BBC
Arsenal are preparing a club record £92m offer for West Ham's 24-year-oldEngland midfielder Declan Rice. (Telegraph - subscription)
Bayern Munich are also interested in Rice as manager Thomas Tuchel looks to refresh his midfield. (Mirror)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is considering signing Manchester City's 28-year-old Portugal defender Joao Cancelo, who is on loan at Bayern Munich, but the Gunners fear City will be reluctant to do business with them this summer. (Talksport)
Paris St-Germain want Manchester City's Portugal midfielder Bernardo Silva, 28, for £70m after failing to sign him last summer. (Telegraph - subscription)
Chelsea's talks with 30-year-old Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku about his future will be delayed until after Inter Milan, where he is on loan, play City in the Champions League final on 10 June. (Telegraph - subscription)
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp offered 37-year-old English midfielder James Milner, who will leave at the end of the season, a coaching role. (Mirror)
Manchester United have agreed personal terms with Napoli's 26-year-old South Korea defender Kim Min-jae. (Il Mattino via Metro)
Arsenal's 24-year-old Norway midfielder Martin Odegaard, whose contract runs out in 2025, is set to sign a new deal. (90min)
Bayer Leverkusen manager Xabi Alonso says he will still be in charge next season despite being linked withthe Tottenham vacancy. (Sky Sports)
Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga, 23, could move to Burnley to play under manager Vincent Kompany, who coached the Belgian at Anderlecht. (Express)
Crystal Palace's 30-year-old Ivory Coast forward Wilfried Zaha, whose contract expires in the summer, is considering staying at Selhurst Park. Talksport)
Barcelona will make a fresh attempt to sign Real Sociedad and Spain midfielder Martin Zubimendi, 24, this summer after Arsenal failed with a £53m bid in January. (Express)
Senegal forward Sadio Mane, 31, wants to stay at Bayern Munich despite his bust-up with team-mate Leroy Sane in April. (Fabrizio Romano)
Former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann was Chelsea's first choice to replace Graham Potter. (Times - subscription)
Nice, who are owned by British billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe's Ineos group, have met with Potter to discuss appointing him manager. (Foot Mercato - in French)
Nantes want former Crystal Palace manager Patrick Vieira if they avoid relegation. (L'Equipe - in French)
Swansea City manager Russell Martin is one of the candidates to take over at Southampton, who have been relegated from the Premier League this season. (Times - subscription)
Barcelona director of football Mateu Alemany is set to stay after changing his mind on a move to Aston Villa. (Mail)
Sky Paper Talk
DAILY MAIL
Manchester United and Newcastle have reportedly emerged as the likeliest clubs to sign Sadio Mane with Bayern Munich keen to offload the winger following a miserable debut season.
Everton are close to being sold in a deal worth around £600m, bringing to an end Farhad Moshiri's painful reign behind the controls.
Bayern Munich are reportedly weighing up a summer move for England and West Ham midfielder Declan Rice.
Tottenham are elevating their interest in Arne Slot as Feyenoord brace themselves for a fight to keep their head coach.
Spurs have been linked with a summer move for former Arsenal midfielder Matteo Guendouzi as the club look to bolster their midfield ranks.
Arsenal have made a third contract offer to Reiss Nelson after the winger rejected their first two proposals.
Mateu Alemany is ready to perform a U-turn in his decision to join Aston Villa and stay with Barcelona.
Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has claimed that the ongoing absence of former No 1 Robert Sanchez from the playing squad is because the Spanish international 'wanted it this way'.
LIV Golf have turned to Amanda Staveley in an ambitious bid to soothe relations with their sworn enemies at the PGA Tour.
Qatar is a shock contender to host the 2025 Rugby League World Cup despite huge fears over the country's human rights laws.
Marcus Rashford hopes to be available for Manchester United's remaining Premier League games and the FA Cup final against Manchester City after returning to training.
DAILY MIRROR
Arsenal are attempting to tie down captain Martin Odegaard to a long-term contract after Paris Saint-Germain shortlisted the player to replace the outgoing Lionel Messi.
Barcelona will make a fresh attempt to sign Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi this summer after Arsenal failed with a £53m transfer bid.
Tammy Abraham has admitted he's unsure "what the future will hold" amid rumours of a summer transfer from Jose Mourinho's Roma.
Min-Jae Kim's representatives have shut down speculation regarding a potential move to Manchester United and claim the proposed transfer is "not true".
Arsenal midfielder Albert Sambi Lokonga could be offered a transfer out of the club by Burnley boss Vincent Kompany this summer, with his Gunners future looking uncertain.
Zach Giggs, son of ex-Manchester United winger Ryan Giggs, has signed a contract with newly-promoted Premier League side Sheffield United.
Tottenham will not host talks with Eric Dier about a new deal until the summer.
THE SUN
Barcelona are tipped to launch a shock move for unhappy Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich.
Arsenal are reportedly preparing a shock move for Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo.
EVENING STANDARD
Arsenal are ready to start contract talks with captain Odegaard as they bid to secure the futures of the core players who led their title challenge.
Paris Saint-Germain are not expected to be able to follow up their interest in Harry Kane this summer, as the French club aim to drastically cut costs.
Xabi Alonso has confirmed he will be staying at Bayer Leverkusen next season.
Brighton are set to sign midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud amid the threat of Moises Caicedo or Alexis Mac Allister leaving the club.
Chelsea will not proceed with their interest in Brentford striker Ivan Toney as they target a new forward.
THE GUARDIAN
Chelsea are close to kick-starting their multi-club project by buying a stake in Strasbourg. The deal would be a major boost for the Premier League side's owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, who have been looking for suitable clubs to purchase since last summer.
THE TIMES
Chelsea told Julian Nagelsmann that he was their first choice to replace Graham Potter as head coach, the German's agent has claimed.
Russell Martin is in the frame to become Southampton's new manager as the south-coast club look to follow Burnley's template in making an immediate return to the Premier League.
Rafael Nadal is set to withdraw from the French Open today for the first time since 2004. The 14-times Roland Garros champion has called a press conference for Thursday at which he is expected to concede defeat in his battle to be fit for his most successful grand-slam tournament.
THE ATHLETIC
Gabriel Martinelli will miss the remainder of the season after suffering ankle ligament damage during Arsenal's 3-0 defeat to Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday.
Marcelo Bielsa says he did not need convincing to return to management with the Uruguay national team - but played down his status in the game because he has not managed a "big club".
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Paris Saint-Germain are exploring whether to make a fresh bid for Manchester City midfielder Bernardo Silva.
Inter Milan's participation in the final of the Champions League will delay talks over Romelu Lukaku's Chelsea future.
Everton's relegation rivals have been told the Premier League is powerless to fast-track the process of hearing the Merseyside club's financial fair play charges despite the considerable impact a guilty verdict would have on clubs.
The Manchester derby FA Cup final between United and City on June 3 has gone to referee Paul Tierney.
The Manchester United takeover saga could remain unresolved until the end of the Premier League season, with the Glazers still undecided on various contenders after six months.
DAILY RECORD
Graeme Souness will not be returning to Ibrox as Rangers sporting director or fronting a takeover, according to a report.
Ryan Kent is closing in on a deal to sign for Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the summer transfer window, according to reports.
Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou will make Aberdeen sweat until the summer over the prospect of landing Liam Scales on a permanent deal.
THE SCOTTISH SUN
Two Premier League clubs are reportedly interested in signing former Rangers midfielder Lassana Coulibaly.
Rangers are closing in on a deal for Ecuador midfielder Jose Cifuentes. But Manchester United want to hijack their move for keeper Jack Butland.
The Athletic
For West Ham and David Moyes, this moment is massive
By Roshane Thomas
As the years passed, David Moyes never opened the box that stored his FA Cup runners-up medal from 2009.
His Everton side lost 2-1 to Chelsea in the final in May that year and although some of his players cradled their medals, Moyes refused to do so. Reaching the final remains one of Moyes’ proudest moments as manager but the medal he received was a reminder of a day where only winners matter. He eventually gave it to his son, David Moyes Jnr.
Herein lies one of Moyes’ biggest motivations as he prepares for the second leg of West Ham United’s Europa Conference League semi-final tie against AZ Alkmaar.
He is one game away from leading West Ham to their first European final in 47 years. One game away from reaching his first final as a manager in 14 years. One game away from vindicating the West Ham board’s faith in keeping him as manager. And he is two games away from that elusive winner’s medal.
Moyes won the Community Shield in his first game in charge of Manchester United in 2013 but he has a rule that he will only open the box which contains a medal when he has won a major trophy. Having turned 60 in April, this could be one of the last chances of his career.
When it comes to domestic competitions during his time in charge of West Ham, Moyes has failed to get past the fifth round and quarter-finals of the FA and Carabao Cup respectively. It is in Europe where Moyes continues to impress.
But the match against AZ — West Ham lead 2-1 after the first leg at the London Stadium last week — has so many implications, most pertinent being Moyes’ future. The Scotsman’s contract expires in the summer of 2024 and he is expected to remain at the helm providing he wins the competition, yet failure to do so may lead to a change in direction from the board.
“To get to a European final, it could be my best (achievement),” says Moyes. “In the past, I’ve got to a Champions League quarter-final with Manchester United (in 2013-14), lost on penalties (trying to reach a) quarter-final of the Europa League with Everton (in 2007-08) and last year, we reached a semi-final (in the Europa League) here at West Ham.
“I want to try and take it a couple of steps further, and I would refer back to the serial winner Jose Mourinho, who found winning this trophy so special for him and his football club.”
Moyes’ father, David Snr, brother Kenny, daughter Lauren and his son attended last month’s quarter-final victory at Gent. While many managers have turned their noses up at the Conference League, Moyes’ family have enjoyed this season’s European adventures.
Moyes has been rewarded for fielding his strongest team, with his side yet to lose in the Conference League this season, with West Ham having won 10 of their 11 games. But battling relegation, poor performances and intense scrutiny means it has also been a tough season for him. Last month, Moyes cited missing his grandson’s birthday as one of the sacrifices he’s had to make in recent times and his wife, Pamela, has tried her best to lift his spirits.
“If you are going to be a football manager, your wife, family, kids have to understand exactly how it is going to be,” he said. “It plays a big part in their life because they don’t want a miserable husband or dad coming home. They’ve seen quite a miserable husband or dad quite regularly, to be honest.”
But Moyes has been in a jocular mood over the past few weeks. He promised Lucas Paqueta he would dance if West Ham win the competition and following victories over Bournemouth and Manchester United, he led celebrations in the dressing room by singing the chorus of 90s country/dance crossover Cotton Eye Joe.
Moyes is getting his mojo back at the right time and he isn’t the only one. Said Benrahma has been more consistent with his performances in recent weeks, having scored against Manchester United and in the first-leg win over AZ earlier this month. Michail Antonio also continues to impress as West Ham’s lone striker. The 33-year-old registered his 14th goal of the season against AZ, which is the most he has managed in a single campaign for West Ham.
Meanwhile, Declan Rice, who could leave the club this summer, has not let off-field speculation affect his performances. West Ham’s captain continues to lead by example and he scored a goal-of-the-season contender against Gent.
Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek want to win on home soil in Prague. Jarrod Bowen’s heavily pregnant partner, Dani Dyer, is due to give birth in June, which is another added motivation for the winger.
Key players have returned to form and Moyes’ man-management has also been important. He phoned Coufal after the World Cup to express how important he is amid interest from Bayer Leverkusen. He challenged Benrahma to improve and the Algeria international has done just that. He convinced Antonio to remain in east London during the January transfer window, despite interest from Wolverhampton Wanderers, Nottingham Forest and Chelsea. It comes as no surprise the dressing room is the happiest it’s been all season.
One year removed from the heartache of their Europa League semi-final loss to Eintracht Frankfurt, West Ham’s players are wiser and more determined. The Crowne Plaza Congress Hotel in Frankfurt was sorrowful following the loss. The topic of discussion at the airport the following morning was younger fans asking the older generation whether West Ham could achieve such a milestone again. A mournful look was often the response.
But Moyes and co. believe this year will be different. It is why no matter which player you speak to, the message is the same: “We want to go one step further.”
The ultimate test of that faith awaits against AZ.
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