Real Madrid have made Liverpool’s talismanic winger Sadio Mane their biggest transfer priority ahead of the summer window, according to The Mirror.

The Reds will be keen to hold onto the Senegal international due to how influential he is for the team, but it is said that Los Blancos feel £130-140m would be enough to force Liverpool’s hand to sell him.

Madrid are confident that they will be able to tempt Mane, but the question remains about whether selling him would be good business for Liverpool.

FFC writers have given their verdicts on whether this hefty price should be enough for them to let Mane leave.

James Beavis

“If the offer does arrive, Michael Edwards shouldn’t even hesitate, take the money and buy Jadon Sancho – a reported target.

“Sadio Mane has been nothing short of unbelievable for Liverpool during his time at Anfield with 77 goals and 34 assists in 161 appearances in all competitions, but he is 28 next month and you have to wonder whether he can get any better than he already is right now.

“In those terms, £130-£140m is a lot of money for a player, especially when you consider that Sancho could be available for around £100m this summer.

“That means Liverpool could, in theory, sell Mane, buy Sancho and still have money left over to strengthen another position in the squad.

“Sancho is 19 and already has eight more assists than the Senegal international has for the Reds in 71 fewer senior appearances for Borussia Dortmund, showing the quality and potential he has for the future.

“It could be one of the hardest decisions Jurgen Klopp ever has to make, but it would be the right one.”

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Jack Saville

“Michael Edwards will be drooling at the prospect of making such a huge profit on a player Liverpool signed for just £34m in June 2016, but he shouldn’t let business instinct cloud his judgement in regard to Mane’s future.

“The Senegal international is a contender for the club’s Player of the Season award and has consistently been an outstanding performer both domestically and in Europe, so it’s little surprise Real Madrid are eyeing his signature.

“Even in today’s grossly inflated transfer market £140m represents an incredible sum of money, but Liverpool need to strengthen the foundations they’ve meticulously built under Jurgen Klopp if they wish to continue challenging Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League.

“Selling Mane would be a big mistake from the Reds.”

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Jonathan Radcliffe

“There has been plenty of talk about one of Liverpool’s potential front three leaving, but it shouldn’t be Sadio Mane who should depart. If anyone, it has to be Mohamed Salah. There are accusations that Salah is selfish, whilst Mane comes across far more humble – we saw that as he received the African Player of the Year award.

“With 18 goals and 12 assists in all competitions, the Senegal international has been stupendous – that is not to say Salah hasn’t, but you get the feeling that the Reds would miss the former Southampton man more. Michael Edwards must be strong and resist the temptation to sell – he is just too good.”

Danny Lewis

“Liverpool had what felt like a veil of invincibility earlier in the season, while their unbeaten run in the Premier League was still going. However, a loss against Watford and two at the hands of Atletico Madrid means that has well and truly slipped for now.

“With this in mind, seeing the club lose one of their most feared assets would surely mean that Klopp’s side would be seen as one that can be more realistically beaten – even if he is replaced by a high-profile signing.

“Getting to the top is difficult, as Liverpool have discovered from years of being patient, but staying there can be even harder. Allowing your best players to flee the nest for other European giants is not the way to ensure the men in red are on top of the Premier League and Europe next term and it would act as a massive blow.”

Meanwhile, FFC writers gave their verdict on whether one Liverpool man is in danger of fading into the background.

What is life at Leeds going to look like after Marcelo Bielsa has packed his bags and left?

It’s a prospect that many won’t want to think about, but we can’t shy away from the fact that the Argentine is turning 65 soon, and he won’t be at Elland Road forever.

Luckily, Leeds do seem to have a contingency plan for life without the Argentine, and they already have a successor in their sights who Phil Hay says they’re ‘very keen’ on.

That man is Lee Bowyer.

Appointing a man who is currently in the midst of a Championship relegation battle to replace someone once touted as the best coach in the world seems rather ridiculous, but a more in-depth look at it shows that they could do a lot worse.

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The first thing to note is that Bowyer won’t have any trouble commanding respect from the players or the fans.

The midfielder is a bona fide Leeds legend, playing 246 games for the club through one of their most successful periods ever.

Indeed, Bowyer was there for United’s historic Champion’s League run, and he provided Elland Road with one of its most memorable moments when he scored the winner against AC Milan in that year’s competition.

Alongside that fact, he’s quite a handy manager as well.

Ok, Charlton aren’t flying high this term, but truth be told it’s a ragtag squad thrown together on a shoestring budget. Transfermarkt state that Charlton only own one player worth over £1m – Lyle Taylor – and he’s likely to leave this summer when his contract is up.

Realistically, it’s a miracle that Bowyer has even been able to fight against relegation so strongly this term, and if he had a stronger squad he could go on to do bigger and better things.

Despite a season of struggling in the Championship, Bowyer still maintains a very healthy 42% win ratio, and to put that into some perspective, Bielsa’s at Athletic Bilbao was just 38% yet that was considered a very successful spell as he took them to a Europa League final.

Would Bowyer improve on Bielsa’s tenure? It’s very hard to say yes considering what the Argentine has done, but there are certainly worse avenues to explore once El Loco calls it a day at Leeds.

In other news, this 2001 signing has to be considered amongst Leeds’ worst ever.

Marcelo Bielsa finally sent his Leeds United star’s home from training amidst the ongoing global pandemic, but it hasn’t stopped them from working hard ahead of a potential return to action.

As seen by Jack Harrison’s latest post on Instagram as he has uploaded a video of an intense workout from the confines of what appears to be his living room or some other tight-knit space in his house.

Originally, the Whites were training during this crisis, but that has now changed on government advice, although that clearly won’t stop Bielsa and his stringent demands…

Some of Harrison’s current teammates responded to the post, including Tyler Roberts, who issued one ponderous-looking emoji and Luke Ayling, who threw a joke at him in regards to the training regime they have been given.

There was even a reply from ex-City centre-back Joleon Lescott, who is a loan liaison agent for the Premier League champions, the very club the 23-year-old is contracted to.

This video will clearly please Bielsa, so the winger is doing himself all the favours in the world ahead of a potential permanent move to Elland Road this summer.

>A true test for any Leeds fan: Can you match these iconic images with the right results?

And in other news, Leeds could sign £13.6m talent on loan if promoted… 

An innings of quality from Mahela Jayawardene has put the Sri Lankans into a commanding position against Middlesex at Shenley. With one day to go, the tourists lead by 193 runs with six wickets in hand. This was after the county side had been bowled out for 274 for a first innings lead of 88.Middlesex had started the day on 178 for six, but they lost Ed Joyce when the Irishman was in sight of his third first-class century. When he had 93 he fell lbw to Charitha Buddika Fernando who then took the wicket of David Alleyne almost immediately to claim his fourth wicket of the innings.Despite an undefeated 39 from Aaron Laraman, the rest of the innings did not detain the Sri Lankan bowlers for too long and the stage was left for Jayawardene and Hashan Tillekeratne to share an unbroken partnership of 179 for the fifth wicket. This was only after four of the top-order batsmen had again spurned the opportunity for batting practice in advance of the first Test by giving their wickets away far too easily.However, Sri Lanka manager Chandra Shaffter pledged that it will be a different story at Lord’s. “There will be a different atmosphere, a whole different ball game and the attitude of the players will be different,” he said.”Although some of the batting has in a sense been disappointing, I’m not unhappy with the situation because everybody has shown what they can do since we arrived in England.”Virtually all the batsmen have had a good score and shown they can perform well at some stage.”But he was forced to concede: “Fewer boundaries and more runs might have been better. Weweren’t taking the ones and twos we should. They have been making the big hits but not the singles.”He added: “Overall, I’m satisfied. I am certainly in no way despondent. I’m sure we will be a different team when the Test comes along.”The manager will not want a different performance from the two not out batsmen. So far, Jayawardene has scored 125 and Tillekeratne 71, and the manager will be hoping they can go on to set up a morale-boosting victory on the final day of this game before the team head a few miles south to the venue of the first Test.

According to reports from The Daily Star, Manchester United are growing increasingly confident of signing Atletico Madrid’s Saul Niguez in a £135m deal.

What’s the word?

It is claimed Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s targeting the Spain international as a replacement for Paul Pogba, who is expected to join Real Madrid in the next transfer window provided they meet United’s £100m asking price.

The funds will then be used to help activate Niguez’s £135m release clause, with the United boss believing a midfield containing the Atletico man and January signing Bruno Fernandes can propel the club back towards its domineering status of old.

That would make the 25-year-old the most expensive signing in Premier League history, eclipsing the £94.5m United spent on Pogba almost four years ago by more than £40m.

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McTominay and Fred at loggerheads

Scott McTominay and Fred have been arguably United’s two most improved players of the 2019/20 campaign, but if The Daily Star’s report is to be believed then the midfield duo could ultimately end up at loggerheads next season.

After managing just 13 Premier League starts during his debut campaign at Old Trafford, the Brazilian has made himself one of the first names on the team-sheet and completely overturned his status as a costly flop, to the extent that United fans were comparing him to Park Ji-Sung and N’Golo Kante after the most recent Manchester derby.

Speaking of which, McTominay’s rise from promising youngster continued in that game with a goal against United’s bitter rivals, while Whoscored have him as United’s sixth-best performer in the top flight this term – his average rating jumping up from just 6.48 in 2018/19 to 7.1 this time around.

But unless Solskjaer intends to use the diamond system that he’s deployed just once in the Premier League this season – according to Whoscored – on a more permanent basis, then McTominay and Fred will be left fighting for the solitary spot left in United’s midfield, presumably anchoring Niguez and Fernandes.

Of course, United will be fighting on multiple fronts and squad depth is crucial, but ultimately both players, Niguez and Fernandes can’t all make Solskjaer’s strongest XI. Rather than working in impressive tandem as they have for much of the current campaign, Fred and McTominay will have to fight it out for that last vacancy in United’s engine room.

After sealing the signing of Bruno Fernandes in the January transfer window, Manchester United appeared to have turned the corner in the games following his arrival.

The Portugual international joined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s side in the final week of the window, and the Red Devils remained unbeaten with him in their team until football was indefinitely postponed.

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But reports in recent weeks had suggested United were still interested in making a summer move for another play-maker in Aston Villa talisman Jack Grealish. However, according to The Athletic’s David Ornstein, Solskjaer’s team are not in for the 24-year-old, and that they are focusing more on a holding midfielder rather than his position.

After hearing Ornstein’s update on their reported pursuit of Grealish, United fans took to Twitter to voice their thoughts on the situation.

Some United fans revealed their satisfaction at seeing the club turn away from Grealish, and backed the idea that there are bigger priorities for them to focus on.

Had Fernandes not arrived in January, then a summer move for Grealish certainly would have made a lot of sense.

But with Fernandes already proving his worth to the team – he has three goals and four assists in just nine games for the club – it doesn’t feel entirely necessary for United to bring in another creative, attacking midfielder.

There are other priorities for the club to focus on, and so Orntein’s update should be well received.

Meanwhile, Man Utd fans are loving Bruno Fernandes’ comments.

“It was the perfect ball at the perfect time.” That’s how Ravi Rampaul, the West Indies seamer, described his delivery that got rid of Sachin Tendulkar in the first over in Chennai. Rampaul, in his first World Cup match, went on to take a maiden five-wicket haul in ODIs but his team was at the receiving end of an 80-run defeat. Despite the eventual loss, the five-for, and delivery, marked a personal highlight for Rampaul.”It was the best ball of my cricket career. It was one of those moments in life you dream of. When I saw him walk I felt great. It was an amazing feeling. I wasn’t sure how to celebrate. Here was I, in one of the biggest matches of my career, getting the wicket of one of the greatest batsmen. I felt really great to get such a massive breakthrough for the team,” Rampaul said.Rampaul was drafted in to the XI due to an illness to Kemar Roach. He began on an unsavoury note, conceding five wides off his first delivery in World Cup cricket. But off the final ball of that first over, he got a shortish delivery on off stump to straighten, one that Tendulkar stabbed at and ended up feathering an edge to the keeper. Tendulkar walked off immediately after he was caught, even though Steve Davis, the umpire, shook his head.”I was happy to get into the team and play my part. It was very exciting to play in front such a large crowd on such a big stage,” Rampaul said. “I went out and got five wickets and I was really happy to get the full support of everyone in the team. I was happy to be able to make the most of my opportunity.”Rampaul returned in his next spell to break a century-stand between Virat Kohli and Yuvraj Singh, and continued to chip away in the death overs when India, as they had done against South Africa, collapsed. He finished with 5 for 51. “The pitch had some extra bounce at the start of the India innings and I knew if I got the ball in the right areas I would be successful,” he said. “Later in the innings I got the ball to reverse swing and I attacked the stumps. Things went in my favour and I felt good to get my first five-wicket haul in one-day cricket.”The defeat for West Indies meant they finished fourth in Group B, setting up a quarter-final clash in Dhaka against Group A leaders Pakistan on March 23.

West Indies’ offspinner Sunil Narine has been named the Emerging Player of the Year for 2012 at the ICC Awards ceremony in Colombo. He saw off competition from New Zealand’s Doug Bracewell, Sri Lanka’s Dinesh Chandimal and Australia’s James Pattinson to take the award.Blessed with biting turn, a difficult knuckle-ball and a natural knack for guile, Narine, 24, has quickly become one of the world’s most promising talents. In the assessment period (August 4, 2011, to August 6, 2012), Narine carved up New Zealand in two home Tests, taking 12 wickets at 25.66. In Twenty20s he took 7 wickets in five games at 18.28. He hit his best form in the 50-overs format though, where he took 28 wickets in 15 games at 18.82.Narine follows West Indies legspinner Devendra Bishoo as a recipient of the Emerging Player award. “We’ve a good junior set-up so hopefully the awards keep coming for us,” Narine said. “I would say this is just the start. As Emerging Player of the Year I know I am someone to look at, and hopefully I will continue to do well.”I’ve enjoyed my first year in the West Indies team. I’ve worked hard and I’ve dedicated myself to the game. This makes me look at life and makes me want to dedicate myself more to the game and to improve. I dedicate this award to my father who kept pushing me.”

Newcastle United’s imminent takeover deal is still not yet complete, and it could still be a few more days before the official word comes from all parties involved.

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Many Magpies fans appear desperate to sever ties with their infamous chairman Mike Ashley as a Saudi-backed consortium lead by Amanda Staveley is edging ever closer to landing the club in a reported £300m deal.

The Athletic’s George Caulkin spoke about the latest in response to a fan on Wednesday. He claims that even after Premier League approval, the transferal of money would take ‘a number of days’ and thus, the chances of any official competition should too.

He tweeted:

It’ll soon be the dawn of a new era in the northeast – maybe, just maybe Newcastle will be back playing in Europe before too long.

AND in other news,ÂNewcastle fans go berserk over this managerial news…

Glasgow Rangers are leading the race to sign Dutch starlet Crysencio Summerville in the summer transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a claim made by German media outlet Frankfurter Rundschau (via Sport Witness), who stated that Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side hold an advantage over Hamburg in the race for the Leeds winger’s signing at the end of the current campaign.

The report goes on to outline these advantages as the Scottish champions already playing in the top division of their country, regularly competing in European competition and possessing a larger transfer budget than the German outfit.

Van Bronckhorst can axe Wright with Summerville

Since Summerville’s £1.3m move to Elland Road in September 2020, the 20-year-old has struggled to hold down a spot in Leeds’ first-team squad. However, it is nevertheless clear that the £8.4k-per-week winger boasts an incredible amount of potential.

Indeed, despite making just five Premier League appearances this season, the £1.8m-rated forward – who Ben Parker dubbed a “frightening” talent – has been in sensational form for the Whites’ under-23 side, scoring six goals and registering one assist over his 12 outings in Premier League 2.

It is clear to see why Chris Powell appeared hugely excited about the Netherlands under-21 international’s future in the professional game, stating of Summerville’s time on loan at ADO Den Haag: “You could see the raw talent he had. He’s only tiny, he’s like five foot nothing but he’s got wonderful balance. One vs one is his strength, against players. He’s quite a free spirit out on the wing, in a good way.

“He’ll excite you, he’s a bag of tricks. There’s some talent there, it’s just how it’s harnessed and what the coaches demand from him.

“He’s played for the U18s and U19s for Holland so he’s well thought of in Dutch football. His talent isn’t in doubt. He will have to learn how Leeds want him to play, in the U23s, and take it on board. It’s an exciting signing.”

Considering just how poor Scott Wright has been following his £200k move to Rangers from Aberdeen in February 2021, it is clear to see why Van Bronckhorst would be interested in a deal for Summerville ahead of the 2022/23 campaign.

Indeed, over his 14 Premiership appearances this season, the £900k-rated forward has scored just two goals, registered no assists and has missed two big chances for his team. These returns have seen the £10k-per-week winger average a SofaScore match rating of 6.89, ranking him as Rangers’ 10th-worst player in the league.

As such, with some reports already suggesting that Van Bronckhorst could look to offload the 24-year-old this summer, this would indeed appear a wise move by the Dutchman, who could then reinvest the funds received from the former Scotland under-21 international’s sale into a move for the much more promising Leeds starlet.

AND in other news: Fresh Rangers transfer development emerges which will leave Ibrox bouncing