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Wojciech Szczesny is set to sensationally come out of retirement and sign with Barcelona as cover for the injured Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

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• Szczesny retires from football in August
• Barcelona want keeper after Ter Stegen injury
• Pole set to sign for Barca on short deal

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The former Arsenal stopper announced his retirement from football at the age of 34 last month. However, the ex-Juventus star is set to reverse that decision just a few short weeks later, with Fabrizio Romano stating he will sign a one-year deal with the Catalan outfit. He adds the Poland international will complete a medical in the coming days and sign as a free agent for one of La Liga's giants.

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  This comes off the back of Barca's first-choice keeper Ter Stegen rupturing his patella tendon during his side's win over Villarreal at the weekend. The 32-year-old had a successful surgery on his knee this week but it is not yet known how long the Germany international will be out for. With Barca sitting top of La Liga, finding a quality replacement is key and they may do that with veteran Szczesny – who left Juventus this summer.

• WHAT WOJCIECH SZCZESNY SAID

  Earlier on Wednesday, he told Sport: "Yes, I’m now in talks and considering Barca move. It’d be disrespectful if I didn’t consider this option for my career. Barca is one of the best clubs in the world."

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Barcelona next face Getafe on Wednesday night in La Liga, as they look to extend their lead at the top of the table. On Saturday, they then travel to Osasuna. It remains to be seen when Szczesny will sign and then be available to play for Barca. In the meantime, Inaki Pena Sotorres will play in goal.

Chelsea ended their 2023/24 campaign with a win on Sunday as they secured all three points with a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth at Stamford Bridge.

Moises Caicedo scored an outrageous goal from the halfway line to open the scoring in the first half before Raheem Sterling struck just after the break, with an own goal from Benoit Badiashile serving as merely a consolation for the away side.

The Blues finished sixth in the Premier League table, three points ahead of Newcastle United, to ensure that they will return to European football next season, after a year away from it.

With the campaign wrapped up and finished for the London giants, Mauricio Pochettino and Todd Boehly can now turn their attention to the upcoming transfer window.

The Chelsea chiefs may look to improve the playing squad over the coming weeks and months to prepare them to improve on their sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, whilst also strengthening the group to be able to compete in Europe.

With this in mind, Pochettino could brutally ditch one of Sunday's scorers – Sterling – by securing a deal to sign one of the club's reported transfer targets.

Chelsea's interest in Championship star

Earlier this month, TEAMtalk named Chelsea as one of a number of teams interested in a possible swoop to sign Leeds United star Crysencio Summerville.

The report claimed that several sides are considering an approach to sign the impressive Dutch winger in the upcoming summer window to bolster their respective attacks.

It stated that Newcastle United and Aston Villa have both been sending scouts to watch the former Feyenoord youngster in action, whilst there is genuine interest from the Blues.

Meanwhile, incoming Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who is set to arrive from Summerville's former club Feyenoord, has added the 22-year-old magician to his list of targets ahead of his first transfer window at Anfield.

TEAMtalk stated that Leeds have placed an asking price of up to £40m on the forward's head but that could be reduced to around £35m if they fail to earn promotion to the Premier League.

Daniel Farke's side have a Championship play-off final clash with Southampton to come at Wembley on Sunday and the interested clubs may be rooting for the Saints to come out on top, as it looks as though it would save them around £5m on Summerville should they pursue a deal for him.

Bringing the right-footed dynamo to Stamford Bridge could, then, free up space in the squad for Chelsea to ruthlessly sell Sterling ahead of next season.

Why Chelsea should cash in on Raheem Sterling

Per Capology, the former Manchester City star is the highest earner in the squad on a staggering wage of £325k-per-week – £75k-per-week more than Reece James in second on the list.

Cole Palmer is said to be on £75k-per-week and Noni Madueke is on just £50k-per-week, with Sterling topping the charts for the Blues this season.

However, the winger's performances in the Premier League during the 2023/24 campaign do not suggest that the club got value for money on that £325k-per-week.

He ranked third in the squad for goals (eight), fifth for assists (four), and ninth for key passes per game (1.0), which shows that he did not lead the way for Pochettino in any key attacking metric.

In fact, as you can see in the table above, Sterling underperformed in front of goals with eight strikes from 9.42 xG and only three players were more wasteful than him.

This shows that the attacker has been below-par as a finisher for Chelsea in the division, as an average player would have been expected to score at least one more goal based on the quality of chances that were created for him by his teammates.

Sterling also ended the season with just four assists to his name, which does not suggest that he made him up for his lacklustre finishing with outstanding creativity.

In March, Chelsea were reportedly considering offloading the 29-year-old dud in the summer, and Pochettino must press ahead with those plans by signing Summerville to replace him.

Why Chelsea should sign Crysencio Summerville

Whilst Sterling turns 30 this year and is heading towards the later stages of his career, the Leeds star is a bright young talent who could be a future star for many years to come at Elland Road.

Chelsea benefitted from taking a chance on a young player last summer when they snapped up 21-year-old Cole Palmer from Manchester City, who went on to score 22 goals and provide 11 assists in the Premier League.

Summerville, 22, won the Championship Player of the Season award last month and his performances this season suggest that he has the potential to be a big player for the Blues if he can make the step up to the top-flight.

As you can see in the table above, the Dutch award-winner enjoyed a similar season to Palmer, albeit at a lower level, with his ability to score and create goals at an exceptional rate.

The Whites wizard, who was lauded as "relentless" in his movement off the ball by analyst Ben Mattinson, ranked within the top 1% of attacking midfielders and wingers in the Championship for shot-creating actions per 90 (6.10), the top 12% for non-penalty goals per 90 (0.39), and the top 4% for Expected Assisted Goals per 90 (0.30).

This shows that the young star was one of the best attackers in the division at scoring goals from open play and creating high-quality chances for his teammates.

Chelsea star who had more touches than Palmer must be sold this summer

The Blues should ruthlessly cash in on the defender in the upcoming summer transfer window.

By
Dan Emery

May 19, 2024

Therefore, Chelsea could potentially improve their squad by landing the exciting talent, who outscored his xG by 2.49, to replace the underperforming and highly-paid Sterling this summer, if Pochettino could help him to translate his outstanding Championship form over to the Premier League.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic says he is "the boss" at AC Milan as he opened up on his executive role at the Serie A giants.

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• Ibrahimovic a senior advisor at AC Milan
• Swede played for PSG, Man Utd & Barcelona
• Paulo Fonseca's side 10th in Serie A

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Milan's owners, RedBird Capital, announced Ibrahimovic had returned to the club last December as a senior advisor. The Swede enjoyed two separate stints with the Rossoneri during his playing career and is now responsible for improving what he describes as a "very low" situation at the San Siro.

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  Since winning Serie A in 2021-22, AC Milan have seen rivals Inter Milan take over as Italy's premier side. The Nerazzurri won the title last season and reached the Champions League final in 2023. Milan finished 19 points behind Inter in 2023-24 and currently lie in 10th position in the standings through four matches in 2024-25. So there's plenty of work for Ibrahimovic to do to return Milan to the top, but he certainly seems up for the challenge.

• WHAT IBRAHIMOVIC SAID

  "I am the boss and I am in charge, all the others work for me," the 42-year-old replied when asked by Sky Sports Italia about his role, via ESPN. "When the lion goes away, the kittens arrive. When the lion comes back, the kittens disappear. The level is very low, there is too much talk but I only think about working. I was away for personal reasons, but I have been here since day one."

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  WHAT ELSE?

  AC Milan enjoyed a strong summer transfer window, bringing in Tammy Abraham, Alvaro Morata, Youssouf Fofana, Strahinja Pavlovic and Emerson Royal, and Ibrahimovic is pleased with the club's business.

  "It went exactly as we wanted, everything we looked for and was missing we got," he added. "The last one was Abraham, to provide an extra reinforcement in attack."

Glasgow Rangers lost a host of attacking players during last summer under Michael Beale, who, if truth be told, were not properly replaced.

Ryan Kent and Alfredo Morelos left after their contracts expired, while Antonio Colak and Fashion Sakala – despite being fairly one dimensional, scored 30 goals between them – were sold by Beale in order to raise funds for future arrivals.

Overall, these four players scored 45 goals combined last season, something which Beale had to replace in the summer.

Aside from Cyriel Dessers, who has found the back of the net on 20 occasions since joining, and Abdallah Sima, the other summer recruits have failed to really give the club much going forwards.

Danilo has missed most of the season due to injury, while Sam Lammers was so poor, Philippe Clement ended up sending him out on loan to FC Utrecht, where he has scored nine goals in just 16 Eredivisie matches since February.

While the other three were dispensable, especially Kent, following his poor final season in front of goal, it was clear Beale made a mistake allowing Morelos to leave.

How much Alfredo Morelos cost Rangers

The summer of 2017 proved to be a disastrous one for Rangers. Pedro Caixinha, who was appointed as manager in March, made a total of 11 new signings, which ranged from the expensive flop Carlos Pena to a bargain move for Ryan Jack.

Combine this with the fact that Caixinha failed to lead Rangers beyond the first qualifying round of the Europa League, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Luxembourg side Progres Niederkorn, it was clear his managerial spell wasn’t going to last long.

There weren’t many reasons to be cheerful as a supporter, but the acquisition of Morelos for a fee of just £1m from Finnish side HJK Helsinki.

The Colombian had scored 46 goals in just 62 appearances in Finland and Caixinha was certainly hoping he could replicate this type of form in Scotland throughout the 2017/18 campaign.

Over the next six seasons, Morelos would exceed all expectations and then some.

Alfredo Morelos’ Rangers statistics

Morelos scored 18 goals in his maiden season at Ibrox, certainly proving to be worth the £1m that was paid to sign him, and he would go from strength to strength.

Tallies of 30 and 29 goals saw him emerge as one of the finest signings the Light Blues had made since returning to the top flight in 2016.

It wasn’t just his performances domestically which were impressive, but under Steven Gerrard, the Colombian striker was a feared presence in European competition.

The 2019/20 Europa League competition certainly proved it. Across 17 games in both qualifying and the main tournament, the centre-forward scored 14 times as the Gers lost to Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16.

A few months later, Morelos would go on to make history. His goal against Benfica during the group stage of the 2020/21 competition saw him become the highest ever goal scorer in Europe for the Ibrox side, with his 22nd effort surpassing the total of club legend Ally McCoist, who had terrorised defences on the continent during his 15-year spell at Rangers.

By the end of his time in Glasgow, Morelos had netted 29 goals in Europe, further extending his advantage over McCoist, but he couldn’t add to that tally in the Champions League last season.

His final campaign in Scotland saw the 27-year-old score just 12 times in all competitions as he battled fitness problems, and it appeared he was looking to move on when his contract expired.

In reality, he should have left for a big transfer fee a couple of years previously when he was in his prime at the club. Failing to extend his contract was certainly a mistake, especially as his market value has risen recently since departing Rangers.

Alfredo Morelos’ current market value

A few years ago, Morelos was a target for quite a few clubs on the continent, with Gerrard even rejecting a bid of around £16.25m from French side Lille in the summer of 2020 for their prized asset.

Hailed as a “nightmare for defenders” by one former Premiership opponent back in 2019, Morelos failed to really recover from an injury sustained while on international duty in April 2022, thus ruling him out of the Scottish Cup and Europa League finals.

He looked a shadow of his former self when returning the following season before leaving last May. A few years ago, clubs were queuing up to secure his signature, but he had to wait a few weeks in order to make his next move.

Following what was a surprise move to Santos, Morelos has scored just three goals in 13 games for the iconic Brazilian club, which counts Pele, Neymar, and Robinho as former alumni.

They were relegated at the end of last season; therefore, the Colombian will be aiming to fire them back to the top flight at the first time of asking.

Despite his poor form, Morelos’ market value means Rangers made a big mistake in letting him go for free. According to Transfermarkt, the striker is now currently valued at €4m (£3.5) and this could rise steadily if he begins to score on a frequent basis.

It’s a far cry from the €15m (£12.9m) he was valued at in 2020 following his wonderful season, but there is no doubt if he can return to this sort of form in Brazil, the striker could soon start to garner plenty of interest.

Much will depend on his attitude and whether he wants another crack in Europe. Poor fitness and mindset certainly disrupted his progress during the final two years at Ibrox.

If he can battle these demons and continue to showcase his true talents, Morelos could be a good signing for a number of sides.

Turning down a bid of nearly £17m four years ago showed that Gerrard believed in his main centre-forward, but he has since failed to ever match those lofty heights. Perhaps the club should have struck when the iron was hot.

Rangers could finally replace Kent with 20 y/o who "wants to go to Europe"

Rangers may have been given a boost with regards to a player they have been linked with…

By
Ross Kilvington

May 8, 2024

Martin Odegaard is set to miss Arsenal's clash with Tottenham due to the injury he suffered after a challenge from Austria star Christoph Baumgartner.

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• Baumgartner injured Odegaard on Monday night
• Arsenal star left field in tears
• Austria midfielder sends heartfelt apology

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Norway's 2-1 win over Austria in the Nations League on Monday night was overshadowed by Odegaard's ankle injury, which he sustained following a challenge from Baumgartner. The 25-year-old limped off in tears and got Arsenal fans and coaching staff worrying about his availability over the coming weeks. Now, he's received a "sincere" apology from the Austria player who fouled him.

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• WHAT BAUMGARTNER SAID

  Baumgartner posted on Instagram: "Hi guys! I would like to sincerely apologise to Martin Odegaard. It was never my intention to injure this fantastic player. I wish him all the best and a speedy recovery! Come back stronger @odegaard.98"

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  WHAT NORWAY DOCTOR SAID

  Norway national team doctor Ola Sand has now given a timeframe for Odegaard's recovery, which suggests he won't be available to play against Tottenham in the Premier League this weekend.

  "Such ankle injuries often take at least three weeks," Sands said to . "Anything other than that is just a bonus. And then it can take longer."

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  The precise details of Odegaard's injury are yet to be confirmed, but if Sand's assessment is correct he will miss a series of important games for Arsenal. Odegaard was also spotted on crutches as he boarded a plane to return to England after international duty, and Mikel Arteta could face a selection headache in midfield without the 25-year-old.

Leeds United will need every single one of their players firing on all cylinders this Saturday, needing to win against Southampton and hope Ipswich Town slip up to swoop into that final automatic promotion in the Championship at the death.

It will have to be a major improvement on the showing the Whites dished up at Loftus Road last time out, knowing that a disastrous defeat like the 4-0 one suffered in West London against Queens Park Rangers would really irk the Leeds masses in such a high-stakes contest at Elland Road.

The lone striker position will be one spot in the Leeds side that Daniel Farke will have to think long and hard about before the lunch-time clash, with both Patrick Bamford and Joel Piroe struggling there as of late and the first name in this wasteful duo looking touch-and-go to be fit.

There are other options in the form of Mateo Joseph and even this forgotten face in the Leeds ranks up top too, who could be moved on in the summer for a healthy profit despite barely featuring for the promotion-chasers this season.

Joe Gelhardt's season in numbers

Joe Gelhardt has faded into the background for Leeds this campaign, falling way down the pecking order under Farke after once being viewed as the future of the Whites in attack.

Signed three years ago for £1m from Wigan Athletic – with the Latics having to offload their academy product for a cheap fee owing to their financial woes at the time – Gelhardt would leave a lasting impression on the Whites masses when gifted first-team opportunities shortly after his arrival.

Praised for his tenacious displays by Jamie Carragher in 2022, who described the then teenage sensation as "special", Gelhardt did manage to fire in two goals for his new employers during the 2021/22 season even whilst playing in the brutal nature of the Premier League.

His Whites career hasn't quite gone to plan after this blistering start, however, with just nine Championship appearances coming his way this campaign and zero goals to show for it.

Still, despite only being given 19 minutes of second-tier action this year, Gelhardt could be offloaded for significant profit soon with his transfer value higher than Bamford's according to Football Transfers.

Gelhardt's transfer value in 2024

Leeds would be fools to not try and cash in on Gelhardt this coming summer, especially if they look to add more strength in depth to the striker spots over the ex-Wigan man to handle the jump up to the top flight if promotion is sealed.

The now 21-year-old attacker boasts a hefty £6.4m valuation according to the site even with his fringe status, whilst the more experienced if injury-prone Bamford comes in at a lesser price-tag of £5.6m.

This is a shock considering the former Middlesbrough man has been lethal in patches this season for the Whites, with nine of his 60 Leeds goals coming this campaign under Farke.

Yet, Gelhardt was worth a staggering £12.7m just last year when he was still being given moments to shine in the Premier League, which would make him worth more than Daniel James' current £10.9m price today remarkably.

There is still time for Gelhardt to, arguably, make this season a successful one on a personal note if Farke gambles on giving him some much-needed minutes versus the Saints and he fires a potential promotion-winning goal home against Southampton.

But, with his current position on the Leeds periphery not looking likely to change realistically, it could well be that the Whites cash in on the 21-year-old – who did receive enquiries from the likes of Celtic in January – very soon before his value depletes.

Manchester United have completed the shock signing of former youth-team player Tommy Rowe on a free transfer.

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• Man Utd bring back former youth player
• Rowe returns after 21 years
• Will take up player-coach role

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Rowe, who graduated from United's youth team, returned to the club after 21 years on a free transfer on Tuesday. The midfielder played for teams like Wolves, Bristol City and Doncaster Rovers in his 17-year-long senior professional career where he made 650 appearances, before returning to his former club.

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  While Rowe has returned to Old Trafford, he won't be a part of the senior squad. Instead, he will take up a player-coach role in the club's Under-21 side replacing Tom Huddlestone who left the team at the end of the 2023/24 season. The 35-year-old could also feature in some EFL Trophy matches as the competition allows up to five players to feature for the U21 team.

• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Quoting the Red Devils, The Sun wrote, "He will create various unique development opportunities for United’s Academy players by coaching from within training sessions and driving daily standards on and off the pitch."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR MANCHESTER UNITED?

  Erik ten Hag's side are off to a nightmare start in the 2024/25 campaign, having lost two out of their first three Premier League matches including an embarrassing defeat at the hands of arch-rivals Liverpool last Sunday. They will aim to get back to winning ways after the international break as they take on Southampton on September 14.

In April of 2023, everything fell apart for Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. A run of wretched games saw their Premier League title hopes ultimately fade away with a whimper.

This season it looked as though the Gunners had learnt their lesson. 2024 has been dominated by swashbuckling football, notably putting six past Sheffield United and West Ham, and five past Burnley.

However, lessons have seemingly not been learnt, notably by the manager whose squad management must be called out. Indeed, April is here again and a withered, tired-looking group of players look out for the count.

A 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa last Sunday was bad enough, only for the Londoners to then fall to a second-leg defeat in Munich, beaten 1-0 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate by Harry Kane's Bayern.

Losing to the Bundesliga giants is usually nothing to be ashamed of. However, Thomas Tuchel's side have not been at the races this term, conceding the German top-flight trophy for the first time in 11 years. They do, however, still boast a chance of winning the Champions League.

The back end of this campaign promised so much for Arsenal but it's all ending in rather predictable circumstances; without a trophy.

It's a bitter pill to swallow for supporters, who notably saw a number of fan favourites fail to deliver on the biggest of stages. An isolated Gabriel Martinelli – who simply hasn't been the same player this season – struggled to have much of an impact, the same could be said for Bukayo Saka.

Arsenal's biggest underperformer against Bayern

This honour could have been given to a number of players in green on Wednesday evening. Kai Havertz started up top as an out ball but once moved into the centre of midfield following Gabriel Jesus' introduction barely had a kick.

However, it was a player we all hold in such high regard who had one of his worst nights in Arsenal colours; Saka.

It is difficult to point the blame at such a well-loved figure. He has been there since the start of this project and dragged Arteta's team through many a moment. This season he is still the club's top scorer on 18 goals but his powers have waned towards the end of the term.

The Englishman missed the home match with Luton a few weeks ago because of injury and truth be told, he hasn't really looked too fit since.

He has found the net just twice in his last eight outings and only has one assist to show for his troubles since 20th January. For a young individual so creative, so full of flair, it's hugely disappointing.

Bayern are no mugs defensively but without Alphonso Davies, ruled out due to suspension at the Allianz on Wednesday, Saka had a wonderful opportunity to dominate up against Noussair Mazraoui, a right-back playing at left-back.

Did he dominate? No is the short answer. The 22-year-old received no change from the Moroccan with Arsenal's number 7 failing to complete any of his three dribble attempts or four crosses.

Handed a 4/10 match rating courtesy of GOAL's Charles Watts, the Arsenal reporter noted that he was 'always on the fringes of things'. What didn't help were Saka's actions towards the end of the game. Having taken a quick free-kick, spurning the chance to get the ball into the area with seconds remaining, he planted the resulting corner straight at the man at the near post.

That just about summed up the winger's display with Saka left to rue a night where he failed to provide a single key pass or have a shot. This was a night to stand up and be counted but their main man did not do so.

Key to Arsenal's summer will be finding a player Arteta can rotate Saka with. He looked spent in Germany and it is hardly surprising for someone who's missed just three games all campaign. It's back to the drawing board for the Gunners.

Arteta could unleash Zinchenko in new role to revive his Arsenal career

Zinchenko was a big underperformer in Arsenal’s last match.

By
Joe Nuttall

Apr 17, 2024

Ronald Koeman has given Ryan Gravenberch a reminder of the weakness the Netherlands coach saw in the midfielder before his improvement at Liverpool.

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• Gravenberch has performed well this season
• Midfielder given fresh start under new coach
• Koeman pointed out a flaw that hindered him

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Gravenberch has had a resurgence at Liverpool since new coach Arne Slot came in to replace Jurgen Klopp. The Netherlands international impressed in his first Premier League game of the season as the Reds beat Ipswich, and then attracted further acclaim with his performance in the 3-0 win against Manchester United on Sunday.

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  Gravenberch was named in Koeman's squad for the upcoming Nations League matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina and Germany and the coach was asked about the ex-Ajax man's recent displays. However, the coach was quick to point out a flaw in his game.

• WHAT KOEMAN SAID

  Speaking at a press conference, Koeman said of the midfielder: "I have always seen the potential in him, but I believed he lacked focus, this is something that he had to improve and now it seems that he finally realises what is asked of him."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR GRAVENBERCH?

  Gravenberch will hope to feature in Oranje's games on September 7 and 10. He will then return to Merseyside to start preparing for the Premier League match against Nottingham Forest on September 14.

One of the biggest clubs in the world are hoping to sign an "irreplaceable" Manchester City player for just £43m this summer, according to a worrying transfer update.

Man City transfer news

Whatever happens between now and the end of the season, Pep Guardiola will again be on the lookout for new signings in the upcoming transfer window, as he freshens up his squad.

While established players are being linked with moves to the Etihad later in the year, youngsters are also needed for the long-term picture, and Lokomotiv Moscow ace Sergey Pinyaev is reportedly wanted by City.

Bayer Leverkusen star Florian Wirtz has enjoyed a fantastic season, scoring 11 goals and registering 10 assists en route to Xabi Alonso's side winning the league title recently. The move for Wirtz may have hit a snag, but there is still hope that the German could be at the Etihad in time for next season.

Guardiola may feel that a new centre-back is needed moving forward, especially with John Stones proving to be an injury-prone figure, and Everton ace Jarrad Branthwaite has been backed to sign for City. The young Englishman has been a rare bright spark for the Toffees this season, and could jump at the opportunity to join the reigning Premier League champions despite his success in Germany.

Links surrounding a move for Bayern Munich forward Jamal Musiala are also refusing to go away, with the German having the potential to mature into one of the best players in the world. He has 16 goal contributions (10 goals and six assists) in 20 Bundesliga starts in 2023/24 heading into this weekend.

Man City could lose "irreplaceable" star

According to a fresh claim from Catalunya Radio (as relayed by Sport Witness), Manchester City star Bernardo Silva is wanted by Barcelona this summer, and the player himself has "practically decided" to leave the club.

Barca are hoping to sign the Portuguese for just €50m (£43m) due to a release clause that exists in his current contract, and he sees them as his first choice to join.

Losing Silva this summer would be a massive blow for City, considering he has become a genuine legend during his time at the club, not only winning five Premier League titles and one Champions League crown, but also proving to be one of the league's outstanding players during that period. Meanwhile, Guardiola clearly thinks the world of the 29-year-old, saying of him:

"I could stay here and talk for 10 minutes on what Bernardo Silva means for me and our team. He is a player that is beyond good in all departments – solidarity, intelligence, he understands everything. We are in love with him. The problem is he has no big cars, he [dresses] maybe not for high style. He is humble and everybody loves him in the locker room. We were lucky not to lose him. He is irreplaceable. I know he is happy here."

Every Premier League Golden Boot winner

Some of the Premier League’s greatest goalscorers have won the Golden Boot – here’s every player to earn the coveted prize.

By
Stephan Georgiou

May 26, 2025

Admittedly, Bernardo isn't getting any younger, but he remains a world-class footballer who shouldn't drift past his peak for another few years, so City should do all they can to keep him. That being said, if he has decided he wants to leave, it would be hard to begrudge him a fresh challenge.