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Journalist Christian Falk has provided a significant update regarding Manchester United's interest in RB Leipzig striker Benjamin Sesko this summer.

Man Utd links to Sesko

Rasmus Hojlund has had an up-and-down first season in a Red Devils shirt, showing clear signs of vast potential but also still looking like a raw young player who shouldn't be leading the line every week in the Premier League.

For that reason, it could be that United target another striker once the summer transfer window opens, in order to ease the burden on the Norwegian, who has scored 15 goals in 41 appearances to date.

Sesko has emerged as a strong choice to head to the Red Devils in the coming months, being linked with a move to United and being considered one of Europe's most impressive young attackers currently.

The 20-year-old's agent has even been seen at Old Trafford recently, and the constant rumours suggest that he is a genuine target this summer.

Bundesliga journalist shares new update

Speaking to Caught Offside, Falk claimed that Manchester United are on the chase for Sesko, despite his release clause increasing, revealing it is the Red Devils and Arsenal who are "particularly interested":

"Benjamin Sesko is the hottest Bundesliga stock in England at the moment. Arsenal FC and Manchester United are particularly interested in the striker. In Leipzig they say: Sesko is physically even stronger than Erling Haaland (Manchester City). Both strikers were trained at Red Bull Salzburg. Like Haaland, Sesko also demanded an exit clause for a move to the Bundesliga.

"This clause amounted to €50m. But due to his strong performances and many appearances, the clause has now been increased to €75m for this summer. Arsenal and United now know what they have to put on the table for Sesko. Sesko’s advisor has already appeared in the stands at a United game. That’s part of his game. He has also had his picture taken in the stands at an AC Milan game. Milan are also interested in Sesko."

Sesko should be seen as a leading option to add to United's attack in the summer window, and while he is also young like Hojlund, having both in the squad would allow them to take the pressure off each other, as well as provide healthy competition for one another.

The Slovenia international has so much potential as a player – Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell has heaped praise on him: "Benjamin Sesko is among the game’s top young talents and has enormous potential to become a top player. He has all the qualities to do that. He’s extremely quick, has a great jump on him and is strong in the air. Benjamin is a real goalscorer, who despite his 1.95m (6'4") is mobile and technically strong. His abilities make him a special player with a special profile."

At 21 and 20 years of age respectively, Hojlund and Sesko could represent the long-term future of United's attack, and while both are still learning as players, the thought of having them both as options is a mouthwatering prospect.

Carlo Ancelotti provided a promising update on Kylian Mbappe's thigh injury ahead of Real Madrid's Champions League clash against Lille.

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• Mbappe got injured against Alaves
• Was expected to be back in late October
• Could get some minutes against Lille

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  The French forward, who suffered a thigh injury during Real's 3-2 victory over Alaves in La Liga, was initially expected to miss up to three weeks of action. However, in an encouraging turn of events, Mbappe has been included in the squad for the upcoming midweek European clash after making a rapid recovery.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Ancelotti confirmed that a final decision regarding Mbappe's participation would be made after assessing his performance in training. The forward completed Tuesday’s session successfully, but Ancelotti stressed that Madrid would exercise caution and not rush the player back into action unnecessarily.

• WHAT ANCELOTTI SAID

  “Mbappe has recovered well, very quickly,” Ancelotti told reporters. “Only yesterday he trained individually. He didn’t stop for long and he hasn’t lost his condition. Today (Tuesday) he will train the whole training session. We will make the most appropriate decision today, bearing in mind that we are not going to take any risks.

  “He has had an overload. They’re talking about (a) grade I (hamstring injury). In the old days, it was an overload. With the new technology, he’s fine. He’s here to play. We’re not going to take any risks. Obviously, if there is no risk, he will play from the first minute.”

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• DID YOU KNOW?

  Interestingly, Lille is also the club where his younger brother, Ethan Mbappe, plies his trade. Unfortunately, the 17-year-old Ethan is sidelined for several weeks with a muscle injury, delaying any potential opportunity for the two brothers to face off on the pitch.

Michael Olise and Harry Kane starred as Bayern Munich ran riot against Werder Bremen in the Bundesliga on Saturday.

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• Olise netted a brace
• Kane broke Sancho's record
• Bayern score win 5-0

• TELL ME MORE

  Bayern Munich were dealt a major injury setback moments before kick-off as Manuel Neuer felt some discomfort in his thigh during warm-up. Vincent Kompany immediately replaced the veteran goalkeeper with Sven Ulreich in the starting lineup.

  The visitors broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute through Olise's strike, who converted a simple tap-in from Kane's assist. Nine minutes later, the former Crystal Palace star set up Jamal Musiala after a brilliant solo effort inside the Werder Bremen penalty box. Olise cut in from the right side and then dribbled past three defenders before squaring the ball towards Musiala in front of goal and the German doubled the team's lead.

  Kane got his name on the scoresheet within 12 minutes from the start of the second half as he scored a milestone goal from Olise's assist. The forward became the highest-scoring English player in the league's history, surpassing Jadon Sancho's tally of 40 goals.

  In the next eight minutes, Olise completed his brace while Gnabry netted a fifth goal as Kompany's side registered their 20th goal across all competitions in the past seven days, taking their overall tally to 29 goals after just six matches into the 2024-25 season.

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  THE MVP

  New Bayern signing Olise stole the show with a double and a couple of assists as he spearheaded the team's dominant performance. The 22-year-old has taken German football by storm having already scored five times in six appearances across all competitions.

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  THE BIG LOSER

  Bremen's defenders had a forgetful outing on Saturday as they were unable to contain the lethal Bayern attackers who have now scored 20 goals in the last seven days. The backline looked clueless, especially in the second half where they got toyed by the Kane-led attack.

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  WHAT COMES NEXT?

  With four consecutive wins in the Bundesliga, Kompany's men will be next seen in action against reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen in a league clash on September 28.

Tottenham Hotspur have made contact to sign a £56 million star this summer, coming after claims that manager Ange Postecoglou thinks he'd fit in "seamlessly" at Spurs.

Attackers eyed with Spurs ready to back Postecoglou this summer

A report by The Times this week claimed Postecoglou is set to be backed by Tottenham in the transfer market this summer, with the same source also stating that they want to bring in a new forward, centre-back and midfielder.

Reply received as Tottenham make offer for "special" £47,000-per-week ace

The Lilywhites have moved quickly.

By
Emilio Galantini

May 9, 2024

This comes after the Lilywhites head coach admitted that his club need to implement serious change, as he hints that many players could also be moved on and the journey is "not for everyone".

"We need change. Change has to happen," Postecoglou said on the future at Spurs.

"You can’t want to alter your course and expect the same people are going to be on that. It’s just not going to happen. We’ve had two windows and we’ve had some development of players, for sure, but when I say we’ve still got a long way to go, that’s what I’m talking about.

"It’s impossible to say you’re going to have drastic change and yet expect everyone to be on that journey. It’s not for the want of trying. It’s just that we’re going to play a certain way, we’re going to train a certain way and we’re going to have a certain mindset. And that’s not for everyone."

Postecoglou also makes a Spurs comparison to Arsenal and Liverpool, who both looked almost unrecognisable from the teams they were when they started to have success in the Premier League.

Going by Tottenham's disappointing end to 2023/2024, despite such a promising start, it's evident that they need to reinforce key areas. Technical director Johan Lange is believed to have his eyes on new attackers for Spurs, and one interesting player they've been linked with is RB Leipzig star Dani Olmo.

The Spaniard, who's racked up four goals and five assists in 21 Bundesliga appearances this term, has a glowing reputation and pundit Paul Robinson has praised Spurs for targeting Olmo.

“I think he’s a good player and has attracted a lot of Premier League interest," said Robinson to Tottenham News.

"If Tottenham are in for players like that, that can only be a good thing. You can’t question the Spurs recruitment."

Tottenham make contact to sign Olmo who Ange thinks is perfect

According to a report by Sport Bild, as relayed by Sport Witness this week, Tottenham are one of the clubs who've already been in contact over signing Olmo – who is thought of as a potential bargain despite being valued at around £56 million.

Interestingly, Postecoglou is also a huge fan of Olmo, and believes he'd fit "seamlessly" into his Spurs system – as per GiveMeSport.

Al-Hilal coach Jorge Jesus wants to delay Neymar's return from injury until January so he can register all of his foreign players in the squad.

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• Neymar dealing with long-term knee injury
• Recently suffered setback
• Al-Hilal keen to delay return until January

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Neymar's ACL injury has meant very few Saudi Pro League fans have been able to see him play since the Brazilian joined Al-Hilal just over a year ago. Now, the 32-year-old may be sidelined until January with head coach Jorge Jesus keen to register all of his foreign players, which according to , he can just about do if he does not include Neymar.

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  The SPL allow each team to have eight foreign player slots, but Al-Hilal have nine including the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain star. But with Neymar not expected to return to training until November, he is only likely going to be able to play two or three games before the winter break in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, Jesus would prefer to register summer signing Renan Lodi instead, and revisit the issue in January when his star forward is fully back up to speed.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  Neymar has missed over 50 games for Al-Hilal since signing a mega deal with the club. The 128-cap Brazil international made just three SPL appearances in 2023-24 before picking up the catastrophic knee injury.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR NEYMAR AND AL-HILAL?

  Al-Hilal comfortably claimed the league title last term, beating Cristiano Ronaldo's Al-Nassr by 14 points. They have started the new campaign well too, picking up six points from six. Even without Neymar, they remain the team to beat in Saudi Arabia.

Still battling to finish inside the Premier League's Europa League places to salvage what has been a disappointing season compared to the last campaign, Newcastle United will hope to use European football to lure a bargain deal to St James' Park this summer.

Newcastle transfer news

The Magpies shocked the rest of the Premier League last season by qualifying for the Champions League and finishing inside the top four. Since then, however, they have been brought back down to reality in a frustrating campaign full of injuries and the type of inconsistency that should urge them into action in the summer transfer window.

Howe must now unleash Hall and Newcastle's "monster" talent

The Magpies are looking to return to winning ways at St James’ Park on Saturday.

By
Ethan Lamb

Apr 27, 2024

With that said, Newastle have already been linked with the likes of Lorenzo Pirola and Ousmane Diomande in two deals to bolster Eddie Howe's backline. As things stand, the former Bournemouth boss will be left scratching his head for options without Sven Botman and Jamaal Lascelles at the start of next season after both suffered untimely ACL injuries, but will hope to see the transfer market solve that problem.

Away from the backline, meanwhile, the Magpies could also land a vital midfield reinforcement. According to reports in Spain, Newcastle have expressed interest in signing Wilfred Ndidi in a free deal this summer. The Leicester City man is set to leave the Foxes at the end of the season upon the expiry of his current contract and has instantly become a player in demand, with Newcastle, Aston Villa and West Ham United all reportedly making initial contact to make their interest known.

A player with plenty of Premier League experience and even some experience in the Champions League, Ndidi is the calibre of player that those at St James' Park should be targeting. Given that he will be a free agent too, Newcastle wouldn't be running the risk of crossing the line when it comes to profit and sustainability rules.

"Incredible" Ndidi can unleash Guimaraes

As impressive as Bruno Guimaraes has been this season, he still has plenty of defensive responsibility in the absence of a top level defensive midfielder. And that's where Ndidi could arrive to unleash the attacking talents of the Brazilian in full. Ndidi has helped do the same with James Maddison in the past and would perform a similar job for a more all round player in Guimaraes, especially compared to Sean Longstaff.

Ndidi has proven himself in the Premier League's top half in the past, earning praise from former Leicester boss Brendan Rodgers in the process: "He is an incredible player. The offensive players get the credit but he does the dirty work. He has this brain for the game, where he can smell danger and always finds himself there. The timing of his challenge is very good and he's up there with the top players at winning the ball back."

Now, it could be Newcastle who are left benefitting from the Nigerian's work in what would be a bargain deal this summer.

A huge claim has emerged on Rangers and their chances of bringing a new striker to Ibrox in the summer transfer window…

What’s the talk?

Rangers have been linked with a swoop for Stephen Odey and his club’s sporting director Soren Pedersen has now provided an update on the situation.

He has claimed that no bids have come in for the gem at this moment in time, whilst admitting that a deal can be done ‘easily’ if a team comes forward.

Speaking to Bold, via the Daily Record, he said this about Rangers eyeing the 24-year-old: “At least they are not so concrete, so I don’t have an offer on the table from there.

“It can happen easily. There are many clubs that have shown interest in him because he is a good player, but there is nothing concrete from there.”

Ross Wilson will be delighted

The Gers chief will be delighted by these comments for multiple reasons.

Firstly, the suggestion that a deal will be easy to complete with leave him buzzing as it indicates that Randers are open to selling him. This means that Wilson would not need to convince them to part ways with the attacker and negotiations can run smoothly.

Instead of needing to haggle with Pedersen and jump through hoops to get a move over the line, the Light Blues supremo can wrap a transfer up quickly. This will give him more time to focus on other areas instead of splitting his attention whilst attempting to sign Odey and other targets.

Wilson will also be delighted because the attacker has the potential to be an excellent signing for the Premiership giants next term.

Odey ended the 2021/22 Danish top-flight season with seven goals and one assist in 21 starts – creating three ‘big chances’ for his teammates along the way.

In the Europa Conference League, he managed three goals in four starts and averaged a SofaScore rating of 7.18, which means that he plundered ten goals in 25 starts in total across both competitions.

He has also had Champions League experience in the past – scoring against Premier League side Liverpool – and this could be useful to the Gers as they prepare for another European run.

At the age of 24, he is also a player who can be a long-term investment by the club. Whilst his statistics suggest that he can be an immediate goal threat for Gio van Bronckhorst, he has the potential to improve in the future and grow as he gains experience in Scotland.

AND in other news, Rangers have “increased hope” of signing £5.4m-rated “goal machine”, GvB will love him…

West Ham United could renew their interest in Sevilla striker Youssef En-Nesyri, having been heavily linked with the player over the past year or so.

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, journalist Paul Brown has suggested that the Hammers will still be keeping tabs on the 25-year-old amid their current striker search, although a sizeable offer appears unlikely due to the Moroccan’s recent dip in form.

The transfer insider stated: “I’m pretty sure he’s still on their radar. They had quite a big bid turned down for him at one point when it looked like he was their most likely option that window.

“Since then, his forms gone off a cliff a little bit. He hasn’t had a great season, and it would be a surprise if West Ham were to make a big bid for him now.”

The east Londoners are believed to be contemplating a move this summer having reportedly seen a £27m bid rejected in January – short of the Spanish side’s £40m valuation – with their interest stretching back to January 2021.

Moyes’ own Giroud

As Brown alluded to, the former Leganes man did endure a difficult last campaign in Spain, netting just five league goals and providing just one assist in 23 games for the La Liga outfit.

Prior to that, however, the 48-cap marksman had scored 24 goals in all competitions in what was a real standout campaign during the 2020/21 season, notably netting six times in just eight Champions League games for the Andalusian outfit.

That “prolific” form – as described by journalist Muhammad Butt – unsurprisingly caught the attention of those at the London Stadium, with the £45k-per-week man seemingly the figure who can finally end their centre-forward woes.

Despite reports that manager David Moyes will not break the bank for a new number nine, the continued void left by the departure of a newly-rejuvenated Sebastian Haller 18 months ago has placed for too great a burden on Michail Antonio, with extra competition seemingly vital ahead of next term.

The former Manchester United boss may potentially have doubts over En-Nesyri’s lack of Premier League experience, although according to FBref, the one-time Malaga man shares a number of stylistic and statistical similarities to a man who does – Olivier Giroud.

The current AC Milan hotshot spent nine years in English football prior to his move to Italy last summer, netting 144 goals and providing 55 assists in 372 games in all competitions across spells at London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea, notably winning the FA Cup on four occasions during that time.

The 2018 World Cup winner – who is the second-top scorer for France at present with 48 goals in 112 caps – has dazzled with his repertoire of delightful finishes throughout his career, producing a catalogue of goals that would be the envy of anyone in Europe.

To potentially find a comparable figure in En-Nesyri – who is also left-footed like the veteran ace – will no doubt be a huge source of excitement to both Hammers supporters and the club itself, with the Irons seemingly in need of a lethal leading man who knows where the goal is.

IN other news, Moyes plotting move for “special” £45m “baller”, he’d be a “superstar” for West Ham

Everton are in desperate need to freshen up their squad after a difficult relegation battle in the Premier League last season, and a new update has now emerged from a reliable source detailing the summer transfer plans at Goodison Park.

What’s the latest?

The Athletic’s Everton reporter Patrick Boyland has given an insight as to what the club are targeting to improve and how they will go about reinvesting into the squad this summer.

In an article for The Athletic, he confirmed that the Toffees have now released Cenk Tosun, Fabian Delph and Gylfi Sigurdsson upon the expiry of their contracts, and Jonjoe Kenny has also joined the trio in leaving Goodison Park after refusing a new deal at the club.

Boyland added that Everton will look to reduce their costs wherever possible to improve Frank Lampard’s scope to reinvest and rebuild the squad, and any new signings will need to not only be more cost-effective but offer a regular contribution to the team.

Supporters will love it

Everton have earned a reputation for reckless spending and bad transfer decisions ever since Farhad Moshiri arrived at the club in 2016, so supporters will love hearing that the Toffees are finally going to start spending smarter and investing in players who can make a direct impact more often.

The club is already on the cusp of signing James Tarkowski on a free transfer this summer, so that will be a shrewd piece of business for Everton as they attempt to rebuild and improve their squad ahead of next season.

Lampard may need to replace Richarlison, who has been linked with a move to Tottenham in a deal rumoured to be worth £51m. Although losing the Brazilian would be a huge dent in the goal contributions that he offers to Everton, the money earned from the transfer would certainly give the Toffees manager something to work with in replacing him this summer.

Everton are also linked with a move for Conor Gallagher this summer, who has been touted to join Goodison Park on loan. Chelsea would likely be unwilling to sell the player as they see him as a future starter in their team, but again it would be a major coup for Moshiri to immediately improve the side ahead of next season.

Ultimately, if Everton can look to the free transfer market and acquire loan deals, along with selling players who are not up to scratch or looking to move on, they could be in good stead to have a decent transfer window and compete a bit better in the Premier League next season should they identify the right players.

AND in other news – “Interested…”: Insider drops big Everton transfer update, supporters will be buzzing

Celtic have been linked with a move for Lommel midfielder Vinicius Souza.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, the Hoops have joined the list of clubs pursuing the player this summer. The report claimed that Celtic have “scheduled discussions with the Brazilian’s representatives” over a potential move to Glasgow.

After starting his career with Flamengo, the 22-year-old – who is currently valued at £4.05m by Transfermarkt – joined his current club in October 2020.

The midfielder spent the recent campaign on loan with fellow Belgian side KV Mechelen, making 35 appearances across all competitions. In that time, the Brazilian scored two goals and provided one assist, showing that he can be a useful figure in front of goal on occasion.

Also, of his 13 shots at goal throughout the campaign, seven were on target, leaving him with the second-highest percentage for shots on target (53.8%) out of players that had more than one attempt at goal for the club.

However, it was his defensive output which stood out throughout the campaign, as he ended the season with more interceptions (64) and more tackles won (66) than any other player at Mechelen.

Postecoglou’s new warrior

This backs up why Souza was labelled as a “warrior” on Twitter by football scout Mikail Serin, who also described the player as a “complete contact game freak.”

Taking all this into account, it seems as though the 22-year-old is a very well-rounded midfielder despite still being quite young.

In terms of a potential move to Parkhead this summer, the fact that the Hoops recently said goodbye to Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton makes it easy to see why the club are set to hold talks over a move for the Brazilian midfielder.

If Ange Postecoglou wants to add a new midfield warrior to his squad as they prepare to not only defend their Premiership title but try to go as far as they can in Europe as well, securing a deal for Souza could be a very astute prospective move by the Hoops.

In other news: Ange can land the next Carter-Vickers as Celtic eye swoop for “aggressive” £6.3m-rated machine