And we have all the latest on Man Utd’s pursuit of Jadon Sancho as Borussia Dortmund toughen their stance.
Get all the latest updates and gossip from Old Trafford here…
SECOND BITE AT DYBALA
Manchester United could reportedly be handed a second chance to land Paulo Dybala.
The Red Devils launched a failed bid last summer to sign the Juventus ace but could yet have another opportunity to seal a deal.
La Gazetta dello Sport reports the Serie A champions will consider selling Dybala IF they receive a massive transfer fee.
United will have to cough up around £90million to secure the services of the Argentine playmaker.
Dybala looked to be close to a Premier League move last summer with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side and Spurs both interested.
The 26-year-old appeared to have a falling out with the Turin-based club and was offered around.
BEEK’S NO FLYING BIRD
Donny van der Beek has revealed he is happy to stay at Ajax, despite interest from Premier League clubs, including United.
He told Fox Sports: “It is very messy, in any case a very messy period in terms of transfers.
“Nothing is certain yet. I am still a player of Ajax and I am still proud to be there.
“If there had not been the coronavirus, it might have been different now.
“There is no clarity now and we have to wait and see how it turns out. I’m still here and after all these years I still have a lot of fun.
“If I also play at Ajax next season, I still have a lot of fun. You won’t hear me complaining.”
THE THICK OF IT
The new football season will be the most hectic in history, writes DUNCAN WRIGHT.
Premier League, FA and Carabao Cup dates were released yesterday as part of an eight-month coronavirus-enforced fixture pile-up.
Fans will finally be allowed to return to stadiums next month — but the Government will cap the number allowed inside and supporters may be banned from singing for fear of spreading the killer Covid-19 bug.
The new Prem season kicks-off on September 12, concluding on May 23, with the Champions League and Europa League finals to be played in the following week.
IT’S IN THEIR HANS
Tromso assistant Lars Petter Andressen has confirmed Isak Hansen-Aaroen has left the club to complete his move to Manchester Untied.
The forward, 15, is set to sign at Old Trafford after he turns 16 next week, following a short holiday.
He said: “Isak is no longer with us now. He will travel to Manchester next week and he has agreed with us that he will now have a few days off.
“It will be a little holiday to calm down a bit before he goes over.
“Of course we wish him a lot of luck over there.
“We wish he could be here and contribute to the season but we understand that they want him there.”
JAD’S OURS
Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke is adamant Jadon Sancho is NOT for sale and that “definite means definite.”
The Westfalenstadion supremo has warned Manchester United their stance on the deadline for Sancho leaves “no room for interpretation.”
United are confident that Dortmund will still negotiate with them, despite setting an August 10 deadline for completing the deal for the England winger.
Watzke told RTL: “We are Westphalians.
“We agreed on this rule, which Zorc explained on Monday.
“For a Westphalian, definite means definite. Jadon will play with us for the 2020-21 season. There is no room for interpretation.”
AUCTION HOUSE
Borussia Dortmund want to keep Jadon Sancho for another year — to start a bidding war next summer.
Manchester United are not giving up on the England winger, 20, and have put all other transfer business on hold to chase a deal.
But the German giants want to wait for the financial impact of coronavirus to clear so big guns like Barcelona and Real Madrid bid against United and they can get the top price.
The news will anger the Red Devils, who have been negotiating for two months and offered £70million rising to £110m.
But Dortmund wanted more up front, while the player has snubbed pay of £220,000 a week.
Sancho was sure he would be a United player by now but has not yet spoken about it publicly.
DEAL ME IN
Paul Pogba is expecting to start talks over a new deal once the Europa League has concluded, says Sky Sports reporter Dharmesh Sheth.
He commented: “Pogba is happy at United and he’s expecting them to open contract talks once their Europa League campaign is over.
“His current deal runs out next summer but United always insert this year option so they don’t get caught out with free transfers.
“It should be said United are in a better position to negotiate with Pogba and the returning Dean Henderson, as it stands from Sheffield United, following the departure of Alexis Sanchez and all of the money his wages have now freed.
“There appears to be a willingness from all parties to get around the table as far as Pogba is concerned.”
GOOD MORNING MAN UTD FANS
Football fans will finally begin returning to stadiums next month — but might not be allowed to sing.
A further easing of lockdown rules announced last night will also see snooker lovers back in the Crucible this weekend for the World Championship.
Trials of allowing some fans back in stadiums will be tested later that month ahead of a planned full rollout in October.
Elsewhere, it was a busy day in the United transfer mill yesterday.
SunSport exclusively revealed the Red Devils have demanded £20m for Chris Smalling with Roma desperate for a permanent switch with his future still up in the air.
And Bruno Fernandes has hailed the star quality of Mason Greenwood as United build a team for the future.
Fernandes said: “I think Mason has done a great season, of course. He’s young and he has great numbers this season.
“The age is just a number and you see Mason has done very well.
“He can do much more because of the qualities he has and he still has to grow up physically. He did fantastically this season and he will get better.
“He needs to play more and get more confidence from his team-mates and the staff and I think he will get much better because he has that quality.”
In transfers, Man Utd were given another Jadon Sancho warning as another Dortmund chief said: “We are very happy he’s staying.”
United are also said to have put off the rest of their summer transfer business to seal the £108m Sancho deal after ‘offering Dortmund star pay CUT’.
But United could face a bidding war as Dortmund hope to delay transfer until next summer.
It also emerged Jack Grealish is ‘set for crunch talks with Aston Villa on his return from holiday’ amid interest from United.
And the Red Devils are said to have made a new enquiry about Barcelona star Ansu Fati as they target the 17-year-old as an alternative to Sancho.
United also joined Chelsea in the race for Ben Chilwell’s signature as Leicester are demanding £80m for the left-back.
Man Utd youngster Tahith Chong’s Werder Bremen transfer hit the rocks over his £50k-a-week wages and the loan fee.
And United suffered a blow as it emerged Napoli ‘agreed terms with Lille defender Gabriel Magalhaes’… but Kalidou Koulibaly could now leave which will please the Red Devils’ big wigs.
It was also reported Solskjaer wants Jesse Lingard to stay at Old Trafford despite exit talk but the Norwegian can’t assure him game time.
Away from transfers, Premier League stars were warned to STOP posting holiday snaps on social media over quarantine fears on their UK return.
And next season, the Prem is set for fixture chaos at start of the campaign with the initial four rounds of the Carabao Cup crammed into the first month.
FA Cup replays were also AXED for 2020/21 in a desperate bid to get the competition finished in the jam-packed season.
And finally, FA CUP prize money has been slashed by half for next season as the financial crash in football because of Covid-19 continues to bite.
…
Spectators will be made to sign up to a new code of behaviour.
It will make them take full responsibility for themselves and others by not attending if they have Covid symptoms or have been exposed to anyone with them.
And strict crowd management plans will be enforced with one-way entry and exit and staggered arrival times.
Seating will be socially distanced and hand washing and sanitiser stations set up.
But no trials are scheduled for the North West, which remains under stricter control.
CROWDS COMING BACK!
Football fans will finally begin returning to stadiums next month — but might not be allowed to sing.
A further easing of lockdown rules announced tonight will also see snooker lovers back in the Crucible this weekend for the World Championship.
Rugby matches and racing at Goodwood are also on the list of approved “pilot” events in the coming weeks.
But capacity will be capped and all fans will likely be urged not to chant or shout for fear of spreading the virus.
The new Premier League season starts on September 12.
Trials of allowing some fans back in stadiums will be tested later that month ahead of a planned full rollout in October…
WAIT ON JADON
Borussia Dortmund want to keep Jadon Sancho for another year — to start a bidding war next summer.
Manchester United are not giving up on the England winger, 20, and have put all other transfer business on hold to chase a deal.
But the German giants want to wait for the financial impact of coronavirus to clear so big guns like Barcelona and Real Madrid bid against United and they can get the top price.
The news will anger the Red Devils, who have been negotiating for two months and offered £70million rising to £110m.
But Dortmund wanted more up front, while the player has snubbed pay of £220,000 a week.
Sancho was sure he would be a United player by now but has not yet spoken about it publicly.
…
“I think it would be the same if this was to happen again at City.
“He has been brought in by their owners specifically to win the Champions League, whether he likes it or not.
“They were winning the Premier League before he arrived.
“So he hasn’t so far achieved anything at City that nobody else has.
“He can say what he wants about not being judged on the Champions League because he has to protect himself — but he has been brought in to win this tournament.
“I’m not saying he would be unsuccessful if he doesn’t manage to win it. But he would not have done what was on the tin.”
EUR KIDDING
Rio Ferdinand almost choked on his ice cream as Pep Guardiola tried to convince the hundreds and thousands.
Manchester City boss Pep insisted this week he would not be a failure if he did not deliver the Champions League trophy to the Etihad.
But Ferdinand, who skippered Manchester United to Europe’s biggest honour in 2008 disagreed.
He said: “Listen, with the competitive spirit Guardiola has, the perfectionist he seems to be and the obsessive nature he has, he would not be happy if he walked away from City without winning the Champions League.
“He was probably more successful at Bayern Munich than he has been at City but the fact he didn’t win the Champions League in Germany will always taint his time there.
“That is due to the level he has operated at in the past and the standards he set himself at Barcelona…
THE KING N’ GREEN
Bruno Fernandes has hailed the star quality of Mason Greenwood as Manchester United build a team for the future.
Fernandes said: “I think Mason has done a great season, of course. He’s young and he has great numbers this season.
“The age is just a number and you see Mason has done very well.
“He can do much more because of the qualities he has and he still has to grow up physically. He did fantastically this season and he will get better.
“He needs to play more and get more confidence from his team-mates and the staff and I think he will get much better because he has that quality.”
CAN’T PEREIR IT
Andreas Pereira is going to leave Manchester United despite Ole Gunnar Solskjaer pleading with him to stay, according to reports.
Brazilian outlet Esporte Interativo report he is on his way but the Norwegian “tried in vain” to make him stay.
He was recently linked with a move to Brazilian side Santos.
RUB OF THE GREEN
Mason Greenwood was pictured curling a beauty of a ball into the net during Man Utd training.
The youngster was in training ahead of United’s Europa League semi-final against Sevilla on Sunday.
— Manchester United (@ManUtd) August 13, 2020
CAREER DRIVEN
EA Sports have released their latest trailer for Fifa 21, ahead of the game’s October 6 release date.
The promotion focuses on career mode, which turns out to have been redesigned.
EA Vice President Nick Wlodyka told Goal: “Career mode is very good for this year.
“We’ve made the biggest investments we’ve made to make sure we deliver precisely what our players are asking for.
“We’ve had so many comebacks in the last few years of our players looking to see more than maybe just in career mode.
“We heard what they were looking to do, things they hadn’t done in the past.”
…
It will be a hammer blow for football pyramid clubs that work hand-in-hand to survive.
League clubs one and two will also see dramatic relief in prize money when they enter the competition, with a second-round win from 54,000 to 34,000 euros.
With big paydays in terms of plum draws against Premier League sides also off the table because of the lack of capacity crowds, the cut in prize fund will add to the misery of those hardest hit.
FA Cup winners will collect 1.8 million pounds from the 3.6 million pounds won through Arsenal for beating Chelsea this month.
WHAT CUT?!
The cash of the Fa Cup prize has been cut in part for next season as the monetary drop in football due to Covid-19 continues to affect.
The Football Federation has been forced to cut the money spent on the competition groups, beating those who want it to the fullest.
Semi-professional and lower league groups struggle to survive after the coronavirus pandemic and many hoped a decent Cup race would keep them alive.
Last year, groups that won an adjustment in the additional initial circular earned 2250 euros, while losers raised 750 euros, although the notes were reduced to 1125 and 325 euros respectively.
Winning a draw in the fourth qualifying circular to make the first right-hander move 18,750 euros for a club, however, next season this eulogy is reduced to just 9,375 euros.
KOULED OFF
Manchester United won a coup after Napoli allegedly reached an agreement with Gabriel Magalhaes: Kalidou Koulibaly is now about to leave.
Several Premier League clubs, including Arsenal and Tottenham, were interested in Lille’s 22 million pound central defence.
His brother and sister even followed the Gunners on Instagram.
But Napoli appears to have won the race for Magalhaes, according to the Manchester Evening News.
SLAMMED DOR CLOSURE
Manchester United won the caution of Jadon Sancho, after a last Dortmund coach said “we are very pleased that he stays.”
Dortmund legend Sebastian Kehl, who now works for the club, reiterated his joy at seeing that his number 7 remains for the 2020-2021 campaign.
He told Kicker: “It is vital to explain this issue. Of course, we are aware of Jadon’s appeal [in the market], but we also know how vital it is to our team.
“He is a player who can make a difference in each and every match. He had an extraordinary year with 17 goals and 17 assists [in the Bundesliga].
“It brings more to the team and we are very pleased that he stays, as his teammates have said in recent days.”
NO SMALL CHARGES – EXCLUSIVE
Manchester United is not easy at 20 million pounds for Chris Smalling this summer, with Rome desperate to take it.
The 30-year-old English defender returned to Old Trafford the week after finishing his loan with the Serie A giants.
He still has two years left on his contract of 130,000 euros consistent per week, of which Rome has been forced to pay a share.
SunSport understands that former Fulham ace would be willing to settle for a significant pay cut to get a move.
However, the Giallorossi were willing to pay about 15 million pounds for it, which United rejected.
TAH A LOT
Tahith Chong’s transfer to Werder Bremen from Manchester United may stop as the German side struggles to succeed in a monetary settlement.
The Red Devils are willing to let the 20-year-old go on hold this summer.
And Werder Bremen seemed to be in a position to signal a two-year loan deal to Chong.
But according to Bild, the Bundesliga and United team differ greatly in terms of the transfer.
The team of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, the Werder, for completely the Dutchman’s weekly salary of 50,000 euros, as well as the loan rates.
But the German side will struggle to meet this valuation – which could lead to the deal falling through.
…
It says: “Those on the back of the merit chart and those who finish less than 10 games are not ranked.
“Payments are reduced to those ending less than 20 games (from 40% to 14 games and from 15% to 19).
“The distribution is also based on an explained number of ‘actions’ that are distributed in the manner specified in the document, and the first classified arbitrator receives the maximum shares.
“Another email is sent on behalf of Mr. Riley after the end of the season referring to the PGMOL Board of Directors that showed the length of the boat.
The maximum payment for 2014-15 is around 3,500 euros and the minimum less than 700 euros.
“Mr. Riley’s testimony that merit bills would be done as directed unless the referee organization had a ‘catastrophic’ season, which he said could happen if the EFL was not satisfied with the general point of service.
ABOUT RED
Premier League referees will get a performance-related bonus, despite a poor arbitrage season.
Despite the unpopular arrival of the VAR, once additional money is being pocketed, as they have in previous campaigns.
An assembly will be held on September 12 on the bonus each referee will receive, although the total amount is unknown.
All referees in the 4 divisions that have taken over more than ten games are eligible.
That’s unless they’ve had a “catastrophic” season, according to Sky Sports.
According to court documents written through main league referee director Mike Riley, he informs referees about the length of his bonusArray.
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