Manchester United are guarded against entering into another transfer saga with Borussia Dortmund for striker Erling Haaland after spending 10 weeks trying to negotiate a lower fee for team-mate Jadon Sancho last summer.
United executives will privately be urged to assess whether Haaland is a viable option, but exit the race quickly if the cost is judged too high so that other centre-forward targets can be pursued, report Laurie Whitwell and David Ornstein.
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Clubs in pursuit of Haaland have been made aware that signing him would break wage structures across Europe as agent Mino Raiola and the 20-year-old’s ex-footballer father Alfe-Inge continue to lay the groundwork for a money-spinning summer transfer.
That is certainly the case at both United and Dortmund’s Champions League quarter-finals opponents Manchester City, where demands above what their current top earners are on have been communicated. David De Gea is United’s highest-paid player, on more than £375,000 per week, while Kevin De Bruyne last week signed a new contract at City to affirm his status at a similar range.
The dilemma for both teams is whether to clear a path for Haaland to take financial supremacy over established players, given he would be new to the squad and his age (he turns 21 in July). Significant intermediary payments to Raiola and Haaland senior are also a factor, before even considering the expected fee due to Dortmund.
Harry Kane is next on United’s list, but they would not do business at the proposed £120 million fee mooted within the industry. It is understood that Tottenham Hotspur chairman Daniel Levy will not sell Kane to another English club under any circumstances.
Edinson Cavani showed his worth against Spurs on Sunday with a supreme display of movement that was capped by a diving header, his eighth goal of the season, in United’s 3-1 win. The 34-year-old Uruguayan is still undecided on whether to stay for the extra option year on his contract, with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in regular dialogue. Cavani also has an offer to return to South America with leading Argentine team Boca Juniors.
Sancho remains of interest to United, but the club would only proceed with negotiations in the upcoming window if Dortmund’s £110 million asking price from last summer comes down significantly. The issue of wages or agent fees would not be as complicated as with Haaland however, given both matters were agreed upon previously.
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There’s also thought to be admiration for England winger Sancho at Paris Saint-Germain, although much will depend on their attempt to renew the contract of striker Kylian Mbappe.
Sancho is set to miss the second leg of Dortmund’s quarter-final with former club City on Wednesday night through injury, but the 21-year-old is in communication with England team-mates based in Manchester, with some friendly jokes about possibly returning to the Premier League.
Camavinga set to reject any contract offer from Rennes
Eduardo Camavinga is one of Europe’s most coveted young players and The Athletic understands the 18-year-old midfielder will not be signing a new contract at his French club Rennes, paving the way for an exit either this summer or when his current deal expires in 2022.
The teenager impressed in the Champions League group phase earlier this season despite Rennes not winning a game and has already broken into France’s senior team, marking his first start by scoring a sublime overhead kick against Ukraine in October. He has been linked to a host of top clubs, most notably Real Madrid, while his agent Jonathan Barnett recently told The Athletic that he thinks Camavinga is capable of playing in the Premier League next season.
Unsurprisingly then, Rennes are very keen to tie down their most marketable asset by offering him lucrative fresh terms, but it is believed Camavinga has no intention of signing a new deal, with the club currently seventh in Ligue 1 and in danger of missing out on European football of any kind next season.
Although it is expected that Camavinga will reject the offer of an extension, what is less clear is when he will leave the club.
While there is no shortage of interest in the teenager, the difficulties of this summer’s COVID-19-impacted market may mean he will have more options by seeing out the remainder of his contract and leaving as a free agent at the end of the 2021-22 season.
Bielsa was prepared for Leeds going down to 10 men
Leeds United stunned title-bound Manchester City on Saturday by winning 2-1 at the Etihad Stadium, despite being reduced to 10 men when captain Liam Cooper was sent off on the brink of half-time.
For many teams, the prospect of an extended period of time one man down might have appeared a daunting prospect but in the case of Leeds, head coach Marcelo Bielsa’s extensive preparation meant that they had actually prepared only this week for the scenario that they may play with 10 men, writes Adam Crafton.
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Indeed, The Athletic understands that Bielsa has conducted several sessions and tutorials on how his team should play if they are at a numerical disadvantage. This is because his preferred style of play centres on a man-to-man approach all over the field. As such, Leeds players were sufficiently well-briefed and prepared to cope and understand how they should play after Cooper was sent off.
In the dressing room at half-time, the coaching staff told their players how, rather than pressing the City centre-backs when they moved forward with the ball, Leeds players should mark the players who could receive possession from them. This had been discussed and coached at their Thorp Arch training ground during the week.
It would be stretching the matter to argue a red card was part of the Bielsa master plan, but the win is a testament to his attention to detail and also the benefit Leeds have felt by now enjoying full weeks to prepare for Premier League games due to reduced midweek fixtures in the schedule.
Leeds’ plan worked well in the second half as they allowed the City centre-backs to carry the ball forward but cut off their avenues to pass it on to more dangerous players. Opta data shows that John Stones carried the ball 698 metres in the opposition half during the match — more than any other player in a Premier League game this season, including second-placed Jack Grealish (587m for Aston Villa, vs West Bromwich Albion) and Jordan Henderson (559m for Liverpool, also against West Brom).
Sources described a hugely positive post-match atmosphere in the Leeds dressing room, with the players finally achieving the victory over an established top-six side after previous commendable performances in home draws with Chelsea and City, as well as an opening-day 4-3 defeat at champions Liverpool. It also further solidified the players’ faith in the team’s bold approach, despite humbling results against Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham.
Ramsey is happy at Juventus and under no impression club want to sell
Aaron Ramsey is frequently linked with a return to the Premier League but The Athletic understands he has received no indication Juventus wish to sell him this summer, reports James Horncastle.
Although the Wales international would appreciate more opportunities as a No 8, Ramsey is enjoying his football under Andrea Pirlo, who told reporters last December: “I didn’t know he was this good and intelligent.” Ramsey’s family are settled in Turin. His wife, a blue-ribbon chef, enjoys the culinary opportunities the area provides and their eldest child is learning Italian.
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Juventus closed the first half of the 2020-21 season with a €113.7 million loss as clubs of all sizes count the cost of the pandemic and admitted in their most recent financial report that they “could eventually raise funding through the disposal of players’ registration rights”.
In laymen’s terms, that means player sales.
Ramsey turned 30 in December and is under contract until the end of June 2023. Anyone interested in signing the former Arsenal midfielder will be aware that, for comparison’s sake, his salary puts him among the very highest earners in the Premier League.
Matching the €7.5 million net he earns in basic pay alone in Italy would represent a challenge for prospective suitors in the event Ramsey was considering a new challenge.
GBE appeals panel to remain for summer transfer window
An appeals panel that hears the cases of footballers who narrowly miss out on securing a work permit to play in the Premier League or EFL will be retained for this summer’s transfer window.
The January transfer window was English football’s introduction to new work permit rules following the UK’s departure from the European Union, with every player signed from overseas needing to qualify for a governing body endorsement (GBE) by earning at least 15 points in a rankings system to be eligible for a move.
Players who narrowly missed out on securing a GBE by earning 10-14 points could appeal their case to an “exceptions panel” — which The Athletic has been told will be retained for the upcoming window despite initially being intended as a short-term measure that would end after January.
That is largely down to the significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global football calendar, which has resulted in several international fixtures and tournaments being postponed or cancelled, making it more difficult for players to earn the necessary number of merit points to secure a move to either the Premier League or EFL.
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“An appeals panel is essential this summer because COVID-19 has affected the number of games and tournaments that have been able to take place around the world,” one source explained.
A player’s eligibility is assessed by a range of factors, including their number of international appearances, the “quality of the selling club, based on the league they are in, league position and progression in continental competition” and “club appearances, based on domestic league and continental competition minutes”.
UKAD set for greater role in drug testing in football
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) is set to take on more responsibility for drug testing in football, a development that has been warmly welcomed by some in the game.
It is understood the FA will play less of a role, having previously sent an official — known as a Football Association Supervising Officer (FASO) — to “act as a facilitator for all involved in the testing process”, which does not tend to happen in other sports in England.
The move is designed to try to ensure all governing bodies follow the same processes in terms of anti-doping, while it will also save the cash-strapped FA an unnecessary outlay.
UKAD, the body responsible for carrying out drug tests in UK sport, already has the contract to carry out the FA’s social drug regulations programme, understood to be worth around £1.5 million a year, which is separate to football’s obligations under the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code.
Social drugs, such as cocaine, are banned at all times in football to protect players and “the image and reputation of the sport”.
UKAD tested 1,302 Premier League footballers in 2019 but only 24 during the first UK lockdown last year, according to figures obtained by The Athletic.
A UKAD spokesperson said: “The revised UK national anti-doping policy is due to be published soon. It is UKAD’s role to ensure that all funded sports are compliant with the policy.”
Musiala donated signed footballs to Southampton charity
Jamal Musiala’s international debut for Germany does not mean he has forgotten his English roots, reports Raphael Honigstein.
The 18-year-old forward moved to Southampton with his family from Germany at the age of seven and The Athletic can reveal he remains involved with a community-based football coaching project in the Hampshire city, recently helping the group to raise funds by sending two signed footballs and a video message.
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Musiala first came to England when his mother, Carolin, was given the opportunity to take part in a four-month Erasmus overseas-study programme at the University of Southampton. It was there that Musiala met the Bhatti brothers, who were involved in the Southampton FC foundation and also the City Central Football Club, where he began playing.
The youngster’s talent quickly took him to London, where he joined the Chelsea academy, but Musiala remained in contact with the Bhattis and is now helping their Streets 2 Elite community-based football coaching project.
Musiala supported the group’s Easter raffle to raise money for future projects by sending footballs signed by himself and Bayern Munich team-mate Robert Lewandowski, while he also plans to send a personal video message to the kids, by way of a card that will come with a QR code and video message.
Enjoying an extraordinary breakthrough campaign, Musiala was on the scoresheet on Saturday during Bayern’s 1-1 draw with Union Berlin. Last month, he made his full Germany debut in a 3-0 win over Iceland — having decided against representing England as revealed in an exclusive interview with The Athletic — and in February he signed a lucrative new five-year contract with Bayern.
Villa begin contract talks with Targett
Aston Villa are in talks with in-form defender Matt Targett over a new contract, reports Gregg Evans.
The 25-year-old is Villa’s most improved player this season and has established himself as one of the most reliable left-backs in the Premier League. Targett is enjoying his time in the West Midlands following a £14 million move from Southampton in July 2019.
He still has two years left on his current deal but is in line for a pay rise and extension following a fine run of form.
Villa are committed to rewarding their best players with enhanced terms and security for the future as they look to build again for next season. Jack Grealish, John McGinn, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa have all signed up for the long term this season and Targett is likely to be next.
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The defender has started all 30 league games so far this season, helping Villa keep 14 clean sheets. He’s also missed just 15 minutes of Premier League action all season — the latter stages of a 2-0 defeat to Manchester City, when both goals were scored after he went off.
Villa may decide to strengthen the full-back areas this summer, as both Neil Taylor and Ahmed Elmohamady are out of contract in June. Right-back Matty Cash has been impressive in his debut season, though, and talks over a new deal for him are also likely to follow in the months ahead.
Forshaw set for Leeds comeback after 18 months out
Leeds midfielder Adam Forshaw could make his first competitive appearance in more than 18 months this week following a long fight to recover from hip surgery, reports Phil Hay.
Forshaw has a chance of playing in the under-23s match between Leeds and Aston Villa on Friday, a year and a half on from his last first-team outing.
The 29-year-old was sidelined by a problem affecting a hip and his groin after the 1-0 Championship defeat at Charlton Athletic in September 2019. Attempts to nurse him over the injury were unsuccessful and he was sent for specialist surgery in the US in February of last year. Head coach Marcelo Bielsa, however, has not been able to call on him at any stage of this season.
Forshaw is understood to have completed an hour of a game organised between Leeds’ under-23s and non-League York City at Thorp Arch on Saturday, played out while Bielsa’s senior squad were claiming that dramatic 2-1 win away to champions-elect Manchester City despite being down to 10 men for the whole second half.
The former Middlesbrough midfielder is understood to have come safely through the 60-minute run-out and will now be considered for another academy game in the days ahead, raising the prospect of a first-team comeback.
Derby County Women applying for promotion
Women’s National League North side Derby County could be competing in the Championship next season, having applied for promotion to the second tier, reports Katie Whyatt.
The club have proposed a hybrid model, under which existing players will spend more hours training to meet the Championship’s stipulated number of contracted hours but will still be able to hold full-time jobs outside football. The other players will hold scholarships to the football journalism course at the University of Derby, each worth £30,000 over three years.
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Full-time professionalism will “come in time but at the outset, it is not in our model”, said Duncan Gibb, the chief executive of Derby County Women. “One of our players was approached this season by a Super League (WSL) club but that player is in a very well-paid job,” he continued. “If we were to simply go, ‘We’re going full-time, and everybody’s going to have to do this (football) nine to five’, then that is going to actually have a detrimental effect for some of our players.”
This will be Derby’s third application for entry into the second tier, having previously applied in 2019 to fill the place left by Manchester United’s promotion to the WSL. They applied again last year as part of an open bidding process — the National League had been voided due to the pandemic, with Derby in second place — but were again unsuccessful. The FA is understood to have told the Midlands club that their failed bids were nonetheless strong.
“We believe that we are a Championship club, and have been probably for two or three seasons,” Gibb said. “As far as we can see, we would be sitting in the middle of the Championship in terms of staffing and player expenditure.
“Some clubs look at signing players at a younger age because the minimum wage is a lot lower. We haven’t gone with that approach. We plan to be paying players a rate that is probably greater than other clubs, but it wouldn’t necessarily mean that those players would commit full-time.”
The FA is currently taking applications from clubs in the top divisions of the National League after tiers 3-6 of the women’s game were declared null and void for the second successive season due to the pandemic. Clubs that had already met the initial application deadline of January 29 are now being asked to reapply and the process is also open to new clubs.
Former WSL side Yeovil are among those who have applied.
(Photos: Getty Images/Design: Sam Richardson)