I taly defender Leonardo Bonucci is said to a prime target for incoming Chelsea coach Antonio Conte, but Juventus will be sure not to let their man go easily. Against Belgium, the 29-year-old put in a brave and tactically skilled performance, helping the Azzurri secure an efficient 2-0 win over the talented Red Devils on Monday evening. Following this impressive display, alarm bells are now ringing for the Old Lady, with Conte said to be interested in using his contacts at his old club to bring the defender to Stamford Bridge. Nonetheless, it will take a huge some of money to potentially prise Bonucci away from Juventus, and the Italian defender could command a fee in the region of €60 million. However, Tuttosport have claimed that even this lucrative … [Read more...]
Dortmund bent on keeping Henrikh Mkhitaryan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will not be allowed to leave Borussia Dortmund until the end of his existing contract amid interest from Manchester United and Arsenal, the club's CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has confirmed. Sources say Arsenal have made Mkhitaryan their number one target, but the Armenia international -- who is under contract until 2017 -- will not be allowed a transfer, despite there also being a reported €24 million offer from Manchester United. Mkhitaryan, 27, has turned down Dortmund's contract offer and has his heart set on a move to the Premier League, but the Bundesliga have decided not to sell the midfielder and will force him to see out his contract, Watzke said. "We've been negotiating a new deal with Henrikh Mkhitaryan for four months," he … [Read more...]
Arsenal and Liverpool bid for Sporting Lisbon’s striker Islam Slimani
Liverpool and Arsenal are the latest clubs to see bids for Sporting Lisbon striker Islam Slimani rejected, according to reports in Portugal. Sporting are understood to have rejected a €20million offer from Leicester City for Slimani earlier this week with SAPO Desporto also reporting Everton and Tottenham Hotspur are also interested. The 27-year-old striker scored 31 goals in 46 games last season as Sporting finished second behind Primeira Liga champions Benfica and he has caught the attention of numerous clubs across Europe. And Portuguese news outlet Noticias ao Minuto has now reported that Liverpool and Arsenal have seen €25million bids turned down by Sporting, who are expected to play hardball over the player’s future. Slimani is believed to have … [Read more...]
Chelsea and Bayern Munich in hot pursuit of Kalidou Koulibaly
After recently securing the signing of Borussia Dortmund’s Mats Hummels, Carlo Ancelotti now wants to add Kalidou Koulibaly to solidify his defence even further After an excellent second season at Napoli. Senegalese international Kalidou Koulibaly is now attracting interest from reigning German champions Bayern Munich , There has already been heavy speculation surrounding the future of the 24-year-old, and it now seems that Carlo Ancelotti’s side have joined the long list of teams who are keen on obtaining the in-demand defender. Interest has only increased after comments made by the player himself , in which he disclosed that Napoli had not offered him a new contract and that he now saw himself as being up for sale. German newspapers have reported … [Read more...]
Schweinsteiger relaxed about his Future- Joachim Low
Manchester United midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will speak to manager Jose Mourinho about his future after Euro 2016 but the player is "very relaxed," according to Germany head coach Joachim Low. Schweinsteiger had not played in nearly three months due to injury woes, until coming off the bench for Germany in the 89th minute against Ukraine on Sunday. The 31-year-old promptly scored, giving Low's men a 2-0 victory in their opening game of the European Championship, but his future at United has been the subject of debate, with Mourinho ready to re-mould the squad. Schweinsteiger's last game for United had been on Mar 20, when he came on for the final 20 minutes in the 1-0 win at Manchester City, but he had not started since playing in the 1-0 win over … [Read more...]
Next Season’s Premier League Fixture List Has Been Released
The European Championship may be in full swing, but that doesn't mean we can't get excited about the announcement of the Premier League fixture list for the 2016-17 season. Here's a quick reaction to some of the more notable lines to come out of the fixture list... Arsenal have perhaps the toughest start to the campaign of the big clubs: they face Liverpool, Leicester and Chelsea in their first six fixtures; while Liverpool's away run begins Arsenal, Tottenham, Chelsea. But Hull's start is positively nightmarish: the Tigers will have to play Leicester, Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea before Oct. 1. Get them out of the way early, eh? Toughest run-in If Mourinho is to take Manchester United back to something like their past glories, … [Read more...]
City to face Sunderland in the opening fixtures of the new season
The 2016/17 Premier League fixture list has been announced and Arsenal will face Liverpool, while Bournemouth will tackle Manchester United on a thrilling opening weekend. The new top flight season gets underway on the weekend of August 13/14 and a thrilling start also sees champions Leicester travel to Hull City. Manchester City gets a relatively straightforward start to life in the rough and tumble of the Premier League, kicking off at home to Sunderland before travelling to Stoke, then it's home to West Ham before the Manchester derby with Jose Mourinho and all that entails, and then it's back to more gentle far with Bournemouth and Swansea. Though they pay for it in December.– and it won’t be long before Mourinho and Guardiola renew their rivalry – the … [Read more...]