Friday News (includes West Ham)
Posted: 25 Apr 2025, 10:20
BBC
Arsenal are at an advanced stage in negotiations to sign Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 26, who has a 60m euros (£51.2m) release clause in his contract. (ESPN), external
Manchester United could offer Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, 22, to Atalanta in exchange for Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman, 27.
(Sun - subscription required), external
Roma, Napoli and two Premier League clubs are interested in signing Nottingham Forest's 24-year-old England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi who is out of contract next summer. (Sky Sports), external
Newcastle are interested in activating the £30m release clause in the contract of Ipswich and England Under-21 striker Liam Delap, 22, which will become active if the Tractor Boys are relegated from the
Premier League. (Telegraph - subscription required), external
Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, 25, is willing to join Manchester United, who are determined to finalise a deal for the Brazilian this summer. (Sky Germany)
Tottenham Hotspur will begin negotiations over a new contract for Argentina defender Cristian Romero, 26, who is being monitored by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. (CaughtOffside), external
Atletico Madrid are also interested in signing Tottenham's 27-year-old Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur. (Times - subscription required),
Belgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, 25, has suffered four injuries on loan with Sevilla this season and is set to return to Arsenal in the summer, with the La Liga club unlikely to exercise their £10.25m
option to buy. (Mirror), external
Manchester City and Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 33, will not play at the Fifa Club World Cup in June as he doesn't want the risk of injury jeopardising his search for a new club. (Daily Star), external
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford, 27, on a permanent basis this summer. (Football Transfers), external
Representatives of Real Madrid and Brazil forward Vinicius Jr deny the 24-year-old is close to signing a new contract with the club. (Athletic - subscription required)
Sky Paper Talk
THE SUN
Manchester United are considering a shock swoop for Manchester City star James McAtee.
Arsenal are confident of making Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi their first signing of the summer - despite reports of a hijack attempt from Real Madrid.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Newcastle United are keen on a summer move for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap and will be keeping a close eye on him when the two sides meet this weekend.
THE TIMES
Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero from Tottenham this summer.
DAILY MIRROR
Kevin De Bruyne will not extend his stay at Manchester City to play at the Club World Cup this summer.
THE GUARDIAN
Manchester United will compete in the inaugural edition of a lucrative, new women's seven-a-side series from 21-23 May alongside Bayern Munich, Ajax and Benfica, with the remaining four of the eight competing teams still to be confirmed.
DAILY MAIL
Manchester City's Oscar Bobb has suffered another injury setback in a season plagued by fitness problems.
Manchester United could offer Rasmus Hojlund in a sensational partial swap deal for Atalanta striker Ademola Lookman, a report has claimed.
DAILY RECORD
Newcastle United are closing in on a deal for Rangers' rising star Oliver Goodbrand.
Plymouth Argyle are keen on Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie.
The 72
West Ham named as admirers of Leeds United captain and young striker Leeds United skipper Ethan Ampadu and young striker Mateo Joseph have been on the radar of West Ham, as per ExWHUEmployee.
Leeds United are heading for the Premier League after winning promotion on Easter Monday. LUFC will now fight with Burnley for the Championship title, a battle that will go down to the final day.
The Whites have a far superior goal difference, so if they win against Bristol City while Burnley taste an unlikely defeat at QPR, the Yorkshire giants will effectively be league champions.
At that point, the focus will then swift solely onto summer recruitment plans. Incomings will be the main prerogative, but the Whites have star players who could draw interest despite promotion.
Now, reports claim two Leeds United players attracting admiring glances from West Ham are captain Ethan Ampadu and Mateo Joseph.
Reputable Hammers news source ExWHUEmployee (as relayed by The West Ham Way) revealed that Ampadu and Joseph are players ‘liked’ by the East London outfit. LUFC winning promotion will not help them in any efforts to prise them away from Elland Road though.
West Ham also have interest in Burnley defender CJ Egan-Riley and players at Sunderland. As with Leeds though, the Clarets’ promotion does not help their chances of signing Egan-Riley.
Big departures unlikely after promotion
Promotion doesn’t Leeds United are immune to bids for their star players. They have some big names who could yet attract interest from other clubs after their roles in promotion.
However, having been successful in their second attempt to rise from the Championship, the Whites are in a far stronger position to keep their big assets than they were last summer. It means they will not be forced to cash in, nor will players be eager to move away to play at a
higher level.
It should mean LUFC are confident of keeping the likes of Ampadu and Joseph if they wish to. There should be no repeat of last summer, in which Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter all left in expensive deals.
A current Leeds United star, and one for the future Ampadu is easily one of the most important players at Leeds United.
Beyond his on-pitch abilities and versatility, the Welshman is a huge leader within the squad and an exemplary figure and he will retain this role on the step up to the Premier League.
Joseph is hopefully on his way to assuring an influential role in the LUFC first-team in the years to come. It had been hoped the Spaniard could kick on more this season, but he hasn’t been able to usurp Joel Piroe from the starting XI.
Both are big assets at Elland Road and despite interest from West Ham, it seems likely that they both stay put.
GiveMeSport
Former England 2002 World Cup Star Now 'Facing Bankruptcy Battle'
Former West Ham winger Trevor Sinclair – who was capped by the Three Lions on 12 occasions and, since last January, has been the assistant coach of the India national team – is currently facing a bankruptcy battle after ‘hiding his head in the sand’ over a £36,000 tax bill.
Sinclair, 52, earned a fortune during his playing days for Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City – and continued to line his pockets in his post-retirement life as he went on to become a TV and radio pundit for the likes of the BBC and talkSPORT.
However, his appearances as a pundit – both on television and the radio – dwindled after he asked why “black and brown people” should mourn the Queen. Sinclair later deleted the post and apologised for his remarks, but he went on to make just one more appearance on
talkSPORT.
He was also axed by the Beeb – a job that he began in 2015 after seven years of retirement life – in 2018 after he injured a woman while driving drunk and, according to a report from The Sun, the Dulwich-born man is now facing a court bid.
HMRC are demanding that he settle an unpaid tax bill from 2021/22.
As mentioned, the Blackpool academy graduate has worked for talkSPORT and, more notably, two of the BBC’s most-watched shows: Football Focus and Final Score.
Central London County Court are aware of Sinclair’s case after hearing that he landed himself in hot water in regard to his finances. It’s said that, after his accountant passed away, he ‘hid his head in the sand’ over a sum of money he owed to the taxman.
Shabab Rizvi, who works on behalf of HMRC, has told Judge Caroline Wilkinson that Sinclair, who concluded his playing days at Cardiff City
in 2008, has constantly ignored demands for payment – and, thus, they are seeking a bankruptcy order.
A representative for the ex-wide man, Robert Lee, has asked the judge to delay the order to give Sinclair extra time as his mounting financial troubles were as a result of his accountant’s death. “Mr Sinclair is seeking an adjournment. He is a former Premier League footballer, and he was working in the media. Mr Sinclair is currently in receipt of a job offer in Saudi Arabia.”
For a two-month period, the court was adjourned to allow Sinclair the time to gather and pay off the money – which is believed to be two ‘large sums of £13,000-odd’ of tax debt alongside his overdue National Insurance and penalty payments.
Arsenal are at an advanced stage in negotiations to sign Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 26, who has a 60m euros (£51.2m) release clause in his contract. (ESPN), external
Manchester United could offer Denmark striker Rasmus Hojlund, 22, to Atalanta in exchange for Nigeria forward Ademola Lookman, 27.
(Sun - subscription required), external
Roma, Napoli and two Premier League clubs are interested in signing Nottingham Forest's 24-year-old England winger Callum Hudson-Odoi who is out of contract next summer. (Sky Sports), external
Newcastle are interested in activating the £30m release clause in the contract of Ipswich and England Under-21 striker Liam Delap, 22, which will become active if the Tractor Boys are relegated from the
Premier League. (Telegraph - subscription required), external
Wolves forward Matheus Cunha, 25, is willing to join Manchester United, who are determined to finalise a deal for the Brazilian this summer. (Sky Germany)
Tottenham Hotspur will begin negotiations over a new contract for Argentina defender Cristian Romero, 26, who is being monitored by Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid. (CaughtOffside), external
Atletico Madrid are also interested in signing Tottenham's 27-year-old Uruguay midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur. (Times - subscription required),
Belgian midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, 25, has suffered four injuries on loan with Sevilla this season and is set to return to Arsenal in the summer, with the La Liga club unlikely to exercise their £10.25m
option to buy. (Mirror), external
Manchester City and Belgium midfielder Kevin de Bruyne, 33, will not play at the Fifa Club World Cup in June as he doesn't want the risk of injury jeopardising his search for a new club. (Daily Star), external
Tottenham Hotspur are interested in signing Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford, 27, on a permanent basis this summer. (Football Transfers), external
Representatives of Real Madrid and Brazil forward Vinicius Jr deny the 24-year-old is close to signing a new contract with the club. (Athletic - subscription required)
Sky Paper Talk
THE SUN
Manchester United are considering a shock swoop for Manchester City star James McAtee.
Arsenal are confident of making Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi their first signing of the summer - despite reports of a hijack attempt from Real Madrid.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Newcastle United are keen on a summer move for Ipswich Town striker Liam Delap and will be keeping a close eye on him when the two sides meet this weekend.
THE TIMES
Atletico Madrid are interested in signing Rodrigo Bentancur and Cristian Romero from Tottenham this summer.
DAILY MIRROR
Kevin De Bruyne will not extend his stay at Manchester City to play at the Club World Cup this summer.
THE GUARDIAN
Manchester United will compete in the inaugural edition of a lucrative, new women's seven-a-side series from 21-23 May alongside Bayern Munich, Ajax and Benfica, with the remaining four of the eight competing teams still to be confirmed.
DAILY MAIL
Manchester City's Oscar Bobb has suffered another injury setback in a season plagued by fitness problems.
Manchester United could offer Rasmus Hojlund in a sensational partial swap deal for Atalanta striker Ademola Lookman, a report has claimed.
DAILY RECORD
Newcastle United are closing in on a deal for Rangers' rising star Oliver Goodbrand.
Plymouth Argyle are keen on Aberdeen defender Jack MacKenzie.
The 72
West Ham named as admirers of Leeds United captain and young striker Leeds United skipper Ethan Ampadu and young striker Mateo Joseph have been on the radar of West Ham, as per ExWHUEmployee.
Leeds United are heading for the Premier League after winning promotion on Easter Monday. LUFC will now fight with Burnley for the Championship title, a battle that will go down to the final day.
The Whites have a far superior goal difference, so if they win against Bristol City while Burnley taste an unlikely defeat at QPR, the Yorkshire giants will effectively be league champions.
At that point, the focus will then swift solely onto summer recruitment plans. Incomings will be the main prerogative, but the Whites have star players who could draw interest despite promotion.
Now, reports claim two Leeds United players attracting admiring glances from West Ham are captain Ethan Ampadu and Mateo Joseph.
Reputable Hammers news source ExWHUEmployee (as relayed by The West Ham Way) revealed that Ampadu and Joseph are players ‘liked’ by the East London outfit. LUFC winning promotion will not help them in any efforts to prise them away from Elland Road though.
West Ham also have interest in Burnley defender CJ Egan-Riley and players at Sunderland. As with Leeds though, the Clarets’ promotion does not help their chances of signing Egan-Riley.
Big departures unlikely after promotion
Promotion doesn’t Leeds United are immune to bids for their star players. They have some big names who could yet attract interest from other clubs after their roles in promotion.
However, having been successful in their second attempt to rise from the Championship, the Whites are in a far stronger position to keep their big assets than they were last summer. It means they will not be forced to cash in, nor will players be eager to move away to play at a
higher level.
It should mean LUFC are confident of keeping the likes of Ampadu and Joseph if they wish to. There should be no repeat of last summer, in which Archie Gray, Crysencio Summerville and Georginio Rutter all left in expensive deals.
A current Leeds United star, and one for the future Ampadu is easily one of the most important players at Leeds United.
Beyond his on-pitch abilities and versatility, the Welshman is a huge leader within the squad and an exemplary figure and he will retain this role on the step up to the Premier League.
Joseph is hopefully on his way to assuring an influential role in the LUFC first-team in the years to come. It had been hoped the Spaniard could kick on more this season, but he hasn’t been able to usurp Joel Piroe from the starting XI.
Both are big assets at Elland Road and despite interest from West Ham, it seems likely that they both stay put.
GiveMeSport
Former England 2002 World Cup Star Now 'Facing Bankruptcy Battle'
Former West Ham winger Trevor Sinclair – who was capped by the Three Lions on 12 occasions and, since last January, has been the assistant coach of the India national team – is currently facing a bankruptcy battle after ‘hiding his head in the sand’ over a £36,000 tax bill.
Sinclair, 52, earned a fortune during his playing days for Queens Park Rangers and Manchester City – and continued to line his pockets in his post-retirement life as he went on to become a TV and radio pundit for the likes of the BBC and talkSPORT.
However, his appearances as a pundit – both on television and the radio – dwindled after he asked why “black and brown people” should mourn the Queen. Sinclair later deleted the post and apologised for his remarks, but he went on to make just one more appearance on
talkSPORT.
He was also axed by the Beeb – a job that he began in 2015 after seven years of retirement life – in 2018 after he injured a woman while driving drunk and, according to a report from The Sun, the Dulwich-born man is now facing a court bid.
HMRC are demanding that he settle an unpaid tax bill from 2021/22.
As mentioned, the Blackpool academy graduate has worked for talkSPORT and, more notably, two of the BBC’s most-watched shows: Football Focus and Final Score.
Central London County Court are aware of Sinclair’s case after hearing that he landed himself in hot water in regard to his finances. It’s said that, after his accountant passed away, he ‘hid his head in the sand’ over a sum of money he owed to the taxman.
Shabab Rizvi, who works on behalf of HMRC, has told Judge Caroline Wilkinson that Sinclair, who concluded his playing days at Cardiff City
in 2008, has constantly ignored demands for payment – and, thus, they are seeking a bankruptcy order.
A representative for the ex-wide man, Robert Lee, has asked the judge to delay the order to give Sinclair extra time as his mounting financial troubles were as a result of his accountant’s death. “Mr Sinclair is seeking an adjournment. He is a former Premier League footballer, and he was working in the media. Mr Sinclair is currently in receipt of a job offer in Saudi Arabia.”
For a two-month period, the court was adjourned to allow Sinclair the time to gather and pay off the money – which is believed to be two ‘large sums of £13,000-odd’ of tax debt alongside his overdue National Insurance and penalty payments.