FOOTBALL TRANSFER RUMOURS: BAYERN CONSIDER VARANE; BARCELONA LEARN DIAZ SALE STANCE

 90min rounds up the latest transfer news, rumours and gossip circulating around the world...

Bayern Munich have held internal discussions about a move for Raphael Varane, who has fallen out of favour at Manchester United in recent weeks. Though the defender is on the market for January, Bayern are unlikely to be able to afford United's asking price. (Sky Sport Germany)

Arsenal's Takehiro Tomiyasu is also of interest to Bayern Munich, but again it is unlikely that they will agree terms over a transfer before the summer and will keep monitoring him instead. (Sky Sport Germany)

However, Arsenal plan to open contract talks with Tomiyasu in the near future following his fine start to the season. (TeamTALK)

Chelsea are still weighing up whether to make a big-money move for Brentford striker Ivan Toney in January, with Nicolas Jackson in line to spend the month at AFCON with Senegal. (football.london)

Manchester United have sent scouts to watch Joao Neves on several occasions already this season, but Benfica are not open to a sale in January. The midfielder has a release clause worth £105m in his current contract. (Fabrizio Romano)

The Red Devils will also step up their efforts to sign France international Jean-Clair Todibo from Sir Jim Ratcliffe-owned Nice. (Todo Fichajes)

Real Madrid are considering RB Leipzig forward Timo Werner as a temporary solution to their striker problems. (SPORT)

Liverpool do not intend to listen to any offers for Luis Diaz. Barcelona are eyeing the Colombian and would be willing to offer Raphinha as a makeweight in the deal. (Football Insider)

Atletico Madrid would be willing to sanction the permanent sale of Joao Felix to Barcelona for a fee in the region of £60m to £70m. (MARCA)

Barcelona would also like to keep Joao Cancelo once his initial loan from Manchester City expires. (Football Esp

Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/football-transfer-rumours-bayern-consider-varane-barcelona-learn-diaz-sale-stance-38595537

MBAPPÉ’S DEMAND: THE TWO KEY FACTORS HE REQUESTS FROM REAL MADRID AND PSG

 Paris Saint-Germain’s Kylian Mbappé can begin signing a pre-contract once the calendar turns to 2024. The 24-year-old will become a free agent, and there’s no doubt he will have demands on whoever he signs with.

While there are economic demands that the Frenchman has, there are also requests that he will put on the table for Real Madrid, PSG, or any club attempting to sign him.

Defensa Central reports that the 2018 FIFA World Cup winner set forth two non-negotiable demands for Real Madrid as he contemplates a move to the Spanish giants.

The first and perhaps the most unusual of the two requests relates to international duty. Mbappé seeks assurance that he can actively represent France in the 2024 Olympic Games held in Paris.

Unlike other football competitions, Olympic participation is contingent upon the agreement of the player’s club, as it does not fall within the recognized FIFA dates.

Why this demand? He probably doesn’t want to pass on the opportunity to win a gold medal in his hometown. The second request highlights Mbappé’s desire for a well-considered and unhurried decision-making process, which is a more conventional approach.

The player suggests that he wishes to delay the finalization of his move to Real Madrid until March or April. Mbappé is known for his deliberate approach to crucial career decisions. As a result, rushing into a January signing does not align with his preferred modus operandi.

Source:https://onefootball.com/en/news/mbappes-demand-the-two-key-factors-he-requests-from-real-madrid-and-psg-38594824

OUR 3️⃣ POINTS AS ENGLAND END EURO 2024 QUALIFYING WITH UNBEATEN RECORD

Changes were inevitable as England’s Euro 2024 qualification campaign wound down, as Harry Kane’s benching attested.

Gareth Southgate elected to rest his captain from the start in favour of allowing Ollie Watkins to lead the line in Skopje.

But with the visitors struggling to land a meaningful glove on their opponents, Kane was called upon as the cavalry.

Within 40 seconds of replacing Watkins, the Bayern Munich striker had helped his country level via Jani Atanasov’s deflection.

Kane’s introduction should not have been necessary to restore parity but that tells its own story of how badly England labour without him.

Southgate will not look back fondly on his side’s two most recent outings as much as the supporters who had to endure them both.

An unbeaten qualification record may have remained intact until the last, yet like the win over Malta, there was little to inspire confidence.

This was the first time England had failed to beat a low-ranked nation since they were held by Slovenia at the outset of Southgate’s tenure in 2016.

They have also been reliant on own goals in successive games for the first time since the 2006 World Cup campaign while being winless in back-to-back away outings since the dark days of Steve McClaren.

At a time when Southgate’s pedigree is increasingly under the microscope, he could have done without more damned statistics to compound it.

It’s fair to say that Rico Lewis will probably want to forget his senior England debut in a hurry.

A controversial VAR decision that saw the Euro 2020 finalists trailing at the interval is likely to be his abiding memory.

Yet Lewis still more than made the most of his opportunity in the spotlight after a mounting injury crisis at left-back.

The Manchester City teenager overcame his first-half misfortune to deliver an energetic and otherwise solid performance.

Hopes have been high for some time at the Etihad Stadium that Lewis is the next great hope to emerge from their production line.

And despite the headlines, the 18-year-old more than held his own on an otherwise testing night for his country.

Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/our-3-points-as-england-end-euro-2024-qualifying-with-unbeaten-record-38594198

Luciano Spalletti on Italy’s Euro 2024 qualification: “It wasn’t easy”

 

Italy manager Luciano Spalletti has spoken out after the Azzurri picked up a point from their game against Ukraine to qualify for the Euros in 2024.

 

Italy will be defending their European Championships crown next year in Germany, as they needed only a point against Ukraine to qualify. In what was a very physical and high-intensity game, Ukraine could have won a penalty late in the game as Bryan Cristante seemed to have brought down Mykhailo Mudryk but VAR didn’t even stop play to check the offence.

Luckily, Italy held on for a goalless draw and Spalletti spoke to Rai Sport (via TMW) after the game, praising Ukraine for their performance.

The ex-Napoli boss said: “It wasn’t easy and nothing can be taken for granted in football in general. Today, we played a good match because in the first half we had many opportunities to secure the result. Then when you didn’t manage to do so, the match became dirtier and more physical. They put in more physical players but in at that moment we no longer play football. Ukraine showed that they are an equipped team and that they gave us a hard time.”

Italy seem on track to finish second in their group, as they are currently six points behind leaders England. They have lost two matches in the qualification stages and both of them were against England, who already sealed their passage to the tournament next year.

Kaustubh Pandey | GIFN

Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/luciano-spalletti-on-italys-euro-2024-qualification-it-wasnt-easy-38594134

 

Understand Juventus asked for informations on Jadon Sancho deal in recent days.

 

Understand Juventus asked for informations on Jadon Sancho deal in recent days. He’s set to leave Man United in January, Juve are interested but only on loan plus part of salary covered by #MUFC. No negotiations yet as Man Utd prefer to wait for permanent deal bids.

Read More: https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1724145565682835551/photo/1 

GAVI SET TO MISS EUROS AS BARCELONA ISSUE DEVASTATING INJURY UPDATE: ‘HE’S BROKEN’

Spain have suffered a major blow ahead of next summer’s Euros after Barcelona confirmed that Gavi is set for a long spell on the sidelines after tearing his ACL.

The 19-year-old midfield star is set to undergo surgery after suffering the serious knee injury during the first half of Spain’s win over Georgia.

Gavi also sustained meniscus damage in the non-contact incident, and is now likely to miss Euro 2024.

The tournament begins in Germany on 14 June with Spain confirming their place among the top seeds by topping qualifying Group A.

“The dressing room is like a funeral parlour,” said Spain coach Luis de la Fuente after a win over Georgia that he described as “the bitterest of my life”.

“It was an accident, it could have happened to anyone. “He’s [emotionally] broken, destroyed.

“This is the hardest moment I have experienced in football. We think we’re invulnerable but we’re fragile. I’m not thinking about the Euros or the Olympics or anything, only about Gavi’s health. These are uncontrollable situations. It’s a pity. The lad was in perfect condition to play. We always protect the players.”

The youngster has already played more than 100 times for Barcelona since breaking into the first team during the 2021/22 season.

and has been a regular under De la Fuente, who replaced Luis Enrique after the conclusion of that tournament.

Teammate Ferran Torres celebrated Spain’s second goal in the 3-1 win against Georgia by retrieving Gavi’s shirt and holding it up to the crowd.

“Knowing what a warrior he is, and given the way he left the field, we know it must be serious,” Torres said.

 

Source: https://onefootball.com/en/news/gavi-set-to-miss-euros-as-barcelona-issue-devastating-injury-update-hes-broken-38591636

 

GALATASARAY LODGE COMPLAINT OVER HARRY KANE GOAL IN BAYERN DEFEAT

Galatasaray have officially complained to UEFA’s Disciplinary Committee about referee Antonio Nobre, who officiated their Champions League clash against Bayern Munich, per Sabah.

Gala claim the referee violated VAR protocol for Harry Kane’s first goal in the 2-1 defeat at the Allianz Arena.

Kane gave Die Rekordmeister the lead as he headed home a Joshua Kimmich free-kick in the 80th minute.

The assistant referee raised his flag for offside, but the goal was eventually given after the referee spoke to officials in the VAR room.

The VAR system had apparently broken down due to a glitch, and the replay could not be shown on the pitchside monitor.

According to the protocol, Nobre should have accepted the linesman’s decision because the line could not be shown on the screen.

However, he consulted assistants in the VAR room via radio before giving the goal.

The assistants were correct to give Kane’s goal as he was onside, making it hard to see Gala’s point with this complaint.

 

Galatasaray’s attempt to cast doubt on the referee’s decision, despite a clear and justified validation of the goal through VAR, raises questions about the motivations behind such complaints.

They need to focus on ensuring qualification to the round of 16 as they still have a good chance, sitting in third on the same four points as second-placed FC Copenhagen.

The Turkish giants must focus on beating Copenhagen and Manchester United in their coming games to sneak into the next round behind table toppers Bayern.