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Chelsea in shock talks for former player to return after collapse of £34.5m transfer

Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Former Everton chief executive drops West Ham points deduction verdict after £110m signings

Villa lost Omari Kellyman from their academy earlier this summer with the 18-year-old joining Chelsea in a deal worth £19m.

It remains to be seen if Unai Emery’s side will do any further business in the window, and they one final pre-season game against Borussia Dortmund on Saturday before they kick of their campaign away at West Ham on August 17th.

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Tottenham set for huge cash windfall thanks to Ipswich Town and Sunderland pact

Jason Pettigrove — Wed, 24 Jul 2024 08:54:54 +0000

Tottenham Hotspur begin their pre-season tour of Japan and South Korea on Saturday, with a fixture against reigning J League champions, Vissel Kobe.

By the end of the tour, which comes a week later in Seoul against Bayern Munich, Ange Postecoglou should have a reasonable idea as to how his squad are shaping up for the new Premier League season, which begins in just over three weeks time.

The North Londoners fell away at the back end of the 2023/24 season, and a few late reverses ensured that they failed to qualify for the Champions League, with Aston Villa nipping in to take their place.

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Postecoglou will arguably look at himself first and foremost and wonder if he could’ve done anything better or differently which may have changed the dynamic at the business end.

A thorough and intensive look at the squad as a whole would surely have followed, and allowed the Australian to make a few decisions for the good of the team.

Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou

Though those clubs expected to be around them during the new Premier League season will have also strengthened during the summer, Spurs need to produce the type of form that they showed at the start of last season for the entirety of the 2024/25 campaign.

Bringing in quality players will help them to do just that, and Ipswich Town have inadvertently given them a helping hand in that regard.

Tottenham will benefit from Ipswich’s purchase of Jack Clarke

According to i sport (subscription required), they have offered Sunderland £18m for Jack Clarke, and given that Tottenham negotiated a 40% sell-on clause when they sold him to the Black Cats, they stand to make millions from the transfer.

That money is likely to go straight into club coffers, and gives Postecoglou and Daniel Levy a little more breathing space in terms of Financial Fair Play where transfers are concerned.

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Lazio ramp up efforts to sign alternative striker following Greenwood snub

Andrew Walker — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 08:15:03 +0000

Lazio have reportedly identified an alternative target should they fail in their bid to sign Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood.

According to a recent report from Fichajes, the Serie A side are readying an approach for Sunderland forward and brother of Real Madrid superstar Jude, Jobe Bellingham.

Looking to rebuild Lazio’s squad following the recent departures of Ciro Immobile, Felipe Anderson and Luis Alberto, president Claudio Lotito is believed to be keen to sign Bellingham, 18.

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Chelsea in shock talks for former player to return after collapse of £34.5m transfer

Chelsea’s €40m transfer falls through after major problem finalising contract

Former Everton chief executive drops West Ham points deduction verdict after £110m signings

The talented 18-year-old is likely to be pursued by Lazio following talks to bring Greenwood, 22, to the Stadio Olimpico falling through.

Jobe Bellingham is a target for Lazio.

The United forward is preparing to join Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille after negotiations progressed leaving Marco Baroni’s side with no choice but to shift their focus.

And Bellingham isn’t a bad alternative. He’s three years younger than Greenwood and is projected to reach the same levels, minus the one-year career hiatus.

Since joining the Black Cats from Birmingham City one year ago, Bellingham, who has represented England’s under-19s on five occasions, has directly contributed to eight goals in 47 games in all competitions.

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Bellingham set for surprise summer move to Italian giants

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:44:21 +0000

It’s been a busy summer for the Bellingham family, with Jude having won the Champions League with Real Madrid after tying up La Liga, and then going on to lose in the final of the European Championship to Spain.

The 21-year-old will need a well-deserved rest before he puts his best foot forward in earnest for his club during pre-season, and as he does so, attention will turn to his brother, Jobe.

Lazio want Jobe Bellingham

At just 18 years of age, the younger Bellingham has been making a name for himself in the English Championship with Sunderland.

However, as with Jude, it would appear that greater things await on the continent.

Although he won’t be treading the same path as his older sibling, at least not yet, Jobe could soon be pulling on the shirt of Italian giants, Lazio.

Jobe Bellingham is a target for Lazio

According to Il Messaggero, the Serie A side will move for Bellingham soon, particularly if they’re unable to land Mason Greenwood whom they apparently remain in talks with according to the outlet.

Such a move would represent a significant step up in class for Jobe Bellingham, though if he has half as much confidence as his brother would appear to possess, then the switch won’t hold any fears for him.

It isn’t clear how far negotiations have come or whether they will only begin if Lazio don’t sign Greenwood, however, with pre-season already having started for most teams across Europe, the sooner that Lazio can signal their intentions, the better for Jobe Bellingham.

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‘Incredible’ Premier League-linked winger tipped to return to Leeds after five years

CJ — Sat, 22 Jun 2024 18:19:57 +0000

Former Leeds United manager Simon Grayson says Jack Clarke would be an ‘incredible addition’ to the club’s attack, if they can attract him back to Elland Road.

Clarke was sold to Tottenham in July 2019 but after a series of loan spells, was moved on a permanent basis to Sunderland in 2022 — following a strong loan spell in League One for the Black Cats in 2021/22.

The 23-year-old winger enjoyed the best season of his career so far in 2023/24, notching 15 goals and four assists in 40 Championship appearances despite Sunderland falling away from the promotion race to finish 16th.

Clarke’s form has reportedly attracted the attention of a number of Premier League clubs, with West Ham most strongly linked after Burnley also had a bid rejected last summer.

Grayson backs Leeds return for ‘incredible’ Clarke

Sunderland are understood to be resigned to losing Clarke this summer with bids expected imminently.

But a return to Leeds United? It seems unlikely but ex-boss Grayson would certainly like to see Clarke join an already-talented Whites forward line for their promotion push next season.

“Jack Clarke has had an exceptional season but it will have to be a Premier League team he leaves Sunderland for,” Grayson said (via Yorkshire Evening Post).

“Leeds were forced to sell him for financial reasons previously but he would be an incredible addition. With Willy Gnonto, Dan James, Crysencio Summerville, Patrick Bamford and Joel Piroe, Leeds have attackers that would get in so many Premier League teams. Let’s get to the summer and see what happens, he would be an unbelievable weapon to have.”

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Former Man Utd star names Wes Brown as ‘toughest opponent’ ahead of Messi and Ronaldo

CJ — Thu, 06 Jun 2024 09:56:39 +0000

Former Manchester United star Ashley Young has named Wes Brown as the shock pick for the ‘toughest opponent’ he’s faced during his career.

Turning 39 next month, Young is still going strong after spending the 2023/24 campaign with Everton, making 34 appearances across all competitions for the Toffees, who have offered him a one-year extension.

Young’s lengthy career has seen him win multiple major honours with Manchester United — including the Premier League and Europa League — and reach the 2018 World Cup semi-finals with England.

During that time, he’s faced the likes of Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modric, Gareth Bale and Andrea Pirlo to name but a few formidable opponents.

Young makes shock ‘toughest opponent’ pick

Despite the illustrious list of names Young has tested himself against, it’s former Manchester United defender Wes Brown he’s picked as his ‘toughest opponent’.

Brown spent 14 years as a Man Utd player between 1997 and 2011, winning five Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.

BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 13: Ashley Young of Aston Villa is bought down by Wes Brown of Manchester United for a penalty during the Barclays Premier League match between Aston Villa and Manchester United at Villa Park on November 13, 2010 in Birmingham, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

However, he left for Sunderland after never fully establishing himself as a regular starter — with the 23-time England international playing more than 28 Premier League games in a single season just once for the Red Devils.

Even so, Young does not look back fondly on his battles with the Longsight-born defender.

“It would be someone that people have forgotten about,” Young told talkSPORT. “When I was a winger, I’ve always said the toughest opponent I’ve come up against is Wes Brown.”

Young added: “You know when you talk about going past someone and getting change out of them? I got nothing out of him. Never able to get past him. Just nothing.

“When I’ve gone further back and played as a full-back or a wing-back, I’ve played against plenty of different wingers.

“But for me, in my head, I’m a winger myself, so the toughest opponents have been defenders. And the toughest was Wes Brown.”

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Tottenham amongst a clutch of Premier League clubs that could miss out on brilliant 18-year-old

Jason Pettigrove — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 06:30:57 +0000

It seemed fairly clear after Ange Postecoglou’s remarks towards the end of last season that Tottenham were going to need to make a splash in the summer transfer market.

A more than decent start to the 2023/24 campaign meant that the drop-off in quality, application and general standard of performance was disappointing for the Australian to say the least.

Though the North London outfit have often been accused of bottling it for want of a better term, Postecoglou seems dead set on changing the mindset at the club, even arguing with a supporter during Spurs’ match against Man City towards the end of the season.

Tottenham hoping to land Bellingham

‘Spursy’ is a tag that’s often been levelled at them when the club have been unable to achieve their aims, and that surely must unconsciously play a part in all aspects, both from a player’s point of view when deciding to join or not, and more generally.

Tottenham are one of a clutch of Premier League clubs that have been credited with an interest in Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham, the younger brother of Real Madrid star, Jude.

Jobe Bellingham is a target for Tottenham and other Premier League clubs.

The 18-year-old is emerging as a brilliant player in his own right, but the Lilywhites, Brentford, Crystal Palace and other clubs look set to be disappointed in their pursuit of the player.

That’s because, according to The Guardian (subscription required), Black Cats owner, Kyril Louis Dreyfus, is loathe to lose Bellingham and has slapped at least a £20m bounty on his head.

That might not be enough to put off interested parties, and if Postecoglou pushes hard enough there could be a slight possibility that Daniel Levy will accede to his wishes.

After all, the Australian generally hit the spot in terms of his targets last season, with Micky van der Ven sensational for the most part.

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Tottenham the latest Premier League club to express interest in teenage Sunderland star

Charlie Patrick — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 20:59:24 +0000

Tottenham have become the latest Premier League club to express an interest in signing Sunderland midfielder Jobe Bellingham according to reports.

Bellingham had a good first season with the Black Cats following his £3m move from Birmingham last summer, scoring seven times in 47 appearances in all competitions.

Sunderland finished a lowly 16th in the Championship, but Bellingham, the younger brother of Real Madrid star Jude has attracted interest from the Premier League.

Spurs enter race for Jobe Bellingham

The Guardian report that Sunderland are desperate to keep hold of Bellingham, with the club expected to demand in excess of £20m for the England under-19 international.

The Report states Spurs along with Crystal Palace and Brentford are believed to be the English clubs that have expressed an interest.

Bellingham is attracting interest from the Premier League.

It’s not just clubs from England who are interested, with his brother Jude’s former side Borussia Dortmund believed to have expressed an interest, but The Guardian adds Bellingham is unlikely to follow in his brother’s footsteps as he’s keen to pursue his own path.

Sunderland want to keep hold of the 18-year-old because the club believe he is a crucial part of the squad that is aiming to win promotion to the Premier League next season.

Bellingham is understood to still have three years remaining on his contract, and Sunderland will want to get as much money as possible if they do sell, given Birmingham are believed to have a 15% sell on clause.

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Spurs are looking to strengthen their midfield options this summer, with Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Giovani Lo Celso expected to leave the club, and they have been strongly linked with a move for Chelsea’s Conor Gallagher, with the Blues said to value the 24-year-old at around £50m.

It’s set to be a busy summer in north London as Ange Postecoglou looks to add the relevant quality to his squad in an attempt to get Spurs back into the Champions League having finished in fifth two points behind Aston Villa.

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Exclusive: UCL final to go the distance, Mbappe to Real soon and more

Fabrizio Romano — Sat, 01 Jun 2024 18:00:00 +0000

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive articles via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

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Vini Jr. and Jadon Sancho to light up Wembley

This evening it’s the big one! The Champions League final from Wembley, and what a fantastic game in prospect.

Both sides seem relaxed and ready for the game, and I expect Vinicius and Sancho to be the two main faces of this game, for sure.

But I’m also super curious to see Courtois back after so long, that will be special.

I’m not good at predictions but… I feel it will go to extra time!

Not long now until Mbappe announcement

It’s a crucial weekend for the Kylian Mbappe deal because Real Madrid are working on everything in terms of an announcement being made after the Champions League final.

Let me confirm one crucial point from Real Madrid sources and also sources close to the player… the message on his salary is very clear. Kylian Mbappe’s fixed salary will be absolutely in the same range as other stars at the club like Jude Bellingham or Vinicius Jr.

Kylian Mbappe

It will not be anywhere close to the salary he had on the table from Madrid two years ago. That’s absolutely confirmed.

Of course what’s going to make the difference is his image rights. He will own a good part of the image rights in the agreement, but don’t forget the signing fee of over €100m, split over the five years of his contract.

We are just waiting on the formal steps and then guys, it’s gonna be time for the big reveal.

Nothing yet on Santiago Gimenez to Liverpool rumours

Despite Mexican TV apparently reporting that one of the first signings that Arne Slot intends to make for Liverpool is his old Feyenoord centre-forward, Santiago Gimenez, I don’t have this information so far.

Let’s see what Slot and Liverpool will decide to do, but I’m not aware of anything about that in terms of concrete talks.

Also, it’s still all quiet around Darwin Nunez.

Luis Guilherme talks going well for West Ham but Fabricio Bruno deal on verge of collapse

Luis Guilherme of Palmeiras

West Ham are pulling out all the stops this summer already, and talks are advanced with Palmeiras’ brilliant 18-year-old, Luis Guilherme.

In Brazil, however, you always have to be careful until the deal is sealed, even when it seems that talks are going very well.

A deal for Fabricio Bruno was all done with the Hammers too, but it’s collapsing now because of an issue with personal terms.

No final decision from Spurs on Ivan Toney… yet

Although it’s expected that Tottenham will sign a striker this summer, there’s no concrete update yet on Ivan Toney, despite reports.

He might be one of the strikers being considered at Spurs but no final decision on their top target has been made yet.

Tottenham’s priority was to decide what to do with Timo Werner, and now they will move into next targets.

Man United’s priority is a permanent move for Mason Greenwood

Let me be clear guys, Man United want to sell Mason Greenwood.

Another loan would only be possible if they can’t find a solution on a permanent deal. Their priority is to sell the player.

There’s interest in him from Spain, England, Germany and also Italy but at the moment I’m not aware of talks with Borussia Dortmund or Atlético Madrid.

Palace pushing for Jobe Bellingham

Jobe Bellingham, a really, really talented player at Sunderland, could be one to watch in the summer. He’ll be at Wembley to see his brother, Jude, in the Champions League final before he will decide on his future – and there are several possibilities.

From what I’m hearing, Crystal Palace are really pushing to make it happen. Oliver Glasner has done an incredible job since he joined the club.

Now Dougie Freedman, the director who had a proposal from Newcastle to be the replacement for Dan Ashworth and then decided to stay at Palace, is working hard to bring Jobe Bellingham to the club.

It all depends on the player.

Chelsea’s Armando Broja already considering other opportunities

There’s a lot of movement around Armando Broja at Chelsea, and a lot going on with Enzo Maresca too. The manager is set sign his contract until 2029, with an option for a further season, so now it’s time to prepare the contracts, check them, review them more fully and then pay the compensation fee.

His arrival is not expected to change the future of Armando Broja who is returning to Chelsea from Fulham but who is still expected to leave Chelsea in the summer transfer window.

He’s already considering opportunities at home and abroad, with Monaco taking a keen interest in signing him.

Chelsea need to make a profit, and given that he’s an academy product, any monies received would go straight towards Financial Fair Play.

Chelsea ready to talk to Dortmund on Maatsen

Sticking with Chelsea, Ian Maatsen is not part of the Dutch national team because after the incredible, fantastic second part of the season he had on loan with Borussia Dortmund, he is playing at Wembley in the Champions League final.

It’s important to say that Chelsea are prepared to listen to the first proposal from Dortmund after the final has been played.

He has a release clause of £35m but Dortmund will try to negotiate to lower the price. Let’s see if they can find common ground with Chelsea.

Antonio Conte ready for Napoli test

Antonio Conte as new Napoli head coach, here we go! Agreement has been reached on every detail including add-ons, fixed salary, image rights and staff members.

Conte will sign the contract valid until June 2027, documents approved.

Huge for Napoli who will soon announce their new, fantastic appointment. No wonder their fans are buzzing.

Milan haven’t put a price tag on Theo Hernández

Despite suggestions to the contrary in the Italian media, there has been no price tag fixed for Theo Hernández.

It’s not true.

AC Milan have not received any bids so far, and in case they receive proposals, we will see their reaction – but they are not putting Theo up for sale.

Multiple clubs want free agent Memphis Depay

Now we have the official confirmation that Memphis Depay will leave Atlético Madrid as a free agent. He’s in very good condition, both mentally and physically, so the idea is for the player to try a new experience.

He has many possibilities in Europe and abroad, but he only wants to focus now on his physical condition, and focus too on the Euros before deciding his next club.

He was not under contract in 2025, only until the end of June. Then there was an option to extend his contract automatically, based on a certain number of appearances, but that target was not reached.

Keep an eye on him because for sure he’s going to be one of the names to watch in the summer transfer window.

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Bellingham emerges as top target for English club as talks underway ahead of Champions League final

Darren Looney — Fri, 31 May 2024 08:21:16 +0000

Crystal Palace have begun talks with Sunderland over the potential transfer of Jobe Bellingham.

The 18-year-old is the Eagles’ top target for the summer as Oliver Glasner wants to strengthen his midfielder head of the 2024/25 campaign, reports The Standard.

Bellingham has shown a lot of promise in the Championship this season having only joined Sunderland last summer. The youngster featured in 45 league games for the Wearside club during a tough season but still managed to score seven goals alongside one assist.

Talks have begun over a Premier League move during a special week for the Bellingham family as his brother Jude will compete in the Champions League final on Saturday with Real Madrid.

The Sunderland star is expected to be in attendance at Wembley and will be hoping to see his older sibling receive his first Champions League medal as he faces his former club Borussia Dortmund.

Sunderland’s Jobe Bellingham is wanted by Crystal Palace

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