According to Sky Sports, Manchester United are closing in on the signing of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona, with a broad agreement reached between the clubs over the proposed transfer of the Dutch midfielder. The figure is put at around €65 million, with performance-related add-ons to come on top.
De Jong was one of the most important players for Ajax before his move to Barcelona happened in the summer of 2019. He has been important for Barcelona as well and head coach Xavi Hernandez still insists he d prefer to keep De Jong at the Camp Nou, but it seems the matter has always been out of his hands. The Catalan club need money, that much is obvious, and selling De Jong is certainly a way to raise funds.
Be that as it may, Ten Hag and De Jong obviously know what to expe…
Milner s penalty miss cost Liverpool the win against Southampton. Image: AFP
Liverpool was unable to get all three points at home against Southampton as Forster denied Milner from the spot to save Southampton from defeat. Here are five things we learned from the matchup.
5. Mane Was Missed
Liverpool looked static in attack, failing to create any real chances besides that penalty miss. Part of this was due to , arguably Liverpool s best player, being out due to injury. The Reds weren t able to do anything when they had the ball, and they lacked that creative spark and goalscoring prowess that Mane brought to them. It s somewhat fitting that Mane, a former Southampton player purchased for €41 million, was the reason that Liverpool wasn t able to get past a solid Sout…
Everton used the desire to right the perceived wrong against them to inflict Newcastle’s heaviest defeat of the season as a 3-0 victory in front of an equally fired-up Goodison Park moved the Toffees out of the relegation zone again.
With an appeal pending on the 10-point deduction for breach of financial regulations, manager Sean Dyche has said they have to continue to deliver on the pitch and they duly did with a rousing display against the top-four contenders.
Dwight McNeil, Abdoulaye Doucoure and substitute Beto all scored late on, making the most of another superb performance from centre-backs James Tarkowski and Jarrad Branthwaite, as Newcastle’s miserable away form extended to one win in the last nine games.
WE SHALL NOT BE MOVED.
— Everton …
Memphis Depay has completed a transfer to Atletico Madrid from Barcelona.
The Netherlands international, who was given permission to train with Atletico on Thursday, has signed a two-and-a-half-year deal at the Civitas Metropolitano.
Atletico are paying an up front free of €3million to Barca for a player who was due to be out of contract in July, potentially rising to €4m.
Depay joined Barcelona on a free transfer from Lyon ahead of the 2021-22 season, linking up again with Ronald Koeman, for whom he had played with the Oranje, but Koeman was fired by the Blaugrana at the end of October 2021.
Xavi was hired a week later and never appeared to have quite the same trust in Depay.
His first 11 LaLiga appearances were all as a starter, but after Xa…
Tired of your mates recycling the same old football trivia questions from years gone by?
Bring them bang up to date and get them guessing with our Opta-powered Premier League quiz.
All the answers are at the bottom of the page, so you can claim the high ground when it comes to statistical knowledge!
1. One Premier League player has been involved in 34 goals (28 scored, six assisted) against newly promoted opposition since the start of last season. Who?
— Manchester City (@ManCity)
2. If Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial score against Watford, it will be the first time since 1995-96 that United have had four players reach double figures in a single Premier League season. Who were the four that term?
Ever…
Erik ten Hag has warned Manchester United players that they will not be guaranteed a place in every matchday squad.
The Red Devils have already made four signings this transfer window, bringing in Joshua Zirkzee, Lenny Yoro, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, while there are still reports that more business could be done.
Jadon Sancho, who has been linked with a move away from Old Trafford, was not involved in United s opening-day 1-0 win over Fulham last week due to an ear infection.
The 24-year-old is back at the club after a successful loan spell at Borussia Dortmund during the second half of last season. He created the fourth-most chances of any Dortmund player in the Bundesliga (25), and scored two goals, while also registering two assists.
Howe…
Birmingham have sacked head coach John Eustace despite a bright start to the season, increasing rumours of former England captain Wayne Rooney taking charge at the club.
Eustace led Birmingham to safety last season, while a come-from-behind 3-1 derby win over West Brom on Friday left Blues sixth in the Sky Bet Championship after 11 fixtures heading into the international break.
While Birmingham recognised in a statement Eustace had “helped to stabilise and strengthen the club” in his 15 months at the helm, they have decided to part company with the ex-Republic of Ireland assistant.
Birmingham City has today parted company with Head Coach, John Eustace.
— Birmingham City FC (@BCFC)
“It is essential that the board of directors and the footb…
Paul Pogba and Eden Hazard joining Real Madrid is possible because great players are always welcome at the club, says Raphael Varane.
Madrid have been linked with big-money moves for the Manchester United midfielder and Chelsea winger as Zinedine Zidane looks to rebuild the squad following a disappointing 2018-19 season.
Pogba has struggled to stamp his mark on United since returning in 2016 for a then world-record £89million, while Hazard appears set to leave Stamford Bridge with just one year remaining on his contract.
Varane, who has vowed to remain with the club next term despite links to the likes of United and Juventus, believes players of such calibre will always have a place at the Santiago Bernabeu.
I can t say what I talk to [Pogba] about, but…
Cameroon s camp is serene ahead of their Africa Cup of Nations opener with Guinea-Bissau, according to head coach Clarence Seedorf, whose side delayed their departure because of a row over bonuses.
The defending champions had staged a sit-in protest and only left for Egypt on Friday after further discussions with the country s sporting officials.
Seedorf, though, is not concerned about their turbulent preparations affecting the Indomitable Lions hopes of retaining the trophy.
We are serene and we know why we re here. At no moment has the team spirit changed. We have a joyful group, with players who know what appearing in such an event represents, said the former AC Milan star.
Actually the bonus crisis has reinforced the team spirit and the determinat…
Cristiano Ronaldo has reached 300 goals in LaLiga, furthering his reputation as one of the finest attackers to ever feature in Spain s top flight.
Ronaldo reached the landmark by grabbing Real Madrid s second goal against Getafe on Saturday, after Gareth Bale had opened the scoring.
The Portugal star has reached 300 LaLiga goals in just 286 appearances, notably quicker than Lionel Messi, who needed 334 outings to bring up his triple-century.
Ronaldo had a slow start to the campaign, scoring only twice in the league before December as Madrid made a poor title defence.
However, since returning from the mid-season break, Ronaldo has been on fire, the 33-year-old scoring 11 goals in his last seven appearances.
Here, we examine Ronaldo s incredible…