🚨 Arne Slot wants Liverpool job, Enzo's season is over, Xavi's u-turn, Rangnick deal close, Pep on João Cancelo and much more
Today's round-up, featuring Man Utd, Liverpool, Chelsea and much more...
Good morning everyone and welcome to the latest edition of the Daily Briefing - thanks for reading, and hope you enjoy! :-)
Today’s top stories:
🎧 LISTEN: The Debrief - Will PSG finally win the Champions League?
Plus more from AS Monaco, Manchester United, and Real Madrid
AS Monaco
Several clubs keep monitoring French midfielder Youssouf Fofana as he's out of contract with Monaco in June 2025, but nothing is advanced so far. PSG are not actively working on the deal as things stand, same for Italian clubs. The situation remains open for the summer.
Barcelona
Barcelona will discuss Sergi Roberto's contract again as Xavi considers him an important player on the pitch and in the dressing room. After an initial round of talks, Sergi's camp and Barça will talk again but there are chances for him to stay.
Laporta: "Xavi has expressed his joy to stay at Barça, continue this project and improve together. We are excited. It's excellent news for Barça. Stability is key for successful projects, Xavi is a true Barcelonista and we share this feeling."
Laporta: "I haven't seen our fans so excited in a long time. We are all together with Xavi."
Laporta: “We did not discuss with any other manager as we were just waiting for Xavi to change his mind. Nothing was gonna happen with other coaches before the end of the season, the only priority was Xavi.”
Xavi: "I changed my mind because I really felt total confidence from the president, from the board and the players too. This project isn't finished yet. Me, my staff, all together feel that we have strength to make important things together and continue this project."
Xavi: "Rumours about me staying as I wanted to get the money from my final year of contract are fake... and invented to damage me. The president knows that if I had left the club, I would not have asked Barcelona for one single euro of the final year of my contract."
Jonathan Johnson believes that Barcelona deserved to go out of the Champions League to PSG, and Luis Enrique deserves huge credit for his tactics. Read more in his exclusive column.
La Liga clubs at risk of being banned from European competition [Diario AS]
Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen director Rolfes: “We want to keep Jonathan Tah and extend him beyond 2025. We’ll talk about that after the end of the season, Tah thinks the same way too.”
Be the first to read EXCLUSIVE NEWS ARTICLES from me, Fabrizio Romano, Christian Falk, Neil Jones, Ben Jacobs, Jonathan Johnson Charles Watts and Matteo Moretto!
Bayern Munich
Talks between Bayern and Ralf Rangnick continue, discussing the project details. It’s at a very concrete, advanced stage as Rangnick remains the favourite candidate for Bayern job.
Brighton and Hove Albion
Roberto De Zerbi suggested that his Brighton side had lost to one of the best teams in the world after the Seagulls were defeated 4-0 at home by Man City [pictures from Sky Sports]:
Chelsea
Chelsea confirm Enzo Fernández has undergone successful surgery on a groin issue. “He will begin a period of rehabilitation, sidelining him for the remainder of Chelsea’s 2023/24 season.”
Si Phillips delves into what it is that players need to do in order to be a success in the current Chelsea set up.
John Terry reveals he nearly refused to fly with Andre Villas-Boas after Academy players were sat in first class seats on a flight [pictures from Up Front with Simon Jordan]:
Genoa
The Story Behind Italy’s Oldest Club - Ben Jacobs sits down with Genoa’s CEO to talk about the rich history of Genoa football and their incredible season so far.
Napoli linked with Genoa striker Retegui [Corriere dello Sport]
Liverpool
Liverpool will continue talks with Feyenoord in the next hours to reach an agreement on compensation for Arne Slot. The Reds want to get the deal done on the club side soon, as there's no issue on contract talks with the manager and his representative so far.
Van Dijk: “Arne Slot is one of the better Dutch coaches at the moment. With the way he plays, the philosophy he has, he can be a Liverpool coach but I read and hear that it is far from complete. We shall see. We will focus on that next season, still a long way off.”
Arne Slot: “I’d like to become the new Liverpool manager, my decision is clear. Feyenoord and Liverpool are in talks to negotiate, I’m waiting to see what will come out of it. I am confident, waiting for the clubs to reach an agreement. I believe that Feyenoord will let me join Liverpool as it would be a massive step for me. I’m happy at Feyenoord but Liverpool would be a fantastic opportunity for me.”
Liverpool targeting £50m-rated centre-back [Di Marzio]
Manchester City
Pep Guardiola on João Cancelo returning from Barça loan in July: "We didn't discuss Cancelo's future yet. We will discuss it at the end of the season."
Before their 4-0 win against Brighton, Jack Grealish had a chance encounter with Russ Cook, the first man to run the entire length of Africa! [pictures from Sky Sports]:
Kevin De Bruyne got the ball rolling at the AMEX Stadium with a brilliant diving header [pictures from Sky Sports]:
After his brace at Brighton, including the deflected free-kick below, Phil Foden now has 24 goals, 10 assists in all competitions this season [pictures from Sky Sports]:
Guardiola: “The title race is not only between us and Arsenal. What happened to Liverpool, two defeats in a row, it can happen to Arsenal, it can happen to us. What is important is still we are there. There are a lot of games to play.”
Man City urged to revolt against UEFA and FIFA [Football Insider]
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Manchester United
Ten Hag: "Bruno showed his leadership again, his energy, his transition both ways. He always tries to encourage the team. We're very pleased with his performance and attitude."
Ethan Wheatley: "Bruno pulled me to the side and told me: I’ve got nine minutes to try get you a goal." Bruno: "He's a young kind, the moment is massive for him and I think getting a goal in his first appearance would be massive. I couldn't give the assist... I tried."
Man United eyeing German manager with West Ham United also interested [TeamTalk]
Newcastle
Bruno Guimarães’ release clause will be valid from the last week of May to the beginning of the last week of June. £100m release clause is only valid for that month. In July/August, Newcastle would have total control of price and potential negotiations.
Palmeiras
Palmeiras gem Luis Guilherme has scored his first goal in the Copa Libertadores, a special moment for the 18-year-old talent. His release clause is worth €55m. Liverpool have not made any bid despite reports, but they keep scouting him as are Arsenal and Bayern.
Porto
Sérgio Conceição’s contract at FC Porto is now valid until June 2028. The agreement has become valid under current president Pinto da Costa, who is waiting for the elections.
Real Madrid
Carlo Ancelotti: “Thibaut Courtois feels good and he could play against Cadiz. He’s doing well with his recovery.”
What if it’s a Real Madrid vs PSG Champions League Final? Jonathan Johnson looks at how the Kylian Mbappé situation could play out in an exclusive deep dive.
Jude Bellingham ruled out of Real Sociedad test [Football Espana]
The Debrief Podcast
Will PSG finally win the Champions League? CBS Football Correspondent Jonathan Johnson joins us this week to look back at the Champions League Quarter-Finals and preview the Semi-Finals next week.
Johnson, along with Fabrizio Romano, have the latest on Mbappe’s announcement and how the end of this season will play out for the French superstar.