Roma have informed Liverpool that Miralem Pjanic will cost £37m this summer, according to the Daily Mirror. Brendan Rodgers will have to pay a club record £37m if they want Pjanic to replace Steven Gerrard, who will depart Anfield this summer for MLS side LA Galaxy. Matched with a record transfer fee, the Bosnian midfielder has told Anfield officials that he will accept nothing less than £160,000-a-week to make the move from Italian football. Rodgers travelled to Rome last week following the 3-2 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League and casted an eye over Pjanic, Radja Nainggolan and Adem…
Author: Staff Writer
The fifth round of the FA Cup certainly fulfilled the promise left by the fourth. Two Premier League sides were dumped out by lower league opposition, a twenty-minute hat-trick was scored, a club chairman was forced to apologise to travelling fans while the return of the ‘Yak’ was also a welcome sight for all football fans. The Football Express team of the week will line up in a 4-3-3 formation. Goalkeeper: Shay Given (Aston Villa) In between the sticks is the familiar figure of Shay Given. At 38 years of age Given is in the twilight years of his career…
Manchester United manager Louis van Gaal has declared himself “reasonably satisfied” with his side’s 3-1 FA Cup win away at Preston North End. Scott Laird gave the lower league side an early advantage but goals form Ander Herrera, Marouane Fellaini and Wayne Rooney saw the Premier League giants win and book a place in the sixth round, where they will meet Arsenal. Van Gaal, who has heavily criticised his side this season, told BBC Sport following the game that he was fairly satisfied with the result and performance of his players. “I was reasonably satisfied. We didn’t give anything away.…
It was an intriguing encounter at Deepdale between Preston and Man United, Preston looking to cause a major upset and Manchester United looking to push towards their only realistic chance of silverware this season. The first half was a cagey start, Preston typically showing their physical presence and United knew they were in a game at the end of the 45 minutes. Given all the money invested in the United side, they struggled to break the League One side down, Radamel Falcao in particular struggling to find any space to make any impact. At the start of the second half,…
Chelsea will face former defender David Luiz as they travel to France to play Paris Saint Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday night. The Brazilian defender has been in remarkable form since leaving Chelsea last summer for a reported £50m and was installed in the FIFPro World XI at the recent Ballon d’Or awards for his performances at Parc des Princes and for Brazil in the World Cup. Another reunion on Tuesday night will see good friends, Jose Mourinho and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who spent time working together at Italian side Inter Milan. Chelsea will fondly remember their win over…
Spanish daily AS have reported that Tottenham Hotspur are planning a summer move for Juventus striker Fernando Llorente. The 29-year-old is keen to leave the Italian giants after failing to find his feet this season, scoring just five goals in 26 appearances. Having joined for free from Athletic Bilbao in 2013, Llorente netted 18 times in his debut season but he has been a shadow of the player he was last term and has since lost his starting place to former Real Madrid attacker Alvaro Morata. Spurs have now pounced with initial talks between the two clubs having taken place…
Former Paris Saint Germain winger Nene has arrived in England for talks with West Bromwich Albion, according to Goal.com. The former PSG winger is currently a free agent after ending a two-year spell with Al Gharrafa in Qatar. Baggies boss Tony Pulis is keen to bolster his attacking options ahead of the season run-in and is keen to sign the 33-year-old on a free transfer. It is understood that two other clubs are interested in the Brazilian, but West Brom are confident that talks have progressed well. The former Espanyol winger scored 20 goals in 40 games for the Qatari…
Andre Ayew is set to sign a new contract with Marseille but will still be allowed to leave the club this summer for a price of £6m, according to La Provence. The Ghana international was expected see his current contract expire in June, allowing him to discuss terms with a new club. But, it has emerged that he will sign a new deal with the Ligue 1 club which will include a buying option of £6m. Spurs have held a long term interest in the Marseille attacker, whilst North London rivals Arsenal had also been keen through the years. However,…
Eden Hazard has said Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho wants him to emulate the scoring feats of Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. The Belgium international has scored nine goals in 25 league appearances for the Stamford Bridge outfit this season, but is way off the standards being set by Barcelona’s Messi and Real Madrid’s Ronaldo, who have scored over 30 goals in all competitions this season. And, he has revealed how boss Mourinho wants to reach the same level as the world class duo. “Jose Mourinho would like for me to score more,” he is quoted as saying by The Mirror. “Us…
Chelsea striker Didier Drogba believes Paris Saint-Germain star Zlatan Ibrahimovic is no longer a selfish player, ahead of their Champions League tie this week. The Swedish international has bagged the goals for Paris Saint Germain since arriving from them in 2012 and Drogbha has hailed how the striker has matured over the years. “Ibrahimovic is a player who has changed a lot,” Drogba told Canal+. “He has come to understand that he will have to play for the team in order to help them forward. “I like his style of play and aggressiveness a lot. We are similar in a…