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According to France Football, Real Madrid are set to reignite their interest in Liverpool forward Sadio Mane, who was reportedly close to a move to the Spanish capital before Zinedine Zidane surprisingly left his post at the end of last season.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Spanish champions had even allegedly agreed personal terms with the Senegalese attacker, only for Zidane’s exit to put an end to negotiations.

Since then, Mane has gone from strength to strength and is currently Liverpool’s star man ahead of Mohamed Salah. The 26-year-old has 11 goals in his last 11 games, and 20 in total across all competitions – he is just one off the top of the Premier League scoring charts, and he doesn’t even take penalties.

Jurgen Klopp has gotten quite inventive with his excuses this season. FFC’s James Jones think he has no one but himself to blame for Liverpol’s poor form in the video below…

Now Zidane is back in the Santiago Bernabeu hotseat, a move for Mane looks to be at the top of Los Blancos’ priorities, although Liverpool will obviously make it hard for him to leave as they did when Philippe Coutinho found the lure of Barcelona too hard to resist.

Liverpool should demand Isco-plus-cash in return

Since the departure of the aforementioned Coutinho, the Reds have severely lacked a source of creativity in midfield. Most of Jurgen Klopp’s current options seem to be too pragmatic, such as Jordan Henderson, James Milner, Fabinho and Gini Wijnaldum, with no real No.10 type player in there like Coutinho.

As a result, Liverpool and sporting director Michael Edwards should kill two birds with one stone and demand Isco, plus a lot of cash, from Real Madrid for Mane’s signature.

The Spanish international can play in a centre-attacking midfield role, like Coutinho did, whilst he is equally as effective in a left-wing role, the position that Mane primarily occupies.

If the Merseysiders do find themselves in negotiations with Madrid over Mane, getting a hefty financial package and Isco in return would be a masterstroke from Edwards and Klopp.

West Bromwich Albion’s Rakeem Harper is next in a long list of young talents destined for greatness according to manager Darren Moore, but would it be wise to move to a “bigger” side at this point in his career?

West Brom are reportedly keen on renewing the 18-year-old contract which is due to expire this summer, and it is understood that talks are going positively with the player keen on continuing his development at the club (via Daily Mail).

However, it may worry some fans to learn that the two parties are yet to come to a formal agreement, and with Premier League clubs interested anything is possible.

Indeed, having made his top-flight debut at the tender age of 17, it is clear to see why the Baggies hold him in such high esteem and equally obvious why he is attracting a lot of attention from other teams.

Darren Moore reaffirmed his belief that he could be become a ‘top player’, adding: ‘This is the club to keep him right, we know his strengths and where he needs to improve, and he is improving. We want to see him stay here, we’ve agreed that we want him to stay, his advisers agree that he should stay, it’s just a matter of getting it sorted now.’ (via Daily Mail).

Moore is not wrong: too many times have we seen the development of young players stunted by a single rash decision to move to a bigger side before they are ready.

Harper is no different. He must continue the initial part of his career in a familiar place; where his qualities are known, appreciated and nurtured.

Encouragingly, it is rapidly becoming the norm for young players to either stay where they are or move abroad, like Jadon Sancho, to competitions such as the Bundesliga in search of greater and more viable opportunities.

Unless he is given the same guarantees he has at West Brom, there is no obvious reason why he should leave.

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Everton fell to their third successive Premier League defeat on Saturday as they lost 1-0 to Watford at Vicarage Road. A second half strike from Andre Gray was enough to secure the three points for the Hornets. 

In a hostile atmosphere, as the home crowd took aim at their club’s former manager and the Toffees’ current boss Marco Silva, the Merseyside outfit wilted. Everton deserved to lose and look like a side pretty bereft of confidence right now.

The fact that Kurt Zouma was shown a red card after the final whistle only served to compound Silva’s misery. 

The pressure has now been heaped onto the Portuguese coach and he’s probably running out of time to turn around his side’s fortunes. Everton fans are certainly beginning to lose patience with him.

The indoor football skills in the video below have to be seen to be believed…

After the final whistle on Saturday, plenty of the Everton faithful took to Twitter to plead for Silva’s reign at Goodison Park to be brought to a swift end.

Leeds’ current poor run of form may be concerning, but the future looks bright at Elland Road.

Indeed, while the first-team are faltering, winning just two of their last nine games, the academy have been tasting success, with the U11s winning the Manchester United cup, beating the tournament hosts 3-2 in the final.

At any normal football club, the U11s winning a ten-team competition wouldn’t be of interest to many, but this is Leeds United we’re talking about.

Watch Leeds United Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

The Whites’ fanbase are one of the most passionate in the country, and unfortunately, success has been hard to come by in Yorkshire over the past couple of decades.

A few members of the fanbase celebrated the U11s’ success as if the first-team had just lifted a major trophy.

Others used this opportunity to joke about the senior squad’s current striking issues.

Fans have made their thoughts about Patrick Bamford known in recent weeks, and they were satirically hoping that one of these U11 players could replace him.

Another section of the fanbase were buzzing about the fact that they’d beaten their biggest rivals in their own competition, even if it was at youth level.

In other news, Leeds may take some comfort from the xG table after Saturday’s loss.

According to the Daily Mail, Chelsea want Zenit man Leanardo Paredes, who the Russian outfit rate around the £36 million mark. It seems as though the Blues are edging closer to a move for the midfielder as they look to find a replacement for Cesc Fabregas, and make no mistake, Paredes would be a good choice.

However, it’s hard to view him as the ideal option, especially given the fine form of Cagliari man Nicolo Barella.

Barella is another player that Chelsea have been linked with as of late, as per Matteo Pedrosi‏, but it seems as though Paredes has emerged as the leading candidate – and it’s tough to see why.

After all, Barella is quickly emerging as one of the finest players in Serie A. Despite being just 21-years-old, he’s a regular in the Italian top flight, and with good reason.

Barella is a direct, combative midfielder with bags of energy and drive who is always looking to move the ball forward and make something happen. Given that he’s just 1.75m (5ft7) tall, he’s not the most accomplished in the air, whilst his overall physical presence could do with some work, but in terms of raw technical attributes, he’d be a fantastic option for the Blues. Of course, Chelsea are looking to replace Cesc Fabregas, and Barella’s brilliant technical ability, including his range of passing, would mean that he’s a fine choice for this task.

Perhaps the Italian would cost a bit more, but the best players come at a premium, and if Chelsea want to find a genuine upgrade on Fabregas, he’d be a great choice. Not to mention, at just 21-years-old, he’s one for the present and future, too.

He may need convincing, but Barella would be an ideal fit in place of Cesc Fabregas.

Thoughts?

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In their most recent Premier League fixture, Arsenal produced their best result and performance of the Unai Emery era to date as they dispatched newly-promoted Fulham by a 5-1 scoreline at Craven Cottage. 

The fact that the North London club’s starting XI didn’t include any of Mesut Ozil, Aaron Ramsey or Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang makes their triumph all the more impressive – although, the latter two were introduced from the bench and scored three goals between them.

However, the Gunners’ scintillating display without Ozil in the side presents something of a selection dilemma for Emery. Assuming that the German playmaker is back to full fitness in time to face Leicester City at the Emirates Stadium on Monday night, the Spanish coach must make a big call on his inclusion.

As the club’s highest-paid player and perhaps biggest star, it is vital that Emery can get the best out of him and find a place for him in the starting XI, however, in the hunt for Champions League qualification the good of the team must come first.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”305269″ player=”12034″ title=”Are Emery’s Arsenal Silently Gunning For The Title”]

Equally, the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan and the resurgent Alex Iwobi don’t deserve to be usurped in the side. For that reason, Ozil ought to be on the bench on Monday night.

What do you think, Arsenal fans – should Ozil start against the Foxes?

Everton kickstarted their summer transfer activity with a big-money capture of Watford winger Richarlison.

Now it seems that the supporters want manager Marco Silva to address the problems in defence.

With Michael Keane, Phil Jagielka, Ashley Williams and Mason Holgate within the ranks, it may not appear that the area needs bolstering.

However, there were too many inconsistencies at the back last season, which resulted in the team conceding goals frequently.

Out of the current group, Williams is probably the most likely to be sacrificed, which would pave the way for a new face.

The Daily Mail recently reported that Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho needs to offload a defender in order to bring in Harry Maguire from Leicester City.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”255857″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch Everton’s opening fixtures for the 201819 Premier League season”]

Victor Lindelof could potentially be axed due to his lack of game time under the United boss.

The Sweden international, who reached the quarter-finals of the World Cup in Russia, made just 17 Premier League appearances last season.

The fact that Mourinho opted not to give him his league debut until two months after his arrival could potentially raise alarm bells, but when we asked you if Lindelof would improve Everton’s defence, the outcome was clear.

Liverpool’s summer has been dominated by the transfer saga involving Philippe Coutinho.

The Brazilian has been heavily linked with a move to Barcelona, and that speculation grew when Neymar left Camp Nou to join Paris Saint-Germain in a world-record deal.

According to ESPN, Coutinho would be interested in a transfer, but it has been widely suggested that the playmaker, who signed a new long-term contract in January, will not force a move.

The broadcaster claims that in the last few days, Barcelona had a second bid worth around €100m (£90.6m) rejected by Liverpool, and the latest statement released by the club reveals that there is no room for negotiation.

The Reds’ American owners Fenway Sports Group have spoken for the first time about the saga, and their position is very clear.

“We wish to offer clarity as regards our position on a possible transfer of Philippe Coutinho. The club’s definitive stance is that no offers for Philippe will be considered and he will remain a member of Liverpool Football Club when the summer window closes.”

As expected, Liverpool fans have taken to Twitter to give their reaction to the club’s stance.

Jurgen Klopp’s side will begin their Premier League campaign tomorrow with a trip to Watford.

Tottenham Hotspur are planning to battle arch rivals Arsenal for the signature of Monaco teenager Kylian Mbappe, according to The Mirror.

What’s the story?

A few weeks ago, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger highly praised the 18-year-old forward due to his impressive form this season.

Not only has the French forward scored 11 goals in all competitions, he has also provided five assists.

What makes his stats even easier on the eye is that he has only started eight of the 17 Ligue 1 games that he has featured in, suggesting that he could cause much more damage is he had a regular spot in the team.

Wenger has compared the teenager to one of his legendary players Thierry Henry and told the Ligue 1 show earlier this month that he is keeping track of the youngster’s progress.

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Now, according to The Mirror, Spurs have entered the race to sign him, with manager Mauricio Pochettino left impressed by Mbappe’s hat-trick in Saturday’s 5-0 romp over Metz.

Which North London club better suits Mbappe?

At this moment in the teenager’s career, Tottenham would probably be a better fit for the attacking player.

He would have a better chance of cementing a regular spot in the team given that Pochettino is known for giving young starlets a chance.

At the age of 19, Dele Alli became a quick regular in Spurs’ lineup and  has not looked back.

In terms of style, Mbappe would provide an additional goalscoring option and his ability to play out wide means that he can create as well as score.

With Harry Kane the leading man up front, Mbappe would have the chance to form a partnership with him, which would ease pressure on the England international’s shoulders.

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Liverpool legend John Barnes has called on his old club avoid offloading Daniel Sturridge for £25m.

Weekend reports claimed that the Reds have grown so frustrated with their injury-ravaged striker that they’re willing to listen offers for his signature, even though he’s scored 44 goals in 72 games for the club.

While Sturridge’s record in front of the net is excellent, he has missed more games than he’s played since making his 2013 move from Chelsea to Liverpool, and current manager Jurgen Klopp has been limited to just 106 minutes with his main centre-forward on the pitch.

The 26-year-old is currently undergoing a ‘mini pre-season’ in a bid to regain full fitness, and TitanBet Brand Ambassador Barnes told FootballFanCast.com that he would not look to sell the former Manchester City trainee under any circumstances:

“I don’t think the club want to sell him at all. I wouldn’t want to sell Daniel Sturridge, because when Daniel Sturridge is fit he is probably still our best striker. I doubt whether it’s true, I think it’s just speculation, but I wouldn’t want to do it.

“He’s still young and if he can get fit he’s still a great asset to have. I’m more interested in who the club can get in to help him, rather than selling him.”

Even with his patchy fitness record, Sturridge is unlikely to be short of admirers given his proven Premier League record and home-grown status.

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