The race for Jude Bellingham's signature continues, with Liverpool having pulled out last week.

Numerous top clubs are keen on the 19-year-old England international who is contracted with Borussia Dortmund until 2025.

Bellingham signed his initial deal with Dortmund in 2020 but is set for a major pay rise if he moves or pens fresh terms.

TOP STORY – MADRID TO USE DIAZ IN BELLINGHAM DEAL

Real Madrid are plotting a potential player swap-plus-cash deal to land Jude Bellingham in the off-season, according to Cadena SER.

Los Blancos are investigating potentially using Brahim Diaz, currently on loan at Milan, in a deal to help reduce Dortmund's reported €150 million asking price.

Madrid are currently in the process of extending the stays of veteran midfielders Luka Modric and Toni Kroos.

ROUND-UP

- Manchester City are preparing a new contract offer for Erling Haaland to ward off rivals interest from top clubs such as Real Madrid, claims The Athletic.

- Rafael Leao wants to stay with Milan following interest from Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, according to Manchester Evening News.

- Newcastle United have established contact with Ousmane Dembele's representatives to discuss a move for the Barcelona winger, claims 90min.

- Arsenal and Newcastle United are both interested in Bayer Leverkusen winger Moussa Diaby, per Le10Sport.

- The Telegraph reports Chelsea have opted against pursing Luis Enrique as their new manager, instead turning their attention to former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino. The Guardian claims Julian Nagelsmann remains Chelsea's top candidate.

- Tottenham will swoop on Chelsea's decision and look to appoint Enrique as Antonio Conte's replacement, according to The Express.

Liverpool are set for a busy off-season with suggestions that Jurgen Klopp and the club's management want a squad overhaul.

Among the key areas to address is their midfield options, leading to links to numerous players.

It was reported last week Liverpool have pulled out of the race for Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham.

TOP STORY – REDS TO RAMP UP MOUNT INTEREST

Liverpool will ramp up their efforts to sign Mason Mount, amid a lack of a breakthrough in negotiations between the midfielder and Chelsea, reports The Guardian.

The Reds have now moved on from Bellingham given Dortmund's asking price, with Mount in their sights given he is out of contract at the end of this season.

Mount has offered no signs that he will extend his Chelsea deal, with Liverpool eager to capitalise and lure the 24-year-old England international to Anfield.

ROUND-UP

- Chelsea could look to join the race alongside Real Madrid for Manchester City forward Julian Alvarez, according to Fichajes. Alvarez is reportedly unhappy with his lack of game-time on the pitch at City.

- Manchester City are interested in an off-season move for Bayern Munich's Alphonso Davies along with Real Madrid, reports Sky Sports Germany's Florian Plettenberg. Davies' contract runs until 2024 and he has held talks with Bayern on a new deal.

- Man City are also willing to let defender Aymeric Laporte exit in the off-season if he pushes for a move, claims the Daily Mail. Laporte, who is contracted until 2025, has fallen out of favour at City.

- 90min reports Arsenal are tracking Borussia Monchengladbach's Florian Neuhaus, who is contracted until 2024.

- Sport Witness claims Inter's Joaquin Correa has interest from Premier League trio Aston Villa, Everton and West Ham.

- Ex-Tottenham boss Antonio Conte will take over at Roma next season, with Jose Mourinho tipped to move to Paris Saint-Germain, per Calciomercato.

Gabriel Jesus says Arsenal must raise their levels to remain on top of their Premier League title charge after dropping points for the second game in a row.

The Gunners blew a 2-0 lead against West Ham on Sunday, slipping to a 2-2 draw that has seen their gap at the summit shrink to just four points - the second game in a row a two-goal advantage was let slip.

Jesus and Martin Odegaard had put the visitors in cruise control at London Stadium inside 10 minutes, before Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen clawed back equilibrium.

With Manchester City, who have a game in hand, hot on their heels, Jesus has called upon his team-mates to ensure their standards do not slip again this term.

"Once again, the three points were in our hands," he told the club's website. "Obviously, the game is 90 minutes. It's not 20, [or] in this case 30 minutes.

"As a team, we have to raise the level and come back to our principles. We know our strength, we know what we can do.

"Where we want to attack the opponent, in the first 10 to 20 minutes we did so good. After that we dropped our level and that obviously cannot happen if you want to fight for the title.

"As a team, it's no time to blame [ourselves]. We have to raise the level again, come back to our principles and win the games. That's the only way we can fight for the title again."

Arsenal face City a week on Wednesday at the Etihad Stadium, in what is shaping up to be the pivotal encounter in their title fight.

Before then though, they will hope to return to winning ways against rock-bottom Southampton at the Emirates Stadium on Friday.

Real Madrid are eager to rejuvenate their squad for coming seasons with investment set to come in the off season.

Los Blancos are set to finish second in the LaLiga title race to Barcelona who hold an 11-point lead with nine games to play.

The depth of the reigning European champions, who are in this season's quarter-finals, has been tested at times this term.

TOP STORY – MADRID BOSS TO SWOOP ON CHELSEA TALENT

Fichajes claims Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has identified Chelsea quartet Reece James, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mason Mount and Mateo Kovacic as potential targets.

The latter three are all out of contract in 2024, meaning Los Blancos could sign them for free if they do not re-sign.

Perez is plotting to capitalise on Chelsea's downfall this term, with the club to miss next season's Champions League.

Kovacic previously spent three seasons at Santiago Bernabeu, while Mount has attracted interest from several top clubs given his quality and contract status.

ROUND-UP

– Lionel Messi wants to return to Barcelona when his Paris Saint-Germain contract expire at the end of this season, reports Fichajes. Messi will overlook offers from Saudi Arabia and MLS club Inter Miami to return to his former club.

– Manchester United are in pole position to sign French defender Axel Disasi from Monaco in the off season, claims Football Insider. Disasi is out of contract in 2025, with Chelsea and Manchester City also said to be interested.

– Liverpool have turned to Bayern Munich midfielder Ryan Gravenberch as an alternative to Borussia Dortmund's Jude Bellingham, claims The Times.

– Calciomercatoweb claims Arsenal are still in the race to sign Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, despite stiff competition from Madrid and PSG .

– Toni Kroos is set to accept a contract extension offer from Madrid and re-commit to the club for another 12 months, reports Marca.

– Chelsea have met with ex-Bayern boss Julian Nagelsmann as they look for their next permanent manager, according to The Times.

Mikel Arteta rued Arsenal's loss of purpose after they went 2-0 up against West Ham and then blew the chance of victory.

The Hammers hit back to draw 2-2 at London Stadium on Sunday, in a damaging result to Arsenal's title hopes, with Manchester City now just four points behind with a game in hand.

Bukayo Saka's penalty miss early in the second half was compounded by Jarrod Bowen's equaliser two minutes later, as Arsenal surrendered a two-goal lead for the second game running, having previously done so at Liverpool.

Gabriel Jesus and Martin Odegaard put the Gunners 2-0 up inside 10 minutes at West Ham, but Arteta thinks his team grew complacent.

"Very disappointing. The way we started was superb again, we were in total control, then we lost purpose," he told Sky Sports.

"We gave them hope, conceded a terrible penalty, then credit to them. We got on the roller coaster where everything is going, corners and throw-ins, and we never got away from that.

"The purpose we needed for a third and fourth goal, I didn't see it."

Arsenal's lack of focus was exemplified by Thomas Partey's mistake in the build-up to West Ham's first goal, with Declan Rice robbing the midfielder of possession before Lucas Paqueta drew a clumsy challenge from Gabriel Magalhaes.

Saka ultimately missed the chance to restore Arsenal's two-goal advantage when he skewed well wide from the penalty spot following Michail Antonio's handball, but Arteta was philosophical about the youngster's profligacy.

"A player who takes penalties misses penalties, I don't know anyone who hasn't," Arteta said of Saka, before adding Arsenal "can't control" the pressure in the title race.

Captain Odegaard echoed his manager's thoughts, saying: "A lot of the same things to last week – started well, but then we stopped, allowed them to play on their qualities.

"We gave them the game they wanted, we gave them hope, and that's on us. We have to look forward now.

"We started to do a lot of stupid things on the ball, we allowed them to play on the long balls.

 "We have to remember we are still top of the league with everything in our own hands. The same mindset, same mentality to make sure we win the next one."

Arsenal will look to bounce back against Southampton on Friday, before they face City in a potential title decider on April 26.

West Ham, meanwhile, are now four points clear of the bottom three.

"It would have been a good result getting a point anyway, but going 2-0 down and coming back shows great character," Hammers boss David Moyes told BBC Sport.

"The games are coming thick and fast and the players are doing a really good job."

Mikel Arteta hopes Arsenal are reeling from giving up a two-goal lead against Liverpool as the Gunners manager outlined the importance of luck in the Premier League title race.

Arsenal hold a six-point lead over Manchester City at the top of the table, although Pep Guardiola's team have a game in hand.

The Gunners led 2-0 at Anfield on Sunday, but a thrilling match ultimately finished 2-2, with Aaron Ramsdale having to deny Liverpool a late winner.

Reflecting on that draw ahead of a trip across the capital to face West Ham, Arteta said: "When you concede in the last few minutes, you have to be upset.

"We wanted to win the game, but as well we have to be realistic. We have to accept that we had an exceptional period in the first half where we should have killed the game, but the reality is in the second half we had some really tough moments where we had to dig in. We could have conceded a few goals as well – that was the game."

Asked about the importance of luck when it comes to the run-in, Arteta added: "You need luck in the right moments. Why that luck comes is really important, how you think about it and what's going to happen. It’s another part of this sport; sometimes it’s about inches and those inches need to go your way."

West Ham have been fighting at the wrong end of the table this season, though two wins from their last three league games have moved them onto 30 points.

David Moyes managed Arteta during his time at Everton, and the Scot is thrilled to see his former player thriving as a boss.

"They've got a great chance [of winning the title]," said Moyes. "Will they win the league, I don't know, because they have good competition in Man City, but they have been playing some brilliant football."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arsenal – Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli has been involved in four goals in his four Premier League starts for Arsenal against West Ham (three goals, one assist), netting his first goal in the competition in this fixture in December 2019. Against no side has the Brazil international been involved in more league goals for the Gunners.

West Ham – Declan Rice

A reported transfer target for Arsenal, Rice remains an integral part of West Ham's team and their chances of survival. The midfielder will be crucial if the Hammers are to keep Arsenal playmaker Martin Odegaard quiet on Sunday.

MATCH PREDICTION – ARSENAL WIN

Arsenal have won all five of their away London derbies in the Premier League this season, by an aggregate score of 11-0. Only twice before have they won six consecutive league derbies on the road, doing so in February 1989 and March 2014.

The Gunners have won eight Premier League games against West Ham after conceding the first goal, including a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture at Emirates Stadium in December.

Arsenal have only lost three of their 26 Premier League visits to West Ham (W14 D9) and have won nine of their last 14 away games against the Hammers (D4 L1).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

West Ham win – 28.8 per cent

Arsenal – 42.8 per cent

Draw – 28.4 per cent

William Saliba will not return from injury when Premier League leaders Arsenal look to get back to winning ways at West Ham on Sunday, Mikel Arteta has confirmed.

Arsenal dropped two valuable points in the title race at Liverpool last time out, with goals from Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino capping a memorable fightback from the hosts in a 2-2 draw.

While the Gunners boast a six-point lead over Manchester City at the summit, they have not kept a clean sheet since defender Saliba was injured in last month's Europa League penalty shoot-out defeat to Sporting CP. 

Saliba has missed Arsenal's last three games with a back problem and will be absent again on Sunday, though Arteta will have striker Eddie Nketiah available for the first time since March 1.

"William is still not available," Arteta said. "He's progressing well and we are hopeful we'll have him available in the next few weeks, but we'll have to see. Eddie is back and is fully fit now.

"We want our players to be as fit as possible and available. We've had some issues, especially in the last few months with some important players. 

"We just want to have everybody fit and available to help the team."

After surrendering fourth place to rivals Tottenham at the end of last season, Arsenal were not viewed as likely title contenders ahead of the current campaign.

However, with just eight games potentially separating Arsenal from their first league title since the 2003-04 season, Arteta will not allow the Gunners to rest on their laurels.

Asked whether he foresaw a title challenge in the earlier stages of his tenure, Arteta said: "Yes. You go day by day. There is so much that happens every single day, every month at a football club. 

"The aim when I took the job was to bring the club back to where it belongs, fighting for and being around every single trophy that is possible at the highest level. That's what we are trying to do.

"We are happy with where we are. Now we have to finish the job and demand an extra bit from everybody."

Ahead of their visit to the London Stadium, Arsenal have won on all five of their trips to fellow London clubs in the Premier League this season, by an aggregate score of 11-0.

Only twice in their league history have the Gunners won a sixth successive London derby on their travels, doing so in February 1989 and March 2014.

Manchester City gained ground on Arsenal last week, cutting the Gunners' lead at the top of the Premier League to six points.

City, who have a game in hand, beat lowly Southampton last time out and on Saturday face another relegation battler in the form of Leicester City, who will be under the stewardship of Dean Smith for the first time.

Arsenal, meanwhile, take on West Ham in a London Derby. The Hammers are also fighting at the wrong end of the table, though two wins from their last three league matches has given David Moyes' team some confidence.

Nottingham Forest are another team scrapping for survival, and Steve Cooper will be looking to make home advantage count against Manchester United.

Likewise, Leeds United will hope the Elland Road faithful help propel them to victory against Liverpool, who they beat at Anfield earlier in the campaign.

With the help of Opta data, here are some key predictions ahead of another fascinating weekend of Premier League action.

Manchester City v Leicester City

City have won 10 of their last 12 Premier League games against Leicester City (L2), winning the last four in a row since a 5-2 home defeat in September 2020.

Having been beaten in seven of their last eight Premier League games (D1), Leicester have now lost 19 league matches overall this term. Not since 2001-02 (20) have the Foxes lost 20+ league matches in one season, and should they lose against City, it will be the joint-second earliest they have ever hit 20 defeats in a Football League campaign.

Leicester midfielder James Maddison has scored in this exact fixture in each of the last two campaigns; only two visiting players have scored a Premier League goal at Etihad Stadium in three consecutive seasons – Collins John (2004-05 to 2006-07) and Tim Cahill (2008-09 to 2010-11).

Best bet – Erling Haaland to score: Is there any way to stop Haaland? Many teams have tried, and nearly all have failed. The Norway international is already on 30 league goals this season, averaging a strike every 73 minutes with a shot conversion rate of 33.3 per cent. Given Leicester's defensive frailties, the 22-year-old will be licking his lips.

Long shot – Leicester to keep a clean sheet: The Foxes have not prevented the opposition from scoring in a league match since November, when they beat West Ham 2-0. If they are to get out of trouble, then interim boss Smith has to find a way to tighten things up at the back.

Opta prediction: Leicester won four of their first five Premier League visits to Man City (L1) but have since lost five of their last six games at the Etihad Stadium (W1). It is no surprise, then, that Opta's supercomputer has City as huge favourites (75.1 per cent), while Leicester are given only an 8.5 per cent chance of pulling off a win. 

West Ham v Arsenal

Arsenal have won 11 Premier League away games this season, only winning more on the road in 2001-02 (14) and 2004-05 (12). The Gunners have the most wins (11), most points (35), most goals scored (30) and fewest goals conceded (11) of any team away from home in the Premier League this term.

They have also won eight Premier League games against West Ham after conceding the first goal, including a 3-1 victory in the reverse fixture in December. It is both the most wins Arsenal have against an opponent when conceding first, and the most defeats West Ham have against a side when opening the scoring in the competition.

Arsenal have scored 72 goals from an xG of 60.1 in the Premier League this season, with their difference of +11.9 bettered only by Manchester City (12.2). Meanwhile, West Ham have scored 27 goals from an xG of 38.4, with their difference of -11.4 the biggest negative difference this term.

Best bet – Arsenal to score first and avoid defeat: The Gunners are the only team yet to lose a Premier League game when scoring the first goal this season, winning 18 and drawing three. However, they did let a two-goal lead slip in their 2-2 draw at Liverpool last time out.

Long shot – West Ham to win: West Ham have won just two of their last 29 Premier League games against Arsenal (D5 L22), who have only lost three of their 26 Premier League visits to West Ham (W14 D9) and have won nine of their last 14 away games against the Hammers (D4 L1).

Opta prediction: Given West Ham's woeful record against the Gunners, their chances of success are ranked at only 28.8 per cent by Opta, with the draw at 28.4 per cent. The likelihood of Arsenal winning is 42.8 per cent.

Nottingham Forest v Manchester United

This is Forest's first home league game against United since February 1999, when they lost 8-1 with Ole Gunnar Solskjaer scoring four times as a substitute.

Forest are winless (D3 L6) and without a clean sheet in their last nine Premier League games. In fact, Forest are winless in all 23 league games in which they have conceded this season (D8 L15), with all six of their victories being to nil.

United have lost three of their last four away games in the Premier League (W1), having only lost three of their first 10 on the road this season (W5 D2). The Red Devils have conceded 29 away goals in 14 away league games this term; not since 1978-79 have they hit 30 goals conceded within their first 15 away matches of a league campaign.

Best bet – United to avoid defeat: United have won their last nine games against Forest in all competitions, beating them three times this season alone (once in the league, twice in the EFL Cup). The Red Devils have beaten a side four times in a season twice before, doing so against Sheffield Wednesday in 1993-94 and Chelsea in 2010-11.

Long shot – Jesse Lingard to score: Lingard has yet to score for Forest in the league. He could become the third former United player to score his first Premier League goal for a side against the Red Devils, after Keith Gillespie at Sheffield United in 2006-07, and Dan James for Fulham this season.

Opta prediction: United have won their last six Premier League games against Nottingham Forest, scoring at least three goals on each occasion, and they are the favourites for Sunday's game, with Opta suggesting they have a 52.6 per cent likelihood of taking three points. Forest are given a 20.6 per cent chance. The draw is ranked at 26.8 per cent.

Leeds United v Liverpool

Leeds slumped to a 5-1 defeat to Crystal Palace in their last home game, and sit just two points above the bottom three. Depending on results elsewhere, the Whites could be in the relegation zone by the time Monday's game comes around. They are looking for only their second Premier League double over Liverpool, previously achieving that feat in the 2000-01 campaign.

Liverpool have not lost any of their last five league visits to Elland Road against Leeds (W3 D2) since losing 4-3 in November 2000, with Mark Viduka scoring all four for the hosts that day.

The Reds are averaging 0.87 points per game away from home in the Premier League this season (13 points in 15 away games), their lowest in a campaign since 1992-93 (0.76 – 16 points in 21 games). 

Best bet – Mohamed Salah to be involved in a goal: Salah has seven goals in five Premier League appearances against Leeds for Liverpool, scoring in their 3-0 win at Elland Road last season. No Reds player has more Premier League goals against Leeds than Salah (Robbie Fowler also seven), while only Gordon Hodgson has more in their league history (nine).

Long shot – Under 1.5 goals: Leeds have shipped 10 goals in their three Premier League games in April (W1 L2), more than any other team so far this month. Liverpool, who are winless in their last five games in all competitions (D2 L3), have netted 15 times in their last five top-flight meetings with the Whites.

Opta prediction: Despite their dismal form on the road, Liverpool are made big favourites by Opta (61.4 per cent). A Leeds win is ranked at 15.8 per cent, with a draw forecast at 22.8 per cent.

Constantine Hatzidakis will not face any punishment for appearing to aim an elbow at Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson, The Football Association (FA) has confirmed.

The incident occurred at half-time of Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Premier League leaders Arsenal on Sunday, with Robertson approaching Hatzidakis, an assistant referee, who then seemed to throw his arm up with a pointed elbow towards the Scotland captain.

The FA opened an investigation into the incident and said Hatzidakis would not be assigned to any games until it was completed.

On Thursday, it was confirmed that the official would not face any further action, with a statement reading: "We have thoroughly reviewed all of the evidence in relation to the recent incident at Anfield involving the Liverpool defender Andrew Robertson and match official Constantine Hatzidakis, and we will be taking no further action.

"Our comprehensive process involved reviewing detailed statements from Liverpool and PGMOL, as well as multiple angles of video footage, in relation to both the incident and its surrounding circumstances."

Hatzidakis also released a statement via the PGMOL, explaining that he had apologised to Robertson wanted to draw a line under the incident.

"It was certainly not my intention to make any contact with Andy as I pulled my arm away from him and for that I have apologised," Hatzidakis said.

“I fully assisted The FA with their investigation and have discussed the matter directly with Andy Robertson during an open and positive conversation. It was certainly not my intention to make any contact with Andy as I pulled my arm away from him and for that I have apologised.

"I look forward to returning to officiating matches."

Joao Cancelo has spent the second half of this season on loan at Bayern Munich, having fallen out of starting XI favour at Manchester City.

The Portugal full-back had penned a contract extension with City in January last year, tying him down to 2027.

But Cancelo's time at Bayern has reportedly not convinced the Germans to pursue a permanent deal, creating uncertainty about his future.

TOP STORY – MADRID TO MAKE CANCELO BID

Real Madrid are interested in a move for Joao Cancelo and will submit a bid of around €60million (£52.8m) to Manchester City for his services, claims Fichajes.

The report claims Madrid are eager to improve their current first-choice full-backs Ferland Mendy and Dani Carvajal, hence the interest in the Portuguese.

Los Blancos like the versatility of Cancelo, who has made 13 appearances with only eight starts since joining Bayern in January.

ROUND-UP

– Florian Plettenberg claims Liverpool's shortlist for midfielders includes West Ham United's Declan Rice, Wolves' Matheus Nunes, Inter's Nicolo Barella and Brighton and Hove Albion's Moises Caicedo having dropped out of the race for Jude Bellingham.

– Barcelona are ready to ramp up their advances to sign Manchester City's Ilkay Gundogan after being impressed by his midweek Champion League display against Bayern Munich, reports Sport.

– Bayern midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has interest from Premier League trio Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, reports Footmercato.

– Chris Smalling is set to pen a new two-year deal with Roma according to iSport, amid interest from Inter, Juventus and some Premier League clubs.

– Bild claims RB Leipzig midfielder Konrad Laimer will join Bayern on a four-year deal in the off-season. Laimer's Leipzig deal ends at the end of this season.

Massimiliano Allegri has warned his Juventus side about the strength of Sporting CP ahead of the two teams clashing in the Europa League quarter-final. 

Juventus host the Primeira Liga side in the first leg on Thursday night, after the Bianconeri eliminated Freiburg in the last 16, while Sporting beat Arsenal. 

Allegri's side sit seventh in Serie A after a 15-point deduction for alleged transfer irregularities, while Sporting are fourth in Portugal's top-flight and are unbeaten in their last 11 games in all competitions.

"Tomorrow is a difficult match," Allegri said at a press conference on Wednesday. "It is an important quarter-final against a team that has been on a positive run for 11 games now.

"Sporting's coach [Ruben Amorim] is young and very good. He brought the league title back to the club [in 2020-21] after 19 years.

"We have to do things the right way tomorrow to have an advantage for when we go to Lisbon."

Juventus will be boosted by the return of key players on Thursday, including Paul Pogba, whose injury-hit season has seen him play just 35 minutes since re-signing from Manchester United last summer.

"Pogba is on his feet, which we are happy about," added Allegri. "Now we are working on improving his condition.

"Tomorrow he will be available and will be on the bench. Alex Sandro and [Dusan] Vlahovic are both available, but [Mattia] De Sciglio is not."

Juventus are second-favourites to win the Europa League behind United, but Allegri is not look beyond the quarter-final.

"Clearly it would be fantastic to get to play the final," he said. "But before then, there are still four games to face, starting with home and away against Sporting.

"So, it's too early to talk about playing in a final. We're only thinking about this next game, and we'll continue step by step."

Borussia Dortmund's England international midfielder Jude Bellingham is expected to be the topic of widespread speculation in the next transfer window.

Several top clubs are circling to sign the 19-year-old, with Dortmund slapping a staggering £130million transfer fee on him as their asking price.

Real Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool have all been linked with Bellingham, who is contracted to the German side until 2025.

TOP STORY – REDS PULL OUT OF BELLINGHAM RACE

Liverpool have withdrawn from the race to sign Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham, according to The Athletic.

The Reds had previously made him their number one priority signing but have now opted out of the race given the price tag and impact that would have on their off-season transfer budget.

Football.London claims Liverpool will instead turn their attention to Chelsea's Mason Mount as a priority midfield target.

Other potential targets mentioned by The Athletic are Brighton and Hove Albion pair Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister along with Bayern Munich's Ryan Gravenberch.

ROUND-UP

– Real Madrid are pondering a free transfer move for Liverpool's Roberto Firmino, according to El Nacional. The Brazilian will depart Anfield when his contract expires at the end of this season.

– Marca claims Madrid are also interested in Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze, who netted twice against Los Blancos on Saturday. The Nigerian is contracted until 2024 and has a €100m buyout clause on the deal, although Villarreal may reportedly be willing to accept around half of that at the end of this term.

– Bayern Munich have come into the picture to sign Napoli forward Victor Osimhen with the German champions weighing up a bid for the Nigerian, reports Sky Germany.

– Football Insider reports Brighton and Hove Albion are willing to accept a £80m bid from Manchester United for midfielder Caicedo, who penned a new long-term deal until 2027 in March following January interest from Arsenal.

– AS claims Chelsea have held talks with Barcelona midfielder Gavi's agent to discuss a potential free transfer to the Blues in the off-season.

Arsenal are "very disappointed" with the decision to push back their crucial Premier League clash with Chelsea at short notice due to policing concerns.

The league leaders had been due to host London rivals Chelsea at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, April 29, but the game will instead be played three days later on Tuesday, May 2.

Both Arsenal and the Premier League expressed regret at the decision, which was taken after the Metropolitan Police revised its position on policing the match.

A statement on Arsenal's official website on Tuesday read: "After working to try to find a solution with the Met Police, we are very disappointed with the impact and disruption this fixture change will cause to our supporters, particularly after this match had been initially approved for a Saturday evening kick-off."

The Premier League added in a separate statement: "The initial scheduling of this match was approved at a Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting in February.

"However, the Metropolitan Police has now revised its position regarding the kick-off time and requested a further SAG meeting which determined the match had to be rescheduled.

"We regret the need to move this fixture at late notice and the impact this will have on supporters."

Arsenal's under-18 side are scheduled to face West Ham in the FA Youth Cup final in late April, while Arsenal Women take on Wolfsburg in the second leg of their Champions League semi-final on May 1, with both games at Emirates Stadium.

The Gunners travel to West Ham and host Southampton in their next two games, before heading to title rivals Manchester City – whom they lead by six points having played a game more – ahead of their rescheduled meeting with Chelsea.

Ajax have finally filled the void left by Marc Overmars with the appointment of former Arsenal and Borussia Dortmund transfer chief Sven Mislintat.

Overmars was sacked by Ajax in February 2022 after "a series of inappropriate messages sent to several female colleagues over an extended period of time".

The former Netherlands international apologised for his actions but departed the club, accepting a role at Belgian side Antwerp a month later.

In the meantime, Ajax have operated without a specific director of football, Overmars' duties instead handled by technical managers Gerry Hamstra and Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.

Mislintat, who left Stuttgart in late 2022, will step into the void from May 19.

Ajax CEO Edwin van der Sar said of the appointment: "It is good for Ajax that we have been able to fill this important position with an internationally experienced football director who can start quickly.

"A careful process preceded the search for the right person. We were looking for someone who stands for attacking and attractive football.

"Someone who has an international network, and has an eye for scouting, development, and the growth of our own youth.

"Sven meets the profile, and he made a very good impression on us from the first talks in February.

"In addition, he has a way of working that fits today's industry. I am convinced that he will make an important contribution to new successes of Ajax."

Mislintat made his name at Borussia Dortmund, where he was head of scouting and head of professional football between 2006 and 2017, playing a vital role in the identification of talents who re-established BVB among the elite.

Robert Lewandowski, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mats Hummels, Shinji Kagawa and Ousmane Dembele all signed for Dortmund on Mislintat's watch.

He became Arsenal's head of recruitment in 2017 but his spell in charge of transfers was largely deemed a disappointment, leaving in February 2019.

Mislintat returned to Germany with Stuttgart two months later, staying until late last year when he opted against signing a new contract as he sought a new challenge.

Trent Alexander-Arnold believes there were flashes of the old Liverpool on display in Sunday's fightback against Arsenal but accepts it was probably too late for a top-four push.

Liverpool drew 2-2 with the Premier League leaders at Anfield, battling back from 2-0 down to earn a commendable point – and they probably should have completed the turnaround late on.

A positive outcome did not always look likely, however, as Arsenal were utterly dominant at the point of going 2-0 up and were arguably unfortunate not to have scored more themselves.

The turning point seemed to come in the 41st minute when an altercation between Granit Xhaka and Alexander-Arnold sparked a fiery atmosphere in the stadium, and Mohamed Salah pulled one back shortly after.

Liverpool looked the bigger threat from that point and inexplicably failed to get a late winner after Roberto Firmino's equaliser, with Darwin Nunez and Ibrahima Konate passing up gilt-edged opportunities.

The point did not do much for the Reds' Champions League hopes, but Alexander-Arnold felt the performance showed Liverpool are not a lost cause even during a difficult season.

"We showed a different side to us, one that we've had in previous seasons, where we get past disappointment and are able to get back into games – and we showed that, so that's a decent sign," he told Liverpool's official website.

"But we need to be getting three points. No matter whether we're playing top of the league or bottom of the league, three points is our aim and we know we could have got that [on Sunday].

"We showed a different side to us. We showed that we really wanted to go out there and put a good performance in.

"Even though you're playing probably the best team in the league, we still showed our quality and dominated them for the whole second half and should've won the game."

However, the Reds remain 12 points behind fourth-placed Manchester United with nine matches remaining.

Alexander-Arnold accepts overturning such a deficit looks a tall order.

"We take the point and try to improve it next week," he continued. "We've got a full week to go and train, and that's what we need to go and do.

"We have our targets and it's going to be difficult to get Champions League football now I think. But it's still mathematically possible, so as long as that's possible then that's what we go for.

"We're not in the position we want to be in at all but there's still nine games to go. That's where our heads are at – let's go and try to win all nine."