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Given the stellar campaigns enjoyed by star men Wilfried Zaha and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, the main concern for many Crystal Palace fans this summer is not who they will or won’t sign, but who will and won’t stay – both local lads can be forgiven should they seek an exit, with a number of top clubs surely interested in their services.

Right-back Wan-Bissaka is being linked with a big money move to Manchester United, who offered the Eagles £50m for the 21-year-old this week, which breaks down into a £35m initial fee and up to £15m in add-ons – it is understood that the Selhurst Park outfit would accept £50m up front.

Despite the athletic number 29 having just one full season in the Premier League under his belt, he has established himself as one of the top right-backs in the game, statistically. There’s little doubt that he can be a world class talent in a matter of years and so plenty of Palace fans are laughing at the Red Devils’ attempt to get him on the cheap.

Should Crystal Palace keep hold of Max Meyer this summer? Harvey Jones discusses in the video below…

You can check out the best of the reaction on Twitter below, with some fans suggesting that the Eagles chiefs ask for £60m, while another called the Old Trafford outfit “embarrassing”…

If there’s one saving grace about being an Arsenal fan at the moment, it’s it can be argued that there is currently a golden generation of talent coming through at the club.

From Reiss Nelson impressing on-loan at Hoffenheim to Joe Willock arguably being the only bright spark in the Europa League final, there is plenty to be said about the Gunners’ current crop of youngsters, who many fans want to see integrated into the first-team next season, and with the recent promotion of Freddie Ljungberg from U-23 manager to assistant coach in the senior squad, this could be something that the club are also thinking about.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean these players will be given first-team opportunities. Indeed, there is a chance the club could sign names that might block the path into the senior squad for many youngsters at Arsenal, and Dwight McNeil could just be one of these figures.

The Burnley Express report that the Clarets winger is being monitored by the Gunners, along with the likes of Manchester City and Everton, and whilst there is no doubt that McNeil has the potential to be a quality player in the Premier League given the season he had, he isn’t what Arsenal need given how much talent the north London side have waiting on the wings, literally.

Whilst the Burnley starlet’s record of three goals and five assists in the Premier League from the left-wing is highly impressive, that area of the attack is not only a position where the Gunners already have Alex Iwobi and Emile Smith Rowe, two players who have impressed greatly for Arsenal this season under the new manager, and bringing in a player who can disrupt this balance could be damaging for the club.

Arsenal’s youngsters are likely to play a big role next season as the club aim to take a different approach, and although McNeil is a player who can go far in the game, he isn’t what the Gunners are in need of with so much talent already in north London just waiting for their chance.

Arsenal fans, what youngsters will break through next season? Let us know!

[ad_pod ]Some Crystal Palace fans have taken to Twitter to laugh off Arsenal’s reported £40million bid for Wilfried Zaha.The 26-year-old has made 323 appearances for the Eagles, contributing 53 goals and 65 assists across two spells at the club.And despite moving to Manchester United in 2013, he made just four appearances for the Red Devils, with his spell at Old Trafford also including a short period on loan at Cardiff.Watch Crystal Palace Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Since rejoining Palace in 2014, Zaha has been a part of a side that has remained in the Premier League for five seasons while also having a run to the FA Cup final back in 2016 – where they were beaten 2-1 by his former club Man Utd.

Now, amid speculation of the forward’s future, he is playing at the Africa Cup of Nations where he scored for Ivory Coast in a 4-1 win over Namibia on Monday.

Are Crystal Palace right to slap a £100m valuation on Wilfried Zaha’s head? Check out the video below to see why they are…

But the £40m bid from Arsenal has been rejected by those at Selhurst Park and now it is up to the Gunners to try and revise their valuation of the player if they are to secure the deal.

Palace fans on Twitter were amused by the original offer and believe it is nowhere near what he is really worth.

Here are some of the responses:

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Yesterday’s West Ham transfer roundup featured the confirmed departure of an Austrian international, interest in a Bundesliga midfielder and a Serie A side’s pursuit of a former Manchester United forward. Today’s edition includes the Hammers pulling out of the race for a La Liga ace, the offer to sign a 28-year-old free agent and comments from a French attacker.

Gomez deal off

According to Sky Sports’ Live Transfer Blog (09/07, 15:13), the Hammers will not sign Celta Vigo’s Maxi Gomez this summer. It is reported that the London outfit offered the £45m release clause for the 22-year-old Argentine, but the two clubs could not agree a payment structure.

Balotelli offered to Hammers

West Ham have been offered the chance to sign Mario Balotelli this summer according to the Telegraph. The former Liverpool and Manchester City striker left Ligue 1 side Marseille on a free transfer at the end of last season after netting eight times in Ligue 1, but Manuel Pellegrini is yet to show any interest in the Italian international.

Haller speaks about his future

Sebastian Haller has been talking about speculation regarding his future. The 6 foot 3 Eintracht Frankfurt man told German outlet Kicker, “I’ve heard many things about my future, but nothing new happened, I’m here and happy”. The 25-year-old has been mooted as a target by ExWHUemployee.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

After getting deals over the line for both Daniel James and Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Manchester United are seemingly still on the hunt for more British players. Reports in recent weeks have suggested the club are targeting moves for the likes of Harry Maguire and Sean Longstaff amongst others, and have seemingly zeroed in on the kind of profile of player they want.

Whilst the idea behind signing players from domestic leagues is admirable and certainly has its merits – not least the added advantage of them being already acclimatised to their environment and knowing the league inside out – United’s pursuit of British stars is leading them down a dangerous path.

The club have already had to splash out £50m for Crystal Palace’s Wan-Bissaka – a 21-year-old who made his Premier League debut only last year and is already the club’s fifth biggest signing.

Watch how to cross the road like a boss with freestyler Ben Nuttall in the video below…

Value for money?

The premium on signing players from domestic rivals and leagues – particularly with the home-grown quota playing a part – is getting nigh on impractical. The pursuit of Maguire has seen United be quoted upwards of £70m, whilst it also has been reported Newcastle are demanding close to £50m for the barely experienced Longstaff.

Are the trio necessarily the best options out there? Are their prices a fair reflection of their abilities? Or are United being punished and exploited by their own apparent desire to buy British? The Red Devils’ recent dealings with super-agents like Mino Raiola are perhaps indicative of why they are so reluctant to look abroad for their next signings.

Watch Manchester United Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

But having finished sixth last season, the club are arguably not in a position to not be buying the best that they possibly can. If reports are to be believed that Lazio’s powerhouse Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is available for a move away, then why turn their attentions to an inexperienced midfielder like Longstaff whose supposed break-through season saw him make just nine appearances in the Premier League?

United’s transfer strategy this summer has seen them bear the brunt of the rising cost of signing British-based players, and it appears with both Maguire and Longstaff, they could be burned even more.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

Out-of-favour Southampton centre-back Wesley Hoedt may have hoped a shot at redemption was on the cards after he was named in the 26-man squad for the pre-season trip to Austria last week, but manager Ralph Hasenhuttl made his stance on the Dutchman perfectly clear at the weekend.

On the chalkboard

It’s fair to say that the 25-year-old has never really been popular among the St Mary’s faithful following his performances on the pitch at the heart of the south coast outfit’s defence – he scored two own goals alone in the first half of the 2018/19 season.

The six-time Netherlands international made the bench for the first two matches of Hasenhuttl’s reign in December 2018, before being left out of the squad entirely prior to joining Celta Vigo on loan in January for the remainder of the campaign.

Watch Southampton Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

Things didn’t go well for him there either – including being sent off on his debut for the La Liga outfit – so it was something of a surprise to see him make the cut for the trip to Austria with the Saints manager clearly not a fan.

Still out of favour

Hoedt may have been on the plane, but he should be under no illusions as to where he stands at St Mary’s following the friendly against SCR Altach on Sunday.

Southampton’s new man Moussa Djenepo divides opinion amongst fans in the video below…

Only two outfield players failed to get on the pitch during the 1-1 draw – the centre-back and youngster Christoph Klarer – with Jannik Vestergaard, Maya Yoshida, Jan Bednarek and Jack Stephens preferred in the centre-back spots.

It ultimately showed that the Dutchman is either fifth or sixth-choice under Hasenhuttl right now, and with Southampton’s next transfer priority reported to be bringing in a new centre-back, the 51-year-old’s feelings on the former Lazio man appear pretty obvious.

If Hoedt was hoping for a second chance, it doesn’t appear to be forthcoming.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers series, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…

As some of you may have heard, Liverpool’s first-team stars have been hard at work on international duty whilst others in the squad take a well deserved holiday.

After a gruelling 97-point Premier League campaign and a successful Champions League expedition last term, the likes of Joel Matip and Fabinho got to jet off and chill out.

Whilst they and others were letting their hair down, Sadio Mane, Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Alisson Becker embarked on international tournaments – the latter pair went away and won the Copa America, whilst Salah and Mane took part in the Africa Cup of Nations.

“It reminds me of a bus seat!” – Watch a damning verdict on Chelsea’s new kit in the video below…

Out of all of them, it was Mane who finished latest after making the AFCON final with Senegal, which they unfortunately lost to Algeria.

Due to his exploits, the former Southampton man will miss the Community Shield game against Manchester City, and will return to the club just four days before the opening game against Norwich.

Embarking on a season without the Premier League Golden Boot winner may worry some Liverpool fans, and quite understandably – however, they don’t need to worry thanks to Rhian Brewster’s excellent pre-season form.

The teenager has had an enormous amount of trust placed in him by Jurgen Klopp, and has begun to repay that trust with four goals and an assist in pre-season so far.

Brewster’s goals were all impressive, and showed his wide array of striking skills ranging from instinctive follow-ups, confidently struck penalties and sharp aerial instincts.

If he had just been signed for £30m and was performing like this, you can only imagine the hype surrounding his form, so it is only fair that we praise Brewster for his efforts substantially.

It may only be pre-season, but the 19-year-old is in a purple patch and has the wind in his sails after Klopp breathed life into them.

From what we’ve seen, he can capably stand in for Mane for a few early season games at least, and potentially be a key figure alongside the Senegalese forward later on once he regains his fitness.

Liverpool needn’t worry about being without their 22-goal attacker with Brewster around.

The excitement levels have risen among Manchester United fans after Italian journalist Alfredo Pedulla gave a transfer update regarding the club’s sensational swoop for Juventus star Paulo Dybala on Twitter.

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Pedulla claims that the Old Trafford giants are pressing ahead with a move for the Argentine attacker, with Juventus boss Maurizio Sarri keen to sign Romelu Lukaku.

However, it is thought that Internazionale, who have already had a bid rejected for the Belgian forward, are hoping Dybala rejects a move to the north-west of England.

Indeed, things have slowed down since United captured the likes of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Daniel James.

However, according to Pedulla, things could be about to move quickly, and the fans can’t contain their excitement.

Here is a selection of tweets from Manchester United fans following the tweets by the Italian journalist:

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Transfer Focus series, which provides opinion and analysis on recent transfer news…

According to Calcio Mercato (as translated on their English site), Manchester City are “increasingly more likely” to sign Juventus star Joao Cancelo this summer.

What’s the word?

Reports in recent weeks had claimed that the Portugal international was a summer transfer target for City this summer, but a move seemingly failed to be agreed.

However, Calcio Mercato now claim that negotiations have reached a “turning point”, and that following new talks between both sides, City expressed their willingness to put together a deal without Danilo being involved.

Watch Manchester City Live Streams With StreamFootball.tv Below

The report claims that City’s Brazilian right-back had been “holding back the negotiations” and that work is now being done to complete a deal before the end of the transfer window in England.

Versatility

At 25, Cancelo still has plenty of growth to improve. The Portuguese star has already played for some of European football’s leading lights in Benfica, Valencia, Inter and Juventus. As well as the impressive resume of former clubs, the right-back has built up considerable experience playing at the highest level, competing for the biggest trophies domestically and in Europe.

But what Guardiola perhaps will truly appreciate is Cancelo’s versatility. The 25-year-old in his career has played as a (and take a breath here): right-back, left-back, right-midfielder, left-midfielder and right-winger. It probably goes without saying that he could probably do a job at wing-back too. The ability to play on either side will massively boost Guardiola’s options next season.

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As well as perhaps allowing Guardiola to concern himself less with having to potentially replace the injury-prone Benjamin Mendy, Cancelo can also give the City boss some food for thought tactically. In games where the Citizens are perhaps less likely to dominate, or face a particularly fearsome attacking threat (Liverpool anyone?), the Manchester side could quite conceivably play both Cancelo and Walker on the same side to offer greater defensive protection on the flanks.

So whilst City may already have two big-money full-backs in both Mendy and Walker, adding another in Cancelo could boost the side in more than just the one position.

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This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…

It may only be one week into the new Premier League campaign but Arsenal look like a different outfit.

They’re buoyed by new signings, among them, the £72m Nicolas Pepe whilst the days of Arsene Wenger are now seemingly long gone.

That isn’t to say issues that arose under the Frenchman aren’t still there but after their opening match of the season, there are reasons to be encouraged.

Why? Because Arsenal not only won on the road, but they also kept a clean sheet.

The Gunners’ shoddy away record is no secret and last season they were particularly poor when it came to their travels in the Premier League.

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They won just four games on the road in the top-flight, conceding 35 goals. That was more than both Brighton and Cardiff.

Unai Emery’s men had to wait an awful long time for a game in which they didn’t concede away from the Emirates last term, defeating Watford 1-0 at Vicarage Road in April.

Until that point, they hadn’t kept a single clean sheet in 2018/19 when playing away.

It was a statistic that Arsenal simply couldn’t be proud of. However, they’ve already matched that record in what was a dogged performance at St James’ Park.

At moments in the first half they rode their luck as Joelinton and Miguel Almiron looked threatening against the relatively untried partnership of Sokratis and Calum Chambers.

The pair played together in pre-season but whether they remain first choice with David Luiz waiting in the wings remains to be seen.

But they did look far more composed than can be said of last season.

Arsenal’s home form last term was fantastic and was only bettered by Manchester City and Liverpool. What really cost them a place in the top four, therefore, was their performances on their travels.

It was a real Achilles heel for the Gunners and it has been for the last two years.

Obviously, there is still a whole season to play but on Sunday we saw promising signs that Arsenal are ready to fight and also ready to keep their cool when it matters.

There will undoubtedly be tougher tests to come but the signs so far are good.

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