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Manchester City have been linked with a move for Inter striker Lautaro Martinez in recent weeks and the Argentinian could be a superb addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad.

According to FC Inter News (via Sport Witness), the Spanish manager considers the 23-year-old the ‘perfect heir’ for Sergio Aguero, who looks likely to leave the Citizens this summer when his contract with the club expires.

Martinez has established himself as a top striker in European football in recent years, having contributed 36 goals and 10 assists in 96 appearances for I Nerazzurri since joining from Racing Club in 2018.

The young striker has also been prolific in his appearances for his national side, having grabbed 10 goals for Argentina in just 19 caps (per Transfermarkt).

It is no surprise, therefore, that Lionel Messi is a big fan of the 23-year-old and with Barcelona also reportedly interested in signing him, the legendary winger was full of praise for Martinez in an interview with Mundo Deportivo earlier this year, saying:

“Lautaro is an impressive forward, especially because I think he is a very complete striker: he is strong, he dribbles well, he has a goal, he knows how to protect the ball.”

In a previous interview with the same publication, Messi was extremely complimentary of him, saying:

“He is spectacular, he has impressive conditions, you could see that he was going to be a great player, now he exploded and is showing it.”

Therefore, the Barcelona man is clearly a big fan of Martinez and would love to see him join Barcelona but he could be the perfect man for Manchester City.

Whilst Gabriel Jesus has performed fairly well in his time with the club, having scored 71 goals in 158 appearances for the Citizens, it seems unlikely that he will get close to Aguero’s superb record with the club.

Martinez meanwhile, has been excellent in his performances so far this season, with five goals in just six Serie A appearances, resulting in a solid average rating of 7.10/10 (per WhoScored).

If the Inter man could perform the target-man role in City’s squad as well as Messi clearly feels he can, then he could work extremely well with the likes of Raheem Sterling in Guardiola’s squad, as he could hold onto the ball and slip the rapid winger in behind opposition defences.

Whilst he won’t come cheap, with Transfermarkt valuing the striker at £63 million, the 23-year-old could be a top striker in City’s side for easily the next eight or nine years so we feel that he’s well worth the price Inter would demand.

And, in other news… Manchester City can sign their long-term Fernandinho replacement in £36m beast

Many Everton fans have been slamming a piece of news from The Times journalist Paul Joyce that the Merseyside club are set to open talks over a possible new deal for Michael Keane.

Indeed, this comes after reports perhaps surprisingly linking the English international with a move to the Catalan giants FC Barcelona to play under his former boss at Goodison Park, Ronald Koeman.

Keane played in a total of 12th-placed finish in the final top-flight table.

Comparing the stats of the 27-year old to those of his fellow teammates and central defenders Mason Holgate and Yerry Mina in England’s highest division in the last term, Keane averaged the fewest tackles and long balls per EPL match, while also recording the lowest pass success percentage, as per Whoscored.

Maybe it is understandable then that these EFC supporters slammed the news that Keane could potentially be getting a new contract, and perhaps would rather he be sold in this summer transfer window to a side like Barcelona to free up funds for other targets.

One Toffee even branded the centre-back as ‘truly awful’, and you can see the rest of the reaction from these Blues on Twitter below:

Evertonians, should Keane be given a new deal? Comment below!

Jason Burt does not think that the whole takeover saga with Newcastle United is over just yet after he reacted to an official statement made by the Tyneside club on his official Twitter page.

As per the tweet from The Telegraph journalist, Burt claimed: “I knew they were trying to get the takeover back on… it does not sound like it is the end of the matter either.”

Indeed, he was reacting to a statement that was released by the Magpies about the proposed £300m deal between Mike Ashley and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabian (KSA) group.

According to the statement, the Toon confirmed that the Premier League had rejected the takeover bid made by the Saudi-led consortium, which consisted of the Middle Eastern crown prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS), his country’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), businesswoman/head of PCP Capital Partners Amanda Staveley and the billionaire Reuben brothers, originally from India but now based in London.

Newcastle claimed that this conclusion had been reached despite the club seemingly providing the Premier League and its chief executive Richard Masters with overwhelming evidence and legal opinions that PIF is independent and autonomous of the KSA government.

The statement added that the club and its owners do not accept that the EPL and Masters have acted appropriately in relation to this matter and will be considering all relevant options available to them.

As Burt suggests, perhaps this is not the end of the takeover saga just yet as Newcastle ponder challenging the decision from the EPL.

Whether this will reverse it is another question, but the saga does not seem to be over quite yet.

Geordies, do you think the takeover could be resurrected? Comment below with your views!

Southampton midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg wants to join Tottenham Hotspur this summer, according to the Evening Standard. 

Jose Mourinho has made it clear that the 24-year-old is the player he needs to transform Tottenham into a side capable of challenging for silverware next season.

Hojbjerg was stripped of the captain’s armband after refusing to sign a new deal at Southampton and he has told Ralph Hasenhuttl he wants to move on to bigger and better things. Spurs are leading the race to sign the Dane in the summer, amid interest from Ajax, and that could see Kyle Walker-Peters move in the opposite direction.

Mourinho has decided that Eric Dier’s best position is in the defence and considers Hojbjerg to be a significant upgrade on the midfield options he has available at the moment.

As it stands, this will be bad news for Walker-Peters, who fell out of favour with Mourinho after appearing to take aim at the Portuguese in an interview with the Saints’ official website.

He is only one year younger than Hojbjerg and has played every single minute of Southampton’s past four games, helping Hasenhuttl’s side to beat Watford and Manchester City while earning draws against Everton and Manchester United.

Hasenhuttl wants to sign a right-back before the start of next season and is a keen admirer of Walker-Peters. Although Mourinho had suggested that the 23-year-old could still return to Tottenham, he added that he won’t stop him from leaving if he wishes to do so.

It now seems that Spurs are eager to use him as part of an exchange deal for Hojbjerg, despite him impressing for the Saints since the Premier League restart. No matter how hard he tries on the pitch, the defender seems to have burnt most of his bridges back in north London.

Mourinho is prepared to let him go, which could end up being a decision he regrets in the future, as the academy graduate has reminded his parent club of exactly what he has to offer.

Tottenham fans, do you think Mourinho should give Kyle Walker-Peters another chance? Let us know in the comments below!

Inter Milan are ready to rival AS Roma and raid Manchester United for Red Devils defender Chris Smalling this summer, reports say. 

The 31-cap England international spent the past season on loan at the Stadio Olimpico, where he impressed Roma boss Paulo Foncesca despite falling down the pecking order at Old Trafford.

Recent reports revealed Smalling is willing to sit and wait for his parent club to decide his fate before considering the next stage of his career.

And it appears the centre-back may not have to wait too long, as he has attracted attention from Serie A giants Inter, Juventus and Roma.

According to Sportmediaset, as cited by Sport Witness, Antonio Conte’s side are keen to steal a march on their close rivals by matching Man United’s asking price for the former Fulham man.

Ed Woodward slapped a €25m (£22m) price-tag on his head, as the Premier League side were well aware there would be interest from overseas, and the club look certain to reap the rewards.

It is understood that Conte believes that Smalling’s experience and desire could play a key part in mounting a successful title challenge next season.

The English veteran started 29 games in Serie A last term, scoring three goals, supplying two assists, registering 1.9 interceptions and a staggering 4 clearances on average per game (via WhoScored).

Former Red Devils Romelu Lukaku, Ashley Young and Alexis Sanchez have all swapped Old Trafford for the San Siro in the past year, and Smalling may be about to follow suit.

A player who was once deemed Rio Ferdinand’s heir is now considered surplus to requirements by Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and cashing in on the Englishman while they still can seems to be a sensible decision by the board.

For whatever reason, it has never quite worked out for him at the Theatre of Dreams, as he was often criticised by Jose Mourinho for failing to play through the pain barrier for the team.

Despite his age, Smalling showed he is still a quality defender during his loan spell, and Conte may be the man to get the best out of him, as he worked miracles with David Luiz during his time in charge of Chelsea.

United fans, do you think Woodward should sell Smalling this summer? Let us know down below!

A number of Rangers fans have voiced their approval of an article that was written about striker Alfredo Morelos this week.

Herald Scotland published a piece from columnist Neil Cameron in which he stood up for the 23-year-old following his red card at Motherwell last Sunday, with the article also shared on Twitter via @heraldscotland.

In the piece, Cameron wrote that the Colombian is “a serial victim” of vitriol from opposition fans in Scotland, citing instances of racial abuse, coin throwing and a defamatory banner about his mother.

He said that Scottish fans “deserve the ultimate snub” from the player and wrote: “This is a serial victim. He’s been racially abused, coins have hit off him and Aberdeen supporters even wrote a banner in Spanish about his mother. Oh, the Scottish banter.” [via Herald Scotland]

Last weekend, Morelos was sent off for a second bookable offence after he celebrated his goal at Fir Park in front of the home supporters by making a gesture that referee Don Robertson deemed offensive. [via BBC]

The 23-year-old has been in sensational scoring form this season, with his goal against Motherwell taking him to 27 for the campaign so far, but his red card on Sunday was his sixth since the beginning of last season.

These Rangers fans took to Twitter to commend Cameron for coming out in defence of Morelos:

Do you think Morelos gets a lot of undeserved criticism over his disciplinary record? Were you happy to see Cameron defending him in his article? Comment below with your views!

M’baye Niang has reportedly rejected Tottenham Hotspur in favour of a big money move to Qatar. 

Jose Mourinho is desperate to make additions to his attacking options in the summer, as Spurs talisman Harry Kane has only recently recovered from a hamstring injury. In Kane’s absence, the Lilywhites only won three games in the Premier League while he sat on the sidelines.

According to L’Equipe, Niang is highly coveted by an unnamed Qatari club, who are prepared to make a substantial offer to the Rennes striker.

Spurs have been linked with the Senegalese in the past, but finding a forward who is capable of replacing Kane is proving to be more and more difficult.

Despite the interest from Daniel Levy, Niang ended up moving to AC Milan instead, although he struggled for game time at the San Siro, and spent spells on loan at various European clubs, including the likes of Montpellier and Watford, before he was finally sold to Torino.

The Hornets did not make a bid for the Senegal international as they were left unimpressed by his loan spell at Vicarage Road.

Following another loan, he eventually joined Stade Rennais, and his performances have improved over time, as he has scored 10 goals in 26 games in Ligue 1, taking 2.5 shots on average via WhoScored.

Shockingly, Niang has failed to provide a single assist all year, and has averaged a mere 0.4 key passes and 0.6 dribbles per game in the French top flight at the time of writing (WhoScored).

Nevertheless, Mourinho has made it clear he wants to sign the forward in the summer as a backup for Kane.

While Niang clearly knows how to find the back of the next, there are holes in his playing style that he still needs to work on, as he must make improvements to his passing accuracy and link-up play.

The former Watford loanee didn’t live up to his full potential at Vicarage Road, as he only managed 2 goals in 16 appearances. He has also attracted interest from Marseille but it is likely his head will be turned by Qatar.

However, this could turn out to be a blessing in disguise for the club in the long-term. As previously mentioned, the 25-year-old doesn’t have a great track record in the Premier League, and Mourinho may have dodged an expensive bullet.

He could instead turn his attention to Troy Parrott and other promising academy graduates to give them a chance.

Levy previously splashed the cash for infamous Spurs flop Roberto Soldado and he will surely be looking to avoid making a similar mistake in the future.

Tottenham fans, have you seen enough of M’baye Niang to convince you? Let us know down below!

As is always the case when a manager of one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs gets sacked, a number of the world’s best are understandably going to be linked with the top job.And in Carlo Ancelotti, you have one of the most successful bosses of the modern era being touted as a potential Arsenal manager.The three-time Champions League winner has seen it and done it all with a variety of clubs in his managerial career, including the likes of Milan and Real Madrid where he has lifted European football’s holy grail.And according to The Telegraph’s Sam Wallace, Ancelotti is amongst a number of candidates that the Gunners are considering to replace the recently sacked Unai Emery.After hearing the links to the current Napoli manager, Arsenal fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the supposed target.Many supporters of the north London side insisted he would be a fantastic appointment for the club considering his vast experience, whilst some however pointed back to the fact even Emery beat him on two successive occasions last season in the Europa League when the Gunners met Napoli.Check out some of the reaction of Arsenal fans below:

Meanwhile, Arsenal fans react to Freddie Ljungberg being named the interim head coach.

Mohamed Salah continues to be a force in this Liverpool team.

The Reds beat Bournemouth on Saturday, and the Egypt international was back on the scoresheet. Not only that, he also provided an assist as well. In 20 games this term, he has 10 goals and six assists, and he has played his part in Liverpool getting their hands on an eight-point lead at the top of the table.

His strike against the Cherries was his 81st for Liverpool, which is as many Fernando Torres managed during his time with the club. However, it took the former Spain international 18 more games to reach that number.

This stat was shared on the Empire of the Kop Twitter page, and the club’s supporters were quick to praise the 27-year-old.

Indeed, the former AS Roma man has reached that number of goals in just 124 matches. For a wide man, that is a rather impressive stat.

However, some fans were quick to defend their ex-number nine, and they pointed out that the Liverpool team he played in was nowhere near as good as this one, and he therefore didn’t receive the same level of service.

Whilst he may not have been surrounded by such magnificent players across the pitch, 35-year-old Torres still played alongside Xabi Alonso and Steven Gerrard, for example.

Real Reds will get full marks: Take the ultimate Liverpool quiz below…

One fan made reference to Torres’ tendency to sulk, and insinuated that this was something Salah is yet to do.

Just imagine these two in the same side. Frightening!

Meanwhile, this Brazil international suggests he wants a move to Liverpool.

Sheffield Wednesday saw victory snatched out of their hands on Saturday afternoon as Swansea City bagged the last of a late flurry of goals to secure a point at Hillsborough.

Garry Monk’s men thought they had come from behind to win it in injury time when left-back Morgan Fox fired home, but within three minutes, the visiting side had silenced the south Yorkshire crowd with an equaliser as Ben Wilmot turned in an effort from a corner.

It means that the Owls sit in seventh place, just one point outside of a playoff position, as the Championship now embarks on a third international break of the season.

Watch Sheffield Wednesday Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

Many fans at the club believe their goalkeeper Keiren Westwood was at fault for both of Swansea’s goals and they have certainly made their feelings heard on social media.

One member of the Hillsborough crowd demanded that the 35-year-old was dropped as punishment for his errors while another claimed his performance was a ‘stinker.’

A further supporter believes that the shot-stopper has costed the side quite regularly this campaign with one more claiming that if it had been backup Cameron Dawson between the sticks, then he would have been crucified.

Here’s the best of the reaction: