Real Madrid want Tottenham star to replace Luka Modric

Real Madrid are set to raid Tottenham yet again as they begin to plan for life without Luka Modric. The Croatian who led his national team to the final of this summer’s World Cup in Russia has asked Los Blancos to allow him to join Inter Milan. The Italians have reportedly made an offer for his services, but Los Blancos do not want to lose another star man this summer after Cristiano Ronaldo joined Juventus. Despite insisting that Modric is going nowhere, the European champions have begun to look for his replacement, and their number one target is Christian Eriksen. Eriksen was signed to replace Modric who joined Madrid in 2011, and the Dane has become the fulcrum of Mauricio Pochettino’s side. With no new player coming to Spurs this summer, Eriksen would likely not be sold, but a move next summer would be a possibility if he continues to shine in the Premier League.  

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Chelsea were ready to pay £100 million for Jan Oblak, but he said no

Fresh reports circulating online reveals just how desperate Chelsea were to make a statement signing as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian stopper went AWOL and forced his move to Real Madrid, and left the Blues stranded with no number one. After it became clear that Courtois really wanted out, Chelsea accepted Real Madrid’s £35 million then made a record £100 million bid for Atletico Madrid’s Jan Oblak. Having met the Slovenian’s release clause, the Blues were expecting the goalie to accept their offer, but Oblak turned them down, which prompted them to pay the £71 million release clause of Kepa Arrizabalaga. Kepa’s move smashed the record transfer fee for a goalkeeper which Liverpool had broken a few weeks earlier when they paid £67 million for Alisson. Kepa who is 23 is expected to remain at Stamford Bridge until he is 30 having reportedly signed a 7 years deal with the Blues.

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Chelsea offload £40 million flop to AC Milan

Chelsea have begun to clear the dead woods in their squad after the close of the English Premier League transfer window. With a new manager at the helm, several players were bound to be surplus to requirements, and that is just the case for Tiémoué Bakayoko. The former AS Monaco man arrived at Chelsea last summer to much fanfare after leading AS Monaco to the French league crown, however, he failed to kick on and eventually lost his place in the Blues starting line up. Maurizio Sarri showed just how less faith he had in him when he signed Matteo Kovacic on loan from Real Madrid last week. The Blues are now trying to ship Bakayoko out, with AC Milan his most likely destination. Reports claim that he has had his medicals at the Italian capital today and set to complete his move before the week runs out. The agreement is an initial loan deal with Milan having the option of signing him permanently for £35 million next summer.

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Huddersfield vs Chelsea Match Preview, Soccer Prediction and Betting Tips

Huddersfield begins their bid to avoid the second season syndrome when they host Chelsea in this opening game of the Premier League season. The Terriers made a lucky escape from the Premier League last season when they picked up a valuable draw at Stamford Bridge. Much of their survival last season is owed to a solid start to the season that even saw them top the Premier League table at some point. They have made some good new signings including Eric Durm who won the 2014 World Cup with Germany and David Wagner would be looking to start the season on a bright note again. Chelsea have had a tough preseason and their fans would hope that they are finally ready for the season after the end of the transfer window. The Blues had to fire Antonio after he fell out with the board despite the Italian winning the FA Cup last season. Maurizio Sarri implemented an exciting brand of football at Napoli last season, but he has never won a trophy in his professional career and may find life much more difficult in England than it was at Naples. The Blues have signed Jorginho and Matteo Kovacic to bolster their midfield, while a £71 million signing of Kepa Arrizabalaga as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois is a gamble that they hope would pay off. Chelsea have won four and drawn two of their last six meetings with Huddersfield, but have conceded at least one goal in all of these encounters.

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Newcastle vs Tottenham Match Preview, Soccer Prediction and Betting Tips

This match pitches two teams who have endured frustrating summers to some degree against each other and they would both be looking to get a good start to the new season. It has been another frustrating summer for Rafa Benitez as Mike Ashley continues to fail in his promise to provide funds for Newcastle to sign new players. However, the former Liverpool manager would be happy he was able to land Salomon Rondon, Yoshinori Muto, Kenedy, Fabian Schar among others at last and we expect this to be another season of struggling for the Magpies. Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham became the first team not to sign a single player in a transfer window since it was introduced in 2003 and their fans would be wondering if they have the players to help them compete in four competitions this season. The Lilywhites would have a small squad ready for this game as the likes of Harry Kane, Toby Alderweireld, Mousa Dembele all came back from holiday this week and would need more training to be ready for the new season. Tottenham have won four and lost two of their last six meetings with Newcastle, including winning both league meetings last season. However, two of the three goals Spurs scored in those matches came from Dele Alli and Harry Kane, both of whom are likely to be rested here.

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Wolverhampton vs Everton Match Preview, Soccer Prediction and Betting Tips

This Wolves team is so hyped that even if they end up winning the Premier League this season, it would come as a surprise to only a few people, despite the fact that they just got promoted to the Premier League. They stormed to the top of the Championship table last season with 99 points and scored 81 goals along the way. Winning the Championship came as a surprise to only a few people considering that they signed so many top quality players on loan from Portugal, the likes of Diogo Jota and Ruben Neves have since made their loan moves permanent. They have also added the experienced likes of Joao Moutinho and Rui Patricio so they have huge expectations to live up, and their preseason form shows that they won’t struggle much. They won 3 and drew 3 of their seven preseason games which included wins over Basel and Villarreal. Their fans would be expecting a good start here. Everton are also expected to make an impact in the league this season after they signed Marcos Silva as their manager and brought in some exciting players from Europe. The Toffees has signed Yerry Mina, Andre Gomes and Lucas Digne from Barcelona, they have also added Richarlison and Bernard to their team and their fans are expecting an exciting brand of football. However, they may struggle at first as most of their signings came late and they have allowed Funes Ramiro Mori and Ashley Williams leave the club this summer, leaving them thin at the back. The Toffees also did not have the best of preseasons as they lost 4 and drew 2 of their last 6 preseason games, conceding 12 goals along the way.

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Tottenham finally make move for their long term target

Tottenham remains the only top six team who is yet to make a single signing this summer, but that could be set to change as they step up their pursuit of Jack Grealish. The Aston Villa man is set to step up from the Championship side by moving to a top-flight club playing in the Champions League, and Tottenham looks to be his preferred choice. The Lilywhites have been favourites to sign Grealish all summer, however, a lack of funding due to their new stadium construction has forced Mauricio Pochettino to watch their rivals strengthen their team while he hopes for the best. Reports from Sun Sport now claims that Spurs have finally made a bid of £25 million for the signature of the England Under 21 star. Villa were in dire straits a couple of weeks ago, but new funding means they do not need to sell before they can buy, and they are likely to ask for up to £30 million before they can part with Grealish. Pochettino is hoping to complete the move before the transfer window shuts in two days.

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