According to a report from Sky Sports News, Premier League club Cardiff City are in advanced talks with French club AS Monaco over the possibility of securing a deal for Almamy Toure. The 22 year old hasn’t been able to find a consistent place in the first team with the Ligue 1 strugglers, whereas in South Wales, he’d almost be guaranteed a fighting chance at consistent time in the starting XI. Toure, who has been with Monaco since 2010 when he was a part of the youth setup, hasn’t played for any other club professionally other than the former Champions League finalists.
The Premier League would serve as a pretty big change of pace for the youngster, although give Cardiff’s current situation, there’s no guarantee whatsoever that their stay in the top flight of English…
NICOLAS OTAMENDI Valencia to Manchester City, £31.5m
Faring slightly better than Mangala, Otamendi has also struggled to justify a large price tag after two seasons in the Premier League. City could name a back five that has cost the club in the region of £200m if Otamendi was to partner Mangala with England internationals Walker and Stones also included in front of new goalkeeper Ederson.
ERIC BAILLY Villarreal to Manchester United, £30m
After a strong first season at Old Trafford, Ivory Coast international Bailly has looked like a bargain compared to some of these defenders. Bailly claimed three trophies in his maiden campaign in England as Jose Mourinho led United back into the Champions League by beating Ajax in the Europa League final.
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Barcelona head to Manchester United on Wednesday to face the Red Devils for the first time in the Champions League since they won the 2011 final.
The omens are positive for the Catalans given their record in knockout ties in which the first leg is away, although Lionel Messi will be hoping to improve on a surprisingly poor recent quarter-final run.
Ajax host Juventus on the same day and the Dutch side will have plenty of reason to fear Cristiano Ronaldo, as they prepare for a first meeting with the Old Lady since September 2004.
Here is the pick of Opta s pre-game numbers as the Champions League starts to get very interesting
Manchester United v Barcelona
17 This is Barcelona s 17th Champions League quarter-final appearance, a joint-re…
Verdict: Manchester City win
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The Premier League returns this weekend after the midweek Carabao Cup fixtures as England s top teams return their gaze to the world s most competitive league. With so much competition between each side, every game has become a must-win match, and Manchester City s trip to play West Brom is no different.
West Bromwich Albion
West Brom are looking to push on this season after a number of solid campaigns has seen them remain in mid-table anonymity. Tony Pulis men are lauded for their powerful defence, but this season they have been undone on a number of occasions at the back. 10 goals conceded in nine games may look fairly good, but West Brom are usually even better than that at the back. Going forward…
Prediction: Paris Saint-Germain to win 2-0
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Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United will lock horns with each other in the Champions League this week. The Group H match at the Parc des Princes in Paris is slated to kick off at 8pm UK time on Tuesday evening.
Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain will be looking to make a positive start to their 2020-21 Champions League campaign when they take on Manchester United at home on Tuesday evening. The French giants reached the final of Europe’s premier club competition last season, but they lost arguably the biggest game in their history to Bayern Munich.
Thomas Tuchel’s side will be looking to go again, and given their (relative) success last season, the Parisian club w…
Manchester United star Paul Pogba said the Red Devils are ready for their top-of-the-table clash against Liverpool after leapfrogging the defending champions atop the Premier League.
United top the Premier League table at this stage of the season for the first time since Alex Ferguson s final season in charge in 2012-13 following Tuesday s 1-0 victory at Burnley.
Pogba was the hero – his volley 19 minutes from the end sending United three points clear of rivals Liverpool ahead of Sunday s blockbuster showdown at Anfield.
It will be a beautiful game for everyone, Pogba told BBC Sport, with five of his past seven Premier League goals coming away from home.
It s a big game coming up so let s get ready for it.
All the action from Tuesday s batt…
Andreas Christensen warned Barcelona must be wary of the dangerous Marcus Rashford, hailing Erik ten Hag s work at Manchester United.
Barca host United in the first leg of the Europa League on Thursday as the two European heavyweights battle for a place in the last 16.
Ten Hag s side have won 12 out of 15 games across all competitions since the World Cup break, with a resurgent United inspired by Rashford s superb form.
The 25-year-old has scored 13 times for United since the season restarted and Christensen expects a tough test from the forward at Camp Nou.
He is in great form at the moment. I like him a lot, I love the way he plays. He is a direct, dangerous, and powerful player, Christensen said in a video posted by Barca s social media channels.
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Timothy Fosu-Mensah has joined Bayer Leverkusen from Manchester United on a three-and-a-half-year deal.
The versatile 23-year-old has moved to the Bundesliga side for a fee in the region of €2million (£1.8m).
Leverkusen sporting director described their new signing as a technically adept, fast and physically strong defender, who can be used both as a right-back and in the middle .
Fosu-Mensah, who has three senior caps for the Netherlands, said: In the past few days, I ve talked a lot with the coach [Peter Bosz], and conversations with Simon Rolfes and Rudi Voller have convinced me there are big prospects at Leverkusen, both for me personally and the team.
It s going to be really exciting.
Forever in my heart GGMU
— Timothy fosu-…
Swansea have signed striker Jerry Yates from Blackpool for an undisclosed fee, the Sky Bet Championship club have announced.
The 26-year-old has signed a three-year contract with the option of a further 12 months with the Welsh club.
He becomes the Swans’ third addition of the summer transfer window following the signings of Josh Ginnelly and Josh Key.
Yates came through the youth ranks at hometown Doncaster before moving to Rotherham and then joining the Seasiders in 2020 after loan spells with Harrogate Railway, Harrogate Town, Carlisle and Swindon.
He has scored 76 goals in 262 career appearances including 15 last season, but was unable to prevent Blackpool’s relegation to League One.
Meanwhile, fellow forward Kyle Joseph has moved in the o…
Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos has withdrawn from the Germany squad for their upcoming fixtures because of an adductor injury.
The 31-year-old linked up with his national side on Monday for the World Cup qualifiers with Iceland, Romania and North Macedonia.
However, Germany confirmed on Tuesday that Kroos has returned to Madrid as a precautionary measure and will play no part in any of their games over the next eight days.
Our medical department has examined and treated Toni intensively, said head coach Joachim Low, who will step down from his position at the end of the rescheduled Euro 2020 tournament.
He would have liked to stay with us, and I am reluctant to be without him. But with a view to the Euros, we decided that the full recovery from this…