Inter Miami are very interested in signing Kevin de Bruyne on a free transfer when the 33-year-old Belgium midfielder leaves Manchester City at the end of the season, although talks are not believed to be advanced at this stage. (Florian Plettenberg, external)
Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr could make a move for Liverpool and Colombia winger Luis Diaz, 28, as an alternative to Real Madrid and Brazil forward Vinicius Jr. (Talksport, external)
Everton are the latest club to join the race to sign England Under-21 striker Liam Delap, 22, from Ipswich Town. (Sun), external
Newcastle are interested in Racing Genk and Greece midfielder Konstantinos Karetsas, 17, but face competition from Bayern Munich, Napoli and several other Premier League sides. (Sun), external
Meanwhile, Newcastle have sent scouts to watch Ivory Coast international Yahia Fofana, 24, at French club Angers as they prepare to strengthen their goalkeeping options. (Football Insider, external)
Arsenal retain an interest in Ajax's 19-year-old Dutch international Jorrel Hato this summer, although any potential deal for the defender is likely to hinge on the future of Jakub Kiwior. (Mirror, external)
Meanwhile, the Gunners have no plans to sign on-loan Chelsea and England winger Raheem Sterling, 30, on a permanent basis. (Football Insider, external)
Chelsea and Bournemouth are willing to pay 35m euros (£30.3m) to sign American midfielder Johnny Cardoso, 23, from Spanish club Real Betis (Fichajes - in Spanish, external)
Sky Paper Talk
THE SUN
Crystal Palace are plotting a sensational swoop for Marcus Rashford if Aston Villa do not sign him at the end of the season.
Newcastle are weighing up a swoop for Greek wonderkid Konstantinos Karetsas.
Gareth Southgate looks to have retired as a football manager - by changing his profession on paper to "company director".
DAILY MAIL
Everton manager David Moyes is plotting a move for Ipswich striker Liam Delap as part of a broader summer rebuild.
Inter Miami are reportedly very interested in the possibility of signing Manchester City midfielder Kevin De Bruyne in the summer.
DAILY EXPRESS
Manchester United part-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe is reportedly hoping to pinch one of the leading brains from the Mercedes F1 set-up.
DAILY MIRROR
Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane claimed Arsenal would storm to the Premier League title if they had Liverpool star Mohamed Salah at their disposal.
Kevin De Bruyne says he cannot rule out joining one of Manchester City's Premier League rivals when he leaves in the summer.
Enzo Maresca pleaded for more backing from the boo boys as Chelsea slipped up in the race for the Champions League.
SUNDAY SUN
Celtic are eyeing up Stoke winger Million Manhoef.
DAILY RECORD
Nico Raskin was snapped lording it up in front of a seething Aberdeen fan after Rangers' last-gasp equaliser at Pittodrie.
Guardian
Virgil van Dijk’s header sinks West Ham to edge Liverpool closer to title
Andy Hunter at Anfield
When Liverpool fans next congregate at Anfield in two Sundays’ time it should be for an occasion they have craved for 35 years: the celebration of a league title triumph in person. This visit was fraught, West Ham’s second-half superiority putting the place on edge, but Virgil van Dijk’s late rescue act ensured two more wins will get the title party started.
The captain’s 89th-minute winner came three minutes after his error led to Andy Robertson putting through his own goal and giving West Ham a richly deserved equaliser. Van Dijk atoned in style and, while Anfield basked in the relief and joy of a precious victory, he made a point of kissing the Liver bird on his chest. A new two-year contract to follow that of Mohamed Salah should be confirmed soon. All that matters to Arne Slot, however, is getting the job done against Leicester and Tottenham. The Premier League title will be decided before Spurs’ visit Anfield in a fortnight should Arsenal lose at Ipswich and Liverpool win at Leicester next Sunday. A record-equalling 20th league championship is so close that Liverpool can almost feel it.
Anfield was in the mood to celebrate Salah’s new deal and his continued brilliance initially. The game was preceded by a solemn tribute to the 97 Liverpool supporters who were unlawfully killed at Hillsborough. “Unlawfully killed – Unfairly blamed,” read one banner on the Kop, which was bedecked in a “97” mosaic before Tuesday’s 36th anniversary of the disaster. Another banner paid a fitting tribute to Phil Hammond, the tireless campaigner and former chair of the Hillsborough Family Support Group who died in January. “The legend behind the truth,” it said, perfectly capturing the great man’s legacy.
Whether it was the lift of Salah signing a two-year contract extension or Arsenal’s latest draw bringing the title ever closer, Liverpool appeared liberated in the early exchanges. Salah and co were enjoying themselves. Luis Díaz tested Alphonse Areola in the West Ham goal and Conor Bradley had a shot deflected just wide before the Egypt international started to shine.
His first act was to exquisitely control a long ball from Ibrahima Konaté, shift inside Oliver Scarles and curl a shot wide from a tight angle. Salah berated himself for not producing a trademark finish. No matter. A similar move resulted in the breakthrough one minute later.
This time Salah spun away from Scarles as Konaté fired another searching pass down the right channel. The visiting defence was exposed and the Liverpool forward sprinted away to flick an inviting cross into the area. Diogo Jota was unable to connect but Díaz, sprinting in behind unchecked, converted with ease. Díaz celebrated by adopting Salah’s pose on an advertising hoarding. Scarles, the 19-year old from Bromley in south-east London, could only rue the punishing education being meted out by one of the finest players in the world. This was Salah’s 23rd assist of the season in all competitions.
Areola denied Alexis Mac Allister as Liverpool pressed for a second goal. Gradually, however, with West Ham’s well-organised defence restricting the hosts and the visitors’ creative assets, Mohammed Kudus, Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paquetá, seeing more of the ball, Potter’s team turned the tide completely. It spoke volumes that Alisson emerged as a decisive figure.
There were warnings for Liverpool in the first half. Aaron Wan-Bissaka put Carlos Soler through on goal but Alisson was off his line quickly to block. The rebound broke to Kudus, whose audacious attempt was sailing into the Liverpool goal until the back-tracking Brazil goalkeeper tipped his chip on to the crossbar. Konstantinos Mavropanos headed over from James Ward-Prowse’s corner in stoppage time. Unmarked and six yards out, the central defender should have scored.
Heartened, West Ham took the game to Liverpool after the break and deserved much more than the late punishment that the soon-to-be champions inflicted. Vladimir Coufal’s introduction for Scarles, with Wan-Bissaka shifting to the left, played a major part in the transformation. Soler should have equalised from Bowen’s low cross after Van Dijk had failed to clear, only to blaze over from 12 yards out. Paquetá played Bowen through on goal with a superb pass but Alisson stood tall for as long as possible and blocked the West Ham captain’s chip with his chest. The Liverpool keeper made another excellent save when Kudus aimed low for the far corner.
A West Ham goal was coming, with Liverpool increasingly out of sorts and losing the midfield battle. The manner of it encapsulated the home side’s second-half display. Wan-Bissaka broke free down the left and floated a cross into the centre. Van Dijk, not heeding a call from the substitute Robertson, sliced a clearance against the unfortunate left-back and the ball rebounded inside Alisson’s right corner. The captain delivered the perfect apology.
Liverpool came alive after the West Ham equaliser, with Díaz striking the crossbar via the chest of Wan-Bissaka. Attempting to clear the resulting corner, Paquetá claimed to have been fouled by Mac Allister. Play continued, with Areola conceding a second corner from Mac Allister’s low shot. The Argentina international took the set piece and there was Van Dijk, too strong for Niclas Füllkrug, to power a header into the Kop goal and take the roof off Anfield. There was still time for Füllkrug to rattle Alisson’s crossbar with a powerful header but Liverpool survived. Almost there.
The Athletic
Paqueta’s swashbuckling performance shows West Ham what they will miss if he is banned
By Roshane Thomas
It was an afternoon where Lucas Paqueta skilfully toyed with Liverpool in such fashion that he became their bete noire.
Paqueta showed why he is an elegant footballer whose playmaking attributes surpass that of his West Ham United peers. This was a performance which highlighted why the 27-year-old was a sought-after talent before the Football Association’s ongoing investigation into his alleged betting breaches. It will not conclude until at least May, but for 90 minutes, Paqueta forgot about his off-field troubles.
The Anfield faithful groaned with frustration whenever he fell to the turf after a challenge. Each time, Paqueta rose with the pleasure of being their chief tormentor. Even Andrew Madley, the referee, fell victim to the vortex of Paqueta’s aura when he was accidentally brought down by the Brazilian.
Paqueta, who has two years remaining on his contract, ran the show in the second half. His best moment was his threaded pass for captain Jarrod Bowen, which prompted Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson to rush off his line to deny the attacker.
Paqueta’s performance was a factor behind West Ham restoring parity in the 86th minute, courtesy of Andy Robertson’s own goal from Aaron Wan-Bissaka’s cross. But despite Paqueta’s qualities, the theatrical side of his game remains his undoing. He believes he was fouled by Robertson in the build-up to Virgil van Dijk’s winner in the 2-1 loss. But his exaggerated fall to the ground meant that a free kick wasn’t awarded.
After the match, Paqueta shook his head in dismay after embraces from head coach Graham Potter and first-team coach Billy Reid. The Brazil international then shook Curtis Jones’s hand before gesticulating to the Liverpool midfielder where he felt the contact.
Potter opted against giving his thoughts on Robertson’s challenge on Paqueta. Instead, he chose to praise his team.
“He (Paqueta) was one of many but I don’t want to single out an individual,” he said. “There were a lot of strong performances, which shows the team was functioning quite well. The performance of the team was really positive and probably the best we’ve had since we’ve been here. The balance between defence and attack was really good against a top team.
“Liverpool made it difficult but we showed resilience and grew into the game. The second half was a stronger performance. The crowd here are very knowledgeable and know when Liverpool are in a game. I think the way they celebrated the second was an indication of that because we played well.”
Paqueta has registered five goals across 31 appearances in all competitions this season, with his form markedly improving after Potter’s appointment as head coach in January. He has only missed three matches under the head coach (Chelsea, Arsenal and Leicester City) due to injury.
Potter had a heart-to-heart conversation with Paqueta earlier this season. Both prefer to keep the content of their discussion private, but given the complexity of Paqueta’s legal battles, Potter wants to offer the midfielder support on and off the field.
“His mindset has been really good,” said the former Chelsea manager in last Friday’s pre-match press conference. “He comes to training and it takes his mind off stuff that is clearly important and serious. I haven’t noticed any difference in him in training. The distraction is a welcome one for him. We check on him, make sure he’s OK and we listen to him. As I said, there haven’t been any problems.”
Paqueta gave his jersey to a supporter after the match. He and his team-mates were applauded by the away enclosure. Despite the loss, it was a positive response from the team considering their recent struggles against Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Newcastle United. West Ham have sealed three wins in 12 league fixtures under Potter. In a season which feels like a prolonged annual leave, the spirited performance against Liverpool offers hope for the future.
“We deserved a point and it was a better performance from us,” Bowen told The Athletic afterwards. “Coming here is hard enough and that’s probably the most disappointing thing. The first 20 to 25 minutes, we didn’t deal with it well enough. They were fast out of the blocks and it was down to us to control it, which we didn’t and we conceded the goal.
“But after that, the reaction was good and we took that confidence into the second half. I had a chance, so did Dinos (Konstantinos Mavropanos) Mo (Kudus) had a couple of chances and Carlos (Soler). On another day, they go in and it’s a different scoreline.
“He (Paqueta) played brilliantly today and found me with a great pass. That’s the quality he has with those range of passes. Barring the first 20 to 25 minutes, where we may have played with fear, it was down to us to play with more bravery, which we then showed. We can look at the positives of it.
“There are six games left and it’s about keeping improving as a squad and taking confidence into the end of the season.”
(Top photo: Ed Sykes/Sportsphoto/Allstar via Getty Images)
Sun
KELL CALL West Ham make Caoimhin Kelleher top summer transfer target as Liverpool name their price for keeper
Hammers also have eye on another top-flight stopper - compare their stats below
Alan Nixon & Anthony Chapman
WEST HAM want to bring in a new No 1 — with Liverpool’s Caoimhin Kelleher firmly in their sights.
The Irons like the Republic of Ireland star, 26, and are keen on a deal, especially if they can sign him on loan.
Kelleher may be allowed out by the Kop but they are likely to ask for cash and rate him in the £20million class.
The Hammers are looking for a new keeper, along with other captures in the summer, and are deciding between a couple of elite candidates.
Southampton’s Aaron Ramsdale is another major option.
The England ace is also available for about £20m and wants to stay in the Premier League after Saints’ relegation.
Alphonse Areola is Graham Potter’s current first-choice goalie.
But he’s kept just four clean sheets in 21 league games this season, shipping 34 goals in the process.
And Areola’s lack of technicality with his feet makes him unsuited to Potter’s tactics of playing out from the back.
Kelleher has shown he can do the lot under Arne Slot this term, conceding 20 goals in as many games in all competitions while keeping nine clean sheets.
Liverpool are ready to let him leave, having already completed a deal to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili from Valencia.
While Kelleher is eager to leave Anfield to become a guaranteed starter elsewhere.
As for Ramsdale, his stats make for less pleasant reading.
With Southampton bottom of the table and already relegated, he has shipped 57 goals in 24 league games while keeping just two clean sheets.
But Ramsdale remains highly thought of among top-flight clubs, who have not forgotten his impressive time at Arsenal.
And with the stopper keen to ensure he is in England’s squad for next summer’s World Cup, Ramsdale would likely jump at the chance to sign for the Hammers.