Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong could join the Premier League in January, ESPN’s Insider magazine reports. PLUS: How Man United hope to find De Gea heir.
Move in: Man United’s narrow-eyed goalkeeper | Selected by the Barcelona planning board | Pochettino wants a job in the Premier League
Frenkie de Jong is in demand with the Premier League giants
Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United ready to lead the race for Frenkie de Jong Should the midfielder choose to quit? Barcelona in January, sources told ESPN.
Chelsea are said to have received encouragement that De Jong may be ready to reconsider his future after deciding not to leave the Camp Nou in the summer, despite Barca’s willingness to let the player go.
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United did this for months and eventually agreed an initial €65 million deal, which grew to around €85 million including add-ons, before Chelsea were contacted late in the day when De Jong stalled his move to Old Trafford. However, Netherlands international chose to stay in Spain though Huge pressure from Barcelona to force him outas they seek to balance the books and comply with LaLiga’s salary cap.
De Jong has only started five games in all competitions this season and Barcelona are facing the prospect of failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, both factors that have his Premier League pursuers hoping that a January agreement can be signed.
Chelsea will not have N’Golo Kante in the next four months France International underwent hamstring surgery this week. Kante’s contract expires at the end of the season, while Jorginho have not yet agreed to an extension. Chelsea co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali are pursuing a long-term strategy of signing younger players.
United are still interested but will have to balance their finances after spending around €240m in the summer transfer window. Liverpool are also targeting a central midfielder and sources say the club have been in contact with De Jong’s agent.
However, everything depends on De Jong softening his stance to fire the starting pistol in the race for his signature. – James Olley, Rob Dawson
Man United looking for experts to find De Gea’s successor
Manchester United are looking to hire a recruitment analyst to help the club sign the best goalkeepers in the world. The role is part of the Old Trafford team’s expansion of technical scouts and will focus on finding goalkeepers in the starting XI.
David de Gea is United’s No. 1, although coach Ten Hag said the club will wait before deciding Is there a contract extension with the 31-year-old player?. The Spain international has a contract until the end of the season, although United also have the option of extending it until the summer of 2024.
Meanwhile, England Goalie Dean Hendersonloan at Forest of Nottinghamis contracted at United at least until 2025 and reserve Martin Dubravka has been signed on a long-term loan from Newcastle in the summer.
The recruitment ad for United’s new role says the club are looking for a candidate “to contribute to the continued expansion and development of the technical scouting team at Manchester United Football Club, with the specific aim of identifying players who show potential to play for the first team “and” to analyze the playing performance of potential scouting targets with a particular emphasis on goalkeepers.” – Rob Dawson
Barcelona plans to bid farewell to the senior leadership team
Barcelona are planning next season without their four captains, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Jordi Alba and Sergi RobertoSources confirmed to ESPN.
Busquets and Roberto are both out of contract next summer, while Pique and Alba both have contracts until 2024.
Pique and Alba have both lost their place in the team this season under former teammate Xavi Hernandez, although Busquets has always remained present in midfield. Roberto, who signed a one-year contract extension in June, has regularly featured at right-back due to injury. Busquets, 34, will make a decision on his future at some point after the World Cup and is said to be considering offers from Major League Soccer.
Xavi appreciates the versatility of Roberto, the youngest of the quartet at 30, but the Catalan club want to strengthen at right-back and midfield, if not in January then next summer.
The situation is more complicated for Pique, who will turn 36 in January, and Alba, 33, as they both have 18 months to make their deals and, in addition to large salaries, they owe a large sum of money. substantial amount due to late payment of wages. For Barca to transfer the duo, they will have to find clubs willing to pay them or negotiate an early contract termination with these two players.
Speaking at the club’s AGM this month, president Joan Laporta and director of football Mateu Alemany both referred to the fact that salaries commanded by several players have kept the club back on the transfer market. .
“There are wages that are much higher than market rates,” says Alemany. “It has greatly hindered what we can do in terms of transfers. These players are non-transferable and cause financial damage. [financial] fair play. The main goal is for that paycheck to disappear. ” – Sam Marsden, Moises Llorens
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Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss the possibility of Mauricio Pochettino taking over as manager at Aston Villa.
Pochettino wants the Premier League back
Mauricio Pochettino is in favor of a return to Premier League management and is willing to wait for the right opportunity, sources have told ESPN, after emerging as Aston VillaPreferred candidate to replace Steven Gerrard.
Gerrard leaving the villa on Thursday after one 3-0 defeat to Fulham, their 12th defeat in the last 22 Premier League matches, leaves the club above the relegation zone solely on the basis of goals scored.
Sources say Villa’s owner is ready to spend January to bolster a new squad that has won just two games this season. Before Tottenham Coach Pochettino is highly rated at Villa Park, but the 50-year-old has yet to attract offers from elsewhere.
Pochettino has not worked since leaving Paris Saint-Germain in July, 18 months after taking the helm at the Parc des Princes, and sources say he was shortlisted the last two to become Manchester United management before being looked down upon in favor of Erik ten Hag.
Despite Pochettino’s availability, Chelsea chose not to hire the Argentinian after sacking Thomas Tuchel earlier this season, instead deciding to appoint Brighton owner Graham Potter. But although he has missed out on two major Premier League jobs at United and Chelsea, sources say that Pochettino is still in favor of a return to England before managing in Spain or Italy, where he has been promoted. touted as a potential replacement for Massimiliano Allegri at JuventusThe team are eighth in Serie A after winning just four of their 10 matches so far this season.
With the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to a six-week shutdown of the English Premier League on November 13, sources say some clubs will assess their management situation at that time because of the possibility of a single player. New manager will have a long time without games. job stability and with Pochettino having a track record of improving Premier League teams in Southampton and Spurs, he is ready to wait for the right offer in England. – Mark Ogden
