AC Milan are willing to sign Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, but only if the Premier League champions drop their asking price.
There has been much speculation surrounding the Italian’s future at the club recently, with a series of off-field incidents and poor performances frustrating his manager Roberto Mancini.
Milan are rumoured to be highly interested in the front-man, who could be tempted to end a turbulent spell in England and return home.
However, the San Siro club are unwilling to break the bank for his signature, despite losing a number of established stars, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Alexandre Pato, for big money.
The club’s vice-president Adriano Galliani is hopeful that a deal can be reached in the near future, but he believes that the decision will ultimately be down to Manchester City:
“It all depends on Manchester City, ” he is quoted by Sky Sports.
“Should our request fail, we will move on. At the moment we will stay where we are. We must wait and see what happens.
“Could we play in instalments? It is possible if we can agree on a sum to be paid.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Milan are believed to in the market for top, young talent and Balotelli, 22, appears to fit their plans. They have also been linked with Newcastle full-back Davide Santon.
Everton fans seem pretty excited Henry Onyekuru, after the youngster shared his return from injury on Twitter.
Of all the signings Everton made last summer, the one that could have the biggest long-term impact is yet to kick a ball for the club – Henry Onyekuru.
The young attacker joined Everton from Belgian side Eupen for £7million last summer, and was immediately loaned out to Anderlecht, where he scored nine times in 19 league appearances.
A knee injury ended the 20 year-old’s spell on loan though, and he returned to Everton to get back to full fitness.
Onyekuru is extremely highly regarded in Belgium, and has already earned two senior caps for Nigeria. Usually playing either as a central striker or coming in off the left, he impressed in his short stint at Anderlecht with his pace, dribbling and finishing.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
There haven’t been too many success stories from Everton’s busy summer window, but fans seem pretty excited about Onyekuru’s potential return to action.
Some of the best Twitter reactions can be found below…
Liverpool are confident of keeping iconic captain Steven Gerrard at Anfield, even though the midfielder is now free to talk to other clubs, according to reports from the Daily Mail.
The 34-year-old Reds skipper is now in the final six months of his contract with the Merseyside giants, which will allow him to discuss a potential Bosman switches to other interested sides.
There is already rumoured to be a queue in place for the veteran star – New York Red Bulls are one side linked with a swoop – but Liverpool are sure they will keep their local hero.
WANT MORE? >> Liverpool transfer news | Latest transfer news
Gerrard has been the club’s talisman for the best part of 15 years, yet his performances have been criticised in recent times, with his infamous slip against Chelsea last season a key moment as the Premier League title evaded the club.
A contract offer is believed to be on the table for ‘Stevie G’, yet Liverpool’s owners are reluctant to offer him the salary he currently earns, £140,000-per-week, given his advancing years.
Gerrard is set to return to Rodgers starting XI today against Leicester after sitting out the Swansea game, and when quizzed on whether he’s comfortable with the player’s situation, the Northern Irishman said:
“I think he’s earned that respect if he does (talk to other clubs).” He is quoted by the Daily Mail. “I’ve got a great relationship and communication with Steven. He’s a wonderful player, a wonderful servant to this football club, and in my time here he’s been brilliant for me.
“When I came in here two-and-a-half years ago, everyone asked if he could play my type of football or if his legs had gone. You’ve seen him over the last couple of years. He could have been player of the year last season.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“I’m managing his game time. He understands my situation of picking the best team and making it fresh as often as we can.”
It was all about hope and not much expectation wasn’t it?… It was confirmed on Boxing Day that Chris Wood would sign for Leicester City after rejecting the chance to sign for Millwall.
Now, the large majority of Lions fans were so disappointing by this but we’ve got to remember he wasn’t our player, it was hard to take. Maybe because this was the first time in our history that we were willing to break our transfer record and try and compete with the big boys.
Even though we did not sign him I am still happy with how the club handled this. John Berylson matched West Brom’s evaluation of Wood three times, only for the Baggies to change the price. We bid to nearly double our transfer record, for that I am happy.
To be honest, if you were a footballer with no emotional connection to either club, you would chose Leicester, where he’s rumoured to now be paid 20K a week.
Yes Wood was a big player for us but he wasn’t the be all and end all of the team. He wasn’t the main cause of the form, our defence was unbeatable at times, Forde was starting to find form, Trotter was becoming more and more consistent, Wood was just a good part of that.
Realistically we are one of the smallest clubs in the division, we are seen as a shop window for the bigger clubs, for example, I remember seeing on a Leicester forum after we beat them in December “That Trotter looked decent, lets sign him, maybe Shittu as well” ‘Wall fans could only dream about saying this about their players.
It’s now up to KJ to see where we go next, but we know this, we need strikers and quick!
With Reading’s Simon Church being the main target, a decent player, but whatever signing we make, it’ll feel slightly underwhelming compared to Wood. Another rumoured target is David McGoldrick from Nottingham Forest, currently on loan at Coventry and is the top scorer in League One with 16 goals in 21.
Martyn Waghorn moving from Leicester to the Den is also among the gossip, maybe a goodwill gesture after them after beating us to Wood?
Whatever happens in January I’m proud of how the club tried to sign Wood, it may not have come off but at least we are starting to spend money. I trust KJ to get the right players in, look at January 2012, we were desperate, and we brought in Andy Keogh and Shane Lowry….
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
‘Wall fans, what strikers would you like the club to sign in the transfer window to replace Wood?
Arsenal have had their fair share of bad luck this season, but in the Europa League, they managed to avoid Atletico Madrid in the quarter-final draw.
Instead, Arsene Wenger’s men were handed a two-legged tie against CSKA Moscow, with the first match being held at the Emirates on April 5 and the return fixture in Russia a week later.
The draw comes amid some tension between the two countries after a Russian-made poison was used on a former spy and his daughter in Salisbury.
Russia have denied involvement in the incident, which has caused friction between the countries.
With regards to footballing matters, Arsenal have a realistic chance of reaching the semi-finals of the second-tiered European competition.
Given that Wenger’s side are likely to miss out on a top-four position in the Premier League, winning Europa could be their only chance of qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Arsenal’s Twitter page asked the fans to sum up their feelings on the draw in three words, and below is a selection of their responses.
West Ham United’s last game against Burnley highlighted a few differences between where they are this season and where they were last season. For anyone that saw the game it was clear to see that the Hammers rode their luck at times and didn’t perhaps play to a very good standard -had they been up against better opposition, things might have turned out very differently.
Lucky crossbar deflections aside, it is the way in which West Ham went about winning the game that made the difference compared to last season, where they would no doubt have ended up losing or drawing the same game.
On the whole, their performances this season have seen a massive improvement with a more attacking style of play to their game alongside the traditional West Ham “on the floor” passing which is quite pleasing to the fans. However their performance on Saturday (especially in the first half) was quite poor and it left them vulnerable against a Burnley side that were still searching for their first Premier League victory of the season.
The first thing that became apparent from West Ham last Saturday, and on several occasions so far this season, was the way they set out their stall. Rather than turning up to an away game with a view of keeping a clean sheet at all costs and playing for the point, Sam Allardyce told his team to take the initiative and attack, to try and actually win the game.
It is this winning mentality that has had the biggest impact on the player’s confidence and psychological set up on the whole -they are not playing with fear of losing, rather they are doing what ever it takes to secure three points.
The first thing that becomes evident with this new approach is less clean sheets and more goals scored on average when compared to last season. A big reason for West Ham finding themselves in trouble in the last campaign was the amount of games that were drawn that could, and probably should, have been victories. Because Allardyce was so hell-bent on a defensive record to be proud of and sitting back to ensure that a point is salvaged from a game, it saw the Hammers failing to do much at the other end of the pitch in the amount of goals they scored.
This time around however, seeing as they now have the right type of players to conduct a game in the traditional attacking and entertaining fashion- added to the ability to score goals -they have a more relaxed approach to wanting that clean sheet and focus more on actually going out and out-scoring the opposition. The defensive philosophy has not been entirely lost, so much as integrated in their attacking style of play.
The biggest difference that was on show in their last match against Burnley was their reaction to Sean Dyche’s side pegging West Ham back to 2-1.Last season that would have had a 2-2 draw written all over it, the players would have sat back and tried in vein to defend a one goal lead with most of the second half remaining and would have inevitably crumbled under the pressure, leaving the fans frustrated while Allardyce satisfied.
However that was not the case this time around. West Ham went on the attack once more to find a third goal, which they ended up scoring via Carlton Cole, and sealed the three points for Allardyce’s men.
There is a big lack of fear in everything West Ham do at present, which has given everyone at the club a big confidence boost and an all important winning mentality. They will not give up the ghost even when they are having a bad day at the office, they will continue to attack well and make sure they do everything possible to win the game. Allardyce has confidence in his strikers and they have talented wing backs in Carl Jenkinson and Aaron Creswell who are providing a lot more attacking flair down the wings than the Hammers have been used to of late. West Ham are no longer content with just defending and earning a point.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
All of this combined is giving West Ham the cutting edge over last season’s dismal showing and it is why they are winning games like the one at Turf Moor rather than losing or drawing them.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger faces a selection headache ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash with West Brom.
The Gunners’ chief will be without four of his top names for the home clash with the high-flying Midlanders, despite hopes that some of his stars may make a return.
Theo Walcott, Lukas Podolski, Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny will all be absent according to the Frenchman:
“Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott (calf) are out,” Wenger is quoted by ESPN.
“Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny are not back.
“From Tuesday night in Greece there are no new injuries so we have a selection from the combined squad of Tuesday and Saturday.”
This will come as bad news to the North Londoners, who will be looking to recover from their worst start to a domestic league season since 1996.
Last time out they suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Swansea, leading to criticism of Wenger form some of the clubs’ fans.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Wenger is expected to recall a number of his big names following his decision to field a team of fringe players in their mid-week Champions League clash against Olympiakos.
It’s unclear as to whether the likes of Tomas Rosicky, Marouane Chamakh or Andrei Arshavin will be able to force their way back into the starting XI, following their 2-1 defeat in Greece.
West Ham fans are split over a move for Liverpool striker Divock Origi, who could leave Liverpool in search of regular playing time.
According to The Liverpool Echo, this pre-season is judgement time for Origi, who needs to impress Jürgen Klopp after a fairly average loan spell with Wolfsburg.
Roberto Firmino will return late from the World Cup, giving the Belgian striker a chance to shine, but the presence of Ben Woodburn, Dominic Solanke and Harry Wilson means the pressure is on to keep his Anfield career alive.
Danny Ings has also been linked with moves away from Liverpool, as the ex-Burnley man searches for regular playing time, but it’s Origi that West Ham fans are eyeing up.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255896″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Tottenham’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]
The 23 year-old has incredible pace and power, but he is extremely low on confidence, and there is a real feeling this is his last chance on Merseyside.
The young Belgian, who can also play on the wing, hit an electric run of form at Anfield in 2016, but has never quite got up to speed after an ankle injury he suffered against Everton.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Despite plenty of confidence from Hammers fans in Javier Hernandez, the Mexican striker is not yet nailed on at the London Stadium, so having both Chicharito and Origi would certainly give Manuel Pellegrini some different options up front.
You can find the poll results below, where 55 per cent of fans said they should make a summer swoop for Origi…
Newcastle United’s worries of English Premier League relegation continued on Saturday after they fell to a 2-0 defeat away to Liverpool.
It wasn’t the most surprising result given the Reds’ excellent attacking form of late, but still a disappointment for Rafa Benitez’s side, who now sit just two points above the bottom three.
Rather predictably, it was Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane who grabbed the goals, living up to their reputation as two of the best attackers in the division.
Newcastle supporters were left disappointed with the Magpies’ negative performance and had particular criticism for Chelsean loan star Kenedy who again failed to impress on the flank.
After promising initial performances against Norwich City and Burnley, the Brazilian has failed to find consistency.
Some fans are now suggesting he is dropped as Benitez looks to find a winning formula in the final stages of the season.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Liverpool welcome Champions League football back to Anfield for the first time since 2010 this season.
But their European adventure will be no easy ride – they find themselves in Group B with reigning champions Real Madrid, Swiss banana-skins FC Basel and unknown quantity PFC Ludogrets.
There isn’t too much time for Brendan Rodgers to react either, with only four days of the summer window remaining. But the Reds gaffer will be keen to maintain his club’s prestigious reputation in the tournament and there are some deals to be had before September 1st.
Just in case Rodgers is short on a few ideas, we’ve listed FIVE last-minute buys Liverpool could conceivably make to improve their chances of escaping Group B.
[ffc-gallery]CLICK ON ALEX SONG TO REVEAL
[/ffc-gallery]
DANI ALVES
A speculative theory perhaps, but could we see Liverpool make a late bid for Barcelona right-back Dani Alves?
The Anfield side have already been linked to the Brazil international this summer, with the La Liga giants announcing a deal for Sao Paolo wing-back Douglas yesterday evening:
That seriously puts the 31 year-old’s future in doubt. Coincidentally, Glen Johnson is a potential late Merseyside departee, with his contract set to expire at the end of the season and QPR emerging as potential suitors.
Alves may be no spring chicken but his quality is undoubted. His ability to contribute heavily in attack has been a major feature of the Barcelona side that’s won four La Ligas and two Champions League titles since his Catalonia arrival in 2008.
Here’s a look at the right-back in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/eBmXIPek4JU?rel=0
The South American would fit Liverpool’s fluid style perfectly and Barcelona are unlikely to command a huge transfer fee, with Alves now viewed as essentially surplus to requirements.
But his age could prove an issue for the Reds- as could the Nou Camp outfit’s two-window transfer ban.
ALEX SONG
Another Barcelona star known to be in Liverpool’s transfer crosshairs is defensive midfielder Alex Song:
The Reds are crying out for another holding option in the middle of the park, especially amid rumours that Lucas Leiva could be on his way to Napoli.
The Cameroon international fits the bill perfectly- he’s no world-beater but is well proven at Premier League and Champions League level, having amassed 217 appearances during a seven-year stay with Arsenal. In his last top flight campaign, Song claimed an impressive eleven assists, and his experience in Europe could prove vital for the Anfield outfit next season.
Here’s a look at Song in action for the Gunners:
//www.youtube.com/embed/b8khiA5Io1s?rel=0
Most appealingly, Barcelona are preparing to cut loose the 6 foot 2 midfielder this summer, having failed to forge a place for himself in the first team after leaving the Emirates in 2012.
Allegedly, the 26 year-old will be allowed to leave on a loan deal, including an £8million future fee to make his move permanent.
That’s the kind of deal Liverpool can’t let slip by – but they face competition for Song’s signature from a number of Premier League sides:
SAMI KHEDIRA
There’s only four days left of the summer transfer window but it remains to be seen what the future holds for Real Madrid man Sami Khedira.
Carlo Ancelotti declares the Germany World Cup winner will be staying put at the Bernabeu, but it’s known that he rejected a new contract this summer with his current deal set to expire at the end of the season.
Khedira was linked with an Anfield switch earlier this month, and recent developments could convince Brendan Rodgers to make a formal bid.
Not least because the 27 year-old is considered to be one of the top midfielders in Europe, having played a key role in his country’s romping of Brazil 2014, as detailed below:
Here’s a look at the Manschaft engine in action:
//www.youtube.com/embed/RetIjHKY6pA?rel=0
It’s believed Los Blancos could be tempted to sell for around £15million, but the situation may have changed now that Xabi Alonso is on the verge of signing for Bayern Munich:
XHERDAN SHAQIRI
According to the tabloids, Liverpool are set to revive their interest in Bayern Munich prodigy Xherdan Shaqiri:
The attacking midfielder has proved a useful cameo performer for the German Champions following his move from FC Basel in 2011, finding six goals and two assists in 17 Bundesliga outings last season.
The Switzerland international was in strong form at the World Cup too, as detailed below:
But having a world-class roster to contend with for a regular place in the Bavarians first team, the 22 year-old is concerned that his progress is being stifled at the Allianz Arena.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
A departure before September 1st is now widely expected, and Shaqiri’s mixture of power and technique, as shown in the video below, would certainly go down well on Merseyside:
//www.youtube.com/embed/tvXakNsBBSQ
It’s believed the midfielder is rated at around £15million, but the Reds face stiff competition for his signature from La Liga champions Atletico Madrid.
ANDRE AYEW
I find it miraculous that there appears to be incredibly limited interest in Andre Ayew this summer, despite the winger entering the final year of his contract at Marseille.
But plenty of clubs, including Liverpool, are in need of a wide-man who can score goals so perhaps we’ll see a few more suitors emerge from the wood-work before deadline day.
The Ghana international has emerged as Ligue 1’s most potent wideman over the last few seasons, amassing an impressive 49 goals and 16 assists in 164 appearances for L’OM. He was in good form at the World Cup too, as detailed below:
Ayew isn’t the most conventional winger but he’s strong defensively, versatile and a real threat in the final third. As viewable in the below video, he’s also outrageously good at heading:
//www.youtube.com/embed/0gIZogfsorU?rel=0
The Liverpool squad currently lacks established options on the flanks but the 24 year-old could be the perfect remedy.
It’s believed he’s valued at around £10million, but QPR may have already beaten the Mersey outfit to the Black Stars assassin: