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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

As reported by Spanish outlet Eldesmarque, Liverpool are prepared to ‘throw the house out of the window’ in their attempts to bring Real Madrid attacker Marco Asensio to Anfield.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Reds seem to be extremely keen on bringing the Spain international to Merseyside, as Jurgen Klopp reportedly views the attacking midfielder as the ideal man to complement to his front three of Sadio Mane, Roberto Firmino and Mohamed Salah.

The report states that the European champions are willing to pay close to €75m (£67.5m) to sign Asensio, and also says that Klopp is not satisfied with his squad despite winning the Champions League last term.

The Spaniard had a fairly underwhelming 2018/19 campaign with Los Blancos, scoring just one goal and recording four assists in La Liga.

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Whilst this has all been reported, it doesn’t quite add up to what a more trusted source has said.

This completely contradicts the Echo’s story

The Liverpool Echo is probably the most reliable outlet when it comes to news on the Champions League winners.

They have inside information and are allowed access to chat with Klopp himself and some players from time to time.

Interestingly, the Echo ran a story today which doesn’t align with what Eldesmarque are saying – in fact, it’s almost the complete opposite.

Where the Spanish outlet says that Klopp isn’t satisfied with his squad, they said: “After spending around £250m in 2018, the strategy very much centres around sustaining and extending the stay of star players who have made Liverpool European champions.

“It ties in with Klopp’s current ethos of keeping together the nucleus of a squad that came so close to ending a 29-year wait for a league title three weeks before bagging a sixth European Cup in Madrid.”

Now, bringing in a player of Asensio’s quality for such a large amount of money, only for him to sit on the bench as a ‘complement’ to the front three probably wouldn’t go down too well with the player himself, and would potentially risk damaging that nucleus that Klopp is so keen to protect.

The two stories are almost entirely contrasting, and practically sum up the madness of the transfer window right now.

أعرب جوليان ناجيلسمان عن سعادته بفوز فريقه لايبزيج الألماني على نظيره فريق مانشستر يونايتد الإنجليزي مساء أمس في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا وتأهلهم إلى دور الـ16.

وفاز لايبزيج بثلاثة أهداف مقابل هدفين، في الجولة السادسة والأخيرة من دور المجموعات. أهداف مباراة مانشستر يونايتد ولايبزيج

وقال ناجيلسمان في تصريحات نشرتها شبكة “جول” العالمية: “كانت الدقائق الأخيرة من المباراة صعبة للغاية”.

وأضاف: “لقد لعبنا مباراة جيدة لفترة طويلة، كان علينا ألا نستقبل ركلة جزاء، علينا الدفاع عنها بشكل أفضل”.

وواصل: “من وجهة نظري هي ليست ركلة جزاء صحيحة، ولكنه مجرد تلاحم عادي بين اللاعبين”.

وتابع: “الهدف الثاني لـ مانشستر يونايتد أعتقد أن يد هاري ماجواير قد لمست الكرة، رأيت أربع وجهات نظر، من الصعب تحديد الأمر، لكنني أعتقد أنها لمسة يد ولا ينبغي حسب الهدف كذلك”.

واستكمل: “لا يهم الآن كل هذا رغم ذلك، لقد فزنا وتأهلنا، نجحنا، قاتل الأولاد، هم آلات، أظهروا ذلك مرة أخرى اليوم”.

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As West Ham look to improve on their tenth-placed finish from last season, there are sure to be busy in this year’s transfer window. Having spent big last year, they’ll need to splash out again in order to further improve. With that in mind, here’s a look at the latest transfer rumours involving the Irons…

West Ham in battle for Sanson

One new arrival could be Marseille’s Morgan Sanson, according to Sky Sports. After the Ligue 1 side failed to qualify for the Champions League, they are valuing the former Montpellier midfielder at €35m (£31.21m) and West Ham are in talks to sign him. However, they could face competition from Wolves and Newcastle for his signature.

Gonalons to the London Stadium?

It seems that West Ham want to boost their midfield in particular, with AS Roma’s Maxime Gonalons also on their radar. According to L’Equipe, West Ham is a potential loan destination for the Serie A man next season, after he spent last term on loan at Seville. Everton have been mooted as well.

La Liga double swoop on the cards

Manuel Pellegrini’s side are also looking to make a double swoop for Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez and Stanislav Lobotka, according to the Daily Mail. The two are valued at £58m by the Spanish side, although Valencia have strong interest in the towering striker.

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The likes of Wolves, Everton and Leicester have done their utmost to bridge the gap between the top six and the rest of the league this season but the fact remains that there is still a huge gulf in terms of funding which, unfortunately, is what football is determined by these days.

For many teams placed seventh and below, a successful season constitutes survival, with anything else deemed a big achievement – Palace and Bournemouth, despite the outstanding quality they have on paper, are two of these teams.

The southern pair’s respective groups of fans surely feel that they could be doing better than their current mid-table finishes, so they will be expecting a big summer in terms of transfers to push the team that extra way.

But what if the two teams combined? With the likes of Ryan Fraser at Bournemouth and Wilfried Zaha at Palace, it’s a frightening prospect.

With Callum Wilson leading the line and the aforementioned Fraser and Zaha on the wings, this is a front three to strike fear into the hearts of any opponent.

Both Eddie Howe and Roy Hodgson’s sides thrive on the counter, with the Eagles and the Cherries scoring for fun on the break this season, but by merging the attacks you have a different animal.

Wilson and Fraser are one of the league’s best partnerships this season, while David Brooks has chalked up seven goals and five assists for Bournemouth since signing from Sheffield United last summer.

Capable of playing all across the midfield or behind the striker, the 21-year-old is best suited in a central role, where he can pull the strings and feed Palace’s Zaha in behind, for instance.

The influential winger may have played his last game in red and blue by the time Bournemouth leave Selhurst Park this weekend, having had a fantastic campaign, notching a personal-best 10 times and assisting eight.

He typically operates on the left side of the attack but he would be forced to move to the right wing to accommodate Fraser.

The 26-year-old offers plenty of speed out wide and has a box of tricks to rival that of Ronaldinho – he’s a full-back’s nightmare and arguably this combined XI’s standout player.

A defensive midfield pairing of Luka Milivojevic and Jefferson Lerma form a hardened wall of Serbian and Colombian steel in front of a back four that’s surely the best outside the top six.

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With Patrick van Aanholt and Diego Rico enduring respective struggles this campaign, Nathan Ake shifts out to left-back, where he impressed in the 5-0 thrashing of Brighton last month, while the Eagles’ pairing of Mamadou Sakho and James Tomkins is difficult to split up.

Aaron Wan-Bissaka needs no introduction. The 21-year-old was named both players’ and fans’ player of the season recently and has established himself as one of the best young defenders in the Premier League.

This combined defence would be a real hassle to get through.

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Former footballer Stuart Pearce has urged Wolves to be careful with the possibility of Europa League football being played at Molineux next season looming. The ex-manager was speaking to Sky Sports’ The Debate podcast (25/04).

What’s he said?

Wolves were in a poor rut of form going into their midweek game with Arsenal. Having been brilliant all season they looked as though they were finally hitting a brick wall as the reality of European football started to sink in.

An FA Cup semi-final defeat against Watford initially looked as though it could derail their season but a phenomenal win over Arsenal got them back on track and back in the hunt for seventh place.

It seems to be a four horse race at the moment with Nuno Santo’s men challenging Everton, Watford and Leicester for that final Europa League spot.

However, speaking to The Debate Podcast about Wolves (23.23 onwards), Pearce was quick to specify that they’d need to add players otherwise they could be at risk of sliding down the table like Burnley did this season. He said:

“Their recruitment’s been brilliant last summer for this season. I think they’re going to have to expand the squad again if they take on a Europa League place like Burnley. They suffered so badly the whole season. Sean [Dyche] didn’t sort it out until February. Wolves can learn a lesson from that. Be careful if you get into Europe. Be careful what you wish for in some ways.”

European football a risk

It would be quite something if Wolves were to qualify for Europe after just a single season back in the Premier League but it would be a testament to just how good they’ve been this term.

Although they’ve struggled against some of the poorer sides in the division, the 16 points they’ve taken from top six teams is astonishing.

However, their squad does remain quite thin and as a result, European football could be a hindrance. You feel that Wolves need to really establish themselves in the top flight first before obtaining a spot in Europe.

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Pearce is right to suggest that the Midlands club can learn from Burnley. Their form at the start of the season was terrible and although Wolves do have better players, fans should be concerned about the size of their squad.

They’ll have to be shrewd in the market and also be careful with their investment if they do end up playing in the Europa League.

أكد ناثان أكي مدافع مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي، أنه سعيد للغاية بتواجده ضمن صفوف النادي السماوي، بعد انتقاله في الصيف الماضي من بورنموث.

مانشستر سيتي ضم ناثان أكي في أغسطس الماضي، لكنه لم يشارك في المباريات الماضية بسبب الإصابة التي يعاني منها.

طالع أيضًا.. جوارديولا: سخروا من شاختار أمامنا والآن يفوز على ريال مدريد 

وقال أكي في تصريحات بالمؤتمر الصحفي الخاص بمواجهة مانشستر سيتي وأولمبياكوس: “لقد كانت خطوة انتقالي إلى مانشستر سيتي جيدة جدًا، أنا حقًا أستمتع بالأجواء هناك”.

وأضاف: “هذا الفريق جعلني أشهر بالترحيب، المدرب والموظفون في النادي، أنا حقًا أستمتع هنا”.

وأكمل: “الجميع يريد لعب دوري أبطال أوروبا، إنها المنافسة الأكبر، أن تكون قادرًا على اللعب في تلك الليالي هو أمر مثالي، وتريد دائمًا أن تأتي إلى نادٍ مثل هذا لتلك الليالي”.

وأكد: “مواجهة أولمبياكوس ستكون صعبة، سنرى ما سيحدث في المباراة، وعلينا ان نقدم أفضل ما لدينا من أجل الاقتراب أكثر من التأهل”.

وشدد: “جوارديولا أحد الأسباب التي جعلتني أنتقل إلى مانشستر سيتي، رأيت في الأشهر الماضية أنه يعمل مع اللاعبين ومعي ويظهر أشياء يمكنني تحسينها، يعمل معي على أرض الملعب في جوانب خاصة، أشعر أنني أتعلم كل يوم منه”.

واختتم: “هذه ميزة إضافية في مانشستر سيتي، أن لدينا مدرب مختلف عن البقية، أرى نفسي أتحسن بالفعل كل يوم، وآمل أن يكون هناك المزيد في المستقبل”.

Nottingham Forest fans will be hugely disappointed at how their season has petered out, but one positive is the revelation that Joao Carvalho is capable of being their next star! Indeed, he now requires more chance to prove what he can do.

He’s played 36 times in the Championship this season, making seven assists and scoring four goals. He’s been given a great run in the team and all credit to Martin O’Neill for presenting him with that opportunity.

Now, he needs the same next term.

He impressed again in Forest’s 3-0 win against Middlesbrough on Easter Monday. And then some. A result that ended the club’s run of four straight defeats and Carvalho was key until he was subbed off.

With that in mind, next season’s starting 11 should be built around him.

At only 22-years-old, he’s shown magnificent maturity to play at such a big club under such pressure. He’s proved he has the quality to become their main man if he’s given the time to grown into the number 10 role and to fulfil his potential.

The club will look to go one step forward next campaign and continue their early season form into the second half. The play-offs are a minimum requirement for the club and Carvalho has the speed and trickery to guide them there.

There’s no need for Forest to look anywhere else for a number 10 when they have one right in front of them. This season he’s proved he’s capable, and next season’s he’ll be crucial in their bid for promotion.

Forest fans, what have you thought of Joao Carvalho this season? Join the discussion by commenting below…

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The sky is blue and water is wet.

In other news, the Everton fans absolutely love French defender Lucas Digne.

Digne joined Everton from Barcelona in last summer’s transfer window and he has been in very good form for the Toffees in recent months.

According to WhoScored, the 25-year-old won four aerial duels and made four tackles during his team’s 1-0 win over Arsenal on Sunday afternoon.

It was not the first time that Digne had put in a strong performance for his side this season and it will certainly not be the last.

When the 23-time France international took to social media after Sunday’s match, his post was always likely to bring a host of positive responses from the Everton fans.

And that indeed proved to be the case, with a number showing their admiration for the Frenchman, who is seemingly enjoying his time at Goodison Park.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

Arsenal put in an almost faultless defensive display in their 1-1 Premier League draw against rivals Tottenham at Wembley last Saturday.

And at the heart of it was central defender Sokratis Papastathopoulos, who has since been speaking about his future.

The Breakdown

“In the summer I will be 31, I have two years of contract with Arsenal, then I would like to play in the US or in Asia,” Sokratis told Kicker (via Calciomercato).

At this stage of his career and having yet to venture outside of Europe, it is easy to understand why Sokratis has set himself the goal of playing in a league such as the MLS.

Arsenal supporters, though, are still likely to be left disappointed once the Greece international decides to call it a day at the Emirates.

For years now, the Gunners have been so frail at the back. And while they still have a long way to go until they can be considered as a consistently sturdy outfit, Sokratis has done his part in helping the team improve in that area.

The former Borussia Dortmund man has added some much-needed steel to this Arsenal backline while, individually, he has not done too much wrong since signing for the north London club last July.

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Everton fans have taken to Twitter after it was revealed that the FA are to review the referee’s match report before deciding to take action against Marco Silva, but not to back their team’s boss.

No. Instead, some fans have been calling for the FA to ban Silva as they grow tired of his inability to win games for them. The former Hull and Watford boss confronted referee Lee Mason after full-time, following his side’s defeat to Newcastle at St James’ Park.

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The Toffees led 2-0, before being pegged back and ultimately losing 3-2, but Ayoze Perez’s winning goal was certainly a controversial one with a number of players in black and white appearing to be offside in the build up.

Everton have now lost six of their last eight Premier League games, and some fans appear to be losing patience with Silva as a result.

Let’s see how the Toffees supporters reacted the news of their side’s boss potentially facing FA action…