The Jadon Sancho speculation-ometer was dialled up to 11 on Wednesday night after the 19-year-old England winger was benched by Lucien Favre for Borussia Dortmund’s 3-1 defeat in Barcelona.
Sancho was introduced in the second half and scored his side’s consolation goal, before telling reporters he was “not allowed to speak” after the match. “GAGGED,” screamed Thursday morning’s resultant headlines. Asked about Sancho’s non-selection before Wednesday’s match, under-pressure Favre did his best to quell speculation about an imminent transfer by declaring: “We need players on the pitch who are focused and ready.” Sancho has had a turbulent time lately, being fined £86,000 last month by his club after returning late from England duty, before being hooked off by Favre after 36 minutes during the recent 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich, and prompting no end of links with Liverpool, Manchester United, Barcelona and Real Madrid.
Over in the US, David Beckham reportedly wants former Gunners midfield enforcer Patrick Vieira to become Inter Miami’s first manager. The Frenchman is currently in charge of Nice, a job he took on in the summer of 2018, having previously managed New York City FC for two seasons. Inter Miami will start life in the MLS in March 2020 and last month unveiled plans for a new $966m stadium in Fort Lauderdale, scheduled to open in 2022.
Whether World Cup winner Vieira will fancy swapping the French Riviera for the southern United States at this stage of his career is open to question – he has previously spoken of his ambition to manage his beloved Arsenal, where embattled Spaniard Unai Emery appears to be approaching the end.
A number of Premier League “Top-Klubs”, including Liverpool are set to battle it out for the signature of Bayer Leverkusen’s Kai Havertz, according to Bild in Germany. An astronomical potential transfer fee has naturally been slapped on the attacking midfielder, who has made seven senior appearances for Germany to date; the figure being bandied around is £110m (€130m). Havertz is “reportedly excited” about a move to Manchester United, although this apparent excitement is not available in anything resembling a quote. Anfield Mentality Giants boss Jürgen Klopp, meanwhile, has said he is a “huge admirer” of the 20-year-old, who banged in 17 Bundesliga goals last season. Havertz’s agent is in touch with several Premier League clubs about a potential deal.
It’s nice to have options. The 17-year-old Peterborough striker Ricky-Jade Jones, labelled “the quickest player I have ever managed” by Darren Ferguson, is attracting interest from a veritable host of Premier League clubs. Manchester United, Tottenham, Southampton and Burnley, Liverpool, Leicester, Manchester City and Arsenal are forming a disorderly queue after Spurs had a £1.75m bid rejected last week. Jones has made just four appearances for Darren Ferguson’s side, scoring on his debut against Cambridge as a 16-year-old, and against Stevenage in the first round of the FA Cup nine days ago, having reached the ripe old age of 17 earlier this month.
Last but not least, Portugal midfielder Bruno Fernandes – a January target for both Manchester United and Tottenham – has only gone and signed a new contract at Sporting until 2023, upping his release clause to £85m.
