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Leeds have sell-on clause on striker who has scored four goals in four games

Mikel Arteta issues worrying injury update on key player

Leeds summer signing could leave after only few months at the club

Morton is a Liverpool academy graduate and his move to Blackburn was the only moment he has spent time away from the Merseyside club – a stint in which he impressed.

Another loan move would help the 20-year-old develop further as game time will be hard to come by at Anfield for the rest of the campaign.

Morton has made nine senior appearances for Liverpool, two of which came in the Premier League. His last outing in the English top-flight came in December 2021 as Jurgen Klopp threw him in to start in a 2-2 draw at Tottenham Hotspur in the midst of a midfield injury crisis.

The post Several English clubs interested in Liverpool midfielder and Klopp is ready to sanction a move appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Inside Spain: Real Madrid and Barcelona go to battle over starlet, Fede Valverde doesn’t go to court

Ruairidh Barlow — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 13:39:43 +0000

Inside Spain is a weekly instalment brought to you by Football España, providing an insight into all of the major stories coming out of the rich and intense climes of La Liga and beyond.

Turkish teenager Arda Guler has been the talk of Europe for several weeks, with a number of clubs interested in signing the 18-year-old. In the last week, it became a political battle between the big two in Spain.

Late last Thursday night Barcelona President Joan Laporta said they were confident of signing one of the best creative talents in Europe, and were very much the favourites come Monday morning. But if there is one thing Real Madrid, and particularly Florentino Perez enjoy just as much as beating Barcelona on the pitch, it’s outdoing them off it.

Perez supposedly called Guler in order to convince him, and it is little wonder he was keen on a move to the Santiago Bernabeu. The deal Real Madrid are reportedly offering him could go over €50m, without including his salary, despite the fact his release clause is only €17.5m. Perez was reportedly furious when Barcelona beat Los Blancos to Neymar Junior’s signature over a decade ago, and since they have won the race for Vinicius Junior, Rodrygo Goes and Endrick Felipe – Guler is set to be the latest.

Meanwhile Fede Valverde looked like he was set to watch Guler from the stands at the start of the season – and that may well still be the case, if his suspension holds. However he will not face legal action for allegedly punching Villarreal midfielder Alex Baena after a match in April. The case was dropped at Baena’s recollection of the events didn’t add up.

Otherwise Villarreal have been winning. Pau Torres and Nicolas Jackson look set to bring in at least €70m in from their moves, while they have already made five signings for €2.5m, all of which look like smart additions – the latest is Ben Brereton Diaz.

Atletico Madrid are set to sign Cesar Azpilicueta on a permanent deal, after announcing Caglar Soyuncu on Wednesday, while Barcelona also confirmed the signing of Athletic Club defender Inigo Martinez on a free. Barcelona aren’t done there, at least if Xavi Hernandez has his way, he has demanded more business from the club before the window shuts.

Image via OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images

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Transfer news: Lionel Messi future impacts Chelsea target, doubts over Arsenal & Man City stars + more

CaughtOffside Team — Tue, 09 May 2023 07:48:57 +0000

Good morning and welcome to Tuesday’s Daily Briefing – thanks for reading and click here to subscribe for this and more exclusive content straight to your inbox!

Arsenal

Bayer Leverkusen are set to renew their interest in Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka this summer (Mirror)

Aston Villa

Former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi could leave Marseille in the summer, it’s concrete possibility as he’s attracting interest in Premier League.

Aston Villa have been tracking him for a long time — there are also other clubs keen on signing Guendouzi.

Atletico Madrid

Diego Simeone on his future: “I have another year of contract with Atletico Madrid — we’ll see what will happens. There are always incentives because in a club like this, new players, change the system and more.”

Barcelona

Barcelona want Lionel Messi and they are trying to make it work with Financial Fair Play. The main way to do this will be to reduce the salaries of stars like Sergio Busquets, but they could also sell players like Raphinha. None of this will be easy, but they are working on it, they are talking to La Liga, and Messi’s situation is open. Al-Hilal’s offer is also there, and there’s also interest from Inter Miami in the MLS, but Messi’s priority remains European football.

Raphinha to leave Barcelona?

Xavi is happy with Raphinha, but Barca feel there is an opportunity to make big money from his sale. There is nothing concrete on his future, and it will depend on Messi, but there has been long-term interest from Chelsea and Newcastle, so it’s an option for the club to consider.

Fabricio Diaz on potential Barca move: “It’s a dream that a top club as big as Barcelona is eyeing me, it’s fantastic. I am calm, my agent will find the best option for me.”

Bayern Munich

Noussair Mazraoui: “If you look at the whole second half of the season, I’m playing in the team because of injuries. I’m telling everyone at the club, including the coaches: when I’m needed, I’m ready.”

The former Ajax right-back wants to play more after a difficult season at Bayern, a decision on his future will be made soon.

Blackburn Rovers

Ben Brereton Diaz has just confirmed his plan to leave Blackburn on free transfer: “I won’t continue here next year.”

The Chile international is joining Villarreal on four year deal as free agent.

Chelsea

Chelsea could use Napoli’s interest in Christian Pulisic to their advantage as they target a move for Nigerian striker Victor Osimhen (Mail)

Leeds United

Joel Robles future will be decided at the end of the season — he’s expected to play the final games of the season after his good performance vs Man City. Robles’ contract expires in June, more than two European clubs are informed on the situation also waiting on Leeds.

More Stories / Latest News

Leeds have sell-on clause on striker who has scored four goals in four games

Mikel Arteta issues worrying injury update on key player

Leeds summer signing could leave after only few months at the club

Liverpool

Arthur has confirmed that he will be leaving Liverpool when his loan comes to an end: “I’m ready for a new challenge. I hope to say goodbye to Liverpool by playing some minutes. I want to say thanks to fans, club and Klopp who always treated me well. I feel very good now. La Liga could be an option for me now.”

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola on Ilkay Gundogan: “He’s so smart, so clever, so competitive. Trust me, he’s one of the best players I ever trained in my career as a whole package. He’s top class.”

Gundogan, out of contract this summer, will decide his future in the next weeks; as Barca want him but City will insist on keeping him too.

The post Transfer news: Lionel Messi future impacts Chelsea target, doubts over Arsenal & Man City stars + more appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Arsenal, Spurs & Newcastle among clubs to scout wonderkid compared with Jack Wilshere

Mark Brus — Mon, 08 May 2023 11:49:54 +0000

Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle United are reportedly among the clubs to have sent scouts to watch Blackburn Rovers wonderkid Adam Wharton.

The talented 18-year-old seems to be attracting plenty of interest from Premier League clubs after being compared to former Gunners and England midfielder Jack Wilshere, according to a report in the Daily Mail.

Wharton has started to get playing time in Blackburn’s first-team this season, appearing for them in the Championship and showing what he’s capable of.

This now means the likes of Arsenal, Spurs and Newcastle have had their scouts watch him play, as well as West Ham and Leicester City, according to the Mail’s report.

Adam Wharton has been linked with Premier League clubs

More Stories / Latest News

Leeds have sell-on clause on striker who has scored four goals in four games

Mikel Arteta issues worrying injury update on key player

Leeds summer signing could leave after only few months at the club

Wharton could do well to choose Arsenal right now as they’re on such a promising trajectory under Mikel Arteta, who has also shown a willingness to trust and develop young players like Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Gabriel Martinelli and William Saliba.

Still, the teenager might also find an easier path to the first-team at Tottenham or Newcastle, who are also both top clubs but who might not have quite as much competition for places to block Wharton’s development.

One can imagine Newcastle being a good move for Wharton right now, simply due to the uncertainty at Spurs after their recent sacking of Antonio Conte and departure of director Fabio Paratici.

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Leeds impressed by Champions League winner who could soon replace Javi Gracia

Andrew Walker — Sat, 29 Apr 2023 14:08:36 +0000

According to recent reports, Leeds United have identified 46-year-old Blackburn Rovers manager Jon Dahl Tomasson as a potential replacement for current boss Javi Garcia.

That’s according to Football Insider, who claim the Danish tactician, whose management and playing style has been likened to that of Marcelo Bielsa’s, is a genuine contender to replace Garcia in the Elland Road dugout.

More Stories / Latest News

Leeds have sell-on clause on striker who has scored four goals in four games

Mikel Arteta issues worrying injury update on key player

Leeds summer signing could leave after only few months at the club

Having won the 2002-03 Champions League as a player while representing AC Milan, Tomasson obviously knows what is required to reach the top of the game and it is believed that the Whites’ hierarchy have been impressed by the work the former striker has done at Blackburn this season.

Garcia is facing an uncertain future and will probably be sacked if Leeds end up being relegated.

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Video: Blackburn star slammed after scoring with blatant handball and protesting his innocence

Mark Brus — Sun, 23 Apr 2023 07:47:11 +0000

Blackburn Rovers ace Sammie Szmodics was heavily criticised for a shocking moment when he clearly deliberately handballed into the back of the net and insisted he did nothing wrong.

Watch the video below as the 27-year-old dives at the ball with his hand, hitting it into the back of the net and wheeling away to celebrate, only to see his effort rightly disallowed…

NO GOAL! "It's a SHOCKER!"

Szmodics gets the ball into the back of the net…with his hand! pic.twitter.com/j7ryeMFj92

— Sky Sports Football (@SkyFootball) April 22, 2023

More Stories / Latest News

Leeds have sell-on clause on striker who has scored four goals in four games

Mikel Arteta issues worrying injury update on key player

Leeds summer signing could leave after only few months at the club

This is not the kind of thing we want to see on the football pitch, and Szmodics embarrasses himself further by clearly trying to deny to the referee that he did anything wrong.

Surely even the most diehard Blackburn fan will see that there was absolutely no doubt about this one and the goal had to be ruled out.

The post Video: Blackburn star slammed after scoring with blatant handball and protesting his innocence appeared first on CaughtOffside.

English midfielder tempted to join Crystal Palace in summer

Darren Looney — Sun, 16 Apr 2023 13:12:06 +0000

Crystal Palace are said to be monitoring the situation of Blackburn Rovers’ Adam Wharton.

The 18-year-old has broken into the Balckburn team this season and has gone to play 12 times in the Championship for Rovers, scoring once and assisting once so far this campaign.

Ahead of the summer window, it is being reported that Crystal Palace are interested in the teenager and that the midfielder would be interested in a move to Selhurst Park – even if it means working his way through the ranks.

However, a move might become harder if Blackburn get promoted to the Premier League. Jon Dahl Tomasson’s side are currently sat in the play-offs spots in sixth with five games to go and going up is still a possibility.

Wharton would be one for the future for Crystal Palace but they have work to do to bring him to London.

More Stories / Latest News

Leeds have sell-on clause on striker who has scored four goals in four games

Mikel Arteta issues worrying injury update on key player