Manchester United are preparing for a busy summer transfer window as they look to strengthen the squad.

The primary focus of the Red Devils will be the midfield position which needs the most attention considering Casemiro is leaving and due to the inconsistent performances of Manuel Ugarte.

22-year-old midfield dynamo Carlos Baleba of Brighton has been linked with a move to Old Trafford for a long time but Brighton were reluctant to let him leave last summer.

Brighton are open to the sale of Baleba

After previously shutting down all approaches, the Seagulls have finally cracked the door open for a potential sale, and two of England’s biggest clubs are already circling.

According to Nicolo Schira, Man United are ready to make an offer for the young midfielder but this time they are likely to face competition from Premier League rivals Chelsea.

The Red Devils actually had a verbal agreement in place with the Cameroonian international last summer, and the player was reportedly extremely keen on a move to Old Trafford.

However, the deal collapsed when Brighton slapped a jaw-dropping valuation of over £100 million on his head, pricing the new INEOS regime out of the move.

Fast forward to the end of the 2025/26 campaign, and the landscape has shifted. Baleba has enjoyed a solid season on the South Coast, racking up 27 Premier League appearances and cementing his reputation as a combative, high-energy defensive midfielder.

United are currently preparing a massive fresh offer to finally get their man.

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Man United are set to face competition from Chelsea

But United won’t have a clear run. Chelsea have dramatically entered the chat.

The Blues are reportedly bracing for a major midfield shakeup, especially with heavy speculation linking Enzo Fernandez to a blockbuster move to Manchester City.

If Fernandez departs, Chelsea will desperately need a dominant, physically imposing midfielder to anchor their system, making Baleba the perfect fit.

It could be a solid battle between Man United and Chelsea for the signature of Baleba but United’s homework last year could give them an edge.

Player wants transfer to go through as Manchester United talks continue

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Arsenal are reportedly closely monitoring Real Madrid attacking midfielder Brahim Diaz as a potential transfer target for this summer.

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The 26-year-old is not always a regular in the Real Madrid starting line up, but he’s still managed an impressive record of seven goals and seven assists in all competitions for club and country this season.

Diaz certainly looks like someone who could fit in well at Arsenal due to his technical ability and intelligence, and his ability to play a variety of midfield roles.

According to Fichajes, this has the Gunners keeping a close eye on his situation ahead of the summer, when it’s expected that Madrid could let him go for around €40m.

Brahim Diaz transfer could be one to watch for Arsenal

Even if Diaz probably wouldn’t be the name at the top of every Arsenal fan’s list of targets, the Morocco international looks a smart option on the market due to his low cost.

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One imagines he’d probably only come in to add depth to Mikel Arteta’s squad, which is pretty much what he’s already doing at the Bernabeu, but all big clubs need a strong bench they can rely on over a long and difficult campaign.

Overall, we’d give this a 14/25 with our Transfer Fit rating system – read more here about how we calculate these…

Diaz has also been on the radar of Newcastle United and we’ll surely see plenty more transfer rumours about him in the weeks and months ahead if he is indeed available for such a tempting price.

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Tottenham have confirmed that Xavi Simons has a serious injury that has ended his season and will keep him out of the 2026 World Cup this summer.

The Netherlands international would surely have had a key role to play for the Dutch national team at this summer’s World Cup in North America, but he’s now out after rupturing his ACL.

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Simons had to go off during Spurs’ win over Wolves at the weekend, and looked in a lot of pain, with journalist Ben Jacobs now reporting on today’s update from the club.

Tottenham have confirmed the seriousness of the injury, with Simons now set to undergo surgery in the coming weeks…

Spurs confirm Xavi Simons has ruptured the ACL in his right knee.

He undergo surgery in the coming weeks, missing the end of the season and World Cup.? https://t.co/N9fgUNpR10

— Ben Jacobs (@JacobsBen) April 27, 2026

This is a huge blow for a talented young player, who will now have to wait another four years before getting the chance to play for his country at a World Cup.

It’s also a worry for Spurs as they remain in the relegation zone and need everyone fit if they are to stand a strong chance of staying up.

Xavi Simons says “life can be cruel” after injury nightmare

Jacobs also quoted Simons as saying how disappointed he is with the news of his injury ending his World Cup hopes.

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“They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way,” the 23-year-old said.

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“My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it. Honestly, I’m heartbroken. None of it makes sense.

“All l’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me… along with the World Cup.”

Simons joined THFC from RB Leipzig last summer and has looked like one of the team’s better performers for much of what has ultimately been a really disappointing season for the north London club.

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Liverpool shattered the British transfer record, handing Newcastle United a jaw-dropping £125 million to bring Alexander Isak to Merseyside.

He was supposed to be the undisputed focal point of Arne Slot’s new-look attack.

Fast forward to today, and the dream move has quickly turned into a nightmare.

Now, club legend Jamie Carragher is publicly voicing the exact fears that have been quietly brewing among the fanbase.

It’s no secret that Isak has had a rough go of it. A brutal leg fracture sustained against Tottenham back in December derailed his momentum just as he was trying to find his feet in Slot’s system.

Jamie Carragher issues warning about Alexander Isak

Carraghers feels more pessimistic about Isak and his claim would worry the Liverpool faithful.

“[The big-spending summer] hasn’t worked,” he told the Liverpool Echo.

“It might work in the future because I don’t think you can judge every signing in the first year.

“But I’ve said this before; my experience as a Liverpool player, every player who came to the club, I can’t remember one who didn’t really do much in his first season, and then was a revelation afterwards. Isak hasn’t got going. He obviously got the injury, but he didn’t look great to start with.”

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Liverpool striker has to prove his worth at Anfield

There is no denying Isak’s natural talent, his time at St. James’ Park proved he can be one of the most lethal, dynamic finishers in the Premier League.

However, history is a heavy burden to carry. With a staggering £125m price tag on his back, stiff competition for starting minutes, and the pressure of a massive summer rebuild looming large, the Swedish international faces a monumental task to rewrite Carragher’s harsh narrative and salvage his Liverpool career.

Isak has a long way to go to prove himself as a success at Anfield. The fans will support him, the manager will back him but the question remains, can he justify the monumental price tag attached to his name? Time will tell.

Outspoken pundit makes major claim about Arne Slot’s future at Liverpool

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Manchester United and England legend Wayne Rooney insists he’s now backing Arsenal to edge Manchester City in this season’s title race.

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The Gunners beat Newcastle at the weekend to go back to the top of the Premier League table, though Man City have a game in hand.

It’s looking extremely close between the two teams, but Rooney feels that Bukayo Saka’s return from injury will be “huge” for Mikel Arteta’s side, while he also feels City will slip up due to having harder fixtures.

Arsenal have not been in great form in recent times, and lost that crucial six-pointer at the Etihad Stadium, but they have also been without key players due to injuries.

Wayne Rooney on Arsenal’s title hopes

Not only is Saka’s return a boost, but Arsenal have also had to cope without the likes of Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz for most of the campaign.

It’s perhaps not totally unfair to say that if AFC had had a fully fit squad more often then they might well have been further ahead by this point.

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Rooney clearly feels Saka coming back is a big boost for the north Londoners, as he backed them to just about get over the line due to City having one or two tough fixtures they could slip up in.

“Bukayo Saka has been great for Arsenal over the last few years – maybe this season he hasn’t hit the heights but he’s such an important player,” Rooney said on his BBC podcast.

“So to get him back at this time of the season is going to be massive, it’s going to be really important. He’s clearly one of the leaders in there so to have him back is huge.”

He added: “Having someone you know you can rely on out there is really important and all those Arsenal players know they can rely on Saka and know what he brings to the team.

“It’s huge for Arsenal, absolutely huge.”

Discussing the title race between Arsenal and City, Rooney added: “I think Arsenal will win the title and I do think they will win it.

“I thought the Newcastle game was so important and thought if they won that they could go on to win every game. If they didn’t they could have fallen apart but to win that game was so big.

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“Man City have a couple of tricky games in there and I can see them slipping up once or twice. Man City have the trickier fixtures, if you look at Arsenal’s last four games they are really winnable, all four of them.

“The City ones, there’s a couple you think they could slip up, like Everton and Bournemouth. I give the edge to Arsenal based on the fixtures.

“Man City’s fixtures are a little bit trickier than Arsenal’s – I think Arsenal will win every game and Man City will mess up once or twice.”

Arsenal can still have a great season

Arsenal are clearly not out of this title race just yet, despite their recent blip, and they also have a Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid to look forward to.

For all the criticism Arteta has had over the team’s playing style and for all the talk of the side bottling it, there’s still a potential Premier League and Champions League double on the cards for the club.

It’s very fine margins, though, with MCFC also perhaps on course for a memorable campaign as they could win a domestic treble.

Pep Guardiola’s side have already beaten Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, and won this weekend to set up an FA Cup final clash against Chelsea.

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Chelsea will reportedly contact Porto manager Francesco Farioli again to try to change his mind about taking the job at Stamford Bridge.

The 37-year-old Italian tactician has done a hugely impressive job at Porto this season, winning 37 out of 50 games in all competitions so far.

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According to Simon Phillips, Chelsea have previously tried hiring Farioli, only to be told that he wasn’t interested in the job.

Still, it seems Farioli remains one of a number of leading candidates for the Blues, who plan to contact him and Andoni Iraola over taking over as the permanent successor to Liam Rosenior, who was sacked last week.

Who is Francesco Farioli and is he the right pick for Chelsea manager?

Farioli may be relatively young, but he has a decent amount of experience in the game, so could be a good option for Chelsea as they try to rebuild next season.

Currently at Porto, Farioli has also managed Nice and Ajax, and has been influenced a lot by Roberto De Zerbi after working as part of his coaching staff earlier in his career.

Farioli’s tactics are fairly typical of the modern game, with a lot of emphasis on dictating the play through control of possession, whilst also pressing aggressively without the ball. This has often seen his teams dominate games and concede few goals.

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It’s certainly easy to see that kind of style working well for CFC, though of course it will be a bigger challenge for him trying that in the Premier League.

Francesco Farioli not keen on Chelsea project

This is not the first time we’ve heard reports about Farioli not being keen on Chelsea, though, as O Jogo also made this claim earlier this season.

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There will likely be a few other managers out there who are concerned about how the club’s project has gone under this ownership, so that’s something Chelsea will have to work around.

It seems they remain big admirers of Farioli so might try again to convince him, but perhaps they should also focus more on managers who are keen to buy into what these owners are trying to do.

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Liverpool’s performances this season have been underwhelming and fans have begun to question the future of manager Arne Slot.

Despite currently riding a solid three-game winning streak in the Premier League and looking highly likely to drag themselves back into the coveted Champions League spots, the overall vibe around Anfield still feels surprisingly flat.

Having won the Premier League title last season, they are set to end the season without a trophy.

For weeks, the prevailing narrative has been that manager Arne Slot will be given a lifeline, another season to right the ship and rebuild.

However, if the latest insights are to be believed, Fenway Sports Group (FSG) might have an entirely different plan up their sleeve.

Liverpool owners looking to sack Arne Slot?

According to ESPN pundit and former Chelsea midfielder Craig Burley, the Liverpool hierarchy is quietly preparing to swing the axe.

While local reports out of Merseyside insist Slot’s job is safe for now, Burley claims it’s all just speculation in the media.

“I don’t think they’ll run with him next year, I don’t,” Burley told presenter Dan Thomas.

“I think there’s too many questions from up above about spending money again and letting him [spend it].”

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Dutch manager has failed in all competitions this season

It’s a harsh assessment, but one that highlights the massive stakes at play.

Following the disastrous recruitment missteps of the previous summer window, Liverpool’s top brass knows they cannot afford another expensive mistake.

Injury issues have not helped Slot this season but the manager has failed to get his summer signings going after spending heavily on them.

The style of football is what the fans don’t want to see at Anfield. It is failing miserably to get results as well as contributing to changing the over all mood at the club.

Yes, Slot has managed to stabilize the team recently. Grinding out three consecutive league wins is no small feat in a tense, high-pressure top-four race. But for many supporters and critics alike, the general decline hasn’t truly been reversed.

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Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford is reportedly keen for his move to Barcelona to become permanent in this summer’s transfer window.

The England international has done well on loan at Barca this season, but it seems the Catalan giants have not yet made a final decision on whether or not to keep him.

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That’s according to reliable journalist Matteo Moretto, who says that there have recently been new talks between Man Utd and Barcelona to try to resolve the issue…

El futuro de Marcus Rashford en el Barcelona aún no está decidido al 100% ya que el club sigue valorando cuál es la mejor opción tanto desde el punto de vista deportivo como económico.

El futbolista quiere quedarse en el Barcelona. El Manchester United no bajará del precio… pic.twitter.com/4N84aJ2gzU

— Matteo Moretto (@MatteMoretto) April 27, 2026

Marcus Rashford’s future remains uncertain

Posting on X, Moretto said: “Marcus Rashford’s future at Barcelona is not yet 100% decided, as the club continues to evaluate what the best option is from both a sporting and economic perspective. The footballer wants to stay at Barcelona. Manchester United will not go below the price agreed upon in the summer. Recently, there have been contacts between the parties, and Hansi Flick will have some weight in the final decision.”

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It’s perhaps slightly surprising that Barcelona are unsure about keeping Rashford, who looks like a reliable option to have in their squad after a record of 13 goals and nine assists in all competitions.

The 28-year-old probably isn’t the cheapest option out there due to United being stubborn about their demands for him, while he’s also likely on high wages.

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Barcelona have financial issues that have restricted them in the market in recent years, but it’s also hard to imagine they’ll find a better option than this without paying a lot of money.

It’s no wonder Rashford looks happier after a change of scene with the move to La Liga, so if he doesn’t end up joining Barcelona he’ll likely look for a move to another foreign club.

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Liverpool are ready to make major changes at the end of the season.

With both Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson announcing that they will leave the Premier League side at the end of the season, the Reds will be out in the market for new players and signings who can bring them out of the crisis they suffered this season.

Naturally, both Salah and Robertson are attracting attention from some top clubs ahead of the summer transfer window.

Atletico Madrid join race for Liverpool defender

Atletico Madrid have joined Tottenham in the race to sign Robertson, according to the Daily Record.

The left-back recently announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season.

The Scottish defender claimed that it is time for him to ‘move on’ and look for a new challenge in his career.

The Spanish giants were heavily linked with the Scotland captain last summer after Liverpool brought in Milos Kerkez from Bournemouth for £40m to be his long-term successor.

While a move didn’t materialise then, Atletico has now revived their interest, sensing a massive opportunity to grab a world-class talent on a free transfer.

From a tactical perspective, it feels like a match made in heaven. Robertson’s relentless energy, grit, and defensive tenacity perfectly align with Simeone’s philosophy.

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Robertson needs his future sorted soon

Plus, with Atletico currently sitting comfortably in La Liga’s top four and fresh off a massive Champions League quarter-final aggregate win over Barcelona, they can offer the high-stakes European football Robertson still craves.

For a while, it looked like Tottenham Hotspur were the undeniable frontrunners.

Spurs have been chasing Robertson since January and were reportedly in advanced talks to keep him in the Premier League. However, their league position and possible relegation could derail their move for Robertson.

With the 2026 World Cup kicking off on June 11, the Scotland captain reportedly wants his club future entirely sorted before he heads to the tournament.

“They should be playing for Liverpool” – Steven Gerrard hits out over two big transfer mistakes

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Former Arsenal star Paul Merson believes Chelsea should be looking to hire Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe as their next manager.

The Blues sacked Liam Rosenior last week after a dire run of form, just three months after he was brought in to replace Enzo Maresca.

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It’s been a bit of a chaotic period under this Chelsea ownership, with the west Londoners also going through other big-name managers like Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, and Mauricio Pochettino.

Merson now feels Chelsea need to be moving for Howe, who he feels is likely to have teams queuing up for him if he ends up leaving his role at St James’ Park any time soon.

Chelsea urged to hire Eddie Howe as manager

Merson says he’s a big fan of Howe and thinks he’d be ideal for Chelsea, though the pundit also said he could see him being a future England manager.

“I’m a big fan of Eddie Howe,” Merson told Sky Sports, as quoted by the Metro. “If Eddie Howe leaves Newcastle, they’ll be queueing up around the corner for him.

“So that tells you everything. Be careful Newcastle. Chelsea would take him tomorrow morning, you’d like to think so wouldn’t you?

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“In my opinion, they’d take him all day long. We’re talking about a next England manager, 100 per cent.

“As I say, everybody would be queueing up to take Eddie Howe, he’s a top manager.”

Eddie Howe’s credentials

Howe has done an impressive job at Newcastle, and was also highly regarded during his time as Bournemouth manager.

The 48-year-old has twice guided Newcastle to Champions League qualification, while he also ended the club’s decades-long wait for silverware last season when they beat Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.

It’s certainly easy to imagine Howe being successful at a top club, but Chelsea is a unique kind of challenge at the moment due to the ownership and recruitment structure.

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A lot of good managers have found it difficult at CFC, and even if Howe might be a tempting option for the Blues, he might do well to wait and see if any other options become available.

Manchester United, for example, might be a better environment for him, and that’s another big job that could realistically be an opportunity for him this summer.

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