Jose Mourinho wants Tiemoue Bakayoko at Manchester United. (AFP/Getty Images)
Jose Mourinho has made the signing of Tiemoue Bakayoko his top priority ahead of Manchester United’s summer transfer window, according to reports.
The Daily Mirror claims that the United manager has told vice-chairman Ed Woodward to conclude a deal for the in-demand Monaco midfielder, who is valued at £40 million.
It’s also reported that Mourinho views the 22-year-old as Michael Carrick’s long-term successor at the heart of United’s midfield.
United scouts __have been regularly watching the France international this season and were present when he registered a dominant display in the 3-1 win over Manchester City in the Champions League earlier this month.
Bakayoko is valued at £40m. (AFP/Getty Images)
Bakayoko is also wanted by Chelsea. (Getty Images)
Bakayoko has also attracted serious interest from Chelsea, who could hold the upper hand in negotiations if United fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
The report claims that Bakayoko is keen on playing under Mourinho but his preference is to continue playing in Europe’s elite competition.
Bakayoko has been regularly scouted by United. (Getty Images)
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But United are also hoping that Bakayoko’s close friendship with Anthony Martial may __have some influence on him opting to join Old Trafford over a Premier League rival.
Bakayoko made his senior France debut on Tuesday evening as Didier Deschamps’ side fell to a 2-0 defeat to Spain, and it was a mistake from the Monaco midfielder which led to the opening goal as his pass was cut out by Gerard Deulofeu, who then won a penalty from Laurent Koscielny’s challenge.
‘It’s a pity to lose the ball which put us in the shit,’ he said.
‘We have to move on. I learn, make mistakes in life and I will move on. But it’s certain that this makes me improve my game.’
Hector Bellerin has told Barcelona he wants to leave Arsenal, according to reports. (Getty Images)
Hector Bellerin has informed Barcelona that he is ready to leave Arsenal this summer, according to reports in Spain.
SER Catalunya radio show La Graderia claims that the 22-year-old met with Barca’s sporting director Robert Fernandez in London before the international break.
And in that meeting, Bellerin informed Fernandez that he is ready to end his six-year stint at Arsenal in order to return to Camp Nou.
It’s claimed that Bellerin’s desire to leave Arsenal will be strengthened if Arsene Wenger decides to leave the club at the end of his contract this summer.
Bellerin left Barcelona in 2011. (Getty Images)
Last week, Bellerin gave the biggest hint yet that he could leave Arsenal this summer by admitting he would find it hard to reject Barcelona.
‘Any player in the world would be very excited to know that Barca are interested, it is very nice to get recognised by Barcelona,’ he told Cadena SER.
‘My departure from Barca was a bit bittersweet because of the treatment from some people.
‘I was not treated the way I would __have liked to but it is clear that if Barcelona are interested it would be difficult to say no.’
Bellerin has a contract with Arsenal until 2022. (Getty Images)
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Fernandez, meanwhile, has admitted that a deal for Bellerin, who has a contract with Arsenal until 2022, would be complicated.
‘Of course Hector is a good player but it would be very difficult,’ he told Mundo Deportivo.
‘He is well known. He is playing at a great level but there are also other players that __have good characteristics.’
Alexis Sanchez wants to stay in London if he leaves Arsenal (Picture: Getty)
Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez has fueled speculation that he could join Chelsea by insisting he wants to stay in London if he leaves the Gunners.
The Chilean has 14 months to run on his existing deal at the Emirates and the Gunners are resigned to losing the former Barcelona star this summer.
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Sanchez, 28, has rejected two new deals at the club and the Gunners __have slapped a £50million price tag on the forward.
Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has identified Sanchez as a priority target for the Blues and Sanchez has fueled rumours he could move to Stamford Bridge by revealing he wants to stay in London if he leaves the Gunners.
Sanchez’s relationship with Wenger has deteriorated (Picture: Getty)
‘I am happy in London and I hope to finish my contract at Arsenal,’ Sanchez said at a press event in Santiago.
‘I want to stay in a winning team and keep playing in the same city. I want to play in a team that has aspirations
‘I’m 28 years old, I still __have a lot ahead of me. I am a player who takes great care of himself.’
Arsenal fixtures
Manchester City (H) – Sun 2 Apr West Ham (H) – Wed 5 Apr Crystal Palace (A) – Mon 10 Apr Middlesbrough (A) – Mon 17 Apr Manchester City (N) FA Cup – Sun 23 Apr Tottenham (A) – Sun 30 Apr Manchester United (H) – Sat 6 May Stoke (A) – Sat 13 May
Though the Gunners would prefer to sell abroad rather than loss Sanchez to a Premier League rival, the Chilean could force the club’s hands this summer.
Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain are also interested in the forward but if Sanchez prefers to stay in London than he could theoretically see out his contract with the Gunners before joining Chelsea.
Sanchez was left out of Arsenal’s starting line-up to play Liverpool earlier this month after a training ground bust-up.
The Chilean stormed off during a session at the club’s London Colney base and his attitude has been questioned in recent marks after a string of tantrums.
Arsene Wenger is set to sign a new two-year deal at the club (Picture: Getty)
Arsene Wenger is set to sign a new two-year deal with the Gunners after the Frenchman informed the Arsenal heirachy that he wanted to continue his work with the club.
The 66-year-old has come under intense scrutiny in recent weeks and an unparalleled amount of Arsenal supporters now want Wenger to leave the club at the end of the season.
Alexis Sanchez gives Chelsea major hope with latest interview on Arsenal future
The Gunners __have lost six of their last nine matches and Wenger has refused to announce a decision over his future at the club.
However, according to the Daily Mail, Wenger informed the Arsenal board during the International break that he wants to stay in north London and he’s set to sign a two-year deal that’s on the table.
Wenger has come under huge pressure in recent weeks (Picture: Getty)
Despite the pressure on Wenger’s head, the Arsenal board are happy with the Frenchman’s work at the club and believe a Champions League spot is still obtainable come the end of the season.
Should Arsenal miss out on the top four, the likes of Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez could leave the club. However, the board will back Wenger with significant funds in the transfer market.
Romelu Lukaku is wanted by Chelsea’s technical director. (Getty Images)
Antonio Conte is at odds with Chelsea’s hierarchy over which striker to sign this summer, according to reports.
The Sun claims that Antonio Conte’s preference is to sign Alvaro Morata from Real Madrid.
But technical director Michael Emenalo wants to re-sign Romelu Lukaku from Everton and is arguing that the Belgian’s experience of the Premier League should play a factor in the club’s decision.
The Premier League leaders will spend £70 million a new striker, with Morata and Lukaku the two most realistic options.
Antonio Conte’s preference is to sign Morata from Real Madrid. (Getty Images)
The Sun claim Chelsea are at odds over their striker targets. (The Sun)
The report also claims that Diego Costa is expected to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.
Tianjin Quanjian failed with a £90 million offer for the Spain international in the January window but are expected to reignite their interest this summer.
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Costa has also become increasingly vocal about this potentially being his last campaign at Stamford Bridge.
‘Anything can happen. Why not? You never know,’ he told El Larguero last week.
‘Now I’m happy at Chelsea but if tomorrow the Chinese come and Chelsea tell me I __have to go, I will no longer want to stay with them.’
We could predict the outcome of the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, but we might as well go the whole hog and say which drivers and teams will be the best and worst come Abu Dhabi.
Then, in November, we can turn around to our friends and say: "I told you so." Or maybe not.
Joining us on this crazy trip of predictions is chief F1 writer Andrew Benson, who explains his reasons for his forecasts. After which, you can probably get them all completely wrong as well.
Andrew's predictions
"Let's make one thing clear before we start - this is a bit of fun, based on not very much evidence at all. So let's not fall out if it's wrong.
"Having said that, pre-season testing did give some indications about how the year might shape up. No-one would be surprised if Mercedes turned up in Melbourne and blitzed everyone again. But it does not look that way right now. So assuming the picture so far is accurate, let's take a deep breath and jump in.
Top three drivers
1.Hamilton
2.Vettel
3.Ricciardo
"If the Mercedes and Ferrari are the two fastest cars, my money would be on Hamilton to beat Vettel to the championship.
"He's just that bit faster and better, as long as he can keep weekends such as Baku and Singapore last year to a minimum. It's a tough call between the two Red Bull drivers, but I've gone for Ricciardo to edge it just on the basis of last year.
"There was a sense of a momentum swing towards Verstappen at the end of 2016, though, both in races and in the pattern of qualifying. In which case the Dutchman could easily swing it."
Your turn...
Bottom three drivers
18. Vandoorne
19. Wehrlein
20. Ericsson
"Assuming Sauber will be last, Pascal Wehrlein would be expected to out-do Marcus Ericsson over a season. If he doesn't, his F1 career is almost certainly over. And on the basis of a terrible season for McLaren, Stoffel Vandoorne - promising and extravagantly talented though he is - cannot realistically be expected to beat Fernando Alonso in his first full season, unless the inevitable unreliability is skewed heavily in one direction.
"Had Esteban Gutierrez still been at Haas, he would be on this list instead of the Belgian. But Kevin Magnussen is a much stronger proposition so he and Romain Grosjean should be clear of this little 'battle'."
Your turn...
Top 3 slowest drivers
Which three drivers do you think will be slowest during the 2017 Formula 1 season?
First
1
Second
2
Third
3
Carlos SainzToro Rosso
Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull
Daniil KvyatToro Rosso
Esteban OconForce India
Felipe MassaWilliams
Fernando AlonsoMcLaren
Jolyon PalmerRenault
Kevin MagnussenHaas
Kimi RaikkonenFerrari
Lance StrollWilliams
Lewis HamiltonMercedes
Marcus Ericsson Sauber
Max Verstappen Red Bull
Nico HulkenbergRenault
Pascal WehrleinSauber
Romain GrosjeanHaas
Sebastian Vettel Ferrari
Sergio PerezForce India
Stoffel VandoorneMcLaren
Valtteri BottasMercedes
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Top three teams
1.Ferrari
2.Mercedes
3.Red Bull
"This is based not so much on the overall speed of the cars, but on the combination of team, car, engine, reliability and driver line-up.
"If testing is to be believed, the Ferrari could be the quickest car. And if it's of similar pace to the Mercedes, there's a decent chance Vettel-Raikkonen as a combination will score more points than Hamilton-Bottas, as it's inevitably going to take Bottas a while to adapt to a new team.
"However quick the Ferrari was in testing, it's hard to contemplate the idea of them beating Mercedes over a season, but let's go for it anyway. Red Bull may be similarly quick, but there is a reliability question mark over the Renault engine."
Your turn...
Top 3 fastest teams
Which three teams do you think __have made the fastest cars for F1 in 2017?
First
1
Second
2
Third
3
Ferrari
Force India
Haas
McLaren
Mercedes
Red Bull
Renault
Sauber
Toro Rosso
Williams
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Bottom three teams
8. Haas
9. McLaren
10. Sauber
"After their dire testing programme, McLaren should be at the bottom of this list. And things are so bad, they might yet be. But simply assuming that when the car does actually run, it will be faster than a Sauber (surely), and that Alonso-Vandoorne is several light years ahead of Ericsson-Wehrlein as a driver line-up, Sauber are last.
"Picking the team to finish bottom of a very tight midfield battle is extremely difficult. Haas looked the slowest but some of their rivals felt they must be hiding something. Still, on the basis of difficult-second-year syndrome, let's go for them."
Your turn...
Bottom three F1 teams
Which three teams do you think will be bottom of the pile during the 2017 Formula 1 season?
