Football

Frenkie de Jong’s comments to Barcelona teammates provide fresh blow to Manchester United pursuit despite transfer agreement

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Frenkie de Jong has cast fresh doubt over a move to Manchester United by telling Barcelona teammates there is no chance he will leave.

United looked to have finally made the breakthrough in their long-standing pursuit of the Dutch midfielder when the two clubs agreed a deal worth up to £72million earlier this week.

But it appears that De Jong still has some lingering doubts over a move to Old Trafford with the 25-year-old believed to be settled in Catalonia.

Reports have also surfaced that the midfielder has instructed his agent to inform United CEO Richard Arnold and football director John Murtough to turn their attention elsewhere.

Despite De Jong’s reluctance to leave the Nou Camp, Barca have their sights set on his departure to enable the club to register their new signings and comply with financial fair play.

Barcelona officials met with De Jong on Thursday to inform him of the club’s position and the need for him to accept United’s proposal to help ease the financial burden.

But De Jong is standing his ground and remaining defiant with Spanish newspaper Sport reporting the Dutchman told his team-mates: “It is impossible for me to leave. How am I going to leave Barca?”

It appears that even the lure of working with his former boss at Ajax Erik ten Hag is not enough for the midfielder to uproot and move to the north west of England.

A reunion for De Jong and Ten Hag is on the cards but the midfielder appears reluctant to move to Manchester United
De Jong joined Barcelona in 2019 but now the Catalan giants need to offload the Dutchman to balance the clubs finances

De Jong and his girlfriend recently bought a house and enjoy life in Barcelona while the midfielder still feels he can contribute to the Catalan giants on the pitch.

It appears that the saga will continue to rumble on with the club and player on different pages relating to his future.

United may have to show a little more patience if they are to finally land their target.

Football

Man Utd complete €55m deal for Ajax star Lisandro Martinez; will sign five-year contract

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Manchester United have completed the signing of Lisando Martinez from Ajax in a deal worth €55m.

The Argentina international has been the subject of much speculation over the last month or two with Arsenal originally looking like favourites to complete his signature.

However, United have been leading the race to sign him for a while and have now got their man according to Fabrizio Romano.

There’s a ‘full agreement in place between United and Ajax for a package up to €55m’ with the ‘documents now approved’.

The defender will sign a five-year contract at Old Trafford with new United boss Erik ten Hag, who worked with Lisandro at Ajax, said to be a ‘big factor’ in the deal.

Former Red Devils defender Jaap Stam recently outlined why Martinez would be a good signing for Man Utd this summer.

“Whether Martinez is worth €50m, that is difficult to say. This kind of money has become normal. Especially in England,” Stam told Algemeen Dagblad.

“I have become a fan of his. I think he’s a fantastic guy, with a good temperament and a winning mentality. For trainers, those are great players to work with.”

Stam added: “You can clearly see that Ten Hag’s approach is to dominate matches and control the opponent’s half. Then you play with a lot of space in the back and you need players who are reasonably fast and not afraid to cover. [Tyrell] Malacia has that and Martinez certainly.

“Back in the day, defenders in England couldn’t be big enough. Two metres was good, also to be able to head away a lot of balls. Now most clubs and coaches want to play football. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to defend.

“There are many fast attackers who are merciless on the counter. Therefore, what’s important is that a defender has cleverness. Quickly read where the ball goes, a little nudge or push. Then you don’t even have to get into duels. Martinez has also developed that.

“Martinez is very skilled and creative in his passing. The more he has such players, the more Ten Hag can keep the ball and the less he encounters counters. What is also important for this, certainly in the strongest competition in the world, is communication, and therefore who he will be linked to at the heart of the defence.

“And because Martinez is comfortable on the ball, he can also play as a defensive midfielder. I do not rule out the possibility that Ten Hag will use him there.”

Football

Erik ten Hag punishes Man Utd players after they concede goal

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Manchester United  manager Erik ten Hag has been channelling his inner Sir Alex Ferguson during his first two weeks at the club.

Ferguson was renowned for being a strict disciplinarian during his 26 years in charge of United and Ten Hag also takes no prisoners. 

According to The Daily Mirror, the 52-year-old has already made his players aware of the rules that they must follow under his regime.

The report states that any player that turns up late for training or team meetings will be dropped from the United team and there are no exceptions.

There’s a ban on alcohol during game weeks and players will have a monthly BMI check-up, as well as having a custom-made diet plan drawn up. 

The manager has also asked that his players come to see him if they have any issues rather than going to their agents. 

United are currently in Thailand for the first part of their pre-season tour and will face Premier League rivals Liverpool in a friendly tomorrow.

Ten Hag oversaw a training drill ahead of the game and some of his players were forced to do push-ups after Zidane Iqbal scored against them.

“It’s been great, obviously a lot of hard work and a lot of tough sessions. But that’s how it should be during a pre-season to get the fitness levels up,” defender Victor Lindelof recently told Sky Sports.

“Training sessions have been really good, [Ten Hag] demands a lot from us and expects us to perform at a high level. It’s been great.

“We want to play good football – want to have the ball and attack as well. We’ve been working a lot on different things during training sessions

“Obviously he knows how he wants to play with the ball and without the ball, so of course we’ve been working on a lot of different things during these two weeks.”

Football

Man Utd will only allow Ronaldo leave on one condition – Rio Ferdinand

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Former Manchester United defender, Rio Ferdinand, has said the club will only allow Cristiano Ronaldo to leave if they can sign Robert Lewandowski as a replacement.

Ronaldo has asked the Premier League side to listen to offers for him, as he is desperate to play for a team in the Champions League next season.

The 37-year-old has not joined the rest of the squad for their preseason tour of Thailand and Australia, amid speculation he wants his future sorted quickly.

Ferdinand has now said he does not see Ronaldo leaving United, except they bring in a big name striker.

“I can’t even think about that because you have to look at the whole situation. It’s getting on in the window and, if United were to let him go, [Erling] Haaland and [Darwin] Nunez, probably the first two on your list, have gone to clubs.

“The only other person who could fill into those shoes, who I’d have confidence in, who’s possibly capable of doing it, is [Robert] Lewandowski.

“The only way I see it happening is if United can get Lewandowski and then Ronaldo could go then. If United can’t get a ready-made replacement to bang in 20 or 25 goals next season outside of Lewandowski or somebody [else] gettable, I don’t see it being a deal that gets done, not at all,” Ferdinand said on his FIVE podcast.

Football

‘HE DOESN’T CARE’: CRISTIANO RONALDO SLAMMED FOR MANCHESTER UNITED TRANSFER SAGA

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Cristiano Ronaldo, who has missed the last two days of pre-season training, has been heavily criticised for his desire to leave Manchester United this summer.

Following what was a dismal season for Manchester United, Cristiano Ronaldo has been heavily linked with a United exit of late.

Ronaldo joined Manchester United for a second time last summer, leaving Serie A giants, Juventus.

The Portuguese has since endured a mixed stint in Manchester. The legendary hitman scored 18 in 30 league ties last term and netted six in the Champions League.

However, whilst Ronaldo continued to shine at aged 37, Manchester United as a club experienced one of the worst seasons in their storied history.

This would see Manchester United miss out on a place in the Champions League for the forthcoming season.

And this, along with United’s floundering in the transfer market, is said to have led to Ronaldo wanting to leave the club.

But whilst a CR7 exit would leave Manchester United very, very light up top heading into the new season, former striker Gabriel Agbonlahor does not see Ronaldo leaving as a bad thing.

Instead, Agbonlahor suggested Ronaldo doesn’t care about United, but also that Erik ten Hag will probably be happy with the Portuguese’s decision:

“If there is something better for Ronaldo, he will go, he will drop Man United immediately, he doesn’t care,” he said.

“I’m sure it’s very disappointing for Man United fans and he’s ruining his legacy. When they needed him Man United fans will remember that he jumped ship.

“Even Ten Hag, he is probably buzzing deep down. He’s probably delighted because he wouldn’t have started him too much next season anyway.”

Football

‘Speak about Man Utd & Liverpool’ – Furious Mourinho fires back at media over Kane penalty criticism

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The Spurs striker earned a spot-kick after a foul by Adam Lallana in the win over Brighton and his manager isn’t happy with the backlash he’s received

Jose Mourinho took issue with the suggestion Harry Kane was “clever” in winning penalties as the Tottenham boss encouraged the media to look at similar incidents involving rival top clubs.

Spot-kick awards were a popular topic of discussion in the Premier League last weekend as both Liverpool‘s Mohamed Salah and Spurs striker Kane drew criticism for the manner in which they earned penalties.

Kane appeared to step into a challenge with Brighton and Hove Albion midfielder Adam Lallana, who was already in the air contesting a header.

Rather than award a foul against the Tottenham man, though, the referee pointed to the spot to the bemusement of Lallana after a VAR check confirmed the incident occurred inside the penalty area.

But Mourinho, speaking ahead of a Europa League trip to Ludogorets where he promised to go “full power”, believed it was a genuine foul and defended his player.

“I think you are confused,” Mourinho fired back when asked about the decision.

“You could be speaking about some Manchester United players, some Man City players, some Liverpool players, some Chelsea players. You are speaking about Kane?

“He was in position to control the ball and Lallana came in a reckless action and committed the foul. It was a foul. What are the media speaking about? It’s a foul.

“Direct free-kick or penalty, that’s for the VAR to decide. It’s inside [the box].

“It’s not being clever. Harry Kane is there to score goals. Lallana was reckless, he made a mistake. What are you speaking about?

“You have to speak about something that happened that could have a direct impact on the result of the game, which was their goal.

“Speak about Liverpool, Man United, these penalties where you see the ‘clever’ guy on the floor. Don’t speak about Harry Kane.”

It was not the first time Mourinho has railed against the media in recent days, revealing after Gareth Bale’s first goal back at Tottenham – also against Brighton – he would be studying the response in Spain, where the winger was criticised as a Real Madrid player.

“I just talk about the Spanish media, the media that used to not be very nice with Gareth,” he said on Wednesday.

“Yes, they were very fair, very honest, praising his connection with [Sergio] Reguilon. I think they were very honest and I’m happy with that.

Football

Barcelona deny Dembele talks with Man Utd and expect World Cup winner to stay

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Ramon Planes, technical director of the Liga giants, has sought to bring an end to speculation suggesting that a French winger could head to England

Barcelona have not held any discussions with Manchester United regarding Ousmane Dembele and expect the World Cup winner to remain at Camp Nou, claims Ramon Planes.

The Red Devils are said to have turned their attention towards the France international as the summer transfer deadline approaches.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has spent much of the window pursuing a deal for Borussia Dortmund forward Jadon Sancho.

No progress has been made there, though, forcing the Premier League heavyweights to consider alternative options.

Dembele, given his injury struggles and lack of impact at Barca, was considered to be an achievable target for United.

Reports have suggested that the 24-year-old would be open to making a move to Old Trafford, but Planes insists no such deal is on the cards.

Barca’s technical director told reporters when quizzed on the latest round of rumours: “First of all, no negotiations with Man United at the moment, completely deny that.

“He’s a player we count on, we know his potential. We hope this year the team sees the best of him.”

While seeking to bring an end to the speculation surrounding one possible outgoing, there is still plenty of talk of Barca bolstering their ranks before the next deadline passes.

Lyon star Memphis Depay has been heavily linked with a switch to Catalunya, and Planes admits every effort will be made to give Ronald Koeman the players he wants and needs.

He added, with the Blaugrana having opened their 2020-21 campaign with back-to-back victories in La Liga: “We have a good squad, who have competed very well.

“There are always teams to reinforce. We are working with the coach. Daily communication.

“On an attacking level there is great potential and, defensively, it is true that it is weaker.

“We will work until the last day to bring the best and, if someone comes, who can be good. We will not sign for the sake of signing someone. Soon there will be another market.”

Barca do have gaps to fill within their squad, with prolific frontman Luis Suarez having been allowed to leave for domestic rivals Atletico Madrid while Portuguese full-back Nelson Semedo has been sold to Wolves.

Football

‘It’s up to Barcelona & Dembele’ – Koeman responds amid Man Utd links

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Barcelona boss Ronald Koeman has issued a response to the rumours linking Ousmane Dembele with a move to Manchester United.

United are reportedly in talks to sign Dembele on a season-long loan, and hope to finalise a deal before the transfer window slams shut on October 5.

Koeman addressed the speculation over the Frenchman’s future at a press conference on Tuesday, telling reporters: “The first thing to say is that it is up to the club and to the player.

“But he is with us and as we’ve seen in recent weeks I am counting on him….he has to wait to play but he is training well, getting fitter.

“I want to say that I am counting on him.”

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