The Burnley striker attracted interest from Manchester United, Tottenham and Real Sociedad but is set to commit to a move to Anfield when his contract expires
EXCLUSIVE By Greg Stobart 
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Liverpool have won the race to sign in-demand Burnley striker Danny Ings.
Ings scored 11 times for a struggling Burnley side who were relegated to the Championship after just one season back in the Premier League.
The England Under-21 international’s contract is due to expire next month after he refused to sign an extension during a season in which his goalscoring exploits prompted serious interest from Tottenham, Manchester United and Real Sociedad.
Brendan Rodgers’s position at Liverpool is under review but Ings is set commit his future to the Merseysiders despite the uncertainty surrounding their manager, whose failure to secure Champions League football could yet cost him his job.
Rodgers spent over €130 million on new players last summer following the sale of Luis Suarez to Barcelona, but none of his signings lived up to expectations.
*2014-15 Premier League stats
Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert, in particular, were major disappointments and managed only three league goals between them, while their struggles were compounded by the injuries suffered by Daniel Sturridge which restricted the England international to just 18 appearances.
Rodgers admitted earlier this month that ongoing concerns about Sturridge, who has spent the early part of his recovery from a hip injury in America, would force him to recruit at least one striker in the close season.
After a goalless draw against West Brom, when asked how many strikers he wanted to sign, Rodgers said: “I’m not sure but I need one that is going to be playing at a top level every week. It can make a huge difference. If you look at teams who are successful they have that – a consistent striker.
“What that gives the rest of team is crucial. You saw it here with Suarez, the impact that kind of striker can have. But it is something that is not easy to find. We have to find a way to attract them here. We will fight hard to do in the summer. We are on course to be 60 goals down on last year.”
COMMENT: The Rojiblancos boss stands on the verge of securing back-to-back Europa League victories but has been linked with a move to Italy as an alternative to Carlo Ancelotti
By Kris Voakes | International Football Correspondent
Sevilla are one of only two teams to have successfully defended the Europa League in any of its various guises, but on Wednesday they could repeat their historic feat – last achieved in 2006 and 2007 – with another back-to-back success.
Should they do what no other club has ever done and retain the trophy for a second time, they will notch up a record that might never be matched. Given Uefa’s decision to extend an invitation to the Champions League for the Europa League holders, back-to-back wins will become even more unlikely in the future.
It would be quite a legacy for Unai Emery to leave behind, but Sevilla supporters will be hoping it does not prove the 43-year-old’s final act with the club. Emery is in the coaching shop window and the clash with Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in Warsaw could be a telling moment, with AC Milan leading the race to take him away from the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan after two successful seasons.
After arriving on the back of a short-lived spell in charge of Spartak Moscow, Emery has picked up where he left off with Valencia in the Spanish Primera Division. The last three of his four seasons at the Mestalla ended with third-place finishes and Champions League football. In Seville, he has dragged the club to fifth spot in successive campaigns and stands on the verge of leading them to a magnificent European double.
It is easy to see, then, why Emery is being courted by Milan and has also been linked with the vacant Real Madrid job by some Spanish news outlets. Madrid have dismissed Carlo Ancelotti this week and while the Italian has claimed he will take a year off to overcome a health issue, he is thought to remain a candidate at San Siro himself. Club president Silvio Berlusconi has made contact with the 55-year-old and is optimistic.
“We are in contact with Ancelotti but we have prepared four alternatives: one abroad, the others in Italy,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “We hope he’ll come back to Milan,” he later added in a radio interview, but there could be another twist depending on the current leadership tussle at the club.
Emery’s chances of being selected to lead the Rossoneri could well depend on their potential takeover by Thai entrepreneur Bee Taechaubol. Sevilla’s 3-0 win over Fiorentina in the Europa League semi-final was attended by Nelio Lucas, the chief executive of Doyen Sports, who is a friend of Mr Bee and is expected to act as a football advisor in the event the tycoon can complete his anticipated purchase of a significant share in the club.
Lucas is believed to be a big fan of Emery, and by extension the Spaniard will be held in high regard in the projected corridors of power of the new Milan. There have even been reports in Italy claiming Emery has already signed a pre-contract agreement.
While the situation may be cloudy, one thing which is clear is the effect another Europa League triumph would have on Emery’s stock. Sevilla are favourites to take home the trophy, and the coach himself has spoken of the club’s affinity with the competition.
“We love this competition,” he said after victory over Fiorentina. “Now we must enjoy our success and think about the final.” Juande Ramos – who has coached both Dnipro and Sevilla – told Goal that “the Europa League fits the team and the city like a ring on a finger”.
But all Sevillanos are more than aware that Emery will not be wedded to their club forever, and if Milan step in there could be a parting of the ways very soon regardless of the result at the Stadion Narodowy.
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The Belgian insists he has not held talks with any clubs but has told interested parties to speak to his current employers over transfer bids
Wolfsburg star Kevin de Bruyne has opened the door to a potential move to Bayern Munich and says there will be no “eternal love” proclamations towards his current club.
The 23-year-old has enjoyed a stellar 18 months at the Volkswagen Arena and inspired the club to a second-placed finish in the Bundesliga, with Saturday’s DFB-Pokal final against Borussia Dortmund still to prepare for.
Wolfsburg insisted the Belgium international is “unsellable” amid interest from the likes of Bayern and Manchester City, but De Bruyne has invited further enquiries over his signature after refusing to commit his future to his current club.
“If Bayern are interested then they should get in touch with Wolfsburg,” he told Sport Bild. “They will make the decision as they are responsible for my future.
“All I know about interested clubs is from reading newspapers. I have not spoken with any clubs as of now. However, I cannot say I’m definitely going to stay here this summer.
“I think fans are better treated when players are honest with them, rather than for me to swear my eternal love to Wolfsburg then disappear.”
De Bruyne joined for €20 million in January 2014 from Chelsea and Wolfsburg sporting director Klaus Allofs is convinced they can keep hold of their star player despite a “scary” amount of transfer queries.
“I am quite sure he will play here next season,” he said. “Maybe after the DFB-Pokal final we will sit down with Kevin and improve his contract length [which currently runs until 2019] and salary.
“Of course the interest from other clubs is scary sometimes, such is the volume and intensity of it. It doesn’t worry me that Kevin doesn’t state he will stay, there is mutual trust between us.”
