Pep Guardiola has said he will be counting on Julian Alvarez next season as doubts persist over the Argentine’s future. 

Alvarez’s future has been a topic of conversation throughout the summer with the striker hinting on several occasions he could leave the Etihad.

It’s been a busy summer for the 24-year-old, who has taken part in both the Copa America and the Olympics for Argentina, but he’s set to return to Manchester after they lost to hosts France in the quarter finals.

Guardiola counting on Alvarez

It’s been reported that Atletico Madrid are in the early stages of talks with Manchester City for the World Cup winner, whilst Paris Saint Germain are also said to be interested.

Premier League sides Arsenal and Chelsea are also believed to be interested in Alvarez’s signature but as of yet neither side has acted on their supposed interest.

City are thought to value the striker in excess of £70m and it’s been reported they don’t want to lose the Argentina international, but a sale can’t be ruled out if it suited all parties.

Following City’s 4-2 victory over Chelsea on their pre-season tour of America Guardiola was asked if he had an update on the former River Plate man’s future.

“No news,” he told reporters.

“I don’t have anything to say. He will come back. I count on him, but he said in the news that decisions will be made all together.

“Now he has to rest and when he feels ready to come back he will come back. I’m sure when he comes back I’ll hug and congratulate him for the Copa America, for the Olympics and we will start to work together.”

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“This is the reality. What happens in the meantime, I have a thousand million things to think about the team.”

Alvarez is thought to want more first team football despited playing 54 times in all competitions last season, but he faces a near impossible task to dislodge Erling Haaland from the starting line-up.

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Manchester City could target a move for Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma according to reports, with uncertainty surrounding the future of Ederson.

It’s been a quiet summer at the Etihad for the Premier League Champions so far, with Brazilian winger Savio the only arrival to date.

Pep Guardiola’s men are currently in America for their pre-season tour as they continue their preparations for the new campaign, but they could find themselves looking for a new goalkeeper.

City could target Donnarumma

Ederson, who joined Manchester City from Portuguese side Benfica in 2017 is out of contract in 2026 and has been strongly linked with a move to the Saudi Pro League.

The Brazilian had agreed terms with Al-Nassr only for the deal to collapse, but Al-Ittihad are said to be in talks over a move for the 30-year-old who is believed to still be keen on moving to Saudi.

Fabrizio Romano has described a deal as difficult and it’s believed City are looking for €50m-€60m for the goalkeeper who has won six Premier League titles.

If Ederson does depart it would leave City with a difficult decision of whether to promote Stefan Ortega to number one, or go and sign a new first choice keeper.

Ortega impressed last season when he stepped in for the injured Ederson and recently signed a new contract at the Etihad until 2026.

However, talkSPORT have reported that City could target Paris Saint Germain goalkeeper Donnarumma, and add that the 25-year-old would be open to a move to the Premier League.

The Italy international joined the French giants on a free transfer from AC Milan in 2021 and has made 114 appearances for the club, winning three Ligue 1 titles.

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England fans are well aware of Donnarumma after he saved penalties from Bukayo Saka and Jadon Sancho in the Euro 2020 final at Wembley.

Of course any move is dependant on whether Ederson brings the curtain down on his time at the club, but it’s something City will seriously need to think about as the new season draws closer.

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Manchester United could look to sign Paris Saint Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte on an initial loan deal according to reports.

Having sorted out Erik ten Hag’s future United have kicked into gear in the transfer market as they look to strengthen a squad which finished a lowly eighth last season.

Dutch striker Joshua Zirkzee has joined from Bologna, whilst the Red Devils are also very close to completing a deal for teenage centre back Leny Yoro, with Matthijs de Ligt believed to also be nearing a move to Old Trafford.

United could look to sign Ugarte on loan

United are looking to try and offload Casemiro this summer, whilst Sofyan Amrabat’s loan deal is unlikely to be made permanent meaning they are in the market for midfield reinforcements.

Ugarte has been identified as a target and the Uruguayan hasn’t yet returned to Paris after his exploits in the Copa America.

The 23-year-old was close to joining Chelsea last summer before opting to head to the French capital where he had a mixed season making 37 appearances in all competitions.

GIVEMESPORT have reported that United are “refusing” to rule out the possibility of a loan deal for next season with an option or obligation to buy.

The midfielder is reportedly open to a move to Old Trafford, but United might have to bide their time if PSG are only prepared to sanction a permanent departure.

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A loan move would make sense financially as it would be cheaper for United, but GIVEMESPORT add they don’t want to spend more than £45m on the Uruguay international as they look for a long term partner for teenage sensation Kobbie Mainoo.

United could need more than one midfielder if Scott McTominay also leaves the club, and Fulham are reported to have had a £30m offer rejected for the Scotland international.

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Colombia took a 1-0 lead over Uruguay in the 2024 Copa America semifinal after a goal from Crystal Palace’s Jefferson Lerma. However, his teammate Daniel Muñoz committed a grave mistake as he elbowed Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Manuel Ugarte.

Muñoz received a red card late in the first half and his mistake now leaves Colombia playing with 10 men for the entire second half. The Colombians will look to hold onto their advantage while Uruguay looks to make the most of playing with 11 men.

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#CopaAmèrica pic.twitter.com/JFNeflJqaC

— ?????? ?? ???? ???? HD ?? (@a55c801603) July 11, 2024

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Manchester United are “pushing” to complete a deal with Paris Saint Germain to sign midfielder Manuel Ugarte according to journalist Christopher Michel.

Having sorted out Erik ten Hag’s future, United are now pressing ahead with strengthening a squad, which despite winning the FA Cup finished a lowly eighth in the Premier League and got knocked out of the Champions League in the group stage last seasn.

The Red Devils have had two bids rejected by Everton for Jarrad Branthwaite, but are believed to be close to completing deals for Dutch duo Joshua Zirkzee and Matthijs de Ligt, whilst they have also had an offer accepted for Lille’s Leny Yoro, although the teenager prefers a move to Real Madrid.

United pushing to sign Ugarte

United don’t just want to strengthen in defence and attack, they are also looking to add reinforcements in the middle of the park.

The club would ideally like to sell Casemiro this summer, with the Brazilian attracting interest from the Saudi Pro League, whilst it’s unclear if they will look to make Sofyan Amrabat’s loan move permanent.

PSG midfielder Ugarte is a player United have been linked with, and the Uruguayan, who nearly joined Chelsea last summer has struggled in his first season with the French giants.

Ugarte made 25 appearances in his debut campaign in Ligue 1, but PSG  are believed to be open to letting him leave this summer and have reportedly made him available for transfer.

According to Michel, United are “pushing” to get a deal done for the midfielder, with PSG wanting to recoup as much of the €60m they shelled out for the 23-year-old last summer.

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Michel adds that United value the player at around €42m, and they believe a compromise could be reached at around the €51m mark, with Ugarte already thought to have approved a move to Old Trafford.

Ugarte would certainly strengthen United’s options in the middle of the park and there’s the possibility he could form a very good partnership with Kobbie Mainoo, although United will need to sell a few players in order to fund all these deals.

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Lionel Messi and Argentina will begin their defense of their Copa América title after La Albiceleste won the tournament in 2021. Messi will have made history once he steps onto the pitch at Mercedes-Benz Stadium against Canada.

Argentina is in Group A with Chile, Canada, and Peru in this edition of the tournament. Despite the tough competition, the reigning FIFA World Cup champions are the heavy favorites to emerge as the group leader.

Messi is participating in his seventh Copa América tournament, having played in every edition since the 2007 tournament in Venezuela. Given his longevity, the 36-year-old will be making history throughout Argentina’s time in the competition.

The stats account OptaJavier pointed out on the platform X that the former FC Barcelona standout’s game against Canada marks his 35th match in the Copa América, the most by a player in the history of the tournament, surpassing Sergio Livingstone.

35 – Lionel Messi hoy jugará su 35º partido en la Copa América, el máximo de un jugador en la historia del torneo, superando a Sergio Livingstone. Incansable. pic.twitter.com/i7W2cevtun

— OptaJavier (@OptaJavier) June 20, 2024

During his national team career, Messi has scored 13 goals and registered 17 assists in this tournament. In what could be his last Copa América, the Argentinian star will look to bolster his numbers.

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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.

It’s finally over – Kylian Mbappe is a Real Madrid player, and all manner of over minutiae will be discussed and reported regarding the French forward, but the topic won’t be his future.

There were some afters with Paris Saint-Germain, with Mbappe saying that he was threatened by the club with a season in the stands, and only Sporting Director Luis Campos and manager Luis Enrique’s intervention prevented that from being the case. PSG responded by saying he had ‘no class’.

Mbappe is reportedly a fan of Lille defender Leny Yoro, and so are his new club, but they will not spend more than €40m on the 18-year-old. Manchester United on the other hand, are willing to come closer to their €60m asking price, but neither are they the only Premier League club willing to do so. PSG also fancy another battle with Los Blancos.

Kylian Mbappe has a room at #RealMadrid's Valdebebas training ground. pic.twitter.com/lzgQnO9yCN

— Football España (@footballespana_) June 7, 2024

The Red Devils look set to play a key role in the Spanish summer. Barcelona’s Ronald Araujo looked as if he would be the big sale for the Catalans – one they need to make – but Manchester United could be his last chance of an exit, and even that is looking less likely than it did a month ago.

The Blaugrana are still waiting on some sort of confirmation regarding what they can and cannot spend, even before considering sales. Sporting Director Deco likes Liverpool’s Luis Diaz, but the money looks difficult. Real Sociedad midfielder Mikel Merino has emerged as one of their options to anchor Hansi Flick’s team.

Spain coach Luis de la Fuente cut Pau Cubarsi, Aleix Garcia and Marcos Llorente from his squad for the Euros, leaving the Girona captain free to choose between Bayer Leverkusen and West Ham next season.

Atletico Madrid want Julian Alvarez from Manchester City, and he would supposedly consider joining international teammates Angel Correa and Rodrigo de Paul under Diego Simeone, but unless they find a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, they too look as if they will be priced out of the dream move.

The post Inside Spain: Kylian Mbappe saga over, Manchester United appeared first on CaughtOffside.

Liverpool and Luis Diaz are at a crossroads this summer as they weigh up whether to extend his contract or sell him with Paris Saint Germain interested.

The Colombian arrived at Liverpool from Portuguese club Porto for around £37.5m in January 2022 and has certainly been a success at Anfield.

Despite two strong years on Merseyside the 27-year-old has yet to agree a contract extension to replace the deal he signed upon arrival.

Diaz to leave Liverpool in the summer?

The winger will still have three years left on his deal in the summer but it is reported that both parties will need to decide if he stays at Liverpool for the long term or moves on.

The Telegraph report that French giants PSG are among the clubs interested along with Spanish giants Barcelona despite their precarious financial situation.

The reports adds that Liverpool are believed to value Diaz at around £75m, a price which the Catalans are unlikely to be able to get near.

The Colombia international missed seven months of last season with a knee injury but has returned to his best form this campaign.

The former Porto man has scored eight goals and provided four assists in 30 Premier League appearances this season.

It’s not been an easy season for the Colombian as both his parents were kidnapped before eventually being released.

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Diaz showed real strength and courage when he scored the equaliser against Luton town in November in the midst of his family ordeal.

The winger will have a big role to play in the remainder of the season with Liverpool level on points with Arsenal at the top of the Premier League as they vie for the tiles,  and they are also in the quarter finals of the Europa League.

Diaz and his team-mates will be desperate to give the departing Jurgen Klopp a trophy laden send off.

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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. Warning: this article discusses a rape trial.

On Thursday Dani Alves was convicted of rape of a 23-year-old woman, and given a four and a half year prison sentence. The overwhelming reaction in Spain has been that it is not enough.

Alves’ sentence was reduced to half of what the public prosecutor was seeking, as the judge considered it a mitigating factor that Alves paid €150k in damages to the victim as soon as the charges were set. This was paid by Neymar Junior’s family, and depending on circumstances, Alves may be allowed out in July of this year – a thoroughly depressing verdict.

In the actual football, Barcelona drew 1-1 with Napoli away, a match many considered they had thrown away, while Atletico Madrid went down 1-0 to Inter in the first legs of their Champions League clashes.

Manchester United are supposedly interested in Frenkie de Jong again (seatbelts on), although he had a go at the Catalan media for publishing what he called false details of his contract. Chelsea were in Naples to watch Jules Kounde in a full-on throwback.

Thierry Henry on the importance of Xavi. pic.twitter.com/h1JrYZ7y1j

— Football España (@footballespana_) February 22, 2024

It’s been another week of speculation over Xavi Hernandez’s replacement. Hansi Flick and Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi had been labelled as the frontrunners, but interestingly just hours after it was announced that Thomas Tuchel would be leaving Bayern Munich this summer, Flick was described as ‘not a priority’ for the Catalans.

Down in Madrid, Toni Kroos is coming out of retirement to play for Germany at the Euros this summer. Marca said the deal for Kylian Mbappe had been signed, although the consensus is that they’re still thrashing out the terms of his image rights. Already the consequences are starting to be weighed up though, as Florentino Perez reportedly wants to see Carlo Ancelotti line up with all of Rodrygo Goes, Jude Bellingham, Vinicius Junior and Mbappe in the side next season, while today Achraf Hakimi was linked with a return to the Santiago Bernabeu next summer. Paris Saint-Germain reportedly want to spend €300m on Europe’s best to replace Mbappe.

Meanwhile Football España spoke to former Arsenal and current Real Betis defender Hector Bellerin, who was in fine form in his Ibero-Cockney accent. Why are footballers so scared of speaking their mind, and how is the game become more elitist. Click the link to find out.

The post Inside Spain: Sad reality behind Dani Alves sentence, the Barcelona job and Kylian Mbappe fallout appeared first on CaughtOffside.

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. Warning: this article discusses a rape trial.

Ever get the feeling something is about to go your way, but you don’t want to jynx it or start your celebrating too soon? That feels like the atmosphere in the Spanish capital, after Paris Saint-Germain confirmed to the press that Kylian Mbappe would be leaving the club.

While it had been reported that he had decided to leave PSG several weeks ago, Mbappe telling Nasser Al-Khelaifi that he would not be extending his contract was the decisive step for Real Madrid to get involved. It’d be easy to think this is a done deal, and it almost certainly will, but the word is that only now will Florentino Perez make a formal offer.

Although they have been in touch in recent weeks, and no doubt figures have been mentioned, it appears negotiations have not taken place. Nevertheless, Aurelien Tchouameni said that Mbappe was a big topic in the dressing room, and internally they will be delighted – well, perhaps not everyone.

Meanwhile the Mbappe news has taken attention away from Barcelona’s managerial hunt. The sum of the past week is that as things stand, Hansi Flick and Brighton’s Roberto de Zerbi are the top two candidates, with Thomas Tuchel perhaps a wildcard option if he leaves Bayern Munich, in every sense of the world. De Zerbi is well-liked, but his release clause (rumoured to be between €12-15m) is a major obstacle for Barcelona, leaving Flick at the top of the leaderboard.

Athletic Club expect Nico Williams to be sold this summer. (El Chiringuito)#AFC are among the clubs interested in the Spanish international winger. pic.twitter.com/E23iTtzxV6

— Football España (@footballespana_) February 15, 2024

There is plenty of uncertainty at Can Barca though, with both Frenkie de Jong and Ronald Araujo set for contract talks in the coming months. If they do not agree to extend, both could be in the shop window this summer.

Elsewhere, it might have been heartbreak in Paris on Valentine’s Day for Real Sociedad, but the good news is that Takefusa Kubo has renewed his deal until 2029, after interest from Saudi Arabia and Liverpool in January. Romance wasn’t dead everywhere though, as Memphis Depay gave one of his teammates a giant ring on the same day.

Rayo Vallecano sacked Francisco to bring in ex-Andoni Iraola assistant Inigo Perez. He was due to head to Bournemouth with Iraola, but was denied a work permit due to changes in the Brexit laws. Oh, and Almeria still have not won a game after 24 matchdays, grazing the bar in the last minute against Athletic Club on Monday at 0-0 – water remains wet.

Image via FRANCK FIFE / AFP

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