Christophe Galtier has hailed the impact made by Sergio Ramos this season as Paris Saint-Germain look to close in on the Ligue 1 title against Lorient.

The former Real Madrid defender arrived at the club ahead of the 2021-22 season but struggled for minutes during a campaign derailed by injury.

However, with a full pre-season and a clean bill of health behind him, the former Spain star has been one of the leading lights for PSG in 2022-23.

Ahead of his side's clash with Lorient, where they can help maintain their eight-point gap at the summit, Galtier has highlighted the impact made by Ramos.

"Sergio had a difficult season last year linked to calf injuries," he said. "[This time,] he had complete preparation. He is a hyper-professional player.

"When you have such a record at this age, it is because you put all the chances on your side. He brings his experience [and] he is an important player in the locker room.

"There have been exchanges between the sports management and him. I am very satisfied with his season and with what he brings on matchdays but also in everyday life.

"He is an example, which all our young players must follow."

Ramos was integral to helping arrest PSG's slide earlier this month, netting in their 2-0 win over Nice to bring a two-game wobble to a close.

He was overlooked by Spain for the Qatar 2022 World Cup and confirmed his retirement from the international game following discussions with new coach Luis de la Fuente.

Napoli's Serie A clash with Salernitana this weekend has been rescheduled by one day due to public security concerns, it has been confirmed.

The Partenopei had been set to play on Saturday, but will now take to the pitch at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Sunday instead.

The move comes with Luciano Spalletti's side poised to win the Scudetto if Lazio fail to beat Inter at San Siro during an earlier kick-off the same day.

Serie A's decision to postpone the fixture, however, has forced a further reshuffle for Napoli's fixture list, with their game against Udinese affected.

Originally due to take place on Tuesday, the game will now be played two days later on Thursday, in what could be their first game as champions.

It also means Udinese have suffered a further postponement of their own, with their clash against Sampdoria delayed by a day from a week on Sunday to the Monday afterwards.

Harry Kane has revealed Monday’s crunch talks with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy revolved around the possibility of the club finishing eighth or ninth after he admitted the Newcastle result had been building since last month.

Levy sacked Cristian Stellini following Sunday’s 6-1 thrashing at St James’ Park and consulted Spurs’ player committee, which is understood to comprise captain Hugo Lloris, Eric Dier, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Kane.

Stellini had only been acting head coach for four matches after he stepped up to replace Antonio Conte, who departed a week after his explosive post-match comments at Southampton where he was critical of his own “selfish players” who he insisted did not want to play under pressure.

Kane, speaking after Thursday’s spirited 2-2 draw at home to Manchester United, hinted for the first time the impact Conte’s words had on the squad.

“The chairman asked for a meeting. Obviously I won’t go into what was said but I think it was important (for him) to understand where the players’ heads were at in that moment,” Kane said.

“Obviously coming off the back of that (Newcastle) result and it wasn’t just that result, it had been building up since the international break when we conceded the two goals against Southampton.

“It was an honest conversation of where everyone is at and what we need to try to do to give us the best possible chance to finish the season with something.

“We’re still fighting for fourth place but if it’s not fourth we’ll try to finish fifth or sixth, as high up as we can.

“In this league, it’s so competitive, you can easily end up eighth or ninth if you’re not careful. That’s what it was – to give us the best chance and I’m glad we reacted like that.”

Kane was applauded off at full-time along with the rest of his team-mates on Thursday night but the atmosphere had threatened to turn toxic when Marcus Rashford added to Jadon Sancho’s early opener to make it 2-0 to United at the break.

It left Ryan Mason, in his second caretaker spell in charge, with a big half-time team talk but the 31-year-old exuded calm and saw Pedro Porro and Son Heung-min net in the second period to help Tottenham restore some pride after Sunday’s humiliation in the north east.

Kane added: “It was quite calm. Ryan said not to try to get back in the game in the first five minutes of the second half.

“He said, ‘there’s another 45 minutes, be compact, be ready to hurt them like we did in the first half but now we have to be more clinical’.

“We all said once we get one, we know we can really put pressure on them and that’s what happened. A shame we couldn’t then get the third but overall, when you’re 2-0 down, it was good to get a point out of it.

“I think Ryan’s been great. He’s come in at a really difficult time after that defeat and he’s not had long to implement any style, so it’s all been about motivation and getting some belief back in the boys.

“I’ve known Ryan a long, long time. He’s a great football brain. He sees the game in a really good way, he’s worked under some fantastic managers so far.

“So look, we’re all fully behind him. We really want to work for him and try to finish the season as strong as we can.

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“And he’s a great guy and a great manager. Hopefully we can finish strong and see what happens.”

The Tottenham players reimbursed the away support at Newcastle and while Kane knows it will not make up for the result, he praised their support during Thursday’s draw with United.

“When you travel that far and you’re 5-0 down in 20 minutes, it’s not acceptable on any level,” Kane accepted.

“So, we know it wasn’t going to magically change their feelings or make the result any better but it was still something as a group we wanted to do to try to show we’re all together in this moment.

“And I thought the fans were amazing.”

Kane did not only receive support from the Spurs supporters on Thursday, with the United away following singing they would see him in June amid speculation over his future with just 14 months left on his contract.

But the Tottenham vice-captain insisted: “I heard what they were saying but I’m just focused on this team and trying to finish strongly.”

Ruben Selles insists he is not overlooking Southampton’s January signings due to a lack of quality after his side slid closer to Premier League relegation.

Paul Onuachu and Mislav Orsic were left out of Saints’ squad for Thursday evening’s damaging 1-0 loss to Bournemouth, while £22million club record signing Kamaldeen Sulemana was restricted to 14 minutes from the bench.

Defeat to the Cherries at St Mary’s left bottom club Southampton six points from safety with only five games to go.

Manager Selles, who replaced the sacked Nathan Jones in February, pointed to the size of his squad as he refuted suggestions he does not rate the recent arrivals.

“Mislav was in the squad last week and Onuachu was also in the squad last week, I don’t think it is the same ones (being left out),” said the Spaniard.

“I don’t think it is a lack of quality, it is about decisions.

“I need to make decisions and then I have to give to you some comment on that. It is not about the quality of the boys.”

Ghana winger Sulemana has struggled to nail down a regular starting role following his move from Rennes, while £15.8m former Genk striker Onuachu has not started in the league since February.

Croatia winger Orsic, who cost a reported £6m from Dinamo Zagreb, has played only six minutes for Saints in the top flight and not featured at all under Selles.

“I will not evaluate the board,” replied the coach, when asked if the club had bought players who are not good enough.

“I have a big squad with 30 or 31 players in the first team. And then of course we talk always about the players who are not there.

“I just know that I have to manage a big squad.

“We can defend any decision with some different parameters but the reality is that because we have that big a squad we will always talk about the ones that are not in the squad.”

Southampton’s uphill survival mission continues on Sunday with a daunting trip to Champions League-chasing Newcastle.

Selles is hopeful captain James Ward-Prowse will be fit to lead the team at St James’ Park after being forced off by illness at half-time on a soggy south-coast evening.

“He wanted to play but with the weather conditions that we had during the first half it was too much for him, so he ran out of energy,” Selles said of the England midfielder, who had a sore throat.

“I need to speak with the doctor. I think he will be OK but with those things the doctor needs to let me know.”

Marcus Tavernier’s deflected strike moved Bournemouth seven points clear of the drop zone, while VAR denied Southampton substitute Che Adams a late equaliser due to offside.

Adams’ 89th-minute finish initially looked set to compound Gary O’Neil’s frustration after the visitors were denied a second-half penalty when Jan Bednarek handled Ryan Christie’s cross.

“I don’t see any difference between that and some of the ones we’ve had given against us this year,” said the Cherries boss.

“His arm’s a long way from his body, the ball’s going into a dangerous area, I can’t see why.

“To have it dismissed so quickly…I remember sitting in our dugout when they go against us for ages waiting, they’re watching eight different camera angles being played in slow motion.

“This one, maybe an eight-second check and then we’re told it’s clear. And then I see the replay and I cannot believe that’s not been given as a penalty.”

Juan Mata has named Didier Drogba as the best team-mate he played alongside in the Champions League, while Lionel Messi is the Spaniard's most revered opponent.

Drogba, a legend at Stamford Bridge, scored the winning spot-kick in Chelsea's penalty shoot-out victory over Bayern Munich in the 2012 Champions League final.

It brought up Chelsea's first European crown, one they followed up nine years later by beating Manchester City 1-0 in Porto.

Drogba's coolly taken penalty was his memorable final contribution during his first stint at Chelsea, albeit he returned for a brief second spell in 2014.

Mata, who now plays for Galatasaray, had left for Manchester United by that time, but for him, Drogba will always be the former team-mate synonymous with big Champions League moments.

"If I think about the Champions League, and the times we played together at Chelsea, and when we won the competition, the first big man that comes to mind is Didier Drogba," Mata said in an interview with the Go Turkiye YouTube Channel.

"He scored the goal in the final, he scored the last penalty, he was a leader on and off the pitch, and he is definitely one of the best strikers of the last 20 or 30 years, so he has to be there. 

"He was very helpful to me during my time in London, and he comes to my mind when I think of the Champions League.

"I also have to mention John Terry, [Frank] Lampard, Wayne Rooney, [Robin] van Persie, and many other greats that I had the chance to play with.

"But when I think of Champions League and that final in Munich, it has to be Didier."

 When it came to the toughest opponent playmaker Mata has faced, there was only one player who came to mind.

"I'll have to go with Messi," Mata said. "I played against him in the Spanish league with Valencia, but also in the Champions League with Chelsea.

"I remember those semi-finals when we won it, and he missed a penalty, and he was very unlucky.

"But he is an unbelievable player, still playing at such a great level, we got to see what he did at the World Cup.

"I admire him, and it was a pleasure for me to play against him, hopefully we can play against each other again.

"For me, I have to say he is the one."

Hamit Altintop, who played for Bayern and Real Madrid, echoed Mata's sentiment, though it was not as easy for the former Turkey international to pick out an individual.

"Didier is a real leader on and off the pitch, I played with him in Galatasaray," he added.

"One of my friends asked me if I could make my best XI. In goal: Oliver Kahn, Manuel Neuer, Iker Casillas… These names are all unbelievable players that get mentioned if you talk about the Champions League.

"Iker Casillas is amazing, Cristiano [Ronaldo] the same, if you're talking about the Champions League, you have to mention Messi, of course. All of these names come to mind."

An Italian team is guaranteed to reach the Champions League final for the first time since 2017, when Madrid beat Juventus, with a Milan derby on the cards in the semi-finals.

Manchester City and Madrid face off in the other semi-final tie, and Mata pointed out it is not always the strongest team that goes on to win the competition.

"Sometimes in the Champions League, the best teams don't win, because it's not as long as a normal league, so sometimes you need a little bit of luck: a post, a save, a penalty or other things like that," the 34-year-old said.

"If you don't have mental strength, and if you don't all behave as one, you're not going to win. I felt like that is what happened with Chelsea at that time, we felt like it was meant to be, we felt that was the year.

"For me the mental aspect of football, sometimes it is undervalued, but for me it is key."

Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool will "take what we get" at the end of the season as they eye a fourth Premier League win in a row against Tottenham on Sunday.

The Reds are in seventh place after continuing their recent resurgence with a 2-1 victory at West Ham on Tuesday.

Liverpool are seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United and will move above Spurs if they beat them at Anfield this weekend.

Reds manager Klopp expects his players to throw everything into a late-season push for a place in either the Champions League or Europa League.

He said: "We will take what we get. We didn't start the season saying it will be fantastic, but the season taught us a few things. If it is Europa League, it is Europa League.

"We want to create a basis to qualify for the best possible scenario. Squeeze everything out."

Klopp has been encouraged by the Reds' return to form but is demanding more.

The German said: "It's too early to speak about consistency winning three in a row. I am happy with the performances at the moment as I saw a lot of things we want to see in games, and that's really pleasing for the coach.

"I know from the outside results are everything, but performances levels are what you are looking for. We want to focus on us, but we cannot ignore the quality of the opponent.

"There is always something to improve on. I am absolutely okay with us at the moment, but we have to stay focused and show the most important prize in football is three points."

Centre-back Ibrahima Konate is available to return from injury when Spurs travel to Merseyside on the back of fighting back from two goals down to draw 2-2 with Manchester United on Thursday.

Tottenham were hammered 6-1 at Newcastle United last weekend, resulting in interim boss Cristian Stellini being sacked and Ryan Mason taking charge until the end of the season.

Klopp is wary of the threat posed by the London club despite the fact they have endured a turbulent time.

He added: "This is a season where a lot of things are difficult for a lot of teams. We have our problems, Chelsea have problems, Tottenham have problems. It is not cool for us but opens it up for other teams and Champions League spots are there to grab for other teams.

"Little mistakes can cause massive problems. I don't know anything about that for Tottenham, but they showed they are outstanding last night. I will be prepared for the best possible Tottenham side. They have been the best counter-attacking side in Europe by some distance."

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp insists it is too early to declare his side are “out of the woods” in terms of eradicating the inconsistencies which have blighted their season.

The midweek victory over West Ham made it three wins in succession, extended their unbeaten run to five matches, and maintained their outside chance of sneaking into the top four.

On Sunday at home to Tottenham, Liverpool have a chance to win a fourth league game in a row for only the second time this season – that came in November and December and was separated by the World Cup – but Klopp said it would be wrong to assume everything had now clicked back into place.

“It is, for me too early to speak about consistency,” he said.

“Winning three games is not for me consistent, it is good but can only be the start of something.

“It is about consistency you show in performances even more than results. For the outside world it is the result but for us it must be performances because that is what we work with.

“I am happy with that in the moment because in all the games, as different as they were, I saw a lot of things we want to see in the games and that is then really good.

“There is always something to improve and that’s fine that’s what we try to do as well.

“I am absolutely OK with the moment but it is not that I already trust ourselves that much to say ‘That’s it now, we are out of the woods’ because this season gave us a few lessons I didn’t want to learn, but learned.

“We have to be super-aggressive, super-greedy and show that the most important prize in football is the three points at the weekend and that’s all we have to be focused on.”

Consistency has certainly returned to Klopp’s team selection as he has made just one change over the course of the last four matches and that was the precautionary resting of Ibrahima Konate for Wednesday’s victory over the Hammers.

Coincidentally it was his replacement at centre-back Joel Matip who scored the winner but Konate is likely to return at Anfield on Sunday.

But Klopp acknowledges having a stable team has led to better baseline performances.

“We didn’t change because we won the game before, we didn’t change because we set the team up slightly differently and wanted to give the boys the chance to find some rhythm and get used to different things,” he added.

“Number two is I said the ticket into this team will always be the readiness to defend and to counter-press and I like a lot of that what I saw.

“And if you say that you have to give the credit for it as well, so you can buy the ticket again.

“What it created was a situation in training where the boys who didn’t start showed properly up so we could have changed quite a lot because they really knock on the door.

“The difference is we had time to train. When you have time to train they can show up because in a normal week with three games you have recovery and the only guys who train are the ones who didn’t play the game before and the next day is second-day recovery for the guys who played.”

Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper says there is “no ill feeling” with Jonjo Shelvey after their recent falling-out and the midfielder will be available for the visit to Brentford.

Shelvey, who has been carrying a knock, was left out of Wednesday’s win over Brighton as a result of his tantrum at also being omitted from the previous match at Liverpool.

Cooper says the incident has been blown out of proportion and their relationship is fine ahead of the crucial run-in.

Asked whether he was left out against Brighton as a result of his behaviour prior to the Anfield trip, Cooper said: “And a knock to be honest. Sometimes things are not exactly what they are and we have to accept that.

“Everyone is good, we are looking forward. He is really well liked in the dressing room and we need everybody in the situation we are in, with the injuries we are picking up.

“There is no ill feeling in any way, shape or form, regardless of what may or may not have been said. We need everyone to stick together and get behind everybody and that’s what we’re doing.

“Jonjo is available. He was carrying a knock last week and there was one or two other things, it is not a big a drama as was said, in some ways it was a training ground thing, but it is past us and we are looking forward to going to Brentford. He is 100 per cent available.”

Neco Williams will not be available after he suffered a fractured jaw in the win over Brighton and will miss the rest of the season following surgery.

The injury came just as the Wales international had regained his place in the team.

Cooper said: “Not good, when you saw the collison on the pitch, you feared the worst and unfortunately it is bad news, with the fractured jaw.

“He has had an operation and it has gone well in a difficult situation for him and it rules him out for the season and now he is on the road to recovery.

“It is a difficult situation for him, he got himself back into the team recently and was playing well and a confidence about him and had a spring in his step. It’s a blow for us and a blow for him.”

Forest will assess Moussa Niakhate, who suffered a hamstring injury against the Seagulls, and Taiwo Awoniyi, who suffered a shoulder problem.

On Niakhate, Cooper said: “It is still inconclusive with that one, we will have to see with regards to tomorrow but we definitely did the right thing, he felt something in the game and we were able to make the change but regarding the extent of his availability we will have to see on that.”

Newcastle boss Eddie Howe is confident there is more to come from his own “Thierry Henry” after seeing record signing Alexander Isak light up the Premier League.

The Magpies’ £60million summer recruit has been in sensational form since returning from a four-month injury lay-off, taking his tally for the season to 10 goals as he battles Callum Wilson for the right to lead the line.

However, it was a stunning assist in Thursday night’s 4-1 win at Everton which drew comparisons with the mercurial Frenchman as he picked up the ball on halfway and skipped past three defenders on a mesmerising run before crossing for Jacob Murphy to tap in at the far post.

Asked if he could see the comparison, head coach Howe said: “Yes, I can, I can see the comparisons there.

“Everyone is different, there are no two players that are the same, but I do think he has some of the characteristics Thierry had.

“He’s certainly got the speed and a similar build and frame. The footwork for the assist was truly remarkable, really, and I think he’s got a lot of potential to improve and get better.

“But it’s been a great start for him here.”

Eyebrows were raised when Newcastle opted to invest so heavily to prise the now 23-year-old away from Real Sociedad in their search for added firepower, but their faith has been richly rewarded.

Isak scored a stunning debut goal at Liverpool in August, but after just three appearances for the club, damaged a thigh muscle on international duty with Sweden and was sidelined until January.

However, his rich vein of form has been key to the Magpies’ surge into Champions League contention – he has scored four times in his last five games – although his intervention at Goodison Park came from the bench as Howe rotated his in-form frontmen.

Asked if Isak has proved an even better player than he had anticipated, he said: “I don’t think you ever know with absolute certainty.

“Anyone who says that would be lying because until you work with a player close-up and you see them every day, I don’t think you ever know what their true capability is.

“But we’ve been very impressed with everything that he’s delivered to this point, not just technically on the pitch, but his character and how he’s handled certain situations. He’s been first class.”

Nevertheless, Isak will have to wait to see if he gets another chance to impress when struggling Southampton visit St James’ Park on Sunday with Howe having rested Wilson for the trip to Brentford earlier this month after he had scored twice at West Ham, and then done the same to the Swede following his double against Tottenham on Sunday.

Son Heung-min says Tottenham knew there could be no repeat of an "unacceptable" St James' Park humiliation as they fought back to draw 2-2 with Manchester United.

Spurs' hopes of securing a top-four Premier League finish were rocked by a 6-1 hammering at Newcastle United on Sunday.

Interim boss Cristian Stellini was relieved of his duties after that drubbing on Tyneside, with Ryan Mason taking the hotseat until the end of the season.

Tottenham looked to be in danger of suffering another mauling when they trailed the Red Devils 2-0 following goals from Jadon Sancho and Marcus Rashford.

But they rallied in the second half to salvage a point at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday, Pedro Porro halving the deficit and Son equalising after being set up by Harry Kane.

Son said: "We wanted to give everything and that was the dressing room speech.

"We couldn't let the game go. We were really angry about it, we didn't deserve to be 2-0 down at half-time.

"The last week was unacceptable and we didn't want to repeat that. We feel really, really sorry for the performance and result and we wanted to bring a good energy.

"We really appreciated [the fans'] support and they were fighting with us."

Coventry have agreed a five-year deal with Mike Ashley’s Frasers Group to play at the CBS Arena.

The Sky Blues were initially given an eviction notice in December after failing to agree a new lease when Frasers Group bought the stadium in November following the collapse of Wasps.

The club did strike a deal to be able to play until the end of the season but have now secured a long-term agreement.

Owner Doug King said: “We are delighted to sign this agreement, which we know will be welcomed by Sky Blues fans.

“This agreement will help to provide a period of further stability whilst we continue to build a positive future for Coventry City Football Club.

“The licence will enable us to play at our home, the Coventry Building Society Arena, for a minimum of five years and we will continue to positively engage with Frasers Group with regard to the longer term at the Arena.”

Coventry were forced to play at Northampton in 2013-14 and spent two seasons in Birmingham between 2019 and 2021 after being unable to find agreements with previous owners Arena Coventry Ltd and Wasps.

It is a further boost for the Sky Blues who are fifth in the Sky Bet Championship with two games left.

Mark Robins’ side are looking to end a 22-year exile from the Premier League and host Birmingham on Saturday.

Michael Murray, CEO of Frasers Group, said: “Following our recent acquisition of Coventry Building Society Arena, we are committed to investing into the Arena and the local community, and therefore supporting its future growth.”

Promotion and relegation is on the line as most EFL clubs play their penultimate matches of the season over the bank holiday weekend.

The automatic promotion places in the Sky Bet Championship are set in stone but with other issues at stake across all three divisions, the PA news agency looks at the state of play.

Championship

Burnley are champions and Sheffield United clinched promotion on Wednesday night.

Luton and Middlesbrough are guaranteed play-off places. Coventry can join them with a game to spare if they beat Birmingham and several other results go their way, but the immediate interest is at the bottom of the table.

Wigan play fellow strugglers Reading away on Saturday and will be relegated if they lose. If they draw, they need Huddersfield to lose at Cardiff on Sunday while if the Latics win they would need the Terriers to drop points or Rotherham to lose on Monday.

Blackpool, just a point better off than the Latics, must beat Millwall on Friday or match Huddersfield’s result and hope Reading do not win.

Reading can go down this weekend if they lose, Huddersfield win and Rotherham pick up a point. QPR can clinch survival with a victory, as can Rotherham as long as Reading and Huddersfield do not also win. Cardiff only need a point to guarantee their Championship future.

League One

Plymouth and Ipswich have the chance to clinch promotion with wins at home to Burton and Exeter respectively, or by matching third-placed Sheffield Wednesday’s result at Shrewsbury.

Argyle will be crowned champions if they win and Town lose, and are up unless Wednesday win and they do not.

Wednesday are guaranteed a play-off place at least. Barnsley are in the play-offs and Bolton and Derby can both join them if they win and Peterborough do not.

Morecambe and Accrington could be relegated if they lose to Lincoln and Cambridge respectively, MK Dons beat Barnsley and Oxford get a point against relegated Forest Green. Even draws would not be enough if Oxford and MK both win.

Cambridge are second-bottom but have a game in hand, meaning their fate cannot be confirmed until Wednesday at the earliest.

League Two

Northampton and Stevenage have the opportunity on Saturday to clinch promotion alongside champions Leyton Orient.

Victories for either, against Bradford and Grimsby respectively, would make sure – otherwise, they would need none of Stockport, Carlisle and Bradford to win. Boro must match that trio’s results but Northampton would be promoted instantly if the chasing pack all drop points.

Stockport and Carlisle can clinch play-off places if they better either Salford or Mansfield’s results.

Hartlepool will be relegated unless they win both their remaining games and Crawley lose both of theirs, with a six-goal swing in Pools’ favour.

Chelsea are reportedly investigating a potential transfer for Sadio Mane after the forward's highly publicised bust-up with Bayern Munich team-mate Leroy Sane.

Mane, 31, won the Premier League and Champions League with Liverpool before joining Bayern in a £27million (€32m) transfer in June.

His first season in Germany has resulted in 10 goals and five assists in his 30 combined appearances in the Bundesliga and Champions League, making 22 starts.

While he has been far from a disappointment, his future at the club is now up in the air after a widely reported incident where he punched his team-mate after a 3-0 Champions League defeat against Manchester City.

TOP STORY – CHELSEA TO OFFER MANE A RETURN TO THE PREMIER LEAGUE

According to Football Insider, Sadio Mane "is now believed to be on the radar of Chelsea", and the Stamford Bridge club are now "ready to consider a shock move".

The report states Bayern will only be looking to recoup the majority of the fee they paid for the Senegalese star, and would provide a far cheaper alternative to Napoli's 24-year-old sensation Victor Osimhen.

It also adds that Mane's former club Liverpool have no interest in bringing him back to Anfield.

ROUND-UP

– The Telegraph is reporting that West Ham's 24-year-old midfielder Declan Rice is Arsenal's top priority in the next transfer window.

– Aston Villa are planning a bid for 27-year-old Brentford striker Ivan Toney, who also has interest from Manchester United, per Football Insider.

– According to Gazzetta dello Sport, Milan would like to secure 30-year-old Atletico Madrid striker Alvaro Morata as a replacement for injury-prone veteran Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

– Former Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel wants to reunite with 28-year-old midfielder Mateo Kovacic at Bayern Munich, per Sport1.

What the papers say

Former Bayern Munich manager Julian Nagelsmann is “at the top” of Tottenham’s four-man shortlist to be their next head coach, the Daily Telegraph says. However, the 35-year-old, who was sacked by the German giants on March 23, has no termination clause in his contract so is continuing to be paid his €12 million (£10.6 million) annual salary. Nagelsmann has more than three years left on the five-year deal he signed.

The same paper reports Arsenal are intending to step up their transfer planning after guaranteeing their place in next season’s Champions League, with West Ham midfielder Declan Rice high on the list of targets. The 24-year-old is reported to be wanted by the Gunners this summer as they look to add more dynamism and technical quality in the centre of the pitch.

Elsewhere, Joao Felix is looking set to stay at Chelsea for another year even though the club will not be playing in the Champions League, The Sun writes. The 23-year-old forward reportedly wants assurances from the incoming permanent boss – expected to be Mauricio Pochettino – that he will get game time.

The Sun also reports – via RMC Sport – that Manchester United are preparing a bid for Monaco right-back Vanderson. The 21-year-old has impressed since joining the Ligue 1 side in January last year and the Red Devils could face competition from several other Premier League sides.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Jude Bellingham: Spanish outlet Marca reports Real Madrid officials will travel to Germany this week in a bid to convince the 19-year-old Borussia Dortmund and England midfielder to join the Spanish club this summer.

Casemiro: German outlet Marca says the 31-year-old Manchester United and Brazil midfielder is a summer transfer target for Thomas Tuchel at Bayern Munich.

Gareth Bale rounded off a remarkable season at Tottenham by doing the double at the PFA Player of the Year awards on this day in 2013.

Bale beat off competition from Luis Suarez, Robin van Persie, Juan Mata, Eden Hazard and Michael Carrick to win the senior prize for the 2012-13 campaign.

The Wales forward also took home the Young Player of the Year accolade, making him only the third player in history – after Andy Gray and Cristiano Ronaldo – to receive both prizes in the same season.

“It’s a massive honour,” Bale said.

“To be voted by your peers is one of the biggest things in the game. It’s great to win it and I am delighted.”

Ronaldo scooped both the young player and the main award in 2007, 30 years after Gray become the first professional to do so.

Bale claimed the senior award two years earlier after shooting to fame with a series of scintillating displays domestically and in the Champions League.

He went on to become an even better player, transforming himself into a goal-scoring machine that netted 31 goals in 52 appearances for club and country in 2012-13 before landing a world-record £85.3million move to Real Madrid that summer.

Bale went on to become one of British football’s most decorated players at Real, winning five Champions League winners’ medals, before retiring in January 2023.