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Borussia Dortmund have grown tired of Manchester United’s mind games and have issued the Red Devils an ultimatum.

Just days after Sky Sports revealed Man United will not pay more than £50m for Jadon Sancho, Dortmund have given the club a deadline to get a deal sorted out.

Sancho has told Dortmund he wants to return to England and play in the Premier League, via ESPN.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has insisted the winger remains his top priority amid interest from Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.

However, BVB are unimpressed by United’s antics as they believe the Red Devils are playing hardball, according to reports in Germany.

German publication Waz, as relayed by The Daily Express, claims the Bundesliga challengers will not sell Sancho once next season starts.

Ed Woodward now has two months to try and reach an agreement with the Yellow and Blacks, which has put him under a lot of pressure.

The executive vice-chairman has copped a fair amount of stick over the years since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.

Indeed, Woodward spent heavily on Marouane Fellaini, and missed out on signing Cesc Fabregas and Gareth Bale instead.

Similarly, he was blamed for the club’s failure to sign Erling Braut Haaland, who linked up with Sancho at the Signal Iduna Park.

Woodward will not want to repeat his previous mistakes and will surely be looking to make amends for some dreadful decisions in recent years.

It would be a bitter blow for Solskjaer if he fails to deliver, as the club legend has made it clear that Sancho is at the top of his list of transfer targets.

As it stands, United are refusing to give in to Dortmund’s demands, and newly-crowned champions Liverpool could seek to exploit the situation, as they will receive a bumper payday for their efforts.

United fans, do you think the board will sign Jadon Sancho in the summer? Let us know down below!

Brentford winger Said Benrahma could be set to join Chelsea this summer after a huge transfer hint was dropped by a close friend.

During a recent Instagram Live session, Moroccan footballer Fahd Moufi commented on Benrahma’s feed congratulating him on an apparent move to the London outfit (relayed via Sportsmole).

Chelsea are interested in signing the 24-year-old from the Championship side as they continue to bolster their squad ahead of next season (per Todofichajes, via TEAMtalk).

Moufi, who plays for Tondela in Portugal, wrote: ‘Congratulations on Chelsea my brother’ on Benrahma’s live feed, which hints that either a deal has been done or advanced talks are underway.

Frank Lampard has already welcomed attackers Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner to the club and could be adding another at Stamford Bridge.

The Algeria international has impressed for Brentford this season, scoring 14 goals and supplying nine assists for the Bees in the Championship (via Transfermarkt).

Chelsea look like they are going to be a very frightening team next campaign and aren’t messing around when it comes to challenging for silverware.

The addition of Benrahma could be an ideal signing to flesh out their attack. The left-winger plays in the same position as Christian Pulisic and would provide excellent cover for cup games or rotation in the Premier League.

Benrahma is also tallying similar numbers to Pulisic before he joined the Blues. The former Dortmund man racked up seven goals and six assists during his last season in Germany and caught the eye of the Chelsea board (via BBC Sport). Lampard is also impressed by the American’s form, so he will likely have the same attitude towards bringing Benrahma to Stamford Bridge.

A signing of the Algerian’s calibre who won’t cost the earth to secure (he is valued at just £9.45m by Transfermarkt) looks like an ideal move for the Blues, particularly as they seek to play in the Champions League next season and push to challenge for the Premier League title in 2020/21.

Should Chelsea sign Said Benrahma this summer? Join the conversation in the comments below!

Leeds United are embarking on the next stage of their exciting journey under Marcelo Bielsa and with the transfer window opening on Monday, the Yorkshire giants can finally prepare for life in the big time for the first time in 16 years.

And it appears as if a plethora of South American talents are high on Bielsa’s shortlist.

According to AlAireLibre, Premier League winner Claudio Bravo and Spurs outcast Juan Foyth are two names linked with a switch to Elland Road, but more interestingly, Velez wonderkid Thiago Almada is mentioned too.

The 19-year-old was named in the Guardian’s ‘Next Generation’ series in 2018 where they likened him to Carlos Tevez due to him being an “extremely skilful player with plenty of attitude.”

Almada is also described as a ‘classic no.10’ which begs the question, has Bielsa found his new Samuel Saiz?

The Argentine arguably failed to replace the Spanish maestro when he left for Girona last summer as the Whites have been reliant on the playmaking skills of a 35-year-old Pablo Hernandez.

Evidently, Velez’s star youngster fits the mould – per WhoScored, Almada is averaging 1.6 dribbles, 1.2 key passes and 1.2 shots each game at the Primera Division outfit whilst in just 17 starts, he’s provided seven goals and two assists.

Valued as the division’s most valuable player at £16.2m by Transfermarkt, the Argentinian prospect has hinted that he would one day like to be managed by El Loco in a recent interview.

Surely it’s merely a dream partnership waiting to happen?

At just 5 foot 7, Almada bears similar characteristics to not just Saiz but Lionel Messi too with the MEN making the comparison due to his ‘low centre of gravity’ and ability to ‘escape from the tightest of spaces.’

They also claim that Velez are wanting around £16m to let go, so it’ll be on Andrea Radrizzani to open his wallet this summer.

AND in other news, Leeds can save millions in pursuit of a Pablo Hernandez heir…

Just as it the case for many of the European giants this summer, Juventus are undergoing a huge change, both in terms of personnel and overall style of play. The former Chelsea gaffer Maurizio Sarri has been sacked and in his place came Andrea Pirlo, who will now be looking to give the team his own outlook.

According to the transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio who reported the news for Sky Sports Italy, the Bianconeri are looking for potential partners for Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala in the forward line. One of the new players who popped up on their radar is actually Arsenal’s Alexandre Lacazette.

Of course, this is not exactly the first time we hear the Frenchman’s name in this context as he was already linked with a potential move away from the Emirates and the Premier League earlier in the window.

Pirlo will need someone new and fresh in attack, especially if he ends up losing one of the two aforementioned stars. The financial situation in Turin is not great, partly because of the recent outbreak of the pandemic and partly because of their astronomical wage bill. For that reason, they are bracing for big changes in the immediate future and Lacazette might have a role to play.

But with not a lot of money to spend and Mikel Arteta still being fond of his forward, it will be interesting to see how the Italians go about completing this transfer.

Verdict

Needless to say, losing Lacazette would indeed be a big blow for the London outfit. Arteta is slowly but surely moulding this Arsenal team into proper contenders and fierce rivals and the Frenchman is surely a big part of that process.

But seeing how Juventus don’t have that much money to spend and the Gunners are not necessarily in a hurry to sell, maybe they end up keeping their striker after all.

Celtic have now officially sealed the deal to bring Shane Duffy to the Scottish Premier League. The Brighton and Hove Albion defender will stay for at least a season on loan and will aid the Hoops in their quest for their tenth title in a row.

Neil Lennon has managed to beat the likes of West Ham in the race for the coveted centre-back’s signature but now, with that out of the way, it still remains to be seen what happens with Kristoffer Ajer.

Of course, the young Norwegian has been linked with a move away from Celtic Park, with the likes of Milan and Leicester City interested, but according to the information from the Daily Record, the Hoops are in no hurry to sell their talent despite the arrival of Duffy.

Lennon is very much aware of the interest from abroad but since they have a huge season ahead of them, keeping Ajer at the club could also be an option for them in the ongoing summer transfer window.

If the 22-year-old was really adamant on leaving, Celtic would still want a fee in the region of £20m. However, with his overall ability and versatile nature, Lennon would rather keep him at the club and Duffy’s arrival won’t change that fact.

Only time will tell what happens next but if the interest from the Premier League persists, ensuring he stays might be easier said than done.

Verdict

Now that they have secured Duffy’s signature for the ongoing campaign from Brighton, losing Ajer would not be such a huge blow after all.

However, he is far too talented to just be offloaded like that. If the Hoops are really gunning for another title, which they certainly are, they might need all the help they can get.

And Ajer can offer them exactly that.

Spurs’ tedious Tanguy Ndombele saga continues to rumble on – and it’s likely to continue as long as the transfer window is open but the whole situation is down to one man…

What’s the word?

According to Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), the French powerhouse appears to be the top target for Serie A outfit Inter Milan this summer as a move for Chelsea’s N’Golo Kante is rather unachievable.

It’s claimed that the Italians will have to sell some of their current squad in order to fund a move for Spurs’ club-record £55m star with both Marcelo Brozovic and Milan Skriniar likely to be sacrificed.

Earlier in the year, Ndombele was also linked to La Liga giants Barcelona amid reports he had fallen out with Jose Mourinho, as per the Independent.

Another Levy failure

It seems quite absurd that a midfielder who arrived with so much potential has caused such a scenario as this. It’s through no fault of his own, though.

The club knew what they were getting with him; medical was completed with no hitches. A change of manager wouldn’t have helped matters either, do we truly know if Mourinho wants him as a start?

Therefore, it all boils down to Levy splashing that club-record fee on him, putting the pressure at his feet from day one. This one can be filed alongside his failure to bring in another striker as well as his moves for Ryan Sessegnon and Jack Clarke, who both have rarely featured in north London.

Since the 23-year-old joined on the 2nd of July last year, Spurs have blown around £66m from his transfer fee to reported £200k-per-week wages.

Ndombele has averaged just 49.8 minutes per appearance this season and started only 12 of their 38 Premier League matches, via Transfermarkt.

Whether Levy looks to cut ties with his mistake remains to be seen, but there’s hope that the Spurs outcast can thrive next season following the introduction of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.

What is certain, however, is this situation is only going to drag on and on.

And in other news, £50m target can become Mourinho’s next John Terry…

Noel Whelan says that Allan McGregor could struggle to get back into Glasgow Rangers’ starting XI due to the performances of back-up goalkeeper Jon McLaughlin.

McGregor is a legend at Ibrox, having made 352 appearances for the 54-time Scottish champions, whilst he also started the term between the sticks for Steven Gerrard. However, an injury allowed new signing McLaughlin to prove himself, and he has not yet conceded in his first five matches.

Whelan has clearly been impressed by the former Sunderland man, and he says McGregor will find it hard to get back into the side. He told Football Insider:

“He needs to earn his place.

“It is no different to Alfredo Morelos and Kemar Roofe. That is what competition is all about.

“It will be no different for McGregor because Rangers defence so far this season has been absolutely excellent – perfection. I cannot see McGregor coming back into the side.

“Steven Gerrard does not work that way. He knows what the value is of players playing well. Consistency is key in a side that is winning and not conceding.”

Of course, there had to be a point when McGregor would lose his spot – he is 38 years old, after all – but he will not have expected it to happen so quickly into the new campaign. It is still early days, but McLaughlin has not put a foot wrong and, although he himself is 32, the future lies with him.

Gerrard will be aware of this, and right now, it is hard to see where McGregor fits in.

Let us know what you think below!

Chelsea have been the biggest headline makers in this summer’s transfer window, breaking the bank for a plethora of high-profile talents that were expected to light up the Premier League.

However, that hasn’t exactly gone to plan as of yet, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz are still waiting for their first league goals, Hakim Ziyech is yet to appear for the Blues, and Thiago Silva had a nightmare debut against West Brom.

Despite spending over £200m this summer, the Blues still have work to do.

It’s no secret that Frank Lampard has been in the market for a new defensive midfielder this summer, with rumours about Declan Rice cropping up consistently.

So, will Chelsea get their man before the deadline? We’ve had a go at predicting the Blues’ XI after Monday.

We think Chelsea could get their defensive midfielder, but we don’t think it’ll be Rice.

Indeed, links to Thomas Partey have been rife over the past few days, and with Arsenal’s interest in the 27-year-old Ghanaian supposedly cooling, all the signs seem to point towards Chelsea swooping in and completing a deal that could be worth €50m (£45m), which is reportedly Partey’s release clause.

This would take the London club’s spending to over £250m, making them by far and away the biggest spenders this window, barring a remarkable turn of events.

Away from that, we expect the Blues to remain relatively similar, Ziyech and Christian Pulisic come in after their injury issues, Chilwell holds onto his left-back spot after an impressive league debut and Kepa loses his role.

One more deal to keep an eye on is a potential move for Jorginho to Arsenal, with reports claiming that the Gunners are interested in the Italian.

Fulham didn’t spend anything close to the £100m they spent back in 2018/19 this summer.

The Whites instead opted to save a lot of cash by dealing primarily with loan deals, spending less than £15m this summer despite adding 9 new players to their squad, while also spending an additional £16m on making Harrison Reed and Anthony Knockaert’s loan moves permanent.

Their recruitment drive this summer saw six new players join on loan, and while a number of those are incredibly exciting players, they won’t all be able to play at the same time.

Premier League rules state that you’re only allowed five loanees in a matchday squad, so Fulham will have to leave one of these men out each week, and that leaves Scott Parker with 34 tough choices to make between now and the end of the season.

Of course, this could all have been avoided if Tony Khan got his chequebook out and spent more freely on permanent transfers, but as things stand, Parker needs to make some cut-throat decisions.

It seems unlikely that Alphonse Areola, Ruben Loftus-Cheek or Joachim Andersen will miss out, with the trio being marquee signings from clubs that regularly compete in the Champions League, so that means that one of Ola Aina, Mario Lemina or Ademola Lookman will likely miss out each week.

Aina is Fulham’s starting right-back at the moment due to Kenny Tete’s calf tear, and we don’t yet have a return date for him, so Aina will likely be in the squad for the foreseeable future, while Ademola Lookman was a rare bright spark in Fulham’s 1-0 loss to Wolves at the weekend, and we’ve previously tipped him to earn a starting berth in the near future.

That just leaves Mario Lemina, and to be honest, it makes sense if he’s the one who misses out due to how much competition there is in the midfield.

Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa seems to be a nailed-on starter these days and he’s a £30m club-record signing, Loftus-Cheek has just arrived on big wages from Chelsea, Tom Cairney is the club captain, while £25m-man Jean Michael Seri also remains at the club.

Lemina may have only just arrived, but his position in the matchday squad may already be at risk due to Fulham’s over-reliance on loan deals.

It will certainly be interesting to see how Parker navigates these rules.

West Ham United can greater frustrate Premier League rivals Burnley by reviving the east London outfit’s failed efforts to sign RC Strasbourg Alsace defender Mohamed Simakan.

What’s the word?

According to The Sun, Burnley are pushing manager Sean Dyche to make a £15million bid for Simakan after the Clarets’ team of scouts identified the 20-year-old as their favourite defensive target for the January window.

Dyche had been at loggerheads with the Burnley hierarchy and owner Mike Garlick over transfer targets this summer, which allowed West Ham and David Moyes to swoop in and sign Craig Dawson on loan from Watford.

Clarets chiefs continue to disagree with Dyche over the club’s targets approaching the January window, but could convince the manager to pursue Simakan after the Hammers and AC Milan failed in efforts to sign the defender this summer.

France Football, via Sport Witness, have claimed Strasbourg turned down a €17m (£15.3m) offer from West Ham that featured €3m (£2.7m) in add-ons to meet their €20m (£18m) valuation, but the Meinau Stadium side were greedy and convinced themselves that €30m (£27.1m) would be attainable.

Their decision to reject all offers having also snubbed a €15m (£13.5m) bid from Milan frustrated Simakan, as the 6 ft 1 talent was keen to test his hand in a new division and particularly felt that the Premier League would have been an ideal destination.

Moyes can greater frustrate Burnley

Having already frustrated Burnley boss Dyche by signing Dawson, West Ham can greater agitate the Turf Moor outfit by returning to Strasbourg in January in the hopes of signing Simakan as the Ligue 1 side’s form could spark a fire sale in order to gain as much value as possible.

Strasbourg have begun the 2020/21 campaign in almost the worst way imaginable with six defeats from seven games, leaving Thierry Laurey’s side just a point above the automatic relegation spots thanks to a solitary win over basement boys Dijon.

Laurey’s side and Dijon also share Ligue 1’s worst goal difference at minus-10, after Strasbourg conceded a division-high 16 goals in their opening fixtures to the six scored – marking the second-worst offence in the French top-flight behind Dijon’s four goals.

Simakan has done all he can to help inspire a turn of form at the Meinau Stadium with Ligue 1’s 12th-most ground duels won (28), 14th-most tackles (14) and 18th-most interceptions (13) and aerial duels won (14) by a defender thus far, per SofaScore. He has also recorded the most passes (327) and the highest number of accurate long balls (43) by a Strasbourg player.

His efforts with Strasbourg before the current campaign also inspired comparisons with Real Madrid icon Sergio Ramos, his teammate Raphael Varane and Manchester City’s Aymeric Laporte by Field Insider.

They lauded Simakan highly due to the Marseille-born defender’s athletic qualities being of a similar style to that of Varane and Laporte, while his decision-making and abilities as a leader can help inspire and motivate teammates in any situation.

AND in other news, West Ham won’t be missing a £22.5m-rated man after his summer transfer after a forlorn debut with his new side.