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BBC
Chelsea are considering Wolves boss Nuno Espirito Santo, 45, or former club favourite and current Derby boss Frank Lampard, 40, to replace 60-year-old Italian Maurizio Sarri as manager. (Sun)
Manchester United are confident of signing 26-year-old England and Leicester defender Harry Maguire in a £65m deal. (Star)
Liverpool have joined Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund in showing an interest in Chelsea's 18-year-old English winger Callum Hudson-Odoi. (Bild - in German)
Tottenham playmaker Christian Eriksen, 27, has been linked with a move to Real Madrid. (Talksport)
Bayern Munich full-back David Alaba, 26, has revealed he was a boyhood Arsenal fan as he hinted he could be interested by a move away from the Allianz Arena. (Bild via Daily Mail)
West Ham winger Felipe Anderson, 25, is Real Madrid's £65m fall-back option if they fail to attract first-choice target Eden Hazard from Chelsea. (Sky Sports)
Everton are keen on signing Venezuela striker Salomon Rondon, 29, who is on loan at Newcastle from West Brom. (Star)
Paris St-Germain have made a move to sign Manchester United midfielder Ander Herrera, with the 29-year-old Spaniard out of contract in the summer. (Sun)
AC Milan have opened talks with Cagliari for their highly-rated midfielder Nicolo Barella, 22. (Sky Italia, via Sempre Milan)
Chelsea are considering ending Argentina striker Gonzalo Higuain's loan deal at the end of the season, meaning the 31-year-old would return to Juventus. (Marca)
A Real Madrid move for Paris St-Germain attacker Neymar, 27, could set in train a series of moves including Juventus striker Paulo Dybala, 25, heading to Atletico Madrid. (Calcio Mercato)
Manchester City are hoping to sign Benfica's 16-year-old attacking midfielder Ronaldo Camara. (Evening Standard)
Manchester United are weighing up a move for the Sporting Lisbon captain and Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes, 24. (Star, via Manchester Evening News)
Inter are ready to rival Everton for Barcelona and Portugal midfielder Andre Gomes. The 25-year-old is currently on loan at Goodison Park. (Sport)
Inter Milan striker Mauro Icardi could leave the San Siro for £43.4m with Real Madrid and Juventus interested in the 26-year-old. (Marca)
Liverpool will not cut short German goalkeeper Loris Karius' loan spell at Besiktas and recall the 25-year-old to Anfield. (Mirror)
The Reds will not spend huge amounts in the summer transfer window. (Liverpool Echo)
The agent of Inter Milan's Slovakia defender Milan Skriniar, 24, has claimed Real Madrid and Barcelona are interested in signing his client. (Goal)
Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness says Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola travels to see the club's owner Sheikh Mansour and shows him videos of a transfer target to get the green light to make a big-money signing. (Goal)
Fenerbahce are hoping to take Leicester City's Turkey defender Caglar Soyuncu, 22, on loan next season. (Leicester Mercury)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Simon Burnton
Manchester City are in pole position to sign Benfica’s 19-year-old midfield prodigy João Félix – but he’ll come at a cost. According to the Sun, they can expect to pay the player’s €120m release clause in full if they beat Manchester United, Real Madrid and Juventus to the young whippet’s signature. Txiki Begiristain, City’s director of football, “is believed to have held initial talks over a deal with the Portuguese club’s hierarchy,” they report, and is trying to convince them to accept a lower up-front sum “by adding performance-based bonuses to their offer”.
The Evening Standard says Felix is not the only Benfica teenager City want to sign, with the English club competing with United (again) and Barcelona for 16-year-old Ronaldo Camara, “one of the most sought-after prospects in world football”. Other than the midfield, they report of Pep Guardiola that “a top quality left back is now among his priorities”, alongside “another centre back”, while the Spaniard “is also considering adding to his attack”. So, to summarise, he doesn’t need a new goalkeeper.
It’s no surprise that Manchester United can’t afford Félix, since they are ready to pay £65m for the Mill’s old friend Harry Maguire. “Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has urged United to sign Maguire so he can build his defence around the 26-year-old,” says the Express. “It has emerged Maguire is open to a switch to United and has let it be known a deal can be done.” Ander Herrera, meanwhile, could be off to Paris St-Germain on a free.
“Everyone wants Dybala,” declares Tuttosport, who believe that “the impact of Real Madrid’s summer revolution will be felt throughout Europe” and could end with Juventus’s Argentinian starlet leaving Turin. “So many clubs like him – besides Inter he has admirers in Spain and England – but first he has to wait for Real’s first move and hope that he joins the domino run of attackers,” they write. Tuttosport predicts that one of Neymar and Kylian Mbappé will leave Paris St-Germain this summer, bound for the Bernabéu; PSG will then replace whoever departs with Antoine Griezmann, forcing Atlético Madrid to move for Paulo Dybala (unless someone else has first), whose place at Juve might by then have been taken by Federico Chiesa. As for what Fiorentina might do then, frankly your guess is as good as ours.
Real, as frequently publicised, also want Eden Hazard, but according to Sky should a move for Chelsea’s Frenchman falter they will target instead West Ham’s Felipe Anderson “in a deal likely to be worth around £65m”, or almost exactly double the fee the Hammers paid for him last summer.
The choice facing Chelsea as they select a new manager to replace the underwhelming Maurizio Sarri has come down to logic v sentiment, with the two camps represented by Nuno Espirito Santo and Frank Lampard. “There is a growing feeling the Italian is not a natural fit for the club,” deduces the Sun of Sarri. “Nuno has been gaining growing support within the Blues board … but Lamps would be the fans’ choice.”
According to Bild Liverpool are, like every club in the Bundesliga with deep enough pockets, interested in Callum Hudson-Odoi. But don’t get too excited: the Liverpool Echo says the club’s summer plans are relatively modest and that they certainly “won’t be shelling out anywhere near the eye-watering amounts of the past two transfer windows”. Meanwhile in news of former Liverpool players, the Spanish newspaper Sport says that Philippe Coutinho could be sold by Barcelona this summer for €100m.
Meanwhile across town, Everton “could pounce” for Salomón Rondón if Newcastle fail to snap up their on-loan striker this summer, says the Star. In a story that features the word “could” a lot and makes only the slightest pretence of insider knowledge – “Starsport understands Everton are interested too” – they announce that “Everton boss Marco Silva is short of options in attack and Rondón could fit the bill”.
C&H
Claret pitch surround faces delay
Hopes the new mostly Claret pitch surround would be laid in time for the Everton game has been dashed as the carpet has yet to be delivered despite being ordered in January. It had previously been hoped that the new pitch surround would be installed at the London Stadium in the International break after this weekend’s rugby match ready for the 30th March game but that will no longer be the case.
The carpet is expected to land in the U.K soon and the new target game is understood to be the West Ham v Leicester City game on 20th April although there are no guarantees that that date can be met either.
In February West Ham Vice-Chairman Karren Brady said the Claret Pitch Surround had been ordered in January and will be installed later in the season with a firm date to be confirmed and will be composed of 4G artificial turf.
West Ham is understood to have paid in excess of £300,000 towards the new surround although the responsibility for installation, maintenance, removal and storage over the summer is that of stadium owners E20 Stadium.
Evening Standard
Pablo Zabaleta set for talks over future with Manuel Pellegrini
GIUSEPPE MURO
Pablo Zabaleta is set to sit down with Manuel Pellegrini for talks over his West Ham future.
Zabaleta’s contract expires this summer and manager Pellegrini has made it clear he wants the 34-year-old right-back to stay at the London Stadium next season.
There has been talk that Zabaleta has an option of a backroom role at former club Manchester City but the Argentine has said he has no plans to retire.
Pellegrini feels Zabaleta is a big influence in the dressing room. The pair won the Premier League at City in 2014.
Meanwhile, Felipe Anderson has praised Pellegrini’s role in helping him earn a recall from Brazil.
Anderson’s only appearance for Brazil came in 2015 but he is back in the squad for games against Panama and the Czech Republic.
He said: “I always said it was a dream to go to the national team.
"The coach gave me his trust to play constantly, to get into a rhythm and I am very excited to get there.”
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