Unai Emery hinted Aston Villa are closing in on Barcelona’s director of football Mateu Alemany.

The LaLiga leaders have already confirmed he will leave at the end of the season, with Villa his expected destination.

It will be the next piece in the puzzle for Emery at Villa Park as the club looks to move to the next level.

He said: “Mateu Alemany is a person with experiences, he has worked at a high level and, if he’s coming here because it is a possibility, it will be a very good opportunity to create a strong structure with him.

“It’s not the moment to speak about some circumstances that could come here, about some expectation about who is coming here. When I was committed with the chairman Nassef (Sawiris) and with Wes (Edens), we were speaking about the objective in our future we want to create.

“We want to strengthen our structure. To try to get another level going up with the team, with the players, with the structure we can create here.”

Villa go to Wolves on Saturday having dropped to eighth after the midweek results but remain in the hunt for a surprise European place.

Emery recognises failing to qualify for Europe could impact the calibre of players the club could sign this summer but it will not change his ultimate goal.

“Maybe, yes, but it’s not changing the mind I have, the idea we spoke about,” he said.

“We want to create a strong structure here, a strong mentality. You have to build a team like a family. If we are in Europe – we will add some possibility to take away trophies, playing more matches, for me it will be fantastic.

“If it’s not this year, my idea and objective is the same – try to play in Europe with Aston Villa. Not only just to play in Europe but I want to play in the Champions League with Aston Villa. ”

Philippe Coutinho, Matty Cash, Leon Bailey and Boubacar Kamara have all resumed training and could be involved at Molineux.

Emery added: “This week was fantastic. Coutinho started training on Monday, Kamara and Leon on Wednesday and Matty Cash started training with the group yesterday.”

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper cannot say whether he will work with Dean Henderson again in the future after the goalkeeper’s season was ended by thigh surgery.

Henderson has spent the campaign on loan from Manchester United but picked up an injury in January and has not played since, with him going under the knife this week to finally repair the problem.

The 26-year-old is likely to want to leave Old Trafford in the summer as he chases regular first-team action, but whether that will be at Forest will primarily depend on whether they are in the Premier League or not.

And with Forest’s status up in the air going into the final four games of the season, Cooper was coy when asked whether he would like to work with Henderson again.

“Hard to say. I have enjoyed working with him, we have all enjoyed Dean and the personality he is,” he said.

“All you see mainly is when he is in goal but there is more to him than that. He is a real good professional, he really cares, he has a fantastic mentality of winning and wanting to be the best, we have really enjoyed working with him and are grateful for what he has given to us and what he will continue to give to us.

“He will still be around and quite visible. The medical teams are working together with United and ourselves on what’s right for him and what they want our contribution to be.

“With Dean he is on loan from Manchester United but he really bought into the football club and the city, moving here and making it a permanent base for the loan showed he really wanted to be part of it on and off the pitch.

“We have had great commitment from him, even when he hasn’t been available in the last few months, it is a pity that his season has definitely ended because of surgery, but he has to focus on his recovery.

“We have a good working relationship with United and communication. It is still fresh after the surgery for what his recovery plan will be. We wish him well.”

Forest have been boosted by the news that midfielder Danilo’s injury is not as bad as first feared.

The Brazilian limped out of last weekend’s defeat to Brentford, having earlier scored his second goal in two matches.

Cooper said: “It is not as bad as we feared, when anyone comes off with a muscle injury you fear the worst, especially with the timing of the season and how little time is left but scan results were fairly positive and we hope for him to return sooner or later.”

Kevin De Bruyne could come straight back into the Manchester City side for Saturday’s Premier League match against Leeds.

De Bruyne missed the wins over Fulham and West Ham after taking a knock late in City’s 4-1 win over Arsenal on April 26.

Now, as City look to use Saturday’s fixture to go four points clear of the Gunners at the top of the table, the Belgian could be back after returning to training on Thursday.

“He trained yesterday, trained good. Today we train and we decide after training,” Guardiola said.

“Losing or missing just one week or 10 days in this stage of the season is not a problem. The same happened with Nathan (Ake). If he’s fit, he can play.”

Tuesday’s first leg of the Champions League semi-final away to Real Madrid is already looming, but Guardiola insisted that game would not come into his thinking when deciding how to manage De Bruyne’s return, or his team selection as a whole.

“There’s a lot of games and a lot of tension,” Guardiola said. “I see the team really tired after the demands from West Ham and Fulham. I have to see how the players recover, just three days from the previous game.

“I will be focussed on how they are physically and mentally for this game. After, Madrid. The Premier League is so nice, it’s important to go four points in front of Arsenal, really important. All focus is on the game tomorrow.”

City will come up against Sam Allardyce on Saturday as the 68-year-old takes charge of Leeds for the first time, having been brought in to try and save their Premier League status.

“Always there is an impact of a new manager on the players for the first one or two games,” Guardiola said. “Every team is playing for important things. Of course for Leeds to stay here, the impact is always huge.

“I don’t know how they play, we don’t have any info, we will have to adapt quick after five, 10 minutes. We can imagine what he tries to do. It’s a massive, important game for us…

“When you don’t have information on the opponent, you don’t focus much on them. Focus more on you. You have to think about your team. We analyse the West Ham game to help us with the next game.”

A meeting with Leeds will once again bring into focus Kalvin Phillips’ struggle for playing time at City.

The £42million summer signing has made only eight appearances in the Premier League, all as a substitute, having suffered an early setback in his City career when he needed shoulder surgery in September.

Displacing Rodri has proved all but impossible for the England man, who had to see the funny side when he was ushered off the bench in the 87th minute against West Ham on Wednesday, but had to wait until the start of stoppage time to get on – even with Guardiola urging his players to kick the ball out.

Asked if Phillips still had an important role to play in the rest of the season, Guardiola said: “I’m sure he will be ready, always ready, every player is ready. The doctors, physios make an incredible job to have the players fit. We arrive with all the players ready, it’s really important.

“Everyone has to be ready. I’m sure everyone will be important, a lot of minutes or a few minutes.”

Bournemouth boss Gary O’Neil remains hopeful Marcus Tavernier will play again this season but vowed not to take risks with the injured winger.

Tavernier sustained his third hamstring issue of the campaign shortly after scoring the winner in last week’s 1-0 success at local rivals Southampton.

The 24-year-old subsequently sat out Sunday’s 4-1 thrashing of Leeds and has been ruled out of the Vitality Stadium clash with Chelsea.

With Premier League survival almost certainly assured, O’Neil is under no pressure to rush back Tavernier and admits his main focus is on ensuring the player is fit and firing in time for the start of pre-season training.

“We’re still not clear on exactly how long it would be,” the Cherries manager said of the injury.

“Even if we were scrapping for points and desperate to stay in the Premier League, I’m still not sure. We haven’t had enough of the information back to let you know exactly when it would be.

“But, of course, now that the situation has changed, there will be no rush.

“If it’s three weeks that he should be out and we need to take four, we’ll take four. Whereas before it was like ‘right, it’s three weeks, let’s get him back for this game, let’s see if he can have an impact again’. Obviously that has changed.

“My real focus at this moment with Tav is to make sure he is absolutely spot on by July 1 and we can get a real, good pre-season into him.

“But that doesn’t mean we’ve seen the end of him this season. It might be that it’s a couple of weeks and he’s feeling fantastic and we’ll see him back on the pitch.”

Bournemouth sit level on 39 points with Frank Lampard’s Blues ahead of their penultimate home fixture this term.

Striker Kieffer Moore will join Tavernier on the sidelines due to concussion, while midfielder Hamed Traore will sit out a sixth successive game with a contact injury.

While there is seemingly little left to play for, O’Neil is eager for his side to continue the fine form which has brought six wins from nine games.

“There are still a lot of points available to us and, of course, as the head coach of the team, I’m desperate to put as many points on the board as possible regardless of the situation,” he said.

“We really want to finish the season strong and then take that into the summer break with us.”

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits even extending their five-match winning run is unlikely to affect the top-four sides they are chasing and he expects to miss out on Champions League football next season.

Wednesday’s victory over Fulham, combined with Manchester United’s late defeat to Brighton, meant the gap to fourth place in the Premier League is four points.

However, United have a match in hand, from which they could overtake Newcastle two points ahead, while Liverpool also face pressure from below with Brighton four points behind with two games in hand.

“Other teams are in much better positions. As long as they win games, we have no chance and we have to keep teams behind us, which (for) not all of them we can do that,” said Klopp

“We have 59 (points), United has 63 so we can get 71 maximum. United needs for that eight points in five, (eight points) from 15. I think they will do that.

“They win three games of the rest and that is it for us.”

While their current run is the best for more than a year, the cracks are starting to appear in the squad again.

Midfielder Thiago Alcantara is having surgery on a troublesome hip injury in order to ensure he is fit for pre-season, while captain Jordan Henderson could miss Saturday’s visit of Brentford.

Thiago was absent for two months with his problem and although he made a brief comeback in April, he has missed the last two matches and the club have decided it is best for him to get it sorted now.

“Thiago will have surgery and is out for the rest of the season. It’s the same issue he was recently out for a couple of months with,” said Klopp.

Asked whether he would be ready for pre-season, the manager added: “Yeah. That is why we do it now.”

Liverpool are awaiting the results of a scan on Henderson but he could miss the visit of Brentford with the minor problem.

“Hendo I have to see; a scan yesterday will not be a big thing but maybe enough to rule him out tomorrow.”

Liverpool have confirmed they will play the national anthem ahead of Saturday’s evening kick-off despite expected opposition from home fans.

Supporters have regularly booed the anthem, such as before cup finals, in defiance at their long-standing resentment against the establishment due to the city’s political background and, more recently, in relation to the handling of the Hillsborough disaster and the fight for justice.

Liverpool feel they have been put in an impossible position by the Premier League’s suggestion the anthem is played and although have they taken the “tough” decision to play the anthem, they believe in safe freedom of expression and are aware the response may not be favourable.

During Wednesday’s win over Fulham the Kop sang “You can stick your coronation up your a***”.

“The club’s position is my position. That is clear. Besides that, this is definitely a subject which I cannot really have a proper opinion about,” said Klopp.

“I am from Germany, we don’t have a king or a queen, I am 55 years old and I have no experience of that.

“Watching from the outside, it is a nice thing to watch when all the weddings are massive things in Germany but no one really knows what it is like. It is like watching a movie. We don’t feel that.

“I am pretty sure a lot of people in this country will enjoy the coronation. Some will not be interested and some will not like it. That is it and that is over the whole country.”

Celtic full-back Alistair Johnston might play again this season while Cameron Carter-Vickers is expected to be back for the start of next term.

Canada international Johnston joined the post-match celebrations at Hampden on crutches after suffering a lower-leg injury following a challenge on Rangers defender Borna Barisic in Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final.

Carter-Vickers was the best player on the park despite playing through a knee injury which has ended his campaign but Celtic have received positive news following his operation.

Johnston will sit out Sunday’s game against Hearts at Tynecastle as Celtic bid to get a win which will secure a second cinch Premiership title under Ange Postecoglou.

But the 24-year-old could be fit ahead of the Scottish Cup final against Inverness on June 3.

“He got a significant knock,” Postecoglou said. “We will see. There is still a chance he will be available before the end of the season but it will be a week-by-week thing and we will see how he goes.

“Cameron (Carter-Vickers) will be out until the start of next season and James Forrest is probably a week away.

“The only other new one is Stephen Welsh who picked up a knock in training. Everyone else is good to go.”

Centre-back Carter-Vickers looks set to be fit to join his team-mates for pre-season training.

“He has already had the surgery and the reports are that it went really well and he should be right for the start of the season, to begin the season, which is great news for us,” Postecoglou said.

“It’s something he has carried for a significant part of this year but he was really keen to play, particularly up until last weekend knowing what the game meant for our season.

“But it’s fair to say he hasn’t been able to train at the levels he wants to and can sometimes perform, but he has never used that as an excuse.

“He was outstanding for us this year and it’s great for him to get it seen to now and know that at the start of the season he will be ready to go.”

Japanese central defender Yuki Kobayashi is set for a run in the team after making four appearances since his arrival in January.

“He is ready to go,” Postecoglou said. “He has done well for us every time we have called upon him.

“We brought him in in January to use this second half of the season to bed him in in terms of our football and how we train, to let him adjust. Yuki is ready to step up and play a significant role.”

West Ham should be boosted by the returns of Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Nayef Aguerd for Sunday’s visit of Manchester United.

David Moyes’ first-choice trio were absent for the 3-0 defeat at Manchester City after a sickness bug swept through the Hammers’ camp.

All three travelled to Manchester only to be sent home a few hours before kick-off.

But Hammers boss Moyes is confident the midfield partnership of Rice and Soucek, along with key centre-half Aguerd, will be available at the weekend.

However, Moyes revealed another couple of players have also come down with illness.

“They’ve been in today and done a little bit of training,” said Moyes. “We are hoping all three will be available for the weekend.

“But we had one other player who was sent home this morning and another who said he didn’t feel so good.

“We’ve just got to hope we can contain it. It looks like it’s more like sickness and players are getting over it quite quickly.”

Moyes will still be without Kurt Zouma, who has an ankle injury, and fellow defender Vladimir Coufal, who tweaked a hamstring at City.

The Scot, who turned 60 last week, is juggling the Premier League relegation battle with a Europa Conference League semi-final against AZ Alkmaar, the first leg of which takes place next Thursday.

“I’ve always said the Premier League is the priority,” he said. “But when you are starting to talk about a semi-final in Europe you’re talking about another decision.

“If we play to our best we will give any team a very good match. If we do that then we will gain the extra points we need.”

Mikel Arteta has not ruled out William Saliba playing again this season despite his back injury once again sidelining him for Sunday’s trip to Newcastle.

The France international has missed the last seven games as Arsenal’s title bid faltered, with the Gunners having handed the initiative over to Manchester City after a run of one win in five.

Saliba’s absence has been felt hard, Arsenal conceding in each of the games he has missed having been involved in every Premier League game before being struck down by a niggling back issue.

Arteta said last week that the recovery was taking longer than expected.

“Not a lot of progress,” he said when asked for an update on the injury.

“He’s feeling better every day but he’s not been able to have any activity around the first team so we don’t expect him to be with us (at Newcastle).

“It’s about the healing process; pain-wise and the things he can do off the pitch he’s in a good place, but we have to build that capacity with the right load so that he’s able to contribute to the team.”

Pushed on whether it was time to accept Saliba was out for the season, he added: “We are not there yet because we’re always hopeful and the players are pushing to play. If that’s the case we’ll announce it, but hopefully not.”

Arsenal’s defensive injuries could have worsened further still as, with Saliba and Takehiro Tomiyasu sidelined, Gabriel Magalhaes was forced off during Tuesday’s win over Chelsea.

“We will have to see tomorrow how he is,” Arteta said at his media conference on Friday.

“But he could not finish the game so that was a big sign. We’ll have to see tomorrow.”

Arsenal could be four points adrift of City by the time they kick off at Newcastle, themselves aiming to push on a secure a third-placed finish this season.

The corresponding fixture last season came in the penultimate game of the campaign – a 2-0 win for Newcastle all-but ending Arsenal’s hopes of Champions League qualification.

Arteta, shown in the Amazon “All or Nothing: Arsenal” documentary, tore into his players after the game at St James’ Park – but he is not planning to use the damaging defeat as fuel this time around.

“It’s a very different game,” he said.

“Different players, different game. We’re going to have to play better than last year that’s for sure because we know at home they’ve been really good.

“I don’t think there’s too much to motivate from there. There’s a lot of things that we have to do better than that day. The group of players and the way they’re playing there is different.”

Marco Silva vowed Fulham would do everything they could to match their best-ever Premier League points tally with just four opportunities left to meet the objective.

Fulham last hit 53 points in 2008-09 under Roy Hodgson, ultimately finishing seventh that campaign.

Silva’s 10th-placed Cottagers are still eight points away from repeating that feat and have their next opportunity to move closer when they host relegation-threatened Leicester on Monday.

“We are going to fight for it,” said Silva. “We are going to fight because it’s a target for us, clearly it’s a target for us. We have 12 points to fight for and we are going to do our best.

“As always, game by game, thinking the next one will be a very good one at home at the Cottage that we want to do our best and we are going to do our best to win.

“It’s there, the target is there but realistically we are going to have to fight really hard to get it.”

Silva’s side are hoping to bounce back from three-consecutive losses, including Wednesday night’s Liverpool encounter decided by Mohamed Salah’s 39th-minute penalty – awarded following a VAR decision the Fulham boss reiterated should not have gone the Reds’ way.

He said: “Liverpool clearly didn’t deserve the result. It was a clear mistake that made us to lose the match and that penalty that I repeat is embarrassing, that decision and of course it’s up to us to react, to go again and to do our best to take the three points.”

Fulham’s second-most recent loss was at the hands of surging table-toppers Manchester City, who presented a very different challenge from the one expected from the 16th-placed Foxes on Monday.

Silva will be without midfielder Andreas Pereira and skipper Tim Ream, who were both ruled out for the rest of the season following injuries sustained in the City clash.

Dean Smith’s men are outside the drop zone on goal difference alone and Silva expects their precarious position to be a dangerous motivator come the Bank Holiday.

He added: “Probably the next game against Leicester will probably be even more difficult than against City and Liverpool.

“People probably don’t understand what I’m saying. I’m not saying that Leicester is a better team than the other two, that’s not what I’m saying, but they’re fighting for their lives.

“They come to play in a different way than the other two teams against us and of course, it will be a tough one, a good test, another one for us at the Cottage with our fans and of course we have to play as best as we can to win the game.”

Hollywood star Brad Pitt is set to drive at this year’s British Grand Prix to film scenes for his upcoming Formula One blockbuster.

It is understood that the 59-year-old American will race an adapted Formula Two car at Silverstone during the weekend of the Grand Prix which takes place on July 9.

Lewis Hamilton is helping to produce the movie, and the British driver’s Mercedes team has designed the bodywork for Pitt’s modified machine.

Pitt is expected to take to the track between practice sessions at the sold-out Formula One event, and no other cars will be on the circuit.

Apple has bought the rights to the movie with a reported budget of 140million US dollars (£125m). Joseph Kosinski, the man behind Top Gun: Maverick, will direct the film, in which Pitt’s character comes out of retirement to take on a rookie driver.

Speaking about his role in the blockbuster ahead of this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix, Hamilton, 38, said: “I am focused on making sure the script is where it needs to be, and making sure we have a great and diverse cast.

“Joe’s focus is to make sure we are as embedded into this sport as much as possible and it is current, and for me it is to make sure that it is authentic, and that it is believable and also to provide a view of racing from a different perspective than you might see on TV.

“I am spending a lot of time right now helping Joe and the team get the script right, and that is an amazing process and something I am really enjoying.”

Malik Tillman’s loan spell at Rangers has ended through injury as boss Michael Beale revealed Alfredo Morelos and Ryan Kent have not been offered new deals.

The 20-year-old attacking midfielder joined the Ibrox club on loan from German giants Bayern Munich last summer with the cinch Premiership outfit having the first option to buy with the fee reported to be around £5million.

Tillman had to come off in last week’s Scottish Cup semi-final defeat by Celtic at Hampden Park which effectively ended hopes of silverware, with the hamstring injury which rules him out of the last five fixtures.

Ahead of the cinch Premiership game against Aberdeen at Ibrox on Sunday, Beale said: “Unfortunately that is the end of Malik’s season.

“He has got a hamstring injury, he has gone back to Bayern for them to have a look at him as well.

“He has had his scan. It is a hugely sad ending to the season for him because he is obviously a fine young player and he has performed well for the club so far this season.

“That (talk of permanent deal) is all still on-going in the background as well.

“Me and Malik are in a great place on a personal level.

“He’s been brilliant for the club and I think brilliant for me in my time here.

“He’s a player I think has a really high ceiling – as high as anyone I’ve worked with in my time here at Rangers.

“There’s areas of his game that at 20 years old he certainly has to brush up on but that’s why he’s come on loan.

“We said we’d park the conversation until the middle of May because there’s a lot around it. We want to get to end of the season.

“And Malik has got a say in this as well. Obviously the two clubs have been talking back and forth and there’s agreements between them.

“But the most important person is Malik. If Malik wants to be here in Glasgow then it’s something we can make happen.

“Likewise if he’s unsure…

“We’d said we’d park the conversation until the middle of May and nothing has changed on that.”

After the Hoops defeat Beale promised the “biggest rebuild in years” and gave a strong hint that striker Morelos and Kent, both out of contract in the summer, would depart the club.

The former QPR boss said: “They have been two fantastic players for the club.

“We haven’t come forward with a contract offer, both have been free to speak to other clubs for a while now.

“But in terms of the next five games they are Rangers players and they will continue to be so until anything announced officially.”

Tottenham captain Hugo Lloris will not play again this season due to a thigh injury.

Lloris has not featured since he was replaced at half-time of Tottenham’s 6-1 thrashing at Newcastle and there are now doubts over whether he will play for the club again given his uncertain future with only one year left on his deal.

“Hugo’s out for the season,” Spurs’ acting head coach Ryan Mason confirmed ahead of Saturday’s visit of Crystal Palace.

“We had the results back. Obviously disappointing, but we kind of feared that initially. We did some more tests and he won’t play for us again this season.

“I can’t speak about next season but what I can say is that he has a very important role for us until the end of the season. We need him. We need him to be part of the group and I’m sure he will be.”

Lloris is alongside Emerson Royal (ankle), Ryan Sessegnon (hamstring), Yves Bissouma (ankle) and Rodrigo Bentancur (knee) on the treatment table.

Mason provided a positive update on Emerson and Bissouma but Sessegnon will not play again this season while Bentancur is set for a long spell on the sidelines as he recovers from anterior cruciate ligament damage.

On Bissouma, Mason said: “There are obviously some hurdles he has got to overcome and to hit some certain goals but we are hopeful he will appear before the end of the season.

“Ryan had a significant injury, he’s been out for a long time so Ryan won’t feature again this season.

“Emerson, I think it is a day-to-day check on how he is and how he’s coping. Hopefully Emerson can help us between now and end of the season.”

When Emerson does return to full fitness, it will increase the likelihood of Spurs reverting to a back four, which Mason used during his previous tenure in caretaker charge.

He hinted on Friday that a tactical switch could occur before Palace visit and also started his press conference with a congratulations message to the club’s under-18s.

Stuart Lewis’ side won 3-1 at Aston Villa to clinch the Under-18 Premier League Cup on Thursday night, having also sealed the Under-17 League Cup last month.

Academy graduate Mason is hopeful some of them can progress into the first-team.

“I’d just like to congratulate our under-18s from our academy because they won the under-18s Premier League Cup last night. Backed the under-17s up. It’s important and good for the football club,” Mason added.

“First of all you have to be good enough. That’s a challenge to any of our academy players.

“It is a big step up to the first team and we want them to aspire to that. We need academy players.

“We’ve got Harry Kane, we’ve got (Oliver) Skippy, we’ve got others in the squad that are helping. I understand and the club certainly understand the value in that.”

Mason also paid tribute to “amazing” Crystal Palace boss Roy Hodgson, who gave him his solitary England cap in 2015.

“I will obviously always have a soft spot for Roy Hodgson because he gave me my England debut,” he said of the 75-year-old.

“I think the most important thing in football is if you have the fire inside you and if you can influence players and he’s definitely got that still.”