Do you think the Frenkie de Jong saga is over? Do you think again? The latest is contained in the Insider notebook.
Is Barcelona in Real Madrid white?
According to sources, Frenkie de Jong is still on Manchester United's wish list.
Despite strong interest from United, De Jong decided to stay at Barcelona. According to sources, United managerErik ten Hag isn't put off by the 25-year-old's public stance and could possibly make another bid next summer. There is a feeling at Old United that De Jong could leave Barcelona in the future and that he could be persuaded to move to Manchester where he'd be closer to Ten Hag.
The framework of a deal between United and Barcelona was agreed in the summer, but negotiations over deferred wages were not able to get going.
Bellingham should go somewhere.
He said that he always stayed calm in the summer because he wanted to stay at Barcelona. I don't want to give too much information. I have my own ideas as well. Sometimes this gets in the way of eachother. At the end of the day, everything went well.
Bellingham is set to be one of the most sought after players in Europe next summer, and he is likely to be the subject of a huge transfer fee by the club. The 19-year-old, fourth on ESPN's 39 under-21 list of stars back in April, is enjoying a fine start to the season and is expected to play a key role for England at the World Cup.
According to sources at United, they will face stern competition from Manchester City,Liverpool and Real Madrid but they will be in the queue for his signature, having registered their interest in him. A world record fee for a 17-year-old was set for Bellingham when he signed for the German club.
There will be no major changes to the squad in January and further changes to the squad will take place in the summer. There will be no major arrivals in the January window, with the club announcing a net loss of over a hundred million dollars for the next two years.
The decision to wear white away from Camp Nou next season has caused a lot of debate within the club. There are people at Real Madrid who don't want to wear the same shade as their rivals in the Spanish league.
The decision was pushed through by the board after surveys and reports suggested a white shirt would sell well.
You can watch LaLiga, Bundesliga, MLS, more on the US version of the network.
Last year, it was leaked that one of the change strips would be white. In the end, a grey jersey with a red and blue cross was selected but the reaction among fans to the idea of a white shirt was deemed positive enough.
Frank Leboeuf was not happy with the performance of the team.
According to sources, Graham Potter is expected to hold talks with Romelu Lukaku at the end of the season in order to revive his career.
After making a 115m move from the Italian side to the English side, Romelu was sent back to Inter Milan on loan. There is no obligation for the 29-year-old to sign the loan agreement if he wants to stay at Inter permanently.
Potter is said to be open to discussing the situation with Lukaku if he has any interest in doing so, or should Inter decide not to pursue a permanent deal, because they have significant financial issues.
Potter's preferred 3-4-2 system would allow him to play alongside another forward, which would allow him to play with a strike partner.
The player's transfer value would further depreciate given he is 30 in May next year, so a second loan at Inter would theoretically be possible. One way or the other, a permanent solution would be better for everyone with the transfer market expected to be busy once again in January.
According to sources, the Manchester United forward won't be one of the 32 players honoured with a huge presence when the World Cup kicks off in two months.
There are 75ft images of some of the players expected to impress for their national teams in November and December when the World Cup is held in the Middle East. According to sources, the all-time leading international goal scorer is not part of the plans to have his image adorn a skyscraper, with Portugal expected to be represented by one of the younger members of the team.
Sources said that while negotiations are still ongoing with representatives and national associations over the image rights of some players, the face of Brazil is likely to be the young man. The Paris Saint-Germain forward would join players including Harry Kane ( England), Luis Suarez (Uruguay), Luka Modric (Croatia), Sadio Mane (Senegal) and Alphonso Davies (Canada) who have already dominated the city.
It's possible that other superstars missed out on the chance to be chosen for a poster. Argentina's player hasn't been revealed, so Lionel Messi andRonaldo may have to look up at their rivals.
Could the league be cut in half? Unless there's a major change to the domestic cup competition, English football will face that scenario.
Europe's major competitions are set to expand not only in size, but also in duration, as shown by the match calendar for the 2024-26 season. The UEL and the EUL will be increased from 32 teams to 36 with two additional matches. The footprint of European football is being increased, with matches spread across 10 weeks instead of six.
According to sources, English football has no choice but to either change its cup competition or cut the league to 18 teams. Four teams will be demoted and only two will be promoted this season in the French league.
English football is the only top league in Europe with the added pressure of a secondary cup competition. The French decided to scrap the Coupe de la Ligue in 2020.
| DATE | FIXTURES / CLASH |
|---|---|
| Sept. 17-19 | UCL only |
| Sept. 25-26 | UEL only / EFL Cup R3 |
| Oct. 1-4 | UCL, UEL, UECL |
| Oct. 22-24 | UCL, UEL, UECL |
| Nov. 5-7 | UCL, UEL, UECL |
| Nov. 26-28 | UCL, UEL, UECL |
| Dec. 10-12 | UCL, UEL, UECL |
| Dec. 18 | UEL / EFL Cup QF |
| Jan 21-24 | UCL, UEL / EFL Cup SF2 |
| Jan 29-30 | UCL, UEL / Full Prem |
English football faces a fixture dilemma with two rounds of games on the same day as the Carabao Cup. When the third round of the Carabao is held in September, the first games of the Europa League will be played.
In January, the effect is more intense. The second leg of the Carabao semifinals and a full round of league games will be wiped out. There is something that needs to be given.
FA Cup replays from the third round onwards, which opens up two midweeks in January and February, is the only viable solution to prevent further pressure elsewhere in the calendar.
It doesn't solve all the problems. The Carabao Cup dates are blocked for teams in the UEL, while the extra pressure of eight group games for clubs in the UCL and UEL makes it difficult. Playing under-21 teams would seem to be the most viable solution, but that would only devalue the competition further.
The average age of the side was 19 years old, and they lost at least one game in each of the last two seasons.
When he leaves Manchester City, it will be interesting to see who will manage the US team in the World Cup.
According to sources, Manchester City want to increase the capacity of the stadium to 60,000 so that they can host the final. There are plans to add 5,000 more people to the stadium. The European governing body's guidelines allow for the host to reach 60,000.
The North Stand is going to be extended, according to sources. After work on the South Stand, it is the only remaining stand with two tiers. The capacity was increased to more than 53,000 with the completion of the expansion.
After moving from Maine Road, City played their games at the Etihad. The 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester had a capacity of over 30,000.
Valencia and Osasuna will be in a tough spot if they field either Gonzalez or Ezzalzouli against Barcelona.
Both Valencia and Osasuna had clauses in their loan agreements with Barcelona to prevent them from using the players when they face them. When Valencia and Osasuna meet Barcelona, they will have to pay an additional fee on top of the loan fee and salary contribution.
In Spain, the "fear clause" is used to prevent players from playing against them, but it has not been included in Barcelona's policy.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
