Football transfer news

France winger Ousmane Dembele has withdrawn from Didier Deschamps’ squad with an injury that will keep him sidelined for the rest of Euro 2020.

The Barcelona man was a second-half substitute in France’s recent 1-1 draw with Hungary but managed just 30 minutes before being forced back off with what appeared to be an injury to his right knee.

Dembele was ruled out for France’s final group game against Portugal, but there had been some hope that he would make it back in time for the knockout stages.

Unfortunately, RMC Sport state that further checks on Dembele have revealed that he has suffered damage to a tendon in his knee and will not be fit in time to return this summer.

The latest issue comes as a huge blow to Dembele, who looked to have finally shaken off his fitness issues last season with Barcelona.

The 24-year-old managed 44 appearances in all competitions last year, notching 11 goals and five assists. But he played far better than those numbers would suggest, and his form earned him a recall to the France setup for the first time since November 2018.

For France, losing Dembele isn’t the biggest problem. Deschamps does not play with wingers and has only used the Barcelona man off the bench, so his absence will only open the door to the likes of Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman or Borussia Monchengladbach’s Marcus Thuram – should a Plan B be required.

However, for Dembele himself, this new injury could hardly have come at a worse time. The winger finds himself at somewhat of a crossroads this summer, with his contract at Camp Nou about to roll into its final year.

Barcelona are keen to keep Dembele around but he is understood to be keeping his options open, with Manchester City among the sides tracking him.

City boss Pep Guardiola is reported to be eyeing a swap deal which could bring both Dembele and Sergi Roberto to the Etihad, with seven players from City’s squad up for grabs in exchange.

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Manchester City starlet Phil Foden has revealed that the rest of his England teammates have promised to follow his lead and rock a bleach-blonde haircut if they win Euro 2020.

Foden raised more than a few eyebrows when he appeared to take inspiration from Paul Gascoigne’s iconic look from Euro 1996, starting a trend which has also seen Granit Xhaka pull out the hair dye for this summer’s tournament.

At the minute, none of Foden’s England teammates have followed suit, but the City youngster has revealed that the Three Lions have all agreed to channel their inner Gazza and dye their hair if they can go all the way at Euro 2020.

“You know what I said; if we win it, I told the team they had to get the same haircut as me!” he told talkSPORT. “They all agreed so hopefully, if we win it, you will see everyone with the same haircut.

“I think Romania did it didn’t they where they all had the same haircut so if we won it, I would make everyone get the same haircut.”

Romania at the 1998 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/I95waeovG4

— 90s Football (@90sfootball) October 24, 2020

Romania did indeed follow in Gascoigne’s footsteps at the 1998 World Cup, with all the players bringing out the blond hair dye as part of a bet made with manager Anghel Iordanescu, who promised to shave his head if his side beat both Colombia and England.

The Romania players upped the ante by promising to dye their hair if they did win those two games, and 180 minutes of football later, they were all rocking bleach-blonde hair that was so poorly done that half of the squad were left with burns on their scalps.

The pressure of hair dye worked for Romania in 1998, and 23 years later, England are hoping it will provide the kind of oomph needed after their abysmal showing in the 0-0 draw with Scotland.

The Three Lions might be just a few weeks away from a team full of Gascoigne wannabes, but Foden did actually confess that the inspiration for this cut was not actually Gazza, but City teammate Sergio Aguero.

“It was my own thing and then I saw people turn it into something else and I kind of just jumped on it like everyone else would,” Foden said.

“I think Razza [Raheem Sterling] said to you that I was speaking to him about Sergio having the same kind of hair and that I liked it so, me being me, I decided to change it up and called the barber to come and do this and I’ve liked it ever since. I’ve made it even lighter. I had another haircut the other day to make it lighter.”

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Sergio Ramos is keen to seal a free transfer to Paris Saint-Germain this summer but has moved Manchester United up to second on his list of dream destinations.

The legendary 35-year-old has left Real Madrid after 16 years with the club and is now on the lookout for a new home, with a whole host of sides keen to snap up a player seen by many as one of the best centre-backs around.

The list of plausible suitors for Ramos is limited by his wage demands. He is looking for an enormous salary from his next side, and according to AS (via Sport Witness), it’s PSG who have made him the best offer.

Ramos is now understood to be pushing to join the French side, but there are a few hurdles in the way, one of which is PSG’s interest in former Real Madrid teammate Raphael Varane.

PSG are chasing a deal for Varane this summer and may prefer him to Ramos, who struggled greatly with injuries last season and is obviously approaching the end of his career.

If a move to PSG falls through, Ramos would look to move to the Premier League, where he sees United as the most attractive destination of them all.

While Manchester City were recently thought to be leading the race for Ramos’ signature, the defender appears to have had a change of heart. He’s obviously impressed with City’s recent success but Ramos sees United as a bigger club with more history, and he would prioritise a move to Old Trafford over a switch to the Etihad.

Another intriguing proposal for Ramos to consider is that of Roma and Jose Mourinho. Calciomercato claim that Mourinho is eyeing a reunion with his former Real stalwart, but the chances of a move are slim-to-none because of Roma’s limited finances and lack of Champions League football.

All the signs suggest Ramos will be heading to PSG, who have already made him a lucrative offer and can offer the 35-year-old plenty of silverware, but it’s not a done deal just yet and other teams are still pleading their cases.

Ramos is seemingly keeping an open mind to things at the minute, with United his backup choice if the PSG move falls through, but there’s still plenty of time for a few more twists and turns in this saga.

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The agent of Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane is keen to hold a meeting with Manchester United to discuss a possible transfer this summer.

Varane has one year left on his contract at the Santiago Bernabeu and has already rejected the offer of an extension. He was widely expected to be sold this summer, but the departure of Sergio Ramos led to conflicting reports about his continuation at the club.

According to the Mirror, Ramos’ exit hasn’t changed anything and Varane will still be allowed to leave this summer – with United one of a handful of sides chasing the 28-year-old.

Varane is thought to be keen on a move to England, where Chelsea have also been named as potential suitors, and his agent is now understood to be pushing for a meeting with United chiefs to try and get a deal done.

To add a little extra confusion, the Mirror’s report states that Real are holding out for £50m for Varane – despite a recent suggestion that United had seen a £50m bid knocked back.

The idea of an £80m fee was floated about and was thought to have scared off United, who do not want to pay that much for an ageing player entering the final year of their contract.

Real’s actual demands are unclear at the moment, but they may well end up being forced into accepting something around that £50m mark. After all, it’s unlikely a club is going to pay £80m for Varane this summer, and it’s Real who face losing him for free next year.

Should United choose to persist with their interest in Varane, they are expected to face competition from Paris Saint-Germain. Foot Mercato state that talks have been opened between PSG and Real, with the French side feeling good about their chances of getting a deal done.

What is for certain, ironically, is that where Varane’s future lies is unclear at this stage. There remain conflicting ideas over whether Real even want to keep him, whether he wants to stay, how much United want to pay or if any other sides want to join in.

United’s interest is real, but it does depend whether or not they feel this is a priority area of business, given they are in advanced negotiations with Borussia Dortmund over Jadon Sancho.

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Real Madrid winger Eden Hazard has confessed he fears he may never make a complete recovery from the injury struggles which have plagued his time in Spain.

Since his expensive move from Chelsea in 2019, Hazard has managed just five goals and eight assists in 43 appearances for Real, missing more games through injury than he has actually been fit to play in.

A lot of the blame for Hazard’s fitness issues has been placed on the first ankle fracture he suffered in December 2019, which many close to the Belgium star believe altered his running style and left him more susceptible to all the muscle injuries which have followed.

Now at Euro 2020, Hazard has flashed glimpses of the world-beating talent we all know is in there, but he confessed that, at 30 years old, there’s a good chance his body may never fully recover from all the setbacks.

“I’ve never doubted my own qualities,” he told a press conference (via Marca). “I know what I can do on a football pitch, but what I have doubted is getting over all these injuries. I didn’t know whether I’d be at my best. I’ve actually broken my ankle three times and I don’t know if it will ever be the same again.

“It won’t be the same as it was ten years ago when I was starting out, but that’s life. I try not to think about the injury. If I think about it then I will refrain from really getting stuck in. If I start being worried about contact then I shouldn’t be on the pitch should I?”

Hazard’s Real future has been up in the air over the past few months, with plenty of reports suggesting he could be sold this summer and others insisting he is set to be a core part of the team going forwards.

“At Real Madrid there is real pressure to perform, but also in Belgium too,” he continued. “When I go out on the pitch, I give it my all.

“On the pitch I’m not thinking about the pressure I’m under. If I think about it, I shouldn’t be on the pitch. I have to face up to the situation and play my game. I need to be smarter and find solutions.”

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