🚨 Arsenal and City OUT of UCL, Liverpool linked with top young CB, Man Utd considering Premier League star, Chelsea penalty row latest, & more
Today's round-up, featuring UCL reaction, Man Utd and Liverpool transfer news, and much more...
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Today’s top stories:
Kimmich scores Bayern winner to knock Arsenal out of the Champions League
Man City are also out after losing on penalties against Real Madrid
Charles Watts’ exclusive column - will Arsenal replace Zinchenko?
Arsenal
It wasn’t the best performance from Arsenal, but they were bizarrely denied a corner here late on - how did the officials miss this? FT Bayern 1-0 Arsenal (3-2 on aggregate) [Pictures from TNT Sports]
Mikel Arteta: “Really gutted dressing room. We are disappointed. I cannot find the right words to leave them. It’s the moment to stay next to the players and support because they are the ones that have taken us on this journey.”
Ollie Watkins to Arsenal? Charles Watts has his say on the rumours in his latest exclusive column.
Oleksandr Zinchenko could leave Arsenal or perhaps move into a new position in Mikel Arteta’s side - more here from Charles Watts’ exclusive column.
Jorrel Hato to Arsenal transfer to help replace Zinchenko? Charles Watts provides his latest info in his column.
Charles Watts on how late Arsenal decided to move for Leandro Trossard as their Plan B to Mykhailo Mudryk.
Atalanta
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini: “Of course I am happy with links to Liverpool job to replace Klopp but my focus is on the game. We can’t be distracted by this kind of links or stories, we have to focus on the upcoming games.”
Is Gasperini a Liverpool manager candidate? Fabrizio Romano takes a look at the Atalanta manager’s future in his exclusive column.
Barcelona
Ilkay Gundogan has not held back as he called out his Barcelona teammates after the shock collapse against PSG!
Barcelona talent Marc Bernal (born 2007) is now negotiating new long term deal at the club. Early stages but talks on as he signed with new agency CMG Sports. Bernal has attracted interest from clubs in the Premier League, Serie A and Bundesliga but Barca remains his priority.
“There’s always payback in football… we will be back,” Lamine Yamal says after the defeat to PSG. He looked absolutely destroyed after the final whistle and also in the dressing room.
Bayern Munich
What a header this was by Joshua Kimmich as Bayern beat Arsenal to book their place in the Champions League semi-finals! FT Bayern 1-0 Arsenal (3-2 on aggregate) [Pictures from TNT Sports]
Harry Kane: “An unbelievable win. It’s been a tough season for us. We’ve had to fight and grind it out at times. We knew we could make the difference with our fans at home. It was a tough game, a tight game. It was a great goal from Josh. To reach the semi-finals is a great achievement for us and we can enjoy it.”
Manuel Neuer has made history for Bayern as the goalkeeper with the most clean sheets in Champions League - he’s now managed 58, one more than Iker Casillas.
Champions League semi-final fixtures and dates:
30/04 Bayern Munich vs Real Madrid
01/05 Borussia Dortmund vs PSG
07/05 PSG vs Borussia Dortmund
08/05 Real Madrid vs Bayern Munich
Chelsea
Will we see Chelsea take action against the players involved in Monday night’s bizarre penalty row? Fabrizio Romano with his inside information in his exclusive column.
Charlie Webster has signed a one-year contract extension with Chelsea, deal sealed. He’s currently on loan at Heerenveen and was due to see his Chelsea deal expire in the summer.
Paulo Dybala to Chelsea? The Roma star is being linked with the Blues…
Eintracht Frankfurt
Eintracht Frankfurt plan has not changed: club want to trigger €16m buy option clause for Hugo Ekitike. Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to let him leave in the summer and Eintracht are happy with his potential.
Juventus
Cristiano Ronaldo has officially won his legal battle with Juventus over his wage dispute. Juventus will have to pay Cristiano nearly €10m plus interest.
Lazio
Mattia Zaccagni is set to sign new long term deal at Lazio until June 2029. Lazio director Angelo Fabiani: “We have agreed terms with Zaccagni and it will be signed soon. He really wanted to stay.”
Daichi Kamada will decide his future in the next weeks with a specific clause into his contract. In case Kamada pays €100 by the end of May, his contract at Lazio will be extended until June 2027. If he doesn’t, Kamada would be allowed to leave as a free agent.
Liverpool
Willian Pacho to Liverpool? Fabrizio Romano admits the defender could be on the move for around €60m this summer…
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini: “Of course I am happy with links to Liverpool job to replace Klopp but my focus is on the game. We can’t be distracted by this kind of links or stories, we have to focus on the upcoming games.”
Is Gasperini a Liverpool manager candidate? Fabrizio Romano takes a look at the Atalanta manager’s future in his exclusive column.
Manchester City
Kevin De Bruyne eventually found an equaliser for Manchester City against Real Madrid last night, but it wasn’t enough as they ended up losing on penalties. FT Man City 1-1 Real Madrid (4-4 on aggregate, 3-4 on penalties) [Pictures from TNT Sports]
Pep Guardiola on Bernardo Silva’s poor penalty: “Bernardo is a reliable player. He wanted to take it. He decided to shoot in that way. It is what it is.”
Guardiola on the performance: “We played exceptional in all departments but unfortunately we did not win. You hope to create more and concede less because it helps you to win but we didn't convert the chances we had. To beat Real Madrid you have to be at your best. We were at our best but it was not enough.”
Manchester United
Baylee Dipepa to Manchester United? He’s been scouted by the club, but what next? Fabrizio Romano has his update in his exclusive column here.
Jarrad Branthwaite to Man United could be one to watch as he’s one of the names on their list of centre-back targets - more info in Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive column.
What other names are on Man Utd’s list of defender targets and what does the future hold for Raphael Varane? Fabrizio Romano has all you need to know in his exclusive column.
Napoli
As well as Liverpool, could Gian Piero Gasperini to Napoli also be one to watch?
PSG
Luis Enrique on Kylian Mbappe’s future: “Let’s wait for Kylian to speak about his future. When Mbappe and PSG will speak in public, we will see. It’s like a process. Until Mbappe goes and speaks in public, I’m just here waiting and staying silent.”
Eintracht Frankfurt plan has not changed: club want to trigger €16m buy option clause for Hugo Ekitike. Paris Saint-Germain are prepared to let him leave in the summer and Eintracht are happy with his potential.
Gianluigi Donnarumma: “I’m very happy to be at PSG, I’m more than happy to go to semi-finals now. I’ve suffered lot of criticism, it’s not easy at all trust me... we have to be professional, always. You have to keep going and stay focused.”
Real Madrid
Rodrygo with a real poacher’s finish here as Real Madrid took an early lead away to Manchester City last night. FT Man City 1-1 Real Madrid (4-4 on aggregate, 3-4 on penalties) [Pictures from TNT Sports]
Real Madrid confirm the good news that that Dani Carvajal and Vinicius Junior are not injured, nothing serious for both of them.
Jude Bellingham: “I don’t care about criticism, I have to react on the pitch. I didn’t expect to score so many goals, and of course now I want to score more and more. I will show my reaction on the pitch.”
Bellingham: “It was the first day my brother Jobe got to see me play for Madrid. I feel really proud about those kind of things!”
Carlo Ancelotti: “Don’t forget that Jude is only 20. He’s fantastic. He will be one of the most important players in the future. Bellingham is very good, a modern player. Very strong, very technical and I have no doubts about him.”
Ancelotti on the result: “We started well, we took the lead and then we suffered, fought, sacrificed. We defended too deep, City had more control, although they always have more control. I think we defended very, very well. We’ve seen Real Madrid many times this season, which brings out something that nobody thought we were going to have. In the shootout, we were very convinced that we would qualify. Obviously I really like it when I see a team that sacrifices and fights, as well as the quality… Winning here could only be done this way.”