Arsenal to face Villarreal, Eric Garcia to Chelsea, Haaland LATEST, Aguero Barcelona talks – Liverpool transfer news

LINE-UPS

It is a huge night of Europa League football with the second legs of the quarter-final ties kicking off at 8pm.

Here's the team news for Arsenal and Manchester United for their games.

Arsenal: Leno; Chambers, Holding, Mari, Xhaka; Partey, Ceballos; Saka, Smith Rowe, Pepe; Lacazette.

Man Utd: De Gea; Wan-Bissaka, Lindelof, Tuanzebe, Telles; Fred, Matic; Pogba, Fernandes, Greenwood; Cavani.

OFF THE MARC

Marcelo Bielsa has denied reports he will soon sign a new two-year deal at Leeds.

The Argentine only agreed his current one-year contract on the eve of the new season and is yet to commit his future.

He said: “If there was any information to give, then I would give it."

BELO RUMBLE

Andrea Belotti could be on the move this summer if Torino cannot agree a contract extension for the striker.

Talks failing would, according to Tuttosport, leave his price tag at around £20million.

Several Premier League clubs have been linked to the Italian over the years, who would cost double that should he agree to renew his deal past 2022.

KOLAR BLOW

Slavia Prague star Ondrej Kolar has suffered another serious injury - just a week after returning from a fractured skull.

The Czech Republic international and his team-mates are preparing to face Arsenal tonight in the Europa League quarter-finals.

But the 26-year-old, who was already wearing a helmet with strapping, appeared to dislocate his shoulder as the Slavia squad trained yesterday.

Kolar will now miss the clash with the Gunners and looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

Watch the video here.

ED START

West Ham are reportedly growing confident of signing Eddie Nketiah from Arsenal after Folarin Balogun’s contract U-turn.

The Standard claims David Moyes is in for a new striker this summer.

Following the news that Balogun is set to sign a new Arsenal contract - having looked set for a free transfer this summer - opportunities are set to become even more limited.

That has opened the door for West Ham to make an approach after they failed to replace Seb Haller in January.

The Hammers have been linked with the likes of Chelsea’s Tammy Abraham, Sevilla’s Youssef En-Nesyri and Brentford’s Ivan Toney.

But Nketiah is now emerging as the man Moyes wishes to lead his line next term.

TOP OF THE KOPS

Jamie Carragher believes Liverpool is the ideal setting for Erling Haaland.

The Norwegian is wanted by a host of clubs, including Manchester United, this summer but the ex-defender hopes to see him at Anfield.

He told CBS Sports: “I think Haaland should come to Liverpool, because it’s his type of football.

“Basically heavy metal football, he relies on his pace and his power. That’s the type of football that Liverpool play.

“Who would not want to play in front of the Kop? Liverpool, energy, Champions League football nights.”

GON WITH THE WIND

Gonzalo Higuain has revealed the secret to winning over Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi having playing with both down the years.

No player has starred alongside the two GOAT rivals as many times as the Argentine striker.

Higuain told La Nacion: "If I am the footballer who has played most with the two, then I was the guy who best understood both of them.

"To understand Cristiano and Messi... it's not their problem, it's up to you.

"If I played the most with them, it's because I understand them both perfectly.

"I knew what they liked, what they didn't like, how they felt most comfortable and most uncomfortable."

PAINTING OVER THE CRACKS

Dulux has apologised to Tottenham after following up an announcement on their sponsorship deal by mocking the Premier League club.

This morning, the Dulux account had posted several jokes at Spurs' expense after being named their "official paint supplier".

The paint manufacturer is "deeply sorry" for joking about the football team.

LET’S BE FRANK

Jesse Lingard is BETTER than Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, Frank McAvennie has claimed.

The former Hammers forward praised the loanee and questioned whether he would even want to return to Manchester United.

McAvennie told West Ham Zone: “With Lingard, I don’t think he’ll want to go back to Man United because he was left out there and it’s hard to get back in their squad now. 

“He’s really enjoying himself at West Ham.

“I think he’s better than Martial and Rashford, I really do. Everyone’s got an opinion and that’s what I think but to be fair, he wasn’t doing it at Man United. He was Jack the Lad, wasn’t he?

“But there’s nothing wrong with that but you’ve got to play on the park as well. He’s back enjoying it now and playing.”

ZIN-WIN

Zinedine Zidane was caught GRINNING in the background when Casemiro got revenge on James Milner in Real Madrid’s win against Liverpool last night.

Stalwart Milner set the tone early on with a crunching tackle on Real striker Karim Benzema.

Bizarrely, neither the referee nor VAR thought anything of it and let play continue as Benzema hobbled for the next few minutes. However, Real had not forgotten about Milner’s wild tackle.

And Brazilian anchorman Casemiro exacted revenge later in the half when he produced his own lunge on the veteran Englishman.

The incident happened right in front of the touchline area, prompting Jurgen Klopp and the rest of his Liverpool staff to leap off the bench in protest - but counterpart Zidane cut a cooler figure in the background...

HARRY UP

Alan Shearer has told Harry Kane it may be now or never if he is to force a move out of Tottenham.

With the Carabao Cup final his only route to a trophy, and a top-four finish far from guaranteed, the striker may be growing frustrated.

And former England star Shearer wrote for The Athletic that prospective buyers will want as much value for possible: "He’s at his peak, the ready-made article, an absolute guarantee of goals wherever he plays and the opposite of a gamble.

“But a buying club is going to want three or four of his best years in return for what would certainly be an exorbitant transfer fee.

"This is that time. Twelve months down the line and it becomes that bit more difficult to justify.”

PUT A DONK ON IT

Ryan Donk has been accused of holding repeated SEX PARTIES by his current club's chairman.

Ex-West Brom defender Donk has spent the last five years with Turkish giants Galatasaray, where Mustafa Cengiz has claimed he undermines team performances by hosting orgies for his club-mates.

Istanbul daily Milliyet claims Cengiz hit out during a board meeting on Monday and reportedly said: "We are sick and tired of Donk's sex parties.

"The players are not training properly. They party during the nights before they have morning training sessions.

"Then they can't perform physically, as they have been doing it somewhere else. They are far too preoccupied with having fun."

RAPH DEAL

Manchester United are reportedly closing in on a deal to sign Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane this summer.

And according to Spanish journalist Jose Alvarez, Varane is heading to Old Trafford.

He told El Chiringuito TV that United and Varane are in 'advanced talks' and that Real Madrid are preparing for his exit.

Madrid value him in the £60m bracket. But that figure is still likely to be viewed as high, particularly with the impact of coronavirus on the transfer market.

BOC TO IT

Lucas Torreira wants to sign for Boca Juniors NOW - he has insisted.

The Arsenal midfielder is on loan at Atletico Madrid, where he has largely been used off the bench.

And a rumoured switch to boyhood club Boca is Torreira’s preferred move.

He said  in an interview with Perfil Bulos on YouTube: “I want to go to Boca Juniors now.

“I am 25 years old, and I know it is a club that plays for great targets.

“I’d like to make the fans happy, but I know it is not easy. Boca should reach an agreement with Arsenal for a one-year loan.”

PUSH & PAUL

Paul Scholes wants to see Manchester United go hard on signing Erling Haaland this summer.

But the former midfielder accepts that rivals Manchester City, where the Norwegian’s dad Alf-Inge played, could hold the advantage.

He told talkSPORT: “He’s got that relationship with Ole and we all know how good he is.

“Man United are desperate for a No9, an all-out centre-forward. Haaland would be the perfect choice, of course he would.

“There are a couple of other names out there that could possibly do that.

“You have to think about his dad as well with the City link. That could be strong in this situation.

“But let’s see. Fingers crossed, if he does move, that he comes to the red side of Manchester.”

MAX POWER

Everton have reportedly received a boost in their bid to sign Max Aarons.

The Norwich right-back is set to join the Canaries in the Premier League next season - unless a club can meet his £30million price tag.

According to Football Insider, Norwich were previously refusing to consider bids so the new valuation could help prospective buyers.

And the club are also said to be looking at replacement signings if Aarons leaves.

DONE DEAL

A loan move in the Championship as Alex Mitchell leaves Millwall for Bromley.

The centre-back will spend the next move with the Vanarama National League outfit.

RED WOE

Uefa bosses must wait for an official report before deciding whether to punish Liverpool for the attack on the Real Madrid bus.

When one of Real's buses parked up at the Kop end of the ground after the team had disembarked, it was apparent one pane of a double-glazed window had been smashed.

Video footage and images of a broken window on the side of the luxury emerged on social media.

Merseyside police have launched an investigation after damage was caused to the Real coach on its way to Anfield for Wednesday's Champions League quarter-final second leg.

Uefa observers at the game must decide whether to include the incident in their report.

ARE EU READY?

It's a huge night in the Europa League, here is how each tie is set up ahead of the 8pm kick-offs.

Manchester United host Granada with a 2-0 lead after the first leg in Spain, but the LaLiga side broke a four-game losing streak when winning on the weekend.

Slavia Prague hold an away goal over Arsenal in their 1-1 tied quarter-final, the Czech club boasting a record of six wins, three draws and one defeat in their last ten European games.

Roma fought back from a goal down to lead Ajax 2-1 as their tie goes to Italy.

And Villarreal took a 1-0 win away to Dinamo Zagreb last week to extend their Europa League win-streak to seven games.

BRIDGE TOO FAR

Nedum Onuoha has claimed he helped Wayne Bridge cover up a snowboarding injury by leaving 'a tiny bit on him' in training.

Speaking to Tubes & Ange Golf Life Channel on Youtube, the 34-year-old explained: "Bridgey had a social calendar, whether it was potentially snowboarding, being down in Surrey even though we were playing in Manchester, and I think he may have hurt himself or whatever.

"He asked me the question and at that point we are in the trenches together, so I was like 'yeah, no problem', so I left a tiny bit on him.

"I didn't hurt him but at times the pitch can be a bit unstable. I went in to win the ball and unfortunately he may have rolled his ankle.

"I think he hurt himself from doing something that maybe he shouldn't have been doing. Maybe, perhaps, I'm not sure.

"At that point, we were the deadwood. We had nothing going for us and were looking out for each other."

FAN-TASTIC NEWS

The Premier League are pushing back their penultimate round of fixtures so every team can play a home game in front of 10,000 fans.

It is understood the 37th round of games will now take place on May 18-19. That is the day after the third stage of the government’s Covid-19 roadmap is planned to start.

The Prem has told clubs of the decision to move the round of fixtures - but public confirmation of the plans are not expected until broadcast arrangements are in place.

Lockdown restrictions are set to ease on May 17, allowing outdoor venues to hold 25 per cent of capacity or 10,000 people, whichever is smaller.

There was concern that this would mean half the teams in the Premier League would be allowed to play in front of their fans for the final day of the season - while the other half would not.

Pushing back the second-to-last round of games means every club will be afforded the chance to play at their own ground in front of 10,000 supporters.

HAZARD WARNING

Eden Hazard's farewell message to Chelsea fans looks set to ring true after the Blues drew Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.

The Belgian maestro said an emotional goodbye to the club after signing off in style by helping thump Arsenal 4-1 in the Europa League final in Baku in 2019.

Hazard scored two goals and created another one as he provided a fairytale ending to his seven-year spell at Stamford Bridge.

And in a touching social media message to the supporters who idolised him for so long, Hazard wrote at the time: "Now it’s in the open I would like to put on record one thing was always clear to me, I have loved every moment at Chelsea and not once did I ever consider, nor would I have left for any other club.

"Chelsea and especially Chelsea fans will always be special to me and next season I will look for your results first.

"I hope that we are drawn against each other in the Champions League next season and every season so we can meet again."

STAR FISH

They already had Captain Marvel at Manchester United, and in youngster Will Fish they have another potential leader among their ranks.

With the Red Devils suffering a selection headache in defence for Thursday's Europa League second leg, and the suspensions of Harry Maguire and Luke Shaw, Fish, 18, has been drafted into the squad.

The 6ft 1in defender is a commanding centre back, who will be relatively unknown to most fans.

But, amongst his peers in the youth sides, he's the team-mate they all look to - like the stars of the 80s and 90s did with Bryan Robson.

And he has formed an impressive partnership with fellow youth prospect Teden Mengi at the heart of the defence for the U18's.

NIK OF TIME - EXCLUSIVE

Manchester United are ready to step up their pursuit of Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic.

The Serbian defender has been on the radar of Old Trafford scouts for a number of seasons now. The 23-year-old runs out of contract in the summer of 2022, and it is understood he will not sign a new deal.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is keen to bring in a new centre-back this summer, in search of a long-term partner for Harry Maguire. But it is understood the Italian side will demand at least £38m for their man, which United would not be willing to pay.

A number of top sides are showing interest in Milenkovic, with Chelsea believed to be keen.

Meanwhile, AC Milan would look to sign him if they can seal a permanent deal for Fikayo Tomori with the Blues.

United are expected to offload Eric Bailly when the window opens, with talks over a new contract not progressing. The 26-year-old wants assurances over regular action, which Solskjaer has refused to give him.

GUARD OF HONOUR

Jude Bellingham joked he is 'not bad for a Championship player' after being hailed for his debut Champions League season.

The England international joined Borussia Dortmund last summer for £25million after leaving boyhood club Birmingham.

In his first European campaign, he proved instrumental in Dortmund's midfield, with ten appearances and a goal.

The strike came in the second leg of their quarter-final against Manchester City, which they lost 4-2 on aggregate. But afterwards, the 17-year-old was asked to comment on his meteoric rise and Bellingham took the chance to poke fun at any prior critics.

He said: "Not bad for a Championship player eh?

"I think I've taken every game in my stride, I had a bit of a tough start away at Lazio and then since then I think all of my best performances in BVB colours have come in the Champions League, including tonight."