I have been told that Manchester United will not offer Marcus Rashford a new deal this summer and they are intending to sell him to Aston Villa with a £60 million price tag being discussed. 

Marcus, currently recovering from a second mishap with his latest £700,000 Rolls Royce car, has increased his level of performance for Villa but is still not reaching the peak he once displayed at United. His England performance against Albania was disappointing. United coach Ruben Almiron was upset with Rashford’s attitude and benched him before moving him to Villa on loan in January. The player himself said he would prefer to leave Old Trafford.

 

Real Madrid have eyes on Liverpool stars

Whenever Real Madrid makes noises in the transfer market, it is best to pay attention. Their current interest is in signing the Liverpool pair of Trent Alexander-Arnold and defender Ibrahima Konate. Arsenal’s William Saliba was a No1 priority for Real but the player himself ruled that out as a non-starter, pledging his future to the Gunners and negotiating a new contract. Konate has just one year left on his contract and is more likely to move to Spain. With Liverpool’s solid back line, including Konate and Van Dijk under threat of a break-up, Arne Slot has spoken to both players about staying and offered a new contract to Konate but no agreement has yet been reached.

 

End of season success is vital for Man United

I have been finding out the feelings behind the scenes at Manchester United, regarding the club’s ambitions for the rest of this season. United could easily finish in the bottom half of the table for the first time since 1990. However, a Champions League spot for next year is still not beyond them and staff at the club remain upbeat. In order to qualify for Europe’s top competition, they will have to win the Europa League. It will not be an easy passage because French side Lyon are next up and if they overcome that hurdle, either Athletic Bilbao or Rangers are next.

At present, they need seven points to break into the top half of the Premier League table and a good run of form would certainly make that possible. Injuries have hit United hard with key players Lisandro Martinez, Amad, Kobbie Mainoo and Patrick Dorgu all unavailable.

Not qualifying for the latter stages of the Europa League will be a disaster.

 

Heaven awaits recall for Forest match

Ayden Heaven expects to play in a tough away game against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday. The rise and rise of Manchester United’s 18 year-old centre-back has been one of the great success stories of this season. Welcome news for supporters is a return to training for the potential England international after he suffered a leg injury which saw him stretchered off against Leicester. Despite leaving the ground with his leg in a brace, the United medical team say the injury is not as serious as they feared. Whilst laid up and resting his leg, he did his best to respond to all the fan messages of “get well” sent on social media.

 

Huijsen flattered by Real Madrid interest

Bournemouth’s young 19-year-old centre-back Dean Huijsen has given an indication that he will move in the summer with the former Juventus player attracting interest from Real Madrid. Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool are also tracking him and have scouts watching his progress each week. He gave a hint of where he might play when confirming, “It’s an honour when you hear about Real Madrid interest and I am proud that such a big club is interested in me. It’s special for sure.” Given the position he plays, it is hardly surprising that Real Madrid are the standout club to sign him and he explained it by saying, “My idol is Sergio Ramos. For me, he is the best centre back in history. He has everything. He’s a legend.”

Huijsen has a market value of £21.9million but Bournemouth have made it clear they are thinking more along the lines of £55 million.

 

United’s insult to long-standing loyal supporters

In yet another move which has upset supporters, Manchester United minority shareholders INEOS, controlled by Sir James Ratcliffe, are taking away long serving season ticket holders’ seats just behind the dugout in the Sir Bobby Charlton stand. Some have held their season tickets for 50 or 60 years and their loyalty has been ignored by the club in order to make more money. United, under INEOS, plans to sell those tickets as “expensive” hospitality seats.

This move particularly affects the older supporters because those seats are near the pitch and offer easier access and exits for the less abled. It is a direct hit on the long-standing supporters. There are about 500 affected and the club added further insult when each member received a short email last week which informed them that they were being moved to another part of the ground.

 

Osimhen problem as Jackson returns

Chelsea have a decision to make. Nigeria’s Victor Osimhen joined Galatasaray on loan after a failed attempt by Chelsea to sign him in January. He has played 22 times for the Turkish giants and propelled them to the top of their table with 20 goals and four assists. He has been very important for Nigeria also and fired in two first half goals giving the Super Eagles a 2-0 win over Rwanda. Chelsea scouts were again watching and reporting back and the Blue’s recruitment team are definitely preparing another move to sign Victor.

The big decision is whether or not the club will rely on Osimhen or Nicolas Jackson, as their main striker, should the two end up together at Stamford Bridge.

 

Becker plays down “concussion” injury

Liverpool’s Alisson Becker says he is feeling fine after sustaining a head injury on international duty. He was replaced in the Brazilian national team by Bento and the team doctor said he suspected Alisson had suffered a concussion. Liverpool meet Everton in their local derby next Wednesday and the keeper said on social media that he has every intention of playing in that game with Caoimhin Kelleher standing by.

 

Grealish could join Walker at AC Milan

Kyle Walker is doing very well on loan at Serie A club AC Milan and he could soon be joined by his Manchester City teammate Jack Grealish. The Italian giants are interested in adding Jack to their squad on loan but they are also discussing a £40 million permanent deal which I am told City would be prepared to accept. That would however be a huge drop from the £100 million they paid for Jack. There are also rumours circulating that both Aston Villa and Newcastle might enter a bidding war if a move looks likely.