West Bromwich Albion have told Swansea City that they will need to pay £2m for Peter Odemwinge, .
Michael Laudrup is keen to add another striker to his squad before next Monday’s transfer deadline, and has identified the unsettled forward as his number one target.
The 32 year old has hit 30 goals in 87 league appearances since moving to The Hawthorns back in 2010, though he hasn’t started, or scored for them since he attempted to force through a move to Queens Park Rangers back in January.
Stoke City, Cardiff City and Crystal Palace have all been linked with a move for the Nigeria international, but the Swans are the favourites to secure his services.
Odemwinge will be keen to put himself back into international contention ahead of next summer�…
Brazil legend Ronaldo has given Real Madrid s Toni Kroos a swift response in the wake of the Germany international s provocative new year s message, which alluded to his country s 7-1 win over the Selecao at the 2014 World Cup.
Kroos posted a picture on Twitter on Sunday to wish his followers a happy 2017, replacing the one with a Brazilian flag and the seven with a German banner.
The midfielders post did not go down well in Brazil, however, with many criticising him over the provocative nature of the image.
Kroos followed up his message later on with a tweet expressing his surprise with the reaction to what he described as a little joke , but Ronaldo has now re-opened the debate with a picture of his own.
— Toni Kroos (@ToniKroos)
What the papers say
Liverpool defender Andy Robertson has reportedly made it onto Real Madrid’s transfer radar.
According to the Daily Mail, the 29-year-old Scotland captain is viewed by the LaLiga club as a potential replacement for injury-plagued defender Ferland Mendy. However, Robertson is contracted to Liverpool until 2026 and has shown no intention of leaving.
Meanwhile, the Daily Mirror reports Arsenal are prepared to move mountains in order to fuel their transfer capital. The paper says Gunners bosses are willing to sell as many as eight players to raise funds for their summer transfer pursuits, which includes Leicester’s James Maddison and West Ham’s Declan Rice.
Ajax forward Mohammed Kudus is eager to part ways with the Dutch club, according to T…
Celtic star Joe Ledley seems to be nearing closer to leaving Parkhead, that s .
The 26-year-old has a contract until the end of the current campaign with the Bhoys, and he has been in talks with club officials over a new deal.
However, Daily Express understands that the negotiations are not showing any progress, meaning that Ledley looks likely to leave in the near future.
Should he decide to leave the Bhoys, there will be plenty of Premier League sides ready to offer him an escape route from Parkhead, with Everton and Cardiff reportedly topping the list of suitors.
Joe Ledley left boyhood club Cardiff in the summer of 2010 to join Celtic on a free transfer, and has since scored 18 goals in 95 SPL appearances.
Having only played for the Bluebirds…
Atletico Madrid are in pole position for a Champions League quarter-final berth after recording a 4-2 win over Bayer Leverkusen in the first leg of their last-16 tie at the BayArena.
Leverkusen were gunning for revenge after their European elimination at the hands of Atleti in 2014-15, and they had every reason to be confident following an eight-game unbeaten run in the Champions League, with only Real Madrid on a longer streak.
However, the visitors made an electric start, Saul Niguez and Antoine Griezmann putting them two goals up at half-time, before Karim Bellarabi pulled one back early in the second half.
Stefan Savic s own-goal after a Kevin Gameiro penalty prompted a late onslaught from Leverkusen, but Atleti were always dangerous on the break and Fernando…
West Brom came from two goals down to snatch a share of the spoils in a dramatic 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday in the Championship.
Sheffield United fared better than their city rivals, however, as a 2-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers saw the Blades move level with Leeds United and Middlesbrough at the top.
Frank Lampard s Derby County salvaged a point against Norwich City thanks to Craig Bryson s last-gasp effort, while Millwall fought back late on at Nottingham Forest.
Elsewhere, Bristol City missed out on a chance to move into the top six as they were held to a 0-0 draw by Rotherham United.
BAGGIES BOUNCE BACK FROM REACH SCREAMER
Adam Reach does not score ordinary goals, it seems.
Having netted a goal of the season conten…
West Ham face Italian side Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League final in Prague on Wednesday night.
The Hammers are bidding to win a first major trophy since the FA Cup in 1980.
Here, the PA news agency looks back at their route to the final.
Qualifying round
The 2023 Europa Conference League final is set
Who you got?
— UEFA Europa Conference League (@europacnfleague)
West Ham’s journey to Prague began on August 18, three Prime Ministers ago, with a home meeting against Danish minnows Viborg.
New Italian striker Gianluca Scamacca, Jarrod Bowen and Michail Antonio scored in a 3-1 first-leg win. Scamacca was on target again, along with Said Benrahma and Tomas Soucek, in the away leg to secure a comprehensive 6-1 aggreg…
Hull City vice-chairman Ehab Allam has published an open letter in attempt to explain the reasons behind the club s proposed name change.
Owner Assem Allam, Ehab s father, has previously announced his intention to re-brand the Premier League club as Hull Tigers , a move the 74-year-old feels would make Hull more commercially profitable while also improving their reputation globally.
A proposal to change the club s name from next season has been formally submitted to the Football Association, but the move has been met with a furious reaction from some supporters.
Ehab Allam has now moved to further clarify the reasoning behind the decision, stating the family are looking to make the club more self-sustainable.
The letter, published in the Hull Daily Mail, read: Mo…
Louis van Gaal has hailed the achievements of Mauricio Pochettino as Manchester United prepare to visit Premier League title-challengers Tottenham on Sunday.
Spurs go into the match at White Hart Lane this weekend as genuine contenders for English football s biggest prize, a role more commonly associated with their visitors.
United must make do with the race for Champions League qualification they are fifth, one point behind local rivals Manchester City with seven games of the league season remaining.
The Red Devils could yet win a first FA Cup since 2004, with a quarter-final replay at West Ham coming up on Wednesday.
This weekend, though, it is Tottenham who will deservedly be the centre of attention.
And Van Gaal was generous in his prais…
Denmark head coach Kasper Hjulmand paid tribute to his players for their response to Christian Eriksen s distressing collapse during the Euro 2020 defeat to Finland on Saturday.
The Group B clash in Copenhagen was suspended shortly before half-time after Inter midfielder Eriksen fell to the ground with no one around him.
Team-mates and referee Anthony Taylor called for immediate help from medical staff, with the players forming a protective barrier around Eriksen while efforts were made to resuscitate him.
The 29-year-old was carried from the pitch and positive news followed with the Danish Football Union stating Eriksen was awake after being taken to hospital.
Both sets of players decided to resume the game after more than 100 minutes away from the p…