Chelsea has agreed a deal Joshua Kimmich

Chelsea  has been handed an opportunity to sign Joshua Kimmich. If the German leaves Bayern, the Bavarian club will go for Declan Rice.

This interest has increased in recent weeks. According to sources close to the newspaper ‘AS’, the signing of the Bavarian player by the Catalan giants “is very complicated, but not impossible”.

The media outlet added that Bayern are asking for 80 million euros as a starting price for Kimmich, as he is a key player in their project. Barça, despite their complicated economic situation, do not see the German club’s demand with bad eyes.

The ‘Cules’ understand that players like Nico, Dest, Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati could bring in a good amount of money this summer. And they could even offer a possible swap deal to make the German international’s transfer cheaper.

It is worth noting that Joshua Kimmich is not having his best season either collectively or individually. Bayern were knocked out of the Champions League against Manchester City in an uncontested manner and although they are leading the Bundesliga, they are not performing as well as usual. Therefore, it would not be unreasonable to think about a possible sale.

Chelsea XI vs Man City: Predicted lineup, confirmed team news and injury latest for Premier League

 

Chelsea interim manager Frank Lampardhas confirmed that Benoit Badiashile will miss Sunday’s trip to face champions-elect Manchester City with a groin injury. 

The latest setback adds to N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic, who could both be out for the season after picking up injuries last week. The pair’s withdrawal has forced the Blues to delay Carney Chukwuemeka joining up with England’s Under-20s World Cup squad in Argentina.

Left-backs Ben Chilwell and Marc Cucurella have already been ruled out, while Mason Mount has returned to training but is expected to miss out.

Reece James and Kalidou Koulibaly round out a lengthy list of absentees.

Lampard could look to play his high-energy but defensive 3-5-2 shape against a Man City side looking for the win needed to lift the title on the day.

It would be a departure from the more expansive back-four system that has seen the Blues end a barren run in front of goal and score five goals in two matches. 

Kepa Arrizabalga was dropped last week but could return behind a back three of Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and Wesley Fofana. Cesar Azpilicueta is likely to be drafted in at right wing-back, with youngster Lewis Hall on the opposite flank.

Enzo Fernandez should be joined by Conor Gallagher and Ruben Loftus-Cheek in midfield, supporting a front two of Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling.

Predicted Chelsea XI: Kepa; Chalobah, Thiago Silva, W Fofana; Azpilicueta, Loftus-Cheek, Enzo, Gallagher, Hall; Sterling, Havertz

MAURICIO POCHETTINO COULD SELL £60M PLAYER CHELSEA SIGNED LAST SUMMER

The Sun have reported that among the Chelsea players Mauricio Pochettino could decide to offload at the end of the season is Marc Cucurella.

The report has claimed that former Tottenham Hotspur head coach Pochettino is on the verge of becoming the new Chelsea boss.

The Sun have claimed that left-back Cucurella “is among those who could be sold”.

The 24-year-old Spain international joined Chelsea from Brighton and Hove Albion in the summer of 2022.

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea paid £60 million in transfer fees for Cucurella.

The report claimed that Manchester City wanted to sign the Spaniard as well, but it was Chelsea who got the deal done.

Incoming Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino shouldn’t sell Marc Cucurella

Cucurella has not had a good season at Chelsea.

The left-back has made 21 starts and three substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Blues this campaign.

The Spain international, who was slammed by former Liverpool defender and Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher earlier in the season, has given two assists in those games

Cucurella also made four starts and four substitute appearances in the UEFA Champions League, and played once in the Carabao Cup for Chelsea this campaign.

We do not think that Pochettino should sell the left-back in the summer of 2023.

Yes, the left-back has not had a good campaign, but Chelsea as a team have struggled.

We think that Pochettino should give Cucurella a chance next season.

Chelsea news conference LIVE: Frank Lampard on Man City, Kante, Kovacic, Mount, injury late

Welcome to football.london's live coverage of Frank Lampard's press conference. 

Chelsea make the trip to the Etihad Stadium for the third time this weekend having succumbed to Pep Guardiola's side in both the Carabao and FA Cup. The home side can retain their Premier League title with three points against Lampard's men.

Lampard enters the final three matches of his latest Blues tenure and also Chelsea's season, with only the faintest of hopes to not finish in the bottom half of the table. Anything but three points against City would end that and the west London side have yet to score in three attempts against the Premier League leaders.

Mason Mount, Reece James and Ben Chilwell have all been pictured back on the grass, albeit away from the rest of the team, while Lampard should also have updates on the severity of N'Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic's injuries.

Follow all of the updates below with Scott Trotter live from Cobham.

Harry Kane has told Chelsea stars exactly what they want to know about Mauricio Pochettino

There are not too many people in football who have a bad word to say about incoming Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino.

The Argentine, who is due in London this week to sign a three-year contract at Chelsea, has been without a job in football since being let go by Paris Saint-Germain last year. Pochettino has received several offers to return to management since, but he has been holding out for the right one. After weeks of positive talks with Chelsea over the vacant managerial role, Pochettino has now agreed to become the club's new head coach at the end of the season following Graham Potter's dismissal in April.

The club view Pochettino as the perfect candidate to transform Chelsea's fortunes on the pitch after what has been a dismal season this time around. The 51-year-old will have to use his man-management expertise to try and get some much-needed confidence back into the squad in time for next season.

Interim head coach Frank Lampard has spoken about the lack of confidence and self-belief in the squad at the moment. Following Chelsea's defeat to Real Madrid in the first-leg of the Champions League quarter-final last month, Lampard rued how his side played because of their lack of belief and confidence.

"There was a lot there for us," Lampard said. "As good as they are, offensively such a strong team, but in terms of us when we had the ball, there's a little bit of a lack of belief. I think our players need to understand how good they are."

Chelsea have got some immensely talented players, those who are either world-class already, or well on their way to being so. But this season has seen so many of them underperform. The side needs a system, continuity, stability – that's something Pochettino will hopefully offer when he is announced. Although those things will of course take time.

Pochettino managed to produce all three of those things during his five-year tenure in north London with Tottenham. He created something really brilliant at Spurs and he also felt a special relationship and bond with a lot of his players, including Harry Kane.

In an interview with the Evening Standard in June 2021, Kane said: "We got so close to winning it [the Champions League] with Mauricio. I would love to see him win it [with Paris Saint-Germain]. We had a great relationship. He is a great person, a great friend." 

Kane continued: "He was the boss, the leader, the one that set the standards in how we played and how we trained. So friendship would never get in the way of what he did on the football side of things. But we became friends in that the things we did and talked about went beyond football."

Pochettino and his backroom staff – who are all very important to how he works at a football club – will be looking to do the same with his new crop of players at Stamford Bridge. It's something that is imperative because as Lampard said, there's such a lack of self-belief and that of course affects how the players perform on the pitch. Football is such a confidence-influenced sport.

13 fun things about Chelsea new King Noni Madueke

 Noni Madueke is an English professional football player who plays as a wide and attαcking midfielder for Chelsea and the England U21 team. He was born on March 10, 2002, in London, England.

At the age of nine, Madueke joined the Crystal Palace youth team. When he was twelve, he moved to Tottenham Hotspur, another London club. He played for Spurs’ U16 and U18 teams and was captain of the U16 team. In 2018, he moved to PSV Eindhoven of the Eredivisie.

After two years in PSV Eindhoven’s youth team, he played his first game for the main team in 2020, when they tied 1-1 with VVV-Venlo. Madueke made it onto PSV’s first team and became a regular player in the 2020-21 season. He played in 32 games and scored nine goals and had eight assists. In the next season, he again played well, especially against foes Ajax in the Johan Cruyff Shield.

Because of this, bigger European teams started to show interest in him. On January 20, 2023, Madueke signed a seven-and-a-half-year deal with Premier League giants Chelsea for €35 million. Even though he hasn’t become a regular player for the Blues, he has done well when given the chance and could make it into the first team next season.

Madueke hasn’t made it to the top England team yet, but he has played for them at the U17, U18, and U21 levels. The Chelsea winger got his first goal for the U21 team in a friendly match against France, which they won 4-0.

Early beginnings at Chelsea’s rivαls

Even though he now plays for their London rivαls Chelsea, Madueke began his football career at the age of nine with Crystal Palace. He spent three years in their school before moving on to Tottenham Hotspur, another of the Blues’ rivαls.

Madueke moved quickly through the youth teams at Tottenham Hotspur. At age 15, he was captain of the U16 team and played for the U18 team. In 2018, he would leave Spurs to join PSV Eindhoven, where he would get more chances to play for the first team.

Nigerian heritage

Madueke was born and raised in England, and he has also played for England at the youth level. However, he has Nigerian roots because both of his parents’ families can be traced back to Nigeria.

Even though he doesn’t have a full cap with England, he can still play for Nigeria because the African country has been interested in him since his academy days.

Looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo

Madueke, like many other young footballers, said that Manchester United legend and Al-Nassr star Cristiano Ronaldo is the player he has looked up to since he was a kid.

In an interview with Sky Sports, the English winger said that he got his confidence from Ronaldo and that he wants to be sure of himself on the field, just like his hero.

Wants to be like PSG’s superstars

In the same interview, Madueke also said that he looks up to Kylian Mbappe and Neymar, both of whom play for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).

The Chelsea winger said that Mbappe and Neymar have the same attitude that he saw in Ronaldo, and that’s what it takes to be a great winger in modern football.

Circus around him” – Former Chelsea player advises club not to sign linked target

 Yesterday there was a story going around suggesting Chelsea were keen on signing one of the biggest profile player in the world.

When you speak of some of the best around right now, you will mention your Lionel Messi’s and Kylian Mbappe’s, and many will also mention PSG’s Neymar.

Neymar doesn’t really seem like the kind of player or profile that Chelsea needs to be targeting right now though and I very much doubt they even are.

And former Chelsea defender Jason Cundy agrees with that and says Chelsea should not sign Neymar this summer, and even goes as far to say that there is a circus around the player, and he is also over rated.

In words picked up by Si & Dan Talk Chelseatoday, when asked if Chelsea should sign Neymar, Cundy said: “No… There’s a reason why PSG are trying to sell him.

“He’s obviously a brilliant player, I think overrated, I don’t think he’s anywhere near the bracket of [Lionel] Messi.

“I don’t think he’s the type of person that Chelsea need right now.

“Neymar, there’s a circus around him. There’s only a handful of clubs that can afford him.

“He flatters to deceive. Since he left Barcelona he’s not won anything of note.”

Sir Jim Ratcliffe's worth quintuples to £30billion in boost for Manchester United rebuild prospects

 Manchester United prospective buyer Sir Jim Ratcliffe is now Britain's second richest person, according to the Sunday Times Rich List.

Ratcliffe is currently in talks to buy United from the Glazers and he's said to be worth an estimated £29.688billion, which makes him the second richest person in the UK behind the Hinduja family, with a wealth of £35bn. In last year's rich list, Ratcliffe was estimated to be worth £6.05bn.

Robert Watts, the compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year we have new information about the full scale of INEOS’ profits and that has made us confident that INEOS is now worth at least £40bn. We have also learned more about the personal assets that Jim has accumulated over the past 25 years.”

Ratcliffe is the chief executive of the chemical giant INEOS and he's currently vying to be named as the preferred bidder for a takeover at Old Trafford, competing against Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad al Thani for that status.

Some fans have raised concerns that Ratcliffe would not be able to fund the kind of rebuild that many believe is needed at United, with a new or regenerated stadium, significant investment in the training ground, and investment in new players all required, but Ratcliffe's newfound wealth should ease some of those fears.

Ratcliffe made his final bid for United in late April and was thought to be the frontrunner to buy the club, but Sheikh Jassim submitted an eleventh-hour bid thought to be around £5.5billion earlier this week, which is now being considered.

Although Ratcliffe’s initial proposal was for a majority stake of the 69 per cent shareholdings, the makeup of his latest bid has not been disclosed and it's thought Joel and Avram Glazer could still be involved in some capacity, should he be successful.

Sheikh Jassim wants to buy 100 per cent of the club and as before, his most recent offer includes a promise to clear all of the club's debt - which stands at around £1bn - and includes a separate fund directed solely for United and the surrounding community, 

The Raine Group is overseeing the takeover process on behalf of the Glazers.

Rashford, Varane, Martinez - Manchester United injury latest and expected return dates

 Manchester United have been plagued by injuries all season long and there is no respite heading into the final weeks of the campaign.

Erik ten Hag has done a great job in ensuring his team remain in pole position to clinch a Champions League place and to already win a trophy given he's had to cope without several key players for long periods but the gruelling schedule has begun to take its toll. United have begun to fade in recent weeks and are dragging themselves across the finish line.

United currently have players sidelined and concerns over another at the moment but have received plenty of good news this week ahead of the three remaining Premier League fixtures and the FA Cup final with Manchester City. Here's the latest.

Marcus Rashford

United's top scorer has battled on as much as he can despite the wear and tear of a relentless season taking hold. Rashford has missed a couple of games with slight knocks lately, with the latest coming in Saturday's 2-0 win over Wolves.

Thankfully, the ailment doesn't seem to have hindered him for long as he was back in training with the rest of the team on Wednesday and looks set to return to the fold for Saturday's visit of Bournemouth.

Scott McTominay

Midfield has been hit hard throughout the season and Scott McTominay has been unavailable since the 2-0 win over Everton in early April. Ten Hag was happy with his progress, saying he was close to a return ahead of Wolves, and it looks like the manager will have his options bolstered further with his return this weekend.

McTominay joined Rashford in returning to the grass on Wednesday and although it's unlikely he will start the game he will hopefully provide an option off the bench.

Possible return date: May 20.

Marcel Sabitzer

It's just as well McTominay is back in contention as United as Marcel Sabitzer has been ruled out for the rest of the season. The on-loan Bayern Munich man has made a positive impact since arriving in January but will play no further part in the campaign after suffering a knee injury.

A meniscus tear has ended his campaign and with no decision yet made on his long-term future he may well have played his last game for United.

Possible return date: Pre-season.

Lisandro Martinez

Sabitzer is not the only man to not play again this season as Lisandro Martinez' campaign ended some weeks ago. The Argentine centre-back, who has made such a great start to life in Manchester, crumpled to the floor unopposed in the closing stages of the 2-2 draw with Sevilla and it transpired he had suffered a serious ankle injury.

The only good news is that Martinez is expected to make a full recovery by the time next season gets underway.

Alejandro Garnacho might have three chances to be Manchester United FA Cup final surprise

 Man United have three Premier League fixtures left before they turn their attention to the FA Cup final and trying to stop Manchester City winning the Treble.

As explosive as Alejandro Garnacho's return to action for Manchester United was last weekend, it was just as fascinating listening to Erik ten Hag discuss the teenage winger after he had scored his fifth goal for the club.

Garnacho was back with a bang, coming off the bench to score the second against Wolves, and Ten Hag gave a detailed answer about the 18-year-old's potential in his post-match press conference.

It was interesting not just to gauge the high regard in which he is held by United's coaching staff, but the areas of his game that need improving as well. No player at that age is the finished article, especially when playing for a club of this size.

It's clear that Garnacho is already a major impact player at United. He can change games when he comes off the bench, with his direct running and his fearless dribbling ability, but he's also impressed from the start. 

He has more to do to make that jump to starting regularly, however, and it was fascinating to hear Ten Hag deconstruct those areas that need a little more work.

He had a big impact in many games either when he's starting or coming on. He's ready, straight into the game and that is so important for the squad that you can bring young players and I'm happy you can bring young players," he said. "Hopefully, he can progress so quickly that he can compete for a starting XI position because that is his next challenge.

"He is showing when you score some winners - Fulham - the assist against City and now the second goal, he is showing some things. Also sometimes he lacks defensive transition and pressing. He has to step up, when you are going into an action or keep the ball, so decisions. But when you see all over he is a huge talent and he is brave.

"Decisions, making decisions, scanning situations, when to go into one-on-ones, get behind, when to go for goal, when to give the extra pass or when to give the assist rather than to go for own success. Decisions like that make a good player a top player, that is the difference."

That feels particularly relevant when it comes to the game Garnacho might want to start more than any other. The FA Cup final at Wembley on June 3 against Manchester City.

Ten Hag referenced Garnacho's assist for Marcus Rashford's winner against Pep Guardiola's side at Old Trafford in January. It was an excellent piece of play, but it came as a substitute and he came on with 18 minutes to go and United losing 1-0.

Erik ten Hag now has a complete FA Cup final squad to work with at Manchester United

 As vital as Man United's next three games are, it is impossible not to have one eye on their biggest and last game of the season.

The sight of two rookies involved in full training on a non-recovery day usually indicates a sudden absence of seniority and Manchester United confirmed on Monday that Marcel Sabitzer will miss their remaining four fixtures.

Sabitzer's absence in training in midweek was offset by promotions for Omari Forson and Daniel Gore, both sporadically involved in first-team sessions this season.

From the club imagery, there were no other conspicuous absences and Marcus Rashford and Scott McTominay returned. Academy staff at United actually downplay the additions of youngsters to senior sessions.

Thirty-two have trained under Erik ten Hag and his coaches and only Charlie McNeill and Kobbie Mainoo have debuted. McNeill joined Newport County on loan in January and Mainoo has been out injured for over a month.

Mainoo, 18, could struggle to train again before the season's conclusion. Zidane Iqbal, without a competitive kick all season, was a minor omission from Wednesday's session.

United had 23 outfield players and four 'keepers involved at Carrington - an ample amount to cover for a full-sided training match. Of those available for the preparation for the Bournemouth game, whittling the number down to 20 for the FA Cup final squad seems straightforward.

Two goalies are surplus, Gore and Forson were on work experience, Brandon Williams is the most junior defender while Anthony Elanga and Facundo Pellistri are the excess attackers with more prominent peers fit.

McTominay's robustness has been missed during a five-week absence where United have played nine games and won only three. Casemiro's performance level has nosedived in the last fortnight and he looked his age against younger and coveted midfielders in Moises Caicedo and Declan Rice.

Nobody is pretending McTominay is a late candidate for a start in the FA Cup final. Fred, the teammate McTominay is often bracketed with, has impressed in recent cameos yet when he was selected at Brighton he showed why it was his first Premier League start in two months.

Such is the calibre of Manchester City's midfielders (Rodri and Kevin de Bruyne are peerless in their positions), Ten Hag may have to counter their superiority at Wembley, as he did at Old Trafford.

Erik ten Hag has given Manchester United fans their hardest decision in years

 Man Utd have enjoyed an excellent first campaign under manager Erik ten Hag, going from strength to strength throughout the season.

Whatever happens between now and the final shrill of Paul Tierney's whistle at the end of the FA Cup final on June 3, Manchester United's campaign has gone far better than anyone expected.

Exactly a year ago, they were three days short of concluding one of their most forgettable seasons in the club's rich and colourful history. They signed off with a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, meaning they finished the 2021/22 campaign sixth in the table, 13 points adrift of the Champions League places.

Despite the big-money additions of Jadon Sancho and Raphael Varane, plus Cristiano Ronaldo'sreturn, the Reds, under both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick, regressed at an alarming rate. The club was in desperate need of leadership and being revitalised.

Fortunately, Erik ten Hag, who watched from the stands that sunny afternoon at Selhurst Park, had been chosen to oversee the rebuild. Though, as with any long-term project, various bumps in the road and unwanted snags have been encountered along the way, the Dutchman has proven that he was the right man for the job.

A popular choice among the fans at the time of Solskjaer's sacking in November 2021, Ten Hag arrived at United last summer with the ambition of making the club a force again. Though they still have plenty of rungs on the ladder to climb, they are only moving in one direction.

By reintroducing high standards, discipline and an identity - which were key factors that had gone missing in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson years - Ten Hag has put the foundations in place to take the club back to previous heights. The Dutchman, who has taken charge of 58 matches as United manager so far, winning 39, has got almost everyone associated with the club singing from the same hymn sheet.

There is a rapport between players and fans again that had gone missing. Old Trafford has been turned back into a fortress. The trophy cabinet has finally been restocked.

United, despite the various blips that have been encountered such as the humiliating defeats at Brentford, Liverpool, Manchester City and most recently in Seville, are on an upward trajectory again. Wrapping up a top-four finish in the next week or so will see Ten Hag achieve his pre-season brief, while the prospect of adding another trophy to the cabinet in the form of the FA Cup would be an added bonus.

But even though the former Ajax chief has been the architect of United's resurrection, it has not been achieved without help and hard work from those who are tasked with delivering results on the pitch. From David de Gea between the sticks to Marcus Rashford leading the attacking charge at the other end, every member of the squad, at one stage or another, has played their part.

Manchester United handed injury boost as Liverpool dealt setback

 Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford has been nominated for the 2022/23 Premier League Player of the Season award.

The England international, 25, has enjoyed a stellar campaign in Erik ten Hag's first season in charge at Old Trafford, scoring 29 goals in all competitions. He has played a key role in the Reds' resurrection under the Dutchman and is just one goal away from becoming the first United player to score 30 goals in a single season since Robin van Persie exactly a decade ago.

Rashford, who scored three times for England at the World Cup in Qatar, has enjoyed the best campaign of his career to date. He has been United's go-to man and has stepped up time and time again. 

Of his 29 goals, 16 of them have come in the Premier League, meaning only five players have scored more than him in the division this season. He has also chipped in with five league assists, meaning he has directly contributed to 21 of United's 51 league goals this term.

Van de Beek takes step forward

Manchester United have received another welcomed injury boost as Donny van de Beek has returned to training.

United have been plagued with injuries throughout the season and have been hit particularly hard in midfield with Van de Beek, as well as Christian Eriksen and Scott McTominay, all facing lengthy spells on the sidelines. The Dutchman has been out of action since January 3 when he suffered a knee injury against Saturday's opponents Bournemouth which required surgery.

The injury ruled Van de Beek out for the rest of the season and he still isn't expected to return in time to play any part in the three remaining Premier League fixtures or the upcoming FA Cup final against Manchester City. However, there was still a positive update on Thursday as the 26-year-old returned to training on the grass.

Manchester United 'send scouts' to watch 19-goal striker and other transfer rumours

 Gent striker Gift Orban is reportedly attracting interest from Manchester United and three other Premier League clubs.

According to the Evening Standard, scouts from United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Fulham have all sent scouts to watch the forward. The Nigerian international has scored 19 goals in as many appearances this campaign, with him scoring three hat-tricks and catching the eye in the Europa Conference League.

However, it is claimed that Orban, 20, is content with the Belgian club for now and happy to keep progressing - prior to an inevitable move to one of Europe's top clubs. Orban joined Gent in the January transfer window, from Norwegian side Stabæk.

Erik ten Hag will look to boost his front line this summer, with the Manchester Evening Newsunderstanding that Tottenham forward Harry Kane is his top target. Napoli's Victor Osimhen, Benfica's Goncalo Ramos, Ajax's Mohammed Kudus, Atalanta's Rasmus Hojlund and Frankfurt's Randal Kolo Muaniare also all on the shortlist.

Elsewhere, L'Equipe [via The Mirror] reports that Erik ten Hag has made Juventus midfielder Adrien Rabiot a 'priority signing' this summer.

Rabiot will soon be a free agent and Calciomercatoalso reports that United have already made contact with the 28-year-old's representatives. The Premier League side previously walked away from a deal due to Rabiot's excessive salary demands - although could return to the negotiating table for the 28-year-old.