ARSENAL are reportedly keen on signing Odsonne Edouard from Celtic for a bargain £15m.
Meanwhile PSG are said to be ready to move for Jadon Sancho if a new contract cannot be agreed for Kylian Mbappe.
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- William Pugh
NICE TUCH
Chelsea star Ben Chilwell is a 'different player' since the arrival of manager Thomas Tuchel.
And the England star believes that competition from Marcos Alonso is 'healthy' as the Blues enter the run-in.
Ahead of tonight's Champions League clash with Porto, he said: "When the manager came in, it was a clean slate for everyone. You can look at it one of two ways.
"Either I didn't play the first three or four games which could've got me down but I used it as an opportunity to work harder, to ask him questions in training where he thinks I can improve my game and get more match time.
"When I get the opportunity to play I want to prove I should be playing more regularly and I'm sure all other players including Marcos are doing the same thing.
"It's very healthy, especially at this stage of the season with quarter finals, semi-final in the cup, the league, it's important everyone in the squad is challenging each other for eleven shirts and working hard, as they want to stay in the team."
- William Pugh
GIFT OF THE GAB
Arsenal have been handed a double injury boost with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli both set to be fit for their Europa League crunch.
The Gunners faced an injury crisis ahead of the trip to Slavia Prague this week.
Saka hobbled off injured in the 3-0 weekend win at Sheffield United, but the Daily Mail reports that he has only suffered a dead leg.
And Martinelli, who also came off on Sunday night, said he is fit to play after an ankle knock. It's a massive boost for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta with his side needing a positive result on Thursday night.
The Gunners were held to a 1-1 draw by Slavia Prague in the first leg at the Emirates after conceding a late goal.
Nicolas Pepe struck in the 86th minutes, but Thomas Holes' 93rd-minute equaliser gave the Czech side that vital away goal.
- William Pugh
RON THE WAY HOME
Manchester United want to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Juventus this summer, according to reports in Italy.
And in order to get a deal done, they could let Paul Pogba return to his former club in part-exchange.
The Red Devils are set to be feeling flush at the end of the season, with another shot at Champions League football in sight. And this could lead them to making a massive move.
According to Calciomercato, United want to mark Champions League qualification with an 'important' signing. And Cristiano Ronaldo fits the bill.
They claim that the Portuguese hasn't ruled out a return to Old Trafford one day.
With his wages reportedly crippling Juventus' finances, the Old Lady may want to cash in with a year remaining on his contract.
- William Pugh
UNITED FRONT
Premier League clubs are considering joining forces to boycott social media.
Top-flight teams want to send a message that racism will not be tolerated and a blanket boycott is one way to do so.
According to Daily Mail, teams could unite to stay away from platforms such as Instagram and Twitter for an entire round of fixtures. The report adds that the idea of a Friday 5pm to Monday 9am social media hiatus has been discussed.
And such a move would ramp up pressure on social platforms to act against online hate and abuse after a spate of recent incidents.
One potential hurdle for such a blanket boycott is the commercial deals and agreements that clubs have to promote on their social channels.
It comes after Swansea ditched social media for a week in a self-imposed seven-day exile. Rangers also followed suit in Scotland with a boycott of their own.
- William Pugh
DORT OF CALL
Erling Haaland's agent Mino Raiola has revealed that Dortmund do not want to sell the striker this summer.
And the super agent says he's fine with the decision and respects their opinion. Man Utd and Chelsea lead the Premier League chasers for the £154m forward with Real Madrid and Barcelona also interested.
But, in a fresh twist, Raiola revealed that Dortmund might try and hang on to his services.
He told Sport1: "I can confirm that I was in Dortmund for talks. Michael Zorc made it clear to us that BVB does not want to sell Erling this summer.
"I respect that opinion, but what does not automatically mean that I also agree. BVB were very clear in their views. We are okay with that.
"There is no war between us and BVB – absolutely not! The relationship with Zorc, Hans-Joachim Watzke and Kehl is still good."
- sstreet
ON YOUR ED
Arsenal are hoping to lure Odsonne Edouard to the Emirates with Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah's contracts set to expire in just over a year.
And the Telegraph report that the Celtic star could be available for as little as £15m.
However, the Gunners will face competition from Leicester with Brendan Rodgers hoping to reunite with his former striker.
Mikel Arteta is also said to be encouraged by the development of Folarin Balogun, with the young striker set to sign a new deal shortly.
- supal
GOOD MORNING FOOTBALL FANS
Glenn Hoddle would not blame Harry Kane if he quits Tottenham — just like he did.
Speaking on his latest podcast, he said: “I don’t think anyone would blame Harry if he moved now, if he said he wanted to win silverware elsewhere and the right offer was there.
“I think he is the one who will make that decision and Spurs will have to get the best deal they can. But it would be a crushing blow.
“Losing a quality player like Kane would be a setback to any club.
“I do not know whether it is in Tottenham’s hands.
“I think it is Harry Kane’s decision at the end of the day, to put his foot down and say he wants to go somewhere else and win trophies.
“There are only a few clubs able to afford him, that’s his problem. There could be a little game of chess."
Meanwhile, Sam Allardyce called for a complete overhaul of 'laughing stock,' VAR this summer – and wants managers and players to have a major say!
Referee Simon Hooper was forced to rule out a legitimate goal by West Brom's Mbaye Diagne, after Premier League bosses revealed their cameras had been blind-sided and couldn't spot the striker's torso!
Asked if he thought the game was in danger of becoming a laughing stock, Allardyce replied: “I’m afraid so.
"The reflection on VAR can be done at the end of the season and all parties should have an influential input into how VAR goes forward.
“That needs to be from the PFA, LMA, Premier League and the FA. There are too many of us not being given an opportunity to express how to make it better.
"The decision was wrong. We got the angle – there are 16 cameras at least here and we got the angle clear on our screens – they came to the wrong decision because of human error.
"Everyone on Sky, the BBC, radio, they all say it was a bloody goal!”
And finally, Paris Saint-Germain will reportedly move to sign Jadon Sancho if star striker Kylian Mbappe fails to pen a new contract.
Mbappe's current deal with the French champions – who he joined in August 2017 – is set to expire next summer.
The France international has flirted with a move away from the Parc des Princes and has shown little sign of committing his long-term future to the Parisians.
And with Mbappe not making his intentions for the future clear, The Athletic claims PSG have identified England international Sancho as a replacement for the World Cup winner.
PSG's reported interest in signing Sancho will be a blow to Premier League big boys Manchester United.
The Red Devils are long-term admirers of the 21-year-old, who they tried to sign last summer, and are said to still be interested in acquiring his services.
- Joe Brophy
RUDI HELL
Thomas Tuchel has warned Porto: ‘You don’t want to get in a fight with Antonio Rudiger’.
Talkative Blues boss Tuchel made no attempt to cover up reports of Rudiger’s training ground bust-up with keeper Kepa the other week.
Ahead of tomorrow's Champions League battle with Portuguese bruisers Porto, Tuchel was asked who he will be looking to when things get tough.
And he immediately replied: “You honestly don’t want to be in a fight with Toni Rudiger, with Cesar Azpilicueta or Mateo Kovacic.
“They are emotional guys who are always ready to fight and it’s in their nature to show that on the pitch and to protect the interests of our team.
- Joe Brophy
BLUE IT
Neymar's former agent has confirmed Chelsea offered him a fortune to sign in 2010.
Ribeiro told L'Equipe: "They offered him a lot of money, but Neymar didn't want to go."
Neymar would remain at Santos until 2013 before completing a blockbuster transfer to Barcelona.
- Joe Brophy
BETTER SWEET
Mark Noble has been hit in the pocket after Jesse Lingard’s heroics in the 3-2 win over Leicester.
A wager was made between the pair when Lingard arrived from Manchester United on loan in January.
Hammers veteran Noble, 33, explained: “When he first came to the club, I had a bet with him that if he got eight goals I would pay for a night out for him and a stay in the Corinthia Hotel.
“So it’s going to cost me a fortune, those two goals.
“As much as I was buzzing that he got them, it’s now going to be costing me a few quid!”
The Corinthia is a swanky hotel in the heart of London, where a stay costs at least £500 a night.
- Joe Brophy
CAM AND GET ME
Eduardo Camavinga will not sign a new contract at Rennes, according to reports.
And that is set to put Manchester United and Real Madrid on red alert over a summer transfer.
The European heavyweights are long-term admirers of the defensive midfielder.
So reports from The Athletic that he is not going to put pen to paper on an extension will be music to the ears of the top brass at Bernabeu and Old Trafford.
The 18-year-old’s current deal at Rennes expires at the end of the 2021-22 season.
- Joe Brophy
BLUE WAVE
Thomas Tuchel warns that he has no intention of hanging about for trophies because he expects to win something this season.
He says: “Chelsea is a club that provides any coach with the culture, the mentality, the quality and the history to win titles.
“That is what I demand of myself and I was very clear about my intentions when I arrived here.
“I have nothing to hide about that so why should I now say anything different?
“We are not here to win trophies in five years or three years or two years. Now is the time."
- Joe Brophy
NOU HIGHS
Barcelona are the most valuable football club in the world for the first time – worth a whopping £3.46billion.
The Nou Camp giants pipped arch-rivals Real Madrid (£3.45bn) into top spot after five successive second-place finishes.
- Joe Brophy
SUMMER SPACTACULAR
A remarkable calendar of British sport is taking shape in what promises to be a summer to remember.
After the coronavirus pandemic put sport on its knees 12 months ago, events such as the European Championships and Wimbledon were postponed and cancelled as fans were left with little entertainment.
- Joe Brophy
ROCK THE BOAT
Tottenham are set to swoop for Bayern Munich defender Jerome Boateng, according to reports.
The 32-year-old German, whose contract expires in the summer, has been linked with moves to Spurs' London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea.
But Sky Germany now believe the Lilywhites are the frontrunners among the English sides to land Boateng at the end of the season.
- Joe Brophy
GREEN WITH ENVY
Mason Greenwood emulated Cristiano Ronaldo during his impressive cameo on Sunday.
- Joe Brophy
FORWARD MARCH
Roy Keane believes Tottenham star Harry Kane ‘fancies’ joining Manchester United this summer.
He told Sky Sports: “For Kane, he’d be looking at this United team and must be thinking: ‘I could be the top man at Man Utd up front’.
“With the service he’d be getting, Kane must fancy United. [Trophies?] If kane is in the United team, as night follows day, yeah.
“United have closed the gap on City and Kane would be another hug step. Maybe Kane doesn’t want to go abroad, United are still a huge, huge pull.
“United want to get back to winning titles so they’ll certainly need another striker. Kane, Haaland, I’d take either.
“Probably Haaland [over Kane] because of his age and the investment, but I wouldn’t say no to Kane either.”
- Joe Brophy
BRAZILIAN PEL-TER
Sylvester Stallone has revealed football icon Pele broke his finger with a penalty during the filming of Escape to Victory.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: "That was one of the low points of my life.
"What a butt-kicking I got! I still have a broken finger from trying to block a penalty by Pele.
"He put on a pair of World War II shoes, which were steel-tipped, and the ball was like a cannonball – it was twice as thick and heavy as footballs are today.
"He was telling me he was going to take a shot and I thought 'It's soccer, what's the big deal? It's easy.'
"He came to take one penalty shot and he told me exactly where he was going to put it, so I stood there but the ball still flew past me before I could move.
"He put it literally right where he had said. He did it again, and it ripped through the back of the net and broke a window in the barracks where we were filming. I went 'Are you kidding me?' I found a new kind of respect."
- Joe Brophy
FIK OF IT
Chelsea are set for a £24million windfall with AC Milan reportedly keen to sign Fikayo Tomori on a permanent deal.
Corriere dello Sport claim the Italian giants ‘will do everything to redeem’ the England defender and keep him at San Siro.
The report adds that Milan ‘intend to exercise the option as the whole club is satisfied with how Tomori has integrated’ with the team.
- Joe Brophy
PAUL OVER
Andrea Pirlo has warned Manchester United off Paulo Dybala by claiming the superstar WILL be at Juventus next season.
Dybala, 27, has been linked with a big-money move this summer as he approaches the final year of his Bianconeri deal.
Pirlo declared: “I’ve always said Dybala is an important player and unfortunately I haven’t had him at my disposal very much this season.
“Let’s look at the present, because that is more important than the future.
“He still has a year left on his contract, so we will have him here next season.
“Dybala is a player who makes the difference. I hope hope to be able to use Cristiano Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata and Dybala together at some point.
“With Dybala, it’s the club who are in charge of making the decisions. I’m fortunate to coach winners like him. The final decisions are made by the directors.”
- Joe Brophy
GUNNAR SAY IT AGAIN
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's rant about Son Heung-min on Sunday bizarrely mirrored a statement he made in the reverse fixture earlier this season.
In a strange rant, he said: “If my son stays down for three minutes and he needs his 10 mates to help him up, he won’t get any food.”
But this is not the first time Solskjaer has used this sort of analogy when reacting to what he feels is diving from Spurs players.
Back in October during Tottenham's 6-1 win over United at Old Trafford, Solskjaer gave a similar response following an altercation between Erik Lamela and Anthony Martial.
Lamela appeared to thrust an elbow into Martial, before the Frenchman responded by slapping the Spurs forward, a spat which lead to the United man being sent off as Solskjaer's men proceeded to suffer a heavy defeat.
After that incident, the Norwegian said: “If that was my son he would live on water and bread for two weeks, that’s not how I want my players to react.”
- Josh Graham
MATCH CHANGES
Wolves’ hosting of Sheffield United on Saturday has been pushed back to 8.15pm to avoid clashing with the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral.
All EFL 3pm kick-offs that day have also been moved as well out of respect for the passing of HRH Prince Philip, with Watford’s trip to Luton brought forward to 12.30pm.
Wolves were due to kick off at 3pm but the switch means there is now an almost eight-hour gap between the two Premier League fixtures that day.
Newcastle host West Ham at 12.30pm in Saturday’s only other top-flight game.
A Premier League statement read: “As a mark of respect for His Royal Highness The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, the Premier League has rescheduled the match between Wolverhampton Wanderers and Sheffield United due to be played on Saturday 17 April at 15:00 BST.
“The fixture will now kick off later in the day at 20:15 BST to avoid a clash with the Ceremonial Royal Funeral. Newcastle United’s home match against West Ham United will remain as scheduled at 12:30 BST. Both matches will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.”
All EFL 3pm kick-offs have been moved to either 12.30pm or 5.30pm, while National League fixtures have been brought forward to 12.30pm.
- Josh Graham
IBIZA ROCKS
PSG offered Neymar a private jet, hotel chain shares and to put his name on the Eiffel Tower in an unsuccessful attempt to sign him in 2016.
The French club's owner Nasser Al Khelaifi was desperate to bring in the Barcelona star and reportedly launched the cash at him during a meeting in Ibiza.
But despite the stunning bonuses included in the transfer, Neymar turned down the chance to join PSG and instead signed a new contract with Barcelona.
Wagner Ribeiro, Neymar's former agent told L'Equipe: "In the summer of 2016 we met in Ibiza, Neymar, his father, Nasser Al Khelaifi and Olivier Letang, the sports director of the PSG.
"It was on the top floor of a hotel, nobody saw us. Neymar earned €11 million and Nasser offered us €26m.
"We asked him €40m and he told us that he would study it, that he would give him shares in a hotel chain, a private jet and that he would put his name on the Eiffel Tower. A madness."
Ribeiro states that Financial Fair Play coupled with the fact that the player did not want to join PSG at that time scuppered the deal.
But of course just one year later the Brazilian did move to the French capital for £198m – and the Eiffel Tower was lit up in the club's red and blue with 'Welcome Neymar Jr' written alongside.
- Josh Graham
SILVA LINING
Here’s how Chelsea could line up for the crunch Champions League quarter-final second leg against Porto on Tuesday night.
The Blues have a 2-0 lead from the first leg with two ‘away’ goals.
- Josh Graham
SAN THE MAN
Paris Saint-Germain will reportedly move to sign Jadon Sancho if star striker Kylian Mbappe fails to pen a new contract.
Mbappe's current deal with the French champions – who he joined in August 2017 – is set to expire next summer.
The France international has flirted with a move away from the Parc des Princes and has shown little sign of committing his long-term future to the Parisians.
And with Mbappe not making his intentions for the future clear, The Athletic claims PSG have identified England international Sancho as a replacement for the World Cup winner.
PSG's reported interest in signing Sancho will be a blow to Premier League big boys Manchester United.
The Red Devils are long-term admirers of the 21-year-old, who they tried to sign last summer, and are said to still be interested in acquiring his services.
Credit: Getty
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