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According to Chronicle Live, Newcastle United will be given the opportunity to sign AC Milan defender Diego Laxalt at the end of the 2018-19 campaign.

Laxalt has made 28 appearances for Milan this season, but it is being reported that the Uruguay international will be available this summer.

The Newcastle fans have been on social media commenting on the transfer speculation, and it would be fair to say that a number are desperate for their club to bring the South American to St James’ Park.

It remains to be seen what type of budget the Magpies will have this summer, but Laxalt could well be available for a cut-price fee having struggled to hold down a regular spot at the San Siro this term.

Left-back is an area that the Premier League outfit are seemingly looking at ahead of this summer’s transfer window, with Matt Ritchie often filling in at left-back or left wing-back in recent times.

Check out the video below to see how Brazil fans reacted to being asked how Cristiano Ronaldo would perform for them in a hilarious prank by Pl>ymaker FC…

And the club’s supporters are hopeful that Laxalt makes the move.

A selection of the Twitter reaction can be seen below:

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International Liverpool fans on Twitter are not best pleased after a major announcement by the club regarding preparations for next season.

The Reds confirmed on Tuesday evening the destination for their pre-2019/2020 summer tour, heading to the USA for the second consecutive year after journeying to North Carolina, New Jersey and Michigan to encounter Borussia Dortmund, Manchester City and Manchester United in 2018.

This time around, Jurgen Klopp’s men will first clash with Borussia Dortmund at the Notre Dame Stadium in Indiana on 19 July, before facing off with Sevilla at Fenway Park in Boston two days later, and rounding off the trip against Sporting CP at the Yankee Stadium in New York on 24 July.

Chelsea fans were giving it large at Anfield on Sunday. Watch their afternoon get slowly ruined in the video below…

However, the exciting news has upset some unhappy Reds supporters from all four corners of the globe, complaining that the Premier League title contenders didn’t choose destinations such as South Africa, Singapore and Switzerland amongst others.

Check out the pick of their replies below…

Barnsley had gone a remarkable total of 118 days unbeaten in League One before they faced Burton Albion on Saturday.

During this period, Daniel Stendel’s Tykes played 20 games and amassed a total of 44 points which saw them move into second place behind runaway leaders Luton Town. With only six games to play before the end of the season, it was looking increasingly likely that the Yorkshire-based outfit were going to extend their run up to May.

However, the Brewers had different ideas at the weekend as goals from Jamie Allen, Liam Boyce and Marcus Harness secured the victory for the home side at the Pirelli Stadium and thus snapping Barnsley’s streak.

Although the defeat to Burton was compounded by victories for promotion challengers Sunderland and Portsmouth, it may have been a blessing in disguise for the Tykes. During their run, they dropped points in no fewer than eight of their games which allowed their rivals to keep within striking distance of them.

It could be argued that the value of remaining unbeaten during this period inadvertently prevented Barnsley from going all out for victories and so by losing at the weekend, they may in fact benefit over the next month.

Indeed, the fact that Sunderland have the same amount of points as the Tykes but still have two games in hand means that Stendel’s side no longer are in control of their own destiny yet they remain in a good position to secure automatic promotion if the Black Cats slip-up.

However, even if they are usurped from the top two positions in May, the Tykes will still have a second chance of achieving promotion via the play-offs, which they have a great recent relationship with. In 2006, Barnsley achieved promotion from League One by defeating Swansea City in the final whilst a decade later they repeated the feat by emerging victorious over Millwall. A third consecutive victory in the knock-out competition therefore would not be entirely out of the question, especially when you consider how well Stendel’s side have been playing this season.

What do you think Barnsley fans? Can your side bounce back from defeat at Burton? Would you be confident of them securing promotion via the play-offs this season? Get in touch below.

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Portsmouth do not hold an option to buy Omar Bogle this summer, manager Kenny Jackett has confirmed per portsmouth.co.uk.

Bogle joined the club on loan from Cardiff City in January and has already impressed in front of goal.

What’s the word?

Pompey have enjoyed Bogle’s talents thus far, seeing him score four times in just eight outings.

The 25-year-old has not played for Cardiff this season and instead spent the first half of the campaign on loan at Birmingham City.

During his time with the Championship club, he scored once in 15 outings.

He is enjoying a more prolific spell at Fratton Park as Pompey look to secure promotion to the second-tier – they are fourth, four points behind second-placed Barnsley and nine behind leaders Luton Town.

Manager Jackett, though, says the club do not have the option to purchase Bogle, who has a year remaining on his current Cardiff contract, in the summer transfer window.

He said, per portsmouth.co.uk: “He’s got a year left on his contract at Cardiff.

“There have been no discussions with what we do in the summer.  Cardiff will obviously see which division they’re in but he has got a year left at Cardiff and we will see which division they’re in.

“But he has a year left and there have been no discussions yet.”

Promotion required

Portsmouth will likely need to win promotion to convince Bogle to stay.

The 25-year-old may not want to remain in League One for another season, particularly if his parent club are relegated from the Premier League.

As it stands, he is enjoying a purple patch but Pompey are unlikely to be able to afford him if they are again in the third-tier in 2019-20.

Plus, if the Bluebirds go down, they may need to call on Bogle’s talents to take them back up.

Jackett claims he will see which division Cardiff are in before making a decision; it may have to be the other way round this summer.

Everton fans certainly won’t be excited by this weekend’s transfer rumours! The Sun on Sunday (page 59, via HITC) are reporting the club sent their top scout to watch Birmingham forward Che Adams. Great, right?

Well, no.

If this is the level of player they’re looking at, there’s no chance they’ll join the big six.

The Everton hierarchy have talked a good game for a few years now. There’s the promise of attacking football, a new stadium and money being available, with a huge amount being spent already. It’s looking positive, but they need to start investing more heavily if they’re to bridge the gap to the big boys.

Marco Silva’s attacking intentions are clear, and they’ve got a young squad. They now need to add some world-class talent to push them into the European spaces, particularly a striker. Che Adams is not world class by any stretch of the imagination and signing him would be a punch in the face to Evertonians who are hoping for success.

He could be a great prospect for the future, and he’s scored 21 goals for Birmingham this season, but Everton shoudn’t be the place where he’s tested in the Premier League. They need an established striker with experience at the highest level to take the club to new heights.

The 22-year-old, who is valued at £6.3 million (by Transfermarkt), would be a major disappointment to the Goodison faithful who need some big signings in summer to prove their club are planning on going places. If Everton did sign Adams there’d be so much pressure on him to perform like a Premier League star that he’d most likely crumble under it all.

If the Toffees are serious about catching up with the top six, they need to stop scouting in the Championship and cast their net across the best teams in Europe’s top five leagues. Buying players at the level you aim to grow to is the only way to reach the top.

Everton fans, who do you think your club should sign in the summer to help bridge the gap to the big six. Join the discussion by commenting below.

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Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold has the perfect opportunity to make amends for his previous display at Old Trafford when his team face Manchester United at ‘The Theatre of Dreams’ on Sunday.

On the chalkboard

The 20-year-old has established himself as the Merseyside outfit’s first-choice right-back, but question marks were certainly raised over the England international following his outing in the 2-1 defeat against the Red Devils in March 2018, when Jurgen Klopp’s men found themselves 2-0 down after 25 minutes.

Marcus Rashford scored twice from the left-hand side and gave Alexander-Arnold a torrid time as Jose Mourinho’s men ran out victors, and the youngster will surely be keen to improve on that performance this time around.

The stakes are high this term with the Reds well in the title race and the hosts enjoying a rejuvenation period since Ole Gunnar Solskjaer succeeded Mourinho, and the Liverpool right-back should be in good shape having made his first start since his return from injury against Bayern Munich in midweek.

Can he succeed?

He certainly can, and he will feel much more confident against Rashford, Paul Pogba, Anthony Martial and others than he may have done previously.

Is the emergance of a ‘big 6’ good news for English clubs in Europe? Pl>ymaker FC’s Ed Tarlton certainly thinks to in the video below…

While Alexander-Arnold will once again be in for a tough afternoon at Old Trafford given the form United are currently in, there is no doubt that he has matured and improved just under 12 months after that nervous showing.

As well as being strong from a defensive point of view, as he showed by helping his side keep a clean sheet in the Champions League on Tuesday, he can also give Luke Shaw something to think about from an attacking point of view as well.

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According to Sky Sports, Liverpool striker Taiwo Awoniyi is reportedly on the radar of Bundesliga side Schalke, who are said to be monitoring the forward’s availability amid doubts over his chances of obtaining a work permit.

What’s the word, then?

Well, the Nigerian international has been on the Reds’ books since 2015, but he is yet to make a senior appearance for the club as he does not qualify for a work permit.

The 21-year-old has had loan spells with FSV Frankfurt, NEC Nijmegen and Gent since signing for Liverpool, and is currently out on loan with Belgian side Royal Excel Mouscron – his second stint at the club.

Who has the loudest fans in Europe? PSG certainly state their claim in the video below…

Awoniyi has impressed for the Pro League side this season, notching six goals in seven games since returning to the club in January after spending the first half of the campaign with Gent.

Liverpool would want a fee in excess of £13m for the youngster if his work permit status is not resolved, whilst they are also open to another loan deal.

Bad news for English clubs

The Merseysiders offered Awoniyi an improved five-year contract extension last summer, which he duly signed, but the Reds’ hopes of seeing the young Nigerian in action for them will surely be dealt a blow by the impending introduction of Brexit.

Under the incoming rules, players such as Jorginho, Riyad Mahrez and Alexandre Lacazette would have struggled to qualify for a work permit to play in the Premier League – it would be near impossible for the Algerian international Mahrez to have made the move to Leicester he did back in 2014 under the incoming restrictions.

For players of that calibre not to be allowed to play in England speaks volumes about young prospects such as Awoniyi ever getting the chance to play here, which is bad news for English clubs but great news for teams such as Schalke who are monitoring Awoniyi’s situation.

Liverpool fans may never get to see the youngster wear the badge in front of them, despite their obvious high hopes for him.

Hampshire captain Dimitri Mascarenhas has criticised the pitch at SuperSport Park in Centurion, calling it “no good for 20-over cricket” after his team was knocked out of the Champions League qualifiers having played only one match. Hampshire posted 121 on a surface with inconsistent bounce that did not allow the ball to carry through quickly, and Auckland reached the target with 33 deliveries to spare.”When we saw the pitch yesterday, we thought there was no way we could play on the wicket,” Mascarenhas said. “We knew that whoever won the toss would win the game. I heard there was a chance the match would be moved to the Wanderers but obviously that didn’t happen.” There has been no confirmation that a request was put in to change the venue and the second match continued as scheduled in Centurion.When the Hampshire team saw the pitch on Monday it was being watered, which groundsman Hilbert Smit said was “standard practice.” He admitted he may have “misread the weather,” when he watered the pitch during last week’s heat wave in anticipation of no rain early this week. Instead, 38 millimetres fell on Monday in the summer’s first storms, and the water table rose substantially.”Because of that [the rain] we knew the pitch would be slow and a few deliveries would hold back. But one team still scored at more than eight runs to the over and there is nothing wrong with that,” Smit said, referring to Auckland’s chase.Mascarenhas said the pitch had eased after the heavy roller was used in the innings break and it “definitely got better” to bat on. He thought his team had lost the match because of the batting performance. “Not many teams defend scores of around 120. When you are, you’re desperate for wickets and in doing that, you will give a few away.”Rather than a low-scoring game, Mascarenhas would have preferred a strip with runs in it. “In 20-over cricket, you want a flat wicket and you want to see runs on the board. You don’t want the ball to be dominating the whole time,” he said. “I am a bowler and even I don’t want the ball to dominate.”Auckland captain Gareth Hopkins was less scathing about the surface. “The toss did play a little part in it and it was easier to bat on second, but I don’t think it was too tricky up front,” he said. “It was a little bit slower than the pitch we had last night at the Wanderers and one or two balls did something funny.”Hopkins was the happier of the two captains not just because his team won but because Auckland have now qualified for the main draw. Their victories in both group matches mean they will progress irrespective of the result between Hampshire and Sialkot tomorrow.Hampshire were gutted not only to be out of the competition in the space of a day but because, as Mascarenhas said, “The most disappointing thing is that it was all in the toss, it was decided on that.”

Did Tottenham Hotspur manage to enjoy a good transfer window in the end?

One has to feel that, after their win over Manchester City, they nailed one thing: The signing of Steven Bergwijn.

Daniel Levy, of course, had a challenge to rise to in this window: Jose Mourinho, the club’s manager, had never managed the side throughout a single transfer market and, yet, he appears to have been appeased in at least two areas.

The signing of Bergwijn was Spurs seizing an opportunity presented to them; they were first linked with him on a Sunday and, in a matter of days, he had signed on the dotted line. This was a quick deal that was completed rapidly.

The other signing saw Gedson Fernandes arrive on a loan deal from Benfica and nobody really knows what he is going to be; at this point, he is a set of attributes and is just 21, having played just seven times in Liga NOS in Portugal this term prior to his move. Giovani Lo Celso’s loan move was made permanent, too.

Yet Mourinho surely found the same frustrations as Mauricio Pochettino; Levy was unable to strengthen the club’s forward line and also seemed to ignore the glaring deficiencies in defence and in defensive midfield.

Pochettino, of course, was sacked in November and there are a number of stories of players that slipped through Spurs’ fingers during the reign of the Argentine: Jack Grealish could have arrived from Aston Villa but Levy dragged his heels on the deal while there was also a refusal to pay up for Sadio Mane, then at Southampton, prior to his move to Liverpool.

Mourinho has already aired his grievances about the club’s failure to sign a striker; even after the win over City, he revealed that they can only play a certain way – on the counter-attack – because of the lack of a No.9.

Spurs had hoped, per sources, to sign Olivier Giroud from Chelsea in the final week of the transfer window but the deal could not be completed because the Blues failed to sign a forward to replace him. There is surely frustration, however, in north London, at Giroud’s situation. He did not even feature on the bench as Frank Lampard’s side drew 2-2 with Leicester City at the weekend.

A true test for any Spurs fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

There was also interest in Krzysztof Piatek and Willian Jose; sources say that the former was the subject of a loan bid but that Milan were repeatedly clear that they needed to sell him. They eventually did just that, as he moved to Hertha Berlin. Jose, by comparison, has said that he felt it was a “big opportunity” to move to Spurs but Levy was unable to agree a deal with Sociedad.

It is a familiar failing. In defensive midfield, they only have Eric Dier, while both Danny Rose and Kyle Walker-Peters were allowed to leave on loan in January and were not at all replaced.

And so, one has to feel that Pochettino will have been watching these events unfold with something of a wry smile on his face.

Mourinho has had some areas strengthened – Bergwijn looks to be an excellent signing after scoring a brilliant volley against City – but there are still some glaring deficiencies in the squad.

It is hard to judge the talent at Mourinho’s disposal at this point, of course, because the season is not yet over and Spurs are fifth in the Premier League, just four points off the top four.

One has to feel, though, that they could have been boosted by some further buys in January – it remains to be seen how much those possible acquisitions, such as Giroud, will be missed.

Meanwhile, loads of Spurs fans love one Mourinho moment!

According to Spanish outlet Marca, West Ham striker Javier Hernández has agreed terms with La Liga outfit Valencia. 

The Mexican had been rumoured to be leaving the London Stadium for a long time, but those rumours had died down after his game time increased during Marko Arnautović’s spell on the sidelines. Obviously, that was not enough to entice him to stay in east London.

West Ham fans will be terrified to look at the news at the moment, as there is a seemingly unending list of players that are rumoured to be leaving them. Lucas Pérez could well be leaving The Hammers this January, in search of more regular football, with La Liga outfit Real Betis looking like a potential destination. While manager Manuel Pellegrini would want to keep hold of the Spaniard, seeing as he was only bought in the summer, he would probably be willing to let him go providing he has his other options.

However, with Marko Arnautović’s departure to China looking very likely, as well as Hernández’s departure, West Ham’s season could be taking a dramatic turn for the worse. For a club that boasted an impressive squad at the beginning of the summer after a lot of spending, they could be down to the bare bones come the end of January, which will be a worry to the club.

The Hammers could potentially be left with only Pérez and Andy Carroll should they fail to sign anyone else, which will not please a lot of fans. West Ham’s season could be falling apart very quickly.