Latest news with #midfielders
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Milan dream of Luka Modric's signing
Kevin De Bruyne to Napoli might not be the only blockbuster midfielder signing in Serie A this season. As revealed by Fabrizio Romano recently, Milan are beginning to dream of a big signing of their own. New sporting director Igli Tare reportedly wants to bring Luka Modric to the club. Milan are in desperate need of midfield reinforcements and they are targeting the likes of Morten Frendrup, Hans-Nicolussi-Caviglia and Samuele Ricci to reinforce the middle of the pitch. But it seems like the name of Modric has also been mentioned in talks. It remains to be seen if this materialises. Modric had spent many illustrious years at Madrid, even becoming their record trophy winner. It has been reported that he wanted to stay at Real for another year but Real let his contract run out. Modric is currently 39 years old and while he might not be able to play every minute, he has shown that he is still capable of playing at a very high level. Modric has received several approaches from clubs all over the world since leaving Real Madrid, but is seemingly not in a rush to pick his next club. Kaulik Mitra | GIFN
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Man City Plan to 'Wreck' Reds' Transfer Plans with 'Double Swoop'
Man City Eye Reijnders and Wirtz in £180m Transfer Move Guardiola prioritises Reijnders and Wirtz as Club World Cup looms Manchester City are preparing an ambitious £180million double swoop for Bayer Leverkusen's Florian Wirtz and AC Milan's Tijjani Reijnders, with both midfielders firmly in Pep Guardiola's sights ahead of next month's expanded FIFA Club World Cup. Advertisement With a clear intention to retool his squad for a new era, Guardiola has urged City's hierarchy to act decisively in the transfer market. Following a similar £180m outlay in January, the Premier League champions are now targeting two of Europe's most technically gifted midfielders. City's interest in Wirtz is long-standing, but Leverkusen's valuation north of £100million has not deterred Etihad executives. Talks have progressed to a stage where James McAtee, currently rated at around £25million, could be used as part of a deal to ease negotiations with the German side. 'Leverkusen are demanding in excess of £100million for German international Wirtz – and that has not discouraged City who could offer James McAtee as a £25million makeweight.' Reijnders poised for record-breaking Milan exit Tijjani Reijnders is viewed internally at City as an ideal addition to their evolving midfield structure. However, prising him away from AC Milan will not come cheaply. The Italian giants are insistent that any bid must eclipse the £56.3m they received from Real Madrid for Kaka in 2009 — still a club record. 'Milan have made it clear City will have to break the Italian club's £56.3m transfer record they once banked for Kaka to land creative Dutchman Reijnders.' Advertisement The Dutch international signed a new five-year deal in March, worth £96,000 per week, but Milan are aware of City's pulling power and financial clout. With both players involved in upcoming World Cup qualifiers, Guardiola is pushing for early movement to ensure their availability before City travel to the United States for the Club World Cup. De Bruyne future opens door for creative reinforcements The potential departure of Kevin De Bruyne is a major subplot to City's summer strategy. The Belgian maestro, on over £350,000 per week, is finalising a move elsewhere, which would significantly free up room in City's wage structure. 'De Bruyne earns in excess of £350,0000-a-week at the Etihad and his departure will give the Blues plenty of room for manoeuvre when it comes to negotiating with Wirtz and Reijnders.' Wirtz, just 22, earns under £80,000-a-week in Germany, and Guardiola has already spoken to him directly about a future in Manchester. Advertisement 'Wirtz, 22, earns less than £80,000-a-week in the Bundesliga and has been identified as the perfect replacement for De Bruyne. He has already spoken to Guardiola and Liverpool boss Arne Slot about his next move.' Alonso exit fuels transfer domino effect The upcoming managerial change at Bayer Leverkusen could also work in City's favour. With Xabi Alonso tipped to take over at Real Madrid, the Bundesliga club face a summer of upheaval. Alonso's admiration for both Wirtz and Reijnders adds further intrigue to their respective situations. 'Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso is expected to depart the club for Real Madrid this summer and is a big admirer of both players.' Guardiola's determination to finalise business before jetting off to the United States reflects the urgency around these deals. With eyes on international stages and elite club silverware, City's aggressive pursuit of Reijnders and Wirtz may yet define their summer.
The Guardian
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Guardian
Roméo Lavia is the ideal cog in Enzo Maresca's machine – when he is fit
'When he is fit, he is one of the best midfielders,' enthused Enzo Maresca after Chelsea's 1-0 win over Everton a few weeks ago. His team had laboured to a narrow home win but the manager was full of praise for his young midfielder. Chelsea have paid huge transfer fees for midfielders in recent years, breaking the British transfer record to sign Enzo Fernández from Benfica for £107m and then upping the record to bring in Moisés Caicedo from Brighton, but Maresca knows his team is at its best when Roméo Lavia is available. Fernández and Caicedo have performed superbly in recent weeks as Chelsea have chased down a place in the Champions League. The Ecuadorian has done particularly well at right-back, having been moved out of midfield to accommodate Lavia in the starting XI. Caicedo has dropped into defence and operated as an inverted right-back, doing so to a better standard than both Reece James and Malo Gusto. Given his hefty transfer fee and ability to win back the ball in the centre of the park, Caicedo probably expected to be one of the first names on the team sheet, but his new position in the team shows just how valuable Lavia is to Chelsea. Maresca has picked the former Southampton man alongside Fernández at the base of his 4-2-3-1 formation because he gives the team greater balance. Lavia has the best pass success rate in the Chelsea squad (91.8%) this season in the league. He completed 100% of his passes against Liverpool at the weekend – as he had done against Tottenham last month (before he was forced off with an injury). The 21-year-old really caught the eye in the 3-1 victory against Liverpool. Having already clinched the title, there was not much at stake for Arne Slot's men at Stamford Bridge but, even so, Lavia gave a performance that warranted adulation. To not misplace any of his 23 passes against the best side in the land is a tremendous feat. Cole Palmer made most of the headlines by scoring his first goal in 18 games but Lavia was the player who dictated the tempo for Chelsea. Chelsea fans must be delighted by his form given he had such an arduous start at the club. The Belgium international was restricted to just 32 minutes of league action in his debut campaign for the club as an ankle problem followed by a hamstring injury denied him the chance to consolidate a starting spot under Mauricio Pochettino. Lavia clearly has the faith of Maresca, who threw him into action on the first day of the season against Manchester City. Further hamstring complaints meant he didn't start another game until the 2-1 defeat at Liverpool in October, two months after his full Chelsea debut, but Maresca clearly wants to pick the midfielder as soon as he is given the green light to do so. Maresca's side can get by fine without Lavia but they are a far stronger side when he plays. Not only is Lavia a tidy performer in possession, but his press resistance and close control make him the ideal player to receive the ball from defence and start attacks. He gives away possession as a result of an unsuccessful touch just 0.1 times per 90 minutes; to put that in context, Caicedo does it one time per 90 and Fernández 0.9 times per 90. Rifle the ball into Lavia and he will control with ease – a skill that means Chelsea can build from the back without fear of being caught short in defence. For a Chelsea side that ranks third for possession (57.6%) in the league this season, Lavia is the ideal cog in Maresca's machine. Yet, the 'when he is fit' line from Maresca after the Everton game is telling. Lavia's start against Liverpool was just his 10th in nearly two years at the club. He has not yet completed a full match in a Chelsea shirt and was left out of their Conference League squad due to fitness issues. When his teammates line up to face Real Betis in the final of the competition in Wroclaw later this month, he will be watching from the stands because his manager could not trust him to be fit. The pros outweigh the cons for Maresca, though. Lavia has proven instrumental in his sporadic outings, none more so than against Liverpool. His availability could be the key to Chelsea securing a top-five finish this season. This is an article by WhoScored
