Impending Arsenal sale tipped to ‘stick two fingers up to Arteta’ during rapid England ascent

According to a recent report from A Bola, Manchester United may well agree to the signing of Bruno Fernandes in the next two days with the deal taking a big step forward in recent hours. 

Both United and Sporting are believed to have agreed to a deal that is worth around €55 million, which will also include some bonuses depending on the future success of Manchester United. 

This is a move that has been in the making for a while now, and despite it initially seeming like they’d be able to get it over the finish line pretty quickly, United have fallen into the trap once again of a transfer being dragged out for most of the window. 

They still need a few more faces in order to make a sustained push for the top four between now and the end of the season, but …

Raheem Sterling s role as the leader of England s young generation has won praise from former Liverpool forward Emile Heskey.

Sterling and England are back in action against the Czech Republic on Friday, with the formality of qualification for Euro 2020 on course to be confirmed during the current international break.

Gareth Southgate s side boast a 100 per cent record in Group A – a Sterling hat-trick against this week s opponents having set the wheels in motion at Wembley in March.

The Manchester City star has finally brought his prolific club form to the international arena, with six goals in the campaign so far.

Speaking to Omnisport about the leading lights in England s current crop of youngsters, Heskey noted Sterling remains only 24 – something…

Juventus have taken a big risk in signing Cristiano Ronaldo, according to Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis.

The former Manchester United superstar completed a €112million move from Real Madrid to the Serie A champions in June.

While it is believed to be less than his wages in Spain, Juve are reportedly paying Ronaldo €30million a year across a four-year contract, which is substantially more than the rest of their top players earn.

De Laurentiis believes such enormous fees represent a gamble on a player entering his 17th full season as a professional.

Cristiano is getting on a bit now, De Laurentiis told La Verita, as quoted by AS.

To maintain some kind of balance, it s very dangerous for a club to spend so much money on just one player…

Trent Alexander-Arnold s ability to step into midfield was never in doubt, says Jurgen Klopp, but the Liverpool boss has warned his new hybrid role cannot solve all the Reds problems.

Alexander-Arnold produced an impressive display in Monday s 6-1 rout of Leeds United at Elland Road, drifting infield from his right-back position to register two assists.

By teeing up goals for Cody Gakpo and Darwin Nunez, Alexander-Arnold reached 50 Premier League assists – only Kevin De Bruyne (84), Andrew Robertson (53) and Mohamed Salah (53) have managed more in the competition since his December 2016 debut.

Alexander-Arnold s position has been the subject of much debate this term, with his defensive shortcomings being criticised amid a poor campaign for Liverpool.

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Manchester United manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer does not know how much money he will have at his disposal in the transfer market amid the coronavirus pandemic.

United have been linked with big money moves for the likes of Borussia Dortmund star Jadon Sancho, Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish and Birmingham City sensation Jude Bellingham among others.

The Red Devils – without a Premier League crown since 2013 – are expected to be active buyers in the market after watching bitter rivals Liverpool claim their first league title since 1990.

However, Solskjaer warned United s plans could be impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, which forced the 2019-20 season to be postponed in March before it returned earlier this month.

Turning up the heat in training

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Mauricio Pochettino insists Jurgen Klopp should be praised for having reached three Champions League finals, not criticised for losing the previous two.

Pochettino s Tottenham take on Liverpool at the Wanda Metropolitano on Saturday in the first all-English showdown in the final of Europe s elite competition since Manchester United beat Chelsea on penalties in 2008.

Klopp s side reached the final last season, losing 3-1 to Real Madrid, with the German also having been beaten when he guided Borussia Dortmund to European club football s biggest game of the 2012-13 campaign.

Klopp also lost the Europa League final to Sevilla in his first term in charge of the Reds, but Pochettino thinks his opposite number deserves far more credit for simply reaching this stage.

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Jurgen Klopp hailed Liverpool s reaction to the concession of an early goal after they came from behind to beat Manchester United 4-2 at Old Trafford.

The Reds looked set for another disappointing visit to the home of their bitter rivals when Bruno Fernandes opened the scoring after just 10 minutes on Thursday evening.

But goals from Diogo Jota and Mohamed Salah either side of a Roberto Firmino brace rendered a further Marcus Rashford effort irrelevant and handed Liverpool their first Old Trafford win since 2014.

And it was the mental strength shown in the aftermath of the early setback that most pleased Klopp.

He told Sky Sports: We reacted really well on their goal, it was unlucky in that moment but it was a bit like we started the game to be honest. <…

Lionel Messi not winning the World Cup with Argentina would be unfair, according to goalkeeper Oscar Ustari.

Messi has won everything on offer during his time as a Barcelona player – the Champions League, LaLiga, UEFA Super Cup, Club World Cup, Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana.

However, the six-time Ballon d Or winner is yet to taste senior success in an Argentina jersey following a runners-up finish at the 2014 World Cup, having also reached back-to-back Copa America finals in 2015 and 2016.

A two-time Argentina international, Pachuca goalkeeper Ustari warned against doubting captain Messi – the country s all-time leading goalscorer.

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Three games, three losses. Real Madrid s season was ended in a week.

As if a pair of Clasico defeats to Barcelona were not enough, the LaLiga giants crashed out of the Champions League to Ajax on Tuesday.

After a win over Levante on February 24, Madrid could not have imagined a week as bad as this.

The Santiago Bernabeu has seen four consecutive Madrid losses for just the third time ever and first since May 2004, and Santiago Solari s position as head coach is surely hanging by a thread.

It was a week that could not have gone any worse.

Wednesday, February 27 – Copa hopes dashed

After a 1-1 draw with Barcelona in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final, Madrid had hope heading back home.

They looked on track aft…

Switzerland s remarkable run to the quarter-finals of Euro 2020 has captivated fans at the grounds and at home.

Still, there is only one member of Vladimir Petkovic s squad who consistently has his own song belted out in stands and living rooms.

Striker Breel Embolo epitomises the golden generation of Swiss players to have emerged in the last decade: talented, spirited, and with a story to tell. He is captivating as a player and person, so much so that his name is sung with gusto at every international match to the tune of The Lion Sleeps Tonight. Oh Embolo, oh Embolo

There s no denying his popularity, but where Embolo has so far fallen short is in matching early expectations. He made his Basel debut in March 2014 and scored minutes after coming on as a substit…