Cristiano Ronaldo can’t have too many mates left at Manchester United. The only player still at the club since the Portuguese forward departed Old Trafford in 2009 is Michael Carrick. Everyone else – from Wayne Rooney to Park Ji-sung to Rodrigo Possebon – is long gone.
But it seems CR7 still has a few contacts at his old stomping ground, because he is reportedly feeding classified Red Devils information back to Real Madrid. According to Don Balon, Ronaldo has “alerted” Bernabeu chiefs to United’s interest in Marco Asensio.
The Spanish gossip mavericks claim Ronaldo has “learned” that his former club are preparing a £176m bid for the 22-year-old attacking midfielder. So it seems he still maintains a relationship with someone back in Manchester. Maybe it’s Carrick. Maybe it’s the Glazers. Maybe it’s the tea lady. Maybe it’s Mick Hucknall.
Whoever it is, the European champions will be grateful for the warning because they do not want to sell Asensio “at any price”.
The player, however, could be “tempted” to leave because he is frustrated about not being regarded as a key player for Los Blancos, and United’s offer will reportedly make Madrid chiefs “tremble”. And not in a good way.
Jose Mourinho’s rumoured interest in Barcelona defender Samuel Umtiti rumbles on, with the player speaking out about the speculation.
“Everything happens very quickly in the world we live in,” the Frenchman comments philosophically in the Express, while the Mirror quotes him as saying he is wanted by “other clubs, not only Manchester United”.
The centre-back concludes by saying he is “very happy” at Barcelona. So when you put it all together, it sounds like he will be probably leaving the Nou Camp within months.
West Ham, Everton and Swansea are all eyeing a £35m move for Porto forward Moussa Marega, says the Mirror. The 26-year-old Mali international “fancies a move to England” but the Portuguese side would “drive a hard bargain” before selling him.
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Meanwhile, former Chelsea manager Gianluca Vialli has claimed that current Chelsea manager Antonio Conte “cannot wait to leave” Stamford Bridge in the summer (Metro). And everyone in England believes him purely on the basis that they are both Italian.
For his part, Conte has said he is “not worried” about his Blues future following yesterday’s disastrous home defeat to Tottenham (Guardian). He probably should be.
Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain forward Kylian Mbappe says reports linking team-mate Neymar with a move to Real Madrid are nothing but “hot air” (Goal), Monaco striker Radamel Falcao is concerned that VAR will “kill football” (Marca) and West Ham manager David Moyes is “unsure” about whether to sign on-loan midfielder Joao Mario from Inter Milan this summer (Times). It partly depends on whether Steven Pienaar and Marouane Fellaini are available.
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