Bundesliga
BORUSSIA DORTMUND ARE BLUFFING, JADON WILL END UP AT MAN UNITED SAYS EX PLAYER, OWEN
A former Manchester United player and television pundit, Owen Hargreaves believes Borussia Dortmund are ‘bluffing’ and that England international, Jadon Sancho will join Manchester United in ‘a pretty short time’.
The Red Devils’ pursuit of the England star appeared all but over after the Bundesligagiants insisted Sancho will play for them next season.
Dortmund had set a deadline of Monday for United to reach an agreement with them, but the club’s chief Michael Zorc insisted United have no chance of signing Sancho now after he jetted off with his team-mates to Switzerland for a pre-season training camp.
But, according to Daily Mail, Hargreaves believes the saga is far from over and that Zorc’s comments were simply a bargaining tactic designed to extract a few more million from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side.
Hargreaves told BT Sport: ‘Bluff. I’m calling bluff, I think he’ll be a Man Utd player in a pretty short time,’ the former Manchester United midfielder told BT Sport.
‘They are just trying to get some more money out of it. It’s the nature of the beast.
‘Obviously they know United are really interested and they are pretty heavy into negotiations. I think they are bluffing and they know he is going to leave at that price.’
Sancho boarded the plane for Dortmund’s pre-season training camp in Switzerland at 9am on Monday morning – a point at which the Bundesliga runners-up had said any deal with United would be off the table.
The Bundesliga outfit want £108m for the England international, but the two clubs have not been able to reach an agreement with Manchester United wanting to pay a smaller lump sum up front than Dortmund are hoping for.
Robin Van Persie and Paul Scholes agreed with Hargreaves’ belief that Sancho will join the club during BT Sport’s coverage of Manchester United’s Europa League win over FC Copenhagen.
Van Persie said: ‘By the looks of it, Dortmund are playing hard ball.
‘Dortmund want more money so it depends on Man United, if they want to go the extra mile. If they really rate him and think he can be that big of a hit, they will.
‘They missed out on (Erling) Haaland and I think it was a missed chance. Because Everyone’s seen over the last six to eight months what he can do. He’s a brilliant player.
‘They don’t want to miss out on the next big thing but how far are they willing to go? That’s the trick question here. It’s business.’
Scholes added: ‘They’re just after a little bit more money out of it. They are talking about £108m, which is a lot of money. He looks a brilliant player who will improve any team in world football with his assists and his goals.’
Zorc revealed that Sancho had secretly come to terms on a contract extension last year taking him to 2023.
Dortmund defender Mats Hummels welcomed the news from Zorc saying that Sancho will remain a Dortmund player. ‘He can be the player who makes the difference. I’m happy that he stays,’ he said about Sancho on Monday.
Bayer Leverkusen kept pace with Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich by beating Hoffenheim 3-1 on Sunday with goals from Victor Boniface, Patrik Schick and Jeremie Frimpong.
Leverkusen finished with 10 players after Álex Grimaldo’s sending off with half an hour to play. New signings Emiliano Buendía and Mario Hermoso made their debuts as Xabi Alonso’s team stayed six points behind Bayern two weeks before the top two clash in Leverkusen.
Bayern defeated Holstein Kiel on Saturday.
Boniface scored with his first shot at goal since his proposed move to Saudi team Al-Nassr collapsed. The Nigeria forward started for his first game since early November after recovering from a thigh injury, and he scored in the 15th minute with a shot that Hoffenheim ’keeper Luca Philipp should arguably have stopped.
Frimpong made it 2-0 four minutes later after Aleix García sent the Dutch wing back through.
Then Robin Braun became the first referee to announce a VAR call to fans in a Bundesliga game when a penalty he awarded to Nathan Tella for a foul by Hoffenheim defender David Jurasek was taken back — video replays showed the Leverkusen attacker was coming from an offside position before he was fouled.
Leverkusen’s match was among five in the 20th round trialling the NFL-style announcements, a change league officials hope will make the much-maligned VAR system more popular among fans.
Buendía went on for the injured Tella to make his Bundesliga debut before the break, and Schick went on for Boniface after it.
Buendía surged through the Hoffenheim defence only to see his shot saved by Philipp, but Schick was there to tuck away the rebound for 3-0 in the 51st. It was the Czech forward’s 14th league goal of the season.
Then Grimaldo was shown red in the 61st when Hoffenheim substitute Gift Orban went on for the visitors. Orban pulled a goal back a minute later.
Buendía made way for Hermoso to compensate for Grimaldo’s sending off. Though tempers flared at times, Leverkusen’s 10 men contained the visitors for the rest of the game.
Third-placed Eintracht Frankfurt drew with Wolfsburg 1-1 in the early game.
-AFP
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Bayer Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso said Victor Boniface will remain at the Bundesliga club, after the Nigerian striker was left out of their Champions League clash with Sparta Prague amid rumours of a move to Saudi Arabia.
Boniface returned from injury on Saturday but was on the bench for Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw with RB Leipzig after German media reports linked him with a transfer to Saudi club Al-Nassr.
He was then left out of training ahead of Leverkusen’s 2-0 Champions League win over Czech side Sparta Prague on Wednesday.
“He will train again tomorrow. I believe he is staying with us,” Alonso told reporters after that win.
“So I have to say that I am satisfied, I am happy. He is comfortable here, so I don’t believe that this is a big stress for him.”
The 24-year-old has scored eight goals in 15 games in all competitions. Last season, he netted 14 goals in 23 league appearances to finish as their top scorer and played a pivotal role in securing Leverkusen’s first Bundesliga title.
Boniface staying at Leverkusen could open the doors for Aston Villa’s Jhon Duran to join Al-Nassr instead.
The Colombian forward is also a reported target for the Saudi club, who are looking to bolster a frontline that already features Cristiano Ronaldo and Sadio Mane.
-Reuters
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Bundesliga
Leverkusen sidelines Boniface at training session over transfer issues with Ronaldo’s club
Bayer Leverkusen’s Victor Boniface was left out of training on Tuesday as German media reports linked the striker with a move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Nassr, with manager Xabi Alonso saying negotiations for the player’s transfer were ongoing.
If the transfer materialises, Boniface will be a teammate of Cristiano Ronaldo.
The 24-year-old Boniface returned from injury on Saturday but was on the bench for Leverkusen’s 2-2 draw with RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga.
Before his injury in November, he had scored eight goals in 15 games in all competitions. Last season, he netted 14 goals in 23 league appearances to finish as their top scorer and played a pivotal role in securing Leverkusen’s first Bundesliga title.
“The situation with (Boniface) does exist. Negotiations are ongoing with the club, so we have to wait. Our preparation for the match remains the same,” Alonso told reporters ahead of the Champions League clash against Sparta Prague on Wednesday.
“We prepared (for the game) without Boni, of course. We still have to wait a little longer to see (how the situation unfolds),” the Spanish coach added.
“After Jeanu (Belocian) and Martin (Terrier) injuries we already said that we need to be active in the transfer window. Three days remain and we are so close (to a decision).
“I am and I will be happy with the squad (regardless). Until now, all players feel that they are ready and they are an important part of the team.”
Defender Belocian suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury at the start of the year and winger Terrier sustained an Achilles tendon rupture last week.
Leverkusen, eighth in the Champions League standings on 13 points, have already booked at least a knockout stage playoff spot while Sparta Prague, with four points from seven games, have been eliminated.
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