Premier League
PAUL POGBA SET TO LEAVE MAN. UTD
Paul Pogba has told teammates of a desire to leave Manchester United, with the club preparing to sell the World Cup winning star this summer, L’Equipe has sensationally reported.
According to 90 Min publications, the 26-year-old has had a year of incredible highs and lows.
Following his World Cup triumph with France in Russia last summer, Pogba was brought back down to earth at United and fell out with former manager Jose Mourinho as the Red Devils’ season stuttered.
Following Mourinho’s departure in December and the appointment of Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, Pogba seemed to rekindle some of his best form as United went on an 11-game unbeaten run.
However, another dip in form, culminating in last weekend’s humiliating 4-0 defeat to Everton, has led to renewed criticism of the team and his own effort levels.
According to Wednesday’s L’Equipe, as relayed by Get French Football News (GFFN) in advance of publication, Pogba is keen to engineer a move this summer.
The GFFN report claims that Pogba ‘has told certain teammates that he desires to go elsewhere’ while United have not made plans to renew his current contract, which expires in summer of 2021 (albeit with an option to extend for a further year).
More sensationally, the report adds that the Red Devils ‘will not block him if an offer from Real [Madrid] comes in’ and would prefer to sell this summer rather than next year.
The report, whether from L’Equipe‘s original or GFFN’s dissemination, gives weight to the fact that Pogba will have only one year remaining on his contract next summer, but fails to note the option for a mandatory one-year extension – a clause which has been exercised in multiple United stars’ contracts (including in the case of David de Gea) recently.
Nonetheless, it is suggested that Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain are the only feasible suitors for the former Juventus star, who has missed the boat to join Barcelona, following the signing of Frenkie de Jong. His former employers in Turin are also dismissed as ‘not on the agenda’.
Aside from a high transfer fee, wages remain a concern for would-be suitors. PSG may be hamstrung by Financial Fair Play this summer, while a report earlier this week suggested Real Madrid would be reluctant to shell out big wages for Pogba at the risk of upsetting current stars.
While Pogba slammed United’s 4-0 loss to Everton as ‘disrespectful’ to the club, the midfielder has done little to divert speculation from his future in recent times, calling Real Madrid ‘a dream for anyone’ during the last international break.
Thomas Partey, who formerly played for English Premier League soccer club Arsenal, has been charged with rape and sexual assault, London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday.
Partey, a Ghana international, was charged with five counts of rape and one count of sexual assault, with the charges relating to three women and the offences reported to have taken place between 2021 and 2022, the statement said.
Partey’s management did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
He is due to appear at London’s Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Aug. 5.
Partey, 32, was signed by Arsenal from Atletico Madrid for 50 million euros ($59 million) in October 2020 and became a key member of Arsenal’s first team.
He was first arrested in July 2022, though he was not named at the time and continued to play for Arsenal while investigations were ongoing.
-Reuters
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Five players including England forward Marcus Rashford and Argentina winger Alejandro Garnacho have informed Manchester United that they wish to explore a future away from the Premier League side, a club source said on Friday.
Brazilian midfielder Antony, Dutch defender Tyrell Malacia and England international Jadon Sancho are also looking to leave the club, the source added.
Rashford, who has made more than 400 senior appearances for United, has fallen out of favour with manager Ruben Amorim, played for Aston Villa on loan while United had their worst-ever Premier League campaign, finishing 15th in the standings.
Amorim had called Rashford’s work rate into question, saying he would rather put a goalkeeper coach on the bench than a player not giving their all.
Rashford said he was feeling fitter and better since joining Villa, where he scored two goals in 10 league appearances.
United also failed to qualify for the Champions League as they lost the Europa League final 1-0 to Tottenham Hotspur. Garnacho, who was a late substitute in the final, voiced his displeasure on social media after the loss.
“Up until the final, I played every round helping the team, and today I play 20 minutes, I don’t know,” he wrote in a post . “The final will influence (my decision), but the whole season, the situation of the club.”
Sancho was on loan at Chelsea, where he made 31 league appearances last season. Antony, who joined United from Ajax Amsterdam in 2022 for a reported initial transfer fee of more than $100 million, scored five goals in 17 LaLiga appearances on loan at Real Betis.
Malacia joined Dutch side PSV Eindhoven on loan in February.
-Reuters
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Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes turned down the opportunity to join Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal in order to keep playing “at the highest level”, he said on Tuesday.
The Portuguese midfielder admitted that he had considered the move, which media reports said was worth four times his current salary, after being contacted by Al-Hilal’s president.
“There was that possibility, the president of Al-Hilal called me a month ago to ask me about it,” Fernandes, who is preparing to face Germany with Portugal, told reporters on Tuesday.
“It was a big offer, very ambitious. There was a waiting period for me to think about the future.”
Fernandes ultimately decided to stay at United and said he was motivated by his desire to continue playing at the top level and encouraged by his family and the club’s coach Ruben Amorim.
“I would be willing to do it if Manchester United thought so,” Fernandes added. “I spoke to the coach Ruben Amorim who really tried to talk me out of it. The club said they would not be willing to sell me, only if I wanted to leave.
“I spoke to my wife and family, and she asked me what my personal goals were in my career.
“It would have been easy to move there but I want to keep myself at the highest level, playing in the big competitions and I feel capable of it. I am happy with my decision.”
The 30-year-old Fernandes scored 19 goals and provided 19 assists in 57 appearances across all competitions for United last season, winning the club’s Player of the Year award for the fourth time.
However, it was a season to forget for the team, as they finished 15th in the Premier League, their lowest league finish in half a century, and lost the Europa League final to Tottenham Hotspur.
-Reuters
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