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Manchester United are once again being linked with a sensational move for Inter Milan defender Alessandro Bastoni, according to Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness). 

The lowdown: United linked with Bastoni

A product of the youth system at Serie A club Atalanta, Bastoni is a rising star of Italian football and has already amassed 120 top-flight outings despite his tender years.

Recently, an initial report from FC Inter 1908 claimed that the Red Devils are keen on the 23-year-old Italy international, who is under contract in Milan until 2024 (Transfermarkt).

It now seems as though that interest could be growing, as a reputable Italian newspaper provides a fresh update…

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The latest: Ten Hag’s admiration for Bastoni

As per Gazzetta dello Sport, translated by Sport Witness, United are in the mix to sign Bastoni as Inter try to avoid selling Lautaro Martinez.

It is claimed that Erik ten Hag likes the 11-cap Italy defender ‘a lot’ and that the Red Devils present the ‘most credible’ interest in making the move happen.

The report added that it would take a fee of ‘at least’ €60m (£51.1m) in order to make the deal to bring the youngster a reality.

The verdict: Statement signing

As Ten Hag gets to grips with the task at hand at Old Trafford, signing a player of Bastoni’s calibre would be a remarkable start to his reign in Manchester.

Despite adding Raphael Varane to a defence containing Harry Maguire, Victor Lindelof and Eric Bailly, United continued to leak goals at an alarming rate, posting the worst concession rate among the top seven finishers in the Premier League.

During the 2021/22 campaign, the 6 foot 3 giant earned an outstanding 7.10 Sofascore rating whilst winning 4.1 duels and making 1.8 clearances and 1.4 tackles on average per game. He has also been hailed as ‘world class’ by journalist Kaustubh Pandey.

That form, combined with the scope in which the 23-year-old has to develop even further, makes the £54m-valued Bastoni a worthy target for bolster United’s defensive ranks.

In other news: Man Utd and Ten Hag launch ‘important offer’ to sign ‘the future’ of football along with De Jong

Tottenham are interested in a deal to bring Alessandro Bastoni to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claimed that Antonio Conte has put the Inter Milan centre-back at the top of his transfer wish list, with Fabio Paratici said to be readying a major bid for the 23-year-old at the end of the current campaign.

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The report added that the Serie A giants may be willing to sanction the sale of the Italy international this summer, so long as they were to receive an offer in the region of €70m (£59m), as this would allow Simone Inzaghi to keep hold of a number of his other key players heading into the 2022/23 campaign.

“A phenomenon”

Considering the sheer amount of potential that Bastoni quite clearly possesses, and with Conte having a previous working relationship with the defender, it is not difficult to understand why the 52-year-old would be interested in a deal to bring the starlet to north London this summer.

Indeed, over his 30 Serie A appearances this season, the £59m-rated talent has been imperious in the heart of the Inter defence, helping his side to keep eight clean sheets, along with making 1.2 tackles, 1.5 interceptions and 1.9 clearances and winning 4.1 duels (at a success rate of 60%) per game.

The 23-year-old left-footer has also impressed going forwards, scoring one goal, registering three assists and creating four big chances for his team-mates, in addition to making 50.8 passes, four long balls and 0.5 key passes per fixture.

These returns have seen the £122k-per-week youngster – who Italian football expert Conor Clancy dubbed “a phenomenon” – average a quite sensational SofaScore match rating of 7.10, ranking him as Inzaghi’s eighth-best performer in Serie A.

Furthermore, FBRef rank the Italian in the top 1% of centre-backs in Europe’s big five leagues for progressive passes received per 90, along with the top 4% for shot-creating actions, the top 10% for assists, the top 11% for progressive carries, the top 12% for xA, the top 14% for progressive passes and the top 15% for pressures over the last 365 days.

These metrics see the 11-cap Italy international earn comparisons to some of the world’s best players in his position, such as Bayern Munich trio Dayot Upamecano, Niklas Sule and Lucas Hernandez.

As such, with it being reported that a new left-sided centre-back is one of Conte’s priority targets in the summer transfer window, it is clear that Bastoni would be something of a perfect signing for Paratici to get over the line in the coming months.

AND in other news: Spurs “have made contact” for “superb” £125k-p/w target, he’d be a “monster” for Conte

According to a report from reputable German outlet SportBILD (via Sport Witness), Wolverhampton Wanderers are interested in signing Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder Sebastian Rode. 

The lowdown: European glory

Having enjoyed somewhat of a journeyman career across Germany, the 31-year-old spent time at Kickers Offenbach, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund before arriving at newly crowed Europa League winners Frankfurt in 2019.

Rode has since made 228 appearances for the Bundesliga side and was named captain in June 2021 before playing a leading role in the victory over Rangers in Seville on Wednesday night.

The experienced defensive midfielder earned an impressive 7.20 Sofascore rating on Wednesday night, winning five duels, making four key passes and creating one big chance, all whilst suffering from a badly cut head early on in the match.

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Now a move out of his homeland may beckon…

The latest: Wolves make pre-summer approach

As per SportBILD, translated by SW, Wolves and Brentford have both ‘already approached’ Rode regarding the move.

It’s claimed that the Wanderers initiated the contract following performances in Europe that were ‘so good’ that Bruno Lage has acted upon the interest.

Under contract until 2024 (Transfermarkt), it’s not stated how much it would take to prise away the man who was once Pep Guardiola’s ‘favourite player’ during their time together at Bayern.

The verdict: Smart signing

Albeit the combative former Germany youth ace isn’t getting any younger, with doubts over the future of Leander Dendoncker, Joao Moutinho and Ruben Neves at Molineux, signing Rode would be a huge boost to Lage’s squad depth.

So far this season, the midfield warrior – who is a close stylistic match with Molineux stalwart Moutinho (Fbref) – has scored once in 28 appearances across all competitions.

Regardless of the aforementioned midfield trio’s status at the club beyond the summer, with five major honours to his name, Rode would be a smart capture as Wolves look to move onto the next step of their development in the Premier League.

In other news… Wanderers are now believed to be the ‘main favourites’ in the race for one of their summer transfer targets.

Sheffield United host Nottingham Forest this afternoon for the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final, with both sides hopeful of making it to the Premier League.

The Blades could secure promotion back to the top-flight at the first time of asking after last season’s relegation, whereas Forest haven’t been amongst English football’s elite for 23 years.

Paul Heckingbottom and his players will be particularly cautious that they don’t make a mistake which could cost them the tie after the first leg, but how are the South Yorkshire outfit looking ahead of today’s clash?

Injury news

As per Nottinghamshire Live, Blades captain Billy Sharp is edging closer to a return, with Heckingbottom stating: “Bill’s another few days closer. We’d like him to be (available), if he’s able to play some part in the tie. If he’s not ready, he’s not ready. He is doing all he can and the staff are doing all they can to make sure there is that opportunity.”

Meanwhile, both Morgan Gibbs-White and George Baldock appear to be available, whilst long-term absentees Rhian Brewster, Jayden Bogle, Oli McBurnie and Jack O’Connell all remain sidelined.

Sheffield United predicted XI

After a thumping 4-0 victory over Championship winners Fulham on the final day to secure a play-off spot, whether or not Heckingbottom will make changes to that side for today’s match is up for debate.

Here is how Football FanCast expects the Blades to line up against Nottingham Forest…

Sheffield United XI: Foderingham, Basham, Egan, Robinson, Baldock, Norwood, Fleck, Stevens, Berge, Gibbs-White, Ndiaye

With uncertainty as to whether or not Sharp will be fit to make the squad, we don’t expect the striker to be ready to start this afternoon.

The only change from the victory over Fulham comes at right-wing-back, with Baldock taking the place of Ben Osborn.

With the 29-year-old now appearing to be fully fit after only being able to make the bench last weekend, he returns to the starting line-up to make his first appearance in almost a month.

Labelled “superb” by BBC pundit Garth Crooks after a goal against Norwich City in the 2019/20 season, the £23k-per-week Englishman is a kingpin for the Blades and deserves to feature in their biggest match of the season so far.

The decision would arguably be harsh on Osborn, whose last goal for United came in a 3-2 victory at Barnsley in October, a game which the wing-back described as “mad”.

Having gone through the youth ranks at Nottingham Forest and joined the Blades from the Reds, the 27-year-old has had a solid season, making 34 appearances in the Championship.

However, being predominantly a left-sided player, Baldock pips the £2.2m-rated Derby native to a place in the starting lineup now that he is fit.

It’s a crunch game for both sides, who will be looking to get themselves one step closer to Wembley after today’s showdown at Bramall Lane.

AND in other news: This is the Forest predicted XI that FFC is forecasting

Harry Kane was left a mere passenger as Tottenham Hotspur held out for a draw against title-chasing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday evening.

Perhaps it was a by-product of the way Antonio Conte set up his side but the England skipper struggled to have any sort of influence on the game as a late, deflected Luiz Diaz strike salvaged a point for the home side.

Heung-min Son had opened the scoring in typical fashion, slotting home from six yards out after Ryan Sessegnon squared the ball across the box for his 20th Premier League goal of the season.

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But in lasting the whole 90 minutes, Kane was pretty anonymous barring one or two flashes at goal. He registered the fewest touches of any Spurs starter (35), three less than goalkeeper Hugo Lloris (38), who was also much better in possession.

Indeed, the £90m-rated talisman made only 50% of his passes, attempting just 18 all match. By comparison, Lloris made 20 successful passes, which includes goal kicks and was more than Kane’s overall attempts, via SofaScore.

Kane also struggled to make much of an impact inside the box, failing to register a single shot on or off target, with his only effort being blocked.

Meanwhile, from his 35 touches, he lost possession 16 times, meaning he gifted the ball back to Jurgen Klopp’s Reds once every two times he had the ball, which was also once every 5.6 minutes.

The 28-year-old striker is in a rough patch right now, scoring just once in his last seven league outings but he’s always going to struggle to find the net if he’s only seeing the ball every five or six minutes – he certainly won’t get on the scoresheet without a shot on target either.

As The Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick wrote in his post-match ratings column, the Lilywhites forward was ‘a yard off the pace, which hampered Spurs’ ability to play on the counter,’ whilst he was among Alasdair Gold’s worst-rated starters, too.

Kane may have had a big part to play in Son’s opener, providing a sublime pass to Sessegnon out wide but aside from that, he was left a shadow of his goalscoring best.

The Englishman was once dubbed a “monster” by his South Korean teammate for his efforts in a 4-1 win over this very team back in 2017, so to deliver this sort of performance is a big contrast.

Fewer touches than the goalkeeper, no shots on target – Kane certainly suffered as a striker at Anfield but that’s not his fault, given the way Conte set up his side this weekend.

AND in other news, Forget Son: “Sensational” Spurs titan who had 11 clearances stole the show at Anfield…

Tottenham Hostpur have been dealt a potential setback in their bid to bring Denzel Dumfries to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Italian publication Gazzetta dello Sport (via Sport Witness), who claim that Bayern Munich are growing increasingly keen on the idea of a move for the Inter Milan wing-back this summer, with the Bundesliga side known to be looking for a player in the 26-year-old’s position, and said to be impressed by the Netherlands international’s growth and dedication as well as his technique and athletics.

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However, the report goes on to state that Tottenham are also extremely keen on the versatile defender, with Antonio Conte’s side thought to be leading the race of Premier League clubs interested in a move for the former PSV Eindhoven starlet this summer.

Paratici must move

With Conte’s desire to sign a new right wing-back this summer being well documented, it is easy to see why the Italian has taken a particular shine to the Inter Milan defender, as Dumfries has been in magnificent form for the Nerazzurri ever since his €15m (£12.5m) move to the San Siro last August.

Indeed, over his 30 Serie A appearances this season, the £34m-rated Dutchman has proven a constant threat on Simone Inzaghi’s right flank, scoring five goals, registering five assists and creating five big chances for his teammates, as well as taking an average of one shot, making 0.8 key passes and completing 0.5 dribbles per game.

The £51k-per-week 26-year-old has also impressed in metrics more typical of his position, making an average of 0.2 interceptions, 0.9 tackles, 0.6 clearances, 0.4 crosses and winning 3.9 duels – at a success rate of 53% – per fixture.

These returns have seen the player who Fuad Alakbarov dubbed an “exciting” talent average a very respectable SofaScore match rating of 6.86 – playing a key role in the Nerazzurri’s push to retain their Serie A title this season.

As such, it is clear for all to see just how well Dumfries would be suited to Conte’s right wing-back role at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, leading us to believe that Paratici simply must do everything he can to beat Bayern Munich to the €30m (£25m) signing of the player who Siavoush Fallahi dubbed a “difference maker” this summer.

AND in other news: Sources: Spurs can now seal cut-price deal for £116k-p/w “monster”, Paratici must move

Just a matter of weeks ago it looked like Chelsea were in the title race but things have rather unravelled for Enzo Maresca and Co in recent weeks.

The Blues did pick up a point against Arsenal with ten men but results since then have been bleak, losing 3-1 to Leeds United and drawing 0-0 with Bournemouth.

Cole Palmer’s return to fitness has been timely, but according to the manager, he’s still not up to full speed just yet.

The latest Chelsea injury news

Palmer returned from the bench against Bournemouth at the weekend but in a fresh blow to Maresca and Co they have decided that the attacking midfielder will not travel with the squad for the Champions League trip to Atalanta.

That said, no fresh injury has been sustained. The manager has confirmed the forward is simply being rested as part of his recovery.

Palmer had missed a period courtesy of a groin injury and then had to spend an extra week out after breaking a toe at home.

That said, he is now slowly working himself back. Maresca said: “Cole is in part of his process in this moment. He’s not available, he can’t play two games in a row in three days. So we planned that, and it’s just a way to protect him.”

As far as Liam Delap is concerned, the news isn’t ideal there. The striker injured his shoulder against the Cherries and will now miss a period of time.

Commenting on the striker’s situation, the Chelsea boss stated: “Liam, fortunately, there is not any fracture, so that is good news. In terms of how long he will be out, we are not sure at this stage to be honest.”

What Delap's injury means for Chelsea

Well, it certainly means that Joao Pedro is likely to play a lot of minutes over the festive period and there could well be a rare slice of minutes for Marc Guiu who has barely kicked a ball this season after being recalled from his early-season loan spell with Sunderland.

That said, it’s unlikely we’ll see a recall for a certain Raheem Sterling who remains out in the cold alongside centre-back Axel Disasi.

A January exit looms for both players and it would be a surprise if we saw either in a Chelsea shirt again.

Maresca said in his press conference: “In terms of Raheem, once again it’s the same thing I said about Axel, they are Chelsea players. Now also we are in December, January is coming, so anything can happen, obviously.”

Sterling signed at Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £47.5m back in the summer of 2022 but has not lived up to expectations, scoring just 19 goals in 81 outings. A season-long loan spell with Arsenal in 2024/25 failed to get his career back on track either.

As for Disasi, he had a loan spell with Aston Villa in the back end of last campaign but has not been seen in Chelsea blue this season. He once cost the club a whopping £38.5m but there is seemingly no way back for him.

Chelsea flop has fast become their biggest liability since Bakayoko

Chelsea and Maresca need to move on from the walking disaster as soon as possible.

1 ByJack Salveson Holmes 7 days ago

With Brendan Rodgers’ future still up in the air, a fresh update has dropped regarding the situation and Celtic’s board, courtesy of an ex-CEO.

Rodgers delighted after dramatic Celtic win

The Hoops left it very late to win 2-1 away to Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premiership on Sunday afternoon, with new signing Kelechi Iheanacho scoring the winning goal from the penalty spot in stoppage time.

Speaking after the game, Rodgers couldn’t hide his delight at the result, as Celtic’s winning mentality shone through, like it so often does.

“It’s a great feeling. It’s been a long two weeks, so to get back out on to the football field – and this is always a tough game here – I’m so pleased for the players.“We weren’t quite in the right fluidity in the first-half. We got into some good areas but we weren’t feeding the wide guys well enough. But I thought in the second half we were much better.

“We started the half really well, got in front, and we had control of the game and had other good chances. They made some really good blocks.

“At 1-0 it can always be in the balance, no matter how much dominance you have, and we got punished from a corner and then they had a wee bit of momentum then with not so long to go. But we stuck at it, we defended the box when he had to, we were really strong and had that Celtic spirit.”

New update on Rodgers' Celtic future

Away from a huge win, though, Rodgers’ future is still a key talking point, and speaking to Football Insider, former Aberdeen chief executive officer Keith Wyness claimed that Celtic’s board will cause huge anger among the fanbase if the manager leaves.

“Now, what I’m hearing from my Celtic contacts is that they’re feeling that the board has become a little bit ivory tower in its view these days. They’re older. They’re used to doing things a certain way, they’re not listening to what they need to do to change, they’re not prepared to change, and there isn’t a hunger and a desire anymore to go forward.

“They’re quite happy with the money in the bank. So that’s what frustrates fans more than anything else when they see their prices going up and they have to fund the season tickets, and they don’t see that being transferred into ambition. It isn’t as though the club’s bust, the very opposite, that’s what frustrates people.

“If Brendan goes, then I think the board will see some real anger, obviously depending on who they bring in. Brendan had managed to win back over a lot of the fans and there’s a lot of sympathy for Brendan in this situation.”

There is no doubt that life under Rodgers isn’t perfect right now, and that he isn’t blameless when it comes to some underwhelming performances, but he still feels like the right man for the job for many fans.

As Wyness alludes to, he wasn’t fully supported financially in the summer transfer window, causing plenty of frustration, so he can only work with the squad he has now.

Rodgers may have unearthed Celtic's next Tierney & it's not Saracchi

Celtic may have found their next Kieran Tierney and it is not Marcelo Saracchi.

ByDan Emery Sep 14, 2025

Sacking Rodgers would be a big risk by the board, and if that did happen, or if the Northern Irishman leaves, they will have to nail his successor to please the supporters.

Rory McIlroy has named an “under-appreciated” England legend as his favourite footballer growing up.

McIlroy became the sixth man to complete a Career Grand Slam earlier this year, with the Northern Irishman finally getting his hands on The Masters back in April, and he is now gearing up for the Ryder Cup, which is due to take place from September 26th – 28th in New York.

The 36-year-old has revealed he has knocked back the opportunity to captain Europe in the past, given the difficulties of combining that role with being a player, saying: “I’ve been asked to do that and I’ve turned it down. The idea of me being a playing captain sometime soon has come up and I’ve shot it down straight away.

That said, given that the current World No. 2 is the only European player in the top five of the rankings, he will still have a huge role to play later this month.

While McIlroy ended up going to be one of the greatest ever golfers, one of his first loves growing up was football, supporting Manchester United, and he has previously described an England legend as his favourite-ever player.

Speaking on The Overlap, McIlroy said: “I loved (Wayne) Rooney, he just worked so hard and he’d run everywhere, and you just felt exhausted after watching him for 90 minutes. To be that good, but also to have that work ethic and track back when someone loses the ball or if you lose it. To me, he just looked like he loved football and I loved watching him play.”

The Grand Slam winner also suggested the Manchester United legend is still underrated, saying: “It’s amazing to think that, all the great stuff that he’s done, you would say like under-appreciated in some way.”

Rooney was a "once in a generation" player

It is perhaps surprising that McIlroy didn’t opt for Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi as his favourite player, given that the Manchester United and Barcelona legends have a whopping 13 Ballon d’Ors between them.

Wayne Rooney named the best midfielder out of Gerrard, Scholes and Lampard

The England legend has had his say…

ByTom Cunningham Jun 11, 2025

However, Messi himself has previously made it clear just how highly he rates Rooney, saying: “Wayne Rooney is for me a once in a generation player. One of those special players, who is not comparable to any other. There are many special players, but Rooney has exceptional quality and technical ability as well as being one of the strongest players I have faced with an exceptional work rate – there is nobody like him.”

The United legend won 17 trophies during his time at Old Trafford, while also amassing 120 caps for the Three Lions, second only to Peter Shilton on the all-time list, showcasing that he is undoubtedly one of the best players England has ever produced.

Continuing their search for a new manager, the 49ers and Rangers have now reportedly added another name to their shortlist alongside Steven Gerrard and Davide Ancelotti.

Rangers' manager shortlist shrinking

The Gers have been considering their options ever since deciding to part ways with Philippe Clement and even handed Barry Ferguson the interim role to buy themselves some time for the rest of the season. With the season now over, however, those at Ibrox have a decision to make between a number of reported candidates.

One name that can at least be ruled out is Ferguson. Although the interim boss showed some promise in European action, his Ibrox record was always unlikely to be enough for the permanent job.

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Nonetheless, he admitted the honour of taking charge if only for a short spell, saying in a recent statement: “I’ve already lived the dream as a player and as captain of Rangers, and to do so as head coach in these last three months has been an enormous honour.

“There have been some ups and downs, but I have loved this experience and given it my all throughout. The backing I have received has been phenomenal. I said, no matter how this period panned out, I would always remain a committed supporter of the club, and I look forward to remaining a Rangers ambassador. I wish whomever becomes the new manager every success in the job.”

Narrowing Rangers’ shortlist down to just a few names, the Gers must get their next decision right. According to reports, it’s Steven Gerrard who is the favourite to become the next Rangers manager and arrive for his second stint in charge.

The former Aston Villa manager recently left Saudi Arabia after a difficult spell in charge of Al Ettifaq, but could be given an instant opportunity to get back to familiarities at Ibrox. Meanwhile, Davide Ancelotti – son of Carlo Ancelotti – has also been heavily linked with what would be his first managerial job away from his father.

There’s every chance that it could be neither of those options, however, with another name now reportedly added to the shortlist.

Rangers add Gattuso to list of candidates

According to Graeme Bailey for The Boot Room, Rangers have now also identified Gennaro Gattuso as a managerial option alongside Gerrard and Ancelotti. The Italian is well known around Ibrox thanks to his spell at the club from 1997 to 1998 and could now make his return away from the pitch and in the dugout at the home of the Scottish giants.

Whilst Gattuso’s playing career was undeniably iconic – Gerrard himself admitted the Italian’s style “really angered” him in their 2005 Champions League final meeting – his managerial career hasn’t quite hit the same heights.

Often implementing a 4-2-3-1 system, the longest that the Italian has lasted at a club is two years, with spells at Napoli, Valencia and AC Milan all ending fairly unsuccessfully. Now at Hajduk Split until at least 2026, Rangers would also face the problem of getting Gattuso out of his current role.

On their list nonetheless, Gattuso could be an interesting name to watch if neither Gerrard nor Ancelotti take the Rangers job in the coming months.