BBC
Manchester United and Newcastle United have emerged as the likeliest clubs to sign Bayern Munich and Senegal forward Sadio Mane, 31, following a disappointing debut season in Germany. (Mail)
Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham and Fulham are among the clubs interested in Gent's 20-year-old Nigerian forward Gift Orban. (Evening Standard)
Manchester United are finalising their summer transfer plans, with Juventus' France midfielder Adrien Rabiot, 28, back on their shortlist along with Napoli's South Korea defender Kim Min-jae, 26. (Mirror)
Paris St-Germain are also targeting a summer move for centre-back Kim Min-jae, with the French cchampions having met the player's agent. (RMC Sport - in French)
As well as Brighton's Argentina World Cup winning midfielder Alexis Mac Allister, 24, Liverpool are monitoring Chelsea's England midfielder Mason Mount, 24, while Bayern Munich's Netherlands midfielder Ryan Gravenberch, 21, is another player being assessed. (Liverpool Echo)
Liverpool are also admirers of Feyenoord and Turkey midfielder Orkun Kokcu, 22, as an alternative to Mac Allister and England and Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, 19. (Football Transfers)
Manchester City are interested in signing RB Leipzig and Croatia defender Josko Gvardiol with the German club asking for £85m for the 21-year-old. (Mail)
Arsenal defender William Saliba will enter the final year of his contract this summer and the 22-year-old France international is yet to agree a new deal with the Gunners. (Goal)
Manchester United want to reward Argentina defender Lisandro Martinez, 25, with a new deal following his impressive first season at the club since joining from Ajax. (Sky Sports)
Chelsea and England midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek, 27, is wanted by AC Milan who are looking to rebuild following their Champions League semi-final defeat by Inter Milan. (Fabrizio Romano on Twitter)
Tottenham have opened talks over appointing Feyenoord's Dutch boss Arne Slot as their new manager. (Football Insider)
Ecuador midfielder Kendry Paez has reportedly signed for Chelsea for a fee of £20m with the 16-year-old also attracting interest from Manchester United. (El Canal del Futbol, via Mirror)
Brentford are set to open contract talks with England forward Ivan Toney, 27, at the end of the season despite his eight-month ban from football for betting offences. (Mail)
The Bees, meanwhile, want to sign Coventry City's Sweden forward Viktor Gyokeres, 24, to cover in Toney's absence from the team. (Talksport)
Wolves manager Julen Lopetegui says he hopes the club can solve Financial Fair Play issues which could limit his transfer budget for the summer. (Times - subscription required)
Real Madrid's comprehensive defeat by Manchester City in the Champions League semi-final could accelerate the exit of their Italian boss Carlo Ancelotti. (Guardian)
Swansea boss Russell Martin is one of the leading candidates to become Southampton's new manager. (Sky Sports)
Brighton's 21-year-old winger Simon Adingra is wanted by clubs in Germany and France following a successful loan in Belgium with Union Saint-Gilloise. (90min)
Sunderland are in advanced talks to sign Birmingham midfielder Jobe Bellingham, 17, the younger brother of Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder Jude. (Sky Sports)
Former Wales forward Steve Morison, 39, is under serious consideration to return as Cardiff City manager - eight months after being sacked by the club. (Wales Online)
Sky Paper Talk
THE TIMES
Manchester City could make a move for Josko Gvardiol, the RB Leipzig centre-back, if Pep Guardiola decides to shake up his defence this summer.
Paris Saint-Germain have revived their interest in Bernardo Silva, but the club have not given up hope of trying to persuade the 28-year-old playmaker to stay.
Aaron Ramsdale has doubled his wages to about £120,000 a week by signing a new contract at Arsenal, with Martin Odegaard also set to be offered a lucrative long-term deal.
Gareth Southgate will allow Manchester City's players to join up late with his England squad ahead of the European Championship qualifiers against Malta and North Macedonia next month.
The American investment company, 777 Partners, have firmed up their interest in Everton, although the club's owner, Farhad Moshiri, is continuing his negotiations with other potential investors.
Julen Lopetegui, the Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach, has claimed he was misled over the club's summer transfer plans. Lopetegui emerged from a meeting with Jeff Shi, the chairman, and said concerns over the Premier League's Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules have altered the spending budget.
Mikel Arteta has made his latest signing to enhance the feel-good vibe at Arsenal - a chocolate Labrador. The dog, who is affectionately called 'Win', spends most days at the club's training ground at London Colney in Hertfordshire.
Premier League and EFL clubs are close to backing a radical FA plan that will allow them to sign up to four promising overseas players who would not get a work permit under the existing system.
DAILY MAIL
Phil Jones is battling to save his playing career as he prepares to leave Manchester United after 12 years at Old Trafford. Jones has been left off the club's retained list, which will be released shortly, and will become a free agent when his contract runs out on June 30.
Manchester City have launched numerous legal challenges against the Premier League's 115 charges for alleged breaches of financial rules including raising an extraordinary objection to the involvement of the barrister running the process - he is an Arsenal fan.
Real Madrid forward Vinicius Jnr will cash in on his superstar status this summer with a new mega-money contract with the Spanish club - and is looking to match Erling Haaland's £20m-a-year boot deal.
England head coach Gareth Southgate is set to rest his Manchester City quintet for the Euro 2024 qualifier in Malta after Pep Guardiola's side reached the Champions League final.
Arsenal may face a fight to keep defender William Saliba this summer after three mystery 'major' clubs made enquiries, according to reports.
DAILY EXPRESS
Arne Slot's assistant at Feyenoord has insisted he would not follow the Dutchman to Tottenham if he is appointed as the Premier League club's new manager. Slot has been linked with the vacant Spurs hotseat amid Daniel Levy's chaotic search for Antonio Conte's replacement.
Jurgen Klopp will be free to join Liverpool's on-pitch tributes to their four departing stars despite observing a touchline ban for Saturday's Premier League clash with Aston Villa. The Reds are due to bid farewell to Roberto Firmino, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita and will celebrate the quartet's contributions to the club after the match.
Lionel Messi has reportedly been offered £87m more by Al Hilal to join the club over the summer as the Saudi Arabian side seek to see off competition from Barcelona. The Riyadh club were initially said to have offered around £347m (€400m) a year for the Argentine to make the move but now that figure is said to have increased to £434m (€500m) as they strengthen their hand.
Leicester Tigers have revealed for the first time their frustration at the way England ripped the heart out of their coaching team.
THE GUARDIAN
English football's governing bodies are in talks to bring in measures to clamp down on dissent due to concern over the rise in bad behaviour towards officials. With two weeks of the season remaining, 534 cards have been issued to players for dissent in the top four flights of English football, according to Opta - easily surpassing last season's tally of 477, as well as the 421 cards shown in 2020-21.
Tom Curry has called for more protection for jackallers after his twin brother and fellow flanker Ben had his World Cup hopes ended by a hamstring injury sustained in Sale's Premiership semi-final win over Leicester.
Nick Kyrgios will miss the French Open due to a foot injury sustained during the theft of his car and not because of a knee problem, his agent has said.
Roy Hodgson is expected to be asked to extend his stay at Crystal Palace for another season, with his assistant Paddy McCarthy lined up as the 75-year-old's long-term replacement.
DAILY MIRROR
Chelsea have beaten Manchester United to the signing of Ecuadorian wonderkid Kendry Paez in a £20m deal.
Lionel Messi warned Barcelona not to re-sign his former team-mate Xavi Simons - who will be offered to Arsenal this summer.
Dimitar Berbatov has called on Manchester United to make a new striker and a centre-half their two summer priorities.
Manchester United are ready to double Jack Butland's wages to make his loan move at Old Trafford permanent.
Graham Potter is interested in the OGC Nice vacancy after holding talks with the club owned by Ineos chief Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
THE SUN
Former Chelsea wonderkid Josh McEachran is without a club after being released by League One side MK Dons.
Manchester United target Min-Jae Kim is set to complete military service next month. The Napoli defender has attracted plenty of interest from around Europe with his displays in his side's title-winning campaign this term.
Tottenham have emerged as surprise contenders to sign Edouard Mendy in Chelsea's summer clear-out.
Ferrari have given €1m to the local flood relief fund after this weekend's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was cancelled.
DAILY TELEGRAPH
Wasps are facing extinction as a professional club after being demoted to the bottom of the English rugby pyramid.
The French Open's greatest champion Rafael Nadal is out of the tournament - and probably the rest of the season - after failing to recover from the hip injury he sustained in January.
The Football Association will apply to make Ivan Toney's eight-month ban a worldwide sanction and therefore prevent him from being loaned to a foreign club this summer.
Defending champion Iga Swiatek is an injury doubt for the French Open after damaging a thigh muscle during an intense battle with Kazakstan's Elena Rybakina.
DAILY RECORD
Celtic could miss out on any sell-on fee from Kieran Tierney if a reported straight swap with Manchester City comes to fruition.
Jose Cifuentes is close to becoming Michael Beale's third signing as Rangers manager and it looks to have taken a step closer after the MLS star's agent was given the VIP treatment at Ibrox.
Callum McGregor has shrugged off new Rangers chief executive James Bisgrove's claims that his plans for the Ibrox club can make them the dominant force in Scottish football.
THE SCOTTISH SUN
Rangers are locked in a £338,000 legal battle over a kiosk payment system. The club are being sued by Southbank Asset Finance Ltd at a civil hearing at Glasgow Sheriff Court.
Stiliyan Petrov knows now just how much Porto analysed Celtic before their UEFA Cup final win. But he reckons Ange Postecoglou won't have to delve as deeply to realise his current squad isn't good enough to challenge in Europe next season.
Derby County could "have the edge" over Sunderland in the race to sign Rangers midfielder Charlie Lindsay this summer.
Telegraph
Pablo Fornals fires coup de grace as West Ham reach first European final in 47 years
West Ham players celebrate Pablo Fornals's late winner in Alkmaar Credit: NESimages//DeFodi Images/Geert van Erven
AZ Alkmaar 0 West Ham United 1 (agg 1-3)
By Sam Dean at AFAS Stadion
The West Ham United substitutes were on the pitch, leaping in delight. The coaching staff were with them, too, jumping and screaming towards the Dutch sky. And then there was David Moyes, a smile on his face and his fists raised above his head, celebrating a great European night in this club’s history and a result that could prove to be one of their most important in the modern era.
A few moments later, trouble erupted in the stands as AZ Alkmaar ultras attacked travelling fans, including players' families, leading to some players attempting to protect them. But those ugly scenes could not take away from West Ham's achievement on the pitch.
In the end they did not need the winning goal, scored by Pablo Fornals deep into stoppage time here in Alkmaar, but they certainly wanted it and they absolutely deserved it against an AZ Alkmaar side that could have played for three hours without cracking open the West Ham defence.
For the preceding 90 minutes, the Dutch side had repeatedly run into a wall of West Ham players, who were simply bigger, stronger and better organised than their more slight opponents.
Pablo Fornals fires in West Ham's dramatic late winner to spark delirious scenes Credit: PA/Adam Davy
Even before Fornals had provided the finishing touch on the night, scoring with a breakaway goal in stoppage time, West Ham had won this tie with their muscular superiority and defensive sturdiness. It was a performance that came straight from the David Moyes playbook, and one suspects that he enjoyed it as much as any of their more thrilling victories in the Europa Conference League this season.
“The win was more than just a win tonight,” said Moyes, whose side will contest their first European final in 47 years when they meet Fiorentina in Prague next month.
“I knew we probably would not have a lot of possession, but there are different ways to win a football match. We won it tonight and we kept a clean sheet. That was part of the job.”
West Ham players celebrates their late victory over AZ Alkmaar Credit: Soccrates/Getty Images)/Angelo Blankespoor
Sometimes there is beauty in the boring and, for West Ham, this was one of those nights. With a 2-1 lead to build upon from the first leg, they came to Alkmaar with a plan to contain their opponents and, crucially, to keep their heads as they pursue a first major trophy since the FA Cup in 1980.
At this stage of last year’s Europa League, West Ham had lost their composure on their way to losing the tie. Eintracht Frankfurt were clever opponents but Moyes and his players fell into their traps too easily 12 months ago, with Aaron Cresswell sent off in the first half and his manager then following him later on, after he had furiously booted the ball at a ball-boy.
This time, with that experience still in their minds, West Ham took a different approach. “We don’t need to be daft,” Moyes said before the game, and the strategy was clear from within a few minutes of action: maintain the structure, close down the spaces, allow AZ to have the ball at the back.
The Dutch side are capable of producing pretty passing patterns but that did not particularly bother West Ham, who were happy to wait for their chances to snatch the ball back and then counter at pace. The first two chances of the game arrived in that manner, with Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta both going close from the edge of the box.
One of the early challenges for West Ham was the atmosphere in Alkmaar, where the stadium was packed and flares greeted the players before kick-off. AZ came into this game on a run of 25 home games unbeaten in European competition, and a quirk of the fixture was that Moyes, when in charge of Everton in 2007, had become the first manager to win a European game here in the Dutch club’s history (ending a run of 32 games without defeat).
By the end of the first half, though, it was hard to see how AZ might find a way through. Beyond a few moments of nerviness, West Ham seemed comfortable. Not least when Nayef Aguerd, their centre-back, dribbled out of defence and beyond three red shirts.
There was more spirit to AZ after the break. Sven Mijnans and Pantelis Hatzidiakos tested Alphonse Areola in the West Ham goal, before Thilo Kehrer almost prodded the ball in his own net by accident.
But even though the pressure built, it never seemed likely that West Ham would crumble. Their defence held firm, with Aguerd and Kurt Zouma staying strong, and their running never slowed. This was a game-plan well executed and, in the end, a job well done, especially when Fornals ran away from the opposing defence in the final minutes, picked his spot in the AZ net and delivered the crowning moment. It was a goal that triggered the celebrations, and then the chaos that followed.
Match details
AZ Alkmaar (4-2-3-1): Ryan 5; Sugawara 5, Beukema 6, Hatzidiakos 6, Kerkez 6 (M de Wit 85); Reijnders 6, Clasie 6; Van Brederode 5 (Lahdo 78), Mijnans 6 (D de Wit 70), Karlsson 5 (Meerdink 85); Pavlidis 5.
Subs: Verhulst (g), Deen (g), Mihailovic, Bazoer, Vanheusden, Buurmeester, Goes.
West Ham United (4-2-3-1): Areola 7; Kehrer 7, Zouma 7, Aguerd 8, Cresswell 7; Soucek 6, Rice 7; Bowen 6, Paqueta 7 (Downes 90+5), Benrahma 5 (Fornals 74); Antonio 6 (Ings 85).
Subs: Fabianski (g), Anang (g), Johnson, Coufal, Lanzini, Cornet, Ogbonna, Palmieri, Mubama.
Booked: Soucek, Kehrer.
Referee: Ivan Kruzliak (Slovakia).
The Athletic
West Ham’s first European final for 47 years: Moyes’ passion, Noble’s tears – night out banned!
Oliver Hardt – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images
By Roshane Thomas
David Moyes’ reaction said it all. West Ham United’s manager is usually calm and composed post-match, but the emotion poured out after the enormity of reaching a European final sunk in for the 60-year-old.
The 3-1 aggregate victory, clinched by Pablo Fornals’ injury-time goal in the Netherlands, saw Moyes deliver one of his most passionate speeches yet.
“You have done a fucking unbelievable job. Not just tonight, but through the whole tournament and getting to the final. It is a fucking brilliant achievement by you all — well done, team.”
Although there was crowd trouble at the end of the game when the players feared for the safety of their families, it was not going to ruin the momentous night. West Ham, who have reached their first European final in 47 years, will face Fiorentina in Prague.
Before their attention turns to June 7, there was euphoria in the away dressing room. Moyes, his backroom staff and the squad started singing the “West Ham are massive” chant, then the chorus of 90s country/dance crossover Cotton Eye Joe. The players asked if they could stay one night, but Moyes, ever the professional, informed them they had to return to the UK.
Mark Noble, former captain and now the sporting director, was in tears as he brought a crate of beer into the changing room for his former team-mates.
He then joined in for the Jarrod Bowen chant. But the celebrations did not stop there. Said Benrahma, Lucas Paqueta, Alphonse Areola and Kurt Zouma danced to Afrobeat song KU LO SA by Oxlade on the team bus as they made their way to the airport.
The squad have already returned to the UK as they prepare for this Sunday’s league game against Leeds United where a victory, even a point, would secure their Premier League safety. The celebrations went on long into the night at home and for the thousands of fans, including former striker Andy Carroll, who had travelled to Amsterdam to soak up the atmosphere instead.
But the significance of what they have achieved at AZ will remain a lasting memory.
Before the match, Moyes spoke about last season’s Europa League semi-final loss to Eintracht Frankfurt to motivate his players. He spoke about how the German side celebrated in front of his players, why they won the game and it being a night to forget. One year removed from that defeat and West Ham were more organised and composed than their Dutch opponents.
West Ham have had more exciting wins in the Conference League this season, but this victory was about winning their own mental battles. The players did not let the occasion get to them as they aim to win the club’s first major trophy since the 1980 FA Cup.
“This is the first time I’ve been able to enjoy this kind of moment in a West Ham shirt,” Declan Rice, the club captain, said. “The Premier League hasn’t been our best season, but to have this on top… if we can go out with a bang, every West Ham fan will look back on this as such a positive year.
“When you get to finals, there’s only one objective: to win. I was lucky enough to get to a final with England which we didn’t win. Now there’s a chance to rectify that with West Ham and to lift that trophy. I want that. I’ve been at West Ham since I was 14, so this would be the icing on the cake in terms of a top season for us. We’re buzzing and also for the fans… they’ve waited such a long time.
“You can’t really put it into words. When you hear the words Bobby Moore… I’m speechless. Everyone talks about Bobby all the time. His name lives on forever. I’m trying to write history with West Ham, to be the captain who lifts this trophy and do that as well. But also for the lads. All our names will be written into history if we do this. One more game now. We’ll give it absolutely everything. We just want to make the fans and our families proud.”
Fornals fell to his knees when the referee Ivan Kruzliak blew for full-time. He was unable to celebrate fully with his team-mates in the dressing room due to being selected for drug testing, but his most important contribution was on the pitch. It is hard to mention Fornals without referencing the analogy that he is the song on shuffle you initially skip but learn to appreciate over time.
It has been a difficult season for the midfielder having lost his place in the starting XI. But he has delivered in big moments, most recently his scorpion kick in the 4-0 win against Bournemouth. He cried after scoring that memorable goal and his reaction against AZ was no different after the stunning clinching goal. The celebrations in that corner of the AFAS Stadium were something to behold for players and fans alike.
“This moment for me and my family after this difficult season is unbelievable,” Fornals said. “I’m having a lot of feelings inside myself and when I score or have moments like that, when I’m with my son receiving a hug or a kiss from him, I realise how happy I am and how proud I am to be here right now.
“Thank you for the people who came here, they’re massive everywhere they go! We know already they’ll be in Prague as well because that’s what West Ham supporters do, they’re always behind us. I’m really happy to be with them.”
Fornals hopes his best moment in a West Ham shirt is still to come in Prague.
They say good things happen to those who wait and that adage applies to this team. Moyes has had to wait 14 years to reach another final as manager, Aaron Cresswell has had to wait a year to get over the disappointment of his sending off against Eintracht, Fornals had to patiently wait for his opportunities and the board have had to wait 13 years to see the club reach a European final following their takeover in 2010.
The Conference League is a competition they have relished and grasped from the start. West Ham, more importantly, are ready for the biggest stage. This group of players are determined, talented and their next objective is to be history makers in Prague.
