move to the top flight may be one step too far.

Crowded midfield

The 25-year-old would be joining a squad where the midfield is arguably its strongest position. John Fleck and Oliver Norwood have been incredible this past 12 months, and unless they are injured, there’s no way the Welshman can get into this team.

You have to ask the question as to why the Blades would release Paul Coutts if they were looking to replace him with a player such as Vaulks? As much as he stood out at the New York City Stadium, he isn’t the greatest fit for Chris Wilder’s side.

Baffling again

United seem to be all over the place at the moment when it comes to pinpointing who they should sign ahead of their return to the Premier League.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

The Blades have been linked with a whole host of lower league talent, and while these signings can work out, it is too much of a risk for a newly-promoted side.

Macauley Bonne, Lee Gregory, Kasey Palmer and Kieran Dowell have all been linked in recent weeks, and while they are good players, there’s nothing to suggest that they would be able to cut the mustard in the top flight.

For them to target the Rotherham midfielder just doesn’t make sense.

Chris Wilder has stated time and again how vital team cohesion is to his squad, and Vaulks could easily upset that.

He is currently the captain of United’s Yorkshire rivals, and on top of this, he was sent off at Bramall Lane earlier this season for a horror tackle on George Baldock which could’ve easily injured the full-back.

He isn’t Premier League quality, and the Yorkshire club should be aiming higher than players who have just been relegated from the Championship.

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Liverpool travel to Barcelona on Wednesday evening for what is a crucial Champions League semi-final inside the Camp Nou, where Jurgen Klopp’s men will have the chance to score a vital away goal.

It will certainly be a tough task for the Reds against one of the best sides in Europe, and it will be an enticing watch as to who comes out on top between Lionel Messi and Virgil van Dijk, arguably two of the best in their positions in world football.

However, the job could be made harder for Liverpool if Roberto Firmino cannot recover from his ‘small muscle tear’, which ruled him out of the 5-0 win over Huddersfield.

Watch “Jurgen Klopp’s” hilarious masterplan for winning the title in the video below…

The Brazilian is a crucial cog in Klopp’s team, and his absence could be a significant factor in Liverpool’s chances of getting a result against the Spanish champions.

Firstly, let’s see how the Reds may set up with Firmino available…

This is how Klopp opted to line his side up against the Terriers, apart from Daniel Sturridge coming in for Firmino, and saw a performance from his men which yielded five goals and a clean sheet; a real swashbuckling showing.

However, if Firmino is unavailable, the former Borussia Dortmund boss will have to rethink things – Sturridge was ineffective against the league’s basement side in Huddersfield, so he can’t be seriously considered against Barcelona.

Of course, Xherdan Shaqiri is an option to come in, so too is Divock Origi, but we don’t think that Klopp will spring any surprises; instead, we think he may just alter one in-form star’s position slightly…

Instead of bringing in a recognised attacker, Klopp should move Keita out onto the left-wing, and put Sadio Mane into the centre-forward role where he has shone at times this season.

The Guinean international has played out on the left four times in the current campaign, and it is an area that Klopp has said in that past that Keita can play in due to his ‘speed’ and ‘football intelligence’.

The chain reaction of Firmino missing out and pushing Keita wide would then make room for Georginio Wijnaldum, who has recently seen his spot hijacked by a resurgent Jordan Henderson.

In Mane’s case, the Senegalese international played as a centre-forward in the 5-0 win over Watford earlier in the season, a game in which he netted two goals – including an expertly taken back-heel chip over Ben Foster.

Given the lack of quality in the forward options behind Firmino, such as Origi and Sturridge, this would be Klopp’s best lineup in the absence of his first-choice No.9, and would go some way to helping them get a result and potentially a crucial away goal.

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According to The Sun, Barcelona are keen to take advantage of the current crisis at Manchester United with a £100m swoop for Marcus Rashford, who has arguably been one of the club’s best players this season.

The England international’s contract is up next summer and he is unwilling to sign a new deal at Old Trafford right now, which has alerted the Spanish champions to the situation.

Whilst that seems like a perfectly reasonable, normal scenario in the transfer market, the reported fee has left some eyebrows raised.

You won’t believe who Flying Pig United has named as Man Utd’s player of the season in the video below…

Rashford has scored 45 goals for his boyhood club in over 167 appearances, and whilst he is an impressive young talent, it is debatable whether or not he’s worth such an extortionate sum.

On the topic of the fee, Football FanCast’s writers have their say on whether or not the 21-year-old is worth that…

Matt Dawson

“Never in a million years is Marcus Rashford worth £100m and if Barcelona spend that kind of money on him then football has lost the plot. There’s no denying Rashford’s ability and potential but he isn’t anywhere near the level Barcelona require. The striker continues to improve year on year in an inconsistent United side, but for me, it would be incredibly questionable if a club were to pay such a large amount for him.”

Luke Glanville

“Ask this question in a couple of years’ time and the answer may be different. However, at the moment, Marcus Rashford is way too inconsistent to be considered Barcelona material. And as for that price tag, it is an absolute joke. But stranger things have happened in football, especially in the crazy modern era. Therefore, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Spanish giants saw his respectable haul of ten goals and seven assists in the Premier League this season as being worth that kind of money.”

James Beavis

“While I certainly don’t think Rashford should be valued at £100m, it would be no surprise if Barcelona ended up paying that fee. The 21-year-old is clearly hugely talented and I believe he would rip it up in La Liga given the attributes that he has. The issue for Barca is if they wait and Rashford becomes a world-beater at United then they may not be able to get him, so shelling out £100m for him now after a quiet season in general could prove to be a genius call. That said, Ed Woodward’s head would be on the line if Rashford did go, given he is already unpopular with fans and with the England international being a local lad.”

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As reported by Goal, Arsenal playmaker Mesut Ozil has revealed that he intends to stay put at the Emirates this summer despite enduring a difficult campaign under boss Unai Emery.

At times, the German has been left on the bench, or even excluded from the matchday squad entirely for ‘tactical reasons’, which is strange seeing as he is one of the Gunners’ better players.

To make that situation worse, the 30-year-old is the club’s current highest earner on £350,000-a-week; the largest salary in Arsenal’s history.

One point separated City and Liverpool but twenty-five separated them from the rest! Fans discuss who could reduce the deficit next season in the video below?

Ozil started just 20 of Arsenal’s 38 Premier League games, and managed to muster up a measly five goals and two assists – Tottenham’s second choice right-back Kyle Walker-Peters set up more goals in just one game.

So, what are the potential consequences of Ozil staying in north London? Football FanCast takes a look…

Resources wasted

Arsenal are already struggling to muster up funds for this summer’s window, and will have a measly £40m to spend if they don’t win the Europa League final.

Ozil will cost the club a whopping £13,650,000 if they keep him on for the entirety of the 2019/20 campaign, money that could be added to this summer’s budget and be used to lure top-class players to the club on decent salaries; that would be better than giving it to Ozil, a man not even guaranteed a first-team place, right?

Emery loses power battle

Much has been made of Emery and Ozil’s relationship this season.

The Sun have reported that the Spaniard wants Ozil gone, although the German is very happy in London on such a comfortable salary.

Ozil was also seen throwing his coat towards Emery from the bench in Arsenal’s 1-0 loss to Everton; if the former PSG man keeps Ozil on, then he will be undermining himself and not asserting his authority.

His value could drop even more

Arsenal paid £42.4m for the former Real Madrid man when they signed him back in 2013, but they wouldn’t get anything near that for him right now.

His value has plummeted due to, as aforesaid, his lack of game time and poor stats from this term.

If Arsenal keep him on and Emery continues to leave him out, and his form suffers as a consequence, then Arsenal will struggle to sell their No.10 for more than the already reduced fee they could get for him this summer.

Newcastle fans, don’t have a go at us for this, what we’re about to come out with is just the inevitable. We all know you love Salomon Rondon and the Venezuelan has been revolutionary at St James Park this season, but it would be unrealistic to expect him to go back for another season considering some of the other options on the table.

The West Brom man has enjoyed an impressive season with the Geordies, and he has 12 goals and seven assists in 33 games in all competitions to show for it. However, as Newcastle haven’t got anything in place to resign the £13.5 million goalscorer, as valued by Transfermarkt, they could be set to lose him as both Wolves and Everton are interested in taking the striker off of West Brom, according to The Star.

Rondon is one of the best in the business at what he does. At times this season, he’s been left to fend for himself as an isolated frontman in an overly defensive Newcastle side and he’s made a really good job of it too. However, after a season of struggle in the Northeast, the big man has more earned himself a chance to fight in the top half of the table and try his hand in Europe, something Wolves and Everton can offer.

We all know this is the last thing that the Magpies want to hear, but it might just be what they need to hear. Rondon is 29-years-old and he hasn’t featured in Europe since the 2014/15 Europa League campaign where he scored three goals in six games with Zenit in his final season in Russia before leaving for West Brom, and he’ll surely want to give it another go before retiring.

Newcastle has been a great club for the Venezuelan, but even the most optimistic Geordies will know that the attraction of European football is hard to resist, and knowing that it may be a few more years before they can offer anyone the chance to play on the continent, they can’t begrudge a player too good for them for wanting to play at a more competitive level.

Rafa Benitez has once again secured Premier League football for Newcastle next season, something he should be heavily rewarded for this summer. Whether he is or not is another question. Eugh. 

Indeed, with his contract situation still far from settled, the Magpies’ top brass must prove their admiration for the Spaniard by giving him exactly what he needs during the upcoming transfer window. That’s obvious. To everyone but those who make the decisions on Tyneside.

Right now, it’s touch and go as to whether he will extend his stay at St. James’ Park but by making substantial promises, there is no reason why he wouldn’t.

Mike Ashley himself surely now realises what a brilliant manager Newcastle have and should consequently understand the need to support him financially.

One signing the Magpies were linked (via TEAMtalk over the course of the summer) and then again by Football Insider this week  was Arsenal’s Danny Welbeck and he is a player Benitez would surely be happy with because he’s a goalscorer and Mike Ashley might be equally as delighted with because he is on a free.

A match made in heaven, right? A free, experienced goalscorer.

Well, reports in the summer did suggest the club were even prepared to take on his sizeable £100kp/w salary and, while we wouldn’t blame any Toon fan for being cynical on that front, the signing of Miguel Almiron in January could well have opened the floodgates.

Welbeck, (who is valued at £13.5 million on Transfermarkt) has been very unlucky this season, having been kept on the sideline for the majority of the campaign.

After making quite a strong start to the campaign, it all quickly unravelled for the former Manchester United ace, hence why he is unlikely to secure another deal at the Emirates. Newcastle should be one of a number of teams to re-assert their interest in the former England international, given that he is still 28-years-old and therefore has plenty of time to get back to his best.

Welbeck was set for a strong campaign in terms of figures, because in the 14 games he managed to play, he scored five times for the Gunners. Those are pretty decent stats and bringing him to Tyneside would be a serious power play for Newcastle United. Alongside the likes of Ayoze Perez and the aforementioned Almiron, those in black and white deserve a striker of his stature.

Toon fans, would you take Welbeck? Think he’s worth £100k per week? Join the discussion by commenting below… 

أكد محمد أبو العلا مدرب عام الفريق الأول لكرة القدم بنادي مصر، على جاهزية اللاعبين لمواجهة الزمالك غدًا ضمن منافسات بطولة كأس مصر.

ويلتقي الفريقان غدًا في تمام الثامنة ونصف مساء، على ملعب استاد السويس الجديد، في ربع نهائي المسابقة المحلية.

وقال أبو العلا في تصريحات خاصة لـ بطولات: “مستعدون لمواجهة الزمالك ولا توجد أي مشكلة مع اتحاد كرة القدم بخصوص قيد اللاعبين”.

وأضاف: “سنواجه الزمالك بالقائمة الجديدة، خاصة أنه تم مد فترة القيد، وهذا يعطينا الحق في خوض المباراة باللاعبين الحاليين”.

طالع أيضا.. محمد أبو العلا عن مواجهته الأولى ضد الزمالك في كأس مصر: “أنا مُرزق”

وكانت أنباء قد ترددت عن رفض اتحاد كرة القدم مشاركة اللاعبين الجدد لنادي مصر في مباراة الزمالك غدا، وطالبهم بخوض اللقاء بقائمة الموسم المنقضي.

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Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Harry Kane will miss the second leg of Tottenham Hotspur’s Champions League semi-final against Ajax, per Football.London.

What’s the word?

Kane sustained ankle ligament damage in Spurs’ quarter-final first leg tie against Manchester City and subsequently missed the decisive leg at the Etihad Stadium.

Spurs, of course, progressed thanks to a controversial 4-3 loss on the night, qualifying for the semi-final against Ajax.

Hopes among fans have been high that Kane may return before the end of the season but Pochettino, after some help from assistant Jesus Perez, confirmed on Monday that it is almost impossible for the England captain to play in the Netherlands.

Quoted by Football.London, Pochettino said: “He’s doing well. He’s working, starting to run a little bit inside.

“His rehab is so good but we cannot create any ideas that after we cannot maybe achieve.

“The most important thing is he’s good and in a good place, so focused and we see what happens, we assess him every day. We are happy but we will see.

“Is there chance he could play in the second leg?

“No chance Jesus? Jesus says no chance.”

Saving him for the final

Spurs may well be saving Kane for the unlikely eventuality that they are in the Champions League final.

They have to negotiate a tricky two-legged tie with the Dutch giants first; Ajax have already knocked out both Real Madrid and Juventus in this season’s competition.

Spurs are undoubtedly underdogs but rushing Kane back makes little sense if their eyes are on the bigger prize.

After all, they will surely need him if they take on either Liverpool or Barcelona in Madrid.

Their hopes of completing one of the most dramatic European triumphs may rest on it.

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Sheffield Wednesday are one of the many clubs interested in Coventry’s Jordan Willis once his contract is up at the end of the season, according to the Coventry Telegraph.

If the Owls are to pursue the 24-year-old, then it could be a sign that the brakes have been thrown on a potential deal for the club’s Player of the Year Michael Hector.

Signing Willis

The Sky Blues centre-back could prove to be one of the shrewdest signings of the summer.

The 24-year-old has already made 208 senior appearances in his career, and with such experience at a young age, he could be a top class Championship centre-back for the next decade.

The defender has spent the past few years cutting his teeth in League One and Two, but performances in those leagues have shown that he is more than ready to make the step up.

Unfortunately for Steve Bruce, he isn’t the only person monitoring Willis’ situation; Derby, Hull, Bristol City and Luton have all been linked to the centre-half.

Hector alternative

Murmurs of Willis’ arrival should be worrying for Wednesday fans who want to see the club bring in Chelsea defender Hector.

The Yorkshire club are interested in bringing the Jamaican back after his incredible loan spell at Hillsborough, but this signing may be a signal that things aren’t going smoothly on that front.

Current centre-back Tom Lees doesn’t look like he is going anywhere, and with so much interest in Willis, he isn’t going to move to a club that can’t offer him a starting spot.

If the Owls bring in the Coventry man that may be their centre-back pairing sorted for next season, meaning that the defender is either staying at Stamford Bridge or heading elsewhere.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Hector has been linked with a move to Fulham and this Willis link may indicate that the Jamaican has opted to stay in London rather than return to Sheffield.

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Celtic fans have been reacting on Twitter following a report by the Sydney Morning Herald on Tuesday that suggested that midfielder Tom Rogic is a target for English Premier League clubs Leicester City and Southampton, with a subsequent story in The Daily Record suggesting he has a £15m price tag on his head.

The 26-year-old attack-minded player has enjoyed another impressive season for the Scottish Premiership champions, scoring eight goals and providing a further nine assists in 41 appearances in all competitions.

Those stats have come despite the fact the Australia international missed a large chunk of the campaign with a knee injury, returning shortly before Brendan Rodgers left for the Foxes.

Now it appears he wants to be reunited with him at the King Power Stadium, with the Sydney Morning Herald indicating he could fetch up to $37 Australian dollars (£20m).

However, The Daily Record places his valuation at £5m less than that amount.

Controversial. Uncompromising. Leader. C’mon the Hoops’ Keith talks the future of Celtic’s evergreen captain Scott Brown in the video below…

Celtic supporters have been quick to have their say on the exit rumour ahead of the Old Firm derby against Rangers this weekend, and while one “selling Rogic for £15m is a disaster of an idea”, another said “keeping him at Celtic should be a top priority for Lawwell”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…