Manchester United are reportedly willing to bid in excess of £51million for AC Milan left-back Theo Hernandez, who is on the radar of Bayern Munich as they look likely to lose Alphonso Davies.
United have had their fair share of struggles in the defence this season. A lot of their injury problems have had an impact on the left-back position.

Tyrell Malacia is nowhere to be seen, and there’s no communication from the club on when he’ll be back. Luke Shaw has spent multiple spells on the sidelines this term, coinciding with the Dutchman’s absence.
Those problems have meant centre-back Victor Lindelof has had to play five games in a row as a left-back of late.
He’s actually done relatively well all things considered, with United winning three of those.
In any case, it’s been reported that a plan to sign an ‘important’ new left-back has been in place for ‘months’.
While it was stated the shortlist of players who would be looked at will be completed once the new boardroom structure is in place, that plan is under threat, owing to a communication breakdown with Newcastle over the compensation fee that will be paid to get new Dan Ashworth on board as sporting director.
As such, it looks as if United are already pushing ahead with interest in a left-back.
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United willing to pay over £51m for Hernandez

According to Fichajes, Erik ten Hag has ‘put the name of’ AC Milan man Hernandez on the table.
It’s stated United would be ‘willing to offer’ in excess of £51million to land the left-back.
That he recently renewed his contract until 2027 means the Serie A outfit will be able to demand fees in that region.
His quality also suggests a big fee will be required – Hernandez has scored five goals and assisted three times in the league this season, tearing down the left flank and causing havoc, while also maintaining some good defensive assets.
United are not the only side interested, though. The report suggests Paris Saint-Germain are keen on the left-back – his brother, Lucas, currently plays for the French giants.

United could ruin Bayern plan

Bayern Munich are also being heavily linked with Hernandez at the moment.
That’s as their current left-back star, Davies, looks as if he’ll be heading to Real Madrid after reportedly agreeing to personal terms with the Bundesliga giants.
As such, they want to replace him with a similar player, and the attacking qualities of Hernandez certainly put him in the same category.
United winning the race for him would therefore ruin Bayern’s plan to get a like-for-like replacement for Davies through the door.
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Bayern enter talks with two Man Utd, Liverpool manager targets after Xabi Alonso disappointment

Bayern Munich have begun sounding out managerial alternatives after being rejected by Xabi Alonso, and it includes coaches being monitored by Manchester United and Liverpool.
Alonso has decided to brush off Liverpool and Bayern’s advances in order to continue his hugely exciting project at Bayer Leverkusen. Alonso’s side could win the Bundesliga title in addition to other trophies such as the Europa League and German cup, and he wants to potentially defend those trophies next season.

When asked about his future on Friday, Alonso replied: “I had a good meeting with Bayer Leverkusen and I informed them that I will stay and continue at the club. After lot of talks about my future, I used the break to reflect and make my decision. This is the place to be for me.
“My job at Bayer is not over. I want to help the club, help the players to develop, the board is great… it’s all fantastic here. I’m still [a] young coach but I think this is the best decision for my future. I took my time and I’m sure about that.
“I’m grateful to Bayer and the board, the players, the fans. I feel that this is the best way, to continue together. I have also informed the players, it’s true.
“My deadline was this week, it’s [a] matter of respect. Now everything is clear.”
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Alonso admitted he has close ties with Liverpool and Bayern, though he wants to continue his coaching development at Leverkusen.
As per Sky Germany reporter Florian Plettenberg, Bayern have already moved on from the disappointment surrounding Alonso.

Bayern hunting De Zerbi and Nagelsmann

The Bundesliga titans have already held preliminary discussions with the agents of impressive young coaches Roberto De Zerbi and Julian Nagelsmann.
Both De Zerbi and Nagelsmann have been named as candidates for the Man Utd and Liverpool jobs. Sir Jim Ratcliffe has been tipped to axe Erik ten Hag and replace him with a manager that fits the INEOS model better, while Liverpool need someone to replace icon Jurgen Klopp.
But the two Premier League giants will have to act fast as Bayern are stepping up their interest in De Zerbi and Nagelsmann.
Ahead of Brighton’s trip to Liverpool on Sunday, De Zerbi admitted he is not planning to sign a new contract with the Seagulls until he knows exactly what the club’s long-term vision is.


This suggests the Italian is considering a move away from the Amex, with major clubs queuing up to land him.
Nagelsmann, meanwhile, was named Germany boss a few months after his first Bayern spell came to an end in March 2023.
But new Bayern director Max Eberl has revealed he does not see any problem with re-hiring the 36-year-old.
Eberl has also admitted that he holds regular talks with Nagelsmann to discuss Bayern’s Germany internationals.
Interestingly, Plettenberg names former Man Utd interim boss Ralf Rangnick as the third option being considered by Bayern.
However, Eberl is likely to go for a younger, hungrier coach such as De Zerbi or Nagelsmann to replace the departing Thomas Tuchel this summer.
READ MORE – Next Liverpool manager: 12 emerging candidates to replace Klopp after Alonso snub

Barcelona ‘in danger’ of losing Man City outcast with clubs ‘very far apart’ amid Saudi ‘offer’

According to reports, FC Barcelona are ‘in danger’ of losing Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo in the summer amid interest from the Saudi Pro League.
Cancelo was a key player for Man City before a fallout with Pep Guardiola led to him leaving the Premier League club during the 2023 January transfer window.

Barcelona ‘in danger’

The Portugal international spent the end of last season on loan in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich before he joined Barcelona during last summer’s transfer window.
The full-back struggled at Bayern Munich but he has fared much better in La Liga. He has four goals and four assists in his 32 appearances across all competitions.
Given how important he has been this season, it is hardly surprising that Barcelona are keen to keep Cancelo beyond the end of his current loan.
But Barcelona are still struggling financially and Spanish outlet Sport claims they are ‘in danger’ as the Cancelo ‘operation could become very complicated’.
To add to Barcelona’s issues, Cancelo is said to have received an ‘offer’ from Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal with Man City ‘prioritising a definitive sale for close to 50 million euros (£42m)’.
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The report adds: ‘It will be very difficult for the Blaugrana club to be able to pay for a transfer this summer and they are betting on extending the loan for another year, already introducing a purchase option that could be mandatory. The valuation made by City and Barca is very far apart, so the agreement would not be easy at all.
‘City is aware of the interest that the footballer arouses in Arabia and, specifically, in Al Hilal, a club that could bid for the player through a purchase offer that would be unattainable for Barca. And everything will depend on the footballer’s will because the economic proposal that they could put on the table from Arabia could be enormous.’

Barcelona ‘fire-sale’

A recent report from journalist Ben Jacobs claimed Barcelona are expected to sanction a summer fire-sale to balance the books.
“LaLiga president Javier Tebas says Barcelona must sell “two or three of their top-class players” to meet the league’s spending cap,” Jacobs told Caught Offside.

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Barcelona recently saw their annual spending limit cut by €66m to €204m, and their squad costs are currently around €400m.
“It’s difficult to predict who could be sold this summer until it’s clear who the new Barcelona manager is, even though Deco is already working towards the summer.
Jules Kounde and Raphinha are clearly two sellable assets, but neither want to leave. It’s just a case of whether Barcelona’s hand is forced. Raphinha will certainly have some Saudi interest.
“Kounde is playing out of position at right back, and Barcelona have other centre-back options. 17-year-old Pau Cubarsi breaking through is potentially bad news for Kounde.
“Chelsea are not currently looking at Kounde, despite originally vying with Barcelona in summer 2022 to sign him. PSG are prioritising Lille’s Leny Yoro, but if they fail in that pursuit then they could consider Kounde as an option.”

Liverpool manager target admits ‘ambition’ has stopped him penning new deal at current club

Liverpool manager target Roberto De Zerbi has admitted he is not in a position to sign a new Brighton deal “at the moment” as he needs to find out the club’s “ambition.”
This week saw a watershed moment occur in the Reds’ history. Their main manager target, Xabi Alonso, confirmed his desire to remain with Bayer Leverkusen beyond this season.

He has the Bundesliga side 13 points clear at the top of the table at the moment, as they look on course to win their first ever title.
His side have not lost a game all season, and Liverpool wanted to benefit from Alonso’s forward thinking for themselves, but it’s not to be.
After it was confirmed Alonso will definitely not be succeeding legendary departing manager Jurgen Klopp, the Reds will swiftly move on to other targets.
Some of the main names cropping up with regards to Liverpool interest are Ruben Amorim and De Zerbi.
The former has detailed he is “focussed on Sporting” and while that’s not likely to stop the Merseyside outfit if they’re keen on him, it could ensure they put more energy into other options.
The latest comments from De Zerbi on his Brighton contract could well mean they look more favourably on him.
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A lot of the talk going into this game is

De Zerbi won’t sign Brighton deal yet

“Signing a new deal at Brighton? At the moment, no,” De Zerbi said.
“I need to speak to Tony Bloom about the plan for the club in order to decide my future, I want to know what is the project. I want to keep my ambition.”
The manager has recently been open about his discontent at the Seagulls’ lack of recruitment in January.
If he doesn’t get the answer he wants regarding where the project is going to go at the AMEX, he could well choose not to stay.
And if he wants more ambition than a club that have finished in the top 10 in the Premier League twice in the past six years of being there, then a club who’ve only once finished outside the top four since 2015/16 might be the place to go.

De Zerbi makes history claim

De Zerbi has also made comments about his period at the club being historic which suggest he might not be thinking about sticking around for too much longer.
“My relationship with the club, the fans, the players here at Brighton can’t change based on my future,” he said.
“What we did is history, no one can forget it.”
That will surely have piqued Liverpool’s interest.
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New Premier League rule blasted 'pointless' as fans slam change in Man Utd game

Fans took to social media to air their frustrations with the Premier League's new rules regarding ball boys and girls during Manchester United's match with Brentford.
Children, who are now referred to as 'ball assistants', were previously permitted to throw the ball back to players during breaks in play. However, the Premier League have now changed their rules to state that the football must instead be placed on cones ready for players to collect themselves, rather than tossing the ball directly back to them.

The new rule was put into effect immediately, meaning balls were left on cones during Saturday night's clash between United and Brentford at the GTech Community Stadium. Not everybody is satisfied with the new rule, though.
Fans watching the match were quick to point out that Manchester United goalkeeper Andre Onana took his time to collect balls for goal-kicks. The previous rules would have seen ball assistants throw the ball back to him, eliminating the opportunity to waste time.
One football fan posted during the match: "So the new rule where players have to get the ball themselves is encouraging time wasting. Onana spent around five minutes in that half walking to go balls for goal kicks yet one minute added on?!"
Another fan said: "What's the point in having ball boys if they can't well... be ball boys? It just encourages more time-wasting from the players. As proven by Onana." Another branded the rule change as pointless, saying: "This ball boy not being able to give the ball is so pointless and bad - the game wastes more time now."
Related video: Man United 'will be ready' for Brentford trip after internationals - Ten Hag (SNTV)

While Onana adopted a leisurely approach to restarting play, the Cameroon international was kept bust by Brentford, who peppered his goal during a frantic first half. The two sides headed in level at the break, though, with the score at 0-0.
Join the debate! What do you make of the Premier League's new rule? Let us know here.
United suffered a chastening 4-0 defeat against Brentford in the same fixture last season. Onana insisted before the match that United, who face a fight to qualify for next year's Champions League, were out for revenge against the Bees.
“It's a final for us. We have come here to win, we will give everything to win,” he told Sky Sports. “It's an important week for us – it's a very important game for us; we know how important this game is, so the preparation was good."
“They [Brentford] are a very good, counter-pressing team. One against one, they take a lot of risk. We all know the level of the Premier League. We've got something for them [Brentford].”


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Star Man City ‘absolutely’ want to sell emerges as new Saudi target, with Euro giant lagging behind

It is not guaranteed that Joao Cancelo will join Barcelona permanently this summer, with Saudi Pro League chiefs reportedly eager to sign the Manchester City outcast.
Cancelo established himself as one of the deadliest attacking full-backs in the world under Pep Guardiola after joining Man City from Juventus in August 2019. The Portugal star was named in the PFA Premier League Team of the Year in both 2021 and 2022, helping Guardiola’s side win league titles in both of those campaigns.
However, Cancelo became frustrated when Guardiola started to rotate him during the 2022-23 season, which saw him leave for Bayern Munich on loan in January 2023.
Cancelo secured another move away from City last summer, joining Barcelona on loan.
So far, the full-back has made 32 appearances for Xavi’s side, chipping in with four goals and four assists.
Last week, Barca president Joan Laporta confirmed that he is planning to sign loanees Cancelo and Joao Felix again this summer. Although, Laporta is unsure whether that will happen through a permanent move or another loan.
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As per an update from Spanish outlet Sport, Laporta and Barca will face competition for Cancelo from Saudi Arabia.
Al-Hilal hold ‘strong interest’ in signing the 29-year-old. They feel they can disrupt Barca’s transfer plans by sending Cancelo a far better contract proposal and offering City more money.
Related video: City have raised level of Premier League - Arteta (English Football Channel)

you and the belief in mentality that's given your players?

Man City player ‘tempted’ by Saudi offer

While Cancelo is thoroughly enjoying his spell at Barca, there is a good chance he will be ‘tempted’ by Al-Hilal’s advances.
A switch to the Middle East would see Cancelo follow in the footsteps of former City team-mates Aymeric Laporte and Riyad Mahrez, who have joined Al-Nassr and Al-Ahli respectively.
Joining Al-Hilal would allow Cancelo to play alongside big-name stars such as Neymar, Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Kalidou Koulibaly.
The report adds that City ‘absolutely prioritise’ the sale of Cancelo, despite him being a top-class star. This makes sense as the player and Guardiola do not see eye-to-eye.
In a recent interview with the Portuguese press, Cancelo denied claims that he reacted poorly when being left out of the starting eleven at the Etihad.
“Lies were told. I’ve never been a bad team-mate for them and you can ask either (Nathan) Ake or Rico (Lewis). I don’t have any superiority or inferiority complex towards them, but that’s the manager’s opinion,” he said.


“I stayed because it’s not true. I think Man City were a bit ungrateful to me when they said that, because I was a very important player in the years I was there.
“I never failed in my commitment to the club, to the fans and I always gave everything. I remember a time when I was robbed and attacked and the next day I was playing at the Emirates against Arsenal.
“These are things you don’t forget, I left my wife and daughter alone at home, terrified. People will only remember this because Mister Guardiola has much more power than me when he says something and I prefer to keep to myself.
“I prefer to know that I am telling the truth, I feel fulfilled with what I did. I am a transparent person, I never lie. Life goes on and I wish everything goes well, because while I was there I enjoyed my football and the team. They remain the favourite team to win the Champions League.”
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