Wayne Rooney is all for Lionel Messi making a move to the Old Trafford.
Nutr the Red Devils neighbours Manchester City are the likely destination of the Barcelona talisman owin g to his relationship with Pep Guardiola.
In an interview with talkSPORT Rooney said: ‘If he surrounds himself with players like Bruno Fernandes, he could win a seventh Ballon d’Or.’
Despite Rooney’s aspirations for Messi, United will have to fight off stiff competition from rivals Manchester City, who seem to be favourites for the Barcelona ace’s signature.
Meanwhile, reports in Spain claim that Lionel Messi has requested a personal meeting with the Barcelona hierarchy to discuss a solution to his transfer request.
Messi wants his lawyers present too with the intention of finding a way out of the impasse over his contract clause and a way out of the Nou Camp this summer.
Should Messi engineer a move away from the club he joined as a 14-year-old, Manchester City are in the strongest position to swoop in.
Latest reports over Lionel Messi’s Barcelona exit saga has taken another twist as the star’s father has reportedly told Paris Saint-Germain that the Barcelona captain wants to join Manchester City this summer.
The Argentinian star shocked the world this week when he told Barcelona that he wants to leave the club after 16 years and over 600 goals for the first-team.
Messi could even leave the LaLiga giants on a free transfer and is preparing to meet with the club as soon as possible to come to an amicable exit at the club, say reports in Spain.
And according to French news outlet L’Equipe as cited by the Daily Mail, Paris Saint-Germain approached the player’s father, Jorge, over a potential move but Messi Senior responded by stating that the player wants to move to Manchester City.
Jorge reportedly phoned the club’s Brazilian director Leonardo to inform them that the 33-year-old has already decided his next move.
The news comes as a blow to several clubs who were interested in signing Messi this summer, which include Italian sides Inter Milan and Juventus.
Liverpool and Bayern Munich, meanwhile, had pulled themselves out of the running with Messi’s extortionate fees.
And this latest development means Messi could well complete a move to Manchester City this summer, with some bookmakers even placing him as odds-on favourite.
The logistics behind Messi’s transfer are still to be decided, as it is not clear whether the forward’s potential new club will have to stump up a transfer fee for him or not.
Spanish news outlet El Periodico says that Messi will meet with the Barcelona hierarchy to try and achieve a ‘friendly exit’ from the Camp Nou – before the situation gets any worse.
Reports in Italy claim Chelsea have commenced talks for AC Milan goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma as Frank Lampard continues to strenghten his team.
The West London club have been linked with several top goalkeepers in Europe to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga, whose displays last season have drawn the ire of the club’s fans.
While Chelsea apparently know it’s a ‘long shot’ to land the €50m-rated Donnarumma, they are giving it a try and have opened talks, presumably with agent Mino Raiola.
Although every major media outlet is claiming that Milan will soon sit down for talks with his agent Mino Raiola over a renewal, that hasn’t stopped clubs showing interest.
Milan face a race against time regarding the future of Donnarumma as his contract expires at the end of the 2020-21 season, meaning that he is within a year of being able to leave on a free transfer.
Football Insider, via Sepremilan.com, are claiming that Chelsea have turned their attention to Donnarumma after difficulties in signing Edouard Mendy from Rennes.
The Blues want to sign a new number one this summer after splashing out on the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Ben Chilwall and are exploring various options across Europe.
Jurgen Klopp has been speaking at his press conference ahead of his weekend’s Community Shield with Arsenal, and was asked for his thoughts on Lionel Messi being linked with Manchester City.
The Pep Guardiola-tutored side have reportedly offered a three-year contract to Messi following on from his decision to leave Barcelona.
The 33-year-old starred under Guardiola when the latter was in charge at the Blaugrana between 2008 and 2012, with the two maintaining a personal relationship since.
Reacting to this development, Klopp said: “It would obviously help Man City and make it more difficult to beat them.
“For the Premier League it would be great, but I am not sure the Premier League needs that boost.”
Asked whether he would like to sign the six-time Ballon D’Or winner, he replied: “Interest? Who doesn’t want to have Messi in their team? But no chance.”
Reports in England claim that former Chelsea striker Diego Costa is “open” to joining Tottenham to reunite with Jose Mourinho.
Although with just a year left on his contract, Atletico are reportedly be willing to let him leave for a decent price rather than run the risk of losing him for free in 2021.
The Portuguese boss is bolstering his squad ahead of the 2020-21 campaign, having already brought in midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and goalkeeper Joe Hart.
Mourinho is on the verge of signing right back Matt Doherty from Wolves and has now has been offered forward Costa by Atletico Madrid, according to the Daily Star.
It’s no secret that Tottenham are heavily reliant on Harry Kane in attack and are in need of cover in that department.
Mourinho and Costa worked together at Stamford Bridge for one year and lifted the Premier League title in 2015.
The Spanish international struggled for form last season, scoring just five goals in 30 appearances for Atletico.
Spurs are said to be wary of his age at 31 and fitness levels after spells on the sidelines through injury during the 2019-20 season.
Napoli’s record signing Victor Osimhen said coach Gennaro Gattuso and President Aurelio De Laurentiis have been “like fathers” to him since his move from Lille.
The Partenopei signed the Nigerian striker for over €70m from Lille this summer.
The 21-year-old revealed the relationship with the coach and the President persuaded him to move to the San Paolo.
“My relationship with Gattuso and De Laurentiis is excellent,” he said, as cited by Football Italia.
“They were like fathers, I received great demonstrations of affection from all the Napoli fans.
“I was convinced I would accept a move to Napoli when I talked to the coach and the President.
“They are giving me a lot of advice. It’s incredible to receive this affection, for a you player, motivation is fundamental.”
The youngster eventually signed a lucrative deal with the Azzurri and claimed he’s in Naples to ‘do great things’.
“I define myself as a player who loves the team play. Passion is fundamental for me, my mentality is based on the idea of never giving up. The game is always open.
“Being here is a big step for me, I have great teammates here. I don’t care about the money, what matters to me is doing great things as a footballer.
“Being here, is a dream come true for me.”
The new forward revealed he prefers to play in the middle, but would be open to play anywhere at Napoli.
“I like to play as a centre-forward, but I can play in any position. I’m happy to be at Napoli and I have fantastic teammates.”
The initial reports claimed Osimhen was hesitant, fearing the racism in Italy, but the Nigerian said he was convinced after visiting Naples.
“I admit to being sceptical about the situation of racism in this country,” he said. “Then, however, I went to Naples and I saw it with my own eyes.
“At that point, my vision changed, even after meeting the President and with the coach. I’m sure that racism will not be a problem for my career, with the affection of my fans, I will overcome any difficulty.”
Chelsea have confirmed the signing of former Paris Saint-Germain defender Thiago Silva.
After eight years of service, the 35-year-old ran down his contract, reportedly in a bid to play in the Premier League.
Silva’s final appearance for the club came in the Champions League final where PSG were outclassed by Bayern Munich, but a move to Chelsea would see him compete in a domestic league with far stiffer competition.
Frank Lampard’s young squad would certainly benefit from the excellent leadership qualities that Silva possess.
They’re even, reportedly, prepared to bend their over-30 contract rule for the Brazilian.
Echoing a chant which may ring around Stamford Bridge when fans are allowed back, Chelsea teased their fans with simply writing ‘Oh Thiago Silva’.
Napoli director of sport Cristiano Giuntoli insists they want to ‘continue together’ with Hirving Lozano and admits negotiations were ‘tough’ for Victor Osimhen.
The transfer guru spoke at the press conference presenting new signings Osimhen from Lille and Amir Rrahmani from Verona.
“I remember Osimhen in the Under-17 World Cup and he had a great tournament. It was a tough negotiation process because it was done at a distance, so clearly we didn’t get the usual sense of whether this was going to work or not,” said Giuntoli as cited by Football Italia.
“Thankfully, it all went well. It was an expensive investment, but we are convinced he will do very well.”
At €50m plus €10m in bonuses and three youth team players, Osimhen becomes the most expensive ever Napoli signing.
The previous record holder, Chucky Lozano, has struggled to make any real impact in his first Serie A season.
“We believe he can only do better, so the desire is to continue together,” added the director of sport.
Reports in England claim that Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, Christian Pulisic and Tammy Abraham have all been forced into quarantine after a Covid outbreak at Chelsea.
According to The Sun, all four went on holiday to the Greek island of Mykonos before pre-season training began last weekend.
None of them reported for duty at the Blues’ Surrey training ground yet in order to minimise the risk of any potential infection.
Chelsea would not comment on whether the players involved have tested positive or negative for coronavirus but it is known there are a number of cases at the club.
The club are now adhering to official protocols and guidelines to maintain the bio-secure bubble around the first-team squad.
