Football rumours: Mary Earps could leave Manchester United for Paris St Germain

By Sports Desk January 05, 2024
What the papers say

England and Manchester United goalkeeper Mary Earps, 30, could be heading to France, according to the Evening Standard. Paris St Germain have emerged a favourites to sign the BBC Sports Personality of the Year when her contract runs out in the summer.

Crystal Palace are closing in on signing Peterborough’s Ronnie Edwards, 20. The Evening Standard says the Premier League club is working on a deal for the England Under-20 defender.

Arsenal are looking to add Jorrel Hato, 17, from Ajax to their squad, reports the Telegraph. The Gunners are preparing a bid for the Netherlands defender.

Chelsea’s Thiago Silva, 39, could be heading back home to Brazil in the summer, according to the Daily Mirror. He is expected to be offered a return to Fluminense.

Social media round-upPlayers to watch

Ben Brereton Diaz: The Chile striker, 24, is wanted by Sheffield United, six months after leaving Blackburn for Villareal, according to the Sun.

Amadou Onana: Arsenal have approached Everton about the 22-year-old Belgium midfielder, reports Teamtalk.

Related items

  • Pedri: 'Everything going well' with Barcelona contract talks Pedri: 'Everything going well' with Barcelona contract talks

    Pedri says "everything is going well" in the talks over a contract extension with Barcelona.

    The youngster has played in all 13 of Barcelona's LaLiga matches this season, helping them to sit top of the pile, with 11 wins so far.

    He has already proved key in their midfield, with none of his team-mates making more interceptions than him (eight, level with Pau Cubarsi and Lamine Yamal), while he has also scored three times.

    Barcelona sporting director Deco has made no secret of his desire to sign the 21-year-old to a contract extension, and Pedri issued a promising update on the talks taking place.

    "I'm very calm, my agents are handling it, I haven't had any news, everything is going well," he told Sport.

    Pedri has suffered from hamstring injuries since 2021, after playing 73 matches for club and country in the 2020-21 season.

    He missed a total of 25 games for Barcelona and Spain last season, including the semi-final and final of Euro 2024, having been forced off in the early stages of La Roja's quarter-final win over Germany.

    However, his injury troubles look to be behind him this season, and he is hopeful he can stay settled in the Barcelona side.

    "Physically, I feel good. I have consistency, which makes me enjoy football," he said. "It's a great start to the season and I hope it will continue for a long time.

    "Both in the national team and in Barca, I feel comfortable. It is positional football.

    "It [his injury issues] was given more airtime, perhaps because I was playing in important tournaments [for Spain] and at Barcelona, I didn't have that continuity.

    "I'm working out my body. When you relapse, you look for solutions until you find the key. I have found what suits me well, and I have the continuity that I like."

  • Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid Doncic backs Mbappe to turn fortunes around at Real Madrid

    NBA superstar Luka Doncic has backed Kylian Mbappe to "figure it out" after his underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid.

    Mbappe has scored eight goals in 16 games for Madrid in all competitions since joining as a free agent following the expiration of his Paris Saint-Germain contract.

    He has gone four matches without a goal – a run that includes losses to Barcelona and Milan – and has been left out of France's latest squad.

    However, Dallas Mavericks guard Doncic – a Real Madrid supporter due to his previous ties with the sports club – can see Mbappe turning things around.

    "Obviously [their season] could be better," Doncic told Managing Madrid after the Mavericks' win over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday. 

    "But when you get a guy like Mbappe, it takes some time to get used to it. We'll figure it out."

    Mbappe has scored six goals in 11 LaLiga appearances for Madrid but has underperformed his season's expected goals (xG) total by 2.04.

    The forward is averaging a goal every 166 minutes in all competitions this term, compared to one every 88 minutes for PSG in his last of seven seasons in Paris.

    Madrid thrashed Osasuna 4-0 last time out in the league to return to winning ways but still trail leaders Barcelona by six points.

    Asked about his connections with Madrid, former Los Blancos basketball player Doncic said: "I follow Real Madrid every time.

    "I grew up there. They taught me everything, so it's a part of my life. You can call it a secondary home. 

    "I learned a lot of stuff there and, especially, they gave me a way to be here right now [in Dallas]. I always appreciate that 100%."

    Madrid return to action after the international break with a trip to Leganes on Sunday.

  • Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory Real Madrid 0-4 Barcelona: Guijarro brace sets visitors up for Clasico glory

    Patri Guijarro's first-half brace set Barcelona on their way to a thumping 4-0 win over rivals Real Madrid in Liga F on Saturday.

    Claudia Pina and Alexia Putellas were also on target as Barcelona continued their perfect start to the season, extending their lead at the top of the table.

    The visitors dominated from the off, as Guijarro broke the deadlock inside the fourth minute, tapping in from Putellas' flick-on from a corner.

    Cata Coll was forced into a big save to deny Alba Redondo an equaliser shortly after, but Madrid's hope was soon dented as Guijarro picked out the bottom corner with a superb long-range strike for her second.

    Pina strengthened their lead six minutes before the break, clinically slotting past Misa with her low strike.

    Putellas added some more gloss to the scoreline with four minutes remaining of normal time, beating the Madrid keeper with a lovely dink to bring up her 199th goal for the club.

    Barcelona have won all 10 of their games, and now sit eight points clear of Madrid, who suffered their first league defeat of the campaign. 

    Data Debrief: Total dominance

    Madrid will have felt fairly confident coming into this game after a strong start to their season, but they once again failed to find a way past their Clasico rival.

    Los Blancos have lost every single game they have played against Barcelona in all competitions, with this their 15th such meeting.

    Barcelona smothered their attack early on, restricting their hosts to just one shot in the first half, while they had 10. 

© 2024 SportsMaxTV All Rights Reserved.