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Daily Mirror
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Alexander Isak's dream Liverpool shirt number depends on £43m transfer after Arne Slot snub
Alexander Isak has donned the No 14 at Newcastle and is considering a move away but that number is occupied at Liverpool - unless the pieces fall into place for it to become vacant Alexander Isak is being heavily linked with a summer switch to Liverpool but the Newcastle star currently wouldn't be able to take the No 14 shirt given it is already occupied - at least for now. Federico Chiesa was the only signing Arne Slot made last summer, albeit the Italian has struggled to make an impact at Anfield and has been left out of their pre-season tour. He was a £10million signing from Juventus but could now make a return to Italy. Atalanta are keen on the Italian, which would free up the No 14 for Isak if he did make the move to Liverpool. However the Serie A side first need to sell Ademola Lookman to Inter Milan before they can complete a deal for Chiesa, according to reports. There has been speculation that the Reds flop could return to his native Italy for months and Atalanta are ready to save the 27-year-old from his torrid spell in England. The Bergamo outfit are ready to make a move for Chiesa according to Football Italia, but only once they have confirmed Lookman's exit. Inter want to add the Englishman, who scored 20 goals, as they rebuild their team in the aftermath of Simone Inzaghi's exit. Atalanta are demanding at least £43m before they let the winger seek pastures new. If that move does not materialise then Isak may have to eye up the No 9, which is currently held by Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan has seen a potential route to an exit blocked after Napoli pulled out of a deal, but he is expected to bring an end to his three seasons on Merseyside - two of which have been in the No 9 shirt - in the coming weeks. The Newcastle ace has spent the last three years at St James' Park and just enjoyed his best season to date. He enjoyed a run of games where he scored in eight games on the bounce, one of which was against Liverpool. He has three years to run on his contract at Newcastle but has told the club he wants to explore a move away from the club, which has put the Reds on alert. Hugo Ekitike recently joined from Frankfurt but Slot is still weighing up whether to pursue the Swedish star. Newcastle are yet to lose one of their key figures since their Saudi owners came aboard, but their ambitions could now be hit if Isak does push for the exit door. Skipper Bruno Guimaraes admitted the player was going through "some rough things" but insisted he hoped the player would return for the club ahead of the new Premier League season.


Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Jack Grealish's telling response to Napoli transfer question as he cracks Kevin De Bruyne joke
As Jack Grealish continues to be linked with a move away from Manchester City, the ex-Aston Villa captain answered a direct question about a potential move to Napoli Jack Grealish refused to rule out a move to Napoli when asked by fans during his trip to Italy. The Manchester City winger has been linked with a move away from the Etihad Stadium for weeks and recently agreed to train on his own in pre-season. The last year has proved to be a difficult one for England's first-ever £100million player. He only started seven Premier League matches and was left out of City's squad for their final game of last season against Fulham, as well as their travelling party for the Club World Cup. The ex-Aston Villa captain has been linked with moves to West Ham United and Newcastle United this summer. However, Napoli, who have already signed Kevin De Bruyne, have also emerged as a potential destination. Grealish only furthered those rumours when he spoke to supporters while on the Amalfi Coast, where he flew into earlier this week to continue his solo training. He has been spotted on football pitches in Ravello, a picturesque town in the Campania region of Italy. Speaking to Radio Marte, Emanuele Falcone, municipal councillor of Scala, claimed Grealish hinted he could soon be moving to Napoli when quizzed by onlookers. Falcone said: "Grealish has booked our sports facility for the whole week, from Monday to Thursday. "On Friday, he might pop over to Naples. He trained very seriously, like a true professional. Lots of fans stopped him for a photo and asked him if he really could come to Napoli? "Him? Never a denial, just laughter and winks. In fact, he let slip a joke, 'You already have De Bruyne in Napoli.'" De Bruyne joined Antonio Conte's side this summer on a free transfer after City opted not to give him a new contract. He will be reunited with Grealish if the England international chooses to follow his former colleague to Naples. In June, the Sun claimed the reigning Italian champions would be willing to spend £45m on Grealish. The Englishman may factor in the ascent of Scott McTominay, who has transformed from Manchester United outcast to Serie A MVP since joining last summer, into his decision-making. With the 2026 World Cup in the back of his mind, Grealish will be desperate for first-team football after being left out of the England squad for Euro 2024. Last year, Guardiola heavily insinuated that it may be better for him to seek pastures new if he wants to appear regularly. After City ended the season by beating Fulham 2-0, the City boss said: "Of course Jack has to play. He's an unbelievable player that has to play football every three days. "It didn't happen this season and last season either. He needs to do it. With us or another place. It's a question for Jack, his agent and the club."


Daily Mirror
7 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
Marcus Rashford immediately given strict new Barcelona dressing room rule to follow
Marcus Rashford was all smiles in his introduction as a new Barcelona player but the England star will have to abide by Hansi Flick's newest strict rule at the Spanish club Marcus Rashford is expected to curb nightlife proclivities after Hansi Flick demanded his Barcelona side keep their partying activities to a minimum. The 27-year-old officially joined the La Liga champions on loan from Manchester United on Wednesday in his first foray into football outside of the UK. Describing the move as a "dream come true", Rashford was handed the number 14 shirt, the same number Arsenal icon Thierry Henry wore during his trophy-laden spell in Catalonia over 15 years ago. While the Englishman will be keen to get his career back on track after a troublesome couple of years at his boyhood club, he'll have to do so while abiding by Flick's stringent rules that he's established at Barcelona. The Spanish giants enjoyed a hugely successful campaign last season, where they won the domestic treble consisting of the La Liga title, the Copa del Rey and the Spanish Super Cup. It may not be a coincidence that the abundance of silverware came after Flick's implementation of 10 strict rules, according to Spanish publication AS. There's since been one more rule added to the German's manager's list and that's to limit the amount of parties his players attend, reports Sport. Given the controversy Lamine Yamal found himself in after it was claimed entertainers with dwarfism had attended his lavish 18th birthday celebration, Flick is keen to avoid the added spotlight on his squad. While it's reported Flick hasn't banned players altogether from enjoying nights out on the town, he's said to have requested his players to have more discretion when doing so while having a greater focus on their footballing responsibilities. Avoiding cameras and attention in the newspapers is of paramount importance for Flick who aims to mount a strong title defence as well as bringing the Champions League trophy back to Barcelona for the first time since 2015. During his announcement as Barca's latest signing, Rashford explained why he chose to move to Spain as he said: "I'm very excited. It's a club where people's dreams come true. They win big prizes and what the clubs stands for really means a lot to me. "It feels like I'm at home and this is a big factor in my choice to come here, because it's a family club, people are comfortable here and it's a good place for players to showcase their skills. I want to say thank you for the warm welcome. It's a different environment for me but it feels like home. "I'm full of excitement and hunger to go out and help this club win. They won so much last year and I can see the ambition is to do better than last year and that is what you want to hear as a player. "It keeps you improving year on year and that's what you need to be - the best version of yourself. So I'm very excited to be here, eager to get the games going and I'm enjoying every minute of it." Join our new MAN UTD WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Manchester United content from Mirror Football. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.