FOOTBALL PAPERS: ALL THE LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS AND TRANSFER GOSSIPS TODAY

THE SUN
Chelsea are looking to bolster their title-winning squad with a £40m swoop for Atletico Madrid midfielder Koke but will
face competition from Manchester City for the 23 year-old’s services as they look
to line up a replacement for Yaya Toure.
Liverpool want Chelsea defender Andreas Christensen and are prepared to pay £6m
for him. The 19-year-old, who can play in the middle or at right-back, has only started two cup games for Jose Mourinho’s side.
DAILY STAR
Manchester United will have to stump up £30m if they are to prise Hugo Lloris from Tottenham Hotspur this summer with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy expected to drive a hard bargain over any potential
transfer.
Chelsea will offer Filipe Luis as bait as they line up a bid for Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin. The 29-year-old is
valued at about £18m but the Blues could offer former Atleti full back Luis as part of any potential deal.
Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini expects midfielder Yaya Toure, 31, to still be at the club next season.
SUNDAY MIRROR SPORT
Manchester City believe they can land Bayern Munich boss Pep Guardiola this summer rather than next year by making
him the highest paid manager in the world and handing him a transfer war chest to rebuild the former champions.
Manchester United are looking to exploit the rift between Thomas Muller and Bayern boss Pep Guardiola by snapping up the German international and World
Cup winner.
Former England boss Fabio Capello has again hailed John Terry as the most accomplished defender in English football, congratulating him on Chelsea’s recent
Premier League triumph.
Liverpool are set to push ahead with their interest in Borussia Dortmund striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang after
missing out on Memphis Depay.
Burnley’s Danny Ings also remains a target for Brendan Rogers’ side.
West Brom will try to hijack Scott Sinclair’s move to Aston Villa by launching a £2.5m bid for the forward. Baggies boss, Tony Pulis wants more pace upfront.
Bournemouth want Jermain Defoe to spearhead their attack if Sunderland lose their relegation battle.
THE SUNDAY TIMES
Pep Guardiola has been offered the manager’s job at AC Milan by a Thai businessman who is fronting a takeover bid of the Serie A club from former Italian
president Silvio Berlusconi.
Manchester United are in advanced negotiations to sign Nathaniel Clyne from Southampton, having upped their offer for the England full-back to £18m. Clyne has
a year of his contract remaining at Saints.
SUNDAY EXPRESS
Premier League new boys Bournemouth are plotting a sensational swoop to bring
Dimitar Berbatov back to England this summer. The Monaco striker’s future in
the South of France is uncertain following
his side’s fine for breaching UEFA financial rules.
Liverpool are keen on signing Lyon striker Alexandre Lacazette.
Manchester City will start their summer rebuilding campaign with a £30m swoop for Wolfsburg star Kevin De Bruyne, possibly sweetening any potential deal by giving the German club the chance to re-
sign former striker Edin Dzeko.
Tottenham have entered the race to sign Celtic centre-half Virgil van Dijk. The Dutch defender is rated at £10m and
Sunderland, Everton and Southampton have already shown an interest in the 23-
year-old.
QPR striker Charlie Austin is so desperate to play for England that he has told partner Bianca Parker they can’t have a summer holiday as he will spend most of his summer by the phone waiting on a
call from Roy Hodgson.
THE MAIL ON SUNDAY
Real Madrid coach Paul Clement and Brentford boss Mark Warburton are on the shortlist to take over at relegation-threatened QPR next season, despite club chiefs being impressed by stand-in
manager Chris Ramsey.
Manchester City stars Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta will miss the start of next season’s Premier League campaign if
Argentina reach the final of the Copa America this summer after boss Manuel Pellegrini promised he will give all players
competing in South America a 30-day break after the tournament.
Tottenham and Hull are watching Guingamp striker Claudio Beauvue, with the French club willing to accept bids of £6m for the 27-year-old, who has scored 21 goals this season.
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal will take Sam Grimshaw, a 21-year-old left-back or left-winger playing for non-league side Glossop, on the club’s pre-season tour to America after a successful trial.
THE INDEPENDENT
Fiorentina manager Vincenzo Montella is unconvinced about extending Micah Richards’ stay in Florence. The on-loan Manchester City defender has made only six starts in Serie A this season, despite Montella being happy with his attitude since his arrival in Italy.
Juventus midfielder Andrea Pirlo, 35, is wanted by Chelsea and Liverpool.
THE PEOPLE
Liverpool’s Glen Johnson is poised for a surprise return to West Ham.
Manchester United have made contact with Birmingham City over starlet Demarai Gray.
Liverpool’s Jordon Ibe is happy for his MUM to be his agent in contract negotiations. “As for agents I don’t have one and I don’t believe in that,” says the Reds youngster.
Christian Benteke could stay at Aston Villa if they win the FA Cup and qualify for Europa League.
Three Premier League clubs are set to move for £2million Nedum Onuoha when QPR are relegated.
SUNDAY TELEGRAPH
Manchester United’s owners will reject the idea of selling the naming rights to Old Trafford. The Glazer family will forego a potential income of £20m a year, acknowledging that changing the stadium’s name is off-limits for United fans.
Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho says it will be impossible to emulate the one-club longevity of Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger

FIFA RANKING: NIGERIA STILL 45TH AS ALGERIA RULES AFRICA ; GERMANY STILL WORLD BEST

The Federation of International Football Associations, (FIFA) has on Thursday released its monthly ranking of National teams and for the month of May 2015, the Super Eagles of Nigeria remained on the 45th position.
The Super Eagles, who played no match in the period under review, also remained eighth in Africa, with Algeria, who climbed one spot to 20th remaining number one on the continent.
African champions Ivory Coast are 23rd and second in Africa, Ghana 26th and third in Africa, while Tunisia, who are fourth on the continent, dropped to 31st in the world. Senegal, who are 36th; Cape Verde, who are 37th and Guinea who are 41st are fifth, sixth and seventh in Africa respectively.
The top 10 positions in world football ranking remained unchanged with Germany leading the pack.
The German machines are trailed by Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Portugal, Uruguay, Switzerland and Spain.

SUPER FALCONS QUALIFY FOR OLYMPICS WITHOUT KICKING THE BALL

Nigeria’s National Women’s Team, the Super Falcons have qualified for the Olympic games in Rio next year as their opponents for the qualifying fixture, Mali withdrew from the qualifiers.
The Super Falcons were meant to clash with their Malian counterparts on the 9 of May in Akwa Ibom before playing the
return leg one week from the 9 of May in Mali. The Malians however withdrew from the fixture yesterday as was announced by a spokesperson for the NFF, thereby giving the Super Falcons an automatic ticket to the Olympic games as
the clash with Mali was meant to be the final series of the qualifiers. The Super Falcons who were full of confidence heading into the match having defeated
Mali 9-1 on aggregate in their most recent encounter to qualify for the African Women’s Championship would now have
ample time to prepare for the tournament itself.
Mali are yet to offer an explanation for their withdrawal at this time and the Falcons are set to take advantage of the
free time to better prepare for the FIFA Women’s World Cup which kicks off next month.

EUROPA LEAGUE : VIDAL LEADS SEVILLA ROUT , NAPOLI HELD

A brace of stunning goals from
Aleix Vidal helped defending
champions Sevilla to a commanding 3-0 victory over
Fiorentina in the first leg of the
Europa League semi-finals on
Thursday (May 7).
In Italy, Napoli dominated large parts of their first leg match against Dnipro, but the Ukrainian underdogs scrapped it out for an unlikely 1-1 draw – and a vital away goal for the second leg.
Sevilla stretched their unbeaten run in European games to nine in handing Fiorentina a first away defeat in 13 games. The La Liga side, bidding for a fourth Europa
League title after winning in 2006, 2007 and 2014, took the lead in the 17th minute through the outstanding Vidal. After a strong Machin Perez run, Carlos Bacca pirhouetted in from the left of the penalty box to send the ball out to fast-advancing Vidal whose perfectly-executed, first-time shot from the right edge of the area hit the net after sending Murara Neto the wrong way. Jose Antonio Reyes saw his effort then go just wide as the Spanish side pushed for the double. Fiorentina squandered a great chance to respond when Egyptian midfielder Mohamed Salah, on loan from Chelsea, was just beaten to a dangerous Nenad Tomovic
cross-goal pass by Seville ‘keeper Rico Gonzalez. Vidal bagged his second in the
52nd minute, another fine shot
from the right of the penalty box beating a wrong-footed Neto for the second time in the evening. To make matters worse for Fiorentina, ex-PSG striker Kevin Gameiro added a third with 15 minutes to play, steering in Vidal’s strike after a Benoit Tremoulinas break down the left flank.
In Naples, Dnipro managed to take the sting out of the home side in the first half, all the while
conceding possession and
territory. But Spaniard David
Lopez corrected that for Napoli
just four minutes into the second period, rising high to head home an inswinging Lorenzo Insigne corner for his maiden goal for the Italian club.
The Ukrainians kept a sting in the tail themselves, however,
substitute Yevhen Seleznyov
tapping in from close range after a scything Artem Fedetskiy cross in the 81st minute that Roman Bezus first missed.
Fourth in Serie A and fresh from a 3-0 win over AC Milan, Napoli
pushed for the winner, but the
Ukrainian side – a former rocket factory side that twice won the old Soviet League and have been a top four side for much of the past 20 seasons in Ukraine – held on with their crucial away goal.
The result will have Napoli coach Rafael Benitez concerned about the trip to Ukraine as he targets his third title in Europe – the Spaniard having won the Champions League with Liverpool in 2005, the then-UEFA Cup with Valencia in 2004 and the Europa League for Chelsea in 2013.
The second legs will be played on May 14 and the final in Warsaw on May 27, with a place in next season’s Champions League on offer to the winner for the first time.

NFF CLARIFIES ON ENGLAND/NIGERIA FRIENDLY

General Secretary of Nigeria
Football Federation, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi, on Thursday made clarification on the already widely –publicized international friendly between the Super Eagles and the Three Lions of England, stating clearly that no agreement has been reached on a date for the proposed game.
“The aspect of a proposed friendly between Nigeria and England as discussed by the NFF President (Mr. Amaju Pinnick) and Chairman of The FA, Mr. Greg
Dyke, at their meeting in London on Tuesday has been somewhat overblown in the social media.
“It is understandable that any
news of a proposed friendly
between Nigeria and England
would generate global interest, as
it has done. Both teams last played any match at senior level about 13 years ago.
“However, we must say at this
stage that the proposal is still at
the level of discussions and
nothing concrete has been agreed as to when the match will hold. We are awaiting feedback from the FA and will report on the
outcome accordingly.”

FLYING EAGLES TRAINING MATCHES CONFIRMED

The Flying Eagles will play three
test matches against the U23 teams of German Bundesliga clubs Hoffenheim, Nurnberg and
Freiburg, officials have announced.
The Nigeria U20 team will tackle
Hoffenheim U23s on May 12 in
Hoffenheim with kick-off time put
at 3pm local time, which is 4pm
Nigerian time.
Three days later they tackle the
U23 team of Nurnberg at their
training ground in SudwestPark
in Nurnberg by 4.30pm.
These two matches will be able to give coach Manu Garba and his assistants the chance to run a
final rule over the players they
will pick for their final 21-man
squad for the World Cup.
Nigeria will submit a final squad to FIFA on May 15. Their final test match is slated for Freiburg against the U23 team of
Freiburg on May 19 by 2.30pm.
The team are due to fly out to New Zealand via Australia from
Germany on May 23.
Flying Eagles test matches
Vs Hoffenheim May 12
Vs Nurnberg May 15
Vs Freiburg May 19

FOOTBALL PAPERS : ALL THE LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS AND TRANSFER GOSSIPS THIS AFTERNOON

DAILY STAR
Manchester City are set to make a £70m swoop for Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba
and could sell Yaya Toure, Samir Nasri, Aleksandr Kolarov and Edin Dzeko to fund the deal.
DAILY MAIL
Juventus are allowing Paul Pogba’s agent Mino Raiola to discuss options, with a fee of around £58million expected. Chelsea and Manchester City remain in the race for the midfielder.
Inter Milan have joined the race to sign second-choice Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Former England manager Graham Taylor has insisted he would never have blocked black footballers’ path into the national team and denied that two FA members tried to cap numbers.
‘Lionel Messi is from a different planet’… Twitter reacts in awe to Barcelona star’s Champions League masterclass
Real Madrid No 2 Paul Clement has emerged as a contender for the Newcastle job after Steve McClaren appeared to rule himself out of a move to Tyneside.
Real Madrid boss Carlo Ancelotti insists Gareth Bale must not be sold under any
circumstances.
West Ham have made enquiries about signing 26-year-old Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Stefan Reinartz.
DAILY MIRROR
Manchester City are plotting a £50m-plus transfer bid for Paul Pogba as a summer-long tug-of-war looms.
Inter Milan eye Martin Skrtel as the defender stalls over a new Liverpool deal.
Former England manager Graham Taylor has angrily denied he was told to limit amount of black players picked for the national side.
Manchester United and Chelsea transfer target Gareth Bale is refusing to quit on his Real Madrid dream.
Arsenal are set to revive interest in William Carvalho – and may offer Joel Campbell as a makeweight in the deal.
THE SUN
Graham Taylor was told by FA officials not to pick too many black players for England, according to a new book.
Manchester United and Chelsea must bid at least £80m to have any hope of landing Real Madrid’s Gareth Bale.
15-year-old Benfica goalkeeper Joao Virginia has impressed during a trial at Old Trafford.
Brentford boss Mark Warburton, who leaves the club at the end of the season, is top of Fulham’s shortlist.
THE INDEPENDENT
Graham Taylor has rejected claims that the FA told him not to pick ‘too many black players’ during his time as England manager.
Gareth Bale is the ‘future’ of Real Madrid and won’t join Manchester United this summer, claims his agent.
THE GUARDIAN
The FA told Graham Taylor not to pick ‘too many’ black players for England, according to a new book about racism in football.
Steve McClaren’s refusal to countenance Newcastle United’s three-game offer to save their season appears to have convinced Mike Ashley to look elsewhere for a permanent manager this summer.
DAILY EXPRESS
Bournemouth and Watford have joined the queue to sign out-of-contract Man City defender Micah Richards

DYKE : THE FA HAPPY TO COLLABORATE WITH NFF

Chairman of The English Football Association, Mr. Greg Dyke has pledged to do everything possible to promote collaboration with the Nigeria Football Federation.

Dyke spoke on Tuesday at a meeting with NFF President, Amaju Pinnick at the offices of The FA at Wembley Stadium, London.

At the meeting, Pinnick extolled the virtues of the FA, and his admiration for the English football culture, and not for the first time, spoke of his desire to build a sustainable football culture in Nigeria, telling his English counterpart that: “For many reasons, we have every reason to want to work with you. Apart from the fact that England colonized our country, and that London remains a first stop for many of our country’s people looking to sojourn abroad, we also see you as ideal and perfect role models against which we would want to build our game”.

Continuing, the Delta-born administrator said: “We admire the culture of football you have here. While you do not have the best results at international level, the football culture here is second to none, and we want to learn from you.”

Pinnick spoke of areas where he wanted collaboration with the FA, viz, working on technical support and development of Nigeria football, providing support and advise on all areas of administration and leadership.

Greg Dyke spoke of his interest in Africa, stating that his wife, having spent many years in Uganda in the past, had influenced him to becoming a fan of the continent. In his words: “Anytime I go to Africa and I am leaving, I look back and tell myself – ‘I can live here’.”.

Dyke, who promised to honour an invitation to visit Nigeria soon, expressed his interest in establishing strong relations internationally. “After we lost our 2018 Bid (to host the FIFA World Cup), it became apparent that we needed to build our international ties, and we need true friends, so I am very keen on this.”

Amaju Pinnick rounded up his visit by bringing to the notice of his English counterpart that the last time England played Nigeria in a friendly was more than 20 years ago. “We believe it is time we had an England/Nigeria match at Wembley, and we have done our homework and found that you have nothing on in the FIFA window in October,” he said.

Dyke immediately instructed that his aides should take it up with the department managing the England National Team, and promised to speak to manager Roy Hodgson about it. It was agreed that should the October date not be feasible, then there should be an England/Nigeria friendly at the next available opportunity

FOOTBALL PAPERS : ALL THE LATEST FOOTBALL NEWS AND TRANSFER GOSSIPS THIS AFTERNOON

LONDON EVENING STANDARD
Gareth Bale should use the criticism he has faced at Real Madrid to improve himself, former Bernabeu star Kaka has said.

Chelsea remain hopeful striker Mauro Icardi will reject a new contract at Inter Milan to join them in the summer, but face being priced out of any move for Paul Pogba.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has spoken of his pride in the club’s community work as a new centre opened to help everyone from offenders on probation to the mentally ill.

Chelsea starlet Jeremie Boga has admitted he would be interested in a return to France if he’s unable to make the grade at Stamford Bridge.

MANCHESTER EVENING NEWS

Radamel Falcao could remain at Manchester United if David de Gea signs a new contract with the club.

Juventus are bracing themselves for a huge Manchester City offer for their midfield star Paul Pogba.

LIVERPOOL ECHO

Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign young Portuguese midfielder Paulo Alves this summer. The 17-year-old will make the move from AD Sanjoanense.

NEWCASTLE CHRONICLE

The sudden uncertainty over Newcastle United’s head coach role has seen coaches with Champions League experience contact the club to offer their services. Ex-Real Madrid player and Olympiakos coach Michel Gonzalez has expressed an interest in the role through an intermediary.

Fulham are eyeing a move for Newcastle United goalkeeper Rob Elliot.

Dick Advocaat insists Danny Graham’s Sunderland goal drought must come to an end eventually.

SUNDERLAND ECHO

Steven Fletcher will play a part in Sunderland’s bid to remain in the Premier League after returning to full training.

BIRMINGHAM MAIL

Darren Bent is facing a summer of uncertainty after Aston Villa boss Tim Sherwood decided not to recall him to first-team training. The striker must wait to see whether his deal at Villa Park will be extended beyond next month.

West Bromwich Albion boss Tony Pulis remains hopeful of capturing QPR’s impressive winger Matt Phillips and Swansea left-back Neil Taylor.

Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett hopes the difficult decision to release eight players will ‘move the club forward’.

EXPRESS & STAR

West Brom star Saido Berahino has praised “old school” Tony Pulis for keeping him on the straight and narrow.

Wolves are set to splash the cash this summer to replace Bakary Sako – and have vowed to keep Benik Afobe.

THE SENTINEL

Marc Muniesa is ready to act as Stoke City’s ambassador in Barcelona to help manager Mark Hughes attract more top talent.

Bojan says his rehabilitation is still on track as he posts the latest video diary of his recovery from knee ligament damage.

HULL DAILY MAIL

Hull City boss Steve Bruce has left the door open for Nikica Jelavic to make a timely return to the starting XI in this weekend’s crucial home game with relegation rivals Burnley.

LANCASHIRE TELEGRAPH

Gary Bowyer has promised to monitor Alex Baptiste’s situation at Bolton Wanderers ‘very carefully’ in the hope of luring the versatile defender back to Blackburn Rovers on loan.

LEICESTER MERCURY

Leicester midfielder Anthony Knockaert has joined Belgian side Standard Liege, according to L’Equipe.

SOUTH WALES EVENING POST

Bafetimbi Gomis is in a race to prove he will be ready for a return to action when Swansea City go to Arsenal.

FOOTBALL PAPERS : ALL THE LATEST FOOTBALL HEADLINE NEWS TODAY

Chelsea will offer striker Loic Remy, 28,
and £15m for Lyon’s 23-year-old striker
Alexandre Lacazette. (Sun)
Liverpool will allow the contract of winger
Raheem Sterling to run down, rather than
sell the 20-year-old. (Independent)
West Ham will not look to keep hold of
midfielder Alex Song, 27, when his loan
from Barcelona expires, and captain Kevin
Nolan, 32, will also be offloaded. (Mirror)
Manchester United could sign Burnley
striker Danny Ings, 22, with fellow
forward Radamel Falcao, 29, set leave Old
Trafford and return to
Monaco. (Talksport)
Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal
says midfielder Angel Di Maria, 27, will
decide whether he wants to stay at Old
Trafford, with PSG a possible destination
for the Argentine. (Manchester Evening
News)
Liverpool have started talks with second-
choice keeper Brad Jones, 33, whose deal
expires this summer. (Liverpool ECHO)
Manchester City are favourites to sign
highly-rated Charlton defender Joe Gomez
but the Addicks want £8m for the 17-
year-old. (Mail)
Burnley defender Ben Mee wants boss
Sean Dyche to stay with the Clarets,
regardless of whether they are relegated.
(star)
Manchester United striker Radamel Falcao
may be 29 years old, but an internet app
reckons he is 43. (Express)

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE PREVIEW : TRICKY WEEKEND

Morning all.

   With no football until Monday evening we have to endure an Arsenal-free weekend, looking for entertainment in the failures of
others.

    Can Tony Pulis take points from Luis van Gaal at Old Trafford? I don’t know about that, but I suspect under the right
circumstances those two could lay it down in big style. That’s on at 17.30 on Saturday evening.
     The other two games of real interest for us take place on Sunday. Chelsea can win the title
on Sunday when they face Crystal Palace at home. You might remember last year Palace
beat them as Chelsea "bottled" the league, but I don’t see any repeat of that this time around when not even the combined power of Pard-Bantz and Yaya Sanogo will be able to stop them.
     Then it’s Spurs v Man City. City will need to regain all their
confidence going into the final games of the season to finish in the top 4. So, all in all, a fun weekend of football for everyone else but not for us.
     The early team news ahead of the game against Hull City is that Mathieu Debuchy is likely to miss out with
a hamstring strain he picked up in training. Nevertheless, we have a very able replacement in Hector Bellerin who will continue what has been a sparkling season for him.  Other than that, everyone else appears to be in good shape.

    Have a great day ahead.