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BBC
Chelsea have opened talks with Leicester over Ben Chilwell, 23, with the England left-back keen on a move to London. (Express)
Chelsea are also interested in French left-back Fode Ballo-Toure, 23, from Monaco as a cheaper alternative to Chilwell. (Foot Mercato - in French)
Chelsea, Manchester United and Juventus have shown an interest in Fiorentina and Italy forward Federico Chiesa, 22, who is valued at around £60m. (Star)
Manchester United will allow 23-year-old goalkeeper Dean Henderson to remain at Sheffield United this season, even if the campaign runs beyond the end of the Englishman's original loan deal. (Manchester Evening News)
Doubts over the ability of Victor Lindelof have left Manchester United keen on strengthening in central defence. (ESPN)
Manchester United have made enquiries about Real Valladolid's Ghanaian 21-year-old centre-back Mohammed Salisu, with the club wanting to sign a defender for next season to give Victor Lindelof extra competition. (ESPN)
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic could leave Lazio during the summer transfer window and Manchester United are poised to land the 25-year-old Serbian midfielder if he does. (Sun)
Liverpool are keen on signing Brazilian forward Talles Magno, 17, from Vasco da Gama in his native Brazil, with Benfica, Lyon and Sevilla also in the race for his signature. (Express via AS)
Juventus' Bosnia international midfielder Miralem Pjanic, 30, has agreed to join Barcelona next season. (Gazetta dello Sport)
Barcelona are pushing ahead with their attempts to sign Inter Milan's Argentine forward Lautaro Martinez, 22, and have offered a choice of six players, including 26-year-old French centre-back Samuel Umtiti, as part of a swap deal. (Sport - in Spanish)
Inter Milan’s Christian Eriksen, 28, has had to live at the club’s training complex during lockdown, with the Denmark midfielder having yet to find a home since his January switch from Tottenham. (Sun)
Real Madrid's pursuit of Rennes Angolan midfielder Eduardo Camavinga, 17, is being held up by the coronavirus pandemic. (Marca)
West Ham will allow English midfielder Nathan Holland, 21, to leave for £1m this summer, with Sheffield Wednesday interested. (Football Insider)
Arsenal want to sign Leicester's Netherlands Under-19 international full-back Dennis Gyamfi, 18. (Football Insider)
The Gunners are in talks to sign 19-year-old Norwegian winger George Lewis, currently a free agent, after he impressed on trial at the club. (Football London)
French club Lyon are intent on strengthening at the back this summer and have marked out four defenders as targets. (L'Equipe)
Mail
Government set to recommend that all UK sportspeople agree a coronavirus charter before returning to action, mimicking Premier League's Covid-19 agreement
The Premier League have already rolled out a Covid-19 agreement for the restart
Players are sceptical of the document, worried it is a form of legal disclaimer
The Government believe all athletes should sign a similar code of practice form
Sport is set to gradually return over the next months but under strict protocols
Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
By SAMI MOKBEL
The Government are set to recommend that all UK sportspeople agree a coronavirus charter before returning to action, Sportsmail understands.
This newspaper exclusively revealed how Premier League footballers will be asked to sign Covid-19 agreement forms as part of plans to resurrect the season.
And it is understood the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have discussed plans to roll out similar documents across all sports in the UK as they look to get back up and running following the coronavirus delay.
There is hope international cricket and domestic rugby will be given the green light to return by July, while horse racing has been pencilled in for the end of this month.
But sport can only return under a strict set of protocols designed to minimise the threat posed by the coronavirus, and sportspeople face the prospect of being asked to sign what is effectively a code of practice confirming they agree to their team’s guidelines.
We reported on Friday how top-flight footballers were hugely sceptical about the prospect of signing the form upon their return to group training on May 18.
A number of players are concerned the document is similar to a legal disclaimer, though sources at the Premier League insist the forms are not liability waivers and merely just a method of confirming they have read and understood what is required of them during Project Restart.
Nevertheless, players and staff across English football’s top-flight have significant reservations about signing the forms amid anxieties over how it would impact their rights moving forward, particularly in the event of a positive test.
Sources claim at least two to three players from each club in the Premier League will refuse to return to action during the health crisis.
Those with new-born babies and family members who carry underlying health issues are showing particular reticence.
Indeed, Sportsmail knows of one top-flight footballer who will refuse to comeback because his partner has only recently given birth.
C&H
Exclusive: Government ‘insist’ on neutral grounds
For several days ClaretandHugh has been pleading the case against neutral grounds and yesterday quoted former West Yorkshire top cop Owen West as being opposed to the idea.
It was first presented almost as a casual remark by DCC Mark Roberts claiming that the collection of people around home grounds could present challenges to the police.
But West argued that was demonising supporters who had observed every step of the lock down, contributed to food banks and generally demonstrated exemplary behaviour in very trying circumstances.
The Premier League is of course pushing hard for neutral grounds but Claret and Hugh has learned overnight that it is not so much they – as the Government – who are claimed to have made it the over-riding priority if the season is to be completed.
Revealing the news to us during a long e-mail conversation a highly placed Hammers source said: “Since the comment was first made that appears to be totally the government’s position now. They are insisting on that being the case.”
We were told by the same source some weeks ago that we could expect to see what he called “the blame game ” being played with chairmen not wanting to scupper a return to action via a vote so hoping the PL would make the decision.
Teams will be allowed to make five substitutions per match after the International Football Association Board (IFAB) made a temporary amendment to football’s laws to cope with returning from the current hiatus.
FIFA proposed the rule change to IFAB, which is responsible for the laws of the game, as players are likely to be asked to play matches in a condensed period of time during the summer months. Teams will be limited to three opportunities during matches to make their substitutions – as well as half-time – in a bid to prevent unnecessary stoppages.
In competitions where extra-time could be enforced, any unused substitutions will be allowed to be carried over.
The rule change is immediate, but it is up to individual competitions whether they wish to adopt it. La Liga and the Spanish Federation have agreed on the temporary use of five subs for the remainder of the season, which plans to restart in June after clubs returned to training this week.
IFAB says the amendment currently applies to competitions that are scheduled to finish before the end of the year, and a review will be conducted at a “later stage” over whether to carry the rule into next season.
In addition, IFAB has tweaked its rules around VAR to allow competitions that were using the technology to stop doing so, if and when they resume their seasons.
The Premier League will discuss the rule changes with its clubs, although it has received no indication that they wish to cease using VAR.
Football Insider
Sources: West Ham may sell forward to big hitters for just £1m as prices tumble
West Ham may let Nathan Holland go this summer for just £1million as transfer prices prepare to tumble, Football Insider can reveal.
The winger turns 22 in June and has spent the second half of this season on loan at League One promotion hopefuls Oxford United.
A West Ham source has told Football Insider that the club value Holland at £2m earlier this year but an offer of around half that could persuade them to sell in the next transfer market.
The financial chaos caused by the coronavirus pandemic is set to have a dramatic effect on transfer fees and wages this summer.
Holland has a deal at his parent club that runs until 2022 but he has yet to make the first team breakthrough and is close to running out of time.
Football Insider revealed earlier this year that Sheffield Wednesday have set their sights on a summer swoop for the winger.
Club scouts have delivered glowing reports about the performances of the left winger during his Oxford loan spell and believe he is ready to make the step up to the Championship next season.
He has scored three goals from 12 matches for the League One outfit but his spell is likely now end amid speculation the bottom two professional tiers will call a halt to their campaigns.
David Moyes agreed with his predecessor Manuel Pellegrini when he took over that Holland is not yet ready for Premier League football.
The attacker has played only four times for the senior side and has been unable to make a sustained breakthrough.
Capped by England at Under-19 level, he scored 11 goals and supplied six assists from 12 Premier League 2 matches in the first half of this season.
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