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It was another extremely successful season for Manchester City and their troops. 2018/19 saw them clinch another Premier League title and Kevin De Bruyne, despite missing a big chunk of it, was an integral part as always.

The 27-year-old Belgian only made 19 appearances but still managed to rattle the net twice, assisting a further two in the process. However, as the season is already behind us, De Bruyne is very much in holiday mode, enjoying his time in the pool. He shared his

/ByxprwQjWLN/” data-lasso->Instagram snap with the fans showing him having fun with his son.

The new season doesn’t kick-off until August so that gives De Bruyne some time to relax before the 2019/20 campaign is underway, and he has shown in this latest image what a big fan of basketball he is away from the football field.

Pep Guardiola will no doubt be wanting to lead the team towards their second title-defence in a row with the Belgian as one of the key pieces of the puzzle next term – if he can remain fit.

So it looks like this summer is finally going to be an exciting one for you Tottenham fans? Well, we’ve been waiting a while for it and they say that good things come to those who wait, as far as we’re concerned signing a trio of Jack Clarke, Tanguy Ndombele and Benjamin Bourigeaurd would be more than good.

Sky Sports have claimed that Clarke is close to a Tottenham move and the Tanguy Ndombele rumours have most recently been fuelled by Jean-Michael Aulus recent comments, documented in The Sun, where the Lyon president has claimed that the player ‘is seeking a departure’.

With those two cleared up, we then move on to the man that this article is all about, the Stade Rennais star Benjamin Bourigeaurd, who’s been linked with Spurs by Estadio Deportivo. We know that the vast majority of you not have heard of the Frenchman, but let’s start by reminding you of the wonder-strike he lashed in against Arsenal in the Europa League.

If the 25-year-old was to sign and could score an equally good goal against the Gunners again then he would instantly become a favourite amongst the fans, and there is no reason he couldn’t do just that. In all competitions, the Frenchman scored nine goals and assisted a further ten last season in his 52 games for Stade Rennais.

It also helps that the midfield man has proven to be versatile. For a lot of the season, he played on the left of Rennais’ midfield, although he also has it in his locker to start in the middle of the park. That will be something that interests Mauricio Pochettino, as the Lilywhites have a number of versatile players like Heung-Min Son, Lucas Moura, Eric Dier and Jan Vertonghen who can all play multiple positions.

Bourigeaurd, according to the article linking him with Spurs, is also a transfer target for the likes of Sevilla, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and a number of top Italian clubs, so whilst he would be worth the hassle to sign, it certainly will not be easy for the Lilywhites to get this one over the line.

Tottenham fans, would you be happy to sign Bourigeaurd? Let us know by commenting below!

The inevitable has happened. Newcastle United have waved goodbye to Rafa Benitez. It has been confirmed that the Spaniard will officially leave the club at the end of his deal, as per the Newcastle Website, although it could be set to get even worse this summer.

Whilst one Spaniard is now definitely not going to be at St James Park for the 2019/20 season, it looks like the chances of Ayoze Perez staying is even slimmer. According to Estadio Deportivo, Sevilla’s Sporting Director Monchi is travelling to England in search of transfer targets for the La Liga club, and Ayoze Perez is on his list.

Apparently, with Newcastle demanding around 30 million euros for the player, or roughly £26.8m, it wouldn’t be ludicrous for the Spanish club to swoop in and take the 13-goal striker off of their hands. It’s not what the Magpies want, though, and would be just another huge blow to their survival chances next season.

Salomon Rondon hasn’t been resigned yet after his loan spell, Rafa is gone, a takeover now looks miles away too as per the latest update from OffThePitch.com, as per The Chronicle’s live news feed which claims any takeover is at least six weeks away from now.

What we’re focusing on, though, is Ayoze Perez. The 25-year-old Spaniard top-scored for Newcastle in the 2018/19 season and peaked when he bagged a superb treble against Southampton in the Premier League, yet now his time could be up at St James Park if Sevilla do swoop in for the Geordie ace.

Perez has really grown as a player under his compatriot in the last few seasons, so it would make full sense if he was to leave now that his mentor has also left. It will be up to whoever the new Newcastle manager is to either convince Ayoze to stay or to sign a replacement, although the chances are it will be finding a replacement and the fans will be left devastated yet again.

Newcastle fans, what do you make of the Perez exit rumours? Comment below and let us know!

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more… 

Marcelo Bielsa’s quest to strengthen the left-wing position at Leeds United may be over as Phil Hay on Thursday confirmed that Jack Harrison is nearing a return to the club.

The Man City winger will join the Whites on loan for the second time after spending last year at Elland Road.

Bielsa’s need to strengthen

It’s been no secret that the Argentine wants to bring in reinforcements for his wide positions next term.

For one reason or another, Bielsa’s idea of strengthening the wings is bringing back a man who contributed to just seven goals last season.

With Ryan Kent rejecting a loan move to Leeds, it’s not implausible that Harrison will be the starting option on the left, but the Whites manager seems to be neglecting a man who is already at the club who is seemingly the better pick.

Alioski the better option

With Ezgjan Alioski’s heroics at left-back last season, it seems to have been forgotten that he is a winger by trade, and a good one at that.

The Macedonian appeared 18 times last season as a left-midfielder, and during those appearances, he scored five times and assisted three goals. That means that when played on the wing, he contributed to one more goal than Harrison in 21 fewer games.

Surely this should encourage Bielsa to utilise him as a more attacking option.

Indeed, he was brilliant at left-back, scoring four and assisting four while playing in that role. But with Barry Douglas being such an excellent option as an attacking full-back with 14 assists in the 2017/18 season, a left-flank featuring Douglas behind Alioski is surely better than one with the 27-year-old behind Harrison.

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Leeds would still have a reliable left-back, but they would also have a more effective threat down the wing as Alioski’s stats prove that he is a more dangerous player than Harrison.

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Aston Villa’s Birkir Bjarnason netted a goal in their 3-0 victory over Minnesota United last Wednesday as Dean Smith’s side made the perfect start to pre-season.

The surprise name on the scoresheet was the Icelandic man, a regular for his international side but a near anonymous figure for the Villans, featuring in just 17 matches last season as he spent the majority of 2019 either as an unused substitute or not making the matchday squad at all.

Bjarnason joined the club in January 2017, signing a three-and-a-half-year contract from Basel, and despite his lack of minutes in recent months the 31-year-old played in the second half of their pre-season opener, heading home the final goal from an Andre Green cross.

Many of the Villa Park faithful took to Twitter to share their thoughts on Bjarnason’s contribution with one supporter unable to contain his delight that the 6-foot midfielder was still with them, explaining that he’s Villa through and through.

Others even commented saying he was the standout player in the second half, which was echoed by one member of the Villa fanbase who said he had written him off until last night, suggesting he was one of the better performers on the pitch.

You can read the best selection of tweets from Villa supporters below:

أتم نادي ليفربول الإنجليزي صفقة تعاقده مع حارس مرمى جديد خلال موسم الانتقالات الشتوي الحالي.

وستنتهي فترة الانتقالات الشتوية لهذا العام مساء اليوم الاثنين.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سكاي: كاباك وقع مع ليفربول.. وخطوة واحدة على الإعلان الرسمي

وحصل ليفربول على توقيع الحارس ليام هيوز من صفوف فريق سلتيك الاسكتلندي.

وسينضم الحارس صاحب الـ19 عامًا إلى فريق ليفربول تحت سن 23 عامًا، حسب ما ذكرت شبكة “جول” العالمية.

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According to the Daily Mail, Crystal Palace will have to pay £25m if they want to sign Nice attacker Allan Saint-Maximin this summer, and Eagles fans on Twitter have urged their club to get a deal done.

The Daily Mail report that the 22-year-old, who scored six goals and provided a further three assists in 34 Ligue 1 appearances last season, would provide competition for Wilfried Zaha given he can play out wide or through the middle, and could potentially be viewed as a long-term replacement for the Ivory Coast international should he leave Selhurst Park in the future.

The BBC reported this week that the south London outfit’s talisman is keen to leave for Arsenal, but his reported £80m price tag and the fact that Palace are reluctant to let him go this summer having already sold Aaron Wan-Bissaka to Manchester United in a deal which could rise to £50m may mean an imminent exit isn’t on the cards.

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Eagles supporters on social media certainly seem to be excited by the potential arrival of the Frenchman in SE25, with one saying the reported £25m fee “is more of a bargain than £50m for AWB”, while another individual said “imagine Zaha and him upfront”.

Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…

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A couple of days after someone

/BzsIQLHg6jW/” data-lasso->broke into Daniel Sturridge’s house and took his dog, the ex-Liverpool player has now been reunited with his beloved pet.

The 29-year-old, who became a free agent this summer after six years at Anfield, has confirmed it himself and Lucci is now safe and sound back home.

Still, the story seemingly does not end there as Sturridge has now taken to Instagram to share a hilarious remix of his emotional plea that went viral on the night of the robbery.

Someone has taken the time to give his message the autotune treatment and naturally, it had fans and players in tears from laughter, including Sturridge himself.

Many were quick to reply to the video and despite this being a very serious topic for the Champions League winner, they just couldn’t help enjoy some banter.

The likes of Nathaniel Chalobah, who called the remix “mad”, and Nathan Redmond, who was quite literally in tears, found the remix hilarious, and they were not the only ones as Sturridge’s comment section was flooded with replies such as these.

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It has so far been a quiet transfer window for Newcastle United, but today saw a huge bit of news regarding Rafa Benitez. Today’s Toon transfer roundup includes this major update, a deal close for a Ligue 1 star and Spanish interest in two of the club’s players.

Benitez to leave at end of contract

It has today been confirmed by Newcastle United that Benitez will leave the club this summer. Benitez’s contract will run out on 30th June, at which point his management tenure will come to an end. The Spaniard has lead the club to two consecutive Premier League survivals after gaining promotion from the Championship.

Saint-Maximin deal close

According to French outlet Nice-matin, Allan Saint-Maximin is not too far off agreeing a move to Newcastle. The North-East club could pay up to the €25m (£22.4m) for the 22-year-old winger.

Lejeune and Perez on Sevilla radar

Estadio Deportivo is reporting that Sevilla’s Sporting Director Monchi is on his way to England to try to secure a double swoop for Newcastle pair Florian Lejeune and Ayoze Perez. The latter was Newcastle’s top scorer in the Premier League last season with 12 goals.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Sport Mediaset, AC Milan could be set to offer Andre Silva in part-exchange for Wolves’ Ruben Neves.

What’s the word?

Wolves’ transfer window so far has been incredibly quiet with no incomings to note as of yet.

Helder Costa has sealed a loan switch to Leeds but besides from that, it doesn’t look as they’ll be sparked into life very soon.

However, Wolves Bite have claimed that they are in the market for a defender, midfielder and a striker.

One of those forwards could well be Andre Silva who Sport Mediaset suggest might be used in an offer from Milan to sign Neves.

The report states that Wolves have already pondered a deal for Silva worth €30m (£26.9m), but that the Midlands outfit value their midfield star at €45m (£40.3m).

As a result, the Italian giants look set to offer €15m (£13.4m) plus their 23-year-old striker for Neves’ services.

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A terrible deal

It’s safe to say that if Wolves agreed to this deal they’d feel absolutely robbed.

The fact of the matter is that Neves is without a doubt one of their most important players and is someone Nuno Santo has almost run out of superlatives for.

In the past, he’s described the 6-foot midfielder as a player with quality and talent, as well as hailing him as a perfectionist.

Last season the 22-year-old scored four goals, claimed three assists and still found room to have an impact in defensive situations, completing 2.1 tackles per game.

And on that evidence, they’d be making a huge mistake in letting him go, especially for a price tag of €15m (£13.4m) plus a striker who is unlikely to improve them.

Silva has had a largely disappointing couple of years and despite scoring nine league goals in 2018/19 for Sevilla, has only found the net twice since November. He meanwhile only netted ten times in 2017/18.

Gareth Bale to Wolves? Wolves Fan TV discuss how ambitious Nuno Espirito Santo will be this summer in the video below…

Wolves’ attacking ranks are incredibly settled, boasting both Diogo Jota and Raul Jimenez who had fantastic campaigns.

The former found the net ten times whilst the Mexican scored 17 in all competitions throughout the season just gone.

Bearing that in mind, Silva would be highly unlikely to get into the side if he does join and if it’s at the expense of Neves leaving too, they’d have every right to feel robbed if they were convinced into doing the deal.

It seems highly unlikely that any move would materialise, but the stats provide plenty of evidence as to why it wouldn’t benefit Nuno and his side.