BBC
West Ham will hold talks with Sporting Lisbon head coach Ruben Amorim, 39, as they decide whether or not to extend David Moyes' contract this summer. It is not clear where the Hammers would rank in Amorim's options. (Athletic - subscription required)
Former Wolves boss Julen Lopetegui is a serious contender to replace Moyes at London Stadium. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Amorim remains Liverpool's number one target to replace Jurgen Klopp but Brentford manager Thomas Frank is being considered if the Portuguese boss goes elsewhere. (Teamtalk)
Erik ten Hag's credentials will be assessed by new Manchester United technical director Jason Wilcox before the club makes a decision on the Dutchman's future. (Telegraph - subscription required)
Bayern Munich boss Thomas Tuchel would take the United job if he was offered it. (Sports Zone - in French)
Brighton manager Roberto de Zerbi is a leading candidate to replace Ten Hag if he leaves Old Trafford, and the Seagulls are considering Burnley head coach Vincent Kompany as a replacement. (Teamtalk)
Bayern Munich are also considering De Zerbi but have made former Manchester United boss and current Austria manager Ralf Rangnick one of their top targets. (TZ - in German)
Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr remain interested in signing Manchester City's Kevin de Bruyne in the summer and are expected to contact the 32-year-old Belgium midfielder soon. (Rudy Galetti)
Barcelona have joined Arsenal in being interested in £90m-rated Newcastle United and Sweden striker Alexander Isak, 24, with the Spanish club hoping to strike a deal as the Magpies look to navigate financial fair play rules. (Sun)
Arsenal and Manchester United have joined the race to sign Crystal Palace and France winger Michael Olise, 22, but face competition from Chelsea, Manchester City and Juventus. (Football Insider)
Arsenal are expecting to make three or four marquee additions this summer as they complete an overhaul of their squad, with Sporting Lisbon and Sweden striker Viktor Gyokeres, 25, their main target. (Football Transfers)
Liverpool watched Gyokeres in Sporting's 3-0 win over Vitoria at the weekend as they target a new striker and central defender this summer. (HITC)
Manchester United have made Everton and England Under-21s defender Jarrad Branthwaite, 21, a top target for this summer and want to agree an early deal. (Football Insider)
Real Betis are looking to sign former Manchester United and Spain goalkeeper David de Gea, 33, who has been a free agent since leaving Old Trafford at the end of last season. (Estadio Deportivo - in Spanish)
Brazil defender Thiago Silva, 39, will leave Chelsea when his contract runs out in the summer. (Fabrizio Romano)
Crystal Palace are interested in signing Leicester City and Nigeria midfielder Wilfred Ndidi, 27, on a free transfer this summer. (Talksport)
Bayern Munich are monitoring the situation of Barcelona's Frenkie de Jong, but the 26-year-old Netherlands midfielder's salary could scupper a move. (Sky Sports Germany)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY EXPRESS
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has reportedly held initial talks with Thomas Tuchel about taking over as Manchester United boss.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Erik ten Hag will effectively be on trial over the next month as Manchester United's new technical director Jason Wilcox conducts an audit of the manager's credentials and dressing room relations before the club makes a final decision on the Dutchman's future.
Marina Granovskaia is set to speak publicly about Chelsea for the first time during the trial of football agent Saif Alrubie.
Julen Lopetegui is emerging as a serious contender to replace David Moyes at West Ham, with the club preparing for a managerial change this summer.
England Test captain Ben Stokes questioned a piece of County Championship umpiring on social media as resurgent Sussex saw off Gloucestershire to move top of Division Two.
Chelsea have threatened to ban and support criminal action against anybody found guilty of sending "disgusting" racist abuse to Nicolas Jackson in the wake of the striker's missed chances in the club's FA Cup semi-final defeat to Manchester City.
THE SUN
Thiago Silva will leave Chelsea at the end of this season, according to reports.
Xavi is set for a sensational U-turn to continue as Barcelona coach, according to reports in Spain.
Manchester United hero David de Gea is being targeted by Real Betis ahead of the summer transfer window after a whole year without a club.
Former Manchester United manager Ralf Rangnick is reportedly in line to take over from Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich.
Top kid Shea Lacey is set to get a game at Manchester United by the end of the season.
Erik ten Hag heading for the Old Trafford exit door after losing the faith of Manchester United fans.
Fabio Capello claims "fear" could end England's Euro 2024 dream - as he identified Jordan Pickford as the weakest link.
Shea Lacey is set to get a game at Manchester United by the end of the season.
THE TIMES
Nottingham Forest are facing unprecedented action from the Premier League for questioning the integrity of the VAR Stuart Attwell as the controversy over the club's position intensified.
Jose Mourinho has said there are still players at Manchester United that he wanted to get rid of six years ago.
Boris Becker is hoping to return to Wimbledon in some form next year after revealing that he is already "working hard with the authorities" to secure permission for re-entry to the UK as a convicted criminal.
DAILY MAIL
FA Cup prize money is set to be recalculated as part of plans to ensure lower-league clubs do not miss out following the controversial move to scrap replays.
Virgil van Dijk has played through the last two Liverpool games with a dislocated finger which was 'pointing the wrong way' when suffered.
Liverpool target Ruben Amorim has reportedly been pictured boarding a plane to London for talks over becoming the next manager of West Ham.
VAR audio taken from the aftermath of Lamine Yamal's controversial phantom goal in Barcelona's El Clasico defeat by Real Madrid has been released by the RFEF.
Disgraced former Spanish FA president Luis Rubiales is set to face trial for the World Cup kiss-gate scandal.
DAILY MIRROR
Jude Bellingham is already destined to become one of Real Madrid's all-time greats, according to Raul.
Fabio Capello is concerned that England's habit of freezing on the big stage could come back to haunt them again during this summer's European Championships.
A Manchester United supporter convicted after "tragedy chanting" has told a court he is "ashamed and embarrassed" of his actions and hopes other fans "think twice".
EVENING STANDARD
Queens Park Rangers, Watford and Birmingham are tracking Valencia forward Declan Frith.
Sport Witness
West Ham director Tim Steidten meets agent on scouting trip – Hammers make advances for signing
Corinthians’ Wesley Gassova has emerged as a transfer target for West Ham United ahead of the summer window, according to reports.
This was initially reported in the English press, where it was explained that West Ham are expected to open talks for the 19-year-old’s transfer.
Rádio Itatiaia, in Brazil, relay that and then share their own information on West Ham’s pursuit of the winger.
Wesley is a product of the Brazilian club’s youth system and was promoted to their first team in 2022. Since then, he’s made 56 appearances, scoring four goals and registering three assists in the process.
The report states the Premier League side are interested in the player and ‘advanced’ the possibility of a deal in the next window, meaning they’ve made some kind of approach.
It’s claimed West Ham technical director Tim Steidten was in Brazil and watched him live in action against Atlético-MG earlier this month. The Hammers official was also accompanied by the attacker’s agent, Clóvis Henrique, at the stadium.
The fixture ended in a goalless draw and Wesley, who played the full 90 minutes, had a ‘good performance’.
Wesley’s deal lasts until December 2027 and Rádio Itatiaia state he has a €100m clause. West Ham wouldn’t go anywhere near that figure and wouldn’t need to either.
The Athletic
Why West Ham are speaking to Ruben Amorim, one of Europe’s most sought-after managers
By Roshane Thomas and Mark Carey
He is one of the most sought-after managers in Europe and West Ham United have him high on their list of potential replacements for David Moyes.
Ruben Amorim, the Sporting Lisbon head coach, is a name many are starting to become familiar with. The 39-year-old has been heavily linked with the Liverpool job, with Jurgen Klopp set to leave at the end of the season and Xabi Alonso reaffirming his commitment to Bayer Leverkusen.
West Ham have held talks over an ambitious move to appoint Amorim as manager if Moyes leaves when his contract expires at the end of the season. The 60-year-old Scot revealed in February he has been offered a new deal, but after being knocked out of Europe and with their Premier League form nosediving, a change appears to be on the cards.
The decision of who comes next will fall on chairman David Sullivan and technical director Tim Steidten, who arrived from Bayer Leverkusen last summer and is stamping his mark on the club.
Another option is former Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Julen Lopetegui, but Amorim has emerged as the leading target.
What are his strengths? What formation does he play? Does he give youth a chance? Does he play exciting football? The Athletic has analysed why Amorim is high on West Ham’s radar.
Who is he?
Amorim, who is from Lisbon, played for Belenenses, Benfica, Braga and Al-Wakrah during his playing career. He retired at 32 years old in 2017 and almost instantly moved into coaching, with his managerial career beginning at third-division Portuguese side Casa Pia at the start of the 2018-19 season.
But it did not start well when he was given a suspended one-year ban for delivering instructions during the match without the required completion of his coaching badges by the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF). Casa Pia were fined and threatened with a points deduction, Amorim quit, but the team he left behind still won promotion at the end of the season.
Amorim grew up supporting Benfica, but rejected an offer to take charge of their B team, and instead became manager of Braga’s B team in September 2019. He won seven of his first eight games and three months later became manager of the first team following the sacking of Ricardo Sa Pinto.
“Here at Braga, Ruben Amorim’s impact was tremendous,” said Paulo Meneses, their head of recruitment. “First on the B team and then on the first team. His personality, how he works, made us think that we could be in the presence of a top coach.”
Amorim won eight of the nine league games he managed for Braga. There were noticeable victories over Porto, Sporting Lisbon and Benfica. He won the Taca da Liga (Portuguese League Cup), which was Braga’s first trophy since 2016. But when Sporting sacked Silas in March 2020, Amorim was appointed as his successor. He did not come cheap, with Sporting activating his €10million (£8.6m; $10.7m) release clause.
Since his appointment, Amorim has won the Taca da Liga twice and is set to win a second title this season. Sporting are 10 points clear of Benfica. It is no wonder he is a man in demand — but he would be attainable this summer.
He has a release clause of around €10million, a relatively modest figure for such a highly rated manager, but there is the caveat that he has yet to test himself outside of Portugal.
What’s his style?
Amorim has a fixed 3-4-3 setup based on high possession that looks to work the ball through the thirds in a careful, considered manner, although this season’s arrival of centre-forward Viktor Gyokeres, from Coventry City in the Championship, has given them a strong transitional threat. Amorim’s wing-backs hold more fixed positions high up to maximise width across the pitch.
“Ruben is a coach that brings everyone together,” said Meneses. “From the players, administration, and staff, everyone ‘buys into’ your idea. This is key to creating a winning mindset. He has a very strong personality but does not fracture the group. With his strong leadership, he manages to unite and aggregate. He is very smart in human relationships and communication. These are Ruben’s strengths as a coach.”
Amorim’s style differs from Moyes’ preferred 4-2-3-1 formation. West Ham try to play counter-attacking football and often have less possession than their opponents. West Ham have only won four of their 21 games across all competitions this year. Of those victories against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Freiburg, Everton and Brentford, Moyes’ side had less possession.
As you can see by The Athletic’s playstyle visualisation below, West Ham’s possession share ranks in the sixth percentile among Europe’s top seven leagues. By contrast, Amorim’s Sporting are in the top 20 per cent (possession, 83 out of 99).
Amorim asks his players to press high up the pitch (intensity, 92 out of 99) and squeeze the play by often bringing his centre-backs to the halfway line (high line, 80 out of 99) — both traits that are far less common to see from a David Moyes side.
For Sporting, only city rivals Benfica have logged more high turnovers (regains 40 metres or less from the opponent’s goals) than their 278 in the Primeira Liga this season.
He is happy to give youngsters a chance, with Nuno Mendes, Joelson Fernandes, Matheus Nunes, Eduardo Quaresma and Tiago Tomas featuring under him. Mendes was sold to Paris-Saint Germain for £34million in May 2022, while Nunes joined Wolverhampton Wanderers in a club-record £42.2m deal in August of the same year. Last summer, the midfielder joined Manchester City for £53m.
Why so much excitement?
Sporting were sleepwalking into a decline before Amorim arrived. He has transformed the club and has overseen smart additions of Gyokeres, Francisco Trincao and Ousmane Diomande. Gyokeres, the 25-year-old Sweden striker, has been a revelation after signing for €20m from Coventry, scoring 38 goals in 45 appearances. An eye for a striker would really suit West Ham given their struggles to find a different option to Michail Antonio in recent years.
Porto and Benfica had dominated the league before Sporting won the title in 2020-21, their first championship since 2001-02.
“Ruben is destined to join a top club in the ‘Big Five’ leagues,” said Meneses. “It will have to be an ambitious project. He is an extremely ambitious coach. There will be nothing to excite him other than the ambition to win big trophies.”
Would this be a stepping stone?
This would be the youngest appointment by West Ham’s board, with their tried and tested appointments including Manuel Pellegrini, 64, Moyes, 55, and Sam Allardyce, 56. Slaven Bilic was a relative rookie when he joined at 46.
With it appearing likely Moyes will leave at the end of the season, Amorim would be an attractive, young and high-profile appointment.
He gives youngsters opportunities, which is aligned with the club’s mantra of being the academy of football. Moyes has struggled to give members of last season’s FA Youth Cup-winning team game time in the Premier League, much to their frustration.
Replacing Moyes does not bring the same level of pressure as replacing Klopp at Liverpool. Moyes had the arduous task of replacing Sir Alex Ferguson as manager of Manchester United in 2013 following a successful and lengthy stint with Everton. His reputation took a dent after his sacking with failed stints at Real Sociedad and Sunderland, but he has restored that in his time at West Ham.
Staying at Sporting is always a genuine option for Amorim, but Sullivan and Steidten will hope they can convince him to join their rebuild. Just like Brighton & Hove Albion with Roberto De Zerbi, further success at a club like West Ham would surely lead to interest from Europe’s elite — but that would be a win-win for Amorim and West Ham.
