Author: cimi

Chelsea have joined the list of European giants in the race to sign LOSC Lille star Nicolas Pépé at the end of the season.

The Blues are growing increasingly concerned that Eden Hazard will join Real Madrid this summer and they’re looking for replacements to sign when the transfer window reopens.

Although Christian Pulisic’s arrival from Borussia Dortmund has already been confirmed, The Mirror claims that Lille winger Pépé is the club’s top priority to replace Hazard next season.

Chelsea first have to fight against a transfer ban which would leave them unable to sign new players until 2020, but Pépé will quickly become a serious target if their appeal is successful.

They will then have to go toe to toe with other clubs across the continent who want to sign Pépé this summer, including Bayern Munich who are looking for a successor for Arjen Robben, Arsenal and most recently Italian club Inter.

The Ivory Coast international has been one of the breakout stars across Europe this season, scoring 19 goals and claiming 13 assists in Ligue 1.

Pépé’s quick rise to stardom has mirrored that of Chelsea’s Hazard prior to his move to Stamford Bridge in 2012.

The Belgium international first joined Lille as a youth player in 2005 and went on to make 194 appearances for their first team before overtaking Michel Bastos as the club’s record departure at £31.5m.

Pépé’s departure this summer is likely to set another new record for Lille as he has been slapped with a £70m price tag by the club’s top brass.

Let’

Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk insists that his side shouldn’t be complacent by their “lucky” win away at Porto last season, ahead of the second leg of the Champions League quarter final on Wednesday.

The Merseyside club will take a two-goal advantage to the Estádio do Dragão, where they won 5-0 in last season’s clash, as they look to set up a semi-final match against Barcelona in Europe’s elite competition.

But Van Dijk has played down the chances of Liverpool holding out for a clean sheet in Portugal, claiming that the Reds will have to get on the scoresheet to secure a second appearance in the semi-finals in as many years.

“We know how tough it can be. Porto will probably still have the belief they should have, but we obviously believe we are going here to finish the job,” Van Dijk said, quoted by The Daily Star.

“We will play our game. We are not going to defend the 2-0, we want to attack and play like we have been playing all season. Hopefully create chances to score a goal maybe two away goals, which will make it tough for them.

“I think they are a tougher rival this season, especially when we played last year away, they had a couple of injuries and changes, and we were also very clinical in front of goal then too. We maybe got a bit lucky.

Liverpool and Man City have both already amassed more points, before Easter, than seven previous Premier League champions did in whole campaigns.

— Nick Harris (@sportingintel) April 14, 2019

“I think they have definitely improved. But so have we. They are more experienced and they have a lot of talent in the team. They can be very dangerous.

“They have two big players [Pepe and Hector Herrera] back from suspension for the game, so it is going to be a tough game and we have to be careful. I am looking forward to it.”

Let’

Real Madrid have made it clear that they will not meet João Félix’s €120m release clause at S.L. Benfica at the end of the season.

Los Blancos are looking to revamp their squad this summer and they’ve already secured two signings in the form of FC Porto’s Éder Militão and Brazilian wonderkid Rodrygo from Santos.

They’ve also been linked with a high-profile move for Benfica teenager Félix once the transfer window opens, but Marca claims that the club’s stance is against meeting the Portuguese forward’s €120m release clause.

Despite scouting Félix intensively this season, Real Madrid’s decision-makers do not believe that the Portugal international represents good value for money if they’re forced to pay a club record fee.

Barcelona are also interested in signing Félix this summer, but just like their La Liga rivals they also have reservations about the forward’s release clause.

Benfica have concerns of their own that his current release clause is too low and they’re currently looking to increase it to €200m before the transfer window opens.

16 goals in 37 games now for João Félix for Benfica. In 25 years following Portuguese football I can’t remember another teenager making such an impact in his debut season.

— Tom Kundert (@PortuGoal1) April 14, 2019

Bayern Munich have been tipped as a potential destination for Félix at the end of the season, but recent reports have placed Italian giants Juventus at the front of the cue for his signature this summer.

Félix only broke into Benfica’s first-team at the start of the season but he’s quickly established himself as one of European football’s brightest prospects, scoring in two matches against rivals Sporting CP in the Dérbi da Segunda Circular as well as a hat-trick in their recent Europa League win over Eintracht Frankfurt.

But there are some reservations over Félix’s potential as Benfica’s reputation as an exporter of wonderkids has been hot and cold in recent years, with the likes of Renato Sanches and Lazar Markovi? failing to live up to their hype since leaving the Estádio da Luz.

Let’

Neil Warnock has revealed negative coverage of his side spurred them on during their crucial 2-0 victory over fellow strugglers Brighton on Tuesday night.

Cardiff travelled to the south coast for a game dubbed the ‘relegation showdown’ and the Bluebirds produced a brilliant performance to stun the home side and take all three points in a resounding 2-0 victory.

The win saw Cardiff reduce the gap between themselves and the Seagulls to just two points, as they live to fight another day in the Premier League.

With a poor run of form leaving the Welsh side five points from safety going into the game, many had already deemed them a lost cause in the relegation battle. However, Warnock implied after the match that it was the dismissive coverage of his side that helped the team ?win at the AMEX.

As quoted by ?Evening Express, Warnock said: “There were so many pundits this morning [who] said it would be our last game in the ?Premier League. We’re alive and kicking.

“I was proud of the performance: it was disciplined, I think we could have created a few more (chances) but overall I was delighted with all the departments.”

?Brighton still have a game in hand on ?Cardiff, so there is a long way to go for the Bluebirds to survive, and Warnock was aware of that, adding: “I’ve never lost belief that we can win games. But whether we can get enough points is a different ball game.”

Quizzed on whether Cardiff have a points target in mind for survival, the Yorkshireman admitted: “No, we don’t. We might not get another point. I honestly don’t know.

“But we’re quite capable of picking points up off any of the teams we’ve got to play. You might think I’m in cuckoo land, but I think that we’ve got that ability on our day.”

It doesn’t get any easier for Warnock, as up next Cardiff host league leaders ?Liverpool on Sunday afternoon. With the Reds playing away in Portugal on Wednesday night, the Bluebirds boss will be relishing the opportunity to climb out of the bottom three.

Let’

About 90min

90min is a global football media and technology company focused on the digital generation. 90min taps into the passion and dedication of the hyper-connected fan by powering the production of authentic, engaging and socially driven content distributed to a rapidly growing audience in 13 languages across web, mobile and social.

Let’