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Sky Sports have confirmed that a Manchester United takeover is no closer to completion, despite recent rumours of a deal involving Sheikh Jassim.

What’s the latest Man United takeover news?

It has been an eventful few days when it comes to Old Trafford takeover rumours, with speculation from Qatar suggesting that Jassim was successful in his bid to take full control from the Glazers.

As to be expected, that claim gathered plenty of attention in the media as claims emerged on both sides of the story, with journalist Ben Jacobs for example one of those arguing against the rumours on an agreement being reached, saying on Tuesday morning:

"Lots of speculation on the MUFC sale process, and an out-of-hours stock price surge reacting to that. But as of last night no group had been informed they are successful. Not expecting anything public or groundbreaking in the next few days. If that changes will update you."

Sky Sports have now confirmed that it was in fact Jacobs in the right and not the reports sending United fans wild, with chief reporter Kaveh Solekhol sharing news from “sources”. He said on Tuesday evening that the rumours regarding Jassim are false, adding:

"Man United fans will want an update on what is happening with a takeover. Is anything happening? Are we closer to any resolution?

"We’ve checked with all sides, with all our sources, and they’re telling us no update at the moment."

Jassim already planning Man United transfers?

Although Jassim is unaware if his fifth and final bid has been successful to take charge in Manchester, he already appears to be eyeing up a marquee signing for Erik ten Hag’s side.

Recent reports have claimed that the Qatar group are planning a stunning move for Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe. Jassim feels that the French superstar “belongs at Man United”, with PSG valuing the player at £170m.

However, with the transfer window now officially open, every passing day without a takeover resolution could impact United’s plans in the market. For example, back in March, some inside Old Trafford were worried that the ongoing saga would affect the club's planning in the window.

Hopefully, there will be a development soon for either Jassim or Sir Jim Ratcliffe, but no off-field news continuing could spell trouble for the Red Devils and cause unrest among the club's supporters.

Following Leicester’s relegation from the Premier League, The Foxes now have the task of choosing a permanent manager to try and guide the former Premier League champions back to England’s top division.

Per Mike McGrath of The Telegraph, former Fulham and AFC Bournemouth manager Scott Parker is named on the shortlist of targets that includes Manchester City coach Enzo Maresca, former Manchester United coach Scott McKenna and current interim head coach Dean Smith.

Who will be Leicester’s next manager?

According to McGrath, Smith has 'some support' from within the organisation despite his failure to keep Leicester in the Premier League.

The club have held talks with Smith over his future after the former Aston Villa manager achieved two wins and three draws in his eight matches in charge at the King Power Stadium.

Smith is a name on a long list of potential targets, including former Premier League manager Scott Parker.

According to McGrath, other targets include Man City first-team head coach Maresca, who was considered by Southampton earlier in the season as their potential head coach following the departure of Ralph Hasenhuttl.

Leicester will have to wait until after this weekend’s Champions League final if they want to speak to the 43-year-old.

McGrath names McKenna, the current Ipswich manager and former assistant coach at Man Utd, as well as former Villa and Rangers boss Steven Gerrard as potential candidates to become Leicester manager for the upcoming season too.

Should Scott Parker become Leicester manager?

It’s hard to think Parker would be a popular choice to become manager amongst the Leicester faithful.

Parker was sacked by AFC Bournemouth after a 9-0 loss to Liverpool at the end of August and moved to Belgium to manage Club Brugge following the disappointment with The Cherries.

Parker would go on to manager Club Brugge after the Bournemouth sacking, but his stint in Belgium proved to be a disaster.

The former West Ham and Spurs midfielder, now 42, received his second sacking of the season in March following a 7-1 aggregate defeat to Benfica in the Champions League round of 16.

In a brief club statement, Club Brugge stated: 'In 12 games, the Briton could only win 2 times' – that's a win rate of just 16%.

The former England international has been without a club since his disappointing tenure in Belgium, but the opening at Leicester could present an opportunity for the Englishman to bounce back.

No matter who becomes The Foxes' next boss, they will have a serious rebuilding job on their hands.

The club confirmed the departures of Youri Tielemans, Caglar Soyuncu, Ayoze Perez, Tete, Ryan Bertrand, Nampalys Mendy and Daniel Amartey on Monday night.

It also looks likely that stars James Maddison and Harvey Barnes will be leaving the King Power Stadium this summer.

Liverpool could be in the hunt to sign Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram this summer as they eye midfield reinforcements, according to journalist Ben Jacobs.

What's the latest transfer news involving Khephren Thuram?

According to L'Equipe via The Daily Mail, Liverpool are keen on signing Thuram as part of a midfield overhaul this summer by Jurgen Klopp at Anfield.

The report states that Nice will try to command around £52 million before letting the 22-year-old depart; nevertheless, the Reds are said to have already met with his representatives over a potential deal.

As per 90min, Thuram has already commented on transfer speculation linking him with a move to Liverpool, stating in an interview: "I want to progress, go on the field, have fun. For now, I'm in Nice. It's going very well. I really like the club, so I still see myself in Nice. I am very well in Nice. There are noises, I hear, but I'm happy in Nice. I hope to grow with this club. I would like him [Didier Digard, manager] to stay because he brought a lot to this group when it was in a difficult period."

Cited by the same outlet, Liverpool have already 'opened talks' with the France international alongside Borussia Monchengladbach ace Manu Kone, with several additions expected in midfield for the Reds in the off-season.

Speaking to Football FanCast, journalist Jacobs thinks that it may take a significant fee to prize Thuram away from the Allianz Riviera this summer.

Jacobs said: "Thuram, we're hearing links. I think that still has to develop a little bit before we can say that there's anything concrete there. The thing about Thuram, for any suitors really, is that I sense that there might be a deal to be had at a relatively strong value, because I think Nice have to sell. We're hearing figures being banded around of £55-60 million, I think it'll be more like £50 million or slightly under. That's my sense, that's my feeling and that might be of appeal to a Premier League club."

Would Khephren Thuram be a good signing for Liverpool?

Thuram has enjoyed an impressive campaign over in France and would add some fresh legs to a jaded Liverpool midfield in need of surgery this summer.

In 2022/23, the 22-year-old has made 48 appearances in all competitions, registering two goals and eight assists in total, as per Transfermarkt.

WhoScored also take into account that Thuram is comfortable in possession and has managed to maintain a pass success rate of 86.9% in Ligue 1 this term.

FBRef report that Thuram is also capable of driving forward from midfield and has successfully carried out 106 shot-creating actions this campaign.

In what is set to be an exciting next few months at Anfield, bringing in Thuram could help to get optimism flowing among Liverpool supporters ahead of 2023/24.

Tottenham Hotspur are happy to listen to any incoming bids for Ben Davies this summer, according to reports.

Is Ben Davies leaving Spurs?

The Welshman first arrived in N17 from Swansea City back in 2014 and has since gone on to make a total of 310 appearances to date, making him Ryan Mason’s third longest-serving player slightly behind Harry Kane and Hugo Lloris.

The Lilywhites left-back has been a regular feature in the Premier League this season, registering 25 starts and five substitute outings, as per WhoScored, but despite him still having another two years to run on his contract, his future is currently uncertain.

Daniel Levy is reportedly planning a major squad overhaul this summer alongside whoever his new permanent manager will be, and with the 30-year-old not getting any younger, it would appear that he could be one of the first to get the chop if the following update is to be believed.

Are Spurs selling Davies?

According to Football Insider, Tottenham will "listen to offers" for Davies this summer no matter which manager is in the dugout ahead of the 2023/24 campaign. Spurs "recognise" that they need a squad transformation of the "core" of the first-team given the disappointment of this season, and the defender is one of the players that the board are "likely" to cash in on should they receive an offer of £15m as per a "well-placed source".

Tottenham are certainly in desperate need of a clear out having failed to qualify for any kind of European football this season, so despite being a great servant under the various managers over the years, Davies departing during the upcoming window would be the right decision moving forward.

The Spurs veteran is currently ranked by WhoScored as Mason’s 13th worst defensive player where he’s averaging just 0.8 tackles per top-flight game having won only nine of the 25 he’s made since the start of the term, poor form which has seen him. recently described as “weak” in one-on-one situations by journalist Nacho Gonzalez.

Davies, who is a natural left-back, has also played as a centre-back on 27 occasions this season so can’t even establish himself as the manager’s first-choice option in his usual role, therefore highlighting that the club probably want to enter the market for a fresh face in that area, meaning that he would only be out of favour should he remain beyond the summer.

Manchester United will be continuing their pursuit for dominance by bolstering key squad positions with quality in the summer transfer window and now a new update from a reliable source has emerged on the club's interest in a Premier League star.

What's the latest on Man United's interest in James Maddison?

According to CBS reporter and transfer expert Ben Jacobs, United are one of the clubs monitoring James Maddison's situation at Leicester City following their relegation from the Premier League this afternoon.

Jacobs took to Twitter on Saturday to reveal:

"A handful of other Premier League clubs also monitoring Maddison. #AFC have other priorities for now, but are aware of his situation. Same for #MUFC.

"Clubs looking at Mason Mount could turn more seriously to Maddison if they fail to land the Chelsea midfielder.

"Maddison price is unclear at this point. Leicester have consistently valued him around £60m, but suitors feel there's a deal to be had around £40-45m due to his contract situation."

Would James Maddison be a better signing than Mason Mount?

Despite a massively disappointing campaign for the Foxes, Maddison has been a stand-out performer in the squad and even earned a spot in Gareth Southgate's England World Cup squad at the end of last year due to his explosive start to the season.

Over 29 Premier League appearances, the 26-year-old ace – hailed a "creative genius" by statistic analyst Statman Dave – has scored ten goals, registered nine assists and created 12 big chances, as well as averaging 2.3 key passes, 2.8 shots on goal and 1.6 successful dribbles per game.

Not only that, when compared with other midfielders in the top five Men's European Leagues – as per FBref – Maddison ranks in the top 1% of his positional peers for non-penalty goals scored, assists, shot-creating actions and touches, proving that he is an incredible attacking presence.

Indeed, the versatile playmaker – dubbed "elite" by impressionist Al Foran – often floats between the midfield and forward line with no strict role in the Leicester team, but could be the perfect alternative for Erik ten Hag if they fail to complete a deal for reported target, Mason Mount.

When comparing the England duo's output over the season so far, it is clear that Maddison has outperformed Mount in a number of attributes including shot-creating actions per 90 (5.05 v 3.11), goal-creating actions per 90 (0.49 v 0.38), progressive passes completed (146 v 98), progressive carries (72 v 48) and shots on target (33.3% v 27.3%).

Defining Maddison's best role and harnessing his skills into a position that perfectly suits Ten Hag's system could save the club millions considering Mount has a reported £80m price tag this summer compared to the £45m valuation for Maddison cited by Jacobs in his tweets.

With that being said, the future is looking bright for Maddison with many clubs interested in snapping up his services and if Man United are serious about signing a player like Mount this summer to improve their attacking presence from midfield, then considering Maddison instead would make perfect sense.

Phil Hay has dropped an update on reported Leeds United transfer target Noa Lang.

What’s the talk?

Speaking on a recent episode of The Phil Hay Show, The Athletic journalist suggested that, should Raphinha go on to secure his widely expected transfer to Barcelona in the coming weeks, Victor Orta could reignite his interest in the Club Brugge winger – with whom the Whites were linked with a £25m move for a little under 12 months ago – this summer.

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Concerning Leeds’ potential interest in the 22-year-old, Hay said: “It wouldn’t surprise me at all – if Raphinha left – if they went back in for Noa Lang because they do really like Noa Lang and they did like him last summer… that could happen.”

Orta must move for Lang

Considering just how impressive Lang has been in Belgium this season, in addition to the fact that Raphinha looks set to depart Elland Road in the very near future, it would appear an extremely wise move for Orta to reignite his pursuit of the Netherlands international in the coming weeks.

Indeed, over his 37 Jupiler Pro League appearances this term, the £19.8m-rated forward was in exceptional form for Brugge, scoring seven goals, registering 12 assists and creating 19 big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 2.0 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.7 dribbles per game.

These metrics saw the £20k-per-week talent who Graham Smyth dubbed “exciting” and an “assist machine” average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.20, ranking him as his club’s joint fifth-best performer in the Belgian top-flight – playing a key role in Brugge’s title-winning campaign.

For comparison, over Raphinha’s 35 Premier League appearances this season, the £60m sensation scored 11 goals, provided three assists and created ten big chances, in addition to taking an average of 2.5 shots, making 1.9 key passes and completing 1.8 dribbles per fixture – returns that saw the 25-year-old average a SofaScore match rating of 6.97.

As such, while the step-up between the Jupiler Pro League and the Premier League should not be underestimated, it would nevertheless appear that, should Raphinha indeed move onto pastures new this summer, Lang would be something of a perfect replacement for the Brazil international – leading us to believe that Orta simply must make a move for the 22-year-old in the coming months.

AND in other news: “Leeds United wanted…”: Graham Smyth drops big summer claim, Marsch will be gutted

Rangers may have failed to regain their SPFL title this season, but Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s Gers still made it to the Europa League final and the Scottish Cup final.

In their 38 league games, the Ibrox club found the net 80 times in total, 26 more than their upcoming Cup final opponents in third place.

One figure that has played a big part in Rangers’ season is midfielder Joe Aribo, who has played in 56 games across all competitions.

In those appearances, the 25-year-old has scored nine goals and provided ten assists along the way.

While Van Bronckhorst’s side still have one more chance to get their hands on some silverware this weekend to end their season on a positive note, the club will then have the upcoming summer transfer window to make any changes to their squad that they see fit.

In terms of potential incomings, one player that has been linked with a move to Ibrox that could come in and form a scary duo in midfield with Aribo is Billy Gilmour.

Since leaving Rangers’ U17 squad back in 2017 to make his move to Chelsea, the midfielder has gone on to make 66 appearances for their U18 and U23 sides, scoring 16 goals and providing 13 assists in the process.

At senior level, the Scotsman has played in 22 games for Chelsea’s first team and 28 times for Norwich City during his loan spell there this season.

The former Rangers youth star found himself on the receiving end of some hefty praise from Roy Keane who described him as looking like a “world-class” player.

To highlight the 20-year-old’s strengths on the pitch, no other midfielder in Norwich’s squad attempted as many passes in the league this season as Gilmour did.

With that in mind, the Scotland international could give Aribo the chance to get into more goalscoring or goal-creating situations and ramp his numbers up in that regard.

This would surely give the Gers a better chance of being successful domestically and in Europe next season.

If the west London club are willing to let their midfield ace leave Stamford Bridge on another loan deal this summer, Rangers should definitely be in the mix to secure his signature.

In other news: Fewer touches than McGregor: Rangers dud who won just 33% duels let GvB down yesterday

Reliable journalist Alan Nixon has shared some potentially massive news for Derby County supporters as they anxiously await confirmation of Chris Kirchner’s takeover.

The Lowdown: Kirchner deal close

The American has this week tweeted from his personal account that the deal is done, but his ownership of the Rams is still dependant on the ownership of Pride Park.

The 34 year-old now has until May 31 to complete the finer details of the takeover after being granted conditional approval by the EFL this week.

However, a new fear emerged away from the dealings in the boardroom recently, as a report suggested the Rams could lose 15 points next term due to outstanding debts.

Nixon himself has also revealed a possible additional three-point hit next season if they fail to pay the playing staff’s wages for the month of May.

The Latest: Nixon shares good news

Nixon, sharing an update on that potentially horrific start to League One life, has now claimed the club will not be deducted the 15 points if Kirchner’s deal goes through.

“The offer should mean that’s avoided… if the deal is done,” Nixon tweeted in response to a fan question about the points hit.

The Verdict: Catastrophe avoided

Failure to sort the pay issue could still cost Wayne Rooney’s side an immediate three-point deduction at the start of the 2022/23 campaign, but 15 more could have followed due to the looming issues with debts.

Given the impact the separate points deductions had this term – the Rams would have done more than enough to stay up without them – it would have been a pretty catastrophic way to make the step down to the third tier.

Now, with Kirchner seemingly ironing out the last details before the end of May, this could be a massive month in the history of Derby County football club, and hopefully for all the right reasons.

Noel Whelan has now given his reaction to some ‘huge’ Glasgow Rangers news that has emerged from the BBC.

The Lowdown: £60m incoming?

As per BBC Sport, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s team will bank at least £60m if they beat Eintracht Frankfurt in the UEFA Europa League final in Seville.

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The majority of that will come from guaranteeing qualification to the Champions League group stages next season, should they win the game.

The Latest: Whelan reacts

Speaking to Football Insider, former BBC pundit Whelan has claimed that banking that kind of money is ‘huge’ for the club, adding that winning the Europa League would be a ‘massive achievement’:

“It’s huge. It could be a fantastic season for Scottish football. Celtic winning the league in a proper title race – they’re back to their best.

“But also Rangers potentially winning the Europa League – you couldn’t write it, it would be a massive achievement.

“£60million coming into Rangers – that would really boost the finances after Covid and ensure they can keep all their best talent.

“It’s also Champions League football. That opens the door for both clubs to go out there and try to tempt the best players to Scotland once again. There’s that attraction again.”

The Verdict: Big boost

Of course, not only would winning the final be big for the Teddy Bears in terms of their incredibly decorated history, but it would also give them a big financial boost ahead of the summer.

It would allow them to shop in a different kind of market, knowing that they can pay a premium for some of their targets, and thus allow them to strengthen significantly ahead of another title push and run in Europe.

The Light Blues also have a number of first-team players out of contract this summer, and so the extra money would also help renew these for next season.

Nonetheless, they have done very well to get all the way to the final, and it would be great for Scottish football as a whole if they win it.

In other news, find out who Connor Goldson’s potential replacement could be here!

Wolves came from 2-0 down to secure a dramatic 2-2 draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this afternoon.

A quickfire brace in the second half from Romelu Lukaku gave the Blues a comfortable lead before Francisco Trincao halved the deficit with 11 minutes to go.

Bruno Lage’s men nicked an unlikely point through captain Conor Coady in the 97th minute to prevent a fourth consecutive defeat and prolong Chelsea’s woes at home.

The point keeps Wolves in the hunt for an unlikely European place, with the West Midlands outfit two points off seventh with three games to go.

Moreover, Lage may now have to hand more opportunities to 22-year-old January signing Chiquinho, who came off of the bench to make a stellar impact today.

Chiquinho saved the day for Wolves

The Portuguese winger played just 19 minutes against Chelsea but set up both of his side’s goals in just his seventh appearance for the Wolves first team.

Along with his assists, Chiquinho – who was previously labelled a “ridiculous talent” by The Athletic’s Tim Spiers – completed six out of seven passes at an 86% accuracy rate and completed three out of four dribbles (75% accuracy) whilst winning 71% of his duels.

While there was little defensive contribution with just one tackle, Lage would’ve brought the youngster on to make an impact in the final third, and the 22-year-old certainly did that.

Given the fact that Wolves hadn’t scored in any of their previous three matches, the Portuguese youngster’s impact was particularly impressive, with the West Midlands side seemingly headed for another defeat before he made his mark.

Having joined in January from Portuguese outfit Estoril for a minimal fee, it seemed as though it would take time for the winger to be integrated into Wolves’ plans.

However, with three under-23 appearances and now seven first-team matches, it appears as though Chiquinho is very much in the Wolves manager’s plans and could prove to be a serious bargain.

Regardless of what is in store for the winger in an Old Gold shirt in the future, he saved the day today against Chelsea.

AND in other news: Lage can finally axe “rubbish” Wolves liability by unleashing the “next Phil Foden”