Football Paper Talk

Oluwole Francis

  • Newcastle United have increased their contract offer to midfielder Matty Longstaff in a bid to persuade him to reject a move to Italian club Udinese.
  • The Premier League is under increasing pressure to explain how it will deliver on the government’s call for it to share the financial benefits of Project Restart through the “entire football family”.
  • The 20 Premier League clubs will be asked on Thursday to voice any objections they have to relegation in the current season, ahead of a vote next week on how the league will be decided in the event of curtailment.
  • The Rugby Football Union is to seek approval from its members to extend its borrowing facility to £150m as part of emergency financial measures to cope with potential losses caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.
  • Marcus Rashford believes he will be ready to face old boss Jose Mourinho on the first day of Project Restart.
  • Dele Alli is still waiting to hear if he will be banned for Project Restart – three months after being charged by the FA.
  • Arsenal have contacted Crystal Palace and West Ham to arrange friendlies in their build-up to the restart of the Premier League.
  • Chelsea are feeding their players meals on wheels in a bid to get them into shape for the restart of the season.
  • Bruno Fernandes says he can’t wait to play with Paul Pogba.
  • Leicester are set to revive contract talks with James Maddison and Caglar Soyuncu after discussions over long-term deals were placed on hold with the Premier League suspended.
  • Newcastle United’s Matty Longstaff will end up at Premier League rivals Watford if he joins Udinese on a free transfer.
  • Premier League clubs will only be fined a maximum of £25,000 if they breach the competition’s new Covid-19 protocols.
  • The Premier League is set to persist with VAR when football finally returns later this month.
  • If Barcelona cannot sign £98m-rated Lautaro Martinez then their attention will turn to Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
  • The Premier League have not offered EFL clubs any financial assistance despite demands from the government to help them through the shutdown, and could even cut their payments to the lower leagues next season.
  • Barcelona have had their slim hopes of re-signing Neymar from Paris Saint-Germain dashed by them slapping a £155m price tag on the forward.
  • Manchester City may have to wait for two months to learn whether their Champions League ban has been overturned.
  • Premier League clubs will be pushing for a decision on curtailment before the season restarts at Thursday’s top-flight meeting.
  • If Tottenham were to sign Philippe Coutinho this summer it could cause a mutiny at the club, according to reports from Spain.
  • Everton have offered Leighton Baines a one-year contract extension with the manager, Carlo Ancelotti, keen to extend the veteran’s stay at Goodison Park into a 14th season.
  • Doubt has been cast over whether Premiership Rugby clubs can keep players on the government’s furlough scheme when they return to training after HMRC moved to clarify its position.
  • A group of Manchester City supporters will vent their anger towards UEFA on Friday by unveiling a huge banner protesting against the governing body’s treatment of the club.
  • UEFA is set to vote on a plan which would see the Champions League decided in a tournament similar to the World Cup.
  • The SPFL are making plans for the Betfred Cup to kick off in October.

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