Used to hearing his team-talks delivered in the gravelly Northamptonshire tones of management’s Sean Dyche, the Burnley striker Danny Ings is now odds on to be hearing instructions in the considerably more sing-song Dutch tones of Louis van Gaal next season. The inked up Burnley goal-getter is wanted by Liverpool and has paid a courtesy call to Real Sociedad, but the Mail report that Manchester United have emerged as odds-on favourites to sign the 22-year-old, who is out of contract come season’s end, after holding talks about a summer move.
Rules, regulations and the striker’s tender years mean Burnley can expect to receive £5m in compensation when Ings the Merciless leaves this summer and that is the fee United are believed to have offered their neighbours in Lancashire, in an effort to obtain first dibs.
One striker whose services United are less interested in retaining is Javier Hernández, their resident Mexican who is on loan at Real Madrid and who scored for the Spanish giants against Eibar over the weekend. Lazio, West Ham, Spurs and Liverpool are among assorted clubs keeping tabs on the 26-year-old, who is reported to be frustrated at the manner in which his career has stalled since moving to the Spanish capital.
“He talks about frustration, and the frustration is not just about this year,” said Sky’s Spanish go-to guy Guillem Balagué. “It is about a two bad years, where he hasn’t been given the chances and has obviously lost his place in the lineup with Mexico as well. Now it is a matter of what he does next. He’s got offers from the MLS, offers from the Premier League, he’s got a good press in England. He quite clearly wants to stay in the Premier League, and he wants to play regularly which he hasn’t been able to.”
Despite rumours linking him with a move to an unspecified MLS side, the Real Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas seems content where he is and remains wanted by his manager Carlo Ancelotti. “Iker was very clear, he wants to stay,” said the Italian. “We want him to. I want him to.” This ringing endorsement of a player not in the best of form ought to come as music to the ears of Manchester United fans concerned about losing David de Gea.
The Tottenham full-back Danny Rose may soon come to be known as Manchester City full-back Danny Rose, should the misfiring Premier League champions move Aleksandar Kolarov on to Italian pastures new. Understandably aggrieved at finding himself behind Gaël Clichy in the City pecking order, the Serb wants to return to Italy and has got antennae at Roma and Inter twitching. Having also slipped down the City pecking order in the wake of recent poor performances, the Chilean manager Manuel Pellegrini may be replaced by Rafael Benítez, who is set to leave Napoli.
