MANCHESTER UNITED are amongst other big Premier League clubs that are on red alert over Ousmane Dembele's availability this summer.
It's claimed the Barcelona star could be available for as little as £44million this summer with his contract winding down.
Elsewhere, United WON'T be appealing Casemiro's red card, which means he will miss their next four domestic games.
And we have all the latest on Alejandro Garnacho's injury after the Argentine left Old Trafford on crutches at the weekend.
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- Gary Stonehouse
Good morning Red Devils fans
Manchester United have chosen NOT to appeal Casemiro’s red card against Southampton.
Casemiro was dismissed by Anthony Taylor after a reckless challenge on Saints midfielder Carlos Alcarez.
And because it is his second red card of the season, it means he will now miss FOUR matches instead of three.
This will see him unable to play in the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham, while also missing Premier League fixtures against Brentford, Everton and top four rivals Newcastle.
Manager Erik ten Hag fumed: “It is inconsistent. The referees are coming at the start of the season with a policy: we are the Premier League, we want intensity and Casemiro, across European games, over 500, he never had a red card but now, twice.
“He plays tough but he’s fair.”
In more bad news, Alejandro Garnacho was spotted leaving Old Trafford on crutches following the goalless draw with Southampton.
This could be the reason behind Ten Hag inviting four youngsters to first-team training, including one who had a spat with Anthony Martial earlier this season – Dan Gore.
In the transfer market, Liverpool are the latest club to express at interest in Fulham’s Joao Palhinha, after SunSport revealed United were weighing up a £60million bid for him.
Facundo Pellistri could be allowed to leave the club on loan in order to further his development.
The 21-year-old has impressed Ten Hag with a number of strong cameos this season.
However, the Dutchman wants to give the winger more game time to help his development.
- Tony Robertson
Dembele deal?
Premier League clubs have been left on red alert after the release clause of Ousmane Dembele was revealed.
According to Fabrizio Romano, Dembele has a release clause of just £44million from July.
He said the final year of his deal will see him with an £88m clause before it cuts in half in July.
This could see interest from club’s such as Manchester United Chelsea, Newcastle and Arsenal spike.
It comes amid the fallout from Barcelona being charged with corruption for paying refs between 2001-2018.
The Spanish giants have been accused of syphoning more than £6m to a company owned by Jose Maria Enriquez Negreira, who served as the vice-president of Spain’s refereeing committee.
- Tony Robertson
Case dismissed
Manchester United have decided NOT to appeal Casemiro's ban.
The Brazilian was sent off following a reckless challenge against Southampton.
And since it is his red of the season, he now faces FOUR matches on the sideline instead of the usual three.
It echoes the previous situation when the ex-Real Madrid star was sent off against Crystal Palace.
His absence will see him miss the FA Cup quarter-final against Fulham and Premier League games against Newcastle, Brentford and Everton.
However, he will still be available for Man Utd's european campaign, which carries on when they visit Real Betis on Thursday.
- Tony Robertson
Man Utd youngster loan
Manchester United are set to loan out youngster Facundo Pellistri.
Despite impressive displays in many of his short cameos, Erik ten Hag wants to loan out the winger to boost his development, according to Manchester Evening News.
Pellistri, 21, joined the Red Devils in a £9million transfer in 2020 and has made six appearances off the bench so far this season.
Following United's 4-1 win over Real Betis last week, Ten Hag told MUTV: "He is the example by deserving his position by performance on the training [ground].
"And I said the other day, I did not select him for Liverpool and it was not even totally justified because he was training that well.
"Now this was his moment to come on because of a longer period he performed in training.
"What impressed me was he came on and, straight [away], showed himself."
Pellistri had a short but sweet cameo against Real Betis - Tony Robertson
Fergie's Cheltenham runners
Want to know what horses Sir Alex Ferguson is running at Cheltenham?
Well fear not because SunSport has all you need to know on the matter.
Fergie has THREE horses running at Cheltenham this year.
Protektorat is Fergie's main charge and a 14/1 shot to win the marquee Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday at 3.30pm.
Elsewhere, look out for Hermes Allen in the Ballymore Novices' Hurdle as Fergie's seeks his first win of the week. Hermes Allen is the 3-1 second-favourite for the race on Wednesday at 1.30pm.
While Hitman is at 25/1 for the Ryanair Chase on Thursday at 2.50pm.
And the odds of a (another) Fergie treble? 1,200/1.
- Tony Robertson
Zaha offer
Former Manchester United star Wilfried Zaha has reportedly been offered a contract worth £9million-a-year to move to Saudi Arabia.
The Daily Mail's report claims Al-Ittihad have joined league rivals Al-Nassr in the race to sign the Crystal Palace ace.
The move would see him join Cristiano Ronaldo as the next big-name star to arrive in the Middle East.
However, the Eagles are keen to tie him down to a new contract and have offered him the "most lucrative" deal in the club's history in an effort to retain him.
It's claimed The Eagles brass have tabled a deal in the region of £200,000-a-week contract to the winger.
Palace boss Patrick Vieira is hopeful Zaha will ink a new deal with the club, saying: “We know the situation and we want to keep him."
Credit: Alamy - Etienne Fermie
Liverpool enter Palhinha transfer race
The Reds have joined Manchester United in the race to sign Fulham midfielder Joao Palhinha, according to reports.
Last week, SunSport exclusively revealed that United were plotting a swoop for the 27-year-old Portugal ace.
And according to The Daily Mail, Liverpool have also expressed an interest.
Palhinha joined Fulham in a £20million transfer from Sporting Lisbon last summer.
However, following a series of impressive performances at Craven Cottage, he is now valued at around £60m.
The Cottagers are confident that the midfielder will remain in west London for at least one more season, but club chiefs may be forced to cash-in if a suitable offer is made.
- Etienne Fermie
Declan Rice transfer update
Declan Rice is "almost certain" to leave West Ham this summer and "likely" to join Arsenal, according to reports.
The England midfielder, 24, has been heavily linked with a host of Premier League clubs including Chelsea and Manchester United.
But the Hammers had hoped to convince their captain to stick around for one more season – particularly given he is under contract until 2024.
But with David Moyes' side struggling down in 17th in the Premier League table, The Guardian are reporting West Ham have failed to convince Rice that the club are progressing.
It comes just one season on from the Irons' seventh place finish and run to the Europa League semi-finals.
Title challengers Arsenal are understood to be the frontrunners to agree a deal for him at the end of the season.
- Etienne Fermie
Ten Hag on Jadon Sancho
Man United boss Erik ten Hag reckons that Jadon Sancho can thrive in a more central position.
He said: "I think he did quite well as a number ten.
"Like he did against Barcelona and Leicester. He was really decisive against Leicester and also today with some really good actions.
"One time, he was really close to the goal with a run at the defending line and a cross to Bruno almost came there. He did a good job.''
Asked about whether Sancho can be a "difference maker" for his team, Ten Hag, 53, then added: "'I think he can, I think he can make the difference when we play three against two in the midfield.
"And that is not bad when you have Casemiro and Bruno and you have Jadon Sancho.'"
Credit: Getty
- Etienne Fermie
Rapha Varane on United depth
French defender believes that the Red Devils will be able to cope without the suspended Casemiro, after the Brazilian was red carded against Southampton yesterday.
Varane said: "He's a player who's very important for us. He brings balance to the team and to the squad.
"But we have a great squad and we have to find another balance without him, but we have good players in every position on the pitch and we're ready for the next games.
"I think he was very disappointed because nobody wants to get out of the pitch before the end but, as I say, it's part of football.
"It was obviously very disappointing but we can focus on the next games and that's it."
- Etienne Fermie
Man Utd star earns accolade
Marcus Rashford is having a spectacular season and FIFA 23 fans agree.
It’s the third time that the Man Utd forward has won the Premier League Player of the Month (POTM) this year alone.
He won last month in January, and previously took the title in September.
November and December were grouped together because of the World Cup, meaning that Rashford has won half of all the votes.
Every time Rashford has won, the overall score for his POTM card has improved.
The overall rating of his base card is just 81. In September this rose to 84, and 87 in January.
Rashford’s February card is a massive 88, his best rating ever.
- Etienne Fermie
Supercomputer predicts Man United fate
The top four race heated up over the weekend as several Champions League hopefuls dropped points.
Manchester United's goalless draw with Southampton meant they failed to bounce back in the Premier League following their 7-0 drubbing at the hands of Liverpool.
But how does bettingexpert's latest supercomputer see Man United finishing?
- Etienne Fermie
Dortmund update on Man Utd target
Borussia Dortmund have hinted at the reason behind Jude Bellingham's drop off in form.
The England international, 19, enjoyed a tremendous first half of the season before he shone for his country at the World Cup.
But he has struggled to regain that level of performance in recent weeks.
And it is now a month since he registered a goal or assist for the Bundesliga giants.
Sporting director Sebastian Kehl was quizzed about Bellingham's difficulties following Dortmund's 2-2 draw with Schalke over the weekend.
He said: "Maybe he's missing a goal here or there that he scored in the first half of the season.
"He works. He wants and wants. And yet there are times when that's okay. You also have to admit that a player doesn't always play at the highest level.
"But I know with him that he works hard on himself. That's where it goes."
- Etienne Fermie
Harry Maguire meets top musician
Man United star met musician Tom Grennan backstage at one of his concerts as he and his wife Fern enjoyed a night out.
Instagram snaps show the loved-up couple letting their hair down after what has been a few topsy-turvy weeks for United.
Maguire has seen the club he captains go from Wembley cup wins to disastrous derby defeats to frustrating goalless draws all in the space of the last fortnight.
But he put that on the backburner for an evening to enjoy British singer Grennan, who put together a concert in Leeds last night as part of his UK tour.
After his performance on stage, Grennan joined Maguire and his wife and some friends and family who tagged along backstage.
The group posed together for a couple of snaps with a grinning Maguire visible in a dark hoodie and black cap.
- Etienne Fermie
Osimhen race hots up
Paris Saint-Germain have entered the race for Victor Osimhen, according to reports.
The Nigerian star's goals have fired Napoli to the top of Serie A this season.
His blistering form has attracted interest from the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal.
But according to Italian transfer expert Nicolo Schira, French giants PSG also want to sign the red-hot 24-year-old.
- Dylan Terry
Good morning Man Utd fans
Erik Ten Hag has accused referee Anthony Taylor of influencing the game against Southampton – by sending off Casemiro.
After the game, the Dutch tactician told Sky Sports: “Casemiro played over 500 games in Europe and never once got a red card.
“Now he has two in the Premier League. His absence is not the issue. We will deal with that. This game was influenced by the referee.”
Following his red card, his second of the season, Casemiro will miss four games now.
While he is available for the Europa League tie against Real Betis, the Brazilian will miss plenty of domestic action.
That includes the FA Cup tie against Fulham, plus league matches against Newcastle, Brentford and Everton.
When Casemiro was sent off against Southampton, tears flowed.
Rushing to console him was fellow Brazilian Antony as he trudged off the pitch.And Antony has rushed to Twitter to lend his support once again to the ex-Real Madrid midfielder.
He tweeted: “We will always be together brother!! Raise your head, we have a lot ahead of us!!”
Alejandro Garnacho has been spotted leaving Old Trafford on crutches.
The youngster suffered an injury against Southampton and was taken off at the end of the game.
Garnacho went down under a heavy tackle from Kyle Walker-Peters and immediately looked in pain.
He received medical attention from the physios and initially played on.
But he broke down minutes later and had to be taken off for Fred having only been brought on in the 73rd minute.
The Argentine wore a protective boot as he left the ground with the assistance of crutches.
Erik ten Hag invited youngster Dan Gore and three other Man Utd youngsters to first team training this week.
Marc Jurado, Omari Forson, and Sam Murray were the other starlets – but it was Gore’s inclusion which was the most interesting.
Back in November, the midfielder, 18, clashed with Anthony Martial in a training session during the World Cup.
That could have made this week’s session all the more interesting – given their history.
The pair’s furious exchange was sparked when Gore flew into a tackle on the French forward.
Dutch tactician ten Hag had told his squad that tackles on the first team were forbidden.
But, Gore didn’t listen to the warning and reportedly went in hard on Martial, according to the Daily Mirror.
The former Monaco star was said to have squared up to the teenager – as their team-mates rushed in to pull the feuding two apart.
Any potential disagreement is believed to have been handled internally – with Martial apologising to Gore.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is interested in utilising Sir Dave Brailsford to improve Man Utd’s fortunes, according to The Times.
Brailsford has been a success with Team Sky, now Team INEOS, in cycling and ensured Team GB were dominant in the sport over the past decade.
The report continues that Brailsford is already devising a plan to overhaul the club.
Gabby Agbonlahor has told Man Utd that Harry Kane should be signed in the summer at all costs.
He told Football Insider: “If you look at this Man United squad, they’re so strong everywhere – except in that number nine role. They’re strong defensively, and so exciting in those wide spaces. Weghorst isn’t good enough for Man United but that’s not his fault.
“He was a short-term option. But I really feel that Harry Kane can be the last piece of the jigsaw, he’s an incredible player. Bring him in, and they’re good to go with a title challenge next season.”
- Jon Boon
Agbonlahor tells Utd to sign Kane
Gabby Agbonlahor has told Man Utd that Harry Kane should be signed in the summer at all costs.
He told Football Insider: "If you look at this Man United squad, they’re so strong everywhere – except in that number nine role. They’re strong defensively, and so exciting in those wide spaces. Weghorst isn’t good enough for Man United but that’s not his fault.
"He was a short-term option. But I really feel that Harry Kane can be the last piece of the jigsaw, he’s an incredible player. Bring him in, and they’re good to go with a title challenge next season."
- Jon Boon
Recognise me
A former Manchester United star looks completely unrecognisable 18 months before winning his first Champions League title.
The player would go on to have one of the most impressive CVs in the game, with a World Cup, European Championship and two Premier League titles to follow.
However, one thing he was not known for was his 90s soap opera looks and lush head of hair.
Upon seeing the picture, one fan tweeted: "Looks like a working class actor in a popular 90s ITV drama series that had a breakout number 1 song."
Six months after the picture was taken, the player would move from Toulouse to Marseille, where he would win the Champions League in 1993.
The Ligue 1 title would, however, be stripped from the team due to a corruption scandal which also saw them banned from defending their Champions League trophy, but not stripped of it altogether.
When Marseille did win the Champions League, it was starting to become clear that the star's hair was thinning out and he may ultimately become the bald icon Man Utd and France fans know today.
That is to say, goalkeeper Fabien Barthez.
- Jon Boon
Antony supports Casemiro
When Casemiro was sent off against Southampton, tears flowed.
Rushing to console him was fellow Brazilian Antony as he trudged off the pitch.
And Antony has rushed to Twitter to lend his support once again to the ex-Real Madrid midfielder.
He tweeted: "We will always be together brother!! Raise your head, we have a lot ahead of us!!"
- Jon Boon
Ratcliffe's plans
Sir Jim Ratcliffe is interested in utilising Sir Dave Brailsford to improve Man Utd's fortunes, according to The Times.
Brailsford has been a success with Team Sky, now Team INEOS, in cycling and ensured Team GB were dominant in the sport over the past decade.
The report continues that Brailsford is already devising a plan to overhaul the club.
- Jon Boon
MOTD news
Gary Lineker will front the BBC's FA Cup coverage next Saturday after the under fire host struck a deal with the BBC today.
The agreement will be announced tomorrow after tense talks, following a weekend of TV mayhem caused by the Nazi tweets row.
MPs and pals of Lineker will pore over the details to see who has backed down.
It risks a potentially explosive new row between the BBC and the Tory party if the star presenter has neither apologised or agreed to abide by impartiality rules in the future.
Director General Tim Davie has been under massive pressure to find a solution after schedules were hammered both yesterday and today.
A TV source said: "Gary will be back to host the BBC's FA Cup coverage. A deal has been struck.
"If the BBC have agreed to allow him to keep tweeting his anti-Tory views, it will be seen as a major victory for Gary, but the details of the deal are unclear at this stage."
- Jon Boon
Casemiro ban
Following his red card, his second of the season, Casemiro will miss four games now.
While he is available for the Europa League tie against Real Betis, the Brazilian will miss plenty of domestic action.
That includes the FA Cup tie against Fulham, plus league matches against Newcastle, Brentford and Everton.
- Jon Boon
Gore invited to first team training
ERIK ten Hag invited youngster Dan Gore and three other Man Utd youngsters to first team training this week.
Marc Jurado, Omari Forson, and Sam Murray were the other starlets – but it was Gore's inclusion which was the most interesting.
Back in November, the midfielder, 18, clashed with Anthony Martial in a training session during the World Cup.
That could have made this week's session all the more interesting – given their history.
The pair's furious exchange was sparked when Gore flew into a tackle on the French forward.
Dutch tactician ten Hag had told his squad that tackles on the first team were forbidden.
But, Gore didn't listen to the warning and reportedly went in hard on Martial, according to the Daily Mirror.
The former Monaco star was said to have squared up to the teenager – as their team-mates rushed in to pull the feuding two apart.
Any potential disagreement is believed to have been handled internally – with Martial apologising to Gore.
- Jon Boon
Ten Hag blames Anthony Taylor
Erik Ten Hag has accused referee Anthony Taylor of influencing the game against Southampton – by sending off Casemiro.
After the game, the Dutch tactician told Sky Sports: "Casemiro played over 500 games in Europe and never once got a red card.
"Now he has two in the Premier League. His absence is not the issue. We will deal with that. This game was influenced by the referee."
- Jon Boon
Garnacho blow
Alejandro Garnacho has been spotted leaving Old Trafford on crutches.
The youngster suffered an injury against Southampton and was taken off at the end of the game.
Garnacho went down under a heavy tackle from Kyle Walker-Peters and immediately looked in pain.
He received medical attention from the physios and initially played on.
But he broke down minutes later and had to be taken off for Fred having only been brought on in the 73rd minute.
The Argentine wore a protective boot as he left the ground with the assistance of crutches.
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