🚨 Mount scores first Man Utd goal in dramatic draw, Palmer scores again but Chelsea's struggles continue, plus Enrique's surprise Mbappe hint

Today's round-up, featuring Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and much more!

Good morning everyone and welcome to another Daily Briefing - thanks as always for reading, and hope you enjoy!

Today’s top stories:

• What did Luis Enrique mean with his Kylian Mbappe comments?

• Mason Mount finally scored his first goal for Man Utd

• Cole Palmer’s form continues but Chelsea drop points

• Plus more from Arsenal, Barcelona and Real Madrid

AC Milan

• A typical Rafael Leao goal as they beat Fiorentina! FT Fiorentina 1-2 AC Milan [Pictures from TNT Sports]

• Rafael Leao: “I’m under contract at AC Milan, I don’t know my future yet but Milan is my home. This club helped me to improve and I’m happy here. I want to win something important at Milan.”

Arsenal

• Viktor Gyokeres remains on Arsenal’s radar, but how likely is a move? Fabrizio Romano has an update in his exclusive column.

• Declan Rice: “We are not inferior to them at all. We are Arsenal, they are City. We have got some unbelievable players, they have got some unbelievable players. I would rather go there and be an underdog!”

• Mikel Arteta on Kai Havertz playing as a central striker: “Kai is a constant threat. He can threaten you in behind, he can come to some good spaces and provoke a lot of issues positionally for the opponent.”

Aston Villa

• What a hit by Moussa Diaby as Aston Villa beat Wolves! FT Aston Villa 2-0 Wolves [Pictures from Sky Sports]

---

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!

---

Barcelona

• HOW did Joao Felix miss this? Thankfully for him, it didn’t cost Barcelona the win. FT Barcelona 1-0 Las Palmas [Pictures from ViaPlay Sports]

• Barca board prepared a “long term project” with Xavi, reveals vice president Rafa Yuste: “I hope and wish that he continues here because we are talking about a long term project with him, not a season or two. We’re gonna try to convince Xavi, it’s up to him.”

• Amadou Onana Barcelona transfer bid in the works?

Bayer Leverkusen

• That’s now 39 consecutive games unbeaten for Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen- they’re the only undefeated team in top European leagues and they’re now 13 points clear at the top of the Bundesliga.

• Thomas Tuchel gives up for Bundesliga title: “Congratulations to Bayer Leverkusen. The title race is over.”

Bayern Munich

• Alphonso Davies’ situation at Bayern is tense - more info here from Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive column.

• Joshua Kimmich after the Dortmund defeat: “I wonder how we can put in such a performance in a game like this. It’s completely inexplicable to me, it was like a friendly game in the second half. We players should go home and question ourselves.”

• Thomas Tuchel gives up for Bundesliga title: “Congratulations to Bayer Leverkusen. The title race is over.”

Borussia Dortmund

• Borussia Dortmund have won Der Klassiker at Bayern Munich’s stadium for the first time since April 2014 - their 3641 days waiting for a win at the Allianz Arena is finally over!

Brentford

• Kristoffer Ajer snatched this dramatic stoppage time equaliser for Brentford - it was the least they deserved after a superb performance! FT Brentford 1-1 Man United [Pictures from Sky Sports]

• Thomas Frank after his side’s 1-1 draw against Man United: “We had the most shots ever in the Premier League…How we didn’t win is incredible!”

• Brentford director Lee Dykes on Ivan Toney’s future: “We’ve to be honest like with David Raya. Toney’s got aspirations to play at a higher level, which is fine, but it’s got to be on Brentford's terms. But there's also a situation where Ivan stays at the club, and that's what we all want. We want Ivan to stay at the club and play Premier League football for Brentford for years to come.”

Brighton

• Roberto de Zerbi: “Signing a new deal at Brighton? At the moment, no. I need to speak to Tony Bloom about the plan for the club in order to decide my future, I want to know what is the project. I want to keep my ambition.”

Chelsea

• What an audacious penalty by Cole Palmer - another superb display from him but not enough for Chelsea to win the game. FT Chelsea 2-2 Burnley [Pictures from Chelsea FC/X]

• Cole Palmer has become the youngest Chelsea player ever with 20 G/A in a Premier League season. Palmer is the first 21 year-old to do it in club history - what a signing he’s been!

• But Cole Palmer was NOT happy after the 2-2 draw with Burnley, saying: “It’s poor, really… it can’t happen. Especially when they go down to ten men. We got too comfortable. Same story, we kill ourselves every week. It’s got to improve from us as players. We need consistency.”

• Mauricio Pochettino: “I’m sorry. We didn’t show the capacity, energy, hunger, the minimum to compete. That’s why I am so upset and disappointed. It’s difficult to accept not to win the game because it was a must-win game. It’s not to blame the players, it’s to blame everyone.”

• Could Chelsea’s transfer pursuit of Bradley Locko happen this summer? Jonathan Johnson explains why this might be a good time for Brest to sell.

• What did you make of this Conor Gallagher incident?

Juventus

• Massimiliano Allegri managed his 500th game last night - is he a legendary manager? Fabrizio Romano weighs in with his insight here.

• What next for Gleison Bremer’s future at Juventus?

Liverpool

• Jurgen Klopp praises the impact of Alexis Mac Allister since signing in the summer: “Mac Allister is a top, top, top player. We had that sense when we signed him and he fulfilled all expectations and more. Super influential, super smart. Great guy. Loves playing for Liverpool as well, which is really important. He’s a difference maker.”

Manchester City

• Lucas Paqueta is appreciated by Manchester City - Fabrizio Romano confirms ongoing interest in the West Ham star.

• Pep Guardiola: “We play Aston Villa at 20:15, then 12:30 vs Crystal Palace Saturday, 12:30! After we go to Madrid on Tuesday. Madrid have nine days to prepare, nine days! I’d like to think: oh give me one more day, because the difference is a lot. No chance...”

---

Our reader-funded model means we can provide you with the most reliable transfer news from football’s most authoritative journalists advertising free, but it does rely on some readers making a contribution by subscribing to the premium content, please try it out by clicking the ‘2 months for Free!’ button below.

---

Manchester United

• Mason Mount thought he’d won it with his first Manchester United goal! FT Brentford 1-1 Man Utd [Pictures from Sky Sports]

• Erik ten Hag on the 1-1 draw at Brentford: “Brentford wanted it more than us the entire game. After the international break the levels are never as high as before. We were lucky to get a point yes, but if you are winning, then you shouldn’t give it away.”

• Erik ten Hag on other managers being linked with the Manchester United job: “I was at Ajax and it was similar. When you are working at a top football, you get used to it. Players don’t care. I don’t care. We are together in the boat and we know we have to perform and get the right results.”

• Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive insight into the latest on Erik ten Hag’s Man Utd future.

• Anthony Martial will leave Man United as a free agent when his contract expires this summer, as first reported in January. 100% sure.

• Could Martial return to Ligue 1? French football expert Jonathan Johnson takes a look at his future in his latest column.

Newcastle United

• Harvey Barnes struck this superb winner in Newcastle’s thrilling comeback against West Ham! FT Newcastle 4-3 West Ham [Pictures from TNT Sports]

PSG

• Luis Enrique: “Last Classique tonight for Mbappe? Who said that? I keep my hope about Mbappe staying at PSG. He hasn’t announced anything yet… he can change his mind, no? Imagine if we win four titles and Mbappe decides to stay at PSG... why not?”

• Kylian Mbappe may have U-turned on his future back in 2022, but it’s different this time, according to Fabrizio Romano.

Real Madrid

• Carlo Ancelotti: “Luka Modric to leave? His focus in on this season, we will see the decisions at the end of the current season. I’ve no specific feeling to share on Modric or Kroos, I see them ready for the final two months.”

• When asked if Real Madrid fans will be excited by Aurelien Tchouameni’s comments about Kylian Mbappe, Ancelotti responded: “Real fans are always excited for the shirt. Real Madrid shirt makes the fans happy and excited, it’s not about the single players.”

• Eder Militao is back in the Real Madrid squad after ACL injury, he will be available for upcoming games. “He’s not at his best condition but he’s ready, we are very happy,” Carlo Ancelotti confirms.

• Ancelotti: “Lunin has improved a lot, he has quality. His performances have been at top, top level”. Coaching staff and club both agree on new deal for Lunin with talks already ongoing, as reported two weeks ago.

Tottenham

• Ange Postecoglou on Radu Dragusin: “He didn’t come to play one game. I don’t think against Fulham he was any better or worse than anyone else. We signed Radu because we see a player who can contribute in there. He’s ready, he’s available, he’s part of our future.”

• Ange Postecoglou: “Whatever game it is, Son has this really high level of expectation on himself to be the best he can be all the time. It’s very hard to be like that. He wants to maintain the highest possible standards whenever he plays.”