Manchester City complete £50 million move for Manchester United target

Manchester City have reached an agreement with Shakhtar Donetsk over the transfer of Brazilian midfielder, Fred. The Premier League leaders were in competition with the Red Devils over his signature, but Pep Guardiola was determined not to lose another target to their neighbours and he has ensured the midfielder commits to a summer move. The deal is said to be worth £50 million and he would come in as a replacement for Yaya Toure who is in his final year at the Etihad and would not be getting a new deal. Fred has been impressing in the Ukrainian top flight since he moved from Brazil, but his performances against Manchester City when they became the first team to beat the Premier League champions-elect brought him to the attention of Europe’s elite. Manchester United were devastated to lose Fred to City as they planned to sign him as a replacement for Michael Carrick. They would now turn their attention to Arturo Vidal who remains a possibility after Bayern Munich signed Leon Goretzka from Schalke 04. Jose Mourinho is also keeping an eye on AS Monaco’s Fabinho who can play in midfield as well as a fullback.

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Report: Manchester United regret signing Romelu Lukaku and want to sign Harry Kane now

Manchester United regrets signing Romelu Lukaku and they are looking to correct that mistake as soon as next summer. The Red Devils splashed the cash on the Belgian forward last summer and he has failed to impress a large portion of the club’s fans. Lukuka has occasionally scored the goals however, fans have noticed that the Belgian is always missing in the big games and they feel a big player should show himself in those matches. Jose Mourinho has continually defended the attacker, even accusing their fans of not supporting him enough, but he also knows the Belgian should do more than he has done so far. Spanish outlet, Marca claims the Red Devils offered to double Kane’s salary last summer, but the England attacker decided to remain at White Hart Lane. The reports further claim a summer move is a possibility as Manchester United have offered him even more money. Kane is said to be considering the offer from the Red Devils but wants to know what the plans of Mauricio Pochettino is. The Argentine has been linked with a move with to Real Madrid as Zinedine Zidane continues to struggle. Although Spurs have made it clear that they would not allow him to leave, he has not dismissed the possibility of managing Los Blancos.

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Liverpool eye shock move for Tottenham star

Liverpool are planning to make a shock move for Tottenham star, Christian Eriksen. The Dane has been in fine form since he came to the Premier League five years ago. He is one of the star men that has turned the Lilywhites into a genuine force in the Premier League. His performances has continued to attract the attention of some of Europe’s top sides including Barcelona and Real Madrid, but Liverpool have joined the race and the Reds are hoping he would prefer to remain in the Premier League. Liverpool have the cash to spend after selling Philippe Coutinho to Barcelona for £145 million last month. Jurgen Klopp decided not to spend the cash from the sale of the Brazilian last month as he claimed he would not be able to find a suitable replacement. However, reports are now linking Eriksen with a move to Anfield. Per the reports, the Reds believe Eriksen is the type of creative player that they need to help the likes of Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Roberto Firmino flourish. Liverpool know that signing a player from Tottenham is extremely complicated, but they are willing to try and break the British transfer record for the Dane.

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Liverpool drop their interest in Thomas Lemar

Liverpool will no longer try to sign Monaco’s star, Thomas Lemar, leaving the door open for Arsenal to sign the French youngster. The Reds have pursued Lemar from the start of last summer’s transfer window and tabled a bid worth around £75 million for his signature in August. However, Arsenal tabled a higher bid worth £90 million which was also accepted. The player then decided against moving. After Liverpool sold Philippe Coutinho last month, reports linked the Reds with the youngster again, but Jurgen Klopp has decided not to pursue the French man again in August. It is reported that the Reds believe he is overpriced and his performances this season does not justify Monaco’s asking price. Lemar was keener to join Liverpool, it is unclear if he would try to make his club reduce their asking price so he can move to Anfield or wait on Arsenal. It is obvious that he would be moving to the EPL anyway as he recently rejected Monaco’s offer of a new deal. Arsenal still maintains an interest in his service, but with Ozil signing a new deal and Henrikh Mkhitaryan joining the last month, they may look away if Monaco demands an outrageous fee.

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Mohamed Salah expected his Liverpool performance

Mohamed Salah has been firing from all corners this season and Liverpool’s ascension into the top four has been largely due to his superb form in front of goal. He has netted 28 goals in all competitions already for the Reds this season and became the 4th fastest player to score 20 Premier League goals when he netted in Liverpool’s 2-2 draw against Tottenham last week. After failing to light up the Premier League in his first stint at Chelsea, many expected the Egyptian to flop at Liverpool again. However, without being “arrogant” the Egyptian has claimed that he always expected to be a success when he decided to join the Reds. The £36 million Liverpool shelled out to get his signature was then a club record and it raised a lot of eyebrows. However, his return of 28 goals in all competitions has left even his critics stunned. The talented 25 years while speaking to Four Four Two claimed: “I don’t want to seem arrogant. But yeah, I expected it [scoring a lot of goals]. “When I was in Rome, I was comfortable there. I had two good seasons there. I was happy. “I always try to take another chance. I always put myself under pressure. “I didn’t play for Chelsea when I was here three years ago. I came back here to show my football. I think I’m doing well.” The Egyptian’s performances has seen his name come up as a contender for the Ballon d’Or in the nearest future.

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Zinedine Zidane wants to offload Isco after this season

Zinedine Zidane may be unclear about his future and may have conceded that he would not be the manager of Los Blancos next season, but he is clear about what he would do if he remains their manager. The French man team of stars have been largely underperforming this season and he is set to offload some of them. Reports in Spain via Dario Gol is claiming that the club legend would sell Isco if he remains Real Madrid manager. Isco signed a new long-term contract at the Bernabeu last September, but his position is no longer guaranteed at the club and Zidane would ask them to cash in. Real Madrid are targetting a new set of Galacticos that would include Neymar, Harry Kane, and Dele Alli. Isco and Gareth Bale among other would have to make way to create space and cash. The Spaniard has a release clause that is over £300 million so would not come cheap. However, if Madrid are desperate to get rid of him, Premier League sides who are interested could use that to their advantage to drive the price down.

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How watching and following football helps you place winning bets

Football fans are usually not very surprised by the outcome of the games they bet on as their followership of football most times helps them pick the right bets. There is arguably just a few things you need to know to place a winning bet, but, just does watching their games and following football teams contribute to how much you can win on every bet you place? Soccer fans do not only watch the games on TV or live in the Stadiums; they also follow teams online via their websites, sports websites, and social media accounts. This gives them some advantage over the bookmakers when they bet. Other sporting events like the Cheltenham Festival 2018 also offers bettors the chance to enjoy themselves by watching the games live, but football remains one of the most watched sports by bettors. Bettors who watch and follow football may not be able to predict the correct outcomes of games all the time, but their followership exposes them to some key information about factors that could influence the final score of games. Some of these information includes: Weather Weather is one key element that influences the outcome of football scores, and those who are constantly watching soccer would know how a team performs in winter when there could be snow-filled and waterlogged pitches compared to the summer when the weather is clearer. Recovery time When football teams play more games in a week it affects them, this is because the more time they have to recuperate, the fresher they would be in their very next fixture. Those who watch and follow football tend to know the schedule of the teams they bet on, which helps them determine which opponent has the advantage. When a team with European commitment in midweek is playing against another team that has rested the whole week, you can expect the well-rested team to have a fresher group of players than their opponent. Player injuries and physical conditions One thing players cannot escape is injury no matter how careful they are and how experienced their Physical therapists and Sports doctors are. As a matter of fact, we have heard of player’s legs being insured against injuries, this goes to show how much an injury to a player could affect his team’s result. When bettors watch and follow football, they can know when a team’s main man is out injured and how much he would be missed. For example, when a striker like Harry Kane who has scored a goal every 88 minutes for his team this season, is sidelined, the chances of his team winning, or scoring as much as they score when he is fit an playing would reduce. Mental health of the players There is so much pressure at the top level in football and there have been cases where players have suffered mentally under pressure. One of the biggest sources of pressure for footballers is their transfer fees. When a club makes a new purchase for a record fee, the player is usually under pressure to deliver and this has been credited with affecting their mental health. One obvious case at the moment is Renato Sanches at Swansea, the young Portuguese midfielder was the star of Portugal’s Euro 2016 triumph, yet he has failed hit the same heights since then. His current loan club, Swansea has been forced to play him despite his struggles, his presence in the team’s line up affects his teammate’s play because of his poor performances, and subsequently their result. Those who watch football, would easily get this information and place the right bet.

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Arsenal target confirms that he is close to joining Inter Milan

Arsenal’s pursuit of Racing Club’s striker Lautaro Martinez is set to end fruitlessly after the attacker confirmed that he is on his way to the Italian Serie A. The Gunners have been tracking the South American for a long time now, but they faced serious competition from Inter Milan and other top European sides, which has ultimately ended in them missing out of his signature. According to Talks Sport, he has agreed to a €20.2million with the Italian giants and is set to join them next summer. He has reportedly agreed to a deal until the summer of 2023 in a bitter blow to the Gunners. He has admitted to holding talks with Inter Milan’s Sporting Director, Piero Ausilio “I met Ausilio and he told me about Inter,” Martinez told Ole. “He told me things that I’d already heard from [former Inter Milan strike Diego] Milito. “My future? I’m happy to stay at Racing for now. Negotiations between the two clubs are for my agent. “I’m definitely staying here until June, so I can’t afford to think of anything else.” Arsenal currently have two top strikers, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, but Wenger wants to sign another attacker to offer support to the duo.  

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Manchester United offered chance to sign two La Liga top stars

Manchester United have been offered the chance to sign Karim Benzema according to reports in Spain. Los Blancos are trying sign David de Gea from the Premier League giants, and Dario Gol is claiming they have offered Benzema plus cash for the Spain number one. Benzema has been underperforming this season, but he believes a spell away from the La Liga would reignite his career. Manchester United however, are keen on signin Benzema but they are not interested in a swap deal involving David De Gea. The reports claim should they want only a straight cash move, they would need to pay 55 million for the French striker. Dario Gol also claims that Barcelona are prepared to sell Ousmane Dembele to the Red Devils even though the winger signed for them only 6 mnths. The report claims that there are growing suspicion  of Dembele’s overall fitness and they want to replace him with Antoine Griezmann next summer. Griezmann is also a Manchester United target, but is keen on remaining in Spain, which is why Barcelona do not want to miss out on signing him. Jose Mourinho has been looking for a new winger and Dembele could give his team width.

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Liverpool’s record signing unbothered by his £75 million fee

Liverpool’s new signing Virgil van Dijk says he expects so many people to judge his every move because of his huge transfer fee, but he is not bothered especially as the opinion of his critics don’t matter. The Dutchman has come under some scrutiny for his roles in Liverpool’s recent games as he has been on the winning side only once since his move from Southampton. He fouled Eric Lamela for Tottenham’s equalizing goal in their game on Sunday and several fans are beginning to question his quality. However, Van Dijk who missed almost a year out of action last year has spoken of the lack of attention he gives to his critics, claiming that he only listens to his manager and his teammates whom he knows genuinely want to help him improve. The Reds would be visiting his former club next and the Dutchman who claims they were unlucky not to get all three points against Tottenham would be hoping they can win at the Saint Mary Stadium in the South Coast. Liverpool also return to Champions League action next week, and van Dijk who made 19 appearances in the competition for Celtic would be hoping to help the Reds get as far as they can get in the competition.

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