logo
Marcus Rashford one of four wingers ‘crazy' about Barcelona with Man Utd star battling Liverpool rival and ex-Prem ace

Marcus Rashford one of four wingers ‘crazy' about Barcelona with Man Utd star battling Liverpool rival and ex-Prem ace

The Sun9 hours ago

MARCUS RASHFORD is one of four wingers being eyed for a stunning transfer by Barcelona.
The La Liga champions saw their attack explode last season with Ballon d'Or candidates Lamine Yamal and Raphinha contributing to 102 goals by scoring themselves or assisting a team-mate.
7
7
However, Hansi Flick wants to add even more firepower to the ranks in a bid to retain the Spanish league title and better their semi-final appearance in the Champions League - where they lost to Inter Milan.
According to Mundo Deportivo, after adding goalkeeper Joan Garcia in a £21million transfer, the priority now is to add a left-footed attacker.
A four-man shortlist has been drawn up to that end.
The number one target on the shopping list is Liverpool star Luis Diaz, who has been on their radar for some time, while exiled Manchester United ace Rashford is also on there.
Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams is another name on the list, along with cut-price option Ivan Perisic who is available on a free after being released by PSV.
Below we take a look at each of the options and what they offer the Camp Nou outfit.
Luis Diaz - Liverpool
7
Colombia talisman Diaz - a childhood fan of the club - has been flirting with a move to Barcelona for some time now and is said to have "made up his mind" on wanting a transfer to Barca.
The 28-year-old is said to not feel valued at Anfield, where he scored 17 goals and added eight assists in all competitions.
The Reds have not offered him a new contract ahead of his deal expiring in 2027, and he could fall down the pecking order with the imminent arrival of £116.5m ace Florian Wirtz from Bayer Leverkusen.
Reports suggest Diaz has been told he can leave Liverpool for £51m, although that is above the price Barca want to pay and his current employers have already rejected an approach this summer.
Man Utd outcast Marcus Rashford hits back at fan who abused him after he posted training video ahead of transfer exit
Marcus Rashford - Manchester United
7
Rashford is on the for-sale list at boyhood club Man Utd after being exiled by Ruben Amorim.
The 27-year-old was offered to Barcelona last January before he completed a loan transfer to Aston Villa, where he put in some impressive displays while racking up 10 goal contributions in 17 games.
It is understood Rashford will be available for £40m this summer, while he would also be willing to take a wage cut from his current £325,000-per-week earnings at Old Trafford.
Barca transfer chief Deco has already said Rashford is a player the club "likes" and Rashford is said to have told his agents to push for a move to Spain.
Nico Williams - Athletic Bilbao
The Spanish winger was the club's primary target last summer after a breakout season for club and country, and while he added more goals to his game in the last 12 months, he overall had a more low-key year.
Barcelona now have rival interest in the attacker in the form of Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
However, the 22-year-old is reportedly desperate to join Barca as he hopes to link up with Yamal and made his ambitions clear to Deco.
He is understood to have a release clause of £53m.
Ivan Perisic - Free agent
7
Former Tottenham star Perisic is a seasoned veteran and could be the perfect foil to the relatively inexperienced attacking set-up at Flick's disposal.
Flick knows him from their time together at Bayern Munich, when Perisic bagged 14 goal contributions in 26 games.
As a free option on the market Barcelona could do far worse, and the 36-year-old Croatia international is said to be willing to wait for Barcelona to make an approach before deciding on his future.
His plan is to reach the World Cup with Croatia and knows competing for a spot at Barcelona will improve those chances.
7

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Relentless Chelsea see chance to test evolving squad at Club World Cup
Relentless Chelsea see chance to test evolving squad at Club World Cup

The Guardian

time24 minutes ago

  • The Guardian

Relentless Chelsea see chance to test evolving squad at Club World Cup

This is the never-ending season but Chelsea show no sign of wanting to slow down. They intend to embrace Fifa's newly revamped Club World Cup – a potential £97m prize pot for the eventual winners is quite the draw in an age of intense financial scrutiny, after all – and have travelled to the US knowing that the tournament gives them an opportunity to find out more about a squad that has evolved in the short space of time since Enzo Maresca's side beat Real Betis in the Uefa Conference League final on 28 May. There has been little time to pause for breath before Chelsea get up and running in Group D by facing the Major League Soccer side Los Angeles FC in Atlanta on Monday. Some players have had a 10-day break, others have been away on international duty and there has been no sign of anyone in the recruitment department taking a bit of annual leave. The sporting directors, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, have been busy assessing possible ins and outs. Joe Shields, the co-director recruitment of talent, has made his presence felt in the arrival of Liam Delap from Ipswich and the pursuit of the Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens. The pace is relentless. It speaks volumes that nobody raised an eyebrow at João Félix, who joined from Atlético Madrid for £45m less than a year ego, being left out of Chelsea's 28-man squad last week. The evolution is constant. Chelsea have shown decisiveness in their hunt for a new striker, moving swiftly to land Delap for the bargain price of £30m, while they have been clinical in other areas. They were right not to sign Jadon Sancho on a permanent basis, even though sending the winger back to Manchester United triggered a £5m penalty. Refusing to pay over the odds for Gittens and the Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan before the registration deadline for the group stages of the Club World Cup was also encouraging, especially as doing so was always going to be seen by more impatient supporters on social media as some kind of major negotiating fail. It is not as if the business has been limited to Delap. Space has been found in the travelling party for other newcomers – the 19‑year‑old goalkeeper Mike Penders, the 20-year-old centre‑back Mamadou Sarr, the 20-year-old midfielder Dário Essugo and the 21-year-old Brazilian prospect Andrey Santos, who developed well during a year on loan at Strasbourg, Chelsea's partner club. Meanwhile there will be eyes on Palmeiras's progress in Group A given that their 18-year-old winger, Estêvão, is joining Chelsea after the tournament and is seen by many observers as a future Ballon d'Or winner. A late call has also been made for Kendry Páez, the Ecuadorian prospect, to travel to the US to train with his new clubmates before joining Strasbourg on loan. This is a chance for Maresca to finesse patterns, improve old on-pitch relationships and develop some new ones. It is not ideal that Chelsea's Premier League campaign will be compromised if they go all the way in the US – the final is less than a month before the start of the domestic season – but there is no point grumbling about fatigue. The reality is that Chelsea, whose endurance will also be tested by participation in the Champions League, are where they want to be. The club's American owners, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, are hardly going to complain about involvement in a month-long Stateside marketing extravaganza. Can Chelsea go all the way? Formidable opponents await them in the latter stages but they should make it through Group D with something to spare. LAFC offer the familiarity of the former Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and the former Chelsea striker Olivier Giroud but both are past their best. Chelsea surely just need the right attitude. Further games against Espérance and Flamengo in Philadelphia look inviting enough. Yet the limited nature of the opposition will not stop Maresca from learning more about his players. There is scrutiny on the goalkeeping position following the move for Maignan, which did little to quell the impression that Chelsea will listen to offers for Robert Sánchez and Filip Jörgensen. Djordje Petrovic, meanwhile, is certain to leave after asking to be omitted from the squad. The Serbian goalkeeper impressed on loan at Strasbourg last season and wants regular football. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The competition is fierce. Sánchez retains the support of Ben Roberts, the global head of goalkeeping, and did well at the end of last season but whether Maresca fully trusts him is less clear. Chelsea have options. There is a lot of excitement about Penders, who will probably start as the third choice after Marcus Bettinelli's move to Manchester City. The pressure to perform is clear. There is a battle for supremacy in attack. Delap, who scored 12 goals for Ipswich last season, has taken the No 9 shirt and will try to usurp Nicolas Jackson up front. How will Jackson respond? Talk of Chelsea looking to sign another striker raises questions over the Senegal international's future. There are few untouchables at Stamford Bridge. The list of players who can leave is extensive. There are the expensive castoffs who have been left behind and have no future at the club – players such as Raheem Sterling, Axel Disasi, Christopher Nkunku, Ben Chilwell and João Félix – and then there are those such as Noni Madueke. The winger was important for Maresca last season but some have misgivings over his development. Estêvão, who plays in Madueke's position, is coming. Geovany Quenda joins from Sporting Lisbon next year. This is the reality at Chelsea. They just keep going; the challenge is to keep up.

Liverpool chiefs fear Trent Alexander-Arnold repeat as Real Madrid eye new deal
Liverpool chiefs fear Trent Alexander-Arnold repeat as Real Madrid eye new deal

Daily Mirror

time27 minutes ago

  • Daily Mirror

Liverpool chiefs fear Trent Alexander-Arnold repeat as Real Madrid eye new deal

Real Madrid have signed Trent Alexander-Arnold from Liverpool this summer and are now reportedly looking to line up a move for one of his former teammates next summer Real Madrid are reportedly plotting a swoop for another Liverpool star after signing Trent Alexander-Arnold. The England international joined Madrid after running down his contract at Anfield, with the LaLiga giants paying £10million to release him from his deal early so he could feature at the Club World Cup. Madrid have signed a number of players in similar situations to Alexander-Arnold in recent years, which has allowed them to avoid shelling out huge transfer fees. Kylian Mbappe joined on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain last summer, while David Alaba and Antonio Rudiger also signed from Bayern Munich and Chelsea respectively after their deals expired. ‌ And according to a new report from Spanish outlet Marca, Madrid are looking to repeat this trick again with Alexander-Arnold's former Liverpool teammate Ibrahima Konate. The centre-back's current deal is due to expire in 2026 and he is yet to agree terms over an extension. ‌ The report claims that Konate has 'already started the countdown on his contract' and has rejected Liverpool's latest offer of a new deal, with club chiefs fearing a repeat of the Alexander-Arnold saga. Konate spoke out about his future after Liverpool's final Premier League game last month, admitting he is unsure what will happen. "You know, I just want to say one thing: Everything you saw on social media is completely fake," he said. "I didn't even ask for something from the club. They made me an offer, and I replied to them with something, that is it. The rest (speculation) that I want to wait until the end...I want this, all of it is completely fake. "And even the big journalists said in November I am very close to signing the deal. I was like: 'Ah, they have more information than me!?' Because it was not true at that moment and that is why I was a little bit mad because it was not true at this moment. "I knew at one moment people would think I didn't want to sign the contract but I was never close to signing it. We will see what will happen. First thing, I am very happy because we have won the Premier League trophy and we lifted it today. ‌ "We have to enjoy it, have a rest and hopefully next season will be better than this. I didn't expect the [contract] question this way! (laughs) But you are smart, you're smart. To be fair, to win a trophy, even when I won my first trophy with Liverpool, the FA Cup, was just amazing. "And today, to win the Premier League, I know I have a lot of objectives with this club: to become a leader, to win everything. I am very happy here to be fair, you know. But I know where you want to go with this question and this is another conversation with the club and my agent, we will see what will happen in the next few weeks or I don't know when but we will see, let me say that. "Progressing? Not really but my agent met the club last week but I don't know what will happen. I cannot say what my agent said to me but yeah, we will see what will happen."

‘Please stay away from me' – Alexander Zverev swipes at Taylor Fritz in X-rated rant after Stuttgart Open final
‘Please stay away from me' – Alexander Zverev swipes at Taylor Fritz in X-rated rant after Stuttgart Open final

The Sun

time35 minutes ago

  • The Sun

‘Please stay away from me' – Alexander Zverev swipes at Taylor Fritz in X-rated rant after Stuttgart Open final

ALEXANDER ZVEREV barked "I'm f***ing tired of you" after losing to Taylor Fritz in the Stuttgart Open final. The German, 28, has struggled against the American over the last 12 months. 4 4 Fritz, 27, endured an awful clay court season, winning just three matches in four events amid physical struggles. But he has appeared to be a man revitalised on the grass of Stuttgart this week, beating Quentin Halys, Marton Fucsovics, Felix Auger-Aliassime and Zverev to lift the title. Fritz's 6-3 7-6 triumph in the final was his fifth in a row against Zverev during the last year. In his runner-up speech during the trophy ceremony, spiky Zverev joked: "Last but not least, Taylor, I'm f***ing tired of you. 'I don't wanna see you again over the next two to three years. Please stay away from me. Don't come to Germany anymore. "No, well done you deserve to win this title. "You are one of the best players in the world on this surface and you were much better than me today, so congrats to the whole team and I'm sure you are going to do incredible on the next two tournaments on grass, so well done." Fritz smiled sheepishly while sat in his chair during Zverev's speech. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 4 After the match, the US Open runner-up posted on X: "what is Clay ?" Following his defeat to Fritz at Wimbledon last year, 6ft 6in Zverev complained about a member of his opponent's player box, thought to be girlfriend Morgan Riddle. During his post-match press conference, the three-time Grand Slam runner-up huffed: "His team is extremely respectful. I think his coach, his physio and also his second coach were extremely respectful. "But I think there are some other people that, maybe, are in the box that are not, maybe from the tennis world and are not, maybe, particularly watching every match. "They were a bit over the top but that's okay. No issues, no drama. He fought back from two sets to love so they are obviously all excited, very pumped up. "But no issues with Taylor. I think Taylor is a great guy and I have no issues with him." At the time, Morgan shared an Instagram reel toasting and sipping her drink in a white dress and navy jacket, captioned: "When your man wins for the girls." Fritz has since beaten Zverev at the US Open, Laver Cup and ATP Finals. The former Wimbledon quarter-finalist is set to be in action in London next week. Fritz will head to the Queen's Club to play in the HSBC Championships, and has drawn Frenchman Corentin Moutet in the first round. 4

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store