• United’s Ed Woodward is known to support the transfer and manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer is also very keen.
• It is likely that United will offer Sancho the famous No7 shirt once worn by Cristiano Renaldo and David Beckham.
Media reports have linked Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool in the fight to sign Jadon Sancho from German side Dortmund when the next transfer window opens at the end of the season. However, I can reveal that Liverpool do not intend to bid for the £100million winger.
Manager Jurgen Klopp feels he does not need to improve his squad in that position. United’s Ed Woodward is known to support the transfer and manager Ole Gunner Solskjaer is also very keen. Striker Marcus Rashford said: “I think it would be good for us because he is exciting to watch and myself, Anthony Martial and Jadon would play well together. He is creative and imaginative and is just what we need.”
It is likely that United will offer Sancho the famous No7 shirt once worn by Cristiano Renaldo and David Beckham. Sancho is also said to be keen on a move to the Premier League where he began his career at Manchester City. Chelsea are the only other club in the race at the moment and owner Roman Abramovich has deep pockets but United are the favourites to make the signing.
Marcus is setting a brilliant example
I am full of admiration for Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford. He is a delightful young man, friendly, unassuming and modest for someone with such enormous talent. And he genuinely cares about people. During home isolation, Rashford has been working to raise money to provide poor children with meals to replace the free lunchtime meals they would have received if schools had not been closed because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Rashford himself used to receive free school meals and he knows how important they are. Both Manchester United and Manchester City have come together to provide help for families during the lockdown period. Together they have raised over £100k and Marcus has also been working with them to raise more and has handsomely donated himself. He already helps deaf children at school and has been judging the Marcus Rashford Poetry competition which has attracted hundreds of entries.
It is not possible to visit schools now because of the lockdown. However, both he and his family have been sifting through the entries to find a winner. Rashford has also been taking lessons in learning sign language so he can communicate better with deaf and dumb children when he visits schools, which he does often.
Rashford is exercising at home to help with his back injury and is working every day to a programme provided by the United medical team. When asked for a message to send out to children about the virus situation he said: “Children, keep safe, keep active by exercising and most of all keep smiling and we will all get through this together.” What a credit he is to young people and especially successful, rich young footballers.
Alone at the Emirates
It is 3 o’clock UK time on a Saturday afternoon. I am standing outside Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium on a day that should have seen the whole area buzzing with Gunners’ fans. The atmosphere would have been electric and the noise building into a crescendo even before the game begins with fans having taken their seats inside this magnificent arena. Instead, I am standing alone, not because I am obeying the government’s advice to self-isolate, but because there simply is no one else around.
Actually, I am breaking the rules because strictly speaking, I shouldn’t be here at all considering we are all supposed to be at home on a lockdown. Outside the Emirates Stadium it is eerily quiet, as though the world has come to the end and I am the only one left on earth. The gates are locked, there are no security men and even the meat pie vans have packed up and departed. The silence is deafening and the loneliness very unnerving. Coronavirus has shut our football world down, cleared out almost every stadium in Europe and banned the supremely talented football players to their homes. We fans stare at our blank TV screens, empty of wonderful goals, celebrations and shouting commentators.
When will it all end? Will we all be able to survive without our beloved game? I looked at my watch as the big hand reached 3 o’clock… there was no whistle, no roar of the crowd and no rivalry on the pitch. I will be working extra hard, talking to players on the phone and following up on any leads to write for you and keeping you in touch with all that is Premier League football. I have never known such strange times — but the only person I am able to tell this to, as I stand outside the empty Emirates Stadium — is myself. Thank you for reading this column… Perhaps I am not so alone after all and together we will get through these challenging times.
Real looking to save money by selling Bale
When Gareth Bale was prevented by Real Madrid from joining Chinese club Jiansu Suning for £1million a week, little did they realise that it might cost them a fortune. I have been told by my Spanish contacts that the club have finally decided to release him this summer to save money as their highest paid player. However, the Chinese FA want to promote home grown players and have put restrictions on bringing in foreign players. The problem is that no clubs have come in from Europe to sign the Welshman unless Real pay a large percentage of his huge salary. The coronavirus has meant a serious loss of income for most clubs and financial restraints are in place as clubs seek to balance their books and save money wherever possible with many clubs imposing a salary cut for players. The only other way Real can cut short Bale’s contract, which has two years to run, is to give him a massive pay off. Bale himself is happy to stay and see out his contract and is therefore content to sit and watch events. America’s MLS is a possible move. However, that once again would mean Real taking a big financial hit as they would pay part of his salary and take a lower price for the 30 year-old.
Hands off Jimenez, say Wolves
Wolves have very rich owners and Real Madrid, Manchester United and Arsenal circling around their striker Raul Jimenez does not impress them. In fact the club have issued a ‘hands off, he is not for sale at any price’ warning. The 28 year-old Mexican has scored 22 goals in 45 appearances this season and his 15 goals in 37 matches helped Wolves finish seventh in their first season back in the Premier League.
Guardiola wants Juve’s Bonucci
From information I have received from Manchester, it looks like City’s John Stones is losing his fight to stay at the club as Pep Guardiola becomes increasingly more worried about his reliability. On top form, Stones is world class, but on too many occasions he has been found to be a weak link in the club’s defence. Injuries and a consistent lack of form have dented his credentials at City. My info centres around reliable information that Guardiola has told his scouts and club to target Juventus centre back Bonucci. Juve boss Maurizio Sarri regards 32 year-old Bonucci as his rock in defence but Guardiola has asked City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak to pay whatever it takes to land the Italian and with his financial muscle, this could happen during the summer.
Chelsea eye on Moroccan star
Chelsea executives have contacted Real Madrid about Morocco international Achraf Hakimi. The 21-year-old has been at Borussia Dortmund on loan and has impressed with seven goals and 10 assists. Because the loan deal does not include an option which would allow Dortmund to purchase Hakimi, several clubs have registered an interest. Bayern Munich have joined Chelsea as an interested party but Real said they would wait until the season ends before making any definite decisions. Real manager Zinedine Zidane said he plans to use Hakimi in his first team squad next season and he can play as either a full back or winger. Chelsea, however, have decided that if Willian does not accept their two-year contract extension offer, they will go for Hakimi as his replacement. Willian is out of contract in the summer and if he moves clubs, he wants to stay in the Premier League and Tottenham would be in the hunt to sign him. Jose Mourinho is a known admirer and the two worked well together when he was the manager at Chelsea.
Bayern say no swap deal for Sane
In order to stop rumours unsettling their defensive star David Alaba, Bayern Munich have sent journalists a statement saying that swapping their star for Manchester City’s Leroy Sane is “rubbish”. Sane has been watched by Bayern scouts for 12 months but the 24 year-old has been out of action for the past few months because of injury. Sane played for German team Schalke before his move to City for £46.5million. Bayern’s team boss told us this week, “I would like to say very clearly that swapping the two players is not an option for Bayern at all, we are not in the bazaar.”