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BBC
Bayern Munich are increasingly confident they will sign Germany forward Leroy Sane, 23, from Manchester City this summer. (Mirror)
Chelsea are prepared to sell Belgium forward Eden Hazard, 28, to Real Madrid because letting him leave for free when his contract expires next year would have financial fair play implications for the club. (Mail)
Manchester United will demand a fee of 160m euros (£138m) for France midfielder Paul Pogba, 26. (Star)
United are ready to meet Benfica attacking midfielder Joao Felix's £105m release clause, although they could face competition from Real Madrid for the 19-year-old Portuguese. (Record, via Mirror)
Former Chelsea boss Antonio Conte has agreed terms with Inter Milan to take over as their new manager in the summer. (Guardian)
Juventus have moved away from Conte and have targeted current Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri. (Sun)
Manchester United have had a £95m bid for Napoli and Senegal centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, 27, rejected. (Gazzetto dello Sport journalist Nicolo Schira, via Sun)
Tottenham have not triggered a clause to extend striker Fernando Llorente's contract and he is set to leave the club this summer, with AC Milan, Marseille, Roma and Valencia interested in the 34-year-old Spaniard. (Mirror)
Spurs are interested in Celta Vigo striker Maxi Gomez, who has a £43m release clause, and they want to sign the 22-year-old Uruguay international as back-up to England forward Harry Kane, 25. (Star)
New Anderlecht player-manager Vincent Kompany, 33, is keen for Manchester City academy coach Simon Davies and head of sports science Sam Erith to follow him from the Premier League champions to the Belgian club. (Telegraph)
Former Argentina striker Gabriel Batistuta, who is yet to manage a senior professional team, is believed to have expressed an interest in the vacant managerial role at Middlesbrough. (Hartlepool Mail)
Arsenal have made an offer to sign Valencia's Brazilian goalkeeper Norberto Murara after speaking with the 29-year-old's representatives. (Star)
The Gunners will reward players with bonuses of between £100,000 and £500,000 if they beat Chelsea to win the Europa League in Baku on 29 May. (Mail)
Chelsea are expected to confirm France striker Olivier Giroud, 32, has agreed to stay at the club for another year. (London Evening Standard)
Leeds United manager Marcelo Bielsa looks set to commit his future to the club for one more season after they missed out on promotion from the Championship. (Telegraph)
Northern Ireland boss Michael O'Neill has emerged as a candidate for West Brom's vacant managerial post. (Express and Star)
Hertha Berlin general manager Michael Preetz has held talks with Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp in a bid to secure Serbia midfielder Marko Grujic, 23, on loan for another season. (Liverpool Echo)
Guardian Rumour Mill
Scott Murray
Manchester City’s good-tempered collective post-treble party will finally end in a comedown when Leroy Sané is bundled out of the door. But to where? Not sure. Pulitzer, please!
BREAKING NEWS: Eden Hazard is for the off from Chelsea!
BREAKING NEWS: Paul Pogba is for the off from Manchester United!
Antonio Conte set to replace Luciano Spalletti as Inter manager
Read more
Talking of whom, Manchester United would like to replace Pogba’s creativity with João Felix of Benfica, and are prepared to stump up the player’s £105m release clause. But Real Madrid are in the marketplace too, so that is probably that.
United are also interested in Kalidou Koulibaly, but Napoli won’t sell the defender for £95m. Virgil van Dijk seems very cheap these days, doesn’t he.
Gabriel Batistuta could be the next manager of Middlesbrough. And to think it seemed mind-bendingly trippy when they signed Fabrizio Ravanelli in 1996.
And Arsenal need a new goalkeeper. It’s not been the same since Pat Jennings/David Seaman/Jens Lehmann left. (Delete according to age.) Valencia’s Norberto Murara is their chosen man.
The 4th Official
West Ham United Retain Interest In Manchester City Defender: An Ideal Target For The Hammers
The Manchester City defender is tipped to leave the club this summer, after failing to make an impression in the first-team this season.
Otamendi may end up staying at the Etihad Stadium after Vincent Kompany confirmed he would be leaving the club this summer. But the report claims that the Hammers still retain their interest in the Argentine international. They could also face stiff competition from Wolverhampton Wanderers and Atletico Madrid.
Following a disastrous World Cup campaign with Argentina, Otamendi has been on a steady decline. Despite being pivotal to Manchester City’s title-winning campaign last season, the 31-year-old only made 18 Premier League appearances this time around. He fell behind John Stones and Aymeric Laporte in the pecking order. And with City likely to sign another defender this summer, Otamendi’s future at the club is bleak.
Hence, a move away from the Etihad will be a logical decision for the Argentine international. And West Ham, in that regard will present him with the opportunity to revive his career next season.
The Hammers have struggled with a lack of depth in the defensive department. Injuries have also played their part. Key defender Fabian Balbuena, for one, missed a chunk of the season due to his knee surgery. As a result, Manuel Pellegrini had to rely on the services of Angelo Ogbonna. While the ex-Juventus defender has done well to deputise for Balbuena, the addition of someone like Otamendi could revamp the West Ham defence next season.
The Manchester City star is a no-nonsense defender who would fit perfectly into Pellegrini’s tactical setup at the London Stadium. His dogged defensive nature, coupled with his aggression, will make the Hammers much more vigilant during defensive phases.
From a tactical perspective, Otamendi can be utilised alongside Balbuena at the heart of Pellegrini’s four-man backline. Balbuena’s superiority in circulating the possession and reading the game will complement the much more robust nature of Otamendi, thus adding another dimension to the West Ham defence.
Furthermore, the Argentine has vast experience at the highest level of football. He has featured in over 170 matches for Manchester City in all competitions while winning 59 caps for his national side. And this experience could certainly help him marshal the West Ham defence, as Pellegrini should be looking to improve on the London side’s notorious record of conceding needless goals next season.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not Manchester City will be willing to sell Otamendi to West Ham, especially as they could use him as a bargaining chip to sign Atletico Madrid’s Rodri.
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