Toni Kroos has been linked with a move away from Real Madrid in recent months and Manchester United are one of the interested parties.

Jose Mourinho reportedly faces a battle with old adversary Pep Guardiola in the race to sign the 28-year-old midfielder, who is valued at £72m by Transfermarkt.

If the German did make the move to Old Trafford, it would be likely that he would slot into a 4-3-3 formation alongside Nemanja Matic and Paul Pogba, adding the balance between midfield and attack that has been lacking under Mourinho.

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Yet, after another dominant performance as Madrid swept aside last season’s finalists Juventus 3-0 in the first leg of their quarter-final clash last night, it was clear that he could well put Pogba in the shade if he made the move to Old Trafford.

Under the most intense of pressure, he had 107 touches – the most of any Madrid player – and ran the game from the deep playmaker role. Pogba is yet to do similar in a United shirt, and there is no doubt that is what he has been brought in to do.

That included 98 passes, with 96 per cent pass accuracy as he yet again proved his ability to dominate proceedings in the most refined company.

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Two key passes and four tackles shows that he is making an impact at both ends as well; he is not just a playmaker who doesn’t impact play.

Even at 28, he is the real deal and he should show Pogba that he is on the next level to him if he arrived at Old Trafford.

As reported by The Sun, Manchester United are on the verge of securing goalkeeper David De Gea on a new long-term contract, ending speculation he will move away from the club back to La Liga.

What’s the story?

The paper reckon the shot-stopper is wanted by Real Madrid this summer, but United are convinced he is poised to sign a new deal after initial discussions earlier this season.

The details are now set to be hammered out before the player leaves for the World Cup at the end of the season.

The report says that he will earn a whopping £350k-a-week should he sign, making him the second highest earner in the club’s history behind Alexis Sanchez.

Is he worth that kind of cash?

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How important is he?

De Gea is regarded as one of the finest goalkeepers in the world and week-to-week he’s made countless important saves for the Red Devils whether against less illustrious competition or in big European ties and derbies.

Replacing him is almost unthinkable, which is likely why the club are ready to invest so heavily in a new contract for the player.

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At 27 years of age, the player likely has close to another decade of elite level goalkeeping left in him and ensuring the majority of that time is spent at United is a major boost to their trophy ambitions.

Securing his future, even at £350k-a-week, would be a fantastic bit of business by the club.

On Friday, Liverpool will discover who they will need to get past in order to reach the final of the Champions League.

Jurgen Klopp’s side earned their place in the final four with an impressive 5-1 aggregate victory over Manchester City.

Mohamed Salah was one of the stars of the show as he opened the scoring in a 3-0 triumph at Anfield in the quarter-final first leg, and netted a crucial away goal in the 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium.

On the night of Liverpool’s joy, elsewhere in Italy, Rome caused a huge upset by clawing back from 4-1 down to oust Barcelona from the competition.

The result was welcomed by supporters of the Merseyside outfit, not only because they will avoid meeting the Catalan giants, but because their former player Philippe Coutinho left Anfield in January to win more trophies at Barca.

The Brazilian was roundly mocked by Liverpool fans following the Spanish giant’s shock elimination.

More drama ensued on Wednesday night when Juventus came close to knocking out Real Madrid by going 3-0 up in the second leg.

However, a penalty kick from Cristiano Ronaldo in stoppage time meant that Los Blancos progressed 4-3 on aggregate.

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Liverpool will be joined in Friday’s draw by Roma, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Fans have been having their say on who they want to meet in the semi-finals, and one club stands out…

According to a report in the Northern Echo, Newcastle United are ready to step up their bid to sign Chelsea loanee Kenedy on a permanent basis now that they have retained their Premier League status for another year.

The Magpies surpassed the magic 40-point mark when they beat Arsenal at St James’ Park on Sunday, meaning manager Rafa Benitez can now start planning for next season in the top flight, with 74% of fans on Twitter already saying they want Fernando Torres.

Kenedy has certainly been an impressive performer on the left-hand side since moving to Tyneside during the January transfer window, scoring twice in the 3-0 win against Southampton and providing assists in 1-1 draw with Burnley and the 1-0 success against Huddersfield Town.

Meanwhile, The Sun reported on April 11 that the Toon were also keen on a move for 28-year-old Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand, who has been playing as a left wing-back in recent weeks.

While Kenedy has been playing as a left midfielder under Benitez, it is difficult to see that they would need both him and Bertrand given they already have Christian Atsu and Jacob Murphy that can also play on the left flank, meaning it could come down to a choice between the two.

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So, Newcastle fans, if the club could only sign one of Kenedy or Bertrand this summer, which one would you choose? Let us know by voting below…

According to The Mirror, Norwich City are ready to cash in on James Maddison at the end of the season, with Everton among the list of clubs interested in the attacking midfielder.

What’s the story?

Maddison was strongly linked with a move away from Norwich during the January transfer window, but he ultimately remained with the Canaries.

According to The Mirror, Norwich have now admitted defeat when it comes to keeping the England Under-21 international, and he will depart Carrow Road at the end of the season.

Everton and Tottenham Hotspur have both recently been linked with Maddison, and it will be a big test of Everton’s pulling power when it comes to the future of the attacking midfielder.

It is understood that Maddison will be allowed to leave Norwich if a £30m bid comes in, and the Toffees proved in last summer’s transfer window that they are not afraid to splash the cash.

Everton must win the battle

It is certainly not going to be easy for Everton to win the race when considering that Manchester City and Liverpool are also said to be admirers of the 21-year-old.

Maddison has been in outstanding form for Norwich during the 2017-18 campaign – scoring 15 times and registering 11 assists in 47 appearances in all competitions.

It is time for the Englishman to make the step into the Premier League, and Everton must make sure that they move quickly to avoid disappointment.

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Cenk Tosun and Theo Walcott have both impressed for Everton in recent weeks, but Gylfi Sigurdsson is currently on the treatment table, and Wayne Rooney, despite a healthy goal return, has struggled to influence matches.

The thought of Maddison operating alongside Sigurdsson, Walcott and Tosun is an exciting thought for the Everton supporters, and £30m could turn out to be an absolute steal for a player who has been a cut above the rest in the Championship this season.

Cesc Fabregas learned his trade at Arsenal before becoming a regular member of the first team across an eight-year spell.

In 2011, the Spaniard returned to Barcelona, where he won six trophies including the La Liga title during a three-year spell.

Controversially in 2014, the midfielder joined Arsenal’s London rivals Chelsea and has gone on to win two Premier League crowns and the League Cup.

Fabregas scooped just one trophy – the FA Cup – during his time with the Gunners, but he was an influential figure and captained the side at the age of 21.

Understandably, plenty of Arsenal fans were hurt by the midfielder’s decision to join Chelsea, and some have still not come to terms with it.

Under Blues boss Antonio Conte last year, questions arose over Fabregas’s future as he was not a regular member of the first team.

This season, though, the 31-year-old – valued at £31.5m by Transfermarkt – has made 44 appearances in all competitions, scoring three goals and creating five assists.

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On Reddit, an Arsenal fan opened a discussion about Fabregas’s captaincy at the North London club, and others expressed their sadness that he was no longer part of the fold.

Comment from discussion Does it still shock anyone that Fabregas was Arsenal captain at only 21 years of age?.Comment from discussion Does it still shock anyone that Fabregas was Arsenal captain at only 21 years of age?.Comment from discussion Does it still shock anyone that Fabregas was Arsenal captain at only 21 years of age?.Comment from discussion Does it still shock anyone that Fabregas was Arsenal captain at only 21 years of age?.Comment from discussion Does it still shock anyone that Fabregas was Arsenal captain at only 21 years of age?.Comment from discussion Does it still shock anyone that Fabregas was Arsenal captain at only 21 years of age?.Comment from discussion Does it still shock anyone that Fabregas was Arsenal captain at only 21 years of age?.

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Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho continued his approach of publicly criticising his players following yet another poor performance on Friday night, this time in a 1-0 defeat against Brighton.

The result secured the Seagulls’ Premier League safety but also meant that United have lost away from home against all three promoted teams this season and still face uncertainty over finishing second in the division.

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial failed to provide much in the way of attacking spark in the absence of Romelu Lukaku and Alexis Sanchez, while backup defenders Matteo Darmian and Marcos Rojo also failed to impress.

Mourinho did not hold back in his criticism as he looks to oversee a finale to the season that includes a second place finish and the FA Cup but some players are reportedly struggling to cope with it and are not responding well.

The former Inter manager is not universally popular among the Reds’ fanbase but they are with him on this one…

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Tottenham Hotspur fans have made no secret of the fact that they are keen for Manchester United star Anthony Martial to move to London.

The club’s following spread that message once again on social media this week after it emerged that the 22-year-old will not be going to the World Cup.

Didier Deschamps opted not to include Martial in his France squad for the tournament in Russia this summer.

The attacker has had a difficult season with regards to game time as manager Jose Mourinho has opted against handing his player a regular starting spot.

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In fact, Martial was named in the first XI just 18 times in the Premier League and came off the bench in a further 12.

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In total, the forward struck the back of the net 11 times in all competitions and also created seven assists.

The former Monaco star’s hopes of playing are not completely over given that he is on the standby list, but this latest disappointment has convinced Spurs fans that their club need to make a move.

Liverpool would have taken a step further in their progression had they won the Champions League on Saturday night.

However, it was not to be as Real Madrid earned a 3-1 triumph, and they were helped along by some goalkeeping howlers from Loris Karius.

The German’s performance highlighted Liverpool’s need for a goalkeeper this summer.

After the final whistle, Karius was visibly distraught and in floods of tears, much like his teammate Mohamed Salah, who was forced off the pitch 31 minutes in with a dislocated shoulder.

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Liverpool have received plenty of plaudits this season for their scintillating attacking form.

In the Premier League, Jurgen Klopp’s side finished fourth, but in three of their four fixtures against title winners Manchester City in all competitions, they showed that they are more than capable of matching Pep Guardiola’s side.

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Some may have felt that the Reds would be title challengers next season, but after their disappointment in the Champions League final, have things changed?

Let us know by voting below…

Four Sporting Lisbon players – including long-term Newcastle United target Bas Dost – have terminated their contracts with the Portuguese outfit, as reported by The Telegraph on Tuesday morning, and Magpies fans have been quick to react.

The Telegraph says that the Netherlands international – along with teammates William Carvalho, Bruno Fernandes and Gelson Martins – have all rescinded their deals claiming “just cause”, with Dost one of the players injured when some supporters broke into the club’s training ground and attacked the players last month.

Meanwhile, Toon boss Rafa Benitez is in the market for a new centre-forward this summer in order to boost a frontline that only netted 39 goals in their 38 Premier League matches last term, and he would surely be tempted by the opportunity to bring a player who has scored a remarkable 61 times in 61 Liga NOS outings for Sporting.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]

Newcastle supporters, who want their club to snap up a £25m Premier League winger this summer, took to social media to give their thoughts on the story, and while one said “I don’t even want him anymore”, another said “Charnley is on it lads”.

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Here is just a selection of the Twitter reaction…