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Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast, Peterborough director of football Barry Fry has named Manchester United as a potential rival to Chelsea in the race for Erling Haaland.

The Borussia Dortmund superstar is currently being linked with a move to west London, but Fry is expecting Manchester United to also make a play for him in the next transfer window.

Interest in Haaland in the summer is a inevitability, with the 20-year-old in incredible form right now as his climb to the summit of world football continues.

He has already hit the 30-goal mark in all competitions this season, so for any club currently in need of a striker, this looks to be their man.

Discussing where the future of Haaland, who is rated at up to €200m (£170m) by CIES, could lie in an exclusive interview with FFC, Fry said:

“They [Manchester United] are two or three quality players away from really challenging Man City. And if they want to do that, they’ve got to go for the best players and obviously he’s one of the best players about.

“I think Man United, not sure about Liverpool, their strategy on transfers and what have you, but I think Man United will compete with Chelsea for that signature, that’s for sure.”

Should Haaland end up at Old Trafford, he would join the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Mason Greenwood, a wealth of attacking options that would make most Premier League managers jealous.

Phil Hay has hinted that Stuart Dallas could take up a midfield role in Leeds United’s Premier League clash on Friday night.

The Whites are back in action on Friday, making the trip to Craven Cottage to take on Scott Parker’s relegation-threatened Fulham.

Fulham’s form has improved in recent months, however, so Marcelo Bielsa’s men will have their work cut out picking up a positive result in west London.

The Leeds manager has a few selection headaches going into the game and one of them could be his use of Dallas, who has often played at left-back this season, among other positions.

Hay hints at Dallas midfield role

Speaking in a Q&A for The Athletic, Hay explained that he could see Dallas taking up a central midfield role against Fulham instead of Mateusz Klich:

“I’d say it’s likely that Dallas will play at 8. His form is better than Klich’s at the moment.”

Dallas has been described as “brilliant” by former Whites striker Noel Whelan in recent weeks, having become such a reliable performer for the club.

Transfer Tavern take

Midfield is one of several roles Dallas has occupied this season, as mentioned, so there is no risk in switching him from a left-back berth.

That would then mean Ezgjan Alioski starting at the back, as he did in last weekend’s 0-0 draw at home to Chelsea – a clean sheet against Thomas Tuchel’s high-fliers is no mean feat.

In other news, Leeds have been tipped to make a move for a hugely experienced Premier League defender this summer. Read about it here.

Financial expert Kieran Maguire has been reacting to Celtic’s significant share price rise in line with talks of an all-British League.

Reports from The Sun on April 22 suggested that both the Hoops and rivals Rangers were wanted as part of a new British division after the fall out of a European Super League, with both clubs thought to be keen on a possible switch.

It didn’t take long for the news to have an effect on the club, with Celtic Plc‘s stock shooting up the same day, as reported by Football Insider.

Maguire, talking to Football Insider, explained it was no coincidence that the club’s share price increased following proposals of a British League, labelling a potential deal as ‘massive’.

He also added that the arrival of new CEO Dominic McKay, who arrived three days earlier, wouldn’t have had an impact on the figures.

“I think it is down to speculation going forward.

“I don’t think the new chief exec’s arrival would have had any impact, as has been suggested.

“Potential additional revenues for the club would be the main driver, I suspect.

“There is a lot of talk about this British league, of course. Whether or not it will actually happen is a different question for another day.

“But it would have a massive impact on Celtic’s finances. That might make the shares potentially look undervalued at their current rate.”

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Transfer Tavern take

Financially, a potential move to an all-British League could have a major positive impact on the Hoops, as Maguire suggests.

You just have to look at the TV money on offer in the Scottish Premiership compared to the Premier League to see that.

Celtic, when participating in the Champions League group stage, used to pocket around £30m a season. Compare that to Huddersfield Town, who netted over £100m in their first season as a Premier League club during the 2017/18 season.

However, even though the financial aspect would more than likely be a major plus, the Hoops may struggle to win silverware and qualify for Europe after competing domestically with the biggest sides in England.

Winning trophies on a regular basis has been a major part of the club’s history, so it’ll be interesting to see what the club would do if plans gathered pace.

In other news: Hoops source shares Eddie Howe update, find out more here. 

Manchester City fans are worried after Pep Guardiola revealed that Kevin de Bruyne is injured, although he is getting better.

De Bruyne has enjoyed another fantastic campaign this term, scoring nine goals and 17 assists in all competitions (Transfermarkt). However, although the Citizens will end the season playing in all but one possible match, the £90m-valued Belgium international (Transfermarkt) has made just 38 appearances, missing a good number through injury.

Now, speaking ahead of City’s clash with Newcastle this weekend, Guardiola has revealed the 29-year-old is currently out injured, even if he is getting better. It appears there may be a bit of a race against time to get him fully fit and firing for the Champions League against Chelsea in Porto on May 29th.

The comments from Guardiola were shared on Twitter by @City_Xtra, and they attracted plenty of attention from the club’s supporters. They took to the social media platform to share their thoughts on the matter.

Let’s see what the fans had to say about the De Bruyne news below

“can you hurry up pls kev I’m getting worried”

Credit: @Ethan4707

“Starting to think he’s actually injured now”

Credit: @GdpMcfc

“Sigh”

Credit: @mcikevz

“What? How?”

Credit: @CSR2693

“We’ve lost the final then”

Credit: @dy1anwest14

“What?”

Credit: @AlexanderNox11

In other news, Man City fans are delighted at this Eric Garcia news.

Many Arsenal fans have been buzzing at the news from The Telegraph that the Kroenkes could be tempted to sell the club for a bid of around £2bn.

As per the news outlet, the Gunners – one of the six English clubs who originally signed up to be part of the proposed European Super League (ESL) project – will face further fan protests after a large number of supporters gathered outside the Emirates Stadium before the 1-0 loss to Everton in the Premier League on Friday night to voice their anger at Stan Kroenke, with the hope that he will leave the north London club.

Daniel Ek, a Swedish billionaire entrepreneur and chief executive of Spotify, recently tweeted that he would ‘be happy to throw (his) name in the ring’ if Kroenke Sports and Entertainment (KSE) would like to sell Arsenal following the mass protests, and The Telegraph have now reported that he is ‘serious’ about tabling an offer.

Arsenal fans on Kroenke and Ek update

These Gooners buzzed upon reading the update on Twitter, with one supporter claiming that they are ‘excited’ while another branded the news as ‘massive’:

“Yessss”

Credit: @RobTheGoatAfc

“Omds I’ve never heard that they would be tempted at all. This is new and massive!!!!!!”

Credit: @AFCWilliam_

“What a dream this would be”

Credit: @ESR_Army_

“Not gonna get excited…..but as an Arsenal fan, I’m impossibly excited”

Credit: @Capt_Amber_jack

“This has made my evening”

Credit: @afcceee

“PLEASE. I’M ON MY KNEES…….”

Credit: @_AFCFRED

In other news, this Arsenal man’s performance against Everton was blasted by many supporters.

Will Celtic ever hire a new manager? The Bhoys have whittled down their list to replace Neil Lennon but a month on we’re still no closer to finding out who will be in the dug-out next season.

What’s the word?

Eddie Howe is the current frontrunner to become the new boss at Parkhead but claims have emerged regarding Roy Keane again.

Celtic were in discussions with the Irishman a number of weeks ago and were even reported to have held an interview with him. However, days after that, news emerged that he was now unlikely to take up the position.

Though, speaking about the former Sunderland manager this week, Graeme Souness fired a message to the Hoops.

Speaking to Off The Ball (via Glasgow Times), the television pundit said: “He (Keane) is desperate to get back. He’s a football man and I have spoken with him about returning to management. He is very keen to do that.”

Souness continued: “Can you imagine how good it would have been if it was Roy Keane vs Steven Gerrard in Glasgow?

“All of a sudden, it wouldn’t just be Scotland, Ireland and a wee bit of England talking about Scottish football, the world would be talking about it. It would have been great for Scottish football.”

U-turn to emerge?

Considering the farcical nature of Celtic’s saga with Howe, it wouldn’t be a great surprise if the Hoops reverted their attention elsewhere.

The 43-year-old has been playing the Bhoys like a fool in recent days with Dermot Desmond dealt repeated setbacks in his bid to lure the former Bournemouth boss to Glasgow.

[snack-amp-story url=”https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-edouard-desmond” title= “Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!”]

It’s thought that Howe isn’t keen on returning to management until the summer while he’s listed some hefty demands in terms of his backroom staff.

The Englishman wants a trusted figure in Richard Hughes to join him at Parkhead but it doesn’t appear as though Celtic are keen on that happening.

Crystal Palace and Brighton have since joined Celtic in the race for Howe and the longer time goes on, the less likely it seems he’s going to sign with the Bhoys.

With that in mind, Desmond may perform a U-turn and revive his interest in Keane. After all, further manager targets Lucien Favre and Jesse Marsch are also attracting suitors from elsewhere.

The Irishman isn’t a man in demand and considering he’s desperate to return to coaching. Thus, he could be an easy candidate to bring in.

Celtic supporters might not be too enthused by the idea but this news is exciting nonetheless. If only Howe could admit he was keen to come out of a hiatus as well.

AND in other news, Celtic dealt fresh blow in the hunt to find a new manager, Desmond surely stressing…

Gallagher was not the only player who struggled in front of goal in what was a hugely frustrating day at Wembley

This will hurt Chelsea for a very long time. No matter how many mitigating circumstances – inexperience, bad luck, injuries etc. – you attempt to place on it, their gut-wrenching extra-time defeat to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday was a colossal missed opportunity.

The spurned chances, of which there was so, so many, will be haunting Mauricio Pochettino's dreams tonight, with the injury-ravaged Reds somehow clinging on for long enough for Virgil van Dijk to head home the game's only goal late in the additional period.

In a pulsating first half, Cole Palmer saw a close-ranged effort wonderfully saved by Caoimhin Kelleher and Raheem Sterling had a goal marginally ruled out for offside. Liverpool, had their chances too, with Cody Gakpo hitting the woodwork and Conor Bradley somehow being denied by some heroic Levi Colwill defending.

Incredibly, the intensity was dialled up further after the break. Chelsea let a string of presentable chances go begging either side of Van Dijk's header being controversially chalked off by VAR for an infringement by Wataru Endo. And, in a climatic end to normal time, Liverpool survived a goalmouth scramble of epic proportions, before Conor Gallagher hit the post and then blazed an excellent opening high and wide.

But, after being denied in normal time, Van Dijk would punish Chelsea from a set piece in the 118th minute, nodding home a Kostas Tsimikas corner to send the travelling Reds behind the goal loopy. A few minutes later, with red smoke from the pyrotechnics let of after the goal still covering the Wembley turf, the final whistle was blown and all the Blues could do was trudge off with the bitter taste of disappointment in their mouths.

GOAL rates Chelsea's players from a classic final…

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  Goalkeeper & Defence

  Djordje Petrovic (8/10):

  A competent display before making an outstanding save to deny Elliot in the final throes of extra time. Will be devastated to lose his clean sheet.

  Malo Gusto (8/10):

  Excellent. Made a couple of vital defensive contributions and impressed going forward.

  Axel Disasi (6/10):

  Made a couple of unforced errors in possession that, thankfully for him, went unpunished. Other than that, he was fairly dominant.

  Levi Colwill (7/10):

  Got off to a shaky start, but grew into the game and made a stunning block late in the first half.

  Ben Chilwell (6/10):

  Booked for a scuffle with Conor Bradley on the stroke of half-time. Defended diligently and kept plugging away, but his delivery was lacking.

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  Midfield

  Moises Caicedo (6/10):

  Very lucky not to be booked for a clumsy foul on Gravenberch. Went about his work fairly effectively other than that, but wasn't perfect.

  Conor Gallagher (6/10):

  A potent creative force, but he simply had to take one of the two chances he was gifted at the end of normal time. The disappointed shake of the head as he was substituted said it all.

  Enzo Fernandez (6/10):

  Tried to be too clever with a backheeled finish as a second-half chance went begging. Played some incisive passes, but not his best display.

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  Attack

  Raheem Sterling (6/10):

  A couple of really bright moments and would've scored if Jackson had held his run by a split second. Was starting to fade when he was replaced by Christopher Nkunku.

  Nicolas Jackson (7/10):

  So nearly provide a perfect assist for Sterling – but was narrowly offside. Caused Liverpool problems throughout with his direct running.

  Cole Palmer (7/10):

  Had to score past Kelleher in an otherwise quiet first half. Got more into the game as things progressed and carved out some decent openings.

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  Subs & Manager

  Christopher Nkunku (5/10):

  Just could not quite reach Malo Gusto's cross at the end of normal time.

  Mykhailo Mudryk (5/10):

  Hardly in the game.

  Noni Madueke (5/10):

  Carved out one of the only opening on full time with a mazy dribble, but only after his sloppy pass halted a promising attack.

  Trevoh Chalobah (N/A):

  On for a few minutes at the end.

  Mauricio Pochettino (7/10):

  He set his team up well, looking to exploit Liverpool's high line with his pacy forwards. Hard to criticise him too much. The finishing on display will have driven him up the wall.

Joao Cancelo has been slammed for his "attitude problem" at Manchester City and Valencia, with one journalist joking "even God couldn't stand him".

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• Cancelo fell out with Guardiola
• Failed to meet standards set out by manager
• Shipped out on loan to Bayern and Barcelona

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Cancelo, who arrived at Manchester City in August 2019 from Juventus in a €65 million (£56m/$70m) deal, initially thrived under the leadership of manager Pep Guardiola. Regarded as one of Europe's top full-backs, Cancelo played a pivotal role in City's success.

  However, a noticeable shift occurred during the first half of last season when Guardiola began rotating his squad, sidelining the Portuguese defender. This change in status led to public discord between Cancelo and Guardiola, culminating in the Portuguese's loan spells at Bayern Munich and later Barcelona.

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• WHAT HAS BEEN SAID

  Journalist Lu Martín shed light on the situation, attributing Cancelo's exits to attitude and behaviour problems when not selected by managers throughout his career.

  “We have explained it several times,” he said. “It’s a problem of attitude and behaviour. If there’s one thing Pep can’t stand it’s bad behaviour and being overweight. Cancelo’s behaviour was not the right one, although as a footballer he has tremendous quality. The same thing happened to him at Valencia. He didn’t leave because he didn’t play badly, he left because even God couldn’t stand him."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Cancelo is an undisputed starter at Barcelona and has already made 28 appearances across competitions this term. However, Martin asserted that things could quickly change if he is relegated to the bench by Xavi and prefers someone else.

  "At Barca as long as he plays, there is no problem, but the day he stops playing his character will come out," he said. "As long as he doesn’t have competition that won’t happen, but at City it was different, there was a lot of quality there.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Cancelo's reported attitude problem underscores the importance of professionalism and behaviour in football. While Cancelo possesses exceptional quality as a player, his alleged behavioural issues have evidently affected his career trajectory and relationships with managers. Nonetheless, he is enjoying his time in Spain and will be in action on Saturday against Getafe in a La Liga encounter.

Jurgen Klopp has vehemently denied allegations that Trent Alexander-Arnold was ‘forced back' from injury by the Liverpool medical staff.

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• Alexander-Arnold subbed off early against Burnley
• Klopp informed that injury was in "same area" in knee
• Staring at a lengthy spell on the sidelines

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  The England international has managed just two starts since he returned from a knee problem that he picked up against Arsenal in the FA Cup in January. Although Alexander-Arnold bossed in the first half against Burnley duringLiverpool's 3-1 win over the Clarets, Klopp had to take him off at half-time after he complained of having discomfort in the "same area."

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• WHAT KLOPP SAID

  It was speculated that Alexander-Arnold was hurried back into action to bolster Liverpool's campaign as they fight for silverware on multiple fronts. However, Klopp dismissed these claims and said: "I got the news that there was a discussion that we might have forced Trent back because [he had] two setbacks.

  “It’s really unfortunate, nobody wants that and nobody’s doing that (forcing the player back). [There are] different cases, different scenarios, and, as long as I am here, we never forced anybody back and never will."

• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Kopp insisted that the players were given the green signal only because they were "fit" and the medical staff is now working to get both Dominik Szoboszlai, who is nursing a hamstring injury, and Alexander-Arnold back on the pitch as quickly as possible.

  "We work in a high-performance area where, if you had the same injury, you are fit after three days and [the player] is fit after four weeks because they have to sprint and stuff like this," he said.

  “We always try to catch the earliest moment but unfortunately when we catch that moment, nobody speaks about it. Like with Macca (Alexis MacAllister), or recently with Diogo (Diogo Jota), that’s a job we have to do. But the last decision is then always by the player and if we always listen only to the player then they would play after two weeks and then it’s a real problem.

  "So the boys were, at the moment when they played, they were fit. But the situation told us then differently because it happened again. We will never know if it would have happened anyway or if it just happened because there was something before. Very, very unlucky and unfortunate, absolutely, but I had that a couple of times in my time as a manager, not only here. It is not great, but nothing else.

  "It says nothing about the quality of anybody but in the world we are living in there is always [talk about] the medical department. We have to bring the boys as back as soon as possible but never sooner than they are ready.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Alexander-Arnold's injury might force him to miss key fixtures, including the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea and subsequent Premier League clashes against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City. Similarly, Szoboszlai's hamstring problem raises doubts about his availability for the cup final at Wembley on February 25. However, the Reds have been handed a major boost ahead of their clash against Brentford as Mohamed Salah is "back in full training" and will be available for selection.

Manchester City have been linked with a move for Romelu Lukaku in recent months, as they look to add a world-class striker to their ranks ahead of next season, but it seems as if the Citizens’ hopes of signing the Belgian international have suffered a blow, after it was reported that Inter are not willing to sell him this summer.

According to reports from Italy, Inter won’t sell the 27-year-old striker this summer despite the interest being shown in him by both Manchester City and Barcelona.

Pep Guardiola’s side are clearly in the market for a new frontman, especially if Sergio Aguero departs on the expiry of his contract at the end of the season, and after Borussia Dortmund’s astronomical asking price for Erling Haaland was revealed recently, Lukaku perhaps could have re-emerged as a potential option for City this summer.

The former Chelsea and Manchester United man has been in phenomenal form for Inter so far this season, with 19 goals and eight assists to his name in just 26 Serie A appearances, resulting in a superb 7.56 average rating.

The Belgian striker has seen his value soar during his time in Italy, as he is now rated at £81 million by Transfermarkt, after leaving United for £74 million in 2019.

Guardiola is a big fan of the striker, despite his indifferent form during his time at United, and was full of praise for him in 2018, saying:

“He’s fast, going to the channels, he helps to keep the ball and helps to make the movement for the other guys. He’s top. He’s a world-class player.”

Lukaku certainly would have added a physical presence up front for Man City, which is something they have lacked in recent seasons, so it is undoubtedly a blow for Guardiola’s side that Inter seemingly won’t allow him to leave this summer when you consider his superb record since joining Antonio Conte’s side.

And, in other news… Pep could be set for huge Man City boost with “incredible” £90m-rated gem