Chelsea face new competition from PSG for the signature of Gianluigi Donnarumma

Chelsea’s plan to sign AC Milan teenage shot-stopper Gianluigi Donnarumma has suffered a major setback after PSG joined the chase for the Italian. The Blues have been forced to look for a new goalie after Real Madrid refuse to rule out a move for Thibaut Courtois. The Belgian is also stalling on signing a new deal at Stamford Bridge with reports earlier in the week claiming that Madrid have asked him to delay signing the new Blues deal. The Blues have identified a couple of goalkeepers who they believe can replace the Belgian and Donnarumma tops the list. They had initially wanted to sign Jan Oblak from Atleti, but they have decided to go for the younger Donnarumma. Sun Sport is reporting that the Blues would now have to fight off PSG if they hope to sign the goalie as the French giants have joined his chase. PSG are looking to sign a superstar goalie next summer as they look to continue building a team capable of winning the Champions League. Donnarumma has had a turbulent time this year despite signing a new deal at the San Siro, it is believed that he would leave them after this season if they fail to qualify for the Champions League again.

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Real Madrid prepare to pay record fee for Robert Lewandoski

Robert Lewandoski is attracting the attention of Real Madrid and Los Blancos are prepared to break the bank for the Polish attacker. Lewandoski is one of the proven goalscorers in the world at the moment and he has just changed his agent sparking rumours that he is looking for one more big move in his career. The Pole has hired Pini Zahavi as his new agent. Zahavi is the agent who brokered Neymar’s world record move to PSG last summer and he is reported to have netted 30 million pounds in that move. Sun Sport is reporting that Madrid are prepared to pay 135 million pounds for Lewandoski, but they fear that the Bavarians would not want to sell him. Los Blancos are prepared to sell misfiring Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema next summer and they hope to earn enough to bankroll the transfer of Lewandoski. Bale is set to return to the Premier League and could cost either Manchester United or Tottenham 80 million pounds, while Benzema is set to leave for around 60 million pounds. Los Blancos are also targetting Mauro Icardi and Harry Kane, but Lewandoski remains a more experienced option.

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Real Madrid planning summer move for Anthony Martial

Anthony Martial may be playing his last season at Old Trafford according to reports in the French media. The France international has struggled to play since the arrival of Alexis Sanchez and he is said to considering moving away to get more playing time. Jose Mourinho has plans to sit with the attacker and assure him that he is a part of his plans, but that talk has not been held and Martial is said to be stalling on signing a new deal with the Red Devils. According to Sun SPort, his current struggles and the lack of progress on a new deal has prompted a host of European teams to keep an eye on his situation. Per the reports, Real Madrid are his major admirers at the moment, but Tottenham are also interested in signing him. Martial wants assurances especially as Jose Mourinho is still planning to sign a winger next summer. Real Madrid are planning a major summer overhaul after a poor start to their league season, and Zinedine Zidane wants Martial to become one of the new arrivals at the Bernabeu. Martial cost United an initial  36 million pound, and would not be allowed to leave for less than 70 million pounds.

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Chelsea emerge as favourites to sign Marcus Rashford

The arrival of Alexis Sanchez has seen the career of Marcus Rashford stall and the English man is now set to leave Old Trafford. Rashford has struggled for game time since the January arrival of Sanchez as Jose Mourinho prefers to play either the Chilean or Anthony Martial on the left of his attack. Rashford and his teammates are preparing to face Chelsea in their next league game on Sunday but he is expected to start from the bench again. Several pundits have adviced him to leave Old Trafford so he can further his development. It appears as though a move away is only a matter of time before it could happen. Real Madrid have also been interested in the past as they plan a major summer raid on the Premier League. However, bookmakers, Ladbrokes have installed Chelsea as favourites to land the English man. They have made the Blues just 2/1 favourites to sign Rashford, while Real Madrid are following closely at 5/2. Tottenham are 4/1, while Barcelona are outsiders at 5/1. Whether he leaves or remains with the Red Devils, he is expected to be in the England Squad for next summer’s world cup in Russia.

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Paul Pogba could return to Juventus after regretting re-joining Manchester United

There appears to be no end in sight for the troubled career of Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba. The French man has come under intense scrutiny for his abject displays this season and he is said to have fallen out of favour with Jose Mourinho. He has not started a game for the Red Devils since he was hauled off in their 1-0 loss to Newcastle. He came on for the injured Ander Herrera in their last match against Sevilla, but he was outshined by youngster McTominay who had originally replaced him in the starting line up. Reports have been rife in the English media that he could be set for a move away with Real Madrid prepared to pay £120 million for his signature. Reports from Sun Sport via L’Equipe is claiming that there is a clause in the French man’s that could see him re-join Juventus for £52 million, almost half the price he joined them in 2016. Pogba’s agent has also been calling the top club’s from around Europe to ask them to make a move for his client.

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The best way to get an edge in betting

What serious bettors want the most is to gain an advantage over whoever is laying their bet whether they are bookmakers or casino. This is called having an edge over them, and if you are serious about becoming a successful bettor, you need to understand what it really means. What’s the margin between success and failure in betting? One of the most popular clichés in journalism is – the margin between success and failure slim. However, the margin between making a profit and losing all your bankroll in betting is dependent on the bookmaker you choose to bet with. Many bettors are oblivious to the impact of margins, however, this does not stop it from being fundamental to making money in betting. At Matchplug we pick the games with the most appropriate margins, therefore, offering bettors a greater chance of winning. Knowledge gives you power The first step to identifying the advantage a bookmaker holds over you is to understand margins. The next thing you can do after understanding margin is to find ways to prevent them from using their edge over you. The single most powerful way to get an advantage over a bookmaker is to find and bet on markets where you have more information about than they do. The simple truth is that, although bookmakers are experienced and they have tools that can help them, they have their weaknesses too.  A perfect example is the minor leagues. Most bookmakers offer minor leagues just to differentiate themselves from competitors not because they are experts in those leagues. They may find it hard to understand the dynamics of the third division of the Russian Volleyball league, yet they still offer bets in those areas where they are weak, but you can be very knowledgeable yourself in those areas and that gives you an advantage over the bookmakers. You need to keep your ear on the ground Knowledge as many see it is only potential power, and it alone cannot guarantee success. If whatever information you get is already common, it would have already impacted the odds. The real value, therefore, comes from information from the horse’s mouth. Twitter has taken centre stage in terms of how fast information are disseminated, but it has also helped to reduce the time it takes for an information to become common as well as increased the amount of false information being shared. Betting different from popular opinion If given the chance would you rather bet on an event that is unknown instead of one whose information is available? The latter is obviously the best option.  Getting an edge over the bookmakers definitely requires having an insight into the envelope before the award’s winner is announced. Information is always getting leaked either sometimes verbally, or in other ways. The results may not be entirely known, but motivation makes it very predictable. Take a look at reality TV shows, for example, every participant is talented in their own way, but the talent is not the only thing being considered. Controversies surrounding a particular participant would play a key role in whether they stay long in the show or not, you should research other things about the shows like program ratings also if you are betting on it. Understanding Cross-Correlation Cross-correlation and dependencies are very important in betting and understanding them gives you a huge edge. If you can focus on anticipating bad weather and correlate them with certain results in a particular sport,  you may establish yourself as an expert in winning bets based on whether bad weather causes low scoring outcomes or not. Sign Up for Matchplug now and get the tips which are guaranteed to have an edge over the bookmakers.    

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Real Madrid want Thibaut Courtois to delay signing new Chelsea deal

Real Madrid have demanded that Chelsea number 1, Thibaut Courtois delays signing the new deal that the Blues have offered him until at least April. Los Blancos are looking for a new number one after they decided it was time to ditch Keylor Navas. They have also decided that the best place to sign a new goalie would be from the Premier League and they have narrowed their list of targets down to David de Gea and Thibaut Courtois. However, Sun Sport is reporting that they want to keep their options open at the moment and so they have asked Courtois not to sign a new Chelsea deal yet. The Blues have offered Courtois a new contract since last year, but the Belgian has told them to allow this season to finish first before he can start negotiating with them. Madrid know that Courtois has a desire to return to the Spanish capital and with just over a year left on his current deal, this is the best time for them to try and sign him. The Belgian has also admitted that he would love to return to Madrid where he had previously played for Atletico as his wife and children stay there.

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Manchester City target ready to commit his long term future to Leicester City

Manchester City have been dealt a major blow in their quest to sign Harry Maguire next summer. The 24 years old English man has caught the eyes of Pep Guardiola with his displays this season and the Catalan boss was plotting a summer move. However, the former Hull City man seems not to be in a hurry to leave the King Power Stadium and he is reportedly keen on extending his current deal with the former Premier League champions. He signed from the Tigers last summer and has played every minute of every game for the Foxes this season. One of the high points of his career so far was scoring an injury-time equalizer against Manchester United. Pep Guardiola loves a centre-back who is confident on the ball and can play it out of the defence without fear, Maguire has shown he can do that and can also be very calm under pressure. He is reportedly worth £50 million, however, with a new deal coming his way soon just 7 months after he joined them, his value could skyrocket especially if he makes it into England’s squad for the World Cup in Russia.  

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Paul Pogba’s agent calling clubs around Europe to come and sign him

Super agent Mino Raiola is at it again and this time instead of bringing another star man to Manchester United and the Premier League, the Italian is looking to take one star away. Reports from Sun Sport this morning is claiming that the Italian’s client, Paul Pogba is already regretting coming back to Manchester United as his form has continued to dip this season. He has been left out of the last four starting eleven by Jose Mourinho and struggled to make any meaningful impact when he replaced Ander Herrera in Manchester United’s match last night. He appears to have fallen out of favour with Mourinho and Raiola who wants him to be happy has already started to call top European sides over a potential transfer next summer. PSG and Real Madrid are his biggest admirers with the Spaniards reportedly readying a £120 million bid for the French man next summer. Pogba wants to remain but he does not like the position that Mourinho plays him. The Portuguese boss is determined to show Pogba that he is the manager and with his contract expiring in 2020, Pogba knows he may need to leave to get his wish to play further forward.

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Toni Kroos is the player Jose Mourinho wants to sign to help Paul Pogba

Manchester United boss, Jose Mourinho has identified Toni Kroos as the perfect replacement for Michael Carrick and the player that would help Paul Pogba thrive. Pogba has come under criticism this season for his poor display as the Red Devils record signing continues to look desperately out of form. Pogba has been dropped in the Red Devils’ last two matches, but he could make a return to the first team against Sevilla tonight. His form has not been helped by the long-term absence of Michael Carrick, however, with the former England international scheduled to retire at the end of this season Mourinho wants a new player that can replace him. The Portuguese manager has targetted the likes of Arturo Vidal, Fabinho and Fred over the past few months, but Kroos is reportedly his main target. While Kroos is happy in Madrid and he is not one of the players Los Blancos are looking to sell after this season, the European champions do want David de Gea from Manchester United and the Red Devils could use that as a bargaining chip. Many analysts have continued to ask for Pogba to be given a free role further down, and Mourinho seems to have heeded that advice and he would try all his best to get Kroos through the door.

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