Tottenham Hotspur will test Manchester City’s resolve to keep hold of goalkeeper Joe Hart if Hugo Lloris leaves White Hart Lane, Football Express News understands. England number one Hart faces a fresh fight to retain his starting berth following the arrival of counterpart Willy Caballero from La Liga outfit Malaga. He lost his place in Manuel Pellegrini’s side at the turn of the year following several costly errors and has seen former deputy Costel Pantilimon, now at Sunderland, replaced by highly-regarded Caballero. The 32-year-old played under Pellegrini when the Chilean was in charge at Malaga. A source close to Spurs…
Author: Staff Writer
Manchester City plan to bid for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley next summer, Football Express News can reveal. A source close to the Etihad Stadium told FEN the Premier League champions watched the England international in action on a number of occasions last term and have been highly-impressed by his development. The insider said there is an acceptance in the corridors of power that there is little or no chance of landing him during the current transfer window, as the Toffees will demand an astronomical price and the player himself has expressed no desire to leave Merseyside. However, City view the…
Former England striker Michael Owen believes Fulham have sent out a “signal of intent” by spending £11million to land striker Ross McCormack from Leeds United. The Scotland international’s mega-money move to west London has sent shockwaves through the second tier of English football, with the Cottagers now widely-tipped to achieve promotion back to the Premier League. They have wasted no time in making a splash following their relegation from the top flight, and left cash-strapped Leeds with little option but to part company with their captain and star striker. Writing on his personal blog for Sport Lobster, ex-Liverpool, Real Madrid…
Former Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has admitted that he wants to take over as Italy head coach. The 49-year-old, who left Turkish giants Galatasaray by mutual consent last month, has set his sights on succeeding Cesare Prandelli, who stepped down following an ill-fated World Cup campaign. After opening the group stage with an encouraging 2-1 victory over England, they fell to successive 1-0 defeats at the hands of Costa Rica and Uruguay respectively, culminating in a premature exit from the tournament in Brazil. Mancini was installed as one of the bookmakers’ favourites to get the nod as soon as…
Arsenal are weighing up an offer for Everton defender John Stones, Football Express News understands. A source close to the Emirates Stadium told FEN that scouts were impressed by the rapid progress made by the youngster last term, which culminated in him winning a stand-by spot for England’s World Cup squad. The ball-playing centre-half was not called upon by manager Roy Hodgson during an ill-fated campaign which ended in the group stage but he is widely-tipped to play a big part in the Three Lions’ qualifiers for Euro 2016. Boss Arsene Wenger and his technical staff are said to be…
AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi last night gave head coach Filippo Inzaghi assurances that he will bid for Manchester United target Alessio Cerci, according to reports in Italy. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims the San Siro giants have now made the Torino attacker their leading target for the summer transfer window. Milan hope to engineer a player-plus-cash deal which will see former West Ham United loanee Antonio Nocerino move in the opposite direction along with a fee of around £15million. However, United still have hope of beating the Serie A outfit to his signature as the report also reveals that…
Barcelona have reportedly opened talks with Fiorentina regarding the £23.8million purchase of wideman Juan Cuadrado. According to Catalan publication Sport, the Colombia international’s representatives have arrived in Spain and will hold talks during the next 48 hours in an attempt to thrash out a deal which suits all parties. The up-front fee is likely to prove a serious stumbling bloack as the Serie A outfit are not interested in parting company with one of their star performers for the kind of price the La Liga heavyweights are proposing. Sport claims the Viola are ready to hold out for at least…
Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly ready to launch a £59million bid for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Ligue 1 champions will test the Turin giants’ resolve to hang on to the Manchester United target one more time despite his agent, Mino Raiola, claiming his client will stay in Italy for at least another season. A source close to Old Trafford told Football Express News that Red Devils head coach Louis van Gaal is keen on both Pogba and his engine room colleague Arturo Vidal, but the Premier League side think they could be priced out…
Manchester United are ready to splash out £31million on Juventus midfielder Arturo Vidal, according to fresh reports in the Italian media. La Gazzetta dello Sport claims the Red Devils have made the Chile international a priority acquisition and an official bid could be imminent. The 27-year-old’s return from World Cup duty has given United hope of speeding up the process, following his side’s penalty shoot-out defeat at the hands of host nation Brazil in the second round of the competition. He has since embarked on a short holiday with his family but suitors are still able to contact his representatives…
Former Chelsea defender Ashley Cole has admitted he is ready for a new challenge after signing for Serie A outfit Roma. The ex-England international, who left Stamford Bridge on a free transfer following eight trophy-laden years in west London, will ply his trade overseas for the first time in his career. Left-back Cole took to social media site Twitter to tell his followers he will always remember his time in his homeland with fondness, but he is focused on the next chapter. He said: “Happy to have signed my contract at #roma just want to thank everyone for your lovely…