Friday News (includes West Ham)
Posted: 27 Mar 2026, 11:52
BBC
Bayern Munich have dismissed claims France forward Michael Olise, 24, will be allowed to join Liverpool, even if a record fee of more than £170m is offered. (Talksport), external
Manchester United will make a formal approach to Newcastle for Italy midfielder Sandro Tonali, 25, at the end of the season. (Mail - subscription required), external
Manchester United have also put Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly, 19, on their summer transfer shortlist, with the England international struggling for regular game time. (Daily Express), external
Paris St-Germain and AC Milan are both monitoring Manchester United's on-loan forward Marcus Rashford, 28, and ready to act if Barcelona cannot complete a permanent deal for the England international this summer. (Caughtoffside), external
Aston Villa will also move for Rashford if they fail to sign England forward Jadon Sancho, 26, who is on loan from Manchester United but out of contract this summer. (SportsBoom), external
Arsenal are interested in signing 26-year-old Atletico Madrid and Argentina striker Julian Alvarez. (Football.London), external
Liverpool are looking to sign Senegal forward Iliman Ndiaye, 26, from their city rivals Everton. (Teamtalk), external
Ndiaye and Everton's English midfielder James Garner, 25, are also targets for Manchester United in a £100m double deal. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Newcastle have earmarked Arsenal's Ben White, 28 as a potential replacement for fellow English defender Kieran Trippier, 35. (Sports Boom), external
Paris St-Germain are not expecting Arsenal to make a move for their 25-year-old Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, this summer, with the Gunners also keen on Newcastle and England attacker Anthony Gordon, 25. (Sky Sports), external
Atletico Madrid have set their sights on signing Barcelona and Spain forward Ferran Torres, 26, this summer to strengthen their attack. (Fichajes - in Spanish), external
Barcelona and Spain left-back Alejandro Balde, 22, is attracting interest from Manchester United, Manchester City and Aston Villa. (Mundo Deportivo - in Spanish), external
Sunderland could face a battle to keep on-loan RB Leipzig utility player Lutsharel Geertruida, 25, at the club next term, with Liverpool, Aston Villa, Everton, Tottenham and Crystal Palace all interested in the Netherlands international. (Teamtalk)
Sky Paper Talk
PREMIER LEAGUE
Manchester United are expected to make a formal approach to Newcastle for Sandro Tonali after the season's end. Tonali is set to emerge as the main target ahead of Elliot Anderson and Adam Wharton - Daily Mail
Sandro Tonali expects to be able to leave Newcastle this summer - if the club don't qualify for Europe - The Shields Gazette
Nottingham Forest are considering launching a formal complaint to the Premier League over the punishment given out to Chelsea over undisclosed payments - The Athletic
A Bayern Munich official has launched a brutal attack on Liverpool's transfer strategy amid the Reds' pursuit of £173m star Michael Olise - Daily Mail
Former Bayern Munich sporting director Matthias Sammer believes Pep Guardiola will step down from Manchester City this summer, after suggesting 'something is wrong' with the Spaniard - Daily Mail
Mohamed Salah's Liverpool farewell risks turning 'nasty' like it did with Trent Alexander-Arnold last season, according to Roy Keane - Daily Mail
Keely Hodgkinson has taken a playful swipe at West Ham United over fears they will derail London's bid for the World Athletics Championship, saying: "The GB team will bring back more medals to that stadium than West Ham have seen in their entire history." - The Telegraph
Mikel Arteta was already taking over Arsenal's pre-match tactics as a player, years before he became manager at the club, according to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain - The Sun
EFL
The EFL is 'broken' - with clubs in the Championship on track to lose an average of £15m per season and those across the competition set to post annual losses of more than £600m - Daily Mail
SCOTLAND
Scotland fans going to Boston for the World Cup will be forced to dig into their pockets even further after local authorities reportedly quadrupled rail prices to and from the Gillette Stadium - Daily Record
Tony Docherty has turned down an offer to help rookie Craig McLeish boss St Mirren - The Scottish Sun
Former Celtic starlet Mitchell Frame has revealed he turned down Liverpool to play for Aberdeen - The Scottish Sun
WORLD FOOTBALL
Senegal have announced they will present the Africa Cup of Nations trophy before their friendly against Peru on Saturday despite having their title stripped - The Athletic
An England "superfan" is selling his UK home to pay for the record-high prices at this summer's World Cup - The Telegraph
Spain are requesting two new host cities for the World Cup after late withdrawals - The Sun
The Athletic
Adored at West Ham, ignored by country. Is Jarrod Bowen overdue his England chance?
Jarrod Bowen takes part in an England training session at St George's Park on March 24 Paul Ellis
By Roshane Thomas
As an actor, Danny Dyer is used to memorising lines for the roles he plays. But his passionate plea for Jarrod Bowen’s inclusion in England’s World Cup squad sounded as if they did not require any practice.
“It’s been hard for him because he has been carrying us (West Ham United) for a f***ing long time, so you can tell he’s shattered,” Dyer, who is the father of Dani, Bowen’s wife, and grandfather to the couple’s twin daughters Summer and Star, told The Peter Crouch Podcast last week.
“The pressure of it: being a captain and the fact that we’re having a bad season. I see comments online of fans digging him out, but we’d be s*** without him. He could potentially go on to be our greatest-ever player. It winds me up (the criticism he gets).
“He should be on the plane to the World Cup. Now there’s a thing about (Bukayo) Saka: Oh, because he’s a sexy-looking player and he’s silky, and all this b*******. (But) look at his numbers this season, what the f*** has he done? So why is he on the right wing, definitely, over Jarrod?
“I don’t understand it because what you will get from Jarrod is a shift, and he will definitely at least put two beautiful balls across that box for someone on a plate. Now there’s this thing about (Noni) Madueke being second in line to Saka. Madueke will have his day; I think he has real potential. But Jarrod’s now nearly 30, give him his shot. This is his last time to get on the f***ing plane.”
This season, in a struggling West Ham side, Bowen has registered 10 goals and seven assists across 34 appearances in all competitions. And international recognition did arrive this month, with Bowen earning a call-up to Thomas Tuchel’s 35-man squad for the upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
But there is credibility to Dyer’s argument that Bowen is underused and underappreciated by England. The West Ham captain, who has scored once in 20 caps, is competing with fellow wingers Saka, Madueke, Harvey Barnes, Anthony Gordon and Marcus Rashford for a starting spot ahead of this summer’s competition in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and will likely be viewed as a backup/rotation option if selected.
Take, for example, when The Athletic asked writers to select their 26-man squad for the World Cup. Only two out of seven selected Bowen, while even the inclusion of promising talent Max Dowman ahead of him shows he is not universally appreciated.
Yet, of all the English attacking players in the Premier League this season, Bowen ranks highest for goals and assists this season (14). Morgan Rogers, of Aston Villa, is second with 13.
Bowen’s versatility would be beneficial during tournament football, too, while his winner in the Conference League final in 2023 showed he can thrive in big moments. And as mentioned by Dyer, take a look at Bowen’s competition for England. Saka has struggled with consistency for large parts of Arsenal’s title-chasing campaign, and so too has fellow club team-mate Madueke, who has a paltry return of two goals in 20 league appearances.
Newcastle United duo Gordon and Barnes have scored 11 league goals between them in 2025-26, but Barnes’ last (and only) cap for England was against Wales in October 2020. Marcus Rashford, who is on a season-long loan at Barcelona from Manchester United, has registered 10 goals and 10 assists across 39 appearances this season.
It makes Bowen’s form all the more impressive, given he has been tasked with more defensive responsibilities under head coach Nuno Espirito Santo as West Ham fight relegation. There is now an acceptance at West Ham that Bowen no longer has to carry the attacking burden, having finished as the club’s top scorer in the league for four of the last five seasons.
“I don’t see his form dipping, honestly,” said Nuno in January in his pre-match press conference before the 3-2 defeat by Chelsea. “I think he’s doing really, really well. The work that he’s putting in every minute of the game is extraordinary. We are aware that he has his personal objective to go to the World Cup, which I think should and must happen because he’s a fantastic player. I think Thomas (Tuchel) cannot afford not to have him around.”
Seven of Bowen’s 20 caps have been starts, but he has yet to play a full match under the England manager. The last time he played 90 minutes for the national team was in a friendly against Bosnia and Herzegovina in June 2024 under Gareth Southgate.
Bowen will hope to leave a lasting impression during this international break before he resumes club matters. His inspired words during the previous England camp in November for games against Serbia and Albania should be uppermost on his mind.
“What I’m up against is Bukayo, while Noni, who is injured for this camp, Cole Palmer, Phil Foden can all play there (right wing). You’re talking about world-class, elite players and I’m in the same category as them,” he told The Independent.
“Bukayo has proved it at international and club level. For me, it’s about pushing myself and pushing Bukayo as well. Give the manager a headache and give Bukayo a headache.”
GFF
West Ham and Crystal Palace interested in promising Lille midfielder
LILLE, FRANCE - MARCH 12: Ngal'ayel Mukau of Lille OSC runs with the ball during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Round of 16 Second Leg match between LOSC Lille and Borussia Dortmund at Stade Pierre Mauroy on March 12, 2025 in Lille, France. (Photo by Franco Arland/Getty Images)
As is often the case, it looks set to be a busy summer for Lille OSC. Last summer, Jonathan David, Edon Zhegrova, Leny Yoro, and Angel Gomes all notably left the Ligue 1 club.
There is expected to be another clearout with some of LOSC’s most valuable assets available for the right price. DR Congo midfielder Ngal’ayel Mukau (21) falls into that category, as per a report from L’Équipe. Despite intense competition for places in midfield, Mukau has been a regular under Bruno Genesio since arriving in the summer of 2024. This season, he has made 35 appearances in all competitions.
There is interest in Mukau from the Premier League, and specifically from Crystal Palace and West Ham United, L’Équipe understands. The pair have been interested in the midfielder for several months and could make their move during the summer transfer window. Mukau’s contract with Les Dogues runs until the summer of 2028.