BBC
Manchester United can chase Borussia Dortmund and England winger Jadon Sancho this summer because his former club Manchester City did not insert any clause in the 18-year-old's contract after selling him stating he could not join their rivals. (Evening Standard)
Dortmund will put a £100m price-tag on Sancho and will move for Chelsea's English winger Callum Hudson-Odoi, 18, if they need to replace him. (Mirror)
Dortmund hope to use Sancho's success at the Westfalenstadion to challenge Bayern Munich for the signing of Hudson-Odoi from Chelsea. (Telegraph)
Manchester City are front runners to sign Atletico Madrid's Spanish midfielder Saul Niguez, 24, this summer. (ESPN)
Barcelona are ready to listen to offers for Philippe Coutinho, 26, with a move to Ligue 1 champions Paris St-Germain most likely. (Goal)
Barcelona have cooled their interest in Atletico Madrid and France forward Antoine Griezmann amid speculation Manchester United will push to sign the 27-year-old. (Mirror)
Lazio are close to a pre-contract agreement with 26-year-old Spanish full-back Alberto Moreno who will leave Liverpool this summer after five seasons at Anfield. (Independent)
Barcelona are preparing a £43m bid for Serbia striker Luka Jovic and hope to start negotiations with Eintracht Frankfurt for the 21-year-old in the next few weeks. (Guardian)
Paris St-Germain's Brazilian right-back Dani Alves, 35, has appeared to deny reports he has agreed a new deal with the Ligue 1 champions. (Goal)
Manchester United interim manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants 30-year-old Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez, Argentine defender Marcos Rojo, 29, and Ecuadorian full-back Antonio Valencia, 33, to leave the club this summer. (Star)
Chelsea's on-loan Croat midfielder Mateo Kovacic, 24, is prepared to join another Premier League club rather than return to Real Madrid. (Marca)
Chelsea could take Bournemouth's Dutch defender Nathan Ake back to Stamford Bridge amid speculation of interest in the 24-year-old from Napoli and Tottenham. (De Telegraaf - via Caught Offside)
Arsenal will face competition from Bayern Munich in their pursuit of Lille and Ivory Coast winger Nicolas Pepe, 23. (Bein Sports - via Mirror)
Bayern Munich have agreed a deal for Atletico Madrid's French defender Lucas Hernandez, 23. (Foot Mercato)
Former Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho says he wants to be back in club management by the summer and that he has turned down 'three or four' offers already. (Goal)
Manchester City are ready to hand their Belgian defender and captain Vincent Kompany, 32, a new contract. (Evening Standard)
Chelsea's French striker Olivier Giroud, 32, is open to a return to France to get more playing time. (Goal)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Simon Burnton
Manchester City are desperate for another midfielder to add to their already glittering array of options in that area, with the Mirror saying they are “closing in on a £70m deal” for Atlético Madrid’s Saúl Ñíguez having identified him as Fernandinho’s long-term replacement. A source close to the player told them: “He cannot stay at Atlético any more, everything’s complicated for him there.”
Also complicated is the future of Barcelona’s André Gomes. The player is currently on loan at Everton, who are said to be keen on making the move permanent, but now Tottenham have blundered into the fray. Even though the player’s impressive performances at Goodison Park have helped him rediscover his midfield mojo – as he put it in an interview with Sky recently, “I feel more like a man now” – the offer of European football could tempt him south.
Ole Gunnar Solskjær has “laid down to Woodward his transfer shortlist for the summer”, says the Mirror – and also passed on the names of those he wants to leave Manchester United. This is bad news for Antonio Valencia, Marcos Rojo and Alexis Sánchez but good news for Jadon Sancho. The young wizard is No1 on the shopping list, with United “ready to stump up the biggest transfer fee ever paid by a Premier League club” to tempt the former City youngster back to Manchester. An unnamed source has meanwhile told the Evening Standard that United “are doing everything they can to sign him”, with a bid of £80m being readied. That might not be enough, with the Mirror again (in a separate story) saying Borussia Dortmund “will put a £100m price tag” on the player, while Dortmund sources tell the Mail that having sold Christian Pulisic to Chelsea for £58m “no amount of money would see them part with another star player”. Instead, Dortmund are apparently determined – according to the Telegraph – to battle Bayern Munich and perhaps RB Leipzig for Callum Hudson-Odoi. “Me and Callum are close friends. I have told him the Bundesliga is a nice league,” says Sancho.
What, though, of Paul Pogba? The midfielder has issued ye olde thinly-veiled come-and-get-me plea to Real Madrid, where he clearly fancies becoming one of a new generation of Galácticos. “Real Madrid is a dream for anyone, one of the biggest clubs in the world,” he drooled in an interview with Sky. “There is also Zinedine Zidane as a coach, and it’s a dream for anybody who likes football. For now I’m at Manchester. We don’t know what the future holds.”
The same is true of Olivier Giroud, who is desperate to leave Chelsea after starting just six league games all season. “The future could be hectic this summer,” he said. “I’m not scared of going down a level to have more playing time. It could be that I end my career in France.”
Mundo Deportivo dedicates its front page to the fight for Matthijs de Ligt, insisting that Real and Atlético Madrid are ready to battle Juventus, Paris St-Germain and Bayern Munich for the right to battle Barcelona for the Ajax centre-back. Barça’s attention has been temporarily diverted elsewhere, with the Guardian reporting an imminent £43m bid for Eintracht Frankfurt’s Luka Jovic.
And finally, in news that doesn’t really go anywhere else, certainly doesn’t go together but at this stage we’re running out of options, Lazio “are close to a pre-contract agreement with Alberto Moreno”, says the Independent, and Ipswich are after Tranmere’s goal-grabbing sensation James Norwood.
C&H
Pelle set to return for midfield target
Manuel Pellegrini still has his eyes on Besiktas midfielder Gary Medel as midfield cover for Declan Rice and could make a quick move once the summer transfer window opens..
The 31 year old Chilean midfielder is well known to the boss who is ware that should Declan become injured or suspended he has no natural replacement.
And he has already admitted that Medel, who is out of contract in Turkey next summer, is the only player who was genuinely on his radar as a possible arrival in the winter.
The midfielder has made it clear he is unready to sign a new deal with Besiktas and is keen to remain for a final fling in the Premier League.
And the Turkish club knowing he can walk away as a free agent in 2020 are likely to entertain talks with the Irons.
He is likely to cost around £5 million and Pellegrini sees him as a real option given that it would be difficult to attract a younger player given the amazing progress Declan has made in making the defensive midfield role his own.
West Ham also have a big interest in Alaves central defender Guillermo Maripan despite denials of contact between the clubs from the La Liga outfit.
The report has been around for several days that Manuel Pellegrini and director of football Mario Husillos have identified the central defender as a player they want this summer.
But it was down played overnight when Alaves sporting director Sergio Fernandez has told Radio Agricultura that there has been no contact from us.
However, a well placed source inside the London Stadium told CandH by e-mail: “We need central defenders and there is interest.”
The 24 year old has been in terrific form for his club as the La Liga surprise packets have risen to fifth place but would be keen on a move to the Premier League.
He has two years left on his Alaves contract and is likely to be available at around £10m – £12m.
OS
Young Hammer Belic experiences mixed Serbia U19 debut
Kristijan Belic was sent off on his Serbia U19 debut in a 2-2 UEFA European U19 Championship Elite Round qualification Group 7 draw with Ukraine on Wednesday.
The West Ham United central midfielder was introduced as a half-time substitute with his country trailing 2-1 at the Stadio Comunale in the Italian town of Caldiero.
Captain Heorhii Tsitaishvili of Dynamo Kyiv put Ukraine in front on 23 minutes before Shakhtar Donetsk’s Danylo Sikan doubled the advantage nine minutes later.
However, Serbia were not to be denied as their own captain, Fiorentina striker Dusan Vlahovic, pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time before equalising from the penalty spot with 13 minutes remaining.
In between Vlahovic’s two goals, however, the combative Belic was booked for a foul on Shakhtar Donetsk's Artem Bondarenko before being shown a second yellow card for a challenge on goalscorer Tsitaishvili.
The young Hammer, who turns 18 next Monday, will now miss Serbia’s second group match with Belgium on Saturday through suspension. He could return to action in the third and final tie against the mini-group hosts Italy in Padua next Tuesday 26 March.
Italy and Belgium drew 2-2 in their opening Group 7 match to leave Serbia top of the table after one round of matches.
